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Follow @TheDocLOP About a year ago, a frequent collaborator on “The Doc Says” podcast – David Fenichel - suggested to me a column series that would begin to turn our historical attention toward that which came after the vaunted Attitude Era. With an eye on something fresh, he suggested that we identify the most accomplished wrestlers of the “post-Attitude Era” - from present day back to the night after WrestleMania X-8 as we have defined it. So, welcome to a labor of pro wrestling love roughly one year in the making. We ranked our top 100 wrestlers based on a point system that involved headlining matches for WrestleMania, Summerslam, Survivor Series, The Royal Rumble, and all other PPVs, combined with a points formula based on titles won and length of reigns. While it was more difficult to ascertain the status of certain members of the WWE – namely tag teams, divas and legends w/ short tenures during this era, we believe that this is as unbiased of a countdown as you are going to find. Chad and I did a tremendous amount of work putting this together for you, so we hope that you enjoy the ride. 50. The Great Khali 49. MVP 48. Umaga 47. Bobby Lashley 46. Shane McMahon 45. Bray Wyatt 44. Ryback 43. R-Truth 42. Hulk Hogan 41. Matt Hardy 50. The Great Khali Dave: The Great Khali was a criminally underrated performer whose in-ring skills shone very brightly in the key era-defining main-event matches that he partook in. At this point, Chad is reading this and ready to have an aneurysm. Of course The Great Khali is the worst wrestler on our list, and of course it’s a complete travesty that he rounds out the top half of our countdown at #50. Alas, the numbers are what the numbers are. You can’t teach size, and Khali is a monster. As a result, despite being barely able to walk much less wrestle, The Great Khali was given a world title run and a handful of Pay Per View main-events. I have nothing else to add to this entry. I look forward to the hatred and venom that Chad is about to spew upon us. By all means, take it away Doc. Doc: The Great Khali is my least favorite wrestler of all-time. He is living proof that, any time a wrestler claimed that an all-time great could have an outstanding match with a broomstick, he was lying through his teeth and just trying to be cute. Khali was as useless as a broomstick; more probably could've been done with a broomstick. He was so awful and so immobile that it defied credibility that he could beat an elite athlete. How was he supposed to get hold of an opponent? Every action took place at approximately a tenth of a mile per hour. So, there you go, Vince McMahon. Your argument that big guys are credible monsters is defeated. Khali moved slower than a giant fat man with a broken leg. The idea that Khali was an elite talent because he was humongous was as asinine as a screen door on a submarine. I lost hours of my life enduring the body of work from that waste of space. You remember what John Cena's finishing move used to be called? You remember what that stood for? That's my closing thought toward Khali and those responsible for putting us through his time at the top. 49. MVP Ok, now we're really into the Top 50. MVP was a dominant mid-card champion. He held the United States Title for longer than all but one wrestler in WWE history and is one of the longest combined reigning US Champions ever (including the lineage of the NWA/WCW US Title). More than that, he was a personality worth investing in, the complete package of talking ability, wrestling talent, and unique look. It reflects poorly on him that, during an era in which it was easier to become a World Champion, he never even temporarily grasped the brass ring. I view him very similarly to how I view Alberto Del Rio despite the Mexican Aristocrat being a multi-time World Champion. They played similar roles at different times, but the breaks went Del Rio's way. In my opinion, WWE should've pulled the trigger on MVP as an M-E-P (main-event player). MVP had everything it took to be a huge superstar. I’m going to give him even more credit than Chad already has. I think he was saddled with a gimmick that was cheesy and destined to fail. He took what looked like a lost cause and turned it into a very successful run. Chad has already detailed MVP’s title accomplishments, and his place in our top 50 is well-settled. While he may never have reached main event status, MVP took part in two of my favorite mid-card feuds of the era. His feud with Chris Benoit showed the world how great of a wrestler he really was. His feud with Matt Hardy not only continued to showcase the stellar in-ring work of MVP, but the “anything you can do I can do better” storyline was must-see TV each and every week. We’ll call MVP the “anti-Khali” and move on. 48. Umaga Umaga was the Vader of this generation. He was a monster heel that put fear in your heart. These types of unstoppable monsters were commonplace in the 80s and early 90s. Times change, and non-realistic characters lacked credibility for this era. This was not the case with Umaga. He acted like a savage, was booked like a savage, and you believed that he was the animal he portrayed. He was a great in-ring worker for someone his size. His Last Man Standing match against John Cena at the Royal Rumble is one of the most underrated matches of all time. That match was an absolute classic, and quite possibly the best ever version of that gimmick. Umaga was such a credible beast that he was Vince McMahon’s handpicked wrestler to face Lashley in the Hair match with Donald Trump. That tells you everything you need to know about Umaga. Umaga is the new big man standard for professional wrestling. With a demand for the in-ring product to achieve a consistently higher level combined with the roster generally shrinking to the smallest average size in the WrestleMania Era, giants of considerable height are relics of an era gone by. If you can find a Kane or Taker, that's great, but Umaga and those cut from his mold will do. For all the reasons Dave described, Umaga was a believable “monster” villain. The fact that he could work laid the groundwork for talents like Rusev (and others in the future) to emerge and excel. From a personal standpoint, truth be told, I liked Umaga from Day 1, even dating back to his run in Three-Minute Warning. I'm a fan of the Samoan Wrestling Dynasty's many members, as their blend of size and athleticism has appealed to me since the infancy of my wrestling fandom. 47. Bobby Lashley You can never get too excited about a performance in one match, but I’ll admit that Bobby Lashley’s work against John Cena at the 2007 Great American Bash was very encouraging to me. Before then, I was marginally at best on board with Lashley’s push. You need at least two of three things to make it big in wrestling: a marketable look, in-ring skill, and personality. There was no personality being shown and he was average in the ring, so his physique was the only thing going for him to warrant the ECW Title run and the spot alongside Donald Trump in a headlining WrestleMania match. Then, he had that match with Cena for the WWE Championship and I was blown away. Lashley showed a lot of potential there. And then we never saw him again, did we? He was injured soon after and never came back. I’m unsure as to why Chad seems to wonder how Lashley’s one hit wonder against John Cena was not repeatable. I think it is an attestation to the greatness that is John Cena, arguably the best wrestler in the history of the business. Bobby Lashley is a poor man’s Ryback. He has an all-time great look but brought nothing else to the table. He was completely devoid of charisma, couldn’t work a match, and had horrible mic skills. He sounded like a pre-pubescent boy every time he opened his mouth. Although Lashley’s lengthy headlining run made him a no brainer for the Top 50 on our list, he brought nothing to the table for me. The best thing that ever happened to the product was the day he decided to take his ball and go home as a result of the WWE firing his fiancée Krystal. Good riddance. 46. Shane McMahon SHANE-O-MAC! I’m still pumped at his recent shocking return. I am sure that Chad will do a fantastic job of outlining Shane’s resume and worthiness of his place on this list. I am going to spend my 150 words on why I appreciated Shane so much. He’s the son of the owner of the company. He never had to work a day in his life if he didn’t want to. Even if he was going to venture into the wrestling ring, he had no incentive to take any risks. Nonetheless, that’s exactly what he did. In every match that he participated in, Shane put his body on the line in the most insane of fashions. He had nothing to prove, but he put himself through hell for the pure entertainment of the fans. For that, I say “thank you Shane”. Shane McMahon’s legacy will be that of an underrated contributor, on camera and behind the scenes. In the post-Attitude Era, Shane was regularly featured at important times on the wrestling calendar. With star power born of his integral role on WWE TV during the last boom period, Shane ‘O would turn up to defend his family name in one way or another, always adding quality minutes to the program. His matches with Eric Bischoff, Kane, Degeneration X, and Randy Orton from 2003-2009 were all headliners; his involvement in some of his father’s matches was also noteworthy (and contributed to his place on our list), as did his most recent bout with Undertaker. We probably don’t talk enough about Shane McMahon, hence the “underrated” label used in the opening line. He’ll be in the Hall of Fame someday and some may scoff, but combine Dave’s account with Shane’s in-ring achievements and there’s no doubting the legitimacy of his candidacy. 45. Bray Wyatt Doc: Bray Wyatt is one of the pillars of the modern product. He has been as consistent a presence on WWE TV as anyone over the last three years and has achieved a rare status among his peers who debuted a decade ago or sooner as a star whose matches carry a special aura; in that respect, Wyatt deserves the comparisons to Undertaker. The Phenom wasn’t always used in a top spot on the card, but you always knew he was a top guy. That’s where the mystique comes into play. Some argued that creating that air of mystery in the Reality Era was impossible, but Wyatt has proven otherwise. WrestleMania matches with Undertaker and John Cena, Summerslam matches with Kane, Chris Jericho, and Ambrose/Reigns, and feature positions at each Royal Rumble card he’s been on so far…Wyatt has already had a great career, but the future looks very bright despite his struggles in 2016. Dave: Bray Wyatt is the most unique character in wrestling today. That, combined with a stellar work rate and arguably unparalleled mic skills, has allowed him to be a consistent headliner from the day he walked into the WWE. He, along with the Wyatt family, have been involved in fantastic feuds with the likes of John Cena, Daniel Bryan, CM Punk, The Shield as a unit, and both Roman Reigns and Dean Ambrose individually. While to most he seems like a no-brainer to be this generation’s version of The Undertaker, I have my concerns. He has been massively de-pushed this year. His microphone time has been cut tremendously, he was removed from a WrestleMania headlining match against Brock Lesnar, and it doesn’t appear that the WWE has any significant plans for him. Is this a sign of things to come? 44. Ryback I might be the world’s biggest Ryback fan. In my eyes, Ryback has “it” in a way that no one else currently in the WWE has. He has been involved in headlining feuds with CM Punk and John Cena, as well as enjoyed a short run as IC Champ. However, I feel like the Ryback ball has been dropped. Ryback was over in the most massive way back in 2012 when he faced CM Punk for the title. The WWE chose to put the title into the Rock v Cena WrestleMania rematch, had Cena eliminate Ryback to win the Rumble, and it was downhill from there. I believe that Cena/Rock 2 didn’t need the World title. Had Ryback won the Rumble and been the man to dethrone CM Punk at WrestleMania 29, we would have had our next John Cena. I’m going to hold out hope, but it’s fading fast. Ryback is horribly misplaced on this list. His accomplishments do not accurately reflect his actual standing in WWE history. He was a C player when he was pushed toward the top in 2012 and 2013 and it was only after having to work his way back up the card through 2014 that he became a B player. Calling him a potential “next Cena” is like back in the 90s when people called Harold Miner the “next Jordan.” Recently, Ryback was right where he should have been. He was an over mid-card act that could be inserted into key situations from time-to-time, but he was simply not good enough to warrant an immense amount of praise. That said, I do appreciate his philosophy on life and his work ethic and he’s worlds better than he was a few years ago at the peak of his push. 43. R-Truth R-Truth is another jabroni who greatly benefited from the criteria. Both he and Ryback showcase how much the ball was dropped in the latter part of the 2000s in terms of creating viable main-event talents. To his credit, Truth had a very entertaining heel run in 2011, but aside from that he is a mid-card act through and through whose overall actual standing with WWE warrants a move back about 20 spots on our list. You stick around long enough in a land with so many titles and you’re bound to win a few, I suppose, so Truth’s title resume isn’t bad. The aforementioned 2011 run gave him some PPV main-events. It’s misleading, though. Imagine if the same sort of opportunities were afforded in the Hulkamania Era; Truth’s position here is like Koko B. Ware being in the Top 50 of the original boom period. It just seems weird to me. I’d like to defend Ryback again, but I need to stick up for R Truth now. First, Ron Killings was a great main eventer and World Champion back when TNA meant something. Second, Chad turned positive qualities into negatives. “He’s a by-product of being around for a while”. Longevity’s a positive attribute. It’s hard to carve out a lengthy career in the dog-eat-dog atmosphere of WWE. “He amassed titles because they were passed around”. Everyone in this era had that opportunity, yet he still amassed an impressive amount of titles. “He had a main event run only because the talent sucked then”. If the talent was so bad, how come countless others didn’t main event too? R Truth has had a great career. He is versatile in the way his character is portrayed, and is a consistently strong in ring performer. He is more than worthy of his spot. 42. Hulk Hogan Here’s another guy that Chad is probably going to call overrated. Plainly speaking, Hulk Hogan is the best sports entertainer to ever live. An absolute icon of the 80s and 90s, Hulk Hogan was never an “active” superstar during the measurable era. Nonetheless, he would make sporadic appearances in the WWE, and we were better off for it. Each and every time he showed up to wrestle, he was the unquestioned headlining act that everyone paid to see. We are starting to get to the portion of our list where your headlining statistics matter most, and this benefitted Hogan tremendously. He notches a headlining match at WrestleMania against Vince McMahon and two headlining matches at Summerslam against Shawn Michaels and Randy Orton. He’s old as dirt and a horrible bigot, but I’d still pay good money to see Hogan headline one more WrestleMania. That speaks volumes about his greatness. Why would I call Hulk Hogan overrated? Hulkamania lives forever as far as I’m concerned. He’s an indelible part of sports entertainment history’s fabric; he’s on the Mount Rushmore for wrestling. Though clearly was not a huge part of the business from post-WrestleMania X-8 to present day, his contributions were considerable. The match with Shawn Michaels is an all-time favorite of mine and the greatest iteration of the “Hogan match” established during Hulkster’s peak years. His work with Vince McMahon two years prior is underrated and proof that if two characters buy into the story that they’re telling, real magic can happen on that 20’X20’ canvas regardless of the competitors’ respective ages. Two nights alone for Hogan eclipse years and years of work from our previous two entries and I’m by no means a Hulkster mark. That speaks volumes about the post-Attitude Era. 41. Matt Hardy Hard workers with good minds for the wrestling business should be rewarded and I’m glad that our list is rewarding one of them in Matt Hardy whose career has been, thus far, historically underrated. He has an inescapable connection to his more successful brother, Jeff, with most of Matt’s major accomplishments in headlining situations coming either alongside or in opposition to his younger sibling. However, from Cruiserweight Championship success to becoming United States Champion at the tail end of a really good feud with MVP to winning the ECW Championship when that belt still had some meaning to it, Matt carved out a spot all on his own. Also, his feud with Edge and Lita was part of the foundation for the Reality Era, as WWE crafted on TV a story born from behind the scenes happenings. The Steel Cage match stemming from that rivalry is one of my favorite matches of the 2000s. As much as I enjoyed the string of wrestlers Chad and I disagreed on, I can’t do it here. Hardy was the better of the Hardy Boys. Although Jeff was flashier and undoubtedly more popular, Matt was the glue that held the team together. They were one of the better tag teams in the history of the business, and Matt Hardy deserves the lion’s share of the credit for that. He is one of my favorite Cruiserweight Champions of all time. I loved his “Mattitude” gimmick. I was consistently cracking up at the “Matt Facts” that would pop up on screen prior to each of his matches. His real-life based feud with Edge is the closest that he ever got to being a main event player, and I’m ok with that. I have nothing but fond memories, and I’m glad that he earned such a high spot on our countdown.
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