The legit tough guys in WWE have always been able to command respect, and were traditionally the most powerful people in any wrestling locker room. It goes back to the early twentieth century, when top-tier wrestlers needed to "shoot" in addition to "working" matches. That need for shoot ability in the early days of pro wrestling was down to the real dangers of the sport. Fans thought pro wrestling was real, and tensions often boiled over. A heel needed to be prepared to fight back any attack that could come from the crowd. The wrestlers also needed to be legit tough in case their opponent tried to screw or shoot with them. By the late twentieth century, legit toughness was on the way out. Guys like Hulk Hogan had turned wrestling into a circus show, and fans knew it was all pre-determined entertainment. But internally, the respect for legit tough guys remained. There are several wrestlers in the Attitude Era who were legit tough and could have won real fights. The following are WWE and WCW's legit toughest guys, with credentials and stories that prove their hardman status. Stone Cold Steve Austin was actually nowhere being the toughest S.O.B in the world!
11. John Bradshaw Layfield
John Bradshaw Layfield is nearly seven foot and 290 pounds, giving him a physicality that instantly made him a tough prospect in the WWE locker room. But there were a lot of big guys in the WWF locker room, what set Bradshaw apart was his attitude. He fancied himself as a hardman, and carried himself as such. He got in several legit fights on the road, and even had a scrap with Steve Blackman on one occasion. There'll be more on Blackman later! But just acting the hardman doesn't make you tough, Bradshaw was able to back it up. He had a background in football and had wrestled legit grizzly bears when in college. That tells you what you need to know about his strength and power. He also had a basic understanding of how to fight, and made it to the final of the WWF Brawl For All shoot tournament. When it came to legit toughness, his peers rated him right up there.
