Wrestling Legends you do and don't respect... and the reasons why?

ShawnRaven

Alrighty folks, let's open it up.
The stipulations are as follows.

All legends eligable must have 15 years experience under their belt
Any promotion goes.
Managers can count if you feel the need.
You must state why you feel you do/don't respect them.
And finally let's keep it clean and friendly.

Respected:
Dusty Rhodes:
What's there not to respect? Ok, so he's made some horrid booking decisions, but he's one of the most over guys of the 70s, 80s and even the 90s. An agile motherf*cker for a man of his size. Inventor of the Great American Bash, one of the most hated guys as a heel, and one of the most loved guys as a face. Former NWA champion. The guy has done it all.

Randy Savage:
A small guy who was able to come out on top in the era of the big man. Came out with some awesome matches in Memphis as well as the WWE. One of the two who stole the entire show at Wrestlemania III, multi time champion. And very seldom you'll watch a match of his where you'll say that it was a waste of x amount of minutes.

Jim Cornette:
What's there not to love about this guy. One of the best voices of Professional Wrestling, in any promotion he stood in. And when he was allowed run with the mic, he did it and more to the point, he got your attention every time.

Disrespected:

Hulk Hogan:
For everything he contributed, and he contributed a lot, he just about as much damage due to unprofessionalism and selfishness. His actions over the last 15 years were somewhat sickening in and out of the ring. From a personal standpoint, I don't understand how he's still in the business.

Undertaker:
You knew this was coming. I'm sorry but that gimmick is so lame at this stage. It was great when it started, It was taken to the absolute bounds of bad taste by the time 1999 came along. It should have died there. His streak is so worthless in my honest opinion, especially the amount of jobbers and scrubs in that list for the first half of it. The guy should have retired about five years ago. Had he done so, I probably wouldn't be typing this.

EdK

Respected

Bret Hart, for never being a hanger on, never whoring himself out to the business, since the end of his in ring career he turned down countless money offers to be a manager, referee etc, abit of pride and morals really, for being a down to earth and humble man despite the hand he was dealt

People will say Bret isnt humble as he calls himself great, well he was, he took pride in his work and went to great lengths to entertain the fans while protecting his opponent, also he is a good guy and a legitimate one is hard to find

Not Respected

Jake Roberts, king of excuses one of my favourite wrestlers but just an all around ****up who blames anybody but himself for his problems, yeah I know you had a ****ed up life having a child molester/ rapist and an alcoholic in your family, but instead of trying to rise above it you turn into them, on the alcoholic/ drug abuser side anyway

He will tell you himself he should be dead yet continues to piss his life away, I'm sure Hawk, Curt Hennig and others who I know had their own problems would have loved a second chance, its your life jake sort your ****ing self out

Vince135792003

An interesting question that can be looked at in different ways depending on what way you view wrestling. Will post later.

gimmick

Respect:
Ricky Steamboat
An innovator of the more high flying approach, and a mat technician to boot. Not sure did he ever do much on the mic, but that is regardless for me. Had some of the greatest matches of all time with Ric Flair.

Ric Flair
By all accounts a complete idiot off camera, but for me, he is the greatest of them all, who has stood the test of time, and has had one of the great retirement matches (if that lasts!). Great on the mic, countless great fueds and has helped put over so many people over time, why count? He could also fall into the dis respect category for my initial point, but for this one I will let it slide.

Andre The Giant
You would think a guy of his size would be incapable of doing a decent match, but Andre had plenty. A lesson to all future big guys, that your size should not restrict your ability.

Eddie Guerrero
A great high flyer, a great mat wrestler, great worker top to bottom. The fact he was able to get his life back on track after being pretty much in the gutter shows he should command respect from not just wrestling fans, but from people in general.

Tweener
I know this one is not part of it, but I include here Shawn Michaels. Absolutely one of the all time greats in the ring, having far more great matches than average or bad ones. He has also probably put over more people than any before,a nd does not seem to have a need to have a title around his waist the whole time. Wrestlemanias biggest loser as well. Now, I know this is almost contradicting having Flair in my respect category, but it is his off camera actions which sour me. Admittedly my only knowledge of this comes from Bret Harts book, so I think that may not be the most balanced view.

Disrespect
Hulk Hogan
His actions in the last few years have made him into a sick joke for me, most notably, for his comments about the guy involved in the crash with his son. I also just hate how every time he comes back he picks up another win to placate his ego - prime example his going over Orton a while back. Why?

Kevin Nash
I read a sentence regarding him somewhere recently - "has anyone so limited ever achieved as much". Brutal in the ring, his only saving grace is his friends and his ability on the mic. Still hanging around the main event area in TNA today for some reason.

McMahon Family
For turning pro wrestling into a sanitised childs show. For their desire to monopolise the entire indutry. For their constant booking themselves into the decent spots (almost every booker does this I guess) when they are better off not on TV. For their tasteless booking - Tim Whites suicide, Eddie Guerreros death, Katie Vick etc etc etc.
Ill counter balance this one by saying that WWE is not really my cup of tea anymore, so my opening line can be seen as masterful marketing.

I could go on and on in both, buit I have bored you all enough now

Bubs101

Respect
Bruno Sammartino
By all accounts a great man who's drawing power saved the company many times over. Also has the courage of his convictions not to accept the guaranteed hall of fame offer despite being the WWE's biggest draw ever

Hulk Hogan
Former father of the year and the biggest star ever, people always complain that he doesn't put people over without realising that he put the whole sport over which is far far far more important. Did a reality TV show just to launch the career of his daughter which was a class act as well

Shawn Michaels
Was by all accounts a jackass in the early days but any man who turns himself around deserves a lot of respect. Has no problem putting people over and seems very selfless considering his small amount of title reigns despite how friendly he is with Hunter

Brian Knobbs
Hero

Also respect Bischoff but I'm never sure why

Disrespect
HHH
Marrying the boss' daughter is not a bad thing in itself. But using that marriage to chase down someone you apparently call your hero's legacy and cheapining it in the process is just sad

JohnJericho

What makes you think the 'Naitch' is an idiot off the camera Gimmick?

gimmick

I ahve just read on various sites etc that he is a bit aloof and just generally not a very nice guy. I do not have any links to back this up though.

JohnJericho

I met him in Dublin in June 07 and pretty much kept to himself, very quiet.

newballsplease

how can anyone not respect the undertaker??? the man is a legend of wrestling.

gimmick

Do a search for Shawnravens posts and you will see why he thinks that then.

AlphaMale 3OO

ShawnRaven wrote: »

Undertaker:
You knew this was coming. I'm sorry but that gimmick is so lame at this stage. It was great when it started, It was taken to the absolute bounds of bad taste by the time 1999 came along. It should have died there. His streak is so worthless in my honest opinion, especially the amount of jobbers and scrubs in that list for the first half of it. The guy should have retired about five years ago. Had he done so, I probably wouldn't be typing this.

:mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad:

HalloweenJack

Respect:
Mick Foley
He seems like a genuine nice guy.

Disrespect:
Hulk Hogan
Mainly because he comes across as such a dick in his telly show. It'd drive me mad if I had a dad like that. Also, I lost a lot of respect for him when I saw him going to the doctor in one episode and practically begging the doctor for painkillers.

Vince McMahon
Complete ego-maniac, not just tlaking about on the telly. The Montreal screwjob, the substance abuse, the alleged incest storyline he wanted to try, all that makes him seem like an arsehole.

DinnyBatman

Respect:

Randy Savage
Great in the ring. Great on the mic. Probably one of the best complete packages ever.

Undertaker
Love him or hate him, the man has constantly remained at the top of his profession for years and is as popular now as he ever was. The main talking point of every wrestlemania seems to be will he lose/keep his streak.

Bret Hart
Amazing wrestler, made average (even poor) wrestlers look like genius' in the ring.



Disrespect:

Triple H
The quintessential "hero to zero" in my eyes. From the heights of DX to the sheer boredom that his character/matches now command.

Honky Tonk Man
Might get flak for this, but I just didn't get it.........

krudler

Respect:

HBK, always loved him, a total pioneer in the business, and that moment where he let Flair have the stage to himself at Wrestlemania was a moment of class you rarely see in wrestling, no beer sharing, no hugging, no raising each others arms, just took the victory, said his goodbye and let the legend have his moment of glory

Disrespect

JBL, hardly a legend but a veteran so he counts, from a beer swilling jobber to a "wrestling god" overnight, have never been able to take him seriously, cant stand his gimmick or his matches, nothing but a bully backstage

orestes

Respect:

Mick Foley. By no means the most talented or athletic wrestler ever, but his sheer dedication and determination got him to the top. Seems like a nice guy to boot.

Don't respect:

Dynamite Kid. All the talent and ability in the world and he pissed it away. Also a total arsehole from what little I've read about him.

Two polar opposites there really, everyone else falls somewhere in between.

ShawnRaven

Dynamite Kid always made me sad. He did piss it all away and roid rage brought out the worst out in him.
Of course, he already told us this in his autobiography, so after hearing it from the horses mouth, i don't need to hear it from anyone else. Sad story though, but it goes to show how we take our basic uses for granted on a day to day basis.

Which is why i never use escalators to their full potential. I always walk up them.

Endaaaagh

RESPECT
Randy Savage...as said earlier, great on the mic and a joy to watch. His promo's were brilliant (and manic). Def one of the most unique characters of the era.

Kurt Angle... A brilliant wrestler who brought out the best in whoever he wrestled. Remember Cena's debut match. I remember watching it and thinking "wow, what a match". Add to that wrestling with a broken neck.

Foley...the old Foley up before he retired. Not the most agile guy but he found his niche and managed to get way over with the fans

DON'T RESPECT
Hogan...I loved the guy when I was growing up, then I found out what a douche he was.

Triple H...just for being HHH and constanly burying up and coming talent just to protect his position at the top

a-hole

respect
chris benoit
an epic wrestler probably the best ever but dont mention the deaths

jim cornett
didnt see any of his booking but one hell of a caracter and has huge respect for the buisness

disrespect
hhh
had he 3 good matches this year

the rock
if he had respect for the buisness that made him hed wrestle

jimmy snuka
didnt he kill a 5 year old child

MikeHoncho

a-hole wrote: »

respect
chris benoit
an epic wrestler probably the best ever but dont mention the deaths

jim cornett
didnt see any of his booking but one hell of a caracter and has huge respect for the buisness

disrespect
hhh
had he 3 good matches this year

the rock
if he had respect for the buisness that made him hed wrestle

jimmy snuka
didnt he kill a 5 year old child

Are you taking the piss?

Fozzy

Respect:

Lance Storm. He was a good wrestler and a nice guy, but what I respect him most for is being able to get out of the business with his health, wealth and mind intact. He never had any delusions about his place in wrestling and yet he got more out of it than the vast majority of wrestlers

Kevin Nash. How he can make so much money by doing so little should be an inspiration to us all

Kenta Kobashi. The man just never gives up. He's such a talented yet humble guy

Bryan Danielson. Probably one of the more respectable people in the business considering his attitude and stuff like his work for the Peace Corps


Disrespect:

It's not that there's no one that I disrespect, but nobody really stands out that much. Hogan to a degree. The various murderers in the business. I don't know who else

Carroller

Respect

None to think of...

Disrespect

Hulk Hogan
Ever since his show on MTV "Hogan knows best" he came across more annoying than he was in the ring, also contradicting himself by his failure in his marriage and upbringing of his son.

I hate him with a passion

ShawnRaven

a-hole wrote: »

disrespect
jimmy snuka
didnt he kill a 5 year old child

Fraid not. However he was accused of strangling his girlfriend while he was coked off his head during his first WWE run. That's the only similarity he has with your respected Benoit. I do see where you're coming from, with Benoit in terms of technical ability but it does come across as very hypocritical/trollish when you say you disrespect one for the actions of an other you claim to respect.

And to everyone else, can we please keep this civil. The thread has started off well, we don't want this one locked.

Rjd2

Respected
HBK
Yep he may have used politics back in the day, but more recently he seems content with making stars and taking a back seat which is admirablwe. He consistently puts on good matches as well.
Dispespected
Hunter
The man back in the day, but over the years as the ruthless burials have stacked up he has got to much for me. He is pretty average in the ring these days as well.

Bubs101

Don't see why everyone hates Hogan so much. He's getting screwed in his divorce, did a massive favour to Ric Flair by appearing in his sons debut match, does everything he can for his kids and made the business massive. So what if in the tapes he was disrespectful to Graziano, Graziano's family are bringing Hogan's through the mud and making him out to be a saint despite the fact he was stupid enough to get in a car with Nick. Obviously he's going to be more concerned about his son in prison and be resentful about the guy who'd family's ruthless testimony got him in there.

He looks after his friends too. What do you think Knobbs would be doing without Hogan? Sure as hell wouldn't be working as a trainer on a T.V. show and be the first guy to wrestle the Flairs

Reganio 2

Respect:

Bobby "The Brain" Heenan: Class act

McMahons: don't see how you can't, they made the business we wouldnt be talking about wrestling now if it wasn't for them. Yes they have some shocking storylines etc but after how many years McMahon has been running it I think he is allowed a few mistakes.

Hogan: Helped make the business as popular as it is and must be respected for that.

Foley: Genuine bloke and got to where he wanted to be without the greatest ability in the world just sheer heart.

Dusty Rhodes: Even if it is just for giving birth to Cody Rhodes . Nah class act.

JR: Have to throw this man in here. The backdrop to so many great moments just hearing his voice in the background. Top man

Disrespect:
JBL: Just a muppet and with no ability what so ever. Bully backstage as well.

Undertaker: Overrated, stale, also a bully backstage but dosn't get noticed for it at all.

oneofakind32

Respect
Terry Funk
The guy just keeps going. He truly loves the sport and he's a nice guy to boot
Jushin Liger
A true innovator of the sport. One of the most important wrestlers of last 20 years

Disrespect
Flair and Micheals
Both of these's guy buy into there own hype too much for my liking and apparently not the nicest of guys either by all reports

flahavaj

Respect:

Undoubtedly Kenta Kobashi over all others. Has had more 5 star matches in the nineties alone than pretty much everyone EVER in the US put together. Phenomenal wrestler who's aura and humbleness only supersede his in-ring skills. Meeting him during the summer and witnessing how nice a person he is in real life is a memory I'll treasure forever.

Mitsuharu Misawa. Shaded only by Kobashi in terms of workrate. An unbelievable career. Greatest theme tune in all of wrstling as well.

Toshiaki Kawada. The forgotten hero of 90's All Japan. Legend in his own right. I still mark for the aul Kawada kicks to this very day.

Disrespect: Kurt Angle. ****ing eegit of a man. Has dumped himself on his head WAY too many times for his own good a evidenced by any self-delusional interview hes given in the last few years. Never has a man ruined his own finishers as legitimate threats as badly as Kurtie. I laugh derisively at people who claim this guy is a good technical wrestler.

simone65

JohnJericho wrote: »

What makes you think the 'Naitch' is an idiot off the camera Gimmick?

I met Ric Flair in brown thomas in dublin in 2004, he was an absolute gentleman. I spoke to him while he was shopping with his wife (i assume) and he was very gracious. My mum was with me and she still speaks about him.