The best as a WRESTLER.

[fenderjapan]

I haven't seen a ton of Thesz or Tragos matches. But I went with Angle, just a hair over Bret. Reason being that he had an intensity about everything he did in the ring that was unmatched. And I think he made himself a great wrestler in an era where great wrestling wasn't really seen as important.

 

[HellBoundPower]

If the definition of "wrestler" that is being portrayed in this post is referring to in ring, technical skills, I would have to go with Kurt Angle. Afterall, he did win an Olympic Gold Medal with a broken freaking neck! He's a legit tough son of a bitch with a crazy amount of skill both amateur and professional wrestling. I don't know if there has ever been anyone that was as well rounded as Angle to ever step foot in professional wrestling. And lets not forget that he's also gold on the mic, and entertaining as hell. He's the total package.

 

[The Fabulous Rougeau's]

I gave my vote to Angle but not for the reasons most have posted here. It came down to Angle and Bret and the reason I gave the edge to Angle is because he was able to showcase more of his talent based on the competition he has worked with. While Bret did have great opponents that allowed Bret to shine like Shawn, Owen, Diesel and Taker, he also spent alot of time during his prime in fueds with older, or not as talented guys and that hindered the product. Angle on the other hand had the benifit of working during a time that featured so many talented guys that allowed Angle to showcase his best more frequently. For me that's the difference between the two because when I look at Bret Hart for as great as he was and how long he worked in the industry I still find his work to be incomplete because his time at the top was shorter than it should have been and while there for every great fued he had he would have another one that was the opposite.

 

[THTRobtaylor]

Brock Lesnar should certainly be on the list, he has taken his wrestling skills to NCAA, Pro and UFC titles so he is very close to the top of the tree. Kurt Angle would run close too, in that he has taken his skills to the Olympic gold... Flair was special but relatively limited compared to the others, his back injury kind of limited what he could do and while Bret was impressive, you could argue Curt Hennig or even Dean Malenk were his equals...

I personally pick Lou Thesz, he was the last of the great shooters but was responsible for a large chunk of today's wrestling moves.

 

[It's Damn Real!]

A bit biased here but....I'm going with Bret Hart. Sure Angle is an Olympic Gold medalist, but if we are talking about pro wrestling, I have to agree with Sally. Bret was as crafty as they come. He always knew how to win against all odds. When Diesel was too big and strong, Bret played "possum", faked his fatigue and beat Big Daddy Cool with a small package. When Stone Cold proved too rough and rugged, Bret toughed it out and beat him at his own game. He out wrestled Mr. Perfect, he showed he can handle the speed of the 1-2-3 Kid in a classic title match. Basically, in any situation, Bret adapted and prevailed.

Like Mustang Sally said, no one ever saw Gotch, Thez or Rogers or any other wrestler from the Roosevelt Administration era.

I always held Bret to high regard. Outside of Owen Hart (who was more fluid and a graceful high flyer), Bret was who he claimed to be, The Best There Is Was and Ever Will Be...

Fucking this.

Not only all of that, but he made a career of almost NEVER injuring anyone he worked with. From what I recall, you can count on ONE hand the number of times Hart ended up hurting his opponent in a match. The guy made anyone look great. Just go back and watch his work with so many of the late 80's and early 90's "superstars" — especially the 'roided up freaks who couldn't wrestle their way out of a paper bag (hi, Warrior!).