The Total Package Part 1: Technical Ability

When we look back in the annals of professional wrestling, certain names stand out: Hulk Hogan, Shawn Michaels, John Cena, Bret Hart, Steve Austin, The Rock, The Undertaker, Kurt Angle, Triple H, Randy Savage. How is it that these guys got to the top? Hundreds of professional wrestlers come and go, why are some successful while others aren't? It can't be based on talent alone, many WWE World Champions are proof of that. So what is it?

Here at The Wrestling Examiner, we determined five qualities a superstar must have in order to be considered the total package: mic skills, charisma, technical ability, the right look, and the "it" factor. If a superstars can tick all of these boxes, then they truly are the total package. Some would say that being successful is also a criteria, but we argue that it is more of a byproduct of the other qualities.

Instead of identifying ten superstars with all of those qualities, we took it a step further: we broke down each quality and looked at ten superstars who embodied it. In a series of six articles (this being the first), we'll examine the components of the total package and determine ten superstars who fit the bill. So without further ado: technical ability.

 Pro wrestling may focus too much sometimes on the entertainment part of sports entertainment, but it's still wrestling. The superstars between those ropes are athletes, and most of them are highly trained. Of course, there are some superstars who are more technically sound than others. Here are ten who definitely possess technical ability.

1. Daniel Bryan- The list kicks off with our WWE World Heavyweight Champion. Currently, there is no better technical wrestler in the company. The Beard has dozens of moves in his arsenal, including the ankle lock, suicide dive, diving headbutt, LeBell lock, and German suplex. In fact, the reason Bryan got over with the fans in the first place is because of his technical ability. It's safe to say he wouldn't be here today without it.

2. Dean Malenko- The Man of 1,000 Holds is regarded as one of the best technical wrestlers to ever lace up a pair of boots. It's easy to see why when watching one of his matches: brainbuster, Texas Cloverleaf, surfboard, tilt-a-whirl backbreaker, Northern Lights suplex, it's all there. Granted, Malenko wasn't exactly a top-tier superstar, but his wrestling skills were.

3. William Regal- The 2008 King of the Ring knows how to wrestle. That much is evident by looking at the list of superstars he's trained. That list includes Daniel Bryan, CM Punk,  Samoa Joe, Brian Kendrick, and Chris Hero. He may not be an aerial specialist, but his ground work is good enough to get him on this list.

4. Curt Hennig- The man known as Mr. Perfect was truly a perfect technical wrestler. Sure, he had a lot of moves in his arsenal (dropkick, seated senton, snapmare, swinging knee lift, etc.), but what really set him apart was the way he executed these moves. He was absolutely flawless in the ring. To this day, you'll be hard pressed to see a smoother wrestler. 

5. Bret Hart- There's a reason Hart is known as the Excellence of Execution. Trained in the legendary Hart dungeon, The Hitman was a technical marvel. His mat work was impeccable, yet he could also pull off moves like a suicide dive, running crossbody, or plancha. Watch just one of this matches and you will be convinced he's arguably the greatest technical wrestler of all time.

6. Ric Flair- The Nature Boy is one of the most successful professional wrestlers ever. With 16 World Championship reigns and a Royal Rumble win under his best, he can also lay claim to being one of the best ever. He certainly has earned the right to call himself one of the best technical wrestlers ever. Even when he was in his fifties he was still putting on spectacular matches. If you don't believe me, look at a list of his awards. They include seven Five Star Matches from the Wrestling Observer Newsletter and being named #3 on the PWI 500 on three different occasions.

7. CM Punk- The Best in the World may be missing in action right now, but he still deserves a place on this list. His technical work is among the finest this company has ever seen. Every match of his looks as if he's putting on a wrestling clinic. Speaking of his matches, Punk has a record for putting on excellent matches. Some of his best matches include the WWE title match at Money in the Bank 2011 against John Cena and the No Disqualification match against Brock Lesnar at SummerSlam 2013.

8. Bob Backlund- We're going old-school by putting Backlund on this list. The Hall of Famer has always been noted for his technical ability, which was among the best of his generation. His skill earned him Pro Wrestling Illustrated's Wrestler of the Year award twice, as well as earning Match of the Year twice.

9. Kurt Angle- It should come as no surprise that Angle is on this list. After all, he did win an Olympic gold medal for freestyle wrestling. He may not have as many moves in his arsenal under his belt as others on this list, but his in-ring finesse and perfect execution of moves cannot be denied. 

10. Rey Mysterio- You may be surprised by Mysterio's inclusion, but if you watch one of his matches, it becomes apparent how good Mysterio is in the ring. The Lucha Libre style of wrestling is by no means easy to do, but the 2006 Royal Rumble winner pulls it off perfectly. He's regarded as one of the best aerial performers in WWE history and has even been made the PWI 500 top ten four times.

So how important is technical ability. It actually may mean less than you think. Sure, talented wrestlers such as Ric Flair, Bret Hart, and Rey Mysterio had great success, but many superstars who don't have as much technical ability (such as Triple H, Randy Orton, or Batista) have reached the top of the mountain. Nonetheless, a superstar must be technically proficient to become a top star. To be considered a total package, a superstar must be a technical master.