20 Most Iconic WWE Wrestlers Of All Time

Who really is the WWE's biggest icon of all time?

by Andrew Pollard

To different people, the term 'WWE icon' brings up many different images of a plethora of superstars from throughout the decades.

What does one look at when classifying an icon? Well, there's that much-heralded 'it factor', then there's the charisma aspect, the larger than life persona, the ability to connect with fans, the notoriety to transcend the wrestling industry, the talent to get it done in the ring, and then, of course, there's always a slight element of personal bias from the person assessing just who really is or isn't an icon.

From the days of the WWWF to the WWF and to the current WWE, only a select group of superstars ever truly reach legendary and iconic status amongst wrestling fans, wrestling journalists and amongst their peers. These special performers are the ones who change the industry and lay the foundations for future generations of the wrestling business, raising the bar and offering unique skills that few can ever match, mesmerising audiences as they show off the extreme mastering they have of their craft.

Some may have had a brief stay in the spotlight whilst others have adorned our television screens for a decade or more, but here€™s the WWE's 20 most iconic superstars of all time.

Senior Writer
Senior Writer

Once described as the Swiss Army Knife of WhatCulture, Andrew can usually be found writing, editing, or presenting on a wide range of topics. As a lifelong wrestling fan, horror obsessive, and comic book nerd, he's been covering those topics professionally as far back as 2010. In addition to his current WhatCulture role of Senior Content Producer, Andrew previously spent nearly a decade as Online Editor and Lead Writer for the world's longest-running genre publication, Starburst Magazine, and his work has also been featured on BBC, TechRadar, Tom's Guide, WhatToWatch, Sportkskeeda, and various other outlets, in addition to being a Rotten Tomatoes-approved film critic. Between his main day job, his role as the lead panel host of Wales Comic Con, and his gig as a pre-match host for Wrexham AFC games, Andrew has also carried out a hugely varied amount of interviews, from the likes of Robert Englund, Kane Hodder, Adrienne Barbeau, Rob Zombie, Katharine Isabelle, Leigh Whannell, Bruce Campbell, and Tony Todd, to Kevin Smith, Ron Perlman, Elijah Wood, Giancarlo Esposito, Simon Pegg, Charlie Cox, the Russo Brothers, and Brian Blessed, to Kevin Conroy, Paul Dini, Tara Strong, Will Friedle, Burt Ward, Andrea Romano, Frank Miller, and Rob Liefeld, to Bret Hart, Sting, Mick Foley, Ricky Starks, Jamie Hayer, Britt Baker, Eric Bischoff, and William Regal, to Mickey Thomas, Joey Jones, Phil Parkinson, Brian Flynn, Denis Smith, Gary Bennett, Karl Connolly, and Bryan Robson - and that's just the tip of an ever-expanding iceberg. Where his beloved Wrexham AFC is concerned, Andrew is co-host of the Fearless in Devotion podcast, which won the Club Podcast of the Year gong at the 2024 FSA Awards.