MSB Fight Club’s Top Ten Wrestlers: Staff Picks

The Top Ten Wrestlers of All Time: Staff Picks

No matter the sport, a top ten list is almost always at the center of debates about who the best truly is. After I played around when the prospect of just making my own top ten list, I instead along with my colleagues here at MSB Fight Club decided it might be better to present each of our top ten lists in one article. We have all grown up in different eras for the most part, and our lists are more diverse than I think most of us had expected. Here are our top tens, hope you enjoy!

AJ Stevens

Honorable Mentions:

-John Cena: Quite possibly the most charismatic of all wrestlers. He has done it all and won the world championship a record tying 16 times. The man lives by his motto “hustle, loyalty, respect.”

-Triple H: He is now the COO of WWE and creator of NXT, but was a ring general in his day, facing the likes of Cena, The Undertaker, Ric Flair, and Scott Steiner. Triple H is right there with Cena in the hardest worker in the room category.

-Andre the Giant: The 8th wonder of the world was, pardon the pun, larger than life. He has an HBO documentary about him. He was involved with so many highlights of my childhood, most involving Hulk Hogan.

10. Jake ‘The Snake’ Roberts

I could explain this choice with three words: DDT. At the time the DDT was the most devastating maneuver. Although Jake never held a WWE title, he did have a Hall of Fame career. His gimmick was great too, as he brought his snake into the ring and let it loose on his opponents after defeating them. Genius! Let us not forget his legendary feuds with Rick Martel and Macho Man Randy Savage as well.

9. Stone Cold Steve Austin

I have The Rock higher up this list, but I can’t mention him and not include Stone Cold Steve Austin. These two battled for the top spot for years in the Attitude Era. We tend to forget that Austin was talented in the ring as well. Following his win over Jake Roberts to become King of the Ring in 1996 a star was born. Austin’s 3:16 phrase and his line “and that’s the bottom line, cause Stone Cold said so,” would fuel his fire and his popularity among WWF fans. Austin’s best feud and the one that put him over, was the feud with Vince McMahon. I loved watching Stone Cold stomp a mud hole in McMahon back in the day.

8. The Rock

The most electrifying champion the WWF/WWE ever had. He had wrestling in his veins. It didn’t matter if he was heel or babyface, Rocky got your attention and commanded a response. He was even successful in putting a move over that was meant to be a joke. That’s right, The People’s Elbow was a rib intended to pop the boys in the back. And nobody, I mean nobody, sold the Stone Cold Stunner quite like The People’s Champ.

7. Rey Mysterio Jr.

Rey is a guy whose WCW work should be sought out by those who haven’t seen it, particularly his matches with Dean Malenko and Eddie Guerrero. Mysterio brought the foreign style of Lucha Libre and made it a mainstream style. To think that the guy is still wrestling today is amazing, considering he debuted in 1989. Be on the lookout for his son Dominic who has been training for a few years now.

6. Chris Benoit

There is a lot of controversy surrounding Benoit because of the tragic circumstances of his death, but I couldn’t leave him off of my list. Do yourself a favor and watch his WCW work while he was a member of The Four Horsemen. An all around amazing technical wrestler and showman.

5. Ricky “The Dragon” Steamboat

I mention AJ Styles later in this list, and much like AJ, Ricky was one of the greatest workers in the ring. He had absolutely legendary matches with Ric Flair. As a kid, Steamboat made me want to learn karate.

4. Hulk Hogan

Hulk Hogan and wrestling are two things that go hand in hand. You can ask someone who hasn’t watched wrestling to name one wrestler and I bet Hulk Hogan would be the one named. Hogan carried WWF/WWE into the 1980’s. Just when you thought the ride was over he reinvented himself into Hollywood Hulk Hogan. As Hollywood Hulk, he led WCW in the Monday Night Wars with the nWo to dominate for 84 straight weeks.

3. Ric Flair

“The Rolex wearing, diamond ring wearing, kiss stealing WOOOOO, wheeling dealing, limousine riding, jet flying sun of a gun.” His trilogy with fellow top ten member Ricky Steamboat were well over 30 minutes each. Flair’s conditioning was almost unparalleled. Not to mention, you can’t mention Ric Flair and not say WOOOOOO!

2. AJ Styles

Styles is the best worker in the ring on the current roster. I was in the crowd for his match against John Cena at Summerslam in 2016. He has great matches with everyone he faces.

1. Shawn Michaels

The man changed the course of wrestling. Michaels proved that you no longer needed size and strength to be the champion in the company. His ladder match against Razor Ramon for the Intercontinental title is a must see.

Nate Keller

Honorable Mentions:

– Triple H: You can’t mention Raw and not think of Triple H, whether it be in the Attitude Era or in his time of dominance during the 2000’s. Triple H embodied the perfect heel, but could play a great babyface with his buddies in D-Generation X. His time with the stable Evolution helped to cement his legacy as one of the great WWE World Heavyweight Champions, and his time on his own in the late 90’s and early 2000’s proved how great of a wrestler he could truly be.

– Dean Malenko: This man, along with Chris Benoit, were probably two of the greatest technical wrestlers of all time. Malenko largely spent most of his time with WCW, but he also had some very memorable matches with Eddie Guerrero in ECW early in his career. He wrestled in the Florida independent circle from 1979-94, gaining notriety for his skills and ability to put on a show. He was ranked the number one wrestler in the world by Pro Wrestling Illustrated in 1997, and was an 11-time champion, dominating the Cruiserweight division of WCW.

– Mick Foley/Mankind/Dude Love/Cactus Jack: Mick Foley was an icon in the 1990’s, particularly during the Attitude Era. Debuting in 1983, Foley worked for a laundry list of promotions, including WWF/WWE, WCW, ECW, TNA, NWA, and GWF. Foley gained the most notoriety during his stint in the WWF, which saw him put his body through hell, most notably at King of the Ring 1998 (if you haven’t seen it… well, ya should). Along with Terry Funk (good ole Terry) Foley brought extreme hardcore to the mainstream, competing in hellacious matches that saw him land on a pile of tacks, be put through tables and into dumpsters, and fall 20 feet twice in one match (1998 King of the Ring… Watch it!). The WWE Hall of Famer is considered by many to be one of the single greatest wrestlers of all time. He truly embodied hardcore and put his body through unimaginable pain to give the fans what they wanted.

10. Macho Man Randy Savage

OOOOHHHHH YEEAAHHHH!! Macho Man comes in at number ten on my list. One of the greatest and most memorable speakers the wrestling world has ever seen, Randy Savage put on a show whether he was in the ring or at a backstage interview with “Mean” Gene Okerlund. Savage joined the WWF in 1985 and became WWF Champion in 1988 before dropping it to Hulk Hogan at Wrestlemania V, in one of the greatest matches of the time period. He transitioned to WCW with Hulk Hogan and began an unforgettable run, which saw him feud with Hogan and “Rowdy” Roddy Piper, and Sting. Savage joined the nWo and continued his popularity wave until his retirement. His championships and accolades don’t do justice to the in ring and on mic performer that Savage was in the WWF and WCW. If you weren’t alive to see him at his career height like me, then check out his matches. The man was born to perform.

9. John Cena

Now it could be my youth, or it could just be that I connected with Cena more than I did any other wrestler, but I firmly believe that Cena was the greatest in-ring performer I had ever seen in the squared circle when he made his legendary run through the company. I was only 6 when he debuted and nearly beat Kurt Angle, but I remember it clear as day. I remember when he picked up the Big Show and I cursed for the first time in my young life I was so impressed. His feuds with JBL and his ‘Cabinet,’ his matches with Kurt Angle, Edge,and CM Punk, and his “Ruthless Aggression” led the WWE through much of the 2000’s and into the 2010’s. On the mic, Cena was one of the best around, especially before the modern “PG” era the WWE is experiencing. Cena’s motto “Never give up” inspired many, including myself, and continues to inspire another generation as he becomes a star very similar to The Rock. There is no doubt in my mind the 16-time champion will be a Hall of Fame inductee the moment he retires.

8. The Rock

IF YOU SMEEELLLLLLLLLL, WHAT THE ROCK IS COOKING, then you know he is one of the single greatest wrestlers to ever grace the WWF/WWE. Upon his inception into the WWF as part of the Nation of Domination, he was clowned and not at all accepted by the WWF fans. He talked a big game but couldn’t get anything done without the help of his friends from the Nation. After his split, he began what is still one of the single greatest rivalries in professional wrestling history with Stone Cold Steve Austin. Their trilogy at Wrestlemania’s XV, XVII, and XIX were the most legendary of matches, and their war of words on Raw is War was the stuff entertainers and promoters dreamed of. The People’s Elbow was one of the greatest signature moves comparable to Hogan’s leg drop, and the Rock Bottom signified the end of what was usually a very entertaining match. ‘The most electrifying superstar in sports entertainment today,’ made his presence felt, and whether he was heel or face, he always brought fans to their feet.

7. Stone Cold Steve Austin

Stone Cold comes in at number seven on my list, “and that’s the bottom line, cause Stone Cold said so.” Quite possible the biggest draw the WWF/WWE ever had, Stone Cold’s feuds with The Rock, The Undertaker, and even the Chairman Vince McMahon fueled the Attitude Era. Without Austin, the WWF probably doesn’t survive the Monday Night Wars and we would be watching Monday Nitro and Thursday Night Thunder now. Though he was only a 6-time champion, Stone Cold inspired an entire generation, and perfectly embodied a frustrated employee who could actually do something about it. Every week we saw and rooted on Austin as he made Vince’s life a living hell and cracked a few beers at the end of the show when his work was done. In ring and out, Stone Cold Steve Austin was one of the best performers we will ever witness inside a wrestling ring.

6. The Undertaker

The Undertaker. The two words that had wrestlers shaking in their boots for nearly 20 years. He began his career in the WWF in 1990, eventually appearing at his first Wrestlemania in 1991. Thus would start an undefeated streak for the ages. He would make his way through superstars such as Sycho Sid, Jake Roberts, Kane (twice), Shawn Michaels (twice) and Triple H (three times) on his way to posting a 21-0 record at Wrestlemania. Unfortunately, his streak was broken at Wrestlemania 30, which I am still not over. Whose idea was it to break literally the greatest streak in sports entertainment history?! But I digress, aside from his streak, he had memorable and legendary matches with the likes of Mankind, The Rock, Kane, and Stone Cold Steve Austin. Hell, he even threw Mankind off of and through the roof of a cell (I really hope I didn’t spoil that King of the Ring I told you to watch…). Taker held titles of all kinds, WWF Champion, WWE Heavyweight Champion, WWF/WWE Tag Team Champion, and even winning the Royal Rumble in 2007. Simply put, for a man that was nearly 7 feet tall, The Undertaker made a living off of outstanding and legendary matches, and will always be remembered for his streak and his absolutely eerie entrance.

5. Bret Hart

“The best there is, the best there was, and the best there ever will be”… okay, so maybe the fifth best. Nonetheless, The Hitman made his name with The Hart Foundation and in memorable matches particularly at Wrestlemania. The sharpshooter was the most crippling move in wrestling at one time, and when he cinched it in you knew the match was over. His saga with Shawn Michaels is still one of the greatest set of matches you will ever watch. Speaking of great matches, his match against his brother Owen at Wrestlemania X was one of the single greatest matches I have ever witnessed. The five time WWF Champion had a long, legendary run, and one would be remiss to not question what could have been if not for WCW and the Montreal Screwjob.

4. Shawn Michaels

The Heartbreak Kid. The Show Stopper. Mr. Wrestlemania. No matter what you called him, Shawn Michaels was an electrifying and athletic wrestler, who stood out at the beginning of his WWF career. He wasn’t massive, he wasn’t jacked like Hogan and Ultimate Warrior. Instead, he transformed professional wrestling and led the way for many electrifying and agile superstars just like him. Like AJ, I believe his ladder match with Razor Ramon for the IC title was absolutely incredible and paved the way for ladder matches in the future. It’s truly hard to think of any bad matches he was involved in, and the five star matches he wrestled would take hours to list out. If you never watched Michaels at the height of his career, do it now. We may never see another superstar quite like HBK.

3. Hulk Hogan

Hulk Hogan is about as synonymous with wrestling as cold is with winter, brother. The man was an idol to so many kids and a huge box office draw for any promotion lucky enough to have him. He carried the WWF through the 1980’s, which saw him defeat the likes of Andre the Giant, Yokozuna, and Macho Man Randy Savage. The American Hero was a fan favorite, but upon his move to WCW, he quickly turned heel and joined the nWo, helping to put Monday Nitro in the drivers seat of the Monday Night War. No matter where Hogan went, he immediately brought viewers and fans, and made the product that much better. Hulk Hogan was THE guy for so many years, I have no choice but to put the man that changed wrestling at number three.

2. Ric Flair

AJ stole my intro… nonetheless, the “dirtiest player in the game” was one of the best wrestlers to ever step into a wrestling ring. Flair had legendary matches with the likes of Hogan, Harley Race, and Kerry Von Erich, and became known as “The Nature Boy” over his time in the NWA. The 16-time world champion, tied with John Cena for the most ever, was always one step ahead of his opponents, winning by any means necessary. His matches with Ricky Steamboat cemented his legacy before he ever even appeared in WCW or the WWE. Ric Flair was one of the greatest in ring technicians and by far the most intelligent. WOOOOOOOOO!

1. Bruno Sammartino

If you don’t know him, you’re not a wrestling fan. Bruno, the Italian Superman, inspired a generation of young kids and adults alike. He sold out Madison Square Garden 188 times, making it the “House That Bruno Built.” He held the title for an untouchable 2,803 days. Yeah, you read that right. 2,803 days. About 7 and a half years. He was the first ever two time WWE champion. He was quite possibly one of the strongest superstars to ever enter a WWE ring. Bruno Sammartino was a box office darling, the super hero every kid wanted to be, the dominant force of the WWE. He maintained his face status for his entire career. He is the greatest professional wrestler to ever live, and even though I’m only 22, this man is undoubtedly to me the greatest wrestler to ever step into a ring.

 

Lee Walker III

Honorable Mentions:

– Dusty Rhodes

– Goldust

– Cody Rhodes

– Bruno Sammartino

10. Ultimo Dragon

9. Diamond Dallas Page

8. Bob Backlund

7. Jake “The Snake” Roberts

6. Macho Man Randy Savage

5. Bret Hart

4. Ric Flair

3. Shawn Michaels

2. The Undertaker

1. Hulk Hogan

 

Wes Hoffmaster

Honorable Mentions:

– Chris Jericho

– Sting

10. Mick Foley/Mankind/Dude Love/Cactus Jack

9. Triple H

8. Macho Man Randy Savage

7. Bret Hart

6. Shawn Michaels

5. The Undertaker

4. Ric Flair

3. Hulk Hogan

2. Stone Cold Steve Austin

1. The Rock

My list has to do with what I grew up with. I was a hardcore WCW fan as well as the Attitude Era in the WWF.

 

Ansh Suchdeve

Honorable Mentions:

– Chris Jericho

– Macho Man Randy Savage

– Brock Lesnar

10. The Rock

9. Ric Flair

8. Bret Hart

7. Ultimate Warrior

6. Stone Cold Steve Austin

5. Triple H

4. Shawn Michaels

3. Hulk Hogan

2. The Undertaker

1. John Cena

 

Matt Bachota

10. Mick Foley/Mankind/Dude Love/Cactus Jack

9. Macho Man Randy Savage

8. Triple H

7. John Cena

6. Hulk Hogan

5. Shawn Michaels

4. Stone Cold Steve Austin

3. The Rock

2. The Undertaker

1. Ric Flair

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Nate Keller

Avid sports fan. Been a fan of WWE since I was 3 years old. Bachelors degree from Alvernia University.

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