From unlovable to ungovernable to undeniable – with a tablespoon of incredible!

One of the original shooters, but also one of the first to learn that this work can overwhelm you

One of the first great all-rounders in the art of wrestling

A fantastic technical wrestler that became a main character in the art’s move to capitalism.

The man who built the Tokyo Big Egg Dome.

A case study for how hard it is to break the glass ceiling
... but also how hard it is to stay afloat once that ceiling is broken.

One of the most natural wrestlers ever to enter the squared circle.

The definition of how lineage is the soul of lucha libre.

The man who could talk a city into a wrestling arena and then get them back there the next week.

A rare bright spot of a dire era of US monopoly becomes a key to the success of an alternative

One of the founding fathers of the art of lucha libre.

The man who could make a territory's babyface just by being the Killer.

Ahead of his time, with DNA clear to see in the decades after.

A case of how one moment changed everything and how Paul learnt the wrong lesson from it.

Better value than a Tesco Meal Deal, more range than Barry from Eastenders.

The bridge between two great joshi eras.

The iconic antagonists of the defining period of lighter-weight wrestling in Japan.

(...see #83...)

The opening chapter of the story of professional wrestling.

Master of his style of wrestling, but never really given his due.

Talked the talk, walked the walk and changed the business.

A case of Shoulda, Woulda, Coulda… but anyone who writes him off when you list the 21st-century greats is a fool.

The first female to show that women can get on the same level as men in wrestling.

If I asked AI to build me the ideal Midwestern man, I would get Bruiser & Crusher.

(...see #90...)

Against great wrestlers, you got classics. Against bad wrestlers, you got stinkers.

The original luchador to take on the outside world and stand tall to tell the tale.

A maker of kings and a driver of historic eras.

Arguably the greatest black wrestler ever but undebatably the most influential.

Mildred Burke is the pioneer. Also responsible for Kamille being on my television for more than I’d like.

The forgotten Pillar, but the King’s Road's most important supporting character.

He gave a fan a heart attack. A freaking heart attack!

One of the most enduring characters in Lucha history.

A tale of what could have been, and a tale of overachievement