Top 100 Wrestlers Of All Time: 80-61

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.

Without further ado, here are 80-61:

80. The Crusher (110 points)

A Midwest legend. The Crusher’s career spanned four decades and brought him face to face with some of the best the sport has ever seen from Verne Gagne to Bruno Sammartino. He was a champion everywhere he went and the man who made Milwaukee famous. – Sam Gladen

79. Billy Robinson (111 points)

I’m sorry to inform you of this, but your favorite wrestling sequence was first done in a Billy Robinson-Tony Charles match from the mid-70s. Joking aside, Robinson masterfully combined the ultra-smooth and the ultra-real, making him the blueprint for all subsequent British wrestlers. Although Robinson never became a big title holder, he was a respected and valuable opponent for everybody from Verne Gagne to Antonio Inoki and a major influence on the development of grappling as MMA expanded in the late 90s. – David Gibb

78. Mil Mascaras (112 points)

One of Mexico’s “Big Three,” he helped propel wrestling into the mainstream consciousness between his film roles and dominant performances in the ring. – Sam Gladen

77. Bobby Eaton (113 points)

The ironically named “Beautiful” Bobby may not have had model good looks, but he was certainly the model wrestler. His accomplishments in the Midnight Express and alongside stars like Koko B. Ware and Arn Anderson make him arguably the greatest tag team wrestler of all time, and his high-flying style heel style helped change wrestling. – David Gibb

76. Frank Gotch (115 points)

The idea that an Iowa farm boy fighting an Estonian strongman could bring the country together and create a new, big-money sport seems like something out of a not-very-good movie, but that’s what happened when Frank Gotch chased George Hackenschmidt’s World Heavyweight Wrestling Championship around 1910. Their 1912, $87,000 Comiskey Park gate (better than $2.5 million in today’s money) helped people understand that there was a fortune to be made in wrestling promotion. – David Gibb

75. Charlotte (119 points)

In 2019, Charlotte is the perfect professional wrestler. She’s got the size, athleticism, timing, pedigree and desire to be at the very top of the sport, and she’s got years of gas in the tank ahead of her. – David Gibb

74. Rikidozan (121 points)

Sadly overlooked by a lot of pro wrestling fans due to inaccessibility to his matches, the impact Rikidozan had cannot be understated. Korean by birth, Rikidozan put Puroresu on the map by putting the country of Japan on his shoulders. Creating a national hero for a struggling nation, Rikidozan’s impact bled out of pro wrestling and into the consciousness of Japanese culture forever. – Steven Jackson

73. Davey Boy Smith (123 points) / Gail Kim (123 points)

Where would British wrestling in North America and the globe be without “The British Bulldog” Davey Boy Smith? A member of the world-renowned Hart Family, Smith conquered the singles and tag divisions multiple times thanks to his unbelievable strength and beautiful athleticism. The British scene today is indebted to Davey Boy Smith for his contributions, and with it, inspiring a whole generation of future fans to become pro wrestlers themselves! – Steven Jackson

Gail Kim has always been an interesting one because while there is a very contentious relationship between her and WWE stemming from two lackluster runs, I always felt that was the most ideal destination for her. Yes, she could handle her business in the ring and took that part of the job very seriously, but I always saw “diva” appeal to her as well. It’s too bad it took the company so long to realize it. As the infamous story goes, Jim Ross had to explain to Vince McMahon that Asian fetishes and porn sites existed. But while I think she could have stood tall and carried the WWE women’s division post-Lita and Trish, Gail still carved out a great career for herself as a top Knockout in TNA. – Jack Goodwillie

72. “Superstar” Billy Graham (128 points) / Cody Rhodes (128 points)

It’s been fascinating to see a man who was once ahead of his time on the microphone become a relic on Facebook. Regardless of how you feel about his criticism of the current WWE product, Billy Graham paved the way for how the company has operated since its national expansion in the 1980s, from influencing Hulk Hogan and Jesse Ventura to embodying what it means to be a “WWE Superstar.” Graham also holds the distinction of being the first heel to have a lengthy reign as WWE Champion. – John Corrigan

An incredibly talented performer and storyteller in the ring, Cody was the first to successfully break away from Vince McMahon’s wrestling monopoly and actually become more impressive. He bet on himself and it paid off. – Sam Gladen

71. Minoru Suzuki (135 points)

One of the most intimidating and psychotic men in pro wrestling today. Minoru has done everything in New Japan, except win the heavyweight crown. Expect a few more years of pain and suffering amongst the wrestlers who cross his path until HE finally decides it’s time for retirement. – Neal Wagner

70. Dory Funk Jr. (142 points)

Dory Funk Jr.’s NWA title reign marked the transition between mid-century post-war wrestling, as embodied by Lou Thesz and Gene Kiniski, and peak era territorial wrestling, as embodied by Jack Brisco and Harley Race. Dory Jr. may not have had the unforgettable personality of his brother Terry, but his wrestling in the ring was smoother, more beautiful and more closely connected to the sport’s amateur origins. The fact that he still wrestles in his late 70s is a testament to his love and affinity for the business. – David Gibb

69. Jimmy Snuka (145 points)

Snuka was the innovator of high-risk maneuvers. – Anthony Mahalis

68. Lita (146 points)

Lita was a different breed of female wrestler. She was the first woman, to my knowledge, to incorporate high flying and such a high level of athleticism into her arsenal. – Anthony Mahalis

67. Jack Brisco (149 points) / Tully Blanchard (149 points) / Kenta Kobashi (149 points)

Few wrestlers have been as universally respected by their peers as Jack Brisco was in the 1970s. Although the weird world of wrestling politics has made his younger brother and tag team partner Gerry into the more recognizable name for WWE loyalists, Jack Brisco was considered one of the most consistent workers in the business and the model “All-American Boy” whose championship success Vincent J. McMahon hoped to imitate with Bob Backlund. – David Gibb

If Tully Blanchard had not existed in the same time and place as Ric Flair, he might be considered one of the greatest overall talking and wrestling heels of all time. Unfortunately for Tully, he was standing right next to Flair for much of his prime and consequently shone a little dimmer by comparison. With that said, Blanchard was the perfect heel: tough, aggressive and mean when he had the advantage; cowardly, defensive and whiny when things were going the other way. He, Arn and Ric helped influence our understanding of what a “good match” looks like as much as anybody else in the history of the business. – David Gibb

In the 1990s and 2000s, nobody put on more amazing matches than Kenta Kobashi. The franchise of AJPW and Pro Wrestling NOAH, Kobashi brought a level of legitimacy not seen before or since. Truly in a league of his own. – Steven Jackson

66. Kevin Von Erich (152 points)

The most tragic of the Von Erich brothers. He didn’t have the size, but he had the heart and the willingness to try. He was the ultimate underdog story who may have gone far, if not for his family name. – Sam Gladen

65. Dustin Rhodes (154 points)

Dusty’s first son and a staple of wrestling for the better part of three decades, he took McMahon’s ridiculous assignment and ran with it, making Goldust one of the most iconic characters in the history of the sport. He has reinvented himself recently with his little brother’s promotion AEW, proving that he can still go in the ring at 50 years old. – Sam Gladen

64. Diamond Dallas Page (157 points) / Batista (157 points) / Mitsuharu Misawa (157 points)

The “Master of the Diamond Cutter” was given his big break in WCW after a great rivalry with Randy Savage. That rivalry and series of matches alone made Page a star within the company and kept him in the main event picture until WCW’s closing in 2001. – Neal Wagner

There might not be a better ambassador for professional wrestling in the mainstream media than Dave Batista. To some, he’ll be remembered as someone who did a great deal with little. For me, I’ll always remember him as one of the last cases of WWE pushing a wrestler into the stratosphere organically, with great storytelling and timely booking. No, Batista’s not on here for his ability to do 60-minute broadways, but he left his mark on a generation of young fans and actually has an incredible origin story that never got the proper run on television. With several credits as Drax the Destroyer under his belt, the sky is the limit for The Animal’s movie career.– Jack Goodwillie

Possibly the smart marks’ favorite wrestler ever, Misawa helped AJPW and later his own Promotion – NOAH – grow to their greatest heights in the 1990s and 2000s. Hard-hitting and emotionally engaging, Misawa’s level of sportsmanship is still one of the most revered aspects of his career. – Steven Jackson

63. Adam Cole (159 points) / Kevin Nash (159 points)

“…BAY BAY.” I don’t know what John Corrigan has against this guy. He has all the makings of a future top-5 babyface or heel and he’s the current NXT Champion for a reason. In ROH, he went from being about as generic of a wrestler as you can be to becoming one of the company’s greatest villains EVER all in the span of four/five years. In NXT, he became a Triple Crown champion in no time at all. He is a student of the game and borrows from the best, a noted fan of CM Punk, Steve Austin, Shawn Michaels and current boss Triple H, just to name a few. – Jack Goodwillie

While many stories have been told throughout the years on “Big Sexy,” no one can take away that Kevin Nash was a smart business man. His real life friendship with Scott Hall helped propel both men to greater heights and greater pay checks in a wrestling revolution in the ‘90s that created one of the greatest groups of all time: New World Order. – Neal Wagner

62. Kota Ibushi (160 points) / Johnny Gargano (160 points)

Honestly, there is nobody in wrestling that has “Rising Star” written across him more than “Golden Star” Kota Ibushi. He was almost crowned heavyweight champion last year until certain contractual politics got in the way. Upon revealing that he is now under contract for years to come with New Japan, expect many title wins and lengthy championship reigns for Ibushi. – Neal Wagner

I used to think of Johnny Gargano strictly as a Dragon Gate wrestler, which I identify as a small wrestler with a stellar work rate with zero marketability. Needless to say, Gargano’s time in NXT has made me second guess that take. His NXT storyline with Tommaso Ciampa is one of the best examples of storytelling within the WWE confines in at least a half decade. The ring work has been even better than advertised, and it just goes to show how crucial it can be towards getting over. I know some people completely wrote off in-ring talent in making these rankings, but Gargano is current proof that it matters. He doesn’t speak much, yet is 10 times the babyface Seth Rollins is (for instance). It’s anybody’s guess what he does next now that he’s achieved NXT gold and the main roster is no bueno. – Jack Goodwillie

61. Christopher Daniels (163 points)

One of the most unselfish and creative wrestlers in history, it is always a pleasure to watch Christopher Daniels perform. Delivering some of the crispest moves ever seen, and some of the most passionate promos in this generation, Christopher Daniels is a mentor for many wrestlers of the modern age. – Steven Jackson