The Top Ten 7.10.07: Wrestler Acquisitions
Posted by Julian Williams on 07.10.2007
The acquisitions so monumental, it shook the foundation of the wrestling world. Or at least gave Scott Hall another drinking buddy.
Good day friends and welcome back to another upbeat edition of The Top Ten. This week we're going to look at The Top Ten Wrestler Acquisitions in pro wrestling history. This column is going to be short and sweet since it's about 189 degrees in New York and my living room AC is broken so I want to retreat to my icy cold room as soon as possible. Let's get into some reader feedback.
Reader Feedback
My living room is hot as balls so I wasn't originally going to include any reader feedback this week, but I had to include this one email from a young man named Eric who wanted to send some encouraging words to Chavo Guerrero after the death of Chris Benoit:
Dear Chavo,
My name is Eric Miller and I am 13 years old. I am sorry about what
happened to Chris Benoit. I'm sorry you have to go through this. I know
that he was a very good friend of yours, and that you and him got along
like brothers. Chris Benoit was a respected man. I have watched you and
Chris wrestle as long as I can recall. I know how you thought of him
and
I thought of him that way too. Chris was a very good person. I thought
of him as an idol. I know that he was an idol to others as well. I know
you loved him and his family like they were your own. I hope that your
kids are not too upset about what happened to Chris and his son. I am
upset about what happened and I am also angry about what has been said
about Chris. I cannot understand the things that have been said in the
news about him. From what I have seen, he was a better man than that. I
am sorry for what has happened.
Please write back to me if you have time. I would really love to hear
from you.
Thank you,
Eric
Eric's mom wrote me and told me how heartbroken her son was after hearing the news about the Benoit family tragedy and it broke my heart. I could just imagine how I would have felt as a 13-year old if one of my idols like Bret Hart was not only dead, but accused of being a murderer. I ask all of you readers that if you personally know Chavo Guerrero or know somebody who may be able to contact him, please pass along Eric's letter to him. I know that it must have been a very difficult letter for the young man to type so I hope that Chavo is able to get a chance to read it.
That's the end of the feedback for this week, but it'll be back to it's usual SUPER-SIZED ways next week. Before I go to this week's list, I had an important question that I needed you readers to answer. In lieu of the Benoit tragedy, I was going to exclude Chris Benoit from all future lists. But then I thought to myself that since this column is for you guys, I should have you vote whether you would want Benoit mentioned in future Top Ten columns. So please take a second to vote below and let me know whether or not you want to see Chris Benoit included in future lists.
Thanks for your participation guys. Now let's get into the list.
The Top Ten Wrestler Acquisitions
Honorable Mention: John Cena leaves Smackdown for Raw
John Cena was quickly becoming one of the most popular superstars in the entire WWE when he won his first WWE Title from JBL at Wrestlemania 21. His popularity continued to grow from that point on until he was clearly the #1 face in the company. The only problem was that he was the champ on the "B" show, Smackdown, so he wasn't getting as much exposure as his counterparts on Raw. That all changed when he became the first pick in the 2005 WWE Draft, to the shock and surprise of everybody. He immediately got tangled up into a feud with Chris Jericho and Christian and once Batista left for Smackdown, he was immediately the top dog on the show. Eventually, a lot of the cheers would turn into boos and Cena would become probably the most controversial champ in history as some fans adore him with others despise him. But Cena's meteoric rise to becoming the face of the WWE all started with his move to Raw.
Honorable Mention: Lex Luger leaves the WWE for WCW
The first shot in the Monday Night War was fired on the very first episode of Nitro when Lex Luger walked out and shocked the world. Lex Lugar had become one of the most popular stars in WWE during his two year tenure there and didn't seem to be leaving any time soon. He had taped numerous shows with WWE and was a vital part in some of their storylines. All of a sudden on September 4, 1995, Lugar made his surprise appearance on Nitro. This was a huge shock because Lugar had just been wrestling for WWE a few days prior and had taped a variety of matches with them. This was the first blow in the Monday Night Wars and was only the beginning of what was to become a long term struggle over Monday Night supremacy.
Honorable Mention: Steve Austin goes to ECW
After Steve Austin got fired by WCW, he was pissed off and sat at home with nothing to do. Paul Heyman, who was a fan of Steve's since their time together in WCW, invited Steve to come over to ECW to vent his frustrations on camera. What happened next was legendary as Steve did some of the funniest skits and promos ever seen, all while mocking WCW. His personality shone through in a way that it never was allowed to in WCW and it wasn't long until he caught the attention of the WWE and the rest is history.
10) Samoa Joe goes to TNA
Samoa Joe was the biggest star on the Indy scene, compiling a huge undefeated streak and helping make Ring Of Honor become the #1 Indy promotion in the US. TNA took notice and signed Joe and he immediately made an impact. He beat such respected X-Division stars like Chris Sabin and Sonjay Dutt before moving onto bigger stars like AJ Styles, Christopher Daniels, Sabu, Jushin Liger, and others. He compiled an incredible undefeated streak and soon became the most feared man in TNA. His winning streak would eventually be snapped by Kurt Angle, but there is no doubt that Joe is the future of TNA and the future success of TNA may very well lay on Joe's massive shoulders.
9) Christian Cage leaves the WWE for TNA
Christian had gotten fed up of being misused by WWE and instead of signing a new contract, he decided to head for the door. Everyone at the time thought that he might take a couple months off to cool off and then return to the E, but instead Christian made the shocking jump from WWE to TNA, becoming the first big name WWE superstar to leave WWE willingly for TNA(others like Jeff Hardy, Rhino had been fired). This was a huge moment for TNA and seeing Christian in a TNA ring demeaning WWE was a surreal moment. It was the first significant jump since the days of the Monday Night Wars and very well could have led the way to TNA picking up Kurt Angle.
8) Chris Jericho leaves WCW for the WWE
WCW had made a habit of continually picking off the talent pool in the WWE by offering them huge contracts during the height of the Monday Night War. The first sign that the WWE was starting to swing the tide of momentum to their favor was when they signed Chris Jericho which was one of their first major pickups. Jericho had long been upset with the politics in WCW since he had all the tools to become a huge star, yet seemed to always be shunted down to the cruiserweight division. When he came to the WWE, he was immediately presented as a big deal by having a countdown clock for his arrival and having a verbal sparring with The Rock on his first night out. It wasn't too long until Jericho won Intercontinental gold and would go on to become the first Undisputed Champion. Jericho's defection would persuade other to leave WCW for the WWE and it wasn't too long until all the momentum was in the favor of the WWE.
7) Kurt Angle goes to TNA
Sure we all knew that Kurt Angle going to TNA was a possibility, but did any of us think that was actually going to happen? As Whitney Houston would say, "Hell to the no!" Kurt became one of the fastest rising stars in the history of the WWE, collecting more accolades and gold in his seven years there than most wrestlers do in their entire career. He seemed like he was going to be in the WWE for the rest of his career until the ‘E shockingly released him. We all knew that the WWE just wanted him to rest for a while and get clean and they would have taken him back with loving arms as they usually do with most of their outcasts, but Kurt had other plans and immediately bolted for TNA. Kurt shocked the world by deciding to go to TNA and only time will tell whether it was a wise decision or not.
6) Mick Foley goes to the WWE
Mick Foley had made a name for himself all over the world under the persona of Cactus Jack and gained a reputation as the craziest, most hardcore wrestler on the planet. He seemed to perennially be overlooked by the WWE and it seemed that Foley would never get his chance to shine on the big stage. He finally got his chance in 1996 when the ‘E noticed his brilliant mic work and crazy in-ring style in ECW and signed him up to work as another persona, Mankind. Foley would go on to achieve his greatest successes in the WWE, becoming a 3-time WWE Champion and constantly being a fan favorite. Not too bad for a guy who started his career by jumping off of his roof.
5) Kevin Nash & Scott Hall leave the WWE for WCW
Kevin Nash and Scott Hall, under the personas of Diesel and Razor Ramon, were two of the biggest names in the WWE during the mid-90's. WCW had made moves to compete head on with the WWE by moving their show to Primetime, opposite Raw, and signing away Hulk Hogan, Randy Savage, Lex Luger and others. This was the acquisition that put WCW on the top of the hill, though. Scott Hall debuted in WCW by walking through the crowd and interrupting a match and threatening to tear WCW apart along with some help. The help arrived in the form of Kevin Nash and both men reeked havoc on the WCW and eventually joined forces with Hulk Hogan to form the nWo and begin the wrestling boom of the mid-to-late 90's. This was a crushing loss for the WWE at the time because not only did they lose two main eventers, but the WCW gained two stars that helped propel them to heights they had only dreamed of.
4) Hulk Hogan leaves the WWE for WCW
Hulk Hogan was the biggest icon this sport had ever seen. The man took wrestling from something that was territorial and turned it into a worldwide phenomenon. He almost single-handedly made the WWE become THE premier wrestling organization in the world. So when he left the WWE to go sign with Ted Turner's WCW, shockwaves were felt all throughout the wrestling industry. It gave The Hulkster a whole new slew of opponents, including the Nature Boy Ric Flair, and it forced the WWE to focus on other wrestlers besides Hulk. The full effect of Hulk's defection wouldn't be felt until a few years later when the nWo angle kicked off and changed wrestling forever.
3) Steve Austin goes to the WWE
When Austin got fired from WCW and went to ECW, he performed and gave interviews with a type of fire that he never exhibited during his WCW run. This fire got the attention of the WWE and they eventually singed Austin. He debuted as The Ringmaster and was basically a lackie for The Million Dollar Man, Ted DiBiase. Once DiBiase left for WCW, that left Austin on his own and that's when Stone Cold Steve Austin was born. Stone Cold didn't give a damn about anybody else and was only interested in kicking some ass. Even though he was suppose to be a heel, his heartless attitude appealed to the fans and it wasn't long until Stone Cold was the top face in the company and propelled the WWE into overtaking the #1 spot from WCW. You know that Austin must feel a deep satisfaction knowing that he is one of the main reasons WCW folded.
2) Ric Flair leaves WCW for the WWE
Ric Flair was the centerpiece of the NWA/WCW for the majority of the 80's. Whether he was a heel or a face, the people paid their money to see The Nature Boy perform. He was the catalyst for the most popular faction in wrestling history, The Four Horsemen, and his feuds with the likes of Dusty Rhodes, Harley Race and Ricky Steamboat were legendary. Flair was the main reason why the NWA were able to still generate profits during a time when Hulkamania was running wild. That's why it was so perplexing that the WCW let ‘Naitch go so easily when he threatened to go to the WWE. Flair immediately made a splash in the ‘E by getting into feuds with Roddy Piper and Randy Savage and winning the 1992 Royal Rumble and his first WWE Title. Flair had a very successful run in the ‘E before eventually returning to the WCW in 1993. This was a huge acquisition at the time because it put the two biggest wrestling stars in the world in the same promotion and even though The Hulkster and Nature Boy didn't face each other during Flair's first tenure in the ‘E, it was still a big deal for Vince to have both of them at the same time.
1) Hulk Hogan goes to the WWE
Hulk Hogan was making Hulkamania run wild way before his time in the WWE as he was the biggest star in the AWA promotion. Hulk had been banned from the WWE by Vince Sr. for taking a role in Rocky II instead of wrestling various dates, so Hulk turned to the Verne Gagne's AWA. Once Vince Jr. saw the pandemonium that The Hulkster was creating in the AWA, he brought him back to the WWE once he bought the company away from his father. Hogan came in and within a month of debuting, he won the WWE Title from The Iron Sheik and went to become the biggest star in the industry. Hulkamania may have never become a worldwide phenomenon without Vince's promotional machine backing it and it was clear that the WWE and Hulk Hogan were a perfect match at the time.
Drive-By Pimpin'
Check out all these great columns by my 411 brethren:
-Andy Clark's "Shimmy"
-Ari's "Column Of Honor"
-Sean, Alex and David's "Triple Threat"
-Bayani's "Truth B Told"
-Weyer's "Shining The Spotlight"
-Byers' "Cheap Wrestling for Cheap People"
-Larry and Geoff's "4R's"
-Fact Or Fiction
-O'Dog's " Goodness"
-Sat and Uncle Trunx's "High Road/Low Road"
-Phill Feltham's "Quick Talkdown"
-Sarnecky's "Piledriver Report"
-Slimmer's News Report
-Hidden Highlights
-Carapola's "That Was Then" and "Friendly Competition"
-The Fink's Payload
-Gamble's "Just 'Spose"
-Cook's "Ask 411"
-Meehan's "Meethinks"
-Sforcina's "Evolution Schematic"
-Prag's "In Defense Of?."
-Wrestlers of the Week
-Sullivan's "Crystal Ball"
-Randle's "Wrestling News Experience"
-Joe Boo's "Ringside Or Cheap Seats"
-Linkous' "Why I Love Wrestling"
-Double M's Rasslin Report
-News To Start Your Weekend
-Dunn's Rawtopsy, Smackdown Breakdown, & ECW eXperience
-Your News, Larry's Views
-Zac Calhoun's "The Ripple Effect"
-Joe Estee's "Keys To The Game"
-Halden's "You're An Idiot And Here's Why"
-Buy......OR SELL!!
The Sign-Off
We're done here people. Be sure to vote in the poll, send in all your feedback and come back next week when the topic will be The Top Ten Matches of 2007…..So Far. Until then, go wash your ass!
