Greatest talent to ever work in pro-wrestling?

RicoLen

Wise Guy
Who do you believe to be the most talented entertainer to ever work in the world of pro-wrestling?

Is it The Rock? A successful actor, college football star & pro-wrestler behind the mic and in the ring.

Hulk Hogan? The poster child of pro-wrestling, who's starred in several movies, & television shows, and hosted some as well, and perhaps the most charismatic pro-wrestling superstar ever.

Kurt Angle? Olympic gold medalist, and amazing talent in pro-wrestling.

John Cena? Rapper, Wrestler, & Movie star?

Chris Jericho? Game show host, rock star, & wrestler?

Someone else?

Who & Why?

I'll give my answer a little later.
 
Probably Jesse Ventura. Predator and Running Man were both awesome. Became Gov of MN. Has had some decent TV shows etc...really underrated as a wrestler and one of the best announcers in WWF history.
 
I don't think it's possible to narrow it down to one superstar, simply because the parameters for selection are not defined. There are too many factors to consider. I will try to answer though by dividing it into separate questions. Again, these are all my opinion, although I do use facts to come to the conclusion. The most talented wrestler would be Bret Hart mainly because he could wrestle with literally everyone. I'll not go as far to say he never had a bad match, but an example of this would be the 1993 KOTR. He wrestled 3 different men, Scott Hall, Bam Bam Bigelow, and Curt Hennig. All 3 men, who were wonderful in their own right, had classic matches with Bret. In one night, he was able to adapt and wrestle 3 different types of matches with 3 different, yet extremely talented people. Also adding credibility to my claim is the fact that he never injured an opponent throughout his long career. The most talented entertainer would be Shawn Michaels. He had a way of making you empathize with him as a face, whether during a match or on the mic, and with his opponent as a heel. You truly felt his back pain during his Wrestlemania 14 match with Stone Cold. He was charismatic, sexy (to the women and homo and bi-sexual men) and both a technician and a high flyer. He could be "hardcore" in matches that called for it, such as street fights and HIAC, or he could be a technical savant like in his Iron Man match with Bret Hart. Any "greatest wrestler" list has to include Hogan. I wouldn't say that wrestling wouldn't exist without him, but it certainly would not have become as popular in the 80's and 90's without him. His name is synonymous with professional wrestling; ask people who don't know anything about it, and they'll most likely say "that thing that Hulk Hogan does." My father, who was a El Salvadorian immigrant and later US citizen (and a bastard but that's not for this topic) who knew absolutely nothing about pro wrestling, knew Hogan. That is something nobody will ever be able to duplicate. The Undertaker is certainly the one with the most successful gimmick of all time, and we all know how crucial that is to "sports entertainment." Stone Cold has apparently sold the most merchandise in the history of the business, and I've yet to see an angle or skit that I was not at least semi-entertained by him. Despite being a mediocre wrestler at best, Bill Goldberg was just as hot as Hogan or Austin in their primes. Scott Hall was an above average talent, and helped usher in the greatest stable/storyline of all time. He was so popular that even when he was in rehab or drunk or simply unavailable, just mentioning his name on TV made the crowd pop wildly despite not being seen for months at a time. I could go on for hours, there's just too many ways to break down the choices.
 
The greatest talent to ever work in a wrestling ring that I saw is a hard question to answer. I think it is a tie between Brett Hart, Jake Roberts, and Scott Steiner (before he became the science experiment he is now). Brett Hart was/still is the best technical wrestler I have ever seen. He can make even the worst wrestlers (Bob Backlund/Rick Flair/Hogan) look like all-stars. He may have had the five moves of doom (like every other 80's wrestler did) but that's what made it a great sell. The back breaker, elbow off the second rope, russian leg sweep, bulldog, and sharpshooter was classic transition wrestling. The match of him vs Mr. Perfect in Summerslam 90 still is the best "WRESTLING MATCH" I have ever seen. Jake Roberts made you think he was being killed in that ring and his come backs were the best. The fact that at any time he may snap DDT you was what made his matches so great to watch. But his specialty was microphone work. Scott Steiner in the 90's with the tilt a whirl back breaker and frankensteiner was innovative when it was still an art. But unfortunately he'd rather where some stupid head gear and flex than actually wrestle anymore.
 
I have to go with Bobby "The Brain" Heenan here.

Bobby Heenan is the only guy who I've seen in pro-wrestling who I felt was actually held back because of it. I love The Rock, I think he's a pretty good actor, and I like some of his movies, like Get Smart. But at the end of the day I think his legacy is better served by getting in the ring and laying the smackdown and cutting badass promos.

Bobby Heenan on the other hand, he was a grade school dropout that got into pro-wrestling to take care of his family. He wrestled for a while, then became a manager, and finally a "broadcast journalist" or a lair, depending on who you're hearing it from. Heenan was a comedian, and a tv host, and he was so witty and smart that very few in the history of television could match him.

Heenan, talent-wise was IMO on the same level Johny Carson, & Bob Hope.
 

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