Last Updated on March 30, 2024 by Avik Das
The United States of America is the land of opportunities and is known to be a flag bearer of professional wrestling. Well, it is unclear where pro-wrestling was originated, but it started getting recognition after the inception of WWE. The business got popular in America and then in other parts of the world, making WWE a global leader in professional wrestling.
WWE has created many big stars of professional wrestling who are widely recognized today. Being a global company, WWE hires talents from all over the world, other than homegrown talents in America. Today, it has a huge pool of talent from every continent and many major countries. From neighboring countries like Canada, Mexico to Japan, India, and United Kingdom, the list is endless. Even in the past eras like Golden Era, Attitude Era, and Ruthless Aggression Era, there were wrestlers from different countries. However, being an American company, a majority of WWE’s wrestlers are from America, including some biggest draws in history. Being from the home country certainly helps to connect better with the WWE Universe without any language barrier. Let’s take a look at the ten most famous Superstars from the USA.
# 10 Ric Flair
Born in Memphis, Tennessee, Ric Flair was definitely one of the most popular names in professional wrestling as well as WWE. Even though in the early days of his career he wrestled in other promotions, he had a two-year stint from 1991 to 1993 in WWE before leaving for WCW. In this time frame, he not only won the Royal Rumble 1992 but also on the WWE World Heavyweight Championship twice. The Dirtiest Player in the Game also had a second eight-year stint in WWE from 2001 to 2009. Ric Flair’s charisma and promo ability made them a household name in the 1980s as well as the early 1990s. WWE recognizes Ric Flair as the sixteen-time WWE World Champion. Ric Flair’s daughter, Charlotte Flair, is currently one of the biggest stars of the WWE women’s division.
# 9 Goldberg
Goldberg’s fame initially rose in the late 1990s when he debuted in WCW. He was one of the big stars of the company with an impressive winning streak of 173-0. With WCW’s rising popularity, Goldberg also became a huge name in America. But he had arrived in WWE in 2003, two years after WCW went out of business. Everywhere Goldberg’s power remained the same. With his superhuman strength, the former World Heavyweight Champion did many unimaginable things in the ring. Currently, Goldberg’s age is 57. Even today, whenever Goldberg appears, the ratings increase, showing why is among most famous wrestlers in the globe.
# 8 Triple H
Triple H has a huge legacy, with a phenomenal career of over twenty-five years. Although he has French background, he is born and raised in America. Triple H’s real name is Paul Levesque. The Game was born in Nashua, New Hampshire. After a brief run in WCW, he started his career in WWE in 1995. Triple H headlined many pay-per-views in the Attitude Era as well as the Ruthless Aggression Era. Needless to say, his popularity sky rocked in both eras, and he even starred in some Hollywood movies at the peak of his career. With so much success, he ended up winning the WWE World Heavyweight Championship a record fourteen times in his career.
# 7 The Ultimate Warrior
The Ultimate Warrior’s birth name was James Hellwig, and he was born in Indiana. With an amazing physique, unique face paint, and full of energy in the ring, The Ultimate Warrior didn’t take long to get over in the Golden Era, becoming as famous as Hulk Hogan at one point, especially after the Ultimate Warrior Vs Hulk Hogan bout at WrestleMania VI. Despite the popularity, The Ultimate Warrior didn’t stay at the top for a long time. The former WWE Champion tried reviving his career in WCW in the late 90s, but it didn’t really work out the way he wanted. Unfortunately, Ultimate Warrior’s death took place in 2014, right after his WWE Hall of Fame induction, but he would go down as one of the popular names ever.
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# 6 Batista
Batista was born in Washington, DC. His success in the Ruthless Aggression Era as part of the red brand made him a huge star, not just in WWE but also in his post-wrestling career. But his stardom began from WWE, especially after WrestleMania 21, where The Animal won the World Heavyweight Championship in the main event of the show. Meanwhile, it was also one of the highest-grossing WrestleMania events in WWE history. In his career, Batista won the World Championship six times and the Royal Rumble match twice. Today, after the retirement from the squared circle, his career has bloomed in Hollywood, starring in blockbuster movies like Guardians of Galaxy and Avengers. With that being said, Batista known faces among wrestlers.
# 5 The Rock
The Rock was one of the pioneers of the success of WWE in the Attitude Era. With his likable charisma, captivating catchphrases, and attitude in the ring, The Great One was over whether as a heel or a babyface in his prime. The Rock won the world title a record ten times, including one in his last run in the early 2010s. But The Rock shifted his career from professional wrestling and went on to become one of the biggest movie stars in Hollywood. The Rock’s age was in the early 30s when he gradually set his focus on a movie career. The Rock movies have earned billions of dollars all over the world, making him one of the richest actors.
# 4 The Undertaker
With three decades of a long and successful career, there isn’t a shadow of a doubt that The Undertaker has been one of the primary reasons for WWE’s success in different eras. From Golden Era, Attitude Era, Ruthless Aggression Era to PG Era, The Deadman’s position remained the same in every single era. The man behind The Undertaker’s character is Mark Calaway, who is a Texas native. The seven-time World Champion has retired, but he is still a household name of WWE, and his legacy will live forever for such an illustrious career.
# 3 Hulk Hogan
Hulk Hogan was a primary reason why WWE and professional wrestling, in general, became global and mainstream business in the 1980s as well as 1990s.
Hulk Hogan’s age is 67 right now, but even today, he is a popular face among fans. Hogan was the firs Superstar who truly became a megastar by headlining numerous PPVs, including WrestleMania multiple times. Even outside WWE, he was the top star of WCW, especially as the leader and one of the nWo members. From commercials to movies, Hogan’s stardom took him everywhere in his heyday. Hulk Hogan became one of the top wrestlers for his mainstream popularity in the 1980s and 90s.
# 2 Stole Cold Steve Austin
There was only one Stone Cold Steve Austin, whose unmatched charisma, popularity, and mic skills took WWE to a new height in the Attitude Era. The anti-hero Stone Cold Steve Austin persona with cheesy catchphrases was an instant hit, and he got over immediately after making his debut. Stone Cold Steve Austin’s theme song of glass shattering also created the loudest pops whenever he made his entrance Stone Cold Steve Austin’s meteoric rise was a reason why WWE won the Monday Night Wars against WCW, making WWE RAW the flagship show of the company. Despite an early retirement due to injury, the 59-year Superstar from Texas remains one of the biggest stars in wrestling world of the United States.
# 1 John Cena
It might be debatable whether John Cena is more popular than Stone Cold Steve Austin. Considering Cena’s prime years and his popularity among kids, he might be slightly above the Stone Cold Steve Austin in terms of popularity. Furthermore, John Cena is extremely famous worldwide, especially in densely populated countries like India and China. Cena was the biggest star of the company for over a decade, and he carried the PG Era of WWE on his shoulder. Today, he has successfully become a movie star just like The Rock. From John Cena catchphrases to memes, Cena’s popularity can be easily observed among wrestling fans on the internet.
Avik Das is the founder of Sportsheed. He is a sports lover with broad knowledge of Professional Wrestling, MMA, Football, and Cricket. He has an English major and has previously written articles for various sports and entertainment websites
