WWE: 50 of the Biggest Reasons Why We Love Professional Wrestling

We love wrestling.

We love the drama, we love the "sport" of it, we love the battle.

We love the story lines and we love the controversy.

Yes, you could say we have become addicted to this business that started out as a carnival event and grew into something spectacular.

I am not sure the likes of Orville Brown and Dory Funk, Sr. were thinking this is how the spectacle of it would be now in the television and cable era of this business, but it is live, it is real and it is more mainstream than it has ever been.

And more and more people are seeing it for what it is and enjoying every minute of it.

Despite the fact the territories are gone and the raspy voice of Gordon Solie cannot been heard anymore from Tampa, we still cannot seem to get enough.

And these are 50 reasons.

THEY ARE NOT IN ANY REAL ORDER...THERE IS NO RANKING TO THIS LIST.

Eugene

As odd as this one is to start things off, we tend to enjoy these types of characters.

Hornswoggle. The obscure.

While we love the big brute and the evil heel, we still have soft spots for wrestlers like the Nick Dinsmore character "Eugene"

Tables, Ladders and Chairs

We love the match that provides the most drama and the most chance for injury.

Tables, Ladders and Chairs is a prime example of that.

We loved seeing the Hardys and the Dudleys and Edge and Christian go at it night after night putting their bodies on the line.

Jim Ross

Good old JR. If there is someone better today, then please, tell me who it is.

Not since the days of Gordon Solie have we come to know someone with the play by play prowess as the man with the 10-gallon hat.

He is one of a kind and never will be duplicated.

Sunny

You probably will see more divas on this list. Just starting out with a ray of sunshine.

She did not wrestle, but she made things interesting in matches with teams she managed.

The Underdog

Rey Mysterio is one of the smallest wrestler ever to compete in the WWE and he may have the biggest heart of anyone who ever got in a ring.

He is so popular and when he won the WWE Title, it proved it did not matter the size of the man in the fight but the size of the fight in the man.

The Knife-Edge Chop

Wahoo McDaniel started it. Ric Flair perfected it.

Now everyone does it.

And when they do, the fans respond.

Wooooo!

Traci Brooks

I'll give you two guesses why we love her...

No really, guess.

The Flying Headbutt

Harley Race and Chris Benoit made it fashionable and perfected it.

Can you image lying on the mat and all the weight of someone comes crashing down on your head and through their skull.

OUCH!

Night after night, these men did this without question. And it looked like it hurt each time.

Masked Superstars

Rey Mysterio, Mil Mascaras, even Mr. Wrestling. We all loved the masked men and there are few of them today.

Gordon Solie said the masked man was the most unknown of all wrestlers because you could not see what their facial expressions were.

He was so right!

Stone Cold Steve Austin's Theme Music

When the glass breaks, it can only be one person.

The Rattlesnake comes down the ramp and everyone in their seats rise up and cheer.

There is nothing like.

There are few superstars that evoke that much excitement, and he just captures it without having to say a word

Posters

Only in the WWE can signs that the fans bring to the arenas be almost as popular as the characters they bring them for.

This really started to make its mark during the "Attitude Era" and has continued to be a tradition that works well with the fans and the brand of wrestling the WWE has come to be known for.

Divas and Knockouts Kissing

Whether it is a full-fledged lip lock or just a little peck or two, the things the divas and knockouts in wrestling do to get a rise out of the crowd has taken to new levels lately.

Ever since Trish and Lita, things have been a little tame around the ring.

But that hasn't stopped us from wanting to see some pigeons let loose once in a while, either.

The Swanton Bomb

When wrestlers do something unbelievable, we love to see it over and over again.

Many wrestlers use the turnbuckle to come up with an extraordinary move.

The swanton bomb is one of them and when Jeff Hardy executes it, there is nothing better.

Oh, You Didn't Know?

Oh you didn't know your ass better call somebody
its me its me its that d.o.double g rollin with that a
double crooked letter damn right id like to welcome
every body too the Dogg house.

Ladies and gentleman boys and girls
children of all ages d-generation x proudly brings too you
the Road Dogg Jesse James the bad ass Billy Gunn the 
New Age Outlaws and if your not down with that we got two words for you -
SUCK IT!

Yes, that about does it.

Heel and Face Turns

Wrestlers change roles like they change outfits.

Who knows who will be a face one day and heel the next. Who will defy logic and make a change that is so dramatic that it leaves everyone speechless.

Lie, Cheat, and Steal

Yes, me miss Eddie Guerrero.

He was everything he said he was and the fans loved watching him compete and smile and be around the arena.

He was the Latin Superstar the company needed with Rey Mysterio and when he was in the ring with bigger, stronger opponents, he gave everything he had to the business and of himself.

Mean Gene

Was there anyone better at doing a promo with Hulk Hogan than Mean Gene Okerlund?

The gruff older announcer with the smug look about him that just made him look like he was better than everyone.

Mean Gene added to the Hulk Hogan style as much as anyone else.

Spear! Spear! Spear!

The Spear became the trademark of Edge and others like Goldberg who used it to destroy their opponents.

Edge, who used it with such agility, was able to earn numerous singles and tag team title with this one move.

Goldberg's raw power with it was unflappable and when many a wrestler felt it, they stayed down for the count.

Oh Yeah!

The Macho Man Randy Savage is as common a name in households as Ric Flair and Hulk Hogan. The reason is simply marketing.

Savage was colorful, arrogant, flamboyant and larger than life.

And when he was on screen, the camera and the fans loved him.

Y2J

He is this generation's version of Roddy Piper.

Brash, bold and a great in ring performer.

Chris Jericho means MONEY! And when he is on the mic, you can close your eyes and envision a young Piper calling out his opponents.

Jericho is better in the ring and more of a sell, but he also has learned quite a bit since coming to the WWE.

The Undertaker and Kane

With Paul Bearer, these two men have evolved into quite a soap opera of their own.

Brothers, tag team partners, teammates, enemies, foes.

The list goes on and on and both have stood for years and been as popular as ever.

The Undertaker has the best gimmick EVER in wrestling.

The NWO

Hall, Nash, Hogan, et al.

When Eric Bischoff and others came up with this idea and debuted it on WCW, it was without a doubt the night wrestling stood still.

The Outsiders and Hogan took over wrestling and it was the best thing for the business.

It proved there were bigger powers than Vince McMahon and there was another network strong enough to punch the WWE in the nose.

The Legends of the Past

Wahoo McDaniel, Lou Thesz, Harley Race, Dory Funk Jr., Bruiser Brody.

They all have a place in wrestling history.

Wrestling would not be where it is today if not for these men.

And when the current crop of wrestlers talk about their heroes, they are paying homage to what made them great today.

Kicking Your Boss's Ass

Steve Austin changed the direction of wrestling when he started Austin 3:16 and feuded with Vince McMahon.

The anti-hero was born.

Never before had we seen anything like this and when he beat the hell out of McMahon, it gave every man and woman in the WWE universe the idea they could tell their employer to shove it.

Title vs. Title Wrestling

We don't see this anymore, but Ric Flair would make it popular with the likes of Bob Backlund, Nick Bockwinkle and Rick Martel.

The idea that these greats would compete to 60-minute draws just proved wrestling entertained cross promotions.

Wrestling Stables

They are making a comeback.

They were great because they set heel and face apart. Everyone knew their role and everyone was out to help each other win matches, gain title and make lots of money.

Velvet Sky

Sorry, Charlie. You knew I would get my girl in here.

How could we leave sweet Velvet out of this list and what's not to love?

The Show Stopper

Shawn Michaels is the closest thing to a Ric Flair had and that is saying something.

He may have been the best technical wrestler in the business next to Kurt Angle.

Michaels, face or heel, was always worth the price of admission alone.

Oh, It's True

Kurt Angle went from Olympic Gold Medalist to one of the 15 best wrestlers of all time.

At 43 years old, he is still doing it better than most today and since he is training to do so, could be a medalist in the 2012 Olympics again.

The Red and Yellow

I am not a fan myself, but Hulk Hogan bridged the gap between the older guard in wrestling and what it is now.

And he did it in such a way that made him the Icon he is.

Hogan is one of the dirtiest players in the game, but he also has the sense to know what is and what is not good marketing.

Sting

He is the greatest enigma the business has known and at 52 years old still looks like he could win well into his 60s.

Let's hope not.

Sting was supposed to be the one to replace Ric Flair some years ago. But a few things happened along the way. Ric Flair waited too long to retire. And Sting does not draw as well as promoters had hoped.

The Shoot Interview

You know what is coming.

It's brilliant and will never be duplicated.

Second and Third Generation Wrestlers

Randy Orton, The Rock, Barry Windham, Bo Rotundo, Mike McGillicutty.

They all grew up on arm bars and leg locks.

And they were the best in the business or have the potential to be the best ever.

The Knockouts Division

One of the great things about TNA Wrestling.

They do something others don't, they actually wrestle and hold their own in the ring.

Sometimes, the matches and verbal jousting is better than the men.

The True Heel

We have started to see a shift in dynamic in the heel persona, especially in the WWE.

Mark Henry and Alberto Del Rio are hated. No two ways about that. There is no middle road.

The same thing can be said for Samoa Joe.

The heel is so important to the business, much like Superstar Billy Graham, Jesse Ventura and Ivan Koloff were in years past.

CM Punk and John Cena

No two guys in the business sell for each other like these two.

And when two men or women get in a ring and do that and have fun and bring the house down, the business is alive and well and thriving.

Punk and Cena are now teammates so to speak, but they need to feud again to give the crowd what they want.

Roddy Piper

He can still appear on Raw and give us the old Piper magic.

He is as charismatic as he has ever been and can talk as well as these young punks.

Maybe they need to learn a thing or two from the master.

Vincent K. McMahon

Behind the screen, he is a mastermind.

On screen he is golden.

McMahon has done everything he set out to do when he bought the WWF at the time from his father.

Now, it is a business never to be duplicated.

And since he was on television this week, you know we will see more of him.

The X-Division

Bringing back the idea of cruiserweights as a key component to the wrestling business.

It is some of the most entertaining displays of athleticism on television.

And the division only looks to get better.

Bret Hart

The best there is.

The best there was.

The best there will ever be.

Top that, anyone!

Hell in a Cell

It is still the most brutal event in the WWE.

It was proven to be two weeks ago.

What we see in these types of matches is pure carnage.

And we like it that way.

Sable

Even as she got older and more divas were introduced to the mix, she was still the best of the bunch.

Today, I would still put her in a class of her own and put her up against any diva in the WWE or in the Knockouts Division and defy anyone to say she is not the best EVER.

The Four Horsemen

The first four were always the best.

These four men were champions, could wrestle anyone and could talk better than any others when it came to the interview.

Ric Flair may have been the world champion, but Arn Anderson was the best of this lot.

Many others over the years joined and left, but the originals were still the best

The Six-Sided Ring

It helped to make TNA a legend and made the wrestling circle a little more challenging.

The creation in TNA also allowed wrestling fans to see there were other promotions that were thinking outside the box.

We need to see more of the six-sided ring and for TNA to get back to its roots of wrestling because it Matters!

Miss Tessmacher

Yes, another reason why we love watching Impact in Spike.

I don't think this needs an explanation, do you?

Gordon Solie

Everything in the world of professional wrestling is true because Gordon Solie said so.

I could listen for hours to his raspy voice and his commentary of a match and some the quotes and one liners he said over the years are better than any baseball play by play guy with the exception of Ernie Harwell and Vin Scully.

The Rock Says!

He says a lot and we all listen. Has there ever been a more electric man in the business? He single-handly changed a genre and helped usher in more of the mainstream appeal.

The Rock is a character who defies time because of the words that come out of his mouth.

Truly an originally, he is the best mic man ever!

Quote Flair, Nevermore

"This ain't no garden party, brother, this is wrestling, where only the strongest survive.”

"I'm a limousine ridin', jet flyin', kiss stealin', wheelin' dealin' son of a gun. WOOOO!!"

"To be the man, you've gotta beat the man!"

"Whether you like it or not, learn to love it, because its the best thing going. Wooooo!"

"All the women want to be with me, and the men want to be like me."

Truly an original.

It's Never Ending

Just when we think a storyline will follow a path, it changes and goes in a completely different direction. That is how to tell a good story, a good soap opera and a good movie.

Wrestling is a lot like Hollywood in that it does not allow you real time to think, because it is ever evolving and will continue to do so as long as there are fans who support it.

Wrestlemania!

It is still without a doubt the best show ever in wrestling.

The glamour and glitz and build up is amazing.

The results leave us wanting more.

And then, after all that, there is The Streak.

Yes, hopefully, we will still see The Undertaker at Wrestlemania XXVIII.