Trav’s Personal Top 10 Wrestlers of All Time

Wrestling is in its golden era in my opinion. The WWE just began their partnership with Netflix that pays them an estimated $5 billion. AEW just signed a multi-year deal for millions and millions of dollars with Warner-Brothers Discovery. TNA Wrestling is still striving and had one of their best years in recent memory. There are countless independent circuits throughout the country for your viewing pleasure also. The new WWE ID program will put a spotlight on some of those lesser known wrestling organizations. Growing up, we had Saturday Night Wrestling with Joe Pedicino and Boni Blackstone. I’ve been a wrestling fan for about 40 years now. There have been some standouts along the way. Below are my personal top 10 wrestlers of all time. Below aren’t the best wrestlers, but just my favorites.

Sting

Sting is by far my favorite wrestler of all time. Been a fan since he was “surfer” Sting with all the crazy color combinations. When he transformed into the “Crow” Sting, it made me a much bigger fan. All the way until he retired last year in AEW, there was nothing Sting could do wrong.

“Macho Man” Randy Savage

There were many people that despised Macho Man due to their love of Hulk Hogan. For me, it was the other way around. “Macho Man” Randy Savage is one of my favorite wrestlers of all time. Before getting involved with Hogan, Savage had a legendary feud with Ricky “The Dragon” Steamboat. They went on to have one of the greatest matches ever at WrestleMania III. Savage’s alliance with Miss Elizabeth brought more attention to him. After his run was over in the WWE, Savage would go to WCW. Unfortunately, the “Macho Man” Randy Savage would pass away in May of 2011.

Ultimate Warrior

The Ultimate Warrior is another of my favorite wrestlers of all time. Ultimate Warrior was nowhere near being one of the greatest wrestlers. Warrior is an example of being a great character is just as important as in-ring ability. As a kid, there were times you could catch me with shoestrings around my arms and acting like the Ultimate Warrior. Ultimate Warrior and the WWE had beef for a long time. In 2014, they made up, he went into the Hall of Fame and appeared on the Raw the night after WrestleMania. Unfortunately, the following day the Ultimate Warrior passed away.

Ricky “The Dragon” Steamboat

Ricky “The Dragon” Steamboat is another one of my favorite wrestlers of all time. The first thing that got my attention was seeing him blow out the fire. Steamboat also had the dragon costume also and during that time it was the coolest thing ever. If that wasn’t enough, Steamboat is one of the greatest wrestlers to ever step in the ring. In WCW, his matches with Ric Flair are legendary. In the WWE, his match with the Macho Man at WrestleMania III is one of the greatest ever. A few years ago, Steamboat came out of retirement and had a great match with Chris Jericho.

Mr. Perfect Curt Hennig

Curt Hennig made a name for himself before stepping foot in the WWE. Hennig was one of the greats in the AWA before moving to WWE. When he moved to the WWE, he became “Mr. Perfect” and it was an amazing gimmick. The skits are still legendary and on top of that, Mr. Perfect can go in the ring. Unfortunately, Mr. Perfect passed away in February of 2003.

“Stone Cold” Steve Austin

Stone Cold Steve Austin has been called the biggest name ever in wrestling history. Outside of Hulk Hogan, Austin ushered in the Attitude Era. Austin’s feud with Vince is still one of the greatest angles ever in wrestling. Who didn’t have an Austin 3:16 shirt during the Attitude Era? Austin talked a lot of shit and pushed back against the boss and that made for must watch TV. Stone Cold came out of his 19 year retirement to face Kevin Owens at Wrestle Mania a couple years ago.

The Rock

You can’t have Austin without mentioning The Rock. The Rock also helped usher in the Attitude Era, which is still talked about today. The Rock is also known as Dwayne Johnson as he went on to become one of the biggest actors in Hollywood. The Rock came back last year and wrestled alongside Roman Reigns at WrestleMania XL. He made his return on the debut episode of Raw on Netflix, and he will likely wrestle again as early as WrestleMania. The Rock is one of the greatest talkers ever in wrestling and the Most Electrifying Man on the Planet.

Eddie Guerrero

Eddie Guerrero aka Latino Heat is another one of my favorite wrestlers of all time. First became a fan of his in WCW because he was a great wrestler. When Radicalz jumped ship to WWE he became an all-around talent. The Lie Cheat Steal gimmick was great and bring back a lot of memories seeing videos of it. The Latino Heat gimmick with Chyna is another great gimmick in the WWE. Unfortunately, Eddie Guerrero passed away in November of 2005.

Bret “The Hitman” Hart

Bret “The Hitman” Hart is the best there is, best there was, and the best there ever will be. Bret made his name by being part of the Hart Foundation. After his great run as a tag team wrestler, Bret transitioned into a singles competitor. Bret went on to win championships in WWE and WCW before retiring after being injured in the ring. The matchups between Bret and Shawn Michaels are still talked about till this day. The Montreal Screwjob is also talked about as being one of the craziest nights in wrestling history. Either way, Bret Hart is one of my favorite wrestlers of all time.

Dr. Death Steve Williams

Dr. Death Steve Williams was probably my first favorite wrestler as a kid. Williams first caught my attention when he wrestled in the UWF. He won championships all over the world. In addition to his success as a singles professional wrestler, Williams achieved notoriety in Japan in tag team competition. Dr. Death and “Bam Bam” Terry Gordy dominated Japan as a team for a long time. Williams also teamed with Vader also. Unfortunately, Dr. Death Steve Williams passed away in late 2009 due to throat cancer.

Honorable Mentions

• Shawn Michaels
• Vader
• Bam Bam Bigelow
• Jake “The Snake” Roberts
• “Gentleman” Chris Adams
• Dusty Rhodes
• Ric Flair
• “Ice Man” King Parsons
• The Undertaker
• Ravishing Rick Rude
• Jeff Hardy