Dead wrestlers - do we overhype them?

On the podcast night we discussed wrestlers that unfortunately have met their demise (of which far too many died at an early age but that's for another discussion) and if because of their death their in-ring legacy was overhyped?

The cases in particular that stand out are Owen Hart, Mr Perfect and Eddie Guerrero. All three very solid wrestlers but all three that in my opinion have falsely gained a higher level of greatness in GOAT or similar threads because of their deaths. Guerrero especially seems to now be regarded in the highest esteem when for me he was just a upper tier guy in a period that was a lull for WWE.

What's everyone elses thoughts on if we over credit wrestlers posthumously? And as raised in the podcast are there any wrestlers that haven't been given the rub that death has brought for others?

They defo get over hyped, Benoit gets under hyped.

Owen Hart and Eddie Guerrero are far over hyped,

I never got what the big deal was with them both, they where IC/US Title level at best and however they where both decent Tag team wrestlers.

I think Andre gets overhyped to be honest.

The best thing he did was The Princess Bride.

I actually like Eddie Guerrero, not to the extent he is held now but I dont think he is as bad as some make out on here. I think its almost over criticism due his glorification (if that makes sense).

In other words, because he is martyrised (is that a word?), people hate on him, when the truth is most probably in the middle somewhere!

Benoit however, was just pants in my eyes, irrespective of his actions.

I don't think Owen Hart or Mr Perfect have been overhyped since their untimely deaths. Both were great wrestlers, could cut a great promo and could tell a great story in the ring.

I stopped watching wrestling and missed most of Eddie Guerrero's WWE career, but what I did see of him, I thought he maybe wasn't at Owen or Perfect's level, but no I don't think he was overhyped either.

In general I don't think wrestlers who have passed on have been overhyped, I look at Yokozuna as an example of someone not over glorified.

Eddie Guerrero is probably the most overhyped, but I agree with Adam that I reckon alot of the criticism is because he's held in such high regard and people fell they arent allowed to like whats popular.

Andre should of retired after that slam the shook the world, his health seems to go down hill rapidly after that. I'd like to see some of his matches from the 70's to see what the big deal was about him because he could barely move when i started watching!

I think Brian Pillman gets overhyped alot. Sure, he had an intruiging gimmick and it would have been cool to see where they went with the whole loose cannon thing but you can say that about alot of guys who had masses of potential to be huge but are still alive. Pillman was good but for me he gets over praised based on potential, and potential doesnt count for much if you're dead.

The thing for me with Eddie is that, in the ring, there's not been many that could do it as well as he did. The man was a phenomenal wrestler (Watch his ECW and WCW stuff, I feel it's better than his WWE stuff). As we all know though, being a great wrestler doesn't make you a great "superstar". Towards the end of his life, I thought he was getting to the point where he could have been a great superstar, but obviously we never got to see if that would happen.

As for Owen, I think the majority of his praise is deserved. He was maybe one notch below Bret in terms of what he could do in the ring, and if you're only one notch below Bret, you're still pretty bloody good. For me, he was always a lot more charismatic than Bret. I think if he'd come along 10 years later, when the smaller guys were actually being considered regardless of their size, he would have had a much bigger impact.

Pretty much the same goes for Mr Perfect. As good in the ring as anyone, and had the charisma to back it up.

One last point about Andre. The only time I think he's over rated is when people who only saw his later career make him out to be the best big man of all time. In his later years, he most certainly wasn't. If you go back, even just to the start of his (then)WWWF run, he wasn't up to Undertaker/Kane standards of big men, but for the time, he was about as good as you'll ever see.

Eddie Guerrero was brilliant, I thought so before he died and was devistated when he did.
He was a very good wrestler and he could play a very funny character or when he wanted to go heel his eyes just went black. He looked like he could literally kill.
Basically great in the ring and great character be it face or heel.

He might not be on the very top level of wrestling but he was certainly good enough to be World Champ.

While repecting their opinions, I have to disagree with anyone who says Eddie Guerrero was overhyped. The guy was fantastic in the ring, oozed charisma and made a brilliant face AND heel. I have never and will never mark out as much as I did when he took the title off Brock Lesnar.

And Im not just saying this cuz he is dead. I would be saying the same thing if he was still alive.

R.I.P

MIG wrote:Eddie Guerrero was brilliant, I thought so before he died and was devistated when he did.
He was a very good wrestler and he could play a very funny character or when he wanted to go heel his eyes just went black. He looked like he could literally kill.
Basically great in the ring and great character be it face or heel.

He might not be on the very top level of wrestling but he was certainly good enough to be World Champ.

We have pretty much said the same thing lol. You just beat me to it. Great minds...

For me, Brian Pillman is the most overhyped. If he hadn't have died I think he would have been fed to Austin instead of the Nation, and left soon after, or got fired.

I think one thing that means Eddie Guerrero is often thrust on the pedestal is that just before his death he was on the verge of a main event push, so it's a case of what could have been.

I'd also agree with Adam, that I think a lot of people bash Eddie Guerrero now because people overrated him after he died.

Nice to hear some people agree with me about Eddie!

I kinda of disagree with Eddie Guerrero. I don't think he was overhyped. I think the difference is that his death propelled him into the spotlight and therefore individuals who didn't necessarily knew much about him began to take notice.

Difference between Eddie Guerrero and most competitors was his connection with the fans and the emotion he was able to generate during his matches. He has had some tremendous matches and brought passion into the square circle.

I would agree with Benoit, techincally one of the best wrestlers ever, but wasn't the total package.

Pillman was far overhyped for me, as well as Owen.

I'm genuinely surprised to the reaction in regards to Pillman, for me he rarely crops up in conversation on boards compared to the other people mentioned yet his work pre-accident was a great total package.

I still can't believe Crash Holly is dead

I still can't believe Dynamite Kid isn't.

I can't believe Scott Hall isnt.

Or Sabu

Or Gazza

Pillman, what a fitting surname, sort of like Winehouse

Mr H wrote:I can't believe Scott Hall isnt.

Or Sabu

Or Gazza

Sabu will live forever. He'll just botch dying.

But when we talk about overhyping its always the same names that get thrust about, for me Owen would have never got any higher than he was, 93 was his pinnacle, when he died he was in a comedy heel role that's never good for anyon

Pillman was hot when he died, but after he lost the Austin fued I think he would have gone stale and been fe'd

Eddie would have stayed around the main event scene and I think he would have retired a couple of years ago ala edge although maybe no injury

Benoit would still be active I think in a Christian sort of role I never really rated him tho

But there are other guys bulldog, Yokozuna, bossman, crash holly, etc who never get mentioned in these sections and we don't look back on with fond memories

We mention all of those (except Yoko) on the podcast!

#shamelessplug

Also, without wishing to sound harsh, it's because they weren't as good.

It's the same reason people talk about George Best, but rarely mention David Rocastle.

I always have a feeling of Owen having far more charisma than Bret, that however may be sparked further by Mick Foley's book and the passages on Owen. Everything Daniel Bryan is Owen Hart could do. I could definitely have seen him flourishing through the attitude era and the early 2000s.

But then it does stray very much into the what ifs. The classic football one is Duncan Edwards.

Owen was a really good wrestler but I don't think he was at Daniel Bryan's level.

I'd say Owen was a 7 or 8 out of ten, whereas Bryan is a ten.

I also think Vince wanted to punish Owen, so he would never have achieved more than he already had.