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Larry Matysik's 50 Greatest Professional Wrestlers


Al

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Apologies if this was discussed, I wasn't able to find a thread. Picked up a kindle copy of Matysik's new book for $10. Obviously an interesting read, and Matysik has a good sense of history. I think he's too far anti-WWE in his opinions as far as taking an undue amount of copy to take apart WWE's own top 50 list. (Especially not when he puts Randy Orton on his own list.) More maddening though is his insistence on legitimacy as a criteria. With all due respect, there's no way in hell Brock Lesnar is a top 50 wrestler.

 

I'm about a quarter of the way through. Not to suggest it's not worth buying. It is. But a list like this definitely generates discussion and I think Matysik is a bit off.

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Top Posters In This Topic

1. Lou Thesz

2. Ric Flair

3. Strangler Lewis

4. Hulk Hogan

5. Bruno Sammartino

6. Steve Austin

7. Jim Londos

8. Buddy Rogers

9. Gene Kiniski

10. Frank Gotch

11. Verne Gagne

12. Harley Race

t-13. Dory Funk Jr.

t-13. Terry Funk

15. Shawn Michaels

16. Johnny Valentine

17. Bill Longson

18. Nick Bockwinkel

19. Jack Brisco

20. The Rock

21. Bret Hart

22. Dick the Bruiser

23. Edouard Carpentier

24. Andre the Giant

25. Randy Savage

26. Triple H

27. Killer Kowalski

28. Fritz Von Erich

29. Whipper Billy Watson

30. Joe Stecher

31. John Cena

32. Bruiser Brody

33. Kurt Angle

34. Danny Hodge

35. Bob Backlund

36. The Undertaker

37. Gorgeous George

38. Pat O'Connor

39. Ted Dibiase

40. Roddy Piper

41. Ray Stevens

42. Fred Blassie

43. Ray Steele

44. Dusty Rhodes

45. Ricky Steamboat

46. Bill Miller

47. Superstar Billy Graham

48. Brock Lesnar

49. Stan Hansen

50. Randy Orton

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I am almost done with this. I'm in the middle of the Kiniski bio. I would recommend the book tentatively as the bios are good and there are some fun stories in there I'd never heard (Blackwell freaking out the NHL players was outstanding....plus I like that Larry puts over Blackwell and Patera strong a couple of times including in the Stevens bio).

 

On the other hand I disagree a ton with his thoughts and reasoning on these guys. I found it really funny that he criticized the WWE's top fifty list as pure marketing and then had Orton on this list (and possibly others) entirely because his publisher thought it would help selling the book. His constant digs at Memphis and Lawler are highly annoying and unconvincing. I also think he applies standards differently to favorites than he does to guys he doesn't care for. To be fair we all do, but you've got things like Larry claiming that Brody was the reason Wrestlerock drew well and then turning around scoffing at The Sheik for blowing up towns.

 

I won't pan the book hard because it is an enjoyable read and it is basically what I expected in terms of a book on the subject from Larry.

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there are some fun stories in there I'd never heard (Blackwell freaking out the NHL players was outstanding....).

 

You must PM me highlights of this story sometime..I don't plan on getting this book.

 

...also Brody being the reason Wrestlerock drew well = lol. I don't think it even actually drew all that well, period, at the end of the day, to be honest. But that's neither here nor there....

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What's funny is that I don't agree with the list, but when I look at this near-Top 10:

 

1. Lou Thesz

2. Ric Flair

3. Strangler Lewis

4. Hulk Hogan

5. Bruno Sammartino

6. Steve Austin

7. Jim Londos

8. Buddy Rogers

9. Gene Kiniski

10. Frank Gotch

11. Verne Gagne

I'm not sure that I'd argue with the "who" that's in it (with one exception), but rather with the order.

 

I wouldn't have Gene that high, nor in the Top 10 at all. But if you pitch him and take the rest of the first 11 guys as your Top 10... that's not an unreasonable collection of Top 10 candidates. It's no an embarrassing 10 at all.

 

The ordering I'd disagree with, though obviously I rank people differently than Larry. Londos and Hogan are locks for 1-2, and after that it quickly falls to "crap shoot" where #3 and #10 are closer to each other than #3 is to #2.

 

This kind of surprised me as I expected the Top 10-ish to be goofy in the sense of having a couple more stupid names. It didn't.

 

John

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Putting him above Dusty, Steamboat and Hansen is interesting.

 

Only names that look out of place on that list to me are Brock Lesnar and Randy Orton.

Angle has no place on the list. At all.

 

Hodge really doesn't belong either, but Larry was giving tons of points for those who were legit and it was obvious throughout the book.

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