WWE mags: 20 Toughest Superstars

[MetalMan]

I believe that I view this list much differently than others...

Professional wrestling is a very rought, physically-demanding form of entertainment, thus I view all pro-wrestlers to be legitimately tough. However, there are a few whom are above par as far as being able to withstand pain... If we are talking about tough guys, then we are speaking about those whom are able to withstand unimaginable pain!

Again, if we are speaking about men whom are tough, whether they be legitimate fighters or badasses, here would be my top 5...

1. Mick Foley
2. Terry Funk
3. Haku
4. The Undertaker
5. Kenta Kobashi
Honorable Mentions: Brody, Hansen, Austin, Sabu, Tenryu, Onita, many more

Kurt Angle, Lesnar, Shamrock, Blackman, and many more may be legitimate fighters, but this isn't the top 20 "badasses" list...

Mick Foley has tormented and destroyed his body for professional wrestling. The infamous Hell in a Cell with Taker, the 11 unprotected chairshots, the deathmatched in Japan! He is rightfully #1 in my opinion

Similar to Foley, Terry Funk has completely tarnished his body for over 50 years in wrestling. His multiple barbwire matches, attributed to the fact he's nearly 70 years old and still wrestles is a testament towards how tough the Funker is...

Haku is known around the world for biting off people's noses and gounching out their eyes... Nuff said

The Undertaker has put his body through hell over the past 20 years. How many times has this man come back from injuries, how many times has he wrestled with broken bones, how many time has he arose from the dead? It's truly incredible for him to be nearly 50 years old, and steal the show @ WrestleMania each year!

Kenta Kobashi is the essence of a warrior's spirit! This man has been suplexed on his head more times than I can count!!! He's legitimately a tough S.O.B

 

[theBec2101]

1-Haku- everyone in the locker room was afraid of him. ripped someone’s eye out
2-Undertaker -locker room general, chocked out Angle for real
3-Ken Shamrock -one of the most dangerous men in MMA before UFC had rules
4-Rick Rude -herd he had a devastating punch, ask warrior
5-Finley- one of the toughest SOB in wrestling, not afraid of who ever, right Goldberg
6-Piper -just think about all the stuff he would of done and said if there was no one there to tell him "that’s a little too far"
7-Jericho -if you don’t like someone or something keep it to yourself, talking to you Goldberg
8-Nash -not afraid to talk shit, start shit, and end shit
9-Booker T- handled his own, took out Batista
10-Sid -He did stab Arn Anderson

 

[D2J2009]

I think Scott Steiner and Haku definitely belong in the top 10, as well as Kurt Angle, Undertaker, and Lesnar. Road Warriors do have some stock to be in there, but HHH doesn't belong, and Batista doesn't either. I will say that despite the overwhelming lack of support for Sean Waltman, I would put his crazy self up there, as I would the same with Brian Pillman. I also can understand an argument for Hulk Hogan to be added, but his argument in my opinion would give Edge and Rey Mysterio a reason to be considered due to their ability to fight through injuries, so I think that would take alot of thought. But in the end, it all comes down to the fact that WWE is out of touch with many fans these days.

 

[asiatic7]

Because it's pro wrestling, not MMA or boxing. Most "legit, no nonsense men & women" don't sell tickets in wrestling today, and haven't for a long time for that matter. People know that wrestling is "fake" and they know that this isn't a truly comprehensive list. Much like various wrestling industry awards given out by publications like PWI or the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, these lists are about getting people talking, discussing and debating just as we are right now. As for some that you listed, what exactly makes guys like Bryan, Bigelow, Blackman, Dr. Death & Shamrock so much tougher? Bam Bam was just a big guy with an awesome tattoo that got cut open and went through tables a lot in ECW. So what? LOTS of guys have done that. Why is Blackman so tough? Just because he studied martial arts, he's automatically a badass? Shamrock's toughness and dominance in MMA is HIGHLY overrated. LOD were a couple of big powerlifters with face paint and looked like bikers. Not that they weren't touch, but I never really saw any especially potent feats of toughness from them that was beyond any other pro wrestler.

Outside of pro wrestling, I don't especially care how tough these people are or aren't. I don't give a shit really. I watch pro wrestling to be entertained, as do most other fans. The list isn't legit, even WWE knows that, but these lists are an interesting way of sort of paying homage to current and former wrestlers as well as introducing older wrestlers to fans that might not be familiar with them. It's harmless, so I wouldn't get worked up about any of it.

If you don't give a shit, why bother to comment? And why so bitter man? I started this thread for a fun debate...huh, internet "tough guys"! And don't get fustrated with me, I didn't compile the list!

 

[FlairFan2003]

I dont get Scott Steiner, he never wrestled the kinds of specialty matches that Foley or Funk did, never wrestled with serious injuries like Triple H tearing the quad. Who exactly did he confront, DDP ? Congrats. Funny Steiner never said a word to legit tough guys like Nash or Scott Norton, guys who would have fought back.

Again, it comes down to the old Ric Flair story on Steiner, after a particularly cruel prank he pulled on Ron Simmons tag team partner, mild mannered Butch Reed. Flair was at the bar after a show and according to him sat with Simmons for a drink. When he asked Simmons what he would do if Steiner ever pulled an embarrassing prank on him Simmons replied "he wouldnt". When Flair pressed him Simmons told him "He wont #@*& with me Flair because Im un-*@$#able!" Funny thing, you never hear of any stories where Steiner even had a cross word for Simmons.

Maybe Simmons is the guy that belongs on this list

 

[xavyer]

A lot of people mentioned the obious superstars, someone finaly mentioned Hardcore Holly, let's face it, that man was tough, i remember that he got to finish a match against Brock Lesnar when he just broke his neck, and someone mentioned why Triple H is tough, people always critisize him no matter what, but the way that he finished his match when he teared that muscle and went trough excruciating pain and not only that, he had to recieve the walls of Jericho on top of that, that is a tough guy right there, here are some of my choices, and i'm surprised no one mentioned these guys:

Shawn Michaels:
Just for the first ever Hell in a Cell he deserves to be considered, after falling from the top of the latter to the anouncers table on top of the computers and finish the match, not only that, the guy broke his back, and came back to wrestle for a few more years when he wasn't even suppose to wrestle again.

Edge:
Tha guy wrestled with nagging injuries for a long time, untill he finally couldn't do it anymore, plus, the guy for a lot of his career was on a lot of dangerous matches, like the TLC matches.

The Dudley Boys:
These guys can take as much pain as they can give.

The APA:
Basicly the same reasons as the Dudleys.

Vince and Shane McMahon:
Those guys phisichly went trough a lot of pain when they didn't have to, both of them were on dangerous matches, hurt themselves a lot, bleed a lot, not even Jeff Jarret did that in TNA.....

 

[Teddy Irving]

I have heard that Goldust has quite a name back stage for being a tough S.O.B. can't remember where I heard that though lol.

Also I actually don't see that much of a problem with Mae Young being on that list you have to consider the fact that she was what age when she was taking powerbombs off the stage from the Dudleyz? I know that it's all scripted and what not but she wasn't exactly young doing those things, she must have some guts on her to be willing to do that.

Triple H as someone said earlier took the walls of jericho even after he had torn his quad in a match. Also in a match with Foley he took a bump on a wooden pallet and part of it got stuck in his leg. He just pulled it out and then continued on, pretty tough lad to just keep on going.

Foley and Funk deserve to be on it after everything they have put their bodies through.

 

[The ShIT Factor]

Hardcore Holly is a tough son of bitch, he should definitely be on the list. I mean Brock Lesnar broke his fucking neck with a powerbomb and he came back. One tough ass individual.

 

[Canadian_SXE]

I would put Rick Steiner up there on the list. This is the guy that put Sid Vicious out of action with a broken sternum with a simple clothesline. All because Sid pissed him off. Finlay is also tough as the guy routinely kicks the crap out of everybody and he is 53 years old. William Regal shot on Goldberg and came out on top in a match which supposedly got him fired from WCW. Oh and I realize why this guy is not on the list but Chris Benoit was one of the toughest guys in wrestling period. The guy put Mark Henry on the shelf with a separated shoulder because of the Crippler Crossface and is one of the most consistent guys. He could wrestle a Rey Mysterio one night and a Big Show the next night and would wrestle the same match against both. The guy could suplex anybody. I remember his feud with the flock in WCW and the guy was just murdering the entire flock with suplex after suplex even to the giant Reese guy. He made you believe that everything he did was legit because of his intensity with everything he did.

 

[Canadian_SXE]

Oh and I would put Maven on the list as well. Before you go and bash me for being a dumb ****** let me explain my reasoning. I was watching him in a match against Christian where he did a baseball slide between Christian's legs and actually broke his ankle. But if you watch the match he doesn't even make any notice that his ankle has just been broken and continues to wrestle for another 5 min or so even executing a diving plancha to the outside on Christian. That is toughness and dedication. Oh and Akira Hokuto belongs at the top of any list of the toughest wrestlers. This chick broke her neck in a match and continued wrestling by just holding her neck in place.

 

[Hollywood Naitch]

The logical top 3 to me (in no order) have to be:

Haku, Mick Foley and Terry Funk

Haku's fearsome reputation is well known throughout the business, the guy was hard as nails and would back down from no-one, even ripping someone's eyeball out when they pissed him off. Not someone you wanna fuck with.

Terry Funk is one of the hardest men on the planet, let alone in wrestling. The guy had a HOF level career, even before becoming "middle aged and crazy", going over to Japan and getting his body torn to shreds by barbed wire, getting blown up, moonsaulting off balconies in his late 50s. Terry Funk is a crazy bastard. Has anyone ever seen "Beyond The Mat", where the Doctor tells Funk he has such damaged knees, that they need replacing and should be disabling to him. Funk doesn't listen and carries on wrestling for several more years.

And Mick Foley's WWE career speaks for itself. Getting thrown off the HIAC by 'Taker, through the cell on numerous occasions, not to mention his exploits in Japan's "Deathmatch" tournament's with Funk. Foley admits that he can withstand alot more pain than most people and is always willing to sacrifice his own body in order to get someone over. There are fewer tougher men than Mick Foley.

 

[AwesomeRko]

Putting the Road Warriors in there makes me think you're over 30, but putting Batista in there makes me think you're under 20. Booker T, as the OP mentioned, slapped the shit out of Big Dave a few years ago during a SummerSlam commercial shoot. I think it was in 2006. He belongs nowhere near a top 10 tough guy list.

Here are a list of guys (in no particular order other than the first one) that I think are probably legit tough guys:

Haku (if you haven't heard the stories about him, do a quick Google search and you'll find out why he's undoubtedly the toughest guy to ever step in a ring)
Undertaker
JBL
Brock Lesnar
Harley Race
Steve Austin
Mick Foley
Andre the Giant
Road Warrior Animal
Road Warrior Hawk
JYD
Bad News Allen/Brown
Bam Bam Bigelow
Dr. Death Steve Williams
Kurt Angle

Good list except didn't JBL get legit floored by Joey Styles after picking on him for months? I'd have put Ron Simmons in there instead, Ken Shamrock and Chris Benoit would also be good additions not suire who you'd take out though.

 

[DirtyD79]

You're surprised? Dude it's WWE's own kayfabe magazine. Naturally anytime they do a top whatevers list it's gonna be people who are either active wrestlers, still involved with the company in some capacity, or at the very least on good terms with them.