For this one I'll list down my 30 most favourite wrestlers of all time. Yes I've been a wrestling fan since I was 5 and I still do watch it.
I only really paid much attention ranking the first 10 so the bottom 20 are just a mixture of guys I've been a fan of. And yes, 30 is a nice number for this too barring in mind my favourite pay per view of any year in approaching, the Royal Rumble.
#30 X-Pac/1-2-3 Kid
He might be one of the first wrestlers I've seen on TV. Always been a fan of Sean Waltman, be it as his early guise of 1-2-3 Kid or X-Pac later on. He did stuff I had never seen previous wrestlers do and that got my attention. Became a fan right away and stayed a fan throughout his career.
#29 Vader
One of the best big-man wrestlers I've ever seen. His moonsaults are something else, barring in mind he was close to 400 pounds. The Vaderbomb is still one of the first finishers to scare the crap out of me.
#28 Mick Foley
Doesn't matter if he was the sick minded Mankind, the fun loving Dude Love or the outright crazy Cactus Jack, Foley always found a way to grab my attention, even in an commissioner role! One of the best I've seen and he's not the stereotypical wrestler, which makes it easier for me to like him.
#27 Goldust
Dustin Rhodes is an amazing wrestler. Paired that with the outlandish character of Goldust and it was pure gold, no pun i tended. He just keeps getting better, hitting Canadian Destoyers at 50 years old? Yup. Always did like the gold Intercontinental championship too.
#26 Matt Hardy
DELIGHTFUL YESSSSS. Was always a fan of the Hardy Boyz but yes I did always favour Jeff slightly but once Matt V1 showed up, that changed a bit. His characters have been amazing, especially Broken Matt, maybe my favourite thing anyone outside of WWE has ever done.
#25 Samoa Joe
How he hasn't been a world champion in WWE yet is beyond me. One of the best technical wrestlers they have going today and moves like a cruiserweight. And he's awesome on the mic too! Surely he'll have his run one day.
#24 Eddie Guerrero
Another high flyer to this list but probably the best all round wrestler of the three I just mentioned and Eddie did reach main event heights too. His lie cheat steal gimmick was pure genius as was his heel turn against Rey Mysterio.
#23 Monty Brown
What more can I say about Monty Brown that hasn't been said? The man was a machine in the ring but also was one of the best talkers outside of the ring, his promos were always great and sometimes way too funny for someone who was supposed to be a serious competitor. One of my favourites from the old TNA days, I really wished he had his big moment in WWE before he left wrestling way too early. And if you don't agree that he was awesome, you are gonna feel the POUNNNCCEEEEEEE period!
#22 Luke Harper
For someone of his size, it's amazing what he can do in the ring, flying around like a cruiserweight when he's 6'7" tall or what not! Been a fan since I first saw him in NXT and surely, one day, Luke will be a World Champion. One of the more impressive guys I've seen in a while.
#21 Chris Benoit
Yes a controversial one but I'll ignore the sad end to his life and his family, but to say that Benoit was one of the best technical wrestlers I've seen and apart from the high flyers, submission/technical wrestling have always been something I was very fond of.
#20 Seth Rollins
The more I watch him, the more I become a fan of his work, whether it's stuff he's doing back in NXT, as a the hero face or the hated heel in WWE. I even started watching some of Rollin's old work back in ROH and you could see the talent was oozing out of him. His new heel gimmick, as much as it was annoying at first, is fast becoming one of my favourites now.
#19 Kota Ibushi
Maybe the best wrestler going in New Japan today. Most of his matches will be amazing, be it in the ring or some random street or a park. He truly is a one of a kind wrestler. Just watch him in action and you'll know why.
#18 Kenny Omega
One of my new favourites to watch in the ring. Every one of his matches tend to be amazing, no matter the size of the show. He's so technically sound, it's hard to pin point a fault. There's a reason why he's been voted the best wrestler in the world a few times. If he's at your local show, go to it. You won't regret it.
#17 Mickie James
Gotta give some love to the ladies too and one of my all time favourite in Mickie. Always thought she was underrated, and has continued to show why she's one if the best even in TNA and since her return to WWE.
#16 Orange Cassidy
Fun post here but he has become my new favorite thing in all of wrestling. You just need to watch him in action to understand the legend that is Orange Cassidy. His lazy style is pure magic.
#15 Kevin Owens
A guy his size doing frog splashes and swanton bombs with ease? How can you not be impressed by Owens. He's not only a fantastic wrestler, one of the best going today, but his work on the mic is just top notch.
#14 Kairi Sane
Saw her in action for a bit in Stardom so I was excited to hear she was joining WWE. And she's won my heart right away, the character and just pure strikes in the ring. Even as a heel right now, you can't help but to like her. I just hope they give her a chance to really prove herself against the very best.
#13 Razor Ramon
Say hello to the bad guy. The Razor Ramon gimmick was money, so it's a shame Hall never got to be world champion as Ramon. He looked the part and acted the part perfectly. And his matches were always amazing, especially his two ladder matches with Shawn Michaels for the Intercontinental Championship.
#12 Stone Cold Steve Austin
One of the best ever but I wouldn't say he's my all time favourite. But his Stone Cold Stunner will always get a reaction. As does his promos. Still I regard him highly over most in the past. Never was a fan of the Flairs or the Hogans or the Warriors, those guys weren't for me. But Austin was different. And I sure did a lot of stuff in my childhood that Austin would do.
#11 Jeff Hardy
What else can I say about Jeff? Crazy stunts in moat of his matches, especially with Tables, Ladders and Chairs around. Always thought he could have achieved more if not for his drug addiction issues. His match vs The Undertake in a Ladder match for the WWE Undisputed title is still one of my all time favourite matches.
#10 Daniel Bryan/Bryan Danielson
Like Joe before, liked him for his technical style initally but he's also so good ob the mic. Bryan has the ability to make everyone care for him, especially during his matches. I mean he made a simple world like Yes mean so much more than what it is. He was fantastic as a heel too!
#9 Owen Hart
Always been a fan of the Rocket. Owen Hart was one of my first favourite guys in wrestling as he was doing stuff no one else could do or even dared to try. It was so different to everything else in WWF at that time. Great wrestler, great character, amazing on the mic and an all round great guy when you talk to any wrestling fans. Shame he was taken away from us way too early.
#8 Neville/PAC
Even before he joined WWE, I had heard of the jumping Geordie killing it in the independent scene and I got hooked right away with his creative manoeuvres, stuff that looks impossible, he made it look so easy. Sadly WWE never used him right but they did give him a great heel character to which he's stuck with ever since and now killing it at AEW.
#7 Christian
Most will prefer Edge of the E&C tandem but I always took a liking to Christian, especially when he had his full on solo run and starting going with his "peeps" gimmick. I became a peep right away with how funny he was most of the time, but was also good enough to back it up in the ring. He proved in TNA that he could be the main eventer and did so in WWE after a few years.
#6 The Undertaker
What is there to say about him? Easily the most recognisable character in wrestling history. Undertaker was amazing in the ring for a guy who was 6'10''. And he was one of the few guys who could keep changing his look to keep with the times and make it work, something not many has mastered and to me shows how good he truly is. Doesn't matter if he was the Deadman, Ministry of Darkness, American Badass, The Phenom, everything clicked.
#5 CM Punk
I'll be honest, I never did care much for him when he first started out in ECW when he joined WWE but it was when he started doing his straight-edge lifestyle gimmick that I take notice of the genius that is CM Punk. Here's a guy who I can relate to living a similar lifestyle and he was awesome in the ring, he truly was the best in the world during that era.
#4 AJ Styles
Perhaps the best wrestler of this era. Doesn't matter where he goes, AJ Styles will steal the show. He did it back in the early days of NWA TNA, kept doing it during his stint in New Japan and has made himself an even bigger superstar in WWE. There's not one guy in the business that I can think off that can match with Styles. It'd be a same time when he does hang up his boots. His promo work in WWE as well has been amazing, something many didn't think we'd see. Been a fan since the first days of TNA and will stay a fan until he calls time on his career, truly one of a kind.
#3 Chris Jericho
Like Undertaker, Jericho is so good at re-inventing himself, he keeps making the next change even better. Not only he is one of the best wrestlers in the world, his promos are top notch. Doesn't matter if he's playing the role of an ass-kicker, a smart-ass know-it-all, or someone who is always just making a joke out of everything. Just watch Jericho in AEW right now, the World Champion's promos in AEW are just amazing and let's not forget, he's doing all this at the age of 49! He's simply amazing.
#2 Shawn Michaels
I grew up a fan of Shawn Michaels and it was easy to see why. He was just so good at what he did, all of his matches would grab your attention as did his promos or whatever antics he was up to off the ring. He came back from his forced time away an even better wrestler which was amazing. He kept pulling out amazing matches right up till his retirement in 2010. Easily one of the best I've ever seen.
#1 Bret Hart
To me, the best wrestler to ever step into a wrestling ring. Everything Bret Hart did just looked amazing, even the simple things he made it look realistic to the point you'd think he's really smacking the other guy. He made his Sharpshooter finish one of the best things to watch in any matches. He truly is an artist in the wrestling world. He's given us so many great matches with so many different wrestlers. His Hitman character was awesome, I always believed in him and for what he stood for. As I grew older, my fondness for him grew hearing all the stories he shared from his career and what he's fought through too. For that, Bret Hart will always be the best there is, the best there was and the best there ever will be.
One of the best ever but I wouldn't say he's my all time favourite. But his Stone Cold Stunner will always get a reaction. As does his promos. Still I regard him highly over most in the past. Never was a fan of the Flairs or the Hogans or the Warriors, those guys weren't for me. But Austin was different. And I sure did a lot of stuff in my childhood that Austin would do.
#11 Jeff Hardy
What else can I say about Jeff? Crazy stunts in moat of his matches, especially with Tables, Ladders and Chairs around. Always thought he could have achieved more if not for his drug addiction issues. His match vs The Undertake in a Ladder match for the WWE Undisputed title is still one of my all time favourite matches.
#10 Daniel Bryan/Bryan Danielson
Like Joe before, liked him for his technical style initally but he's also so good ob the mic. Bryan has the ability to make everyone care for him, especially during his matches. I mean he made a simple world like Yes mean so much more than what it is. He was fantastic as a heel too!
#9 Owen Hart
Always been a fan of the Rocket. Owen Hart was one of my first favourite guys in wrestling as he was doing stuff no one else could do or even dared to try. It was so different to everything else in WWF at that time. Great wrestler, great character, amazing on the mic and an all round great guy when you talk to any wrestling fans. Shame he was taken away from us way too early.
#8 Neville/PAC
Even before he joined WWE, I had heard of the jumping Geordie killing it in the independent scene and I got hooked right away with his creative manoeuvres, stuff that looks impossible, he made it look so easy. Sadly WWE never used him right but they did give him a great heel character to which he's stuck with ever since and now killing it at AEW.
#7 Christian
Most will prefer Edge of the E&C tandem but I always took a liking to Christian, especially when he had his full on solo run and starting going with his "peeps" gimmick. I became a peep right away with how funny he was most of the time, but was also good enough to back it up in the ring. He proved in TNA that he could be the main eventer and did so in WWE after a few years.
#6 The Undertaker
What is there to say about him? Easily the most recognisable character in wrestling history. Undertaker was amazing in the ring for a guy who was 6'10''. And he was one of the few guys who could keep changing his look to keep with the times and make it work, something not many has mastered and to me shows how good he truly is. Doesn't matter if he was the Deadman, Ministry of Darkness, American Badass, The Phenom, everything clicked.
#5 CM Punk
I'll be honest, I never did care much for him when he first started out in ECW when he joined WWE but it was when he started doing his straight-edge lifestyle gimmick that I take notice of the genius that is CM Punk. Here's a guy who I can relate to living a similar lifestyle and he was awesome in the ring, he truly was the best in the world during that era.
#4 AJ Styles
Perhaps the best wrestler of this era. Doesn't matter where he goes, AJ Styles will steal the show. He did it back in the early days of NWA TNA, kept doing it during his stint in New Japan and has made himself an even bigger superstar in WWE. There's not one guy in the business that I can think off that can match with Styles. It'd be a same time when he does hang up his boots. His promo work in WWE as well has been amazing, something many didn't think we'd see. Been a fan since the first days of TNA and will stay a fan until he calls time on his career, truly one of a kind.
#3 Chris Jericho
Like Undertaker, Jericho is so good at re-inventing himself, he keeps making the next change even better. Not only he is one of the best wrestlers in the world, his promos are top notch. Doesn't matter if he's playing the role of an ass-kicker, a smart-ass know-it-all, or someone who is always just making a joke out of everything. Just watch Jericho in AEW right now, the World Champion's promos in AEW are just amazing and let's not forget, he's doing all this at the age of 49! He's simply amazing.
#2 Shawn Michaels
I grew up a fan of Shawn Michaels and it was easy to see why. He was just so good at what he did, all of his matches would grab your attention as did his promos or whatever antics he was up to off the ring. He came back from his forced time away an even better wrestler which was amazing. He kept pulling out amazing matches right up till his retirement in 2010. Easily one of the best I've ever seen.
#1 Bret Hart
To me, the best wrestler to ever step into a wrestling ring. Everything Bret Hart did just looked amazing, even the simple things he made it look realistic to the point you'd think he's really smacking the other guy. He made his Sharpshooter finish one of the best things to watch in any matches. He truly is an artist in the wrestling world. He's given us so many great matches with so many different wrestlers. His Hitman character was awesome, I always believed in him and for what he stood for. As I grew older, my fondness for him grew hearing all the stories he shared from his career and what he's fought through too. For that, Bret Hart will always be the best there is, the best there was and the best there ever will be.
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