5. The Undertaker: Both me and my Best Friend had an infatuation with The Undertaker as kids. His character was appealing to both kids and adults. Kids were terrified and enchanted by his character, while adults saw a long-haired badass. Not only did his character become more layered with each era, but he lasted numerous decades with the same name. He's had a 5-star match, numerous championships, and numerous main events in Wrestlemania. I doubt there will be anyone else like him in the industry.
4. Booker T: Booker was my first favorite wrestler: I saw him as a kid back when he had dreads and thought he was badass. He always had a crazy look in his eyes, along with a ridiculous breakdance maneuver: Whether he was in the midcard or in the main event I thought he was awesome. No one else can look like lil wayne on bath salts and make it as masculine as he can. I mostly knew him in his WWF days after the invasion angle; Seeing his WCW work proves that there's more to love (he dropped the n-bomb in the early 90's like a boss).
3. Cody Rhodes: At first it seemed like he was a slave to his past: He's the generic son of Dusty Rhodes; He was the younger brother of Goldust; He was a generic "create your own wrestler" in his rookie years. It's safe to say he would be thrown under the David Flair and David Sammartino rejection pile. That was until someone thought it was a good idea to turn him into Dashing Cody Rhodes, then turn him into undashing Cody Rhodes, then change his character 20 other ways. Around this time I finally got back to watching wrestling, so seeing the way his character evolved caught my interest. I do hope that he wins the WWE championship sometime next year; I was hoping he would win it since 2011.
*Naysayers: The common critique with Rhodes is that his in ring work + lispy,droning mic skills suck. Rhodes has an interesting way to present an in-ring story plus an energetic moveset that both kids and grownups can enjoy. He really gets into his character and is believable despite not having the most elegant voice or movement.
2. Edge: Adam Copeland spent the bulk of his career as a midcarder, yet that all changed when he cashed in his MiTB on John Cena. From then on he stayed firmly on The Midcard scene unlike other perma-midcarders. It's too bad that his neck injuries forced him to retire in 2011. His dynamic in-ring moveset, storytelling ability, and blonde-Tarzan appearance made him cool as both face and heel.
*Naysayers: Edge is mostly a bad boy: Nothing more, nothing less. Yes, he does have a few layers to his character from time to time, yet his character will always say midcard more than main event. Despite this criticism he can play against the big stars more believably than some of our current main eventers. The characters that can become national icons like Hogan, Austin and The Rock are hard to come by. Edge is an awesome main eventer regardless of who's the pinnacle.
1. Chris Jericho: It's obvious that Jericho is my favorite wrestler. He's a badass both in and out of the industry. Yes, he selflessly puts over lost causes like Heath Slater; Yes, sometimes he's demoted to the midcard. But for Christ's sake, the guy is a rockstar. His character always becomes layered; His in-ring ability is still physically intense; He's still creating awesome in-ring promos; and the crowd is still popping. He's a beacon of accolades despite never being a top draw.
