The Most Popular Superstars Of All Time

In a previous entry (found here) I talked about the greatest competitors in-between the ropes.  This one is dedicated to the ones, regardless of their in-ring prowess, that were the most popular of their day.  I've divided it into three levels based on their popularity at the time, and how much they still resonate today.  (Note: CM Punk, among others, aren't on this list, but probably will be after a few more years at the top.) 


Elite Level Popularity:   

Hulk Hog

Stone Cold Steve Austin

The Rock

This is probably the only level that everyone can agree on.  You can make an argument for any of these three being number, and probably be right.  I didn't put them in any particular order for that very reason.  So let the debates begin.  And also for the record, the only person even close to getting into this elite club is Cena.  And to be honest, he isn't that close.  He needs the benefit of a wrestling "boom" period to make him more of a household name.  A lot of the upcoming guys are on the list for that very reason.  They were stars during the popular days of wrestling.  What I mean by that is, RVD was huge in '02, but wrestling wasn't.  His overall impact in terms of all-time popularity isn't that great because of this.  (And I'm a big RVD fan even.) 

So if you take nothing else away from the Elite level list, take this: My definition of how popular you are, is defined almost exclusively by whether or not the general public (more so than the wrestling audience) knows who you are.  If you don't know anything about professional wrestling, you still know who Hulk Hogan, The Rock, and Stone Cold are.  Period. 


Superstar Level Popularity: Triple H, Goldberg, Sting, John Cena, The Ultimate Warrior, Mick Foley, Andre The Giant, Ric Flair, Undertaker, Randy Savage

I'm thinking people will say some of these could be moved up.  Girls will say Cena, but the more traditional wrestling fan would probably say Macho Man.  I would say that isn't entirely inaccurate, but in the end, I just felt they weren't on the same level as the "big 3". 

I will say I adjusted this level the most.  I had a lot more on here, that I eventually dropped down to star level.  So that again tells me there will be much debate about the next level, along with this one.   

Star Level Popularity: Jake The Snake Roberts, Kevin Nash, Scott Hall, Kane, Jeff Hardy, Chris Jericho, Rey Mysterio, Big Show, The Road Warriors, Mr. Perfect, King Kong Bundy, DDP, Brock Lesnar, Bret Hart, Shawn Michaels, Roddy Piper

These are the guys that made an impact, but not on the mainstream level as much.  Some, like Jeff Hardy and Rey Mysterio, are just huge merchandise movers, if nothing else.  So that is why those two were included.