Thanks for checking out my top 50 wrestlers of all time. This was a tough list to put together. So many greats. And so many greats left off. I go back and forth between Hulk Hogan and Stone Cold Steve Austin for who the true GOAT is. Hogan was the catalyst in turning the WWF into the juggernaut that it became. He was their star. Their cash cow. He leaves for WCW. Red and Yellow was fun for a bit but got stale quickly. And then he became Hollywood and once again changed the industry, becoming the biggest bad guy of all time. While Hogan was doing his thing in WCW there was another star coming up in WWF, Stone Cold Steve Austin. And just as Hogan was early on, Austin became the catalyst in saving the WWF and turning the Monday Night Wars around. Austin’s run was incredible. In just a 5-year span he revolutionized the industry, won 6 World Titles, and 3 Royal Rumbles. Incredible run. It’s a coin flip to me with these two but if I was forced to choose (today) I’m taking Hogan. For what he was able to do in both companies as far as star power and merch sales, winning the World Title in WWF, WCW, and NJPW, being the biggest good guy and bad guy of all time, and his overall star power, it has to be Hogan.
Filling out the rest of the top 4 “the Mount Rushmore” was tough. Ric Flair’s spot in the Mount Rushmore was a lock. This man also had a case as the GOAT. “16x World Champion.” More like 20. Great in the ring. Made everybody look like a million bucks. One of the best on the stick. Flair could do it all. It was that fourth and final spot that was tough to decide. It came down to The Rock and Shawn Michaels. I had initially thought it would be The Rock. The Rock’s run during the Attitude Era was second to only Stone Cold’s. He is arguably the best on the mic ever. And he keeps coming back! The Rock has main evented a Wrestlemania in 3 straight decades. Incredible. On the other hand, there’s Shawn Michaels. The absolute best in-ring worker of all time. Mr. Wrestlemania. Just classic after classic after classic. On top of that, HBK was great on the stick himself. The original leader and co-founder of Degeneration X. DX helped drive the change from the corny New Generation to an edgier Attitude Era. HBK could do it all. For that reason, he gets the 4th spot, and The Rock rounds out the top 5.
1.) Hulk Hogan
- WCW World Heavyweight Championship (6 times)
- WWF/WWE Championship (6 times)
- IWGP Heavyweight Championship
- WWE Tag Team Championship (1 time)
- Royal Rumble (1990, 1991)
2.) Stone Cold Steve Austin
- WWF Championship (6 times)
- WWF Intercontinental Championship (2 times)
- WCW United States Heavyweight Championship (2 times)
- WCW World Television Championship (2 times)
- WWF Tag Team Championship (4 times)
- WCW World Tag Team Championship (1 time)
- NWA World Tag Team Championship (1 time)
- King of the Ring (1996)
- Royal Rumble (1997, 1998, 2001)
3.) Ric Flair
- NWA World Heavyweight Championship (9 times)
- WCW World Heavyweight Championship (7 times)
- WWF World Heavyweight Championship (2 times)
- WCW International World Heavyweight Championship (2 times)
- NWA Mid-Atlantic Heavyweight Championship (3 times)
- NWA (Mid Atlantic)/NWA Television Championship (2 times)[331]
- NWA (Mid Atlantic)/WCW United States Heavyweight Championship (6 times)
- WWE Intercontinental Championship (1 time)
- NWA Mid-Atlantic Tag Team Championship (3 times)
- NWA World Tag Team Championship (Mid-Atlantic version)
- World Tag Team Championship (3 times)
- Royal Rumble (1992)
4.) Shawn Michaels
- WWF Championship (3 times)
- World Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
- WWF Intercontinental Championship (3 times)
- WWF European Championship (1 time)
- WWE Tag Team Championship (1 time)
- WWF/World Tag Team Championship (5 times)
- Royal Rumble (1995, 1996)
5.) The Rock
- WWE Championship (8 times)
- WCW Championship (2 times)
- WWF Intercontinental Championship (2 times)
- WWF Tag Team Championship (5 times)
- Royal Rumble (2000)
6.) The Undertaker
- WWF/WWE Championship (4 times)
- World Heavyweight Championship (3 times)
- WWF Hardcore Championship (1 time)
- WWF World Tag Team Championship (6 times)
- WCW Tag Team Championship (1 time) –
- Royal Rumble (2007)
7.) John Cena
- WWE Championship (13 times)
- World Heavyweight Championship (3 times)
- WWE United States Championship (5 times)
- WWE Tag Team Championship (2 times)
- World Tag Team Championship (2 times)
- Money in the Bank (2012)
- Royal Rumble (2008, 2013)
8.) Bret Hart
- WWF Championship (5 times)
- WCW World Heavyweight Championship (2 times)
- WCW United States Heavyweight Championship (4 times)
- WWE United States Championship (1 time)
- WWF Intercontinental Championship (2 times)
- WWF Tag Team Championship (2 times)
- WCW World Tag Team Championship (1 time)
- King of the Ring (1991, 1993)
- Royal Rumble (1994)
9.) Bruno Sammartino
- WWWF World Heavyweight Championship (2 times) – (His first reign was 2,803 days)
- WWF United States Tag Team Championship (1 time)
- WWWF International Tag Team Championship (2 times)
10.) Macho Man Randy Savage
- WCW World Heavyweight Championship (4 times)
- WWF World Heavyweight Championship (2 times)
- WWF Intercontinental Championship (1 time)
- World War 3 (1995)
- King of the Ring (1987)
- WWF World Heavyweight Championship Tournament (1988)
Top 50 Wrestlers of All-Time
Rank | Wrestler | |
1 | Hulk Hogan | |
2 | Stone Cold Steve Austin | |
3 | Ric Flair | |
4 | Shawn Michaels | |
5 | The Rock | |
6 | The Undertaker | |
7 | John Cena | |
8 | Bret Hart | |
9 | Bruno Sammartino | |
10 | Macho Man Randy Savage | |
11 | Triple H | |
12 | Sting | |
13 | Roman Reigns | |
14 | Kurt Angle | |
15 | Randy Orton | |
16 | Chris Jericho | |
17 | Brock Lesnar | |
18 | Andre the Giant | |
19 | Dusty Rhodes | |
20 | Mick Foley | |
21 | Rowdy Roddy Piper | |
22 | Antonio Inoki | |
23 | Edge | |
24 | CM Punk | |
25 | AJ Styles | |
26 | Seth Rollins | |
27 | Bryan Danielson | |
28 | Eddie Guerrero | |
29 | Mr. Perfect Curt Hennig | |
30 | Buddy Rogers | |
31 | Kevin Nash | |
32 | Scott Hall | |
33 | Bob Backlund | |
34 | Harley Race | |
35 | Batista | |
36 | Samoa Joe | |
37 | Kane | |
38 | Chris Benoit | |
39 | Rey Mysterio | |
40 | Ultimate Warrior | |
41 | Rick Rude | |
42 | Samoa Joe | |
43 | Jon Moxley | |
44 | Jake the Snake Roberts | |
45 | Ricky the Dragon Steamboat | |
46 | RVD | |
47 | Ted Dibiase | |
48 | Vader | |
49 | Booker T | |
50 | Owen Hart |
Next Up: Mitsuharu Misawa, Scott Steiner, Sid Vicious, Goldberg, Lex Luger, Sheamus, Kenny Omega, Kazuchika Okada, Bam Bam Bigelow, The British Bulldog, Jerry Lawler, Jushin Thunder Liger, The Great Muta, Nick Bockwinkle, Dory Funk Jr., Stan Hansen, Bruiser Brody, Billy Graham, Pedro Morales, Ivan Koloff
What do you think of the list? Did I get it right? Did I leave anyone off that belongs? Leave your comments below.