LogFAQs > #941546512

Just a couple today.

48 (tie). Triple H
Score: 45
# of Lists: 3

Triple H's entry on this list is an interesting one - he made 3 lists, and all 3 lists were basically the 3 lists we received that were entirely WWE wrestlers. I don't think it's surprising - WWE tells you constantly that he's an all time great, and if you've never watched anything else, it's easy to believe. Without a doubt he's been a star there for a long time - while he was never THE guy (or rather, when he was in 2002, it was an awful time for business and they never went there again), he would always work with THE guy. Prominent feuds with The Rock, Steve Austin, Batista, John Cena, CM Punk, Daniel Bryan and Roman Reigns, just off the top of my head - it's possible Triple H wrestled more all time greats than anybody, at least in the years he's active.

For his peak you look towards 2000 - starting the year with the famous street fight with Cactus Jack, going on to be the first heel to leave Wrestlemania with the WWF Championship, and then a feud with The Rock that would carry the company through most of its most successful year in history. Even going into 01, there's the phenomenal Three Stages of Hell match and then the brief 2 Man Power Trip angle which features one of the best tag matches in North American history - the HHH/Austin vs. Benoit/Jericho match where HHH would injure his quad. He would miss the next year, miss the entire Invasion angle, and return as a babyface at MSG on the last Raw of 2001 to the biggest pop I personally ever heard as a wrestling fan. Unfortunately he came back slowed by injury and was never the same worker again. This is compounded by him going on to anchor one of the most boring eras of WWF TV, as his reign as the top guy on Raw in 03-04 certainly helped run off a large portion of the audience before they established new stars like Cena and Batista.

There'd be more great matches after this point - the Benoit triple threat, a Flair title defense - but by 2006 and the reformation of DX, his time as one of the peak performers in the business was done. There've been highlights since then - the Undertaker and Bryan Wrestlemania matches most notably - but in the remaining years of his career I think it's easier to define Triple H by his backstage role - the father of NXT. Whatever people think of his motives, his sincerity, and how much he really believes in what he's doing in NXT (all conversations worth having, but not at this point of this writeup), if nothing else he took McMahon money and created a product where great matches flourished and wrestlers Vince would never have looked at twice were allowed to work spectacular main event matches. It may be a calculated plan by Triple H to ingratiate himself with the hardcores, but I for one am open to being buttered up when it's in the form of DIY vs. The Revival.

https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x3k332o; Triple H & Steve Austin vs. Chris Benoit & Chris Jericho

48 (tie). Dusty Rhodes
Score: 45
# of Lists: 3

(Guest writeup: scarletspeed7)

Tapping into the pulse of the working man, Dusty Rhodes was, in some ways, the Stone Cold of the 70s and 80s. After his feud with Pak Song in Florida, Dusty Rhodes became a local hero in the territory era, selling out southern venues for years before taking over as a top talent in JCP. Dusty was famous for his Common Man charisma. The Son of a Plumber was the natural counter-balance to the rich jet-setting Ric Flair, and their feud resulted in some of the best promos of the fledgling WCW.

For years, Dusty Rhodes was an American icon in the wrestling world, battling such luminaries as Abdullah the Butcher, Terry Funk, Nikita Koloff, Tully Blanchard and more. His success even extended to a short run in WWF as well. But for most fans, Dusty is best remembered as the man that cut that promo about Hard Times, daddy. His colorful but down-to-Earth style reached the hearts of fans and endeared him in their hearts, altering the perception of babyfaces for decades to come.

https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x3g9rhw; Dusty Rhodes vs. Ric Flair, July 26 1986

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"Hope is allowed to be stupid, unwise, and naive." ~Sir Chris