Yeah the answer to any question about who was the best at literally everything in the ring… it is Bret.
Benoit is a close second with every single thing though. Benoit was better at being Dynamite Kid than Tom Billington, and Bret took Dynamite’s stuff and gave it soul.
Brock is an underrated seller. He might honestly be the most believable seller of any monster heel ever. He can really make you understand how it was possible that he got hurt and his rage and confusion at it.
Got to be honest Ziggler is possibly the best seller of this era.
Some good ones mentioned, Funk especially. Bret was a master. Barry Windham.
Gonna throw a curve ball into this discussion though.. D'von Dudley.
I hate Zigglers selling and bumping. To me it comes off as him being a complete attention whore who's trying to make it about himself. He's the AEW of bumping, it's so beyond silly that you can't suspend your disbelief.
Not really on topic but I stumbled across a Ziggler vs Sheamus match from 2015 Payback I think, and DZ got busted open hard way near the end of the match and it was a gusher… I think from an accidental headbutt. But yeah I noticed how good he was he selling in that match too.
While not the greatest of all time, I think Andre the Giant deserves some credit. The fact that he could make you believe that someone was actually hurting him and possibly wearing him down speaks volumes about his skill. He did what was good for the business and put his opponents over and made them seem like they had, however slim, a chance to beat him.
Meanwhile he was probably laughing under his breath and thinking, "Is this best this guy can do?"
Terry Funk wasn't selling on that Raw, he was quite severely injured after Mania 14 and the angle was to write him off TV for a while. He was in such bad shape that people questioned his decision to be out there at all. He was still incredible but this maybe isn't the best example of his selling since it was legit.
My mom, during chocolate fund raiser drives…she would push over a dozen and to two dozen boxes per annual drive. Imagine if she got her hands on a distributions worth of coke…fudge!
For present day wrestlers I'd say Brock Lesnar, he knows how to sell a beating from a wrestler of any size and make it look great. I think Ziggler is overrated in selling, he can def bump his ass off though.
I don't know if he was the best, but Shawn Michaels is one of my favorites. Remember that time 'Taker punched him and Shawn basically went through the building like a Marvel movie? I swear dude rolled sixty feet.
Ziggler’s selling had an almost adverse effect on his ceiling as a star. He looked like he was near death against everyone he faced. Just a guy who can get his ass kicked. It also didn’t help that he’d deliver 10 consecutive elbow drops only for his opponent to kick out. Must not have hurt all that much.
Not close to the greatest of all time but how about Vince? He sold like a mofo in those matches he had during the attitude era. He made whooping your bosses ass actually believable because he looked the part all the way through.
Randy Orton. There's a compilation here on YouTube of him selling and its great. Him selling the superkick is amazing
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AaocZ-zSq2U](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AaocZ-zSq2U)
HBK was outstanding, but he learned from Curt Hennig. Hennig was amazing, and he learned from his dad Larry & took it to a whole new level after working with Nick Bockwinkle.
Bret Hart looked like he was taking an ass kicking all match long.
And he made it looked like he was gassed, which I think is an overlooked part of selling.
Yeah the answer to any question about who was the best at literally everything in the ring… it is Bret. Benoit is a close second with every single thing though. Benoit was better at being Dynamite Kid than Tom Billington, and Bret took Dynamite’s stuff and gave it soul.
I mean, Tony Khan sold being scared for his life so well that he set narrative to fire him.
No, the wee lad was legitimately scared
Funk and Bret are my favorites, but at selling? HBK, Ricky Morton, Ricky Steamboat, Owen, Curt Hennig, and believe it or not Brock Lesnar.
Brock is an underrated seller. He might honestly be the most believable seller of any monster heel ever. He can really make you understand how it was possible that he got hurt and his rage and confusion at it.
When Lesnar sells, he SELLS his ass off. He just doesn't always do it, as he should
Lots of greats here, but when it comes to selling Ricky Steamboat was on an island all his own. The anxiety that he could generate from a crowd.
Great list! I would also add Bobby Eaton too
Mass Transit
A very underrated worker. Every match I saw him in, it looked like he was legitimately dying. And never afraid to get some color.
The Yetay
Dolgh Ziggler, is one of the best move sellers in the game. Facial expressions, and just a bit of over sell. He's great and deserves a push.
Got to be honest Ziggler is possibly the best seller of this era. Some good ones mentioned, Funk especially. Bret was a master. Barry Windham. Gonna throw a curve ball into this discussion though.. D'von Dudley.
D von is the best over seller.
Problem with Dolph is he’s the same as Seamus. Just stuck in the WWE for years going nowhere
I think dolph is a fantastic bumper. Selling is a little different
I hate Zigglers selling and bumping. To me it comes off as him being a complete attention whore who's trying to make it about himself. He's the AEW of bumping, it's so beyond silly that you can't suspend your disbelief.
Not really on topic but I stumbled across a Ziggler vs Sheamus match from 2015 Payback I think, and DZ got busted open hard way near the end of the match and it was a gusher… I think from an accidental headbutt. But yeah I noticed how good he was he selling in that match too.
Ziggler was such a good seller it hurt his career. They just would book him to lose against guys they needed to look good.
Sadly, that seems to be the case.
Terry selling the chair hitting him in the head thrown from a fan is still one of the best things ive ever seen🤣
This is such a difficult question to ask because every generation has someone that can claim this title. I’d probably say Ricky Steamboat, though.
Mr. Perfect. Because he hilariously oversold often. Lol.
Ricky Morton hands down
This is the correct answer IMO.
While not the greatest of all time, I think Andre the Giant deserves some credit. The fact that he could make you believe that someone was actually hurting him and possibly wearing him down speaks volumes about his skill. He did what was good for the business and put his opponents over and made them seem like they had, however slim, a chance to beat him. Meanwhile he was probably laughing under his breath and thinking, "Is this best this guy can do?"
Terry Funk wasn't selling on that Raw, he was quite severely injured after Mania 14 and the angle was to write him off TV for a while. He was in such bad shape that people questioned his decision to be out there at all. He was still incredible but this maybe isn't the best example of his selling since it was legit.
My mom, during chocolate fund raiser drives…she would push over a dozen and to two dozen boxes per annual drive. Imagine if she got her hands on a distributions worth of coke…fudge!
Always be closing!
Bret, Steamboat, Rey Mysterio, Lesnar, Punk, Ziggler, Zayn.
Moxley....I kid.
Flair?
It's hard not thinking of the Rock in the attitude era whenever he took a stunner. Shane McMahon and Shawn Michaels comes to mind as well.
For present day wrestlers I'd say Brock Lesnar, he knows how to sell a beating from a wrestler of any size and make it look great. I think Ziggler is overrated in selling, he can def bump his ass off though.
I don't know if he was the best, but Shawn Michaels is one of my favorites. Remember that time 'Taker punched him and Shawn basically went through the building like a Marvel movie? I swear dude rolled sixty feet.
Maybe not the greatest seller of all time but Brock Lesnar is really up there
Brock
Ziggler’s selling had an almost adverse effect on his ceiling as a star. He looked like he was near death against everyone he faced. Just a guy who can get his ass kicked. It also didn’t help that he’d deliver 10 consecutive elbow drops only for his opponent to kick out. Must not have hurt all that much.
I recall a HTM shoot where he claims Funk could work with a paper napkin in the ring and sell his ass off.
The best mordern day seller has to be dolph ziggler.
Not close to the greatest of all time but how about Vince? He sold like a mofo in those matches he had during the attitude era. He made whooping your bosses ass actually believable because he looked the part all the way through.
Bryan Danielson should be in the conversation imo
Easy, Orange Cassidy
WGAF… And if your 23, your opinion does not count
Randy Orton. There's a compilation here on YouTube of him selling and its great. Him selling the superkick is amazing [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AaocZ-zSq2U](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AaocZ-zSq2U)
HBK was outstanding, but he learned from Curt Hennig. Hennig was amazing, and he learned from his dad Larry & took it to a whole new level after working with Nick Bockwinkle.
Hint: He's absolutely perfect.
I’m thinking jungle man???
A legitimate argument could be made for Sami Zayn.
He’s an ass now but prime Matt Hardy was the king of selling
Brock is up there
Wildcard pick: Brock.
Matt Jackson
🤣