Those who change the course of Wrestling forever.

[Road Warriors]

While there have been many wrestlers who have made it big there have been very few who have truly changed the course of Wrestling. I will start off with 5 of the most obvious Gods of wrestling.

1. Buddy Rogers
2. Gorgeous George
3. Hulk Hogan
4. Rikidozen
5. The Road Warriors

let me know what you think and of course please add your own list and opinion.

[tnafan17: The Total Package]

I definitely grew up watching wrestling in the 90s so my list is definitely going to be a little different:

Hulk Hogan, Stone Cold Steve Austin

--will come back and modify my mind can't process after doing calculus lol.

[Grumpyoldman]

As much as I hate to admit it, Hulk Hogan should be on top of any list.

But Vince McMahon Jr as well. If it wasn't for his drive & ambition (or greed, if you will) to put wrestling over the top, who knows where wrestling would be now.

Great topic, though.

[Deleted]

I agree, great topic, and yes, Vince, Hogan and Austin should be at the top of the list for their contributions.

I also agree that Buddy Rogers, Gorgeous George and Rikidozan should be in there, but would also like to add:

Karl Gotch
Killer Kowalski
Ric Flair
Bruiser Brody

The Road Warriors
The Wild Samoans
The Rockers
The Hart Foundation

...just off the top of my head...and I know there's more...

[Cult Member BriGuy]

Goldberg

[Johnny Lawrence - Cobra Kai]

Many good ones already listed. Here's another: Superstar Billy Graham.

He's been cited as a role model (to varying degrees) by everyone from Jesse Ventura to Hulk Hogan to Triple H to Scott Steiner, and I'm sure others.

There had been bodybuilder types before Graham, and there had been many bleached-blonde heels that were talented on the mic. But Graham was the first to be all of that in one package, and the protoype of the muscular, well-built champion that became the norm in the 1980s and pretty much still is.

Of course, you could also argue that Graham's influence changed the business for the worse (guys taking performance enhancers more often, promoters pushing well-built guys even if they couldn't wrestle, etc). But either way, Superstar Billy Graham's influence was huge.

[slappy]

I do not know how anyone cannot list this man.

"The Nature Boy" Ric Flair.

[Matt]

What about Lou Thesz?

[Deleted]

Aug 26, 2010 21:47:56 GMT -5 slappy said:

I do not know how anyone cannot list this man.

"The Nature Boy" Ric Flair.

I believe I did.

Aug 26, 2010 18:45:33 GMT -5 @3nwpro said:

I agree, great topic, and yes, Vince, Hogan and Austin should be at the top of the list for their contributions.

I also agree that Buddy Rogers, Gorgeous George and Rikidozan should be in there, but would also like to add:

Karl Gotch
Killer Kowalski
Ric Flair
Bruiser Brody

The Road Warriors
The Wild Samoans
The Rockers
The Hart Foundation

...just off the top of my head...and I know there's more...

[slappy]

Aug 26, 2010 23:52:42 GMT -5 @3nwpro said:

Aug 26, 2010 21:47:56 GMT -5 slappy said:

I do not know how anyone cannot list this man.

"The Nature Boy" Ric Flair.

I believe I did.

Aug 26, 2010 18:45:33 GMT -5 @3nwpro said:

I agree, great topic, and yes, Vince, Hogan and Austin should be at the top of the list for their contributions.

I also agree that Buddy Rogers, Gorgeous George and Rikidozan should be in there, but would also like to add:

Karl Gotch
Killer Kowalski
Ric Flair
Bruiser Brody

The Road Warriors
The Wild Samoans
The Rockers
The Hart Foundation

...just off the top of my head...and I know there's more...

And I thank you.

But you and I are the only ones to do so.

[ricflair4ever]

Hulk Hogan
Vince McMahon Jr
Frank Gotch
Ric Flair
Gorgeous George
Lou Thesz
Steve Austin
Buddy Rogers
Ed Lewis
Verne Gagne
Road Warriors
Shawn Michaels
Mick Foley
Andre the Giant
Paul Heyman
Eric Bischoff
Ted Turner
Jim Crockett
Rikidozan
Giant Baba
Antonio Inoki
Mil Mascaras
And The Undertaker. More had impacts in varying degrees,but I think those guys are the most exceptional in their worldwide contributions

[slappy]

Aug 27, 2010 3:07:38 GMT -5 ricflair4ever said:

Hulk Hogan
Vince McMahon Jr
Frank Gotch
Ric Flair
Gorgeous George
Lou Thesz
Steve Austin
Buddy Rogers
Ed Lewis
Verne Gagne
Road Warriors
Shawn Michaels
Mick Foley
Andre the Giant
Paul Heyman
Eric Bischoff
Ted Turner
Jim Crockett
Rikidozan
Giant Baba
Antonio Inoki
Mil Mascaras
And The Undertaker. More had impacts in varying degrees,but I think those guys are the most exceptional in their worldwide contributions

I'd add George Hackenschmidt and Jerry Lawler.

Possibly Fritz Von Erich and Bill Watts

And more locally, the man who made Milwaukee famous, The Crusher. And by default Dick the Bruiser.

[carly1988]

Hulk Hogan
Vince McMahon
Paul Heyman

Those are the only 3 to me that changed the course of wrestling and actually made an impact

[slappy]

Aug 27, 2010 6:32:21 GMT -5 @carly1988 said:

Hulk Hogan
Vince McMahon
Paul Heyman

Those are the only 3 to me that changed the course of wrestling and actually made an impact

Fighting for Ric Flair is a battle for another day.

This post is about Eric Bischoff.

Hulk Hogan has and always will be a secondary figure to the main figure of Vince McMahon from the mid 80's-1993 and Eric Bischoff from 1994-2000. Then Vince McMahon again 2002-2007. And now with Dixie Carter in 2010.

If it were not for Eric Bischoff, we would not have had the NWO, the main success of later WCW against the WWF.

[Infinite]

most of the obvious ones have been said, but:

Shawn michaels and bret hart for paving the way for smaller guys being world champion in wwf

and to a smaller degree, tazz for starting the tap out tradition for submissions

[Deleted]

Vince McMahon
Hulk Hogan
Superstar Billy Graham
Road Warriors
Stone Cold Steve Austin
Ric Flair and The Horsemen

[HeAT]

Chris Benoit.

[ztj_wwf]

Aug 27, 2010 6:32:21 GMT -5 @carly1988 said:

Hulk Hogan
Vince McMahon
Paul Heyman

Those are the only 3 to me that changed the course of wrestling and actually made an impact

Oh yeah, Steve Austin never did anything...

[Quanthor]

Gold Dust Trio, specifically Toots Mondt.(how is this guy on NOBODY's list?) He completely changed prowrestling from it's grittier more realistic roots into what we have today, sports-entertainment.

And Vince Jr., Made it national, made it global and made it mainstream.

Those are really the only ones that stick out to me as far as legitimately altering the course of wrestling. There's been a lot of influential talents that have implemented ideas and that have their thumb print on the industry, but did they really change the "course" of wrestling and take it in a new direction, a direction so profound and impactful that it couldn't possibly return to where it was before?

[carly1988]

Aug 28, 2010 7:26:09 GMT -5 ztj_wwf said:

Aug 27, 2010 6:32:21 GMT -5 @carly1988 said:

Hulk Hogan
Vince McMahon
Paul Heyman

Those are the only 3 to me that changed the course of wrestling and actually made an impact

Oh yeah, Steve Austin never did anything...

Hey I loved Austin and Flair as much as anyone. I would argue that Im one of the biggest Flair marks around but neither changed the face of wrestling. Austin is linked to the attitude era. An edgy cut throat Rated 14/R type show. However Austin didnt invent that. Neither did McMahon. That was Paul Heyman and the Original ECWs doing before any of them tried it. Shane Douglas was cussing and giving people the figure while Austin was still trying to be Stunning or a RingMaster.

McMahon changed wrestling by making it National. He's the one that ended the territories and put wrestling on the map as a "big thing". In the process he brought along Hulk Hogan who became the face of Pro wrestling for nearly 20 years. I would say 95% of people know who Steve Austin is but I would bet my money that everybody knows who Hulk Hogan is. Hogan is the poster child of wrestling