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View Full Version : The Biggest Draw in WWE/F History according to Dave Meltzer



Lebron23
02-21-2010, 03:56 AM
1. BRUNO SAMMARTINO

2. HULK HOGAN

3. BOB BACKLUND

4. ARGENTINA ROCCA

5. HHH

6. UNDERTAKER

7. STEVE AUSTIN (Undertaker and HHH have passed him in recent years since he finished his career in 2003. Had he not retired at the age of 38 due to injuries, as well as missed what probably would have been his biggest drawing year in 1999 with neck surgery, he would have been No. 2 on this list by now. Nobody ever in company history was a bigger drawing card or merchandise seller then he was at his peak.)

8. THE ROCK

9. PEDRO MORALES

10. SHAWN MICHAELS

11. SUPERSTAR BILLY GRAHAM

12. MIGUEL PEREZ

13. BRET HART

14. BUDDY ROGERS

15. RANDY SAVAGE

16. JOHN CENA

17. KURT ANGLE

18. MICK FOLEY aka CACTUS JACK, DUDE LOVE, MANKIND

19. ANDRE THE GIANT

20. DR. JERRY GRAHAM

(TIE) JOHNNY VALENTINE

22. RODDY PIPER

23. IVAN KOLOFF

24. ULTIMATE WARRIOR

(TIE) RANDY ORTON

(TIE) BATISTA

27. GREG VALENTINE

(TIE) YOKOZUNA

(TIE) SGT. SLAUGHTER

30. GEORGE STEELE

(TIE) CHRIS JERICHO

(TIE) KANE

(TIE) KEVIN NASH aka DIESEL

34. RIC FLAIR

(TIE) BIG SHOW aka PAUL WRIGHT

(TIE) STAN HANSEN

(TIE) GORILLA MONSOON

(TIE) KEN PATERA

39. FRED BLASSIE

(TIE) BOB ORTON SR. aka ROCKY FITZPATRICK

(TIE) BROCK LESNAR

42. EDDIE GRAHAM

(TIE) KILLER KOWALSKI

(TIE) PROFESSOR TORU TANAKA

(TIE) DON MURACO

(TIE) DAVEY BOY SMITH aka BRITISH BULLDOG

(TIE) EDGE

(TIE) CHRIS BENOIT

49. LARRY ZBYSZKO

(TIE) PAUL ORNDORFF

(TIE) IRON SHEIK aka GREAT HOSSEIN ARAB aka COL. MUSTAFA

(TIE) NIKOLAI VOLKOFF aka BEPO MONGOL

(TIE) WALDO VON ERICH

(TIE) BOOKER T aka KING BOOKER

http://www.brightestyoungthings.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/08/sammartino-medium.jpg

http://scrapetv.com/News/News%20Pages/Entertainment/images-2/hulk-hogan-word-heavyweight-champion.jpg

The Living Legend Bruno Sammartino is still a bigger draw than the Immortal Hulk Hogan.

El Kabong
02-21-2010, 04:16 AM
im surprised sting isnt on there
Sting was never in WWE.

Apples
02-21-2010, 04:16 AM
im surprised sting isnt on there

Sting has never been in WWF/E.

And Meltzer just proved he's lost his mind. Triple H on his best day has never been a bigger draw than The Rock or Stone Cold on their worst day. That there puts the whole list in the trash.

Lebron23
02-21-2010, 04:18 AM
im surprised sting isnt on there

Maybe he forgot to include Sting. I don't believe than Stan Hansen is a bigger draw than Steve Borden.

Sting was one of the most popular wrestlers in the 1990's.

Hansen like Sting never wrestled in the WWF.

El Kabong
02-21-2010, 04:29 AM
Maybe he forgot to include Sting. I don't believe than Stan Hansen is a bigger draw than Steve Borden.

Sting was one of the most popular wrestlers in the 1990's.

Hansen like Sting never wrestled in the WWF.

Hansen wrestled in the WWWF I believe.

And of course HHH is higher then Stone Cold. He's been on top 5-6 years longer then Stone Cold was. If you took a yearly average or something like that, the SC would kill HHH, but I'm assuming this is list is based from a wrestlers entire career.

Lebron23
02-21-2010, 04:32 AM
Hansen wrestled in the WWWF I believe.

And of course HHH is higher then Stone Cold. He's been on top 5-6 years longer then Stone Cold was. If you took a yearly average or something like that, the SC would kill HHH, but I'm assuming this is list is based from a wrestlers entire career.

Thanks for the info!!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kT_3wUvPR5o

Austin 3:16

My favorite wrestling catchphrase of all time.



:rockon: :rockon: :rockon:

Lebron23
02-21-2010, 04:38 AM
list needs repo man
http://doubledeckerbuses.org/blog/media/blogs/new/repoman.jpg
:D

I like Barry Darsow when he was with the Demolition Brothers.

Apples
02-21-2010, 04:38 AM
Edit: looked up the list and it's according to gate/ratings drew as main eventers.

That there also proves Triple H being ahead of Austin/Rock is flawed because he just happen to be the guy that usually played opposite of Rock and Austin, and it's safe to say he fed off of their success more so than he gained popularity on his own. Even DX can be attributed to the popularity of the faction as a group and not just Triple H.

The fact that Triple H is still around as a top guy and WWE's ratings are down, overall interest in mainstream wrestling is down, and more fans are flocking towards TNA is proof that he himself isn't that great a draw without someone to feed off.

So really he's only higher up on that list because he's still around, which is like ranking NBA players on how many games they've played rather than how many titles they've won.

Dasher
02-21-2010, 05:01 AM
I guess everyone likes to ignore The McMahon Helmsley era which was arguably the best heel run in the WWE since The Million Dollar Man was at his peak. He was able to give anyone heat, at least for one night. I remember the crowds frothing at the mouth at the idea that Bob Holly could beat him for the championship.

DX saved the WWE and kicked off The Attitude Era.

He was set to be a star before he married the boss' daughter. His intial push was put off as punishment for him coming out and hugging Hall and Nash when they were on their way out of the door.

He elevated multiple guys who are now main-eventers, even though people still get angry about what happened with RVD and Jericho. When finally given the chance to be the man, do you know what RVD did? He screwed it up. Jericho's initial reign at the top was a flop, and his run at the top last year did not improve buyrates. He was the 1st and only big dog in the company to job to Jeff Hardy.

Apples
02-21-2010, 05:20 AM
Triple H hasn't done anything that so many other guys on the roster couldn't do. Replace Sean Morley in with Triple H, same result. That's not to say Triple H isn't good, because Sean Morley was a real good performer, he just happened to have a mid-carder for life gimmick (Val Venis). But there is nothing unique about Triple H.

While DX was big, the New Age Outlaws and X Pac had just as much to do with the success (HBK's DX wasn't as big as the one that came after) of that faction.

But at the end of the day, the attitude era was headlined by Stone Cold and The Rock.

InspiredLebowski
02-21-2010, 05:21 AM
This is my appearance in a Lebron23 WWF thread.

goldenryan
02-21-2010, 10:45 AM
When you think about it, Triple H ALWAYS has feuds with big stars of the company since he became the leader of DX, from Austin to Rock to Cena. Ranking him as one of top biggest draws is not strange at all.......

Triple was never the main guy, he was in matches with the top guys (austin,rock, taker,jericho) but couldn't draw by himself imo.

craigthomasb
02-21-2010, 03:38 PM
this is wrong, when wrestling hit its peak, it was the rock and stone cold, they were the biggest draws,

daballa13
02-21-2010, 03:44 PM
I like Barry Darsow when he was with the Demolition Brothers.

How ****ing old are you man? You still fall for these pathetic wrestling plots?

PistolPete
02-21-2010, 03:56 PM
Where's Barry Horowitz??

Charlie Sheen
02-21-2010, 04:02 PM
Where's Barry Horowitz??
right before iron mike sharpe