Some celebs like those in the gallery below might have been considering a career in professional wrestling long before they became top names in Hollywood and the entertainment industry. Animal never got that kind of spotlight outside of the Road Warriors. His Olympic haul includes gold in 1984, silver in 1988, gold in 1992, and bronze in 1996. 3. 3x NCAA Division I All-American - 2001 NCAA Heavyweight Champion and place 3rd in 2002 and seventh in 2000. fourth on Illinois career wins list with 122 and fourth on the career winning percentage list at .826. Likewise, his timing was so perfect that Flair was right then, making his way into the rings when the crescendo hit. His popularity would eclipse even that of the Immortal Hulk Hogan. Gable won a gold medal at the 1972 Munich Olympics by going 6-0 without surrendering a single point. Davino, a junior, also picked up a gold medal at the 16U National Championships last summer. 3. xxzeldapuncher5xx 10 yr. ago. Also, Undertakers Tombstone Piledriver was one of his finishing moves that few in the WWE ever survived. His win over Russias Igor Kanygin in the gold medal finals broke new ground for Greco-Roman wrestling in the United States. To drive fans crazy, Hogan used a little music to get into the rings, like Real American and Eye of the Tiger. He delivered rambling promos that did nothing to further storylines. During his college career at Iowa State, Sanderson went 159-0 from 1999-2002. Burroughs is a young American wrestler whose name often pops up during discussions about who is the best wrestler ever. The former Husker star has made six straight teams (2015-19, 21) and is the only American to represent the weight at the World Championships. Durch Klicken auf Alle akzeptieren erklren Sie sich damit einverstanden, dass Yahoo und unsere Partner Ihre personenbezogenen Daten verarbeiten und Technologien wie Cookies nutzen, um personalisierte Anzeigen und Inhalte zu zeigen, zur Messung von Anzeigen und Inhalten, um mehr ber die Zielgruppe zu erfahren sowie fr die Entwicklung von Produkten. However, also like a lightning bolt, he was short-lived and destructive. Dusty, Bruno, Gange, Harley, how about Andre, Anoki and Sting? All of his losses at the World/Olympic team trials and Worlds/Olympics have been to Olympic champions. Born and raised in Waterloo, Iowa, Gable compiled a 64-0 record at Waterloo West High School and won three state championships in three attempts from 1964-66 (freshmen werent allowed to compete at the time). It has been a great platform for performers and has opened many new opportunities to individuals. Not only was an individual title on the line, but the winner of the match would determine the team champion. Ric Flair has been ranked high in the world championships, which is not limited to WWE. A list of the greatest wrestling matches of all time. First, he was never THE guy. Foley is highly regarded as one of the biggest stars of the Attitude Era, and in the history of WWE, he is also one of the greatest wrestlers. Cael-mania gripped the nation during and after his incredible run. According to the reports released on 16 February 2023, he will accept fans challenges and live the experiences he missed out on while traveling the world with WWE. When Smith returned to college competition he went on a tear that the United States hasnt seen before or since. Like many talents in WWE, Kim's talent would eventually go to waste due to poor creative decisions. in all major ranking websites. Both Michaels and Hart are often cited as the greatest workers in North America, and during this point in time there really was no other wrestler better in the States than these two. 10 10. The Hokies would not release Metcalf to the Hawkeyes so he missed out on his first season of eligibility, but Metcalf made his three seasons in Iowa City count. Snyder fell behind early but came storming back for a 6-5 win giving the United States its first mens freestyle title since 1995 by a point. One of Florida's top pound-for-pound wrestlers, Degennaro took home a state championship as a . Gable entered the match with 181 consecutive wins over high school and college but dropped his final college match, 13-11. In all, Ragan made seven consecutive World teams (2013-19) despite being unable to compete at the 2019 Worlds due to an injury. His fifth-place finish included a 5-1 win over Iowas Jeff McGinness an eventual two-time NCAA champion during the consolation round. Perry III won each of his state titles in different weight classes. It would be very difficult to argue that someone else should be on this list ahead of him. Like a lightning bolt, he was flashy, electric, powerful, and memorable. Sanderson was the best of all time at the collegiate level. Derek Brenon. 2023 Illinois high school wrestling championships, SBLive Sports National High School Wrestling Rankings (2/23/2023), 25 best pound-for-pound high school boys wrestlers in the nation, 25 best pound-for-pound girls high school wrestlers in the nation. Those guys were all champions and stars in their day. By submitting my information, I agree to the. More on Kyle Snider:High school wrestling: CVCA's Kyle Snider runs into big competition at Walsh Ironman More on Kyle Snider:Snider helps CVCA football bulldoze Tuslaw in home finale 5. He was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2022 as he invested most of his career in wrestling for WWF/E and is better known for his critically acclaimed Deadman Undertaker gimmick. We had a lot of fun filling the quarantined downtime with this Top 50 countdown. Snyder compiled a 179-0 high school record and won three prep national titles before spending his senior season at the Olympic Training Center in the Elite Accelerator Program. After a brief IC run in the WWF, he was never in the title picture, he essentially stopped dropping promos, and didnt evolve his character in any way unless you count dyeing his hair black to appease Elvis. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. 7. He won the 1978 World Championships after his senior season then won again in 1979 becoming the first American to win back-to-back World titles. The Rockville, Maryland, native suffered injuries in 2018 and 2019 so a return to the mat seemed doubtful. Throughout the years, WWE has had . Kayleigh Heckel among those in the running for top honor. . The famous wrestler won the WWE Championsip four times, the WWE Heavyweight champion three times, and the World Tag Team Championship six times. They picked up a nice 35-31 win over Dover-Eyota on Feb. 3. His skill-set was limited to a few basic moves. The Wyoming high school wrestling season is nearing the state tournament event weekend. His WWE run had some good moments but it was unsatisfying overall and I dont think his career is strong enough to break into the top-100, yet. 50. Lauridsen became the 36th wrestler in state history to win four state titles when he defeated ONeills John Alden in the Class B 126-pound finals earlier this month. The 100 Greatest Professional Wrestlers of All-Time. Ultimate Warrior has gotta be lower in the list he is top 20 for sure. Smith also made World teams in 2000 and 2012 and was a World Military Games champion in 2010. For me, hes just outside of the top 100. All-Time Individual Records TWO-TIME STATE CHAMPIONS (Total Number: 247) Wrestler's Name High School Years 1. Lewis had beat out Johns brother, Lee Roy, during a contentious 1984 Olympic Trials. Abdullah the Butcher was hardcore before hardcore was hardcore. We dug through record books. Meet the nation's top freshmen. Round 2 - Kyle Snyder, Piedmont vs Christopher Bonner, DH Conley, 1 - 157 lbs Champ. Rowdy Roddy Piper At The WWE Stage (Source: NBC News). Second, he was not an elite worker. These famous people might not have been famous college wrestlers, but they represented their high schools and universities in the sport, and found fame off the mat as well. This style of wrestling, with some slight modifications, is also practiced at high school and middle school levels, and also among younger participants. The U.S. heavyweight superstar won the gold medal at every World Championship she entered. Steve Austin . What you are about to read is not a joke. And that he did. Future Olympian Rankings. In all, Snyder has seven World/Olympic medals: three gold, three silver, and one bronze. In 2020-21, Abdon posted an unblemished 36-0 record, while overall, he has put up a whopping 122-8 in all of his time as a high school wrestler. Abdullah the Butcher wrestled for 62 years. All told, Dustin has wrestled for 33 years and won 18 belts between WWE and WCW. As per some sources released on 11 February 2023, John Cena wearing skirt photos went viral as he wore it on the movie set. Sports Illustrated named his feat the second-most impressive in college sports history behind Jesse Owens. The Davison, Michigan, product posted a 228-0 high school record with four state titles and signed with Virginia Tech during Brandss two-year stint in Blacksburg. His performance at the 2017 Worlds in Paris would cement his status as a legend. This led to the NCAA implementing a slam rule to go into effect. In 5 years Lee Kemp went from stepping on a wrestling mat for the first time to beating someone many believed (and still do) was/is the greatest American wrestler. You dont have to be a math wizard to understand what that means. She won 75 kg gold in 2014 and 2015, and 76 kg gold in 2018, 2019, and 2021. Cox was named the nation's top high school wrestler his senior year in 1997, and he won three Oregon titles for the Lancers from 1995-97. . The NWO angle might be the greatest in history. 11. The Blue Streak Class of 2022 has some dynamite talent. Both have vastly different career resumes and character types. Round 1 - Gavin Ferguson, Cuthbertson vs Kyle Snyder, Piedmont. 85. On May 3, 2018, he was inducted into the Boys and Girls Club Alumni Hall of Fame, and again in 2020 as a member of the nWo. That might be something I revisit in the future. Cael Sanderson, Iowa State. Gable pinned 31 of 33 opponents and pinned his way through the Big Eight Championships and the 1969 NCAA tournament. The Nature Boy, Flair, is known for his wrestling days. In addition, his finishing moves, such as attitude adjustment, stepover toehold facelock, better known as STF, tapout finisher, and the brutal five-knuckle shuffle, that many will call the rebranded form of the people elbow. Giant Haystacks - 690 pounds. Richard Morgan Fliehr, known as Ric Flair, is an American professional wrestler. MI Grappler Top 50 Wrestlers of All Time - FULL LIST. 1. Burroughs was injured at the 2014 World Championships but fought back to earn a bronze medal. At the age of 19, Snyder won the 2015 World championships becoming the youngest American to win a World gold medal.In 2016, Snyder moved up to heavyweight for his sophomore season and won his first NCAA title with a thrilling sudden victory win over returning two-time NCAA champion Nick Gwiazdowski of North Carolina State. Overall, Dake has won an NCAA title or a World title in weight classes ranging from 141 pounds all the way up to 174 pounds. There is no women on the list Chyna and lita should be on here. Thats in addition to nine medals at the World Championships, including gold in 1986, 1993, and 1995. Loved by kids and girls, the superstar entry wrestling music is like the man himself. Therefore it solidifies his position as one of the top ten wrestlers. He won a gold medal at the 2012 Olympics, four World Championship gold medals, two Pan American gold . 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