9/19/2004
Appreciation list: top ten active WWE wrestlers
1 The Rock – He might not be that active in Raw with movie projects left and right. Actually, he has outgrown his WWE persona and has become a certified Hollywood celebrity. Nevertheless, he still shows up once in a while and his rare appearances are still extravaganzas in themselves.
2 Rene Dupree – I believe this guy has a future. Only 19 and already strutting stuff with more establish stars in the Smackdown! roster like John Cena and what have you. There is just a dearth of heel characters in WWE that’s why he is still stuck with his “French fry” identity. Otherwise, he should ask his writers for his character to expand and grow up.
3 Randy Orton – There is a changing of the guards going on in the WWE. The only old hags remaining in both Smackdown! and Raw are Triple H, Ric Flair, and The Undertaker. Gone are Stone Cold, Shawn Michaels, and Goldberg. Orton has it all: charisma, good looks, innate skill, and heritage (third generation wrestler). My friend predicts he would be the next Triple H. I do just hope that he would be more controlled than the Evolution head.
4 Eddie Guerrero – Latino heat, esse! This guy has good mic skills and is a flexible wrestler. He could slug it out with the best of them and he could be technical if he wanted to. The perfect package.
5 Chris Benoit – One of the four WCW talents that jumped shipped to WWE along with Guerrero, Steve Malenko, and Perry Saturn. Benoit and Guerrero compliment each other. What Guerrero doesn’t have, Benoit has, namely, killer submissions out of the Stu Hart textbook. Guerrero is the witty showman, Benoit is the hard-nosed slugger.
6 The Hurricane – Unfortunately for Shane Helms, he is neither here nor there. He is too heavy to be a cruiserweight, and he is too small to beat up the big guys. Now that Rosey has graduated from “Super Hero in Training” status, I do hope that they give The Hurricane a better storyline rather than just being jobbed to problem solvers like Tyson Tomko.
7 Eugene – How the storywriters convinced that person to play Eugene’s character is an act of genius! Novelty icons like Rico should remind fans that they shouldn’t take their wrestling seriously and it’s just all a show.
8 Batista – No list would be complete without your complimentary half-Filipino. He needs to work a lot on his mic skills and his drawing power, though.
9 “Nature Boy” Ric Flair – I believe he is the only heel in the WWE that the audience stand up, cheer, and applaud to. Sixteen-time champion? No one could argue with that. He is the only legend that Randy Orton doesn’t even dare to touch.
10 Kurt Angle – It was good while it lasted, being Smackdown! GM I mean. Him wearing his spandex or his corporate suit doesn’t make any difference. He knows how to handle the mic, and if given the chance, he knows how to turn a boring undercard into a classic.
What? No John Cena? Actually, he would be there if I didn’t put The Rock in the list. He would be #10 and everybody else would go up one notch. Sure he is one of the cornerstones of WWE right now, but his aura on a certain episode is dependent on how good his rap is. He has better days and he has worse days. Nothing in between.
2 Rene Dupree – I believe this guy has a future. Only 19 and already strutting stuff with more establish stars in the Smackdown! roster like John Cena and what have you. There is just a dearth of heel characters in WWE that’s why he is still stuck with his “French fry” identity. Otherwise, he should ask his writers for his character to expand and grow up.
3 Randy Orton – There is a changing of the guards going on in the WWE. The only old hags remaining in both Smackdown! and Raw are Triple H, Ric Flair, and The Undertaker. Gone are Stone Cold, Shawn Michaels, and Goldberg. Orton has it all: charisma, good looks, innate skill, and heritage (third generation wrestler). My friend predicts he would be the next Triple H. I do just hope that he would be more controlled than the Evolution head.
4 Eddie Guerrero – Latino heat, esse! This guy has good mic skills and is a flexible wrestler. He could slug it out with the best of them and he could be technical if he wanted to. The perfect package.
5 Chris Benoit – One of the four WCW talents that jumped shipped to WWE along with Guerrero, Steve Malenko, and Perry Saturn. Benoit and Guerrero compliment each other. What Guerrero doesn’t have, Benoit has, namely, killer submissions out of the Stu Hart textbook. Guerrero is the witty showman, Benoit is the hard-nosed slugger.
6 The Hurricane – Unfortunately for Shane Helms, he is neither here nor there. He is too heavy to be a cruiserweight, and he is too small to beat up the big guys. Now that Rosey has graduated from “Super Hero in Training” status, I do hope that they give The Hurricane a better storyline rather than just being jobbed to problem solvers like Tyson Tomko.
7 Eugene – How the storywriters convinced that person to play Eugene’s character is an act of genius! Novelty icons like Rico should remind fans that they shouldn’t take their wrestling seriously and it’s just all a show.
8 Batista – No list would be complete without your complimentary half-Filipino. He needs to work a lot on his mic skills and his drawing power, though.
9 “Nature Boy” Ric Flair – I believe he is the only heel in the WWE that the audience stand up, cheer, and applaud to. Sixteen-time champion? No one could argue with that. He is the only legend that Randy Orton doesn’t even dare to touch.
10 Kurt Angle – It was good while it lasted, being Smackdown! GM I mean. Him wearing his spandex or his corporate suit doesn’t make any difference. He knows how to handle the mic, and if given the chance, he knows how to turn a boring undercard into a classic.
What? No John Cena? Actually, he would be there if I didn’t put The Rock in the list. He would be #10 and everybody else would go up one notch. Sure he is one of the cornerstones of WWE right now, but his aura on a certain episode is dependent on how good his rap is. He has better days and he has worse days. Nothing in between.
// posted by Unknown @ 23:27 
