How did your favourites become your favourites?

[Tiarnán]

When did you really grow to love the wrestlers you consider/considered your favourites, and how was it that you came to love them? Don't feel the need to post this many by the way. One or two is fine if you can't be bothered.

Over the years...

Stephanie McMahon - She was the first 'wrestler' that really caught my attention. Before I actually became a fan, I saw Royal Rumble 2000 and I thought she was really beautiful and just pretty great in general. Then I bought SmackDown 2, played as her a bunch of times, so she was already my favourite before I started really watching properly. Needless to say I wasn't disappointed when I became a regular fan.

The Undertaker - My brother had one of those Rock video tapes WWE released in the late 90s/early 2000s and it highlighted his feud with The Undertaker. I thought the darkness and creepiness was really cool and I proclaimed him my favourite. I don't think I was quite as entranced when I found he wasn't demonic any more, but I was still a pretty big fan up until...

The Hurricane - I loved this guy so much. I remember the first time I saw him was when he won the European title during the Invasion. I was anti-Alliance back then (Steph aside) because I didn't want to see the WWF end, but he was a major exception. I just thought he was hilarious. He had an official site that I became a member of, but I don't think it actually entailed anything. I loved him up until the Rosey stuff...then I just got bored.

Molly Holly - I remember thinking she was cool at first because she was so different compared to the other girls, but I didn't declare her a favourite until she joined The Hurricane and she became amazing by association. I've said this before, but when she attacked Hurricane with a pan at WrestleMania 18 I was genuinely distressed and had a nightmare about it. But I fell for her even more during the whole virgin gimmick.

Christian - Didn't like E&C much because Edge bothered me a little, but I was into Christian when he dumped him. He wasn't a major favourite until 2003 when he started the whole 'Peep' thing. That was when I got a little obsessed and continued to be until he left in 2005.

Randy Orton - At first I remember wondering why the hell he was suddenly walking around with Triple H and Flair when Evolution first started, but I'm pretty sure he became my first guy crush when he came back in 2003.

Melina - I thought she was the best thing out on SmackDown in 2005, but truth be told she was head to head with Mickie in my favourite stakes during Mickie's peak in late 2005/early-to-mid-2006. She didn't become my official favourite wrestler of all time until around SummerSlam 2006 when she was involved with Foley. The rest is history.

Mickie James - Oh my god, that psycho fan angle. It was cool at first, but she just got crazy good when she went really crazy and started attacking Ashley. That's when she became my favourite. I remember declaring the day she lost the title to Lita 'the worst day in wrestling history' on IMDb, lol. I got bored when she went properly face and by that point I was all about Melina.

Cody Rhodes - I was really psyched when he first appeared in that segment with Randy on Raw because I sort of knew him already and it was great to see him on television. Then I lost interest a little during the Hardcore Holly tag team run, but he quickly became my favourite guy wrestler when he went heel. I still think he has the potential to be a major fan favourite, and that it's his natural role. It's great that people have come around to him FINALLY.

Maxine - Thought she was cool in NXT3, but really I liked AJ, Naomi and Aksana more than her. Then they paired her with Bateman and magic was made.

I won't bother with Paul London.

[Brandon]

They were pretty.

[Burke]

Maryse when she began feuding with Cherry.

HHH and Stephanie during the McMahon-Helmsley era.

Trish from her early T&A days.

John Cena when he started rapping.

Kelly from the day she debuted.

Edge and Christian during the Era of Awesomeness (that was a thing, right?)

Sable when she returned in 2003.

Goldberg when they started showing WCW here.

RVD when he debuted during the Invasion.

And there wasn't any specific time really when Undertaker and Shawn Michaels made it onto my all-time faves list. It just sort of gradually happened over the years. Them stealing the show at WM countless times probably played a part.

Oh, most of these are when they became my favourites rather than how, lol. I'll explain them properly some other time.

[Tarry]

I'll do a when rather than a how also. I'll also just do a couple now, and maybe a few more later.

The Rock: He was the first wrestle I ever heard of. He was also in the main event of my first WWF VHS (Judgment Day 2000), so I had a connection to him. He also oozed charisma, which just made him very easy to emulate on the playground at school.

Magnus: He was already my favourite Gladiator, as soon as TNA announced that they had signed him, it was pretty much a given that he would be my favourite.

John Cena: This is almost exactly the same as The Rock tbh. I didn't really get to watch WWE during 2002, so 2003 was my first year back as a proper fan. John Cena was in the first match of my first WWE DVD (which coincidentally was Judgment Day 2003), and I was instantly a fan. We had a rough patch sometime after WrestleMania 22, but I was back in the Chaingang a few months later.

Layla: I wasn't really a fan of her during the diva search, because let's be honest, she was really annoying. I became a fan the second she stopped talking, straightened her hair, and became Regal's valet. I've been a fan ever since, although just the thought of her dancing will most likely give me nightmares.

Diamond Dallas Page: The first WCW wrestler I ever saw. He was like The Rock, but so much more bad ass. The first Raw I watched live was the night he was revealed as Sara's stalker, and it was the first time I "marked out". When we used to play wrestling at school, I always wanted to be DDP, but the other kids said I couldn't be a made up wrestler, lol.