Here at WSBF, we are taking on the 30 day wrestling challenge, with daily questions answered by our group of nerds. We start things off with day one - your favourite male wrestler.
PETE HITCHCOCK - KAZUCHIKA OKADA
My favourite current and, to be honest, all time favourite male wrestler needs no introduction but often gets some quite grandiose ones anyway. Kazuchika Okada, first of his name (possibly) and one of the men who got me into New Japan in late 2015 and early 2016.
For many of us it was his matches with Tanahashi or Omega that got us in the door, but for me it was the match of the night at my first live show, RevPro Global Wars UK 2015 against a young Will Ospreay that got me on board - and Ospreay into New Japan!
Some may say he goes too long or his matches can get too repetitive but for me it’s absolute catnip, I find myself more into the early stages of his few matches so far in 2020 than ever previously and his finishing stretches are still unparalleled.
If you want to watch one, I’ll always recommend his match with Shibata from Sakura Genesis 2017, I wrote several thousand words on it for WSBF but it tells a perfect story and really encapsulates Okada’s ability to get the absolute shit knocked out of him and keep on trucking through in the match of his and Shibata’s careers.
JCH - CM PUNK
My all time favorite male wrestler is CM Punk - listening to the Talksport wrestling show as a teenager made me aware of Ring of Honor and I bought a load of DVDs starting with Joe vs Punk 2 I believe.
Before going back to see how the promotion started. Punk and I had similar music tastes and I was immediately drawn to him. When he left ROH that was when I stopped buying their DVDs as I felt that was a natural stopping point.
He went on to have a super run in WWE and it's a shame his career ended when it did. He seems like an interesting fella but I always enjoyed his work.
Honorable mention - Michael Oku.
Match recommendation - Punk vs Joe 3 (but only after you watch the first 2) - Ring of Honor
O.J.M.O vs Rob Sharpe - Frontline
SHAFI - DANIEL BRYAN
Having a favourite wrestler is something of a foreign idea to me as an adult. When I was a child I loved Hulk Hogan and I loved Bret Hart, I looked up to them as if they were heroes. The Attitude Era was so full of big characters that when it was over there was something of a void when it came to having wrestlers that I was compelled by.
Without The Rock and Austin I became more interested in match quality rather than wrestlers themselves in true smart internet wrestling fan fashion. That was until Daniel Bryan.
In the wrestling magazines and on the wrestling websites I heard so much about Bryan Danielson but I saw very few of his matches before he was signed. When he debuted it was clear that he was always going to have an uphill battle to become the star the people hoped he could be but he was an instantly likable underdog.
He went through many ups and downs; he was released from the company and at times he looked like he was lost In the shuffle but when he won the World Heavyweight title as a heel that's when things really clicked with me. He was so entertaining as an antagonising heel side-skipping down the aisle shouting "Yes" like Diego Sanchez turned up to 11.
Bryan's turn and battle against the authority whether planned or a happy accident is the best thing that WWE has done in the last 10 years and the 'Monster' hype video that was done before WrestleMania 30 still gives me goosebumps to this day.
Daniel Bryan is an incredibly entertaining professional wrestler in a world of sports entertainment; he's both a throwback to the past whilst also embracing the way that WWE has evolved over the years by developing a personality that many didn't know he had.
Whether heel or face, Daniel Bryan is one of the few wrestlers I'm invested in regardless of where he is on the card or how heavily he is being pushed. There are few real dream matches that I have but most of them involve Daniel Bryan.
Anyone that hasn't seen his crowning glory in the main event at WrestleMania 30 is doing themselves a disservice and should go and watch that triple threat with Batista and Randy Orton right now. If you have already seen it then watch it again because it won't be eclipsed or duplicated for a long, long time.
ROSS CASEY - BRET HART
"The best there is, the best there was and the best there ever will be." That was Bret's catchphrase and for the life of me I cannot believe that is a face saying. It's cool, it's cocky - it's bad.
However, what truly set Bret apart was that he spoke the truth. He truly believed that he was the best and he set out to go out and prove it every single night. Much is made of The Undertaker and how he got fed some terrible opponents, but in my opinion, Bret was handed worse and almost always got them over, not just himself.
What I truly loved about him, was the way that he would sucker you in. He would give his opponent their due, look at the way he put over the Jacknife Powebomb before KOTR 94. "I don't know if I can kick out of the Jacknife. It's a hell of a move. But I know I can outwrestle Diesel, so that it doesn't play a part in our match."
He puts the move over huge, admits he is mortal and tells you his gameplan. Then he goes out, sells for Diesel like he is a true giant and eventually holds on to his title. I remember Magnus saying that America had Hogan, but Bret was the world champion. This rings absolutely true with me.
His heel run in 97 is absolutely fantastic and for me that is when his career ended. In WCW he didn't believe in the product and that truly hurts his performances. Bret genuinely BELIEVED he was the WWF champion and he wore it with a badge of honour, taking his fans on a rollercoaster ride each time as he fought valiantly and expertly for us.
When I want to believe in the magic again, Bret's WWF matches are my go to. I recommend his match on RAW against 123 Kid. He makes Sean Waltman look absolutely incredible. Go watch it.
NINETIES MIKE - STEVE AUSTIN
The actions, language and look of “Stone Cold” Steve Austin defined the Attitude Era and, along with The Rock, Triple H, The Undertaker and the many guises of Mick Foley, helped to usher in the glory, glory days of professional wrestling long before the era of sports entertainers.
Austin’s career really began, though, back in 1993 WCW in his Hollywood Blondes stint, winning two tag titles with “Flyin’ Brian” Pillman. With Pillman side-lined, Steve had to go it alone, and despite his best efforts (including US & TV title runs) he was famously fired by FedEx while injured.
Paul Heyman and ECW immediately snapped him up in early 1995, but before “Superstar” Steve Austin could really get going, the World Wrestling Federation came calling.
Seeing the chance to show Eric Bischoff where he had fucked up, he jumped at the opportunity and made his way to the big show. Initially wasted as The Ringmaster, Ted Dibiase’s enforcer, Austin soon became restless, itching to show what he was capable of. Once free of his ties to the Million Dollar Man, Austin came into his own and the “Stone Cold” gimmick was born.
What followed was the most famous wrestling feud in history, the iconic 1996 King of the Ring win, his infamous (to Vince) Wrestlemania 13 match with Bret Hart, 6 WWF World titles, becoming the fifth Triple Crown winner, becoming (still) the only man to win THREE Royal Rumbles, headlining three Wrestlemanias and, inevitably, entering the WWE Hall of Fame in 2009.
But you already know all this. And you know all this because there isn’t much left to say about Austin. Even in his post-wrestling career he’s breaking down barriers and proving everybody wrong. One of the first wrestlers to make a success out of podcasts, he still gets over a million downloads of his show every week. He’s also taken well to performing on TV and in films.
We will probably never get to see Austin wrestle again, and I’m okay with that. We have all of what he has achieved at the tips of our fingers (for just £9.99 a month), and as we all know, you should never go back.
30 DAY CHALLENGE
DAY 1 - FAVOURITE MALE WRESTLER
DAY 2 - FAVOURITE FEMALE WRESTLER
DAY 3 - FAVOURITE MOMENT YOU'VE SEEN LIVE
DAY 4 - FAVOURITE TAG TEAM
DAY 5 - YOUR FIRST WRESTLING MEMORY
DAY 6 - FAVOURITE FACTION
DAY 7 - FAVOURITE PROMOTION
DAY 8 - FAVOURITE MANAGER
DAY 9 - FAVOURITE COMMENTARY TEAM
DAY 10 - FAVOURITE ENTRANCE THEME
DAY 11 - FAVOURITE MATCH
DAY 12 - FAVOURITE DEFUCNT TERRITORY
DAY 13 - FAVOURITE GIMMICK
DAY 14 - MOST MISSED WRESTLER
DAY 15 - FAVOURITE FACE
DAY 16 - FAVOURITE HEEL
DAY 17 - FAVOURITE FINISHER
DAY 18 - FAVOURITE WRESTLING GAME
DAY 19 - FAVOURITE STORYLINE
DAY 20 - FAVOURITE SUBMISSION
DAY 21 - MOST UNDERRATED
DAY 22 - FUTURE STAR
DAY 23 - FAVOURITE FEUD
DAY 24 - DREAM MATCH
DAY 25 - FAVOURITE HIGH FLYER
DAY 26 - FAVOURITE TOURNAMENT
DAY 27 - FAVOURITE TURN
DAY 28 - FAVOURITE PPV
DAY 29 - FAVOURITE REINVENTION
DAY 30 - FAVOURITE COMEDY WRESTLER
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