You talking about the submission match at WM 13? Yeah it was a great match but Im not sure how much was really Austin and how much was Bret... Like when I watch old SCSA matches on the network i just can't help but be underwhelmed, He was rather sloppy and his style was just brawling which doesn't really work today.
Saw a little Undertaker debate earlier. Stan Hansen was a better wrestler than Undertaker could ever have hoped to be. The only reason every wrestling fan doesn't know that is because he spent his career tearing down the house in Japan.
I'll give a top tier of 7 guys. In no particular order. To be clear, I'm not saying these are the "best" wrestlers, but they are the ones I always wanted to see the most. Stone Cold Undertaker Shawn Michaels Mick Foley The Rock Hogan Bret Hart
you can't be the best if you don't do it on the big stage... this is why AJ styles will never be in these convos
Again, vince washed. Most wrestlers from the 80s and 90s could walk into store here and be recognized by only a few people and most wouldn't want to admit in public they knew them. Wrestlers don't get endorsement deals here, they aren't respected. Wrestling is a trashy joke to most of America. It's why most corporate sponsors have shied away from wrestling for years. Now, go to Japan and ask someone who Stan Hansen is. Go look at sponsorships from the 90s and check out the Bad Man from Borger in cologne ads and clothing ads. Stan Hansen did work on the big stage.
simply not true, wrestling was one of the biggest things in pop culture in America during the 80's and 90's... if you took anyone that had some sort of success in the WWF at that time than i have no doubts they would be recognized. Hell WWE is huge in pop culture today, granted not as big as it was then but it's growing rapidly again.
I used to get really pumped up as a kid when dude would start stomping around the ring. He couldn't be stopped. No punch would affect him when he's on.
You overrate the popularity of wrestling significantly. There was a brief spell in the 80s when wrestling hit the big time on the back of Hulk Hogan and then again in the late 90s on the back of Austin/nWo. But even at their peak, wrestling was never as popular to mainstream United States audiences as it was in Japan. Again, and this isn't disputable, American wrestling is considered a joke. Advertisers have shied away from it for decades now. When the CEO of the WWE ran for political office she was laughed at. Antonio Inoki and The Great Sasuke were both elected to government, with Sasuke wearing his wrestling mask in office! If you look at the top 50 attended wrestling events in history, they are dominated by Japanese shows. WWF has Wrestlemania and a few Summerslam shows on there, but there are only like 4 WWF events from pre Attitude era on there. Looks like something like 30-40 of the 50 events above 58 thousand in history are Japanese shows. During the 80s and 90s, Japanese wrestling would hit 20% total viewership numbers at various points, numbers that the WWE could only dream about it. Even female wrestling has drawn higher % numbers of audience share in Japan than the highest rated Raw segment in history.
No list, just some mentions..... Road Warriors were always my favorites. I also was a big fan of stables like the 4 Horsemen and NWO. More than anything though, grew up a big fan of NWA wrestling on TBS. Preferred it over WWF because it felt more raw (no pun intended). WWF felt a bit comical to me and a bit over the top. NWA on TBS!
Damn, this brings back some memories. No love for Yokozuna? In no particular order: Sting Brett Hart Ultimate Warrior Ric Flair (hated him back then, but looking back, he was a great actor) Mr. Perfect - got to love the hip shake Hacksaw Jim Duggan Big Boss Man The Bushwackers Hulk Hogan Macho Man Randy Savage Honorable mention - Undertaker
WWE TODAY is the most successful wrestling organization in the world bar none. That was not true when Stan Hansen was wrestling. (At least not for the bulk of his career) In the 80s and 90s, Japanese companies sent their workers to the states to get experience without losing in front of Japanese audiences.
1. Jimmy Superfly Snuka 2. Hulk Hogan 3. Ultimate Warrior 4. Macho Man Randy Savage 5. Bret Hitman Hart 6. Razor Ramon 7. Undertaker 8. The Rock 9. Shawn Michaels 10. Mr Perfect/Owen Hart/ Yokozuna Ladies 1. Sable 2. Trish Stratus 3. Stacy Keibler 4. Torrie Wilson 5. Terri Runnels 6. Debra 7. Stephanie McMahon 8. Lita 9. Dawn Marie 10. Jacqueline