The Best Wrestler of All Time

Ninja Turtles Cartoon Fan · 07-14-2003, 12:17 PM

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

~~Leo656~~ · 07-14-2003, 01:04 PM

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

*cqb101* · 07-14-2003, 01:30 PM

I say Hogan.

InsaneZane · 07-14-2003, 01:46 PM

I say Hogan, but Randy Savage should be on that list

liltimmyw · 07-14-2003, 01:48 PM

Bret Hart. Everyone likes Hogan so much, and he was good 10 years ago. He's sucked for the longest time.

*cqb101* · 07-14-2003, 02:06 PM

That's why it's best wrestler of ALL TIME. It doesn't really matter if he sucks now.

Wingnut · 07-14-2003, 02:39 PM

Doink the Clown

Ninjatron · 07-14-2003, 03:10 PM

Whooooo!

It's the Nature Boy!

Rick Flair is the best.

Sayonara.

*Jephael* · 07-14-2003, 04:50 PM

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.

malignant · 07-14-2003, 04:57 PM

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.

EZweasel · 07-14-2003, 05:04 PM

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.

malignant · 07-14-2003, 05:06 PM

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.

Shellfox · 07-14-2003, 05:07 PM

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

*cqb101* · 07-14-2003, 05:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by malignant

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 sh**..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.

Incase you didn't realize, being good on the mic has nothing to do with being a good wrestler.

malignant · 07-14-2003, 05:54 PM

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.

*XERO* · 07-14-2003, 07:01 PM

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.

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!"

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.

Undertaker wins it hands down.

~~Leo656~~ · 07-14-2003, 07:15 PM

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.

*XERO* · 07-14-2003, 07:27 PM

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?

liltimmyw · 07-14-2003, 07:28 PM

Hulk Hogan = overrated

Shellfox · 07-14-2003, 08:17 PM

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

View Poll Results: Who is the best wrestler of all time?
Bret Hart	4	15.38%
Doink the Clown	3	11.54%
Hulk Hogan	16	61.54%
Kama	0	0%
Shawn Michaels	1	3.85%
Red Rooster	0	0%
Ric Flair	0	0%
Brooklyn Brawler	0	0%
Steve Austin	2	7.69%
Voters: 26. You may not vote on this poll

07-14-2003, 12:17 PM	#1
Ninja Turtles Cartoon Fan Stone Warrior Join Date: Aug 2002 Location: USA Posts: 835	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

07-14-2003, 01:30 PM	#3
cqb101 Cinephile Join Date: Feb 2003 Location: Salem, MA Posts: 8,489	I say Hogan. __________________ Facebook

07-14-2003, 01:46 PM	#4
InsaneZane Mad Scientist Join Date: May 2003 Location: Silent Hill Posts: 1,198	I say Hogan, but Randy Savage should be on that list __________________

07-14-2003, 02:06 PM	#6
cqb101 Cinephile Join Date: Feb 2003 Location: Salem, MA Posts: 8,489	That's why it's best wrestler of ALL TIME. It doesn't really matter if he sucks now. __________________ Facebook

07-14-2003, 01:04 PM	#2
~~Leo656~~ Banned Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: nWo Country Posts: 27,703	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

07-14-2003, 01:48 PM	#5
liltimmyw Foot Soldier Join Date: Jun 2003 Location: WV Posts: 203	Bret Hart. Everyone likes Hogan so much, and he was good 10 years ago. He's sucked for the longest time.

07-14-2003, 02:39 PM	#7
Wingnut Mad Scientist Join Date: Nov 2002 Location: Pao Pao Café Posts: 1,264	Doink the Clown __________________ "I'll be what I wanna do."

07-14-2003, 03:10 PM	#8
Ninjatron Hench Mutant Join Date: Apr 2003 Location: Toronto Posts: 313	Whooooo! It's the Nature Boy! Rick Flair is the best. Sayonara. __________________

07-14-2003, 04:50 PM	#9
Jephael That whack job behind you Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: Carlisle, Pennsylvania Posts: 8,143	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. __________________ "I like it. Simple, but effective!" Raphael; The Mean Machines - 1988

07-14-2003, 04:57 PM	#10
malignant Hench Mutant Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Colorado Posts: 383	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. __________________ Currently Playing - went back to playing Prince of Persia SOT (Xbox) Mario Kart (DS)** Shredder

07-14-2003, 05:04 PM	#11
EZweasel Stone Warrior Join Date: Apr 2003 Posts: 847	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. __________________

07-14-2003, 05:06 PM	#12
malignant Hench Mutant Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Colorado Posts: 383	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. __________________ Currently Playing - went back to playing Prince of Persia SOT (Xbox) Mario Kart (DS) Shredder

07-14-2003, 05:07 PM	#13
Shellfox Mad Scientist Join Date: Nov 2002 Location: Texas Posts: 1,234	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 __________________ We're americans, We build Monster Trucks for fun! Imagin what we'll build when you piss us off!!- Christopher Titus

07-14-2003, 05:54 PM	#15
malignant Hench Mutant Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Colorado Posts: 383	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. __________________ Currently Playing - went back to playing Prince of Persia SOT (Xbox) Mario Kart (DS) Shredder

07-14-2003, 07:01 PM	#16
XERO Hybrid Theorist Join Date: Feb 2003 Location: Alamo City Posts: 8,185	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. 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!" 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. Undertaker wins it hands down. __________________ "Travel at the speed of light... then hit the nitro!"

07-14-2003, 07:15 PM	#17
~~Leo656~~ Banned Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: nWo Country Posts: 27,703	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.

07-14-2003, 07:27 PM	#18
XERO Hybrid Theorist Join Date: Feb 2003 Location: Alamo City Posts: 8,185	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? __________________ "Travel at the speed of light... then hit the nitro!"

07-14-2003, 07:28 PM	#19
liltimmyw Foot Soldier Join Date: Jun 2003 Location: WV Posts: 203	Hulk Hogan = overrated

07-14-2003, 08:17 PM	#20
Shellfox Mad Scientist Join Date: Nov 2002 Location: Texas Posts: 1,234	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 __________________ We're americans, We build Monster Trucks for fun! Imagin what we'll build when you piss us off!!- Christopher Titus