Top 10 WWE Wrestlers of All Time
#10: Randy "Macho Man" Savage
We know what you're probably thinking: "how is the 'Macho Man' kicking off this list?" and you'd be right. That's just a testament to how many talented performers have stepped into a WWE ring, not the least of which was this show-stopping, elbow-dropping icon. The "Macho Man's" intense promos were one-of-a-kind, and his matches with the likes of Ricky "The Dragon" Steamboat the stuff of pro wrestling legend. Savage shined during an era of giant performers and slow, lumbering matches, bringing to WWE his accelerated work rate, infectious charisma and a character which could work gangbusters as both a babyface and a heel. The "Macho Man" was truly one of the greats.
#9: John Cena
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Sure, "Big Match John" has been accused of burying up-and-coming young talent numerous times over the course of his illustrious career, but that doesn't take anything away from the natural magnetic energy of Cena as a performer. John's early career signified the dawn of WWE's "Ruthless Aggression" era during the early and mid-2000s, where Cena earned his stripes as a promising rookie saddled with an awkward but fun gimmick. As the rapping "Doctor of Thuganomics," Cena put on good matches while honing his craft, working up the ranks to eventually become the WWE's most recognized star. Today, he's used that star power for good doing charity work for the Make a Wish Foundation, while remaining a future WWE Hall of Famer.
8: Daniel Bryan
Whether you know him as Bryan Danielson or The American Dragon, there's no denying that Daniel Bryan made his initial mark within the pro wrestling indie circuit. Bryan was already an underground star before jumping to WWE, but it wasn't a foregone conclusion that he would enjoy the same success in the big leagues. It took years of poor booking and forcing backstage hands for Bryan to emerge as one of the company's biggest stars, thanks mainly to their desire to keep him down in the mid-card. The "Yes Movement" couldn't be stopped, however, and Daniel Bryan has since managed to overcome injury and destiny to become a multi-time WWE World Heavyweight Champion.
#7: Eddie Guerrero
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What more can we say about "Latino Heat" himself, Eddie Guerrero? The much-missed superstar has proven to be an influence upon countless performers in the years since his passing, with young talent around the world studying Guerrero's incredible career. He came from a wrestling family, and cut his teeth performing in Mexico, as well as with ECW and World Championship Wrestling. Eddie was already a star from that promotion's cruiserweight division, and he managed to use this momentum into a transition with friends Dean Malenko, Perry Saturn and Chris Benoit over to WWE. Furthermore, Guerrero was able to overcome personal demons with a triumphant WWE Championship win over Brock Lesnar at No Way Out 2004, cementing his legacy in front of the entire world.
#6: Ric Flair
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There are many wrestling fans out there who will argue that Ric Flair is THE greatest of all time...and they're not wrong. It should be said, however, that Flair didn't NEED the WWE to make him a star, because he was already stylin' and profilin' in the AWA and NWA long before he made his WWE debut in 1991. That doesn't mean that Flair didn't have some amazing matches during his time in the company, however, such as the time he won the 1992 Royal Rumble after debuting at number three, or his association with the Evolution stable. Plus, his iconic "retirement" match with Shawn Michaels at WrestleMania XXIV in 2008 was a true classic; a "must see" for anyone interested in the pathos of pro wrestling as a legitimate art form.
#5: The Undertaker
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Out of all the wrestlers on this list, there's just one who truly seems to personify WWE as a brand. Mark Calaway, a.k.a. The Undertaker, has managed to reinvent himself numerous times, while remaining a homegrown WWE stalwart and a locker room leader. The Undertaker has evolved from a mystical, monster heel into a conquering dark babyface, from a demonic cult leader to a badass biker, all the while capturing the imaginations of the WWE Universe for generations. The Dead Man has delivered countless classics with the likes of Triple H, Shawn Michaels and Mankind, the latter of which made world headlines after 'Taker infamously tossed him off a cage during Hell in a Cell '98. Often imitated, but never duplicated, there will only be one Undertaker.
#4: Bret "Hit Man" Hart
The "Excellence of Execution" had wrestling in his blood, with the Hart Family siring a multi-generational brood of professionals and performers in the industry. His quick and technical style helped define the WWE's "New Generation" era, where the big and burly performers of old were being replaced by a younger and more fast paced breed of performer. The "Hit Man" always delivered the goods, whether as a tag team with brother-in-law Jim "The Anvil" Neidhart, to his singles success as both Intercontinental and WWE Heavyweight Champion. Body slams and clotheslines may have defined the business in the 1980s, but Bret Hart helped mark professional wrestling as a technical exercise with real athleticism and charisma.
#3: The Rock
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Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson is an international name today, but it was with WWE where the former Rocky Maivia honed all of the talents which would make him a certifiable superstar. The Rock made an art form out of the pro wrestling promo, where a performer delivers a monologue to further the storyline of their character. Johnson could talk and ad lib with the best of them, and this enabled his character to mature from a generic babyface to The Most Electrifying Man in Sports Entertainment. Was Rocky a great technical wrestler? No, but he delivered where and when it counted, and transcended his industry to become a worldwide icon.
#2: Shawn Michaels
Just as The Rock was a genius at delivering promos, so too was Michael Shawn Hickenbottom, a.k.a. Shawn Michaels, adept at another one of the pro wrestling basics: selling. The term basically just means to "sell" your opponent's offense, in order to achieve the proper level of drama and physicality for the match. Shawn Michaels could sell a car with no wheels to your local auto dealership without batting an eye, so innate was his skill as a performer. Sure, Shawn's reputation as a backstage politician is legendary, but no one's perfect, and the man has delivered so many five star matches over the years, that it's easy to forget any of the negatives. "The Heartbreak Kid" is a true WWE legend. Before we name our number one pick, here are a few honorable mentions! Kurt Angle Chris Jericho Triple H Hulk Hogan "Rowdy" Roddy Piper
#1: "Stone Cold" Steve Austin
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He was, for many, the performer who personified WWE's lucrative "Attitude Era," a period where the business was as violent, crude and adult-oriented as television would allow. "Stone Cold" Steve Austin had audiences eating from the palm of his hand from the moment where that iconic, shattering glass sound hit, and his music filled the arena. Austin was an accomplished and believable badass on the mic, and an underrated performer in the ring, selling his opponents' offense while delivering his classic "Stone Cold Stunner" finisher to pop crowds around the world. If there's any one WWE performer who can be labeled as "genre defining," it just might be "Stone Cold" Steve Austin.
