Top 10 Favourite Wrestlers

[TD]

I'll add a caveat that I only started to get really into it in the 90s.

1) Stone Cold Steve Austin
2) The Undertaker
3) Shawn Michaels
4) The Rock
5) Mick Foley
6) Chris Jericho
7) Sting
8) Bret Hart
9) Edge
10) Goldberg

 

[Tubby23]

1. The Miz - fight me
2. Eddie Guerrero
3. The Rock
4. Stone Cold Steve Austin
5. Randy Savage
6. Chris Jericho
7. MJF
8. Kurt Angle
9. Bryan Danielson
10. Bret Hart

 

[Webster]

1} Stone Cold Steve Austin
2} MJF
3} Bret Hart
4} Shawn Michaels
5} The Undertaker
6} Ric Flair
7} Eddie Guerrero
8} CM Punk
9} Bryan Danielson
10} Jon Moxley
-Honorable mentions: Chris Jericho, Christian Cage, Christopher Daniels, Hulk Hogan, Randy Savage, Jake Roberts, Rick Rude, Jerry Lawler, etc.

 

[TD]

I've seen MJF on both your lists and I have zero clue who that is.

 

[Tubby23]

Maxwell Jacob Friedman, he is perhaps the best talker at the moment. Really, really good in ring and almost never breaks kayfabe. Has worked nearly exclusively as a heel but he's working as a face at the moment as AEW World Champion.

Well worth a look has had some incredible promos and matches over the last two years including against CM Punk, Bryan Danielson and most recently Adam Cole. He's also only 27

 

[TD]

That makes sense why I've never heard of him. I haven't watched wrestling in at least a dozen years. I've only ever heard of AEW but I don't know much about it.

 

[Tubby23]

It's the first serious competition WWE has had since WCW.
Their top tier stuff is right on par with the current best WWE stuff. They just did a big PPV for 71k people in the UK

 

[TD]

Ah WWF vs WCW, those were the glory days for me.

 

[Cole]

1. HBK no choice. scumbag or no, he is one of the greatest in ring performers of all time. his mic work was under rated, and the guy just exuded charisma. he was BORN for professional wrestling, and hands down he's the most complete performer of all time.

2. Stone Cold Steve Austin, not only probably the single greatest wrestler to ever control a crowd, people forget he was an immensely talented in ring performer. even prior to the neck injury, he was transitioning himself into a brawler because he knew it fit the persona better, but even after, he continued to control matches and tell a story.

3. Undertaker, nothing in this world makes me feel more like a kid again than the lights going out and the gong hitting. I still get chills to this day. he was sheer presence personified.

4. Rob Van Dam, even if it was spot work, he was so fun to watch in the ring. when I was an efedder, it was his style and flash I tried to emulate. he was more entertaining than a stoner had any right to be.

5. Triple H, say what you will, but he reinvented himself with the times as he needed to. he made the biggest starts of the 90s and 00s look even better both as a heel and as a ring worker.

6. Foley, speaking of making others look better. there is something to be said for just being a ragdoll. obviously the quintessential "under rated on the Mic" (purists know how good he is, but he's not often listed among the "big names" for talkers), but Undertaker, HHH, Rocky, how many people got boosts to their career working with Foley?

7. Dolph Ziggler, I had already mostly stopped watching by the time Ziggler really became a thing. but everything I've seen and heard about him leaves me wishing I had seen him more. I know that a lot of people list him up near Michael's in terms of making a match look good.

8. Mr Perfect, the worst what if in wrestling. what if no plane ride from hell, what if he came back to a modern WWE. Hennig was among the safest workers in the business, while also being immensely talented and having the perfect wrestling look.

9. Lance Storm, the original Captain Charisma, he was just fun to watch in the ring. and the roll through single leg crab is among my favorite surprise finishes of all time.

10. Sabu, SA-FUCKIN-BU. another spot monkey, but one that was tough as nails. I've never seen someone tear open their pec and keep wrestling. he was insane, and not in the safe way like Foley. I loved it.

Inhonorable Mention:

I have to add Chris Benoit. I know it's taboo. and what he did was reprehensible, but watching him in the ring was fascinating. every time he hit you it looked like it hurt, even though he was a safe worker. his clothesline was incredible.

 

[TD]

I have to add Chris Benoit. I know it's taboo. and what he did was reprehensible, but watching him in the ring was fascinating. every time he hit you it looked like it hurt, even though he was a safe worker. his clothesline was incredible.

He was very close to being my #10. I had like 5 considerations for my #10 but just went with a gimmick (the Goldberg streak) that felt impactful to me when I was young.

Benoit's talent was undeniable.

 

[VashTheStampede]

I keep a regularly updated Current Favorite Wrestlers list but not an all-time...

... I'll be back

 

[VashTheStampede]

1. The Miz - fight me

Gladly, because now I think I could win

 

[Webster]

I have to add Chris Benoit. I know it's taboo. and what he did was reprehensible, but watching him in the ring was fascinating. every time he hit you it looked like it hurt, even though he was a safe worker. his clothesline was incredible.

Agreed; if WWE weren't so sponsor-heavy and beholden to the money Vince McMahon would've probably slipped him into their Hall of Fame on the down low - no news blurb about it, no publicity...just a simple notation with a message about the controversy surrounding him.

Vince McMahon said it best: It's not right to pretend he didn't exist. It's one thing to include him as part of a historical perspective, which I believe is OK, and it's another thing to promote him, which is not OK. The situation is very similar to that of O. J. Simpson - despite his controversy, O.J. was still a part of the NFL scene. You can't deny that he existed.

 

[Webster]

Maxwell Jacob Friedman, he is perhaps the best talker at the moment.

If he and Stone Cold in his prime were in the ring at the same time.....hooboy, promo gold!

 

[Spiner202]

It's tough for me to rank - I watched for a few years when I was really young, and am just getting back into it now, so I haven't seen many full careers. Here's a list of 10 in no particular order:

1. Undertaker
2. Triple H
3. Shawn Michaels
4. Kurt Angle (I recently learned that Reddit is obsessed with Kurt)
5. Jeff Hardy
6. Kane
7. Stone Cold
8. The Rock
9. Chad Gable
10. Becky Lynch

I included a couple of newer picks - these are the people I'm vibing with the most, although I'd say I prefer seeing Rhea to Becky, but Rhea doesn't wrestle that much.

 

[VashTheStampede]

1. Kenny Omega
The greatest in-ring performer of all time, IMO. His ability to weave stories through his matches and build upon those same stories in sequel and trilogy matches is like the natural evolution of the old 90s All Japan style, with modern sensibilities and move sets. Also we share a birthday (though one year apart).

2. CM Punk
Was in the #1 spot until...recent developments. He was the first wrestler that I felt like I really identified with. One of the greatest talkers of all time.

3. Shawn Michaels
This list isn't a ranking of the greatest of all time. If it was, he might be at the top IMO. Had the total package. Was the greatest in-ring performer for decades, and could almost match that on the microphone. The man was charisma personified.

4. Mr. Perfect
My first ever favorite. To have that name and be able to back it up is insane. Was very formative in the types of media characters I tend to gravitate to. Cocky, competent, yet a little over-the-top and silly. Basically every D&D character I've ever rolled. Likely the reason I tend to root for charismatic bad guys.

5. Taz
No one was ever a killer like peak Taz. Little dude who would absolutely fuck you up. Nothing personal, just business. Unless it was Sabu (who BARELY missed the cut on this list). All good suplexes are still tazplexes in my book.

6. Mitsuharu Misawa
The Japanese GOAT. One of the most influential wrestlers of all time, whether you realize it or not. His matches through the 90s were brutal, hard-hitting perfection. He (along with Terry Funk, another close cut) made me realize that the best way to make strikes look good is to just hit the fucking guy. If that fails, drop em on their goddamn head. I never get fired up more than when two guys are just blasting the fuck out of each other, and Misawa was the genesis of that for me.

7. Lance Storm
The most underrated wrestler of all time. Amazing technicians, great flyer, horrible chair shots. Low-key great on the mic, but unfortunately got pigeon-holed after ending up in the WWF. Could be serious (for a minute) or genuinely hilarious, though he rarely got the chance to show that side of him. Should have been a world champion.

8. Sting
This fuckin guy is 64 and still putting on great matches. What the hell? Has successfully reinvented himself more times than anyone not named Chris Jericho. For a time was the coolest dude in wrestling without saying a single word. A goddamn superhero. Made TNA Impact watchable with Hogan on the same show.

9. Hayabusa
I love high flying. I love deathmatches. Why not both? His feud with former best friend Mr Gannosuke is what got me hooked on Japanese wrestling AND deathmatches. When Gannosuke ended up stealing his persona and becoming Hayabusa II, he reinvented himself as H, the first time I saw someone change their entire character for a storyline. That was rad.

10. Katsuyori Shibata
His nickname is The Wrestler. That's the gimmick. Best striker in the world. Grappling almost the same level. Dude was on pace to become one of the best NJPW World Champions of all time IMO, until the brain injury that almost ended his life. The fact that he is back to wrestling is unreal. Even competing at maybe 70% of his former style, he's still super fun to watch.

 

[Crystal]

10. Becky Lynch

This is correct and @Webster knows why

 

[Webster]

This is correct and @Webster knows why

 

[Cole]

1. Kenny Omega
The greatest in-ring performer of all time, IMO. His ability to weave stories through his matches and build upon those same stories in sequel and trilogy matches is like the natural evolution of the old 90s All Japan style, with modern sensibilities and move sets. Also we share a birthday (though one year apart).

2. CM Punk
Was in the #1 spot until...recent developments. He was the first wrestler that I felt like I really identified with. One of the greatest talkers of all time.

3. Shawn Michaels
This list isn't a ranking of the greatest of all time. If it was, he might be at the top IMO. Had the total package. Was the greatest in-ring performer for decades, and could almost match that on the microphone. The man was charisma personified.

4. Mr. Perfect
My first ever favorite. To have that name and be able to back it up is insane. Was very formative in the types of media characters I tend to gravitate to. Cocky, competent, yet a little over-the-top and silly. Basically every D&D character I've ever rolled. Likely the reason I tend to root for charismatic bad guys.

5. Taz
No one was ever a killer like peak Taz. Little dude who would absolutely fuck you up. Nothing personal, just business. Unless it was Sabu (who BARELY missed the cut on this list). All good suplexes are still tazplexes in my book.

6. Mitsuharu Misawa
The Japanese GOAT. One of the most influential wrestlers of all time, whether you realize it or not. His matches through the 90s were brutal, hard-hitting perfection. He (along with Terry Funk, another close cut) made me realize that the best way to make strikes look good is to just hit the fucking guy. If that fails, drop em on their goddamn head. I never get fired up more than when two guys are just blasting the fuck out of each other, and Misawa was the genesis of that for me.

7. Lance Storm
The most underrated wrestler of all time. Amazing technicians, great flyer, horrible chair shots. Low-key great on the mic, but unfortunately got pigeon-holed after ending up in the WWF. Could be serious (for a minute) or genuinely hilarious, though he rarely got the chance to show that side of him. Should have been a world champion.

8. Sting
This fuckin guy is 64 and still putting on great matches. What the hell? Has successfully reinvented himself more times than anyone not named Chris Jericho. For a time was the coolest dude in wrestling without saying a single word. A goddamn superhero. Made TNA Impact watchable with Hogan on the same show.

9. Hayabusa
I love high flying. I love deathmatches. Why not both? His feud with former best friend Mr Gannosuke is what got me hooked on Japanese wrestling AND deathmatches. When Gannosuke ended up stealing his persona and becoming Hayabusa II, he reinvented himself as H, the first time I saw someone change their entire character for a storyline. That was rad.

10. Katsuyori Shibata
His nickname is The Wrestler. That's the gimmick. Best striker in the world. Grappling almost the same level. Dude was on pace to become one of the best NJPW World Champions of all time IMO, until the brain injury that almost ended his life. The fact that he is back to wrestling is unreal. Even competing at maybe 70% of his former style, he's still super fun to watch.

I love this list. we made the same comments about Michael's pretty much, and your Mr Perfect writeup was great.

and I LOVE that you see the same in Storm. I loved him.

taz and hayabusa almost made my list.

fun fact, my favorite match of all time is RVD and Sabu vs Hayabusa and Jinsei Shinzaki.

I watched that over and over again.

 

[VashTheStampede]

fun fact, my favorite match of all time is RVD and Sabu vs Hayabusa and Jinsei Shinzaki.

Love love LOVE that match

gotta do a top 10 matches list at some point. Wonder if it makes the cut for me

 

[VashTheStampede]

Also I just remembered that there was a period of time at old GW that I changed my name to Hayabusa.

Hadn't thought about that in a long long time.

 

[TD]

Was this stuff ECW?

I feel like I missed a lot not having a way to watch ECW. It was only WWF/WCW for me.

 

[Cole]

Was this stuff ECW?

I feel like I missed a lot not having a way to watch ECW. It was only WWF/WCW for me.

yes, it was in ECW. it's easy to find too

 

[Webster]

3. Undertaker, nothing in this world makes me feel more like a kid again than the lights going out and the gong hitting. I still get chills to this day. he was sheer presence personified.

Remember the time Paul Heyman ran his mouth off on Smacktown back in 2004 and.....


Per the Tropes...

Oh Crap!: A red-letter example was his trolling of Eddie Guerrero and Rey Mysterio (see Politically Incorrect Villain), which he just had to cap off with "...and there's not a man alive who's gonna stand in my way!" Then The Undertaker's *GONG* went off. His face instantly went to, "Wait a second, that's not who I think it is..." Then it went off again and the lights cut out. Cue epic "Oh, Crap!" face, and, naturally, cue Tombstone Piledriver.

 

[Tubby23]

1. The Miz - fight me
2. Eddie Guerrero
3. The Rock
4. Stone Cold Steve Austin
5. Randy Savage
6. Chris Jericho
7. MJF
8. Kurt Angle
9. Bryan Danielson
10. Bret Hart

I've changed my mind

10. Triple H

 

[Webster]

gotta do a top 10 matches list at some point.