Who Was The Best WWE Wrestler Ever?

[PlayTheGame]

I'm talking in terms of pure wrestling ability. Not promos, not mic skills, not drawing ability, merch sales, etc etc etc. Just based on one thing- wrestling ability. Who was the best pure wreslter that has ever stepped foot in a WWE ring? He or she can be from any era of the WWE.

IMO, I'm torn between Bret Hart and Kurt Angle. On one hand, you have Bret Hart, the Excellence of Execution, the master of the Sharpshooter. Bret was an amazing wrestler with a pure abiltity that was rarely seen before his time. The man could wrestle, and he could carry others. I would have said Hart would have been a shoe-in for this until Angle came around in the WWE in the 90's. Angle, another PHENOMENAL technical wrestler, wows people in almost every match he's in, no matter who he's working with. And yes, he can sure carry matches as well. His intensity in the ring might be the thing that puts him over Hart as my pick, but its definitely close. What do you all think?

 

[klunderbunker]

I'll take a suprise here and say Brock Lesnar. If you look at what he could do, show me one single hole in his game. All American wrestler so he has the mat game and the amateur aspect that most don't. He obviously had amazing power, he did some submissions, his finishing move looked leitimately bad ass, and he could fly at times. My issue with him is that he just wasn't around long enough. He was there what, 2 years? However, those were two very solid years. His in ring game was always great to me as one of the few total packages in wrestling. For me it comes down to him or Angle in a very close race, but I'll take Brock because of his size making him both a great wrestler and a big man at the same time.

 

[The Todd]

Kurt for me, but forgive my youth as I have not seen much of Bret Hart. Angle had everything, and his best quality was his in ring skills. The sheer intensity of his in ring skills was unbelievable and he must have had the widest range of moves in the business.

 

[TheGreatSPAMbino]

I think Bret Hart is notoriously over rated but thats another story for another day.

Probabaly the best "worker" in WWE history (in terms of what smarks consider good working to be) is either Kurt Angle or Brock Lesnar, i really think its a toss up between the two. The were both highly athletic, had technical skills, were versed in submission, and dished out the suplexes like ric flair dishes out the chops. Both were very entertaining to watch in the ring. When these two were at the top of their game they were scary good. Shawn Michaels will get an honorable mention.

 

[PlayTheGame]

I agree with all of you in that Lesnar is def a prime choice for this. He def is a great technical wreslter AND a great big man/brawler. If only he was around longer- he could have done even more great things that could have really made him a definite for this category, but unforunately we did not get to see enough of him in the WWE.

 

[rbacica]

Im disappointed that everyone could forget about Mr. Wrestlemania -- HBK Shawn Michaels...The showstopper. Very few if any can follow his matches at mania. He always performs fantastically. 4-5 years out with a horrible back injury and he comes back without missing a beat. He definitely needs to be considered for best ever wrestler.

 

[thewrestlinghero]

well for me idk this is a tough thread the wrestlers that come to mind for me are

bret hart
shawn micheals
ricky steamboat
kurt angle
brock lesner
chris benoit
chris jericho

i mean wrestling abilty alone these guys were the best but really i dont think you can answer this qustion because people can debute on the subject for years

 

[TREE24K]

I think the best WRESTLER to ever grace the squared-circle would be Dean Malenko. Yeah, his best days were in ECW and WCW but he did wrestle in WWE. HBK is a good showman but not that technical. Bret and Angle would also be in my top 5. Owen was good too. I've got no problem with Brock. Benoit was no where as good as Dean. Perry Saturn was a very underrated talent.

 

[Shocky]

I agree with Klunder. If you take a guy that had the perfect package, then it has to be Brock Lesnar. He was over as a face, but he would have been the walking talking definition of the dominant heel if he stayed in the company.

Brock not only could get the crowd to hate him at teh drop of a dime (i'm thinking coming out in a sombrero mocking Eddie Guerrero), but he was flat out deadly in the ring. He had everything. He had the technical ability to go with guys that were smaller then him, but all of this was packaged into a huge 6'4 285lb frame, that is freakishly scary. Brock had technical skills, raw power, and crazy stamina to pull off the hour long Iron Man match with Angle on Smackdown.

Simply put, if I'm starting a wrestling federation with anyone, it begins with Brock Lesnar. The guy was simply the complete package, which has transcended the business much like Hogan and moreso then the Rock and Austin, and has become the number 1 draw in the UFC.

 

[crazzzyone]

I am totally surprised that every one of you forgot to mention Shelton Benjamin the guy not only is a very good amateur wrestler but he is also great and entertaining in the ring.

 

[PlayTheGame]

Although Benjamin is definitely an awesome wreslter in his own right, I dont think he deserves to be mentioned along with guys like Lesnar, Angle, Hart, HBK, etc etc. (Just my opinion tho).

 

[Slyfox696]

I think it's funny that a thread is made asking for the best wrestler in WWE history, and then eliminates all the things that makes one a good wrestler. It's silly, really.

But, since I know what you are TRYING to say, I'll go ahead and play along. Using your (misguided) definition of wrestling quality, I'd say the best worker was Randy Savage. Savage was incredibly versatile in the ring, quick as a cat, strong as an ox, and always knew how to make people care about his match and his character. He could do it as heel and he could do it as face. He could work a more technical style, a high impact style or a brawling style.

Oh, and as a side note, those of you picking Brock Lesnar, Kurt Angle or Shelton Benjamin....wow. Seriously? Not even close.

 

[PlayTheGame]

Umm.. not sure why youre hating Slyfox, but I wasnt 'defining' what a 'good wreslter' should be overall.. I was just saying in-ring quality, and that was all. If you didnt like, then you shouldnt have posted. And as for your choice of Savage, I can see where you're coming from, but I would choose Lesnar over Savage anyday as a better pure in-ring worker.

 

[thewrestlinghero]

I agree with Klunder. If you take a guy that had the perfect package, then it has to be Brock Lesnar. He was over as a face, but he would have been the walking talking definition of the dominant heel if he stayed in the company.

Brock not only could get the crowd to hate him at teh drop of a dime (i'm thinking coming out in a sombrero mocking Eddie Guerrero), but he was flat out deadly in the ring. He had everything. He had the technical ability to go with guys that were smaller then him, but all of this was packaged into a huge 6'4 285lb frame, that is freakishly scary. Brock had technical skills, raw power, and crazy stamina to pull off the hour long Iron Man match with Angle on Smackdown.

Simply put, if I'm starting a wrestling federation with anyone, it begins with Brock Lesnar. The guy was simply the complete package, which has transcended the business much like Hogan and moreso then the Rock and Austin, and has become the number 1 draw in the UFC.

Well i do agree with you klunder is one of the best wwe wrestlers that grace the ring but i still have to say that angle/lesner are tired they both got good crowded reaction as a face or as heel they both have a amautur wrestling background and both can go techincal when wanted to

 

[Slyfox696]

Umm.. not sure why youre hating Slyfox, but I wasnt 'defining' what a 'good wreslter' should be overall.. I was just saying in-ring quality, and that was all.

One of the things that MAKES a good wrestler is how much the fans support his character. His charisma, his drawing ability...those are both INCREDIBLE indicators of ability. When you say "in-ring" ability, you really have no idea what you're talking about. Because, in-ring ability refers to the ability to draw a crowd into your story, your psychology within the character, and how many fans you please. THAT'S what makes a good in-ring worker.

If you didnt like, then you shouldnt have posted.

I will post where ever the fuck I want.

And as for your choice of Savage, I can see where you're coming from, but I would choose Lesnar over Savage anyday as a better pure in-ring worker.

Then you'd be wrong. Savage smokes Lesnar any day of the week, in terms of "in-ring" ability.

 

[PlayTheGame]

I still dont know why youre getting so angry.. but whatever.. and I whole-heartedly disagree with u about Savage. He was not anything too special, definitely not on the level of a Lesnar or an Angle. And you can have whatever perception of what an 'in-ring worker' is. I simply said wreslting abiltiy, so stop trying to twist my words. No one else is complaining about this thread except you.

 

[TREE24K]

Come on. Savage shouldn't be in this conversation. We're not talking about all around talent, which Savage was. He was great and should be in the HoF. Never the less, the topic was who was the best ever WRESTLER not performer. Shelton I like a lot, but he's kind of sloppy. That would be like saying Sabu is the best high flyer ever. Does no one care to comment on my pick of Dean Malenko?

 

[PlayTheGame]

Thank you for getting the purpose of the thread Tree24K, and yes, I do agree that Malenko ranks up there. He's probably one of the best pound for pound wrestlers that ever existed, and not just in cruiserweight terms either- Malenko was an all-around wrestler who was very impressive in the ring and hardly ever had a bad match, especially, as you mentioned, in his prime days with ECW/WCW. Good choice.

 

[ZAPX4V1]

I still dont know why youre getting so angry.. but whatever.. and I whole-heartedly disagree with u about Savage. He was not anything too special, definitely not on the level of a Lesnar or an Angle. And you can have whatever perception of what an 'in-ring worker' is. I simply said wreslting abiltiy, so stop trying to twist my words. No one else is complaining about this thread except you.

don't worry about Slyfox696..I bet he is one of those idiots that thinks Hogan was a great wrestler. He seems to forget that in ring ability means ability to actually WRESTLE. Sure, Savage was fun, but he wasn't a great technical wrestler or anything.

Guys like Lesnar, Angle, and Benjamin would be at the top of my list

 

[Slyfox696]

Come on. Savage shouldn't be in this conversation.

He's held in the highest esteem by the majority of his peers, and he shouldn't be in the conversation? Is that a joke?

Never the less, the topic was who was the best ever WRESTLER not performer.

Unless you wish to have a discussion on Olympic freestyle wrestling, then performer and wrestler are the same thing.

Does no one care to comment on my pick of Dean Malenko?

Sure. It sucks.

How can Malenko be good, when no one gave a fuck about him?

Thank you for getting the purpose of the thread

Oh, I get the purpose of the thread just fine, the problem is that you don't understand the MEANING of what you are asking.

don't worry about Slyfox696..I bet he is one of those idiots that thinks Hogan was a great wrestler. He seems to forget that in ring ability means ability to actually WRESTLE. Sure, Savage was fun, but he wasn't a great technical wrestler or anything.

Technical wrestling has NOTHING to do with good in-ring ability. You seem to forget, or, better yet, probably don't know, that "WRESTLING ABILITY" is about the story your character tells, and the level of involvement you can get from the fans.

Guys like Lesnar, Angle, and Benjamin would be at the top of my list

Why? What's so technically great about any of those three?

 

[weeman]

My five picks would surely have to be, in no particular order:
1. Bret Hart
2. Shawn Michaels
3. Kurt Angle
4. Chris Benoit
5. Macho Man Randy Savage

 

[TREE24K]

Thank you. And your welcome. Yeah, if Dean-O were bigger he could have been one of the best ever!

 

[horsemen4ver]

Hands down it would be Kurt Angle. He had all the athletisism an athlete could have. Not only have pure wrestling skill, but he also combined that with the "WWE style" of "wrestling" and his matches were always very entertaining to watch. Watch a couple of matches with Benoit, HBK, and Brock Lesner that he had and you will see what I am talking about.

 

[agentmichaelscarn]

Tough question but I think Id go with Bret Hart. The reason being is that I never watched a wrestler that made wrestling seem more real than him. If you ever wanted to convince or get somebody to believe that wrestling is real have them watch a Bret Hart match. Every move was so crisp and looked so real, his whole psychology in the ring made sense as well. When he fought a big guy you would see him work the legs and use the mentality "everybody's the same size if they're on the ground", he would make you believe that he actually had a chance if this was a real fight. He didnt do somersaults and backflips off the top ropes because if this was a real fight why would he do that? He attacked the limbs and tried using his wrestling ability to beat them just like somebody his size would try to do if they were really wrestling a guy much bigger than them. Then when he was on the receiving end of offense he sold everything perfectly. He never oversold anything. He would sell it like you would expect somebody to look if something like that really happened.

 

[TREE24K]

Slyfox you really don't seem to have a grasp on what technical wrestling is. Its okay. Dean Malenko was a far greater wrestler than Macho. Having said that, Macho was way more over than Dean ever was. That wasn't the question. Did Savage have a better career? Hell yeah. Is he one of the most popular wrestlers ever? You bet. Can he touch Malenko as far as technical wrestling? Absolutely not. Its okay though.