Poetry in Motion: Artists of the Grappling Game

There comes in every generation those who transcend the work rate of those around them, providing the audience with stellar performances that reaffirm their love of professional wrestling.

This article will list, in no particular order, the performers that strive for perfection in the ring, and the ones that the fan always wants to see on the card.

Honourable Mention

Toshiaki Kawada: super stiff, but only reaching the next level due to working with stellar opponents.

C.M. Punk: has shown remarkable ability, but more time is needed for his full potential to be realised.

Scott Hall: allowed his demons to destroy a once prodigious ability.

Rey Mysterio Jr.: has been slowed over time due to injuries and increased mass.

Samoa Joe: can be clumsy at times, and can be seen as lacklustre in many matches in TNA.

William Regal: was never given the platform to showcase his talents the right way.

AJ Styles: very capable of being on this list, but formulaic in style at times.

Jumbo Tsuruta: the first-ever triple crown champion, Tsuruta had a number of great matches in his career, and he possessed an incredible work ethic in the ring.

Daniel Bryan: best of the new generation.

Shawn Michaels

Any list of greats within the squared circle should always include this man. There is definitely a reason why “The Show Stopper” is touted as one of the best of all time.

Throughout the '90s, Michaels was seen to be head and shoulders above the competition. Whether you loved him or hated him, you always looked forward to the moment he laced up his boots and strutted to the ring accompanied by the familiar strains of “Sexy Boy." Michaels brought good performances for painfully average workers, and he made good workers look like world beaters.

Shawn can be classed as an artist in the ring through his ability to draw the audience into his matches, providing drama, flair and excitement like no other, especially with his performances at the grandest stage of them all, WrestleMania.

His memorable feuds with (among others) Bret Hart, Steve Austin, Triple H, Kurt Angle and the Undertaker will forever stand the test of time, being seen by generation after generation as testament to the heights to which wrestling matches can aspire.

Ric Flair

There are not enough superlatives in the English language to adequately express the contribution of the Nature Boy to professional wrestling. This man wrestled all over the world, night after night, giving everything he could to provide the best matches possible for the fans.

His impeccable technique may have diminished in later years due to a combination of injury and age, but it cannot be denied that his intelligence and his ability to read a crowd sets Flair apart from everyone else.

His matches with Ricky Steamboat in particular ensure that Naitch should definitely be seen by the fans as a true artist, weaving drama and excitement for hour after hour, and show after show.

The Dynamite Kid

He had everything. Speed, power, attitude and exquisite in-ring technique—Dynamite provided a great match every time. One of the greatest compliments the man ever received is that one of the other great in-ring technicians, the ever-controversial Chris Benoit, modelled himself almost completely on Dynamite, incorporating his mannerisms, style and manoeuvres.

Chris Jericho

The ever dynamic, always charismatic man of 1,004 holds, Chris Jericho was part of the stable of wrestlers in the WCW mid-card that made Nitro what it became in the '90s.

Fluid in the ring, Jericho excels in every aspect of the game: brawling, mat wrestling or high-flying lucha libre. Better known for his larger-than-life characters, it is easy to forget that when Jericho states that he is “the best in the world at what I do," he can back it up in the ring, with change to spare.

Eddie Guerrero

Whilst it is common to hear the tag “late, great” placed upon the name of deceased performers, it is truly fitting that it be attached to the name of El Paso’s favourite son. Guerrero was truly great in the ring, adding a touch of Latin flair to moves as prosaic as a suplex, executing them like no other in the world, making them his very own.

His greatest feature in the ring was his composure. Wherever the match, the viewer could see that Guerrero was completely in control, and one would be hard-pressed to find a serious botch in his body of work. Overcoming his demons night after night, Latino Heat seemed at home in the ring, doing what he did in a way that left no one able to fault his ability.

Dean Malenko

The most underutilized talent of the '90s, Malenko simply could never look average.

His incredible in-ring knowledge, mixed with his sure-handed technical ability allowed Malenko to provide fresh, new matches during lengthy feuds. The man of 1,000 holds also was a great seller, allowing for his opponent's ability to be magnified in the eyes of the crowd.

Owen Hart

The youngest son of the Hart family seemed never fully able to reach his full potential in the squared circle, but when he got between the ropes, the fans were frequently treated to the match of the night.

Hart’s style was generous, with him frequently doing the legwork in matches against bigger opponents and allowing for his opponents to perform to the best of their abilities through his tremendous selling ability. Whether springing off the ropes, delivering a submission or stomping ruthlessly on a downed opponent, Owen’s body of work reflects an ability that few others have ever possessed in the business.

Curt Hennig

Only one word comes to mind…perfect. Perfect in style and ability, Hennig was one of those athletes that comes round once in every generation. Blessed with extraordinary ability, Hennig was great in every aspect of the game. He provided great matches with ordinary opponents. He provided great matches when injured. He simply provided great matches, period.

If only his son had been as remarkably special as this man was.

Kurt Angle

Whilst many have made the transition from amateur wrestling and professional wrestling, none have made the impact that Kurt Angle made in his career.

Truly flawless in the ring, Angle’s ability to brawl, to fly and to mat wrestle with equal poise and grace separates him from his contemporaries. There is no one in the world with a better ability to counter moves so seamlessly and intelligently. His matches with Jericho, Benoit, Michaels, Lesnar, Austin and, in recent years, Samoa Joe show that Angle has been capable of having match of the year candidates at every stage of his career whilst working in an incredibly diverse range of styles.

Bret Hart

The Best there is, the best there was and the best there every will be. A high boast to be making. But in the case of Bret Hart, it wasn’t a boast, it was a testament to his talent.

Bret’s ability between the ropes cannot be denied. His ability to deliver offence crisply and cleanly ensured that every time “the Hitman” stepped through the ropes, the fans were guaranteed a good match.

Incorporating a serious, technical style, and allowing his opponents to look better than they really were, Hart had legendary matches against the likes of Mr. Perfect, Shawn Michaels, The Undertaker and Stone Cold Steve Austin.

Mitsuharu Misawa

Simply one of the best pure mat technicians of all time, Misawa is truly worthy of the moniker “legend." Hard hitting, smart and fast, Misawa has been in a grand total of 24 five-star matches, has had five matches of the year and has been named wrestler of the year three times. To recognise the extent of his ability, it should be noted that the 24 matches were over an 18-year period.

Anyone who sees any of his matches from All Japan and NOAH cannot fail to recognise Misawa as a legend, a genius and an artist in the ring.

Kenta Kobashi

Misawa’s greatest rival, Kobashi, constantly provided amazing matches, wrestling in some of the most legendary matches of all time, including 23 five-star matches and six matches of the year.

His vicious chops, his perfectly-timed suplexes and his freakishly perfect moonsault caused the Japanese press to label him “the perfect wrestler.”

They weren’t wrong.

Ricky "the Dragon" Steamboat

The man who, against Ric Flair, had possibly the greatest series of wrestling matches ever seen in North America, “the Dragon” cannot be viewed as anything other than an artist at what he does. There is no higher praise than for Ric Flair to state that Steamboat was his greatest opponent. Exciting, acrobatic and very technically sound, Steamboat had the ability in the ring, which culminated in the NWA Heavyweight Championship, then the most prestigious prize in the game.

Steamboat cemented his legacy in 2009, amazing the fans with his ability to provide a great match against Chris Jericho at WrestleMania and Backlash—at the age of 56.

Jun Akiyama

A fantastic in-ring performer, especially in tag team competition, Akiyama had some of the greatest tag team matches of all time in AJPW

Utilizing his amateur wrestling and judo roots, Akiyama developed a hard-hitting, serious style of wrestling that brought out the best in his competition, providing for the greatest tag team division in the world during the mid-90's heyday of puroresu.

Chris Benoit

Great between the ropes, Benoit left the sport with a severely tarnished legacy, which some would argue casts a shadow over his entire career. Whilst I do not agree with praising someone who performed such a despicable act, I cannot help but include him in the list.

Closing

That concludes my list of those performers who rose above the ordinary to become true artists of their craft.

Feel free to comment with any wrestlers I may have neglected who you feel should be included, or those who you don't think should have been mentioned.

You know what they say, one man's treasure is another man's trash.