20. Chris Jericho
It's not easy ranking wrestlers. From the People's Champion to the Austin 3:16 to the Deadman, these are the greatest WWE wrestlers ever, ranked by popularity, championships and impact.
Already a wrestling star before joining the WWE, Jericho became a top-of-the-card performer once he joined the company in 1999. The charismatic superstar holds the record for most Intercontinental Championships (nine), and he was the first undisputed WWF Champion ever.
(Photo: WWE)
19. Dusty Rhodes
Rhodes didn’t look like your typical wrestler, but that didn’t slow him down from being one of the best all-around wrestlers in WWE history. The American Dream knew how to play to the crowd, especially during his slobberknockers with Ric Flair. Before his death, Rhodes helped develop some of WWE’s talent through NXT.
(Photo: WWE)
18. Andre the Giant
The inaugural inductee into the WWE Hall of Fame, Andre the Giant had an illustrious wrestling career. A behemoth of a man, The Eighth Wonder of the World paved the way for other big men--Undertaker, Big Show and Kane--to star in pro wrestling.
In the ring, he’s most known for his famous feud with Hulk Hogan at Wrestlemania III.
(Photo: WWE)
17. Kurt Angle
Angle joined the WWE after winning a gold medal at the 1996 Summer Olympics. Although he had little experience in professional wrestling, Angle was a natural both in and out of the ring.
Whether he was giving his opponents the Olympic Slam or locking in his devastating ankle lock, the six-time world champ made the WWE better. He’d probably be even higher on the list if he didn’t depart the WWE in 2006.
(Photo: WWE)
16. Randy Orton
Sure, Orton might never match Cena’s popularity, but the Viper is still one of the best and most consistent superstars the WWE has had to offer.
The Legend Killer has won 15 titles since debuting in 2000, proving nobody is safe from his devastating RKO.
15. Kane
Kane rose to popularity--after his other in-ring personas flamed out--in 1997 as the Undertaker’s demonic younger brother.
A mainstay from the Attitude Era to today, the Big Red Monster has chokeslammed his way to 23 total championships during his 20-plus years in the ring.
(Photo: WWE)
14. Bret "The Hitman" Hart
Debuting in the WWF in 1985, Hart has been credited with bringing upper-echelon technical in-ring performance to pro wrestling. The Hitman is a 5-time WWF World Heavyweight Champion, and he’s a member of the 2006 WWE Hall of Fame class. CM Punk and Steve Austin have claimed that Hart is the greatest wrestler ever.
(Photo: WWE)
13. "Rowdy" Roddy Piper
Perhaps the greatest heel in WWE history, ‘Rowdy’ Roddy Piper continues to influence the WWE today. A star on the mic before the Rock and Jericho, Hot Rod won 34 championships in his 42-year career.
Piper was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2005.
(Photo: WWE)
12. Brock Lesnar
Lesnar--a former UFC and NCAA Heavyweight Champion--is one of the most vicious and powerful WWE superstars to enter the ring. The four-time WWE Champion's most impressive feat is ending the Undertaker's Wrestlemania winning streak.
Although The Beast Incarnate is rarely unleashed, Lesnar elevates any event he's in.
(Photo: WWE)
11. CM Punk
One of the most unique WWE superstars ever, CM Punk was a wiz on the mic--his "Pipe Bomb" promo is now legend--and even better in the ring.
Whether he was a face or a heel, it was hard not to be impressed by his 434-day reign as WWE champion, the longest in the WWE's modern era.
(Photo: WWE)
10. Mick Foley
There isn't a wrestler who has taken as much punishment as Mick Foley has in his career. Foley was the inaugural WWF Hardcore Champion, and one of the most unlikely world champions ever.
Foley is known for his highlight reel of destruction, where he's been thrown from the top of the Hell in a Cell onto an announcer’s table; he's fallen through the same cage onto tacks; and taken a multitude of chair shots.
(Photo: WWE)
9. "Macho Man" Randy Savage
Not only was the "Macho Man" one of the best wrestlers on the mic, but he also was one of the WWF’s greatest in-ring performers.
At his peak, the two-time WWF Heavyweight Champion was arguably as big of a draw as Hogan. Oooh yeah!
(Photo: WWE)
8. Triple H
Few wrestlers have had as big of an impact on the WWE as Triple H. Debuting in 1995 and still working (sparingly) today, HHH has won 14 world championships and headlined Wrestlemania a record-tying seven times. The King of Kings also co-founded the powerful stable Degeneration X.
Since transitioning to part-time wrestler, HHH has since become WWE's VP of Talent, Live Events and Creative.
(Photo: WWE)
7. John Cena
Love him or hate him, you've gotta respect John Cena’s incredible career. Despite being the most polarizing wrestler in the game, the 15-time world champion always puts on a show when he's in the ring. Debuting in 2002, Cena was crowned "the face of the WWE" by the company in 2015.
(Photo: WWE)
6. Hulk Hogan
The most popular wrestler of the '80s, Hogan is a 12-time world champion (six with the WWE), and the first wrestler to win consecutive Royal Rumbles.
Inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2005, Hogan will always be one of the faces of professional wrestling.
(Photo: WWE)
5. Shawn Michaels
Michaels--a four-time WWE world champion--was an amazing storyteller in the ring. The Heartbreak Kid was one of the finest performers from his time in the WWF for three decades. He exemplified passion, pain and anguish unlike any other in-ring wrestler could.
The 2011 WWE Hall of Fame inductee earned 11 Match of the Year honors in his illustrious career.
(Photo: WWE)
4. Ric Flair
Woo! Ric Flair--who made his wrestling debut in 1972--has had one of the most storied careers to date. The Nature Boy spent 40 years as a pro wrestler, winning 16 world championships.
Flair is also the only two-time WWE Hall of Famer. He was inducted as an individual in 2008 and as a member of the Four Horsemen in 2012.
(Photo: WWE)
3. The Rock
A lack of technical wrestling skills didn't stop the Rock--a third generation WWE superstar--from becoming the jabroni beating, pie eating, eyebrow-raising People's Champion. Never before has a superstar been as a charismatic, hilarious and incisive on the mic.
"The Most Electrifying Man in Sports Entertainment" is one of the only superstars to transcend wrestling, and become an even bigger star outside the ring.
(Photo: WWE)
2. The Undertaker
When he joined the WWE in 1990, the Undertaker's gimmick was as the uncharismatic seven-foot tall Deadman. Through the years, 'Taker transformed into one of the most revered wrestlers ever.
If you expunge the American Bad Ass era from your memory, you’re still left with the best entrance in WWE history, a multitude of classic matches and the Streak--Undertaker’s unprecedented 21-match Wrestlemania winning streak.
(Photo: WWE)
1. "Stone Cold" Steve Austin
Sure, the Rock is more popular. And the Undertaker had more longevity. And Flair had more, ahem, flair. Still, no wrestler impacted the WWE like “Stone Cold” Steve Austin.
Fired from WCW, Austin reinvented himself in the '90s as an ass-kicking, beer-chugging, anti-authoritarian superstar who entered into a high-profile feud with his boss, Vince McMahon. Austin was the face of the WWE's "Attitude Era," the company’s most popular time.
(Photo: WWE)
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