Is Flair the Greatest of All Time?

[CSL]

Originally Posted by The Show Off Well, I'm willing to hear other opinions. Who do you think is better and more willing to turn heel or face and who is better at making superstars and putting others over?

Originally Posted by The Show Off I always hate to do this because it makes me sound like I don't appreciate how good Shawn Michaels was, which isn't true. But there is more to being "the greatest" than being the best in the ring. Let me go by the same criteria I was judging Ric Flair on... Shawn Michaels is the greatest of all time as far as in-ring ability is concerned. Shawn Michaels is good on the mic probably Top 20 maybe Top 15 but not Top 10 of all time. Shawn Michaels is probably between 15th and 10th when it comes to draw. Shawn Michaels doesn't even rank as far as putting others over is concerned. Shawn Michaels has never "made" a fellow wrestlers career by having them go over on him. Not one. He was a main eventer in the WWF from '96 to '98 and from '02 to '10... That is over 11 years as a main eventer in the WWE and he never made one guy? This fact alone disqualifies him as far as "Greatest of All Time" is concerned. Shawn Michaels also doesn't rank when it comes to willingness and capability of being face or heel. Don't get me wrong Shawn Michaels was a great heel and was also a great face. But with the exception of one month in the Summer of '05 Shawn Michaels hasn't been a heel in over a decade. Though he has the ability to be a heel he doesn't have the willingness to be a heel. Which is why he doesn't rank.

This whole notion of 'willingness to turn face or heel' is ridiculous. By that reckoning, Ricky Steamboat is one of the worst ever and some mong that's been turned every 5 minutes is 'up there'. Putting others over in the way you describe is also a bit daft, making somebody else's career has jack shit to do with an 'overall ranking'. By this reckoning, if Bill Goldberg had the talent of Shawn Michaels, he still 'wouldn't rank' because he was booked as a monster who's job it wasn't to make other people look good. And that says nothing about the actual performer. You maybe need ability, mic skills/'believability factor', 'star quality' and at a stretch, drawing power. But even that doesn't mean shit, since somebody like HBK or Bret were on top during a slump in the business. The rest are pretty redundant.