'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
WWE, if you're a professional wrestler, this is where you want to be, this is what you dreamt all of your life. This is the highest peak. And over its long venture and fierce history, the company has seen some of the greatest and best wrestlers, athletes, entertainers of all time whoever step between those ropes and BRING IT to the fans present in the arena or watching it live around the globe.
Follow Sportskeeda for the latest WWE news, rumors and all other wrestling news.
Stone Cold Steve Austin and The Rock – two of the biggest names in WWE history 2001, after years of competition with rival promotions like WCW, ECW, and more, WWE finally became the King of pro-wrestling (or sports and entertainment, as they like to call it) in North America.
Also, its two of the biggest rival promotions, WCW and ECW, both folded, as they were unable to face the superstars that Vince had on his roster. Though that was a major turning point in the history of the WWE and pro-wrestling, it wasn’t the first time the landscape of wrestling industry changed in a major way.
Vince McMahon has been called a lot of things during his time in the wrestling business, and one of those words is ‘revolutionary’.Vince saw his promotion as something more than just another regional promotion keeping to the old order held by ageing promoters.
He had a vision that his wrestlers could be true superstars that no one has never seen before, he transcended the realm-of-wrestling and into popular culture. Over the decades, Mr McMahon enjoyed considerable success in his venture. Several of the top-stars who have worked in Vince McMahon's promotion have become household names and have been immortalized long after their wrestling-careers ended.
In this list, We’re looking at those superstars who made the biggest impact of their career and enjoyed the most success while working for WWE, even if they also found success elsewhere. We’re also looking at a combination of factors to determine who qualifies for this list, with drawing power and their legacies being the two most important factors.
Honourable Mentions:
Bruno Sammartino
Rey Mysterio
Kane
Ricky Steamboat
Rody Piper
Edge
The Ultimate Warrior
Randy Savage
Kurt Angle
Eddie Guerro
Sting
Mick Foley
Batista
Mark Henry
Brock Lesnar
Trish Stratus
Here’s my pick of the 15 most charismatic and influential figures in the history of WWE.
#15 C.M Punk
CM Punk, one of the most talented wrestlers in the WWE. He was as good on the mic as he was in the ring. Winning multiple World Championships, Punk had skills to back up his words and the ambition to inspire a change in the WWE.
It wasn’t until June 27, 2011, an edition of Raw, where he the superstar truly exploded. That night, Punk didn't spare anyone, rant against the WWE management and the WWE Universe which spawned the catch-phrase “Pipe bomb."
He has held ECW championship, WWE World Heavyweight Championship, Tag team Championship-(with Kofi Kingston), Intercontinental Championship, WWE Championship and Nineteenth Triple-crown Champion.
His accolades hardly stop there. Also, he became first and, only Superstar to win Money in the Bank briefcase twice in-a-row respectively at, WrestleMania 24 and 25.
He is the greatest WWE Champion of not only the new-era, of ALL TIME. He has 434 days reign as WWE Champion that spanned from 2011 to 2013, more than John Cena, The Rock, The Undertaker, Stone Cold Steve Austin, Bret Hart, and Shawn Michaels.
#14 André the Giant
The ‘Eighth Wonder of the World’ was 7'4" and weighed over 500 lbs, entertained audiences in the ‘80s with his unbelievable size and strength. Sure he doesn't have great wrestling skills but because of his size and strength, I feel André should in the top 15 list.
He's the greatest wrestler of all time, he was the sports-entertainment before sports & entertainment ,everyone who stood in his way and nobody could truly beat him, he has the longest 15-year undefeated streak in the history of wrestling ( which was eventually ended by Hulk Hogan at WrestleMania 3, that's longer than most careers on this list. Andre is the true champion of champions.
André was simply gigantic, dominating even every wrestler of his time. He was arguably the first wrestler to become a ‘superstar’. All he needed to do was arrive at the scene and the audiences were drawn to his gigantic appeal. Sure he didn’t have that much of a charisma or promo skills, but he didn’t need any of those things. He became a legendary figure and drew audiences to events due to his unbelievable size alone.
The results of a rare growth hormone condition that eventually led to his untimely demise at the tragically early age of 46. Larger than life in every sense, André was also famous for his love of drinking, which allegedly included being able to knock back over 100 beers in one sitting.
#13 Chris Jericho
Right now the hottest sensation in the industry of pro-wrestling, Chris Jericho. Surely, I don't need to remind you that he has beaten The Rock and Stone Cold Steve Austin in the same night, How many people have done that—None.
Jericho never saw a rule he didn’t break or an audience he didn’t win over in a way you didn’t expect.
He debuted in 2000 with his forever famous Millennium countdown and probably his debut is considered to be best till date. He rose the ladder of success by his mic skill and in-ring ability and became the main eventer very soon.
Y2J is best at what he does. He's held World Heavyweight Championship, WWE Championship, Intercontinental Championship, United States Championship and the triumph doesn't stop there, he was the first Undisputed champion.
He's done the work of both 'Heel and Baby-face'. And he was certainly best in both. Though he has carved his way up top, pulling some cheap shots, still he remains the greatest wrestler of all time.
Only a fool would deny "The Ayatollah of Rock ‘n’ Rolla" isn't well-deserved spot on this long list — which, by the way, Jericho invented.
#12 Randy Orton
The Viper, Legend Killer, Randy Orton, The Apex Predator: Call him what you want, he appears out of nowhere and attacks his prey like no one else could. He's is youngest WWE Champion in the history of WWE at the age of 24. He has named so many accolades to his name in such a short period of time.
Sure, Orton might never match Cena’s popularity, still, he's one of the best and most consistent superstars the WWE has had to offer. The Legend Killer has won 15 titles since debuting in 2000, proving nobody is safe from his devastating R-K-O.
Though at one time, he was paired with the Evolution's Legend Killer, who got his kicks by disrespecting the industry greats who paved the path his generation walked.
He has already held 13 WWE World Heavyweight Championship, second only to John Cena’s 15 and the 16 won by all-time great Ric Flair. Well, I predict that it will not be Cena who breaks Flair’s record of 16 World Heavyweight Title reigns but, Randy...
#11 Lita
Lita was the first female wrestler who was all about the action rather than the looks. She was the first female wrestler who main-event the Raw for very first time. Don’t get me wrong, she is a very beautiful woman, but that was completely secondary to her incredible in-ring ability.
Lita defeated Stephanie McMahon for her first Women's Championship on an episode of RAW. But after losing and unsuccessfully challenging to reclaim it, Lita spent much time having matches with male superstars, most notably Dean Malenko, also later she aligned herself with The Hardy Boyz, interfering in there matches every week. It takes someone special to keep up with The Hardy Boyz after all.
Over the next five years, Lita had a legendary on again/off again feud with Trish Stratus, with the most memorable match between them occurring in the main event of Monday Night Raw.
There is a reason she is considered one of the greatest of all-time, after having six years of incredible matches on RAW, including the first ever Women's Steel Cage match, Lita retired from the WWE at Survivor Series 2006, later in 2014, she was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame.
#10 Bret Hart
Bret Hart was one of the best technical wrestlers of all time, debuting in the WWF in 1985, Hart has been credited with bringing upper-level technical in-ring skills to pro wrestling.
When WWE was in major peril during the early and mid-1990s, Hart was one of the main stars who remain loyal to their promotion and step up and carry the promotion during that dark period.
Dubbed the ‘Excellence of Execution’, Hart’s technical and athletic style was a real game-changer in his mid-‘90s heyday, pushing the boundaries of in-ring performance by his technical skills to previously unseen heights.
Bret has some career-defining matches against the likes of such opponents as his brother Owen Hart, Shawn Michaels, and ‘Stone Cold’ Steve Austin, just to name a few.
Bret 'The Hitman' Hart has held, WWF World Heavyweight Champion, also he was inducted into WWE Hall of Fame class of 2006.
CM Punk and Steve Austin have claimed that Hart is the greatest wrestler ever.
#9 Goldberg
Goldberg is the man with Iron Fist, the people who don't believe me, they definitely need to watch his Journey in WCW, his undefeated Streak of 173-0.
You cannot simply compare him with other Wrestlers of any Generation. He has beaten the likes of Batista, TripleH, The Rock, Chris Jericho, Kane, Randy Orton, Ric Flair, Hulk Hogan, Sting, Kevin Nash, Scott Hall and the list goes on..., were never be able to beat Goldberg clean.
And, I don't think any superstar in the past or in future will come to the level that Goldberg did.
He was not a great in-ring technician like Shawn Michael but he had the speed, strength, and hunger, which was enough to defeat any superstar or legend. As far as his WWE tenure is concerned, he was with the company for one year, 2003–04 and made a return at Survivor Series 2016.
During which, he made feuds with top stars, such as The Rock, Chris Jericho, Triple H. He has held WWE World Heavyweight Championship and the Universal championship.
One can never forget when he makes his return before Survivor Series and challenged Brock Lesnar for a match, in which he defeated the Beast Incarnate in 1:26 Minutes. That was something anyone has not imagined.
No one at the age of 50 can defeat Brock Lesnar in 86 seconds and no one at his age can eliminate Lesnar in less than 30 seconds in the Royal Rumble match.
When we saw these legends or superstars claiming that they are invincible, then most of us remembered his name.
Whenever he got the opportunity, he victimized and conquered his opponents, making them mortal.
A number of titles held by a superstar are not the only criteria to judge a superstar in greatness, it's the ability of a wrestler to defeat a number of legends by using his own potential, makes him great.
#8 Shawn Michaels
One will not find hard to tell, why “HBK” is still one of the most loved wrestlers all over the world; HBK was an outstanding wrestler in many different ways.
It's believed that he paved the way for current stars such as Daniel Bryan, by proving that Small, lean and agile wrestlers could also become the main eventers, following the era of polarising champions in the late ‘80s and early-‘90s.
His all-action style and charismatic personality helped him become one of the most popular WWE superstars today.
He was an excellent seller, knew how to sell dramatically, also had an excellent understanding of ring psychology.
Despite several backstage problems over the years, Michaels was playing a crucial role in changing WWE’s presentation and storylines, moving into Attitude Era.
Indeed, there was something about his training and background that made his rivalries and matches feel so much bigger. He seemed to add an extra work of personal desire into each and every match, making you, the fan, want to see him succeed so bad.
The Heartbreak Kid was one of the finest performers of his time in the WWF for three decades. He exemplified passion, pain and anguish unlike any other in-ring wrestler could.
One can easily remember him retiring Ric Flair at WrestleMania hitting 'Sweet Chin Music". Later, He was inducted in WWE Hall Of Fame, class of 2011.
#7 Triple H
Famously known as The Game or King of Kings, Triple H. He is one of the biggest WWE superstars of all time.
As a heel character, Triple H’s impact on the WWE has been enormous. Debuting in 1995 and still working (as a part-timer) today, HHH was one of the founding fathers of D-Generation X and helped mastermind the series of events that would lead to the Attitude Era and now he has taken NXT to achieve greater heights never seen before.
Marrying CEO's daughter certainly helped his career. But, the fact still remains that relentless of family ties, he has been consistently working at the highest level for over two decades now. The King of Kings also co-founded the powerful stable Degeneration X.
Having your own walkout theme written and recorded by Motörhead is pretty amazing, too.
In the past 16 years of his great career, he has owned all superstars no matter who they are, his charisma is outstanding and he can be awesome both as a heel and as a babyface.
Although he was mostly seen work as a self-absorbed, arrogant character, a heel. Also, he actually made a whole lot of other talents shine in his shadow too (Shawn Michaels, Orton, Batista, Cena just to name a few).
No single wrestler in the world (except Ric Flair) can match his career (in terms of longevity and accomplishments).
For all these things he is the greatest superstar of all time. HHH is the best superstar to ever step foot in the squared circle.
#6 Hulk Hogan
For many people unfamiliar with pro-wrestling in its current form, Hulk Hogan is pro-wrestling. He was the most popular wrestler of the '80s, a 12-time world champion, and the first-ever wrestler to win consecutive Royal Rumbles.
He was the one who made the wrestling more popular. His run with WWE made it a billion dollar company. He ruled wrestling industry over two-decades. Hogan is the biggest icon in the wrestling world ever.
Hogan was the first ever WWE superstar to become a truly global draw. His involvement in the WWE to reach into its golden period of success and popularity.
One who has seen him wrestle can never forget him ending Andre the Gaint's fifteen-year undefeated streak at WrestleMania 3.
He's arguably the most iconic wrestler of all time. His shirt ripping, finger pointing, leg dropping antics inspired entire generations of his era to "Say their prayers and Eat their vitamins".
His charisma was off the charts, and he was a master of controlling the audience in front of him. People simply loved to see him, no matter what he was doing.
Hogan was also instrumental in the evolution of the Monday Night Wars, as well. When he turned heel for the first time in his career and helped create the NWO, which stunned the world, bringing newfound interest to WWE’s rival WCW.
This, in turn, enforced the WWE to go with more realistic characters, which led to one of the most interesting-eras in wrestling history.
He was inducted into WWE Hall of Fame class of 2005, Hogan will always be one of the faces of professional wrestling. Face the fact fans, there is nobody more charismatic than this man.
#5 John Cena
John Cena is the main reason for the WWE’s biggest success story over the past fifteen years.
Cena is the perfect example of what WWE wants out of their top-superstars. Despite being the most polarizing wrestler in the game, the 15-time world champion always puts on a show when he's in the ring.
Debuting in 2002, against the 'gold-medalist' Kurt Angle, then at backstage praised by The Undertaker, not many people have done that. Cena was crowned "the face of the WWE" by the company in 2015.
He’s ridiculously strong, has the perfect look, everyone can look up to him as with a comic book physique (and a squeaky-clean image to boot), is unfailingly loyal to the company, and does whatever he’s told, even if it goes against his own personal interests.
It’s because of his attributes that WWE has pushed Cena to the greater heights in the past 15 years, and this push culminated 16 world title reigns (tying Ric Flair's 16 world title).
Also, recently, Cena became an elder statesman for the WWE, promoting the promotion in non-wrestling ventures and spending less time in the wrestling-scene (now acting as a part-timer).
Even though he is not spending that much of time in the WWE, he’s still WWE’s most popular star in terms of merchandise. I guess that's why they call him "The Franchise Player."
The reason Cena ranked higher on this list, is because of his rise to superstardom in WWE came when the company needed him the most.
He appeared on the screen with the character of Dr Thuganomics, which went down in history as the most powerful persona ever.
Love him or hate him, you've gotta respect John Cena’s 16-year incredible career.
#4 "Stone Cold" Steve Austin
"Stone Cold" Steve Austin was the WWE’s biggest star, fired from WCW, Austin reinvented himself in the '90s as a babyface, beer-chugging, an anti-authoritarian superstar who entered into a high-profile feud with his boss, Vince McMahon and make him for his sins.
Austin was the face of the WWE back in "Attitude Era," the company’s most popular time.
No wrestler impacted the WWE like “Stone Cold” Steve Austin. but in 2003 he was forced to retire due to a broken neck injury he suffered, which left a void in the WWE yet to be filled.
The biggest WWE superstar of all time, Austin was the money-maker for the WWE back in that era.
He was a bigger star than John Cena, The Undertaker, The Rock and Hulk Hogan. Austin’s influence on pro-wrestling can be seen not only in WWE’s financial success but also in how it influenced storylines and characters for the years to come.
Austin proved that realistic characters based on a wrestler’s own personality were much more relatable and interesting than over-the-top cartoon characters.
Austin’s promos, rivalries, storylines, and matches all had a personal edge to them because the narratives of these segments blurred the lines between scripts and reality.
#3 The Rock
"The Most Electrifying Man in Sports Entertainment" The Rock. He's one of the only superstars to transcend from wrestling and become an even bigger-star outside the ring. Before busting into the scene (in WWE) no one saw a superstar been as a charismatic, hilarious and incisive on the mic as he was.
Everything he did had the audience behind him cheering so wildly and loudly that at-times you couldn’t hear him speaking into a microphone.
The audience loved him that much. He found immense success as a heel, and over time his promo style became so incredibly popular that the audience simply could not boo him no matter what he said.
Although The Rock’s wrestling career was relatively short, his matches, rivalries, and promos are still remembered today. Anytime The Rock spoke, he got people to laugh, and his entrance theme got the crowd electrified in an instant.
Since quitting full-time wrestling, he has gone on to become one of the biggest stars in Hollywood. He founded immense success as an actor, proving that his charisma could transcend into other mediums as well.
Despite his crazy schedule, ‘The Brahma Bull’ still finds some time to step foot into the squared circle and entertain fans, which includes winning his eighth world title in a spectacular way at the Royal Rumble in 2013, also the same year Forbes named him as the World’s highest grossing male actor.
#2 Ric Flair
Ric Flair debuted in 1972. The Nature Boy spent over 4 decades as a pro-wrestler, winning 16 world championships. He spent the majority of the time working in WCW and the NWA territories."
Though he didn't spend much time in the WWE, his career was short by contrast, but his performance in the 1992 Royal Rumble is proof enough of how good he was. He was an excellent ring worker, the “dirtiest player in the game” delivered classics with Randy Savage, Bret Hart, and Shawn Michaels.
Flair has been the main-event draw with whichever company he has worked for. His blonde hair and arrogant look give a notch to the success of the "Nature Boy's" character.
His character was meant to the rich and arrogant superstar who lived the highest level life and rubbed it in the faces of others who were less fortunate.
Every time, Flair took the microphone and deliver natural world-class promos, that moment no man was important to the fans.
Flair is also the only two-time WWE Hall of Famer. He was inducted as an individual in 2008 and as a member of the Four Horsemen in 2012.
But wait if Flair is at the No.2 spot then who's No.1 (Who Who Who). Just click next and find it.
#1 The Undertaker
No one deserves this spot better than "The Phenom" The Undertaker. When he joined the WWE in 1990, the Undertaker's gimmick was as the uncharismatic seven-foot tall Deadman. Through the years, 'Taker transformed into one of the most revered wrestlers ever.
He’s still considered the longest-tenured wrestler in WWE history and has done everything possible at that company. He stayed loyal soldier of the WWE, as the man who emerged from the death valley, even as so many others came and went.
If you erase "The American Bad Ass" character from your memory, you’re still left with the best entrance in WWE history, a multitude of classic matches and the Streak--Undertaker’s unprecedented 21-match Wrestlemania winning streak.
It was so much of a huge accomplishment that it was praised by many non-wrestling publications over the years, even though they knew that it was all scripted.
The Undertaker character was the only one that has managed to withstand the test of time and still stay popular.
Though ‘Taker’s gimmick changed over the decades, still remained famous among his fans. After all, how many superstars can make an arena full of fans from all over the world lose their minds with the sound of ahem... a "gong"? None.
Everything about The Undertaker makes him a legendary figure in wrestling history: his gimmick, matches, entrance, rivalries, streak, and contributions to wrestling history have all been so profound that if WWE were to host his own retirement PPV, it would sell out like WrestleMania does. Though many people would want to see the Undertaker retire formally.
Do you agree with this list? Sound off your own list and suggestions in the comment section below.
What makes Sting special? His first AEW opponent opens up RIGHT HERE.
