When it comes to professional wrestling, WWE is the biggest organization in the world. And they have dominated the world of Sports-Entertainment for the guts of fifty years. Going through many incarnations, World Wrestling Entertainment is arguably the best place to be to make it as a wrestler. Over that time, they have seen some incredible superstars and amazing legends come and go. In fact, some are still there! So just who is WWE's Greatest Legend?
#10: John Cena
Love him or hate him, John Cena has done a lot for the WWE. Having grown up with WWE, I still find it hard to call anyone who debuted after 2002 a legend. But alas, Cena has become one of the biggest superstars in WWE History. He is a multi-time champion and has had an amazing career. He was one of the key features in WWE's re-branding when they became less cutting edge and more family friendly. Good thing or bad thing, it made them a lot of money. After 11 years on top, he still sells the most merchandise. Although not the greatest in-ring performer, Cena can always tell a compelling story in his matches. His character that stands for the greater good all the time has always appealed to many fans, particularly younger ones. Like Hogan, Austin and the Rock, Cena became the next face of the company and held onto that honor. Nobody has been the face of the company for as long as Cena and that accomplishment alone makes him deserve a spot on this list. He will go down as one of the greatest WWE Superstars of all time.
#9: Andre the Giant
Simply incredible. Andre the Giant became a phenomenon because of his sheer size. His battle with Hulk Hogan at WrestleMania III will forever be remembered as: The Irresistable Force meets The Immovable Object. His dominance and menacing size have made many call him the greatest big man of all time - and I can completely see why. He was legendary. However, another thing that made him legendary was how un-menacing he was in real life. Andre became an icon outside of the ring, helping carry WWE to new heights as well as appearing on talk shows and in films such as The Princess Bride, The Mommy Market and Conan the Destroyer. Unfortunately he was taken from us too soon in 1993 at the young age of 46. But he has forever been immortalised by the WWE when he became the inaugural inductee of the WWE Hall of Fame. Furthermore, each year at WrestleMania, there is an Andre the Giant over-the-top rope memorial Battle Royal. A Legend that will Live Forever.
#8: Kane
They say evil has many faces. Well that has never been more true than with the Big Red Machine. It's rare for a wrestler to perform so conistently for such a long period of time but Kane defied those restrictions: he never jumped ship to another organisation and he rarely got injured. When it comes to longevity, Kane is second, only to his 'brother' the Undertaker. Having debuted in 1997, ripping the door of the Hell in a Cell and tombstoning the Undertaker, Kane made a statement: the Monster was here to stay. 19 years later, the Demon is still tormenting souls and destroying those in his wake. Kane has been criminally underrated throughout his entire career - his wrestling skills and agility within his first eight years were incredible! - but that hasn't stopped the "Devil's Favorite Demon" from amassing an incredible career. For 13 years, he held the record for having eliminated most men in a Royal Rumble match when he eliminated 11 men (Over one third of the match), he now holds the record for most eliminations in Royal Rumble history. He is a 2 time World Champion, 2 time Intercontinental Champion, 12 time Tag Team Champion and a former Mr. Money in the Bank. Kane has also wrestled more matches on RAW than anyone else in history. Over his 19 year career, rarely did the Big Red Monster ever get injured, only disappearing for significant periods of time in 2002 and 2011, Being one of Kane's biggest fans, it would be unjust not to include him on this list and recognise the incredible accomplishments of this Seven Foot Monster.
#7: Bret Hart
One of the greatest Technical wrestlers to ever set foot inside the Squared Circle. Bret "Hitman" Hart was renowned for his amazing ability to wrestle and put on instant classics in that ring. He wasn't just called the "Excellence of Execution", he was it. The "Hitman" had a long successful run in WWE, putting on classics against the likes of: Shawn Michaels, The Undertaker, Stone Cold Steve Austin, the late, great Yokozuna and his own legendary brother, the late, great Owen Hart. Hart would "put on a clinic" in that ring and quite frankly, few could wrestle as well as he did. Hart was a 5 time WWE Champion and 2 time Intercontinental Champion. One of the most infamous memories Hart was involved in was the "Montreal Screwjob" in 1997 when he was literally screwed out of the championship and the match due to an unplanned, unorthodox ending. Although he left the company, the hatchet would eventually be buried 13 years later when Hart returned to WWE RAW and shook Shawn Michaels' hand. Hart was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2006. A fitting place for a true legend: Bret Hart is indeed, "The Best there Is, the Best there Was and the Best There Ever Will Be."
#6: Triple H
The Cerebral Assassin. The King of Kings. The Game. Triple H has been a fixture of WWE for over twenty years. Starting out as Hunter Hearst Helmsley, HHH eventually became a staple in the Attitude Era, joining forces with Shawn Michaels to form DX. He went on to have an incredibly successful and dominant full-time career up until around 2011 when he became the Chief Operating Officer. Although his later years have been more focused on running the company as the COO which has drastically segmented his in-ring career, when he exchanges the business suit for his leather jacket and sledgehammer, you know that the Game is ready to wage an all-out war with anyone who crosses his path. If he keeps this up, there's no reason that Triple H couldn't continue to balance business and brawling successfully for another decade. Being the current WWE World Heavyweight Champion, Triple H is now a 14 time champion as well a former Interconinental Champion and multi-time tag team champion. Having created countless "This is Awesome" moments, Triple H is truly one of the greatest athletes and characters to ever step inside a WWE ring. It's Time to Play the Game.
#5: Shawn Michaels
One of the greatest in-ring performers of ALL time. The Heartbreak Kid, Shawn Michaels deserves his place in the Hall of Fame. Known for his incredible ability to perform stunning feats and be part of legendary matches against the likes of: The Undertaker, Triple H, Kurt Angle, Hulk Hogan, Razor Ramon, Randy Orton. Shawn Michaels helped kick-start WWE's most legendary era "the Attitude Era" as part of D-Generation X. Unfortunately, what we thought was a career-ending injury resulted in him missing the majority of that period. However, he made a triumphant return in 2002 and managed to consistently put on 5-Star classics for another 8 years before finally retiring at WrestleMania XXVI in another epic battle against the Undertaker. His last two WrestleMania matches, both against the 'Taker (particularly the first one) were the definition of a "perfect match". Shawn Michaels still appears on WWE programming every now and again. The legacy he has left behind will live forever. The Heartbreak Kid truly was one of the greatest wrestlers of all time!
#4: The Rock
He may be known these days as the full-time action movie star and the part-time wrestler, Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson. But to us wrestling fans, he will always be known quite simply as "The People's Champ". A third generation superstar, the Brahma Bull's legendary career began gathering momentum when he was part of the Nation of Domination in 1997. However, between late 1998 and 1999, the Rock would change the landscape of Sports-Entertainment once again, when he and Stone Cold became two of the most integral parts of the Attitude Era. Nobody is better on the microphone than the Rock. And in the ring, he electrified us. One of the best performers, the Rock's quick paced wrestling style always made for highly entertaining matches. Between 1999 and 2002, the Rock dominated the WWE as one of it's faces. Once he left to become an actor, the company missed him greatly. There are many who believe that if he had stuck around, he would have been Number 1 on this list. Oh what could have been.
He continues to make appearances on WWE on a part-time basis and occasionally wrestles for them at WrestleMania. Although he hasn't wrestled since 2013, I think we all know that the Rock still has at least one last electrifying performance in him. Let's hope he gets to showcase it for us soon!
#3: Stone Cold Steve Austin
Austin 3:16 has become a living legend. Vince McMahon once called him the biggest draw in Sports-Entertainment history. And he was right. The way the audience would explode every time that signature glass shattered would send shivers down all of our spines. Man, those were the days!
Being an up-and-comer in 1996, Austin began to make waves when he won the King of The Ring and coined the "Austin 3:16" phrase. He then rose the top, kickstarted the Attitude Era, won the WWE Championship multiple times, stomped a mudhole through the entire locker room and became the co-face of the company for the majority of five years. Oh, and he made time to drink a few "cold ones" and stun the Chairman in between. His rivalry with Vince McMahon made for some of the most compelling television in history and also helped WWE defeat WCW in the Monday Night Wars. He had legendary battles with: The Rock, The Undertaker, Kane, Shawn Michaels, Triple H, Mankind, Mr. McMahon, Shane McMahon and who could ever forget his classic Submission match against Bret Hart at WrestleMania 13?! His "what?" chants still live on to this day. Austin 3:16 reinvigorated the WWE. "And that's the Bottom Line, because Stone Cold said so!"
#2: Hulk Hogan
Without this man, WWE would not be the juggernaut that it is today. Hulk Hogan became one of the biggest household names of all time. He transcended the genre and helped professional wrestling become the entertainment phenomenon that it is today. Even today, ask somebody who Hulk Hogan is and I guarantee you that the vast majority of them will know, even non-wrestling fans. Despite jumping to WCW mid-way through his career, his legacy remained intact when he became the prominent performer there as well, especially when he turned heel and sided with the nWo. His later returns to WWE were equally as legendary, including incredible matches with The Rock and WWE Hall of Famer Shawn Michaels. Creating countless memorable moments throughout his career: from body-slamming Andre the Giant at WrestleMania III in 1987 to returning to RAW in 2005 to team with Shawn Michaels, there were few who's legacy could even come close to the Immortal Hulk Hogan's.
#1: The Undertaker
Was there ever any doubt? For over two decades, the Phenom has obliterated his competition in the ring. Every single top name has fallen at his feet: Hulk Hogan, Stone Cold Steve Austin, The Rock, Kane, John Cena, Ric Flair, Shawn Michaels and now, even Brock Lesnar. A 7 Time World Champion, 6 Time Tag Team Champion, 2007 Royal Rumble Winner and his unprecendented record at WrestleMania (in which he was undefeated for 21 consecutive matches) which now stands at an amazing 22-1 are all attributes that simply reinforce why the "Demon from Death Valley" is WWE's biggest Legend ever. A fantastic wrestler who can perform unimaginable feats for a man of his height and the best storyteller toever step into the ring. He is also the best pure striker in WWE History and without a doubt, the greatest character ever created by WWE.
During the infamous "Monday Night Wars", many superstars have cited the Undertaker as being one of the only things holding a dwindling locker room together as many superstars left for WCW. A man with a passion for the business Mark Calaway helped the WWE stay afloat and is still with the company today, being the only active competitor who competed on the first episode of Monday Night RAW back in 1993.
Here we are nearly 26 years later from his debut and the Undertaker is still kicking ass and taking names. He is the only superstar who has been a part of the company for every era they underwent: The Golden Era, the new Generation Era, the Attitude Era, the Ruthless Agression Era, the PG Era and still today in the Reality Era. After all these years, the Undertaker has remained loyal to the WWE and still puts his body on the line at least once a year (last year it was over 4 times) to entertain millions around the world. Many Seasons have passed, eras have come and gone: but the Undertaker remains. He is the constant, the yardstick, the Phenom. And that is just one of the countless reasons why the Phenom, the Undertaker is the Biggest Legend in WWE History.
There you have it, the greatest WWE Legends of ALL-Time. All of them equally integral to what the WWE has become today and all of them somewhat responsible for it's major success. WWE has produced some of the greatest wrestling talent ever seen and these 10 Legends are an example of that.