Bob Backlund: Overrated or Underrated?

[X]

Yeah, I stole the idea from Lariat. It's a good thread idea, and I was in the mood to start this thread. We all know the man in question (or atleast any wrestling fan who considers themselves more than a novice should), but unfortunately it seems like over the years he's become more known for things like his feud with Bret Hart in the mid-90s or his comedic returns than his actual work as a wrestler.

For me, I'm going to say he's criminally underrated. Talk about a worker, the man defined in-ring greatness at a time in the WWF when the company was still firmly planted in it's wrasslin' WWWF roots, this guy was putting on some of what I consider to be the greatest wrestling matches of all time.

So, what do you say, Underrated, Overrated, Rated Correctly?

 

[klunderbunker]

Underrated. This guy, in his 40s, had a great string of matches with Hart. He came back over ten years later in TNA and did fine again. He was bland as hell, but he managed to hold the title for years at a time. That's saying a lot. The thing is, Vince was apparently impressed enough with him to keep the belt on him. That's more than a lot of guys have been able to do. he was a big deal for a good while and had some excellent matches. Backlund is very underrated and sadly forgotten. His best stuff came at the end of his feuds. Someone would go after Backlund and likely injure him until finally he would go crazy and beat them in a great match for the title. That's him at his best. Sadly, that aspect is more or less forgotten now. go find some of his old stuff. You'll be impressed.

 

[jmt225]

criminally underrated.

Perfect way to describe it.

What I love about Bob Backlund is that he was able to get over between two VERY different eras, and as two COMPLETELY different characters. During his two and a half year run as WWWF Champion, Bob Backlund was this clean cut, handsome babyface, who was absolutely adored by the fans. He wrestled a technical, methodical style, and consistently had great matches back then, for those standards.

Once he dropped the belt to the Iron Sheik, however, he basically disappeared off the face of the Earth. But then, out of nowhere really, he returned to the WWF in the early nineties, once again portraying his babyface role that did so well with in the early eighties. However, while he was still over to a certain point, it wasn't nowhere near the same as it was when he was on top, main eventing Madison Square Garden on a regular basis. So what does he do? Go completely psycho and becomes one of the most over heels in the WWF. People fucking HATED Backlund during his feud with Bret Hart, and for good reason. The guy was just a nutjob asshole.

Unfortunately though, for whatever reason, WWE dropped the ball with Backlund the 2nd time around and never gave him a real chance to succeed. But nevertheless, during that short time, he truly showed what kind of talent he was. And even just a couple of years ago in TNA, he was providing us with terrific entertainment every week while he was on the show.

Bob Backlund is one of the very few who could literally do anything in that ring, when it comes to connecting with the crowd. He could make us fans feel any emotion is what I mean. He could make us crack up with laughter, he could make us wish death upon him, and he could make us feel sympathy for him. Every professional wrestler wishes to have the ability to get those emotions out of the fans, but hardly any of them are able to get one of those feelings out of us, let alone all three. But Bob Backlund was, and yet... he's still to this day not a Hall of Famer, and he hardly ever gets recognized as one of the greatest champions in WWE's history, and that is what makes him so criminally underrated.

 

[waylonmercy]

Bob Backlund was awesome as a heel. I can still see him in his suit and bowtie talking about the "plebians" and how everyone was so bad. It was absolute old school heat generation 101. Im glad he turned psycho because it helped raise awareness of who Bob Backlund really was. If he had a babyface run and dissappeared again many would be questioning if he was overrated or underrated and many more would say overrated.

 

[whiteking910]

Backlund is one of the most underrated wrestlers of all-time. As has been mentioned, he succeeded in two different eras, with two different character. He was a good technician, though not on the level of Bret Hart or Chris Benoit. He was still good enough to have good matches with whomever he worked with. I loved his heel gimmick. He was like the high school teacher from Hell. I felt he should have been given a title reign until at least Wrestlemania. Instead, he jobbed to a guy who didn't have 1/100 of the talent Backlund did. Diesel was one of the worst champs in history, a pathetic attempt by Vince to try and recreate Hulkamania. Terrible matches (unless paired with a ring general like Bret Hart) and didn't draw a dime. It was a case where Vince let his love for big guys overrule what was best for business. Backlund could have drawn more as he would have put on good matches and people would love to see someone beat him. Bob Backlund is the most underrated WWE champ of all-time who lost to Kevin Nash, the most overrated WWE champ of all-time.

 

[The Con Volt]

I wouldn't necessarily say that Bob Backlund was underrated, just simply forgotten. As an example, when the rock did his promo on smackdown recently, all the kids in the crowd were like, who? and thats just 5 years removed from the business! Where as Backlund truly hasn't been a big figure in over 20 years. Its impossible to ignore the fact that backlund had 3 title reigns for nearly 2 years at a time, but he simply does not matter anymore. especially to the "kid friendly" audience of the modern day WWE.

 

[Jack-Hammer]

I'm going to have to say underrated. I was never really a big fan of the guy overall, but he was a skilled in-ring worker that doesn't get a lot of credit. I thought he was bland as hell during his first run in the WWWF but he had the third longest world title reign in history, so he was very much liked by Vince, Sr. when it was all said and done. After he dropped the belt to the Iron Shiek, he disappeared from the face of the earth for roughly a decade.

When Backlund made his return in the 90s, I thought he was a great heel character. I was impressed that he could go from being such a bland babyface to a pretty damn good heel. He had some good matches and good feuds during this time, but I never quite, 100% believed that he could hang with a lot of the guys in the WWF at the time. That still didn't stop him from being fun to watch, however.

 

[SAVE_YOURSELVES_111]

I'm so sick and tired of so many people out there, claiming Bob was overrated, and too bland and boring. Well sorry folks, but I just can't envision the hotbed being the New York territory of the WWF, putting a title on a guy for over 5 years, because he's boring, I mean Bob must've been doing SOMETHING right!

I think it's because he was just an ordinary guy, he was easy for people to relate too. He didn't look like much apperance wise, but in the ring he was able to take down just about anyone. He was someone who people couldn't help but get behind, basically to Mr. & Mrs. John Q. Public in New York, he was a non ethnic version of Bruno and Pedro. Bruno may have been charismatic, but Pedro didn't have that much by way of comparison to Bob.

Bob was a master technician, and had sold out MSG on numerous occasions, I was watching some of his old stuff, and the crowd reactions for his victories were thunderous!!! So I don't see the point of Bob being mocked for being too bland. Maybe he was, but it worked for him, so who's anyone to criticize.

His comeback in 1992, didn't do much by way of comparison, because, well, his blandness didn't blend in with how outrageous the business had become since his departure nearly a decade before. His heel turn in '94, was truly amazing, and made a lot of sense, he of all people would not be the guy I'd expect to play a psychotic heel, but he did it to perfection, and drew some good heat doing it.t

Bob definitely is underrated and doesen't get the rep he deserves, put him in the HOF NOW!

 

[The Brain]

I have to say underrated. When people think to the pre Hulkamania days most think of Bruno Sammartino and Superstar Billy Graham. Between Bruno and Hogan there was Backlund. The man had a six year title reign. I can't comment much on his title reign. It was before my time as a fan. You have to think if he had a six year reign he must have been pretty damn good. Despite this he seems to be overlooked. His comeback in the 90's was lackluster until he turned heel. I loved him as a heel. He completely reinvented himself and became relevent with the new generation. He played that role perfectly. I think most people remember him as the guy before Hogan or the old man lunatic who held the title for three days and lost it in 8 seconds. Underrated.

One side note. I think it's funny how when he came back Backlund's gimmick was pretty much he was an old man in wrestling. He was coming back despite his advanced age and was an underdog because of it. I believe Shawn Michaels and Undertaker are that age now and they're still on top. Batista is not far behind. Nothing against those guys. Just an observation.