Board 8 > B8's Greatest Wrestlers Ever Ranking

(+) Yeah! (+)

Benoit was on my list originally, and I still love his work, but I couldn't rank him in the end.

I wonder how many females made the rankings.

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Ultimo was in my top 31 as well but he didn't make the cut

Also if Iceman gave Tenryu +2 and I gave him +3 that means someone else gave him +13. Respect.

Aww yeah go my Ronda.

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I like Ultimo a lot but I always forget him for stuff like this and he wouldn't have been a lock for top 25 even if I didn't

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If it was a *favorites* list Ultimo would've been on in a flash. @__@''

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Can I retroactively replace 5 of the Khalis with Ultimo

Add me to the list of folks who considered Ultimo. Not very seriously, though. Would've been top 50.

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+25
+24
+23
+22
+21
+20
+19 Ultimate Warrior
+18
+17 Great Khali
+16
+15
+14
+13
+12
+11 Ta-Gar, Lord of the Volcano
+10
+9
+8
+7
+6 Ultimo Dragon
+5
+4
+3
+2
+1 Missile Assault Ant

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Whiskey_Nick posted...

+25
+24
+23
+22
+21
+20
+19 Ultimate Warrior
+18
+17 Great Khali
+16
+15
+14
+13
+12
+11 Ta-Gar, Lord of the Volcano
+10
+9
+8
+7
+6 Ultimo Dragon
+5
+4
+3
+2
+1 Missile Assault Ant

nick, tagar and missile assault ant haven't been posted yet
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I doubt they made it.

Prove me wrong guys.

Prove me wrong

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RPGlord95 posted...

Also Warrior vs Hogan at WM6 is good stuff

Savage vs Warrior the following year is one of my fav ever Wrestlemania matches.
Great match that gets overshadowed by the Miss Elizabeth post-match stuff

malyg posted...

Savage vs Warrior the following year is one of my fav ever Wrestlemania matches.
Great match that gets overshadowed by the Miss Elizabeth post-match stuff

yeah i went back and forth over which one to include, but no doubt these are the two matches of his career worth watching

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I was the Benoit vote.

I waffled between putting him on or not. But Benoit was my third favorite all time at the time of his death.

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Steiner posted...

yeah i went back and forth over which one to include, but no doubt these are the two matches of his career worth watching

Excuse you?
https://youtu.be/ntBIdQzH0yk

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I feel like I can tell when Steiner doesn't agree with someone being on the list...

85: Iron Sheik
Score: 20
# of Lists: 1

Won Wrestlemania X-7's gimmick battle royal because he couldn't take the required bump to be eliminated at that point (2001).

https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x26wdeb; Gimmick Battle Royal, April 1 2001

84: Shinya Hashimoto
Score: 20
# of Lists: 2

Of NJPW's Three Musketeers that would carry them through the 90s, Hashimoto is the least known to Western fans, with both Mutoh and Chono appearing in WCW. Hashimoto however was busy holding the IWGP championship in Japan and never made it over to the WCW shows - probably a blessing for him. In Japan he would be one of the most popular wrestlers of the 90s, and is one of the names most associated with "Strong Style".

https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x9a8ci; Shinya Hashimoto vs. Lord Steven Regal, April 16 1995

83: Tiger Mask
Score: 21
# of Lists: 1

One of the most influential wrestlers ever in the Light Heavyweight division, the work he was doing in the early 80s would still blow many minds today and his matches with Dynamite Kid in particular put the style of wrestling on the map with hardcore fans.

https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x7gsqrs; Tiger Mask vs. Dynamite Kid, April 21 1983

82: Bill Goldberg
Score: 21
# of Lists: 3

There is a great lesson that can be learned from Bill Goldberg - a great squash match is one of the most entertaining things you can see in pro wrestling. Goldberg didn't work in longer matches, and that right there is the argument against every match being long - because Goldberg could still have some of the most enteraining matches on your show if you booked him right.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C8DcBibsj5w; Goldberg vs. Raven, April 20 1998

80 (tie): Tommaso Ciampa
Score: 22
# of Lists: 2

Ciampa is in some ways one of NXT's greatest success stories - while the history of NXT is littered with the top guys from the independent scene, Ciampa was not that - but has definitely become one of the biggest names in NXT. Tying his NXT career to Gargano from the offset definitely worked out for both - from a great match in the CWC to becoming a tag team and having some of the greatest tag matches in North American history, before moving on to an era defining feud between themselves.

https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x60rh7x; Johnny Gargano & Tommaso Ciampa vs. Dash Wilder & Scott Dawson, November 19 2016

80 (tie): Claudio Castagnoli / Cesaro
Score: 22
# of Lists: 2

In the early 2000s era of independent wrestling there weren't many big men, so Cesaro's size and power offense set him apart from peers. His size and strength, combined with an undersized and flippy talent pool to work with, set him up to be one of the greatest bases of all time. He rarely gets to show that off in WWE, but he did manage to bring his fantastic matches with El Generico/Sami Zayn over to WWE and those matches were a huge part of establishing NXT as a hardcore favourite early on.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fwCx6U-tEo8; Claudio Castagnoli vs. Mike Quackenbush, September 30 2006

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Sheik created Hulkamania

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Ciampa's best match was his first encounter with Gargano, IMO. I mean just the entrance alone was brilliant.

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Oh Sheikh


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Maniac64 posted...

before moving on to an era defining feud between themselves.

I don't think you can define shit from the confines of WWEs developmental territory. But that's a separate debate I guess.

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That DiY vs Revival match in Toronto was one of the best matches I ever saw live.

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Good for Cesaro to make this list. He's somewhere in the 26-35 range for me.

Would love for him to get a push or find AEW.

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WrestleMania XII Ultimate Warrior vs Win Streak Goldberg no cattle prods who wins

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junk_funk posted...

Good for Cesaro to make this list. He's somewhere in the 26-35 range for me.

Would love for him to get a push or find AEW.

Same. He was a late cut for me so I was really glad to see him get on there.

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79: Jeff Hardy
Score: 22
# of Lists: 3

While the Hardys are unquestionably one of WWE's greatest tag teams, there's no doubt the singles part of Jeff's career adds a lot of weight here too - his ladder match with The Undertaker stands as one of the most memorable matches in Raw history, and his 2008/9 run saw him become the most over act in wrestling for a brief time. That said, his daredevil spots in the early TLC matches are what most will remember Jeff for, and a big part of the reason those matches are legendary.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F_ANV_KiB9Q; Jeff Hardy vs. The Undertaker, July 1 2002

76 (tie): Lioness Asuka
Score: 23
# of Lists: 1

Not to be confused with WWE's Asuka/Kana [Maniac's Note: I did that. Oops] , Lioness Asuka was one half of The Crush Gals, alongside Chigusa Nagayo. The Crush Gals are one of the most popular teams in Japanese history, with their popularity even translating to other media as the would release a number of singles which would chart in the top 10.

https://vimeo.com/265671868; Jaguar Yokota vs. Lioness Asuka, August 21 1985

76 (tie): LA Park
Score: 23
# of Lists: 1

Many American fans will know Park(a) from his time in WCW, but while he got over there based on his charisma and some comedy spots, in Mexico he is a true legend and still one of the wildest brawlers around at age 54. His feud with Rush became one of the biggest feuds in lucha in the 2010s, producing wild lucha brawls in promotions all over Mexico spanning a number of years.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W2Mfx7cOh1c; LA Park vs. Rush, July 14 2016

76 (tie): Drew McIntyre
Score: 23
# of Lists: 1

The WWE Champion at the time of writing, McIntyre has certainly had an up and down career but he's making the most of his current opportunity. His time outside WWE really benefitted him, as you saw him grow into the babyface ass kicker role he is now portraying on TV, as well as really getting his worker boots on unlike WWE ever enables.

https://www.bilibili.com/video/av11115934/; Drew Galloway vs 'Speedball' Mike Bailey, August 29 2015

75: Minoru Suzuki
Score: 23
# of Lists: 3

It's easy for Minoru Suzuki to make his character of "legitimate badass" continue to work into his 50s - because it's no character. As one of the co-founders of Pancrase, Suzuki is one of the forefathers of MMA as we know it, including helping to train Ken Shamrock. He would mostly focus on MMA in the 90s, but in 2003 he returned to puro, and ever since has brought his unique legitimacy and aura to all the major Japanese promotions, but is best known for his late career (I'm guessing... who knows with this man) work with NJPW, including the match with Tanahashi which can really be pointed to as the beginning of the rise of NJPW in the West, and his 2014 Match of the Year with AJ Styles which solidified AJ as an NJPW main eventer.

https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x54ybdi; Minoru Suzuki vs. Aj Styles, August 1 2014

74: Dr Wagner Jr.
Score: 24
# of Lists: 1

The final entrant on the list to only receive a single vote, Wagner is part of the long history of lucha guys being awesome into their 50s, putting on a hammer filled wild main event of TripleMania with Blue Demon Jr. last year.

https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x7fi8uo; Dr. Wagner Jr. vs. Koji Kanemoto, June 3 1998

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....Fucking dammit I knew I forgot *someone* important on my list, now I'm prolly gonna get my ass kicked by the scariest man on the planet. (...Suzuki, if it needed to be clarified >_<)

...Also kinda annoyed with myself forgetting L.A. Park >_<

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Well, I haven't lost anyone today.

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My list makes a second appearance finally. Jeff Hardy was my +3.

I haven't seen enough of Drew McIntyre to decide if he's got a recurring role as champion, but he deserves about the spot he got on this list in my book.

Glad to be done with the "only on one-listers".

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That's too bad I'm the only one on Wagner

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WOO FUCK YEAH DREW MAC!

Let's be honest, though, 3MB DREW MAC was secretly best DREW MAC.

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Goldberg deserves higher

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Whiskey_Nick posted...

Sheik created Hulkamania

sheik wasn't even in the AWA until 1987, factually incorrect

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Maniac64 posted...

I feel like I can tell when Steiner doesn't agree with someone being on the list...

i think that's the last one!

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damnit why did we stop at 74 now i've no idea how many writeups to do today <_>

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i was a massive Jeff Hardy fanboy for most of the 00s so put him pretty high. think he's my first one on the list:
+18 Jeff Hardy

Since there has been interest in what the list would be without the 1-list people here it is. From this point on the lists are the same of course.

74. Minoru Suzuki - 23 points, 3 lists
75. Jeff Hardy - 22 points, 3 lists
76. Claudio Castagnoli / Cesaro - 22 points, 2 lists
76. Tommaso Ciampa - 22 points, 2 lists
78. Bill Goldberg - 21 points, 3 lists
79. Ultimo Dragon - 19 points, 3 lists
80. Genichiro Tenryu - 18 points, 3 lists
81. Big Van Vader - 18 points, 2 lists
81. Hiromu Takahashi - 18 points, 2 lists
81. Nick Jackson - 18 points, 2 lists
84. Shinya Hashimoto - 20 points, 2 lists
85. Jon Moxley - 16 points, 3 lists
86. Lou Thesz - 16 points, 2 lists

87. Kane - 15 points, 3 lists
88. Jaguar Yokota - 15 points, 2 lists
88. Satoshi Kojima - 15 points, 2 lists
90. Big Show - 12 points, 2 lists
91. Chris Hero - 11 points, 2 lists
92. Diamond Dallas Page - 10 points, 2 lists
92. Fenix - 10 points, 2 lists
92. Shingo Takagi - 10 points, 2 lists
95. William Regal - 9 points, 2 lists
96. Adam Cole - 8 points, 2 lists
97. Meiko Satomura - 7 points, 2 lists
98. The Miz - 6 points, 2 lists
99. Rob Van Dam - 4 points, 3 lists
100. Akira Taue - 3 points, 2 lists

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Maniac64 posted...

91. Chris Hero - 11 points, 2 lists

you know, i hadn't even realized hero didn't make the list, because i knew both me and iceman ranked him. bummer

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Yep, another guy that would have probably made a top 30 list for me along with his former partner Cesaro.

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What? No RVD? There goes another on my list.

I also had Big Show. Paul Wight is about a sound of a big man as you can ask for. Guy is very dedicated to his craft. He was my +11.

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junk_funk posted...

Paul Wight is about a sound of a big man as you can ask for.

i beg to differ!

Vader
Jumbo Tsuruta
Stan Hansen
Terry Gordy
WALTER
Bam Bam Bigelow
Undertaker
Brock Lesnar
Shinya Hashimoto

just off the top of my head ten big men better than Big Show. Half of them even worked in WWE - although obviously, I wouldn't rate Vader off his WWF work <_<


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Well there are Kojima and DDP.

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Honestly that's already a better list even if it does mean no props for Wagner

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had DDP, RVD and Regal somewhere low down on my list.
really surprised at RVD being so low, he was always a huge darling on the IWC.

Maniac64 posted...

Since there has been interest in what the list would be without the 1-list people here it is. From this point on the lists are the same of course.

74. Minoru Suzuki - 23 points, 3 lists
75. Jeff Hardy - 22 points, 3 lists
76. Claudio Castagnoli / Cesaro - 22 points, 2 lists
76. Tommaso Ciampa - 22 points, 2 lists
78. Bill Goldberg - 21 points, 3 lists
79. Ultimo Dragon - 19 points, 3 lists
80. Genichiro Tenryu - 18 points, 3 lists
81. Big Van Vader - 18 points, 2 lists
81. Hiromu Takahashi - 18 points, 2 lists
81. Nick Jackson - 18 points, 2 lists
84. Shinya Hashimoto - 20 points, 2 lists
85. Jon Moxley - 16 points, 3 lists
86. Lou Thesz - 16 points, 2 lists

87. Kane - 15 points, 3 lists
88. Jaguar Yokota - 15 points, 2 lists
88. Satoshi Kojima - 15 points, 2 lists
90. Big Show - 12 points, 2 lists
91. Chris Hero - 11 points, 2 lists
92. Diamond Dallas Page - 10 points, 2 lists
92. Fenix - 10 points, 2 lists
92. Shingo Takagi - 10 points, 2 lists
95. William Regal - 9 points, 2 lists
96. Adam Cole - 8 points, 2 lists
97. Meiko Satomura - 7 points, 2 lists
98. The Miz - 6 points, 2 lists
99. Rob Van Dam - 4 points, 3 lists
100. Akira Taue - 3 points, 2 lists

One, I'm so happy someone else did "3. The Miz."

Two, I'm so happy that puts him as "3. The Miz" if the order numbers were reversed (and the best was 100).

+25
+24
+23
+22
+21
+20
+19
+18 Keith Lee
+17 David Starr
+16
+15
+14
+13
+12
+11
+10 Cesaro
+9
+8 Tommaso Ciampa
+7
+6
+5
+4
+3 The Miz
+2
+1 Tyler Breeze

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The Miz has been pretty fantastic overall for his career. I always forget about him.

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Yeah I think I like that list more as well honestly. Especially since my Meiko vote then counts for something.

73: Matt Jackson
Score: 24
# of Lists: 3

One extra person found space on their list for Matt, so we see quite a disparity of ranking for two guys so inexorably linked. While I argued Nick has the better singles output, the Bucks "greatest ever" case will be made on tag matches - and Matt and his perenially injured back are the glue holding every Bucks tag together.

https://www.bilibili.com/video/BV1tW411K7fh; Young Bucks vs. Golden Lovers, March 25 2018

70 (tie): Shinsuke Nakamura
Score: 25
# of Lists: 2

So great that even coasting 95% of the time is enough to get him to this spot. Nakamura's early career is largely Inoki having real shooters beat him up so it's no wonder he tries to take it easy in the twilight - but his run in the mid-10s is as great as they come, establishing the IC title as on-par with the World title (or even above it, to Naito fans' chagrin...). His matches with Ibushi and AJ at Wrestle Kingdoms 9 and 10 were banner moments in Western fans getting into NJPW, and his retirement match with Sami Zayn in the US was an incredible end to his career.

https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x6e8ozb; Kota Ibushi vs. Shinsuke Nakamura, January 4 2015

70 (tie): Scott Hall / Razor Ramon
Score: 25
# of Lists: 2

One of the few shining lights of WWF's roughest years, before moving on to be central of one of the most important angles in wrestling history as the first member of the New World Order, Hall's biggest claims lay in the "influence/fame" category. But it's not all bad in the ring - in his WWF run, he was responsible for a couple of the rare high points of 93-95 WWF - first off, the 1-2-3 Kid match which is one of the most memorable segments in Raw history, and then the two ladder matches with Shawn over the IC title. He may not have much work to shout about once he leaves for WCW, but Hall is one of the most recognizable faces of one of the most popular eras of wrestling.

https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x1227i4; Shawn Michaels & Diesel vs. 1-2-3 Kid & Razor Ramon, October 30 1994

70 (tie): Katsuyori Shibata
Score: 25
# of Lists: 2

Tying here with one of his 2nd generation musketeer peers, Shibata is the only one of either group to never win the IWGP championship, and with his career being tragically cut short at Sakura Genesis 2017 that doesn't appear like it will change. Unlike his peers in Nakamura and Tanahashi, Shibata foregoes the showmanship and presents himself as The Wrestler, and in his 17 year career there were few better at introducing touches of realism to any fight he was involved in. The final match of his career is one of the greatest of all time, and as sad as the end of Shibata's career in it is, the lengths he would go to and sacrifice he would make to defeat Okada in that match only adds to the story of the match and legacy of Shibata.

https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x481a7o; Katsuyori Shibata vs. Tomohori Ishii, August 4 2013
(Steiner's note: If you don't watch anything else I post, or if you don't know this match, stop reading the topic and watch this match now. the greatest sprint of all time, and one of the best matches of all time in only 11 minutes)

69: Zack Sabre Jr.
Score: 25
# of Lists: 3

Winner of the "Best Technical Wrestler/Bryan Danielson Award" award from the Wrestling Observer 6 years running now (coming up on the eponymous Bryan's 9), Zack rose to prominence through his unique style of old school grappling and the most effective use of submission holds in modern wrestling. Luckily for all of us, he's one of two wrestlers from WWE's Cruiserweight Classic who told them to kick rocks and returned to NJPW, where he's been a highlight of the past few years.

https://www.bilibili.com/video/av19712863/; Zack Sabre Jr. vs. Roderick Strong, July 10 2015

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maniac don't post any more till everybody has watched the shibata-ishii match thanks
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Well, I'm bummed about Hero but I guess not super surprised. I think there's a solid argument to be made that he's the best indie wrestler of all time - did it literally all over the world in the biggest promotions on down to the very smallest - and if you throw in all the wrestlers he's had at least some hand in training, although granted I might be the only person that cares about that, I think he more than stacks up against the best to ever do it.

+25
+24
+23
+22
+21
+20
+19
+18
+17
+16
+15
+14
+13
+12
+11
+10 Matt Jackson
+9 Nick Jackson
+8
+7 Chris Hero
+6
+5 Austin Aries
+4 Masaaki Mochizuki
+3
+2 Genichiro Tenryu
+1

Might as well go ahead and toss on the guys only I voted for in addition to those revealed.

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NBIceman posted...

I think there's a solid argument to be made that he's the best indie wrestler of all time

this was going to be the writeup i assumed i was doing <_<

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Given that what I would consider indie wrestling is basically only a little over 20 years old and almost spans Heros entire career, hes for sure a contender for that
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