So, favorite pro wrestlers?

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HalloweenJack
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So, favorite pro wrestlers?

Post by HalloweenJack »

May as well start something up here as I'm hearing the crickets a chirping


You got any favorite pro wrestlers?

A couple of mine


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8NVL_Rvm7xg


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fBo0sXAnbbU
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HalloweenJack
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Re: So, favorite pro wrestlers?

Post by HalloweenJack »

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OtWBMd1Lrf0


yeah, and I have to admit this fella would make it. You always need a good monster
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HalloweenJack
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Re: So, favorite pro wrestlers?

Post by HalloweenJack »

I'd throw in videos of Triple H, Mick Foley, Bret Hart, and the Undertaker too....but I have other appointments :D
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HalloweenJack
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Re: So, favorite pro wrestlers?

Post by HalloweenJack »

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=udbJZQtyjc8


another one....phew I can't keep up this pace forever
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Batgirl III
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Re: So, favorite pro wrestlers?

Post by Batgirl III »

Image

I've never really been a big wrestling fan, but, as a child of the Eighties it was pretty much impossible to escape the Hulkamania of the Rock`n`Wrestling era. I was already a superhero comic-book devotee and the Saturday morning cartoon programming bloc led right into WWF's weekend shows back then... So because I wasn't about to go outside and play or clean my room, I would sometimes watch. I know that in the Eighties we were all supposed to love Hulk Hogan, but, to me, it was Ted di Biase that kept me glued to the screen.

The man was the perfect blending of totally charismatic performer and an absolutely genius character concept. He's just such a sleazebag that everybody hates him, but he's so much fun to watch being sleazy and his sleazy schemes are just so innovative in their pettiness that you actually kinda want to see what he'll come up with next. Purchasing a public pool just so he could kick all the kids out? Offered $500 to a small child to dribble a basketball 15 times without missing... only for Ted to kick the ball out from under him at the fourteenth bounce!?

Plus, holy heck, could the man hypnotize you with his mic skills when cutting a promo.

Looking back at his old matches on YouTube, Ted di Biase still holds up as a wrestler too. I mean, I'm no connoisseur of the "sport," but I know what looks good and what looks bad. The Million Dollar Man might not be doing any high-flying acrobatics, but Di Biase makes everything he does look good. He sells his hits, he has great "wrestling psychology," and the man can work a crowd like nobody's business.
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FuzzyBoots
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Re: So, favorite pro wrestlers?

Post by FuzzyBoots »

Most of what I watch is local shows (and not as often as I used to). Out of more mainstream shows, I like the psychology of Bray Wyatt, reminds me of Jake Roberts in a lot of ways. Good wrestler too. Bobby Fish and Dalton Castle both impressed me when I saw them here in the International Wrestling Cartel shows, and I hear they're going over well at Ring of Honor.

On a more Independent scene, I'm a huge mark for Keith Haught. He's not the most athletic wrestler, and far from the most chiseled, but he wins over the crowds and I'm pretty sure he could still beat me in a foot race given what I've seen of his training regime. John McChesney is another case of someone with a lot of talent and personality, although he's hampered a bit by his role as a mega-heel, as he seldom gets clean victories. I've also heard that, despite his arrogant in-ring personality, he is a joy to work with. Andrew Palace is going to go places if he doesn't burn out early with his body-sacrificing style. Oh, and post-WWE Colin Delaney is also surprisingly good since he literally grew the beard.
Jabroniville
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Re: So, favorite pro wrestlers?

Post by Jabroniville »

Without a doubt, the Living Embodiment of ALL CAPS, "The Macho Man" Randy Savage is the quintessential "Best Ever" for me.

Image

Macho Man Tribute Video, created after his death

* A great look (he wore a f*cking NEON PINK COWBOY OUTFIT WITH TASSELS and made it look masculine and bad-ass).
* A great voice (he was easily able to move into voice acting with little effort)
* One of the best promos of all time- watch his "I HATE YOUR GUTS!" promo against the Hulkster: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PrlSz-Xxo50. A perfect mix of anger, defiance, ego and cocaine.
* Phenomenal worker. Randy was one of the best of his day (held back only by his apparently insane attention to detail- annoying his "opponents" by forcing them to plot the entire match out ahead of time), and could have a good match with anyone. A frenetic pace and an ability at slowing things down as well.

Overall, he was also one of wrestling's best CHARACTERS. In the early days, he was an Abusive Boyfriend archetype- pushing around his dainty, pretty girlfriend Elizabeth, turning the entire audience into White Knights who wanted to save her. Eventually he saw the light and learned to trust others, in Hulk Hogan. But his volcanic rage could grow out of control- you'd see hints of it here and there, when every time there was a misunderstanding, he'd believe the worst and need to be calmed down. But like a true Byronic Hero, it was his undoing. His anger at Hulk Hogan's constant grandstanding (which was easily-observable to anyone) led him down a dark path, and eventually reached a breaking point.

Soon, Savage turned his back on everyone, forming a partnership with the evil Sherri. And only after years of bad stuff, and her betraying him, did he finally come back to the light and reunite with Elizabeth, in one of wrestling's great Perfect Moments at WrestleMania VII (watching the match, you can actually see people CRYING in the stands. Actual TEARS for the reunion. Wrestling does a lot of great stuff with crowd reactions, but you see VERY few tears).

He kind of fell apart in later years, but there's still fantastic stuff in the early '90s, like when Jake "The Snake" Roberts actually SLAPPED Elizabeth on live television, shocking the wrestling world (she'd never been hit like THAT before!), and Savage basically goes apoplectic and promises to literally MURDER his opponent! There was also a great promo where he insists that despite his hatred for Jake, he's "not insane"... only to change course immediately and declare that "maybe I AM INSANE, yeah!" One of the best parts of his promos was the fact that, instead of just yelling at the camera and then awkwardly walking away once he's done, Savage would CONTINUE TO SCREAM as he was walking off-camera, frequently being heard in the background yelling incoherently while Mean Gene was trying to do the "back to you" stuff for the commentators.

One of the greatest moments in wrestling history: Macho Man gets sick of Hulk Hogan's obvious grand-standing and hot-dogging, lets his anger, jealousy and feelings of inadequacy go out of control, and the Mega Powers EXPLODE!!!!! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=InFdR4IXHgg
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Batgirl III
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Re: So, favorite pro wrestlers?

Post by Batgirl III »

Modern wrestling just doesn't seem to have characters like they did back in the day.
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danelsan
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Re: So, favorite pro wrestlers?

Post by danelsan »

Well, no WWF on Brazilian 80s TV, so I became a fan later in life. While I got to retroactively check out most of the "legends", I probably missed quite a bit.

I tend to like highly athletic wrestlers, especially high flyers who can also pull off some power moves, but ultimately I'm in it for good characters and good booking. Lucha Underground was a big hit for me - gotta love the descendants of ancient Aztec tribes, time-traveling space-man, the dragon in human form and so on XD

Until recently I was following just LU and WWE NXT. The later has a lot of poor performances due to being the development brand, but also some highly talented veterans and promising new stars in the mix, plus I think the booking is usually much better than in Raw or Smackdown.

Anyone you guys like from a more recent crop?
BriarThrone
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Re: So, favorite pro wrestlers?

Post by BriarThrone »

My very favorite is Finn Balor. He was brought into WWE NXT for a while, sold as a world-beater, then went to the main roster and was amazing, went directly to a title... and got injured, because Seth Rollins is a bad wrestler. Still waiting for his return.

Sami Zayn, Kevin Owens, and Neville are also great, but they were used much more effectively on NXT. The booking is just so bad on the main roster.

The biggest blemish on the WWE main roster is the team of Enzo Amore and Colin Cassidy. Their gimmick makes me want to do evil things. It wouldn't be so bad if they were a heel team, but somehow, they're not, and I hate it.
Jabroniville
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Re: So, favorite pro wrestlers?

Post by Jabroniville »

Jake "The Snake" Roberts was always a weak in-ring competitor, prone to just lazing around and signaling for his MurderDeathKill finisher, the DDT... but when it came to interviews? Top Ten, all-time.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4x9Dt-romH8: "I make my own rules... because it's much easier that way..."
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EzE9UgLGjWs: "Wallowing in the muck of avarice..."
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3JVDJs7W0r0: Getting the Macho Man... by having a F*CKING COBRA bite him! A real freaking Cobra!!! De-venomed sure... but REAL! Ted DiBiase said in an interview later "... there's not enough money." The cap on the whole thing is Jake just chuckling to himself while looking eye-to-eye with the hooded cobra in the ring.

Jake was a GREAT villain, and even played the hero well. He was vicious, sinister, demented, lethal and patient. He rarely screamed and yelled at others, and when asked why, he said "because a man of great power... does not have to shout". When he slapped the Macho Man's wife, and was chewed out over it by Mean Gene, he not only failed to apologize, but he gladly stated "oohhh... that felt GOOD, Macho Man! I would pay MONEY!... to feel that!", declared that he'd allow Elizabeth to mate with him anyways ("I could turn you into something, that even *I* would want!"), and begged the Macho Man to bring her back next time they fought, just so he could slap her again. The dude was SICK, and beyond the evil of most heels.
Darrin Kelley
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Re: So, favorite pro wrestlers?

Post by Darrin Kelley »

My two favorite wrestlers were old school 80's wrestlers. And I even had the opportunity to see them live back then. I had a great time.

Rowdy Roddy Piper. I think he was one of the best of all time.

Jake The Snake Roberts. Anytime he appeared, He just made me smile. And I saw not long ago in an interview with him on Youtube that he was both afraid of and hated snakes. So the fact he supported the gimmick he did just made me more in awe of him as a performer.
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HalloweenJack
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Re: So, favorite pro wrestlers?

Post by HalloweenJack »

Holy crap....replies....glorious replies....glorious


GLORIOUS!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E7oMBq1vkCM



But yeah, always been a pro wrestling fan....well not always. When I was about five I didn't care for it and was kinda P.O.ed when my brother in law's younger brother didn't want to watch Harry and the Hendersons in favor of watching wrestling on USA


His exact words were "Harry isn't real but these guys ARE."

I'm sure there's a little irony somewhere in there.



But the current state of wrestling....there's so much of it on TV these days, but its not exactly iconic like it had been in the past. The flipside to that is there are so many guys....and gals....who are so damned good at it and have so much potential but kinda get squashed by management and the like not really knowing how to present it.


I tend not to watch the big shows these days like RAW or Smackdown, but I heart NXT quite a bit. Very much the best place to watch both good wrestling and ring psychology. That last Revival/#DIY match on the latest Takeover alone may be one of the best tag matches I've ever seen.

Lucha Underground is pretty good too....though at times I have to remind myself 'it's just a telenova that happens to be about wrestling'. It kinda bugs me a little at times but I work around it and its a new take on the formula.


TNA.....wow.....do I dare post the Delete or Decay video? Do I?

Yeaaaah....I will.

Be warned.....some people loved it.....others like me hated it with the fire of a million suns.


Though....I am planning on making Rosemary my future ex wife....so....


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RfazOnqXlCk


Just know, one way or another it's 20 minutes you're never getting back. Don't shoot the messenger okay?


and to make it up to you, here's my other future ex-wife and my personal favorite woman wrestler EVER

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zIcXv_lQ0SA
Last edited by HalloweenJack on Sat Nov 26, 2016 12:34 am, edited 1 time in total.
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HalloweenJack
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Re: So, favorite pro wrestlers?

Post by HalloweenJack »

It should be noted that I think Bayley there is probably one of the best characters I've seen in a long time.

Just her arc from the beginning to where she ended up was awesome
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