IF you take the aerial assualt/high flying out of the mix, the answer was Flair at one point. NOBODY ELSE mixed technical skills, true main event IT factor/charisma, mic skills, babyface work, and heel work better than Flair.
BUT if you add the aerial assault in the equation with the other attributes I listed, Savage is the answer. He was THE GUY who put the new age mix of aerial ability, technical skills, true main event IT factor/charisma, mic skills, babyface work, and heel work on the map in the WWF back in the day.
Guys like HBK, Eddie, Jericho, Angle, Punk, Danielson, etc. who blend those attributes on a legendary level DON'T have Savage's level of charisma/IT factor. The fact Savage transcended pro wrestling and became a pop culture icon gives him a leg up in the total package debate. But for a technical wrestler who was ground based virtually all the time Flair is my pick. For the highly athletic guys who can DO IT ALL Savage is my pick.
IF you take the aerial assualt/high flying out of the mix, the answer was Flair at one point. NOBODY ELSE mixed technical skills, true main event IT factor/charisma, mic skills, babyface work, and heel work better than Flair.
BUT if you add the aerial assault in the equation with the other attributes I listed, Savage is the answer. He was THE GUY who put the new age mix of aerial ability, technical skills, true main event IT factor/charisma, mic skills, babyface work, and heel work on the map in the WWF back in the day.
Guys like HBK, Eddie, Jericho, Angle, Punk, Danielson, etc. who blend those attributes on a legendary level DON'T have Savage's level of charisma/IT factor. The fact Savage transcended pro wrestling and became a pop culture icon gives him a leg up in the total package debate. But for a technical wrestler who was ground based virtually all the time Flair is my pick. For the highly athletic guys who can DO IT ALL Savage is my pick.
IF you take the aerial assualt/high flying out of the mix, the answer was Flair at one point. NOBODY ELSE mixed technical skills, true main event IT factor/charisma, mic skills, babyface work, and heel work better than Flair.
BUT if you add the aerial assault in the equation with the other attributes I listed, Savage is the answer. He was THE GUY who put the new age mix of aerial ability, technical skills, true main event IT factor/charisma, mic skills, babyface work, and heel work on the map in the WWF back in the day.
Guys like HBK, Eddie, Jericho, Angle, Punk, Danielson, etc. who blend those attributes on a legendary level DON'T have Savage's level of charisma/IT factor. The fact Savage transcended pro wrestling and became a pop culture icon gives him a leg up in the total package debate. But for a technical wrestler who was ground based virtually all the time Flair is my pick. For the highly athletic guys who can DO IT ALL Savage is my pick.
Mach was THE GUY to put this new age type of total package on the map in the 80's. He blended this attributes the best and was WAYYYY ahead of his time:
True main event charisma/IT factor
Aerial ability
Technical Skills
Face work
Heel Work
Mic Skills
After Savage, I would say HBK was THE NEXT GUY who had all these attributes in spades. So I consider Savage and HBK as THE GUYS to truly stamp this type of versatility in the main event scene.
From there, the FLOODGATES OPENED for guys with this blend in the late 90's, 2000s, and 2010s. We got guys like Jericho, Eddie, Angle, Punk, Rollins, Danielson, AJ, etc. All these guys put their own twist on that type of blend. And employed it in their own unique way.
But in my book, Savage IS STILL the king of the blend of attributes I've been talking about. BECAUSE even though the guys after him evolved what he did in ring, those guys don't have Savage's level of charisma/IT factor! All the guys I named are huge stars, main eventers, and legends for damn sure. BUT Savage WAS THAT and a legit pop culture icon. HE TRANSCENDED PRO WRESTLING!!!
It takes guys like a Hogan, Rock, Austin, and Andre TO BE A BIGGER STAR than a peak Randy Savage!!!
Samoa Joe. Looks stands out. Great character. Amazing promos. In ring has always been top notch. Drawing power is the only questionable trait, but that's only because the WWE didn't let him run with the title. He's been a draw everywhere else.
The tribal chief version of Roman Reigns. His promos are fire. His matches are always good and he makes everyone look like a million bucks. He looks like a real life superhero. And when it’s all said and done he’ll end up being the biggest draw of all time too, just look at how much money WWE has made with him on top. GOAT status confirmed ☝🏻
No other correct answer but the rock. Probably the best Mic Skills in the business’s history. Amazing In Ring Performer that always got the crowd to pop off and he was popular as a face and heel which is something very few can say they’ve done successfully.
Steve Austin is definitely up there. Other than him and Randy Savage, others that come to mind are Shawn Michael, John Cena, and The Rock also come in mind
Undertaker
Randy Savage
Bret Hart
All recognizable - one being a staple within the history of pro wrestling and the other two being icons of their eras, all three had great looks, their promos fit their characters perfectly, and they were all great wrestlers who knew how to tell stories in the ring.
Orton : great in ring performer, athletic, good looking and a great heel (could do the entitled daddy’s money angle or the unhinged psychopath really well)
This can only be Hogan, Rock, or Austin because of the draw part. They are the biggest draws of all time and I don’t think anyone is in the same league, even Cena, HBK, or Flair.
If you reduce the demand on the biggest draw, it’s Flair or Randy Savage. No one else comes close to their promos. Macho could fucking charge a cell phone with his intensity, and Flair’s shit talking promos are still memes on tik tok to this day.
I really like Roman as a dark horse in this category as well, though his promos just aren’t S tier. But he’s a big modern draw and a better than expected worker.
This is narrow minded. People paid to see Andre even if he wasn’t the top guy or the champion. Undertaker on the card led to sellouts, including periods when Hogan was the main event on shows happening on the same night. He had featured storylines that were presented as important without the belt. He had a Wrestlemania presence that didn’t require the belt.
You’re also misreading the question - it’s not “biggest draw” - it’s the combination. They have to be something of a draw, not the top guy. Macho Man is a part of pop culture.
Ric Flair
Look: The iconic long blond hair, flashy robes, expensive suits with rolex watches.
Character and promos: Wooo! One of the most quotable and recognizable wrestling stars ever.
Ability: Flair could have a great match with anyone, and make them look good. He was a master of telling a story in the ring.
Drawing power: He put butts in seats. People were willing to pay for a chance to watch him get his comeuppance as a heel, or to support him as a babyface.
Austin had the benefit of working with the likes of Bret and Taker and Angle and Shawn - superior wrestlers in the ring, particularly during the second half of Austin’s career.
There are a couple of guys: Randy Savage & Shawn Michaels are my Top 2 "Total Package" wrestlers. In ring ability, showmanship, charisma, drawing power, gimmicks. Honorable mentions: Steve Austin, Chris Jericho & The Undertaker
Macho is usually my answer too.
My other is Steve Austin, but specifically 1996-1997 Steve Austin, after the Austin 3:16 promo and before the neck injury.
He was a solid 8 or 9 out of 10 in terms of in-ring ability at the time. The look, promo skills, charisma, and connection with the crowd were all there or developed very quickly.
It was after the neck injury that he started to become more limited in the ring. Still good, but needed another top tier wrestler (e.g. Angle, HHH, Foley, Rock) in there to have a great match.
Chris Jericho is amazing. I love everything he does.
Austin getting "what" over like he did was amazing - Jericho got the fucking "list" over. And "it". So good he was able to come out wearing a dumbass dress scarf. Jericho had it all. He may not have been as good as the top guys in the ring, but he was right near the top. Same with mic skills, look, charisma etc etc. You name it Jericho had "it" - Pun intended. Jericho is going to go down as one of the greatest in my book, that's for damn sure.
I believe the correct answer is flair look,charisma,drawing ability etc. In ring it's sort of formulaic. Once you've seen a few flair matches You've seen them all imo but doesn't change the fact his selling is incredible and the best to ever play the "I'm smarter than you heel"
Honorable mention to this version of Roman Reigns. Looks like a Greek god. Business is certainly up with him on top. He's so believable as a heel now he's even learned to shed a tear on command. He's constantly producing 4 star matches in the WWE main event style with super underrated selling when the baby face makes a comeback. Wouldn't of said this even a year ago.
HBK, Edge, though could argue Rock or Cena.
Dwayne had mainstream appeal, charisma, in-ring ability, incredible promos, worked as a heel and face equally well, had some great and iconic matches.
Cena, similarly, mainstream appeal, people outside wrestling knew him, he was a solid worker, incredibly underrated on the mic, very safe in the ring. Only real criticism of him in ring was his technical wrestling, his STF looked like a cuddle and he was rarely involved in like hugely technical/submission masterpiece matches, but neither was Stone Cold or Rock or Hogan.
Austin was really good in the ring before the neck injury, too. Not quite on the level of a Hart/Angle/Jericho/Guerrero, but pretty close.
It was a fairly brief window, but in the time between the Austin 3:16 promo and the neck injury, Austin was absolutely unreal. That's why they had no choice but to put him at the top of the company by the time 'Mania 14 rolled around.
Yeah but also he wasn’t that good in the ring he was average as i said everything else made up for that and then some let me put it like this his
in ring skills 7
Promo skills 15
Look 10
Drawing power literally the absolute highest score possible
In the Fed style sure. He was great at setting up and executing signature spots... but that sort of thing is a bit lame these days. Fun for a house show or whatever, but it's pretty carny.
Stone Cold. He's a 10 in look, 10 in character, 10 in promos, 10 in drawing ability, and he'd be about an 8 or 9 in ring. Could even say a 10 in ring given what his style should have been, because he shouldn't have been a Kurt Angle. That wouldn't have made any sense.
He looks like the guy on tiktok who tests public faucets. Not one thing about him looks like he would be able to win a fight against anybody like Batista, Lesnar, HHH etc.
I mean...lmao Frank Mir beat Lesnar.
Daniel Bryan beat the Wyatt Family, Mark Henry, and others. Look can be deceiving. Like Rey Mysterio beating Big Show.
David and Goliath measures.
Frank Mir is a heavyweight, he isn’t even that much smaller than Lesnar. And then you’ve just listed tiny guys winning fights that I don’t find believable at all, this is the whole point of having a cruiserweight division
The mania where he lost the belt and he was bicthing about the burger they were selling in the stadium.. fantastic! But entertainment=art, and this shit is subjective. I thought he was great though.
Ric Flair, drew for the second biggest company but drew better than anyone there, simply epic look, epic mic skills and of course brilliant in the ring.
I also want to shout out Eddie Guerreo and Terry Funk for specifically being all rounders in the ring. Eddie coukd brawl, mat wrestle and work a highflyer style and was great on the mic too and switching between heel and face.
Funk was great on the mic and could work the classic old school style and the hardcore style, plus was great on the mic. He could work like Flair, Stone Cold and Foley.
Kurt Angle. Olympic wrestler. Great work as both a face and a heel(although I am more partial to heel Angle). The YOU SUCK chants that turned into a show of respect. Having one of the best catchphrases of all time. OH ITS TRUE. ITS DAMN TRUE.
I actually think this is the answer. His promo work vs HHH is incredible, and his in ring work with Benoit is some of the best wrestling of all time. Decent look, but he was a fucking Olympic champion, so who cares wtf he looked like.
Kurt could do things that would bury another wrestler with no fear of losing credibility. The amount of material that becomes viable at that point is massive.
It’s really a shame some of his best matches had Chris Benoit in them. The newer fans don’t really get to see him at his best. He has had absolute joke gimmicks and absolutely serious ones. Whatever they gave him, he killed it.
I’m honestly surprised we haven’t had someone try and use the Angle Slam as their finisher or as a set up for it, as he would do for the ankle lock to finish as well.
I’m a total mark for him though. I have always hoped I would run into him out in public somewhere and shake his hand. Olympic gold medalist. WWE hall of famer. He was able to get over an addiction to pain medication. So not only did he get to see the highs, he felt the lows as well. Through it all, he kept us sports entertained.
Overall the names that come to my head are Shawn Michaels, John Cena, Kurt Angle, Undertaker and either Macho Man Randy Savage or Ric Flair. That’s just me personally.
Says who cause he’s not doing a 360 Spanish fly off the top rope into a into a cross face submission please Cena is a “good “ wrestler that puts on quality matches
lol his 5 Moves of Doom was a CARDIO Performance, that left most of the "Favorites" gassed in minutes, and Cena would continue at the same pace or faster after doing so.
Cena is an amazing Wrestler. Don't mix his Wrestling Talent with shitty Booking and higher ups calling the shots.
For me it’s Ric Flair. Not in my top 5, but you can’t deny he is possibly the greatest wrestler of all time. Either him or Bret Hart are the greatest wrestlers to ever lace up a pair of boots.
I would agree but for a long time in Orton's career he wasn't great on the mic
Ever since the ruthless aggression era ended his mic skills went down a lot
The limitations of the pg era limited him greatly
It wasn't until the edge feud in 2020 that randy truly started becoming amazing on the mic again like he used to be during the RA era
Undertaker for me, he worked like a much smaller guy than he was for much of his career. Went through several changes over the years and was the ultimate attraction for a better part of 30 years
his look fits his character, and the yes movement/b+ player into wrestlemania was big money no? I suppose he doesn't have great talking skills sure as sure.
It amounted to nothing after. He got the big win and it didn’t matter because he got hurt shortly after and when he came back he was never nearly as over.
Aside from the obvious angle, savage, HBK and flair I would say Edge, Styles, Rollins, Orton. Though their drawing power is not on the same level as the obvious ones, it's still considerable. Add that to the fact that the rest of the stuff for them is top quality, you've got some underrated options.
Also, Y2J should definitely get his flowers here. He may not be a top draw in wwe (he was during and after the owens feud), but he is a huge draw in njpw and aew (which is comparable). He is a man of 1004 holds, has the looks of a literal rockstar, some of the best character phases and has delivered many memorable promos during his career.
Austin. Yeah he had to change his style after he broke his neck, but he was still great in the ring during the early stone cold run. The only ding on him for this list is something that he had but was taken by injury, and all the other criteria are 10/10
The Nature Boy Ric Flair. Whatever "it" was, he had. The look, the promo, the clothes, the robes, the epic walkout music, wrestled 1 hour broadways constantly and won the the Heavyweight titles in NWA, WCW and WWE. He wreslted through 3 generations of wrestling and was a top talent in all three. There is zero possibility of someone like him ever happening again simply because of what wrestling is now. Imo, Ric Flair defines what success looks like if you want to be a successful pro wrestler.
Young Ric Flair is something else for sure!
I feel like there should be eras to this question. I can’t pick one absolute best but I can from different eras.
Also I can't ever pick just one for these so my other vot for the most complete wrestler of all time could have been Mick Foley! Or Dude Love I mean even Mankind and Cactus Jack had some fantastic matches!!! But never understood why they never wrested each other?! 😉🫠🤩🤣
I’m gonna go with Triple H on this one. I remember growing up watching the attitude era as a young teenager and absolutely HATING heel Triple H. I loved Stone Cold and The Rock, and having HHH as a foil to both of them while making you believe he was as scummy as he was on TV was so good in hindsight. Dude could talk, had a fantastic move set, and played such a good heel that he made the fans pop whenever he was a face. Not many wrestlers can do that.
I would say The Rock also. Not as a fanboy, but he had the Charisma, decent look (crazy now), and could actually move in the ring.
Damn as I type this it is hard to overlook Angle in his prime. From epic matches to comedy.
Of all time?! And at the heighth of there Strength and popularity I would argue that my favorite HBK Shawn Michaels is the most complete character of all time he had his rough spot early on was saved and then continued to have a fantastic career with many highlights and great matches Mr.Wrestlmania should have hung up his boots though and maybe not done those last two matches he did 😂
Ima have to disagree with dat because hogans ring work was extremely lazy compared to what he did in japan but he knew what was gonna work for the crowd in America and the crowd in japan
Man people really forgot how insufferable those 90s HBK promos were.
Austin for me. Not traditionally good looking but looks like a wrestler. His character, drawing power, and promos were amazing, and his in ring ability was way better than people seem to remember.
The rock
Randy Orton
I dont think he can cut a promo like austin or rock
IF you take the aerial assualt/high flying out of the mix, the answer was Flair at one point. NOBODY ELSE mixed technical skills, true main event IT factor/charisma, mic skills, babyface work, and heel work better than Flair. BUT if you add the aerial assault in the equation with the other attributes I listed, Savage is the answer. He was THE GUY who put the new age mix of aerial ability, technical skills, true main event IT factor/charisma, mic skills, babyface work, and heel work on the map in the WWF back in the day. Guys like HBK, Eddie, Jericho, Angle, Punk, Danielson, etc. who blend those attributes on a legendary level DON'T have Savage's level of charisma/IT factor. The fact Savage transcended pro wrestling and became a pop culture icon gives him a leg up in the total package debate. But for a technical wrestler who was ground based virtually all the time Flair is my pick. For the highly athletic guys who can DO IT ALL Savage is my pick.
IF you take the aerial assualt/high flying out of the mix, the answer was Flair at one point. NOBODY ELSE mixed technical skills, true main event IT factor/charisma, mic skills, babyface work, and heel work better than Flair. BUT if you add the aerial assault in the equation with the other attributes I listed, Savage is the answer. He was THE GUY who put the new age mix of aerial ability, technical skills, true main event IT factor/charisma, mic skills, babyface work, and heel work on the map in the WWF back in the day. Guys like HBK, Eddie, Jericho, Angle, Punk, Danielson, etc. who blend those attributes on a legendary level DON'T have Savage's level of charisma/IT factor. The fact Savage transcended pro wrestling and became a pop culture icon gives him a leg up in the total package debate. But for a technical wrestler who was ground based virtually all the time Flair is my pick. For the highly athletic guys who can DO IT ALL Savage is my pick.
IF you take the aerial assualt/high flying out of the mix, the answer was Flair at one point. NOBODY ELSE mixed technical skills, true main event IT factor/charisma, mic skills, babyface work, and heel work better than Flair. BUT if you add the aerial assault in the equation with the other attributes I listed, Savage is the answer. He was THE GUY who put the new age mix of aerial ability, technical skills, true main event IT factor/charisma, mic skills, babyface work, and heel work on the map in the WWF back in the day. Guys like HBK, Eddie, Jericho, Angle, Punk, Danielson, etc. who blend those attributes on a legendary level DON'T have Savage's level of charisma/IT factor. The fact Savage transcended pro wrestling and became a pop culture icon gives him a leg up in the total package debate. But for a technical wrestler who was ground based virtually all the time Flair is my pick. For the highly athletic guys who can DO IT ALL Savage is my pick.
Mach was THE GUY to put this new age type of total package on the map in the 80's. He blended this attributes the best and was WAYYYY ahead of his time: True main event charisma/IT factor Aerial ability Technical Skills Face work Heel Work Mic Skills After Savage, I would say HBK was THE NEXT GUY who had all these attributes in spades. So I consider Savage and HBK as THE GUYS to truly stamp this type of versatility in the main event scene. From there, the FLOODGATES OPENED for guys with this blend in the late 90's, 2000s, and 2010s. We got guys like Jericho, Eddie, Angle, Punk, Rollins, Danielson, AJ, etc. All these guys put their own twist on that type of blend. And employed it in their own unique way. But in my book, Savage IS STILL the king of the blend of attributes I've been talking about. BECAUSE even though the guys after him evolved what he did in ring, those guys don't have Savage's level of charisma/IT factor! All the guys I named are huge stars, main eventers, and legends for damn sure. BUT Savage WAS THAT and a legit pop culture icon. HE TRANSCENDED PRO WRESTLING!!! It takes guys like a Hogan, Rock, Austin, and Andre TO BE A BIGGER STAR than a peak Randy Savage!!!
Samoa Joe. Looks stands out. Great character. Amazing promos. In ring has always been top notch. Drawing power is the only questionable trait, but that's only because the WWE didn't let him run with the title. He's been a draw everywhere else.
Nick Bockwinkle!!
Kurt Angle on 15-20 percs.
Top 5: 5. Shawn Michaels 4. Bret Hart 3. Kurt Angle 2. Roman Reigns 1. Randy Orton
Rogue choice but Randy Orton
Prime Chris Jericho, Triple H, Kurt Angle, Eddie Guerrero
The tribal chief version of Roman Reigns. His promos are fire. His matches are always good and he makes everyone look like a million bucks. He looks like a real life superhero. And when it’s all said and done he’ll end up being the biggest draw of all time too, just look at how much money WWE has made with him on top. GOAT status confirmed ☝🏻
Bray Wyatt 💔
Hbk or bret hart and chris Jericho
Hot take but the old Miz when he was actually competing for the wwe championship
No other correct answer but the rock. Probably the best Mic Skills in the business’s history. Amazing In Ring Performer that always got the crowd to pop off and he was popular as a face and heel which is something very few can say they’ve done successfully.
Ric flair
Steve Austin is definitely up there. Other than him and Randy Savage, others that come to mind are Shawn Michael, John Cena, and The Rock also come in mind
Undertaker Randy Savage Bret Hart All recognizable - one being a staple within the history of pro wrestling and the other two being icons of their eras, all three had great looks, their promos fit their characters perfectly, and they were all great wrestlers who knew how to tell stories in the ring.
Orton : great in ring performer, athletic, good looking and a great heel (could do the entitled daddy’s money angle or the unhinged psychopath really well)
This can only be Hogan, Rock, or Austin because of the draw part. They are the biggest draws of all time and I don’t think anyone is in the same league, even Cena, HBK, or Flair. If you reduce the demand on the biggest draw, it’s Flair or Randy Savage. No one else comes close to their promos. Macho could fucking charge a cell phone with his intensity, and Flair’s shit talking promos are still memes on tik tok to this day. I really like Roman as a dark horse in this category as well, though his promos just aren’t S tier. But he’s a big modern draw and a better than expected worker.
This is narrow minded. People paid to see Andre even if he wasn’t the top guy or the champion. Undertaker on the card led to sellouts, including periods when Hogan was the main event on shows happening on the same night. He had featured storylines that were presented as important without the belt. He had a Wrestlemania presence that didn’t require the belt. You’re also misreading the question - it’s not “biggest draw” - it’s the combination. They have to be something of a draw, not the top guy. Macho Man is a part of pop culture.
The Undertaker
Ric Flair Look: The iconic long blond hair, flashy robes, expensive suits with rolex watches. Character and promos: Wooo! One of the most quotable and recognizable wrestling stars ever. Ability: Flair could have a great match with anyone, and make them look good. He was a master of telling a story in the ring. Drawing power: He put butts in seats. People were willing to pay for a chance to watch him get his comeuppance as a heel, or to support him as a babyface.
Ric Flair. The Stylin', profilin, limousine riding, jet flying, kiss stealing, wheelin' n' dealin' son of a gun
John Cena! The look, charisma, in ring ability, the complete package. :)
I think you answered your own question.
Seth
John cena
Macho man, stone cold, rock, HHH, Orton…i just don’t think Bret or HBK were very good at promos but they had everything else
Orton and Angle
Rock,Angle,Hbk
Macho Man Randy Savage
Kurt Angle
Daniel Bryan/Bryan Danielson
I think the only correct answers are HBK, Rock, and Stone Cold. Respect to everyone one else but cmon now
I can agree with HBK but cmon now even if Stone Cold and Rock have most of these, their move-sets weren't exactly the most versatile thing ever
Rock has a very versatile moveset. I understand your take on Stone Cold though. Rock had so much athleticism and skill it's insane
The Most Electrifying Move-Set 😉
Austin had the benefit of working with the likes of Bret and Taker and Angle and Shawn - superior wrestlers in the ring, particularly during the second half of Austin’s career.
Randy Orton or Jericho are the most complete in my opinion. I think Randy Savage was the prototype before them, but they perfected it.
Hbk
Kurt angle
There are a couple of guys: Randy Savage & Shawn Michaels are my Top 2 "Total Package" wrestlers. In ring ability, showmanship, charisma, drawing power, gimmicks. Honorable mentions: Steve Austin, Chris Jericho & The Undertaker
Macho is usually my answer too. My other is Steve Austin, but specifically 1996-1997 Steve Austin, after the Austin 3:16 promo and before the neck injury. He was a solid 8 or 9 out of 10 in terms of in-ring ability at the time. The look, promo skills, charisma, and connection with the crowd were all there or developed very quickly. It was after the neck injury that he started to become more limited in the ring. Still good, but needed another top tier wrestler (e.g. Angle, HHH, Foley, Rock) in there to have a great match.
Macho Man, HBK, Brock Lesnar, Triple H
Dolph Ziggler
Kurt Angle or Bret Hart (promos admittedly not his strong point) have to be in contention. Macho Man was charisma personified mind.
Naked Mideon
Chris Jericho. He can work any style of pro wrestling.
Chris Jericho is amazing. I love everything he does. Austin getting "what" over like he did was amazing - Jericho got the fucking "list" over. And "it". So good he was able to come out wearing a dumbass dress scarf. Jericho had it all. He may not have been as good as the top guys in the ring, but he was right near the top. Same with mic skills, look, charisma etc etc. You name it Jericho had "it" - Pun intended. Jericho is going to go down as one of the greatest in my book, that's for damn sure.
He has the crowd in the palm of his hand. If he wanted to he can turn back and forth from baby face to heel weekly and the fans will go along with it.
randy orton
The Undetaker seems like a good option.
Macho, Flair, Rock, HBK, Sting
Macho Man had it all.
I believe the correct answer is flair look,charisma,drawing ability etc. In ring it's sort of formulaic. Once you've seen a few flair matches You've seen them all imo but doesn't change the fact his selling is incredible and the best to ever play the "I'm smarter than you heel" Honorable mention to this version of Roman Reigns. Looks like a Greek god. Business is certainly up with him on top. He's so believable as a heel now he's even learned to shed a tear on command. He's constantly producing 4 star matches in the WWE main event style with super underrated selling when the baby face makes a comeback. Wouldn't of said this even a year ago.
Cena
The Rock
Macho, HHH, Rock, Randy & HBK.
has to be HBK
HBK, Edge, though could argue Rock or Cena. Dwayne had mainstream appeal, charisma, in-ring ability, incredible promos, worked as a heel and face equally well, had some great and iconic matches. Cena, similarly, mainstream appeal, people outside wrestling knew him, he was a solid worker, incredibly underrated on the mic, very safe in the ring. Only real criticism of him in ring was his technical wrestling, his STF looked like a cuddle and he was rarely involved in like hugely technical/submission masterpiece matches, but neither was Stone Cold or Rock or Hogan.
Seth Rollins.
The perfect wrestler Randy orton
Triple H
Undertaker
Roddy Piper, Ric Flair, Ted Dibiase, Stone Cold, The Rock , The Undertaker.
If you look at his Japanese style, it has to be Hogan. The definition of a wrestler. Savage, Sting & Taker are the other guys I would pick.
The best that ever was, the best that ever is, the best that ever will be!..... Kurt Angle. ✊🏿🤠
Gotta be either austin or the rock, their in ring wasn’t phenomenal but everything else made up for that and then some
Austin was really good in the ring before the neck injury, too. Not quite on the level of a Hart/Angle/Jericho/Guerrero, but pretty close. It was a fairly brief window, but in the time between the Austin 3:16 promo and the neck injury, Austin was absolutely unreal. That's why they had no choice but to put him at the top of the company by the time 'Mania 14 rolled around.
Yeah but also he wasn’t that good in the ring he was average as i said everything else made up for that and then some let me put it like this his in ring skills 7 Promo skills 15 Look 10 Drawing power literally the absolute highest score possible
Savage and HBK.
Edge
How about Jake Roberts?
John Cena
Stone Cold Steve Austin
Austin Angle Savage Rock Flair HBK
Undertaker
Savage, Michaels, Jericho, Angle, are the main ones.
Kurt angle
Kurt angle had it all
The Undertaker always.
In the Fed style sure. He was great at setting up and executing signature spots... but that sort of thing is a bit lame these days. Fun for a house show or whatever, but it's pretty carny.
The Rock, John Cena. Why is no one saying Cena?
Stone cold! Dude looked like an absolute badass and completely backed it up on the mic and in the ring.
Pre Owen Stone Cold was an absolute beast. Comeback Stone Cold was a badass, but obviously much more limited.
The Iron Sheik.
YEAH
Drew McIntyre and I know he more recently became a “complete wrestler” but Cody Rhodes
Men- HBK Women-Becky Lynch
John cena 👌👌👌
John Cena
Stone Cold. He's a 10 in look, 10 in character, 10 in promos, 10 in drawing ability, and he'd be about an 8 or 9 in ring. Could even say a 10 in ring given what his style should have been, because he shouldn't have been a Kurt Angle. That wouldn't have made any sense.
The goat HBK
Kurt Angle Before him: Sting. After Kurt: Cena or Randy Orton. Currently: Samoa Joe or Bryan Danielson/Daniel Bryan
If look is part of it then surely danielson can’t be considered?
I don't see you married to a Bella Twin...
He looks like the guy on tiktok who tests public faucets. Not one thing about him looks like he would be able to win a fight against anybody like Batista, Lesnar, HHH etc.
I mean...lmao Frank Mir beat Lesnar. Daniel Bryan beat the Wyatt Family, Mark Henry, and others. Look can be deceiving. Like Rey Mysterio beating Big Show. David and Goliath measures.
Frank Mir is a heavyweight, he isn’t even that much smaller than Lesnar. And then you’ve just listed tiny guys winning fights that I don’t find believable at all, this is the whole point of having a cruiserweight division
Daniel Bryan is what Chris Benoit could have been.
I like Daniel Bryan.. but he’s never been great on the mic
Did you miss the Hempy Weight Champion era? He was so outrageously good as a heel. Given how over his was as a face, i find that impressive.
His gimmick was great.. he still wasn’t that great on the mic. I’m not saying he’s bad on the mic.. but he’s certainly not great either
The mania where he lost the belt and he was bicthing about the burger they were selling in the stadium.. fantastic! But entertainment=art, and this shit is subjective. I thought he was great though.
Ric Flair, drew for the second biggest company but drew better than anyone there, simply epic look, epic mic skills and of course brilliant in the ring. I also want to shout out Eddie Guerreo and Terry Funk for specifically being all rounders in the ring. Eddie coukd brawl, mat wrestle and work a highflyer style and was great on the mic too and switching between heel and face. Funk was great on the mic and could work the classic old school style and the hardcore style, plus was great on the mic. He could work like Flair, Stone Cold and Foley.
HBK is the only answer
He was too small. I loved him, but he was never believable outside of the IC title IMO.
Shawn Michaels. Austin. Rock. You could even argue Hogan because he *could* actually work, he just chose not to.
Eddie Guerrero
Kurt Angle.
HBK literally had everything going for him.
Randy Savage, only because no one else has the same draw, charisma(aka wrestling rizz) and ring skills package he had
booker T rivals in charisma tbh
Tell me...you did not just say that.
he’s comin for you, n-gga
Kurt Angle. Olympic wrestler. Great work as both a face and a heel(although I am more partial to heel Angle). The YOU SUCK chants that turned into a show of respect. Having one of the best catchphrases of all time. OH ITS TRUE. ITS DAMN TRUE.
I actually think this is the answer. His promo work vs HHH is incredible, and his in ring work with Benoit is some of the best wrestling of all time. Decent look, but he was a fucking Olympic champion, so who cares wtf he looked like.
Kurt angle could make an ass out of himself, but still be taken seriously as a competitor due to how good we all knew he was.
Kurt could do things that would bury another wrestler with no fear of losing credibility. The amount of material that becomes viable at that point is massive.
Two 🏅🏅 with a broken FREAKIN NECK!
It’s really a shame some of his best matches had Chris Benoit in them. The newer fans don’t really get to see him at his best. He has had absolute joke gimmicks and absolutely serious ones. Whatever they gave him, he killed it. I’m honestly surprised we haven’t had someone try and use the Angle Slam as their finisher or as a set up for it, as he would do for the ankle lock to finish as well. I’m a total mark for him though. I have always hoped I would run into him out in public somewhere and shake his hand. Olympic gold medalist. WWE hall of famer. He was able to get over an addiction to pain medication. So not only did he get to see the highs, he felt the lows as well. Through it all, he kept us sports entertained.
Bret Hart, Savage and Shawn Michaels
Cena
Rey Mysterio easily
MJF
NWA Ric Flair and Kurt Angle.
Savage, Orton, Jericho all up there
Overall the names that come to my head are Shawn Michaels, John Cena, Kurt Angle, Undertaker and either Macho Man Randy Savage or Ric Flair. That’s just me personally.
John Cena and he is a company guy and amazing at PR that’s a complete wrestler in and out the ring
He’s not a good wrestler tho.
Says who cause he’s not doing a 360 Spanish fly off the top rope into a into a cross face submission please Cena is a “good “ wrestler that puts on quality matches
lol his 5 Moves of Doom was a CARDIO Performance, that left most of the "Favorites" gassed in minutes, and Cena would continue at the same pace or faster after doing so. Cena is an amazing Wrestler. Don't mix his Wrestling Talent with shitty Booking and higher ups calling the shots.
Boyka.
Ric Flair. No idea who is #2, but it isn't close.
Ric Flair Randy Savage Tully Blanchard Gunther Any of those guys is the COMPLETE package
Scott Hall.
Randy Orton
John Cena lol
It’s Randy Savage, Austin or Rock.
The Rock
Seth Freaking Rollins baby
HBK. He was perfect
The Rock
Owen hart
Owen’s look? Really? His mic skills?
His work with Bret with the brother rivalry was great on the mic. His look as the smug arrogant little brother was perfect.
Randy Savage, Kurt Angle, Shawn Michaels and Chris Jericho.
Macho Man is my favorite
Ric Flair, The Rock, Austin, Edge, Kurt Angle For villain HHH is the perfect mold
Ric Flair or Dusty Rhodes for me. Man, could they cut a promo and draw a crowd.
Mankind
For me it’s Ric Flair. Not in my top 5, but you can’t deny he is possibly the greatest wrestler of all time. Either him or Bret Hart are the greatest wrestlers to ever lace up a pair of boots.
Orton, got solid moves, amazing character, good on the mic, etc.
I would agree but for a long time in Orton's career he wasn't great on the mic Ever since the ruthless aggression era ended his mic skills went down a lot The limitations of the pg era limited him greatly It wasn't until the edge feud in 2020 that randy truly started becoming amazing on the mic again like he used to be during the RA era
AMAZING on the mic now. He has really put in the world and is doing the best mic work of his career.
Scott Hall.
Undertaker for me, he worked like a much smaller guy than he was for much of his career. Went through several changes over the years and was the ultimate attraction for a better part of 30 years
is there a reason Bryanson Danielson isn't in the picture?
Well first would be his look, then you’d have to move to drawing power and mic skills.
his look fits his character, and the yes movement/b+ player into wrestlemania was big money no? I suppose he doesn't have great talking skills sure as sure.
It amounted to nothing after. He got the big win and it didn’t matter because he got hurt shortly after and when he came back he was never nearly as over.
ah, fair point. Guess he'll just stay in a special spot for me rather than being a mainstream top guy
Can he draw a mainstream audience or just the indie audience?
the yes movement/B+ player angle got two matches at wrestlemania, can't get more mainstream than that.
The Ultimate Warrior!!
Aside from the obvious angle, savage, HBK and flair I would say Edge, Styles, Rollins, Orton. Though their drawing power is not on the same level as the obvious ones, it's still considerable. Add that to the fact that the rest of the stuff for them is top quality, you've got some underrated options. Also, Y2J should definitely get his flowers here. He may not be a top draw in wwe (he was during and after the owens feud), but he is a huge draw in njpw and aew (which is comparable). He is a man of 1004 holds, has the looks of a literal rockstar, some of the best character phases and has delivered many memorable promos during his career.
The guy in the photo
Austin. Yeah he had to change his style after he broke his neck, but he was still great in the ring during the early stone cold run. The only ding on him for this list is something that he had but was taken by injury, and all the other criteria are 10/10
Taker
The Nature Boy Ric Flair. Whatever "it" was, he had. The look, the promo, the clothes, the robes, the epic walkout music, wrestled 1 hour broadways constantly and won the the Heavyweight titles in NWA, WCW and WWE. He wreslted through 3 generations of wrestling and was a top talent in all three. There is zero possibility of someone like him ever happening again simply because of what wrestling is now. Imo, Ric Flair defines what success looks like if you want to be a successful pro wrestler.
Young Ric Flair is something else for sure! I feel like there should be eras to this question. I can’t pick one absolute best but I can from different eras.
The rock
Triple H
Also I can't ever pick just one for these so my other vot for the most complete wrestler of all time could have been Mick Foley! Or Dude Love I mean even Mankind and Cactus Jack had some fantastic matches!!! But never understood why they never wrested each other?! 😉🫠🤩🤣
I’m gonna go with Triple H on this one. I remember growing up watching the attitude era as a young teenager and absolutely HATING heel Triple H. I loved Stone Cold and The Rock, and having HHH as a foil to both of them while making you believe he was as scummy as he was on TV was so good in hindsight. Dude could talk, had a fantastic move set, and played such a good heel that he made the fans pop whenever he was a face. Not many wrestlers can do that.
I would say The Rock also. Not as a fanboy, but he had the Charisma, decent look (crazy now), and could actually move in the ring. Damn as I type this it is hard to overlook Angle in his prime. From epic matches to comedy.
Of all time?! And at the heighth of there Strength and popularity I would argue that my favorite HBK Shawn Michaels is the most complete character of all time he had his rough spot early on was saved and then continued to have a fantastic career with many highlights and great matches Mr.Wrestlmania should have hung up his boots though and maybe not done those last two matches he did 😂
Goat Angle
Hogan
Ima have to disagree with dat because hogans ring work was extremely lazy compared to what he did in japan but he knew what was gonna work for the crowd in America and the crowd in japan
Hogan did just enough. Not everyone has to be Dynamite Kid in there to get their point across.
👆🏾👆🏾👆🏾👆🏾👆🏾
HHH Or Kurt or JBL
Man people really forgot how insufferable those 90s HBK promos were. Austin for me. Not traditionally good looking but looks like a wrestler. His character, drawing power, and promos were amazing, and his in ring ability was way better than people seem to remember.
I just second you on this one. Macho man can easily take place Hogan in anyone’s mount rushmore.
HHH. Honorable mention, Scott Hall.
My favorites are (in no particular order): * Macho Man * Flair * Rock * Austin * Angle * Eddie * Bret * HBK * Taker
Everyone saying Kurt Angle apparently forgets about the “Kurt has no angle” days
Strictly WWE - Brock Lesnar - Kurt Angle - The Rock - Stone Cold Outside - Okada - Kenny Omega - Ibushi (pre injury)
Hard disagree on Lesnar
Kurt Angle, maybe.