The Top 100 WWE Superstars (Part 9 of 10)

20. Chris Jericho

Chris Jericho was one of the best heels in WCW. While there, he won the Cruiserweight and Television Titles. His skills on the mic were unmatched. After leaving the company and going to the WWF, his career took off. He was allowed to shine on the mic and in the ring, showing off his incredible talent in both areas. He has won the Intercontinental Title more times than anyone. But his crowning moment came when he defeated both Stone Cold Steve Austin and The Rock in the same night to become the Undisputed WWE World Heavyweight Champion. Jericho later left WWE, only to return and reinvent himself as an arrogant heel. During this time, he showed why he is one of the best of all time. He also captured the World Title again.

19. Chris Benoit

Chris Benoit was the wrestling fans’ favorite. They watched him work his way through ECW and WCW, constantly hearing that he was too small to be a World Champion. At the end of his WCW run, he seemingly proved the world wrong by winning the title. One day later, he was gone from WCW. In the WWF/WWE, he showed, night after night, that he was the most talented wrestler on the planet. His intensity and his talent came through in feuds with Triple H, Steve Austin, The Rock, Brock Lesnar, Eddie Guerrero, Kurt Angle, and many, many others. Finally, years after his arrival in the WWE, Benoit won the main event at WrestleMania and the World Heavyweight Championship. This time, he stuck around to defend it. He was also an Intercontinental, Tag Team, and United States Champion. The event surrounding his and his families’ deaths will always mar his career, but his work in the business is enough for me to keep him high on the list.

18. Buddy Rogers

When “Nature Boy” Buddy Rogers lost his NWA World Title to Lou Thesz, Vince McMahon, Sr. refused to recognize the loss. He began his own promotion, the World Wide Wrestling Federation, with Buddy Rogers as its first champion. Rogers was a hated heel, but was incredibly talented. After Rogers retired, he became a manager in the WWWF. As a manager, he turned Jimmy Snuka from a hated heel to a beloved baby-face.

17. Dusty Rhodes

Dusty Rhodes spent the better part of his career wrestling in the NWA. There, he won the World Title on three occasions. Despite his weight, he showed as much energy and charisma in the ring as someone half his size. On the mic, despite his speech impediment, he was golden, cutting some of the best promos of all time. His nickname, “The American Dream,” was a good one. It embodied his personality perfectly. He has been inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame.

16. “Superstar” Billy Graham

Let’s just put it like this: No Billy Graham=No Hulk Hogan. And No Billy Graham=No Jesse Ventura. Billy Graham was everything Hogan was and more, only he was a bad guy. And when Hogan turned heel in 1996, he was a virtual clone of Billy Graham. Billy Graham was the longest running heel champion in WWE history, though he was only the World Champion one time. He was known for his feather boas, tie-dye, and catchphrases. Not to mention his physique. He’s a Hall of Famer, and “the man of the hour, the man with the power, too sweet to be sour!”

15. “Macho Man” Randy Savage

“Ooooooh, yeah.” Randy Savage because famous during his Intercontinental Title feud with Ricky Steamboat, which culminated at WrestleMania III, where Savage lost the title. One year later, Savage was crowed the WWF World Champion at WrestleMania IV. Savage held the World Title in both the WWF and WCW several times over the next decade. He feuded with Hulk Hogan, The Ultimate Warrior, and most notably, Ric Flair. “The Macho Man” was known for his elaborate robes and capes, his manager Miss Elizabeth, and his flying elbow drop, which won him many matches.

14. “Mr. Perfect” Curt Hennig

Curt Hennig was the son of the great Larry “The Axe” Hennig. Curt overshadowed his father early in his career when he won the AWA World Heavyweight Title. He left the AWA, however, for the WWF. There, his career took off. He became “Mr. Perfect,” an arrogant heel with the talent to back up his talk. He won the Intercontinental Title several times, and had great feuds with Bret Hart, Kerry Von Erich, Ric Flair, Hulk Hogan, and more. He elevated the Intercontinental Title to almost the same level as the World Title, and fans remember him as one of the greatest to carry the title. He is now a Hall of Famer.

13. Kurt Angle

Kurt Angle was an NCAA National Heavyweight Champion, an Olympic Gold Medalist, and a World Amateur Champion. Then he turned pro. As a professional wrestler, he impressed with his melding of the amateur and professional styles, as well as his skill on the mic. He was a world champion within his first year. He carried the Smackdown brand of WWE on his shoulders for well over a year. He has been a WWE, WCW, and TNA World Heavyweight Champion. And he alone has changed the style of wrestling that is popular today.

12. Harley Race

Harley Race was the NWA Champion 8 times. He was a methodical wrestler who could handle any opponent. Many would say that his greatest match came against Ric Flair in the steel cage, and it would be hard to argue. He also had feuds with the Funk Brothers, Dusty Rhodes, Rick Martel, and many others. In the ‘80s, Race entered the WWF, where he became “King” Harley Race. He is now a WWE Hall of Famer.

11. Triple H

After the Austin/Rock era was over, Triple H stepped up to the plate, so to speak. Triple H, after feuding with those two for years, now had the job of leading the WWE into the next century. He has been the promotion’s top performer for several years, and has been a World Champion for them more than 10 times. He main events WrestleMania nearly every year, often putting over a new champion. He was the leader of two very successful stables- D-generation X and Evolution.

AND NOW, PLEASE COMMENT ON WHO YOU THINK MADE THE TOP TEN, AND WHAT ORDER THEY ARE IN.