- 8 hours ago
When smashing one aspect of the wrestling business just isn't enough.
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00:00From distinct work on the microphone, to still leading the charge after two decades in the business,
00:05these stars are the unquestionable number one at more than one thing. Fancy that.
00:10I'm Gareth from WhatCultureWrestling and here are 10 wrestlers who are the best in the world at exactly two things.
00:16Number 10, Ronda Rousey roping in the casuals and legitimacy.
00:20Among the many parts of WWE's machine to falter during the deeply frustrating Thunderdome era of the recent product
00:26was a women's division, Bayley and Sasha Banks' side, that had been on something of a roll throughout 2019 heading into the early part of 2020.
00:33And while the steam being lost hot on the heels of WrestleMania 36 can also likely be attributed to the long-term absences of the likes of Becky Lynch and Charlotte Flair,
00:42there's no questioning the fact that many a casual eye still refuse to return to the company
00:46due to its severe lack of Ronda Rousey in the time following the prior year's show of shows.
00:51Rousey is a bona fide crossover star and her presence in the division since this year's Royal Rumble alone
00:56has already nudged the ladies back into a prominent spot on Friday night.
00:59Add into that a level of legitimacy unmatched by just about anyone in wrestling today,
01:04taking arms and believably woman-handling her co-workers.
01:07And it's not hard to see why Vinnie Mac was more than happy to pass the baddest woman on the planet the ball once again upon her long-awaited return.
01:14Number 9, Becky Lynch, working off-duty and creating big match feels.
01:17Perhaps the biggest element of the Becky Lynch character that fans didn't realize they needed until it was gone
01:23was the man's penchant for simply refusing to sign off from working long after she'd exited whatever building she'd popped that night.
01:29Lynch's social media game in particular had been one of the strongest in the business throughout her first run at the top in the lead-up to many a 35.
01:36But even after that, few could touch the last kicker outside of the ring when it came to epic one-liners,
01:41building up interest in her upcoming matches or just ripping into her colleagues.
01:45The mom teased us back into her epic trolling with many a hint at her return towards the end of 2020 and well into 2021,
01:52but has taken things up another notch since her SummerSlam comeback,
01:55evidenced in her insanely committed promo post getting her voice box crushed by Bianca Belair at a house show recently.
02:01This social media acumen and ability to hype up incoming bouts with everyone from Doudrop to Liv Morgan
02:06as something worthy of your time also highlights how Lynch sits head and shoulders above the rest
02:11when it comes to making her matches feel can't miss too.
02:14Number 8, Ricochet, Innovation and Eating Sugar Honey Iced Tea
02:17Contrary to what WWE regularly presents you with,
02:20Ricochet sits as one of the most jaw-dropping and game-changing talents of his generation,
02:25making the out-of-this-world seem frankly routine.
02:27Even something as intricate as a shooting star press is made to feel like an effortless exercise by the one and only.
02:33But it's in his ability to epically rip up the rulebook when it comes to forging unforgettable spots
02:38that makes Slick Rick the most dynamic in-ring innovator of his time.
02:42Double moonsaults off cages, frightening 630 splashes, flipping out of many a manoeuvre and landing on his feet like a goddamn superhero,
02:49nothing is off-limits when it comes to the imaginative work of the former Prince Puma.
02:53Yet perhaps his most overlooked element to his all-round game that goes unmatched by just about anyone else in the world
02:59is the diminutive sensation's ability to take a significant move like he's literally been hit by a freight train.
03:05See being claymored out of mid-air by Drew McIntyre for an example of this world-class Sugar Honey Iced Tea Eating talent.
03:11Number 7, Keith Lee, High-Flying Big Man and Memeable Moments
03:15Sure enough, from the second Keith Lee arrived on All Elite Shores earlier this year,
03:19the former NXT and North American champion quickly set about reminding fans just why Triple H and his pals
03:25invested so much in the absurdly athletic Big Man.
03:28Combining insane leapfrogs with absurd slingshot springboards, Lee gives the term agile Big Man unquestionable new meaning
03:35and looks to be recapturing the form and grace that once made him the best-in-class in his chosen style.
03:40Away from being a boulder that gravity forgot, though, Lee is also perhaps the most consistent meme-making machine the wrestling world has to offer,
03:47rarely forcing moments that instantly make their way into the Twitter sphere.
03:50His epic slow rise up behind an unassuming victim, fondness for bulldozing talent into the sixth row,
03:56and inhuman talent for launching wrestlers into next week have all become instantly iconic in match beats.
04:02Number 6, CM Punk, Modern Day Babyfacing and Selling
04:05A decent portion of the wrestling world was understandably left wondering whether a returning CM Punk would be able to go in quite the same way he once did.
04:13But over the course of a truly mesmerizing first six months back in the wrestling landscape,
04:18the best-in-the-world has undoubtedly proven that he is just that.
04:22When it comes to being a babyface, the modern audience can genuinely get behind,
04:26showcasing flaws and vulnerability like honorable scars that make him the man he is today,
04:30one who is just trying to be better, damn it.
04:32Even a certain hangman has struggled to come close to the chick magnet
04:35in terms of generating legitimate sympathy and support since his comeback at the first dance.
04:40And again, showcasing that class is simply permanent, Punk's supreme selling of his ring rust earlier on in his AEW run,
04:47and in the midst of manhandlings from Wardlow in particular,
04:50actors pointed reminders that absolutely nobody can touch a Punk enjoying what he does best.
04:55Number 5, Randy Orton, Babyface Hot Tag and The Heel Turn
04:58WWE's resident Viper catches a not entirely unearned amount of flack for sometimes being known to phone it in.
05:05But any signs of that frustrating trait have been nowhere to be seen ever since joining forces with the original bro.
05:11Randy Orton has quite simply been a revelation as of late,
05:14exploding the live crowd time and time again during RK Bros matches everywhere from Saudi Arabia to Cleveland.
05:20In all honesty, you'd be hard-pressed to find a finer hot tag on show in just about any other company on the planet right now,
05:26with a blistering legend killer clearly having the time of his life igniting a usually drab roar with RKOs aplenty.
05:32But with this joyous stoner bro period also comes with it the knowledge that at some point very soon,
05:37Orton will most likely pull the trigger on yet another diabolical turn.
05:41Seen in his devilish cashing in on Daniel Bryan and aligning with the authority,
05:45a massacring of many a legend,
05:47nobody can hold a candle to this two-decade veteran when tasked with sticking the knife into her face's back.
05:52Riddle be warned.
05:53Number 4, Jon Moxley Authenticity and TV Violence
05:57In the darkest of times, an AEW world title holding Jon Moxley acted as a glimmer of hope for those trapped inside their homes.
06:04It was during this time when many would have stumbled that Mox found a way to resonate even more than ever before.
06:09How in the hell was that possible?
06:11Perfecting the tried-and-tested turning-himself-up-to-elevent-trick
06:14and bringing the sort of authentic badass not seen since the days of a Texas rattlesnake elsewhere back into our lives.
06:20And in the wake of a brave public battle with alcohol abuse,
06:23the purveyor of violence has picked straight back up where he left off,
06:26in being unquestionably the most BS-less entity currently occupying the wrestling world.
06:31That authenticity is only heightened by a mastery of small-screen violence too,
06:35with Mox making an art form out of forcing you to believe he and his rival are going to all-out war
06:40whenever the stage, scene, or event demands it.
06:43Number 3, Bryan Danielson Making You Feel Everything and Not Pandering
06:47While current sparring partner Mox can hold the honour of being the current master of making you believe in the severity of a match,
06:53the American Dragon tops the class when it comes to compelling you to genuinely feel the anguish
06:58you're seeing both a former WWE champion and his rival endure.
07:02Bryan Danielson relishes absolutely every piece of offence he throws his adversary's way
07:06and allows time for those watching on to viscerally experience the anguish as he goes.
07:11This also extends to his own eating of moves too,
07:13as his past history of concussion-related issues provoke winces out of the paying public
07:18upon each and every neck bump the now-AW All-Star takes.
07:22It's during this period that the former Daniel Bryan has also been allowed to flex another once-dormant strength,
07:27that being his mesmerising ability to simply present himself as an all-round body-breaking nightmare.
07:32He doesn't care whether you see him as a face or a heel.
07:35It doesn't matter who or what scenario is placed in front of him,
07:37he won't adapt his presentation in the slightest to play to the crowd,
07:41because his masterful and menacing work in between the ropes and on the mic means he simply does not need to.
07:46Number 2, Sami Zayn, working in the WWE system and heel comedy.
07:50There'll always be a portion of the wrestling community that thirst to see the likes of Sami Zayn and Kevin Owens
07:55fully embrace their generic Owen Steen displays of the past in between a set of WWE ropes.
08:00But the reality is that both of the former independent icons have been forced to adapt their styles,
08:05both inside and outside of the ring in order to fit into Vinnie Mac's empire,
08:08and prolong their runs as performers.
08:11Zayn in particular has unashamedly reveled in taking the attention away from almost killing himself
08:15every time he steps into a squared circle,
08:17in favour of leaning into the more character-driven work McMahon responds best to.
08:21And he acts as perhaps the greatest modern example of finding a way to fit into a system,
08:26without necessarily surrendering the unique creativity that brought you to the dance in the first place.
08:31It's in Zayn's latest incarnation as a nutty conspiracy-obsessed pain in the ass,
08:35that the one-time NXT champion has also cemented himself as the finest heel comedy character working today.
08:40Forcing you to let loose a chuckle each and every week, despite being presented in the boss's mind at least,
08:45has the sort of force you long to see get his comeuppance.
08:48Oh, and speaking of which...
08:49Number 1, MJF, Manipulating a Crowd and Comeuppance
08:52Once again, shining a light on what can only be described as a seminal moment in all elite history.
08:57Maxwell Jacob Freeman's two defining traits both unequivocally played a part in establishing his and CM Punk's recent feud as an all-timer.
09:05The salt of the earth expertly provoked audiences into desperately wanting to see the dynamite diamond ring holder
09:10get beaten from pillar to post by the best in the world,
09:13via scathing promos and cowardly displays in between the ropes.
09:17But in true top-of-the-pile fashion, the 25-year-old then stunningly manipulated those watching at home
09:22into potentially sympathizing with a one-time punk diehard in an origin story speech for the ages.
09:28Of course, this vulnerable moment revealed itself to be a trap of sorts in the end,
09:32but another vital layer had been laced into a character while simultaneously tricking your favorite hero
09:37and perhaps even yourself into thinking he could be better.
09:40All this, of course, led to the long-awaited sight of this diabolical manipulator
09:44being dealt the punishment he deserved in a dog-collar spectacle,
09:47highlighting how the egotistical pillar also sits above the rest of the field
09:51when it comes to cathartic ass-whoopings too.
09:53Oh yeah, and did we mention he's only 25?
09:55Madness.
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