10 Best European Wrestlers In WWE History

Whilst professional wrestling may have its roots in early nineteenth century Europe, most of the industry's household names have generally hailed from North America or Japan.

Despite this, there have always been opportunities for European trailblazers to pull on their spandex west of the Atlantic, many of them helped, not hindered, by the disparate styles and strange accents they bring with them.

Present day WWE is more diverse than ever, and the recent UK Championship tournament - the company's first of perhaps many ventures outside their traditional stomping ground - is a sign that they are now prepared to cast a wider net in search of the stars of tomorrow.

In Tyler Bate and Pete Dunne, Triple H and co. would appear to have unearthed a pair of rough diamonds to head the next wave of overseas imports, but they have a long way to go for a seat at this table.

Here are the top 10 European wrestlers in WWE history.

Cesaro's considerable wrestling mettle had already been tested in myriad independent promotions both in the US and Japan by the time he arrived in WWE in 2012, but for the fans who had never seen the Swiss giant in action, his unique style - a heavy blend of stiff blows and innovative, high-impact moves - quickly established him as one of the company's most exciting next generation acquisitions.

In the five years since, Cesaro's fortunes have been somewhat mixed. He picked up the inaugural Andre The Giant Memorial Trophy by winning WrestleMania XXX's best of the rest battle royal, but has spent a large chunk of his run stuck in the tag team ranks, teaming up first with Tyson Kidd and latterly Sheamus. Many fans still have high hopes, though, and his accomplishments to date are enough to earn him a spot in this company.