10 Most Universally Respected Wrestlers Ever

Some men command respect, others will beat it into you.

By John Bills /

WWE

More so than most industries, the professional wrestling world seems to be obsessed with respect. Men and women get it beaten into them, as the weird military-esque need to earn your dues gets taken way too far night after night. WWE history is full of stories of supposed disrespect being beaten out of individuals, and the stories aren’t pretty.

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The Miz was famously denied access to the locker room at the behest of John ‘Bradshaw’ Layfield, a fate that seems positively utopian when you think of the beating JBL and Ron Simmons gave to an apparently disrespectful Public Enemy. If fists aren’t flying then jobs are on the line, and something as innocuous as neglecting to shake hands can cost talent a chance at the big time.

Within this world, schoolyard squabbles can be found everywhere, and the rise of the wrestling shoot interview has seen backstage beefs come to the front of the camera. Finding individuals that avoid criticism is tough, but they do exist.

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Certain performers are above criticism however, earning only hushed tones and reverent words of adulation and respect. Here are the 10 most universally respected performers in wrestling history.