Came across this old message board staple today and decided to bring it (back?) to PW. Here are some prime candidates....

Mid-Late 80s WWF- Raided the territories. Lead to the Golden Age boom centered around Hulkamania. Basically a who's who of wrestling to people of a certain age.

1992 WCW- I suppose this is the quirky Baker choice since this one doesn't often pop up when the subject is GOAT rosters. The depth might not be there, but I love the top of that roster. Their Top 25 or so could go to toe to toe with any roster in my book. You had the NWA holdovers who could still go, then-current stars like Vader, and future superstars such as Austin & Cactus. I'd honestly take this over the 80s WWF boom roster. Could extend it to 93, or maybe even early 94 if you were so inclined.

96-98 WCW- My personal choice for GOAT roster. Being a WWF fan during this period was like being a fan of a squad going up against the 1992 Olympic Dream Team. Like the Dream Team, the 96-98 (or 99) WCW roster was just ridiculous. They had nearly every major superstar of the previous decade. They had surefire Next Big Things in Goldberg & The Giant. They had all the coolest New Style Wrestlers. They were constantly bringing in international and ECW stars with Apter Mag buzz. They'd even fill out their B & C Shows with big names from the territory days collecting one last paycheck. In short, they seemed unbeatable.

2002 WWE- A lesser version of 96-98 WCW imo. Having vanquished its competition, WWE now had the pick of the litter from WCW & ECW. Plus most of the Attitude Era stars were still going strong. And they were prepping for the next decade by debuting young bucks like Cena, Orton, Batista & Brock. Could extend to 2001 & 2003 if you were so inclined. 

Modernish WWE- If only because they likely have even more people under contract than peak WCW. It doesn't get brought up nearly enough how "smark"-oriented WWE has become. If you told an indie fan of 10 years ago what WWE would look like in 2020 they'd have thought you were crazy. Or if they did believe you, they'd think 2020 WWE was some sort of wrestling heaven. Why surely WWE would have ushered in a new Golden Age with all those indie darlings getting big runs! Not to mention all the homegrown WWE talent. Yet ratings are in the toilet, house show attendance is terrible, and WWE has more competition today than it has in 20 years. Wrestling is weird and unpredictable.

*So whatchu got? One of the above? Modernish New Japan? 90s All Japan? 80s "NWA"? Old school Mid South? Peak ROH? Anybody want to make a case for the Attitude Era? Something else? Have at it, PW.

I'd love to have a more interesting opinion, but I think the answer is clearly 1998 WCW. It's an unbeatable combination of the past, present, future. The thing about 1998 WCW is that would have been the answer in 1998, like at the time people were aware of this, but then so many of the younger wrestlers opening the cards would go on to rule the aughts and beyond, some wrestlers like Jericho, Eddie and Benoit even making GOAT cases of their own (at varying points of time) in the following years, plus a future champion like Booker, so it's only become more obvious an answer with time. People I couldn't stand like Regal and Finlay, now considered some of the greatest wrestlers ever on that roster. Even guys like Jannetty and Martel, who sometimes you forget were there add to even more depth. I mean, even Barry Windham and Bobby Eaton were on that roster! And that's before getting to any of the names that make people think 1998 WCW was the best roster ever. Yeah, those guys too. Unbeatable. 

WCW 1998 has always been my go to answer but I've been having second thoughts over the years. On paper it's undeniable but in living colour a lot of guys were woefully out of form or were still learning their trade.

I'm not as familiar with the 2000 WWF roster so maybe it doesn't hold up as well, but I'd consider it above WCW 1998 on a quality vs. quantity basis.

As much as I want to knock 2002 for all it's lows, I still think there were enough highlights for it to surpass 2000. Possibly a silly question, but what makes 2002 stand out from 2003?

Modern NJPW is difficult to narrow down. Off the top of my head I'd have 2014 since you get Shinsuke Nakamura, AJ Styles, Prince Devitt, Karl Anderson and Suzuki-Gun before they all moved on.

2017 you lose all of them except for Suzuki-Gun who return with Zack Sabre Jr. Omega, Naito, Shibata, Ibushi are all over and Ospreay and Takahashi join the roster. You also get Jericho right at the death and a clean shaven Switchblade.

It's hard to argue against WWF 2002, it was after all an all-star show in the wake of WCW/ECW's demise, but you could argue things got better throughout 2003-04 with the growth of new talent from OVW - Brock, Cena, Orton & Batista. The Smackdown-6, the cruiserweight division, and we also saw the debuts of Goldberg, Steiner, Mysterio.

WWE 2003-04
Stone Cold Steve Austin
The Rock
Mick Foley
Ric Flair
Brock Lesnar
Triple H
Shawn Michaels
Chris Jericho
Goldberg
Kevin Nash
Rey Mysterio
Edge
Rob Van Dam
Eddie Guerrero
John Cena
Kane
Booker T
Batista
The Undertaker
Hulk Hogan
Scott Steiner
Kurt Angle
The Hardys
The Dudley Boyz
Christian
Trish Stratus
Lita
Chris Benoit
Randy Orton
Batista
John "Bradshaw" Layfield

Feb 8, 2020 7:52:45 GMT jTjohncenaGOAT said:

I love all these but then I look at WWF in September 1991 and see this:

Hulk Hogan
Ric Flair
Bret Hart
Randy Savage
Jake Roberts
Ultimate Warrior
Ted Dibiase
Shawn Michaels
Mr. Perfect
Sid Justice
Ricky Steamboat
Undertaker
British Bulldog
Roddy Piper
Road Warriors
Big Boss Man

.. I just don’t think that roster can be topped.

This roster would probably be my number 2 next to 1998 WCW, great pick. Let's stack up another pair of great rosters:

1985-88 JCP:

Magnum TA
Bam Bam Bigelow
Tully Blanchard
Ricky Steamboat
Sting
Superstar Graham
The Midnight Express
The Road Warriors
Ric Flair
The Rock N' Roll Express
Arn Anderson
Dick Murdoch
Ivan Koloff
Nikita Koloff
Wahoo McDaniel
Lex Luger
Harley Race
Rick Steiner
Rick Rude
Dusty Rhodes
The Freebirds
Abdullah The Butcher
Ron Simmons
Larry Zbyszko
Steve Williams
Barry Windham

1995 ECW:

Steve Austin
Chris Benoit
The Dudleys
Sabu
The Eliminators
Public Enemy
Cactus Jack
The Sandman
Terry Funk
Eddie Guerrero
Rey Mysterio 
Tommy Dreamer
Raven
Shane Douglas
The Steiner Brothers
2 Cold Scorpio
Taz
Ron Simmons
Dean Malenko
The Gangstas

Just thought that ECW's 1995 roster had a great balance of more mainstream guys, (eventual) hardcore legends and new style wrestlers.

1982/1983 AWA is stacked in name recognition

Hulk Hogan
Nick Bockwinkel
Andre the Giant
Jesse Ventura
Superstar Billy Graham
Curt Hennig
Rick Martel
Tito Santana
Ken Patera
Mad Dog Vachon
Baron Von Raschke
Barry Duncum
Greg Gagne
Jerry Blackwell
Jim Brunzell
Wahoo McDaniel
David Schultz
Adrian Adonis
Billy Robinson
Ray Stevens
Blackjack Lanza
Bobby Heenan

Then you throw in their working relationships with Memphis/Texas/Calgary/Missouri (which is cheating a bit) and you get some absurd intersection with:

Harley Race
Jerry Lawler
Terry Funk
Bret Hart
Tully Blanchard
Paul Orndorff
Austin Idol
Dick the Bruiser
Cowboy Bob Orton
buddy Landell
Dynamite Kid
Davey Boy Smith
Jim Neidhart
Tiger Mask
Bobby Eaton

But the top roster alone is probably enough to get in the top 10 all time

It's hard to argue against WWF 2002, it was after all an all-star show in the wake of WCW/ECW's demise, but you could argue things got better throughout 2003-04 with the growth of new talent from OVW - Brock, Cena, Orton & Batista. The Smackdown-6, the cruiserweight division, and we also saw the debuts of Goldberg, Steiner, Mysterio.

Yeah you could stretch it to Wrestlemania XX. I see that show as an end of an era with a lot of stars bowing out or taking long lay-offs afterwards. I just see 2003 as the better cut-off since you miss out on Austin and Jeff Hardy.

A lot of things your attributing to 2003-04 happened in 2002. The SmackDown Six peaked in late 2002, the Cruiserweight division had been around since 2001, Scott Steiner and Rey Mysterio both debuted in 2002 as well.

Feb 9, 2020 2:12:28 GMT Big Pete said:

It's hard to argue against WWF 2002, it was after all an all-star show in the wake of WCW/ECW's demise, but you could argue things got better throughout 2003-04 with the growth of new talent from OVW - Brock, Cena, Orton & Batista. The Smackdown-6, the cruiserweight division, and we also saw the debuts of Goldberg, Steiner, Mysterio.

Yeah you could stretch it to Wrestlemania XX. I see that show as an end of an era with a lot of stars bowing out or taking long lay-offs afterwards. I just see 2003 as the better cut-off since you miss out on Austin and Jeff Hardy.

A lot of things your attributing to 2003-04 happened in 2002. The SmackDown Six peaked in late 2002, the Cruiserweight division had been around since 2001, Scott Steiner and Rey Mysterio both debuted in 2002 as well.

I mentioned a number of these things, despite occurring earlier, they didn't have the impact until later.

- Steiner debuts in November '02, although it was in January '03 that Steiner began feuding with Triple H, leading to World Title matches at the Royal Rumble and No Way Out.
- The Cruiserweight Title was a lower card belt from '01, and pre-Invasion the Light-Heavyweight title was even lower down the card, Mysterio won it twice in '03. Matt Hardy also retained it at Wrestlemania beating Mysterio. 
- The OVW boys apart from Brock didn't find their feet until 2003. 

Smackdown Six : 

- The brand split saw Los Guerreros reunite/form and win the new tag titles twice in 2003, Eddie won it 3 times including one with Tajiri.
- The US title was reactivated in July '03. Eddie was the first champion of the Smackdown era. 
- Angle also carried the WWE Championship into 2003 - he and Brock would trade it twice during 2003. Including main eventing Wrestlemania. 

And really, the " Smackdown 6 " journey really doesn't end until February 15, 2004 - No Way Out, when Eddie beats Brock for the WWE Title. Of course less than a month prior, Benoit wins the Royal Rumble and trades himself to RAW and goes onto main event Wrestlemania, winning the World Title. 

Ah I see what you mean now.

I'm not sure if the pros outweigh the cons. For instance when Steiner came in at Survivor Series 2002, that was the peak of his run in the company and it was all downhill from there. I agree the Cruiserweight division peaked by 2003 but by 2004 it was a joke with Chavo Sr. and Jaqueline both going on runs. The SmackDown Six peaked in 2002 where they were facing each other every week of SmackDown and building one of the best tag team divisions in WWE history.

It's like the Dark Knight, if you add 2004 you see a lot of these guys on the roster hang around to be the villain. Edge in 2002 looked like the type of character they could have made money on chasing the title, by 2004 he was getting booed out of the building by fans from his home-town. You also get a checked out Brock Lesnar which is a huge turn off from that period.

Plus if you add 2004, you're getting Eugene, Luther Reigns, Gene Snitsky & Kenzo Suzuki.

Then again, I find the concept of listing a calender year, let alone three years to be extremely broad. The form and popularity fluctuates so wildly that it's difficult to pin down. That's why I think it'd be worthwhile to take one PPV from an era, taking a snapshot of the roster as it stood at that time and seeing how that measures up against the rest.

I agree the Cruiserweight division peaked by 2003 but by 2004 it was a joke with Chavo Sr. and Jaqueline both going on runs.

Actually I have to walk this back.

While I agree the Rey Mysterio/Matt Hardy feud was the peak of the championship, I don't think it necessarily propelled either guy to new heights. Matt had already been doing the V1 gimmick in 2002 and Rey Mysterio reminded everybody how good he was from day dot. The bulk of the division was already on the roster in 2002, I would still rule in 2003's favour since you can add Ultimo, London, Akio and Sakoda into the mix but I wouldn't discount 2002 either.

'98 WCW is still it for me. From top to bottom that roster is simply stacked, which is probably why I've centered so many fan fic projects around this roster. Props to you for mentioning '92 WCW, I've just recently started watching this era and I'm really enjoying it so far.

2002-03 WWE would be my runner-up.

Hard to beat late 90’s WCW and turn of the millennium WWF. That was a great time.

I’ll add two that I don’t necessarily think are better but deserve mention:

Mid-2000’s ROH
CM Punk
Samoa Joe
Bryan Danielson
Christopher Daniels
Low Ki
Claudio Castagnoli
Chris Hero
Kevin Steen
El Generico
Jamie Noble
Shingo Takagi
Go Shiozaki
Jack Evans
Mick Foley
Jimmy Jacobs
Brodie Lee
Abyss
BJ Whitmer
Paul London
Brian Kendrick
Amazing Red
Brent Albright
Sarah Del Rey
Mickie James

NXT/NXTUK
The current roster is absolutely incredible. NXT only puts out bangers and has been this way for a few years now. I’d go as far to say that their roster right before Ricochet and Aleister Black got called up is the best roster they’ve ever had.

Back when Neville, Zayn and Owens were still around was a great time too. I can’t remember if Balor was on the roster at the same time as them. I think he got called up after dropping the title to Owens so he must have been. Then Nakamura showed up. Those couple years and the past ~18 months have been insane.

What's so great about BJ Whitmer?

Feb 13, 2020 2:43:24 GMT 🤯 said:

What's so great about BJ Whitmer?

He was a perfectly cromulent poor man's Tommy Dreamer in his prime and the only guy to get real heel heat in ROH a few years ago. The Corino feud ruled. BJ Whitmer is alright in my book. He came surprisingly close to making my 200 Favorite Wrestlers List.

Feb 13, 2020 2:43:24 GMT 🤯 said:

What's so great about BJ Whitmer?

Just be happy I didn't also include Doug Williams on my list.

Feb 13, 2020 3:01:55 GMT Baker said:

Feb 13, 2020 2:43:24 GMT 🤯 said:

What's so great about BJ Whitmer?

He was a perfectly cromulent poor man's Tommy Dreamer in his prime and the only guy to get real heel heat in ROH a few years ago. The Corino feud ruled. BJ Whitmer is alright in my book. He came surprisingly close to making my 200 Favorite Wrestlers List.

Thank you. 

Feb 13, 2020 3:05:49 GMT RT said:

Feb 13, 2020 2:43:24 GMT 🤯 said:

What's so great about BJ Whitmer?

Just be happy I didn't also include Doug Williams on my list.

Feb 13, 2020 3:01:55 GMT Baker said:

He was a perfectly cromulent poor man's Tommy Dreamer in his prime and the only guy to get real heel heat in ROH a few years ago. The Corino feud ruled. BJ Whitmer is alright in my book. He came surprisingly close to making my 200 Favorite Wrestlers List.

Thank you. 

What's wrong with Doug Williams?

Feb 13, 2020 3:01:55 GMT Baker said:

Feb 13, 2020 2:43:24 GMT 🤯 said:

What's so great about BJ Whitmer?

He was a perfectly cromulent poor man's Tommy Dreamer in his prime and the only guy to get real heel heat in ROH a few years ago. The Corino feud ruled. BJ Whitmer is alright in my book. He came surprisingly close to making my 200 Favorite Wrestlers List.

But Tommy Dreamer was already a poor man's someone else, wasn't he?

I really need to look up cromulent...

I really need to look up cromulent...

I embiggen you to expand your vernacular.

Feb 13, 2020 3:30:04 GMT Big Pete said:

I really need to look up cromulent...

I embiggen you to expand your vernacular.

Actually expanding your vocabulary embiggens your adultivity and helps elevate you from being merely cromulent. 

Feb 13, 2020 3:25:25 GMT 🤯 said:

Feb 13, 2020 3:05:49 GMT RT said:

Just be happy I didn't also include Doug Williams on my list.
Thank you. 

What's wrong with Doug Williams?

Lacked charisma. 

Positives: Actually looked like a right proper pro wrestler. Had a cool finisher. Popularized the World of Sport style which would soon become all the rage.

But I could never get behind him. Thought he was just a boring good wrestler guy. He had no personality.

But Nick Aldis has credited Doug with helping him out early in his career and being an influence/inspiration. So now I like Doug Williams 

Feb 13, 2020 3:26:49 GMT 🤯 said:

Feb 13, 2020 3:01:55 GMT Baker said:

He was a perfectly cromulent poor man's Tommy Dreamer in his prime and the only guy to get real heel heat in ROH a few years ago. The Corino feud ruled. BJ Whitmer is alright in my book. He came surprisingly close to making my 200 Favorite Wrestlers List.

But Tommy Dreamer was already a poor man's someone else, wasn't he?

Never! Tommy Dreamer is the Original Tommy Dreamer. Nothing else.

Feb 13, 2020 3:30:04 GMT Big Pete said:

I really need to look up cromulent...

I embiggen you to expand your vernacular.

Seconded. Lest my man 🤯 be mistaken for a kwyjibo...

Oh there's no mistaking, I am def a kwyjibo.

Love The Simpsons references. 

Another year that will always have my heart is WWF 2001. This was the year for me. WWF had won the war. Wrestlemania X7 was 62,000 in attendance, something they hadn't done since VIII in '92. While the Invasion didn't have the weight to really sell it, it was exciting for the most part, or at the very least interesting. Think about how many people on this list were WWF/WWE or WCW/World Heavyweight Champions before the brand split spiralled out of control and meant everyone had a run with either belt. 

Stone Cold Steve Austin
The Rock 
The Undertaker
Kane
Triple H (Until May, injury)
Kurt Angle
Chris Jericho
Chris Benoit (until June, injury)
Mick Foley
Eddie Guerrero (Until May, rehab/release)
Trish Stratus
Lita
Chyna
Molly Holly
Matt & Jeff Hardy
The Dudley Boyz
Edge & Christian
APA
Big Show
The McMahons
William Regal
Raven
Rikishi
Rhyno
Tajiri
Dean Malenko 
Tazz
Taka Michinoku
Xpac
Kidman
Booker T
RVD
DDP
Kanyon
The Hurricane
Lance Storm
Mike Awesome

The list goes on.... Stacy, Torrie. 

84/85 Mid-South

Rock-n-Roll Express
Midnight Express With Cornette
JYD
Dibiase
Duggan
Dr Death
Magnum TA
Butch Reed
Jake Roberts
Kamala
The Fantastics
Dick Murdoch
Bill Watts
Terry Taylor
Skandar Akbar
Hercules Hernandez
Nikolai Volkoff
Barry Darsow (Smash)
Masked Superstar (Ax)
The Nightmare (Moondog Rex original Smash)
Hector & Chavo Guerrero
Wrestling II
Masao Ito
Eddie Gilbert
Bill Dundee
Adrian Street
Brad Armstrong
Ernie Ladd
John Nord
Dick Slater
Dark Journey 
Buzz Sawyer
Buddy Landel
Iceman King Parson
Lanny Poffo
Jim Neidhart
a rookie named Shawn Michaels

occasional
Flair
Dusty
Road Warriors
Von Erich
Freebird

Just for fun and elaborate a little more on Baker 's original post:

WWF September 1985

Hulk Hogan
Andre The Giant
Roddy Piper
Paul Orndorff
Randy Savage
Ricky Steamboat
Terry Funk
Greg Valentine
Barry Windham
Mike Rotundo
Davey Boy Smith
Dynamite Kid
Bret Hart
Jim Neidhart
Junkyard Dog
Tito Santana
Don Muraco
King Kong Bundy
Iron Sheik
Wendi Richter
Jim Brunzell
Jesse Ventura
Adrian Adonis
Pedro Morales
Brutus Beefcake
King Tonga (Haku/Meng)
Bob Orton
Ivan Putski
Lanny Poffo
Bobby Heenan
Jimmy Hart
Freddie Blassie
Lou Albano
Mr. Fuji
Big John Studd
Tony Atlas
Nikolai Volkoff
George Steele
The Missing Link
Mr. Wrestling II
Mad Dog Vachon
Paul Roma