1. Al Snow
--Al Snow has the ability to be at the Main
Event level. However, he doesn't have the gimmick to be there. Snow has pure
wrestling talent, which I honestly didn't believe until his few matches with
Val Venis two years ago. If given the proper gimmick, Snow could real sail, but
if he sticks with this gimmick, he'll stay right where he is.
2. Albert
--This tattooed freak has some
real potential. Although I haven't seen him in too many singles matches, I
think he could really shine in the Hardcore or even European division. When he
first joined T&A he did something very wise. He shaved his back, and that
was the first step to have me start looking at him other than a joke.
3. The Big Show
--This guy is huge. I have had
the pleasure of meeting both Andre the Giant and The Big Show. When I met
Andre, I was five, and when I met Paul White, I was in high school. Both made
me feel very small, which I am not. I like Big Show, have since he came out
against The Rock, and got booed for it. He's got a real future in the WWF, and
he will be the World Champion again as long as he keeps his weight down. It
will be interesting to see what he looks like when he comes back with all of
his lost weight.
4. The Big Bossman
--I hate him. I hate him. I hate
him. Alright, actually I don't. He's one of these guys that will never be cut
from the roster, because he's likeable and he's loyal. I think Vince will make
a place for him on the roster for as long as he wants to be there. When he
retires from the ring, I can actually even see him take over for Sgt. Slaughter
now.
5. Bradshaw
--I met him over a year ago. The
camera does not do this guy justice for his size. He is big and huge with
muscles about as big as both of my arms put together. I would say he deserves a
push, but I think Bradshaw is happy where he is, so as long as he and the fans
are happy, let him stay there.
6. The British Bulldog
--I was a fan of his, but now his
life is a wreck. He may come back eventually, but as for anytime soon, no.
7. Buh Buh Ray Dudley
--In my opinion, the most
talented Dudley Boy in the WWF. I could see Buh Buh as a future Hardcore,
European, or even Intercontinental Champion. I'm not saying that the Dudley
Boys need to break up, but I don't think them doing some more singles
competition would hurt. Not to mention seeing a feud between the two, even if
it just briefly.
8. Bull Buchanon
--When he first appeared
alongside the Big Bossman, I honestly didn't think too much of him, and then I
saw this big man move in the ring. He is probably one of the most agile big men
in wrestling today, and with a couple of years under his belt in the WWF, he
could be main-eventing, because he looks like the perfect heel. And I don't
know why this thought crosses my mind every time I see him, but he looks like
he would be able to play the perfect evil Amish wrestler.
9. Chris Benoit
--What can I say about this guy?
Well back in WCW, I didn't take any notice of him...UNTIL he had the best of
seven series of matches with Booker T. In my opinion, those matches were some
of the best in WCW history, especially their final match at one of the ppvs.
Ever since then I became a huge Benoit fan, and was always hoping he'd get his
shot at the WCW Title. When he finally did it and won it from Sid Vicious (I
don't give a damn what WCW says, he won the damn title), I was jumping for joy.
When he first came into the WWF I was worried for him. Benoit is quite possibly
the best wrestler in any of the big promotions, but his mic skills had some
work that needed to be done, and WWF, unless it was Kane, didn't like to push
guys who didn't have strong mic skills. But luckily after some practice and
just being given the chance to work on the mic, Benoit is doing pretty good for
himself, and I'm making a prediction right now, he will capture the World Title
in a year's time!
10. Chris Jericho
--I loved this guy in WCW. His
antics were original in the WCW setting. He seemed out of place with all of the
seriousness around WCW at the time, so he seemed like he would be perfect to
jump ship to WWF. When it finally happened, what happened? I marked out,
because it was really cool to see one of my favorites in WCW come to my
favorite wrestling promotion. The problem is...he's not the original guy any
more. Everyone has catchphrases...everyone is funny...everyone is playing an
egotistical face / heel...so where does that leave Jericho now? Kind of limbo.
He needs to start doing stuff that nobody has ever done to get to the
popularity that he was in the days that people were on the edge of their seat
waiting for his signing date with the WWF.
11. Christian
--One half of the tag team of
Edge and Christian. What more needs to be said? Well the fact that when he
first came in, I didn't see much hope for him. Edge, absolutely...Gangrel too,
but Christian, nah. Well I will be the first to admit it, he is the most
talented out of the three. And the best thing the WWF could have ever done with
them is turn them into the "California valley guy" gimmicks, because
let's face it...it reaks of awesomeness.
12. Chyna
--I must be the only Chyna fan
left in this forum. When she first won the IC Title from Jeff Jarrett, everyone
started saying it was a bad move, and I was the only one that defended it. Now
granted, I don't think she is the most skilled wrestler in the WWF, and now
that she is more feminine, I would like for her to maybe go into the Woman's
division, but to do so would be nearly impossible without destroying her image.
However, I don't think she should be competing over the IC Title. I think the
best bet for her would be to enter into the Lightweight Division and help bring
that title back to life.
13. Crash Holly
--Lucky #13 and it's Crash
Hol...oh, excuse me, just Crash. Crash is one of my favorites. He's got talent,
he's got mic skills, and he's just plain funny. Now with Molly on his side,
maybe he'll finally get some gold around his waste other than the Hardcore
Title. I could see him with the Lightweight, European, and even in the future,
the IC Title, and I just hope that he's given the chance to go after them.
14. D'Lo Brown
--Altogether now...let's sing the
praises of D'Lo. Alot of people ask "Why does everyone like D'Lo?"
Well he's got sheer talent for one thing, which is rare. He's a natural in the
WWF. He's got the talent, the mic skills, and most of all the attitude needed
to become a WWF superstar. The problem he has at the moment is a tag team
partner, and that tag team partner is named Chaz. Everyone loves D'Lo...but
hates Chaz (who oddly enough isn't even on the WWF superstar page). I don't
know if the WWF is trying to lower D'Lo's popularity or what, but they are
doing a good job of it. D'Lo needs to get into some serious singles competition
before it is too late for him to come back into the spotlight. If done right,
D'Lo is a future Main Eventer in the WWF.
15. D'Von Dudley
--I called him Devon up where I
was talking about Buh Buh Ray, and I apologize. I'm just too lazy to go back up
and change it. I like the Dudley Boys, but as I said up with Buh Buh, D'Von is
the least talented of the two. Actually, let me rephrase that, because both of
them are talented. D'Von is the less hopeful to make a good singles run. Why? I
don't know why, but I just feel that he is. An idea I came up with is that
maybe the Dudley's feud with the Right to Censor, and the RTC take D'Von and
turn him to the darkside. Could you just see D'Von with regular glasses on, and
in those white suits that they have bashing the use of tables. Can you see it?
Alrighty then...I'll just move on to the next person.
16. Dean Malenko
--Dean is one of the most
talented wrestlers on the WWF roster. Problem is he has less charisma than Al
Gore. WCW tried to get him over, and nothing worked, just as the WWF is trying
to do, and so far they haven't been successful. The thing WCW tried to do is
make him seem like an unfeeling man, and I think this is the direction to go,
because he has such a look on his face like he doesn't care about anything and
that nothing is going to affect him. Well play this up and use him as kind of a
Lethal Weapon type wrestler where he's not out to win matches, just injure you.
And someone who won't explain their actions to you leaves him more predictable
than someone who you know why they are doing it.
17. Debra
--Ummm...puppies. I hate eye
candy. OK...wait, let me rephrase that. I hate eye candy who enter into
wrestling just on their looks. Debra has no real talent. She can't wrestle. She
can't take real bumps, and she has terrible mic skills. What does that leave
her with? Boobs. That's about it. In all honesty, I think bringing her back
like this was a mistake and they should have come up with something behind the
scenes for her to do.
18. Eddie Guerrero
--Hey I'm just glad I'm getting
to the point where I can spell Guerrero correctly with out looking it up first.
I hated Eddie in the WCW, and I hated him when he first came into the WWF.
However, I really started to like him and think highly of him after he cut that
awesome promo on Chyna where he was irrate at her. I stood up and took notice,
and have liked ever since. I would love to see Eddie someday fighting for the
World Title, but right now I'm satisfied with him having the IC Title.
19. Edge
--I have loved Edge since the
moment he first stepped foot in the WWF, and although I did admit that
Christian was the more talented wrestler, I still like Edge more, so there.
Edge has the look and attitude to be at the top of the WWF someday, but
definitely not as his cocky persona now. I would love to see him to go back to
brooding guy who comes through the crowd...eventually, because at the moment,
I'm having too much fun watching them as a tag team.
20. Essa Rios
--Good ole Esse. He can't get a
break, can he? He is one of the most gifted highflyers in the WWF, and he's
barely used. He should be competing for the Lightweight Title on a regular
basis. Hell he should have the Lightweight Title. I would also like to see him
go after the European Title as well. Esse is a gifted athlete, and just because
he can't speak English that well, he shouldn't be punished for that. Andre the
Giant (RIP) didn't have the best mic skills, and you often couldn't understand
what he was saying when he talked, but he is still considered one of the most
beloved wrestlers in the world. I'm just saying give him a chance to shine and
he'll be able to deliver.
21. Faarooq
--I have liked Faarooq ever since
the days that he was Ron Simmons back in the old NWA. However, when he came
into the WWF as Faarooq, he seemed overweight, and wasn't that good of a
worker. Then he disappeared after The Nation disappeared. When he came back as
a member of The Acolytes, he looked awesome. Alright, now with my critique of
him. He's one of these guys, like Bradshaw, who has the potential, even though
he is getting up there in age, to really shine in singles competition, but he's
content to his place, which is with his buddy, Bradshaw. So once again, as I
said with Bradshaw, keep him there, he's good at it.
22. Funaki
--Funaki is a pretty good
lightweight, but in all honesty compared to the other lightweights in the WWF,
he is no where near their comparison. Funaki would be great as a
"jobber" lightweight competitor, someone who could put on a good
match, but ultimately always loses.
23. Gangrel
--I loved Gangrel from day one
coming into the WWF, he just got shafted with all of the new talent that came
in since he did. (Jericho, Radicals). At this point, they don't have him going
anyplace, but I think Gangrel would be a great addition to the Hardcore
Division. Being with the "vampire" gimmick, the blood of the division
could draw him to it.
24. Goodfather
--Bring Papa Shango back.
Actually even though I am serious about wanting to see Papa Shango back, I
think the Goodfather is doing pretty good for himself. Especially seeing as how
he is way past his prime. However, he is one of these guys, love him or hate
him, who is loyal to the WWF, and we always be in some kind of aspect of them.
He's content to whatever he's given, so they reward that kind of loyality, as
they should.
25. Grand Master Sexy
--GMS is by far the most talented
member of Too Cool, but unfortunately that doesn't say much. I still can't
believe that they were actually in World Tag Team Title contention a few months
back. As far as the WWF goes, Too Cool are my least favorite wrestlers. I think
he has potential, but not enough to spend much time on.
26. Hardcore Holly
--Yep, Yep. This man simply
rocks. When he first became Hardcore Holly, I was thinking...ummm...this is all
some big stupid joke, and then I started looking at him as, wow, he's actually
not that bad, and then when he wrestled Triple H in that non-title match on
Heat all those months ago, I was thinking WOW, this guy rocks! I would love to
see Hardcore come back and cost Kurt Angle the title, immediately putting him
in the Main Event picture. Even if it was just temporary, I think he deserves
it. I would love to see him eventually get into a feud with Steve Austin.
Before you say "What the-?" Just think about the reasons why.
27. Ivory
--I liked Ivory, but I like her
more as a member of the Right to Censor. She plays a perfect bad guy, and fits
in well with their characters. She can be the premiere all-around female
wrestler in the WWF if she keeps at it.
28. Jacqueline
--Speaking of the premiere female
wrestler in the WWF, you're looking at her. She is probably the best female
wrestler in wrestling period at the moment. The problem she has is not having
good gimmicks. If the WWF would just give her something good, she would sore as
Woman's champion. Unfortunately, even I can't think of anything for her, accept
maybe pairing her up with Rikishi in his fight against Austin?
29. Jeff Hardy
--Jeff Hardy is the best
lightweight in the WWF at the moment. He's got speed, agility, and skill. The
problem he has is that he may have too much, and he's got a daredevil streak in
him. Now I love his highflying maneuvers just as much as everyone else, but if
he doesn't seriously watch himself, he is going to end up getting seriously
injured, and I don't want to see any more major injuries in wrestling. Now I
would love to see a feud between him and Matt, even if it is just a minor feud,
it would still be some fun set of matches.
30. Kane
--Kane used to be one of my
favorites in the WWF, but now he honestly doesn't even register in my top 5. He
was great when he was first paired with X-Pac. He lost weight. He started doing
different moves, and then he lost to X-Pac something like 100 times in a row. I
don't have a problem with that. Then he just kind of jumped from angle to angle
with no real purpose to the whole thing. And then what's worse is that now he's
talking all the time, which totally ruins his character. His new clothes also
ruin the character. Wasn't he supposed to be burned? What they need to do is
have someone totally destroy him, and for the "real" Kane to come
back and begin to destroy everyone in their site. A lot of speculation has been
who is his speech coach. Some have said Paul Bearer, some have said Raven, but
my hope is it will be someone no one will expect...someone like Gangrel. Hey,
it could happen.
31. The Kat
--I think The Kat is beautiful,
but once again, I can't stand eye candy who are used as wrestlers. She has no
skills as a wrestler accept to run and scream. She's good as a valet, and
that's about it.
32. Kurt Angle
--One of my new favorite
wrestlers in the WWF. I thought he was ok at first, but after he won the IC and
European Championship I started really liking him. He's a natural in the WWF.
Some people have made the statement that he's been pushed too fast, but I don't
think so. The WWF saw this guy who the fans responded to, and pushed him
according to the fans. Unfortunately, I don't like the fact that he's right, he
isn't being treated like the other champions have been, to the point where he's
almost part of a joke as a champion, which is really sad. I just hope that
Angle will defeat Undertaker and really start being seen as a true champion.
33. Lita
--Mamacita! Lita is gorgeous, and
she isn't just eye candy. Now some people say she doesn't have any ring skills,
but she does have some. She's not the best woman wrestler, but she is far from
the worse, and is about average compared to the other ladies. She fits in so
well as both a wrestler and as the Hardy's valet. She's got the speed and
agility that she is the only person who can truly manage the Hardy's. I've
heard a rumor that she's going out with Matt, which is cool, but I guess that
means that the WWF will soon be splitting her up as they do with all real life
couples.
34. Mark Henry
--I've got to admit it, I've
never liked him as a wrestler, but I've met him about a year ago, and he's a
really cool guy. One of the ladies that played one of his sex psychologists at
the Atlanta show was a friend of mine, and she said he was a perfect gentleman
to her and was holding doors open for her, etc. I'm really looking forward to
him coming back to the WWF as a leaner, meaner Mark Henry. I could see him in a
feud with someone like Kane or Eddie Guerrero.
35. Matt Hardy
--The other member of the Hardy
Boys. He's not as talented as Jeff, but with all the talent that Jeff has,
being less talented than him doesn't take a whole lot. Matt has a lot of
talent, and can prove it if given the chance, but like all tag teams, there is
always a strong one and a weak one, and Matt is unfortunately the week one of
this team. He has the ability to break out of that mold, but will he, I
honestly don't know.
36. Mick Foley
--Foley is God! Mick Foley is
hands down my favorite wrestler of all time, so of course this will be full of
praise. He's the greatest! Foley maybe retired, but I don't think that is a
permenant fixture. Not to say that he's going to come back on a full time
basis, but I could definitely see some ppv matches in his future. Maybe one
against HBK, or Vince McMahon, or even Steve Austin?
37. Mideon
--Naked Man. Although the gimmick
is very scary, Mideon is yet another one of these wrestlers who will never go
anyplace. People complain about him left and right about being useless, but the
one thing he doesn't have is an ego, so he doesn't worried about pushes. He's
just happy to be part of the show. Wrestling would be great if everyone was
like this. He's not the best wrestler, but I could see his gimmick (get clothes
and go back to crazy Mideon) turn him Hardcore to add another person to that
division.
37. Perry Saturn
--alright, everyone is talking
about how great of a talent Saturn is. Well I will be the first to admit it, he
is a great wrestler. The problem with him is that he has absolutely no
personality or charisma, nor do I think he ever will. I could see him as part
of a tag team, or maybe yet another person in the Hardcore division, but over
all, I think he won't go far in the WWF. Yeah, I know I'm going to get heat for
this, but this is my critique isn't it?
38. Rikishi Fatu
--For his size, he is extremely
talented and agile. His dive from the top of the cage on to Val Venis was
awesome and showed that not only he, but Val had guts for doing it. Now he is a
heel. He ran over Austin, working under orders from "Triple H." Now
the insertion of Rikishi into this angle totally surprised me, but we're not
going to get into this again. Rikishi is in the spotlight now, but I don't
think he is going to be in the spotlight for an extended period of time. I will
give him until Wrestlemania, but after that he won't be anywhere near the Main
Event picture. It's good while it lasted, but there are other guys who deserve
the spot.
39. Road Dogg
--I've never been the biggest
Road Dogg fan, and if I had written this critique last week, I would have said
his career was slowly dwindling. And then I saw Heat last night, where he was
with K-Kwick, and then I though, you know...I think I've found my new favorite
tag team (see signature picture below). And that is before I've even seen them
in a match. So right now my optimism is high on them, but for my final answer,
I'll have to wait to see them in action.
40. The Rock
--OK, this maybe the longest
critique out of everyone. When The Rock was the big bad heel as the leader of
the Nation, and feuding against Triple H over the Intercontinental Championship
(the feud that I think got both of them way over with the crowd) he was pretty
good. And then when he turned into a face in one moment that surprised me,
changed the whole thing. He lost to Mark Henry at a ppv (which is pretty sad in
retrospect), and look where he has come from there. He is the most popular
wrestler in wrestling today. And I give him props for that. Despite what most
people say, he is a talented pro-wrestler, but once anyone gets in the main
event spotlight, their move list drops drastically. I'll try to explain this in
a seperate post. Anyway, now The Rock is suffering from the same thing that
Chris Jericho is suffering from. When The Rock first got on the mic, he was
funny as hell. His catch phrases were one of a kind and his promos were the
best in the business. I still laugh my ass off when I think of his promo on
Billy Gunn over a year ago. However, there is only one way to go when you're at
the top, and that is down. He's no longer original, and is forced to do the
same stuff over and over again. Now this is partially because he doesn't have
anyone new to promo on, but then again when he was facing Kurt Angle, I would
think of some good stuff, but it was not to be. Do I think The Rock has lost
it...no, but do I think he is past his prime on mic skills, maybe?
41. Scotty Too Hotty
-- Alright, out of the entire WWF
roster, Scotty Too Hotty is my least favorite wrestler. I don't know if it the
hair, the stupidity that he shows on the mic, or the WORM, but I can't stand
him. Not to say that he is worthless, but out of the entire WWF roster, I find
the Brooklyn Brawler more appealing than Scotty. If he must stay though, I
would say get him out of the tag team division and put him into the Lightweight
division to spruce it up some.
42. Shane McMahon
--Yes, I know, Shane is not a
wrestler, but from his superb bump taking, and his moderate in ring ability, I
think he could very well be a regular in the ring, or at least a regular on pay
per views. I would love to see him spruce up the lightweight division by
winning the belt, and then holding it for awhile. It would bring some attention
to the sagging Lightweight division, which is sorely needed. I didn't like
Shane at first when he was doing the announcing, and I didn't like him when he
screwed Austin, and became part of the real McMahon family, but his feud with
X-Pac made a fan out of me, and his mic skills made a fan out of me. I really
miss the little bastard, and hope he comes back to the WWF soon.
43. Shawn Michaels
--But isn't Shawn retired? Maybe,
maybe not, but he was a superb athlete. Now he is probably one of the most
arrogant people ever to step foot into the WWF, both in the ring and out of it,
but he did give his body to what the fans wanted, and I think he is one of the
few wrestlers who really enjoyed what he did. Now granted he was cut down in
the prime of his career, but in all actuality he did have a pretty full career,
more than some of the stars here today. However, I could see Shawn coming back
around Wrestlemania 17, ummm...excuse me Wrestlemania X-seven time to do one
last match, but I'll talk about that in a different post entirely in a few
days.
44. "Stone Cold" Steve
Austin
--I was dreading his return, even
before he left over a year ago. However, even though the WWF botched up the
whole driver angle, Austin's return hasn't actually been that bad. I loved his
match against Triple H at Survivor Series, but not the ending which sucked, and
his match on Raw with Chris Benoit proved many people, even me, that Austin can
still wrestle when he wants to. Overall, I still don't think he needs to be the
WWF's top man anymore, simply because he's only got a nother year or two left
in him to wrestle, so the WWF needs to do a full transition away from him being
THE Main eventer, which I think they are starting to do nicely. However, he's
still got one, maybe two title reigns left in him.
45. Steve Blackman
--The best thing to happen to the
WWF's Hardcore Division since Pete Gas. No really, I loved it when Pete won the
Hardcore Title in that Hardcore Battle Royal a few months back, it was great.
But going back to Blackman, Blackman truly is a good Hardcore Champion in the
unconventional sense of the word. He sort of redefines what it means to be
Hardcore, because he just doesn't use weapons at random, every weapon he picks
up has a purpose, and he knows how to use anything as a weapon. I just want him
to grab something no one would ever think to use as a weapon, and use it as
one. I don't see Blackman as the Hardcore Champion much longer, I see Raven
taking it off of him in the future, or even Tazz, but I hope he still stays
active in the division.
46. Steven Richards
--How many Steves does it take to
make a federation? Alright, enough of the joking around. I've liked Stevie
Richards since he first came into the WWF. He's one of the better lightweights
they have, although I don't see him as a lightweight any more. Ever since he's
become Steven Richards, I see him as quote possible a future European or
Intercontinental Champion. Hell, if the Right to Censor gets big enough, I
could see him as a World Champion...actually no I don't, but I could see him
contending for it at least. Right now, I think they have found the perfect
gimmick for him, and I hope it isn't a flash in the pan, because he is a good
athlete, when he's not injured, and they need to keep him in the spotlight.
47. Taka Michinoku
--Taka is the defining
lightweight of the WWF, but he's also one of the few guys the WWF has yet to
put over. They had the answer staring them in the face a few months back in his
match with Triple H. Taka had an incredible match against The Game for the
World Title. They could have used to to truly put Taka in the spotlight, yet it
was just a flash in the pan, as Taka once again disappeared to Jakked and Heat.
Taka could very easily become the Lightweight, European, and even
Intercontinental champion if they do it right. I mean sure he doesn't have the
best mic skills, but with a wrestler like Taka, let him become a wrestler where
actions speak louder than words. Now that he is back from his injury, I hope
they do this with him.
48. Tazz
--Now I never saw Taz in ECW, but
I have a friend who followed ECW like some strange religion, and he told me all
about him, and about how good he truly was. That's all well and good, but
honestly, what does it matter? He may have been the greatest wrestler ever in
ECW, but he's in the WWF and has to adapt now, which I think he is doing
nicely, but I do not think he should have come in as this big time star. There
are more people deserving of the big pushes than him, and right now he doesn't
need the big push, because despite the bashing people are doing for him just
doing announcing, he does it very well, and although I don't think he should
make a career of it, I think he should do it for a little while. It would also
be a very easy way to get him involved in angles, so stick with
announcing...for now, but his time will come in the future.
49. Test
-- Test is one of the people who
is the future of the WWF. People make comments all the time on this board
debating on who is the best big man in wrestling. Mike Awesome, Kevin Nash,
Kane, Undertaker are all names that go around, but Test should be up there. Now
not a giant, he is certainly a big guy, and as in the past, I'm comparing him
to a smaller version of Kevin Nash, but Test is a much better athlete than
Kevin Nash ever was, and I think this will be the fact that puts Test over in
the future. I'm predicting five years down the road, and he'll be in the main
event picture, if not already champion. I could see him feuding with people
like Rock, Angle, and Kane, and I think that would be sweet. Right now however
being in a tag team with another promising athlete, Albert, is pretty good for
him. Let him bide his time in the tag division, waiting for guys like Austin
and Undertaker to retire from wrestling, and there be a need for more people to
be in the Main event picture, and Test will then have his opportunity to shine.
50. Triple H
--Now I said in Part 2, that the
Rock was probably going to be the longest critique, but I am probably going to
be wrong, because here comes Triple H. Now I am going to try and be unbiased in
this critique, because Triple H is currently my favorite wrestler whether he is
playing a heel or a face, I just prefere him being a tweener and getting both
boos and cheers at the same time. Triple H is one of the best over all
wrestlers of all time. He's got great in-ring ability, even though he doesn't
show it as much as he used to before he became a main eventer, which is a
common thing that happens with most Main Eventers. He's great on the mic,
probably giving some of the greatest heel promos ever in the WWF. He is the
WWF's greatest heel at the moment, and probably one of the best in WWF history.
He will also go down as one of the greatest World Champions of all time, up
there with guys like Hogan, Flair, and his buddy Michaels. He does not have a
problem jobbing, being pinned by the Brooklyn Brawler of all people. He also
puts over people great, such as Chris Jericho and Taka Michinoku. Now some
people do not like his promos, simply because they are a little on the long
side, however, unlike the Rock and Austin, who fill there promos with slogons,
jokes, and "I'm going to kick your ass" lines, Triple H's promos seem
more realistic of what someone would actually say, and not something a little
overdramatic. I think that Triple H will remain somewhere in the Main Title
picture for the rest of his career, unfortunately with his injuries that he is
beginning to rack up, I believe that he will retire sooner rather than later,
probably within 5 years. However, he will not retire as just another wrestler,
he will truly be a legend in the sport.
51. Trish Stratus
--Trish, oh Trish. I have said
time and time again that I hate eye candy in wrestling, which is why I didn't
even bother to critique Terri, but Trish is not eye candy. When I first saw
her, my first thought was "great, here comes another Sable," but now
I bow my head and humble admit I was totally wrong. While not the strongest
woman wrestler in the WWF, she certainly can wrestle, which is a lot more than
Sable ever did. Trish is a future Woman's Champion, and will be one of the
women to turn the division around, and into something that is sought by the
woman wrestlers, and not a joke used as an excuse to get bikini and evening
gown matches.
52. The Undertaker
--The Lord of Darkness himself. I
was watching the Survivor Series where the Undertaker first appeared, and at
the time he was awesome. Guess what, despite the gimmick change, he is still
awesome, and in my opinion more powerful than he ever was. The Undertaker has
always been a personal favorite of mine, just not in the top 5 in the last few
years. Not that he's dropped any on my popularity meter, but that's how much
others have been raised. The Undertaker is winding down his wrestling career,
and I for one would love to see him go out with a big bang that he deserves.
Unlike having Mick Foley lose in his "final match" something else I
will go into in a later post, I would love to see Taker win his final match,
and I would love to see it against the biggest thorn in his side, Kane. Now, it
is true, the Kane and Taker feud has been done before, but before it was a
fight, this could turn into an all out war, where marks genuilly are concerned
for both of them. And I would love to see Undertaker go out in a match that he
made famous, but hasn't been done in a long time...Casket Match. I could see
Undertaker's final time in the WWF, fighting Kane, going toe to toe with him,
and then CHOKESLAM by Taker, slamming Kane into the casket. Then Taker looks
around as he grabs the top, and then slams the casket closed, holding his fist
into the air. The crowd is cheering for him as he stands at the top of the
ramp, waiting for his entire music to play, only to leave through the curtains
to a standing ovation as the ppv goes off the air.
53. Val Venis
--I hated Mr. Porn Star. No, let me rephrase that, I hated the gimmick, but I've always thought that Val Venis was a talented individual, and I knew he was destined to be a future Main Eventer. That time hasn't come yet, but he's only a few years off of that mark where he's been in one or two Main Events, or he's a main stay. Right now he has found the perfect niche for him, because he's not that involved in wrestling, instead he's getting his mic skills down pat, especially as a heel. He wrestles the occassion match, but for the most part he talks about the RTC, which he does very well. He's drawing more and more heat with the RTC. I just hope that he'll be able to keep it, or gain some face momentum when he eventually breaks away from the RTC, because if he can't, then he may wind up stuck as a midcarder for life.
54. William Regal
--Good ole Willie. William is a
very technically gifted wrestler, however, in the world of sports
entertainment, that means boring. Inside the ring in a match, I do not like
Regal, and if that was his only side, then I would say let's do like Survivor
and vote him out, however, he is one of the few guys in wrestling that will
make me laugh almost every single time he grabs a mic. His mic skills make his
promos some of the highlights of RAW. Now granted, it is very common for heels
to bash the cities they are in, just to draw heat, but Regal does it so
naturally, it is frightening, and the way he does it is unique in some way. If
he can speed up his matches, and come up with some less technical moves on
occassion, then I could see Regal as an upper mid carder, with the possibility
of wrestling the occassional main event.
The very last critique for the
WWF, and that could mean the only successful guy to have a name that begins
with X...
55. X-Pac
--X-Pac is still one of the most
underrated wrestlers in main stream wrestling, and that's good, because he is
one of the best underdogs in the WWF, pulling off huge wins over some big name
stars, and yet people never saw it coming. Remember Kane and Chris Jericho. I
think everyone was picking Kane and Jericho to win those feuds, but X-Pac
walked out as the victor. Let me get this off my chest first though, I hate
X-Pac as a heel, because heel's should never be considered the underdog, and
X-Pac is always the underdog, because he plays it so well. When he returns, I
hope that X-Pac will be a face again, and have an updated character, not one
stuck in the DX days, which will never come again. For X-Pac to be successful
again, they need to play him up as the guy with the big heart who just won't
quit. Put him into a feud with Benoit, and even though he would lose, he would
refuse to tap out to the Crossface. The feud could continue, and he still
refuses to tap out, and so on and so forth. Eventually Benoit could go on with
someone else, but the point would be made, X-Pac will not quit. The feud I
would love to see, but I think the time for it has past, is a big time Triple H
/ X-Pac feud. They had so many opportunities to make this happen, yet they
never did. I think X-Pac deserves the World Title at least once in his career,
if nothing more than a night. He could win it at the beginning of the show, and
lose it at the end, but I think he deserves it at least once. He has been in
the wrestling business a long time, and given everything he has to it. Even
though he is not as gifted as he once was, he can still impress people with his
moves, and I think he will again when he returns.