West Coast Connection Forum
Lifestyle => Sports & Entertainment => Topic started by: M Dogg™ on November 03, 2009, 08:59:11 PM
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Greatest Patriotic Wrestlers - Americans
"The American Dream" Dusty Rhodes
(http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_zQ0EeswuHQ4/Smi5-X8HqNI/AAAAAAAAAFc/yM50h1jW2xg/s320/dusty1.jpg)
The son of a plummer, the defination of the American Dream, he didn't need to drap himself in an American flag to be patriot, he simply lived the Dream. Rhodes was the hero to the Florida territory for years, and eventually broke through in the NWA to represent the common man in defeating the Nature Boy Ric Flair. Being the hero to almost every wrestler in Florida, even Hulk Hogan, Rhodes set the standard of the All American face. No question about it, Dusty Rhodes is Americana.
Jim Duggan
(http://vortex.org/~alatar/images/hacksaw-jim-duggan.jpg)
Maybe the greatest hero that no one ever caught onto the joke. Duggan came into the WWF as a Soviet hating patriot who carried his 2x4 and defended Ol' Glory. Of course the thing is that in the WWF, everyone plays a role and Duggan was that of the low IQ American. But, in that role Duggan became a huge star, and was a working man's hero, winning the first ever Royal Rumble and putting bad guys away one 2x4 swing at a time.
Sgt. Slaughter
(http://www.mastercollector.com/neat/gijoe/neworleans/bigsgtslaughter.jpg)
Orginally one of the baddest heels in the game, Sgt. Slaughter played the role of a Vietnam Vet who felt disrespected in this country. As time would pass, and the 80's ushered in a new era of Patriotism Slaughter would focus his agressions of the Iron Sheik. When a disagreement with WWF happened, Slaughter would go to the AWA, winning the American title and defeating Boris Zhukov and renewing his rivalry with the Iron Sheik. Of course he would return to the WWF and turn on American, but no one can dispute Sgt. Slaughter as one of the greatest American heros from 1983-1990.
Kurt Angle
(http://www.allwrestlingsuperstars.com/wp-content/uploads/1900/Kurt-Angle-WWE-Superstar-24.jpg)
Since he came to the WWF in 1999, no one wrestler since Hulk Hogan has been as connected to the USA flag like Kurt Angle. Playing the cocky heel, Kurt Angle is the America that the world hates, but is also the America that this country prides itself on, being the best in the damn world, oh it's true, it's true. Kurt is so good, he can say crazy things, and still be cheered. Example
http://www.youtube.com/v/7ydZDLLtp8Y&hl=en&fs=1&color1=0x5d1719&color2=0xcd311b
Hulk Hogan
(http://media.giantbomb.com/uploads/0/625/233292-hulk_hogan___flex_american_super.jpg)
Is there any question who would be number one. He defeated the Iron Sheik to get the World title off of him, he defended it from the likes of the Russian Nikolai Volkoff, the Scottish Roddy Piper, a giant French guy named Andre the Giant and a Ugandan Headhunter, Kamala. Hogan defended the flag and the world title from all evils. The ultimate face was the one to take the title from Sgt. Slaughter when he turned his back on America and sided with Iraq in the 1991 war. He defeated Yokozuna after he stole the title from Bret Hart with salt, and he defeated just plan crazy people (Dungeon of Doom) in WCW before turning heel. Let me ask you to watch this video and disagree with Hulk Hogan being number one... didn't think so.
http://www.youtube.com/v/GGuhZvO1DKg&hl=en&fs=1&color1=0x5d1719&color2=0xcd311b
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The Patriot was probably one of the worst patriotic wrestlers.
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Sabu
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Sabu
from Bombay, Michigan.
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The Patriot was probably one of the worst patriotic wrestlers.
No way. He's run in the WWF in 1997 was awesome. He had two great matches with Bret Hart and was over as fuck.
Then he did alot of drugs and got jobbed out. Tom Brandi is now the Patriot and his shoot interview is fucking amazing.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2uhxj4ZKzpM
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The Patriot was probably one of the worst patriotic wrestlers.
No way. He's run in the WWF in 1997 was awesome. He had two great matches with Bret Hart and was over as fuck.
Then he did alot of drugs and got jobbed out. Tom Brandi is now the Patriot and his shoot interview is fucking amazing.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2uhxj4ZKzpM
I know he didn't suck. His run sucked. They were pushing him to be a main eventer but he fucked it up.
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The Patriot was probably one of the worst patriotic wrestlers.
No way. He's run in the WWF in 1997 was awesome. He had two great matches with Bret Hart and was over as fuck.
Then he did alot of drugs and got jobbed out. Tom Brandi is now the Patriot and his shoot interview is fucking amazing.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2uhxj4ZKzpM
I know he didn't suck. His run sucked. They were pushing him to be a main eventer but he fucked it up.
I agree, he should have easily been on this list with the right push. He came at a time when you had one of the greatest Anti-American heels in the Hart Foundation and you needed someone to step up and The Patriot was one of the best wrestlers in Japan and WCW and he could have been huge fighting Bret Hart. In Japan, he was much bigger. WCW also dropped the ball with him, and in the US, ironically, his Patriot gimmick was just never that big. A good wrestler, a gimmick that would be on paper, perfect for this list, and he was the first to use the Medal theme song that Kurt Angle made famous, but it just was never in the cards for him. Sucks because he was a good wrestler.
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Sabu
from Bombay, Michigan.
Lol no shit? I honestly haven't watched wrestling since middle school, I just saw the thread title and thought it would be funny to mention Sabu.
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Sabu
from Bombay, Michigan.
Lol no shit? I honestly haven't watched wrestling since middle school, I just saw the thread title and thought it would be funny to mention Sabu.
That is were he was billed from. He was actually born in Michigan, so it was just a play of his actual hometown. His character was the crazy homicidal, suicidal, genocidal madman from Bombay, India, but when he teamed with Rob Van Dam they would say Bombay, Michigan.
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What about Bret Hart? It says Patriotic, not American Patriots.
I'm Canadian so the 97 Hart Foundation stuff was massively huge over here.
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What about Bret Hart? It says Patriotic, not American Patriots.
I'm Canadian so the 97 Hart Foundation stuff was massively huge over here.
Check the anti-American wrestler thread. You might be happy.... ;D
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Kurt Angle - not only the greatest patriotic wrestler but probably the greatest wrestler of all time.
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Kurt Angle - not only the greatest patriotic wrestler but probably the greatest wrestler of all time.
Here's the beauty with some gimmicks, Angle's gimmick was a patriotic as the rest, but he was so good that it made people sick. People were booing the very thing America prides it's self for, being the best. Some angles were just brilliant, like Jim Duggan. His gimmick was playing an average American who was just plan dumb. It was almost like cheering for Forrest Gump. I have my eye on Jack Swagger in the future, I think he can pull off the All American gimmick like Kurt Angle, not as good, but get pretty close. Just give him and American flag, have him cut an anti-Mexican rant, fight Rey Mysterio and his on his way to big things.
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What about Bret Hart? It says Patriotic, not American Patriots.
I'm Canadian so the 97 Hart Foundation stuff was massively huge over here.
Check the anti-American wrestler thread. You might be happy.... ;D
Not just for being anti-American, I think he was great at playing the patriot. As opposed to Nikolai or Iron Shiek who just played the villains.
Anyway, as for American Patriots not yet mentioned, how about Bob Backlund. The All-American Boy next door set to take over after the long Sanmartino era. Vince Jr then bought the company and had other plans, but Backlund was still a solid draw and a great wrestler. A shame he couldn't have been given a place somewhere in either promotion throughout the 80s. He was the last main eventer I can remember whose interviews came off exactly like what they sound like if the sport was real and they were viewed like any other athlete. You had a harder time thinking Wrestling was fake when Backlund was on the mic.
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What about Bret Hart? It says Patriotic, not American Patriots.
I'm Canadian so the 97 Hart Foundation stuff was massively huge over here.
Check the anti-American wrestler thread. You might be happy.... ;D
Not just for being anti-American, I think he was great at playing the patriot. As opposed to Nikolai or Iron Shiek who just played the villains.
Anyway, as for American Patriots not yet mentioned, how about Bob Backlund. The All-American Boy next door set to take over after the long Sanmartino era. Vince Jr then bought the company and had other plans, but Backlund was still a solid draw and a great wrestler. A shame he couldn't have been given a place somewhere in either promotion throughout the 80s. He was the last main eventer I can remember whose interviews came off exactly like what they sound like if the sport was real and they were viewed like any other athlete. You had a harder time thinking Wrestling was fake when Backlund was on the mic.
I thought of Bret Hart like that, but at the same time I wanted to be simple and not over think things. Maybe if this was my job, but I just figured it was easy to separate them like this.
As for Backlund, when making this list, I thought of him as American, but more of a face rather than someone who claimed to live the American Dream, or buried themselves in Red White and Blue. He was thought of, but just by pure gimmick, it he wasn't strong enough. Now as a credible wrestler, his in a class with Angle, Thesz, and Hart.
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What about Bret Hart? It says Patriotic, not American Patriots.
I'm Canadian so the 97 Hart Foundation stuff was massively huge over here.
Check the anti-American wrestler thread. You might be happy.... ;D
Not just for being anti-American, I think he was great at playing the patriot. As opposed to Nikolai or Iron Shiek who just played the villains.
Anyway, as for American Patriots not yet mentioned, how about Bob Backlund. The All-American Boy next door set to take over after the long Sanmartino era. Vince Jr then bought the company and had other plans, but Backlund was still a solid draw and a great wrestler. A shame he couldn't have been given a place somewhere in either promotion throughout the 80s. He was the last main eventer I can remember whose interviews came off exactly like what they sound like if the sport was real and they were viewed like any other athlete. You had a harder time thinking Wrestling was fake when Backlund was on the mic.
I thought of Bret Hart like that, but at the same time I wanted to be simple and not over think things. Maybe if this was my job, but I just figured it was easy to separate them like this.
As for Backlund, when making this list, I thought of him as American, but more of a face rather than someone who claimed to live the American Dream, or buried themselves in Red White and Blue. He was thought of, but just by pure gimmick, it he wasn't strong enough. Now as a credible wrestler, his in a class with Angle, Thesz, and Hart.
I liked his gimmick, because he didn't really have one. He was the All American Athlete with out having to drape it around his chest. When you watch an interview by Backlund I think it is the epitome of what an American really is. Guys like Hogan or Del Wilkes were cartoon characters to some extent. Backlund was real, and while that may not mean he should be at the top of the list, it might be enough to get a mention.
Of course you could apply everything I said about Backlund to Thesz and make a much stronger case.
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What about Bret Hart? It says Patriotic, not American Patriots.
I'm Canadian so the 97 Hart Foundation stuff was massively huge over here.
Check the anti-American wrestler thread. You might be happy.... ;D
Not just for being anti-American, I think he was great at playing the patriot. As opposed to Nikolai or Iron Shiek who just played the villains.
Anyway, as for American Patriots not yet mentioned, how about Bob Backlund. The All-American Boy next door set to take over after the long Sanmartino era. Vince Jr then bought the company and had other plans, but Backlund was still a solid draw and a great wrestler. A shame he couldn't have been given a place somewhere in either promotion throughout the 80s. He was the last main eventer I can remember whose interviews came off exactly like what they sound like if the sport was real and they were viewed like any other athlete. You had a harder time thinking Wrestling was fake when Backlund was on the mic.
I thought of Bret Hart like that, but at the same time I wanted to be simple and not over think things. Maybe if this was my job, but I just figured it was easy to separate them like this.
As for Backlund, when making this list, I thought of him as American, but more of a face rather than someone who claimed to live the American Dream, or buried themselves in Red White and Blue. He was thought of, but just by pure gimmick, it he wasn't strong enough. Now as a credible wrestler, his in a class with Angle, Thesz, and Hart.
I liked his gimmick, because he didn't really have one. He was the All American Athlete with out having to drape it around his chest. When you watch an interview by Backlund I think it is the epitome of what an American really is. Guys like Hogan or Del Wilkes were cartoon characters to some extent. Backlund was real, and while that may not mean he should be at the top of the list, it might be enough to get a mention.
Of course you could apply everything I said about Backlund to Thesz and make a much stronger case.
True. I just think that there's a difference between being a patriotic hero, and an all around hero. Thesz and Backlund, had they done half a straight All American gimmick, then they jump way over Duggan and Slaughter, no question. But they were more match faces, who could really shoot and they played the hero. Nothing bad about that at all. Just not on gimmick American list, but over great list, and the ones that matter, they yeah. This list has Jim Duggan and Sgt. Slaughter, I wasn't exactly listing true Hall of Fame match technicians.
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Fair Enough.
What about Danny Hodge? Joined the US Navy, represented the US in the Olympics twice (5th and Silver Medal, would have been Gold if he got to compete in the US like Angle did), pro-boxer for a bit, and cover of Sports Illustrated.