Hated Wrestlers
1. Hulk Hogan
I’m a patriotic guy, but I bristle at anyone who tells me that I HAVE to like something to be an American. Whether it’s America’s Team (Dallas Cowboys) or America’s Dynasty (New York Yankees), I can’t stand having someone try to force feed that down my throat. So when Hulkamania started and Hogan would come out to “Real American” by Rick Derringer, I was immediately turned off. That never changed.
2. Ole Anderson
I just never liked Ole’s gruff personality. He wasn’t necessarily the worst Horseman, but he just didn’t seem to fit as well as anyone else. When I would have fantasy wrestling leagues as a child, Ole was always one of those that my character would feud with and try to keep toward the bottom of the roster.
It wasn’t until I was out of college that I realized how influential Ole was in the booking of Georgia Championship Wrestling and Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling. While that gives me a bit more reason to respect him, I still can’t stand the guy.
3. Chris Von Erich
The von Erich that should never have been. Chris was the runt of the Von Erich litter. Physically incapable of wrestling due to severe asthma, he was only used in tag team matches that saw him only “work” for 2-3 minutes at a time. Also, when your greatest and ONLY feud as a wrestler is against Percy Pringle, what good are you to wrestling?
Fritz forced Chris to enter the squared circle to take Mike’s place after his suicide. Of course, as you’ll see in a second, Mike was forced into the ring to take David’s place after his death. Neither one of them could hold a candle to their brother. David was arguably the greatest of the Von Erichs. Had he not died in Japan in 1984, I would have expected to see him defeat Harley Race or Ric Flair for the NWA World Heavyweight Title before Kerry would win it.
4. Mike Von Erich
Mike never wanted to wrestle. He was fine in his position as cameraman for WCCW. Then David died. Fritz forced Mike into the ring to take David’s place.
Mike tried to bridge the gap between David and Kevin’s wrestling styles. He tried to brawl, but it didn’t always work. He would come to the ring barefoot like Kevin, allowing him a bit more speed in the ring. However, he should have kept to the ring apron.
5. William Regal
Growing up in Memphis, watching CWA and AWA, I loved ‘Mr. Electricity’ Steve Regal. So when Lord Steven Regal made his appearance in WCW, I was excited. That was until he opened his mouth. I know many wrestlers are able to do incredible accents (e.g., Nelson Simpson as Nikita Koloff), but that wasn’t faked.
Being British in heritage, I was not thrilled with his “Blue Blood” image. When he brought in Earl Robert Eaton, that about broke my brain. When he came over to WWE as William Regal, he just became obnoxious to listen to.
6. Chavo Guerrero Jr.
Another runt of the litter, Chavo Guerrero Jr. wasn’t quite the wrestler his father or uncles were. I remember watching Hector, Chavo Sr. and Mando wrestle in WCCW. They were good, but Chavo Jr. just didn’t cut it for me. To me, he is the least of the Guerrero wrestling legacy.
7. John Cena
Arguably the most overrated wrestler ever on the WWE roster. Really? A sixteen-time World Heavyweight champion? Cena is no Ric Flair.
8. Bret Hart
The Excellence of Execution is the Canadian version of Hulk Hogan. The biggest difference was that Bret had actual talent in the ring. Hogan had the big boot and the leg drop. Bret had the Sharpshooter and many other skills he had honed in his father’s infamous “Dungeon.”
9. Edge
If you want to have a conversation about annoying wrestlers, I believe Edge would show up on everyone’s radar. From the very beginning, he seemed to just be a run-in guy to get involved in the transitions from one storyline to another. The annoyance factor was elevated when he “upped his rating” to the “Rated R Superstar.” Edge was much better when he was an enigma in the business. When they made him “the guy,” everything that could have been possible for him became tainted.
10. Greg Gagne
The one difference between Gagne and the younger Von Erich boys was the Greg had talent. While he was pushed by his father as a superstar, thankfully Verne never pushed him into the World heavyweight championship. His two reigns as World Tag Team champion were acceptable. He had the wrestling talent and worked well with Jim Brunzell.