The Rasslin' Thread!

[AslanC]

So I noticed the talk of wreslting started in another thread and I felt it deserved to continue.

Okay... first question...

Who are your top 5 wrestlers and why?

Here go mine.

Lowest to Highest

5] "Rowdy" Roddy Piper - The Hot Rod! The Anti-Hogan! Let me tell you, when you are in Highschool and Hulk Hogan is the Gawd of Wrestling, and you much prefer Daffy to Bugs, you can't help but love the Hot Rod! This guy, in a way that was never seen before, made it cool to cheer for the bad guy! This guy was the "attitude" and "extreme" that were still a decade or more away. Wathing him bean coconuts off of Jimmy Snuka's head is as famous a moment as the shot of Snuka leaping from the top of the cage. When he busted up Uncle Elmer's wedding on Saturday Night's Main Event, reffering to the wedding kiss as "two carp fighting over the same piece of bait"... Oh boy! Scottish Ocular Jab is a legit wrestling move IMHO. Scientific too

4] Ricky "The Dragon" Steamboat - Remember before Vince strapped pyro and a silly costume to him, he was cool? Remember when Savage used the ring bell on his throat? Remember when Jake "The Snake" Roberts pulled the first ever DDT on him... to the concrete floor? Remember his legendary series against Ric Flair for the WCW/NWA Belt? Remember how he is only one of a handful fo wrestlers who never, ever went heel? I do. And that is why he is on my list.

3] Shawn Michaels - The Showstopper! HBK! There was a time in wreslting (right after wrestlemania 10) where this guy really started to come into his own... and what a comet he was. During the unfortunate "In Your House" PPV series, there was always soemthing to look forward to... Shawn Michaels would be the final match on the card. In those days he could wrestle a broom to a 3 star match! Of particular note is his match against Mankind (Foley) at In Your House 10: Mind Games... if you have seen the match, you know what I am talking about... if you haven't, you owe it toyourself to rent it... even if you don't like HBK (or Foley or both) this is one of the greatest matches ever... right up there with Steamboat/Savage from Wrestlemania 3.

2] Madusa Michelli (Madusa/Alundra Blayze) - Before she went crazy and got pontoons installed in her chest, Deberah Michelli was what I always admired in women's wrestling! So good was she that in 1988 the holy Pro-Wreslting Illustrated made her Rookie of the Year! The first and only female wrestler to ever achieve that honour. When she finally came to the WWF as Alundra Blayze she was like a comic book character come to life and she managed, through a fantastic series with Bull Nakano to revitalize the long dead interest in female wrestling in North America. Had she not, there would be no Trish Stratus or Lita or even Molly Holly (whom she mentored in WCW). She is as important to the history of women's wreslting as the Fabulous Moola or Wendi Richter.

1] Ric Flair (80's to early 90's) - Hands down this is the era of the Man! From the stylin' and proflin', the jet flyin', limosene ridin' and kiss stealin' sonovagun! to his arrival in the WWF as the biggest event in the history of modern wrestling (remeber the speech to Hogan about the "bubble" he had been living in?). Flair was golden. HE WAS the Man! To this day he still understands the basic concept of story-telling in the ring. And don't even get me started on the Horsemen! Of all his great moments, nothing will ever compare to the Royal Rumble in '92... Flair is the 3rd man in and goes the distance to win the belt and become the first person in history to have held the WWF, NWA and WCW world titles in his career... sure later Hogan would do it... and there was also someone who flew after the Wright Brothers

See you in the ring...

[Modem]

Why don't ask "what's your favorite pizza topping, and why" if you want to start something.

Let's see...I can't give A top five on the grounds that there's always someone newwer and sometime better, so I'd have to break it down into era and other catagories, like:
Top 5 WWF/E tag-teams:
5) The Killer Bees: these two impressed the hell out of when they first started, but lacked 'a gimick', it wasn't until with the last half a year in the WW then F that they got one: matching 'bee' masks. It still wasn't enough keep around though...
4) Money Inc.: Ted and Iriwn were good on there own, but together they made off like thieves in the night...
3)The Brood: Edge and Christians debute...alongside Gangrel, but we won't go there. Inside, let's focus on the way they entered the ring: rising through the stage surrounded by FIRE, all to gothic, metalish music...COOL
2) The Rockers: the funny thing is, a number of weeks ago Raw did a 'Rockers reunion' and both Jannetty and Michaels looked 'as good as they were', and that's GOOD for being about ten years apart as a team.
and the number one WWF/E tag team to me is.....
THE HART FOUNDATION: this was easily Brett Hart's proving ground that he had the ability to one day be Heavyweight Champion...it's just a dammed shame that it cost one of my honorable mentions:

HONORABLE MENTIONS:
3) The British Bulldogs: Growing up in Canada, Stampede Wrestling was a pre-req for TV watching, and these shock the heck out of everyone.
2) Austin/Foley: What can I say, there a strange correctness in team a man deals out massive pain, and guy who ignores it like most do requests from a Dentist for a check-up...
1) Rock/Foley, the 'Rock and Sock' connection: This was an idea soooo silly, it had to work.

[AslanC]

Sheesh Modem... way to ruin the question :P

Tag teams was coming later

[REG]

Okay... first question...

Who are your top 5 wrestlers and why?

Solo wrestlers, right?

1. Ric Flair, the Wonderboy. A Heel I love to hate.
2. Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson. A local boy done good.
3. Chris Benoit. Currently the best technical wrestler I've seen.
4. Rey Mysterio. The only luchador that I have seen and like.
5. "Superfly" Jimmy Snuka. The guy practically fly off the top turnbuckle with grace.

HONORABLE MENTION:
The Adkisson clan (aka "The Von Erich Family"): Jack Sr ("Fritz"), Jack Jr, David, Kerry, and Kevin.

[Space_Cadet]

Anyone following "real" rasslin' like UFC or Pride?

[REG]

Don't have access to those two, though there is a local Superbrawl circuit in Hawaii but I don't go.

[Modem]

Geez I hope I didn't butcher that too bad (sorry Konan, you to Eddie Guerrero). Just saw that TLN (Tele Latino Network) run Lucha Libre wrestling...I always wonders what it was like (beyond wrestlers that showed up on WCW and WWE/F).

Watched some...wierd; first, the ring has SIX corners...I spotted at least four times guys 'stearing' themselves towards a turnbuckle after a whip). Second, not much in mat-skills (mostly 'flyers' and impact-player)...though to their credit...THEY HAD LA PARKA...haven't seen him since WCW, and he didn't look that bad...needs a chair though.

[AslanC]

La Parka also wrrestles sometimes for TNA as LA Park... WCW (therefore WWE) still owns the name La Parka.