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The Definitive Four of the 80s


jpchicago23

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Obviously Hogan would be one of the 4:

 

- original WWF run

 

There are quite a few matches from MSG and the Spectrum available of his, along with Shea and TV squashes. A pair of title challenges, along with the major feud with Andre

 

- 1980-85 NJPW Run

 

There are something like 65+ matches of his available on tape/dvd. I'm not talking about how many that aired, but have't popped up: I mean that are available if someone wanted to track them down. There's aren't remotely close to that number of matches available from Japan for Flair or Bock or Backlund in the 80s. In fact, there probably aren't that many available for all three if you add them together.

 

- 1981-83 AWA run

 

KHawk could go over this, but it's safe to say it wasn't insignificant at all.

 

- 1984-89 WWF run

 

Well... the most important run in the modern history of pro wrestling... in the post WWII history of pro wrestling... well... quite possibly ever. It alone is worth a spot on the 80s Mt Rushmore. The point of the other stuff was just to get across that his 1980-83 wasn't an airball, but instead full of strong stuff on it's own. Then he took it to another level.

 

The 2-4 guys are closer together than any of them to Hogan... the #2 might be closer to #10 than he is to Hogan. ;)

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I personally think the following four are the top 4 Americans of the 1980s:

 

1. Terry Funk

2. Stan Hansen

3. Hulk Hogan

4. Ric Flair

 

Other names who deserve consideration are Randy Savage, Ted DiBiase and Jerry Lawler.

 

By the way, what about Bobby Eaton and Barry Windham? I don't think they're top 4 candidates, but they could be top 10 candidates and at least deserve to be mentioned.

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Why Funk #1? Just curious.

I love his work in All Japan (especially the matches vs. Hansen). Plus, there's the run in WCW in 1989 that I really like. His WWF run isn't his best stuff out there, but I always thought it was fun. And then, there's stuff I haven't even seen yet, but expect to be great: his Puerto Rico work, for example. I'm not quite sure if the #1 spot is a bit too high (maybe the case for him being #1 in the 70s is even stronger than him being #1 in the 80s), but at this moment, I think he is the #1 American worker of the 1980s. But yeah, mostly based on his work in Japan.

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I do wonder if Funk is a massive beneficiary of the idea that less is more / "leave them wanting more". Funk is kinda like a special attraction isn't he? I mean he's never there week in, week out, so when he shows up it's a big deal.

 

The two big runs, All Japan and NWA are both retirement angles.

 

I also think that the inclusion of Hogan has changed the parameters of this thread a bit. On what metric is Hogan on the Mount Rushmore? Historical importance? Work? Drawing power? All-round performance including promos? A mixture of all of those things?

 

There needs to be some clarification of what exactly we're talking about here.

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I also think that the inclusion of Hogan has changed the parameters of this thread a bit. On what metric is Hogan on the Mount Rushmore? Historical importance? Work? Drawing power? All-round performance including promos? A mixture of all of those things?

 

There needs to be some clarification of what exactly we're talking about here.

I was thinking more about a mixture of everything, the overall quality and importance of a wrestler. While guys like Funk and Hansen are mostly in it for in-ring work, Hogan should be included mostly for his incredible importance (and while he would never make it high on any list on in-ring work alone, I think he was good enough of a worker to justify calling him a great all-round performer).

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I also think that the inclusion of Hogan has changed the parameters of this thread a bit. On what metric is Hogan on the Mount Rushmore? Historical importance? Work? Drawing power? All-round performance including promos? A mixture of all of those things?

 

There needs to be some clarification of what exactly we're talking about here.

He's one of the two greatest pro wrestlers of all-time. If he can't be on the Mt Rushmore for his decade of dominance, that it isn't a pro wrestling Mt Rushmore.

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He's one of the two greatest pro wrestlers of all-time. If he can't be on the Mt Rushmore for his decade of dominance, that it isn't a pro wrestling Mt Rushmore.

If we're talking about a true Mt Rushmore comparison, one of the four would have to be ludicrously out of place and not belong. The Teddy Roosevelt.

 

So, we'd have something like Flair, Hogan, Lawler, and Ivan Putski.

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He's one of the two greatest pro wrestlers of all-time. If he can't be on the Mt Rushmore for his decade of dominance, that it isn't a pro wrestling Mt Rushmore.

If we're talking about a true Mt Rushmore comparison, one of the four would have to be ludicrously out of place and not belong. The Teddy Roosevelt.

 

So, we'd have something like Flair, Hogan, Lawler, and Ivan Putski.

 

Really?

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Historical_ra..._survey_results

 

1948 Schlesinger Poll

1. Abraham Lincoln

2. George Washington

3. Franklin D. Roosevelt

4. Woodrow Wilson

5. Thomas Jefferson

6. Andrew Jackson

7. Theodore Roosevelt

 

It was authorized in 1925 in the Coolidge admin, and started in 1927.

 

That's a bit close to Wilson, and it's highly unlikely that Wilson was well loved but the Cool admin.

 

FDR hadn't been President yet.

 

Once you get past Jackson and Teddy, it gets thin on candidates at that time. Teddy typically is rated higher than Jackson, and is pretty consistently around #5 in the historical rankings.

 

Putski is probably akin to Millard Fillmore.

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My "joke" comment was about something else in the thread, not your post.

 

My response to you was kind of wondering about Teddy. I've never seen much about him being viewed as a ludicrously person to be up on the rock. It's been almost 90 years since the project began, so over time he's less talked about now than even when I was a kid (70s/80s) in school. But never got a sense that his standing fell.

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I guess what bugs me about TR more than anything is he seemed "too new" at the time they were planning the monument. Like picking Cena.

 

However, looking at the presidential roster more carefully, the only real contender for TR's spot, and the guy I would put in his place would be John Adams - more of a Arn Anderson or Bobby Eaton type.

 

But then Rushmore would be comprised of the first three Presidents + Lincoln and wouldn't span the eras like it does with TR. Not much to pick from between Jefferson and Lincoln. No real contenders after Lincoln until TR.

 

If the Crazy Horse Monument had been done first and they were picking guys for Rushmore in the 80's, suppose FDR and JFK would be in contention. Reagan could be on the ass-end of the sculpture, I suppose.

 

As for the four for wrestling, I'd go Hogan, Flair, Hansen, Lawler.

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We would still have Washington and Abe.

 

The GOP would demand Ronnie, and the Dems would agree thinking that it would mean the GOP would meet them halfway on a Dem getting on there as well (with the GOP ignoring that Abe was GOP so that makes it 2-0 at the moment).

 

Of course the GOP wouldn't meet the Dems halfway on their choice (FDR) because he was a commie socialist who was soft on defense and big on spending. Yeah... no point in trying to talk them off that ledge.

 

The Dems would feel sad, but try to get the GOP to meet them halfway again:

 

Dems: "How about Truman? He blew shit up."

 

GOP: "No. He was a liberal commie that McCarthy had to take care of."

 

In the end, the Dems would roll over and let Ike go up there as a GOP President who wasn't W or Nixon.

 

Washinton - Abe - RR - Ike

 

And I'm only 10% joking...

 

John

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