*Official* Pro-Wrestling Thread II

[OverratedSanity]

Doubt this will happen in any event tbh, because of merchandising etc...

Nah, not now. Say 3-4 years down the line, Reigns and the other 2 shieild guys are at the very top dominating PPVs, and Cena is 42-43, with just a couple of years left before his body potentially starts breaking down, it will most definitely happen. The WWE will get their merch from the others, especially Reigns, if he becomes as big as Cena. The whole Reigns push is designed to make him the next Cena. After that, Cena's no longer the top guy, which is only a matter of time.

 

[andmark]

Cena's importance in the Make a Wish stuff (I doubt it's exaggerated as Punk claims given Cena's record of having done it the most out of anyone ever- not just wrestler) could mean that it shouldn't happen ever. I mean you'd have kids with cancer cheering for Cena whether he leaves the role of the top guy or not. They'd simply continue following him. So with that said, I think we just have to take one for the team (as it were) and not get the great television a Cena heel turn would produce

 

[GIMH]

Nah, not now. Say 3-4 years down the line, Reigns and the other 2 shieild guys are at the very top dominating PPVs, and Cena is 42-43, with just a couple of years left before his body potentially starts breaking down, it will most definitely happen. The WWE will get their merch from the others, especially Reigns, if he becomes as big as Cena. The whole Reigns push is designed to make him the next Cena. After that, Cena's no longer the top guy, which is only a matter of time.

Reigns has pretty much no chance of ever being as big as Cena. He's pretty much the fourth biggest star in the history of the business. You don't just replace that.

 

[OverratedSanity]

Did say if

 

[Goughy]

Reigns has pretty much no chance of ever being as big as Cena. He's pretty much the fourth biggest star in the history of the business. You don't just replace that.

Who rounds out the top 5?

 

[sledger]

Hogan, Rock, Austin and Steve Blackman.

 

[Jono]

Head Cheese!

 

[Goughy]

Hogan, Rock, Austin and Steve Blackman.

Hogan a clear 1, Austin a probable 2 and then after that it all gets murky. Taker, Andre, Flair, HBK, Rock, Cena, HHH, and even guys like Brett, Dusty Rhodes and others in the mix.

 

[Jono]

Nah, Trips, Bret (as much as I love him) and HBK aren't really in the mix. Didn't draw as much as the others when leading the company (and Trips never led the company)

Hogan, Austin, Rock and Cena a mile ahead of the others. Someone would need to analyse Flair's NWA/WCW drawing, its big but not sure how it compares.

 

[Jono]

Bruno Sammartino probably ahead of Trips, HBk and Bret tbh, if we're going that far back.

 

[Goughy]

Nah, Trips, Bret (as much as I love him) and HBK aren't really in the mix. Didn't draw as much as the others when leading the company (and Trips never led the company)

Hogan, Austin, Rock and Cena a mile ahead of the others. Someone would need to analyse Flair's NWA/WCW drawing, its big but not sure how it compares.

The Rock is an interesting case as he was a huge draw but it was all rather brief. Certainly the biggest breakout star from the industry but not convinced he would be in the top 5 in the history of the business. Scanning around online and our perspectives are not unique' The Rock seems to polarize people with many having him top 3 and many having him barely top 10 based on whole career in the ring.

I am not saying HHH should be there but I was suprised to see that Meltzer has him ranked as the biggest draw in wrestling 2000-2009. Also mentions a separate study "When it comes to consistently drawing over a long period of time, the all-time top ten are Jim Londos, Bruno Sammartino, Lou Thesz, Wild Bill Longson, Hulk Hogan, Ed Strangler Lewis, Argentina Rocca, Ric Flair, Buddy Rogers and Joe Stecher. While Steve Austin at his peak was the biggest drawing card in pro wrestling history, his number of years at that peak were far shorter than those ranked above him.

Im not going to lose sleep either way.

 

[OverratedSanity]

The Rock is an interesting case as he was a huge draw but it was all rather brief. Certainly the biggest breakout star from the industry but not convinced he would be in the top 5 in the history of the business. Scanning around online and our perspectives are not unique' The Rock seems to polarize people with many having him top 3 and many having him barely top 10 based on whole career in the ring.

I am not saying HHH should be there but I was suprised to see that Meltzer has him ranked as the biggest draw in wrestling 2000-2009. Also mentions a separate study "When it comes to consistently drawing over a long period of time, the all-time top ten are Jim Londos, Bruno Sammartino, Lou Thesz, Wild Bill Longson, Hulk Hogan, Ed Strangler Lewis, Argentina Rocca, Ric Flair, Buddy Rogers and Joe Stecher. While Steve Austin at his peak was the biggest drawing card in pro wrestling history, his number of years at that peak were far shorter than those ranked above him.

Im not going to lose sleep either way.

Rock definitely is up there. Even if you think his initial run on top if the WWE was a bit short, look at his return in 2011. The 3 wrestlemanias he was involved in after his return WM 27, 28 and 29 all did enormous business primarily because they were sold with Rock involved in the main event.

 

[Jono]

Bigger and more critical to be a massive draw for 3-4 years and change the face of wrestling imo. but I clearly don't have the expertise to debate Austin vs. Rogers or Thesz, just a view.

Trips was never the main draw. WWE took a massive hit when they tried to make him the main man in 2002 as a face, and they took the stap off him asap and gave it to old man Hogan. Not buying him being in the top 5 superstars of all time. He's just not in that race.

 

[GIMH]

It's a good question. I didn't really think about it when I wrote that Cena was 4th.

Hard to group in anybody from the pre-PPV era as things worked so differently then.

Agree with Jono though on Shawn, Bret, HHH. All great performers who wrestling fans will always have up there (HHH less so but pre-quad he was Flair-level brilliant) but never that level of mainstream crossover. Not sure Flair was either as his best work was generally as a heel which tends to complicate the issue.

I really don't know the answer. It's a very good question.

 

[GIMH]

If EWS was a wrestling fan he'd rank Billy Gunn as a more successful wrestler than the Rock because longevity

 

[Spikey]

correct answer was Roman Reigns ftr

 

[Agent TBY]

Nah, Flair was huge. Sure, he wasn't the popular face that people wanted to see, but he was the hated heel that people would pay good money to see beaten up. His stints in the territories were also seen as big deals and would kickstart major angles—DiBiase's turn in Mid-South comes to mind. Definite 3 or 4 guy for mine.

Also surprised to see Sting not get a mention.

Sammartino and the likes are probably up there, and wrestling wouldn't be where it is now if it wasn't for them, but it's hard to put them in the same discussion when the landscape of the business is just so different. Perhaps a "Wrestlemania-era" qualifier is in order.

 

[GIMH]

Nah, Flair was huge. Sure, he wasn't the popular face that people wanted to see, but he was the hated heel that people would pay good money to see beaten up. His stints in the territories were also seen as big deals and would kickstart major angles—DiBiase's turn in Mid-South comes to mind. Definite 3 or 4 guy for mine.

Also surprised to see Sting not get a mention.

Sammartino and the likes are probably up there, and wrestling wouldn't be where it is now if it wasn't for them, but it's hard to put them in the same discussion when the landscape of the business is just so different. Perhaps a "Wrestlemania-era" qualifier is in order.

I did put pre-ppv tbf, so agreed on the qualifier.

Flair was huge but I guess again it was a different model. Not sure Sting was ever a draw by himself in WCW but happy to be corrected? Whereas the four I've listed would draw money if they were wrestling a random bloke from the street. My knowledge of WCW isn't as good though. Network is going to help me correct this.

Undertaker a shout?

 

[andmark]

Rollins to cash in at Wrestlemania? I've got nightmares of it happening and Reigns beats him

 

[sledger]

Lol that'd be amazing.