Yes, we did it.
We decided to not let all the BIG wrestling websites have all the fun – it was time for the little guys to take a stand and name, in our opinion, the Top 100 Pro Wrestlers of All Time!
But would it be right for just one website to decide the Top 100? I mean, there’s more than just one opinion out there. So, we decided this should be not one, not two, but THREE wrestling websites participating. Here were the contributors:
www.thebalrogslair.com – or TBL. The guys at TBL Wresting have been doing this for a long time. Joe and the gang have been around longer than most of these little upstart wrestling websites – bringing you all the insider news, views, and columns. Plus, there is a little special place in my (the moderator of this column) heart, since I got my IWC start on TBL.
www.xheadlines.com – or X Headlines. They “Give You What You Want.” And what you want is hard-hitting wrestling news and columns culled from all around the internet. While X Headlines might be somewhat new, all the views are informed and in yo face.
www.saltyham.com – or Salty Ham. I would have called it Roland.com, but I think it was taken. Yes, Salty Ham has been around for just three years – and while we are the little website that could – we bring you up to date news, columns, and general nonsense all day, every day. Put that in your pipe and smoke it.
So, before we get to the first ten in our list of 100 – you should know how this worked. A while back, we sent out the call to the internet writers from these three websites and gave them instructions on sending in their list of their top 100 wrestlers. They were told that whatever criteria they wanted to use was fine. If they based their great wrestlers on in-ring ability, legacy, or entertainment value or whatever – they could decide that for themselves. We then took all the lists we got back from these writers and gave points to each wrestler based upon the rankings. We then totaled up the points and what we had was the cumulative and definitive list of the Top 100 wrestlers of all time.
Over the next 10 weeks, we will unveil ten wrestlers from the list until we get to #1. Also, we will get roundtable comments from those that wished to share their thoughts. Of course, you are encouraged to voice your opinions to this list either via email, forum, or in a comments section (depending upon where you’re reading this).
So, let’s not waste any more time. This week we present to you: The Top 100 Pro Wrestlers of All Time: #100 to 91:
***Dones Comment: note: dr= Dones Rank when he made is own 100 for Roland…because I love him.
#100
Giant Baba
Roland: I’m not going to lie to you – I’ve never seen Giant Baba wrestle. But (as with some others on this list), I’ve heard of his legacy. However, the “Giant from the East” was a 3-time NWA champion and (probably more notably) formed All Japan Pro Wrestling. He was also on some pretty formidable tag teams, so I understand his inclusion on the list. I only wish I could have seen him wrestle.
Steve W: I’ll be honest. I’ve never followed Japanese wrestling all that closely, so I’ve never had much of a chance to see him work. that said, his impact on the business and his place in the history of it cannot be denied. If you listen to wrestlers talk about him, pretty much to a man they all say the same thing. He was a great man as well as an honest man, the kind of person you don’t often find in wrestling.
Fantasy Muser: Never saw him, my brother thought that I should read wycopedia and write something cool about him but I just don’t have the time!
Dones: (dr-NOT RANKED)
#99
Abdullah the Butcher
Fantasy Muser: This guy was one of the scariest wrestlers of his time. When he was on the Texas wrestling circuit with the Von Erichs you always thought no one could beat him.
Steve W: I can’t believe he’s still wrestling after all these years, but he is. You don’t really see that much of him anymore, but I can’t imagine wrestling without him for some reason. He’s a name that everybody knows, and people I know who haven’t watched wrestling in years or catch it now and then still ask me about him quite a bit.
Roland: Ugh, that head. It looks like ground beef. Best known for his bloody matches in Japan and the US (the dreaded FORK OF DOOM), he was a sort of precursor for Mick Foley and ran parallel to Terry Funk (although, not as recognized or as athletic – if that makes any sense). I suppose is he had ever had a run in the WWF/E, he might be more well known, but as a fan of violence, I dug The Butcher.
Dones: Legally insane. (dr-#99)
#98
Gregory Helms
Steve W: I’ve always enjoyed watching him, and I don’t care what anybody says, 3 Count ruled.
Roland: I think we might have hit the first flaw in the list. Hey, I like The Hurricane as much as anyone else, but is he really a Top 100 Wrestler of All Time? I think not. I suppose his likeability amongst fans gave him some points with some of our voters, but he shouldn’t be on this list.
Fantasy Muser: I am shocked to see this guy on the list. I will admit he did make me laugh, especially when he would parlay with Steve Austin or Triple H. I don’t know if he belongs in the top 100.
Dones: Not quite. (dr-NOT RANKED)
#97
Rikidozan
Dones: Is this erectile dysfunction medication? (dr-NOT RANKED)
Fantasy Muser: Another I don’t know! I’m not a Japan wrestling follower so I have no clue.
Roland: For those of you who don’t know, Rikidozan is the man who brought popularity to pro wrestling in Japan (event though he was Korean). After being spurned as a Sumo wrestler, he made the Japanese fall in love with pro wrestling by beating up a bunch of US wrestlers (directly following WWII when the US made the Japanese tap out with the bomb). Plus he got a huge rub when Lou Thesz put him over. And, you have to respect a guy who got stabbed by a member of the Yakuza using a urine soaked blade – then refused medical attention and died. That’s a man for you (albeit, probably a stupid man).
Steve W: Another one of those guys who had a huge historical impact on the wrestling business, but that I don’t feel qualified to comment on.
#96
Yokozuna
Fantasy Muser: When he came on the scene with Mr. Fuji, he was really something! By far, one of the fattest wrestlers in history but he could really move well. My favorite memory of him is when he went up against Lex Lugar on that Naval ship. That was really a cool gimmick match and when he let Lugar slam him that was truly awesome!
Roland: We would be remiss if we didn’t also mention that Yoko was actually named Rodney and he was American (of Samoan heritage – his uncles were Afa and Sika of Wild Samoan fame). You could give Yokozuna some love for being a 2-time WWF champion, but personally – his gimmick was sort of dumb and he was big at the time the WWF was in the toilet. So, I don’t think he should have made the top 100. Plus, he was involved in the biggest stroke job of Hulk Hogan’s massive ego when Hogan beat him in like 10 seconds at wrestlemania AFTER Bret Hart lost that heartbreaker (thereby making Bret look completely useless).
Steve W: At one point, he was one of, if not the most athletic huge man in wrestling. He truly seemed unbeatable for a time, and when he’d hit guys with the banzai drop, you couldn’t help but think to yourself damn, I bet that hurt.
Dones: At his peak, unstoppable. The most domination performance I’ve ever seen in a Royal Rumble. Why? Because you KNEW he wasn’t getting eliminated. The only man who truly killed Hulkamania. (dr-#30)
#95
Paul Roma
Roland: I know this sounds bad, but I just don’t remember much about Paul Roma. I remember him being a physique guy with the muscles popping. I somewhat remember him tagging with Paul Orndorff – but I really don’t remember him having much of an impact on me. So, I can’t really comment on him being much of a wrestler in that respect.
Dones: Apparently I wasn’t the only one drunk when making this list. (dr-NOT RANKED)
Steve W: Um…ok. He was a good enough wrestler, but nothing about him ever really stuck out to me.
Fantasy Muser: I vaguely remember him being a tag team guy with Mr. Wonderful. But he was just the other guy! He never had that much of an impact in my eyes and definitely should NOT be on this list.
#94
Jerry Lawler
Steve W: I don’t think that he gets a lot of the credit he deserves for being the star he was and is. The Memphis territory was huge forever and still draws quite well today in large part thanks to him. My one knock on him is that somewhere around 1999 he forgot how to be a good announcer. He’ll drop the odd funny line here and there, but he used to crack me up on commentary, now he more often than not gets on my nerves if I notice him at all.
Dones: By all accounts, a certified asshole. But he’s still the King. (dr-#73)
Fantasy Muser: I think is too low for Lawler! This guy ruled the NWA forever! He had some classic matches with Flair that were fun to watch. He was an excellent mic guy and he always had command of any show he was in! Let’s also not forget that he was one of the first wrestlers to be known worldwide for his work/shoot with Andy Kaufman.
Roland: I’m fine with Lawler the wrestler being in the top 100, but not Lawler the announcer. The King brought a lot of originality to pro wrestling with his Memphis territory. His feud with Andy Kaufman (and the famous Letterman episode) really brought him into the limelight. Back before he was such a goof, Lawler had a good intensity about him and he was a genuine tough guy in the vein of an Arn Anderson type. He also could wrestle good matches. His placement on this list might be a little low, but I’m pleased he made it.
#93
Raven
Roland: No matter what you might think of the guy, Raven has had a lot of success in this business. His stint in ECW and feud with Dreamer was one of the more fully realized feuds in wrestling history. Think about how long that feud lasted and for Dreamer to never actually win a match until the very end is something Vince would never do. Raven’s character (at least then) drew a lot on the psychological and had some parallels to another psychological wrestler in Jake Roberts. Raven may be a kooky guy, but he has skills in the ring and he knows how to cut a promo. And for that, I think Raven is adequately placed on this list.
Fantasy Muser: I’m glad to see him make the list. He always puts on an awesome performance and has never received the top billing he deserves. His depressed/maniacal characters are well thought of and he has great ring ability. I still hope he comes back to the WWE.
Steve W: A guy with a really good head for wrestling and the psychology and logic behind it. I love listening to his interviews because if you can get past the I-know-everything attitude he sometimes projects, he makes some great points about the way things should be done. He kind of reminds me of Jake Roberts that way. A guy whose best days are long gone, but who still has a great deal to offer the next generation of wrestlers if given the chance.
Dones: Not quite, folks. (dr-NOT RANKED)
#92
Bob Orton Jr.
Fantasy Muser: He was great and you can tell that JBL loved this guy and modeled his characters after him. I remember when he whipped Hogan. He was always a good talker and just a good guy to watch.
Steve W: An under-rated talent who always seemed to be over-shadowed by the people around him. I’ll always remember him most for his work with Rowdy Roddy Piper in the 80’s WWF. To this day that’s still some of the best stuff I’ve ever seen, and it’s a big part of why I’ve been hooked on wrestling for almost 22 years.
Roland: When I was first introduced to pro wrestling, Cowboy Bob was more on his way out than in. And his place in history is identified more by his association with Roddy Piper and that whole Rock & Wrestling Connection than anything he actually accomplished in the ring. But Bob Orton had one of the funniest little gimmicks going – The Forearm Cast. He must have worn that thing for five years while Monsoon and Vince complained about it and Jessie Ventura came up with excuse after excuse for it. It’s funny how a little thing like that gets over. And it was that very arm cast that created the decision in Wrestlemania I.
Dones: Had to be on the list. (dr-#89)
#91
Val Venis
Steve W: I’m glad that Val made the list. Aside from Steve Austin, he was my favourite attitude era character. Some of his segments and feuds were pretty stupid, like the whole “choppy choppy your pee pee” thing for example, but his promos were always funny and he was almost always able to give you a good match when given the chance. I wish WWE would do more with him, even if it has to be under a different gimmick. I think he’s still got some good matches left in him, and watching guys like him who know how to put a decent match together would be a nice change from some of the shit we get now.
Dones: I didn’t rank him. But I found him utterly hilarious. One of my favorite lines “it can’t be my kid…I had a VASECTOMOY.” (dr-NOT RANKED)
Fantasy Muser: Explain? Why is he on the list? This guy was never original; his voice is so freaking annoying. I hate him! I don’t get it and the only reason someone put him on their list is cuz they were just being stupid!
Roland: Val doesn’t deserve to be on this list. As funny a gimmick as his was – Val shouldn’t be on here.
Join us next week as we continue the countdown with #90 to 81!
