THE 15 GREATEST WRESTLERS OF ALL TIME

For as long as I can remember, I have been a wrestling fan. No, not that uber-realistic Greco-Roman sweaty guys in uni-tards nonsense, I'm speaking, of course, about one of America's most cherished past times: PRO WRESTLING! Weather it's NWA, WWF, ECW, WCW, or WWE, nothing screams silly Monday night entertainment like PRO WRESTLING. I remember, probably a good 25 years ago or so, watching Saturday morning wrestling in front of small, intense crowds on ABC or the Detroit FOX affiliate (Not FOX then, however) WKBD, Chanel 50, and being enthralled by the likes of such classic stars as Bruno Samartino, Abdulah the Butcher, and The Iron Sheik. And it just got better from there. For the most part, the eighties and nineties were the heyday of Pro Wrestling, offering up some of the most convoluted and ridiculous story lines every week. Characters ranging from the huge and stupid, to the athletic and dangerous, to the angry and evil, would make appearances each and every segment. And once other competitors to the Grandfather of companies, the WWF, came out of the woodwork, such as the aforementioned WCW, your entertainment value doubled. Soon, by the time the mid nineties rolled around, there were so many superstars and general 'jobbers' around, several shows had to be made on nearly every night of the week just to give then all equal air time. Anyway, I have collected fifteen of the greatest talents from Pro Wrestling of all time. I know many of you will disagree, or even threaten my very existence, but, as always, I am open for suggestions. So, get out your plastic Championship Belts, your Big Boss Man trucker caps, and read on.

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15. STONE COLD STEVE AUSTIN (Real Name - Steve Williams)

Nobody swilled beer, slung a Stunner, or rankled the McMahons better than Steve Austin. Hes gone now, but one never knows when his return will occur. White trash to the core, but a downright dirty player and an awesome wrestler.

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14. SABU (Real Name - Terry Brunk)

This is what Sabu was all about: brawling, beatings, and blood. One of the innovators of extreme wrestling, and by proxy, ECW, Sabu remains one of the most vicious and creative players in the game.

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13. SCOTT HALL & KEVIN NASH (THE OUTSIDERS & NWO)

Two of the finest heels in tag-team history, Hall and Nash came from WCW as Big Daddy Cool Diesel and Razor Ramon. Soon they were the Outsiders and stomping ass wherever they went. Eventually, as their popularity gained momentum, they created the NWO recruiting such stars as Hogan, Sting, Lex Luger, and The Giant. Though Nash is still prevalent, he'll never be as show-stopping as he once was.

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12. THE 4 HORSEMEN (ARN {ne Steve Lunde} AND OLE {ne Alan Rogowski} ANDERSON, TULLY BLANCHARD, RICK FLAIR)

Though the line-up would go through several changes and rearranges, the soul of the team was always Rick Flair and he was always about 'family' and the aspect of someone always there to have your back. Though the Four Horsemen generally stand for Pestilence, Famine, War, and Death, the collections that spanned the existence of Pro Wrestling were all about excitement, camaraderie, perseverance, and strength.

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11. ANDRE THE GIANT (Real Name - Andre Rousimoff)

Jesse Ventura and Gorilla Monsoon commentating one of the greatest matches in Wrestling history featuring the Eighth Wonder, Andre the Giant, who could, for the sake of argument, consume enough food in an a day to feed a small, third-world nation, versus arguably the greatest icon in Wrestling History, Hulk Hogan. Just amazing.

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10. SHAWN MICHAELS (Real Name - Michael Hickenbottom)

Originally, one half of the Rockers with Marty Jannetty, Shawn Michaels has been a regular in the WWE for years. Coming into his own rather quickly as a high-flying athlete and a show stealer, Michaels, or The Heartbreak Kid, has since become known as the man who ended Rick Flair's career.

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9. TRIPLE H (THE GAME) (Real Name - Paul Levesque)

Originally billed as Hunter Hearst Helmsley, Triple H, or The Game, has been through some of the most outrageous and downright silly story lines often revolving around Vince McMahon and his extended family. Eventually, a founding member of Degeneration X, and later 'marrying' Stephanie McMahon (evidently for real outside of the ring), HHH has been a mainstay and a powerful force in the ring still seeking the elusive Championship Belt now held by Randy Orton.

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8. THE UNDERTAKER (Real Name - Mark Callaway)

With a shtick like The Deadman, it's almost a given that The Undertaker will, pretty much, continue his triumph over his adversaries for years to come. Currently 16-0 in his title bouts, the Taker has been buried alive, burned, thrown into a feud with his 'brother' Kane, and partnered with nearly every wrestler under the sun. In fact, there was a time when he had a small group of devout followers. But for now, he is the Phenom and is still plowing his way through all comers.

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7. THE ROCK (Real Name - Duane Johnson)

Quite possibly the king of the one-liners, The Rock, or if you prefer, The Brahma Bull, gave us, "If you smell what The Rock is cooking" and, "Laying the Smack Down on your Candy Ass", and calling an opponent a "Jobroni"... the man was a never ending slew of hilarity. Also, coincidentally, a really great wrestler often tied with or against the McMahons, Stone Cold, HHH, and Mankind. But, once the smell wafted away, Duane found new life as an actor. Pretty much the part he was born to play in the first place.

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6. RICK FLAIR (Real name - Rick Fleihr)

Rick Flair has been around since the dawn of Championship Wrestling and has, for the most part, been a part of each and every incarnation. Eventually The Nature Boy, and The Dirtiest Player in The Game, Flair went on to wrestle on and off for around 30 years, only to fall to Shawn Michaels at the last Wrestlemania. His career, even out of the ring now, is still a focus of in-ring antics.

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5. ROWDY RODDY PIPER (Real Name - Roderick Toombs)

The Hot Rod was very well known for being a guy who had no qualms about speaking his mind. Just as influential as Hogan and equally as colorful, Roddy remained, for the most part, a heel. He even appeared on the Saturday Morning Cartoon Program, Hulk Hogan's Rockin' Wrestling as the main bad guy. His interview segments in Piper's Pit were hysterical and often ended in bouts as awesome as those in the ring. Piper was always there when a comedic aspect was necessary long before that kind of thing became so prevalent.

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4. JAKE 'THE SNAKE' ROBERTS

Certainly not the most technical, most spectacular, or even most charismatic of all wrestlers, Jake Roberts had something no one else did: a giant goddamn snake named Damien. His inventive use of a sack full of reptiles employed at the end of each of his victories to basically scare the crap out of his fallen opponents was genius and carried him through many years. His signature move, the DDT has even become an industry staple to this day.

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3. RICKY 'THE DRAGON' STEAMBOAT

Another Ventura / Monsoon classic announce job, this is arguably one of the top ten matches of all time. Ricky Steamboat was such a technically diverse wrestler using martial arts and well-orchestrated Greco-Roman styles to his advantage bringing to the forefront the very styles used to day by such Superstars as The Hardy Boys and Chris Jericho.

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2. MICK FOLEY (CACTUS JACK, DUDE LOVE, MANKIND)

June 12th, 1998. Hell in a Cell. Mick Foley. The Undertaker. This is exactly why he's number 2.

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1. HULK HOGAN (Real Name - Terry Bollea)

It is nearly impossible to utter the word Wrestling in a sentence without saying the name Hulk Hogan. A complete performer in every sense of the word, Hogan reformed the WWF nearly in his own image. Carrying the company largely on his shoulders throughout the 80's, Hogan was a headliner through and through. Eventually, as his image faded slightly in the face of the new breed of wrestlers, he rearranged himself to become more of a heel joining the NWO and blackening his trademark Fu-Manchu style mustache. But now, through it all, Hogan still remains the hero to America's audience (personal life aside) that he'd always been. ****************************************************************************

*Notables*The Road Warriors - The Heart Foundation - Macho Man Randy Savage