Hiya!
I have no idea why wrestling fans are obsessed with the idea of assembling a fictional Mount Rushmore of Wrestling in their minds. I get the actual monument is a marvel of engineering and does have the faces of important Presidents of the United States. I just wonder why they chose Mount Rushmore when it limits their choices to only 4 picks. It’s such a weird and, to me anyway, a very unsatisfying number.
Then again, limiting your choices to just 4 does keep things challenging. There have been some very important figure in the wrestling world since forever. This does makes things very difficult as you do have to consider who you would want to be up there. It’s so hard even WWE Superstars have a hard time making their choices… if they really take things seriously, that is.
Well, it’s my turn! I’d like a crack at putting together my Wrestling Mount Rushmore lineup! Unlike some of those WWE Superstars, I’m going to take this seriously. This means I’m going to consider their importance and impact to the industry as I believe this is the most important criteria on who should be up there. So, it’s going to be heartbreaking because some of my favorite professional wrestlers are not going to in this list. Sorry in advance, Aldo Montoya. You just didn’t make the cut. I’m also going to try to limit this to one wrestler per “generation” just to make things a little more challenging for me.
Anyway, on with the list!
Love him or hate him, you just gotta put him on here.
There’s no denying the impact Hulk Hogan had in professional wrestling. He was the guy or, at the very least, he was there at the right time when professional wrestling hit its biggest boom. A lot of it is thanks to Vince McMahon as he took a huge risk by taking professional wrestling and the WWE (then the WWF) mainstream. Still, I don’t think Vince McMahon’s gamble would’ve worked without Hulk Hogan’s charisma.
There is a lot to be said now about Hulk Hogan today. A lot of it not good. It turns out he was pretty hated for all of the backstage politicking, antics to keep him as the top guy and, well, let’s just he didn’t get along with others in general. Even with that, Hulk Hogan is one of the most important figures in the world of professional wrestling. Leaving him off wrestling’s Mount Rushmore would be a sacrilege… even if I don’t like the guy.
I started out watching professional wrestling when I was around maybe 3-years old. I didn’t really understand what was happening. I still liked it because it was the middle of the Attitude Era and professional wrestling was particularly crazy during this period! This is also the time when a lot of today’s well-recognized wrestlers started to make a name for themselves. “Stone Cold” Steve Austin. “The Rock” Rocky Miavia. “Triple H” Hunter Hearst Helmsley. The Undertaker. “Mankind” Mick Foley. These are already 4 names I could’ve plastered onto my wrestling Mount Rushmore. This is precisely why I put the rule I could only pick one wrestler per era. So, from this time period, I have to pick “Stone Cold” Steve Austin. Honestly speaking, this was a no-brainer.
Simply put, “Stone Cold” Steve Austin is the figurehead of the WWE’s Attitude Era. While The Rock, Triple H, The Undertaker and Mankind are important to the success of the Attitude Era, they were mainly important as they were feuding with “Stone Cold” Steve Austin. Simply put, Austin was the main draw and these other guys were important so “Stone Cold” could stomp a metaphorical mudhole in them.
Like with Hulk Hogan, Vince McMahon was an important factor for Steve Austin’s success. This time around, he had a more involved presence. The Austin vs McMahon feud was definitely the biggest draw for the WWE at this time. This was the thing to watch as we wanted to see the blue collar Steve Austin give the evil corporate head of the WWE his just desserts. It’s a David and Goliath storyline and one of wrestling’s oldest tales. Still, it worked and this is why “Stone Cold” Steve Austin deserves to be on my wrestling’s Mount Rushmore.
Is this a controversial pick to anyone? I believe it is going to be for a lot of wrestling fans. That’s because a lot of wrestling fans, including myself, really didn’t grow up watching Ric Flair. We were too busy watching WWE programming and didn’t watch (or couldn’t because it wasn’t available) World Championship Wrestling or WCW. Even so, I can’t deny Ric Flair was important in making professional wrestling the thing it is today.
Technically, I shouldn’t be able to pick Ric Flair as he was part of the early boom of wrestling and Hulk Hogan already is in that spot. However, I have a loophole as Ric Flair never really crossed paths with Hulk Hogan during this time as they were in different companies. That’s important because, although the WWE is pretty much the only real wrestling company out right now (sorry, AEW fans!), that wasn’t the case back then! WCW was doing very well and that’s all thanks to Ric Flair.
Ric Flair left a huge mark in the world of professional wrestling as he was probably one of the best heels of the era. There are stories of how he would go to a different territory or country and get a lot of heat from the local crowd thanks to his brilliant promo work and heelish antics. He would then get challenged by the most popular hometown hero for his title and barely eke out a way to leave with the belt. Ric Flair is a legendary wrestler who, despite his status, deserves more credit… such as being placed on my wrestling’s Mount Rushmore.
When it comes to the modern age of professional wrestling, ie. around this time period, who has the biggest name? Who is the one who is so popular even those who aren’t familiar with today’s professional wrestling stars know who he is? Undoubtedly, that would be John Cena.
It does feel kind of weird to say John Cena is part of “today’s batch” of professional wrestlers as he is slated to retire from in-ring competition at the end of this year. Still, no name really comes close when it comes to name recognition. The mere fact how John Cena was the poster boy for the WWE and, in turn, the world of professional wrestling for so long, this should be enough to earn him his spot on everyone’s wrestling’s Mount Rushmore.
Despite a lot of fans (including myself) hating on the guy during his heyday, there is now a lot of respect for him. That’s a huge turnaround from all of the bile he’s garnered when he was working full-time at the WWE. Still, even when you did hate the entire “Cena wins lol” situation, there was no denying he was the WWE. He pretty much carried the company and the entire business of professional wrestling on his back for a time. So, not only did he earn his spot on my wrestling’s Mount Rushmore, he earned it twice!
Byee!
Do you agree with my list? Who is on your professional wrestling’s Mount Rushmore? Let me know in the comments section below!
3rd World Geeks 