J-Rod and Da Man are running down the greatest of the greats. The people's champions. A list of the best there is, the best there was and the best there ever will be among wrestlers of the past 25 years. Professional wrestling has seen its share of great talent through the last 25 years but not everyone can make the list.
We included in our panel one of the most distinguish members of wrestling knowledge around... Though he couldn't participate. Who we did get was Tairon, a connoisseur of professional wrestling for almost 30 years (the kinda guy that still has epic matches on VHS... and watches them). The three of us sat around (via email) and discussed (argued) how we'd come up with this fair list (unfairly). To be fair to each person who participated, it was decided each person would display their own Top 10 then have a collective Top 10 based upon the numbers given. All the scores can be seen below.
How we rated each wrestler
We wanted to rate everyone in several categories so different attributes can be define for each wrestler. We awarded points on a 1-5 scale within each category, then added the total points for each wrestler from each panel member. Then the total from each panel member made up the average score for a wrestler. Confused? Perfect.
Highest number points that can be awarded, 40. The categories are:
Popularity (obvious)
Skill (ability to execute moves)
Longevity (career length near or at the top)
Success (titles, different belts, x number held)
Charisma (crowd appeal - even heels were loved)
Matches (epic fights - won or loss, often contended)
Impact (their stamp on wrestling history)
Overall (everything above, the wrestler as a whole)
10. "Macho Man" Randy Savage - An icon in the 80s but forever in the shadow of Hulk Hogan. 6 time heavyweight champion in both WWF and WCW and Ms. Elizabeth doesn't hurt him in making this list.
We included in our panel one of the most distinguish members of wrestling knowledge around... Though he couldn't participate. Who we did get was Tairon, a connoisseur of professional wrestling for almost 30 years (the kinda guy that still has epic matches on VHS... and watches them). The three of us sat around (via email) and discussed (argued) how we'd come up with this fair list (unfairly). To be fair to each person who participated, it was decided each person would display their own Top 10 then have a collective Top 10 based upon the numbers given. All the scores can be seen below.
How we rated each wrestler
We wanted to rate everyone in several categories so different attributes can be define for each wrestler. We awarded points on a 1-5 scale within each category, then added the total points for each wrestler from each panel member. Then the total from each panel member made up the average score for a wrestler. Confused? Perfect.
Highest number points that can be awarded, 40. The categories are:
Popularity (obvious)
Skill (ability to execute moves)
Longevity (career length near or at the top)
Success (titles, different belts, x number held)
Charisma (crowd appeal - even heels were loved)
Matches (epic fights - won or loss, often contended)
Impact (their stamp on wrestling history)
Overall (everything above, the wrestler as a whole)
We give you:
The 10 Greatest Wrestlers of the Past 25 Years...
10. "Macho Man" Randy Savage - An icon in the 80s but forever in the shadow of Hulk Hogan. 6 time heavyweight champion in both WWF and WCW and Ms. Elizabeth doesn't hurt him in making this list.
9. Sting - The "Franchise" of WCW, Sting has held 24 championships and is a 15 time World Heavyweight Champion. Best known for his face paint and dark demeanor, he's also the greatest to never have wrestled in the WWF/E
8. "Stone Cold" Steve Austin - Billed as "The Most Popular Superstar in WWE History" the Texas Rattlesnake was everything the WWF-Attitude era was. He hated Vince McMahon and was the disrespectful, beer-drinking antihero who flipped off everyone. Austin was a WWF/E 6 time World Champion and the 5th Triple Crown Champion.
7. The Rock - "The Most Electrifying Man in Sports Entertainment", the People's Champ won a total of 16 championships in the WWF/E. Including 9 World Heavyweight Championships between WWF/E and WCW. He may be the greatest entertainer professional wrestling has ever seen.
6. The Undertaker - Death personified, The Undertaker stands 6 ft 10 in and is unmatched at Wrestlemania, having gone undefeated with a 19-0 record. He is a 9 time World Champion and a 6 time WWF/E World Tag Team Champion. His persona has devised a number of special matches like Hell In A Cell and Buried Alive.
5. Bret Hart - "The Best There Is, The Best There Was, and The Best There Ever Will Be", Bret Hart as won championships in every decade since he started in the late 70s, 32 in total throughout his career. 7 Championships between WWF/E and WCW, 7 time World Heavyweight Champion between both organizations (with the highest number of day held in the WWF in the 90s) and record tying 5 time WCW/WWE United States Champion. He is known for being one of greatest "skilled" wrestlers ever. A tactician if you will. Bret was apart of the legendary Hart foundation and will be forever tied to McMahon and Shawn Michaels with the "Montreal Screwjob".
4. Triple H - Hunter. Hearst. Helmsley. Son-in-law to Vince McMahon (through story then real life), founding member of D-Generation X, Triple H was a monster in the WWF/E having won 23 championships total with 5 World Championships. In addition, Helmsley won the 1997 King of the Ring, the 2002 Royal Rumble, and was the second Grand Slam Championship winner. He has the highest total number of world title reigns sanctioned in WWF/E, and is recognized as having the second highest total in history, 16, after....
3. "The Nature Boy" Ric Flair - Flamboyant? Yes? Legendary? With a doubt. Flair is officially recognized by WWE, TNA and PWI as a 16-timeWorld Heavyweight Champion (seven-time NWA Champion, seven-time WCW Champion and two-time WWF Champion) although his actual tally of World Championship reigns varies by source—Flair considers himself a 21-time world champion. Using the officially recognized totals (by WWE, TNA and PWI) of 16 World Championships and a record-tying 5 US Championship reigns, Flair has won a total of 30 different major championships between the NWA, WCW, and WWE, with numerous regional titles also to his credit. He was founding member of The Four Horsemen and has dominated WCW during the 80s. Flair is one of the most recognized wrestlers ever and is known by his signature shout, "WOOOOOOOOOOOOOO".
2. Shawn Michaels - "The Heartbreak Kid". You may not agree with his placement at #2 but the numbers tallied don't lie. He could wrestle ANY style you named. Technical, check. Brawler, check. High-flyer, check. Michaels is a 4 time World Champion, 3 time Intercontinental Champion, 5 time World Tag Team Champion, 2 time Royal Rumble winner, the WWF/E's 1st Grand Slam Champion, 4th Triple Crown Champion and a record 11 time winner of the PWI Match of the Year award. He has feuded and wrestled with everyone in the WWF/E and was Bret's opponent with the "Montreal Screwjob". Michaels has held championships in each decade from the 90s to 2010s.
1. Hulk Hogan - What more can be said. Hulk Hogan, "The Hulkster" is by far THE MOST RECOGNIZABLE WRESTLER of all time. Hogan has fought EVERYONE in WWF/E and WCW. He's played a fan fav and a villain. He wasn't the strongest, the fastest, the most technical or the most charismatic. What he was, was popular. Prom King. Hogan was the face of the WWF in the 80s, single-handlely vaulting professional wrestling and the WWF into mainstream media. He was THE MAIN EVENT of any main event. He was always a fan favorite even when the fan favorite at the time was his opponent. He faced off against the legends and greats of the his era (Macho Man, Andre the Giant, Iron Sheik, Roddy Piper, etc..) then did one better and faced the new generation (HBK, Bret, The Rock). He was hardcore leader of the NWO in WCW. Made Wrestlemania. Made McMahon. Made Hulkamaniacs. He was a successful wrestler but the first to do so beyond the ring. Hogan was a 12 time World Champion (6 in both WWF/E and WCW). Only person to win back-to-back Royal Rumbles. In WCW he first reign as champ was the longest ever (469 days). Hogan's impact on professional wrestling alone put him near the top. His longevity and success makes him stand alone, as King of the Ring.
There you have it and here's how we scored'em: Wrestling's Greatest ** +
Special thanks to everyone who participated and also to those who wanted to submit scores but couldn't in time. We'll add yours in later and update. Of course not everyone (even on this panel) agrees with this list. Some should be off, some got left out. But that's the purpose of "lists", to spark debate. To conjure up those heated arguments you had with your friends all though life.
This is the first of many "Top 10s" debates. We'll probably do a Tag-team for wrestling and some others include The Top 10 Sports Games of all-time, Top 10 Players in Tecmo Bowl (not named Bo Jackson), Top 10 QBs of Last 30 Years and of course Top 10 Reasons You Should Know Mitch Goodman.
**(Please note J-Rod did not want to take the "Total" of all 8 categories. He felt the "Overall" category should the be the total of the remaining 7 categories and have that number represent their rankings. So he did not give a value for the "Overall" category with each wrestler. To be fair to the rest of the accuracy of the list, that column was given a score of 3 (median). He also did not provide a ranking for Randy Savage at time of publishling and his scores were also given a 3 to be fair.)
+(Also, Riley Freeman wanted to add to the list but he instantly got SHUT DOWN when he said the Ultimate Warrior needed to be Top 10. We at "J-Rod and Da Man in the Moooooooooorning" have to draw the line somewhere...)
Special thanks to everyone who participated and also to those who wanted to submit scores but couldn't in time. We'll add yours in later and update. Of course not everyone (even on this panel) agrees with this list. Some should be off, some got left out. But that's the purpose of "lists", to spark debate. To conjure up those heated arguments you had with your friends all though life.
This is the first of many "Top 10s" debates. We'll probably do a Tag-team for wrestling and some others include The Top 10 Sports Games of all-time, Top 10 Players in Tecmo Bowl (not named Bo Jackson), Top 10 QBs of Last 30 Years and of course Top 10 Reasons You Should Know Mitch Goodman.
**(Please note J-Rod did not want to take the "Total" of all 8 categories. He felt the "Overall" category should the be the total of the remaining 7 categories and have that number represent their rankings. So he did not give a value for the "Overall" category with each wrestler. To be fair to the rest of the accuracy of the list, that column was given a score of 3 (median). He also did not provide a ranking for Randy Savage at time of publishling and his scores were also given a 3 to be fair.)
+(Also, Riley Freeman wanted to add to the list but he instantly got SHUT DOWN when he said the Ultimate Warrior needed to be Top 10. We at "J-Rod and Da Man in the Moooooooooorning" have to draw the line somewhere...)
I.... J-Rod... of J-Rod and Da Man in Da Morning cosign's this blog. The Nacho Man makes my top ten. He loved shoving beef sticks in his mouth(as does Da Man)and was part of the Mega Powers. He made a career of losing to Hogan over and over and over again. Then later in his career, just to show how dedicated he was to Hulkamania he went to WCW. For a good 6 months every Monday Night Nitro ended with the nWo giving Randy Savage a SAVAGE beat down. If that isnt a Hulkamaniac then I dont know what is. Macho Man is def Top Ten. I cosign Da Man's opinion on the Ultimate Warrior. If we add him might as well add Goldberg. That right there is a glaring example as to why Riley Freeman's application for employment at the J-Rod and Da Man in The Morning show is still "under review".
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