[doinktheclowns]

For me in order.

By this I mean if it wasn't for them at the time the they where in their prime the WWE would have had nobody else with pulling power,made more money and would have lost ratings wars without them etc

Stone Cold Steve Austin
Hulk Hogan
The Undertaker
Shawn Michaels
The Rock
HHH
John Cena
Kane
Bret Hart
Ultimate Warrior


Honorable Mention to - Edge,Randy Orton,Andre the Giant,Macho Man Randy Savage, And more recently CM Punk may have breathed new life into a stagnent company.

 

[Clique]

You have to mention Bruno Sammartino and Bob Backlund who both held the company up as super-babyface champions with the two longest World Title reigns in the company's history; Sammartino (total 7 year reign) and Backlund (5 year reign). Sammartino was like a god in the North East especially Madison Square Garden in the 70's.

 

[Keerdo]

Micheals didnt really do much to be honest,he wasn't as big a draw as say Rock or Hogan or Cena

 

[TakerBourneAgain]

Hogan and Vince would be up top. Without him there would be nothing for the likes of Austin etc to save. SO for me it would be Vince, Hogan, Austin - Saved the WWE back in the MNW era and revolutionised the business, Cena - without him there isnt anyone around today who can hold the company or peoples attention, Rock - was second to Austin most of the time and had the likes of HHH, Taker, Shawn etc. Was great but the company didnt depend on him like it did Austin and does with Cena.

Top 5
Vince
Hogan
Austin
Cena
Rock

As much as it pains to admit imo Cena has done/is holding the company together with his appeal to the younger generation. People like Bruno, warrior, Backlund, Orton, HHH, Taker, Savage etc all helped but those guys were THE guys and helped hold attention and the place together.

 

[theBIGvalboski]

Anyone who doesnt mention bruno in this thread just doesnt understand wrestling history.

 

[Flair Flop]

Micheals didnt really do much to be honest,he wasn't as big a draw as say Rock or Hogan or Cena

True that he wasnt as big of a draw, but he kept the WWF alive during one of it's worst periods. If not for Shawn, Bret, and Taker it might have not survived the time before Austin blew up.

During my lifetime my list would be

Hulk Hogan
Steve Austin
Andre The Giant
John Cena
Shawn Michaels
Undertaker
Bret Hart
HHH

I can't include names like Rock, Savage, or Warrior to this list because the were popular during boom periods that they did not create. My top 2 were responsible for creating the 2 biggest times in wrestling history, while the rest had to carry it during down times

 

[samizayn]

I don't know about what you mean with Rock.

Stone Cold saved wrestling from dying in the mid/late nineties, and Rock alongside him helped skyrocket it. Rock wasn't the rickety last legs, Stone Cold was.

Ones like Rock and Undertaker I just don't know what you mean, but that's just because I literally don't know.

 

[Meatwad555]

Kurt Angle or Brock Lesnar should be on there somewhere.

 

[StonePunk3:16]

In the 90's Stone Cold

In the 80's Hogan and Andre

Before then Bruno Sammartino.

No one else.

I mean how could there be? Yes In Hogan's era (in the 80's) you had Piper, Savage, Warrior etc but without Hogan and Wrestlemania then the wwe would not have survived simple as that.

In the late 90's when WCW were ruling the wrestling world it was thanks to Stone Cold that helped turned the corner for WWE. Rock came after Stone Cold and he only became a main eventer in late 98 and in 99 when WWE re-established themselves thanks to Austin. Austin needed the fued with Bret Hart though to become the main man for WWE and propel them firstly to safety in terms of extinction and then to overtaker WCW.

Certainly you cannot name Undertaker, Bret Hart or HBK because in the mid 90's WCW was ruling and WWE losing money.

So really there is no top 10 only those aforementioned names.

 

[fulcizombie]

Vince-His decision to transform himself into an evil TV character helped the wwe win the monday night wars
Hulk Hogan- he was a catalyst in making the wwf a huge international corporation
Stone cold Steve Austin - the right man in the right time . His feud with Vince was the n.1 reason that the wwe won .
Degeneration X- Not just the individuals , but the concept of D-X was revolutionary for its time with its non politically correct image .
The Rock- The second star from the attitude era that gave the extra push the , already winning wwe, needed to eliminate wcw .