h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

It can never match the heights of the early nineties though - Wrestlemania VI is still the peak as far as I'm concerned. Maybe I'm just too old now.....

No no no. The pinacle of choreagraphed wrestling was on UK TV in the seventies, with real stars like Giant Haystacks and Kendo Nagasaki. Cheered on by a live audience, a large propotion of whom appeared to be homicidal grannys. When I were a lad, sigh, kids these days, don't know they're born, etc.

I was watching the WWF back in the mid-eighties, possibly '85 or '86, and I can tell you that THAT was the pinnacle of the World Wrestling Federation's show. Rowdy Roddy Piper in his kilt. Hulk Hogan and the Million Dollar Man or whatever his name was. Ted something. My brother, our friends and I got so into the plots and story lines. However, even then at the tender age of 11 or 12, I wondered if those guys got together for a couple of beers after the show. My favorite parts were the interviews, where they would bad mouth each other and maybe there would be a visit from the object of derision and threats would be exchanged. There was always shouting, spittle flying and a chair thrown. Those were the days, I tell you.

I always thought WWF type wrestling was watched by a bunch of maniac grannies (yelling at big sweaty guys in tights), that's probably because I grew up in England.

You ever see Mexican wrestling? Much the same thing - except they all like to wear full facial masks, and have names like the "Canadian Vampire". In the 60s a famous "movie" star, was "El Santo" who left his wrestling career following an injury to persue a movie career. He made wonderfully silly horror movies - fighting evil in his wrestling suit. Such titles as "Santo vs the diabolical brain", "Santo vs the vampire women", etc. I don't thinkBlockbuster rents them out, but you can probably find hem somewhere - I've even seen a Santo movie on late night Canadian TV>

Ted DiBiase. Now there was a villain you could really loathe. Remember the will Virgil rebel storyline?

I actually prefer it now, mostly because I never could stand Hulk Hogan. I used to call him the Grandad because my eleven year old English mind just could not accept that any man would bleach their hair voluntarily, so I was sure it was white because he was so old! I couldn't appreciate the "Real American" thing either.

My Gran was one of those Grannies watching the British wrestling! She used to tell us stories about her favourite wrestler when she was a girl, I forget his name but he used to always lose and then chase the ref to the locker room and come back waving a pair of trousers which allegedly belonged to the ref. She said even then everyone knew it was faked, but that didn't stop them enjoying it. Nothing changes!!!

Gar

For me, the Ultimate Warrior was the pinnacle of Profesional wrestling in terms of Microphone work,storylines and the bast Damn character the WWE ever had. He may not have been as athletic as todays performers but he more than made up for it in other ways.

I do not think there is a wrestler that can compare or ever will compare. HE was in the words of the great Bret Hart "the best there was, the best there is and the best there ever will be!!!" (i cant stand that catchphrase)