Rey Mysterio Jr., is above all others, the reason I got into and wanted to wrestle. I remember when I started watching wrestling after a several year layover, and Rey Mysterio's style completely changed my outlook on wrestling. I had never seen anyone move like him, and his matches are a large part of why I became so interested in wrestling. He's a huge influence on my style, as I try to incorporate a lot of lucha style moves as a result of him and some of the other wrestlers I have on this page.

Rey Mysterio Jr.

 

At more or less the same time as Rey Mysterio, Ultimo Dragon caught my eye for pretty much the same reasons. Although while Ultimo and Rey shared some things, Ultimo's style had the puroresu influence so he did a lot of moves that Rey didn't. He showed me how versatile a junior heavyweight could be, incorporating submissions and strikes with his armdrags and moonsaults, and that was just one more reason for me to not be into the heavyweights.

El Ultimo Dragon
 

When I first started watching ECW, Mikey was probably the first guy that appealed to me. Having always felt like a loser and an underdog myself, the idea of a this little guy who was a former world champion and wasn't discounted because he was small was incredibly cool to me. I also liked that Mikey was a pretty basic wrestler but used things so well it never seemed ridiculous.
Mikey Whipwreck
 

What can I say about Eddy Guerrero that hasn't already been said? Simply one of the best wrestlers ever. He has the moves, the charisma, his matches have great flow and he's always entertaining no matter who he's in with. He can work just about any style and that's a goal I hope to one day obtain.
Eddy Guerrero
 
Besides being one of the first light heavyweights the WWF gave any credibility, I was first drawn to his charisma and ability to connect with fans despite the language barrier. Say what you will, but for the first few months of his WWF run, he was getting some pretty strong reactions based on the fact that there wasn't really anyone in the WWF wrestling like him at the time. Then of course later on I saw his Japanese work and learned to appreciate his fantastic in ring heel work.
TAKA Michinoku
  

When I first began watching puroresu, I remember seeing this guy who looked like some kind of super hero...He'd fly off the ropes doing all these crazy moves I had never seen before, then later on adopted a more grounded style. He just had a fantastic ability to pace matches and no matter what he was doing, it would always mean something in the grand scheme of the match. And that's very admirable almost solely because there are so few wrestlers in the world that possess that skill.
Jushin "Thunder" Liger
 

One of the first independent wrestlers I really got into...Extrememly innovative for his time, as when he first started there wasn't anyone on the indies who wrestled quite like him. The fact that now, almost 10 years since his debut, there are dozens of indy wrestlers doing the same style really says something. As time went on he changed his style from a New Japan junior heavyweight style to a mix of lucha and British matwork, and that odd mix of styles is why I consider him to be one of the top indy wrestlers ever, and it's a shame he never got his big break.

Reckless Youth/"Technician" Tom Carter
 
Like a lot of guys on this page, Chris Daniels is an influence because of his ability to merge styles into something entirely his own. When he started he was strictly an American style junior heavyweight, but adopted some Japanese influences and combined it with the best gimmick on the indies to become one of the all around best in America.
"Fallen Angel" Christopher Daniels
 
CIMA is in a lot of ways a more modern version of TAKA Michinoku...They both headed up heel stables that redefined how bad guys in puro acted. And they both exuded that cocky young bastard presence. The difference is that due to CIMA's training under Ultimo Dragon, he has a much stronger lucha background. His matches are always fast paced and interesting, and something about his charisma just brings an air of importance to seemingly every match he's in.
CIMA
 
What initially made me interested in Punk was his gimmick. The idea of this tattooed up guy in a Misfits shirt preaching the virtues of the straightedge lifestyle was something I hadn't even considered in wrestling. After scrambling to get some tapes of his work, I learned that his ring work more than backed up the awesome gimmick and charisma. I once heard him described as "whiteboy Eddy Guerrero" and I think I could see shades of that. And for the record he's one of the funniest guys I've ever met in wrestling.
CM Punk
 

Every time you see me wrestling a match...This is the guy to blame. Dany Yamz was an acquaintance of one of my very close friends, and she introduced us after I had been burned by my time in Indiana. Out of the goodness of his heart, Yamz began training me and my friend Tom free of charge. Eventually he saw that we were serious and then really took us under his wing and taught us anything we wanted to know, gave us our beatings, and just completely brought me to where I am as a wrestler. He's also a fantastic wrestler in his own right, with a great knowledge of lucha, submission, and strong style. I only hope one day he'll be given his chance to shine.

Dany Yamz
 



While Yamz was the one that taught me how to wrestle, Louie was the one who stepped in and helped me out in out from there. Whether it was doing interviews with me on his hotline to help get my name out, to putting in a good word and helping me to get bookings, down to just imparting his veteran wisdom on me...Any momentum I have career wise at this point is thanks to this man. He's already lived out some of his dreams wrestling Abdullah The Butcher and Terry Funk, but he's one of the most selfless people I've ever met in this business and I hope one day he gets that barbed wire match against Hulk Hogan so his life can be completely fulfilled.

"Lowlife" Louie Ramos