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.