The Mount Rushmore of Wrestling

[DJ]

Vince McMahon
Brought wrestling out of small time arenas.If he shouldn,t be up here then no one should.He has given us wrestling as we know it.

Stone Cold Steve Austin
He made wrestling cooler than ever.I,d say he brought in about quarter of the wrestling fans we have today.

Kenta Kobashi
Who? you may ask.Google him.A aboustle legend in japan,the man has some of the most dangerous moves in wrestling(burning hammer,orange crush).Also last year he came back from cancer to become full time again.Also the match was one of the best of the year.

Jushin Thunder Liger
Another who?You may remeber him from WCW.The guy is another legend in japan,and basically made the crusierweight division.The guy has the most lethal power bomb today-Lyger Bomb(running sit out powerbomb.)

 

[Razakel]

Bret Hart : Simply because he's the best storyteller in the ring. Bret wasn't the best at the mic but he was the best at telling a story in the ring. Bret had the best matches and he was also a class act, unlike many backstabbers and politicians in the wrestling world.

Stone Cold Steve Austin : was fired by WCW and was given the chance to create his own character and he ran with it..very good wrestler and had some amazing matches with bret hart...a class act also.

Ric Flair: Bischoff tried to ruin flair for years with crappy angles but the people refused to boo him..flair was just too good...great wrestler in his prime and amazing talker

Eddie guerrero: just because he was an amazing wrestler and so well liked by his peers...

I based my personal choices on who I think are the classiest wrestlers of the bunch that don't shame the business in any way...
If you ask me personnally..I think Hogan and Michaels are embarassing for wrestling..but that's just my personnal oppinion of them...

 

[8five]

Lou Thesz: Dominated the early NWA, held the title collectively for ten years three months and nine days or 3,749 days. Creator of such moves as the german suplex, STF, thesz press and the powerbomb.
Verne Gagne: owned, promoted and operated the AWA which for a very long time dominated the midwest landscape of professional wrestling.
Hulk Hogan- 6 time WCW champion, 6 time WWF/E champion, 1,177 days as WCW champ and 2,185 days on top of WWF/E..... Most importantly for Hogan Knows Best
Vince McMahon Sr. - Without who I don't believe Vince McMahon Jr. would have been able to do the things with the company that he has and also for establishing the WWF/E

 

[Father:_Polley]

Stone-cold - the face of the attitude era. without SCSA, the attitude era would have been without some of it's most influencial feuds, it's most famous promos. besides...his bald head would be easier to carve into stone.

Hogan ok, i admit...i can't stand the guy in the ring...but there's no denying that he's the reason a lot of people are involved in wrestling. he was the man wrestling was built around and everyone wanted him. personal preferences aside...he's the most influential figure in wrestling

Vince McMahon yes, daddy set up the company, but it was vince who turned it into the mammoth it is today. who'da thunk the commentator could become the heel chairman. as well as masterminding the rise to the top, he even got in the ring and (it's a term being applied to macho man i disagree with) is undoubtedly the greatest feud participant ever. come on...if you want to be over, be in a feud with VKM.

Mankind a strange choice??? surprise anyone??? this is the man who turned the monday night wars around. he sold for wwe when they needed it the most. not the most talented wrestler, but damn he could take a bump and cut a promo. brought it when it mattered

 

[Kyphael]

Looking at the grand scheme of things, this is simple enough.

Hulk Hogan: He put wrestling on the map. Before the 80's, wrestling was not sports entertaining; wrestlers were not wealthy and celebrities. No matter how great the likes of Ric Flair, Dusty Rhodes, Ricky Steamboat, Bruno Sammartino, and so on and so forth were, none did what Hogan did for the business. This coming from a guy who hates Hulk Hogan and idolizes the likes of Flair, Steamboat and others... I may be old school but I recognize what it took to make professional wrestling the epic phemonenon it is today.

Stone Cold Steve Austin & The Rock (together): Hogan was gone. Hart did not make as much money as Hogan ever did. Michaels broke his back before he reached superstardom as the super heel of DX. Stone Cold Steve Austin single-handedly picked up the ball and ran with it until his neck injury sidelined him. Who picked it up after Austin? The most electrifying man in sports entertainment took what Austin started and ascended to heights never before imaginable. He was THE FACE of 2000, arguably the greatest year in WWE history in terms of talent, booking, storylines and main events. By the time Austin came back from his neck fusion surgery, The Rock was already a bigger star... which was made evident when they turned Austin heel. Unfortunately, Rock's aspiring career in Hollywood was starting and Austin's neck injuries would come back to haunt him into early retirement.

Special mention goes to Trish Stratus for re-volutionizing women's wrestling and making the title bigger than it had ever been during her stint.

 

[jrhonaker]

So i'm going to make two different ones.

The first is for the non-wrestlers. The guys that revolutionized the business with their contributions elsewhere.

Vince McMahon Jr.- This man is responsible for how great the business is today. No one has given more than him to this company.

Paul George-... Who? Nobody knows him by name, but he was the first founding father of the NWA. And the rest is history.

Stu Hart- The dungeon has become synonymous with wrestling. He's arguably the best trainer ever. and we can thank him for benoit, storm, and all the harts.

Gordon Solie- It was close between him and ross. No one commentator has meant more to the business than Gordon. Seeing the piece on ecw tonight was a reminder of all he's done.





This one is for the performers themselves.

Hulk Hogan- Biggest draw that the business has ever seen. Set the stage for everything that was to come. Gave as much to the business as anyone else has.

Ric Flair- 59 years old and still going. The man symbolizes passion. 16 world title reigns. thats ebough.

Taker- Why not? He's dominated over the past almost 20 years. no one has stayed on top that long other than flair.

Terry Funk- Ushered in the new era of hardcore wrestling. One Of the biggest forgotten stars the business has ever seen.

 

[midgensa]

This a great topic ... and my list would include only top notch WRESTLERS. No McMahon, Bischoff, Heyman etc. Mt. Rushmore has ONLY presidents ... it does not have their campaign managers ...
So my four are:
1. HOGAN - This one is really a no-brainer. He simply took the business to another stratosphere and remains the top draw of all time. He was great and WWE and then phenomenal as Hollywood with the nWo in WCW. Pure charisma.
2. AUSTIN - Another easy one ... Austin brought in a ton of mainstream fans when the sport needed it most. After steroid scandals and the WCW taking things way overboard with 9,000 nWo members ... Austin grabbed the spotlight and led the way for the WWE in its most profitable time.
3. Ric Flair - NWA and WCW had its hands full trying to compete primarily while staying in the south as the WWE took over following the success of Wrestlemania 1-4. There was only one reason that NWA and WCW were able to compete (until Turner's open checkbook) and that is Ric Flair (maybe 1 1/2 if you count Sting). He still remains the most decorated World Champion of all time. And after 30 years in the business he can still put on a show.
4. Andre the Giant - This was by far the toughest spot. It could be The Rock, Triple H, Bruno Samartino, Lou Thesz, Shawn Michaels , The Undertaker, Sting, Randy Savage, etc. But I felt Andre was the man. He was almost just as responsible for Hulkamania as Hogan and Vince were. The perfect gentleman outside the ring ... and a great performer in the U.S. and abroad. Andre remains a household name. And that says a lot for the guy.

 

[RVDgurl]

Hulk Hogan - The most recognizeable face in wrestling history. People who have never seen a wrestling match will still know who Hogan is. He commercialized the business in the 80's and the WWE has never looked back.

Ric Flair - The Golden boy of wrestling in the 80's. WCW/NWA's bad boy version of Hulk Hogan. Flair is a wrestling icon who is considered one of the best wrestlers in the history of the sport.

The Undertaker - The master of reinventing a gimmick. This guy kept the WWE afloat in the early 90's when the masses really started looking elsewhere for wrestling. He personifies longevity and commitment to his profession.

Rob Van Dam - Because it's my damn mountain and I can put whoever's face I want to on it. And I want a mountain of RVD.

 

[bambam]

Ric Flair: 16X World Champion, One of the greatest of all time, Held gold everywhere he has gone.......Nuff Said!

Hogan: I might not personally like him, but hell, we all know he MADE wrestling such a huge success. Like RVDgurl said, people who don't even watch wrestling know who he is. Mr. Wrestling in the 80's.

Shane Douglas: A great Champion, a Great mic worker, and one of the greatest heels of all time. He made the 3rd company in wrestling, and I need some ECW flair to the mountain.

Roddy Piper: Simply really......no Piper, No Hogan. One of the greatest heels of all time. He made Hogan such a great face, because he was such a great heel.

You could also do a Vince, Heyman, and Bishoff mountain too though.

 

[Canadian Knight]

McMahon - Because he made the WWE what it is today. And because of that was also responsible for WCW's rise (since they had to match the powerhouse that is WWE)

Hogan - Not because he is a great wrestler but he brought the fans and made everyone watch wrestling.

Hawk and Animal - Why them two? Because they are the GREATEST tag team then and now.

 

[jbwphoto1]

George Hackenschmidt - The Russian Lion recognized as the original World Heavyweight Wrestling champion
Fabulous Moolah - the one all us girls could look up to
Fritz Von Erich - even with forcing the boys into the ring, he still did some incredible things for the sport
Verne Gagne - fought the monster alone and lost, but went down swinging

 

[tarp]

If we are going to put 4 people then why not put the orginal 4 horsemen and end it all.
Serioulsly though
1st and at the forefront it has to be the Nature Boy Ric Flair
2nd and as much as I hate it it has to be Hulk Hogan
3rd Vince McMahon
4th I have only seen this name once but it has to be the voice of wrestling Gordie Solie
Honorable mentions if we did put just wrestlers would be Andrea the Giant but wasn't he from France so maybe not. This is the US Moument as has been stated.
HBK, Harley Race, and Lou Thez are the only other ones who should be up there.

 

[mikeRC]

Undertaker : Quite simply the greatest character in wrestling history. Not only that he has given us some of the best storylines and Matches in wrestling. Also he is one of the only if not the only wrestler to improve with age. The Deadman is better today than he ever was.

Austin : It was very hard to chose between Stone Cold and The Rock but i think that Steve Austin really saved WWE from what looked like a very one sided war with WCW. Also Austin gave us probably the most memorable moments in Wrestling History. Great on the stick, great character and great in the ring what more could you ask for.

Paul Heyman : Arguably the greatest mind in wrestling history. ECW changed wrestling and Paul E was the genius behind it. He gave us some outstanding moments and the story of ECW is probably the greatest story in wrestling.

Kurt Angle : The absoloute best Wrestler in history in my opinion. Kurt has given us some incredible classics and has also given us some hilarious skits and brilliant storylines

 

[hatehabsforever]

For me to decide who to put on my own personal Mount Rushmore, I need to state some ground rules.

Even though I am a Canadian myself, the mountain would have to be restricted to Americans only. If it's a mountain in the US, you couldn't have non-Americans on it. Unfortunately this rules out such guys as Andre the Giant and Bret Hart.

Secondly, wrestlers only. Not founders, announcers, managers etc., just guys who were full time wrestlers. So therefore no McMahon, Bischoff, Heyman,etc.,

No divas. With all due respect to the divas they do not constitute a significant enough part of the wrestling business to be on a Mount Rushmore. So no Trish Stratus or any other divas past or present.

A little controversial, but my mountain would be WWE contributors only. With all due respect to TNA, NWA, ROH, or any other peromotions elsewhere around the world, the WWE is the big time, especially in the US. So some Japanese wrestler who may be superb, could not go on a mountain built in the US. Unfortunately this rules out Ric Flair, who as awesome as he was, had most of his success outside of the WWE. He accomplished a lot in his legendary career, but not a whole lot in WWE specifically. So he does not go on my mountain.

Some would suggest Kurt Angle, but there's not a mountain big enough to display a head of his size, with his ego. Plus he'd likely only agree to go up there if he was the only head on the mountain.

I personally don't feel guys like Warrior, Savage, Backlund, Foley accomplished enough to be in such elite company. If there were more than four, OK, but they don't make my short list.

The Rock doesn't belong because he chose to leave the business in the prime of his career. It's not like he was injured and had to leave, he chose to, which is certainly his right, but leaves him off the mountain. Especially because he chooses to distance himself from his wrestling past, almost disrespectfully, despite the fact that he wouldn't even have a career in Hollywood without it.

So here goes:

1. Hulk Hogan. Goes without saying. Like him or not, good wrestler or not (not), the hugest thing to ever happen to the wrestling business. Head and shoulders above everyone else. Even still.

2. Stone Cold Steve Austin. Much like Hogan in terms of impact although without the longevity. Which he would have had only for injuries which prevented him from continuing, rather than choosing to quit. Quarterbacked the whole Attitude era.

3. Undertaker. Gimmick second to none, has not grown stale even though it's been the same old same old forever. Loyal to WWE and helped keep it afloat during the WCW war years. Undefeated Wrestlemania streak. The heart and soul of SD! for years.

4. HHH. Never mind the nonsense about being the boss's daughter and all of that. Never mind the internet nonsense about backstage politics, holding guys back, etc., His accomplishments are well documented. Face or heel. Solo, tag team, or faction. Intense and serious or comical. He is the game and he is that damn good.

Honourable mention to HBK,just not enough space on the mountain for a fifth guy, but he would likely be deserving as well.

 

[ExtremeIronChef]

#1 - Hulk Hogan. Of course Hogan has to be on this. He was responsible (along with Vince) for bringing pro wrestling to the mainstream. Everyone, and I mean everyone, knows who Hulk Hogan is.

#2 - Ric Flair. Another no brainer. The 16 time world champion has done it all and won gold in every promotion he's been in. How can Flair not be on this list?

#3 - Andre the Giant. This man was the true 9th wonder of the world. Before his body began to break down he was impressive in the ring for a man his size. He also helped launch Hulkamania and without Andre (or Piper) Hulkamania may never have have been as big as it was and still is.

#4 - Shawn Michaels. I feel like sometimes HBK is not fully recognized as being as good as he is. He helped carry WWE/F on his back during the beginnings of the war with WCW. He was one of the biggest heels in wrestling and could give you an hour long clinic. Still one of the best wrestlers today.

 

[tilz56]

I am going to go with two mountains heree: one for wrestlers, and one for managers, announcers, promoters, non-wrestlers etc....

Non-Wrestlers:
Gorilla Monsoon- Some of you might argue that he was a wrestler and you are correct. But I think he is most known as one of the greatest commentators of all time. He was able to call a match, tell a story and best of all he and "The Brain" were entertaining without taking away from a match.

Jim Ross- Greatest of all time!! Enough said!!

Bobby "The Brain" Heenan- Greatest heel manager ever. He was entertaing and he knew how to work a crowd. He wasn't always given the best talent to work with, but he made it work. He was also great alongside Gorilla Monsoon. And he wasn't afraid to get in the ring!

Eric Bischoff- Many will argue that Vince McMahon should be up here instead, but without Bischoff, there wouldn't have been an Attitude Era. The n.W.o I think is what made wrestling huge in the late 90's and forced Vince to come up with D-X and let Stone Cold and The Rock be themselves and helped Taker and Foley beat the ever living hell out of each other!!

Wrestlers-
"Mr Perfect" Curt Henning- The greatest wrestler to never hold the WWF/E World Title and mot underated wrestler ever. He helped make "The Hitman" a singles wrestler. He put on some great promos, and vignettes. He was great on the mic and even better in the ring. He was so good at making those that he wrestled look better than they actually were, he could probably make The Great Kahli look like Kurt Angle.

"HBK" Shawn Michaels- Maybe the best big time performer of all time. He came out of retirement after 4 years and right now is still the best wrestler in the WWE today. He could go out and have a great match with anyone. He put on a great match with "The Nature Boy" at this year's grand daddy. He plays a great face, but an even better heel. He can do it all!!

The Undertaker- Best gimmick ever, and he gets better with age. I don't know if anyone can argue his place in history. Best big man the sport has ever seen. He is the man!!

Sting- Was the corner stone of WCW for the entire existence of WCW. Made the transoformation from the surfer guy to the Crow. Entertaining, athletic and strong as hell. He was awesome on the mic and the fans loved him. Fought the nWo for 15 months by himself. Was the company's top man while not wrestling for nearly 2 years. The face of WCW and very underated because he never worked for Vince, and maybe that is a good thing. Vince has a tendancy to not promote guys that he didn't create properly and Sting's decision not to go might have been the best decision of his career.

 

[godzillalives]

you would have to put up there the 4 wrestlers who had the biggest effect on pro wrestling. It would be.....

Hulk Hogan- The ultimate face AND ultimate heel. Probably the biggest face of all time and the most well known. Helped bridge the gap between wrestling and mainstream culture

Ric Flair- THE greatest of all time. Was the model for the real total package. Athletisism, charisma and look. Also was the bridge from the 70's era wrestlers like Harley Race, Bruiser Brody and Ken Patera into the new generation of Sting, Luger, and The Steiners

Kurt Angle- Quite possibly the greatest in ring wrestler of all time. Showed how you can be both a great amatuer wrestler and a greater pro wrestler. Also like Flair had the total package, has had some of the greatest matches of all time, and opened the door for all athletes wanting to be a pro wrestler. Plus he won a Olympic Gold Medal with a broken freekin' neck!

Vince McMahon- Should really have his own monument. Created, CREATED! "Sports Entertainment". From the 80's till now, he essentially ended the territories, signed the biggest names, created some of the greatest superstars of all time, had one of the biggest fueds ever, and has made WWE the greatest wrestling organization in the world. Also helped in the bridging of wrestling and mainstream with the whole "Rock N Roll Wrestling" deal with HogaN

 

[rockofhysteria]

Here is my Mt Rushmore of Wrestlers


First As much as it pains me to admit it Hulk Hogan belongs on there cause he is the biggest name in the history of Wrestling despite his bad matches he was over completely with the entire world basically in the 80's and 90's


2nd, Ric Flair. In my Opinion this isn't even debateable he is the greatest of all time the most loved and hated wrestler he set the bar so high for this generation that I think there are only a few guys nowadays that could measure up

3rd. Bruno Sanmartino.Its a damn shame that probably 90% of today's wrestling fans have no idea who he is cause he was a tremendous talent in the 70's his fame and popularity rivals that of Hogan's or Flair's in the 80's He had so many great matches the he belongs on this mountain.

my 4th and final pick is Classy Freddie Blassie like Flair I believe his inclusion isnt even debatable cause He helped put wrestling on the map he paved the way for guys like Billy Graham and Bruno who then Paved the Way for Guys like Hogan and Flair. He is the quintessensial Legend.


Those are the four guys I would pick for My Mt. Rushmore of Wrestlers.

 

[kmamou]

My list would have 2 go with styles gimmick,technical,mic skills,and good with the fans.
Undertaker-He's the one whose gimmick hasn't really changed and the fans including me don't get tired of you have 2 love him.

Bret "The Hitman"Hart-The best technical wrestler of all time "The Excellence Of Execution" one the best wrestlers of all-timehe competed against the best.

Ric Flair-Arguably had the best mic skills the 16 time world heavyweight champion one the all time best if not the best.

Hulk Hogan- The fans really admired and loved him even when he went to the black and white people still cheerd him on no matter good or bad they will love the guy.

 

[AJhaddy]

Hulk Hogan: Not the best technically (duh) but he captivated a nation. Hogan beating Shiek for the WWF Heavyweight Championship at MSG is still one of the most iconic images in the history of wrestling.

Ric Flair: The man IS the best. He was long-term, could work with a dumpster and put it over, and people will always hear "WHOOO!!!" every time someone gets a knife edge chop. In his 50's he was more over than most of the younger talent.

HBK: Shawn was damn near untouchable during the 90's. No one could match his in-ring work and the fact that he went high risk multiple times in all of his matches was amazing. Seeing him comeback and win the strap in 2002 was what got me back into wrestling: I still watch that Chamber match all the time.

Undertaker: Everyone else has said it but having virtually the same gimmick for nearly 2 decades should put him up there. He is the Andre the Giant of our era. The man had to wrestle every big, fat, tall, no-talent S.O.B. in the federation. When the lights go out and the Dead Man makes his entrance he still pops the roof off.

Honorable Mention (in no particular order): Harley Race, Ricky Steamboat (except he couldn't work heel), Andre, Vince McMahon (although I feel that this should be for the wrestlers: you could build an entire monument just for the contributions that the McMahons have made), Gagne, Thesz, Dusty Rhodes, Bret Hart, Stone Cold, and HHH.

 

[The Mark of Zur-En-Arrh]

For me it would have to be only wrestlers, and those four would be:

Hogan:- Co-founded Wrestlemania and embodies the American Ideal

Flair:- Simply put, best wrestler ever

Taker:- Not so much for his gimmick, but the man has stayed with the company for nearly 20 years now without having to take several years off or leaving to work for someone else and then come back. Not only that but his style and abilities continue to evolve every year. He's the perfect combination of speed, agility, size and strength and all in all, knows how to hurt people. I hear that new guys on the roster HAVE to introduce themselves to Taker or it's a massive sign of disrespect to the company.
Kurt Angle:- Only Olympic Gold Medalist in professional wrestling, just being there gives the whole industry a new found legitimacy, and Angle has the few things that Taker doesn't such as technical ability, and maybe has the upper hand in the stamina department.

Vince McMhaon shud replace the Lincoln Memorial, Tomb of the Unknown Soldier shud now b Eric Bischoff's Tomb of Underhanded Money Making Tactics, and the Statue of Liberty shud b Terry Funk with a flaming barbed wire 2x4

 

[AnthonyMango/NoFate007]

Lol, I like Cenah8r1000's idea of having more, so here we go...

Four on Mount "Ohhhhhh What a Rush"-more
1. Hulk Hogan - For reasons stated a million times by now.
2. Shawn Michaels - For reasons stated a million times by now.
3. Stone Cold Steve Austin - For reasons stated a million times by now.
4. Bret Hart - Just make sure he isn't directly next to Michaels or he might crack lol.

Lincoln Memorial
1. Vince McMahon - Vince deserves his own spot, with his own throne. This guy is the reason we have this thread and this forum in general.

Statue of Liberty
1. Undertaker - The symbol of wrestling. He was never really booked in his career as a guy who was constantly in the title chase, but he ALWAYS had a major feud and if he challenged for the title at ANY time, it was a legitimate request. Taker is sort of the outsider of the group. He's always been there, he's always been at the top, but he hasn't always requested the championship spot. He's the perfect guy to stand alone with his own watch post.

Honorable Mentions (maybe they'd get their own little statues or something on the side): Ric Flair, The Rock, Jim Ross, HHH (I guess).

 

[incrediblesim]

Great Idea!

My WWE (WWF & WCW) Mount Rushmore of Wrestling would be-

Vince McMahon- Him, his company and his style of booking have lasted the trends of time. Competed in the most prosperous period in Professional Wrestling- and won!

"The Immortal" Hulk Hogan- The most popular Wrestler/Sports Entertainer ever. Made Pro Wrestling more appealing to a whole new generation of fans. Gave us two of the most memorable Wrestling moments of all time (Slamming Andre & nWo formation).

The Undertaker- This guy will be over till the end of time! He would be considered the best of all time had he wanted to have more title runs. More runs are so much more deserved for this guy.

"The Nature Boy" Ric Flair- His longevity, his class and his inspiration to three generations superstars mean that his legacy will be cemented forever in Wrestling history.

Honorable Mentions-

Stone Cold Steve Austin

Shawn Michaels

Randy Savage

Bret Hart

The Rock

Eric Bischoff

Andre The Giant

Mae Young

The Fabulous Moolah

Trish Stratus

 

[FlairFan2003]

Here is my Mt Rushmore of Wrestlers


First As much as it pains me to admit it Hulk Hogan belongs on there cause he is the biggest name in the history of Wrestling despite his bad matches he was over completely with the entire world basically in the 80's and 90's


2nd, Ric Flair. In my Opinion this isn't even debateable he is the greatest of all time the most loved and hated wrestler he set the bar so high for this generation that I think there are only a few guys nowadays that could measure up

3rd. Bruno Sanmartino.Its a damn shame that probably 90% of today's wrestling fans have no idea who he is cause he was a tremendous talent in the 70's his fame and popularity rivals that of Hogan's or Flair's in the 80's He had so many great matches the he belongs on this mountain.

my 4th and final pick is Classy Freddie Blassie like Flair I believe his inclusion isnt even debatable cause He helped put wrestling on the map he paved the way for guys like Billy Graham and Bruno who then Paved the Way for Guys like Hogan and Flair. He is the quintessensial Legend.


Those are the four guys I would pick for My Mt. Rushmore of Wrestlers.

Reagrdless of who you pick for "your mountain" it is a shame most fans today know so little about Bruno Sammartino. Simply put, without Bruno's success there is no WWE PERIOD - The entire company, which didn't come into being until 1963, was built around Bruno and his amazing 7 yr title reign. It's hard to believe but Bruno sold out Madison Square Garden as the champ and main event star nearly every month for all 7 yrs - WWE is happy with one Garden sell out a year now, let alone 12!!!. The entire WWE (or WWF) territory of New York, CT, lower Canada, PA, Ohio, New Jersey was built around Bruno as champ. The company was thriving by the time his title reign ended. And Bruno, unlike Hulk Hogan in the 80's, was not a figure head champion, a wrestler who held the belt but rarely defended it. While Hogan did few house shows and rarely wrestled more than 6 times per month in his 80's hey day, Bruno main evented nearly every card for his entire 7 yr run.

He may not have had the flash that contemporaries like Dusty Rhodes (who survived as a viable main event competitor well into at least 1988) and SuperStar Billy Graham (ahead of his time in terms of showmanship and character) Bruno delivered in the ring and packed houses consistently. He is arguably one of the greatest drawing cards of the last 40 yrs.