Mikes Top 50 Favourite Wrestlers – 20 to 16

Happy Wednesday Everyone!

We continue on from last week as we pick up the countdown of my Top 50 Favourite Wrestlers. I should reiterate here that this isn’t supposed to be an objective list on who I think the best wrestlers are but rather a subjective list of the wrestlers that I personally find entertaining for one reason or another.

For those of you who weren’t here last week, please check the archives to get yourself updated on the first 30 selections if you feel like doing so.

Number 20
Yuji Nagata
The Match: Vs Keiji Muto, New Japan Pro Wrestling G1 Climax (12^th August 2001)

My first exposure to Yuji Nagata is probably similar to a lot of people reading this who played wrestling games in the 90’s, as he was a playable character in WCW/nWo Revenge on the Nintendo 64, and a pretty darn good character at that. Nagata was never really that much of a pushed commodity during his WCW stint, but THQ/AKI jumped at the idea of having another Japanese wrestler in the game, so Nagata not only got added but was also given a really cool move set of kicks and suplexes, making him a really fun guy to play as. As far as reality went, Nagata had a bit of a feud with Ultimo Dragon in 97/98, where he actually got to win most of the matches, and that was pretty much that. WCW was in an ever increasing state of disarray at the time, but even if things were running smoothly they still probably wouldn’t have done much with Nagata due to their penchant for overlooking talent.

Nagata did start getting a bit more of a push in Japan following his time in WCW though, getting his first shot at the IWGP Heavyweight Title towards the end of 1998 as he came up short against top foreigner Scott Norton. Nagata’s combination of fire, selling and exemplary wrestling ability quickly made him one of the best workers on any continent though, and it wasn’t long before he was tearing it up against all of New Japan’s biggest stars. Antonio Inoki did his best to mess up Nagata’s career at points though, putting him in real shoot fights with the likes of Mirko Cro Cop and then being surprised when poor Nagata got clobbered. Nagata did have legitimate amateur wrestling credentials and his brother actually won an Olympic medal, but Nagata was way out of his element in the world of MMA and getting forced into that domain was the height of Inoki’s insanity.

Nagata was able to bounce back from those defeats, with the New Japan fans giving him a rousing reception following his final MMA defeat when he returned to wrestle, and Nagata continued to deliver in ring in the worked arena. Nagata was able to win the coveted G1 Climax tournament in 2001, defeating Keiji Muto in one of the best finals ever. Nagata and Muto built the match really well and it remains one of the best examples of gradually building a match up from a steady start all the way to a thrilling crescendo. Nagata and Muto were both excellent technical wrestlers, whilst Nagata also had a strong submission and striking game, and by the end of their epic G1 Final the crowd was losing their mind as both men traded pin fall and submission attempts.

Nagata would go on to hold the IWGP Heavyweight Title on multiple occasions and even had time to jump over to NOAH during an inter-promotional storyline to win their GHC Heavyweight belt as well, along with Zero 1’s main singles belt. Nagata even had a chance to win All Japan’s Triple Crown Championship as well, but found a stubborn Minoru Suzuki in his way that he was unable to shift, thus denying him the chance of winning the top belts in NJPW, AJPW, NOAH and Z1. The fact that Nagata was respected enough by all of those promotions to be in a situation where he could have potentially achieved that accomplishment is a testament to just how good a wrestler he was. Even when Nagata passed his physical peak he could still go in the ring in the right setting, including a fun match with Jon Moxley on AEW Dynamite in one of the earliest instances of someone stepping through the Forbidden Door.

For anyone who hasn’t watched a lot of New Japan who would like a good place to start I would suggest digging up all of the Nagata matches you can find from 2000 to 2007, as he had great outings with many wrestlers during this period and was probably at the peak of his powers as an in-ring performer. Yuji Nagata had pretty good longevity when you think about it, as even though he wasn’t at his best physically past that point he still took part in memorable matches and feuds with the likes of Kurt Angle. Heck, he even managed to drag a somewhat entertaining feud out of the totally past it Takashi Iizuka at one stage, which is certainly something worthy of praise when you consider just how bad Iizuka got after a certain point.

Number 19
Kurt Angle
The Match: Vs Samoa Joe, TNA Lockdown (13^th April 2008)

Kurt Angle is one of those wrestlers that had a shocking aptitude for the Pro Wrestling game, with him being what you could call a good worker with barely a year of experience under his belt. Angle had enjoyed great success in amateur wrestling before making the move to the pro’s, with both a World Championship and an Olympic gold medal to his name before he decided to take the WWF up on a developmental deal in 1998. Angle quickly shone in the WWF’s developmental leagues in places such as Memphis, and it wasn’t long before vignettes were playing to hype him up for a November 1999 debut on the main roster.

Angle was excellent at playing a smug insincere character, which meant that all the attributes and achievements that would normally have made him an American Hero babyface instead made him into an insufferable Heel that the crowd loved to boo. Angle to his credit leaned right into this, and it wasn’t long before he was delivering not just in the ring but also on the microphone, and just a scant three months into his main roster stint Angle had won both the European and Intercontinental Titles. In addition to those Title wins, the WWF had already started to lay the foundation for one of the better examples of long running soap opera storytelling that they’ve ever done, as Stephanie McMahon, though married to Triple H, was clearly smitten with Angle and it led to a love triangle that gripped the WWF’s viewership, with the female contingent notably loving it.

Sadly the WWF would end up botching the storyline as Stephanie decided to stay with Triple H and Angle lost the blow off match in September of 2000. Angle managed to bounce back from that though and defeated The Rock for the WWF Title less than a year into his main roster career to cap off an incredible freshman year that also saw him win the King of the Ring tournament. In-ring the highlights of that first year were Angle’s matches with the likes of Chris Benoit and Chris Jericho, as Angle’s smooth technical wrestling skills complimented those two perfectly. Angle was not just an amateur styled grappler though, as he could also brawl when required and even head to the top rope on occasion, making him a complete performer within the ropes and an entertaining character outside of it.

Sadly what ended up being Angle’s biggest issue in his career was his inability to hold back, as by 2003 he’d done immeasurable damage to his body, most notably his neck, meaning he had to take months off following neck surgery. Angle came back in the summer of 2003 and continued to thrash his body, which combined with differing types of drug use led to him breaking down and looking early retirement square in the face. Despite his body being held together by sticky tape most of the time though, Angle continued to deliver in the ring when required upon, as he wrestled the likes of Rock, Stone Cold Steve Austin, Rey Mysterio Jr, Edge, Brock Lesnar, Eddy Guerrero, Shawn Michaels and others across a storied WWE career that saw him steal the show on more than one occasion.

WWE eventually had enough of Angle’s issues in 2006 though and let him go when it appeared to them that an early death was looming that they didn’t want it happen on their watch. TNA decided to bring Angle in though, and Angle has actually credited the company with saving his life. How genuine that sentiment is I couldn’t say, but Angle did have a long run in TNA and he eventually survived, so maybe those comments do have some merit? It was with TNA that Angle had possibly one of his greatest matches, as he wrestled Samoa Joe in a MMA styled cage match at the Lockdown pay per view. TNA was being booked by Vince Russo at the time and he hated the real sports build, but Angle and Joe managed to work some of that in and the fans responded, with the Lockdown event doing a decent (for TNA) buy rate and the cage match itself receiving strong reviews.

What made the match so good was that both men focused on realism with a few wrestling spots sprinkled in, such as a Figure Four and Joe flinging Angle into the cage in the lead up to the finish. The match resembled more something you would see in a worked-shoot company such UWFi or BattlArts than a standard Pro Wrestling contest, and because TNA so very rarely made the actual wrestling a key part of the show, the battle between Angle and Joe felt unique. It was something WWE wasn’t doing at the time either, and TNA could have possibly focused on it more in order to give them something special they could lean their hat on. However, Russo got spooked by the good buy rate and critical reception, and make sure such a build and presentation would never be allowed again so as not to threaten his wretched outdated crash TV approach, meaning the Lockdown match was to remain an oasis of joy in a desert of misery.

Angle would eventually return to WWE in the second half of the 10’s, but by then he was so broken down that he was wrestling, at best, quarter speed and he never really had any good matches outside of a smoke and mirrors showpiece involving Ronda Rousey at WrestleMania. I’ve never particularly liked that match, but a lot of others really enjoy it and you could probably say it was Angle’s last great match. Really Angle peaked in 2002, with injuries setting in once 2003 came along and Angle never really recovering full fitness ever again due to issues with his knees and neck. At his peak though Angle was one of the very best grapple merchants in all of wrestling and his ability to cut great promos and do strong character work only enhanced the entertainment he provided.

Number 18
Christian
The Match: Vs Alberto Del Rio, WWE Extreme Rules (1^st May 2011)

When I first really started to get into the WWF in 1998/99 an act I quickly gravitated to was The Brood, as they did the whole “vampire coven who also happen to wrestle” thing, complete with “raising from a pit of fire” entrance routine. Gangrel, Edge and Christian were the inaugural members, with Christian being the less interesting of the three if we’re all being honest. However, Christian was also definitely the best actual wrestler of the three, and as time went by and I started to recognise things like work rate, Christian gradually became one of my favourite wrestlers. Christian and Edge eventually split from old Gangers and had a highly successful run in the tag division, which saw them win over 10 Tag Titles as well as being a core part of the TLC Era of the WWF’s tag division along with the The Hardy and Dudley Boyz.

Christian and Edge would eventually split in 2001, with Christian going Heel and actually defeating Edge for the Intercontinental Title at one stage before eventually dropping it back a month later. Edge was clearly the member of the team hallmarked for greatness by the WWF higher-ups and he would go on to feud with the likes of William Regal, Chris Jericho and Kurt Angle whilst Christian got saddled with a losing streak gimmick. The losing streak gimmick did at least lead to some funny skits between Christian and DDP, with the two eventually facing off at WrestleMania X-8 in a solid outing for both. Christian would mostly be resigned to lackey work for Chris Jericho following that, but he got a makeover in 2003 as well as the Intercontinental Title again, which led to him really starting to feel like he was coming into his own as a character.

Christian had some fun matches with Booker T and Rob Van Dam over the IC Title and would eventually feud with Chris Jericho when his former friend started getting chummy with Trish Stratus at his expense. This led to a great match at WrestleMania XX between the two where Christian was seemingly finally allowed to break out of the pack as he won the match and also got the girl as well when Trish went Heel. However, a back injury curtailed Christian’s momentum and by the time he came back the feud had fizzled. Christian continued to deliver both in the ring and on the mic though, as he cut some scathing promos on John Cena in 2005 and actually succeeded in getting fans interested in seeing the two fight. However, Christian never got his big singles match with Cena and he eventually decided to leave WWE in 2005 to try his luck in TNA.

Christian was one of the better wrestlers and stars TNA ever had, as he almost always delivered in the ring and genuinely came across as big deal over there. Christian entered TNA as a babyface and won the NWA Title early in 2006 by defeating Jeff Jarrett to a thunderous ovation in a fantastic match, but by the end of the year he was back to being a Heel again. Christian just kept delivering in the ring though, having more great matches with the likes of AJ Styles, Rhino, Frankie Kazarian and Samoa Joe, which all culminated in him winning the top belt for a second time. Christian remained a solid part of TNA’s upper echelon before he decided it was time to give WWE another go in 2009, as he jumped over and became the linchpin of WWE’s ECW brand.

ECW Christian is possibly my favourite period of his career, as Christian held the ECW Title and mostly defended it against younger up and coming stars on the brand such as Jack Swagger, Yoshi Tatsu and Zack Ryder. The matches were almost always good and Christian regularly managed to draw good reactions from the usually comatose crowds at the tapings, who usually saw ECW as a distant third when it came to brand importance and often didn’t really care about the ECW segment of the evening. However, Christian was so good in his role that he could often wake the crowd up and get them invested in whatever he was doing. The Tatsu match in particular was fantastic and a sleeper candidate for WWE match of the year due to how good a job Christian did at shining Tatsu up as a challenger before finally finding a way to win.

For the match selection I went with Christian’s bout with Alberto Del Rio in May 2011, as Christian stepped in for his injured buddy Edge in a World Title match and finally got to have his moment in the sun when he won the Smackdown Title on a pay per view before celebrating with his long-time friend/rival. The match itself is an excellently worked contest but more than anything else it’s a special moment where Christian finally got what mostly amounted to a lifetime achievement award from WWE for all his years of putting his opponents and the company first. Christian’s reign would sadly be very brief, but he would turn Heel following the loss of the belt and embark on a fantastic feud with Randy Orton that saw them have numerous excellent bouts for the belt.

Christian had to step away from the ring in the mid-10’s due to years of cumulative concussions and injuries catching up with him. However, Christian would make a shocking return in the 2020’s and would eventually end up AEW when WWE didn’t have much interest in retaining him. Christian entered AEW with much fanfare and has been a solid member of the roster, having great matches with the likes of Kenny Omega and being part of an intriguing slow burn storyline where he betrayed Jungle Boy, leading to some top level Heel work from Christian. Christian is one of those wrestlers who have zero wasted motion in the ring. Mechanically he’s one of the best you’ll ever find, but he can also deliver when it comes to promos and character work and he’s long been one of favourite wrestlers.

Number 17
Jushin Liger
The Match: Vs Koji Kanemoto, New Japan Pro Wrestling (4^th January 1996)

When you talk about the greatest Cruiserweight/Junior Heavyweight wrestlers of all time then Keiichi Yamada/Jushin Liger will probably feature on most wrestling fans’ lists. Unlike some of the other big Japanese stars of the past 30 years, Liger made more than one trip overseas to the West, leading to him having some great matches in places such as WCW and ROH, as well as a solid outing with Tyler Breeze in NXT 1.0 on a Takeover event. My first exposure to Liger was when the sadly departed Wrestling Channel over here in the UK showed the entirety of the 1994 Super J Cup. Liger was the booker of that inaugural J Cup, and the temptation to book himself to win it must have been strong, but instead Liger used the tournament as a way to make a star out of The Great Sasuke, complete with Liger himself looking at the lights for the masked Michinoku Pro sensation in a superlative bout.

Liger is the rare example of someone who booked themselves to win a tonne of matches but didn’t really get a lot of stick for it from fans in-the-know, perhaps owing to the fact that the matches themselves were so good and the undeniable fact that Liger was legitimately one of the top guys in the division at the time so more than justified those victories. Liger had originally wrestled under his regular name before heading over to Europe on excursion, where he gained popularity amongst British grapple fans as Flying Fuji Yamada. When his excursion was over, New Japan Pro Wrestling decided that they would repackage him into the masked star known as Jushin Liger. The character was based on a popular anime of the timeframe (and Liger’s iconic “Ikari No Jushin” entrance song was actually the theme tune of the anime) and Liger quickly became a popular member of the New Japan roster.

It helped that the mask and full bodysuit that Liger wore gave him a timeless quality, with the visible effects of ageing being somewhat covered up. Whilst other wrestlers would start to get a bit saggy and wrinkled as they advanced in age, Liger remained hidden behind his costume and it helped him feel almost ageless. Liger’s mixture of high-flying, technical proficiency and showmanship made him into one of the very best wrestlers in the entire world during his peak, and even in his later career he could still have great matches by working in more ground and strike based offence. Indeed, Liger’s famed “Shotei” palm strike attack became an improbable finishing move after fans got over the initial shock of seeing a wrestler win matches by literally slapping opponents in the face. It was another example of Liger’s canny ring smarts though, as he suddenly had another match winning move that he could do at any age to anyone.

Narrowing down the best Liger matches for this feature was a tricky proposition as there are so many classics. I ultimately went with his battle against Koji Kanemoto in January 1996 as it was a fantastic match that took place in the Tokyo Dome, but there are many others you could go with, including Liger’s battle with El Samurai in the Best of the Super Junior Final in 1992, his pay per view classic with Brian Pillman from WCW SuperBrawl II, his match with Sasuke in the 1994 J Cup, his war with The Great Muta that saw the first appearance of “Kishin Liger”, another great Tokyo Dome clash with Yoshinobu Kanemaru in 2004, amongst many others. Liger even had great matches with the likes of The Steiner Brothers when teamed up with Chris Benoit, showing that his abilities translated just as well into the Heavyweight ranks as they did the Junior division provided his opponents were willing to work with him and make him look good.

For years Liger was always a reassuring presence on New Japan shows for me. Even if he just had an okay match at best, just everything about the act raised a smile to my face. Even when Liger donned a black outfit and destroyed hapless opponents as a mean nasty Heel, he remained one of the wrestlers I’m most nostalgic about when it came to Japanese wrestling. I credit the New Japan Junior Heavyweight’s with beginning my love of Japanese wresting, and Liger was the undisputed kingpin of that division. He certainly didn’t do it all by himself, but he was a core reason why I found the scene so appealing and to this day I would count Liger amongst my favourite Japanese wrestlers of all-time. if you ever get a chance then check out his Flying Fuji Yamada stint from the World of Sport days as well, as even back then he showed real promise and he was a popular international sensation over here in the UK.

Number 16
Owen Hart
The Match: Vs Bret Hart, WrestleMania X (20^th March 1994)

I quickly gravitated to Owen Hart when I first started regularly following the WWF in the 90’s. Whether it was cheering him on in his babyface days or booing him during his many Heel runs, I was quickly drawn to Owen both as a performer and a personality. I’m not sure what it was that made me such an admirer of Owen. It might have been that he was basically a normal sized guy height wise but he was so good in the ring that he looked like he could hang with anybody. Sometimes it’s good to have a wrestler or two that isn’t a massive marauding bloke, as it can help the viewer live vicariously through them, especially if they are a wrestler as good as Owen was who could believably mix it up with bigger opponents.

Indeed, one of my favourite bouts of Owen’s career was when he took on the monstrous Vader at WWF One Night Only in 1997, as the two meshed really well as opponents and Owen’s high-flying gave him a believable way of hanging with the bigger Vader. Owen’s aptitude to work as both a Face and a Heel made him a very versatile performer, even though I think most would agree that he did his best work in the WWF as a snivelling villain. Owen’s turn and feud with Bret Hart in 1994 remains one of my all-time favourite WWF feuds, as Owen kicked Bret’s leg out from under his…err…leg and then defeated Bret pretty much clean as a sheet at WrestleMania X to make himself an instantly credible star on top of the card. Bret eventually got his win back at SummerSlam later in the year in another great match, but Owen was in an upper mid-card role from then onwards and could always be moved into Main Event feuds with the likes of Shawn Michaels when required.

As a wrestler Owen Hart was magnificent, as his ability to mix in technical wrestling with high-flying and character was seamless and he was a perfect foil for bigger opponents both as a Face and a Heel. When matched up with someone his own size or smaller Owen could have sensational matches as well, with one match with Sean Waltman at King of the Ring 1994 being particularly great. Owen could also have pure wrestling classics when matched up against other technicians, with his contest against Davey Boy Smith to crown the inaugural European Champion being one of the greatest ever technical bouts the WWF has presented. Owen’s death in 1999 was sad for many reasons, one being that we never got to see the matches he could have had with the likes of Chris Jericho, Kurt Angle and The Radicalz from 2000 onwards.

Owen’s ability to be an insufferable smug villain made him a key part of the WWF’s roster from 94 onwards, as he formed successful tandems with Yokozuna and Smith, as well as having a some great matches with Shawn Michaels during Shawn’s quest for the WWF Title in late 95/early 96. Owen was also poised for a great series of matches with Stone Cold Steve Austin in 1997 as well until Austin suffered an unfortunate neck injury from the usually reliable Owen. Owen hurting someone was a real anomaly and it just so happened to be the most rotten of luck that it was against the biggest star in the company. Owen was still having good matches in the final months of his life, as he formed a solid duo with Jeff Jarrett that could have gone on to be one of the companies better tag teams had they had a more varied and interesting selection of opponents.

I’ve barely touched on Owen’s pre-WWF career as there’s a lot of it I haven’t seen, but he was also a popular star over here in Europe during the World of Sport days, especially when matched up against some of the more brutish Heels of that era such as Rocky Moran and Fit Finlay. Owen also wrestled in New Japan and was considered a real sensation over there, and that’s before we mention his time in Stampede Wrestling. Wherever Owen went he invariably got over when the booking got out of the way to let him shine, and whenever I see a classic show that features him on it I always look forward to his match, whether he’s working in a tag or singles bout. In-ring he’s one of the best you can find and his character work during his Heel days especially was always on point.