No consideration for Paul Orndorff? He was Hogan's best opponent of the mid-80's and helped Hogan draw huge money, bigger than with most other opponents.

wow, Lex Luger? Really? I know he was booked crazy-strong on tv for what seemed like forever, but I always thought of him as Vince's unsuccessful attempt to create a new Hogan, nothing more.

glad to see Beyer, Morales and Abby there... and I like "Big Cat" Ladd, but was he really bigger (ok, maybe taller) or more important than the pioneering Junk Yard Dog? JYD was so huge here in south Louisiana and elsewhere, a major racial boundary-breaker. He's even maintained a place in the WWE's current "intro" sequence.

RESPONSE FROM KE: Before Luger and the "Lex Express" failed in WWE, he was a big star for several years in the NWA/WCW. Overall he was among of the more famous wrestlers of the 80s and 90s (remember his appearance on the first episode of Nitro?)

I'm not going to argue further with the list, I realize it's subjective and for the most part I feel you've done a great job with the list and the effort you've put forth.
Just a quick question as to why you felt Chris Jericho is a bigger star than Edge...Edge has certainly accomplished more than Jericho in terms of main event matches, championships won, being pushed as the top guy of a brand (from 2007 to 2009 Edge was on fire on smackdown) and has generally been presented by WWE management as the bigger star of the two. I love Jericho, but he's always been a number 3 or 4 guy on a brand, never the top guy like Edge has.

RESPONSE FROM KE: I agree that Edge has been pushed at a higher level than Jericho, but I get the sense (and perhaps Ilm wrong) that a majority of the fans see Jericho as a bigger star.

I am soooooooooooo diappointed No Mulkey Twins, Brooklyn Brawler S D Jones Buck Zumwall

How about the 50 best jobbers of all time.

No Doink the Clown? How could you?

Thanks for this list, and good to see Edge was one of the stars you considered. As I said in my previous comment, it's a great Top 50 list and my only complaint is that Edge wasn't included.

I respect the reasons you cited for considering Randy Orton and Chris Jericho bigger stars. I honestly feel, however, that Edge has been underrated, when in my view he's made more of an impact from the Attitude Era until the present day. It's not just the number of titles he's won, as in this day and age that's not always a good barometer. It's the groundbreaking stuff and great wrestling moments he's made possible, from the TLC matches as one-half of E & C (that spear off the ladder to Jeff Hardy is still one of the best "Holy Shit" moments) and as a singles star; to giving Mick Foley his WrestleMania moment; to his great feud and WrestleMania match with The Undertaker; to being the face of SmackDown and its greatest heel; to his great rivalry with John Cena and being the only one to beat him so many times, as the Kryptonite to Cena's Superman.

He's been a go-to guy for WWE for many years, who can be counted on to put great matches, help elevate other stars, and cut great promos whether as a face or as a heel. E & C will go down in history as one of the most successful, talented and funniest tag teams; Edge and Lita will be remembered as one of the most powerful and hated wrestling couples (who are both great wrestlers, by the way); and The Rated R Superstar will always be known as the master of the TLC.

In contrast, as the previous poster pointed out, Jericho (and I'm a big fan of his, actually) didn't have longevity as the top guy on a brand. Before the brand split, the then-WWF gave him one of the best debuts and strongest pushes when he first came on board. Heck, he defeated both Stone Cold Steve Austin and The Rock in the same night to become the first ever "undisputed champion" -- now that's being put over! Despite all that, however, somehow he's fallen short of superstardom in the WWE.

And while Randy is very popular now, I don't think he's had those defining moments and great matches yet. Not to mention WWE is trying hard to make him another Stone Cold Steve Austin a.k.a. Texas Rattlesnake (bad enough he has the same finisher, but now he's The Viper). 

OK, sorry for the long post, and I won't argue with your list, as it's a great and comprehensive one. Things may change in their careers, but eventually I think history will be kinder to Edge than to Randy Orton and Chris Jericho.

To add to what another reader posted, you should write a book chronicling the history of wrestling. Count me in as another reader who'll buy that book! 

Nice to see Luger get some love. I know everyone loves to hate on him now but he was way over in the 80s and the 90s. I have never heard a place pop like Detroit did when Luger beat Hogan on Nitro for the title. I know I lost my freakin' mind. LoL

where is eddie guerrero?

why no Kevin or Kerry Von Erich?

RESPONSE FROM KE: I think a case could be made for Kerry or David Von Erich being in the conversation. Not as high on Kevin. Ultimately, I just think they're behind the guys I've already mentioned.

People wanting to put Edge over Jericho need to remember that Jericho opened the door for Edge in a lot of ways. If Jericho doesn't essentially force his way into the main event picture almost by sheer will alone, Edge may never have gotten a shot. Jericho's not given enough credit for being over as much as he was in the Attitude Era, despite truly big stars like Austin, Rock, HHH and Taker being around. Conversely, there were a lot less main event road blocks in Edge's way when he was elevated. This is not to say that Edge hasn't made the most of his opportunity, because he has, but it's an opportunity that Jericho never got. Finally, I think it's fair to assume that, had Jericho not left the industry for several years in his prime, he would have made a significant main event impact at the time Edge was moving up. Heck, it's conceivable that he might have blocked Edge's way.

Edge should have been in the top 50 for sure and i dont see how Batista was even considered for the top 50 with no mention of Eddie Guerrerro

RESPONSE FROM KE: Batista was a bigger star than Guerrero and I don't think it's even close

Were Kenta Kobashi and Mitsuhara Misawa (sp?) not on your list? Kobashi was maybe the perfect wrestler - as far as in ring performance and having the look of a heavyweight champion. Misawa was hugely influential in pro wrestling, had a truly great career - evolving in different styles, and literally gave his life to wrestling. Any international list of all-time greats should include both of them.

RESPONSE FROM KE: It's not an international list.

Oh, never mind - I see where you only include wrestling in the US and Canada. Was Stan Hansen on the list? Though his best stuff may be from Japan, he was the most believable intimidating heal I've seen. He just never stayed in the same place long enough - like Brody.

Great lists! I grew up in the FL territory of the old NWA in the early-late 70s, and great to see the old school guys are still remembered. Especially on this list... wonder how many folks today even know who Danny Hodge was?? I saw him wrestle during a stint in FL. In fact, many on the "best of the rest" did at least one tour, either getting their start (Luger) or working the FL-GA championship wrestling thing (Abdullah, Ernie "The Cat" Ladd, Wahoo...).

Where is Owen Hart, Eddie Guerrero, or Kane?
I always thought Kane was one of the main pieces during the attitude era. Even though his first reign lasted a day, he still was a force.

I'm surprised you ranked Goldberg and considered Batista but did not mention Brock Lesnar. Lesnar's career seemed very similar to Goldberg's except that Brock was much more gifted athletically. His match at Wrestlemania versus Angle is one of my all time favorites. Furthermore, it was his extreme popularity in WWE that has made him the UFC's greatest draw. You mentioned in your blurb about Goldberg how some fans still speculate about his return; well, when Brock and Taker had their confrontation the whole sports world was buzzing at a possible Wrestlemania match. Finally, you've got at least half a dozen marque wrestlers (Batista, Lashley) trying to crossover into MMA to be the next Brock.

As for your list, while I respect it, I feel it is much to rooted in the past and that you don't give the superstars of today enough credit. Back in the day promotions picked one guy and would ride him as long as he drew without giving chances to the other workers. They also did not have to worry about having to keep their product fresh every week; Flair could go a month wrestling the same opponent in the same match (often to a 1 hour time limit draw) without anyone really caring because it wasn't televised. Today, for a wrestler to be champ (not to mention staying healthy) over 3 months is something spectacular. Like him or not, John Cena is the Hulk Hogan of this generation. I don't care for him much but to have him ranked where he is is silly. Furthermore I think the Undertaker is also rated too low. Let me ask you this, how many other superstars have a 5+ minuted entrance? Hell, most undercarder's matches don't last that long.

Second on Eddie Guerrero. One of the best wrestlers by far that, unfortunately, was cut down in his prime. Eddie Vs. HBK at Wrestlemania would've tore the house down!

Real quick, Kev...too soon for AJ Styles?

Where is the Crusher...Jesse Ventura...Billy Robinson..Nick Bockwinkle..Mr Perfect..Arn Anderson..Larry Zybysko..

RESPONSE FROM KE: Crusher is 35; Bockwinkel is 32.

Hi Ken, while it's conceivable Edge wouldn't have become a big star if Chris Jericho hadn't left, these wrestlers are being considered for their actual body of work and how history unfolded. We could have "what if" scenarios for the wrestlers in the Top 50 that would have changed their rankings, like what if Steve Austin didn't have to retire early because of his chronic neck problems? What if Shawn Michaels never made his comeback? What if Triple H never married Stephanie? What if The Rock never left for Hollywood? What if Edge never had to take time off due to different injuries? Their careers might have been different, and these changes would also have had an impact on the careers of the other wrestlers who were their contemporaries -- maybe opening or closing doors to them. I'm a fan of both wrestlers, but I don't think we should put Jericho over Edge on the basis of what might have been.

Hi Joey: I'm not trying to belittle Edge's career, or his accomplishments, because he's turned himself into a far bigger, and better, star then I ever would have thought possible. And I'm not trying to say that Jericho would have gotten Edge's push had he been around at the time. And, really most importantly, Edge made the most of his opportunity, which Jericho, arguably, did not, if one considers his first championship reign as "dropping the ball" (which I do not).

But these two are contemporaries, and Jericho was much higher on the card then Edge when they were around at the same time. Edge's time as even an upper-mid carder is a relatively short period of time when evaluating his whole career. Jericho was bigger quicker and longer, and reached the top when the business was hotter, and against a more challenging cast of main eventers.

I'm glad you have Abdullah The Butcher on there. If not I would have hired Schmuck to put stick a fork in your forhead.

I don't remember seeing Jake "The Snake" Roberts listed
a main eventer, the originator of the DDT- surely he should be somewhere

Thanks for the list, but personally, I prefer the women.

Men in tights?

Or women in bikinis?

Yep. :)

I really don'y see why everyone is comparing the accomplishments of Edge to jericho on kev's list when Edge should be compared more to Orton. I think Edge is contributions are greater than randy's he can make angry, laugh & cheer within 5 seconds in his interviews his work is just as hard & for about 2 to 2 1/2 years he carried Smackdown as the top heel. and at that time i think smackdown was getting better raring than Raw.

Some glaring ommissions:

1) Giant Gonzalez
2) Bastion Booger
3) The Blue Meanie
4) Brooklyn Brawler
5) Mantar

I guess I'll have to start my own blog to get these guys the respect they deserve!! : )

Hi Ken, point taken. The Attitude Era was one of the peaks of wrestling's popularity and was filled with many big stars, yet Chris Jericho still managed to shine brightly. That's a testament to how truly great he is in the ring and on the mike. I guess we'll just agree to disagree on who eventually became a bigger star, but Jericho and Edge are two of my all-time favorites.

I also agree with frank from dundalk that Edge should be compared more to Randy Orton, and as I mentioned before, I do believe Edge has accomplished more than Randy.

Hey Kev, looks like popular opinion is that you gave Edge the shaft.... Oh well, to each their own.

The Jericho/Edge debate reminds me of one of those Hall of Fame debates where they talk about career longevity vs peak. I think Jericho's had the better overall career, in that he's been at least an upper mid-carder longer, but he also never was the focus of a promotion for an extended period of time the way Edge has been. So Jericho's compiled the career stats (like Bert Blyleven) whereas Edge has the great peak years (like Sandy Kofax). I don't think there's a right or wrong here, just a difference of opinion. Again, I'd say if you were choosing one or the other, I'd probably take Jericho, but I'd probably take them both on my list. And I'd agree that they both are ahead of Randy Orton at this point-- though, eventually, Orton's career and accomplishments will dwarf both.

The whole Edge discussion opens an interesting question. I think we mostly agree that Edge has a worthy resume to crack the Top 50, but it sounds like he was ranked lower because he has not done as much with what he was given as someone else may have been able to do (and I'd whole-heartedly agree with that decision).

My question is whether headliners like Mick Foley or Eddie Guerrero, who were elevated through the fans before getting pushed by the bookers, were given a higher spot than guys like Sheamus or JBL, who were elevated by the company before the fans connected with them.

With the level of characters you were considering, it might not have even have come into play.

Joey, that was a very well thought out discussion as to Edge's contributions. I've never thought much of his achievements, but since you mention them, I guess I can see where you're coming from. Thanks for sharing.

You're crazy to think that Orton is a bigger superstar than Edge. Crazy, I tell you! Crazy!

On my personal list, Bret Hart is definitely in the top 10. Regardless, I want to thank you, Kevin, for undertaking this exercise, and I hope you can expand it to include different types of lists in the future. If nothing else, it prompts fun discussion and brings back GREAT memories.

Hi sweetie21783, thanks for that -- happy to contribute to the discussion. Cheers!

No mention of Adrian Adonas (the gay version)???

I'd just like to ask the question of, what happened to Chris Jehrico and Batista? Where did they go? On the episode of Bastista, he was injured and left due to his and John Cena's "agreement", if you will...
but then there's Jehrico - one day he's there, the next he's gone. What happened?

where's kane?