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40. KEVIN NASH

Real Name - Kevin Nash
Aliases - Diesel; Oz; Master Blaster Steel; Vinnie Vegas; Big Sexy
Hometown - Detroit, Michigan
Debuted - September 14, 1990
Titles Held - WCW World Heavyweight Title (5x); WCW World Tag Team (9x, 6 with Scott Hall, 2 with Diamond Dallas Page, 1 with Sting); WWF Championship; WWF Intercontinental Championship; WWF Tag Team Championship (2x, with Shawn Michaels)
Other Accomplishments - Third ever WWF Triple Crown Winner; WCW World War 3 winner of 1998; Has appeared in various movies, including The Punisher, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II, and Grandma’s Boy; Original choice to portray Sabretooth in X-Men

The lucrative success of Kevin Nash’s career amuses and angers people as it reaffirms two great constants of any profession - it’s not what you know but who you know, and likeable personalities have more potential for advancement than more talented yet boring people. In fact, your opinion of Nash will say as much about yourself as it does about him.

Outsports.com: Does it matter to you if a gay guy is looking at you naked?

Nash: No, as long as he’s looking and approving.

Despite his lazy reputation, Nash has actually spanned four decades as an active athlete… albeit one with a tremendous tendency for sloth-like behaviour. It all began at the University of Tennessee in 1979, where he majored in psychology whilst playing for the Volunteers basketball team. Their coach Don DeVoe, who had a successful college basketball career and led three teams to the NCAA, became so angry at Nash’s lack of work ethic that at one point the two wound up in a shoving contest. Nash wound up transferring to Europe, yet his basketball exploits were brought to a premature close after a ligament tear. Already the basic tenets of Nashdom are evident - not studying psychology, not working all that hard at his chosen sport, not taking any crap from management, not being able to avoid tearing muscles… hell, he was so lazy he didn’t even fight DeVoe but instead gave him some apathetic pushes.

Kevin Nash: I remember being inspired when I had my first chance for the WWF Championship… which it was called back then, the WWF Championship, not WWE… and I went out in front of 29,000 people at Madison Square Garden and defeated him (Bob Backlund) in a record 8 seconds.

Alex Shelley: Does the Garden even hold 29,000 people?

Kevin Nash: Well it did that night.

After spending time in Germany doing servince for NATO, itself the lazy version of a proper army, Nash went back State-side and wound up bouncing at a bar in Michigan. In a curious turn of events, this could later be passed off as preparation for his WWF role. In his defence, he didn’t know he was doing his homework at the time. In 1990 he began working for the NWA and in turn WCW, playing a variety of undercard roles that nobody could possibly take seriously. The first was Steel, one-half of the Master Blasters, the least successful of the Mad Max inspired tag teams of the period. His partner was originally Iron (Cory Pendarvis) and then later Blade (Al “The Dog” Green). Their biggest accomplishment was a victory over Tracy Smothers & Steve Armstrong at Halloween Havoc 1990, which gives you some idea of just how riveting this era of Nashitude truly was.


Given how much Nash came to depend on his hair, it’s disconcerting to see it began as a Tatanka proto-do



Next: Oz. No, it was nothing to do with critically-acclaimed televisual explorations of the susceptibility of incarcerated men to rehabilitation or damnation. This was 1991. This was the Wrestling Wizard of Oz. Managed by Merlin. It all unfortunately began at the inaugural Superbrawl, complete with special guest appearances by Dorothy, Tin Man, Scarecrow and Lion. Remarkably, it was not the most bone-headed booking decision WCW would make that year. Again, there was a lesson to be learned here. The whole concept came from WCW’s warm and fuzzy new owners, Time Warner, acquiring the rights to the classic film itself and wanting to promote it in as many (inane) ways as possible. Years later, their newer owners would decide that wrestling sucked and WCW should just fuck off and die. Corporate love is a bitch, as are we all its bitches.

1991 also marked Nash’s big-screen debut as the infamous Super Shredder in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: The Secret of the Ooze, one of the most choice acting gigs given to a wrestler

At the start of 1992 came perhaps the most sensible gimmick of Nash’s career thus far - Vinnie Vegas, a conman with a penchant for wearing things that were both shiny and purple. Vinnie was briefly a part of the blink-and-you-miss-it A Half Ton Of Holy Hell stable, which was headed by Harley Race and also included Big Van Vader and Curtis Hughes. After this came the Diamond Mine, managed by Diamond Dallas Page and accompanied by Diamond Studd (Scott Hall) and Scotty Flamingo (Raven). Although at one point in time he was arguably the most talented of that group, Hall is the only member of it to have not won a singles world title. His close friendship with Nash began here of course, although he left WCW that year, as did Raven, leaving Nash and Page to form a tag team called the Vegas Connection. Years later, after both had been world champion, Nash and Page would team together as the Insiders and prove to be just as ineffective then as they were before. By the time Halloween Havoc rolled around, they were jobbing to Erik Watts and Van Hammer in a dark match. The writing was not so much on the wall as it was spelled out in bricks, yet the WWF were after someone big and tall for a bodyguard gimmick that would further propel Shawn Michaels’ singles push. With Hall able to put in a good word for him, Nash jumped ship and made his debut as Diesel at a house show in June 1993 to help Michaels retain the Intercontinental Title against Marty Jannetty.

Diesel: Shawn told me his back was hurting him, so I hit him on the back with a chair, to, you know, pop it back in place! I was doing the guy a favor, and now *I’M* the bad guy?

It was here that Nash became more successful as a wrestler than his wildest dreams could ever have imagined… possibly because his subconscious is too damn lazy to bother showing any dreams in his sleep… or at least, ones that don’t involve boobs, and how successful can a wrestler be when he’s got nothing but boobs?… well, I guess Mabel is still employed… about time for a fresh sentence, methinks. Already, Nash’s fortunate ability to make friends with all the right people was beginning to pay dividend. Nash, Michaels and Hall - and later Sean Waltman and then the future Triple H - forged the notorious backstage Clique that came to dominate mid ’90s WWF. They made a pact not just to look out for one another and not just to terrorise strip joints and ring rats together, but to do their damndest to only put one another over and to get as many favours from management as possible. Considering that Vince McMahon, by this point flailing around in a haphazard effort to refresh his product, has always been desperate to be thought of as one of the cool kids, the party-hearty Clique were easily able to convince him that they were his only worthy stars. Nash benefitted the most from such playground politics by getting to be WWF Champion for 358 days (the only longer reign since then was John Cena’s 380 day effort in 2006-7), which was indicative of the other two keys to Vince’s heart - be as tall as possible and have a fine head of hair. Fully equipped with both, Nash was turned into the heroic, star-of-the-show babyface and the WWF started running on Diesel Power… and then stalled… and then almost went bankrupt.

IGN: How much does it change your outlook, having a kid and realizing that it’s not just you you’re taking care of?

NASH: A lot of people would say that after he was born I became lazy, but I just became very super-cautious. I’m not going to let you whack me with a chair without getting a hand up now. Guys will say to you, “I’m telling you right now, man – I promise you I can land you flat. I’m not gonna hurt you.” And I said, “Dude, I’m not going to be eating and drinking through a straw and in a wheelchair for the rest of my life, and you coming in the hospital and telling me, ‘Hey, I’m sorry, dude.’”

To be fair to Nash, there was little that he could have done in the position he was put in. Sure, he wasn’t a great wrestler. Neither was Hulk Hogan but he was still able to draw in the ’80s. The problem was that the WWF were booking Diesel in almost identical manner to how they had booked Hogan ten years earlier, which was conducive only to failure. Diesel was put in there with talentless lugs like Sid, Mabel and Yokozuna, yet his best matches were against smaller opponents like Michaels and Bret Hart. The audience could swallow a vat of laxatives and still not give a crap about the arbitrary evil of the Million Dollar Corporation. If they wanted to see anything in the WWF in 1995, it would have been the culmination of the Michaels/Diesel feud, which was a basic, classic blood-feud of two former friends falling out due to jealousy. When that match finally came, at In Your House 7 in April 1996, it would prove a career highlight for both men. Yet by that point Nash was on the way out of the WWF and so it meant far less than it should have done. Had they ran a longer program and held the same match at SummerSlam ‘95, perhaps business could have been sustained at a higher level. Then again, maybe not. The fans didn’t want a generic tall bloke with a fondness for trucks as their babyface champion, while 1996 proved that they didn’t want a preening, prima donna poofter in that role either. In any event, dwindling business meant dwindling income for Diesel, the lowest-drawing champion in WWE history, so when he realised that he could earn far more and do far less by returning to the resurgent WCW, he jumped at the chance.

A fond farewell… Nash, Hall, Michaels and Helmsley break kayfabe in MSG



By any reasonable expectations, Nash would have done a few PPV main events in WCW before gradually settling into a generic mid-card role. Eric Bischoff had bigger plans and, having brought Hall over with him, Nash wound up at the epicentre of the New World Order. With the WWF left to pathetically continue to promote the Diesel and Razor Ramon characters on their cards, not to mention bitterly filing a lawsuit over WCW kinda-sorta portraying Nash and Hall, the Outsiders, as still being WWF employees, the nWo caught fire in a massive way and sent WCW into the pop culture stratosphere in an unprecedented fashion. While in retrospect most of WCW’s cards at this stage were dull and repetitive - especially by 1997, when the WWF finally began to evolve - at the time it felt fresh and exciting. Although the Outsiders were doing as little in-ring work as they could possibly get away with, even on PPV, people still reacted to their charisma, much as management reacted to their every whim. Of course, Hall’s personal problems started to overcome him, just as Nash began to covet the head booker position. And thus began the downfall.

Nash comments on the Fingerpoke of Doom and more



Nash had come from a spot in the WWF where he could get anything he wanted to happen to happen. Now, he found himself in the same promotion as Hulk Hogan, who was long since used to getting his own way at all times and for more money than anyone else. They both held creative control in their guaranteed contracts, they both perceived themselves as being the top dog in the company, and they were both in more or less the same on-screen position. Emulating their backstage rivalry on TV by giving Nash the Wolfpac faction would have been fine and dandy, except the nWo were still in existence, so now there were two groups doing the same act and it was 1998. Bischoff, the jester supreme of the backstage courtyard, found himself trying to juggle too many balls at once as other concerns were also demanding attention - i.e. Sting’s new character, Bret Hart’s post-Montreal career, Goldberg’s rapid rise, Ric Flair’s eternal popularity, the debut of Thunder and the WWF’s new Attitude. Money couldn’t solve everything, talent had to count for something, so Nash found himself given the book and promptly made himself the first person to pin Goldberg (with an assist from Hall, naturally). Swerving the fans out of a Starrcade rematch thanks to an angle in which Miss Elizabeth accused Goldberg of rape, which was wildly inappropriate both for all involved and for WCW itself, the next step was thoroughly backwards - reuniting the nWo… whilst dropping the title to Hogan… in a free TV match… which was literally nothing more than a fingerpoke. Although WCW’s downwards spiral would continue for another two years, the WWF was on such a run by this point that nothing short of a miracle or a disaster could have put WCW back on top. Although he was by no means the sole company killer, he was one of the many hands on the trigger. Nash had helped to both start and to lose the Monday Night Wars, yet his bank balance certainly won.

“NASH, a sci-fi action adventure comic, blasts into the future world of 2023. There is no money, no middle class, no justice and no hope. Food is the only commodity in a world divided into social casts: the affluent elite who live in the domed citiesand tattered poor who inherited the unwanted waste lands. Out of this desolate land steps Nash, a massive man with a plan, intent on giving the establishment in the cities a butt kicking and the poor of the waste lands a piece of the pie…”
Yes, Big Kev has his own comic book… buy here http://www.kevinbigsexynash.com/nashcomic.html

His bank balance continued to win after WCW did officially collapse, as he got to sit at home and collect his guaranteed AOL-Time Warner salary for most of 2001. Soon afterwards, Vince was again in a quandry and again turned to the supposed cool kids by bringing in Nash, Hall and Hogan as the nWo in February 2002. After Toronto decided that they really liked Hogan after all, he was turned babyface and pushed to the top with laughable results. Hall drank the Atlantic dry on a plane ride from Europe and was fired. Nash decided that he would indeed have a match on TV, yet he lasted all of six seconds before tearing his quadricep and crying like a bitch. The nWo were quietly disbanded by Mr McMahon in a rather sad end to the stable’s history. A return to action in 2003 allowed Nash, Michaels and Helmsely to all touch one another in public again, which at least kept them happy, yet by now Nash had the knees of an arthritic sloth and the sole memorable happening of his year was having his hair shaved off by Chris Jericho. Nearly five years later and the flowing lock fortunes of both men have been reversed. Facing problems with his neck and shoulders as well as his knees, Nash took time off to have surgery and WWE chose not to renew his contract.

Since then, Nash has had various stints with TNA. His first began in 2004 and involved the usual clutch of unreliable misantropes - Hall, Waltman, DDP, Vince Russo, Bob Backlund, hell, even Randy Savage at one point. Jeff Jarrett, almost as desperate for popular vindication as Vince and still running on an inflated and misguided sense of self-worth following his involvement with nWo 2000, at first aligned himself with Nash as part of the Kings of Wrestling group, then feuded with him whilst leading his Planet Jarrett stable. Regular people might vent their frustrations on a blog or some such nonsense; Jarrett does it on a national level with his own wrestling promotion. Anyway, Nash had another injury (staph infection) and so pulled out of a scheduled Lethal Lockdown match on PPV. He returned a few months later to challenge Jarrett for his title on the Bound For Glory 2005 PPV, yet cancelled at the last-minute due to chest pains, which were later attributed to a mild cardiac episode. TNA brought him back again in April 2006 and rather bizarrely had him enter and disparage the X Division. Although the Paparazzi Production videos TNA put online with Nash and Alex Shelley were entertaining, his personality overshone that of his X Division opponents, who received scant attention to such matters from the booking team, and so nobody wound up benefitting from the one-sided feud. When the time came to put reigning X Division champion Chris Sabin over on PPV, a mysterious neck injury reduced Nash to the sidelines. After some time off, he returned in October in a number of non-wrestling roles, which included colour commentary, hosting the Paparazzi Championship Series, being rather too fond of Austin Aries, got Jay Lethal to fall in love with the Macho Man, turned Sonjay Dutt into a guru of some sort, managed Shelley and Sabin, and played psychiatrist to Kurt & Karen Angle. When the time came to get back inside the ring, Hall was not too far behind in making an appearance… and then no-showing a PPV for old times’ sake.

“Now granted, after traveling up and down the road the last ten years with Scott Hall, I’ve lost a couple of brain cells… my question is, what the hell happened to that sweet little rasslin’ show we were doin’ every Monday? I mean, where in the hell is the Dog when you need him?”

“For old times’ sake” is as good a way as any to sum up Nash’s continued involvement with wrestling - or TNA in general, for that matter. He has made tentative forays into the world of acting, yet in that industry he will always be nothing more than a jobber. For instance, his most memorable role to date was dressing up as the lovechild of Dolph Lundgren and Tugboat to put over the Punisher:



(At one point Nash was due to play Sabretooth in X-Men but scheduling conflicts led to the role being given to Tyler Mane, his stuntman, who had previously wrestled for WCW as Big Sky and teamed with none other than… Vinnie Vegas.)

So, what is the legacy of Kevin Nash? Winning a bunch of titles, including the two most important of the 1990s? Being a founding member of the most dominant backstage faction of the WWF and the most dominant on-screen faction of WCW? Husband and father of one? Always being ready to lend a witty quip if not a worthy match? A loyal friend with a knack for exploiting mere acquaintences, yet having precious few enemies? Lackadaisical grandstanding that never forgets the importance of being idle? Turning out to be one hell of a shoddy booker?

Ah, bugger it. Let’s just do this the lazy way…

Kevin Nash.

Can’t wrestle.

Can’t book.

Can talk a little.

39. BOB BACKLUND

Hometown - Princeton, Minnesota
Debuted - 1973
Titles Held - NWA Florida Tag Team (with Steve Keirn); NWA Georgia Tag Team (with Jack Brisco); NWA Western States Heavyweight (3x); NWA Missouri Heavyweight; WAR World Six Man Tag Team (with Scott Putski and the Warlord); WWF Tag Team (with Pedro Morales); WWWF/WWF World Heavyweight Championship; WWF World Championship
Other Accomplishments - Won Division II NCAA Championship in 1971 (191 pound weight class); World champion when WWWF was renamed WWF; Pro Wrestling Illustrated Rookie of the Year in 1976; Pro Wrestling Illustrated Most Inspirational Wrestler in 1977; Winner of Pro Wrestling Match of the Year Award (vs. Billy Graham); Pro Wrestling Illustrated Wrestler of the Year in 1980; Pro Wrestling Illustrated Most Inspirational Wrestler in 1981; Winner of Pro Wrestling Illustrated Match of the Year Award in 1982 (vs. Jimmy Snuka); Pro Wrestling Illustrated Most Hated Wrestler of the Year in 1994; Ranked #7 of the Top 500 Singles of the PWI Years by Pro Wrestling Illustrated; Winner of Wrestling Observer Newsletter Best Technical Wrestler Award in 1980; Winner of Wrestling Observer Newsletter Match of the Year Award in 1980 (vs. Ken Patera); Winner of Wrestling Observer Newsletter Most Disgusting Promotional Tactic Award in 1982 (regarding his title reign); Winner of Wrestling Observer Newsletter Most Overrated Wrestler Award in 1983; Member of Wrestling Observer Hall of Fame (inducted in 2004); Member of Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame (inducted in 2008)

Bob Backlund’s career has been one of twists and turns. After graduating from North Dakota State University, Backlund began training as a wrestler under Eddie Sharkey. He made his pro-wrestling debut in 1973.

After touring various NWA affiliated promotions for the first four years of his career, he signed with the WWWF in 1977. Paired with Arnold Skaaland as a manager, it was clear that Vince McMahon Sr. saw great potential in Backlund. Less than four months into his tenure with the company Backlund was already receiving title shots against Superstar Billy Graham. In February of 1978 Backlund captured the WWWF World Heavyweight title after pinning Billy Graham (who had his feet on the ropes – ironically, the same way he’d won the belt).

Within days Backlund found himself facing NWA World Champion Harley Race in a title vs. title match. The match went to a 60-minute draw.

Backlund spent a large part of his time not only defending his title against WWWF wrestlers, but also against the respective NWA and AWA World Champions. Backlund remained the champion in 1979 as the company changed its name to the more familiar WWF.

Backlund won double gold on August 9, 1980 as he and Pedro Morales defeated the Wild Samoans (Afa and Sika). The title was immediately vacated since Backlund was the World champion, and the Samoans would regain the belts in the subsequent tournament to crown new champions.

1982 saw the winds of change begin blowing throughout the WWF. Vince McMahon Jr. purchased the company from his father and soon began working on a program of nationwide expansion.

The winds of change had become a hurricane by the end of 1983. McMahon had signed a star of the future named Hulk Hogan from the AWA and wanted the world title on him. McMahon planned to have Backlund turn heel and drop the belt to Hogan. Backlund refused, sending McMahon to Plan B.

On December 26, Backlund (who had earlier been injured by the Iron Sheik in an attack with the Sheik’s Persian clubs) defended his title against the Sheik in a match that would prove to be a precursor to another title defense in Montreal nearly fourteen years later. Finally the Sheik locked Backlund in his dreaded Camel Clutch. Skaaland threw in a towel and the referee awarded the match (and the title) to the Iron Sheik who, coincidentally, would lose the title to Hogan on January 24, 1984.

After the title loss, Backlund continued to work for the WWF for several more months, although he never again got close to a title. His final match saw him defeat Salvatore Bellomo on August 4, 1984.

Backlund’s next appearance was for Pro Wrestling USA – where the AWA and various NWA promotions (including Jim Crockett Productions) joined forces to try and fight back against the rapidly-growing WWF. The peak of Backlund’s run here was an unsuccessful title shot against Rick Martel’s AWA World title.

After Pro Wrestling USA folded, Backlund vanished for years and was believed to be retired. In 1991, however, Backlund returned to action – this time in Herb Abrams’s UWF.

By 1992, Backlund had returned to the WWF. He was once again relegated to the midcard as he avoided a cartoonish gimmick. He also competed in the 1993 Royal Rumble, where he lasted over an hour – a feat few WWF wrestlers have managed.

1994 saw a change in Backlund. He was scheduled to face Bret Hart in a match for the WWF championship. After Bret won the match Backlund slapped him and began laughing crazily as he locked Hart in his crossface chicken wing submission hold. Finally Backlund released him and stared at his hands, shocked at his own actions.

Not long after, Backlund came out on Raw and claimed that he had never lost the WWF title. This was a different Backlund than we’d seen before. He wore a business suit and threw large words out in his promos. He also extolled his own superiority to any wrestler on the WWF roster at that time.

Needless to say, this got Bret Hart’s attention. Hart and Backlund faced off again for the belt at the 1994 Survivor Series in a “Throw in the Towel” submission match. The idea was drawn from Backlund’s world title loss in 1983. Davey Boy Smith stood in Hart’s corner and renegade Hart brother Owen stood in Backlund’s. Both men had a towel. When they thought their man had had enough, they would throw in the towel to signify their submission.

As the action went in the ring, Owen Hart and Davey Boy got into a scuffle at ringside that ended with Davey Boy getting knocked out. At about the same time, Backlund locked Hart in the Crossface Chicken Wing. A remorseful Owen picked up Smith’s towel and turned to Stu and Helen Hart who were seated at ringside. They crossed the rail and joined their son’s corner.

Owen tearfully appealed to Stu and Helen to convince them to throw in the towel. Helen was ready to do so until Stu ripped it out of her hands. This continued for over eight minutes, while Bret was trapped in the hold the entire time. Finally Helen threw in the towel. Owen’s tears vanished and he grabbed the towel before heading to the back to celebrate.

Backlund’s reign didn’t last long. Three days later, Diesel powerbombed Backlund and pinned him at a Madison Square Garden house show in a title match that only lasted eight seconds. After the match, Backlund crawled up the ramp to the back.

Backlund never again came close to a title shot. He began appearing less and less until he finally lost an I Quit match to Bret Hart at Wrestlemania XI.

After Wrestlemania, Backlund announced that he was running for President. This angle was odd because the actual election was a year and a half away. Backlund was shown campaigning for a time until the entire angle was dropped.

Next Backlund joined the Iron Sheik in managing the Sultan. By the end of 1997, the Sultan, Sheik, and Backlund were gone.

Backlund returned again in 2000 at the Royal Rumble. After the Rumble, he began managing Kurt Angle. This continued until Angle discovered that Backlund had arranged for him to meet Chris Jericho and Chris Benoit in a two falls match with both his titles on the line. Angle locked Backlund in his own Crossface Chicken Wing and he was gone again.

It was about this time that Backlund legitimately ran for a Congressional seat. He was unsuccessful.

In 2007, Backlund’s name began appearing during TNA’s Paparazzi Championship Series when Kevin Nash would inspect dubious pieces of equipment and pronounce them “Bob Backlund Approved.” Backlund himself appeared at the Final Resolution PPV, where he joined judges Simoleon Joe and the Fat Oily Naked Guy as judges for the final match in the series. After he lost, Austin Starr attacked the judges and shoved Backlund down. Backlund immediately went after Starr and locked him in the Crossface Chicken Wing.

After the Series, Backlund continued to appear on TNA programming as he feuded with Austin Starr. After Starr’s release, he battled Alex Shelly and Chris Sabin for a couple of weeks before he vanished again.

Backlund returned to the WWE in December of 2007. On the fifteenth anniversary show of Raw, Backlund competed in a Legends’ Battle Royal. He was eliminated by Skinner.

Bob Backlund is an interesting character, to say the least. He’s an extremely talented ring technician, and has been able to reinvent himself time and time again to stay relevant.

Yet, throughout it all, Backlund still clings to kayfabe in a way that is rarely seen today. He still lives his gimmick – including a refusal to sign autographs unless the person requesting the signature can recite all the Presidents of the United States (in order).

Backlund has also managed to keep himself in fighting trim despite his advancing age. When Backlund came out for the Legends’ Battle Royal, he appeared to be in the same physical condition he’d been in during his feud with Bret Hart more than a decade before.

Whether he’s known as All American Bob Backlund, Mr. Backlund, Presidential candidate, or even Bob Backlund, PCS judge, Bob Backlund is a name that is well-known to almost every wrestling fan. For all of his achievements, Backlund has certainly earned his place on this list of the top 100 wrestlers of the modern era.

The entire Top 100 Wrestlers feature can be found here.

38. DAVID VON ERICH

Real Name - David Adkisson
Aliases - The Yellow Rose of Texas
Hometown - Denton, Texas
Debuted - June, 1977
Titles Held - AJPW All Asia Tag Team (2x, with Kevin Von Erich); NWA Florida Southern Heavyweight; NWA Florida Television; NWA Florida North American Tag Team (with Dory Funk Jr.); NWA Texas Heavyweight (8x); NWA United National; NWA Texas Tag Team (3x, with Kevin Von Erich); NWA Texas World Six-Man Tag Team (with Kevin and Kerry Von Erich); NWA American Tag Team (with Kevin Von Erich); NWA Missouri Heavyweight
Other Accomplishments - Second Von Erich brother to turn pro ; Reportedly scheduled to win the NWA World Heavyweight title at the time of his death - the only man to die between the time the decision was made for him to win the title and actually doing so; Died on February 10, 1984 of acute enteritis while on a tour of Japan; Recipient of PWI Stanley Weston (Editor’s) award in 1984

David Von Erich was a special individual in the world of wrestling. After all, this top 100 list only covers wrestlers who competed after 1980. David passed away only four short years after that date, and his career began three years before it. Still, David managed to pack a memorable career indeed into those seven short years.

In 1977, David dropped out of college (where he had basketball and football scholarships) to begin his pro wrestling career. As mentioned above, he made his debut during June of 1977. In August, he wrestled Harley Race to a 30 minute time limit draw for the NWA World championship.

After having a great deal of success in Texas (racking up four Texas Heavyweight title reigns, two Texas Tag Team title reigns, one run with the NWA Texas World Tag Team titles, and one NWA Texas American world title reign), David decided to test the waters outside his home state. After a run in All Japan, David headed to Florida, where he began working as a heel. By December, he had defeated Jack Brisco to capture the NWA Florida Southern Heavyweight title. He held the belt until the following July, when he was defeated by David Draper. In addition to that, he allied himself with Dory Funk Jr. to capture the NWA Florida North American tag team belts in March. They held those titles for about a month, losing them to Bruce Reed and Sweet Brown Sugar. Even after losing those titles, David captured the NWA Florida Television title, which he ironically finally lost to former partner Dory Funk Jr.

As 1982 wound down, David returned to Texas and brought a friend with him from Florida - Gorgeous Jimmy Garvin. The feud saw the two begin trading the NWA Texas Heavyweight title back and forth. David had defeated Wild Bill Irwin to win the belt in August of 1982. Garvin took the belt away in March of 1983, and David recaptured it in April. However, the belt was soon held up.

The belt was on the line again at the July 4 show at the Tarrant County Convention Center. David won the belt, and the services of Garvin and Sunshine (Garvin’s real-life cousin and manager) as his valets for a day. Needless to say, WCCW sent cameras and announcer Bill Mercer to thoroughly document the experience.

A week later the belt was held up again and again later that year David won the rematch. Garvin left the company for the AWA shortly thereafter.

With Garvin gone, David was free to devote his attention to his brothers’ war against the Fabulous Freebirds. He, Kevin, and Kerry dethroned the Freebirds to capture the six-man titles on the same July 4th show where he faced Garvin.

The Freebirds, however, would not be denied. They took the belts back on August 12. It would take until December 2nd for the Von Erichs to reclaim their belts. In January, the Freebirds captured them again.

Also during this same timeframe, David began appearing for the NWA Central States promotion and was placed in contention for their heavyweight title. This belt had gained a great deal of respect after Harley Race had moved on from the belt to capture the NWA World title, and it became known as a stepping stone to the world title. David defeated Ric Flair on September 16 to gain the coveted title. He held it until January 6th, when he was defeated by Harley Race.

David was now primed for a run with the NWA World title. The NWA board of directors had agreed, and it was only a matter of time until he gained the belt.

Unfortunately, those dreams ended on February 10th. David was on tour in Japan with All Japan when he passed away at the age of 25. The official ruling was a heart attack due to ruptured intestines caused by acute enteritis. Several WCCW personalities have noted that David was exhibiting symptoms of enteritis when he departed for the tour.

On May 6th, WCCW held its first Parade of Champions in honor of David. That day Kerry Von Erich defeated Ric Flair in the main event to win the NWA World Heavyweight title. He would lose the belt back to Flair 18 days later in Japan.

David represented perhaps the best of all of the Von Erich brothers. He was skilled in the ring (something common to both Kerry and Kevin as well). While he didn’t have the rock-star look of Kerry, he still had a decent look to him.

Another thing that David excelled at were his interviews. David was easily the best of the brothers on the microphone. Another facet was the fact that David portrayed a character that he’d developed while in Florida - a red-blooded Texas boy with a hot temper (which is who he was).

David was also reported to be sharp with the business end of wrestling as well. He is reported as always keeping an eye open for new merchandising opportunities and soon became one of the two people that Fritz Von Erich relied on for advice (the other was Gary Hart).

As mentioned above, while David may have represented the best of the Von Erichs and WCCW, his death would also be the first of many to shadow the promotion. Within five years, he would be followed in passing by Gino Hernandez, Bruiser Brody, and his brother Mike. In addition, Kerry would be injured in a motorcycle accident that would culminate in the loss of his right foot.

Had David lived, an NWA title reign seemed assured. In addition, it is highly likely that, with him, World Class may have enjoyed a longer period of popularity that may have seen them continue on longer after their separation from the NWA.

But at the time I was ten, and I thought Hulk Hogan was a good wrestler.

Not good enough!
I knew Hogan was shit, 100 years before I was born!

I watched a lot of World Class but I was so young I was a bigger Kerry Von Erich fan he was more flashier and David seemed bland. But at the time I was ten, and I thought Hulk Hogan was a good wrestler.

37. TULLY BLANCHARD

Aliases - The Outlaw; The Midnight Stallion
Hometown - San Antonio, Texas
Debuted - 1975
Titles Held - NWA Central States Heavyweight; NWA National Heavyweight; NWA Television; NWA United States Heavyweight; NWA Mid Atlantic World Tag Team (2x - with Arn Anderson); NWA World Television (2x); NWA All-Star World Tag Team (with Barry Windham); SWCW Southwest Heavyweight (4x); SWCW Southwest Tag Team (5x - with Gino Hernandez); SWCW Southwest Television (3x); SWCW World Tag Team (2x with Gino Hernandez); WWF World Tag Team (with Arn Anderson)
Other Accomplishments - Founding member of the Four Horsemen

He hasn’t been an active player on the national level of professional wrestling in nearly two decades, but every time you tune in to Raw on Monday night, you see Tully Blanchard. Whether it’s Shawn Michaels’ swagger, Triple H taking a shortcut or even Ric Flair styling and profiling, you’re seeing a little bit of Tully each time.

One of the National Wrestling Alliance’s top heels of the 1980’s, really the only knock you can level against Tully Blanchard on a performance level is that he wasn’t quite Ric Flair, but he was damn close. If Ric Flair hadn’t already been around and been just a hair better at playing the cocky heel in the ring and on the microphone, it’s not inconceivable to think that Tully Blanchard could be a 16-time World champion today. But since Ric Flair did exist—though even the “Nature Boy” will admit to having learned a step or two from Blanchard—Tully will just have to settle for having been one of the most important and influential wrestlers of the modern era.

Groomed for athletic excellence for an early age, Tully, son of American Wrestling Association star Joe Blanchard, was a college football standout at West Texas State University, playing alongside fellow future wrestling stars Ted DiBiase and Tito Santana. Upon graduation, Tully joined his father’s Texas-based Southwest Championship Wrestling in 1975 as both an in-ring performer and in a variety of backstage roles.

Tully started out as the babyface protégé of his father, but before long took on the cocky heel role he’d play the rest of his career, forming a successful tag team with Gino Hernandez as the original Dynamic Duo. Over the next decade, Tully would hold every major title in SCW.

In 1984, with SCW on its last legs, Tully found himself courted by the NWA and made the jump to the North Carolina-based Jim Crockett Promotions, the most prominent member of the group. With valet Baby Doll by his side, Blanchard made an immediate impact, feuding with Ricky Steamboat and Wahoo McDaniel and quickly tasting his first NWA gold, defeating Mark Youngblood in March to win the Television championship.

With perennial World champion and major draw Ric Flair often touring the NWA and unable to appear as frequently in JCP as the Crockett family would have liked, Blanchard often found himself playing the role of de facto top heel of the territory. As Tully possessed both a smooth, athletic style in the ring with clever forms of cheating thrown in for good measure as well as a cool, cocky persona on the microphone, all traits he shared with Flair, this hardly proved a problem and despite being a “bad guy,” Blanchard developed something of a cult following among male fans who enjoyed rooting for the renegade.

JCP demonstrated its faith in Blanchard by placing him in a feud with the NWA’s top babyface—and head booker of the territory—Dusty Rhodes in an on-again, off-again rivalry that would remain near the top of the card for the next two years. Dusty ended Tully’s year-long reign as Television champion in March of 1985, though Blanchard recovered the belt not long after before dropping it again to Rhodes at the end of the summer in a match where he also lost Baby Doll to his rival for 30 days. Tully truly came into his own during the feud as his character proved every bit the natural rival to Rhodes’ working class everyman that Flair’s did, with the added heat of their common Texas roots, and his chemistry with Baby Doll was probably the earliest example of a male talent utilizing a female valet to her fullest potential.

In the fall of 1985, Blanchard shifted his focus to NWA United States champion Magnum T.A., the hottest young up and comer JCP had seen in years. With the help of the returning Baby Doll, Tully stole a win and the title from Magnum, kicking off an intense months-long feud. Also around this time, Blanchard began to associate with World champion Flair as well as the National Tag Team champions Arn & Ole Anderson, assisting them in their feud with Rhodes while they reciprocated in his matches with Magnum—thus were the seeds of the Four Horsemen sewn.

Tully dropped the U.S. title back to Magnum at Starrcade 1985 in November in a horrifically bloody steel cage I Quit match that saw Blanchard submit after his rival lacerated him with a jagged piece of wood. Following the championship loss, Tully began to undergo a metamorphosis, taking on the polished James J. Dillon as a manager and later firing Baby Doll on national television with a slap to the face. Dusty came to Baby Doll’s rescue, re-igniting the feud with the rejuvenated and now more vicious and calculating Blanchard.

As 1986 dawned, Tully, along with Flair, the Andersons and manager Dillon, officially formed the Four Horsemen, the first true super stable in professional wrestling as they would dominate the NWA and its major championships for the balance of the 80’s. While Blanchard’s focus remained primarily on Dusty, defeating him for the National title in March, he also distracted major contenders to Flair’s World title like Ron Garvin, who he battled in taped fist matches throughout the summer’s Great American Bash tour.

In the fall of 1986, Tully turned his attention back to Dusty, who had lost the services of Baby Doll, but regained the Television title from Blanchard’s Horsemen comrade, Arn Anderson. At Starrcade 1986, Blanchard defeated Rhodes for the title in a first blood match, finally putting an end to the lengthy singles feud between the two. Tully would only enjoy a Television title reign of a few months, his final major run with that title, before losing it to Nikita Koloff and taking on a new role necessitated by shifts within the Horsemen membership.

The aging Ole Anderson was kicked out of the Horsemen in favor of young powerhouse Lex Luger, and with Luger becoming the group’s secondary singles competitor behind Flair, Tully took Ole’s spot teaming with Arn. While Blanchard had been a superlative singles competitor, he and Anderson proved such a good match as partners that the duo quickly emerged as one of the dominant tag teams of the decade and cemented a reputation over the next several years as one of the best of all time.

During the Great American Bash tour over the summer of 1987, the Horsemen and Dillon engaged Rhodes and Koloff as well as the Road Warriors and their manager, Paul Ellering, in the brutal War Games, a series of double ring steel cage matches that could only end in submission. Blanchard and Anderson survived War Games to defeat the Rock & Roll Express in September for the World Tag Team titles and retain them against the popular former champions as well as the Road Warriors throughout the fall, often by getting themselves disqualified.

It took another shakeup in the ranks of the Horsemen to get the titles away from Blanchard and Anderson as Luger was booted from the group early in 1988 and then teamed with Barry Windham at the first Clash of the Champions to win the belts from his former allies. However, the Horsemen had the last laugh, with Windham turning on Luger during a rematch, joining the Horsemen and giving Arn and Tully back the belts. At the 1988 Great American Bash, the duo again escaped with their titles, wrestling Sting and Koloff to a time limit draw.

While Blanchard and Anderson were riding high in the ring, backstage things were not so rosy, as both clashed with Rhodes over their pay rate. In the fall of 1988, Tully and Arn elected to leave the NWA together, dropping their titles to the Midnight Express on the way out the door and effectively ending the golden age of the Horsemen.

Blanchard remained off national television for nearly a year before he and Anderson surfaced in the World Wrestling Federation under the tutelage of manager Bobby Heenan in October of 1988. While they were WWF rookies, Tully and Arn carried much of their notoriety from the NWA to the more prominent promotion and found success in their new home despite its tendency to highlight showmanship over athleticism. In particular, a feud between the pair, newly christened the “Brain Busters,” and the young Rockers team of Shawn Michaels and Marty Jannetty in the waning months of 1988 and into 1989 produced an excellent series of matches.

After defeating former WWF World Tag Team champions Tito Santana & Rick Martel at Wrestlemania V, the Busters engaged in a series of matches with current champs Demolition over the spring and summer. In July, Blanchard and Anderson made history, defeating Demolition in a two out of three falls match and becoming the first team ever to hold the World Tag Team titles in both the NWA and WWF, cementing the Brain Busters’ legacy as one of the greatest teams ever.

While Blanchard and Anderson held onto the belts for three months before losing them back to Demolition, they sensed that would be their peak in the increasingly gimmick-centric WWF and made plans to jump back to the NWA when their contracts expired. Unfortunately, before they could return to their old stomping grounds, Blanchard failed a drug test and was released early by the WWF. When the NWA learned of Tully’s infraction, they balked at bringing him back, scrapping a planned Horsemen reunion in the process.

Following his dismissal from the WWF, Blanchard took a brief sabbatical from wrestling to tackle his personal demons and drug problems head on. In a nice break from so many stories involving stars of the 80’s and their battles with drugs, Blanchard conquered his addictions, finding inspiration as a born-again Christian.

Tully turned down another offer from the NWA for a Horsemen reunion in 1990 and then had a brief stint with the AWA before retiring from full-time competition to become a preacher. Blanchard spent the 90’s preaching and coaching amateur wrestling, only returning to the professional ranks occasionally, such as a pay-per-view draw with Terry Funk on World Championship Wrestling’s 1994 Slamboree show.

As a result of the recently released Ric Flair & The Four Horsemen DVD set from WWE and the classic NWA footage currently airing on WWE 24/7, a new generation of fans has been able to discover Tully Blanchard. Whether you remember him as one of the best heels of the 80’s, a consummate singles performer, one half of his legendary team with Arn Anderson or perhaps as the coolest of the original Four Horsemen, Tully Blanchard has earned a lofty position in wrestling history.

36. ARN ANDERSON

Real Name - Martin Lunde
Aliases - Double A; The Enforcer; Super Olympia; Marty Lunde
Hometown - Rome, Georgia
Debuted - January, 1982
Titles Held - NWA National Tag Team (with Ole Anderson); NWA World Tag Team (2x, with Tully Blanchard); NWA World Television (3x); WCW World Tag Team (3x, 1 with Larry Zbyszko, 1 with Bobby Eaton, 1 with Paul Roma); WCW World Television (2x); NWA Southeastern Tag Team (4x, 3 with Jerry Stubbs, 1 with Pat Rose); WWF Tag Team (with Tully Blanchard)
Other Accomplishments - Final NWA World Television champion; First WCW World Television champion; Founding member of the Four Horsemen

Arn Anderson got his first big break in the American Wrestling scene as a tag team partner of Ole Anderson in the Mid Atlantic region. The two, who weren’t related, soon gained a reputation for being a real backbone team. No matter who they faced they always were able to work the crowd into frenzy with their excellent mat wrestling and brutal submission moves. Their work still stands up to this day and if you go back and watch them in action with teams like the Rock and Roll Express, The Road Warriors and The Steiner’s.

The Anderson’s, who were named The Minnesota Wrecking Crew, were not only one of the best teams of the 80’s but they were also founding members of perhaps the most elite and famous wrestling stable ever, The Four Horsemen. Indeed, as legend goes, it was during a syndicated promo one week where Arn came up with the name in a promo. The original group, consisting of The Anderson’s, Tully Blanchard and Ric Flair, still stands as many older fans favourite stable. Indeed, they ripped through the region feuding with every major star from Dusty Rhodes to Sting to Ronnie Garvin to Magnum T.A. The group’s promos on TV were often highlighted by Arn who would compliment the extravagant ranting of Flair and Blanchard with cold and lethal threats to whoever he was feuding with. Arn Anderson quickly became known as one of the premier promo cutters in the business and with good reason too. Anderson had a promo style whereby he could sell you on a match in one interview thanks to his intelligent use of language and threats. If anyone reading this has an old WCW Video or the Four Horsemen DVD I suggest you pop it on and see what I mean. Anderson definitely had the gift of gab and he used it to great effect.

The Four Horsemen Group went through many changes but Anderson was usually a part of the group. However, in 1989 he and Tully went to the WWF for a year and quickly established another tag team dynasty. In the WWF the team, now dubbed as The Brainbusters, had a series of tremendous matches with The Rockers and Demolition. They also had a ****+ match with The Hart Foundation at that years Summer Slam. However, despite the great matches and a tag title reign, the Busters were not long for the WWF and within a year Blanchard was out of the mainstream wrestling scene and Arn was back in the now newly named WCW reforming The Horsemen with Flair, Ole and Sting.

Arn then had a near seven year run in WCW as an in ring wrestler where he was part of some of the companies best matches and angles. Notable highlights included his involvement in the Wrestle War 92 War Games match, long named by some as the greatest gimmick bout ever, as well as his stimulating battle with long time ally Flair at Fall Brawl 95. Indeed, to list all the great matches Arn had during this period would take forever but, needless to say, Anderson remained one of the most solid in ring performers that the business knew. There were some awful bouts (Renegade anyone?) but most of the time Anderson had good matches wherever he was put on the card.

Sadly, Arn’s physical style and partying lifestyle led to him having to retire from in ring competition in 1997. No longer able to wrestle, Arn made use of his strengths by becoming a mouthpiece and manager for the newly formed Horsemen group in 1998. Anderson made the odd appearance now and then on TV but he basically retreated to the back and became a highly respected agent. In fact, so highly respected was Arn that when it came time for WCW to shut it’s doors he was offered a contract by the WWF to be an agent there. Indeed, only Johnny Ace was lucky enough to receive this also.

I would be remiss not mentioning Anderson’s scissor fight with Sid Vicious but if you want the full story buy the excellent Death of WCW.

Arn Anderson remains one of the most talented wrestlers ever to compete in the modern era. He’s also a testament that you don’t have to be a 300 pound roid freak to draw money and get over. Anderson was over because he was a cold and calculating wrestler who got heat by beating the crap out of people with his superior wrestling skill and intelligence. Anderson’s matches remain a throwback to a simpler age of pro wrestling and any old school fan would have to include him in the top 100 wrestlers of the modern era. It’s a honour to have him on this list.

arn and tully should be much higher, youll be hard pressed find many that are better..

35. STAN HANSEN

Hometown - Borger, Texas
Debuted - 1973
Retired - 2000
Titles Held - AJPW Triple Crown; AJPW Unified World Tag Team (8x – 2 with Terry Gordy, 3 with Genichiro Tenryu, 1 with Dan Spivey, 1 with Ted DiBiase, 1 with Gary Albright); AWA World Heavyweight; NWA United States; NWA World Tag Team (with Ole Anderson); NWA International Heavyweight; NWA International Tag Team (with Ron Bass); NWA United National; PWF World Heavyweight (4x); PWF World Tag Team (4x, 1 with Bruiser Brody, 2 with Ted DiBiase, 1 with Austin Idol); CWA International Heavyweight; NWA Columbus Heavyweight; NWA Georgia Heavyweight (2x); NWA Georgia Tag Team (3x – 2 with Tommy Rich, 1 with Ole Anderson); NWF Heavyweight; NWA Texas Tag Team (with Killer Tim Brooks)
Other Accomplishments - First PWF World Tag Team champions (with Bruiser Brody); Wrestling Observer Hall of Fame Class
of 1996; renowned for his stiff style; retired due to
lower back pain; Winner of All Japan’s Champion’s Carnival in 1992 and 1993; Winner of All Japan’s World’s Strongest Tag Team League in 1983 (with Bruiser Brody), 1985 (with Ted DiBiase), 1988 (with Terry Gordy), and 1989 (with Genichiro Tenryu); Winner of PWI’s Match of the Year Award in 1976 (vs. Bruno Sammartino); Winner of PWI’s Most Hated Wrestler of the Year Award in 1976; Winner of Wrestling Observer Newsletter’s Tag Team of the Year Award in 1982 (with Ole Anderson); Winner of Wrestling Observer Newsletter’s Brawler of the Year Award in 1985 and 1990; Ranked as #16 of the Best 500 Wrestlers During the PWI Years by Pro Wrestling Illustrated; Ranked as #7 (with Bruiser Brody), #24 (with Ted DiBiase), #34 (with Terry Gordy) and #66 (with Ole Anderson) of the 100 Best Tag Teams During the PWI Years by Pro Wrestling Illustrated

Stan Hansen started wrestling in 1973 for the local promotion in Amarillo, Texas. However, it was only a side job as he also played professional football for the Detroit Wheels, which were part of the World Football League. The Wheels, however, were only in existence for part of the 1974 season. After fourteen games (and racking up a 1-13 record), the team folded and Hansen began wrestling full-time. The World Football League itself shut down operations during the 1975 season.

1974 saw Hansen also competing for Leroy McGuirk’s Tri-State company, which operated in Texas, Oklahoma, and Arkansas. This stint is notable because this is where Hansen first teamed with Bruiser Brody. This is also where Hansen won his first titles. In October of 1974 Hansen and Brody defeated Johnny Eagles and Terry Lathan to win the Tri-State versions of the NWA United States Tag Team titles. They held them until the following July, when Danny Hodge and Jay Clayton defeated them for the belts.

Early 1976 also saw Hansen and Killer Tim Brooks win the NWA Big Time Texas Tag Team titles (in 1982, Big Time Wrestling would have its name changed to World Class Championship Wrestling). March 3 saw Jose Lothario and Rocky Johnson taking the belts away.

Hansen also began competing in Vincent J. McMahon’s World Wide Wrestling Federation. It was here that Hansen gained a great deal of infamy. During a match with champion Bruno Sammartino on April 26, 1976, Hansen broke Sammartino’s neck. It was announced that it had been Hansen’s Lariat finisher that had done the deed, but in reality it was a botched bodyslam.

Fearing a disastrous gate for the Antonio Inoki/Muhammad Ali match they would be showing in June, McMahon got Sammartino back for a rematch on the same card. (The Inoki/Ali match would be shown on closed-circuit television, and in the WWWF territories, WWWF matches would make up the undercard.) Sammartino won by count out when Hansen fled the ring, and McMahon’s decision was backed up by the fact that the Inoki/Ali match drew poorly, but the Hansen/Sammartino match drew huge crowds.

Hansen’s next stop was Mid-South Wrestling. In May of 1977, Hansen defeated Dick Murdoch to win the Mid-South North American title. He held the belt for about a month before he lost it to Bill Watts.

From there Hansen headed to Georgia Championship Wrestling. He and Tommy Rich soon defeated the Minnesota Wrecking Crew of Ole and Gene Anderson to win the NWA Georgia Tag Team titles, but they closed 1977 by losing them to Ole Anderson and Jacques Goulet.

Hansen wasn’t too bothered. Also in December of 1977, he defeated Dick Slater to capture the NWA Georgia Heavyweight title. Although Mr. Wrestling defeated him to win it soon into the new year, February saw Hansen regain the belt and finally vacate it. At the same time he vacated that title, he also defeated Abdullah the Butcher to win the NWA Columbus Heavyweight title, which he lost later soon thereafter.

During this time, Hansen was also gaining fame in the Orient by competing for New Japan Pro Wrestling. In 1981, he jumped to All-Japan Pro Wrestling, the primary company he would remain with for the rest of his career.

1983 saw Hansen competing in Memphis for the CWA and feuding with Austin Idol. Hansen defeated Idol to capture the International Heavyweight title in September (only two days after Idol had won the belt himself) and lost it back to Idol in a bull rope match on October 3.

In December of 1985, Hansen won the AWA World Heavyweight title by defeating Rick Martel. The match was unusual in that Hansen won by using a backbreaker submission hold. Because Martel submitted, the loss greatly hurt Martel’s standing in the fans’ eyes.

Hansen proved to be a dominant champion going into 1986 by defeating challengers such as Nick Bockwinkel, Leon White (who would later become known as Vader), and Jerry Blackwell. However, there was one force that Hansen could not defeat – and that was wrestling politics.

On June 29, 1986, Hansen arrived for a title defense against Bockwinkel and Verne Gagne informed him that he’d be losing the belt. Hansen contacted All-Japan’s Giant Baba to get the okay to lose the belt, and Baba, who had already been scheduling championship matches of his own, refused. Hansen refused to lose the title, so he was not sent out and Bockwinkel won the match (and the title) after Hansen was announced as a no-show.

Hansen took the belt and headed back to Japan, where he was still promoted as the AWA champion. Bockwinkel was given a tag team title belt that was announced as the world title.

Gagne and the AWA soon contacted Hansen and threatened legal action if Hansen continued keeping the belt (which was AWA property) and promoting himself as the champion. Hansen replied by running over the title belt in his pickup truck and mailing it back to Gagne. (Years later, at an NWA Legends convention, Hansen did express regret for his actions.)

In 1990, Hansen returned to the United States and began feuding with Lex Luger over the NWA United States title. However, as the company began morphing into WCW, problems arose.

The issue was that WCW debuted a stable called the Desperadoes composed of Dutch Mantell, Black Bart, and Deadeye Dick (Moondog Rex). The three would wander around old western sets and get into “hilarious” hijinks as they searched for Hansen.

Hansen was mortified. He immediately left the company and returned to Japan. (Without Hansen, the Desperadoes fizzled out by the end of the year.) Hansen never again competed in the United States.

In 2000, after suffering from severe back pain, Hansen wrestled Genichiro Tenryu during a tournament to crown a new All-Japan Triple Crown champion. The company was suffering as several of All-Japan’s top stars had quit the company to form Pro Wrestling NOAH. Kenta Kobashi’s departure had vacated the title. Hansen lost the match and Tenryu would wind up winning the tournament and the title. That match was Hansen’s last.

In 2001, Hansen became the head of All-Japan’s Pacific Wrestling Federation, which is the governing body for the All-Japan titles. He resigned in 2007 and was replaced by Hiroshi Hase.

Stan Hansen was the perfect example of a monster heel. He was legitimately tough and almost impossible to defeat, as if he was the champion, he had no problems with taking a loss by DQ. Hansen’s Lariat also became a feared finisher following the incident with Sammartino in 1976.

Although Hansen had long periods of time when he didn’t compete in the United States, he still made an impact during the periods when he was present. Although Hansen has been retired for almost a decade now, his legend lives on.

34. EDGE

Real Name - Adam Copeland
Aliases - Adam Impact; Damon Striker; Sexton Hardcastle
Hometown - Orangeville, Ontario
Debuted - July 1, 1992
Titles Held - ICW/MWCW Mid-West Unified Tag Team (with Psycho Joe Sampson); ICW Streetfight Tag Team (2x, with Christian Cage); OCW Tag Team (with Psycho Joe Sampson); SSW Tag Team (with Christian Cage); WCW United States; WWE Championship (2x); WWE Tag Team (with Rey Mysterio); WWF/WWE Intercontinental (5x); WWF/WWE World Tag Team (11x - 7 with Christian, 2 with Chris Benoit, 1 with Hulk Hogan, 1 with Randy Orton); WWE World Heavyweight (2x)
Other Accomplishments - 2001 WWF King of the Ring Winner; 2005 Money in the Bank winner; WWF/WWE Triple Crown winner; Ranked #2 in the PWI Top 500 list in 2007

It doesn’t always happen that a young boy knows what he wants to do with his life; follows through on those dreams and becomes successful in his chosen profession.

“Edge” Adam Copeland was one of those men. From sitting in the crowd at WrestleMania VI as a kid to being voted “most likely to be WWF Champion” in his high school yearbook, Edge was destined to become a professional wrestling superstar.


He got his start in 1992 after winning an essay contest that allowed for the winner to be granted free wrestling training. He spent his early years paying his dues on the Canadian and northeastern United States independent circuit. He worked with others who would all go on to be famous as well, including Joe E. Legend, Rhino, Don Callis and his childhood friend Christian Cage. He worked primarily under the moniker Sexton Hardcastle and formed successful teams with Legend and Cage under a variety of team names.

His big break came in 1998 when he was signed to the World Wrestling Federation. He had everything Vince McMahon looks for in a star; he was tall, well built and had a full head of hair. He debuted in the summer of 1998 as the loner character named Edge, and was immediately thrust into a feud with fellow newcomer Gangrel. After a few months of battling, Edge’s old buddy Christian was introduced to the mix as Edge’s brother. The trio of Edge, Christian and Gangrel soon began teaming together as the Brood, a take-off on the young Goth lifestyle. They also worked as foot soldiers in the larger Ministry of Darkness stable put together by The Undertaker.

By the end of 1999, Edge and Christian broke away from The Ministry and split from Gangrel. They were put into a hot feud with fellow young lions Matt & Jeff Hardy over the managerial services of Terri Runnels. A tag team ladder match in October 1999 put all four men on the map as budding superstars.

At WrestleMania 2000, Edge & Christian, along with The Hardys and The Dudley Boyz redefined WWF tag team wrestling with their three team ladder match. In that match Edge and Christian won their first of seven WWF Tag Championships.

For all of 2000 and the first half of 2001 it was the “E & C Dynasty” as Edge and Christian ruled the WWF tag team and mid-card scene. Their talent in the ring, their backstage and comedy antics and their legendary rivalry with Matt & Jeff Hardy made the duo huge successes.

Edge finally got his first real taste of singles success by winning the 2001 King of the Ring tournament. Later in the summer he picked up the Intercontinental Championship from Lance Storm and embarked on a blood feud with “brother” Christian after Christian turned on him. When the InVasion angle ended at Survivor Series 2001 Edge walked out as the unified Intercontinental and United States Champion, and was a bonafide rising singles star at this point.

When the initial brand expansion happened in 2002, Edge was one of the top stars sent to SmackDown! He was thrust into a star-making feud with Kurt Angle and got to win the World Tag Championship with his childhood idol Hulk Hogan. Then in the fall of 2002 he teamed with Rey Mysterio and mixed it up with Eddie & Chavo Guerrero, Kurt Angle & Chris Benoit in the legendary “SmackDown! Six” rivalry over the WWE Tag Championship.

He suffered a severe neck injury in early 2003 and was out of action for over a year. He returned in April 2004 as part of the RAW brand. He won the Intercontinental Championship from Randy Orton and had a pair of World Tag Title reigns with Chris Benoit, but his real passion was winning the World Heavyweight Tile. He turned heel in late 2004 and went on a streak of solid matches with Shawn Michaels, Chris Jericho and Shawn Michaels en route to winning the initial Money in the Bank ladder match at WrestleMania 21.

By this time his real-life tryst with Amy “Lita” Dumas had been made public thanks to Matt Hardy, who was released by WWE during the turmoil. The crowds immediately turned the pair into the company’s biggest heels. The worked a romance angle with Kane, who was Lita’s storyline husband before Hardy was rehired by the company and the backstage feud was turned into a on-air worked-shoot angle. Edge ended up coming out the better of the two in their feud, looking like the bigger star in the process.

He finally reached the upper plateau in January 2006 when he cashed in his Money in the Bank World Title shot and pinned John Cena to win the WWE Championship immediately after Cena survived an Elimination Chamber match. Edge and Lita’s post-win “live sex celebration” on RAW earned the show its highest ratings in over a year. Weeks later Edge dropped the belt back to Cena. He then transitioned into a feud with Mick Foley that culminated in a hardcore match victory for Edge at WrestleMania 22.

Edge then headed back into the WWE Title picture, picking up the belt again in June 2006 from Rob Van Dam. He and Cena feuded over the belt through the summer and fall of 2006 before Cena won the belt back. Edge then went into a team with Randy Orton to feud with Shawn Michaels & Triple H.

His next big break was in May 2007 when he got the Money in the Bank title shot from an injured Mr. Kennedy and used it to beat Undertaker for the World Heavyweight Championship after Undertaker had just wrestled a cage match. Edge was Champion for two months before going out with a pectoral injury.

He returned in at Survivor Series 2007 and picked up the World Heavyweight Championship a second time a month later at Armageddon.

Edge is currently positioned as the top heel on SmackDown! He is in a “relationship” with SD! General Manager Vickie Guerrero and has a loose working stable with Chavo Guerrero and Kurt Hawkins & Zach Ryder.

He is currently at the top of his game, riding in the prime of his career. Even if he goes out tomorrow with a career-ending injury the man has already had a more successful career than most professional wrestlers can dream about. He’s been working for the biggest wrestling company in the world for a solid decade straight now. He has won four World Championships, a dozen World Tag Titles and countless secondary titles.

Critics will say much of his recent success has become because of sleeping around his friend’s woman, but that’s only a small part of it. Edge had the looks, skills and intangibles that would have made him a star regardless. He just used the negatives of one situation and turned them into a positive. He’s just a lifelong fan who actually got the chance to do exactly what he wanted with his life. Can’t fault the guy for that.

33. HARLEY RACE

Aliases - Jack Long
Hometown - Eldon, Missouri
Debuted - 1960
Titles Held - NWA United National; NWA World Heavyweight (8x); PWF Heavyweight; AWA World Tag Team (5x – 4 with Larry Hennig, 1 with Chris Markoff); NWA Central States Heavyweight (9x); NWA Florida Southern Heavyweight; NWA Florida Tag Team (3x – 2 with Roger Kirby, 1 with Bob Roop; NWA United States Heavyweight (Mid-Atlantic); IW North American Heavyweight; NWA Georgia Heavyweight; IWA World Tag Team (with Larry Hennig); NWA Mid-America Heavyweight (3x); NWA Missouri Heavyweight (7x); Stampede North American Heavyweight; WWA World Heavyweight; WWC Caribbean Heavyweight; 1986 WWF King of the Ring
Other Accomplishments - Winner of PWI Match of the Year award in 1973 (vs. Dory Funk Jr.); Winner of PWI Match of the Year award in 1979 (vs. Dusty Rhodes); Winner of PWI Wrestler of the Year award in 1979; Back-to-Back Winner of Wrestling Observer Newsletter Wrestler of the Year award in 1980 and 1981; Winner of PWI Match of the Year award in 1983 (vs. Ric Flair); Winner of Wrestling Observer Newsletter Match of the Year award in 1983 (vs. Ric Flair); Winner of PWI Wrestler of the Year award in 1983; Ranked by PWI as #8 of the top 500 singles wrestlers during the PWI years; Member of WCW Hall of Fame (inducted 1994); Member of the Ring Chronicle Hall of Fame (inducted 1994); Member of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter Hall of Fame (inducted 1996) Member of the WWE Hall of Fame (inducted 2004); Member of the Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame (inducted 2004); Recipient of Cauliflower Alley Iron Mike Mazurki award in 2006; Recipient of PWI Stanley Weston award in 2006; Member of the Stampede Wrestling Hall of Fame

Harley Race began training after he was expelled from high school following an incident when the principal had kneed Race in the back of a head while trying to break up a fight and Race attacked him. He trained under Gus Karras, a promoter in St. Joseph.

In 1961 Race headed to Nashville and began competing under the name of Jack Long, who was teamed with his “brother” James Long. His talent was beginning to be recognized until a car accident. Race’s pregnant wife was killed and doctors planned to amputate one of Race’s legs. It was Gus Karras who rushed to the hospital to protest the operation and save Race’s leg. Despite this, the doctors told Race he would likely never walk again and would certainly never wrestle again.

Race refused to accept this and attacked physical therapy with a vengeance, eventually regaining full use of the leg. In 1964 he returned to action in Amarillo, Texas where he worked for the Funk family. This time, however, he was competing under his own name after a visit from his father during his recovery. His father had advised Race not to work to make somebody else’s name famous. Race competed under his own name for the rest of his career.

While in Amarillo, Race met another young wrestler- Larry Hennig. The two joined up as a tag team and headed to the AWA, where they became known as Handsome Harley Race and Pretty Boy Larry Hennig.

Race and Hennig defeated perennial AWA stars the Crusher and Dick the Bruiser on January 30, 1965 to capture the tag team titles. The Crusher vowed revenge and allied with Verne Gagne to recapture the belts on July 24. They held the belts for barely a month before Race and Hennig regained them. The following May, Crusher turned back to Dick the Bruiser and won the belts back. This time it took until January for Race and Hennig to regain the gold.

There was an interesting title switch in March. Gagne and Don Leo Jonathan won the belts in Winnipeg but the change was not recognized by the AWA outside the city. The belts were soon returned to Race and Hennig.

In November Race began defending the belts with Chris Markoff. Hennig, needing time off from the ring, had had his leg broken by Gagne during a match in Winnipeg. On November 10, 1967 Race’s final AWA tag team reign came to an end when he and Markoff were defeated in their first defense by Pat O’Connor and Wilbur Snyder.

Race left the AWA soon thereafter and began traveling from territory to territory, including a return to Amarillo.

The return to Amarillo also saw one of Race’s darkest days. While wrestling Man Mountain Mike on July 2, 1969, Iron Mike DiBiase (stepfather of Ted DiBiase) collapsed during the match. Race realized that DiBiase was having a heart attack and rushed to the ring where he performed CPR on DiBiase. Race then rode to the hospital with DiBiase, where he was pronounced dead.

Race spent the next several years traveling the territories and racking up numerous regional title wins, but a world title shot still evaded him.

That changed one May night in 1973. Race had been given a title shot against NWA World Heavyweight champion Dory Funk, Jr. Although he went into the match an underdog, Race fought with all he had and walked out of the match as the new world heavyweight champion. Although Race lost the belt to Jack Brisco in July, he had established himself as a definite contender.

Race continued to travel the territories, earning title after title but still found himself without a title shot. Still, Race vowed that all he would need would be one opportunity to regain the belt.

Race’s shot came in February of 1977 as he faced off against longtime foe Terry Funk. Race won the match by submission, an unusual ending, after he locked Funk (who had a wounded leg) in an Indian Deathlock.

Race immediately established himself as a fighting champion, defending the belt up to six times a week. Race dominated the title for the next four years. Although he lost the belt to Dusty Rhodes in 1979, Giant Baba in 1979 and 1980, and Tommy Rich in 1981, Race always regained the belt in a rematch, with none of those listed above holding the belt for more than ten days before Race took it back.

Race became the standard bearer for the NWA. He had become a familiar face on Japanese tours early in his career and continued touring extensively there as well as in Australia and New Zealand. In addition, Race often found himself defending the NWA title against WWF champion Bob Backlund and AWA champ Nick Bockwinkel in matches that would always end indecisively.

In June of 1981 Race’s reign came to an end as he lost the belt to Dusty Rhodes. Race would try repeatedly but would never be able to dethrone the American Dream.

Still, Race was not finished. Although he couldn’t take the belt from Dusty Rhodes, Dusty’s successor – Ric Flair – would be a different matter. Race defeated Flair on June 10 to regain the title for a record-setting seventh time.

However, Flair wanted a rematch. In response, Race offered a $25,000 bounty to anyone who could injure Flair and force his retirement. Dick Slater and Bob Orton Jr. took up the challenge and injured Flair’s neck. Race gladly paid them the money after Flair announced his retirement.

However, it was a trick. Flair returned and the title rematch was set as the main event of the 1983 Starrcade. The match would take place inside a steel cage and would feature Gene Kiniski as the special guest referee. In this match, all of Race’s tricks didn’t help as Flair regained the title at the end of the bloody bout.

Race would have one more unusual title reign. During a match in New Zealand in March of 1984 Race regained the belt only to lose it back to Flair two days later in Singapore. While the change received heavy coverage in Japan it was ignored in the US.

After losing the title a final time, Race began moving toward retirement. He had long before begun investing in promotion ownership and by this point owned part of the Kansas City and St. Louis promotions.

Unfortunately for Race, St. Louis was seen as one of the most prestigious NWA territories, so it was at the top of the list when Vince McMahon began his national expansion. When St. Louis closed, Race reportedly lost over $500,000. Kansas City was later sold to Jim Crockett and Race found himself forced to continue wrestling to make ends meet.

After competing for various regional and Japanese territories, Race signed with the WWF in 1986. He was brought in as Handsome Harley Race and given Bobby Heenan as a manager.

However, the Handsome nickname would not last long. Race won the inaugural King of the Ring tournament and immediately proclaimed himself King Harley Race. He began coming to the ring in a cape and crown. After a match, the loser would be prompted to kneel before him.

Over the next few years Race would feud with the Junkyard Dog, Hacksaw Jim Duggan, and Hulk Hogan himself. It would actually be Hogan who would indirectly be involved in the end of Race’s WWF career. Race was trying to hit a diving headbutt on Hogan, who was lying on a table. Hogan rolled out of the way and Race went through the table, with the metal rim of the table being rammed into Race’s abdomen, causing a severe hernia.

While Race recovered from hernia surgery, the WWF moved on. Heenan announced plans to crown a new King and did so with Haku. Race briefly feuded with Haku but wound up leaving the WWF shortly thereafter.

Race continued to wrestle in various territories until mid-1991 when he finally retired from the ring. Although no longer wrestling, he was quickly picked up by WCW to serve as a manager to first Lex Luger, and then, more famously, to the monster Vader.

A second car accident spelled the end of Race’s career. As a result of the accident, Race required a hip replacement. That combined with the other wear and tear he had suffered over his career caused Race to decide to retire.

Although Race has continued to make occasional onscreen appearances for WCW, the WWE, and TNA, today his primary focus is on his own promotion – World League Wrestling. Race founded WLW in 1999 and opened a training school a year later. His school is well regarded, having produced current WWE star Trevor Murdoch and being the chosen site for children of veterans like Ted DiBiase and Curt Hennig to begin their training. WLW also has close ties with Pro-Wrestling NOAH in Japan, which allows his trainees to interact with various Japanese stars (including Mitsuharu Misawa and Takeshi Morishima, a former WLW champion), and also provides a possible route for his graduates to begin touring in Japan as well.

Harley Race is one of the most respected names in all of wrestling. Although his career was winding down by the 1980 guideline for this countdown, he still continues to work in the wrestling business to this day. As a matter of fact, Race has claimed in interview that he does believe he has one more match left in him.

Race had a stellar thirty-year career as a wrestler, and then stepped aside to manage two of WCW’s biggest superstars. When he was no longer able to manage, he soon opened his own company, once again working behind the scenes and also passing along his knowledge to a new generation of professional wrestlers.

Race is the definition of a professional wrestler. He fought the odds his entire career and, while losing some fights along the way, he won far more than he lost. Race is a star who will always be remembered and has more than earned his position on this list of the top 100 greatest wrestlers of the modern era.

I'd actually put Edge further up the list as well.
In this day and age of crappy product, he is one of the guys who constantly is worth watching, even if he is in shitty angles like the current storyline of him being in love with the dog ugly Guerrero woman!

Add to all that what he has actually achieved, its quite remarkable!

Anyone who has managed to keep the stink of current WWE from making him stink too (Cena stand up and take a bow), needs to get more recognition!

Just to clarify, he wouldnt be top ten, but deserves top 20 at least!

i think he'll be top 20, im just saying i can think of more than 20 others i rank higher at this time....


at the same time i cant stand to watch the WWE so i'll most likely not see much of him...

and of course he isnt shane douglas, as ECW world champion Douglas would often sell out venues with crowds upwards of 1200 people!

Yer still hoping for Mikey Whipwreck for number one spot!
I dont blame ya.

32. BOOKER T

Real Name - Booker Huffman
Hometown - Houston, Texas
Debuted - March 1, 1990
Titles Held - WCW World Champion (5x); WWE World Champion; WWE Intercontinental Champion; WWE United States Champion (3x); WWE World Tag Team Champion (3x - 1 with Rob Van Dam, 1 with Goldust, 1 with Test); WCW Tag Team Champion (10x - with Stevie Ray); WCW United States Champion; WCW Television Champion (6x); WWE Hardcore Champion (2x); GWF Tag Team (3x - with Stevie Ray)
Other Accomplishments - 2006 King of the Ring; WWE Triple Crown Winner; Appeared in Ready to Rumble

Ah, Booker T. We meet again, sir. This may seem to some of my more regular readers as a strange chain of events seeing as I have been perhaps one of the loudest Booker critics during the past few years. Indeed, I still receive up to at least three emails a week asking me if I have a problem with the master of the Spinaroonie. I want to make it very clear, under no circumstances do I hate Booker T or believe that he shouldn’t be on this list. Booker T is one of the best wrestlers of the 90’s and at the turn of the millennium he had more potential to rule the wrestling world than anyone else. I wanted to do Booker’s induction in order to cleanse myself and put an end to those emails I get every week. However, Mr Huffman should not expect an easy ride at my hands because I have a fair amount of criticism to lay at his feet.

Let’s face it, Booker T has been apart of some great matches and has carried much lesser workers to matches they would never dream of. His Best of Seven Series with Chris Benoit in WCW still stands up today as one of the finest collection of matches in history. Even if their reattempt wasn’t anywhere near as dramatic or exciting as the original, it still produced some excellent matches, and the inclusion of Randy Orton during the series led to him having a shockingly good run of matches. As part of Harlem Heat in WCW Booker found himself not just carrying his useless brother Stevie Ray but also stiffs like The Faces of Fear and The Nasty Boys to fine tag team matches. As a singles star, he also contested a number of brilliant matches with the likes of Rick Martel and Perry Saturn.

At the turn of the millennium Booker was legitimately, in my opinion, in the top 10 best wrestlers in the world. Living proof was the fact that he still had good matches despite being stuck in stupid feuds with Ahmed “Big T” Johnson and ludicrous gimmicks like “G.I Bro”. Indeed, Booker seemed to spend most of his WCW run being underutilised and riddled with lame opponents. Sadly, it would be a common theme in the mans career. Despite being one of the best performers in his profession, it took him an inordinate amount of time before he finally won the WCW Title in July 2000. In many ways, it was his crowning moment and one of the few times he was really presented as the star of the company. The saddest thing about Booker T was that he represented the young and hungry stars of WCW who should have been in main events in 1998. Sometimes I wonder if WCW would have still been around today if the guys like Booker, Raven and Jericho had been given their breaks when they were hot instead of playing second fiddle to the Hogan’s and Outsider’s. We’ll sadly never know.

As WCW Champion, Booker contested in some fine title bouts. Booker was the definition of a perfect World Champion. He had charisma, was popular and he could pretty much have a great match with anyone. Not only did he have good matches with the usual suspects of Jeff Jarrett and Scott Steiner but he also was able to carry worthless lumps like Kevin Nash and then performed a modern miracle, akin to Jesus turning water to wine, when he got a watchable spectacle out of Vince Russo. However, it didn’t matter how many good matches he had or how many great promos he cut, WCW was going to die, the damage was done and Vince McMahon snapped them up. Booker was one of the unfortunate few who got dragged along for the Invasion, probably the biggest flop I’ve ever seen in wrestling.

Booker entered the WWF in June 2001 when he pummelled both Steve Austin and Vince McMahon in successive nights. It was all downhill from there. Throughout his entire WWF/E run Booker was misused and badly booked seemingly more than anyone else. It didn’t matter what role he was put in, he excelled. Whether it was being the goofy guy in the nWo, he made it work. Whether it was tagging with Goldust, he made it work. Whether it was using some sort of evil voodoo dust to beat Undertaker, I’ll be fucked sideways he made it work. However, every time he was misused he seemed to die a little more inside and his drive just ebbed away. Once one of the best wrestlers in the world, he was now one of the laziest and the most boring.

You can’t really blame Booker. It didn’t seem to matter what he did, he was forever stuck in the mid card and every time he got a shot at breaking through that elusive glass ceiling he realised, hit it as hard as he might, he wasn’t going to break through. His matches got worse and worse and it got to the point where I was sick of watching him stinking up the ring on Smackdown every week. He just didn’t seem to care anymore, and the situation was made worse due to the fact that you knew he was capable of much better. You can chart the downfall of Booker T from his defeat to Triple H at Wrestlemania.

Booker’s run as a main eventer was cruelly and stupidly murdered that night in Seattle. The feud with HHH had been grossly racist and offensive but Booker would have rebounded if he’d just shut HHH up at the show. That didn’t happen. Booker suffered a humiliating and embarrassing defeat as HHH worked his leg for the whole match and pinned him after ten seconds of laying down following a Pedigree. Booker never recovered from this and he was soon stuck in the mid card, turning from face to heel and back seemingly every week. Indeed Booker turned about seven times in the space of four years in a feat that has to rival Bret Hart during his WCW run.

The lower Booker got, the lazier he got and even a renewed push and title reign in 2006 could not reinvigorate him. I was personally happy when King Booker was crowned champion of Smackdown because I felt that Booker would finally be motivated again and be like the Booker of old. I was wrong. King Booker went on to have some of the most disastrous title defences in years with Batista and was also part of the horrific “Champion of Champions” match at Cyber Sunday 2006. Booker, being the healthiest and most experienced man in the match, really should shoulder the blame for that debacle. Big Show was falling apart physically and John Cena was not capable of holding all that together. Booker, being the DEFENDING champion that evening, really should have stepped up like he used to do in WCW. He didn’t. he coasted and continued to do so until he was squashed at Summer Slam 2007 (by HHH amazingly enough) and he left WWE on a sour note.

However, there is still hope for Mr Huffman. Since he recently showed up in TNA he has been on a roll and his feud with Robert Roode is one of the few things worthwhile in that awful wretched wrestling company. Working as a face I think helps, also the fact that Booker seems motivated for the first time in nearly five years has made his TNA run so far an enjoyable one. Whether it will last I can’t say but I’m sure Booker will be TNA Champion at some point and I hope he takes this title run seriously.

So yeah, I have some criticism for Booker T but I feel it’s justified. I also have to say that he’s a wrestler who has been misused for years yet he still has a warm place in people’s hearts. He’s a perfect fit for the Top 100 Wrestlers of the Modern Era and I wish him luck for the future.