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Top 10 Wrestlers with "Crossover Appeal" of all time.

3K views 19 replies 16 participants last post by  Jupiter Jack Daniels 
#1 · (Edited)
A recent post disputing Andre's crossover appeal got me thinking about this.

Obviously Hogan, Austin, and Rock are lightyears above the others but who are the other seven. And how would you rank the top ten? This is not who was better in the ring, or who was the better wrestler, just who had (espcially when it comes to their era) the most striaght crossover appeal?

I would say. (in America)

1. Hogan
2. Rock
3. Austin
4. Andre: In the 70's wrestling's biggest crossover star, plus his role in The Priness Bride and sheer novelty appeal. He was doing the national talk shows years before Hogan.
5. Georgeous George: Set the true Golden Age on fire
6. Bronko Nagurski: Probably the biggest athelete to turn wrestler ever.
7. Bruno Sammartino: Graced strongman adds in comics and ruled New York for well over a decade.
8. El Santo: Although obviously the man in Mexico his success crossed over to the States where he was huge in California, Texas, and other western states. Films are stillconsidered cult classics here.
9. Sgt Slaughter: GI Joe, and other tv shows, and political lovefest in the 80's.
10. Brock Lesner: UFC career

HM: I went back and forth on Jerry Lawler, and Verne Gagne I think a case could be made for either in the top ten. Others: Ric Flair, Dick the Brusier, and maybe Kurt Angle.

Maybe missing some obvious ones. What would you say?
 
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#4 · (Edited)
This is very difficult. But I'll give it a shot.

1. Hulk Hogan

2. Gorgeous George - the first true wrestling star AND one of the first true TV stars period - in any category. Muhammad Ali, James Brown and Bob Dylan have all cited him as an inspiration.

3. The Rock

4. Freddie Blassie - a usual tv guest in his time from sitcoms to talk shows. Among his crossover highlights- he appeared in an episode in The Dick Van **** Show and starred in a movie with Andy Kaufman called My Breakfast with Blassie. The movie was name checked in pop song that peaked at #18 on the billboard charts titled "Man on the Moon". He recored voiceovers for the songs "Blassie, King of Men" and "Pencil Neck Geek" which were performed by Johnny Legend. He also appeared on a live segment of Hulk Hogan's Rock N Wrestling cartoon. He's often considered the greatest on the mic from the 50s and 60s. and is the one who started the "pencil neck geek" phrase. At one point he needed police officers to protect him from the fans just get into the building.

5. Randy Savage - damn near anyone who knows Hogan, knows Macho Man. And he's had tv/movie roles aswell. Hell, dude was in a Spider-Man movie bigger than anything The Rock or Hogan was ever in. Not to mention his Slim Jim commercials. He also appeared in Dexter's Laboratory and the Disney movie titled Bolt. He even dropped his own rap album.

6. Steve Austin - very popular for revolutionizing the wrestling business, but he doesn't have as much crossover appeal as wrestling fans like to think. Just look at his inferior wrestling rival- The Rock gettin all the big movie roles/tv appearances, while Austin gets stuck with b level stuff. He did manage to land a acting role in the movie The Expendables which opened up at no.1 at the box office and he also has managed to land a acting role in the remake of Longest Yard movie which did very good at the box office opening up at the no.2. He's also starred in a slew of straight to dvd movies proving that there are plenty of film makers interested in him. Austin is often considered to be the wrestler who sold the most merchandise EVER.

7. Buddy Rogers - Featured in lots of magazine articles and tv shows in his time. Was used as WWF's launching pad. Would've probably been top 5 on this list, but his main event status was short and so was his pop status. But from 1961-1963, he was as high in the wrestling business as anyone before or after. And for those that don't know, he is the ORIGINAL Nature Boy and the man who invented the figure four leg lock. In 1961 he took the NWA title from Pat O'Connor in front of an North American professional wrestling record of 38,622 in attendance. The record lasted almost 23 years. The ticket sales of that same event was $148,000 which was the North American professional wrestling record for almost 20 years.

8. Frank Gotch - the man who made professional wrestling popular in America. His matches with George Hackenschmidt were on front of sports pages all around the nation and outside the nation as well. He was invited to the white house by President Theodore Roosevelt. At the end of a Chicago Cubs game, nearly every member on the team came to him asking for his autograph. He starred in a play called All About A Bout and it's said that everywhere he performed he received a standing ovation...even overseas.

9. John Cena

10. The Undertaker - certainly not a hollywood guy, but due to his longevity, gimmick and battles with almost all the top dogs of the last 20 years, he's by far one of the most popular wrestlers of all time. Wrestlemania has been the most popular wrestling event in America since 1985 and guess who has the most Wrestlemania victories? The Undertaker with 21. If you're between the age 15-45 and don't know who the Undertaker is, you were NEVER a wrestling fan in any kind of way. Even if you don't like WWE, u still know who The Undertaker is. He's arguably one of the top 5 most recognized gimmicks in wrestling history. I'm sure he's been in more wrestling video games than anyone else.

Honorable Mention
Andre the Giant, Ric Flair, Bruno Sammartino, Lou Thesz and Roddy Piper.
 
#12 · (Edited)
Yes, Randy Savage was so over. He's one of the first guys I remember getting mentioned in rap songs. People would imitate his voice soooo much.

I'm shocked no one has mentioned the Ultimate Warrior. His time in the sun was short, but he was legit a superstar. To the point where he was referenced a lot on entertainment shows and the like. He didn't do the Hollywood thing so much, but I remember him being a big cultural reference. A lot of people who didn't watch wrestling, like my older relatives, knew who he was, just due to buzz at work and stuff.

I wonder, did SNL ever parody him? He seemed so ripe for that thing.


My favorite "WTF was that?!?!" promo from him was this one:



I love Bret Hart, but I think that the Ultimate Warrior is one of those big guys who actually got over for very legitimate reasons. His promos and approach were so different in their sheer insanity, and Ultimate Warrior was pitch perfect in them.

I gained a new respect for him when he talked about how he'd have to get into a whole mindset before going out there (talking to himself; being left alone; etc.), and the thought he put into his presentation and entrances and everything. The fact that he could go into the ring and look like a legitimate equal to Hulk, to the point where he had the crowd more in his hands than Hulk did...that's a testament to his insane charisma, and cultivating of that character.

Btw, I agree with the Youtube comments that him without the facepaint here gives him a different vibe. Slightly darker, less cartoonish. I wish they did this more, though I understand why they didn't (I remember dying to see what he looked like without the facepaint as a kid):





I pretty much always prefer the technical matches, but this still holds up as one of the best WWF/WWE matches ever to me, just because the theater and drama of it was so great:




Guys who only see it as Warrior getting pushed because he was a big meathead, miss the point. The dude was CRAZY OVER!

The fact that he's still so remembered today, as one of the preeminent faces in wrestling, even though his run was relatively short, is a testament to how popular he was. I mean the WWF put out a DVD to try to destroy him, ten years after he had already left! His impact was definitely felt.
 
#15 ·
I didn't include wrestlers like Jesse Ventura or Jericho in my top 10 cuz I think their success/popularity outside the ring had more to do with them going out of their way to pursue those avenues as opposed to crossover appeal. That's not to say that they don't have crossover appeal. It's just that when I think of crossover appeal I think of wrestlers who have talent scouts/agents begging them to be apart of their shit. Not a wrestler who's knocking on doors looking for an acting job and has to explain his success in the wrestling business to most of the production crew.

I would have Ventura in my top 20, but not Jericho. If you asked any non-wrestling fan in any age group from 10-100, to name 5 wrestlers, NONE of them are naming naming Jericho, so I find it hard to believe his crossover appeal is top 10 or even top 20. To me, crossover appeal has more to do with your standing in the general public, not how much interest you have in entertainment jobs.
 
#16 ·
As far as Brock Lesnar. His popularity is a testament to Dana White's brilliant promotional tactics. He wasn't even top 5 in his weight class and the UFC promotional machine made him the biggest name in MMA and PPV-business.
 
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