UKFF TOP 50 Wrestlers ... EVER!

[PSF]

I would have voted for my favorites to be honest, which would be a completely different list to who I think were the best. The wrestlers I have found most entertaining over years and would buy best of DVD's.

 

Missed the deadline so going to put my votes below:

 

1-Owen Hart - I know people think he's not as good as his hype and people think he's get too much credit because he died, but I loved him! I loved him ever since he booted Bret

[Burchill's Buddy]

That's a great set of picks PSF, I missed the deadline too as I rarely venture into on-topic these days, but I think mine would have been very similar, probably with Michaels over Regal. Always nice to see people who appreciate the great work Yokozuna did, I'm a sucker for a monster push and his was probably the best the WWE has pulled off IMO.

[PunkStep]

Not sure where Vince got the name CM Punk from, not very WWF of the current era is it?

 

For some reason they allowed him to continue using the name that he used on the independent scene (and in TNA).

I'm quite sure Oldy was taking the piss. Either that or he's thick as shit.

 

5-William Regal I know most people prefer his WCW stuff,

Do they really? That's mental. He was at his best when he joined WWE from 2000 onwards by a country mile. I was going to say especially up until 2002, but even since then he has been outstanding in phases.

[PSF]

Not sure where Vince got the name CM Punk from, not very WWF of the current era is it?

 

For some reason they allowed him to continue using the name that he used on the independent scene (and in TNA).

I'm quite sure Oldy was taking the piss. Either that or he's thick as shit.

 

5-William Regal I know most people prefer his WCW stuff,

Do they really? That's mental. He was at his best when he joined WWE from 2000 onwards by a country mile. I was going to say especially up until 2002, but even since then he has been outstanding in phases.

 

Just that when people talk about Regals best matches they always mention his WCW stuff. Glad your on my side though.

[Prince Nana]

I like that list too, as much as I like Owen hart I couldn't squese him onto my list but you reminded me of guy's I hadn't considered, but I took guy's that poped into my head first which is pobably the best thing, I didn't get yo vote anyway.

 

Yoko get's incresenly forgoten about perhaps because he didn't have a long run but he was a great and beliveable big man, at one point when I was a kid I tohught he was unbeatbable. I also think there is a fine line between who you enjoy and who is the best. because surly the whole point of wrestling is making you enjoy it?

[The Cum Doctor]

Yoko get's incresenly forgoten about perhaps because he didn't have a long run but he was a great and beliveable big man, at one point when I was a kid I tohught he was unbeatbable.

 

Agree with pretty much every word of that.

 

My first memory of Yoko was when he crushed Duggan and then I was just completely into him as the silent killer. I had real problems liking him as a babyface because of how effective he was before that. Played the role perfectly.

[HarmonicGenerator]

I hope Big Show makes it onto the list. I neglected to vote for him and am beginning to think I should have - he's done enough to keep me a big fan of his for over a decade now, so he must be doing something right.

[Oldy]

Not sure where Vince got the name CM Punk from, not very WWF of the current era is it?

 

For some reason they allowed him to continue using the name that he used on the independent scene (and in TNA).

I'm quite sure Oldy was taking the piss. Either that or he's thick as shit.

Neither, I just didn't know he got to use the same name he had during his small-time career era that most people don't care about. Punk must be very privileged!

[IANdrewDiceClay]

34.Bill Goldberg:

Prime Years:1998-2003

 

Info: Goldberg was the man. Its easy to forget now, because WWE dont want to put him over to much on DVDs and the magazines, but he was a superstar. A legit ratings and PPV draw and mainstream celebrity. If it wasn't for Goldberg's rise in 1998, then WCW was have fallen to pieces long before it did. He made his debut slapping about Hugh Morrus in an impressive showing. He actually lost by countout a few times during the streak, but perception is ALWAYS reality in wrestling. People will always ignore and forget stuff if you are truly over. As fans, we don't want to do research or do maths or even pay attention to shit that really doesn't matter if we are currently being entertained by what they are putting out. He went on a massive streak, squashing everyone in the promotion. His jackhammer and spear combo was as over as any move in the business.

 

He really arrived during a match with Hollywood Hogan for the World belt on an episode of Nitro. The crowd was incredible. It was short, but obviously effective. The roof almost blew off when Goldberg got the three count to lift the belt. People say that it should be been saved for PPV, and they are probably right. A rematch on the following PPV would have done probably the same business though. For me, the mistake was not having a follow up after the match on Nitro. Either way, Goldberg shot to stardom. WCW finally had a new hero they'd been desperate for. It was proven during Goldberg's portion of Nitro that ratings averaged a 0.4 increase everytime he came out. People would switch from Raw to see what he was up to. For all the business that Sting, Hulk Hogan, Ric Flair and the nWo, in December 1998, WCW's biggest ever gate was in the Georgia Dome, sold out in advance because one person was on the poster. Sting was injured and unadvertised. Hogan was "retired" and unadvertised. There was only one man selling those 40,000 tickets. Baseball king Mark McGwire rubbed his bat on Goldberg before racking up a record breaking amount of home runs. After 1998, though Goldberg was caught in the line of bollocks. He lost at Starrcade to Kevin Nash for the WCW title. Then in the building there only to see him, he was laid out by the nWo, after not being shown infront of the live crowd all night. He then injured his knee and was kept off TV during a contract dispute. He did very little upon his return (apart from again getting kickings from a new version of the nWo). He sliced open his hand on a car door in a daft angle, which put him out for bout 6 months. When he returned to WCW, he turned, heel even though he was WCW's only remaining star and turned back about 6 weeks later. 2000 was a rotten year for him. He lost a retirement match at the end of the year and never came back.

 

He had a run in WWE, but that wasn't much to write home about either. They changed his music, he wrestled the Rock, won the World title and smashed through everyone in a great SummerSlam main event, but mostly he was treading water and not doing himself any favours either. After a disaster of a match with Brock Lesnar, he retired from the ring and took up acting and television work. He's been pretty successful at it. He does all kinds of stuff as far as presenting goes. He was on the Apprentice, and came across as a really good bloke. He pops up in films as well, most notably the Longest Yard with Austin, Nash and Khali. Negotiations to sign him to a WWE legends deal broke down last year when WWE wanted to be in charge of his image rights and work as a go between in his acting and merchandise deals, which was never going to happen. TNA makes a play for him every six months or so, so if Goldberg wants a quick payday, we might see him there. He isn't a mark for the business and doesn't need the work or money that bad, so we might never see him again. If he does return, I'd watch though. He was awesome. And if you are ever bored, there is no greater pleasure than slapping someone about with Goldberg on Smackdown Here Comes the Pain.

 

Did he have shit on the market?: WCW weren't that daft. They plastered him on everything and watched the profit margine go up. He was a huge money maker for them.

 

They Said: "The Man". "WCW's version of Austin, and I think he was better than Austin. He destroyed everyone he wrestled. He was a monster".

 

33.Road Dogg:

Prime Years: 1995-1999

 

Info: Son of Bullet Bob Armstrong, we first saw BG James as Jeff Jarrett's Roadie in the WWF. His finest moment during that initial run, was his brilliant song "With My Baby Tonight", which would appear on a few WWF CD's over the years. He ended up leaving the WWF out of loyalty to Jeff Jarrett, but was back within 18 months as the "Real Double J". After that died on its arse, he was teamed with the equally stale Billy Gunn, to perform undercard house show duties as the New Age Outlaws. The duo got over huge with the audience of the time. They were funny, edgy and cool. They made the Road Warriors look really old when the two teams worked angles and matches in 97-98. Dogg and Gunn then moved on to a high profile position on the card, where they locked Cactus Jack and Terry Funk in a wheelie bin and threw them off the Monday Night Raw stage, which lead to probably the best match of the WrestleMania 14 PPV. The Outlaws later hooked up with X-Pac, Chyna and Triple H to form the new, better and more popular version of DX.

 

t one time, Road Dogg might have been the most popular act in the team. His "ladies and gentleman ..." act at the start of the Outlaws matches were super over with the new inflated WWF Attitude crowd. They tried and failed a few times to break DX and the Outlaws up to seek out single stardom, but the Outlaws were always better together than apart. After the breakup with Billy Gunn, he paired up with X-Pac and K-Kwick, but was let go due to his drug problems and probably because he wasn't needed anyway. He wasn't done though. It took two years of Independent shows and a rumoured move to WCW (before the buyout), but James turned up for his friends the Jarretts to help out his Dad Bullet Bob in NWA-TNA. He also formed the 3 Live Kru with Ron Killings and Konnan, singing songs and doing a little bit of singing and comedy. He again reformed the Outlaws under a shitload of names. He'd be in TNA for about 7 years, before he was apart of the group of Jeff Jarretts mates that were sacked when they were pissed off at him. BG recently began working with TNA on a show out in Indian, but the WWE came calling and gave him a short contract as an agent. He also returned to our screens inducting his Dad into the WWE Hall of Fame.

 

Did he have shit on the market?: As a member of the red-hot DX, Road Dogg was a popular personality in the late 90s. He was a hot seller as well. WWF.com reported at the time, it was only The Rock and Steve Austin selling more than him in 1999.

 

They Said:"One of the best characters of the Attitude era and a good hand in the ring."

 

32.Brock Lesnar:

 

Prime Years: 2002-2004

 

Info: Lesnar was being touted in the magazines and on the internet as the Next Big Thing for a good 18 months before he arrived on Raw in April 2002. Many compared him to Ivan Drago from the Rocky films (WWE even did a storyline where he "killed" "Rocky's" old relic pal before his WWE title shot, very much like Drago did to Apollo Creed in Rocky IV). Lesnar and Heyman had a rocky start. WWE wanted him to be a monster who could actually wrestle and be vunerable enough to make him matches competitive. Which is what he's loved for today. But everyone on the internet and in the sheets and in the magazines moaned for months that he was selling that he could actually wrestle and all sorts. He showed over the next 12 months how brilliant he really was though. He had decent matches with Rob Van Dam of all people, one of which was on route to being the final ever PPV King of the Ring. Soon after that, Brock had a memorable match where he destroyed Hulk Hogan clean. Hogan took a powerbomb, an F-5, he lost by stoppage. Lesnar looked like a monster going into he showdown with the Rock. Video packages of him training made it even more scary. Seeing Lesnar running up a motorway with a log on his back is still a popular image. He defeated the Rock clean at SummerSlam, becoming the youngest WWE champion ever. This proved to be a popular victory, as the Madison Square Garden faithful couldn't stop cheering the result.

 

Upon winning the title, Lesnar moved to SmackDown which would remain his home for the rest of his tenue. His first feud on Smackdown was with the Undertaker, where he had a brilliant Hell in a Cell match. It reinvented the Cell match really, because there was no stupid bumps off the cell. Triple H and Jericho had a rotten cell match months before, so this was a good way to give it back credibility as well. He dropped the title to Big Show (where he F5'd the Big Show with broken ribs) to set up a run against Kurt Angle, which was a bit of a dream match in 2003. Angle and Lesnar had some brilliant matches. The WrestleMania XIX match, where Lesnar famously landed on his head from a mistimed Shooting Star Press, is one of the least good matches they had. They had a cracking Iron Man match on an episode of SmackDown as well. Lesnar eventually returned to the heel camp, pairing up with the evil Vince McMahon. One scene which still holds up no matter how many times you see it, is when Lensar threw Zack Gowen down the stairs on a Smackdown taping. As legend has it, since Zack was hated by the rest of the locker room, as a rib, Lesnar was actually a cunt and intimidating to our one legged friend all day to add to the nerves of such a brutal stunt.

 

With the arrival of Goldberg, the pairing was always going to happen. The angles leading up to it was excellent, though Goldberg and Lesnar on paper looked to be fan-fucking-tastic. By the time it got to bell time, Goldberg was already pissed off about his contract situation and told them he was leaving. Lesnar also had asked for his contract release and was heading to try a career in American Football. Vince no sold it, though. He supposedly trotted into the writers meeting and told everyone with a smile on his face "Brock's leaving in 2 weeks, so change all plans". Inside he must have been throwing a fit, though. Lesnar was growing as a wrestler and surely they always planned a Brock vs Cena match at WrestleMania XXI. Everyone expected him back though. He tried out for a few teams I don't have the motivation to look for on wikipedia, and ended up looking for work in wrestling again in 2005. He was negotiating with WWE again. As far as everyone who follows wrestling was concerned, Lesnar was set to return soon. WWE.com announced he'd arrived at Titan Towers and even showed him there. But it broke down and Lesnar and WWE found themselves in a court battle to get rid of the 7 year none-compete clause that they put in his release.

 

And a success it was. He turned up to wrestle for New Japan throughout 2005 and 2006, winning the IWGP Heavyweight title. He even spoke to TNA in 2005 and 2006, to try and set up matches with Samoa Joe and Kurt Angle. Lesnar would not return to WWE, TNA or even New Japan. Opting for a career in Mixed-Martial Arts. A huge drawing card, and a love him or hate him figure, he's been a big success in that sport, holding the UFC Heavyweight title in his first few bouts, and even squaring up to the Undertaker in a "is it real/is it not" war of words, which either way got people talking. He is currently back onside with WWE though. He will turn up in all kinds of nostalgia based products, like games, DVDs and action figures and get a cut of the pie. Which he's into obviously. He was made for pro wrestling. He was a massive, athletic driven farm boy, with ridiculous strength who is eccentric and would rather be snapping heads off chickens and working outdoors than play on computer games or collect replica belts. Every casual, smart mark, old wrestler, new wrestler or even none wrestling fan were impressed with him. He looked out of the ordinary and could do ridiculous shit for a man his size. And in wrestling, usually the nutters who you couldn't make up, become the most successful.

 

Did he have shit on the market?: For only being on the scene 18 months, Lesnar had all kinds available. He had a decent DVD out, and was the centre piece of still the best ever Smackdown game released. Recently, he's turned up on WWE 12 for the PS3 and Xbox.

 

They Said:"Loved watching Brock on Saturday mornings killing people like Shannon Moore. His F-10 on Shannon Moore is still my favourite moment ever."

[Loki]

Lesnar's match with Hogan is one of my favourite matches ever. It was just BRUTAL. Many props to Hogan for it though, he was in great shape at that point.

[The Cum Doctor]

Good collection there. Road Dogg looks like an odd one out on the surface, but the guy was in one of the most famous tag teams of the late 90s and people loved them. You can see why he'd make pretty much any favourites list of anyone who was a fan of the Attitude era, or has even seen a whole lot of it.

 

One of the things I always love about watching him back is, much like his Outlaws partner, his bumping and selling is usually top notch. It's almost Hennig-esque at times.

[Devon Malcolm]

Lesnar's match with Hogan is one of my favourite matches ever. It was just BRUTAL. Many props to Hogan for it though, he was in great shape at that point.

 

Yep. Just watched it recently, actually, fantastic stuff. Hogan does an amazing job in that match of putting Lesnar over.

[Lumber Jacque]

Lesnar's match with Hogan is one of my favourite matches ever. It was just BRUTAL. Many props to Hogan for it though, he was in great shape at that point.

 

Yep. Just watched it recently, actually, fantastic stuff. Hogan does an amazing job in that match of putting Lesnar over.

 

Gee, thanks for spoiling you flaming idiot.

[tiger_rick]

Gee, thanks for spoiling you flaming idiot.

Stop being a tit.

[Lumber Jacque]