One of the loyal followers of this blog has been making a comparison for the last few years. He has been comparing wrestlers with NBA players. I would say he started doing this about 2 years ago when I was a guest on his radio show, but he also made mentions of it on this blog. Back then I did not have a chance (or maybe I just refused) to look into exactly what he was saying. Then maybe 2 weeks ago he sent me a newspaper/blog article with someone else making the same comparison. Now I cannot find the article, or I would give the gentleman credit, because it was very, very well done. I went through his article, there were some that I thought were accurate, and some that I thought were a reach. So to get conversation going, I would love to start this conversation tonight. Now some of these may be obscure for you all, so if you have any questions please let me know, and of course, if you don’t agree and want to say something different, please feel free to comment.
So let’s start with a man who has won almost every accolade in the business, except the big one. The brand new MVP of the league, LeBron James. Who do I think is the best guy in the business right now, who has won every title out there except for the world title? Shelton Benjamin. I know you may think it is a reach to go with Benjamin, but I can’t think of anyone else who is as good as him in the business right now. Now think about this, Benjamin has won every title in WWE except for the world title, and now he is in Ring of Honor, and again he has won a title, but not the big one. But if you have watched Benjamin, you know that he is probably the best guy in the business. Just like James, he has been dazzling us for about 10 years now. And just like James if he does not win the title, he will be looked at as a big disappointment. He will be a Barkley, a Ewing, and a Wilkins. If James does not win it, he will be here too.
Next I would like to compare factions with entire teams. The four horsemen stand for excellence and championships. In the NBA one team has personified this, and I hate to admit it, but the Boston Celtics, as an organization, are just that. The championships alone speak for themselves. But let’s dig deeper. Bill Russell has won more title as a player than anyone else, he is Ric Flair. And through the years the faces have changed but they are always there, and they have always stood for winning. Now on this next one, you are going to have to use your imagination for this. I say Phil Jackson is Triple H. And if Jackson is H, then the Chicago Bulls are D-generation X. Now take out the fact that DX was counter cultural, and just think about the championships they won their 1st time around, when it was just Triple H and Shawn Michaels; that would be like the 1st 3-peat. Then Michaels retires, so does Jordan. Afterwards they reform the team and have some success. Then Jackson leaves the Bulls and coaches the hated Lakers, and turned them into champions. And after that he started dating the owner’s daughter. Triple H left DX and dated the owner of the company’s daughter; he also formed a new team called Evolution. With Evolution, Triple H won 5 World titles, and with the Lakers, Jackson won 5 World titles. These teams have all become the flag bearers for this business when it comes to factions, and teams.
Lastly I am going to compare 2 men whom, at 1st I did not like; who I thought was given way too much, way too fast; who are very comparable to stars of yester year? But I will admit that in the last few years these men have become the face of their organization, and are the hardest workers in their sport. The 2 men I am talking about are Kobe Bryant, and John Cena. There was a time when both Kobe and John were looked upon as not deserving of all of their accolades. Kobe was an all-star starter during his 2nd year in the league, though he was not a starter on his own team. John Cena’s 1st title reign was for almost a whole year, and when he did finally lose it, he won it back in 3 weeks. This is something we have never seen and were not used to. And worse than that, during his 1st reign he beat everyone. Shawn Michaels, Kane, Kurt Angle, Christian, Chris Jericho, he beat everyone. So because of this, we all did not like both men. And through all of this I think a lot of us forgot a few things about these guys. #1 they are the hardest workers in the league. If left up to them, they would not miss anytime at all. #2 they are at their best when the bright lights are on, Kobe in the Playoffs, and I have gone on record saying the Cena is Mr. PPV. He has not been out performed in a PPV since he became a main eventer. And #3 I think that there was a time when both were the absolute best in the business. Cena has taken on every single wrestler out there, The Rock, Michaels, Triple H, Brock Lesnar, some he beat, some he lost to, but he has taken them all on, and has performed up their level, or even out performed them. Bryant has taken on the NBA has to offer, and he is still one of the best. After 16 years he was 2nd in the league in scoring. These 2 men may be on the down side of their careers, but they are still the men you want with the ball in their hands when the game on the line, or in the main event at WrestleMania.
I really enjoyed writing this blog. It is good to put these 2 sports in the other sport’s perspective. I am sure I could go on and on, with these comparisons, but I will leave it up to you all. If you think I am wrong in certain areas, let me know, I will think about it. And if you like what I put and you want to add to it, and then by all means let me know, and let’s see what we come up with.
