#7 Chyna- Did the hitherto unthinkable by finally getting Triple H over. That alone makes her listworthy. The female bodyguard gimmick was a great heat getter that provided an interesting dynamic where the more noble babyfaces, admittedly an increasingly dying breed in the late 90s, would refuse to fight back, or hesitate, leaving them easy prey to the badass that was Chyna. Later turned face with the rest of DX and had a lengthy storyline with Mark Henry before transitioning into more of a full time wrestler. I personally preferred Chyna as a non-wrestler picking her spots rather than a wrestler who seemed less impressive every time you saw her in action.

Random: If I ever get around to rebooking late 90s WWF (admittedly not very likely), Chyna vs. Sable for the Women's Title is gonna be one of the big matches at Wrestlemania 15. Chyna was the most dominant female force in WWF history, easily able to crush any other woman that had ever entered the company. And that was before she did a Frankensteiner on Goldust this one time! Holy shit! See, because in my mind Frankensteiners had always been the domain of smaller wrestlers. It wasn't even fair that Chyna is also doing them now. And then there's the handspring elbow! So Chyna was basically like a female early 90s Scott Steiner in my mind. I'd have booked her as a dominant heel women's champion for like a year. Import whoever to do jobs in under 5 minutes. Basically a heel female Goldberg. Meanwhile Sable is the most popular women in company history. She slowly starts to wrestle more and more. Eventually the two have a confrontation. A match one year in the making is made. Sable ends Chyna's long undefeated streak at Wrestlemania 15. So much $$$!

#8 Jim Cornette- Unlike Big Pete I was a huge Camp Cornette fanboy (4th favorite stable of all time!). So I had to resist my natural instinct to rank Cornette really, really high since he did have some low points, and even his highs were flops from a business standpoint. Success!

Debuted as Yokozuna's American spokesman shortly after Yoko won the title in '93. Immediately put his gift of gab to good use. As a big time Cornette fan from his NWA days with the Midnight Express I was all in. Later floundered a bit along with Yoko. Also managed the heatless Heavenly Bodies and, for some reason, Mantaur. Rebounded in 1995 with Camp Cornette. They were the lead heel faction from late 95 through most of 96. Cornette transitioned away from managing at what should have been Camp Cornette's peak. Sad. Later did some commentary work and those awesome Raw rants which inspired me to purchase my first ever shoot interview tape. Followed that by managing the abysmal NWA stable. The aforementioned Bodies were Austin & Rock-level over by comparison.

#9 Paul Bearer- I wasn't a Paul Bearer fan. He was too over the top even for me. Plus I don't like babyface managers in general. And he didn't even bump very often.

But objectively there's no way I could leave him off my list. Has major longevity points on his side. Was more necessary than most face managers since 'Taker wasn't going to cut many promos (the gimmick just worked better that way). Got the urn over and was a quality ringside cheerleader. Turning on Taker to go with Mankind was a big deal since he had been with Taker for so long.

I personally liked Bearer most during the build to Kane/early Kane period. He cut out a lot of the hokiness while upping the straight villainy. Even contributed the occasionally hilarious line during this period.

#10 Sunny- The original WWF Diva. Set the template WWF would follow for....the 17-18 years. As I just realized the classic WWF Diva seems to have gone out of style. But still! It was a thing for a long time! WWF was forever trying to find the next Sunny. And they did succeed from time to time. Sable surpassed her in popularity. And Trish with her competent ring work surpassed her in WWF lore. But Sunny still gets bonus points for being the first. Was also the star of the 1996 tag division. Seriously. Got more tv time that year than just about anybody not named Shawn Michaels. Was also the big draw for WWF.com in the early days of the internet. She floundered after being poised to take over the world in 1996. WWF tried a lot of different things with her. None of them took. Perhaps her well-documented locker room heat and personal problems were a factor? But her big 1996 had an influence on WWF (hiring practices) for nearly two decades. That alone makes her listworthy.

#4 Smoking Gunns- I was the high vote for the Gunns as Billy Gunn continues to get no respect here on PW. Gunns were the unquestioned Aces of the tag division for 20 months in 95-96. Won the titles 3 times. Had the 3rd most cumulative days as tag champs in the 90s behind only the New Age Outlaws & Money Inc. I may not have been a Gunns fan but the numbers speak for themselves.

#5 Owen & Bulldog- Brought some much-needed credibility and star power back to a tag division that had fallen on hard times before their stabilizing 8 month reign in 96-97. Had some memorable matches with their bouts against Austin & partners (HBK & Foley) being particular standouts. Were a part of two great factions in Camp Cornette & the Hart Foundation. I also considered them a "real" team since they were together on and off for over two years.

#7 Hart Foundation- Were still going strong as the 90s began. Feuded with Demolition. Beat them at Summerslam '90 to begin a 7 month tag title reign. Lost the belts to the Nasty Boys at Wrestlemania VII. Went their separate ways after that with Bret becoming a superstar while Anvil fizzled out. Did reunite years later as members of a bigger Hart Foundation.

#8 Demolition- Like the Hart Foundation, were still going strong in the early 90s. Feuded with the Colossal Connection, Harts, Rockers and, most importantly, LOD in a feud that had the playground buzzing. Added one more tag title reign to their impressive resume. For better or worse, Crush brought a new dynamic to the team. Crashed and burned in early 91 with their swansong being a forgettable Wrestlemania loss to veritable unknowns in America, Tenryu & Kitao.

*I had the Hart Foundation above Demolition because they were relevant for a tiny bit longer.

#10 Rockers- Have to be the greatest/most memorable WWF team to never win the tag titles even if I'll always be more of a Rougeau Brothers guy. Were a popular high flying "pretty boy" duo. Had good matches, with their 1991 Rumble bout against the Orient Express being the best, and most well-known. Had the most famous tag team breakup in wrestling history. And it's really that breakup which got them the #10 spot on my list over teams that had more championship success.

#44) Jake Roberts: Solid run through 1990, 1991, and the first bit of 1992. Returned for an not-so-stellar but nevertheless "inspirational" run in 1996, which even stretched into 1997 by a hair. Earned him PWI's 1996 Most Inspirational award. His "objective" measures are few and far between: 1996 KOTR finalist, four 'Mania appearances, two SummerSlam appearances, feuds with big names like Warrior, Sid, Savage, 'Taker, Austin, Lawler, and Camp Cornette.

#41) Lex Luger: Also lacking in the "objective" measures department, and further hurt by his choke artist booking. Co-won the 1994 Royal Rumble, won the Yokozuna Body Slam Challenge, challenged for the world title in the main event of a SummerSlam and at a 'Mania. Captained two Survivor Series teams. Won PWI's 1993 Comeback award. Can't help but think a heel turn after the Lex Express bust would've helped him immensely.

#30) Goldust: Imposing the constraint upon myself that all 1990s world champs had to be in my Top 25 meant that I only had 11 spots left in my Top 30. Aside from his three I title reigns and multiple 'Mania and 'Slam appearances, I had to make sure Goldust was in my Top 30 for how cutting edge his gimmick was at the time. In late 1995, well before the nWo or Pillman's Got a Gun, Goldust was arguably the first real "Attitude Era" thing to come down the pike. The earliest iterations of Goldust were like Gorgeous George cranked to 11. Had the business overall been hotter at the time, there's little doubt in my mind that Goldust wouldn't have had as much heat as George in George's day. In fact, if Goldust hadn't worn out his welcome and also been watered down by that point, I could see a Goldust debuting in 1998 being a supernova-heated heal foil to Stone Cold. As regrettable as it was, I recall the time period back then being one in which gaybashing was a socially accepted thing and something that elicited easy cheap pops in various pop culture oulets (as well as playgrounds). It's not much of a stretch to imagine a fresh and semi-protected/pushed Goldust being the perfect lightning rod for all that in '98. Anyway, I'm getting sidetracked...

#26. Roddy Piper: Objectively, all Piper had going for him was his pretty brief IC title reign... But for as short as it was, it was a pretty important reign insofar as how much it helped elevate Bret (even despite the fact that Bret had already been IC Champ). Popping in here and there for little one-off stretches helped give Piper surprising longevity on the surface level. On the overall, sure, maybe I ranked Roddy a little high... But looking by process of elimination who'll likely be in the overall Top 20, I'm happy with how this all shook out.

#19) Jeff Jarrett: Here's a guy who maybe deserved to be a spot or a few higher based on objective measures, and who might've been hurt via retrospective Jarrett hate IMO. Dude had the most IC title reigns of anyone in 1990s WWF (at six reigns). He was one of a rare handful of folks who could make the IC title feel at least semi important, especially toward the latter parts of the decade. He picked up a European title reign, and might've been a Eurocontinental champion (if I recall correctly) before "vacating" the European title. He also had a tag title reign, putting him one world title victory shy of being the second-ever grand slam champion in WWF history by the time the 90s ended. Despite jumping ship a bunch, he had pretty impressive longevity too, with his first running spanning from 1993 to 1995, then 1995 to 1996, then 1997 to 1999... with his MIA blips being only a few months at a time.

#21 Jake Roberts- Continued to be a popular babyface as the 80s drifted into the 90s. Had the memorable blinding angle/feud with Martel. Then saw his snake squashed by Quake. Memorably turned heel on Warrior to align himself with Taker. Then had an even more memorable feud with Savage. Turned Taker face and left the company following his Wrestlemania VIII loss to The Deadman. Came back to get some longevity points in '96. Jake earned his high ranking on the strength of his 91-92 uber heel run where he was arguably the top bad guy in the company, and the unarguable winner of the IRS/Bossman Award for heeliest heel in the company.

*I initially had JJ & Goldust at #22 & #23, the very spots in which they finished, but dropped them both a few rankings lest I be accused of playing favorites. 

#25 Jeff Jarrett- That's J-E-Double F, J-A-Double R-E-Double T. That's Double J, Jeff Jarrett. The world's greatest singer, the world's greatest entertainer, and the world's greatest wrestler. Ain't he great? *Fargo Strut*

Would obviously make a Top 10 favorites list, probably Top 5. As I've said a million times, 50% Honkytonk Man + 50% Ric Flair= 100% Awesome. JJ's big claim to fame in 90s WWF are his numerous Intercontinental Title runs. He's king of the second tier 90s IC Champs (with Razor, Perfect, HBK, Rock & Bret being Tier One). Had memorable feuds with Razor & Chyna. Also scores some longevity points for his three separate runs and brief reigns with both the tag and European titles.

#26 Goldust- Like a lot surprising amount of 90s WWF stars Goldust had one great year and a whole lot of meh. Burst onto the scene with a controversial, yet winning gimmick and the GOAT vignettes. Got nuclear heat. Quickly won the IC Title. Held it for 5 months. Had a memorable feud with Razor. Faded a bit after losing the belt to Ahmed and faded even harder a few months later. Had very low lows such as TAFKA Goldust and regular ol' Dustin Runnells. Also had that Val Venis problem where he flopped whenever he strayed from his bread and butter character. Did win another IC Title but it came at a time when that belt meant little. Lasted almost 4 years in the late 90s. Also gets some longevity points for his early 90s run with Dusty, which was something I had completely forgotten about for like 20 years until Kilgore mentioned seeing young Dustin once hit an enziguiri at a house show.

#30 Lex Luger- A tough one to rate. I personally think he finished too high. Came in with a ton of fanfare as The Narcissist. Was quickly put in a program with a hot Mr. Perfect. Got an even bigger rub by getting some kayfabe credit for costing Bret the WWF Championship at Wrestlemania IX. The loaded forearm gimmick was brilliant. Lex was a big deal long before seemingly becoming a made man by slamming Yokozuna. Unfortunately (or not) the slam plus immediate aftermath marked his WWF peak. Inexplicably failed to win the title from Yoko at Summerslam when even the densest mark knew that was the only logical outcome. This failure coupled with an established reputation as a choker in WCW may have doomed him. Co-won a Royal Rumble. Was outpopped by fellow winner Bret. And from there on out the writing was on the wall. Did have a memorable feud/angle with Tatanka. And the Allied Powers were a babyface dream team on paper. Yet they too flopped. Left the company after a nearly 3 year run in which he won zero titles.

#36 Roddy Piper- A little research revealed Piper wrestled far more in 90s than I had previously thought. His high point is winning the IC Title from Da Mountie and then losing it in a memorable 'Mania encounter to Bret. Was also the catalyst for Virgil's face turn which, while mostly forgotten today, was a really big deal at the time. Also feuded with Flair upon Naitch's WWF arrival. As PI mentioned, Piper gets some longevity points for his later comebacks, main eventing KOTR (for some reason) against Lawler and having a memorable (albeit goofy) match with Goldust at Wrestlemania XII.

I was debating making a separate thread for this question, but since he was just revealed in the countdown, I figured I'd try asking here and see if anyone can shed any light... Why did Jarrett "leave" in '95? He only went "back home" to USWA, which was like a farm territory for the WWF at the time, right? So it's not like he went to the competition exactly. Did the WWF just have nothing for him after he dropped the IC title? Did he have some sort of issue or softball fascination a la Sid whenever Sid would go off on a walkabout? Any insight would be appreciated. I'm very curious.

I'll just stick to mostly talking about tag teams from the supplemental lists. I just don't have the inspiration to talk about Sean Mooney.

Demolition was the number 4 tag team on my list. They were still the hot tag team at the dawn of the 90's and ruled as tag team champs for 8 months. They did lose a bit of appeal turning heel and adding Crush but were still big deals feuding with LOD and The Ultimate Warrior. They were royally trounced by Hawk and Animal and went their separate ways in early 1991. Despite the short stint they were tag team champs when it mattered and are still revered to this day.

Unlike Demolition The Smoking Gunns ruled during the WWF's dead period. They were pedestrian at best and were basically one of the few coherent teams around during 95-96 where you had Janetty and Holly, Sid and Kid etc. as competition so they were basically the default top babyface tag team. Early contemporaries like the Quebecers and the Steiners were way more entertaining to watch and the odd couple teams had more intrigue storyline wise.

The Rockers got to number 5 on the strength of having the most famous split in WWF history. They were quickly surpassing the Hart Foundation as the most over babyface team before LOD arrived. Speaking of LOD they had a fine dream match with them on Challenge which would be their last match together for nearly 15 years. Their influence during this time was huge as future teams like the Hardys and Young Bucks would draw a lot from their style,

The Hart Foundation were also going strong into 1990 eventually beating Demolition for the tag titles. They also had a fun mini feud with The Orient Express and some dream matches with the Rockers. One of which had the infamous top rope break incident costing the Rockers the tag titles. After losing to the Nasty Boys they split up but still their run happened when it mattered. They didn't have an overall as big of an impact as the Rockers so I placed them at 6 on my list.

Owen and Bulldog was a bit of a regretful oversight but I just didn't feel comfortable ranking them since I missed most of their long reign. They also were champs when the tag division was a bit weak but I'm sure they were head and shoulders over most everyone else. Good to see other voters make up for my indecisiveness.

Paul Bearer had the longevity and as with any manager was more effective as a heel. He had charisma to spare and portrayed the morbid mortician to a T, good enough or number 10 on my list.

Chyna was great in her role and made Triple H that much more hated. Her look and impact has been discussed already, I had her ranked number 7.

Sunny set the tone for how the WWF portrayed women for the next decade. Being the first to really flaunt her sexuality on WWF TV and get on the internet bandwagon placed all the way up to number 3.

Jim Cornette just never seemed to find his groove in the WWF. He was at his best on commentary or ripping on the current happenings of the time on his Raw shoots. As a manager he was either saddled with sharing the spotlight with Fuji or trying to make something out of the likes of Mantaur. I'm sure he was better with Camp Cornette but I missed the majority of that run. Still being the top heel manager when the role was becoming passe got him to number 9 on my list.

Jake Roberts had a really strong 1990-92 as either one of the top babyfaces or top heels in the company. Everything he was involved with was memorable when the WWF was still in some sort of pop culture relevancy. From his blinding angle with The Model, to his blood feud with Savage and playing creepy mind games with Warrior everything was top notch. Came back in 1996 and helped get Steve Austin over further both in a promo sense and in ring wise at King Of The Ring. He also had a fun feud with Jerry Lawler to round out his impressive decade. It turns out I was the high vote for him with the number 18 spot.

I nearly left Roddy Piper off my list but slapped him on at the last second. His IC title win and loss were just too memorable and his encounters with Rick Rude, Jerry Lawler and Goldust gave the New Generation a bit of a spark. Number 34 for me.

Goldust was an early example of the WWF pushing some boundaries. Dominating the IC title scene also helped his standing as well as memorable encounters with Razor Ramon and Ahmed Johnson. In the same vein as Mankind had a series of revealing interviews with Jim Ross to get him over as a babyface which were really well done. Got into an ill fated feud with Brian Pillman and also got over for his G-TV segments. For helping lay some groundwork for what was to come later in the 90's and being at least a dependable midcard character Goldie got up to number 20.

My number 22 ranking which I see matches the master list was about as an objective a ranking I could give JJ. He did have a major role in the IC title scene feuding with Shawn and Razor after struggling in the first year or so in the WWF. Came back after a WCW stint and got into a feud with Chyna and formed a tolerable team with Owen Hart. Also wasted many guitars and called people slapnuts as the crowd went mild.

Lex Luger had the perfect introduction as a full time competitor after moonlighting in the WBF. His Narcissist gimmick fit him like a glove and he quickly became one of the top heels in the company. Feuds with Bret, Perfect and perhaps Hogan had so much potential. Soon though the babyface roster got even thinner so they turned Luger into the All-American hero. It was over to a certain extent until the shoddy booking killed off his momentum. Luger really lost the plot in the WWF when he started jobbing to new heel Tatanka and later being relegated to tag teams with Bulldog. I agree with many fantasy booking pundits that they should have turned him heel again in 1994/95. Based on the strength of his first year or so he got to number 21. 

Jan 23, 2018 1:05:44 GMT 🤯 said:

I was debating making a separate thread for this question, but since he was just revealed in the countdown, I figured I'd try asking here and see if anyone can shed any light... Why did Jarrett "leave" in '95? He only went "back home" to USWA, which was like a farm territory for the WWF at the time, right? So it's not like he went to the competition exactly. Did the WWF just have nothing for him after he dropped the IC title? Did he have some sort of issue or softball fascination a la Sid whenever Sid would go off on a walkabout? Any insight would be appreciated. I'm very curious.

The story I always heard was Jarrett simply didn't like the way he was being used. Which I find insane considering he had just been IC Champ for 6 months and premiered With My Baby Tonight, which was definitely intended to be a big thing going forward, leading to a Roadie vs. Jarrett feud, the very night he walked out. Plus he seemed to get on better than most with The Kliq, so no excuses there

Roadie either walked out in solidarity with his buddy (the Armstrong & Jarrett families having long been friends) or failed a drug test depending on which story you want to believe. Jarrett tried repaying the favor by getting Roadie hired when he finally signed with WCW in the summer of '96 but Bischoff was like "No thanks" so Roadie went back to WWF.

Jan 23, 2018 1:31:41 GMT Baker said:

Jan 23, 2018 1:05:44 GMT 🤯 said:

I was debating making a separate thread for this question, but since he was just revealed in the countdown, I figured I'd try asking here and see if anyone can shed any light... Why did Jarrett "leave" in '95? He only went "back home" to USWA, which was like a farm territory for the WWF at the time, right? So it's not like he went to the competition exactly. Did the WWF just have nothing for him after he dropped the IC title? Did he have some sort of issue or softball fascination a la Sid whenever Sid would go off on a walkabout? Any insight would be appreciated. I'm very curious.

The story I always heard was Jarrett simply didn't like the way he was being used. Which I find insane considering he had just been IC Champ for 6 months and premiered With My Baby Tonight, which was definitely intended to be a big thing going forward, leading to a Roadie vs. Jarrett feud, the very night he walked out. Plus he seemed to get on better than most with The Kliq, so no excuses there

Roadie either walked out in solidarity with his buddy (the Armstrong & Jarrett families having long been friends) or failed a drug test depending on which story you want to believe. Jarrett tried repaying the favor by getting Roadie hired when he finally signed with WCW in the summer of '96 but Bischoff was like "No thanks" so Roadie went back to WWF.

God, that is so confusing if true in either scenario. The former is especially baffling. The latter makes sense for why Roadie would go MIA... but it makes no sense for Jarrett to leave in a show of solidarity because Roadie failed a drug test?

Their walkout REALLY inconveniences my ideal realistic 1995 WWF rebook.

I can see Jarrett wishing his IC reigns up to that point being WWF title reigns. He's a legend in his own mind.

Jan 23, 2018 1:46:38 GMT Shootist said:

I can see Jarrett wishing his IC reigns up to that point being WWF title reigns. He's a legend in his own mind.

OK, maybe this I can buy. Especially with ol' Jerry in his ear to boot.

#27.) Sean Waltman: :lol: I just realized this is the batch of guys whom I didn't know how to refer to as in my list because of their multiple/various billings throughout the 90s. Anyway... I was a major 1-2-3 Kid mark back in the day. His upset victory and subsequent little program with Razor was great. His run in the 1994 KOTR tournament and subsequent title shot against Bret on RAW were even greater. I even dug his teaming with Bob Holly (as one of PW's only Bob Holly fans?) to pick up his second tag title reign. Then he turned heel by way of Savio envy, and also realizing Razor never really gave a fuck about him, and joined the revamped Million Dollar Corporation and formed one of my all-time personal favorite tag teams with Sid. Too bad their run together was criminally short and lacking in gold.

Then he disappeared for a bit before earning PWI's 1998 Comeback of the Year award, returning as X-Pac to give HHH's DX a much needed boost. In my mind, was at least as over as HHH --if not more so-- at least in '98. Had excellent midcard feuds with D'Lo, Val, etc. and picked up two European title reigns in the process. Then caught lightning in a bottle with his Kane pairing, proving that he could do the David & Goliath odd couple pairing on the face side just as well as on the heel side. Got arguably even more over, and if he didn't deserve a PPV WWF title shot at some point in '99, he at least deserved an IC title reign. Instead, he was a 1999 KOTR finalist and added two more tag title reigns to his resume.

Ended the 90s with a pretty hot heel turn swerve on partner Kane to set up what should've been a decent 'Mania program for them both.

#20.) Mr. Perfect: If only it weren't for the back injuries, that sweet Lloyd's of London policy, and some slightly different booking... Perfect would've/could've been a surefire Top 10 contender. As it stands, he was the last of the five non-world champs to crack my personal Top 20.

Started the decade tangling with Hogan and Warrior, and being the featured member of the post-Andre Heenan family. Transitioned down the card after the Perfect Record was broken, but gets major bonus points for dropping the IC title to Bret --despite being injured-- in an epic great match at SummetSlam '91. Goes on the shelf but stays relevant as Flair's executive consultant, and I guess he can claim credit for managing someone to a world title.

Gets lured back into the ring in late '92 in a time of need after Warrior fucked Vince over yet again. Immediately slotted into a hot feud with Flair, and ultimately sends Naitch packing back to WCW. Assumes a gatekeeper-like role for the Next Generation of main-eventers, getting involved in programs with Lex Luger, Bret Hart, Shawn Michaels, Doink, etc. producing some classic matches with at least two of those guys.

Some of the WMIX rebook ideas that see Perfect winning the world title from Flair at the '93 Rumble just to pass the torch again to Bret at 'Mania got me thinking about how fun that could've been. Would've certainly pushed Perfect up quite a few spots. If not even that, if he'd just returned to the ring in late '96 and hung around though '97, he would've bumped up a few spots for added longevity.

#17.) The British Bulldog/Davey Boy Smith: No idea which billing was really "official". I had him ranked lower than Perfect and Razor originally, but then I paused to really contemplate his run in the 90s compared to theirs. I think he has both beat as far as longevity and resume/"objective" measures.

One-time IC Champion, defeating Bret Hart in the main event of SummerSlam '92, the only Big Four PPV to EVER be held overseas (and it was PWI's MOTY no less). First-ever European Champion, and he picked up a second reign after returning before the decade was out. Picked up a tag title along the way as well. I guess I maybe misspoke before about Jarrett... Looks like Bulldog was a world title win away from being the second-ever grand slam champion in WWF history.

Bulldog then has the less obvious resume accomplishments too. He's challenged for the world title multiple times on PPV in some pretty fucking great matches. Against Bret in December '95, against Shawn in May & June '96, against Diesel in late '95... Right? Combined, how many times did Perfect or Razor challenge for the world title on PPV? Then Bulldog was the 1995 Royal Rumble runner-up, and was a part of WON's 1997 Feud of the Year based on his involvement in the Hart Foundation.

#15.) Glen Jacobs (a.k.a. Kane/Isaac Yankem DDS/Fake Diesel): All the Kane haters of the past decade and a half need to recognize that once upon a time Kane actually was legitimately fucking awesomre. His runs with lesser, too-awful-to-be-forgettable gimmicks give him a longevity boost. Then his total reinvention with the Kane repackage attached a rocket to his back.

Had one of the best debuts in all of WWF history. Immediately took Undertaker to the limit like really no one else had before or since (maybe except Lesnar). Took three tombstones in a row and still kicked out a millisecond after 3 at 'Mania. Went on to defeat a red hot Stone Cold for the WWF title (which added a lot of points as an "objective" measure). Tagged with Mankind and then later with X-Pac after a face turn, picking up a total of four tag title reigns and earning PWI's 1999 Tag Team of the Year award.

To be honest, strip away the world title win (especially over a red hot Stone Cold) and epic debut, and Kane Jacobs probably drops to the bottom of my Top 25 to pal around somewhere just above Big Show... who, yes, I also probably ranked way too high.

#10. "Vicious Justice" Sid Eudy: Like Kane, I was afraid retrospective hate of Sid would result in a lower ranking than he actually deserved. So I made sure to get him into my personal Top 10 for objective reasons. -_-

In all seriousness, I wanted to get all multi-time 90s world champions (i.e., guys who won the world title on more than one occasion during the decade) in my Top 10. It just so happened that there were 11 multi-time 90s world champs. Sid earned his spot in the Top 10 by main-eventing a 'Mania against Hogan in the early 90s; reappearing in the mid-90s, first to tangle with Diesel for the world title and then to form an epic tag team with 1-2-3 Kid; then reappearing again in the mid-late 90s to defeat both Shawn Michaels and Bret Hart for world titles before going on to main event another 'Mania, this time defending the world title against Undertaker.

If only it hadn't been for his love of softball, Sid could've easily been Top 5, if not Top 3 depending on alternate reality booking.

PW and I are mostly on the same page when it comes to this batch. 🤯  covered them all pretty well so I'm either not going to write a lot or go off on some tangents. Who knows?

#16 British Bulldog- Tangents it is! Bulldog was one of the best booked guys in 90s WWF if you stop to think about it. He didn't have the charisma, mic skills, or probably even the ability (he tended to wrestle at the level of his opponents) to be a World Champion, but WWF always surrounded him with important people, and kept him strong enough to where nobody would bat an eye when he main evented the occasional pay per view. Picked up a bunch of secondary titles. Was in two cool stables. Got over as a face and a heel. Perhaps the ultimate 90s WWF gatekeeper.

*I'm almost positive he was officially "British Bulldog" Davey Boy Smith as a face and just regular ol' British Bulldog as a heel.

#18 Kane- I echo PI's thoughts on early Kane. The build + Kane's first year or so is another big time WWF booking success. The X-Pac team added some depth to his character and solidified him as a regular after I spent a lot of time thinking/fearing Kane would be phased out, or disappear completely, once his feud with Undertaker ran its course. I mean, he WAS just an Undertaker spinoff character, after all. Instead they went the opposite route by keeping him around long past his expiration date. But we'll get into that more once we do our 2000s WWE Greatest Wrestler Countdown* Fwiw, I was also a fan of Fake Diesel, or at least the concept of Fake Diesel, though I do try to pretend Isaac Yankem never existed.

*We're probably never doing a 2000s WWE Greatest Wrestler Countdown

#19 Sid- Was always kept near the top of the card. Was always over whether he was face or heel. Won the WWF title twice and main evented two 'Mania's. The only time I personally ever really liked WWF Sid was during his short-lived team with Kid. But I never seemed to like anybody cool or popular, so what do I know? I disagree with PI about Sid ever cracking the Top 5 in any universe though. I actually kind of think his softball fetish helped him in an almost old school territorial Andre/Brody/Abdullah sort of way where it enabled him to leave for a while and comeback fresh rather than sticking around forever and getting stale.

#17 X-Pac- One of the great 90s WWF role players. I never could have imagined the scrawny young Kid ever being a heel. He just seemed born to be a babyface underdog. Yet it happened, and it was surprisingly good. Came back a few years later with the obnoxiousness* dialed up to ten and got over as both a face & a heel yet again.

*Something about X-Pac just got under my skin. He was one of the most punchable guys in wrestling for me.

I slept on Kid/X-Pac a lot back in the day. For starters, early Kid was forever feuding with guys I liked, so I naturally disliked him (until his final few months). I also didn't care about "great wrestling" until around the time Kid left for WCW. So for two years I kept hearing about how great Kid was/is. Therefore I was pumped for his WWF return, not only because it was a shot at WCW, but because I was expecting this flashy, cool move, high flying, 4 star match machine, which was something WWF definitely could have used at the time. X-Pac disappointed big time. I had seen Rey Mysterio and watched every RVD match I could. X-Pac was no Rey or RVD. By this point injuries had turned him into more of what we called a "low flyer" back in those days. Like "He doesn't even do flips!" Plus his character was a major turnoff. So I thought he was incredibly overrated at best, downright bad at worst.

But after going back and watching some X-Pac I realize he was great in ways that went far beyond "cool moves." He was an excellent 'regular' bumper, meaning he may not have taken Foley-style crazy falls, but he bumped harder than anybody else in the company for regular moves. He was also good at selling and getting the crowd involved whether as a face or heel.

#22 Mr. Perfect- Another one like JJ & Goldust that I downgraded a spot or two near the end lest I be accused of favoritism. I have Perfect down as the 2nd greatest IC Champ of the 90s. Had memorable feuds with Flair & Narcissist. And the Perfect vignettes~! Great heel who also managed to pull off the tricky 'cocky face' character better than most. Being robbed of 5 years of Mr. Perfect career remains one of the all time great wrestling tragedies in my mind. I have little doubt he'd have been a WWF Champion at least once, and I actually think WWF history drastically changes if Perfect remains healthy. His return to in ring competition was one of the things I had been most looking forward to for years. So you can imagine how bummed out I was when it finally does happen....for the Evil Empire! Say it ain't so!

Just for a quick/fun thought exercise, Baker, I'd love to see your vision (or anyone else's who wants to chime in to) for what a Perfect run in the 90s looks like assuming no injuries or other health issues. Feel free to start as far back as 1990 if you want.

I'll try to formulate a vision in the meantime too.

Jake Roberts was still one of the most over guys in the company when he left in early '92. If Jake had have stayed around, he would have been an amazing foil during the New Generation but his own personal demons prevented him from achieving his potential. His feud with Lawler in 96 was one of the best for the company at the time - a good example of proto-Attitude Era television.

Despite mostly being 'retired' in the 90s, some of my favourite Piper stuff happened during the decade. The match against Bret is one of the best in Wrestlemania history and he subbed in like a champ for Razor at Mania. In a lot of ways, his run in the 90s was a lot like Jake's, especially when you factor in the Lawler feud. The only knock against Piper is that he didn't always feel relevant...and he was also an awful referee. I'll never forgive Roddy for screwing Goldberg at Starrcade '99, never.

Goldust's career in the WWF was so up and down. When he first debuted, he was easily the most entertaining gimmick on the roster, but then they introduced Marlena so he could be 'straight' and had him work one of the worst ever matches of all-time against the Warrior. Talk up about your Kennels From Hell, talk about your Hogan-Warrior rematches, Goldust-Warrior says we just stunk the joint up. Still, Dustin was a great performer so whenever he had to carry awful angles involving Marlena/Terri or the Meanie, you'd still get the odd decent tag match. However, it was never great and it seemed like a lot of his best work happened at live events we never saw. Goldust-Michaels would have been huge, too bad we had to put up with Camp Cornette.

Jarrett was a good mechanic, but as a character I just found him boring. The only angle that got me interested was his final one in the company where he became a total misogynist, beyond that I just looked forward to solid matches. Kudos to him for screwing the company out of 200K, but I can't believe the stupidity behind burying Austin in his big return promo.

I'm starting to come around on Lex. The WWF asked him to do the impossible and he was actually in the process of getting him over until that SummerSlam '93 fiasco. From there it was all down-hill and Lex never recovered. By rights, he should have been a top 10 certainty, but the rejection from the audience sees him rightfully ranked at 21.

Kid/Pac was awesome, it's just a shame his signature move was the most embarrassing move in Pro Wrestling. I never cared for the second incarnation of D-X, but they ended up getting more over than the original formation and Pac's Rage Against The Machine esque look played a big factor in that. Also thought he was one of the best tag guys and all of his matches where he worked with Hunter and Kane went off.

Sycho Sid was one of the coolest wrestlers of the 90s. I'm stealing this from the Raw thread, but one of the best matches in Raw history was the Bret-Sid match in liue of WM 13 where you had so many angles up in the air. Both guys did an awesome job of conveying the drama and it marked a turning point for WWF television. Also how can't you heap points on Sid for destroying HBK not once but twice?

Perfect deserved better. Started the year as the biggest heel in the company and could have been a wonderful opponent for Razor, Michaels and Jarrett but injuries ruined him. Still the matches he had with Bret were fantastic, he rid the WWF of The Nature Boy and he was one of the most entertaining guys in the company.

Kane had the coolest entrance of all-time. Whenever his pyros would hit, you knew business was about to be taken care of and that the King would need a new change of pants. He was a horror villain come to life, with an amazing look who did well to match The Undertaker in the ring. His stint as Kane made him a no-brainer for the Top 20, but his stints as an Evil Dentist and Diesel cosplayer also got him a few 'kayfabe' points.

That Bret Hart-Davey Boy Smith match from SummerSlam '92 was a damn good moment for the company. What I loved about Bret is that his life story would have made for a nice story - an entire family who became deeply embroiled in the Pro Wrestling industry filled with soap operas all around the place. Davey sort of floated around, but whenever he was in the ring with Owen and Bret, it was magic.

From 94-97, Owen Hart was the most entertaining guy in the World Wrestling Federation. Afterwards he got lost in the Attitude Era hijinx but before then he was just so entertaining in everything he did and he played the red-headed step child character so well.

Here was a guy in Razor Ramon who had everything you would want in a world champion and yet they constantly kept putting him in the IC role. Whenever he stepped foot in the ring with the Kliq, it was fantastic and he had plenty of great matches along the way. It's just a shame the WWF had no interest in pushing him and he made the best move going to WCW. Instantly the WWF became less cool, and WCW became the place where the big boys play.

Yoko was a cool hoss, it's just a shame that once his run was over, he basically got lost in the shuffle and disappeared from TV altogether by 96. Still was a huge part of the company there for awhile and in a year where leaner guys were beginning to take over, his body shape stood out.

Triple H sucked until Foley came around to spice things up. Even then, I don't think HHH really became anybody until he got rid of the tights, started wearing trunks and brandishing the most OP weapon of all-time, the sledge hammer. Basically became the star of the company in the build up to SummerSlam of 99 and that's something that hasn't changed even to this day.

I almost forgot about Flair when I sent the list to Bake. I found him pretty tough to rank and my perception has always been that of an old sports star who ends up switching clubs late in their career and fails to make the same impact. The WWF gave Flair a fair shake, but never pushed him as hard as they could have and it's telling to me that neither of his singles matches got to headline the PPVs. He was a B-Champion, at a time where the WWF was in turmoil. Still, he created history by becoming the first WWF and NWA Champion, so that would make him an automatic Top 20 pick.

We had a thread here about wrestlers we changed our minds on, and I was going to do a big write up, but the gist was that WCW made me dislike lot a wrestlers. Sid was one of those guys, because he usually just came off as a jacked dumb-ass than an actual threat like he did in the WWF and ECW. I still can't get over that initial perception, and whenever I think of Sid, I think of him hopping up and down in a carpark after seeing his car get turned into a cube but that's where the dislike comes from.

A lot of guys qualify: Dr. Death Steve Williams, Bret Hart, Macho Man Randy Savage, Curt Hennig etc.

#11 Razor Ramon- The definitive IC Champ of the 90s with 4 reigns and more cumulative time holding the belt than anybody else. Figured #11 was the right spot for the decade's most successful non-world champion. Razor came in as a heel with a good look and a unique gimmick who was quickly shot to the top of the card but I personally didn't really buy into him until he turned face and was a few months into his first IC Title reign. Razor really stood out in feuds, having memorable rivalries with Kid, Money Inc, Shawn & Diesel, Jarrett, The Dean and Goldust. Was also an above average squasher with one of the cooler movesets of his day, capped off by the Razor's Edge. Match-wise he'll always be known for the Ladder Matches with HBK. I think he easily could have been in Diesel's spot had the cards fallen differently.

#12 Triple H- One of the weaker WWF Champions of the decade, but at least he did reach the top. Came in as one of the last classic gimmicky midcard heels. I was a fan of this blatant Regal ripoff, although I assumed he'd top out as an IC Champ at best. Had a fun feud with HOG. He lost me after about a year when the gimmick started being downplayed and he began losing all the time. Rebounded by winning the IC Title in the Perfect Swerve. But I quickly lost interest again because, well, he was really rather boring. Hooking up with Chyna increased his heat exponentially and getting the rub from Shawn Michaels was an even bigger career boost. Won King of the Ring and a few more secondary titles. Had a memorable feud with Foley. Became the leader of DX with Michaels out, and that's really where he earned the bulk of his points to land at #12. Later turned heel. Was more boring than ever. But did win the WWF Title. And marrying Stephanie towards the end of the decade would prove to be perhaps an even bigger career boost than hooking up with Chyna or Michaels.

#13 Yokozuna- His big claim to fame is being the longest reigning heel WWF Champion since Superstar Graham 15 years earlier. Also has a Royal Rumble victory, tag title reign, and another 2nd WWF Championship win to his name. Plus he squashed Hulkamania! Was pushed hard immediately due to his massive size. Was a killer squasher, with the Banzai Drop being the ultimate death blow of its day. Had memorable feuds with Luger & Undertaker. His run on top was brief. Never really found himself once his long title reign ended, though he did pick up a tag title reign with Owen. He started appearing less and less as his weight became a bigger and bigger problem. Later turned face to put over Vader not long before being phased out completely. 

#14 Ric Flair- Was only around for about 18 months but crammed a ton of goodness into that relatively short run. Came in with a lot of hype as "The Real World Champion." Cut the shootiest promos I had ever seen until Diesel snapped a few years later. Won the vacant WWF Championship by lasting over an hour in the 1992 Royal Rumble. That all time great moment alone would make him listworthy. Had a memorable feud with Savage which saw him drop and regain the belt. Was a great shit stirrer during the Savage/Warrior program. Dropped the belt rising star Bret Hart in one of the more shocking moments of my fandom. Went out by putting over his former ally Mr. Perfect. 

#15 Owen Hart- I agree with Big Pete that Owen was the most consistently good performer in the company from 94-97. Won a slew of secondary titles and the 1994 King of the Ring tournament. Had an all time great feud with Bret. Also did good-to-great stuff with Michaels, Bulldog, Kid, Shamrock, and others. Was a part of two big factions in Camp Cornette and the Hart Foundation. Oh, and the Nation, too. He came a long way from his early days teaming with Anvil & Koko as the WWF wrestler I was most likely to forget existed. He also didn't really seem to fit in anymore once the Attitude Era kicked off in earnest. 

Owen would almost certainly be #1 on a favorites list, with only Undertaker & Foley providing any real serious competition. So many of my favorite 90s WWF moments involved Owen. He was just a joy to watch. Great heel with wrestling ability who could be vicious or comedic. I also love a heel you can justify, and Owen really did have a point in his famous feud with Bret. Everything Owen did in the ring (aside from his wimpy clubbering) looked so good. Like Owen could easily have been called "The Excellence of Execution." You could even argue that Owen was better at it than Bret since so many of his moves were tougher to pull off. I LOVED how the Bret/Owen rivalry ended with Bret basically coming around to Owen's way of thinking when I always thought it would culminate with Owen tucking his tail between his legs and going back into Bret's shadow. Owen becoming the biggest Canadian Hero of them all by pinning that jerk Austin is the perfect capper to my favorite match of all time, and maybe THE single greatest moment of Owen's stellar career. Owen is also the GOAT Slammy winner since he's the only one to actually incorporate it into his character. Owen's death is easily the wrestling tragedy that hit me the hardest. Nothing else even comes close. 

#3 Jerry Lawler- I liked The Brain and The Body but, with all due respect to those guys, The King has long been my favorite heel commentator. I took to him right away. Like literally the first time he appeared on Superstars I was all "Yep. This is my guy." Perhaps because I had always been a big mark for the king gimmick? Thought he was hilarious in his mid 90s heyday. Loved how he was forever taking (hilarious) shots at Bret and the Hart Family (Owen exempted, of course). Later formed the GOAT commentary duo with JR. Lawler had good chemistry with Vinnie Mac and great chemistry with Ross. Also excelled in his feud with Heyman & ECW where his quick wit enabled him to get off some choice zingers. I'm not the greatest fan of late 90s (and beyond) puppy lover Lawler but his legacy was already secure in my book after having a hell of a 6-7 year run before the horny old man stuff took over.

#4 Sable- Earns her high ranking on the strength of being probably the 2nd most popular act in the company during its late 90s boom period. Yes, Sable was devoid of talent. And yes, she just followed a trail Sunny had already blazed (turned up to 11) But over is over. The pops don't lie.  

#5 Bobby Heenan- Was still going strong at the start of the decade leading the Colossal Connection to tag gold, newest charge Mr. Perfect to IC gold, and backing Rude in his main event program with the Warrior all while continuing to provide stellar heel commentary work. Soon stepped aside from managing but remained an important figure in the careers of Ric Flair, Narcissist and Mr. Perfect. Put on an all time great commentary performance during the 1992 Royal Rumble match. Would be my easy choice for #1 WWF Non-Wrestler of the 1980s.

*I'll cover the tag teams tomorrow.

#3 Money Inc- Earned their ranking based on having the second longest cumulative time (behind only the New Age Outlaws) of 90s WWF tag team champions. Had a winning "money" themed gimmick. Memorable feuds with Hogan & Beefcake, as well as Razor Ramon, are also points in their favor. They feuded with the Natural Disasters, Legion of Doom and Steiner Brothers as well. Despite being a big fan of both guys, and considering myself a Money Inc. fan at the time, I actually remember very little about their run. 

#6 Quebecers- I took to them right away based on my longtime Jacques Rougeau fandom. Pierre also won me over almost immediately with his cool big guy high flying. Great squashers with a slew of cool double teams, the Quebecers also had a winning a gimmick and an all time great theme. Quickly gained the tag titles in their first high profile bout by defeating the Steiners in a memorable "Province of Quebec Rules" match. Held the titles for the better part of 7 months. Were a part of the awesome short-lived Foreign Fanatics quasi-stable. The Quebecers played a role in Owen's famous heel turn on Bret as well. Faded as quickly as they rose after losing the tag titles. Came back for an awful run in 1998 where they didn't fit in at all. That failed stint is what dropped them out of the Top 5 on my ballot.

#9 Steiners- Initially had them higher until some research revealed they only held the tag titles for about 3 months. Who knew? I always thought it was like twice that long. Were fun to watch since they had probably the coolest moveset in WWF. Had very good matches with the Quebecers, Heavenly Bodies & Hart Brothers. Also did above average work opposite the Beverly Brothers and Headshrinkers. Main evented Survivor Series 93. Like the Quebecers, they faded rather quickly.

One thing I think this countdown has revealed is that there's a lot of truth to the "Vince buried WCW guys!" arguments since WCW headliners like Luger, Vader, Steiners, and (arguably) LOD were only pushed so far before Vince seemed to lose interest. On the other hand, former WCW midcarders like Austin, Foley, HHH, Taker, and (to an extent) Goldust were pushed to the moon. Maybe he just had a problem with WCW 'stars?' 

I had X-Pac at number 15 due to the strength of his surprise debut/return on Raw in 1993 and 1998. Both are landmark Raw moments that added to the anything can happen element and also helped pull away from Nitro. He had great matches with Bret Hart and Hakushi and made his initial heel turn work against Razor. His ring work tailed off in his second stint but his charisma and name value helped increase DX's popularity and he also made a partnership with Kane work. He had longevity and made an impact whenever he was around.

Sid came in at 16 on my list. He always kept himself fresh by not overstaying his welcome and was always in the main event scene whether it was the Hogan era, New Generation or early Attitude Era. He had a great presence and a stereotypical "wrestler promo" approach on the mic that somehow endeared himself to a lot of fans. His popularity also increased by injuring Diesel's elbow and beating Shawn Michaels for the title. Lost the WWF title in a sub-par match with Undertaker and left not long after.

I was also the high vote for Mr. Perfect in the 12 spot. He got the IC title back in the main event scene for the first time since Randy Savage as the decade dawned with some memorable encounters with Hulk Hogan. Added to his legacy by having great matches with Tito Santana, Kerry Von Erich and Bret Hart. His back injury stole some of his prime but came back as a babyface ridding the WWF of Ric Flair and having an intense feud with Shawn Michaels. Was always one of the more popular names mentioned for WWF comebacks as the 90's progressed and gave fans hope with a return to commentary and being Triple H's benefactor. 

I'm not as high on Kane's role in the 90's as some and had him ranked 23. He was great as Undertaker's doppelganger but had no business beating Austin for the belt and was relegated to tag teams by 1999. The impact of his debut and the thought put into his storyline with the Deadman were his only saving grace. His other gimmicks hurt more than added to his longevity points.

We were pretty much in agreement on Davey Boy Smith's place in the 90's with a number 16 spot. He had an underrated feud with Warlord a  solid run in the '92 Rumble and the great match with Bret at Summerslam. Not much else is memorable about his IC title run before losing it to Shawn. Came back as an ally to Bret Hart in his fight against his brother and ex-tag team partner. Sometime in 1995 turned on Bret and had a rare bloody encounter at an In Your House. Formed a solid partnership with Owen Hart and had a lengthy tag team championship run. Also had one of the best matches in Raw history with the King Of Harts. He still kept himself relevant as a member of the Hart Foundation stable. Came back in jeans in 1999 with a less than memorable run. Still for the vast majority of his time he was a big time player who always put hiself in the right spots to succeed.

We were also close on Owen Hart as I had him at 13. He was a rather non-descript babyface early on needing a rub from Anvil then Koko just to show you how low on the totem pole he was. Blossomed as an obnoxious heel when he turned on Bret and had the greatest opening match in wrestling history at Wrestlemania X. Also had one of the great cage matches of all time at Summerslam with Bret where psychology over brutality was used to brilliance. Carried on as a thorn in Bret's side as a member of Camp Cornette teaming with former Bret rivals Davey Boy and Yokozuna. Incorporated the Slammy Award like no other into his gimmick just to show another way that he was better than Bret. Reconciled with Bret in one of the great Raw segments and was a vital part of the 10 man Stampede match puzzle. Tailed off after the screwjob as the butt of DX's lame jokes and formed a tag tea with the lamer Jeff Jarrett. Vince needled him further putting him back in the Blue Blazer gimmick which ultimately resulted in costing him his life. Still the saddest and most senseless loss in wrestling history.

Razor Ramon was in my top 10 in the 8 spot. He was always over, was the most dominate IC champ of the decade and shifted the balance of power in the wrestling industry. He had iconic moments at both Raw and Wrestlemania with Kid and Shawn. Not much more can be said.

Yokozuna was the resident dominate monster heel who ended Hulkamania and had the longest heel reign of the decade. It all adds up to placing number 10 on my list.

I also tried to be as fair as possible with Triple H  but evidently his and WWE's propaganda worked on other voters to have him placed this high (ahead of Razor? lol). Came in as a lame aristocrat then was Shawn's lackey in DX and finally broke out after a promo with Jim Ross in the summer of 1999. Still he just managed to transform himself into a Shane Douglas knock-off. Being a WWF champion, having great matches with the Rock, leading the WCW invasion and making fun of the Nation placed him at 25 on my list.

I also had trouble ranking Ric Flair and settled for number 20. He was only around for a year and a half but was the driving force of the GOAT Royal Rumble and got the NWA title on WWF TV. We also finally got the face to face with Hulk Hogan but sadly no big Wrestlemania match. Had a memorable feud with Randy Savage and cut down the Warrior in one of his great promos. He helped put over Bret Hart as the next big star and had great interactions with Mr. Perfect which lead to his departure in 1993. For a north of 40 ex-NWA guy he was treated very well and made the most of his opportunities.

The Quebecers cracked my top 10 being one of the most entertaining heel teams in all my time watching WWF/E. They had the goods when it came to being irritating heels but also backed it up in the ring with innovative double team spots and big man bumps from Pierre. Shame they didn't last even a year.

Maybe it was the NWA/WCW luster fogging my mind a bit but I had the Steiners in the 3 spot. They weren't as dominate as tag team champions as they should have been but had great rivalries with the Quebecers, The Headshrinkers and The Heavenly Bodies. They added some much needed sizzle to the tag team division with their unique offense. Only lasted a year before going back to making big money in Japan.

Money Inc. for a time was the top heel team in the company having an urban legend title change with LOD and mixing it up with Hogan/Beefcake and the Steiners. Their characters were a perfect match and they had the chops to making any fan's blood boil. Number 7 on my list.

Sable became the female face of the Attitude Era becoming one of the most over stars on the roster. Her sex appeal and ability to execute a powerbomb had her as locker room talk royalty in my school and on the cover of TV Guide and Playboy. Number 4 in my top 10.

Bobby Heenan was being phased out as a manger as the 90's progressed but played big parts in Mr. Perfect and Ric Flair's run. He became one of the great heel commentaters especially after his Royal Rumble '92 performance. Also continued his shtick with Gorilla Monsoon on primtime. Had fitting bookends to the first year of Raw being kept out of the inaugural episode and being fired from one of the last episodes of 1993.

Jerry Lawler would be third in my holy trinity of heel announcers but was the right person to be the pervy King during the Attitude Era. Came in as a bit of a joke to me but then some friends revealed he was a 20 something time world champion beating the likes of Hogan and Flair. He changed my mind further after assaulting Bret after the King Of The Ring ceremony. Also played the doofus well being humiliated by Bret Hart, Roddy Piper and William Shatner among others. His long tenure and being one of the trademark voices placed him in my top 5.

I also tried to be as fair as possible with Triple H but evidently his and WWE's propaganda worked on other voters to have him placed this high (ahead of Razor? lol).

I wasn't a fan of Hunter either, but this was a case where greatest vs. favourite kicked in. Outside of the Summer of '96, he was always booked strong relative to where he was on the card. He then became the face of the hottest stable WWF stable in the company and then became the focal point of the company at a time where Austin and The Rock were still active members of the roster.

I have no problems with him being placed above Ramon. Razor could have been huge, but they stuck a glass ceiling on him and turned him into the New Generation's version of Tito Santana. The only thing Razor has over HHH is in-ring. Nothing on Hunter's resume can compete with the Wrestlemania X ladder match.

Jan 26, 2018 2:23:30 GMT Big Pete said:

I also tried to be as fair as possible with Triple H but evidently his and WWE's propaganda worked on other voters to have him placed this high (ahead of Razor? lol).

I wasn't a fan of Hunter either, but this was a case where greatest vs. favourite kicked in. Outside of the Summer of '96, he was always booked strong relative to where he was on the card. He then became the face of the hottest stable WWF stable in the company and then became the focal point of the company at a time where Austin and The Rock were still active members of the roster.

I'm with Pete 100% on this. 

Fwiw I actually rated Razor one spot above HHH, but had Hunter one spot over Yoko, and two above Flair.

Jan 26, 2018 2:23:30 GMT Big Pete said:

I also tried to be as fair as possible with Triple H but evidently his and WWE's propaganda worked on other voters to have him placed this high (ahead of Razor? lol).

I wasn't a fan of Hunter either, but this was a case where greatest vs. favourite kicked in. Outside of the Summer of '96, he was always booked strong relative to where he was on the card. He then became the face of the hottest stable WWF stable in the company and then became the focal point of the company at a time where Austin and The Rock were still active members of the roster.

I have no problems with him being placed above Ramon. Razor could have been huge, but they stuck a glass ceiling on him and turned him into the New Generation's version of Tito Santana. The only thing Razor has over HHH is in-ring. Nothing on Hunter's resume can compete with the Wrestlemania X ladder match.

By my "objective" measures, HHH's two world title reigns, KOTR crown, and becoming the second-ever grand slam champ put him ahead of Razor.

Also, re: HHH not having a match that can compete with the WMX ladder match... do you just mean HHH's matches from the 90s, or ALL of HHH's matches?

I was just talking about the 90s. In general I would have around 10 of his matches on par, if not above the ladder match.

Jan 26, 2018 2:23:30 GMT Big Pete said:

I also tried to be as fair as possible with Triple H but evidently his and WWE's propaganda worked on other voters to have him placed this high (ahead of Razor? lol).

I wasn't a fan of Hunter either, but this was a case where greatest vs. favourite kicked in. Outside of the Summer of '96, he was always booked strong relative to where he was on the card. He then became the face of the hottest stable WWF stable in the company and then became the focal point of the company at a time where Austin and The Rock were still active members of the roster.

I have no problems with him being placed above Ramon. Razor could have been huge, but they stuck a glass ceiling on him and turned him into the New Generation's version of Tito Santana. The only thing Razor has over HHH is in-ring. Nothing on Hunter's resume can compete with the Wrestlemania X ladder match.

Razor was treated as one of the top heels when he came in and later was second only to Bret as a babyface at times. He was semi-main event level for his entire run while Triple H came in as just another midcard filler act. He got a bit of a nudge in 1997 with the KOTR and Mankind feuds but was still overshadowed by Shawn, The Hart Foundation and Austin. He put in some good work in 1998 but it was really Road Dogg, Billy Gunn and X-Pac that were the most over parts of DX even when Triple H was supposed to be their leader. Realistically Vince was the heel focus still in 1999 with Triple H as his puppet towards the end of the year. I guess I value the bigger fish in a smaller pond over a medium sized fish in a big pond.  

Razor peaked early in his run. He never had a main event television program in the WWF, even the championship match against Bret was an entree for the Rumble. The only headline run he had was on the live shows where he faced off against Randy and then later teamed with Bret to take on Owen/Yoko. That was the only period in time where he could be considered the #2 face, and that was because Taker was off the road.

Within a year of being in the company, HHH was working WWF Championship matches on live events. He may not have come in as hot as Razor on TV, but he was always booked strong relative to the card. By 1998, he had eclipsed Razor, and by 1999 he surpassed him as a star. From August of 1999, he was presented as the ace of the promotion and was even depicted as a bigger heel than Vince. In fact, he was so devious, Vince became the top babyface and they worked a main event program together.

Ultimate Warrior above Macho Man? For shame.

This is a great list though. Hard to argue with any placings on here. The only one that really sticks out to me is Chyna, but I'm looking at everyone above her and it's hard to say who she should be ahead of. Her influence was huge but skill-wise and personality-wise she didn't come into her own until the late 90's/early 2000's after DX.

Now to see who wins between The Undertaker and Bret Hart.

Jan 26, 2018 18:01:40 GMT RT said:

Ultimate Warrior above Macho Man? For shame.

This is a great list though. Hard to argue with any placings on here. The only one that really sticks out to me is Chyna, but I'm looking at everyone above her and it's hard to say who she should be ahead of. Her influence was huge but skill-wise and personality-wise she didn't come into her own until the late 90's/early 2000's after DX.

Now to see who wins between The Undertaker and Bret Hart.

From an "objective" standpoint it's tough. Warrior had a 'Mania main event world title win over Hogan in the 90s, which arguably meant a lot more than Savage's 'Mania midcard world title win over Flair. Then Warrior has his IC title reigns as well. Head to head, even though Savage was champ, it felt like Warrior was treated as the bigger deal when they were both there in '92.

Then Savage gets kinda fucked by being forced to the sideline for the most part after dropping his second world title. Meanwhile, Warrior benefits from two big time returns in the '90s and is always treated as a big deal/threat.

Before shit hit the fan, he was slated to be in a PPV main event in '96. Had he stuck around, who's to say Warrior doesn't continue getting booked in upper card programs until possibly getting a PPV title shot at some point.

Meanwhile, Savage was relegated to the midcard with Repo Man and Crush. Had he stuck around through '96, his sporadic in-ring misadventures probably feature the likes of Henry Godwinn, Hunter Hearst Helmsley, etc.

Warrior was the bigger deal than Savage in the 90s. He got the passing of the torch moment from Hogan, that really ends the debate right there.

#6 Randy Savage- I was the high vote for Savage, having him above Rock, Foley AND Warrior. I'm not really sure why. Especially considering Savage finishing "too high" (above Luger!) was one of my biggest pet peeves with the WCW countdown. But I'll go to bat for Mach here even if I would bump him down to #8 or #9 if I did it all over again.

Savage was involved in three of the greatest feuds in 90s WWF (vs. Warrior, Jake & Flair), two of its greatest matches (vs. Warrior & vs. Flair), and its greatest love story (w/ Elizabeth). He was also a two time WWF champion and the top babyface in 1992. The Slim Jim stuff made him a household name. Even non-wrestling fans knew who the Macho Man was. That counts for something. He was also involved in some memorable angles. 

But, yeah, no way I should have had him above Warrior & Rock (still think he might get the nod over Foley though). He only had two good years (91-92) in the 90s. His 1990 was mostly a waste. And he was inexplicably phased out in late '92-early '93 for weird Vince reasons at the very same time a lot of longtime stars were leaving. This has to be one of the dumber Vince moves. If anything, Mach should have been pushed even harder in '93 since he was one of the few remaining "names" left. All he really did after that was the Crush feud which failed to elevate the big Hawaiian. But I blame Crush for that. Because Crush sucked.

#7 The Rock- A lot of guys took a while to find themselves (Owen immediately comes to mind) but nobody in 90s WWF comes close to Rock's amazing transformation from the outhouse to the penthouse. Rocky Maivia was, to use an Ole Andersonism, the shits. He was overpushed, devoid of charisma, crap in the ring, and just crap at everything. Seeing this turd as IC Champ made me think WCW deserved to be crushing my beloved WWF in the ratings....almost. Months later he joined the Nation. I was still not caring. Yet it didn't take long for Rock to find himself. I think it was the episode of Raw where Austin threw the IC belt in the river that I came around on Rock. Within a few weeks he was my favorite wrestler. I've always called glorious late 90s Rock "the Ric Flair of the 90s." The thousand dollar shirts...the million dollar sideburns....the ridiculousness of the People's Elbow....giving Faarooq a gigantic portrait of himself  :lol:  1998 Rock was gold. "The Most Electrifying Man In Sports Entertainment" wasn't just a clever catchphrase. It was the truth. At least as I saw it. He was also a Top 5 IC Champ of the decade and the last great IC Champ until Orton 6 years later. His almost 9 month run as champ included a good feud with Shamrock and was downright Honkytonk Man-esque at times, which is about the greatest compliment I can pay an IC Champion. Finally lost the IC Title in his first real good/great match- a memorable Ladder Match with HHH at Summerslam. He then shot off into the stratusphere. Won the WWF Championship a few months later. Had memorable feuds with Foley & Austin. Buried Billy Gunn on the mic. Had the highest rated Raw segment in history. Ended the decade as the hottest star in wrestling. I do think he became a parody of himself at some point in the 2000s but late 90s Rock was solid gold.

#8 Ultimate Warrior- Beat Hulk Hogan clean at a Wrestlemania to become the face of the company. That alone makes Warrior an automatic Top 10 choice. He also (briefly) simultaneously held the WWF & IC Titles. This was huge to me at the time. Was a God on playgrounds across America, if not the world. Looking back, Warrior was just so "of the times" with his manic energy, ridiculously roided physique, and colorful outfits. Embarked on an epic feud with Randy Savage after Mach cost him the WWF Title against Slaughter at Royal Rumble '91. Their rivalry culminated in one of the most memorable WWF matches of all time at Wrestlemania 7. Followed that up with a cool little feud against Jake & Taker. Flaked out a bunch of times after that and by all accounts was a huge pain in the ass to work with both from a management and a fellow wrestler perspective. Came back in '92. Had another good match with Savage. Then left again. Came back for an even less successful run in 1996. Then disappeared back to Parts Unknown. 

#9 Mick Foley- Started his WWF career off with a bang by becoming the first guy in forever to get a few wins over Undertaker. Also had an all time great match with HBK. Both Vince & I finally "got" Foley during his awesome sitdown promos with JR in mid 97. Had a cool feud with HHH around that time which elevated both men. Formed a tag team with Terry Funk. They won the titles and got the New Age Outlaws over. I won't hold the latter against him. Turned heel during a time when I thought it would be impossible for anybody to boo him. Yet Foley did indeed get people to boo him. Had a classic sports entertainment match with Austin followed by one of the craziest and most famous matches ever with Taker a month later. Won the WWF Title over Rock in an all time great moment. Had a brutal feud with Rock and later teamed with him leading to the memorable "This Is Your Life" segment. Ended the decade by becoming a New York Times Best Selling Author. Would be #3 on a 90s WWF Favorite list. The only reason I had him this "low" is because he was never the face of the company like everybody above him and this next guy....

#10 Diesel- Caught fire after a so-so start. Became the quickest Triple Crown winner in company history by years. Was actually won of the more overpushed guys ever imo. Held the WWF Title for nearly a year. Business tanked while running on Diesel Power. But the numbers have to mean something, and Diesel did have the 4th most cumulative days as WWF champ in the 90s. Found his true calling as an edgy, Attitude Era style tweener after losing the title. Had good/great matches with Bret & Shawn, and memorable feuds with Bret, Shawn, Taker & Razor. I happen to think #10 is the perfect spot for Big Daddy Cool.

Randy Savage - It's a testament to Randy that despite being put out to pasture, he was still able to have such a lasting impact on the 90s. For a lot of people, there isn't a greater moment in Wrestlemania history than the Savage/Warrior match. That was the WWF at their finest and a real feather in the camp for Randy. Then in '92, right when you would think Flair/Hogan would be this amazing match, Savage comes along and they have this instant chemistry. It was a shame to see Flair speak bad of Savage in his book, because none of that frustration showed in their work together. They were able to get a lot out of a feud that was basically thrown together during the whole steroid saga.

Diesel - Big Daddy Cool had one of the better meteoric rises in the company. From 93-94, they handled it perfectly and Diesel was the type of performer that was fun to follow. While his '95 run was poorly put together, he still held the championship for a year and got to mix it with some of the greatest performers of all-time so it wasn't a disaster. Then right at the end, we get a chance to see what a proper Diesel main event run would have been like and it was fantastic. Unfortunately or the WWF, they lost Ramon, Nash and Hart in one fell swoop and it wouldn't be until Survivor Series '96 that the company would start turning a corner again. He helped define the decade and I think hes a deserved Top 10.

Warrior - The thing about Warrior is that he should have been #1. Hogan handed him the keys to the kingdom, but it just didn't work out and he became a maverick. That's reflect in his spot on the countdown, which is fair and despite all the disappointing backstage stuff, Warrior was involved in some of the biggest moments of the decade. One of my favourite Wrestlemania moments of all-time was his appearance at Wrestlemania VIII. It was a genuine surprise to see him back in action and although it may not have been the best way to send the fans home, it was still a cool moment. A genuine superstar, there weren't many guys the fans would accept as Hogan's heir, the Warrior was an exception.

The Rock - For most lists, I feel like he's the #1 pick, but in the 90s, The Rock wasn't quite there yet. He really only began to become a star after Mania 14 when he cut that interview with Jennifer Flowers. Before then he had only just found his footing in the Nation and he was embroiled in this feud that seemed to be more concerned about getting Ken over than The Rock. However, from there he receives this huge push all the way until Backlash '99 where they turn him babyface. While I thought the WWF were smart taking baby-steps with him, it really didn't help The Rock's case as a #1 pick since he was clearly positioned as the #2 babyface. The plan was obviously to keep him fresh until Wrestlemania XVI and I thought that was a smart move given the uncertainty surrounding the roster at that time. Still, despite all of this, The Rock was still incredibly over in 1999 and despite being a catchphrase machine, the fans were into every promo he cut.

Mick Foley - Very similar to The Rock where booking hurt him, except Foley was able to overcome it. Unlike The Rock, he hit the ground running in the WWF, having a fantastic series of matches with The Undertaker which really showcased Taker's strengths as an in-ring performer. From there he would seemingly get the best out of everyone. Michaels, Austin, HHH, The Rock, The New Age Outlaws, Kane, Big Show etc. all had some of their best matches in any given year against the guy. Also during a time where the WWF was being written like a cheesy sit-com, Foley was cutting some of the best promos in the business which is what really got him over with the fanbase. The fact he was able to get a sock-puppet over is a testament to his ability. Then you've got the Hell in a Cell moment which I'd rank right up there with Austin-Tyson, Warrior-Hogan, Warrior-Savage, Montreal etc. as one of the biggest moments of the 90s. Even though he was never the face of the company, it's worth celebrating his ability to earn a championship in the build up to Wrestlemania. Ordinarily this would have been a bad decision, but Foley had been working so hard that it felt well deserved and if anything he was hard done by not to be involved in the Wrestlemania main event. The only disappointing thing about Foley's career is that he never really got a proper run with Owen or Bret. A Bret-Mankind match in '96 was one of my favourite go-to matches, I picture Mind Games, but excellent.

Prediction
1. Bret Hart
2. Steve Austin
3. Shawn Michaels
4. The Undertaker
5. Hulk Hogan