Wrestlers you wish were around when you were younger.

[Shai]

For example, I've said many times before that I wish Sasha Banks was around when I was watching wrestling as a teenager. This may sound odd but I think I would genuinely be a different person if I'd had that kind of role model. Actually I wish I'd had the entire woman's division the way it is now....God being a female wrestling fan in the late 90's sucked. I actually had a conversation about this with Mick Foley when I met him during a book signing for Have a Nice Day. He even asked me how I felt being a fan during that time. I said flat out that it sucked but I still love wrestling. Say whatever you want about the "New Era" but it's a hell of a lot more female fan friendly.

[Deleted]

This is a good topic. I really got into Daniel Bryan's whole Yes! movement but I feel like if he was around when I was a kid, I would've
been a lot more emotionally invested then I was going into WrestleMania 30. I also wasn't really the most outgoing teenager so like you, if
I had that kind of role model back then, I might be a different person today.

[Magic knows Black Lives Matter]

Interesting thread. Hmmmm...yeah, I'll go with Daniel Bryan as well. If that whole storyline played out when I was too young to follow the internet, dude would have become my all-time favorite when he won the title at Mania.

[Deleted]

Curtis Axel

[The Peoples Elbow]

Aug 15, 2016 18:46:18 GMT -5 @itiswrittenkjv1611 said:

Curtis Axel

(crickets)

[Deleted]

Dolph Ziggler...

He doesn't always win, but he tries hard.

[rnrk supports BLM]

I'm pretty sure if I'd been 10-12 right when Jeff Hardy was at his peak, he'd have wound up one of my favorite wrestlers of all time.

Right now, though, it's all about Drago for me. I grieve for every year I've ever watched wrestling where I didn't have Drago matches to watch. I still grieve that I don't have enough Drago matches to watch, for that matter. Drago is so f***ing awesome.

[ERON]

Rusev in red CCCP gear

[Jake, The Jake, Jake]

Part of me really wishes I got to experience this heartbreak as a twelve year-old

[King Devitt]

I would have freaking loved The Shield.

Daniel Bryan would have been the one good guy I cheered for, and Bray Wyatt would have been my favorite.

[Clash, Never a Meter Maid]

Daniel Bryan, Nakamura, Sasha Banks, John Cena, New Day and Balor as The Demon would have driven twelve year old me wild.

[Tea & Crumpets]

I think if Nakamura, Bryan or Cesaro had been around when I was first watching (WCW, to be specific), I might have actually tried to become a wrestler. My favourites as a kid were Goldberg and DDP, and Cesaro & Bryan have the same qualities that made me love them, only with extra.

[Hobby Drifter]

In this order:

CM Punk
Shinsuke Nakamura
Daniel Bryan

With the caveat that they'd have been able to get as big *then* as they did at their eventual respective peaks.

[Deleted]

Honestly, I'm going to go with the obvious answer of John Cena. I feel like most of his appeal would come from watching him through a kid's lens. I was such a huge mark for Hogan, that Cena would have been like having having Hogan around for more than just two or three matches a year - and they would have been more exciting matches, to boot.

I also would have bought into how "scary" Bray Wyatt is supposed to be. I can remember being in the second row at a live event, and even knowing it was staged, I was afraid to boo Papa Shango because there was still a chance he might curse me.

[progwd]

I know this isn't the topic at hand, but man do I wish Umaga was around now. Dude was amazing back in the day when he was around and that's when the emphasis wasn't really on in-ring talent. Imagine Umaga wrestling in 2016 WWE. Things would be awesome.

[Hickster]

Aug 15, 2016 20:51:26 GMT -5 ERON said:

Rusev in red CCCP gear

This is the only one that works for me, wrestling was pretty awesome when I was younger.

[Dub H]

The Demon King Balor would be my favourite thing as a kid, I love dual personalities gimmick and kid me would go crazy for the demon act and how different Finn is.

I also loved reading about mythology