Legends

[PsychoBlack]

The word legend is thrown around in wrestling a lot. With that being said i want to know what defines a true legend. The criteria is all your own seeing as how i want your opinion.

To me a legend is someone who has a certain Aura about him. This aura has to come as soon as a wrestler's name is mentioned one thought pop's into everyones head for example if i said Hulk Hogan you might say"Biggest draw ever" or if i said Chris Benoit you might think "He can work his ass off". I also believe that a legend does not have to be old or retired Edge, Randy Orton, and John Cena are all legends in my book because of what they achieved and how much they have meant for the business. All of these things balled up into one make a legend. I dont feel that just because a wrestler was an excellent worker he is a legend for example Owen Hart was an excellent worker but he just didn't have that it factor to me. A legend does not need a 30 year career as Brock Lesnar showed us during his brief yet exciting stint in the world of wrestling

 

[#hamler]

To be a legend, you should have to have a long career in the sport. You cannot say Lesnar is a legend. Yes, he made a hell of an impact but he did not devote his life to the sport like others did. Guys like Shawn Michaels, Kurt Angle, Undertaker, Triple H have made this a life time thing. They didn't move onto another sport or type of entertainment. I believe even if you did make a huge impact during a breif time in wrestling, you cannot be seen as a legend unless you are truely commited to wrestling. Also guys like Goldust or William Regal, I consider them future legends. Seeing how they are older but have also made a life revolved around wrestling and nothing else. Guys like Batista, Brock Lesnar, or Goldberg have moved onto different things before their wrestling careers became legendary.

 

[Tequila Dave]

In my eyes, a legend is someone who influenced the wrestling industry. What I mean by this is, part of today's wrestling landscape can be contributed directly to them. This is someone who left a lasting impression on wrestling and wrestling fans alike.

 

[ABMorales787]

It's pretty easy. A name who stands out because of certain accomplishments. The Honky Tonk Man is considered a legend because he is the longest running Intercontinental Champion. Howard Finkel is a legend because he is WWE's longest running employee and because he has become the most famous wrestling announcer in history. Mean Gene Okerlund is the most recognizable interviewer in wrestling.

To be a legend in pro wrestling is to have a quality that makes you stand out and withstand the test of time.

 

[Disturbed]

When I think of Legend, I think of one thing. What has he contributed? The definition of a Legend is a story that has been pasted down from generations to generation. For example I think the biggest legend in Pro Wrestling is Ric Flair. He defined sports entertainment. Before Ric Flair, promos and mic work were not a big deal. Ric Flair made interview segmants what they are today. So when you get mad about a twenty or thirty minute promo there is one man to blame and that is Ric Flair. He passed down a story from generation to generation, and it was the story of microphone work. He tought us what interviews were all about. Another Legend is Shawn Michaels. He contributed so much. If it wasn't for him smaller guys might not have won World titles. WWF at the time was all about Big Men. Shawn Michaels with the help of Brett Hart established the main event scene for smaller guys. He passed down a story.

 

[Mustang Sally]

I think it's a person whose body of work over his/her career stood over and above the other wrestlers in his company. There are many stars in an organization at any point in time, but even those stars recognize that the legend is the undisputed leader of the band.

I don't see how anyone can be considered a legend if they had only a short career; i.e. Brock Lesnar or Goldberg. It takes many years to make a legend.

I don't see Owen Hart as a legend. Yes, he died and we often grant a popular performer legendary status if he does that, but legends are created based on what they do during their lives, not for nostalgia after they've died. Based on what he did in the ring, he was a respected wrestler, but hardly loved. We decided we loved him only after he died.

The opposite is true of Chris Benoit. Just as we're not allowed to say anything bad about Owen, we're also not allowed to say anything nice about Benoit, due to political correctness. During his career, he was a respected performer but never the dominant presence of the organization he worked for.

Who are the legends? While we'll be granting that status to hundreds of wrestlers if this thread goes on long enough, I think there are only a few. Hulk Hogan is one because the whole wrestling world revolved around him at one point (that he thinks it still does is another matter entirely). Steve Austin is a legend for the same reason. Fabulous Moolah and Bruno Sammartino are legends because they stood head and shoulders above their peers.

I think Randy Savage could be considered a legend because of his enormous impact, but he had the misfortune of having his prime years overshadowed by Hulk Hogan. Still, Savage is a legend.

Ric Flair is a legend. Even with the other talented wrestlers working for the same company as him, Flair always stood out with his ring work and personality. If you don't consider Ric a legend, I'd have to say we disagree on the definition of the term.

John Cena hasn't been doing it long enough to be considered a legend, but he might make it one day.

Kurt Angle could very well have gained legendary status if he stayed with WWE, but the relatively brief time he spend in the company precludes him from legendary regard.

Shawn Michaels? I don't see it. He was talented and very popular, but the wrestling world never revolved around him. I wouldn't consider him a legend although I can understand folks who do.

Undertaker is surely a legend because he fits the two essential criteria: he's been doing it for such a long time.....and his gimmick has given him a mystique that makes people want to buy the PPV's just to see what he's going to do. He's a legend.

 

[Tech N9ne]

I would consider it stretching the definition of the word to call Lesnar a legend. He did some things that could be considered legendary. His career was too short in my opinion to be called a legend. I think he is more of a Iconic figure that wrestled. Since he has gone on to do other things, I think he is an all around celebrity icon.

He is a legend in amateur wrestling. Because, besides the olympics, he went as far as he could in that. He quit pro wrestling. I do not think that gives him legendary status. I will dub his Pro Wrestling history as meteoric, iconic and a stepping stone for his legendary main stream status as a fighter of all sorts.

 

[Dyno Kid]

Guys who were almost bigger than the business, that had such an impact that they are still talked about today are legends ! Guys like Bruno, Flair, Hogan, the Road Warriors, Thesz, Race, Rodgers, Andre, Inoki, Baba, Dusty, Funk, Graham, Gagne, Bockwinkel, Dynamite Kid, Randy Savage are some guys that I'd call legends.

The word does get throw around to often and it makes me cringe when I see guys like Foley, Honky Tonk Man, Howard Finkle, Cena, HHH, Edge, Jericho, Nash, Bret & Owen, the Dudleys, Mean Gene, Angle ect. called legends !

 

[Dagger Dias]

What defines a legend in wrestling? Those who were the best of the best. Someone could be a legend on the mic. They could be a legend in the ring. Perhaps they had legendary work ethic. There are even those who are legends among legends and fit any of the three previously mentioned categories. If someone is a legend it simply means they are one of the best ever, because those people need a term to separate them from those who have yet to reach that level. The word "legend" is thrown around a lot more than it should though and I think that comes from people having the desire to see new legends achieve legendary status in either their own definition or someone else's.

 

[Klown_Karnage]

I have to admit that I thought a lot about this some time ago when I defended the notion that Rey Mysterio qualified as a legend. However, in terms of professional wrestling, I would say that legendary status comes down to three key factors: Recognizability, Popularity, and Dominance.

Fame is tantamount to legendary status. When someone mentions wrestling, a legend's name will come up almost immediately, even among casual or non-fans. When a picture of a legend is shown, people will have to be able to know who it is, usually with some measure of awe or at least being impressed by what you've "accomplished". This is a combination of the legend's promotion/creative team allowing him/her to achieve their potential, the legend's own ability to perform, and the audience's ability to recognize it. When you're instantly recognizable, you know you're on your way.

Popularity goes along with this. In addition to being able to recognize you, the public has to want to see you, face or heel. They don't necessarily have to like you. There are many heels who became legendary just because people loved to hate them. Consider the Iron Sheik. This is partially accomplished by the creative team, but mostly up to the legend's performance ability.

Lastly, there's Dominance. Let's face it, you will never become a legend if you get your ass handed to you on a platter every week...although there may be one or two exceptions (Santino may become a legend yet.) You have to be at least credible as a fighter. People actually have to think you have a chance at victory and the bigger that chance, the more legendary one usually becomes. This is primarily where the promotion/creative team "makes" legends. I have to say, in passing, that many people who have had "locker room politics" clout have become legendary by refusing to job or lose at all for long periods. From what I've heard in interviews and such, Hulk Hogan was known for this sort of thing.

This combination of three factors, at least so far as I have seen, tends to be what makes legends.