Last Updated on April 4, 2024 by Avik Das
If the 1980s was the era when the business of professional wrestling boomed, the 1990s was the time when it had reached the next level, attracting more mainstream eyes than ever and creating some biggest megastars. We saw the battle of the two biggest wrestling promotions in the world. It gave birth to the Monday Night Wars. With a star-studded roster, including Hulk Hogan, WCW surpassed WWE in terms of ratings for many weeks. For the first time since Vince McMahon took over WWE, the company faced fierce competition from Ted Turner’s company.
The neck-to-neck battle pushed WWE to do things out of the box, giving birth to the Attitude Era, which is regarded as the greatest era ever in the sport’s history. The emergence of the Attitude Era in the late 1990s helped WWE to get ahead of WCW and finally win the Monday Night Wars of ratings. Both WWE and WCW had a huge stack of extraordinary talents in the 1990s. In this article, we revisit the memory lane and rank some renowned 90s wrestlers.
#15 Chyna
Chyna revolutionized the image of women’s division in a male-dominated Attitude Era. With her imposing physique, impressive strength, and dominant persona, she not only conquered women of that era but also a handful of men. She was the embodiment of power and domination for the future generation of female WWE Superstars. While the Women’s Championship was an easy accomplishment for her, she broke the barrier by winning the Intercontinental Championship, becoming the first and only woman to attain the frat till now. Today, she is remembered as one of the greatest wrestlers of all time whether from the men’s division or the women’s division.
#14 Scott Hall/Razor Ramon
Scott Hall’s fame rose while playing the Razor Ramon character in WWE. A Miami-based Cuban-American person who would cut entertaining promos while showing a form of narcissism. The character was so over that Vince McMahon brought a fake Razor Ramon when the actual one left for WCW. As one of the elite WCW wrestlers and nWo members, Scott Hall turned into one of the biggest draws of the company. Even though he never won a world title in either of these companies, his popularity was unparalleled among the wrestlers in the 1990s.
#13 Mankind/ Mick Foley
Mick Foley had different versions in the name of Dude Love, Cactus Jack, and Mankind. His reputation grew outside WWE as Cactus Jack, but in a star-studded Attitude Era, he established himself as a huge star while playing Mankind in WWE. Mankind’s Hell in a Cell match against The Undertaker in 1998 became a turning point in his career. His feud with The Rock was another significant rivalry that grabbed many eyeballs. His persistence, never-give-up attitude, mental and physical toughness, and hardcore style were the reasons behind his success.
#12 Kevin Nash/ Diesel
Kevin Nash had a similar wrestling journey to his best friend, Scott Hall. Nash was thriving in WWE as Diesel. With a record-long WWE Championship run, he was a top main event star there until he jumped ship. Both Kevin Nash and Scott Hall signed for WCW after leaving WWE. He was one of the major 90s wrestlers to leave WWE for WCW. Nash, meanwhile, had an equally remarkable run in Ted Turner’s company as a key member of nWo. He was a five-time WCW World Heavyweight Champion, placing him among WCW wrestlers with most world title wins.
#11 Ric Flair
Ric Flair spent a couple of years in WWE in the 1990s, but for the majority of the decade, he was one of the best WCW wrestlers. In his maiden and initial WWE run, he became a two-time WWE Champion, but like other big stars at that time, the Nature Boy went back to his old fortress. Before all the big signees, Ric Flair helped WCW grow from scratch by headlining grand pay-per-views and selling out arenas with his name. He kept his momentum from the 1980s when he was arguably one of the biggest draws of the business.
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#10 Kane
Kane’s debut in 1997 was an iconic first-time appearance of a character. With a red mask, seven feet stature, over three hundred pounds of muscle mass, and an intimidating persona, The Big Red Machine made a statement like no wrestler ever did on debut. Kane’s rivalry and then association with The Undertaker became one of the hottest storylines in WWE. At one point in the 1990s, Kane was as over as his brother.
#9 Shawn Michaels
Shawn Michales raised the bar of WWE Superstars from the 1990s with his in-ring prowess. While he was a fan favorite for his aura and charisma, his talent in the ring enabled him to achieve new heights in the New Generation Era. HBK was a phenomenal performer, who would give five-star matches against various opponents. Following his separation from The Rockers, is singles career scaled, making him a top-tier main event star, with HBK headlining WrestleMania. DX was a must-watch stable in the Attitude Era because Shawn was an essential part of the group.
#8 Bret Hart
Bret Hart was once a generational talent for his astounding career in WWE and WCW. After starting off as a tag team member, Bret Hart slowly transitioned into a singles star in WWE, becoming one of the leading wrestlers from the New Generation Era. From headlining huge WWE pay-per-views to getting ripped off by Vince McMahon in the Montreal Screwjob scandal, Hart had a tumultuous journey there. Then he joined WCW wrestlers to be part of their roster. Despite Bret Hart’s success and world title triumph in WCW, we saw a tragic end to his career due to an injury, but he would still go down as one of the greatest in the business.
#7 The Undertaker
The Undertaker was a man to remained at the top of his game for three decades, including the 1990s. It was a decade when he won the WWE Championship and headlined events like WrestleMania and SummerSlam. The dark character remained constant, and there were not many wrestlers with such evil and twisted gimmicks, which was a preliminary reason for his popularity. He was impressive as the leader of the Ministry of Darkness as he was one-half of the Brothers of Destruction.
#6 Sting
If The Undertaker was a dark gimmick in WWE, Sting wrestler had a similar aura among WCW wrestlers. His allegiance to Ted Turner’s company established him as a legend. He not only wrestled there in the 1990s but also in the 1980s. Sting’s different versions and his competency as a babyface turned him into the face of WCW. While he was over as Surfer Sting, the Crow Sting character took his stardom to another level. The Icon was among the top merchandise sellers in WCW and a six-time WCW World Heavyweight Champion.
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#5 Triple H
Even though Triple H had a shaky start to his WWE career in the New Generation Era, notably after the infamous Curtain Tail incident, he eventually proved his credibility by becoming one of the famous 90s wrestlers. With the success of DX, The Game gradually turned into a top guy of the Attitude Era. While he won the WWE Championship in the Attitude Era, he mainevented WrestleMania 16, keeping the big gold on the line.
#4 Goldberg
Among the WCW wrestlers in the 1990s, Goldberg was undeniably the biggest homegrown name. His unbeaten record, which lasted a mammoth 173 matches after his debut, ended up as one of the most impressive winning runs in professional wrestling history, and fans still talk about it today. The way he annihilated his opponents with ease played a key role in making him look monstrous in the ring. Goldberg’s herculean strength, incredible physical shape, and steady push made him a draw. He was such a big star that the rival company WWE had to make a parody of him called Gillberg.
#3 Hulk Hogan
In our list of popular 80s wrestlers, Hulk Hogan secured the top spot for his mainstream relevancy. In the next decade, The Hulkster was still among the top three famous from the 1990s for his excellency and continuous evolution in the ring. In the early stage of the decade, he thrived in WWE until switching to WCW. Hogan was the number one in terms of drawing capacity among WCW wrestlers. He received a new boost to his career following his heel turn in 1996. With Kevin Nash and Scott Hall by side, the legendary stable nWo took over WCW. Staying as a main event star for his whole WCW career, he captured the WCW World Heavyweight Championship six times.
#2 The Rock
The Rock’s first gimmick, Rocky Maivia, who debuted in 1996, was disastrous. However, he made a huge turnaround of his career after turning heel and rejuvenating himself as The Rock. His growth in the 1990s and the following decade established him as the megastar, despite having a short WWE career compared to other gigantic names in the business. The Rock’s catchphrases and witty insults gave his character an edge over others. Due to his superior mic skills, each of his feuds would have incredible build-ups, which always generated a high level of interest among fans. He was one of the widely recognized professional wrestlers because he not only mainevented WrestleMania in that decade but also became a WWE Champion. His wrestling fame paved the way for Hollywood later on.
#1 Stone Cold Steve Austin
Stone Cold Steve Austin wasn’t just the most famous among wrestlers from 90s but he would get the same tag in the history of WWE and professional wrestling. His anti-hero persona and unmatchable charisma gave him the spotlight in the 1990s. Even though he was among the WCW wrestlers in the mid-90s, they failed to utilize his talent. Stone Cold Steve Austin was the leader in the WWE ratings war against WCW. His feuds with The Rock, Vince McMahon, and The Undertaker were some finest rivalries ever. Due to his popularity, he is still among WWE’s top merchandise sellers today.
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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
