Top 15 Characters In Pro Wrestling History

No doubt the scariest character on the list, all you need to know about Abdullah was that one of his finishing maneuvers was a fork to the head. You knew when The Butcher was in the ring, blood was going to flow. He wrestled until the age of 70, and even though he was way past his prime, he still struck fear into the hearts of both wrestlers and fans alike.

One of the most underrated characters, especially during the Attitude Era, some of his favorite catchphrases like "Helllllo Ladies!" and "Coming Soon!" made fans both male and female tune in to see the Big Valbowski. As entertaining as he was, he was almost just as entertaining in the ring, winning the Intercontinental Title on two separate occasions and the World Tag Team Title as well.

After limited success as Scotty Flamingo in WCW and Johnny Polo in WWE, he struck gold with his Raven character in ECW. The Raven character was a depressed sociopath who would deliver eloquent, philosophical promos. Ever since he adopted the Raven character, he has never looked back. He had one of the best feuds in ECW history with Tommy Dreamer and was the face of ECW for a number of years. "Quoth the Raven, nevermore."

The Elvis Presley imitator would tell you The King of Rock and Roll was actually imitating him. It was that kind of cocky attitude that made fans despise him and also what made him one of the most colorful characters in wrestling history. Although not one of the most technically sound wrestlers in his day, he still holds the record for being the longest reigning Intercontinental champion of all time. In Honky's book, that makes him the "greatest of all time."

Scott Hall rose to superstardom when he joined WWE and became Razor Ramon. Loosely based on characters from the movie 'Scarface', he carved his way through WWE with four Intercontinental title runs. He was "The Bad Guy" who oozed machismo and bullied his way to the top. As great as his character was, he wasn't too shabby as a wrestler. Just go look at his two classic ladder matches with Shawn Michaels.

The Big Red Machine has been causing havoc now for close to 20 years. He had a huge impact right away as he was immediately put in a feud with his storyline brother, The Undertaker, and won his first WWE title in less than a year. Kane was one of those old school characters that put fears in the hearts of fans across the country. Although now known as Corporate Kane, he will be forever known as "the Devil's favorite demon".

Technically, you could put the three faces of Foley on this list with his other characters, Dude Love and Cactus Jack. But Mankind is what he is best known for. What started as a mentally deranged, schizophrenic turned into a playful, comedic character that saw him introduce his favorite sock puppet, Mr. Socko. Whichever incarnation of Mankind you got, what stayed the same was his death defying and insane bumps he would take to keep fans entertained.

Everybody had a price for "The Million Dollar Man". Ted Dibiase was one of the most skilled wrestlers of his time, but what everyone remembers was one of the most hated characters in WWE history. Whether it was stuffing a c-note down some poor wrestler's gullet or making a woman bark like a dog for a hundred dollars, he was constantly drawing heat for his antics. He couldn't buy or win the WWE title on his own, so like any good heel would do, he created and bought his own Million Dollar belt.

The "Immortal" Hulk Hogan could be argued to be on the list, but Terry Bollea is Hulk Hogan. "Hollywood" Hogan, however, was someone completely different. His transformation and subsequent move to the NWO might be the biggest shock in wrestling history. Hogan was completely engrossed as "Hollywood" Hogan even hobnobbing with the likes of Dennis Rodman and Jay Leno. He turned himself from the most popular wrestler of his generation to maybe the most hated.

The most patriotic character on this list, Sgt Slaughter was one of the most beloved guys in pro wrestling. He brought patriotism to wrestling when patriotism in this country was at an all-time high. Slaughter became a household name thanks to the reciting of the Pledge of Allegiance after matches and becoming an alternate character in the GI Joe series. He was so popular at one point that President Ronald Reagan invited him to the White House because he was such a huge fan.

Were there any better vignettes in the history of pro wrestling than the ones WWE produced for Mr. Perfect? From sinking hole in ones to hitting home runs and bowling perfect games, Mr. Perfect was a one of a kind character. Blessed with amazing in-ring skills that led to an AWA World Championship, you could see superstardom right away with Hennig. However, it was Mr. Perfect that finally got him noticed by the masses. Why? Because he was absolutely perfect!

The "franchise" of WCW has been the character Sting since the beginning when he teamed with Rock (Ultimate Warrior) as part of the Blade Runners in the UWF. There has been two variations of Sting in WCW as he went from the muscle bound blonde from California, to the the dark, mysterious "Crow" character that sat in the rafters later on in his career. Whichever version you liked best, it didn't matter, Sting was the most popular guy ever in WCW and one of wrestling's biggest icons.

"The Macho Man" is one of the most colorful characters in wrestling history. He was recognized by fans for his deep and raspy voice, his ring attire, his intensity exhibited inside and outside the ring, using 'Pomp and Circumstance' as his entrance music, and his signature catch phrase "oooh yeah!". If it wasn't for Hulk Hogan, he might have been the most recognizable wrestler in history. Savage had the sizzle to go with the steak as he is considered one of the greatest in-ring technicians of all time. Some say he had the greatest match in history with Ricky Steamboat at WrestleMania 3.

Ultimate Warrior was a polarizing figure both in and out of the ring. His promos were often outlandish and nonsensical, but people loved them anyway. He had overwhelming charisma and fans loved to live vicariously through him. The entrance music, the sprinting to the ring and of course, the shaking of the ropes, have all become legendary. Ultimate Warrior was so engrossed in his character that he legally changed his name to Warrior and his children carry the Warrior name as their surname. His impact is felt today after his untimely death in 2014 as WWE presented the first ever "Warrior" award at the 2015 Hall of Fame.

He took an idea of a "dead man" who employs scare tactics and has links to the supernatural and made himself into the greatest phenom of all time. He also has the greatest ring entrance of all time that wrestlers will tell you today still gives them chills down their spine. He has tweaked his character from time to time, even portraying a biker image in the early 2000s, but what forever will be etched in fans' minds about the Undertaker is his "Lord of Darkness" character. His character and persona is still a mystery 25 years later, but there is no doubt in my mind that The Undertaker is the greatest gimmick and character of all time.