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Thread: Who Is The Icon Of Hardcore Wrestling?

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    What the fucks up Dennys! Nash Diesel's Avatar
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    Who Is The Icon Of Hardcore Wrestling?

    Mick Foley. Onita. Terry Funk. Sabu. New Jack. Tommy Dreamer. Zandig. Abdullah the Butcher. Mr. Pogo.

    Many others associated with hardcore wrestling you could add to the list. But who is THE Icon of hardcore wrestling?

    For me it's Foley. He was the guy who exposed me to that style of wrestling starting with him as Cactus Jack in WCW. But my interest really peaked when the WWF did those interview segments and they showed footage of the death match tournament he had won. Now prior to that interview I had seen a little of FMW and Big Japan in PWI magazines so I had an idea about Cactus, Onita, Mr. Pogo, etc. But the WWF stuff really made me seek it out.

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    Window Licker MikeHunt's Avatar
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    croatia
    I am going to throw Nerco Butchers and Onita names into the mix here.

    Also UK scene Jimmy Havoc and Mickey Whipwreck.

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    World Champion Donald's Avatar
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    Hardcore Holly lololololol

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    Quote Originally Posted by MikeHunt View Post
    I am going to throw Nerco Butchers and Onita names into the mix here.

    Also UK scene Jimmy Havoc and Mickey Whipwreck.
    Onita has to be a close 2nd-3rd for me under Foley.

    My top 3 would be for sure Foley, and then Funk and Onita battling out those 2-3 spots.

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    too big to fail Tainted Eclipse's Avatar
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    Foley is God. I fully accept Foley and Funk as the guys who defined this genre.

    When it comes to the WWE Hardcore title, though, I will always and forever associate it with Crash Holly

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    usa
    Quote Originally Posted by Nash Diesel View Post
    Mick Foley. Onita. Terry Funk. Sabu. New Jack. Tommy Dreamer. Zandig. Abdullah the Butcher. Mr. Pogo.

    Many others associated with hardcore wrestling you could add to the list. But who is THE Icon of hardcore wrestling?

    For me it's Foley. He was the guy who exposed me to that style of wrestling starting with him as Cactus Jack in WCW. But my interest really peaked when the WWF did those interview segments and they showed footage of the death match tournament he had won. Now prior to that interview I had seen a little of FMW and Big Japan in PWI magazines so I had an idea about Cactus, Onita, Mr. Pogo, etc. But the WWF stuff really made me seek it out.
    I'd say Foley too, but let's not forget about Mad Man Pondo.

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    What the fucks up Dennys! Nash Diesel's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by DVDA View Post
    I'd say Foley too, but let's not forget about Mad Man Pondo.
    lol. In terms of super underground hardcore icons, for sure. Mad Man Pondo, Sick Nick Mondo, Zandig, those cats were crazy.

    I also want to give some love to Ryuji Ito and Jun Kasai. I wouldn't say they are THE icon of hardcore wrestling but very dope hardcore wrestlers.

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    usa
    I got mad love for Matsunaga too. I don't think there is anybody as nuts as that dude.

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    World Champion Donald's Avatar
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    In terms of WWE, the early stages of the hardcore title were great, when it was guys like Bob Holly, Al Snow, and Big Bossman tearing it up. Probably a lot tamer than those ECW freaks but still entertaining.

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    Isaiah 40:30-31 Hero!'s Avatar
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    For me, personally:

    US 90s hardcore: Sabu
    Japan 90s hardcore: Hayabusa
    2000s hardcore: Necro Butcher
    2010’s hardcore: Jimmy Havoc (uk) Nick gage (US)

    - - - Updated - - -

    Big honorable mention to Abyss. Dude was keeping hardcore alive in TNA for 15 years.

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    Quote Originally Posted by Donald View Post
    In terms of WWE, the early stages of the hardcore title were great, when it was guys like Bob Holly, Al Snow, and Big Bossman tearing it up. Probably a lot tamer than those ECW freaks but still entertaining.
    I agree. I wasn't a big fan of the Hardcore title when they started doing the 24/7 rule with Crash Holly. For what it was it was cool I guess but I was a fan of the very start: Road Dogg, Snow, Bossman, Holly. Then when they ditched that rule and the belt was on RVD and The Undertaker, I liked it then as well.

    Quote Originally Posted by Hero! View Post
    For me, personally:

    US 90s hardcore: Sabu
    Japan 90s hardcore: Hayabusa
    2000s hardcore: Necro Butcher
    2010’s hardcore: Jimmy Havoc (uk) Nick gage (US)

    - - - Updated - - -

    Big honorable mention to Abyss. Dude was keeping hardcore alive in TNA for 15 years.
    Big props to Abyss. His match with Sabu with the barbed wire was fucking nuts.

    Also, who is the dude that had to retire pretty young that would put syringes in his cheek? Not Sick Nick Mondo, this guy was after Sick Nick I think. He had long hair, very scrawny and white. I believe he was a UK wrestler as well, might have been forced to retire due to paralyzing injuries.....My oldest son would hype him up a lot and he can't remember who it is either.

    *EDIT* After various google entries, THUMBTACK JACK is who I'm thinking of lol.

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    Foley.

    End.

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    - Jerry Lawler, Bill Dundee, Larry Latham, and Wayne Ferris invented hardcore wrestling in 1979.
    - Abdullah The Butcher made a 30 year careeer out of it.
    - Foley made it palatable, for Turner, in WCW.
    - Terry Funk was “hardcore” in the WWF, “before it was cool”.
    - Sabu made hardcore innovative in the 90’s.
    - Crash Holly made hardcore mainstream and comical in the 2000’s.
    - Abyss kept old-school hardcore alive in TNA.
    - Necro Butcher made hardcore scary again.
    - Dean Ambrose madeover hardcore in the PG image in WWE.

    Who am I forgetting?

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    Who am I forgetting?
    Maybe Randy the Ram, aka "The Wrestler", aka Mickey Rourke, showed the world what happens to Hardcore Wrestlers - which pretty much killed a lot of fans' desire for the hardcore style

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    for me you, OP has a pretty great list but my favorites will always be:

    Abdullah the Butcher
    Hayabusa
    Mr Pogo
    Cactus Jack
    Sandman
    Sabu
    Raven
    Abyss

    honorable mention guilty pleasure: Madman Pondo

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    No love for Megumi Kudo?

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    Quote Originally Posted by Sasori View Post
    No love for Megumi Kudo?
    Megumi Kudo is the shit. I used to have the FMW show on dvd where she faced Shark Tsuchiya for her retirement in a "No ropes 200V double hell double barbed wire barricade double landmine glass crush death match". That was my first exposure to real ultraviolent wrestling.

    Sabu will always be a strong personal favorite of mine, and I still think there are things he did that can never be replicated without it being a literal tribute to Sabu. The dude was a fucking Chair Magician.

    Terry Funk and Abby are great shouts as the frontrunners of the early wave.

    For me, though, Mick Foley is the hardcore icon. He made it transcendant. The visions he had of bumps and big moments in a match were unreal, and it translated into not only one of the most entertaining hardcore wrestlers of all-time, but arguably the best character in wrestling. His promo work was insane, and it only added to the nuance of the character. You believed him when he was out there, and whether you were booing or cheering him, you were invested because he felt kind of...real.

    He's also absolutely insane.

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    Megumi Kudo vs Combat Toyota is my favorite match of all-time

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    What the fucks up Dennys! Nash Diesel's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Sasori View Post
    No love for Megumi Kudo?
    Serious love for Megumi Kudo. Thank you Insane Clown Posse for the classic "STRANGLEMANIA" which was basically them doing their own commentary over various Japanese death matches, most that took place during that king of the death match tournament Cactus Sack won.

    Kudo was on this tape, I believe it was the Combat Toyoda match, fell in love.

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    Quote Originally Posted by Psycho666Soldier View Post
    Megumi Kudo is the shit. I used to have the FMW show on dvd where she faced Shark Tsuchiya for her retirement in a "No ropes 200V double hell double barbed wire barricade double landmine glass crush death match". That was my first exposure to real ultraviolent wrestling.
    Quote Originally Posted by Sinner View Post
    Megumi Kudo vs Combat Toyota is my favorite match of all-time
    Quote Originally Posted by Nash Diesel View Post
    Serious love for Megumi Kudo. Thank you Insane Clown Posse for the classic "STRANGLEMANIA" which was basically them doing their own commentary over various Japanese death matches, most that took place during that king of the death match tournament Cactus Sack won.

    Kudo was on this tape, I believe it was the Combat Toyoda match, fell in love.
    And what's crazy is that FMW never expected the women to compete in Death Matches. It was Megumi's idea. She thought that if the men were doing it, the women should too. Because of that, they were legit feared in the other Women's promotions. When they would do those inter-promotional shows, only a few like Aja Kong and Bull Nakano were brave enough to face them.

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    What the fucks up Dennys! Nash Diesel's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Sasori View Post
    And what's crazy is that FMW never expected the women to compete in Death Matches. It was Megumi's idea. She thought that if the men were doing it, the women should too. Because of that, they were legit feared in the other Women's promotions. When they would do those inter-promotional shows, only a few like Aja Kong and Bull Nakano were brave enough to face them.
    Do me a huge favor and follow my homeboy Bret. He is without a shadow of a doubt the biggest FMW fan EVER. You can find him on Twitter @ BAHUFMW and Instagram (which I prefer) @ Bahufmwworld

    He also has a Youtube page chronicling the history of FMW. Most videos you find of FMW I bet he's been the one who uploaded them.

    Seriously, this dude has been to Japan so many times and he posts cool fucking pictures of him with Megumi, Onita, the list goes on. He has some really really rare merch, especially stuff related to Hayabusa.

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    Main Eventer Horatio's Avatar
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    Can't go without mentioning Stone Cold Steve Austin. Along with rock and foley and mcmahon them chairshots used to hurt

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    What the fucks up Dennys! Nash Diesel's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by corinoismybestfriend View Post
    Can't go without mentioning Stone Cold Steve Austin. Along with rock and foley and mcmahon them chairshots used to hurt
    Yep Foley's been mentioned about 100 times so far but I don't know about the others being ICONS of this style of wrestling.

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    Main Eventer Horatio's Avatar
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    grenadines
    Sledgehammers are rare

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    Quote Originally Posted by corinoismybestfriend View Post
    Sledgehammers are rare
    I'm almost positive this is you in real life:


  27. #27
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    Quote Originally Posted by 3puppies View Post
    Foley is God. I fully accept Foley and Funk as the guys who defined this genre.

    When it comes to the WWE Hardcore title, though, I will always and forever associate it with Crash Holly
    You left an O out.

    Foley is good.

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    In addition to the ones you named, I would throw in New Jack, Hardcore, and Crash Holly.
    My mind goes to ECW and the Hardcore division when I think of this topic.

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    for me Sabu made Hardcore in 90s IMO

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    What the fucks up Dennys! Nash Diesel's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by ckauffman28 View Post
    for me Sabu made Hardcore in 90s IMO
    Legend!

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