The most influential men in wrestling history

[Sabretooth]

I think it's also fair to ask whether they would have been influential if not for Bischoff doing the work behind the scenes? Sure WCW signed Hall and Nash, but it's not like they came up with the concept of the NWO. Hell, Bischoff didn't even really do that, he just lifted it from the NJPW vs. UWF feud.

Not trying to discredit Hall and Nash's contributions, but if you include them as influential SOLELY based on what happened with the NWO, you also have to include Bischoff, Hogan, Kevin Sullivan, Paul Orndorff and basically anyone else who pitched ideas to make the faction successful.

Also, just one other comment in regards to Charlie's post, wouldn't Stone Cold Steve Austin be considered the "quintessential" tweener? Actually, I'd even argue Nash while he was still with WWF as Diesel was more of a tweener than once he entered WCW in 1996.

EDIT: Just saw Charlie's response so here's one more for the road...what is it with you and hand signs dude? : It's cool and all, but that hand sign is hardly something I'd call influential, just something that's stuck around for years. Is Stone Cold giving the middle finger influential? Is John Cena's facewash thing influential? I think not.

Do you mean stone cold was a tweener in WCW? 'Cause in WWF he was a full on babyface. He acted like a dick but not to the fans and got explosive pops

 

[Fuji Vice]

Do you mean stone cold was a tweener in WCW? 'Cause in WWF he was a full on babyface. He acted like a dick but not to the fans and got explosive pops

Erm, I know you may have missed out on a lot, you know, not being alive during the time, but Austin was very much a tweener once the fans started cheering him while he was still a heel. Jake Roberts is another example I can think of as being a "quintessential" tweener as opposed to Hall and Nash when they were in WCW. A tweener, by definition, is something of an anti-hero. Hall and Nash weren't anti-hero's, they were heels and, along with Hogan, the most despised men in wrestling. How is that being a tweener?

EDIT: For reference purposes, just so you don't come back at me with some idiotic argument....

http://prowrestling.wikia.com/wiki/Tweener

 

[Sabretooth]

Erm, I know you may have missed out on a lot, you know, not being alive during the time, but Austin was very much a tweener once the fans started cheering him while he was still a heel. Jake Roberts is another example I can think of as being a "quintessential" tweener as opposed to Hall and Nash when they were in WCW. A tweener, by definition, is something of an anti-hero. Hall and Nash weren't anti-hero's, they were heels and, along with Hogan, the most despised men in wrestling. How is that being a tweener?

EDIT: For reference purposes, just so you don't come back at me with some idiotic argument....

http://prowrestling.wikia.com/wiki/Tweener

The fans cheered him because he refused to submit to bret hart then became the biggest babyface of the attitude era.

 

[Fuji Vice]

The fans cheered him because he refused to submit to bret hart then became the biggest babyface of the attitude era.

Did you even read the link I posted? You did notice Stone Cold's name on there and also that he more than exemplifies the term tweener, right? Even when he was being cheered by fans, he was still doing bad things that a true babyface (Ricky Steamboat) wouldn't do. That's a tweener, nothing more, nothing less.

Again, arguing is fine, but arguing just to argue is fucking stupid dude.

 

[Sabretooth]

Did you even read the link I posted? You did notice Stone Cold's name on there and also that he more than exemplifies the term tweener, right? Even when he was being cheered by fans, he was still doing bad things that a true babyface (Ricky Steamboat) wouldn't do. That's a tweener, nothing more, nothing less.

Again, arguing is fine, but arguing just to argue is fucking stupid dude.

What was he doing? Did he cheat to win? No. Did he insult the fans? No. he feuded with all the top heels I know that. If you're talking about him using bad language and the middle finger that's only because it was the attitude era. That was the norm lol.

 

[Fuji Vice]

What was he doing? Did he cheat to win? No. Did he insult the fans? No. he feuded with all the top heels I know that. If you're talking about him using bad language and the middle finger that's only because it was the attitude era. That was the norm lol.

Sure, after the Hart feud you could make an argument he may have moved more into babyface territory. However, prior to that, when he defeated Jake Roberts and gave his Austin 3:16 speech he was a tweener and, guess what, the fans still cheered. When he eliminated Bret Hart after he himself had been eliminated in the 1997 Royal Rumble (regardless of whether the officials "saw" it or not), that was a heelish move, no? Guess what? The fans still cheered. He beat up every single person who worked in the company including JR and a pre-heel Vince McMahon. Those don't really sound like babyface actions to me AND the fans still cheered anyways. Doesn't that sound more like a tweener?

 

[Lover Boy]

I think it's also fair to ask whether they would have been influential if not for Bischoff doing the work behind the scenes? Sure WCW signed Hall and Nash, but it's not like they came up with the concept of the NWO. Hell, Bischoff didn't even really do that, he just lifted it from the NJPW vs. UWF feud.

Not trying to discredit Hall and Nash's contributions, but if you include them as influential SOLELY based on what happened with the NWO, you also have to include Bischoff, Hogan, Kevin Sullivan, Paul Orndorff and basically anyone else who pitched ideas to make the faction successful.

Also, just one other comment in regards to Charlie's post, wouldn't Stone Cold Steve Austin be considered the "quintessential" tweener? Actually, I'd even argue Nash while he was still with WWF as Diesel was more of a tweener than once he entered WCW in 1996.

EDIT: Just saw Charlie's response so here's one more for the road...what is it with you and hand signs dude? : It's cool and all, but that hand sign is hardly something I'd call influential, just something that's stuck around for years. Is Stone Cold giving the middle finger influential? Is John Cena's facewash thing influential? I think not.

I think that apart from Hulkamania, the nWo were the first really marketable wrestlers. As well as being wrestlers, they were incredibly marketable and the hand sign was a big part of that. That's why I think the handsign is big. .

 

[Fuji Vice]

I think that apart from Hulkamania, the nWo were the first really marketable wrestlers. As well as being wrestlers, they were incredibly marketable and the hand sign was a big part of that. That's why I think the handsign is big. .

Wrestlers have been marketable since they sold out arenas solely based on their name and picture appearing in a newspaper ad. Lou Thesz, Gorgeous George, Bruno Sammartino and many others were all marketed in the traditional sense. It's always been a part of wrestling dude, Hulkamania wasn't the first and nWo wasn't the second coming.

As for the handsign, do people even really give it a second thought besides the dudes in the Kliq that still do it when they're together? Of all the things you'd mention about the nWo's contribution to wrestling, it seems like the least important. How about Hall first appearing on Nitro? Nash powerbombing Bischoff? Hogan's speech? Lawn darting Rey Mysterio? Spraypainting the belt?

Does a handsign seriously seem that significant by comparison?

 

[Sabretooth]

Sure, after the Hart feud you could make an argument he may have moved more into babyface territory. However, prior to that, when he defeated Jake Roberts and gave his Austin 3:16 speech he was a tweener and, guess what, the fans still cheered. When he eliminated Bret Hart after he himself had been eliminated in the 1997 Royal Rumble (regardless of whether the officials "saw" it or not), that was a heelish move, no? Guess what? The fans still cheered. He beat up every single person who worked in the company including JR and a pre-heel Vince McMahon. Those don't really sound like babyface actions to me AND the fans still cheered anyways. Doesn't that sound more like a tweener?

Ok maybe before and during his feud with hart but that's it.

 

[Horrorfan_1986]

Well i didnt mean in the sense he started Hulkamania he helped to usher in Hulkamania because Backlund wouldnt wrestle Hogan for the belt because he thought he sucked and Verne Gagne offered sheik a 100k to win and take the title to him.

Well, that's not true. There's zero reason to believe that McMahon had planned to have Backlund drop the title to Hogan. There was always a transitional heel champion between babyface reigns. Sheik's influence is especially small when you take into account that it's not as if he was the only one McMahon was considering to be the one to be the middle man. With a little luck, The Masked Superstar could have been given the title instead. Besides, Hulkamania had already begun in the AWA. All that happened was that Hogan brought the character to the WWE where McMahon knew how to market it better than old man Gagne.

 

[FalconPunch]

Dynamite Kid deserves a lot of credit for a style shift...

 

[Swamps]

I would like to add Ron Simmons as an influential wrestler. The reason is this, he was the first African American WHC in any promotion, and has been one of the most respected wrestlers in the business. As a matter of fact, several younger (at the time) Black wrestlers have came up to him and always thanked him for paving the way for them and giving them hope that they could be the Man as well.

 

[Fuji Vice]

Dynamite Kid deserves a lot of credit for a style shift...

For better or worse, without him there's no Benoit.

I would like to add Ron Simmons as an influential wrestler. The reason is this, he was the first African American WHC in any promotion, and has been one of the most respected wrestlers in the business. As a matter of fact, several younger (at the time) Black wrestlers have came up to him and always thanked him for paving the way for them and giving them hope that they could be the Man as well.

I remember how amazing it was when he was chasing and then finally won the title. His reign may not have been that hot, but the moment he won is up there with the greats. I really want to go watch some '91-'92 WCW right now. DAMN!

 

[Swamps]

https://youtu.be/OEFiVntlPNA

Man, the crowd at the end of this match was just on fire. Not man reactions like that, and there were even kids crying out of happiness in the audience.