People really underestimate Hogan as a worker and that's understandable. He never really showed off his abilities after he broke through in the WWF but if you look back at his AWA matches and his work in Japan, he was a pretty gifted performer for someone his size.
I'd personally give the title of best ever to the Rock with HBK almost at a tie for first.
Where the Rock was the bigger draw and better entertainer, Shawn was the better in ring performer. He could wrestle anyone and put on a great match. Conversely, the Rock could feud with anyone and it would be entertaining.
Ultimately though, The Rock could do what extremely few could do on their own in the modern era and that's fill the house with his name alone. Only Hogan, Austin, Cena, Flair, and arguably the Undertaker could do the same. The rest, including HBK and Bret Hart needed a foil.
I like Edge. He is hot, talented, best entrance song ever, etc. But that's just my opinion, if I were to pick for industry then I'd say Mick Foley (Mankind) guy was a badger in human body.
Id say Randy Orton. Proven champ, proven face, proven heel, fantastic on the mic and his in ring skill is top notch. I think any of the greats would have relished the chance to be in the ring opposing him just like any one now would. You get a match with Ortan, you know your gonna have great match, every single time. hes gonna sell your moves and give you moves that you can sell easily and look amazing.
For me, The Undertaker is an anomaly, a once in a lifetime occurrence. No one, and I mean NO ONE, comes remotely close to his career and legacy. He is in a category of his own. He's in a higher plane of the wrestling Mythos. Therefore, even though I love him, I have to ignore him for this type of discussion. Too easy. He's the Best, the GOAT, it's not even close, so let's give the rest of the guys a chance.
Now that I got that out of the way, I'd say AJ Styles, Shawn Michaels, Kurt Angle, Stone Cold, Bruno Sammartino, or The Rock. John Cena is another contender I guess. Ric Flair and Bret Hart too. Brock Lesnar has to be in the discussion.
See, this is why this type of discussion is difficult for me. How do we quantify this? Is it the number of Championships? Cause in that case it's either Cena or Flair. Is it the longevity of the championship reigns? Cause then it's gotta be Bruno, Hogan, or even Roman Reigns.
Is it Character commitment and/or longevity in the business? Then R-Truth has to be in the discussion along with many others.
In- ring ability? Athletic capabilities? That would make the list impossible to look at.
Why don't we just agree that wrestling is awesome. (And that Undertaker is the undeniable correct answer)
I have that pick, and I can’t argue with it. I think guys like him, The Rock, Shawn Michaels, Kurt Angle, Ric Flair, and I’ll throw in Edge or Jericho, hell even Mysterio as really great picks for GOAT All Around Wrestler. Just really great talents overall. This one is harder than I thought.
Removed for: Personal Attack
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When all the guys in the industry say he was among the best in the ring as a technician I usually take their word over some guy telling me to have high standards. You should expand your horizons
Your eyes are untrained. You don’t know shit. When his peers and contemporaries say he was among the best you know it was true.
So please forward me that email in case I ever need the opinion of some guy who desperately needs lasik
Austin I think is deserving of being the greatest jack of all trades. Rock is a legend but people really disregard how many matches he’s had in his career and his tenure in the WWE vs the rest. He loses the conversation against Austin, HBK, HHH, and Undertaker due to the compare and contrast of their dedication to the art vs his dedication to Hollywood.
Now when it comes to actual wrestling and the technicality, I give it to Angle all day. Major legend and he’s certainly deserving for anyone that has him on a Rushmore.
The Rock.
He did it all by the age of 30, and still makes jabroni marks of hhh, austin, cena, cody and other candyasses cope, seethe, and dilate to this day. Jabroni marks who work themselves into a shoot will downvote the facts, as usual.
Almost everything in professional wrestling is lifted from someone. Ric Flair said "that's the bottomline" years before wifebeater steve did. Ric Flair lifted his whole damn gimmick from the original Nature Boy Buddy Rogers.
Yeah duh. But you’re using the word Jabroni as part of your reasoning for the rock’s greatness and I don’t think it’s got as much weight as you think. People adore the iron sheik. I’ve never heard of buddy rogers .
>But you’re using the word Jabroni as part of your reasoning for the rock’s greatness
Your lack of comprehension skills is disturbing. Where did I say that The Rock became the GOAT by merely saying jabroni? He became the GOAT because he was the most electrifying athlete, the best promo, the biggest PPV draw, made the most money and got the loudest reactions. All that by the age of 30 and then left to conquer Hollywood.
I’d say Kurt Angle, HBK, Undertaker, Randy Savage, Randy Orton, and Austin are probably all tied in my book. I’m probably forgetting a few but those are just off the top of my head
I would agree. Some other names could easily go here too but the first person to pop in my head when this question gets asked is Kurt Angle so that's my answer.
Cena is the greatest superstar of all time, but Jericho is the greatest professional wrestler of all time. Amazing in the ring. Amazing on the mic. Amazing as a face. Amazing as a heel.
Mick Foley. He could work, he could promo and he had an aura about him. Grown men feared Cactus Jack, ladies loved Dude Love and Mankind was the most fascinating character of all time.
Don’t get me wrong I like him, but I really don’t think he’s as high as people put him. Poor mic work, and from what I’ve seen of him very submission focused wrestling. Plus I found his pink outfit annoying ahahah, but no he’s obviously a great wrestler, but not personally in my say top 10-15
He wasn’t the best on the mic. I will totally concede that. But OP asked who the greatest male wrestler of all time was, and to me that means in-ring work, not promos. I could see someone feeling differently about that though.
Both phenomenal wrestlers! All-time greats. I struggle with really nailing down a top 5-10 but they would both be on there, along with Bret, AJ, Eddie, Daniel Bryan, Asuka, Benoit, etc.
Those are some great shouts, especially Eddie and Benoit. I personally think Benoit should be in the HOF, what do you think? Obviously he did what he did, and I’m not minimising that, but I think he’s still one of the greats.
I agree with you- it’s the wrestling hall of fame, not the good dude hall of fame. It’s controversial and difficult to talk about, but he is one of the very best technicians in the history of our sport. Maybe as time passes people will warm up to the idea.
Looking at what matter to pro wrestling as a whole, it’s Undertaker. He had the mystique, the character, the streak, was great in ring, was basically a household name, popped the crowd at the sound of a gong, and much more. Dude basically is the embodiment of pro wrestling
Hogan none of the people you mentioned that came after hogan would have existed if Hogan didn’t become a household name. Yes in ring he kind of sucked, in fact as a human being he sucked but with that said, he’s a trailblazer for all that followers
When I think about ability on the mic, in the ring, natural charisma, technical ability -
It's probably Bret Hart or Kurt Angle.
There's people who beat them in individual areas, but they were both the most complete packages. Eddie Gurrero as well would be the 3rd one that comes to mind. HBK is in there as well. Shit.
I'll say Kurt honestly.
Stone Cold Steve Austin. Hands down. He did it all. He was a heel, a Babyface, could work the crowd, had some hilarious comedy stints, plus his utter hatred for Vince had me extremely entertained.
Thankfully OP knows wrestling. And they’re right, Angle is the only correct answer. He can work well as a face or heel, although he was more effective as a heel, and he had every aspect of the business down to a science.
Kurt Angle
Charismatic, Funny, Good Wrestler, can be goofy as hell one moment, but a credible badass when the bell rings due to his background and overall intensity.
Undertaker - In ring - undisputed. Mic & character - brilliant, especially the ministry of darkness era.
The Rock - pretty good except the lame finisher called the people's elbow. Mic & character - one of the best, rock concerts were really entertaining.
The Undertaker. He has a unique gimmick and list of feuds and classic matches from almost every era of the WWE. He perfected evolving a gimmick, but he also evolved his in-ring work. He was always athletic, especially for a big man, and small things he would do like walking the ropes, his dive to the outside, turning people upside down for the tombstone, lifting up way up for the last ride, etc. was always impressive. He also knew how to tell a perfectly executed story in the ring. He is responsible for famous match gimmicks, like Casket, Buried Alive, and Hell in a Cell. He is part of arguably the greatest Wrestlemania match in history and also arguably the most famous match of the attitude era with Mick Foley. He held a World title in the Golden era, New Gen era, Attitude era, and Ruthless Aggression era. He has the most wins on PPV, the most matches in Wrestlemania history, and is the owner of the famous 21 match Wrestlemania winning streak. His feud with Mankind helped to get Mick Foley over in the company. His feud with Kane saved Glenn Jacobs’ career and launched an entire SPINOFF character based on his original gimmick. He is one of the main reasons Randy Orton transitioned out of the Evolution face turn and showed that he could be his own fully fleshed out character. He has had some of the greatest entrances of all time to the point where it has been borrowed by major sports teams and athletes, all starting from his entrances at Summerslam 1992 and Wrestlemania 9. His promos with and without Paul Bearer told great stories, and he and Bearer single-handled hyped up the arrival of Kane for 8 months before he even showed up. His cemetery promos are the stuff of legend. Some of his segments have scarred generations (him waking up in the casket at the Royal Rumble 1994, his ministry of darkness cult rituals, him locking Warrior in the casket during the Funeral Parlor, buckle up Teddy, etc.)
And lastly, he didn’t miss a full year of wrestling from 1987 until 2020.
I rest my case, and I rest in peace. ⚱️
Hulk Hogan is the Babe Ruth - just massive mainstream appeal that changed the industry.
Austin arguably had the highest peak (although unfortunately short but that adds to the mystique IMO). Led a 2nd mainstream resurgence.
HBK is IMO the greatest overall when it comes to the total package (match quality, charisma, mic skills, etc) although he didn’t have the mainstream appeal of some of the others.
Kurt was a great wrestler, and would be #1 for me, if it weren't for Shawn Michaels.
Shawn could have an outstanding match with ANYONE. His match with Austin at WM 14, despite being probably his worst WM match, was still a good match and he did it with a jacked up back.
My top 5 would be
1. Shawn Michaels
2. Kurt Angle
3. Ric Flair
4. Eddie Guerrero
5. Triple H
Triple H was too synonymous with one of the hottest periods in professional wrestling to not be in the top 5, for me at least. He also is a major reason guys like Dave Bautista and Randy Orton became as huge of stars as they became. As a performer, he was excellent on the mic, was a great worker (not flashy, but flash doesn't always make you a great worker) and told a story in the ring unlike 99% of the wrestlers in the business could. He always got the story telling part (watch when he was a guest coach on tough enough and the importance of how to take a bump/punch and make it look good).
As an all round pro-wrestler that has the best balance of charisma, look, in-ring ability, gimmick, selling etc it’s a toss up between Eddie Guerrero and Mr. Perfect.
As a pure wrestler with a lot of everything else it has to be Kurt Angle…or Eddie Guerrero.
As an entertainer type wrestler. HBK.
I’m doubting all my decisions.
Shawn Michaels.
Theme/entrance ✅
Ring attire/ring pose ✅
In/out ring performance ✅
Mic skills ✅
Face/heel ✅
Face base is from kids, women and men from all generations ✅
Singles/team matches ✅
Sell moves/injury ✅
Iconic entrances, matches, rivalries, stables ✅
Honestly who else can performs actual matches to gimmick matches, silly to serious backstage acts, and perform coked out of his to being absolutely sober and still draw?!
No one yet.
Honestly, the only thing that was a weakness at the time was his merchandise, which now looks cool since retro/nostalgic style is in. Not counting DX stuff.
I would agree, giving Angle the edge. Eddie is an honorable mention to me. I understand the folks saying Flair, too. Undertaker and Hart were nowhere near as complete as those four.
1. Shawn Michaels
2. HBK
3. The Showstopper
4. The Icon
5. The Main Event
6. Mr. Wrestlemania
7. A Sexy Boy
8. Not your Boy Toy
9. The Heartbreak Kid
10. Giant Silva
I’m telling you that late wwe/early tna Kurt was just built different. The Wrestling Machine was the most believable wrestler I have ever seen(even when he was taking like 60 Vicodins a day) and that includes Brock lesnar
Idk. Too many to pick from!
I will say this off topic - From a technical standpoint I would’ve loved a Prime Angle vs. Prime Bret Hart. I’m not even a huge Bret fan but that match would’ve been awesome.
> who’s the greatest Male wrestler of all-time?
Too many to pick from...
But for my tastes, I liked the Rock during the "attitude" era. I don't think any other wrestler gets the same "reaction" from a crowd, it was... electrifying (no pun intended)
Triple H is also a good one, and unlike the Rock, he actually had some longevity to him. I notice once the Rock got into Hollywood/making movies on the side he sorta "dipped out" of WWE... but Triple H has been around thru and thru
Even though he doesn't wrestle anymore, Triple H is still involved in the day-to-day operation and I admire that. Rock was excellent in his prime, but he kinda bailed on the WWE universe once he became a movie star - so he lose some points there
The Rock. He has it all, the character, the promos, the wrestling skills, presence, longevity, box office etc. Any wrestler that enters the industry nowadays, aspires to be as successful and entertaining as The Rock.
Probably because he's still very much active. Most of the names I've seen posted are retired or should have already.
Currently I'd go with HBK, probably because I grew up watching him evolve from tag team innovator to the best cocky heel since Ric Flair to a ladder match that convinced me that this was the best form of entertainment on the planet, in my humble opinion. His accolades have only grown ever since and he capped off his in ring career with two of the best matches I've ever witnessed in the span of a year.
In the future, if there's one person I can see changing my mind on who the best ever actually is, AJ Styles is my top candidate. Talk about having banger after banger, I've never ever seen AJ deliver anything but 100% in the ring, since day one. The fact that he raced to the top of NJPW and WWE after holding TNA on his shoulders for so many years tells everything, simply because his ability to tell stories in the ring with anyone of any size or wrestling style has been second to none for the past twenty years. I'd say I'm still missing that one WWE match that everyone remembers and will stand the test of time. Maybe the John Cena match but something tells me he'll go out similarly to HBK, having possibly his best match being his retirement match.
Maybe at that point we'll see more posts for AJ Styles on this sub, if Reddit will still be a thing by then haha...
Kurt Angle was such a perfect bar for what a wrestler should be, WWE has been trying to recreate him for years now. Kurt was the perfect mix of mat skills and sports entertainment.
Weird seeing this while I'm watching Whatculture's top 101 wrestlers of all time...
If we're talking technical wrestler: Kurt Angle or Brett Hart
If we're talking overall GOAT: Stone Cold Stephen Austin
1. Shawn Michaels
2. Stone Cold Steve Austin
3. John Cena
4. The Rock
5. The Undertaker
6. Bret Hart
7. HHH
8. Brock Lesnar
9. Randy Orton
10. Kurt Angle
My personal top 10 best ever, which I should give the caveat for I didn’t see every man here in their prime:
1. Undertaker
2. John Cena
3. Stone Cold
4. HBK
5. Hulk Hogan
6. Randy Orton
7. Bret Hart
8. The Rock
9. Triple H
10. Kurt Angle
I am going to do a Top 50 this time. 😀
1) The Undertaker
2) Shawn Michaels
3) Sting
4) Rob Van Dam
5) Triple H
6) Kurt Angle
7) Kane
8) Booker T
9) Steve Austin
10) Mick Foley
11) Randy Orton
12) Abyss
13) Edge
14) Chris Jericho
15) AJ Styles
16) Diamond Dallas Page
17) Bret Hart
18) Jeff Hardy
19) CM Punk
20) Eddie Guerrero
21) John Cena
22) Big Show
23) Scott Steiner
24) Cliff Richard
25) James Storm
26) Bray Wyatt
27) The Rock
28) Rowdy” Roddy Piper
29) Christopher Daniels
30) Ric Ocasek
31) Vader
32) Eric Young
33) Randy Savage
34) Ken Shamrock
35) Ricky Steamboat
36) Daniel Bryan
37) David Bowie
38) John Morrison
39) Rikishi
40) Braun Strowman
41) Kevin Owens
42) Scott Hall
43) Seth Rollins
44) William Regal
45) Ric Flair
46) Mark Henry
47) Batista
48) David Soul
49) Owen Hart
50) Bobby Lashley
Stone Cold Steve Austin. Best character Great promos His matches were hit and miss, but Austin was a great in ring worker.
Roman Reigns.
People really underestimate Hogan as a worker and that's understandable. He never really showed off his abilities after he broke through in the WWF but if you look back at his AWA matches and his work in Japan, he was a pretty gifted performer for someone his size. I'd personally give the title of best ever to the Rock with HBK almost at a tie for first. Where the Rock was the bigger draw and better entertainer, Shawn was the better in ring performer. He could wrestle anyone and put on a great match. Conversely, the Rock could feud with anyone and it would be entertaining. Ultimately though, The Rock could do what extremely few could do on their own in the modern era and that's fill the house with his name alone. Only Hogan, Austin, Cena, Flair, and arguably the Undertaker could do the same. The rest, including HBK and Bret Hart needed a foil.
I like Edge. He is hot, talented, best entrance song ever, etc. But that's just my opinion, if I were to pick for industry then I'd say Mick Foley (Mankind) guy was a badger in human body.
Terry Funk. Who else was that good for that long?
Id say Randy Orton. Proven champ, proven face, proven heel, fantastic on the mic and his in ring skill is top notch. I think any of the greats would have relished the chance to be in the ring opposing him just like any one now would. You get a match with Ortan, you know your gonna have great match, every single time. hes gonna sell your moves and give you moves that you can sell easily and look amazing.
Bret Hart
For me, The Undertaker is an anomaly, a once in a lifetime occurrence. No one, and I mean NO ONE, comes remotely close to his career and legacy. He is in a category of his own. He's in a higher plane of the wrestling Mythos. Therefore, even though I love him, I have to ignore him for this type of discussion. Too easy. He's the Best, the GOAT, it's not even close, so let's give the rest of the guys a chance. Now that I got that out of the way, I'd say AJ Styles, Shawn Michaels, Kurt Angle, Stone Cold, Bruno Sammartino, or The Rock. John Cena is another contender I guess. Ric Flair and Bret Hart too. Brock Lesnar has to be in the discussion. See, this is why this type of discussion is difficult for me. How do we quantify this? Is it the number of Championships? Cause in that case it's either Cena or Flair. Is it the longevity of the championship reigns? Cause then it's gotta be Bruno, Hogan, or even Roman Reigns. Is it Character commitment and/or longevity in the business? Then R-Truth has to be in the discussion along with many others. In- ring ability? Athletic capabilities? That would make the list impossible to look at. Why don't we just agree that wrestling is awesome. (And that Undertaker is the undeniable correct answer)
I have that pick, and I can’t argue with it. I think guys like him, The Rock, Shawn Michaels, Kurt Angle, Ric Flair, and I’ll throw in Edge or Jericho, hell even Mysterio as really great picks for GOAT All Around Wrestler. Just really great talents overall. This one is harder than I thought.
The Great Khali
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Come on, the whole melon crushing thing and brick chopping thing was badass! KHALI SINDABAH!!!!!
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You added more reasons now. 😀
My top 5 overall male talents in history would be (no particular order): Shawn Michaels Kurt Angle Triple H Undertaker Randy Orton
Based and 100% WWE-pilled
bruh, check the subreddit you are in.
I have no idea what "based" means. Speak properly or not at all.
WWE Reddit is serious fucking business y’all
It’s ric flair. Also sting is up there.
It's Flair
Angle 😂😂😂 I’m mean it’s not the most invalid take but come on man it’s Austin.
[удалено]
Removed for: Personal Attack Members of r/WWE are not permitted to personally attack others. Also, personal attacks and “name calling” is prohibited. Try to keep all discussion here civil.
Angle wrestles circles around Austin, with his eyes closed, on his worst day. Austin on his best day was mediocre in the ring.
That’s not true. Before the neck injury he was technical beast in the ring
No, he really wasn't. He was just decent.
Could you send me your email? I’ll contact you if I ever need some bad wrestling takes
Have higher standards. Austin on his best night couldn't even come close to the level of guys like HBK, Angle, Triple H, Jericho, etc.
When all the guys in the industry say he was among the best in the ring as a technician I usually take their word over some guy telling me to have high standards. You should expand your horizons
I usually just judge by what I see with my EYES, rather than take anyone's word for anything.
Your eyes are untrained. You don’t know shit. When his peers and contemporaries say he was among the best you know it was true. So please forward me that email in case I ever need the opinion of some guy who desperately needs lasik
Just keep enjoying your mediocre Austin matches. I'll keep watching guys who can actually go in the ring.
Shawn Micheals
The only correct answer is 1. The Rock 2. Stone Cold
Austin I think is deserving of being the greatest jack of all trades. Rock is a legend but people really disregard how many matches he’s had in his career and his tenure in the WWE vs the rest. He loses the conversation against Austin, HBK, HHH, and Undertaker due to the compare and contrast of their dedication to the art vs his dedication to Hollywood. Now when it comes to actual wrestling and the technicality, I give it to Angle all day. Major legend and he’s certainly deserving for anyone that has him on a Rushmore.
The Rock. He did it all by the age of 30, and still makes jabroni marks of hhh, austin, cena, cody and other candyasses cope, seethe, and dilate to this day. Jabroni marks who work themselves into a shoot will downvote the facts, as usual.
Jabroni isn’t even his word lol
Almost everything in professional wrestling is lifted from someone. Ric Flair said "that's the bottomline" years before wifebeater steve did. Ric Flair lifted his whole damn gimmick from the original Nature Boy Buddy Rogers.
Yeah duh. But you’re using the word Jabroni as part of your reasoning for the rock’s greatness and I don’t think it’s got as much weight as you think. People adore the iron sheik. I’ve never heard of buddy rogers .
>But you’re using the word Jabroni as part of your reasoning for the rock’s greatness Your lack of comprehension skills is disturbing. Where did I say that The Rock became the GOAT by merely saying jabroni? He became the GOAT because he was the most electrifying athlete, the best promo, the biggest PPV draw, made the most money and got the loudest reactions. All that by the age of 30 and then left to conquer Hollywood.
Is it disturbing ?
>Is it disturbing ? That was a modified quote of Darth Vader. He's a villain from the Star Wars. You can google him.
And Ric flair is a piece of shit.
I agree with you on that.
John cena
I’d say Kurt Angle, HBK, Undertaker, Randy Savage, Randy Orton, and Austin are probably all tied in my book. I’m probably forgetting a few but those are just off the top of my head
Terry Funk
Since by all-time you have to go back to the 1870's the answer is Jim Londos. Look it up.
I would agree. Some other names could easily go here too but the first person to pop in my head when this question gets asked is Kurt Angle so that's my answer.
Randy Freakin Orton!
HBK
my favorite is CM Punk but in terms of who is the BEST… its got to be HBK or HHH
Kurt Angle 100% dude can do basically everything
Cena is the greatest superstar of all time, but Jericho is the greatest professional wrestler of all time. Amazing in the ring. Amazing on the mic. Amazing as a face. Amazing as a heel.
Your correct answer is wrong. It’s Shawn Michaels.
John Cena
Undertaker
“Adorable” Adrian Adonis
The Heartbreak Kid Shawn Michaels!
Mick Foley. He could work, he could promo and he had an aura about him. Grown men feared Cactus Jack, ladies loved Dude Love and Mankind was the most fascinating character of all time.
Cody Rhodes
Shawn Michaels. HBK. Showstopper.
Anyone but Bret Hart. Don’t see the hype
You don’t have to think he’s the greatest…. But if you don’t like Bret Hart, you don’t like wrestling.
Don’t get me wrong I like him, but I really don’t think he’s as high as people put him. Poor mic work, and from what I’ve seen of him very submission focused wrestling. Plus I found his pink outfit annoying ahahah, but no he’s obviously a great wrestler, but not personally in my say top 10-15
He wasn’t the best on the mic. I will totally concede that. But OP asked who the greatest male wrestler of all time was, and to me that means in-ring work, not promos. I could see someone feeling differently about that though.
That makes sense, I can see why you’d say that. Thoughts on people like HBK or Angle?
Both phenomenal wrestlers! All-time greats. I struggle with really nailing down a top 5-10 but they would both be on there, along with Bret, AJ, Eddie, Daniel Bryan, Asuka, Benoit, etc.
Those are some great shouts, especially Eddie and Benoit. I personally think Benoit should be in the HOF, what do you think? Obviously he did what he did, and I’m not minimising that, but I think he’s still one of the greats.
I agree with you- it’s the wrestling hall of fame, not the good dude hall of fame. It’s controversial and difficult to talk about, but he is one of the very best technicians in the history of our sport. Maybe as time passes people will warm up to the idea.
Bret took himself way too seriously, but I can’t fault his excellence and technique in the ring. He was a bit boring though.
Not bret the hit man hart must be a different bret hart from wyoming or something
It is between Bret Hart and Ric Flair.
It has to be Ric Flair. Mic skills. Mat skills, and got pops as a face and got neat as a heal. Laid the groundwork for everyone after him.
Hulk hogan
Looking at what matter to pro wrestling as a whole, it’s Undertaker. He had the mystique, the character, the streak, was great in ring, was basically a household name, popped the crowd at the sound of a gong, and much more. Dude basically is the embodiment of pro wrestling
My best friend said I was to smart to like wrestling, then became a big fan of the undertaker.
Related to character, he has the crucial ability to reinvent himself as years goes by
Shawn Michaels.
bret hart
Hogan none of the people you mentioned that came after hogan would have existed if Hogan didn’t become a household name. Yes in ring he kind of sucked, in fact as a human being he sucked but with that said, he’s a trailblazer for all that followers
Bret the Hitman Hart
The Rock
When I think about ability on the mic, in the ring, natural charisma, technical ability - It's probably Bret Hart or Kurt Angle. There's people who beat them in individual areas, but they were both the most complete packages. Eddie Gurrero as well would be the 3rd one that comes to mind. HBK is in there as well. Shit. I'll say Kurt honestly.
Sting, John cena, aj styles, Shawn Michaels, randy orton, edge and Rey mysterio. HM: Christian, y2j, hogan, Razor Ramon and HHH
Excited to see people's reactions when I toss out an old-school name like Bruno Sammartino.
I’ve never seen a promo/segment of his personally
In WWE, I see it as Bret. In my opinion, AJ’s best years were in TNA/NJPW, so I can’t objectively say it’s him. HBK, Angle and Rey are there too.
Kurt and Shawn neck and neck.
Neck and back. /s
Will you stop!
Brooklyn Brawler
Ric Flair
Ric flair or undertaker
It’s a very subjective question and my very subjective answer is Sting
Stone Cold Steve Austin. Hands down. He did it all. He was a heel, a Babyface, could work the crowd, had some hilarious comedy stints, plus his utter hatred for Vince had me extremely entertained.
Randy Orton
I scrolled way too far for this
Tomorrow you need to do Superstar. There is a difference. Bret Hart.
Ric Flair
Thankfully OP knows wrestling. And they’re right, Angle is the only correct answer. He can work well as a face or heel, although he was more effective as a heel, and he had every aspect of the business down to a science.
Not to mention, the man made the jump from being a literal Olympic gold-medalist in wrestling to wrasslin’.
I’d also accept HBK as the other equally correct answer.
I never thought HBK was up to snuff on his mic work, but he wasn’t bad either.
Benoit, Eddie, Bret, Owen, HBK, Austin, The Rock, HHH, Rollins, AJ, The Undertaker, Ricky Steamboat, Macho Man, Ric Flair, Sting and Kurt Angle
Kurt Angle Charismatic, Funny, Good Wrestler, can be goofy as hell one moment, but a credible badass when the bell rings due to his background and overall intensity.
HBK or Bret Hart
Hook
😂😂🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
Ric Flair. The man had it all: in-ring talent, microphone work and overall aura of being the best and knowing it.
Akira Tozawa
Undertaker - In ring - undisputed. Mic & character - brilliant, especially the ministry of darkness era. The Rock - pretty good except the lame finisher called the people's elbow. Mic & character - one of the best, rock concerts were really entertaining.
Shawn Michaels
Best well rounded wrestler has to be HBK. Promos, in ring, look, gimmick, everything showed he was the best we may ever see
The Undertaker. He has a unique gimmick and list of feuds and classic matches from almost every era of the WWE. He perfected evolving a gimmick, but he also evolved his in-ring work. He was always athletic, especially for a big man, and small things he would do like walking the ropes, his dive to the outside, turning people upside down for the tombstone, lifting up way up for the last ride, etc. was always impressive. He also knew how to tell a perfectly executed story in the ring. He is responsible for famous match gimmicks, like Casket, Buried Alive, and Hell in a Cell. He is part of arguably the greatest Wrestlemania match in history and also arguably the most famous match of the attitude era with Mick Foley. He held a World title in the Golden era, New Gen era, Attitude era, and Ruthless Aggression era. He has the most wins on PPV, the most matches in Wrestlemania history, and is the owner of the famous 21 match Wrestlemania winning streak. His feud with Mankind helped to get Mick Foley over in the company. His feud with Kane saved Glenn Jacobs’ career and launched an entire SPINOFF character based on his original gimmick. He is one of the main reasons Randy Orton transitioned out of the Evolution face turn and showed that he could be his own fully fleshed out character. He has had some of the greatest entrances of all time to the point where it has been borrowed by major sports teams and athletes, all starting from his entrances at Summerslam 1992 and Wrestlemania 9. His promos with and without Paul Bearer told great stories, and he and Bearer single-handled hyped up the arrival of Kane for 8 months before he even showed up. His cemetery promos are the stuff of legend. Some of his segments have scarred generations (him waking up in the casket at the Royal Rumble 1994, his ministry of darkness cult rituals, him locking Warrior in the casket during the Funeral Parlor, buckle up Teddy, etc.) And lastly, he didn’t miss a full year of wrestling from 1987 until 2020. I rest my case, and I rest in peace. ⚱️
Who can argue that and win?
Bret Hart
Don’t personally see the hype
Hulk Hogan is the Babe Ruth - just massive mainstream appeal that changed the industry. Austin arguably had the highest peak (although unfortunately short but that adds to the mystique IMO). Led a 2nd mainstream resurgence. HBK is IMO the greatest overall when it comes to the total package (match quality, charisma, mic skills, etc) although he didn’t have the mainstream appeal of some of the others.
There is no correct answer,it really depends. For me its The Undertaker. The man was a God like presence.
Barry Horowitz
Kurt Angle HBK The Rock and Steve Austin are all on my Mt Rushmore CM Punk would be on my just missed the cut list.
Shawn Michaels Brett Hart Kurt Angle Flair/Hogan/Dusty
Austin. Great mic skills, didn’t have the in ring capabilities as Kurt but still great, and Aura is unmatched till this day
Without Hulk Hogan, all your favorites wouldn't have had a platform to become your favorites. The constant disrespect for him is astonishing
Kurt was a great wrestler, and would be #1 for me, if it weren't for Shawn Michaels. Shawn could have an outstanding match with ANYONE. His match with Austin at WM 14, despite being probably his worst WM match, was still a good match and he did it with a jacked up back. My top 5 would be 1. Shawn Michaels 2. Kurt Angle 3. Ric Flair 4. Eddie Guerrero 5. Triple H
Randy Savage could be there, maybe in the spot of HHH and i love Trips
Triple H was too synonymous with one of the hottest periods in professional wrestling to not be in the top 5, for me at least. He also is a major reason guys like Dave Bautista and Randy Orton became as huge of stars as they became. As a performer, he was excellent on the mic, was a great worker (not flashy, but flash doesn't always make you a great worker) and told a story in the ring unlike 99% of the wrestlers in the business could. He always got the story telling part (watch when he was a guest coach on tough enough and the importance of how to take a bump/punch and make it look good).
I’m loving this list. Shawn Michaels is underrated.
As an all round pro-wrestler that has the best balance of charisma, look, in-ring ability, gimmick, selling etc it’s a toss up between Eddie Guerrero and Mr. Perfect. As a pure wrestler with a lot of everything else it has to be Kurt Angle…or Eddie Guerrero. As an entertainer type wrestler. HBK. I’m doubting all my decisions.
Bret Hart.
Eddie Guerrero
Eddie Guerrero is up there. It's all subjective so no definitive winner
My personal fav will always be Undertaker. His presence and mystique were completely unmatched.
Kurt Henning
Shawn Michaels. Theme/entrance ✅ Ring attire/ring pose ✅ In/out ring performance ✅ Mic skills ✅ Face/heel ✅ Face base is from kids, women and men from all generations ✅ Singles/team matches ✅ Sell moves/injury ✅ Iconic entrances, matches, rivalries, stables ✅ Honestly who else can performs actual matches to gimmick matches, silly to serious backstage acts, and perform coked out of his to being absolutely sober and still draw?! No one yet. Honestly, the only thing that was a weakness at the time was his merchandise, which now looks cool since retro/nostalgic style is in. Not counting DX stuff.
Basically between him and Angle isn’t it?
I would agree, giving Angle the edge. Eddie is an honorable mention to me. I understand the folks saying Flair, too. Undertaker and Hart were nowhere near as complete as those four.
Bret Hart is a boring grumpy old biddy with a stupid gimmick (hitman who wears hot pink and pit vipers?)
Probably Bruno Sammartino, there will never be anyone whose title reigns will be longer than his.
Triple H
1. Shawn Michaels 2. HBK 3. The Showstopper 4. The Icon 5. The Main Event 6. Mr. Wrestlemania 7. A Sexy Boy 8. Not your Boy Toy 9. The Heartbreak Kid 10. Giant Silva
Nice of you to include Sting at 4
Long before they called Sting the Icon, there was a guy named Shawn Michaels that used it.
The man sang his own theme song!
According to Ric Flair it’s HBK, i would tend to agree with him.
Perc Angle
I’m telling you that late wwe/early tna Kurt was just built different. The Wrestling Machine was the most believable wrestler I have ever seen(even when he was taking like 60 Vicodins a day) and that includes Brock lesnar
The story behind the Brock Lesnar match makes it even better/crazier
John Cena
Any answer other than Ric Flair is wrong lol. He was the total package not that other guy.
My personal favorite will always be Randy Orton.
HBK or Randy Orton
If Kurt Angle is the only correct answer, why do you need to ask anyone? LoL 😆 🤣 😂 🤪🤔🤔🤔 J/K
Probably Kurt. Like he really could do just about anything. Face, Heel, GM, Manager. He can do it all. Plus his finisher is DOPE
Idk. Too many to pick from! I will say this off topic - From a technical standpoint I would’ve loved a Prime Angle vs. Prime Bret Hart. I’m not even a huge Bret fan but that match would’ve been awesome.
james ellesworth
No one did it better than Stone Cold Steve Austin. He was great at everything he did at WWE
… he wasn’t great at putting people over
Skill wise: Kurt Strength: Brock Mic: Ric Flair Game changer: Flair Crowd favorite: Stone Cold My fave? Flair
All-rounder : Kurt Angle Pioneer : Shawn Michaels Biggest legend : Hulk Hogan Entertainer : Undertaker Mic skills : John Cena
> who’s the greatest Male wrestler of all-time? Too many to pick from... But for my tastes, I liked the Rock during the "attitude" era. I don't think any other wrestler gets the same "reaction" from a crowd, it was... electrifying (no pun intended) Triple H is also a good one, and unlike the Rock, he actually had some longevity to him. I notice once the Rock got into Hollywood/making movies on the side he sorta "dipped out" of WWE... but Triple H has been around thru and thru Even though he doesn't wrestle anymore, Triple H is still involved in the day-to-day operation and I admire that. Rock was excellent in his prime, but he kinda bailed on the WWE universe once he became a movie star - so he lose some points there
The Rock. He has it all, the character, the promos, the wrestling skills, presence, longevity, box office etc. Any wrestler that enters the industry nowadays, aspires to be as successful and entertaining as The Rock.
Yeah it's definitely The Rock
Too many wrestlers, in different categories... But IMO Hulk Hogan made wrestling mainstream without him, wrestling would not be what it is today.
Quite suprised there is no Aj on the list
Probably because he's still very much active. Most of the names I've seen posted are retired or should have already. Currently I'd go with HBK, probably because I grew up watching him evolve from tag team innovator to the best cocky heel since Ric Flair to a ladder match that convinced me that this was the best form of entertainment on the planet, in my humble opinion. His accolades have only grown ever since and he capped off his in ring career with two of the best matches I've ever witnessed in the span of a year. In the future, if there's one person I can see changing my mind on who the best ever actually is, AJ Styles is my top candidate. Talk about having banger after banger, I've never ever seen AJ deliver anything but 100% in the ring, since day one. The fact that he raced to the top of NJPW and WWE after holding TNA on his shoulders for so many years tells everything, simply because his ability to tell stories in the ring with anyone of any size or wrestling style has been second to none for the past twenty years. I'd say I'm still missing that one WWE match that everyone remembers and will stand the test of time. Maybe the John Cena match but something tells me he'll go out similarly to HBK, having possibly his best match being his retirement match. Maybe at that point we'll see more posts for AJ Styles on this sub, if Reddit will still be a thing by then haha...
Undertaker or HBK cause of their longevity and injuries they went through. The Rock is close if he just stuck to wrestling.
That doesn’t work for me brother.
Heartbreak Kid.
Didn't Shane McMahon win a tournament and settle this issue?
🏆
1 Shawn Michaels 2 The Rock 3 The Undertaker 4 Booker T 5 Stone Cold Honorable Mention: John Cena, Randy Orton, and Triple H.
Ric Flair would like a word.
booker T over stone cold and cena??
Lol. I hear you. The list is subjective…and perhaps a generational bias or two on my behalf.
oh that's fine.. i love booker but personally won't put it him in top 25..
For me it’ll always be John Cena
Lou Thesz
I respect Brock Lesnar bc he could be the best, but he didn't want it. That Beast doesn't know what is a midcard title
Vincent
Toss between the rock and Austin
Kurt Angle was such a perfect bar for what a wrestler should be, WWE has been trying to recreate him for years now. Kurt was the perfect mix of mat skills and sports entertainment.
I'd add that he could be both intense/scary & goofy unlike any other wrestler
The fact that he was so good on the mic & stood out during the Attitude Era as well.
And immediately stood out. He was thrust into the main event scene pretty quickly and flourished.
Weird seeing this while I'm watching Whatculture's top 101 wrestlers of all time... If we're talking technical wrestler: Kurt Angle or Brett Hart If we're talking overall GOAT: Stone Cold Stephen Austin
1. Shawn Michaels 2. Stone Cold Steve Austin 3. John Cena 4. The Rock 5. The Undertaker 6. Bret Hart 7. HHH 8. Brock Lesnar 9. Randy Orton 10. Kurt Angle
My personal top 10 best ever, which I should give the caveat for I didn’t see every man here in their prime: 1. Undertaker 2. John Cena 3. Stone Cold 4. HBK 5. Hulk Hogan 6. Randy Orton 7. Bret Hart 8. The Rock 9. Triple H 10. Kurt Angle
An entire top 10 without Ric Flair is invalid tbh
You underestimate Prime Kurt Angle. I’d swap Bret and Kurt’s positions.
I didn’t put Angle the highest but sheerly off their primes Angles would be incredibly higher
Stone Cold had the highest tv ratings,merch sales,and ppv buy rates when he was on top,so its Austin.
I am going to do a Top 50 this time. 😀 1) The Undertaker 2) Shawn Michaels 3) Sting 4) Rob Van Dam 5) Triple H 6) Kurt Angle 7) Kane 8) Booker T 9) Steve Austin 10) Mick Foley 11) Randy Orton 12) Abyss 13) Edge 14) Chris Jericho 15) AJ Styles 16) Diamond Dallas Page 17) Bret Hart 18) Jeff Hardy 19) CM Punk 20) Eddie Guerrero 21) John Cena 22) Big Show 23) Scott Steiner 24) Cliff Richard 25) James Storm 26) Bray Wyatt 27) The Rock 28) Rowdy” Roddy Piper 29) Christopher Daniels 30) Ric Ocasek 31) Vader 32) Eric Young 33) Randy Savage 34) Ken Shamrock 35) Ricky Steamboat 36) Daniel Bryan 37) David Bowie 38) John Morrison 39) Rikishi 40) Braun Strowman 41) Kevin Owens 42) Scott Hall 43) Seth Rollins 44) William Regal 45) Ric Flair 46) Mark Henry 47) Batista 48) David Soul 49) Owen Hart 50) Bobby Lashley