Bah! With that being said, within the boundaries of your criteria, the top spot could not have gone to anyone else, with the possible exception of Cena.

I knew it. This blog is like the real world, if ya marry into the family you get it everything. I guess Shameus didn't make it cause he ain't YOUR workout partner

Love him or hate him, no one can deny what he's done for the business. Good pick for numero uno!

As much as I hate it, it's hard to argue against it. Being in 8 out of 10 world title matches at 'Mania is absurd. I dislike the guy and he's really really annoying, but he's been at the top the whole time.

Maybe next decade will belong to my man Punk...

I would protest number 1 but then it hit me that it made sense Triple H was no. 1. I mean being the husband of the boss' daughter, using that advantage to always put himself with the belt or in the title picture, holding back talent, yeah I can see why he's no. 1.

Have to agree on this criteria but I think the last point is quite telling about HHH. He has put over 4 wrestlers in a decade.

Compare that to HBK, and a number of others and it is clear that HHH would not be here if this was a list composed by active wrestlers!

His personal relationships have a large bearing on his career, but you cant argue with what he has achieved off the back of that.

And isnt the most intriguing part of Raw going to be the heat between HHH and Hitman, at least the other two have sort of apologised/repented....Not Hunter though! Could be fireworks!

Way to sleep your way to the top.

probably one of the most overrated wrestlers but with that being said their cannot be no denying no matter how he is here he has been on top of the top Federation from the beginning to the end of this decade. My only true problem with HHH is that he never wrestled anyone who was not 1 of his close freinds and put him over like Jericho did with the beginning of Cena or Taker really putting over Brock & JBL to look like legit champs. All in all he does deserve it just for the position that he is in he has to always be on his P's & Q's being he is the son n law of the owner of the company granted he did do the booking but noone ever held it against Dusty in the 80's and Verne in the AWA. or Lawler in memphis. My top 10 would be:

1. HHH
2. The Undertaker
3. Jeff Jarrett
4. John Cena
5. Kurt Angle
6. Edge
7. Randy Orton
8. Shawn Micheals
9. The Rock
10. Chris Jericho

That being said did you see the Impact show last night they showed the Styles/Sting Match I thought it was horrible I wondering if you saw it how you felt about it since you haven't written anything about TNA in weeks

I can´t argue too much against your list.
The only thing that really bothers me: I miss Jeff Hardy (in the WWE as well, btw.) I know there are only 10 places and I wouldn´t have ranked him higher than 10th or 9th but he should be in. His 1st World title win (even though it happened on a minor PPV) was such a feel good moment. And at least he had what Cena I think will never have: 100% support of the fans.

I could bitch and moan about Triple H and his power backstage, or how he should relinquish his main event place, or how complacent and monotonous he has become in the ring…but at the end of the day HHH had to be first according to the criteria for the rankings. He is the most consistent main eventer of this decade, has won many world titles, had memorable feuds and been on top for the whole decade. No one else could be number one…and whether or not he deserves it, it’s impossible to say he hasn’t had the biggest impact on wrestling this decade.

Thanks for the great list Kev, and hope you have a great New year.

Excellent countdown. I agree 100%. By the way, the photo of Triple H isn't attributed.

Was the wrestler of the decade, but that was mainly due to Vince being his father in law. Will never be in the same league as The Rock, Stone Cold, HBK, Flair or Jericho to name a few. I think overall the people in your list was fair enough all though I disagree with some of the position's. Except for one. If The Rock made your list, then Stone Cold had to has well, They both wrestled roughly for the same length of time in the last decade and Stone Cold was on the same level as The Rock as a wrestler. Batista out of the top 10, Stone Cold in.

Cena was already a megastar when they feuded, He buried Angle in their feud in '00. Buried Jericho and Rvd in '02. Buried Booker T in '03. Did nothing but hurt Orton after the '04 summerslam and in '05. Buried the tag division in '06 did not help Miz and Morrison in their shortlived feud with DX didn't do much for Rated RKO in '06. Totally buried the young guys on Smackdown in '08. Cena turned Orton into a megastar not HHH. The Rock was the top guy in '00 HHH had him Foley, Undertaker and others to play off of. He's been the top guy since '02 and ppv buys are down attendance down and ratings are down. He is one of the worst draws ever considering no wrestler in history was pushed harder.

so sheamus has a good chance of being the wrestling of this new decade then eh? I mean depending of how many guys he's gonna bury.

this is like rating Greg Gagne as the top star of the AWA.

could you big a bigger shill for HHH? Wow. why not mention how business has been way down since he became the top guy??

Probably not a popular choice, but the correct one. Plus, he gets to go home with/to Stephanie McMahon.

i hate cena but he's been a far bigger star this decade than the son in law who has buried pretty much everyone hes feuded with.

no styles on the list? the guy that TNA was built on and HHH being #1 on the list is a joke. he hasnt drawn money since 2000 yet is still on top.

Gotta disagree here, even though I am a fan. I think Cena is the clear #1.
Now if this were a list of the WORST WrestleMania performers he is clearly #1.
Overall good post and putting HBK at #4 was a good call, but HHH over Cena is questionable at best.

It's all about The Game

Eck, your about to get alot of people bitching about Triple H been Number 1 on ya list. Let the hate begin

You forgot to add something, Kevin...
Slept with and married Vince McMahon's daughter Stephanie.

I'd have to agree with you, although I wish I didn't have too! Thanks for the countdown Mr. Eck, get ready for the angry fanboy backlash now!

In the comments on the HBK post, somebody said this:

"Kevin, wouldn't it be cool if all the people who are so quick to jump on you for your rankings took the time to list their own Top 10 along with their justifications?"

I thought I would accept that challenge.

So here is a list of the ten wrestlers I have considered the most entertaining whom I've seen over the last decade. Entertaining in the ring, entertaining on the mic, or both. Ones that have been fun to watch, in addition to being reasonably successful. This is purely subjective on my part and your mileage may vary. Six of them are also on Kevin's list. Four of them aren't.

In no particular order, they are:

-Mick Foley
-The Rock
-Chris Jericho
-Jeff Hardy
-HBK
-Edge
-Rob Van Dam
-Randy Orton
-Kurt Angle
-Eddie Guerrero

Yeah right... He helped elevate Benoit.. Seriously, do you think that way???

Anyways I totally agree that only HHH could have been the wrestler of the decade. No wonder, fans call it the worst decade in prowrestling history.

RESPONSE FROM KE: He absolutely elevated Benoit. Tapped out to him at WrestleMania XX. Also lost to him on a subsequent PPV match. He never beat Benoit for the title; Orton beat Benoit, and Triple H beat Orton.

THANK GOD TRIPLE H IS NUMBER IS NO 1 BUT WHAT ABOUT STONE COLD STEVE AUSTIN HE BEEN WWE SINCE 2000 TO 2004 AND HE CAME SO MANY TIME PLEASE KEVIN TELL ME WHY?

Kev I would really have to disagree with you on HHH elevating superstars by the time HHH wrestled Cena & Beniot they were already established stars Cena being already world champion & beniot established for winning every title in the company but the world title and is probably in the class of a Curt Hennig, Rick Rude, roddy Piper who never really needed the Title to get over it's just nice to have. I thik orton's wars with Cena got him more over than his wars with HHH if you ask me it set him back about a year and I really think he was considered on the main event level to he started teaming up with Edge, also to follow on until Cena started wrestling HHH thats when people started to boo him before then he was universally loved.

I would have to agree with this selection based on the criteria used. He has been booked in most of the big and 2nd biggest angles throughout the decade for the WWE.

This is Crap, and your list is woefully WRONG.

He's a 13 time Champion, not 11.

He wasn't active the entire decade, he blew BOTH Quads, in 2001 and was out until 2002 and then in 2006 and didn't return until 2007.

Where's the part about his burials of better talent? Or the part about Shawn Michaels being SUPERIOR in EVERY way?

RESPONSE FROM KE: Dude, it's wrestler of the decade, OK? Triple H won 11 world titles THIS DECADE. He won the other two in 1999. When I said that he and Undertaker were active the entire decade, I should have been clearer. I meant that they never left the company or the business. Yes, they both were off TV at various times due to injury, but they still were part of the company.

What about AJ Styles? He should have been at least number 10 in that list. Just to represent TNA because they deserve at least one spot.

RESPONSE FROM KE: Kurt Ange has been with TNA since 2006. He's on the list, so TNA has the one spot you say they deserve. With all due respect to Styles, he was not (in my opinion) nearly as big a star as anyone on the list.

Love him or hate him, no one can deny what he's done for the business. Good pick for numero uno!

Posted by: AJ | January 1, 2010 12:22 PM

nothing good really.

Ten years after he is retired far fewer people will remember anything HHH did in his career than any of the other people on this list.

HHH may have taken the heel route to the title, but it doesn't mean he doesn't get the title. I am one of the biggest detractors from Mr. Paul Levesque, but he is unquestionably the top guy as far as Kevin's kayfabe standards.

What about Chris Benoit? LOLOL

I hate this because it's right. Cena was the only guy that came close. But what can I say the guy has achieved so much in a decade. I can't stand him and think he is on the same level as Hogan. What's funny is that the more I think of it HHH is a lot like Hogan. Cena definitley fits the description more but lacks the ego. HHH on the other hand would bury his own kid if they were wrestling at the same time.

I guess it's difficult to accept, that Triple H was pushed long before he became the husband of Steph and thus the son-in-law of Vince McMahon.

You can argue about a lot of things, but not about Triple H as the Number one of the first decade of the 21st century.

Great job on your countdown. I'd put Orton a bit higher, but other than that I have to agree with your TopTen.

Yes, Triple H was on top for the entire decade, and that goes a long way to explain why long-time wrestling fans such as myself have tuned out. The guy is just not likable and you don't "love to hate him" like you do with a great heel. You know that the only reason that he's on top is because he's the bosses son-in-law.

Vince buying out WCW and Triple H marrying Stephanie were the two deathblows that ruined wrestling, IMO. 10 years ago I would spend my Monday nights flipping back between Raw and Nitro. Now I spend them watching Two and a Half Men and The Big Bang Theory. Vince and Triple H have ruined wrestling as we knew it.

I love how everybody says he only is at the top because he married the boss' daughter. Did any of you even watch before he married Steph? He was a top guy then. He didn't even start dating Steph until the storyline ended with the McMahon-Helmsley era. A lot of you really like to re-write history.

This list, like other similar lists, is subjective. They are fun to read and generally lead to discussion and differences of opinion which the list maker no doubt expects and is prepared for. But, why do some find it necessary to insult the list maker just because they don't agree with the list?

Kevin, didn't HHH rip his quad twice during this time or is my timeline a little off?

RESPONSE FROM KE: Yes, he did.

Ummm....is there something wrong with his picture?

The WWE is a boring place without HHH. Even Steve Austin got stale. Sorry folks.

"Cena got him more over than his wars with HHH if you ask me it set him back about a year and I really think he was considered on the main event level to he started teaming up with Edge, also to follow on until Cena started wrestling HHH thats when people started to boo him before then he was universally loved"

Have to disagree with that. Cena started to get bored with his feuds against Jericho and Angle. What annoyed me was supposedly HHH was claiming that Angle was a poor heel for not getting boos against Cena but he ended up doing the same thing. Both him and Angle ended up turning face after Cena. Only person who didn't - the best heel - Edge.

But don't forget HHH helped put over Batista, but then again he is responsible for 2 of the worst Wrestlemania main-events of the decade so there's food for thought.

I hate to say it but I agree with this choice, HHH is the only possible no 1. In terms of influence and titles no-one else even comes close. Also you left Jeff Hardy off the list of guys he helped elevate. Before his program with HHH a couple of years back Jeff was a popular midcarder, afterwards he was a genuine main event star. BTW, any word on Jeff's legal troubles?

Love Him or Hate Him - we should all agree to disagree (LOL) - but I'm thrilled and agree that Triple H is # 1. He has quite a list of accomplishments and people need to remember that he worked quite hard and gave 110% of himself prior to being involved with/marrying Stephanie .... He may not have the whatever that Randy Orton and some of them have but remember, he's now 10 years older than them, but he's still got it... Great picks Kevin. Happy New Year and I know you had a great time watching the winning Ravens this past weekend.

Next time you do any sort of list, maybe you could include a bullet point for what the detractors would say(regardless of whether it's #10 or #1). Then they'll feel less inclined to point it out in subsequent comments (they still will, but they'll feel less inclined -- and it won't be phrased in "did you know?" format).

I guess Sheamus will win it next decade, as long as he doesn't change work out partners.

There were too many times during the decade when HHH was out-of-sight and out-of-mind. Also, number of title reigns is the most ridiculous statistic you could possibly use. WWE (and TNA) has had their share of periods with rapid-fire title changes and other times where titles were given due to planned booking getting scrapped because of injuries/suspensions of other wrestlers. Many of HHH's reigns lasted less than a month (one lasted only a couple of hours, I believe). The WWE title belt that is used today is still that stupid spinner belt they created FOR CENA (albeit, it no longer spins). That title reign lasted almost a year and he carried the company squarely on his shoulders for the entirety of 2005.

Cena has been the face of the company for the majority of this decade. He starred in his own movie, the only others to do so were Austin, Kane and DiBiase (HHH only had a small part in Blade 2). He's made more main-stream appearances than any other WWE employee.

RESPONSE FROM KE: I agree that number of title reigns means less and less, but it does show that you are consistenly in the main even picture.As far as being out of sight, out of mind. Cena also has missed time due to injury. The main reason I went with HHH over Cena is longevity. HHH was on top at the beginning of the decade and stayed there. He and Taker are the lone survivors of the Attitude Era main eventers. Cena didn't really hit his stride until 2004 or 2005.

Kevin! You interviewed both The Rock and Triple H in the past. Did you get any negative vibes from Triple H since you are a a big wrestling fan and write columns on all the different shows? Basically what I am asking is who were you more comfortable interviewing?

RESPONSE FROM KE: The two times I intervewed Triple H were before I started this blog, so I had not critiqued him or the shows. He was very professional and gave thoughtful answers. The Rock was always great to interview -- very accommodating.

Also I have a lot of respect for Triple H and not one of those people who think Triple H is only at the top because of his marriage to Stephanie McMahon. You can tell he loves the business and I don't know if anyone noticed but Triple H might of surpassed Hulk Hogan in terms of being in the most World Title matches at Wrestlemania.

JBL JBL
Forever remebered, an underated champion