Jim Cornette on The NWA's Mount Rushmore

From Episode 147 of Jim Cornette's Drive Thru
Artwork by Travis Heckel!
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[@thefinnishchamp]

Good question, but you can't have WWE Mount Rushmore without Bruno

[@rude73dog]

Kwizera Moses If you don’t drop Colt for the Question mark, asses will be kicked

[@SAM-ru4vx]

Bruno is from the regional days not the cable tv era. Sorry but he is not on my list.

[@drg5352]

Without Bruno Sammartino, the WWF would have died. He saved the then WWWF in the 60's, then was blackmailed out of retirement in the early 80's to save it from bankruptcy again during the national expansion.

[@marcelmoreau2733]

Yes you can. Bruno on WWWF Rushmore bu not WWE. Have to consider them as different companies.

[@alie6718]

Thank you for your messages. Growing up in the late 90’s, I was only exposed to the attitude era on forward. However when going back, I’ve gained huge appreciation for 70’s and 80’s nwa and would argue that it even produced better content than what wwf had on at the time. Having said that, it’s difficult to put Cena out of the Mount Rushmore because of his overall run and contribution to the business. Hogan will also be a given. Austin is probably the most popular wrestler of all time specifically within the wrestling fans/community. And finally, I cannot find a way to remove Rocky because he was the perfect package of what the face of wrestling for the mainstream fans would look like as well as his work in such a short run which surpassed 99% of the wrestlers from any era. Having said that, Bruno deserves the recognition as well.

[@mrg8581]

Mid to late 1980's WWF Mount Rushmore of Jobbers. "Iron" Mike Sharpe. " The Brooklyn Brawler" Steve Lombardi. Barry Horowitz and SD Jones.

[@hkg8788]

Pete Doherty, Terry Gibbs, Mario Mancini, Steve Gatorwolf

[@jdspreest]

Mario Mancini should be front and center of the Jobber Mt. Rushmore

[@rasputingrigori8901]

Shame on you for omitting Duane Gill.

[@TheSwerveShow]

😂

[@VivaPR21]

“From the West Indies, SD ‘Special Delivery’ Jones!” Goddamn I remember that like it was yesterday....

[@masterjay7163]

NWA Mount Rushmore Lou Thez, Buddy Rodgers, Ric Flair and Harley Race

[@thesupervisor3270]

She said “tell the youngsters about Terry Funk” but your memory only goes back to Survivor Series 97? Oooooh kkkkk and Sting goes on the WCW Mount Rushmore NOT NWA

[@SuperDevolution]

Sting, Flair, NWO (maybe?), Goldberg (maybe?). The Mount Rushmore of WCW is actually a lot harder because they were hot for such a brief period of time that it's hard to judge who belongs on it. Flair and Sting are easy for longevity, but I'm kind of meh on everyone else.

[@douglaswilson95]

Yep

[@cirenosnor5768]

Goldberg??? C’mon

[@natehandford5030]

@@SuperDevolution It would have been Flair, Sting, DDP and Nash. The 80s top guy and the three 90s top guys. Goldberg was getting stale. Some people were chanting Goldberg sucks in the buildings.

[@SuperDevolution]

@@natehandford5030 Nash might have booked himself for the spot, but I don't think he was ever big enough on his own. It was a package deal with the NWO. I liked DDP, but I don't think he was one of the 4 most important or biggest guys in company history. Except for the Sting/NWO angle in '97, no one in company history drew more than Goldberg in '98. He was on fire until bad booking did him in too.

[@supmyd00d]

It's painful to hear some of these fan emails because it seems a lot of them think wrestling began in the '80s.

[@andrecoleman9200]

@ShadowAngel I agree, Sting? Cena - get real. Blassie alone influenced the business more than these kids know

[@tammyforbes2101]

ShadowAngel actually it did cause that’s when Cable TV went main stream! Before then if you wanted to watch wrestling you had to go to a regional show yourself and watch it. The 80’s came along and cable and changed it al! Vince seen this and knew it was the way of the future. Territory’s began dying off and he just took it al over corporate style! So in a way for most but the hardcore fans it kind of did start in the 80’s for most people. Hulk brought wrestling to the masses!

[@jenisia3600]

This ☝

[@andrecoleman9200]

@ShadowAngel Only area I will disagree is wrestling journalists. Journalists do research

[@supmyd00d]

@@tammyforbes2101 You didn't have to "go" to an event to see wrestling. They aired wrestling on television in nearly every big market. It was just regional across the U.S. (WWWF in the Northeast, Georgia Championship Wrestling in Georgia, Mid-Atlantic in the Carolinas, etc.)

[@poindexterflex3528]

Cena is not in any Rushmore conversation at all.

[@redpanda3815]

Well that’s not true at all the man was a draw for years and had some amazing feuds

[@poindexterflex3528]

@@redpanda3815 Sure he was. Sure he did.

[@randyshopher7146]

Gorgeous George made wrestling viable on tv. Sputnik Monroe was instrumental in bringing black folks into the fold.

[@IanSane]

I'll do some quick math and look up what the longest combined NWA title reigns were. The four longest are Lou Thesz, Ric Flair, Harley Race and Dory Funk Jr. That seems like a good enough Mt. Rushmore to me.

[@johneaston918]

You could put Dusty over Funk

[@kevinbrown-ge6sz]

This is wrestling, not boxing. Title reigns shouldn't mean everything. Dusty was a bigger star than Dory and probably Harley. Even when Dusty was under contract in Florida in the mid seventies, he could be loaned out to McMahon or the Crocketts and have sell out crowds in those territories.

[@loudenkliehr3633]

@Joe Greene You're high. Dusty drew in the AWA when he was a heel, Florida, Georgia, Detroit, WWWF/WWF (when they returned to the NWA pre-Titan), Mid Atlantic, MId South, Amarillo, and pre-World Class Dallas. I'm not real good at math but I count more than 1, maybe 2. Messing with you, Joe. As much as Dusty meant to 70s NWA, mainly the Southern territories, so he didn't carry the belt the way Thesz, Race, Funk Jr, and Flair when he got his chance. What I'm saying is that I agree and disagree with both of you.

[@tempestfennac9687]

I was thinking the same thing due to not being overly familiar with a lot of people who were active at the time (I only got into wrestling in the mid-'90s and I'm guessing none of the US promotions outside of the WWF and WCW aired stuff over here before that point). I can see Jim's point about Buddy Rogers being important but that to be more about how he changed wrestling history rather than the NWA itself.

[@Kfowlkes09]

@@johneaston918 No, you couldn't. Dory and Harley were travelling champs. Dusty wasn't. They were exposed to a much more eclectic audience.

[@cgruthlessorder2548]

Mount Rushmore of NWA Ric Flair, Dusty Rhodes, Harley Race , and Lou Thesz. Honorable mention Jack Brisco very underrated wrestler

[@csnide6702]

Jack Briscoe ... ! the big Indian from Oklahoma.... in NCAA he had a great hold called the pipewrench - a headlock variation.

[@jasperdriver8546]

Wahoo McDaniel was criminally underrated

[@chadk890]

His heel turn was bad ASS.

[@jasperdriver8546]

I thought the Crockets missed the boat big-time on a potential wahoo versus flair match at star cade 84 But going with big dust wasn’t bad either

[@TranceMasterJack]

I broke Wahoo's leg! 7

[@jasonjimerson7046]

Thank you, Mr. Last for bringing up Harley Race. The reason why Teddy Roosevelt is on Mt. Rushmore is because he created the National Parks system which includes Mt. Rushmore.

[@bogmon]

Imagine the wasteland of America if Teddy doesn’t preserve our public lands. What a visionary. .

[@clevelandleathermaker299]

Let's be honest, Teddy Roosevelt wanted to make sure there would be enough animals to kill in the future, and everyone went along with it because if there wasn't any animals he'd start hunting people.

[@tylerbushong3452]

Only reason Jefferson’s on it is because of the Louisiana Purchase.

[@michaelstagar4254]

To be fair he was the first modern president. TR was the original 20th century president.

[@smartphonerick]

love these podcast from cornette..they really make my day easier

[@rich19727]

It’s still real to me damnit!

[@noahhossman7070]

I have a job where I drive a lot and these podcasts definitely make the time go by.

[@blacksmith44]

To have a "Mount Rushmore" in the WWF without Bruno Sammartino is just wrong!

[@yoholmes273]

Bruno, Hogan, Austin. Cena

[@MaxxCoyote]

@@yoholmes273 No way Cena goes in over Andre

[@yoholmes273]

@@MaxxCoyote You're right. I fucked up

[@Whatwhatwhatwhatwhatwhatwhat]

@@MaxxCoyote and this is what fucks the whole Rushmore question up lmao

[@thegoughandbordenfamily8234]

@@MaxxCoyote Cena is the poster boy for a crap Era. He goes nowhere near Mt rushmore

[@Mr.Majestic77]

I think I speak everyone in saying the NWA Mount Rushmore needs to have a much bigger list lol.

[@teapulp]

Y'know, Corny really looks like Mark Mothersbaugh.

[@ricflairslastdoobie7605]

Context: Mark Mothersbaugh is an original member of Devo as well as the dude who does soundtracks including Rugrats

[@channelynta-yourlocalpubli244]

YES. HE. DOES.

[@je7055]

Holy shit, will never be able to unsee it.

[@sammmm87]

Thought the same thing, huge fan of both

[@mikelong2756]

And I bet your Mark from Markville Mississippi 😂

[@SuperDevolution]

When they sculpted the Mount Rushmore, there were only about 30 Presidents at the time. If I'm being honest, most of them were crappy or mediocre, (Nobody's putting Buchanan, Fillmore, Pierce, Johnson, Tyler, or William Henry Harrison on anything) so it wasn't exactly a tough competition. That's why "Who's on the Mount Rushmore of X" with this level of competition never makes sense to me.

[@mike04574]

Adams?

[@williamflowers9435]

The real problem with making a Mt. Rushmore is that everyone thinks it’s the 4 best… Washington represents the birth/founding of the nation Jefferson… the expansion of the nation (Louisiana purchase, manifest destiny) Lincoln… the unity of the nation (holding it together thru civil war and reunification) Roosevelt… the nation becoming a world power (acquired territories, Spanish American War)

[@mr.mirchenstein6549]

Can’t forget about Ed The Strangler Lewis either….That’s why these lists are impossible. Wrestling has been around for too long for just 4 names…

[@jonbaird8835]

Mount Rushmore of NWA? Ric Flair, Terry Funk, Harley Race, and Dusty Rhodes. Sting was GREAT. Once in a generation talent; but Harley Race has GOT to be there.

[@shanebagin]

You have the same Mt. Rushmore as me.

[@Herbert_Rudolf]

If you dont put Lou Thesz on a NWA Mount Rushmore you are out of your mind

[@mike04574]

take terry funk out

[@EddieHenderson92]

@@mike04574 NO

[@sonic-qh7ed]

harley race is no.1. no doubt.

[@davidlayne4147]

Allie from Toronto, Ontario? Is The Bunny stalking Jim? Maybe she's taking knowledge of real wrestling back to AEW.

[@210Dinero]

WWE: Bruno, Hogan, Austin, Cena NWA: Thesz, Rodgers, Harley, Flair

[@wackozackoyt]

This is spot on

[@thefranchise2356]

Can't support it. I'd yank Cena and put Rock up there. Rock transcended the business even when he was active and continues to.

[@scooobydoo27]

Taker has to be on there.

[@bryanmurphy1107]

@Joe Greene longevity though, Taker drew serious money over the years and sold s shit tonne of merchandise

[@rude73dog]

Joe Greene Andre was worldwide favorite. Hard to put him in one company

[@TheSaveme1]

WWE André the Giant Hulk Hogan Steve Austin The Rock

[@whitebathroomguy]

NWA mount Rushmore.. Bill Mulkey, Randy Barber, George South and Thunderfoot...Ray Traylor as a jobber to Tully Blanchard before becoming big bubba Rogers...lol

[@fmthebaron]

Rock and Austin don't deserve to be on there since they were only big stars for 5 years basically (1998-2002). HBK and Undertaker deserve to be on there more than anyone for being loyal in WWE throughout everything, 80's (HBK coming in 87), (Taker starting in 90) 90's, 2000's, 2010's, till now in 2020 where HBK is teaching NXT students and Undertaker had just wrestled at WM.

[@Herbert_Rudolf]

WWE Mount Rushmore: Bruno Sammartino, Hulk Hogan, The Undertaker, John Cena

[@northleedspoppa]

Londis/thesz/flair/race That was incredibly easy (Nw association/NW alliance)

[@darklordojeda]

The guy who wrote in is a chump. He's listened to 10 hours of Cornette, well damn that certainly gives him precedent to have his cliche Mount Rushmore. He listed the guys that even non wrestling fans know. Should have called this chump out.

[@trapmontana9440]

The many faces of Jim

[@pabsts____3964]

Looks like Jim turns into JJ Dillon.

[@eugeneturner8666]

Lou thesz Flair Race Funk jr

[@subalbiswas1608]

How many times are u going to comment that 😅

[@unchainamv2912]

Harley race is on my nwa rushmore

[@TheMagnificentMongoSlade]

The WWF Mt. Rushmore needs to feature Andre as well. So Bruno, Hulk, Andre and Austin.

[@christophmatthews4313]

Perfect.

[@mikegatti3349]

Tough to disagree

[@ikill4klondikebars]

Andre and not Taker?

[@bogmon]

Andre carried wrestling into a whole new level. Hogan isnt even Hogan without the Andre match at Wrestlemania. Kids like me grew up watching him on old black and white tvs wrestling three jobbers at a time. It was a glorious freak show

[@madddoggnogood1491]

WWF/E : Hogan, Taker, Rock , Austin or Hogan, Andre, Rock Austin Professional Wrestling History: Flair, Rock , Austin, Undertaker

[@davidmurray6949]

Terrible picks..... It should Jim Londos, Lou Thesz, Rick Flair, Harley Race NWA . WWE Bruno, Hogan, Austin, Undertaker

[@someparts]

Got clear to the end but the TDS still there. SAD

[@stephencraft2618]

All time: Hulk Hogan, Ric Flair, Bruno Sammartino and Lou Thesz

[@blacksmith44]

You have to put Sammartino ahead of everyone else, because his reign is longer than theirs!

[@Mister75199]

You cant leave out Harley Race

[@Herbert_Rudolf]

Actually should be: Lou Thesz, Jim Londos, Ric Flair and The Undertaker

[@n0m4nic]

Mt Rushmore is less a best of but rather a most prominant. Washington was the first president, Jefferson authored the Deceleration of Independence, Lincoln reunified the states, and Roosevelt created the parks system where the monument stands. NWA Lou Thesz- most prominent champion Verne Gagne- Biggest unofficial champion Orville Brown- first champion Buddy Rogers (as far from Thesz as possible)- major gimmick champion WWE Bruno Samartino- first original champion Hulk Hogan- brought wrestling to a mainstream audience Andre The Giant- biggest spectacle champion Stone Cold Steve Austin- initiated the most profitable wrestling period WCW Ric Flair-first champion Sting- the WCW guy champion Ron Simmons- first black champion Hollywood Hogan- NWO champion

[@n0m4nic]

@@Asfgxff The monument is of the first 130 years and who expanded or preserved the union. Theoretically, Zachary Taylor, Andrew Jackson, and Ulysses S Grant would be equally applicable. The worst Roosevelt did was get Woodrow Wilson elected, and our textbooks still suffer because of it, but the progressives of the time was far different from what we have today. Hell, their emphasis on muckraking would have a field day with the media we have now, and there would be a firm boot in the ass of big tech right now.

[@madddoggnogood1491]

For me WWF/E: Hogan, Rock, Austin, Undertaker Honorable mentions: Savage, Andre, Cena, Lesnar, HBK, Bret Hart WCW/JCP/GCW: Sting, Flair, Vader, Dusty Honorable mentions: Luger, Steamboat, The Steiners ECW: RVD, Tommy Dreamer, Tazz, The Dudleys Honorable mentions: Sabu, Sandman, Raven, Rhyno TNA/IMPACT : AJ Styles, Kurt Angle, Samoa Joe, Sting Honorable mentions: Jeff Hardy, EC3, Bobby Roode, Christian Cage NJPW: Inoki, Muta, Liger, Tanahashi Honorable mentions: Fujanami, Okada, Shinsuke Nakamura ROH: Bryan Danielson, CM Punk, Jay Lethal, Nigel Mcguiness Honorable mentions: Kevin Steen, The Briscoes, The Young Bucks, Adam Cole, Tyler Black Professional Wrestling History: Flair, Austin, Rock, Undertaker Honorable mentions: Dusty, Andre, Hogan, Savage

[@DC-wh2yk]

good list dude only I think I might have Bruno in WWF/E

[@chrishickey2151]

Professional Wrestling History - Add Bruno and subtract Rock. Bruno held the belt for 10 years Rock had 8 title Reigns that averaged 45 days each.

[@madddoggnogood1491]

@@chrishickey2151 so what??? This is my list do your own. Rock stays on mine

[@sammmm87]

Lol how does the rock make any of these ? Hes just your favorite wrestler?

[@robertsexton2965]

Well you left out the AWA

[@Ratmann8436]

WWE: Bruno. Hogan. Austin. Cena. NWA: Thesz. Harley. Dusty. Flair.

[@fearthescarecrow666]

Best way to do the Mt Rushmore argument is to do it by decade. 60s 70s 80s 90s 00s and 10s. Cause honestly its always gonna change

[@nickonite]

Here's a question for you. Guys like Hogan, Taker, Shawn, and AJ Styles who have been on top in multiple decades. Which decade would you correlate each to.

[@shubhamdeshpande6320]

@@nickonite hogan 80s, taker 90s and 2000s, Shawn 90s, AJ 2010s

[@LanceJ.]

@@nickonite AJ styles lol

[@EddieHenderson92]

Too much, best way to do it is your pre-1984 territory day wrestlers Mount Rushmore and a separate for the WWF/E guys starting with what Hogan kicked off in 1984.

[@siddhanth3044]

Sting on the NWA Rushmore doesn't work. On the WCW Mt. Rushmore, he would be on there first.

[@sgtraytango]

But then who else would go on it? Vader? Hogan? It wasn't him who turned business around, it was the nWo so maybe Nash or Hall? And then there'd be the later years when the younger wrestlers dominated the locker room, so who'd represent that? Booker T? Scott Steiner? Jeff Jarrett? Rey Mysterio Jr.?

[@brianpizza1344]

How the nwa blonde hair sting was more popping than flair at the time

[@Assenayo]

WCW mount Rushmore would be Sting, Flair, Goldberg and unfortunately, Hollywood Hogan

[@philiphowell6336]

When I think of NWA I think of Ric Flair, he should definitely be on there.

[@terryengland3212]

HARLEY RACE for sure imo!

[@Katie_The_Libra]

Wwf should be bruno, Hulk, Austin, and Cena

[@martyc909]

NWA: 1948-1988 Lou Thesz Ric Flair Harley Race Dory Funk Jr. WWF: 1963-2002 (I’m ending WWF in 2002, because after WWF bought WCW and became WWE, it was a different business. Just like we are not adding the Pioneer days pre-1952, the modern era is a different business and harder to compare.) Bruno Sammartino Hulk Hogan Steve Austin Pedro Morales For shits and giggles, the Pioneer Era (kayfab part only, not the half shoot maybe it was a work era pre-1919): Ed Lewis Jim Londos Joe Stecher Gorgeous George

[@martyc909]

This might be the most perfect list I’ve ever seen for these Mt. Rushmore questions

[@Herbert_Rudolf]

Pre 1919 Era would be: Joe Stecher, Frank Gotch, George Hackenscmidt, Martin Burns

[@martyc909]

@@Herbert_Rudolf you are right… lol, why did I add Gorgeous George, knowing he’s post-1919.

[@Herbert_Rudolf]

@@martyc909 maybe cuz you didn’t read your comment properly but also why did you answer your own comment?

[@martyc909]

@@Herbert_Rudolf honestly, I think I was responding to someone else who’s comment disappeared, or they were banned or something.

[@matthewpearlingi3332]

WWE mount rushmore..Undertaker,Austin,Hogan,Bruno..All pillars in the success of that company..

[@tevinlandry1885]

As much as I love Taker, he's not on that Mt Rushmore. Rock has gotta be on there instead.

[@matthewpearlingi3332]

@@tevinlandry1885 I pick undertaker because of he was a star on the wwe roster allmost 30 years.He has respect all through the industry,he drew money for the company for a long long time.The Rock is an icon.But he left the company and became a movie megastar.The Undertaker never left.

[@wackozackoyt]

Taker was always A star, but he was never THE star. There are several people I'd put on before taker

[@tevinlandry1885]

@@matthewpearlingi3332 great points. I'm not hating on your choices, I love lists like these. It's fun to see which wrestlers and eras fans were most influenced by.

[@Timmyk5150]

Screw Mt Rushmores, do top 10s instead. Mine in no particular order: WWF/E 1. Antonio Rocca 2. Bruno Sammartino 3. Bob Backlund 4. Hulk Hogan 5. Macho Man Randy Savage 6. Bret Hart 7. Steve Austin 8. The Rock 9. Triple H 10 John Cena NWA (not the hip hop group, lol) 1. Lou Thesz 2. Gene Kiniski 3. Dory Funk Jr. 4. Harley Race 5. Jack Brisco 6. Terry Funk 7. Pat O'Connor 8. Buddy Rogers 9. Dusty Rhodes 10. Ric Flair

[@kevinpayton2664]

Top ten lists are better. Your lists are pretty good.

[@blacksmith44]

I would have put Pat O'connor ahead of Jack Brisco and Terry Funk.. but that's me!

[@MrJjburgess11]

What about WCW Rushmore? Hollywood Hogan Sting Flair Goldberg?

[@Briansgate]

Main problem with people, like the person that sent the mail, only pull from what they saw, or in recent memory. Like Corny said, where was Bruno? Buddy Rodgers? Harley Race? they only picked people withing 30 years of each other. You gotta branch out if you're going to do a list like that.

[@brewer921]

A better question would be ... What would be your dream promotion -- 10 or so singles wrestlers and 10 or so tag teams?

[@stevew7571]

got to have Harley Race on that list

[@mrpants5462]

Wwe: mantar, phantaso, red rooster, Isaac yankum

[@MrJjburgess11]

Damn no room for Brooklyn Brawler?

[@daleharris3809]

I was gonna include Giant Gonzales but his head would require a separate mountain

[@jeffreyfreeman4843]

Bruno, Flair, Hogan and The Rock.

[@eugeneturner8666]

Denny hodge

[@timmylong833]

Kwizera Moses excellent take sir

[@VivaPR21]

WWF/WWE Mount Rushmore: Hogan, Stone Cold, Rock, Undertaker I understand about Bruno but Bruno never achieved what the others did. NWA Mount Rushmore: Thesz, Flair, Harley Race and Dusty.

[@Kfowlkes09]

No, you don't understand Bruno if that's your opinion. Without Bruno the WWE wouldn't have been able to build a platform for those guys to stand on.

[@julezjohn5785]

WWE=Hogan, Savage, Stone Cold, Rock

[@robfinlay8058]

WWF: Bruno, Hogan, Austin, Rock. NWA: Thesz, Brisco, Race, Flair WCW: Flair, Sting, Hogan, Goldberg AWA: Verne, Crusher, Mad Dog Vachon, Bockwinkel ECW: Terry Funk, Sabu, Sandman, Raven TNA: Jarrett, Styles, Angle, Samoa Joe, ROH: Samoa Joe, Danielson, McGuinness, Jay Lethal

[@davidfrederick6003]

1948 yes the NWA was born, WHY are you dating 1948 thru 1988? Heck we as fans did not known there was a sale of (JCP) but with the eventual name change to WCW BUT NWA returns in Japan in 1992, followed by NWA cedes from WCW in 1993 or is that the other way around. Did NWA continue as an combined organization thru 1994 with your SMW. Why did you keep twice or more keep saying 1948-1988? It was JCP that was sold to Turner but JCP dates back to 1935 so how is 1988 an end date when you its obvious your related it to the sale of JCP and NOT the NWA which Ive always contradicted was an organization "meeting" of the territories. Yes Crockett bough out most of the territories so its sale marks your 1988 as a conclusion of the NWA. Spite NWA continued into the early 1990s. WHEW! Done typing LOL

[@williamflowers9435]

Harley Race needs to be on there

[@dburse66]

Sting would still be on my Mount Rushmore for the NWA. I would have Lou Thesz, Harley Race, Ric Flair, and Sting!

[@tobiasfarragut292]

Sorry Lou, We gotta get Sting 🦂on there

[@georges4835]

Love to know who Jim’s Mount Rushmore would be from current wrestlers (apart from mjf)

[@jmhproductions7335]

Timothy Thatcher, MJF, Mance Warner, Teddy Hart

[@drewdobbins9756]

What is the Mount Rushmore of wrestling factions? How about that? 4 Horsemen, NWO, DX, ?, ?, ?

[@kevinpayton2664]

Great question. I really can't think of a fourth. Maybe the Fabulous Freebirds?

[@markmelo2779]

Bullet Club maybe

[@ian0143]

Trump is living in Jim's head rent free.

[@ferox965]

Obama is living in Trump's head rent free...

[@n0m4nic]

​@T. S. So I was curious and found a Newsweek article that said the amount of American soldiers has been the highest in the last 6 years at 31. The article was from 2017. That would mean we were at a six month high, from when they had spiked last time in the third year of his direct predecessor's 8 year presidency. Trump was as bad as Obama.

[@thedude4672]

He's living in the head of anyone who cares about American democracy until January 2021, when he is no longer in the White House and we're done with the nutter.

[@AsDfler12]

@Fencepost Turtle are you serious lol

[@AGH69]

NWA Mount Rushmore writes itself. Surfer Sting, Dark-Haired Sting, Crow Sting and Wolfpac Sting.

[@walterhager8626]

Know he'd be way down on the list but being fr[m Kentucky I'd have to put the Boogie Woogie man down Handsome Jimmy Valient❤❤❤❤❤

[@Jason-pn8qk]

Surprised they didn't try to distinguish between WWF/E and WWWF given they operated under differnt philosophies and promoters.

[@understandthat9817]

WWE Bruno, Hogan, Undertaker, Austin. NWA Briscoe, Flair, Dusty, Sting.

[@thegoughandbordenfamily8234]

That fan leaving Thez out is funny. Leave it to kids who think Cena or Andre or Rock deserve to be on the WWE Mt Rushmore. Over Hogan, Savage and Austin. Just no.

[@nunyabidness7463]

NWA Lou Thez, Harley Race, Ric Flair have to be on there. 4th is debatable

[@christhornycroft3686]

NWA's Mount Rushmore would have to include Ric Flair and Dusty Rhodes, right? I don't know how far back we want to go. The Canadian in me wants to say Gene Kiniski because I met the guy in the 90s when I was doing late night swims preparing for Paralympic Trials. He was really banged up by then and spent most of the time chatting up the lifeguards (who were, to be fair, really hot, as Vancouver area girls tend to be and multicultural), but he was still Gene Kiniski and my dad used to tell me stories about him wrestling in the Agrodome at the PNE. Seemed like a terrific guy and still a ladies man even at that age. I guess we can throw Lou Thesz and Harley Race in there as well. I wasn't old enough to see those guys wrestle live, but I saw the matches later and even though the presentation didn't translate well to the 1990s at that time, I could see they knew what they were doing and there was an element of psychology there. Those guys looked like they came to fight, not show off and pander to the crowd while delivering fake looking punches. Certainly there was showboating back then, but back then guys took the business seriously and actually attempted to make everything look legitimate. Nobody was winking at the camera and breaking the 4th wall, which from what I can tell truly started with Hulk Hogan and his ilk in the 80s. The moment you hear "brother" in wrestling, you know you're being completely worked and the illusion is gone. I believe it was Tod Gordon who screwed over an absolutely flawless promo from Brian Pillman in ECW, when he said "that wasn't part of the deal, brother." Come on, man. You could even see Brian lose his focus for a moment with the whole cowering in the corner thing before regaining it and spitting on the planted fan. If you don't know what you're doing, leave it to the pros. As a kid, I remember that promo in '96 and had been told wrestling was a work, but that segment made me question as a 15 year old if this particular wrestling promotion was real. Obviously, we got the nearly uncensored version here in Canada and it was wild.

[@bogmon]

How is Andre the Giant not mentioned anywhere. He carried wrestling into the mainstream television era. He was a legendary draw.

[@markmelo2779]

Probably because he never stayed in one promotion for very long.

[@garyhen2028]

I mean honestly, in my mount Rushmore, it would be, vinnymac, Jim Cornette, Eric bischoff and Paul Heyman. Because without these guys, wrestling would not have been this mainstream and popular. Vinnymac due to the sheer size of the business as a whole, corny due to keeping the root of professional wrestling going even in change! Heyman due to bringing that edgier type to mainstream, and bischoff for being the first and ONLY guy to take it too WWE for so long. These 4 guys are the real reason wrestling is as big as it got and for where it is now. I can't imagine the sheer shift wrestling would take if any of these 4 were gone! It would really hurt and change my life big time if we lost any of them. Obviously I'm not talking talent because, that is based on your own opinion. But for what really matters, there is the top 4, thank you to all I've mentioned here. I could have put Khan here too but, he really hasn't done much as far as impacting the wrestling world in terms of a span of history except bringing punk back and maybe opening the door to a variety of other wrestling styles of the world to America, but vinnymac was doing it before Khan did with Rey Mysterio, the harts, Barrett and dunne, Walter, asuka and Nakamura. So Khan maybe one day, but do something massive, that has not been done in a long time or ever done, maybe in 15-20 years then I guess he'd be the 5th.

[@jakubwidlarz]

I'd say the all-time Mount Rushmore of Memphis would be: Sputnik Monroe, Jackie Fargo, Dundee, and Lawler.

[@masterj4777]

Let me help you out NWA Rushmore Flair, Rhodes, Thez, rogers!! WWF Rushmore Bruno, Hart, Hogan, Andrea!! End of story!! 👍

[@gtor2286]

NWA : Ric Flair, Harley Race, Jack Brisco, and Lou Thesz. Honorable mentions to Terry Funk, Dory Funk Jr and Buddy Rogers.

[@yoholmes273]

NWA - Lou Thesz, Harley Race, Ric Flair, Dusty Rhodes. WWE - Bruno, Hogan, Austin, Taker

[@n4l734]

Jim Cornette is the God of Wrestling!!!! When he dies a piece of wrestling will die with him.

[@UnitedForeverWeStand]

Love the show really has a lot of detail and stories.

[@televiper11]

Thesz, Race, Briscoe, Flair / Bruno, Backlund, Hogan, Austin

[@jonathon862]

Sting😂. I grew up on the guy like everyone 30-40, but If you do the research, he was the worst drawing NWA champion of all time at the point that he dropped it to Flair.

[@wespalmore9263]

WWE: Vince, Bruno, Hogan, Austin NWA: Thesz, Race, Briscoe, Flair

[@carloslozada470]

Apparently Mt Rushmore is offensive to the native Americans yo

[@thedude4672]

Imagine that a whole race of people different from your own came into your house, slaughtered your family, and then carved four of their heroes into your most sacred area or thing that you cherish as sacred. That's why.

[@Bootcamp4]

NWA Mount Rushmore Lou,Buddy,Harley,Flair WWF/E Bruno,Andre,Hogan,Austin

[@theoregonguy]

These really are impossible lists to finalize, so many wrestlers had different impacts on the business at different times. We can't go on ticket sales, because of arena sizes, and inaccurate reporting for taxes/paydays. There's no way to measure merchandise sales for earlier wrestlers, or attendance for free spot shows either.

[@magnusyarbrough5527]

unfortunately we have to work with what we got. i think the only qualifier here would be inflation, market size, and market share. like yeah cena draws tons of dollars nominally, but he was also the guy whenever only wwe existed in terms of national tv on majour networks.

[@dominicomegon4714]

It's not impossible. Just very difficult.

[@UnnameableGreviance]

If you were to have one for who made wrestling what it is today: Toots Mont, Gorgeous George, Riki Dousan, Vincent K. McMahon.

[@mr.mirchenstein6549]

How do you have these lists without ANDRE THE GIANT? Harley Race….The Undertaker….Thesz, Rogers, Rocca…

[@worldoutreachchristiancent7464]

WWWF Mount Rushmore: Buddy Rogers, Bruno Sammartino, The Graham Brothers, Antonino Rocca.

[@Search4theYeti79]

WWE: Sammartino, Hogan, Austin, Rock NWA: Thez, Race, Flair, Rhodes AWA: Gange, Bockwinkle, Lawler, Perfect ECW: Van Damn, Dreamer, Sabu, New Jack

[@thomaskrug9277]

The only changes I would make to this list (with respect to your opinion) would be WWE Undertaker instead of Rock, and ECW Shane Douglas instead of New Jack. But that's just me.

[@dominicomegon4714]

Putting New Jack over Sandman is a ballsy take. lol

[@madbrowniac7871]

ECW: Douglas, Dreamer, Raven, and Taz.B.W.

[@thomaskrug9277]

@@madbrowniac7871 can't believe I forgot Raven or Taz

[@bobbeckey6941]

you take cornette to seriously. were you even alive for bruno? and Lawler? the rock?

[@DavidLucas-oj6ju]

NWA MOUNTRUSHMORE LIST Lou Thez Ric Flair Harley Race and Dusty Rhodes

[@nolimitx6887]

I’m pretty young but I watch a insane amount of wrestling but am I missing something where ric flair isn’t a given with Mount Rushmore… the man literally is 80s wrestling

[@danielvrodriguez81]

Sting was more popular in WCW. He didn't travel as champion into the territories. No way should be in NWA Mount Rushmore.

[@lyricsanonymous9036]

Bruno, Andre, Hogan, Austin Thesz, Brisco, Race, Flair

[@dinos6231]

Off topic but who else shares same opinion?.....nwa had 3 tag teams better then wwf best option (hart foundation) Road warriors midnight express steiner Bros all better

[@csnide6702]

Ric Flair , Harley Race , then argue about the rest..... for me it's Terry Funk and Jack Briscoe.

[@Kingsc84]

I was about to say what about Harley Race. I’m only 36 and don’t know how I remembered in was NWA lol.

[@jasonvoorhees6416]

Mr race is that you ? What are you doing?…………… fucking

[@worldoutreachchristiancent7464]

NWA Mount Rushmore: Buddy Rogers, Lou Thesz, Ric Flair, Harley Race.

[@zekun4741]

Washington - Lou Thesz Jefferson - Bruno Samartino Lincoln - Hulk Hogan Roosevelt - Steve Austin

[@dolandarkxgrandayy6953]

Hogan is too racist to be Lincoln lol

[@CactusInsane]

@@dolandarkxgrandayy6953 you sir made my day 😂😂😂😂

[@mikegatti3349]

Good list, I have Andre instead of Austin

[@DavidLucas-oj6ju]

WWF/WWE Mount Rushmore Bruno Sanmartino Undertaker Triple H and Randy Orton

[@roberthealey7739]

NWA Lou Thesz Harley Race Ric Flair Dusty Rhodes WWE Bruno Hogan Rock Austin

[@lyylski]

Sting makes the WCW Rushmore absolutely but it's ridiculous to include him in the NWA mountain.

[@johngallagher72]

Thez, Flair, Rogers, Race, Jack Brisco

[@johngallagher72]

@nw 45 yes ..sorry aboot that...forgive my ignorance as I'm Canadian and we hate excluding anyone eh ...let me swig my Molsons and take a bite of my beaver tail while I think of who I would leave out... I guess the hoser that gets left off would be Brisco eh ?

[@magnusyarbrough5527]

leave off cena or the rock? cena easily. the man is singlehandedly responsible for the biggest decline in ratings since world war 2. not one year did he raise wwe ratings, yeah maybe he makes more nominal dollars but he also was the guy during the time when only the wwe was national wrestling on majour networks, also a smaller audience spending more money. theres many other reasons i could list if i had to think about this.