10 Wrestlers That NOBODY Hated
They say you can't make it without making some critics along the way. They are wrong.
You might think CM Punk is one of the last great wrestlers, a talent who takes care not to indulge in easy, self-conscious tropes, to make every beat mean something. Others might think he's too ambitious, can't tell himself what he can't do, and botches too often, breaking the spell.
You might think Kenny Omega is the most physically impressive wrestler of all time, with strikes so barbaric you're amazed he doesn't hurt his opponents and a grasp of crowd psychology so masterful that nobody else can make an arena throb and shriek as he does, Others might think his maximalist tendencies can verge on the artless, and that his facials are a bit much.
You might think Matt Hardy is a carny tortoise who is incompetent at benefitting the younger talent he gloms onto. Others might hold onto their memories of 2001.
Virtually every single wrestler, even the most critically acclaimed, has their detractors. Will Ospreay is the critical darling du jour, an amazing pro wrestler versed in many styles and philosophies, but to some, it's all a bit much, a bit desperate. Like he structures his matches for the asterisks.
There's no such thing as objectivity in art - or is there...?
10. Samoa Joe
It's just as well that this AEW run has rejuvenated his career: for a long time, what became of Samoa Joe was a disgrace.
Joe possessed an aura that only a fool could ruin. He wrestled Kenta Kobashi and was received as a contemporary of an all-time great just a few years after he exploded on the North American independent scene. That's how incredible Joe was. Between 2002 and 2006, he had wrestled the best deathmatch ever, the best King's Road-style match ever that wasn't worked between the Five Pillars, and, in his unforgettable series with CM Punk, redefined what a great North American match looked like. It's difficult to convey just how much of a God Joe was at the time.
Put it this way: he received the sort of plaudits most wrestlers only do years after their work stood the test of time, just endless, histrionic praise, and nobody worth listening to tried to be a contrarian about it, which tends to happen in those situations. There was no backlash. Joe was backlash-proof. It was just accepted that Joe, as intimidating as any other wrestler ever, was the absolute man - because he was.
WWE thought he was too fat, and Vince Russo put a penis on his face because he fundamentally never grasped that you don't have to ruin everything with a bad gimmick.