Top four lists are tough to do because they're so small, but this is a good one. You probably have the right four names on here, but I'm going to argue for an honourary fifth. Considering I am Canadian, take my opinion as the biased one that it is, but it's tough to see Bret Hart left off for his efforts at keeping the company alive throughout the new generation.
If Bret Hart was on top, the business was okay, especially internationally. As the American business was dying, the WWF started going abroad every six weeks to try to make some money, and to do this they needed Bret Hart. With anybody else on the top of the card (mostly either Diesel or Shawn Michaels) the company was twisting in the wind, business wise. With Bret, it was not preferable, but it was workable.
I believe that's why when WCW started getting really hot (coincidentally, right after Bret Hart left WWF TV), Vince realised he'd made a mistake giving the belt to Shawn Michaels, and tried to get it back onto Bret Hart. Shawn would not give it to Bret Hart, so he threw a strop and went home, and the WWF did not miss him. We can say all we want now about the subjective quality of the matches, but the fact of the matter is that the company's continued existence hinged on the success of Bret Hart, and he did enough to keep it afloat long enough (despite Diesel and Shawn's best efforts to kill it) to get to the megastar that was Stone Cold Steve Austin, and everybody could go back to making good money again.
It was very hard to keep Bret off this list and he would definitely be the fifth member if I was doing a top 5. I often wonder what the wrestling world would be like if Bret had stayed in WWE. Obviously not much would change with WCW but we could have gotten Hart vs Kurt Angle. That alone makes me wish things had been different. I appreciate the comment!
This is a great historical journey you wrote covering the major stars from WWE from its inception through a multi-decade period.
I'm going to home in on your comments on Hulk Hogan, because that's the era when I first started watching wrestling and going to live shows, and perhaps for whatever reason that period as fan remains the most vivid for me.
You're spot on about the roaring crowds and connection he had with the audience. I lived that, going to sold-out house shows every month that he headlined, and the crowd reactions were just wild, so genuine, and special to be a part of and looked every bit as electric as they look when viewing it back now.
I've read a lot over the decades about how he was a limited in-ring performer and not skilled, but that's not how I remember it as a fan from that period. I remember how exciting the title matches felt to watch, and they meant something, whether he faced Savage, Andre, Bossman or whomever. I never thought they were "bad" matches as a "paying customer." I was drawn in because of the characters in the ring, both the champion and his opponents, and it made me care about the world title.
Hulk Hogan was the whole reason I started watching every ppv in order. It didn’t make sense to me that so many people had a negative opinion on him as a wrestler, yet he’s one of the biggest stars ever. I think people have a negative opinion on him as a person and that influences their view of him as a professional wrestler. But he’s an excellent storyteller and his matches against Randy Savage and Ultimate Warrior are two of my favorites.
I agree with you about his matches. I have always found them very enjoyable too. The first live main event I ever saw was Hulk Hogan defending the WWF title against Randy Savage at a house show. I still remember well how loud the crowd was and that after he won tons of people threw their LJN Hulk Hogan figures into the ring (I have a pic packed away somewhere of a figure flying into the ring as he’s doing his post-match pose down).
I’ve heard similar criticisms for years about The Ultimate Warrior too going back to when he was active and his prime in WWF. All I remember as a fan is two of my favorite matches ever in WWF were The Ultimate Warrior vs Hulk Hogan and The Ultimate Warrior vs Rick Rude.
Watching wrestling is subjective but has always been fun to debate about too.
Top four lists are tough to do because they're so small, but this is a good one. You probably have the right four names on here, but I'm going to argue for an honourary fifth. Considering I am Canadian, take my opinion as the biased one that it is, but it's tough to see Bret Hart left off for his efforts at keeping the company alive throughout the new generation.
If Bret Hart was on top, the business was okay, especially internationally. As the American business was dying, the WWF started going abroad every six weeks to try to make some money, and to do this they needed Bret Hart. With anybody else on the top of the card (mostly either Diesel or Shawn Michaels) the company was twisting in the wind, business wise. With Bret, it was not preferable, but it was workable.
I believe that's why when WCW started getting really hot (coincidentally, right after Bret Hart left WWF TV), Vince realised he'd made a mistake giving the belt to Shawn Michaels, and tried to get it back onto Bret Hart. Shawn would not give it to Bret Hart, so he threw a strop and went home, and the WWF did not miss him. We can say all we want now about the subjective quality of the matches, but the fact of the matter is that the company's continued existence hinged on the success of Bret Hart, and he did enough to keep it afloat long enough (despite Diesel and Shawn's best efforts to kill it) to get to the megastar that was Stone Cold Steve Austin, and everybody could go back to making good money again.
It was very hard to keep Bret off this list and he would definitely be the fifth member if I was doing a top 5. I often wonder what the wrestling world would be like if Bret had stayed in WWE. Obviously not much would change with WCW but we could have gotten Hart vs Kurt Angle. That alone makes me wish things had been different. I appreciate the comment!
This is a great historical journey you wrote covering the major stars from WWE from its inception through a multi-decade period.
I'm going to home in on your comments on Hulk Hogan, because that's the era when I first started watching wrestling and going to live shows, and perhaps for whatever reason that period as fan remains the most vivid for me.
You're spot on about the roaring crowds and connection he had with the audience. I lived that, going to sold-out house shows every month that he headlined, and the crowd reactions were just wild, so genuine, and special to be a part of and looked every bit as electric as they look when viewing it back now.
I've read a lot over the decades about how he was a limited in-ring performer and not skilled, but that's not how I remember it as a fan from that period. I remember how exciting the title matches felt to watch, and they meant something, whether he faced Savage, Andre, Bossman or whomever. I never thought they were "bad" matches as a "paying customer." I was drawn in because of the characters in the ring, both the champion and his opponents, and it made me care about the world title.
Hulk Hogan was the whole reason I started watching every ppv in order. It didn’t make sense to me that so many people had a negative opinion on him as a wrestler, yet he’s one of the biggest stars ever. I think people have a negative opinion on him as a person and that influences their view of him as a professional wrestler. But he’s an excellent storyteller and his matches against Randy Savage and Ultimate Warrior are two of my favorites.
I agree with you about his matches. I have always found them very enjoyable too. The first live main event I ever saw was Hulk Hogan defending the WWF title against Randy Savage at a house show. I still remember well how loud the crowd was and that after he won tons of people threw their LJN Hulk Hogan figures into the ring (I have a pic packed away somewhere of a figure flying into the ring as he’s doing his post-match pose down).
I’ve heard similar criticisms for years about The Ultimate Warrior too going back to when he was active and his prime in WWF. All I remember as a fan is two of my favorite matches ever in WWF were The Ultimate Warrior vs Hulk Hogan and The Ultimate Warrior vs Rick Rude.
Watching wrestling is subjective but has always been fun to debate about too.