Top Ten Draws In U.S. Wrestling

[Guest NYR10]

I'm going to list my top 10 draws in the HISTORY of the US...

 

top 10 in history

 

1. Stone Cold Steve Austin

 

Love him or hate him, he is easily the most recognizable superstar in the history of wrestling. His anti-authority tweener status changed the face of pro wrestling and generated millions of fans. He created a whole new wrestling fanbase and sold out arenas all over the world. When he is gone, he will be recognized as the biggest superstar in the history of wrestling.

 

2. The Rock

 

A VERY CLOSE second. I would say in some instances that The Rock may have had just of a big as an influence in terms of drawing as Austin and possibly even more. The only reason The Rock is second on the list is because his superstardom came after Austin's. If the positions were switched, The Rock would be first on the list.

 

3. Hulk Hogan

 

Some may think that he belongs at the top, but even considering all the people that Hogan drew, he did not attract fans outside of young kids and traditional wrestling fans. Austin and Rock brought in a whole new fanbase and that is why they are ahead of him.

 

4. Ultimate Warrior

 

Although hated by the entire WWE, there is no question that The Ultimate Warrior drew numbers that could rival Hogan's. He was The Rock and Hogan was Austin. They we're the two biggest superstars wrestling had seen until Austin and Rock.

 

5. Ric Flair

 

Although Flair has put on many legendary matches, he didn't quite have the drawing ability as those mentioned above. He was no doubt a superstar in his own right, but in his prime there were a lot less wrestling fans in the US.

 

6. Bret Hart

7. John Cena

 

Say what you want, but the guy is what is keeping the WWE afloat right now. He draws huge numbers, has attracted more women and children into the product and will achieve legendary status before it's all said and done.

 

8. HBK

9. Andre the Giant

10. Randy Savage

[EVIL~! alkeiper 0]

NYR, that list is too recent I think. Dusty Rhodes for example was easily one of the three most popular wrestlers in the '70s. (Andre and Bruno Sammartino were the other two.) I won't get into 1960s and before. Andre was a HUGE mainstream name. He's gotta be top five.

[The Buzz 0]

I don't think there are ten big draws in the US right now. But I can tell you the guys that got me to leave my house and go see a show. Sting, Samoa Joe, Hulk Hogan, Paul Wight, Bryan Danielson, and even BJ Whitmer a few weeks back for an ROH cage match.

 

 

I'd say your big draws in the WWE would probably be Cena, HHH, Undertaker, and maybe Batista. I hate to say it but Batista lost that special it factor he had during his late Raw days.

[Guest robrabies]

This list is probably better constructed as a top five in which case it would be:

 

1. Hogan

2. Charlie Haas (just kidding )

2. Cena

3 & 4. DX as a stable (individually...blah)

5. Undertaker

 

Honorable mention

Batista; Mysterio (hispanic demo)

[Guest robrabies]

Stone Cold Steve Austin

 

Love him or hate him, he is easily the most recognizable superstar in the history of wrestling.

 

No. That would be Hogan and then Rock (who is still the only successful crossover), then Austin.

[Jericho2000Mark 0]

Right now:

 

1. John Cena

2. Rey Mysterio

3. Hogan

4. Batista

5. Edge

6. The Undertaker

 

Really, there's nobody else that draws right now.

[Lt. Al Giardello 0]

I'm going to list my top 10 draws in the HISTORY of the US...

 

top 10 in history

 

1. Stone Cold Steve Austin

 

Love him or hate him, he is easily the most recognizable superstar in the history of wrestling. His anti-authority tweener status changed the face of pro wrestling and generated millions of fans. He created a whole new wrestling fanbase and sold out arenas all over the world. When he is gone, he will be recognized as the biggest superstar in the history of wrestling.

 

2. The Rock

 

A VERY CLOSE second. I would say in some instances that The Rock may have had just of a big as an influence in terms of drawing as Austin and possibly even more. The only reason The Rock is second on the list is because his superstardom came after Austin's. If the positions were switched, The Rock would be first on the list.

 

3. Hulk Hogan

 

Some may think that he belongs at the top, but even considering all the people that Hogan drew, he did not attract fans outside of young kids and traditional wrestling fans. Austin and Rock brought in a whole new fanbase and that is why they are ahead of him.

 

4. Ultimate Warrior

 

Although hated by the entire WWE, there is no question that The Ultimate Warrior drew numbers that could rival Hogan's. He was The Rock and Hogan was Austin. They we're the two biggest superstars wrestling had seen until Austin and Rock.

 

5. Ric Flair

 

Although Flair has put on many legendary matches, he didn't quite have the drawing ability as those mentioned above. He was no doubt a superstar in his own right, but in his prime there were a lot less wrestling fans in the US.

 

6. Bret Hart

7. John Cena

 

Say what you want, but the guy is what is keeping the WWE afloat right now. He draws huge numbers, has attracted more women and children into the product and will achieve legendary status before it's all said and done.

 

8. HBK

9. Andre the Giant

10. Randy Savage

 

This has got to be the worst list of all time.

 

There is NO WAY Shawn Michaels, Bret Hart, or John Cena were bigger draws then Andre The Giant.

[razazteca 0]

As of recent I would believe these are the draws:

 

Raw

 

1. HBK - has a huge DX fanbase

2. Edge - has gone along way from being the comedy act that worked with Angle

3. Cena - I hate him, Europe hates him, but there are millions of kids that worship him in USA

4. Orton - watchable at times but always seems to screw things up by forgetting the little details at the end

5. Hardy Boys - the only tag team that has been treated somewhat credible

 

Smackdown

1. Undertaker - greatest gimmick ever

2. Beniot - always has a great match

3. Kane - 2nd greatest gimmick ever

4. Mysterio - latino fanbase need somebody to cheer for

5. Regal - been a fan of his since seeing him in WCW

 

ECW

1. RVD - dude, will always be over no matter what the fans eat up the R-V-D cheer and believe the Whole F'N Show hype

2. CM Punk - probably the #1 interview/promo guy on the sci-fi channel

3. Originals - fans will always have a soft spot for Dreamer, Sandman, Sabu, Balls Mahoney, Lil Guido, Stevie Richards

4. Striker/Burke/Marquis Corvon - these 3 are the ones to watch within the New Breed group a pair of above average interview guys and THE POUNCE~period

[Jericho2000Mark 0]

As of recent I would believe these are the draws:

 

Raw

 

1. HBK - has a huge DX fanbase

2. Edge - has gone along way from being the comedy act that worked with Angle

3. Cena - I hate him, Europe hates him, but there are millions of kids that worship him in USA

4. Orton - watchable at times but always seems to screw things up by forgetting the little details at the end

5. Hardy Boys - the only tag team that has been treated somewhat credible

 

Smackdown

1. Undertaker - greatest gimmick ever

2. Beniot - always has a great match

3. Kane - 2nd greatest gimmick ever

4. Mysterio - latino fanbase need somebody to cheer for

5. Regal - been a fan of his since seeing him in WCW

 

Worst list by far. Your explanations have nothing to do with drawing power... Do you even know what a draw is?

[ANKLELOCK 0]

Benoit ahead of Rey?

 

Benoit in the top five?

 

REGAL in the top five? Regal couldn't draw a fly in a garage.

 

Hell no

 

Currently:

 

1)Cena, by FAR

2)HHH

3)Rey

4)Taker

5)HBK

[Lt. Al Giardello 0]

I wish people would think before making lists, instead of just making lists at the top of your head.

 

My Top 10...

 

1. Undertaker - The most popular superstar on the WWE roster, IMO.

2. John Cena - Over big time with the kids, booed by the older fans.

3. Triple H - He is the Ric Flair of this generation, draws very well as a heel.

4. Shawn Michaels - Hall of Fame, and problay the most over person on RAW.

5. Batista - Popularity is dying off, but still a legit main eventer.

6. Edge - He's popular in the Smarks towns, and over.

7. Rey Mysterio Jr. - Popular among the latino fans and children.

8. Kurt Angle - Not a huge draw on TNA, but drew very well under WWE production.

9. Rob Van Dam - Big draw in the East(ECW Crowds).

10. Sting - Although TNA is flopping, he would be a huge draw under WWE production.

[Hoff 0]

1. Undertaker - greatest gimmick ever

WHAT, WHY?! No, no no no no no, no no no. Oh holy shit no. Are you serious? Are you SERIOUS. The dude may have had the top gimmick of the early 90s, but since then he's been a Satanic priest of some sort, a biker, then BACk to supernatural zombie who shoots lightning and crap.

 

The Undertaker routine WAS perhaps the greatest classic "gimmick" of all time. But to claim that it still is is beyond insane. The Undertaker is over because he's an immediately recognizable and popular figure who, and I find this baffling, the majority seem to enjoy watching in the ring. That's it. The pops now are roughly equivalent to his Bikertaker pops. He's a "legend," along the lines of Hogan. This terrible, dated gimmick has zero to do with that popularity. And if you buy into it, even one iota, you're a complete moron.

 

I'm not saying don't enjoy Undertaker, but for heaven's sake, don't herald this gimmick as the greatest ever. He's an undead wizard who wears a tank top.

[Guest NYR10]

I'm going to list my top 10 draws in the HISTORY of the US...

 

top 10 in history

 

1. Stone Cold Steve Austin

 

Love him or hate him, he is easily the most recognizable superstar in the history of wrestling. His anti-authority tweener status changed the face of pro wrestling and generated millions of fans. He created a whole new wrestling fanbase and sold out arenas all over the world. When he is gone, he will be recognized as the biggest superstar in the history of wrestling.

 

2. The Rock

 

A VERY CLOSE second. I would say in some instances that The Rock may have had just of a big as an influence in terms of drawing as Austin and possibly even more. The only reason The Rock is second on the list is because his superstardom came after Austin's. If the positions were switched, The Rock would be first on the list.

 

3. Hulk Hogan

 

Some may think that he belongs at the top, but even considering all the people that Hogan drew, he did not attract fans outside of young kids and traditional wrestling fans. Austin and Rock brought in a whole new fanbase and that is why they are ahead of him.

 

4. Ultimate Warrior

 

Although hated by the entire WWE, there is no question that The Ultimate Warrior drew numbers that could rival Hogan's. He was The Rock and Hogan was Austin. They we're the two biggest superstars wrestling had seen until Austin and Rock.

 

5. Ric Flair

 

Although Flair has put on many legendary matches, he didn't quite have the drawing ability as those mentioned above. He was no doubt a superstar in his own right, but in his prime there were a lot less wrestling fans in the US.

 

6. Bret Hart

7. John Cena

 

Say what you want, but the guy is what is keeping the WWE afloat right now. He draws huge numbers, has attracted more women and children into the product and will achieve legendary status before it's all said and done.

 

8. HBK

9. Andre the Giant

10. Randy Savage

 

This has got to be the worst list of all time.

 

There is NO WAY Shawn Michaels, Bret Hart, or John Cena were bigger draws then Andre The Giant.

 

 

Are you serious? Andre attracted people in the 70's. Theres no way that there were more wrestling fans back then than there are today. John Cena attratcs fans of all age, gender, and race. As for Hart and HBK, they were the ones who drew the crowd during the WWF's mid 90's slump...they kept the WWF alive and managed to still draw big numbers no matter the quality of the product.

[Guest NYR10]

Stone Cold Steve Austin

 

Love him or hate him, he is easily the most recognizable superstar in the history of wrestling.

 

No. That would be Hogan and then Rock (who is still the only successful crossover), then Austin.

 

 

I still think that Austin is a bigger draw than Hogan. The Attitude Era was far bigger than the 80's wrestling boom. Austin and Rock would get the majority of my school watching wrestling. The girls loved The Rock because he was "hot" and everyone loved Austin. Even those who didn't watch wresting before were drawn to him. Fans lived vicariously through Austin because of his anti-authority acts and the fact that he beat the shit out of his boss every monday night. Hogan was very popular with the fanbase that was ALREADY into wrestling, but Austin was popular with those same fans and generated even more.

[humanoid92 0]

Are there even ten legitimate draws in the US right now? I think once you get past a few of the top guys the WWE name itself is what is drawing the fans in.

 

I don't think that there has been a legitimate draw in the company in quite some time. It's the brand and name recognition that draws over anything else.

 

I think guys like Cena, HHH, Batista, Hogan and Taker can draw when given an interesting angle to work with, but I don't think there are many fans who buy tickets just to see them regardless of what they are doing.

 

I agree with these guys.

 

Once you get past the elite, historic, no-doubt-about-it draws that were clearly responsible for making their company a ton of money (Bruno, Andre, Hogan, Austin, Rock, Vince, etc. and to a lesser extent Flair, Bret, Michaels, HHH, Taker, Cena, etc.) and the landscape-changing angles over the course of history (the rise of Hulkamania, the nWo, Austin vs. Vince, etc.), I really don't think there's any reliable way to quantify who exactly is bringing people to the arena and who is causing people to order the PPVs. Once you get past the very top at the most profitable times, everything else is really just baseless speculation.

 

How many times have PPVs (and in the heyday, house shows) sold out within hours of tickets going on sale, months before the card is announced? Maybe it's been a little different since the brand extension, but the average ticket-buyer knows months ahead of time that all the main stars will be there. Who's to say people that bought tickets for Backlash 2000 six months before the event, did it just to see the Rock vs. HHH? Maybe Jericho and Big Show were their favorites to watch on TV and they didn't care much about The Rock. Who knows? Granted, that's just one hypothetical example. And yes, it's safe to say that MORE people cared about the Rock than the Big Show. But the point is, one guy is never responsible for selling EVERY ticket in the arena.

 

Merchandise is one fairly effective method with which to judge someone's popularity. If you sell a lot of merchandise, you're clearly popular and making the company money. It may not tell the whole story; after all, a t-shirt may sell better (or worse) if it looks cool (or hideous), regardless of whose name is on it. But I think this is at least a better way to evaluate midcarders and semi-main eventers as "draws" over something like TV ratings, buyrates, or attendance. Even so, having extensive merchandise available for so many guys is a fairly recent phenomenon.

 

There are certainly guys that have found a niche, in terms of drawing. For example, Rey and Eddie drew hispanic viewers. The Hardyz, the Rockers, Strike Force, or any other pretty boy tag team over the years have done their job of drawing kids and girls. The divas draw in teenage guys. RVD is an example of a guy that has a strong cult following.

 

But when it comes to definitively ranking people other than the all-time greats, with dollar figures or any sort of meaningful statistics, it's impossible. If there were any way to do that and such numbers actually existed, you'd be able to definitively tell me who was the bigger draw at any given time between the following: Tito Santana or Greg Valentine? Jake The Snake or Big Boss Man? Razor Ramon or the British Bulldog? Rikishi or Kane? There's no way to answer any of those questions. Any answer anyone gives will just be speculation, opinion, and personal preference, and has nothing to do with any sort of factual evidence.

 

For instance, I've seen someone like Kane jump onto a few top ten lists. Well, he's a fairly big name in the industry... possibly a top ten name I suppose. But how is it possible to even rank him as any sort of draw? I mean, have any of you actually ever bought a ticket, or bought a PPV, or even turned on Raw JUST to see Kane? I mean, really?

 

When I was a kid (early 90's), my friends and I went to a couple house shows just because there was going to be a show. We didn't know the cards at first. We just wanted to go. So, which wrestler was responsible for "drawing" us into the arena for those shows?

 

I'm not going to shortchange the success guys like Austin and Rock had, but I personally never bought a single PPV to see either of them. I've never liked Austin and I'm usually pretty indifferent to the Rock's matches. But when they were on top, I bought the PPV's mainly out of habit, the desire to see matches longer than three minutes, and the "what's gonna happen next" aspect. My main favorites at the time were Jericho, Angle, and Edge & Christian. And I knew I'd get quality matches from guys like Benoit, Eddie, Malenko, HHH, the Hardyz, etc. That's why I bought the shows, and watched the TV, and bought a ticket to Raw. I couldn't have been the ONLY one that felt this way. Or the only one that had been a fan of wrestling for a long time and found it exciting that it was suddenly popular again.

 

A lot of times, a PPV buyrate is judged solely by its main event. Sometimes, that's a perfectly reasonable way to evaulate it. Say, for a show like Canadian Stampede. But for some shows, where there are multiple main events, an unusually strong undercard, or established name value (Wrestlemania, Royal Rumble), it really doesn't make a lot of sense to just take the main event into consideration. And even when it is acceptable to judge a show just on its main event, there can be problems. Like those shows that have the Elimination Chamber. There's six guys in there. Which one of them sold the show? Did the cage sell it? A lot of times, buyrates, attendance, and money drawn can be a group effort that's not easily assigned to one or two guys.

 

And it really can be a group effort frequently. I'm not going to deny the success of Hogan, Austin and the Rock. The two "booms" were in the late 80s and late 90s, and they had everything to do with that. But it's interesting to note that during those two periods, the WWE's midcard and tag team division were deeper and better than they were at any other point in time. I don't think that's a coincidence. When Hogan was champion, there were legitimate semi-stars like Mr. Perfect, Jake the Snake, Boss Man, DiBiase, Beefcake, etc. The tag division was loaded with Demolition, the Hart Foundation, the Rockers, Legion of Doom, Brainbusters, etc. Austin and Rock had (not to mention each other), Angle, Jericho, Benoit, Guerrero, Kane, Big Show, DX, Edge & Christian, the Hardyz, the Dudleyz, the Acolytes, Too Cool & Rikishi, etc. I'm just saying, it's not like the boom periods happened with Hogan, Rock, and Austin on a show with a few other semi-talented guys and then a bunch of scrubs. Top to bottom, the roster was loaded more than ever at those points in time, and that definitely helped, because if there was a top guy you didn't like, you had plenty of worthy alternatives to follow. And remember, there were long periods of time where Rock was gone making movies, Austin was out with an injury, Taker was out with an injury, and Foley actively retired, and business never took a significant hit. Doesn't that say something about the balance they had going at that point?

 

The point is, I think a lot of times the concept of "drawing" is misunderstood or misrepresented.

[RonL21 0]

Are there even ten legitimate draws in the US right now? I think once you get past a few of the top guys the WWE name itself is what is drawing the fans in.

 

I don't think that there has been a legitimate draw in the company in quite some time. It's the brand and name recognition that draws over anything else.

 

I think guys like Cena, HHH, Batista, Hogan and Taker can draw when given an interesting angle to work with, but I don't think there are many fans who buy tickets just to see them regardless of what they are doing.

 

I agree with these guys.

 

Once you get past the elite, historic, no-doubt-about it draws that were clearly responsible for making their company a ton of money (Bruno, Andre, Hogan, Austin, Rock, Vince, etc. and to a lesser extent Flair, Bret, Michaels, HHH, Taker, Cena, etc.) and the landscape-changing angles over the course of history (the rise of Hulkamania, the nWo, Austin vs. Vince, etc.), I really don't think there's any reliable way to quantify who exactly is bringing people to the arena and who is causing people to order the PPVs. Once you get past the very top at the most profitable times, everything else is really just baseless speculation.

 

How many times have PPVs (and in the heyday, house shows) sold out within hours of tickets going on sale, months before the card is announced? Maybe it's been a little different since the brand extension, but the average ticket-buyer knows months ahead of time that all the main stars will be there. Who's to say people that bought tickets for Backlash 2000 six months before the event, did it just to see the Rock vs. HHH? Maybe Jericho and Big Show were their favorites to watch on TV and they didn't care much about The Rock. Who knows? Granted, that's just one hypothetical example. And yes, it's safe to say that MORE people cared about the Rock than the Big Show. But the point is, one guy is never responsible for selling EVERY ticket in the arena.

 

Merchandise is one fairly effective method with which to judge someone's popularity. If you sell a lot of merchandise, you're clearly popular and making the company money. It may not tell the whole story; after all, a t-shirt may sell better (or worse) if it looks cool (or hideous), regardless of whose name is on it. But I think this is at least a better way to evaluate midcarders and semi-main eventers as "draws" over something like TV ratings, buyrates, or attendance. Even so, having extensive merchandise available for so many guys is a fairly recent phenomenon.

 

There are certainly guys that have found a niche, in terms of drawing. For example, Rey and Eddie drew hispanic viewers. The Hardyz, the Rockers, Strike Force, or any other pretty boy tag team over the years have done their job of drawing kids and girls. The divas draw in teenage guys. RVD is an example of a guy that has a strong cult following.

 

But when it comes to definitely ranking people other than the all-time greats, with dollar figures or any sort of meaningful statistics, it's impossible. If there were any way to do that and such numbers actually existed, you'd be able to definitively tell me who was the bigger draw at any given time between the following: Tito Santana or Greg Valentine? Jake The Snake or Big Boss Man? Razor Ramon or the British Bulldog? Rikishi or Kane? There's no way to answer any of those questions. Any answer anyone gives will just be speculation, opinion, and personal preference, and has nothing to do with any sort of factual evidence.

 

For instance, I've seen someone like Kane jump onto a few top ten lists. Well, he's a fairly big name in the industry... possibly a top ten name I suppose. But how is it possible to even rank him as any sort of draw? I mean, have any of you actually ever bought a ticket, or bought a PPV, or even turned on Raw JUST to see Kane? I mean, really?

 

When I was a kid (early 90's), my friends and I went to a couple house shows just because there was going to be a show. We didn't know the cards at first. We just wanted to go. So, which wrestler was responsible for "drawing" us into the arena for those shows?

 

I'm not going to shortchange the success guys like Austin and Rock had, but I personally never bought a single PPV to see either of them. I've never liked Austin and I'm usually pretty indifferent to the Rock's matches. But when they were on top, I bought the PPV's mainly out of habit, the desire to see matches longer than three minutes, and the "what's gonna happen next" aspect. My main favorites at the time were Jericho, Angle, and Edge & Christian. And I knew I'd get quality matches from guys like Benoit, Eddie, Malenko, HHH, the Hardyz, etc. That's why I bought the shows, and watched the TV, and bought a ticket to Raw. I couldn't have been the ONLY one that felt this way. Or the only one that had been a fan of wrestling for a long time and found it exciting that it was suddenly popular again.

 

A lot of times, a PPV buyrate is judged solely by its main event. Sometimes, that's a perfectly reasonable way to evaulate it. Say, for a show like Canadian Stampede. But for some shows, where there are multiple main events, an unusually strong undercard, or established name value (Wrestlemania, Royal Rumble), it really doesn't make a lot of sense to just take the main event into consideration. And even when it is acceptable to judge a show just on its main event, there can be problems. Like those shows that have the Elimination Chamber. There's six guys in there. Which one of them sold the show? Did the cage sell it? A lot of times, buyrates, attendance, and money drawn can be a group effort that's not easily assigned to one or two guys.

 

And it really can be a group effort frequently. I'm not going to deny the success of Hogan, Austin and the Rock. The two "booms" were in the late 80s and late 90s, and they had everything to do with that. But it's interesting to note that during those two periods, the WWE's midcard and tag team division were deeper and better than they were at any other point in time. I don't think that's a coincidence. When Hogan was champion, there were legitimate semi-stars like Mr. Perfect, Jake the Snake, Boss Man, DiBiase, Beefcake, etc. The tag division was loaded with Demolition, the Hart Foundation, the Rockers, Legion of Doom, Brainbusters, etc. Austin and Rock had (not to mention each other), Angle, Jericho, Benoit, Guerrero, Kane, Big Show, DX, Edge & Christian, the Hardyz, the Dudleyz, the Acolytes, Too Cool & Rikishi, etc. I'm just saying, it's not like the boom periods happened with Hogan, Rock, and Austin on a show with a few other semi-talented guys and then a bunch of scrubs. Top to bottom, the roster was loaded more than ever at those points in time, and that definitely helped, because if there was a top guy you didn't like, you had plenty of worthy alternatives to follow. And remember, there were long periods of time where Rock was gone making movies, Austin was out with an injury, Taker was out with an injury, and Foley actively retired, and business never took a significant hit. Doesn't that say something about the balance they had going at that point?

 

The point is, I think a lot of times the concept of "drawing" is misunderstood or misrepresented.

I agree.....I have tickets for One Night Stand in June in Jacksonville....No Card......Just because its WWE....That's that draw for me.....Ive attented 1 Clash of the Champions....1 WWE House Show..1 Superstars Taping/PPV redo...1 SmackDown!/ECW taping.....Never knowing who was gonna be there or who there were wrestling....The Company Initials got me to buy the ticket not the wrestlers on the Card...

[Guest Montresor]

Shawn Michaels? Really?

[EVIL~! alkeiper 0]

Are you serious? Andre attracted people in the 70's. Theres no way that there were more wrestling fans back then than there are today. John Cena attratcs fans of all age, gender, and race. As for Hart and HBK, they were the ones who drew the crowd during the WWF's mid 90's slump...they kept the WWF alive and managed to still draw big numbers no matter the quality of the product.

 

Certainly there were as many wrestling fans then. In the '70s single promotions were not as prevalent, but you had 20-30 regional promotions that all had their own stars and own fanbases. On the whole, more wrestling fans then attended live shows than today.

[King Cucaracha 0]

Are there even ten legitimate draws in the US right now? I think once you get past a few of the top guys the WWE name itself is what is drawing the fans in.

 

At the risk of repeating what other people have said, this was my first thought when I saw the thread. The idea of one person drawing over another isn't nearly as important now that there's only one legitimately national wrestling promotion. When WCW was around, it was more of an arguement. Now, I think it's safe to say the WWE name alone draws in at least 95% of people.

 

That's definately true in terms of live attendance, I'd say. PPV buys, maybe workers come into it more. But let's face it, 99% of people bought WrestleMania because it was WrestleMania, not for HBK/Cena or Batista/Taker or really for anyone or anything else.

[Hoff 0]

Here's a good way (well, I think it's good) to look at it. When was the last time you were on the fence about a wrestling PPV, or even firmly not going to buy it, when you heard about a match and decided "ooh, that's something I wanna see?" Chances are one of the guys involved is a draw, for you anyway. I say "chances" because these days, gimmick matches can be as big a draw as workers, what with hell in the cell, elimination chamber, money in the bank, and so on. But usually people have a guy or guys they're willing to pay to see. That's a draw. So then the question is, are there ten guys you're willing to pay to see wrestling today? I know my answer: nope.

[Perfxion 0]

My all time list in the US, just for fun

 

1: Hulk Hogan: Without him and McMahon's hype machine, we would not be on a message board chatting about wrestling.

 

2: The Rock has to be THE ONLY OTHER pro wrestler not named Hogan or Andre that the main stream REALLY knows. Highest rated segment of all time had him in it.

 

3:Stone Cold: While being a #1 merch seller of all time, he doesn't have that total crossover appeal that Rock and Hogan have.

 

4: Andre The Giant: NO body was big of a world wide draw as Andre. Vince Sr. idea of having him stay a few months per fed was smart to keeping him in the main event for like 20 years.

 

5: Bruno: You don't have an 8 year reign without selling out the garden all the time.

 

6: Dusty Rhodes: MAJOR star in the NWA and Florida from the 70s through the 80s. Its stupid not to have him on the list.

 

7: Ric Flair: If it wasn't for dusty and Ole's booking in the late 80's to early 90's he would be much higher. If Flair had Vince McMahon behind him durring the 80s he could have easily been the biggest wrestler of all time. He had the gimmick that people just loved.

 

8: Road Warriors: This might be the only pure tag team to put asses in the seats. Not many tag teams get clones of them in every major fed out there. I am sure after 1984, they were THE main attraction in the AWA to the point that when they left you knew that the AWA was done.

 

9: nWo: the angle itself got Nash and Hall to be draws for the first time ever, Hogan over again, and people cared about Syxx. However, it would have been higher if they didn't add 20 people that nobody gives a crap about and just was there to wear the t-shirts.

 

10: Vern Gagne: Since he owned it, number one guy in the AWA for like 20 years and kept the old school of style of wrestling alive for the longest.

 

 

Note: HBK has NEVER been a draw. He was never booked well enough to be one. People in 1996 loved to see him wrestle since they were good matches, but the only PPV to do well with him on top was wrestlemania and that could be more to it being Wrestlemania.

 

Bret Hart was 10 years too late to be a major draw. He did well but he wasn't setting the box office on fire. Same with Triple H, Chris Jericho, Billy Graham, Slaughter and Benoit, he just wasn't that major in getting people to shows. But it wasn't like the world fell under when they were on top.

 

Goldberg and Warrior: Flash in the pan. They were big and huge and then dead within like 2 years.

 

The 90's Horsemen, Kurt Angle, Sting, Taker, Chris Jericho, and Randy Savage were not too major of draws due to the horrible booking they have had in their careers. Each would have been killer if it wasn't for dumb angles and politics killing off any hot feuds.

 

 

 

Top 5 draws currently:

 

1: the name WWE: Ie. PPVs sellout before the cards are annouced. Oversea tours sellout due to the WWE going there. WWE is a name that has been put into everyone's home. Its the coke of the wrestling world.

 

2: John Cena: duh

 

3: Rey:

 

4: DX: As much as people might hate their dumb dick jokes all the time, they do get ratings and do help put asses in seats.

 

5: Undertaker

[King Cucaracha 0]

Here's a good way (well, I think it's good) to look at it. When was the last time you were on the fence about a wrestling PPV, or even firmly not going to buy it, when you heard about a match and decided "ooh, that's something I wanna see?" Chances are one of the guys involved is a draw, for you anyway. I say "chances" because these days, gimmick matches can be as big a draw as workers, what with hell in the cell, elimination chamber, money in the bank, and so on. But usually people have a guy or guys they're willing to pay to see. That's a draw. So then the question is, are there ten guys you're willing to pay to see wrestling today? I know my answer: nope.

 

It depends on your definition I guess.

 

I always understood it as Hogan was a draw because he drew people into watching WWF shows over NWA shows and later drew people into watching WCW shows over WWF shows. Austin was a draw because he drew people into watching WWF shows over WCW shows. Nowadays, there's no real alternative for someone to draw people in from. People watch WWE because they want to watch wrestling.

 

There's of course certain factors like certain matches, certain gimmicks, whatever, that alter how strong of a draw the WWE product is, but they alone don't draw people in, as such. I dunno, that seems like a weird concept maybe, but that's how I always viewed it

[JHawk 0]

I'm going to list my top 10 draws in the HISTORY of the US...

 

top 10 in history

 

1. Stone Cold Steve Austin

 

Love him or hate him, he is easily the most recognizable superstar in the history of wrestling. His anti-authority tweener status changed the face of pro wrestling and generated millions of fans. He created a whole new wrestling fanbase and sold out arenas all over the world. When he is gone, he will be recognized as the biggest superstar in the history of wrestling.

 

2. The Rock

 

A VERY CLOSE second. I would say in some instances that The Rock may have had just of a big as an influence in terms of drawing as Austin and possibly even more. The only reason The Rock is second on the list is because his superstardom came after Austin's. If the positions were switched, The Rock would be first on the list.

 

3. Hulk Hogan

 

Some may think that he belongs at the top, but even considering all the people that Hogan drew, he did not attract fans outside of young kids and traditional wrestling fans. Austin and Rock brought in a whole new fanbase and that is why they are ahead of him.

 

4. Ultimate Warrior

 

Although hated by the entire WWE, there is no question that The Ultimate Warrior drew numbers that could rival Hogan's. He was The Rock and Hogan was Austin. They we're the two biggest superstars wrestling had seen until Austin and Rock.

 

5. Ric Flair

 

Although Flair has put on many legendary matches, he didn't quite have the drawing ability as those mentioned above. He was no doubt a superstar in his own right, but in his prime there were a lot less wrestling fans in the US.

 

6. Bret Hart

7. John Cena

 

Say what you want, but the guy is what is keeping the WWE afloat right now. He draws huge numbers, has attracted more women and children into the product and will achieve legendary status before it's all said and done.

 

8. HBK

9. Andre the Giant

10. Randy Savage

John Cena and Bret Hart top ten all time? And this list doesn't have Bruno Sammartino, Dusty Rhodes, or Gorgeous George on it?

[Hoff 0]

KC -- I see what you're saying, and it makes sense. But as far as watching WCW vs. WWF back in the day or vice-versa...in a sense, there is still competition. You can either watch WWE or...not. Monday nights have Heroes, I think they have some CSI, there's football in the fall...a lot out there. If John Cena is getting people to change from one of those shows over to Raw, that's drawing power, no?

 

I dunno, it's a sticky subject, there's no "official" criteria for what a draw is, but that's my take.

[Guest BlueJohn]

1. Hulk Hogan (This is not even open for discussion, he has an huge fanbase that stretches far from the general wrestling-audience. Name one other active wrestler who can say that)

 

2. John Cena (Just the fact that Vince protects him like crazy is proof enough he's the biggest draw in WWE)

 

3. Undertaker

 

4. Batista (Just like Cena he's really popular with the kids, and there's a reason Vince is still sticking with him at the top of the card)

 

5. Ric Flair (Altough I'm sure this has changed during the last six months, he's being more depushed than ever)

 

6. Triple H (Why would he be one of the top draws? Where's the evidence for that?)

 

7. Kane (Maybe the most underrated draw, otherwise WWE wouldn't have made their first movie with him)

 

8. Rey Mysterio (The biggest draw with the latino audience)

 

9. Shawn Michaels (Never been a great babyface and that makes it hard to be at the top in this kind of list)

 

10. Vince McMahon

 

/J

[Cheech Tremendous 0]

In general the concept of a "draw" is misinterpreted or overstated. I don't want to imply that certain guys aren't actual draws, but it's such a squishy concept. The problem is there are no controls in place to measure one man's success against another. We can't book one Wrestlemania VI with Hogan v. Warrior and one with Hogan v. Perfect and measure who drew more. Even if we could, what drew? Was it Hogan, or was it the opponent he was matched up against?

 

For instance, look at Hulk Hogan. He is considered the all-time draw in wrestling. But when he took a hiatus in 1988 business didn't drop one bit with Savage on top. In that era HTM's B and C shows drew as well as the A shows that were headlined by Hogan. Plus, Hulk was never able to draw in NWA strongholds even at the height of his popularity. What does that say about his drawing ability? What can we infer from this data?

 

Subsequently Steve Austin was considered the savior of the WWF and the ultimate draw of the Attitude era. How come ratings, attendance and PPV buys went up after he left and Rock/HHH started headlining? Once again, no one want to question Austin as a draw but what do the numbers say?

 

Lastly for the guy (NYR10) who made his "Top 10 All-Time Draws" list, that thing is seriously out of whack. Andre in the 70s and Flair in the 80s traveled the entire country and sold out dozens upon dozens or territories. There were just as many fans back then as there are now. They just happened to follow their product regionally at the arena instead of on tv like the current product. As far as Warrior Warrior goes, numbers went down with him on top and then back up after he lost the belt. That's a negative draw, my friend. Same with Shawn Michaels.

[ANKLELOCK 0]

Rey is not behind Taker, Kane(?), Batista, and Flair today. His segments are consistently the highest rating segments on Smackdown and Smackdown's ratings are so extraordinarily high in the Latino demographic practically because of him alone. Without looking at any numbers(so don't hold me to this), I believe the segment where Rey came back only to get destroyed by Umaga was the highest rating Smackdown segment this year and I believe that was the highest rated Smackdown this year.

[RonL21 0]

Bret Hart was 10 years too late to be a major draw. He did well but he wasn't setting the box office on fire.

I hate when people say this....Wrestling itself during the early 90s couldnt draw anything....Ric Flair and others seem to use this against Bret and say he wasnt a draw...Kevin Nash suffered from this too when he had his title reign...I was a Bret and Diesel Mark back in the day..didnt know what financials were...just thought they were cool...I remember seeing Highlights of when the WWF went overseas on their yearly tours and Bret Hart being Mobbed by fans EVERYWHERE he went..You just don't see that now...Put it like this..If John Cena was around in the early 90s would he be a major draw?

 

Drawing is inaccurate in my opinion.....The Company Initials sell the tickets...

[Corkscrew_Senton 0]

I'm doing since the 1970s, US only (for the record, if we're doing the world, El Santo tops all these people):

 

1. Austin: EVERYONE knew about him in the late 1990s, and his unique heelish face character brought in many crossover fans after years of wrestling being considered lame.

 

2. Hogan: The first glamorous wrestling superstar and the catalyst of the 1980s boom. Maintained his status as a draw even as a heel, and can draw decent PPV buys today just with his name.

 

3. The Rock: Managed to keep the crossover fanbase during Austin's absence and proved that crossover appeal when he went to Hollywood.

 

4. Dusty Rhodes: Drew huge numbers in the South and for Georgia Championship Wrestling/the NWA in its cable infancy. His American Dream character was an every-man sorta gimmick, a kind of precursor to Steve Austin.

 

5. Jerry Lawler: Can't believe he's on no one else's list. The dude drew 12K every week in the same city, he was that over. His angles could incite riots, and his feud with Andy Kaufman was the first big crossover angle.

 

6. Ric Flair: See: Rhodes, Dusty

 

7. Bruno Sammartino: Filled Madison Square Garden on the regular. He was the Northeast's version of a Dusty or Ric Flair.

 

8. Vern Gagne: The Midwest's Dusty/Bruno/Flair. From all accounts, his feud with Nick Bockwinkle was hot enough to fill big stadiums in Chicago and Minneapolis.

 

9. John Cena: Don't like the guy and I think he's turned off a decent number of male fans, but he's made up for it by attracting new children viewers and women.

 

10 (Tie): Triple H and Sting: HHH was the number 1 draw for a good two-three years, and drew similar numbers to Cena. It's pretty incredible when you think about his drawing ability as a heel, because unlike Flair he never really had a Dusty-like face foil during his run at the top -- save for Batista the last few months. Sting meanwhile was the only guy making WCW interest in the early 1990s and he had that John Cena kiddy-appeal.

 

Honorable Mention: Rey Misterio: If you live in a high Latino population like I do, you can't underestimate what his presence does.

Vince McMahon: He's managed to kill his own heat through overexposure over the years, but without him there's no Austin hype in the late '90s.

[Cheech Tremendous 0]

I'm doing since the 1970s, US only (for the record, if we're doing the world, El Santo tops all these people):

 

1. Austin: EVERYONE knew about him in the late 1990s, and his unique heelish face character brought in many crossover fans after years of wrestling being considered lame.

 

2. Hogan: The first glamorous wrestling superstar and the catalyst of the 1980s boom. Maintained his status as a draw even as a heel, and can draw decent PPV buys today just with his name.

 

3. The Rock: Managed to keep the crossover fanbase during Austin's absence and proved that crossover appeal when he went to Hollywood.

 

4. Dusty Rhodes: Drew huge numbers in the South and for Georgia Championship Wrestling/the NWA in its cable infancy. His American Dream character was an every-man sorta gimmick, a kind of precursor to Steve Austin.

 

5. Jerry Lawler: Can't believe he's on no one else's list. The dude drew 12K every week in the same city, he was that over. His angles could incite riots, and his feud with Andy Kaufman was the first big crossover angle.

 

6. Ric Flair: See: Rhodes, Dusty

 

7. Bruno Sammartino: Filled Madison Square Garden on the regular. He was the Northeast's version of a Dusty or Ric Flair.

 

8. Vern Gagne: The Midwest's Dusty/Bruno/Flair. From all accounts, his feud with Nick Bockwinkle was hot enough to fill big stadiums in Chicago and Minneapolis.

 

9. John Cena: Don't like the guy and I think he's turned off a decent number of male fans, but he's made up for it by attracting new children viewers and women.

 

10 (Tie): Triple H and Sting: HHH was the number 1 draw for a good two-three years, and drew similar numbers to Cena. It's pretty incredible when you think about his drawing ability as a heel, because unlike Flair he never really had a Dusty-like face foil during his run at the top -- save for Batista the last few months. Sting meanwhile was the only guy making WCW interest in the early 1990s and he had that John Cena kiddy-appeal.

 

Honorable Mention: Rey Misterio: If you live in a high Latino population like I do, you can't underestimate what his presence does.

Vince McMahon: He's managed to kill his own heat through overexposure over the years, but without him there's no Austin hype in the late '90s.

 

Superstar Graham, Andre, Junkyard Dog, the Von Erichs? If you're going since the 1970s you've left off some big names.