7. Ricky "The Dragon" Steamboat
Ricky Steamboat was one of the most talented wrestlers in America in the late '70s and '80s, enjoying enormous success in the territorial days of the NWA. He debuted for the then-WWF in 1985, adopting the moniker of "The Dragon" in homage to Bruce Lee. He feuded against the likes of Jake Roberts and Don Muraco. The peak of his success came with his feud against Macho Man Randy Savage, with whom he would have a fantastic match at Wrestlemania 3, capturing the Intercontinental Title along the way. This would be the highest he would ascend in WWE. Shortly after his Title win, he would request time off to be with his pregnant wife. This would earn him the ire of WWE management, who were looking for an excuse to punish him since Wrestlemania 3 for overshadowing the main event of Andre Vs Hogan. Steamboat would leave WWE in '88 to return to NWA, and would compete for various promotions before ending up in WCW. Later in TNA, he would be part of a promo with Ron Killings where his time at WWE would be mentioned, with Killings blaming racism for the fact that Steamboat was never a serious contender for the WWF Title.