"Our Fearless Leader" James Guttman

1 Brian Pillman

Pillman's match with Jushin Liger at SuperBrawl 2 was one of my favorites when I saw it. It blew me away and, as a young fan, it gave me new appreciation for how "high flying" can be more than the same ol' flippy/flippy game. They turned it up and produced an amazing match. Years later, Brian's Loose Cannon gimmick would be responsible for some of the most Must See TV moments I've ever seen in this business. Not only was he a solid wrestler but a solid character too. All the things people credit ECW and The WWF Attitude for would never have existed without "I Respect You, Booker-man." In many ways, Flyin' Brian's contributions to the birth of the behind-the-curtain work/shoot generation eclipse lots of others who get more recognition for it.

2. The Honky Tonk Man

As a kid, I loved Honky Tonk. He represented the clueless heel. He heard cheers that no one else did. He copied Elvis, but hated him at the same time. He talked about songs he recorded that didn't exist and, despite fans wanting to kill him every week, still managed to hold on to the Intercontinental belt for 64 weeks (Thanks, Santino.) As someone most overlooked in his initial IC challenge to Ricky Steamboat, HTM came out of his title reign with a level of respect that can't be manufactured through a quick push or sudden angle. It was a slow burn that would be close to impossible for them to do today. '

Plus, the Lonely Elizabeth was "head over heels" for him.

3. Tully Blanchard

Tully played a cocky heel unlike anyone in this business. I've said it many times before, but Blanchard's real genius was in the details. For example, in a tag match, most heels would run over and hit their babyface opponent's partner as he stood on the apron. It would be done to make the non-legal man run into the ring, get pulled back by the ref, and lead to a distraction so the heels could cheat. Tully took it to a new level. Rather than hit the illegal man on the apron…he'd spit at him. You don't get any more chickensh*t heel than that. Plus, the guy could wrestle rings around most people he stepped in the ring with. If I were a young star learning to work a match as a true heel, I'd stock up on tapes of Tully Blanchard. The guy was just amazing.

4. Curt Hennig

I remember watching Mr. Perfect wrestle a match against Tito Santana once. Tito kicked his knee and Hennig flipped backwards. As he landed, his head hit the mat and I was convinced – convinced – that he broke his neck. Just as that was settling in…Curt got up.

And did it again. And again. Then again.

It was insane. No one bumped like Mr. Perfect. He was like a rubber doll and his wrestling ability showed it. When you put the bumps, wrestling talent, and great character development together, it makes for a great star. Even before his WWF days, Hennig was turning heads. When you have his type of ability, it's hard not to.

5. Jerry Lawler

When I interviewed Al Snow, he spoke at length about his respect for Jerry Lawler as a wrestler. I was thrilled to hear it because I couldn’t agree more. Lawler has the distinction of being able to jump between serious and silly at the drop of a hat. This also allows him to do the same thing with his allegiances. As a heel or babyface, The King can get the crowd moving and it's kept them coming back in Memphis for decades. It takes a lot to stay as over as Jerry has been in one area for so long. There's a simple reason for that. He knows what he's doing and does it well.

"The Man, The Myth, The Legend" Canadian Bulldog (don't pretend like you don't know who he is)

First of all, I just wanted to give my most sincere birthday wishes to the man called ZAH. Although, if this P2P hits on Friday, it just happens to be another prominent Canadian WWI Superstar's birthday. But hey - whatever. I don't want any glory or anything. It doesn't matter; really....

As promised, my five favorite wrestlers of all-time:

1. "Rowdy" Roddy Piper

A controversial pick, I'm sure, but then again, he was always a controversial wrestler. Why do I love Piper so much? Because he's able to blur the line between fact and fiction better than anyone else. Because all he has to do is give a certain look or turn a certain way and he owns the crowd. Because he's easily the best talker the wrestling business has ever had. And most of all, because I enjoy watching his matches and segments more than anyone else.

2. Mick Foley

I struggled between my number one and two picks, as both have arguably been among my favorites at various points in time (then again, so was King Kong Bundy, and he didn't even make my list). Part of this is because of his books: because he told his life story so well through the printed word, a Foley fan feels a sense of accomplishment whenever they're able to re-live that story, either through old matches or new ones. When Mick Foley sacrifices himself for the good of a match, you can't help but respect that. Plus, he's one of the most creative people the business has ever seen this side of Vince McMahon.

3. "Nature Boy" Ric Flair

I just finished watching "The Definitive Collection" DVD for a second time, and it's hard to find fault with his entire body of work. Although his gimmick wasn't always the most marketable out there and there will always be "ring generals" that can carry a bad opponent to a good match, there's never been someone who's done it so consistently for so long and with such style.

4. Bret "Hit Man" Hart

Okay, my natural Canadian bias is showing here, but Hart was involved in some of the most memorable technical matches of all time. I followed virtually all of his career, and I'd hard-pressed to find a show that his match didn't steal. Sure, there's always going to be bitterness over the way his WWF career ended, but I don't think that really takes away from his entire body of work.

5. "Stone Cold" Steve Austin

The Texas Rattlesnake has a presence to him that will never be duplicated. He's not the most powerful guy out there, nor is he the most technically sound, but virtually every match he ever competed in (at least from 1997 onwards) was an important one, and that was largely in part to his tremendous charisma, subtle sense of humor and ability to adapt to his opponent's style. It didn't matter if he was brawling with Triple H, chain-wrestling with Chris Benoit, or playing the paranoid heel against Kurt Angle; Stone Cold always held up his end of the match and then some. And that's the bottom line.

Happy Birthday, ZAH; hope it's a good one!

(You, too, Bulldog.   Everybody should send Bulldog birthday wishes.   Why should I have all the fun?   I just had Larry Sweeney participate in my column and I've got cake, too...I'm feeling a little guilty now.)