Professional wrestling’s having a moment. Whether it was last week’s Wrestlemania 35 (Christmas for Westling fans), John Oliver’s recent commentary on how the WWE treats its performers or the attack on Brett Hart at an induction into the WWE Hall of Fame, wrestling is in the news more right now than any other time of the year (barring another tragedy or loss of a long time icon, that is).
As kids, a lot of us found ourselves consumed by the spectacle and noise and the (often absurd) theatrics of the poor man’s ballet. And it wasn’t just those of us who were dismissed as nerds, geeks and dorks. The jocks and cool kids were just as into it as we were, though some were loath to admit it.
I was no exception. In fact, my best friend in high school designed a wrestling role playing game that eventually recruited some of the ever elusive cool kids into its ranks (you know, the kind of kids who would ignore you in the halls, even if you were on fire). We had regular intervals of D&D, Star Wars, Star Trek, super hero and other assorted role-playing games, but our never-named wrestling game (which we just called “The Game” during those pre-Triple H days) was the one we always came back to and obsessed over more than anything else.
I myself have come back to wrestling a few times over the years, often as an exercise in nostalgia. I still poke my head in every once in a while (mostly on youtube) just to see how the industry that devoured so much of my formative years is doing.
With that in mind, here are my ten favourite wrestlers growing up. It should be noted that these are the characters I saw and in the ring and who lit it up (sometimes literally) during interviews and promos. The individuals behind the personas, masks and face paint were sometimes very different people, often troubled and too many names on this list have met with bad and tragically early ends.
Having said all that . . .
10. Big Van Vader: There were few monsters as terrifying or as effective as Big Van Vader back in the day. A powerhouse that moved with frightening agility, Vader was used to his full potential during his years in Japan and WCW. He was a beast that demolished anyone that found themselves in his way, and only the cream of the heavyweight crop could hope to stand against him. And sometimes they got the ass kicking of their lives at his merciless hands.
Vader would eventually make his way to the supposedly greener pastures of the WWF (now WWE), where he was completely wasted. My friends and I had lengthy debates on whether or not Vader was “WWF material” (in those days, the WWF was filled with evil mounties, plumbers, garbage men, corrupt IRS agents and clowns) and it turns out he wasn’t. He quickly became a caricature of his former self, an exaggerated jobber whose sole purpose was to get baby faces and crowd favourites over. But I’ll always remember him as an unconquerable beast that broke plenty of terrified opponents and drove legions of fans nuts.
9. Kevin Nash: After burning through a dozen or so absurd gimmicks, the towering Nash found himself in the WWF as Diesel, Shawn Michaels oversized bodyguard (who always managed to find way to interfere on Michaels’ behalf when the ref wasn’t looking). But his size and charisma on the mic soon got him a successful singles career, where he was winning titles and feuding with the WWF’s top names in no time.
When he and fellow clique member Scott Hall defected to WCW, it sparked an all out war between the two promotions. Nash was WCW’s front man when they were winning the war, but he was also one of the fall guys drawing the most heat when WCW went down in flames.
8. Batista: When the Attitude Era came to a close in the WWE (after it had lead Vince McMahon to absolute victory over WCW), the Ruthless Aggression era began, ushering in a new generation of superstars. And Dave Batista (known sometimes simply as The Animal) was one of the most prominent new faces to assume the mantle of stardom as the likes of “Stone Cold” Steve Austin and The Rock gave it up.
A combination of intense physicality and image adrenaline, Batista was present for a number of distinct eras in the WWE, winning titles and selling out shows in all of them. He still laces up the boots every once in a while despite being in his late forties and carving out a decent career in movies (he faced off against long time frenemy Triple H in last Sunday’s Wrestlemania). Few other wrestlers could match his in ring resume, his intensity and his cred with the fans.
7. Lita: Lita was the pioneer responsible for paving the way for the current generation of Divas (do they still even use that name?). While other ladies were strutting around in mini-skirts, posing for Playboy or valeting for the guys, Lita was flying from the ropes, throwing bodies and sailing through the sky. Her physical prowess and skills were often a match for many of her male counterparts and miles more entertaining. In short, Lita was a badass breaking as many limbs and hearts as she wanted.
Eventually the WWE did get around to sexualizing her, sticking her in Bra and Panty matches and women’s mud wrestling. But without her frontier pushing style, the likes of Charlotte Flair, Becky Lynch and even Rhonda Rousey wouldn’t be the headliners they are today.
6. The Undertaker: Few other names in any entertainment business have as much durability or impact as The Undertaker. For decades, the Deadman captured the imagination of millions of fans the world over, his popularity matched by a precious few. Whether he was a babyface or a heel, the man also known as the Phenom drew wild applause everywhere he went. Just the opening bell in his trademark entrance music was enough to send entire stadiums full of people into wild frenzies.
Despite a few years where he was the American Badass (a 6’10 biker who came to the ring with Limp Bizkit music blaring over the PA), ‘Taker always embraced the dark side. And he always knew exactly when to tinker and refine that image, whether it was a hardcore satanic figure trading in human suffering, a vengeful figure that handed out beatings as punishment or anything in between. He is, quite simply, one of the greatest inventions professional wrestling has ever seen and his Wrestlemania winning streak will never be touched by anyone else. Ever.
5. Kane: I’m definitely in the minority on this one, but I actually liked Kane-The Undertaker’s equally terrifying but larger “brother”-better than the Deadman himself. I preferred the original Big Red Machine incarnation in particular. Like the Undertaker, Kane’s image underwent a number of changes over the years, but his original version, with the full face mask and the flame red suit and the long greasy hair, is the one that excited my imagination the most. A truly demonic visage that was only heightened by his ominous silence (he would only start speaking years after his debut), the eruptions of flame that accompanied his arrival both terrified and thrilled entire stadiums full of fans.
Unlike The Undertaker however, Kane would never truly be used to his full, frightening potential. He would win a few belts here and there, but The Demon would also be one day relegated to a glorified jobber, losing to everyone and their brother. Fun fact though, Glen Jacobs (the man beneath the mask) is now pretty much retired from the wrestling game and got himself elected the mayor of Knoxville, Tennessee. Life, man. Life.
4. The Legion of Doom: Hawk and Animal-who spent years going by the Road Warriors until rumoured legal action by the makers of the Mad Max movie of the same name convinced them to change it-were all about kicking ass and looking awesome doing it. They walked and talked like a couple of guys who would feel right at home running a post apocalyptic fight club. It was sometimes impossible to tell if they were heels or babyfaces, and it almost never mattered.
They were among the highest demand performers of their generation, notably competing in the AWA, NWA, WCW, Japan and WWF, winning the tag team heavyweight titles in each promotion as well. They are the only team in wrestling history who can make that boast. And they never would have been able to do it without the unflinching love of the fans.
3. Brett “The Hitman” Hart: The excellence of execution. The best there is, was and ever will be. These are just a few of the monikers Brett “The Hitman Hart” went by during his career, and he earned every one off them. Both a hero and a villain over the course of his career, Hart made being a technical wizard cool during an era of lumbering brutes and strong men. His matches were the first I could ever remember that looked as cool as he did (up until that point, a wrestler’s entire persona was defined by their look and their “gimmick”). Seemingly single handed, Hart made aesthetically beautiful wrestling a thing in the WWF (although kudos to Curt “Mr Perfect” Henning on that front as well).
The most famous member of the Hart wrestling clan, The Hitman also made being Canadian cool (even when a number of storylines made his Canadian citizenship a source of villany). Being from Calgary became a part of his image and even during the years where he was booed everywhere else in the world, Canadian audiences embraced him with unrivalled affection when he wrestled north of the 49th. In fact he won his first WWF heavyweight belt during an un-televised house how in Winnipeg, launching him to both wrestling and Canadian stardom. The Montreal screw job will live in wrestling infamy forever, partly because it took place in Montreal (a city that never forgave Shawn Michaels for his part in the fiasco).
Hart suffered a career ending injury shortly after his brother Owen died during a WWE show and he’s been haunted by personal and professional tragedies ever since (the death of long time partner, friend and brother-in-law Jim Neidhart last year was the most recent). If the wrestling gods ever decide to be kind, they’d make sure The Hitman found some much deserved peace during his golden years.
2. Sting: When it came to wrestling, no one was cooler than Sting. A precocious, hot-headed, impulsive, energetic and charismatic competitor, he was a combination of the Ultimate Warrior and Brett Hart. He had the Warrior’s face paint and a touch of mystique (Sting and the Warrior were actually a tag team during their first years in the business) but his technical skills rivalled that of the supremely talented Brett Hart. His athleticism, style and personality were all his own however, and those were the things that drove him to the top of WCW food chain.
But when the industry began shifting (and WCW briefly moved to the top of the wrestling food chain), Sting knew it was time to change things up. While retaining the name, he became a Crow inspired hero that rained silent justice down on whatever villain (or villains) were ruining the current party. It would turn out to be one of the most successful reinventions the business had ever seen, and fans ate his new image up.
Sting turned down repeated invitations to jump ship to the WWF/WWE, choosing to remain with the WCW ship even as it sank. But even his presence wasn’t enough to overcome a mountain of problems in TNA (the promotion that tried to replace WCW) and he finally suited up for a few WWE shows at the end of his long and storied career. But like Vader years before (ironically, Vader was one of Sting’s biggest nemesis during his first run as WCW champion), he was squandered in the WWE, losing each of the few matches he wrestled. But whether it was “Surfer Sting” or “Crow Sting” his days as a top name in WCW will be the ones millions of fans will look on fondly.
1.The Ultimate Warrior: It should come as little surprise that an imposing specimen who raced to the ring clad in brilliant colours, who spoke of the gods and destiny and courage and who hailed from parts unknown would have captured the imagination of a lonely kid who was into comic books, fantasy novels and D&D. But when the Warrior’s furious music came thundering on, millions of hearts kicked into high gear and we all cheered the guy who was disposing of some unfortunate heel with a combination of neck breaking speed and eye opening physical strength.
The Warrior shot up the ranks and became a fan favourite seemingly overnight. Just a few short years after breaking into the WWF, he was pinning Hulk Hogan at Wrestlemania 6 to become the first man in WWF history to hold two singles titles at once as well as the face of the entire industry. Unfortunately it wasn’t meant to be and the Warrior lost the title just seven months later (by then it had become apparent he couldn’t shoulder the industry the way Hogan did). He would never hold another belt and he would be gone a little over a year after being anointed wrestling’s next icon.
He would come back to the WWF a few more times (and would even have a brief run in WCW), but each return would be shorter than the last and they all ended in animosity. The irony is that defeating Hogan (and the significance of that can never be overstated) was both the highest point of his career as well as the one where it started heading south. He would spend years fighting the WWF and then the WWE in court before burying the hatchet in 2014. In one final and grim stroke of irony, days after making peace and being inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame, Jim Hellwig-the man beneath the war paint-would die suddenly. But the Warrior’s memory still casts a long shadow, and the memories of watching him with wide eyes and listening with rapt attention will be forever burned into the memories and the imaginations of an entire generation of fans.
