6. Bret Hart
Ask anyone about Bret Hart and they will tell you that he is one of the greatest wrestlers in the history of the business, and he is. One of the key aspects of Hart that separates him from the rest of the top tier performers in his field is that his characters persona leaned on one thing: Being the best. Harts main event performances in the 90s were adored for their ring psychology, but were also sold on their style. The idea behind The Hitman was that he was tactical, meticulous, and efficient. The concepts of being bigger or stronger were put on the back burner for the idea that the smarter, complete competitor had the best chance to win in the end. Also, unlike most World Champions before him (Hogan, Savage, Ultimate Warrior), Hart used a submission as a finishing move, which he actively built his matches around by using other strikes and submissions on the legs and lower back of his opponents. The lumbering, brawling style of fighting that used wild, flailing punches and kicks were put aside in favor of a more strategic assault. The likes of Ric Flair predominantly used this ring philosophy in the NWA and aside from a WWE Title Run in the early 90s for Flair, Hart was the first to be given the chance to really run with it for several years.