Top 10 "Top 10s": Best Monickers

     I love monickers.  In fact, I wrote about my favorites before in a previous article.  I think they give sports a lot more color and they give athletes a chance at better name recognition, which is always helpful in making a certain sport more popular.  


Parameters: As usual, only athletes playing in the sports that From the Fifty Peso Seats covers will be counted.  Also, given my preference for MMA monickers, I decided to control myself by limiting it to three per sport at the most.  Also, as tribute to my brod Tibibord, I would like to give special mention to "El Aparador" Joel Dualan.  Great monicker, but it did little to extend his PBA career.  I heard he's coaching though.


10.  Marcus Davis (UFC)

     One of the better fighters in the UFC's middleweight division, I have to admit that I barely knew of Davis a few years ago.  That all changed when I witnessed one of his fights.  It wasn't his fighting style that really got me.  It was his monicker.  "The Irish Hand Grenade," is just freakin' awesome, isn't it?  Of course, he would've ranked higher had his monicker not have been too controversial to use in Ireland.  he ended up being called, "The Celtic Warrior," there, since Ireland continues to experience unrest.



9.  Ricky Brown (PBA Basketball)


     One of the best Fil-Ams to set foot in the PBA, Brown was a lightning-quick dead shot combo guard.  Seeing his jump shots swish through the net as he curls off screens is a thing of beauty, and so is his monicker.  "The Quick Brown Fox," is quite long to actually be used by play-by-play commentators during game coverage, but it does have quite a ring to it. 


8.  Kenneth Duremdes (PBA Basketball)

     After a somewhat rocky beginning to his pro career, Duremdes emerged as one of the PBA's superstars with his high-flying ways.  Desperate to give him a monicker (as if it were some kind of requirement), misguided commentators christened him, "The Rocket,"  which wouldn't have been too bad.  That is until you find out that they came up with Rocket only because his contemporary, Jeff Cariaso was dubbed, "The Jet."  It's a good thing that his hometown of Marbel soon came into play to give him a much much better monicker, "Capt. Marbel."


7.  Shawn Michaels (WWE) 

     While the wrestling world is home to hyperboles and excess, it seems good monickers are hard to come by.  For the recently retired Shawn Michaels, however, it was so easy, the monicker was created over two decades ago.  Known not only for his good looks but also his ability to make every hit seem powerful and painful, it is quite appropriate for him to be known as HBK or, "The Heart Break Kid."  He truly lived up to his name last month as he broke every wrestling fan's heart by retiring from wrestling.


6.  Erik Morales (Boxing)

     Once the most feared boxer in the 128 pound division, Morales was soundly beaten by Manny Pacquiao twice, but only after handing the Pacman his last defeat and one heck of a fight trilogy.  It was refreshing to see, though, that Morales would later form a friendship with Pacquiao, which was made popular by a San Miguel Beer commercial.  This has resulted in a popularity among Filipinos not common to all of Pacquiao's foes (victims).  For me, though, it is his monicker, the simple but awesome, "El Terrible," that keeps him as one of my favorites.

5.  Steve Austin (WWE)

     Struggling to find a niche in the WWE, Austin, then known as the, "Ring Master," was struggling to find a new monicker.  one night, his British (now ex) wife served him a mug of tea and unbeknownst to her, a shot in the arm.  Warning a distracted Austin to drink his tea, she told him to start drinking before his tea became, "Stone Cold."  After that light bulb moment, adopting both the name and a no nonsense persona, "Stone Cold Steve Austin," injected tremendous life to a then struggling WWE to become what many say the greatest superstar in WWE history.


4.  Krystof Soshinsky (UFC)

     Entering the Ultimate Fighter Season 3, Soshinsky was the most experienced competitor in the competition and proceeded to show his experience by winning in the tournament.  Unfortunately for him, he was derailed in the semi-finals.  His career, though, is going strong.  Known for being the fighter who loves to submit opponents by using the Kimura shoulder/arm lock, Soshinsky also possesses a monicker cooler than his submission finishes.  Who would not love being called, "The Polish Experiment?"


3.  Roberto Duran (Boxing)

     One of the sluggers credited with giving rise to one of boxing's most competitive eras, Duran was always popular not only for his take no prisoners approach to fighting, but also for  his quotable quotes, like his warning to Thomas Hearns about Hearns having, "two more days," before he would kill him in the ring or asking Ray Leonard for, "Uno Mas."  Another thing that makes him stand out, would be his monicker, "Hands of Stone."  It's a perfect monicker to his tremendous power.  I mean, the monicker is so appropriate for him alone, unless you want to give it Antonio Margarito.  Of course, Miguel Cotto would approve, or hit you in face.  It'll be one of the two. 

2.  Donnie Nietes (Boxing)

     One of the few remaining Filipino world champions, Nietes currently stands at the top of the WBO Minimum Weight Division.  While the rest of the world may not know about him, he does have his share of fans here in the Philippines, and he gets especially popular as he brings his pet snake with him as he enters the ring.  His greatest asset, though, is not his powerful fists, but his monicker, "Ahas."  Yes, it's just a one word monicker, but it just sounds great.  Try it aloud and you'll see.  Maybe because it's in Filipino, the monicker has more depth and meaning.  All I know is that "Ahas," is one mean monicker for one mean fighter.  Speaking of mean...

1.  Keith Jardine (UFC)

     The Ultimate FIghter alum with the unorthodox fighting style really does have the greatest monicker on the planet.  Perhaps it's the English teacher in me, but Jardine's monicker, as Holden Caufield says, "just kills me."  What would be a more perfect monicker than, "Dean of Mean?"  It's catchy, succint and it RHYMES! Ryhmes people! Of course, the monicker would get even better if he started winning more matches, but I'm fine. Really.

photos courtesy of philboxing.com, ronin5.com, livefight.com, esmas.com, sports.yahoo.com, neoseeker.com, hoopedia.nba.com, ufc.com