It’s a question that both fans and wrestlers have pondered for decades.
10. Charlotte Flair
She’s the most important female star in company history, with game-changing matches against Becky Lynch, Ronda Rousey, Asuka, Sasha Banks, and more.
Already a 12-time champ – she’s on track to beat Ric’s record of 16 – Charlotte’s career is just getting started.
9. Triple H
Trips has been a divisive figure but you can’t argue with 20 years at the top of WWE.
He helped create the Attitude Era with DX and became the best in the business in 2000.
8. John Cena
The 16-time champ has carried WWE into a new era more than once.
Cena was a handpicked champion who represented the idea of “the company guy” – the embodiment of WWE as an unbeatable corporate powerhouse.
7. Brock Lesnar
“The Beast” is a rare physical specimen in wrestling – a scary powerhouse whose legitimacy is unrivalled.
A true wrestling attraction, Brock makes everything he touches feel legit – matches, opponents, and championships.
6. Bret Hart
Changing WWE from the big man-style to a more nuanced craftsmanship, Bret championed quality wrestling during WWE’s creative low-point of the mid-90s.
He wasn’t a draw as champ, but Bret had some of the best ever matches – against Steve Austin, Undertaker, HBK, and his brother Owen – and was the best in the world in 1997.
5. The Rock
There’s no doubting Rock’s credentials as the greatest, most charismatic talker of all time.
But Dwayne Johnson was a brilliant in-ring wrestler too.
He had classics against Steve Austin, Triple H, Hulk Hogan, and Mick Foley.
4. The Undertaker
Thirty years since his debut, Taker is still wrestling’s greatest character.
He’s also the best ever big man – a near 7ft monster with the speed and agility of a man half his size.
3. Shawn Michaels
During his 1996 title reign, Michaels raised the standard of main event matches to unprecedented levels and carried the company against competition from WCW.
When he retired in 2010 he was still the best.
2. Hulk Hogan
A controversial figure now but Hulk Hogan is the single most important star in modern wrestling.
His cartoonish matches are outdated but Hogan was the undisputed master of wrestling’s most important skill – fan manipulation.
1. Stone Cold Steve Austin
He was armed with the most popular finishing move ever – the Stone Cold Stunner – but Austin’s real secret weapon was intensity.
Austin personified the hugely-successful Attitude Era.
His star dwindled after turning heel in 2001, but Austin’s matches and promos from his peak years are as exciting to watch now as they were 20 years ago.