Being great at just taking an opponent down isn’t what makes a great wrestler. The wrestlers that left a mark on the audience and made history had unique charisma, in-ring ability, and mic skills that left the people talking about their careers for years.
Mentioned below are some of the best wrestlers out there and we will take a closer look at their careers.
JOHN CENA
Tied with Ric Flair for securing the most world championship reigns in wrestling history, Cena is widely regarded as one of the greatest wrestlers of all time. He initially planned to pursue a career as a bodybuilder, however, destiny had different plans for him. He signed with WWE in the year 2001 and the rest is history. Cena went on to win the WWE Championship 13 times, setting a record for the title. He has many other accolades to his name and is particularly popular among his younger fans. His “you can’t see me” became a meme and made him a pop-culture icon.
MICK FOLEY
Foley has done it all: an actor, an author, and a legendary wrestler. He is known for wrestling in his different personas like Cactus Jack, who was a bloodthirsty physical brawler from Truth and Consequences who wore sharp metallic objects and cowboy boots. He is a three-time WWF Champion and one-time TNA World Heavyweight champion. He also won the World Tag Team Championship 11 times. He was known for participating in violent, brutal matches and went on to bag many other accolades for them. He was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in the year 2013.
Check: Top 10 Black Wrestlers Of All Time
THE UNDERTAKER
Having been under contract for WWE since the 1990s, he is regarded as the greatest wrestler ever produced by the company. He was one of the most popular characters and was known for his undead, funereal persona, which gained significant mainstream popularity. Undertaker won many championships during his career at the WWE and is the longest-tenured wrestler in the company history. He announced his retirement in the year 2020 and is reported to have a net worth of 12.9 million.
HULK HOGAN
Beginning his career in 1977, Hogan gathered worldwide popularity after signing for World Wrestling Federation (WWF). His persona as a heroic all-American bloomed well in the 1980s professional wrestling scenario. He is a five-time winner of WWF championships and also the first wrestler to win back-to-back Royal Rumble matches in 1990 and 1991. Upon joining WCW, he won the World Heavyweight Championship six times and held the record for the longest reign. Hogan was a widely recognized wrestler worldwide during the 1980s.
THE ROCK
The Rock rose to prominence after adopting a persona as a charismatic trash talker. It also made him popular within his younger fan base and his ring name gave rise to many pop-culture memes. His accolades include bagging the title of world champion 10 times, a two-time Intercontinental Champion, 2000 Royal Rumble winner, and also a five-time Tag Team champion. Rock went on to gain more popularity as an actor and star in some of the most critically acclaimed films like the Fast and Furious series, making him one of the highest-paid actors.
About Highest Paid Sports in the World
STONE COLD STEVE AUSTIN
Widely known as one of the most influential wrestlers of all time, Steve Austin played a crucial role in the development of the Attitude Era in the WWF. After being a talented former footballer, Austin started his career as a professional wrestler. He adopted the ring name Stunning Steve Austin in the World Championship Wrestling for four years before taking on the gimmick ”Stone Cold” which was described as being a Texas rattlesnake. Under this gimmick, Austin gained immense mainstream popularity. In his career, he held 19 world championships. He is also a 6-time WWF Champion, a 4-time Tag Team champion, and 1-time Million Dollar Champion, among many other accolades.
RICK FLAIR
Having a career that spanned almost 40 years, Flair is often regarded by the media as the greatest professional wrestler of all time. He is recognized by WWE as a 16-time world champion, a 2-time WWF champion, and a 6-time WCW heavyweight champion. The PWI also rewarded him as the Wrestler of the year a whopping 6 times while the Wrestling Observer Newsletter named him the wrestler of the year a record 8 times. Flair is also inducted into the NWA Hall of Fame as well the Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame.
TRIPLE H
This amazing wrestler from New Hampshire had quite a few ring names at the beginning of his career. He began his professional career in the year 1992 with International Wrestling Federation, where he had the ring name Terra Ryzing. He also had other ring names like Jean-Paul Levesque and Hunter Hearst Helmsley before finally adopting the world-renowned name Triple H. He was widely regarded as one of the best wrestlers in North America after winning his first WWF championship. He went on to win several championships in his professional career and co-founded the D-Generation X group. He retired due to a lung infection and was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame.
EDDIE GUERRERO
With the wrestling talent cascading down his bloodline, Eddie established himself as a prominent wrestler. He performed quite a few wrestling promotions in Japan and Mexico for ECW, WCW, and WWE. His gimmick was “Latino Heat” which garnered some mainstream attention. Guerrero was the top wrestler on the SmackDown brand and was at the peak of his career from 2003-to 2005. Although some news surfaced about his struggle with substance abuse and alcoholism, Guerrero went on to win numerous championships. He remained a popular main eventer until his death and was inducted into WWE, Wrestling Observer Newsletter, AAA, and Hardcore halls of fame.
RANDY ORTON
Although his personal life is deemed controversial by some critics, they cannot let go of the fact that he is one of the greatest wrestlers of all time. The flair for wrestling runs in Orton’s blood as he is the third-generation wrestler in his family. It did not take much time for Orton to become the youngest world champion in the history of WWE, he was 24 at the time. He went on to receive many accolades in his professional wrestling career. The rivalry between John Cena and Randy Orton is considered one the greatest and longest rivalries in the history of WWE, making them both quite popular among fans. Orton has the third-most world championship victories in history (14) tied with Triple H and just behind Ric Flair and John Cena (16). He went down as one of the greatest and most decorated careers in the history of WWE.
