The Greatest Professional Wrestler of All-Time: The Conclusion

This is the final installment in a three-part series to properly qualify how we could anoint a wrestler as the greatest of all-time and what grapplers carry the distinction as one of the greatest. It must be restated that this argument, opposed to who may be the greatest hockey player or basketball player, is much more complex and layered. I proposed six all-time greats in the last post, and they are listed as such (not a ranking order):

• Shawn Michaels
• Kurt Angle
• Ric Flair
• The Undertaker
• Chris Benoit 
• Hulk Hogan

Onto the final three...

Two of the greatest ever: The Rock & Stone Cold Steve Austin

Stone Cold Steve Austin

It's undeniable that Stone Cold Steve Austin was WWE's leading man during its most profitable and revered era in the near 60-year history of the promotion. Like Hulkamania, Austin 3:16 was a movement that propelled WWE's Attitude marketing strategy into the forefront of North American pop culture. Austin's popularity sky-rocketed after his epic and bloody contest with then fan-favourite, Bret The Hitman Hart; I'll go on record to say that's one of the greatest matches of all-time. Millions embraced Austin's rebellious attitude and his tendency to infuriate the boss, Vince McMahon. This rivalry provided us the most compelling  programming in the history of the company. Whether Austin was driving a Zamboni within Joe Louis Arena to get his hands on the Chairman or he was bathing McMahon and co. in Miller-Lite soda pops, even the most skeptical believers of pro wrestling needed to know what rebellious act Austin would perform next?

In the ring, Austin was a skilled technician, but could also brawl with the best of them; The Texas Rattlesnake brawled his way throughout many great matches in 1998. His matches with The Hitman are well-documented but the Bionic Redneck would end up a participant in some of wrestling's most dramatic matches. No one will forget the wars he waged with the likes of The Rock, The Undertaker, Chris Benoit and Triple H. 

Hulkamania may have originally pushed pro wrestling into pop culture prominence, but there's no denying that Austin 3:16 elevated pro wrestling to heights it has never seen. 

Dwayne The Rock Johnson

This is a highly-debatable suggestion. One could argue Dwayne The Rock Johnson would have never been the top guy in the WWE at any point if it wasn't for a year-long absence of Steve Austin who missed a year due to rehabbing a surgically repaired neck. However, what can't be argued is that The Great One would ultimately become the greatest pop culture export pro wrestling has ever produced. Now a multi-million dollar action movie star, Dwayne Johnson might be the most recognizable pro wrestler of all-time. 

While Rocky left a career in the squared circle for a career on the big screen, his tenure at WWE was highlighted by multiple runs as WWE Champion and Wrestlemania main events. While entertainment's most electrifying man wasn't Chris Benoit in comparisons to technical prowess, The Rock could hold his own in the ring and brought a unique style of grappling to some classic encounters with Steve Austin, Mankind and Triple H. Indelibly, The Rock will always be remembered for the plethora of catchphrases he's left in WWE lore. Only a few select wrestlers were able to captivate an audience with words only, like the Brahma Bull could. 

The Rock's full-time run as a pro wrestler was cut-off during the prime years but he trail-blazed a path towards stardom no other superstar could achieve; If you smell what's he's cookin'. 

Bret The Hitman Hart

WWE's flagship bearer of the mid-1990's, Bret Hart etched a path of excellence nearly unrivaled in pro wrestling history. The Hitman was as a technically sound as anyone and was a participant in many of wrestling's greatest matches. Whether he was paired with long-standing partner, Jim The Anvil Neidhart, collectively known as The Hart Foundation, or he was wrestling in singles competition, Hart was one of the sport's best storytellers. During the early 1990's, WWE was the land of giants where the top superstars were coincidentally the largest; however, you can only hold down greatness for so long. In comparison to many of wrestling behemoths, a diminutive Hart wrestled his way to five WWE Championships and owns the distinction of being the company's first-ever triple crown winner, collecting WWE Heavyweight, Intercontinental and Tag Team titles. 

No one will ever forget classic encounters Hart had with Steve Austin, Shawn Michaels, Diesel, The Undertaker, the British Bulldogs, Mr Perfect and his brother Owen Hart. If I was to list the 10 greatest matches of all-time, you may see Hart's name more than any other listed wrestler. 

Bret Hart truly has ever right to claim he is, "the best there is, the best there was and the best there ever will be". 

I presented 9 suggestions as to who may be the greatest of all-time; who is at the top of your list? There are some omissions that may come into question. History pundits will point to Madison Square Garden legend Bruno Sammartino as the greatest; or new generation fans believe that John Cena's ten-year run as WWE's main-eventer makes him the best. WCW advocates will point to the career of Sting and say he deserves mention or that Triple H was really "that damn good" and he stands atop this mountain. 

Well, that's what makes this argument so much fun!