Professional Wrestling Fact: It Is Impossible to Be the Best in the World

Chris Jericho, Daniel Bryan, Masahiro Chono, The Rock, Sting, CM Punk, Ric Flair, Hiroshi Tanahashi, The Undertaker, Kurt Angle, CIMA, Hulk Hogan, The Great Muta, Triple H and John Cena. All of these men have three things in common. They are all former world champions, all are professional wrestlers and all could be called "The Best In the World."

Now, I'm sure half of you would flock to the CM Punk camp, the other half would flock to the Jericho camp, and more than likely you would shun the Cena camp from this very discussion because "Blank" could wrestle circles around John Cena, right?

That being said how can CM Punk claim to be "The Best in the World?" I'm sorry, but anyone who just started calling this man the best in the world just because he started calling himself that, and believed it to be true, is a sheep. I haven't heard of CM Punk winning any world title in Japan, England or Mexico. So he can put on a hell of a show. A lot of guys can do that. You don't see all of them calling themselves the best in the world, because that is impossible.

Hulk Hogan was the man who put pro wrestling on the map in North America. You may not like that he's still here, but it's better that he was here to begin with, because more than likely, he inspired a lot of your favorite guys who may have gone on to inspire other guys.

Fact is, even today, Hulk Hogan is probably the most over man in professional wrestling. Bound for Glory was a debacle on a lot of levels, but one thing cannot be debated. When Hogan ripped that shirt off and Hulked up once more, Philadelphia lost it. By the way, he's not the best in the world, just so you know.

Kurt Angle is a wrestling machine and an Olympic gold medalist and probably the man with the best claim to be "The Best In the World" but only in regards to amateur wrestling. Not professional wrestling. For all 13 of his world titles, Kurt Angle is not the best in the world.

I could go through that list and you would not find "The Best In the World" on it. I could tell you how CIMA holds the record for most runs with Dragon Gates' world title, The Open The Dream Gate Championship, tell you all about Ric Flair and his 16 (by his count, he actually is a 20-time world champion,) world titles, how Sting managed to become one of the most popular guys in professional wrestling when he's never set foot in the WWE. All that, and none of these men is "The Best in the World."

Fact is, it is not possible to be the best in the world. Not just because that would mean more than likely, you have to have held world titles in America, the U.K., Mexico, Japan and a slew of other places. That would mean you have to be able to appeal to an almost impossibly fickle company that will drop you at the first sign of a better target. You have to appeal to fans. Not just Internet smarks. (I'm looking at you, Punk.) Not just children. (You're not safe, Cena.) Not just to the company you work for. (Sting, ya gotta at least try to keep options open, man.)

It's like how the old saying goes. "There is always going to be someone better than you." Which fits in with another saying. "You can't please all of the people all of the time." There is somebody better than CM Punk to somebody (me, most likely).  There is somebody better than Kurt Angle. (James Storm, maybe?) to somebody.

In the world of professional wrestling we have a lot more to see. So many different styles. Powerhouses like Mark Henry and The Big Show appeal to some people. Maybe somebody sees one of them as the best? High Flyers like A.J. Styles, John Morrison and Jeff Hardy. Maybe you like fast-paced action like that. Then you have the technical wrestlers. Daniel Bryan and CM Punk are great examples. Two guys that are known as "The Best in the World." Then you have your brawlers. John Cena and Bully Ray are two who fit that mold.

Even between those, you have variations. R-Truth is a good example. He uses a mix of brawling and high-flying techniques. CM Punk is a high-flying technician. John Cena has shown he can get it done using, at times, a mix of technical wrestling and pure power, much in the vain of Jack Swagger who uses a similar combo. John Morrison is a high-flying brawler, Dolph Ziggler is a technical brawler, and there are so many other combinations I couldn't list them all here.

Point is, we all like something different. If you don't like technical wrestling or high-flying, you won't like Bryan or Punk. If you don't like to see the power game, then "Sorry, about your..." well, don't watch a Cena match. Someone may say John Morrison is the best. Some say Cena is the best. Doesn't mean they "don't know wrestling." Just means they may have a different taste than you.

So, the next time you say "So-and-so rocks. He's the best in the world." Remember that it is far from the truth.