Debate: The 10 Biggest Legends In WWE History

[That N Word]

The thread about the top 11 superstars brought me to making this. This thread is based soley off of WWE accomplishments and WWE longevity. You must explain why they deserve their spot. Anything they have down outside of the WWE doesn't count (not even WCW or ECW.) This is WWE only.

10. Andre The Giant- While Andre wasn't the best wrestler in the world. He sure had some of the greatest moments in the history of the World Wrestling Federation. Who could forget WrestleMania II? or Saturday's Night Main Event? Former WWF Champion and a fairly good heel. Arguably the greatest Giant in WWE History. First ever WWE Hall Of Famer.

9. The Ultimate Warrior- The heir apparent to Hulk Hogan. So many thought. Former WWF Champion and Former IC Champion and beat Hogan in the infamous "Passing Of The Torch" that end up failing. One of the most intense wrestlers in history. One of the biggest names in WWE History.

8. Shawn Michaels/ Bret "The Hitman" Hart- I couldn't decide which one and decided that both fits in the same spot. They had one of the greatest rivalries with some of the greatest matches in the history of the WWF. One of which had the infamous Montreal Screwjob take place. HBK is a 4x World Champion and had a total of 11 MOTY winners. The first 4 were in a roll and the last 7 were in a roll as well. HBK is known as "The Greatest In-Ring Perfomer Of All-Time." A name well deserved, as well as Mr.WrestleMania. HBK has one almost every title in his illustrious career and was apart of the two greatest stables of all-time. HBK was one of the best at working the crowds and still is. As for Hart, he was The Batman to Michael's Joker. Hart was the face of the WWF after Hogan left from 1993-1997. Bret had to leave the WWF in the most unfortunate way. Hart is apart of the Legendary Hart Family and was apart of the Legendary Hart Foundation,as well as The Hart Dynasty. In Hart's last singles match he won the United States Title from The Miz. Hart is a 5x WWF Champion,and has one every title he could during his tenture including being a former KOTR winner.


7. Triple H-14x World Champion,and he didn't just get that from fucking the bosses daughter. Triple H was a staple in the WWF even before he got with Stephanie. HHH was the top heel of Attitude (well when Rock wasn't of course.) HHH has done it all and has shown his loyalty to the WWE. This guy could wrestle full-time into his early 60's i'm not kidding you because just like his catchphrase he is just...that..damn..good! H has went to war with Deadman's,he has conquered Beast,He beat up 'Champs, He's broken Heartbreak Kids,He Punk'ed CM,He has Stunned Rattlesnakes,He has taken venom out of Vipers,He unleashed on Animals,and was mentored by a Nature Boy. There is only one Triple H.

6. "Macho Man" Randy Savage- 2x WWF Champion,2x IC Champion. He was really Hogan's only competiton as The "Face That Runs The Place." Savage had epic feuds with the likes of Jake Roberts,Hulk Hogan,Ric Flair,Ricky Steamboat,etc. Was involved in arguably the greatest matchup of all-time with Steamboat at Mania II and stole the show from the real main event. Was a phenomenal wrestler and character and a true....SAVAGE!

5. The Rock- Had he never left, no lie he probably would have become #1 on the list and surpassed Hogan. But his sabbatical took off of his legacy, but also added to it. Rock is a 10x World Champion in less than 10 full years. Rock has beaten legends such as Cena,Hogan,Austin,HHH,Kane,Foley,Punk,etc.

4. The Undertaker- Deadman walking. For 26 straight years, Taker has ran rumpshot over the WWE making people shit theirselves including greats like Rock,Cena,HHH,HBK,Orton,Batista,Austin,Edge,Foley,etc. Taker has done it all and there is definitely an argument for him to be up higher on this list. After all this man is 22-1 at WrestleMania and like Austin and Hogan is a 6x WWE Champion. Taker is the only name to be able to say he was a big part of The Golden Era,New Generation Era,Attitude Era,Ruthless Aggression/Brand Split Era,PG Era,and Reality/PC Era. By far the greatest and most evolving character in Sports Entertainment History. There is only one Deadman Walking.

3. "Stone Cold" Steve Austin- Austin help transform the WWF from PG Gimmicks and Clown Characters to Attitude. An era based off of over the top antics and larger than life characters. Austin was the pioneer in the WWF of that. Austin has racked em up,flipped em off,and dropped them all with Stunners. Austin was previously #2, but due to his incredibly short tenture and run on top he fell just a little lower than Cena. He better hopes Taker retires soon because he may take that #3 spot. Austin is without a shadow of a doubt one of the biggest names in the industies history for his WWF work. Austin has beaten fellow legends such as Rock,Taker,Kane,Foley,HHH,HBK,Bret Hart,Dusty,etc. Austin is a 6x WWE Champion and,a Former US Champ a Former Tag Champ, and a Current WWE Hall Of Famer and that is something he definitely earned.

2. John Cena- 15x World Champion in WWE and the longest "Franchise Player" in WWE History. Most people put him at #3 or #4. Others put him at #10 or #11. While others say he is not even in the top 20. But I say unpopulary that Cena has surpassed both Austin and Rock in terms of legendary status. Think about it Cena successfully lead the transformed the business from raunchy Attitude to corparate PG. While that may not be a popular thing to say. He is successfully lead the WWE through a tough time when Hogan,Rock,Austin,Flair,etc. were leaving. In his career, Cena has beaten legends like Rock,Triple H,HBK,Punk,Orton,Edge,Batista,Lesnar,Show,Kane,etc. Cena has done it all literally. Some might say only thing left for him to do is turn heel and pass the torch. Cena has brought more emotion out of fan than anyone in history. In his career in the WWE, Cena has won MITB,RR (2x),Tag Titles (5x),US Title (5x.) Every male title not named the Intercontinental Championship. Now as Cena begins presumably a Part-Time tenture with WWE, we can really look at his career and appreciate it. Eventually, Cena could even surpass Hogan...You never know.

1. Hulk Hogan- The biggest name in WWE History. In WWE, Hogan was a 6x WWE Champion,World Tag Team Champion,and 2x RR Winner. Hogan has done it all in WWE and has went to war with greats such as Andre,Rock,Triple H,Warrior,Savage,Taker,Orton,Piper,Slaughter,etc. The first REAL Face of the WWF. Hogan started off in the WWF as a heel, but that heel run didn't last as Hogan issued an apology to the fans and turned babyface becoming "Hulkamania," an All-American Babyface of the World Wrestling Federation. Hogan was known as the first man to bodyslam Andre The Giant at WrestleMania III in a legendary battle. Now today, while we know that isn't exactly true. Hogan etched his name for damn sure as the biggest star in not just WWE history, but wrestling history. Hogan returned to the WWF as a heel in 2002 as a member of the Kevin Nash lead nWo. Hogan went on to "go one-one with The Great One" The Rock at WrestleMania 18 in the passing of the torch. From there Hogan had battles with legends such as Undertaker,Triple H,Randy Orton, Vince McMahon and Brock Lesnar. Two of those names were rookies at the time. Hogan left WWE and went in "obscurity" before returning in 2014 as the Host Of WrestleMania. Before scandal ended his WWE tenture. While Hogan may be gone from the WWE it is never forgotten...even if it is erased.

 

[NotoriousWWE]

I agree with most of your list. I think personally it should go:
10 - Andre the Giant
9 - Chris Jericho
8 - Bret Hart
7 - HBK
6 - John Cena
5 - Ultimate Warrior
4 - The Undertaker
3 - Stone Cold
2 - Hulk Hogan
1 - The Rock (biggest draw WWE have ever had. When you say to the odd person on the street WWE or wrestling they either think of Hogan or Rock)

Would put HHH in but no way am i taking out the first ever unified WWE champion in Jericho.

 

[ilapierre]

First of all. What's with a Top 10. What a weird number! Why not a list of the Top 11? LOL

Top 10 Legends in WWE history. In no particular order.

1 Hulk Hogan
2 Undertaker
3 Steve Austin
4 Ric Flair
5 The Rock
6 Randy Savage
7 Bret Hart
8 Shawn Michaels
9 Andre the Giant
10 Ultimate Warrior

Let's make it a Top 30

11 Sting (he wrestled 2 matches for WWE..he's now a WWE legend)
12 Roddy Piper
13 John Cena
14 Brock Lesnar
15 Daniel Bryan
16 Bob Backlund
17 Kurt Angle
18 Superstar Billy Graham
19 Jerry the King Lawler
20 Rey Mysterio Jr.
21 Bobby Heenan
22 Dusty Rhodes
23 Harley Race
24 Chris Jericho
25 Paul Heyman
26 Eddie Guerrero
27 Ricky Steamboat
28 Scott Hall
29 Rick Rude
30 Curt Henning

Let's make it a top 31

31 Vince McMahon (Honorary Legend)

 

[ilapierre]

First of all. What's with a Top 10. What a weird number! Why not a list of the Top 11? LOL

Top 10 Legends in WWE history. In no particular order.

1 Hulk Hogan
2 Undertaker
3 Steve Austin
4 Ric Flair
5 The Rock
6 Randy Savage
7 Bret Hart
8 Shawn Michaels
9 Bruno Sammartino
10 Andre the Giant

Let's make it a Top 30

11 Sting (he wrestled 2 matches for WWE..he's now a WWE legend)
12 Roddy Piper
13 John Cena
14 Brock Lesnar
15 Ultimate Warrior
16 Bob Backlund
17 Kurt Angle
18 Superstar Billy Graham
19 Jerry the King Lawler
20 Rey Mysterio Jr.
21 Daniel Bryan
22 Bobby Heenan
23 Harley Race
24 Dusty Rhodes
25 Paul Heyman
26 Chris Jericho
27 Eddie Guerrero
28 Scott Hall
29 Rick Rude
30 Curt Henning

 

[Jeff Deliverer of Mail]

I'm not making a list, it's just too mind numbing. Especially when it comes to where Taker, Rock, Austin and Cena deserve to share number one spot all for various reasons. But when it comes to pure legendary status plus accomplishments, my heart has to pick Hulk Hogan.

Hulk Hogan paved the way for every wrestling star today. Then when he got stale, he casually had the best heel turn in the history of wrestling and became the leader of the best faction in history. Then he casually had one of my favorite WM moments in his Icon vs Icon match where he hulked up in front of WWE fans for the first time in many years, creating a crowd frenzy and having J.R and King reacting perfectly for a moment that won't be duplicated.

You could make arguments for ten different wrestlers and all of them would deserve that spot. But no wrestler will ever, ever have a moment like Hulk Hogan body slamming a man nobody thought could be slammed in front of a giant crowd, all going crazy and putting wrestling right on the map. Sadly, there is no situations today that could even come close to comparing that moment at Wrestlemania 3.

 

[Makaveli31]

No argument with your list. ALL are legends in their respective era's and deserve to mentioned as one of the greats of ALL TIME. Just want to throw out a few thing to spark debate.

Superstar Billy Graham over Andre the Giant.

Both were in their prime's during the 1970's however most of Andre's time was spent OUTSIDE the WWWF because he was loaned out to different territories around the country and internationally. Superstar was WWWF Champion from 1977 to 1978 a span of nine and 1//2 months unheard at the time for a heel. Graham also has the highest percentage of sellouts at MSG. I believe he sold out 19 out 20 MSG shows, the crown jewel of the WWWF. Let's not also forget that he was a pioneer. He was the first to sport the "tanned, bodybuilder" look that would become prevalent in the 1980's and still to this day. He revolutionized promos. His "rap" was adopted by the like of Hulk Hogan, Dusty Rhodes, Ric Flair, Randy Savage just to name a few. He was the first to sport the "22 inch pythons" which were subsequently ripped off by Hogan. I think you can't have a top 10 list that includes Hogan without the man responsible for at least PART of hiss success Superstar Graham.

Andre meanwhile, was WAY past his prime by the time of the exampled you gave (WM III, SNME, Main Event, etc.....) Even though he was partly responsible for a record 93,000 people ( I believe the actualy figure was somewhere close to 70-80,000) his subsequent feuds with Jake and Warrior were lackluster to say the least. An uninspired match at WM 5 and jobs to Warrior in under 30 sec. He then became part of the Colossal Connection to give his back a rest and didn't enter the ring in WM 6.

Both men DESERVE to be on the list just curious if most of you would rank Billy Graham higher due to the IMPACT he had on the wrestling business for his short run at the top or do you give it to Andre based on longevity?

 

[Makaveli31]

The only thing I would say about John Cena being ranked so high (past Austin, Rock, 'Taker, even Savage) is that he didn't face the competition the others faced meaning there was never a major threat to WWE in the 2000's like Jim Crockett in mid-'80's or WCW in the '90's. He could survive Hogan, Rock, Austin, and Flair leaving because an new generation of fan weren't even born when they were wrestling in their primes. John Cena was their Hulk Hogan for better or worse. I would compare the professional wrestling in the 1980's and '90's to the NBA of that era. You literally had stacked cards from top to bottom on both sides. Starrcade, Great American Bash, War Games on one side WrestleMania, Survivor Series, SummerSlam on the other. You literally had to "bring it" every night 300 plus days a year.

The pressure on the WWF stars during the Attitude Era must have been intense. You had a billion dollar company on the other side literally gunning for your jobs. That to me, brought out the best, most creative, intense matches and rivalries we have ever and will ever see.

I would disagree that Cena brought the most emotion out of fans in history. I would argue Savage circa 1988-1991 was one the most "emotional" wrestlers in history. Think f it, he came in a heel. He quickly elevated to top heel due to his arrogance and treatment of Liz. Then he has the match at WM 3 ( a classic) and the FANS turn him babyface. He is quickly elevated to second babyface in the WWF only to Hogan. Then he TURNS once again betraying Hogan and Liz due to insane jealously and becomes the MACHO KING (top heel) he costs Ultimate Warrior the title at Rumble '91 by hitting Warrior over the head with his scepter!! Causing OUTRAGE that he gave the belt to Iraqi turncoat Slaughter. Then.....in MY opinion THE most emotional moment in WWE history he REUNITES with Liz at WM 7. Watch it!! I dare you!! You won't a have dry eyes!! It is simply legendary.

 

[Azane]

how does Bruno Sammartino always get left off these lists.

It's Bruno and Hulk Vying for #1 with Rock/Austin/Taker vying for the next set, then Cena since he's carried the flag for about a decade now.

Flair, Savage, Brett, Shawn all for the bottom end of my list, but I'm kind of debating omitting Flair from the list because his actual WWF accomplishments are on the low end, NWA and WCW made him, WWF just cashed in on the name.

My top 20 usually differs from a lot of people's, because I toss Glenn Jacobs and Paul Wight in there.

Names that I can't really place are like Daniel Bryan's, Randy Ortons, CM Punk, basically anyone from Ruthless Agression/PG Era besides Cena, I don't think DBry had longevity, CM Punk's controversy cloud needs to settle and RKO is basically Randy Savage to Cena's Hulk Hogan for this era.

 

[Vanilla Midget]

how does Bruno Sammartino always get left off these lists.

Thank you.

I think it's the modern lens. Bruno was out of his prime in the early 80s, and was basically a sporadically appearing non-factor through the 80s. He missed the two biggest financial, creative, and cultural boons of modern WWE (WWF), therefore falls off of people's radar.

You cannot understate what a massive star Bruno was. Bodybuilders wanted to be him, wrestling was more mainstream than it ever will be again, and Bruno was the head of that.

Hogan was the bigger "star," as his film and TV career was bigger than anything that will likely ever come after.

If the question is, "who is the biggest star within the realm of WWE," I'd almost want to hang my hat on Bruno. WWE was built on Bruno's massive back. Modern fans wonder why VKM insists on pushing big guys over guys with skill. Big guys built WWE, they're why he's rich. Not saying it's right, but when that paid for your house.

If the question is, "who is the biggest overall star including WWE and beyond," then it absolutely must be Hogan. Biggest draw, biggest effect on world culture, biggest impact on the business.

Bruno goes in that poll and Triple H comes down to 11, not a hater, just the truth.

 

[therockiswwf]

I believe the actualy figure was somewhere close to 70-80,000

Wrong. The capacity for football is 82,000. WWE had that same capacity PLUS floor seats. That easily gets them to 93,000 (floor seats fit way more than you'd think). If you look at pictures, you won't find an empty seat. I hate this damn rumor.

I will do a top four because the top four are set in stone. Sammartino I don't count because I know very little about his time. If I did, I'm sure he'd be number 1 or 2.

1. Hulk Hogan. He put them on the map. He made WWE a force. One way to look at how important he was to WWE is by his WCW run. He was the main reason WCW started beating WWE. Showing that Hogan helped WWE and not the other way around. He wasn't just a WWE creation, he was his own entity.

2. Austin. He very likely kept WWE from going out of business. Without him they probably wouldn't have won the war and went under before 2000. Had his neck been fine, it is scary to think how much he could have drew.

3. The Rock. Rock could have been so much more, which is weird to say for a guy who I rate as number 3 of all time. Rock accomplished so much in so little time. It truly is amazing. However, whenever both Austin and Rock were on, Austin outclassed him. Austin was plain more popular than Rock.

4. John Cena. He is interesting due to his longevity. He carried the company on back far longer than anyone of the other 3. His run as a top guy is unprecedented. Managed to be a top guy for around 10 years without a break. He overtook the spot from the white hot Batista and kept it.

Guys like Taker, Shawn, Bret, etc. are a step below those four. Reason being is that they didn't do anything special while on top. Austin saved them. Rock carried them in Austin's absence and clinched the war. Cena has been the undisputed top guy for a decade and helped carry them on his back. Hogan put them on the map.

An interesting question to me is who meant more, Austin or Hogan. Without Austin, they may have went out of business. Without Hogan, they may have never boomed like they did.

 

[Hollywood Naitch]

I don't think it's possible to do an accurate top 10, but it's obvious to me who are number 1 and 2.

Hulk Hogan and Stone Cold Steve Austin.

There should be no debate that these 2 are the 2 most important wrestlers in the history of WWE. Hogan is the guy who put the company on the map, he trancended wrestling into pop culture and is still the guy that non-fans mention when asked "name a wrestler". Hogan brought WWE into the main stream and his immense popularity just hand't been seen before. He was THE man for a very long time, the face of the company and epitomises wrestling for most people.

However, you can argue that Stone Cold is on Hogan's level. At a time when WWE was struggling, Stone Cold brought the company back and took it to heights that had never been seen before. I may be wrong in saying this, but isn't Austin the biggest draw in history? His anti-establishment persona was perfect for the time and the Austin v McMahon feud is something that fans could live vicariously through on a weekly basis, as who doesn't want to give their boss a smack?

I'm going with Hogan as number 1 because he was the first worldwide superstar that WWE had, and was on top a lot longer than Austin, who's run was pretty short before injury ended his career. Without those neck issues, Austin could quite easily have become number 1 on the list.

 

[Cereal Killer]

1. Hulk Hogan. He put them on the map. He made WWE a force. One way to look at how important he was to WWE is by his WCW run. He was the main reason WCW started beating WWE. Showing that Hogan helped WWE and not the other way around. He wasn't just a WWE creation, he was his own entity.

2. Austin. He very likely kept WWE from going out of business. Without him they probably wouldn't have won the war and went under before 2000. Had his neck been fine, it is scary to think how much he could have drew.

3. The Rock. Rock could have been so much more, which is weird to say for a guy who I rate as number 3 of all time. Rock accomplished so much in so little time. It truly is amazing. However, whenever both Austin and Rock were on, Austin outclassed him. Austin was plain more popular than Rock.

4. John Cena. He is interesting due to his longevity. He carried the company on back far longer than anyone of the other 3. His run as a top guy is unprecedented. Managed to be a top guy for around 10 years without a break. He overtook the spot from the white hot Batista and kept it.

I agree with you, these are the top 4 and a step above everyone else, but I would place Cena above Austin and Rock. You can argue that these two were a case of 'right place, right time.' Before the WWE made their move to the Attitude Era, Rock and Austin weren't the most popular names in the game and even now when they return, they need edgy material to help them get over. When Cena came on to the scene, his popularity grew quickly and even in the shift to a family friendly product, he was still able to maintain his popularity and become an even bigger draw.

Furthermore, he's been the WWE's number 1 guy for 10 years. For Austin and Rock, you can say they had the number 1/2 spot for 3-5 years. Also during the end of their runs, ratings had almost halved. I'm not forgetting that ratings aren't declining now (though that would be due to factors like the internet, WWE Network, DVR, etc) but to fall in the rates they did says something about the two and for how long they were able to maintain the fans that had jumped on the WWE bandwagon in 1998. You take away Rock's movie career and Cena's the more mainstream name, easily.

 

[relentless1]

top 10 WWF legends...

10. Vince McMahon - the greatest heel in company history. Austin wouldn't have worked as well without Vince as the antagonist, the mans still got that perfect heel spark in him even to this day. The mastermind behind the scenes as well, WWF/E wouldn't exist without him. Period.

9. John Cena - nobody can deny that this guy has carried the promotion on his back for the last 10 years and done a great job with it; the longest reigning top star in company history.

8. Bret Hart - the consummate professional; just as great a worker as HBK or Savage but Bret was especially good at telling a story in the ring..only Macho can claim to have done it better.

7. HBK - the greatest performer the promotion has ever seen, he followed in Machos footsteps and put on many great matches in his day, then came back to do it again in a second run thats arguably better than his first.

6. Randy Savage - the blueprint for a great worker being the top star as well, Macho inspired many with his flawless style and was the second greatest wrestler the company ever had.

5. Andre the Giant - one half of the most successful main event in WM history. Andre was larger than life and really the only wrestler to approach the mainstream recognition that only Hogan and Rock have really enjoyed.

4. Bruno Sammartino - without Bruno, WWWF wouldn't have been as popular as it was; he was the days Hulk Hogan and his legendary reign of 7 years will NEVER be beaten, the promotion never gets off the ground without Brunos popularity.

3. The Rock - legendary mic guy and today casts a huge shadow over the entire industry, nobody will ever be able to eclipse Rocks star in wrestling, he really has transcended the entire industry.

2. Stone Cold - the brightest start during the hottest era money wise, Austin will always be remembered as the guy who was the face of the monday night wars and the man who saved the WWE from oblivion.

1. Hulk Hogan - and its not really even close, Hogan was the guy who made WWE what it is today, his longevity, stature and charisma make him the only choice. Without him working with Vince, none of the guys who came after would have the platform to become big stars at all. He's the reason the WWF even became a worldwide company and a household name in the first place.

 

[kwig2121]

Top 10 WWE of all time

1. Hogan- simply put without him no mainstream, no Wrestlemania

2. Stone Cold- the face of the attitude era which probably was the height of WWE revenue and exposure. PPV numbers off the charts

3. The Rock- the biggest crossover star of this generation and the rivalry with Austin was simply epic

4. John Cena- it's like being a New York Yankee legend the 1st three guys are like Ruth, Gehrig and DiMaggio. He's the Mickey Mantle of WWE

5. Undertaker- greatest WWE character of all time

6. HHH- love him or hate him the Game was great on the mic and elevated himself after the 1st retirement of HBK. Marrying the bosses daughter was a plus.

7. HBK- probably the greatest all around talent the WWE ever had

8. Bruno Sammartino- No problem if you placed him as high as 6. Bruno was the original WWE superstar. However in the modern day he is surpassed by the above wrestlers athleticism and entertainment value.

9. Randy Savage- Underrated performer who was like Rock to Austin for Hogan. Again no mainstream without the Macho Man, who was simply a fantastic talent on the mic and could wrestle. Who can forget the Steamboat match.

10. Brett Hart- great wrestler who simply couldn't draw and took his character way too serious. This allowed HBK to leapfrog him in my alltime rankings.

Just missed...Andre the Giant and Warrior who had too many contract squabbles to crack the top 10. Guys like Flair & Sting belong on the WCW list or overall top 10 of all time. Believe or not Bob Backlund would deserve a lot of consideration as well as Pedro Morales.

Thanks

 

[Deoxyribonucleic A.C.I.D.]

WWE only?

1) Hulk Hogan - revolutionized wrestling.

2) Stone Cold Steve Austin - saved WWE's ass in the attitude era

3) Sammartino - the first big wrestling draw in WWE's history

4) The Rock - second most important figure in the AE, still the biggest drawing superstar in modern history

5) John Cena - only for his longevity in the company and the fact that he's been WWE's #1 for over a decade

6) Randy Savage - Randy was the #2 besides Hogan in the golden era and main evented for years

7) The Undertaker - a wrestling legend

8) Shawn Michaels - he changed the way wrestling worked during the 90s, also for his tremendous wrestling ability

9) Andre the Giant - WM 3 speaks for itself, Andre was a huge draw back then

10) Debatable, between HHH, Buckland and Bret Hart. I'll give this one to Hart, since he was the man from 1993-1997 and because I'm most familiar with Hart's work over Buckland's. Buckland is #11 and HHH is #12, with Warrior in #13, Foley in #14 and Superstar Billy Graham in #15.

Flair is missing from this list for obvious reasons. He was never a WWE guy in his glory days

 

[MrMojoRisin]

I agree with you, these are the top 4 and a step above everyone else, but I would place Cena above Austin and Rock. You can argue that these two were a case of 'right place, right time.' Before the WWE made their move to the Attitude Era, Rock and Austin weren't the most popular names in the game and even now when they return, they need edgy material to help them get over. When Cena came on to the scene, his popularity grew quickly and even in the shift to a family friendly product, he was still able to maintain his popularity and become an even bigger draw.

No you really can't argue that.

Austin was considered one of the guys on the rise in the industry before Stone Cold took off like it did, and prior to the WWF, the Rock honestly only worked a few months for Lawler in Memphis.

They didn't 'need' edgy material to help them get over. They utilized that edgy material and got themselves over to a degree that no one has been able to do since, and very few ever came close to prior.

Furthermore, he's been the WWE's number 1 guy for 10 years. For Austin and Rock, you can say they had the number 1/2 spot for 3-5 years. Also during the end of their runs, ratings had almost halved. I'm not forgetting that ratings aren't declining now (though that would be due to factors like the internet, WWE Network, DVR, etc) but to fall in the rates they did says something about the two and for how long they were able to maintain the fans that had jumped on the WWE bandwagon in 1998. You take away Rock's movie career and Cena's the more mainstream name, easily.

I mentioned this in that top 11 thread, and I'll repeat it here. If the WWE was not a publicly traded company, there is no way that Cena would still be the top guy.

He's the safe choice for the investors. They know what type of results he will generate, and they know the type of return on investment that he will provide. If they go in another direction, then there's a risk involved that probably a larger number of investors than we realize aren't willing to take. Maybe the new guy gets over like a Hogan or Austin? Or maybe he does the business of a Diesel or Yokozuna?

These are the realities of operating a publicly traded company. If they were still privately owned? Then they'd have been mixing it up. Cena went stale years ago (he's recovered greatly from that, but for a while there it was bad). They'd have been taking chances on finding their new torch carrier, like they did in the past. But they really didn't, because regardless of everything else, running shows with Cena on top guaranteed a certain level of return for the investors that they were satisfied with.

So I can't really consider Cena's 10+ years as something greater than anyone elses because of the reason behind it.

Also if you take away the Rock's movie career than Cena's the more mainstream name? No kidding? But why does the Rock have something taken away that he's worked ridiculously hard for? What if we take away Cena's 10+ year run on top of the WWE? Then Rock is not only the more mainstream name, but unquestionably the guy with the greater pro wrestling career as well! See how that works?

They both have what they accomplished, which is great for both. Rock's accomplishments are far greater though (although I'm sure Cena is very satisfied with what he's accomplished).


Anyways, here`s my top 10

10 - The Undertaker - Great gimmick, fantastic wrestler. Was never the top guy, but was always a part of the main event for 2 decades, which is virtually unheard of.

9 - Andre the Giant - Gained his fame before most fans today were even born, so they just tend to remember his final years when he was really just a shell of his former self. For a time was quite possibly the most famous wrestler in the World and held the level of respect throughout the industry that the Undertaker enjoys today.

8 - Shawn Michaels - An incredible performer both in and out of the ring. Outside of his destructive politics and personality in the 90`s, my only knock on him is I wasn't a fan of his selling. Too dramatic and unrealistic in my mind. I preferred the more realistic approach of...

7 - Bret Hart - The consummate in ring performer. If I had to pick one guy who's matches I could only watch, I'd pick Bret. He wasn't able to carry the company back to new heights during his run on top, but I honestly don't think anyone was capable of that during that time period. Fans just needed a break between the boom periods. For the guy that said he wasn't a draw though? Look at Europe. Bret Hart was ridiculously over in Europe when he was on top, and honestly if the WWF had been centralized overseas during his run on top instead of the United States, you probably would have seen a European wrestling boom.

6 - John Cena - I knocked him above, so now it's time to pay respects. John Cena today is for my money, one of, if not the best storyteller inside of a ring. He doesn't have the moveset, or workrate of the spot monkeys who simply go through everything they can do with no rhyme, reason or logic behind a lot of it. It would be nice if he knew how to properly execute his big moves. But it's hard to watch a John Cena match and not become invested in it. To get lost in the drama of the encounter. Plus the way that he's carried the company, regardless of the reasons why, has been nothing short of admirable. He's a great champion.

5 - Randy Savage - The Jack Nicholson to Hulk Hogan's Tom Cruise. Hogan was the most popular. Savage was the one that was cool though. And my god, but he could do it all. Work, talk, tell a story, enter the mainstream, enter pop culture, sell out shows. He was incredible. Quick story on what a big deal Savage was. When he went to the WWF, it was at a time when they were pretending that they were the only wrestling company anywhere, and ignoring the history of anyone new they brought in. At the same time they brought in a 40+ year old Harley Race and hyped him up like a new rookie, they started Savage off with an angle where every single manager in the company was openly courting him and fighting with each other for the opportunity to manage Savage. They never treated Savage like a rookie. They treated him like he was the biggest deal possible from day 1, at a time when they wouldn't do that for anyone.

4 - The Rock - Has their ever been anyone more charismatic than the Rock? He helped carry the last boom to the heights that it reached, and Hollywood reached out to him almost immediately, recognizing that there was something unique, special and marketable about this guy. Plus he just did business the right way. How many uber-main eventers like the Rock would take the time to make sure they put over a guy like the Hurricane like he did? Right in the middle of Wrestlemania season to boot? Other guys protected their spot at all costs. The Rock had the confidence to let his ass show, knowing that it wouldn't hurt him in the slightest.

3 - Bruno Sammartino - In the 60's and 70's, Bruno was the guy. The most loved. The most believable. The guy that you bought a ticket to go and see. What we saw with Hogan, Austin, Rocky, Cena? That entire template was created by Bruno. He was probably the first guy to actually transcend the title. We're used to it today, seeing a Cena match that gets higher billing than the WWE title match. Back in Bruno's day though, that was never the case... until Bruno made it the case. The 1980 Shea Stadium Classic wasn't sold on champion Bob Backlund. They threw the champ in a tag match for their biggest show in years, when the champ always was the main event and featured attraction on a big show. Instead, they sold it on Bruno versus Zybysko. Again, that may seem like nothing to todays fan, but at the time, that simply was not done and is the best illustration I can think of to show what an immense deal Bruno was.

2 - Steve Austin - God this was just such a fun character, and arguably the most popular one ever seen in the WWE. You could tell that Austin was having the time of his life playing Stone Cold week in and week out, and that enthusiasm he had was infectious. It carried the WWE to their highest peak ever, and I'd have had him at #1 if his health didn't make it so short lived.

1 - Hulk Hogan - There's a lot of negative that can be said about the man Terry Bollea, but the wrestler Hulk Hogan was just so far above everyone else that was either around, or had been around before him. He took the business to heights that no one had ever anticipated. Austin and Rocky may have surpassed those heights, but without Hogan in the first place... they never would have gotten there. He's quite simply the biggest legend the WWE has ever had, and likely will ever have.

 

[Makaveli31]

Wrong. The capacity for football is 82,000. WWE had that same capacity PLUS floor seats. That easily gets them to 93,000 (floor seats fit way more than you'd think). If you look at pictures, you won't find an empty seat. I hate this damn rumor.

Well you can believe WWE which had a history of over inflating attendance figures prior to Royal Rumble '97 or Dave Meltzer's reporting where he quotes the event promoter Zane Bresloff who says the actual attendance was 78,000 with 23,000 comps and faxed him an official statement. Meltzer also did an article on WWE history where he had to research attendance figures. WWWE let him sift through official records and he found that in all of WWE's major shows (WM's SummerSlam's etc....) he found the actual attendance was different than what was announced on TV. Meltlzer even quoted Vince McMahon HIMSELF as saying what appears on television people should consider for ENTERTAINMENT. So you either believe WWE or Dave Meltzer's reporting.

The event was SOLD OUT so of course there wouldn't be any empty seat in the audience. But unless you counted EVERY seat there is no way you can say for sure the actual number is 93,000. But for the basis of this thread I'll let this argument go. No one besides WWE and the event promoters know the actual figure.

 

[Loveless]

There's a very natural Top 10 here, simply made up of the people who were "The Man" or the headliner.

1. Andre
2. Hogan
3. Savage
4. Flair
5. Hart
6. HBK
7. Austin
8. Rock
9. HHH
10. Cena

The only real argument with that list is when the top guy isn't clear.
You could say Andre was never top dog, especially in the WWF/E and Undertaker would be a replacement, but he had the same issue.
You could say Savage was always in Hogan's shadow and The Ultimate Warrior would be bigger, but he wasn't on top for long. You could add Flair into that argument too.
Finally, you could say that HHH was never top dog while Austin and Rock were around, and when they left it was Brock who was the top guy.

The rest of them are fairly indisputable.

 

[showstopper8705]

The football capacity was closer to 80,000 not 82,000. It's a fair thing to discuss. 13,000 is a small basketball arena. With the ring and ramp way, I just don't see them being able to fit in half of the palace of auburn hills in a 100 yard area.

 

[Cereal Killer]

No you really can't argue that.

Yeah ya can.

Austin was considered one of the guys on the rise in the industry before Stone Cold took off like it did

So why did WCW let him go? Before the Stone Cold character, he was the Ringmaster and after his angle with DiBiase ended, there were concerns of where his career would go.

and prior to the WWF, the Rock honestly only worked a few months for Lawler in Memphis.

As Rocky Maivia, he was booed. And don't compare that to Cena because alongside all those haters, he has a huge fan base. He became over later on when he became The Rock, one of the edgiest characters the WWE has ever seen.

They didn't 'need' edgy material to help them get over.

OK.

They utilized that edgy material

So they did need edgy material to get over? What would they have utilised had that edgy material not been present?

and got themselves over to a degree that no one has been able to do since, and very few ever came close to prior.

But before the days of TV-14 came along, they weren't as over. The Miz is currently more over than what those two were once upon a time. Again, even now they need to make such remarks to get over. Heck, even recently The Rock was criticised for making sexist remarks to Lana.

If the WWE was not a publicly traded company, there is no way that Cena would still be the top guy.

*Neil's voice from The Inbetweeners*: Doubt it.

He's the safe choice for the investors. They know what type of results he will generate, and they know the type of return on investment that he will provide. If they go in another direction, then there's a risk involved that probably a larger number of investors than we realize aren't willing to take. Maybe the new guy gets over like a Hogan or Austin? Or maybe he does the business of a Diesel or Yokozuna?

But why would the WWE prevent all of their other current stars from getting over and surpassing their current cash cow, to make more money ON TOP of what they already make? Why wouldn't they allow others to, assuming they could in a family friendly manner? It's quite ironic we're discussing Rock and Austin, two guys that were on top of the company and made a lot of money, yet you're saying the WWE only wants to have Cena in that top spot alone. If other stars are good enough to surpass him, they would have done by now. Batista, Orton, Punk, Bryan and all of these other stars have been placed on the huge platform and haven't been able to knock him off the number 1 spot. Why? Because they can't draw as well because of the fact that they aren't as good as John Cena. Even if it wasn't a family friendly product, I'm positive he would still be their biggest draw. He was the hottest star on the roster BEFORE the move to TV-PG as a rapper.

Here, just take a glance at the Top 10 from the WWE Shop Zone from 2004:

1. John Cena Football Jersey
2. John Cena Camouflage T-shirt
3. John Cena Headband/Wristband Set
4. John Cena Word Life Lock Pendant
5. John Cena T-shirt, Cap and Lock Package
6. Triple H Cross/Skull T-shirt
7. Undertaker Logo Pendant
8. Randy Orton Legend T-shirt
9. John Cena Word Life Foam Knucks
10. John Cena Hooded Sweatshirt

http://web.archive.org/web/20040907034930/http://shopzone.wwe.com/index.asp

https://youtu.be/EM-M_vADrFE?t=32m6s

Even here you can tell, before Cena had even won his first world title, Vince had high hopes for him. Unlike Austin and Rock, Cena never had a shaky start to his WWE career.

Cena went stale years ago (he's recovered greatly from that, but for a while there it was bad).

When? He's been relevant and entertaining ever since his debut.

They'd have been taking chances on finding their new torch carrier, like they did in the past. But they really didn't, because regardless of everything else, running shows with Cena on top guaranteed a certain level of return for the investors that they were satisfied with.

Once again, why wouldn't they want to give others an opportunity to make more money on top of what they already have? If you're saying they haven't, take a look at Nexus, Punk, Bryan, Reigns, Rollins, Del Rio, Sheamus, Orton, Hardy, Swagger, etc. All given that opportunity to shine, just like Cena was given. Take a big guess who capitalised the best.

Also if you take away the Rock's movie career than Cena's the more mainstream name? No kidding? But why does the Rock have something taken away that he's worked ridiculously hard for? What if we take away Cena's 10+ year run on top of the WWE? Then Rock is not only the more mainstream name, but unquestionably the guy with the greater pro wrestling career as well! See how that works?

See the difference with what you did was you took away Cena's professional wrestling career. What I was saying was when you take away Rock's MOVIE career (just to be clear, I'm not discrediting something he's worked hard in), he loses that mainstream appeal.

They both have what they accomplished, which is great for both. Rock's accomplishments are far greater though (although I'm sure Cena is very satisfied with what he's accomplished).

Cena's won the Rumble twice. Rock's won it once. Cena's won the Money in the Bank and is a 15x World Champion. The Rock never won the King of the Ring and is a 10x champion. Cena has also had several memorable matches. If we're talking industry wise, yes, The Rock played a huge part in saving the company from closure and was/is a big draw. Cena is also a huge draw and I've always wondered what the company would have done without him. Even when you look at your theory of Cena being top guy because of the fact that WWE is a publicly traded company, who else would they have used to make them a lot of money? Who else would be a great front-man for the shift to the family friendly product? You had even emphasised he's a safe choice for investors. Think of it like this, from the several stars from we'll say 2005 till now which have fought on the active roster, why haven't any of them been safer investments, even in the period you claimed Cena was 'stale?'

So I can't really consider Cena's 10+ years as something greater than anyone elses because of the reason behind it.

OK.

Plus the way that he's carried the company, regardless of the reasons why, has been nothing short of admirable. He's a great champion.

Right on!

 

[sMark]

Top 2:
1) Hulk Hogan
2) Vince McMahon

After them it's all debatable.

 

[therockiswwf]

Well you can believe WWE which had a history of over inflating attendance figures prior to Royal Rumble '97 or Dave Meltzer's reporting where he quotes the event promoter Zane Bresloff who says the actual attendance was 78,000 with 23,000 comps and faxed him an official statement. Meltzer also did an article on WWE history where he had to research attendance figures. WWWE let him sift through official records and he found that in all of WWE's major shows (WM's SummerSlam's etc....) he found the actual attendance was different than what was announced on TV. Meltlzer even quoted Vince McMahon HIMSELF as saying what appears on television people should consider for ENTERTAINMENT. So you either believe WWE or Dave Meltzer's reporting.

The event was SOLD OUT so of course there wouldn't be any empty seat in the audience. But unless you counted EVERY seat there is no way you can say for sure the actual number is 93,000. But for the basis of this thread I'll let this argument go. No one besides WWE and the event promoters know the actual figure.

The football capacity was closer to 80,000 not 82,000. It's a fair thing to discuss. 13,000 is a small basketball arena. With the ring and ramp way, I just don't see them being able to fit in half of the palace of auburn hills in a 100 yard area.

Super Bowl XVI had 81,270. The pope drew an even larger number. He used about the same setup as WWE did (judging by pictures). The ring and ramp didn't take up that much room.

The attendance had to be higher than 78,000 by simple facts. They didn't reduce the Football capacity, they increased it. So that automatically proves Meltzer either lied or received wrong information. The field area is a lot bigger than just the football field (account for the sideline areas). The place was massive. They could easily fit thirteen thousand on the floor.

I mentioned this in that top 11 thread, and I'll repeat it here. If the WWE was not a publicly traded company, there is no way that Cena would still be the top guy.

He's the safe choice for the investors. They know what type of results he will generate, and they know the type of return on investment that he will provide. If they go in another direction, then there's a risk involved that probably a larger number of investors than we realize aren't willing to take. Maybe the new guy gets over like a Hogan or Austin? Or maybe he does the business of a Diesel or Yokozuna?

These are the realities of operating a publicly traded company. If they were still privately owned? Then they'd have been mixing it up. Cena went stale years ago (he's recovered greatly from that, but for a while there it was bad). They'd have been taking chances on finding their new torch carrier, like they did in the past. But they really didn't, because regardless of everything else, running shows with Cena on top guaranteed a certain level of return for the investors that they were satisfied with.

So I can't really consider Cena's 10+ years as something greater than anyone elses because of the reason behind it.

Yes, Cena was on top because investors liked him. No way that he is simply more popular than everyone else. The reason Cena has lasted so long is he didn't get a career shortening injury (Austin) or left for movies (Rock). I think people get confused about why he has been on top so long. Had Austin not gotten hurt, he would have been on top for way longer. Had Rock not left, he would have been on top for way longer. Cena has his spot because there is no one that can take it from him. Daniel Bryan might have been able to take it after Wrestlemania 30.

 

[Woodstuff]

Biggest legend in the companies history is easily [CENSORED].

I mean, Hulk Hogan. Without Hogan, there would be no WWF Attitude, no Austin 3:16, no Wrestlemania, nothing. Same goes for Austin. Without him, no WWE, no Authority, no Roman Reigns. Difference between the two is that Hogan stuck on the pro-wrestling tracks even after he retired. The Rock has done huge things in and after wrestling, but Hogan has been around 10+ years more than Rocky. Easily Hogan. I'll leave the rest to someone with more time on their hands ;P

 

[EastCoastFan]

You fail wrestling history forever for not including Bruno Sammartino on a list of the WWE's greatest legends ever.

Here are my top 10 (in no particular order):

Bruno Sammartino
Andre the Giant
Hulk Hogan
Randy Savage
Roddy Piper
Bret Hart
Shawn Michaels
Steve Austin
The Rock
John Cena

 

[Kyphael]

Here is my list IN ORDER.

1. Hulk Hogan: He initiated TWO wrestling booms where he was a household name, made the company and the boys millions, multiple time world champion and was a staple in 9 of the first 10 Wrestlemanias, and later made one of the biggest comebacks in history for more Wrestlemania appearances and even another world title run.

2. Stone Cold: Easily the second biggest star after Hogan, he spear-headed the Attitude Era and made wrestling cool. His run at the top was brief otherwise he'd easily go down in history as number one. Then again, his character wasn't tailor-made for longevity, even if he had stayed healthy.

3. The Rock: When Austin went down with injury and missed like an year, The Rock stepped up and the company made even more money even with Austin gone. The Rock is a trail-blazer in the truest sense and he was so popular, his run was brief as he had the talent to make it as a huge movie star.

4. Ric Flair: Seriously, who the hell could would argue this? It's just too much to list.

5. Randy Savage: Second biggest star of the Rock'n Wrestlign Era? For sure. Great in-ring talent, and ridiculously over? You got it, Macho Man, OOOH YEAH, (sorry Warrior.)

5. Bret Hart: He was THE man after Hogan, for many years, even if it was during a stagnant point in wrestling, there is no denying the Hit Man's in-ring ability, commitment to his craft and being a company man. He was the Canadian John Cena of the 90's. WCW killed his career but his career and role carrying the company during trying times speaks for itself and he was very popular and organically over as well, especially in Canada.

6. The Undertaker: Part as to why he is even in a top 10 is due to his longevity, commitment, loyalty, and the way he carries himself outside the ring. The man is respected entirely by all of his peers, and he has a damn impressive body of work to back that up too, not to mention his ability to make almost anything work.

7. Shawn Michaels: His career speaks for itself and he jump started the attitude era alongside Steve Austin.

8. Triple H: When all is said and done, I sincerely believe Triple H will break the top 5, not only for a stellar in-ring career, but already, his contributions to the business with NXT will put him on the same level of a VKM.

9. Kurt Angle: He is the only Olympic gold medalist in pro-wrestling history, and had he stayed healthy and remained in the WWE, he could have been higher up on the list but he still is so damn talented and had such an amazing tenure, how could you argue his place?

10. Andre the Giant: The man transcends the genre and was a bigger than life character and human being, literally and figuratively. He was Hogan's greatest nemesis, and cemented Hulkamania at Wrestlemania III. Outside the ring he was a simply, and charming giant and I can't think of WWE and Wrestlemania especially without thinking of Andre.

Honorable mentions:

CM Punk: Back in 2011, Punk made wrestling cool again (albeit briefly) with a red hot promo that shook up the business and melted our television sets. The summer of Punk was exciting, but bad backstage business decisions (Triple H coming out of retirement to beat him, halting his momentum), pitting Punk up against Rybotch, and having him drop the title to The Rock instead of main eventing Wrestlemania in a triple threat with Rock/Cena so he could be fed to Undertaker instead soured him on the business, and who could blame him? Yeah, sure, he had the longest reign of the modern era, but his title matches weren't headlining PPV's and they did everything wrong outside of it they possibly could have to push the man away, otherwise his run would have been hotter and he might still be around. For this reason, Punk does unfortunately not make the top 10, mostly due to sabotage and little fault of his own.

Mick Foley/Daniel Bryan: These two are mirrors of each other. Respectful, talented, passionate, and great human beings who loved the business, and that genuine passion created an organic connection to the crowd very few in the business can claim to and it catapulted them to the top even when the powers that be were kicking and screaming trying to push their chosen stars instead. Foley was a great story-teller and promo man while Bryan was a great in-ring technician and story-teller, and though their time at the top was brief, they will always be remembered... just not in the top 10.

John Cena: Fuck John Cena.





...kidding, I had to address the elephant in the room. Ok, yeah, Cena's had a stellar career, but really, how GOOD is he? I mean, REALLY, how GOOD is he? I'll admit, his rise was organic, and in 2004 as the Dr. of Thuganomics, Cena was WHITE HOT over, cutting edgy promos and having amazing feuds with the likes of Benoit, Guerrero, Lesnar, and Booker T. Enter 2005, instead of turning him back to heel after he beat JBL as he faced men more over than him (Christian, Jericho, Angle, Rob Van Dam), WWE began a decade-long resistance and creation of one of its most vanilla, overrated, and BORING character and champion we have seen since Diesel. For that reason, Cena does not belong in the top 10, no sire, no how.

Brock Lesnar: Great talent but his run was too short. I might put him in a top 15 though.