Who’s your favorite wrestler’s favorite wrestler?
Big E’s favorite wrestler is Goldberg
"I was a big Goldberg fan as a kid. I watched a lot of WCW and I loved the intensity he had. I don’t know why he needed so much security coming to the ring, but just the fact that he was surrounded by all these off-duty cops and random people, he had this cool, unique entrance and intensity that you never really saw before.
"I got to meet him 15 years ago at a signing. I was there with my dad and we were wearing suits because we were on our way to church. He complimented us on our suits, and the interaction was probably only 30 seconds, but I thought it was so cool to meet my hero. He lived up to, and exceeded, the hype.
"I don’t really have a favorite Goldberg match. I always think about his debut against Hugh Morrus as being the start of his run, but I just like to think about the phenomenon of Goldberg and his undefeated streak. I’d love to wrestle him. It looks like he’s in great shape. I don’t know if he’d be willing to come back, but that would be a dream come true."
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Cody Rhodes’ favorite wrestler is Sting
"My favorite wrestler is definitely Stinger.
"I was a WCW guy and WCW’s crowning achievement was probably the year-long run where he said nothing, came down from the rafters and haunted the nWo, which culminated in a match against Hollywood Hogan [at Starrcade 1997] that everybody wanted to see. And the guy they wanted to see win, did win. He had this element about him — even though he was built like an athlete and had the most impeccable gear, so many times he was pulling himself out of the gutter. He made a comeback like nobody else.
"As a Christmas present, he gave my family two boxes of his Sting merch shirt. It was kind of a gag gift. My mom would wear them every place we went. She always had a Sting scorpion shirt on. It was awesome."
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John Cena’s favorite wrestler is Mr. McMahon
"I gotta say Hogan. No, wait. Tying in my youth to my seniority, my pick is Vincent Kennedy McMahon. Absolutely.
"I wanted to say Hulk Hogan, but it was him and Vince together that grew WWE to heights beyond everything. And then, there's all that Vince has done from Hulkamania, to the Montreal situation, to the rivalry with Austin, to anytime he comes on television, he's my favorite. I’m biased, especially because of his entrepreneurial skills behind the scenes, but any time he comes out, something serious, weird, or seriously weird is going to happen.
"When I wrestled him in 2006, it was awful, but he knows how to entertain."
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Dolph Ziggler's favorite wrestler is Ric Flair
"Not only did Ric Flair style and profile for real — he showed up in suits, his hair looked perfect, he had shades on indoors — he was just the man. He was in the main events, and if he wasn’t, he made his match the main event. He showed up in limos, helicopters and everywhere he went he lived that 'Nature Boy' lifestyle. It wasn’t some persona for TV. It was, 'Ric Flair will always be Ric Flair.'
"In the ring, he could go with anyone. If he went out there with Hornswoggle or The Great Khali, he could somehow make it the greatest match of their careers. People like that, who constantly rise above everything and are known as ring generals, that’s what I model my career after."
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Seth Rollins’ favorite wrestler is Necro Butcher
"In the way that Sabu was revolutionary for his time, The Necro Butcher is that guy for our time. He channels all these great brawlers of the past, has this unique look and is completely fearless. I’ve wrestled with him and against him and he can do anything you need him to do. He’s actually very talented all-around in the ring, and on top of all that, he’s one of the smartest people I know. He graduated high school when he was 13 or 14-years-old.
"He’s just so captivating to watch, because anything could happen at any moment. Things could go crazy. His matches against Samoa Joe were such a strange clash of styles, they were incredible to watch. There’s just this crazy energy between the two of them, because Joe is this animal of a man, but Necro can take every single thing that Joe can dish out. You can feel it. Necro Butcher is something special."
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Mick Foley’s favorite wrestler is Terry Funk
"My favorite wrestler of all time is Terry Funk. It had been 'Superfly' Jimmy Snuka. He was the reason I got into wrestling, but once I'd been in wrestling a while, Terry Funk became my favorite.
"Funk became my favorite when I really got a chance to watch how he took over WCW in 1989. After piledriving Ric Flair, he had four to six weeks where he was appearing in front of a crowd who was largely unfamiliar with him. But he made himself familiar to them right away. I don't know if I've seen someone who could have that type of impact that immediately since then. You’ve gotta be able to turn that dial up to 11 when it’s your turn, and he knew how to turn it better than anybody."
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Mark Henry’s favorite wrestlers are Andre the Giant and The Undertaker
"Andre is the one who got me to be a true fan of wrestling and I have appreciated The Undertaker's greatness since I became a wrestler. But Andre would be the sparkplug for me.
"I've always been the type of guy who has been influenced by the way people perceive greatness and that’s what Andre had. All the greatest wrestlers looked up to Andre. I saw him in Beaumont, Texas, at the Beaumont Civic Center when I was a kid. I go back a little further than most people. I was probably eight or nine-years-old. It was super impressive to see someone that big, and at eight-years-old, he was even bigger for me.
"Leadership, respect and dominance has led me to appreciate Undertaker more as my career’s gone on. I've had my run-ins with him and I respect anybody who’s been able to have a legacy like he has. Knowing that I lost to him as a part of The Streak, it's good to know that I’m a part of history that will transcend the industry for the rest of time. It was special to work with him."
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The Miz’s favorite wrestler is The Ultimate Warrior
"If anybody says that they’re not their own favorite wrestler then what are they doing in this business?
"But when I was an eight-year-old Miz, I had streamers on my arms, painted my face and ran around screaming like The Ultimate Warrior and annoyed my mother all day every day. It was just his energy — every time he came out, running around and hitting clotheslines and doing splashes on everybody. It was who he was and I believed in him."
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Kofi Kingston’s favorite wrestler is Shawn Michaels
"In my opinion, the greatest wrestler of all time is Shawn Michaels. He was able to be at the top of his game across almost four decades. I’ve never seen him have a bad match and most of the matches he’s in are great. There are very few people out there who can wrestle anybody, regardless of their size or style, and Shawn Michaels is the best at doing that."
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Curtis Axel’s favorite wrestler is Mr. Perfect
"I’m kind of biased. My favorite wrestler was, obviously, Mr. Perfect.
"One of my earliest memories of seeing my dad was in the early to mid-80s when my grandfather [Larry "The Axe" Hennig] and my dad teamed up against The Legion of Doom in AWA. But when he became Mr. Perfect, his athletic ability and the way he looked pissed people off. He had that bleached blond hair, bright tan and wore bright outfits. He was always walking cocky and chewing gum all the time. He was arrogant, and when you see an arrogant guy walking down the street, you automatically hate that guy. That made him one of the top villains in WWE at the time. But his uniqueness was the way he moved in the ring. I try to mock some of his movements and athleticism in both offensive and defensive moves. Those things separated him from everyone else.
"Everybody’s going to say his best match was Mr. Perfect vs. Bret "Hit Man" Hart from SummerSlam '91, or him vs. Nick Bockwinkel in an hour-long match for the AWA Title. That’s stuff you’ll never see again, at least in this era, but my personal favorite match of his was Mr. Perfect vs. "Rowdy" Roddy Piper [on Maple Leaf Wrestling in 1991]. It was mostly a comedy match, but I loved it. I watched it over and over. My dad’s singlet was coming all the way down to his ankles. It was awesome. It’s hilarious, and it’s a great match."
Big E’s favorite wrestler is Goldberg
"I was a big Goldberg fan as a kid. I watched a lot of WCW and I loved the intensity he had. I don’t know why he needed so much security coming to the ring, but just the fact that he was surrounded by all these off-duty cops and random people, he had this cool, unique entrance and intensity that you never really saw before.
"I got to meet him 15 years ago at a signing. I was there with my dad and we were wearing suits because we were on our way to church. He complimented us on our suits, and the interaction was probably only 30 seconds, but I thought it was so cool to meet my hero. He lived up to, and exceeded, the hype.
"I don’t really have a favorite Goldberg match. I always think about his debut against Hugh Morrus as being the start of his run, but I just like to think about the phenomenon of Goldberg and his undefeated streak. I’d love to wrestle him. It looks like he’s in great shape. I don’t know if he’d be willing to come back, but that would be a dream come true."
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Cody Rhodes’ favorite wrestler is Sting
"My favorite wrestler is definitely Stinger.
"I was a WCW guy and WCW’s crowning achievement was probably the year-long run where he said nothing, came down from the rafters and haunted the nWo, which culminated in a match against Hollywood Hogan [at Starrcade 1997] that everybody wanted to see. And the guy they wanted to see win, did win. He had this element about him — even though he was built like an athlete and had the most impeccable gear, so many times he was pulling himself out of the gutter. He made a comeback like nobody else.
"As a Christmas present, he gave my family two boxes of his Sting merch shirt. It was kind of a gag gift. My mom would wear them every place we went. She always had a Sting scorpion shirt on. It was awesome."
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John Cena’s favorite wrestler is Mr. McMahon
"I gotta say Hogan. No, wait. Tying in my youth to my seniority, my pick is Vincent Kennedy McMahon. Absolutely.
"I wanted to say Hulk Hogan, but it was him and Vince together that grew WWE to heights beyond everything. And then, there's all that Vince has done from Hulkamania, to the Montreal situation, to the rivalry with Austin, to anytime he comes on television, he's my favorite. I’m biased, especially because of his entrepreneurial skills behind the scenes, but any time he comes out, something serious, weird, or seriously weird is going to happen.
"When I wrestled him in 2006, it was awful, but he knows how to entertain."
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Dolph Ziggler's favorite wrestler is Ric Flair
"Not only did Ric Flair style and profile for real — he showed up in suits, his hair looked perfect, he had shades on indoors — he was just the man. He was in the main events, and if he wasn’t, he made his match the main event. He showed up in limos, helicopters and everywhere he went he lived that 'Nature Boy' lifestyle. It wasn’t some persona for TV. It was, 'Ric Flair will always be Ric Flair.'
"In the ring, he could go with anyone. If he went out there with Hornswoggle or The Great Khali, he could somehow make it the greatest match of their careers. People like that, who constantly rise above everything and are known as ring generals, that’s what I model my career after."
-------------------------------------------------------------
Seth Rollins’ favorite wrestler is Necro Butcher
"In the way that Sabu was revolutionary for his time, The Necro Butcher is that guy for our time. He channels all these great brawlers of the past, has this unique look and is completely fearless. I’ve wrestled with him and against him and he can do anything you need him to do. He’s actually very talented all-around in the ring, and on top of all that, he’s one of the smartest people I know. He graduated high school when he was 13 or 14-years-old.
"He’s just so captivating to watch, because anything could happen at any moment. Things could go crazy. His matches against Samoa Joe were such a strange clash of styles, they were incredible to watch. There’s just this crazy energy between the two of them, because Joe is this animal of a man, but Necro can take every single thing that Joe can dish out. You can feel it. Necro Butcher is something special."
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Mick Foley’s favorite wrestler is Terry Funk
"My favorite wrestler of all time is Terry Funk. It had been 'Superfly' Jimmy Snuka. He was the reason I got into wrestling, but once I'd been in wrestling a while, Terry Funk became my favorite.
"Funk became my favorite when I really got a chance to watch how he took over WCW in 1989. After piledriving Ric Flair, he had four to six weeks where he was appearing in front of a crowd who was largely unfamiliar with him. But he made himself familiar to them right away. I don't know if I've seen someone who could have that type of impact that immediately since then. You’ve gotta be able to turn that dial up to 11 when it’s your turn, and he knew how to turn it better than anybody."
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Mark Henry’s favorite wrestlers are Andre the Giant and The Undertaker
"Andre is the one who got me to be a true fan of wrestling and I have appreciated The Undertaker's greatness since I became a wrestler. But Andre would be the sparkplug for me.
"I've always been the type of guy who has been influenced by the way people perceive greatness and that’s what Andre had. All the greatest wrestlers looked up to Andre. I saw him in Beaumont, Texas, at the Beaumont Civic Center when I was a kid. I go back a little further than most people. I was probably eight or nine-years-old. It was super impressive to see someone that big, and at eight-years-old, he was even bigger for me.
"Leadership, respect and dominance has led me to appreciate Undertaker more as my career’s gone on. I've had my run-ins with him and I respect anybody who’s been able to have a legacy like he has. Knowing that I lost to him as a part of The Streak, it's good to know that I’m a part of history that will transcend the industry for the rest of time. It was special to work with him."
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The Miz’s favorite wrestler is The Ultimate Warrior
"If anybody says that they’re not their own favorite wrestler then what are they doing in this business?
"But when I was an eight-year-old Miz, I had streamers on my arms, painted my face and ran around screaming like The Ultimate Warrior and annoyed my mother all day every day. It was just his energy — every time he came out, running around and hitting clotheslines and doing splashes on everybody. It was who he was and I believed in him."
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Kofi Kingston’s favorite wrestler is Shawn Michaels
"In my opinion, the greatest wrestler of all time is Shawn Michaels. He was able to be at the top of his game across almost four decades. I’ve never seen him have a bad match and most of the matches he’s in are great. There are very few people out there who can wrestle anybody, regardless of their size or style, and Shawn Michaels is the best at doing that."
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Curtis Axel’s favorite wrestler is Mr. Perfect
"I’m kind of biased. My favorite wrestler was, obviously, Mr. Perfect.
"One of my earliest memories of seeing my dad was in the early to mid-80s when my grandfather [Larry "The Axe" Hennig] and my dad teamed up against The Legion of Doom in AWA. But when he became Mr. Perfect, his athletic ability and the way he looked pissed people off. He had that bleached blond hair, bright tan and wore bright outfits. He was always walking cocky and chewing gum all the time. He was arrogant, and when you see an arrogant guy walking down the street, you automatically hate that guy. That made him one of the top villains in WWE at the time. But his uniqueness was the way he moved in the ring. I try to mock some of his movements and athleticism in both offensive and defensive moves. Those things separated him from everyone else.
"Everybody’s going to say his best match was Mr. Perfect vs. Bret "Hit Man" Hart from SummerSlam '91, or him vs. Nick Bockwinkel in an hour-long match for the AWA Title. That’s stuff you’ll never see again, at least in this era, but my personal favorite match of his was Mr. Perfect vs. "Rowdy" Roddy Piper [on Maple Leaf Wrestling in 1991]. It was mostly a comedy match, but I loved it. I watched it over and over. My dad’s singlet was coming all the way down to his ankles. It was awesome. It’s hilarious, and it’s a great match."
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