Most Modest Main Eventers

["Gizzark" Mike Wronglevenay]

Foley is my favourite wrestler of all time, so I'm kinda biased - he is a really bizarre mix of modest and up his own ass, though.

But at the same time, some of what Foley has done has been fantastic and he's justifiably proud of it. He's also usually the first to admit when he's f***ed something up though.

Ultimately if you don't have a big ego in wrestling or music or any form of art you're likely to never achieve anything. A lot of great painters or composers through history are well established assholes, but also geniuses, and if they had listened to people telling them to shut up because they were assholes, they'd not have achieved as much.

At the same time, however arrogant Foley is, the wrestling business is so filled with giant egos that he's still probably barely breaking into the top 50% if you compare him to guys who haven't done shit compared to him but still consider themselves above it all. Like Mike Graham, who seemed to be pretty up his own ass for a guy whose list of accomplishments doesn't measure up to Foley's, or New Jack who was a hot star in a promotion that's increasingly depressing to look back at now based on playing music during his matches and hitting people with toasters.

As for genuinely humble main eventers - I've heard multiple reports that they basically had to force Kane to take the world title in 2010 or whenever it was, and he jobs to anybody.

[Mozenrath]

Terry Funk is perhaps the best answer. Backlund, too, though I do know he felt burned by never getting any shot with Hogan, with Sheik as the transition and him kind of being passed over when that ended. Granted, I have a hard time picturing how that program would even work, but still.

Foley is modest to a degree, being more apt to admit his shortcomings than many guys who have been near the top, but if you get to the top and stay there, you either get an ego or it was always a part of you.

[KAMALARAMBO: BOOMSHAKALAKA!!!]

Nov 25, 2014 6:29:56 GMT -5 Mozenrath said:

Terry Funk is perhaps the best answer. Backlund, too, though I do know he felt burned by never getting any shot with Hogan, with Sheik as the transition and him kind of being passed over when that ended. Granted, I have a hard time picturing how that program would even work, but still.

Foley is modest to a degree, being more apt to admit his shortcomings than many guys who have been near the top, but if you get to the top and stay there, you either get an ego or it was always a part of you.

Too bad they couldn't have done crazy Backlund in the 1980s to feud with Hogan. It would have been so different from anything else WWF had going in the time yet at the same time could be kept kid friendly enough to fit in that era. Sort of like Macho's heel turn as champ. I don't know if it would have worked since part of what what made the Mr. Backlund character work is that he had been gone so long and looked completely out of his element. Going from a white meat babyface (one of the most straightforward white meat babyfaces at that) to crazy heel might have been too much for fans to suspend disbelief for. Fun to think about though.

[Deleted]

Ego doesn't necessarily mean they can't be modest. Foley covers up his blimp-sized ego with modesty, which keeps it from shining through quite as much. His style of self-deprecating humor would seem to suggest that he's just an everyman who inexplicably reached the top wearing sweat pants and flannels. That's his gimmick, and Foley has been working his gimmick since before he ever stepped foot in a wrestling ring, and he's still working his gimmick now that he's retired from it.

[Mozenrath]

Daniel Bryan is modest to the point of ridiculous, from what I've heard of him, especially for someone who has been marketed as being best in the world in some fashion since his 20s. Behind the scenes, though, he's very humble, and was used as an example by Punk of everything Teddy Hart wasn't and never would be.

[Deleted]

They're probably a step down from full-time main eventers but Hillbilly Jim seems really unassuming and, of the guys I've actually met, Bam Bam Bigelow seemed really down to earth. (Funnily, the most egotistical wrestler I've met long enough to have a proper gauge of would be George South.)

[Mozenrath]

Nov 25, 2014 18:28:47 GMT -5 @laveyan said:

They're probably a step down from full-time main eventers but Hillbilly Jim seems really unassuming and, of the guys I've actually met, Bam Bam Bigelow seemed really down to earth. (Funnily, the most egotistical wrestler I've met long enough to have a proper gauge of would be George South.)

I think Bigelow probably mellowed out over the years, since I recall him rubbing people the wrong way in his initial WWF run with his ego, but I think probably needed time to digest that, since by the time he was in ECW, he was a lot more liked by peers.

[Deleted]

Nov 25, 2014 18:37:08 GMT -5 Mozenrath said:

Nov 25, 2014 18:28:47 GMT -5 @laveyan said:

They're probably a step down from full-time main eventers but Hillbilly Jim seems really unassuming and, of the guys I've actually met, Bam Bam Bigelow seemed really down to earth. (Funnily, the most egotistical wrestler I've met long enough to have a proper gauge of would be George South.)

I think Bigelow probably mellowed out over the years, since I recall him rubbing people the wrong way in his initial WWF run with his ego, but I think probably needed time to digest that, since by the time he was in ECW, he was a lot more liked by peers.

It was nearer the end of his life when I met him yes.  I remember being taken aback though with just how nice and approachable he was, especially in hindsight with some of the wild stories I've heard since.

[Tiger Millionaire]

Roddy Piper in the sense that if you see him or talk to him, he won't big time you at all, not in the ego sense.

[Deleted]

Nov 25, 2014 18:37:08 GMT -5 Mozenrath said:

Nov 25, 2014 18:28:47 GMT -5 @laveyan said:

They're probably a step down from full-time main eventers but Hillbilly Jim seems really unassuming and, of the guys I've actually met, Bam Bam Bigelow seemed really down to earth. (Funnily, the most egotistical wrestler I've met long enough to have a proper gauge of would be George South.)

I think Bigelow probably mellowed out over the years, since I recall him rubbing people the wrong way in his initial WWF run with his ego, but I think probably needed time to digest that, since by the time he was in ECW, he was a lot more liked by peers.

I think I read that Andre roughed him up pretty good and killed the primadonna in Bigelow, and from that point forward he was great.

[hunterbusax]

Nov 24, 2014 22:31:23 GMT -5 KAMALARAMBO: BOOMSHAKALAKA!!! said:

Nov 24, 2014 22:24:30 GMT -5 ICBM said:

Foley humble....nah. His down to earth real guy Schtick was exactly that. The pretentiousness express picked him up and he apparently believe I should follow his political leanings and that shooting on presidents mid RAW promo is somehow must see TV. He puts himself over in his books and on every interview I've seen him in since he retired. Is he more humble than say Flair, hogan, Hart? Yep. But his apparent belief in his politics and his desire to share them, was a real turn off for me.

Humble wrestlers huh...Bret. Hart is. Just ask him. He'll tell you

Yeah, I kind of get you on Foley. The thing with Foley is his whole look and aura make him seen humble, but if you've ever read his books his clearly a big fan of himself. Again, not saying it's bad as he accomplished a lot, but I wouldn't exactly call him humble.

Sting, I think subconsciously is what made me think of making this thread. Bob Backlund, Terry Funk and Ricky Steamboat all seem like good answers.

I think the jury is still out on Bryan as he is really in the middle of things and hasn't had a chance to fully get swept up in the ego trip of being a main eventer. He does seem pretty down to earth though.

Didnt know about Foley being like this .Is he as bad Jim Cornette i love corny but he brings up the republicans in almost every interview.

[Grand Papillon "The Banker"]

Edge

He, despite his gimmick, always seemed like a pretty down-to-earth, modest guy.

[BorneAgain]

Savage never struck me as having that much of ego, though that's probably because it would get in the way of the paranoia.

[Ghostorm]

While he has been all over the card over the years....Kane seems to be extremely modest and all about giving to the future of the business!

[Deleted]

In a weird way I think CM Punk was pretty modest in the way that he'd always be publicly endorsing guys like Cesaro and Tyson Kidd in interviews and how he stuck up for guys like Masters on RAW. I mean he had like a 30 minute match in FCW with Dean Ambrose. Also he was pretty upfront about the quality of work he was putting in at the tail end of his run.

[Can you afford to pay me, Gah]

The Rock comes off as someone who doesn't forget where he was and his success doesn't control him. He still seen doing a lot of nice things for his family but never have I seen reports of treating anybody in a bad way.

The same to be said about the Undertaker who seems to be respected by everyone he works with. Never a bad report on how he is with fans.

Piper is a guy who with his fans at less is very good too them.

[Bub (BLM)]

Nov 25, 2014 20:17:13 GMT -5 Grand Papillon "The Banker" said:

Edge

He, despite his gimmick, always seemed like a pretty down-to-earth, modest guy.

Definitely. He always signs autographs as "Adam 'Edge' Copeland", and insists fans call him Adam. That's highly unusual in wrestling, and shows that his gimmick/character/status never went to his head.

[Deleted]

Ivan Koloff

[EvenBaldobombHasAJob]

Shawn Michaels.

[mcstoklasa]

I love Foley, and he is humble compared to most wrestlers, but he is a bit of a dick and a mark for himself in some of his books