20 Sweatiest Wrestlers in WWE History

WWE superstars do more in the ring besides wrestle; they sweat, many of them profusely.

Large, testosterone-ridden physiques have no option but to excrete salty fluids from the outer epidermis of the skin. This is exacerbated in cases of extraordinarily burly men, who are always in motion or being subdued by other, equally sized Spartans of the squared circle.

Evaluating the annals of professional wrestling, I have identified 20 performers who made their names in the WWF/E and WCW as the sweatiest to ever step into a ring.

Keep in mind, however, it was often difficult to differentiate between baby oil and actual sweat glands acting up. Nevertheless, scientific assessments were made using a discerning eye to ascertain between real and faux perspiration.

From the standpoint of your purely heterosexual author, let's proudly take a look at the most genuinely sweaty wrestlers in WWE history.

Randy "Macho Man" Savage

What made Randy Savage "macho" besides his savvy ring skills and guttural gift of gab, was his ability to perspire at a proficient rate.

When the "Macho Man" was in the midst of a hard-fought battle, his hair would take on a matted appearance and his shoulders would be wet with perspiration.

Few can rid themselves of the glorious memories of the late superstar standing on the top turnbuckle, raising his right index fingers to the sky and, best of all, the trickles of sweat cascading down his chest.

Sabu

The Arabian acrobat was not just "suicidal, genocidal and homicidal"; he was a combatant who, literally, triple-jump moonsaulted in his own sweat.

Quite frankly, it's a wonder how Sabu didn't slip as often as he did on the top rope, considering the copious amount of wetness that would secrete out of his pours.

ECW mats were famous for being stained with the blood and sweat of its wrestlers; however, there is one person who can take credit for much of the sweat that soaked the ring inside the damp ECW arena—Sabu.

"Ravishing" Rick Rude

Rick Rude had what many consider to be the best all-around physique in the World Wrestling Federation during the late 1980s.

Not only did Rude have arguably the best body, he had the sweat glands to accentuate his sculpted frame.

Women would ooh and ahh with great delight every time they witnessed the mustachioed muscle man gyrate his hips, as sultry droplets of sweat would cast a sheen marveled at in stadiums and arenas across the nation.

Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson

Sticking "objects up candy asses," "sticking boots to asses," and "just bringing it" take ample amounts of physical activity with the glow of sweat not being too far behind.

A notable fact about The Rock is that he doesn't allow any part of his body to discriminate when it comes to perspiring. His chiseled face, chest, abdomen, shoulders, rock-solid quadriceps, biceps and firm forearms all excrete fluids in equal amounts.

When "The Great One" delivers his patented "People's Elbow," you can see a trail of mist accompanying him before he stops to deliver a pounding to his opponent's chest.

Ricky "The Dragon" Steamboat

Ricky Steamboat is reputedly one of the greatest in-ring technicians to ever grace the wrestling scene.

His arm drags, in particular, were executed with precision, as were his karate chops, cross-body blocks and overall kinetic movement in the ring.

Being one of the hardest workers in the ring meant a deluge of bodily fluid would soon follow.

In his storied matches with Ric Flair, Steamboat would get into such a lather that sparks of sweat would fly off "The Dragon's" chest every time "The Nature Boy" chopped him into oblivion.

Randy Orton

Randy Orton is an interesting case, as his love of slathering baby oil all over himself before matches gives the impression of one who has overactive sweat glands.

Thus, it is challenging to differentiate between his actual perspiration and the kind that is squeezed out of a bottle.

Nonetheless, the naked eye cannot be lied to when it observes "The Viper" slithering around the ring.

The oil and sweat often intermix, creating a concoction that leaves a conspicuously gooey calling card behind, especially on the black mats outside the ring.

Challengers should be advised against taking the fight to Orton beyond the ring parameters lest they slip on the puddles the third-generation wrestler leaves in his wake.

Mark Henry

Throwing unsuspecting contenders into the renowned "Hall of Pain" can cause Mark Henry to break a sweat or two.

The lumbering world heavyweight champion doesn't enjoy being agitated or awakened from his slumber, but when he is there is no limit to how far Henry will push himself in order to shove his enemies out of the picture.

The only consequence for the former "Sexual Chocolate" is a drenched singlet at the end of his bouts that must be hand-washed immediately; otherwise, the leaky tights will act as a chocolaty aphrodisiac, seducing WWE divas to the "World's Strongest Man's" lockerroom.

"The Total Package" Lex Luger

Part of being "The Total Package" is the ability to perspire at a moment's notice. Lex Luger, particularly during his NWA/WCW tenure, would be fueled by raging hormones, which were productive as a means to decimate contenders or endure marathon contests with Ric Flair, for instance.

Powerslams, clotheslines and the ominous steel-plated forearms of doom would be underscored by a glaze of glistening sweat that blinded even the nose-bleeders.

His pectoral region, too, would bear the brunt of the sweat, especially when he made them "dance" (way before Chris Masters did).

What most don't realize, though, is how taxing it is for the chest muscles, as evidenced by the buckets of sweat that seemingly squirt out of the nipples.

Triple H

"The Game" Triple H is the epitome of masculinity. He is a callback to the days of yore, when cavemen swung their trusty bats—or sledgehammers—at adversaries.

He crinkles his brow without a second thought, growls at his victims and spits a mouthful of water at the front row—night in and night out.

Roaming around the ring like he has been over the years has its effects, however. Besides two torn quadriceps, Triple H has the distinction of secreting more sweat, as measured in gallons, than any other WWE wrestler in the last decade.

John "Earthquake" Tenta

As affable as he was behind the scenes, the late Earthquake was not in the best shape during his wrestling tenure.

That being said, John Tenta got relatively far during his initial WWF run thanks in large part to Jimmy Hart egging him on from ringside via his "megaphone."

Only mere minutes into his matches, though, Tenta's hair and beard would be engulfed in a sea of sweat. When opponents were about to become recipients of his finishing move, the "Squash," they would experience a tsunami as much as an earthquake.

Rob Van Dam

Rob Van Dam is one of the most unique performers in wrestling history. His lithe body, despite his well-developed frame, allows for matches that can only be described as "hardcore finesse."

As idiosyncratic as he has been inside the squared circle, his sweat patterns indicate a similar quirkiness.

Van Dam has not been known to sweat too much except in one area where all his perspiration seems to percolate.

Without getting too graphic, "Mr. Monday Night" tends to excrete most of his bodily fluids around his nether and butt regions.

As hard as the eyes try to avert it, they cannot help but be drawn to large stains on the caboose of the pony-tailed prince of hardcore, if only for a millisecond.

Yokozuna

The late Yokozuna ballooned to as much as 700 pounds before passing away in October 2000. While in the prime of his career, he drifted between 570 and 650 pounds.

As one can imagine, a man of his size had to physically exert himself to the very edge of his boundaries.

It was no surprise to anyone who watched him wrestle that he would be dripping with sweat before the bell even rang.

Nonetheless, instead of being what many would categorize as a "boring" wrestler, Yokozuna had an uncanny way of being fluid and agile in the ring in spite of his physical limitations.

At the end of his bouts, it was expected to see the former WWF champion as a sweltering mess.

The Ultimate Warrior

The tassel-wearing, face-painted transcendental being would be in a lather while making his way to the ring.

He didn't just amble or mosey on down; he would run at a blistering pace to and around the ring before maniacally shaking the ropes in conjunction with his synchronized headbanging.

Just as he would ready himself for the next contender by placating the "Gods," buckets of sweat would excrete out of his facial pores, erasing half of his warpaint.

Ten minutes into a struggle, all that would be left would be colored remnants hanging off his eyelids. Fifteen minutes later, the man behind the paint would be revealed in all his glory.

And we have the miracle of sweat to thank for it.

Vader

As intimidating as he was in the ring to his hapless rivals, the sweat-stained stench that would infiltrate the ring area would be even more difficult to deal with.

For years, the consensus among wrestlers in the then-WWF was that Vader reeked of a fetid odor, which only added insult to the injuries that his swinging, clubbing blows caused.

To make matters worse, a rumor making the rounds 13-14 years ago was that "The Mastodon" didn't bother to wash his ring gear, only adding to the cornucopia of horror his peers would have to inhale.

"The Nature Boy" Ric Flair

For over four decades, "The Nature Boy" Ric Flair has prided himself on being the "limousine riding, jet flying, wheeling-dealing, kiss-stealing son of a gun."

What most aren't aware of, though, is how Flair got his nickname "Slick Ric."

Like his famous contemporary Ricky Steamboat, Flair was a fiend when it came to cardiovascular exercise, able to wrestle frenetically for 45-60 minutes not only once, but sometimes twice a day.

With every knife-hand chop, "Woooooo," strut and turnbuckle flip, Flair would get slicker and slicker as an outpouring of bodily fluids spontaneously flowed like champagne on his 6-foot figure, drastically disheveling his bleached-blond mane.

Scott "Razor Ramon" Hall

"The Bad Guy" Razor Ramon often made quick work of his opponents after launching a tooth pick right between their eyes.

He was the apple of every female fan's eye with his unmistakable chest hair and fashionably greasy hair.

Putting the icing on the cake for his groupies was his razor-sharp stubble that had the added benefit of serving as a defense mechanism against other wrestlers wanting to put him in a headlock.

What made Hall more than just a Tony Montana copycat, though, was his "oozing machismo." With every discus punch, clothesline and "Razor's Edge," Ramon would ooze a steamy haze of dewdrops from every surface of his 6' 7" stature.

Ahmed Johnson

Ahmed Johnson is mostly forgotten today, but he was a fierce competitor in the mid-1990's WWF.

He had a no-nonsense attitude about roughing up his opponents, especially ones that questioned his manhood (i.e., Goldust) en route to becoming the Intercontinental champion.

Johnson was such a frenzied character in the ring he would sweat up a storm while waylaying foes who got in his way.

By the time it was ready to apply the "Pearl-River Plunge," the name became unfortunately apropos for opposing wrestlers, who not only endured the modified powerbomb, but a river of perspiration to go along with it.

"The American Dream" Dusty Rhodes

Rhodes will go down as one of the most charismatic performers to ever entertain inside a wrestling ring. His way of communicating, lovable lisp and blue-collared point of view endeared him to fans in the South, North and across the globe.

He didn't worry about getting dirty or secreting several ounces of sweat per match. With every jiggle of his thighs, winding elbow and hip-swirling elbow drop, unwanted fluids dripped away and pounds were shed.

He was the quintessential "American Dream," eating what he wanted while making a living as an adored athlete to millions.

The sweat of Rhodes represented the hard labor of every working man and woman.

Booker T

Booker T grew up in the scorching city of Houston before becoming one-half of Harlem Heat, an equally-sizzling tag team.

Suffice to say, the master of the "Spinaroonie" has been born and bred in baking environments, more or less defined by the oppressive hot lights that have shined upon him since day one of his wrestling career.

Consequently, when Booker T is performing an ax kick, leg lariat or even commentating from the announcing booth, his forehead starts to leak and his cheeks begin to glow with the all-knowing confidence that is necessary to overcome trials and tribulations.

Hulk Hogan

By pundits and fans alike, Hulk Hogan is regarded as the greatest superstar in WWE history. The immortal, perpetual power of "Hulkamania" has wowed and inspired fans of yesteryear in addition to the followers of today.

The red and yellow will never be denied because it was, in large part, represented by a man who had the hulking testosterone and presence to make it work.

He will always will be the "Real American," who maintained his virility despite his male-patterned baldness.

Not to mention, his hormones continue to run wild, driving him to continually perform in the ring notwithstanding his multitude of back and knee injuries.

That's the power of "Hulkamania," as measured by not only the vitality coursing through Hogan's veins, but the overflowing, immeasurable doses of perspiration emanating from his 24-inch pythons.

Is there a positive correlation between the frequency of sweat and greatness?

If you're Hulk Hogan, there is.