Professional Wrestling: The 100 Most Influential People Ever, Part I

Wrestling has been on the minds of people for over 100 years.

From the times the carnival was in town and "strong man" competitions turned into full-fledged fights, to the exhibitions where men were given the chance to prove their strength and power, to the days of Lou Thesz and Buddy Rogers, wrestling has always been in American culture in some form or fashion.

Today is just the same.

From the times of Bruno Sammartino to the great Andre the Giant to Ric Flair to Chris Jericho, we as fans have an affinity for the dramatic, the staged and the impossible.

To even think the "sport" is fake would be an insult to the industry. That was, until industry walls were torn down by "sports entertainment," and men like Hulk Hogan and Vince McMahon came clean about the fact matches had predetermined winners and losers.

Wrestling lost some of its luster with the breaking of kayfabe, the reveal of match outcomes and the fact we all learned it just wasn't real.

But to some, it was the same facade it had always been and the notion that it wasn't some form of reality just did not sit well with the old guard that protected the business like it was life and death.

Wrestling is still based largely on tradition from the late 19th century, when carnivals showed off the favorites and villains of the era and no one was allowed to know wrestling was all one big act.

The wrestlers are a huge part of the creation of this business. But there are more people involved in the creation you see today.

Many of the things that happened years ago all led to the events of a CM Punk and a shoot interview. Ric Flair and Eric Bischoff playing out a real-life battle over money or Vince McMahon being fired by his own son-in-law on worldwide television.

This is a look at the first half of the 100 most influential people in wrestling history.

100. Dan Severn

It may seem a little odd to add an MMA fighter to this list, but when the NWA split from WCW and both became singular organizations, it underwent a huge change in direction.

Severn became a world champion, taking a break from "shoot fighting" and martial arts battles.

He used some of those same tactics in the squared circle and was a champion in both genres.

99. Gary Hart

He was as cool as the other side of the pillow.

Hart brought us great Asian wrestlers like Kabuki, The Great Muta and Kendo Nagasaki. He also managed other talent like Al Perez and One Man Gang.

Hart was a mild mannered man who could play mind games with the likes of Dusty Rhodes.

98. Eddie Gilbert

He managed a stable of stars in the Mid-South region and in the UWF. We were introduced to Rick Steiner and Sting as well as Missy Hyatt.

Thank you, Eddie!

97. Orville Brown

The NWA's first ever world champion.

Brown won it in 1942 and lost it seven years later in 1949. From then on, the NWA was a recognized wrestling organization.

96. Paul Boesch

A wrestler, a promoter and a favorite amongst wrestlers.

Boesch worked in the Houston area, holding matches that pitted cross-promotional wrestlers.

He was beloved for the way he lived life.

95. Rocky Johnson and Tony Atlas

The WWF's first ever African American tag team champions.

They were such big faces in the WWF. They could both wrestle and talk and were as powerful as many of the wrestlers today.

94. Wendi Richter

She won the Women's title from The Fabulous Moolah, but really, she was an afterthought.

The premise behind all the hoopla was "Rock 'n' Wrestling" and formation of the superpower of Cyndi Lauper and Hulk Hogan.

The title was really third or fourth most important thing in the entire scenario.

93, Eddie Mansfield

He was a niche and mid-card wrestler in the late 1970s and early 1980s.

He was blackballed for stating the obvious. The matches were planned with a winner and a loser.

This had a direct impact on how wrestling changed its boundaries.

92. Miss Elizabeth

She was a beautiful woman and maybe the biggest liability ringside in the WWF.

Randy Savage had issues with her being there, mainly because of her docile appearance and the fact she got in the way of his wrestling.

Still, they were a power couple in the WWF and fans ate it up.

91. Don Owen

He ran the promotion for the NWA in Portland and introduced us to wrestlers like Billy Jack Haynes, Roddy Piper, Pat O'Connor and Playboy Buddy Rose.

90. Atsushi Onita

He's a Japanese star who began what is now called hardcore wrestling in the states.

89. John Stoessel

The ABC reporter was embroiled in a controversy with "Dr. D" David Schultz.

When 20/20 asked Stoessel to interview wrestlers, he found the ornery wrestler and asked the obvious—was wrestling real?

Schultz caused permanent hearing loss for Stoessel after slapping him across the face and ear.

88. The Sheik

Ed Farhat portrayed the original "Sheik" of wrestling.

He battled the likes of Abdullah the Butcher, Bobo Brazil and others.

Most of his matches involved foreign objects, battling outside the ring and lots of blood.

87. Dick the Bruiser

William Afflis figured if he could not beat them, he would join them.

Afflis, a barrel-chested grinder formed the WWA and later worked with, and for, Vern Gagne in the AWA.

He and his "cousin," Crusher, were a dominant heel tag team in the 1960s.

86. Sherri Martel

Martel was one of the best female wrestlers of all time.

She was great in the AWA as champion and when she hung up her boots, she moved over to the WWF and managed the likes of Ted DiBiase and Randy Savage.

Martel also spent time in WCW as the manager of Harlem Heat.

85. Bobby Heenan

Heenan is a former heel manager who was involved in the WrestleMania III angle pitting Andre the Giant against Hulk Hogan in the main event.

He also brought Ric Flair to the WWF in 1991.

He managed in the AWA, WWF and was a broadcaster in both the WWF and WCW.

84. Jack Tunney

Tunney played the on-air commissioner of the WWF in the 1980s. He was also a promoter for the WWF in Canada.

He was instrumental in the crossover to "Hulkamania" and the vision of Vince McMahon in the early 1980s.

83. Grand Wizard of Wrestling

Ernie Roth was known for his managing and for his awful sense of style.

Roth managed the likes of Superstar Billy Graham, Killer Kowalski, Luke Graham and Hulk Hogan.

He was a megastar as a heel manager in the WWF.

82. Owen Hart

It is a shame he will forever be linked to the causes of his death more than the fact he was an outstanding wrestler.

Hart could have been better than his brother Bret and son of the famed Hart Family.

When he died from injuries sustained in a free fall from a safety harness, the WWF came under scrutiny for safety practices in its pay-per-view events.

81. Carlos Colon

When you think of wrestling in Puerto Rico, you think of Colon.

Colon is a national hero there and helped create the World Wrestling Council.

His sons, Primo and Carlito, have wrestled in the WWE.

80. Lia and Peter Maivia

The High Chief and his wife ran the promotion in Hawaii.

Both were instrumental in the wrestling business and are the grandparents of The Rock and parents of Rocky Johnson.

Peter also wrestled in the WWF from time to time.

79. Jushin Liger

He did the one thing everyone saw and watched with amazement.

Moonsault.

When he does the back flip from the top rope, it is one of the most amazing moves ever seen in wrestling.

Many do it well, but Liger does it with perfection.

78. Sunny

Need I say more?

She never wrestled but was instrumental in managing great tag teams in both the WWF and ECW.

And she used her assets when she needed to.

77. Tatsumi Fujinami

He wrestled all the great heavyweights in the 1970s and 1980s.

He was a favorite wrestler in Japan and had great success in the states as a performer in the AWA.

He followed in Baba's footsteps as an icon in Japanese wrestling.

76. Earl Hebner

Rarely would you see a name like Hebner on this list, but he was instrumental in calling matches, especially in the WWF during the Attitude Era.

Hebner has been referred to as the "Mills Lane" of wrestling referees.

75. Jerry Jarrett and Tojo Yamamoto

They came together to bring Memphis wrestling.

Some of the best wrestlers in the world got their start in the mid-South area—Jerry Lawler, Randy Savage and Austin Idol to name a few.

Eddie Gilbert and Tommy Rich also found success in the promotion.

74. The Freebirds

They were a great stable of wrestlers who feuded with the Von Erichs and other face wrestlers.

Michael Hayes was as good as anyone on the microphone and could wrestle with anyone.

Terry Gordy was a beast, and Buddy Roberts was a classic heel.

73. Bruiser Brody

Score one for the independent wrestler.

Before his untimely death, Brody was one of the best in the business. He only worked when he wanted, which made things a little uneasy for some promoters.

But when Brody was abroad overseas, he was loved and revered as a fan favorite and tore the house down wherever he was.

72. Curt Hennig

There aren't many wrestlers who can work well in different promotions.

Curt Hennig did it in all three major promotions.

As a champion in the AWA and then a success in the WWF, he took his talents to WCW and showed again he could shine.

He was one of the most underrated wrestlers in the business.

71. Randy Orton

I put him on this list for one reason and one reason only.

It proves that in wrestling, it really is who you know.

Orton has been a nine-time world champion in the WWE and multiple-time tag team champion.

But his backstage politics have led to firings and him holding the titles longer than maybe he should have.

70. The Dudleys

They helped create extreme wrestling.

Buh Buh Ray and Devon are cartoonish characters that really appealed to younger fans, and they did so with raw power and charisma.

69. Kevin Sullivan

The Taskmaster was a great wrestling manager who used his pull as a booker to create pretty decent scripts in WCW before the takeover by Vince Russo.

Sullivan, a veteran of the ring wars, showed he could wrestle, write and promote at the same time.

68. Sting

The Icon is as iconic as any other wrestler to wear gold.

Buff, big and powerful, he is loved by millions and has 22 world titles in his career to prove how great he is.

The only problem is he does not draw like other former champions and that may be the Achilles heel of his career.

67. Anonio Inoki

He also followed in the footsteps of good friend and partner, Giant Baba.

Inoki's popularity rivals Baba. He was a great face wrestler who drew thousands to his matches in arenas across Japan.

66. Junkyard Dog

He was a great face wrestler in the NWA, drawing great attention for his feuds with Ted DiBiase.

He was loved all over the south and was as popular a star in the 1980s as there was.

He traveled to the WWF and was part of the 1980s machine.

He was not the same wrestler but was still loved by everyone.

65. Edge and Christian

As a tag team, they were at their best.

As singles competitors, they were just as dominant.

Edge and Christian were made for the Attitude Era in wrestling.

64. Trish Stratus

God loves the WWE.

Trish came on the scene and managed Test and Albert, then moved on to singles wrestling on her own.

We are very happy she decided to do that.

63. Bill Watts

A rough and tough cowboy, Watts was a great regional wrestler who made his way to promotions and turned the UWF into a gold mine.

He introduced us to Sting, Ultimate Warrior, Rick Steiner and Ted DiBiase.

Watts was a man's man, who sometimes allowed his mouth to get him in trouble.

62. Bob Backlund

He was the WWF's last face champion before Hulk Hogan.

Backlund was the Wally Cleaver of wrestling. He had a great amateur background and used his technique in the ring to beat back some of the best stars in the business like Billy Graham, Don Muraco, John Studd and the Samoans.

61. AJ Styles

He is a lifer in TNA. A triple-crown champion and the one man associated with the company as its face.

He will go down as the best to ever compete in the promotion.

60. Mil Mascaras

He's one of the great Latin wrestlers of all time.

His name meant "Man of a Thousand Masks," and it was reported he never wore the same mask twice.

59. Ron Simmons

He was the first ever African American world champion in WCW.

Simmons, a former FSU football great, was compact and powerful and as mean as any SOB.

He was also a great tag team competitor.

58. The Iron Sheik

He actually trained with Ric Flair in Vern Gagne's barn.

He was a strong, barrel-chested wrestler who was stronger than people may have thought.

He was the last champion in the WWF before Hulk Hogan took over.

57. Eddie Graham

He was a former member of the NWA board and promoter in Florida. He brought to life the image of Dusty Rhodes and helped make him a mega-star.

Graham was also known for creating amazing story lines that were beyond their time.

He brought the likes of the Briscos, the Funks and Ric Flair to Florida on a regular basis.

56. Ole Anderson

He was a great heel wrestler, a booker for the the NWA and WCW and a member of the Four Horsemen.

But he may have made the greatest decision ever for the tag team ranks of wrestling by signing the Road Warriors in 1982 to wrestle for Georgia Championship Wrestling.

55. Mick Foley

He found his niche in wrestling as a hardcore legend and then as a lovable cartoon character in the WWE.

He is a best-selling author and former WWE champion.

54. Chyna

The Ninth Wonder of the World.

Chyna was as harsh-looking as any man in the ring. But there was a sexiness to her as well.

There was nothing sexy about her when she beat Jeff Jarrett to win the Intercontinental title, the first and only woman to do so in the WWF/WWE.

53. Paul Bearer/Percy Pringle

Whichever moniker William Moody used, it sure worked.

As Percy Pringle, he was a heel manager in WCCW and other promotions in the NWA.

His true calling came when he developed the character "Paul Bearer" and led the likes of Undertaker and Kane to the ring.

He was just as instrumental in creating their characters as Mark Calloway and Glen Jacobs were.

52. Sable

We get it. We found out something we already knew—sex sells in the WWF.

When Sable appeared on the scene, we had a whole new reason to watch on Monday nights, and we did not mind admitting it.

She is still one of the most stunning women in the world.

51. Captain Lou Albano

He guided 15 tag teams to world titles and also guided singles wrestlers to titles in the WWF.

Albano was a quick wit and a cartoon character in himself. He was also a great character for the business.

When he wrestled, he enjoyed his most success as a tag team wrestler.

There Is More...

Don't worry, everyone. There will be a second half to this list.

I know David won't leave anyone behind.

You can talk about the first 50 you have read about and maybe shed some light on who you think should be in the second 50.