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I have had approximately seven wrestlers in my lifetime that I would truly call my absolute favorites. When I first started watching at the ripe old age of three, I didn’t really care. I just loved the spectacle of the sport. NWA and USWA were what I saw on TV, but I cannot recall one definitive favorite. There was Ric Flair. He certainly got my attention. There was Jeff Jarrett and Stunning Steve Austin along with Billy Joe Travis. They were fun to watch. But the day that I turned on the WWF’s programming and saw the Ultimate Warrior…well, let’s just say my little five-six year old mind was completely enamored. Hogan was probably perfect for kids a little bit older than me, but Warrior with his awesome theme music and the energy that he pumped into an arena without even saying a word was just the perfect recipe to capture my imagination. Then, as I got a little bit older and started watching all the old PPVs on Coliseum Video, Bret Hart took over. I was fascinated with his work. I didn’t really understand, yet, that I appreciated great in-ring performances, but there was a stark contrast between him and just about everyone else in the WWF at that time. Whether it be in tag action or singles, Bret Hart was the best technical wrestler and that became what I most wanted to see. I put my dad in the Sharpshooter many a time leading up to Wrestlemania IX. When he lost the title, my interest in wrestling died down a bit and I took a hiatus. Yet, I remember that during my “Bret is the best” days, I watched a tape from maybe Wrestle Fest in 1991 and it included a match between Shawn Michaels and Ric Flair. I came away from that thinking that Michaels was awesome. So, when I got back into wrestling in 1995 and HBK was doing his storyline where he came back from injury only to be blasted with an enziguiri by Owen Hart that knocked unconscious…HBK shot to the top of my list. I watched him beat Bret and that was all she wrote for me. Michaels proceeded to become not only my favorite for a short while but my favorite of all-time. If you’ve read enough of my columns, you’ll know that I consider HBK to be the Michael Jordan of pro-wrestling – absolutely without question the greatest in-ring performer of all-time and I’ll argue you until you give up from sheer annoyance if you disagree. If it were not for The Rock, I may have given up wrestling during the Attitude era after HBK retired. I watched Rock’s debut at the ’96 Survivor Series and thoroughly enjoyed pegging him as the future and seeing that prediction actually happen. Rock’s charisma and athleticism easily caused him to Trump whatever Stone Cold Steve Austin was doing. In fairness, Austin never had a chance since he both turned the world against one of my favorites (Bret) and opposite my all-time favorite (HBK) in what seemed to be Shawn’s final match. Rock was just awesome, though. I never cared much about promos until he started whooping candy asses and showing people their roles. The match he had with Hogan put the stamp on Rock’s career as one of the greatest ever in my eyes, but that was in the midst of a career transition for the Great One. 2002 was the year that Kurt Angle took over for me. It was a series of matches with Edge, actually, that really got my attention. He reminded me of a cross between Michaels and Hart. Interestingly, though, it was Edge that I pegged as my favorite for the future that summer. He validated that claim time and time again until he got injured and was gone for a year, but in the midst of that Angle just dazzled my now college-maturing mind that found a passion for in-ring performance like never before. HBK had returned and been brilliant, but Angle was doing it on a nightly basis. Only HBK, Bret, and Flair have ever had a run of brilliance like Angle did from 2001-2005 in my opinion. Very organically, Angle emerged as one of my all-time favorites. At the end of 2003, though, I pegged another favorite. I saw Randy Orton wrestle RVD for the IC title and I was impressed more by that match than I had been with his showings against the likes of HBK. After he kicked ass with Foley, that was all she wrote. I became a huge Orton supporter and remain one today (although I don’t have to be as vocal about it because he doesn’t need it). Edge returned around that same time and slowly built himself into an 11-time champion and headliner/main-eventer of four consecutive Wrestlemanias in title matches. Needless to say, my Magnificent Seven had a stellar bunch of resumes and I managed to hitch my wagon to those guys before they really made it big (with Warrior being the one exception). So, given that all but one of those guys has either retired or is wrestling in a company that I don’t care to follow right now, I am in need of a new favorite. I think it is safe to say that we’re in the midst of a new era. CM Punk is charging hard right now, but I’m not one who pegged him as a star. Friends and colleagues did, but I can’t say that I was one who saw him becoming as major a player as he’s currently morphing into. Thus, he may end up being like Angle – so good that I have no choice but to peg him a favorite down the road – but I don’t want to be cheap and do things that way. I do, however, have a few candidates that I’ve had my eye on for awhile now without really fully embracing them as a “favorite.” They are as follows: Jack Swagger – The first time I saw him wrestle was when he took the ECW title off of Matt Hardy. I had been reading good things, but I walked away from that match very impressed. Swagger has that natural knack in the ring and the pedigree to become an accomplished star. I thought my early faith in him would be validated by now, but it hasn’t come to fruition just yet. I’m not sure I understand why. He seems to have all the tools, to me. I was excited when he was given a role at Wrestlemania, even if it was to support Michael Cole. Now he’s back to wrestling on Superstars. Alberto Del Rio – I have a hard time investing in him for the long-term because he screams to me the kind of guy that will only be around for a couple of years. I very much enjoy his work when he’s given someone to actually play off of, but that’s not something we’ve seen all that much. When he was feuding with Rey Mysterio and Edge, I thought he did a really nice job of getting himself over and establishing a story with those guys. It seems he’s destined to become the WWE Champion and potentially have another major role at Wrestlemania come 2012, but I am hesitant. John Morrison – There’s not a mid-card wrestler that I enjoy watching more than Morrison. When he’s been given the chance to have lengthy matches against guys that are above-average or better workers, he has truly shined bright. I would have hoped that he’d be much better on the character side of things by now, though. He may one day make it to the main-event, but without much of a character to speak of, I see him becoming the modern era’s RVD; he’ll do flashy things in the ring that nobody else can do, but if you strip him of that then you’re left with nothing special. Dolph Ziggler – I think Dolph is one of the best talents in the WWE that isn’t already in the main-event. He’s shown the ability to be an all-around player that has the look, the wrestling skills, and the above average character traits to make him a star for a long time. I first really noticed him when he feuded with Mysterio over the IC title two years ago. Prior to that, I didn’t think he’d last very long. However, he’s proven to be willing to work hard. He’s had very good matches in the mid-card with a variety of guys (Mysterio, Morrison, Bourne) and he had a nice little run in the main-event that yielded him an hour long World title reign. All the while, his mic skills have improved and he’s charismatic enough that he should be a lock for a future main-event spot. The question doesn’t really seem to be if with him so much as when. Sheamus – Certainly has to be a frontrunner. I’ve been on his bandwagon from the moment he pushed Cena off the top rope and through a table to win the WWE title in December ’09. I remember being super impressed with his poise, despite questioning the hotshot decision to make him champion so quickly. To this day, though, I have yet to be anything but impressed with Sheamus. I think he is one of the best wrestlers in the WWE today and highly underrated in that department, while also being an entertaining mic man with the skills to be great for a long time. I was bummed when he didn’t get a chance to be on the Wrestlemania card this year. I thought that was truly a travesty given his work the previous year. Cody Rhodes – Honestly, I remember thinking he had star potential when he inducted his dad into the Hall of Fame in 2007. Despite the lisp, he was confident and poised in front of a crowd. It has taken a few years for him to morph into a high caliber professional wrestler, but I think he’s done a great job in the last year. Since I’ve become such a recent fan of film noir, I have thoroughly enjoyed his current character and thought the work he did with Rey Mysterio leading up to and at Wrestlemania was very good and under the radar. Of those candidates, Ziggler is the first to come off the list, simply because I know too many people that saw something in him long before me. I like to feel as if I’m in the minority and Dolph has too much favor with the majority. I’ll next eliminate Del Rio, for while I’m a supporter, I’ve not yet seen him do enough in the ring to really call him a favorite. Morrison is a guy that I’m going to be a fan of no matter what and will be very pumped to see him take the next step if he ever does, but I just can’t hang my hat on this guy. I just do not see the willingness to improve the acting type skills that have become a prerequisite for consistent main-event status. Then, I’ve got to cut Swagger. Nothing would make me happier than to see Swagger become a huge star, but I’m getting tired of waiting around. He had an opportunity and, while I thought he did very well with that opportunity, apparently people whose opinions matter far more than mine didn’t see it that way. It comes down to Rhodes vs. Sheamus. Tough choice. Not gonna lie. I wrote a running diary of the year in review for 2010 and I think I praised Sheamus for about ¼ of that column. Nothing has really changed except his stature in the WWE. It’s hard for me to peg a guy as my favorite when it is not out of the realm of possibility that he could continue to wallow in mid-card hell for the rest of his career, but I think he’s far too talented to be held down for long. He’s got the size, the ability, and the charisma to be a major player for as long as the WWE can find something for him, but therein lies the problem again…they’ve got nothing for him. If he can overcome that, I foresee him doing some huge things in his career. With Rhodes, though, we’re dealing with a guy that just keeps getting better and better. When a guy that carries the respect of his peers like Rey Mysterio comes forth and hand picks someone to work with at Wrestlemania, then you have to assume that you’re not alone in thinking that said guy is getting people’s attention. He’s got the genes…he’s got the goods. He can talk, he can wrestle, he’s athletic, and he seems to be a student of the game. Sheamus, too, possesses each of those qualities. That is why I cannot choose between them. Edge and Orton shared the spot for years behind HBK. Today, I declare that Sheamus AND Cody Rhodes are my two new favorite wrestlers behind Orton. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Another chance to vote... Summerslam Champions League Knockout Stage: Final Four-Five (CMV1 note – I thought Bret vs. Perfect might get the win over the classic match with Bulldog after the first five voters chose the bout from Summerslam ’91, but then Bulldog-Bret took over. Also, I decided to vote this round, so we had an even number. Taker-Edge and Rock-Brock tied! So, we’re going to have a triple threat match in one our semi-finals) Shawn Michaels-Triple H in a Non-Sanctioned Street Fight ('02) VS. Bret Hart -Owen Hart in a Steel Cage Match ('94) Bret Hart-The British Bulldog ('92) VS. Undertaker - Edge in a Hell in a Cell Match ('08) VS. The Rock - Brock Lesnar ('02)
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