King Of the Ring: Who Is the Greatest WWE Superstar Of All Time?

There is no means of measuring success in wrestling and so to answer this question takes great time and consideration. Wrestling ability, mic skills, popularity, commercial potential, world titles, retirement, Wrestlemania moments, and quality of matches. There is a lot to consider. Use only one of the criteria and the results produced can become controversial.

World Titles suggests Edge is better than Shawn Michaels, John Cena is better than the Undertaker, and Randy Orton more successful than Randy Savage. Which by rough calculations suggests Ric Flair, Triple H, and Hulk Hogan are at the top of the pile.

Include other world titles and it might even point to Jerry Lawler being the King of the Squared Circle.

Popularity would surely put the likes of Steve Austin, The Rock, and Undertaker close to the summit. Technical skills would favour Bret Hart, Kurt Angle or Curt Hennig. Mic Skills again for the Rock, Austin or Shawn Michaels. The same three would dominate Commercial success whilst Wrestlemania has been dominated by only a select few in the last 26 years.

There is also a generational issue. Ask any new viewer who they think is the best and its surely going to be John Cena or Orton. Ask a viewer who has watched all his life and the names of Buddy Rodgers, Harley Race or the Fabulous Moolah might feature prominently.

It's different in wrestling. There is no legitimate means of measuring success. There is no RBI index. No link between technical skill and success. Jack Swagger could legitimately beat the entire wrestling world but he will never be the most successful.

It's arguable that the franchises of the WWE since the 1980s all have one thing in common: they were limited as actual wrestlers.

The case for Hogan is a strong one. Even those who have never watched wrestling know of him. In the 1980s and 1990s, he revolutionised the concept of wrestling as mainstream entertainment. And yet his claim will be also be undermined by drug controversies and his time in WCW and TNA.

So who is the best? Who has done the most for wrestling? Take away controversy, and add it to all the qualities expected of a wrestler and who does it leave as the No. 1?

The Candidates: Hart, Undertaker, Hogan, the Rock, and Flair.

But there are two who represents the best of the best. Two superstars who epitomise different things and yet can equally claim to be the best.

Austin helped revolutionised the world of wrestling. He almost single handily took wrestling into the stratosphere in terms of popularity. 

At Wrestlemania 13, he turned the wrestling world on its head and it has not looked back since. Simple black trunks, unmarketable to some, Austin changed wrestling like no other.

The other is Michaels. The perfect storybook career. From rocker to degenerate. Not all was perfect, but he achieved everything.

Controversy was there, but so was success. For wrestlers nowadays, the career of Michaels is one to follow. Mr Wrestlemania did it all and what compounds his claim was how he went out—with class.

Wrestling's best is a difficult one to answer. It's dependent on the criteria you use. But it certainly has a large number of worthy candidates.