My 50 Greatest Wrestlers of all Time 30-21

30: Bam Bam Bigelow


Criminally underrated. He was a big guy who could really move. He was able to work with power and speed. It seemed like WCW and WWF didn’t ever quite know how to use him. He really excelled wrestling guys like Taz in ECW. He never got the push he really deserved, but does click off a box as being one of the immortals to main event a Wrestlemania. The reason they had Bigelow wrestle Lawrence Taylor? Bigelow had a reputation of being able to get a good match out of nearly anyone. A less appreciated Bret Hart.
Greatest Match/Feud: It’s actually super impressive watching him carry Lawrence Taylor to a good match at Wrestlemania 10. Bigelow vs. Barry Windham at Starrcade 88. Bigelow vs. Taz at ECW Living Dangerously 98.

29: Jerry Lawler


Lets put aside his WWF run, which was fine. He is back as an announcer on Raw. He has been with WWE in some capacity since 1993, and that’s what he is most known for. But that really doesn’t do justice to how great of a wrestler he was, and how important he was to the Memphis wrestling scene. In the 1970’s and 1980’s, Jerry Lawler was THE GUY. Whether he was running as a face or heel, he was the marquee attraction during the waning years of the territory era. Most wrestlers would travel from territory to territory to stay fresh and start new feuds. Lawler was able to do it while staying in Memphis.
Greatest Match/Feud: His feud with Andy Kaufman. His feud with Terry Funk in Memphis.

28: Bruiser Brody


Bruiser Brody is the prototype for where Japanese wrestling would peak over the ensuing three decades after his murder. Beyond that, he put up epic matches in WCCW in the 80’s against everyone that mattered, like the Von Erichs and Ric Flair. WCCW originated out of Dallas and, in it’s prime, was able to sell out old Cowboys Stadium. Brody was always on those shows, usually high up the card, the culmination of a blood feud.
It’s worth remembering that in its day, WCCW was the second or third biggest wrestling company in the country, behind only WWF and Crockett Promotions. Part of what made them great was their ability to bring in stars like Brody, who played their character just one degree off of being a serial killer, and could make you genuinely believe he was going to kill someone in the ring.
Greatest Match/Feud: Brody vs. Great Kabuki in a Texas Deathmatch Style Cage Match for WCCW in 1981.

27: Brock Lesnar


Hate him all you want, Brock Lesnar makes your current favorite WWE wrestler matter. Since he started leaving WWE to fight in MMA, his appearances have taken on more meaning, as have his rivalries. Not just anyone was going to break the Undertaker’s Wrestlemania streak.
The complaints are that he isn’t around enough and doesn’t defend the title enough, which is kind of turning a blind eye to the glory days of wrestling in the 80’s. Hulk Hogan very rarely defended his title, at least not in any kind of serious way. Beating The Genius in four minutes on an episode of Saturday Night Main Event does not count. There was a time that when the Heavyweight Title was on the line, it was at a major show, not every Raw episode originating out of Poughkeepsie.
Greatest Match/Feud: Lesnar vs. Undertaker at Wrestlemania 30. Lesnar’s rivalry with Kurt Angle in 2003.

26: Rey Mysterio Jr.


The only reason he isn’t higher on the list is due to the massive blind spot much of his WWE run was for me. He was absolutely fantastic in WCW, in the incredibly, incredibly underappreciated-in-it’s-time cruiserweight division. He was great in the early ECW days in his matches with Juventud Guerrera.
It’s a shame he didn’t get a bigger run in WCW and got saddled with racially stereotyped gimmicks, because it wasn’t hard to see then how big of a star he could be.
Greatest Match/Feud: His feud in WCW with Juventud Guerrera. Any match with Mysterio and Eddie Guerrero or Psicosis in ECW. Mysterio in the 2006 Royal Rumble.

25: CM Punk


Yes, everyone. I’m from the Chicago Suburbs. I love the Cubs and Black Hawks. I love great mic work and anti-heroes. CM Punk should be higher on my list, but let me give a brief timeline of my experience watching Punk. In 2001-2002, I was him wrestle in the Lunatic Wrestling Federation in Lemont. Then next time I saw him wrestle was in 2013, when I got back into wrestling, which coincides with when he was starting to get out of wrestling. That being said, it doesn’t take much to go back and watch how brilliant he was when he was locked in to a feud that really interested him. If Punk had come around 5 years later and was hitting his absolute stride right now in 2019, then he would be the biggest star in the world and the prospect of a Kenny Omega/CM Punk match would be the only thing people talked about when they fantasy booked.
Greatest Match/Feud: Pipebomb on Raw. His entire feud with John Cena in 2011.

24: Kurt Angle


He is only this low because of his lack of longevity. The work he did do was phenomenal. **Note: No, I’m not counting his TNA run. This is my list, and I didn’t watch TNA. Don’t like it? Make your own list** Beyond the fact that he was a fantastic wrestler, Angle played the perfect comic foil in the Attitude Era. He was able to elevate feuds with everyone from HHH, to Stone Cold, to the Rock by being such a great character on the mic.
Greatest Match/Feud: Angle vs. Eddie Guerrero at Wrestlemania 20. Angle vs. Chris Benoit at the 2003 Royal Rumble. All of his backstage stuff with Steve Austin and Vince McMahon over the years.

23: Scott Steiner


Lost in the bizarre promos, chain mail, and terrifying sized muscles is the fact that Scott Steiner was completely ahead of his time. He was doing hurricanranas and backflip power slams when guys like PN News and Norman the Lunatic were sitting on people as a finisher.
Steiner evolved into one of the most underappreciated wrestlers in WCW back when WCW mattered. He was prone to having great matches with everyone from DDP to Goldberg.
Greatest Match/Feud: Steiner Brothers vs. Sting and Lex Luger at Superbrawl 1. Scott Steiner vs. Goldberg at Fall Brawl 2000.

22: Kenny Omega


Omega is the guy at this point in the list most likely to jump into the top 10 when it’s all said and done. His style combines everything that every smark is looking for in wrestling. He is a high flyer. He is a brawler. He is a bruiser. His ability to combine these styles makes him a wrestling unicorn, and one of the biggest stars in the world.
There is no doubt that he is going to be the superstar that gets pushed most heavily in AEW. Omega is the Sting of this generation in the sense that he is going to be fantasy booked against WWE guys forever.
Greatest Match/Feud: The Omega vs. Okada trilogy is the modern Flair/Steamboat. Any of the matches. They are all epic.

21: Jake the Snake Roberts


Jake Roberts scared me as a kid. Him and Undertaker were nightmare fuel for 6 year old me. As I grew older, I was able to wrap my head around the brilliance of what he was, and how he went about doing his job. He was a near perfect promo cutter. Instead of the bombastic, over-the-top promos that Randy Savage and Ultimate Warrior cut over the years, Roberts was measured, and quiet sometimes to the point of whisper. He was a master of psychology and his in-ring skill was incredibly underrated. When people talk about the greatest wrestlers of all time to never win the WWF title, his name is always one of the first ones mentioned.
Greatest Match/Feud: Roberts vs. Randy Savage. Roberts vs. Ricky Steamboat in a snake pit match.

CLICK HERE FOR NUMBERS 50-41
CLICK HERE FOR NUMBERS 40-31
CLICK HERE FOR NUMBERS 20-11
CLICK HERE FOR NUMBERS 10-1

My 50 Greatest Wrestlers of all Time 40-31

40: Scott Hall


Wrestling fans have become so jaded at this point that it’s easy for most to forget how important and cool Scott Hall showing up in WCW was in 1996. His and Kevin Nash’s arrival made wrestling important again. It launched the Monday Night Wars and forced WWF to change and become something bigger and better than it was.
In the ring, he was an incredible performer (before the alcohol took over) who is responsible for one of the greatest matches in Wrestlemania history, with his ladder match against Shawn Michaels. He also had great runs against the likes of Lex Luger, Randy Savage, and even Konnan in WCW.
Greatest Match/Feud: Bash at the Beach 96. Ladder match with Shawn Michaels at Wrestlemania 10.

39: AJ Styles


In the dying days of WCW, AJ Styles was there. Today in 2019, AJ Styles is still there, in WWE, at or around the main event scene at all times. The only reason he gets dinged at all is because he is not a great mic worker, and that is exposed even more with WWE’s terrible, pre worked spots.
There is absolutely no doubt about his wrestling ability, though. He was the last big Royal Rumble debut. He has put on show stopping matches with everyone he has encountered. He has even taken half assed feuds in WWE and made them important in the ring.
Greatest Match/Feud: Styles vs. Okada at NJPW Dominion 2015. Styles vs. Nakamura at Wrestle Kingdom 10.

38: Kerry Von Erich


The Texas Tornado stuff was all well and good, but Von Erich’s true legacy is intertwined with his father’s promotion, WCCW, out of Dallas. He beat Ric Flair for the NWA World Heavyweight Championship. In the mid 80’s, he was every bit on the same level as every wrestler of the era, and was definitely working at a higher level than his peers in WWF at the time. People still talk about the feud with the Freebirds to this day.
Greatest Match/Feud: The Von Erich family vs. the Fabulous Freebirds. Von Erich vs. Ric Flair at his brother’s memorial show in Dallas.

37: Kazuchika Okada


Yep, the RAAAAAIIIIINNNNNMAAAAAKEER!!!!!! Not only one of the no-doubt best wrestlers in the world, he’s one of the most respected, too. When All In happened last year, he had to be on the card, because his presence helped legitimize it. He’s one of the best and most important wrestlers in NJPW in the past 30 years, and his style and smooth ring work can’t be touched.
Greatest Match/Feud: Pick a match between him and Omega.

36: Brian Pillman


Instead of being sad about how it ended, lets enjoy the Brian Pillman we got to see. His loose cannon gimmick was a prototype for what countless wrestlers would attempt to become. Even before that though, he was one of the best wrestlers in the world. His matches with guys like Jushin Liger, with and against Steve Austin were ahead of their time. Holywood Blondes was an absolutely underrated tag team that just wasn’t pushed properly.
Greatest Match/Feud: Pillman vs. Jushin Liger at Superbrawl 2. Pillman vs. Kevin Sullivan at Superbrawl 6. Any of his promos during his ECW run.

35: Ricky Morton


He’s the greatest tag team wrestler of all time. Don’t @ me. To put his career in perspective, he was in the hottest tag team in the world when he was wrestling in Mid South wrestling in 1984. My mom was pregnant with me, and my dad would take her to see wrestling events in Tulsa. The Rock and Roll Express were wrestling in main events then.
Fast forward 35 years, the Rock and Roll Express is wrestling for New Japan Pro Wrestling, and have gained immortal status in the world of wresting. During Wrestlemania weekend, R&R wrestled one of the best current tag teams in the world, LAX, and the Express were treated like royalty. Oh, and Ricky Morton did a Canadian Destroyer in that match. Ricky Morton had been wrestling for 30 years when that move was invented.
Greatest Match/Feud: Express vs. the Soviets for the NWA Tag Team Championship in 1985. British Bulldogs vs. Express in 1989. Taggins with Tanahashi vs. Los Ingobernables de Japon last week in NJPW.

34: Edge


One of the guys behind some of the best tag team wrestling in WWE history. He would go on to become the biggest star from the tag teams that innovated the hardcore style. His singles run was marked with some of the biggest highs in the sport at the time. Unfortunately, a back injury cut his career short, leaving a lot more what-if’s than what was.
Greatest Match/Feud: TLC match at Wrestlemania 17. Edge vs. Mick Foley at Wrestlemania 22.

33: Rob Van Dam


The Whole F’in Show. Mr. Monday Night. Rob Van Dam. One of the biggest crossover stars from the ECW era, Van Dam was an absolute machine whose innovative move set wasn’t made for WCW and WWF at the time, but found a home, and staying power in ECW. It’s no surprise that his style or wrestling has never really been matched. He innovated an almost high flying judo sense of wrestling.
Greatest Match/Feud: RVD vs. Cena at One Night Stand 2006. Pretty much any match he did in ECW.

32: Randy Orton


He’s been the metaphorical rock of the WWE for two decades. The fact that, in 2019, he is still a main eventer speaks to high longevity as a character and a wrestler. He is WWE’s “Break in Case of Emergency” wrestler. Whenever they need a great worker and mic guy to come in and make someone look good or make a title relevant, they send in Orton. His finisher, the RKO, has become one of the most iconic moves of all time thanks to social media.
Greatest Match/Feud: Orton’s feud with Undertaker in 2005. Orton vs. Chris Benoit at Summerslam 2004.

31: John Cena


Yes. Yes. I know. I get it. Yes, he sucks. But he is also great. He doesn’t have any moves. Except when he does. He was never as good as wrestlers who deserved it more. He also reinvented himself in the back half of his career and was the launching pad on the main roster for Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn. It is going to be impossible in the current to properly rate John Cena for the wrestler he was and his importance. My guess is, 10, 15 years removed, he will probably get his due as one of, if not the more important wrestler in WWE for a long stretch of time.
Greatest Match/Feud: Cena vs. RVD at One Night Stand 2006. His feuds with Randy Orton and CM Punk.

CLICK HERE FOR NUMBERS 50-41
CLICK HERE FOR NUMBERS 30-21
CLICK HERE FOR NUMBERS 20-11
CLICK HERE FOR NUMBERS 10-1

FBC NFL Preview: NFC East

FBC NFL Preview: NFC East

Welcome back to the Fancy Boys NFL Season Previews. I hope you all enjoyed your end of summer. Did you get it out of your system? Good! Because two things are true of the rest of the year: It’s time for me to put away all of my white clothing, and it’s TIME FOR THE NFL TO START!

We are three days away from football season, and Jack and I are going to pump so much football down your gullet, you are gonna pray for the sweet, sweet release of death. Speaking of sweet, sweet death. Lets talk about the NFC East!

Continue reading “FBC NFL Preview: NFC East” →

Are We Living in a Simulation or Was That a Real Person I Hit with My Car?

binary-1327492_960_720Is the breadth of our reality merely an advanced computer simulation? This question may just sound like the plot to a shitty, over-romanticized Keanu Reeves movie, but the past five minutes I have spent reading the simulation theory page on Wikipedia seem pretty convincing. 

The implications of this question should be obvious. If we are living in a simulated reality, it would mean that humanity is more insignificant than we could have possibly imagined. Every person you’ve loved, every moment you’ve cherished would have no more intrinsic value than a piece of lettuce in Burger Time.

However, if our reality is not just a construct built of ones and zeros, it would mean that was a real, living person I just ran over on the corner of Ashland and North Ave. His family would feel actual hurt and loss, and the police lights in my rearview mirror are bringing with them real, tangible consequences.  Continue reading “Are We Living in a Simulation or Was That a Real Person I Hit with My Car?” →

30 Video Games And 1 Console Yet To Release In 2019 That You Should Care About

The new Madden game came out a few weeks ago and to those of us that follow video game release schedules closely that can mean only one thing. Video games are back! Continue reading “30 Video Games And 1 Console Yet To Release In 2019 That You Should Care About” →

The Worst Comedy Set I’ve Ever Seen

The Worst Comedy Set I’ve Ever Seen

This collection of writers at Fancy Boys Club all have one thing in common: stand-up comedy. Some of us perform (or have performed) it. Some of us produce (or have produced) it. All of us love it. Or have loved it and then hated it and then loved it again. Relationships with comedy can be very complicated.

I’ve been lucky enough to be performing stand-up comedy for over 12 years now. How am I as a comedian? I’m… ok. There are nights when I have amazing sets and nights when I bomb. Most sets lie somewhere in the middle of those.

Continue reading “The Worst Comedy Set I’ve Ever Seen” →

This Article May Save Your Life Someday

This Article May Save Your Life Someday

Every station I flip through airs footage of the AmazonRainforest on fire. Animals running for shelter, environmentalists shoutingthat this is one resource we cannot afford to lose.

Drama Queen

‘The fools,’ I think to myself, as I set my cell phone downand spin in my desk chair. I look out the window before placing my hand on itlongingly, because I’m totally sad right now.

Continue reading “This Article May Save Your Life Someday” →

Millennials Are Killing Tantric Sex

Millennials Are Killing Tantric Sex

Is there anything more blissful than a sexual session that lasts an entire weekend? Send all my calls to voicemail because the wife and I are planning on having an epic weekend-long tantric sex session that may set the Guinness World Record for “Most Erotic Weekend.” However, throughout my sexual journeys across the globe, I’ve noticed something. There are less and less younger people attending viewing parties for my tantric sexcapades. I find myself surrounded by Dorothys and Winifreds more and more and less surrounded by anyone who isn’t a card-carrying member of the AARP.

Continue reading “Millennials Are Killing Tantric Sex” →

FBC NFL Preview: AFC West

Welcome back everyone to the Fancy Boys Football Preview. I’m happy to report that upward of three million people have read these articles so far. You are officially in good company. Today we are talking about the AFC West, possibly the most entertaining division in the NFL, and assuredly one of the most well coached, with a very notable, red haired, quarterback obsessed exception.

Continue reading “FBC NFL Preview: AFC West” →

Goodnight, Sweet Taco Bell Prince

Goodnight, Sweet Taco Bell Prince

They say Icarus perished when he flew too close to the sun, and his wings melted. Or caught fire. Or he hit a goose. I’m not great with fables. Sorry Aesop. In many ways, Taco Bell is fast foot Icarus. Where many fast food companies dared not go, or at best toed the line (the Double Down never had crispy enough chicken, KFC!), Taco Bell spit in the face of common sense, and kicked food dignity in the balls.

Continue reading “Goodnight, Sweet Taco Bell Prince” →