"Nobody's favourite wrestler" - or are they??

[The Reverend]

Kamala - just seemed like a perfect monster heel, especially when I got to see his stuff in the territories. Just an untrained beast. Sadly by '92 when he popped back up in the WWF he was a shadow of his former self and was a joke. The feud with the Undertaker had it come several years later could've been a vicious, blood-splattered classic. Instead we got Kamala screaming like a frightened child and making stupid faces. And then when they turned him face.....

But look at this Memphis promo and tell me he wasn't one of the best heels of all time: 

 

 

[Chest Rockwell]

53 minutes ago, air_raid said:

I assume you've seen his NWA title match with Adam Pearce in ROH at the Hammerstein? That was peak Albright for me.

I can't remember that match particularly, but you have reminded me that Scrap Iron Adam Pearce was my favourite when he turned up in ROH. I think I just really found him a breath of fresh air because he was so different from everyone else. He wasn't technical, he wasn't flashy. And he wore a singlet, like all my favourites.

[DavidB6937]

2 hours ago, air_raid said:

Was Repo Man legitimately your favourite?

For a strange short period of time, absolutely. I remember being oddly obsessed by him for a bit. He used to be the funniest most entertaining guy in the world to me which is odd considering I don't think I ever watched him that much but when I did that was always the best bloody thing ever.

In hindsight perhaps my Hogan and Bret eras were more justified as a kid (and I still think they're masters of the game even if one of them is a racist cunt) but yeah, Repo Man was a sneaky little fucker and for whatever reason that resonated with me. Luckily I haven't used him as career inspiration.

[jonnybgoode82]

He's a KIIIINNNGGGGG. King Mabel. His run from the King of the Ring victory to early-1996 is one of the greatest of all-time. Flattening the Kliq and wiping out the BSK. There was nothing better than turning on weekly TV and watch the big man have Kevin Nash screaming in agony or sending the tough guys from Taker's backstage group back to their dominos with their bodies wrapped in a cast. Vince should have had him win the 96 Rumble and go onto beat Bret at Mania 12 for a proper boom period.

[air_raid]

1 hour ago, air_raid said:

I assume you've seen his NWA title match with Adam Pearce in ROH at the Hammerstein? That was peak Albright for me.

1 hour ago, HarmonicGenerator said:

I never have! I lost track of ROH after Age Of The Fall turned up, so I don’t think I ever caught his run there.

30 minutes ago, Chest Rockwell said:

I can't remember that match particularly, but you have reminded me that Scrap Iron Adam Pearce was my favourite when he turned up in ROH. I think I just really found him a breath of fresh air because he was so different from everyone else. He wasn't technical, he wasn't flashy. And he wore a singlet, like all my favourites.

Probably prescriptive viewing for the pair of you then. 

@Gus Mears Larry Sweeney ringside here for ya

[RedTwoster]

1 hour ago, DCW said:

Jamie Noble on SD in mid 00's was one of my faves. The storyline of him winning the cruiserweight title & being able to now afford a double wide trailer and then later inheriting a moderate amount of money & being trailer park rich was just the sort of lower mid card nonsense I love.

Noble and Nidia were great! When people make the sweeping statement of the early 2000s being a grim time for WWE, I’d point them to Smackdown from late ‘02 until early 2004, it was such a great show. Things changed after the 2004 draft, with people like Heidenreich, Kenzo Suzuki, Renee Dupree and Luther Reigns stinking up the card, but there was a real golden spell for a while. 

[tiger_rick]

I love that Wrestling has something for everyone. Not having Repo Man or King Mabel though. GTFO.

[HobowithaShotgun]

Amish Roadkill. Watching ECW on Bravo back then I loved some of the random gimmicks and Roadkill was one of the best. Decent big man worker too so became my fave for a while.

[DavidB6937]

2 minutes ago, tiger_rick said:

I love that Wrestling has something for everyone. Not having Repo Man or King Mabel though. GTFO.

If the question was favourite wrestler ever full stop then fair enough. But we all have crazy phases.

[Lorne Malvo]

I was another one for Adam Pearce back in my mid-00s 'PWG is the best' phase. I also thought Puma (TJ Perkins in a mask) was one of the best highfliers in the world.

A mate of mine absolutely loved Johnny Stamboli during 03/04, I want to say. I remember him getting a Johnny Stamboli sticker or trading card and marking out.

[Chili]

I didn't know of 2 Cold Scorpio, so I only knew him as Flash Funk when I was 10 and I absolutely LOVED him. The gimmick was pap, but to me then, I loved the theme, I loved the outfits, I loved the unique way he did moves, like a the way he'd sort of dive into a drop down, the double rotation kick to the face, and the 450 splash was an absolute mind blower for me. He was one of the only people I hated seeing lose a lot because I didn't know how the ins of wrestling worked. I even used to watch the weekend shows in 1997 knowing there was a fair chance I'd see him on there more than on Raw is War. I distinctly recall an episode of Shotgun where he faced the Sultan, AND FLASH FUNK WON. I was proper happy. This also continued through to him becoming Scorpio and eventually when he left the WWF in 1999, which I read about in Power Slam and was gutted. It was fantastic to eventually see his ECW and WCW work after that and see I was justified in my adoration for the Grandmaster of the Funky Flash Splash. 

 

[wordsfromlee]

I got into wrestling via the WWF Attitude game on the PS1. Like Rishi Sunak, I didn't have Sky and Channel 4 hadn’t started showing WWF yet so it must have been late ‘99.
 

Purely from that game Ahmed Johnson became my go to guy. I loved the look and thought the Pear River Plunge was cool as fuck. 
 

By the time I started watching wrestling properly in 2000 on Channel 4, he’d already left the WWF, so I never got to see any of his matches and what he was actually like in the ring until quite a while later. Ignorance is bliss though, eh?

[JLM]

I'm assuming Hayabusa would be on the exclusion list but throwing him in just in case. Forever in my top 3-5 and definitely my number one at several points. Got me into tape trading and bookmarking all the amazing geocities-esque Japanese wrestling sites and devouring as much lore as I could. I love that BAHU's FMW World is still online https://www.fmwwrestling.us/ and that he STILL posts FMW stuff on Twitter to this day. 

Various Toryumon and Dragongate wrestlers. Genki Horiguchi, Brother YASSHI, many more besides.

The one who stands out is Susumu Yokosuka. Rarely have I found a wrestler as relatable. As an awkward and introverted teen/twenty-something, he was the guy I rooted for the most. The Luigi of Toryumon/Dragongate. Originally Susumu Mochizuki, I started following his story after he'd been little brothered by his M2K stable leader and one of the three Toryumon Aces, Masaaki Mochizuki. They had a fight for the Mochizuki name and Susumu of course lost it.

Later M2K would become Do Fixer, full of loud and incredibly extroverted characters. Once again Susumu ended up down the pecking order and outshone by another Ace, this time quite literally a backing dancer to Magnum TOKYO. 

No big catchphrases, the most understated entrance and persona, he even wore the least gaudy colours and outfits of the group. Inside him though, was the burning determination to be the best and become a legend like his hero Jumbo Tsuruta. His lariat "JUMBO NO KACHI!" (Victory for Jumbo!!) was named after the commentators in the 80s and 90s going nuts for Jumbo winning.  His dream was that he would land the big lariat and grab himself the top title some day. 

He also wrestled like he knew he was the underdog. He knew the other guy was the favourite in all of his big matches and would come with a strategy to try and level the playing field. Working the leg against a powerhouse, trying to slow down the pace against the sprinters. The in the closing stretch he would sometimes have to summon the FIRE of the heavyweight legends he idolised and try to clutch it out with the big bombs. He was also quite prone to crying in the big moments, after a heartbreaking loss, after a big win, after major story developments with his best friend K-Ness. Mostly kept himself to himself, didn't say much, but when something was important to him he conveyed it in a more real way than anyone else. 

In Do Fixer he was the ultimate choke artist. He had all the tools, he could get right to the finish line but he never win the big one. Tournament finals, title shots, never capturing the prize. 

After Do Fixer it was Final M2K, back under the thumb of Masaaki Mochizuki AGAIN, and once again consistently being not-quite-the-guy. Challenged the third and final Ace, CIMA, for the world title, lost. Got to the finals of the King of Gate (G1 Climax equivalent) and lost that as well. 

He finally DID win the world title in 2006 AND was leader of his stable at the time, but he never ascended to "Ace" status. His reign was not the focus of the promotion, he only made a handful of defenses and then dropped back down the pecking order. 

He ascended again in 2008, only to lose to the almighty Shingo Takagi in another failed world title challenge. 

In storyline he was always not-quite-the-guy, and out of storyline he was one of those guys who could guarantee an absolute belter of an epic singles match if you wanted to give your champion an amazing title defense.

My favourite bit of following Susumu's story was the first DG UK show in Oxford. A year after failing to beat Shingo for the world title, they were paired together in a singles match. My first time seeing DG live, my excitement for live pro wrestling had never been higher. Shingo vs Susumu rematch on the card. I knew this would be excellent, but was a bit disheartened as going into this I was 100% certain Susumu was losing. He had amazing chemistry with Shingo, Shingo was still a top guy in the promotion at the time, it felt like the classic "let's wheel out Susumu to lose to a top guy in an excellent match" scenario. 

Susumu initially outmatched but persistently working the leg. Took a beating at the start but eventually was able to ground Shingo and try his best to get the submission. It's not enough though, and Shingo is able to power out or make the ropes every time. Shingo eventually fully hulks up and Susumu is forced to trade bombs with him. I fear the worst, but Susumu outta nowhere takes his head clean off with the JUMBO NO KACHI! 1...2... Noooo. Susumu then hits the Mugen, one of his alternate big match finishers, still only 2! At this point I have given up. Susumu tries another lariat, Shingo no sells it and does the Lesnar-esque snap clothesline. Hits the ropes for the Pumping Bomber for the win. Susumu ducks, runs through, JUMBO NO KACHI! Susumu wins! I couldn't believe this. Up until Swerve/Danielson it was my favourite live pro wrestling moment ever in a weekend full of them (getting CIMA to sign my CrazyMAX t-shirt with my hands shaking as I handed it to him was another!).

Even though it wasn't for the title, it felt like the pay off for all the years I'd spent watching him not quite be the guy. So yeah, Susumu Yokosuka. 

Edited January 22, 2025 by JLM

[Carbomb]

I'd sort of fallen away from watching indies for a while in the mid-2000s, so never really saw Adam Pearce at his best. What little I did see of him seemed to skirt being a northern US version of Stone Cold, but not in a rip-off way. Good promos, and good character work (though I never quite got why a guy with a no-nonsense tough guy moniker like "Scrap Iron" was coming to the ring wearing a poncey Nature Boy-style ring robe - it felt like the kind of self-marking-out that a lot of indy wrestlers were doing at the time; even the best ones who "got it" were guilty of the odd ego-driven flaw like that).

Not so much of a surprise to anyone, as I've mentioned it loads before, but Big Daddy V. Not Mabel or King Mabel, or even Viscera - this was his best work, not covering up the sweaty flab, and not trying to be the Vader-like "agile big man". Just outright, immovable-object Fat Monster in the grand traditions of One-Man Gang, Earthquake, and Yokozuna.

Another one: Yoshinari Ogawa. You know those automatic replacement filters that old-school forums had? I remember when the Real In Memphis forum automatically replaced the name "Ogawa" with "Ratboy". Didn't quite work for Naoya, who was a big fucker (and rubbish, really). But I always had a soft spot for Yoshinari, who seemed to get a lot of flack because, supposedly, he was often pushed as a main-eventer for being Misawa's brother-in-law.

But the guy could work. He was great at playing the scheming smaller guy who knew how to wrestle a fairly "light style" (lots of low-impact moves like roll-ups, schoolboys, and the Figure-Four Jackknife Pin, which was stupid but funky, as well as eyepokes, rope-burns, etc.) but still be able to go toe-to-toe for a while with the big guys by exploiting weak points or working on the limbs.

One of my favourite matches is his title challenge for Kobashi's peak GHC run. Everybody knew he wasn't going to win; Kobashi was just unstoppable at this point, having won the belt from Misawa in one of those matches that everyone knew that it was finally just "his time", and Ogawa was just a record-padder. But the match itself was fun; it wasn't your all-out war that Kobashi's matches tended to be, nor were they your technical competition - it was just Ogawa sneakily going after Kobashi's knee, and using every trick he knew to even things up. Consequently, it was really satisfying to see Kobashi finally catch him, flatten him, and carry on his superb run as champ.

[ReturnOfTheMack]

I spent far too long in the 80s and early 90s saying 'no, the other British Bulldog'.