Since he's returned with that gimmick, he has taken numerous breaks to heal injuries, with the last couple of years leading to even less activity. In all, he was a three-time Intercontinental Champion while also winning tag team gold with Diesel. That list is titled WWE right? He returned in 2001 and was inserted into the Alliance storyline before being a part of the Hardcore Division for much of 2002. Reasons why he's on my list: Piper debuted in the WWE in 1984 on the back of years in the NWA using the gimmick of a Scotsman, although he was Canadian. For the better part of seven decades, Moolahs modus operandi was to win at any and all costs. Reasons why he's on my list: If it was wrong to have Bruno Sammartino at 24, it was even worse to have Hulk Hogan at 23, considering he was the man responsible for the first boom in wrestling. He began feuding with Randy Savage for the Intercontinental Championship, which he won at WrestleMania III in a match that is widely considered to be the best ever. He did win the Intercontinental Championship in that match and won that title twice in his career. A member of the famous Anoa'i wrestling family, he will be inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2012 by his cousin, The Rock. He went on a 15-year winning streak in the WWE until WrestleMania III. 6 of 25. During his unpredictable segment, The Rowdy Scot forcefully clipped the hair of little person grappler The Haiti Kid and, most infamously, cracked a coconut over Jimmy Snukas head and then smushed a banana in Superflys maw. I know nobody is going to agree entirely with my list, but I feel it is at least a bit more accurate than the WWE's. Publisher. Find out in our exclusive interview with "Rowdy" Roddy Piper. Fast forward eight years to the night after WrestleMania XXVIII, John Cena was still reeling from his loss to The Rock the night before when Lesnar made his shocking return to WWE. ?," take a moment to read the guidelines the WWEClassics.com team followed when compiling this list. Dont blame the IED. Teams were rated only on their accomplishments while in WWE, so the achievements of The Steiners in the NWA had no bearing on their placement (or lack thereof) here. It was Muraco who trapped The Hulkster in the corner and allowed King Kong Bundy to splash Hogan until his ribs buckled. WWE: The Top 50 Superstars of All Time [DVD] [2010] SKU: 4592236 . He was still inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2004, though he's stated that he doesn't want to be in a Hall of Fame that includes Abdullah the Butcher. In 2002, Charlie Haas and Shelton Benjamin debuted as protgs of Kurt Angle. He won the 1998 Royal Rumble and beat Shawn Michaels for his first WWE Championship at WrestleMania. He often sold out Madison Square Garden with Sammartino and, in 1976, became a Tag Team competitor winning the title once. He briefly returned to the WWE in 1991 as The Dragon, which was a terrible gimmick (he breathed fire). He will surely be in the Hall of Fame and hopefully will return for one final run. He received a reasonable push upon his return, but was fired in May due to an incident where he fought with Brock Lesnar on a plane back from Europe. Sammartino is the biggest draw in Madison Square Garden wrestling history. After being sorely used in WCW, he went to ECW, where he caught the attention of the WWE. Lou Albano that The Headshrinkers finally found success, defeating The Quebecers to become the second generation of Samoan champions. Watch every Premium Live Event and get unlimited access to WWE's premium content - available to you anywhere, anytime, on any device. However, the true magic of the team came when they joined forces with Bobby The Brain Heenan, arguably the greatest manager to ever live. Andre stormed out of his ceremony, and the next time he appeared on TV, he had Bobby Heenan by his side. Lou Albano, the Samoans manager, accidentally smashed Afa with a wooden chair while aiming for Atlas. In his later career, he continued to be a big draw for the WWE and managed his son David. Sarge could be vicious, as he displayed in his landmark 1981 Alley Fight against Pat Patterson in Madison Square Garden, but he became abhorred in 1991 when he turned his back on the U.S. and outed himself as an Iraqi sympathizer. He had a legendary feud with Shawn Michaels and won three World titles, while also forming a good tag team with Big Show before becoming a veteran who put people over in 2010 before leaving. He surprisingly beat Bret Hart for the WWE Championship in November of 1994, only to drop it a couple of days later to Diesel. Moolah won the Womens World Title in 1956 and used every dirty trick in the book to retain it for the next 28 years. He has suffered many injuries over the years which have led to retirement rumors. And then there was Sunny. The Rock, "Stone Cold" Steve Austin, John Cena, Triple H, Hulk Hogan and countless others have, at one point or another, taken their talents to WWE's blue brand. He didnt care, though, as it paid off in the ring. "The Million Dollar Man" Ted DiBiase was the one percent before there was a one percent. NOTE: Batista was originally number 19 on my list but due to a lot of negative feedback to his place on the list I decided to push him back a few places. The Rock N Sock Connectionmay have started off rocky, but the years have not dimmed the strange, mutual respect between The Great One and The Hardcore Legend. Upon his victories, Race forced his fallen opponents to bow before him and acknowledge his superiority. The Best Wrestlers Who Have Signed With AEW. They were a nightmare, a pair of Roddy Pipers in press-on nails who toted around a bifurcated Divas Championship as if it was their very own tag title. Long regarded as one of the best wrestlers in the world, Styles has headlined numerous pay-per-view events internationally. Tearing his quadriceps the thigh muscle which is the largest muscle in ones body off the bone and still finishing the match proved that The Game was a rare athlete with bona fide grit. Oooh yeah. Born Lillian Ellison in Columbia, S.C., Moolah exuded a Southern Belle charm to everyone she encountered except when she competed in the ring, where her persona was the exact opposite. Looking as if Michelangelo chiseled him from marble, Rude oozed machismo and backed it up with impressive agility inside the squared circle. 2000, the duo was unable to regain their control over the tag division. The list of the 50 all-time greatest WWE Superstars has diehard wrestling fans up in arms about the mysterious criteria by which the honorees were selected. But all that served to make Funk strangely endearing, not villainous. JIM ROSS, July 7, 1996, is a day that will forever live in sports-entertainment infamy. Their first WWE Tag Team Championship reign came at Survivor Series 2002 in a Triple Threat Match when Eddie Guerrero made Rey Mysterio tap out to the Lasso from El Paso. A couple of weeks later, he was caught with drugs, which led to him dropping both titles and leaving in 2007. Every Champions League knockout team ever. One problem: "The Eighth Wonder of the Worlds" trophy paled in comparison to a trophy Hogan received to honor his three-year WWE Title reign. He quickly began to pursue the Intercontinental Championship, and beat Tito Santana for the title in late 1985. In the late 1990s, Hogan began to become a problem for the WWE, as his ego had spun out of control and everything ended up coming back to him. Psychologically, "The Snake" was even more dangerous as he used mind games to cripple foes like Ultimate Warrior. Ax and Smash, bruisers in their own right, had trouble overpowering the mighty beasts who busted scales at a combined 618 pounds. H.F. Perfect was a constant thorn in the side of WWE Champion Hulk Hogan. Their aerial acrobatics took the WWE Universe by storm and would pave the way for future high-flyers like Rey Mysterio. Undertaker is thought by many to be the the best in-ring competitor out of big guys in WWE history, mixing technical wrestling with powerful wrestling, and also adding a bit of high-flying, which was very uncharacteristic for a man his size. He debuted in the WWE in 1985 and became one of the top faces in the company feuding with Jake Roberts and Don Muraco. After eight years apart, the band got back together in 2006. He had feuds with Diesel, Undertaker, Sid and Hart over the title and turned heel again in 1997 during a year long feud with Bret Hart that culminated in the Montreal Screwjob at Survivor Series, where Michaels won his third and final WWE Championship. His final match was the final of his WrestleMania trilogy with The Rock at XIX. Behind the scenes, Flair began negotiating with WCW again and left the WWE in February 1993 to join them. Reasons why he's on my list: I was surprised when the list came and Paul Orndorff wasn't on it. Three decades removed and WWE fans are still shocked by Pipers actions. What kind of egomaniacal monster would have his own daughter kidnapped and offered up as a sacrifice to The Ministry of Darkness? Together, Mankind and The Rock should have mixed like water and vinegar, but when they teamed as The Rock N Sock Connection, they made magic instead, winning the WWE Tag Team Championships in their very first match. twitter. Dressed for pure brutality with spiked ring gear and outrageous face paint, the intimidating duo captured the World Tag Team Championships a total of three times including the single longest tag title reign in WWE history of more than 470 days. In early 2010 he returned to TV and has since made a dozen appearances. Foley is a wrestler all his own - a unique type of in-ring talent who defied many doubters and became a three-time WWE Champion. He was a major player for the rest of his first run with the company, but never quite reached his goal. From the moment he stepped on American soil in the 1960s, the Syrian madman introduced a brand of hardcore carnage that had been unseen in the squared circle. Sammartino has been very vocal about the direction the business has taken since he left the company, and he has flat out refused to be inducted into the Hall of Fame. In 2005, Edge became the first Money in the Bank winner at WrestleMania 21, creating an opportunity that would define his career. However, Demolition regained the titles in 1990 at WrestleMania VI, with the after effect being that Heenan and Haku blamed Andre for the loss, and turned on him. Rock is a former professional wrestler. K.P. He ended up as a two-time Intercontinental Championship. actor, and former American football player. Although they never held the championships, the massive duo racked up countless victories as they made life painful for many, many teams until the two monsters split up in 1990. R.M. Vader steamrolled The Stinger on multiple occasions, including a vicious White Castle of Fear Strap Match. Though he was a technical mastermind, Harley Race was never afraid to get dirty in order to get the duke. Andre was well known for winning Battle Royale matches. Christian became jealous and they began feuding with each other, which led to a full-fledged face turn for Edge. Following this, he turned face once again, reforming his Tag Team with The Big Show that once again won Tag Team gold. Under the tutelage of fellow third-generation Superstar Randy Orton, Rhodes & DiBiase were truly a young and hungry force to be reckoned with. Lay-Cool weren't just attitude, though. Sign up for Peacock to watch. He returned at WrestleMania XII in 1996, squashing Triple H, but his return wasn't well received as the WWE fans weren't buying into the Warrior anymore. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1995. 5.0 (1 Review) Courtesy of WWE. He had a controversial WWE title run, as it officially lasted nearly six years, but Antonio Inoki and Greg Valentine won the title in unofficial matches. Suddenly, the globes most beloved performer became WWEs most hated Superstar. Z.L. The Iron Sheik was easily the most recognizable villain of his era. He moved to Smackdown and became synonymous with the brand. Roberts was always effective, but few could deny that he went too far. People dont necessarily understand how legendary Earthquake was, but he was an undefeated sumo wrestler and an undefeated Canadian amateur wrestler. But he wasnt all talk The King employed foreign objects like a steel chain to win matches, often assisted by his managers Sam Bass and Jimmy Hart. the only pairing in history to win tag team titles in the three promotions that dominated sports-entertainment in the 1980s: AWA, NWA and WWE. Guys like Nick Bockwinkel or Jack Brisco never wrestled for the WWE, while Dusty Rhodes, Harley Race, Dory Funk, Jr. and Terry Funk had terrible runs in the WWE. Reasons why he's on my list: Rogers was the top star of the WWE in the 1950's when it was still an NWA territory, using the heel "Nature Boy" gimmick which, as we know, would be copied years later. Mark Henry. Toni Storm. By the end of his career, it was hard to tell where Jake ended and "The Snake" began. He started a heel singles run with Sensational Sherri as his valet and created the nickname "The Heartbreak Kid." Slaughter. As a manager, Sherri was most closely associated with Macho King Randy Savage, "The Million Dollar Man" Ted DiBiase, Ric Flair and Shawn Michaels. Much more than an attempt to hide Naitchs unmistakable bleached blond locks, Funks ambush was a (thankfully) unsuccessful attempt to suffocate the champion. Savage returned to the ring in late 1991 and defeated Roberts. In fact, his earliest villainous acts werent even inside the squared circle they came from behind a suit, a tie and a corporate desk. The Top-10 Greatest WWE Wrestlers Of All-Time Ranked in 2020. Prior to this, every heel champion had short title reigns. He ditched Bobby The Brain Heenan and joined forces with The Hulkster. Reasons why he's on my list: Stone Cold Steve Austin isn't just the biggest star in WWE history, he's the biggest star in wrestling history. The most dominant tag team in sports-entertainment history, WWE Hall of Famers The Road Warriors made their WWE debut in 1990 as the Legion of Doom. Few other villains can say the same. He returned to the WWE in 1978 as a face manager and part-time wrestler. Perfect was, well, perfect at it. And with The Big Red Machine in his corner, Pac found the nerve to face down massive opponents like The Unholy Alliance and The APA. If seizing opportunities no matter the circumstances is a characteristic of a true villain, then no Superstar in history lives up to that principle more than Edge. And while the Foundations familial bonds should have given them the advantage, the champs were blown away by the aptitude of Santana and Martel, leading to the crowning of new champions. However, that was very much the case with Kevin Sullivan. They returned tag team wrestling to the main event spotlight, dominating pairs including the McMahons, Rated-RKO and Legacy. In short, he returned under a biker gimmick known as The American Bad Ass. Morales was a hugely popular champion due to the Puerto Rican population in the North East. Due to problems with the AWA, he joined the WWE again and debuted in late 1983. In 2006, despite still being pushed as a top guy, he grew agitated with what the WWE was giving him and in August he asked for his release and went to TNA. K.P. Angle made his name in 1996 after winning a Gold Medal at the Olympics in Freestyle Wrestling. It began when WWE, in recognition of the giants 15-year undefeated streak, presented Andre with a trophy. Although they were dismissed early as clones of The Road Warriors, the brutes from Parts Unknown made their reputation of pure destruction against elite combination that included The Hart Foundation, The Rockers, The British Bulldogs and The Brain Busters. After debuting in WWE in 1985, Savage introduced the lovely Miss Elizabeth, but Macho often shielded his beautiful manager from the bright lights of stardom, much to the dismay of WWE fans. But hes built a hell of a lot of equity as a malicious specter who haunts sports-entertainment and, for years, cast a tall, dark shadow over WWE. Greatest 50 WWE Superstars of all time. No one was safe from Punk, who harassed Rey Mysterios young children, and momentarily took the 2010 Royal Rumble Match hostage. There's an influx of current superstars on this list that probably wouldn't find a place on a list not solely made to sell a DVD set. Randal Keith Orton (born April 1, 1980) is an American professional wrestler and actor who is signed to WWE, where he performs on the Raw brand but is currently out of action due to a back injury. He squared off with The Rock at WrestleMania in one of the biggest matches ever and turned face. Angle was adaptable as both a heel and a face; he was the all-round package. Wonderful Paul Orndorff had a change of heart. When he does retire, he is surely a candidate for the Hall of Fame. Kamala the Ugandan Giant, Umaga and The Missing Link all made their mark. He deserves a spot in the Hall of Fame, but unfortunately I think he will be a posthumous inductee. SmackDown results, Oct. 28, 2022: Who is the mysterious Uncle Howdy that interrupted Bray Wyatt? They parted ways not long afterward, ending a successful but very brief association. Price Match Guarantee. Shawn Michaels 2. The roughneck Windham could slug it out, toe-to-toe, even early on in his career, while Rotundos mat game always charted among the sports most elite grapplers. 4. Standout wins include victories over The Dream Team, Don Muraco and Bob Orton Jr. and The Hart Foundation. In the following years, however, Races arrogance soared to new heights. Its a dangerous occupation for the competitors and managers who have been insulted, stabbed and, on more than one occasion, shot at by the fans. It was a boastful moniker, but the duo often lived up to it as they recaptured the WWE Tag Team Titles and battled serious competition like The APA, Too Cool and Rey Mysterio & Billy Kidman. His feud with Hogan was one of the best of the 80's and it was the focal point of the Main Event of the first WrestleMania as he teamed with Roddy Piper in a losing effort to Hogan and A-Team star Mr. T. Following WrestleMania, he turned face and aligned himself with former-rival Hogan. KEVIN POWERS. It was not long before the U.S. Express who entered arenas to Bruce Springsteens Born in the U.S.A. in between briefly co-opting Hulk Hogans Real American theme developed one of WWEs largest followings. After losing it and failing the regain it, he turned heel and feuded with Rey Mysterio, followed by a feud with Batista in the Autumn, which led to him turning face again. He signed for the WWE in 1970 and was quickly pushed as the number two babyface. Up with impressive agility inside the squared circle nickname `` the Heartbreak Kid. quickly began to pursue the Championship. From Punk, who harassed Rey Mysterios young children, and beat Shawn for. And has since made a dozen appearances the duke made their mark reckoned with soared to new.! An undefeated sumo wrestler and an undefeated Canadian amateur wrestler chiseled him from,... Their mark, Edge became the first Money in the World, has... 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