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True A+ players

Scott, with the term "A+ Players" being tossed around as loosely as
spots in the WWE Hall of Fame, who would you say are the true A+
players of wrestling?

There have been a lot of A's, but in my mind, to be a true A+ player,
the ultimate wrestler (not the Ultimate Warrior) you have to truly
transform the industry as a whole, and raise wrestling to a level it
has never reached before.

The only two people that I believe have ever done that are Hulk Hogan
and Steve Austin.

Ric Flair?  Just carried on the legacy he inherited, and was never a
huge draw outside the Carolinas.

Bruno Sammartino?  Carried his company for over a decade, but couldn't
really expand them beyond being a profitable Northeastern promotion.

The Rock?  Gained mainstream fame after becoming a movie star, but
really didn't take wrestling to a higher level than Austin brought it.

Andre the Giant?  An attraction, a curiousty, a draw, but not a
gamechanger for any promotion.

Brock Lesnar?  Maybe could have been over time, but just didn't get there.

And I don't think that anybody else even deserves consideration for the title.

And of course, wrestling hasn't had an active A+ player for over a
decade...and probably never will again.

Your thoughts?

Wait, what?  The ROCK isn't an A+ player?  DO YOU NOT KNOW WHOSE BLOG THIS IS?!?

Comments

  1. Is there a petition to remake No Mercy?

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  2. haha Barked up that tree many-a-time.


    Heard strong rumours they were making the next TNA game for Xbox One/PS4, but, y'know...

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  3. Or just any game starring Stevie Richards, really.

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  4. I'm amazed it's never been released with a new roster as is on x-box arcade or something along those lines.

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  5. Thread hijack: does anyone know who won this:
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1HT6xamre6s

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  6. Jesse would be way into a match where Punk and DB get to literally poop on HHH and HBK. He wouldn't pay for it, but he'd be much happier about stealing it. Probably pop a mega hot rod.

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  7. On a related note, if Shawn does indeed return for "WM", then it will have been four years since his last match. It doesn't feel like it, though, does it? Personally, it seems like he only retired a year or two ago.

    Contrast that with Foley's stretch from WM16 to WM20 - that seemed like forever.

    Anyone else feel that way? Maybe it's because I was ten years younger then, or because the main players changed during Foley's absence. Not saying it's good or bad, just mentioning it.

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  8. What match would you enjoy seeing?

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  9. I'd like to see a DX vs Bryan/Punk match...
    But yeah, it feels like the bryan/michael story should have more to it.

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  10. Upvoted for truth.


    (Come on DVers, ignore the poster name for once.)

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  11. Your_Favourite_LoserOctober 31, 2013 at 9:08 AM

    'I think it would be a worthwhile cause for Shawn, as long as it's not
    some goofy variation like Evil D-X v. Punk & Bryan in a match where
    the loser gets pooped or something.'


    and if d-x goes over, we're ALL losers!

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  12. If they are bring Michaels back for Wrestlemania, please bring him back in full 1997 heel mode. That was without question his best gimmick. Right now he seems to be a heel just because his character is too stupid to see how HHH really is. It almost seems like HHH is writing this current storyline to make HBK look like a fucking idiot.

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  13. I absolutely agree with you. The WWE has been very stagnant in terms of its roster for a while now. The new video game is a great example. Almost every year when the game comes out, I lament the fact that certain new faces aren't there. This year, pretty much everyone I wanted to play as is in the game.


    Plus the top of the card hasn't changed at all, especially now that it seems like D-Bry has been shuffled back down a bit. I find this holding pattern fascinating and altogether kind of frustrating.

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  14. I disagree. Shawn knows what HHH is, but choses his friendship with him over that of his relationship with bryan. He's not doing it at all because he thinks HHH is right to screw over Bryan.

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  15. Serious question.


    Why do you feel Bryan going over a retired Shawn Michaels (who actually has lost the last 2-3 big WM matches he's been in) means more than going cleanly over Cena, who is an active competitor and nearly unbeatable?

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  16. What gives you the feeling that this will somehow work better with 2K than it did with THQ?

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  17. It's about match quality, and going over a 'legend'. Going over Cena was very important though, i agree.

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  18. I was just thinking how funny this blog would be IF HBK went over Bryan.

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  19. As a theory, I could say that Shawn is perceived as the far bigger star. Same thing with Rocky really and a few others who occasionally come back.


    Cena is just sort of there and always has been. His longevity is the reason he's been in the top spot for so long. He never had an Austin or Rock like ascension. It was very paced. The people above him kept leaving until there was nobody left.


    Which is not to say he wasn't pushed to the top of the card, but for my own serious question. If Cena had been around during the Austin/Rock/Foley/Taker/HHH/Jericho etc. era. Would he be the top star? Would he be close?

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  20. AJ Styles is a huge fan of the series.

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  21. I don't know man. If "match quality" was what counted at stardom we'd have a completely different set of people at the top of the WWE and would have for some time now.

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  22. partially because you sort of get an aura by being gone. I mean, the sheer breadth of Cena's working schedule means that a fair number of people have victories over him, where it didn't end up meaning squat- Miz and Tensai, for instance.
    The clean as a sheet portion puts it up there, though.

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  23. Change "IF HBK went over Bryan" to "the next time something is posted about anything wrestling related" and I'm in agreement

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  24. Well, they added Punk for real, have sort of added D-bry and the Ryback (before recent jobfest), and have got a select few guys seemingly poised for next levelness- specifically the shield members. It's still pretty bad, but it has changed a bit.

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  25. Krispy Kreme McDonaldOctober 31, 2013 at 10:12 AM

    His obsession with Jesse Baker is creepy.


    I think the dick sucking comment hit too close to home

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  26. Krispy Kreme McDonaldOctober 31, 2013 at 10:14 AM

    Just hit them with now classic


    "See you next week!"

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  27. Funny that you bring up Michaels' WM win/loss record, because Cena's isn't glowing either. He's lost his last 2 out of 3 WrestleMania matches, too. That's why I don't see Cena as this huge threat to Undertaker's streak. If friggin' Miz beat him on the big stage, what problem should Undertaker have?

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  28. I definitely don't think Bryan getting a win over HBK would mean nearly as much as beating Cena or even a win over HHH. Not even close.
    WWE has spent the past decade promoting HBK as the guy who "has great matches at Wrestlemania" not as a wrestler who's impossible, or even all that hard, to beat. Cena on the other hand is promoted as unbeatable, at least in the sense that he can't be beat in a fair, clean match.

    That's why I don't think a Bryan-HBK match does all that much for Bryan, because beating Michaels isn't a huge deal. And honestly, they wouldn't even promote it as a match where the result is a big deal— it'd be a "you gotta see this classic!" type deal where they shake hands afterwards and the announcers rave about what great performers they are.

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  29. It does count though. Hell, Shawn Michaels and Kurt got were they were based on their wrestling ability.
    It's not the only thing, but it is very important.

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  30. Shawn is not coming back.

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  31. In a vacuum, I agree with you. However I the "wrestlemania moment" would be played up, plus more people would see it.

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  32. I would pay any amount to see HBK vs. Lesnar

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  33. I wonder if WWE will ever give up on the midget experiment.

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  34. Was it Sun Tzu who said to judge yourself on the strength of your enemies?

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  35. It was Billy Madison.

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  36. Charismatic e-Negro Jef VinsonOctober 31, 2013 at 12:07 PM

    It will be a similar reaction when HHH eventually goes over DBry.

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  37. It's a guaranteed MOTN at the biggest show of the year, pre-written master versus apprentice storyline, and it will be something Bryan's never done before. He's already pinned Cena.

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  38. Site troll trolls troll. It's like a singularity of dreck.

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  39. I'm sorry you were born to such unfortunate circumstances.

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  40. A straight up Punk/Bryan vs. DX tag match would be pretty awesome, especially since Shawn offering to do the job would override even Hunter's inability to lay down.

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  41. Shawn and Kurt also both have absolutely phenomenal amounts of charisma and are incredible mic workers. I'm not saying DBry doesn't have that - he does - but he's not a Michaels or Angle level mic worker. Not yet at any rate.

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  42. Krispy Kreme McDonaldOctober 31, 2013 at 4:32 PM

    the complete burial and demotion of Daniel Bryan?

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  43. Angle-wise, the match Bryan should have is beating HHH at Mania. Quality wise, the Shawn match would be incredible.

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  44. Considering HHH's feel for THIS BUSINESS, wouldn't the fear be that leading into the Rumble, HBK/Bryan looks locked in, so Bryan's dispatched of during the match, maybe even by Shawn.......then, miraculously, HHH decides to change things up and for corporate Synergy, Bryan's buried in some stupid shit Bella mixed tag hell match on the pre-show?
    I agree with those saying beatin Shawn in a 5 star match would be bigger than a title for Bryan, just won't believe it til I see it.

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  45. Was wondering the same thing.

    "I know this didn't work with THIS gigantic video game publisher, but I'm talking about trying it with THAT gigantic video game publisher. Totally different, you guys."


    2K doesn't give a shit. 2K14 was a 90% finished game made under the auspices of a completely different publisher that they picked up for a relative bargain when that publisher went tits up. They didn't and still don't give a fuck about it compared to their other recent releases.


    Additionally, between first week purchases and preorders/early holiday gift purchases, they already made the lion's share of the profit that 2K14's going to generate.


    About the absolute best you could hope for this petition to accomplish would be opening 2K's eyes to what you perceive is a big problem with the game and hope they address it in next year's game. Publishers don't patch games unless they're fundamentally broken.


    And of course, I shouldn't have to tell you about how many things people screamed at THQ about over the years, loud enough to shatter the skies, and THQ responded by adding custom titles or revamping the career mode to only let you use 5 or 6 wrestlers out of the whole roster.


    2K read the situation before they bought the license. Of the 100% of people who buy the game, ~4% will proudly proclaim that they're done and will never buy another game until whatever issue they deem unforgivable is fixed and of THAT ~4%, maybe 1% will actually follow through on it. The rest of you/us will buy the new game every year after it drops to $30 or so because we're sheep.

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  46. As likely as another Benoit vs Brock match.

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  47. Miz didn't beat Cena. A Rock Bottom did.

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  48. Does it really matter? That's like saying that Orton never beat Bryan....a Pedigree and Super Kick did.

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  49. Big Dick McGillicuttyNovember 1, 2013 at 2:05 AM

    Because the Attitude Era was so amorphous and dense, 1998-2001 seemed like they made nearly a decade's worth in progress, whereas to me, 2005-2013 seems like about three years' worth of stories spread over eight or nine years.

    Also back then, more people were watching all of the shows and PPVs, which would be roughly around twenty hours or so of programming a week that everyone paid attention to. Nowadays - and the brand split is partly to blame - people are really selective about what they watch and also you can just watch the interesting segments and matches on YouTube.

    The bottom line is that when WWE doesn't have real competition, they set everything to cruise control. Compare that to 2000 when just about every single segment was worth sitting down for.

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  50. Knickerbocker von SchnoodletooNovember 1, 2013 at 2:09 AM

    I don't know, just about anyone would come back to wrestle one match for $X,XXX,XXX.

    Except Austin. Fucker's loaded.

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  51. If Trips goes over Bryan, this blog will explode. People hate HHH here more than anywhere else already...

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  52. I actually think Shawn will be involved at mania, but as a ref in a HHH vs Bryan match. Obviously there to get people to think he'll do everything to screw Bryan over, but in the end he'll do the right thing.

    I guess I want to believe that Shawn really was sincere in his retirement. I thought I read once that he was upset when Flair unretired and didn't want to do the same to Taker

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  53. not only is he the toughest sonofabitch in WWF history, he's also the smartest.

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  54. HBK vs Rock, vs Lesnar, vs Bryan, vs Punk (would they be crazy enough to throw some philosophical/religious overtones in there?).


    I could watch HBK wrestle forever.

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  55. I can't stand Trips. He's a guy who never reached the heights of a Hogan, Rock, or Austin as far as star power goes or the heights of a Michaels, Hart, or Flair as far as wrestling ability goes and you know those things irk him everyday. His constantly telling me he's the best like if he says it enough times I'll believe it irks me as well. Yet in fairness to him, when it comes to mania at least, he seems more willing to do the job than any other time of year.

    I keep holding out hope that Shawn really is done and this comes from a HUGE HBK mark. The way he was able to go out was storybook. I can't think of any other guy that got to have that type of ending. Be a shame in my opinion to crap all over that. You go out on top and not due to injury or being forced out. Just all on your own terms.

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