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The Best Wrestler of All Time
I don't know if this has been discussed before, so I thought I'd try it anyway.
I am just interested in who some of you wrestling fans around here think is the greatest wrestler in the history of professional wrestling. Personally, I think Bret Hart was the best. The guy could actually wrestle, as he was gifted with incredible technical ability; he could work the crowd both as a face and a heel; and he was able to make mediocre wrestlers look good when they wrestled him. I would have loved to see a wrestling match between Bret Hart and Kurt Angle. It would sure beat the heck out of some of the crap they've put on television for the past few years. "I am the best there is, the best there was, and the best there ever will be!" - Bret "Hitman" Hart |
In terms of technical skill and actual ability, then Bret is the best. But where it *really* counts, Hogan by far gets credit. He carried the WWF on his back in the 1980s, and no matter what Vince McMahon says, it was Hogan who helped elevate wrestling. He created the stage on which everyone who came after him could perform. Without Hogan, the WWF/WWE would most likely not even exist today. He was the one who put people in the seats, who sold the merchandise, who got people to order the PPVs. And he didn't do it by just staring in front of a camera talking, he did it by connecting with the audience and telling a story in the ring, which is altogether more important than actual technical skill in pro wrestling.
"Nobody could ever say they were better than him, he was always the best..." -Bret Hart... discussing Hulk Hogan :) |
I say Hogan.
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I say Hogan, but Randy Savage should be on that list
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Bret Hart. Everyone likes Hogan so much, and he was good 10 years ago. He's sucked for the longest time.
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That's why it's best wrestler of ALL TIME. It doesn't really matter if he sucks now.
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Doink the Clown
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Whooooo!
It's the Nature Boy! Rick Flair is the best. Sayonara. |
I can't really say I know much about these guys, but I used to be such a big fan of Hogan as a kid so I'll have to pick him.
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HOGAN?...uh..no. Hogan had nothing more then a gimmick that at the time people fell in love with....Hogan sucks on the mic..he repeativly says the same ****..brother !...he knows a total of maybe..5 wrestling moves......and hes always just landed in the right spot at the right time. WWE with the hulkamania gimmick...WCW with the NWO..best wrestler of all time?...hell no...thats dumb saying that...
Ric flair....awesome on the mic..and can actually wrestle. He also carry WWF at one time...and guess what?..He also carried..NWA..and WCW....hes done alot more then hogan ever could.... theres also other wrestlers that come before hogan....but Ric flairs the man when it comes to actually doing what hes done for the business and the fans. |
hogan is awsum on the mic. hes deffinatly my favorite overall. as far as wrestling and gimick.i like his wrestling because he can do anything and even if he messes up it looks awsum! i like the newer hogan beter than the old one. theres realy no one who can come close and hey ive wrestled before. i went to wrestling school. i know about wrestling. i was trained by lodi.
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he can do anything?..hahahaha
name atleast 10 moves you've seen him do...other then a punch..a sleeper..a boot to the face..and a leg drop... please...thats funny. |
Hulk Hogan, with out him wrestling as we know it wouldn't exist. He is the best of the best, ganted his skills were limited by todays standards, but he has a presence that makes him the best.
Past hogan only 2 really come close, Andre the Giant (may he rest in peace) and Mick Foley The 3 together make up the best of the best of the wrestilng world, the old school, the transition, and the ............ Ok I have no Clue what Mick repersents, but hes cool as hell, and he gave us the greatest Hell In a Cell EVER |
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in case you didnt notice...i mentioned everything on what it takes to be a good wrestler...meaning whats good for the business and the fans.....
read the whole paragraph. |
What about the Undertaker? He should be included!
The Dead Man himself, the only wrestler I was SCARED of when I was a kid. Remember when he put the Ultimate Warrior inside a casket and locked it? I couldn't sleep for a week. :o I say the Undertaker is the best wrestler. He has the coolest finishing moves: Choke slam, the "Old Skool" Tightrope, and the dreaded "Tombstone" Piledriver. Even though he didn't say much back then (Paul Bearer did all the talking) When he did talk, You could feel his voice vibrating in your heart. "Rest....in peeeeeeace!" :evil: And who can forget the "Funeral March" Theme song? Scaaaaary... Plus, he is the innovator of the Casket Match, Inferno Match, and Hell in a Cell match. Name some wrestlers who could do that, besides Mick Foley. :D Undertaker wins it hands down. |
Ahem.
This is a list of some of the moves I've seen Hogan do. 1. Axe Bomber (clothesline/elbow) 2. Vertical suplex 3. Abdominal stretch 4. Inside cradle/small package 5. Belly to Back Suplex 6. Schoolboy roll-up 7. Drop toehold 8. 3/4 Nelson into a pinning combination 9. Second-rope double axehandle 10. Top rope double axehandle (he used to occasionally go up top in Japan) 11. Seated rear chinlock ("Camel Clutch") 12. Power Bomb 13. Piledriver 14. Short Arm-scissors takedown submission 15. Figure Four Leglock 16. Ace Crusher ("Diamond Cutter") 17. Running Ace Crusher 18. Powerslam 19. Backbreaker 20. Enzuigiri (one of Owen Hart's favorite moves, jumping kick to the back of the head) 21. Bearhug 22. Running Clothesline in the corner 23. Rear chinlock (not the same move as 11) 24. Two-handed Chokeslam 25. Running kneedrop 26. Side headlock 27. Side headlock takedown 28. Big Boot 29. Atomic Leg Drop That was off the top of my head. I'm sure if I went back and watched all my tapes I'd find more. Bottom line, I just mentioned 27 moves besides the "big two", and you only asked for ten. Most of 'em are "big man" moves, but it's still fairly a lot for a guy his size. I mean how many moves does A-Train know? Or Test? Plus, Hogan was trained by Matsuda and used to train with Olympic alternate Brad Rheinghans. I'm sure he knows a ton of moves we've never even seen him use, mostly because knowing what I do of how Matsuda trains people, if he DID use some of those moves, he'd end up seriously hurting a lot of people. As for who contributed more to the industry, even Flair himself has said many times over that nobody did more for wrestling than Hogan did. Every promotion he wrestled in became successful just by association, and the AWA died because he left and a whole hell of a lot of people followed him because they knew the guy was gonna be money wherever he went. He was never "in the right place at the right time", he MADE it that way. He sure wasn't in the right place at the right time in the AWA, the responses he got from crowds left Verne Gagne no choice but to push him. That's why McMahon was smart enough to take him away for himself and buid the WWF around him back in the 1980s. I don't believe for one second that he could have pushed anyone else to that spot, there was nobody else back then that could have done it. And without Hogan, there would be no Wrestlemania, and without Wrestlemania, the WWF would have never survived the 1980s, wrestling never would have gotten so popular, Turner likely never would have bought out Crockett Promotions, and the second wrestling boom of the 1980s would never have happened because both the the WWF and WCW would have been as dead as the AWA. I have all the respect in the world for Ric Flair, he contributed a lot to the industry and put on a ton of classic matches, and anyone who denies that is either ignorant or misguided. Guys like Hogan and Flair are far and away a cut above anyone else. And as far as technical skill, Flair is better than Hogan (though I think Bret Hart is better than Flair, he just lacked charisma), but as far as who did more for the business as a whole, Hogan was a consistent draw on a larger scale for a longer period of time than Flair was. Sadly, Flair's main stage was the NWA and later WCW, and both were perceived by many ignorant people as being "bush league" before Hogan got involved with the company in 1994. And when they were finally in the same company together, Hogan sold a lot more tickets than Flair did overall (but not surprisingly, they did the best business when they were wrestling each other). Both Hogan and Flair contributed a lot to the industry, but Hogan contributed more. |
Hey, I was just wondering: How EXACTLY did Hogan come onto the wrestling scene, especially WWF?
It's like he was just there, and got popular. Goes anyone know? :-? |
Hulk Hogan = overrated
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I can't believe I'm repeating my self here
Are you all forgeting Andre the Giant? One of the greatest men to ever be part of the Wresting world, he was teh old school, with out him, Hogan might not be were he is today. Andre pasted the torch to Hogan, Andre let Hogan win at Wrestle Mania 3 (even says so in Hogan book). I will not take away from Hogan accomplishments, and the 2 are a big like apples and Oragnes, but Andre is a contender for the Greatest wrestler ever. May he rest in peace |
"Hogan = Overrated"
So's your opinion. When you get paid 5 million bucks a year to do ANYthing, then you can call people overrated. Does anyone know how Hogan came onto the scene?! (Cracks knuckles) Ah, gather 'round my son, and I shall tell you a tale, one that began in sunny Florida back in the mid-1970s... Terry Bollea was a lifelong wrestling fan. He was, through all of high school and for some time after, bass player in several rock and roll bands. His bands played at several clubs in the Tampa area, many of which were frequented by some of the local wrestlers. So he knew people. Eventually, he got it into his head that he might make some money as a wrestler. He was recommended to pro wrestler and trainer Hiro Matsuda, known as one of the toughest trainers around at that point. Hogan's first day was basically as follows: The trainers had him run drills until he was ready to throw up, then Matsuda dragged him into the ring and snapped his ankle. Back then, not just anybody could come off the street and be a wrestler. There was no garbage like "Tough Enough". You had to be respected by the other wrestlers if you even wanted to have a shot, and to earn their respect you had to be tough. Matsuda wanted to see how dedicated Terry was. Terry came back once his ankle healed, earning him the respect of his trainers, but things didn't get much easier. For the next six months, Hogan was barely allowed one offensive move as the trainers put him in submission hold after submission hold. The way they taught back then was "If a guy leaves his arm open, break it. If you get a guy in a headlock, put the bone of your wrist into his temple and squeeze..." In short, they taught people how to hurt people *for real*. For a year, all Hogan learned was how to break bones and gouge eyes. Then, when they thought he was "ready", they let him in that wrestling was staged. The point of their training him the way they did was two-fold. First off, they wanted him to be able to handle himself in any situation in the ring, and secondly, they wanted him to be so unstoppable physically that nobody could pin him unless he wanted them to. Once his training was finished, Hogan bounced around several territories and ended up in Memphis as Terry Boulder. Back then, "The Incredible Hulk" tv show with Lou Ferrigno was popular, and someone who saw Hogan commented that he "looked bigger than The Hulk". So he became Terry "The Hulk" Boulder. After a while in Memphis and a few trips to Japan, he eventually ended up in the WWF, then owned by Vince McMahon Sr., who gave him the name Hulk Hogan. He hung around for about a year in 1980 as a heel (bad guy) and had a couple big feuds with Andre the Giant and Bob Backlund. He left the WWF when he got a call to be in Rocky 3. McMahon didn't want Hogan to take the role, but Hogan was insistent, so McMahon fired him. Hogan played Thunderlips in Rocky 3 and became pretty much a celebrity right there. As with any big movie, Rocky 3 created quite a buzz, and a lot of that Buzz was on Hogan. His name reached the ear of Verne Gagne in Minnesota, owner of the AWA. He brought Hogan in as a face (good guy) and had him feud with Nick Bockwinkle over the AWA Title. The AWA was where "Hulkamania" and all its catchphrases and t-shirts started, they just didn't have a logo yet as Hogan made the shirts himself. Hogan became more and more popular, especially after Rocky 3 came out, but he never ended up with the Title. Politics in wrestling were a big deal back then, and Gagne wanted his son Greg (who was not very talented) to win the Title. Hogan got fed up with it, and when he got an offer from Vince McMahon Jr. to return to the WWF in 1983, he took it. In his final AWA match, he appeared to beat Bockwinkle for the belt, only to have the desicion reversed on a bogus technicality. The fans in the arena rioted. Hogan took another trip to Japan in 1983 before he went back to the WWF and took part in the first ever International Wrestling Grand Prix Tournament. Hogan was already much-loved in Japan and had recorded an album there. The IWGP Title is basically Japan's version of the World Title, and in fact is more respected throughout the world than the WWF/WWE World Title. Hogan himself has said on many occasions (most notably in 1993, when his words got him in trouble with Vince) that the IWGP Title is the "Real World's Title" and that the WWF Title is "a toy." Hogan beat the legendary Antonio Inoki in the finals, knocking him out of the ring and unconscious with the Axe Bomber to become the first ever IWGP Champion. After that, he went back to the WWF and beat The Iron Sheik on January 24, 1984 at Madison Square Garden to become the WWF Champion, and the rest is pretty much history. Anything else you'd like to know? :) |
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He was part of a band and wanted to be in the music business first. But then, for some reason, he went down to where wrestlers train and was coaxed into the ring. A wrestler promptly snapped his leg like a twig . . . and Hogan was hooked. When he was first in the WWF, he was a heel. He wore white trunks, and he had chest hair. But then, just like what happens to so many wrestlers, the fans started cheering him. And then when he beat the Iron Sheik for the title in 1984, Hulkamania was born. I know I'm skipping a lot of details, but that's the gist of how he got into the business. "What'cha gonna do?" - Hulk Hogan |
Whoops. Looks like Leo656 beat me to the punch. And his story is far more thorough. :lol:
"I came here to train, say my prayers, then kick your ass!" - Hulk Hogan, on one edition of Monday Nitro in 1999, after he was back in the red and gold. |
Heh I neglected to mention Hogan's heart-shaped chest hair on purpose. That was so horrible. :lol:
He also used the name "Sterling Golden" very briefly. Thankfully. |
There was a quote in this thread about how Hogan doesn't know any wrestling holds.
I remember when he wrestled Bret Hart on Monday Nitro in 1998, and he actually pulled off two incredibly technical moves. I don't think even the announcers knew he was going to do that. One of them said something along the lines of, "It's not that we didn't think he could mat wrestle, it's just that we didn't think he would." Hogan knew what he was doing in the ring. And he was a legend far ahead of his time. And, no matter what anyone says, Hogan was the one who brought wrestling into the mainstream. I think wrestling might have made it eventually, but Hogan certainly fast-forwarded the movement by a decade or so. "Yeeesssss!" - Hulk Hogan, when Roddy Piper asked him if he's take on Andre the Giant at WrestleMania III. |
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He was always second fiddle to Hogan (even when he was the champion), and by the time Hogan was gone, the WWF wouldn't let him wrestle anymore, claiming he was too old. WCW could have done more with him, and they used him well upon his arrival. But then he got saddled into the nWo, and his career tanked. Randy Savage could have been one of the legends; but as it stands, he's just a really good wrestler. "Oh, yeah!" - Randy Savage |
I have that Hogan/Bret match on tape. I loved how he basically controlled the entire match with *wrestling* and not brawling. He always did tend to use a few more technical moves against guys like Bret, Flair and DiBiase than he did against guys like Andre and Nash. Which makes sense. He wrestled against wrestlers and brawled against brawlers.
Oh, and I forgot to add "Side Russian Leg Sweep" to Hogan's list of moves. As for Savage, I'll give the guy his due. He IS a legend. He was there, just like Piper and DiBiase and Snuka and all those others who were "greats" but fell just short of being "the BEST". He never really cut loose like he could have, but it sure wasn't for lack of trying. I personally think it was his mental instability, the fact that Randy Savage the character and Randy Poffo the person are basically the exact same guy, was what hurt him in the long run. But I disagree that the nWo killed his career. In fact, I think joining the nWo was the best thing he could have done. He had already been smacked around by them for 6 months, he really had nothing else to do. And when he joined them, he had some of his best matches in years, especially his classic feud with Diamond Dallas Page, the feud Page claims made his career. His Wolfpac phase was a wash, but his return in 1999 after ACL surgery was pretty good. He was at his best as the wild, unpredictable heel instead of the hand-slapping "good guy". I think he'd still be around somewhere if he hadn't priced himself out of the market. Savage's biggest problem is his attitude and his perception. He thinks he's AS big as Hogan... and he's not. |
Lodi.
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Where's Mick Foley???????
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appently the hardcore ledgend doesn't warrent a mention, which sucks cause his Hell in a Cell is the thing of ledgends, not to mention he married a model. And had naked elves running around in his book
And Al Snow should get a nod for having his toy pulled from Walmart for having a decapitaed womans head :lol: And Once More Where is Andre the giant |
And why did Van Hammer get left off that list?
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Come on, nothing can beat one man having three seperate alter-egos/gimmicks in his career, some of them overlapping once in a while.
What makes Dude Love special is that he debuted IN MY HOMETOWN!!!!!!!!!!!!! *begins the Dude Love "knee-dance"* |
I respect Mick Foley, but I really don't think he honestly comes anywhere close to being one of the "greatest wrestlers of all time". He even goes into detail in his books about how he was never particularly talented, he just had a high threshold for pain. His biggest contribution to wrestling was falling off the Cell and almost getting killed, and retiring at 33 with brain damage.
If you call that being one of the greatest wrestlers ever, that's your opinion, but I personally don't see it. I respect him, but one of the greatest ever? I'd be hard-pressed to agree. |
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"Everybody's got a price!" - Ted Dibiase |
I was surprised to see no WCW wrestlers on there.
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ANd yet you left on Kama, "The Supreme Fighting Machine"? :lol:
I would have liked to see an actual serious "Greatest Wrestler" poll and a "Craziest Gimmick" poll. In fact, I might just do that one myself. |
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well i think if were talkin best mat ability its got to be hogan but for strenght i have to say andre the giant but i think all around hogan is the best wrestler of all time. I think there should be more names on that such as mankind taker austin rock ect
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Savage never got his just due in wrestling. "There's nothin' like WWF action!" - Bobby Heenan |
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I was glad when they got rid of the race car drivers, garbage men, and clowns and stopped treating the audience like 10-year-olds. "Take a look at the Bad Guy!" - Razor Ramon |
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