I agree that Efren might be the greatest all around player of all time. I don't watch much one pocket, but when I do I enjoy watching Efren more than others. The thing with Efren is that he thinks further ahead than almost anybody. Sometimes you will see him bumping a ball, and don't think much of it. Then, a few shots later you realize that he did that with a purpose in mind. He is a genius, no doubt about it.
For entertainment there is only one rotation game player that I can really watch without being bored and that is Earl Strickland. Sure there are better players than him right now, in terms of pocketing balls, but they all play the same, boring style. Earl is a natural at the game and he plays it differently than many of the schooled players.. I don't think there are many people alive today that can play pin point position while using maximum spin the way Earl does. He jumps better than pretty much anybody, he can both power and finesse the ball, he just has everything a rotation player should have in terms of his physical game. He may not have the same extreme skill that he used to have, but when he is "on" It is just magic. Of course, sometimes you must mute the sound, but still..
When it comes to straight pool I can watch almost anyone and be entertained as long as they are not too slow, but for learning I prefer old Mike Sigel matches. What a pattern player he was, and probably still is, and combined with shotmaking under pressure and defensive skills learned from Irving Crane, he is just a dynamite player. The style of play today is very different, and even though players like Hohmann has elevated the average of balls pocketed, I find that emulating him is not as successful for me. I like the old-school patterns more.