The Pure Id Top 100: The Official Countdown
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 of 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 throwaway 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 research on 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 Muertes 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 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.