With WrestleMania 29 airing tomorrow night on pay-per-view I thought I’d take a little time and offer an ode to one of my favorite childhood “sports.”
As a kid I remember getting swept away by the pageantry and ferocity of WWF pro wrestling.
I watched wrestling movies, cartoons, and even had wrestling action figures (AKA dolls).
My uncle Jeff would often watch and play wrestle with me.
His favorite wrestlers were always the villains while mine tended to be the heroes.
With all that as my setup, I now present to you my top five CHILDHOOD favorite wrestlers:
5. Mr. Perfect, Curt Hennig
Although he was commonly used as a secondary character Mr. Perfect makes my list because my uncle always played him when we wrestled.
4. “Macho Man” Randy Savage
Macho Man makes the list in part because he is the easiest wrestler to impersonate… “Oooooh Yeah!” Macho Man was an actor and also released a rap album in 2003 called Be a Man.
3. Brutus “the Barber” Beefcake, Edward Harrison “Ed” Leslie
Aside from his fantastic fashion and ring name Brutus also makes my list because he was my uncle’s favorite. Something about those jumbo scissors and crazed look in his eyes make Brutus a must have on this list.
2. Andre the Giant, André René Roussimoff
The greatest “big man” wrestler of all-time. Andre was versatile and nimble for his massive 7’4″ & 520 lb ever expanding frame. He was also quite the actor. Virtually everybody remembers him as Fezzik in the classic movie The Princess Bride. He had a long standing “in the ring fued” with Jake Roberts over Andre’s fear of snakes.
1. Hulk Hogan, Terry Gene Bollea
Come on brother, what did you expect?! Hulk Hogan was and in many ways still IS pro wrestling. He grew the “sport” and love or hate him, he’s a Real American.
Eat your vitamins, pray everyday and you too can be like Hulk.
Alright, let’s hear from you…
Who should be on this list?
Big Boss Man, Jake the Snake, Hacksaw Jim Duggan, Rowdy Roddy Piper?
Maybe you’re younger and you love The Rock, Stone Cold, and more.
Comment and post with your top five wrestlers of all-time.