The late eighties through most of the nineties where a golden age for “Professional” Wrestling. The stars of the sport where crossing over in to mainstream entertainment. As a child with a trampoline and a wild imagination, I was hooked. With a great string of video games on the Nintendo 64 it was an amazing time to be a fan. You couldn’t go to school a day without hearing one of the catchphrases! Yes we all knew it was fake, but the athletic display and soap opera storylines kept me entertained. I was a pretty rabid fan from 1998 until 2000, after that I really stopped watching, but I’ll always pick up a video game and stroll down memory lane. So I’m presenting you all my 5 favorite wrestlers.
Number 5: Macho Man Randy Savage
During my early days as a fan this over the top dressed man was my favorite. Hulk Hogan was the number 1 guy at the time, but I always preferred Macho Man! His promo style, his patented “Oh, Yeah” and not to mention his legacy as the ultimate Slim Jim endorser! His high flying Elbow Drop finishes was something I always emulated on the trampoline.
Number 4: Kevin Nash
Kevin Nash made his debut in WWF as Diesel, the body guard to Shawn Michaels. After they had gone their separate ways Diesel went on to have a great title run in WWF. Where I really liked Kevin Nash was in WCW where he was leader of the NWO Wolfpack. He was a big guy and his patent Jack Knife power bomb was a great finisher.
Number 3: Goldberg
A Jewish wrestler!? Yes, he was! Wouldn’t wrestle on Yom Kippur and was an unstoppable force in the ring. When I first got in to WCW during the Monday Night Wars, Goldberg was a force and right in the midst of his “Streak”. He had won the US and World Championship. In the ring not only was unbeatable, opponents never stood a chance, when the streak ended with some controversy it was sad as we was never really able to establish another title run in WCW, and by the time he had gotten to WWE I was no longer watching wrestling.
Number 2: The Rock
We all know he’s the biggest actor in Hollywood right now, but in the ring the Rock truly was the most electrifying man in Sports Entertainment. His catchphrases and ability to really get the emotion of the crowd going were his trademarks. His moves were great including the Rock Bottom and the People’s elbow. Also I’ve gotten to meet him a number of times and he’s an insanely nice guy!
Number 1: Shawn Michaels
The heartbreak kid Shawn Michaels was truly a show stopper. His high flying move set and his sweet chin music finisher also made each match a must watch. Whether he was solo as HBK or teaming up with HHH in Degeneration X he was always a main-eventer.
