Jul 2, 2020 2:40:34 GMT Da Gr8t I Is said:

Jun 27, 2020 13:50:54 GMT 🤯 said:

The best thing Punk ever did was let Brock carry him through a decently entertaining match at SummerSlam.

Besides X-pac, I was also there live for that match.

Besides X-Pac?

*Fell behind on all the Jericho posting. Gonna try addressing everything in this bound to be lengthy writeup.
RT I won't reveal who else had Jericho at #1 but I will give you a hint- this person has been quiet of late.

35. Chris Jericho (#4)- I have the reputation of being a Jericho hater. That is clearly unwarranted considering I ranked him as my 35th favorite wrestler of all time. He had his moments! OK. Fine. Much like Christian & Edge, I had Jericho about 10 spots too high in hindsight. Next time I'll have to remember not to overrate the Canadian Blondes. But Jericho is still *ahem* on the list. So I am officially NOT a Jericho hater.

RT is our resident Jericho fanboy. 🤯 is PW's resident Jericho hater. I have more of a moderate nuanced take a la Strobe. Y2J was typically a solid 7/10 across the board with occasional periods of greatness. As I already mentioned, he had his moments! He also earns points for longevity, versatility, and especially smarts. Let's focus on smarts... Jericho has a knack for getting stuff over. Sometimes stupid stuff. But he does get it over. You can't deny that. The constant reinventions and bold career moves are a major feather in his cap. He never rested on his laurels. He was smart enough, and financially stable enough, to be able to pick his spots. Being able to go on hiatus whenever he felt like it kept him fresh. He's an excellent player of The Game.

I just think he's a laughable GOAT candidate for the same reasons as Strobe. Maybe I'll elaborate more later. But for now, let me remind you he usually wasn't even "the guy who was in there with the top guy." Face it. Most of his career was spent as a midcarder. His lack of a true extended main event run as THE guy is/was a major negative. He did eventually become the top guy.....in his late 40s....for AEW....whose top show draws fewer viewers than ECW on TNN or peak TNA Impact. 

Anyway, my intro to Jericho came via the Apter Mags in 1996. I thought he had a cool name- Jericho- the perfect blend of vowels and consonants. He also had a good look- proper Wrestler Hair* and sharp gear. He debuted in WCW mere weeks after I stopped watching the promotion.

*I don't think it's a coincidence wrestling started going downhill right around the time most wrestlers sheared their "Wrestler Hair"

Fast forward to 1998. I finally see Jericho in action via ECW tapes. He was fine as a white meat babyface good wrestler guy. Not really my cup of tea due to his lack of a hook, but he was a perfectly cromulent Jerry Lynn 1.0. They even had similar hair and gear! Young Jericho won the TV Title and had a surprisingly good match with Pitbull #2. Somehow I also saw a Jericho match from Worldwide. Against Silver King, perhaps? It's odd given Jericho's well-deserved reputation as a clunky plodfoot, but the thing that stuck with me from that random Worldwide match was how fast Jericho ran the ropes. 

Around that time he started generating a big internet following. WWF fans had The Rock as their Next Big Thing while WCW fans slotted Jericho into that role. (Oddly enough, Buff Bagwell was only slightly behind Rock & Jericho when it came to Next Big Thing status among the 1998 AOL Wrestling community) I still haven't seen a ton of peak WCW Jericho. Kilgore is right though. I definitely would have been huge fan of 1998 Jericho had I been watching WCW at the time. He was my kind of wrestler. What surprises me is Kilgore loved him so much. 'Gore doesn't usually go for that "annoying" type of midcard heel.

I was intrigued by Jericho (Gericho? EXCALIBUR~!) coming to WWF simply because he was a fresh, young, hyped prospect "my" promotion would be poaching from the Evil Empire. 

But I HATED his debut. Turned on him right then and there. Like "THIS cornball is the guy I've been hearing so much about? Are you kidding me!" Thought he came across as such a tryhard phony. The pouty faces and BLATANT LIES had me hating Jericho from Day One.

I didn't even think he was anything special in the ring. He was basically a movez guy with minimal movez. Nowadays I get it. WWF cut movesets for a variety of reasons. Plus these ex-WCW Cruiserweights were now wrestling much bigger guys which meant they couldn't do all their fancy bombs and suplexes even if they wanted to. But, yeah, I thought Jericho SUCKED as a character and was nothing special in the ring. During the brutal Jericho/Chyna feud, I was rooting for....Hardcore Holly  :lol:

Which brings us to the night Y2J "beat" Triple H. I went out to eat a restaurant with two friends that Monday night. One was a casual wrestling fan and other was a wrestling hater who would become a fan a year later (Bryan the TNA Fan). We were at a TGIFriday's or something like that. Raw was on their tv because it was a Monday night in the year 2000. Not wanting to be mocked as a "stupid wrestling fan," I only made furtive glances at the tv. Until Jericho "won." My entire demeanor must have changed when I saw Jericho "end" The Game's legendary run. Almost positive I mouthed the words "Are you kidding me?" and then went numb with a glazed facial expression. HHH retired Foley and beat The Rock at Wrestlemania only to drop the belt to this JABRONI?!?  :@  What. A. Waste. But then HHH bullied Hebner into getting his belt back (or something like that) and the world made sense again. Whew! That was a close one. Definitely one of the very few times I was pro-Trips during his glorious "it's still real to me" heel title reign.

Their rematch at Fully Loaded was the first time I really saw Jericho as a potential future main eventer simply because it was the first time he had ever been in a bloody WWF main event style brawl. He earned some respect that night. It would be my favorite Jericho match for quite some time. 

Jericho had also embarked on a series of good, but not great, IC Title matches with fellow non-Baker Guy, Chris Benoit. Y2J then had brutal, interest killing feuds with XPac, Kane, and Regal. I must have been the one person on the entire internet who didn't give a hoot when the Canadian Chrises won the titles from The Power Trip on Raw. It was like Christmas come early to everybody else. To me, it was just another Monday. Like PI, I hated Jericho winning the Undisputed Title. Also hated him main eventing a Wrestlemania opposite HHH. There were probably a good 20 people I would rather have seen in those roles. My friend Boo was a massive Jerichoholic. It was one of the things we argued about.

Jericho was definitely one of my least favorites from his August 99 debut through Wrestlemania 2002. Probably in my WWF Bottom 5 that entire time. Just thought he was the biggest phony tryhard cornball. 

But Jericho finally won me over after he lost the Undisputed Title and started doing a Larry Zbyszko-style "Living Legend" gimmick. The two of them even had real life heat over this. But a winning gimmick is a winning gimmick. And it finally got me aboard the Jericho Express. Loved him during his feud with Hogan. Also liked his little feud with Edge. Edge & Jericho had a very good, very underrated, Cage Match on Smackdown. Then he went to Raw.....

Where he eventually had a stellar feud with Shawn Michaels culminating in the MOTN at Wrestlemania 19. Jericho was awesome during this feud/match. Loved how he kicked Michaels low after feigning a face turn in the post-match. What a heel! Jericho was a borderline Top 10 fave in 2002-2003. 

Then I kind of lost interest and he became just another "pretty cool" 6/10 guy in 04-05. Highlight here was his also "pretty cool" feud with Christian. I wouldn't flip channels during a Jericho match, and I'd give him respectful golf claps if I went to a show, but he was far from a top tier fave. Then he left and I didn't really miss him. 

But absence makes the heart grow fonder so I was hyped for his 2007 return. Yet the buzz quickly faded and he was soon back to his old role as a "pretty cool" 6/10 midcard workhorse. If Jericho had retired here he'd be in that "legends I like less most people" high 80s-low 90s range jumbled in with the likes of Austin/Savage/Rude.

Enter the 2nd Michaels feud. This was Jericho's career peak and magnum opus imo. He cut all the forced cornball crap and became a right proper heel's heel with no remorse and a penchant for using multisyllabic words. Come to think of it, he was basically Captain Hook from Fox's Peter Pan and the Pirates. It's no wonder I loved the guy! The Michaels/Jericho feud is an all timer. It carried Raw. It carried WWE. It carried wrestling in general. It started off with an excellent 'technical match' which inspired one of the best match review blurbs I ever read. A review that has stuck with me for 12 years....A review so good I will share it....

Jericho offers a handshake after the match as everyone expects him to kick Shawn in the nuts again. It doesn’t happen, though. Everything Shawn has touched since Survivor Series has turned to gold, and this is no exception. Instead of relying on clichéd moves that we’ve seen a dozen times before, these guys turned in what can best be described as a Mamet-like match with our expectations (based on those clichés) used against us. Shawn can’t get SCM where normally he would. Jericho can’t hit the springboard dropkick. Shawn’s counter of the Lionsault is countered again. Every point where a longtime watcher thinks that he (or she) is one step ahead of the action, it turns in a totally new direction. Kudos for good storytelling. ****

And that was just the beginning. It only got better, and more heated, from there. I won't recap it blow by blow. Just know that it was all great stuff. I had it Jericho/Michaels at #16 when we did our Greatest Feuds Countdown. If I had to come up with a list of Jericho's Best Matches it would also include a whole lot of Shawn Michaels. 

Jericho continued to kill it after the Michaels feud during his feud with The Old Guys leading up to Wrestlemania 25. Jericho as a Legend Killer > Orton as a Legend Killer.

Then I lost interest in wrestling. But not before Jericho got a major boost from like #90 to #35 on my all time favorites list. 

Jericho has also done some good stuff outside of wrestling. I owned and liked the first two Fozzy albums! He wrote a damn fine wrestling book or two. I even watched him on some stupid reality shows! I know a growing contingent of wrestling fans don't care for him as a person, but he's one of the very few wrestlers I think I'd actually hit it off with in real life. We have similar tastes and interests. 

Oh, one of Jericho's low key best performances came in humble little SMW. Jericho had infamously broke his arm earlier in the day while practicing the Shooting Star Press. But he gutted it out and showed up for the big Heavenly Bodies vs. Thrillseekers match that evening. A bloody, one armed Jericho played a damn fine Ricky Morton that night. 

Anyway, I haven't seen much of Jericho since Wrestlemania 25. But even out of the loop, I am aware of his work- The List. The Scarf. Le Champion. The "Terry Funk" of AEW. Cosplaying as King Diamond. His New Japan stuff (I watched and actually liked the Omega match at Wrestle Kingdom a few years back). Etc. etc. As I mentioned earlier, he has a knack for getting stuff over. If it reaches me, it's over. 

#3 Steve Austin
14 Votes-564 Points
Two #1 Votes
Last Time: #2

Way back when this countdown started I thought Austin had a good shot at winning it all. Turns out he actually fell a spot from #2 to #3. I also expected him to get more than two #1 votes.

Still, it's hard to say he underperformed by "only" finishing #3. And check out that sizable 55 point gap between Austin at #3 and Jericho at #4.

Daniel Bryan made top 2?

Holy fuck. That’s amazing. Fuck yeah, American Dragon.

Anyway...

I’ll rant about Austin when I’m not drunk and tired. Which I am right now. But know this: he’s incredible. I don’t think anyone has been as successful as him in such a short amount of time. 97-2001 was Austin time, and nobody could touch him. AND he was part time for the latter part of that.

Shocked he isn’t in the top 2 or even number 1, but 3 isn’t nothing to complain about. GIMME A HELL YEAH

Jul 1, 2020 20:11:21 GMT 🤯 said:

Jul 1, 2020 19:37:10 GMT Big Pete said:

I look at Jericho as somebody who didn't possess the prowess of The Rock or Brock Lesnar, yet mapped out a career that's going 30 years strong and just keeps adding to his in-ring legacy.

Brock jobbed out to Cena in his first match back and lost to HHH at Wrestlemania, even with Heyman the guy is an A-grade dummy. Plus he couldn't organise Goldberg/Brock IV - failure.

A dozen people enjoyed HHH's reign, well done.

The Undertaker just released a five part documentary series about how bitter he is. Again, well done.

John Cena just released a 20 minute David Lynch inspired run-down of his career and how awful it was. Finally, well done.

Batista is more like it. Clearly over-achieved beyond his wildest imagination, but had nowhere near the in-ring career of Jericho. His last proper run was infamously poorly managed.

Orton maybe the poster child on how to go through the motions. He's wasted his entire career and should be the Lebron James of Pro Wrestling.

Strong disagree on HBK, he's just a major scumbag who constantly pulled shady shit all the time and denied fans of some awesome moments.

Austin I can accept. He tanked business when he decided to team with Vince, but otherwise he was smart to change up his style and pick fights with guys like Bret. 2001-02 was a massive misfire.

I would have said Hogan, but Bubba did a number on him. I can't prop him up during this turbulent times, maybe in 5 years time we can put his 80s and his nWo run over.

It's difficult to get a sense Flair really succeeded when he seems so unsatisfied in interviews and such.

Neither New Year's Baby Big Show, Katie Vick Kane or Starrcade 1998 Goldberg belong on this list. Bill in particular should have dominated Pro Wrestling in the 2000s and was run off by some Kliq bullshit.

What's next? Sting? Ultimate Warrior? Buddy Landel? Jake Roberts? Dynamite Kid? Scott Hall? Lex Luger? I don't knoooooooooooooooow!

Wait, what are we even talking about? I thought increasing name value/star power, payouts/cash in the bank, while also wrestling the fewest matches and/or having absurd career longevity.

That's cool, it all just comes down to personal interpretation. You're coming from it from a money and miles perspective, I'm coming at it from a fan perspective - how they've managed to handle the give and take of the business and make the most of themselves.

Jericho wasn't the biggest guy or the greatest athlete, but very few understand the business or how to get over even when the company is actively working against you. He knew when to hold, when to fold and just when it appeared he was at the end of his rope, he discovers another wind and helps start a new promotion that changes the game.

The Rock was smart because he got out when he did, but that doesn't exactly leave us with the most exciting wrestling career. The fans actively turned on him on multiple occassions and his last major run received mixed reviews.

As far as that Wrestlemania X-8 nonsense, you can't fight city hall. The McMahons clearly colluded and tanked business with their awful promotional tactics and there was little Jericho could do about it. Still, better to have beaten Stone Cold and The Rock on the same night than to have never done it all - as the old saying goes.

But seriously I was going to leave it there until I saw Randy Orton listed above Chris Jericho.

Jul 2, 2020 3:46:47 GMT Baker said:

#3 Steve Austin
14 Votes-564 Points
Two #1 Votes
Last Time: #2

I was one of those No.1 votes. Austin is one of the few things iron maiden and I disagree on. I'm a HUGE Austin mark and not afraid to admit it.

Was he the most gifted in ring perfomer? No, far from it but he was always solid, and had the best awareness of any superstar out there, the term ring general is designed for someone like Austin. Capable of putting on great matches when given something, or someone to really work with - Austin/Hart at WM 13 is one of my all time favourite matches, and as much as I love Bret, that wasn't all him. That match was the passing of the torch moment, and it's iconic.

He said himself in one of his Broken Skull Sessions, I think with Flair (although I stand to be corrected) that he changed his wrestling style after the incident with Owen to become more of a brawler and I think that really fed into the Stone Cold persona too. I think Stone Cold came along at exactly the right time, it captured the mood of the time when wrestling was moving away from the silly gimmicks and Austin was the antithesis of that, it captured lightning in a bottle and we've never seen the like since. No, not even Cena has reached the heights Austin did, and I wonder if anyone will in future, with the way Vince pushes 'the next big star' rather than letting it happen almost organically almost like Austin did. Austin was the the perfect blend of charisma and in-ring savvy, with that fuck you attitude that defined an entire era of wrestling.

I will NEVER not mark when I hear that glass shatter, and one of my proudest memories is being able to be at his HOF induction ceremony in Texas to see him go in, I will never forget that or seeing him at Mania the night after either (even if my view was blocked by some idiots with signs and someone with those fucking stupid Jeff Hardy arm things on in all my pictures).

Austin was always going to be my No.1.

Austin got me into wrestling, which means he's the reason I post here. So he has that going for him.

16. Brock Lesnar (10)

May be one of the best pure talents ever seen in the wrestling business. Looks like an absolute killer, has a legitimate background, and is somewhat under the radar as a performer. By far the best wrestling performance I've seen this year is Lesnar in the Royal Rumble. The way he sold incrementally for each new opponent, culminating in putting over Keith Lee brilliantly with his body language and his facial expressions. The best big man seller of all-time, Lesnar is a supreme talent. He would be higher if he really wanted to be, he lacks endearing legacy-making moments because he doesn't give a shit. And before people are critical of that, consider that it's lack of fucks given that really makes him what he is. Fully legitimate in a post-kayfabe world. No higher compliment can be paid.


15. Kurt Angle (36)

I actually blame Kurt Angle for the a lot of nonsense we see today. His match with Shawn Michaels at WrestleMania 21 was enjoyable yes, but it was a video game in a wrestling ring that unfortunately inspired the devolution of psychology in the wrestling business. He makes my list, I always thought he was underrated as a character and played every role in his career aside from a sympathetic babyface. Very versatile, energetic, and talented. It's shame he became so indy-riffic towards the end


14. John Cena (5)

This is a personal favourite. Cena had that intangible charisma that meant he could get away with his sub-par basics. He could get the crowd hanging on his every move with something you really can't teach - personality. His stubbornness in the face of annoying smarks in the mid-2000s led me to become a fan of his and almost participate in his cult. Still love him to this day. Of all of my favourite wrestlers, he is clearly the least talented. Perhaps that is what ultimately endears.


13. AJ Styles (18)

Always liked Styles, he was someone that bridged the gap between athleticism and storytelling very well. Total pro, solid enough heel promo, marketable enough for WWE to make him a world champion and he filled the boots. I'm sure Vince wished he'd signed him sooner. Really solid guy, shame he's a religious lunatic.


12. Undertaker (13)

There was a time when I felt as though Undertaker was the most overrated wrestler ever, both in terms of work and in terms of influence. Here is a guy that for the first 15 years of his career had mostly shit matches and was never the number one guy. In time I realised how stupid that was. Undertaker was clearly limited by his gimmick in his earlier days, and it's a testament to him that he stuck within those limitations to get his gimmick over first and foremost. I feel like many of today's wrestlers could stand to learn a lesson from that. Then, in his twilight years he transformed the appeal of WrestleMania almost single-handedly with the Streak. Rushmore contender.


10. Ric Flair (9)

Pure, unadulterated star-power. I don't know how else to put it. Very natural in the ring, he freely admits he could never teach anybody anything because it just comes so naturally. Had the right combination of sports-based wrestling and sports-entertainment hijinx. Powerful on the mic, it tickles me that the sports world fawns over super-draw Conor McGregor when his act is just a Flair rip-off. Not original, and often imitated himself, but the best 'rockstar' wrestling ever saw.


9. Shawn Michaels (20)

Shawn Michaels conflicts me as a wrestling fan. He does a lot of things I don't like, primarily advertising himself as the 'Showstopper' (as in, the guy that has the best match over the guy trying to win the match). I just find it so stupid and it's all over wrestling nowadays. 'Show off', 'Best bout machine'. Fuck off. It's like a football team bragging their games have more goals than other teams, even if they lose most of them. Anyway, Shawn is able to get away it because of his extraordinary talent. May be the most reliable big-match worker of all-time. How many Shawn Michaels matches are not objectively good at the very least? Underrated promo too, always had more gravitas than he looked like he had.


8. The Rock (28)

The Rock as a baby-face ages really badly, it's actually quite cringey to watch back. He was an above-average worker that benefited from bells & whistles a lot of the time. One of the all-time great promos, his Hollywood Rock run is one of my favourites ever. Now I'm thinking about it he should have been higher for that run alone. Had huge chemistry with my all-time favourite HHH, but naturally I was not drawn to him particularly as a youngster.


Will be back to post the rest.

I blame SCSA for the dreaded WHAT?! Chant and will never EVER forgive him.

Yeah, dude systematically killed any serious heel promo from that day forward.

How did I totally miss the Stone Cold reveal but still somehow like the reveal post?!

My powers mystify even myself.

Also, Austin introducing the WHAT? chant into wrestling was a far greater transgression than giving Debra a shiner.

Jul 3, 2020 2:38:56 GMT 🤯 said:

How did I totally miss the Stone Cold reveal but still somehow like the reveal post?!

My powers mystify even myself.

Also, Austin introducing the WHAT? chant into wrestling was a far greater transgression than giving Debra a shiner.

Only way anyone will ever top Taker's "sleep with your sister" reply.

Jul 3, 2020 2:41:14 GMT @ness said:

Jul 3, 2020 2:38:56 GMT 🤯 said:

How did I totally miss the Stone Cold reveal but still somehow like the reveal post?!

My powers mystify even myself.

Also, Austin introducing the WHAT? chant into wrestling was a far greater transgression than giving Debra a shiner.

Only way anyone will ever top Taker's "sleep with your sister" reply.

WHAT?

Jul 3, 2020 2:43:03 GMT 🤯 said:

Jul 3, 2020 2:41:14 GMT @ness said:

Only way anyone will ever top Taker's "sleep with your sister" reply.

WHAT?

Jul 3, 2020 2:44:53 GMT @ness said:

Jul 3, 2020 2:43:03 GMT 🤯 said:

WHAT?

¿QUE?

Jul 3, 2020 2:45:37 GMT 🤯 said:

Jul 3, 2020 2:44:53 GMT @ness said:

¿QUE?

Jul 3, 2020 2:46:13 GMT @ness said:

Jul 3, 2020 2:45:37 GMT 🤯 said:

¿QUE?

Donald Trump's MURICA!!!

Jul 3, 2020 2:47:22 GMT 🤯 said:

Jul 3, 2020 2:46:13 GMT @ness said:

Donald Trump's MURICA!!!

That's how I'm gonna celebrate the 4th. Clogging arteries and drinking enough beer to make SC proud. Unlike his celebrations I might actually drink it rather than wear it though.

LOVE~! the Disturbed theme from 01 as well.

Jul 2, 2020 2:53:21 GMT 🤯 said:

Jul 2, 2020 2:40:34 GMT Da Gr8t I Is said:

Besides X-pac, I was also there live for that match.

Besides X-Pac?

Its an online joke. In every interview that X-pac does he always says he was there. 

Steve Austin- I was the low vote on Austin (aside from maybe iron maiden) during his heyday. Peak Austin is another guy who had a knack for getting under my skin. Yet he still finished around #90 on my big list due to the first half of his Hollywood Blondes run, his stint in ECW, those two glorious months he spent as The Ringmaster, and his highly entertaining 2001 run as a paranoid heel champion who also happened to be an absolute workhorse.

When I first joined PW somebody plied with me 20 questions. One of those was "Austin or Rock?" I answered "Rock back in the day. Austin now." My Austin fandom has grown a lot since he was active. He's undeniably one of the best to ever do it. Made a boatload of money. Tons of charisma. Great on the mic. Memorable gimmick. The Stunner was as over as any move has ever been. Good/great in the ring. Had a lot of classic matches. Most people consider him one of the greatest babyfaces of all time. Yet I think he's a GOAT level heel, with his performance at Canadian Stampede being THE single greatest heel performance I ever saw.  Bonus points for his podcast. Austin is probably my favorite wrestler to listen to nowadays. He gives good insight and just cracks me up. I love his voice and he just has this way of phrasing things that I find hilarious. I have little doubt that Austin would find a way to make reading the phone book entertaining. Anyway, he would finish much higher on my GOAT list than my favorites list. Likely Top 5.

But this is a favorites list. So prepare yourselves for a record setting amount of bad takes!

Woohoo! Longest one yet, baby! So long, in fact, I am going to spoiler tag this one. Spoiler Alert: It's 75% "fuck a Stone Cold"

SPOILER: Click to show

{Spoiler}
Similar to Cactus, I vaguely remember seeing Austin compete for one of those early 90s Texas promotions which aired in syndication- USWA TX in Austin's case. Again, I vaguely remember the Austin vs. Chris Adams feud. It's all so vague that I may have only seen one or two episodes of this promotion.

Fast forward to early 1993 and the Hollywood Blondes. I was a fan. They were my kind of wrestlers. Catchy theme. Cool taunts. Team name. Matching outfits. The works. But I turned on them big time when they started beefing with my hero Ric Flair (and his little buddy Arn). It must also be said that I did NOT view them as this transcendent, all time great tag team. In that year alone, I was far more into The Quebecers. The Blondes were more like Money Inc- 2 singles stars brought together for a pretty cool, championship winning duo. Nor did I think it out of the ordinary, let alone a "terrible decision," when they split up. I had always known Pillman to be a face, and while Austin was relatively new to me, he seemed like a natural heel. 

Austin's singles run after the Blondes split is a blur. I barely remember him. Is it possible he worked a lot more Saturday Night than Worldwide? That's my working theory. You'd think he'd be my kind of wrestler, but I just never got into Stunning Steve. Years ago I had a eureka moment where I realized WCW Austin was basically Randy Orton 1.0 to me. The office clearly liked him. He won a bunch of titles. But he just never clicked with me. 

He famously got fired via FedEx not long after WCW became unwatchable. I didn't even realize he was gone. If I'm not going to notice Cactus Jack is gone, there was no way I was going to notice the departure of Stunning Steve. Out of sight, out of mind.

Ted Dibiase had been hyping the new "Crown Jewel" of his Corporation and I was HYPED. Dibiase finally debuted his latest acquisition, The Ringmaster, on the Brother Love Show. I was Day One on The Ringmaster. I've told the story before of how The Ringmaster held his hand up to the screen so we "could touch greatness." You better believe my friend Rick and I touched that screen. The new Million Dollar Champion was an immediate Baker Guy. I did not recognize him as the former Stunning Steve because Austin had been temporarily erased from my memory.

I quickly learned the truth via the Apter Mags. The Ringmaster soon changed his name to plain ol' Stone Cold Steve Austin. BOO! Not gonna lie. He pretty much immediately dropped 10 spots on my favorites list. Nor had The Ringmaster really taken off the way I had hoped/expected. Before long, he was trading victories back and forth with (low) midcard for life Savio Vega. Vega even beat Austin in a Strap Match, forcing Dibiase to leave town. BOO! This guy was turning out to be the biggest bust this side of Heath Shuler.

I was shocked....SHOCKED, I tell you, when he won KOTR the following month. All my money was on Vader. I unfortunately missed that show and Austin 3:16 meant nothing to me for the longest time. He just sort of meandered for the next few months, beating Mero in July, and beating Yoko on the measly Free For All at Summerslam.

Then business started picking up when Austin began calling out Bret Hart. He then formed a loose anti-Bret alliance with Pillman(!) and Owen(!!). Loved that short-lived trio. They cut an awesome promo together at IYH September. Austin was working his way back into my good graces after a rough couple months....

When tragedy struck. That JERK Steve Austin broke Brian Pillman's ankle. I turned on Stone Cold hardcore right then and there. He was now one of my least favorites. A position he would occupy until like Spring 1999. 

I thought the gun angle at Pillman's house was one of the dumbest things I had ever seen on a wrestling program.

I still didn't really view Austin as this big deal. He was obviously going to lose to Bret when "The Hitman" returned at Survivor Series. Then he'd probably enter into a feud with the returning Pillman. The first time I really thought Austin might be A Thing was during an episode of the Saturday night Wrestling Radio Show I listened to. I was once again shocked...SHOCKED, I tell you, when all these callers were talking about how "Austin is gonna kick Bret's ass" or "Austin should go over The Hitman." I'm over like "Umm...Hello! That's multiple time WWF Champion Bret Hart in his return match and you weirdos think Austin should win?!?" It blew my mind.

Anyway, they had their match. It was great. And Bret did go over. 

Then Austin started beefing with fellow heels like Bulldog. This was so weird and bad to me. Heels didn't fight heels! I guess most people viewed Austin as a tweener? But to me, he was ULTIMATE heel. There had always been this unwritten rule I called The Heel Code. It went something like this- "Heels shalt not fight other heels." Yet here's this Stone Cold jackass fighting other heels. Which made him the heeliest heel to ever heel. He was like the advanced asshole version of an earlier jerk by the name of Bad News Brown.

HATED Austin winning the Rumble (shoulda been Fake Diesel!). By Wrestlemania 13 I wanted Bret to break his back and make him humble. Oh, you better believe it was still real to me. Bret vs. Austin was the ULTIMATE "it's still real to me" feud. Bret did indeed kick Stone Cold's ass at Wrestlemania. But a funny thing happened. The jerk fans turned on The Hitman to side with the biggest jerk of them all! BOO!

The next few months saw Bret, Austin, and Friends wage war in some of the best tv WWF ever produced. Bret vs. Austin is my choice for GOAT feud. Canadian Stampede is my all time favorite match, with Austin giving the GOAT heel performance. That stuff was as real as wrestling ever got to me. I was so invested. Bret was my latest and greatest wrestling hero. Austin was (non-WCW) Public Enemy #1. Then the asshole writing this wanted an Owen 3:16 shirt so bad after Owen shoot broke Austin's neck. 

This proved the catalyst for Austin moving on from one Baker hero to another when he started beefing with Vince McMahon. Austin once again crossed the line when Stunned the boss. I LOVED Vader attacking corrupt Commissioner Monsoon. Gorilla deserved it! But St. Vince of Stamford most certainly did NOT.....

You guys have to understand I was a Vincest....a follower of McMahonism a decade before it was even a thing. WWF was my absolute favorite thing in the world from at least 95-00. Vince was the visionary genius behind it all. He had provided me THOUSANDS of hours worth of entertainment. I watched so much WWF growing up that Vince practically raised me. He was my 2nd father. Or look at it this way. WWF was my favorite team. And Vince was the brains of the operation. He was the Owner/Coach/GM all rolled into one who lead My Team to championship after championship. So, yeah, this dude did not abide when Austin crossed the boss. I was Team Vince all the way in their war with the only potential blip being the immediate aftermath of the Montreal Screwjob. No matter how many dastardly deeds Vince perpetrated, I'd just shrug my shoulders and wave it off a "play stupid games, win stupid prizes" kind of way.

I had minimal interest in Austin/Michaels at Wrestlemania. It was bad vs. worse. I was rooting for the referee. I mean the one who wasn't Tyson. Iron Mike could suck it too. (lol I never liked the top guy/team in any sport. Buster Douglas & Evander Holyfield 4 Life)

Even though they were polar opposites in a lot of ways, I now viewed Austin as little more than the modern day Hogan simply because they were both top good guys who usually came out victorious. I put everything I had into booing Austin when I saw him live for the first time at a May 1998 Raw taping. My friends were like "Just give it up, dude." Yet I persisted. No way you could hear my feeble boos though. Austin's pops were massive.

Also watched his "blink and you miss it" ECW run around this time. Loved it! Mocking Hulk Hogan was just about the easiest way to get over with me. Unfortunately, I missed Austin's Dangerous Alliance/TV Title run in real time. But it obviously ruled. Because everything Dangerous Alliance ruled. I saw a fair amount of DA Austin around this time on my beloved Dangerous Alliance comp tape. 

Back to 1998....You know how everybody is always waxing nostalgic about that one time Austin drove a Zamboni to the ring? Not this guy! To be honest, I didn't even remember that one particular moment until years later when WWE started pushing it as this all time great thing. The way I remember it, Austin drove a damn vehicle to the ring on practically every episode of Raw. Hell, Austin basically turned Raw into a weekly Monster Truck rally rather than a wrestling show. What makes the Zamboni stand out? Or is "Austin drove an oversized vehicle to the ring practically every week" a Mandela Effect situation?

Anyway, I was wicked hyped for Austin/Taker at Summerslam. Then the wrong guy won. 

I loved 98-99 Rock but never really bought into him as a serious threat to Golden Boy Steve Austin. Sure enough, Austin beat Rock. Then he beat him again. But by '99 I was starting to mellow out on the Stone Cold hate. WWF had worn me down. I just didn't have the energy anymore. And Austin officially became kinda sorta tolerable when he saved Steph from Taker's black wedding. That was a nice thing to do. So was Austin helping Foley win the WWF Title. Come to think of it, that's probably where my anti-Austin stance started to soften. 

Austin Hate Watch: October 1996-January(ish) 1999

Austin had a weirdly good Smackdown match with Val in October, and I popped when Stone Cold helped Vince beat stupid HHH. Then Austin's nagging injuries finally became too much and he was out of action for about a year.

Austin came back as he left- a 4/10 guy. Major superstar to be sure, but not one I particularly cared for. The Rikishi feud was trash. So was the early HHH feud. But Austin found his mojo again as the calendar turned from 2000 to 2001. He had an all time classic with Trips at No Way Out 2001. Then regained his title from The Rock in another classic at Wrestlemania, turning heel and cutting a deal with the devil in the process.

Austin's heel turn was undeniably terrible for business. But it was so darn entertaining. I quickly grew to love the new and improved Austin. He was a hoot in segments and a machine in the ring. Austin had a classic match with Benoit on Smackdown and another teaming with Trips against the Canadian Chrises on Raw. Things really picked up when Triple H went down and Austin interacted more with Vince and Angle. Those 3 had great chemistry. Austin & Angle in particular were hilarious. Austin had actually ALWAYS been funny as wrestling's ultimate straight man. Stupid though it may have been, Austin was also hilarious as the leader of The Alliance. He would "bury" guys in the most entertaining ways. Pretty sure Hurricane owes his entire WWE career to Steve Austin. And I don't care what anybody says. "What" was also hilarious in its initial incarnation as an Austin douchebag heel line.

Austin was on a roll as both a character and worker. I think 2001 is his best year when it comes to in ring stuff. He was killing it. Stone Cold did good/great stuff with RVD & Angle. But business was tanking and WWF (wisely) turned Austin face again. The fans never really wanted to boo him in the first place.

But Austin as a good guy was old hat. The magic was gone. Incredibly, he was also booked poorly. WWF had messed up their cash cow. Austin just sort of meandered around for a good 6 months before quitting rather than jobbing to rookie Brock. Highlight of this stretch was his super fun "no punches" match on Raw with Flair. 

He came back as for one more match with Rock and a stupid run as Commissioner. "What" jumped the shark and....yeah.

#2 Daniel Bryan
16 Votes-619 Points
Two #1 Votes
Last Time: #6

Going into the countdown I figured Bryan was a lock for the Top 10 and had a fair shot at cracking the Top 5. But I did not expect him to finish #2. Above Austin!

And it wasn't even close. PW had a definitive Top 3 this time around. #3 Austin topped #4 Jericho by 55 points and #2 Bryan surpassed Austin by that same 55 point margin. The mysterious #1 (Ron Simmons? Big Show? Godfather?) beat Bryan by an even greater number.

Anyway, D-Bry started pulling away from the rest of the field (save the overall winner) about halfway through the voting stage and never looked back.

Whoa...DB at #2. I’m shocked. I figured top ten but number 2?

I had him at #19 and I love me some DB. I loved his DB vs HHH run but he just seems to be coasting now. Most of my favourite stuff of his was pre WWE.

EDIT: Oh and Baker I think I’ve got you beat on the low vote for SCSA because I didn’t even consider him for my list.

Jul 3, 2020 3:51:45 GMT Baker said:

SPOILER: Click to show

I loved 98-99 Rock but never really bought into him as a serious threat to Golden Boy Steve Austin. Sure enough, Austin beat Rock. Then he beat him again. But by '99 I was starting to mellow out on the Stone Cold hate. WWF had worn me down. I just didn't have the energy anymore. And Austin officially became kinda sorta tolerable when he saved Steph from Taker's black wedding. That was a nice thing to do. So was Austin helping Foley win the WWF Title. Come to think of it, that's probably where my anti-Austin stance started to soften. 

The first thing that comes to mind with Austin secretly being a good guy deep down and not just an asswhole everyone loves in wwf history is his friendship with kane towards the end of 1998. Taker and Bearer would be doing everything they could to fuck with Kane in the final few months this year, but Austin would have his back and I remember some moments where those two got the better of Taker and Bearer. But then the coorporation abducted Kane and Austin didn't do anything to try and stop them. I would have loved an angle where Stone Cold tried to unbrainwash his former buddy Kane and fight Mcmahon and company together. Even if it would've failed I think that could have been compelling. 

1 .) Brock Lesnar
2 .) Bull Nakano
3 .) Yuji Nagata
4 .) Nick Aldis
5 .) PW's Favorite Wrestler
6 .) Tajiri
7 .) Jazz
8 .) Kurt Angle
9 .) Chris Benoit
10 .) Sean Waltman
11 .) Santino Marella
12 .) Molly Holly
13 .) Taz(z)
14 .) SID!!~
15 .) Low Ki
16 .) Umaga
17 .) Batista
18 .) The Miz
19 .) Zicky Dice
20 .) Awesome Kong
21 .) Shibata Katsuyori
22 .) John Bradshaw Layfield
23 .) The Undertaker
24 .) Shawn Michaels
25 .) Shayna Baszler
26 .) Eddie Guerrero
27 .) William Regal
28 .) Matt Hardy
29 .) Owen Hart
30 .) Goldust
31 .) Triple H
32 .) The Rock
33 .) Steve Austin
34 .) Vince McMahon
35 .) Shane McMahon
36 .) Stephanie McMahon
37 .) Jeff Hardy
38 .) Christian
39 .) Victoria
40 .) Ryback
41 .) The Hurricane
42 .) Taka Michinoku
43 .) Hardcore Holly
44 .) Perry Saturn
45 .) Mark Henry
46 .) Sheamus
47 .) Test
48 .) Albert
49 .) Funaki
50 .) Jamie Noble

Steve Austin is my #1. He was the best thing in wrestling ever for me. There’s a reason I became such a tough bastard. Steve Austin and Eminem came into my life at basically the same time.

To make things cooler for me as a kid, my dad loved Austin too. He’d crack up when Austin would abuse Vince and stunner old guys like Slaughter.

Steve Austin is the GOAT no matter what this list tells you.

My Dad hated Austin. Dunno if it was legit or just trolling us since we loved. During his entrance he'd mock him and say look at the dumb monkey raising his arms ook ook.

And then there was the Austin/Tyson confrontation that’s still probably the coolest thing I ever seen in wrestling. That whole moment was insane. My dad loved Tyson. We watched all of his fights. And now my bad ass Steve Austin was in his face and I was ready for him to prove to the world that he was the baddest son of a bitch! It was just such a dope moment.

Austin stunnering everyone on RAWs before the Royal Rumble was epic too.

Jul 3, 2020 13:14:54 GMT KING KID said:

Steve Austin is the GOAT no matter what this list tells you.

Who says the is the definitive GOAT list? This is a favorites list.

We really should just let the cat out of the bag and do a greatest list sometime to really see the fur fly on the board.