The Picks For Wrestling’s Mount Rushmore (As Said By Wrestlers)

One of the ongoing debates in wrestling circles is who would go on a hypothetical Mount Rushmore of professional wrestlers. There are all different manners of how one might approach the question. If one goes by sheer drawing power, surely Hulk Hogan and Steve Austin would be the first two picks. If one goes by influence on the business, names like Billy Graham and Dusty Rhodes enter the conversation. Longevity adds on names like The Undertaker, and political power makes Vince McMahon a can’t-miss selection. Technical skills might bring in Ric Flair and Bret Hart. Talking ability could prompt someone to select Roddy Piper and The Rock.

There’s no clear consensus on the selection criteria, let alone which four faces would appear on this monument to wrestling history. Nonetheless, a number of wrestlers themselves have weighed in, and have an extra bit of credibility for their own work in the business.

10 The Undertaker

The Undertaker is a legend who is worthy of Mount Rushmore consideration in his own right. He has only in recent years let down his guard and given interviews out of character with different media outlets. In a discussion with Comic Book, the topic of his Mount Rushmore selections came up.

The Dead Man immediately rattled off the names of Ric Flair, Hulk Hogan, and Steve Austin. He spent more time mulling over his fourth pick, considering Bruno Sammartino, Harley Race, and Dusty Rhodes as serious contenders before settling on the legendary Andre the Giant for his fourth pick.

9 Roman Reigns

In an interview with Complex Load Management, Roman Reigns discussed his picks for the four names to go on a wrestling Mount Rushmore. Perhaps demonstrating his relative youth and status as a current Superstar, Reigns went with a relatively new school slate of performers.

The Big Dog selected The Undertaker first, then went on to The Rock and Steve Austin. He acknowledged John Cena as a serious contender. After all, in a world in which WWE puts out lots of unusual merchandise, it's undeniably noteworthy that Cena has moved more merchandise than anyone else over his career. Reigns ultimately awarded his fourth spot to Hulk Hogan in acknowledgment of the additional chapter to his career, late in his prime, when he thrived as a heel leading the nWo.

8 The Rock

When it comes to wrestling stars who have truly transcended the business to become celebrities by any metric, few names compare with The Rock. While his own place among wrestling’s all-time greats is up for debate, it’s difficult to think of anyone who better parlayed an exceptional wrestling career into even greater fame and success.

So, The Great One is uniquely situated to evaluate wrestling’s all-time greats. His picks for Mount Rushmore? When Bleacher Report posed the question on Twitter, Rock weighed in. Hulk Hogan, Ric Flair, and Steve Austin were his definitive picks, and he fudged his answer by placing Bruno Sammartino and Gorgeous George in a shared spot as his more historical picks. Pressed further on the question by fans, he implied that The Undertaker and Andre the Giant would the next in line for a spot in his book.

7 CM Punk

CM Punk probably wouldn’t make many people’s wrestling Mount Rushmores unless the list was confined to the 2000s indie world or 2010s WWE. Nonetheless, he was not only a noteworthy wrestler in his own right but known as a bit of a wrestling historian and a shrewd critic who isn’t afraid to speak his mind.

Given Punk’s aesthetics and his own style as a wrestler, it may be no surprise that he erred toward great workers and classic sensibilities. When he weighed in on his selections via Twitter, the Straight Edge Superstar named influential Japanese star Mitsuharu Misawa on his list alongside Steve Austin, Randy Savage, and Harley Race.

6 Seth Rollins

Seth Rollins is a highly decorated champion who has the foundation and, presumably, the time left on his career to make a claim as a Mount Rushmore worthy performer in his own right. As reported by Andrew Ravens at WrestlingNews.co a radio appearance for 103.5 KISS FM Chicago, Rollins let his opinions be known on who should be memorialized at this point.

The Messiah named Hulk Hogan, The Rock, Ric Flair, and Steve Austin. He went on to cite Shawn Michaels as his personal favorite and Triple H as a contender for how long he had been in the business, but settled on his original four, with a focus on them drawing the most money.

5 Ric Flair

Ric Flair makes a lot of Mount Rushmore lists for fans and wrestlers alike. But what did the Nature Boy himself have to say about the debate?

Flair did, indeed, select himself to appear via an image mockup of what such a Mount Rushmore might look like. The other choices were Steve Austin, The Rock, and Hulk Hogan. This could, in a sense, be understood as leading faces and top money makers from WWE and WCW in the Monday Night War Era. Otherwise, Hogan, Austin, and Rock could all be interpreted as all-time great draws, with Flair as a great draw in his own right, but also garnering a spot for his all-around talent and longevity.

4 Chris Jericho

Chris Jericho is known to over-achieve, often balancing multiple priorities, including wrestling, performing with his band Fozzy, recording his podcast Talk Is Jericho, and publishing books. So, perhaps it’s not such a surprise that he would take it upon himself to compile two separate Mount Rushmore lists.

Jericho selected Hulk Hogan, Owen Hart, Randy Savage, and Ricky Steamboat as his Mount Rushmore from a fan’s perspective, harkening back to his days as an avid follower of the business before he broke in himself. He also chose a top four people he enjoyed working with in the ring, naming Shawn Michaels, Rey Mysterio, Jon Moxley, and The Rock.

3 AJ Styles

AJ Styles is one of the most respected workers in wrestling today, who thrived on smaller stages before arriving in WWE in 2016. Given his talent and experience, he’s well equipped to have a respected opinion on the greatest wrestlers of all time.

The Phenomenal one was quick to select Hulk Hogan and Ric Flair as the two men to have made the biggest difference in wrestling history. From there, he gave the nod to classic star Lou Thesz. Styles had Andre the Giant edging out Ricky Steamboat and Randy Savage for his fourth spot.

2 Cody Rhodes

In an interview with Bleacher Report, Cody Rhodes discussed his picks for the Mount Rushmore of wrestling. One might assume that his father, Dusty Rhodes, would top the list, but Cody interestingly didn’t name him. Instead, he rattled off The Rock, Ric Flair, and Hulk Hogan as the first names that came to mind.

Cody went on to suggest that, rather than making a fourth pick, he was leaving it open to the future. While that answer might feel like a bit of a cop-out, it’s also fitting a young promoter who has pushed veterans but also rolled the dice on unproven talents in AEW.

1 Kurt Angle

Kurt Angle is one of the greatest wrestlers of all time, who particularly gets touted for how quickly he picked up pro wrestling. He arrived as a top tier star hardly a year into the business before going on to a distinguished career in WWE and Impact Wrestling alike.

Angle has twice publicly discussed his Mount Rushmore, first naming Steve Austin, Ric Flair, Shawn Michaels, and The Rock this past January. Over the summer, he revised his choices over a Facebook Q&A session. The Rock stayed on the list, but the Olympic Gold Medalist changed his selections otherwise, with Hulk Hogan, The Undertaker, and John Cena. While some might complain about the inconsistency, Angle switching it up is probably most demonstrative of just how hard it is to pick just four all-time great wrestlers. All seven of the men he picked were perfectly reasonable choices.

Next: 10 Wrestlers Who Could Be On Mount Rushmore