Best Of 2010s: Non-Wrestler Of The Decade
IMG Credit: WWE
Ok this one isn’t going to be the biggest surprise. There isn’t much of a way around it but that’s the way these things go sometimes. Even though there are so many names in wrestling, there are some of them who are just better at some aspects than others. That isn’t always inside the ring, which is what we’re looking at today.
Honorable Mention
Vickie Guerrero: I know she wasn’t around long in the decade and could be annoying, but for someone who was hired as little more than a favor to her deceased husband, Vickie ran with her chance and deserves a mention.
Stephanie McMahon
I don’t like her, you probably don’t like her, she can be one of the most annoying people in all of wrestling, but she can also be REALLY good at what she does. Stephanie comes off as one of the most evil people in WWE and while a lot of people aren’t fans of hers (you might say that is true of me, at least a little bit), she knows exactly how to play her role and get the most out of it.
Stephanie is perfect in her role as the stuck up, untouchable owner of the company and can give one of the most condescending promos in wrestling today. She’s awesome at what she does and it makes the times where she gets what’s coming to her all that much better. Much like a lot of other fans, I want to see someone finally get one up on her. That’s good storytelling and while it isn’t exactly executed right, she can do it very, very well.
Dario Cueto
Roddy Piper had a great line that summed up the problem of being a wrestler breaking into mainstream entertainment: “When I was wrestling they said I was acting but when I was acting, they said I was just a wrestler.” That’s a rather insightful line and it’s why Lucha Underground made a brilliant move when they signed a regular actor to play the company’s boss.
Lucha Underground became a cult hit and Cueto was one of the biggest reasons why. He nailed every aspect of what he did at a level that was only beaten (maybe) by Vince McMahon himself and that is some elite company. There was such great joy in his eyes as he would do something horrible to set up his latest evil idea and his catchphrases worked very well. I loved watching this guy because he was so good at it, though he ruins the same role for almost anyone else because no one else can do it like him.
William Regal
This was the only person I considered for the top spot other than the winner. Regal is an outstanding example of someone who knows how to get things done in a hurry. Maybe it is just due to how well things are written in NXT, but seeing how fast he gets things done is a treat to watch. Regal has all of the respect in the world and it has paid off in spades here.
What makes Regal work is you know he is the law in NXT. He has been in charge for years now and unless he gets a promotion, there is no reason to have him leave. Regal is like the father who can bring good news, but when you push him too far, there is no stopping him no matter who you are. The best example of this you’ll find was at the United Kingdom Title Tournament in 2017 when Pete Dunne tried to make a name for himself by jumping the other competitors in between matches. Regal stormed out and stared Dunne down, sending Dunne running away. That’s power, and Regal has it in spade.
But yeah, who are we kidding?
Paul Heyman
This very well may be the biggest layup of both sets of awards. Heyman is not perfect by any means and has some failures to his name, but when he is on his game, there is no one better at what they do. His work with CM Punk was outstanding and another good example of why wrestlers wanted to be labeled as a Paul Heyman Guy. It’s quite the honor and Heyman has earned the accolade.
Oh yeah and then there’s the whole “he works with Brock Lesnar” deal. I don’t remember the last pairing that was better because Heyman never stops talking but who is going to go after him when he’s hiding behind Brock Lesnar? These promos are always well done and worthy of at least some praise, to the point where even though they are getting repetitive, they are still excellent. Heyman belongs at the top of this list and it was a pretty easy pick.
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I’m glad Cueto got a mention. This is Heyman’s award until he dies, but Cueto was so good for such a short time.