This article is an excerpt from SPORTS & BOOMERS: The History of Sports Through a Boomer’s Eyes by Lawrence Richards. That’s an Amazon affiliate link, so feel free to grab a copy for yourself if you enjoy this article.
I struggled with whether I should write on this sport. I really don’t follow professional wrestling all that much and was therefore afraid I might be out-of-touch with today’s athletes. I’ll let you make the call if I chose wisely. In the end, I chose to include this material because remembering some of these guys put a smile on my face. It took me back to simpler times when I was wide-eyed.
My parents were both big wrestling fans. As a matter of fact, attending a wrestling event was one of the few times we enjoyed something together as a family. My mom’s favorite wrestler was Vern Gagne (#11 All-Time). I believe she was fond of him because he wasn’t a “dirty” wrestler; he played by the rules. My father preferred the Crusher (#40). The reason why? Simple, he was a lot like his friends from work. He seemed like the kind of guy you’d have a beer with.
My Favorite Growing Up
As for me, I was partial to wrestlers who appeared to have a technical skillset rather than just brute force. My childhood favorite was Billy Robinson (#35). He was British, meaning he had absolutely no shot at being the heavyweight champ.
Nevertheless, as a small boy, I saw in him a desire to display the art of wrestling. If he could teach a fan something new about the sport; that was his real victory.
No one in my family ever thought professional wrestling was legit. We knew the matches were scripted, the victor predetermined, and the acts on display … purely for show. My personal favorite: the seemingly inability to stop the inertia created when being thrown against the ropes. Try as you might, it was impossible not to boomerang from one side of the ring to the other, only to be stopped cold in your tracks by your “cleverer” opponent. A classic wrestling maneuver for sure.
However, we also knew the blows, hits, throws and collisions were real. These guys were showmen, yes. They were also athletes who took their sport seriously, knowing full well any one of them, but a misstep away from serious injury. Was the blood real? After all, that “foreign object” deftly hidden in an opponent’s trunks really could’ve been a small knife, or sharpened tool of some sort.
My take: after seeing these guys up close and witnessing first-hand the scar tissue that had grown over their cuts; I knew at least some of the carnage was the real deal.
Of all my AT100 lists, on none can I say I’ve met more of the athletes in person than in professional wrestling. To a 7-year-old, I can honestly proclaim Andre the Giant truly was a giant. It was like looking up a mountain, trying to locate his mouth as he spoke to me. Although I was probably the gazillionth kid he had encountered up to this point in his career, Mr. Giant was as nice as could be to me.
My Perspective Shifts
As I grew into adulthood, my fondness for professional wrestling had shifted somewhat. I truly couldn’t care less about the wrestling, but rather it was now all about the show. The personality, the character, … the schtick. My new favorite performer (and that’s exactly what they were), “Ravishing” Rick Rude.
To see him grab the mic and begin to insult the men in the audience, all the while gyrating his hips for the ladies in attendance … hilarious. After all, he was the answer to all their dreams as they could now have “a real man”, if only he chose them. To top it off, the wiping of his brow and feigning to throw sweat at his critics. Never better.
Before losing touch with the sport, I had one last encounter with a wrestling icon. A story, when told to my then military supervisor, nearly derailed my career.
The year was 1982 and I was but a few weeks away from enlisting in the U.S. Air Force. Before leaving my hometown for basic training, a friend and I decided to attend a much-hyped wrestling event at a local auditorium. The big-name attraction was Hulk Hogan, who was rapidly gaining fame after appearing in one of the “Rocky” movies.
I wanted his autograph, so we waited patiently by the backdoor entrance after the event had concluded. When the wrestlers showed, we were not allowed to get near them and thus unable to get the autograph. However, we did notice Hogan and one other person getting into a limousine before they quickly sped off. On a hunch, we decided to follow the limo in hopes we would have better results when it arrived at its’ destination.
We were in luck, the limo stopped at a local highway liquor store and out popped Hogan and another wrestler; the very same wrestler he despised and beat down about 2-hours previously. I was of age, so my friend waited in the car as I headed into the store, photo, and pen in-hand, hoping to get that autograph.
I immediately initiated a brief conversation with the Hulkster as I turned away and he used my back to sign the picture. I asked him why he was with archrival, Baron Von Raschke, if in-fact they were such enemies. Hulk then looked at me and in that deep voice of his, said: “Jesus Christ kid, it’s wrestling”.
As I headed out of the store, I mentioned in parting that he was nowhere near the 7’4” in height as quoted in the movie, I would’ve guessed more like 6’7” or 6’8”. Again, as only he could; his exact words …“quit yanking my chain and take a hike kid”.
Fast-forward to 1986, myself and a few other Air Force co-workers shooting the bull with my supervisor /manager. This extremely knowledgeable and competent man just so happened a huge wrestling fan. It was his belief pro wrestling was 100% on the up’n’up and the Hulkster was every bit the athlete as Michael Jordan or Wayne Gretzky.
Being a self-proclaimed sports historian, I couldn’t help but feel ever so slightly offended anyone could compare pro wrestling with the NFL, NBA, or NHL. Me being me, I just couldn’t let that slide.
I recalled the 1982 encounter with Mr. Hogan to my then 40-something boss and he was devastated. It was as if I had destroyed his man-crush. From that point forward, to me at least, it seemed my supervisor had it out for me. Although not my intention, I had single-handedly revealed what was behind the Oz’s curtain. The real wizard of the WWE … the fan’s imagination.
All-Time 100 Men's Wrestlers (A Boomers' Point of View)
This article is an excerpt from SPORTS & BOOMERS: The History of Sports Through a Boomer’s Eyes by Lawrence Richards. That’s an Amazon affiliate link, so feel free to grab a copy for yourself if you enjoy this article.
I struggled with whether I should write on this sport. I really don’t follow professional wrestling all that much and was therefore afraid I might be out-of-touch with today’s athletes. I’ll let you make the call if I chose wisely. In the end, I chose to include this material because remembering some of these guys put a smile on my face. It took me back to simpler times when I was wide-eyed.
My parents were both big wrestling fans. As a matter of fact, attending a wrestling event was one of the few times we enjoyed something together as a family. My mom’s favorite wrestler was Vern Gagne (#11 All-Time). I believe she was fond of him because he wasn’t a “dirty” wrestler; he played by the rules. My father preferred the Crusher (#40). The reason why? Simple, he was a lot like his friends from work. He seemed like the kind of guy you’d have a beer with.
My Favorite Growing Up
As for me, I was partial to wrestlers who appeared to have a technical skillset rather than just brute force. My childhood favorite was Billy Robinson (#35). He was British, meaning he had absolutely no shot at being the heavyweight champ.
Nevertheless, as a small boy, I saw in him a desire to display the art of wrestling. If he could teach a fan something new about the sport; that was his real victory.
No one in my family ever thought professional wrestling was legit. We knew the matches were scripted, the victor predetermined, and the acts on display … purely for show. My personal favorite: the seemingly inability to stop the inertia created when being thrown against the ropes. Try as you might, it was impossible not to boomerang from one side of the ring to the other, only to be stopped cold in your tracks by your “cleverer” opponent. A classic wrestling maneuver for sure.
However, we also knew the blows, hits, throws and collisions were real. These guys were showmen, yes. They were also athletes who took their sport seriously, knowing full well any one of them, but a misstep away from serious injury. Was the blood real? After all, that “foreign object” deftly hidden in an opponent’s trunks really could’ve been a small knife, or sharpened tool of some sort.
My take: after seeing these guys up close and witnessing first-hand the scar tissue that had grown over their cuts; I knew at least some of the carnage was the real deal.
Of all my AT100 lists, on none can I say I’ve met more of the athletes in person than in professional wrestling. To a 7-year-old, I can honestly proclaim Andre the Giant truly was a giant. It was like looking up a mountain, trying to locate his mouth as he spoke to me. Although I was probably the gazillionth kid he had encountered up to this point in his career, Mr. Giant was as nice as could be to me.
My Perspective Shifts
As I grew into adulthood, my fondness for professional wrestling had shifted somewhat. I truly couldn’t care less about the wrestling, but rather it was now all about the show. The personality, the character, … the schtick. My new favorite performer (and that’s exactly what they were), “Ravishing” Rick Rude.
To see him grab the mic and begin to insult the men in the audience, all the while gyrating his hips for the ladies in attendance … hilarious. After all, he was the answer to all their dreams as they could now have “a real man”, if only he chose them. To top it off, the wiping of his brow and feigning to throw sweat at his critics. Never better.
Before losing touch with the sport, I had one last encounter with a wrestling icon. A story, when told to my then military supervisor, nearly derailed my career.
The year was 1982 and I was but a few weeks away from enlisting in the U.S. Air Force. Before leaving my hometown for basic training, a friend and I decided to attend a much-hyped wrestling event at a local auditorium. The big-name attraction was Hulk Hogan, who was rapidly gaining fame after appearing in one of the “Rocky” movies.
I wanted his autograph, so we waited patiently by the backdoor entrance after the event had concluded. When the wrestlers showed, we were not allowed to get near them and thus unable to get the autograph. However, we did notice Hogan and one other person getting into a limousine before they quickly sped off. On a hunch, we decided to follow the limo in hopes we would have better results when it arrived at its’ destination.
We were in luck, the limo stopped at a local highway liquor store and out popped Hogan and another wrestler; the very same wrestler he despised and beat down about 2-hours previously. I was of age, so my friend waited in the car as I headed into the store, photo, and pen in-hand, hoping to get that autograph.
I immediately initiated a brief conversation with the Hulkster as I turned away and he used my back to sign the picture. I asked him why he was with archrival, Baron Von Raschke, if in-fact they were such enemies. Hulk then looked at me and in that deep voice of his, said: “Jesus Christ kid, it’s wrestling”.
As I headed out of the store, I mentioned in parting that he was nowhere near the 7’4” in height as quoted in the movie, I would’ve guessed more like 6’7” or 6’8”. Again, as only he could; his exact words …“quit yanking my chain and take a hike kid”.
Fast-forward to 1986, myself and a few other Air Force co-workers shooting the bull with my supervisor /manager. This extremely knowledgeable and competent man just so happened a huge wrestling fan. It was his belief pro wrestling was 100% on the up’n’up and the Hulkster was every bit the athlete as Michael Jordan or Wayne Gretzky.
Being a self-proclaimed sports historian, I couldn’t help but feel ever so slightly offended anyone could compare pro wrestling with the NFL, NBA, or NHL. Me being me, I just couldn’t let that slide.
I recalled the 1982 encounter with Mr. Hogan to my then 40-something boss and he was devastated. It was as if I had destroyed his man-crush. From that point forward, to me at least, it seemed my supervisor had it out for me. Although not my intention, I had single-handedly revealed what was behind the Oz’s curtain. The real wizard of the WWE … the fan’s imagination.
All-Time 100 Men’s Wrestlers (A Boomers’ Point of View)
- Ric “Nature Boy” Flair (Tennessee)
- Bruno Sammartino (Italy)
- “Hulk” Hogan (Georgia)
- Andre “The Giant”(France)
- Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson (California)
- “Stone Cold” Steve Austin (Texas)
- “The Undertaker” (Texas)
- John Cena (Massachusetts)
- “Triple H” (New Hampshire)
- Nick Bockwinkel (Missouri)
- Verne Gagne (Minnesota)
- Shawn Michaels (Arizona)
- Dusty Rhodes (Texas)
- Roman Reigns (Florida)
- Pedro Morales (PR)
- Hiroshi Tanahashi (Japan)
- Brock Lesnar (South Dakota)
- Ultimate Warrior (Indiana)
- Tito Santana (Texas)
- Antonio Inoki (Japan)
- Stan Hansen (Texas)
- “Macho Man” Randy Savage (Ohio)
- Sting (Nebraska)
- Hercules Cortez (Estonia)
- Bret “The Hitman” Hart (Canada)
- “Superstar” Billy Graham (Arizona)
- Goldberg (Oklahoma)
- Bob Backlund (Minnesota)
- Mitsuharu Misawa (Japan)
- ‘Pretty Boy” Curt Henning (Minnesota)
- “Diamond” Dallas Page (New Jersey)
- Sid Vicious (Arkansas)
- Jimmy “The Superfly” Snuka (Fiji)
- Lex Luger (New York)
- Billy Robinson (England)
- “Ravishing” Rick Rude (Minnesota)
- Randy Orton (Tennessee)
- Jake “The Snake” Roberts (Texas)
- Edge (Canada)
- Crusher (Wisconsin)
- “Russian Bear” Ivan Koloff (Canada)
- Ron Simmons (Georgia)
- Wahoo McDaniel (Louisiana)
- The “Iron Shiek’ (Iran)
- “Mr. Wonderful” Paul Orndorff (Virginia)
- ‘The Diesel” Kevin Nash (Michigan)
- “British Bulldog” Davey Boy Smith (England)
- Ernie “The Big Cat” Ladd (Lousiana)
- Chris Jehrico (New York)
- Road Warrior “Animal”(Pennsylvania)
- The Big Show (South Carolina)
- “Big John” Studd (Pennsylvania)
- Arn Anderson (Georgia)
- Scott “Razor Ramon” Hall (Maryland)
- Batista (Washington, D.C.)
- Greg “The Hammer” Valentine (Washington)
- Ray “The Crippler” Stevens (California)
- Dick “The Bruiser” (Indiana)
- Seth Rollins (Iowa)
- Kane (Estonia)
- Red Bastien (North Dakota)
- Mick Foley (Indiana)
- Drew McIntyre (Scotland)
- “Rowdy” Roddy Piper (Canada)
- Titus O’Neil (Florida)
- Big Van Vadar (California)
- Kurt Angle (Pennsylvania)
- Kerry Von Erich (New York)
- Mark Henry (Texas)
- Barry Windham (Texas)
- AJ Styles (North Carolina)
- Harlay Race (Missouri)
- Daniel Bryan (Washington)
- Bob Orton (Kansas)
- Ted “Million Dollar Man” Dibiase (Nebraska)
- Scott Steiner (Michigan)
- Bam Bam Bigelow (New Jersey)
- Road Warrior Hawk (Minnesota)
- Owen Hart (Canada)
- Gorgeous George (Nebraska)
- Rey Mysterio (California)
- Big Boss Man (Georgia)
- Chris Benoit (Canada)
- Jerry “The King” Lawler (Tennessee)
- Ivan “The Polish Hammer” Putski (Poland)
- Eddie Guerrero (Texas)
- Tony Atlas (Virginia)
- Sgt. Slaughter (Michigan)
- Gorilla Monsoon (New York)
- Nikoila Volkoff (Russia)
- Ken Patera (Oregon)
- Rob Van Dam (Michigan)
- “King Kong” Bundy (New Jersey)
- “Mad Dog” Vachon (Canada)
- Ricky “The Dragon” Steamboat (New York)
- Abdullah “The Butcher” (Canada)
- Braun Strowman (North Carolina)
- El Santo (Mexico)
- CM Punk (Illinois)
- Satoru Sayama (Japan)
Why I Picked These Wrestlers
First off, if this AT100 was based solely on wrestling talent and skill, the order of the entries would be entirely different. After all, many of these men were highly accomplished amateur wrestlers and I assume that ability alone, would carry the day when pitted against an opponent without a similar background.
However, this is professional wrestling and as we all know, what happens in the ring is only half the attraction. How well do you sell yourself and the sport? That’s the separation. In all the sports I cover on these pages, I can say for certain that no one compares to the “Nature Boy” when it comes to self-promotion. As Oiler coach Bum Phillips once said when speaking on Earl Campbell; “He may not be in a class by himself, but it sure don’t take long to call roll”. That my friends, is Ric Flair.
One of the greatest sayings in all of sports …“To be the man, you got to beat the man”. Flair was as good a showman as anything the Ringley Bros. and Barnum and Bailey could’ve ever hoped to showcase. His mere presence took over the room and everyone knew it, as he lived up to his surname time, and time, again.
“Stone Cold” Steve Austin may have had as many memorable lines and coined phrases as any wrestler, ever. “Oh, Hell, Yeah”, “Cause Stone Cold Said So”, “It Ain’t Over Till I Say It’s Over”. These are but a few of the Austinisms I can recall.
My lifetime GOATs for wrestling are but two: Bruno Sammartino and Ric Flair. That’s it. Those two and no one else. All of which brings me back to why I added this chapter. Memories are important. Great memories … memorable.
Please Note – As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases
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Read More- Ric “Nature Boy” Flair (Tennessee)
- Bruno Sammartino (Italy)
- “Hulk” Hogan (Georgia)
- Andre “The Giant”(France)
- Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson (California)
- “Stone Cold” Steve Austin (Texas)
- “The Undertaker” (Texas)
- John Cena (Massachusetts)
- “Triple H” (New Hampshire)
- Nick Bockwinkel (Missouri)
- Verne Gagne (Minnesota)
- Shawn Michaels (Arizona)
- Dusty Rhodes (Texas)
- Roman Reigns (Florida)
- Pedro Morales (PR)
- Hiroshi Tanahashi (Japan)
- Brock Lesnar (South Dakota)
- Ultimate Warrior (Indiana)
- Tito Santana (Texas)
- Antonio Inoki (Japan)
- Stan Hansen (Texas)
- “Macho Man” Randy Savage (Ohio)
- Sting (Nebraska)
- Hercules Cortez (Estonia)
- Bret “The Hitman” Hart (Canada)
- “Superstar” Billy Graham (Arizona)
- Goldberg (Oklahoma)
- Bob Backlund (Minnesota)
- Mitsuharu Misawa (Japan)
- ‘Pretty Boy” Curt Henning (Minnesota)
- “Diamond” Dallas Page (New Jersey)
- Sid Vicious (Arkansas)
- Jimmy “The Superfly” Snuka (Fiji)
- Lex Luger (New York)
- Billy Robinson (England)
- “Ravishing” Rick Rude (Minnesota)
- Randy Orton (Tennessee)
- Jake “The Snake” Roberts (Texas)
- Edge (Canada)
- Crusher (Wisconsin)
- “Russian Bear” Ivan Koloff (Canada)
- Ron Simmons (Georgia)
- Wahoo McDaniel (Louisiana)
- The “Iron Shiek’ (Iran)
- “Mr. Wonderful” Paul Orndorff (Virginia)
- ‘The Diesel” Kevin Nash (Michigan)
- “British Bulldog” Davey Boy Smith (England)
- Ernie “The Big Cat” Ladd (Lousiana)
- Chris Jehrico (New York)
- Road Warrior “Animal”(Pennsylvania)
- The Big Show (South Carolina)
- “Big John” Studd (Pennsylvania)
- Arn Anderson (Georgia)
- Scott “Razor Ramon” Hall (Maryland)
- Batista (Washington, D.C.)
- Greg “The Hammer” Valentine (Washington)
- Ray “The Crippler” Stevens (California)
- Dick “The Bruiser” (Indiana)
- Seth Rollins (Iowa)
- Kane (Estonia)
- Red Bastien (North Dakota)
- Mick Foley (Indiana)
- Drew McIntyre (Scotland)
- “Rowdy” Roddy Piper (Canada)
- Titus O’Neil (Florida)
- Big Van Vadar (California)
- Kurt Angle (Pennsylvania)
- Kerry Von Erich (New York)
- Mark Henry (Texas)
- Barry Windham (Texas)
- AJ Styles (North Carolina)
- Harlay Race (Missouri)
- Daniel Bryan (Washington)
- Bob Orton (Kansas)
- Ted “Million Dollar Man” Dibiase (Nebraska)
- Scott Steiner (Michigan)
- Bam Bam Bigelow (New Jersey)
- Road Warrior Hawk (Minnesota)
- Owen Hart (Canada)
- Gorgeous George (Nebraska)
- Rey Mysterio (California)
- Big Boss Man (Georgia)
- Chris Benoit (Canada)
- Jerry “The King” Lawler (Tennessee)
- Ivan “The Polish Hammer” Putski (Poland)
- Eddie Guerrero (Texas)
- Tony Atlas (Virginia)
- Sgt. Slaughter (Michigan)
- Gorilla Monsoon (New York)
- Nikoila Volkoff (Russia)
- Ken Patera (Oregon)
- Rob Van Dam (Michigan)
- “King Kong” Bundy (New Jersey)
- “Mad Dog” Vachon (Canada)
- Ricky “The Dragon” Steamboat (New York)
- Abdullah “The Butcher” (Canada)
- Braun Strowman (North Carolina)
- El Santo (Mexico)
- CM Punk (Illinois)
- Satoru Sayama (Japan)
Why I Picked These Wrestlers
First off, if this AT100 was based solely on wrestling talent and skill, the order of the entries would be entirely different. After all, many of these men were highly accomplished amateur wrestlers and I assume that ability alone, would carry the day when pitted against an opponent without a similar background.
However, this is professional wrestling and as we all know, what happens in the ring is only half the attraction. How well do you sell yourself and the sport? That’s the separation. In all the sports I cover on these pages, I can say for certain that no one compares to the “Nature Boy” when it comes to self-promotion. As Oiler coach Bum Phillips once said when speaking on Earl Campbell; “He may not be in a class by himself, but it sure don’t take long to call roll”. That my friends, is Ric Flair.
One of the greatest sayings in all of sports …“To be the man, you got to beat the man”. Flair was as good a showman as anything the Ringley Bros. and Barnum and Bailey could’ve ever hoped to showcase. His mere presence took over the room and everyone knew it, as he lived up to his surname time, and time, again.
“Stone Cold” Steve Austin may have had as many memorable lines and coined phrases as any wrestler, ever. “Oh, Hell, Yeah”, “Cause Stone Cold Said So”, “It Ain’t Over Till I Say It’s Over”. These are but a few of the Austinisms I can recall.
My lifetime GOATs for wrestling are but two: Bruno Sammartino and Ric Flair. That’s it. Those two and no one else. All of which brings me back to why I added this chapter. Memories are important. Great memories … memorable.
Please Note – As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases
More Wrestling History
Wrestling History: Through The Eyes of a Boomer
This article is an excerpt from SPORTS & BOOMERS: The...
Read More
(Jesse) Ventura Highway: How “The Body” Changed My Mind
One of my favorite audiobooks of 2023 was Matt Singer’s Opposable...
Read More
Unveiling the Real Lives of Wrestling Superstars in “350 Days” Documentary
The most common regret expressed by people before they die...
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The NEW YOU ASKED FOR IT, a show that ran...
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