UKFF TOP 50 Wrestlers ... EVER!

[IANdrewDiceClay]

The DiBiase thing I couldnt remember and be arsed to actually look up. The IC title mistake a complete fuck up, because Steamboat and Savage wrestled for the title that night. Shame on me. But Jake was actually in line to win the IC title after WrestleMania because that guitar shot to the neck limited him for the rest of the year and they decided against it.

[air_raid]

But Jake was actually in line to win the IC title after WrestleMania because that guitar shot to the neck limited him for the rest of the year and they decided against it.

 

Interesting, didn't know that. Do you suppose that had Jake not got hurt, Savage may have retained against Steamer and ended up dropping to Jake instead?

 

As we know, Honky wasn't pencilled in for a run until Ricky asked for his time off, which wasn't anticipated at the time of 'Mania plans else they wouldn't have put the belt on him in the first place.

[steve rayson]

No love to this amazing piece of work?

[ColinBollocks]

[cobra_gordo]

Any more updates on this?

[PowerButchi]

Ian's doing a super job with the writeups. Best writeups I've seen for a Top Suchandsuch on this site, but they've gotta take some time to do. I don't mind waiting because of the quality.

[cobra_gordo]

Ian's doing a super job with the writeups. Best writeups I've seen for a Top Suchandsuch on this site, but they've gotta take some time to do. I don't mind waiting because of the quality.

Aye, I know, I'm just impatient. Plus this thing needs bumping as there's been some decent discussion in here so far

[PepperPlunge]

Best Wrestling Poster of 2011.

 

Genuinely made me laugh out loud saying about the Yeti bumming Hogan too as I hadn't even thought of it like that at the time though I thought it looked odd.

[IANdrewDiceClay]

21. The Ultimate Warrior

Prime Years: 1988-1992

 

Info: Nobody was cooler back in the early 90s that the Warrior. You only need to look at the picture above to see that. He was what the cartoon era WWF was all about. Colourful outfits, big 80s heavy metal hair, a body from the pages of Marvel Comics and promos which sounded like gibberish, but came across as cool anyway. The Ultimate Warrior was a massive star in the late 80s and early 90s.

 

Aptly, Jim Hellwig was a bodybuilder before he became a pro wrestler. He had a

[WWFChilli]

It's back lads!!!! It's FUCKING BACK!!!!

[MoistVaj]

Amazing post, top stuff Ian. Did he get his shit on the market is the absolute highlight too, because when you're a kid you think you either owned all of the merchandise or had at least seen it all and then you see all that shit you've posted and it's unbelievable how much merch the WWF put out in the early 90s. The write up was really interesting too, don't you work at B&Q? You're wasted there, you need to give old Fin a ring and make Did he get his shit on the market? a monthly slot in Power Slam.

[Frankie Crisp]

It was only number 21, too. I can't wait to see what the rest of the posts consist of over the next 37 months. Ahem.

 

Nah, seriously Ian, that was superb. Keep it going. Brilliant stuff.

[IANdrewDiceClay]

20. John Cena

Prime Years: 2004-present

 

Info: John Cena was signed by the WWF before he could even lock up in the early 2000s. WWF big wigs spotted his squared Captain American jaw and bodybuilding physique and spotted something special in him. A few months after he was signed to a WWF deal, he appeared on the Wrestling Observer Live, saying as much to messers. Meltzer and Alvarez. Ever the person who knows when to say the right things, he was sat next to Christopher Daniels in the same studio, putting young Chris over as one of the true pros in the grap game. Cena was pals with all the indy wank of the day, strangely enough. He’s good mates with Samoa Joe as well, during his days in UPW. He was posted to Ohio Valley Wrestling under the moniker Prototype, where longtime smart arses Power Slam Magazine described the young Cena as “like Billy Gunn with wrestling ability”. For some reason, everyone in the magazines and on the internet was putting him over like he Jack Briscoe’s better twin brother, when in reality, he was green and still learning (but if your not on TV, more people are inclined to wank you off).

 

When Cena made it to TV, someone thought it was a good idea to dress him as a Natural Born Thiller, save for a fairly dramatic debut, where Kurt Angle struggled to beat him, it was downhill. He had some colourless matches and he was as colourless as chip shop crisps in his original character. He even teamed with Billy Kidman of all people, so that says it all. According to urban myth, his head was on the chopping block as a massive failure, until the Halloween episode of Smackdown, where he turned up dressed as Vanilla Ice. Stephanie immediately took a liking to it. He began showing previously unseen charisma in his little raps, as he trotted down to ringside with Bull Buchanan. I don’t think many saw this as a main event gimmick at all. A lot of people didn’t like the gimmick (Jericho especially, criticised it at the time). And rightly so. It started off as a bit of a comedy act, featuring B2 and Rodney Mack playing his cheerleading side kicks. It never looked like anything special. When Brock put Cena out of action, Cena came back with a fresh attitude. Cena’s raps became more edgy and filled with humorous insults, which eventually elicited cheers from the fans in attendance. Its understated these days, but the skit at on Sunday Night Heat before WrestleMania XIX was a big part in people accepting Cena as someone with star quality. He shone like a beacon when he tore into cardboard cutouts Jay-Z and Fabolous, who pulled out of the event. He was really funny with it as well.

 

Like many a megastar before him, what happened in the ring meant far less than what he did before it. He was pretty uneventful in 2003 and 2004 between the ropes. What he did on the microphone was belting though (at the time anyway). Tearing strips of Brock Lesnar, The Undertaker, Eddie Guerrero and the Big Show, the fans were lapping it up. WrestleMania XIX 2003 was jam packed with talent. Everyone from Hogan to Austin to Rock to Undertaker to Shawn Michaels was on the card. But the business had hit a stagnant period and it drew a terrible buyrate. The fans were desperate for a new, young hero. And they got that with ‘The Doctor of Thuganomics’. The following year at WrestleMania XX was a stark contrast between the previous year, when he wasn’t even on the card. Cena opened up the show by FUing the Big Show and sending the Madison Square Garden crowd into a frenzy. And with that being the final night of Brock Lesnar, the decision was made that in the next 12 months, steps were to be taken to elevate him to main event slot.

 

He spent most of 2004 going after the WWE United States title (which he would eventually make spin!) in feuds with the likes of Booker T and Carlito (which included a silly stabbing angle). With the eyes on the prize of making him the next man, they set into production a in house movie called The Marine, which our John was set to be the lead actor. His momentum was following throughout the coming months. He set out plans to end John Bradshaw Layfields year-long run as WWE Champion at WrestleMania. And that he did. WrestleMania XXI seems like a drawn of a new era looking back today. Especially the following week, when Cena debuted the current version of the WWE belt. The spinner title. They strapped the proverbial rocket on his back following his title win. It awakened memories of the mid-80s era. Cena was everywhere. He released a CD, which did far better than anyone expected it to and had more good reviews than bad. One of the songs on the CD was his famous entrance music he currently uses. He was on TV shows, magazine covers, headlining PPVs. He was the biggest star they’d created since the late 90s.

 

Since he was the biggest star in the promotion, he was moved to the biggest show out of the two. He debuted on Raw to a fantastic reception. As the months went on, it was clear why Smackdown was his natural home for the last three years. When working in front of a live crowd, against well respected veteran workers like Chris Jericho, Christian and Kurt Angle, there was an inevitable backlash against him. In 2005, there were a few boos scattered around. By the time New Years Revolution came around, there was venom spewing from the WWE fan base. The live crowd wanted him gone from the main event scene. They didn’t like his act, the title belt or his ring work. They got their wish for about 3 weeks when Edge captured the WWE title from him after cashing in his Money In The Bank case. Cena won it back a few weeks later, so he could walk into a match with Triple H in the main event of WrestleMania with the WWE title. And most thought he wasn’t walking out with the belt, as well. How wrong we were. Triple H not only put him over, he put over his new hold when he tapped out in the middle of the ring to the STFU submission. Fans at the end of the night looked stunned. Its was great.

 

A few months after Mania, Cena did the honours for Rob Van Dam at ECW One Night Stand. Although Van Dam left with the belt, it was Cena’s night. A wonderful display of subtle heel work and funny facial expressions as the fans spat all the abuse at him. When the bell ran, attentions were turned to the Edge and Cena program and not RVD. It showed that even without the belt, he was the man the company were setting their whole focus on. 2006 might have actually been his best ever year. He feuded with Edge for most of it as well. Edge and Cena had blinder after blinder in 2006. Edge, for a period succeeded in turning boos into cheers for John. They had a memorable TLC match where Cena FU’d Edge from the top of a big ladder through a table and taking the strap. Later on in the year and leading into 2007, Cena had a fun little celebrity feud with Britney Spears other half Kevin Federline, where he would hear the sounds of cheering once again every time he got his hands of K-Fed. He even put Federline over, but his act was so strong, it did no damage at all. In fact it was used as a lead in to his next feud with Umaga. He had a cracker with Umaga at the Royal Rumble. Which of course everyone at the time credited Umaga with. The rest of 2007 was very mixed. He did some great business with Shawn Michaels, including a WrestleMania title bout and a faily famous hour long match in the UK. He worked miracles with The Great Khali and Bobby Lashley in probably the best matches of their careers. He finally got his feud with Randy Orton, which had been on the cards since 2004 but for one reason or another never happened. Their matches usually ended with Cena winning or an Orton DQ. Disaster struck in a match with Mr. Kennedy. Cena suffered a torn pec and he was said to be out of action for about 8 months. That was a massive blow for WWE at the time. Cena had to forfeit the WWE title, which he’d held for over a year. Nobody expected him back until long after WrestleMania. But NO!! He entered at number 30 in the Royal Rumble some 3 months later to a mixture of shock and excitement. He would win the Rumble, FUing Triple H over the top rope to face the champion at WrestleMania.

 

2008 might have been called the 2005 revival tour. His main feuds were with JLB (although he didn’t have Cryme Tyme along for the ride in 05) and Chris Jericho. Like 2005, he held a version of the World title for the first time, when he dropped Jericho to lift the crown. The matches were usually quite good, as they usually are with those two. Ironically, after feuding with his old foes, he did more of the same with his former sparring partners Edge and The Big Show, who he wrestled at WrestleMania XXV. Cena did he usually bit of comedy after beating this pair, of going over to the “Cena Sucks” brigade and LOLing in their faces. After Mania, Cena spent the next 15 years feuding with Randy Orton in a variety of gimmick based matches. I Quit, Hell in a Cell, 60 minute Iron Man matches, Street Fights, possibly a game of drafts, even. It seemed to go on forever. They had some good matches, don’t get me wrong, but it seemed like every week Cena and Orton were up to no good. It was a breath of fresh air when Cena was feuding with someone different. He was dropped b new boy Sheamus in a TLC match soon after his long feud with Orton was finished. Speaking of new opponents, Cena and his fellow member of the big star club Batista entered into a feud with each other. Cena and Batista had wrestled before, but never with such a heel face dynamic. The promos from each of them were far better than what went on in the ring. Batista was fantastic during this period, and was in career form. John Cena even formed the Cut Off Jeans Express with Bret Hart leading into WrestleMania. At Mania (following a loss to Batista at the Elimination Chamber), Cena bested the big man in a decent match to regain his spinner belt. He spent the next few months beating Batista every time Big Dave so much as looked at him funny.

 

2010 was best remembered for the Nexus angle, which ranged from fantastically smashing to cliff fallingly disappointing. The Nexus debuted on a famous night where 2 hours and 55 minutes of the Raw was completely dreadful, until the finest angle in years ended the show. Wade Barrett was a new opponent for Cena and the fans seemed to forget that they hated him for a few weeks at least. Cena stood tall against this new dangerous squad and vowed to take the group out. The main event of SummerSlam was a cracking main event. Cena took a DDT on the floor and still ended up the winner. Fans on the internet went completely spastic at the result. Cena looked to be pissing himself laughing after such a deadly move as well, which only added to the anger. All was not lost, Cena was forced to join the Nexus via some result I cant be arsed to research. I do remember he took great offence to having water thrown in his face though. Cena refereed a match between Barrett and Orton, where the stipulation was that Cena would be fired if Barrett didn’t win the belt. Barrett never did. Cena was fired, never missed a TV taping and live moved on. It was a huge waste of the angle in all fairness.

 

2011 was the year of Fruity Pebbles, lady parts, the return of freestyle raps and the Rock. The Rock returned in early 2011 and buried poor John. Slagged him off worse than rotten he did. Cena didn’t seem to mind, if truth be told. He just smiled though it. The Rock and Cena had a verbal confrontation in their first ever face to face meeting, which inevitably became physical and again WrestleMania where Cena tasted the Bottom. Oh and the Miz beat him or something. The following night, Cena and Rock had a heart to heart, where they agreed to fight at WrestleMania 28. While the Rock is away doing films and getting in ring shape, Cena had to deal with CM Punk in a much talked about feud. He did two jobs for the Bag Eyed Superstar at Money In The Bank and SummerSlam. Cena again didn’t seem arsed. He comes out each week grinning like a Cheshire Cat. On the back of this, WWE has recently started their “Rise Above Hate” campaign. The deal is that Cena couldn’t give a toss if you hate him, as long as your enjoying the action WWE puts on each week.

 

Many have said that the aforementioned “Rise Above Hate” storyline is the first step towards a Cena heel turn. I’m not convinced personally. Business is down and there’s only one man making the promotion money. He’s a massive star for them. He’s a licensing and merchandise machine, who is irreplaceable on top of the pack. If it was so easy to get as far as he has, WWE would push everyone the exact same way. He's done very well for himself and works harder than anyone, there's no doubt. Whatever he does in the next few months, it will be interesting to see. He might be hated or loved, but you cant knock him for what he's good at. An he's very good at making people have all eyes on him.

 

Did he have shit on the market?: Indeed he does. He’s John Cena after all. King of the Merch. He’s been untouchable on that from for the best part of 8 years now. You'll never catch him in the next mans sweater, either.

 

They Said? "Biggest star in the promotion and seems like a great guy. Underated as well." "The Hulk Hogan of the current era. A cross-over star as well" “As much as people hate him, or say he's stale, he's been the most consistent performer for WWE in the entire time he's been there.”

“Probably going to be a controversial choice but I look at him as the modern day Hogan. He will likely never turn heel as a chunk of the internet fanbase request because he will stay continually over with one of WWE's key demographic. He will get boo's every time he steps through the curtain but will get cheered in equal amount (unless he's fighting Punk in Chicago) because he is a pure worker that knows exactly what he's doing in that ring. He sells, he fires up and he gets over. Then he shifts merchandise and tickets til the day is done. He never misses a day of work and genuinely loves the job hes gotten into... hes the new Hulk Hogan.“

[wandshogun09]

I don't know why I've never clicked this thread. Just read the Warrior write up. Really enjoyed it, thanks for doing these Ian. I'm gonna go back and read more of them now.

[Mr Lawrence]

Great stuff. My mate has still got his warrior bomber jacket.