Ric Flair was aight.
But THIS is the greatest professional wrestler in history.
Ric Flair was aight.
But THIS is the greatest professional wrestler in history.
John Tolos vs Fred Blassie every other week on Championship Wrestling from The Olympic Auditorium in Los Angeles changed my life. Those two were the greatest after Nature Boy and Mil Mascaras
Judging greatness in the crazy acting-athlete profession eludes definition - you just know it when you see it. Hogan sold tickets but was never great. Tolos didn't venture enough out of his market. Bruno Samartino held a belt for eight years, truly athletically superhuman. Rick Steamboat matched Flair's ability but not his charisma.
Rick Rude, Harley Race, Haku/Meng, Chris Benoit, Paul Orndorf, William Regal and many more were legitimate badasses who had to modulate to avoid injuring their opponents. Drugs or other bad habits rife in the industry weeded out thousands of potentially great wrestlers. Demands of the road, training and shows with little time for healing and family weeds out more.
So remember this when some yahoo mouths off "wrestling's all fake". The pro athletes, who have seasons, look up to them with deserved admiration.