Best Wrestling Finisher

[sledger]

Just on this little aside, who better to contrast him with than Shawn? HBK would receive the post with that ridiculous Three Stooges-like flip. Bret on the other hand would approach the corner headfirst, accelerate a little, and receive it flush on the chest. On the surface, both were trying to sell their opponent's strength, but HBK, as was his wont, was also trying to crowd himself into the spotlight, while Bret did his bit to make his opponent look good in a realistic manner.

In so many ways they were basically the perfect opponent/foil for eachother imo. Both in terms of ringwork and general personality. You just believed their matches were a contest between two extremely talented people. One of whom was more orthodox and serious, and the other who was a flashy dickhead. Probably because that is exactly what they were I guess.

 

[Kraken]

I would personally have AJ Styles in front of all of them - but then again I just love him, always have and always will

 

[honestbharani]

In so many ways they were basically the perfect opponent/foil for eachother imo. Both in terms of ringwork and general personality. You just believed their matches were a contest between two extremely talented people. One of whom was more orthodox and serious, and the other who was a flashy dickhead. Probably because that is exactly what they were I guess.

Yeah it was a great mesh. HBK was the opposite of a ring general usually but the thing with him was, the more he worked with good talent, he would lift the quality of the matches up exponentially.

 

[Teja.]

Just on this little aside, who better to contrast him with than Shawn? HBK would receive the post with that ridiculous Three Stooges-like flip. Bret on the other hand would approach the corner headfirst, accelerate a little, and receive it flush on the chest. On the surface, both were trying to sell their opponent's strength, but HBK, as was his wont, was also trying to crowd himself into the spotlight, while Bret did his bit to make his opponent look good in a realistic manner.

HBK and Shawn were great but Austin v Bret was the greatest feud ever for me, both inside and outside the ring. Austin pre-neck injury was absolute dynamite in the ring. Both the survivor series and WM matches between Bret/Austin them are 5 star classics IMO.

Benoit was one of my absolute favourites as well.

 

[Teja.]

Can say very similar things about HHH tbh. Not that I'm saying HHH is/was as good as Bret was (he isn't/wasn't imo), but this is an underrated aspect of his game (no pun intended).

Yeah, true. One of the things about HHH was that he was probably the best ever in violent stipulation matches. I don't mean this as an underhanded compliment because the attitude era which was his prime was full of those. His 3 stages of hell match with Austin, HIAC with Mankind, Ladder Match with the Rock, and later his Street Fight with HBK in 2002 are some of my favourite matches ever.

I wasn't really a big fan of his two WM matches with the Undertaker following HBK's retirement though. Too much soap opera, even for wrestling.

 

[sledger]

Yeah, true. One of the things about HHH was that he was probably the best ever in violent stipulation matches. I don't mean this as an underhanded compliment because the attitude era which was his prime was full of those. His 3 stages of hell match with Austin, HIAC with Mankind, Ladder Match with the Rock, and later his Street Fight with HBK in 2002 are some of my favourite matches ever.

I wasn't really a big fan of his two WM matches with the Undertaker following HBK's retirement though. Too much soap opera, even for wrestling.

I don't remember much about the first of those matches. In fact I don't remember that WM at all really.

I watched the second one for the first time since watching that WM live the other day though, and thought it was pretty great. It's pretty over booked and all about the spectacle, but intense stuff, and obviously constructed to hide the fact that neither guy was what they once were. Probably the last genuinely great matches that either HHH or Taker had imo.

 

[Teja.]

I don't remember much about the first of those matches. In fact I don't remember that WM at all really.

I watched the second one for the first time since watching that WM live the other day though, and thought it was pretty great. It's pretty over booked and all about the spectacle, but intense stuff, and obviously constructed to hide the fact that neither guy was what they once were. Probably the last genuinely great matches that either HHH or Taker had imo.

Yeah, fair enough. It was a pretty good match but the overbooking irritated me, along with the 'end of the era' finish to the match when HHH and Undertaker were not actually retiring.

 

[sledger]

Yeah, fair enough. It was a pretty good match but the overbooking irritated me, along with the 'end of the era' finish to the match when HHH and Undertaker were not actually retiring.

Yeah that's the worst part of the whole thing imo. Especially considering what's happened since. And especially the awful matches both of them have had withe eachother in Aus/Saudi Arabia.

 

[OverratedSanity]

Yeah, fair enough. It was a pretty good match but the overbooking irritated me, along with the 'end of the era' finish to the match when HHH and Undertaker were not actually retiring.

I don't remember much about the first of those matches. In fact I don't remember that WM at all really.

I watched the second one for the first time since watching that WM live the other day though, and thought it was pretty great. It's pretty over booked and all about the spectacle, but intense stuff, and obviously constructed to hide the fact that neither guy was what they once were. Probably the last genuinely great matches that either HHH or Taker had imo.

Probably the most overrated wm match of all time imo. They'd already done the taker is broken down thing the previous year and that one was pretty tedious as well. And the kickout after the sweet chin music+ pedigree was completely ridiculous. I remember jumping out of my seat when it happened and immediately after said "yeah no. bull****". Taker had a way better HIAC match with Brock in 2015 imo.

 

[Arachnodouche]

HHH was a reprehensible heel. Probably the most loathed villain the company had since pre-WM13 Austin.

 

[OverratedSanity]

HHH was a reprehensible heel. Probably the most loathed villain the company had since pre-WM13 Austin.

Vince

 

[Teja.]

Post HHH's reign of terror but man JBL brought out the purest of loathing.

 

[honestbharani]

HBK and Shawn were great

So great they were one and the same...

 

[jimmy101]

HHH was a reprehensible heel. Probably the most loathed villain the company had since pre-WM13 Austin.

Really? People were getting behind SCSA even back in 1996 from what I've seen.

 

[Arachnodouche]

Oh KOTR 3:16 was the year before, got my dates mixed up. Yeah he always managed to get a pop but there was a stretch from the time he gave up his Ringmaster gimmick till about KOTR when he was this insanely entitled pottymouth. Bret was yet to become Crybaby Bret and was all poise (mostly because he couldn't hold a candle to Steve's mic game). It's hilarious viewing now watching him threaten everyone from Brian Pillman to Todd Pettengill but as a kid he was a proper wretch lol.

 

[Arachnodouche]

Post HHH's reign of terror but man JBL brought out the purest of loathing.

Yeah big omission. Fell away from wrestling for a couple of years at the time, only to come back to find Justin Hawk Acolyte Bradshaw had morphed into JBL. One of the truly great gimmicks of all time, despite being so hard to buy into given the character's tough guy past. Totally breathed new life into the cowardly conniving heel routine.

 

[jimmy101]

Oh KOTR 3:16 was the year before, got my dates mixed up. Yeah he always managed to get a pop but there was a stretch from the time he gave up his Ringmaster gimmick till about KOTR when he was this insanely entitled pottymouth. Bret was yet to become Crybaby Bret and was all poise (mostly because he couldn't hold a candle to Steve's mic game). It's hilarious viewing now watching him threaten everyone from Brian Pillman to Todd Pettengill but as a kid he was a proper wretch lol.

Nice bro. I wish I was watching wrestling back in 1996. As a youngster, I only realized wrestling existed in 1998 personally (largely due to the buzz created by that famous Undertaker/Mankind HIAC match). Looking back, I find the new gen/attitude era transition to be so enthralling. Back when they still sort of presented it like an actual sport, but the "attitude" was slowly kicking in.

Just loved how ruthless SCSA was back then, his most savage & violent incarnation imo. Before he became mega-over & a little bit too one dimensional with all of his catch-phrases. I love that promo black & white promo package they did with him for SS '96, & also how, after that famous gun angle with Pillman, Vince & Pillman made an appearance on "Livewire" where they broke the fourth wall & apologized for the incident, whereas SCSA appeared on the same episode & expressed regret only for the fact that the incident didn't escalate further! Was just nuts.

Can totally understand how he would have been hate-able for you as a youngster though!

 

[Aritro]

Haven't followed wrestling for 20 years but it does strike me that the people currently being discussed as the best workers ever are the same ones that were being discussed when I was a teenage wrestling nerd back then. Have had a look at a few lists of the best workers ever and it's still Bret, HBK, Ric Flair, Eddie Guerrero, Benoit, Jericho, Stone Cold etc, Rey Mysterio etc. out of the Anglosphere wrestlers.

From what I can see, only CM Punk and AJ Styles ever seem to be seriously mentioned as top 10 wrestlers among the more recent lot.

 

[jimmy101]

Haven't followed wrestling for 20 years but it does strike me that the people currently being discussed as the best workers ever are the same ones that were being discussed when I was a teenage wrestling nerd back then. Have had a look at a few lists of the best workers ever and it's still Bret, HBK, Ric Flair, Eddie Guerrero, Benoit, Jericho, Stone Cold etc, Rey Mysterio etc. out of the Anglosphere wrestlers.

From what I can see, only CM Punk and AJ Styles ever seem to be seriously mentioned as top 10 wrestlers among the more recent lot.

Kurt Angle? Brock Lesnar?

 

[Aritro]

Kurt Angle? Brock Lesnar?

Angle was around back then, I haven't seen Lesnar talked about in those terms but I obviously don't have much exposure. Is he good is he?

He just looks to me like a typical stiff, muscular giant of the type Vince has always fetishised but if he's actually good in the ring I'll find his matches on Youtube.