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Place to be Nation Presents: Real World Champion (2001-2007)

The staff over at Place to be Nation have voted to determine which wrestler in North America earned the title of the "Real World Champion" for each given year. Wrestlers were determined by the following factors: workrate, drawing ability, influence, and general overall presentation. Don't think of this as which actual champion was the best but rather which wrestler of a given year best represented a combination of all these factors, the factors in which you would look for in a champion. Click on the link below to read the article and comment here too to voice your opinion on the selections. 

http://placetobenation.com/ptbns-real-world-champion-2001-2007/

Comments

  1. MaffewOfBotchamaniaMay 6, 2015 at 2:20 PM

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FkVA5IbhaWo

    ''Let me telling ya something, real...world...champion....you feather-wearing faggot freak!''

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  2. "THIS IS GOING ON TOO LONG AND THERE IS NO POINT TO IT!!!!!!"

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  3. Italian Stallion
    Rocky King
    The Mulkey Brothers
    Barry Horowitz

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  4. that's what I used.

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  5. Doctor FunkopolisMay 6, 2015 at 4:03 PM

    Isn't there two monster one's against the Midnights where one of them just gets rocketed out of the ring and lands nice and flush on the concrete?

    I believe Bobby went and checked on him and then immediately gave him a stiff suplex on the concrete again.

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  6. Angle over Austin in 2001?!?!

    This list is garbage

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  7. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3aPlfPbEh9w - Pete Christie, Terrible Jobber

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  8. Diane? Is that a rare woman jobber?

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  9. The late Mike Bell

    Bell was set to face Perry Saturn in a squash match for an episode of WWF Jakked / Metal in 2001.

    Allegedly, Bell went against the script and decided to get more offense in to impress friends and family members in attendance. This resulted in a botched spot that nearly injured Saturn.
    Saturn became enraged and legitimately best the crap out if Bell including hurling him through the ropes where Bell landed right on his neck.

    Saturn's actions in this match were said to be the reason he was saddled with the humiliating "Moppy" gimmick.

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  10. Ah shit. The i is right by the u. Keyboard sucks.

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  11. Hahahaha hell no.....maybe THIS guy lol

    http://www.hot97.com/sites/g/files/exi706/f/styles/large_730/public/article-images-featured/685831-303571.jpg?itok=cKkm-rdf

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  12. Oh yeah, Edge in 2006. Couldn't remember the last one I wrote.

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  13. Jesus... what about Colin Orsack and Avalanch!? It's funny to think there were guys this un-athletic making it through wrestling schools and getting TV gigs back then.

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  14. Too green to know better? Spivey stiffed the shit out of him at the end - damn! And holy crap were the Skyscrapers badass! 'cept maybe Spivey's mullet.

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  15. It was a very close debate, if that helps you sleep any better tonight.

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  16. AverageJoeEverymanMay 6, 2015 at 7:05 PM

    Slimmy Fat

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  17. He was so over with that stuttering gimmick in 95-96.

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  18. Come on, 2001 was clearly Austin's year.


    Angle's title reign being a huge failure should basically disqualify him

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  19. Personally, I was stumping for Jericho.

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  20. What's the case for Jericho?

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  21. What's the argument for Angle over Austin?

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  22. I wrote the piece in the article which gives my feelings on Angle's year. Austin was fantastic too but his initial heel stuff between Mania and KOTR was soft and the ratings sagged then too IIRC (in comparison to your comment above on Angle's reign). His Alliance stuff was a lot of fun but I thought he lost steam after Survivor Series whereas Angle was great swerving back heel with Vince.


    I think Austin's peaks were higher but Angle was actually more consistent in ring and character wise. It is really 1/1A for me though and I gladly would have been OK being voted down for Austin without complaint.

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  23. Angle's title reign was so bad they had to take the title off of him two weeks later and he became lost in the shuffle with another heel turn.


    Austin was just on fire that year, I think once he got away from Taker and HHH is when he really started to click as a heel. He carried the company that year.

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  24. Again, I don't disagree that Austin wasn't on fire. Angle had tremendous matches week in and week out as well, including the series with Benoit throughout the spring when Austin was stuck with Taker and Kane.


    Legit question, how did they decide Angle's reign was so bad after just two weeks? I always assumed they just gave Angle the title since Unforgiven was in Pittsburgh and he needed to win at some point but they wanted it back on Austin for Survivor Series.

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  25. I just remember those RAWs were a disaster and his All-American character just seemed way too on the nose. The hasty Regal heel turn and bringing back Foley made me think they were panicking

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  26. The Regal turn was awful. I am not sure it was Angle's fault per se as much as they seemed to want to spike a rating on Raw after things slowly dipping since Mania. Wasn't that the night they hyped the shit out of it being "the biggest Raw ever" or something?

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  27. Yea, RAW had gotten really cold, so they tried to pop a rating by hyping up a RAW and doing the Angle Austin rematch. That RAW also kickstarted the Rock Jericho feud, so it wasn't all bad

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  28. Good discussion. I remember this being one we really struggled with hashing out.


    Any opinions on the other choices?

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  29. 2005 I think I would've gone Cena, but I don't watch TNA. All the other choices were good.

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  30. Which conversely got him more over than anything else he ever did in WWE.

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  31. Iron Mike Shape will always hold a special place with me. Hahaha, (holds both arms out) "ARRRRRRRRRHHHHHHH"

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  32. Adam "Colorado" CurryMay 6, 2015 at 11:36 PM

    I was kind of checked out of wrestling during this entire period, but this list seems pretty sound to me.

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  33. Worked with him in a fed in southern California in the early 2000's. Good guy but seemed like he had taken his fair share of ass kickings and he was a bit of a hot head.

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  34. Glad to see Samoa Joe win 2004. I know I am in the minority but Joe 2004 was just as good as Flair 1989 and HHH 2000. Also add me to the list who thinks Austin 2001 was better than Angle 2001

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  35. There isn't one

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  36. I fail to see how there was any debate. Benoit has a better case than Angle

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  37. The original booking for the Unforgiven match had William Regal turning on Angle, costing him the title.

    Austin had, arguably, better matches with Benoit than Angle did

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  38. I think I saw every Mancini match on Superstars. The only offensive move I remember from him was a reverse Irish whip into a corner that he executed on Danny Davis. He then missed a blind charge.

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  39. I'm a fan of Chris Jericho and he had a really good year, was my case.

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  40. Except for that whole "missed half the year" thing.

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  41. He had a great six months. Classic matches all over the place

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  42. Agreed. If he'd done it for more than six months, we'd have probably considered him right alongside the outstanding full years Austin and Angle had.

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  43. Did he though? He got lost in the shuffle for several months and was basically in the midcard from January to May.


    What do you think in 2001 put him above Angle or Austin?

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  44. Charismatic eNegro Jef VinsonMay 7, 2015 at 7:52 AM

    No list is complete without the Mulkey Brothers.

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  45. Nothing. Part of these debates was making sure we didn't exclude anyone, so I threw his name in there when we first started. It was pretty obviously an Austin/Angle runoff.

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  46. Man, we should've just asked you what the correct answers were from the beginning. Would've saved us a lot of time.

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  47. Angle was awesome all year long. I don't get people burying him here.


    Angle had classic matches with Rock, Austin, SHANE MCMAHON and Benoit that year. He had some of the most entertaining character moments of his career. SUPER over as a face, SUPER over as a heel.


    Rinehart can bitch all he wants, but it's a close race between Austin and Angle.

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  48. EXACTLY. Calling Angle's reign a failure is ludicrous. It was a temporary rah-rah patriotism move just meant to shake things up for a few weeks.

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  49. Excellent idea! You guys wouldn't have gotten 1999 and 2002 wrong

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  50. Starting at 0:00, Colin Orsack looks like a fat worthless piece of shit - like some mark stereotype in a singlet.

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  51. Tom Stone needs more love here! The guy was out of shape, had pasty white skin, ham n egger hair cut, terrible looking tights and I think he even rocked a vinyl jacket with his name on it? All the pre requisites for the perfect jobber! Plus... his name is Tom Stone.

    http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-VzeCrWXDedU/UEZSzi8SYSI/AAAAAAAAF5c/GOhMns74RSw/s1600/9-4-2012+3-12-58+PM.jpg

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  52. The Gambler is obviously at the top my list. After that, it's George South, Italian Stallion, and the Mulkeys.

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  53. He was no jack foley, though.

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