WC Forums Top 50 Wrestlers (FULL LIST IS UP!)

[bigHEADinc]

Okay, as some of you may know, I recently posted a thread wanting to do a Wrestlecrap Forum Top 50 Wrestlers. If you do not know, the way to enter was to PM me your list of your OWN Top 25 Wrestlers. I took that list, gave each place a certain amount of points (1st = 25 points, 25th = 1 point, etc.), and then totaled the amount of points to give their place in the contest.

There were a total of 195 nominees!

Also, to dispute certain things, in the case of a tie, I would use the total number of individual votes. If the number of votes were tied, I would use whoever had the highest placement in any list. First and foremost, let's start with the Runners-Up...

10 RUNNER-UPS

Dynamite Kid (53 Points, 4 Votes)
Brian Pillman (52 Points, 6 Votes)
Bryan Danielson (51 Points, 4 Votes)
Finlay (51 Points, 3 Votes)
Rick Martel (50 Points, 4 Votes)
Al Snow (49 Points, 4 Votes)
Claudio Castagnoli (49 Points, 3 Votes)
Bruno Sammartino (47 Points, 4 Votes)
Ultimate Warrior (46 Points, 4 Votes)
Nigel McGuinness (44 Points, 4 Votes)

I will start posting the winners today, and will get in AT LEAST 10 per day, so keep checking back!

[Chainsaw]

Wow. Warrior. Really?

[The OP]

I voted Pillman, Finlay, and Martel. I hope that means my other choices placed on the actual list.

[bigHEADinc]

Here is the places. As I make an entry for each place, I will update this core list, so if you don't care about any sort of exposition, here's where you wanna check back.

1. Bret Hart
2. The Rock
3. Kurt Angle
4. Ric Flair
5. Steve Austin
6. Hulk Hogan
7. Shawn Michaels
8. The Undertaker
9. Chris Jericho
10. Chris Benoit
11. Curt Hennig
12. Randy Savage
13. Eddie Guerrero
14. Sting
15. Mick Foley
16. Samoa Joe
17. HHH
18. Scott Hall
19. Christopher Daniels
20. Christian Cage
21. Owen Hart
22. Jake Roberts
23. Rob Van Dam
24. Edge
25. Vader
26. Andre The Giant
27. British Bulldog
28. AJ Styles
29. Ted Dibiase
30. Kenta Kobashi
31. Jushin "Thunder" Liger
32. Roddy Piper
33. Sabu
34. William Regal
35. Kane
36. Dean Malenko
37. CM Punk
38. Rey Mysterio
39. Arn Anderson
40. Kevin Nash
41. Brock Lesnar
42. Raven
43. Rick Rude
44. Ricky Steamboat
45. Terry Funk
46. Big Show
47. Great Muta/Keiji Mutoh
48. Shelton Benjamin
49. Matt Hardy
50. Gregory Helms

[Hulk With A Mustache]

BRUNO SAMMARTINO IS A TENTH RUNNER UP!!!! WOW!!!!

[4real]

Wow, i don't think i voted for any of those. That a surprising line up.

[heffer111]

i hope my 25 point vote for steve blackman made it

[bigHEADinc]

#50 - GREGORY HELMS

[/b]

Total Points: 62 Points
Total Votes: 4
Highest Placement: 6 (1 Vote)[/center]

Bio: Cruiserweight Champion Gregory Helms is the longest-reigning Champion in WWE. The arrogant veteran captured the title at the 2006 edition of the Royal Rumble, putting an exclamation point on his transition from RAW to SmackDown.

Hell-bent on proving that he is the greatest Cruiserweight in WWE history, Gregory Helms no longer cares about anyone but himself. Of course, Helms wasn’t always filled with angst. Formerly known for fighting for truth, justice and the WWE way, The Hurricane was once a mild mannered reporter who doubled as a sports-entertainment superhero. He devoted several years to fighting for justice on RAW every Monday night, but now, Helms' sole focus is his own prosperity.

Prior to entering WWE, Helms was a star in WCW, where he held the Cruiserweight and Hardcore Championships. As the Hurricane in WWE, he once again held the Cruiserweight Championship, and also teamed with Kane to win the World Tag Team Championship. For a brief time during WrestleMania X8, he also held the WWE Hardcore Championship.

Video Link: Gregory Helms Tribute

[bigHEADinc]

#49 - MATT HARDY

[/b]

Total Points: 62 Points
Total Votes: 4
Highest Placement: 5 (1 Vote)[/center]

Bio: A victim of a bitter love triangle and corporate politics, Matt Hardy has become the face of a movement fueled by revenge and rage against the system for the wrong doings against him... and now that movement has come to Friday Night SmackDown! In the ring, Matt Hardy lives his motto: "I will not die". Time and time again he has sacrificed his body for both the enjoyment of the fans, and the sport which he has loved so dearly for his entire life.

Matt came to the WWE in 1998 as a tag team specialist, teaming up with his brother Jeff to form the appropriately named 'The Hardys'. While severely undersized, the Hardy's outstanding chemistry and unmatched heart carried them to stardom. The Hardys went on to become five time World Tag Team Champions in WWE before breaking up in 2002.

In 2003, shortly after joining the SmackDown roster, Matt Hardy pursued the Cruiserweight Championship. After struggling for weeks to make the weight limit, Hardy defeated Kidman for the Championship at No Way Out '03.

After he won the title, Hardy endured an up and down rivalry with Rey Mysterio. Hardy got the best of Rey Mysterio in a controversial Championship match at WrestleMania 19. A month later however, Mysterio got his revenge, defeating Hardy for the Cruiserweight Championship on SmackDown.

In 2004, Matt Hardy's girlfriend Lita became the object of Kane's affection. For weeks on RAW, Kane stalked Hardy and Lita, routinely abusing Matt while pursuing Lita, at one point even planting a disturbing kiss on Lita's cheek. On a June episode of RAW, Lita told Matt she was pregnant, presumably with his child. One week later, Matt prepared to propose to Lita, but was interrupted by Kane, who made a shocking allegation. Kane claimed that the baby Lita was carrying was not Matt's, but his own. At Vengeance, Hardy got a small matter of revenge, beating Kane in a No Disqualification Match after the use of a steel chair and ring steps. Shortly thereafter, Lita took a DNA test and found out that Kane was indeed the father. Matt told Lita that it didn't matter to him, and he still wanted to marry Lita. Kane however decided that he also wanted to marry Lita. A unique match was set for Summerslam, Matt Hardy vs. Kane for the right to marry Lita. Summerslam was a nightmare for Hardy as Kane won the match, and the right to marry Lita on RAW. The marriage took place two weeks later on RAW, but not without drama. A desperate Matt Hardy tried to come down and interrupt the wedding, but a forcefield of flames kept him from getting to the altar. After the vows, Kane attacked Hardy and brutally chokeslammed him off the stage. As a result, Hardy was badly injured and was forced to take time off from RAW.

While Hardy was away, he learned that his long-time real life girlfriend, Lita, was having a sordid affair with Edge. Adding to an already emotional period, Matt was also released from WWE during the same time. It wasn’t long before information regarding the personal hell Matt was experiencing became public knowledge. His faithful followers began to make their voices heard at WWE events across the country. In fact, Matt points out the crowd’s reaction at Madison Square Garden at the April 12 RAW for starting his “movement.”

Unable to simply sit at the sidelines while his heart was wrenching, Matt started popping up uninvited at WWE events, wreaking havoc on Edge and Lita every chance he had. He even called in and crashed Lita’s Byte This! interview, confronting her about their tumultuous relationship. Not long after, Mr. McMahon said that Hardy was starting fires all over the place, and he couldn’t help but to pour gasoline on those fires by re-hiring Matt.

Upon his return, Hardy adopted a vicious focus that has been previously unmatched in his career. For several months in 2005, Matt made the lives of Lita and Edge a living hell, just as they did to him.

After clashing with Edge on several occasions including a classic steel cage bout at the 2005 Unforgiven which saw Hardy defeat Edge following a daring legdrop from the top of the cage, Hardy and Edge would meet one more time in a ladder match at the RAW Homecoming in October 2005. The battle would result in the two bitter rivals’ careers going in quite different directions. After taking Edge to the limit and nearing an end, Lita interjected herself in the match costing Matt not only the match but his spot on the RAW roster.

Video Link: Matt Hardy Tribute

[bigHEADinc]

#48 - SHELTON BENJAMIN

[/b]

Total Points: 63 Points
Total Votes: 6
Highest Placement: 2 (1 Vote)[/center]

Bio: Growing up on the dangerous streets of urban Orangeburg, S.C., Shelton Benjamin felt pressure to join gangs. He lived in an area known for drug trafficking and weapons use, hung out with drug dealers and even found himself in the crossfire of several gunfights. To say that life was rough is an understatement, and Shelton admits that he could have easily slipped through the cracks and fallen into the traps of his hometown.

But rather than ending up on the wrong side of the tracks, he exceeded everyone’s expectations; instead of getting caught up in the drugs and violence, Shelton got his life on track. An exceptional athlete, Shelton won two South Carolina state high school heavyweight wrestling championships. He was accepted to the University of Minnesota, continuing his career as a stand-out amateur wrestler and eventually becoming a WWE Superstar. And after all he went through early on in life, it’s no wonder that Benjamin is so self-confident in the squared circle.

Achieving the goal of becoming a WWE Superstar was a life-long dream for Benjamin – a longtime sports-entertainment fan. Ever since he was young, Shelton was awed by the athleticism he saw in the ring each week on television. In fact, he even remembers the match that first caught his eye – Magnum T.A. vs. Wahoo McDaniel for the United States Championship in 1985.

Not only a great athlete, Benjamin also excels at video games, at one point winning the annual WrestleMania fan fest championship tournament three years in a row. For a guy who could excel at pretty much any sport he tried, why did Shelton Benjamin choose to join WWE?

“Honestly, I can’t think of anything else I’d rather do.”

Video Link: Shelton Benjamin Tribute

[Rockhound]

Matt Hardy, Shelton Benjamin, and Gregory Helms over Bruno Sammartino(11 year world champion...that's an 8 year and 3 year reign). Looks like the smarks strike again.

[odor31]

The only one so far that I voted for was Finlay...

[bigHEADinc]

#47 - GREAT MUTA/KEIJI MUTOH

[/b]

Total Points: 67 Points
Total Votes: 4
Highest Placement: 5 (1 Vote)[/center]

Bio: After graduating from the New Japan Academy, Mutoh worked his first match in 1984 under the guise of White Ninja. After an uneventful stint under the WM gimmick, Mutoh was sent to North American to grow as a worker, and captured the NWA Florida Heavyweight Championship, winning the title on 5/21/86 and dropping it on 6/86. Back in Japan he then hooked up with The Great Kabuki and formed the tag team of The Rising Sons and had a decent run.

After Mutoh and Kabuki parted ways, he again hooked up in a tag team, this time with Shiro Koshinaka and the two captured IWGP Tag Team Titles (Mutoh’s first tag titles gold) when they went over Akira Maeda and Nobuhiko Tanaka in a tournament final on 20/3/87. However their tag title run only last all of a week, as Maeda and Tanaka won the titles back on 26/3/87. Now a big name draw in Japan, Mutoh moved his sights to North America again, more precisely, World Championship Wrestling (WCW and NJPW had a talent trading/working agreement at the time).

Mutoh, now wrestling under the ‘Great Muta’ gimmick was an instant hit, and was put in a programme straight away with WCW’s top (baby) face Sting. The two clicked immediately and had classic matches which were mostly for the NWA T.V title, with Mutoh challenging and indeed in September ’89, management had enough faith in him to give him the nod to go over Sting for the title. His title run lasted a moderate four months, before starring at the lights for Arn Anderson.

In 1990, teaming with Masahiro Chono, Mutoh went over Masa Saito and Shinya Hashimoto to win the IWGP Tag Team Titles for a second time, holding onto the gold for a respectable seven month run. Splitting with Chono, Mutoh then formed another combo with Hiroshi Hase, and downed Rick and Scot Steiner on 5/11/91 in a great match at the Tokyo Dome for the IWGP Tag Team Tiles, Mutoh’s third time. Four months passed until Hase and Mutoh were toppled, by (Big Van) Vader and Bam Bam Bigelow.

Mutoh then returned to North America and WCW for some months, working matches against/with Sting, then returned back to Japan in 1992, and officially became the biggest draw in the business at the time downing legend Riki Choshu for the IWGP World Heavyweight title on 11/8/92 and ending on 20/9/93.

Mutoh then made history in an unprecedented move by going over Masahiro Chono to win the NWA World Heavyweight title, uniting it with the IWGP World Heavyweight title on 4/1/93 until 1/5/93 losing the title to Barry Windham. Proving to be every bit the company man, Mutoh then dropped the IWGP Heavyweight title to Shinya Hashimoto. Over the next two years, Mutoh would cement his status as a one of the best in the world by winning the 1993 and 1994 Super Grades tournaments and hooking up with Hiroshi Hase again to win (for the fourth time, on 4/1/93) the IWGP Tag titles.

Defending the title for a lengthy six months, the duo was forced to vacate (on 10/6/95) after Mutoh downed Shinya Hashimoto on 3/5/95 for the IWGP Heavyweight title, for the second time. This time his title run lasted eight months until 4/1/96 when he jobbed to Nobuhiko Tanaka. With the huge success WCW was having in North America with the n.W.o gimmick, and NJPW and WCW still having a working agreement, the n.W.o International gimmick was carted over to Japan, with the n.W.o faction being led by No.1 heel Masahiro Chono. Mutoh had an integral part of the success of the gimmick in NJPW, as Mutoh was the n.W.o’s main challenger. After going over Chono in a big-time match, Mutoh turned heel and eventually joined the heel stable, donning the face paint and under the guise of The Great Muta (the gimmick which he had used on-and-off for the past near-ten years) and teamed with former partner turned-enemy turned-partner again Chono. Mutoh played the heel-turn almost to perfection as he struggled with the moral dilemma of joining the ‘bad guys’ and turning on the fans. Mutoh left the faction due to a falling out with Chono, only to return a short time later and team with Chono again to capture the IWGP Tag Team Titles, for Mutoh the fifth time on 91/10/97.

The tandem had to then vacate the titles (on 5/6/98) after Mutoh sustained a serious knee injury. After recovering from the resulting knee surgery, Mutoh and Chono were shipped off to North America and WCW where they showed up an edition of Monday Nitro and defeated Alex Wright and the Disco Inferno in a tag match. Then, on 4/1/99, Mutoh went over IWGP World Heavyweight titleholder Scot Norton to win the title, Mutoh’s third title run. Between 4/1/99 and 10/12/99 Mutoh would defend the title against the likes Don Frye, Scot Norton and Manabu Nakanishi, before finally starring at the ceiling for Genichiro Tenryu (on 10/12/99).

Early-2000 was a quite period for Mutoh, doing battle with his off-again partner Chono, with Chono getting the nod more-often than not. Later that same year, in the summer, Mutoh again showed up in WCW, being teamed with Vampiro and the Innate (Insane) Clown Posse and starting a programme with then WCW Commissioner Ernest Miller. Hardly a great pairing (due to Miller’s inept working ability), their matches were unremarkable at best, and at the New Blood Rising pay-per-view Miller even got the nod to go over Mutoh, after Mutoh’s green-mist gimmick landed on Miller, but Miller made a comeback and pinned Mutoh. Vampiro and Mutoh them teamed together that night (13/8/00), and won the WCW Tag Team Titles.

He and Vampiro held them for 24 hours, before they dropped them to Juvi Guerrera and Ray Mysterio Jr. on Monday Nitro. Mutoh and Vampiro then worked several matches with Sting, although they weren’t to the same standard as they were in the early 1990’s. Vampiro and Mutoh then feuded, leading to some so-so matches. After pishing around in WCW for months, Mutoh returned to NJPW, and on 6/8/01, Mutoh won the AJPW Triple Crown for the first time. In 2003, Mutoh was at the helm of the booking for the Wrestle-1 shows, with the first being semi-successful, and the second being a semi-commercial success, but critically and artistically being terrible.

Whilst he still holds his position in the office he has wisely decided against any further Wrestle-1 Shows and instead is concentrating on running All Japan as a steady promotion with long time hero Kawada as the wrestling focal point. He also helped bring in old friend Hashimoto's Zero-1 crew who fought with AJPW in a brief and entertaining war

As much as he stepped aside he did however win the Tag Titles with Arashi in June 2003 and also the Champions Carnival in April 2004 defeating Kensuke Sasaki with a trademark Moonsault, showing that he's still not going to let Kojima and Kawada and even Kea have all the glory just yet, then again old habits die hard.

Since then he has tried (and failed) to capture two more Carnivals failing in the group stages in 2005 after a shock loss to up and coming Suwama and again this year in a tough group that included Sasaki, Yoshie, Suwama, eventual winner Kea and Bull Buchanan. He also failed to take the Triple Crown for the third time when he faced off against reigning champ Kojima in former IWGP and 3 Crown double champ's second defence.

Still on top as president of the company Muto is now keen to establish the younger generation as both wrestlers and entertainers lead by the suplex dealing monster Suwama as well as reforming the former King's Road into his own vision inspired by his dealings with American wrestling in the past. Whatever happens the former three musketeer is still one of Puroresu's most enduring leaders and legends.

Video Link: Great Muta/Keiji Mutoh Tribute

[bigHEADinc]

rockhound said:

Matt Hardy, Shelton Benjamin, and Gregory Helms over Bruno Sammartino(11 year world champion...that's an 8 year and 3 year reign). Looks like the smarks strike again.

Remember, this isn't a smark/non-smark, whatever thing... This is about who is YOUR Top 25, and with that there is no criteria. Trust me, seeing Scotty 2 Hotty sitting at the #1 spot one somebody's list wasn't what I expected, but i did see that (although, sadly, he didn't make the list) so take the "smark" argument out of here.

Also, last time I checked, you didn't even end up voting. A #1 spot for Bruno could've brought him up several places... Too busy?..

[odor31]

Ooooooh, Snap. Keep em coming don't respond to us.

[bigHEADinc]

#46 - BIG SHOW

[/b]

Total Points: 67 Points
Total Votes: 5
Highest Placement: 5 (1 Vote)[/center]

Bio: At WWE vs. ECW Head to Head on June 7, 2006, Wight jumped to the returning ECW brand by removing his RAW shirt to reveal an ECW shirt during a twenty man battle royal including members of the RAW and SmackDown rosters against members of the ECW roster. He went on to win the match for ECW by eliminating Randy Orton over the ropes. Big Show went on to appear at One Night Stand on June 11, 2006, attacking Tajiri, Super Crazy and the Full Blooded Italians after their tag team match, thus turning heel once again.

On the July 4, 2006 episode of ECW on Sci Fi, Wight beat Rob Van Dam to win the ECW World Championship with the assistance of ECW's General Manager Paul Heyman. The victory made him the first ever professional wrestler to hold the WWE Championship, WCW World Heavyweight Championship and ECW World Championship. Over the next several weeks, Wight defeated many other wrestlers from other brands, such as Ric Flair, Kane, Batista and The Undertaker to retain his championship. However, he lost to the Undertaker at the Great American Bash in the first ever Punjabi Prison match, acting as a substitute for The Great Khali, who was removed due to elevated liver enzymes. (In the storyline, Theodore Long replaced Khali with Big Show as punishment for an attack on The Undertaker shortly before the match.) He also feuded with Sabu, whom he defeated at SummerSlam.

Soon after, he joined Vince and Shane McMahon in feuding against D-Generation X. At Unforgiven, Wight and the McMahons were defeated by DX in the first ever Handicap Hell in a Cell match.

On November 5, 2006 at Cyber Sunday he faced John Cena and King Booker in a Champion of Champions match. The fans voted for King Booker's World Heavyweight Championship to be on the line. Booker won the match following interference from Kevin Federline, who was just beginning a feud with Cena at the time.

At Survivor Series 2006, Cena wrestled Big Show in a traditional 10 Man Survivor Series Tag Team Match, with Cena and ECW newcomer Bobby Lashley leaving as the sole survivors of the match after Cena pinned Big Show after an F-U.

Wight began a feud with Lashley, who left SmackDown to join the ECW brand to participate in the Extreme Elimination Chamber match at December to Dismember for the ECW World Championship. At the event, Lashley pinned Wight to win the match and claim the ECW Championship.

On December 6, 2006, following an unsuccessful rematch, WWE.com announced that Wight is taking time off from the ring to heal injuries he has sustained during wrestling in ECW. In an interview he said quote, "I’m a raw-boned bastard that breaks things and moves the immovable objects. When I’m injured, I can’t do those things. I’m much more valuable healthy both mentally and physically, and this hiatus will help me to get there."

Video Link: Big Show Tribute

[JoshWoodrumGreaterThanHBK]

seriously.... fans are stupid..... Ten Bucks says everyone voted for some ROH favorite... and not guys WHO ACTUALLY DID SOMETHING...... like Bruno..... Hogan.... Triple H....

[bigHEADinc]

#45 - RICK RUDE

[/b]

Total Points: 72 Points
Total Votes: 7
Highest Placement: 6 (1 Vote)[/center]

Bio: World Wrestling Federation 1987-1990

In the WWF, Rude was managed by Bobby "The Brain" Heenan and feuded with "Mr. Wonderful" Paul Orndorff before starting one of his most famous feuds with Jake "The Snake" Roberts. Rude had a routine where he would kiss a girl (that Heenan picked from the fans) all the way down to the mat after a successful match. On one occasion, he tried to get Roberts' real-life wife, Cheryl, to comply, aggravating Roberts. On another memorable occasion during the Roberts/Rude feud, Rude came to the ring with a picture of Cheryl stenciled on the front of his tights. A furious Roberts charged the ring and stripped Rude, appearing (to the television viewer) to leave him naked (the live audience saw him stripped to a thong instead).

Rude's next big feud was with The Ultimate Warrior and began in January 1989 at the Royal Rumble pay-per-view in a "posing contest". With a little help from Heenan, Rude won the Intercontinental Championship from the Warrior at WrestleMania V, before dropping it back to the Warrior at SummerSlam 1989 due in large part to interference from "Rowdy" Roddy Piper. Rude then feuded with Piper, before resuming his conflict with the Warrior in the summer of 1990 after the Warrior had won the WWF World Heavyweight Championship. The two battled in a cage at SummerSlam 1990, in the only Pay-Per-View Rude would ever headline as a solo wrestler. Rude failed to win the title and departed the WWF in October 1990 right before he was scheduled to feud with the Big Boss Man (which had its potential start when Rude started to make degrading comments about the Bossman's mother).
Rick Rude as the WCW United States Champion.
Rick Rude as the WCW United States Champion.

[edit] World Championship Wrestling 1991-1994

Rude returned to Jim Crockett Promotions, now known as World Championship Wrestling, as The Halloween Phantom at Halloween Havoc on October 27, 1991. He founded and led The Dangerous Alliance, consisting of himself, Paul E. Dangerously, Madusa, Arn Anderson, Bobby Eaton, Larry Zbyszko and "Stunning" Steve Austin. Rude won the United States Championship from Sting and feuded with Ricky Steamboat, at one point breaking his nose in a gang attack.

In 1992, Rude and Madusa left The Dangerous Alliance and feuded with Nikita Koloff. Rude challenged reigning World Heavyweight Champion Ron Simmons on several occasions but did not defeat him. He was injured in December of that year and was forced to forfeit the United States Championship. Rude returned alone in April 1993 and tried to reclaim the title from Dustin Rhodes, who had won it while he was injured. The title was eventually held up after several controversial finishes to matches between the two.

Rude switched his sights to the NWA World Heavyweight Championship, making his intentions clear on August 28, 1993, when he was the guest on then-champion Ric Flair's "A Flair For the Gold" talk segment. Rude went on to defeat Flair for the title in September 1993 at Fall Brawl. However, as WCW had recently withdrawn from the NWA, the title could no longer be called the NWA World Heavyweight Championship (WCW had purchased the belt itself, however). The title was renamed the WCW International Championship, which Rude lost to Hiroshi Hase on March 16, 1994 in Tokyo, Japan. Rude regained the title just eight days later in Kyoto, Japan. After dropping the title to Sting on April 17, Rude pinned Sting on May 1 in Fukuoka to become a three time champion. However, Rude injured his back during the match; unable to wrestle, he was stripped of the title (with the storyline excuse that he was found to have used the title belt as a weapon in the course of the match). Rude retired shortly after.

[edit] Extreme Championship Wrestling 1997

Rude collected on an insurance policy and did not compete in wrestling again until 1997, when he joined Extreme Championship Wrestling as a masked man who harassed Shane Douglas, at one point spanking Francine. He eventually unmasked and became a color commentator. He would later align himself, for a short time, with Shane Douglas and his Triple Threat. During the ECW versus USWA / WWF inter-company competition, Rude helped Jerry "The King" Lawler defeat ECW mainstays Tommy Dreamer and The Sandman.
L-to-R: Rick Rude, Chyna, Shawn Michaels and Triple H.
L-to-R: Rick Rude, Chyna, Shawn Michaels and Triple H.

[edit] Return to the World Wrestling Federation 1997

Rude later returned to the WWF as an "insurance policy" of the D-Generation X stable (Shawn Michaels, Triple H and Chyna). He assisted with several sneak attacks on The Undertaker. He left the WWF after the Montreal Screwjob at the 1997 Survivor Series. According to Bret Hart, Rude stayed in the locker room during Bret's confrontation with Vince McMahon. Rude then called Eric Bischoff and informed him what had happened was in fact real. As Rude was not signed to a full-time contract with WWF, and was performing on a "per appearance" basis, Rude was able to negotiate a deal with Bischoff and WCW, in part due to his anger over the Montreal Screwjob.

[edit] Return to World Championship Wrestling 1997-1998

Rude appeared on both RAW is WAR and WCW Monday Nitro on November 17, 1997. A more clean-shaven Rude appeared on Nitro, which was live, and proceeded to criticize the WWF, calling the company the "Titanic" (a reference to Titan Enterprises, as the WWF's parent company was then known as the "sinking ship"). An hour later on RAW (which had been taped six days earlier), Rude then appeared with a beard. Rude also appeared on ECW's Hardcore TV during that weekend (November 14-16 as the show was syndicated differently depending on the market). Rude was still making ECW appearances while in D-Generation X.

Rude became a member of the New World Order, managing his friend Curt Hennig. When the nWo split, Hennig and Rude joined the nWo Wolfpac and tried to motivate Konnan to defeat Goldberg, who was undefeated at the time. When Konnan was defeated by Goldberg, Rude and Hennig attacked him, later joining nWo Hollywood, the rivals of the Wolfpac. By late 1998, both Rude and Hennig were off WCW TV due to injuries. Hennig had an ongoing leg injury that year, and Rude had testicular cancer. However Rude's cancer was not life threatening. Curt Hennig returned to the nWo from his injury at Starrcade '98 without Rude, who was still unable to appear on WCW. Rick Rude was actually rumored to be training for a full time comeback to active wrestling in early 1999.

Video Link: Rick Rude Tribute

[bigHEADinc]

#44 - TERRY FUNK

[/b]

Total Points: 72 Points
Total Votes: 7
Highest Placement: 5 (1 Vote)[/center]

Bio: By the time Terry Funk showed up in ECW, he was already "middle-aged and crazy." Well into his '50s, many thought it was time for the hardcore legend to hang up his boots, but the "Funker" had other plans.

For several years, Funk took Dreamer on as his protege and the two paired in some classic tag team matches. It was also in ECW that Funk's love-hate relationship with Cactus Jack really took form. The two hardcore legends battled so frequently that they began to respect one another, and they became very close friends.

At ECW's Holiday Hell '93, Funk defeated Sabu for the ECW World Title, and four years later at Barely Legal, Funk defeated Raven to capture the title for a second time. The night was so memorable for Funk not just because he won the ECW World Title, but also because of how the fans supported him both during and after the match.

For a man who was only a few years away from collecting a Social Security check, Funk gave ECW everything he had. Funk embraced the notion of helping younger competitors. He knew that in order to get the next generation of stars ready, he'd have to wrestle with and against them. And it is because of that attitude that Terry Funk was looked at as the Babe Ruth of ECW.

Video Link: Terry Funk/Cactus Jack Deathmatch (Music Video)

[Spankymac is sick of the swiss]

The Funker made the list? Awesome.