100) Darby Allin

99) Ted DiBiase

98) One Man Gang / Akeem - I’m not sure that One Man Gang will be on the list for a long period off time. There are quite a few incredible wrestlers right in back of him. However, if wrestling is really about the spectacle, then this man embodies wrestling. When I was a small kid, OMG was a site to behold. “What is a One Man Gang?” I would think. It was one of those situations in which I wasn’t sure if I wanted to  know. But, part of me wanted to view and consider this question. As Akeem, George Gray displayed his incredible talent to entertain. The OMG character was so much more interesting, and I believe the Akeem character was mainly created to be a spoof on Dusty Rhodes and his style of exuberance, but Akeem was so much fun to watch. He was a spectacle that you were drawn to watch even though the character seemed like a a throw away comic whatever type of gimmick.

97) Tetsuya Naito

96) Booker T

95) Ricochet / Prince Puma

94) Bobby Lashley

93) William Regal

92) Bill Goldberg - At first, I didn’t want to put Goldberg on this list. But, after doing a great deal of Goldberg, I realized that he wasn’t simply a gimmick that worked just for a few months to a year. Yes, he was a spectacle. He would receive huge pops. But, he was also extraordinary in the ring. It’s true that his matches didn’t last long. But, his matches drew your attention. I still wonder how he was able to jack hammer The Giant back in the 90s. And, Goldberg did know how to wrestle. William Regal did give him a rough go, but Goldberg held his own and made it an intriguing match. He was good. His title reigns meant something. It wasn’t a David Arquette experience. When you watched him, you felt his dominance.

91) Paul Orndorff

90) Perro Aguayo Jr.

89) El Hijo del El Santo

88) Kota Ibushi

87) Pentagon Jr.

86) Rey Fenix

85) Dynamite Kid

84) Jake “The Snake” Roberts

83) Low Ki

82) Joey Janela

81) Batista

80) Adam Cole

79) Hiroshi Tanahashi

78) John Morrison / Johnny Nitro

77) Nick Bockwinkle

76) CM Punk

75) Jon Moxley

74) MJF

73) Onita

72) Terry Gordy

71) Bruiser Brody

70) Hayabusa - Hayabusa didn’t make himself known outside of Japan to a great extent. The reason being that he stayed loyal to FMW. However, his performances in the ring were out of this world. It wasn’t just his move set. It was the flow of his matches. Watch one of his exploding barbed wire death matches, and you’ll see a wrestler in flow state when most other wrestlers would display noticeable anxiety. It was as if it wasn’t happening in real life.

69) The Great Muta / Keiji Muto

68) Cody Rhodes

67) Lita

66) Christian

65) "Rainmaker" Kazuchika Okada

64) Chyna

63) Michael PS Hayes

62) Jey Briscoe

61) Animal

60) Scott Steiner

59) Kevin Von Erich

58) Shinsuke Nakamura

57) Earthquake / John Tenta

56) Kane - Kane is so physically impressive that it’s difficult for him not to catch your eye. Also, He’s a spinoff character that lasted nearly two decades.

55) El Mesias / Mil Muertes - As Mil Muertos in Lucha Underground, Mesias was must view, a spectacle you didn’t want to take your eyes off of. As El Mesias, he put on great matches in his prime. Loved his cagematch with Chessman.

54) Sin Cara / Mistico

53) Bubba Ray Dudley

52) John Cena - Wasn’t in love with him. However, my biases shouldn’t impact the list. He kept the WWE together after the attitude era when many fans dropped out. WWE needed that champion for fans, especially younger ones, to hold on to.

51) The Masked Superstar / Ax Demolition

50) Diamond Dallas Page

49) The Iron Sheik

48) Sergeant Slaughter

47) Ricky Steamboat

46) Sabu

45) Hawk

44) Kevin Owens / Kevin Steen

43) Ultimate Warrior - Yes, he wasn’t a great wrestler. However, the energy he brought to the ring was next level. Consider this - he was the one chosen to take over after one of the greatest title reigns of all time - Hulk Hogan’s.

42) Triple H

41) Abyss

40) Dr. Wagner Jr.

39) Harley Race

38) Stan Hansen

37) Ron Simmons

36) Eddie Guerrero

35) Razor Ramon / Scott Hall

34) Pedro Morales

33) King Kong Bundy

32) Edge

31) Paul Wight / The Giant

30) Bret Hart

29) Samoa Joe

28) Rey Mysterio

27) Jeff Hardy - Yes, a lot of his placement is because of his insane spots. But, Jeff Hardy knew how to get your attention. Doesn’t hurt his spot that he genuinely loves the fans and shows it. After many shows, he will gift his decorative arm bands (forgot what they are called) to a lucky fan.

26) Shawn Michaels

25) Kevin Nash

24) Bob Backland

23) Superstar Billy Graham

22) Antonio Inoki

21) Kurt Angle

20) Big Van Vader

19) Dusty Rhodes

18) Daniel Bryan / Brian Danielson

17) Rob Van Dam

16) Mick Foley

15) Bruno Samartino

14) Terry Funk

13) Will Ospreay - Maybe the best in-ring wrestler there ever was. It isn’t just the spots he connects with. It’s the flow of his matches.

12) AJ Styles - I remember watching his matches in TNA and being simply taken aback. Showed me and many others what wrestling can be. 

11) Kenny Omega -

10) Chris Jericho -

9) Roddy Piper -

8) Sting -

7) Macho Man Randy Savage -

6) Stone Cold Steve Austin -

5) The Rock -

4) Andre the Giant -

3) Undertaker -

2) Ric Flair -

1) Hulk Hogan -

Many will disagree with this placement, but that’s good for discussion. Hogan is the greatest for many reasons. Simply put, he knew what to do to create an iconic moment. Consider just these moments - defeating the Iron Sheik, slamming Andre the Giant, going face to face with The Ultimate Warrior at Wrestlemania, being the third member of the NWO. If you feel Hogan simply got lucky with his All-American Hogan, consider that he also had the Hollywood Hogan character. Who else has had two characters who were so iconic? I wasn’t even a big fan of Hogan in the 80s. I was more of a Macho Man fan. But, the pull of Hulk Hogan was undeniable. 33 million people watched him and Andre on Saturday Night’s Main Event. Next to Steve Austin, I can’t think of anyone who received larger genuine pops.

The Ultimate All-Time Pro Wrestling 100: How We Built the List

Creating an objective, definitive ranking of professional wrestlers is an impossible task—so we decided to build a mathematical formula to do it anyway.

Rather than relying on simple nostalgia, title counts, or personal bias, we developed a comprehensive 9-Criterion Weighted Rubric designed to evaluate performers across every era, promotion, and style. From territory legends to modern mega-stars, every wrestler on this list was run through the exact same scoring system (out of a max score of 120 points).

The Evaluation Criteria

Each wrestler was evaluated across nine core categories:

1. Mainstream Cultural Impact (10 Points): Crossover appeal outside the wrestling bubble (movies, pop culture, media recognition).

2. Speaking Ability & Promos (15 Points)*: Mic skills, storytelling ability, and character delivery.

3. Crowd Reactions & Pops (15 Points): The ability to manipulate the live audience, draw heat, or blow the roof off the building.

4. In-Ring Wrestling Ability (15 Points)*: Match quality, ring psychology, structural storytelling, and execution.

5. Captivating Character (10 Points)*: Gimmick strength, longevity, believable presence, and reinvention.

6. Quality of Feuds (15 Points)*: Historical impact, depth, and memorable nature of their greatest rivalries.

7. Global Reach & Versatility (10 Points): Success across multiple territories, major promotions (WWE, WCW, NJPW, AEW, ECW, etc.), and international markets.

8. Positive Industry Influence (20 Points)*: Pioneer status, how much they influenced future generations, and their lasting legacy on the business.

9. Iconic & Memorable Moments (10 Points)*: Unforgettable spots, iconic finishers, catchphrases, and timeless WrestleMania/Starrcade-level moments.

*Categories marked with an asterisk are eligible for Performance Multipliers (1.2x to 1.7x) for truly elite, generational talent in those specific areas (e.g., a top-tier promo like Jake "The Snake" Roberts or a generational promo/character like Dusty Rhodes).

A Quick Note on the Numbers

• No Free Passes: A great wrestler with zero promo skills or a megastar with poor ring psychology will see those gaps reflected directly in their score.

• Tag Teams evaluated individually: While legendary duos (like The Road Warriors or The Steiner Brothers) built their legacy together, each member was scored on their individual contributions, skills, and overall footprint.

• It’s Science... mixed with a little Subjectivity: While the math is exact, wrestling fandom is inherently subjective. Whether you agree with #1 or think #50 got robbed, that's the beauty of the debate.

Without further ado, here is the official top ranking...