The Greatest Professional Wrestler of All-Time: The Conclusion

This is the final installment in a three-part series to properly qualify how we could anoint a wrestler as the greatest of all-time and what grapplers carry the distinction as one of the greatest. It must be restated that this argument, opposed to who may be the greatest hockey player or basketball player, is much more complex and layered. I proposed six all-time greats in the last post, and they are listed as such (not a ranking order):

• Shawn Michaels
• Kurt Angle
• Ric Flair
• The Undertaker
• Chris Benoit 
• Hulk Hogan

Onto the final three...

Two of the greatest ever: The Rock & Stone Cold Steve Austin

Stone Cold Steve Austin

It's undeniable that Stone Cold Steve Austin was WWE's leading man during its most profitable and revered era in the near 60-year history of the promotion. Like Hulkamania, Austin 3:16 was a movement that propelled WWE's Attitude marketing strategy into the forefront of North American pop culture. Austin's popularity sky-rocketed after his epic and bloody contest with then fan-favourite, Bret The Hitman Hart; I'll go on record to say that's one of the greatest matches of all-time. Millions embraced Austin's rebellious attitude and his tendency to infuriate the boss, Vince McMahon. This rivalry provided us the most compelling  programming in the history of the company. Whether Austin was driving a Zamboni within Joe Louis Arena to get his hands on the Chairman or he was bathing McMahon and co. in Miller-Lite soda pops, even the most skeptical believers of pro wrestling needed to know what rebellious act Austin would perform next?

In the ring, Austin was a skilled technician, but could also brawl with the best of them; The Texas Rattlesnake brawled his way throughout many great matches in 1998. His matches with The Hitman are well-documented but the Bionic Redneck would end up a participant in some of wrestling's most dramatic matches. No one will forget the wars he waged with the likes of The Rock, The Undertaker, Chris Benoit and Triple H. 

Hulkamania may have originally pushed pro wrestling into pop culture prominence, but there's no denying that Austin 3:16 elevated pro wrestling to heights it has never seen. 

Dwayne The Rock Johnson

This is a highly-debatable suggestion. One could argue Dwayne The Rock Johnson would have never been the top guy in the WWE at any point if it wasn't for a year-long absence of Steve Austin who missed a year due to rehabbing a surgically repaired neck. However, what can't be argued is that The Great One would ultimately become the greatest pop culture export pro wrestling has ever produced. Now a multi-million dollar action movie star, Dwayne Johnson might be the most recognizable pro wrestler of all-time. 

While Rocky left a career in the squared circle for a career on the big screen, his tenure at WWE was highlighted by multiple runs as WWE Champion and Wrestlemania main events. While entertainment's most electrifying man wasn't Chris Benoit in comparisons to technical prowess, The Rock could hold his own in the ring and brought a unique style of grappling to some classic encounters with Steve Austin, Mankind and Triple H. Indelibly, The Rock will always be remembered for the plethora of catchphrases he's left in WWE lore. Only a few select wrestlers were able to captivate an audience with words only, like the Brahma Bull could. 

The Rock's full-time run as a pro wrestler was cut-off during the prime years but he trail-blazed a path towards stardom no other superstar could achieve; If you smell what's he's cookin'. 

Bret The Hitman Hart

WWE's flagship bearer of the mid-1990's, Bret Hart etched a path of excellence nearly unrivaled in pro wrestling history. The Hitman was as a technically sound as anyone and was a participant in many of wrestling's greatest matches. Whether he was paired with long-standing partner, Jim The Anvil Neidhart, collectively known as The Hart Foundation, or he was wrestling in singles competition, Hart was one of the sport's best storytellers. During the early 1990's, WWE was the land of giants where the top superstars were coincidentally the largest; however, you can only hold down greatness for so long. In comparison to many of wrestling behemoths, a diminutive Hart wrestled his way to five WWE Championships and owns the distinction of being the company's first-ever triple crown winner, collecting WWE Heavyweight, Intercontinental and Tag Team titles. 

No one will ever forget classic encounters Hart had with Steve Austin, Shawn Michaels, Diesel, The Undertaker, the British Bulldogs, Mr Perfect and his brother Owen Hart. If I was to list the 10 greatest matches of all-time, you may see Hart's name more than any other listed wrestler. 

Bret Hart truly has ever right to claim he is, "the best there is, the best there was and the best there ever will be". 

I presented 9 suggestions as to who may be the greatest of all-time; who is at the top of your list? There are some omissions that may come into question. History pundits will point to Madison Square Garden legend Bruno Sammartino as the greatest; or new generation fans believe that John Cena's ten-year run as WWE's main-eventer makes him the best. WCW advocates will point to the career of Sting and say he deserves mention or that Triple H was really "that damn good" and he stands atop this mountain. 

Well, that's what makes this argument so much fun!

The Greatest Professional Wrestler Of All Time Part 2 of 3

Is Ric Flair the greatest of all-time?

This post is part 2 in a series to understand a) how to qualify the best professional wrestler of all time and b) Who's in the conversation as the best ever. I wanted to write this series in a two week span but between this post and the initial post, we celebrated the holidays, a monkey ran amok in a Toronto Ikea and a school massacre shook the United States to its core. That said, my first post helped to explain the intricacies of how to decide who could be the greatest of all time and the next two will list the very few who are worthy of being labelled, simply the best.

Shawn Michaels

By the time Shawn Michaels finished his career in 2010, the Heartbreak Kid cemented his status as the best in-ring, big-time performer ever. "Mr. Wrestlemania" had a habit of stealing the show at the biggest event of the year. He had some of the most memorable matches in the history of the WWE, but none were better than his epic encounters with the Undertaker, Bret Hart, Kurt Angle and Razor Ramon at Wrestlemania.

Michaels had the uncanny ability to mix technical prowess with dazzling and flashy acrobatic maneuvers into his matches. Michaels had a flare for the dramatic and it was on full displays in his matches. He was well on his way to a hall-of-fame career before it was cut short by a career-threatening back injury. He only cemented his greatness when he came back after a four-year absence to wrestle for another eight marvelous years. The final chapter in the career of Michaels was penned by two of the best matches ever against the Undertaker, on the "grandest stage of them all", where else but Wrestlemania. If the pinnacle of this art of professional wrestling is the capability to convey a layered and dramatic story inside the ropes then Shawn Michaels can certainly lay claim to the best wrestler of all time.

Kurt Angle

Coming from a highly decorated amateur wrestling career that included winning a gold medal at the 1996 Olympics, Kurt Angle seamlessly transitioned to the pro ranks of wrestling. In fact, no one mastered the craft as quickly as he did. Within the first year of his tenure with World Wrestling Entertainment, Angle was already having the best matches on the card and was catapulted to main event status. Not only was he technically flawless but he also developed a humourous and entertaining on-screen character. He was simply put, a natural.

By the time Angle finished his tenure in the WWE he was having the best matches and rivalries in the promotion. His storied confrontations with Shawn Michaels, Chris Benoit, Brock Lesnar and Eddie Guerrero were the in best the WWE. He would go onto TNA in 2006 and quickly became the premiere attraction in that promotion and has stayed atop the main event throughout his six-year tenure. He's nearing the end of a storied career but to this day, what was said of Kurt Angle in 2002 can still be said today, "Kurt Angle can have a great match with a broomstick".

Ric Flair

"The Nature Boy" Ric Flair really epitomizes what a professional wrestler should be. He looked the part of a professional wrestler, he talked the part of a professional wrestler and he wrestled the part of a professional wrestler. Throughout the 1980's while pop culture was riding the wave of Hulkamania, the truest of wrestling fans were buying tickets throughout the nation to watch the, "wheelin' dealin', kiss stealin', jet-flyin', limousine-ridin', son-of-a-gun" World's Heavyweight Champion, Ric Flair defend his title.

The legendary rivalries Ric Flair had with Ricky Steamboat, Dusty Rhodes and the Macho Man Randy Savage still rank among the greatest rivalries in the history of pro wrestling. Flair was also idolized by greats like Triple H and Shawn Michaels, that truly speaks volumes about the mark Ric Flair has left on sports entertainment. Ric Flair's 30-year run as the "Nature Boy" helped him accumulate a record 16 world championships and a legitimate claim to being anointed as "the Man".

The Undertaker

A name often disregarding when this debate comes up, The Undertaker should be given consideration for the  mere attraction he is and his long-tenured stay atop the main event in the WWE.

It's noted that if we are to equate the greatest attraction as the greatest wrestler, then perhaps Andre the Giant stands tallest (figuratively and literally) as the greatest professional wrestler of all time. However, I've chosen not to include the friendly giant into the conversation.

For over twenty years (let that sink in), the Undertaker has stood as the premiere attraction in the biggest wrestling promotion in the world. For the last five years, when April rolls around, it's his match that is the most hyped at Wrestlemania; even when he's not vying for a championship. His worked 20-0 record at Wrestlemania is discussed as a legit record among wrestling fans and even the casual fans that only feign interest in the biggest card of the year want to know who is in line to try and stop "The Streak".

When it comes to handling business inside the ropes of the squared circle, there has never been a better wrestling "big man" than the "Dead Man". A catch-as-catch-can savant, Taker can wrestle the technically sound Bret Harts of wrestling and also fly through the air with the greatest of ease with the high-flying Rey Mysterios of wrestling. Many may point to his epic encounter at Wrestlemania 25 with Shawn Michaels as the greatest match of all time, but the Undertaker has waged war against all the best wrestlers of his era and had to single-handily carry some of wrestling biggest disasters (Jon Heindenreich) to respectable matches in between. There is no question the "Dead Man" has lived his career among the greatest.

Chris Benoit

Chris Benoit doesn't have many legs to stand on to be in consideration as the best ever. He rarely cut a compelling promo, he was never a draw and he only had one World Title run to account for, but why we can consider Benoit the best ever, is for a five-year span, he was the greatest technical wrestler in the world. The way he mastered the craft of pro wrestling alone should give us all pause whether we should dismiss him from this conversation. No one has ever made pro wrestling look as real as he did, and I dare say, there is no bigger compliment than that. For the fact Benoit had absolutely flawless matches with William Regal, Kurt Angle and Bret Hart is reason enough for me to include Benoit among the best.

Hulk Hogan

Hulkamania was officially born on a chilly January night in 1984, when the man behind the movement, Hulk Hogan defeated the Iron Shiek to win the WWF Championship and start the said movement that would revitalize pro wrestling and propel it into the mainstream of pop culture, where it has lived for nearly 30 years. Many argue that with the marketing ability of WWE Chairman Vince McMahon, the Hulkamania movement could have been led by any of McMahon's hand-pointed henchmen. I beg to differ. "The Hulkster" brought an energy an aura that was severely lacking from pro wrestling. Spare me your thoughts on whether Superstar Billy Graham was the original Hulk Hogan. Terry Bolea is the authentic Hulk Hogan and the man that changed sports entertainment forever.

Hogan would never be confused with technical wizards like Chris Benoit but when the lights shined the brightest, Hogan could carry his weight in the ring. Former ECW and WWE Superstar, Al Snow, made a great point about Wrestlemania 3. While the epic encounter for the Intercontinental Title between Ricky Steamboat and the Macho Man Randy Savage is widely considered the best match of the night, the match of the night was in fact the historic WWF Championship match between Hogan and Andre the Giant. It was that match that filled the Pontiac Silverdome with 90,000 people. It was that match that delivered "the bodyslam heard around the world".

While never the most polished in the ring, Hulk Hogan remains as the greatest draw in the history of sports entertainment and the driving force that elevated wrestling into the forefront of North American pop culture.

To be continued...