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Greatest WWE Wrestlers of All Time
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‘Macho Man’ Randy Savage
Born as Randall Mario ‘Randy’ Poffo on November 15th, 1952 in the town of Columbus, Ohio, Poffo was the elder son of famous wrestler Angelo Poffo and the brother of wrestler Lanny Poffo. Poffo is more commonly known by his famous ring moniker, ‘The Macho Man’ Randy Savage, which he adopted in the WWE (then WWF).
Poffo had his beginnings at his father’s promotion, the International Championship Wrestling. After becoming a full-time wrestler, he also worked in Jerry ‘The King’ Lawler’s Continental Wrestling Association with his family before finally joining the WWF in the summer of 1985.
Randy Savage debuted in the WWF as a crazed maniacal bully and after receiving several offers, he finally chose Miss Elizabeth to be his manager. Savage constantly mistreated his future wife and made a huge impact in the ring, beating Tito Santana to win his first Intercontinental title in 1986, which was also his first ever title in the WWF. This was Savage’s stepping stone to greatness as he went on to adopt the moniker of “Macho King” and engaged in memorable feuds with the likes of Ricky Steamboat, Hulk Hogan, The Ultimate Warrior and the ‘Million Dollar Man’ Ted Dibiase.
Randy Savage’s crowning moment came at WrestleMania 4 when he defeated Ted Dibiase in the finals of a 14-man tournament to win the WWF Championship for the first time in his career.
Savage is noted for forming the legendary tag team ‘The Mega Powers’ with Hulk Hogan and then wife Miss Elizabeth as valet-cum-manager. The team was stable in the WWF for for over two years, and it culminated in a match at WrestleMania 5 between the two teammates for the WWF Championship, in which Hogan defeated Savage to become the WWF Champion.
After the implosion of the Megapowers in 1989, Savage underwent a face turn and his ‘Macho Man’ gimmick was now in full flow. With Miss Elizabeth re-instated as his valet again, Savage received a great response from the crowd, and ended up being more popular than the likes of Hogan and Ultimate Warrior during this period.
What made Randy Savage so well-liked were his eccentric behaviour, his deep and raspy voice and his colourful outfits (which included a bandanna, sunglasses and cowboy hats occasionally). One of the most charismatic wrestlers ever, Savage was not the most decorated of wrestlers, but his impact in the revolution of the WWF is very under-rated.
When people think about the 80′s in the WWF, they immediately think about Hulkamania. But where would the Hulkster be without Savage? During his time, Savage was the No. 2 face wrestler of the WWF and arguably a much better promo worker than Hogan with his trademark “ohhhhhh yeahhhhhhhh”, one of the greatest catchphrases of all time (yes, right up there with the Rock’s numerous phrases), which went on to be further popularised by the notorious Slim Jim ads.
At WrestleMania 7, when the Macho Man faced The Ultimate Warrior in a career-threatening match (the loser had to retire), his ex-wife Miss Elizabeth was in the stands. Macho Man would go on to lose to the Warrior in one of the most heartbreaking scenes in WWF history and after the match, Macho Man and Miss Elizabeth had an emotional reunion, leading to Savage turning face again. The respect that was shown for the Macho Man that night was heart-warming and one of the best feel good moments ever, even greater than the farewells of Ric Flair and Shawn Michaels.
Despite Savage’s much-publicized tension and eventual departure from the WWF and defection to WCW, his legacy cannot be erased, not even by Vince McMahon. In an era where flamboyance was at its highest, it was the Macho King who stood head and shoulders above the rest; no other wrestler was as passionate as he was.
Savage’s match with Ricky Steamboat at WrestleMania 3 is widely considered as one of the best fights ever – it was voted match of the year in 1987. Savage was also named Wrestler of the Year in 1988, and earned countless other awards, including two WWF Championship titles and four WCW World Heavyweight Championship trophies.
The Macho Man’s death in May 2011 elicited universal respect for the man, and many of the older fans were saddened to the point of heartbreak. He left an indelible mark on WWE/F and his legacy will endure on forever, with even his estranged former boss Vince McMahon saying that Savage was “extremely charismatic” and “one of wrestling’s all-time greats”.
It is a crying shame that Savage hasn’t been inducted into the Hall of Fame yet, and one can only hope that the WWE will do it sooner rather than later.
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The Undertaker
Lights fade. The gong strikes. Eerie music. There’s smoke, there’s fire, it’s everywhere. Gentle screams echo through the building, the mob hold their breath in anticipation. Fear or respect? Maybe a combination of both. The gong strikes again. The stage is set. And finally, the one they’ve been waiting for makes his entrance. Dressed completely in black, with a menacing stare suggestive of the character’s constant tryst with the dark side – make way for the Phenom, the Deadman, the Undertaker!
Born in Houston Texas, Mark Calaway wasn’t like the rest of us. He was no mere mortal. He was destined for greatness. If not, why then would he quit a potentially great career in basketball and move towards wrestling? For a man who stood at 6 foot 10 inches, the guy was built for basketball! However, Calaway had other plans. He must have seen the light. Or in his case, the darkness.
Calaway’s wrestling career began in 1984, with the World Class Championship Wrestling (WCCW). When five years of toil bore no fruit, he joined the World Championship Wrestling (WCW) in 1989. He spent a year with the company portraying a limited character,‘Mean’ Mark Callous. Still no recognition, still no fame. It was time to jump ship. WCW’s ‘monstrous’ loss was the WWE’s (then known as WWF) colossal gain.
When the WWE signed him in 1990, Calaway was not the only one who benefited from the transfer; the entire company was set for two decades of endless entertainment. Twenty two years down the line, there is nothing that Calaway, or his awe-inspiring in-ring character, the Undertaker, has not achieved in the WWE. A living legend in the wrestling world. Eight-time world champion, seven-time World Tag-team champion, six-time WWF Tag-team Champion and the winner of the 2007 Royal Rumble. These numbers are simply staggering! But the record that stands out the most vividly is the Undertaker’s undefeated streak at the ‘Big Daddy’ of them all – 20-0 at the grandest stage of sports entertainment, WrestleMania. Take a bow; 20 of them, in fact!
The Undertaker started out by taking on the titans of the wrestling world such as the ageless Hulk Hogan, Bret ‘Hitman’ Hart, Randy Savage and Shawn Michaels, and then went on to stand toe-to-toe with the next generation of cult wrestlers like Stone Cold Steve Austin, the Rock, Triple H and Kurt Angle in the Attitude Era. Taker even formed a faction known as ‘The Ministry of Darkness’ in 1999. The episode in which he kidnapped the WWE Chairman Vince McMahon’s daughter, Stephanie McMahon. was a classic one to say the least. Apparently, he had orders from a ‘higher power’. Undertaker was truly the devil’s favourite child (apologies to Kane) and boy did we love him! His alternate ‘American Bad-Ass’ personality was a great hit with the fans as well. Who could forget the sight of a bandana-clad Taker on a Harley Davidson circling outside the ring? Classic stuff!
Even the current generation of wrestlers have not been spared. Taker has been a thorn in the flesh of great, young athletes such as Randy Orton and even John Cena on one highly entertaining occasion. The current crop of wrestlers have nothing but respect for him. Towards the end of the last decade, Taker was the sole, consistent flagship bearer of WWE Smackdown – a show that has slowly gone downhill in recent times without the Undertaker’s enchanting presence.
Many great wrestlers have challenged Taker in a bid to end his illustrious streak at WrestleMania. Each and every one of them failed in their pursuit of glory. In the last four years, Taker faced Shawn Michaels and Triple H twice each. And every single time, he walked out (on one occasion, was carried out) victorious.
The Undertaker is an evergreen wrestler who has effortlessly stood the test of time. If his son was a WWE wrestler, he would probably be wrestling him right now! That says it all. This writer would sell either one of his kidneys to get a chance of witnessing him live (any takers?). Sure, Taker is now showing a few signs of slowing down, but to the huge relief of wrestling fans worldwide, he hasn’t called it a day yet. When that day comes, cherish the sight of the Deadman for one last time, as he stands at the far end of the arena with his back facing the fans and one fist raised high, as if to say, I’ve seen them all, and I’ve beaten them all!
Rest in Peace.
And here’s a video tribute to the wrestler who will go down as one of the greatest of all time. Take a look!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=-JMYzO_1nHc
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“Stone Cold” Steve Austin
He is a six-time WWF Champion, a Hall of Famer and the biggest box office draw in pro wrestling history. These are just some of the accolades for the man known by most fans as “Stone Cold”. Steve Austin: the man who helped usher in a new era of pro wrestling, bringing the company once known as WWF (now WWE) to unprecedented heights – heights not seen even during the days of Hulk Hogan and “Hulkamania”.
Austin started his career much like every other wrestler, toiling on the independent circuit. Austin initially stuck mostly to Texas, as those were still the territory days, and he took training under the late “Gentleman” Chris Adams. After just a year of training, Austin won 1990’s “Rookie of the Year” prize by Pro Wrestling Illustrated, the number one wrestling magazine in the world at the time. Armed with loads of charisma and soaking in every bit of wrestling knowledge he could like a sponge, Austin was already making waves despite his lack of experience. Later that same year, after Texas-based World Class Championship Wrestling (WCCW) finally shut down (the promotion Austin was working for at the time), WCW, the number 2 promotion in the US, came calling. Austin debuted later that year, and won his first major title, the WCW World Television Championship, just weeks after his debut, defeating tag team specialist “Beautiful” Bobby Eaton for the gold.
Austin would stay with WCW until 1995, picking up a second TV title along the way, as well as both the NWA and WCW World Tag Team titles as part of the Hollywood Blondes, with partner “Flyin” Brian Pillman. After the Blondes split up, Austin moved back into the singles ranks, and looked poised to be on the fast track to a main event program with a pair of WCW United States Championships. Back then, the US champion was basically considered the #1 contender to the WCW World title, and plans were on for Austin to step up to then-champion, the much heralded Hulk Hogan. However, Hogan and the company president saw things differently, looking at Austin as nothing more than a mid-carder who wasn’t very marketable. After returning to the company from a knee injury in 1995, Austin suffered another injury, this time to his triceps, while on a tour of Japan. At this point, Bischoff fired Austin over the phone, telling him he wasn’t marketable and that they had no use for someone so bland.
While rehabbing his injury, Austin was contacted by ECW owner Paul Heyman, who happened to be a close friend of Austin’s. Heyman knew Austin was hurt, but offered him the chance to come on his show, be himself and tell the world exactly what he thought about WCW. Austin liked the idea and soon joined the renegade promotion from Philadelphia, delivering incredible promos that were well-received all across the board, and helping to prove how wrong Bischoff was about Austin’s lack of marketability. Eventually, Austin returned to action, working for ECW and helping build the company up as something special. Although plans were in place for Austin to become the ECW World Champion, he refused. Instead, he saw things a little bit differently, and wanted to help put some of the homegrown talents in the company over, specifically perennial underdog Mikey Whipwreck. In a match for the championship, Austin put Whipwreck over cleanly, putting both the new champion and the company as a whole over in the process. He later put over company favorite the Sandman, who Austin credits with helping develop his own “beer drinking” gimmick. It was obvious to everyone that Austin was destined for bigger things, and he left the company later that year when the WWF finally came calling.
Austin’s first year with the company wasn’t great. He was given the name “The Ringmaster” and quickly put with “The Million Dollar” Man Ted DiBiase as a mouthpiece while also being given the Million Dollar Championship, an unrecognized title in the company. After just a couple of months, Austin got frustrated with how he was being portrayed in the company, especially after the creative team told him they really had nothing for him at that moment. However, they told him to come up with some ideas, and after watching some documentaries on serial killers, specifically “Nightstalker” Richard Ramirez, Austin decided he should have that kind of killer edge to his gimmick. The management liked the idea, and gave him a list of names he could choose from, all of which sounded horrible to Austin (“Chilly McFreeze” being the most noted one). So Austin decided he would come up with his own nickname, and during a discussion with his then-wife Jeannie over a cup of tea, she told him to drink his tea before it turned “stone cold”. And thus, a brand new nickname, and gimmick, were born.
After the gimmick change, Austin rid himself of Ted DiBiase as his manager, who headed to WCW to become involved with the n.W.o. angle. Austin’s persona had really begun to take shape, and a few months later at that year’s King of the Ring, Austin won the tournament and uttered the now-famous promo ending in the line “…Austin 3:16 says ‘I just whipped your ass!’”, giving birth to a brand new catchphrase and millions upon millions of dollars in merchandise sales.
Austin’s character continued to evolve, becoming more anti-establishment every week with a no-nonsense, in your face, “I say I’m going to beat you up and then I’m going to do it” attitude. Add in plenty of profanity and beer drinking, and Austin became a symbol of hope for every man who had become sick of things and wanted to do something about it, but was unable to do so. But Austin’s attitude soon created a feud with company owner Vince McMahon, and led to “The Stunner Heard ‘Round the World”. Austin became the first man in history to attack his boss on WWF television, leveling McMahon with a Stone Cold Stunner and kicking off a feud with the boss that lasted for 4 years; a feud that helped bring the “Attitude Era” to its zenith and eventually crush WCW in the ratings.
After a falling out with WWE over some bad booking decisions in 2002, Austin eventually returned at the February 2003 PPV No Way Out, defeating then-RAW general manager Eric Bischoff in a quick comedy match. While Austin looked good on the outside, unfortunately, a spinal injury from 1997 resulting from a botched tombstone pile-driver by Owen Hart at that year’s Summer slam had begun flaring up again, and a month later at Wrestlemania XIX (an event I had the privilege of attending and being in the first row for), Austin wrestled his last match, losing to The Rock. Six years later in 2009, Austin was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame, capping off a legendary career for good.
Although Austin’s WWE career was relatively short (around 8 years), he left an indelible mark on both the company and the sport altogether, helping bring wrestling to heights it had never seen before, and hasn’t seen since. During his reign, Austin and WWF/E were two of the hottest subjects in all of sports and pop culture; Austin made millions of dollars for himself and turned Vince McMahon into a certified billionaire in the process. Even Hulk Hogan, who, during the 80s and early 90s, did much the same thing for WWF and McMahon, can’t claim to have brought in numbers like Austin did. During Austin’s run with the company, the TV shows received their highest ratings in history, PPV buy rates were off the charts, and merchandise sold faster than it could be made. To put it simply, Austin helped make watching wrestling acceptable again.
Austin was truly a one-of-a-kind performer, bringing success to WWE that we will likely never see again in our lifetimes.
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Bret ‘Hitman’ Hart
“We are never prepared for what we expect.”
Bret ‘the Hitman’ Hart could surely not have expected nor prepared for the events that occurred during his tenure with the WWF/E. From creating an undying legacy through his irreplaceable persona to getting infamously robbed of the WWF Championship title by his employer Vince McMahon Jr, the Hitman has seen it all.
Born in a wrestling family, Hart was the son of the great Stu Hart, the founder of the Stampede Wrestling promotion in Canada. He was trained by his father in the family ‘dungeon’ where he was put through painful submission maneuvers in an effort by the senior Hart to toughen his son. Soon the young Canadian began to make a name for himself in Stampede Wrestling where his high profile matches with the Dynamite Kid were the talk of the town.
Hart’s association with the WWF began when the latter acquired Stampede Wrestling in 1984. Very soon he adopted the moniker ‘the Hitman’ and formed a tag-team alongside his brother-in-law, Jim ‘the Anvil’ Neidhart. Hart was known for his ‘Pink and Black’ attire and trademark mirrored sunglasses, but most importantly, it was his wrestling background that elevated him to superstardom in the WWF. Gorilla Monsoon, a former wrestler and commentator during the time, recognized Hart’s superior technical wrestling ability and gave him the moniker – ‘The Excellence of Execution’.
In his 13 years with the WWF, Bret Hart won 5 World Heavyweight Championships, 2 Intercontinental Championships, 5 United States Championship and 2 World Tag-Team Championships. The Hitman had to go through the likes of Ric Flair, Mr Perfect, Roddy Piper, and the Undertaker to achieve these feats. He was also the 1994 Royal Rumble winner (along with Lex Luger) and the only two-time ‘King of the Ring’ in WWF history. Hart is known to have not injured a single wrestler during his entire career and he’s listed as a favoured opponent by the likes of Shawn Michaels, Undertaker and Stone Cold Steve Austin. The Hitman’s finishing move, ‘the Sharpshooter’ , has made many a wrestler tap out to give him the victory.
Till the eventful year of 1997, the Hitman was the top dog in the WWE. He was arguably the most popular wrestler in the nineties and was worshipped by millions worldwide. But 1997 saw Hart being screwed over by WWE chief Vince McMahon Jr during his last match in the WWF with Shawn Michaels (who also played a part), in an incident which is infamously known as the ‘Montreal Screwjob.’ After Hart lost the match to Michaels through unfair circumstances, he left the WWF and joined their rival company, WCW, under Eric Bischoff, who, according to Hart, did not put him to good use. The death of his younger brother and fellow wrestler Owen Hart in 1999 saddened the Hitman to a great extent. The younger Hart succumbed to death when a dangerous stunt he was about to perform at a WWE event went horribly wrong. Bret Hart, even to this day, is deeply affected by the tragic accident.
“A most solemn day. It’s so hard not to feel the blood thicken in my heart at the memory of Owen’s passing today.” – @BretHart, 2012.
The Hitman had a successful tenure with the WCW, but his career was cut short, in 2000, by a Goldberg mule-kick which gave him a concussion and ultimately led to a career-ending stroke. After 5 painful years of recovery, Bret Hart patched up with Vince McMahon and got associated again with the WWE. With the company’s help, Hart released the DVD containing his greatest wrestling matches – Bret “Hitman” Hart: The best there is, the best there was and the best there ever will be (a must-watch for any wrestling fan out there). In 2007, the Hitman put his writing skills to the test by authoring the best-selling ‘Hitman: My Real Life in the Cartoon World of Wrestling’, a book that affirms the wrestler’s ability to narrate great stories in great detail. Bret Hart was also deservedly inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2006 by his long-time wrestling opponent, Stone Cold Steve Austin.
The icing on the cake for every Hitman fan was when Hart made a long-awaited return to the ring in January 2010 to patch things up with Shawn Michaels. When the two wrestlers hugged each other after delivering straight-from-the-heart speeches, it made for yet another iconic moment for the Hitman’s fans. In the next couple of years, the Hitman took part in wrestling matches in whatever little manner he could, despite the stroke he suffered a decade ago which greatly limited his wrestling ability.
To this day, the Hitman is revered by millions of wrestling fans across the globe. Most of his peers have only the deepest respect for the Canadian superstar as the hard work and dedication he put in during his time with the WWF/E made a huge impact on the wrestling business and paved the path for the future generations to follow. Young and aspiring wrestlers go through endless videos of Bret Hart’s matches to learn how to orchestrate a wrestling match to perfection.
Each and every match featuring the Hitman unfolded a story, slowly but in sublime fashion. In the nonchalant nineties, no wrestler in the business had a fan following as huge as Bret Hart’s – not even Hulk Hogan. After all, Bret Hart was the man who made ‘pink’ cool!
The Hitman, throughout his career, truly lived by his last and most memorable moniker – The best there is, the best there was and the best there ever will be…
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Shawn Michaels
Mr. Wrestlemania
The Heart Break Kid. The Showstopper. The Headliner. The Main Event. The Icon. And the best of the lot, Mr. Wrestlemania. The innumerable names of the irrepressible Shawn Michaels, one of professional wrestling’s most decorated and respected stars of all time.
Born in Chandler, Arizona as Michael Shawn Hickenbottom, he is the youngest of four children and was born into a military family. Hickenbottom grew up watching and loving pro-wrestling and planned on becoming a wrestler at a very tender age.
He had his beginnings as a wrestler in the American Wrestling Association (AWA) and now named ‘Shawn Michaels’ (a name he adopted in his training), Michaels and his tag-team partner Marty Janetty (named ‘The Midnight Rockers’) won the AWA World Tag Team Championship twice before eventually joining the WWF in 1988. In the WWF, the duo were re-christened as ‘The Rockers’ and enjoyed mild success without winning a title, before Michaels ended the partnership by superkicking Janetty and threw him through the glass window of Brutus Beefcake’s ‘Barber Shop’ segment.
While Janetty experienced mild success before departing the WWF, Michaels became a phenomenon and along with arch-rival Bret Hart, carried the WWF through the mid-nineties. It was during this time that he took on the famous moniker, ‘The Heart Break Kid’ and eventually won the Intercontinental Championship for the first time in October 1992. Michaels put on his first famous, legendary display at Wrestlemania X, in a ladder match for the Intercontinental Championship against Razor Ramon. The match was voted the PWI Match of The Year (Michaels’ second) and was the first ever WWF match to be given a 5-star rating by the prestigious Wrestling Observer Newsletter (WON). The match proved instrumental in launching Michaels’ career to greater heights and he would go on to win the 1995 and 1996 Royal Rumbles.
At Wrestlemania XII in 1996, HBK won his first ever WWF Championship by defeating Bret Hart in a grueling 60-minute Iron Man match in overtime, after it ended in a 0-0 stalemate. It was voted PWI Match of The Year, incredibly Michaels’ third in a row.
“The boyhood dream has come true … for Shawn Michaels”, screamed the then commentator Vince McMahon.
The surging career of the ‘Sexy Boy’ continued to flourish, but reached an all-time low at the most controversial Pay per View in wrestling history, Survivor Series 1997, when the beloved HBK played a major role in Vince McMahon’s unscrupulous plan to screw rival Bret Hart out of the WWF Championship. The incident, nicknamed ‘The Montreal Screwjob’ damaged Michaels’ career irrevocably and Michaels himself admitted it was a burden that he had to live with and could never forgive himself.
Despite a forced retirement the following year due to an injury, Michaels came back in 2002 and led the newly christened WWE through the new era putting over the new generation wrestlers such as John Cena and Randy Orton. Throughout his career, Michaels engaged in numerous memorable feuds with the likes of Triple H, Bret Hart, The Undertaker and Chris Jericho. Eleven of his matches have been voted the PWI Match of The Year, including an incredible seven year streak from 2004 to his retirement in 2010 and two of his matches have received 5-star ratings from WON (only 5 WWE/F matches have ever received 5-star ratings and Michaels is the only wrestler to have two 5-star matches).
With a wide array of breathtakingly spectacular moves, Michaels is one of the most gifted wrestlers of all time. One of the few to be blessed with both incredible mic skills and technical abilities, Michaels always reserved his best for Wrestlemania which inevitably led to the nickname, ‘Mr. Wrestlemania’. Michaels epitomized the undying spirit of a true wrestling fan, who had achieved all that he ever wanted to achieve as a boy. He formed the iconic stable ‘D-Generation’ with Triple H, China and Rick Rude, a stable that characterized the rebellious nature of the ‘Attitude Era’.
Universally respected by fans and fellow wrestlers alike, Michaels’ patch-up with Bret Hart on the January 4, 2010 episode of Raw is one of the greatest feel-good moments in WWE history. A superstar who transcended the confines of professional wrestling, Michaels could make anybody look golden in the ring (he made Mr. McMahon look good!) and made wrestling fun to watch with all the risks he took. At Wrestlemania XIX, Michaels’ first since his return to the company, many wondered if HBK still had the ‘Mr. Wrestlemania’ magic. Facing Chris Jericho, the veteran master and the young upstart put on yet another iconic performance for the fans in what would become a classic rivalry, and it was the start of an even better period for ‘The Icon’. Mr. Wrestlemania was back. And there was no stopping him.
During his retirement period, Michaels founded the Texas Wrestling Academy which churned out excellent wrestlers such as Lance Cade, Brian Kendrick and former World Heavyweight Champion Daniel Bryan. Continuing in the footsteps of Michaels, Bryan looks set to become the next legendary WWE wrestler, as only he and CM Punk today are capable of matching Bret Hart and Shawn Michaels in terms of technical ability in the ring.
Being forced to retire for the final time after his Career vs Streak, the departure of Michaels elicited emotions that hadn’t even be seen after Ric Flair’s retirement. This author was moved to tears when he realized that Michaels would not get up one last time, after foolishly slapping The Undertaker at Wrestlemania 26. It was déjà vu. The Undertaker had retired Michaels, just like Michaels had retired Flair. Cruel irony.
A larger than life character, the Heart Break Kid had the kind of charisma that the likes of Stone Cold and The Rock could only hope to match. He was a one-of-a-kind superstar, who in all probability will never be replaced. If this author had his way, he would place Michaels right atop the pinnacle as the greatest wrestler ever.
I salute you, Shawn Michaels.
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The Rock
Returning with our series on the greatest WWE wrestlers of all time, at No. 3 we have a man who is quite possibly the most famous and charismatic professional wrestler of all time, the one and only Great One, Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson.
Growing up in the ‘Attitude Era’ of the WWF, I would watch the WWF religiously, just like the millions. The Monday Night Wars put both the WWF and WCW on the mainstream radar and professional wrestling was at the pinnacle of its popularity. Throughout the entire industry there was always one man who stood out among all the mayhem, chaos, numerous Stone Cold stunners, the rebellious DX segments etc. and that was none other our very own ‘People’s Champion’. The Rock’s star shined bright enough for the entire industry to sit up and take notice, yes sometimes even more than his most famous rival, Stone Cold Steve Austin.
Coincidentally, The Rock started his career in the WWF as a fan favourite with a clean-cut good guy image, and was named Rocky Maivia, who prided himself on doing the ‘right thing’, much like a certain ‘Fruity Pebble’ currently in the WWE.
The fans started growing sick of Rocky (much like Cena), and regularly chanted things such as ‘Die, Rocky, die!!’ and ‘Rocky sucks’. The enormous negative reaction received by the company’s first ever third-generation wrestler influenced the man to turn on the fans and align himself in the Nation of Domination, an all-black stable that promoted black supremacy, and was the WWF’s premier heel stable at the time.
As a part of his turn, he renamed himself as ‘The Rock’, a villainous character who possessed an immensely bloated ego, spoke in third person constantly, ripped the fans in his promos, and was the cream of the Nation, and engaged in numerous feuds with the likes of Stone Cold, Owen Hart, Bret Hart, and Triple H (with D-Generation X) over the Intercontinental Championship, a title he won twice.
The Rock’s over-the-top catchphrases, otherworldly promo skills and comical mannerisms raised his popularity to astronomical levels, and the fans started to cheer heavily for him, and it resulted in The Rock turning face, due to the sheer volume of ‘Rocky’ chants ringing throughout the arena.
He would go on to win the WWF Championship and engage in memorable feuds with the likes of Mankind, Vince McMahon, Triple H, Stone Cold Steve Austin, and The Undertaker over the next couple of years. His charisma, passion, unsurpassable mic skills, and natural talent made him one of the most popular wrestlersever. He had a seemingly endless list of catch phrases; so much that I’ve taken the trouble to attempt to list them down:
- It doesn’t matter what you think/what your name is!
- The Rock is gonna lay the smacketh down on that candy a**!
- The Rock says, know your damn role and shut your damn mouth!
- Finally, the Rock has come back to (insert place name)!
- The Rock is gonna take that little candy a** of yours, shine it up real nice, turn that sumbitch sideways and stick it straight up YOUR CANDY A**!
- Just bring it, Jabroni!
- If you can smellllllll, what the Rock is cookin’!
- The Rock will take you down Know Your Role Boulevard, which is on the corner of Jabroni Drive and check you directly into the Smackdown Hotel!
One hell of a long list I know, but it didn’t even begin to encompass all the phrases the ‘Jabroni beating, pie-eating, trail-blazing, eye-brow raising People’s Champion’ possessed in his repertoire. No other superstar possessed even half the amount of catchphrases that The Rock possessed. No one quite possibly ever will.
During the ‘Invasion’ angle in 2001, he finally found a man equal to him on the mic, in the form of Chris Jericho. The Rock had a memorable feud with ‘Y2J’, with both men bickering back and forth on the mic on several occasions which made for must-see television. Truly, The Rock’s only equal on the mic; Chris Jericho was the only superstar who could leave the Great One at a loss for words more than once, a testament to Jericho’s own individual greatness.
The Rock comes from a wrestling lineage, with his father being the great Rocky Johnson, and his grandfather was the ‘High Chief’ Peter Maivia, one of the biggest stars in the 1960s (the name Rocky Maivia infused aspects of both his father and grandfather’s name). His cousins are the former WWF Intercontinental Champion Rikishi and the late Umaga, and the current WWE superstars, The Usos, are his nephews.
The legend of the Rock would be incomplete without one man; Stone Cold Steve Austin. Headlining WrestleMania on three different occasions, Rock and Austin’s rivalry was one of the greatest rivalries of all-time. The build-up to their second match, at WrestleMania 17, is widely considered to be the greatest build-up in wrestling history.
It was the main event of the WrestleMania 17, the greatest pay-per view event in the WWF history, and also signaled the end of the ‘Attitude Era’ when Austin allied himself with Mr. McMahon and screwed the Rock out of the WWF title. The Rock would ultimately win only one of these matches, their last match at WrestleMania 19.
The Rock’s enduring legacy also includes his famous ‘Once in a Lifetime’ clashes with Hulk Hogan and John Cena at WrestleMania 18 & 28, both of which he won. His charismatic presence won over several erstwhile WCW fans, planting the millions in their seats. His ‘This is Your Life’ segment with Mick Foley on Raw in September 1999 garnered 8.4 million viewers on TV, making it the highest rated Monday Night Raw segment ever.
Never before has there existed such an unique figure as The Rock, and there will never be a true replacement for him. The Rock has proved that despite becoming a gargantuan movie star, he can still give an excellent match in the ring, and is scheduled to face the WWE Champion at the Royal Rumble (whoever it is at the time). All indications point to a CM Punk vs Rock match and one can only expect Punk and Rock to provide a match for the ages.
And to conclude, just like the Rock would:
‘If you can smellllll, what The Rock is cookin’!
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André the Giant
André René Roussimoff, born in a French town called Grenoble, holds the unique distinction of being the first inductee into the WWE Hall of Fame in 1993. He was WWF Champion as well as a WWF World Tag team champion, and is widely regarded as one of the best wrestlers of all time.
Just like any other wrestler, André had to work his way to the top. Right from his childhood André suffered from Acromegaly, a syndrome where the pituitary gland produces excess growth hormone. As a result, when André was 12, he stood at over 6 ft! Eventually, the Frenchman went on to reach a (disputed) 7 foot 4 inches, and at one point, weighed more than 500 pounds! But André the Giant was a proud man. He did not let the illness affect his way of life. After having worked on a farm as a wood-worker, the giant slowly entered the world of wrestling, from where he never looked back.
André, with the guidance of Canadian promoter Frank Valois, began to tour various countries such as Germany, England, Africa and Japan and started to make a name for himself. Soon, the giant caught the eye of the McMahon family and their WWF empire (then known as WWWF). In 1973, Vince McMahon Sr hired André and went on to promote him as ‘André the Giant.’ Slowly, he became the most popular wrestler in the company, and due to his gigantic appearance and the respect he commanded from his peers, he was nicknamed the ‘Eighth Wonder of the World’.
During his time with the WWF, André the Giant took on a host of legendary wrestlers and held a record undefeated streak till Wrestlemania III in 1987, when he was finally defeated by the legendary Hulk Hogan in one of the most defining moments in the history of sports entertainment.
From Killer Khan and Harley Race to King Kong Bundy and Big John Studd, André had faced them all during his tenure at the company. However, he was most known for that epic Wrestlemania moment he shared with Hogan when the 500 pound giant was scoop-slammed onto the mat by Hogan to deafening applause from the 93,000 odd spectators in Pontiac, Michigan. But this wasn’t the first time these two legendary wrestlers faced each other in the ring.
André first met the Hulkster in 1980, when the legend of Hulkamania was unheard of. André was the face (popular) wrestler during that period, and if it weren’t for him, Hulk Hogan would have not been a household name. André commanded so much respect in the wrestling fraternity that he had the power to make or break a wrestler’s career. As Jerry ‘the King’ Lawler put it,
“He’d let you do anything you wanted in a match. Other than beat him… But if he didn’t like you, he’d make you look like crap, and there wasn’t anything anyone could do about it.”
Of course, it took Hogan a case of fine French wine to please the giant, who was a notorious drinker (notorious is an understatement – I’ll get to that in a moment). André began to realize that Hogan shared the same passion he had for wrestling, and ultimately decided to pass the torch to the Hulkster.
When it comes to drinking, André the Giant was a demi-god – an out and out drunkard! The giant wasn’t known as the ‘Eight wonder of the world’ just for his enormous appearance and wrestling ability; it was also for his incredible capacity for alcohol. He was sometimes called the ‘Mount Everest of Inebriation’. André was known to take in 7000 calories of pure alcohol everyday! He could down 16 bottles of wine and still return to the ring to compete in a 20-man battle royale. His peers, such as the legendary Dusty Rhodes, were witness to the giant’s enormous drinking capacity – it is said that on one occasion, Andre finished 119 bottles of beer in one sitting!
Although he acted in a few Hollywood movies, André dedicated his entire life to wrestling. And one of the more commendable aspects of his career is his popularity, both among the spectators and his peers. It’s almost impossible to find a wrestler who disliked the talented giant – he was that well-respected.
Towards his last few years in wrestling, Andre’s illness began to take a toll on him. In 1993, the giant succumbed to heart failure and died in his sleep.
André the Giant did not win a lot of titles in his magnificent career, but what stood out was his undying passion towards his craft and the willingness to let a new generation of wrestlers steal the limelight. What was good for the business was good for Andre! There will never be another wrestler like him. André the Giant was truly, one of a kind!
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Hulk Hogan
Hulk Hogan. That is a household name that both wrestling fans and those not interested in wrestling recognize the second they hear it. Hogan is quite possibly the most famous name in pro wrestling history; he had a career spanning across five different decades, claiming numerous championships along the way, as well as numerous other accolades.
In his younger days, Hogan didn’t always want to be a wrestler. The man born Terry Gene Bollea got interested in it at the age of 16 as a fan, but didn’t necessarily plan on doing it himself. Instead, Hogan’s first love at the time was music, and he had plans of becoming a rock star, playing in several local bands in his native Florida. While working out in a Tampa Bay-area gym in the late seventies, Hogan (attempting to replicate the look of “Superstar” Billy Graham, one of his idols) was spotted by the world-famous Brisco Brothers (Jack and Jerry). Impressed by Hogan’s physique, they suggested he start training to be a wrestler, since he had the perfect look for the sport. Not long after, Hogan began training with Japanese legend Hiro Matsuda, and after having his leg broken (a common practice then to “weed out” those who weren’t fit for the sport), Hogan came back, proving he wanted it bad enough. From that point, Matsuda saw Hogan’s potential and began to put a lot of focus on the 300-pound blonde.
Hogan started out as “the Super Destroyer”, a gimmick initiated by Don Jardine that has since been recycled many times. However, he wasn’t getting booked all that much, and after being unable to deal with Matsuda any longer (Hogan considered him overbearing), he took a break from wrestling altogether to manage a night club.
In 1979, Hogan got back into the sport, meeting now lifelong friend Ed “Brutus Beefcake” in the process, even forming a team with him as the Boulder Brothers. Later in the year, Hogan was introduced to Vincent J. McMahon, then-owner of the World Wrestling Federation. Hogan started as a heel, being paired with famed heel manager “Classie” Freddie Blassie. In 1980, he began what would be an on-again/off-again rivalry with Andre the Giant, wrestling the “8th Wonder of the World” on the undercard of a Shea Stadium show headlined by Bruno Sammartino vs. Larry Zbyszko. Initially, while Hogan was fairly well-regarded as a heel thanks to Blassie, he wasn’t gaining traction the way many thought he would. Hogan decided that maybe it was time to leave, and headed to Japan for a bit, a country known for responding quite well to American wrestlers, especially large ones.
While in Japan, Hogan was extremely well-received, even becoming the first IWGP Heavyweight Champion, defeating legendary Antonio Inoki in the process. Hogan stayed in Japan for nearly 5 years, officially ending his run there in 1984.
During this time, Hogan was also working back stateside for Verne Gagne’s AWA, once again as a heel. Despite being offered the AWA World title on several occasions, Hogan kept turning Gagne down, as it would tie him down to AWA, and Hogan was making too good of money in Japan to work solely for Gagne’s fledgling promotion.
In 1982, Vincent K. McMahon, son of Vincent J., bought the WWF from his father and, after seeing Hogan appear as “Thunderlips” in the film Rocky III, decided he was the kind of guy he wanted as the centerpiece for his new version of the company. In late 1983, Hogan re-signed with WWF, and just a few months later, dethroned then-champion The Iron Sheik for his first WWF Championship. Depending on whose books you go by, this reign is the 2nd or 3rd longest in history at 1,474 days, right behind Bruno Sammartino (or behind Sammartino and Bob Backlund, again, depending on whose book you go by).
Once Hogan won the belt, he remained the focal point of the company for the next 10 years, spearheading the “Rock ‘n’ Wrestling” era and helping bring WWF to heights it had never seen before, selling out arenas and stadiums across the country. During this time, Hogan feuded with every major superstar on the roster in any given year, most notably Andre the Giant and Bobby Heenan’s “Heenan Family”. Andre and Hogan headlined Wrestlemania III to a reported crowd of 93,173, a supposed indoor attendance record (in reality, the crowd was about 78,000 deep, but Vince felt that number wasn’t large enough and inflated it). Hogan defeated Andre in a “passing of the torch”, as Andre’s ever-deteriorating health was making it harder and harder for him to be a top-level headliner (he passed away 6 years later).
During Hogan’s run in WWF, he picked up four more WWF Championships, bringing his total to five and holding a record that wouldn’t be broken until Bret Hart did it in mid-1997. In 1993, despite Vince still getting behind “The Immortal One”, fans weren’t buying what they were selling. Hogan’s act was tired, and fans were sick of seeing a superhero-type constantly crush guys bigger and/or more talented than he was. Fans were starting to smarten up to the product, and Vince knew it. At the King of the Ring PPV in June of 1993, Hogan dropped his then-last WWF title to the 500-plus-pound behemoth Yokozuna, the man he had won the belt from in the first place (under suspicious circumstances that are still debated). Yoko even went as far as to pin Hogan after his own legdrop finisher, more as a “screw you” to Hogan from Vince himself.
While on hiatus, Hogan decided he wanted to go back to acting. While in WWF, Hogan had made No Holds Barred and Suburban Commando, two critically-panned movies that made very little money. Despite the poor reviews, Hogan felt he was good at acting, and took the lead role in a string of bad movies and TV shows, more or less vehicles to stroke his own ego.
In 1994, as top competitor to the WWF, WCW was having a bit of a financial crisis, and needed to turn things around in a hurry. Ric Flair, who had been the centerpiece of the company for the better part of 20 years, suggested that company president Eric Bischoff talk to Hulk Hogan, who was a free agent at that point. Flair knew Hogan from their days in the WWF together, and was sure they could come up with a deal. After agreeing to an extremely large sum of money, Hogan returned to wrestling in July of that year, defeating Flair for the WCW World title at Bash at the Beach and helping the company score their then-highest PPV rating ever.
After winning the belt and having a lot of power backstage thanks to his inflated contract (including creative clauses), Hogan decided the best way to help the company was to re-create WWF at WCW, and that meant bringing in all of his old friends and on-screen enemies into WCW. Bischoff agreed, and soon guys like Haku (Meng), John Tenta (Avalanche), Kamala, Ed Leslie and “Hacksaw” Jim Duggan began appearing on WCW shows, with Hogan more often than not beating them all in one-sided matches.
While this initially helped WCW, by 1995, fans were already beginning to turn on Hogan once again, for the same reasons they turned on him in 1993. By 1996, Hogan was hardly even appearing on television anymore, basically taking breaks whenever he wanted, as his contract allowed him to do so. By the middle of the year, it was decided by him and Bischoff that something needed to be done to keep him fresh in the minds of the fans, which led to the occurrence of something that hadn’t been done in nearly 20 years: Hogan was going to turn heel.
At the Bash at the Beach PPV that year, the main event was a six-man tag match, pitting WCW stars Lex Luger, Sting and Randy Savage against The Outsiders (Kevin Nash and Scott Hall) and a mystery partner. Throughout most of the match, the mystery partner never showed. Despite this, Hall and Nash completely dominated the WCW team, even taking Luger out of the match in the process. Towards the end, Hogan, who hadn’t been seen on WCW in what seemed like months, hit the ring, leading everyone to believe he was going to help Savage and Sting. Instead, he dropped a legdrop on Savage, instantly turning the crowd into an angry mob. From that point, an angle was started that, at least for a while, was considered one of the greatest in pro wrestling history, and that was the beginning of the New World Order.
The n.W.o. ran roughshod over the rest of the company for basically the next year and a half, hardly ever losing matches, and getting new members on a regular basis to assist in the destruction of WCW, only looking vulnerable when it came to Sting who, as part of the angle, felt betrayed by WCW and didn’t wrestle on TV for over a year. At Starrcade 1997, the two finally had their match that was more than a year in the making, and despite a very real controversial finish, Sting finally ended Hogan’s lengthy WCW World title reign (he had won, lost and won the title back during this time, but his loss only lasted a few days).
Instead of the n.W.o. angle ending at that point, though, it just kept going, with more and more members being added, not to mention the group splintering off into smaller groups such as n.W.o. Japan and the Wolfpac. While this might have seemed great to Hogan, it was actually killing the n.W.o. Fans were sick of seeing the same thing over and over again, and what had once started as an elite group of only established stars now included curtain-jerkers and mid-carders, as well as several celebrities and retired wrestlers no one even cared about.
In July 2000 at Bash at the Beach, Hogan was done with WCW for good. In what was perceived to be an angle (and what was originally supposed to be one), Hogan won his final WCW title after then-champion Jeff Jarrett simply lay down and let Hogan pin him with his foot. This led to a profanity-laced barrage by booker Vince Russo, resulting in a lawsuit between Hogan and WCW that went on for quite some time. Hogan never appeared on WCW television again.
In 2002, Vince McMahon, as part of an angle with Steve Austin, decided to revive the n.W.o (he had purchased WCW and all of its trademarks a year earlier, when WCW went out of business), bringing in the original three members, including Hogan. What was supposed to be a heel run ended up getting cut short thanks to a match at Wrestlemania with The Rock that saw a crowd hungry for nostalgia cheer vigorously for “The Hulkster”. Hogan wound up turning face the next day, and a month later, won his 6th and final WWE Championship. From then to 2007, Hogan only made sporadic appearances, mostly for nostalgia purposes. In 2005, he took his long-overdue place in the WWE Hall of Fame, being inducted by long-time friend Sylvester Stallone. He wound up leaving in 2007 after money disputes, and has not been seen on WWE television since.
Hogan’s initial run in WWF cannot be emphasized enough. At the time, he took the company to heights it had never seen, making himself and nearly everyone around him millionaires in the process. Until “Stone Cold” Steve Austin caught fire years later, Hogan was the biggest box office draw in pro wrestling history, more or less being the focal point of the company for 10 years straight. He is a 13-time World Champion, a 2-time Hall of Famer (including the Wrestling Observer Hall of Fame), a household name and an icon in professional wrestling, and for a long time, was the number-one guy in the sport. Calling him a legend would be an understatement.
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Kane
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John Cena
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Be sure to vote for your favorites, and if some of your favorite characters aren't represented, go ahead and re-rank the list to contribute to the discussion.The Best Finishing Moves in Wrestling Historyread moreThe best finishers in wrestling are the signature moves our favorite professional wrestlers from the WWE, TNA and international leagues use as a knockout blow to their opponents to win a match. Just like the unique wrestlers' entrance music, each wrestler has their own finishing move which not only launches these wrestlers to the win column of matches but also helps to define a wrestler's career.Years ago, wrestling finishers were primarily submission holds that were more functional than flashy. Professional wrestling has however evolved more into an entertainment event leading to intricate and harsher finishers. No longer do wrestlers rely on simple headlocks to subdue their opponents. Now it's all about the complex moves involving jumping from the ropes, flying kicks and other intricate manoeuvres.Still, some of the older and greatest wrestlers of all time are still regarded as having some of the best closers. Hulk Hogan's Atomic Leg Drop, Randy Savage's Diving Elbow Drop and Kurt Angle's Ankle Lock are all quite simplistic in comparison to newer moves but are undeniabe classics. Similarly, they've inspired professional and amateur wrestlers around the globe to improve upon these moves to create their own signature finishers.What are the best finishing moves in wrestling? Whether you're a fan of Diamond Dallas Page's Diamond Cutter, Rick Flair's Four Figure Leglock, Stone Cold Steve Austin's Stunner or any of the finishers in between, it's hard not to respect the creativity that goes into creating these moves. Have a favorite wrestling finisher? Vote for it below or add it if it's not yet listed!The Best Dogs for Allergiesread moreThe best dogs for allergies are the best dog breeds for allergy sufferers as they shed less, have less dander and are considered by some to be hypoallergenic. While there's a great deal of disagreement over whether any dog can truly by hypoallergenic, many believe these dogs are better for those with allergies than other breeds. So if you're not a fan of those sneezes and itchy eyes when you're around pets, try these allergy friendly dogs on for size.To understand why some people are allergic to dogs, you have to look at the cause of the irritation. While allergies differ from person to person, most are allergic to the dander of the dog, something given off by the dog's hair, skin, urine and slobber. While it's impossible to eliminate that skin, urine and never-ending drool, the hair of these dogs is what sets them apart as better for allergy sufferers. To eliminate the hair completely, many with dog allergies might select hairless breeds such as the Chinese Crested, Xoloitzcuintli (Mexican hairless dog) and the Peruvian Hairless Dog are favorites in that area.But for those who aren't interested in a hairless dog, there are plenty of other options on this list of hypoallergenic dogs. Poodles are especially praised for being better dogs for allergies as are poodle hybrids and some designer dog breeds such as the labradoodle and cockapoo. For smaller breeds better for allergies, many flock to the shih tzu, Yorkshire terrier, Maltese and Havanese. If a larger breed is more your style, try a Samoyed, airedale terrier, Portuguese water dog or Irish water spaniel. While the jury may be out on if any dogs can truly be hypoallergenic, for those suffering pet allergies, these dogs will be the best choices. They might not be the most popular dog breeds, but these shed less, have less dander and are pretty adorable in the process.The Best Wrestling Games of All Timeread moreThis is a list of the best wrestling games of all time for any console or system, including cover art pictures when available. These highly rated wrestling games are ordered by popularity, so only the greatest wrestling games are at the top of the list. Spanning the entire history of the genre, these wrestling games are considered the best in the genre. This list includes all challenging wrestling games that have ever hit the shelves, so it doesn't necessarily have all the more obscure or new wrestling games. This list has a variety of items, like WWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2008 and WWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2007, in it. This list answers the questions, "What are the best wrestling games?" and "What is the greatest wrestling game of all time?"The Most Overrated Wrestlers of All Timeread moreWho are the most overrated wrestlers of all time? Obviously any list that includes words like "overrated" and "wrestling" of any kind will spark some disagreement, but that's cool. Vote for the wrestlers that you think get way too much credit for their abilities (or lack thereof). You can also rerank this list any way you want, putting specific wrestlers you think aren't really that talented at the top, and leaving off people you think are really that good. Some WWE wrestlers are genuinely great, but others are too heavy on the gimmick and too light on the actual ability. Wrestling is a sport, and it does require a certain amount of skill and prowess in the ring, after all. Some wrestlers have that perfect, rare combination of showmanship and talent that makes them among the greatest pro wrestlers of all time. They are among the toughest pro fighters ever, and they take no prisoners. That's not what this list is about, no no. This is specifically a place where wrestling fans can choose the wrestlers that they believe are all flash and no substance. Think John Cena is a phony? Vote him up! Disagree? Vote him down. It's as simple as that. The same goes for some of the other big names listed here, from Jeff Hardy to Warrior to Bret Hart. Enjoy!Best Soccer Players of All Timeread moreList of the greatest soccer players of all time is ranked by soccer (football) fans worldwide. Who are the best soccer players ever? The goal is to determine the greatest footballers to ever play the game. The list establishes individual rankings of specific soccer players and helps answer the question, "Who is the best soccer player in the world?" This list includes some of the most famous soccer players in the world, but fame doesn't necessarily determine talent.Though many more people are exposed to soccer players during major international events like the Olympics or the World Cup (or even UEFA's European tournaments), there are numerous soccer/football leagues around the world made up of thousands of professional athletes. Any of these soccer players are eligible for the list, even if they are mainly well known in certain regions or nations. In America, other than that nation's own Major League Soccer league, the English Premier League and its athletes are most likely to be recognizable and familiar, though the marriage of David Beckham to Posh Spice makes all the people he plays with more recognizable to American fans.60+ Beautiful Old Photos of Life in the Real Wild Westread moreIn the late 1800s, the prospects in the western part of the United States drew thousands of new residents yearly, seeking to stake their claim on unexplored, undeveloped territories. Over a century ago, however, moving wasn't as easy as calling up for a U-Haul and putting down a deposit on a new apartment. Along the way to Utah, Colorado, California and the like were bandits, giant swatches of nothingness, and natives of the land not eager to give way to new settlers. As these real photos of the Old West will show, there was a different way of living in this unexplored land.Pictures of the Wild West include the only known photo of Billy the Kid, bluffs and rocks in the uncharted territories, public hangings, parks, settlements, and even some photos of Buffalo Bill's Wild Circus. There's no denying, after seeing this Wild West photos, that the real America of the 1800s was nothing like the best Western movies. Where can I find pictures of the Wild West? What was life like in the Old West? What did the United States look like in the 19th century? These early America photos will shed some light on questions about life in the Wild West. Make sure to vote up the best pictures of frontier America and if you want to know more about the Wild West, check out the best Western writers for another take on Old West life.WWE's Greatest Superstars of the 21st Centuryread moreWho are the WWE's greatest superstars of the 21st Century? This list includes several of the greatest pro wrestlers of all time. This list is inspired by the DVD, the 'Greatest Stars of the New Millennium' that profiles the superstars and divas that dominated the ring for the first decade of the 2000s. Major stars include John Cena, Triple H, Undertaker, Randy Orton, Edge, Chris Jericho, Batisa, and more. These wrestlers are without a doubt among the greatest entertainers in the sports world, and each one of them made a huge impact in the 2000s.Do you disagree with certain pro wrestlers on this list? Think they're a bit overrated? Vote them down and be sure to vote up the wrestlers that you think are among the toughest professional fighters in history. And remember: You can always rerank this list of the best and brightest WWE superstars of the 21st Century in any order you like.The Most Useless College Majorsread moreThis is a list of the most pointless university majors and fields of study guaranteed to not lead to gainful post-graduation employment. In April of 2012, the Daily Beast ran their list of 13 pointless college majors; now it's your turn to sound off on the coursework that will most poorly prepare you to enter the job market. Often, when students first enter a community college or four-year university program, they're encouraged to pursue a course of study that most interests them. The idea is that they will first become dedicated to, and excited about, learning something, and then they'll eventually figure out how to apply their interests towards pursuing a career. But as the economy continues to struggle, and jobs for recent grads dry up, this philosophy is being reconsidered (as is studying Philosophy in general!)Graduating with a degree in a humanities subject deemed as "useless" can be a real detriment to finding work post-graduation, even as newly-minted electrical engineers and computer developers get snatched up quickly by startups and tech companies.This list provides some insight into the majors seen as "most useless" by the public at large. Vote for the departments you'd be least likely to join on your nearest campus, and if we've missed a major you think is utterly without merit, add it at the bottom of the page.The Hottest WWE Divasread moreThis is the ultimate list of the hottest WWE Divas. For as long as red blooded WWE fans can remember, the diva has been an integral part of the makeup of professional wrestling. At first many of these extremely attractive, sexy ladies accompanied wrestlers to the ring as their manager or valets. But over the past decade or so, the WWE has embraced their sexy women and have expanded their roles within the company. The WWE has devoted an entire section on its website to the hotness of these ladies with galleries and have become a subdivision upon itself.No longer are are divas only managers, instead they can take part in the WWE's female wrestling division. Some may think that the ladies grappling could injury or potential get injured, but these hotties know what they're doing both in and out of the ring. Stacy Kiebler is a WWE diva who went onto bigger things as both a contestant on Dancing With the Stars and was known for years as George Clooney's girlfriend, while Torrie Wilson showcased her hotness when she posed for Playboy.Feel free to add more names and ladies who may be missing from this ultimate list of the hottest WWE Divas. Don't forget to have your say by voting on which diva deserves the title of the hottest.Professional Wrestlers Who Died Youngread moreUnlike any other athletes or sports entertainers, professional wrestlers are more prone to dying before the age of 55. For whatever reason, (the abuse of their bodies, steroids, hard drugs, partying, long hours) these bohemoths of the square circle end up perishing. Unfortunately, this includes many of the icons of wrestling history. It's almost a strange occupational hazard at this point to be a pro wrestler considering all of the bumps you get in the ring. It seems like you hear about the deaths of these wrestling giants on a more frequent basis these days, as the sport has gotten more popular and become a global brand of entertainment. Many of the stars on this list have competed in the WWE, WCW, ECW, AWA among others. The men and women on this list have wrestled in some of the biggest arenas and pay-per-view events in the world.So which wrestlers died young? That's the shame of this list. There are guys like Owen Hart, who died during an in-ring stunt, or the tragedy of Chris Benoit and his family, which words can't really do justice. Others, like Andre The Giant, was a victim of his own size and ultimately that size was one of the reasons of his great success.The wrestlers on this list all died before their 55th birthday. Take a look and see who died young.The Best Alien Movies Ever Maderead moreThe best alien movies, ranked by fans of space and sci-fi genres. Alien movies can take several forms. What are the best alien movies? Many films about extraterrestrials or visitors from other planets turn them into traditional horror villains. These "alien war" movies tend to follow a simple pattern: 1) UFOs arrive on Earth, 2) a misunderstanding or outright evil intent sparks a war between aliens and humanity, 3) with massively destructive and terrifying results. Consider the similarities of the recent Battle: LA, Steven Spielberg's War of the Worlds, and even Tim Burton's genre parody, Mars Attacks. However, there are also films in which aliens are not an interstellar threat but a boon to humanity, or at least well-intentioned explorers. E.T. is the classic example of the "friendly alien" genre – and the xenomorphs in the Alien franchise stay in outer space, so that's good for humans, too. E.T. is also one of the best alien kids movies ever made.What are the best alien films of all time? Often in these films, the aliens are tragically misunderstood, and it's the primal nature of human beings that spark conflict. Finally, there are numerous films about aliens which attempt to "realistically" depict what might happen if humans and extraterrestrials interacted. These include Close Encounters of the Third Kind (another Spielberg film!), District 9, and even abduction films purportedly based on "true stories," such as Fire in the Sky. While this list does not include all alien movies ever made, it is a list of the best alien films. What do you think are the greatest alien movies of all time?Tasks You Loathe The Mostread moreChores. Niceties. Tasks. Those nasty and/or tedious things we have to do in life to pretend to be civilized. The things that separate us from animals. We hates them, precious. We hates them so much. But, which are the worst? The chores that you face with the enthusiasm of a firing squad? These are the most loathesome tasks and chores in our everyday lives. Vote, rank, or do both... and, as always, add any you see missing.When it comes to cleaning up after your pets, you'd be hardpressed to find a single person, outside of your run of the mill crazy person that would enjoy doing this task. Pets are awesome to have, but can be a gargantuan pain to take care of. It is simple tasks like this that make you loathe things that you should love. Other everyday tasks that are awful include cleaning the shower, unclogging the toilet and even going to the DMV, which no one loves doing, even its employees. The common hatred of these every day tasks is what can unite people from all walks of life.
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Greatest WWE Wrestlers of All Time
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‘Macho Man’ Randy Savage
Born as Randall Mario ‘Randy’ Poffo on November 15th, 1952 in the town of Columbus, Ohio, Poffo was the elder son of famous wrestler Angelo Poffo and the brother of wrestler Lanny Poffo. Poffo is more commonly known by his famous ring moniker, ‘The Macho Man’ Randy Savage, which he adopted in the WWE (then WWF).
Poffo had his beginnings at his father’s promotion, the International Championship Wrestling. After becoming a full-time wrestler, he also worked in Jerry ‘The King’ Lawler’s Continental Wrestling Association with his family before finally joining the WWF in the summer of 1985.
Randy Savage debuted in the WWF as a crazed maniacal bully and after receiving several offers, he finally chose Miss Elizabeth to be his manager. Savage constantly mistreated his future wife and made a huge impact in the ring, beating Tito Santana to win his first Intercontinental title in 1986, which was also his first ever title in the WWF. This was Savage’s stepping stone to greatness as he went on to adopt the moniker of “Macho King” and engaged in memorable feuds with the likes of Ricky Steamboat, Hulk Hogan, The Ultimate Warrior and the ‘Million Dollar Man’ Ted Dibiase.
Randy Savage’s crowning moment came at WrestleMania 4 when he defeated Ted Dibiase in the finals of a 14-man tournament to win the WWF Championship for the first time in his career.
Savage is noted for forming the legendary tag team ‘The Mega Powers’ with Hulk Hogan and then wife Miss Elizabeth as valet-cum-manager. The team was stable in the WWF for for over two years, and it culminated in a match at WrestleMania 5 between the two teammates for the WWF Championship, in which Hogan defeated Savage to become the WWF Champion.
After the implosion of the Megapowers in 1989, Savage underwent a face turn and his ‘Macho Man’ gimmick was now in full flow. With Miss Elizabeth re-instated as his valet again, Savage received a great response from the crowd, and ended up being more popular than the likes of Hogan and Ultimate Warrior during this period.
What made Randy Savage so well-liked were his eccentric behaviour, his deep and raspy voice and his colourful outfits (which included a bandanna, sunglasses and cowboy hats occasionally). One of the most charismatic wrestlers ever, Savage was not the most decorated of wrestlers, but his impact in the revolution of the WWF is very under-rated.
When people think about the 80′s in the WWF, they immediately think about Hulkamania. But where would the Hulkster be without Savage? During his time, Savage was the No. 2 face wrestler of the WWF and arguably a much better promo worker than Hogan with his trademark “ohhhhhh yeahhhhhhhh”, one of the greatest catchphrases of all time (yes, right up there with the Rock’s numerous phrases), which went on to be further popularised by the notorious Slim Jim ads.
At WrestleMania 7, when the Macho Man faced The Ultimate Warrior in a career-threatening match (the loser had to retire), his ex-wife Miss Elizabeth was in the stands. Macho Man would go on to lose to the Warrior in one of the most heartbreaking scenes in WWF history and after the match, Macho Man and Miss Elizabeth had an emotional reunion, leading to Savage turning face again. The respect that was shown for the Macho Man that night was heart-warming and one of the best feel good moments ever, even greater than the farewells of Ric Flair and Shawn Michaels.
Despite Savage’s much-publicized tension and eventual departure from the WWF and defection to WCW, his legacy cannot be erased, not even by Vince McMahon. In an era where flamboyance was at its highest, it was the Macho King who stood head and shoulders above the rest; no other wrestler was as passionate as he was.
Savage’s match with Ricky Steamboat at WrestleMania 3 is widely considered as one of the best fights ever – it was voted match of the year in 1987. Savage was also named Wrestler of the Year in 1988, and earned countless other awards, including two WWF Championship titles and four WCW World Heavyweight Championship trophies.
The Macho Man’s death in May 2011 elicited universal respect for the man, and many of the older fans were saddened to the point of heartbreak. He left an indelible mark on WWE/F and his legacy will endure on forever, with even his estranged former boss Vince McMahon saying that Savage was “extremely charismatic” and “one of wrestling’s all-time greats”.
It is a crying shame that Savage hasn’t been inducted into the Hall of Fame yet, and one can only hope that the WWE will do it sooner rather than later.
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The Undertaker
Lights fade. The gong strikes. Eerie music. There’s smoke, there’s fire, it’s everywhere. Gentle screams echo through the building, the mob hold their breath in anticipation. Fear or respect? Maybe a combination of both. The gong strikes again. The stage is set. And finally, the one they’ve been waiting for makes his entrance. Dressed completely in black, with a menacing stare suggestive of the character’s constant tryst with the dark side – make way for the Phenom, the Deadman, the Undertaker!
Born in Houston Texas, Mark Calaway wasn’t like the rest of us. He was no mere mortal. He was destined for greatness. If not, why then would he quit a potentially great career in basketball and move towards wrestling? For a man who stood at 6 foot 10 inches, the guy was built for basketball! However, Calaway had other plans. He must have seen the light. Or in his case, the darkness.
Calaway’s wrestling career began in 1984, with the World Class Championship Wrestling (WCCW). When five years of toil bore no fruit, he joined the World Championship Wrestling (WCW) in 1989. He spent a year with the company portraying a limited character,‘Mean’ Mark Callous. Still no recognition, still no fame. It was time to jump ship. WCW’s ‘monstrous’ loss was the WWE’s (then known as WWF) colossal gain.
When the WWE signed him in 1990, Calaway was not the only one who benefited from the transfer; the entire company was set for two decades of endless entertainment. Twenty two years down the line, there is nothing that Calaway, or his awe-inspiring in-ring character, the Undertaker, has not achieved in the WWE. A living legend in the wrestling world. Eight-time world champion, seven-time World Tag-team champion, six-time WWF Tag-team Champion and the winner of the 2007 Royal Rumble. These numbers are simply staggering! But the record that stands out the most vividly is the Undertaker’s undefeated streak at the ‘Big Daddy’ of them all – 20-0 at the grandest stage of sports entertainment, WrestleMania. Take a bow; 20 of them, in fact!
The Undertaker started out by taking on the titans of the wrestling world such as the ageless Hulk Hogan, Bret ‘Hitman’ Hart, Randy Savage and Shawn Michaels, and then went on to stand toe-to-toe with the next generation of cult wrestlers like Stone Cold Steve Austin, the Rock, Triple H and Kurt Angle in the Attitude Era. Taker even formed a faction known as ‘The Ministry of Darkness’ in 1999. The episode in which he kidnapped the WWE Chairman Vince McMahon’s daughter, Stephanie McMahon. was a classic one to say the least. Apparently, he had orders from a ‘higher power’. Undertaker was truly the devil’s favourite child (apologies to Kane) and boy did we love him! His alternate ‘American Bad-Ass’ personality was a great hit with the fans as well. Who could forget the sight of a bandana-clad Taker on a Harley Davidson circling outside the ring? Classic stuff!
Even the current generation of wrestlers have not been spared. Taker has been a thorn in the flesh of great, young athletes such as Randy Orton and even John Cena on one highly entertaining occasion. The current crop of wrestlers have nothing but respect for him. Towards the end of the last decade, Taker was the sole, consistent flagship bearer of WWE Smackdown – a show that has slowly gone downhill in recent times without the Undertaker’s enchanting presence.
Many great wrestlers have challenged Taker in a bid to end his illustrious streak at WrestleMania. Each and every one of them failed in their pursuit of glory. In the last four years, Taker faced Shawn Michaels and Triple H twice each. And every single time, he walked out (on one occasion, was carried out) victorious.
The Undertaker is an evergreen wrestler who has effortlessly stood the test of time. If his son was a WWE wrestler, he would probably be wrestling him right now! That says it all. This writer would sell either one of his kidneys to get a chance of witnessing him live (any takers?). Sure, Taker is now showing a few signs of slowing down, but to the huge relief of wrestling fans worldwide, he hasn’t called it a day yet. When that day comes, cherish the sight of the Deadman for one last time, as he stands at the far end of the arena with his back facing the fans and one fist raised high, as if to say, I’ve seen them all, and I’ve beaten them all!
Rest in Peace.
And here’s a video tribute to the wrestler who will go down as one of the greatest of all time. Take a look!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=-JMYzO_1nHc
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“Stone Cold” Steve Austin
He is a six-time WWF Champion, a Hall of Famer and the biggest box office draw in pro wrestling history. These are just some of the accolades for the man known by most fans as “Stone Cold”. Steve Austin: the man who helped usher in a new era of pro wrestling, bringing the company once known as WWF (now WWE) to unprecedented heights – heights not seen even during the days of Hulk Hogan and “Hulkamania”.
Austin started his career much like every other wrestler, toiling on the independent circuit. Austin initially stuck mostly to Texas, as those were still the territory days, and he took training under the late “Gentleman” Chris Adams. After just a year of training, Austin won 1990’s “Rookie of the Year” prize by Pro Wrestling Illustrated, the number one wrestling magazine in the world at the time. Armed with loads of charisma and soaking in every bit of wrestling knowledge he could like a sponge, Austin was already making waves despite his lack of experience. Later that same year, after Texas-based World Class Championship Wrestling (WCCW) finally shut down (the promotion Austin was working for at the time), WCW, the number 2 promotion in the US, came calling. Austin debuted later that year, and won his first major title, the WCW World Television Championship, just weeks after his debut, defeating tag team specialist “Beautiful” Bobby Eaton for the gold.
Austin would stay with WCW until 1995, picking up a second TV title along the way, as well as both the NWA and WCW World Tag Team titles as part of the Hollywood Blondes, with partner “Flyin” Brian Pillman. After the Blondes split up, Austin moved back into the singles ranks, and looked poised to be on the fast track to a main event program with a pair of WCW United States Championships. Back then, the US champion was basically considered the #1 contender to the WCW World title, and plans were on for Austin to step up to then-champion, the much heralded Hulk Hogan. However, Hogan and the company president saw things differently, looking at Austin as nothing more than a mid-carder who wasn’t very marketable. After returning to the company from a knee injury in 1995, Austin suffered another injury, this time to his triceps, while on a tour of Japan. At this point, Bischoff fired Austin over the phone, telling him he wasn’t marketable and that they had no use for someone so bland.
While rehabbing his injury, Austin was contacted by ECW owner Paul Heyman, who happened to be a close friend of Austin’s. Heyman knew Austin was hurt, but offered him the chance to come on his show, be himself and tell the world exactly what he thought about WCW. Austin liked the idea and soon joined the renegade promotion from Philadelphia, delivering incredible promos that were well-received all across the board, and helping to prove how wrong Bischoff was about Austin’s lack of marketability. Eventually, Austin returned to action, working for ECW and helping build the company up as something special. Although plans were in place for Austin to become the ECW World Champion, he refused. Instead, he saw things a little bit differently, and wanted to help put some of the homegrown talents in the company over, specifically perennial underdog Mikey Whipwreck. In a match for the championship, Austin put Whipwreck over cleanly, putting both the new champion and the company as a whole over in the process. He later put over company favorite the Sandman, who Austin credits with helping develop his own “beer drinking” gimmick. It was obvious to everyone that Austin was destined for bigger things, and he left the company later that year when the WWF finally came calling.
Austin’s first year with the company wasn’t great. He was given the name “The Ringmaster” and quickly put with “The Million Dollar” Man Ted DiBiase as a mouthpiece while also being given the Million Dollar Championship, an unrecognized title in the company. After just a couple of months, Austin got frustrated with how he was being portrayed in the company, especially after the creative team told him they really had nothing for him at that moment. However, they told him to come up with some ideas, and after watching some documentaries on serial killers, specifically “Nightstalker” Richard Ramirez, Austin decided he should have that kind of killer edge to his gimmick. The management liked the idea, and gave him a list of names he could choose from, all of which sounded horrible to Austin (“Chilly McFreeze” being the most noted one). So Austin decided he would come up with his own nickname, and during a discussion with his then-wife Jeannie over a cup of tea, she told him to drink his tea before it turned “stone cold”. And thus, a brand new nickname, and gimmick, were born.
After the gimmick change, Austin rid himself of Ted DiBiase as his manager, who headed to WCW to become involved with the n.W.o. angle. Austin’s persona had really begun to take shape, and a few months later at that year’s King of the Ring, Austin won the tournament and uttered the now-famous promo ending in the line “…Austin 3:16 says ‘I just whipped your ass!’”, giving birth to a brand new catchphrase and millions upon millions of dollars in merchandise sales.
Austin’s character continued to evolve, becoming more anti-establishment every week with a no-nonsense, in your face, “I say I’m going to beat you up and then I’m going to do it” attitude. Add in plenty of profanity and beer drinking, and Austin became a symbol of hope for every man who had become sick of things and wanted to do something about it, but was unable to do so. But Austin’s attitude soon created a feud with company owner Vince McMahon, and led to “The Stunner Heard ‘Round the World”. Austin became the first man in history to attack his boss on WWF television, leveling McMahon with a Stone Cold Stunner and kicking off a feud with the boss that lasted for 4 years; a feud that helped bring the “Attitude Era” to its zenith and eventually crush WCW in the ratings.
After a falling out with WWE over some bad booking decisions in 2002, Austin eventually returned at the February 2003 PPV No Way Out, defeating then-RAW general manager Eric Bischoff in a quick comedy match. While Austin looked good on the outside, unfortunately, a spinal injury from 1997 resulting from a botched tombstone pile-driver by Owen Hart at that year’s Summer slam had begun flaring up again, and a month later at Wrestlemania XIX (an event I had the privilege of attending and being in the first row for), Austin wrestled his last match, losing to The Rock. Six years later in 2009, Austin was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame, capping off a legendary career for good.
Although Austin’s WWE career was relatively short (around 8 years), he left an indelible mark on both the company and the sport altogether, helping bring wrestling to heights it had never seen before, and hasn’t seen since. During his reign, Austin and WWF/E were two of the hottest subjects in all of sports and pop culture; Austin made millions of dollars for himself and turned Vince McMahon into a certified billionaire in the process. Even Hulk Hogan, who, during the 80s and early 90s, did much the same thing for WWF and McMahon, can’t claim to have brought in numbers like Austin did. During Austin’s run with the company, the TV shows received their highest ratings in history, PPV buy rates were off the charts, and merchandise sold faster than it could be made. To put it simply, Austin helped make watching wrestling acceptable again.
Austin was truly a one-of-a-kind performer, bringing success to WWE that we will likely never see again in our lifetimes.
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Bret ‘Hitman’ Hart
“We are never prepared for what we expect.”
Bret ‘the Hitman’ Hart could surely not have expected nor prepared for the events that occurred during his tenure with the WWF/E. From creating an undying legacy through his irreplaceable persona to getting infamously robbed of the WWF Championship title by his employer Vince McMahon Jr, the Hitman has seen it all.
Born in a wrestling family, Hart was the son of the great Stu Hart, the founder of the Stampede Wrestling promotion in Canada. He was trained by his father in the family ‘dungeon’ where he was put through painful submission maneuvers in an effort by the senior Hart to toughen his son. Soon the young Canadian began to make a name for himself in Stampede Wrestling where his high profile matches with the Dynamite Kid were the talk of the town.
Hart’s association with the WWF began when the latter acquired Stampede Wrestling in 1984. Very soon he adopted the moniker ‘the Hitman’ and formed a tag-team alongside his brother-in-law, Jim ‘the Anvil’ Neidhart. Hart was known for his ‘Pink and Black’ attire and trademark mirrored sunglasses, but most importantly, it was his wrestling background that elevated him to superstardom in the WWF. Gorilla Monsoon, a former wrestler and commentator during the time, recognized Hart’s superior technical wrestling ability and gave him the moniker – ‘The Excellence of Execution’.
In his 13 years with the WWF, Bret Hart won 5 World Heavyweight Championships, 2 Intercontinental Championships, 5 United States Championship and 2 World Tag-Team Championships. The Hitman had to go through the likes of Ric Flair, Mr Perfect, Roddy Piper, and the Undertaker to achieve these feats. He was also the 1994 Royal Rumble winner (along with Lex Luger) and the only two-time ‘King of the Ring’ in WWF history. Hart is known to have not injured a single wrestler during his entire career and he’s listed as a favoured opponent by the likes of Shawn Michaels, Undertaker and Stone Cold Steve Austin. The Hitman’s finishing move, ‘the Sharpshooter’ , has made many a wrestler tap out to give him the victory.
Till the eventful year of 1997, the Hitman was the top dog in the WWE. He was arguably the most popular wrestler in the nineties and was worshipped by millions worldwide. But 1997 saw Hart being screwed over by WWE chief Vince McMahon Jr during his last match in the WWF with Shawn Michaels (who also played a part), in an incident which is infamously known as the ‘Montreal Screwjob.’ After Hart lost the match to Michaels through unfair circumstances, he left the WWF and joined their rival company, WCW, under Eric Bischoff, who, according to Hart, did not put him to good use. The death of his younger brother and fellow wrestler Owen Hart in 1999 saddened the Hitman to a great extent. The younger Hart succumbed to death when a dangerous stunt he was about to perform at a WWE event went horribly wrong. Bret Hart, even to this day, is deeply affected by the tragic accident.
“A most solemn day. It’s so hard not to feel the blood thicken in my heart at the memory of Owen’s passing today.” – @BretHart, 2012.
The Hitman had a successful tenure with the WCW, but his career was cut short, in 2000, by a Goldberg mule-kick which gave him a concussion and ultimately led to a career-ending stroke. After 5 painful years of recovery, Bret Hart patched up with Vince McMahon and got associated again with the WWE. With the company’s help, Hart released the DVD containing his greatest wrestling matches – Bret “Hitman” Hart: The best there is, the best there was and the best there ever will be (a must-watch for any wrestling fan out there). In 2007, the Hitman put his writing skills to the test by authoring the best-selling ‘Hitman: My Real Life in the Cartoon World of Wrestling’, a book that affirms the wrestler’s ability to narrate great stories in great detail. Bret Hart was also deservedly inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2006 by his long-time wrestling opponent, Stone Cold Steve Austin.
The icing on the cake for every Hitman fan was when Hart made a long-awaited return to the ring in January 2010 to patch things up with Shawn Michaels. When the two wrestlers hugged each other after delivering straight-from-the-heart speeches, it made for yet another iconic moment for the Hitman’s fans. In the next couple of years, the Hitman took part in wrestling matches in whatever little manner he could, despite the stroke he suffered a decade ago which greatly limited his wrestling ability.
To this day, the Hitman is revered by millions of wrestling fans across the globe. Most of his peers have only the deepest respect for the Canadian superstar as the hard work and dedication he put in during his time with the WWF/E made a huge impact on the wrestling business and paved the path for the future generations to follow. Young and aspiring wrestlers go through endless videos of Bret Hart’s matches to learn how to orchestrate a wrestling match to perfection.
Each and every match featuring the Hitman unfolded a story, slowly but in sublime fashion. In the nonchalant nineties, no wrestler in the business had a fan following as huge as Bret Hart’s – not even Hulk Hogan. After all, Bret Hart was the man who made ‘pink’ cool!
The Hitman, throughout his career, truly lived by his last and most memorable moniker – The best there is, the best there was and the best there ever will be…
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Shawn Michaels
Mr. Wrestlemania
The Heart Break Kid. The Showstopper. The Headliner. The Main Event. The Icon. And the best of the lot, Mr. Wrestlemania. The innumerable names of the irrepressible Shawn Michaels, one of professional wrestling’s most decorated and respected stars of all time.
Born in Chandler, Arizona as Michael Shawn Hickenbottom, he is the youngest of four children and was born into a military family. Hickenbottom grew up watching and loving pro-wrestling and planned on becoming a wrestler at a very tender age.
He had his beginnings as a wrestler in the American Wrestling Association (AWA) and now named ‘Shawn Michaels’ (a name he adopted in his training), Michaels and his tag-team partner Marty Janetty (named ‘The Midnight Rockers’) won the AWA World Tag Team Championship twice before eventually joining the WWF in 1988. In the WWF, the duo were re-christened as ‘The Rockers’ and enjoyed mild success without winning a title, before Michaels ended the partnership by superkicking Janetty and threw him through the glass window of Brutus Beefcake’s ‘Barber Shop’ segment.
While Janetty experienced mild success before departing the WWF, Michaels became a phenomenon and along with arch-rival Bret Hart, carried the WWF through the mid-nineties. It was during this time that he took on the famous moniker, ‘The Heart Break Kid’ and eventually won the Intercontinental Championship for the first time in October 1992. Michaels put on his first famous, legendary display at Wrestlemania X, in a ladder match for the Intercontinental Championship against Razor Ramon. The match was voted the PWI Match of The Year (Michaels’ second) and was the first ever WWF match to be given a 5-star rating by the prestigious Wrestling Observer Newsletter (WON). The match proved instrumental in launching Michaels’ career to greater heights and he would go on to win the 1995 and 1996 Royal Rumbles.
At Wrestlemania XII in 1996, HBK won his first ever WWF Championship by defeating Bret Hart in a grueling 60-minute Iron Man match in overtime, after it ended in a 0-0 stalemate. It was voted PWI Match of The Year, incredibly Michaels’ third in a row.
“The boyhood dream has come true … for Shawn Michaels”, screamed the then commentator Vince McMahon.
The surging career of the ‘Sexy Boy’ continued to flourish, but reached an all-time low at the most controversial Pay per View in wrestling history, Survivor Series 1997, when the beloved HBK played a major role in Vince McMahon’s unscrupulous plan to screw rival Bret Hart out of the WWF Championship. The incident, nicknamed ‘The Montreal Screwjob’ damaged Michaels’ career irrevocably and Michaels himself admitted it was a burden that he had to live with and could never forgive himself.
Despite a forced retirement the following year due to an injury, Michaels came back in 2002 and led the newly christened WWE through the new era putting over the new generation wrestlers such as John Cena and Randy Orton. Throughout his career, Michaels engaged in numerous memorable feuds with the likes of Triple H, Bret Hart, The Undertaker and Chris Jericho. Eleven of his matches have been voted the PWI Match of The Year, including an incredible seven year streak from 2004 to his retirement in 2010 and two of his matches have received 5-star ratings from WON (only 5 WWE/F matches have ever received 5-star ratings and Michaels is the only wrestler to have two 5-star matches).
With a wide array of breathtakingly spectacular moves, Michaels is one of the most gifted wrestlers of all time. One of the few to be blessed with both incredible mic skills and technical abilities, Michaels always reserved his best for Wrestlemania which inevitably led to the nickname, ‘Mr. Wrestlemania’. Michaels epitomized the undying spirit of a true wrestling fan, who had achieved all that he ever wanted to achieve as a boy. He formed the iconic stable ‘D-Generation’ with Triple H, China and Rick Rude, a stable that characterized the rebellious nature of the ‘Attitude Era’.
Universally respected by fans and fellow wrestlers alike, Michaels’ patch-up with Bret Hart on the January 4, 2010 episode of Raw is one of the greatest feel-good moments in WWE history. A superstar who transcended the confines of professional wrestling, Michaels could make anybody look golden in the ring (he made Mr. McMahon look good!) and made wrestling fun to watch with all the risks he took. At Wrestlemania XIX, Michaels’ first since his return to the company, many wondered if HBK still had the ‘Mr. Wrestlemania’ magic. Facing Chris Jericho, the veteran master and the young upstart put on yet another iconic performance for the fans in what would become a classic rivalry, and it was the start of an even better period for ‘The Icon’. Mr. Wrestlemania was back. And there was no stopping him.
During his retirement period, Michaels founded the Texas Wrestling Academy which churned out excellent wrestlers such as Lance Cade, Brian Kendrick and former World Heavyweight Champion Daniel Bryan. Continuing in the footsteps of Michaels, Bryan looks set to become the next legendary WWE wrestler, as only he and CM Punk today are capable of matching Bret Hart and Shawn Michaels in terms of technical ability in the ring.
Being forced to retire for the final time after his Career vs Streak, the departure of Michaels elicited emotions that hadn’t even be seen after Ric Flair’s retirement. This author was moved to tears when he realized that Michaels would not get up one last time, after foolishly slapping The Undertaker at Wrestlemania 26. It was déjà vu. The Undertaker had retired Michaels, just like Michaels had retired Flair. Cruel irony.
A larger than life character, the Heart Break Kid had the kind of charisma that the likes of Stone Cold and The Rock could only hope to match. He was a one-of-a-kind superstar, who in all probability will never be replaced. If this author had his way, he would place Michaels right atop the pinnacle as the greatest wrestler ever.
I salute you, Shawn Michaels.
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The Rock
Returning with our series on the greatest WWE wrestlers of all time, at No. 3 we have a man who is quite possibly the most famous and charismatic professional wrestler of all time, the one and only Great One, Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson.
Growing up in the ‘Attitude Era’ of the WWF, I would watch the WWF religiously, just like the millions. The Monday Night Wars put both the WWF and WCW on the mainstream radar and professional wrestling was at the pinnacle of its popularity. Throughout the entire industry there was always one man who stood out among all the mayhem, chaos, numerous Stone Cold stunners, the rebellious DX segments etc. and that was none other our very own ‘People’s Champion’. The Rock’s star shined bright enough for the entire industry to sit up and take notice, yes sometimes even more than his most famous rival, Stone Cold Steve Austin.
Coincidentally, The Rock started his career in the WWF as a fan favourite with a clean-cut good guy image, and was named Rocky Maivia, who prided himself on doing the ‘right thing’, much like a certain ‘Fruity Pebble’ currently in the WWE.
The fans started growing sick of Rocky (much like Cena), and regularly chanted things such as ‘Die, Rocky, die!!’ and ‘Rocky sucks’. The enormous negative reaction received by the company’s first ever third-generation wrestler influenced the man to turn on the fans and align himself in the Nation of Domination, an all-black stable that promoted black supremacy, and was the WWF’s premier heel stable at the time.
As a part of his turn, he renamed himself as ‘The Rock’, a villainous character who possessed an immensely bloated ego, spoke in third person constantly, ripped the fans in his promos, and was the cream of the Nation, and engaged in numerous feuds with the likes of Stone Cold, Owen Hart, Bret Hart, and Triple H (with D-Generation X) over the Intercontinental Championship, a title he won twice.
The Rock’s over-the-top catchphrases, otherworldly promo skills and comical mannerisms raised his popularity to astronomical levels, and the fans started to cheer heavily for him, and it resulted in The Rock turning face, due to the sheer volume of ‘Rocky’ chants ringing throughout the arena.
He would go on to win the WWF Championship and engage in memorable feuds with the likes of Mankind, Vince McMahon, Triple H, Stone Cold Steve Austin, and The Undertaker over the next couple of years. His charisma, passion, unsurpassable mic skills, and natural talent made him one of the most popular wrestlersever. He had a seemingly endless list of catch phrases; so much that I’ve taken the trouble to attempt to list them down:
- It doesn’t matter what you think/what your name is!
- The Rock is gonna lay the smacketh down on that candy a**!
- The Rock says, know your damn role and shut your damn mouth!
- Finally, the Rock has come back to (insert place name)!
- The Rock is gonna take that little candy a** of yours, shine it up real nice, turn that sumbitch sideways and stick it straight up YOUR CANDY A**!
- Just bring it, Jabroni!
- If you can smellllllll, what the Rock is cookin’!
- The Rock will take you down Know Your Role Boulevard, which is on the corner of Jabroni Drive and check you directly into the Smackdown Hotel!
One hell of a long list I know, but it didn’t even begin to encompass all the phrases the ‘Jabroni beating, pie-eating, trail-blazing, eye-brow raising People’s Champion’ possessed in his repertoire. No other superstar possessed even half the amount of catchphrases that The Rock possessed. No one quite possibly ever will.
During the ‘Invasion’ angle in 2001, he finally found a man equal to him on the mic, in the form of Chris Jericho. The Rock had a memorable feud with ‘Y2J’, with both men bickering back and forth on the mic on several occasions which made for must-see television. Truly, The Rock’s only equal on the mic; Chris Jericho was the only superstar who could leave the Great One at a loss for words more than once, a testament to Jericho’s own individual greatness.
The Rock comes from a wrestling lineage, with his father being the great Rocky Johnson, and his grandfather was the ‘High Chief’ Peter Maivia, one of the biggest stars in the 1960s (the name Rocky Maivia infused aspects of both his father and grandfather’s name). His cousins are the former WWF Intercontinental Champion Rikishi and the late Umaga, and the current WWE superstars, The Usos, are his nephews.
The legend of the Rock would be incomplete without one man; Stone Cold Steve Austin. Headlining WrestleMania on three different occasions, Rock and Austin’s rivalry was one of the greatest rivalries of all-time. The build-up to their second match, at WrestleMania 17, is widely considered to be the greatest build-up in wrestling history.
It was the main event of the WrestleMania 17, the greatest pay-per view event in the WWF history, and also signaled the end of the ‘Attitude Era’ when Austin allied himself with Mr. McMahon and screwed the Rock out of the WWF title. The Rock would ultimately win only one of these matches, their last match at WrestleMania 19.
The Rock’s enduring legacy also includes his famous ‘Once in a Lifetime’ clashes with Hulk Hogan and John Cena at WrestleMania 18 & 28, both of which he won. His charismatic presence won over several erstwhile WCW fans, planting the millions in their seats. His ‘This is Your Life’ segment with Mick Foley on Raw in September 1999 garnered 8.4 million viewers on TV, making it the highest rated Monday Night Raw segment ever.
Never before has there existed such an unique figure as The Rock, and there will never be a true replacement for him. The Rock has proved that despite becoming a gargantuan movie star, he can still give an excellent match in the ring, and is scheduled to face the WWE Champion at the Royal Rumble (whoever it is at the time). All indications point to a CM Punk vs Rock match and one can only expect Punk and Rock to provide a match for the ages.
And to conclude, just like the Rock would:
‘If you can smellllll, what The Rock is cookin’!
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André the Giant
André René Roussimoff, born in a French town called Grenoble, holds the unique distinction of being the first inductee into the WWE Hall of Fame in 1993. He was WWF Champion as well as a WWF World Tag team champion, and is widely regarded as one of the best wrestlers of all time.
Just like any other wrestler, André had to work his way to the top. Right from his childhood André suffered from Acromegaly, a syndrome where the pituitary gland produces excess growth hormone. As a result, when André was 12, he stood at over 6 ft! Eventually, the Frenchman went on to reach a (disputed) 7 foot 4 inches, and at one point, weighed more than 500 pounds! But André the Giant was a proud man. He did not let the illness affect his way of life. After having worked on a farm as a wood-worker, the giant slowly entered the world of wrestling, from where he never looked back.
André, with the guidance of Canadian promoter Frank Valois, began to tour various countries such as Germany, England, Africa and Japan and started to make a name for himself. Soon, the giant caught the eye of the McMahon family and their WWF empire (then known as WWWF). In 1973, Vince McMahon Sr hired André and went on to promote him as ‘André the Giant.’ Slowly, he became the most popular wrestler in the company, and due to his gigantic appearance and the respect he commanded from his peers, he was nicknamed the ‘Eighth Wonder of the World’.
During his time with the WWF, André the Giant took on a host of legendary wrestlers and held a record undefeated streak till Wrestlemania III in 1987, when he was finally defeated by the legendary Hulk Hogan in one of the most defining moments in the history of sports entertainment.
From Killer Khan and Harley Race to King Kong Bundy and Big John Studd, André had faced them all during his tenure at the company. However, he was most known for that epic Wrestlemania moment he shared with Hogan when the 500 pound giant was scoop-slammed onto the mat by Hogan to deafening applause from the 93,000 odd spectators in Pontiac, Michigan. But this wasn’t the first time these two legendary wrestlers faced each other in the ring.
André first met the Hulkster in 1980, when the legend of Hulkamania was unheard of. André was the face (popular) wrestler during that period, and if it weren’t for him, Hulk Hogan would have not been a household name. André commanded so much respect in the wrestling fraternity that he had the power to make or break a wrestler’s career. As Jerry ‘the King’ Lawler put it,
“He’d let you do anything you wanted in a match. Other than beat him… But if he didn’t like you, he’d make you look like crap, and there wasn’t anything anyone could do about it.”
Of course, it took Hogan a case of fine French wine to please the giant, who was a notorious drinker (notorious is an understatement – I’ll get to that in a moment). André began to realize that Hogan shared the same passion he had for wrestling, and ultimately decided to pass the torch to the Hulkster.
When it comes to drinking, André the Giant was a demi-god – an out and out drunkard! The giant wasn’t known as the ‘Eight wonder of the world’ just for his enormous appearance and wrestling ability; it was also for his incredible capacity for alcohol. He was sometimes called the ‘Mount Everest of Inebriation’. André was known to take in 7000 calories of pure alcohol everyday! He could down 16 bottles of wine and still return to the ring to compete in a 20-man battle royale. His peers, such as the legendary Dusty Rhodes, were witness to the giant’s enormous drinking capacity – it is said that on one occasion, Andre finished 119 bottles of beer in one sitting!
Although he acted in a few Hollywood movies, André dedicated his entire life to wrestling. And one of the more commendable aspects of his career is his popularity, both among the spectators and his peers. It’s almost impossible to find a wrestler who disliked the talented giant – he was that well-respected.
Towards his last few years in wrestling, Andre’s illness began to take a toll on him. In 1993, the giant succumbed to heart failure and died in his sleep.
André the Giant did not win a lot of titles in his magnificent career, but what stood out was his undying passion towards his craft and the willingness to let a new generation of wrestlers steal the limelight. What was good for the business was good for Andre! There will never be another wrestler like him. André the Giant was truly, one of a kind!
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Hulk Hogan
Hulk Hogan. That is a household name that both wrestling fans and those not interested in wrestling recognize the second they hear it. Hogan is quite possibly the most famous name in pro wrestling history; he had a career spanning across five different decades, claiming numerous championships along the way, as well as numerous other accolades.
In his younger days, Hogan didn’t always want to be a wrestler. The man born Terry Gene Bollea got interested in it at the age of 16 as a fan, but didn’t necessarily plan on doing it himself. Instead, Hogan’s first love at the time was music, and he had plans of becoming a rock star, playing in several local bands in his native Florida. While working out in a Tampa Bay-area gym in the late seventies, Hogan (attempting to replicate the look of “Superstar” Billy Graham, one of his idols) was spotted by the world-famous Brisco Brothers (Jack and Jerry). Impressed by Hogan’s physique, they suggested he start training to be a wrestler, since he had the perfect look for the sport. Not long after, Hogan began training with Japanese legend Hiro Matsuda, and after having his leg broken (a common practice then to “weed out” those who weren’t fit for the sport), Hogan came back, proving he wanted it bad enough. From that point, Matsuda saw Hogan’s potential and began to put a lot of focus on the 300-pound blonde.
Hogan started out as “the Super Destroyer”, a gimmick initiated by Don Jardine that has since been recycled many times. However, he wasn’t getting booked all that much, and after being unable to deal with Matsuda any longer (Hogan considered him overbearing), he took a break from wrestling altogether to manage a night club.
In 1979, Hogan got back into the sport, meeting now lifelong friend Ed “Brutus Beefcake” in the process, even forming a team with him as the Boulder Brothers. Later in the year, Hogan was introduced to Vincent J. McMahon, then-owner of the World Wrestling Federation. Hogan started as a heel, being paired with famed heel manager “Classie” Freddie Blassie. In 1980, he began what would be an on-again/off-again rivalry with Andre the Giant, wrestling the “8th Wonder of the World” on the undercard of a Shea Stadium show headlined by Bruno Sammartino vs. Larry Zbyszko. Initially, while Hogan was fairly well-regarded as a heel thanks to Blassie, he wasn’t gaining traction the way many thought he would. Hogan decided that maybe it was time to leave, and headed to Japan for a bit, a country known for responding quite well to American wrestlers, especially large ones.
While in Japan, Hogan was extremely well-received, even becoming the first IWGP Heavyweight Champion, defeating legendary Antonio Inoki in the process. Hogan stayed in Japan for nearly 5 years, officially ending his run there in 1984.
During this time, Hogan was also working back stateside for Verne Gagne’s AWA, once again as a heel. Despite being offered the AWA World title on several occasions, Hogan kept turning Gagne down, as it would tie him down to AWA, and Hogan was making too good of money in Japan to work solely for Gagne’s fledgling promotion.
In 1982, Vincent K. McMahon, son of Vincent J., bought the WWF from his father and, after seeing Hogan appear as “Thunderlips” in the film Rocky III, decided he was the kind of guy he wanted as the centerpiece for his new version of the company. In late 1983, Hogan re-signed with WWF, and just a few months later, dethroned then-champion The Iron Sheik for his first WWF Championship. Depending on whose books you go by, this reign is the 2nd or 3rd longest in history at 1,474 days, right behind Bruno Sammartino (or behind Sammartino and Bob Backlund, again, depending on whose book you go by).
Once Hogan won the belt, he remained the focal point of the company for the next 10 years, spearheading the “Rock ‘n’ Wrestling” era and helping bring WWF to heights it had never seen before, selling out arenas and stadiums across the country. During this time, Hogan feuded with every major superstar on the roster in any given year, most notably Andre the Giant and Bobby Heenan’s “Heenan Family”. Andre and Hogan headlined Wrestlemania III to a reported crowd of 93,173, a supposed indoor attendance record (in reality, the crowd was about 78,000 deep, but Vince felt that number wasn’t large enough and inflated it). Hogan defeated Andre in a “passing of the torch”, as Andre’s ever-deteriorating health was making it harder and harder for him to be a top-level headliner (he passed away 6 years later).
During Hogan’s run in WWF, he picked up four more WWF Championships, bringing his total to five and holding a record that wouldn’t be broken until Bret Hart did it in mid-1997. In 1993, despite Vince still getting behind “The Immortal One”, fans weren’t buying what they were selling. Hogan’s act was tired, and fans were sick of seeing a superhero-type constantly crush guys bigger and/or more talented than he was. Fans were starting to smarten up to the product, and Vince knew it. At the King of the Ring PPV in June of 1993, Hogan dropped his then-last WWF title to the 500-plus-pound behemoth Yokozuna, the man he had won the belt from in the first place (under suspicious circumstances that are still debated). Yoko even went as far as to pin Hogan after his own legdrop finisher, more as a “screw you” to Hogan from Vince himself.
While on hiatus, Hogan decided he wanted to go back to acting. While in WWF, Hogan had made No Holds Barred and Suburban Commando, two critically-panned movies that made very little money. Despite the poor reviews, Hogan felt he was good at acting, and took the lead role in a string of bad movies and TV shows, more or less vehicles to stroke his own ego.
In 1994, as top competitor to the WWF, WCW was having a bit of a financial crisis, and needed to turn things around in a hurry. Ric Flair, who had been the centerpiece of the company for the better part of 20 years, suggested that company president Eric Bischoff talk to Hulk Hogan, who was a free agent at that point. Flair knew Hogan from their days in the WWF together, and was sure they could come up with a deal. After agreeing to an extremely large sum of money, Hogan returned to wrestling in July of that year, defeating Flair for the WCW World title at Bash at the Beach and helping the company score their then-highest PPV rating ever.
After winning the belt and having a lot of power backstage thanks to his inflated contract (including creative clauses), Hogan decided the best way to help the company was to re-create WWF at WCW, and that meant bringing in all of his old friends and on-screen enemies into WCW. Bischoff agreed, and soon guys like Haku (Meng), John Tenta (Avalanche), Kamala, Ed Leslie and “Hacksaw” Jim Duggan began appearing on WCW shows, with Hogan more often than not beating them all in one-sided matches.
While this initially helped WCW, by 1995, fans were already beginning to turn on Hogan once again, for the same reasons they turned on him in 1993. By 1996, Hogan was hardly even appearing on television anymore, basically taking breaks whenever he wanted, as his contract allowed him to do so. By the middle of the year, it was decided by him and Bischoff that something needed to be done to keep him fresh in the minds of the fans, which led to the occurrence of something that hadn’t been done in nearly 20 years: Hogan was going to turn heel.
At the Bash at the Beach PPV that year, the main event was a six-man tag match, pitting WCW stars Lex Luger, Sting and Randy Savage against The Outsiders (Kevin Nash and Scott Hall) and a mystery partner. Throughout most of the match, the mystery partner never showed. Despite this, Hall and Nash completely dominated the WCW team, even taking Luger out of the match in the process. Towards the end, Hogan, who hadn’t been seen on WCW in what seemed like months, hit the ring, leading everyone to believe he was going to help Savage and Sting. Instead, he dropped a legdrop on Savage, instantly turning the crowd into an angry mob. From that point, an angle was started that, at least for a while, was considered one of the greatest in pro wrestling history, and that was the beginning of the New World Order.
The n.W.o. ran roughshod over the rest of the company for basically the next year and a half, hardly ever losing matches, and getting new members on a regular basis to assist in the destruction of WCW, only looking vulnerable when it came to Sting who, as part of the angle, felt betrayed by WCW and didn’t wrestle on TV for over a year. At Starrcade 1997, the two finally had their match that was more than a year in the making, and despite a very real controversial finish, Sting finally ended Hogan’s lengthy WCW World title reign (he had won, lost and won the title back during this time, but his loss only lasted a few days).
Instead of the n.W.o. angle ending at that point, though, it just kept going, with more and more members being added, not to mention the group splintering off into smaller groups such as n.W.o. Japan and the Wolfpac. While this might have seemed great to Hogan, it was actually killing the n.W.o. Fans were sick of seeing the same thing over and over again, and what had once started as an elite group of only established stars now included curtain-jerkers and mid-carders, as well as several celebrities and retired wrestlers no one even cared about.
In July 2000 at Bash at the Beach, Hogan was done with WCW for good. In what was perceived to be an angle (and what was originally supposed to be one), Hogan won his final WCW title after then-champion Jeff Jarrett simply lay down and let Hogan pin him with his foot. This led to a profanity-laced barrage by booker Vince Russo, resulting in a lawsuit between Hogan and WCW that went on for quite some time. Hogan never appeared on WCW television again.
In 2002, Vince McMahon, as part of an angle with Steve Austin, decided to revive the n.W.o (he had purchased WCW and all of its trademarks a year earlier, when WCW went out of business), bringing in the original three members, including Hogan. What was supposed to be a heel run ended up getting cut short thanks to a match at Wrestlemania with The Rock that saw a crowd hungry for nostalgia cheer vigorously for “The Hulkster”. Hogan wound up turning face the next day, and a month later, won his 6th and final WWE Championship. From then to 2007, Hogan only made sporadic appearances, mostly for nostalgia purposes. In 2005, he took his long-overdue place in the WWE Hall of Fame, being inducted by long-time friend Sylvester Stallone. He wound up leaving in 2007 after money disputes, and has not been seen on WWE television since.
Hogan’s initial run in WWF cannot be emphasized enough. At the time, he took the company to heights it had never seen, making himself and nearly everyone around him millionaires in the process. Until “Stone Cold” Steve Austin caught fire years later, Hogan was the biggest box office draw in pro wrestling history, more or less being the focal point of the company for 10 years straight. He is a 13-time World Champion, a 2-time Hall of Famer (including the Wrestling Observer Hall of Fame), a household name and an icon in professional wrestling, and for a long time, was the number-one guy in the sport. Calling him a legend would be an understatement.
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Kane
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John Cena
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Best Professional Wrestling TV Showsread moreThe very best professional wrestling shows on television, ranked from best to worst. This list of the greatest professional wrestling shows also includes pictures from the shows when available. Popular professional wrestling TV shows have been a staple of television for years, so there's often debate about what the most entertaining professional wrestling show of all time is. Don't let your favorite professional wrestling television programs in history get to the bottom of the list- be sure to vote them up so they have the chance to reach the top spot. The list of professional wrestling television shows below includes information like the program's cast, creator and premiere date when available. List ranges from AWA All-Star Wrestling to WWF LiveWire, plus much more. This list answers the questions, "What is the best professional wrestling show of all time?" and "What are the greatest professional wrestling shows?"The Very Best Movie Franchisesread moreThe best movie franchises of all time have brought us some of the best movies ever as well as some billion dollar films and many of them are still cranking out classics (Toy Story 4?? Yes, folks, Pixar has confirmed that it's happening!) This is your chance to vote for what you think is the greatest movie franchise ever and see how your favorite movie franchises rank against other movie enthusiasts' choices. Some people will judge a franchise based on its best parts (*cough*Star Wars*cough*) while others will take all the parts of a franchise into account when ranking the top movie series, so don't get offended if you see The Lord of the Rings further down this list than you think it should be (FYI- The Hobbit counts as part of that franchise). Also try to keep in mind that movie franchises that will have three or more movies but don't yet (like The Hunger Games) do not yet qualify for this list of the best movie franchises of all time. Vote on these top movie franchises based on the series as a whole, or just because one or two of the movies mean something special to you. If you don't see your favorite movie franchise on the list, make sure to add it so you can see where it shakes out among the greatest movie franchises ever.The Best Wrestling Games of All Timeread moreThis is a list of the best professional wrestling games of all time for any console or system, including cover art pictures when available. These highly rated professional wrestling games are ordered by popularity, so only the greatest professional wrestling games are at the top of the list. Spanning the entire history of the genre, these professional wrestling games are considered the best in the genre. This list includes all challenging professional wrestling games that have ever hit the shelves, so it doesn't necessarily have all the more obscure or new professional wrestling games. The list you're viewing is made up of many different items, like WWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2008 and WWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2007. This list answers the questions, "What are the best professional wrestling games?" and "What is the greatest professional wrestling game of all time?"The Absolute Hottest NASCAR Wives and Girlfriendsread moreThe hottest NASCAR wives and girlfriends are the gorgeous ladies who stand by while their men compete in NASCAR's Sprint Cup Series or Nationwide Series. See these girls in a steamy slideshow here. For the most part, NASCAR drivers typically are not as good looking at other mainstream athletes, but as these drivers' wives and girlfriends prove, that does not stop them from marrying or dating dimes. Similar to the hottest baseball wives and girlfriends, the hottest NASCAR WAGs include a variety of women from beauty models to well-known actresses to reality TV stars to just stunning women. Jeff Gordon's wife, Ingrid Vandebosch, is not only an established model but also one of the most beautiful women on this list. Of course she has some fierce competition from model and actress Niki Taylor, who is married to Burney Lamar, actress Ashley Judd, wife to Dario Franchitti, and Krissie Newman, the beautiful brunette wife of Ryan Newman.But any good wives and girlfriends list would not be complete without the many girlfriends of those athletes who've played the field. Dale Earnhardt Jr. is considered the most eligible bachelor of NASCAR and along the way has dated the likes of Sports Illustrated swimsuit model Marisa Miller and Bachelorette Emily Maynard, among many others.The sport of NASCAR may not be for everyone but these lovely ladies show us that professional race car drivers certainly enjoy the perks of being a mainstream athlete.The Greatest Pro Wrestlers of All Timeread moreThe greatest pro wrestlers of all-time include WrestleMania winners, WWE champions and TNA favorites. The entertainment of professional wrestling may be staged but all of these professional wrestlers are easily some of the toughest professional fighters inside of the ring or out. This list of all pro wrestlers can be ordered according to their popularity. Just vote for your favorites.Combining Greco-Roman wrestling with boxing, freestyle wrestling and theater, professional wrestling dates back nearly a century. At first, professional wrestling was more about the actual competition rather than the script. In the early days, it was Lou Thesz who was the most-feared wrestler around. Thesz, who had no trouble going off-script to win a match and keep his title, is considered the first true wrestling superstar and an innovator of the business. So is the greatest pro wrestler ever? This list will answer that question and your vote matters.Thesz continued to dominate until the next era of wrestlers entered in the 1950s and 1960s. Top contenders like Bruno Sammartino and Buddy Rogers helped the sport of professional wrestling grow with their flashy and flamboyant performance styles as well as more often than not came out on top of their matches.Moving into the 1980s and 1990s, wrestling evolved into a performance. The uniforms the wrestlers wore became flashier and the scripted aspects began to increase, as did the fan following. Some of the best wrestlers of all time came from that golden era such as Hulk Hogan, Randy Savage, Andre the Giant, Ric Flair and Bret Hart. With business booming, professional wrestling only continued to grow in recent years with big names like Stone Cold Steve Austin and The Rock using their WWE fame to launch their careers. Professional wrestling may not be for everyone but with a long history of success and a wildly popular following, the likes of WWE and TNA are not going away anytime soon. Any one of the current wrestlers competing today could become the next greatest professional wrestler of all time but until then, we can only enjoy watching them compete to become that.The Very Best Movie Franchisesread moreThe best movie franchises of all time have brought us some of the best movies ever as well as some billion dollar films and many of them are still cranking out classics (Toy Story 4?? Yes, folks, Pixar has confirmed that it's happening!) This is your chance to vote for what you think is the greatest movie franchise ever and see how your favorite movie franchises rank against other movie enthusiasts' choices. Some people will judge a franchise based on its best parts (*cough*Star Wars*cough*) while others will take all the parts of a franchise into account when ranking the top movie series, so don't get offended if you see The Lord of the Rings further down this list than you think it should be (FYI- The Hobbit counts as part of that franchise). Also try to keep in mind that movie franchises that will have three or more movies but don't yet (like The Hunger Games) do not yet qualify for this list of the best movie franchises of all time. Vote on these top movie franchises based on the series as a whole, or just because one or two of the movies mean something special to you. If you don't see your favorite movie franchise on the list, make sure to add it so you can see where it shakes out among the greatest movie franchises ever.The Greatest Pro Wrestlers of All Timeread moreThe greatest pro wrestlers of all-time include WrestleMania winners, WWE champions and TNA favorites. The entertainment of professional wrestling may be staged but all of these professional wrestlers are easily some of the toughest professional fighters inside of the ring or out. This list of all pro wrestlers can be ordered according to their popularity. Just vote for your favorites.Combining Greco-Roman wrestling with boxing, freestyle wrestling and theater, professional wrestling dates back nearly a century. At first, professional wrestling was more about the actual competition rather than the script. In the early days, it was Lou Thesz who was the most-feared wrestler around. Thesz, who had no trouble going off-script to win a match and keep his title, is considered the first true wrestling superstar and an innovator of the business. So is the greatest pro wrestler ever? This list will answer that question and your vote matters.Thesz continued to dominate until the next era of wrestlers entered in the 1950s and 1960s. Top contenders like Bruno Sammartino and Buddy Rogers helped the sport of professional wrestling grow with their flashy and flamboyant performance styles as well as more often than not came out on top of their matches.Moving into the 1980s and 1990s, wrestling evolved into a performance. The uniforms the wrestlers wore became flashier and the scripted aspects began to increase, as did the fan following. Some of the best wrestlers of all time came from that golden era such as Hulk Hogan, Randy Savage, Andre the Giant, Ric Flair and Bret Hart. With business booming, professional wrestling only continued to grow in recent years with big names like Stone Cold Steve Austin and The Rock using their WWE fame to launch their careers. Professional wrestling may not be for everyone but with a long history of success and a wildly popular following, the likes of WWE and TNA are not going away anytime soon. Any one of the current wrestlers competing today could become the next greatest professional wrestler of all time but until then, we can only enjoy watching them compete to become that.The Most Annoying TV & Film Characters Everread moreYou know them. You hate them. Honestly, I don't even know why these characters exist. Did someone think they were funny? Maybe adorable? Seriously? Fingernails on a chalkboard, teeth-gritting perserverance, and channel-switching is how you feel about these characters. Usually an attempt at comic relief, these are the characters you can't even love to hate. You just hate. Vote for the MOST annoying characters, rank them as you see fit... and be sure to add any that are missing.The Best WWE Entrance Songsread moreList of the coolest entrance themes for WWE wrestlers and superstars. A big part of being a successful sports entertainer is whipping the crowd up before a fight, and nothing accomplishes this better than choosing a pounding, fist-pumping, aggressive song with which to enter the arena. A good entrance theme also helps to define a wrestler's persona and personality, and over time will become very tied to that wrester in the minds of fans. (Consider the popular musical theme that accompanied the Honky Tonk Man, and the familiar dance that became his trademark.)This list collects the most appropriate, memorable and catchy WWE entrance songs of all time. Vote for the wrestler whose song was the best, and if your favorite WWE theme music isn't on the list, go ahead and add your own list so you can move it to the top!What are the best WWE entrance songs? Take a look here and find out.The Coolest Championship Beltsread moreThe coolest championship belts don't just recognize the top performers in the sports of boxing and martial arts, as well as professional wrestling, but they also give the athletes and performers shiny and pretty cool accessories. From the many and often changing WWE championship belts to the title belts awarded to boxers and mixed martial artists, these championship belts are the coolest in recent memory.Some could argue that the championship belts awarded to some of the best professional wrestlers ever in the WWE, TNA, NWA and other brands really don't count as professional wrestling is often more about the theatrics and entertainment than it is about an actual athletic competition. Nevertheless, the belts awarded to the countless title holders are still pretty rad. WWE belts range from those awarded repeatedly over a period of years, such as the Winged Wheel WWE Championship belt, the WWE World Tag Team title belt and the WWE United States Title belt, to those that are one of a kind and rare, like the white WWE Intercontinental title belt and the custom world title belt made for Andre the Giant. Back to real sports, championship belts are also awarded just like iconic sports championship trophies to the top athletes in boxing and mixed martial arts. Numerous boxing championship belts exist with different belts awarded by each of the various boxing organizations, like the World Boxing Council, the World Boxing Association and the International Boxing Federation, to the many champions in each weight class. Similarly, the champions in top mixed martial arts leagues, such as the Ultimate Fighting Championship, also receive some pretty flashy championship belts to signify their titles.So whether these championship belts are for entertainment purposes or actually signify a real title in a real combat sport, each of these championship belts are pretty darn cool. Which belt do you think is the coolest? Vote up the ones you love, vote down the ones you hate, add any we missed and re-rank the list your way below!The Most Beautiful Women in the Worldread moreThe most beautiful women in the world are a cross-section of the most beautiful women on primetime TV, the hottest celebrities of all-time, and the hottest female athletes in America and the world. These amazingly hot women are representative of every nationality from Swedish, Indian, Russian, American, and every country in between that turns out beautiful women.Is Scarlett Johansson the sexiest woman in the world, or does that honor belong to a model like Adriana Lima? There are scores of beautiful women around the world compiled in this list of beautiful women for you to vote on.Who are the most beautiful women in the world? This list is here for users like you to vote on and decide who the hottest woman in the world might be. Are the hottest women ever also the hottest models ever? Or do you think the hottest movie stars out to top the list of the sexiest women in the world? That's up to you to vote on! If you think this list of the world's most beautiful women is missing some of the hottest women ever, make sure to add them so other users can vote on them to take the top spot as the most beautiful woman in the world.The Greatest TV Characters of All Timeread moreList of TV's most memorable characters, of all time, chosen by the Ranker community. What makes a character live on in the public's memory, even years after the original run of their respective TV programs? In some cases, it's the amount of depth that the show's writers, actors and other creators were able to bring to the character over the course of many years. For many of the greatest TV characters of all time, audiences feel like they get to know personalities like Dexter Morgan from "Dexter." Even after the show leaves the air, they may not want that relationship to end. (Thankfully, they don't have to, as many shows live on for years after their cancellation on DVD and in syndication.) The best TV characters are ones that you feel like you know and that you'd want to be friends with.TV has brought many characters to life who have been extremely compelling, even if they are not entirely likeable. Viewers may not wish to know dangerous, shadowy figures like Tony Soprano, Vernon Schillinger and Omar Little in reality, but following their exploits safely from the comfort of your living room can be appealing. Likewise, people who might be aloof or downright unpleasant in real life - think "Mad Men's" Don Draper or Al Swearengen of "Deadwood" - can prove charming, even admirable, when seen at a distance, with the subtext and intricacy that a long-running TV show can provide.Who is the greatest TV character ever? This list contains the greatest, most fascinating and most enduring fictional characters from TV of all time. Be sure to vote for your favorites, and if some of your favorite characters aren't represented, go ahead and re-rank the list to contribute to the discussion.The Best Finishing Moves in Wrestling Historyread moreThe best finishers in wrestling are the signature moves our favorite professional wrestlers from the WWE, TNA and international leagues use as a knockout blow to their opponents to win a match. Just like the unique wrestlers' entrance music, each wrestler has their own finishing move which not only launches these wrestlers to the win column of matches but also helps to define a wrestler's career.Years ago, wrestling finishers were primarily submission holds that were more functional than flashy. Professional wrestling has however evolved more into an entertainment event leading to intricate and harsher finishers. No longer do wrestlers rely on simple headlocks to subdue their opponents. Now it's all about the complex moves involving jumping from the ropes, flying kicks and other intricate manoeuvres.Still, some of the older and greatest wrestlers of all time are still regarded as having some of the best closers. Hulk Hogan's Atomic Leg Drop, Randy Savage's Diving Elbow Drop and Kurt Angle's Ankle Lock are all quite simplistic in comparison to newer moves but are undeniabe classics. Similarly, they've inspired professional and amateur wrestlers around the globe to improve upon these moves to create their own signature finishers.What are the best finishing moves in wrestling? Whether you're a fan of Diamond Dallas Page's Diamond Cutter, Rick Flair's Four Figure Leglock, Stone Cold Steve Austin's Stunner or any of the finishers in between, it's hard not to respect the creativity that goes into creating these moves. Have a favorite wrestling finisher? Vote for it below or add it if it's not yet listed!The Best Dogs for Allergiesread moreThe best dogs for allergies are the best dog breeds for allergy sufferers as they shed less, have less dander and are considered by some to be hypoallergenic. While there's a great deal of disagreement over whether any dog can truly by hypoallergenic, many believe these dogs are better for those with allergies than other breeds. So if you're not a fan of those sneezes and itchy eyes when you're around pets, try these allergy friendly dogs on for size.To understand why some people are allergic to dogs, you have to look at the cause of the irritation. While allergies differ from person to person, most are allergic to the dander of the dog, something given off by the dog's hair, skin, urine and slobber. While it's impossible to eliminate that skin, urine and never-ending drool, the hair of these dogs is what sets them apart as better for allergy sufferers. To eliminate the hair completely, many with dog allergies might select hairless breeds such as the Chinese Crested, Xoloitzcuintli (Mexican hairless dog) and the Peruvian Hairless Dog are favorites in that area.But for those who aren't interested in a hairless dog, there are plenty of other options on this list of hypoallergenic dogs. Poodles are especially praised for being better dogs for allergies as are poodle hybrids and some designer dog breeds such as the labradoodle and cockapoo. For smaller breeds better for allergies, many flock to the shih tzu, Yorkshire terrier, Maltese and Havanese. If a larger breed is more your style, try a Samoyed, airedale terrier, Portuguese water dog or Irish water spaniel. While the jury may be out on if any dogs can truly be hypoallergenic, for those suffering pet allergies, these dogs will be the best choices. They might not be the most popular dog breeds, but these shed less, have less dander and are pretty adorable in the process.The Best Wrestling Games of All Timeread moreThis is a list of the best wrestling games of all time for any console or system, including cover art pictures when available. These highly rated wrestling games are ordered by popularity, so only the greatest wrestling games are at the top of the list. Spanning the entire history of the genre, these wrestling games are considered the best in the genre. This list includes all challenging wrestling games that have ever hit the shelves, so it doesn't necessarily have all the more obscure or new wrestling games. This list has a variety of items, like WWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2008 and WWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2007, in it. This list answers the questions, "What are the best wrestling games?" and "What is the greatest wrestling game of all time?"The Most Overrated Wrestlers of All Timeread moreWho are the most overrated wrestlers of all time? Obviously any list that includes words like "overrated" and "wrestling" of any kind will spark some disagreement, but that's cool. Vote for the wrestlers that you think get way too much credit for their abilities (or lack thereof). You can also rerank this list any way you want, putting specific wrestlers you think aren't really that talented at the top, and leaving off people you think are really that good. Some WWE wrestlers are genuinely great, but others are too heavy on the gimmick and too light on the actual ability. Wrestling is a sport, and it does require a certain amount of skill and prowess in the ring, after all. Some wrestlers have that perfect, rare combination of showmanship and talent that makes them among the greatest pro wrestlers of all time. They are among the toughest pro fighters ever, and they take no prisoners. That's not what this list is about, no no. This is specifically a place where wrestling fans can choose the wrestlers that they believe are all flash and no substance. Think John Cena is a phony? Vote him up! Disagree? Vote him down. It's as simple as that. The same goes for some of the other big names listed here, from Jeff Hardy to Warrior to Bret Hart. Enjoy!Best Soccer Players of All Timeread moreList of the greatest soccer players of all time is ranked by soccer (football) fans worldwide. Who are the best soccer players ever? The goal is to determine the greatest footballers to ever play the game. The list establishes individual rankings of specific soccer players and helps answer the question, "Who is the best soccer player in the world?" This list includes some of the most famous soccer players in the world, but fame doesn't necessarily determine talent.Though many more people are exposed to soccer players during major international events like the Olympics or the World Cup (or even UEFA's European tournaments), there are numerous soccer/football leagues around the world made up of thousands of professional athletes. Any of these soccer players are eligible for the list, even if they are mainly well known in certain regions or nations. In America, other than that nation's own Major League Soccer league, the English Premier League and its athletes are most likely to be recognizable and familiar, though the marriage of David Beckham to Posh Spice makes all the people he plays with more recognizable to American fans.60+ Beautiful Old Photos of Life in the Real Wild Westread moreIn the late 1800s, the prospects in the western part of the United States drew thousands of new residents yearly, seeking to stake their claim on unexplored, undeveloped territories. Over a century ago, however, moving wasn't as easy as calling up for a U-Haul and putting down a deposit on a new apartment. Along the way to Utah, Colorado, California and the like were bandits, giant swatches of nothingness, and natives of the land not eager to give way to new settlers. As these real photos of the Old West will show, there was a different way of living in this unexplored land.Pictures of the Wild West include the only known photo of Billy the Kid, bluffs and rocks in the uncharted territories, public hangings, parks, settlements, and even some photos of Buffalo Bill's Wild Circus. There's no denying, after seeing this Wild West photos, that the real America of the 1800s was nothing like the best Western movies. Where can I find pictures of the Wild West? What was life like in the Old West? What did the United States look like in the 19th century? These early America photos will shed some light on questions about life in the Wild West. Make sure to vote up the best pictures of frontier America and if you want to know more about the Wild West, check out the best Western writers for another take on Old West life.WWE's Greatest Superstars of the 21st Centuryread moreWho are the WWE's greatest superstars of the 21st Century? This list includes several of the greatest pro wrestlers of all time. This list is inspired by the DVD, the 'Greatest Stars of the New Millennium' that profiles the superstars and divas that dominated the ring for the first decade of the 2000s. Major stars include John Cena, Triple H, Undertaker, Randy Orton, Edge, Chris Jericho, Batisa, and more. These wrestlers are without a doubt among the greatest entertainers in the sports world, and each one of them made a huge impact in the 2000s.Do you disagree with certain pro wrestlers on this list? Think they're a bit overrated? Vote them down and be sure to vote up the wrestlers that you think are among the toughest professional fighters in history. And remember: You can always rerank this list of the best and brightest WWE superstars of the 21st Century in any order you like.The Most Useless College Majorsread moreThis is a list of the most pointless university majors and fields of study guaranteed to not lead to gainful post-graduation employment. In April of 2012, the Daily Beast ran their list of 13 pointless college majors; now it's your turn to sound off on the coursework that will most poorly prepare you to enter the job market. Often, when students first enter a community college or four-year university program, they're encouraged to pursue a course of study that most interests them. The idea is that they will first become dedicated to, and excited about, learning something, and then they'll eventually figure out how to apply their interests towards pursuing a career. But as the economy continues to struggle, and jobs for recent grads dry up, this philosophy is being reconsidered (as is studying Philosophy in general!)Graduating with a degree in a humanities subject deemed as "useless" can be a real detriment to finding work post-graduation, even as newly-minted electrical engineers and computer developers get snatched up quickly by startups and tech companies.This list provides some insight into the majors seen as "most useless" by the public at large. Vote for the departments you'd be least likely to join on your nearest campus, and if we've missed a major you think is utterly without merit, add it at the bottom of the page.The Hottest WWE Divasread moreThis is the ultimate list of the hottest WWE Divas. For as long as red blooded WWE fans can remember, the diva has been an integral part of the makeup of professional wrestling. At first many of these extremely attractive, sexy ladies accompanied wrestlers to the ring as their manager or valets. But over the past decade or so, the WWE has embraced their sexy women and have expanded their roles within the company. The WWE has devoted an entire section on its website to the hotness of these ladies with galleries and have become a subdivision upon itself.No longer are are divas only managers, instead they can take part in the WWE's female wrestling division. Some may think that the ladies grappling could injury or potential get injured, but these hotties know what they're doing both in and out of the ring. Stacy Kiebler is a WWE diva who went onto bigger things as both a contestant on Dancing With the Stars and was known for years as George Clooney's girlfriend, while Torrie Wilson showcased her hotness when she posed for Playboy.Feel free to add more names and ladies who may be missing from this ultimate list of the hottest WWE Divas. Don't forget to have your say by voting on which diva deserves the title of the hottest.Professional Wrestlers Who Died Youngread moreUnlike any other athletes or sports entertainers, professional wrestlers are more prone to dying before the age of 55. For whatever reason, (the abuse of their bodies, steroids, hard drugs, partying, long hours) these bohemoths of the square circle end up perishing. Unfortunately, this includes many of the icons of wrestling history. It's almost a strange occupational hazard at this point to be a pro wrestler considering all of the bumps you get in the ring. It seems like you hear about the deaths of these wrestling giants on a more frequent basis these days, as the sport has gotten more popular and become a global brand of entertainment. Many of the stars on this list have competed in the WWE, WCW, ECW, AWA among others. The men and women on this list have wrestled in some of the biggest arenas and pay-per-view events in the world.So which wrestlers died young? That's the shame of this list. There are guys like Owen Hart, who died during an in-ring stunt, or the tragedy of Chris Benoit and his family, which words can't really do justice. Others, like Andre The Giant, was a victim of his own size and ultimately that size was one of the reasons of his great success.The wrestlers on this list all died before their 55th birthday. Take a look and see who died young.The Best Alien Movies Ever Maderead moreThe best alien movies, ranked by fans of space and sci-fi genres. Alien movies can take several forms. What are the best alien movies? Many films about extraterrestrials or visitors from other planets turn them into traditional horror villains. These "alien war" movies tend to follow a simple pattern: 1) UFOs arrive on Earth, 2) a misunderstanding or outright evil intent sparks a war between aliens and humanity, 3) with massively destructive and terrifying results. Consider the similarities of the recent Battle: LA, Steven Spielberg's War of the Worlds, and even Tim Burton's genre parody, Mars Attacks. However, there are also films in which aliens are not an interstellar threat but a boon to humanity, or at least well-intentioned explorers. E.T. is the classic example of the "friendly alien" genre – and the xenomorphs in the Alien franchise stay in outer space, so that's good for humans, too. E.T. is also one of the best alien kids movies ever made.What are the best alien films of all time? Often in these films, the aliens are tragically misunderstood, and it's the primal nature of human beings that spark conflict. Finally, there are numerous films about aliens which attempt to "realistically" depict what might happen if humans and extraterrestrials interacted. These include Close Encounters of the Third Kind (another Spielberg film!), District 9, and even abduction films purportedly based on "true stories," such as Fire in the Sky. While this list does not include all alien movies ever made, it is a list of the best alien films. What do you think are the greatest alien movies of all time?Tasks You Loathe The Mostread moreChores. Niceties. Tasks. Those nasty and/or tedious things we have to do in life to pretend to be civilized. The things that separate us from animals. We hates them, precious. We hates them so much. But, which are the worst? The chores that you face with the enthusiasm of a firing squad? These are the most loathesome tasks and chores in our everyday lives. Vote, rank, or do both... and, as always, add any you see missing.When it comes to cleaning up after your pets, you'd be hardpressed to find a single person, outside of your run of the mill crazy person that would enjoy doing this task. Pets are awesome to have, but can be a gargantuan pain to take care of. It is simple tasks like this that make you loathe things that you should love. Other everyday tasks that are awful include cleaning the shower, unclogging the toilet and even going to the DMV, which no one loves doing, even its employees. The common hatred of these every day tasks is what can unite people from all walks of life.
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