The Greatest Professional Wrestler of All-Time: Part 1 of 2

Sports & sports-entertainment fans alike all share an affinity for debate; these discussions fuel our fandom in sports. Is Gretzky or Lemieux the greatest to ever lace up skates? Are the expansion 1976 Tampa Bay Buccaneers or 2008 Detroit Lions the worse team in the history of the NFL? Does King James reign supreme over Air Jordan? We can dedicate several back-and-forth hours into those debates but none of those aforementioned arguments or any sports debate, for the matter, share the intricacies and layers as, who's the greatest professional wrestler of all-time.

It's been discussed several times, but I don't think the pro wrestling community has ever come upon a definitive answer; although, as of late, the argument seems to be swaying in the favour of Shawn Michaels. It's a compelling argument because of the discussed layers the debate has. It starts with a single question; what makes a pro wrestler the greatest? The debates of who's the greatest baseball player or hockey player aren't nearly as complex; these debates are predicated on statistics and the number of rings on the players' fingers. In pro wrestling, it's not nearly as black and white.

The Hitman can certainly lay claim to the best ever

If we equate greatness in pro wrestling to pure technical prowess, how do we not anoint Bret Hart or Chris Benoit as the greatest to ever lace up a pair of boots? If we're defining greatness by the ability to convey a story, Ric Flair may be the greatest. If drawing ability is the ultimate factor, was there any movements that drew as well as Hulkamania or Austin 3:16?

I will not, by any means, attempt to provide a definitive answer for this enigma; I'm not sure if we'll ever have a definitive answer. It's an entirely subjective selection, but my next post, I will provide a few choices for you to decide for yourself.

To be continued...