So far we have gone through 10 of the greatest wrestlers from the “Golden Era” of professional wrestling through the 1980’s. Now it is time to end the century and look at who was the greatest professional wrestlers from the 1990’s.
Undoubtedly this is not only going to be the hardest list I have to write, it will also be the most debated article in the Unpopular Opinion series. The 90’s had two eras that defined a generation in professional wrestling. The number of legends that come out of the “New Generation” and the “Attitude Era” is astronomical. The 90’s was a great time to be alive.
There has not been a time since the 90’s where wrestling as a whole was more mainstream across the world. Ratings were flying through the roof, alliances were drawn through the Monday Night Wars and moments that have stood the test of time are still being talked about to this day. The 90’s was arguably the last great decade of professional wrestling.
Yes, if you have read my previous series regarding the “Attitude Era” you would know that I stated that the “Attitude Era” in my opinion was overrated. However, I never stated the wrestlers in that era was overrated. Wrestlers stories and journey to make wrestling in the 90’s so memorable is admirable. Respect has to be given to these wrestlers because without the 90’s, wrestling would not be where it is at today.
Before we begin, honorable mentions must be given out, due to the overwhelming talent from this time. There are numerous wrestlers in this decade that deserve to be in the top 10. However, these names just missed out on being in the top spots.
Honorable Mentions:
WWF/E (World Wrestling Entertainment)
Throughout the 90’s, the WWF/E had a large crop of massive stars that would become legendary in the professional wrestling business. Wrestlers like: Yokozuna, the Ultimate Warrior, Sycho Sid, Lex Luger, “Big Daddy Cool” Diesel, Razor Ramon, Mr. Perfect, “Ravishing” Rick Rude, Jeff Jarrett and many more.
Each one of these individuals reached huge success in their careers in the WWF/E. Also during this time, tag teams reached massive success like the Steiner Brothers (Rick & Scott), Road Warriors (Hawk & Animal), The Nation of Domination led by Farooq (Ron Simmons), the New Age Outlaws (Road Dogg & Billy Gunn) and The Acolyte Protection Agency (Farooq & Bradshaw). The WWF/E in the mid 90’s hit a low, but by the end of the millennium, they were the biggest wrestling promotion in the world.
WCW (World Championship Wrestling)
Down south, WCW was a growing wrestling promotion. They were gaining popularity and began competing with Monday Night Raw when they created WCW Monday Nitro. Soon after, WCW would gain steam competing and even started beating WWF/E after gaining some of the big stars that built WWF/E like Kevin Nash (Diesel) and Scott Hall (Razor Ramon), Lex Luger, Sid, “Macho Man” Randy Savage and Hulk Hogan.
However, during this time, homegrown talent like Diamond Dallas Page made a name for himself becoming one of the most popular wrestlers in WCW history. Tag teams also made the transition to WCW like The Steiners and the Road Warriors. WCW did all it could do to compete with WWF/E and with their stars, they gave WWF/E its greatest fight to this date.
ECW (Extreme Championship Wrestling)
This list would be flawed if I did not mention Extreme Championship Wrestling. Guys like Tommy Dreamer, Taz, Bam Bam Bigelow, Raven, Sabu, Terry Funk, Shane Douglas, Lance Storm, Sandman, Mike Awesome, Rob Van Dam and multiple others showed a new version of professional wrestling.
No era in time was wrestling more hardcore, edgy and extreme than ECW. These characteristics of ECW bled into WWF and WCW around 1998. Arguably, the “Attitude Era” would not have happened without the influence of ECW. These men paved the way for a new generation of professional wrestling.
And now, on to the list:
No. 10: Vader
It’s Time! It’s Time! It’s Vader Time! Big Van Vader took the world by storm and clobbered his opponents one poor helpless soul at a time. Vader was a true badass because of his hard-nosed attitude and never say die demeanor. Whether it was him dominating the scene in WCW, Japan or in WWF/E, Vader became a legend by winning championships everywhere he went.
From the moment he made his entrance with hands down the coolest headgear in wrestling history, intimidation immediately ran down his opponents each and every time he entered the ring.
Name a wrestler that you can say, lost an eye and put it back in their eye socket and continued wrestling? Vader is that man. Is he tough, insane or a combination of both? You decide.
Vader showed why he is one of the greatest big men in wrestling history and well deserving of being in the top 10 wrestlers of the 1990’s. Vader will always be remembered in the wrestling business for his accolades, rivalries and accomplishments throughout the 1990’s. It’s Time! It’s always Vader Time!
No. 9: Harlem Heat (Booker T & Stevie Ray)
Throughout the 1990’s, who would have thought a team of two brothers would dominate the tag team scene in WCW? This team would go on to win 10 WCW Tag Team Championships and would become one of the most popular tag teams in wrestling history.
These two would go on to take the world by storm feuding with The Outsiders (Kevin Nash & Scott Hall), Lex Luger & Sting, Public Enemy and many more. Harlem Heat shattered the records and brought the heat to WCW. There is not a team in the world that showed more dominance in tag team wrestling like Harlem Heat did in the 90’s.
Booker T would go on to be a successful star as a singles competitor, however, none of it would have happened if not for his partnership in Harlem Heat, which is why Harlem Heat is well deserving of being in the top 10 of the 90’s for what they accomplished in WCW.
No. 8: Goldberg
No man in wrestling history ran through competitors at a higher rate than Goldberg. Goldberg debuted with WCW in September of 1997. From that moment of his debut, Goldberg would go on to rack up 173 straight wins leading to becoming WCW United States Champion and also defeating Hulk Hogan to become WCW World Champion in summer 1998.
The more Goldberg won, the more he became a polarizing figure to audiences around the world. He was an instant fan favorite, with his domination in the ring and his iconic entrance and theme song. When he started his long walk to the ring, going through fire, fans knew business was picking up.
Goldberg was one of the most dominant wrestlers in the history of the business. Having one of the most famous undefeated streaks in wrestling history and also becoming a star at a pace that he did makes Goldberg one of the greatest wrestlers of the 1990’s.
No. 7: Sting
It’s Showtime! Whether you call him “The Icon” of “The Franchise,” Sting was the face of WCW. From his feud with Ric Flair and the Four Horsemen to his feud with Big Van Vader in the early 90’s, Sting put World Championship Wrestling on the map. Once WCW began a change with the inception of the New World Order (NWO), Sting had to show a new side to him to remain relevant.
After a year of hiding and seeing what happened to WCW, Sting made a triumphant return at Starrcade 1997 with a new personality. A personality that rejuvenized his career. Sting began showing a darker, anti-hero persona. Out was the bright colors and bleach blonde hair. In was black hair and black ring attire. He would go on to beat “Hollywood” Hulk Hogan to win the WCW World Heavyweight Championship.
Respect has to be shown to Sting for his loyalty to WCW. Sting was one of few men to not make the jump to the WWF/E when times began changing in WCW. Sting was the franchise of WCW and went to the battle lines for that company, no matter what happened during the Monday Night Wars. Stings accolades, accomplishments and loyalty earn him a well-deserved spot on the top 10 wrestlers of the 90’s.
No. 6: Owen Hart
By far, the greatest wrestler to never win a World Championship in history. Owen Hart had all the potential to be a massive star in professional wrestling. However, what many feel hurt Owen Hart was being the younger brother of Bret. Owen used that drive to the best of his ability. Owen worked his way up from a young upstart to a big star.
Owen would go on to have a legendary feud with Bret Hart which culminated at WrestleMania 10. He would also go on to win the 1994 King of the Ring, becoming the “King of Harts.” The two finished their rivalry in a highly rated cage match at SummerSlam 1994.
There is not a wrestler that had a bigger heart and bigger personality than Owen Hart. There is not one person who had anything bad to say about Owen Hart. Owen would go on to win multiple championships in the WWF/E. He was a four-time Tag Team Champion, two-time Intercontinental Champion, a former European Champion, a King of the Ring, and a three-time Slammy Award winner.
Not many have a stat sheet like Owen did. He wrestled through two impactful decades in WWF/E history. Like Sting, Owen never made the jump to WCW, when many thought he would when his brother Bret did in 1997.
Owen sadly was taken away from us way too soon after an accident at a WWF/E pay per view. Owen is continuously missed by many. Owen’s accomplishments and the impact he left on the professional wrestling industry will never be forgotten. For what Owen brought to wrestling in the 90’s is well deserving enough to be apart of the top 10.
No. 5: Mick Foley
No man put their body on the line for the professional wrestling business more than Mick Foley. Foley began his career in WCW as Cactus Jack where he feuded with legends like Sting, Big Van Vader and Abdullah the Butcher. Mick states that his match with Sting was the greatest in his career.
Mick would then go to Extreme Championship Wrestling where he helped lift ECW into the mainstream. He helped pioneer a hardcore wrestling style that many others would adopt in the future. Cactus Jack fit wherever ECW wanted to go.
However, in his time with ECW, Cactus Jack was able to find a new personality as the ultimate bad guy. After reading a sign “Cane Dewey (a reference to his son Dewey)” Cactus purposely did everything that was against extreme, which helped him gain the ire of the Hammerstein ballroom faithful. This led to him being recruited to the WWF/E.
Mick Foley debuted with the WWF/E not as Cactus Jack but as Mankind. Mankind was a mentally deranged schizophrenic character unlike we have ever seen. Mankind right away made an impact with his historic feud with The Undertaker. Throughout 1996, Mankind fought Undertaker in boiler room brawls and even the first ever Buried Alive match.
During the next year, we slowly saw a new side of Mick Foley. During interviews with Jim Ross, we learned about Mick Foley’s upbringing and Mick’s character Dude Love. Dude Love was a hippie, free-spirit, something completely different to Mankind.
He would begin feuding Hunter Hearst Helmsley (the future Triple H), where we go to see the debut of Cactus Jack. In 1998, Mick would also renew his feud with the Undertaker, culminating in one of the most historic Hell in a Cell matches in history. Mick in that match up showed why he deserves a spot on this list.
Who can say that he was thrown off a 20-foot structure through a table to the concrete floor and got back up? He continued to fight after then getting chokeslammed through the roof of the cell. With a broken body, Mick Foley continued to fight in the match and was able to come back out later in the night for a run-in.
At the 1998 Royal Rumble Foley created history. He competed in the Royal Rumble with all three characters. No one can say that they have one competed in the Royal Rumble three times in the same year, but also had three characters well known enough to portray them in the Royal Rumble match.
In the midst of the Monday Night Wars, WCW made the biggest mistake they have ever made, which changed the landscape of the war. They announced that Mick Foley would go on to win the WWF/E Championship on that night’s pre-taped Raw.
Millions of people flipped from Monday Nitro to Monday Night Raw in a matter of seconds to see Mrs. Foley’s Baby Boy get his moment. WWF/E never lost a battle with WCW again. Mick Foley’s impact changed the landscape of professional wrestling and his conduct in and out of the ring was admirable and respectable. A man well deserving of being on the top 10.
No. 4: Bret “The Hitman” Hart
He is the best there is. The best there was. And the best there ever will be. Bret “The Hitman” Hart is arguably was one of the greatest wrestlers in professional wrestling history. From his start in his homeland of Canada to his time in America, Bret Hart showed in the ring why technically, there is no wrestler like Bret Hart.
Bret debuted in the 80’s teaming with Jim “The Anvil” Neidhart forming the Hart Foundation, one of the greatest tag teams in history. However, when the 90’s rolled around, Bret began to compete on his own. As a singles competitor, he became the face of the “New Generation.” He would go on to win two Intercontinental Championships, two King of the Ring tournaments, five WWF/E Championships, became the second triple crown winner in WWF/E history and a Co-Royal Rumble winner.
In his time in the WWF/E, Bret Hart had some of the greatest rivalries with stars like Shawn Michaels, his brother Owen, Stone Cold Steve Austin, Mr. Perfect, Yokozuna, Sid and many others. He would also be involved in some of the greatest and controversial moments in history. Whether it be the 60+ minute Iron Man match with Shawn Michaels at WrestleMania 12 or the legendary match with Stone Cold at WrestleMania 13. However, the most controversial moment came at the Survivor Series 1997 in what everyone calls “The Montreal Screwjob.”
Bret Hart’s contract was coming to a near with WWF/E and had yet resigned. However, politics behind the scenes led to one of the most infamous moments in wrestling history. Bret Hart defended the WWF/E Championship against his greatest rival, both on screen and behind the scenes, Shawn Michaels.
In the closing moments, Shawn Michaels put Bret Hart in Bret’s finishing move the Sharpshooter and for the bell rang. Bret never tapped and Shawn was awarded the championship. In a move that shocked the world, that was the last time we saw Bret Hart in a WWF/E for 13 years. Bret Hart would make the jump to WCW.
Bret Hart’s WCW career had its ups and downs. The first time we got to see Bret was as an enforcer for the “Hollywood” Hulk Hogan versus Sting match at Starrcade 1997. However, once he began wrestling he wrestled some of the greats like Ric Flair and Diamond Dallas Page. However, due to booking and backstage politics, Bret Hart was mistreated and became one of the biggest missed opportunities in WCW history.
Bret would gain success however in WCW with winning their United States Championship, their Tag Team Championship, their World Championship and the Television Championship becoming only the 5th wrestler to become a grand slam champion in WCW history.
Bret Hart has a resume and stat sheet that definitely cements himself in the history books as one of the greatest of all time.
No. 3: The Rock
The jabroni beating. Pie eating. Trail Blazing, Eyebrow Raising. He is fame kissed. That is why he is on this list. The People’s Champ, The Rock. The Rock debuted at the 1996 Survivor Series as Rocky Maivia. His name paid homage to his dad, “Soulman Rocky Johnson” and his grandfather “High Chief Peter Maivia.” From the get-go, he showed his athletic ability that he acquired playing football at the University of Miami.
Within the first few months of his career, Rocky was already becoming a big name in the WWF/E. He would go on to win the Intercontinental Championship, however as time went on, the audience began turning against him, chanting, “Rocky Sucks” and “Die, Rocky, Die.” This would begin growing to arenas worldwide.
This pushed a change to Rocky. After leaving due to injury, he came back, turning his back on the fans by joining The Nation of Domination and debuting his new name “The Rock.” The Rock would speak in the third person and began insulting the crowd that turned their back on him.
He would use the Nation of Domination as a pedestal to show his personality and gain legitimacy. While in the Nation, he began his legendary feud with Stone Cold Steve Austin, growing both The Rock’s and Stone Cold’s impact on being the future of the WWF/E. Once The Nation split, The Rock gained back the popularity he once strived to gain when he debuted. He became The People’s Champ and had one goal in mind and that is to become WWF/E Champion.
At the Survivor Series in 1998, did just that. He became at the time, the youngest WWF/E Champion in history. However, he sold out and aligned himself with Mr. McMahon. During his title reign, he would go on to feud with Mankind where they would exchange title reigns and chair shots.
The Rock would regain the WWF/E Championship and take it all the way to WrestleMania 15 where he would renew his historic rivalry with Stone Cold. The Rock and Stone Cold’s rivalry would become one of the greatest rivalries in wrestling history.
No one would gain stardom at a quicker pace than The Rock did. In just a few years, The Rock became one of the biggest stars in WWF/E history. He would use this stardom and become one of the biggest stars in Hollywood. There is no bigger star in Hollywood than The Rock, who is among the highest paid actors of all time. His stardom and fame would have never come to without making his name in wrestling.
His accolades and upbringing make The Rock one of the greatest in history.
No. 2: “The Heartbreak Kid” Shawn Michaels
Mr. WrestleMania. The Showstopper. The Icon. The Heartbreak Kid. Shawn Michaels is arguably the greatest wrestler to ever step in a ring. Shawn Michaels has the ability to leave crowds all over the world in awe in amazement. There is no star that is able to steal the show every time he laced his boots.
Entering the 90’s, Shawn Michaels was part of “The Rockers” with partner Marty Jannetty. They were one of the most popular teams of the 80’s and seemed to continue that during the 90’s. However, a move that helped one career soar, Michaels turned his back on his partner and split The Rockers.
Over the next few years, the barbershop breakup gave Michaels the spotlight he needed to gain success. With manager Sensational Sherri, he became “The Heartbreak Kid,” winning the Intercontinental Championship three times and a tag team title reign with his bodyguard Diesel.
However, the one championship that alluded Shawn Michaels was the WWF/E Championship. The only way Shawn would have a shot is going back-to-back with his second straight 30-man Royal Rumble match victory. Michaels did so by eliminating his former partner Diesel, leading to a face-off against Bret Hart at WrestleMania 12.
They fought in the first every 60-minute iron-man match. They went the whole time without a fall, showing how far they would go to obtain or retain the WWF/E. The match then went into sudden death, with Michaels winning the title with a superkick. The boyhood dream came true. Shawn would go on to become the face of the WWF/E. He would create a partnership with Diesel, Razor Ramon and Hunter Hearst Helmsley to create The Kliq.
As Diesel and Razor departed from WWF/E to WCW, Shawn and Hunter would stand together and create one of the most controversial factions in WWF/E history, D-Generation X. Together, they would go against authority and bring edgy and raunchy material to create chaos around the WWF/E. Together in DX, Shawn and Hunter would run roughshod on all things WWF/E.
Shawn helped build the 90’s for the WWF/E through two different eras. He won countless championships and became the first ever grand slam champion in WWF/E history. His historic rivalries with Diesel, Bret Hart, Razor Ramon and many others show why he is one of the greatest stars of the 90’s, if not all time.
No. 1: Stone Cold Steve Austin
The toughest S.O.B in WWF/E history well deserves the top honor and that is the bottom line cause Stone Cold said so. There is not a man who had a stronger purpose and resolve to be on top than Stone Cold Steve Austin.
Starting out in the 90’s, Steve Austin was in WCW wrestling with partner Brian Pillman as the Hollywood Blondes. “Stunning” Steve Austin showed tons of potential to be the next big star in WCW. However, things behind the scenes never allowed Steve Austin to show his true potential.
Steve was having legendary matches with Ricky Steamboat and Dustin Rhodes. However, WCW did not feel Steve Austin would be the man to lead WCW into the future as a top guy. He later got injured and while on the injured reserve he was fired via fax by the company.
This lead to Austin’s tenure in ECW. ECW helped him in many ways because it was a place for people who feel they have been done wrong to let loose on those emotions. He cut some of the most famous promos in wrestling history during his stint in ECW, letting loose on his emotions against WCW.
Steve did not just talk in ECW, he competed against the young up and coming stars in the company. Without ECW and Paul Heyman’s vision, Stone Cold would have never been born. The biggest free agent in professional wrestling soon got a call to make a move to the biggest wrestling promotion in the world.
Steve Austin had made it to the WWF/E. However, things did not go smoothly right away. Steve Austin became The Ringmaster. He was given the Million Dollar Championship and managerial assistance from Ted Dibiase. This was a major step back from what Steve Austin had created. However, the more Steve Austin got frustrated, the more we got to see become something big.
A new persona and attitude came to Steve Austin which led to him becoming Stone Cold. This character officially arrived at the 1996 King of The Ring when he won the tournament and cut the iconic “Austin 3:16” promo.
From that moment on, Stone Cold began stomping mudholes and kicked ass all over the WWF/E. For the next year, Austin was primed to become the new face of the WWF/E, until a serious neck injury nearly halted everything. He was able to continue after returning later that year and would go on to be the new face of the WWF/E at WrestleMania 14 beating Shawn Michaels and ushering in a new era.
Stone Cold was the leader of the WWF/E battling against WCW during the Monday Night War. Unleashing hell and opening cans of whoop-ass all over the WWF/E. The “Attitude Era” have never gotten as big as it did without Stone Cold Steve Austin. His legendary rivalries with the lights of The Rock, Mick Foley, Bret Hart, The Undertaker, Vince & Shane McMahon, Kane, Shawn Michaels and others helped build his legacy and cemented him as one of the greatest of all time.
Stone Cold had the popularity, the charisma and the drive to be the best wrestler in history. His influence in helping lead WWF/E past WCW is why Stone Cold is the top honor of the top 10.
Few can say they wrestled for all three big promotions in America during the 90’s. But one can say that they were one of, if not the of all three. Austin helped usher in a new era and helped build the WWF/E we know and see today. There is only one Stone Cold.
Conclusion
This was by far the hardest list to order. The 90’s was such an impactful decade in the wrestling business. So many stars from so many large promotions abound, with compelling individual stories about them. The next decade ended the “Attitude Era” and saw the rise of several new stars. Next time we’ll journey to the new millennium and look at the top 10 wrestlers of the 2000’s.
David Jacobus
Intern