Top sellers of all time

[Edynol]

Was feeling nostalgic today so decided to watch some old matches on You Tube. And seeing as I have never seen a thread on this, I decided this would make for an interesting topic.

As we all know, a major point in becoming a top star is knowing how to perform in the ring and execute your moves. But another major part, in my opinion, of becoming a top star is knowing how to sell. Because if your opponent looks good, you look good. At least that's how I see it. In selling your opponents offense, you are doing more for them than a simple victory would, win or lose. Not to mention it keeps the fans excited by appealing to that little mark inside all of us that still screams, "This is real to me!" Heheheh.

So who, in your opinion, are the top sellers of all time? At the top of my list, it's a tie between HBK and Ricky Steamboat. Aside from their awesome talent in the ring, I think they were the best at making things look painful.

Next on the list, despite not being very popular atm, is Heath Slater. I know most don't think much of him, but I can see him being the next HBK if he gets more experience in the ring and on the mic.

And then there is Randy Savage. While he was awesome in selling physically, I think he had the best facial expressions. How he cringed and squinted his eyes told a story all its own. lol.

So who are yall's picks?

[Kilgore]

I think HBK was great at taking bumps, maybe the best, but selling is a different thing. HBK could make generic things look like death. That's what he was better at than everybody. But then he'd do a kip up a minute later like nothing ever happened. Or start dancing on the leg that was being worked on for the last 15 minutes. I always thought his selling was pretty shitty actually (Keep in mind, I'm exclusively talking about his first run. Never saw any of his second run, which I heard he did the little things much better.)

Savage is my #1. Hart/Steamboat round out my Top 3. You choose who's #2 and #3. I like Hart a little better, mainly because of KOTR '93, and RR '94, where he sold injuries for multiple matches on the same card. But I'm not going to argue against Ricky if somebody wants to go there.

[Ness]

Hogan, Austin, NWO, Cena

[thedude]

Rock, Ziggler, Jericho, HBK, Bret Hart, Benoit, Mysterio, Austin, and Guerrero all excelled at making moves look like they hurt.

[Emperor]

The Rock and Randy Orton are two wrestlers who I think sell better than anything else they do in the ring. Exceptional sellers. In The Rock's case this showed in his match with CM Punk. His timing and execution was at times sloppy, yet his selling was consistently good. Even his selling during the CM Punk heel turn and The Shield beatdown shits all over most of the WWE roster.

Chris Benoit was a fantastic seller too. I think the first MITB match, with Benoit selling his injured arm, is one of the best selljobs of all time. Incredibly realistic.

Heading east, Kobashi always stood out from the pack as the best seller out of the AJPW elite.

[TheMaskedOtter]

Mike Jackson, George South, Barry Horowitz, Steve Lombardi, Duane Gill, Barry Hardy, and the dozens of other JTTS who often had the job of the selling for guys who's actual skills were far inferior to their own in order to get them over.

[Special One]

Bret Hart,Randy Savage and Ricky Steamboat.

Honorable Mention: Virgil (yes Vincent from the nWo) was a very underrated seller.

[bret hart mark]

Bret Hitman Hart > Everyone else. I have said it before but watching a Bret Hat match was like watching a Rocky Movie .He took a pounding for 20 min and he comes back in the end in a very dramatic fashion.

[jessignig]

Gotta go with Bret Hart. I think Sting and Savage are up there, too.

[thedude]

Mick Foley too but his could have been been due to actual pain rather than selling.

[Wolfman]

Flair was the king of selling back in the day. He made the least talented guys look like a million bucks.

[jessignig]

Flair was the king of selling back in the day. He made the least talented guys look like a million bucks.

Flair was good but he always added comedy when he was getting beat up. Some of the other guys actually made it look like they were getting hurt bad.

[Edynol]

Some very good choices all around, I think. I think Big Show is a good seller as well. Now I know he doesn't take a lot of hard falls and such, but being the largest guy in the business, that's part of what makes it believable. He make you work to get him off his feet, but when you do, he sells it really good. I guess you could say he sells very accurately, tells a good story in the ring, slowly getting worn down, and making everything look painful. Most other big guys, they take everything like nothing hurts at all up until they get pinned or the very end when they win. With big show, all the things that should hurt, do hurt. In real life, no matter how big you are, if grown, in shape guy hits you in the head, it's gonna hurt. Even if he's small like Rey. And Show plays it like that.

Slightly off topic here, but I also remember reading an interview with Rey Mysterio where he said Show was one of the most careful guys in the business. He's really good at protecting people he works with. And the only time he was injured after a match with him was when he was already injured going into it. lol.

[bayke]

Ricky Morton. He could have a good match with a broom and make you hate the broom. But I have to give props to Masked Otter for his post. We forget those guys who built our favorites into the stars they became.

[jessignig]

Ricky Morton. He could have a good match with a broom and make you hate the broom. But I have to give props to Masked Otter for his post. We forget those guys who built our favorites into the stars they became.

Yes, Morton was very good.

[Edynol]

Very true. Evan Bourne is a good seller as well. Can't wait for him to return.

[CheeseToastie]

Hogan, Austin, NWO, Cena

I see what you did there...

[L.T.D]

I'll add Billy Gunn to the list. He made Bradshaw's clothesline from hell seem like he was just shot by a cannon.





I'll also agree with Evan Bourne. Many people feel that Mr. Perfect over sold but I personally love it.

While on the subject of clotheslines, Rikishi took an amazing clothesline for his size...he did the same kind of flip that Billy Gunn did except at 400 pounds, see Brock Lesnar's attack on him after his debut.

[Edynol]

Yeah I forgot about Kurt Hennig. I wish he were still alive. He and Ziggles would be so perfect together.

[RINGKING]

Ray Stevens. When ever the word 'selling' is brought up, nobody did it better than Stevens. The man is one of the most overlooked workers of all-time, and his eventual successful tag-partner, Nick Bockwinkle has to be thrown into the mix as well. IMO, Bocks selling and workrate is what really catapulted Hogan to stardom as a serious threat as a worker outside the usual, 'my heavens, this Hogan guy is a beast'.