It's six or seven years since we launched our countdown of the Top 20 Masked Men.
Read it here
http://www.wrestlingheritage.com/toptwentymaskedmen
Has it stood the test ot time?
Let us know what you think.
20. The Yellow Streak
19. Los Halcones Dorados
18. The Exorcist
17. The Professor
16. The Mask
15. The Monster
14. The Crusader
13. Black Mask
12. The Undertakers
11. Le Bourreau de Béthune (aka The Executioner of Béthune)
10. Les Diables Rouges (aka The Red Devils)
9. L'Ange Blanc
8. The White Angel
7. Kung Fu
6. The Outlaw
5. The Ghoul
4. The Zebra Kid
2+. Count Bartelli and Kendo Nagasaki
1. Doctor Death
You boys are so clever with your answers.
It's a pity though, that you keep letting them get away with it so often.
Fight back!
Don't start an argument with Hack about the Undertakers, Bernard - you'll be digging your own grave.
Hi Hack, No I'm not getting grumpy. I enjoy a discussion .
I am glad that you came to the correct decision though.
We all know that the Riots hold all the trump cards.
And by the way, when I watched him I had no idea that The Ghoul was not the original.
Now now Bernard we don't want you getting all grumpy.There's no need to summon Ron your answer is on Heritage.
There was indeed an Undertaker before our masked pair. I saw him wrestle and you can read about him in the A-Z.
But he was not a masked man, so we felt that he didn't count.
But, and here's the big but Bernard. What we did not know at the time of the countdown was that Vince Apollo and Bob Abbott, our masked Undertakers were only partially originals. Vince Apollo later said that the originals were himself and a man called Wally Severn, also in the A to Z.
So yes, you are right Bernard.
Well, I don't know about UndertakerS, but I bet the name of Undertaker was used before your boys.
If that is the case, your nomination should be disqualified the same as mine.
Are you brave enough to ask Ron to do a search?
I couldn't imagine what you are getting at Bernard.
I'm not going to play in your ring anymore Hack if you make up the rules to suit your case as we go along!
Just to extend Hack's points ...
Every listing we have created is subjective: the Top Photos, Top Officials, Top Wrestler Covers, Most Influential, Tag-Team Time, Ladies. Only a listing like the most tv appearances can be truly objective.
It would be a shame and really unbalanced if we limited any of these lists to those we saw. But we should not undervalue our own insights gained through study and forum interaction.
But the whole thrust of this site has been to preserve and relive the excitement of professional wrestling. In our editorial twelve years ago we invited visitors to look elsewhere for results listings. We also emphasised that results listings and championship records don't have the same importance in wrestling as in other sports. If we consider these too closely, we risk neglecting the true balance and excitement and hidden secrets of professional wrestling. Still today so many forum posters focus on results and titles. For me, the very relevance, or irrelevance, of these is what is interesting to evaluate.
So our listings are at the very least groupings of notable inclusions. We said all along that they are discussion springboards. Glad to see they are working.
Not even a Brexit referendum works, so finding a way where we all agree on the Top Twenty here will be difficult, maybe Mrs May will be free to organise it for us later this week?
In any case, even if we ourselves were to re-do the list, it would change depending on how many pints of Banks's beer Hack had put away ....
Thanks for your responses so far. I'll bat first, maybe Anglo Italian will come in later and put me right.
Bernard comes in first with a body slam followed by a quickly administered submission hold demanding to know how many we saw and how could we possibly rate them? (Sounds to me like Bernard had had a sleepless night).
Well, I reckon we saw at least 14 of them between us. Obviously not all 20. And in no position to "rate them" as the best wrestler (whatever that is), not that we claimed to do.
Read the introduction to the article, that stuff about criteria:
Originality
Longevity
“Perhaps, most of all, however, we consider the largely unquantifiable spine-tingling impact they made on us at the time...”
I think I’m right in saying that’s why Anglo would have pushed for the Yellow Streak, and myself for the Undertakers, though in their defence they were original and did have a more than ten year run.
Looking at the criteria some of the masked men have stood the test of time, some have not. The Red Scorpion, for instance was suggested by Main Mask. He was in our original list but then disposed of when we found a Red Scorpion earlier than Ted Heath.
On that basis, though, Ron Historyo has since discovered a pre war Ghoul, so The Ghoul (Bomber Bates) should now be disqualified. Sorry Bernard. (That’ll learn you).
DJ Mask would place Kung Fu higher. Fair enough DJ Mask.
Ron brings in some old timers. All fine and dandy. Remember, though that at the time we drew up our Top Twenty Heritage covered wrestlers only from 1945. Now we’ve gone back to a 1930 start we have far more to consider. The most important point Ron makes is “this is just fun.” There is no right answer and anyone’s top twenty is as valid as any other.
Thanks TomH. A very welcome comment. Yes, Bula. Neither Anglo Italian and myself saw him and seven years ago to us he didn’t have the significance, unlike the Monster who did. That’s our own shortcoming and why we need great members with wonderful memories. My main reservation now was just how long was Bula around (as Bula that is , not Charlie Scott). Longevity is an issue. But then the Yellow Streak was short lived, which brings us back to that spine-tingling impact which Bula too obviously had for Tom.
A splendid list from the Main Mask. Genius, yet the omission of the Undertakers portraying a touch of insanity.
Comments from others please.
Be alert, guys, and await further instructions.
Yes SAXONWOLF-'Twas TED!-He made an effort in the PERSONA thus adding to any BILL he was on-
I'm planning a mini-feature on RED SCORPION for later in the month!!
MAIN MASK
The Monster is on the list but not The Great Bula "Charlie Scott", The Monster relied on his size and strength while Bula was all action. I would but Bula higher on the list than the Monster.
I only saw a few of those Wrestlers live, and some on TV. Very hard for me to put them into order, but Nagasaki at number one would make sense, Doctor Death at number two, mainly because there was more than one Doctor Death and it appears to have been a great fall-back in case a wrestler no showed (stick another wrestler on again, under a mask and call him Doctor Death), because the name was so well known.
The best MM I saw was Nagasaki,saw 2 different Kung Fu's.One was Eddie Hammill,I know this for sure because he was unmasked by Nagasaki.Kung Fu was very good,the pretender was OK but nothing special.Didn't see Doctor (Paul Lincoln) Death,but he was obviously the most famous of his era.
Interesting , I think a few could drop out.
I like the top six but not in that order.
Naggers number one , Ghoul , Bartelli , Dr Death , Outlaw , Zebra and I would upgrade Mask and Black Mask.
Green Asp would come in , Phantom , Blue/RedMask (Silcock) , Dark Owl and Mr X (Pergantes).
But I qualify by mainly a perception based on Newspaper Research.
For me numbers 19 , 20 and 12 would go and maybe 10 and 11.
Longevity in UK is another factor .
But of course this is just fun.
I only saw Kung Fu live and even then it wasn’t Eddie Hamill but a masked pretender. However, I do think he deserves a higher position in the poll than 7. I also think that Kendo Nagasaki now deserves the No.1 position although it is hard when you haven’t seen the other masked contenders.
How many of these people did you actually see? I know that it is an impossible task , but one question sticks in my mind is how can you rate a wrestler that you never saw?
(Going on from this , I have just solved a mystery to me. I wondered how you can get rid of words that come up in blue, which you often see. They can be deleted and typed in again, they come up the normal black colour.)
I am looking forward to your answer.