30 Most Famous WWE Wrestlers of All Time

30 Most Famous WWE Wrestlers of All Time

Ding, ding, ding. Action. Roaring crowds, electrifying energy, and larger-than-life personalities, sports entertainment at its best. These household names in WWE’s wrestling history thrill us with their feats and captivate us with their storylines. But how well do you know them? Let’s try a few trivia questions.

Who is known for the “Deadman” gimmick? you’re right it’s The Undertaker. He is the goody-two-shoes Superman? John Cena. He was gigantic and could carry two 200-pound men.  André the Giant is correct. He portrays Drax in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. It is Dave Bautista.

Now if he is flamboyant, shows up with a bandana and exotic sunglasses, and in a raspy voice goes “Oooh yeah!” Who are we talking about? “Macho Man” Randy Savage it is. What’s your score? If you got all right, thumps up you’re a WWE fan. If it was unfamiliar territory for you, no problem let’s smack it down below.

Here are the 30 Most Famous WWE Wrestlers of All Time.

1. Ric Flair

With over five decades as a professional wrestler, Flair prides himself as a 16-time world champion while signed under WWE. Different sources vary in the number of his world title counts ranging between 16 to 25.

He has received the WWE Hall of Fame induction twice, first in 2008 and again in 2012 as a member of The Four Horsemen. The other members were Arn Anderson, Ole Anderson, and Tully Blanchard.

Pro Wrestling Illustrated magazine listed him as their Wrestler of the Year more than six times. He was also on Wrestling Observer Newsletter as the Wrestler of the Year for at least eight years. Flair was born in Tennessee on February 25, 1949.

2. Hulk Hogan

The retired WWE wrestler is remembered for his 1980s triumph in the ring. The Hulkamaniacs (his fans) appreciate him for being a World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) champion at least six times.

Hogan started professional wrestling in 1977 but he rose to worldwide fame after joining WWE in 1983. At the time WWE was known as World Wrestling Federation (WWF) until 2002 when it became WWE.

Moreover, in 1993 he went on to pursue acting but returned to the ring in 1994 signed under World Championship Wrestling (WCW). He won six WCW World Heavyweight Championships until 2002 when he returned to WWF which acquired WCW in 2001.

During his active years, 1983 to 2006 his televised matches are estimated to be 170. In all these matches he lost about 36 out of which 22 were by disqualification or better known as count out. Meaning that it was only 14 times that he was pinned or submitted.

He earned about $10 to 13 million per year and was one of the top earners at the time in his career. His net worth is estimated to be $25 million to $30 million as per 2023 reports.

One of his greatest highlights is the February 1988 WWF match against Andre the Giant. The event recorded over 30 million television views and Andre won the match. Hogan prides himself in two WWE Hall of Fame inductions in 2005, and 2020. Besides wrestling, he has been featured in films, commercials, and video games. Georgia is credited as his birth location on August 11, 1953.

Read more about Hulk Hogan.

3. Stone Cold Steve Austin

He is famed for starting his wrestling career on a high note in 1989 under World Championship Wrestling (WCW). Later he joined WWE in 1995 where he won the WWF Championship at least six times.

Additionally, one of his career pinnacles includes the 1996 King of the Ring competition held in Milwaukee’s MECCA Arena in Wisconsin. His rival in the final was Jake Roberts “the Snake” and Stone Cold emerged winner. Thus sparking the “Austin 316” promo which was inspired by the John 3:16 Bible verse.

The WWE champion was forced to retire in 2003 following knee and neck injuries. But in April 2022 he made a one-off appearance at the 38^th anniversary of WrestleMania against Kevin Owens.

After his retirement, he is involved in hosting podcasts and he has also engaged in reality competition series. He received the WWE Hall of Fame induction in 2009. He is worth about $40 million in 2023. He was born in Texas on December 18, 1964.

4. The Rock

Dwayne Johnson alias ‘The Rock’ is one of the wrestlers who have pushed the industry into the juggernaut it is in the modern day. He aspired to pursue professional football. Yet in 1996 he secured a contract with WWE through the help of his father.

What’s more, he holds 10 world championship wins throughout his career which ended in 2019 following his retirement. He boasts of eight WWE championships and two WCW World Championships.

In the ring, he was renowned for his charismatic trash-talking gimmick. After his retirement, he pursued acting and has grossed high in the film space. He has a net worth of about $800 million in 2023. California is credited as his birth location on 2 May 1972.

5. The Undertaker

He is a ring great acclaimed for his gimmicks. He began with the horrific “Deadman” gimmick later adorning a biker’s identity dubbed “The American Badass”. Afterward, he blended both gimmicks. This earned him the Wrestling Observer Newsletter award 5 years in a row for the Best Gimmick category.

He joined professional wrestling in 1987. In 1989 he signed with World Championship Wrestling (WCW) and joined WWE the following year. Part of his titles includes a four-time WWE Championship and three-time World Heavyweight Championship winner.

To add on, a career climax for The Undertaker is The Streak (a 21 series of victories during the WrestleMania VII annual event in 1991. The record was unbeaten for over two decades.

He retired in 2020 and received a WWE Hall of Fame induction in 2022. His net worth is between $17 and 20 million as per 2023 reports. He was born in Texas on March 24, 1965.

6. Shawn Michaels

Mr. WrestleMania earned this nickname because of his nerve-wracking matches which stood out during the WrestleMania events. His other nicknames were The Heartbreak Kid (HBK) and The Showstopper.

On top of that, he joined the WWE in 1988 and retired in 2010 though with on and off seasons during the period. The four-time world champion is praised for his three-time WWF Championship wins. Also, for a one-time WWE World Heavyweight Championship win.

After his retirement, he has been focused on coaching at the WWE Performance Center since 2016. In 2018, he became part of the WWE’s TV program NXT as the producer. Later, he rose to the position of Senior Vice President of Talent Development Creative for the NXT brand. He was born in Arizona on July 22, 1965.

7. John Cena

The ring great Cena began as a bodybuilder in 1998 but made a shift to professional wrestling the next year. He joined WWE in 2001 and he holds 16 WWE world title reigns.

Over and above that, his trash-talking rapper characteristic in 2002 on SmackDown ignited his global acknowledgment. In 2005, he changed direction to a superhero character known as “goody-two shoes Superman”.

Atop of wrestling, he is a celebrated actor and has featured in many movies, series, and TV programs. He has also done a studio album, You Can’t See Me alongside his cousin which was released in 2005. The album received platinum certification.

He was born in Massachusetts on April 23, 1977. He has a net worth of about $80 million in 2023. He also has not announced his retirement from wrestling.

8. Triple H

Paul Levesque signed up for professional wrestling in 1992. He worked under several wrestling promotions under different ring names before joining WWE in 1995.

Moreover, he acquired the Triple H ring name which stands for Hunter Hearst Helmsley on WWE. It was on the platform he gained international fame leading him to secure 14 world championship wins. He retired from ring competitions in 2022 during WrestleMania 38.

Other than wrestling, he is headlined as the chief content officer for WWE since 2011. His marriage to Stephanie McMahon is another source of his fame. She is Vince McMahon’s daughter who is the WWE CEO.

His net worth is estimated at $170 Million in 2023. While his shares at WWE are class A at over 67,000 shares and his wife owns 1% of WWE shares considered to be class B. He was born in US New Hampshire on July 27, 1969.

9. Bret Hart “The Hitman”

The ring superstar is prominent for his five-time WWE Championship wins which he ensured were memorable moments for his fans. He joined the wrestling arena in 1976 as a referee on a Canadian wrestling promotion but started ring competitions in 1978. He followed after his father who was a Canadian wrestler.

Additionally, his WWE reign pushed him to stardom between the 1980s and 1990s. Some of his accolades include holding the WWF Championship title for five years. He was also a WCW World Heavyweight Champion twice.

He was forced out of the ring by a concussion he faced while in a match against Bill Goldberg at the Starrcade in 1999. Goldberg gave Hart a botched mule kick which ended up in a brain injury ending Hart’s career.  

He was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2006 and a second time as a member of The Hart Foundation in 2019. His net worth stands at about $14 Million in 2023. He was born in Canada on July 2, 1957.

Learn about Mark William Calaway ‘The Undertaker’.

10. Randy Orton

The WWE legend won his first championship with the promoter at 24 years. He is recognized among the top WWE title holders. He has won 14 WWE world championship titles. In total, he boasts of about 20 championships on WWE.

He has been out of the ring since May 2022 due to a back injury that saw him undergo back fusion surgery. His net worth is approximately $15 million and he is signed up to a $4 million contract per year. He was born in Tennessee on 1 April 1980.

11.  “Macho Man” Randy Savage

His fans remember his flamboyancy, bandanas, glamorous sunglasses, raspy voice, and of course the catchphrase “Oooh yeah!”. The former WWE wrestler enjoyed six world championship reigns in his over three-decade career.

Moreover, he was also the 1987 WWF King of the Ring winner. Savage was inducted into the Wrestling Observer Newsletter Hall of Fame in 1996. He received a posthumous induction into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2015.

At his demise, his net worth was $8 million. The cause of his death was a heart attack while he was driving. He was born in Ohio on November 15, 1952. He died in Florida on May 20, 2011, aged 58.

12. Kurt Angle

A ring icon who won the gold medal in freestyle wrestling at the World Wrestling Championships in 1995 after his college studies. Another highlight in Angle’s career was the freestyle wrestling gold medal he won at the 1996 Summer Olympics. He competed with a broken neck and managed a gold medal.

He joined WWE in 1998 and left in 2006 to join Total Nonstop Action (TNA). He has at least 13 world championship reigns and a total of 21 professional wrestling championship wins.

What’s more, he received a 2013 induction to the TNA Hall of Fame and into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2017. His net worth in 2023 is about $30 million US. He was born in Pennsylvania on December 9, 1968.

13. Rey Mysterio

The mask which is Mysterio’s signature appearance was inspired by his uncle. According to a Los Angeles Times March 2023 article, he watched his uncle wear a mask every time he stepped out of his car to go wrestling.

To add on, he started professional wrestling when he was 14 years old in 1989. He is a three-time world champion and has 24 cumulative championship reigns both at WWE and WCW. His net worth in 2023 is about $10 million. He was born in California on December 11, 1974.

His relationship with the late wrestler Eddie Guerrero is often linked to a blood relationship. Yet they were best friends and not relatives. After the demise of Guerrero in 2005, Mysterio honors his buddy in many ways like the use of Eddie’s frog splash during matches.

14. Eddie Guerrero

This ring exemplar is prominent for his “Latino Heat” gimmick and his catchphrase “I Lie! I Cheat! I Steal!” This phrase triggered his 2005 autobiography titled Cheating Death, Stealing Life.

He began his wrestling journey with Mexican promotions and moved to WCW in 1995 and transitioned to WWE in 2000. He became a household name in wrestling with the SmackDown brand in 2004 which saw him win the WWE championship.

He died in the ring due to a heart attack amidst the celebration of his victory after winning a match. He was born in Texas on 9 October 1967. His demise took place in Minnesota on 13 November 2005.

15. “Rowdy” Roddy Piper 

His kilt and bagpipe entrance music were the signatures he was famed for. With Canadian descent, he was portrayed as having a Scottish heritage. His accumulated championships totaled 34. He received a WWE Hall of Fame induction in 2005.

On top of that, The sleeper hold was his finishing stunt in most of his matches. His net worth at his death was $4 million. He was born in Canada on April 17, 1954. He died in California on July 31, 2015, aged 61 years.

16. Chris Jericho

With a top-notch rock star persona and outstanding in-ring wrestling technique, Jericho is a headline WWE wrestler. He began professional wrestling in the 1990s and worked under different promotions until 1999 when he joined WWE.

Jericho left WWE in 2018 and is signed up with All Elite Wrestling (AEW) since 2019. He rose to international fame while on WWE where he managed to become a six-time world champion.

To boot, his reason for leaving WWE was that he perceived Vince McMahon (WWE CEO) never thought of him as a main event talent anymore. Chris added that he also thought he had more to offer outside of WWE thus his shift to AEW. He was born in New York on November 9, 1970.

17. “Nature Boy” Buddy Rogers

Given the ring name “Nature Boy” by promoter Jack Pfefer he set a model for other wrestlers to emulate such as Ric Flair (earlier). Flair took up the nickname as well as Buddy’s look, in-ring character, and finishing technique hold, the figure-four leglock. The Nature Boy moniker came from Pfefer who used it to refer to the bleached hair that Rogers underwent when he moved from Texas to Ohio.

Rogers recorded a fourteen-time reign as a world champion. He grew up in New Jersey where he was also born on February 20, 1921. He passed on in Florida at the age of 71 years on June 26, 1992.

18. André the Giant

His great size made him a stand-out figure in the ring. He had gigantism which results from excess growth hormones. The renowned WWE wrestler was of French heritage and he began his career in 1966.

Additionally, he moved to North America in 1971 and kick-started professional wrestling in WWE which was then under a different name. His active years ran from 1973 to the mid-1980s.

One of his career peaks was during WrestleMania III in 1987 and WrestleMania IV in 1988. He headlined the event alongside Hulk Hogan (earlier). He is also famous for an unbeaten record of about 15 years on WWE, lifting a 2000-lb. weight and carrying two wrestlers of 200-plus pounds weight like babies.

He received several inductions to different wrestling halls of fame including WWE in 1993. He was born in France on 19 May 1946 and passed away in the same country on 28 January 1993.

19. Bruno Sammartino

This Italian-American WWE wrestler was popular as “The Italian Strongman” and later referenced as “The Living Legend”. He is celebrated as a two-time world champion. His accolades include the WWE Heavyweight Championship reign for 11 years spread over two reigns.

He was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2013. He was born in Italy on 6 October 1935 and his demise took place in Pittsburgh when he was 82 years on 18 April 2018.

20. Dave Bautista

The ring legend goes by the ring name Batista. He entered the professional wrestling arena in 1999 and signed up with WWE in 2000. He made the record as a six-time world champion while on WWE.

On top of that, he resigned from WWE in 2013 but made a comeback in 2014 when he won the Royal Rumble match that year. He returned in 2019 for the WrestleMania 35 and retired thereafter.

Other than wrestling he acts and is known for portraying Drax in the Marvel Cinematic Universe from 2014. He has played Drax up to the 2023 release by the franchise Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3. He was born in Washington, D.C. on January 18, 1969.

21. Edge

Adam Copeland debuted professional wrestling in 1992 and his rise to the limelight came when he signed under WWE in 1997. He has a 31 reign record of wrestling championships.

Edge opted to retire in 2011 after he experienced a neck injury. It originated from a bump the Canadian wrestler took on a closed ladder on SmackDown in 2002. While he lay on the ladder Eddie Guerrero performed his frog splash on Edge.

To boot, his optimism saw him return to the ring after nine years in the 2020 Royal Rumble. He was also present in the 2021 version of the same which he won. He became a WWE Hall of Fame inductee in 2012. His net worth is about $8 million in 2023. He was born in Canada on October 30, 1973.

Meet Famous Mexican Wrestlers.

22. “Superstar” Billy Graham

The ring star is known for dominating the WWE Heavyweight Championship in 1977 and 1978. He had many talents starting as an evangelist and moving on to a bodybuilding career where he bench-pressed up to 605 pounds. He was also in the Canadian Football League, worked as a debt collector and a bouncer then shifted to wrestling.

He was hospitalized for some time for kidney, heart, and lung difficulties later succumbing to these medical concerns. He was born in Arizona on 7 June 1943 and passed on in the same area at the age of 79 years on May 17, 2023.

23. CM Punk

This WWE ring wizard is held with high regard for the 434-day reign as WWE Champion. He entered the wrestling space in 1999 and joined WWE in 2005. He won the 2011 Slammy Awards for the Superstar of the Year category.

Top of that, he was the Pro Wrestling Illustrated Wrestler of the Year two years in a row 2011 and 2012 as voted by the magazine’s readers. He announced his retirement in 2014 and left WWE to pursue mixed martial arts.

He returned to wrestling in 2021 on All Elite Wrestling (AEW) where he has since won AEW’s two world championships. He doubles as an actor and was born in Illinois on October 26, 1978.

24. The Dudley Boyz

They are nodded for being a successful tag team that consisted of Bubba Ray and D-Von Dudley who are half-brothers. They are sometimes known as Team 3D linked to their Dudley Death Drop finishing move.

They have won world championships as a team under different wrestling promotions including WWE. They have received inductions to a few wrestling halls of fame like the WWE Hall of Fame. In 2002 WWE decided to split the duo up for some time. In 2007, the siblings founded the Team 3D Academy of Professional Wrestling and Sports Entertainment based in Florida.

25. Jeff Hardy

He became part of the wrestling industry in 1999. In 2000, he joined WWE and made a shift to the Ring of Honor (ROH) in 2002 leaving WWE in 2003. He was successful in ROH and even received an induction to the ROH Hall of Fame.

Furthermore, in 2009 he made a return to WWE where he remained until 2021. His final role was being the SmackDown on-screen general manager from 2016 after he suffered brain injuries.

He was cleared by his doctors to return to ring competition and he signed with All Elite Wrestling (AEW) in 2021 after his contract with WWE ended earlier the same year. He was born in Washington on May 22, 1981.

26. The Hardy Boyz

Matt and Jeff Hardy are biological brothers and they began their tag team in 1993. The duo are 12-time world tag team champions accumulated under different promotions including WWE.

They split up in 2002 after Matt attacked Jeff driven by jealousy because Jeff was securing more opportunities than himself. Yet they reunited in 2006. They joined WWE in 1997 left at some point but returned in 2017.

Some of their memorable moments are being crowned Raw Tag Team Champions in 2017 at WrestleMania 33. Also their final WWE competition as a team where they won the SmackDown Tag Team Championship in 2019.

Afterward, Jeff was forced on a rest due to a leg injury and Matt joined AEW after his WWE contract ended in 2020. Matt Hardy according to critics appears to be the better of the Hardy’s. But both have the special feature of taking part in tables, ladders, and chairs (TLC) matches.

27. Big Show

The seven-time world champion holds at least 23 total championships from his tenure in different promotions including WWE. He joined professional wrestling in 1995 and became part of WWE from 1999 to 2021.

He left WWE because he didn’t want to be listed in the retirement role following his hip surgery in 2018. Thus he joined AEW where he is signed since 2021. His formal name is Paul Wight II and his real father was Paul Wight Sr. Big Show was born in South Carolina on February 8, 1972.

28. The New Day

This tag team consists of Big E, Kofi Kingston, and Xavier Woods. They are mostly known for their trio performance on WWE’s Raw brand since 2014. To add on, from 2020 the tag team has been on and off as a trio because of various reasons like being drafted to different WWE brands keeping them apart.

29. Mick Foley

He is signed under the WWE “Legends” program and during his active years he worked for many promotions. One of his most memorable matches is the 1998 Hell in a Cell match against The Deadman (Undertaker). He is a four-time world champion and a 2013 inductee to the WWE Hall of Fame. He was born in Indiana on June 7, 1965.

30. The Ultimate Warrior

James Hellwig started as a bodybuilder and turned to professional wrestling in 1985. He worked with WWE from 1987 up to 1992. His WrestleMania participations are his highest source of acclaim. WrestleMania VI was his climax where he was against Hulk Hogan and he managed to get the WWF Championship title.

Furthermore, he was part of the action on WrestleMania VIII, WrestleMania XII, and WrestleMania XXX. He was born in Indiana on June 16, 1959. He succumbed to a heart attack at the age of 54 years in Arizona on April 8, 2014.

These renowned WWE wrestlers have filled our wrestling arenas with energy, excitement, and entertainment. They have made an impact in wrestling history and their names are legendary. Thus their legacies live on for generations.