Rate A Wrestler

[Zardnaar]

This is a bit odd because it's hard to look at our favorites through non biased eyes. I applaud people who can do it better than me, but there's just no way that I can't look at Ric Flair and just give him 10s across the board.... the greatest wrestler of all time in my view.

I would say:

Technical 10 Even though his move set became more and more limited when he got over, there was never another wrestler in my opinion who knew his way around a ring more than Ric Flair. don't think there has been anyone in the history of wrestling, in my personal opinion, who elevated more wrestlers to look better than they actually were than Ric Flair. I know a lot of people think Shawn Michaels, but I politely disagree. Michaels lacked the humility Flair had and very often would refuse to put over another wrestler if he didn't like them for some reason. Flair very often would put over guys he absolutely didn't like: Kerry Von Erich being a prime example of this.

Performance 10 No one was cockier when he was playing the cocky heel. From the strut, to the wooo, to the disdain he had for his opponents. He could appear frustrated and it was obvious. He could and did switch from a heel to face during the course of the match solely based upon his actions. He could get his fans on the edge of their seats in worry by making it appear that he was completely outclassed.

Mic Skills 10 In my opinion, the best talker in the history of wrestling. He reinvented himself over and over again and had more catch phrases than any wrestler I could think of. He was able to be a heel and a face without changing much.

As Flair got older, he of course began limiting his move set. He also began taking on a more comical persona. But even late in his career, he was able to put on a few really good matches with Undertaker, HBK and Triple H. I enjoyed everything he did up until his retirement match with Shawn Michaels. To be honest, I just couldn't watch his TNA run but that's because I like to tell myself he retired against HBK.

I would not give flair a 10 for technical wrestling as he was not really that varied at his height. 10 for mic skills and performance would be fair enough. There are a lot of wrestlers better in ring than Flair IMHO. Flair has also indicated he thinks Shawn Michaels is the best of all time (excluding himself). Flair might be the greatest of all time based on charisma and career, as charismatic as The Rock and Stone COld are their wrestling careers were kind of short in the ROcks case and Austin was at the top of his game for 3 years, maybe 6 as an A lister.

Anyway Chris Jericho

Technical 9
IMHO Jericho is one of the best technical wrestlers and the only reason he doesn't get a 10 is I think there are better technicians than Jericho.

Performance 9
Jericho has always been good in ring, the scary thing is he can still have a great match in his 40's and can put over younger talent like Kevin Owens and his AJ Stiles work this year as well.

Mic Skills 9
I would almost give Jericho a 10 here but he is perhaps outclassed by Austin, Shawn Michaels, The Rock, Hogan, Flair, and Foley on the mic.

Overall I am leaning towards Jericho being the G.O.A.T and is more or less the total package only beaten in that regard by Shawn Michaels. Very charismatic and a better wrestler than some of the greats.

Undertaker

Technical 8
Performance 10
Mic Skills 9

The Undertaker had a large amount of technical skills for a wrestler his size and is very good in ring, just not the best. Performance wise the Deadman persona has been over with the crowd for a very long time and he can cut a great promo but he is not the best at that beaten by various wrestlers I would rate a 10 and perhaps slightly by Chris Jericho.

 

[Jacob Fox]

I would not give flair a 10 for technical wrestling as he was not really that varied at his height. 10 for mic skills and performance would be fair enough. There are a lot of wrestlers better in ring than Flair IMHO. Flair has also indicated he thinks Shawn Michaels is the best of all time (excluding himself). Flair might be the greatest of all time based on charisma and career, as charismatic as The Rock and Stone COld are their wrestling careers were kind of short in the ROcks case and Austin was at the top of his game for 3 years, maybe 6 as an A lister.

.

Yeah he was. Perhaps you need to seriously take a better look at his matches because there is a reason so many [people in and out of the business recognize him as the greatest of all time.

Wasn't this about giving our individual ratings for our favorite wrestlers? Therefore it is a subjective measure that you asking and thus every point could be argued. If you were looking to start a debate, maybe you should have said that, but you simply asked for our opinions.

 

[DK JAMES]

The Miz (The GOAT)

Technical - 7
Performance - 6
Mic Skill - 10

 

[BlackDoom]

Kurt Angle (Best Wrestler Ever!!!)

Technical: 10
One of the best technical wrestlers who very few can compete with. He is on a similar level to that of AJ Styles even if AJ is just a little bit better.

Performance: 10
Angle knows how to work a crowd as a face or heel and dose so in an amazing way. One of the best performers ever on a level similar to Chris Jericho.

Mic Skills: 8
The only "weak" element to Kurt which dose not allow a perfect 10 score unfortunately. But, he has proven to be a very capable performer on the mic. Only a small blemish on a near-perfect wrestler.

 

[Zardnaar]

Yeah he was. Perhaps you need to seriously take a better look at his matches because there is a reason so many [people in and out of the business recognize him as the greatest of all time.

Wasn't this about giving our individual ratings for our favorite wrestlers? Therefore it is a subjective measure that you asking and thus every point could be argued. If you were looking to start a debate, maybe you should have said that, but you simply asked for our opinions.

Yeah I have not seen many of his NWA matches in the 80's or his 70's work. I'm not saying he is bad at all I would personally have him in the top 3 wrestlers of all time I just think he is a little over rated.

There is also a difference between a wrestlers skill set and charisma which is why I think Flair is a little over rated.

As charismatic as The Rock/Austin/Flair etc are I think there are better in ring performers. A company is going to care more about a stars draw power than in ring work though.

 

[Jacob Fox]

Yeah I have not seen many of his NWA matches in the 80's or his 70's work. I'm not saying he is bad at all I would personally have him in the top 3 wrestlers of all time I just think he is a little over rated.

There is also a difference between a wrestlers skill set and charisma which is why I think Flair is a little over rated.

As charismatic as The Rock/Austin/Flair etc are I think there are better in ring performers.

If you haven't seen much of Flair's work in the 1980's, can you reasonably give an opinion on his technical skill? That was where he was on top of his game and on top of wrestling as a whole. If you want to say he's not a 10, please watch his career in the 80s and then see if you still agree. The Flair of the 90s and the 2000s is not the same man who carried the NWA for 10 years based on his outstanding ring ability.

 

[Zardnaar]

If you haven't seen much of Flair's work in the 1980's, can you reasonably give an opinion on his technical skill? That was where he was on top of his game and on top of wrestling as a whole. If you want to say he's not a 10, please watch his career in the 80s and then see if you still agree. The Flair of the 90s and the 2000s is not the same man who carried the NWA for 10 years based on his outstanding ring ability.

Any classic Flair matches from the 80'son youtube/WWEnetwork you can recommend?

 

[Zardnaar]

Goldberg
Technical 2
Goldberg at his peak barely knew how to wrestle. The only reason I dd not rate him a 1 is because there are worse "wrestlers" than Goldberg such as various celebrity's that get in the ring. And I award a 1 rating to "wrestlers" such as Zeus.

Performance 8
Despite his lack of in ring ability Goldberg was massively over with the crowd and he had a great entrance. His matches were squash matches though mostly because he could not wrestle but he at least was doing something right and he has a bit of intensity and charisma.

Mic Skills 4

Early on they did not put Goldberg on the mic for a reason. Later in his career on a good night he was average at best.

The story of Goldberg is an interesting one. In mid 1997 he decided to become a wrestler making his on screen appearance a few months later. The crowd loved him but he could really only do squash matches and had 2 moves. BY early 1998 his lack of in ring ability was exposed when he froze in a 6 minute match with Willian Regal. 6 minutes was a long match by Goldberg standards. By mid 1998 he won the title of Hogan (a rare case of Hogan putting someone over) and his streak went up to 173-0 (mostly made up). Never the less he was massively over with the fans and had the Hogan/Goldberg been on a main event with a proper buildup WCW could have had their Wrestlemania moment as they manage to get 40 000 people into a stadium to watch Monday Nitro with 3 days build up.

And in early 1999 the fingerpoke of doom happened. What happens when a guy who can't wrestle gimmick wears off? Goldbergs gimmick was all about being unbeatable and he got beaten in a crappy booking event effectively being buried. He was massively over with the fans and his streak should have continued until the gimmick got stale perhaps another year or so. Goldberg plowing though the NWO would have been something to see and he should have been "the guy" for longer. Goldberg was basically a one trickpony in the right place at the right time.

 

[Jacob Fox]

Any classic Flair matches from the 80'son youtube/WWEnetwork you can recommend?

Absolutely, but keep a couple things in mind. Flair does three things better than any wrestler in history, IMO.

1. Flair didn't practice his matches before hand. Everything you see is done on the cuff and he basically calls the entire match. He is well known for being able to improvise matches. He controls the pacing better than anyone.

2. Flair's main technical talent is in his defensive wrestling. Much like HBK in later years, he can wrestle defensively and make his opponent look 100 times better than he could ever look on his own.

3. Flair's plan is generally the same but it's always focused. Wear them down so they can't resist and then execute a precise and consistent attack on the knee to accentuate the pain from the figure four. This is one of Flair's strongest attributes. He stays focused on the knee, and doesn't simply work on different parts of the body, hitting moves because they look good. He hits the knee.

If you have time, watch the trio of matches between Flair and Steamboat in 1989. The first is at Chi Town Rumble. The second Clash of the Champions VI and the finale is at Wrestle War. Watch how Flair reverses holds and how he fluidly changes holds on Steamboat. The Clash of the Champions match is 55 minutes long and 2 of three falls, but the time flies by. A lot of people consider the WrestleWar match the greatest match of all time... I don't necessarily agree, but it is a great match. Out of these three, I consider the Clash of the Champions match the best.

Terry Funk vs Ric Flair Clash of the Champions IX Apart from the hardcore elements, this match is good because at the end of it, it shows one of the best examples of why Flair is a good technical wrestler. Rather than just hit Funk with a bunch of random moves, after wearing him down, he concentrates on the knee with complete focus in order to work it down to end the match.

If you have time for it, my favorite match is Flair vs Sting at the first Clash of the Champions. It's 45 minutes long though. I personally don't think Sting has ever looked better in a match and even he credits that to how Ric Flair carried him through that match. Flair MADE Sting a main eventer in this match.

 

[Jacob Fox]

Goldberg
Technical 2
Goldberg at his peak barely knew how to wrestle. The only reason I dd not rate him a 1 is because there are worse "wrestlers" than Goldberg such as various celebrity's that get in the ring. And I award a 1 rating to "wrestlers" such as Zeus.

Performance 8
Despite his lack of in ring ability Goldberg was massively over with the crowd and he had a great entrance. His matches were squash matches though mostly because he could not wrestle but he at least was doing something right and he has a bit of intensity and charisma.

Mic Skills 4

Early on they did not put Goldberg on the mic for a reason. Later in his career on a good night he was average at best.

The story of Goldberg is an interesting one. In mid 1997 he decided to become a wrestler making his on screen appearance a few months later. The crowd loved him but he could really only do squash matches and had 2 moves. BY early 1998 his lack of in ring ability was exposed when he froze in a 6 minute match with Willian Regal. 6 minutes was a long match by Goldberg standards. By mid 1998 he won the title of Hogan (a rare case of Hogan putting someone over) and his streak went up to 173-0 (mostly made up). Never the less he was massively over with the fans and had the Hogan/Goldberg been on a main event with a proper buildup WCW could have had their Wrestlemania moment as they manage to get 40 000 people into a stadium to watch Monday Nitro with 3 days build up.

And in early 1999 the fingerpoke of doom happened. What happens when a guy who can't wrestle gimmick wears off? Goldbergs gimmick was all about being unbeatable and he got beaten in a crappy booking event effectively being buried. He was massively over with the fans and his streak should have continued until the gimmick got stale perhaps another year or so. Goldberg plowing though the NWO would have been something to see and he should have been "the guy" for longer. Goldberg was basically a one trickpony in the right place at the right time.

I'd have to say you are spot on with this one.

 

[Zardnaar]

Absolutely, but keep a couple things in mind. Flair does three things better than any wrestler in history, IMO.

1. Flair didn't practice his matches before hand. Everything you see is done on the cuff and he basically calls the entire match. He is well known for being able to improvise matches. He controls the pacing better than anyone.

2. Flair's main technical talent is in his defensive wrestling. Much like HBK in later years, he can wrestle defensively and make his opponent look 100 times better than he could ever look on his own.

3. Flair's plan is generally the same but it's always focused. Wear them down so they can't resist and then execute a precise and consistent attack on the knee to accentuate the pain from the figure four. This is one of Flair's strongest attributes. He stays focused on the knee, and doesn't simply work on different parts of the body, hitting moves because they look good. He hits the knee.

If you have time, watch the trio of matches between Flair and Steamboat in 1989. The first is at Chi Town Rumble. The second Clash of the Champions VI and the finale is at Wrestle War. Watch how Flair reverses holds and how he fluidly changes holds on Steamboat. The Clash of the Champions match is 55 minutes long and 2 of three falls, but the time flies by. A lot of people consider the WrestleWar match the greatest match of all time... I don't necessarily agree, but it is a great match. Out of these three, I consider the Clash of the Champions match the best.

Terry Funk vs Ric Flair Clash of the Champions IX Apart from the hardcore elements, this match is good because at the end of it, it shows one of the best examples of why Flair is a good technical wrestler. Rather than just hit Funk with a bunch of random moves, after wearing him down, he concentrates on the knee with complete focus in order to work it down to end the match.

If you have time for it, my favorite match is Flair vs Sting at the first Clash of the Champions. It's 45 minutes long though. I personally don't think Sting has ever looked better in a match and even he credits that to how Ric Flair carried him through that match. Flair MADE Sting a main eventer in this match.

Yeah Flair is good, I have a preference towards bouncing off ropes and stuff so lean a bit more towards Jericho and HBK.I know about a great wrestler makes his opponent look good as well and you need that. Its something Nash and Hogan did not seem to figure out as their idea of a good match was them winning all the damn time. Note Rock, Austin, Flair, HBK, Bret, etc all lost quite a few matches but it did not really damage their careers at all. Its boring. Putting over your opponent is part of being a great wrestler win or lose.

One reason I might be a bit hard on Flair is he never really changed his thing more or less keeping the same gimmick for decades and even the same moves. Hogan got a few more years with his heel thing. So yeah I think Flair gets beaten by a few wrestlers in some categories (Rock/Austin on charisma, several wrestlers in performance etc). Flair kind of pissed on his legacy by staying in the ring about 10 or 20 years to long as well IMHO.

Apparently Bret was also very good at calling a match and putting over his opponent (Austin) and he carried the British Bulldog at Summerslam 1992 who was wrecked, Brets weakness being his mic skills and he did not have the charisma of HBK and the other greats (Bret 10/9/8?)

One thing I did not lik so much as a kid with 80's wrestling was you generally only saw the main eventers doing much at the main events. Probably why I liked Nitro 1997-1999 as I was used to WWE 80's Supers of Wrestling show by comparison as I could only hire the main events in the 90's here so missed RAW.

 

[RedDwarfTechy]

I agree with @Jacob Fox when you rate your favourite wrestler it is going to be extremely biased, so take this rating knowing that Eddie is my all time favourite.

Eddie Guerrero

Technical - 10
The guy grew up with a ring in his back yard. Son of Gory Guerrero and really had a sound knowledge of wrestling as a craft.

Performance - 10

Not many superstars carried themselves in the ring like Eddie did, he could make you cheer him and then boo him the next second. He was a maestro when it came to controlling the fans. Inspite of not being the 'Top' guy during his time he still had one of the biggest fan bases. He could carry storylines from the main eventers to the (then ignored) cruiserweights. It didn't matter who is opponent was, or what the story was before the match, by the end of the match, you as a fan would be invested in the storyline.

Mic - 10

This guy was as charismatic as you could get, as heel or face, it didn't matter. His promos were amazing and he knew how to use his emotions as well, you either REALLY wanted him to win (against Brock/JBL) or you really wanted him to lose (against Rey Mysterio with the "I'm your Papi" storyline). Speaking of that storyline, there aren't many wrestlers who can take a corny storyline like that and make it good, he did because he was just that damn good.

 

[The Phenom]

I agree with @Jacob Fox when you rate your favourite wrestler it is going to be extremely biased, so take this rating knowing that Eddie is my all time favourite.

Eddie Guerrero

Technical - 10
The guy grew up with a ring in his back yard. Son of Gory Guerrero and really had a sound knowledge of wrestling as a craft.

Performance - 10

Not many superstars carried themselves in the ring like Eddie did, he could make you cheer him and then boo him the next second. He was a maestro when it came to controlling the fans. Inspite of not being the 'Top' guy during his time he still had one of the biggest fan bases. He could carry storylines from the main eventers to the (then ignored) cruiserweights. It didn't matter who is opponent was, or what the story was before the match, by the end of the match, you as a fan would be invested in the storyline.

Mic - 10

This guy was as charismatic as you could get, as heel or face, it didn't matter. His promos were amazing and he knew how to use his emotions as well, you either REALLY wanted him to win (against Brock/JBL) or you really wanted him to lose (against Rey Mysterio with the "I'm your Papi" storyline). Speaking of that storyline, there aren't many wrestlers who can take a corny storyline like that and make it good, he did because he was just that damn good.

I fully agree with you #R.I.P Latino Heat

 

[TheBrownienator]

Andre the Giant:
Technical:10
Performance:10
Mic Skills:10
:fact:

 

[Zardnaar]

Absolutely, but keep a couple things in mind. Flair does three things better than any wrestler in history, IMO.

1. Flair didn't practice his matches before hand. Everything you see is done on the cuff and he basically calls the entire match. He is well known for being able to improvise matches. He controls the pacing better than anyone.

2. Flair's main technical talent is in his defensive wrestling. Much like HBK in later years, he can wrestle defensively and make his opponent look 100 times better than he could ever look on his own.

3. Flair's plan is generally the same but it's always focused. Wear them down so they can't resist and then execute a precise and consistent attack on the knee to accentuate the pain from the figure four. This is one of Flair's strongest attributes. He stays focused on the knee, and doesn't simply work on different parts of the body, hitting moves because they look good. He hits the knee.

If you have time, watch the trio of matches between Flair and Steamboat in 1989. The first is at Chi Town Rumble. The second Clash of the Champions VI and the finale is at Wrestle War. Watch how Flair reverses holds and how he fluidly changes holds on Steamboat. The Clash of the Champions match is 55 minutes long and 2 of three falls, but the time flies by. A lot of people consider the WrestleWar match the greatest match of all time... I don't necessarily agree, but it is a great match. Out of these three, I consider the Clash of the Champions match the best.

Terry Funk vs Ric Flair Clash of the Champions IX Apart from the hardcore elements, this match is good because at the end of it, it shows one of the best examples of why Flair is a good technical wrestler. Rather than just hit Funk with a bunch of random moves, after wearing him down, he concentrates on the knee with complete focus in order to work it down to end the match.

If you have time for it, my favorite match is Flair vs Sting at the first Clash of the Champions. It's 45 minutes long though. I personally don't think Sting has ever looked better in a match and even he credits that to how Ric Flair carried him through that match. Flair MADE Sting a main eventer in this match.

I watched the Flair/Sting match and enjoyed it. Bit slow moving for my preferences but as far as 80's matches go I liked it.

Flair was very good at selling his opponent in that match and most of the moves did not look painful as such unless sold correctly. Jim Conrnettes thing about pretending to hurt each other makes a lot more sense.