39 Best Wrestlers From 39 Different Countries

Breaking down the greatest superstars of all time, country by country.

british bulldog portrait
WWE.com

Many may see North America as the be-all and end-all when it comes to the wrestling industry - and in fairness, Vince McMahon's WWE is easily the biggest promotion in the world - but that's not to say that the wrestling talent pool is confined simply to North American soil.

Over the years, the wrestling business has seen a whole host of wrestlers from every corner of the globe make some sort of impression. Sure, some of them outright sucked, but at least they were representing their homeland and bringing some form of diversity to the table. Others would reach legendary status and see their careers cemented as iconic.

Whilst many foreigners were often considered villainous heels when on other lands, not all of them were there merely to be treated as fodder for flag-waving heroes such as Hulk Hogan or John Cena.

Pulling out our trusty atlas and spanning the globe, let's take a look at the best superstars that 39 countries have had to offer to date. And just to make it clear, residency and billed-from don't cut it here - this is all about where a talent was born.

39. Argentina: Giant Gonzalez

british bulldog portrait
WWE.com

Birthplace: El Colorado, Formosa, Argentina

In terms of underwhelming starts to a list, they don’t get any lower than Jorge “Giant” Gonzalez when it comes to wrestling talent. His inclusion here is more one of those “by default” ones, though.

A legit 7’7” (although often billed as 8 foot tall), it’s no surprise that Gonzalez took a career path that took in basketball and even briefly the NBA. That wouldn’t work out, and the giant Argentine would soon head to WCW and become El Gigante.

Despite having minimal talent and movement, he’d be involved in some high profile WCW angles before a famed 1994 stint in the WWF, including an Undertaker feud that took in a Wrestlemania match. Oh, and that horrible bodysuit.

Having retired in 1995 due to health issues, Gonzalez would spend his time out of the limelight in Argentina until he sadly passed away in 2010 at the age of just 44.

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 dayjob, 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.