[8.0] "Krass, dass er immer noch so eine miese Bewertung hat. Im Internetdiskurs sind Leute seit seinem Tod deutlich gnädiger, aber echte Wertschätzung scheint es eher doch noch nicht zu geben. Vielleicht bin ich einfach nur pessimistisch. Ich mochte Sullivan noch zu Lebzeiten und konnte damals schon nie verstehen, warum so viele Wrestling-Fans nicht viel für ihn übrig hatten und im Diskurs die immer selben Witze vom Stapel ließen. Haha, er hat seine eigene Scheidung gebooked - ja, wissen wir alle. Auch unter den Leuten im Business war er etwas kontrovers. Ist ja gut bekannt, dass die Radicalz zur WWF übergingen aus Protest zur Ernnenung Sullivans als Booker von WCW. Mein Eindruck aber ist, dass er einen guten Mind fürs Business hatte. Jeder sollte sich Interviews, Mitschnitte, etc. von ihm selbst anhören und ein eigenes Urteil fällen. Ich empfand seine Wrestling-Philosophie als pragmatisch und innovativ. Als Wrestler fand ich ihn unterhaltsam. Seine Fehde mit Benoit in WCW ist für mich ein kleiner, aber feiner Eckpfeiler der Monday Night Wars. Auch vor WCW hat er sich mit seinem Satanisten-Gimmick als äußert experimentierfreudig und innovativ gezeigt und damit ins Schwarze getroffen. Der Teufelsschreck in den USA zu der Zeit war sehr präsent im Alltag der Leute und daraus hat Sullivan ein brilliantes Heel-Gimmick entwickelt, das sehr gut funktioniert hat. Ja, man kann sagen, er war jetzt kein technisches Wunder á la Chris Benoit, aber in meinen Augen war und ist er eine Legende des Wrestlings. Too legit to quit."
"This 5.08 rating is mindboggling to me. Kevin Sullivan was a helleva worker, memorable personality, unique and unforgettable promo, and had a great mind for the business. In front of and behind the camera, Sullivan worked at the highest levels in the business for 4 decades. In the ring he took part in some all time great feuds against everyone from Dusty Rhodes to Abdullah the Butcher to Jerry Lawler to Cactus Jack to Chris Benoit to Jimmy Garvin to Hulk Hogan and everyone in between. I have a feeling many of these low ratings are from folks who are only familiar with Sullivan's 90's WCW run as The Taskmaster with the Dungeon of Doom. Those same fans really need to go back and watch The Prince of Darkess era from Florida where Sullivan led an unforgettable stable that included Mark "The Purple Haze" Lewin, Bob Roop, Nancy Sullivan as The Fallen Angel, The Lock, Luna Vachon, Abudadein & others. And whether you enjoy the Dungeon of Doom or not, they served their purpose, presenting Hulk Hogan with a string of monster heels he was comfortable working with upon his arrival in WCW. And don't forget that Sullivan was booking for WCW post-Dungeon of Doom during the company's most successful period as well. All of these accomplishments, excellent in-ring work and mic work. Truly a one of a kind performer in a business where it's not easy to stand out in this way. Even The Varsity Club was a wacky idea that worked because of how committed and talented those involved were. A Manson-esque cult leader, known to the fans already as a mystic leader of the occult themed Army of Darknesss, enlists some elite college amateur wrestlers (with a screw loose themselves) to do his bidding. On paper it's an odd concept to say the least, but Sullivan, Rotunda, Steiner & Williams made it work. And Spivey for a cup of coffee. An early purveyor of what would become known as "hardcore wrestlingt", Sullivan worked for the first companies promoting so-called "extreme wrestling" in both the states and Japan (ECW, FMW, W*ING, etc.). Although obviously guys like Sullivan, Abby, The Sheik, Bruiser Brody, etc. had been pushing the envelope with out of control brawls for decades by the time the terms hardcore and extreme began being applied to this style. Kevin Sullivan, one of a kind. RIP. 10/10 No Question"
[8.0] "There is no way Sullivan should be rated this low, his work in Florida just by itself made him one of the most talked about acts in wrestling for the time and the most cosplayed in wrestling history. American Wrestling Bookers have a low standard but Sullivan had way too many good than bad ideas, the Army of Darkness happening during the Satanic panic that was happening during that time in the US was brilliant, sure does it look goofy and weird today? of course, but the impact is still talked about by those who lived it and watched it. He was wrestling's Charles Manson and much like James Mitchell was called a devil worshiper but never mentioned Satan once. While Sullivan made a lot of references to evil, IIRC A lot of what he mentions are terms or references to things in Asian & other foreign religions & mystic things like the Abudadein (sp? ) a Thai Buddhist fertility goddess, and drug references like the Cosmic Cookie which is hilarious watching back. from the Ministry of Darkness, House of Black, Wyatt Family, and now Wyatt Sick all following in the path of Sulivan's Army of Darkness"
[9.0] "One of the greatest and one of the realest heels thats ever wrestled. An absolute pioneer that set the tone for wrestlers such as bray wyatt or even the undertaker. Without a doubt one of the greatest workest in the history of the business. RIP Kevin Sullivan"
[10.0] "On August 9, 2024, the great man and wrestler Mr. Kevin Sullivan passed away. It is very difficult to come to terms with such an irreparable loss. For me personally, the era of amazing old school wrestling is over. Kevin Sullivan is my favorite wrestler. I first saw him in action in the mid-90s. While working as a booker for Nitro, WCW was at an unattainable height. It was the most watchable and coolest show in the wrestling world. My opinion: in terms of physical characteristics plus all his charisma, Sullivan had no equal and there will never be another such athlete. Yes, in the early 80s Kevin was a real bodybuilder. Later, naturally with age, he turned into the most powerful and luxurious athlete of the super heavy weight category, with outstanding body shapes and provocative proportions. Sullivan's tricks were fantastic and left an unforgettable mark on the history of wrestling. Take, for example, his role as a taskmaster and his subsequent unlikely feud with Chris Benoit. I would like to express my deepest condolences to Kevin's beloved family, friends and fans. May the great athlete rest in peace."
[5.0] "Guy was built like a giant dwarf. Was very punchy kicky and by the mid 90's, that style was considered old fashion. Worked fine as a manger and a promo guy."
[7.0] "I heard about his passing and wanted to give a rating I'm shocked to see how low it is. If I had to guess I'd assume it's based entirely on the Dungeon of Doom. I'll concede that he wasn't a great wrestler and had easily one of the goofiest looking finishers ever but his character work and brawling style is what sets him apart. He was the prototype for what we eventually saw with Jake Roberts and Bray Wyatt in particular. You could even include the Undertaker as far as a dark, evil and mysterious character goes."
[10.0] "The unsung innovator. One of the best bookers (if not the best), his work was always imaginative and creative. The pioneer of the cultist gimmick who played this role to the perfection. Had great matches and feuds all over the world. Helped to establish such great talents like Chris Benoit, Luna Vachon, Kintaro Kanemura (That was one sick spot, I tell you). If there was no Kevin Sullivan, there would be no Waylon Mercy, no House of Black, no Wyatt Family. He was everything you can see nowadays. R.I.P."
[7.0] "Sullivan was a legitimately creepy wrestler. He gave a good aura. He was definitely a good promo guy and could be a good brawler in the ring. His participation in some absolutely duds of storylines does hurt him. Also looking at him as the booker who made the Radicals leave does hurt him as a booker despite seeming to be a really good wrestling mind."
[8.0] "This is as embarrassing as any rating on the site. ~30 German idiots probably gave him low scores knowing nothing of him outside of the Dungeon of Doom, and then you've got another spike in bad scores because of, I guess some WCW retrospective podcast thing? I don't know, I was too busy actually watching territorial TV where Kevin Sullivan was a miles-ahead-of-the-pack heel and one of the better little-dog brawlers all the way into the 90's. Maybe there's a world where Sullivan gets a Satanic sex cult to feud with Hogan, but one of the issues with being ahead of your time is sometimes the time you're in holds you back."
[8.0] "A really good brawler with a unique mind for storytelling, for better and worse. He fell off a bit in the twilight of his career, but even then, he was capable of a great brawl with the right opponents. His work in Florida is especially noteworthy, he was a legitimate menace down there."
[8.0] "In the ring Sullivan wasn't necessarily the smoothest technical wrestler in the world, but he was a solid brawler and that generally suited his character what he set out to accomplish in the ring. He was also a good talker and knew how to draw heat and get under the crowd's skin, and his implied-Satanic gimmick tapped into the Satanic-panic zeitgeist of the time, but in wrestling was ahead of its time, setting the stage for many of the classic dark/occult/cultish characters of the next several decades (accidental, but appropriate, that he ended up being my 666th wrestler rating). It should also be noted that it was no small feat for a 5'8" wrestler in the '70s and '80s to get over as anything other than enhancement talent - let alone to become an imposing heel - and Sullivan accomplished that. In the later part of his in-ring career he made the shift to more of a manager figure and his talking skill did well with that, even with a lot of silliness involved in the Dungeon of Doom stuff, while his work as a booker is somewhat more of a mixed bag. Overall an interesting, multifaceted career."
[5.0] "I found him to be creepy when I was a kid. That faded really quickly. Looks like a goof, talks like a goof, and was involved in some of the most baffling angles ever. Some of his stuff was interesting, but the bad really sticks out."
[5.0] "Damn this guy was a bad pro wrestler at least in-ring wise. He gassed out instantly and didn't have the best moves. His character work in the territories was sick as hell though, and the Dungeon of Doom stuff was funny in it's own way. He wasn't a good booker either, because that Benoit feud felt like it went on forever with no memorable story beats."
[7.0] "He was an undersized guy for his time. I believe Kevin was 5'8" or so, and 255 lbs soak and wet. However, as a wrestler, he had the ability to be so good at playing so many different character roles over the years in every facet whether it was the taskmaster, the games master, the devil, etc, , that the aura, the mystique, and all of that around him, along with style that he used in the ring made you feel sorry for the bigger guys that had to get in the ring to face him. He booked several different places, had some solid and some not so solid ideas, but I think he's best known for his WCW stint where he wrote the majority of the t.v. that beat WWE for 83 weeks in a row."
[5.0] "Decent brawler that can definitely play an evil character, but as a booker he's terrible. The Dungeon of Doom storyline was obe of the worst and stupid factions he came up with. His early stuff with the sex cult thing is much better and should be remembered better than his WCW stuff."
[4.0] "Since my criteria is "how watchable are they"? The Taskmaster might not get much of a glowing review. I don't think I cared much for his ring work. He rarely seemed credible at his size, and more often than not had cronies or partners to help him get or keep an upper hand. The Army of Darkness is quite legendary and put the business on it's collective ear. And then kicked it for extra measure. I really liked The Varsity Club and every direction it took (booked perfectly from start to finish, excepting two incidents with Precious). His interviews sometimes went nowhere and took forever never getting there. I liked the whole Kevin Sullivan's butcher shop grouping, but I was a total Cactus Jack mark. Speaking of which, the best thing Sullivan ever did was constant, consistent favours for ol' Cacti; made growing up a wrestling fan more fun. The Alliance To End Hulkamania was duuuumb. The Dungeon of Doom was stuuuuupiiiid. The way he booked the nWo successfully MURDERED WCW. He drove out some of WCW's best talent at a time, which was a critical blow to them in never recovering any amount of success. Lotsa negatives here, fast forward moments piling up, heaps of groaning... uh oh... 4 points earned, mostly via The Varsity Club and the booking of Cactus Jack. also, that Boston accent is hilariously excessive."
[9.0] "Sullivan deserves way more credit, he was a great old-school brawler and his feud with Benoit was one of the best in WCW during that time period. His Occult persona in the Florida scene was way ahead of its time and pre-dated alot of the edgier stuff fans would grow to love in the late '90s. You could tell he loved the wrestling business and gave his all to it. I just don't get the low rating here at all."
[8.0] "Why is he this low? Kevin Sullivan had a long career in many different roles. He was a solid wrestler for most of it, and his heel work in Florida was revolutionary. Great character."
[6.0] "Lord of Darkness' gimmick with his own faction with Manson's Family vibe was a masterpiece. A charismatic talented performer who can make you believe his words who even in the sunset of an active career when he gone from his satanic gimmick and was a member of cartoony storylines, he performed at a quite adequate level most of time."
[8.0] "Always liked the Satanic gimmick. A pretty good booker too. Small but had enough character to get him gigs in pretty much every promotion of the 20th century."
"He wasn't a good booker at all, even his wrestling skills aren't that good. I would give him two points, but I'm one of those people, who believe that he has something to do with the death of Benoit."
[10.0] "Frankly, I'm surprised that Sullivan's overall rating is quite low. From the time he was wrestling as a mid-card babyface back in the 70s to his unhinged heel gimmicks in the 80s and onwards, Kevin Sullivan was totally hardcore long before being hardcore was popular. Whether he was the Boston Battler, the Prince of Darkness, the Gamesmaster, or even the Taskmaster, Sully never failed to impress in the ring. As a kid, I was totally sold by his devil gimmick. In fact, Sully managed to intimidate me way more with his performances than the Undertaker ever did with his Dead Man gimmick. He won gold throughout both his babyface days and during his unhinged heel gimmick days. He had memorable kayfabe feuds with Dusty Rhodes, Blackjack Mulligan, Cactus Jack (after he split from Sully as a tag team duo), and the murderer who I will never acknowledge by name. Not to mention that Sully was unhinged enough to take on Abdullah The Butcher in a bloody steel cage match or even take on Bruiser Brody on numerous occasions. Sully was truly the epitome of old school wrestling and that was totally hardcore. Whenever I think of hardcore wrestlers, people like Cactus Jack, Abdullah The Butcher, Buzz Sawyer, and Kevin Sullivan come to mind."
[7.0] "I think he has excellent in-ring psychology and can perform very well in the ring. He has limited ring moves but he is a great entertainer. He can play the heel character very well. Sullivan's peak was in Florida in the 80's and being a member of the Army of Darkness. The Taskmaster gimmick in WCW was okay. I love his devil gimmick in the 80's best ever. Excellent at cutting promos Yes he effected Nancy his ex -fie Chris Benoit lives but shit happens. As a road agent and booker in WCW he was not that great. I am surprised that he is so low on this site. He is still wrestling at 69 years old and is not that great anymore."
[8.0] "Sullivan was a pretty good booker, along with a great character in WCW. He seemed to always change just enough to stay relevant, and as bad as the Dungeon of Doom was, he was really good in that role."
[8.0] "Kevin Sullivan was one of the most underrated overrated wrestlers of all time, if that makes any sense. His demonic character ruled Florida to the point of overkill in the early-mid 80s, yet he never got the chance to portray in WCW tot the fullest extent that evil, Satanic character that made him famous. Instead you had the goofy Taskmaster. If Sullivan was allowed to be truly evil during that feud with Hogan, it surely would have been a lot more intense and worth remembering."
[8.0] "Kevin is a very good wrestler with a good grasp of ring psychology. He was so convincing that to this day many people believe that he is a satanist (He isn't). While much of his offense is brawling related, he has a good amount of scientific knowledge. He has been a wrestler, manager, and booker, and has run several stables over the years."
[9.0] "You really want to see the best work Sullivan did, forget his WCW shit and find his work from Florida. This guy was years ahead of his time. Guys like Bray Wyatt are nothing but a cheap rip off of Sullivan. Don't believe me, watch and/or read how his work in Florida actually made many believe he was the devil and freaked out more than not."
[2.0] "A one-dimensional brawler in the ring. He could occasionally cut a good promo (like in his feud with Benoit) but more often than not his promos were just a much of mystical nonsense. And for all people say about how awful Vince Russo's WCW was, when they fired Russo and put Sullivan in charge, that was arguably even worse, with gimmicks like making Al Greene a dog and inexplicably reviving the Varsity Club 15 years too late."
[4.0] "Gut, der Dungeon of Doom war grottig. Dennoch hat er gewisses Kult Potential und ist in gewisserweiße mitverantwortlich für die nWo Storyline( Hogan trat gegen den DOD schon kurzzeitig in schwarz an, was die Idee zur nWo geben sollte). Als Booker hat Sullivan jedoch versagt, seine Ideen waren größtenteils Mist, WCW setzte sie dennoch um. Auch im Ring war der Taskmaster nicht wirklich gut, gilt jedoch nur für die Zeit im Dungeon, und danach, alles davor kann ich nicht bewerten, da ich nichts gesehen habe. Dennoch geb ich ihm eine 4, da man sich zwar an ihn und den Dungeon erinnert, jedoch wäre es keine Schande ihn zu vergessen."
[6.0] "Kleiner Giftzwerg mit Wiedererkennungswert. Im Ring jetzt nicht wirklich stark, aber zu gebrauchen, vor allem als Brawler. Gimmickmäßig teilweise (vor allem zu seiner Florida-Zeit) durchaus nett, teilweise (der Dungeon des Grauens) nicht wirklich toll."
[7.0] "One of the strangest wrestlers in the business, and one with a surprising amount of longevity. He has a background in bodybuilding, but from the look of his body, you'd never guess it in a million years. He wasn't a technical giant or a scientific genius, but he could brawl like nobody else. An innovator of hardcore, a predecessor to the many other "supernatural" characters in wrestling, and a controversial figure behind the scenes of WCW. Quite a resume for just one man."
[6.0] "In Florida war er seiner Zeit als Heel recht weit vorraus. Er hat viele Aktionen gebracht die man vorher so noch nicht gesehen hat. Bei der WCW war er eine Katastrophe. Der erste Run 90/91 war noch ok, aber spätestens mit dem Tankmaster hat er alles verspielt. Dann noch das Dungeon of Doom und seine "Top" gebookten Matches, das zieht die Wertung ziemlich nach unten."
[7.0] "Sullivan was very good on the Mic, and his evil gimmicks worked incredibly well, which is why he gets a 7. As a wrestler however, he was unremarkable, a brawler through and through, and at the same time, not an interesting one to watch."
[7.0] "Man darf ihn nicht nur auf seine WCW-Zeit reduzieren. In Florida damals ein richtig guter Mann, der vom Gimmick her seiner Zeit damals weit voraus war."
[5.0] "Sullivan ist zwar für fragwürdiges Booking verantwortlich, aber er war als Aktiver ein sehr glaubwürdiger Heel. Wrestlerisch eher etwas zu langsam und auch limitiert, konnte er dies aber durch absolute Glaubwürdigkeit seiner dargestellten Figur wieder wett machen. Ein großartiger Redner war er außerdem auch. Ich komme nicht umher ihm wenigstens fünf Punkte zu geben, die er verdient hat."
[7.0] "Doch dramatisch unterbewertet hier. Klar kann man über die Endzeit in der WCW nicht viel gutes sagen, aber ganz ehrlich, bei wem kann man das schon? Bei der Gesamtbetrachtung bleibt am Ende ein guter Heel mit einer Hochphase in den 80ern sowie einem Hang zu obskuren und etwas mysteriösen Gimmicks bzw. Stables, die gerne mal in Richtung Trash abdrifteten."
[6.0] "Als Booker grottig, keine Frage. Aber als er sich in den 80ern in den Ring traute, war er DER Heel. Zog verdammt viel im Vergleich zu einigen heutigen Heels. Auch als Wrestler nicht schlecht für seine Massen. Für 6 Punkte reicht es"
[7.0] "Kann mich Dr Gonzo nur anschließen, war mitte der 80iger in Florida der meistgehasste Heel im Business, selbst Roddy Piper oder Bobby Heenan waren nicht so over wie Sullivan. Dennoch gibt es einige Abzugspunkte was sein Booking in der WCW 2000 angeht und vorallem seine Zeit als Taskmaster bei den Dungeon of Doom. Aber die Army of Darkness Zeit hat gerockt."
[7.0] "Genialer Heel in der WCW, aber die hatten so viel gute, dass er doch nur in der Midcard landete, auch wegen seiner Statur natürlich nie zu was größerem Berufen. Matches gegen Benoit waren aber immer sehenswert, 7 Punkte."
[0.0] "Weder Russo noch Hogan & Co. waren in meinen Augen der (Haupt-)Grund für den Untergang der WCW. Der Taskmaster hat schon bevor Russo einen Fuß in die Liga gesetzt hat alles dafür getan den Karren vor die Wand zu fahren."
[4.0] "Hmh... der Mann mag gute Zeiten gehabt haben, aber meine frühesten Erinnerungen an ihn sind aus den 90igern. Da war er ein ziemlich farbloser Heel mit unspektakulären Kämpfen; der Versuch in mit seinem Dungeon of Doom etwas Farbe zu verleihen funktionierte leider nicht."
[6.0] "Der Taskmaster war rein vom Entertainment her ein guter Heel. Im Ring wirkte er irgendwie limitiert und sein Look war ja nu auch nicht gerade für den Main Event geeignet. Was er als Booker gebracht hat, muss man hier wohl nicht mehr erwähnen."
[7.0] "Als Heel ist der Mann richtig gut gewesen. Schade das es so wenig Leuter erkennen. Über seine Leistung als Booker kann man das leider nicht ganz so sagen. Die war meistens weniger gut, auch wenn er zum Ende der WCW nicht immer etwas dafür konnte."
[10.0] "Schade, dass viele User hier Sullivan pauschal abstrafen ohne seine Karriere wirklich zu kennen. Mit seinem "Devil"-Gimmick war er während der 80er Jahre einer der besten Heels des Geschäfts und seiner Zeit weit voraus! Seine Matches mit Dusty Rhodes in Florida waren brutale Schlachten & absolut sehenswert! Was seine Rolle als Booker betrifft, so wird häufig vergessen, dass er auch während der heißen Phase der wCw verantwortlich war und die enorme Heat für die nwo gebookt hat (Nash & Hall betonen das immer wieder). Dass er später viel Mist gebaut hat lag auch an den personellen Problemen der wCw."
[3.0] "Er war kein schlechter Heel, aber was er als Booker insbesondere mit dem Dungeon of Doom verzapft hat fand ich damals schon grausam. Das hat mir sein Lebenswerk sehr verleidet."
[2.0] "Als Mensch, Booker und Wrestler eine absolute Fehlbesetzung. Hat sich in der WCW immer selber gepusht, Benoit unten gehalten, weil seine Frau dann ihn wollte und die Matches, die er gebookt hat, waren teilweise nur noch schlimm - Ich sage nur Dungeon of Doom. Das war schon kein Trash mehr, das war Mist."
[6.0] "Der Taskmaster - ich konnte und kann ihn zwar nicht gerade als einen meiner Lieblingswrestler bezeichnen, aber er gab einen guten Heel ab und hatte ein paar gute Jahre in der WCW!"
[4.0] "Die Matches gegen Benoit waren genial. Lag aber wahrscheinlich eher an Benoit. Sein Dungeon of Doom Stable hingegen war absoluter Mist. Und sich selbst als Booker in den Main-Event oder kurz davor booken ist auch nicht wirklich löblich!"
[10.0] "In seiner WCW-Zeit ein absolut überzeugender Heel. Seine Tag Team Matches mit Cactus jack gegen die Nasty Boys waren der Knaller und sind immer noch Spitze"
