Ranking Who Was REALLY The Worst Wrestler Every Year 1990-2021

WWE is no longer going to recruit from the independent scene. This, as you'll learn, is a bad idea.

Giant Gonzalez Eva Marie
WWE

Ordinarily, this series is a celebration of the highs of millennial pro wrestling fandom.

AEW's impeccable viral marketing campaign that heralded CM Punk's arrival inspired a look back at modern pro wrestling's best ever debuts, including the meta mind-melt of Scott Hall's first WCW Nitro appearance and WWE actually, thrillingly acknowledging itself as pro wrestling upon introducing Kevin Owens to NXT audiences in 2014. The return of the booming crowd pop in 2021 also inspired a revisit of some life-affirming all-timers, like the unreal spectacle of Akira Hokuto descending on Big Egg Wrestling Universe. That was a 10 hour card. Even writing about it in passing and putting it back out in the universe might compel Nick Khan to increase the duration of RAW. Sorry about that.

It's a fun and easy thing to write, a fond recollection of awesome memories viewed through the kaleidoscope of this great sport; the technicolour of the early '90s, the dark edge of the late decade. At least until the f*cking thing starts to lag by the time one reaches the 2000s. The colours stop on deep, dulled red and blue as WWE's monopoly takes hold. But this is a caustic capsule rant about the worst of the worst.

John Laurinaitis finally becomes useful!

32. 1990 - Mike Rotunda

Giant Gonzalez Eva Marie
WWE.com

Mike Rotunda charged into the ropes like Del Boy falling through the bar, and while that was actually impressive, since he made his way back up, it also made for a very awkward and clumsy sight.

When he rebounded back, he did so in a way that was physical and looked like it hurt, but it looked like sh*t. When he wasn't gracelessly smashing into his opponents, he was effective, in the parameters of the match, at grounding his opponents.

Unfortunately, wrestling is meant to be entertaining, and Rotunda's amateur-inspired grappling while legitimate-looking was just so punishingly dull.

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Contributor
Contributor

Michael Sidgwick is an editor, writer and podcaster for WhatCulture Wrestling. With over seven years of experience in wrestling analysis, Michael was published in the influential institution that was Power Slam magazine, and specialises in providing insights into All Elite Wrestling - so much so that he wrote a book about the subject. You can order Becoming All Elite: The Rise Of AEW on Amazon. Possessing a deep knowledge also of WWE, WCW, ECW and New Japan Pro Wrestling, Michael’s work has been publicly praised by former AEW World Champions Kenny Omega and MJF, and current Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes. When he isn’t putting your finger on why things are the way they are in the endlessly fascinating world of professional wrestling, Michael wraps his own around a hand grinder to explore the world of specialty coffee. Follow Michael on X (formerly known as Twitter) @MSidgwick for more!