Buddy Rogers

[10.0] "What Gorgeous George laid the blueprint for in terms of charisma and being a heel, Rogers took it to the moon and beyond. Buddy was the complete set, and the architect for so much of what we know as wrestling today. Working the crowd, cheating and being cowardly, all things you would think of today as integral parts of the sport were popularized on video for the first time by Rogers. And with all that he was great in the ring, his matches with Lou Thesz are my favorite and where you can point to he birth of the modern technical style of wrestling. Given the sport he inherited when he started, you can't blame him for lacking anything when he raised the bar to unknown heights in so many categories."

"The Original Nature Boy! a Pure legend in the ring, better than in my opinion R Truth just saying but yeah, the first WWE Champion can fly high as one of the OG GOATS!"

[10.0] "Often imitated, never duplicated, 'The Nature Boy' captivated audiences to such a degree that promoters across America rushed to find a Rogers-rip-off of their own. To this day, elements of his style (already highlighted by commenters below) are still in use, and relatively unchanged from the day he innovated them. It's hard to imagine much more of an impact than that."

[10.0] "The original Nature Boy was the total package of his era. Charismatic, impeccable on the mic and a methodical style of offense that drew heat from the crowd, along with his begging and lying to the referee to get his way. Innovator of the Figure 4 Leglock, he accomplished a lot in his career, and could have done more if not for politics and an untimely mild heart attack that zapped off his endurance, but then led to Bruno Sammartino's rise"

[10.0] "The only guy in his era who actually sold anything. While everybody else was doing 60 minute Broadway snoozefest, the Original Nature Boy was begging off, powdering, pulling hair, and lying to the referee. Basically (as far as I know) inventing the modern "cowardly heel" archetype. Wasn't worried about looking tough, he had a story to tell. A true, seminal 'sports-entertainer' in the best possible sense of the word."

"Just wanted to say did y'all actually watch Buddy's matches or did y'all just rate him based on the historical context ?"

[10.0] "Buddy Rogers invented the figure-four leglock. He invented the "Nature Boy" gimmick. So much of the showmanship in wrestling today is directly descended from Rogers. He was hated by many in the business but influenced EVERYONE who watched him. Do you think Buddy Rogers or Lou Thesz has more relevance to modern-day wrestling? He was NWA champion and the very first WWWF champion. In fact, his title reign ending as NWA champion is the reason WWWF was formed. Very few have even close to the impact on pro wrestling that Buddy Rogers did and continues to have."

[10.0] "One of my favorites from the super early years of wrestling. Buddy Rogers was the original "Nature Boy". A true heat magnet, a fantastic old school heel, and was once a massive draw at one point. He originated 'the strut', an act that Ric Flair would popularized a few decades later. Truly one of the very best in the business. Have only seen a few of his matches but all of them were at least good or great (some were absolutely spectacular as a matter of fact). His backstage shenanigans as claim by his greatest rival, Bruno Sammartino doesn't sit well. But besides that, he was a huge joy to watch both in and outside of the ring. Also well known to be the first ever WWF World Champion, so a point for that too."

[10.0] "One of the legends of the business, Buddy Rogers also popularized a lot of concepts and was one of wrestling's biggest heel draws."

[8.0] "A great personality who laid the foundations for many successful wrestlers down the line. In-ring he was good for his time but his matches don't hold the same value today which slightly lowers his value. If I was around in the 50's I would have paid a lot of money when The Nature Boy came to town."