Larry Zbyszko

[8.0] "Was a defining wrestler in the 1970's, perhaps not as excellent as some of his contemporaries but was still a damn good heel. Was a good promo and was on okay commentator in WCW, and had a very long career... for better or worse, as his later matches were more about the spectacle of it all or having a recognizable name in the midcard than actually having a good match, and he never really revitalized his career or his style in his later years."

[9.0] "My favourite crybaby wrestler of all time. The master of time stalling, always cheating to beat his opponent. His feud with Samartino is legendary. Too bad he was in bad territories in the 80's but was awesome in WCW. Tremendous promo too. Fine as an announcer in WCW."

[3.0] "A guy who only became famous for having a match with Bruno Sammartino and only became champion because he married Verne Gagne's daughter in the dying days of the AWA. He was a solid worker to be fair but he had zero charisma and looked like everyone's uncle at the family cookout. He's also the only man I've ever heard with a shrill voice. On top of that, he was terrible on commentary and only put himself over and constantly complained about "kids today". He was ironically over with fans in 1997-98 and that was largely because he was piggybacking on the talent of Scott Hall. He did have a good tag team with Arn Anderson as part of the great Dangerous Alliance faction in the early 90's. He also tried to give himself the worst nickname in wrestling with "The Cruncher". It didn't work. Overall he was really nothing special and doesn't deserve any accolades."

[8.0] "Larry Zbyszko's later wrestling matches are embarrassing (he really should have thrown in the towel after his match with Lord Steven Regal) but they can't diminish how great he was in the '80s. He was one of the best heels of the decade, people wanted his head and he played to them."

[4.0] "Never got his style as his peak days were LONG after I started watching. Known for the infamous "stalling" tactics of going outside the ring to jaw with the fans or whoever."

[7.0] "A naturally unlikeable man who effortlessly channeled that unlikability into his work and promos. There was no 'cool heel' stuff with Mr. Zbyszko, no he simply pissed the crowd off with his coward heel tactics and his stalling until they were ready to see him get destroyed. An unheralded performer of a past era, very deserving of reappraisal."

[8.0] "A heat seeking missile for a long time. A legitimate heat seeking missile. He would go out to the ring, whether tagging with Arn or as a singles, do his in ring antics - showboating, stalling, etc, and he would have the fans so pissed off that it was unreal. I don't think Larry ever realized the REAL heat he had. I enjoyed him as a promo because he was one of those guys who believed all of his own press and would put himself / something he accomplished over any chance he got. As a color commentator, I found him to have credibility, he was a guy who because of his in ring experience could get in to the mind of the guys in the ring, he could tell good stories, and be believable in his role -- especially during the NWO era when he did hour one of Nitro, the fans were chanting his name weekly when he was on camera during those days, but he still never wasted an opportunity to get himself and his character over on color (sometimes at the expense of who was in the ring). As a worker, Larry was a great technical wrestler who incorporated a lot of his amateur wrestling background in to things, and I think that played a big role in him having the longevity that he had."

[8.0] "Zbyszko was one of the greats back in the day during both his time facing Bruno Sammartino in one of the most legendary fueds in wrestling or teaching the new guys some respect in WCW. I dont understand why people give him such a bad rep considering he wasnt even the wost of the commentry team back in WCW when tony couldnt shut up about what they were selling"

[7.0] "It took a while for Larry and I to gel. Wasn't a total fan but there were glimmers of good during his late 70's/early 80's McMahon run. The JCP stretch with Al Perez as a tag partner was not terrible, but also felt like filler. It was somewhere near the end of his AWA tenure where he began to hit a late bloom stride with me. Was a more methodical thinking man's wrestler when not stalling for minutes on end. By the time he joined Turner's WCW, I found him to be among their best heels and someone who helped elevate the company (again, when not stalling). His work with The Dangerous Alliance and specifically Arn Anderson was a perfect fit. It's a fun time watching him get pounded and groaning BOUH! BOUH! BOUH! by my favorite baby faces. While some scoff at his commentary for often putting himself over - I find him to be underrated in the position."

[3.0] "I'm sure he was considered good as wrestler, but I've never really liked a Larry Zybyszko match because they just feel of their time. And as a commentator dear christ he's LOUD, Larry Zybysko literally screams throughout the hour 1s he commentated for Nitro, I know I praised Don West for being enthusiastic but at least he knew when to dile it and his enthusiasm sounded genuine. When the N. W. O first started he couldn't stop calling them the "New World Oder" which is just childish for this new edgy gimmick. He was so awful on commentary, I get people dog on Dusty Rhodes but at least Dusty was charming and charismatic and at least he doesn't sound Fake and SCREAMS like Zybyszko."

[6.0] "His commentary work was pretty good; he definitely had a way with words. He wasn't always the best at selling matches or stories, but he was perfectly adequate."

[6.0] "Rating is based solely on his work as a commentator for WCW, including his handful of matches there. Had a way with words, but I never really enjoyed when he got too involved. Things like his feud with the nWo was just abysmal."

[7.0] "An all-time great at getting the fans stirred up. AWA made a huge mistake in not putting the belt on him instead of Bockwinkel, after Hansen left in 86, and letting young stars like Hennig, Scott Hall, or even Shawn Michaels chase for the title. (They made aging Nick the champ). Bruno's popularity was a big part of that feud, of course, but Larry Z later had good matches/heat at part of Paul E. 's Dangerous Alliance, too."

[10.0] "I thought he was an excellent performer in the ring. Very technical and great at submission moves. Bruno Sammartino helped mentor him. He was great in his early days in WWWF. I love the heel turn he did on Bruno in 1980. One of the greatest heels. His days in NWA and AWA were excellent. In WCW he was alright but started going downhill in his career because of his age."

[7.0] "ranked too low probably because a lot of newbies saw him as a late 40s guy hanging on in wcw? lets remember this guy was headlining shea stadium in one of the hottest feuds in all of wrestling... then got the nod as top heal in what was still a top 3 territory in the entire usa and got their hw title im only rating 7 because he still had some limits. he was sort of carried by Bruno to headline shea? and he wasnt enough to turn around a sinking awa ship so im not going to go 9 or 10... and then I do think he sort of went through the motions hanging on at the end of his career so I will dock him from an 8 too. larry gave me the impression of a guy doing a job wrestling more than a guy who lived/eat/breath/drink wrestling. I couldnt personally love or hate him. as for rating him as an announcer... he didnt make me want to turn on the mute... thats saying something compared to most those guys working for that corportation."

[7.0] "Larry Zbyszko - Promo Skill: 8/10 - Mat Skill: 7/10 - Charisma: 7/10 - Workrate: 7/10 - Commentary or Backstage Work: 5/10 ----Overall: 6. 8/10 (Rounded Up To A 7) Final Note: Larry Zbyszko was a terrific performer in AWA, but never really amounted to much after he left. On the mic, provided he was promoting himself, he was a terrific and dynamic heel. He was as bland as it got as anything else. On commentary he wound up just shooting promos which had the habit of selling him instead of the match he was supposed to be calling. He wasn't Mike Adamle bad, but that bar is very low. His technical skills were fair, in the sense that he could put on a decent match with an opponent of equal or greater skill/workrate, but he wasn't about to carry an unskilled performer to any memorable moments."

[3.0] "Zbyszko was an overrated wrestler.  Yes, his program with Bruno Sammartino was huge, but considering Zbyszko never came remotely close to equalling that height, whereas Bruno was a huge star for years and years, I'm gonna give Bruno the credit for that one. As an announcer, Zbyszko did exactly what an announcer is NOT supposed to do ?  he focused 100% on getting himself over instead of putting over the wrestlers. In fact, more often than not he actively worked against getting the wrestlers over."

[8.0] "Larry is very underrated. From his early days with Bruno, to his work in WCW, he was a great piece of wrestling history. I still think he is one of the greatest heels of all time. Back before wrestling pulled the curtain back (to show the inner workings), Larry drew the most heat of anyone in the business. He was the prototype for heels like Triple H years later, and was even physically attacked by fans on many occasions (stabbed, assaulted, etc. ) because his heel game was so strong and believable. He's an icon of pro wrestling."

[2.0] "Larry Zbyszko was a decent worker and a good talker, and his feud with Bruno Sammartino was one of the biggest of the 80s. But Larry's commentary in the 90s was awful and completely counter-productive. Larry never learned that you're supposed to try and get the talent over, not undercut them at every turn."

"I haven't seen too many Zbyszko matches, but his commentary was atrocious on NITRO in WCW during the Monday Night Wars. He was a loud mouth that only worried about getting himself over. He was just another face in WCW that didn't care about elevating others or keeping the company afloat."

[8.0] "His current rating is a travesty. He was a great heel who could infuriate people but back it up once the action got started. He was a champion (both singles and tag team) in multiple federations and was involved in one of Brunos most notable feuds. The man deserves recognition for his accomplishments."

[8.0] "Rating him on what I saw later in his career as a Member of the tag team the Enforcers with Arn Anderson. Also as a color guy, which his black humor brought me great joy."

[3.0] "Zbyszko was one of those terrible people in WCW who tried to continue to get himself over at the expense of the new guys."

[9.0] "Really, really enjoyed his body of work. Strong on the mic. Good technical wrestler, who incorporated a martial artist twist. Effective in all roles, villain, hero, single, tag team. There isn't anything he could not do in the business."

[9.0] "Larry Z. was a solid technical wrestler and a very good talker. The stalling he's often associated with was, for its time, an extremely-effective heel tactic and could often garner him nuclear-level heat, but he could back it up once the action finally got underway. Perhaps most closely associated with the AWA, but also had good runs at various points with the NWA, WWF (where his feud with mentor Bruno Sammartino sold out Shea Stadium in 1980) and WCW. After winding down his in-ring career became a very good color commentator for WCW."

[8.0] "I suppose most of the folks commenting probably weren't brought up when heel stalling was a tactic that got over. Larry was a good talker with average in ring ability. He deserves a much higher rating than he's given here."

[7.0] "Larry's another wrestler who accomplished so much inside the ring and at ringside, and is just NOW getting the credit and recognition he deserves for it. He employed a highly technical style, holding his own against dirty brawlers and "power" wrestlers. He wasn't a gigantic man, so he paved the way for smaller men making a mark in wrestling. After a legendary feud with Bruno Sammartino (one of the best of the Italian Superman's career, and that's saying something! ) he went on to clean up in AWA (where, even if he hadn't married Verne Gagne's daughter, he would have risen to the top just as quickly because his signature mat skills were right at home in Minnesota. ) Larry's also one of the most underrated color commentators of all time. He was always informative and often funny. One of the things I miss about WCW is hearing him and the Professor just sit and talk about wrestling. Larry FINALLY got inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame this year. ABOUT TIME! But at least he's appreciated in his lifetime. A great wrestler, a living legend."