Sean Waltman

[6.0] "Really liked his run as the baby face 1-2-3 Kid but then I couldn't take him seriously as the cowardly shit heel from late 95 all the way up to mid 98 when he came back to the WWF as X-Pac. Notoriously legendary in the IWC for the "go away heat" as people really got sick of him when they turned him heel again and he was going over guys like Kane who should have destroyed him in the ring and giving him his own stable. X-Pac not being able to evolve past "X-Pac" clouds the fact that regardless he was a solid ring worker."

[10.0] "I loved the 1-2-3 Kid growing up. Absolutely loved him. In fact, when he turned heel against Razor and joined Dibiase, I think it was the first time as a kid where I rooted for a 'bad guy.' I just could not turn against him. I was a sucker for anything martial arts based due to my love for Ninja movies and Power Rangers/TMNT. So when Waltman brought a real karate style to the WWF... I just fell in love. Plus he was the ultimate underdog at his size and his matches were plain awesome. He wasn't quite the same as Syxx or X-Pac for me, but The 1-2-3 Kid will forever be one of my all time favorites."

[9.0] "Sean Waltman, known by various monikers like 1-2-3 Kid, Syxx, and X-Pac, carved out a truly unique and impactful career in professional wrestling. He might not always be mentioned in the absolute top tier of "greatest ever" in terms of world championships, but his influence on major eras and his in-ring ability are undeniable. What makes Sean Waltman so impressive is his ability to reinvent himself and thrive in different companies and alongside some of the biggest stars in wrestling history. The 1-2-3 Kid: He burst onto the scene in WWF as the underdog "1-2-3 Kid, " famously scoring an upset victory over Razor Ramon. This single moment established him as a credible, exciting, and highly athletic underdog, showing that anyone could win on any given night. He was a pioneer for smaller, quicker wrestlers in an era dominated by giants. Syxx in the nWo: His move to WCW saw him join the groundbreaking New World Order as Syxx. He brought his high-flying, fast-paced style to the faction, adding a dynamic in-ring element to their rebellious attitude. Being a key member of such a revolutionary group solidified his place in wrestling history. X-Pac in D-Generation X: Perhaps his most iconic role was as X-Pac in D-Generation X. When he returned to the WWF at the height of the Monday Night Wars, he immediately fit right in with the rebellious, edgy humor of DX. He brought a youthful energy and a hard-hitting style that perfectly complemented Triple H and the New Age Outlaws. The "X-Factor" and the "Bronco Buster" became iconic moves that resonated with audiences. Beyond the factions, Waltman was an incredibly talented and versatile performer. He was known for his crisp strikes, fluid high-flying maneuvers, and ability to have good matches with almost anyone. He was a workhorse who understood ring psychology and knew how to get a reaction from the crowd, whether as a beloved fan favorite or a genuinely irritating heel. Sean Waltman's career is a testament to his adaptability and his integral role in shaping the "Attitude Era" and the "Monday Night Wars." He consistently delivered memorable moments and contributed significantly to some of wrestling's most iconic stables. He's a true veteran who has left a lasting legacy on the industry."

[6.0] "Pac (like Dogg) was a very lucky guy. He was always hanging around the big guys, like Syxx with the NWO, like X-Pac with DX, but generally he wasn't very good. He always showed more in-ring skill than the rest of the backstage area, but he was never used in a special way. It feels like he's fast, but his matches aren't fast. What I remember most about him (ironically, because I've seen little of him) is the 1-2-3 Kid, his Crybaby Match, his feud with Razor Ramon, which were very good, although his in-ring quality was just starting out and was very good. Then he adopted a basic, generic style from the Attitude Era roster. This last point raises my rating from a 5 to a 6."

[10.0] "Sean Waltman was very ahead of his time during the early 1990s as Lightning Kid in his feud with Jerry Lynn, as the two had very spectacular matches together in Minnesota, Texas and Japan. His run as 1-2-3 Kid during the mid 1990s was quite excellent as well, as he was a lot more exciting to watch than most of the WWF workers at the time. He had some memorable matches against the Hart brothers, Bret and Owen. Then he became a member of the nWo known as Syxx in WCW. He mainly was wrestling wrestlers from the WCW cruiserweight division, including Eddy Guerrero and Rey Mysterio Jr. And then, towards the end of his very best years, he became X-Pac in WWF and was once again one of the best workers in WWF. He was a pioneer of the high flying style in North America, as he and Jerry Lynn combined a lot of the stuff they saw on the tapes they watched of American, Japanese and Mexican wrestlers. Overall, I'd say that he was quite an underrated worker, and he seems to be overlooked whenever the best wrestlers of the 1990s are being discussed."

[9.0] "X-Pac is one of those underrated wrestlers who deserves way more love. His energy and charisma resonate with the crowd, and his role in the D-Generation X crew was iconic. He brought that cool factor that made wrestling feel fresh and edgy. The athleticism he displayed in the ring was a game changer, and he kept pushing boundaries. Definitely a staple of the '90s and early 2000s wrestling scene!"

[8.0] "With the exception of Owen Hart he was the best high flyer in American wrestling until WCW started the cruiserweight division. A lot of people get overly hung up on 2001-2002 where he was pretty weak, but in the absolute doldrums of the New Gen Era he was one of the small handful of guys that you knew would put on a great match. Unfortunately he was absolutely wasted in WCW"

[7.0] "Very underrated and doesn't get talked about enough, unless somebody mentions "X-Pac heat." Very cool in-ring style, mic work was... decent, I guess. Wasn't too good on the mic but he was charismatic enough to get popular. Has had some memorable moments in wrestling, 123 Kid beating Razor Ramon, joining DX, returning from WCW, getting Kane to speak for the first time, quite a lot cool moments from the Attitude Era. Wish he had cleaned his act up, as I think he would've been pretty fun to watch in WWE post WCW closure and beyond. Was still able to go in-ring but just disappeared from the map. Wasted potential for sure."

"Certainly one of my favourite wrestlers of all time. A small guy that could seemingly compete with the big guys. Killer theme song, excellent charisma and a staple in both DX and NWO. Amazing career. Unfortunate, that he had a rough time with substance abuse."

[7.0] "Waltman wrestled by many names and his career included many memorable moments. From his upset or Razor Ramon to his time in DX. His smaller size meant WWE didn't always book him the best but WCW and TNA runs were much less successful. He was good in the ring and could be funny as a character. 1-2-3 Kid was a great face that didn't work as a heel and X-Pac seemed to be a better character for him to do face or heel."

[7.0] "X-Pac's score on this website is absolutely abysmal! X-Pac was another name who managed to stamp his name into wrestling history! Whatever his name was! The 1-2-3 Kid, X-Pac, Sean Waltman, Syxx...It didn't matter. He was decent on the mic and when given the chance and the right circumstances can cut a great promo. In-ring he was absolutely impressive and at times undervalued. When he pinned Razor Ramon he made history for any 90s wrestling fan and immediately became a fan favorite. He seemed destined for greatness but WWF gave him a glass ceiling which he couldn't shatter. 1995-96 in WWF was the nail in the coffin. He was turned heel and lost a bunch of momentum, was in a forever feud with Razor Ramon and soon became a super loser before leaving for WCW. He joined the nWo and his run was less than stellar, he wasn't taken serious and he was released. He joined WWF/E again in 1998 and joined DX, quickly regaining that lost momentum he desperately needed. He was given European Titles and Tag Titles and again he seemed destined for something better but the rug was pulled under him after DX started breaking apart and the heel turn on Kane. It killed any fan fare he had and soon he basically had go-away heat because of the whole turn on Kane. It was a feud that went on forever! After that, he had the X-Factor and nWo 2.0 before leaving. He mostly wrestled TNA and the indies before retiring in 2022."

[7.0] "Apart from his name xpac ripping off 2pac, he was a great young talent for his time, had a great move set was hip for his time , he was probably an upper mid carder of the attitude era and one of the best in ring performers of that era tand 3rd most entertaining member of one of the greatest factions ever DX"

[8.0] "When rating a wrestler I try to consider their whole career instead of how good their peak was. Sean Waltman had a very good run in the '90s, but by the time I started watching wrestling his career took a turn, and there were some real rough points. If he hadn't made a comeback after his last disastrous run in TNA I would have bumped his rating down for sure."

[6.0] "One of the earliest wrestlers who introduce the high fly wrestling to the major stage after dynamite kid and macho man randy savage.He has couple of memorable moments but the first when when he defeat his kliq member razor ramon .His teams with kane and his stables like nwo and dx .But he was not on the levl lf main eventers such as his buds .He has inner demons also .Overall he is just ok as a character and good as wrestler"

[9.0] "The number of wrestlers actually better than him at his best, which he was at often, is pretty miniscule. Longevity's an understandable issue but he was also on national TV at 18, was maybe the first true US indie star, and someone who helped define live weekly TV wrestling. His 1990s run is so good and so important that it's pointless to really ding him for not being able to do it longer."

[3.0] "The fact that Sean Waltman was give regular exposure in WWF at a time when "ordinary" size athletes were not is often overlooked, and is a testament to how well he was thought of by Vince McMahon. In addition at his peak, his in-ring ability was of the highest quality. So why a 3? Well, fittingly, for three reasons: Firstly, his peaks were few and far between, as a combination of injuries, drug abuse and a lack of opponents he "clicked" (pun intended) with meant the majority of his matches were merely ok, with only a handful where he lived up to his potential. Secondly, as a member of the Kliq he focused an enormous amount of effort on making other people's lives miserable, particularly anyone who his group of friends felt "didn't fit in", by playing 'hilarious' ribs/pranks on them, almost all of which involved him taking a shit. For example he shit in the bags of Alundra Blayze, Sable and Juventud Guerrera, and shit in two people's food: An actual sandwich, which he then fed to Mark Henry, and a chicken salad which he served to Sunny. Yes, really. He defecated in food and fed it to his co-workers. And if you want to read between the lines ask yourself about the gender and ethnicity of his victims. Might give you a clue about his character. Thirdly, audiences disliked his underwhelming and repetitive matches so much that the term "X-Pac Heat" was coined in tribute - it felt like he was on every show after his return to WWF and he rarely had a good match, never cut a good promo and overall failed to connect with the audience, with the exception of group appearances as part of DX. Sean Waltman has contributed far more to the wrestling industry than I ever will and acheived more than 90% of others, but at the same time he could easily be erased from the history of the business and it would go almost unnoticed. For that reason he is the very definition of a 5 out of 10, but let's knock a couple of marks off for being such a consistently vile human being."

[10.0] "Sean Waltman, simply put, is my favourite wrestler of all time. His best work was easily under the 1-2-3 Kid label, but all of his career is worth watching. His feud with Razor Ramon is easily a top-ten feud of all time. He was the workhorse member of the two most recognizable factions in the history of wrestling. If I could only watch one wrestler for the rest of my life, it would be Sean Waltman. I could sing his praises until the day I die, but I will keep it short in this comment."

[10.0] "The in ring measuring stick that tested many of men's metal's, especially in the WWF years. He was the guy who when they wanted to see where someone was at as a performer or if they wanted to give someone who was on the firing line a final chance to impress, this was the guy they put them in the ring with. If he came back and gave the thumbs up you stayed, if he gave the thumbs down see ya later. He's one of the best junior heavyweights/ light heavyweights/cruiserweights of all time. He's a guy who to my aforementioned point was so great in the ring that if he couldn't shine you up, make you look good, or make you come out of a match looking better than you did coming in there was a good chance the problem was on you because it's hard to have a bad match with him. He's an innovator. He came up with creative ways in every match to get his stuff in whether it was offense, shooting a guy in to the ropes, making a come back, getting heat on the opponent, or whatever, so that it looked believably executed from someone of his size to the viewer watching in the audience or at home whether he was heel or babyface ( since he 98% of the time faced guys bigger than he was). He was great at cutting the edgy/attitudish and underdog promos, but to me his in ring work was always the highlight. He's a 2x WWE HOFER, should be 3x (maybe the 1st 3x HOFer) because his work as the 123 kid and/or X-Pac is HOF worthy as well."

[6.0] "A guy who's always great on the card. He got mixed up by being a smaller guy in the land of the giants, and that never did him much good, but he is a good talent."

[6.0] "So torn between a 6 and a 7. In the ring he was a great wrestler and had his peak in his early 20s. Another one of his best years is 1999, plus his team with Kane. He was okay-to-meh in WCW. He was horrible from late '99 to 2001 because of his demons. In TNA he destroyed himself showing up late to the Chris Candido tournament. And he never really recovered. He continued to wrestle but has never been really back with that exposure he got in TNA, WWF/E and WCW. I think the X-Pac heat is unfair, but he didn't really help"

[8.0] "As I go back and rewatch many of the old highlights of the New Generation and when the NWO ruled Nitro, I find myself becoming a bigger and bigger fan of Waltman, no matter which gimmick he worked under st the time be it the 1-2-3 Kid, Syxx or X-Pac. Years of bad booking have seemingly soured him in the eye of many fans, which is a damn shame to be honest. Simply put, in 1994 NO ONE was working like Waltman on a stage like the WWF provided him. Any one who doubts him, watch his match with Owen at the KOTR 1994. Or his match with Bret for the WWF World title on Raw, or hell even his ladder match with Eddie at Souled Out 1997. Waltman is, in my opinion, a highly underrated cruiserweight and a mainstay of 90's wrestling in both WCW and WWF."

[10.0] "Love this guy, wildly underrated. His early WWF work was phenomenal and before then he was blazing a trail on the early indie scene. His work may have declined a bit in later years but I still found him consistently enjoyable, and he has some beautiful post prime matches floating around out there."

[5.0] "( I constantly go back and forth on this guy. this is my 4th edit) He truly was a trailblazer of sorts and his Global matches with Jerry Lynn had me amped like nuts. I was pulled in like a total mark and he had me. I also liked that name: The Lightning Kid! it suited him, and it would have been just fine in the WWF... His early WWF run was FUN! but i never liked the "123 Kid" name. His heel turn was pitiful, he just did not have it in him at the time to be a credible sneaky chicken shit heel. Next came my #1 least favorite wrestling angle of all time: the nWo. here is where the negative points start to really pile on; I will not say anymore. After he jumped back to the WWF he was a more well rounded performer, despite the accumulating injuries; It also didn't hurt that he finally packed on some weight! However after his pairing with Kane - downhill was the only direction. His character became rapidly stale; "X pac heat" became a thing, a groan inducing team with Justin Credible became another thing and his stock had plummeted to near null. He seems like a super great guy, and i really did like his Lightning Kid/first year of the 123 kid stuff... but.... the negatives are a hefty load to bare. 4.5 rounded ...*sigh* up. One of the few who's best work was by far n away their babyface runs, which is quite rare."

[9.0] "Excellent cruiserweight wrestler who would often hold his own against bigger wrestlers while sometimes play a convincing heel, which is very rare. Most remembered for his time as Syxx in WCW and X-Pac in the WWE and being a part of two of the greatest factions of all time in the nWo and DX, he was an integral member of both. His ladder match against Eddie Guerrero at nWo Sould Out 1997 is definitely one to watch. Surprisingly underrated on this site."

[9.0] "Excellent cruiserweight who was consistent and worked with great athleticism, innovation, and psychology. Underrated promo."

[7.0] "X pac was a trailblazer. You don't make it in that era with his size unless you are very good. His match against Razor is still talked about now, how many matches from current WWF will we talk about in 30 days never mind 30 years."

[7.0] "I'm surprised he's rated so low. Sean was a trailblazer in bringing cruiserweight wrestling to North America. I first saw him in Global as the Lightning Kid vs. Jerry Lynn. At the time, it was the craziest match I'd ever seen. When he started showing up as a jobber in WWF, I recognized him but couldn't understand why he was a jobber. I knew how good he could be. I would say he did his strongest work in groups, ala DX and nWo. My biggest criticism of Waltman is that he kept going back to the DX well long after that time had passed. He simply didn't evolve from that point and it was a huge contributor to "X-Pac heat", as it's known. That said, he was an important part of wrestling, a very good worker, and someone that could get a good match out of stiffs."

[7.0] "I don't exactly understand why X-Pac got such a lower grade than I expected. This guy was simply the best definition of what DX was and was obviously not the face of the company, but he was a good enough stable member and could almost always function as a third protagonist."

[9.0] "One of the unsung heroes of a generation and an innovator too. That he didn't adapt his character/persona as well as he could of at the peak of WWF's success is unfortunate but he has become more fondly remembered in time."

[6.0] "In the ring, Waltman was a very steady hand on the wheel. He could have a good match with most people, could do singles or tag team, and was just a good hand to have around. Couldn't really cut a promo, but wasn't without charisma in the ring."

[8.0] "I don't understand nor agree with a rating below 7. Waltman wasn't the greatest on the mic most of the time, but even there he'd have moments that were great, like his return to WWF in early 1998. He was fantastic in the ring too, especially in the early 90s in his first WWF run as the 1-2-3 kid."

[8.0] "The definition of underrated. People really do forget how good he was in the ring and how over he was as an underdog babyface in 98/99 until he turned on Kane. After he turned he never changed his character and never got any steam behind him - even after DX broke up he kept doing the exact same thing and people simply got tired of him. That? s what X-Pac heat is, it? s seeing the same thing repeatedly with zero change. It? s not someone who isn? t over and never was over. X-Pac was BELOVED as a babyface, he was Rock? s first PPV (in the UK) match as Champion because it was guaranteed to get the favourable face/heel reaction. I hope history sees Sean Waltman how he deserves to be seen and not just through the X-PAC heat terminology."

[7.0] "Had zero charisma when on a mic or actually by himself, but the dude was a trailblazer in the ring at the time: very talented and extremely agile when it called for it. He's had a history of actual top grade matches all the way up to his 40's. Ofc, his best years were effected by his pretty dire drug abuse at the time and as such he got sloppy, which is a shame because he could still go when he was sober. His lack of size meant he was always gonna be mid card at best, but I think he could have done a lot more if he'd kept on the straight and narrow. People accuse him of getting all of his best bit part roles due to the groups he sided with, but I don't believe that's quite fair to the guy because he was a solid worker and would have fit in perfectly to today's focus on workrate over mass and look. Ultimately it was his character issues both inside the ring (his complete lack of development) and outside that got him in a lot of bother."

[7.0] "Waltman is a very talented worker who was at his best with the 1-2-3 Kid gimmick. Had some great matches with the likes of Razor Ramon, Shawn Michaels, and Bret Hart. His work as X-Pac fit well with D-Generation X, but when he was without the group he floundered."

[10.0] "Sure x-pac could go in the ring, and yeah he was apart of two hall of fame stables (nwo and dx). But that? s not the main reason I? m giving this fool a 10. I haven? t seen an x pac match in probably 15 years yet this guy still entertains me to this day. Please check out his shoot interviews and try to tell me this guy isn? t a fucking wrestling legend! I? ll give you a few of his accomplishments if you don? t believe me. He is the only man to ever cut off Michael ps Hayes? ponytail. He once defeated cypress hill in a drinking/smoking competition with his tag team partner the undertaker. He literally made a fucking porno with former intercontinental champion chyna! In all seriousness, I know those have little to do with actual wrestling, but to me, wrestling is all about entertainment and Sean Waltman has entertained me for 25 years and I genuinely appreciate it wether it was in the ring or in front of a microphone."

[7.0] "I fully understand the negative appeal of that X-Pac heat but I don't care what anyone says, the 1-2-3 kid could go. Perfect example of the persona taking the shine off that in-ring appeal."

[7.0] "In-ring wise and promo wise he was good. Can be great as part of a tag team or stable. An ok allrounder."

[8.0] "It's ofter east to forget how ahead of his time the 1-2-3 Kid really was in the ring. I vividly remember his kick combination he would do in the corner & how fluid & awesome they looked. As 6-Pac, he was mostly used as an agitator for the NWO, but he had a sort of loose cannon feel similar to Pillman's role for the Hart Foundation. When he returned to WWE to work with DX, this is where I felt I had kind of seen enough of Waltman. He wasn't bad... but just didn't feel like all that intriguing of an act anymore. His stuff with Tori & Kane never did much for me. Overall, his 1-2-3 Kid stuff is still my favorite."

[9.0] "I enjoy his work in the Attitude Era, I think he's a talented wrestler, even as the 1-2-3 Kid he had some bangers."

[7.0] "Sean Waltman was a really good worker at his peak, but his second run in the WWF suffered due to a complete lack of character development. He never changed up, at all, and he looked out of place as everyone else evolved."

[7.0] "X-Pac started as 1-2-3 Kid and he was indeed a much more exciting in ring performer at this time. He was always useful to have in a Cruiserweight or Light Heavyweight Division but did lack mic skills to ever make it further up the card."

[2.0] "Of the kliq members the kamikaze 1-2-3-x-pac kid was the most insignificant. He could move well in a ring but being good at being fast can only get you so far and do so much. Waltman never really had a good character for himself and he likely wouldn't have been able to carry one with his limited magnetism. He got better on the mic but not by much and he really only got as far as he did because of his kliq brethren (and even then he never really got that far). I do tend to imagine how different his career path woulda went if he never got dragged into the drug den with his friends, but I have a feeling the loss of his potential isn't nearly as bad as the loss of Halls."

[8.0] "I get that there were a lot of reasons to dislike the guy and his antics, but his talent was there and it was pretty obvious. An excellent case of a wrestler that could give "fun little matches" week after week, and being entertaining while on screen."

[8.0] "He was one of my favorites growing up. Ahead of his time with his marital arts style. He knew how to electrify the crowds. The 1-2-3- Kid was lame but made some excitement in his career. Joining the Kliq was a risky move. Going to WCW helped him go up a level. Then when he returned to WWE as X-Pac he became big. Being with D- Generation X made him become popular. I will always remember X-Pac wearing green attire. Teaming with Kane was great, Road Dogg good and X-Factor bah. X-Pac is always up and down in his career. TNA he was okay. The drugs were a big trouble for him which effected his career. He almost took his own life away because of his problems but Keivn Nash helped him. X-Pac is an icon in the Attitude era. SUCK IT!"

[4.0] "X-Pac always seemed really stoned and it was kind of clear in the ring. He did crotch chops and bronco busters but nothing special."

[9.0] "He was of the first famous people showcase of the high flying and martial arts style in the 90's. I am not sure why there so much disliking of this guy."

[7.0] "Kind of a hard guy to rate. He had some great matches and a lot of charisma, and gets points for getting over as a small guy in the WWF when that was still a very rare thing. Plus he had notable runs with the original nWo AND DX. But his ring work has often been marred over the years by his substance abuse problems, he could barely cut a promo even when sober, and he's been an embarrassment to the industry on many occasions. Plus his second WWF/E run ended up so badly that it led to the term "X-Pac Heat" – negative heat on a wrestler not because they're an effective heel who you want to see lose, but because you just don't want to see them wrestle anymore. On balance, though, I'd like to think that the positives outweigh the negatives."

[8.0] "When he first came onto the WWF scene in the early '90s, Waltman was a smaller man in a land of super-heavyweights, and his ring style, based more on agility, high-flying skill and striking, immediately made him stand out and in the process, helped to break down some of the barriers smaller, lighter talents faced in the WWF. He also had the ability to sell with the best of them, and make virtually any opponent look good. Waltman was also notably a part of not one, but two of the most popular stables of the late '90s, the NWO and DX. Though his character eventually wore out its welcome, Waltman remains an influential figure with a respectable career and a good number of notable performances to his credit."

[9.0] "X-Pac is my most favorite out of all the KLIQ members. Great in-ring abilities, promo skills, and overall charisma! Even though he had his ups and downs in his life, X-Pac is still a great wrestler and will always be one of the greatest cruiserweights of the business!"

[10.0] "Without a doubt the most talented wrestler in the Kliq, DX, or NWO. Some people's nostrils flare up at the mention of his membership in the Kliq. But the most surprising thing about it was that Sean Waltman (I shall simply refer to him by his birth name as he's had so many others) started out as a clean cut babyface, a jobber who suddenly started picking up wins, a high flyer in an era of more "grounded" wrestling, lightning fast (I'm always amazed at how QUICK Sean is in his offense) plus wielder of those savage spin kicks that could come out of nowhere from any angle. After making the jump to the NWO in WCW (and DX in WWE), he began to adopt a more cocky, brash, obnoxious heel persona (and a beard) and began winning championships, in addition to being key members of those two influential groups. After a plane ride from hell, he went to TNA and won the X Division title. But... from his Syxx years on, Waltman's excellent in ring performances were occasionally hampered by drug problems and the backstage drama that came with the Kliq, in WCW and WWE. For that, people rate him lower or downplay his abilities. I am giving him a 10 because he EARNED it. He came from nothing, he was a nobody from Minneapolis, and he went on to make an indelible mark on the world of professional wrestling. He came, he saw, he conquered, he lost... but he seems to be back together in one piece again. One of the best Kids in the game."