02/26 - Thoughts On The Following Wrestlers

[Loss]

First four are by special request, even if I am NOT a soft-rock DJ.

 

Lance Storm

Nikita Koloff

Scott Norton

Bam Bam Bigelow

Chris Benoit

Raven

Ultimo Dragon

Dory Funk Jr

Ricky Steamboat

Davey Boy Smith

[Loss]

Lance Storm - Solid, but not really spectacular. I don't know that he ever really fully realized his potential as a worker or as a superstar. Never bad by any means, but wrestled light as a feather, which makes him both a professional and a puss, because his chairshots looked like shit. I've seen some matches with Jericho that I've liked (or at least I did a few years ago) and I enjoyed an 8-man tag he was part of in WAR that also featured Liger, Misterio, Juventud, Jericho and others. I think his match with Edge at Summerslam '01 was his best in WWE. Had some decent matches with Candido in ECW, but nothing too outstanding. Became a good hand on the mic in the latter stages of his career, but had a Dean Malenko-ish reputation and never got the opportunity to really talk without having a bad gimmick forced on him where he's awkward in his own skin. Those characters NEVER work, as a lesson. Would have been a big star in WCW had they still been around.

 

Nikita Koloff - One of my favorites growing up, which I now realize is because Flair made him look so fucking great every time they were in the ring. Sexiest wrestler ever, in case you're keeping inventory on my personal tastes in men. Uh, yeah. I think they could have run with him for a while as champ, but he really lost his passion for wrestling (and life, for a while) when his wife Mandy died. Prototype for Goldberg. Had the benefit of being surrounded by fantastic workers most of his career, so he never really had any abysmal matches. Nice guy from all accounts.

 

Scott Norton - Worthless. Next.

 

Bam Bam Bigelow - Had all the physical tools Vader had, but didn't quite have the same killer instinct or push. His tag team with Vader in NJPW in the early 90s was short-lived, but excellent. I think he could have become a bigger star than he became pretty much every time he flirted with the upper card, to a point where it became a Luger or Jericho-ish running gag after a while. Should have been huge in the WWF in 87/88. And wasn't. Should have been huge in the NWA in '88. And wasn't. Should have been huge in the WWF after jobbing to LT in '95. And wasn't. Should have been huge in WCW in '98/99. And wasn't. One of the most politically-sabotaged wrestlers ever, and one who I don't think ever had the match he was capable of having. Part of some super-fun brawls in Memphis teaming with Lawler against Austin Idol and Tommy Rich. Worked shootfights for a short time. Had a pretty good RF shoot interview, though he was trying too hard to seem like a badass.

 

Chris Benoit - One of the greatest workers of all time. I can't say enough for how good he was at his peak, and even now, how he shines above most of the rest of the roster. Everything a wrestler should be both between the ropes and outside of the ring, as he always strives to have the best match on every show and never has an "off night", and at the same time respects wrestling history and conducts himself like a pro. I want to see some of his matches in Mexico and Europe, because he supposedly excelled at Lucha and the British style as well, which doesn't surprise me, since he's also done well with the US heavyweight style and the NJ juniors style. I think the tag team with Malenko in '99 could have been HUGE if they hadn't broken them up for reasons I'll never understand. I think he had the potential to be even bigger in the WWF, but he jobbed to HHH in his very first match in the company, and while it didn't kill him, it did kill the mystique of the WCW World Champion Who Never Lost The Belt jumping ship and challenging the champ. I don't know that he's been quite the same since returning from injury in 2002, but he's still very good.

 

Raven - Smart guy with a good mind for wrestling, but like many, he does have a narrow view of what wrestling should be. I wish he would have swallowed his pride and agreed to work backstage for Vince instead of going on the road as a performer, just because his contributions to wrestling probably would be so much greater. I'm a fan of his regardless, specifically for his promos, his character and his philosophy on wrestling.

 

Ultimo Dragon - He doesn't really have an unbelievably high number of ***1/2+ matches, but his peaks are astounding, and his best matches can compare to almost anyone's best matches. I think him going into the HOF was a little bit of an overstatement, but I'm still a fan of his. Had some of the best matches in WCW history and has done some awesome work in Japan as well. Standout matches include Liger at the '95 J Cup, Otani at the '96 J Crown, Rey at World War 3 '96 and Jericho in WAR on 07/07/95, in what was spot fu galore, but well done spot fu galore.

 

Dory Funk Jr - The wrestling equivalent to watching paint dry, but I'll be damned if that paint doesn't know how to dry the right way. Okay, that's the strangest analogy I've ever made, but the point stands. Regarded as one of the best in his era for good reason, even if I do prefer his brother to him.

 

Ricky Steamboat - Possibly the best American babyface to ever live. Had a great career from start to finish, with Ric Flair obviously as his most famous opponent. His best matches are as good as anyone's best US matches, obviously. Never really slowed down, and had the class to quit when he wasn't going to be able to continue at his best anymore, opting not to give his fans less than he thought they deserved. I hope WWE listens to him as a road agent.

 

Davey Boy Smith - Spent his career in the shadow of someone else most of the time, whether it was Dynamite Kid, Owen Hart or Bret Hart. I was a fan of his, although he was really way physically bigger than he ever needed to be for most of the 1990s. Enjoyed his matches with Michaels, Bret and Owen. Was part of one fo the two or three best tag teams in the world with Dynamite Kid in the 1980s, and is one of the few guys I can think of who worked AJPW, NJPW, WCW, WWE and the North American territories prior to the WWF's national expansion. Probably would have been alive to this day and a better worker had he not bulked up so much, but probably never would have gotten the push he did had he not.

[Guest Bruiser Chong]

Lance Storm: I can't understand why so many people love to shoot him down. He may have been overrated, but it seems that many around the 'net have taken that as a sign to bust the guy's chops whenever his skills come into question.

 

He never had any classics in the WWF, but then again, how often did he get to work matches that lasted more than a few minutes. His SS '01 match against Edge was a perfect opener and set the tone for the evening.

 

Somewhat of a shame he never was given the chance to do more than be the boring guy in the WWF. As stupid as WCW was, making him a triple champion was one of the few high points in the company during that period.

 

Bam Bam Bigelow: A complete mark for himself, but still one of the better big men to ever work for the Big Two. His popularity during his first WWF run was amazing and it's a shame that he was stricken by knee injuries just when it seemed he may be poised for a big run at the top. Was probably never going to get a shot as the WWF champ, but could've made for an excellent top face working against the likes of Ted Dibiase and later on, Randy Savage.

 

His second WWF run got off on the right foot, but his pairing with Luna Vachon seemed to kill most of his momentum. The rest of the run was spent working an endless program with Doink the Clown and then being a key member of the original JOB Squad (aka The Million Dollar Corporation). After he turned face, he became a watered down version of himself.

 

Being one of the Clique's biggest enemies definitely had a hand in his downward spiral in the WWF, so getting out was best for him. ECW seemed to revive his career and while his matches with Taz and RVD aren't classics, they prove that Bam Bam could still go.

 

Oh, and he has one of the worst moonsault's in the history of pro wrestling.

 

Chris Benoit: Not much to say without sounding like an echo. I never cared for his verbal skills, but he always brought it in the ring. Just another victim of politics.

 

Raven: Another Jake Roberts. Not because of substance abuse, but because his mind for the business and how to wrap an audience around his finger is amazing. Like Loss said, his narrow views have added a few unncessary detours to his career.

 

Ricky Steamboat: Sorry to say my first memories of Steamboat are of him being jobbed out to Greg Valentine at WM IV and of the dragon gimmick. His match with Savage at WM III was essentially the only great match I got to see him in until later years, but picking up the Flair DVD set exposed me to several more. He's one of the few guys who made it as a top guy with little verbal skills and no mouthpiece.

 

Davey Boy Smith : He accomplished an astonishing amount during his career, which is why it's almost tragic that he's never remembered as a great wrestler. He was always the weak link in any team he was a part of, which definitely attributed to his shortcomings being all the more obvious.

[Guest Steffie]

Lance Storm: I tihought he was a pretty solid wrestler. The guy wasn't great on the mic but he was a good technician in the ring. I found his matches to be pretty good to watch and was a fan of stampede to smw and beyond. I just wish he could've had a run with the world title, something he deserved over many others.

 

Nikita Koloff: Injuries shortened what could've been a great career. Loved the gimmick, loved his matches and one of my top favorites of all time. There was just something about nikita that you either marked out like crazy for him or despised him for life there was no inbetween.

 

 

Bam Bam Bigelow: Never really cared for Bigelow. I thought his gimmick was horrible, he was to slow in the ring and had nothing to offer. I did like his cartwheel though, not many big guys can do that.

 

Chris Benoit: Definetly imo one of the best of all time. I would put him up there with Ric Flair. This guy has put on phenomenal matches in japan, ecw, mexico, canada, you name it. One of the hardest working wrestlers in the industry today and of all times.

 

Raven: This guy ....why he's never been a major world champion boggles my mind. Great worker on the mic, in the ring, good ring psychology he's just a complete package. TNA dropped the ball on him big time. I had the chance to watch him start out his career in the PNW as Scotty the Body and growing up in the business at the same time as the bruise brothers *harris brothers*. This guy has never been given his due and it's a shame.

 

Ultimo Dragon: One of the most solid wrestlers to preform under a mask. The guy has dominated the world of lucha, puro and american wrestling. Shit on by the wwf this guy has done wonders for his own company in Toryumon, done amazing things for young talents like akio, kaz hayashi and many others. One of the most over looked talents when he's in the u.s. and his days in the wwe proved that.

 

Dory Funk Jr: Never a fan of his work. The funks have a legacy yes, but there was nothing ever about him that stood out and made me say "wow what a wrestler".

 

Ricky Steamboat: Pretty solid career. I felt his best days were his matches against Ric Flair before the wwf and after the wwf. His "dragon" days in the wwf were a bloody joke and he was never really given a chance to showcase his true talent. The matches that will stand out for me are the 2/3 falls match against Ric Flair and the sixty minute match they had among others.

 

Davey Boy Smith: I was a fan of the bulldog, he's another guy who should've had a world title run but didn't. I think my favorite angle with him was back in Calgary where his brother turned on him and reformed the new british bulldogs with the dynamite kid. It was a well done angle and a hot feud.

[Guest HarleyQuinn]

Lance Storm - Great worker who's personality was never really given a chance to shine until his WCW run. Was a solid performer in the ring but never really had that touch/charisma that could make fans connect with him which I think hurt him the most in the WWF/E.

 

Scott Norton - Power wrestler who probably could have been better used if he had been stuck in a tag team with a more technical wrestler who could cover his weaknesses(Think Hart Foundation somewhat). Is apparently over in Japan but I'm not sure how well his matches have been.

 

Bam Bam Bigelow - Great big man who could put on very good matches when given the right opponents and given time. Was hurt in the WWF, especially his second run, when he was going up against bigger competitors. Had a good match vs. Bret Hart at the 1993 KOTR.

 

Chris Benoit - A phenomenal wrestler at adapting to his opponent. Can wrestle a variety of styles while still maintaining an edge about him that makes fans take notice. Has great in-ring charisma however that doesn't translate that well to mic skills. Would make an awesome heel if he went a bounty hunter route and was used as an enforcer. Could be an Arn Anderson type mic worker if given the chance.

 

Raven - Not the world's greatest wrestler but very solid and I agree with the Jake Roberts II comparison. Fabulous mic worker, knows the intracicies of working a match to get the story across, and knows how to get the fans involved. Has had numerous great feuds with guys like Tommy Dreamer and Chris Benoit through the use of his mic work and non-wrestling actions.

 

Ultimo Dragon - A very consistent wrestler in WCW and has made his name in every other area of wrestling. Could've been a solid competitor but the WWE ignored him.

 

Ricky Steamboat - Fabulous babyface who could wrestle and get the fans behind him while selling his ass off. Could work well with most wrestlers and was fabulous when facing off against guys like Flair and Bret Hart.

 

Davey Boy Smith - Great power wrestler who was a great compliment to Dynamite and was what Scott Norton should have been in WCW. Was decent as a singles wrestler but was nowhere near as good as he was when teaming with Dynamite.

[Guest Hunter's Torn Quad]

Lance Storm: A solid worker, who needed a gimmick that didn't accentuate his lack of superstar charisma.

 

Nikita Koloff: Not that great, but he could be worked around so that you could get a good match out of him.

 

Scott Norton: A totally worthless sack of shit. When his heart gives out, as it will from carrying a juiced to the gills 340lbs on a frame meant for far less, I won't shed a tear. A complete cancer to wrestling, with zero redeeming features.

 

Bam Bam Bigelow: A really good big guy wrestler, but with an ego that far surpasses his ability.

 

Chris Benoit: Maybe the most versatile wrestler of the modern age. Can work any style, whether it's US, Japanese, Mexican, or whatever. Underrated on the mic, in that people judge him on his attempts at SE-style mic work, and never give him credit for his serious style mic work. Has had fewer bad matches in the last ten years than just about anyone in the sport.

 

Raven: Has tremendous psychology, and a great, if tad overrated grasp of the business. His Raven character was one of the best ever in wrestling, and it had a lot of depth to it.

 

Ultimo Dragon: A great worker, but even better trainer. Some of his students are phenomenal workers given their lack of experience. Totally mismanaged and abused in WWE, and will be again should he ever return.

 

Dory Funk Jr: A tremendous worker in his prime, despite what a blowhard at WC thinks.

 

Ricky Steamboat: The best babyface ever, the best seller ever, and maybe the best US-style wrestler ever. One of my all-time favorite wrestlers ever, and purely on ring work he blows away every other legend in wrestling, including Ric Flair.

 

Davey Boy Smith: A good wrestler when he wasn?t gassed up far beyond his best wrestling weight, but very inconsistent.

[sek69]

Lance Storm: To me, he always seemed like a wrestler from the 70s transported to current times. Technically there was few better, but he never really had charisma even before it became his gimmick to be boring.

 

Nikita Koloff: One of my favorites as a young NWA mark, his series with Magnum proved he was more than just a Soviet sterotype roid monster. Ironically I think making him the one to replace Magnum as the top babyface after the accident might have hurt his career as he ended up being Dusty's second banana instead of the feared Russian badass. By the way, I don't think it was injuries that ended his career, his first wife was dying of cancer and he found Jeebus and retired.

 

 

Scott Norton: Most people (including people in this thread) dismiss him out of hand because of his hoss credientials and that his WCW work was fairly subpar. He had better work in Japan, becoming one of the most over gajin.

 

Bam Bam Bigelow: I always was partial to Bam Bam, but he must have shit in someone's gym bag for the way he was always misused in the WWF despite having that hossality Vince gets wood for.

 

Chris Benoit: This will probably get me crucified, but I never really got into Benoit. Yeah he has good matches, but very rarely do I actually get into his matches. He's another guy who would have probably been a multiple time world champion in the 70s.

 

Raven: He reminds me of an in-ring version of Paul Heyman: absolutely brilliant mind for wrestling but can't keep from cutting his own throat. Seems like one of those guys who would rather be a big fish in a small pond than vice versa.

 

Ultimo Dragon: I remember seeing him on Nitro busting out stuff I've never seen before, and he probably would have had an even better career if WCW's penchant for botching hadn't carried over to the operating room.

 

Dory Funk Jr: Great worker from an era where workrate > charisma. Kinda sad to see him still getting in the ring when you consider people make comments about Terry being an old man yet he's the YOUNGER Funk Brother.

 

Ricky Steamboat: My vote for the greatest US worker ever. Probably the only guy who's ever competed in pro wrestling that doesn't have a drugs/booze/whores story to his name. Him working for WWE as an agent gives me a small glimmer of hope that someone would actually seek him out for advice.

 

Davey Boy Smith: I never cared for Davey. He only became who he was because Dynamite carried him, and he only stayed where he was because people like HBK would put their extra bumping gear on for matches with him.

[Guest treble]

Lance Storm

-Liked him when I started watcing ECW when the TNN show debuted. FUCKING AWESOME in his first few months in WCW until New Blood Rising. That match with Mike Awesome killed him so bad, especially considering how hot the crowd was for him in Vancouver. A victim of his own success there, I guess, as he got too over for his own good and he got his legs cut off underneath him. Marked out when he was the first WCW guy to show up in WWF pre-Invasion and enjoyed some of his stuff in WWE. The UnAmericans storyline was pretty decent for a bit there.

Nikita Koloff

-No comment.

Scott Norton

-All I know of him was when he was in WCW. Wasn't terribly impressed by what I saw.

Bam Bam Bigelow

-I always kinda liked him. Never a huge fan of his, but I thought he could be decent in the ring.

Chris Benoit

-Is anyone really going to say anything bad about him?

Raven

-Seems like he's got too big of an ego for my liking. Probably has himself to blame as to why he never became a superstar, as he probably had the talent to do so.

Ultimo Dragon

-Unfortunately for him, he's probably going to be best remembered by a lot of people for slipping at WrestleMania.

Dory Funk Jr

-Before my time.

Ricky Steamboat

-Seen his matches vs. Flair and the WMIII match. Obviously, they're great.

Davey Boy Smith

-Never really a huge fan of his. I enjoyed some stuff he was involved in, though.

[Guest Bruiser Chong]

Bam Bam's troubles stemmed from being vocal about his dislike for the Clique and their antics. He's goes over it more in-depth in the aforementioned RF Shoot. His attitude could be interpreted as bitterness - although he has ever right to be - but that portion of the shoot doesn't sound like it includes much BS.

[Guest Hunter's Torn Quad]

Scott Norton: Most people (including people in this thread) dismiss him out of hand because of his hoss credientials and that his WCW work was fairly subpar. He had better work in Japan, becoming one of the most over gajin.

 

Norton was just as bad in Japan as he was in WCW. New Japan just had some of the best wrestlers in the world making Norton look better than he was.

[Guest Crucifixio Jones]

Lance Storm - Not a fan of his ECW work but I really began to take notice when WCW saw fit to sign him away and put three belts on him. Then he (and incoherent Scott Steiner promos) became my only reason to watch Nitro. Sort of sad that the "invasion" began with him superkicking Perry Saturn on RAW and escaping in a limo with Shane McMahon but that's for another thread altogether (someone start a "Where did the Invasion Go Wrong?" thread and I swear to God I'll lose my fucking job, I'd post so much). I always found him technically sound and efficient, though. Either when THQ/AKI released 'Mania2000 or No Mercy, I forget which, but Lance Storm was the first CAW I made. For me, that's a high compliment.

 

Nikita Koloff - Like the early Road Warriors, I don't remember anyone who didn't like Nikita Koloff, as a heel or as a face. Of course, I liked him most in the unstoppable heel version, wearing chains around his neck like Hercules Hernandez and as the enforcer/protector of his "uncle", Ivan. I don't know about you guys, but on my schoolyard playground, there were only two popular wrestling moves to emulate (three if you were smart enough to know how to do the Figure Four and find someone dumb enough to let you do it to them): the DDT and the Russian Sickle (which is really incredible when you think about it; it was just a clothesline. Imagine kids running around today saying they'll give someone The Clothesline From Hell. Precisely) I'll specifically remember Koloff the most for three things: his Best of...series/feud with Magnum T.A. over the US Title, his face turn after Magnum's car accident and Koloff's reaction when Magnum returned.

 

Bam Bam Bigelow - I really don't know much very about Bigelow despite seeing as much of his career as anyone else. He was just never a wrestler that did it for me. I remember everyone making a big hub bub about his so-called agility because he could do a cartwheel, but I always looked at him and saw a bum with a gimmick. The only thing I liked about Bam Bam was the name of his finisher in ECW, "Greetings from Asbury Park." For all people say about him, he'll likely only be remembered for his match with LT at whatever 'Mania that was and jobbing.

 

Chris Benoit - A wrestler that's so good but had been fucked over for so long, I almost cried at the conclusion of 'Mania XX. I think had I actually been in the house at that moment, I would've. There has never been a wrestler to make me wanna do that. And that was because of his REAL LIFE struggle, not any angle.

 

Raven - He and Tommy Dreamer made real magic in ECW with their ongoing, multi-layered feud. I liked him just as much in WCW but never felt as though he'd ever recapture the magic he had in that angle with Dreamer and I was right. Everything he did in WCW felt so watered down. By the time he got to WWF, I no longer cared about him. Hardcore matches with Kane were not what I wanted to see Raven doing. The best thing to ever come out of Raven being in the WWF is when they loaned him to ECW to win the tag titles with Dreamer that night the Dudley's threatened to leave with the straps.

 

Ultimo Dragon - Someone I never got to see as much as I would've liked to.

 

Ricky Steamboat - Steamboat is someone I can say I'm fortunate to have seen the vast majority of his wrestling career as it happened, more importantly, his stuff in the NWA and most importantly, his feud with Ric Flair. That is something I will always cherish. Watching the Flair DVD is like taking a trip back through time for me. I hated nearly everything he did in the WWF, especially his stupid "Dragon" gimmick and I never saw the 'Mania III match with Savage until it had long passed. I think the ultimate compliment I can give Steamboat is this: my mother hated wrestling. Never watched when me and my dad would, would completely ignore it. But she loved Ricky Steamboat. ADORED the man. That's the sign of an exceptional and now legendary babyface.

 

Davey Boy Smith - Most of my exposure to Davey Boy comes from his time as part of the Bulldogs and their feud with the Hart Foundation. I wasn't watching the WWF at the time he went singles and when I saw him I had no interest in doing so. He was just another swollen, beefed up, steroid-enhanced monster that a mad Vince had created in a lab somewhere who I felt was probably barely mobile and likely had three moves in his repertoire, all of which were probably power slams of some sort. I don't share the love for his match with Bret in England for the European title and I can't say I'm a fan of his at all. His death, however, was tragic and unnecessary.

[Guest Crucifixio Jones]

By the way, I don't think it was injuries that ended his career, his first wife was dying of cancer and he found Jeebus and retired.

Actually, it was. His first wife, Mandy died of Hodgkins disease in '89. He remarried in '91 and wrestled his last match in '92 against Vader where he suffered a hernia and injured his neck. He retired shortly thereafter. He didn't find "Jeebus" until almost a year later in '93 when he and his new wife, Victoria, began searching for a church to raise their family in.

[Guest Bruiser Chong]

I don't share the love for his match with Bret in England for the European title

Are you talking about the IC title match from Summerslam? I've always found it to be a tad overrated, myself, but it was an amazing moment watching it as it happened, even though I desperately wanted Bret to win.

[Guest Crucifixio Jones]

Yeah, that's it. I'm stupid.

[Guest Some Guy]

Lance Storm - I thought "If I can be serious for a minute" was great. I really liked his character during late 2001, where he'd say wierd things like "That's as illegitimate as a 3 legged donkey. And as we know donkey's have 4 legs." I thought it was funny. I liked his work for the most part but his punches and chairshots sucked. He seemed too worried about hurting someone. Carried Edge to his best non-TLC match up to that point at SS 2001. Could have and should have been a long running heel IC Champ.

 

Nikita Koloff - Didn't see enough of him. But I think a clothesline is a weak finish no matter what.

 

Scott Norton - I really liked his shoulder breaker. And thought his tag team with Buff had a cute name.

 

Bam Bam Bigelow - Had the tools to be better than he was. He always seemed watered down. Vader is the prototype to me for how a big man should work. Bigelow should have dominated and taken bumps, instead he pretty much just took bumps.

 

Chris Benoit - Very good in the ring. Adapts his style to his opponents too much IMO. If you look at guys like Austin, Rock, HHH, etc... They wrestled their match and their opponents had to adapt. Benoit almost never makes his opponents adapt. He should have been the next Bret Hart. His mic skills aen't terrible but his timing is more often than not in promos.

 

Raven - Great talker, good worker, great mind. Vince dropped the ball on him big time.

 

Ultimo Dragon - Never really got into him. I liked his match with Malenko (who I love) at Starcade 96. Hated that goofy handstand on the top rope he'd do where his opponents would stop and look at him like morons only to be be kicked in the chest.

 

Dory Funk Jr - Heard great things, but haven't seen much of him.

 

Ricky Steamboat - Bad mic skills, great worker. I think his match with Savage was his best because he really seemed to hate him, whereas with Flair I never felt any hate, just a difference of opinion as to how to live life.

 

Davey Boy Smith - Had very good/great matches with Owen, Bret, HBK, and Vader. Other than that I haven't seen anything above "passable" from him. Although I've heard that he was awesome in the early 80s. I have been meaning to get a best of Bulldogs and Best of Dynamite tapes forever but haven't for various reasons.

[sek69]

I don't really think Steamboat had bad mic skills, it would have been weird to hear the standard "I HATE YOUR GUTS" promo coming from him.

[Coffey]

[li]Lance Storm ~ To be perfectly honest, the only time I ever really liked him was when he was wrestling with Justin Credible as one half of the Impact Players in ECW. He has some really good moves, like his roll-through half Boston Crab, but I've never thought that he was any better than Chris Jericho. Since I consider Jericho to be overrated and just average, that's how I pretty much feel about Lance Storm. He just seems to get a lot of internet praise. I guess because he actually acknowledges his on-line fans and fame? When he held all three titles in WCW and renamed them, I did enjoy that. In WWE, he was a letdown to me. I think his best moment was when Stone Cold interrogated him backstage.

 

[/li][li]Nikita Koloff ~ The man changed what being a wrestling fan meant to me. I thought he was insane. I loved when he came back to WCW and attacked Lex Luger. It was right after Luger had a title defense against Danny Spivey I believe. Koloff just snapped, ripped off his shirt, flexed, and looked crazy. It was gold. He had a great look, although his wrestling was usually about average. His charisma, to me, carried him over everything.

 

[/li][li]Scott Norton ~ Damn. I didn't know that Scott Norton was so e-hated. He's actually one of my favorite wrestlers. I think he's a good big man. Doesn't anyone remember his feud with The Cat in WCW? "Yo Scott, The Cat's calling you out!" "WHAT!?" I got to see Norton wrestle live here in town a few years ago. I was baffled by his size. He went over Benoit with a shoulder breaker after not tapping out to the Crossface and I marked out. I've only seen a few of his Japanese matches, but he seems fine from what I've watched. I remember beating really mad when Rey Mysterio beat him by using a low blow. Vicious and Delicious with Buff Bagwell was comedy too. As was his teaming with Ice Train D-Von Dudley.

 

[/li][li]Bam Bam Bigelow ~ Most of what needs to be said about Bammer already has been typed out. He's a good big man. He had a lot of potential. It wasn't ever really lived up. Character wise, he was probably the best in ECW. He was in the Triple Threat and had a feud with Taz. His WCW run was terrible. His WWF run where he jobbed out to LT and had a feud with Doink and midgets was also bad. Still, I remember thinking that he looked dangerous when I was little. Of course, it was probably just because he had tattoos on his scalp. He was also in Major Payne, which I felt like pointing out.

 

[/li][li]Chris Benoit ~ For the most part, he's always entertained me. At least from a wrestling standpoint. I loved his Royal Rumble match with Kurt Angle a couple of years ago. His Wrestlemania XX match was also fantastic. I really enjoyed his ladder match with Chris Jericho. Super J Cup 1994 was more than watchable. His brawl with The Taskmaster in WCW is worth watching. Everything good about Benoit comes from being in the ring. That's fine as a wrestler, but you'll never be the flagship that way.

 

[/li][li]Raven ~ Great gimmick, average wrestler. Excells at talking. Seeing as how he was one of my favorites for a long time, that shows what entertains me on wrestling shows I guess. I loved when he hit the Evenflow DDT on DDP on TRL.

 

[/li][li]Ultimo Dragon ~ I liked his Dragon Sleeper finisher in WCW. Outside of that, I was never really a big fan of his. He seemed to botch a lot of spots.

 

[/li][li]Dory Funk Jr. ~ All I remember from him is him being in one of the Royal Rumble matches and getting hit by a phantom punch. Most of his recent work was in Japan, and I'll not be going out of my way to obtain that.

 

[/li][li]Ricky Steamboat ~ A great babyface wrestler.

 

[/li][li]Davey Boy Smith ~ I liked him back when he had the braids. I think that's the only time. I was never a big fan of the British Bulldogs as a tag team, but I liked his IC title run.[/li]

 

[Guest Some Guy]

I don't really think Steamboat had bad mic skills, it would have been weird to hear the standard "I HATE YOUR GUTS" promo coming from him.

True, but he was just really boring on the mic. His character was very vanilla, he was a good guy with a blonde wife and fat little kid who he liked to dress up as a dragon. Plus his real name is way cooler than his gimmick name. Blood > Steamboat.

[goodhelmet]

Lance Storm- I have never seen a **** Lance Storm match. I wouldn't argue that there was ever a **** Lance Storm match because I wouldn't believe you. Maybe a tag match from WAR but I haven't seen it.

 

Nikita Koloff - I used to have his poster from an old PWI magazine pinned on my wall. Ah to be a kid. I was devastated when I found out he wasn't a Russian.

 

Scott Norton - I want to see some of his NJ stuff ebcause I have neevr seen a good Scott Norton match. someone show me the way.

 

Bam Bam Bigelow- I used to mark out for him as a kid. I think it was the tattoos.

 

Chris Benoit - Simply one of the best from the last 15 years. Loss and I finally agreed that it is hard to think of that one defining match you could put on Benoit's ***** resume. The world title win was huge but not *****. I love Benoit-Sasuke but it falls short of the 5 star mark. There are so many benoit matches i haven't seen so who knows... maybe one day I'll discover something that screams The Definitive Benoit Match.

 

Raven- In watching him from ROH last year, I was drawn into the feud with CM Punk even though the matches were subpar. When I first saw him in WCW (had not seen ECW at the time) I shrugged my shoulders but he won me over with his talking alone. The one standout memory from Raven was when Raven and Kanyon injured one of the Villanos and Raven had to keep the other Villano from attacking them.

 

Ultimo Dragon- His match with Shinjiro Ohtani could def. be called the definitive moment of his career and is one of my favorite matches of all-time. I also loved hius matches with Rey.

 

Dory Funk Jr- Dory is a wierd cat to me. I like Terry better and think Terry has had better matches but i don't know if Terry is the better wrestler. My first memory of him is when the Funks were wrestling in the WWF prior to WM2. He just looked so damn old.

 

Ricky Steamboat- My favorite wrestler of my youth and probably of all-time. I'll admit he isn't the best but he is my favorite. I liked the fact that he was always a babyface. As a kid, I never marked out for heels, always cheered for the face for the most part, and Ricky never let me down. Savage-Steamboat was the first match that I said "Wow.... that was a great match."

 

Davey Boy Smith- I really enjoyed Davey Boy throughout his career. I'll probably put a comp together at some point of favorite Davey matches. I could prolly do the same with the Bulldogs sooner or later.

[Guest Alfdogg]

Lance Storm - I liked his "If I can be serious" promos and the whole Team Canada schtick (except for turning Jim Duggan...WTF were they thinking), and thought putting the three titles on him all at once was a cool touch. As for Lance Storm the worker, see what I say about Benoit.

 

Nikita Koloff - HE'S NOT RUSSIAN???

 

Scott Norton - Don't get why he's so big in Japan. Just seems like your average run-of-the-mill hoss to me.

 

Bam Bam Bigelow - I always liked Bam Bam, he's one of the best big man workers ever. He was really intense, I liked the head tattoos and the flames and the whole schtick. Plus, fat guys doing cartwheels is always a sight to behold.

 

Chris Benoit - Certainly not what he once was, but still the best in the WWE right now without much thought on the matter. I prefer him much more as a heel, but I seem to be in a pretty great minority on that opinion for reasons I don't really understand. The thing I like best about him, though, is his rough and tough style...the stinging chops, the double-armed clothesline where he goes to the side and just drills you in the sternum and chest, the suplexes...I don't care what anyone says, that shit's fuckin' real and it hurts. Lance Storm is pretty much the antithesis of Benoit in that respect, and that's why I never really got into him as a worker.

 

Raven - I loved his sulky, depressed, "the world is against me" promos and how he would flop around like a fish on the mat to sell certain moves. Supposedly Hogan wasn't a big fan of his, thus he never got higher on the card than he did, at least a *real* US title reign.

 

Ultimo Dragon - I loved Dragon in WCW, I really liked the Dragon sleeper and the headstand on the buckle. Great kicks, too. His match with Rey at WW3 in 96 was incredible.

 

And what's this about him slipping at WM.

 

Ricky Steamboat - Excellent worker, mic skills...not so much. Would have liked to seen him have just one run as a heel, just to see if he could pull it off.

 

Davey Boy Smith - I always liked him, epsecially the stuff with Owen in 97. I was surprised to never see him get a run with the WWF title. I also heard that his initial singles run came after making a deal behind Dynamite's back to return without him, which created hatred to the point where Dynamite refuses to even speak his name. Of course I read that at OWW.com which probably isn't the best source.