Ric Flair. Hulk Hogan. Bruno Sammartino. Lou Thesz. Buddy Rogers. Steve Austin. Ed Lewis. Harley Race. The list goes on and on. What list you might ask? Well, something all these men have in common. Something that dawns the biggest argument in all of pro wrestling discussion and debate. A simple question that brings out the best and worst in wrestling fans everywhere.
Who is the "Greatest of all-time." Or simply put, the GOAT.
Boxing has Muhammed Ali.
Pro Basketball has Michael Jordan.
Football (Soccer) has Pele.
Baseball has Babe Ruth.
So pro wrestling should be able to boast its own GOAT, right?
Well, anyone outside of the wrestling community doesn't consider wrestling a "sport", so why should we have a GOAT, or at least want it to matter. Seems alot of these "sports fans" don't realize that wrestling was once held higher in American Society than any of your "normal" professional sports; the NFL, Major League Baseball, the NBA, etc. etc. Way back when in the "good ol' days" wrestling was the highlight of the week for anyone lucky enough to own a television set. Families would gather around and watch such superstars of wrestling such as Ed Lewis, Lou Thesz, and others. But, nobody brought as many people to their living rooms in front of the TV like one George Wagner. Or as most of us wrestling fanatics know him by, "Gorgeous" George. The original showmen of professional wrestling. Thanks to George, he almost single handily propelled the TV as a viable medium as the largest form of family entertainment.
Not Elvis.
Not the Beatles.
Not Mickey Mantle.
But, Gorgeous George Wagner. A kid from Seward, Nebraska. Every single home in the US knew exactly who George was. So, "people of the public," don't give me that "wrestling isn't a sport and has never been as popular as REAL sports" bologna, because I'll make a Gorgeous George Burger and shove it down your throat. Now, giving all George did for bringing wrestling to the forefront in modernized sport and entertainment, making it the biggest hit in the nation, he has hardly ever, been mentioned in the same breath as these other gentlemen as the greatest wrestler of all-time.
So, what should we as wrestling fans observe in order to make our judgment and case on exactly who should be even considered for the enduring praise of the proffessions GOAT? I mean, if someone of George's decree can't be established as the GOAT, then what exactly should we consider? What traits and credintials should be presented when the occasional argument arises?
Lets take a look at the standard lables used when discussing the GOAT.
Workrate. (Derived from a wrestlers ability to play the audience, or "work" the crowd. As well an individual wrestlers actual technique and skill within the wrestling ring.)
So which wrestlers would fall under this category in order to name our GOAT? Well, almost any decent wrestler would. Or should. I mean guys who rarely ever get mentioned as the GOAT are just as good and have as good as workrate as those who are considered. Take Bobby Eaton for example. This man had one of the best workrates in the 80's. He could get heat just by a swagger of his walk or flip of his hair. Then, in the ring, talk about your precision wrestlers. He could go with just about anyone, and I mean anyone. without ever making a mistake or injuring an opponent. Or what about an Eddie Gilbert or Arn Anderson. Both these men couldn't breath without drawing heat. And talk about workrates, man these two were two of the finest in ring generals of all-time. Tiger Mask, Michael Hayes, Danny Hodge, Eddie Graham and so on and so on. So many wrestlers have had extrodinary workrates that this definition alone doesn't hold weight in an argument for the GOAT.
Ok, so how about Championships?
Alright, lets take a look at wrestlers who have held more than one World Title during their careers outside of your Flairs, Hogans, Sammartinos, etc.
Jerry Lawler. A multiple time Heavyweight Champion in more than 4 different promotions.
AWA World Champion
World Class Heavyweight Champion
NWA/AWA Southern Heavyweight Title (Over 25 times!)
USWA World Champion (over 1 billion times!!! Ok, so thats exaggerated just a tad.)
Jerry Lawler has held just about more World Titles and Tag Titles than almost any 5 wrestlers combined. But is his name ever thrown out there with Flairs or Thesz's???
Alright we ahve already looked at Workrate and Championships held, and that didn't work. Well, how about the most important thing to promoters. The very asset to why everyone these days gets in the business. Passion? No. The fans? Ok, seriously. Oh, I got it, the money! Thats right, putting butts in seats. The main reason for this business still existing today.
So, who throughout wrestling lore could we look to who has sold out arenas everywhere they went, just for their name being on the card. Sure you got your Hogans and Austins, but what about some other lesser mentioned greats who achieved equal success as these two, and thats without TV or the internet! How about Christopher Theophelus, better known to wrestling historians as Jim Londos, the "Golden Greek." Sure there is no video proof of his fan following, but numbers don't lie. He used to fill Yankee Stadium on a weekly basis. Over 40,000 each time he was on the card. He was drawing over 100, 000 fans of his at home in Greece. "Londos-Mania" was around long before "Hulk-A-Mania" was ever even thought of.
Well, those credintials didn't help any now did they.
So, how can we the wrestling community come together and solidify that one wrestler, that one superstar, that one light in a dim lit profession that stands out above all others? Maybe we are looking at the wrong things in order to name the GOAT. Maybe it shouldn't have to do with wrestling at all. Maybe it should have to do with the contributions wrestlers have made outside the sport we should consider. Maybe it is these things the media needs to take into consideration before lending their opinion on what they feel should be percieved as nothing more than a steroid driven soap opera filled with witless meatheads.
Take for example Lou Thesz. Right after World War II, Thesz made the tension fueled journey to Japan to wrestle Rikidozan, a Japanese legend in his own right. During their many matches, not only are they revered as legend in Japan, but during his stint in Japan Thesz almost single handily retrieved the respect for American wrestlers that had been lost in this War ridden country. And lets not forget that Thesz actually got a Citation of Respect from the President of the United States.
Or how about Jim Londos. Towards the end and after retirement, Londos spent alot of his time and an extreme amount of his money towards World War II orphans, being honored by both President Nixon and King Paul of Greece for his various noble efforts.
Or what about Randy Savage? After Hulk Hogan no showed a charity event in Florida, Savage still held true to his word and donated $21,000 to a childrens organization. Just because he felt it was the right thing to do even though he could have used Hogans no show as an exscuse not to donate.
Maybe these things are what we would look for in our heroes outside of the ring before making judgement on who we truly feel who should be considered the GOAT. Maybe we should help revert the "outside worlds" opinion towards wrestling so that it isn't percieved quite so barbaric.
Or maybe we should keep considering those who beat their wives the greatest. Or those who shoot steroids and then go out and tell kids to "eat vitamins and say prayers". Maybe the greatest should be one who consistently abuses drugs or just hangs on to the sport with thier last breath to get out of debt. Maybe we should keep cheering for these men. Maybe we should keep putting them on pedastools so we can continue to argue the fact of our own opinions just who the GOAT is. Because they sell tickets right? They put on 5 star matches so they have to be argued as the greatest, huh? They hold World Title gold, so that automatically puts them right at the top.
Who cares how many charities they helped or lives they've saved, because that doesn't matter.
Well maybe it should. Maybe it should.
We may never know just who the GOAT is, and maybe it shouldn't matter. So, for now, keep posting on your wrestling forums and keep making your opinion known in your wrestling circle of friends, because you never know when the next potential superstar is going to come along and start the argument all over again, making someone ask............
Who is the GOAT?
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