Who Belongs On The Mount Rushmore Of Wrestling?

With the recent returns of the Undertaker and Shawn Michaels, two of the all-time greats, a heated discussion broke out at the Comicbook.com headquarters. The question is one that wrestling fans have, well, wrestled with, for ages.

Videos by ComicBook.com

Who belongs on the Mount Rushmore of wrestling?

To earn a spot on the Mount, we considered several things. Did the wrestler ever push the business to new heights? Did they ever have to carry a company on their back? Did they ever acieve mainstream crossover success? Do they (or will they) still maintain pop culture influence long after their career is over? And of course, more importantly, did you ever get goosebumps when their music hit?

While we had many arguments and several inter-office ladder matches to determine exactly which four superstars belonged on the Mount, I (being a 30 year fan and person tasked to write this article) have come down from the top rop (and through two tables) with my final decision.

So, without further ado ..

Hulk Hogan

This one was unanimous. Despite his recent transgressions, and complete removal from WWE history, the WWE would have likely never become the global enterpirse it has become if it weren’t for the phenomenon known as Hulkamania.

Hulk Hogan was the perfect star for the perfect time in wrestling history. With Vince McMahon’s vision and Hogan’s charisma, the Hulkster captured the imagination (and wallets) of every kid in the 80s. Hogan main evented the first 8 Wrestlemanias and despite not even being in the match at Wrestlemania 9, still ended the night winning the WWE championship.

It’s likely Hogan’s place on the Mount would be secure if he’d stopped there, but his run in the WCW as the unexpected heel leader of the New World Order as Hollywood Hogan makes him not one, but two of the most famous faces in wrestling history.

From launching toys to cartoons to to awful movies to a generation of Hulkamaniacs, there is no doubt that the Hulkster belongs on the Mount.

And if you still don’t get chills hearing Real American, get out of my country!

Stone Cold Steve Austin

When Vince McMahon calls you the greatest superstar in the history of the WWE, your place on the Mount Rushmore of wrestling is definitely secure! After a decent run in the WCW and ECW, Steve Austin turned into “Stone Cold” Steve Austin, a disrespectful, beer-drinking antihero who routinely defied the establishment and his boss, company chairman Vince McMahon! His feuds with both McMahon and The Rock are those of legend.

Austin’s became the “poster boy” of the Attitude Era, a boom period in the late 1990s and early 2000s that helped the WWF win the ratings war against World Championship Wrestling (WCW).

Over his illustrious career, Stone Cold held 19 championships and 6 WWE World Championships. Austin won two straight Royal Rumbles and headlined three Wrestlemanias. Sadly for us all, a series of injuries ended his career in 2003. Austin also possessed what is likely still the greatest finisher in wrestling, the Stone Cold Stunner. Also, the Texas Rattlesnake’s signature Austin 3:16 tee remains one of the most iconic wrestling shirts of all time.

And I don’t know a single wrestling fan who doesn’t think of Stone Cold every time they crack open a cold one. Or two. Or six.

Ric Flair

WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! The 16 time world champion, stylin’, profilin’, limousine riding, jet flying, kiss-stealing, wheelin’ n’ dealin’ son of a gun is the quintessential definition of what it means to be a professional wrestler. Not only was the Nature Boy the best in ring performer of his prime, but he cut some of the most legendary promos in the history of wrestling.

The majority of Flair’s dominance came in the NWA/WCW where he and his Four Horsemen carried the company through the 80s with feuds with the likes of Dusty Rhodes, Sting and Lex Luger. While the WWE was soaring to heights on the back of a hero, the WCW was riding with the man every man wanted to be and every lady wanted to be with.

Flair did get a brief time to shine in the WWE, winning the WWE Championship only 113 days after his debut (the shortest amount of time in company history) when he won an epic 1992 Royal Rumble.

While Ric Flair himself says he doesn’t belong on the Rushmore because he never did the kind of business some of the WWE stars did, his influence is legendary. I’ve seen entire NFL teams filled with players who weren’t even born until well after his prime imitate the Nature Boy.

As we all know, to be the man, you have to beat the man, and Ric Flair was THE MAN!

The Rock

Do you smell what I’m cookin? Because the fourth spot on Mount Rushmore was the hardest to fill, and I wanted to be controverisal. I considered many names, but when I included Austin, it was impossible for me not to put The Rock on the rock. Did Austin do more business than the Rock? I suppose, but could you have one without the other? I don’t think so.

It’s quite possible that The Rock’s unbelievably successful movie career has somehow overshadowed just how amazing of a professional wrestling career he had. A 10 time WWE World Champion, The Rock was a brahma bull inside the ring during the Attitude Era. Whether it be with the Nation of Domination, the Corporation or with Mick Foley, the Rock’s cocky catch phrases and electrifying performances truly made him the People’s Champ.

And if there was any question whether or not Rock belonged on the mount, just look to the fact that he was able to come back and main event two Wrestlemanias with John Cena years after he stepped away from the business or the fact that he still gets the biggest pop of any superstar to walk out from behind the curtain.

Just missed the cut

The two names I had the most trouble leaving off this mount were The Undertaker and John Cena.

The Undertaker has arguably had the greatest career span of any professional wrestler, but a knock against putting him on the top is that while he has always been a HUGE draw, he’s never actually been the top guy in the company. He’s always been the special attraction, and to some extent, his Deadman character has been a bit more one dimensional than the four who made the mountain.

John Cena has carried the WWE for over a decade and he is one of the all time greats; soon to tie and then pass Ric Flair’s overall record for world championships. I’m sure right now there is a kid out there who sees John Cena in the same way I saw Hulk Hogan when I was a kid and one day that kid will grow up and strike me down so can re-write this article with Cena on the mountain. But until that day, I have to leave Cena on the list. For as great as he’s been, I don’t think he’s had the same cultural influence that the other four legends have had.

Those are our pics for the Mount Rushmore of wrestling. Let us know who you would pick in the comments below!

Listen to the Over The Ropes podcast: