The Rock and 50 Other Wrestlers Who Changed the Sport

The sport of professional wrestling has gone through many changes in its long, storied history.  From the days of local territories to the attitude era and beyond, countless wrestlers have changed the landscape through their performances and personal innovations.

The Rock is arguably the most influential superstar in WWE history.  From his amazing promos to some of the most memorable matches in history, The Rock was a staple in WWE history from the Attitude Era to the present day.

Though The Rock isn't the only one.  Whether it was aiding the the creation of a new move, match type, promotion or influencing others to follow in their footsteps, wrestlers throughout history have left their mark in many ways.

This list acknowledges 50 other wrestlers, past and present, who have changed the sport in one way or another.  The wrestlers appear in this slideshow in no particular order, as each have brought something different to the sport.  So someone who appears earlier in the list is not necessarily more or less influential than someone near the end.

Take a look and enjoy, and please let me know what you think in the comments.

Hulk Hogan

Hulkamaina has been running wild for nearly 30 years.

Arguably the biggest name in professional wrestling history, Hulk Hogan helped put wrestling on the map with his colorful personality and memorable matches featuring opponents such as Andre The Giant, The Rock, Roddy Piper, Randy Savage, Ultimate Warrior and many others.

Whenever professional wrestling is mentioned, you can't help but think of The Hulkster.

Andre The Giant

Without Andre The Giant as one of WWE's biggest heels, Hulk Hogan may not have risen to such heights as a popular superstar.  Their match at WrestleMania III is one of the most memorable matches in WWE history.

He will forever be remembered as one of the largest athletes to ever grace the ring.  His overwhelming size and strength created one of the most menacing superstars of all time.

Though he is remembered as one of the most feared villains in WWE history, Andre left professional wrestling as a fan favorite.  He passed away in Paris from congestive heart failure in 1993.

"Nature Boy" Buddy Rogers

While he is not necessarily a well known wrestler among current fans, without Buddy Rogers, we would have never have seen superstars like Ric Flair.

Ric Flair took Rogers' nickname, look, attitude and finisher and used them to create a more modernized version of the Nature Boy.  As innovative as Flair may have seemed, most of his inspiration came from Rogers.

Rogers was the first man to hold WWWF Championship and the NWA World Heavyweight Championship.

Lou Thesz

Lou Thesz is widely considered to be one of the greatest wrestlers of all time.

Thesz was a three-time NWA World Heavyweight Champion and held the title for a combined total of 3,749 days, longer than anyone in history.

Along with being a World Champion, Thesz invented many wrestling moves that are still used today including the belly-to-back suplex, the STF and the powerbomb.  Thesz also has a move named after him entitled the Thesz press.

The Undertaker

The Undertaker has been a staple of WWE programing for over 20 years.

He is one of the first wrestlers to take on a supernatural gimmick and be able to sustain popularity throughout his career.  He has also been the inspiration for matches such as the Casket match, Burried Alive match, Hell in a Cell and the Last Ride match.

Undertaker also holds a 19-0 record at WrestleMania, a streak that will likey grow and never be broken.

Shawn Michaels

Shawn Michaels has been influential in WWE since 1988.

He was a successful tag-team wrestler with his partner Marty Jannetty.  Upon becoming a singles competitor, "The Heartbreak Kid" took off and never looked back.

Michaels can be credited with popularizing the super kick, helping to put the Ladder match on the map during his feud with Razor Ramon, helping create D-Generation X and the infamous Montreal Screwjob.

Micheals' will always be remembered in WWE history and has engaged in numerous memorable WrestleMania matches including two with The Undertaker in 2009 and 2010, Bret Hart at WrestleMania XII and Razor Ramon at WrestleMania X.  These matches have earned him the nickname "Mr. WrestleMania."

Dynamite Kid

The Dynamite Kid's high flying style influenced a generation of current wrestling stars including Chris Benoit and Jay Lethal.

As one half of the British Bulldogs, with partner Davey Boy Smith, he became on half of the World Wrestling Federation Tag Team Champions.

His moves such as the diving headbut, superplex and snap suplex are still used today.   The Diving headbut is frequently called the "Diving Dynamite Headbutt" by TNA anouncer Mike Tenay, in tribute to him.

The Great Muta

The Great Muta is widely regarded as one of the greatest wreslters of all time, both in Japan and America.

Muta can be credited with the inovation of the Muta Lock, the Shining Wizard and the use of Green Mist.  The Green Mist has been adopted by former WWE superstar Tajiri and was recently used by Rey Mysterio against Cody Rhodes at the Extreme Rules PPV. 

Muta is a four-time IWGP Heavyweight Champion and a six-time IWGP Tag Team Champion.  He also held the WCW Tag Team Championship with Vampiro on one occasion.

John Cena

John Cena is undoubtedly the biggest star of the current era of WWE.  He has been a fan favorite since late 2003 and has become a hero to a new younger generation of professional wrestling fans.

Cena is a 10-time World Champion, a four-time Tag Team Champion and a three-time United States Champion.  He has feuded with superstars from around the WWE universe including The Rock, Big Show, Randy Orton, CM Punk and JBL.

We have yet to see everything from John Cena.  With many years left in him, Cena will likely continue to grow as one of the biggest names in pro wrestling history and will continue to evolve with WWE, turning into an even bigger global brand.

Gorgeous George

Gorgeous George received mainstream popularity and became one of the biggest names of his generation due ot his outrageous and flamboyant personality.  He has become the inspiration for countless other prefesional wrestlers.

Along with other professional wrestlers, both Muhammed Ali and James Brown have said that their own approach to flamboyant self promotion was based on Gorgeous George's character. 

Ali noted that after meeting George on one occasion he received the advice that, "A lot of people will pay to see someone shut your mouth. So keep on bragging, keep on sassing and always be outrageous."

"Superstar" Billy Graham

"Superstar" Billy Graham's popularity grew because of his personality and physique, rather than his wrestling ability.  Graham looked like a bodybuilder and frequently called his 22-inch arms, "pythons."  Sound like someone else?

Without "Superstar" Billy Graham, we would not have witnessed the characters of Triple H, Jesse "The Body" Ventura, Scott Steiner or even Hulk Hogan.

Bruno Sammartino

Bruno Sammartino holds the record for the longest WWE Championship reign in history.  Sammartino held the title for over 11 years, a record that will never be broken.

The Italian born wrestler's power, style and charisma helped him become one of the biggest superstars of his generation.  He helped the success of professional wrestling by headlining 211 Madison Square Garden cards, resulting in 187 sellouts.

Killer Kowalski

Kowalski was known for his stints in NWA and the World Wrestling Federation, however, it is what he did after his retirement from the ring that will solidify his place in professional wrestling history.

After his retirement in 1977, Kowalski started a professional wrestling school in Malden, Mass.  This school was the starting point for future superstars including Triple H, Chyna and Perry Saturn.  Kowalksi also trained superstars A-Train, Frankie Kazarian, Kenny Dykstra and Big John Studd.

Chyna

Chyna was the most dominant woman to ever step into a professional wrestling ring.

She was a prominent member of D-Generation X, working as the bodyguard/enforcer for Triple H.  She frequently helped Triple H win his matched by delivering low blows to his opponents.

Chyna is also the only woman to ever hold the Intercontinental Championship, which she held three times.  She is also a former Women's Champion.

Triple H

Triple H is one of the most dominant men to ever step into a WWE ring. 

He has held 23 championships including 13 World Championships in the WWE.  He has also won both the King of the Ring tournament and the Royal Rumble.

Triple H was the face of both D-Generation X and Evolution, two of WWE's most dominat stables.  He is also married to Stephanie McMahon and is a Senior Advisor to WWE Chairman, Vince McMahon.

"Rowdy" Roddy Piper

"Rowdy" Roddy Piper is known for his brash personality and quick wits.  He was one of the best mic workers in WWE history.

Piper gave us Piper's Pit, a personal interview area where Piper would conduct interviews with various wrestling personalities.  Without Piper's Pit, WWE would never have made other personalized interview segments, such as Edge's Cutting Edge, Christian's Peep Show, Carlito's Cabana or MVP's V.I.P. Lounge.

Though Piper has come to an end in his WWE career, his legacy will live on through the segments of other superstars.

Stone Cold Steve Austin

Stone Cold has been called the most popular superstar in WWE history.

His portrayal of a beer-dinking, cursing, disrespectful superstar led to him becoming the antihero of the professional wrestling world.  His finisher, the Stone Cold Stunner is probably the most famous finisher in professional wrestling history.

His tenure in WWE helped them achieve their highest popularity ever and he was directly responsible for a large ammount of WWE's sucess in the Attitude Era.

Stone Cold has continued to prove that he is still a popular draw when he appears at WWE shows as a special guest referee or on WWE's new reality show, Tough Enough.

Johnny Ace

You're probably thinking, who?

Johnny Ace, real-life brother of Road Warrior Animal, is credited as the inventor of the Ace Crusher manuever.  You probably know it better as the Cutter.

Yes, before the RKO, before the Twist of Fate, even before Diamond Dallas Page's Diamond Cutter, Johnny Ace invented the Ace Crusher.  Since then, many superstars have adapted the Ace Crusher and tweaked it to fit their own personality.  Even Steve Austin's finisher, the Stone Cold Stunner, is derrived from the Ace Crusher.

Thank you Johnny Ace.

Kurt Angle

Kurt Angle is professional wrestling's only Olympic gold medalist.

After winning the 1996 Olympic gold medal in heavyweight freestyle wrestling, Angle joined WWE in 1998 and was quickly seen as one of the best pure wrestlers in the business.

Kurt brought credibilty to WWE and pro wrestling in general with his prior wrestling background.  Having a "real" wrestler in the pro wrestling business boosted WWE's position in the media as a legitimate sport.

Angle is a five-time WWE World Champion and a four-time TNA World Champions.  He has also held every other belt in both promotions at least once.

Chris Jericho

Chris Jericho was WWE's first ever Undisputed Champion and is the record holder for most Intercontinental Championship reigns with nine.

Jericho is thought to have been the brains behind the Money in the Bank Ladder match.  After pitching the idea to WWE executives, Jericho also pitched the idea to then Raw General Manager, Eric Bischoff, who accepted the match and set it up for WrestleMania 21.

Jushin "Thunder" Liger

Jushin "Thunder" Liger has wrestled primarily in Japan but also in America in WCW, ROH and TNA.  He is an 11-time IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion and was also a former WCW Light Heavyweight Champion.

Liger is the wrestler who innovated the Shooting Star Press.  The move is now used by many high-flying wrestlers around the globe.

Ron Simmons

Ron Simmons, who was also known as Faarooq in WWE, is the first ever African-American wrestler to be crowned World Champion.

Simmons was also a member of two prominent tag teams/stables during his tenure with WWE.  He was the leader of the Nation of Domination and a member of the Acolytes (eventually the A.P.A) with Bradshaw.

Jeff Jarrett

Jeff Jarrett has held 70 championships throughout his long career.  He is a six-time NWA World Champion and a four-time WCW World Heavyweight Champion.  However, it is not his championships that makes Jeff Jarrett stand out in the world of professional wrestling.

Jeff Jarrett is the co-founder of TNA Wrestling, the second largest wrestling promotion in the world.  Without his creation, many of us may have never discovered AJ Styles, Samoa Joe, Amazing Red and the countless other wrestlers who have appeared for TNA.

Wild Samoans

The Wild Samoans, Afa and Sika, put tag-team wrestling on the map.

They were one of the first tag teams to be joined by a common gimmick as opposed to being two separate wrestlers paired together.  They paved the way for other tag teams such as the Leigon of Doom and the Dudley Boyz.

During the '70s, Afa opened a training school who graduated WWE superstars including Bam Bam Bigelow, Yokozuna, Sheri Martel and Batista.

Scott Hall

Though he has since fallen from his high status as one of the greatest Intercontinental Champions of all time, Scott hall was an innovator throughout his professional wrestling career.

Hall helped make the Ladder match famous in his match with Shawn Michaels at WreslteMania X.  The match is still regarded as one of the best matches in prefessional wrestling history.

Hall was also one of the founders of the nWo, one of the most dominant stables of all time and a group that helped WCW rule the ratings war with WWE.

Kevin Nash

Kevin Nash is another founder of the nWo, the group that created the professional wrestling boom in the '90s and turned professional wrestling into a more mature program.

Nash had also been known for writing terrible angles for WCW, including the "Fingerpoke of Doom" that occured in 1999.

Nash is also a six-time World Champion and a 12-time Tag Team Champion.

Sunny

What do Layla, Kelly Kelly, Eve and all of the rest of the WWE Divas have in common?  They might not have become WWE Divas if it wasn't for Sunny.

Considered one of the first Divas, Sunny managed a variety of teams, including the Boddydonnas, the Smoking Guns, and the Leigon of Doom to Tag Team Championships.

Sunny was also inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2011.

Christopher Nowinski

Chris Nowinski was a WWE wrestler from 2002 to 2003.  His only in-ring accomplishment is a two-time WWE Hardcore Champion, which made him the youngest Hardcore Champion in WWE history.

Nowinski suffered a concussion in 2003 and after a year of post-concussion symptoms, he decided to officially retire.  Because of this, Nowinski has become an authority on concussions, speaking at schools and events.  He has appeared on 60 Minutes, CNN and ESPN to talk about concussions.

WWE's strict policy regarding shots to the head is no doubt derrived, at least in part, to Nowinski and his injuries.

William Regal

William Regal worked his way from the carnival wrestling circuit in England to being a top superstar in WWE where he has won the King of the Ring Tournament as well as 13 championships.

Regal has left his bigest mark on Pro Wrestling by training many young and successful future superstars, including CM Punk, Brian Kendrick, Samoa Joe, Daniel Bryan and Chris Hero.

Edge

Edge is an 11-time champion, having won the WWE Championship four times and the World Heavyweight Championship seven times, which is a WWE record.  Before his success as a singles wrestler, Edge was an innovator in the tag team division.

Edge, with his partner Christian, helped create some of the biggest Ladder and Tables, Ladders and Chairs matches in WWE history.

Once Edge became a singles star, he continued to participate in TLC matches, including those against John Cena and The Undertaker.

Trish Stratus

Trish Stratus is the epitome of women's wrestling in the modern era.

Trish helped turn the Divas from eye candy managers and valets into actual wrestlers.  She won the WWE Women's Championship seven times and the WWE Hardcore Championship once.

"Macho Man" Randy Savage

Randy Savage has been called the greatest Intercontinental Champion of all time.

Though he only held the Intercontinental Championship once, WWE credited him for bringing a higher level of credibility to the title through his amazing matches.

He was also instantly recognizable by his raspy voice and crazy ring attire.  This style was later adopted by Jay Lethal in TNA.

CM Punk

WWE's straight edge superstar.

Punk is a three-time World Heavyweight Champion and the only superstar to win two Money in the Bank Ladder matches in a row.

CM Punk has paved the way for independant wrestlers to make it to WWE.  Once a huge name in Ring of Honor, Punk has moved from indy fan favorite to one of the biggest names in WWE.  Since coming to WWE, several other indy wrestlers have tried to make the transition, including Daniel Bryan, Kaval and Tyler Black.

Terry Funk

Terry Funk is the original hardcore legend.

He has been wrestling for six decades, one of the longest careers in proffesional wrestling history.  Throughout his historic career, he has captured the NWA World Heavyweight Championship once and the ECW World Heavyweight Championship twice.  He was also inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2009.

Terry Funk adopted a hardcore style of wrestling when he joined ECW in 1994.  He helped turn ECW from Eastern Championship Wrestling to Extreme Championship Wrestling.  This paved the way for other extreme and hardcore wrestlers such as Mick Foley.

Eddie Guerrero

Eddie Guerrero is one of, if not the most well known and respeced latino wrestler in American history.

His gimmick of a crafty heel who would do anything to win his matches was used throughout his career, leading to his popular catch phrase, "I Lie, I Cheat, I Steal!"

Guerrero was also one of the most talented wrestlers in history.  However, his problems with substance abuse led to his premature death at the age of 38.  Partially due ot this, WWE has created a more in-depth wellness policy and will pay for any member of their roster, current or past, to get the help they need.

Arn Anderson/Tully Blanchard/Ole Anderson/Ric Flair

The Four Horsemen were the original professional wrestling stable.

The team of Ole Anderson, Arn Anderson, Tully Blanchard and Ric Flair with manager James J. Dillon feuded with superstars such as Dusty Rhodes, The Rock 'n' Roll Express and The Road Warriors.  They frequently held most of the NWA titles and constantly bragged about their success.

Without the Four Horsemen, we would have never seen stables like Evolution, D-Generation X or the nWo.  Some of the best stories and stables would not have been possible without the influence of the Four Horsemen.

Dean Malenko

Dean Malenko is widely considered to be one of the most technically gifted wrestlers in history.  His talents in the ring earned him the nickname, "The Man of 1,000 Holds."

He is a four-time Cruiserwieght Champion, a two-time Light-Heavyweight Champion, a one-time WCW United States Champion, a two-time ECW Television Champion and a three-time Tag Team Champion.

His smaller size but outstanding ability brought credibility and excitement to the cruiserweight and light-heavyweight divisions.  He proved that you don't have to be a large wrestler to be recognized as one of the best in the world.

Mike Quackenbush

Many of you might not know this name, but Quack, as he is generally called, is one of the most influential wrestlers in the independant circuit.

The former NWA World Junior Heavyweight Champion is the founder of The Wrestle Factory, a training school located in Philladephia, Penn.  In 2002, the same year he opened The Wrestle Factory, Quackenbush opened the Chikara promotion and has been the face of the company since day one.

Chikara has a current and former roster of superstars including Collin Delany, Alex Shelly, Chris Sabin, Colt Cabana, Chris Hero, Claudio Castignoli, The 1-2-3 Kid and CM Punk.

Chikara shows are some of the most intimate and technical performances you can witness in professional wrestling, and it is all thanks to Mike Quackenbush.

Christopher Daniels

Though he is a common name in TNA, Christopher Daniels has made a bigger impact on another wrestling promotion.

Alongside Bryan Danielson and Low Ki, Daniels is considered one of the founding fathers of TNA.  He is also known as the King of the Indies having performed for nearly every major independant promotion in America.

Yokozuna

Yokozuna was one of the heaviest wrestlers in history, possibly weighing upwards of 750 pounds at his heaviest.

Though he was portrayed as a Japanese sumo wrestler, he was actually of Samoan origin, making him the first Samoan to win the WWE Championship.

Yokozuna led the way for other large athletes and proved that size matters.

Bobby "The Brain" Hennan

The only man on the list who never set foot in the ring to compete.

Bobby "The Brain" Heenan was one of the biggest heels in professional wrestling history, and it was all based on his ability to work the mic.

If it were not for Heenan, we would never have had play-by-play or color comentators or who insert themselves into the storylines.  Think of a WWE where Michael Cole just called the matches and nothing more.  Wait, maybe we shouldn't thank Bobby Heenan

Road Warriors

The Road Warrior dominated the tag-team divisions, wherever they went. 

They held a total of 18 tag-team championships throughout various promotions.  They also popularized the use of face paint and innovated the tandem tag-team finisher known as the Doomsday Device.

Other tag teams have followed in the Road Warriors' footsteps by using outrageous costumes and creating tag-team finishers.

The Fabolous Moolah

The Fabulous Moolah is the original Women's Wrestling Champion.

She is recognized as the first ever WWE Women's Champion and also holds the record for the longest title reign of any professional athlete in any sport.

She also won her last WWE Women's title at the age of 76 and competed in a match at the age of 80 making her the oldest to do both.

She was a pioneer and someone who every woman wrestler looks up to

Bret Hart

The best there is, the best there was and the best there ever will be!

Bret Hart has held a total of 32 championships throughout his career, including at least one title in every decade since the 1970s.  He is also the only two-time winner of the King of the Ring Tournament.  He has inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2006.

Bret Hart has been an inspiration to young wrestlers for years and will continue to be an inspiration for future generations.

Chris Benoit

Not all who have changed the look of wrestling have done it in positive ways.

After the double murder suicide of his family, Chris Benoit became the target of much controversy.  Drug abuse and concussions are the two most likely causes of Benoit's mental problems.  Though nothing has been confirmed, WWE has taken a much harder look and has enforced much stricter policies on both.

Sting

Sting is the most popular wrestler to never set foot in a WWE ring.

He has held 24 championships throughout his career including 14 world championships.  During his time in WCW, he was dubbed the "franchise" of the company.

Sting wrestled with WCW from the begining to the end, wrestling in the very first and very last main event of Monday Nitro.  Without his help, WCW may not have grown to the heights that it did.

Jerry "The King" Lawler

Jerry "The Kng" Lawler is one of the most decorated wrestlers in history.

Lawler has held 164 championships thoughout his career, yet he has never won a WWE championship since being hired with the company.

Lawler helped bring media attention to professional wrestling with his feud with comedian Andy Kaufman.  Kaufman, who claimed in his skits to be the Intergender Heavyweight Champion, fought Lawler on one occasion and even slapped him on Late Night with David Letterman. 

The feud was even originally thought to be a real life problem between the two.

Lex Luger

Lex Luger is a two-time WCW World Heavyweight Champion and a record tying five-time United States Champion.

Luger was the first member of the World Wrestling Federation to "jump ship" to WCW.  Eight days after appearing at SummerSlam, Luger showed up on the first edition of Monday Nitro.

Luger paved the way for other superstars to "jump ship" including Scott Hall, Kevin Nash and Bret Hart.

Jake "The Snake" Roberts

Jake "The Snake" Roberts got his nickname from frequently bringing live snakes to the ring, including his boa constrictor, Damien, and his cobra, Lucifer.

Though he was a unique character with a dark charisma and mysterious personality, he never won a title in WWE. Roberts did however invent one of the greatest moves in professional wrestling history, the DDT. 

Used as his finisher throughout his career, the DDT is now a staple move in just about every professional wrestler's arsenal.

Vince McMahon

Nobody has changed the sport of professional wrestling more than Vincent Kennedy McMahon.

He first got into the wrestling business as an announcer for his father's World Wide Wrestling Federation.  He then worked his way up, proving that he could one day take over the businsess.  In 1982, he took over for his ailing father and never looked back.

Vince changed the way professional wrestling was run, turning it from a localized, territory system to a global market.  WWE started out in the northeast and has grown to reach the entire globe.

From the wrestling boom in the '80s to the Attitude Era of the '90s to the PG era of today and beyond, you can not discredit Vince McMahon's contributions to the world of professional wrestling.

Countless Others

There are countless people who have changed the sport of professional wrestling, so I am sure that I have missed a few.

Who did I miss?  What do you think?

Feel free to sound off in the comments and let me know who would have made your list.