Who Is The Best Wrestler Of All Time In Wwe?
Contents
The best wrestler of all time in WWE is a hotly debated topic. There are a number of great wrestlers who have come through the ranks over the years.
WWE’s Beginnings
WWE’s history is a long and storied one, with many different wrestlers claiming the title of best in the world. From the early days of Bruno Sammartino and Hulk Hogan to the Attitude Era of Stone Cold Steve Austin and The Rock, there have been many greats. But who is the best of all time?
WWE’s humble beginnings
In 1982, WWE’s predecessor, the World Wrestling Federation, was a regional promotion based in the northeastern United States with a monthly television program that aired on a local cable channel. In 1983, Vince McMahon, Sr. sold the company to his son Vincent K. McMahon, who established it as a national promotion with headquarters in Stamford, Connecticut.
The WWF began airing its flagship program, Monday Night Raw, on USA Network in January 1993. In 1994, WWF and Nickelodeon entered into a multi-year agreement to co-produce wrestling matches for the latter’s Friday Night Slam block of programming; this was a result of Vince McMahon Jr.’s discussions with Albie Hecht (who at the time was an Executive Vice President at Nickelodeon) and Nicktoons creator Fred Seibert.
The first WWE Champion
WWE’s history begins in 1952 with the capitolization on a new American sensation, television. TV needed content and one of the first forms of content to fill that air time were wrestling matches. One man in particular, who would go on to become synonymous with wrestling, took advantage of this new opportunity; his name was Vince McMahon Sr. He saw potential for televised wrestling and in 1963 he formed World Wide Wrestling Federation (WWWF). The company held its first event, Prime Time Wrestling, in 1965. The show aired once a week and consisted of various local wrestlers.
The Attitude Era
The Attitude Era in WWE was a highly profitable time period defined by its edgier product. The Attitude Era saw the rise of some of WWE’s most popular Superstars, including “Stone Cold” Steve Austin, The Rock, Mankind, and Triple H. This era was defined by its controversial content and edgy storylines.
The rise of “Stone Cold” Steve Austin
In late 1996, “Stone Cold” Steve Austin debuted in the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) after being Mike Tyson’s enforcer in Tyson’s boxing match with Shawn Michaels at WrestleMania 14. Austin quickly rose up the ranks, winning the King of the Ring tournament in June 1997 and defeating Bret Hart for the WWF Championship at WrestleMania 13 the following year. He held the title for much of 1998, a year that is considered one of the most revolutionary in WWF history. The product became edgier and more controversial, as evidenced by profanity-laced interviews conducted by Austin, the formation of The Rock ‘n’ Sock Connection with Mankind, and the rise of DX (a rebellious faction led by Shawn Michaels and Triple H). At Survivor Series in 1998, Austin lost the WWF Championship to The Rock in a “I Quit” match after McMahon interfered; this began a long-running feud between McMahon and Austin that helped propel both men to even greater popularity.
The birth of D-Generation X
The Attitude Era of professional wrestling was a time of change for WWE. The company moved away from the traditional family-friendly entertainment that it had been known for and towards a more edgy and adult-oriented product. This change was typified by the rise of World Wrestling Federation’s (WWF) “New Generation” of wrestlers in the early 1990s, who abandoned the clean-cut look and image that had been commonplace in professional wrestling up until that point. One of the most popular groups to emerge during this time was D-Generation X (DX), whose members were known for their rebellious and anti-authority attitudes.
While DX is often credited with ushering in the Attitude Era, it was not the only faction to embrace this new attitude. The nWo (New World Order), a group of former WWF wrestlers who had jumped ship to rival promotion World Championship Wrestling (WCW), were also key players in this transition period. The nWo’s popularity proved that there was a market for this more hardcore style of wrestling, and WWE soon followed suit.
The Attitude Era is often considered to be one of the most successful periods in WWE’s history, as it helped the company regain its foothold in the professional wrestling world after being eclipsed by WCW in the early 1990s. It also saw the rise of some of WWE’s most iconic Superstars, such as “Stone Cold” Steve Austin, The Rock, and Triple H.
The McMahon-Helmsley Era
In 1997, Mr. McMahon’s daughter Stephanie turned on him, siding with her new husband, Triple H, who had formed a group called D-Generation X with Shawn Michaels and Rick Rude. The three renegades taunted the older wrestlers with crude humor and raided rival promotions.
The Ruthless Aggression Era
The Ruthless Aggression Era was one of the most action-packed and entertaining periods in WWE history. It was filled with larger-than-life Superstars and memorable matches. In this era, we saw the rise of some of the most iconic WWE Superstars of all time, such as John Cena, Triple H, Brock Lesnar, and Edge.
The rise of Brock Lesnar
In 2002, Lesnar signed with the WWE and was assigned to its developmental territory, Ohio Valley Wrestling (OVW). After debuting on the main roster in March 2002, he won the WWE Undisputed Championship from The Rock at SummerSlam that August, making him the youngest champion in the title’s history at age 25. He was then traded to SmackDown! two months later, where he won the WWE Championship on three occasions. Between WWE and OVW, Lesnar won a total of six championships. He left WWE in 2004 and pursued a mixed martial arts (MMA) career.
The brand extension
In May 2002, WWE split its main roster into two distinct divisions, one representing the ” Raw ” brand and the other representing the ” SmackDown! ” brand. The Ruthless Aggression Era saw WWE move away from the edgier product it had become known for in the Attitude Era , and return to a more family-friendly style of entertainment. The era gets its name from the catchphrase used by WWE Chairman Vince McMahon during this period, ” Ruthless aggression “.
The return of D-Generation X
In February 2007, WWE terminated contracts with many of its wrestlers, due to budget cuts. Among those let go were Batista, Rey Mysterio, Eddie Guerrero, Chris Benoit and Kurt Angle. The following month, at WWE’s WrestleMania 23 pay-per-view event, Mr. McMahon “retired” from running WWE after he lost a match to Donald Trump. This marked the beginning of the Vince McMahon-sponsored “Trumpinvasion” storyline. WrestleMania 23 was also notable for the return of D-Generation X (DX). DX had originally split up in 2000, but reformed in 2006 to wrestle at that year’s SummerSlam event.
The PG Era
The PG Era is the most recent and current stage of professional wrestling promoted by WWE. This era is characterized by an increased focus on family-friendly and clean entertainment. While this has upset some older fans of WWE, the PG Era has brought in a whole new generation of fans.
The rise of John Cena
The “PG era” (abbreviated from “Parental Guidance Suggested”) is a term used by professional wrestling journalists and historians to refer to the era in World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) history since the introduction of its TV-PG programming content rating in late 2008. This followed the company’s implementation of a more family-friendly approach to its product as it was attempting to expand its reach beyond its traditional fan base of young males.
The PG era has been marked by an increased emphasis on storylines and characters, as opposed to matches and angles. In terms of in-ring action, the style has shifted from the ” Attitude Era”‘s rapid-paced, hardcore matches to a slower, more methodical pace more common in sports entertainment. Promotions outside of WWE have also shifted towards a more family-friendly product during this time.
The birth of The Shield
The Shield was created on November 18, 2012, when WWE’s Chief Brand Officer Stephanie McMahon and her husband, Executive Vice President of Talent, Live Events and Creative Paul “Triple H” Levesque, ordered enforcers to attack WWE Champion CM Punk during his match against Ryback, with the intention of destroying Punk’s claim of being “the best in the world”.[1] The wrestling stable originally consisted of Dean Ambrose (Jonathan Good), Seth Rollins (Colby Lopez), and Roman Reigns (Leati Joseph Anoa’i).
Reigns was the first to be signed to WWE’s main roster,[2] while Ambrose and Rollins were signed shortly thereafter.[3] Ambrose made his main roster debut on the November 26 episode of SmackDown, attacking later that night’s WWE Tag Team Champions Kane and Daniel Bryan.[4][5] Rollins made his main roster debut on the December 3 episode of NXT as Seth Rollins,[6] defeating Jinder Mahal.[7][8] On the January 7, 2013 episode of Raw, Reigns made his main roster debut as a member of The Shield by helping Ambrose and Rollins retain the WWE Tag Team Championship against Team Hell No.[9][10] Over the next few weeks, The Shield continued their assaults on Punk (who had been hospitalized due to a staph infection),[11][12][13] as well as various other wrestlers such as Ryback,[14][15][16]Sheamus,[17][18][19] Kane,[20][21] Bryan,[22][23]The Rock,[24][25]) and John Cena.[26][27])
The New Day
The New Day is a professional wrestling tag team in WWE, composed of Big E, Kofi Kingston, and/or Xavier Woods. They are currently assigned to the Raw brand. Originally established in 2014 as a trio, all three members are former WWE Tag Team Champions (with Woods being a two-time champion and both Big E and Kingston being four-time champions), with their first reign collectively as a three-man team being the longest in WWE history at 483 days, while their second reign is the second-longest at 380 days. Individually, all three members have held the WWE Intercontinental Championship (Big E is a two-time champion, while Woods and Kingston are one-time champions), with Woods being a former NXT Tag Team Champion (with Garza Jr.) as well.
The group’s gimmick is that of positive African-American stereotypes (“Gumbo”, “Booty-O’s”, “Xavier University”), which has been divisive among fans; some find it empowering and entertaining, while others find it offensive and outdated. The team has been dubbed by various media outlets – including WWE themselves – as one of the greatest tag teams in professional wrestling history.
The Women’s Revolution
In recent years, the WWE has been through a period of change, with the Women’s Revolution taking place. This has seen women’s wrestling become more popular than ever before, with many incredible athletes emerging. So, who is the best wrestler of all time in WWE?
The Four Horsewomen
The Four Horsewomen is a term used to refer to a group of four female wrestlers in WWE. The group consists of Charlotte Flair, Becky Lynch, Bayley, and Sasha Banks. The Four Horsewomen are considered to be some of the best wrestlers in WWE history.
The rise of Charlotte Flair
Charlotte Flair is one of the most dominant forces in WWE today. She is a two-time WWE Divas Champion and a four-time Raw Women’s Champion. She has held the NXT Women’s Championship and the SmackDown Women’s Championship. She is also a former NXT Women’s Champion. Charlotte Flair is the only woman to have won all three of WWE’s major women’s titles.
Charlotte Flair’s father is Ric Flair, who is considered by many to be the greatest wrestler of all time. Charlotte has followed in her father’s footsteps and has become one of the top female wrestlers in WWE today. Charlotte Flair is a role model for young girls and women all over the world.
The Women’s Royal Rumble
In 2018, the women of WWE revolutionized sports entertainment with the first ever all-women’s Royal Rumble match. This historic event featured some of the biggest and brightest stars in WWE history, including “The Baddest Woman on the Planet” Ronda Rousey, Charlotte Flair, Sasha Banks, Bayley, and more.
For the first time ever, women from RAW, SmackDown LIVE, and NXT competed in one match with the winner receiving a Women’s Championship opportunity at WrestleMania 34. In the end, it was Asuka who emerged victorious, last eliminating both Banks and Flair to cement her place in history.
The Women’s Royal Rumble was truly a defining moment for WWE and its female Superstars. Not only did it showcase the incredible talent and athleticism of the women’s division, but it also proved that anything is possible in WWE.
The Landscape Today
Wrestling is widely popular today as it was back when it first started many years ago. In this new era, there are different athletes who have taken the sport by storm. While every fan has their own opinion, many people believe that there is one man who stands out among the rest.
The current WWE Champion
The current WWE Champion is Drew McIntyre, who is also the longest-reigning WWE Champion in history. He has held the title for a total of days, which is more than twice as long as any other wrestler has held it.
The current WWE Universal Champion
The current WWE Universal Champion is Brock Lesnar. He is also the current UFC Heavyweight Champion. He is a professional wrestler and mixed martial artist.
The current WWE Women’s Champions
Today WWE has two Women’s Championships, the Raw Women’s Championship created in 2016 and the SmackDown Women’s Championship introduced in 2008 and revived in 2016. The WWE Women’s Champions of all time are as follows:
The Raw Women’s Champions are Ronda Rousey (2018-present), Alexa Bliss (2017-present), Charlotte Flair (2017), Bayley (2016-2017), and Sasha Banks (2016).
The SmackDown Women’s Champions are Becky Lynch (2018-present), Carmella (2017-present), Naomi (2017), Alexa Bliss (2016-2017), and Becky Lynch (2016).
The Future of WWE
The WWE is changing every day. New superstars are being brought in and old ones are leaving. The question is, who is the best wrestler of all time in WWE? This is a question that can be debated for a long time.
The next generation of Superstars
WWE is always looking for the next big thing, and they have a few talented Superstars in their developmental system who could be future world champions.
In recent years, WWE has signed some of the best young wrestlers in the world, and they have been training them at the Performance Center in Orlando, Florida.
Some of these young Superstars have already made their debuts on WWE television, and others are still honing their skills in NXT.
Here are five future WWE world champions who could be the next big thing in WWE.
The next WWE Champion
Now that Drew McIntyre has finally captured the WWE Championship from Brock Lesnar at WrestleMania 36, many are wondering who will be the next challenger for “The Scottish Psychopath.” While there are a number of talented superstars on both Raw and SmackDown who could step up to the plate, there is one name in particular who seems to be a lock for a title shot in the near future: Edge.
The Rated-R Superstar made his highly-anticipated return to WWE at the 2020 Royal Rumble after nine years away from the ring due to injury, and he has been on fire ever since. Edge has quickly re-established himself as one of the top stars in WWE, and it’s only a matter of time before he becomes a world champion once again.
While it’s currently unknown when exactly Edge will get his opportunity to become WWE Champion, it’s safe to say that he will be in the mix for a title shot sooner rather than later. When he does finally get his hands on the gold, there’s no doubt that he will have what it takes to become one of the greatest WWE Champions of all time.