Mike Quackenbush

[9.0] "My Rating 8.9 First of all. Mike Quackenbush is a great technical wrestler and he must be a great wrestling trainer as he trained so many future superstars. He created something original with his Chikara promotion. Sad to hear about the aftermath... He is still one of the greats in my books."

[7.0] "Quack is a wealth of wrestling knowledge and history which I think was a big part of Chikara's appeal. I give him a ton of credit for Chikara as that '05-'15 run is one of the best eras in all of wrestling. His in-ring ability was also top tier. His moves were extremely smooth and his finish sequence with Claudio in '06 is one of the best finishes in history. But overall at worst he was going to give a "good" match - put him against a powerhouse or one of the many people visiting from overseas or a "PPV" type card and you were going to get a VERY good match. I thought he also booked himself very fairly in Chikara - he was always putting over others. I really couldn't stand him on commentary though and in particular I dislike his Youtube channel. While it has some great knowledge, he comes off like a total salesman sleezeball. His name already carries weight and doesn't need all that fluff or the fake persona."

[4.0] "Loved Chikara and thought that Quackenbush was a good worker. Chikara created a place to work where wrestlers could do things outside the traditional box and its influence can be seen in every major promotion. He was a creative guy although not the strongest on the mic. Can't say I liked all the things he did (Prescription Thugs was a horrible idea). The news that came out about him during the speakout movement were very disappointing to me since it ruined his legacy and shut down a pro wrestling promotion so many wrestlers doing the right thing relied on. Overall"

[10.0] "One of the greatest indie wrestlers of all time. Had countless of classic matches with the likes of Chris Hero, Claudio Castagnoli, Johnny Saint etc. Also founded CHIKARA Pro, one of my personal favorite wrestling promotions of all time. Shame he decided to shut everything down at the first sign of trouble."

[9.0] "To be honest, what is there to say about Quackenbush that hasn't been said before? He's easily up there with Super Dragon and Chris Hero when it comes to indie icons, what else is there TO say?"

[3.0] "Quackenbush should be known as a control freak, an abusive promoter, but is seen to many as one of the most technical and intricate wrestlers in the world, personally, I never saw the appeal. There is a way to make a heavily technical wrestler entertaining, doing nothing but intricate submissions and rest holds is not one of them. The only thing I will give Quack credit for is creating Chikara and at least giving us some of the most talented wrestlers today, but that doesn't save him from criticism nor does it excel him any higher than a couple of points."

[9.0] "Putting aside Mike Quackenbush's absolute ineptitude as a business owner and his control freak booking, his blend of lucha libre and World of Sport style led him to be a very entertaining and knowledgeable wrestler. Even into his 40s after various injuries, he could still pull off intricate yet smooth moves with ease and grapple circles around his opponents as part of his "Master of a Thousand Holds" character. I think his promo work is hit-or-miss, but he has the ability to pull out a really good one when it's time for a big match, and while his selling ranges from good to great, he has moments in his matches where he mugs a little too much for the camera or keeps a playful demeanor when it's time to ramp up the match and get more serious. I'd also say Quackenbush from a creative standpoint is one of the best writers in pro wrestling - he took his love of comic books and 80s television shows and tried to apply that same intricate long-term and short-term storytelling to wrestling with memorable highs and equally memorable lows. He took risks to try and make an interesting product, which is what a lot of larger companies and even independent promotions of a bigger size have failed to do since."

[8.0] "Mike Quackenbush is both a good wrestler and an even better trainer. He was always entertaining to watch, and he trained countless extraordinary wrestlers. Let's not forget that he's also responsible for running Chikara, a fantastic promotion. I'm giving him an 8 mainly because of the allegations thrown against him, otherwise my rating for him would probably be a 10."

[7.0] "Ignoring Quackenbush's out of the ring antics or his alleged control freak attitude as those aren't relevant to his wrestling. He's a strong technical wrestler but there's a very good reason why he never got anywhere beyond the indie circuit: he's entirely forgettable as a performer. I haven't watched one match in which I was impressed by the athleticism on display but would never say it was anything special or groundbreaking. He's very much all moves but zero grit, zero realism in what he does. He's one of the prototypical examples of a guy who'll just go through move after move without selling the struggle of actually being in a fight, it's 100% just arm drags to fancy counters to more fancy moves to more counters, completely forgettable in how lacking in substance it is. He's more focused on getting his shit in than actually pacing a match, and maybe people are a fan of that style, but for me, it's completely underwhelming considering he could do half of what he does in matches and still get over. Guys like Bryan can do that, but Quack seemed incapable of doing the same. In terms of his charisma or anything else, there's not a lot to do around either: guy never had a great look in the ring, always looking rather skinny yet always wearing a full body suit at the same time, and his promos always felt disingenuous. Fantastic wrestler in terms of raw athleticism and versatility but a poor performer."

[10.0] "Seriously love him. No one's more passionate about pro wrestling in so many of its forms. I LOVE World of Sport and would never have discovered it or Titanes out of Argentina if not for Mike. In spite of his ruination on social media from the woke crowd I still admire all he's done. I mostly only know his recent in ring work with Johnny Kidd, not his flippy era. I look forward to where he'll land next and keep watching everything he puts out on youtube."

[7.0] "I know Mike Quackenbush is one of the best wrestlers ever but like but like 10 years ago. He's not good anymore."

[4.0] "Even before his recent downfall, I was never a fan of this guy in the first place. World of sport style isn't artistically wrong or anything, but he was one of the several guys in the 2000s that took that style and turned it into the most masturbatory forms of wrestling ever. A thousand armdrags, a thousand wrist locks, a thousand roll-ups, and a few submissions here and there. Boomer wrestling fans give way too much shit to flippy shit when this form of self-indulgent wrestling is the definition of looking choreographed. It isn't about winning the match with this type of wrestler, it's about showing off your skill to a redundant degree. There's a reason why he never broke into the mainstream. Guys like Hero were also guilty of this style, but at least they knew how to evolve later on."

[10.0] "The Smoothest technical wrestler I've ever seen. He just floats from move to move, doing things you've never seen like it was nothing."

[9.0] "Watching Quack always puts me in such a good mood. Love the guy. His style is great & he executes it to perfection."

[10.0] "Quakenbush is the founder of Chikara, giving plenty of young wrestlers a chance to grow and develop into good wrestlers, and has had plenty of good matches himself. So good he was invited to be a guest coach at the WWE performance center."

[10.0] "Quackenbush is a rare kind of multitalented individual. In his time in the ring, he was an exceptional technical wrestler with a deep move set and the ability to fly, present in-ring psychology and storytelling and was a great promo. On the short list of the best in-ring talents to never get a shot with a major promotion, Quackenbush found his own way with his own promotion, CHIKARA, where he has also proven himself as one of wrestling's great creative minds with a unique vision of wrestling as an art form. With his days in the ring now (largely) behind him, Quackenbush continues to prove himself an asset to wrestling as a promoter, booker, trainer, commentator and on-air personality. A rare breed for sure."

[10.0] "An incredible Indy wrestler who never really got his shot at the big time. Lightning quick with amazing technique inspired by the likes of Liger and Johnny Saint. He also is the brain behind the incredibly unique Chikara."

[10.0] "Probably one of the best technical wrestlers of all time , He will always be the king of indies with his different styles and techniques of wrestling , He is called Lightning Mike Quackenbush for a reason"

[7.0] "Solid wrestler, but a bit overrated because of his status in CHIKARA"

[10.0] "The only thing I want to say is: How is it possible that Mike Quackenbush has never been hired by a major? !"

[10.0] "Lord god, Mike Quackenbush is too good. FAR too good. His in-ring work is on the same level as Chris Jericho, though sadly he fails to produce believable promos. You also need to give credit to the fact that he created both the Wrestle Factory and CHIKARA. One of the greatest minds in wrestling's history."

[7.0] "Quack's well spoken and a very fluent worker. A bit too flashy to take seriously at times, but nonetheless a good wrestler."

[10.0] "A indy legend and the creator of CHIKARA. He is an incredible athlete, and also has no problem putting others over to let their star shine brightly as his currently does."