When it comes to wrestling, talent alone is not enough to cement your legacy as the greatest wrestler of all time. As long the wrestling sport has been around, there have been thousands of wrestlers who have laced up pair of boots and graced the ring. But only a few are remembered as the GOATs. When you compare the great professional wrestlers, you will notice a few common things. These include adaptability, marketability, and staying true to the character.
So who are the greatest professional wrestlers of all time? What made them tick? Let’s find out.
10. Antonio Inoki
Antonio Inoki is a Japanese wrestler as well as a mixed martial arts promoter and politician. His ring name is a tribute to fellow wrestler Antonio Rocca.
In 1976, Antonio Inoki fought against the then world champion Muhammad Ali. In 1995, North Korea Inoki – together with Ric Flair, headlined two shows that attracted mouthwatering 150,000 and 190,000 fans, the highest attendances in the entire history of professional wrestling.
9. “Macho Man” Randy Savage
Randy Savage’s charisma and personality were one of the reasons behind the success of main events in the ’80s. He is known for constantly producing five-star matches with his extreme in-ring style. The “Macho Man” was even voted as the “greatest Intercontinental Champion of all time” by the WWE. He has held the WWF Championship for a long period.
One of the things that made Randy “Macho Man” Savage a WWE legend was his flamboyant ring attire together with his rasping tone. His flamboyant nature and the catchphrase “oh yeah” made him a darling among many fans.
Randy Savage is widely termed as the Rock. Before the Rock and rightly so, every promo he did is still memorable among the fans to this day.
8. Bret Hart
Also known as the Hitman, Bret Hart is a former 5-time WWF Champion and was the leading star in WWF for most parts of the ’90s. Although Bret Hart never drew as much money as his contemporaries, he played the biggest part in preserving the image of the company following the steroid scandal. He also helps articulate the vision, Vince McMahon was trying to craft.
Even though he was not physically gifted as the likes of Hogan, he still managed to keep alive the character of the “Hitman” for many years.
Some of his memorable matches include the Iron Man match versus Shawn Michaels, many feuding matches with Randy Savage, and Curt Hennig, a cage match with Owen and the famous SummerSlam main event match with the British Bulldog.
7. Shawn Michaels
Shawn Michaels has been nothing short of an entertainer during his entire wrestling career. Just like Bret Hart, Shawn Michaels was also not physically daunting but he achieved virtually everything in wrestling. The revolution of the tag team is attributed to him. Also credited to him is transforming wrestling business with the Degeneration-X with Triple H. Shawn has conquered it all.
Shawn had numerous five-star matches, two of them being versus the Undertaker, and all was due to his workmanship in the ring. He had some memorable promos, which were aided by his charisma and ability to naturally trash talk – one of the things that win over fans in the wrestling industry. Shawn also had a signature move, the Super Kick, which won him many matches. He is nicknamed as ‘Mr. Wrestlemania’.
Shawn is WWE Hall of Famer.
6. Bruno Sammartino
Bruno Sammartino was an American professional wrestler of the Italian origin. He is known for holding the WWF World Heavyweight Championship for over 11 years. Some of his nicknames include “The Italian Strongman” and “The Strongest Man in the World” in his early career. He had a devastating finishing move called “bearhug” and to many, he is considered among the greatest professional wrestlers of all time.
His memorable match was also his debut match, with Dmitri Grabowski, in which he pinned his opponent, is just 19 seconds.
Some of Sammartino’s accomplishments include the Keystone State Wrestling Alliance Hall of Fame in 2012, NWA United States Heavyweight Champion, an NWA International Tag Team winner (with Whipper Billy Watson), Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame and Museum, World Wide Wrestling Alliance Hall of Fame and Wrestling Observer Newsletter Hall of Fame.
5. Stone Cold Steve Austin
Stone Cold Steve Austin is regarded as the most popular professional wrestler to ever grace the rings. He is also a first-ballot Hall of Famer. Steve Austin has worn many World titles and played a vital role in the victory of the World Wrestling Federation victory in the Monday Night Wars.
He had a tough look, something that was perfect for his role of “Stone Cold.”
Stone Cold had memorable matches with the likes of Bret Hart and the Rock. His in-ring style was intense and hard-hitting, something that made his matches so memorable.
Austin was excellent on the microphone, and his catchphrases are considered the most successful in the history of wrestling concerning product sales.
Stone Cold Steve Austin is also one of the few wrestlers to ever successfully rival Hulk Hogan when it comes to mainstream popularity.
4. Ric Flair
Ric Flair has been one of the most decorated professional wrestlers of all time, holding 16 World Championship titles in a period that spanned over 40 years!
Flair was a Box Office in main events, regardless of the company he worked for. His, “Nature Boy” character was successful due to Flair’s blond hair, and natural arrogance. Ric Flair played the role of a rich and arrogant superstar who was obnoxious and rubs it in the faces of less fortunate. Flair was a microphone genius and no professional wrestler did it more than him. He was naturally gifted at delivering top-rated promos.
Despite his success, Ric Flair was never in the same league as the likes of Hulk Hogan and Randy Savage in terms of pop culture.
3. Hulk Hogan
Hulk Hogan was the main man in the ’80s as far as wrestling is concerned. He was a real presence and millions of young wrestling fans easily bought into his superhero-like character of the “Hulkster.”
Hogan has earned the WWE money than anyone, probably, will ever do and is regarded as the biggest professional wrestler the business will ever know.
“Hulkamania” was the best thing to ever happen to the wrestling profession. His tanned 300-pound physique plus the long golden hair and big arms made his superhero character successful.
Besides being a professional wrestler, Hulk also knew how to connect with his fans. His famous lines to kids, “say their prayers, do their training and eat their vitamins”, was him accomplishing his responsibility as a role model to young fans.
Hulk Hogan fits well as the face of the “Rock ‘N Wrestling” era by the then World Wrestling Federation. Hogan also the poster boy of the All-American hero that often battle with foreign wrestlers portrayed as villains.
2. The Undertaker
Undertaker is known in the wrestling industry for his longevity in the game. He is the only professional wrestler to witness the metamorphosis of the wrestling industry since the early 90s to the present. The longest-serving wrestler in the history of WWE, Undertaker was a star of the ’90s, the “Attitude Era” as well as the “PG era”
Undertaker is respected by fans, fellow wrestlers, and even Vince McMahon himself. It is said that Vince used to consult with Taker first before making any major decisions.
The “Dead Man” character of Undertaker is one of the most successful in the history of professional wrestling. His in-ring performances were works of arts. Despite his imposing figure, the Undertaker was one of the quickest and most flexible wrestlers.
The Undertaker has worn a massive 24 WrestleMania titles and tasting four defeats. This feat got him in the Guinness World Records Gamer’s Edition. He had been named the greatest professional wrestler of all times and in 2013, Digital Spy poll ranked him as the greatest WWE wrestler of all time. The IGN described the “Dead Man” as “one of the most respected wrestlers and characters, in the business; treated with actual reverence, like a cherished, invaluable artifact.”
Fellow wrestler Big Show named the Undertaker as the greatest wrestler of all times, while WWE boss Vince McMahon and another wrestler Mike Henry had called him as their favorite.
1. The Rock
Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson is one of the most charismatic professional wrestlers of all time. His popularity was also fueled by his speaking abilities, which resulted in the creation of numerous catchphrases as well as merchandising opportunities.
The Rock comes from a family of professional wrestlers. His father was part of the first-ever black tag team champions in the history of the WWE, by then known as WWF. His Grandfather was also a professional wrestler.