My Mount Rushmore Of WWE
What’s yours?
WWE has debuted countless of Iconic wrestlers over the years. These figures have surpassed the wrestling industry have crossed over to the main stream media. As you may know only a handful of wrestlers have had that ability.
Usually, the Mount Rushmore of wrestling is very subjective and everyone has a different list and that’s what makes it the more beautiful.
Picking just a handful of wrestlers is almost sacrilege for any wrestling fan. There’s always going to be that one performer left out and will make your friend think you’re crazy.
Let’s take a look at my Mount Rushmore of wrestling
Bruno Sammartino
Come on, this is always gonna be #1 for 90% of the people. Bruno is the George Washington. He’s the god of all wrestling.
His story is the American dream, really. He lived in Italy where he hid from Nazi soldiers in the mountains. He came to American and found pro wrestling to be his home. He fought his way in the training room and made sure everything he did was as precise as could be.
You looked at this man and was just in awe at the size and strength this guy possessed.
Bruno had countless iconic matches in Madison Square Garden. He always helped out to sell out the arena in a time where wrestling wasn’t “all that”. He was the blue-collar hero we all wanted to see take out the bad guy.
When his name was on the marquee, thousands of people rushed in to see this immense figure wrestle his ass off.
Who can forget that he held the world title for an unprecedented 2,803 days!
Stone Cold Steve Austin
Oh, hell yeah!
One beer down, one middle finger in the air, the “fuck you” to authority, this all made Stone Cold one, if not the most popular and greatest wrestler of all time.
Stone Cold wasn’t always the badass we knew and love. He first started out in a tag team called “Hollywood Blondes” where yes he did have hair. His career wasn’t going anywhere, he had no direction. He made his way to ECW in the early 90’s, where he got a glimpse of fame.
Who could forget his segment where he dressed up like Hulk Hogan and practically made fun of him.
WWE was shifting their product to a more edgier direction in the late 90’s, which became the Attitude Era. Where it was a free-for-all outrage for wrestlers to really showcase what they’re about and make an impact.
Stone Cold made his first impact when he gave Vince McMahon the first ever stunner. From there, it was all history. He never followed any rules. He did what he wanted, when he wanted. He came up with the one of the most famous catchphrases of all time. “Austin 3:16 says I just whipped your ass”, “What!”, “oh, hell yeah!”.
Just about everything that came out of his mouth was pure gold.
Stone Cold has been involved in some of the best rivalries in sports entertainment. His wars with Triple H were superior. His wars with The Rock tops any list. Let’s not forget his war on Vince, which is the reason WWE was able to beat WCW in the ratings.
Let’s also mention that Stone Cold is on the top 5 list of most merch sold ever.
His antics is what made your teachers call your parents because he might’ve sprayed some soda or juice on somebody while saying “what”.
WWE would’ve never reached its peak if it was not for Austin, really.
Stone Cold also basically elevated the career of The Rock, Triple H, and Mick Foley. Goes to show that he had an eye for talent.
The Undertaker
There is perhaps no one more iconic than the deadman himself, The Undertaker. He has to be on everyones Mount Rushmore. There isn’t one thing that he didn’t do in WWE. He has won championships, he has done all the gimmick matches, his done the promos.
His career spanned three decades. His been in the middle of all the major eras in WWE. From the “golden age” to the “new generation” to the “Attitude Era” to the “Ruthless Aggression Era” and we can also sprinkle in the “PG Era” if you will. Reread that, he has been through ALL the major eras, yes. Not one wrestler can say that.
He’s a seven-time world champion. He won the Royal Rumble. His Wrestlemania streak was the stuff of legends.
Undertaker was also deemed the locker room “leader”. Everyone from the veterans to the newcomers came to him and asked for his advice. He knew what was always best for business and made sure to put anyone who deserved it over.
Beating the Undertaker back then was a sign that the company trusted you.
His entrance was always something to look forward to. The darkness, the flames, the bolts of lightning, sometimes he had his ghouls escort him out. His expressionless face when he walked down the ring always left you wondering what was going on in his mind.
Undertaker has had so many great rivalries that it’s just hard to pick even three of them. His feud with Mick Foley is immortalized into our brains. His Buried Alive matches were AMAZING to watch.
He kept the ball-rolling when he transformed into the American Badass during the final years of the Attitude Era. He rode down the ramp in his custom bikes and looked cool as hell. He became more vocal at this point and made you listen to him during his promos.
Shawn Michaels
There there has not been anyone else with the charisma and ability like Shawn Michaels. He was the main event. When he went out in the ring, he made sure you got your $300 ticket worth it.
In the realm of wrestling, there isn’t one thing he didn’t accomplish. He wrestled in AWA, NWA, Texas-All Star Wrestling. He has won the Tag Team Championship, World Heavyweight Champion, WWE Championship.
He has won the Royal Rumble back to back in 1995 and 1996.
During his time in WWE he amazed us with his grace as both a heel and babyface. When he wanted you to hate him, he made sure of it. When he wanted you to love him, he made sure of it. When he formed D-Generation-X, all bets were off and we were getting a new Shawn Michaels.
During his time in DX Shawn wanted to push the envelope and see how much he could get away with. He pushed the boundaries so far that the USA Network started to send Vince letters saying that what they’re showing is inappropriate for viewers. He took it as a joke and we got the famous “State of the nations press conference” that featured DX members and they mocked the letter they were sent.
Shawn was in the first ever Hell In A Cell match against The Undertaker. Who could forget that. The match took him to even further heights. For the first time, we even saw Shawn bleed on T.V, which I will say was kinda scary due to the fact that he blade really deep.
He was involved in the infamous Montreal Screwjob where we say Shawn put Bret Hart in a Sharpshooter and the bell rung without Bret tapping out. The confusion that night was heard all around the world. Which only made him an even BIGGER heel at the time.
His signature theme song is the best.
One could argue that he’s the first in anybodies list. Shawn has done it all backstage and in the ring. There’s thousands of stories about his life during his heydays that would leave you dumbfounded.
He recovered from his demons and set a new life for himself.
Shawn is one of the greatest in-ring performers ever.
