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Wrestling Draft: My Top 64 Prospects

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EVIL~! alkeiper

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Over in the General Wrestling forum, there is a draft going on to select all-time rosters of wrestlers. I missed out on this, but it provides an opportunity to do a little list creation in my spare time. I created a list of my ideal top 64 picks. When selecting a wrestler, I feel you need to look for uncommon attributes, something to stand out from the crowd. Mid-carders are crucial to a good promotion, but you can find many, many guys at that level. Also, I think a wrestler needs some ability to succeed in today's environment. Gorgeous George was extremely popular as a heel for a time, but he was a limited attraction and today the novelty would be gone. I don't think he would be a top draw today. Let's see how my 64 stands up against the actual draft. I will divide this into four sections.

 

1. Wrestlers both in my top 64 and the draft top 64.

2. Wrestlers in my top 64 who just missed (first 100 picks).

3. Whiffs, Guys in my top 64 who went beyond the 100th pick.

4. Undrafted wrestlers.

 

I did not rank my list, so it is simply a list of 64 wrestlers/teams.

 

1. Wrestlers both in my top 64 and the draft top 64.

 

Since there is a consensus, there should be no need to comment on these names individually.

 

1. Bret Hart

2. Hulk Hogan

3. The Rock

4. Ric Flair

5. Steve Austin

6. Randy Savage

7. Andre the Giant

8. Shawn Michaels

10. John Cena

11. Triple H

12. Sting

13. The Undertaker

14. Brock Lesnar

15. Mick Foley

16. Kurt Angle

17. Roddy Piper

18. Bill Goldberg

19. Vader

20. Terry Funk

21. Eddie Guerrero

22. Chris Jericho

23. Ricky Steamboat

27. Steiner Brothers

30. Harley Race

31. Ultimate Warrior

33. Kerry Von Erich

34. Dusty Rhodes

35. Curt Hennig

38. The Road Warriors

40. Superstar Billy Graham

44. Bruno Sammartino

45. Jake Roberts

50. Stan Hansen

51. The Great Muta

52. Jack Brisco

54. Bruiser Brody

56. Terry Gordy/Miracle Violence Connection (I had him as part of the Freebirds)

61. Barry Windham

64. Magnum T.A.

 

2. Wrestlers in my top 64 who just missed (first 100 picks).

 

65. Jimmy Snuka

67. Rey Mysterio

68. Sid Vicious (as a member of the Skyscrapers)

69. The Big Show

70. Jerry Lawler

72. Sgt. Slaughter

89. Lex Luger

100. Yokozuna

 

Great picks here, a few main eventers, a couple of solid workers (Sgt. Slaughter is underrated). Chalk this up to slight differences of opinion, perhaps some crowding with posters preferring Japanese workers.

 

3. Whiffs, Guys in my top 64 who went beyond the 100th pick.

 

Now we get to the portion where drafters are simply missing the boat on great talent, underrating guys who could carry a promotion, or make a significant contribution. Kudos to those who took the bait and made a wise choice on a late round pick.

 

101. Junkyard Dog - For a time, one of the most popular wrestlers in the country.

102. Nikita Koloff

104. Nick Bockwinkel - A wrestler with Bockwinkel's cockiness and interview style would no doubt make a top heel today. I could easily see him paired up against John Cena.

110. Trish Stratus - Possibly the greatest female wrestler in U.S. history, incredibly beautiful. Capable of filling a variety of roles.

117. Sabu - Unique style, still unmatched in wrestling. A genuine sensation in the 1990s, unwillingness to work at times hurt his potential.

128. Dory Funk Jr. - Interesting to think what he would do nowadays. Playing the grizzled veteran along with his backstage teaching skills, he'd be an asset to any organization.

131. Lou Thesz - Could he make it today? I think his wrestling skill could carry him, particularly as a stooging heel.

137. The Sheik - The most feared, savage heel of all time.

161. David Von Erich - Future NWA champion until his untimely death. David is a "what if" story, so I can't blame people for overlooking him.

176. Buddy Rogers - Top heel of his era, huge television star. Think Randy Orton cockiness combined with Ric Flair's charisma. Drew the biggest wrestling crowd in the United States in 1961. 38,000+ at Comiskey Park to see him win the NWA title, a mark unsurpassed until 1984.

 

4. Undrafted wrestlers.

 

Seven mostly old-school wrestlers who could benefit any promotion.

 

Mil Mascaras - One of the most popular latino wrestlers in history, used dazzling aerial manuevers in his prime.

Fred Blassie - Before managing, was a blond, vicious heel with incredible talking ability.

Billy Robinson - A great performer from Britain. Had less backstage warts than the Dynamite Kid. His mat work is good even by today's standards.

Jim Londos - Who? The greatest gate attraction of the pre-1950s era. At 190 lbs., handsome and tanned, would make a great babyface champion for a light heavyweight division.

Bobo Brazil - Popular black wrestler who re-defined racial boundaries. 6'6".

Gene Kiniski - Largely unknown NWA champion. Good worker and talent, around 6'4". His size would make him credible and his heel work would carry him from there.

Ernie Ladd - A former NFL star, legitimately huge with great heel mannerisms.

Johnny Valentine - Greg's father worked the same style, but better.

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DUDE, STOP NAME DROPPING!

 

 

 

Kidding aside, it's downright infuriating that Giant Gonzalez got drafted over a Johnny Valentine or Jim Londos. I expected a lot of old school guys to get ignored but not this many. I don't think there's a good explanation to picking Giant Gonzalez in the 10th round (or whenever it was, sometime in the early times). Even if you're looking for a big man, there were way better options available. Just off the top of my head, there was; Crusher Blackwell, Big John Studd, One Man Gang, King Kong Bundy, Haku/Meng, Haystacks Calhoun. I could go on all day. Virtually anybody would be a better choice than him.

 

I'm also surprised at the number of Japanese workers picked thus far. The IWC's love of puroresu is well documented but I didn't think there'd be this many guys taken at this point.

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Japanese guys are a tough go. Could a wrestler like Jumbo Tsuruta, Mitsuharu Misawa etc. get over in the States if they wrestled here full time? I think some could individually, but I couldn't see 6-7 of them in the same American promotion. I avoided listing guys who never wrestled here with any regularity.

 

Regarding the big men and heels, there are a surprising number who are available yet. Even George "the Animal" Steele is out there.

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I think Danny Hodges would be a nice late round addition. Especially people focusing on the in-ring product.

 

My favorite cruiserweight is still on the board. Not shocked he's still around given his short wrestling career.

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I think Danny Hodges would be a nice late round addition. Especially people focusing on the in-ring product.

 

My favorite cruiserweight is still on the board. Not shocked he's still around given his short wrestling career.

Hodge had a TON of pure talent, both an amateur wrestling and boxing champion. The thing that hurts him is that in his prime, the NWA had a legitimate lightweight world championship. Nothing like that exists anymore.

 

One name I'd be tempted to add: Joe Louis.

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Louis is a damn good suggestion that I hadn't even thought of. I was thinking of snagging Mr. T in the next few rounds as special attraction. He was competent for a non-wrestler and I pity the fool who doesn't like T.

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For kicks, here are the top ten teams remaining.

 

The Fabulous Kangaroos (Costello & Heffernan)

Antonino Rocca & Miguel Perez Sr.

Jimmy & Johnny Valiant

The Executioners (Kowalski & Studd)

Buddy Rose & Pat Somers

Mr. Fuji & Professor Toru Tanaka

Lance Cade & Trevor Murdoch

The Heavenly Bodies (Pritchard & Del Ray)

Wayne Bloom & Mike Enos

Ron Golden & Jimmy Fuller (aka Bunkhouse Buck & Col. Parker)

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Wayne Bloom & Mike Enos

Ron Golden & Jimmy Fuller (aka Bunkhouse Buck & Col. Parker)

I thought about taking those two a while back.

 

I think I'm done with tag teams though.

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Someone took Blitzkrieg.

 

A great heel for the cruiser division would be Lanny Poffo. Good skills in the ring, and a very good talker.

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