For several years, members of the popular 'UK Fan Forum' wrestling message board have voted on their choice of the 50 best pro wrestlers in the country (this year's list is in its final stages and I'll be reporting on it in due course). However, this year members also cast their votes to compile a list of the worst 'professional wrestlers' on these shores.

Perhaps confusingly the top spot went to Doug Williams. However, this was a pre-ordained ranking which organiser Matthew Jones says was done for several reasons: it would expose those who reacted to the listing without reading the full details; it poked fun at the ubiquity of Williams atop previous rankings of skilled grapplers; and it ensured that whomever got the most votes could not even have the consolation of calling themselves a 'winner'.

Said number two was Ronin, a Midlands grappler whose infamy spread nationwide after he appeared at an open tryout attended by promoters from around the country and put on what was reported as a recklessly dangerous performance. He was immediately followed by his tag partner, Mad Mike, with BlokBusta at #4 and Mikey Riot rounding out the top five. BlokBusta earned the unique honour of placing twice, earning the number 30 slot under his masked alter-ego Exodus. (Said Jones in his list write-up, "If Kane, when locked in his basement for years or however that story goes, spent his time watching Raven tapes, modern indies and was colour blind, you get eXodus.")

Reactions from those on the list have been mixed. Spud (#27) responded in good humour with a photograph of himself with a saddened expression, holding up a sign declaring his inclusion in the list, and dropping his ring gear into a bin. (Those who missed his sense of humour can rest assured he is not retiring.)

Meanwhile Ronin (#2) pointed out the influence of the internet on certain types of promoter by pointing out that since the list publication on Sunday he has been contacted by three promotions for a total of eight added dates.

The explanations for some of the inclusions threw up some tales typical of small-time indy grappling. One performer, who worked under a mechanic gimmick as 'Dirty Oil' was delighted when a supposed fan gave him a custom-made tune. He was so pleased that he played the theme (a shoddy rap over the original WWF Diesel entrance music) at his next appearance, presumably unaware that the lyrics contained the line "I can't wrestle, everybody knows, so I pay money to be on shows".

There's also the strange case of Dan Edge (#41), a man whose disability requires him to use crutches to walk. Not only is he still booked to wrestle, but he actually performs as a heel. Needless to say he struggles to gain any reaction other than natural babyface sympathy.

James Wallace's entry reawakened an oft-recounted tale of his time in 1PW (then known as Jay Phoenix) in which he is said to have decided to cement his standing on the roster by playing a rib. Bizarrely, said prank involved running into a hotel room and hitting Samoa Joe in the head with a pillow before running away again…

Three grapplers on the list, Dragon Aisu (#8), Majik (#19) and Rob Brookside {#47), have also made this year's final 50 in the rankings of leading wrestlers. While this diversity of opinion may be down to personal issues in some cases, voter comments suggest it was most likely down to people making the point that they believed the grapplers to be overrated rather than genuinely among the worst in the country.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, no fewer than eight grapplers on the worst-50 list are either promoters or bookers on their own shows. There's also a noticeable crossover between those who fall into this category and those who hold championships represented by particularly cheap-looking title belts.

It's tough to know exactly how representative the list is of the British scene, and how much is motivated by purely personal issues. There also appears to have been an interesting mix of fans voting based on matches they've seen, and figures inside the industry voting both over backstage behaviour and the worker's take on what makes a good performance.