Poop Master Flex
Mid-Card Championship Winner
Perhaps not through the history of wrestling but at the present time I would say that the top 5 promotions, past or present that are most relevant to wrestling fans today would be WWE, TNA, NWA/WCW, AWA, and ECW. While these 5 promotions may not have been the best they are all influential in the current landscape of wrestling whether that be for better or for worse. With that said who do you feel are the top 5 wrestlers in each of the promotions mentioned.
Points to consider are:
All responses are welcome and if you can't do all 5 feel free to do whatever promotions you can.
TNA
1) AJ Styles - The true face of TNA, he's their most decorated guy, an original in every sense of the word and by far the best TNA made star ever.
2) Jeff Jarrett - The founder of TNA and their perennial main eventer in the early days of TNA. Not his biggest fan but his contributions are unquestionable.
3) Sting - The first real big acquisition of TNA. He brought a lot to the table when he came, a leader inside and outside of the ring and had a second career in TNA.
4) Kurt Angle - The most shocking (and best) moment for me in TNA's history was when it was announced Kurt Angle was coming to TNA. The Miz can say all he want but everyone knows between the ropes no one is more awesome than Kurt Angle.
5) Samoa Joe - The last few years haven't been great to the guy, but for 2-3 years he was one of their top guys and main attraction. Him and AJ (along with Daniels) put on the greatest match in TNA history and he was one of their best guys for a long, long time. Hard pick but I feel Joe deserves to be in the top 5.
ECW
1) Raven - One of the darkest, sickest and most disturbing characters in wrestling history, and we love him for it. Great psychology and was one of the most original characters I've ever seen.
2) The Sandman - Horrible wrestler that didn't need to be good. Sandman was over as f*** in ECW, had one of the best entrances ever, and embodied what ECW was more than anyone, except for maybe the next guy.
3) Sabu - The nucleus of the ECW. He was their 1st real big attraction and really carried the place in the early days and helped get it off the ground. Quite possibly ECW's most influential wrestler.
4) Taz - The human suplex machine who wasn't the tallest, but was a monster nonetheless. Was there from the beginning and was as important in the growth of ECW as anybody. Besides who doesn't love the FTW belt.
5) Rob Van Dam - The whole F'n show and the guy who carried the company in its dying days. He was so different from everyone else in ECW, laid back, cocky, possibly baked, but was so innovative in the ring, he truly was Mr. PPV
AWA
1) Verne Gagne - 10 time AWA champ and trained more successful wrestlers than anybody. His promotion helped usher in some of the biggest superstars of all time and may have been the most influential person in wrestling history.
2) Nick Bockwinkel - A great talker, great wrestler and was the perfect foil to Verne Gagne. He was the top bad guy for over 15 years and was constantly in the main event.
3) The Crusher - My personal favorite AWA wrestler, he had one of the greatest characters of all time. He was entertaining as hell on promo's and was a great wrestler to boot. Without The Crusher there never would have been a Stone Cold Steve Austin.
4) Billy Robinson - Probably the only wrestler that could match up with Verne Gagne hold for hold. Just an amazing preformer all around and you knew whenever he wrestled, quality was assured.
5) Mad Dog Vachon - Another great heel and memorable character. A very violent, very barbaric, but also very very memorable.
NWA/WCW
1) Ric Flair - What can be said about Flair that hasn't been said before, OF COURSE HE'S NUMBER ONE.
2) Lou Thesz - The first real champ of the NWA and carried that title so well and for so long. He wrestled in 5 different decades and was known all over the world and was just as important to wrestling in general as anybody.
3) Harley Race - The gap between Thesz and Flair. Harley Race was a great NWA champ and always put on a quality match, always gave a quality performance and you never questioned his toughness. When you saw Race wrestle, you a man you truly believed was the best.
4) Sting - The greatest WCW made star of all time and the only name mentioned twice. Sting was the ultimate warrior of the NWA, except he was actually talented. Sting had everything, charisma, look, skill, work ethic and reliability.
5) Dory Funk Jr - This could have went to about 10 different guys but I decided to go with Dory. He was a great old school wrestler, had a great run as NWA champ and was another guy you believed was legit tough. When you saw Dory, you never questioned why he was champ.
WWE
1) The Undertaker - A bit of an odd pick for #1 but I feel he deserves it the most. The real face of the new generation Taker was more than a superstar, he was an attraction and he did it for 20 years (and counting). Throughout the years you'd be hard pressed to find a fan that didn't like Taker, he was a true phenom in every sense of the word and the best big man EVER.
2) Hulk Hogan - The man who changed the face of professional wrestling. Hogan's the most recognizable wrestler in wrestling history and ushered in the era of sports entertainment, nuff said.
3) Stone Cold Steve Austin - The most popular wrestler in wrestling history. When Austin was on TV it was must see and if it wasn't for him we may very well have been watching Nitro every monday nights.
4) The Rock - The most successful mainstream wrestler in history and the only one who left wrestling and didn't have to come back. The Rock is the only one on this list that doesn't need wrestling because he is that good.
5) Andre The Giant - The most memorable wrestler in history. Andre was an attraction, a true giant, movie/television actor and someone you just had to see to do justice. Andre truly was the 8th wonder of the world.
Those would be my top 5 of the top 5. With that said tell me who you would consider the top 5 in one of the promotions mentioned.
Points to consider are:
- The Overall impact of the wrestler on that promotion
- How well did that superstar draw.
- His overall ability to entertain the audience
- His lasting contributions on wrestling in general
All responses are welcome and if you can't do all 5 feel free to do whatever promotions you can.
TNA
1) AJ Styles - The true face of TNA, he's their most decorated guy, an original in every sense of the word and by far the best TNA made star ever.
2) Jeff Jarrett - The founder of TNA and their perennial main eventer in the early days of TNA. Not his biggest fan but his contributions are unquestionable.
3) Sting - The first real big acquisition of TNA. He brought a lot to the table when he came, a leader inside and outside of the ring and had a second career in TNA.
4) Kurt Angle - The most shocking (and best) moment for me in TNA's history was when it was announced Kurt Angle was coming to TNA. The Miz can say all he want but everyone knows between the ropes no one is more awesome than Kurt Angle.
5) Samoa Joe - The last few years haven't been great to the guy, but for 2-3 years he was one of their top guys and main attraction. Him and AJ (along with Daniels) put on the greatest match in TNA history and he was one of their best guys for a long, long time. Hard pick but I feel Joe deserves to be in the top 5.
ECW
1) Raven - One of the darkest, sickest and most disturbing characters in wrestling history, and we love him for it. Great psychology and was one of the most original characters I've ever seen.
2) The Sandman - Horrible wrestler that didn't need to be good. Sandman was over as f*** in ECW, had one of the best entrances ever, and embodied what ECW was more than anyone, except for maybe the next guy.
3) Sabu - The nucleus of the ECW. He was their 1st real big attraction and really carried the place in the early days and helped get it off the ground. Quite possibly ECW's most influential wrestler.
4) Taz - The human suplex machine who wasn't the tallest, but was a monster nonetheless. Was there from the beginning and was as important in the growth of ECW as anybody. Besides who doesn't love the FTW belt.
5) Rob Van Dam - The whole F'n show and the guy who carried the company in its dying days. He was so different from everyone else in ECW, laid back, cocky, possibly baked, but was so innovative in the ring, he truly was Mr. PPV
AWA
1) Verne Gagne - 10 time AWA champ and trained more successful wrestlers than anybody. His promotion helped usher in some of the biggest superstars of all time and may have been the most influential person in wrestling history.
2) Nick Bockwinkel - A great talker, great wrestler and was the perfect foil to Verne Gagne. He was the top bad guy for over 15 years and was constantly in the main event.
3) The Crusher - My personal favorite AWA wrestler, he had one of the greatest characters of all time. He was entertaining as hell on promo's and was a great wrestler to boot. Without The Crusher there never would have been a Stone Cold Steve Austin.
4) Billy Robinson - Probably the only wrestler that could match up with Verne Gagne hold for hold. Just an amazing preformer all around and you knew whenever he wrestled, quality was assured.
5) Mad Dog Vachon - Another great heel and memorable character. A very violent, very barbaric, but also very very memorable.
NWA/WCW
1) Ric Flair - What can be said about Flair that hasn't been said before, OF COURSE HE'S NUMBER ONE.
2) Lou Thesz - The first real champ of the NWA and carried that title so well and for so long. He wrestled in 5 different decades and was known all over the world and was just as important to wrestling in general as anybody.
3) Harley Race - The gap between Thesz and Flair. Harley Race was a great NWA champ and always put on a quality match, always gave a quality performance and you never questioned his toughness. When you saw Race wrestle, you a man you truly believed was the best.
4) Sting - The greatest WCW made star of all time and the only name mentioned twice. Sting was the ultimate warrior of the NWA, except he was actually talented. Sting had everything, charisma, look, skill, work ethic and reliability.
5) Dory Funk Jr - This could have went to about 10 different guys but I decided to go with Dory. He was a great old school wrestler, had a great run as NWA champ and was another guy you believed was legit tough. When you saw Dory, you never questioned why he was champ.
WWE
1) The Undertaker - A bit of an odd pick for #1 but I feel he deserves it the most. The real face of the new generation Taker was more than a superstar, he was an attraction and he did it for 20 years (and counting). Throughout the years you'd be hard pressed to find a fan that didn't like Taker, he was a true phenom in every sense of the word and the best big man EVER.
2) Hulk Hogan - The man who changed the face of professional wrestling. Hogan's the most recognizable wrestler in wrestling history and ushered in the era of sports entertainment, nuff said.
3) Stone Cold Steve Austin - The most popular wrestler in wrestling history. When Austin was on TV it was must see and if it wasn't for him we may very well have been watching Nitro every monday nights.
4) The Rock - The most successful mainstream wrestler in history and the only one who left wrestling and didn't have to come back. The Rock is the only one on this list that doesn't need wrestling because he is that good.
5) Andre The Giant - The most memorable wrestler in history. Andre was an attraction, a true giant, movie/television actor and someone you just had to see to do justice. Andre truly was the 8th wonder of the world.
Those would be my top 5 of the top 5. With that said tell me who you would consider the top 5 in one of the promotions mentioned.