WWE's product is built upon a history of legendary performers. These icons of the industry achieved levels of success that influenced their peers and ultimately changed the very fabric of professional wrestling. Any generation that follows an influential performer is always going to end up derivative of the past success, and the legacy left by WWE's legends is still apparent in today's product. Vince McMahon and company will always have a debt of gratitude to the wrestlers who set the bar and showed the way. In ranking the most influential WWE wrestlers ever, there are several factors that have to be considered. For example, many pre-1980's WWF performers were regional based, as Vince McMahon only took the company truly global in the mid eighties. In this respect, latter generations would have a larger exposure in which to impress upon. It's easier to influence a generation when you're on multinational television. But some things go way back. The archetypal "look" and "promo" are rooted in the Vince Snr days. The influence of in-ring style has been more of an evolutionary process, with major perception changes throughout the decades. The following were the innovators who paved the way for the current wrestlers. Bear in mind that this is WWE and not WCW. The WCW revolutionaries like Rey Mysterio, Eddie Guerrero and Ric Flair will be saved for the WCW version of this list.
