Who is the greatest American wrestler ever? The question is speculative, of course. And there is no definitive answer. Arguing the point is just as fun as arriving at a conclusion.
FloWrestling attempted to answer this timeless question in 2022 with a series on the top 100 American wrestlers of all time. The list includes wrestlers from all recognized disciplines: collegiate, women's freestyle, men's freestyle, and men's Greco-Roman. The list is ongoing, and it will inevitably change, but the below names are a starting point to learn more about the best wrestlers from the United States.
Here's a glimpse at the top 100 American wrestlers, according to FloWrestling:
Top 100
- Jordan Burroughs
- Bruce Baumgartner
- Helen Maroulis
- Kyle Snyder
- Cael Sanderson
- Dan Gable
- Kyle Dake
- Adeline Gray
- Lee Kemp
- Kenny Monday
- Dave Schultz
- Mark Schultz
- Kevin Jackson
- David Taylor
- Tom Brands
- Rulon Gardner
- Tamyra Mensah-Stock
- J’den Cox
- Wayne Wells
- Rick Sanders
- Kurt Angle
- Tricia Saunders
- Ben Peterson
- Terry Brands
- Dan Hodge
- Chris Campbell
- Bill Scherr
- Sammie Henson
- Melvin Douglas
- John Peterson
- Kristie Davis
- Dennis Hall
- Zeke Jones
- Jake Varner
- Kendall Cross
- Gable Steveson
- Cary Kolat
- Lincoln McIlravy
- Les Gutches
- Stan Dziedzic
- Logan Stieber
- Thomas Gilman
- Dremiel Byers
- Henry Wittenberg
- Brandon Slay
- Robin Reed
- Barry Davis
- Elena Pirozhkova
- Joe Williams
- Andre Metzger
- Randy Lewis
- Bobby Weaver
- Lloyd Keaser
- Matt Ghaffari
- Stephen Abas
- Stephen Neal
- Patricia Miranda
- Pat Smith
- Steve Fraser
- Jack VanBebber
- Jim Scherr
- Clarissa Chun
- Larry Kristoff
- Greg Gibson
- Ed Banach
- Henry Cejudo
- Don Behm
- Russ Hellickson
- Tervel Dlagnev
- Doug Blubaugh
- Sarah Hildebrandt
- Bill Smith
- Nate Carr
- Lou Banach
- Dennis Koslowski
- Fred Fozzard
- Matt Lindland
- Bill Zadick
- Kerry McCoy
- Jacarra Winchester
- Nick Gwiazdowski
- Joe Warren
- Sara McMann
- Brandon Paulson
- Bobby Douglas
- Gene Mills
- Ben Askren
- Wade Schalles
- Jake Herbert
- James Green
- Bill Koll
- Daniel Cormier
- Mike Houck
- Alli Ragan
- Royce Alger
- Iris Smith
- Zain Retherford
- Eric Guerrero
- Brent Metcalf
Let's take a closer look at some of the most iconic figures in American wrestling history.
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Hulk Hogan
Hulk Hogan, born Terry Gene Bollea, is an American professional wrestler, actor, and television personality. He was widely regarded as the most recognized wrestling star worldwide and the most popular wrestler of the 1980s.
He began his professional wrestling career in 1977, taking the name Hogan around that time, and gained worldwide recognition after signing for World Wrestling Federation (WWF, now WWE) in 1983. There, his persona as a heroic all-American helped usher in the 1980s professional wrestling boom, where he headlined eight of the first nine editions of WWF's flagship annual event, WrestleMania.
During his initial run, he won the WWF Championship five times, with his first reign being the second-longest in the championship's history. He was the first wrestler to win consecutive Royal Rumble matches, winning in 1990 and 1991. His match with André René Roussimoff on WWF The Main Event on February 5, 1988, still holds American television viewership records for wrestling with a 15.2 Nielsen rating and 33 million viewers.
In 1993, Hogan departed the WWF to sign for rival promotion World Championship Wrestling (WCW). He won the WCW World Heavyweight Championship six times, and holds the record for the longest reign. In 1996, he underwent a career renaissance upon adopting the villainous persona of "Hollywood" Hulk Hogan, leading the popular New World Order (nWo) stable. As a result, he became a major figure during the "Monday Night Wars", another boom of mainstream professional wrestling. He headlined WCW's annual flagship event Starrcade three times, including the most profitable WCW pay-per-view ever, Starrcade 1997.
Hulk Hogan Highlights Tribute (Rick Derringer "Real American")
Hogan returned to the WWF in 2002 following its acquisition of WCW the prior year, winning the Undisputed WWF Championship for a record equaling (for the year) sixth time before departing in 2003. He was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2005, and inducted a second time in 2020 as a member of the nWo. Hogan also performed for the American Wrestling Association (AWA), New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) - where he won the original IWGP Heavyweight Championship - and Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA - now known as Impact Wrestling).
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During and after wrestling, Hogan had an extensive acting career, beginning with his cameo role in Rocky III (1982). He starred in several films (including No Holds Barred (1989), Suburban Commando (1991) and Mr. Nanny (1993)) and three television shows (Hogan Knows Best (2005), Thunder in Paradise (1994), and China, IL (2008)), as well as in Right Guard commercials and the video game, Hulk Hogan's Main Event (2012). He was the frontman for The Wrestling Boot Band, whose sole record, Hulk Rules, reached No. 12 on the Billboard Top Kid Audio chart in 1995.
Sadly on July 24, Hogan died of a heart attack while doing therapy at his Clearwater, Florida home. Hogan was 71.
"Stone Cold" Steve Austin
Born as Steve Anderson, on December 18, 1964, he took his stepfather's surname. After a brief stint in Texas and Memphis TN regional wrestling scenes, he moved to WCW, where he wrestled under the name of 'Stunning Steve Austin'. Here, he eventually held every major championship title, except for the World Heavyweight championship.
Austin got released from WCW, due to inactivity, because of an injury in 1995 and got immediately hired by ECW, where he spent a few months honing his promo and interview skills, while nursing his torn triceps. He debuted in WWF in December of 1995 as 'the Ringmaster' Steve Austin, managed by the Million Dollar Man Ted Dibiase. His in ring persona has gradually evolved into 'Stone Cold Steve Austin', a cold blooded and ruthless character, based on 'The Iceman' Richard Kuklinski.
His career soared to new heights. He become the 1996 King Of The Ring, and invented his famous motto as 'Austin 3:16'. Austin has not been seen since, but is highly regarded as one of the most popular wrestlers in the WWE.
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Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson
Dwayne Douglas Johnson, also known as The Rock, was born on May 2, 1972 in Hayward, California. He is the son of Ata Johnson (born Feagaimaleata Fitisemanu) and professional wrestler Rocky Johnson (born Wayde Douglas Bowles). During his high school years, Dwayne began playing football and he soon received a full scholarship from the University of Miami, where he had tremendous success as a football player. In 1995, Dwayne suffered a back injury which cost him a place in the NFL. He then signed a three-year deal with the Canadian League but left after a year to pursue a career in wrestling.
He made his wrestling debut in the USWA under the name Flex Kavanah where he won the tag team championship with Brett Sawyer. In 1996, Dwayne joined the WWE and became Rocky Maivia where he joined a group known as "The Nation of Domination" and turned heel. Rocky eventually took over leadership of the "Nation" and began taking the persona of The Rock. After the "Nation" split, The Rock joined another elite group of wrestlers known as the "Corporation" and began a memorable feud with Steve Austin. Soon the Rock was kicked out of the "Corporation". He turned face and became known as "The Peoples Champion". In 2000, the Rock took time off from WWE to film his appearance in The Mummy Returns (2001).