Wrestling's 50 Biggest Cult Heroes of All Time

We follow wrestlers for different reasons. A look, a catchphrase and slogan. And today in this generation, we follow people for their Twitter accounts.

I guess everything is an open book when it comes to public appeal.

Wrestling is no different. We follow our heroes and villains like they are gods, and we worship the ground—or mat, for that matter—that they walk on.

Wrestlers in many ways are cult heroes. They are new and exciting, and for the most part, trend setters. We buy their merchandise and we listen to their words like they were Rock Gods or leaders of a new and perfect world.

The WWF did a good job of creating larger-than-life characters for us to follow and when the dynamics changed with WWE, it still followed the rule of making these "characters" real and therefore, the cult worship continues.

Here are 50 of the greatest cult heroes the WWE has ever seen.

The Undertaker

The bad man with the greatest gimmick ever, lives in the underworld and has many followers.

His shtick of rolling his eyes and sticking his tongue out never gets old.

While the body may be failing him, his loyal fans still love the creation he has developed.

Diamond Dallas Page

Talk about a guy who has done more with less.

He still has a great fan base.

DDP was older when he got into the business and used his connections to make a fast move to the front of the line.

He was an announcer, then a manager and then a wrestler.

And then, a world champion.

He appeals to the masses and had a hot wife, but I don't see what is so great about him. Still, you cannot deny his character.

The Road Warriors

Hawk and Animal may have set the tone for other wrestlers to follow them as cult heroes.

They were different from anything we had seen in wrestling. Colorful paint, big muscles and outfits that could hurt you.

They were one of a kind and the music said it all. Fans and wrestlers could not wait to see what they would do.

The Godfather

While his gimmick took heat for treating women with disrespect, no one could argue The Godfather had it going on.

Remember, pimping ain't easy and everyone should ride the Ho Train.

Words to live by.

Goldberg

Bill Goldberg was able to squeeze 25 minutes out of 15 minutes of fame in wrestling. A true cult icon who raised the bar for big bad ass wrestlers.

He ran through his opponents but grew tired of the business and became an ass to work with.

He left in a flash, a lot less dramatic as he came into the business.

The Dudleys

If they were still together, they would still be one of the best around.

If there was ever a pair of guys ready for hardcore wrestling, these two were it.

Big, strong, cartoon-like. Kids and adults loved them.

The Ultimate Warrior

He was colorful, ran to the ring and shook the ropes.

He held the WWF Title and feuded with the likes of the Macho Man and Hulk Hogan.

He was a fad in the truest sense of the word.

The Four Horsemen

Four guys from four different backgrounds who came together to form one bad clique.

They all held titles and may have been the first stable of wrestlers who were cheered as heels.

What a concept!

Truly a standard was set when these guys were joined together.

CM Punk

He is the anti-hero of today and now a very popular wrestler.

He creates conflict and then thrives on it.

Kind of like the bully you don't want to listen to in the school yard, but you do because you are curious what he has to say.

Terry Funk

No wrestler in history got more mileage out of his character than Terry Funk.

A heel NWA wrestler who turned to Hardcore wrestling to win over millions of fans in his older age.

Pure genius.

Mick Foley

Mick Foley is a close second to Terry Funk.

He was hardcore before hardcore.

A cartoon character in a human body who put that body on the line every night and did damage to himself while entertaining the masses.

Degeneration X

The Four Horsemen with more attitude.

Steve Austin started the Attitude Era. This group of five continued to kick its door in.

And whatever they said, we followed and listened and loved.

Edge and Christian

From the time they first set foot in the WWF, these two were destined for stardom.

As members of the Brood, to tag team champions, to singles world champions, both Edge and Christian are as much a part of the Attitude Era and PG Era as any two in the business.

Hollywood Hulk Hogan

I know it sounds weird, but I think he was cooler when he was a heel.

I was not a WWF fan to appreciate the Red and Yellow. But Hogan transcends a generation and links the present to the past.

We bought all his merchandise and bought into his "saying your prayers and taking your vitamins" routine.

Then we loved it when he turned his back on it all.

The New Age Outlaws

I don't know if they could have stood on their own without DX, but they made a name for themselves and had a pretty good following.

Jesse James was pretty good on the mic. Billy Gunn was decent as an in ring performer.

They looked the part, acted the part and had a huge fan base.

The NWO

It was a brand, a look and a style.

And what Kevin Nash and Scott Hall did for wrestling is change it for the better.

Never before had we seen such antics and drama.

And everyone agreed it was hip to be bad.

Raven

Maybe the oddest wrestler to ever compete.

He was skilled, psychotic and full of drama and we followed him like any television reality show.

And he could weave a pretty good story.

Ric Flair

Wooooo!

The greatest heel ever was loved for being just that.

His style.

His mic skills.

And he could wrestle anyone and did just that.

The greatest of all time.

Sable

We followed her around like a lost puppy and listened to her every word and hoped upon hope that she would pay us some attention.

Brock Lesnar is a very lucky man.

Sabu

He helped to define Extreme wrestling and the ECW.

Sabu is a former world champion and high risk taker for the company.

He is related to the original Sheik (Ed Farhat) and has the battle scars of a man who has been in many wars.

And we loved him for putting his body out there every night.

Sandman

Take a guy who smashes beer cans on his head, walks around the arena and in the ring with a kendo stick and feuds with Raven and does unthinkable things in the ring.

An instant cult hero.

Shawn Michaels

He was popular as a member of the Midnight Rockers, then he transcended the sport on his own.

A real showstopper if there ever was one.

A one-in-a-million talent.

We followed him everywhere.

Sting

He is one of a handful of wrestlers who could drum up as much support as a face and heel.

Sting is better off as a face. Through his many facial changes, we still love him and the personas he has played over the years.

The Hardy Boys and Lita

They came to the WWE in a flash and caused a stir that we loved.

They added the lovely Lita to their team and they had instant success.

The hardys were risk takers and high flyers and it could be said others of today follow their lead to generate excitement.

Tommy Dreamer

Another ECW original who has a great fan base.

He could do no wrong and fought the good fight and had many ring wars.

He put his body out there every night as well.

Rob Van Dam

RVD is one of those guys you want to be your best friend.

He is an acrobat in the ring and mystifies you with his aerial assault then he wows you with his ground game.

A cult classic.

Dusty Rhodes

We all followed him. A working man's son who identified with everything that was right and wrong in America.

And he looked the part of the every-man.

Overweight and out of shape.

He was one of us.

Eddie Guerrero

He not only was a cult hero of the Latino community, he was a cult hero of the entire wrestling universe.

He would lie, cheat and steal his way to any win.

And we loved him for that.

Shane McMahon

We wasn't a wrestler, but did pretty well in the ring.

He is the silver-spooned son of Vince McMahon and when it came to time defend the family honor or fight with dear old dad, Shane was up to the challenge.

Roddy Piper

No one of his generation (except Savage) had the charisma that Piper did.

You heard the bagpipes and you knew he was coming to the ring.

He was great on the mic and he is still a great personality that we follow.

Randy Savage

I think he is more iconic than Hulk Hogan.

He is loved moreso and he was a better in ring performer.

And when it got right down to it, we may have cared more about what he had to say than any wrestler in the 80s not named Flair.

Rey Mysterio

He is loved fro what he and what he is not more than any wrestler today.

His size and speed make him a thrill to watch. What he stands for and how young fans adore him make him that much more special.

A classic Luchador honoring the past to make himself better in the present.

Bruiser Brody

He had an international appeal. He just loved to beat people up to the delight of the crowds.

He could be a face or heel and it would not matter. He was that popular.

Bruno Sammartino

He held the WWF Title for eight years. In an age where the McMahons were trying to capitalize on regional success, Sammartino was an Italian icon who appealed to the masses.

The Rock

While Steve Austin became the Anti-Hero, The Rock became the Action Hero.

He is the one man who transformed a wrestling business by way of mouth and action.

Big, strong, good looking and never at a loss for words. The Rock is the best in wrestling at creating drama with his mouth.

Stone Cold Steve Austin

He made himself into the anti-hero and the leader of the Attitude Era.

All it took was one catch phrase and one "stunner" to his boss and he was an instant hit.

Austin is what every wrestling fan wants to be and what every wrestling fan wishes it could be.

John Cena

Whether is decides to turn heel or remains the "vanilla" hero that he is, John Cena is right for this culture and generation.

A star on film and on television, Cena is the "Hogan" of this generation.

He is skills, has great presence and sounds good on the mic. And when he talks, everyone listens.