Howdy common fans. Sorry for the long hiatus from my blog. Getting engaged was no minor task. It was a lot of fun though, and I'm lucky to have a woman beside me who not only tolerates my wrestling passion, but who also has a likeness for it as well. I think she'll end up calling off our wedding if she doesn't get to see Jeff Hardy in person! 8>D But I digress.
A little while back we all got wind that Davey Richards was retiring. Today I'm going to yap about some of the wrestlers who left the business with so much left to offer, whether it was by choice or due to injury. Some of these may be obvious, while others not to much. I'm not going to include however those who have passed on. In my opinion performers such as Chris Benoit, Bam Bam Bigalo, British Bulldog, Brian Pillman, Eddie Guerrerro, and Owen Hart are in a league of their own. The list below is just from my point of view since I've been watching wrestling since 1994 but also from looking back at old footage. Once again, these debates will always rage on. And as a heads up, no Goldberg or Brock Lesnar because honestly, I didn't think of them at the time. Lesnar definitely could have a spot on this list though. Onward!
10.) Dean Malenko
*I just loved watching this guy work. As a kid his matches with Eddie Guerrerro and Rey Mysterio were some of the most entertaining I ever saw, including to this day. The man of 1,001 holds I think truly has a spot in the HoF some day and it was sad to see injuries force him to retire when there was so much more to accomplish.
9.) JBL
*He had a well-known back issue for a while up and up until his match with Rey Mysterio at Wrestlemania 25, I would have thought he had a few good years left. A fantastic performer, JBL is more focused now on his business endeavors and good for him. That said, WWE could not have been happy to lose him when they did.
8.) Arn Anderson
*Another sure-fire HoF'er, this guy had it all. Great in ring skills and mic work to back it up, the Enforcer was one of my favorites to hate growing up. His work with Ric Flair in WCW near the end of his career sticks out to me as some of the best, but a neck injury forced him to hang it up in my opinion, just a bit too soon.
7.) Dynamite Kid
*This one really could be higher on this list but no matter where he's put, it's a crying shame that a man this talented could never go further than he did. But unfortunately due to huge drug addictions and heavy steroid use, his body just couldn't keep up with the fast life style that tends to cut so many careers short in the business today.
6.) Bret Hart
*It's well documented the concussion Bret received in a match against Goldberg at the end of this WCW tenure, but looking back one can't help to ask what could have been? It seemed he still had a few good years left at least and while many may argue he wasn't in it since Owen Hart's death, that aside, he was still one of the better wrestlers in the business at that time.
5.) The Rock
*When the Rock went off to Hollywood the wrestling world quickly missed one of the best microphone minds in the business' history. The made could tell a story in and out of the ring and while not the best in-ring wrestler ever, he's still one of the greatest performers of all time that had plenty left to give. Let's just hope for the fan's sake that we haven't seen the last of him in the squared circle.
4.) Magnum TA
*One of the more tragic stories in wrestling history, Magnum TA was being groomed to be the next darling and heavyweight champion for the NWA when he was in a terrible car accident that left him borderline crippled. Unfortunately he would never be able to wrestle again from that point on and it left many wrestling fans wondering what could have been.
3.) Steve Austin
*Unfortunately due to a handful of injuries to his neck and knees, Stone Cold is one of the best all around performers of all time. Like many on this list, it's sad to see a guy with this much charisma just in movies when in the ring he could work with the best of them. Austin 3:16 is well documented and will live on forever in the heart of many wrestling fans. Thankfully though, I'm sure we haven't seen the last of Stone Cold.
2.) Shawn Michaels
*This one could be debated because we all know HBK was still wrestling with the best of them including the Undertaker at the last two Wrestlemania's. While he was at the end of his career many were still surprised that he walked away when he did. I give him credit for that like the next guy does, but he still had a lot to offer, not to mention could still go easily 30 minutes with the best WWE has to offer.
1.) Davey Richards
*While this hasn't quite happened yet, it's been well documented that Davey Richards has said he's going to hang them up very soon. I could be cheating here but hey, it's my blog and I shall do as I please. 8>D But in all seriousness, this man is one of the best pound for pound wrestlers today and the abilities he brings to the table every night will be sorely missed if he does happen to hang them up. He's hardly in his prime and would be a massive asset and potential huge draw for any company that signs him. Sadly it doesn't look like that will happen as we'll wish farewell one of the best workers in the business today.
As I said above, there are still numerous people that could fall into these categories that have sadly passed on. Don't miss this week on Perspectives of the Common Fan our discussions on the greatest managers of all time and the regular on-going news and tidbits from this week in wrestling. We'll also give out our trivia answer from a week and a half ago and for those of you who don't already know...
E-Mail: potcfpodcast@gmail.com
Call-in #- 347-855-8188
Twitter- @TheCommonFan
Facebook- www.facebook.com/thecommonfan
Jimmy's tapping out!
***Note I recently edited last week's blog and am re-doing a commercial/promo due to giving the wrong Facebook site address. The above is correct however, sorry for my blunder peeps!
No comments:
Post a Comment