WWE and AEW Stars of Today Who Would Have Thrived in the '90s

Professional wrestling is an ever-changing industry. Not only have we seen a massive shift in the presentation of the product over the years, but there has also been a drastic change in the kinds of wrestlers who are successful.

Back in the '90s, when most of today's top stars were kids, WWE and WCW were the biggest promotions in North America, with ECW being the scrappy underdog brand from the northeast.

If you look back at the biggest stars from that decade, most of them are literally larger than life. Powerhouses and giants ruled the roost, but there was still room for some smaller competitors to be successful, especially toward the end of the decade.

The '90s was also the time when the product took on an edgier tone. The music industry was full of punk and grunge, so pro wrestling followed suit and incorporated some of those elements into the show.

While it would be difficult to imagine some of today's top names working alongside the stars of the '90s, there are also quite a few people who would have been right at home. Some may have even been more successful 25 to 30 years ago.

No. 1: Seth Rollins

If you were asked to name the most charismatic Superstars of today, Seth Rollins would have to be near the top of the list.

The Drip King has not only been one of the most memorable people in recent years due to his outlandish style and over-the-top personality, but he has also been one of the most skilled.

The number of classic matches he has produced rivals some of the best to ever do it, and Rollins still has a long time left in his career if he stays healthy. He could wind up being considered one of the greatest of all time when he hangs up his boots.

Not only would his personality have allowed him to fit in alongside guys like The Rock and Steve Austin, but his athleticism would have made him infinitely valuable.

Rollins is well-known for his agility and endurance, but he is also deceptively powerful. He may not be a giant when compared to others, but he is taller than average and has more strength than his physique would seem to imply.

Could you imagine Rollins vs. Shawn Michaels in his prime? You could have sold a whole WrestleMania on the strength of that match.

No. 2: Andrade El Idolo

Lucha libre has been thriving in Mexico for decades, but the style only began to break into the mainstream U.S. market in the '90s.

ECW started the trend by featuring a few luchadores on television, but WCW's cruiserweight division was the first place a lot of American fans saw what these stars can do.

You had names like Rey Mysterio, Eddie Guerrero, Juventud Guerrera and Psicosis putting on bangers every week on Nitro, and it's easy to envision Andrade El Idolo right alongside them.

The former NXT champion is charismatic, but his real strength comes from his technical ability. There are few people as smooth as he is between the ropes.

If he had been around in WCW back when Nitro was first taking off, he would have been heavily featured on a weekly basis.

He might have technically been a bit too big for the cruiserweight division, but WCW used to fudge the numbers on weight all the time, so he would have been fine. There is no way La Parka and Konnan were under the weight limit either.

No. 3: Asuka

Etsuo Hara/Getty Images

TOKYO,JAPAN - JUNE 29: Asuka enters the ring during the WWE Live Tokyo at Ryogoku Kokugikan on June 29, 2019 in Tokyo, Japan. (Photo by Etsuo Hara/Getty Images)

Women's wrestling has found more of a foothold in the United States over the last decade, but back in the '90s, you were lucky if you got to see one match a week.

Toward the middle and end of the decade, stars like Chyna and Sunny were breaking through in different ways, but WWE's women's division usually consisted of just a handful of stars.

In the earlier part of the decade, names like Alundra Blayze, Bull Nakano and Luna Vachon were at the top of the division, and Asuka would have been a perfect fit alongside them.

Her wild facepaint and personal style would have made her an ideal rival for somebody like Vachon, and her tough-as-nails exterior would have allowed her to stand toe to toe with Nakano.

WWE probably would have stuck her with a manager back then, so Asuka would have been a silent warrior who intimidated her opponents and fans through her actions, not her words.

No. 4: Jade Cargill

Jade Cargill is one of those rare talents who would have been successful in any time period, but she would have been the biggest women's star in the '90s without question.

Her charisma, physique and overall presence would have been impossible to ignore. WWE management would have pushed her to the moon and never looked back.

Just think about what a showdown between current Cargill and in-her-prime Chyna would have been like. Seeing two muscular powerhouses like that face-to-face would have been a rarity 25 years ago.

Cargill has limitless potential, especially if she continues to improve the way she has over the past few years, but she would have been in a league of her own 30 years ago.

No. 5: Randy Orton

Randy Orton barely makes the cutoff because he began his training in 2000, but had he been born 10 years earlier, his career would have been just as good.

Instead of feuding with other Ruthless Aggression era stars like John Cena, Batista and Edge, he would have been mixing it up with guys like Bret Hart, Steve Austin and Razor Ramon.

Orton's athleticism and overall look would make him marketable in any generation. When you look at all of the qualities you would want in a top star, he has most of them.

The Legend Killer has had plenty of encounters with Shawn Michaels, but could you imagine a young Orton vs. HBK in his prime? What about early-'90s Randy Savage? Orton would have fit right in.

No. 6: Eddie Kingston

The '90s was a time of cultural change in pro wrestling. The early part of the decade included a lot of colorful characters like Doink and The Ultimate Warrior, but right around 1996, both WWE and WCW started to incorporate edgier elements into the show.

This became known as The Attitude Era. Guys like Steve Austin and Triple H flourished because they knew how to walk the line between family-friendly and mature content.

One man who would have been right at home alongside Stone Cold and The Game is Eddie Kingston.

As someone who is known for delivering some of the grittiest promos, Kingston would have fit into that era perfectly.

His exchanges with someone like The Rock would have been legendary because Kingston is one of the few people who wouldn't be thrown off by immature insults and catchphrases. In fact, The Mad King might have eviscerated Rocky on the mic.

No. 7: Bobby Lashley

The '90s may have helped usher in a generation of small and medium-sized talents who would become huge stars, but giant powerhouses still had an advantage.

Hulk Hogan was still prominent throughout the '90s, Goldberg was one of the biggest stars produced by WCW, and Paul Wight was just getting his feet wet as The Giant.

But being huge isn't enough. You have to know how to use that size and power to put on a good match, and few people have mastered that the way Bobby Lashley has.

The All Mighty brings an extra level of legitimacy with him due to his experience in amateur wrestling and MMA, but his physique still would have been his biggest selling point back then.

In the '90s, he might have been the one slamming Yokozuna on that aircraft carrier instead of Lex Luger.

The seven people listed here all would have thrived 30 years ago, but they are not the only ones. Which stars from today do you think would have fit in during the '90s?