World Wrestling Magazine: Top 100 Wrestlers Special Edition

Including: 100 Years Of Pro Wrestling Timeline

100GREATESTPROFESSIONAL

WRESTLERSOF ALL TIME

SAMMARTINO

HBK

AUSTIN

HOGAN FLAIR

ANDRE

CENA

ROCK

THE

Hart / Angle / Steamboat Regal / Jericho / Edge / Sting Undertaker / Warrior / Thesz Malenko / Lawler / Helmsley

Special Collector’s Edition

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Pages 6/7 - Wrestlers 87-100








Pages 24-28 - Wrestlers 1-5

Page 30 - More Top 10s

Page 32 - Just For Fun

Dont forget to follow the Incredible Hulk Hogan as he takes you on a journey through this history of Pro-Wrestling!

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Shelton Benjamin Marty Janetty

Perry Saturn

Gregory HelmsMatt Hardy

Bam Bam Bigelow

Rikishi

One of the most controversial stars of the Attitude Era, the Big Valbowski came to Raw is War and set about bringing a whole new scene of romance to the ring. Heading to the ring in nothing but a tow-el, Venis had every single woman in the audience on edge; wanting to keep the males on his side to he would often chuck in a an off-colour joke.

He joined the faction ‘Right to Censor’ in mid-2000, a group that set about elimi-nating all that was wrong with the WWE at the time. Former fan favourites such as the Godfather joined him in what would become one of the most hated groups in WWE history.

Tommy Dreamer

Sabu

Steve Williams

Scott Steiner

Tazz Billy Gunn

Val VenisDebuted in the WWE as part of the Rockers alongside Shawn Michaels, the two won many tag team titles before HBK turned his back on his partner to go solo.

The two former partners would have an intense rivalry throughout the early 1990s with Jannetty beating Michaels for his Intercontinental Championship.

He would have one more run as a tag champion, this time with 1-2-3 kid when they defeated The Quebecers for the titles.

A phenomenally agile competitor, Benjamin excelled in the WWE after applying his trade at amateur level. He debuted in the WWE as part of Team Angle alongside Charlie Haas and Angle himself. Benjamin and Haas would break away from Angle and form The World’s Greatest Tag Team where they would win multiple Tag Team Championships.

The team disbanded when Benjamin was drafted to RAW where he would mirror his tag team success winning the Intercontinental Championship and picking up a victory over the World Heavyweight Champion Triple H.

A very dangerous man, he enjoyed one of the most epic rivalries in ECW history with Rob Van Dam. Sabu was known to have a fondness of chairs and would look to use them as a weapon whenever possible. He held every title there was to hold in ECW including the ECW Champi-onship on two occasions.

Whilst in WCW, Saturn excelled in the tag team division winning the tag titles twice, once with Raven and once with Chris Benoit. As WCW began to crumble, Saturn along with Dean Malenko, Eddie Guerrero and Chris Benoit jumped ship to WWE.

The four ‘Radicalz’ would cause nuisance in their opening months in the WWE before disbanding. Saturn went on to win both the Hardcore and Euro-pean Championships in his time with the company.

Like nobody before him, Bam Bam Bigelow was unbelievably agile for a man over 400 pounds. His 15 year career would see him win the WCW World Heavyweight Champi-onship as well as a dozen other singles titles across all three major promotions, WWE, WCW and ECW.

Whether you know him as Gregory Helms or as The Hurricane, the man has a unique charisma that has charmed audiences all over the World. The fun loving superhero Hurricane is a multiple time Cruiserweight Champion and also once captured the Hardcore title at Wrestlemania 18, a night where it

changed hands 7 times.

A huge member of the Samoan legacy in pro wrestling, Rikishi is related to former WWE Champi-ons such as Yokozuna and The Rock.

He won the WWE Tag Team titles half a dozen times with partners Haku and Scotty 2 Hotty. Rikishi entertained audiences with his exceptional dance skills alongside Too Cool.

The self-proclaimed Suplex machine could slam you down on to the mat before you could say Slobber Knocker. He’d choke you out with his patented Tazzmission before boasting to the crowd about just how good he was.

Part of arguably the greatest tag team to ever exist, the New Age Outlaws, Billy Gunn had an equally impressive singles career, win-ning both the European and Intercontinental Championships as well as being crowned the 1999 King of the Ring.

Along with his brother Jeff, the Hardy boyz lit up arenas all over the world. Although Matt’s singles career didn’t reach the heights of his brothers he did have runs as the Cruiser-weight, European, Hardcore and United States Champion as well as winning the ECW Championship when he re-opened in 2006.

Known to many simply as the King of Extreme, Tommy Dreamer is a two time ECW Champion and an impres-sive 14 time WWE Hardcore Champion.

His signature weapon of choice was a kendo stick which he would often smash over the head of his oppo-nents before picking up the victory.

Enjoyed the most part of his career in Japan where he be-gan an impressive undefeated streak which would last for 10 years. The streak came to an

end when he lost to the then ECW World Champion Raven.

He won three Heavyweight titles during the territory days.

Big Poppa Pump enjoyed the most successful part of his career whilst working in WCW where he became a Triple Crown Champion.

He defeated Booker T in 2000 to win his first and only World Heavyweight Championship before moving to the WWE where he had a success-ful spell in a tag team with Test.

1900-1913 - Frank Gotch brings Wrestling into the public domain 1913 - Popularity of wrestling heavily declines due to Frank Gotch retiring 1920 - Goldust trio launch the first ever Wrestling Promotion 1929 - National Wrestling Assosiation crowns its first champion in Jim Londos

April 2014 World Wrestling Magazine 6 April 2014 Top 100 Wrestlers Special Edition 7

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7778Trained by the famous Malenko family, X-pac was an amazing light-heavy-weight competitor. He is a multiple time Light Heavy-weight and Cruiserweight Champion and had over-whelming success as part of D-Generation-X where he had big rivalries with the big red machine Kane and the son of the boss himself Shane McMahon.

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Tito Santana

Batista

Bob OrtonBig Boss Man

Lex Luger

Christian

X-PacYokozuna

King Kong Bundy

Goldust

Gerald Brisco

Toots Mondt

7172

Vader

Paul Orndoff

George Steele

Mark Henry

Father to the legend killer Ran-dy Orton, Bob was a second generation superstar who was good friends with the twisted Rowdy Roddy Piper. His most memorable moment in history came at the very first Wrestle-mania when he inadvertently hit Paul Orndoff instead of Mr T allowing the A-Team star and Hulk Hogan to pick up the victory.

There was only one man who you could go to get some law and order in the WWE in the late 1980s, the Big Boss Man. Whether he was the clean edged good cop in the early part of his career or the corrupt bent cop of Mr McMahons Corporation the man from Cobb Country,

Georgia knew how to take down an oppo-nent.Often hand cuffing his opponents to the ropes until they admitted their wrong doings, the Bossman was a firm fan favour-ite, that was until he aligned himself with the devil, Vince Mcmahon.

The 450 pound powerhouse enjoyed tremendous success in Japan where he has become a wrestling legend, he got his big break in WCW in the early 90s where he battled the likes of Ric Flair and Sting and won three WCW World Championships.

A short spell in the WWE would see him take on and defeat even more legends of the game such as the Undertaker of whom he scored a mas-sive victory over at the Royal Rumble in 1997.

A very unique character to say the least, Steele would intimidate his opponents by eating the turn-buckle before the bell was rung. He made his name by taking on another monstrous human being, Bruno Sammartino.

Sporting a hairy chest and a green tongue ‘The Animal’ lived up to his nickname and was often un-controllable no matter who tried to reason with him.

Looking at now nearly 20 years in the business, Mark Henry was a former Olympic weight lifter who came to the WWE with tremendous agility for a big man.

He is a former World Heavyweight Champion and had successful runs under the gimmicks of Sexual Choc-olate and the World’s Strongest Man alongside being part of the Nation of Domination with The Rock, The Godfather and D lo Brown.

Along with his brother Edge and the Hardy Boyz, Chris-tian brought a new meaning to the phrase ‘high-flyer’ with their epic encounters in matches that involved a lot of ladders, a lot of chairs and a lot of risks.

Although he didn’t enjoy as much success as his brother in the singles division, Christian was a long running Intercontinental Champi-on in the early part of his career and finally captured the World Heavyweight Championship in 2011.

With Mr Fuji by his side, Yokozuna made an instant impact in the WWE and began his quest through the superstars like Godzilla through the streets of New York.

A two time WWE Champion, his run at the top would match any super-

star of any time, he made big time players look small and weak.

Hulk Hogan, Lex Luger and even the Undertaker all tried and failed to dethrone the 600 pounder in his 10 month reign as champion.

Brisco enjoyed unbelievable success as a tag team cham-pion with his older broth-er during the 1970s, winning nearly 25 different accolades.

Although never winning the main championship, Brisco did win a number of minor titles before taking up a corporate position in the WWE in the 1990s where he would also play a cameo role in the Kayfabe stable ‘The Cor-poration’ where he would win the Hardcore Championship.

‘Mr Wonderful’ had heated rival-ries with Jerry Lawler and Ted Di Biase in the mid-south territo-ries before moving to the WWE and becoming an instant main eventer. He teamed with Rowdy Roddy Piper in the main event of the very first Wrestlemania where they took on the team of Hulk Hogan and Mr T.

One of the most exciting superstars to watch of the 1980s, Santana was a two time Intercontinental and Tag Team Champion and was crowned the 1989

King of the Ring.

He and Hulk Hogan are the two only men to have taken part in each of the

first 9 Wrestlemanias.

Santana re-developed his character to El Matador in 1991, giving a new sense of excitement to the crowd and pro-

longing his career further.

With a physique that matched his frame, King Kong Bundy was a big time player in the 1980s and 90s. He headlined Wrestlemania 2 in a steel cage with Hulk Hogan and came close to defeating the Undertaker at Wrestlemania 11.

During his 20 year career he would hold the NWA American Heavyweight Championship on two occasions.

Making his debut as D-Von Dud-leyz sidekick in 2002, Dave Batista would go on to become one of the biggest superstars of the last 10 years.

Learning his trade under the wings of Ric Flair and Triple H, ‘The Animal’ is now a 6 time World Heavyweight Champion and has won the Royal Rumble on two separate occasions.

The oldest son of the legendary Dusty Rhodes, Goldust is more than just your average superstar. Dressed head to toe in gold and black and sporting a long blonde wig on his way to the ring, his unique style would co-exist with a superb in ring ability that would climax with him hitting his opponents with ‘Shattered Dreams’

He recently returned to the WWE to team up with his younger brother Cody and become the Tag Team Champions.

With his bodybuilder physique, it didn’t take very long for Lex Luger to reach the top of WCW. He had two runs at the top of WCW winning the World Championship in both, sandwiched in between was a small run in the WWE which would see him co-win the Royal Rumble with Bret Hart.

He was the first man to defeat the heel Hulk Hogan when he was leader of the NWO and had run ins with other legends such as Ric Flair and Dusty Rhodes.

Toots Mondt revitalised the world of Professional Wrestling after the death of Frank Gotch as part of the Goldust trio. He learnt his trade as a teenager and be-came one of the strongest men in the world through-out the 1920s.

He later became the co-founder of the WWWF which is of course now known as WWE.

1940s - Each territory crowns its own champion causing hostility between the promotions 1948 - National Wrestling Alliance is formed becoming the governing body of Pro Wrestling1930-40 More and more territories open across the USA


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John Bradshaw Layfield

Finlay

Rey Mysterio

Billy Graham

Bob Backland Kane Jimmy Snuka

Brock Lesnar

Dory Funk JR

Jeff Hardy

DieselJake Roberts

Rick RudeBooker T

Psycho Sid

Honky Tonk Man

Hailing from San Diego, Rey Mysterio is one of the all-time greatest high fliers to grace the ring. His matches with the likes of Psychosis and Eddie Guerrero in WCW were like nothing ever seen before.

Standing at just 5”6 and weighing under 200 pounds the odds are always stacked against Mysterio but in 2006 he proved that anything is possible when he won the 30 man Royal Rumble and then the World Heavyweight Championship at Wrestle-mania 22.

The self-proclaimed Wrestling God had tremendous tag team success in the APA with Faarooq during the Attitude Era before branching out to singles competition in 2002 where he would become the main guy on the Smackdown branch winning both the US and WWE Champion-ship.

JBL retired from the ring in 2007 and took up a place as the colour commentator at ring side alongside Michael Cole. The partnership is now 7 years strong, they even have their own podcast.

Often referred to as ‘Fit-Finlay’ this Irishman is a legitimate tough guy. After beating every guy to a bloody pulp in Europe he moved to the USA and did exactly the same in both WCW and WWE capturing the likes of the United States and Hardcore Titles on his way.

Coming out of Mem-phis, Tennessee with his hair slicked back, audacious robes and a guitar in hand you may have thought that you’d walked back into the 1950s when the Honky

Tonk Man’s music hit. Don’t be fooled by what you see though, Honky Tonk was one of the sneakiest superstars in the locker room, he held the Intercontinental title for a record 454 days.

‘Superstar’ Billy Graham was a man competing way before his time; his outrageous and colourful attire set the standard of what we would see 20 years later in the likes of Hulk Hogan. A genuine bad guy, Graham defeated the great Bruno Sam-martino to win the WWE Championship in 1977.

When the Superfly leapt of the top of the turnbuckle you should brace yourself for immediate impact and pain. His signature Superfly Smash brought a new sense of excitement to wrestling fans in the late 70s/early 80s. Although never making it to the top of the two powerhouse companies, Snuka did capture the ECW Heavyweight Championship

on one occasion.

When Paul Bearer emerged on the Titantron screaming “YOU’RE BROTHER IS COMING UNDERTAK-ER” everyone thought he had lost the plot. That was until Badd Blood when the masked seven foot mon-ster appeared from the darkness and Tombstoned his brother. 17 years later, the Big Red Machine is still going strong in the WWE having held the World Heavyweight Cham-pionship on two separate occasions.

A stand out American hero, Backland was a fan favourite in the WWE long before the days of Hulk Hogan and Steve Austin. With the dangerous Crossface Chicken Wing submission hold in his arsenal Backland achieved he greatest accolade in 1978 when he defeated ‘Superstar’ Billy Graham for the WWE Championship.

By the time the 1990s had come around Backland had changed character completely, gone were his American heroics and in were his outlandish behaviour that eventu-ally saw the fans turn their back on him. He teamed with Kurt Angle in the late 90s before retiring.

Alongside his brother Matt as part of the Hardy Boyz, Jeff gained na-tional respect from fans for his daredevil like approach to the ring. The famous TLC matches of the early 2000s live fond in the memory of every wrestling fan that had the privilege to see it.

Jeff finally achieved his life-long dream and won the WWE Championship in 2008, defeat-ing both Triple H and Edge.

One of the most under-rated superstars in history; a 5 time, 5 time, 5 time, 5 time, 5 TIME, WCW Champion as well as an 11

time WCW Tag Team Champion, he was arguably entitled to his Hall of Fame ring before he had even graced the ropes of the

WWE.

Wrestling against new competition in the WWE only took the Book Man to new heights; he won both the Intercontinental and United States titles as well as the Tag Titles with Goldust. In 2006

he was crowned King of the Ring which would see him change his persona to ‘King Booker’. Armed with his two royal associates

Finlay and William Regal, he went on to win the World Heavy-weight Championship.

Demanding attention from the crowd and his fellow superstars, ‘Ravish-ing’ Rick Rude personified the word arrogance. The former Intercontinental Champion was as loved by the females in the crowd as much as he was hated by the males and he loved it. Towards the end of his career he appeared as an insurance policy for both the notorious groups D-Generation-X and the NWO

Whether he was known as Big Daddy Cool Diesel in the WWE or the leader of the NWO, Kevin Nash, the 7 foot giant drove fear into all those around him.

A former WWE and WCW World Cham-pion, Nash is the man who managed to stop the unbelievable undefeated run of Goldberg.

Nobody has made a bigger impact in the WWE than Brock Lesnar when he debuted in 2002. Labelled ‘The Next Big Thing’ by his manager Paul Heyman, the beast caused havoc every week, interfering in a number of matches and slamming everyone with his treacher-ous F5.

Within 3 months he had won the WWE Championship, de-feating The Rock at Summer-slam. He would remain at the top of the Smackdown brand for the following two years, entering rivalries with the likes of Big Show, Kurt Angle and Eddie Guerrero.

Considered to have one of the most brutal DDT finishers ever, Jake ‘The Snake’ Roberts was one of the most tenacious superstars to ever lace a pair of boots. Roberts was the master of psychology, assisted by his pet python Damien, he had all of his opponents, most notably Andre the Giant and the Honky Tonk Man fearful before they had even stepped into the ring.

One of the most sadistic su-perstars to ever embrace the squared-circle, Psycho or Sycho Sid at 6 foot 9 was so intense in the ring that very few were ever able to match up to him. An impressive win record against huge superstars such as Hulk Hogan and Shawn Michaels was made possible by his twisted mind games that would often see him become an ally of a superstar before bitterly turning his back on them and leaving them a bloody mess.

Dory and his younger brother Terry both held the NWA World titld during the 1970s.

Dory was the master of the spinning toe hold, a move that he used numerous times up and down the country whilst defending one of the many championships he held over the last 40 years.

1948 - Lou Thesz is crowned the very first NWA World Heavyweight Champion 1950s - Wrestling shows begin to be broadcast regurlarly on TV increasing popularity to new heights. 1953 - Future World Champion Hulk Hogan is born


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DDP

Lance Storm

Kerry Von Erich

Scott Hall

Davey Boy Smith

Faarooq Randy Orton Gorgeous GeorgeBig Show

William Regal CM Punk

Pat Patterson

Terry FunkSgt SlaughterEd Lewis

Gorilla Monsoon 44 Ken Shamrock

One of the first stars to take to the new TV era in the 1950s, George wore flamboyant coloured robes and had bleach blonde hair.His unmatched charisma and attitude at the time landed him a successful spell as a two time Heavyweight Champion.

The largest athlete in the world for the last 20 years, The Big Show has dominated wherever he has stepped foot. A Former WWE, WCW and ECW World Champion, his monstrous Chokeslam has destroyed just about every single superstar that has crossed his path.

An accomplished Cana-dian technical wrestler who is another student of the famous Stu Hart and his dungeon. Storm won the hearts of fans when he debuted in ECW winning the tag titles with Chris Candito

His impressive wrestling style earned him a move to WCW and later WWE where again he would win gold. His painful one legged Boston crab was the backbone to his success.

The youngest of the 3 Von Erich brothers, Kerry would have the most success, winning over 40 championships in a 15 year Career including the NWA World Heavyweight and the WWE Intercontinental titles.

A former manager to the likes of Badd Company and Scott Hall, DDP trained to become a wrestler and then became one of the biggest of the 1990s winning every single title that could be won in WCW.

A brief run in the WWE would see him capture the European title and even stalk The Under-taker’s wife. Risky business.

One of the most influential super-stars of all time; whether you know him as Scott Hall or the bad guy Razor Ramon, this man was pivotal in the success of wrestling in the 1990s.

Winning the Intercontinental Championship shortly after de-buting, Razor would successfully defend his title in the first ever ladder match against his good friend Shawn Michaels.

Joining WCW in 1996 he was a founding member of the notorious NWO alongside Kevin Nash. When Hulk Hogan joined the group things would go from strength to strength as they would dominate and almost run the entire company.

A guy known for his temper, the self-proclaimed World’s most dan-gerous man was not somebody you wanted to get on the wrong side of.

Armed with his dangerous Ankle Lock, Shamrock would often have to be refrained from snapping an opponent’s ankle in two.

A top draw Intercontinental and Tag Team Champion alongside winning the 1998 King of the Ring earned him a sport in Mr McMahon’s evil Corporation where he would achieve even more success.

Achieved great success as part of The British Bulldogs with the Dynamite Kid be-fore an equally impressive run in the WWE as a singles competitor.

Smith was technically fan-tastic and held every minor singles title in the company and won Intercontinental Championship from Bret Hart in front of 80,000 of his countrymen at Wembley in 1992

One of only a handful of third generation su-perstars, Randy Orton was always destined for success. At the age of just 24 he captured the World Heavyweight Championship making him the youngest champion in history.

His career has sky rocketed since then, he is now a 12 time World Champion; the winner of the 2009 Royal Rumble and the 2013 Money in the Bank holder

Before joining forces with Bradshaw as the APA and enjoying tremendous tag team success, Faarooq or Ron Simmons was a fantastic indi-

vidual competitor.

Winning the World Heavyweight Championship in 1992, Simmons was the first recognised Af-rican-American champion in history paving the way for future stars such as The Rock, Booker T

and Bobby Lashley.

A fantastic name in the wrestling busi-ness both in and out of the ring, his most notable achievement as a competitor was winning the very first Intercontinental Championship.

When he took a job behind the scenes with WWE he didn’t hang around trying to develop the com-pany, coming up with the idea of the Royal Rumble.

One of the very first genuine big guys, Slaugh-ter won many championships in his 20 year tenure in the business. He spent most of his time working as a heel and enjoyed frequent feuds with Hulk Hogan and the Ultimate Warri-or, the latter of whom he won his first and only WWE Championship from at the Royal Rumble

in 1991.

A fully fledged wrestling great who won a number of Heavyweight Championships in the 1920s. He was most known as part of the Gold dust trio, a group of young wres-tling promoters who introduced the likes of storylines and wrestling characters to the sport, changing it from legitimate fighting to more like the entertainment we see today.

Rising through the ranks on the independent circuit, gaining accolades and a loyal fan base along the way, CM Punk is one of the most truly unique superstars. Thevoice of the voice-less is the longest reigning WWE Champion of the modern era and the sixth longest of all time, holding the title for 434 days.

A superb technical wrestler consid-ering he weighed well over 300 pounds, Mon-soon was a highly respected wrestler during the 1960s and 70s who cap-tured the

United States Tag Team Champion-ship with Killer Kawalski and wrestled the greatest wrestler of the 60s Bruno Sammartino to a draw at Madison Square Garden.

A traditional Eng-lishman, William Regal is a fantas-tically well-oiled wrestler.

Learning his trade in his native England alongside the likes of Giant Haystacks, Regal would go on to be one of the biggest English-men to grace the audiences of the USA in both WCW and WWE.

Extreme legend Terry Funk is a former NWA World Champion and a two time ECW Cham-pion. Alongside his brother Dory, he was part of one of the most dominant tag teams of the territory days.

Towards the end of his career he was embezzled in a rivalry with Mick Foley that involved a number of matches that could’ve ended the careers of both superstars.

1950s/60s - Promotions grew in stature thanks to exposure from television, 100s of wrestlers were now being seen on a regular basis 1963 - WWWF is formed and breaks away from the NWA, Buddy Rogers is crowned the first ever WWWF Champion


1963 - Bruno Sammartino wins the

WWWF title from Buddy Rogers and remains undefeated for 8

years

1963 -

There are now two Heavyweight Champions: NWA Champion - Lou TheszWWWF Champion - Bruno Sammartino

1966-1971 -

The NWA World Championship changes hands on two separate occasions with Gene Kiniski and Dory Funk both picking up their

first title victories.

1988 -

Ted Turner purchases Jim Crocket Promo-tions and renames it World Championship

Wrestling (WCW)

1987 -

Hulk Hogan bodyslams Andre the Giant in front of 90,000 people at Wrestlemania 3

1982-84 -

Vince McMahon buys the WWWF from his father, changes the name

to WWF and recruits Hulk Hogan to spearhead his company; Hulkamania

is born

1985 -

The very first Wrestlemania takes place, Mr T and Hulk Hogan defeat Roddy Piper and Paul Orndorf in the main event

1984 -

Vince McMahon slowly starts buying out territories making his WWF the

first national promotion.

1981 -

Ric Flair wins his first of 6 NWA World Championships of the decade

1981 -

Harley Race wins his 6th NWA World Championship making him the all time record holder at this point

1970s -

Future Hall of Famers such as Jerry Lawler and the Brisco brothers begin to make

a name for themselves in Memphis and Florida respectively.

1973 -

Andre the Giant makes his Pro Wrestling Debut in the WWWF 1978 -

Bret Hart begins wrestling out of Stampede Wrestling Promotion in Calgary Canada

1986 -

Jim Crocket Promotions try to mirror the WWF by buying out other territories


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Eddie GuerreroDynamite Kid George Hackenschmit

Jack BriscoMr Perfect

One of the true great high fliers, RVD is arguably the most popular and successful athlete to come out of ECW. Long before the likes of Edge and Jeff Hardy were thrilling us in TLC matches there was one rivalry that began all things extreme, RVD vs Sabu. Their brutal matches paved

the way for a career at the top that would see him capture the Intercontinental, European and Hardcore titles all at the same time in the WWE. RVD is also a one time WWE Champion after defeating John Cena at ECW: One Night Stand.

The Million Dollar Man was one of the most terrifying men of his time; his weary cackle would scare the life out of the children in the audience before his deadly sleeper hold would do the same to his opponents in the ring.

With limitless funds Di Biase would cast a spell over the WWE proving that everyone indeed did have a price, pur-chasing the WWE Champion-ship from the recently heel turned Andre the Giant for a small fee.

Along with Frank Gotch this man laid the foundations for what professional wrestling is today. His rivalry with Gotch was like nothing seen before at the time; two top draw wrestlers both doing what they loved. Schmit is also the creator of the move the Bearhug.

Latino Heat was a tremendous technical wrestler that brought a bit of Mexican va va voom with him to the ring.

Whether he was lying, cheating or stealing his

way to victory, he re-mained a firm favourite with the audience for the majority of his career, driving his ever famous low rider into the arena every week.After years upon years of working the mid-

card, Guerrero finally got his shot at the big time in 2004 when he defeated Brock Lesnar at No Way Out to win his first and only WWE Championship.

One of the greatest wrestlers to come out of the United Kingdom, the Dynamite kid was a multiple time WWE tag champ with his cousin Davey Boy Smith as part of The British Bulldoggs

When it came to wrestling in Florida in the territory days there was no bigger star than Jack Brisco. During the 1970s he captured title after title in the south east of the United States before defeating Harley Race in 1975 for his first of two NWA World Heavyweight Championships

Years later he would join forces with his younger brother Gerald and dominate the world of tag team wrestling, most notably in the brutal feud with Terry and Dory funk, a rivalry that would last for nearly 15 years.

As you can tell from his name, everything Curt Hennig did was perfect. A wonderful technician in the ring backed up with a cocky personality was the perfect formula for success.

Under the leadership of Bobby ‘The Brain’ Heenan, Mr Perfect would capture two Intercontinental titles in the early 90s

bolstering his credibility as a top draw athlete before injuries would get the better of his career.

The Hennig family name continues to live on today through the frame of his son Curtis who has achieved success in the WWE

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GoldbergJerry Lawler

Chris JerichoRoddy PiperMick Foley

Chris Benoit

Mick Foley may not be remem-bered for his sculptured physique or technical in ring skills but he will be remembered as one of the gutsiest and entertaining performers of all time.

From a young age Foley had one dream and that was to be WWE Champion. After years of putting his body through unbelievable pain and torture; three different character personas and multiple near death experiences his dream came true in January 1999 when he pinned The Rock and became WWE Champion. This moment in history also goes down as the event that put the WWE back on top in the rating wars and subsequently ended WCW entirely.

The former Atlanta Falcons defensive tackle shot on to the scene in WCW in late 1997, his over whelming power blasted every superstar out of the water and resulted in an unprecedented 173-0 win streak, capturing the WCW World Heavyweight title on his way.

Equipped with the impressive Spear and the Jackhammer, Goldberg exploded into the WWE in 2003 destroying The Rock in the process. He would again destroy every superstar that crossed his path on the way to the World Heavyweight Championship including Triple H before ending his career in the ring just a year later, bowing out with a win over Brock Lesnar at Wrestlemania 20.

Dominating nearly all of the mid-south territories in the 1970s ‘The King’ became best known for his unlikely rivalry with comedian Andy Kaufman who received two deadly piledrivers from Lawler after insulting him in front of his home town crowd in Memphis.

King found his way to WWE in 1992 where he had run ins with Bret Hart and Doink the Clown before settling down next to Mr McMahon at the announcers table. During the high times of the Attitude Era, Lawler played a huge role as the colour commentator alongside the leg-endary Jim Ross; he would often be heard supporting the bad guy and screaming catchphrases like “Puppies!”

Without a shadow of a doubt Chris Benoit was one of the best technical wrestlers of his time. A submission master and a suplex machine, his signature Crippler Crossface would have any wrestler begging for mercy.

The Rapid Wolverine had tremendous success in both WCW and WWE winning ma-jor championships in both; he is also one of only 4 men who have been crowned a triple champion in both industries.

The Ayatollah of Rock ‘n’ Rolla is one of the most exciting superstars of all time. Labelled the next Shawn Michaels, Jericho didn’t hang around on his quest to the top, winning just about every single title there is to win WWE, WCW and ECW. Y2J cemented his legacy as a wrestling great when he became the first ever WWE Undisputed Champion defeating both Stone Cold Steve Austin and The Rock in the same night.

One of the greatest heels of all time, ‘Hot Rod’ found success in the WWE as the man who would try to take down the great Hulk Hogan. Hailing from Scotland and equipped with a mouth that could talk for the whole of Great Britain, Piper laid down the challenge for the main event at the very first Wrestlemania, a match that would see Hogan team up with none other than Mr T to defeat Piper and Paul Orndoff.

Wrestling talk shows of today stem all the way back to the first which was hosted by Roddy himself. ‘Piper’s Pit’ was often the scene of confrontations, with the likes of Andre the Giant challenging Hulk Hogan and Piper himself smashing a coconut over the head of Jimmy Snuka.

1992 - WWF and WCW become the global leaders in promoting Wrestling 1992-95 WCW financially outpower WWF, bringing in the big names of Hogan, Nash and Hall 1995 - The Monday Night War begins with WWF RAW vs WCW Nitro


192021

2223

FRANK GOTCHEDGE

OWEN HART

ULTIMATE WARRIOR

DEAN MALENKO

24

By the time Gotch retired in 1913 he had transformed the sport of wrestling from a low key event often seen at the circus to a spectactle that had become as popular as boxing.

His mat based wrestling style was something that nobody had ever seen before, his rivalry with George Hackenschmidt gripped audiences all over the country and paved the way for what we know as pro wrestling today.

The rated R superstar is one of the most entertaining superstars in WWE history.

After making his name as a tag team superstar in the famous TLC matches with his partner Christian, the Hardyz and the Dudleyz, Edge went on to have tremdous individ-ual success.

Edge won numerous Intercontinen-tal titles in the early 2000s before winning the money in the bank ladder match in 2005 guaranteeing him a shot at the main belt.

Cashing in his opportuinity against John Cena. Edge went on to be-come a 14 time world champion

Macho Man

Often described as the man of 1,004 holds, the submissionmachine was once voted the second best WCW superstar of all time behind Ric Flair but beating the likes of Hulk Hogan and Sting.

A brief run in the WWE saw him capture the Light Heavyweight Championship in 2001 before retiring and opening up his own gym for up and coming wrestlers to train and learn the psychology of the ring.

One of the most energetic performers in wrestling history, the Ultimate Warrior captured the hearts of millions of fans worldwide with his intense in ring performances and mind-boggling strength.

The Warrior broke onto the scene in 1987 and quickly captured the Intercontinental Championship defeating The Honky Tonk Man in under a minute. His success would con-tinue further when he won the WWE Championship from the then almost unbeatable Hulk Hogan at Wrestlemania 6

The Macho Man was one of the most sensational athletes of his time, alongside the beautiful Miss Elizabeth he captured 6 World Championships in a career that spanned over 20 years.

After winning the Intercontinental Championship in his debut year with the WWE, Savage quickly es-tablished himself as one of the top guys. He dropped the title to Ricky Steamboat at Wrestlemania 3 after holding it for over a year in a match that many have said was one of the greatest of all time.

Randy Savage won his first WWE Championship at Wrestlemania 4 after help from Hulk Hogan, the

two would then form the formida-ble tag team ‘The Mega Powers’ destroys everyone that got in their way. The friendship would soon end after Savage grew jealous of the re-lationship Hogan had struck up with Miss Elizabeth; the two powerhous-es would then meet each other at Wrestlemania in one of the biggest matches of the decade.

During the 90s Savage joined WCW and won the World Championship 4 times, most famously winning a 60 man battle royal in 1995 before a heated rivalry with Ric Flair. Before retiring in 2000 the Macho Man would often be seen at ringside providing commentary as the colour commentator

Before Owen sadly accidently passed away at a WWE event in 1999 he was one of the best natural talents on the roster. The younger brother of the legendary Bret Hart, wrestling was in Owens blood.

Learning his trade in his father’s pro-motion ‘Stampede Wrestling’ Owen was a fully-fledged pro wrestler at the age of 19. He had short spells in WWE and WCW before heading to Japan to sharpen his skills.

Throughout the entire 1990s Owen Hart was one of the best workers in the WWE, he had a number of high calibre matches including a near on two year rivalry with his older brother and then WWE Champion Bret. A num-ber of attempts to win the belt from his brother came and went but the manner in which Owen lost was one that earned him a lot of respect from the WWE crowds and the superstars backstage.

Hart would hold a number of Champi-onships in his time with the company including the tag titles on 4 separate occasions. His greatest individual achievement came when he defeated The Rock for the Intercontinental

Championship in 1997. In his run as champion he would partake in a rivalry with Stone Cold Steve Austin and actu-ally broke the Rattlesnakes neck when he executed a piledriver incorrectly.

Owen was one of the most popular stars in the back with his peers; he was often described as the joker of the locker room and always had a smile on his face. A special episode of RAW was broadcast in his honour the night after his death to commemorate his legacy.

1516

18

Sting

Kurt AngleJohn Cena

Triple H

17

A numerous time WWE champion, Triple H has done it all in the business. He was the second man after his best friend Shawn Michaels to become a grand slam champi-on and he won the 1997 King of the Ring and the 2002 Royal Rumble.

Triple H made the step up from the mid card to one of the top guys in late 1999 wien he one his first WWE championship. After

aligning himself with the bosses daughter the man from Green-which went from strength to strength.

He’s spearheaded two of the industries most potent stables in Evolution and D Generation X and is now the COO of the company after semi retiring in 2013

A fine technical wrestler, Helmsley is no doubt one of the pivotal reasons in the

WWE winning the Monday night wars in the late 90s. His in-tense battles with both The Rock and Stone Cold paved the way for the superstars of today to apply their trade. Triple H was also the first heel character to win the main event at Wrestlemania when he defeated The Rock, Mick Foley and the Big Show at Wrestlemania 2000.

After winning the Olympic gold medal in amateur wrestling at the 1996 olympic games Kurt Angle wanted to challnege himself in the much varied professional side of the sport. Many thought that this would be a step up that Angle would find particulary difficult and that he would quickly disappear into medicrity but they were all very wrong.

Angles thirst to learn and succeed catapulted him to the top of the WWE in 2000. In his debut year with the compnany he had won the three highest individual championships that he could have including the WWE title and was crownded the King of the Ring.

During the early 2000s Angle had fierce rivalries with the likes of Stone Cold Steve Austin and most notably Brock Lesnar, which included matches such as Team Angle vs Team Lesnar at Survivor Series and one of the greatest matches of all time at Wrestlemania 20 for the WWE Title.

After leaving WWE in 2006 after a contract dispute Angle joined TNA Wrestling where he still competes today, he won the main championship almost straight away signifying his superiority.

Of the current WWE roster there is not a bigger star than John Cena. The self-proclaimed leader of the Cenation has done everything he could pos-sibly do in the WWE since his debut in 2002 but he still remains as humble as ever.

What better way to announce yourself on the scene than with a hard fought battle against one of the biggest superstars at that particular time Kurt Angle. Within months Cena had developed his character into a ready made champion defeating the Big Show at Wrestlemania 20 for the United States title. Just a year later he had secured the big one, defeating JBL for the WWE Championship

Ever since that moment in 2005 Cena has been the num-ber one guy in the WWE, he’s conquered every rival from Randy Orton to Edge to The Rock.

Whether you love him or hate him Cena is an important piece of the WWE jigsaw, he continues to

break records and with the support of nearly 6 million twitter follow-ers will con-tinue to do so. With 14 World titles to his name already there is no doubt that he will ultimately break Ric Flairs record of 16.

Sting broke on to the scene in the NWA at the very first Starrcade event in 1987 competing in a 6 man tag team match, he instantly impressed with a unique style of wrestling and a colourful personality to match.

Once he had established himself as a household name Sting began to feud with the ever present NWA champion Ric Flair who even refused to drop the title to anyone else until Sting had returned from injury so

that he could win the title himself.

Throughout the early 90s Sting became the face of WCW feuding with the likes of Lex Luger and the Four Horsemen. When the Out-siders debuted in 1995 things in WCW would change forever. Sting was part of the 6 man tag that would see Hulk Hogan turn against the fans and join the NWO and would feud with the super group for the next three years during their dominant reign.

Sting refused

to sign a contract with WWE after Vince McMahon had purchased WCW, after winning the last ever match in WCW history against his long-time rival and friend Ric Flair, Sting took some time off from pro-fessional wrestling.

From 2003-2014 Sting was part of the wrestling promotion TNA. Over the 11 years he had with the com-pany he won the TNA World title 5 times and feuded mainly with Kurt Angle, Jeff Hardy and Jeff Jerrett. Sting left the company in January 2014 after a loss to World Champion Magmus meant that he had to retire.

1995-98 - Lead by the NWO, WCW wins the TV ratings for almost 3 years 1997/98 - WCW Champion Goldberg remains undefeated for 173 matches 1997 - The Montreal Screwjob takes place at WWF Survivor Series 1998 - The Attitude Era begins in the WWF


13

12

BUDDY ROGERS

Dusty Rhodes

RICKYSTEAMBOAT14

The original nature boy goes down in history as one of the greatest pure wrestlers that ever lived.

After impressing au-diences in the NWA in the 40s and 50s Rogers broke away and joined the WWWF with Vince McMahon SR where he was named the very first WWE Champion.

Rogers would lose the title to Bruno Sammar-tino in1963 blaiming his loss on a heart attack he had suffered just weeks before. Due to his cocky nature many wrestling fans at the time thought that he had made up the heart attack as an excuse for his loss.

Before the rematch could take place Rogers announced that he was retir-ing and wasnt seen in any territory for 15 years. When he did show back up in 1979 it was to attack a young and very talented wrestler who was now using Rogers ‘Natue Boy’ gimmick. That man was of course, Ric Flair.

Rogers would lose to Flair in the ‘Battle of the nature boys’ after tap-ping out to his own signiture figure four leg lock. This match is often described as one of the turning points in Flairs career, he acknowl-edges that his victory against his idol catapulted him to almost instant fame and success.

The American Dream may not have been known for his superman like phy-sique of Hulk Hogan or the technical prowess of Ric Flair but the man from Austin, Texas was one of the most in demand superstars of wrestling in the 1970s and 80s. Why? Without ques-tion because of his natural charisma and ability to work a microphone.

Years before the likes of The Rock and Triple H were running their mouths for hours upon end, one man was putting a verbal beat down on his opponents like no other and don’t think for a sec-ond he couldn’t back it up in the ring.

Rhodes uncanny ability to sell the story in the ring to the fans was like no other, Ric Flair once described him as the best guy you could possibly work with because you just know it’s going to be a good match. Once the signature Bionic Elbow was dropped on your sternum there was no getting back up.

The Rhodes name continues to live on in the business as both of his sons have stepped up to fill the shoes that Daddy left behind. His eldest son Dustin had tremendous success in the 90s as the infamous character Goldust whilst his youngest son Cody is making his way through the current WWE roster.

Ricky ‘The Dragon’ Steamboat was one of the greatest wres-tlers of his time, he boasted unbelieva-ble technical ability that was seen on a regular basis during the 1980s and shot him to the peak of success during his epic rivalry with Ric Flair.

The two men had amazing chemistry with each other in the ring with the hard working, quiet personality of Steamboat matched against the cocky, arrogant and flash lifestyle of the Na-ture Boy Ric Flair.

The rivalry had arguably three of the greatest singles matches ever seen in history of pro wrestling back in 1989 ending with Flair taking the NWA World title

back from Steam-boat of whom he had lost it to previously.

The rivalry with Flair put Steamboat back on the map as a top wrestler but it was his match with Macho Man Randy Savage at

Wrestlemania 3 that really cemented his place as a great. An unbelievable tight technical match had over 90,000 people out of their seats in admiration as Steamboat won the Intercontinental championship.

Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson is the biggest name to ever have come out of the profes-sional wrestling scene; after headlining main event after main event for several years in the late 90s /early 00s he has gone on to be one of the most sort after actors in the world today.

He debuted in WWE in 1996 after not suc-ceeding as a football player. Rocky Maivia was originally pushed as a babyface but quickly turned heel, joining the Nation of Domination after the crowd took a strong disliking to his character often chanting ‘Rocky Sucks’ and ‘Die, Rocky Die’

As a member of the Nation we got a first glimpse of what was to come, often cutting humorous promos where he would verbally take down his opponents. Rocky started feuding with long term rival Stone Cold Steve Austin in late 1997 culminating in a match for the Intercontinental title which the Rock won after Austin handed him the belt. The Great One would go on to successfully defend his ti-tle for many months whilst becoming the new leader of the Nation, the stable and his run as Intercontinental Champion would come to an end in the summer of 1998.

Now known officially as The Rock, he decided to join alliances with the boss Mr McMahon to pursue his dream of becoming the WWE champion, something that he would achieve at Survivor Series where he defeated Mankind to become the youngest WWE champion ever at that time. Rocky ultimately held the belt for several months before losing to Stone Cold at Wrestlemania 15. Due to this loss he fell out with the McMahons and was kicked out of their power group prompting a babyface turn where he would become the People’s Champion.

Over the next couple of years The Rock wouldn’t just become one of the most popular stars in the WWE but in the entire world. This would be the start of the end of his wrestling career as he began to pursue a career in Hollywood. He would go on to win 10 World championships in this time including 8 WWE titles and 2 WCW World titles after the two companies merged in 2001.The Rock headlined 5 consecutive Wrestlemanias from 1999-2003, facing icons such as Triple H and Hulk Hogan, he semi-retired from wrestling after defeating his arch nemesis Stone Cold in 2003 at Wrestlemania 19.

After this event he only made small appearances in the company every few years to cut promos, this was until 2011 where he returned to the ring to pursue the WWE Championship one last time and ultimately take on the man who took over from him, John Cena. The two popular superstars met at both Wrestlemania 28 and 29 with both men picking up one victory each, resulting in a warm gesture of respect shown from Rocky as he acknowledged passing on the crown to the new guy.

10

THE ROCK

LOU THESZ

11

Thesz began wrestling pro-fessionally at the very young age of 16, he was trained by one of the greatest wres-tlers of the 1920s Ed Lewis. After learning everything his trainer had taught him Thesz was one of the most popular and dominant wrestlers of the St Louis territory. It was here at the tender age of just 21 that he won his first Heavyweight championship, at the time he was the youngest world champion in history.

When the NWA was formed in 1948 Thesz was the champion of St Louis and set out to dethrone all the champions from every other territory and become the first undisputed heavy-weight champion which he began well, defeating the California champion

Baron Michele Leone. In 1956 he lost the title and took a couple of months off to recover from an ankle injury. After recuperating Thesz would capture over 20 titles from all territories and even Japan before his semi-retirement in the early 60s. He is often labelled the man that brought the world of wrestling into the eyes of the Japanese where the sport is highly popular now. Thesz would continue to wrestle part time up until 1992 when he was 74 years old making him the only man in history to wrestle in 7 different decades.

Thesz was an inventor in the ring and created a number of moves that are still highly popular with the superstars today. Stone Cold Steve Austin would often be

seen hitting his rivals with a Lou Thesz Press during the high times of the attitude era. Thesz was also the creator of the Belly to back waist lock Suplex or more commonly known today the German Suplex used by superstars such as Kurt Angle and Tazz.

1999 - Mankind wins the WWF Championship, the shift in power begins to change 1999-2001 - WWF wins the rating war every week for over two years 2001 - Vince McMahon purchases WCW ending the Monday Night Wars 2002 - WWF changes its name to WWE


8 ANDRE THE GIANT

9 HARLEY RACE

The 7”4 500 pound 8th wonder of the world Andre the Giant was a family favourite for over 20 years in his time at the top of the pro wrestling ladder.

Born with a disease called acromegaly which is a disorder that makes the bones in the body grow at a superior rate, Andre was already 6”2 at the age of 12.

The giant had been wrestling in many different countries and for many different territories before Vince McMahon SR brought him to the WWE. It was here where he shot to world success, remaining undefeated for 15 years before going down to Hulk Hogan at Wrestlemania 3. Andre was also part of the first ever Wrestlemania where he took on his long time rival

Big John Stud in a body slam contest, a match that the giant would win comfortably.After turning heel for the first time ever and aligning himself with the million dollar man Ted Dibiase, Andre challenged Hulk Hogan for his first ever title shot at Wrestlemania 3, he lost the match in front of 93,000 people after Hogan body slammed him and hit him with the leg drop.

Almost a year later Andre did defeat Hogan to win the WWE title at a PPV. Controversy followed as Andre surrendered the belt almost straight away to the million dollar man but he was subsequently stripped of the title after not physically earning it. At that years Wres-tlemania Hogan and Andre fought in the WWE Champion-ship tournament but were both

disqualified, they both then interfered in the main event which resulted in the Macho Man taking home the belt.

The 8th wonder of the world continued to wrestle into the late 80s before cutting down his appearances dramatically as the 90s came round. On Jan 27th 1993 he passed away peacefully in his sleep in his home country. Many wrestlers have said that Andre was the most popular guy in the locker room and was always there to talk to. Although he’s no longer with us there is no doubt that his legacy will live on forever.

The former 8 time NWA world champion Harley Race was the most dominant champion in the industry during the 1970s and 1980s.

After battling his way through every single territory in the USA and making an impact in Japan he finally struck gold and won the NWA World title in 1973 defeating Dory Funk JR. For the rest of the decade Race would do battle with greats such as Dusty Rhodes and Jack Brisco.

As the 80s came around a three way rivalry developed between Race, Dusty Rhodes and the up and coming Ric Flair. Flair and Race would face off against each other at the first ever Starrcade event for the NWA World title inside a steel cage, with Flair coming out on top. Many say

that it was this match against Race that propelled Flair to a household name in the busi-ness. In the following years Harley would win the world title on two more occasions before moving from the NWA to the WWE.

Harley spent 5 years in the WWE in the late 80s where his most notable moments were winning the 1986 King of the Ring tournament and feuding with the immortal Hulk Ho-gan. Being managed by Bobby ‘the brain’ Heenan, Race would change his name to King Harley Race after winning the King of the Ring, he would then force his opponents to bow down and kiss his feet after beating them. His feud with Hogan was billed as a battle of two greats. Unfortu-nately, a serious abdominal injury cut the rivalry short;

Race spent a lengthy time on the shelf and never got back to the heights of his previous run in the company.

In his later years Race re-turned to the WCW (Formerly NWA) as a manger. He led big name talents such a Vader and Lex Luger to WCW Championships. After making a number of small appearanc-es in the ring Race was forced to retire permanently in 1995 following a car accident

After a near on 40 year career Race is seen as a legend in the business, his in ring style is one that many young stars of today have tried to master and adapt. Harley is also one of a small majority of super-stars who have been inducted into both the WWE and WCW hall of fames.

2008-2010 Both Ric Flair and HBK retire from the ring 2011-2013 - Cm Punk holds the WWE title for 434 days

6 BRET HART

7 BRUNO SAMMARTINO

The hitman is without a shadow of a doubt one of the greatest technical wrestlers the world has ever seen. Learning his trade in his famous fathers ‘Dungeon’ in Calgary, Bret would go on to become a multiple time WWE and WCW world cham-pion thanks to his painful signature move the Sharpshooter.

Hart started wrestling in the Stampede Wrestling promotion before moving to the WWE with his half-brother Jim ‘The Anvil’ Neidhart as part of the Hart Foundation who would have a successful run in the company in the late 80s capturing numerous tag team titles.

It wasn’t until Bret became a singles competitor that people really started to take him serious-ly, as the 90s began so did a shift in competitors in the WWE. Long gone were the 300 pound Hulk Hogans and Randy Savages of the 80s and in were the smaller more

technical guys like Shawn Michaels and Bret Hart. The excellence of execution’s first major honour as a singles man was the intercontinental championship of which he won from Mr Perfect.

After winning both the King of the Ring and the Royal Rumble Bret got his shot at the big one in more than one sense. At Wrestlemania 10 Hart challenged the 500 pound WWE champion Yokozuna, a match that the hitman somehow managed to win, giving him his first of 5 WWE Championships.

Bret Hart’s rivalry with Shawn Michaels goes down as one of the greatest of all time, the two took part in some of the most memorable matches of all time, who can forget the unbelievable 60 minute iron match at Wrestlemania 12 which went into overtime. The rivalry is most commonly known for one event however, the Montreal Screwjob.

Hart was the champion going into the event but a dispute with Mr McMahon meant that Bret was going to leave the company and join WCW. When Shawn Michaels applied Bret’s own finisher upon him Mr McMahon ordered the ref to call for the bell even though he hadn’t tapped out, Michaels was

handed the title and Bret was left with nothing.

After a short spell in WCW Bret was forced to retire due to injury, he later buried the hatchet with Shawn Michaels and Vince Mc-Mahon and was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2006.

After signing to the then WWWF Sammar-tino shot to success by be-coming only the second ever WWE Champion defeating Buddy Rogers in under a minute, the Italian would hold the title 7 whole years, a record that still exists today.

With WWE being based in New York at that time it meant that the majority of their events were held at Madison Square Garden, a venue that Sammartino sold out himself over 150 times. His unprecedent-ed run at the top came to an end in 1971 when he lost the title to Ivan Koloff in the garden, the entire crowd was in disbelief. The Italian

would recapture the gold however 2 years later by defeating Stan Stasiask, his second run with the belt wouldn’t be quite as long as his first however, as he lost the belt in 1977 after breaking his neck.

After nearly 20 years at the top of the business Sammartino decided to retire from the professional game in 1981, he later appeared in the WWE as a colour commentator alongside Vince McMahon. He also made some ap-pearances in the ring in this time including his last ever match where he teamed up with Hulk Hogan. As of 2013 Bruno Sammartino is now a part of the WWE Hall of Fame.

Hogan. Austin. Cena. What do they all have in common? At one point or another they have all been the top guy in the business, the man who sells the most merchandise and puts the most bums in seats. Well before any of

these three could lace a pair of boots there was one man who was doing all of these things and more for over two decades, Bruno Sammartino.

Moving to American in the 50s from Italy Bruno quickly

set about becoming one of the strongest men in the world by setting a then world record for a bench press, lifting 565 pounds (255kg). This caught the eye ofwrestling promoters up and down the country.

2002 - WWE Roster is split into two branches: RAW and Smackdown 2005 - John Cena wins the WWE Championship and becomes the new face of the WWE


5 STONE COLD STEVE AUSTIN

“THATS THE BOTTOM LINE CAUSE STONE COLD SAID SO”

Stone Cold Steve Austin, the beer guzzling, middle finger gesturing, toughest SOB on the plant. The Texas Rattlesnake rose to success in the late 90s during the attitude era, mainly thanks to ongoing battle with the boss, Mr McMahon.

After failing in both WCW and ECW Stone Cold finally got his shot in 1996 in the WWE when he won the King of the Ring tournament beating Jake ‘the snake’ Roberts in the final. It was here where the famous segment that is still played today happened, Aus-tin, about to be coroneted on the throne, grabbed the microphone and screamed the words “Talk about John 3:16, Austin 3:16 says I just whooped you’re ***”. The rest is history.

After winning the Royal Rum-ble and advancing to Wres-

tlemania where he defeated Shawn Michaels for the WWE Championship in 1998, Austin was confronted by Mr Mc-Mahon about the his actions. The Rattlesnakes dismissal of the bosses way of doing things lead to the greatest rivalry in the industry taking place, captivating audiences up and down the USA and all over the world. McMahon did everything in his power from aligning himself with the Undertaker to creating his own faction headed by The Rock to prevent Austin from holding the belt but nothing could hold the Texan down.

Fans were shocked in 2001 after three years of defying the boss Austin actually joined forces with McMahon claiming that he would do an-ything to get his hands on the WWE title and that included working under Vince. This change

in character didn’t go down well with the fans however and before long Austin was back to his normal ways giv-ing the Stone Cold Stunner to McMahon and anyone else who crossed his path.

Stone Cold battled the likes of Shawn Michaels, Triple H, Bret Hart and The Rock over his career and headlined three Wrestlemanias with the latter, something that has never been done since or before. Niggling injuries pre-vented Austin from compet-ing as long as he could have, he decided to call it a day in the ring in 2003 after 7 years at the top of the business.

Height – 6”2 Weight – 252 pounds Home town – Victoria, Texas Nickname – The Texas Rattlesnake Birthday – December 18th 1964 Debut -1989 Finisher – Stone Cold Stunner

WWE Title – 6 times WWE Intercontinental – 2 times WWE Tag Team Title – 4 times Million Dollar Belt – 1 time 1996 King of the Ring Royal Rumble Winner – 1997, 1998, 2001 WCW Television – 2 times WCW US – 1 time WCW Tag Team – 2 Times

HULK HOGAN“Hulkamania is running wild brother!”4

WWE Title – 6 Times World Heavyweight Title– 6 Times WWE Tag Team Title– 1 time Royal Rumble Winner – 1990, 1991

Height – 6’7 Weight – 302 lbs Hometown – Augusta, Georgia Resides – Venice Beach, California Nickname – Hollywood Hulk Hogan Birthday – August 11, 1953 Debut – 1977

When you think of wrestling there is one name that comes to mind ahead of anyone else. The immortal Hulk Hogan, the man who shot the WWE to worldwide success in the 1980’s with his superman physique and his patriotic over the top personality. Multiple WWE Championships and of course that iconic body slam on Andre the Giant at Wrestlemania 3 make the Hulkster one of the greatest superstars of all time.

Hulkamania was born in 1984 when Hogan won his first WWE Championship defeating the Iron Sheik, he would hold the title for over 4 years, losing to Andre the Giant at Saturday Nights Main Event. In that period of time however Hogan had become the most famous wrestler on the planet, appearing on TV chat shows and in movies such as No Holds Barred.

After battling the likes of Randy Savage and the Ultimate Warrior, Hogan left the WWE in 1993 and focused his time more on movies and TV shows. By the summer of 94 he had a burning

desire to get back into the game so he joined Ted Turner’s up and coming WCW where he would start a rivalry dubbed by the fans ‘the dream match’ against Ric Flair.

At Bash at the Beach in 1996 Hogan shocked the world when he turned heel for the first time in his illustrious 25 year career by joining Scott Hall and Kevin Nash, the NWO was born. For the next 3 years WCW won the ratings battle with the WWE due to probably the most dominant group the industry has ever seen lead by Hogan who had now ditched the traditional yellow and red and replaced them with the notorious black and white colours. Feuds with Sting, The Giant and Goldberg were the highlights of his time in the company and Hollywood Hogan would go on to win 6 World Heavyweight Titles in WCW before its closure in 2001.

The Hulkster returned to WWE in 2002 in a short stint that saw him capture the Undisputed World Title and face future hall of famers such as The Rock and Shawn Michaels. Hogan himself was in-

ducted into the Hall of Fame in 2005 by Sylvester Stallone who he had appeared alongside in Rocky 3, overwhelmed by the crown Hogan accepted his award and mustered the line that all fans wanted to hear and believe “Hulkamania will live forever, brother”


DID YOU KNOW?

Stone Cold has appeared in over

10 films and has playeds himself in 2

DID YOU KNOW?

He was known as the ‘Super Destroyer’ before becoming

Hulk Hogan in 1984

THE UNDERTAKER“REST IN PEACE”3

The Phenom, The Deadman, The Prince of Darkness, just some of the names that the man from ‘Death Valley’ has been known by over his 25 years at the top of the WWE. At nearly 7 feet tall, his men-acing figure along with his unique in ring abilities have caused terror upon anyone and everyone that has crossed his path result-ing in his unprecedented 21-0 undefeated streak at Wrestlemania.

Undertaker debuted at the 1990 Survivor Series as part of the ‘Million Dollar Man’ Ted Dibiases team where he would eliminate two of the opposing su-perstars before eliminating himself. In less than a year the Deadman had scored his first Wrestlemania victim in Jimmy Snuka and secured his first of 6 WWE Championship reigns defeating Hulk Hogan in late 1991.

During his career the Undertaker was involved in the first ever Inferno match, the first ever Cas-ket match, the first ever Buried Alive match and the first ever Hell in a Cell match, all of which helped the WWE secure the rat-ings and ultimately win the Monday Night Wars. He would also create the Min-istry of Darkness alongside his manager Paul Bearer, sacrificing all superstars that got in his way until he got his shot at the title held by Stone Cold.

Probably his biggest rivalry would be with his half-brother Kane. The two fought tooth and nail for several years and even joined alliances shortly to win the tag titles as the brothers of destruc-tion. This was short lived however as Kane ended up burying his brother alive at Survivor Series 2003. Their feud ultimately ended at

Wrestlemania 20 where Taker returned from the dead to defeat his brother.

In the latter years of his career the Phenom wmanaged to capture the WWE Title again and win the 2007 Royal Rumble, He had epic encounters with Triple H and Shawn Mi-chaels and actually ended the career of the Heart-break kid at Wrestlemania 26. He’s still undefeated on the grandest stage of them all and locks horns with the beast Brock Lesnar at this year’s Wrestlemania looking to stretch his un-beaten run to 22-0.

DID YOU KNOW?

The Undertaker has a huge fears of Cucumbers Height – 6’0

Weight – 225 lbs Hometown – Scottsdale, Ari Resides – San Antonio, Tex Nickname – HBK Birthday – July 22, 1965 Debut – 1984

2 SHAWN MICHAELS“I Am the Showstopper, the Icon, the Main Event!”

The Heartbreak kid is in many people’s eyes the greatest in ring performer the world has ever seen. He was part of the first ever ladder match, he was the first ever grand slam champion and he has won the Royal Rumble on two separate occasions, win-ning in 1995 after entering at number 1.

He debuted in WWE in the late 80s as part of the energetic tag team The Rockers alongside Marty Janneti. Michaels would then turn his back on his partner to pursue a career as a singles competitor where he would go on to earn the title ‘Mr Wrestle-mania’ after classic battles against the likes of Stone Cold Steve Austin, The Un-dertaker and of course Bret

Hart. The latter of which would become his greatest rival ever cumulating in the iconic Montreal screw job at Survivor Series 1997 which saw Bret Hart leave the company.

The 90’s brought a new error in the WWE, the attitude era spear front-ed by Michaels and his d Generate friends Triple H and Chyna. The trio caused havoc in the company for all those that got in their way, even the boss himself. After damaging his lower back at the Royal Rumble in 1998 in a casket match against The Undertaker, Michaels had to put his ca-reer on hold and leave the company to recuperate, the doctors said he may never wrestle again.

Miraculously in 2002, Shawn returned to the ring to take on his former best friend Triple H at Summer-slam. He would go on com-peting for the next 8 years taking on new talent such as Chris Jericho and Kurt Angle. At Wrestlemania 26 he took on the Undertaker with his career on the line, it was the biggest match of his life. After an exhilarat-ing encounter it was the Phenom who came out on top meaning that HBK had to retire.


Height – 6’0 Weight – 225 lbs Hometown – Scottsdale, Ari Resides – San Antonio, Tex Nickname – HBK Birthday – July 22, 1965 Debut – 1984

WWE Title – 3 Times World Heavyweight Title – 1 Time WWE Intercontinental Title – 3 Times WWE European Title – 1 Time WWE Tag Team Title– 4 Times AWA Tag Team Title – 2 Times Royal Rumble Winner – 1995, 1996

WWE Title – 4 times World Heavyweight Title – 3 times WWE Tag Team Titles – 7 times WWE Hardcore Title – 1 time 1996 King of the Ring Royal Rumble Winner – 2007

Height – 6”10 Weight – 305 pounds Home town – Death Valley Nickname – The Phenom Birthday – March 24th 1965 Debut -1984 Finisher – Tombstone Piledriver

DID YOU KNOW?

HBK sang the lyrics to his own entrance song ‘Sexy

Boy’

RIC FLAIR

WWE Champion – 2 Times World Heavyweight Champion – 18 times (WCW 8 times, NWA 10 times) WWE intercontinental Champion – 1 time WWE Tag Team Champion – 3 times NWA United States Champion – 6 times NWA Tag Team Champion – 5 times Royal Rumble Winner - 1992

Height – 6’1 Weight – 243 lbs Hometown –Memphis, Ten Resides - Charlotte, NC Nickname – The Nature Boy Birthday – February 25 1949 Debut – 1972

“To be the man, you’ve got to beat the man”

The number one greatest wrestler of all time is… The limosine riding, jet flying, kiss stealing, wheel’in and dealing, son of a gun, Ric Flair. From being one of the most successful World Heavyweight champions in WCW history to co-owing the WWE, the man from Charlotte, North Carolina has done it all, entertaining crowds all over the world with his energetic performances in the ring and his animated personality out of it.

It wasn’t always the glamorous lifestyle for the self-proclaimed ‘dirtiest player in the game’ as injuries and setbacks almost put his career on the shelf before it had even started. After dropping out of College, Flair attended a Wrestling camp held by the 10 time AWA World Champion Verne Gagne where he learnt his trade, battling future big stars such as Dusty Rhodes. In 1974 Flair left for the NWA to take his career to new heights and compete against the very best in the world. After a promising start he suffered a massive setback when he broke his back after a serious plane crash, Flair was told he’d never wrestle again.

A smaller Flair returned to action just six months later and began his monumental journey to the top of the business, starting rivalries that would last decades with the likes of Ricky ‘The Dragon’ Steamboat. After winningmultiple United States championships he went on to win the big one in 1981, The NWA World Heavyweight Title.

During the 80s Flair’s popularity sky rocketed, his character developed into the man that we know him as today with the designer suits and expensive jewellery. He became a multi-ple time World champion, continuing to bat-tle the top talent of the industry at the time including the likes of Sting and Lex Luger. And he became a part of one of the most feared entities the world of professional wrestling has ever seen… The Four Horsemen.

A short spell in the then WWF in 1991 saw the dirtiest player in the game capture the WWF Championship twice, it was here where the dream match that every wrestling fan in the world wanted to see happened. Ric Flair

vs Hulk Hogan. From 1993 until its closure in 2001 Flair was back in WCW, reigniting feuds with Sting and Steamboat whilst also leading the revolt against the NWO. On 26th March 2001 Flair took part in the last ever match in the history of WCW where he took on his long time rival Sting, although he lost the match Flair is considered one of the greatest superstars WCW ever saw.

Vince McMahon brought Flair to the WWE in 2002 where he had a short stint as the co owner of the company and actually fought McMahon in a street fight at the 2002 Royal Rumble. After showing that he still had it in the ring the nature boy went on to have a successful run in the company fighting headliners such as The Undertaker and Stone Cold Steve Austin before alligning himself with Triple H creating another power group in the industry, this time it was ‘Evolution’ and included young prodigies Randy Orton and Batista. His 35 year career came to an end in 2008 after a loss to Shawn Michaels at Wrestlemania meant that Flair had to retire.


1

Top 10s!

2) The Hart Foundation

3) The New Age Outlaws

4) The Legion of Doom

5) The Midnight Express

6) The Hardy Boyz

7) The Wild Samoans

8) The Rock n Roll Express

9) The Dudley Boyz

10) The Von Erichs

1) Edge and Christian 1) Trish Stratus

2) Lita

3) Sable

4) Sunny

5) Torrie Wilson

6) Mickie James

7) Stacy Keibler

8) Eve Torres

9) Mae Young

10) AJ Lee

2) Shawn Michaels vs Bret Hart

3) Ric Flair vs Ricky Steamboat

4) Stone Cold vs The Rock

5) Hulk Hogan vs Andre the Giant

6) Buddy Rogers vs Lou Thesz

7) Triple H vs The Rock

8) Brock Lesnar vs Kurt Angle

9) John Cena vs Edge

10) Ric Flair vs Hulk Hogan

1) Stone Cold vs Mr McMahon

2) Bobby Heenan

3) Jim Cornette

4) Jimmy Hart

5) Paul Bearer

6) Lou Albano

7) Freddie Blassie

8) Sensational Sherri

9) Seb Colter

10) Miss Elizabeth

April 2014 World Wrestling Magazine 30

1) Paul Heyman

TOP 10 TAG TEAMS! TOP 10 DIVAS!

TOP 10 RIVALRIES! TOP 10 MANAGERS!

AVAILABLE FROM

Down

1. Hulk Hogans character in Rocky 3

2. Triple H's Finisher

3. Nickname used by both Ric Flair and Buddy Rogers

4. Surname of the longest reigning WWE champion

ever

7. City where Kurt Angle won a gold medal in 1996

8. The portrayal of a staged event being real

10. Rikishi's former dance partners

11. Stone Cold Steve Austin's home State

Across

5. Biggest event on the wrestling calender

6. Shawn Michaels nickname 'The ? Kid'

9. WCW's Monday night show in the 90s

12. Stable including Triple H, Ric Flair, Batista and

Randy Orton

13. Country that Andre the Giant was from

14. Tag Team of Faarooq and Bradshaw

15. The Rock and '?' Connection

16. Name of Chris Jericho's band

Can you figure out all the clues and complete the crossword?

1

2 3

4

5

6 7

8 9

10

11 12

13

14

15 16

Created on TheTeachersCorner.net Crossword Maker

Across

5. The biggest event on the wrestling calender 6. Shawn Michaels nickname ‘The ? Kid’ 9. WCW’s Monday night show in the 90s 12. Stable including Triple H, Ric Flair , Batista and Randy Orton 13. Country that Andre the Giant was from 14. Tag team of Faarooq and Bradshaw 15. The Rock and ? connection 16. Name of Chris Jericho’s band

Down

1. Hulk Hogans character in Rocky 3 2. Triple H’s Finisher 3. Nickname of both Rick Flair and Buddy Rogers 4. Surname of the longest reigning WWE champion ever 7. City where Kurt Angle won a gold medal in 1996 8. The portrayal of a staged event being real 10. Rikishi’s former dance partners 11. Stone Cold Steve Austin’s home state

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There are 5 differences in the two pictures below, how many can you spot?

Crossword - Across: 5) Wrestlemania, 6) Heartbreak, 9) Nitro, 12) Evolution, 13) France, 14) APA, 15) Sock, 16) Fozzy Down: 1) Thunderlips, 2) Pedigree, 3) Nature Boys, 4) Sammartino, 7) Atlanta, 8) Kayfabe, 10) Too Cool, 11) Texas

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3. What is your desired weight range? A) 200-220 B) 220-240 C) 240-260 D) 260+

4. Which of the following best describes you? A) Showstopper B) Dirtiest player C) Hell Raiser D) Fan Favourite

5. What is your favourite colour? A) Green B) Red C) Black D) Yellow

Mostly A’s - You are Shawn Michaels Mostly B’s - You are Ric Flair Mostly C’s - You are Stone Cold Mostly D’s - You are Hulk Hogan

ANSWERS

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World Wrestling Magazine: Top 100 Wrestlers Special Edition

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