Top 100 Wrestlers Of All Time: 20-1

With the success of our Top 100 Wrestlers of 2018 list, we’ve decided to go even bigger and bolder. We’re going to rank the 100 greatest wrestlers of all time!

Our ranking differs from the PWI 500 because we use math. Well, at least we try to. Just as we did before, we all submitted our own list of the top 100 wrestlers of all time, and each ranking represents points. For example, #1 = 100 points, #2 = 99 points, etc. At the end, we’d calculate who had the most points and assign ranking from there.

How do you judge what makes a great pro wrestler? Well, we all have different criteria. Some rely on in-ring ability (which of course, is subjective) and others rely on box-office appeal. In a future episode of The Wrestling Estate Podcast, we’ll all break down the criteria we used in crafting our own lists. We’ll also bust each other’s balls for the names lacking and their absurdly low or ridiculously high rankings.

Here are 100-81.

Here are 80-61.

Here are 60-41.

Here are 40-21.

Without further ado, here are 20-1:

20. Ricky Steamboat (431 points)

Whether you prefer the over the top “Dragon” persona in WWE or the family man look to him in WCW, Ricky Steamboat will always be remembered as one of the greatest pure wrestlers to ever grace the squared circle. Ric Flair was obviously a machine (that goes without saying), but it took a special sort of athlete to give Flair the greatest series of matches in the career of one of the greatest of all time. It takes two to tango, after all. And while guys like The Undertaker get a bad rap for overstaying their welcome, Steamboat retired from the ring towards the end of his prime, so we never really got to see his decline. Seeing him come out of retirement 15 years later to face Chris Jericho at WrestleMania 25 AND on the ensuing Raw reminded us just what kind of talent Steamboat was. – Jack Goodwillie

19. Andre the Giant (448 points)

Part of me doesn’t really think Andre the Giant should even be on this list because he’s so much bigger (pun maybe intended) than the entire idea of wrestling stardom. Andre was an attraction P.T. Barnum would’ve died to promote and a tragic figure Tennessee Williams would’ve loved to write. He was respected by his peers, loved by his fans and accepted into popular culture with open arms at a time when that was much harder for a wrestler to accomplish. – David Gibb

18. “Rowdy” Roddy Piper (452 points)

As much credit as Hulk Hogan and Vince McMahon get for the success of WrestleMania, Roddy Piper should be mentioned in the same breadth. Perhaps the finest talker in the history of wrasslin’, HotRod blurred the line between fiction and reality, villain and hero, maniac and genius. One of the few guys whose championship reigns pale in comparison to his impact on the industry, Piper transcended the squared circle and has become a pop culture icon. – John Corrigan

17. Daniel Bryan (460 points)

Speaking to the masses, the true voice of the voiceless is Daniel Bryan. A humble young man from humble beginnings, Bryan has helped all men, women and children see that with hard work and dedication you can achieve your dreams. Arguably the most gifted technical wrestler ever, the wrestling world will forever be a better place because of American Dragon. – Steven Jackson

16. Terry Funk (465 points)

Whether he was on top of the world as NWA World Heavyweight Champion, middle-aged and crazy, or a soft-spoken elder statesman of the industry, Terry Funk is a pioneer. Before Chris Jericho and Undertaker, Funker was the first to reinvent himself time after time, his barbed wire tentacles reaching all crevices of the wrestling world. His endless relevancy is remarkable and his contributions to the business – helping his father’s Amarillo territory, breaking in several superstars, lending credibility to ECW – are invaluable. – John Corrigan

15. AJ Styles (473 points)

Dubbing yourself “The Phenomenal One” is probably the cockiest nickname you could give yourself in pro wrestling. Yet, AJ Styles has not only met that moniker, but blown it straight out of the park! – Steven Jackson

14. Sting (479 points)

A childhood hero to many and one of the most charismatic wrestlers of all time. Sting was indeed the “franchise” of WCW for many years and could always be counted on when times were tough to be there every night giving his best efforts. – Neal Wagner

13. Triple H (483 points)

Triple H has had incredible longevity, but the thing you need to ask yourself is what incarnation of Triple H is your favorite? For me, it was easily the reign of terror from 2003-2005. Yes, the character showed signs of staleness from time to time, but was it a bad character like you might see out of five out of six members of the current Raw roster, including the current world champion? No. In fact, history shows this Triple H character as an incredible heel: One who, despite his physical and mental gifts STILL needed the help of a faction to get the job done because of his own insecurities stemming from years of living in the shadow of Shawn Michaels. Triple H’s character work, alone, is that of a top-20, top-15 wrestler. – Jack Goodwillie

12. Dusty Rhodes (504 points)

What really needs to be said about Dusty? Easily the best talker ever in the business and the champion of the common man. – Sam Gladen

11. John Cena (521 points)

Despite the amount of flak that he gets, there is no doubt that Cena is an all-time great. Big Match John was a main event staple for over a decade, and he always rose to the occasion. – Anthony Mahalis

10. Mick Foley (536 points)

Has anyone had a bigger influence on pro wrestling than Mrs. Foley’s Baby Boy? His Dude Love home videos spawned backyard wrestling. The insane amount of punishment he was willing to absorb to entertain fans played a major role in hardcore wrestling going mainstream during the Attitude Era. His thought-provoking interviews elevated promos from growling and death threats to a form of storytelling outside the ring. Last but not least, he single-handedly created the wrestling book market. – John Corrigan

9. The Undertaker (565 points)

Probably the most respected figure in wrestling. There has been no career quite like the Undertaker in terms of longevity. It’s pretty incredible that he is still wrestling, albeit poorly, to this day. His character is still the most iconic in the game. – Anthony Mahalis

8. Eddie Guerrero (568 points)

My favorite wrestler of all-time. It would be very tough to sum up Eddie Guerrero’s greatness in a couple sentences, but I’m going to try. In the ring, he was everything that a Shawn Michaels could be with an obvious intensity that could make you laugh, cry, love or hate him, with each emotion hitting you seconds after the last. With his athleticism came a second-generation wrestling pedigree, a work ethic like none other, a sense of humor like none other and an incredible comeback story of perseverance and facing down personal demons. It would be an understatement to say you’re missing out if you have not checked out the work of Gory Guerrero’s youngest son. – Jack Goodwillie

7. The Rock (590 points)

For my money, the best to ever do it on the mic. The most electrifying man in sports entertainment was sure fire entertainment each and every time out. – Anthony Mahalis

6. Bruno Sammartino (598 points)

The only time in wrestling where you can definitely say “never” is that Bruno’s record-setting WWE Championship reign will never be broken. For the better part of 20 years, he was a real-life superhero conquering every villain in his path. Inside the ring, he vanquished evil foreigners, unstoppable monsters and devious managers. Outside the ring, he refused to tow the company line and called Vince McMahon out on all his shit: drug abuse, sex scandals, hoodwinking the public into worshipping these larger-than-life characters with nightmarish backstories. Bruno is not only a pillar of WWE, but a role model to the Italian community and the perfect ambassador of the pro wrestling industry. He carried himself with class, humility and dignity, refusing to embrace the shift to sports-entertainment. Bruno was a professional wrestler, emphasis on the latter and embodying the former. – John Corrigan

5. Hulk Hogan (624 points)

The Hulkster put wrestling on the map. Without him, who knows how long it would have taken for wrestling to become mainstream. – Anthony Mahalis

4. Randy Savage (630 points)

To quote his brother Lanny Poffo “[Bam Bam Bigelow] was special because he was chosen. Macho Man was chosen because he was special!” An innovator, a visionary and a pop-culture icon, there will never be another Macho Man! – Steven Jackson

3. Stone Cold Steve Austin (636 points)

Another member of the Wrestling Mount Rushmore. The Texas Rattlesnake is the only person who can rival Hulk Hogan in terms of who is the biggest name in pro wrestling. – Anthony Mahalis

2. Shawn Michaels (654)

In the eyes of many, many, many people, HBK is the greatest in-ring performer in history and that may quite possibly be the case. – Anthony Mahalis

1. Ric Flair (660 points) / Bret Hart (660 points)

Ric Flair is the personification of professional wrestling. He took Buddy Roger’s gimmick and amped it up to the point that it has become timeless. The Nature Boy was over the top, yet real; boasting about his wealth and style and superior athleticism in the ring, as well as in the bedroom. His promos are still watched and emulated by not only younger generations of wrestlers, but also younger generations of athletes in any sport. A 16-time heavyweight champion, Flair could follow any act and elevate any performer to his elite level. He was the centerpiece of the NWA and WCW for well over a decade, and when he finally arrived in WWE in 1991, he quickly became the focal point there as well. Nobody did it better, does it better or will ever do it better than Slick Ric. – John Corrigan

The best there is, the best there was, the best there ever will be, and perhaps the best in the eyes of many of our writers. For me, Bret is up there. It’s funny because if you asked Bret himself, he’d say there are three categories to being a great wrestler: presence, wrestling ability and promo ability. By this criteria, he rated himself a 10/8/8. Take that for what you will, but for Bret, his greatness had more to do with his ability to elevate others than his overall superstar quality. Yes, the Steve Austin match was…unspeakably good. But it was the work he did with guys like Tom Magee and Jean-Pierre Lafitte and Kevin Nash, making these guys look like superstars that really solidify Bret’s place in wrestling history. – Jack Goodwillie