The Mount Rushmore of Wrestling

[IrishCanadian25]

It is 2008, and a new President of the United States is elected, who is a HUGE wrestling fan. He decides that former Presidents suck, and Mount Rushmore will be replaced with the faces of FOUR PROFESSIONAL WRESTLERS. He comes to YOU to make the decision. So tell me - who are YOUR FOUR? Which four faces are the faces of professional wrestling?

My four:

Hulk Hogan. The man did more for the sport than anyon else from the athletic standpoint, and he was actually a role model to millions of kids for years.

Ric Flair. More than 30 years in the business, near countless World Championships. He is the Gordie Howe of professional wrestling, and is face belongs in the forefront.

Vince McMahon. Took professional wrestling mainstream. The promoter who got Pay Per View, Cable, etc. He managed to become both the greatest OUT OF RING personality as well as the greatest IN RING PERSONALITY in wrestling simultaneously.

Antonio Inoki. The stalwart of non-North American wrestling, this man is a God in Japan. He is also consistent as well as timeless. The man even took guys like Muhammed Ali, Frank Wepner, and Andre the Giant in MMA, Boxing, and shoot-style matches.

 

[klunderbunker]

I have to agree with the first three of IC's choices.

Hogan- Brought wrestling out of the dark arenas and into the mainstream. Without Hogan, there would be no wrestlemania, there would be very little really. There more than likely wouldn't be a wrestlezone.

Flair- Probably the best blend of athletics and sports entertainment. He's over 50 and can still put on a decent match. To be his age and still be able to be in a featured match on Wrestlemania is a testament to how great he truly is.

Vince- What else can be said about this man? He has done it all, even been a wwe champion. As annoying as he has gotten with some of his decisions, he is like Hogan with what he means to the business, but on a higher level.

My fourth choice was a very difficult decision, with names such as Santo, Rikidozan, Turner, Crockett and Heyman going through my head. In the end though, I choose Eric Bischoff. This man did run WCW into the ground along with several others, but without him we'd still be watching Adam Bomb vs Bastian Booger. The man pushed the envelope and ignited the Monday Night Wars which changed wrestling forever. I don't like him personally, but I just couldn't leave him off.

 

[Ryukuma]

Im going to go with a different choice, but these 3 are because i feel they revolutionized Wrestling, and the fourth is because im a huge mark.

Hulk Hogan: He was the man who brought wrestling out of the dark ages, and deserves every little bit of money he gets for all hes contributed. He was one of the Great Mega Stars

Ultimate Warrior: This guy was another man who in my opinion was great for his time, and made us care about the matches back then, and he was yet another Mega Star

Randy Savage: The guy was entertaining on the Mic, and had classic feuds. He was one of the other Main Eventers that deserve everything. He was yet another Mega Star.

Edge: This guy in my opinion is the greatest, and deserves so much respect, and i feel sorry for the fans who quit watching wrestling and dont know much on him. He is a future Mega Star

 

[Shadowmancer]

Im assuming that we can put anyone up there. Ill keep it to American Wrestlers as that would be most likely an approved one.

Lou Thesz: Still Considered one of the Greatest to Ever lace up a pair of Boots, and is arguably the reason that Wrestling became as big as it has all over the world. So Lou Thesz being up there is probably a good one.

Hulk Hogan: Biggest Draw in History with the worst bloody fake tan and Bleached hair. Not to much you can say other than he should be up there just for that reason.

"Mr. Wrestling" Tim Woods: Saved Wrestling back when it was still Kayfabe heavy. He was involved in the same plane crash that Ric Flair was in, He Wrestled two weeks after the plane crash. He saved Pro Wrestling as a sport at that time. So of course he deserves to be up there.

Bruno Sammartino: Held the title longer than anyone in the History of Wrestling has ever or will ever hold it. He held it for a total of 11 years through the two reigns. Yeah that would qualify him for me.

 

[bige69er]

Vince McMahon Sr. : The man practicaly brought wrestling into the world.

Vince McMahon Jr. : The greatest sports entertainer in the world. He revoloutionized the world of Wrestling

Ric Flair : The best wrestler this world has ever seen hands down.

Shawn Michaels: The most entertaining wrestler of all time, and one of the best too.


This list pretty much covers all areas of wrestling.

 

[Mighty NorCal]

Sweet thread Idea IC25

Vince Mcmahon
Really the man behind it all, who runs it all, who created the game into what it is today. Hulk Hogan may have been the character, but Mcmahon created it. He came up with Wrestlemania, he went away from the territory system, Vince is the man.

Hulk Hogan
One of the most popular, characters in all of media, of all time. Hulk Hogans popularity is like 5 points under that of Jesus LOL. He raised the profile of wrestleing more than anyone EVER

Steve Austin
The leader of the other most popular era in wrestling, and statistically the most popular wrestler of all time. Lead the movement of wrestling and raise in popularity in a different time than Hogan, which may make it a comparable accomplishment (austins was in a much more modern time, when it was generally accepted that wrestling was nothing more than hokey, and was acknowledged to be much more "entertainment" than "sports"

Frank Goch
One of the foremost populr guys when "professional wrestling" was in its embryotic stages in North America. There are other guys who are worthy of distinction from this time period (Ed strangler lewis) but Goch is my selection.

 

[Cage917r]

This is a great idea....
-
1. Vince -this is easy, he made professional wrestling into what it is today, revolutionized the industry.

2. Hulk Hogan-he was Vince's main guy when wrestling was brought into the spot light. Biggest draw in history of the business, I mean come on he is Hulk Hogan.

3. Ric Flair-He has been around forever, a great in the business, and as long as he holds the record for most World Championships, he belongs on this mountain.

4. The Rock-The most charismatic wrestler in the history of professional wrestling. Most people are listing Austin here, but I will take The Rock because I have always been a pro Rock guy. And you can't deny that he has been the most successful wrestler outside of wrestling ever(to clear that up, besides for the wrestling world, he has had the most success).

 

[IrishCanadian25]

Some great thoughts, guys, keep 'em comin'!

Cage917, I figured someone would eventually put The Rock on the list, but can we justify putting someone who essentially left the business DURING his prime to make films on a mountain along side McMahon, Hogan, and Flair? IS that a slap to the face of the likes of Sammartino, Andre, Gagne, or Thesz?

Then again, maybe the current era of wrestling, or the attiitude era, needs to be represented given its magnitude. Klunder chose Eric Bischoff, which I found shocking considering his success was predicated on a billionaire writing him a blank check and unethically announcing and spoiling a taped show's results on air before they happen.

Ryukuma said Edge, based more upon his present and future than his past, which would leave no spots for someone who may have accomplished more.

Nobody has said The Undertaker or Randy Savage yet - do we not see them as mountainside material?

 

[klunderbunker]

I forgot about andre, he definately deserves to be a candidate. I picked Bischoff not so much based on what he did, but the style in which he did them if that makes sense. He also upped the ppv schedule (may have been a mistake) and brought (stole from ecw) in your face style to mainstream with the NWO. As far as edge, just doesn't have the legacy yet, but most certainly could. Taker probably should be up there too, but After Vince Hogan and Flair, that left almost no one from the attitude era. While Taker was a major player in that time, he wasn't the biggest in the company. Savage is no doubt one of the best in ring wrestlers ever, but he was always outshined by Hogan. Savage definitely could carry a company, but I doubt he could've done what Hogan did for the industry as a whole.

 

[Agrex]

Here are my four (in random order):

Vince McMahon - You don't have to like this guy, hell you can hate him, but you have to have respect for what he did for this business. He revolutionised the sports entertainment business. Without Vince, I have no doubt in my mind that wrestling would not be as big as it is now. We would not have WrestleMania, PPV's, cable, and countless stars. So, Vince definately deserves a spot on this list.

Hulk Hogan - Again, he played a key role in the evolution of wrestling. He is the most well known wrestler in history, hands down. You don't have to be a wrestling fan to know who Hulk Hogan is, as you don't have to be a hockey fan to know who Wayne Gretzky is. In the 80's, and 90's Hulk Hogan was on top, he was a role model to all. But this all goes back to Vince, Hogan is the creation, and Vince is the creator. Without Vince there would be no Hulkamania.

'Stone Cold' Steve Austin - He was the biggest star of wrestlings (arguably) greatest era. Steve Austin played a major role in the developpement of the Attitude Era. Not only that, but he is also very known outside of the ring, as he is inside. Steve Austin help shape up the wrestling we see today, and without him, the world of wrestling would definately be a different (for the worse) place.

Andre the Giant - He was the beloved giant that changed wrestling around the globe. He was famous everywhere, and was one of wrestlings biggest draws ever. He was known, and loved by many. He definately deserves a spot on this list.

 

[rKo0019]

My four would be:

Ric Flair: He inspired 3 generations of performers, wrestled around the world in countless arenas and against a variety of foes (often in one-hour draws), put up with every bullshit promoter in North America, and still found time in between all that to have 16 World Championship reigns.

Hulk Hogan:The guy who brought wrestling into the mainstream in North America. He had influence over countless wrestlers as well, and his character resonated with millions of fans, whether he was face or heel.

Vince McMahon:Along with Hulk Hogan, brought wrestling into the mainstream..not only did he have a top star, but he knew how to use him...and has created and sustained countless top stars ever since. Brought a ruthless business sense to the backstage area of professional wrestling.

Shawn Michaels:Probably the only guy up here who has never had a bad match. He could work with anybody and make them seem like pure gold. He has more charisma and talent in that ring since the glory days of one Ric Flair.

 

[sub619]

mine would be

Vince Mcmahon - one of the best, without him WWE today would be much different for the worse

The Undertaker - he is a great legend i dont care what other people say hes had 5 world title reigns and never stops even at his age

Shawn Michaels - definitely a future hall of famer and probably the greatest of all time

The iron sheik - have you seen his videos on youtube? need i say more

maybe we could add another head for Bret Hart even though with shawn there he might get a little steamed but we all know he deserves it

 

[Enigmania]

Vince McMahon - for the reasons already stated above
Bob Backlaud - He ran for the presidentsy during a non-electorial year now he can get a place where former presidents are formed. Oh and he was a legend in the ring.
Jesse Ventura - Former (?) govener of minnesota, gets a place for being a legend on the annonce desk and in minnesota.
Fabulous Moolah - argubally the greatest womens wrestler ever.

And Hulk Hogan as a back up spot.

 

[Captain Bean]

Vince mcmahon - revolutionised wrestling

Hulk Hogan - one of the most recognisable faces on the planet, caused a boom in wrestling.

Stone Cold Steve Austin - Headlined the attitude era which is so famous.

last one was a difficult choice with flair being such a long lived wrestler etc and the undertaker with his awesome WM streak (soon to be 16-0) howveer the undertaker has never been the best man in the business at any point during his career, hes always been one of the best but never the best. e.g. austin, hbk bret hart the rock etc. The rock was a name that i considered as he was the most charasmatic wrestler ever and got people more interested in wrestling then even hogan or austin did.however he left the business in his prime

id go with santino marella.... haha not really - The Rock - because hes my fav wrestler lol

 

[Cage917r]

Yes The Rock deserves to be up there, so he left during his prime, he was still the greatest of all-time in the charisma department and in my mind led the Attitude Era over Austin, which was the most successful Era for Professional Wrestling ever!!!!

 

[justinsayne]

Yes The Rock deserves to be up there, so he left during his prime, he was still the greatest of all-time in the charisma department and in my mind led the Attitude Era over Austin, which was the most successful Era for Professional Wrestling ever!!!!

That's debatable, Austin was the biggest name in the business of all time next to only Hogan, Rock is probably the third most recognized name, maybe fourth

Anyway heres mine

Stone Cold: As I said above one of the two biggest names in the history of the business, and had contributed many great moments and matches

Hulk Hogan: Even though I hate the guy, he is the biggest name in the business and was the guy that launched it into the mainstream

Ric Flair: Another big name in the industry, inspired countless of wrestlers in the industry, and without Flair there would no Four Horsemen which means there would probably be no DX, no NWO, or no Evolution

Vince McMahon: the guy owns the biggest wrestling company in the world, was the creator of Wrestlemania, and is the most well known promoter in the history of the business

 

[Y 2 Jake]

This is hard. Is Vince McMahon really the biggest promoter of all time? Or maybe you could argue that it's Eric Bischoff. Or somebidy from Japan or Mexico.

Hogan I agree with. He's the biggest star ever in wrestling. There's no dispute about it. Ask anybody who's never watched wrestling to name a wrestler, it'll be Hoagn. He's even a star in Japan. He's world known. I doubt Steve Austin or Cena are in that respect.

Steve Austin could be another candidate. But he wasn't around for that long. Certainly not as ''Stone Cold''. He doesn't have the same logevity as some wrestlers have. Who knows, in better health he might not have lasted.

I'm still undecided about this. This thread could run and run. I'm going to think about it and creat a tournament in my little brain. Two from WWE, one from Japan and somebody from any other promotion.

 

[IrishCanadian25]

I just realized one thing with my vote for Inoki and others saying Shiek or other foreign wrestlers - this is a US Monument. Would any US President allow foreign wrestlers on Mount Rushmore?

Just a thought. I like the thread debate with wrestlers and personalities from all over the world able to be on it.

 

[Undercurrent]

There have been a lot of wonderful choices. I'm going to leave out Vince McMahon and focus strictly on wretlers.

Andre The Giant- I know there have been a few that have said his name and those individuals have my up most respect. For those of you that haven't, of course you are entitled to your opinion but I hope you remember that without Andre who knows where wrestling would've gone. Everybody knows his name and everyone recognizes his picture. He's the 8th Wonder Of The World and the Mount Rushmore Of Wrestling is nothing without our friendly giant.

Hulk Hogan - He is arguably the most popular wrestler in the history of the business. He has and always will be a household name. Whether you loved him as the American icon in the WWF or despised him as the leader of the nWo in WCW, Hulk Hogan had the attention of everyone and nobody can command an audience like him.

Stone Cold Steve Austin - This man attracted a whole new generation of fans and single handedly made wrestling seem "cool." Austin has always had a larger than life persona and a take no prisoner attitude which catapulted himself into a league of his own. For this alone he deserves a spot on the Mount Rushmore of wrestling.

Bret The Hitman Hart - Bret is widely regarded as the greatest in ring performer of all time. His ability to tell stories gives him a gift that few could ever dream of possessing. Bret Hart is adored around the world by his loyal fans and whether you love him or can't stand him him you'll always remember him. I consider Bret to be the wrestler of all time and without being bias I can't imagine a Mount Rushmore of wrestling without him.

 

[ccs48]

BRUNO SAMARTINO - the best from his time and one of the best ever
plus he kept the wwe championship for 8 years he's a living legend

HULK HOGAN as much as i hate it he revoulutonized wrestling by emphasizing
mic skills and look over wrestling skill

STEVE AUSTIN - quite possibly the best ever and one of the most
popular wrestlers ever

RANDY ORTON - the best of this generation good on the mic and has pretty
good wrestling skills he could be one of the all time greats after his
career ends

 

[Shocky]

Hmmm, interesting.

Hackenschmidt - Pretty much the first recognized world champion. With this, I woul dhave a hard time not switching it with Frank Gotch, but either one of these two are acceptable.

Lou Thesz: No Brainer in my opinion. Sure he became a bitter old man when the business passed him by, but you can't deny what he did for the business. The first recognized NWA world champion, and held it 3 times, which would probably relate to this day and age about 30 title reigns.

Bruno Sammartino: The man with the longest title reign in history of a recognized world title. Bruno is still known to this day without major recognition from the WWE.

Hulk Hogan: Arguably, th emost popular wrestler ever. Was the man that brought the business into the modern Era. Hogan is simply put, the biggest name the industry has ever produced.

Seriously, all of this Attitude Era love, the Attitude Era was popular compared to today, but in the grand scheme of things, it wasn't one of the more popular eras of professional wrestling, hate to burst that mythical bubble. Steve Austin doesn't amount to a hill of beans in the grand scheme of the history of the business.

 

[Cage917r]

Yes, but the attitude era brought wrestling back from the dead of sorts. In the mid 90's wrestling had bottomed out and the Attitude Era brought it back and created a new style of proffesional wrestling, which was based just as much on entertainment as wrestling. It changed wrestling to what it is today and will be in the future. An era with that big of impact derserves a spot on the mountain. And either Austin or The Rock are the guys who would go up there representing the attitude era.

 

[Shocky]

But in the grand scheme of things, and to not get to far off of topic, the Attitude Era was merely a flash in the pan. As far as the WWE Mt. Rushmore, then you can make an argument for Austin being on there, in fact, I think he should be, as number 4. In the grand history of the WWE, Austin is number four, followed by Sammartino, Andre, and Hogan. Again, it's only opinion. The Attitude Era is simply a sub-era of the Modren Era in my opinion, but I would guess that that is a topic for another thread.

 

[Captain Bean]

if i was going for just wrestlers id go for -

hogan - self explanatory
the rock - awesome on mic and headlined attitude era with austin
austin - see above
rick flair - 30 year career etc

following those four who i my opinion are 4 of the most world wide stars i would go with HBK bret hart undertaker maybe andre the giant and maybe even HHH he has been to 11 WMs (might be 10 not too sure)

 

[Evan Snow-Wolf]

Alrighty. This thread seems interesting. Here is my go:

Hulk Hogan: Anyone who argues this hasn't been watching professional wrestling for the last 20 years. Love or hate, he's up there.

Undertaker: The most mythological legend in the history of professional wrestling. He's done it all, and walks with a professionalism and humility many others lack in some or even both departments.

Shawn Michaels: Renowned for athletic ability, x-factor, pretty much every trait you could possibly assign to a wrestler other than brute force.

Ric Flair: Defining the words class and style while being one of the best heels of all time. He redefined "cheating to win" long before there was Eddie Guerrero.

Honorable mentions:

-The Rock. Why he didn't get in? Because compared to the above four, his stint was not that long in the WWE. The true Rock character lasted a half a dozen years at best, and just when you thought he'd really shine into the next generation, he leaves. A black mark? No, but its enough to edge the four winners ahead of him.

-Stone Cold Steve Austin. The man defined an era. The problem is, we aren't looking for the Mount Rushmore of 1995-2001. This is professional wrestling as a whole in the modern era. Fantastic character, fantastic performer, lacking in the actual wrestling department, unless you want him to rest his hat on passing out in the Sharpshooter as in ring technicality.

-Bret "The Hit Man" Hart. Close, very close. But he's been stained with enough black marks to get edged JUST enough off the top four. Shawn Michaels was a close loser to this man, except that (in my opinion) HBK cleaned himself up, got his act together, and continues his legacy today entertaining fans and putting over every other main eventer in sight. Where's Bret? He's the one going on TSN's off the record and slandering every person he can think of. He's bitter, and its plain on his face no matter how many times he says he isn't.

-Mick Foley. You can't stop wrestling in 2000, and make 8 years of cameos and still be considered a wrestling legend. He sold out, about as hard as you possibly CAN. He'll gladly arrive once a year to put on a mediocre performance and job for a quick paycheck, which is a damned shame to a man that used to really inspire with his fueds.