I would say Moolah will likely be ahead of her in their rankings. But is anything she did part of the modern era? Could she wrestle as good as Stratus in her prime? I wouldnt think so from the limited footage I've seen.
Of the modern era, I think there have only been a handful of really big name female wrestlers. Chyna was probably the the first real breakthrough female as she was in the Royal rumble, held the IC title and of course, did Playboy!
Other than her and Stratus, probably the only other modern female wrestler of note is Lita. Lita was never afraid to take a bump, but was far to injury prone and shit on a mic.
All other female wrestlers are either too new (Mikki James, Beth Phoenix), wasted opportunities (Victoria) or not proper wrestlers (Stacy Kiebler, Torrie Wilson & Maria Kanellis).
There were a few other names during the attitude era, but other than Chyna, I think all the others fitted the same criteria as those listed above as well.
Trish was one of the few who has managed to go from eye candy manager, to genuine woman wrestler!
Don't forget the TNA roster and Indy scene. Trinity and Noreen Greenwald ( a.k.a. Molly Holly) are two women who actually wrestled as well, just off the top of my head.
whomod said: I generally don't like it when people decide to play by the rules against people who don't play by the rules. It tends to put you immediately at a disadvantage and IMO is a sign of true weakness. This is true both in politics and on the internet."
Don't forget the TNA roster and Indy scene. Trinity and Noreen Greenwald ( a.k.a. Molly Holly) are two women who actually wrestled as well, just off the top of my head.
But most of the TNA ones are too new to have made a real impact on the wrestling industry. For the Indy scene, take Katie Burchill who is in WWE at the moment. I have seen her wrestle for British promotion FWA, and she is great, but so far all she has been in WWE, is eye candy.
Molly is like Victoria, another wasted opportunity. Someone who should have been bigger, but didnt get that decent push because she doesnt have model looks!
Trish is a damn good wrestler I'd say maybe top 50, definitely a very good wrestler.
She actually made womens matches worth watching. She had some really good matches with both Lita and Mikki James.
as you were saying Trish had the ability like Ric Flair, Jake the Snake and many other top wrestlers to make her opponent look like a competent wrestler no matter the skill level. She could have a good match with anyone.
Don't forget the TNA roster and Indy scene. Trinity and Noreen Greenwald ( a.k.a. Molly Holly) are two women who actually wrestled as well, just off the top of my head.
Trinity and Molly were decent female wrestlers but I dont think they come close to cracking the top 100 of all time, although if shane douglas can make the list, i suppose anything is possible....
They may be new to nationwide audiences, but they've been on the scene for a while. Tracy Brooks, for example, has been around since 2001. In a list where the Ultimate Warrior can rank above Harley Race and Arn Anderson as well as having guys like Stan Hansen, I think it's possible for some girls with more indy cred to get a mention.
whomod said: I generally don't like it when people decide to play by the rules against people who don't play by the rules. It tends to put you immediately at a disadvantage and IMO is a sign of true weakness. This is true both in politics and on the internet."
but what did Molly ever do that was great? or Trinity? Wrestling is more than a solid match. It's ring skill, mic skill, and most importantly being able to draw money. That's the hardest part, being able to connect with people in a way that they pay to see you, the Indies are chock full of and have been for years with people that can "go" in the ring, but do they have the whole package?
I just dont see Trinity or Molly ever having more than a niche fan base...
There are male wrestlers wrestling in the indy scene who are some of the best wrestlers you have ever seen, and have been doing it for years, but without exposure from one of the big promotions, they aint never gonna make the list.
My Aunt Teresa was walking down the street with her blouse open and her right breast hanging out. A policeman approached her and said, "Ma`am, are you aware that I could cite you for indecent exposure?" She said, "Why, officer?" The officer replied, "Because your breast is hanging out." She looked down and said, "OH MY GOD, I left the baby on the bus again!"
"Foolish man give wife grand piano, wise man give wife upright organ. "
The thing with Trish is that she was an all-around fantastic worker- she could wrestle, she was great on the stick (and how!), could work believably as a face or a heell, etc. I really can't think of any other woman wrestler who's the total package that Trish was.
Knutreturns said: Spoken like the true Greatest RDCW Champ!
Trish is a damn good wrestler I'd say maybe top 50, definitely a very good wrestler.
She actually made womens matches worth watching. She had some really good matches with both Lita and Mikki James.
as you were saying Trish had the ability like Ric Flair, Jake the Snake and many other top wrestlers to make her opponent look like a competent wrestler no matter the skill level. She could have a good match with anyone.
The only person she couldn't drag a decent match out of was Jackie Gayda. Just the memory of that match gives me chills....
Knutreturns said: Spoken like the true Greatest RDCW Champ!
You've been rating Snarf's youtube videos again, haven't you?
Doc, I just want to ask you one question. Did you come here to wrestle or to act like an ass?
Quote:
27. JERRY LAWLER
Real Name - Jerry Lawler Aliases - The King Hometown - Memphis, Tennessee Debuted - 1970 Titles Held - AWA World Heavyweight ; WCWA World Heavyweight (2x); NWA Southern Junior Heavyweight (4x) ; NWA Southern Heavyweight (12x); AWA Southern Heavyweight (30x); USWA Heavyweight (2x); NWA Southern Tag Team (8x - 4 with Jim White, 2 with Tojo Yamamoto, 1 with Plowboy Frazier, 1 with the Scorpion) ; AWA Southern Tag Team (12x – 2 with Georgeous George Jr, 1 with the Mongolian Stomper, 4 with Bill Dundee, 1 with Jos LeDuc, 1 with Austin Idol, 1 with Giant Hillbilly Elmer, 1 with Big Bubba; AWA World Tag Team (2x with Bill Dundee); CWA Heavyweight; CWA International (3x); CWA World Tag Team (with Austin Idol); NWA Mid-America (2x); NWA Tennessee Tag Team (with Jim White); JAPW Heavyweight; MCW Heavyweight; MCW Tag Team (with the Bruiser); MCW Southern Heavyweight(2x); NWA Polynesian Pacific Heavyweight; NWA All-Star Heavyweight; PPW Tag Team (with Bill Dundee); SMW Heavyweight (2x); USWA Heavyweight (2x); USWA Tag Team (5x – 2 with Bill Dundee and 3 with Jeff Jarrett); USWA Texas Heavyweight; USWA Unified World (28x); WCWA Texas Heavyweight; Tri-State Heavyweight Other Accomplishments - First CWA Heavyweight champion; 1988 CWA Lord of the Ring; First NWA Southern Heavyweight champion; First MCW Southern Heavyweight champion; First USWA Unified World champion; Pro Wrestling Illustrated Most Inspirational Wrestler of the Year for 1988; Ranked #12 in Pro Wrestling Illustrated’s Top 500 Wrestlers of the Year in 1991; Winner of Pro Wrestling Illustrated Feud of the Year for 1992 (with Jeff Jarrett against the Moondogs); Winner of Pro Wrestling Illustrated Feud of the Year for 1993 (against Bret Hart); Pro Wrestling Illustrated’s Most Hated Wrestler of the Year for 1993 and 1995; Ranked #23 in Pro Wrestling Illustrated’s Top 500 Wrestlers of the PWI Years list; Ranked as #56 of the Top 100 Tag Teams of the PWI Years (with Bill Dundee); Ranked as #78 of the Top 100 Tag Teams of the PWI Years (with Jeff Jarrett); Winner of Wrestling Observer Newsletter Feud of the Year for 1987 (against Austin Idol and Tommy Rich); Winner of Wrestling Observer Newsletter Feud of the Year for 1992 (with Jeff Jarrett against the Moondogs); Winner of Wrestling Observer Newsletter Feud of the Year for 1993 (against Bret Hart); 1996 inductee to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter Hall of Fame; 2007 inductee to the WWE Hall of Fame; Appeared in motion picture “Man on the Moon”, which included his feud with comedian Andy Kaufman; Got into a famous confrontation with Kaufman on the David Letterman Show in 1982; Ran for mayor of Memphis in 1999 and came in third
There is one name who personifies Memphis wrestling, and that name is Jerry “The King” Lawler.
Lawler got his start in wrestling at a young age. Lawler, already a talented artist, had drawn pictures of several of the wrestlers on the program and had mailed them in to the station. Lawler was brought onto the show and presented his drawings on the air. The wrestling bug had truly sunk its teeth into him.
In the late 1960’s, Lawler was working as a disk jockey. He came to the attention of local promoter Aubrey Griffith who brokered a deal – he’d give Lawler free training if Lawler would help promote his shows on the air. Lawler agreed.
Lawler made his debut in 1970 as a heel and soon held championship gold as he won a battle royal in September of 1971 to claim the Tri-State Heavyweight title.
In 1974, Lawler attacked his mentor and trainer, Jackie Fargo. On July 27, 1974 Lawler defeated Fargo to capture the NWA Southern Junior Heavyweight title. The belt was soon renamed the NWA Southern Heavyweight title, and Lawler proclaimed himself the King of Memphis after defeating Fargo. Lawler turned face later that year.
By the end of the 1970’s, Lawler had proved himself to be the biggest star in Memphis. This fact was proven when problems arose backstage at the NWA Mid-America company. Jerry Jarrett had grown concerned about Nick Gulas’s excessive push for son George and was considering leaving the company to found his own promotion. When Lawler and other wrestlers agreed to come with him, Jarrett left and the CWA was born.
Despite being sidelined for all of 1980 with a broken leg, the fans’ love for Lawler hadn’t diminished when he returned to the ring in 1981.
Lawler exploded onto the national scene in 1982. At that time, comedian Andy Kaufman would wrestle women as part of his comedy shows. In addition, Kaufman had proclaimed himself the Intergender Champion of the World.
Lawler took offense to this, and in April the two met at in a match at Memphis’s Mid-South Coliseum. Kaufman was reluctant (to say the least) to lock up with Lawler, so Lawler simply bent over and held his hands behind his back to give Kaufman a free headlock. Kaufman tentatively accepted it, then began playing to the fans, who went wild when Lawler hit Kaufman with a suplex that dropped Kaufman on his head. Lawler then picked up Kaufman and hit him with a piledriver. Since the piledriver had been banned, Lawler lost by DQ, however, the crowd didn’t care. Before leaving, Lawler hit Kaufman with a second piledriver. Kaufman was stretchered out and wore a neck brace for several months later.
The feud drew national attention (since Kaufman was well known for his role as Latka on TV’s Taxi), and the two wound up on the David Letterman Show on July 29, 1982. The interview grew heated as Kaufman continued to insult Lawler. Finally Lawler had had enough and calmly stood and slapped Kaufman out of his chair. Kaufman picked himself up, threw his coffee at Lawler, and stormed off the set, cursing the entire way. Letterman simply sat at his desk shuffling his note cards with an uncomfortable look on his face. The Kaufman feud continued for several months as Kaufman allied himself with Lawler foe Jimmy Hart.
Lawler continued to dominate Memphis for the next few years, and returned to the national spotlight in 1988. Lawler’s native CWA and Dallas’s World Class Wrestling Association agreed to join forces with the AWA. This led to a match in Memphis on May 9 when Lawler defeated Curt Hennig for the AWA World Heavyweight title, ending Hennig’s year-long run with the belt. This led to the December 13 Superclash III PPV which was headlined by a title unification match where Lawler put the AWA belt on the line and Kerry Von Erich put up the WCWA world title. Lawler won the match when the referee stopped it due to severe blood loss from Von Erich, thereby unifying the WCWA and AWA world titles.
The alliance didn’t last long. A dispute arose between the AWA and CWA soon arose over the receipts from the show. The CWA pulled out of the alliance (and had already purchased the WCWA). The AWA responded by stripping Lawler of the title on January 20, 1989. The CWA (now known as the USWA) simply ignored the AWA stipulation and continued promoting their title (the physical AWA belt) as the Unified World championship.
1993 was a year of highs and lows for Lawler. Lawler had begun working for the WWF as a wrestler and also hosted his own interview segment called “The King’s Court.” Lawler also began feuding with 1993 King of the Ring winner Bret Hart over who was the true King. However, this Lawler was different from the King that Memphis citizens were used to. Now Lawler was a cowardly heel who would cheat any way he could to ensure a victory.
Later in the year, a feud erupted between the USWA and WWF on USWA television. In Memphis, Lawler was the same heroic babyface the fans loved. However, commentator McMahon had turned into a totally different character. McMahon was now an arrogant character who looked down on the “lower-class” competitors in Memphis. McMahon dispatched WWF competitors such as Tatanka, Bret Hart, Owen Hart, and Randy Savage to the USWA to defeat them in the name of the WWF.
While this was going on, the rest of the nation saw the cowardly Lawler’s feud with Bret Hart continuing. The feud culminated at the 1993 Summerslam, in a match to crown the Undisputed King of Wrestling. Hart won the match but refused to release his sharpshooter which caused the referee to reverse the decision and award the win to Lawler.
Everything came crashing to a halt in November. Lawler found himself indicted on charges of raping a 15 year old girl. McMahon immediately removed Lawler from WWF broadcasts (pulling Lawler from the scheduled Survivor Series match of Bret, Owen, Keith, and Bruce Hart against Lawler and his three knights – Lawler was replaced by Shawn Michaels). In addition, McMahon severed all ties with the USWA.
Soon, however, the girl recanted her testimony and admitted she had made the entire episode up. Lawler returned to the WWF and while the invasion angle was never restarted, the WWF and USWA began exchanging talent again.
While Lawler found himself being phased out of the ring and into the commentary booth in the WWF, he also competed for Smoky Mountain Wrestling in 1995. Lawler actually won the SMW Heavyweight title during this timeframe. (He would win the belt again in December of 1995 at a USWA event after Smoky Mountain had closed.)
Lawler also remained active in the USWA until that promotion folded in 1997. By that timeframe, the USWA had morphed from a true territorial promotion to a virtual development territory for the WWF, so many WWF angles and wrestlers began appearing (as seen in Lawler’s battles against the Nation of Domination in the USWA in 1997).
Lawler still remained committed to wrestling in his hometown. Even after the USWA closed, Lawler was a grounding force as a variety of promotions opened and closed. In 1998 Randy Hales opened Power Pro, and Lawler was there. After Power Pro closed, Terry Golden opened Memphis Championship Wrestling and Lawler was there. After MCW closed, Lawler was there for Championship Wrestling. And after Championship Wrestling closed and Corey Macklin opened Memphis Wrestling, Lawler is still there.
In the WWF, however, things were about to change. Lawler’s wife, who competed under the moniker of the Kat, was fired suddenly in February of 2001, months after she and Lawler were married. Lawler took a stand for his wife and walked out with her.
Lawler returned to the indies although a return was teased in July, when a deal was almost reached for both Lawler and his wife to return to the WWF. Lawler would take a position as an announcer for the invading WCW faction. Days before the scheduled return, Lawler was contacted and told that they had changed their minds and the Kat would not be returning to the company. Lawler again stood by his wife and refused to come back.
During this time, Lawler found work competing for the World Wrestling All-Stars promotion as well as announcing Jimmy Hart’s XWF with Tony Schiavone.
Finally, in November, after his marriage to the Kat had ended, Lawler returned to the WWF the day after the Survivor Series. He returned to the commentary table to replace Paul Heyman, who’d been fired after the WCW/ECW Alliance failed to defeat the WWF’s representatives in a Survivor Series match.
Lawler remains with the WWE to this day, still alongside Jim Ross at the Raw commentary table. He also remains active on the independent scene.
As mentioned above, Jerry Lawler rose through the wrestling ranks to become the main star in Memphis, and has kept that position for over two decades. He has well over one hundred title reigns to his credit, possibly making him the top wrestler of all time in regards to the number of title reigns.
Lawler has also defeated almost all of the top names in wrestling, be it Hulk Hogan, Ric Flair, Kerry Von Erich, the Undertaker, Curt Hennig, or the Rock.
Even after the territories began dying, Lawler managed to change his persona to fit into the more cartoonish mid-90’s WWF and did so again to continue to fit in (as a commentator) on the WWE product of today.
Lawler has also moved outside the wrestling business. He has been an actor (in Man on the Moon), a singer (who began releasing singles in the late 1970’s), and an artist. He has also attempted to enter the field of politics and even owned his own furniture store for a time in the late 1980’s in Evansville, Indiana.
For all of his achievements, Lawler has easily proven himself to be one of the greatest wrestlers of all time. The King has definitely earned his spot on this list of the 100 greatest wrestlers of the modern era.
His feud with Kaufman is easily one of the top 5 angles of all time, and he used to be one of the best heel commentators too, though he's been slipping in and out of that recently....
Knutreturns said: Spoken like the true Greatest RDCW Champ!
Doc, I just want to ask you one question. Did you come here to wrestle or to act like an ass?
I challenge you to a chicken coop cage match!
whomod said: I generally don't like it when people decide to play by the rules against people who don't play by the rules. It tends to put you immediately at a disadvantage and IMO is a sign of true weakness. This is true both in politics and on the internet."
whomod said: I generally don't like it when people decide to play by the rules against people who don't play by the rules. It tends to put you immediately at a disadvantage and IMO is a sign of true weakness. This is true both in politics and on the internet."
King Snarf dreams of one day being as great a wrestler as Mario Baretti.
Uschi said: I won't rape you, I'll just fuck you 'till it hurts and then not stop and you'll cry.
MisterJLA: RACKS so hard, he called Jim Rome "Chris Everett." In Him, all porn is possible. He is far above mentions in so-called "blogs." RACK him, lest ye be lost!
"I can't even brush my teeth without gagging!" - Tommy Tantillo: Wank & Cry, heckpuppy, and general laughingstock
Real Name - Steve Borden Aliases - Blade Runner Flash; Flash Borden; Golden Sting Hometown - Omaha, Nebraska Debuted - November 28, 1985 Titles Held - NWA World Heavyweight (2x); NWA World Television; WCW International Heavyweight World (2x); WCW United States Heavyweight (2x); WCW World Heavyweight (6x); WCW World Tag Team (3x - 1 with Lex Luger, 1 with the Giant, 1 with Kevin Nash); NWA Jim Crockett Sr. Memorial Cup Tag Team Tournament winner in 1988 (with Lex Luger); TNA World Heavyweight; TNA World Tag Team (with Kurt Angle); UWF Tag Team (3x - 2 with Eddie Gilbert, 1 with Rick Steiner; WWA World Heavyweight Other Accomplishments - NWA Iron Man Tournament winner in 1989; WCW Battle Bowl Battle Royal winner in 1991; WCW King of Cable Tournament winner in 1993; WCW European Cup winner in 1994 and 2000; Wrote autobiography “Sting: Moment of Truth” and starred in film adaptation; Has appeared in various films including The Real Reason (Men Commit Crimes), Ready to Rumble, and Shutterspeed
In a professional wrestling world essentially owned by megalomaniac billionaire Vincent K. McMahon it is hard to find a performer that has had a hall of fame worthy career and has never worked for him.
Sting was one of those few men.
His career started in 1985 in the ill-fated bodybuilders-turned-wrestlers stable called Powerteam USA. Sting and another gentleman named Jim Hellwig, now famously known only as Warrior, rebounded and ended up teaming up in Memphis for Jerry Jarrett before moving to Bill Watts’ UWF.
Under Watts’ tutelage Sting got his first push. After his partner Hellwig (then going as Rock) left town, he began feuding with hot heel Eddie Gilbert. And when UWF was bought out by the NWA, Sting’s new bosses’ saw enough potential in him to bring him as a rising young babyface whose stock was about to rise.
After one 45-minute draw with NWA World Heavyweight Champion Ric Flair the legend of Sting was born.
That March 1988 bout made Sting into an instant sensation. He was booked as a top card challenger for top heels like The Four Horsemen and The Road Warriors while teaming with other super faces like Nikita Koloff and Dusty Rhodes. In 1989 the Stinger got his first real gold, beating Mike Rotunda for the NWA Television Championship. He then engaged in a TV Title feud with The Great Muta that ended up making bigger stars out of both men.
Sting then made a save for Ric Flair and got inducted into a new, face version of the Four Horsemen with Flair and The Andersons. Once Sting earned a NWA Championship match Flair and company turned on him for the first time. Sting’s run against Flair for the World Title carried the NWA throughout 1990 and the first part of 1991.
By this point Sting was clearly the franchise of the newly christened World Championship Wrestling. He carried the company in 1992 with his runs against Lex Luger and The Dangerous Alliance. In 1993 and the first part of 1994 he embarked on his legendary feud against Big Van Vader and made a legitimate monster out of Vader in the process.
By late ’94, Hulk Hogan had arrived in WCW and Sting became low man on the WCW totem pole, spending his time teaming with Hogan as his little buddy in his battles against Flair, Vader, Three Faces of Fear and The Dungeon of Doom. In late ’95, Sting inexplicably befriended Ric Flair in his battle against Arn Anderson and Brian Pillman, only for Flair to turn on him the second time and set off another Sting-Horsemen war. He also spent his spare time teaming with old pal Lex Luger.
Things got good in the summer of ’96 when the new World order angle changed the face of WCW. The fledgling nWo claimed Sting had joined them and would prove during WarGames in September ’96. Sting denied the allegations and became personally offended when fellow WCW mainstays accused him of switching sides. The nWo’s imposter Sting proved he was telling the truth, but he still took his ball and went home, kicking off WCW’s hottest angle ever. Sting replaced his blonde hair and neon with a black and white. He hid out in the rafters of WCW events, occasionally helping the WCW side in the war against the nWo but stayed away from active competition for over fifteen months. So when he finally met Hollywood Hogan at Starrcade ’97, WCW had a license to print money. Unfortunately they screwed up the ending of the story and Sting became just another guy again after all that build-up.
From there he floated through WCW’s upper card, joining the nWo Wolfpac in 1998 and having a worse-than-expected feud with Bret Hart. He ended winning the WCW Championship a couple more times in 1999 and endured a failed heel turn and Vince Russo’s bad booking. He spent most of 2000 feuding with Vampiro during the Millionaire’s Club-New Blood doppelgangers storyline.
His final appearance in WCW was in the final main event of Nitro, against old foe Ric Flair. This was the first main event of Nitro and the perfect end to the program as well. It was quite fitting that WCW’s most iconic feud led to WCW’s final sanctioned match.
After fading out of the spotlight for much of 2001 and 2002, Sting took part in the ill-fated World Wrestling All-Stars promotion. He won the company’s World Heavyweight Championship in 2003 before the company folded. As a favor to Jerry Jarrett, who gave him his first real break in the business, Sting agreed to appear a few times for the fledgling NWA-TNA in 2003.
But his big return came in 2006, when he signed a full-time contract with TNA. He engaged in a lengthy feud with Jeff Jarrett over the NWA Championship that culminated in Sting winning the belt, sixteen years after he had originally won that same Title. He then promptly dropped the Championship to Abyss, ruining a feel-good payoff. He then spent the first half of 2007 feuding with Abyss in a ridiculous soap opera-infused storyline that really didn’t do any favors for either man. In the fall of 2007 he partnered with Kurt Angle as TNA World Tag Team Champions, which was just a device to begin a feud between the two over the TNA World Championship. For the second time in a row at TNA’s flagship Bound For Glory pay per view Sting walked out as World Champion, only this reign was shorter than the first.
After a dream partner tag match at the November 2007 Genesis PPV with Sting and Booker T against Kurt Angle and Kevin Nash, he disappeared. He hasn’t been seen on TNA television since, but rumors swirled that he has signed a new contract with TNA to take him through 2008.
TNA has been using the moniker “Icon” to describe Sting in his latest run, and for once TNA’s instincts are accurate. The Man Called Sting is a true icon in this business. He has been a top card attraction sine 1990, and the majority of that time was spent as a babyface. To keep the fickle fans behind you for that long is a tremendous feat in and of itself. He was THE face of World Championship Wrestling and the only holdout to Vince McMahon’s money after the buyout.
At this point in his life and career he doesn’t owe anything to the business but has spent his recent time in TNA willing to put over new talent and pave the way for a new generation of wrestling stars. He obviously hasn’t forgotten that a lot of people helped make him a star twenty years ago.
pretty surprising placement, imo. I really would've figured Sting to be closer to top ten country.
...he used to be one of the best heel commentators too, though he's been slipping in and out of that recently....
And by recent you of course mean the last eight years.
I've never liked him as a commentator! When I started watching WWF, Heyman was teamed with JR, and he was fantastic. When Lawler came back, the only thing I knew about him, was he wasnt as good as Heyman (and at this point, I hadnt even realised Heyman was Paul E Dangerously from back in my WCW watching days in the early 90s).
If Lawler was ever any good as a commentator, I never heard it!
...he used to be one of the best heel commentators too, though he's been slipping in and out of that recently....
And by recent you of course mean the last eight years.
I've never liked him as a commentator! When I started watching WWF, Heyman was teamed with JR, and he was fantastic. When Lawler came back, the only thing I knew about him, was he wasnt as good as Heyman (and at this point, I hadnt even realised Heyman was Paul E Dangerously from back in my WCW watching days in the early 90s).
If Lawler was ever any good as a commentator, I never heard it!
yeah, I've never liked Lawler or Ross as commentators. the shame is Lawler could be really good if he wasn't so busy screaming and acting like a twelve year old all the time.
Real Name - Steve Borden Aliases - Blade Runner Flash; Flash Borden; Golden Sting Hometown - Omaha, Nebraska Debuted - November 28, 1985 Titles Held - NWA World Heavyweight (2x); NWA World Television; WCW International Heavyweight World (2x); WCW United States Heavyweight (2x); WCW World Heavyweight (6x); WCW World Tag Team (3x - 1 with Lex Luger, 1 with the Giant, 1 with Kevin Nash); NWA Jim Crockett Sr. Memorial Cup Tag Team Tournament winner in 1988 (with Lex Luger); TNA World Heavyweight; TNA World Tag Team (with Kurt Angle); UWF Tag Team (3x - 2 with Eddie Gilbert, 1 with Rick Steiner; WWA World Heavyweight Other Accomplishments - NWA Iron Man Tournament winner in 1989; WCW Battle Bowl Battle Royal winner in 1991; WCW King of Cable Tournament winner in 1993; WCW European Cup winner in 1994 and 2000; Wrote autobiography “Sting: Moment of Truth” and starred in film adaptation; Has appeared in various films including The Real Reason (Men Commit Crimes), Ready to Rumble, and Shutterspeed
In a professional wrestling world essentially owned by megalomaniac billionaire Vincent K. McMahon it is hard to find a performer that has had a hall of fame worthy career and has never worked for him.
Sting was one of those few men.
His career started in 1985 in the ill-fated bodybuilders-turned-wrestlers stable called Powerteam USA. Sting and another gentleman named Jim Hellwig, now famously known only as Warrior, rebounded and ended up teaming up in Memphis for Jerry Jarrett before moving to Bill Watts’ UWF.
Under Watts’ tutelage Sting got his first push. After his partner Hellwig (then going as Rock) left town, he began feuding with hot heel Eddie Gilbert. And when UWF was bought out by the NWA, Sting’s new bosses’ saw enough potential in him to bring him as a rising young babyface whose stock was about to rise.
After one 45-minute draw with NWA World Heavyweight Champion Ric Flair the legend of Sting was born.
That March 1988 bout made Sting into an instant sensation. He was booked as a top card challenger for top heels like The Four Horsemen and The Road Warriors while teaming with other super faces like Nikita Koloff and Dusty Rhodes. In 1989 the Stinger got his first real gold, beating Mike Rotunda for the NWA Television Championship. He then engaged in a TV Title feud with The Great Muta that ended up making bigger stars out of both men.
Sting then made a save for Ric Flair and got inducted into a new, face version of the Four Horsemen with Flair and The Andersons. Once Sting earned a NWA Championship match Flair and company turned on him for the first time. Sting’s run against Flair for the World Title carried the NWA throughout 1990 and the first part of 1991.
By this point Sting was clearly the franchise of the newly christened World Championship Wrestling. He carried the company in 1992 with his runs against Lex Luger and The Dangerous Alliance. In 1993 and the first part of 1994 he embarked on his legendary feud against Big Van Vader and made a legitimate monster out of Vader in the process.
By late ’94, Hulk Hogan had arrived in WCW and Sting became low man on the WCW totem pole, spending his time teaming with Hogan as his little buddy in his battles against Flair, Vader, Three Faces of Fear and The Dungeon of Doom. In late ’95, Sting inexplicably befriended Ric Flair in his battle against Arn Anderson and Brian Pillman, only for Flair to turn on him the second time and set off another Sting-Horsemen war. He also spent his spare time teaming with old pal Lex Luger.
Things got good in the summer of ’96 when the new World order angle changed the face of WCW. The fledgling nWo claimed Sting had joined them and would prove during WarGames in September ’96. Sting denied the allegations and became personally offended when fellow WCW mainstays accused him of switching sides. The nWo’s imposter Sting proved he was telling the truth, but he still took his ball and went home, kicking off WCW’s hottest angle ever. Sting replaced his blonde hair and neon with a black and white. He hid out in the rafters of WCW events, occasionally helping the WCW side in the war against the nWo but stayed away from active competition for over fifteen months. So when he finally met Hollywood Hogan at Starrcade ’97, WCW had a license to print money. Unfortunately they screwed up the ending of the story and Sting became just another guy again after all that build-up.
From there he floated through WCW’s upper card, joining the nWo Wolfpac in 1998 and having a worse-than-expected feud with Bret Hart. He ended winning the WCW Championship a couple more times in 1999 and endured a failed heel turn and Vince Russo’s bad booking. He spent most of 2000 feuding with Vampiro during the Millionaire’s Club-New Blood doppelgangers storyline.
His final appearance in WCW was in the final main event of Nitro, against old foe Ric Flair. This was the first main event of Nitro and the perfect end to the program as well. It was quite fitting that WCW’s most iconic feud led to WCW’s final sanctioned match.
After fading out of the spotlight for much of 2001 and 2002, Sting took part in the ill-fated World Wrestling All-Stars promotion. He won the company’s World Heavyweight Championship in 2003 before the company folded. As a favor to Jerry Jarrett, who gave him his first real break in the business, Sting agreed to appear a few times for the fledgling NWA-TNA in 2003.
But his big return came in 2006, when he signed a full-time contract with TNA. He engaged in a lengthy feud with Jeff Jarrett over the NWA Championship that culminated in Sting winning the belt, sixteen years after he had originally won that same Title. He then promptly dropped the Championship to Abyss, ruining a feel-good payoff. He then spent the first half of 2007 feuding with Abyss in a ridiculous soap opera-infused storyline that really didn’t do any favors for either man. In the fall of 2007 he partnered with Kurt Angle as TNA World Tag Team Champions, which was just a device to begin a feud between the two over the TNA World Championship. For the second time in a row at TNA’s flagship Bound For Glory pay per view Sting walked out as World Champion, only this reign was shorter than the first.
After a dream partner tag match at the November 2007 Genesis PPV with Sting and Booker T against Kurt Angle and Kevin Nash, he disappeared. He hasn’t been seen on TNA television since, but rumors swirled that he has signed a new contract with TNA to take him through 2008.
TNA has been using the moniker “Icon” to describe Sting in his latest run, and for once TNA’s instincts are accurate. The Man Called Sting is a true icon in this business. He has been a top card attraction sine 1990, and the majority of that time was spent as a babyface. To keep the fickle fans behind you for that long is a tremendous feat in and of itself. He was THE face of World Championship Wrestling and the only holdout to Vince McMahon’s money after the buyout.
At this point in his life and career he doesn’t owe anything to the business but has spent his recent time in TNA willing to put over new talent and pave the way for a new generation of wrestling stars. He obviously hasn’t forgotten that a lot of people helped make him a star twenty years ago.
pretty surprising placement, imo. I really would've figured Sting to be closer to top ten country.
As much as I wish he would place higher, this position kinda makes sense. Sting was always a top guy, but unlike so many others in this business, he spent more time putting others over, than putting himself over. I think this is why he is always classified as being one of the best, but never seems to come close to the top of any polls!
He was the first wrestler that I would say I was actually a fan of, and I am still a fan of his today, where as others, I now realise were just image and very little talent!
...he used to be one of the best heel commentators too, though he's been slipping in and out of that recently....
And by recent you of course mean the last eight years.
I've never liked him as a commentator! When I started watching WWF, Heyman was teamed with JR, and he was fantastic. When Lawler came back, the only thing I knew about him, was he wasnt as good as Heyman (and at this point, I hadnt even realised Heyman was Paul E Dangerously from back in my WCW watching days in the early 90s).
If Lawler was ever any good as a commentator, I never heard it!
yeah, I've never liked Lawler or Ross as commentators. the shame is Lawler could be really good if he wasn't so busy screaming and acting like a twelve year old all the time.
I think its well known how much I like Ross, but I have to say, when I did like it when he was teamed with Heyman, as Heyman always made Ross look like a complete retard! Lawler just adds to the retardedness! JBL was ten times the commentator that Lawler is!
yeah, I was actually glad that Heyman was on commentary again. I remembered really liking his commentary in WCW. I was hoping he'd reference that on-air, but I don't think they ever did.
Top 25 is a good spot for Sting an argument could be made top 30 and he did have tremendous run in the South with WCW/NWA ect., a very long career near at the top of one f the major organizations.
btw if he would have sold out Bingo Halls i would place him higher....
i think sting deserves major credit for getting two very different characters over in a major way (neon sting, crow sting) which is a true rarity in the bidniz
Top 25 is a good spot for Sting an argument could be made top 30 and he did have tremendous run in the South with WCW/NWA ect., a very long career near at the top of one f the major organizations.
btw if he would have sold out Bingo Halls i would place him higher....
100. Homicide 99. Dr. Death Steve Williams 98. Adrian Street 97. Paul London 96. DDP 95. Kevin Sullivan 94. Dustin Rhodes/Goldust 93. Tito Santana 92. Greg The Hammer Valentine 91. Shane Douglas 90. Sabu 89. Billy Kidman 88. Brock Lesnar 87. CM Punk 86. Konnan 85. Dean Malenko 84. Lance Storm 83. Mr. Wonderful Paul Orndorff 82. Kerry Von Erich 81. The Honky Tonk Man 80. Stan Lane 79. Matt Hardy 78. Lex Luger 77. Fit Finlay 76. Davey Boy Smith 75. Nikita Koloff 74. Goldberg 73. Sgt. Slaughter 72. Kane 71. Lord William/Steven Regal 70. Bad News Allen/Brown 69. Jeff Hardy 68. Jeff Jarrett 67. Scott Steiner 66. Taz 65. The Fallen Angel Christopher Daniels 64. Barry Windham 63. Jushin Thunder Liger 62. Chris Adams 61. Christian Cage 60. Magnum TA 59. Terry Bamm Bamm Gordy 58. Dick Murdoch 57. John Cena 56. Scott Hall 55. Michael PS Hayes 54. Big Show Paul Wight 53. Ricky Morton 52. Big Van Vader 51. Brian Pillman 50. Rick Martel 49. Jimmy Superfly Snuka 48. Bryan Danielson 47. The Great Muta 46. Bam Bam Bigelow 45. Owen Hart 44. The Phenomenal AJ Styles 43. Bobby Eaton 42. Rob Van Dam 41. Nick Bockwinkle 40. Kevin Nash 39. Bob Backlund 38. David Von Erich 37. Tully Blanchard 36. Arn Anderson 35. Stan Hansen 34. Edge 33. Harley Race 32. Booker T 31. Million $ Man Ted Dibiase 30. Ultimate Warrior 29. Ravishing Rick Rude 28. Trish Stratus 27. Jerry the King Lawler 26. Sting
so guys we haven't seen yet: Flair, Hogan, Bret, Michaels, Triple H, Savage, Piper, Jake the Snake, Dusty Rhodes, Rock, Austin, Taker, Foley, Angle, Samoa Joe, Guerrero, Benoit, Jericho, JBL, Ron Simmons (first black world champ+Doom and the APA-is that enough to make it?), Chyna?, the Road Warriors, Orton, Curt Hennig, Raven, Mysterio, who else?
Well, since they're arguably the greatest tag team, I wouldn't be surprised to see the Dudleyz. Also, we've yet to see Rhino, Nikolai Volkoff, the Iron Sheik, or Steamboat.
Knutreturns said: Spoken like the true Greatest RDCW Champ!
so guys we haven't seen yet: Flair, Hogan, Bret, Michaels, Triple H, Savage, Piper, Jake the Snake, Dusty Rhodes, Rock, Austin, Taker, Foley, Angle, Samoa Joe, Guerrero, Benoit, Jericho, JBL, Ron Simmons (first black world champ+Doom and the APA-is that enough to make it?), Chyna?, the Road Warriors, Orton, Curt Hennig, Raven, Mysterio, who else?
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