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...

A Week's Worth of What I love - WWE, Dolphins, Kings, more

Upadate***Thursday, March 15th

It's a great time of year to love the things I love. The NHL is wrapping up its regular season and heading into the playoffs, the NFL free agency, draft and MLB season are just around the corner and most importantly Wrestlemania 28, "the Grand-Daddy of them all" is mere days away. Here's a look into a week's worth of happenings.

WWE: The Road to Wrestlemania

- The Rock v. John Cena is heating up on our television screens and on our social platforms. Bringing their feud into the social space has added an entirely new dimension to their program. While Cena has got the "one-up" on The Rock on back to back episodes of Monday Night Raw Supershow, I expect the Rock to "bring it" for tonight's Rock Concert v. Cena's Battle Rap. As far as the in-ring product is concerned, from what we saw of  "The Great One" back at the Survivor Series, I feel they will deliver a Wrestlemania Moment. 


***Aside from the "We Will Rock You" finale of the Rock Concert, I was thoroughly amused from both Cena & Rock's outings. I'm under the impression, the Rock won't be on Raw this coming week, so we'll see where the war of words leads us on the go home episode of Raw leading into 'Mania.

Many are getting after the Rock, most notably Arda Ocal of Aftermath on The Score, for reading lyric sheets on paper and on the TitanTron. Ocal has mentioned how the Rock is "phoning it in". I don't think that's the case at all. Although I do concede the "We Will Rock You" finale was awfully cheesy and unnecessary, I would say whether he's reading lyrics on a music sheet and potentially not even writing his own material, it doesn't matter. The Rock's performance on Monday was fantastic and the delivery of the "Cleveland Rocks" song was indication why the WWE has lacked the type of performer The Rock is. Cena is a legit star but no one on the current roster can have fans eating out of their palms like "Dwayne" can. 

- Speaking of the Rock and John Cena. Who could have ever imagined when the Rock called Cena "Fruity Pebbles" last year, that it would lead to a cereal endorsement for Cena. I doubt it would have ever happened if they didn't integrate social media into the drawn out program of two wrestling mega-stars. Engaging the fans into their program on the social space certainly was a big factor in getting Cena that endorsement; it's a really cool story.

- Looking elsewhere into the Wrestlemania 28 card, while nothing will receive the hype as the year-long program between the Rock v. John Cena, CM Punk and Chris Jericho will be escalating their war of words in the go-home episodes of the Raw Supershow. While I think and hope the Rock v. John Cena will translate into a great match at the "showcase of the immortals", I know Punk and Jericho will deliver a 5-star classic if given a good amount of time, which I think it will. Jericho's return shows his presence isn't replaceable. He's been a breath of fresh air onto the Raw Supershow over the last eight weeks. He's a first-ballot Hall-of-Famer

Miami Dolphins: Live and Die by Peyton Manning

- A few weeks back, I wrote about a growing optimism for Miami Dolphins fans. With the hiring of Packers offensive guru, Joe Philbin, as the team's new Head Coach and the search for a true franchise Quarterback, things were looking sunny for the team from the, "Sunshine State".

Particular to the QB search, I detailed three viable solutions to the decade-long plague that has tortured Dolphins fans alike. Whether it be the newly-minted free-agent, Peyton Manning the jaw-dropping and Heisman-winning prospect, Robert Griffin III or the up-and-comer, Matt Flynn, the Dolphins had several options to solve their QB problem. In a span of three days, all three options may have vanished.

On Saturday, March 10, the Washington Redskins traded a boat-load of draft picks to the St. Louis Rams to move up two spots and secure the ability to land Griffin III. A day later, despite being heavy favourites by many analysts and fans, the Miami Dolphins seemed to have fallen out of the Manning sweepstakes.

So what about Flynn? While as of writing free-agency has yet to start and Flynn is still available, I just don't see how they can sell fans on Flynn after a public pursuit of Manning. Holy consolation prize Batman! I was a Flynn booster; despite his low ceiling for potential, I really thought Philbin and staff could mold him to be this decade's Matt Hasselbeck (also a former Packer and West Coast Offense disciple). However, if the Dolphins do swing and miss the home-run  opportunity to sign one of the greatest QBs of all-time, I cannot fathom how Dolphins front-office turn around and try to sell to Dolphin fans the "seeing-eye single" that is Matt Flynn.

Dolphins will do anything they can to "bring his talents to South Beach"

I'm a solutions guy though and have come up with a FOURTH solution to the QB conundrum. Ryan Tannehill. The Texas A & M product is bolting up draft boards and has the potential to be a true franchise QB in the league. His ceiling is higher than Flynn's. He is a raw QB product, a converted wide-receiver with only 30 starts on his belt. I'd advise the Dolphins live with incumbant Matt Moore for another season and groom Tannehill to take over in 2013. Certainly not what Fin fans want to hear, but it's a better solution than the band-aid option of Matt Flynn.

 ***It looks like the Miami Dolphins are a dead horse in the Manning sweepstakes. That leaves two pivotal pieces and three teams in the QB carousel. The Seattle Seahawks, Cleveland Browns and Miami Dolphins will be jockeying for the rights to sign Matt Flynn or draft Ryan Tannehill. Dolphins fans, be prepared to enter the 2012 with Matt Moore as the starting QB for the Miami Dolphins. 2013 may end up being the year they make a legitimate push to land their franchise QB. With that said, I'm absolutely shocked GM Jeff Ireland has been rewarded the opportunity to rebuild the Dolphins. He's had 4 years at his first attempt and failed completely. Ireland should have been shown the door with Coach Sparano.

L.A. Kings: Disappointment is only the start

2011-2012 was supposed to be the year the L.A. Kings made the "big jump" into the elite of Western Conference teams of the NHL. Suffice to say, that hasn't happened, AT ALL! If it wasn't for the over-hyped Washington Capitals and the all-of-a-sudden stumbling San Jose Sharks, the Los Angeles Kings would be the NHL's most disappointing team.

The Kings currently sit tied for 8th place in the Western Conference; if the playoffs were to start today, The Kings would be hitting the golf courses early. Scoring has plagued the team all year; they currently sit 29th in the league in goals for. If the Kings can't pull it together over the last 13 games, it may and SHOULD spell the end of GM Dean Lombardi's impressive run with the franchise.

Despite the MVP season Quick is having, the Kings are a  massive disappointment

Lombardi is one of the reason's why this franchise has rebounded to respectability after a decade of bottom-feeding. The drafting of Drew Doughty and the trade for Mike Richards are at the hands of Lombardi. However, when the team struggled to score goals early in the season and went on a hideous losing streak, he fired former Head Coach Terry Murray. Who did he hire as Murray's successor? Darryl Sutter. Those of you in the NHL circles would know that explosive and high-scoring offenses aren't the first things to come to mind when you think of Darryl Sutter. Suffice to say, the team has yet to find any scoring touch. That is on Lombardi. He HAS to live and die with Sutter.

If the Kings can't scramble to make the playoffs, I don't see how they retain Sutter as Head Coach. Subsequently, that would end the Lombardi experiment. For your sake Dean, I hope the Kings can turn it around. However, you may want to peak at the schedule, it doesn't look likely.

WWE Superstar Zach Ryder: How Social Media Changed His Career and Why PR & Social Media Pros Should Care

It was the biggest week in World Wrestling Entertainment in the last seven years. On February 14, 2011, The Rock, "The Great One", "The Most Electrifying Man in Entertainment", stepped into a WWE ring again, after a seven year absence, and was announced the Host for Wrestlemania 27 (The WWE's equivalent to the Superbowl). The Rock's return made entertainment headlines.

Underlying the hoopla surrounding the return of the Rock, there was another WWE Superstar, who would single-handedly change the company forever.

On February 17th, 2011, WWE jobber (enhancement talent), Zack Ryder used his flip-cam to shoot a very modest YouTube video he called, Z! True Long Island Story (of course a spoof on E! True Hollywood Story).

Capitalizing on the meteoric rise of the cast of Jersey Shore, Zack Ryder adopted the fist-pumping, boy-band loving, arrogant gimmick months before he first shot his soon-to-be YouTube sensation series. Ryder was rarely given opportunities to appear on TV to ever profile his catchphrase, "Woo Woo Woo, You Know It". Because he wasn't receiving these opportunities to appear on WWE programming, he brought the programming to him. In the subsequent weeks, not only would he become a more prominent player in WWE and an Internet phenomenon but he'd become a case study for Social Media enthusiasts around the world.

The first webisode of Z! True Long Island Story was short and simple. He promoted his t-shirt, You Tube channel, Twitter account and new action figure. He introduced many of his now famous catchphrases like:

• "Are you serious bro?" 
• "Long Island Iced Z" and 
• "Zack Pack". 

He finished the first webisode with a fan engagement initiative and social media giveaway (t-shirt to those that tweeted him a picture of them in a Zack Ryder t-shirt). While this video had little production, it provided him the vehicle to cultivate his boyband-loving, spiked-hair and headband-wearing persona that would later endear himself to millions across the continent.

He would broadcast a new webisode on his Long Island Iced Z YouTube channel every week and every week the production became slicker, new characters were introduced and he gained a larger following.

As his popularity soared online, he started to attract the attention of high-profile WWE Superstars as they would request to have an appearance on his show. Superstars like Dolph Ziggler, John Morrison and Triple H all appeared or even had recurring story lines on his webisodes. His biggest and most vocal supporter is WWE's largest attraction John Cena. Cena continually goes off WWE script to ask fans to follow @ZackRyder or check out Z! True Long Island Story. 

Ryder was recently publicly recognized by main-event talent at a WWE TV taping of Monday Night Raw. After the show went off the air, Cena and other WWE main-eventers gave Ryder the ring to himself to receive a "curtain-call" from the live crowd. Ryder had some revealing marks about his risk

"I was doing it to get noticed or to get fired"

 Ryder's risk can and should be studied by PR/Social Media professionals and students. His risk had all the elements of a thorough and clever PR campaign:

• Know your audience: Zack Ryder understood the cult-like, underground 'Internet Wresting Community' (IWC) and the opportunity to develop an underground following. The IWC loves to, "peak behind the curtain" of the industry because revealing any truths of the business used to be taboo. Z! True Long Island Story took down the "4th wall" to reveal politics of the business. Knowing the influence the IWC has over WWE programming Ryder smartly formulated his content around matters the IWC craves. 
• Integrated branding: Ryder's influence spans over Twitter, Facebook and YouTube and you won't have to stray far from his channels to find his branded catchphrases, "WOO WOO WOO, You Know It!", "Are you serious bro?" and "Take care, spike your hair". The more platforms you have to spread your key messages the better reach it will obtain.
• Leverage more prominent brands: John Cena's influence on Ryder has helped Ryder transition from a cult-like following (IWC) to a following from all WWE fans. Cena is the WWE's most popular character with the highest-selling merchandise, especially with children. In recent weeks, Ryder has developed more merchandise, branded with his catchphrases, which has been adorned by more and more children, in large thanks to John Cena. 
• Personalize your social media channels: In the world of professional wrestling, fans rarely get a glimpse of the man or woman behind the wrestling "Superstar" persona. Zack Ryder's weekly web series gave fans a peek into his life as he had friends and family appear on his show. He also engaged the fans and made them apart of the show by having a weekly segments that included showing Ryder signs that were at WWE TV tapings and "Broski of the Week" videos. It's important to engage your stakeholders on your social media channels as an individual and not hide behind a corporate logo and corporate-speak. 

Broski of the Week

Zack Ryder had to create his opportunity to establish his character and get noticed by WWE fans and organization. On that pivotal week for WWE in February, when the Rock returned to WWE television for the first time in seven years, Zack Ryder's online risk would end up being more influential to WWE. WWE has shifted a lot of focus to social media and even dedicates time on WWE programming to highlight WWE trending topics on Twitter. Ryder recently achieved the honour of most signatures on an online campaign ever! He has also been recognized by Sports Illustrated as one of the top 100 influential athletes on social media.

This career-altering, company-changing year for Ryder will truly come full-circle as he will have his most significant cameo on this week's show; a man he would never have imagined appear when he started Z! True Long Island Story back in February.

That man? Who else? The Rock