Best Mediocre Wrestlers

[odessasteps]

Matt took me to task over my greatly undervaluing Babyface Martel. 

[Execproducer]

I went into the Army in October of 85' and saw next to no wrestling for three years, so I missed most of Martel's championship run. I do remember seeing a long ass t.v. taping at the Showboat, where he wrestled a couple of times, including once against Kamala, though I'm very hazy on the date. I do remember very clearly watching highlights of the title victory over Jumbo on All-Star Wrestling with my dad.

Rick dropped an elbow on Jumbo's back and my dad was all, "C'mon Rick!! You're better than that!!!!". Those were the days, my friends. 

[Control]

He did have really good punches.

[Matt D]

It's amazing how neutered he was a heel in WWF too. I'm not saying that you have to do a lot of stuff. I'm the last guy to say that. But he definitely had a lot more stuff than he either chose or was allowed to use in WWF. We have very little of him as a heel outside of that, but by far the most interesting match is this:

 

 

[Mister TV]

Martel should be in the above average group!

 

In tag matches was very good as either the face in peril or the face coming in like a house of fire after getting he hot tag. 

[SorceressKnight]

12 hours ago, Control said:

I like Terry Taylor too, but was he ever at the centre of anything great? He was always a fun baby face in whatever Midsouth footage I’ve watched, but none of it was essential.

This seems like a better mediocre choice.

Terry Taylor seems more like he'd be in that category of wrestlers where  people wax poetic for him less for what he WAS (a pretty good babyface who was solid  but nothing to write home about), and more for what he REPRESENTS (namely: he was a rising prospect who was made the Red Rooster, and it destroyed his career.)

He's still a mediocre wrestler, but talking about how WWE killed his career by making him the Red Rooster angries up the blood enough so people won't see he was...well, a solid but mediocre babyface (and ironically, EXACTLY THE RIGHT person you use to play the Red Rooster.) 

[Ryan]

Bret Hart, again.

[Yo-Yo's Roomie]

This thread has jumped the shark if we're bringing up Rick fucking Martel, possessor of some of the best babyface fire ever. 

[AxB]

Not only that, we were talking about Terry Taylor on page one. 

[Ryan]

Wait until I bring up Bret Hart for a third time and actually mean it; then, we are officially done.

[Brian Fowler]

Martel also had that random but awesome WCW run in the mix with Booker, Benoit, etc for the TV title.

[BurningBeard]

12 hours ago, Yo-Yo's Roomie said:

This thread has jumped the shark if we're bringing up Rick fucking Martel, possessor of some of the best babyface fire ever. 

A perfectly good point to close this inane thread

[Custos]

13 hours ago, happjack said:

Martel should be in the above average group!

 

In tag matches was very good as either the face in peril or the face coming in like a house of fire after getting he hot tag. 

He’s hot tagging Mike Sanders (?!?!?!) and yes, definitely doesn’t belong in this thread for many reasons 

[Curt McGirt]

Mike Sanders? Like 'showed up in BJPW when they still had the P, was witness to Shadow WX setting himself on fire' Mike Sanders?

[rainmakerrtv]

1 hour ago, Curt McGirt said:

Mike Sanders? Like 'showed up in BJPW when they still had the P, was witness to Shadow WX setting himself on fire' Mike Sanders?

You are thinking of Mike Samples. They are talking about late period WCW mid-carder "Above Average" Mike Sanders.

[Curt McGirt]

Now I strangely want to see Mike Samples in the US

See, this thread can serve a purpose...

[Pete]

34 minutes ago, Curt McGirt said:

Now I strangely want to see Mike Samples in the US

See, this thread can serve a purpose...

I actually dug Samples on the Memphis TV I used to get from my old college bro Brian. Big burly guy who could work, solid selling and on the mic, seemed equally comfortable as a loudmouth heel or rally-the-troops babyface.

[Ryan]

Wrestling Observer legend, HIV Kid, from Incredibly Strange Wrestling.