"I remember..."

[HBK-aholic]

There are hundreds of people in the WWE, past and present stars, who all have a place in at least one fans heart, and memory. Every person we have ever seen involved with the WWE, we should respect in my opinion. Whether they’re wrestlers, announcers, cameramen, writers, or random people backstage who set up the show and the stage. They are the people that make the WWE work, and without them it wouldn’t be possible for us to sit down on a Monday night watching Raw.

That being said, there are wrestlers whose careers have been marred by certain events, some slightly, and others so much they won’t be remembered for anything else. But still, the little mark will never go away, and can be the only black spot on what otherwise would be an amazing career.

Is there any wrestlers in particular you are going to remember for something bad rather than all the good things they did in their career?

I’m going to start off with what I think is the obvious one. Chris Benoit. This guy gave his entire life to the business, and I am a huge fan of him. But watching his matches now I feel sad because of his death. To put it bluntly, he’s a murderer and that can never be changed as much as I wish otherwise. People can sugar coat it, I try to. But he killed 2 people. The 2 people who were supposed to be closest to him. Now, the WWE try to forget he ever existed. Fans feel awkward discussing him. And a great career has gone, just like that. I’m not sure if I’m sad he’s gone, or sad that he won’t be remembered how he deserved to be before this.

I think most people will agree with Benoit. So any other choices would be great.

Please give reasons for your opinions, don’t just list wrestlers.

 

[IrishCanadian25]

I remember...Sid Vicious.

Here's a guy who should theoretically be remembered for his feud with Hulk Hogan leading up to WrestleMania 8, his title run 4 years later, etc. Instead, I remember him for two major events.

1. Stabbing Arn Anderson. Ok, a dispute is a dispute - I get it. But to pick up a pair of scissors and start stabbing somebody!? That's the act of a true sicko, and undoubtedly contributed to the abbreviated length of time we got to see Arn wrestle.

2. The leg break. I mean - wow. Coming off the second rope and just snapping a leg like a twig. I can't even watch the video because I am too squemish. That ended the prime (or 2nd prime) of Sid's career. Damn shame too.

 

[AFC1986]

For me, rightly or wrongly, Shawn Michaels will always be remembered for the Montreal Screwjob. Once he retires, there will be a lot of people who might look past his accomplishments like being the first Royal Rumble winner to enter at number 1 and becoming the WWE's first Grand Slam champion. They might also look past his amazing matches like the ladder match for the intercontinental title with Razor Ramon, the 60 minute iron man match against Bret Hart for the WWE title or winning the World title in the elimination chamber in 2002. To me, Michaels is a true legend and a true icon in professional wrestling, but I think what happend at Survivor Series has left a huge black mark on his career

 

[HBK-aholic]

I remember...Sid Vicious.

Here's a guy who should theoretically be remembered for his feud with Hulk Hogan leading up to WrestleMania 8, his title run 4 years later, etc. Instead, I remember him for two major events.

1. Stabbing Arn Anderson. Ok, a dispute is a dispute - I get it. But to pick up a pair of scissors and start stabbing somebody!? That's the act of a true sicko, and undoubtedly contributed to the abbreviated length of time we got to see Arn wrestle.

2. The leg break. I mean - wow. Coming off the second rope and just snapping a leg like a twig. I can't even watch the video because I am too squemish. That ended the prime (or 2nd prime) of Sid's career. Damn shame too.

I'm in agreement with this. Thanks for making me find the video to watch, by the way. But I'll always remember him for how bad the break was. Sid Vicious is someone who should be remembered as the good wrestler he was. He had some great matches, I remember enjoying him in the '92 Royal Rumble when he was in the final 2 or 3. But, although it wasn't his fault, the breaking of his leg is a huge mark on his career.

 

[Pickle]

Yeah, it Michaels for me too. He's done a hell of a lot in the ring and has had some fantastic matches, but the first image of him that pops into my head is the lying, politiking backstage asshole. From losing his smile, to getting beaten up by marines, to orchestrating the Montreal Screwjob and then lying about it, and faking injuries, the guys whole career is just a smattering of bullshit that eclipses everything else in my mind.

 

[ThePhenomenalAlexSlack]

I think another big one is Scott Hall

Razor Ramon was awesome. As a face he was over with just about everybody. He had memorable feuds with HBK, Jarrett, Goldust, 1-2-3 Kid just to name a few. I think he was possibly the greatest intercontinental champion of all time (and I mean greatest intercontinental champion, not the greatest person to ever hold the intercontinental championship.)

Unfortunately he left for WCW and started to slowly go downhill. NWO was great, but Hogan was the main attraction and Nash was the big man of the group. This left Hall as more or less a third wheel. Then he started having all the problems with alcohol and now most all most people see is a washed up alcoholic and not the "Bad Guy".

Razor was an awesome gimmick, Hall had a great look and build, and he was over with the fans. In a lot of ways you could compare him to Carlito as he had the tools just never got the push. Ultimately tho, he kinda screwed himself and now can't even make indy appearances in between rehab stints.

 

[Blade]

Goldberg for me....

while many will remember him for his winning streak, he'll always be the guy who cut bret hart's career short to me.

And speaking of Harts, when it comes to Owen, his death is much more talked about than his great talent and 5 star matches, which is a shame.

 

[HBK-aholic]

From losing his smile,

Because yano, being upset, possibly metally unstable is him politicking his way around things. Yeah I see where you're coming from with that

to getting beaten up by marines,

Obviously, he went out looking to get beaten up, don't you think?

to orchestrating the Montreal Screwjob and then lying about it,

*Sighs and loses track of the amount of times she's said this*
McMahon was the one who told Shawn to do it. He would never have done so without McMahons backing. McMahon also told him to lie and say he had known nothing about it. Hart and McMahon are more to blame here than Shawn.

and faking injuries

Proof?

 

[thisisatest]

For me, even though he is still actively wrestling and is (maybe?) being given a decent push, D-Lo Brown was an up-and-coming superstar with tons of charisma, very agile, very strong. But what he's unfortunately remembered for will always be breaking Droz's neck even though it wasn't his fault. That image will forever haunt him and come to the forefront of everyone's memory when "Danger At The Door" hits and he comes out.

 

[danaconda]

I have three that kind of fall into this.

#1 Jake Roberts. When I was younger I loved watching him in the ring, he just seemed so smooth and his promos were some of the best ever done in wrestling. But after see Beyond the Mat, I lost all respect that I had for the man.

#2 Lex Luger. While he was never that great in the ring or on the stick, I still can only think of Miss Elizabeth when I hear his name.

#3 Bruiser Brody. This is a stretch, I know. But watching his matches or hearing his name just make me think about how he died and all the bullshit that surrounded it. It's a fucking shame.

 

[Father:_Polley]

For me it has to be Billy Gunn on this one. When I was starting to watch wrestling, I loved the Outlaws and DX. I enjoyed the five-way feud over the IC title with NAO, Ken Shamrock, Val Venis and Goldust and thought a push for Billy Gunn would be a decent thing as he wasn't horrible in the ring compared to some, had a cool finisher and could talk a bit.

Instead, I'm stuck remembering the Rock dissect and own him on the mic (a good thing, especially Billy's prayer to God promo), the Big Show angle, and the gay gimmick (I hated these two).

They should have just released him so as not to tarnish my childhood memories of his 'good ol' days'

 

[klunderbunker]

I'm going to go with two of the ECW guys that I would always mark out for. The first of which is Mike Awesome. This guy was the prototype for the perfect big man. He had the size, the power, the moveset, the talking, the agility, he had everythign. He was making 6 figures in ECW but jumped to WCW for more money, and to me he got what he deserved by being put into the 70s guy and the fat chick lover gimmicks. The other half of his story is much sadder though with him killing himself.

Second on my list is my all time favority member of ECW, the Sandman. This guy was the embodiment of ECW. The drinking, the smoking, the loud music. His entrance at One Night Stand still gives me chills up and down my spine every time I see it. Simply amazing. And then he managed to clean himself up during his WWE run, which is always a good thing. Now he's awaiting trial on drunken assault charges. Its always a shame when a person can't kick a habit like that. One of the saddest things ever.

 

[Monkey_Mania]

I'm going to go with a little bit of controversy. Especially after everything that happened this year people will think I am crazy. But I am not. The man I am talking about is...

Ric Flair- Yeah, I said it. Even after all of the events of this year celebrating Ric Flair's career. I still can not get over the fact that this man had a "heart attack" on national television. He was dragged out into the desert, and was stuck into a mental hospital. He is a very celebrated wrestler. One of the best ever. But these situations that he let himself get put in will forever tarnish his career. Thank god the WWE put all the hard work and dedication into making sure Ric Flair felt like Ric Flair again, and also to get the public image of him for the better. But these intstances I have mentioned, I for one will always remember them. Damn shame too.

 

[Enigmania]

Is it just me or will Lita only be remembered now for being Edge's ****ty bit. Or the woman that screwed Matt Hardy. Not the kickass extreme diva she once was. One of the first women to use the aerial style in WWE and had a great moonsault.

But they turned her into a **** in the end and going out with Cryme Tyme selling her stuff. A "Ho Sale" or summit like that.

They gave Trish Stratus the 7th Women's Title reign when she retired but the made Lita lose her belt, lose any dignity left, this women broke her neck for the WWE and they let her leave like this?

 

[Davi323]

Kerry Von Erich, for committing suicide. Kerry Von Erich, in my opinion, was probably the most marketable of the the Von Erich family, and to me, I was thrilled to death when he was introduced on WWF TV as the Texas Tornado...after seeing him on World Class Championship Wrestling, I was happy to see him get a chance at the "big leagues". And then he blew it. Drugs took their toll, and he committed suicide in 1993. I generally have low opinions of people that commit suicide anyway, but, Kerry was one of my heroes...but, the way he ended his life put a permanent black scar on my memories of him.

 

[Dead Kennedy]

Triple H. Hunter was my hero when I first got interested in wrestling, back in '99. I liked him better than Stone Cold and Rock at the time. Then I read about all the backstage politics and...well.

Besides reading Batista's book (doesn't count - I never had any respect for the man in the first place) it was some of the most disgusting shit I've ever heard of. I've never regained my respect for him as a person since.

 

[KingShaw3]

Yeah, it Michaels for me too. He's done a hell of a lot in the ring and has had some fantastic matches, but the first image of him that pops into my head is the lying, politiking backstage asshole. From losing his smile, to getting beaten up by marines, to orchestrating the Montreal Screwjob and then lying about it, and faking injuries, the guys whole career is just a smattering of bullshit that eclipses everything else in my mind.

Think whatever you want but everyone politics backstage. And HBK didn't orchestrate the Montral Screwjob. Vince did. Hart wanted to leave the WWE as the champ and go to WCW as the champ. When Vince said that wasn't going to happen Bret asked to win at Survivor Series and then give up the title afterwards. If he would have done that and gone to WCW, we would have never heard the end of it on WCW. Every week, whether Bret wanted to or not, we would have heard him come out there and talk about how he gave up the title b/c he had no competition in WWE and had to come to WCW to find some. Do you think Vince would let that happen? What Bret wanted to do, any way you look at, would have been bad for business for the WWE. Vince did what he wanted to do and HBK went along with it. Bret Hart is a cry baby and thought he should get to do something that no booker in their right mind would let anyone do. Go to the rival brand as an unbeaten champion. Never in a million years. Could you imagine someone doing that today. Leaving the WWE as the champ and going to TNA. That would surely blast TNA ratings to heights unforeen. Vince did what he wanted to do to resolve the situation after Bret didn't want to take 'no' for an answer, and HBK did what he had to do. I choose to remember HBK for all the things he's done in the ring and not what backstage bull shit I've read about him. When you think of HBK think: Ladders, 1st Grand slam champ, DX, 1st Hell in a Cell, back to back rumble wins (first ever to win coming in at #1), arguably the best comeback match of all time (SummerSlam '02), the guy who's put so many of the top names over, Sweet Chin Music, etc. But if you want to remember a couple stupid things about him, most of which didn't happen in the ring, then be my guest.

 

[wwefan49]

BROCK LESNAR

This guy had it all. He could wrestle on the level of Kurt Angle and move around like Edge. His F-5 was one of the sickest finishers ever. The way he destroyed countless legends like Hulk Hogan,Undertaker,The Rock,Big Show,Kurt Angle etc. This guy had all the entangebiles to be the greatest of all time. But he blew it he went to the NFL to play defensive tackle for the Minnesota Vikings who by the way were stacked at that position. He burned as many bridges as possible.He gave the fans the finger. He showed a total lack of respect to anyone and everyone he could and its a dam shame because he couldve been no he wouldve been great.

 

[Starchild]

I agree with several of the guys other have mentioned, but I'll use one I didn't see

Owen Hart
He was incredibly talented in the ring and definitely missed out on getting a title run in there somewhere. I mean, that feud with Bret was great and the cage match at Summerslam 1994 was one of my all-time favorite matches. He won the IC, European, and Tag titles but was never given even one world title which is tragic.
But the worst part of the whole thing is what I and probably most people remember first when thinking of Owen...his death. The whole situation was just surreal and I was shocked when I learned he died. His death is probably overshadowed by Benoit's these days, but I look back at Owen as one of the most tragic superstars ever.

 

[The_Phoenix]

I remember Tommy Dreamer. Not the jobber, Tommy Dreamer the man who gave his very soul to his fans night in and night out. The man who bled for ECW again and again AND again just to see it stay in business. This is true dedication and passion for the wrestling business, put your body on the line for little to no money for the sake of the people.

I also remember Brian Pillman. The first tragic death I remember, although I was very young at the time. This man has been lost in the flood of wrestling deaths. Need I remind you all that Pillman was the one who taught Stone Cold to cut promos, and greatly helped him on his way to becoming one of the Icons of the WWF/e. If it hadn't been for him the Attitude era may have not even happened, at least in my opinion. Sure, Austin was one of many who physically carried the Attitude era, but I remember the man that helped Stone Cold become who he is.

 

[Y 2 Jake]

Jake Roberts: There are certain moments about Jake that I remember far more than any match he had. The first thing I remember about him is his wrestling figure. I wanted it so much at the time because I had never heard of anyone else being called Jake, and he had a snake like my dad.

When it comes to actual wrestling moments I really can't remember much, I can only really remember angles. I recall vividly when Randy Savage got bitten by the snake. Possibly one of the greatest angles of all time. Along with Earthquake squashing Damien.

I also remember the 1992 Rumble. Piper has Flair in a sleeper hold, Jake comes in and simply sits in the corner and watches.

He's also the man who first made me feel sympathy for The Undertaker. When he slammed a casket on his hand it looked legitimately painful.

 

[Shocky]

I'll go through a few of them, most have been mentioned.

Jake Roberts: I used to love this guy growing up, and would get pumped to see him at any of the dozen live events that I went to as a kid. Then you'd get to the door of the arena, and a flier of Jake would be up on the door. No not again, Jake was sick and wouldn't be at the show tonight, no Jake, no DDT, no Damien, bullshit. I was so pissed, and then got really pissed when you eventually found out why Jake was no showing all of his fans.

Shawn Michaels: This is too easy. For as great of an in ring competitor Shawn Michaels is, as many great matches as he has had, and as good as he has done to reestablish himself in the last 6 years, I will always remember the Asshole Shawn Michaels. The cocky son of a bitch that wouldn't wait his turn to be champion. The guy that after wrestling an hour plus at Wrestlemania 12, and had Hart waiting to give him a handshake in the ring, told Earl Hebner to get that son of a bitch out of his ring. I remember the Politicking backstage cry baby that needed to get set straight by the Undertaker to do his job right. I remember the guy that failed a drug test, yet held onto the IC title (hmmm sounds familiar), forcing the WWE to create another belt for Ramon, I remember the guy that "Lost His Smile" because he was to afraid to return the favor, yet made it back from a supposed career ending injury in 3 months. I remember the guy that threw a hissy fit that Hogan wouldn't job to him, so he decided to over sell everything. That's the Shawn Michaels I will unfortunately remember more.

Bret Hart: Instead of remembering this guy for his great matches throughout the 90's, and his equally great Heel turn in 1997 that really set the foundations for the Attitude Era, unfortunately we are going to remmeber this guy as teh guy that got screwed by Vince McMahon, and the ever continuing fallout of that one event.

Rob Van Dam: A personal favorite of mine. Made sure to watch ECW every week for this guy. Nothing beat watching this guy in a bingo hall with all of the talent in the world showing it off and being damn proud of himself. I was so happy at ONS when he won the WWE title. All of those years of hard work, and the WWE recognized him not only as their champion, but a co-champion as the guy that was going to re-launch ECW, and he pissed it all away for a little pot.

 

[samus500]

Ill go ahead and say one thats been on my mind for quite some time

Hulk Hogan- Revered by many the best professional wrestler ever, allowed the WWF go mainstream with wrestling, every time I think of Hogan I think of the biggest piece of shit ive ever seen in the wrestling business. People accuse HHH and Michaels of backstage politics, they dont come close to Hogan. Ive only seen him lose cleanly once, and that was to the Ultimate Warrior at Wrestlemania. To me, he was the guy who never wanted to let go of the top spot when his 15 minutes of fame were 20 years done to death, and would use his creative control to do so. I.E- Bash at the Beach 2000, Halloween Havoc 1999, Starrcade 1997, World War 3 1995, etc. To me, all of his accomplishments throughout the years will never be able to cancel out the damage hes done to other wrestlers whose deserved the top spot in a company only to be crapped on by Hogan's humongous ego. I think that James E. Cornette said it best in one of his WWF shoots in 1997:

"Hulk Hogan is a household name, just like the word "garbage" and that too stinks when it gets old."

 

[The Mark of Zur-En-Arrh]

*Sighs and loses track of the amount of times she's said this*
McMahon was the one who told Shawn to do it. He would never have done so without McMahons backing. McMahon also told him to lie and say he had known nothing about it. Hart and McMahon are more to blame here than Shawn.

Really? On HBK's latest DVD, HHH said that he and HBK convinced Vince to go through with it, but imo that's all Hart's fault. You don't decide when you drop the belt, the boss does, especially if you're ditching him for his competition and he's fully aware of it, so snap the fuck in line and do what's best for the business. Bret screwed Bret

Anyway, moving right along.

A-train will be remembered for having a stupidly hairy back, despite being a decent talent.
Mideon will be remembered for wearing nothing but a fanny pack instead of his stint as half of the Godwynns.

But sadly Ron Simmons will be remembered as a one word joke, instead of the first African American World Heavyweight Champ and leader of the Nation of Domination.Is anyone actually aware that he once wrestled in ECW?

 

[Lee]

Mick Foley

Cactus Jack, Dude Love, Mankind, or just Mick Foley.

WWF title, Hardcore title, 8 time Tag champ, WCW tag champion, ECW tag champ.

Pioneer of Hardcore wrestling, the guy who went through the Hell in a cell, many memorable matches.

But how will I remember Mick Foley? Two reasons;

1) Socko

Seriously that flipping sock! The mandible claw was a devastating move, but now it's marred by a sock with a face.

2) Cheap pops/plugs

Foley vanishes...reappears....gets a pop...plugs a book...plugs a charity...vanishes again.

This is how I will remember Foley, Socko and cheap pops...shame really the guy is a legend!