Greatest pro wrestlers
by Jagmanu | created - 24 Apr 2019 | updated - 24 Apr 2019 | Public
1. Shawn Michaels
Actor | WWE Monday Night RAW
Began his career in Texas. Trained by the legendary Jose Lothario, Shawn Michaels wrestled in Kansas, where he met fellow wrestler, Marty Jannetty. A year later, after sending tapes of his matches to the major wrestling companies at the time, he was contacted by the AWA, who proposed that he team ...
2. Ric Flair
Actor | WWE Monday Night RAW
Richard Morgan Fliehr isn't what you'd expect from a professional wrestler. A medical student at Minnesota University (his father was a doctor, his mother an actress), Flair dropped out college to train for the mat wars under legendary former AWA World champ Verne Gagne. He made his professional ...
3. Bret Hart
Actor | WWWF Championship Wrestling
Bret Hart is one of Canada's most successful wrestlers. He is also recognized as one of the worlds best wrestlers ever. Hart comes from the legendary Hart Family of Calgary, Alberta, Canada. He owns a junior hockey team named after him and has his own column in the Calgary Sun. Bret has held the ...
4. Eddie Guerrero
Actor | WrestleMania XIX
One of the great Hispanic wrestlers, Eddie Guerrero grew up part of the famous wrestling family: The Guerreros. His father Gory Guerrero became a star in the U.S., an icon in Texas and a legend in Mexico. Eddie's brothers, Hector, Amadno and Chavo, Sr. also became wrestlers. Both Hector and Amando ...
5. Roddy Piper
Actor | They Live
Roddy Piper was born Roderick George Toombs on April 17, 1954 in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada. He was a pro wrestler from 1973-1987 in the NWA, Pacific Northwest, California. He was a longtime mainstay in the WWF, and was one of the biggest "bad guys" in the WWF during the early '80s, before ...
6. Jake Roberts
Actor | The Peanut Butter Falcon
Aurelian Smith Jr. better known by the ring name Jake "The Snake" Roberts, is an American professional wrestler and actor signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW) where he performs as manager to Lance Archer. He is best known for his two stints in the World Wrestling Federation (later called WWE); the ...
7. Mick Foley
Actor | The Peanut Butter Falcon
Michael Francis Foley was born on June 7th, 1965, in Long Island, New York. Nicknamed Mick by his father, a lifelong Yankees and Mickey Mantle fan, he attended college in upstate New York, he hitchhiked to New York City to see a wrestling match between Jimmy Snuka (Jimmy Snuka) and Don Muraco that ...
8. Kurt Angle
Actor | Warrior
Kurt Angle was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA. He won a Olympic Gold Medal in 1996 having notoriously won it with a broken neck. In 1998 he transitioned into professional wrestling where he sky rocked to success after joining the World Wrestling Federation. He later became the first ever ...
9. Randy Savage
Actor | Spider-Man
One of the most colorful wrestlers in and out of the ring, Randy "Macho Man" Savage became a larger-than-life pop icon along with other wrestling superstars, such as "Rowdy" Roddy Piper, Hulk Hogan, Jimmy Snuka (aka "Superfly Jimmy Snuka"), Jesse Ventura and Dwayne Johnson (aka "The Rock").
When ...
10. Steve Austin
Actor | The Condemned
'Stone Cold' Steve Austin was born in Victoria, Texas, as Steven James Anderson, on December 18, 1964, the youngest of five children. His mother, Beverly Jane (Harrison), remarried to Kenneth Williams, and he took his stepfather's surname. He played football at the North Texas State University. He ...
11. Curt Hennig
Actor | Ready to Rumble
Curt Hennig was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania as the son of one of wrestlings all time legends - Larry Hennig - Aka Larry The Ax Hennig. Curtbegan training to follow in his fathers footsteps when he was just 12 years old. Starting off in the AWA - Curt began his career as a tag team wrestler. He...
12. Khosrow Vaziri
Actor | WWWF Championship Wrestling
Iranian professional wrestler best known for his work in the 1980s for WWE (then the WWF) as the Iron Sheik. Trained under Verne Gagne and Billy Robinson and debuted under his own name in 1973 for the American Wrestling Association. Changed to Ali Vaziri while working for NWA Big Time Wrestling (...
13. André René Roussimoff
Actor | The Princess Bride
André René Roussimoff was born in a small farming community in Grenoble, France to Boris and Marian Rouismoff. His parents and four siblings were all of normal size, but André suffered from acromegaly, a hormonal disorder that results when the pituitary gland produces excess growth hormone. As the ...
14. Mark Calaway
Actor | Suburban Commando
Born on March 24, 1965. Best known as "The Undertaker" from World Wrestling Entertainment. He first came to the WWF in 1990 as Ted DiBiase's mystery partner at The Survivor Series (1990). At first, he was a heel, but later turned face, around WrestleMania VIII (1992). He has held the WWF World ...
15. Phil Brooks
Actor | Girl on the Third Floor
Phillip Jack Brooks, better known by the ring name CM Punk, is an American Professional wrestler, comic book writer and former mixed martial artist.
Punk began his professional wrestling career on the American independent circuit, primarily with Ring of Honor (ROH) until 2005, when he signed with ...
16. Rob Van Dam
Actor | 3-Headed Shark Attack
He was trained by the Original Sheik, Ed Farhat, who was one of pro-wrestling's classic and greatest bad guys. Even though their styles are quite different (Sheik being a wild hardcore-style brawler, known for throwing fire, cutting his opponent's forehead's up with foreign objects like a pencil, ...
17. Bryan Danielson
Actor | WWE Monday Night RAW
Bryan Lloyd Danielson is an American professional wrestler and author currently signed to WWE under ring name Daniel Bryan.
In WWE, Bryan held the WWE Championship three times and WWE's World Heavyweight Championship once, in addition to being a one-time United States Champion, a one-time ...
18. Dwayne Johnson
Actor | Black Adam
Dwayne Douglas Johnson, also known as The Rock, was born on May 2, 1972 in Hayward, California. He is the son of Ata Johnson (born Feagaimaleata Fitisemanu) and professional wrestler Rocky Johnson (born Wayde Douglas Bowles). His father, from Amherst, Nova Scotia, Canada, is black (of Black Nova ...
19. Yokozuna
Actor | WWE Monday Night RAW
The man who would eventually become known as Yokozuna was born in San Francisco on October 22, 1966. He came from a wrestling family, as his uncles were Afa Anoai and Sika Anoai. He was trained by his uncles and Sam Fatu as a teenager and wrestled in Alabama and the USWA under the name Kokina Anoai...
20. Hulk Hogan
Actor | Suburban Commando
Terry Eugene Bollea, better known by his ring name Hulk Hogan, is an American retired professional wrestler and television personality. He is widely regarded as the most recognized wrestling star worldwide and the most popular wrestler of the 1980s.
Hogan began his professional wrestling career in ...
21. Frank Goodish
Actor | WWWF Championship Wrestling
Frank Goodish was born on June 18, 1946 in Detroit, Michigan, USA. He was an actor, known for WWF Championship Wrestling (1972), WCW Worldwide (1975) and WWF World Championship Wrestling (1972). He was married to Barbara Goodish and Nola Marie Neece. He died on July 17, 1988 in Bayamón, Puerto Rico.
22. Adam Copeland
Actor | Vikings
Adam Copeland is an actor and an professional wrestler, who wrestles as Edge in the WWE. He starred as one of the leads in the fifth season of the popular television series Haven on Syfy. He also starred as a recurring character on the History Channel series Vikings. Canadian-born, Copeland's life ...
23. Leon White
Actor | Fist of the North Star
Leon Allen White (May 14, 1955 - June 18, 2018), better known by his ring names Big Van Vader or simply Vader, was an American professional wrestler and professional football player. Throughout his career, he performed for New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW), World Championship Wrestling (WCW), the ...
24. Steve Borden
Actor | Ready to Rumble
Born as Steve Borden, Sting has held the WCW World Title 10 times and multiple other titles. He has been the only wrestler to stay in WCW since the late 1980s and he had a reconstructive knee surgery in 1991. Steve was also the only wrestler from WCW who never worked for WWE until 2014 when he made...
25. Rey Mysterio
Actor | Ready to Rumble
Rey Mysterio was a professional wrestler for WCW who made his wrestling debut in Mexico. He dropped out of school to become a pro wrestler in Mexico. He is the nephew of wrestler Rey Misterio. He had a brief role (unmasked) as himself in Ready 2 Rumble. Came to WCW from ECW In 1996 after he debuted...
26. Kenny Omega
Actor | Deep South Wrestling
Kenny Omega was born on October 16, 1983 in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. He is an actor and executive, known for Deep South Wrestling (2006), Captain Laserhawk: A Blood Dragon Remix (2023) and AEW Games 2.Show (2021).
27. Bruno Sammartino
Actor | WWE SmackDown
Bruno Leopoldo Francesco Sammartino was an Italian-born American professional wrestler, best known for his work with the World Wide Wrestling Federation (WWWF, now WWE). There, he held the WWWF World Heavyweight Championship (WWWF Heavyweight Championship during his second reign) for more than 11 ...
28. Mil Máscaras
Actor | El robo de las momias de Guanajuato
Mil Máscaras was born on July 15, 1942 in San Luis Potosi, San Luis Potosi, Mexico. He is an actor and writer, known for El robo de las momias de Guanajuato (1972), The Mummies of San Angel (1975) and Los canallas (1968). He has been married to Linda Bello since December 11, 2006. He was previously...
29. Lou Thesz
Actor | Roddy Piper's Greatest Hits
Lou Thesz is one of wrestling's living legends. Thesz started wrestling in the 1930s, and from the 1930s to the 1960s, he was one of the most dominant figures in the business. Thesz won his first World Heavyweight Title in the 1930s, and went on to become a 6-time World Heavyweight Champion, many ...
30. Harley Race
Actor | WWWF Championship Wrestling
Harley Race is one of the foremost legends of professional wrestling. He is an 8-time NWA Heavyweight Champion and has held numerous other titles over his career that has spanned four decades.
Harley won his first NWA World Title in Kansas City in 1973 when he defeated Dory Funk Jr. Harley feels ...
31. Dusty Rhodes
Actor | WWE Monday Night RAW
"The American Dream" has been one of the most popular and colorful professional wrestlers in history. Rhodes began wrestling in the 1960s and gained a reputation as a fast-talking, hard-rocking wrestler. He teamed early in his career with fellow Texan, the late Dick Murdoch, and, for more than 20 ...
32. Dustin Rhodes
Actor | Copper Bill
Dustin Rhodes was born on April 11, 1969 in Austin, Texas, USA. He is an actor and producer, known for Copper Bill (2020), Meet Me There (2014) and Scooby-Doo! and WWE: Curse of the Speed Demon (2016). He has been married to Ta-rel Marie Runnels since June 22, 2012. He was previously married to ...
33. Scott Hall
Actor | WCW Thunder
Scott Hall was born into a military family on October 20, 1958. Due to the army life he grew up a traveler and spent his high school years at the All American High in Munich, Germany. When his family returned to the States he attended St Mary's College in Maryland, where he graduated with a degree ...
34. Jeff Hardy
Actor | WWE SmackDown
Jeffrey Nero Hardy is an American professional wrestler and musician. Born and raised in Cameron, North Carolina, Hardy started his career as a youth performing in the Trampoline Wrestling Federation, which he started alongside his brother Matt Hardy. Hardy is widely considered one of the greatest ...
35. Kerry Von Erich
Actor | Problem Child
Kerry Adkisson was born on February 3, 1960, to Jack and Doris Adkisson. Jack was a wrestler, so most of Jack's children followed in his footsteps (one child, Jack Adkisson, Jr., tragically died in 1959 from electrocution). Kerry was a standout discus thrower at University of Houston, and actually ...
36. Dean Malenko
Actor | WWE Monday Night RAW
Retired American professional wrestler best known for his work for ECW and WCW during the 1990s. He is the son of the late wrestling legend Boris Malenko. He debuted in Florida in 1979 and proceeded to work all over the world, particularly in Japan. He teamed with his brother Joe for years. He also...
37. Chris Benoit
Actor | ECW November to Remember
Christopher Michael Benoit is a Canadian wrestler who was born in Montreal, Quebec, the son of Michael and Margaret Benoit. He grew up in Edmonton, Alberta, from where he was billed throughout the bulk of his career. He had a sister living near Edmonton.
During his 22-year career, Benoit worked for ...
38. Richard Blood
Actor | WWWF Championship Wrestling
Retired American professional wrestler of Japanese descent as Ricky Steamboat. He trained under Verne Gagne, and first made his name in the old Mid-Atlantic territory in the Carolinas. He had many legendary matches and feuds with Ric Flair, culminating in their epic "Holy Trilogy" of matches at WCW...
39. Chris Jericho
Actor | MacGruber
American-born, Canadian-raised professional wrestler, rock singer, actor and author. Debuted in 1990 in Calgary after training in the Hart Family Dungeon. He competed for Stampede Wrestling, for the Canadian National Wrestling Alliance (no connection to the National Wrestling Alliance) and West ...
40. Jim Fullington
Actor | ECW Hardcore TV
Jim Fullington was probably best known as "The Sandman" beer guzzling wrestler who was oftentime drunk when coming out to wrestle in ECW. Jim was branded a traitor when he jumped to WCW in 1999 by hardcore ECW fans. Jim didn't find much success in WCW and was released in 2000 after he suffered a ...
41. Brian Pillman
Actor | WWF Superstars of Wrestling
Brian Pillman makes the list of a long line of tragic deaths in wrestling. He had endured 36 throat operations as a child. Pillman played football in the NFL for the Cincinnati Bengals in 1984 and in the CFL for the Calgary Stampeders. It was in Calgary where he met Owen Hart (who also died at a ...
42. Randy Orton
Actor | That's What I Am
Randal Keith "Randy" Orton (born April 1, 1980) is an American professional wrestler and actor best known to sports entertainment audiences for his career signed with WWE. Orton was born in Knoxville, Tennessee, to Bob Orton, Jr. and his wife Elaine. He is the grandson of Bob Orton, Sr. and the ...
43. Sean Waltman
Actor | WCW Monday Nitro
Broke into wrestling in the Global Wrestling Federation, known then as The Lightning Kid. He is also a member of the elite group of wrestlers known as the Clique. The group which consists of Kevin Nash, Scott Hall, Triple H, Justin Credible, and Shawn Michaels are best friends in and out of the ...
44. AJ Styles
Actor | WWE SmackDown
Allen Neal Jones best known by the ring name AJ Styles is an American professional wrestler currently signed to WWE. Long regarded as one of the best wrestlers in the world, Styles has headlined numerous pay-per-view events internationally.
Styles debuted in 1998 and competed for various independent...
45. Perry Saturn
Actor | WWE SmackDown
Perry Saturn was born on October 25, 1966 in Cleveland, Ohio, USA. He is an actor, known for WWE Smackdown! (1999), WWE Raw (1993) and WrestleMania X-Seven (2001). He has been married to Lisa Marie Kuhlemeier since June 2009.
46. Dallas Page
Actor | The Devil's Rejects
A star collegiate basketball player, Diamond Dallas Page entered the nightclub business in the 1970s, becoming one of South Florida's top club owners and promoters. He began training to become an in-ring performer at the age of 35, the oldest rookie in Pro Wrestling history. "DDP" captivated ...
47. Rick Rude
Self | WrestleMania V
The wrestler who would eventually become known as Ravishing Rick Rude was born Richard Erwin Rood on December 7th, 1958. He spent his childhood in Robinsdale, Minnesota, and had an early childhood friendship with future pro wrestler Curt Hennig. Rood broke into the business after a stint as a ...
48. Billy Graham
Actor | WWWF Championship Wrestling
Eldridge Wayne Coleman better known by his ring name "Superstar" Billy Graham, is an American former professional wrestler. He gained recognition for his tenure as the WWWF Heavyweight Champion in 1977-1978. He is a three-time world champion in major professional wrestling promotions. As an ...
49. Antonio Inoki
Director | NJPW New Summer Series
Japan's Antonio Inoki is a "living" legend in Asia. The greatest wrestler ever to step in the ring in Asia, he just may be the greatest wrestler of all times. One of the first great wrestlers to compete in "real" fights. Inoki has some of the most impressive fight stats in mat history. His ...
50. Jushin Liger
Actor | Stampede Wrestling
Jushin Liger was born on November 10, 1964 in Hiroshima, Japan. He is an actor, known for Stampede Wrestling (1957), WCW Monday Nitro (1995) and Kabuto-Ô Bîtoru (2005). He has been married to Jane Lee since January 14, 2002. They have two children.
51. Terry Funk
Actor | Road House
Funk has strong wrestling bloodlines. His dad, Dory Funk Sr., was a well-known grappler from the 1940s to the 1970s, and his brother, Dory Funk Jr., wrestled from 1963 until the early 90s, and won the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA) world heavyweight championship in 1969. Funk, himself, became ...
52. Keiji Mutô
Actor | ROH: Final Battle 2003
Keiji Mutô was born on December 23, 1962 in Yamanashi, Japan. He is an actor and director, known for ROH: Final Battle 2003 (2003), WCW Thunder (1998) and All Japan Pro Wrestling 2002 Real World Tag League Gaora TV Special (2002).
53. Ultimo Dragoncito
Actor | Lucha Libre USA: Masked Warriors on YouTube
Ultimo Dragoncito is known for Lucha Libre USA: Masked Warriors on YouTube (2011), Lucha Libre USA: Masked Warriors (2010) and Ras de lona (2008).
54. Darren Matthews
Actor | WWE: OMG! - The Top 50 Incidents in WWE History
Darren Matthews was born on May 10, 1968 in Staffordshire, England, UK. He is an actor, known for WWE: OMG! - The Top 50 Incidents in WWE History (2011), WCW Monday Nitro (1995) and WWE Smackdown! (1999). He has been married to Christina Beddoes since November 8, 1986. They have three children.
55. Colby Lopez
Actor | WWE NXT
Colby Daniel Lopez is an American professional wrestler and actor currently signed to WWE under the ring name Seth Rollins. Prior to signing with WWE, Lopez wrestled as Tyler Black for Ring of Honor (ROH), where he held the ROH World Championship once and the ROH World Tag Team Championship twice (...
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