Top 50 wrestling stars countdown: Nos. 11-20
20. TRIPLE H – He’s been one of the industry’s biggest stars for well over a decade. In addition to being a 13-time world champion, Triple H has participated in world title matches at eight WrestleManias and was on top during WWE’s peak year of 2000. He also was a member of DX, one of the most famous factions of all time.
19. RANDY SAVAGE – The colorful and intense “Macho Man” was one of the most recognizable performers of the ’80s and ’90s. He worked memorable programs on the big stage with the likes of Hulk Hogan and Ric Flair, and his WrestleMania III match against Ricky Steamboat is considered by many to be the greatest in the history of the marquee event.
18. JACK BRISCO – A national amateur wrestling champion at Oklahoma State, the two-time NWA world champion was one of the top stars of the ’70s. He also formed a highly successful tag team with his brother, Jerry.
17. DORY FUNK JR. – He held the NWA world title from 1969 to 1973, the second-longest reign in the history of the promotion. As champion, he and Jack Brisco engaged in a classic series of matches that included a number of one-hour draws.
16. FRED BLASSIE – The man who coined the term “pencil-neck geek” was among the vilest villains ever and one of wrestling’s biggest names from the ’50s to the ’70s. He was a top draw in several territories and was especially huge on the West Coast, where he became the area’s top babyface after years as a heel.
15. RODDY PIPER – He was Hulk Hogan’s main rival in the WWF during wrestling’s boom period in the mid ’80s. Prior to that, Piper was a top star in various NWA territories. Regarded as one of wrestling’s best heels, he also achieved huge success as a babyface. His “Piper’s Pit” segments were ground-breaking, and the one in which he smashed a coconut over Jimmy Snuka’s head is still talked about more than 25 years later.
14. DUSTY RHODES – The charismatic “American Dream” was one of the leading babyfaces of the ’70s and ’80s. He was a big draw everywhere he went, and at one point in the late ’70s he was a top star in the WWWF and NWA simultaneously.
13. THE UNDERTAKER – “The Dead Man’s” 20-year run as a major star in WWE has been nothing short of phenomenal. One of wrestling’s all-time great big men, his undefeated streak at WrestleMania has become a key element of WWE’s signature event.
12. SHAWN MICHAELS – Perhaps the best all-around performer in the history of the business, his high-flying style and bump-taking ability influenced a generation of wrestlers. He earned the moniker of “Mr. WrestleMania” for his show-stopping performances on the grand stage. Michaels also was a member of the incredibly popular DX, and he participated in perhaps the most controversial match of all time (the Montreal Screwjob in 1997).
11. ANTONINO ROCCA – Having introduced high-flying maneuvers into wrestling, he is among the most influential performers of all time. With a unique style in which his bare feet were used as weapons, Rocca was one of the key figures in wrestling’s popularity surge during the early days of television. Especially popular in the Northeast, he was a top draw all over the country in the ’50s, and his fame went beyond wrestling into the mainstream.
I will count down the top 50 wrestling stars of all time every day through Friday.
To view the entire list, click here.
To view a photo gallery of the countdown, click here.
As a reminder, here are the criteria I used for the list:
• Success as a main event performer. That, of course, is measured in different ways, depending on the era. In the territorial days, it was all about putting butts in seats. Nowadays, pay-per-view buy rates, TV ratings and merchandise sales are the measuring sticks. Also, wrestlers who were on top when the wrestling industry was hot received more credit than those who were on top when the industry was not as popular. Being a world champion carried weight in the rankings, but it was not a prerequisite.
• Longevity and impact. The longer a wrestler headlined, the higher he’ll be on the list. However, wrestlers who had fewer years on top but still made a huge impact also were recognized for their achievements. Wrestlers who are still active were judged by what they have accomplished to this point.
• Influence. Wrestlers who broke new ground and influenced those who came after them were given “extra credit.” The same goes for wrestlers who transcended the business and became crossover celebrities.
Categories: Top 50 wrestling stars of all time
Comments
Well, with Taker and HBK this low the top ten should be interesting! Looking forward to the rest.
Posted by: Clint | December 30, 2010 9:30 PM
Brisco was a National Champion at Oklahoma State University not Oklahoma University.
RESPONSE FROM KE: Absolutely right. Thanks for the alert.
Posted by: Travis | December 30, 2010 11:02 PM
I'm glad you brought up Piper being a heel during the territory days. Everywhere Piper went he created some serious heat with his promos and his psychotic behavior. Possibly the best heel of all time.
Posted by: Frank King | December 30, 2010 11:29 PM
I'm embarassed I forgot Rocca - shame on me.
A little surprised to see Brisco and Funk Jr. this high but given the historical perspective they do make sense.
I noticed that all of my top 10 I listed on another page are still alive. Did great minds think alike? :)
But if my suggested top 10 is correct, was Antonio Inoki left off this list entirely? Hmm.....
I'll be very interested to see the final post. Great job so far, Eck.
RESPONSE FROM KE: Inoki obviously was a legend in Japan, but his impact in the U.S. was not that great, and as I said when I listed the criteria, wrestlers based primarily outside the U.S. and Canada were not eligible.
Posted by: Mark H. | December 30, 2010 11:45 PM
I can't believe you placed HHH above Bret Hart. Despite being on top of the WWE during the peak year of 2000, HHH has yet to cross over to the mainstream. The reason why the WWE peaked in 2000 was not because of HHH but the guys who laid the foundation for him - Austin & the Rock. If anything, you can blame HHH for the slide that began in 2000. A peak isn't just the highest point; it's also the start of the descent. Bret Hart, despite being on top during WWE's lean years, became a household name - even appearing as himself on the Simpsons at a time when guest appearances on the show still meant something. I think your list is also too USA-centric. Bret Hart was voted as one of the greatest Canandians and is still widely regarded as a living icon in Canada. Who is more worthy - someone who managed to become a household name during WWE's lean years or someone who failed to do so during WWE's peak year?
Posted by: Go Figure | December 31, 2010 2:07 AM
Hey Kev, great list so far! This is a little off topic, but could you recommend a wrestling biography to buy? I've heard a lot of good things about Mick Foley's. Any suggestions? Thanks.
RESPONSE FROM KE: I think Jerico's and Foley's (all of them) are good. Bret Hart's is very well done also (but it's very long).
Posted by: Orton.1 | December 31, 2010 9:01 AM
Macho Man TAKER and HBK NOT IN THE TOP 10! WOW! This should be interesting.
Posted by: Philip | December 31, 2010 9:34 AM
A little surprised to see HBK not in the top 5. I know you would never hear the end of it but he was "Mr Wrestlemania" which is the biggest pro wrestling event of the year. I guess the case could be argued that the WWE was struggling during his first WWE title run but his ability alone kept the WWE afloat during this time.
However HBK was a part of so many "first"moments I don't think many others could be more influential. His high-flying tag team was a first, he was in the official first ladder match, Hell in a Cell, Elimination Chamber and he was the first "grand slam champion" I give even Michaels more credit than Stone Cold for starting the "Attitude Era" Austin exploded after HBK passed the torch at Wrestlemania.
His active wrestling career was over 20 years so longevity should be highly ranked.
I know you are between a rock and a hard place with HBK and I myself am partial I just thought a top 5 for Michaels would be appropriate. Great list though, very fun.
Posted by: mat | December 31, 2010 10:49 AM
The Undertaker at No.13?? Undertaker needs to be in the Top 5 in anyone's list of all time top stars.
Ask non-wrestling fans around the world to name "a wrestler" and the most common names you'll hear are Hulk Hogan, Andre the Giant, Stone Cold, The Rock and yes, The Undertaker.
I love HBK, he's my personal favorite, but no way Shawn Michaels is a bigger star than Undertaker.
Posted by: Jason | December 31, 2010 2:08 PM
I hadn't gotten a chance to look at the list (and its accompanying "critical" commentary) until this AM.
There's passion, venom, a whole lot of nostalgia (especially for an old fart like me) as well as an education -- Bobo Brazil as champ, Blassie as babyface, links to past ratings. I don't know whether to laugh, cry, or throw up my hands in cyber-stupidity.
Any ranking like this will include both tangible achievement (championship reigns, ratings, etc) and subjective judgement. I commend Mr. Eck for establishing criteria and genuinely attempting to adhere to it. I propose a toast for a job well done, both the rankings and this enjoyable little 'rasslin' community you nurture along. Happy New Year, all!
So much for pleasantries -- I do sense one glaring (at least to me) omission from this list. I'll wait till the Top Ten gets posted to vent, though.
Posted by: Boomerang41144 | December 31, 2010 3:18 PM
Was the Montreal Screwjob a "work" or not?
RESPONSE FROM KE: Not.
Posted by: Myron | December 31, 2010 4:16 PM
I totally agree with the above post. What is it with Americans and Bret Hart? He is a huge star all around the world.
Despite only watching wrestling since the mid-80's I simply cannot believe that there are 25 bigger wrestling stars than Bret Hart. Maybe that's because I'm European, but Kevin Eck's opinion has gone down in my estimations big time based on his evaluation of Bret.
Posted by: William | December 31, 2010 6:30 PM
HHH was in Blade 3 and has guest starred in several television shows. I'd say that was something of a cross over into the mainstream.
Posted by: Jon | December 31, 2010 7:07 PM
I hoped for Johnny and he was there. I expected teh Funks and Brisco and they made the list. While I was hoping a few post ago I was going call for Rocca too but I thought that he would be too obscure, even for you. But no, there he is! Kevin you have established your credibility for all time. That HBK and HHH didn't make the top ten, just gives you bonus points.
Posted by: Johnny Valentine was great | January 1, 2011 12:23 AM
Kevin: Thanks for all of your hard work on this list, and for taking a true journalists approach to professional wrestling, which is surely deserving of professional coverage. The top three names prove the point I made in an earlier post: You simply cannot compare wrestlers from different eras. Its like comparing Barry Bonds to Babe Ruth or Bob Cousy to Michael Jordan. They played in different eras and played different games. I appreciate that Americans love lists, and that creating a list will provoke comments (which is a good thing as far as I am concerned; the Baltimore Sun has done a terrific job of giving people a reason to come to their site every day - the quality and varity of blogs on the site is astounding. This may be the model for how to make a newspaper work online.). So, if you were only doing this to provoke comments I for one am not going to criticize you. I don't think its a crime to want to sell newspapers or generate web traffic. But I know that that is not the only reason you created this list. Having said that, I think it is foolish to compare Lou Thesz to Hulk Hogan. They wrestled in different eras in different Americas. The sport was markedly different - ground game vs. high-flying, arena gates vs. PPV buy rates and television ratings, etc. I would love for you to create three or four or five lists, and rank the wrestlers by era. Comparing Gorgeous George to Bruno Sammartino (even though they wrestled three times) just doesn't make sense. So, that is my challenge to you - youi have created this list of fifty pro wrestling greats (and I think you should be applauded for your efforts); now I ask that you break these down into eras, and provide the rankings for each era. I think that would be a fairer comparison.
RESPONSE FROM KE: Chris, you know how much I respect your opinion. And you have definitely given me food for thought. To put this list in its proper context, it's no different that the NFL's top 100 players of all time or even Rolling Stone doing its top songs or albums of all time. How do you compare The Beatles to Nirvana and Bob Dylan to Ozzy Osbourne? All you can do is set up criteria and try to follow it, but in the end, it's just someone's opinion and there is no right or wrong.
Posted by: Christopher Cruise | January 1, 2011 12:27 PM
Jon, HHH might have acted here and there but nobody other than wrestling fans would know who he is. Just try it out yourself as a simple exercise - walk the street and ask people whether they know who HHH is. And then ask people whether they know who Bret Hart is. Whether you're in Canada, USA, Europe or Asia, I'd wager that you'll find more people have heard of Bret Hart than they have of HHH.
RESPONSE FROM KE: I'm not so sure that would be the case in the U.S.
Posted by: Go Figure | January 1, 2011 1:24 PM