The Katz Files
Top 2009 Pro Wrestlers
The Kingfish Arnie Katz picks his favorite WWE and TNA professional wrestlers for 2009.
In professional wrestling, unlike the amateur grunt-and-groaners, the man who wrestles best is not necessarily the best wrestler. Athleticism and ring skill are important to the success of a performer in the wrestling show, but other factors like verbal ability, charisma and overall appearance can turn a great wrestler into a jobber and a mediocre one into a champion.
A main eventer must excel in all, or at least most, of those areas to hold a place at the top of a card. Some of the premier attractions, from Bruno Sammartino to Hulk Hogan, have been less than spectacular as pure wrestlers, but they possessed other qualities to such an extent that their total performance put them in the spotlight.
Many performers distinguished themselves in 2009. Here are my favorites, based on their activity in the year just ending.