You probably need to pick guys that were national and not regional. So no pre WWF stars as things were more network areas.
Andre, Hogan, Flair, Undertaker
It's just not close for any other star imo.
Hogan and Flair are probably undisputed. I think it gets very debatable after that. For instance, to me The Rock is clear-cut, but it seems like many others disagree.
I think that you can make a case for a lot of guys. The “sport” had a lot of megastars.
I respect that. I think just reading what people like is k.
The Rock is an all time great I don't have the Rock top 4 because I feel Cena is pretty comparable as far as industry impact and ring performers. They were up and down a lot depending on feuds and laid some duds. Rock had the chance to be a heel and appeal to older fans while Cena as a long time Face was huge with kids. That splits popularity between the two. So putting Rock up would also mean Cena would be up there for me. This was kind of my logic for no Stone Cold as well.
With Stone Cold I felt he and HHH were pretty compareable. They were good heels that people routed for at times making them Faces. They were the main focus of years of WWE programming. HHH just never stayed a face as much as Stone cold. So HHH negated some of potential popularity. HHH was part of the Monday night wars as much as Stone cold. And HHH has had a longer career. Thus I couldn't accept Stone Cold cause I would have to also put HHH up there.
I did try to think outside the box too because I liked some other wrestlers like Savage, Roddy and AA, they really knew how to get feuds started and performed well but their impact was secondary compared to the likes of top 4 candidates. Shawn Michaels is probably one of the top 5 greatest in ring performers but his mic skills lacked. Sure old school wrestlers definitely deserve praise for their time but they were outclassed as time went on from mic to in ring performance. So I really narrowed it down using certain reasons,
Popularity in wrestling+mainstream popularity+showmanship+performance.
In the end I definitely give more credit to wrestlers that were great heels. To lose and still be must watch is the apex of proving entertainment value and showmanship. All the guys I picked at one point played excellent heels. Flair being the greatest heel all time makes him a lock for me. He was a performer, he had showmanship, and people who followed wrestling knew Flair as an Icon.
Andre was a phenomenon that brought mainstream and pop culture nationally to wrestling so I had him a lock. He worked up his showmanship in his later years. Known as the gentle giant he would rub elbows with all kinds of celebrities. Everyone want to get close to him. The lowest rank in the in ring performance category out of the top 4 but elite at the other three categories.
Hogan was the biggest thing in wrestling for almost two decades and he had some of the most mememorable moments in wrestling so I have him a lock. He checks all four boxes but not as good in ring performance as Flair or Undertaker.
Now last but not least Undertaker. If I honestly had to pick greatest wrestler ever it goes to Undertaker simply for his longevity and ability to remain relevant through so many eras as a heel or face. He had great in ring performance when healthy that was second to none. Only draw back in Undertaker was the character was unrealistic, a deadman walking? A reaper of souls, lol. The make up of the undertaker character is why he never crossed into pop culture to be a star like the Rock, Stone Cold, Andre or Hogan. Even Flair is more pop culture, especially down south. Still if you watched matches and allowed the stories to be there own reality sort of speak or just ignored the supernatural stuff Undertaker is impressive. His showmanship of the character was great even if you understand its fake, in ring performace again the best of the top 4, and his total memorable moments dwarfs the other stars so Undertaker is a lock for me despite the lack of mainstream pop.
Sorry for long a reply but we rarely get to talk wrestling on here
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