WWE fans who are new to ESPN are going to find out fast why Stephen A. Smith is one of sports’ most polarizing voices.
On Friday’s episode of First Take, Smith and the panel welcomed WWE Chief Content Officer Paul Levesque, who appeared to promote Wrestlepalooza — WWE’s first premium event under its new partnership with ESPN. In his regular feature, “Stephen’s A-List,” Smith named Bill Goldberg as the greatest wrestler of all time.
“This is just me, y’all,” Smith stated. “Maybe it was the intro. Maybe it was the walk
to the arena. Maybe it was what he did when he went 175-0 to start his career. Number one: Goldberg! That’s my guy right there!”
Before revealing his full top five — which also included Ric Flair, Hulk Hogan, The Rock, and the Road Warriors — Smith clarified: “I’m talking about my favorites, the people who moved me.”
Smith was ultimately called out for omitting stars like Randy Savage, Steve Austin, and Dusty Rhodes, among others. Perhaps sensing some push back, Smith gave honorable mentions to Savage and Rhodes.
“What he does for a profession is piss people off,” Levesque said, joking that Smith lulled fans in with an “arguably accurate” top four before doing what he does best. The Game claims he was smart to the hot take master’s game.
“He comes in, he ‘Stephen A.’s it,’ Goldberg at number one because he knows that is the name that is going to piss off a maximum amount of people,” Levesque added.
Lest anyone think the CCO’s objection may be related to Goldberg’s public complaints about his last WWE match, Triple H lauded Goldberg on First Take as “a great performer” who’s “had great moments in this business. He was still convinced Smith was just trying to draw heat by picking him at number one.
While Levesque may be right, Smith’s criteria was based on personal impact. By that standard, his list makes sense — though plenty of fans will surely disagree.
Welcome to WWE in the ESPN era, everyone.
