Who in history is wrestlings toughest guy

[Dum Dum Dudley]

Yeah, was just backing up my own point really... not having a dig or anything... the crucial point with those is, sure they got beaten up or lost an ear, but its not really the same as those who overcome potentially fatal illness...

Its the one opponent that you can't "beat on any given day"... You have to be mentally tough to survive cancer or similar issues as well as physically tenacious.... Its hard enough to recover and in some cases survive, let alone ever get fit enough to go back into a ring... Duggan lost a kidney and came back...not just for a few indy shows, but a full time WWE schedule... the same schedule that beats many who head to TNA... Anyone in theory can win a fight with a lucky punch...some can withstand a lot of pain or their bones are slightly stronger... but withstanding all that, and coming back to whatever job you do is a different kind of tough...

Of course, mate. As big and tough as Mike Tyson and Brock Lesnar are, its the guys like Lance Armstrong who overcome life-threatening illnesses to continue achieving greatness. Kurt Angle winning a gold medal with a broken neck and Bert Trautmann; the German goalkeeper for Man City who continued playing the 1956 FA cup final with a broken neck are equally as tough as Vader and Hansen. It all depends on how you view the question and define the word 'tough'. Judging by the responses, there are two schools of thought on 'tough'. The first meaning refers to being a legitimate bad-ass and not taking any shit, or the second meaning referring to coming back from a horrible injury such as the case with Duggan.

 

[Ruthless-RKO]

With the stories I have heard about Haku/Meng..I have to pick him...I even heard he took someones eye out!! something the OP missed out there!!

A few people have chosen people who were made out as tough in the ring..which is really different to what wrestlers do outside the ring!!

 

[WunNightStan619]

To the guy who picked Ken Shamrock, you could not be any more wrong, man. Shamrock was a fun wrestler to watch, but a legitimate tough guy? Give me a break; he was a joke. Shelton Benjamin could kick his ass, no doubt about it.

...... The only joke here is this comment. If u think that shelton benjamin could kick shamrocks ass you are sadly mistaken. You really need to go back and educate yourself on shamrocks ufc days and seriously rethink this comment. fuck what he did in wwe, he was dubbed the Worlds Most Dangerous Man for a reason.

Anyway, my vote is Brock Lesnar. I swear to God this man isent fully human. And if Shane Carwin didnt beat him, i dont see anywun doing it. But the guys in the "Hogan Era" like Bad News Brown and Haku, they are simply savages and wil legit KILL you lolz

 

[WolfNyte]

I say ole Bob Holly aka hardcore Holly....anyone ever hear how Stiff he was in the ring or remember his back sliced open by a table but he kept on going. Or when he beat the snott out of one of the tough enough contestants who gave him lip..gave him a black eye. This guy was hard as nails and hit lick a brick.

Second Mention WIlliam Regal who got his start at county fairs and in India and also works extrememly stiff.

 

[CougarHunter]

I'll have to give my vote to someone not yet mentioned in this topic. "Ravishing" Rick Rude.
The man was a champion arm wrestler and worked as a bouncer at some rough places. He was also known for his open hand slap that could knock you out cold. He was the other man Randy Savage would enlist as a body guard when he would go out to bars frequented by rival promotion's wrestlers.
To quote a story I read about him

"Rude’s open-handed slap became legendary in itself as many stories emerged of him knocking out his fellow wrestler’s in real locker room fights. The 400-pounder P.N. News was knocked out with just one slap, tough guy Paul Orndorff hit the ground hard just ask Big Van Vader and Tony Atlas and even the legend himself the Ultimate Warrior faced Rude’s disciplinary actions.

During one particular wrestling match with the Warrior the pace of the match was slow as he was sore and stiff. After the match Rude told him he needed to pick up his game but the Warrior contested and said he could do whatever he want. Unfortunately, he too was knocked out by the Rude’s one arm slap.

In 1998, while partying at the hotel bar with all the NWO crew. Kevin Nash made a remark that pissed off Rude. The two men ended up getting into a heated argument. In his hotel room Rude offered Nash to settle this dispute with a good old fashioned fist fight. Nash backed down and subsequently checked into a different hotel the following night."

So after all that, Rude gets my vote.

 

[wrestlingking]

STONE COLD STEVE AUSTIN!!! Why was he not on the list? Stone Cold is toughest S.O.B. of all time. Why is it not more people are saying hes #1? Austin in his prime was better than anyone else in thiers hands down.

 

[FreezeIzGAWD]

How about these two others... ARN ANDERSON! He is a former powerlighter and legit bad ass. He once beat up SID VICIOUS in a real life fight and SID HAD SCISSORS and was STABBING HIM and STAN HANSEN is a LEGENDARY BAD ASS...There isn't a bar in TEXAS he didn't smash plus he was one of the stiffest workers EVER! Don't believe it.. He BROKE Bruno Sammartino's nech in the ring and once punched VADER so hard in his face HE LITERALLY KNOCKED HIS EYE OUT OF ITS SOCKET!!! DAMN!!

Honorable mention : Joey Style for BLACKING JBL'S FACE UP!! LOL!

 

[FreezeIzGAWD]

"Rude’s open-handed slap became legendary in itself as many stories emerged of him knocking out his fellow wrestler’s in real locker room fights. The 400-pounder P.N. News was knocked out with just one slap, tough guy Paul Orndorff hit the ground hard just ask Big Van Vader and Tony Atlas and even the legend himself the Ultimate Warrior faced Rude’s disciplinary actions.

During one particular wrestling match with the Warrior the pace of the match was slow as he was sore and stiff. After the match Rude told him he needed to pick up his game but the Warrior contested and said he could do whatever he want. Unfortunately, he too was knocked out by the Rude’s one arm slap.

In 1998, while partying at the hotel bar with all the NWO crew. Kevin Nash made a remark that pissed off Rude. The two men ended up getting into a heated argument. In his hotel room Rude offered Nash to settle this dispute with a good old fashioned fist fight. Nash backed down and subsequently checked into a different hotel the following night."

So after all that, Rude gets my vote.

I had actually forgot about RICK...YEAH HE WAS A BEAST! I had the honor of meeting him once and MAN TV does not do the guy JUSTICE!!! HE IS HUGE AN A BEAST!

Yeah he was as TOUGH AS NAILS BY MANY PEOPLE'S ACCOUNT!!!

 

[Whatsinaname696]

Lot of names and I agree with most of them, but I def gotta go with Andre, in his prime and even in his later career it was well known by anyone that stepped in the ring with him that pissing him off could cost you your career, if not your life, granted Andre wasn't the easiest guy to piss off (thank god) tho, and to me his sheer size alone negates how bad ass anyone else is, after him, Lesnar, Meng, Muta, like them for this category too and Taker jus because he had his former wife inked on his neck

 

[wiKid hoRse]

What about Sabu? He is a walking billboard for what he has been trough. Reading Mick Foley's first book when he mentions Sabu moonsaulting onto a guardrail and puncturing his lung still makes me wince. Then he asked for 10 seconds from Mick to get his breath back to finish the match is pretty hardcore

 

[Miko]

I always thought Ultimate Warrior was pretty tough, him and Hogan, people used to beat the shit out of them for ages and they'd still get up and carry on fighting, a bit of rope shaking or Hulking up and they were fighting fit again.

Also John Cena a few years ago, it didnt matter what people did to him he always came back. I suppose these people reach the top of their profession for that reason.

 

[The_Misson]

I am going to have to go with Dave Finlay. This man is a black belt in judo and started wrestling at the age of 5 being trained by his father! It's been said that once Goldberg was offended by one Finalys jokes and rushed over to stare him down. Sadly this was a HUGE misstake as Finaly headbutted him and kicked him to the floor. Also during a parking lot brawl with William Regal, Finaly ended up getting glass in his and eye and had to wrestle with an eye patch for a quite some time and supposidly he wasn't happy about it and broke William Regals nose in a hardcore match.

Also supposidly one day Meng and Finaly were bag stage and were looking like they were about to get in a fight drawing massive attention from bag stage since the 2 toughest guys in the business were about to fight. Then out of no where they both broke out laughing and the attention there staredown had drawn.

 

[mulkeymania]

i heard stone cold mention once that terry funk was a true badass out of the ring and very tough and the rougeau brothers i have heard mentioned on occasion as legitimate tough and a story of one of them punching the dynamite kid 3 times with brass knucks and dynamite was still standing so i guess that would make him a bad sob back in the day as well. it was said that vince mcmahon was even shocked that dynamite was still standing after those licks.

 

[THTRobtaylor]

Dynamite was known more as a bully than a legit tough guy...ever locker room has one... more recently it was JBL or Hardcore Holly... few guys can make the then Intercontinental champion cry... but Dynamite did that to Honky Tonk Man... the British guys of that era were seen as tougher as their upbringings in 70's England was "tough..." the English system of wrestling and schooling was brutal... also their demeanour, accents and attitudes probably scored a winning blow more often than their actual punches... When I was living in the US, I learned quickly no-one wants to fight a Brit in a bar...even if they start it...

Jaqcues Rougeau is an interesting case... he was the guy to finally break Dynamites grip... in his shoot he explained the whole thinking and why he had to do what he did for the sake of his self respect and sanity... to some using a roll of quarters was cowardly, but those people were not the ones Dynamite was picking on... Jacques threw that punch knowing he could be throwing his career away... that he still did it...again a different kind of tough... and guess who never set foot in WWE after that... Dynamite...

 

[Attitude]

I chose other. It's a tough choose because there's plenty of guys who deserve to be on the list. I have five picks.

1) Stone Cold Steve Austin-Come on. He was called the TSOB in the WWE. And for a reason too. During his Intercontintal match with Owen Hart he broke his neck but still finished the match. After the match he refused to allow the Refs to help him walk out and did it on his own. Plus he busted both of his knees. His first knee he busted he was out but came back to Wrestle Bret Hart at WM13 in a Submission Match. With an injury. After His neck surgery wher he was out for a year he wasn't suppose to return to the ring but he did. So he's my first choice.

2) Kurt Angle-First and only Olympic Gold Medalist. Not only an Olympic Gold Medalist but he won the Gold with a broken neck. That definately deserves it.

3) Goldberg-He's a machine. His undefeated streak is legendary.

4)Brock Lesner-UFC Champion and NCAA Champion. Unbelievably strong. Not somebody you would want to mess with in or outside of the ring.

5) Mark Henry-World's Strongest Man. This isn't just a gimmick ladies and gentlemen. It's for real. He's legitmate.

 

[The Crock]

Lesnar or SCSA. Lesnar was a Collegiate Wrestler and then a Pro Wrestler then a Football Player and now an MMA fighter. While the whole SCSA gimmick was based on the tough guy, and the dude is a legit hard ass. Now I definitely don't think we'll really know, because none of us have been around either of the guys, but we can speculate. In my opinion, these two are by far the toughest. Goldberg probably deserves a nod too, football player. Jericho played hockey and I've seen him actually fight a guy, he can hold his own.

 

[DRANGOKANE]

I am suprised no one has metioned Scott Norton. Ask any wrestler from Minn. This guy is a legend when it comes to bar room brawling. I have heard stories of him throwing a guy through a door and the whole door frame landing somewhere in the parking lot. As a bouncer he put many wrestlers like Rick Rude, Curt Henning,Flair, and others in their place.

 

[LigerBomb]

Danny Hodge. Guy claims to have been born with double tendons making him incredibly strong by nature. Combine that with his speed, skill, training and attitude and people learned right quick not to mess with him both in or out of the ring. For an example of his "toughness":

"It got cold and I turned the heater up and I fell asleep. I hit this bridge and turned upside down. My car was on its rooftop going along the rock banisters and every time it hit one I could feel my teeth and neck break. My first thought was 'God how much more can I take.'"

"I'm waiting for the car to come to a stop and hoping I don't hit anybody," continued Hodge. "It's like 3 a.m. and then all of a sudden my car went off the east edge of the bridge down into the water and the water covered it. As I lay there I felt this water gush over me. I said to myself this was an awful way to go. I got out through the dash window, although my car was bent down to the dash and the seat, you can't imagine what little space there was but I got out through there and swam to the shore."

He's too modest to mention it but he swam to sore with one arm. The other was busy holding his broken neck in place…

 

[Hulk Hogan's Brother]

im surprised no one has mentioned bret hart till now.it was said that bret knew about real submissions.also bret hart vs hbk was booked for king of the ring 1997 and i hear hbk got it changed coz there was real animosity between the two and he was legit scared that hart would injure him seriously.it was said that only shamrock or his brother owen could hang with him in a real fight

scsa too i feel is a pretty tough guy.i hear the dude broke someone's nose in a fight scene in his movie named damage.also broke sylvester FRICKIN stallone's neck in a fight scene in expendables.considering that the girth of stallone's neck is more than that of my thighs i wouldnt like to fight this guy.plus you also cant ignore that he wrestled two years as the face of the company with a more or less broken neck

kurt angle well everyone knows his story.also would like to mention that daniel puder once used a kimura lock on him which is a legit submission hold which leads to an instantaneous tap out.but kurt didnt tap for a long time.eventually referees got to the ring and somehow counted a three.

well this is all about humans.if you want to include other species as well there is no one tougher than brocklesnar

 

[Hollywood Naitch]

I am gonna have to go with Sabu

This is a guy who literally ripped his bicep off on barbed wire during a match and then

TAPED IT BACK ON WITH ATHLETIC TAPE AND CONTINUED WRESTLING!!!!

To do that, you must be able to take an unbelievable amount of pain, and just looking at Sabu's body, covered with its thick scars, you can see just how far this man will go in the ring. He is one sick SOB


Terry Funk has to be up there in the top 2 or 3 for certain. The man is a pensioner, and yet still he competes in the ring. Not in normal wrestling matches, but in barbed wire, exploding ring death matches and gets busted open almost every time he wrestles. Funk has had hip replacements, knee replacements and he can hardly move, but he still fights through all the pain to get in the ring.

I have nothing but respect for Terry Funk

 

[Hodgos]

I say ole Bob Holly aka hardcore Holly....anyone ever hear how Stiff he was in the ring... Or when he beat the snott out of one of the tough enough contestants who gave him lip...

There is absolutely nothing tough about this. Beating up people who are weaker than you does not make you tough. It makes you a bully, and there is nothing more pathetic than a bully.

Bob Holly was a whining, miserable little shit who thought he was owed a push just because he'd been around a long time, and took out his frustration on rookies who didnt have the political clout or the physical strength to fight back. He was the opposite of tough, and has no business anywhere near this list.

 

[RobL15]

Foley/Flair

These guys put their bodies through total anarchy when they were younger and fitter and still attempt it now. Foley's still taking bumps, and so's Flair.

 

[mr.nobody]

The Guy I always hear about from actual wrestlers from the past is Haku.... almost everyone was legit afraid of him in the locker room

 

[cm ben]

I really have no idea, but I'll throw another name in the hat, just for fun: Bam Bam Bigelow. No one can deny that the dude looks like a bad mother-fucker (scalp tattoos?? hell yea, man), but what really gets me is this little snippet from his Wikipedia article:

In July 2000, Bigelow received second degree burns on 40% of his body, while rescuing three children from a burning house near his home. Following the incident, Bigelow spent two months recovering in a hospital.

If that's really true, I'd say he should definitely be in contention.

 

[Hollywood Naitch]

Although I have seen I had already commented in this thread back in 2010 before someone brought it back from the dad, voting Sabu and Terry Funk, I am going to have to make another couple of suggestions.

After reading many wrestling autobiographies, it is clear to me that Meng/Haku is one of the toughest men ever to step into a wrestling ring. Everyone has stories about how terrifying and tough he was (I am not going to list them as most of them are already mentioned in this thread by others). But yeah....Meng was tough as nails.

Most wrestlers out there are tough as hell, simply to continue while living every day in pain with stiffness, soreness and contantly nursing injuries. To do what those guys do on a daily basis you have to be tough. know I couldn't do it, and 99% of people wouldn't either.