I can't believe nobody said Rey Mysterio. He is a top guy and is a 2 time world champion. Rey has always sold good to everyone he wrestles. In fact, this year he chose to work with Cody Rhodes and put him over at 'mania. I actually think he's working a good program with him. He actually made me like Cody's new character. Rey previously sacrificed his mask in WCW. Now with the WWE, he is the people's champ!!! I still get excited to see Rey feud with different wrestlers, especially the rookies because he is a vet and is humble. Selfless=Rey Mysterio.
Most Selfless Top Wrestler Ever
- Thread starter Tastycles
- Start date
muzz-rocks
Scotland's Nerd Comedian
Seeing as a few folk have mentioned Mick Foly, I would like to throw Terry Funk's name into the mix.
This man has made so many wrestlers, there isn't enough time to mention them all before Extreme Rules starts. Most notably ECW. Terry could quite of easily have destroyed ECW by being like another famous wrestling Terry and keeping the belt for ages, but instead, he dropped the belt a month after he won it to Sabu putting him over big time! This launched Sabu from incredibly over hardcore wrestler to legit champ. This was a hugely defining moment for a small controversial company, and ultimately turned the company into what we all knew and loved.
This man has made so many wrestlers, there isn't enough time to mention them all before Extreme Rules starts. Most notably ECW. Terry could quite of easily have destroyed ECW by being like another famous wrestling Terry and keeping the belt for ages, but instead, he dropped the belt a month after he won it to Sabu putting him over big time! This launched Sabu from incredibly over hardcore wrestler to legit champ. This was a hugely defining moment for a small controversial company, and ultimately turned the company into what we all knew and loved.
I'm not sure how anyone considers Chris Jericho to be one of the top stars. I know guys like Kane and Jericho job all the time, that's their job. The thread is about people who aren't expected to lose all the time but do. The Rock is a good example, Chris Jericho who has spent most of his career as a second tier wrestler doesn't really count.
Sheamus went from feuding with Shelton Benjamin on ECW, to being World Champion in the space of a month because Cena lost to him. Cena's dropped the title in matches 8 times. Three of them have been to first time champions, compared to say 1 out of 7 for Orton, 0 out of 6 for Batista and 1 out of 4 for everyone's favourite selfless star Chris Jericho. That's significant.
Also, how many other top stars have lost to literally every viable contender? Austin didn't lost to The Rock till the bitter end, and I don't think he ever lost to Foley. Undertaker still hasn't lost a meaningful match to Triple H etc.
Finally, you never saw anyone else mentioned here lose in things like MITB cash ins etc on as regular a basis as Cena. Clearly, these defeats are designed to protect him, but Cena has been victim to 2 MITB cash ins and a twenty second match against Batista after an elimination chamber. You can count on one hand the number of wrestlers who have allowed themselves to lose so quickly in title matches, even if the circumstances do protect them.
Cena is who I had in mind when I made the thread, but I do think your Rock selection might be better actually, still Cena is not that shit a pick based on the aforementioned reasons.
Sheamus went from feuding with Shelton Benjamin on ECW, to being World Champion in the space of a month because Cena lost to him. Cena's dropped the title in matches 8 times. Three of them have been to first time champions, compared to say 1 out of 7 for Orton, 0 out of 6 for Batista and 1 out of 4 for everyone's favourite selfless star Chris Jericho. That's significant.
Also, how many other top stars have lost to literally every viable contender? Austin didn't lost to The Rock till the bitter end, and I don't think he ever lost to Foley. Undertaker still hasn't lost a meaningful match to Triple H etc.
Finally, you never saw anyone else mentioned here lose in things like MITB cash ins etc on as regular a basis as Cena. Clearly, these defeats are designed to protect him, but Cena has been victim to 2 MITB cash ins and a twenty second match against Batista after an elimination chamber. You can count on one hand the number of wrestlers who have allowed themselves to lose so quickly in title matches, even if the circumstances do protect them.
Cena is who I had in mind when I made the thread, but I do think your Rock selection might be better actually, still Cena is not that shit a pick based on the aforementioned reasons.
ChickenWaffles
Dark Match Jobber
I have to second The Rock. It probably helped that he isn't a total mark like HHH or Steve Austin. What I mean by this is that he recognizes wrestling is pretty much playing a role and that as much of an achievement winning a championship is, it isn't a competitive "sport". This is probably what led to him having no problems putting guys over.
I wanted so bad to say the Undertaker here. Really, really bad; however, it's just not true. Don't get me wrong now. I could choose the Undertaker and give one hell of an argument to back that claim up, but he just isn't the most selfless wrestler of all time.
I'm going to have to give the nod to Ric Flair here.
When people talk about "top stars" putting people over; Ric Flair has to be in their mind. Let's see, he made people like Ricky Steamboat, Sting, Arn Anderson, Tully Blanchard, Barry Windham, Lex Luger, Terry Funk, and he even helped keep others in the main event. People like Dusty Rhodes would fit into that category. Also, don't forget, when people like Hogan and Savage went to the WCW, they both beat Flair about 5 times a piece before they faced anyone else. So he made those guys relevant with a new audience.
This one has to go to Flair. Hands down.
I'm going to have to give the nod to Ric Flair here.
When people talk about "top stars" putting people over; Ric Flair has to be in their mind. Let's see, he made people like Ricky Steamboat, Sting, Arn Anderson, Tully Blanchard, Barry Windham, Lex Luger, Terry Funk, and he even helped keep others in the main event. People like Dusty Rhodes would fit into that category. Also, don't forget, when people like Hogan and Savage went to the WCW, they both beat Flair about 5 times a piece before they faced anyone else. So he made those guys relevant with a new audience.
This one has to go to Flair. Hands down.
Harry Trashbins
Dark Match Jobber
I have to go with Ric Flair. He's put over so many guys, including many who actually sucked in the ring. But Flair made them look good and also managed not to look weak himself by losing to someone worse than himself. This goes back to the days when the territories were still intact. You can check Flairs win/loss rate and you'll notice he's lost more matches than other (former) top dogs, merely because he put over so many wrestlers. I can remember only one time he refused to put someone over, when he refused to put over Lex Luger. The reason being that he promised the Heavyweight Title to Sting and he didn't want to drop it to Luger.
Klown_Karnage
Slapstick Heavyweight Champion
There are a few I can mention here, but I have to narrow it down to three.
1. The Undertaker. In this case, I have to go by interviews I've listened to by other wrestlers. Yes, Undertaker is a massively dominant star and nearly always ends up on top of his various feuds. Nonetheless, nearly every wrestler in every interview that I've listened to speaks of the selflessness of The Undertaker. Also, while many that The Undertaker worked with didn't last, many others did. Kane is the obvious choice, but what about CM Punk? It was 'Taker that he was working with when Punk made the jump from the midcard to the main event (at least that's the way I perceived it.) I'll give you an example I listened to in an interview with Batista. Batista was talking about a major match between himself and 'Taker. It was also near to Batista's birthday. 'Taker had just landed a Tombstone on Batista and made the cover. In the process of the three count, Batista recalls 'Taker saying something to the effect of "Here's your birthday present: kick out!" As I recall few if any had ever kicked out of the Tombstone before this, so it was indeed a major moment. This is only one example.
2. Mick Foley. Yes, he's been mentioned already and rightly so. I mention him for all the same reasons he's been mentioned already. He made people look good, he was willing to sell like hell for them and didn't kick up a fuss about not winning all the time. He also actively worked to promote people he believed in (such as Melina) backstage.
3. Rey Mysterio. Rey is for the cruserweight type wrestlers what 'Taker is for the heavyweights. Even when Rey wins, he makes sure his opponents look good. Rey may win in the end, but in the middle of feuds, he really puts over his opponents. A big example is Dolph Ziggler when he was trying to win the Intercontinental Title from him. Ziggler didn't quite manage it, but Rey made sure he looked damn good trying.
1. The Undertaker. In this case, I have to go by interviews I've listened to by other wrestlers. Yes, Undertaker is a massively dominant star and nearly always ends up on top of his various feuds. Nonetheless, nearly every wrestler in every interview that I've listened to speaks of the selflessness of The Undertaker. Also, while many that The Undertaker worked with didn't last, many others did. Kane is the obvious choice, but what about CM Punk? It was 'Taker that he was working with when Punk made the jump from the midcard to the main event (at least that's the way I perceived it.) I'll give you an example I listened to in an interview with Batista. Batista was talking about a major match between himself and 'Taker. It was also near to Batista's birthday. 'Taker had just landed a Tombstone on Batista and made the cover. In the process of the three count, Batista recalls 'Taker saying something to the effect of "Here's your birthday present: kick out!" As I recall few if any had ever kicked out of the Tombstone before this, so it was indeed a major moment. This is only one example.
2. Mick Foley. Yes, he's been mentioned already and rightly so. I mention him for all the same reasons he's been mentioned already. He made people look good, he was willing to sell like hell for them and didn't kick up a fuss about not winning all the time. He also actively worked to promote people he believed in (such as Melina) backstage.
3. Rey Mysterio. Rey is for the cruserweight type wrestlers what 'Taker is for the heavyweights. Even when Rey wins, he makes sure his opponents look good. Rey may win in the end, but in the middle of feuds, he really puts over his opponents. A big example is Dolph Ziggler when he was trying to win the Intercontinental Title from him. Ziggler didn't quite manage it, but Rey made sure he looked damn good trying.
This may sound strange for a guy who almost never lost, but what about Andre The Giant? Sure, Hogan was already a monster babyface by WM III but Andre could've just torn him apart if he wanted to. Hogan beating Andre is always mentioned as the big passing of the torch moment, and Andre had to be selfless to allow that to happen.
Even without that moment, Andre always made others look good just by having them almost beat them. In Australia in the 1970s he put over a local guy called Kenny Medlin(think Chavo level - size wise) by sharing the cash spoils in a battle royal. Made Andre an instant hero to Aussie fans.
Even without that moment, Andre always made others look good just by having them almost beat them. In Australia in the 1970s he put over a local guy called Kenny Medlin(think Chavo level - size wise) by sharing the cash spoils in a battle royal. Made Andre an instant hero to Aussie fans.
Cena does not lose clean to the lesser guys, therefore he doesn't do anything selfless when a lesser guy beats him. (I.E. Money in the Bank cash-ins, outside interference and the like). I'm not sure Ric Flair is a great pick either, as he made guys by not losing to them, but by making people think he was going to lose to them. That isn't selflessness, it is talent I think they are different. I think my pick would be The Undertaker. Hell, he was willing to end the streak with Mark Henry.
There's one guy that I'm going to mention, and I know I'm about to take A LOT of shit about, but Chris Benoit.
Now, if you forget the last weekend of his life, here's a guy that was continually in the Upper Midcard and Main Event in WWE. Not only did he put guys like MVP and Randy Orton over, but he also worked with a TON of the younger guys and girls off screen to help make them better wrestlers.
Now, if you forget the last weekend of his life, here's a guy that was continually in the Upper Midcard and Main Event in WWE. Not only did he put guys like MVP and Randy Orton over, but he also worked with a TON of the younger guys and girls off screen to help make them better wrestlers.
The first guy who came to my mind is Chris Jericho. He legitimately cares about the business and enhancing the younger stars for the future. Now I know some can argue that he isn't considered a top star and I seen some mentioned Kane, Big Show, Chris Benoit, aren't top wrestlers but I consider them to be. They all won world titles so therefore they reached the top of the business and was considered to be one of the top guys when they held the belt. To name a few others that came to my mind The Rock which is the biggest wrestler I'm going to name on this list put many wrestlers over unlike Austin. Shawn Michaels also enhanced a lot of people's careers when he came back in 2002 as well.
The Universal Re-monster
Dark Match Winner
Sorry to burst some people's bubbles, but in terms of scope- the answer is clearly Cena. The guy is by far the top guy in company, the poster boy. The WWE revolves around him right now, yet he puts people over like a motherfucker. Miz, Barrett, Sheamus, Edge, and yes... RVD were legitimized in the ME through feuds with him. Not stopping there Orton, Batista, HBK, Jericho, hell HHH all were put over even though they were already established. To prove a point further- what about Umaga? He made that fucking dude legit in their feud. The guy is a company man, and will do what is needed to to help the company, enough said.
Honorable mention to The Rock and Jericho, for doing about damn near the same thing.
Honorable mention to The Rock and Jericho, for doing about damn near the same thing.
Jannetty4Life
Dark Match Jobber
Shawn Michaels kept Marty Jannetty down for years. HBK turned on the Marty to better his own career and keep down the savior Jannetty. Marty made moves to save the world. As we all know the old tale of Marty taking out the infiltrator Charles Austin. Shawn did nothing, but look pretty and carry the great Jannetty's bags. HBK is good at opening doors for Marty, other than that I can't think of any talent HBK has. We all saw HBK, he could't even hold down a job a cook in an office building. Marty had to hold HBK's hand all the time to make sure he trained. Marty even had to tell HBK it was time to eat because HBK is soft. TRUE DAT
For me it has to be Cena. Without him the Nexus wouldn't have seemed as legitimate, as he did give each and every one of them a rub, Sheamus wouldn't be a huge star, Edge wouldn't have gotten such monumental heat, RVD and WWECW wouldn't have gotten anywhere and much more. Cena does whatever is asked of him, I've never once heard someone say that Cena holds anybody back. Anyway, why would they say that, when Cena is the epitome of selfless. The man will do what's best for the business, for the show, not for John Cena. He works with midcarders to legitimize them quite frequently, to be honest. Kennedy, MVP, Umaga, Khali, Carlito, all of them got the John Cena rub at some point or another.
The Fabulous Rougeau's
Championship Contender
Look no furthur then The Rock. Before Mania 2000 when was the last time a heel walked out of WrestleMania champ? Answer Never. The Rock at this point has been a face for nearly a year and with Austin out since the Survivor Series is the unquestioned #1 guy and getting some of the biggest pops ever. Coming off of the previous Mania and Rock losing the title one would think the outsome of this match was obvious. But The Rock puts HHH over so that he can go from a heel champ to the top heel champ and someone who was on par with Austin, Rock and Taker.
Keep in mind it was just 8 months earlier at SummerSlam 99 that the title match was a triple threat so Austin could drop it to Foley and Foley would then drop it to Trips. Hunter needed a legit title win to cement himself as he was fresh on the main event scene whereas The Rock had been their for over a year and a half at this point.
Keep in mind it was just 8 months earlier at SummerSlam 99 that the title match was a triple threat so Austin could drop it to Foley and Foley would then drop it to Trips. Hunter needed a legit title win to cement himself as he was fresh on the main event scene whereas The Rock had been their for over a year and a half at this point.
Ricky Steamboat would have been my pick too. Everything about the guy says selfless. Steamboat cared about the match itself, not the outcome. Selfless is not just about jobbing to others, its about making them look good. It's about being more concerned about how your opponent looked than yourself. That is Ricky Steamboat to a tee. Perhaps had Steamboat had a little bit more of an ego, acted a little bit more selfishly, he would have had more world championships, but that is just not who he is. He certainly had the talent to be a multiple time world champion, but that isn't what was important to him. He just wanted to have technically excellent matches. When you listen to the praise that the other wrestlers heap on him, it's always about how he acts, how he tried to have perfect matches, etc, you never hear about Steamboat ever bitching about his spot, about having to put anyone over.
Latinoeddy
Dark Match Winner
The Rock probably. The guy has put over plenty of guys from Brock to Goldberg to even Hurricane. Rock is a very selfless guy. I would say Jericho, but he really isn't a "top guy." More of a upper mid carder.
HBKperfect23
Championship Contender
This is hard. A lot of good answers so far. Mick Foley always was a company man, Rick Steamboat was one that doesnt get mentioned to often, John Cena is definitly a top canidate for this answer. Taker helped hold the WWF together by making other stars.
I know this is going to be controversial but heres two names not mentioned yet that I do think deserve to be brought up. Shawn Michaels during his second run and Triple H.
Michaels put everyone over every chance he got, even told McMahon he could back out last minute of putting the title on him at Survivor Series 02. He always bumped for everyone and tried to make his oppenent look good (even during his first run) and thats something that wasnt always done by the top guys.
Triple H is the star creater. He will work with anyone and always try to do whats best for the company.
I know this is going to be controversial but heres two names not mentioned yet that I do think deserve to be brought up. Shawn Michaels during his second run and Triple H.
Michaels put everyone over every chance he got, even told McMahon he could back out last minute of putting the title on him at Survivor Series 02. He always bumped for everyone and tried to make his oppenent look good (even during his first run) and thats something that wasnt always done by the top guys.
Triple H is the star creater. He will work with anyone and always try to do whats best for the company.
Couple of decent shouts for this really.
Foley made put over Triple, HBK and Orton when they needed that tweak to their characters the most. He used his own hardcore background to make all three of those seem tougher by proxy.
Flair worked well with guys back in the NWA, but since he pretty much had to I'm going to leave him out of the final reckoning.
The Rock was always willing to put over guys or make them look stronger. hell he made the Hurricane seem like a threat to him back during the Hollywood Rock days. Imagine Hogan, HBK or Triple H letting a jobber take it to them on the mic and in the ring like that?
Cena is a great shout. The SuperCena anger mostly comes down to his selling ability (or lack there of), but the guy is more than willing to lose cleanly to people that might need a rub. If he learned to sell properly he could even top this list.
Bret Hart was like Flair in the 80s, willing to make no-names like Jean Pierre La Feat (sp?), Isaac Yankum and Repo Man look great, willing to make himself look threatened by rising superstars like Hakushi, HBK (Survivor Series 92) and Owen and also willing to put over people like Yokozuna and Austin when they needed that final main event rub. For that reason I'd vote for Bret Hart as the most selfless champion I've ever seen
Foley made put over Triple, HBK and Orton when they needed that tweak to their characters the most. He used his own hardcore background to make all three of those seem tougher by proxy.
Flair worked well with guys back in the NWA, but since he pretty much had to I'm going to leave him out of the final reckoning.
The Rock was always willing to put over guys or make them look stronger. hell he made the Hurricane seem like a threat to him back during the Hollywood Rock days. Imagine Hogan, HBK or Triple H letting a jobber take it to them on the mic and in the ring like that?
Cena is a great shout. The SuperCena anger mostly comes down to his selling ability (or lack there of), but the guy is more than willing to lose cleanly to people that might need a rub. If he learned to sell properly he could even top this list.
Bret Hart was like Flair in the 80s, willing to make no-names like Jean Pierre La Feat (sp?), Isaac Yankum and Repo Man look great, willing to make himself look threatened by rising superstars like Hakushi, HBK (Survivor Series 92) and Owen and also willing to put over people like Yokozuna and Austin when they needed that final main event rub. For that reason I'd vote for Bret Hart as the most selfless champion I've ever seen
Pay Per Ghost
What they f*ck happened in the thread section here
Well two people spring to mind instantly:
Mick Foley: For making people by flinging himself in places we dare not speak. He legitimized Edge in a ight of sorts, and bleed his way to give Taker his 'famous gimmick'. Hunter and Cactus Jack was one example and so is his dealings with Randy Orton.
The Rock: You know for the kinda star he became he never douchied his way outta dropping a title. I mean he could've easily done it when he was red-hot yet he didn't. X has mentioned his resume. Pretty selfless to me. There is only one superstar that I've heard he refused to work with. And it wasn't Rocky's fault.
Mick Foley: For making people by flinging himself in places we dare not speak. He legitimized Edge in a ight of sorts, and bleed his way to give Taker his 'famous gimmick'. Hunter and Cactus Jack was one example and so is his dealings with Randy Orton.
The Rock: You know for the kinda star he became he never douchied his way outta dropping a title. I mean he could've easily done it when he was red-hot yet he didn't. X has mentioned his resume. Pretty selfless to me. There is only one superstar that I've heard he refused to work with. And it wasn't Rocky's fault.
GOATTheRock99
Dark Match Jobber
The rock!... Lost three manias in a row for the title ( 15, 16, 17 ) and jobbed to gimmicks that went nowhere
Bernkastel
Reaper of Miracles
When I think of the definition of a company man, I don't necessarily think of the top face, but the man who puts the company before himself. For me that man is Kane.
He is undoubtedly a top superstar, having won the WWE title and the World title; he's one of the few versatile characters left on the roster that can be put in a one off against any guy on the roster, or to be made to job repeatedly and still be built back up again.
His fifteen year tenure is remarkable considering that Kane was probably only originally supposed to be in the company for a year or so, as an enhancement talent for the Undertaker. Looking back all the awful storylines the guy has had to be apart of, it's amazing to me that Jacobs hasn't complained once, let alone quit. And I suspect him to have great relationships with people in the back considering he has been awarded with title runs and accolades in the past, probably even when he didn't ask for them. If the man wanted to pull rank in order to get more titles, at this point in his career he easily could.
He is undoubtedly a top superstar, having won the WWE title and the World title; he's one of the few versatile characters left on the roster that can be put in a one off against any guy on the roster, or to be made to job repeatedly and still be built back up again.
His fifteen year tenure is remarkable considering that Kane was probably only originally supposed to be in the company for a year or so, as an enhancement talent for the Undertaker. Looking back all the awful storylines the guy has had to be apart of, it's amazing to me that Jacobs hasn't complained once, let alone quit. And I suspect him to have great relationships with people in the back considering he has been awarded with title runs and accolades in the past, probably even when he didn't ask for them. If the man wanted to pull rank in order to get more titles, at this point in his career he easily could.
Peoples_Champ
Bra & Panties match winner & NEW...
Kane and Ricky Steamboat are top of the list for me. You could add Andre The Giant to this list as well, as he didn't have to put over Hogan, Warrior, etc. but he did it anyways. Look at Big Show too, all the humiliating things he's done at WM and also the bullshit angle with Boss Man. I know for damn sure I wouldn't let VKM do that to my family.
It's a tough topic because I would argue 95% of wrestlers are essentially selfless, it takes a huge ego-check to be a lower midcarder and re-sign for a few more years of losing. But at the top of my list is Kane from the positive reputation he has behind the scenes.
It's a tough topic because I would argue 95% of wrestlers are essentially selfless, it takes a huge ego-check to be a lower midcarder and re-sign for a few more years of losing. But at the top of my list is Kane from the positive reputation he has behind the scenes.
Peoples_Champ
Bra & Panties match winner & NEW...
Sidenote about everyone voting for Bret. I love Bret, but he's not exactly the most selfless. He definitely put talent over but he was extremely protective of his spot and did not want anyone to take it. He left WWFE after WM12 specifically to see them fail without him in the top spot. To pass the torch to HBK and then throw him under the bus like that is not exactly a selfless thing to do. He put over Owen but he never let Owen get too much sympathy that he would take Bret's spot. He didn't intend to get Austin super over in their match at WM13, he intended to be more over as a heel than Austin was as a face.
There are hundreds of times when Bret has selflessly put over talent (Rock, HHH, everyone at WCW), but he is not someone that I would consider the most selfless.
There are hundreds of times when Bret has selflessly put over talent (Rock, HHH, everyone at WCW), but he is not someone that I would consider the most selfless.
HBKperfect23
Championship Contender
I agree, Bret certainly shouldnt be known as selfless. He has been very selfish at times. He never liked to drop titles (Mountie, Backlund, Michaels twice)
Also, not sure how I overlooked Kane. Hes certainly been selfless. He puts everyone over. Id love to see Kane get at WM main event before he retires.
Also, not sure how I overlooked Kane. Hes certainly been selfless. He puts everyone over. Id love to see Kane get at WM main event before he retires.