The greatest wrestler without "the look"?

[CM Steel]

For many years now in wrestling wrestler's have been told that they had to look a certain to get over in the wrestling industry. Leading to the addiction of steroids which has plagued the wrestling world for generations now. Superstars like Hulk Hogan, The Ultimate Warrior, Randy Savage (R.I.P) had the right look in wrestling to be the one's who could and would be able to wear the company's top championship. But there were also the one's who weren't.

Wrestler's like Dusty Rhodes, The Junkyard Dog, and the Brooklyn Brawler didn't have the so-called look in the wrestling world, or at least in the WWF/E. Sure Dusty Rhodes is a former NWA world champion. But there are some people out there (like Shane Douglas) who just see's Rhodes as the fatman of professional wrestling after all what he has done for wrestling.

But wrestler's like Mick Foley dare to define that stereotype in wrestling when he won the WWF/E title for the first time in late 1998.

But in your own opinion, who is/was the greatest wrestler without "the look"?

 

[Darkdarkdays]

He certainly wasn't the 'greatest' but Bob Backlund was a 2 time WWF champion and had the second longest ever reign....that's not too bad for a guy who looks like he keeps kids in the back of his windowless ice cream truck

 

[gazzatticus]

Foley hands down every time. He doesn't look like an athlete but he had all the success.

 

[Hollywood Naitch]

The 2 that immediately jump to mind are Mick Foley and Dusty Rhodes.

Both ended up as two of the most loved performers in the history of wrestling, but when you looked at either guy, even in their prime they just looked out of shape and anything but an athlete.

Rhodes and Foley may not have had rippling six-packs, pretty boy looks or bulging muscles, but they made the most of the things they were good at, and got the people to fall in love with them, leading them to the top of the sport.

They are both multiple time World Champions, Dusty is already in the WWE HOF, Foley will surely join him and they have the respect and adoration of pretty much all wrestling fans.

I'm sure there are others, but those 2 immediately popped into my head.

 

[Mustang Sally]

My choice is Dusty Rhodes, but as always with questions of this sort, it depends on your definition of "look" factor. As far as not having the "it" physique, Dusty qualifies on all counts.......but if the factor is determined by charisma, Dusty is a bad choice because the guy generated a lot of excitement.

He wasn't a good technical wrestler, yet knew how to move around the ring to maximum effect. He was involved in some intriguing matches that were made better by the fact he was in them. Yes, I realize that he was chief booker in many of those contests and probably advanced his own career at the expense of others, but the fans seemed to take to it, anyway.

Just the fact he was able to get away with those showy gyrations that others couldn't clearly showed how a guy without the "look" could rise to the top.

 

[George Steele's Barber]

I think you really have to seperate generations in order to have a discussion on this topic. Backlund is definitely a great choice but he accended in a different period than what most of us grew up watching. I completely disagree with Rhodes and Foley. Although they don't fit the body builder mold they both looked like big strong brawlers who no one would ever want to mess with.

Some of the guys that didn't or don't have "the look" of a successful professional wrestler and have experienced success are:

DDP - there was a reason this guy started his career as a manager. He's kind of goofy looking and has a really weird skin pigmentation. His personality is what really got him over.

Daniel Bryan - he really is the modern day Backlund, small and average looking yet he has had far more success than anyone would expect based on his appearance. Whether or not he can maintain it or is just another flavor of the month is another story.

Bret Hart - I know he wasn't small and had a decent build but he wasn't much more than normal looking. There was nothing extraordinary about his look.

CM Punk - I can't believe how much in general this guy has lost his internet darling love. We are five posts in and no one mentions a guy who is skinny fat, has sunken eyes with giant bags underneath, a hair helmet and a muumuu tattoo.

Honorable mention to Eddie, Benoit, and Matt Hardy.

 

[SayHelloToTheBadGuy]

Bob Backlund


EVERYONE mentioned so far, has more of a 'look' than this guy. Yes, even Mick Foley, CM Punk, Dusty Rhodes... Backlund is as vanilla as they come.. or look I should say.

 

[Judah's Lion]

as always when responding to a thread, i tend to go with my first thought after just reading the title.

in this case, i read the title of the thread and immediately thought of Foley. his look was actually the opposite of what it should have been. i get that Dusty Rhodes also doesn't look athletic, but that isn't the only look that matters in wrestling. to put it bluntly, fat guys can get over because they're fat. it can help them look either more endearing to the fans or more intimidating to their opponents. for example, Yokozuna certainly didn't look athletic, but his weight alone made all of his opponents question whether or not they could take him down, let alone for a three count. i get that Dusty wasn't near that heavy, but the thought process could still translate to a guy his weight. how can a little guy possibly take down a much heavier guy like Dusty for a three count? so that's why Foley got the vote over Dusty for me. in his prime with the WWE, he didn't really look so fat as much as he did just overweight. i know, it's just a technicality and probably a really stupid one to most, but it made the difference to me.

so yeah, Dusty gets an honorable mention. so do any of the smaller guys that won the WHC, such as Hart, HBK, Benoit, Guerrero, Punk, Bryan... crikey! what about Mysterio?!?!?!

 

[Jdulemba1001]

If your talking current wrestlers, then Daniel Bryan. Nothing would make him stand out in a crowd. Other than him, if your talking about the past, id have to go with Foley or Dusty, as has already been said.

 

[xavyer]

I agree with Judah's lion, Rey Misterio is a great wrestler, but he deesn't exactly look WHC material, but yet he has held the title twice and also the WWE title, even if the last one was for a few minutes, he's too small to be the top guy, Daniel Bryan is also a good choice, not many people believed that he would become WHC, but his talent took him that way, a said talent because he lacks the size or body, and also CM Punk, like Bryan, he has the talent, but if you look at him, he doesn't exactly has the look of a champion, or the face of the company........

 

[Potatogod93]

Great Thread!

I think there's many really, but the greatest?? I'm not sure on the greatest, but I'm leaning Lance Storm, great in ring worker. Dusty Rhodes? Seriously? Dude was not really that great of a worker. I'm sort of lost on that one.

 

[BarryHorowitzfanclub]

Easiest question to answer: American Dream Dusty Rhodes.

He was obviously not a body builder, unless you consider putting on pounds building. But he had more charisma than anyone this side of Ric Flair.

 

[Defekt]

I think you really have to seperate generations in order to have a discussion on this topic. Backlund is definitely a great choice but he accended in a different period than what most of us grew up watching. I completely disagree with Rhodes and Foley. Although they don't fit the body builder mold they both looked like big strong brawlers who no one would ever want to mess with.

Some of the guys that didn't or don't have "the look" of a successful professional wrestler and have experienced success are:

DDP - there was a reason this guy started his career as a manager. He's kind of goofy looking and has a really weird skin pigmentation. His personality is what really got him over.

Daniel Bryan - he really is the modern day Backlund, small and average looking yet he has had far more success than anyone would expect based on his appearance. Whether or not he can maintain it or is just another flavor of the month is another story.

Bret Hart - I know he wasn't small and had a decent build but he wasn't much more than normal looking. There was nothing extraordinary about his look.

CM Punk - I can't believe how much in general this guy has lost his internet darling love. We are five posts in and no one mentions a guy who is skinny fat, has sunken eyes with giant bags underneath, a hair helmet and a muumuu tattoo.

Honorable mention to Eddie, Benoit, and Matt Hardy.

I guess everyone has their own opinion. Guys like Bret Hart and CM Punk are very popular with the ladies. In Bret's book he talks about getting the most fan mail, most of it from women.

I wouldn't call Backlund the greatest, but he certainly achieved alot for looking the way he did. When Backlund made his return, and the commentators would talk about how he was a 2 time world champion, I had a hard time believing it.

The guy dressed like a jobber (old looking, plain trunks), had red hair, was pasty, and had no muscle tone.

 

[LegendKiller716]

I wanna go with Roddy Piper. It really depends on how you define "the look". People may disagree with me because Piper has never been world champion, but he is one of the greatest of all time.

Another guy, while he's not the best, is Jeff Hardy. He's had problems, but nobody is as over as he is.

 

[Honkey_Kong]

What about George The Animal Steele? He looked like an out of shape boob and became a name that sold tickets no matter who he was facing.

 

[Attitude Era Junkie]

I didn't even need to think for 3 seconds. Dusty Rhodes.

Mick Foley would be 2nd I guess but I pick Rhodes over him because Foley was more of a hardcore guy and a brawler anyway. You don't need to be in good shape for that stuff. Foley proved that.

 

[Aotearoa (Bushwacker)]

Definitely agree with all mentionhed so far.
My picks would have been Jeff Hardy and Rey Mysterio for sure.
But in order to be different and add to the mix how about YOKOZUMA. He definitely did not have the look of a muscled bound body builder. Yeah he was huge as hell and looked badass, but he was slow and clumsy and definitely did not have the look or physique we are discussing here.
The other that I am surprised nobody has mentioned yet and is probably one of the highest achievers has to be Shawn Michaels. Definitely did not have the look and had a hell of a lot of success.

 

[Rockyfolifebo!!!]

There's a lot you can go with. I gotta admit though, the very first one to come to mind was Mick Foley. Here you have this guy who's over 300 pounds, who's been highly over with the fans for the past 20 years because of his insane stunts! The same with Jeff Hardy. He is not that big monster that Vince is looking for, yet he's attained much success in his career for his crazy stunts.

But as far as the best, I'm going to say Eddie Guerrero. Period. He was entertaining, athletic, and loved what he did. He helped revolutionize cruiserweight wrestling back in the 90s along with Mysterio and others. He has become WWE champion, and before his death, he was about to go on to win the World Heavyweight title. It's true they say you never know what you have until it's gone. Eddie was a gift, regardless of size. And he could put on the best matches with ANYONE, regardless of size.

 

[steve_smith]

How 'bout Austin Aires. I love this guy. He's one of the most entertaining guys in the business. He's great and is going to be even better, but he has a ceiling and that's because he's too small.

I have a hard time believing this guy could legitimately beat the giants, the six foot sixes/sevens/eights in the business.

I love this guy but, because of his size, he's got to be a heel that cheats to get to the top. That's the only way I can buy his inevitable rise to the top.

 

[HBsam31]

Rey Mysterio is interesting because he was a cruiser weight when I first caught on to him in WCW and he looked right at home in that division. He was still smaller than the rest, but you didn't really notice. Then he went in the heavyweight division, and I always felt he was out of place. Never really got used to or enjoyed seeing him with the larger guys. Bob Backlund is my choice though. He looked like my hs english teacher, and dressed like a jobber. He didn't look the part at all, but had great success in the ring.

 

[MrMojoRisin]

Great Thread!

I think there's many really, but the greatest?? I'm not sure on the greatest, but I'm leaning Lance Storm, great in ring worker. Dusty Rhodes? Seriously? Dude was not really that great of a worker. I'm sort of lost on that one.

I'm not sure how much of his work you've seen (not a lot I'm assuming), but Dusty could work his ass off.

Sure he had some hokey stuff (most guys do though), but he looked like a guy who you'd see get into a bar fight on a Friday night at the pub, and his work reflected that country tough persona.

When talking about guys who got over and made it big without having a great 'look', Dusty should be at the top of anyones list.

 

[RKOrob]

Depends on how you define "the look", cause I'd put forward Shawn Michaels. He's not your typical 6ft4-250lbs tank, but even against bigger opposition you always thought he could pull it out of the bag, and he did!

 

[neildittmar]

Jake "The Snake" Roberts.

Never a world champion in the WWF... not even an IC or Tag Team title holder. Never headlined a Wrestlemania. Not a short guy, but not a giant either. Didn't have the muscle-bound look that was a requirement for wrestling superstars in the 80's and early 90's. Could move around the ring a bit, but absolutely not a high flyer. He was essentially as average as average could be on the outside.

Then you introduce Damian into the equation. You pair the literal snake up with a guy who successfully adopted the same personality and mannerisms due to incredible ring psychology and a great mind for wrestling in general. Despite being fairly over, Randy Orton should be ashamed of himself with his Viper gimmick in comparison. That's just it... there really isn't any comparison.

Most of all, Jake was a guy who made people believe. He could control your emotions as a fan... make you love him unconditionally or hate him with an absolute passion. He was the personification of a wrestling superstar through and through, with none of the physical attributes that go along with it, particularly during the day and age when Jake was in his prime.