9 Old School Wrestling Champs That Could Make It In Today’s WWE

1. Harley Race

If one man exemplifies all that is good about professional wrestling, it is surely Harley Race. In addition to being one of the toughest guys to ever set foot in the ring, Harley Race was a surefire hit with crowds around the world. Race had a reputation for being able to beat just about anybody in a genuine fight, but also for being an excellent worker who could, if pushed, probably have made a blow-up doll look like a World Title contender. This reputation was well earned. Throughout his career, Race took on all comers, both in worked matches and impromptu shoots. In the genuine fights, Race would always emerge victorious, and at the matches, he could work with anyone, from muscular showmen like €˜Superstar€™ Billy Graham and Hulk Hogan, to seasoned amateur grapplers like Jack Brisco, Verne Gagne and Bob Backlund, always placing the business first by putting the other guy over strongly, no matter what his background. Race was the perfect wrestling champion for his era, a combination of legitimacy, dedication to the business and pure mastery of his craft. He was also a savvy businessman and played the backstage political game exceedingly well (an absolute necessity in any era of wrestling). It is unsurprising, then, to learn that Harley Race retired as an 8-time World Champion. If Race was up and coming today, the WWE would likely pounce on his natural working ability and set him up as a feared and dangerous heel. His skills in manoeuvring behind the scenes would ensure that he would definitely get his chance to shine and his ability to wrestle literally anyone (read: John Cena) to a good match would see a WWE Championship around his waist sooner or later. In short, Race, the 8-time NWA Champion of the 70€™s, would be just as successful in the WWE of today. So, to sum up, if there is a point to this article, then it is surely this; great wrestling is great wrestling, regardless of the decade.