THE WRESTLING PYRAMID - A Ranking of the Greatest Wrestlers of All Time
By David Mah @sexydavemah
This is a list ranking the Greatest Wrestlers of All Time, and like any list, it is subjective based on my personal opinion. As a wrestling fan for over 37 years, I have witnessed the bulk of what “Sports Entertainment” has grown into.
The criteria used for this list was quite simple: impact on the industry. There’s a lot of intangibles that I could’ve delved into, such as mat skills or promo ability, but in the end the only thing that really mattered was their impact on the industry.
As a bit of a disclaimer, I did take a break from wrestling after WCW folded, so I missed a small chunk of history. I still kept up but didn’t watch much during that time period in wrestling history. Additionally, I’ve ranked some controversial characters here, and while they might have been scum bags, I don’t believe in scrubbing history clean.
I didn’t bother doing an honourable mentions list, as it could’ve easily been 40. I had Kerry Von Erich at number 101, if you are curious.
Let the flaming commence …
ROLE PLAYERS
This section is the base of the Pyramid and is the largest. Most of the guys in these spots are interchangeable. A recurring theme you will see is wasted potential. Everyone here had value and were good hands. Think ‘Groundskeeper Willie’ or ‘Newman’.
100. JEFF JARRETT
‘JJ’ did enough in his career to warrant a spot in the top 100. Yet, he was the only one who thought he was great. After a fantastic early WWF run, he failed to achieve his potential.
99. GOLDUST
Maybe the ultimate underachiever/overachiever? Dustin had trouble creating an interesting identity early on but really made an iconic character in Goldust. Did he reach his ceiling? No. Is his greatest achievement not inheriting his dad’s body? I’ll let you decide.
98. ADAM PAGE
Still very early for the ‘Hangman’. Time will tell. I predict he will end up somewhere in the 40’s.
97. “SUPERFLY” JIMMY SNUKA
Super popular performer, who was an inspiration for high flying performers. That’s all the nice things I have to say about him.
96. NICK BOCKWINKLE
Great performer. Did enough to gain a spot here. Looked like everyone’s uncle.
95. MAGNUM TA
If Tom Sellick was a wrestler.
94. ARN ANDERSON
‘AA’ was a great tag wrestler and henchman. He played an important role and did it well. AA also looked like everyone’s uncle, but more pervy.
93. SID VICIOUS
Despite his push, looks and athleticism, Sid really underachieved. Badly. I always imagined that he would’ve been the biggest douchebag at the bar.
92. BAM BAM BIGELOW
One of the best ‘Big men’, Bam Bam was an excellent performer who had an interesting look. He was a very under-utilized talent. Also, he had a flaming skull tattoo before it was cool.
91. SEAN WALTMAN
Played an important role. Was a good performer. But annoying... so fuck him, he goes here.
90. XAVIER WOODS
Hopefully, he gets more than a Tag push in the future. Fantastic charisma and criminally under-utilized. He’s probably the only wrestler better than me at Tetris.
89. TITO SANTANA
‘Chico’ was a great mid-carder who always performed. If I could rewrite wrestling history, I would’ve booked him as an evil Taco chef, where he would use tacos as a foreign object every match. Imagine him pulling a taco out of his trunks, or trash talking while eating tacos... those promos would’ve been money.
Now I’m hungry.
88. MATT HARDY
Reinvented himself better than anyone in history. His career was probably over, yet he’s still doing great work.
87. MICHAEL HAYES
Tonnes of charisma, yet he couldn’t break through to the main event. Slime ball piece of garbage though. If you look up ‘greasy racist’ in the dictionary... you get the picture.
86. SAMI ZAYN
Might have already peaked, and maybe has no business being on this list. Think he’s the only redhead to crack the Top 100, so his mom should be proud.
85. TED DIBIASE
The ‘Million Dollar Man’ had a major role in the 80’s. Has the best laugh of all-time!
84. CHRISTIAN
Meh.
83. RON SIMMONS
Had a few peaks, all of which were drastically different. I bet if Stanley from ‘the Office’ and Ron Simmons walked into a room, you wouldn’t be able to tell them apart.
82. NIKITA KOLOFF
Loved the ‘Russian Nightmare’! He was scary as fuck. I bet all he does is drink vodka and eat kittens.
81. NICK JACKSON
80. MATT JACKSON
Not a big fan of these guys, but they’re great. Plus, both were integral in AEW’s success. Nick needs to shave his head.
79. LARRY ZYBYSKO
Had a ton of accolades. Was great all-around. His hairline never quit.
78. DREW MCINTYRE
Getting a major push right now. He probably does okay with the ladies.
77. HAWK
One of the best Tag wrestlers ever but was really underrated on the mic. Wish he would’ve had a solo run. Animal held him back in a way, although they are probably the best Tag Team of all-time.
76. DAVEY BOY SMITH
Not a big fan. But was the only white guy who could pull off braids. Or did he?
75. CESARO
Needs to stop being Cesaro.
74. MVP
Admittedly, I didn’t see much of him during his initial run, as I was on my wrestling hiatus. I’m enjoying his work now though.
73. JBL
Liked his Texas A$$hole gimmick, as he was probably just playing himself.
72. CURT HENNIG
Was a truly great performer, hindered by injuries and substance problems. Sadly, ‘Mr Perfect’ didn’t reach his potential.
71. SAMOA JOE
Sadly, he stayed in Impact way too long. What a waste. Not the most creative name.
70. MARK HENRY
I enjoyed his work as a monster heel. I was always envious of his ‘Sexual Chocolate’ gimmick. I thought of going as ‘Sexual Lychee’ for a while, but it wasn’t popular among my friends. Bastards.
69. BIG E
‘BIG’ things to come? He’s super funny, hope he gets a chance to shine now. He kind of looks like a muskrat.
68. DEAN MALENKO
Great wrestler. Charisma equal to that of a cardboard box.
67. SHINSUKE NAKAMURA
He may be the most under-utilized performer in history. He also kind of looks like a muskrat.
66. OWEN HART
So sad, had enormous potential. Had a giant beak (not that kind, you perv).
65. BRIAN PILLMAN
Ditto, minus the nose.
64. RVD
Great performer, one of the best ever really. He smells funny.
63. DOLPH ZIGGLER
Too many comparisons to Shawn Michaels ultimately held him back. Sweet hair.
STARS
This section covers guys who had significant impact, with several high potential guys sprinkled in. Most had a run at the top, but for various reasons couldn’t get over enough to become mega stars. Think Vince Carter, or Mike Myers.
62. BOBBY LASHLEY
The most dangerous guy to have ever competed. Change my mind.
61. YOKOZUNA
Had an important run and played a large role during a transitional period (literally). Great athlete for a giant fatso. Maybe the first guy to ever pull off a man-bun!
60. THE GREAT MUTA
My all-time favourite wrestler! Muta has the best gimmick and was way ahead of his time. I could only rank him this low due to his limited North American runs. He inspired a ton of wrestlers and is probably the greatest Japanese talent of all-time. He had unbelievable agility for a heavyweight and was so creative with his character. He is just the best.
59. KEVIN OWENS
Good performer, yet he’s reached his peak in WWE. Would be excellent in AEW. His eyes are too close together.
58. VADER
Had a giant run as a monster heel. Everything he did looked like it actually hurt. He probably enjoys Pilsner.
57. SHEAMUS
No one has cared about him for at least 8 years.
56. KENNY OMEGA
Only this low because of his lesser role in AEW so far. The best wrestler in the world for a while now. I predict he will climb into the 30’s. He’s also the reason I believe I have a wrestling T-shirt problem. I have 8 of his shirts, and one hoodie. Shut up.
55. KOFI KINGSTON
Over-achieved. Good for him!
54. JERRY LAWLER
Hugely successful in the territories in his heyday. One of the worst commentators in history.
53. BRAUN STROWMAN
Big oaf. He sucks.
52. DDP
Great performer, and an even better person. Yoga is hard!
51. SCOTT STEINER
Fantastic athlete, and kind of overachieved. His promos were gold, despite them being accidental. Definitely the best mathematician.
50. CODY RHODES
49. JON MOXLEY
Both Cody and Jon haven’t reached their potential, but are doing great, especially compared to where they were 5 years ago. Cody’s lame neck tattoo was the tiebreaker.
48. JEFF HARDY
A true innovator. Legendary performer, and I’m amazed he’s not in a wheelchair or dead.
47. BARRY WINDHAM
Man was he great. Just an awesome all-around talent. Too bad he wasn’t pushed more.
46. CHRIS BENOIT
45. THE BIG SHOW
His ‘Knockout punch’ sucked. Would be the perfect guy to play the ‘Kingpin’.
44. KANE
Actually, a very versatile performer. He definitely over-achieved.
43. THE MIZ
The Miz is in the conversation for the most over-achieving wrestler of all time. He’s awesome. This is probably his ceiling. He should rap more.
ALL STARS
We start getting into the serious players. These guys all had significant impact on the business, and one or two have a chance at a Top 26 placing. All of these guys have been in numerous high-profile programs.
Think Hall & Oates. Lots of hits, but do they come to mind when talking about Greatest Bands of All-time? ‘Sara Smile’ is their best song btw.
42. LEX LUGER
Not as bad of a wrestler as everyone says. Also, not as good either. Lex was an important character and a main event level guy for the NWA, WWF, and WCW. Think about that for a minute. How many guys can say that? Pretty much just Flair. And that is the main reason Luger is this high. He was one of the hardest guys to place.
41. TERRY FUNK
He’s probably still wrestling in some bingo hall somewhere.
40. FINN BALOR
Wish they wouldn’t waste his talent. Poor guy. He’s one of the most talented guys they’ve ever had, yet they couldn’t figure out how to book him. He’s insanely over, and a Top 5 wrestler... yet he’s in NXT? This guy should be the face of WWE.
39. BATISTA
His belly tattoo is the worst.
38. BRAY WYATT
He has probably peaked. Hope he saves his Fiend merch money.
37. REY MYSTERIO JR.
Nash using poor Rey as a dart is still one of my favourite NWO skits.
36. BOOKER T
One of my favourite WCW guys. He had such great athleticism for a heavyweight. Wish he and Benoit worked together more.
THE ALMOST GUYS
What separates this section of wrestlers from the ALL STARS, is that each one of these guys had NUMEROUS big moments. We start to see a clear separation between the groups. Each almost made it as franchise players (or did briefly). Think Matthew McConaughey, or The Killers.
35. EDGE
Never a fan of him and his chicken legs.
34. THE ULTIMATE WARRIOR
God it hurts my soul to have him ranked this high. He was pure garbage.
33. CM PUNK
My least favourite “UFC Fighter”. And I REALLLLLY hate Tito Ortiz.
32. MICK FOLEY
Super Humman before it was cool.
31. ‘ROWDY’ RODDY PIPER
Severely underrated. Played a massive role in making the WWF into a major entertainment force. His career wasn’t what it should’ve been though. The movie ‘They Live’ rules though! He’s a legend that could be Top 50 or Top 20. Difficult to rank. This felt like a good spot.
30. HARLEY RACE
He was a massive territorial star, but his career was winding down once he got to the WWF. He had a giant head and looked like an orange on a toothpick. Think everyone has a drunk uncle that looks exactly like him.
29. JAKE ‘THE SNAKE’ ROBERTS
The ultimate sad story. Such a waste. Should’ve been a top 15 guy. The best nickname of all-time?
28. RICKY STEAMBOAT
27. RICK RUDE
I loved these guys so much. They could make anyone look awesome. They should’ve been much bigger stars. They both were way ahead of their time and severely under appreciated. Neither one was versatile though. Steamboat would forever be a face, and there’s no way Rude could’ve pulled off a face-turn at any point in his career. Ricky was my first favourite wrestler, then as I developed a taste for evil, I grew an instant fondness for Rude.
Rick gets the edge because of his sweet tights and moustache.
THE ELITE STARS
You could build a program around any of these guys. They have all had a serious impact on the business, and this section will be moved around a lot over the next 10 years.
Think Rihanna. She’s not Beyonce... but she’s not far behind.
26. SETH ROLLINS
He’s kind of a tweener. He’s a legit Main Event guy, but you couldn’t build your brand around him. You can build a program around him with anyone sure, but that’s a much different thing than carrying the company. I think they really don’t know what else to do with him. Can they make money off him? How big of a draw is he really? I’m not even sure if he’s peaked already or not. He’s basically the next Orton.
25. ROMAN REIGNS
I enjoy Roman. He doesn’t deserve all the hate. He’s doing great work right now. Still unsure of his ceiling, but I’d guess Top 15. The only guy on this list to go 2-0 against cancer.
24. DANIEL BRYAN
I wish he would leave. He’s probably done all that he’s going to do in the WWE. He would do amazing work in AEW. Bryan had one of the biggest Wrestlemania moments, slightly behind Hogan/Andre in my opinion. They really messed up his comeback. And now he will be relegated to the mid-card.
23. GOLDBERG
Just. The. Worst.
22. SCOTT HALL
21. KEVIN NASH
Kinda had to pair these two together. Obviously, they were super important to WCW’s success... and eventual downfall. Nash got the edge because he’s taller.
20. EDDIE GUERRERO
Of all the guys left, he’s probably the most universally beloved. One of the greatest performers of all time... maybe even the best? Cheat to win!
19. RANDY ORTON
Nothing grinds my gears more than thinking about JBL talking about him. Or really JBL talking about anybody. I should probably write more about Orton... but I won’t.
18. KURT ANGLE
Of all the wrestlers who jumped ship, he made the biggest mistake going to TNA. Shoulda been a Top 10 guy.
17. AJ STYLES
Still think he does more and will climb higher. Who doesn’t love this guy? Always the superb athlete, I think it’s impossible for him to have a bad match. He’s probably the best pure wrestler of all-time. Think he has Top 12 potential. Glad he’s finally settled into a nice hairstyle, although the soccer mom look was pretty good.
16. DUSTY RHODES
All three Rhodes members made the list!
15. BROCK LESNAR
I hope I never see him wrestle again.
FRANCHISE CORNERSTONES
These guys have all cemented their places in Wrestling history. They have all carried a company on their backs and are some of the best in the business. Longevity is a common trait that you will see, as it’s a vital aspect to being considered a GOAT.
Think Kobe Bryant, Dwight Schrute, or Radiohead.
14. BRET ‘THE HITMAN’ HART
The weakest link of the franchise guys, as he carried the promotion during a down time. But that’s not why he’s here, as injuries kept him below these other guys. He was involved in three of the top 5 feuds of all-time, which is his most impressive feat. Maybe the coolest sunglasses of any wrestler... or at least tied with the Macho Man.
13. HHH
Somehow, he snaked his way up this high. Can’t wait for him to be handed the keys from Vince, that’s when things will start becoming watchable. He developed into a great wrestler, and was, in my opinion, the best at telling a story in the ring. Motörhead is terrible.
12. STING
Was the WCW franchise for so long, and was one of my favourite guys. ‘Crow’ Sting was amazing and by far the best part of the Monday Night Wars. Sting vs the Great Muta was my personal favourite feud. He also made the biggest mistake of any wrestler by not going to the WWE earlier. He probably should be in the Undertakers spot.
11. CHRIS JERICHO
Oh god I want to put him in the Top 10 so bad, but I just can’t... yet. Jericho is probably the most versatile performer in history. I could write an entire article on his best comedic bits. It’s amazing that he’s still going strong, so there’s a chance he can still move up.
10. SHAWN MICHAELS
I hate him. Always will. But fuck, can’t keep him out of the Top 10.
9. ANDRE ‘THE GIANT’
Was enormously popular (pun intended). He was one of the reasons that Vince even had a chance to grow the WWF into what it was. Plus, he was maybe the best wrestling actor of all-time... which is really sad.
8. THE UNDERTAKER
The ‘Ace’ that Vince could always play whenever he wanted. He definitely had the most impressive entrance of all-time, which is really the only value he had left at the end. He milked that stupid gimmick to the MAX. He is the standard that every silly gimmick wrestler should try to achieve.
7. ‘MACHO MAN’ RANDY SAVAGE
I can’t say enough great things about him. Even my sister can do a Macho Man impression. An amazing performer, with major crossover appeal. The Macho Man was criminally under-utilized. If you didn’t love the ‘Macho Man’, then you’re a stupid idiot.
MOUNT RUSHMORE (KINDA SORTA)
The cream of the crop. These guys were the very best, and I had a hard time ranking them. I thought Hogan was a clear #1, but any of them can be #2. Wrestling wouldn’t be what it is today without any of them.
I had a hard time narrowing it down to 4 to make a proper ‘Mount Rushmore’, so I am making this a 6 person section. These guys are a step ahead of Macho and his ilk.
Obvious comparisons are Michael Jordan, Michael Scott, and the Beatles.
6. JOHN CENA
I think Cena is clearly in the Top 6, and I might be able to talk you into #2. He more than carried the WWE for a decade plus. As the face of the company, they smartly changed their business to a more “PG” and family friendly model. By doing so, they are now a BILLION dollar corporation. They are one of the biggest “sports” franchises going. It was drastically different when Cena showed up. He transformed the business, and is now a mainstream movie star. Less than the next guy of course, so let’s move on to him...
5. THE ROCK
One of the biggest movie stars and celebrities on the planet. Like Cena, Rocky is a great athlete and above average wrestler. Like Cena, the Rock is quick witted, with the ability to cut a promo like no one else. He’s frankly the best at it. Ever. Although his career was shorter, the heights he hit were higher than almost anyone. He was extremely important during the ‘Monday Night Wars’, which helped pave the way for the WWE to become so successful. Most importantly, his celebrity helped get extra eyes on the product. He could literally be the President in the near future. He’s about as popular as it gets, which always equals to money, and therefore... into impact.
4. BRUNO SAMMARTINO
Admittedly he was pretty much finished by the time I got into wrestling, but there’s no debating his place. He was the entire show for a very long time.
3. STEVE AUSTIN
I can’t see anyone (right now) bumping him from this spot. Austin had arguably the largest fan base, and he probably had the highest peak of anyone. Never a fan of his character, but he was a good wrestler and good mic work. Peak is what’s important here. How many Austin shirts do you think they’ve sold over the years? I’m guessing most of you reading this have one, and if not, you know 40 nerds who do. Injuries shortened his career, which is really the only reason I kept him at number 3. I could easily be talked into #2 (if you bribed me with a Pepsi).
2. RIC FLAIR
There isn’t really much to say about Flair that hasn’t been written a million times. He’s basically the Gold Standard of what being a Professional Wrestler is. EVERYONE loves him. Myself included.
One of the very best wrestlers, he had a feud with literally every big name. Try and narrow down his best matches to 5. Good luck. He was the main attraction for the NWA, WWF, and WCW. He probably has grossed the most gate money for the industry, mostly due to longevity. He was my favourite promo guy, especially as he got more and more ridiculous with age. Extended peak and performance is why he’s in this spot.
1. HULK HOGAN
Hogan is at Number 1 for his overall impact. He peaked twice, which was probably the most impressive part of his career. Not only did he make the WWF into a serious money machine, he did the same thing in WCW as Hollywood Hogan. Those are two MASSIVE peaks. He’s probably made the most total money for wrestling, including gate, merch, PPV buys, etc... But he’s almost solely responsible for the success that everyone has right now. He was the perfect guy to fill that spot, and he came at the perfect time. You can say that he was just a product of super booking, but if you plugged Greg Valentine into his spot, what would’ve happened? Exactly. He’s number one 4 life.