John Cena sucks. Let’s establish that. I don’t understand why most of today’s
wrestling fans love him. Back in my days
(90’s to early 2000’s), he will definitely be dismissed as trash by the
fans. I admit, I liked Cena back before
he became a WWE icon. He has this mean
charismatic smartass rapping tongue and entertaining antics as a white hip-hop. Now, I can no longer find him charismatic nor
entertaining. I say it again – and if
you were already a fan during the Attitude era, you will agree with me – John
Cena sucks.
In this list are the top ten
wrestlers that I found most entertaining and charismatic – two factors to
determine the quality of a wrestler.
Professional wrestlers are not only tough athletes but good actors and
can sell their characters very well.
Actually, I find that those that are good actors are rewarded more in
this business than the athletic ones (since if it’s the other way around, Billy
Kidman should have had several world titles during his career). I am not saying that athleticism in wrestling
is unimportant, but I think being able to make your character’s personality
more interesting is more important than athleticism. It doesn’t matter if a wrestler is a babyface
(good guy) or a heel (bad guy). Fans
appreciate creativity or good characterization when they see it, regardless of
being a good or bad guy. Besides, in
wrestling, the characters and storylines are dynamic and ever changing. A wrestler might be a babyface in this
storyline, and then a heel on the next, and then back to babyface. And so on with the cycle. Some wrestlers are better off as babyfaces,
some wrestlers are better off as heels, and some are good either way.
By the way, before starting, I
want to make this clear, this top 10 should not be interpreted as who is the
top 10 greatest according to my opinion.
This list means my top 10 favorite performers (though the top 1 of this
list is also who is, in my opinion, the greatest of all time in the history of
wrestling).
10.) MICK FOLEY
He was given the nickname the
Hardcore Legend because of his trademark toughness. In his career, he had endured an unbelievable
amount of painful stunts just to make the matches he is in – especially the
hardcore and no-holds-barred matches – more compelling and badass. Together with the Rock, they had formed the
second most entertaining duo (I will mention later which I think is the first)
in wrestling: the Rock N’ Sock Connection.
He was known to characterize three personalities: Mankind (the most
famous and fun), Dude Love, and Cactus Jack (the most hardcore). At one Royal Rumble, though Mick Foley lost,
all three personalities had participated!
His signature move is the Mandible Claw, in which he put a sock on his
hand and grabs his opponent’s jaw.
9.) STONE COLD STEVE AUSTIN
The Texas Rattlesnake was the
ultimate anti-authority figure in the WWE.
He answered to no one. He was
badass and uncompromising. He was a
primary reason why the 90’s was known as the Attitude era – which had put more
grit into the WWE. Just looking at his
signatures – from his Stunner, to his beer drinking, to his gesture of raising
his middle fingers – you can determine how much of a rebel he is.
8.) THE HURRICANE
This is no joke. I really liked the Hurricane. Yes, he’s mostly used for comic relief, but
his ridiculous antics and mannerisms as a superhero in the wrestling world
really cracked me up. I actually find it
sad that he had not much success as a competitor. His most funny (and best)
moment was during his short but memorable feud with the Rock (where the Rock made
fun of him and called him “the Hamburglar”).
7.) KANE
Not the Kane now, but the
legendary masked Kane of the past. Prior
to removing his mask, Kane was the most terrifying star in WWE. Terrifying in the sense that his mask added
to the mystique of mystery about him.
There is a reason he is nicknamed the Big Red Machine, as he was like an
unstoppable mechanical force of destruction.
6.) BATISTA
I have to add someone with
Filipino blood on this list. Batista was
just an enforcer-type of wrestler before he was catapulted to superstar status
when he became a world champion. I think
he was made to be so to replace Goldberg as being the “Animal”. But I find Batista better than Goldberg. He’s classier (but still retaining the
savageness of being the “Animal”), more charismatic, grittier, better with the
mic (an important and invaluable skill in the trade), and does not seem to
exaggerate as Goldberg does with the “Animal” characterization.
5.) THE UNDERTAKER
He had also donned a “Hell’s
Angel biker”-type of character, but he is more famous as the eerie, scary
Deadman. With his “back from the grave”-persona
with Underworld powers as the theatrics of his character, he is the most
intimidating wrestler in the WWE. But
more than theatrics, he is also among the most formidable and skillful
wrestlers in the ring. He can even
tightrope on the top rope, something impressive for a seven-footer like the
Undertaker.
4.) TRIPLE H
I cheered against Hunter
Hearst-Helmsley when he was feuding with my favorite wrestler (see number
1). But though I cheered against him, I
respect him as a wrestler and performer.
He is one of the greatest ever in the business, and at his best when he
is a heel. He and Shawn Michaels form
the most entertaining duo in wrestling with D-X. And he was also the leader of one of the best
heel groups ever, Evolution. The best
moment of Triple H was during his tagteam match with Stone Cold against Christ
Jericho and Chris Benoit. Somewhere in
the match, Triple H’s left quadriceps muscle burst and rolled up his leg. A famous orthopedic surgeon would describe it
as as if someone had shot off a gun inside the muscle. Triple H surpassed the limit of human
tolerance for pain, as he continued to finish the match, even enduring a Walls
of Jericho along the way. That epic
performance showed Triple H’s heart and dedication for his trade, earning him
the respect of everyone.
3.) SHAWN MICHAELS
HBK or the Heartbreak Kid is one
of the most dedicated and skilled performers in the WWE. His finishing move, the Sweet Chin Music, is
one of my favorites. No complicated hype
but still cool. Sometimes he deliver it after some build-up or flair, but it is
at its best when it comes out of nowhere, knocking his opponent
unconscious. In a way, the Sweet Chin
Music reflects its wielder; unpredictable, fundamental, effective, sexy, and
striking. As an icon, HBK is one of the
most beloved ever.
2.) RANDY ORTON
My most favorite wrestler in the
post-Attitude era, Randy Orton would fit well during that Attitude era (unlike
Cena). I had seen great potential in him
when he was being built up by Evolution to be “the future.” And then he became the Legend Killer
(targeting legendary figures), became the youngest world champion, and, now,
he’s one of the top superstars in the WWE and consistent champion or contender. Most of the time, he’s a heel, but even during
those times, with that smirk and arrogance in him, he was lovable. These days, he is the Viper (though I kind of
like his arrogant Legend Killer persona more), cunning, uncontrolled, and
deadly. Just like a Viper, his
signature RKO finisher can strike unexpectedly.
It is so entertaining to watch those RKOs coming out of nowhere. My dream match is between him and the number
one in this list.
1.) THE ROCK
The People’s Champ. The Brahma Bull. He was captivating, entertaining, and
electrifying. He was blessed with a
witty and charismatic tongue, his promos delivered with unique flamboyance and
humor, and he had coined plenty of trademark catchphrases. He was that great with the mic that I
remember that there was a time, that even though he was the heel and talked
trash against the audience, they still cheered for him! He was not that breathtaking in terms of ring
athleticism but his collection of delightful antics, behavior, mannerisms,
facial expressions, and body languages made his ring performances special. He was also passionate with wrestling, and it
is demonstrated by how much effort he put in performing, by the creativity he
shows, not only in building up his character, but also making his opponent’s
character look good, making the story more interesting. I don’t need to elaborate more how much a
great performer he is since you already know that he is now a Hollywood actor
(proving my point). The Rock is the
best.
That’s why it’ll probably drive me
mad if the writers require the Rock to lose against, ugh, Cena in
Wrestlemania 28.
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