Superstar Categories

When Ben proposed this post to me, I was very excited. If you have ever played NBA Live 2007, all of the players are in categories (dunker, long range shooter, inside scorer, etc…). This post categorizes the top 5 stars in each brand and then 5 legends into the categories of crafty, powerhouse, legend, experienced, future star, athletic, great heart, exciting, and creative. Of course superstars can and will be in multiple categories.

Rey Mysterio, Triple H, and The Undertaker have been omitted due to their injuries.

Smackdown’s Top 5

1. Edge: The current top Smackdown superstar is not yet a legend, but he is definitely experienced. He has won the WWE championship 2 times, the World Heavyweight Championship 1 time, the Intercontinental Championship 5 times, he is a 12 time tag-team champion, and claimed the title of “Mr. Money In the Bank” twice. He has been in some famous feuds (Matt Hardy, John Cena) and has been in a few memorable stables (The Ministry of Darkness, Rated RKO). He has a great heart as well; he makes all of his matches fun to watch, because he never gives up (see the hardcore match against Mick Foley). Edge is also very exciting (watch him in the MITB Ladder Matches) and he provides a side to wrestling that we sadly rarely see anymore. You could also consider Edge a future star (he’s actually two days younger than MVP). He has many more bright years with the company.

2. Batista: The first thing that you think of when you see Batista, is that he is a powerhouse. I would definitely NOT call him experienced, seeing how he has only been wrestling with WWE since 2002. I would also not call him the future, seeing how he is 38. And although he may not be the best wrestler in the company, he sure is exciting. His spinebuster is extremely fun to watch, and it gets me pretty amped.

3. MVP: Let me start out by saying he is one of the big three stars that I consider “future stars”. I will also definitely call him exciting, because for a while, his feud with Chris Benoit was the only thing that kept me watching Smackdown. MVP is definitely athletic too. His gimmick is even a cocky athletic guy.

4. Ric Flair: Flair falls into many categories. He is definitely a legend. He won the NWA World Heavyweight Championship for the first time in 1981 by beating Dusty Rhodes. He is an 11 time world champion, and has won countless awards. He is also definitely experienced...being in the wrestling business since the 1970s, and being in countless classic feuds (Lex Luger, Terry Funk) and stables (Evolution, The Four Horsemen). He was also extremely exciting in his prime (and he still has his moments now...like vs. the Big Show on ECW). Flair also has a reputation of being extremely crafty to win at any cost. You know someone is crafty when the low blow is part of their regular moveset.

5. Kane: The Big Red Machine is definitely experienced (being in wrestling since the mid-to late 90s). He is a 10-time Tag-Team champion, a two-time Intercontinental champion, a one-time Hardcore champion, and a one-time WWF champion. He is also a powerhouse (7 feet tall, 326 pounds). Kane is extremely exciting too…when his entrance music hits I get extremely pumped up.


RAW’s Top 5:

1. John Cena: Cena debuted in 2000 (I wouldn’t normally call someone experienced who has only been in the business for 7 years…) however he is experienced. He has won the United States Championship three times, and has won the WWE Championship three times. He has been in numerous matches with great superstars…yes he has been in some great matches (vs. Edge at Unforgiven, vs. Michaels on Monday Night RAW). Also, he is a definite powerhouse. Before wrestling he was pursuing a career as a bodybuilder. Also, at Wrestlemania XX he managed to lift the 507 pound 7-foot monster over his head twice. Cena (or Cena’s gimmick) never gives up in matches. He come out on top in singles matches with Umaga, The Great Khali, Shawn Michaels, The Big Show, Kurt Angle, JBL, Chris Jericho, Edge, RVD, Booker T, etc…This shows his great heart.

2. Bobby Lashley: Nobody is more of a powerhouse than Bobby Lashley. All you have to do is look at this man to find out what I’m talking about. He is extremely exciting too. His spear is not near the excitement level of Bill Goldberg’s, but his regular power moves are fantastic. Also, in his match vs. the late Chris Benoit at the first 3-hour RAW, he showed us a side of him that we rarely see, the amateur wrestling side of him. Benoit and Lashley put on a very enjoyable match. And yes ladies and gentlemen, he is a future star. He is only 30 years old, and he has already been built up to the main event slot.

3. Randy Orton: I’ll start out by saying he is extremely exciting. He is doing this thing that I love now. He waits on the ground with his opponent while stalking them like a wounded animal. This sinuously smooth precursor to the RKO is very snake-like and very intimidating. It reminds me of The Rock getting ready to deliver the Rock Bottom. He (in my opinion) is probably tied with Mr. Kennedy for the biggest future star. He is only 27 years old (younger than MVP, CM Punk, Mr. Kennedy, and Lashley) and he is already a Triple Crown Champion (won the World Heavyweight Championship, Intercontinental Championship, and Tag-Team Championship). His moveset is very creative. I love his DDT that he does off of the ropes and his huge dropkick.

4. Mr. Kennedy: Ken Kennedy will be the Stone Cold or The Rock of the future. This man is above and beyond what we refer to as a future star. You can’t call this man boring. He is extremely exciting and creative. His creative side kicks in with his ring entrance. I can’t think of another ring entrance that I like better than his (please comment if you think of one). And excitement basically radiates from this man’s body. I decided not to keep this one very long, because you can just read any of our other posts to get the point.

5. Jeff Hardy: Jeff Hardy is hands down the most exciting superstar (now that RVD has left) in the WWE. The Swanton Bomb is probably one of the tightest moves in wrestling, and the whisper in the wind gets the crowd going just as much. Also, how can you talk about Jeff Hardy and not say he’s an athlete? The man did a front flip (Swanton Bomb) off of a ladder through a table with Bubba Ray Dudley on it. He can also be a future star (he is only 29)…but I am not sure since all of his stunts may take a pretty hard toll on his body after awhile.


ECW’s Top 5:

1. CM Punk: CM Punk (along with Mr. Kennedy) IS the future. He has the title of “future star” written all over him. He made his WWE wrestling debut on June 24, 2006…and he has already fought for the ECW title twice (elimination chamber and Vengeance). He also has his upcoming title shot against Johnny Nitro…I pray to God that he wins. He and his finishing moves are extremely creative (G.T.S., Anaconda Vise, and my personal favorite…the Pepsi Plunge). I would say his matches are exciting, but the ECW crowd doesn’t usually get into it…which is a topic for a later date.

2. Johnny Nitro: I would first like to ask…why is this man the ECW champion? His second match as an ECW superstar (first being a squash against Nunzio) is a title match that he wins. BAD IDEA (but again, another topic for another time). He is without a doubt a future star being only 27 years old and being in the main event slot for ECW in his 3rd year with the company. You could also consider him athletic…if you were searching for another thing to say about him.

3. Elijah Burke: Yet another future star in ECW. Only 29 years old, and he has had a huge part in ECW. Although his team with Sylvester Terkay was the most boring thing on Friday night, he excels greatly as a singles wrestler. The Elijah Express and the Elijah Experience are cool, but they don’t get him into the category of exciting. However, they will help him get into the creative category.

4. Marcus Cor Von: Here is the powerhouse of ECW. Monty Brown…I mean…Marcus Cor Von is HUGE. His bicep is probably larger then my head. He definitely falls into the category of exciting. The Pounce is my favorite finisher by a big dude. Although the Alpha Male is 37, he has a few great years ahead of him (but not enough years to call him the future).

5. The Boogeyman: Here’s a fun fact that I found interesting: he is 42 years old! I never would have thought that he would be that old. Well, now that I got that out of the way…he is definitely exciting, and definitely creative. Name another superstar that eats worms. Also, it is occasionally fun to see him pop up out of nowhere and scare the pants off of people.

Legends Top 5: (in no order)

1. Bret Hart: Well…he is under the “legends top 5”…so I guess it’s pretty obvious that he’s a legend. In WCW he won the US Title 4 times, the World Heavyweight Championship 2 times, and the World Tag-Team Championship 1 time. And in the WWF/WWE he won the WWF Championship 5 times, the Intercontinental Championship 2 times, the World Tag-Team Championship 2 times, and he was recently inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame. He was definitely exciting in the ring as well. When he locked in the sharpshooter the crowd went wild. He also had a great heart. He lasted over an hour in his famous match against Shawn Michaels, and he had many other great matches (see our Top WWE Matches section).

2. The Rock: There is nothing about this man that is boring. He has the most unnecessarily elaborate finishing move of all time (the people’s elbow) and has created almost all of the famous wrestling catchphrases in our time (know your role, and shut your mouth). This man is the epitome of exciting in and out of the ring. Again, he is in the legends category…therefore he is a definite legend. He won the WWF/E Championship 7 times, the Intercontinental Championship 2 times, and the Tag-Team Championship 5 times. He also has a great heart. His match at Wrestlemania against Steve Austin was a classic display of his heart. His heart is also shown in ANY of his matches against Mick Foley. Also, he is EXTREMELY creative. Who would think to themselves “today…I’m going to create a 30 second prelude to an elbow…”

3. Steve Austin: Again, there is nothing about this man that is boring. You never know what to expect from him on any given night. He could bring a beer truck through the entrance ramp, or he could plan his own beer bash even. This man, along with The Rock, IS exciting. Also he is a legend. He is a 6-time WWF Champion, a 2-time Intercontinental Champion, a 4-time Tag-Team Champion, and the winner of 3 Royal Rumbles.

4. Hulk Hogan: Just like Stone Cold and The Rock created the word exciting, Hulk Hogan created the word legend. He is the ultimate WWF/E/WCW that absolutely everyone knows. He is a 6-time WCW World Heavyweight Champion, a 6-time WWF/E World Heavyweight Champion, a 1-time Tag-Team Champion, a 2-time Royal Rumble Winner, and a WWE Hall of Famer. He also has a great heart (see vs. Andre the Giant or any other match where he “Hulks Up”). He is not as exciting as The Rock…but he is nonetheless very exciting. I’ve never really been into his finisher (the Hogan leg drop), because it’s basically like doing a “clothesline from hell” or “the big boot”, but it was cool in the 80s.

5. Shawn Michaels: Already, he is a legend. He is a 3-time WWF Champion, a 1-time European Champion, a 3-time Intercontinental Champion, a 4-time Tag-Team Champion, a 1-time World Heavyweight Champion, and a 2-time Royal Rumble Winner. He shows his great heart in his classic iron-man match against Bret Hart. His Superkick comes out of nowhere, and that is what makes him one of the most exciting superstars in wrestling today.


If you didn’t notice, the powerhouses (Cena, Lashley, Batista) are moving up in the world of wrestling, when it should be the exciting and athletic superstars (Jeff Hardy, Edge, Kennedy) in the limelight. WWE needs to keep a nice balance of these superstars to maximize their success. WWE also needs to keep good relations with their legends, so their legends will come back and have instant-classic feuds.

That’s all for me folks. As always…post comments.

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Top Ten WWE Matches Of The 90s

It should be obvious what happened here. We took four Top Ten matches of the 90s lists and saw what overlapped, what made sense, what didn't, who was where, and what we missed. The following jumble of letters and numbers is what we came up with.

Ben Zeidler
10. Shawn Michaels vs. Bret Hart (Survivor Series 1997)
9. Shawn Michaels vs. Mankind (IYH: Mind Games)
8. Bret Hart vs. Owen Hart (WrestleMania X)
7. Shawn Michaels vs. The Undertaker (IYH: Badd Blood)
6. The Undertaker vs. Mankind (KOTR 1998)
5. Shawn Michaels vs. Bret Hart (WrestleMania XII)
4. The Rock vs. HHH (SummerSlam 1998)
3. Shawn Michaels vs. Razor Ramon (WrestleMania X)
2. The Rock vs. Mankind (Royal Rumble 1999)
1. Stone Cold vs. Bret Hart (WrestleMania 13)

Jesse Hill
10. Bret Hart vs. British Bulldog (SummerSlam 1992)
9. Stone Cold vs. Bret Hart (Wrestlemania 13)
8. Shawn Michaels vs. The Undertaker (IYH: Badd Blood)
7. Bret Hart vs. Owen Hart (WrestleMania X)
6. Shawn Michaels vs. Stone Cold (WrestleMania XIV)
5. Edge and Christian vs. Hardy Boyz (No Mercy 1999)
4. Shawn Michaels vs. Razor Ramon (WrestleMania X)
3. Stone Cold vs. The Rock (WrestleMania XV)
2. The Undertaker vs. Mankind (KOTR 1998)
1. Shawn Michaels vs. Bret Hart (WrestleMania XII)

ProWrestlingTorch.com (Octavio Fierros)
10. Edge and Christian vs. Hardy Boyz (No Mercy 1999)
9. Hulk Hogan vs. The Ultimate Warrior (WrestleMania X)
8. Bret Hart vs. British Bulldog (Summerslam 1992)
7. Royal Rumble Match (Royal Rumble 1992)
6. Bret Hart vs. Owen Hart (WrestleMania X)
5. Shawn Michaels vs. Bret Hart (WrestleMania XII)
4. Shawn Michaels vs. The Undertaker (IYH: Badd Blood)
3. The Undertaker vs. Mankind (King Of The Ring 1998)
2. Shawn Michaels vs. Razor Ramon (WrestleMania X)
1. Stone Cold vs. Bret Hart (WrestleMania 13)

DeathValleyDriver.com
10. Shawn Michaels vs. Bret Hart (WrestleMania XII)
9. Bret Hart vs. Owen Hart (Summerslam 1994)
8. Stone Cold vs. Bret Hart (Survivor Series 1996)
7. Bret Hart vs. British Bulldog (Summerslam 1992)
6. Shawn Michaels vs. The Undertaker (IYH: Badd Blood)
5. Shawn Michaels vs. Mankind (IYH: Mind Games)
4. Shawn Michaels vs. Razor Ramon (Summerslam 1995)
3. Stone Cold vs. Bret Hart (WrestleMania 13)
2. Shawn Michaels vs. Razor Ramon (WrestleMania X)
1. Bret Hart vs. Owen Hart (WrestleMania X)

Matches On All Four Lists
Bret Hart vs. Owen Hart (WrestleMania X)
Shawn Michaels vs. Razor Ramon (WrestleMania X)*
Shawn Michaels vs. Bret Hart (WrestleMania XII)
Stone Cold vs. Bret Hart (WrestleMania 13)*
Shawn Michaels vs. The Undertaker (IYH: Badd Blood)*
*Denotes a Five-Star match

Reappearing Wrestlers
Out of the 40 total contests listed here, Bret Hart appeared in the most matches (18), followed closely by Shawn Michaels (17), The Undertaker (7), and Stone Cold Steve Austin (7).

Had the list been allowed to include matches through today, the following contests would have been highly considered for the list:
Cactus Jack vs. HHH (Royal Rumble 2000)
Chris Benoit vs. Chris Jericho vs. Kurt Angle (WrestleMania 2000)
Hardys vs. Dudleys vs. Edge and Christian (SummerSlam 2000)
Hardys vs. Dudleys vs. Edge and Christian (WrestleMania X-7)
Chris Benoit vs. HHH vs. Shawn Michaels (WrestleMania XX)
Kurt Angle vs. Shawn Michaels (WrestleMania 21)

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A Look Back at Bret

The WWE recently announced that rather than holding this year's Survivor Series at the Bell Centre in Montreal (formerly the Molson Centre and site of the infamous Montreal Screwjob) as was previously announced, the 10 year anniversary event has been moved to the painfully-neutral American Airlines Arena in Miami, Florida. The fall out from the screwjob was so great that the WWE did not host another event in Montreal until a SMACKDOWN taping in 2001. And now, ten years later, the animosity remains so strong that the WWE felt the need to change the assignment of a PPV for the first time in recent memory. Behind all the stories and behind all the controversy...is Bret "The Hitman" Hart. The story of the Montreal Screwjob usually follows the line of Vince screwing Bret. However, with the help of the MIT Comparative Media Studies department, it becomes very plausible that, as Shawn Michaels says, Bret screwed Bret.

After 14 years, Bret Hart was faced with the end of his career in the WWF. Bret was faced with one last title defense against Shawn Michaels in which he was supposed to drop the championship belt. Bret had no interest in accommodating this request by McMahon. Hart had already dropped the belt to Michaels once and as a final passing of the torch, Hart would have to be beaten once more by Michaels. However, Hart wanted to preserve the character he had built in his head.

Hart portrayed his character as a hero who followed the rules and always did the right thing. He obviously knew how to wrestle, which he prided himself on, and he considered himself to be a role model for young children. Before every match, Hart could be seen giving his glasses to a child near the ring. When Stone Cold Steve Austin and DX gained popularity, Bret felt this as a personal attack towards his good guy character and that wrestling fans were turning their backs on him. With little distinction between Bret the wrestler and Bret the person, it was only natural for him to feel worried about his future in the WWF. Unlike other wrestlers who admit this fear and continue their career until it time to leave, Bret was determined to shape his own legacy on the WWF.

Wrestlers have to remember that the business existed before their arrival and will more than likely exist after their departure, a perspective Bret Hart obviously lacked. Furthermore, wrestlers must let their actions in the ring speak as loud as or louder than their words. Wrestling fans will always remember and appreciate great performances. In the case of Bret Hart, he let the politics of the WWF get in the way of his purpose to entertain. He took on a very selfish approach to wrestling and lost sight of his role as a wrestler. His lack of distinction between his character and his real life was a main cause for his fear of defeat and an unwillingness to drop the belt as he moved on to a rival promotion.

Bret's ego blinded him, causing The Hitman to truly believe what he was saying about being a wholesome character and being a role model that people should follow. This turned him into a modern version of Hulk Hogan, who did not want to lose to anyone and ended up tarnishing his legacy. Ironically, it was the Hulkster who refused to drop the title to Hart (he deemed Hart unworthy).

Vince had asked Bret to drop the title, and with good business reasoning. The women's champion had already shown up on WCW before and trashed the belt on screen. So why not let Bret forfeit the title? Well, Vince already had experience with that when Ric Flair made his first stint with the WWF and ran his mouth about being the real world champion and carried around the belt. Vince did not want to give Bret an angle when entering WCW and have him claim that he was the real champion and that he had never lost the title. Vince had no choice but to ask Bret to lose the title. When Bret did not honor this request, he essentially asked McMahon to take the decision into his own hands.

Myriads of famous stars have lost clean at big events. Shawn Michaels lost to Stone Cold Steve Austin at Wrestlemania XIV, The Rock lost clean to Stone Cold Steve Austin at Wrestlemania XV and he was still hated by the people and then loved again when he turned face. Triple H and Shawn Michaels both lost to Chris Benoit at Wrestlemania XX clean. These superstars put over other wrestlers for the benefit of the business and the people. If Bret had lost to Shawn, even if it wasn’t entirely clean, it would have given the fans something to cheer or boo. It would have allowed the WWF to move in the direction Vince wanted which is what he had asked Bret to let him do. Bret Hart was a great wrestler and provided some great matches but he put himself in the position that allowed the Montreal Screwjob to happen.

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Fantastic....

Great...now on RAW we have an IC champ that we've never heard of and a WWE champ that can't wrestle. This provides for some great excitement in the coming weeks before Backlash... RAW's new Intercontinental Champion is "Santino Marella" (or Boris Elexiev from Ohio Valley Wrestling) and he was introduced as a fan that challenged Umaga for his belt. In my mind this is a stupid move, because most likely somebody is going take it from him next week (Umaga probably) and his name is going to be in the record books forever.

Let's go through a few names of wrestlers who have held the Intercontinental Championship...Randy Savage, The Ultimate Warrior, Bret Hart, Shawn Michaels, The Rock, Stone Cold Steve Austin, Triple H, Edge, Chris Jericho, Kurt Angle, Chris Benoit, Eddie Guerrero, Kane, RVD, Randy Orton, etc... (all of these names have also held the WWF/WWE/World Heavyweight Championship)

Now, with all of those great wrestlers that I just named...put a name like Santino Marella in there and it just doesn't fit. This shows that WWE is making the Intercontinental Championship a belt for mid-carders who show a little potential (Carlito, Shelton Benjamin, freakin' Santino).

I've heard many people say that the Intercontinental Championship has always been a belt for up-and-comers; but Triple H, Chris Jericho, Ric Flair, and Kane all held the WWF/WWE/World Heavyweight Championship before they held the Intercontinental Championship.

I understand that WWE wants to put over a new superstar in his home country, but giving him a belt on his first appearance is just dumb, pointless, and unfair to the wrestlers who work their way up to a title.

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Top Five Wrestlers of the 1990s

With apologies to Mankind, Kane, Diesel, Yokozuna, Sycho Sid, HHH, and others:

The top five wrestlers of arguably the greatest period in wrestling history were determined by a number of factors including title reigns, number of wins, quality of wins, and others. However, the most important component is how these wrestlers perform against other elite wrestlers; more clearly, how any one of the top five wrestled against the any of the other four. When wins and losses are mentioned, only quality and relatively fairly finished matches will be mentioned. For example, the Undertaker's DQ win over Bret Hart at Royal Rumble 1996 does not count as a victory over Bret Hart in the same sense that Shawn Michael's WrestleMania 12 win does.

5. The Undertaker. Let's put it this way: with the exception of the Big Show, Kane, and maybe Kurt Angle, no one is going to beat The Undertaker clean. Unfortunately for him, this means an unusual number of interference prompted losses on the record. Taker has lost to The Rock twice, lost to Shawn Michaels twice (interference by Kane at Badd Blood 1997, half the locker room at Royal Rumble 1998), and lost to Bret Hart once (referee HBK mistakenly hits Taker with chair at Summerslam 1997). Against Austin, Taker has accumulated 3 wins and 4 losses in a relatively even feud. 4 WWE Championships and 6 Tag Team Championships later, the Deadman falls into place at #5.

4. The Rock. Other than my #1 pick, The Rock is the only wrestler on the list to boast wins over both The Undertaker and Stone Cold Steve Austin. He is also responsible for one of the most memorable feuds and partnerships of the 90s (with Mankind). Unfortunately, The Rock didn't "arrive" on the scene until WrestleMania 13 in 1997. He never faced HBK or Bret Hart, to my knowledge. He also lost to Austin more times than he won (1-3). For these reasons, The Rock, who won the WWE Championship 7 times, the Intercontinental Championship 2 times, and the Tag Team Championship 5 times sits firmly at #4 overall.

3. Shawn Michaels. Michaels boasts two inference wins over The Undertaker as well as two wins over Bret Hart (one clean, one screwjob). However, he never beat Stone Cold Steve Austin, something both The Rock, The Undertaker, and Bret Hart were all able to do. To his credit, Michaels was the first "grand slam" champion of the WWE and held the WWE championship on 3 separate occasions. Not to be overlooked are his 3 Intercontinental reigns, his 3 Tag Team Championships, and his back-to-back Royal Rumble victories. HBK has been involved in two of the four "five star" matches that have ever taken place in the WWE.

2. Bret Hart. Other than the Rock, whom he never wrestled, Bret holds victories over The Undertaker, HBK, and Austin. Other than the Summerslam 1997 victory over Taker, his other notable wins have been clean. Hart is probably the best technical wrestler in the history of the WWE, met only by the likes of Kurt Angle and Chris Benoit. Like all the others, Hart holds a Royal Rumble victory along with two King of the Ring victories, 5 WWE Championships, 2 Intercontinental Championships, and 2 Tag Team Championships. Like Michaels, Hart has also been involved in two of the four "five star" matches that have ever taken place in the WWE.

1. Stone Cold Steve Austin. At first, I was hesitant to put a mere brawler with little wrestling ability at my number 1 spot. After looking at his credentials for the position, there was no other choice. Austin holds victories over ALL of the other 4 members of the top five, holding winning records against Taker (4-3), The Rock (3-1), and HBK (who never avenged his loss). His only losing record to an opponent in the top 5 is Bret Hart (1-2). Austin lost to Hart early in his career at Survivor Series 1996 and then again at WrestleMania 13 where Austin never submitted but passed out from a Sharpshooter. Austin would eventually get his revenge on Hart when he injured Hart's leg in a no disqualification match on RAW, which featured Austin refusing to let go of his own Sharpshooter and beating Hart while on a stretcher in the back of an ambulance. See my list of apologies at the top? The three that Austin wrestled (HHH, Mankind, Kane), he beat. Like the other top 5, Austin boasts a Royal Rumble victory. He also boasts a second and a third Royal Rumble victory, a feat never again accomplished in the WWE. Like Bret Hart, he won the King of the Ring tournament (1996). He held the WWE title 6 times, the Intercontinental twice, and the Tag belts 4 times. It's hard to find belts Austin hasn't held and people he hasn't beat, making him a tough but fair choice for the #1 spot on this list.

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