Post by OfLegend on May 29, 2006 16:09:26 GMT
Based upon the 19 Top Twenty lists I have received so far, the following is AWT's Top Ten Workers of all time. If you want to change the list you have already submitted, please PM me to let me know, and if you still want to put up your list, the thread is still in existence in the General Wrestling board. For some strange reason, only the pictures of Dean Malenko, Bret Hat and Shawn Michaels appear to be working, so bite me.
10.) [/img] [/center][/b]
Known in his WWF stint as "Mr Perfect", Hennig was known for three things: his perfect winning streak, his impressive Fisherman Suplex, and being a damn fine wrestler. A man who not only could mix it up on the mat but also structure a match brilliantly, Hennig embodied his nickname throughout his time with the Stamford company, during which he won the Intercontinental Championship twice and engaged in acclaimed feuds with the likes of Bret Hart, Ric Flair and Razor Ramon.
Away from the WWF, he won WCW's United States and World Tag Team titles and the prestigious AWA World Heavyweight Championship from the great Nick Bockwinkel. He has also been a part for two of the most famous factions in history: the nWo and the Four Horsemen. In 2002, he returned to the WWE and placed third in the Royal Rumble, notably eliminating Steve Austin.
He was released that same year after roughing up Brock Lesnar on a plane, and in 2003 passed away in his hotel room, aged just 44. However, he will always be remembered as one of the greatest heels and hardest workers who ever lived.
9.)
An expert technician, Dean Malenko was known for most of his career as The Man of A Thousand Holds, and the nickname was barely hyperbole. A throwback to the days of Lou Thesz (who was a big fan) and Killer Kowalski, Malenko learnt and innovated many submissions and throws, including the Crippler Crossface and the Jackhammer, and was an excellent ring psychologist.
Despite being one of the few wrestlers to win titles in ECW, WCW and WWE, it could be argued that Dean’s look and style did not catch on with modern audiences. However, this would do a great disservice to his abilities and accomplishments, which include being one of the greatest WCW Cruiserweight champions ever, feuding with the likes of Chris Jericho and the Ultimo Dragon over the US’s top junior title. He also had the feud of the year in 1995 with his friend Eddie Guerrero and teamed with Chris Benoit in various federations all over the globe. He was a part of the Radicalz in WWE and the Four Horsemen in WCW.
Though retired and working as a road agent, it is possible we will see Malenko in the ring again, as there have been talks of a match against Chris Benoit as a tribute to Eddie Guerrero. Whether we do or not, there can be no doubt that Dean was one of the all-time greats inside the squared circle.
8.)
[/center]
In his “Stone Cold” Steve Austin moniker, Steve Williams was the biggest drawing American wrestler since Hulk Hogan. An against-authority rebel on television, Austin drew in a new era of pro wrestling and turned the face/heel division on its head as an antihero that represented the common man. Whether it be stomping a mudhole in someone or flipping the bird, Austin was still cheered by his legion of fans up to and including his 2001 heel run.
However, in many circles, he is underrated as a performer. Often thought of as a mindless brawler, Austin was in fact a cultured technician away from his gimmick, as his stint in ECW, WCW and 2001 matches with Chris Benoit clearly demonstrate. Aside from that, Austin is living proof that one can have a classic match merely by clever structuring and emotional booking. In 1997, he kicked, punched and scrapped his way to a five star bout with Bret Hart at WrestleMania. His feud with The Rock produced two WrestleMania classics and one at least memorable match, and his on-screen disputes with the likes of Triple H and Kurt Angle always delivered the goods in the ring.
Austin remains in retirement since his MOTY contending loss to The Rock at WrestleMania XIX, but he is far from forgotten. Austin 3:16 signs can still be seen in the crowd on RAW and SmackDown today, a reminder that we may not have seen the last of the Texas Rattlesnake.
7.)
[/center]
“The Nature Boy” is, to some, the living embodiment of professional wrestling. His accomplishments are untouchable: recognized as a 16 time World Champion in all, with reigns in WCW, NWA and the WWF, and his matches are legend.
Starting out in the 1970s, Flair’s career was nearly cut short half way through the decade where he was involved in a serious plane crash. Doctors told him he would never wrestle again, but Ric proved them wrong and then some: his career was just about to begin. In 1981, Flair won the NWA World Heavyweight Championship from Dustin Rhodes, and from then on was arguably the top heel in the industry. In WWF he entered a legendary performance in the 1993 Royal Rumble and won the WWF Championship twice before returning to WCW.
It says a lot that, in nearly every incarnation of Jim Crockett Promotions, from NWA to WCW, Flair was in some way the top star; and perhaps even more that while he was not the innovator of the Nature Boy gimmick or the last person to adopt it, he will be the one forever remembered by that name. Even now, well into his 50s, “Slic” Ric still competes at a high level in the WWE, recently capturing the Intercontinental Championship and feuding with his real-life friend and former ally, Triple H.
6.) [/img] [/center][/b]
Ricky “The Dragon” Steamboat is often called the greatest WWF wrestler never to win the WWF Championship, and this is certainly arguable. Steamboat was an amazing performer, competing in some of the greatest and most influential wrestling matches in memory, including his famous Intercontinental Championship win against Randy Savage at WrestleMania III.
In the NWA, he competed in a legendary series of matches against Ric Flair, including the Chi-Town Rumble match, which may lay claim to being the greatest singles match of the modern era. He won the NWA World Heavyweight Championship in 1989 and defended it against the second Tiger Mask in a classic contest before heading into semi-retirement. He retired for good in 1994 after taking a nasty bump from the top turnbuckle.
Steamboat’s legacy includes inspiring such men as Chris Jericho to wrestle and being held in the highest regard by Steve Austin, Bret Hart, Ric Flair and others who have cited him as one of their greatest opponents.
5.)
Eddie Guerrero is perhaps the most celebrated luchalibre or cruiserweight performer in North America, and his accomplishments make him the most successful Mexican-American to ever compete in the WWE. His career began in EMLL, where he quickly excelled, before moving on to NJPW, AAA, ECW, WCW and the WWF/WWE. In NJPW, he was the second man to wear the mask of the Black Tiger and competed in the legendary 1994 Super J Cup, and in AAA teamed with Art Barr, from whom he learned his Frog Splash finisher.
In ECW, Guerrero won the Television title on his debut had a contender for feud of the year with Dean Malenko in 1995. WCW came calling later in the year for both men, and here Eddie had some success, winning the Cruiserweight Championship and the United States Championship. In some ways, his first stint in the WWF that followed was actually a step down from his WCW days, but when he returned from alcoholism rehab in 2002, Eddie was constantly on the rise. He went on to win the WWE Tag Team straps, the United States title and, finally, the WWE Championship from Brock Lesnar in 2004, completing the Grand Slam.
Guerrero was a rare commodity: a superb chain wrestler with considerable aerial ability, who also had the knowledge to draw an audience into his matches. His charisma made it possible for his Cheech Marin-style character to become hugely popular, for a long time the most over man in the federation, and his real-life triumphs over addictions remain inspirations to many.
4.) [/img] [/center][/b]
Besides Bret Hart himself, Chris Benoit is possibly the most successful trainee of the world famous Stu Hart’s Dungeon. Despite being short with no look and limited mic skills, Benoit has got by solely on talent and dedication. He grew up idolizing the Dynamite Kid, and this is evident in much of his work, from the stiff right forearms to the snap suplexes to the patented swandive headbutt. Even when he got his first big break in Japan, wrestling as The Pegasus Kid, his skill inside the ring reminded many of his hero.
A dedicated worker, Benoit confirmed his status as one of the best junior heavyweights in the world when he won the highly acclaimed 1994 Super J Cup. Moving on to ECW, he picked up the moniker “The Canadian Crippler” thanks to his knowledge of many painful submission holds. From there he moved on to WCW, winning the United States championship and the Tag belts with Dean Malenko. However, Benoit felt he was being held down in WCW, and despite winning the World Heavyweight Championship, decided to move on to WWF with Eddie Guerrero, Malenko and Perry Saturn.
After four years of trying to break through the WWF/WWE glass ceiling, Benoit was finally pushed to winning the Royal Rumble in 2004, breaking Bob Backlund’s record of being the longest to stay in the Rumble. He went on to lift the World Heavyweight Championship at WrestleMania XX, forcing Triple H to submit to the Crippler Crossface. Wherever Chris Benoit has wrestled, he has been held in high regard as an expert technician and strategist.
3.) [/img] [/center][/b]
“The Dynamite Kid” Tom Billington is thought of as one of the greatest pure wrestlers who ever lived by almost everyone who saw him compete. In the ring, he was a total package junior heavyweight, combining technical supremacy with aggression and athleticism.
Though known to western fans as a WWF tag team specialist, Billington was far more successful prior to his WWF stint. He had a popular feud in Stampede Wrestling in the 80s with his student, Bret Hart, and had a legendary junior heavyweight feud with the original Tiger Mask, Satoru Sayama. Dynamite got Sayama’s career off to a winning start in the late 70s, putting the underdog over in the Japanese wrestler’s debut, and from there they would go on to wrestle countless times all over the world, producing the goods each time. In Japan, Dynamite also teamed with his distant cousin Davey Boy Smith, forming one of the greatest tag tandems of all time, The British Bulldogs.
The Bulldogs captured WWF gold at WrestleMania II and had acclaimed battles with the likes of the Hart Foundation, before a backstage vendetta with the Rougeau brothers ended in them leaving the federation in 1988. His body breaking down, The Kid retired in 1991, but wrestled a few more times. His last match was in 1996, a six man tag in Michinoku Pro Wrestling against a team led by his old nemesis, Satoru Sayama. Since then, many, including his real life enemy Bret Hart, Mick Foley, Jake Roberts, Chris Benoit and Bad News Brown have as good as called Dynamite the greatest wrestler pound-for-pound who ever lived.
2.)
Like Chris Benoit, Bret Hart learned his craft in the Hart Family Dungeon and first competed in Calgary Stampede Wrestling. At an early stage of his career, Hart’s matches with the likes of the Dynamite Kid were noticeable for their tense and engrossing atmosphere. Although his basis was in technical wrestling, being an accomplished amateur, Bret understood the importance of structuring a match through devices such as limb psychology. In 1984 the WWF came calling, and Bret quickly rose up the ranks, forming the famous Hart Foundation with Jim Neidhart and taking the tag titles before moving into the singles ranks, capturing the Intercontinental Championship on two occasions, eventually dropping it in a five star contest to Davey Boy Smith.
Bret’s first big break came in 1992, when he defeated Ric Flair for the WWF World Heavyweight Championship, a belt he would hold another four times. He also won the inaugural King of The Ring tournament and was the co-winner of the 1994 Royal Rumble and had an excellent sibling rivalry feud with his brother, Owen, with whom he wrestled the first few Iron Man matches with in '94. Bret also competed in the next two Iron Man matches, beating Ric Flair the first time and losing the title to up-and comer Shawn Michaels at WrestleMania XII.
Michaels and Hart’s rivalry both on-screen and off was intense, culminating in the Montreal Screwjob that saw Hart leave for WCW, where he would become a four time US Champion and two-time WCW World Heavyweight Champion, retiring during his second reign due to a serious concussion. Throughout his career, Hart was called both the Excellence of Execution, owing to his untouchable pulling off of holds and throws, and the more resounding The Best There Is, The Best There Was and The Best There Ever Will Be, but he is most proud of the fact that he never once injured an opponent in 24 years of competing.
1.)
It’s difficult to convey how much Shawn Michaels means to professional wrestling. Loved and hated by fans around the world, few would seriously doubt his skill and intelligence when it comes to crafting matches.
Like his adversary Bret Hart, Michaels first received national exposure as a tag team wrestler, teaming with Marty Jannetty to form The Midnight Rockers (later The Rockers). While never officially winning the WWF Tag Titles, The Rockers had considerable success in AWA and were acknowledged as excellent performers until Michaels broke up the partnership by throwing Jannetty face first through a plate of glass on a WWF show. Becoming the vain, cocky “Boy Toy” heel, Michaels showed his pedigree as a WWF singles athlete in his feud with Jannetty as well as showcasing his mic skills. He went on to win the Intercontinental Championship before feuding with Bret Hart, Razor Ramon and others with success.
Michaels would go on to win the WWF Championship by defeating Bret Hart by one fall to none in sudden death overtime of the first televised Iron Man match, at WrestleMania XII. As a main eventer, “The Heartbreak Kid” would always do his utmost to make sure the paying fans went home with their money’s worth at a time when the WWF was in a financial “dark age”. He wrestled Mick Foley in a match that Foley himself calls his personal best and HBK and the Undertaker assembled the greatest cage match in history, a five star Hell In A Cell, in 1997. That year Michaels was forced to retire after suffering a horrific back injury.
However, Michaels would return to competition in 2002 and has been wrestling at the highest standard since. Since his return he has had classic matches with Triple H at SummerSlam ’02 and with Triple H and Chris Benoit at WrestleMania XX, as well as winning the World Heavyweight title again, carrying Hulk Hogan and competing in the first Elimination Chamber match. Today many still call him the finest performer in North America, a true testament to the man who has admittedly lost a step or two in the ring but remains a consummate professional. He is currently All-Wrestling Talk Forum’s Top Worker of All Time.
10.) [/img] [/center][/b]
Known in his WWF stint as "Mr Perfect", Hennig was known for three things: his perfect winning streak, his impressive Fisherman Suplex, and being a damn fine wrestler. A man who not only could mix it up on the mat but also structure a match brilliantly, Hennig embodied his nickname throughout his time with the Stamford company, during which he won the Intercontinental Championship twice and engaged in acclaimed feuds with the likes of Bret Hart, Ric Flair and Razor Ramon.
Away from the WWF, he won WCW's United States and World Tag Team titles and the prestigious AWA World Heavyweight Championship from the great Nick Bockwinkel. He has also been a part for two of the most famous factions in history: the nWo and the Four Horsemen. In 2002, he returned to the WWE and placed third in the Royal Rumble, notably eliminating Steve Austin.
He was released that same year after roughing up Brock Lesnar on a plane, and in 2003 passed away in his hotel room, aged just 44. However, he will always be remembered as one of the greatest heels and hardest workers who ever lived.
9.)
DEAN MALENKO
An expert technician, Dean Malenko was known for most of his career as The Man of A Thousand Holds, and the nickname was barely hyperbole. A throwback to the days of Lou Thesz (who was a big fan) and Killer Kowalski, Malenko learnt and innovated many submissions and throws, including the Crippler Crossface and the Jackhammer, and was an excellent ring psychologist.
Despite being one of the few wrestlers to win titles in ECW, WCW and WWE, it could be argued that Dean’s look and style did not catch on with modern audiences. However, this would do a great disservice to his abilities and accomplishments, which include being one of the greatest WCW Cruiserweight champions ever, feuding with the likes of Chris Jericho and the Ultimo Dragon over the US’s top junior title. He also had the feud of the year in 1995 with his friend Eddie Guerrero and teamed with Chris Benoit in various federations all over the globe. He was a part of the Radicalz in WWE and the Four Horsemen in WCW.
Though retired and working as a road agent, it is possible we will see Malenko in the ring again, as there have been talks of a match against Chris Benoit as a tribute to Eddie Guerrero. Whether we do or not, there can be no doubt that Dean was one of the all-time greats inside the squared circle.
8.)
"STONE COLD" STEVE AUSTIN
[/center]In his “Stone Cold” Steve Austin moniker, Steve Williams was the biggest drawing American wrestler since Hulk Hogan. An against-authority rebel on television, Austin drew in a new era of pro wrestling and turned the face/heel division on its head as an antihero that represented the common man. Whether it be stomping a mudhole in someone or flipping the bird, Austin was still cheered by his legion of fans up to and including his 2001 heel run.
However, in many circles, he is underrated as a performer. Often thought of as a mindless brawler, Austin was in fact a cultured technician away from his gimmick, as his stint in ECW, WCW and 2001 matches with Chris Benoit clearly demonstrate. Aside from that, Austin is living proof that one can have a classic match merely by clever structuring and emotional booking. In 1997, he kicked, punched and scrapped his way to a five star bout with Bret Hart at WrestleMania. His feud with The Rock produced two WrestleMania classics and one at least memorable match, and his on-screen disputes with the likes of Triple H and Kurt Angle always delivered the goods in the ring.
Austin remains in retirement since his MOTY contending loss to The Rock at WrestleMania XIX, but he is far from forgotten. Austin 3:16 signs can still be seen in the crowd on RAW and SmackDown today, a reminder that we may not have seen the last of the Texas Rattlesnake.
7.)
RIC FLAIR
[/center]“The Nature Boy” is, to some, the living embodiment of professional wrestling. His accomplishments are untouchable: recognized as a 16 time World Champion in all, with reigns in WCW, NWA and the WWF, and his matches are legend.
Starting out in the 1970s, Flair’s career was nearly cut short half way through the decade where he was involved in a serious plane crash. Doctors told him he would never wrestle again, but Ric proved them wrong and then some: his career was just about to begin. In 1981, Flair won the NWA World Heavyweight Championship from Dustin Rhodes, and from then on was arguably the top heel in the industry. In WWF he entered a legendary performance in the 1993 Royal Rumble and won the WWF Championship twice before returning to WCW.
It says a lot that, in nearly every incarnation of Jim Crockett Promotions, from NWA to WCW, Flair was in some way the top star; and perhaps even more that while he was not the innovator of the Nature Boy gimmick or the last person to adopt it, he will be the one forever remembered by that name. Even now, well into his 50s, “Slic” Ric still competes at a high level in the WWE, recently capturing the Intercontinental Championship and feuding with his real-life friend and former ally, Triple H.
6.) [/img] [/center][/b]
Ricky “The Dragon” Steamboat is often called the greatest WWF wrestler never to win the WWF Championship, and this is certainly arguable. Steamboat was an amazing performer, competing in some of the greatest and most influential wrestling matches in memory, including his famous Intercontinental Championship win against Randy Savage at WrestleMania III.
In the NWA, he competed in a legendary series of matches against Ric Flair, including the Chi-Town Rumble match, which may lay claim to being the greatest singles match of the modern era. He won the NWA World Heavyweight Championship in 1989 and defended it against the second Tiger Mask in a classic contest before heading into semi-retirement. He retired for good in 1994 after taking a nasty bump from the top turnbuckle.
Steamboat’s legacy includes inspiring such men as Chris Jericho to wrestle and being held in the highest regard by Steve Austin, Bret Hart, Ric Flair and others who have cited him as one of their greatest opponents.
5.)
EDDIE GUERRERO
![]()
upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/f/f6/Eddieguerrero37.jpg/200px-Eddieguerrero37.jpg
[/img] [/center][/b]Eddie Guerrero is perhaps the most celebrated luchalibre or cruiserweight performer in North America, and his accomplishments make him the most successful Mexican-American to ever compete in the WWE. His career began in EMLL, where he quickly excelled, before moving on to NJPW, AAA, ECW, WCW and the WWF/WWE. In NJPW, he was the second man to wear the mask of the Black Tiger and competed in the legendary 1994 Super J Cup, and in AAA teamed with Art Barr, from whom he learned his Frog Splash finisher.
In ECW, Guerrero won the Television title on his debut had a contender for feud of the year with Dean Malenko in 1995. WCW came calling later in the year for both men, and here Eddie had some success, winning the Cruiserweight Championship and the United States Championship. In some ways, his first stint in the WWF that followed was actually a step down from his WCW days, but when he returned from alcoholism rehab in 2002, Eddie was constantly on the rise. He went on to win the WWE Tag Team straps, the United States title and, finally, the WWE Championship from Brock Lesnar in 2004, completing the Grand Slam.
Guerrero was a rare commodity: a superb chain wrestler with considerable aerial ability, who also had the knowledge to draw an audience into his matches. His charisma made it possible for his Cheech Marin-style character to become hugely popular, for a long time the most over man in the federation, and his real-life triumphs over addictions remain inspirations to many.
4.) [/img] [/center][/b]
Besides Bret Hart himself, Chris Benoit is possibly the most successful trainee of the world famous Stu Hart’s Dungeon. Despite being short with no look and limited mic skills, Benoit has got by solely on talent and dedication. He grew up idolizing the Dynamite Kid, and this is evident in much of his work, from the stiff right forearms to the snap suplexes to the patented swandive headbutt. Even when he got his first big break in Japan, wrestling as The Pegasus Kid, his skill inside the ring reminded many of his hero.
A dedicated worker, Benoit confirmed his status as one of the best junior heavyweights in the world when he won the highly acclaimed 1994 Super J Cup. Moving on to ECW, he picked up the moniker “The Canadian Crippler” thanks to his knowledge of many painful submission holds. From there he moved on to WCW, winning the United States championship and the Tag belts with Dean Malenko. However, Benoit felt he was being held down in WCW, and despite winning the World Heavyweight Championship, decided to move on to WWF with Eddie Guerrero, Malenko and Perry Saturn.
After four years of trying to break through the WWF/WWE glass ceiling, Benoit was finally pushed to winning the Royal Rumble in 2004, breaking Bob Backlund’s record of being the longest to stay in the Rumble. He went on to lift the World Heavyweight Championship at WrestleMania XX, forcing Triple H to submit to the Crippler Crossface. Wherever Chris Benoit has wrestled, he has been held in high regard as an expert technician and strategist.
3.) [/img] [/center][/b]
“The Dynamite Kid” Tom Billington is thought of as one of the greatest pure wrestlers who ever lived by almost everyone who saw him compete. In the ring, he was a total package junior heavyweight, combining technical supremacy with aggression and athleticism.
Though known to western fans as a WWF tag team specialist, Billington was far more successful prior to his WWF stint. He had a popular feud in Stampede Wrestling in the 80s with his student, Bret Hart, and had a legendary junior heavyweight feud with the original Tiger Mask, Satoru Sayama. Dynamite got Sayama’s career off to a winning start in the late 70s, putting the underdog over in the Japanese wrestler’s debut, and from there they would go on to wrestle countless times all over the world, producing the goods each time. In Japan, Dynamite also teamed with his distant cousin Davey Boy Smith, forming one of the greatest tag tandems of all time, The British Bulldogs.
The Bulldogs captured WWF gold at WrestleMania II and had acclaimed battles with the likes of the Hart Foundation, before a backstage vendetta with the Rougeau brothers ended in them leaving the federation in 1988. His body breaking down, The Kid retired in 1991, but wrestled a few more times. His last match was in 1996, a six man tag in Michinoku Pro Wrestling against a team led by his old nemesis, Satoru Sayama. Since then, many, including his real life enemy Bret Hart, Mick Foley, Jake Roberts, Chris Benoit and Bad News Brown have as good as called Dynamite the greatest wrestler pound-for-pound who ever lived.
2.)
BRET "THE HITMAN" HART
Like Chris Benoit, Bret Hart learned his craft in the Hart Family Dungeon and first competed in Calgary Stampede Wrestling. At an early stage of his career, Hart’s matches with the likes of the Dynamite Kid were noticeable for their tense and engrossing atmosphere. Although his basis was in technical wrestling, being an accomplished amateur, Bret understood the importance of structuring a match through devices such as limb psychology. In 1984 the WWF came calling, and Bret quickly rose up the ranks, forming the famous Hart Foundation with Jim Neidhart and taking the tag titles before moving into the singles ranks, capturing the Intercontinental Championship on two occasions, eventually dropping it in a five star contest to Davey Boy Smith.
Bret’s first big break came in 1992, when he defeated Ric Flair for the WWF World Heavyweight Championship, a belt he would hold another four times. He also won the inaugural King of The Ring tournament and was the co-winner of the 1994 Royal Rumble and had an excellent sibling rivalry feud with his brother, Owen, with whom he wrestled the first few Iron Man matches with in '94. Bret also competed in the next two Iron Man matches, beating Ric Flair the first time and losing the title to up-and comer Shawn Michaels at WrestleMania XII.
Michaels and Hart’s rivalry both on-screen and off was intense, culminating in the Montreal Screwjob that saw Hart leave for WCW, where he would become a four time US Champion and two-time WCW World Heavyweight Champion, retiring during his second reign due to a serious concussion. Throughout his career, Hart was called both the Excellence of Execution, owing to his untouchable pulling off of holds and throws, and the more resounding The Best There Is, The Best There Was and The Best There Ever Will Be, but he is most proud of the fact that he never once injured an opponent in 24 years of competing.
1.)
SHAWN MICHAELS
It’s difficult to convey how much Shawn Michaels means to professional wrestling. Loved and hated by fans around the world, few would seriously doubt his skill and intelligence when it comes to crafting matches.
Like his adversary Bret Hart, Michaels first received national exposure as a tag team wrestler, teaming with Marty Jannetty to form The Midnight Rockers (later The Rockers). While never officially winning the WWF Tag Titles, The Rockers had considerable success in AWA and were acknowledged as excellent performers until Michaels broke up the partnership by throwing Jannetty face first through a plate of glass on a WWF show. Becoming the vain, cocky “Boy Toy” heel, Michaels showed his pedigree as a WWF singles athlete in his feud with Jannetty as well as showcasing his mic skills. He went on to win the Intercontinental Championship before feuding with Bret Hart, Razor Ramon and others with success.
Michaels would go on to win the WWF Championship by defeating Bret Hart by one fall to none in sudden death overtime of the first televised Iron Man match, at WrestleMania XII. As a main eventer, “The Heartbreak Kid” would always do his utmost to make sure the paying fans went home with their money’s worth at a time when the WWF was in a financial “dark age”. He wrestled Mick Foley in a match that Foley himself calls his personal best and HBK and the Undertaker assembled the greatest cage match in history, a five star Hell In A Cell, in 1997. That year Michaels was forced to retire after suffering a horrific back injury.
However, Michaels would return to competition in 2002 and has been wrestling at the highest standard since. Since his return he has had classic matches with Triple H at SummerSlam ’02 and with Triple H and Chris Benoit at WrestleMania XX, as well as winning the World Heavyweight title again, carrying Hulk Hogan and competing in the first Elimination Chamber match. Today many still call him the finest performer in North America, a true testament to the man who has admittedly lost a step or two in the ring but remains a consummate professional. He is currently All-Wrestling Talk Forum’s Top Worker of All Time.
.
). I suppose this gives almost enough needed justice to whom is possibly the IWC's all-time most hated (and unreasonably so) backstage guy. I'm proud of my man.
