Top 50 WWF Singles Wrestlers of the 90s

[Hawk 34]

Way too god damn low.

 

[HarleyQuinn]

I'm gonna argue that's perfectly fine placement as his main event against LT should place him there. Outside of that... he didn't really do much except have longevity on his side. He wrestled Bret in the KOTR '93 finals but it wasn't like that even went anywhere afterwards. He had an awful feud with Doink and his "feud" with the Million Dollar Corporation was a whole lot of nothing. He was far better in other federations.

 

[Valeyard]

Bam Bam was so valuable and probably the worst clique burial. One of the biggest misses of the decade for the WWF in almost every capacity; he could've fit anywhere and been a threat. Angry post-WM Bigelow wrecking people and at the least getting the intercontinental title would've been just fine, and I remember he and Diesel having a totally fine match on Raw. He could literally have gotten a push anywhere and been taken seriously, the LT loss wouldn't have hurt him half as bad if they'd just kept going with him.

The Million Dollar Corporation probably counts against anyone on this list. I have no idea why they sucked so much. At times they had some good people involved.

 

[Cackling Co Pilot Kamala]

I think #38 is a very reasonable spot for Bam Bam.

I think biggest reason his face run in '95 went over like a dry potato chip fart (BESIDES him being a mediocre at best babyface) was Vince suddenly calling an audible and turning HBK face. If they hadn't turned HBK face all of a sudden then there's a spot for Bam Bam there in IC Title level but '95 WWF was very lopsided in terms of babyfaces Vs heels.

 

[SFH]

He never should have been a face with his look and style, including the 80s. Bam Bam is one of those wrestlers who even in street clothes would be legitimately intimidating. He should have been a top heel his entire run.

 

[Valeyard]

Bigelow would've been turned face by the crowd, I think. Dude was so badass you couldn't hate him, but he got buried crazy hard with being Diesel's friend of the month and getting that hideous entrance. At least keep him as the Corporation guy who could work so Taker gets him most of the year.

All this serves to make me think that one of the biggest solutions to 1995's problems is turning Razor heel. Kid me would be devastated.

 

[AA484]

I'm not looking for this list to be the be-all, end-all. I mean, the PWI 500s were a source for it for God's sake! I mostly just meant to use it as a discussion piece and to comment on various memorable characters and wrestlers of the decade.

37. Mike Rotunda (IRS)

Singles competition (1991–1992)[edit]
Rotunda returned to the WWF in April 1991, becoming Irwin R. Schyster, abbreviated to I.R.S.. Schyster had a heel gimmick as a former IRS tax collector from Washington, D.C., harassing wrestlers and fans as "tax cheats" and scolding them to "pay their fair share". For example, at a show in Rhode Island, he attacked the state for being a tax haven for yacht owners from New York, or when wrestling in New Hampshire, he would get on the microphone and criticize the fans there for not having to pay a state income tax. To further add to this persona, one of his finishing moves was called The Write-Off (i.e., a flying clothesline to an oncoming opponent).

He made his pay-per-view debut at SummerSlam 1991, defeating Greg "The Hammer" Valentine. Schyster also made it to the finals of the 1991 King of the Ring tournament, defeating The Berzerker, Hacksaw Jim Duggan and Jerry Sags before losing to Bret Hart in the final match. He then had a short-lived feud with Big Bossman in the fall of 1991. This culminated in a 6-man elimination tag team match at Survivor Series, where he teamed with The Natural Disasters in a losing effort against Bossman and The Legion of Doom (the former Road Warriors). In January 1992, he competed in the Royal Rumble match entering at number 18 and lasted 28 minutes, giving him the third longest run behind Roddy Piper and winner Ric Flair.

Money Inc. (1992–1993)[edit]
Main article: Money Inc.
In February 1992, Schyster formed the tag team Money Inc. with Ted DiBiase; the two won the WWF Tag Team Championship together three times. Money Inc.'s first title reign was at the expense of The Legion of Doom, making Rotunda the only wrestler to twice defeat them for a tag team title. They then feuded with the Natural Disasters, losing the titles to them and then regaining them a few months later. Finally, Money Inc. lost the tag team title to The Steiner Brothers twice. Ted DiBiase retired from wrestling to become a commentator in the summer of 1993, resulting in Schyster going back to singles competition.

Million Dollar Corporation (1994–1995)[edit]
Main article: Million Dollar Corporation
In the beginning of 1994, IRS feuded with Razor Ramon, challenging him for the Intercontinental Championship at the Royal Rumble. Though Schyster had seemingly won the title after interference by Shawn Michaels, a second referee restarted the match, which Ramon won. Schyster then feuded with Tatanka, whom he accused of failing to pay a gift tax on a "sacred headdress" he received from Chief Jay Strongbow.

In mid-1994 he joined his former partner DiBiase's Million Dollar Corporation, often teaming with fellow member Bam Bam Bigelow, in an unsuccessful effort to regain tag team gold. Schyster later refocused on singles wrestling. His feud with The Undertaker included Schyster repossessing the headstone of a child, and interfering in a Casket Match between The Undertaker and Yokozuna. When the two eventually squared off at the 1995 Royal Rumble, the Undertaker was victorious following a chokeslam, but Schyster stole his urn after the match. I.R.S. then competed less frequently on WWF TV, his final two appearances being a loss to Savio Vega in a King of the Ring qualifying match in June 1995, and as a lumberjack the following month at In Your House 2: The Lumberjacks. Rotunda then left the WWF.

 

[Cackling Co Pilot Kamala]

Bigelow would've been turned face by the crowd, I think. Dude was so badass you couldn't hate him, but he got buried crazy hard with being Diesel's friend of the month and getting that hideous entrance. At least keep him as the Corporation guy who could work so Taker gets him most of the year.

Yeah. Keep him heel and give Bigelow a strong win over Undertaker at In Your House 1 then have them feud throughout the Summer with Undertaker ultimately going over in a casketmatch at SummerSlam. Solves a lot of problems.

 

[Valeyard]

It's a fun list, just good discussion and debate.

Never liked singles Rotundo because he was slow and dull, though. IRS is just funny now because in 1994 (and parts of 1995, really) he had to have been the third biggest heel in the company, or was when Yokozuna was inactive. He should have been Dibiase's arch enemy because you know the Million Dollar Man was the biggest tax cheat in the world. My IRS moment is every time Heenan would accuse someone of grabbing him by the tongue.

 

[Mr. S£im Citrus]

I don't know what possessed me to click on this thread for the first time, today, but at least now I finally know what the impetus for that other bullshit thread was.

 

[AA484]

I don't know what possessed me to click on this thread for the first time, today, but at least now I finally know what the impetus for that other bullshit thread was.

Don't let the wrong people hear you say that...

 

[BUTT]

Bam Bam was a victim of bad timing. Any other time during his four-year hiatus from WWF he could have fit in perfectly as the monster heel working with the dynastic babyface champ (Hogan, Savage, Warrior). But he came back just Yoko was coming in and getting his big push, and so Bam Bam could never be more than second fiddle. If Hogan stuck around in '93 a Hogan-Bigelow program could have worked, maybe. But by the time Bret got the belt back, Bam Bam had already done enough jobs that the slot wasn't his for the taking anymore.

 

[cobainwasmurdered]

I hated IRS so fucking much. Boring as shit.

 

[SFH]

Bam Bam was smaller than Andre and then smaller than Yoko. Remove either one of them from either one of his runs he could have been the top big man, give or take what John Tenta was doing in the moment. King Kong Bundy, per wiki, is the same height as Bam Bam but heavier. If I was booking (and I should not be relied on for fantasy booking) I'd push Bam Bam over KKB as a top monster heel.


IRS: I didn't appreciate the character as a kid. As an adult, holy hell he's the perfect foil as a heel for right winged "don't wanna pay taxes" wrestling fans. I do feel bad for Rotunda (and any other wrestler wearing regular clothes) dedicating his life to a proper diet, exercise, etc.. only to wrestle in suspenders and a tie.

 

[Hawk 34]

I thought the obvious implication was that IRS was a scumbag that was brought and paid for by the millionaire. Even as a kid it felt like a logical pairing and now as an adult, it’s even more logical.

 

[Valeyard]

Agreed but I wanted briefcase wars.

 

[Dandy]

I am jumping in this way late but I was away for a week while dealing with a death in the family. I promise I will catch up and soon won’t be discussing things discussed on the first two pages six pages in.

Anyway, Dusty Rhodes had 23 SINGLES matches in his 90s WWF run, plus one Rumble match And one Survivor Series match. Of those 23 (including dark matches), he beat some jobbers and had some DQ, CO, and DCO victories. His biggest pinfall victory was over Rick Martell. His high profile matches were tag matches, and he lost more of those than he won. He never pinned Savage, DiBiase, or Rude. He never won a title match nor did he even contend for one to my recollection from looking up his matches.

Dusty was a good character that was not in a great situation at this point in his career and was underutilized by Vince, likely out of spite. But he has no significant wins as a single and didn’t do much.

Billy Gunn was said to be left off the list because he spent more time in tag matches in the 90s, but Dusty got in over him. D’Lo Brown was a great act with several titles including holding the European and Intercontinental titles at the same time before Angle did it. He put on some great matches and was a rising star before the Droz botch. I just cannot see either being left off the list, especially for 1990 Dusty Rhodes.

Discuss.

 

[muzzington]

Wait, D'Lo might not make the list!?

 

[HarleyQuinn]

Wait, D'Lo might not make the list!?

If D'Lo doesn't make this list, I dunno man... The chest protector gimmick alone gets him in.

 

[Dandy]

D’Lo was already listed as Honorable Mention on the first page.

 

[AA484]

So, remember those "Top 10" lists that PWI used to post at the end of their magazines? Those were the main impetus behind me doing this list and are the basis behind most of these rankings in addition to the PWI 500. Just thought I would throw that in there. So when you see a weak "era" (say, New generation) represented equally with the Attitude era, it isn't an indictment on my end of the Attitude era, it was simply me not weighing any one era more than another and using the rankings from each era equally. For example, someone ranked 7th in a top 10 from 1995 and someone ranked 7th from 1998 are not equal IRL but for the purposes of this list I didn't weigh either more or less than the other. Obviously, the Attitude era was the most recognizable era with the most recognizable wrestlers but I didn't want them to be over-represented here. Does that make sense? Basically, I just wanted to let you know that human element in this list (my own personal opinion) was far outweighed by PWI's rankings to stay in that kayfabe spirit.

I just wanted to share this now because there is a guy coming up that is probably going to lead to some rage posts!

 

[Hawk 34]

Is it TEST?

 

[Brooklyn Zoo]

Knew a kayfabe list would cause problems with smart marks

 

[Brooklyn Zoo]

Doesn’t explain the Billy Gunn issues tho

 

[HarleyQuinn]

I appreciate the acknowledgment, AA. A lot of the reaction posts are more for fun/discussion than anything else. Also it's a list so there's always controversy

 

[Dandy]

Yeah, each of us would have different lists in both who makes or doesn’t make the list as well as which slot each wrestler ended up in.

You are doing fine with your list and it is a very good thread. We are just going to discuss and argue our own opinions because that is what everyone does. No harm intended.

Having said that, you are an idiot for leaving D’Lo off the list and you should be beaten with a frozen water hose for it.

 

[AA484]

36. Rick Rude

Rude began 1990 in a brief program against Jimmy Snuka, getting a win over him at WrestleMania 6. Rude resumed his conflict with The Ultimate Warrior in the summer of 1990 after Warrior had won the WWF World Heavyweight Championship. Rude began rigorous training in preparation for the Warrior, and took a more serious approach by neglecting women and cutting his hair short (a style he would maintain for the rest of his career). The feud culminated in a steel cage at SummerSlam 1990; wherein, Rude was defeated by the Warrior.[20][21] Next, he was scheduled to feud with Big Boss Man, which had its start when Rude's manager Bobby Heenan started to make degrading comments about Boss Man's mother. Rude would later backup the statements and call out the Boss Man. Rude was scheduled to be a part of a team called the Natural Disasters at the Survivor Series, consisting of Earthquake, Dino Bravo, and The Barbarian against Hulk Hogan and Boss Man's team, but was replaced by Haku after being suspended indefinitely by Jack Tunney. Tunney explained that Rude's comments towards the Boss Man were the reason for his suspension and that his manager Bobby Heenan was obligated to wrestle the Boss Man in his place. In reality Rude had a dispute with WWF owner Vince McMahon that led to him leaving the company.[22]

 

[Valeyard]

I'm going to take Rick Rude's presence on this list as being a shoe-in for Tugboat down the line.

 

[Cackling Co Pilot Kamala]

Rick Rude like Dusty, I think is a guy that really didn't do enough in that limited period he was in to warrant this high of a spot on the list. The fact that he main evented a PPV in a time when there were only four PPVs probably justifies him being in the 50-40 range but no higher than that and oh-why am I still seriously arguing this list?

 

[AA484]

35. Kerry Von Erich

In June 1990, Von Erich signed a contract with Vince McMahon's World Wrestling Federation (WWF). He debuted on the Saturday Night's Main Event XXVII as a fan favorite under the ring name Texas Tornado (while being openly acknowledged as Kerry Von Erich by announcers), defeating Buddy Rose, who coincidentally was his first opponent in his career.[41] At SummerSlam, Tornado substituted for the injured Brutus Beefcake and defeated Mr. Perfect to win the Intercontinental Championship.[42][43] After he became champion, Tornado defended the title for three months including a match against Haku on the October 13 Saturday Night's Main Event XXVIII[44] before losing the title back to former champion Mr. Perfect in a rematch on the December 15 (taped November 19) edition of Superstars.[45] Von Erich lost this match, and the title to Perfect due to interference from Ted DiBiase.[45]

At Survivor Series in 1990, while still Intercontinental Champion, he wrestled in a Survivor Series match where he teamed with the WWF Champion The Ultimate Warrior (formerly The Dingo Warrior in World Class) and the Legion of Doom (Hawk and Animal). He was eliminated by long-time rival Mr. Perfect, but his team won the match.[46]

At the Royal Rumble in 1991, he participated in the Royal Rumble match where he entered fifth and was eliminated by The Undertaker after lasting nearly half an hour.[47] He made his only WrestleMania appearance at WrestleMania VII, defeating Dino Bravo following a Tornado Punch.[48] Von Erich continued to be heavily pushed for the first half of 1991 and did not suffer another pinfall defeat until August 17, 1991 when he was defeated by The Warlord in Landover, MD. At SummerSlam, he teamed with the British Bulldog and Ricky Steamboat in a six-man tag team match to defeat the team of The Warlord and Power and Glory (Paul Roma and Hercules).[49]

In October 1991, Von Erich renewed his old rivalry with Ric Flair, being among the first names to face him in the ring after the NWA World Champion joined the WWF that August. Flair defeated Von Erich multiple times during the WWF's October tour of the UK.[50] The following month, "The Texas Tornado" suffered his first lopsided loss when he was squashed by The Undertaker in less than four minutes on the November 10, 1991 episode of Wrestling Challenge.[50] At Survivor Series, he teamed with Sgt. Slaughter, Jim Duggan, and Tito Santana against Colonel Mustafa, The Berzerker, Skinner, and Hercules. He did not eliminate anyone, but his entire team survived.[51] He made his last pay-per-view (PPV) appearance at the Royal Rumble in 1992; he participated in the Royal Rumble match for the vacant WWF World Heavyweight Championship. He was eliminated by the eventual winner Ric Flair, the man Von Erich beat eight years before for the NWA World Heavyweight Championship.[8][52] Kerry's push continued to subside in early 1992. He was relegated to a house show feud with Skinner in which he came out victorious; in February he began a house show series with Rick Martel and was winless.

After an absence of two months following the real life breakdown of his marriage and subsequent divorce, Von Erich returned to action following WrestleMania VIII and defeated Marc Roberts on the April 18, 1992 episode of Superstars. However he now found himself as an opening card act programmed against low level competition like Barry Horowitz, Kato, and Skinner. While undefeated against them in multiple matches, Von Erich was unable to move back up into contention as he suffered several losses against Rick Martel, Nailz, and Kamala. Von Erich's final wrestling appearance on WWF TV was a loss to Shawn Michaels on the July 26, 1992 edition of WWF Prime Time Wrestling.[53] Although Von Erich was announced to face Papa Shango at the SummerSlam PPV card in London, UK, he was replaced by El Matador and left the WWF in August 1992.[54]