DatenshiEsyel's Top 10 Wrestlers She Wishes She Could Have Seen Fight
Welcome back everyone, and here is my second Top 10 List. I've been in quite the wrestling mood as of late, usually indulging myself via YouTube videos. Regardless of whatever I've been viewing, there has been a common theme most of them tend to have. Every now and again, I find myself watching videos with wrestlers I never got to see, but find myself wishing I had.
Most of these I have at least heard of.
But even some of these names are foreign to me completely.
Before I go on to the list, allow me to give my wrestling history. I didn't start watching until a bit after I moved in with my spouse [boyfriend at the time] in mid 2005. I kept watching till around early 2009, when it got less interesting for me.
Definitely more annoying with certain Superstars finding ways to stay in the spotlight, regardless of whether they deserved it or not. I'll likely make a Top 10 List for my least favorite wrestlers later on so I can better elaborate on this topic. For now, just know there are definitely my share of characters I was not fond of.
Anything that happened after 2010 are things I have seen mostly - if not only - thanks to YouTube.
Now then, without further ado, let's move on to the list!
#10: The Ultimate Warrior:
He's so high on the list because - prior to maybe a few months or so ago - I hadn't actually heard about The Ultimate Warrior. Most of the people I had at least heard of, and knew why they were so significant and popular. With him being a relatively new discovery, it was hard for me to give him a higher up spot. Still, from what I do know, it's enough to have him included at all.
#9: Bret "The Hitman" Hart
Another man I can't say I know the most about. In fact, I heard about the tragedy revolving around his brother - Owen Hart - first. But I suppose if I had to take a guess on why he grabbed my interest, that sort of would be it. To see why exactly he managed to become a fighter. Was it solely to honor his lost brother? Was there something more? I never saw, so all of these questions and many more have been left unanswered to me.
#8: Hulk Hogan:
This was the first wrestling name I'd hear of, namely because he's one of my dad's favorite wrestlers. From what few times I have seen him, I can understand why. He's - even to this date - one of the most iconic figures in wrestling. He's made such a huge impact. He had a sense of charisma about him. He come off as those figures whom, despite being retired, is not forgotten and remembered by many who grew up admiring him. For someone to be thought of so highly; it helps highly just how strong his appeal and charisma was while he used to be in the ring.
#7: The Rock:
"Can you smell what the Rock is cooking?"
This was a phrase I heard soooo much in eighth grade. This was around the time that I started hearing a lot about wrestling, but still never found it in me to try getting into it. I guess it sounded over-exaggerated to me. Granted, that is partly true. It can sometimes be overly dramatic; though to be somewhat fair, it is partly acting. So that's kinda to be expected.
Alas, I was too sheltered to realize that was part of it all.
Anyway, why is he only at #7? Well ... as good as he probably was when he started wrestling and was in his prime, there are other names and faces that I would have wanted to see a bit more than the Rock's. Nothing more, but certainly nothing less.
#6: Shawn Michaels/HBK:
I first heard about HBK when he had his reunion with Triple H and they got back together as DX. Most of the time he was fighting, he was more often on RAW. Unfortunately, I got immediately drawn to Smackdown! much quicker than RAW. I sincerely regret not seeing more of him, as he's had his share of amazing matches, many of which I have at least heard the results of, if not seen on YouTube.
#5: Triple H:
I'm not trying to seem like I'm taking the easy way out by listing the other member of DX in the #5 spot. I swear. Anyway, there's an easy answer for why I'm a bit more intrigued in Hunter over Shawn. There are actually quite a few more controversies surrounding Hunter. As someone who is heavily intrigued in Psychology, you bet they grabbed my attention when I heard about them all.
And yes, most do link back to his wrestling career.
The biggest one that is still a mystery for most people nowadays is the true reason he dumped Chyna and set his sights on Stephanie McMahon. It could simply have been the easier way for him to get easier access to more authority over the company. This is the most common guess many people believe.
But at the same time, there are others who ponder if there may have been other factors involved that no one knows about.
He's also higher because whereas I have seen HBK fight a few times, I really can't say the same for Triple H. I've seen much less of Hunter than Shawn.
#4: Andre The Giant:
He was often featured in one fo the first openings for Smackdown!. And even without the openings, his name was one I heard quite often. But then again, how could one not hear about Andre? Considering when he first debuted, he was one of - if not perhaps the - tallest wrestlers around. And biggest, probably. He seemed like someone who made a huge impact in the world of WWE. From what I knew at the time, it was as major as Hulk Hogan. I'm mainly using him since both were (I'm relatively sure) fighting during the same eras. You could easily use almost any other name in place of Hulk's; I'm just choosing someone I know that fits and makes sense for me.
Mini-rant aside, I feel like Andre would have been someone whom would have been interesting to watch in the ring.
#3: "Stone Cold" Steve Austin:
Unfortunately, the one time I did see Austin, it was out of the ring. In fact, it was in a Smoothie King at Houston. But I didn't even realize he was there until my dad pointed him out to me and I stupidly asked "Who's that?". So ... I can't - and don't - count that one time.
From what I have seen of him on YouTube videos though, there's just so much about him that I love. His entrance theme is one of my favorites. It's one of those unforgettable songs. Once anyone hears the shattering glass, they know exactly who's coming.
It may very well be the Texan in my, but I honestly love his blunt "don't give a damn" attitude. He's a bit more outspoken than a lot of other wrestlers I've seen, and I love that.
One thing I didn't get to see much of was how he got in such a huge feud with Vince McMahon. Yet despite that, he still found it in him to save Stephanie from a forced, unholy marriage to the Undertaker in 1999. I love that even though he was still less than fond of his boss, he managed to do the right thing when no one else succeeded.
Despite his demeanor and attitude, he's actually more of a good-guy than a heel. And particularly with men, that's rare to see in wrestling.
#2: Papa Shango:
Yes, yes, yes, and hell yes. That's how I sum up how badly I would have loved to see Papa Shango. To my knowledge, no one else has really taken up a Voodoo-esque gimmick. The Boogeyman ... it's hard to tell if that was what he was going for. His make-up and outfit definitely could have suggested it. But I sincerely think he was trying to take a different route. I'm fact, I'm relatively confident he was just trying to take a more monstrous approach.
Anyone who knows me well enough knows I love horror and supernatural stuff. Such as voodoo, tarot cards, etc.
Being able to watch him would have been amazing for me. I have little doubts of this. And while I have found some videos on YouTube, there have been so very few of them. A huge shame for me.
#1: Eddie Guerrero:
By the time I started watching wrestling, it had been about eight months since Eddie died. I first heard about Eddie when Chavo started fighting frequently in the ring. Suffice to say, Chavo gave me a horrible impression. So did Vickie while she was the GM of Smackdown!
So how did Eddie earn the #1 spot?
I won't lie; part of it is my biased Texan side. When I learned he also hailed from Texas, that certainly got my interest. His motto - Lie, Cheat, Steal - was another that caught my attention. It was simple in the sense it only used three words. And yet, that was all I needed to hear. It made me want to learn where the inspiration came from. Did he mean to sound like some sort of a rogue?
But perhaps the biggest thing for me was watching his memorial service on YouTube. Even Superstars like Kane and the Undertaker - two of the most solemn men I've seen fight to date - were there to pay their respects for Eddie. So many men and women paid tribute to him on RAW.
And despite having known next to little about him while watching his service on RAW, even I cried. As if I had known him for longer than a few minutes.
When such a strong impact can be made that quickly, it shows they definitely meant something.
Voila! My top 10 wrestlers I never got to see fight, but really wish I had. Do you agree? Disagree? Have some comments you wanna leave about this list? Feel free to!
Until next time,
DatenshiEsyel
