An Old School Superstar That You Would've Loved To Have Followed

[Pay Per Ghost]

Basically asking you to name an Old School wrestler, before your time, who you found out about through tapes or videos or the internet, and would've adored if he was around during your telly time or vice versa.


I'll pick mine and say this man:

All I have of him are his WCW run from the mid-90's and his last run in the WWE. He is still rocking the microphone from time to time in TNA but if I had a chance to watch him growing up in his NWA days, I swear I would've dyed my hair blonde at some point.

I have had the chance to watch some of his matches, and the storytelling, his heel tactics, his selling, everything is brilliant. I also would like to say that his opponents were not exactly lead footed and deserve a lotta credit for having great matches with Flair, but this was a man that would've been any kid's cool childhood idol.


Honorable mention: The Fabolous Freebirds, man Hayes was cool!

Come on some of yours, and pictures are nice.

 

[Peoples_Champ]

Sammartino would have been great to follow. I've seen clips of him at MSG and he was ridiculously over. I would've loved to watch his progression and watch to see how he became this heroic figure.

 

[Police Penis Sucking Goat Fucker]

I would like follow guys like Ric Flair junk Yard dog rowdy roddy piper jimmy snuka The sheik. I would have loved to see Piper hit Snuka with the coconut when it aired.When I got into wrestling most of those guys were already on there way out

 

[schaeffershawn]

Gorgeous George for sure. Most of Flairs stuff you can find on youtube. But George I mean this guy was the first true heel/showman. Not one cocky heel has not taken something he originated. Aside from which video of the 40's through 60's in his hay day are rare. So yeah Thats who I would love to see more of.

Classie Freddie Blassie would be another one. When I started watching he was still managing, but to see him when he was going would have been great because teh ehat he generated was legendary.

 

[Headman]

Rikidozan. The father of puroresu. I just find the man fascinating. He single handedly popularized pro-wrestling in post war Japan, some say he gave them back their national identity after what they considered a shameful and spirit crushing defeat. Mostly what I know of him is front print. I love watching old black and white wrestling footage when I can find it, but what an experience it must have been to be there live to watch him wrestle Lou Thesz. Or when he went off script and knocked out Kimura for real. Plus he trained Inoki and Baba. You can't ask for a better legacy than that.

 

[Monkey_Mania]

You bet your sweet ass that If I was alive to see Flair in his prime that I would have followed his career. All I've got are old DVD's and youtube videos to go off now, but even those tell me how awesome Flair was back then. I love Flair now, and have always, but to have been alive to witness the formation of the 4 Horsemen would have just been an amazing thing to witness happen. I know, cause I loved it watching it 20 some years later.

 

[Hollywood Naitch]

Hogan

I would LOVE to have been a wrestling fan when Hogan became the big star. "Hulkamania" was running wild and it would have been amazing to have been a part of it, and see this larger-than-life superhero beating the odds and fighting for what was right. Everybody loved the guy, and while it looks cheesy when you see old footage, you can almost guarantee I would have been a massive Hulkamaniac, and worshipping The Hulkster like a god.

I was at the TNA show in Manchester, UK last week and Hogan wrestled in the tag-match main event. To still get a reaction like he did, and work the crowd so well...wow. I can only imagine what the atmosphere in the arena would have been like when Hogan was in his prime. Electric probably doesnt cover it.

 

[agentmichaelscarn]

Probably a prime Dusty Rhodes. The first glimpse I got of him was when he was the polka dot wearing "common man" in WWF in the late 80s. At the time I didn't realize how big of a star he was in certain territories. After seeing many of his old matches and watching his DVD I think he would have been somebody I would've liked back in his hey day.

 

[IHW]

I was around to follow the End 5 or 6 years of Shawn Micheal's career.

But it seems he was a total different person back in his prime and i would have loved to to been around to see that. I blame my parents.

 

[B.Ware]

There's quite a few on my list and it's something I've often thought about. Superstar Billy Graham is the first one that always comes to my mind. His look and physique must have been quite a sight for the time. Gorgeous George would have been great to see too. Credited as the first wrestler to use entrance music, he must have been ahead of his time. There must have been something pretty special about Bob Backlund back in the day to make him become so successful. All I ever got to see of him in the ring was his great but a little over the top heel run in the mid 90's. Other honourable mentions would be The Von Erich family in the 80's and Andre the Giant in the 70's.

 

[Pedigree1]

No doubt i would have followed Bruno Sammartino without a doubt!! He was everything back in the day and i mean everything!! Two reings that lasted what 11 years total!! One Run lasting 7 plus years are you kidding me? Could you imagine John Cena or the Viper holding the title till 2019!! Thats an amazing accomplishment. Bruno v Superstar Bruno V pedro Morales that was my dads hero... So no doubt it would have been the italian strongman

 

[Mr. HD]

I'm gonna go against the norm and pick this guy:

Jake "The Snake" Roberts. Yes Indeed. IMO, this is the KING at cutting promos. I never knew, or thought a lot about him until I saw this promo:

[YOUTUBE]EzE9UgLGjWs[/YOUTUBE]​

The way he talks, how deep his voice, the way he's able to articulate words and how evil he would make it sound is absolutely amazing. I always thought he was pretty damn good in the ring as well. Nothing fantastic, but a good wrestler.

But his promos are where he really shined. He really had a way with words that would make you just clam up and listen to what he had to say.

One of my favorite lines I heard was this:

"Tuesday in Texas is not the End. It's not even the Beginning. It's not even The Beginning of the End, yet the End of the Beginning."

Roberts could make poetry, he would make art when he cut promos in a way that nobody could. I would have loved to see him back in the day.

 

[dd23beatlesfan1]

An absolutely fantastic post.

I started watching in 1991, so I still got to see 90% of the big WWF superstars of the '80s while they were still around (Hogan, Jake the Snake, Macho Man, Ted Dibiase, Ultimate Warrior, etc.) But obviously I missed out on most of the greats of the other wrestling territories and organizations from the 1980's and before, as they happened. Obviously I've went back and watched the NWA stuff from the '80s, and a bit of the AWA, and even some older wrestling from the early 1960's on YouTube. But here are some of the older wrestlers that I would've been a fan of had I been around during their prime....

Lou Thesz

Even though I've only seen one or two matches of his career thus far, I still consider him to be the greatest professional wrestler of all-time (even moreso than Ric Flair). Lou Thesz reminds me very much of Bret Hart who happens to be my third favorite wrestler ever. Lou took his profession very seriously, he was no-nonsense, he was one of if not the best worker of his generation, and he was an absolute pioneer (legitimizing the NWA, and pioneering many wrestling maneuvers we see today). Obviously his wrestling by today's standards is simple, but just as Jushin "Thunder" Liger, Rey Mysterio and Chris Benoit were innovators in the '90s and Bret Hart and Dynamite Kid, and Macho Man were innovators in the '80s, Lou Thesz was an innovator in the '40s and '50s. He was doing moves that no one had ever seen before, so he was very cutting edge for his time. I have no doubt that the fan in me that wants to see exciting, sophisticated in-ring wrestling would've loved Lou Thesz back in the day. He would've been my favorite without a doubt.

Antonio "Argentina" Rocca

I've always loved high-flyers and this man was the guy that started it all, in America at least. He was the first wrestler to make moves off the top rope, and other acrobatic moves like the flying headscissors and the dropkick a regular part of his arsenal. He was the Rey Mysterio of the 1950's, and he would've been an absolute thrill to watch. Actually even now 50-60 years later, his moves while basic and common by today's standards, still look absolutely beautiful and have such grace that most high flyers today lack. AJ Styles very much reminds me of Antonio "Argentina" Rocca. They were more than just high-flyers. The precision and grace they put into their moves make them like artists. I would've been a huge Antonio "Argentina" Rocca mark back in the day, whether I was a kid or an adult.

Buddy Rogers

Still the best villian of all-time. He pioneered the classic snobby, "I'm better than you and everyone" bad guy that Ric Flair, Shawn Michaels, and Curt Hennig perfected. Buddy was also the best worker of his day (even Lou Thesz who hated him admitted this) and a pioneer. The fan in me that loves great villains would've loved Buddy Rogers. Although if I had been a kid/mark during Buddy's prime I would've hated him obviously, just as I hated Ric Flair, Mr. Perfect, and Shawn Michaels as a kid, but then grown up to love him as I got older (just as I did the same with the previous three).

Ray Stevens

Ray Stevens was next in line when it came to being a great villain who was a fantastic and innovative in-ring worker for his time. He was very much like Shawn Michaels and Curt Hennig, and Dolph Ziggler today, when it comes to selling and taking big bumps to make your opponent look good. Buddy Rogers pioneered that role, and Ray Stevens took it even further. I wouldn't have been a fan as a young kid obviously (I always liked the good guys as a kid, like most kids), but as I grew into a teenager and into an adult, I have no doubt Ray Stevens would've been one of my favorites.

Bruno Sammartino

This one is obvious. He was the Hulk Hogan of his day only he had much more stamina and could have longer, better matches. He was still more of a powerhouse and even brawler, but he was kind of like the Rock in that even though he had his particular style, he could still work a great match with any type of wrestler. Bruno had 60 minute matches with giants of the day like Killer Kowalski and Gorilla Monsoon. And he could have technical classics with the likes of Pedro Morales and Ray Stevens. And he could have just straight up fights and brawls with people like Stan Hansen and Larry Zybskzo. He could do it all and he buttloads of charisma. No doubt I would've been a fan. Hell, I'm a fan now even though I've only seen a few matches of his.

The Sheik

The hardcore fan in me would've loved the Sheik. Simple as that.

Bruiser Brody

Bruiser is one of the most fascinating wrestlers to me, especially considering I haven't seen a whole lot of his work. But from what I've seen, he certainly could put on very exciting matches, and he just looked so cool. Most wrestling critics consider him the greatest brawler in the history of wrestling, and I can believe that. Much like Foley, he had a psychology to his madness, so he wasn't just a simple garbage type wrestler (like Sandman), but a very skilled and talented wrestler who just happened to work a more hardcore/brawling type of style.

Terry Funk

I watched Terry Funk throughout the 1990's in his runs in ECW and the WWE, but I would've loved to have gotten to watch Terry Funk in his prime back in the 1970's while he was the NWA Champion. I consider him to be one of the greatest wrestlers of all-time, for the fact that he could work technical, brawl with the best of them, was absolutely crazy on the mic, and the fact that he had the foresight to change with the times and keep himself relevant. His stuff with Ric Flair in 1989 in WCW was amazing, and that is also some stuff I would've loved to have seen while it was going on.

The Von Erichs/Free Birds

I'm not sure I would've gotten into this feud quite as much beings I'm from Indiana, but it still would've been awesome to see nonetheless. I think that feud appealed more to people from Texas than anyone because there was such a territorial meaning behind the feud. The Von Erichs represented Texas and the Free Birds were these outsiders trying to besmirch the Texan herigitage and pride. It had a very sportsy rivalry like feel to it (like the Colts/Patriots or the Steelers/Packers). But even though I'm many states away, it still would've been an awesome feud to witness while it was going on.

Nick Bockwinkel

Nick is one of my very favorite old school wrestlers. I haven't watched too many of his matches (I still would love to watch his 60 minute match he had with Curt Hennig for the AWA title), but I've watched quite a few of his promos, and he is in my top 10 favorite promo guys in the history of wrestling. He used big words, was very slow and methodical with his promos (I think Jake Roberts learned something from Bockwinkel with his tone and level of speed in his promos), and just made you feel like he was this elite intellectual that wrestling fans just couldn't grasp. I very much relate to that, and he was so refreshingly different from everyone else cutting promos at the time and even nowadays. With the way Chris Jericho did promos in his last heel run, that's very much how Nick Bockwinkel was in his heyday. He was also quite possibly the best American worker of the 1970's and early 1980's. Hell, he was still putting on 60 minutes classics with the likes of Curt Hennig in the late '80s when he was in his early '50s. Just like Ric Flair, Nick Bockwinkel was in tremendous shape and had serious longevity. He would've been my favorite heel back then. Heck, he's still one of my favorite heels even though I haven't watched near enough of his stuff.


Those are just some of the old school wrestlers that I didn't get a chance to watch in their prime, that I know I would've loved had I gotten to.

Some others that I'll mention....

Verne Gagne, Gorilla Monsoon, Killer Kowalski, Dory Funk Jr., Jack Brisco, Danny Hodge, Billy Robinson, Antonio Inoki, Stan Hansen, Jerry Lawler (though I got to see his whole run in the 1990's), Mil Mascaras, Billy Graham, Dusty Rhodes

 

[Davi323]

The more and more I see old AWA video footage, the more I become a fan of this guy. Chris Jericho's entire intelligent heel persona was almost a direct copy of what Nick Bockwinkel was doing in the AWA.

 

[The Brain]

The first to come to mind is Ernie Ladd. As is obvious from the nature of this thread I don’t know a whole lot about Ladd but what little I do know makes me wish I knew more. Ladd was a black wrestler who wrestled during the 60s and 70s during the civil rights movement. You would think during this time he would be booked as either a sympathetic babyface or some sort of sideshow filled with racial stereotypes. That was not the case. He was a heel and he was allowed to show his intelligence with his superior mic skills. His intelligence gave him confidence which led to tremendous cockiness. He was a big man, about 6’9 and 320 pounds, and was always high on the card. The booking at that time had champions hold their titles for several years at a time so Ladd never won the title. He would have made a great champion. I think he should have gotten a brief run with the title. Considering Bruno had only two title reigns that lasted a combined 11 years it wouldn’t have hurt his legacy and would have created a great rivalry.

 

[xxxdaniel_ariesxxx]

I'm going to bend the rules a little, and say The Great Muta, because while I know that he was active during the time that I've been watching wrestling, due to the fact that I live in America I was never really able to follow his career in Japan like I would have liked. On that same boat would be Mitsuharu Misawa. Two all time greats that I never got to fully experience due to distance and language.

But if I were to have to choose someone that was "before" my time I would have to say Rowdy Roddy Piper. I missed all of his great stuff in the late 70's and early 80's, just barely catching the tail end of his career before he went into semi-retirement in 87'. Being as I was born and raised in the Northwest, I grew up hearing about the Pacific Northwest Legend that was Roddy Piper, just wish that I could have experienced it for myself.

 

[kdk5680]

The first thing is i feel kind of old when hogan flair, and jake the snake are all mentioned, because those are the guys i watched growing up(saw rick flair in a high-school gym in "83, reason im a wrestling fan to this day). But i would have like to catch Andre in his prime, along with the Sheik, Mr. Fuji, and Gorrila Monsoon. By the time i was watching, they had all become commentators(Monsoon), mangers(Fuji), or were just old and slow(RIP ANDRE Princess Bride is still my favorite movie because of him).

 

[JWGunslinger]

A few names come to mind but I really would have liked to be around to follow Superstar Billy Graham and Harley Race. I have obviously watched their stuff since on VHS and DVD but Harley was a straight badass and one of the toughest SOB's to step in the ring, I remember watching tape on him with my uncle and being blown away by the guy and I thought his tats were pretty BA as well.

Another I would have loved to follow is Killer Kowalski, anyone who wrestlers legitimately feared facing is someone to watch. Everyone always talkes about how he trained people and brought us Triple H but his own work in his time was impressive.

And ofcourse Nature Boy and Hogan

 

[Brother Love]

If you asked me back then I probably would have said either the Road Warriors or Randy Savage, but knowing what I know now I would have to say the Ultimate Warrior. This guys promo's were all over the place, I'd love to see what he would have written on twitter back then.

 

[King Hobo]

First and foremost, Stanislaus Zbysko. I choose him because I always prefer champions who have some actual wrestling talent like Angle & Lesnar. Zbysko was good, and a tough bastard to boot. In fact, he was known as one of the world's 4 best wrestlers of the time (Gotch was numero uno I believe). What he did in 1922 at age 47 was not only selfish, but also incredibly "old school" for the time (old school in '22, who'd a thunk it). It also paved the way for one of wrestling's true innovators, Lou Thesz. That controversy was like the Monday Night Wars (what with the jumping to other companies) if it were on olde tyme film.

The other one would have to be Killer Kowalski. Heels are always fun to watch, and he was a dirty bugger alright. He had a reputation for "maiming opponents" then visiting them to the hospital to "laugh at them". He was someone my old man always referred to when we would watch a wrestler fail to draw heat when I was young. He was also the first to pin Andre. In his later years he would continue to contribute to the confused art of wrestling by training "one of the worlds ugliest men", Triple H.

Honorable mention was Great Muta too, yeah he was around, no I didn't see much of him.

 

[Pay Per Ghost]

The first to come to mind is Ernie Ladd. As is obvious from the nature of this thread I don’t know a whole lot about Ladd but what little I do know makes me wish I knew more. Ladd was a black wrestler who wrestled during the 60s and 70s during the civil rights movement. You would think during this time he would be booked as either a sympathetic babyface or some sort of sideshow filled with racial stereotypes. That was not the case. He was a heel and he was allowed to show his intelligence with his superior mic skills. His intelligence gave him confidence which led to tremendous cockiness. He was a big man, about 6’9 and 320 pounds, and was always high on the card. The booking at that time had champions hold their titles for several years at a time so Ladd never won the title. He would have made a great champion. I think he should have gotten a brief run with the title. Considering Bruno had only two title reigns that lasted a combined 11 years it wouldn’t have hurt his legacy and would have created a great rivalry.

I wanna touch on Ernie Ladd based on what I heard i.e he was the most popular black man in sports before Ali came around. He had some great matches with Bill Watts and from what I hear was an amazing draw.





I really wanna pip another name that I would've had a serious Man-Crush on!

By God, if I would've loved to have talked and acted eccentric like anyone it would be Hot Rod. He was just the epitome of over the top energy and someone who would always make his segments, and for me, even matches that much entertaining.

Edit: Somebody read Rowdy's bio in the end up there. Its hilarious.

 

[HBsam31]

The first that comes to my mind is seeing Andre the Giant in his prime. I started watching about the time he wrestled hogan at mania 3, and would have loved to see him in the 70's. The second is Gorilla Monsoon. I remember my dad telling me he used to wrestle while we listened to him do commentary, and I could just never picture him as a wrestler. I still don't really know to much about him as a wrestler.

 

[Pay Per Ghost]

The first that comes to my mind is seeing Andre the Giant in his prime. I started watching about the time he wrestled hogan at mania 3, and would have loved to see him in the 70's. The second is Gorilla Monsoon. I remember my dad telling me he used to wrestle while we listened to him do commentary, and I could just never picture him as a wrestler. I still don't really know to much about him as a wrestler.

Bruno Sammartino and Gorilla Monsoon sold out MSG 12 times in a year.

Yes times were very different but that is an amazing feat. Monsoon was a fantasic monster heel from what I hear. And I agree with you, I just can't imagine him as that because all my memories are off him behind a headset or getting squashed by Vader.

 

[The 1-2-3 Killam]

Sting wasn't exactly before my time, but I never followed his career. NWA, even though it was on the rise when Sting rose to popularity, wasn't really available near to where I lived. WWF on the other hand was alive and well all around the country. I didn't start to follow WCW until the light heavyweights and cruiserweights like Jericho, Mysterio, Benoit, and Guerrero hit the scene, and there was enough going on in WWF/E that Sting just didn't appeal to me. Basically, if he wasn't a high flyer on in the WWF/E, I just didn't care (I was a kid, don't hate me for it...).

Looking back on it, I wish I had the chance to follow Sting's career from the beginning. His time in TNA would have meant a lot more to me, even as good as he been in the past few years. I just don't look at him the same as I do Flair, Hogan, Savage, etc. I know he's every bit the legend, but with only tapes as proof I can't get that much into the history of his character. It's like most teens today trying to watch WrestleMania III and truly appreciate every little aspect of its brilliance.

 

[SD619]

I would have liked to have followed many of the old school guys but the two that come to mind are:

1. Lou Thesz: I have a lot about how he is one of the greatest to ever step into the ring, but unfortunately I haven't seen any of his career.

2. Hulk Hogan: The most famous wrestler ever. Though I know much more about him than Thesz, all I have seen of him are the past PPVs and a few youtube clips. His rise to fame (mostly 80s) occurred before I was born and I did not get WCW on Television. All I have seen of him is his run in the WWE and TNA, none of which has been his best work.