Wrestlemania 36 Night One- A Review

Here we are, witnessing the 36th Annual Wrestlemania event! For a ProWrestling fan, Wrestlemania weekend is the best weekend of the year. Whether the show lives up to our expectations or not, we still find ourselves excited for it.  

For all intents and purposes, this is a different Wrestlemania compared to all the other events before it. Because of all the COVID-19 scare, there has been a lot of uncertainty around this event. The Big Dog Roman Reigns has pulled out of the event stating his immuno-compromised health. His massively promoted match with Goldberg has been affected and Braun Strowman has been scheduled to take his place. Major stars like The Miz and Rey Mysterio have been forced to isolate themselves because they fell sick. The United States champion Andrade has been sidelined due to a rib injury. Thus, storylines have been affected, promotions have been spoiled and so on. 

Worse than all that, the show is taking place in the WWE Performance Center with no audience! Can you imagine Wrestlemania without the people? 

Amidst all this, WWE has decided to go ahead with Wrestlemania instead of postponing it. That is a questionable decision and I still don't know if that was the right thing to do on their part. A part of me even wondered if this year's event is worth watching. Man, half the card has just been thrown together in the last minute without proper storylines or builds. 

But, the hell with it, it's Wrestlemania and I decided to watch it. 

Here's my review of the matches that took place on Night One. 

Match #1: Drew Gulak vs. Cesaro

This match took place on the Kickoff show. Gulak tried to take down Cesaro with his technical prowess but the Swiss Superman showed amazing display of his power and thwarted his attempts. In the end, Cesaro picked up the victory after an impressive 'airplane spin' move. You gotta watch this match for that. 

My thoughts on this match? Firstly, I expected it to be a clinic. Given the extraordinary talent both these men possess, it was hard not to expect one. But WWE disappointed me in the very first match. Secondly, the match went on for just around 5-6 minutes. Why couldn't it have gone longer? The fans would have loved to see these men tear the house down with 15-20 minutes of Wrestling match. I'd take that over Corey Graves-Peter Rosenberg duo's stupid discussions anyway. 

Moving on...

The main show kick-starts and we're shown the intro video. I honestly found the intro to be comical. WWE has tried to make it sound like a "Pirates of the Caribbean" type thing and it just didn't fit. The intro didn't get me hyped up for the event like it is supposed to. (or maybe it was just me!)

Match #2: Alexa Bliss and Nikki Cross vs The Kabuki Warriors (c) for the WWE Women's Tag Team Championship 

The team of Bliss and Cross take the early advantage. Following which, the match became a little back and forth. As expected, the heels dominated a good portion of the match and all through it, you can see Asuka and Kairi Sane toying with their opponents and mocking them in japanese. It was a bit comical to see.

There were a couple of good spots in the match. Once, Kairi hit a splendid elbow onto Cross as she was pinning Asuka. The same thing repeated when Alexa hit the 'Twisted Bliss' move on Asuka who was pinning Nikki. After some near falls, Alexa Bliss and Nikki Cross picked up the win to become the new WWE Women's Tag Team Champions.

Nikki Cross was solid in this match. Am I a fan of her? No. But she's starting to grow on me. Plus, at last year's Wrestlemania, Nikki got eliminated second in the Women's battle royal. This year, she's winning gold. That's a good Wrestlemania moment for her resume (too bad there was no crowd to make it more special).  

On the whole, a decent match. Let's see how things go forward from here.

Match #3: King Corbin vs Elias 

I'll be honest. I was completely disinterested in this one. Corbin and Elias are two wrestlers that just don't grab my attention. Sure, Elias has a good level of charisma and Corbin can give a good match sometimes. I don't take that away from them. But, they just don't click with me.

Some people consider Corbin to be the best heel on the roster today and that, in my opinion, is a load of waffle. He has a droning voice and at best, he just comes across as a whiny high school bully, not a legitimate bad guy. His interview before this match was the cringiest thing I've seen in recent memory. 

Anyway, Elias wins this uninteresting match with a roll up. I can't help but notice Michael Cole comparing Corbin with John Bradshaw Layfield. Really, Cole? (*sighs*)

Let's move on... I'm yet to get the "Wrestlemania feel" as I like to call it! It just feels like an episode of RAW until now.

Match #4: Becky Lynch(c) vs Shayna Baszler for the RAW Women's Championship

Becky arrives in a truck, something the WWE Creative team probably thinks makes her look like a badass but in reality, it just makes us sigh and facepalm ourselves. Shayna takes the early offence. The match is a bit physical. Both the woman are good in the ring and they manage to keep things interesting. Shayna unpacks some submission moves on Becky but 'The Man' powers her way out of it. At one point, Shayna lifts Becky and gnashes her head in the announce table, like she did on RAW. A few back and forth moves later, Becky rolls up Shayna for the pinfall victory and retains her RAW Women's Championship. 

Again, I expected a better match and a better ending. Given Shayna-Becky's talents and the personal aspect of this rivalry, this match should have gone longer with more physically demanding spots. And second roll up in a single night on Wrestlemania? Nah! That's not my thing.

So, another underwhelming match. 

Match #5: Daniel Bryan vs Sami Zayn (c) for Intercontinental Championship

When this match was first announced, I jumped up in excitement. Because, this match promised to steal the show. Sami Zayn and Daniel Bryan, two of the finest competitors on this planet today, going at it for the Intercontinental Championship. What else could I expect?

What did I get? As usual, a huge disappointment. WWE wanted to show Sami as a cowardly heel so badly that they probably forgot that he could put on really good matches. Sami was running away from Bryan or begging him, for 99% of this match. And somehow, suddenly, he hits Bryan with his finisher and gets the victory to retain his championship. 

At this point, I really lost interest in the show. 

But, as they say, the night is darkest just before the dawn...

Match #6: Kofi Kingston vs John Morrison (c) vs Jimmy Uso for Smackdown Tag Team Championship

What do you get if you throw in three of the most athletic guys you have, in a ladder match? That's exactly what we got with this one. A pure entertainer!

John Morrison was absolutely stunning in this match. The guy walked on ropes from one end to another end to deliver a spanish fly on Kofi Kingston. Kofi kept leaping through and to ladders every now and then, keeping this match energetic. Jimmy Uso did his share of athleticism too. That ending was the unique one in ladder match history with Morrison managing to fall off with the titles in his hand. You gotta feel bad for Kofi and Jimmy. They were so close!

Was this one of the best ladder matches ever? Nope, not in my opinion! But it certainly entertained me more than all the previous matches put together. This match was good enough to get me hooked back into the show. 

Match #7: Seth Rollins vs Kevin Owens

Man, oh Man! If the previous match ignited a spark, this one blew it into a fire. As billed, these are two of the best wrestlers of this generation. They were fighting for a deeply personal reason and this was worth a watch.

As always, Owens was the aggressive guy, trying to punish the Monday Night Messiah. At one point, Rollins hits a falcon arrow on Owens on the apron. It was pretty impressive. Following a sequence of moves and counters, Rollins hits Owens with a ring bell and gets himself disqualified. For one brief moment, I was so frustrated that WWE was giving us this. And then, Owens dared Rollins to come back and finish the match, which was now a No Disqualification match. That's when things got more interesting. Rollins hit Owens with chairs and stairs. Kevin Owens responded by diving from the top of Wrestlemania sign onto Rollins on the announce table, which could be probably remembered as his Wrestlemania moment! The match ended with Kevin Owens picking up the big win.

This match kinda portrayed how deeply personal this rivalry was and that was wonderful to watch. These are two of the best in the business!

Match #8: Goldberg (c) vs Braun Strowman for the Universal Championship

I don't care about this match so much that I was waiting for it to get over. Leave it to Goldberg to provide the worst wrestling match of the night! Strowman wins this one and becomes new Universal Champion.

Good luck, Strowman! May WWE book you better from now on.

Match #9: The Undertaker vs AJ Styles in a Boneyard match

WWE can surprise you in really unbelievable ways. I thought this match wouldn't be that great. The Undertaker is 55 years old and he's having a huge list of health problems in his body. This man can't perform to the level that he used to. So, I thought this match won't amount to much. But I was interested in seeing it, mostly because it's a clash between my Favourite Wrestler of all time and my Favourite Wrestler of this generation. Although I had very little hopes for it.

Boy, how wrong was I?! This match stole the entire night! The Phenom and The Phenomenal One delivered an instant classic in terms of storytelling.

This match saw The Undertaker return to his roots as the American Badass gimmick. No queer words, no mind games, no satanic aura...just pure human version of The Undertaker, a man who just wanted to beat down AJ Styles for disrespecting his wife and age. This was pure brawl between the two men. Gallows and Anderson also got involved, only to get their butts handed to them by Taker. In the end, Taker ended up burying AJ Styles and riding off in his motorcycle. 

This whole match didn't take place in a ring. It took place in a graveyard of sorts and it was shot like a movie. So, anybody watching it felt like they were trapped in a weird B-movie from Hollywood. Yet, it was entertaining all the same. The match is being praised on social media by all fans alike. It is quite awe inspiring that Taker pulled this off at this age. As far as AJ is concerned, well, he's called The Phenomenal One for a reason!

That's it for Night One!

Was the entire show good? Hmm, I would say average. If it weren't for Taker vs Styles, the ladder match and Owens vs Rollins, this show would have gone down in history as the worst ever. But, now, it is pretty decent. 

Let's hope Night Two is better! Although, knowing WWE, it is better to watch without expectations...

I'll be back tomorrow with my review of Night Two!

My Perfect dream

I'm a person with an intense obsessive nature. If I like something, it takes over a large portion of my brain. ProWrestling is one such thing. As I already mentioned in a previous post, I love ProWrestling so much that I get weird dreams sometimes.

A couple of days back, I had another one of those dreams and this time...it was too perfect to not talk about it. 

I've already made two posts about who my Top 10 Favorite Wrestlers of all time are. If you've seen them, you'll know that my No.1 Wrestler is The Phenom himself, The Undertaker!

I've been fascinated by his work ever since I started watching ProWrestling. He has had several good matches and some worst matches but I've watched them all with the same excitement. Recently, the man has aged a lot and can barely give amazing matches like he used to. Yet, I watch him every time with a certain level of awe for the star power and in-ring presence he brings to the shows and matches. I respect him a lot. Hypothetically speaking, if I became a ProWrestler in the future, the one guy I would want to have a storyline with would be none other than The Undertaker. 

Let me cut short my monologue and dive right into my dream. It might sound surreal and unusual in many places, but bear with me. That's just the way most dreams are!

There are some aspects of the dream I've forgotten. But most of it is still vivid in my memory...

I was watching a live wrestling match in an arena with my friends. It seemed to be a battle royal match with numerous wrestlers in the ring. There were several of my current favourites such as Kevin Owens, A.J Styles, Seth Rollins and so on. As I was watching them brawl with each other, something happened that made me go crazy. 

The gong sounded! 

For normal human beings, the gong is simply a musical instrument of Asian origin. But for ProWrestling fans, the gong sound implies that the Lord of Darkness is here!

And as soon as I heard the gong, I stood up from my seat, ran past the other fans, jumped over the barricade and slid into the ring where at least 20-25 other wrestlers were brawling. Yeah, I know, overreaction on my part. But this is The Undertaker, dammit! Call me crazy but I would even roll over in mud to get to see him up close. This was one such situation and I had absolutely no control over myself. 

(Now, in real life, if a fan tries to get into the ring, the securities would bodily grab that person and take them away. Even the wrestlers themselves don't appreciate such actions by the fans. But this was my dream. My brain was making up the rules and constructing this imaginative experience for me as I was snoring in my bed. So, in my dream, I ran into the ring and nobody stopped me!)

Just as I slid into the squared circle, The Deadman rose up from underneath the ring in his own macabre way...

The arena was going crazy. I was going crazy. The wrestlers stopped their fighting to see this legend make his entrance. This was the first time I was seeing this man, known for his awe inspiring entrances, do it before my eyes and my heart beat rose up several notches. 

And then the brawling continued. The Undertaker began wrestling with several wrestlers. The fans were chanting for Taker to fight with some of their favourites, hoping to get to witness some dream face-offs. Similarly, I had one of my own. I chanted for Taker to face Kevin Owens. Don't forget, I was still standing in the ring, in a safe corner. So, the wrestlers could very well hear me. Owens, who was probably being a heel at that time, saw me and went "Dude! Really?"

A lot of what happened next has escaped my memory, as dreams usually do. 

But then the show ended. Owens and The Undertaker came up to me and we greeted each other. The fanboy inside me was going to die of too much excitement. I called up my friends to click a picture and they said they'll be there in a minute. 

That's when Taker himself put a hand over my shoulder and said "Let's take a walk" in his deep voice.

Imagine hero-worshipping a character for 11 years and meeting that very character where he puts a hand over your shoulder like you were his best pal and asks you to walk with him. Imagine the exhilaration and elation associated with something like that. I was experiencing that in the dream.

We took a walk along a grassy path. (Now, don't ask me where grass appeared in a Wrestling arena. This is a dream, remember? Kings Cross station seemed shining white and without people when Harry dreamed about it in Deathly Hallows. This works the same way.) 

We were walking and chatting about a lot of topics related to The Undertaker's character, his health and so on. It gave me so much pleasure to know that I wasn't talking to The Undertaker. Instead I was talking to Mark William Callaway himself. 

And the dream ended...

For anyone who has obsessed over someone they considered their hero, you would understand why this dream is perfect. I have no idea if I will ever get to meet this man in person. Given his age and list of injuries, there is even a slimmer chance of me getting to see this man wrestle up close in my life. 

But, this dream made it all come true.

And for that reason, it is perfect and the wrestling fan in me would never forget it.  

My Top 10 Favourite ProWrestlers of all time- Part Two

This is a continuation of my previous post. I'll be talking about my Top 5 favourite ProWrestlers of all time.

Let's hit the road!

5. Stone Cold Steve Austin

I waited till 3:16 AM to start typing this.

For all the other wrestlers, I used a solo picture of them. But for Austin, I had to use a picture where he stares defiantly into the eyes of Vince McMahon. Because, that precisely sums up everything I love about the "Texas Rattlesnake" Stone Cold Steve Austin!

Bold, brazen, uncouth, rugged...all these words can be used to describe him. He is a person who does what he wants to do, whenever he wants to do it and wherever he wants to do it. If a tyrannical jerk of a boss like Vince McMahon tries to order him around, Stone Cold will take it upon himself to give his boss the finger and make his life a living nightmare. I just described the entire Attitude Era for you, didn't I? Yup, Austin-McMahon rivalry is, in my opinion, the most entertaining rivalry ever and it played a major role in helping WWE win over WCW, thus changing everything forever. So, Stone Cold Steve Austin revolutionized the entire industry.

Also, Austin was an absolute brawler in the ring and a phenomenal mic worker. He invented the "What?!" chants that fans still use to mock wrestlers when they're talking. And as a testimonial to how extraordinary Austin was, just listen to the crowd when his entrance music hits. Nobody gets a thunderous reception like Stone Cold. When he walks into an arena, like Jim Ross used to say, "Business is about to pick up!"

My favourite Steve Austin quote:

"Talk about your psalms, talk about John 3:16...Austin 3:16 says I just whipped your ass!"

4. Triple H

There's only one word that comes to my head whenever I see Triple H: Tenacity. On-screen and Off-screen, this man has a level of tenacity that I absolutely worship. Having been on the receiving end of a brutal burial after "Curtain call" incident and multiple career threatening injuries, he has always bounced back better than before. That is textbook definition of tenacity right there.

Talking about who Triple H is as a ProWrestler, he's a ruthless brawler who would go to any lengths to win a match. He can be the perfect fan favourite and can make an entire arena cheer for him. Or he could be a sadistic villain who can make even his dearest fans hate him enough to wish death on him. Truth be told, he would go down in history as one of the most hated heels ever. That's how good Triple H was. Criminally underrated is the term that would define his mic work. And his list of achievements is something many wrestlers can only imagine in their wildest dreams.

One another facet I appreciate about Triple H is that the King of Kings is a beacon that heralds the future. He has played a role in the creation of top stars like John Cena, Batista, Randy Orton, Daniel Bryan, Roman Reigns and Seth Rollins. And he still continues his work as a creator of WWE's developmental territory NXT which far outshines the main roster in terms of story telling and wrestling. Thus, the Game has proven that he is an irreplaceable asset for WWE and has been that way for the past two decades. Because, he's that damn good!

My favourite Triple H quote:

"You talk about being students of the game...well, I am the fucking Game, J.R.!"

3. The Rock

Here comes the second biggest star of the Attitude Era, a wrestler with so much charisma and electricity that he could light up an entire city, The People's champ himself...The Rock!

His charisma and mic skills are sky-high. In my eyes, this man is the best talker in WWE history. You could bring up "Cream of the crop" or "tear in my eye" or "cow palace" promos but The Rock is perfectly capable of delivering something similar (without snorting coke). Am I saying that he's better than Flair, Savage or Piper? Hell No. But he can stand toe to toe with them on mic work.

Secondly, he's an outstanding entertainer. From addressing himself in the third person to talking about Stephanie's breasts to shoving things up people's asses to monkey nipples to poontang pies, The Great One is capable of getting even a dead wood to laugh its butt off. He bullies the interviewers and makes an ass-clown out of every one of his opponents, literally burying them with his words. I'm yet to find someone who is capable of doing half of what this man can do. Hell, his eyebrow alone has more personality than many wrestlers today. 

My favourite The Rock quote:

"Now, seeing as The Rock is done with you Chris Benoit, The Rock wants you to take your tongue and stick it through that goofy gap of yours and go lick a Wolverine's anus!"

2. Shawn Michaels

Remember Bret Hart and Kurt Angle? Here's one another guy who is capable of performing to their level. Heck, I'd even say he's above their level. Shawn Michaels is, as Matt Striker said, "The Greatest in-ring competitor in WWE history" and I am one of those guys who believe that. There have been days when I've spent hours and hours watching Shawn Michaels matches because I just venerate his in-ring work.

Because when it comes to big match situations, Shawn can put up a performance that would be talked about for decades after that. If you try to search for some of the best matches in WWE's history books, it would not be complete without this man's name on it. He is capable of selling his opponent's moves and some sensational mic work that Bret Hart can't match up to. I said Kurt Angle is one of the most humorous wrestlers ever, right? Well, before Kurt even entered the company, Shawn Michaels was doing some groundbreaking adult comedy with Triple H as a part of D-Generation X. Additionally, he can be savage at trolling the fans ("Who's your daddy, Montreal?"). Who else has the balls to step in front of a Canadian crowd and pick his nose with the Canadian flag? Well, he did it.  

Call him 'The Show Stopper', 'The Icon', 'The Main Event' or 'Mr.Wrestlemania'...each one of those nicknames fit him perfectly. Sure, he has had behavioural problems back in the 90s. But he changed. He has put over innumerable amounts of younger talent later on in his career. For all that, he's worth respecting.

And if you're not down with that, I've got two words for ya!

My favourite Shawn Michael's quote:

"I'll give you a show like you've never ever seen before. Why? Because I can!"

1. The Undertaker

You must probably have guessed this. Yes, The Phenom is my most favourite ProWrestler of all time. There are tons of reasons as to why I love this guy. No, love isn't the word for it. I worship and idolize him. If I start talking about all the reasons for me idolizing The Undertaker, I may need a separate blog post altogether. So, for now, I'll just state three summarized reasons. 

First, his character! For all intents and purposes, this character is completely ridiculous from a modern day perspective. A supernatural character that comes back from the dead, shoots lightning with his hands and takes people's "souls"? Unrealistic. But what then makes ProWrestling fans love The Undertaker? Why then has this gimmick been popular for 30 years while so many similar gimmicks in 90s barely lasted a few weeks? The reason is not because people believe in his satanic character. The reason is that Mark William Callaway has managed to perform the role of The Undertaker in a stellar way and captured the hearts of fans, both young and old, for 30 years. Nobody except him could ever perform such a feat and uphold such a different character. That's an untouchable fact!

Second, his work. The Undertaker has faced all the big names in ProWrestling. From Hulk Hogan and Ric Flair to every wrestler on this list, The Undertaker has had a wonderful rivalry with each of them, having provided some sensational matches in history. That in itself is a master stroke! In the ring, he is a dominant powerhouse. One of the best "big man" to ever do this! On the microphone, The Lord of Darkness is a man of few words but when he does talk, he leaves the fans hanging onto every word he says. That is rare. And given the longevity of his career, all this is no ordinary feat.

Third, his dedication. The Undertaker has been with WWE throughout its highs and lows. He's been the cornerstone of all eras...Golden Era, The Attitude Era, Ruthless Aggression Era, PG Era and whatever era we're in right now. That shows his dedication to the business. 

Conclusively, I believe that The Undertaker is the embodiment of all things I love about ProWrestling. The in-ring work, the aura, the drama, stories, entertainment, personality...this man brings it all to the table. Like Triple H once said, "He is the benchmark of what this business is about!"

My favourite Undertaker quote:

"The spirit of The Undertaker lives in the souls of all mankind."    

My Top 10 Favourite ProWrestlers of all time- Part One

I've talked about my love for ProWrestling and about the first match I watched. So, it is just kind of mandatory that I talk about My Top 10 Favourite ProWrestlers of all time.

Now, I have a certain amount of respect for every wrestler that has ever stepped foot inside the squared circle. It takes a level of grit and passion to decide to do this for life and it is worth respecting. So, even if I don't like them that much (*cough* Goldberg *cough*), I have respect for them. To be honest, I like a lot of wrestlers and I appreciate little things about many of their work. I would really like to write about everyone but then this would become as much uninteresting as Roman Reigns's 'beanstalk' promo. Hence, I decided to write about just ten of them. My Top 10.

Here's the first part of it... 

NOTE: These are just my Top 10 Favourite Wrestlers, purely my personal opinion. I'm not stating that they are THE Top 10 Greatest Wrestlers of all time. I've not watched that much ProWrestling to make such a claim yet. So, these are just the ones who made me fall in love with ProWrestling. Plus, most of these wrestlers are from WWE because I grew up a WWE fan before I was introduced to AEW, New Japan and so on.

So, let's begin...

Honourable Mention: Mick Foley

I have not studied Mick Foley's career as much as I have followed the careers of the rest of the wrestlers on this list. There are still many things I do not yet know about this man. But I think he deserves a honourable mention on this list. The reason is because Mick Foley taught me that there are human beings in this world who are literally willing to destroy and decimate themselves for something that they love. Mick Foley loves ProWrestling and he's willing to experience any amount of pain to entertain the fans. 

Foley is a wrestler whose career defining moments aren't winning championships, or defeating top wrestlers in big match-ups. Instead, his career defining moments are those where he went to great lengths to destroy himself for the fans. He has crashed down from great heights, been speared into a flaming table, torn his right ear off his head, broken/dislocated his bones, had his skin ripped apart by barbed wire, got his skull crushed by repeated steel chair shots and so on. As if these weren't enough to justify his enormous passion for the business, Mick Foley is a wonderful entertainer in a more broader sense. He has had three different wrestling gimmicks which are Cactus Jack, Dude Love and Mankind. He played all three roles with stupendous perfection which many wrestlers could only dream of doing. Foley could talk on the mic like a method actor and has had amazing, thrilling matches with many of the wrestlers on this list. For these reasons, this "Hardcore Legend" has a special place in my heart, for mesmerizing me with his love and passion for ProWrestling. BANG BANG!

My favourite Mick Foley quote: 

"The name 'Hardcore' signified that I had an attitude that meant I was going to go above and beyond what it took to give the fans the greatest show possible..."

10. Edge

If you are a fan of ProWrestling and you want to become a successful ProWrestler in the future, take this man as your inspiration. Edge was like us, an ardent wrestling fan. With a single mother to take care of, Edge shed every bit of sweat, blood and tears he had to make it in the WWE. For that, he'll always be an inspiration to all of us Wrestling fans.

But that is not the only reason he's on this list. Edge is practically one of the best all-round performers in the history of WWE. Mostly, he is a natural at being the heel, a villain. He can make us hate him with every fibre of our being and that is something many modern day heels in WWE lack. The Rated R Superstar is also known for his ladder matches and romantic storylines (Hello Lita!). Quite honestly, for any WWE fan that started watching after 2005, their day doesn't feel complete until they watch The Ultimate Opportunist go to the corner, pull his hair back with a crazed look in his eye and hit that stunning spear on his opponent. 

On a side note, I think Edge has the coolest hairstyle and entrance music of 21st Century in ProWrestling. Plus, it takes a certain amount of passion to work hard and come back from a career ending injury so that you can end your career on your terms. Edge has done that. So, he just reeks of awesomeness! 

My favourite Edge quote:      

"I've always lived by the motto, find something you love and do it. And I did. Now I'm a Hall of Famer!"

9. Chris Jericho

For any fan who has enjoyed the Attitude Era, Y2J Chris Jericho would certainly be on their Top 10 list. Frankly speaking, it is hard to find another wrestler in the world who is capable of doing what Jericho has been doing for the past 25-30 years. He is such an interesting blend of a ProWrestler and a Sports Entertainer. 

Jericho has faced most wrestlers on this list and has had noteworthy matches with each of them. He has reinvented himself multiple times over the past two decades in a breathtaking manner. Just when you think he can't get more creative, he amazes you. This man could get a drink and a list popular with the fans, he could cut promos on a freaking drone, he could invent catchphrases and wrestling holds on the go...etc. He's even doing all that at 49 years old, something many wrestlers can't even do in their youth and prime. 

Notably, the Ayatollah of Rock n Rollah is literally a God on the microphone. He can play the audience with his mere words and get the reaction that is required. A finest example would be his debut. You could see that the crowd that reacted with deafening cheers on seeing him was booing him badly at the end of the segment. That's how powerfully he controlled them.

In the ring, Chris Jericho is on another level altogether. The record setting nine time Intercontinental Champion is one of the finest in-ring performers ever. Just like many fans boldly proclaim, Le Champion is certainly one of the Greatest Of All Time!

My favourite Chris Jericho quote:

"..I'm the best in the world at what I do; I prove it, I claim it, I AM it... every single night!"

8. John Cena

Ouch! How could I place John Cena on a list above Chris Jericho and Edge? That's as blasphemous as Kane tombstoning a Priest, right? You must be wondering how old I am.

Hold your horses, I have my reasons. There are some aspects about John Cena that many of his "critics" fail to realise. First of all, he's not as bad a wrestler as some of you all make him sound. Second of all, John Cena is one of the most charismatic superstars in the history of WWE. He literally carried the company on his shoulders, especially after many legends retired (or became part-timers). He is astounding on the microphone and from what I've noticed, Cena can even revive a dead crowd and get them fired up with just a microphone in hand. It is hard to find that much charisma and verbal talent in a wrestler these days which is why Cena's absence has left a void that is impossible to fill in modern day WWE.

Third of all, in real life, this man has granted most wishes in Make-A-Wish foundation's history. He has been an inspiration to many people, especially kids, dealing with severe health issues. For all that, I respect him and adore him.

And if you still can't respect my opinion, bruh, You can't see me!

My favourite John Cena quote:

"I get more done in a day than you do in a career and I never never talk about what I deserve or how many critics I got; I just earn every day and shut every mouth!"

7. Bret Hart

A vast majority of 90s Wrestling fans would have this guy on their Top 10 list. Bret 'The Hitman' Hart was simply a human wrestling thunderstorm that took over WWE (back then, it was called WWF) in the late 80s and continued well into the 90s. 

Born into the famous Hart Dynasty, wrestling flowed in Bret Hart's blood. Having trained since he was nine years old, he was such a natural in the ring. There was a fluidity to his moves and maneuvers that earned him the moniker "The Excellence of Execution". Different wrestlers taught me to appreciate different aspects about ProWrestling and Bret Hart was among the ones that taught me about in-ring work. His wrestling ability is the sole reason why he's on my list. Because there are literally very few wrestlers who can hold a candle to what this man can perform in a ring. No wonder he called himself "The best there is, the best there was and the best there ever will be"!

I'm so huge a fan of Bret Hart that I sometimes wish I was one of those kids he put his sunglasses on before entering the ring. 

My favourite Bret Hart quote:

"I dedicate this moment to all the people that believe that the biggest dreams can still come true."

6. Kurt Angle

I talked about Bret Hart, didn't I? I'll go into Masterchef mode and ask you to take several spoonfuls of Bret Hart's wrestling ability. Now, add a spoonful each of intensity, integrity and intelligence to it. Then add a whole bowl of humor and attitude and Boom! You get Kurt freaking Angle!

I'll just say one thing about his wrestling ability: He won the Olympic Gold Medal in 1996 with a broken freaking neck! I think that pretty much sums up how gifted he is in the ring. There are a myriad of amazing matches that Kurt has had, in WWE, TNA, ECW, NJPW and the indies. As far as his gimmick or persona goes, he is, hands down, one of the most humorous wrestlers to ever step foot in WWE. He's been the butt of so many jokes and has entertained us all with his funny shticks, be it drinking milk or rap battles with John Cena or remaking Shawn Michaels's entrance music. Ofcourse, who can forget him singing "Jimmy Crack Corn" to cheer up Vince McMahon only to have his guitar snatched away by Stone Cold Steve Austin. Sometimes, his mere facial expressions are enough to crack us up.

If needed, he can also be the ruthless "wrestling machine" who likes to break wrestler's ankles with his ankle lock submission move. Hell, he's the only wrestler to have made The Undertaker and John Cena tap out. And he could perform some stunning moonsaults when required. If all that ain't a big deal, I don't know what is. This man is one of a kind. Oh, it's true! It's damn true!

My favourite Kurt Angle quote:

"I'm just a sexy Kurt! I'll make your ankle hurt" (sing along)

To be continued...

The first match I ever watched

Let me take you all on a little stroll down memory lane and talk about the first match I ever watched. I'll also explain how it felt to re-watch it now after all these years. 

No matter what fandom you are a part of, there was always a starting point for it. That moment when you were first introduced to the fandom. That moment that ignited it all inside you!

Maybe it was the moment Whitewalkers were introduced or when Brandon Stark was thrown off the tower by Jaime Lannister. Perhaps it was when Hagrid informs Harry Potter that he was a Wizard. Possibly, it was when Luke Skywalker learnt that he was the hope for an entire galaxy to overthrow the imperial rule of a Sith lord. It could be the moment when Kal-El was sent on a spacecraft to Earth by his parents or maybe it was when Tony Stark boldly proclaimed before national media that he was Ironman.

I'm talking about moments like those! The time it all began!

For me, such a moment happened in 2007, when I was barely 11 years old. I watched my first ever ProWrestling match and was instantly hooked into it. 

I was first introduced to wrestling sometime before that in the form of WWE RAW game which I played in an internet centre with my brother. But, at that time, it was just a game to me. I've never been a passionate gamer and hence, it had little influence over me. I played using the characters of The Rock, Rikishi and so on. 

An year or two later, I was introduced to this channel called 'Jetix'. Every time I came home from school, I watched Jetix. From 'Timon and Pumba' to 'Spiderman Animated Series' to 'Power Rangers', I watched them all. 

That's when this channel telecasted a show called 'WWE 24/7'. It was basically a show hosted by the legendary 'Mean' Gene Okerlund (although, back then, I had no idea who that 'bald grandpa' was) that telecasted wonderful matches from the past. 

When I decided to watch the show, I got to watch a ProWrestling match for the first time. 

Little did I know I was watching one of the most celebrated matches in the history of WWE.

The Rock vs Hulk Hogan from Wrestlemania 18 in 2002!

At that time, I was just fascinated to see "that guy from that fighting game" fight another guy on TV. I had no idea why the crowd was going nuts nor did I know who the bad guy or good guy was. I barely knew their names. For me, it was just a muscular old guy with a cloth on his head fighting against that guy from the fighting game. I watched the entire match with my jaw open. I thought to myself, "Man, those two must really hate each other to fight this way". 

Plus, I was really awe-struck to see The Rock move the same way he moved in that game. The way he slapped Hogan, the way he hit Rock Bottom, the way he posed for the fans, it was all just like the game. At that age, it was just magic to me.

Fast-forward 13 years later, I'm a much wiser ProWrestling fan who loves it several times more now than I loved it back then. And recently, I subscribed to WWE Network.

Now what would be the right thing to do? Yes, re-watch the first match I ever saw. I did exactly that.

This time, it was a whole different experience for me. Because, this time, I knew a lot of things about The Rock, Hulk Hogan and ProWrestling matches in general that I didn't know back then. So, revisiting that match now was a jaw opening experience for me, for a variety of reasons.

Hulk Hogan was the guy who put WWE on the map back in the 80s and early 90s. His popularity was just sky-high. On the other hand, The Rock was one of the guys who helped WWE survive after Hogan left for rival company, WCW. Well, in fact, The Rock was one of the guys who helped the company win the famous 'Monday Night Wars'. His popularity during the late 90s and early 2000s was equally remarkable. And this was a dream match between these two legends.  Like the commentators mentioned during the match-up, this was like a fight between two lions. The older, experienced lion Hulk Hogan was being challenged by the new, younger lion The Rock to establish dominance over the pride that was WWE and its fans. The match was billed as 'Icon vs Icon', a clash of generations.

Now, the most interesting aspect about this match wasn't that it was a dream face-off. No! It was the audience. Unlike many other forms of entertainment, the involvement of the fans is crucial to ProWrestling. This match was an embodiment of that very fact.

Hell, the pace of this match was entirely dictated by the fans. I'll tell you how. 

The Rock was walking into this match as a face, the good guy. Hollywoood Hulk Hogan, part of the notorious New World Order, was a heel, the bad guy. But the fans in Skydome at Toronto, Canada where this match took place didn't seem to care about that. Most of them were Hulk Hogan fanatics, also dubbed as "Hulkamaniacs". There were a lot of fans for The Rock too but the Hulkamaniacs took the centre stage and they were so raucous that most of The Rock's fans were silenced during the duration of the match.

The end result was that... The Rock was booed badly in spite of being the hero and Hogan enormously cheered in spite of being the villain of this story!

The electric atmosphere in the crowd was simply extraordinary and the wrestlers themselves were confused. The Rock realised that he was being hated by these fans for facing their hero, the iconic Hulk Hogan. You could see it in his eyes in the image below.

Then, the two wrestlers, being the experts at what they do, decided to shake things up!

As The Rock recently said on his Instagram to commemorate the 18th Anniversary of this match, at this time, he decided to act like the bad guy. When Hogan threw him off after their first lock-up, The Rock didn't take the fall like a face and come back to try again. Instead, he acted furious, like a villain would do. He decided to satisfy the fans and become a subtle villain, someone they could boo with all their hearts. At one point in the match, he was even ready to bring a steel chair into the match, an illegal move that only villains do. But the referee pulled it away from him.

Meanwhile, Hogan turned hero. The crowd cheered for everything he did. Every little clothesline, every comeback, had the audience exploding in cheers. There was even a moment when Hulk Hogan was biting The Rock which made his fans scream in support.

Ultimately, The Rock won the match and Hogan shook his hand in good sportsmanship. After the match, New World Order members Scott Hall and Kevin Nash attacked Hulk Hogan, probably for embarrassing them by losing. In response to that, The Rock rushes back into the ring and saves the crowd favourite Hogan from their attack. Following that, The Rock asked Hogan to pose for his fans in the crowd. That way, even the Hulk Hogan fans who booed The Rock earlier, began to cheer him.

Thus, at the end, The Rock won both the match and the heart of the fans. The torch was successfully passed from The Hulkster to The Great One, without fan backlash, just like WWE probably wanted.

Now, this wasn't a memorable match in terms of pure wrestling as it mostly involved the men throwing punches and hitting each other with their best moves. It was a noteworthy match because it showcases how the fans are a major integral part of ProWrestling. It was a great match because of the star power that only Hulk Hogan and The Rock could bring to the table. Mostly, it was a legendary match because of the way these two fabled performers acknowledged the fans and told a wonderful "passing of the torch" story with their performance.

This is a match I'll always remember.

Like Good ol' Jim Ross said, "It is a match for the ages"!

Why do I love ProWrestling so much?

Anyone who knows me can vouch for the fact that I love Professional Wrestling a lot. It is a constitutive part of my life and has been that way for the past 11 years. I'm so obsessed with it that I get a lot of weird dreams sometimes. Travelling in an airplane with "The Nature Boy" Ric Flair, for instance. I don't remember much of it but I do remember shouting "Wooo!" along with him until the Air hostess came right down to our seats to shut us up. I know, surreal, that is the word you're searching for. Here are some more weirder aspects of my life: I enact famous promos when no one's watching. I try wrestling moves on my pillows just because I don't have a younger sibling to try them on. And everytime someone ruffles my feathers, I get tempted to give them the finger and hit them with a Stone Cold stunner, before dousing them in beer. 

That's how crazily I love Prowrestling!

Now, why do I like it so much? What's the big deal about it? 

The answer to that is the same as what you would get if you ask a Cinephile why they like movies so much. It's pretty simple: It's an art! For those who understand it, Prowrestling is an art. For those who don't, it'll always seem like a bunch of men without pants fighting for a damn belt (Yeah, I've seen that meme!).

Wrestling has to be viewed the way we see movies; with a certain 'suspension of disbelief'. Because when you strip it all away, ProWrestling is just a real-time fiction that involves athleticism, drama, soap opera and theatricality. Once a person is ready to grasp it, the ProWrestling world will come to life in their eyes.

So, am I saying it's all fake? No. Fake isn't the right word for it. 

It is scripted and staged, yes. The wrestlers aren't exactly enemies. Yes, there are heroes (faces) and villains (heels) in ProWrestling. But, like movie stars, they're just coworkers working together to tell a story through their athleticism and gimmicks. The victories, championships and defeats are predetermined to help develop a compelling storyline. But what they do really does hurt. The moves, punches and kicks are done after years of training and experience, to make sure it doesn't seriously injure the wrestler on the receiving end. Yet, most of them hurt. The wrestlers go through a lot of pain. A simple mistake or an accident could lead to serious injury and in some cases, death too. Wrestlers have been forced to retire because of injuries, they've been relegated to wheelchairs for the rest of their lives and so on. As the legendary Diamond Dallas Page said it, "This stuff hurts like hell". Also, they travel a lot to different places and different shows to perform. Many wrestlers rarely get time to spend with their family. Unlike movies, they can't retake a scene if they make a mistake. If they mess up, the entire world is watching them. 

So, putting it all together, it's incredibly hard to be a Prowrestler if you sit and think about it. You've to maintain your character, perform in front of several people, experience a lot of pain and tell a story. It's harder than you can imagine. 

That is why it's an art. Just like Ballet or Music concert or Drama, it's a performance!

Once I realised that, I started appreciating the little things. Just to name a few, I started admiring the way Rey Mysterio moved in the ring, the way The Undertaker maintained his character, the way The Rock talked on the microphone, the way Chris Jericho managed to reinvent himself several times over the past 2 decades and the way Shawn Michaels sold his opponent's moves. And each time, I valued these nuances of ProWrestling, I fell in love with the artform all over again. 

One another fact I appreciate about ProWrestling is that it has something for everyone. You wanna see a huge monster of a man lift trucks? You've got Braun Strowman. You wanna see an MMA fighter beat the living crap out of his opponents? You've got Brock Lesnar. You wanna see a satanic, supernatural human come alive everytime someone buries/burns him? You've got The Undertaker. You wanna see a badass dude drink beer and rebel against his tyrannical boss? You've got Stone Cold Steve Austin. You wanna see men hit each other with glass, light tubes, thumbtacks, kendo sticks and tables? You've got the entire roster of ECW. You wanna see a guy fly in the air and do some athletic moves? You've got Ricochet, Will Ospreay, Rey Mysterio and so on. You wanna see a complex mixture of ProWrestling and Japanese hard hitting martial arts? You've got New Japan Pro Wrestling.

Or if you just wanna simply see a wrestler purely wrestle? You've got Daniel Bryan, Chris Benoit, Kurt Angle etc.

I can keep going on and on and on about this.

The bottomline is that I've learned to treasure the aspects of ProWrestling in a way I've never treasured anything before. Seeing wrestlers perform puts a smile on my face. It is a fictional world I escape into whenever the real world doesn't treat me nicely. There are villains I can hate, heroes I can cheer, comedies I can laugh to, songs I can sing along to and so on. Prowrestling has pulled me out of deep depression more times than I could count. And it still keeps doing that to me. 

Furthermore, it has taught me a lot of life lessons.The Undertaker taught me to never say die and rise back up everytime someone puts you down. Jeff Hardy taught me that making mistakes in life is natural and what matters is how you bounce back from it. Rey Mysterio taught me never to underestimate someone based on their physical appearance. Triple H and Shawn Michaels taught me what friendship is all about. AJ Lee taught me that you don't have to let stereotypes define who you are. The Rock taught me that even if you've got nothing in life right now, you can still achieve success someday. John Cena taught me to never give up. And recently, Edge taught me that life gives you second chances! And the list doesn't end here...

In short, ProWrestling defined the person I am today. It is a part of my life and will always continue to be so!

I'll cap it all up with my favorite quote by the great Paul Heyman:

 "Wrestling is an art form! I don't worry about those who don't get it; I worry about satisfying those who do."