The Contentious Ten 5.21.12: Top 10 Canadians in Wrestling

Welcome back to the Contentious Ten. I’m Gavin Napier, but by next week I’ll be Michael Ornelas again. Or he’ll be me. Something like that. I’ve had a lot of fun putting these lists together and watching you rip me to shreds in the comment section, and I think I may have stumbled onto a topic that will allow for you to do just that once again this week. Here is my criteria for The Top 10 Canadians so that we’re all on the same page:

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Lance Stormsize=6>

Lance Storm loves wrestling. He’s not afraid to tell you that, only he doesn’t really have to tell you that. It comes across in everything that he does. His dedication to his craft has shone through in his matches. His level of care for the business comes through in his columns and interviews, even if you don’t necessarily agree with his opinions. Lance Storm was never a wrestler with ideas of using it to be a bigger star somewhere else. Lance Storm wanted to be a wrestler. He succeeded wildly in that goal. Storm has captured gold virtually everywhere he’s been, most notably in WCW when he held the United States, Cruiserweight, and Hardcore titles concurrently. He’s been Chris Jericho and Justin Credible’s regular tag team partners, and captured gold with guys like Christian and Val Venis. Storm is also exceptionally reliable, a trait that’s all too rare in professional wrestling. No matter where he was wrestling, no matter who he was wrestling, Lance Storm has always been a complete professional. Since moving into semi-retirement, Storm has opened up the Storm Wrestling Academy, and seems to be well on his way to continuing the tradition (that we’ll see further down the list) of Canadian wrestlers becoming exceptional trainers once they step away from the ring. Already the Storm Wrestling Academy has produced such graduates as Mickie James and Dolph Ziggler, and currently has several students in FCW after being offered WWE Developmental deals.

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Owen Hartsize=6>

I struggled with where Owen should be placed on this list. I didn’t want to fall in to the “Cobain Trap” where someone’s worth is vastly overestimated because they died young. I also didn’t want to short change Owen just because I was worried about placing him too high. After a lot of deliberation and consulting with some other knowledgeable wrestling fans, this seems about right. Owen was a natural, taking to the family business and excelling in Stampede Wrestling. He branched out to Japan, where he feuded with Keiichi Yamada both unmasked and as Yamada’s Jushin “Thunder” Liger gimmick. Young Owen established himself as one of the best lightweights and wrestlers in the world there, winning the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship before returning to North America. Owen’s run as The Blue Blazer in 1989 was brief but well received, and he took the gimmick to the independent circuit as well as Mexico. After a handful of matches with WCW, Owen returned to the WWF. After bouncing around the tag team circuit, Owen found his niche as a heel. Initially feuding with his brother Bret, Owen became the token white guy in the Nation of Domination and gelled with The British Bulldog and Yokozuna as tag team champions. Like virtually everyone that came from the Hart Dungeon, Owen was an excellent wrestler that understood how to get the best out of every opponent, and his body of work in terms of matches is as good as you’ll find anywhere in the world. I don’t know if Owen would have eventually become WWF World Heavyweight Champion had he not met a tragic end while teaming with Jeff Jarrett. It’s easy to say that he would have, and it’s possible that he would have gotten there. Titles, however, are not the only measure of success. Owen Hart left behind a legacy as a person, one who was well liked, respected, and had found a balance between work and home that most wrestlers never do. Attributing his spot on a list like this – whether too high or too low – to his death is a discredit to him.

Depending on when you were a fan of wrestling, you probably remember Rick Martel differently. If you were a fan during the 1970’s, he was a clean cut tag team competitor, who won tag team gold with Tony Garea. If you were a fan during the early or mid 1980’s, he was a clean cut AWA World Heavyweight Champion. If you were a fan during the late 1980’s, he was a clean cut tag team competitor who won gold with Tito Santana. If you were a fan during the early 1990’s, he was The Model, an arrogant heel who feuded with Tatanka and Jake “The Snake” Roberts. If you were a fan in the mid to late 1990’s, he was a lower card veteran who had excellent matches with Booker T over the WCW Television title. Through a nearly 30 year career, Martel established himself as one of the most reliable, versatile performers in the sport. He succeeded in virtually every role that he was given, whether as a singles or tag team competitor, babyface or heel, young man or veteran. He competed virtually everywhere, starting in Canada, joining the AWA then the WWF, making stops in Japan and Puerto Rico along the way, and ending his career in WCW. He wrestled Ric Flair in an AWA vs. NWA World Championship unification match in Japan, had a 19 month reign as AWA World Champion, and had a mini career revival in WCW. Martel retired quietly after an injury in WCW, and that seems to match the rest of his career. For all of his success in the ring, Martel is often overlooked in terms of his historical value. In terms of wrestlers that hail from Canada, he’s certainly among the best ever.

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Bronko Nagurskisize=6>

Bronko Nagurski was a legitimately great athlete. He was named to the 1929 All American team while playing for the University of Minnesota Golden Gophers – at two positions. He led the nation in rushing from the fullback position and also made the All American team as an offensive lineman. He was also a legitimate tough guy. He played a game in 1928 which saw him recover a fumble, intercept a pass, and run for a touchdown, all with cracked vertebrae. Currently, the Nagurski Award is given to the NCAA’s best defensive football player. He spent seven years in the NFL for the Chicago Bears, and during that time was introduced to professional wrestling. He was brought in and trained by the brother of the legendary Joe Stetcher, and Nagurski’s size, strength, and athletic ability made him a natural. Wrestling had a great deal more credibility in that era, due to the presence of “hookers” like Lou Thesz and later Danny Hodge – legitimate athletes who could bend, stretch, twist, and otherwise maim opponents at will. Without getting into a history lesson of why those guys existed and were on top of the sport, suffice to say that Nagurski fit right in. He defeated Thesz for his first recognized NWA World Heavyweight Championship. His second win came against Ray Steele, the man that defeated him for the title. Nagurski continued wrestling until 1960, when he retired. While this may seem like a thin resume for someone on a top 10 list, Nagurski was the forerunner for guys like Ernie Ladd, Ron Simmons, Steve Williams, and others to make a transition from football into professional wrestling, and do so respectably. It’s an important precedent and Nagurski has earned his recognition.

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Killer Kowalskisize=6>

Walter “Killer” Kowalski turned to wrestling because he wasn’t making enough money at a factory. It was that simple. He was a large, athletic man, so there was a place for him. He quickly gained notoriety as a heel with a mean streak, ranking alongside men such as Freddie Blassie and The Sheik during their era. The incident that truly cemented his reputation was when a knee drop from Kowalski tore away part of Yukon Eric’s cauliflower ear. When Kowalski visited Eric in the hospital, they both had a good laugh at how ridiculous the bandages looked. Newspapers reported that Kowalski had arrived to laugh at the injury he had caused, and a monster was born. For the next 25 years, Kowalski would run roughshod through the WWWF and NWA, as well as several territorial promotions. For all the heat that he generated from fans for being vicious, however, Kowalski had some heat with his fellow wrestlers as well. They felt that the man behind Killer Kowalski, plain old Walter Kowalski, was far too nice and that he was breaking character. By all accounts, Kowalski was a true gentleman and one of the nicest people ever involved with the industry of professional wrestling. In addition to being a legendary heel, Kowalski is one of the greatest trainers of all time, as well. Alumni of the Killer Kowalski Wrestling School include Triple H, Chyna, Perry Saturn and John Kronus, Lord Tensai, Big John Studd, and Frankie Kazarian among others. Kowalski was never a world champion, but his contributions to the sport in and out of the ring make him an invaluable part of wrestling’s history.

Edge is an interesting case here. This spot was originally intended for Chris Jericho, then Edge was going to follow at number 6. The problem is, Chris Jericho wasn’t born in Canada. He was born in New York, then grew up in Canada. I know, that seems like a petty difference to make, but here’s why the distinction is so important: if I simply allowed everyone that has Canadian citizenship without being born in the country to appear on this list, then The Rock would have to be included. In restricting it to only natural born Canadians, I’m forced to leave one of my favorite wrestlers of all time, Chris Jericho, off the list. That’s not to say that Edge doesn’t belong in the top 5. It took me a long time to warm up to Edge. His initial character was a guy using DDP’s entrance, Raven’s mannerisms, and Sting’s trenchcoat. Being thrown in as Sable’s mystery partner then feuding with vampires didn’t do a lot to impress me. As time went on, though, Edge evolved and became something much bigger than those humble beginnings. His personality began to show through while teaming with Christian, at least for those with the benefit of flash photography. As he became a singles star, his feuds with Kurt Angle and John Cena proved he belonged at the top of the card. Edge has had his missteps along the way. From breaking Jose Estrada’s neck in his Raw debut, to the scandalous affair with Lita, to being implicated in a steroid scandal, there were plenty of opportunities for Edge to fail. Through it all, though, Edge kept turning out one great match after another and proving people (like me) that doubted him wrong. Through the years, Edge has also made appearances on television shows and movies, and while he hasn’t experienced the level of success on film that The Rock or even Roddy Piper has, he’s still young and has a chance to expand his circle of recognition. Edge’s career ended much too early, and while his current contract with WWE has apparently ended, there are still many years ahead of him in which he can contribute to the business as a trainer, commentator, manager, booker, agent, or promoter. If we revisit this list in 10 years, I have a feeling Edge will have forced his way up another couple of spots.

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Bret Hartsize=6>

The closest thing the United States had, in comparison to Bret Hart in Canada, was The Patriot. The two aren’t even remotely comparable in terms of wrestling ability, but Bret Hart represents Canada in the same way that The Patriot represented everything American. The difference is, it took a gimmick and mask for that to be accomplished in America. Bret Hart managed to do that by being Bret Hart. I was never a huge fan of Bret Hart, but I’m able to recognize his popularity, ability, and importance to Canadian wrestling as well as wrestling in general. Bret’s ascension to the top of the wrestling world was a slow, steady climb, beginning in earnest in the mid 1980’s when he was one half of the Hart Foundation. Their matches with the British Bulldogs in particular elevated them further up the card than most tag teams would ever reach. After the Hart Foundation dissolved, Bret transitioned easily to singles competition, becoming a multiple time Intercontinental champion as well as a multiple time King of the Ring. He defeated Ric Flair for the WWF World Heavyweight Championship in 1992, and was firmly entrenched as a main event superstar. The following years would see him embark on legendary feuds with Jerry Lawler, Owen Hart, Shawn Michaels, Steve Austin, and the entire country of America. The Montreal Screwjob sent him to WCW, where things just never really clicked, despite winning two world championships. The death of Owen clearly, and understandably, changed Bret, and he became much more bitter for years following the accident that took Owen’s life. Perceived slights from guys like Hogan and Flair were taken personally, and Bret stayed away from wrestling for a long time after his retirement was forced by a stroke. Bret’s return to WWE at the end of the last decade provided a sense of closure for fans of the Attitude Era and exposed Bret to a new generation of fans. Bret doesn’t always seem comfortable being Bret Hart, even if he’s Bret Hart’s biggest fan. He’s a hero to his native countrymen and the fact that he cracks the top 5 based entirely on his in ring career is a reflection on just how significant to Canadian wrestling and culture he truly is.

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Roddy Pipersize=6>

Roddy Piper likely isn’t the first guy that you think of when it comes to Canadian wrestlers, but by definition, he’s far and away the greatest Canadian wrestler of all time. Piper lands this high on the list based entirely on his on camera career. Roddy Piper remains, nearly 15 years after retiring from regular competition, an immediately recognizable name and face to wrestling fans of all ages and generations. From his days in the Pacific Northwest territory to a brutal feud with Greg Valentine in the NWA to main eventing Wrestlemania, Roddy Piper has left a trail of iconic moments behind him. His work behind the microphone with Bobby Heenan is second only to the Monsoon-Heenan pairing, and his ability to turn a quick phrase allowed him to maintain a career in wrestling even when he wasn’t wrestling. Piper’s Pit is arguably the greatest interview segment in wrestling history and has provided nearly as many great moments as Piper’s in ring career did. Hot Rod embracing his Scottish persona as whole heartedly as he did may have caused many fans to overlook the fact that he’s a native Canadian. He is, though, and there aren’t many people from north of the border that can claim to be bigger, better, or more important within the industry.

In basketball, there’s Michael Jordan and then there’s everybody else. In heavyweight boxing, there’s Muhammad Ali, then there’s everyone else. When it comes to wrestling bookers, there’s Pat Patterson and then there’s everyone else. Patterson is one of the great minds in wrestling history, coming up with one of the iconic gimmick matches of all time in the Royal Rumble, and being largely responsible for planning it out each year. Patterson’s contributions aren’t just limited to backstage, though. He’s also been a color commentator, and his in ring career was impressive as well. He was part of a fantastic tag team with Ray Stevens, and eventually feuded with him during his time in the AWA. He was the first Intercontinental champion, and captured the Hardcore Championship in 2002 while serving in an on-air role as one of Vince McMahon’s “stooges”. Over the course of the last 40 years, Pat Patterson has done virtually everything there is to do for WWE. He’s been a top flight in ring performer, peaking with the match you see above against Sgt. Slaughter. He’s been on color commentary, and he’s been a part of virtually every big pay per view match you’ve seen, just without seeing him.

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Stu Hartsize=6>

Stu Hart’s impact on professional wrestling can not, in any way, be overstated. While Stu Hart’s actual in ring career never reached the heights of popularity that other stars in the 1950’s and 1960’s may have (such as The Sheik, Bobo Brazil, or Freddie Blassie) in America, in Canada he was a bona fide star. His career took several twists and turns, and on more than one occasion, Stu wrestled a bear and a tiger. Stu’s greatest contribution though, as everyone knows, is The Dungeon. It was in this basement that wrestlers were molded. They were stretched, bruised, beaten, and worked beyond their limits until they became men in the image of Stu Hart. With an emphasis on legitimate submissions, Stu Hart cranked out one pro after the other. Everybody relates the obvious names to The Dungeon; men like Bret, Owen, and Keith Hart, as well as Chris Benoit, Chris Jericho, and Brian Pillman are givens as far as those that spent time in The Dungeon. Other, less obvious names include Hulk Hogan, Roddy Piper, Billy Graham, Fritz Von Erich, Junkyard Dog, Mark Henry, and Abdullah the Butcher. There is no other professional wrestling training facility that has seen so many legitimate stars and legends pass through it, and there will never be another facility like it now that Stu Hart is gone. The idea that one man could be directly or indirectly responsible for such a large part of wrestling history is breathtaking. If this were a list of the 10 most influential men in wrestling history, there’s only a handful that could even be considered ahead of Hart, given his lifelong contributions to the sport. As Canadians go, he’s number one by a mile.

I’m sure there will be plenty of feedback in the comment section below, but I encourage you to make your own list following the criteria above. That means no Chris Jericho, no Dynamite Kid, and no Rock. Canada has a long, proud tradition full of great wrestlers, so you should be able to come up with 10 even without those guys. I’ve enjoyed filling in for Michael for the last three weeks. Maybe I’ll get to do this again in the future. If not, thanks for hanging in with me and participating with your feedback. Next week, I’ll return you to your regularly scheduled programming.