*gasp*

Angle was my #1 guy when I did my list. This was a shock to me. My #1 and #2 are #5 and #6 on yours.

My list is:

1) Kurt Angle
2) Edge
3) AJ Styles
4) John Cena
5) Shawn Michaels
6) Randy Orton
7) Chris Jericho
8) Triple H
9) Dave Batista
10) Jeff Hardy

I'm looking forward to the rest.

I love the fact that Kurt Angle wrestled for all four brands in 2006...
He started the year on the RAW roster, and then he quickly shifted over to Smackdown! winning the World Heavyweight championship in a baltte royal. After losing the title at WM22, he was drafted to ECW by Paul Heyman, and then shortly after SummerSlam, he was released from WWE altogether, which prompted TNA to quickly pick him up and he made his first appearance there about a month later.

Would have Kurt in the top 3, Interesting who your top 4 is going to be. Will HBK be in there?. I don't think he can be Kev. My top 4 of the wrestlers that are left would be

4 Stone cold
3 Undertaker
2 Cena
1 HHH (unfortunately, the guy is all about himself but given your criteria he has to be no1)

Don't forget that he was alledgely dating Baltimore's own Robin Quivers.

RESPONSE FROM KE: I thought she turned him down.

Kurt is a great in-ring performer, but given his several off-the-ring problems - including getting fired from WWE, in my mind, he's clearly below Edge and Jericho - who are far more entertaining. When healthy, Edge was the top guy in the business, imo.

I'm biased; Kurt has always been one of my favorites ever since he debuted (just typing this sentence reminds me of how much I used to mark out when his old WWF/E music hit...so much better than his current music). Setting that aside and trying use your criteria, I'd still like to say he deserves to be in the top three. It's a tough to say, though, who to bump out of the four guys you likely have left (HHH, 'Taker, HBK, and Cena, in no particular order). I'd probably say HBK (sorry, Kev). Angle easily has as much or more star power (maybe not within the "WWE Universe" but definitely in the mainstream--a gold medal is a big deal). Angle has also been a main eventer for the vast majority of the decade. Of course, HBK is also a potential main eventer but he definitely spent less time in a world title picture than Angle this decade.

My post is running long, but I haven't posted my list yet so I guess I might as well. My order would be:

1. HHH - Booked the strongest this decade by far. One of the faces of the company for the whole decade (in the sense that he was a very visible star, not that he was always a good guy)
2. Cena - Biggest mainstream star to rise this decade (unless you count The Rock, which I don't since he was well on his way in '98 and '99) and headlined tons of PPVs
3. Angle - see above
4. Undertaker - "The Streak" has become a huge attraction, especially in the last few years. 'Taker is obviously in the WWE top-tier booking and performance-wise, the only thing I can say against him is that he is obviously slowing down and his brilliant stretches (like 2009 up to WM25) are sometimes followed by time off (like mid-2009) and/or below average streches (like his current title rein).
5. HBK - Has been in many great, high-profile matches.
6. Edge - Rose through the ranks the first half of decade and has been main eventer since. Great in the ring, held tons of titles, exciting character.
7. Jeff Hardy - Extremely popular. Limited time in the main event scene, but made the most of it with first title win being a big moment for himself and the fans. Feud with CM Punk was a classic.
8. Rey Mysterio - More or less the same reasons as Hardy: limited time as a main eventer but very popular
9. AJ Styles - the biggest star made in TNA. Though he's popular with the TNA faithful, he hasn't really broken through as a true mega-star yet and TNA booking could have treated him better. Still, he is definitely one of the best in-ring performers of the decade and often steals the show.
10. Jericho - a personal favorite but he went back and forth between main-eventer and mid-card. Possibly the best on the mic this decade.

Man, it's easy to pick who you like in general, but actually picking spots can be real tough. Thanks for posting these lists and opening yourself up to the inevitable nitpicking, Kev. After all, the debate is what makes lists fun.

Didn't angle used to have 12X on his tights for the amount of world titles he won? Anyone know what the other 3 championships are supposed to be. I assume he counts the IWGP belt as well and the gold medals he won. Any thoughts if that's the case?

Hornswaggle is easily the number 1 guy!

you forgot to list that Kurt won a New Japan World Title which i would hope made him higher on the list because he won championship in 3 different organizations in this decade on rwo different continents for 2 different nations.

RESPONSE FROM KE: I didn't forget it but I kept the list to American-based companies, so that's why I didn't mention it. It wouldn't have changed his ranking anyway.

Kurt Angle would definitely have to be the best "wrestler" of the decade if you go by the pure definition of wrestler. Great mat technician, awesome brawler, excellent mic skills, can deliver as a heel or a face, even did some high flying in his prime. Knows how to sell a story on the mic or in a match. I'd have a difficult time picking four guys who offered more than that the last ten years.

He may be held together with chewing gum, duct tape, and tooth picks, and he may be batsh-- insane, but the man can entertain like few before him.