12-21-2002, 06:28 AM
I have plenty of problems with the list too (Flair #1? Even though I'm a huge fan...I dunno...).
On Vader: he's definitely one of the top 100 of all time IMO. Easily the best big man I've ever seen in the ring, a main eventer in Japan, Europe, and in the US, actually the only promotion he's ever been in where he hasn't been one of the top guys was the WWF. Whether or not he's better than Foley...well, that's the problem with any top X of Y list, it depends on the criteria and your own personal slants. Both have their strengths and weaknesses, and both will be remembered as legends 20, 30 years from now. I'd probably rank Vader higher than Foley myself, even though I'm more of a fan of Foley's, Vader's simply a better worker and more successful worldwide.
On Angle: I think at this point, saying that he's one of the top 110 professional wrestlers of all time after he's only been working for a few years is a huge compliment. If something tragic were to happen today and his career ended, he'd probably be remembered as the Olympian who did really good work for a really crappy promotion, but not as one of the best ever. He's still not as good as quite a few people who aren't even on the list. The fact that Akira Hokuto and Aja Kong aren't even mentioned in the book the real travesty. That, and Benoit is easily top 50 and Destroyer is too low and...I'll stop there. At least they have Hart above Shawn.
On Vader: he's definitely one of the top 100 of all time IMO. Easily the best big man I've ever seen in the ring, a main eventer in Japan, Europe, and in the US, actually the only promotion he's ever been in where he hasn't been one of the top guys was the WWF. Whether or not he's better than Foley...well, that's the problem with any top X of Y list, it depends on the criteria and your own personal slants. Both have their strengths and weaknesses, and both will be remembered as legends 20, 30 years from now. I'd probably rank Vader higher than Foley myself, even though I'm more of a fan of Foley's, Vader's simply a better worker and more successful worldwide.
On Angle: I think at this point, saying that he's one of the top 110 professional wrestlers of all time after he's only been working for a few years is a huge compliment. If something tragic were to happen today and his career ended, he'd probably be remembered as the Olympian who did really good work for a really crappy promotion, but not as one of the best ever. He's still not as good as quite a few people who aren't even on the list. The fact that Akira Hokuto and Aja Kong aren't even mentioned in the book the real travesty. That, and Benoit is easily top 50 and Destroyer is too low and...I'll stop there. At least they have Hart above Shawn.