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Post by Fake Jesus on Nov 29, 2021 14:19:54 GMT -5
I don't mean guys like Warrior who couldn't wrestle for shit and got by on charisma; I mean people who were or became great in-ring workers despite having vanishingly little going for them, the archetypal example being someone like Mick Foley who had numerous excellent matches despite looking like Quasimodo and, after a stage, moving like Quasimodo's granddad. I want to see people who really had to work to become all-timers.
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Post by KAMALARAMBO: BOOMSHAKALAKA!!! on Nov 29, 2021 14:36:40 GMT -5
CM Punk lacked natural athleticism. However he always had a great understanding of match psychology and was gifted with natural charisma.
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Post by Deleted on Nov 29, 2021 14:38:05 GMT -5
CM Punk, at least in terms of in ring. He's not a natural athlete at all and had to work super hard to get to the level he is. You can watching his matches none of it comes as naturally to him as others.
Mic and character work though, complete natural.
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Post by Deleted on Nov 29, 2021 14:38:44 GMT -5
CM Punk lacked natural athleticism. However he always had a great understanding of match psychology and was gifted with natural charisma. Ha, great minds.
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Post by ThankGodForSidJustice on Nov 29, 2021 17:09:35 GMT -5
Jake Roberts would be a good example. Unathletic and didn't have a good physique but had great psychology, mic skills, and charisma.
I guess currently maybe Becky Lynch. I'm not sure if she would qualify though since unlike the others that have been mentioned so far she does have a marketable look going for her in that she's a very pretty woman who looks very athletic even though she really isn't. However she clearly isn't a natural athlete by any means compared to a lot of the other women and comes off as pretty lead footed when wrestling yet is considered by most to be a good to great wrestler who has been very successful thanks to scoring high in the non athletic intangibles (charisma, mic skills, psychology, intensity). However again I don't really fully get the question in that I'm not sure if it's just not being a good athlete and yet being good or if it's also not having a good look to you plus not being athletic and being a great wrestler.
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Post by Mid-Carder on Nov 29, 2021 17:11:18 GMT -5
I think Cena has to be up there. He was great at working with different opponents and obvious exemplary character work but I don't think anyone could say he was a natural wrestler.
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Post by Deleted on Nov 29, 2021 17:37:02 GMT -5
Becky Lynch failed PE.
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Post by BorneAgain on Nov 29, 2021 17:43:34 GMT -5
Given how old he started and how much he never really stood out athletically (especially before creating his Yoga program) that DDP ended up being a fairly solid worker at his peak is a credit to his hard work.
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Post by ThankGodForSidJustice on Nov 29, 2021 18:11:38 GMT -5
And she showed up. Like I didn't think that even was possible. Maybe it's different in Ireland or something or maybe her teacher was a major hard ass but I always thought if you at least showed up and tried you would pass. That's at least how it was when I was in school and she's just two years older then I am so it's not like it could be a different times thing.
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Post by protuberance on Nov 29, 2021 18:40:20 GMT -5
Ohh, this is a great thread topic! I'm trying to think...
For physique, Dusty Rhodes has got to be up there, and he wasn't a stellar worker either. Mick Foley had superior natural athleticism and could work harder in the ring without blowing up.
For natural athleticism, call me crazy but I offer you Ric Flair, Roddy Piper, and Terry Funk. They all seemed like non-athletes to me in the way they moved, but they all could go and made themselves into great in-ring workers in their own ways.
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Post by tafkaga on Nov 29, 2021 18:41:54 GMT -5
Arn Anderson. Average size, average speed, average quickness, average look, average intelligence, average carpentry skills.
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Post by ThankGodForSidJustice on Nov 29, 2021 19:04:10 GMT -5
Arn Anderson. Average size, average speed, average quickness, average look, average intelligence, average carpentry skills. And yet he was able to parlay that into a wrestling career that was quite excellent.
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Post by Cranjis McBasketball on Nov 29, 2021 19:04:56 GMT -5
Arn Anderson. Average size, average speed, average quickness, average look, average intelligence, average carpentry skills. And a damn coward. Daniel Tosh called him out for 12 years. That old man never stepped up.
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Post by ThankGodForSidJustice on Nov 29, 2021 19:16:14 GMT -5
Ohh, this is a great thread topic! I'm trying to think... For physique, Dusty Rhodes has got to be up there, and he wasn't a stellar worker either. Mick Foley had superior natural athleticism and could work harder in the ring without blowing up. For natural athleticism, call me crazy but I offer you Ric Flair, Roddy Piper, and Terry Funk. They all seemed like non-athletes to me in the way they moved, but they all could go and made themselves into great in-ring workers in their own ways.
IDK Flair always seemed fairly athletically gifted to me in that he moved around at a pretty good speed and seemed decently strong. Piper and Funk I would agree. Both were entertaining to watch especially Funk but neither really ever did anything impressive from an athletic standpoint. Most of their matches were a lot of brawling and theatrics.
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Post by Deleted on Nov 29, 2021 19:18:35 GMT -5
Arn Anderson. Average size, average speed, average quickness, average look, average intelligence, average carpentry skills. But he was always packing heat.
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Post by Deleted on Nov 29, 2021 20:43:37 GMT -5
Arn Anderson. Average size, average speed, average quickness, average look, average intelligence, average carpentry skills. And a damn coward. Daniel Tosh called him out for 12 years. That old man never stepped up. Arn didn't want the legal hassle of pulling his glock on him.
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Post by Super Duper Dragunov on Nov 29, 2021 21:02:50 GMT -5
I agree with Punk and Cena.
For years I've called Cena's wrestling style "clunky".
But then again Punk tried to do some of the worst flying shoulder tackles I've ever seen recently, in addition to bringing back the "flailing leap" off the top rope.
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Post by Mozenrath on Nov 29, 2021 23:13:18 GMT -5
Her skeleton appears to be made out of depleted uranium. She has zero hangtime any time she tries to go in the air. I disagree about Dusty in that he was pretty spry for a big dude, something that served him. Foley, much less so and a poor vertical leap, but he was definitely built to take abuse, though even he had limits, as we'd see. Punk is a good choice. Unexceptional size, no real athleticism to speak of, and even at his peak, he has pretty meh muscle definition. He's got an expressive face and above average stamina, and basically nothing else going for him. Obviously, he made it work for him.
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Post by Oh Cry Me a Screwball on Nov 29, 2021 23:18:24 GMT -5
Cena's definitely a bit clunky when moving, but I don't think it can be denied that he's got freakish strength which is always going to be an asset in wrestling, which gives him a major edge over the likes of Punk and Becky.
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Post by "Evil Brood" Jackson Vanik on Nov 30, 2021 0:04:16 GMT -5
Miz isn't very coordinated at all. Just look at him try a springboard. It looks so damn difficult for him. But he eventually found a style that works perfectly for the company he's in.
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