🤼‍♂ How Good of a Wrestler Were They Really? 🤼‍♀ #15 The Big Boss Man 👮

Big Poppa Pump goes to the bottom of the table, which is consistent with the top 100 results poll at least!

Wrestler Rating
Chris Jericho (3) 4.69
Kurt Angle (2) 4.55
Mick Foley (10) 4.55
Stone Cold Steve Austin (1) 4.36
William Regal (18) 4.1
Bret Hart (9) 4.07
CM Punk (16) 3.85
Booker T (48) 3.72
Brock Lesnar (30) 3.52
Triple H (13) 3.48
John Cena (17) 3.43
Rob Van Dam (47) 3.4
Becky Lynch (28) 3.2
Scott Steiner (55) 3.08

Now, poll results notwithstanding, a quickfire bonus round as the winds have already started blowing. You’re gonna be doing HARD TIME with THE GUARDIAN ANGEL, THE WAR MACHINE because it’s BIG BUBBA RODGERS, MORE WELL KNOWN AS:

The Big Bossman, Ray Traylor

  • 1
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  • 5
0 voters

Match/moment:

  • Big Bubba Rodgers vs “Rubbish” Ronnie Garvin (Street Fight, NWA Starrcade '86)
  • The War Machine, Arn Anderson, Ric Flair, Lex Luger & Tully Blanchard vs The Road Warriors, Dusty Rhodes, Nikita Koloff & Paul Ellering (WarGames, NWA Great American Bash '87)
  • Big Boss Man vs Koko B Ware (Summerslam '88)
  • Akeem & Big Boss Man (Twin Towers) vs Marty Janetty & Shawn Michaels (The Rockers) (Wrestlemania V)
  • Big Boss Man vs Hulk Hogan (WWF Title Cage Match, Saturday Night’s Main Event, Apr '89)
  • Big Boss Man vs Akeem (Wrestlemania VI)
  • Big Boss Man vs Mr. Perfect (Intercontinental Title Match, Wrestlemania VII)
  • Big Boss Man, Jim Duggan, Seargant Slaughter & Virgil vs The Nasty Boys, Repo Man & The Mountie (Wrestlemania VIII)
  • Big Boss Man vs Nailz (Survivor Series '92)
  • Big Boss Man vs Bam Bam Bigelow (Royal Rumble '93)
  • The Boss vs Rick Rude (WCW International Heavyweight Title, Starrcade '93)
  • The Boss vs Vader (WCW Spring Stampede '94)
  • The Guardian Angel vs Vader (WCW Halloween Havoc, '94)
  • Big Bubba Rodgers & Avalanche vs Sting & Luger (WCW SuperBrawl V)
  • Big Bubba vs Jeff Jarrett (WCW Nitro, Oct '96)
  • Ray Traylor vs Scott Steiner (WCW Nitro, Mar '98)
  • Big Boss Man vs Steve Austin (& other shenanigans in the Deadly Games Tournament, Survivor Series '98)
  • The Big Boss Man vs The Undertaker (Hell in a Cell, Wrestlemania XV)
  • Big Boss Man vs Al Snow (Hardcore Title Match, Summerslam '98)
  • Kennel From Hell Match
  • Big Boss Man & Bull Buchanan vs D-Lo Brown & The Godfather (Wrestlemania 2000)
  • Royal Rumble 2002

0 voters

I don’t know any of his other incarnations but as the Big Boss Man he bored me silly as a kid. The sidewalk slam is a good move though tbf - my ‘mate’ hit me with one onto a hard living room floor once. Knocked the wind right out of me. The bastard.

not really someone who had good matches, but very entertaining in other aspects of the show

3 Likes

Also even as a child I remember thinking that engaging in a wrestling match didn’t seem like sensible use of a policeman’s time.

2 Likes

Boss Man at his peak was great. Fantastic gimmick, top heel, tough as old boots, can’t remember what he was like on the mic but had general charisma and ringmanship (?). Don’t know if he was a huge twat out of the ring, I’ll go with probably.

3 Likes

Don’t recall any horrors stories around him? think he was an alright guy generally speaking. He was a bit one note on the mic but he has a good look for sure

When he turned face he was a bit “country hick” which suited his Cobb County police officer gimmick. Don’t think he said a great deal as a heel, think Slick did most of the talking for him and Akeem.

His Heel run in 1998/1999 (1999 in particular) is one of my fav things ever. Really good a playing the comically evil guy on the roster. He was such a bastard - loved it

What a bastard

2 Likes

Why are they in a hotel room?

They’re wrestlers, they’re on the road yo

1 Like
7 Likes

The Big Bossman Behaving Badly!

1 Like

Solid big man - was never the best wrestler but I have so many fond memories attached to them. A very toyetic person with a lot of physical charisma

Probably deserves a 3 - but I’ll give em a 4 for the memories.

Apparently was a great person as well - shame he got taken from us so young. Always think of what oculd’ve been in his twilight years as a backstage persona

1 Like

4/5. Great wrestler, sounded like a great guy from the Bruce Pritchard podcast featuring him.

First match I remember watching was him vs Hogan in a cage. Cracking match.

Never watched the War Games featuring him but heard its a classic.

2 of the best themes ever as well

2 Likes

ACAB

3 Likes

Looked great when he kept himself in shape and one of the few good gimmicks of that “everyone has a real job” era. Not a great in-ring wrestler, but he trained in an era where barely anyone was and was competent enough when compared to his peers. One of the very few to transition his gimmick from pre-Attitude era successfully too - played a great mid-card heel.

A slightly generous 4 from me.