The greatest wrestler without "the look"?

[Potatogod93]

Great Thread!

I think there's many really, but the greatest?? I'm not sure on the greatest, but I'm leaning Lance Storm, great in ring worker. Dusty Rhodes? Seriously? Dude was not really that great of a worker. I'm sort of lost on that one.

[BarryHorowitzfanclub]

Easiest question to answer: American Dream Dusty Rhodes.

He was obviously not a body builder, unless you consider putting on pounds building. But he had more charisma than anyone this side of Ric Flair.

[Defekt]

Originally Posted by George Steele's Barber

I think you really have to seperate generations in order to have a discussion on this topic. Backlund is definitely a great choice but he accended in a different period than what most of us grew up watching. I completely disagree with Rhodes and Foley. Although they don't fit the body builder mold they both looked like big strong brawlers who no one would ever want to mess with.

Some of the guys that didn't or don't have "the look" of a successful professional wrestler and have experienced success are:

DDP - there was a reason this guy started his career as a manager. He's kind of goofy looking and has a really weird skin pigmentation. His personality is what really got him over.

Daniel Bryan - he really is the modern day Backlund, small and average looking yet he has had far more success than anyone would expect based on his appearance. Whether or not he can maintain it or is just another flavor of the month is another story.

Bret Hart - I know he wasn't small and had a decent build but he wasn't much more than normal looking. There was nothing extraordinary about his look.

CM Punk - I can't believe how much in general this guy has lost his internet darling love. We are five posts in and no one mentions a guy who is skinny fat, has sunken eyes with giant bags underneath, a hair helmet and a muumuu tattoo.

Honorable mention to Eddie, Benoit, and Matt Hardy.

I guess everyone has their own opinion. Guys like Bret Hart and CM Punk are very popular with the ladies. In Bret's book he talks about getting the most fan mail, most of it from women.

I wouldn't call Backlund the greatest, but he certainly achieved alot for looking the way he did. When Backlund made his return, and the commentators would talk about how he was a 2 time world champion, I had a hard time believing it.

The guy dressed like a jobber (old looking, plain trunks), had red hair, was pasty, and had no muscle tone.

[LegendKiller716]

I wanna go with Roddy Piper. It really depends on how you define "the look". People may disagree with me because Piper has never been world champion, but he is one of the greatest of all time.

Another guy, while he's not the best, is Jeff Hardy. He's had problems, but nobody is as over as he is.

[Honkey_Kong]

What about George The Animal Steele? He looked like an out of shape boob and became a name that sold tickets no matter who he was facing.

[Attitude Era Junkie]

I didn't even need to think for 3 seconds. Dusty Rhodes.

Mick Foley would be 2nd I guess but I pick Rhodes over him because Foley was more of a hardcore guy and a brawler anyway. You don't need to be in good shape for that stuff. Foley proved that.

[Aotearoa (Bushwacker)]

Definitely agree with all mentionhed so far.
My picks would have been Jeff Hardy and Rey Mysterio for sure.
But in order to be different and add to the mix how about YOKOZUMA. He definitely did not have the look of a muscled bound body builder. Yeah he was huge as hell and looked badass, but he was slow and clumsy and definitely did not have the look or physique we are discussing here.
The other that I am surprised nobody has mentioned yet and is probably one of the highest achievers has to be Shawn Michaels. Definitely did not have the look and had a hell of a lot of success.

[Rockyfolifebo!!!]

There's a lot you can go with. I gotta admit though, the very first one to come to mind was Mick Foley. Here you have this guy who's over 300 pounds, who's been highly over with the fans for the past 20 years because of his insane stunts! The same with Jeff Hardy. He is not that big monster that Vince is looking for, yet he's attained much success in his career for his crazy stunts.

But as far as the best, I'm going to say Eddie Guerrero. Period. He was entertaining, athletic, and loved what he did. He helped revolutionize cruiserweight wrestling back in the 90s along with Mysterio and others. He has become WWE champion, and before his death, he was about to go on to win the World Heavyweight title. It's true they say you never know what you have until it's gone. Eddie was a gift, regardless of size. And he could put on the best matches with ANYONE, regardless of size.

[steve_smith]

How 'bout Austin Aires. I love this guy. He's one of the most entertaining guys in the business. He's great and is going to be even better, but he has a ceiling and that's because he's too small.

I have a hard time believing this guy could legitimately beat the giants, the six foot sixes/sevens/eights in the business.

I love this guy but, because of his size, he's got to be a heel that cheats to get to the top. That's the only way I can buy his inevitable rise to the top.

[HBsam31]

Rey Mysterio is interesting because he was a cruiser weight when I first caught on to him in WCW and he looked right at home in that division. He was still smaller than the rest, but you didn't really notice. Then he went in the heavyweight division, and I always felt he was out of place. Never really got used to or enjoyed seeing him with the larger guys. Bob Backlund is my choice though. He looked like my hs english teacher, and dressed like a jobber. He didn't look the part at all, but had great success in the ring.