#<- tag for audio vis stuff | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

placetobenation · 7 years ago

Link

“The revolutionary force for over 50 years in sports entertainment” was a clever tag line used in the mid 90s before every WWF show. For most United States wrestling fans that are still alive, it is a way of life. Greater by the day is the lack of variance in the answer of what wrestling an individual grew up on. For better or worse, WWE has been the standard bearer. Throughout that rich history, performers ranging from Nature Boys to Undertakers have graced the squared circle. Foreign legends have had extended runs and some of the most iconic figures in pro wrestling history have been aces of the promotion reaching unequivocal mainstream pop culture heights in the world of wrestling.

With such a large history to play with, discovering the beauty of Bob Backlund’s charisma or the connection of Bruno Sammartino to the MSG crowd was a new development throughout this project similar to rewatching The Godfather and On the Waterfront to rediscover the genius of Marlon Brando. WWE may not have always been YOUR promotion but for the better part of 50 years, it was THE promotion in the United States and transformed the pro wrestling landscape. This project serves to praise the individuals that best helped shape the vision of Vince McMahon Sr. and Jr. Place to be Nation is proud to present to you a ranking of the Greatest WWE Wrestlers Ever.

– Chad Campbell

Note: Results of this list are based on 118 ballots received between May and December 2017. Voters were asked to submit their list of the 100 Greatest WWE Wrestlers of all time and consider only their WWWF/WWF/WWE career. Ties were broken based on 1) number of ballots a wrestler appeared on and 2) high vote.

Every wrestler who received at least one vote will be recognized in the coming weeks. Please stay tuned to Place to Be Nation as we reveal all of the honorable mentions right through the cream of the crop. Read the other installments, both written and audio, of this project here.

124. D-Von Dudley Total Points: 877 Total Ballots: 32 Average Rank: 75.6 High Vote: 34 Low Vote: 99 High Voter: Jason Fastcade

Key Matches & Moments: Broke through with a tables match with the Hardy Boyz at Royal Rumble 2000; Won the WWF Tag team Championships for the first time at No Way Out 2000 defeating the New Age Outlaws; Testified; Was part of the three amazing ladder/TLC matches with Edge & Christian and The Hardy Boyz (WM 2000, SummerSlam 2000, WM X7); Testified; Joined the ALLIANCE and were important figures in the inaugural brawl at Invasion 2001; Was shoved aroiund the ring by his larger/louder brother; Found religion and introduced Batista to the WWF; Murdered Paul Bearer; Was part of a wild brawl to main event One Night Stand 2005

Staff Thoughts: The Dudley Boys were one of the most over acts the company had during the Attitude Era and their matches with Edge and Christian and the Hardy Boyz rank among some of the best in WWE history. What they may have lacked in technical skills they more than made up for with their huge trademark spots. The “Waaaaasssssup” drop and “D-Von getting tables” are about as over spots as you can have in professional wrestling. And yet both he and Bubba were able, and brave enough, to leave those behind to become despicable heels. Were the Dudley Boyz stale near the end? Absolutely. Was Reverend D-Von a raging success? Absolutely not. But these guys still get a monster reaction whenever they show up, DESPITE being involved in match where Paul Bearer was murdered by cement.

From the Voters: “Outside chance. One half of one of the most impactful tag teams of all time, and had enough singles matches to warrant at least low end consideration.” – Ben Morse, May 30, 2017

“Has a slither of a chance, though would be below Bubba (even though I personally prefer him to Bubba). Did lots of memorable stuff, and felt like a main event-level act at a time when the company was not short on those. Staled quickly though.” – Adam Russell, July, 2017

123. Sherri Martel Total Points: 931 Total Ballots: 29 Average Rank: 68.9 High Vote: 22 Low Vote: 93 High Voter: Bret Hart

Key Matches & Moments: Won the WWF Women’s title from the Fabulous Moolah in her debut match (July 24th 1987); Was part of the excellent women’s Survivor Series Match at the ppv of the same name in 1987; Held the women’s title for 15 months before shamefully dropping it to Rockn’ Robin; Joined forces with Randy Savage to form a duo more powerful Hulkamania; Cut a fantastic promo with Savage and Zeus around a cauldron; Cut another in fron of a steel cage in prep for the No Holds Barred PPV where she continually screamed “YOU DON’T KNOW WHERE I AM!!!”; Teamed with Savage to fight the Polka Dot Menace and Dusty Rhodes at WrestleMania VI; Through a bizarre error of succession was crowned Queen of the world; Turned on Randy Savage at WrestleMania VII which led to perhaps the most emotional moments in company history; Fell in love with Shawn Michaels; Recorded Sexy Boy and to prove there’s no justice in the world was not immediately given a recording contract; Fainted multiple times as Rick Martel and Shawn Michaels had the temerity to punch each other in the face; Was smashed in the head with a heart shaped mirror pretty good; Had a hot catfight with Luna Vachon and Rob Bartlett on an early Raw

Staff Thoughts: There are few things that scream wrestling (or scream anything for that matter) quite like the Sensational Sherri. Everything about her was legit. Tough as nails in the ring, a solid screeching promo and if you need to get a guy over to the next level you stuck em with the Sensational one. Her work as an in-ring competitor is solid enough on its own but her work as a second makes her a next level competitor. Look at who she managed: Savage. Dibiase, Michaels; all successful acts already ACTUALLY ENHANCED by having Martel with them. One of the things that impressed the most was how seamlessly she flowed between characters: you can’t get much more different than a screaming witch and a love sick girl and Sherri played both to a tee. Yes it was weird that she was in love with both Shawn Michaels and brother Rick but it was the nineties! A different time. Nirvana was running rampant and The Humpty Dance was taking the west by storm. Who are we to judge who she should or shouldn’t grab by the biscuit? It’s shocking looking back and seeing REAL AMERICAN Hulk Hogan beating her up, but when you think about it, you KNOW he was gentle with her, lest he face her wrath backstage.

From the Voters: “I have her as a lock for the top half. Not super top half but she was so awesome in her role. Like the Brain before her, often better than the wrestlers in a match.” – Gool Ol’ Will From Texas, June 2, 2017

“Sherri is awesome. I wonder if she had any good matches as Women’s Champ? All-time great manager. Tremendous bumper. Lots of fun segments & great moments. I feel like she has to make my list based on everything outside of workrate. She’ll probably make it. Not that high, but she’s in consideration.” – Devon Motivator Hales, June 2, 2017

122. Harley Race Total Points: 945 Total Ballots: 39 Average Rank: 76.7 High Vote: 21 Low Vote: 100 High Voter: Nate Milton

Key Matches & Moments: Was crowned King of Wrestling upon his reappearance to the promotion in 1986; With Adrian Adonis and Randy Savage had an excellent house show six man tag against Roddy Piper, Junkyard Dog and Ricky Steamboat in early 1987; Beat no good liar Junkyard Dog to kneel after beating him soundly at WrestleMania III, the fact that he didn’t bow is a travesty of justice still unanswered to the day; Fought for the entirety of the 1987 Slammy Awards with Hacksaw Jim Duggan; Had the living shit beat out of him on a March 1988 edition of Saturday Night’s Main Event by a ravenous Hulk Hogan; Finally put the question of lineage to bed in a solid match with Haku at the 1989 Royal Rumble

Staff Thoughts: Yes he had the couple of matches with Bob Backlund in the 70s but COME ON we all know Harley Race either as the perennial NWA champion or the god damn King of the WWF. Harley’s perm was never put out of place by that crown. NOT ONCE. His LJN wrestling figure was the pits, not only are his hands tucked into his tights but that coat was waaaaaaay to cumbersome and broke waaaaay to many toy rings. His run was short in the WWF mostly due to the fact that he was winding down his career, but despite that still produced a handful of fun matches and memorable angles. And his bumping… a fucking spot monkey bump machine! Was Hulk Hogan putting him through the table the first table spot on WWF TV? We’re not setting out to offend anyone but if you’re one of these people who cheer JYD for not bowing, you have no place in civilized society. We wouldn’t have King Bookah without Harley Race you monsters.

From the Voters: “Real good chance Harley makes my list. As I mentioned in a reply above, I really enjoyed the matches he had with Hogan. I also really love the way he sells. He makes every move look like it hurts like hell. A major knock on him is that he was around for a short period of time and that his best work was elsewhere.” – Matt Souza, May 29, 2017

“My biggest regret is voting for Harley Race in the GWE. He is so infuriating to watch, zero psychology. However, that Hogan Texas Death Match is not only the greatest Hogan match of all time, it is the best Harley match of all time (yes I have seen the Baba and Jumbo matches fromo 1979). Based on the strength of that one match, he makes it.” – Martin Boulevard, November 14, 2017

121. Alberto Del Rio Total Points: 975 Total Ballots: 42 Average Rank: 71.5 High Vote: 14 Low Vote: 98 High Voter: Trust Issues

Key Matches & Moments: Upon debut in 2010 had a solid feud with Rey Mysterio; Won the 2011 Royal Rumble in an uninspiring outing; Came up short in said Royal Rumble victory title shot against Edge in a solid outing at WrestleMania XXVII; Won the 2011 RAW Money In The Bank after tearing Rey Mysterio’s face off; Cashed in the MITB against CM Punk thus ruining SummerSlam 2011; Had an excellent encounter losing the title back to Punk in MSG at Survivor Series 2011; Feuded with Sheamus to mixed results throughout 2012; Won the World Heavyweight Title as a babyface from the Big Show to close out 2012; At Payback 2013 had a TREMENDOUS match with Dolph Ziggler, kicking him so many times in the head he turned himself heel; Walked to the ring at SummerSlam 2013 with two black eyes thus confirming the fact that he needed to fight his way to the building that evening; Underrated gem with Christian at SummerSlam 2013; Was an important part of the first every Andre the Giant Battle Royale at WrestleMania XXX; Returned after a hiatus in late 2015 and kicked John Cena into oblivion; Had a solid feud with Kalisto to round out his WWE Career in 2016

Staff Thoughts: When you get right down to it, Alberto Del Rio has a TON of good to very good matches throughout his fivish years career. He gets knocked a bit for winning the 40 man Rumble but can you really blame the guy when they bring him in at 38? Is it his fault that they chose to keep the title on Edge at WrestleMania XXVII? His character work was bang on from the start and his use of Ricardo Rodriguez as a personal ring announcer was sublime. His double turn with Dolph Ziggler is one of, if not THE purest double turns the company has ever done. It was accomplished entirely within the body of the match and based solely on Del Rio’s ring work and waaaaaay above average striking game. We tend to forget how great he could be when given the opportunity. His match with Christian is amazing, but it’s on a card with Danial Bryan vs. John Cena and CM Punk vs. Brock Lesnar; Had Cesaro not bodyslammed Big Show out of the Battle Royale we may be talking about how Alberto helped hold that entire thing together. He was an above average worker capable of great heights but hampered with shoddy booking. Almost as though they didn’t always know what to do with this Mexican bad ass and his actual pushes tended to come a weird times. His face music still brings a smile to our faces, it’s a party! A party where guys get kicked in the head! He should have kicked whoever paired him with Zeb Coulter in the brain.

From the Voters: “He actually has a lot of good matches, and I loved the initial push and character. Was never the same after losing his title match in the Mania opener at Mania 27. In general I think he’s really short on big moments, and he was a bust as a top guy you could believe in. He is also hurt by the fact that a lot of his better matches were obscured by even better matches on the same shows. I can’t dismiss him, but he’s almost impossible to get excited about despite a solid resume of kayfabe accomplishments and lots of very good matches. He just felt like a huge after thought so often.” – Dylan Hales, July 7, 2017

“Thst stomp finisher was the worst. All the while his “kick to the fucking head” finisher was right there.” – Aaron George, May 31, 2017

120. Ken Shamrock Total Points: 978 Total Ballots: 42 Average Rank: 77.7 High Vote: 32 Low Vote: 100 High Voter: El Groino

Key Matches & Moments: Refereed the Bret Hart vs. Stone Cold Steve Austin match from WrestleMania 13; In the main event 10-man classic match at Canadian Stampede; Challenged both Bret Hart on Raw and Shawn Michaels at D-Generation-X for the WWF Title in his first year; Feuded with the Rock over the IC title losing to him at the Royal Rumble and having a victory reversed at WrestleMania XIV; Won the 1998 King of the Ring tournament; Feuded with Owen Hart in real fun Dungeon and Lion’s Den matches; Won the vacant IC title defeating X-Pac in the tournament finals; Joined The Corporation and won the Tag Team titles with Big Boss Man, making him a double champion; Was part of the convoluted four-way match and feud revolving around “sister” Ryan Shamrock for the IC Title at WrestleMania XV; Rescued Stephanie McMahon from the Ministry of Darkness earning Vince’s gratitude until it was revealed it was HIM ALL ALONG; Split from the Corporate Ministry and joined the Union, feuding with the Undertaker; Had a Lion’s Den Match with Steve Blackman at SummerSlam 1999

Staff Thoughts: His first two PPV matches were all-time classics (OK, so he was a referee and one part of a 10-man tag, but still.) He was part of the Corporation AND the Union (or UPYOURS at Foley tried so hard to make a thing in his promo). Ken Shamrock always felt like a really necessary if not vital part of a roster, the guy who never looks out of place and can have feuds with anyone in the upper mid-card range. He was a good robotic heavy goon for the Corporation. He was overshadowed by the Rock’s personality in their feud, but most get overshadowed by The Most Electrifying Man in Sports Entertainment (eventually). The matches with Owen Hart were pretty good, for the World’s Most Dangerous Man, too. Not a good promo and that likely limited how far he could go with WWF at the time. Check out this FYC podcast as the guys discuss Shamrock.

From the Voters: “I think he has a decent enough body of acceptable matches even if there isn’t one standout. My issue is he was such a bad promo.” – Jordan Duncan, May 30, 2017

“Ken could be on the outside looking in. The lack of promo skills hurt any push he might of gotten. He had the look of a potential WWF champion, but I think he was in the wrong era for him to succeed. With big characters and better promo guys his growth was stunted.” – Matt Rotella, May 30, 2017

119. King Kong Bundy Total Points: 999 Total Ballots: 47 Average Rank: 79.7 High Vote: 38 Low Vote: 99 High Voter: Jesse

Key Matches & Moments: Debuted as a dominant monster heel insisting on a five-count for a pin; Defeated S.D. Jones in “nine seconds” at the first WrestleMania; Originally managed by Jimmy Hart but soon joined the Heenan Family and began teaming with Big John Studd feuding with Andre the Giant and a variety of partners; Attacked Hulk Hogan during his match with Don Muraco on Saturday Night’s Main Event, splashing and avalanching Hulk; Main evented WrestleMania 2 losing in a cage match to Hogan; Reformed his tag team with Studd and feuded with The Machines and receiving title shots against the British Bulldogs; Squashed midgets in the six-man match at WrestleMania III; Wrestled Hogan on back to back SNME winning one by countout; Returned in 1994 as part of the Million Dollar Corporation; Faced the Undertaker in a dreadful match at WrestleMania XI

Staff Thoughts: King Kong Bundy was a major player in the first three WrestleManias, with his “record” win, main event against Hulk Hogan and memorably flattening midgets (OK that may not have been major, but certainly was memorable). The match with Hogan was better than given credit for. He also had a monster heel tag team with Big John Studd, a unit featured in some big matches. However, that return and god-awful match against Undertaker at WrestleMania has to be held against him in some form or fashion. The guys talk more about Bundy on this FYC podcast.

From the Voters: “He is one who had the total package for a big man. He was a big man who sold well against others. Plus, he squashed midgets at Wrestlemania, what more could one ask for??” – Jeffrey Thomas, May 30, 2017

“Bundy is remembered for being involved in one of the greatest Wrestlemania moments of all time according to Scott Criscuolo when he crushed Little Beaver. Plus he had a good run with Hogan leading to his Steel Cage match with Hulk Hogan at Wrestlemania II. But, to me he is not one of the better big guys in WWF History and think he will miss out on the top 1100.” – Matt Rotella, May 30, 2017

118. Big E Langston Total Points: 1,000 Total Ballots: 52 Average Rank: 81.8 High Vote: 45 Low Vote: 100 High Voter: Taylor Keahey

Key Matches & Moments: Defeated Seth Rollins in a No-DQ match to win the NXT Championship; Aligned himself with AJ Lee and Dolph Ziggler, teaming with Ziggler to challenge Team Hell No for the Tag Team Titles at WrestleMania XXIX; Teamed with Lee losing to Kaitlyn and Ziggler at SummerSlam 2013; Won the IC Title defeating Curtis Axel and holding the belt for nearly six months; Competed in the Andre the Giant battle royal at WrestleMania XXX; Feuded with Rusev, including a very good match at Payback 2014; Formed the New Day with Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods, challenging for the Tag Team Championships at WrestleMania 31; Turned heel and won the Tag Team Championship from Tyson Kidd and Cesaro at Extreme Rules 2015; Competed in the first ever Tag Team Elimination Chamber match; Lost their titles to the Prime Time Players at Money in the Bank, but regained them at SummerSlam 2015 in a fatal four-way; Unsuccessfully answered John Cena’s U.S. Open Championship in October 2015; Came out of a box of Booty O’s to face the League of Nations at WrestleMania 32; New Day captained the Raw team for the 10-man tag at Survivor Series 2016; Held the championship for 483 days breaking the record set by Demolition before losing the titles to Sheamus and Cesaro; New Day hosted WrestleMania 33; Moved to SmackDown as part of the Superstar Shakeup and won the SmackDown Tag Team titles from the Usos at Battleground 2017; Feuded with the Usos and had very good matches at the SummerSlam pre-show and Hell in a Cell; Langston is a two-time Raw Tag Team Champion, a two-time SmackDown Tag Team champion, a former NXT Champion and former IC Champion

Staff Thoughts: Big E had a solid IC title reign and a good feud with Rusev, including the match mentioned at Payback. And that’s all before his run with New…Day…Rocks! New…Day…Rocks! And they certainly wouldn’t rock as much without Big E carrying a lot of the load in the matches. While the team was often more character-driven, their feud this year with the Usos produced excellent matches at SummerSlam and Hell in a Cell. And breaking Demolition’s record is a huge gold star for the team and Big E.

From the Voters: “That ppv match with Rusev was pretty fun. If you factor in his NXT run, keep in mind he was a former IC champ, and then recall that he’s part of the longest tag-title reign in a 50 year history, co-hosted a WM, and moves more merch as part of the New Day than almost anyone else on the roster, he’s a very strong candidate.” – James Proffitt, May 29, 2017

“It’s weird that for a guy who has been around since what, 2012? We’re still kind of waiting for his career to start. He’s a “not yet” guy, even though he’s been around for 5 years already. Strange case. Great in his role in New Day though.” – Stacey O’Loughlin, May 31, 2017

117. Jacques Rougeau Total Points: 1,039 Total Ballots: 39 Average Rank: 74.4 High Vote: 34 Low Vote: 100 High Voter: John D’Amato

Key Matches & Moments: Teamed with Brother Raymond to form the Fabulous Rougeau Brothers; Fought in the first ever match at a SummerSlam going to a draw with the British Bulldogs in what may have been the match of the night; Beat up the Dynamite Kid backstage in something most insiders like to call JUSTICE; Petitioned to become American citizens and with the help of Jimmy Hart became an All American Boy; Won a Grammy for a song of the same title (well deserved); Made a smooth transition from blue trunks to sweet blue and yellow bike shorts; Joined the RCMP to the chagrin of the actual RCMP; Shouted his name many, many times; Was positively amazing in the jailhouse match against the Big Boss Man at SummerSlam 91, his post match theatrics are the stuff of legend; They wanted the finger so he gave them a finger; Made love to a lovely man decked out in leather that same night; DEFEATED BRET HART FOR THE INTERCONTINENTAL TITLE!!! In early 1992, lost said title to Roddy Piper in a great moment during the 1992 Royal Rumble; Returned in 1993 and won the tag team titles from the Steiner Brothers with partner Pierre; The Quebecers had a stellar match with Bret and Owen Hart at the 1994 Royal Rumble; The Quebecers produced hands down the greatest theme song ever sung by wrestlers about themselves.

Staff Thoughts: Look at who this man beat for titles! It makes no god damn sense. Jacques Rougeau was possibly the best smiling heel of all time; he would start every match with the biggest shit eating grin and outstretched hand; it was beautiful. A consistently solid in-ring guy it was no surprise that he was kept around seemingly forever even after the retirement of his brother Raymond. A slightly underrated promo guy who was capable of genuine comedy when the situation called for it. The Mountie should have failed. It was dumb. But Jacques screamed his damn name until we knew that he was in fact THE MOUNTIE! The Quebecers should have been laughed at out of the promotion, but they got their man! The image of them screaming at each other in french as they attempt to suplex Mable at WrestleMania X would bring a smile to the most jaded of wrestling fan. Rougeau was a throwback. A great tag worker who used his unique personality and strange acting skills to bump his way into our hearts.

From the Voters: “I want to dismiss him, but I do think his versatility and sneaky longevity make him someone to think about. He was in two very memorable tag teams that were very different stylistically. While he was much better as a heel, he and Ray were by no means a bad babyface team. The Rockers feud was good and had a great heater angle. Quebecers were a very good team for the era, though Jacques wasn’t the reason to watch the team. The Mountie gimmick was over as a heel. And I remember the stun gun angle being hot at the time. He was great at getting heat in every iteration. I’ve never been a fan, but he’s an interesting case” – Dylan Hales, June 30, 2017

“Makes it for me although likely as a near the bottom of the list guy. Former IC and Tag Champion and really made the Mountie gimmick work and got more longevity out of it then I think most would’ve as it was basically just created for the sole intention of providing a foil for Bossman. Also very entertaining and funny both in the ring on the mic. Not that it really matters but he also might have the best collection of entrance themes ever. Rougeau Brother, Mountie(2nd one anyway), and Quebecer themes were all awesome.” – Wade Ferrari, May 31, 2017

116. Jeff Jarrett Total Points: 1,047 Total Ballots: 43 Average Rank: 76.7 High Vote: 38 Low Vote: 96 High Voter: Trust Issues

Key Matches & Moments: Wore many suspenders; While in those suspenders (and a thick headband) helped murder the Undertaker at Royal Rumble 1994; Defeated Razor Ramon to win the Intercontinental title at Royal Rumble 1995; ”Sang” with my Baby Tonight; Had far and away his best match in the promotion against Shawn Michaels at In Your House #2; Fought Ahmed Johnson in a joyless affair at the 1996 Royal Rumble; Returned to the promotion in late 1997 and cut many bizzare shoot promos; Time traveled to early Central America to get his new tights; After all the bitching and moaning about his old character, he then rode a horse to the ring while Tennessee Lee spelt his name; Lost a fun hair versus hair match to X-Pac at the 1998 SummerSlam; Won the Tag Team Titles in early 1999 with partner Owen Hart and ran the divison for a few months; Defeated the Godfather to become the Intercontinental champion in May of 1999; Started beating women; Got his clock cleaned by Chyna in his final WWF appearance.

Staff Thoughts: There are few wrestlers as divisive as Jeff Jarrett. We will never forget how to spell his name but it’s certainly hard to get behind a character when you’re constantly told his motivation is to USE the WWF to get into country music. What kind of a moron uses wrestling to get into something else? The most successful guys who springboarded out of wrestling were Hulk Hogan who made No Holds Barred and Roddy Piper who made that god-awful music video. While a solid worker, there was always something a little phony in his work. Perhaps it was because that despite being closer to a cruiserweight he worked more of a big-man brawling style. Perhaps it was the 75 struts per match. Regardless, Double J was very memorable early on, and was strong enough to transition from comedy suspender guy to serious woman beater within a matter of months. His HUGE moments and matches may have been few and far between but you KNOW that when he nailed Moolah with that guitar, Wendi Richter pumped her fist and screamed “Take that you Spider Bitch!” So there’s that… Ha Haaaaaa!

From the Voters: “I am a Double J apologist, as Nick constantly reminds me. I thought he was a very good worker at a time when those were rare in the fed. He was never Bret or Shawn, but he was right in that next tier as a guy who could have a **1/2 or better match with most people on the roster. He was almost always over as a heel, threw great working punches, had an extremely successful character shift in 98 (after several failed ones, granted), and I happened to enjoy his woman-hating heel character, one that actually didn’t embarrass wrestling fans because most of us booed him.“ – Greg Phillips, June 1, 2017

115. Billy Gunn Total Points: 1,067 Total Ballots: 46 Average Rank: 77.8 High Vote: 43 Low Vote: 100 High Voter: Brad Faulk

Key Matches & Moments: Teamed with storyline brother Bart as the Smoking Gunns; Won the Tag Team titles against Bob Holly and the 1-2-3 Kid and holding them until WrestleMania XI when they lost them to Owen Hart and Yokozuna, before regaining them a second time; After forfeiting the titles the Gunns won them from the Godwinns when Sunny turned on the pig farmers in favor of the Gunns; Would lose the belts to Owen Hart and Davey Boy Smith causing Sunny to abandon the Gunns and Billy to break up the team; Defeated Flash Funk at WrestleMania 13 catching the eye of the Honky Tonk Man, who made him his protege Rockabilly; Gunn turned on Honky joining forces with the Road Dogg to form the New Age Outlaws; Feuded with the LOD winning the Tag Team Titles before moving on to Mankind and Chainsaw Charlie, who they locked in a dumpster and threw off a stage before facing in a dumpster match at WrestleMania XIV; Joined DX on the night after WrestleMania XIV; Won the Hardcore championship despite being involved in a multi-man feud for the IC Title, putting him in the Hardcore Title match at WrestleMania XV, because Swervz; Left DX to become “Mr. Ass” and won the 1999 King of the Ring tournament; Feuded with the Rock resulting in him losing a “Kiss My Ass” match at SummerSlam 1999; Reunited the NAO winning their fourth tag team titles and reforming DX; Lost the rights to use “Mr. Ass” in a match with Chyna against Right to Censor, so settled on “The One” Billy Gunn; Won the IC title from Eddie Guerrero and lost it to Chris Benoit; Formed the Billy & Chuck tag team with Chuck Palumbo, winning the Tag Team Titles from Spike Dudley and Tazz and introducing their personal stylist Rico; Chuck proposed to Billy and a wedding was set for SmackDown, only to have Billy and Chuck call off the whole thing calling it a publicity stunt and getting beaten up by Three Minute Warning; Returned to the WWE in 2012 with Road Dogg and won the Tag Team titles against Goldust and Cody Rhodes at the 2014 Royal Rumble pre-show; Teamed with Kane and Dogg to face The Shield at WrestleMania XXX; Reformed DX to aid Triple H in his match vs. Sting at WrestleMania 31; Gunn is a 10-time World Tag Team champion, a one-time WWE Tag Team Champion; a two-time Hardcore Champion and a one-time IC Champion

Staff Thoughts: He’s an Ass Man, and man is he an ass of a performer. OK, he had three solid tag team runs with three very different teams. Some like the Smoking Gunns, who had decent matches, but were mostly the best of a bad lot in the tag division at the time. The New Age Outlaws were one of the most over acts in one of the hottest time periods for the company. They were fresh and over both before joining DX and as part of the stable, Gunn’s primary contribution to the team was telling people who weren’t down with sucking it to suck it. He then went on to win the 1999 King of the Ring tournament, making “Billy Gunning” into a verb. It was not a compliment. He went on to feud with The Rock in possibly his best match ever, which ended with his face in a rather large woman’s ass. The Billy & Chuck wedding angle was a big deal earning praise from LGBT groups, who clearly never watched wrestling and didn’t realize it would end how all wrestling weddings end: badly. Overall, Gunn has been involved in tons of significant groups teams and storylines. He’s been a big part of WWE during his particularly long tenure and they JUST…KEEP…BRINGING…HIM…BACK. But I digress, while he may not have always been a particularly good part of the story, he was definitely a big part of the story of WWE, nonetheless.

From the Voters: “His strength is longevity. Failed as a singles performer at every turn. Good tag worker. Silly Attitude Era gimmick in 99. That’s gotta be the worst Rock feud ever. The Chyna alliance stunk too. Too much bad, not enough good. Not gonna make it.” – Devon Motivator Hales, June 2, 2017

“Always been a Billy Gunn fan for some reason. One half of my favorite Teams of all time in the New Age Outlaws. Didn’t mind the attempt to make him a singles guy in 1999 even if it didn’t work out. Also can’t forget his run with the Smoking Gunns and later on with Chuck Palumbo. I think i might include him.” – Jay HInchey, May 28, 2017

114. John Morrison Total Points: 1,084 Total Ballots: 37 Average Rank: 71.70 High Vote: 42 Low Vote: 98 High Voter: Chad Campbell; Vince Male

Key Matches & Moments: WAS TOUGH ENOUGH!; Formed MNM with Joey Mercury and Melina and immediately became stalwarts of the Smackdown tag division; Were consistently a highlight throughout most of 2005 and 2006; Won the WWE Tag Team Titles in their Smackdown debut against Eddie Guerrero and Rey Mysterio; Had the only bearable match at December to Dismember when MNM took on The Hardy Boyz, by bearable we mean excellent; Was very strong in the multiple team ladder match the next month at Aemageddon 06; Had another excellent outing with The Hardy Boyz at Royal Rumble 2007; Subbed for a murderer at Night Of Champions 2007 to win the ECW title against CM Punk; Their subsequent feud gave us a bevy of very good matches; Teamed up with The Miz and took the world by storm with their matches and Dirt Sheet segments; Had very strong feuds with Rey Mysterio, Jeff Hardy and Sheamus; His ladder match with Sheamus at TLC 2010 is excellent as was his falls count anywhere match with Miz from Raw around the same time; Teamed with Snooki and Trish Stratus to defeat Dolph Ziggler and LayCool at WrestleMania 27; Was a major part of the Extreme Rules 2011 triple threat cage match with John Cena and Miz

Staff Thoughts: When we think of greatest wrestlers to have never won the WWF/E world title our minds usually go to Mr. Perfect, Owen Hart and Rick Rude but they should also pause a moment on John Morrison as well. The guy had it all: looked like an absolute STAR, still does actually, had fun and exciting matches and was OVER. His tag team pedigree is very strong. MNM is potentially a top ten team in company history and Miz & Morrison, while not as technically proficient, were nearly a main event act by the time they split. His singles run is littered with very good matches throughout as he was one of the more consistent in ring guys whether it be on PPV or TV. His moves looked crisp and if you could get past the fact that Michael Cole screamed parkour every six seconds, he really did move like no one else. Yes Starship Pain looked like a feather hitting someone but we’re in a post People’s Elbow world where the style of the finish is waaaaay more important than the impact. His weak point was clearly his promos but he also strikes us as a guy that probably shouldn’t have needed to be cutting promos to begin with. He was interesting enough on his own. In the end he brought something new and unique to every match he was in. No one else ever climbed the Elimination Chamber like Spider Man and splashed Sheamus from the top; SPEAKING of Spider Man, his near elimination where he jumped to the barrier and clung on like the webbed wonder is STILL one of the best near eliminations the Royal Rumble has seen. Kofi Kingston be damned, Morrison invented that act, along with TONS of other stuff and his contributions, while often forgotten are still felt today. You can bet if he walked back into the company today he would slide into the main event as Batista slid into bed beside his girlfriend. What a stupid reason not to push a guy. Especially a guy who had abs for daaaaaaaaaays!

From the Voters: “This guy can suck a fuck. I’d rather have Kofi as my perennial midcarder with shitty “exciting offence”. At least Kofi had more charisma than a plank of wood. To be fair, I did enjoy MNM, and I did like the idea behind the John Morrison character initially. And he has a handful of very good singles matches (vs Miz, vs Sheamus). But his offence sucks, his selling sucks, and his promos suck.” – Adam Russell, July 17, 2017

“Morrison vs Rey is one of my favourite ever matches. He’s got a load of good stuff from his singles run (vs Bourne, vs Miz, vs Punk, vs Edge, vs Jeff, etc.) and a great tag run on top of that. Comfortable inclusion. One of the worst promos ever though, sadly.” – Stacey O’Loughlin, May 30, 2017

113. Shane McMahon Total Points: 1,104 Total Ballots: 37 Average Rank: 71.1 High Vote: 39 Low Vote: 99 High Voter: Cody

Key Matches & Moments: ONE, TWO… MIDDLE FINGERS is still one of the better swerves the company has done; Won the European title from X-Pac on an early 1999 Raw; Surprised EVERYONE by having a fun, competitive match with X-Pac at WrestleMania XV; With Test had the best match at SummerSlam 1999 defending his sister’s honor; Got murdered by Steve Blackman at SummerSlam 2000, falling nearly 100 feet, if you believe the commentators; Fought his father in a classic brawl at WrestleMania 17; Rumbled with Kurt Angle in a cringe-inducing yet amazing contest at King Of The Ring 2001; Defended the honor of his mother against Eric Bischoff and then had a crazed SciFi soap opera feud with Kane; Fought Shawn Michaels at the return of Saturday Night’s Main Event in early 2006; Kissed his father’s ass as Vince rolled his arms in a “Oh yeah keep it coming motion” at WrestleMania 22; Was hilarious in those sketches with Vince McMahon in the church; Is undefeated against God; Tried to defend his family against Randy Orton in 2009 but punched him poorly; Returned in early 2016 to a MONSTER reaction; Has nearly died in each of his matches since

Staff Thoughts: Like the Charles Dickens classic, it really is a tale of two McMahons here. Is it the best of times? The feuds with X-Pac, Test, Vince and Kurt Angle? Or is it the worst of times? The feuds with Eric Bischoff, Kane, Randy Orton, The Undertaker or Kevin Owens. Are we watching someone with a need to leap and put everything on the line to hang with the wrestlers? Or are we watching Shane hang move for move with guys like Kurt Angle and AJ Styles? Few men have such a disparity between their best and worst work. Shane is a sloppy worker. His punches are awful and it times he looks like the fakest faker that ever faked. Then at other times he’s flying through the air with pure grace; doing a flying elbow to the corner or jumping up and nailing a guy with a STEEL chair. He’s just so hard to pin down. His older heel promos were fine. His weird speech pattern upon his 2016 return is strange. What hurts him the most is that he’s often put on par with the guys he faces, as opposed to say his father who gets the living shit beat out of him no matter WHO he faces. It was ridiculous that he could hang with Randy Orton during arguably Orton’s peak. Add to the fact that he’s involved in one of the more panned WrestleMania matches of recent years, the Hell In A Cell with Undertaker; and involved in some of the worst moments of all time, getting his nuts electrocuted by Kane, it’s not difficult to see why many would leave him off the list. His whole career seems to be a contradiction though so by the same token it’s easy to see why someone would include him. High end matches, memorable character, moved the needle upon his return. It makes sense. If nothing else he taught us about the importance of having a good fake glass guy.

From the Voters: “He might have been considered surprisingly strong for a McMahon most of whose wrestling was done during Attitude, but at this point he’s had back-to-back high-profile WrestleMania matches that were downright embarrassing to watch. In between he did some decent pandering GM schtick on weekly TV and nearly died at the Survivor Series. This, erm, does not help his case.” – Glenn Butler, June 2, 2017

“As a worker he’s better as a chickenshit heel hiding behind the Mean Street Posse. Shane McMahon: badass is a character that needs to die in a fire. “ – Adam Russell, July 19, 2017

112. Chyna Total Points: 1,104 Total Ballots: 38 Average Rank: 71.95 High Vote: 38 Low Vote: 100 High Voter: Jay Hinchey; Boss Rock

Key Matches & Moments: Debuted at In Your House: Final Four and choked Terri Runnels half to death; The next month at WrestleMania 13 shook the shit out of her; Gave Mick Foley the most painful thing that had ever happened to him by slamming the cage door into his head at SummerSlam 1997; Founded D-Generation X with Shawn Michaels, Triple H and Rick Rude; Low blowed many a man; Arranged for Mark Henry to have a sexual encounter with a transvestite; Was the first woman to compete the the Royal Rumble; Was briefly the number one contender for the WWF title in the summer of 1999; Defeated Jeff Jarrett at No Mercy 1999 to become the first woman to hold the Intercontinental title; Her matches with Chris Jericho at Survivor Series 1999 and Armageddon 1999 are probably the best of her career; Engaged in a tale as old as time romance with Eddie Guerrero; Competed for the women’s title and finally won it at WrestleMania X7

Staff Thoughts: Look don’t treat her like a woman. Despite the biology she stood toe to toe with most men in the promotion and never really felt out of place. There were some rough patches, but by the end she was more than holding her own and really did transcend her gender in a way no one else ever did. Don’t treat her like a man. Because she’s not a man. This fact alone really does make her quite the trailblazer. She broke many barriers that sadly few could also traverse. It can seen like we dismiss her influence due to the fact that her archetype didn’t breed future Japans, Mongolias or Cambodias to come into the promotion. There never was another woman quite like her, but it seems silly to assume she didn’t influence a large number of female wrestlers. Just treat her like you know her. All we REALLY know about her is how unique she was. Was she the greatest in ring technician? Nope. But tons of people on this list aren’t. She was certainly a better worker and more interesting at the time than guys like Mabel and Viscera, who were given a TON of TV time. In 1998, she was more over than most of the roster and all she did was moon the crowd once. Just treat her for who she aaaaaaaaaaaammmm! I still don’t understand that lyric but Chyna’s tale seems really tragic in retrospect. Had she maintained a better rapport with the company we’d surely have seen a few returns, a Hall of Fame induction and a recognition of her place in the industry: one of the more important female competitors of all time. Instead we have a short burst of greatness, followed by years of being ignored and then finally only being mentioned again once she had died. A shame. Chyna was cool and seemed like a genuinely decent person. We should remember the good moments: the matches with Jericho, getting pinned by Eddie Guerrero as he comforted her, that damn bazooka she brought to the ring. Remember she’s who finally got Triple H over. Remember that moon.

To hear JT and Aaron discuss the case of Chyna check out this podcast

From the Voters: “If you’re including women on the list, I think you HAVE to find a place for Chyna. Name another woman not named Stephanie that had as much influence on WWF/E storylines for an extended period. Easily one of the most recognized stars from the company’s hottest period. Her work-rate was average at best…But considering this is a WWF/E list, you’re going to get a lot of people on it that were average in-ring and made up for it in other ways. Chyna’s one of the 5-10 most important women to ever work in this company, and she’d be a HOF’er if not for petty personal issues. I’d have her in that bottom-20 range… But she’s in.” – Nate Milton, July 12, 2017

“She may pass the non-wrestling fan test, but that’s hardly the only qualifier. She may get high marks in that aspect but not much else. Even when thinking of her high points, are any of them her moments alone? Usually involves a group of people.” – Jordan Duncan, May 28, 2017

111. Rusev Total Points: 1,105 Total Ballots: 43 Average Rank: 75.3 High Vote: 40 Low Vote: 100 High Voter: El Groino

Key Matches & Moments: Debuted on the main roster on the April 7, 2014 edition of Monday Night Raw, crushing Zack Ryder and starting a nearly year long undefeated streak; Had a solid feud with Big E Langston spanning Payback 2014 and Money in the Bank 2014; Had an excellent encounter with the Big Show at Hell in a Cell 2014; Had fun feuds and matches with Jack Swagger throughout his run; On November 3rd after Raw defeated Sheamus to become the WWE US Champion; At the 2015 Royal Rumble the crowd chanted WE WANT RUSEV, but in fairness that was because they had been shit on for the last hour; DEFEATED John Cena at Fastlane 2015; Drove a god damn TANK to the ring at WrestleMania 31; Gave Vince McMahon the best hug he’s ever had after splashing Roman Reigns through a table; WRENCHED Kalisto in half to win the US title back in 2016; Rusev Day… ALL of it

Staff Thoughts: Why in the HELL wasn’t RUSEV given the great Jinder Mahal push of 2017???? You want a great foreign heel? He’s right here! No one is mad at India! NO ONE. India is fine! Why not give a chance to a guy who has EXCELLED at everything they have put him in. Even the schlock. The League of Nations sucked… but Rusev kicked ass in it. His joy was palpable as he hung out with his lads and beat up the no good Americans he was facing. Sadly Rusev is a guy they just don’t know what to do with. He’s certainly on the list of guys whose career, as of yet anyways, hasn’t recovered from the “rub” of fighting John Cena. There are low moments like the Dolph Ziggler feud, but you can tell he was busting his ass to get over one of the dumber ideas in recent years. He’s a tremendous worker, whether in boots or barefoot, who is not afraid to take risks to create great little moments. Go back and watch his match with the Big Show and watch how he attempts to hear his heart before applying the accolade. Rusev is also an underrated promo. He can be the big scary heel but is just as comfortable being downright hilarious. There’s a vignette where he and Lana are talking about having cameras in their home; watch his face when he brags that the cameras pick up “everything”, it’s gold. Hopefully the company can come back around on the big guy. Not only from the perspective that he’s talented enough to be further up the card, but they give more time to guys they like. You give Rusev time and he’ll knock it out of the park. Every time. That’s why every day should be RUSEV DAY!

From the Voters: “Was on track to being one of the all-time greats before the Cena feud derailed him. Loved all his early matches, from Sheamus to Big E. Had a rebirth against Kalisto, but got sacrificed to Roman Reigns. They just don’t seem to know what to do with him if he’s anything less than unstoppable, which doesn’t give him a lot of depth. Dolph Ziegler feud was the nadir; not good at showing personality. High hopes his next push works.” – Ben Morse, June 2, 2017

“When I think about matches I WANT to see, Rusev is always a name that pops up. I want Rusev-Brock, Rusev-AJ, Rusev-Braun, etc.” – Jordan Duncan, June 2, 2017

110. Shelton Benjamin Total Points: 1,108 Total Ballots: 41 Average Rank: 74 High Vote: 24 Low Vote: 95 High Voter: Vince Male

Key Matches & Moments: With Charlie Haas formed Team Angle/World’s Greatest Tag Team and worked as excellent backup for Our Olympic hero; WGTT’s Judgment Day 2003 ladder war with Eddie Guerrero & Tajiri and their Vengeance 2003 matchup with Rey Mysterio and Billy Kidman were both spectacular; Jumped to RAW in 2004 and turned heads by scoring a pinfall win over Triple H and later beating Chris Jericho for the IC title; Owned the Money In the Bank ladder match at WrestleMania 21; Will forever be remembered for jumping into a superkick during the 2005 Gold Rush tournament; Had fun matches as part of the reformed WGTT in 2006, including a ladder bout with the Hardy Boyz; Became the Gold Standard and had a US Title run on Smackdown

Staff Thoughts: You’re at your cool friend’s house and he’s awesome. He has the best toys, he’s super creative and fun; you don’t think you’ve ever met anyone so great…t hen his mom shows up and busts a move and you NEVER look at him the same way again. Shelton Benjamin was awesome. A wonderful stalwart of the mid-card for many years and yet he can’t shake the stigma of his damn Mama. Even when he dyed his hair gold all you kept thinking was “his mama is going to whip his ass for that.” For a guy who was consistently rated among the most underrated in wrestling he really seemed to have a lot of success. Multiple Tag Team Titles, multiple mid-card championship reigns. One might even suggest that he overachieved. Not to take anything away from his in-ring ability but as a character he left a lot to be desired. Sure, not everyone has to be flashy, but if you can tell us who his character was without describing his physical appearnce or moveset we’ll fly to your home and hand deliver a bouquet of You’re Better Than Mes. And don’t say “A guy who ain’t stopping!” Shelton was a pleasure to watch, excelled in ladder matches and in the end had a really solid career. A welcome addition on ANY roster, so long as his mama lets him come play.

From the Voters: “He was a guy you kept waiting to blossom into something big but it never happened. His best showing was probably in the inaugural Money in the Bank Ladder Match. Don’t see him making my list.” – Brian Bayless, June 2, 2017

“Great worker who was saddled w/some terrible gimmicks. If he were a little bit bigger (and dare a say a few shades lighter), he could have had a comparable career to guys like Hennig or even benoit. But since he didn’t, he doesn’t make my list. I guess there was some stopping him (now).” – Nate Milton, July 13, 2017

109. (The Man They Call) Vader Total Points: 1,111 Total Ballots: 47 Average Rank: 77.4 High Vote: 30 Low Vote: 99 High Voter: Ian Goldsworthy

Key Matches & Moments: Debuted at the 1996 Royal Rumble and punched people into oblivion; The next night on Raw sent Gorilla Monsoon to the vet; CRUSHED Jake Roberts (among others) in the opening contest of WrestleMania XII; CRUMPLED Jake again at the 1996 King of the Ring; Scored a pinfall victory over then-champion Shawn Michaels during a six man tag at In Your House: International Incident; He and Michaels would have a great, yet gimmick ridden match at SummerSlam 1996; Had a PPV named after him and wasn’t included on the card; Fun sprint with Undertaker at Royal Rumble 1997; Was AWESOME in the IYH: Final Four main event, bleeding a gusher and carrying large portions of the contest; Was Ken Shamrock’s first ppv opponent at IYH: A Cold Day In Hell; Had a tremendous encounter with The Undertaker at IYH: Canadian Stampede; Vader bombed Goldust with Luna Vachon on his back at Royal Rumble 1998; Had no patience for Goldust in general; Was defeated by Kane at Over The Edge 1998 prompting him to declare himself a fat piece of shit

Staff Thoughts: If booked properly, we’re talking about one of the best big men in wrestling history as his run in WCW clearly showed us. Perhaps he came in a year too late, or even a year too early to the WWF; either way there was no way he was going to be given the ball for any extended period of time in 1996. Vader was a unique brand of big man, he could squash you like bug but could also sell his ass off and fly around the ring like a man half his size. His moves looked good, his punches looked legit, his punches WERE legit and Shawn Michaels should thank his lucky stars that Leon White is a decent person and didn’t decide to destroy him after his hissy fit in their main event. The less said about his return on 2005 the better but there’s absolutely no excuse why Vader isn’t already in the WWE Hall of Fame. It’s Time damnit!

From the Voters: “He likely won’t make my WWE list. His run was too short and too disappointing. It had some bright spots, but it was honestly a missed opportunity.” – Matthew Richards, June 15, 2017

“He’s a guy who’s stock is dropping the more I crunch the numbers. He still will probably make it, but he’s like the NCAA team that was really good until mid February and then the wheels start to come off but had enough early to still get them into the tournament.” – Brian Meyer, June 14, 2017

108. Tajiri Total Points: 1153 Total Ballots: 43 Average Rank: 74.2 High Vote: 30 Low Vote: 100 High Voter: Dave Musgrave

Key Matches & Moments: Excelled as William Regal’s innocent manservant; Helped Steve Austin through a very difficult time in his life; Defeated KANYON to win the WCW US title; Who betta? Tajiri betta!; Feuded with X-Pac over the respective Cruiserweight Titles; Forced Torrie Wilson to dress like a geisha; At Judgment Day 2003 won the WWE Tag Team Titles subbing for an injured Chavo Guerrero as Eddie Guerrero’s partner; Had an excellent match with Rey Mysterio at No Mercy 2003; Came back and had an impressive showing in the 2016 Cruiserweight Classic

Staff Thoughts: Tajiri is such an interesting case. Always way more over than his push, one of the best in-ring guys they’ve ever had, always credible due to his moveset and yet… if you look for his tippy top matches and moments there are very few to be found. He was a cornerstone of the cruiserweight division from 2001 to 2003, but sadly it was during a time where they seemed to be giving the guys less and less time with each passing PPV. His connection with the fans was astounding though. Perhaps moreso than any other Japanese competitor competing in the WWF, Tajiri understood what could be done with a subtle look and or movement. Vince Russo can say all he wants that foreigners can’t connect with the crowd but that just proves the fact that he didn’t watch a single Tajiri match in his life. He moved strangely, he acted strangely and his moveset… oh the moveset! The tarantula was awesome, the springboard flying elbow amazed every time. And those kicks. Right to the fucking head. You instantly believed he could beat ANYONE. You get hit with that kick you are done. Over. Point finale. One could only imagine how high he would have climbed had he been given the time.

From the Voters: “Though it’s hard to list lots of great matches, there was never a time where I thought I didn’t want to see a Tajiri performance. Even in throwaway bouts, he had a magnetism that made them still fun to watch, and HE was always worth watching. He’ll definitely place for me, could end up anywhere in the second half” – David Clare, June 4, 2017

“Good in the ring, fun character who can also go deadly serious. Had a longer run than you might think, hanging in there for about five years or so. Equally capable of playing the goofball babyface or the ruthless heel. He’s got a solid resume.” – Ben Morse, June 7, 2017

107. Jey Uso Total Points:1,183 Total Ballots: 38 Average Rank: 69.9 High Vote: 38 Low Vote: 99 High Voter: Martin Boulevard

Key Matches & Moments: Teamed with brother Jimmy and had an alliance with Tamina upon their debut in 2010, feuding with the Hart Dynasty; Challenged for the WWE Tag Team Titles in the pre-show of WrestleMania XXVIII; Feuded with The Shield and The Real Americans over the Tag Titles; Had a real fun match with the Shield on the Money in the Bank preshow; Helped Daniel Bryan from getting assaulted by The Shield, resulting in them being put into an 11-3 elimination match, where Jey became the first wrestler to pin Roman Reigns in WWE; Challenged Goldust and Cody Rhodes and The Shield at Hell in a Cell and teaming with Goldust, Rhodes and Rey Mysterio vs. The Shield and Real Americans at Survivor Series 2013; Defeated the New Age Outlaws for their first Tag Team Championship on Raw in March 2014; Successfully defended titles in a fatal-four-way on the WrestleMania XXX pre-show; Joined forces with John Cena in feuding with the Wyatt Family; Lost the titles after 202 days to Goldust and Stardust at Night of Champions 2014; Regained the tites from Miz and Mizdow before losing them to Tyson Kidd and Cesaro at Fastlane 2015; Competed in a fatal four way for the titles at the WrestleMania 31 pre-show; Jey injured his shoulder missing about six-months; Feuded with the New Day over the WWE Tag Team Championship and later the Dudley Boyz; Drafted to SmackDown and turned heel and lost to Heath Slater and Rhyno in the finals for the inaugural SmackDown Tag Team titles; Feuded with American Alpha defeating them for the SmackDown Tag Team Titles, becoming the first team to win both the Raw and SmackDown titles; Feuded with The New Day losing their titles after 124 days at Battleground and traded the titles back and forth; The matches with New Day were very good, in particular the Hell in a Cell match and the match at the SummerSlam pre-show; Defeated Sheamus and Cesaro at Survivor Series in an interpromotional match; The Usos are three-time SmackDown Tag Team champs and two-time Raw Tag Team champs and Kings of Day One Ish

Staff Thoughts: The Usos have been the standard bearers for the tag team division for years, always delivering solid performances, and sometimes delivering spectacular performances. Their feud with the New Day in 2017 was great with the SummerSlam and HIAC matches being highlights. They too are often are thrown into multi-team matches, making the match better, even if there is no feud to speak of. They appeared in the pre-show or WrestleMania six years in a row. With their longevity, string of good matches and recent run of high-end stuff, the Usos have a case for being an all-time great team. They seem to be continuing to improve if their last year is any indication. U and SO indeed.

From the Voters: “They’re a terrific, underrated tag team with a deeper resume of good matches than many teams. I’ll reserve judgment, but I think the lack of singles work and the lack of memorable moments hurts.” – Greg Phillips, June 1, 2017

“I wouldn’t have them in. I really enjoyed the Usos tag work in 2013-2014 but don’t view them as an all time great tag team. And when they wrestle the occasional singles match, I haven’t been incredibly impressed.” – Mike Eller, May 31, 2017

106. Jimmy Uso Total Points: 1,212 Total Ballots: 40 Average Rank: 70.7 High Vote: 37 Low Vote: 98 High Voter: Martin Boulevard

Key Matches & Moments: Teamed with brother Jey and had an alliance with Tamina upon their debut in 2010, feuding with the Hart Dynasty; Challenged for the WWE Tag Team Titles in the pre-show of WrestleMania XXVIII; Feuded with The Shield and The Real Americans over the Tag Titles; Had a real fun match with the Shield on the Money in the Bank preshow; Helped Daniel Bryan from getting assaulted by The Shield, resulting in them being put into an 11-3 elimination match, where Jey became the first wrestler to pin Roman Reigns in WWE; Challenged Goldust and Cody Rhodes and The Shield at Hell in a Cell and teaming with Goldust, Rhodes and Rey Mysterio vs. The Shield and Real Americans at Survivor Series 2013; Defeated the New Age Outlaws for their first Tag Team Championship on Raw in March 2014; Successfully defended titles in a fatal-four-way on the WrestleMania XXX pre-show; Joined forces with John Cena in feuding with the Wyatt Family; Lost the titles after 202 days to Goldust and Stardust at Night of Champions 2014; Regained the tites from Miz and Mizdow before losing them to Tyson Kidd and Cesaro at Fastlane 2015; Competed in a fatal four way for the titles at the WrestleMania 31 pre-show; Jimmy teamed with Zack Ryder against the Wyatt Family and Roman Reigns and Dean Ambrose against the New Day while Jey was out with injury, The team reunited and feuded with the New Day over the WWE Tag Team Championship and later the Dudley Boyz; Drafted to SmackDown and turned heel and lost to Heath Slater and Rhyno in the finals for the inaugural SmackDown Tag Team titles; Feuded with American Alpha defeating them for the SmackDown Tag Team Titles, becoming the first team to win both the Raw and SmackDown titles; Feuded with The New Day losing their titles after 124 days at Battleground and traded the titles back and forth; The matches with New Day were very good, in particular the Hell in a Cell match and the match at the SummerSlam pre-show; Defeated Sheamus and Cesaro at Survivor Series in an interpromotional match; The Usos are three-time SmackDown Tag Team champs and two-time Raw Tag Team champs and Kings of Day One Ish

Staff Thoughts: Did you know the Usos were Samoan? And the sons of Rikishi? You may have noticed the war dance and face paint (in honor of Umaga) and they may have mentioned in once or twice on commentary. Did you also know they’ve got a great case for one of (if not) the best WWE teams of all-time? With their longevity, always solid work and recent run of super work (feud with the New Day) they’ve got a great resume. Jimmy and Jey are always up for good matches (the multi-man and elimination matches in 2013 with Goldust and Cody and The Real Americans and others were fun) and their last year of work shows there may be more greatness to come in the future. They also took full advantage of Talking Smack and really blossomed as promos and characters during their ascension to top dogs of Smackdown.

From the Voters: “I’ve always liked the Usos and I remember being absolutely rapt when they finally won the tag titles. They were particularly good in the 2011-12 period when they found their feet as babyface tag workers. However, I can’t tell them apart to rate them individually.” – Stacey O’Loughlin, May 31, 2017

“I’ve come to the conclusion that they are probably the best all around team in company history. Also coming to the conclusion that if I can’t find a way to rate them, then I am throwing out all tag team work for consideration. I can’t in good conscience give cred it Michaels, Bret, Tito, et for tag work, and then throw out an all timer tag team because they’ve been a career tag team.” – Dylan Haes, August 31, 2017

105. Goldberg Total Points: 1,218 Total Ballots: 44 Average Rank: 73.3 High Vote: 34 Low Vote: 98 High Voter: Ray Miller

Key Matches & Moments: Debuted the night after WrestleMania XIX, spearing The Rock and immediately jumping into the main event scene; The Rock taunted him during The Rock Concert, before falling to him at Backlash 2003; Moved on to a feud with Chris Jericho defeating him at Badd Blood; Ran wild much to the crowd’s delight at the Elimination Chamber at SummerSlam, eliminating Randy Orton, Shawn Michaels and Jericho before being pinned by Triple H (much to crowd’s dismay); Defeated Triple H for the World Heavyweight Championship at Unforgiven; Continued to feud with Evolution when Batista cashed in the bounty that Triple H put on Goldberg’s head; Retained the title against Triple H at Survivor Series; Kane was added to the Triple H feud; Goldberg lost the title back to Triple H in a three-way match also involving Kane after interference from Evolution and a chokeslam from Kane at Armageddon; Began a feud with Brock Lesnar at Survivor Series, escalated when Lesnar interfered at the Royal Rumble 2004 causing Goldberg to be eliminated; Goldberg interfered in Lesnar’s title defense against Eddie Guerrero at No Way Out 2014; The two met at WrestleMania XX in a memorable match, though not for the reasons hoped; Returned to the company in 2016 to resume his feud with Lesnar after 12 years, defeating him in 1:26 seconds at Survivor Series; Goldberg eliminated Lesnar in the 2017 Royal Rumble after a spear; Challenged Universal Champion Kevin Owens to a match at Fastlane with Chris Jericho accepting on Owens’ behalf, causing the two to split; Goldberg defeated Owens after he was distracted by Jericho’s music with a spear and a jackhammer; Lost the belt to Lesnar at WrestleMania 33 in one of the greatest sub-5:00 matches of all time, which was also Goldberg’s first clean singles loss

Staff Thoughts: Goldberg’s WWE career was like his matches: high impact, low longevity. He had less than a two-year run, but it was all in the main event and title picture. Were the matches traditional workrate masterpieces? Nope. Do they stand out? You bet. Or at least they do when they are the hard-hitting heavyweight slugfests he had with Brock Lesnar. His first run, well, they left a lot on the table, and if they just put the damn belt on him at SummerSlam when the crowd was molten for him, who knows? As it is his, whether it was wearing Goldust’s wig or jacckhammering Lesnar out of his shoes, Goldberg’s career was made of more memorable moments than most and landed him just a bit outside the top 100. Listen to JT and Aaron break down his case further here.

From the Voters: “I was ambivalent on Goldberg at first. The podcast that JT and Aaron did helped my decision to put him on. Somewhere between 90-100. His initial run wasn’t great, but better than I remember it being. His most recent run was exactly how it should have been. He has always had the presence and ora of a mega star.” – Michael Schoen, August 21, 2017

“He made such an impact in two short runs. Over. Big moments. Hard to turn him away.” – Jason Sherman, May 29, 2017

104. Umaga Total Points: 1,233 Total Ballots: 54 Average Rank: 78.2 High Vote: 47 Low Vote: 99 High Voter: Stacey O’Loughlin

Key Matches & Moments: As Jamal was one part of Three-Minute Warning, interrupting numerous matches and moments, including the Billy & Chuck wedding; Returned as Umaga in 2006 under the control of Armaaaando Alejaaaandro Estrada, defeating Ric Flair at Backlash 2006 in his PPV debut; Feuded with Kane, defeating him in a Loser Leaves Raw match and a match at Cyber Sunday; Umaga remained undefeated until he faced John Cena at New Year’s Revolution where he was pinned for the first time with a roll-up; Estrada claimed the loss was a fluke, setting up a rematch for the WWE Championship in a Last Man Standing Match at 2007 Royal Rumble, where Umaga lost in an all-time great classic after Cena choked him out with the ring rope after the turnbuckle was removed from the ring; Selected as Vince McMahon’s representative in the “Battle of the Billionaires” match at WrestleMania 23, facing Bobby Lashley (Lindsey) who was the representative of future President Donald Trump; Umaga lost the match causing McMahon’s head to be shaved; Continued teaming with Vince and Shane feuding with Lashley, helping Vince win the ECW Title for Vince at Backlash 2007, defend the title at Judgment Day and continued aiding the McMahons when Vince lost the title in a street fight at One Night Stand; Umaga won the Intercontinental title but lost it to the debuting “fan” Santino Marella in the Milan Miracle when Lashley interfered; Feuded with Marella, losing by DQ at Vengeance before regaining the IC title; Successfully defended the IC title against Mr. Kennedy and Carlito at SummerSlam 2007; Attacked a returning Jeff Hardy leaving him laying, before eventually losing the IC Title to Hardy on Raw; Challenged Triple H for the WWE Championship at No Mercy but lost; Feuded with Batista, facing The Animal at WrestleMania XXIV; Reignited his feud with Hardy facing him in a Last Man Standing match at One Night Stand 2008; Began feuding with CM Punk, repeatedly stopping Punk from cashing in his Money in the Bank briefcase; Defeated Punk at Judgment Day then spoke in English for the first time as Umaga challenging Punk to a Samoan strap match at Extreme Rules 2009, which he lost in his last major match with the company

Staff Thoughts: Another short but impactful run, with “The Samoan Savage” having some standout matches and moments in the E. His Last Man Standing Match with Cena at the Rumble 2007 is an all-time classic and a match many think may be the greatest in WWE history, but his first match with Cena was very good too. The Samoan Savage gimmick shouldn’t have worked in 2006, but with Estrada as his mouthpiece and Umaga playing such a strong bulldozing heel, it did work. He was in the featured match at the highest grossing WrestleMania at the time, and had the highest buyrate until WrestleMania XXVIII narrowly edged it. Had a decent power match with Batista at WrestleMania XXIV, before eventually putting over Jeff Hardy helping him gain more credibility. He got the Samoan spike over, which was a feat in and of itself. The guys talk more about Umaga on this FYC podcast.

From the Voters: “Really enjoy both his Matches with John Cena, he and Jeff Hardy had good chemistry, and in the Battle Of The Billionaires. Another guy who moved around very well and worked good with almost anyone.” – Jay Hinchey, June 4, 2017

“About as good a monster heel as they’ve ever had, even though only for a short period. Just looked devastating in there, and could always keep his near-unbeatable aura even when he was getting beat. As well as the high-end stuff, it was just fun watching him beat guys up. I think he makes it.” – Adam Russell, July 14, 2017

103. Buddy Rogers Total Points: 1,235 Total Ballots: 26 Average Rank: 54.5 High Vote: 1 Low Vote: 96 Number One Votes: 1 High Voter: TheBestThereNeverWillBe

Key Matches & Moments: When Lou Thesz defeated Buddy Rogers for the NWA title, Toots Mondt and Vince McMahon, Sr. withdrew their membership and formed the WWWF; Rogers was formally recognized as the first WWWF World Champion when he was presented the belt after “winning” a fictitious tournament taking place in Rio de Janeiro (of COURSE it did); Rogers’ official reign is listed as officially starting on April 25, 1963; Rogers reign was cut short after a mild heart attack, causing him to lose the title to Bruno Sammartino in 48 seconds; Rogers continued in a top spot defeating Hans Mortier in less than a minute with the figure-four leglock in Madison Square Garden; Teamed with “Handsome” Johnny Barend taking two out of three falls from Sammartino and Bobo Brazil, with Rogers pinning Sammartino in the final fall; Rogers retired before the scheduled rematch with Sammartino (tickets had already been printed with the match listed) and Gorilla Monsoon replaced him in the match; Returned to the WWF hosting the interview segment Rogers Corner until 1983; Was instrumental in turning Jimmy Snuka babyface and managing him during his feud with Lou Albano and Ray Stephens, before breaking his hip and retiring for good

Staff Thoughts: “The Nature Boy” was undoubtedly an all-time great wrestler, and his match in 1961 against Pat O’Conner at Commisky Park is an all-time famous match. Unfortunately that match and most of Rogers’ career took place outside the boundaries of this project (pre-1963.) However, Rogers status as an all-time great provided the credibility the newly created WWWF title needed. Rogers put over Sammartino strong, getting Bruno’s first title run off to a solid start. Rogers was the lowest finishing wrestler to receive a number one vote. As the inaugural WWWF champion Rogers historical significance cannot be questioned and helped lay the foundation for the company for the next 54 years and counting.

From the Voters: “The nature boy is one of the greatest but if anyone knows his best work was in the NWA . His match against Pat OConner at Comiskey Park was groundbreaking.” – Eric Boyd, May 30, 2017

“He was handed the original WWWF title for winning a fictional tournament and then lost to Bruno in 48 seconds. He faded away after that.” – Todd Hall, May 28, 2017

102. Bubba Ray Dudley Total Points: 1,254 Total Ballots: 40 Average Rank: 69.7 High Vote: 23 Low Vote: 98 High Voter: Blaise Perrone

Key Matches & Moments: Teamed with “brother” D-Von as the Dudley Boyz, feuding with Edge & Christian and the Hardy Boyz throughout 2000 and 2001; The Dudleys won their first WWE Tag Team titles at No Way Out 2000 defeating the New Age Outlaws; Lost the titles to Edge & Christian in an excellent triangle ladder match also involving the Hardy Boyz at WrestleMania 2000; Were well known for using tables as weapons and began driving women through tables as part of their gimmick; Feuded with DX and drove Tori through a table at King of the Ring 2000; Continued their feud with E&C and the Hardys with the first Tables, Ladders and Chairs (TLC) match at SummerSlam 2000 in another excellent match; Won their second Tag Team Titles at the 2001 Royal Rumble and their third title at Raw in March 2001; Had another great TLC match with E&C and the Hardys at WrestleMania X7; Joined the Alliance in 2001 where they were part of the Alliance team in the main event of the InVasion PPV; During the Invasion angle the Dudleys became the first team to win the ECW, WWF and WCW Tag Team titles; Unified the WCW and WWF Tag Team titles by defeating the Hardy Boyz in a steel cage match at Survivor Series 2001; Feuded with Spike Dudley and Tazz, losing the Tag Team Titles; Challenged for the Tag Team Titles in a four-corners match at WrestleMania X8; Drafted to Raw splitting up his team with D-Von, Bubba teamed with Spike Dudley, competed in the Hardcore Division and challenged Triple H for the Heavyweight Championship; Reunited with D-Von and continued to be a staple of the Raw tag team division before being traded to SmackDown in 2004; Turned heel joining with Paul Heyman and kidnapping Paul Bearer; Faced the Undertaker in a handicap match at Great American Bash 2004, where they lost the match and Undertaker attempted to murder Bearer by burying him in cement anyway, in a dreadful main event; Became the muscle behind Spike Dudley’s “Boss” character during his Cruiserweight Championship run; Defeated Tommy Dreamer and Sandman at One Night Stand 2005; Was a surprise entrant in the 2015 Royal Rumble; Feuded with the New Day in 2015 over the WWE Tag Team Titles; Joined forces with Tommy Dreamer and Rhyno and battled the Wyatt Family at TLC 2015; Challenged the Usos at WrestleMania 32 and in a tables match the next night; Lost to Sami Zayn and Neville at SummerSlam 2016, Bubba was a 10-time Hardcore Champion, eight-time World Tag Team Champion, one-time WCW Tag Team Champion, one-time WWE Tag Team Champion

Staff Thoughts: The Dudley Boyz were part of the revolutionary tag team scene in 2000 andd 2001. The ladder matches and TLC matches at WrestleMania 2000, SummerSlam 2000 and WrestleMania X7 are all time classics and innovative matches. They were an important part of the Invasion/Alliance angle participating in the main event of InVasion (whether you think they were the best choice or not) and unified the WCW and WWF Tag Team Titles at Survivor Series 2001. Bubba had a so-so singles run when the team split in 2002 but it was certainly better than Deacon D-Von. As the Dudley Boyz reunited they showed diminishing returns, including that awful angle with Undertaker and Paul Bearer that made no sense. Bubba was a good promo and the Dudleys are perpetually over as long as D-Von will “…get the tables.” You can listen to the guys thoughts on The Dudley Boyz on this FYC podcast.

From the Voters: “He and D-Von are the one team to me important enough and with sufficient good matches that they both make it in by virtue of their tag work. That he had a few decent months as a single in 2002 plus his surprise Rumble appearance a couple years back are gravy.” – Ben Morse, May 30, 2017

“I think both have enough company and character significance to be in consideration. The lack of a singles run (brief during first split) holds him back. This is someone with 946 WWE matches to his credit. ”- Brad Warren, May 30, 2017

101. Junkyard Dog Total Points: 1,286 Total Ballots: 41 Average Rank: 69.6 High Vote: 25 Low Vote: 99 High Voter: Scott Butler

Key Matches & Moments: Defeated Greg Valentine at the first WrestleMania; Won the Wrestling Classic tournament in 1985 defeating Randy Savage in the finals; Had a fun and wild feud with Terry Funk in late 1985, leading to a real good tag match with JYD & Tito Santana vs. The Funk at WrestleMania II; Was often leveraged on the top of the card for tours around the country; Feuded with Harley Race winning by DQ at SNME in January 1987; Lost a rematch to Race at WrestleMania III; Grabbed them cakes

Staff Thoughts: Junkyard Dog missed tying for the top 100 by one point, so his popularity among voters was evident. This was driven primarily due to his charisma, as his in-ring work was never a strength and his promos were difficult to understand and often just about having fun. The guys talk about going from deadly serious promos elsewhere to fun promos in WWF in this FYC podcast. JYD did have enjoyable matches in his feud with Terry Funk and the Funk brothers at Saturday Night’s Main Event (where he was a regular, including dancing with his momma on Mother’s Day). He teamed with Hulk Hogan to take on Terry and Hoss at the May 1986 SNME in a fun match and teamed with Tito Santana to take on the same team at WrestleMania II. Lost to “The King” Harley Race, showing that he had no honor when he refused to bow to the King. He filled an important role as the second or third babyface in the company under Hogan. JYD held special appeal for children, which the WWF was targeting at the time, known for dancing with kids after matches, his appearance on the Rock ‘N’ Wrestling cartoon and his LJN action figure, he clearly made an impact on many voters who were fans of one of the hottest periods in company history. That, along with the fact that he encouraged them to “Grab Them Cakes” made the voters come within one point of naming him to the Top 100 list.

From the Voters: “JYD won’t make it for guys valuing workrate far and above every other metric. Objectively, regardless of whether or not I enjoy his matches, the popularity and impact he had matters. Very low on my list if he makes it but I can’t say no shot. I’m not making a my favorite 100 list.” – Jeremy Ray, May 30, 2017

“He sucked in-ring, but he was probably the most over guy behind Hogan and maybe Andre during a peak WWF era. Transcended the midcard and was one of the true headliners during Rock & Wrestling. He’s synonymous with 80s WWF for me and I give him the nod despite his deterioration.” – Ben Morse, May 31, 2017

#IFTTT #Place to Be Nation

0 notes

placetobenation · 7 years ago

Link

– Chad Campbell

149. Matt Borne Total Points: 509 Total Ballots: 21 Average Rank: 76.8 High Vote: 38 Low Vote: 100 High Voter: David Carli

Key Matches & Moments: Was enhancement talent in 1985-86 and lost to Ricky Steamboat on the first WrestleMania; Returned to the company in 1992 and soon assumed the mantle of Doink the Clown, a maniacal wrestling clown; Feuded with Crush after attacking him with a prosthetic arm, leading to a match at WrestleMania IX; Faced Mr. Perfect in great qualifying matches for King of the Ring 1993 and after two time limit draws, Perfect defeated the clown; Had a good two-out-of-three falls match with Marty Jannetty on the 6/21/93 edition of Raw; Jerry Lawler hired Doink to wrestle Bret Hart at SummerSlam when Lawler feigned injury, Doink lost to Hart via DQ in a good match; Doink turned face in September 1993 and Borne was gone from WWF soon after with the babyface Doink character played by Ray Apollo

Staff Thoughts: Matt Borne played the Doink character as well as anyone could play an evil wrestling clown and deserves credit for getting the gimmick over when it could’ve bombed (and did as a face character when Borne was underneath the makeup). In addition to the character work, Doink had really good matches week in and week out, with his two-out-of-three falls match with Jannetty, KOTR qualifiers with Perfect and SummerSlam match with Bret standing out. Once he left, the Doink character fell flatter than a whoopee cushion with a hole in it.

From the Voters: “Tough because the longevity isn’t there, but that half-year or so of evil Doink is fantastic character work. Promos were so-so, but everything else was tremendous. Maybe a 90-100 type guy for me, but he’s on the bubble.” – Greg Phillips, June 1, 2017

“Evil Doink rules the school! Loved the combination of old school 70s heel work with the manical clown gimmick. Great matches with Bret, Perfect, Jannetty and Savage. Makes the cut!” – Martin Boulevard, November 15, 2017

148. Nikolai Volkoff Total Points: 510 Total Ballots: 24 Average Rank: 79.8 High Vote: 41 Low Vote: 100 High Voter: Bret Hart

Key Matches & Moments: Began wrestling for WWWF in 1968 as Bepo Mongol winning the WWWF International Tag Team Titles with partner Geeto Mongol; Held the titles for a year before losing them to Luke Graham and Tarzan Tyler to unify the International and World Tag Team titles; Took on the Nikolai Volkoff gimmick and challenged Bruno Sammartino in a soldout MSG in 1974; Donned a mask as the third member of the Executioners, along with Big John Studd and Killer Kowalski; Returned to his Nikolai Volkoff gimmick and challenged Sammartino and Bob Backlund for the WWWF/WWF title between 1976-1980; Apparently moved to Russia prior to 1984 return and forming a tag team with the Iron Sheik; Known for singing the Russian national anthem before every match; Volkoff and Sheik, managed by “Classy” Freddie Blassie, won the WWF Tag Team Titles from the U.S. Express at the first WrestleMania before losing the titles back to the U.S. Express; Challenged Hulk Hogan at the second Saturday Night’s Main Event; Defeated Corporal Kirschner in a flag match at WrestleMania II; Feuded with Jim Duggan, including Duggan stopping Volkoff from singing prior to his match with The Killer Bees at WrestleMania III; Teamed with Boris Zuckoff to form the Bolsheviks in late 1987, losing to the Powers of Pain at the first SummerSlam and to the Hart Foundation in 19 seconds at WrestleMania VI; Turned babyface and feuded with Iraqi sympathizer Sgt. Slaughter, with his Alliance team defeating Slaughter’s Mercenaries team at Survivor Series 1990; Returned in 1994 as part of the Million Dollar Corporation, sometimes being referred to as “Nickel and Dime” Volkoff; Appeared in the Gimmick Battle Royal at WrestleMania X-7

Staff Thoughts: Most wrestling fans were probably introduced to Nikolai Volkoff during his tag team with the Iron Sheik and from his appearance on the Rock ‘N’ Wrestling cartoon, but Volkoff was challenging Bruno Sammartino in 1974 and won tag team gold as Bepo Mongol before that. That’s some longevity, if nothing else. He was a heat magnet singing the Russian national anthem in the team with Sheiky Baby, leading to Hacksaw Jim Duggan declaring he couldn’t sing it, because he was in the land of the free. Hacksaw should debate Scott Steiner sometime. In the ring, Volkoff was god awful, but who could ever forget that singing voice sweet as honey. “Soyuz nerushimy respublik svobodnykh, Splotila naveki velikaya Rus’!”

From the Voters: “One of my all time favorite gimmicks was when he’d ask the crowd “to please rise and respect his singing of the Soviet National Anthem”. Just pure, awesome heel heat. The crowd would be out of their minds, pelting the ring with garbage while he stood there, singing so seriously. Really liked his team with Sheik. They would make my top 100 WWF tag team list, but Volkoff isn’t making this 100.” – Tim Tetreault, June 2, 2017

“When I think of Nikolai, I think a lazy slug unwilling to sell anything or bump. And the Bolsheviks are one of the worst teams in WWF history. An absolute no for me.” – Brian Cullinane, June 1, 2017

147. Tully Blanchard Total Points: 513 Total Ballots: 20 Average Rank: 75.4 High Vote: 33 Low Vote: 100 High Voter: John D’Amato

Key Matches & Moments: Teamed with Arn Anderson as The Brain Busters, managed by Bobby “The Brain” Heenan; Participated in the 1988 Survivor Series 10-man tag team elimination match, which started the feud with The Rockers; The January 23, 1989 match between the teams was listed as one of PWI’s 50 greatest matches; The teams also battled at the March 11 Saturday Night’s Main Event and their match from March 18 at the Boston Garden is well regarded as well; Faced Strike Force at WrestleMania V winning when Rick Martel walked out on Tito (Chico) Santana; Won the WWF Tag Team Titles from Demolition on the July 1989 Saturday Night’s Main Event in a two-out-of-three falls match, ending their historic tag team reign; Defeated the Hart Foundation at SummerSlam 1989 before losing the titles back to Demolition in October; Lost a two-out-of-three falls match to The Rockers on Saturday Night’s Main Event before the team split

Staff Thoughts: Tully Blanchard’s run as one-half of the Brain Busters was only about a year in length, but they packed in an all-time great tag feud with The Rockers during that time. Any match between those two teams is wonderful. The Brain Busters were masters of cutting off the ring and isolating a body part and, in the WWF, ending things with their spike piledriver. The Brain Busters were also selected to end Demolition’s record-breaking tag title reign. Unfortunately, Tully failed a drug test holding him out of the Survivor Series 1989 tag match, but he had still a great, if brief WWF career. The guys talk about The Brain Busters in a FYC here. You probably know he was best work was elsewhere, but if not please seek out more of his work outside of the WWE Universe (™ Maggle Cole.)

From the Voters: “One strong year in WWF is really enough in my opinion to be considered among top 100 greatest of all time. The Rockers program is one of the best in WWF history. The Hart Foundation match is a strong PPV tag and the Demolition stuff which I have gone on record of hating cannot be denied as important. “ – Martin Boulevard, November 19, 2017 (To read more of Martin’s thoughts click here.)

146. Ernie Ladd Total Points: 536 Total Ballots: 17 Average Rank: 69.5 High Vote: 40 Low Vote: 98 High Voter: Edwin Ortiz, Jr.

Key Matches & Moments: Ernie Ladd was a traveling attraction due to his size and power, leading to his nickname, “The Big Cat;” His run with the WWWF featured a feud with Andre the Giant, who Ladd called the Dummy or The Big Fat French Fry; Challenged Bruno Sammartino at Madison Square Garden; Also challenged Pedro Morales for his WWWF Championship; In 1978 challenged Bob Backlund for his WWF title

Staff Thoughts: It’s always challenging to gauge the impact of traveling attractions on the company, but there’s little doubt Ernie Ladd was one of the biggest attractions of his time (literally and figuratively). He packed them in the building everywhere he went, and was known as a really good promo, riling up the crowd by insulting his opponents. Ladd was a legit great athlete playing for the San Diego Chargers, Houston Oilers and Kansas City Chiefs in the American Football Conference (before the merger) and is in the Chargers Hall of Fame. He began wrestling part-time during the football offseason. He possessed extraordinary agility for a man his size and was known for his taped thumb, which he claimed was an old football injury and announcers claimed held a foreign object. Ladd was also known for walking out of the match and taking the intentional countout. The fact that he challenged Sammartino, Morales and Backlund shows The Big Cat’s ability to draw as a special attraction. Ladd was an announcer for the football player battle royal at WrestleMania 2 and the Big Event, but was a better wrestler and promo than announcer.

From the Voters: “The Big Cat. The very first African American booker in history. He was a monster and Andre the Giant was afraid to get in the ring with him because it would expose his real height. Ernie was a main event talent everywhere he went. In top 100 for me.” – Eric Boyd, May 30, 2017

“A pretty decent one-on-one match with Haystacks Calhoun. That’s a point in his favor.” – James Proffitt, August 2, 2017

145. Braun Strowman Total Points: 556 Total Ballots: 23 Average Rank: 76.8 High Vote: 51 Low Vote: 100 High Voter: Kris Zellner

Key Matches & Moments: Joined the Wyatt Family in 2015 attacking Roman Reigns and Dean Ambrose; Appeared in tag matches with other members of the Wyatt Family at Night of Champions and TLC 2015; Eliminated five wrestlers in the 2016 Royal Rumble match for the WWE Championship before being eliminated by Brock Lesnar and returning to help the Wyatt Family eliminate Lesnar; Appeared at Wrestlemania 32 in the confrontation between the Wyatt Family and the Rock and John Cena; Split off from the Wyatt Family when he was drafted to Raw in 2016, and went on a run of squashing jobbers and lower-card guys; A member of Team Raw at Survivor Series 2016, he was counted out chasing James Ellsworth to the back; Feuded with Sami Zayn, failing to defeat him in the 10-minute time limit at Roadblock: End of the Line, before winning a Last Man Standing Match on the January 2, 2017 Raw; Eliminated seven wrestlers in the 2017 Royal Rumble match; Challenged Kevin Owens for the title on Raw but Roman Reigns interfered setting the table for a match at Fastlane; Strowman threw Reigns into the turnbuckle causing the ring to break at the Fastlane contract signing, before losing to Reigns at Fastlane taking his first pinfall loss; Eliminated half a dozen wrestlers in the Andre the Giant Battle Royal at WrestleMania 33; Continued feuding with Reigns, including an attack on the April 10 Raw that culminated in Strauman tipping over the ambulance Reigns was in; Superplexed the Big Show causing the ring to collapse on an episode of Raw in April, and throwing Kalisto off the stage when he was trapped in a dumpster; Defeated Reigns at Payback injuring his elbow in the process and undergoing surgery, returned to challenge Reigns to an ambulance match at Great Balls of Fire in July; Challenged for the WWE Universal Championship in a four-way match with Brock Lesnar, Reigns and Samoa Joe at SummerSlam in a chaotic brawl showcasing Strowman; Challenged Lesnar for the title at No Mercy, but was unsuccessful; Defeated Reigns in a cage match on Raw; Was one of two survivors when the Raw team defeated the SmackDown team at Survivor Series 2017, beating Triple H after the match; Teamed with The Miz and his team to face The Shield and Kurt Angle at TLC; Challenging Lesnar at Royal Rumble in a match also involving Kane

Staff Thoughts: Remember when fans were only interested in making fun of Braun Strowman’s name (Brown Snowman? Brawly Strongman?) and pointing out he looked like Ogre from Revenge of the Nerds? Yeah, those were simpler times. But seriously, Strowman’s improvement was a welcome surprise in the last year. His feud with Roman Reigns was awesome, with wild brawls and feats of strength establishing Strowman as a monster. The ambulance match at Great Balls of Fire was a nice brawl and his recovery from attempted vehicular homicide from Reigns was impressive. He stood out in the great four-way brawl at SummerSlam. Strowman was red-hot going into the match with Lesnar at No Mercy, and the WWE should’ve put the title on him and let him run with it, but they didn’t. His hot streak this year had voters debating if it was enough to make the list, but it wasn’t enough to overcome his cold run and lackluster matches with the Wyatt Family. He’s one to watch if PTBN revisits this list in later years.

From the Voters: “I’m curious what Braun would have to do in the rest of 2017 to make people’s lists. I think if he won the belt, he’d jump onto mine. Otherwise, his terrible run as a member of the Wyatt Family cancels out his current awesome run, so he’ll be on the outside looking in.” – Jeff Walker, July 2, 2017

“I really love him right now. Raw has suffered without him, which shocks me. But it may be too soon for me to include him. Never thought I’d consider putting Ogre from Revenge of the Nerds on a top wrestler list.” – Jason Sherman, May 28, 2017

144. Faarooq Total Points: 56 Total Ballots: 25 Average Rank: 78.72 High Vote: 45 Low Vote: 94 High Voter: Blaise Perrone

Key Matches & Moments: Debuted in a baby blue gladiator outfit including strange penis-like hat; Kicked Ahmed Johnson in the kidney; Led sixty people to the ring at Royal Rumble 1997; Was part of the fun Chicago Street Fight at WrestleMania 13; Main evented King of the Ring 1997 against the Undertaker in a match; Came to his senses and fired Savio Vega from the Nation Of Domination; Argued for minutes with a referee after being cleanly eliminated from the 1997 Survivor Series; Was given a sweet portrait of the Rock in the buildup to WrestleMania XIV; Formed the Acolytes with Bradshaw, together they would win the WWF Tag Team Titles, dominate a number of Tag Team TURMOIL matches all while solving problems for anyone who had the cash; Brought DAMN into many households and schools, much to the chagrin of uptight parents and teachers everywhere; Distributed disgusting spinebusters to anyone he could get his hands on

Staff Thoughts: Faarooq was in the company a very long time with almost no great matches to his name. That’s not to say he wasn’t an excellent performer in many other ways it just never seemed to really all come together for the matches. The Nation Of Domination was a fun stable, and he looked great in that leather jacket. Once he was ousted he kind of floated around with little to do until he and Bradshaw found one another. The APA had a TON of memorable moments and sketches and will forever be one of the most fun teams of the Attitude era. His promos were fun especially if you enjoy the expression “GUESS WHAT??” His work in ring was oftentimes crisp and the dominator was a awesome finish. One might question how he ended up on his opponent’s shoulders every night screaming “OH NO PLEEEAAASE!” but one would be thinking too hard.

From the Voters: “Had a solid run where at the least he always came off as being somewhat legit. Whether as a singles or in the APA, it meant something getting a victory over him. Good promo, and I have a soft spot for the Nation. Wrestling needs more Faarooqs. Possible back-ender.” – Adam Russell, July 9, 2017

“Never seen a great Ron Simmons singles match or tag match. That’s sad.” – Good Ol’ Will From Texas, May 29, 2017

143. Chief Jay Strongbow Total Points: 575 Total Ballots: 14 Average Rank: 59.9 High Vote: 10 Low Vote: 100 High Voter: Grady Blount

Key Matches & Moments: With partner Sonny King won the WWWF World Tag Team Championship on May 22, 1972; Captured his second tag team title on December 7, 1976, this time with partner Billy White Wolf; Had an excellent feud with Greg Valentine beginning in 1979; With Jules Strongbow feuded with The Misters Fuji and Saito for the WWWF Tag Team Titles; Was drawn repeatedly on blackboards by Bret Hart throughout the late 80s and early 90s

Staff Thoughts: Jay Strongbow was a hugely over babyface and a staple of the promotion for most of the 1970s. There are accusations that he became (or always was) a lazy worker but it cannot be denied that he had an electric connection with the crowd and was a very memorable and colorful character in an era where that wasn’t the norm.

From the Voters: “Given the spot he occupied in the 70s, I figured he would be a lock. After some research…not so much. I rated him on the scale, but I think he finished around 130.” – James Profitt, December 12, 2017

“Strongbow was the number 2 babyface for a super hot WWWF for most of the 70s, beloved and fondly remembered. Definitely became a typical lazy New York worker by the late 70s. Still, feud with Valentine in 79 is legit great. 82 run with Jules against Fuji and Saito is surprisingly good. 90-100 guy for me probably” – Kelly Nelson, May 28, 2017

142. Santino Marella Total Points: 588 Total Ballots: 30 Average Rank: 81.4 High Vote: 34 Low Vote: 100 High Voter: Stacey O’Loughlin

Key Matches & Moments: The Milan Miracle is still considered one of the better debuts of all time; Had a relationship with both MyMaria and Beth Phoenix that generated comedy gold; Best use of a Honk-a-Meter in company, or I dare say, world history; Corpsed John Cena when he declared “You gotta big mouth John Chena!”; His team with Sheamus was an all time classic; Nearly won the 2011 Royal Rumble to a massive reaction; Nearly won the World Heavyweight title at the 2012 Elimination Chamber to an even more massive reaction; Was a fun US champion for most of 2012

Staff Thoughts: Easily the best comedy act in company history, and not half bad in the ring either. He has a TON of memorable moments and skits and was one of the most consistently entertaining guys on the roster for a solid six years. Perfect for opening matches and waking up crowds, Santino’s stuff could have been hokey at times but it almost always delivered. His speed walking to the ring was funny, his trombone… dance was sublime. A guy with his personality and creativity is sorely missed today on a roster full of uber-serious wrestlers. He understood his role and bought in, a lesser wrestler many have balked at the role, and what it created was pure magic at times. Why can’t he be one of the general managers??? Where is Jerry Stupid Lawler???

From the Voters: “Great comedy worker. Always entertaining. Understood how to balance his comedy with seriousness in moments such as the 2011 Rumble finish & 2012 Elimination Chamber finish. Legitimately tremendous character in 07-08 WWE. His debut is one of the best WWE debuts in history. Most importantly, he understood his role & did everything he could with it. Sometimes his comedy, especially during the PG era, could be horrible. Santina storyline sucked for example. Doesn’t have high end, great matches to his name. Has a great shot of making my ballot. Bottom 10 probably.” – Devon Motivator Hales, June 2, 2017

“He’s on the bubble for me. He was insanely over for a while. When he was the final two of the 2012 elimination chamber, the crowd were fully behind him winning the title, to the point that a small title run wouldn’t have been the worst thing ever. Really effective worker” – David Clare, June 3, 2017

“In a company that has repeatedly shown they are TERRIBLE at comedy for about 15 years, to be able to get legit laughs from me is pretty remarkable, and Santino was able to do it.” – Jordan Duncan, June 3, 2017

141. Antonino Rocca Total Points: 604 Total Ballots: 12 Average Rank: 51 High Vote: 6 Low Vote: 92 High Voter: Grady Blount

Key Matches & Moments: Antonino Rocca started wrestling in the New York City territory for Toots Mondt in 1949, in the territory that would become Capitol Wrestling Corporation (CWC) and eventually WWE; In 1963 CWC left the NWA, forming the World Wide Wrestling Federation and crowning Buddy Rogers it’s first champion, after listing he won the title over Rocca in the finals of a tournament in Rio de Janeiro, site of all fictitious tournaments; Rocca set the post-World War II record for wrestling attendance at the Madison Square Garden 49th-50th Street location against an unknown wrestler, while working for Kola Kwaraini and Jack Pfefer, during a time they had split off from their partnership with Vince McMahon, Sr.; Teamed with Bruno Sammartino around the same time before McMahon Sr. took back over the New York area; Provided commentary on WWF Championship Wrestling and All Star Wrestling from 1972-76

Staff Thoughts: So, by all accounts Antonino Rocca was one of the great draws in the New York City area, setting attendance records at the old MSG location. However, figuring out what was done under the CWC banner for McMahon or done elsewhere and what fell after 1963 to be eligible for this project was hazy at best and confusing as hell at worst. There is footage of Rocca matches out there, but it is a challenge to determine if any particular match would fall under the guidelines of this project. A playlist was shared on the Facebook page featuring a match with Rocca vs. Karl Von Hess featuring a mat-based gymnastic style.

From the Voters: “Drawing wise Rocca is all-time great. Revitalized NYC wrestling in 1949 after being dormant for eleven years. King of New York until early 60s. I’m not an expert on his work by any means.” – Kelly Nelson; May 28, 2017

“Top 25 guy for sure. He was the top guy in the territory prior to Bruno, and led the wrestling revival in the northeast US.” – Sean Fluharty, September 28, 2017

140. Killer Kowalski Total Points: 638 Total Ballots: 14 Average Rank: 55.4 High Vote: 17 Low Vote: 91 High Voter: Sean Fluharty

Key Matches & Moments: Formed a tag team with Gorilla Monsoon, winning the United States Tag Team Championship from Skull Murphy and Brute Bernard before losing them to the Tolos Brothers; Teamed with Big John Studd as The Executioners and won the WWWF World Tag Team Championships but were stripped when a third Executioner (Nikolai Volkoff) interfered in a match to Chief Jay Strongbow and Billy White Wolf, the Executioners lost the match and never regained the title; Kowalski was one of Bruno Sammartino’s main rivals in the 1960s and 1970s challenging him for the title nearly 30 times, sometimes in Texas Death Matches and stretcher matches, and winning one by countout and battling Bruno to a draw in another; He also faced Buddy Rogers in two title matches in 1963; He also had numerous battles with Andre the Giant, Pedro Morales and with and against Gorilla Monsoon

Staff Thoughts: Killer Kowalski was 6’6,” which was an imposing height for the day and he presented a believable monster heel character. He battled Bruno Sammartino many times, with one of those matches included on the Bruno Sammartino collection on the WWE Network. He wrestled…let’s say a deliberate pace…at least by the mid-1970s where he has the most footage. One of the few wrestlers to have a pinfall win over Andre, though it did not occur in the WWWF, but photos from that match helped build Andre’s reputation because he towered over the more well known Kowalski. Opened a wrestling school and trained Triple H, Chyna, Big John Studd, Perry Saturn and others, which may make you like him or hate him more, depending on your view of those wrestlers.

From the Voters: “Absolutely on my list! The best heel in the company and perhaps the entire business for several years. His matches with Bruno stand out to me the most and what was also incredible was that he was a vegetarian. 6’6″ was a monster at the time and the fans legitimately feared the man. Top 100 guaranteed” – Eric Boyd, May 30, 2017

“He was like an actual zombie but slower.” – Parv, May 31, 2017

139. Arn Anderson Total Points: 639 Total Ballots: 21 Average Rank: 70.6 High Vote: 32 Low Vote: 99 High Voter: John D’Amato

Key Matches & Moments: Teamed with Tully Blanchard as The Brain Busters, managed by Bobby “The Brain” Heenan; Participated in the 1988 Survivor Series 10-man tag team elimination match, which started the feud with The Rockers; The January 23, 1989 match between the teams was listed as one of PWI’s 50 greatest matches; The teams also battled at the March 11 Saturday Night’s Main Event and their match from March 18 at the Boston Garden is well regarded as well; Faced Strike Force at WrestleMania V winning when Rick Martel walked out on Tito (Chico) Santana; Won the WWF Tag Team Titles from Demolition on the July 1989 Saturday Night’s Main Event in a two-out-of-three falls match, ending their historic tag team reign; Defeated the Hart Foundation at SummerSlam 1989 before losing the titles back to Demolition in October; Lost a two-out-of-three falls match to The Rockers on Saturday Night’s Main Event before the team split; Arn competed in the tag team elimination match at Survivor Series 1989; Interfered in the Ric Flair/Undertaker match at WrestleMania X8 hitting the spinebuster on Undertaker for a memorable near fall for Flair

Staff Thoughts: The Brain Busters had an all-time great year for WWF tag teams the year they were in the company. The feud with The Rockers produced some of the best tag team matches the company has ever seen. They defeated Demolition to end their historic reign, and were the opponents at WrestleMania V for the Strike Force split. Anderson’s great offense (spinebuster, DDT, etc.) and excellent timing and teamwork with Tully Blanchard helped make any Brain Busters match must see. Anderson also competed in the fun Survivor Series 1989 Tag Team elimination match and helped Ric Flair score a near-fall in his WrestleMania match vs. Undertaker in a moment that threatened the streak. Obviously, a lack of longevity hurts Arn, and he is much better known for his great work elsewhere.

From the Voters: “They brought southern tag team wrestling to the NE perfectly. They made an impact immediately, although it was only for a year. Considering others who have a bigger WWF resume, I don’t know.” – Jeffrey Thomas, May 30, 2017

“Probably a bubble guy for me. I know there isn’t a ton of meat on the bone here, but his year was solid and pretty influential. He has made marks on the company out of the ring as well.” – Matthew Richards, May 30, 2017

138. Mickie James Total Points: 644 Total Ballots: 24 Average Rank: 74.2 High Vote: 35 Low Vote: 98 High Voter: Ash

Key Matches & Moments: Came into the company as Trish Stratus’s biggest fan, quickly morphing into James being obsessed with Trish and eventually a lesbian angle; Defeated Stratus for the WWE Women’s Championship at WrestleMania 22 in one of the best women’s matches in WrestleMania history; Feuded with Lita facing her in the finals of the Women’s Championship tournament after Trish retired; Won her second Women’s Championship from Lita at Survivor Series 2006 in Lita’s retirement match; Challenged Melina in the first Women’s Falls Count Anywhere match; Teamed with Kofi Kingston at SummerSlam 2008 losing a Winner Takes All match vs. Beth Phoenix and Santino Marella losing her Women’s Championship and Kingston’s IC title; Participated in WrestleMania XXV 25 Diva battle royal; Feuded with LayCool when the two bullied her and dubbed her “Piggy James,” but James got her revenge defeating McCool in 20 seconds at Royal Rumble 2010; Returned to the company in 2016 challenging Asuka for the NXT Women’s title at NXT Takeover Toronto in a very good match; Feuded with Becky Lynch and competed in the six-pack challenge for the SmackDown Women’s Championship at WrestleMania 33; Switched to Raw and challenged for Alexa Bliss’ Raw Women’s Championship at TLC 2017; Will compete in the first ever Women’s Royal Rumble match; James was a five-time Women’s Champion and a one-time Divas Champion

Staff Thoughts: Mickie James was one of the best workers in the women’s division in the era before the, ahem, “Women’s Revolution Thanks to Stephanie McMahon.” Her match with Trish Stratus at WreslteMania is finger-lickin’ good…OK, sorry for that. That match is legitimately excellent, one of the best WrestleMania women’s matches in history. She held the Women’s Division together after the retirement of Trish and Lita. Her return match against Asuka at NXT Takeover is great and one of the highlights of Asuka’s NXT title run.

From the Voters: “Mickie vs Trish stands out to me as the best women’s feud they have ever had (in terms of story and characters. They had better in ring ones since). Very interesting and entertaining. I think she is the best women’s wrestler they had until the Women’s Revolution. Light years better than Trish or Lita. Her comeback really cemented her spot. Great matches with Asuka and Alexa Bliss. Nutty Mickie was a lot fun, but once she settled into babyface Mickie, she has great energy and gives lots of effort. Definitely makes it.” – Martin Boulevard, November 19, 2017

“Pretty sure she will be on my list as her feud with Trish was really great , their match at Wrestlemania 22 was the best women’s match at WrestleMania until last year. She was definitely the most over babyface in the women’s division and at a time when nobody cared about the women and used it as a bathroom break people actually got invested in Mickie. Her match against Asuka at Takeover Toronto is one of my favorite matches Asuka has had in NXT.” – Trent Williams, June 2, 2017

137. Mike Rotundo Total Points: 648 Total Ballots: 25 Average Rank: 75.1 High Vote: 29 Low Vote: 96 High Voter: Scott Herrin

Key Matches & Moments: Teamed with Barry Windham as the U.S. Express using Real American as their entrance music before Hulk Hogan; Won the Tag Team Championship from Dick Murdoch and Adrian Adonis before losing them to the Iron Sheik and Nikolai Volkoff at the first WrestleMania; Regained the Tag Titles from Sheik and Volkoff before losing them to the Dream Team; Teamed with Dan Spivey in a poor-man’s version of the U.S. Express; Returned in 1991 as wrestling tax collector Irwin R. Schyster; Defeated Greg Valentine at SummerSlam 1991 and feuded with Big Boss Man; Formed the Money, Inc. team with Ted DiBiase, defeating LOD on a house show before the team even debuted on TV; Lost to the Natural Disasters by countout at WrestleMania VIII retaining their titles, but eventually lost the belts to the Natural Disasters; Faced LOD at SummerSlam 1992; Regained the titles from the Natural Disasters causing the Nasty Boys to turn on Jimmy Hart; Faced the Mega-Maniacs team of Hulk Hogan and Brutus Beefcake at WrestleMania IX, winning by DQ in a reversed decision to retain their titles; Feuded with the Steiner Brothers in 1993 trading the Tag Team Titles; Feuded with Razor Ramon over the IC title and later Tatanka in 1994 before joining the Million Dollar Corporation; Feuded with the Undertaker, facing him in a losing effort at Royal Rumble 1995 before stealing the urn; Rotundo was a five-time tag team champion

Staff Thoughts: The U.S. Express was a fun babyface tag team that could’ve had some legs if they’d had a longer run. Money, Inc. was a major force in the tag division during some very dark days for the tag division. IRS was a memorable character and Rotundo did his best to make that work for a long time. He is a five-time tag champion and had a WrestleMania match against Hulk Hogan, both of which are significant achievements. Can’t remember a single match being exciting and his abdominal stretch based offense bored me to tears. One of the pioneers in wearing a tie in a match allowing himself to be choked with it regularly.

From the Voters: “I mean, he was wrestling tax-man. Right off the bat, you know that’s going to be near impossible to pull off, but he pulled it off….for years. He made it all the way to a WrestleMania match with Hogan off a “wrestling tax man” gimmick. Huge props to Mike Rotundo. He took that thing further than would ever be even moderately reasonable to expect.” – James Proffitt, June 4, 2017

“Really liked Money Inc. but always bored me as a singles. Really can’t think of any singles matches during his IRS run that would even hit ***. I always found him to be a bit lazy in the ring despite being mechanically sound. Like it always seemed like he just kind of doing the bare minimum to get by.” – Wade Ferrari, June 1, 2017

136. Mr. Fuji Total Points: 656 Total Ballots: 28 Average Rank: 77.6 High Vote: 44 Low Vote: 100 High Voter: Jason Fastkade

Key Matches & Moments: Teamed with Prof. Tanaka managed by the Grand Wizard winning the World Tag Team Titles from Sonny King and Chief Jay Strongbow; Defended the titles against then-WWWF Champion Pedro Morales and Bruno Sammartino; Fuji challenged Morales for the WWWF title; Fuji and Tanaka traded the Tag Team Titles with Tony Garea and Haystacks Callhoun, before losing the titles to Garea and new partner Dean Ho; Fuji and Tanaka returned to the WWF in 1977, taking “Classy” Freddie Blassie as their manager and defeating Garea and Larry Zbyzsko for their third Tag Team Titles; Fuji teamed with Mr. Saito in 1981 managed by Capt. Lou Albano and began feuding with Garea and Rick Martel winning the Tag Team titles in a very good match; Feuded with Chief Jay Strongbow and Jules Strongbow trading the titles back and forth; Fuji competed as singles competitor and teamed with Tiger Chung Lee before turning on him and feuding with Lee; Fuji was a five-time WWWF/WWF Tag Team champion; Became a manager following his in-ring career, managing Demolition to the Tag Team titles and Yokozuna to two WWF Championships; Star of Fuji Vice

Staff Thoughts: Mr. Fuji had some great tag team feuds and matches with both Tanaka and Saito, and many of his matches can be found in the Fuji collection on the WWE Network. The matches with Martel and Garea are excellent. He’s also known for wearing a tuxedo and bowler hat, carrying a cane (that often found it’s way into matches) and throwing salt in the eyes of his charges opponents as a manager. He guided Yokozuna and Demolition to gold, but peaked as a manager during his star turn in Fuji Vice.

From the Voters: “For anyone with WWE Network access, there is a blast of a tag-team match under the Fuji collection with he and Prof. Tanaka against Peter Maivia and Chief Jay Strongbow. I’ve laughed at least 3 times and I’m just now about 2/3 of the way through it.” – James Proffitt, August 2, 2017

“I was surprised by how much I enjoyed some of the 70s matches included in the memorial collection on the Network. He definitely has a good shot.” – Glenn Butler, June 2, 2017

135. Big John Studd Total Points: 690 Total Ballots: 29 Average Rank: 77.2 High Vote: 13 Low Vote: 99 High Voter: Andrew Lacelle

Key Matches & Moments: Joined WWWF in 1972 under the name Chuck O’Connor facing Chief Jay Strongbow and Gorilla Monsoon before unsuccessfully challenging Pedro Morales for his title; Returned as Executioner #2 (the handsome one) where he won the tag titles with Executioner #1 (Killer Kowalski) before being stripped due to interference from the nefarious Executioner #3 (Nikolai Volkoff); Returned in 1982 under the Big John Studd name originally managed by “Classy” Freddie Blassie; Brought a stretcher to the ring and beat his opponent so badly they needed one; Feuded with Andre the Giant over the “Bodyslam Challenge” throughout 1983 with Andre slamming him several times, including once collapsing the ring; Challenged Hulk Hogan for the WWF Title while maintaining he was the True Giant in Wrestling and that he’d never been slammed (Hogan also successfully slammed Studd); Paired with Bobby “The Brain” Heenan in 1984 and joined with Ken Patera to “rape Andre of his dignity” by cutting his hair; Studd lost a Bodyslam Challenge match against Andre at the first WrestleMania; Began teaming with King Kong Bundy to face Andre and a variety of partners; Participated in the battle royal with football players at WrestleMania II; Continued teaming with Bundy in 1986 to challenge The Machines (Big, Super and Giant with guest appearances from Hulk and Piper); Retired for two years, returning in 1988 to feud with the Heenan Family; Won the first Royal Rumble in 1989; Was the special referee in the WrestleMania V matchup between Andre and Jake “The Snake” Roberts

Staff Thoughts: Forever tied to Andre the Giant and forever in his shadow, Studd provided a believable monster for Andre to conquer. With Ken Patera, he was part of the “raping of Andre’s dignity” haircut angle (FYI yelling that a stylist is raping you of you dignity WILL get you banned from Supercuts…so I’m told). The Bodyslam Challenge was a fine heel gimmick as Studd continued to deny ever being slammed. The team with Bundy was a good monster pairing and led to the fun Machines angle. If Studd had any good matches, I haven’t seen them nor heard of them, but he was one of the dastardly chums of Roddy Piper in the Rock ‘N’ Wrestling cartoon and had a sweet LJN figure.

From the Voters: “Hot angle with him and Patera trashing Andre, but that was all. Worked Hogan around the loop for the belt. Awful feud with Bundy against the Machines and his ’89 return is quite sad. I’ll pass.” – Jason Greenhouse, May 28, 2017

“Member of the Heenan Family, great tag team with King Kong Bundy, wrestled Andre at the first Wrestlemania and a heavyweight contender his entire WWE career. He would be very close to the top 100.” – Eric Boyd, May 28, 2017

134. George Steele Total Points: 694 Total Ballots: 24 Average Rank: 72.1 High Vote: 17 Low Vote: 100 High Voter: Vince Male

Key Matches & Moments: Wrestled Bruno Sammartino to an hour-long draw at MSG in 1968 and challenged Bruno numerous other times throughout the late 1960s and early 1970s; Adopted a crazy heel character tearing turnbuckles apart with his teeth and grunting promos with nonsense like Duuh-dahh; Regularly challenged Pedro Morales and Bob Backlund for their WWF Titles; Turned babyface when his teammates Nikolai Volkoff and the Iron Sheik abandoned him on the first SNME, joining forces with Capt. Lou Albano, who helped him improve his speech during an electric shock therapy session (How Now Brown Cow); Developed a crush on Miss Elizabeth (as did most fans) in 1986 leading to a long feud with Randy Savage; Was in Ricky Steamboat’s corner during the WrestleMania III classic IC Title match vs. Savage; Began carrying a stuffed bear called “Mine” to the ring in 1988; Was entered in the battle royal at WrestleMania IV but never got in the ring; Returned in 1998 as part of the Oddities; Wrestled over 600 matches for the company

Staff Thoughts: I learned everything I know about wooing women from George Steele, leading to a permanent green tongue and several restraining orders. In all seriousness, he was a scary-ass heel in the late 1960s challenging Bruno Sammartino and becoming a beloved comedy goof in the mid 1980s. That checks the boxes for longevity and flexibility quite nicely. He was a key player in the Beauty and the Beast story with Macho Man and Miss Elizabeth and challenged Savage many, many, many times before appearing in the corner of Ricky Steamboat at WrestleMania III. That was the best match Steele had anything to do with, but you’re not really watching The Animal for workrate anyway. You MAY be watching his matches to learn the proper way to eat a turnbuckle or to compare back hair with future “Superstar” Albert.

From the Voters: “Well, he sure had the longevity aspect down. From the 60s on through the very early part of the 90s, even a short run in the Attitude Era with The Oddities. Workrate, he was horrible. However, he went from effective heel to lovable babyface almost overnight. I’m going to say YES and probably put him in the lower end of the list, between 90-100.” – Chris Jordan, May 30, 2017

“Like Volkoff, his early work is much better.. George Steele’s matches against Bruno and Pedro are great, especially that new one on the Network that I think is ’69 Philly but is labeled MSG ’75 or something. His stuff with Savage was entertaining for Steele, even if we think it was wasted on Savage. I wish we had more Pittsburgh stuff.” – Lee Wes, October 7, 2017

133. Fabulous Moolah Total Points: 701 Total Ballots: 18 Average Rank: 62.1 High Vote: 13 Low Vote: 90 High Voter: El Groino

Key Matches & Moments: Began working for Capitol Wrestling Corporation, under Vince McMahon, Sr. in 1955; Won the vacant World Women’s Championship in a battle royal in 1956; Her first women’s championship reign lasted more than ten years; In 1972 became the first woman to wrestle at Madison Square Garden, which had previously banned women’s wrestling; Had an uninterrupted eight-year title reign ending in 1976; Bought the legal rights to the championship in the late 1970s and had another six-year title reign; In 1983 sold the rights to her women’s championship to Vince McMahon, Jr. and became the first WWF women’s champion; Lost the title to Wendi Richter (with Cyndi Lauper in her corner) at the Brawl to End it All, which was broadcast on MTV and a critical part of the Rock N’ Wrestling Connection; Donned a mask as the Spider Lady to win the belt back from Richter in the original screwjob; Held the title another two years before losing it to Sherri Martel; Captained a team in the women’s match at the original Survivor Series in 1987; Appeared with Mae Young in numerous comedy roles primarily in the Attitude Era, including one final title reign in 1999

Staff Thoughts: Fabulous Moolah controlled women’s wrestling in the WWWF/WWF for decades for better or worse (and the stories of the worse are abundant). She most certainly has decades of championship reigns. She was a part of the Rock ‘N’ Wrestling Connection, with her battles against Wendi Richter when Richter was involved with Cyndi Lauper being a huge part of getting on MTV and exposing wrestling to many new fans in the 1980s. The Master of the Hair Pull Toss, “Schmoolah” was never known for her five-star classics. No one could match her for longevity though. As far as wrestling pimps (allegedly) we prefer the Godfather.

From the Voters: “I would have a lot of trouble putting her on my list, not only for the controversies, but because I actually kind of think she drug women’s wrestling down in America, particularly the F/E. I’ll probably be passing on her, though I understand the argument for her.” – Matthew Richards, May 30, 2017

“The longest reigning champion in wrestling history. 48 years I believe. She was the start of what Today is maybe the most entertaining aspect of the show.” – Eric Boyd, May 30, 2017

“She is a trash human being.” – JT Rozzero, January 23, 2017

132. Cody Rhodes Total Points: 705 Total Ballots: 31 Average Rank: 78.3 High Vote: 38 Low Vote: 99 High Voter: TheBestThereNeverWillBe

Key Matches & Moments: Feuded with Randy Orton to defend the honor of his father The American Dream; Earned Bob Holly’s respect and formed a tag team winning the World Tag Team Championship; Turned on Holly at Night of Champions 2008 to join Ted DiBiase, Jr. as his partner and becoming a two-time tag team champion; Joined forces with Randy Orton and the two were sole survivors for their team at Survivor Series 2008, and DiBiase eventually joined them and formed The Legacy after jettisoning deadweight Sim Snuka and Manu; Was one of the final three in the 2009 Royal Rumble; Teaming with the Legacy against Orton’s rivals led to a feud with the reformed DX of Triple H and Shawn Michaels in a good series of matches at SummerSlam, Breaking Point and Hell in a Cell 2009; Rhodes and DiBiase turned on Orton leading to a triple-threat match at WrestleMania XXVI; Took on the “Dashing” gimmick and formed a team with Drew McIntrye winning the WWE Tag Team Titles; Broke his nose in a match with Rey Mysterio, causing him to wear a protective mask and the two wrestlers to have matches at WrestleMania XXVII and Extreme Rules 2011; Participated in the Money in the Bank match in 2011; Won the Intercontinental Title from Ezekiel Jackson; Feuded with Randy Orton and was one of two survivors at Survivor Series 2011, defeating Orton’s team; Eliminated six wrestlers in the 2012 Royal Rumble; Pinned Big Show in the Elimination Chamber setting up their feud where Rhodes lost his IC Title to Show at WrestleMania XXVIII after a 236 day reign; Formed the Rhodes Scholars tag team with Damien Sandow where they challenged Team Hell No in a series of matches for the Tag Team Titles, before Sandow turned on the now mustachioed Rhodes to win the Money in the Bank 2013 briefcase; Rhodes minus mustache defeated Sandow at SummerSlam 2013; Rhodes was put in a match for his job after opposing the Authority and losing the match getting fired as a result; Formed a team with his half-brother Goldust, defeating The Shield at Battleground 2013 in an excellent match to regain their jobs; Goldust and Cody would win the Tag Team Titles from The Shield and successfully defended them at Hell in a Cell and TlC 2013 in very good multi-team matches; After losing the titles and going on a losing streak Cody took on the Stardust persona, and he and Goldust again won the Tag Team titles after turning heel; Turned on Goldust and feuded with him before competing in the IC Title ladder match at WrestleMania 31; Teamed with Wade Barrett to challenge Neville and actor Stephen Amell at SummerSlam 2015; Competed in IC Title ladder match at WrestleMania 32; Rhodes was a three-time WWE Tag Team Champion, a three-time World Tag Team Champion and a two-time IC Champion

Staff Thoughts: The tag team run he had with Goldust in 2013 is fantastic, a hot angle with his brother and father involved, leading to great matches with The Shield and in multi-man matches at Hell in a Cell and TLC. The series of matches he and DiBiase had with DX was also good and most of the rest of the run was fine if unspectacular. He’s been a steady part of the mid-card through mustaches and protective masks. Through it all he’s just been Cody and Glenn Butler explains about the Cody line in this FYC podcast.

From the Voters: “Looking at it objectively, Cody rates well in every catagory. Promo, work rate, big moments, longevity. If he has any weakness it’s that he was much better as a heel than a face. I wonder where people have him after these many months.” – Michael DeDamos, December 22, 2017

“Cody is sneaky good. I crunched some Royal Rumble numbers last year and the algorithm I used had him surprisingly come out as a top 15 RR performer. He’s got midcard longevity, different gimmicks, strongish IC title work, he’s got the high-end tag work with Goldust, a brief run on top lackeying for Orton in the only I thought Orton actually connected as world champion. He’s on my shortlist of 130 guys. I think he’ll make the cut.” – James Derbyshire, May 31, 2017

131. Barry Darsow Total Points: 732 Total Ballots: 28 Average Rank: 74.9 High Vote: 52 Low Vote: 99 High Voter: Andy Halleen

Key Matches & Moments: Replaced Randy Culley as Smash, teaming with Ax (Bill Eadie) as Demolition; With their face-paint and leather and studded ring gear and masks, Demolition was WWF’s answer to the Road Warriors; Won the WWF Tag Team titles from Strike Force at WrestleMania IV, which they held for 16-months, a record only surpassed by the New Day; Turned babyface and ended association with manager Mr. Fuji at Survivor Series 1988; Defeated the Powers of Pain and Mr. Fuji at WrestleMania V; Traded the Tag Team Titles with the Brain Busters losing them on the July 1989 edition of SNME; Lost the belts to the Colossal Connection before winning them back at WrestleMania VI becoming three-time champs in a match known for Andre the Giant turning babyface after the match; Crush joined Demolition and the team could defend the titles under Freebird rules; Lost the belts to the Hart Foundation at SummerSlam 1990; Feuded with LOD in 1991 before disbanding the team; Darsow took on the new gimmick of the Repo Man, looking and acting like The Riddler, feuding with Virgil and later the British Bulldog after Repo Man hung him over the top rope; Stole Randy Savage’s hat and was defeated by the Macho Man

Staff Thoughts: Good Ol’ Will’s favorite wrestler was one-half of Demolition, an important tag team in WWF history. Sure, they may have been Road Warrior rip offs, but their entrance music was cool and their ring gear made them look like monsters until you saw their ‘chiseled physiques.” Still Demolition had a record-breaking run, looked good squashing jobbers and had some decent matches with the really good teams of the era, like the Brain Busters and Strike Force. The guys talk about Demolition on this FYC podcast. Darsow was also the Repo Man, once stealing Randy Savage’s cowboy hat. Why he couldn’t have just gone to any carnival and won it at the ring toss like the rest of us is beyond me.

From the Voters: “I’m going to just put this out there: Isn’t he top 100 solely based on the rarely seen half mustache + facepaint combo?” – Ronnie Vod, May 29, 2017

“1/2 of the Longest Reigning WWE Tag Champs until New Day past it last year. And of course Repo Man. What more do I have to add?” – Greg Diener, May 28, 2017

130. Bray Wyatt Total Points: 739 Total Ballots: 30 Average Rank: 76.4 High Vote: 32 Low Vote: 100 High Voter: Darren Hibbert

Key Matches & Moments: As Husky Harris he was part of the Nexus and later the New Nexus; Developed the Bray Wyatt character of a cult leader of the Wyatt Family (Luke Harper and Erick Rowan) in NXT; Debuted on the main roster and defeated Kane at a Ring of Fire match at SummerSlam 2013; Feuded with Daniel Bryan and CM Punk, with the Wyatt Family defeating Bryan in a three-on-one handicap match at TLC 2013; Bryan briefly joined the Wyatt Family, before turning on them; Bray had his best singles match when he faced Bryan at Royal Rumble 2014 in a very good match; The Wyatt Family interfered in a match on Raw costing The Shield a spot in the Elimination Chamber, leading to a fantastic six-man match between the Wyatt Family and The Shield at Elimination Chamber; Cost John Cena in title matches at both the Royal Rumble and Elimination Chamber 2014 leading to their match at WrestleMania XXX, which Cena won; Continued Cena feud that also involved creepy children’s choirs, facing him in a steel cage match at Extreme Rules and a last man standing match at Payback; Set Harper and Rowan free disbanding the Wyatt Family; Feuded with Dean Ambrose in late 2014; Lasted 47 minutes and eliminated six wrestlers at the 2015 Royal Rumble; Challenged Undertaker to a match at WrestleMania 31 in a losing effort; Reformed the Wyatt Family with new member Braun Strowman and feuded with Roman Reigns and Dean Ambrose; Wyatt Family confronted The Rock at WrestleMania 32; In late 2016 Randy Orton joined the Wyatt Family and Bray and Orton won the SmackDown Tag Team titles at TLC 2016, though Orton and Harper (defending under Freebird rules) would lose the titles causing dissension in the Wyatt Family; Won the WWE Championship in the 2017 Elimination Chamber; Lost the title to Randy Orton at WrestleMania 33 in an awful match involving holograms of bugs; Faced Orton in a non-title House of Horrors match; Feuded with Finn Balor, before getting involved in a feud with “Woken” Matt Hardy

Staff Thoughts: The Eater of Worlds also knows his way around a plate of nachos, because despite all his spooky promos he’s just another guy. Tons of potential when he debuted as something different than the usual jacked-up bro character, but never realized that potential. A gifted talker, Bray showed promise before the promos got overly repetitive. He was involved in the fantastic six-man matches with The Shield and had a really good match vs. Daniel Bryan at the 2014 Royal Rumble (good thing they didn’t put Bryan in the Rumble match too, that would’ve been crazy). Has faced John Cena, Undertaker and Randy Orton, in addition to appearing in a segment with The Rock, at WrestleMania. The match against Orton at WrestleMania 33 is one of the all-time worst title matches at Mania, unless you are obsessed with worms and maggots and grubs. Their House of Horrors rematch continued the ridiculousness, and nothing he’s done since has helped him right the ship. The guys talked about Bray in this episode of the FYC podcast.

From the Voters: “Great character that debuted but then started losing every feud he was in which just makes his character a fraud and not to take seriously. Needs someone better than him in ring (Bryan, Cena, etc ( to have a great match with. Very low on the list.” – Dennis Nunez, May 29, 2017

“Most useless, pointless character in the last decade.Weird promo on some guy for no reason. Boring 3 match series. Win or lose repeat with next guy. No growth, no character development which usually doesn’t matter but this guy is literally all character.” – Aaron George, May 29, 2017

129. Road Dogg Total Points: 746 Total Ballots: 35 Average Rank: 79.7 High Vote: 50 Low Vote: 98 High Voter: Brad Faulk

Key Matches & Moments: Served as “The Roadie” to “Double J” Jeff Jarrett and was the real voice behind “With My Baby Tonight,” which was supposed to start a feud between the two wrestlers; Returned as “The Real Double J” Jesse James feuding with The Honky Tonk Man and his protege Rockabilly Billy Gunn, before teaming with Gunn as the New Age Outlaws; Defeated LOD for the WWF Tag Team titles and continued feuding with LOD shaving part of Hawk’s signature reverse mohawk; Feuded with Chainsaw Charlie and Mankind leading to a dumpster match at WrestleMania XIV; Joined D-Generation-X; Participated in the Intercontinental Title four-way at WrestleMania XV after he surprisingly won the IC title after pursuing the Hardcore Title for some time; Teamed with and later feuded with X-Pac; Formed an alliance with K-Kwik, got rowdy, then left the company; Returned to win another Tag Team Championship with Gunn at Royal Rumble 2014; Teamed with Kane to face The Shield at WrestleMania XXX; Was a six-time Tag Team Champion, a Hardcore Champion and an IC Champion

Staff Thoughts: Oh you didn’t know? Your ass better caaaalll somebody. Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, children of all ages…The New Age Outlaws were one of the most popular acts of the Attitude Era, during one of the hottest times for the company. They were fresh and new and stood in stark contrast to the stale and old LOD, signalling a changing of the guard in the tag team division. He remained popular as part of DX and was in a number of Russo-riffic storylines, most notably having a good multi-man feud for the Hardcore Title before winning the IC title and being thrown into that match because Swervz Brah. Road Dogg had the gift of gab and his schtick was huge getting the NAO over. None of his singles or tag matches particularly stand out.

From the Voters: “Very good promo. I think he could be fun in tags & is one half of the most popular tag team of 1998 during a monster year of business. He got stale in the latter years of the Attitude Era though & couldn’t keep up with the change of expectations in workrate once guys like Jericho & the Radicalz came in.” – Devon Motivator Hales, June 2, 2017

“The name “New Age Outlaws” always bothered me. When I think New Age, I think Yanni, weird crystals, and meditation. I am going to take a look at Road Dogg. He has enough time with the company and was quite over for a period of time. Maybe he is underrated.” – Michael DeDamos, July 8, 2017

128. Becky Lynch Total Points: 754 Total Ballots: 22 Average Rank: 66.727 High Vote: 19 Low Vote: 99 High Voter: Scott Herrin

Key Matches & Moments: One of the “Four Horsewomen of NXT”, competed in the four-way match for the NXT Women’s Championship at Takeover Rival; Challenged Sasha Banks for the Women’s Championship at NXT Takeover Unstoppable losing in an excellent match; Debuted on the main roster as part of the “women’s revolution” invented by Stephanie McMahon as part of PCB; Got the pin on Brie Bella to win a three-team elimination match at SummerSlam 2015 for her team; Challenged Charlotte for the Diva’s Championship at Royal Rumble 2016; Challenged for the new WWE Women’s Championship in a very good three-way match with Banks and Charlotte at WrestleMania 32; Drafted to SmackDown and won the inaugural SmackDown Women’s title at Backlash in a six-pack challenge; Was the last woman eliminated from the SmackDown team at Survivor Series 2016; Lost her championship to Alexa Bliss in a tables match at TLC 2016; Continued feuding with Bliss and battled her in a steel cage match on SmackDown; Competed in six-pack challenge for SmackDown Women’s Title at WrestleMania 33; Participated in the first women’s Money in the Bank match; Captained the SmackDown team that lost to the Raw team in the women’s match at Survivor Series 2017; Attacked by the debuting Riot Squad putting her out of action to film the Marine 6 (there are six of those damn movies???) before recently returning to SmackDown

Staff Thoughts: Becky Lynch had great matches against other great women’s wrestlers, generally in NXT with the other Horsewomen. The four-way with all the Horsewomen and the match at Takeover Unstoppable vs. Sasha Banks are excellent must-see matches. She lacks the high-end classics that Bayley and Sasha had and the high-profile position and multiple championships that Charlotte has and just feels like the fourth most important member of the group (and perhaps overshadowed by other women on the roster as well). The women’s three-way match at WrestleMania 32 was among the best women’s matches in WrestleMania history. Lynch has been a pillar of the SmackDown women’s division since moving over to the blue brand. Hear more about the Lasskicker on this FYC podcast.

From the Voters: “Definitely very good, but it’s interesting how she’s managed to be overshadowed in every major situation. She has the instant classic with Sasha Banks at Takeover, only for Sasha and Bayley to overshadow it at the next Takeovers. She debuts on the main roster and is instantly lower on the power rankings than Charlotte. She gets her own division built around her on SmackDown, only to be undercut by Alexa Bliss’ quick rise, and then the Naomi push, and then Charlotte gets traded over. Doesn’t necessarily count against her in a significant way, I just think it’s interesting.” – Glenn Butler, May 29, 2017

“Hands down the most dependable worker of the current era. She should still be the SDL champ. Remains popular despite not being the focus of the division anymore. I’d like to include her, but I can’t justify it.” – Adam Russell, July 14, 2017

127. Brutus Beefcake Total Points: 757 Total Ballots: 33 Average Rank: 78.6 High Vote: 32 Low Vote: 100 High Voter: Andrew Lacelle

Key Matches & Moments: Had a match at the first WrestleMania against the lesser Sammartino; With Partner Greg Valentine formed the Dream Team and won the WWF Tag Team Titles; Had arguably the best match on the card at WrestleMania 2 when the Dream Team dropped the titles to The British Bulldogs; Turned face and then attended beauty school and became a barber; Spent the latter 1980s both strutting AND cutting his way through the midcard; Was brutalized by Ron Bass’ spurs in a CENSORED moment that surely scarred a generation; Invented the catchphrase “SCARY SHERRI” and went on to main event SummerSlam 1989 with Hulk Hogan; Assaulted the Genius and cut his hair WITHOUT CONSENT; Ended Mr. Perfect’s undefeated streak by defeating him at WrestleMania VI; Opened a Barber Shop that was eventually destroyed by a shaving cream laden Sid Justice; Formed the Mega Maniacs with Hulk Hogan but came up short in the bid to win the Tag Team Titles at WrestleMania IX

Staff Thoughts: While perhaps never the best in ring general, it’s hard to deny that Brutus Beefcake was one of the most iconic grapplers of the 1980s. He’s one of the few guys you could mention to a non wrestling fan that they would remember. His colorful outfits meshed perfectly with Jim Johnson losing his mind on the bass. Brother Bruti was OVER with a capital O, often receiving pops that rivaled the tops stars despite being amid-card bulwark. His promo skills were a bit hokey, and his character development rarely strayed beyond crazy wide-eyed guy with garden shears but it’s safe to say that Brutus Beefcake left an undeniable mark on the business. Long live Brutus the fucking Barber Beefcake!

From the Voters: “Shear off the ugly ends of his WWF career with those oversized clippers and he had a decent middle. Did well enough in the Dream Team with Greg Valentine and then put it together as The Barber, having good matches against better workers like Ted DiBiase and Mr. Perfect. The less said about his first singles run and/or 1993 comeback the better. I think he just misses the list.” – Ben Morse, June 5, 2017

“He had a 6 year run, and was always relevant during it. He worked his way up to the top of the mid-card for the last year of his run, and he earned it – he was super popular, a solid worker and a solid promo. He was Hogan’s friend, but that didn’t seem to really help his career until 1993. He shouldn’t be penalized for coming up alongside a more successful performer.” – James Profitt, July 20, 2017

126. Samoa Joe Total Points: 779 Total Ballots: 28 Average Rank: 73.2 High Vote: 24 Low Vote: 98 High Voter: Bret Hart

Key Matches & Moments: Defeated Baron Corbin at NXT Takeover Brooklyn; Won the Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic Tournament with Finn Balor with the final two matches taking place at NXT Takeover Respect; Turned heel and challenged Balor for the NXT title at NXT Takeover London; Defeated Sami Zayn in a two-out-of-three falls match to determine the #1 contender for the NXT title; Challenged Balor at NXT Takeover Dallas getting cut early in the match and failing to win the title; Won the NXT title from Balor at a live event and successfully defended the title against Balor at NXT Takeover The End; Lost the NXT title to Shinsuke Nakamura at NXT Takeover Brooklyn II; Defeated Nakamura for the NXT championship at NXT Takeover Toronto to become the first two-time NXT champion; Lost the title back to Nakamura in Japan and failed to win it back in a steel-cage match in Australia; Debuted on Raw attacking Seth Rollins and aligning himself with Triple H; At Extreme Rules 2017 Joe defeated Balor, Rollins, Roman Reigns and Bray Wyatt to become the #1 contender for Brock Lesnar’s Universal Championship; Challenged Lesnar for the title at Great Balls of Fire in a fun hard-hitting sprint; Again challenged Lesnar for the title in a really good four-way match at SummerSlam also involving Reigns and Braun Strowman; Was part of the winning Raw team at Survivor Series

Staff Thoughts: Samoa Joe had good, main event matches against both Finn Balor and Shinsuke Nakamura in NXT on Takeover cards that featured great matches on the undercard often overshadowing the title matches. His match with Lesnar at Great Balls of Fire was really good for as short as it was, but lacked time to become a classic (if either guy could have a long, classic match these days). The SummerSlam four way is a great, violent chaotic match. Joe’s been hampered by injuries on the main roster as well. We all know Joe’s earlier work and are left to wonder what could’ve been if he’d gotten to the WWE earlier in his career, but it wasn’t meant to be. Still, his solid NXT career and the Balls match and SummerSlam match indicate there could be more good stuff to come.

From the Voters: “He’s had a 2 year run now under the consideration criteria. By year’s end, he’ll be just 6 months short of Rick Rude’s tenure. He has a ton of great matches in NXT, had a memorable debut on Raw, has main evented a ppv and had one of the coolest sub-10 minute matches I’ve seen with Brock on Sunday. He’ll definitely qualify as one of the best 100 just based on his top-tier work in the last 2 years, and I’m looking forward to see what he’ll do in the next 5 months to improve his positioning.” – James Proffitt, July 13, 2017

“One of my all time favorites…great NXT run but his main roster tenure is too short for me to consider him. I hope his career lasts long enough that he’s a lock when we do this again in 10 years.” – Neil Trama, June 2, 2017

125. Finn Balor Total Points: 871 Total Ballots: 33 Average Rank: 74.6 High Vote: 32 Low Vote: 100 High Voter: Henry Rivers

Key Matches & Moments: Teamed with Hideo Itami to feud with the Ascension defeating them at NXT Takeover R Evolution; Won a #1 contender tournament for the NXT title defeating Neville in the finals at NXT Takeover Rival; Defeated Tyler Breeze at NXT Takeover Unstoppable; Won the NXT Championship from Kevin Owens at Beast from the East in Japan; Retained the NXT title in a ladder match vs. Owens at NXT Takeover Brooklyn; Teamed with Samoa Joe to win the Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic with the finals at NXT Takeover Respect; Retained the NXT Championship against Samoa Joe at both NXT Takeover London and NXT Takeover Dallas; Lost the NXT title to Joe at NXT Takeover The End, ending his record-setting reign at 292 days in a steel cage match that was his first loss at a Takeover event and his first loss as the demon persona; Drafted to Raw in 2016 draft; At SummerSlam 2016 defeated Seth Rollins to become the first Universal Champion as the Demon King; Was injured in the match so relinquished the title; Competed in a fatal-five way to determine the #1 contender for the Universal title, but lost that match; As the Demon King defeated Bray Wyatt at SummerSlam, leading to a “man v. man” match at No Mercy; Wyatt was ruled out of TLC due to illness giving us the much better Balor as the Demon King vs. A.J. Styles match; Was on the winning team at Survivor Series; Reformed the Balor Club with Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson

Staff Thoughts: As the Demon King, Finn Balor’s war paint and entrance stand out and fans love extending their arms with his theme music. When he just competes as Finn, he’s less exciting. He’s a good but not spectacular worker, and his run in NXT exemplified that, having good matches overshadowed by great matches lower on the card. That said, he was the face of NXT holding down the main event for quite a while. Finn seemed destined for greatness when he won the Universal Title shortly after debuting on Raw, but getting injured in the match forced him to give up the title and he hasn’t recovered since. Getting saddled feuding with Bray Wyatt did him no favors. But I’m sure once he wins the 2018 Royal Rumble match, as predicted by Scott Criscuolo, that will turn everything around for the Demon King.

From the Voters: “I like Balor pretty well and I think he gets their eventually, but I am guessing he misses my list right now just based on volume, time, and output. I expect him to have some instant classics in the next year or two as I think the cards are falling perfectly for him, but we will see.” – Matthew Richards, May 30, 2017

“Would have to have some big time moments and matches between now and the rest of the year for my consideration. Not impossible.” – Jeremy Ray, May 29, 2017

#IFTTT #Place to Be Nation

0 notes