The BEST Wrestler from EVERY Year in WWE History (1963-2023)

The BEST Wrestler from EVERY Year in WWE History (1963-2023)
WWE truly is the Meca of professional wrestling. But then, given the fact that they’ve been around since the 1960’s, perhaps the promotions growth and global reach should come as no surprise. Of course, they wouldn’t have gotten here were it not been for their various top stars drawing in new fans over the years. Yes, more so than anyone else, it’s the wrestlers themselves that have helped the company to reach such heights. However, there can only be one top performer of each year, one person who stands out above everyone else as the very best wrestler of each specific twelve-month period. But who were these performers? Well, that’s exactly what we’re going to be looking at today. So, join us as we take a deep dive into The Best Wrestler of Every Year in WWE History.
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[@WRESTLEWITHANDY]

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[@criminalmindsgirl2936]

WCW/WWE Cruiserweight Division: Where Are They Now? What happened to some of the greatest Cruiserweight Champions from WCW and WWE.

[@geraintthatcher3076]

I disagree with you on 1 thing. For 1998 I'd argue Vince was the best thing on TV. He truly was the greatest heel of all time

[@rickynelson8185]

Love the video. Maybe do one on the territory days and maybe one on WcW champions NWa champion and also Awa and ECW. I think that would be cool.

[@tajunoor1311]

History of the Midnight Express. Video please

[@brandoncapone4345]

It would be cool to see the best non-WWE wrestler each year during this same timeframe

[@vaibhavdixit2822]

So basically Undertaker was never face of company . Unbelievable YET true

[@grandmastermario3695]

Yah because it's all based on who ever holds the belt, belt makes the the face I guess, my opinion undertaker is the goat overall.

[@tmac731]

He was the face to me

[@ikervega0116]

And yet he was the one constant in WWE for 30 years and even the top champions would fear him

[@grandmastermario3695]

@@ikervega0116 which is why Cena was in raw and taker was on smackdown.

[@shippo008]

Undertaker was on top of the top wrestlers.

[@shawnmichaels568]

2005 was undoubtedly batista's year. He was on top of his game, Putting on classics with Triple H, The World heavyweight championship looked so good around his waist.

[@krisisnWo]

I agree, 2005 definitely was the year of Batista

[@RoseyRK]

And after that year everyone got bored of Batista

[@AD-ur1fk]

Exactly. He was definitely wrestler of the year in 05

[@Nalediii5]

Thought so too

[@MaxxadTV]

2005 was completely his year. His win was much more monumentous than Cena's of that year. The story of him v HHH and the break up of evolution after 2 years was the best story AND rivalry of 2005 aswell. Very surprised they gave 05 to Cena. 06 was definitely the year of Cena but not 05.

[@jimbo619y2j]

1. Bruno Sammartino (1963-1970) 2. Pedro Morales (1971-1973) 3. Bruno Sammartino (1974-1976) 4. Superstar Billy Graham (1977) 5. Bob Backlund (1978-1983) 6. Hulk Hogan (1984-1987) 7. Randy Savage (1988) 8. Hulk Hogan (1989) 9. Ultimate Warrior (1990) 10. Hulk Hogan (1991) 11. Bret Hart (1992) 12. Yokozuna (1993) 13. Bret Hart (1994) 14. Diesel (1995) 15. Shawn Michaels (1996) 16. Steve Austin (1997-1999) 17. The Rock (2000) 18. Kurt Angle (2001) 19. Brock Lesnar (2002) 20. Kurt Angle (2003) 21. Eddie Guerrero (2004) 22. John Cena (2005-2007) 23. Randy Orton (2008) 24. Triple H (2009) 25. John Cena (2010) 26. CM Punk (2011-2012) 27. Daniel Bryan (2013-2014) 28. Seth Rollins (2015) 29. AJ Styles (2016) 20. Roman Reigns (2017) 21. AJ Styles (2018) 22. Becky Lynch (2019) 23. Roman Reigns (2020-2023) Saved you 30 minutes. You're welcome.

[@sameerthor11]

Yeah bro

[@jms7265]

Thanks bruv

[@akshayparmar4311]

Undertaker is not the face He is the body and soul of the company..

[@servantofallah9425]

Indian guy logic just after scamming people on internet and dming send nude 😅

[@officiallymarvellous]

2020 - Drew McIntyre 2010 - The Undertaker 2005 - Batista

[@alexandrenamor8463]

Idk about 2010 though, Randy Orton was over af after his face turn and that's when the whole #rkoouttanowhere thing started. The audience and the Internet went crazy on him with the RKO memes, his facial expressions and crazy spots like the RKO on Evan Bourne.

[@javo10ful]

2008- Chris jericho

[@papaaaron7058]

Taker didn't even wrestle in 2010. He disappeared around April and return in summer just to putting over kane

[@officiallymarvellous]

@@alexandrenamor8463 I put Undertaker as that was his last year as a full timer and he was even champion and in the main event for many ppvs

[@alexandrenamor8463]

@@officiallymarvellous Yeah, but compared to Orton, he was barely there, he only wrestled 13 televised matches and he was just there to put Kane over. His only good argument would be the Shawn Michaels WrestleMania feud that ended with what is potentially the greatest match of all time. Even though The Undertaker is always over, he is never the *main guy* ,Orton was the man in 2010. He was the SmackDown vs Raw cover star, he was the one the audience wanted to see beat up everyone. Everytime his theme song started, you could litteraly hear chicks screaming at the first note of "Voices". The man was so over he could litteraly take a shit in the ring and people would cheer for it. He didn't need to be champion to do that and yet he still won the WWE Championship.

[@shutup2751]

batista 2005 is one of the most underrated ever, he was the face of the company up until his injury in 2006, lot of times got attitude era reactions

[@ikervega0116]

Fax if he didnt get injured he likely would have been the face of the company instead of Cena in 2005 it honestly felt like Batista was a bigger deal

[@cliffordjackson3]

@@ikervega0116 FACTS dude.

[@terrancehowell7888]

I agree with you bro...alot of people acting like John Cena didn't benefit from having better wrestlers around him making him look great and taking Ls and Batista felt more vulnerable and relatable which is crazy impressive considering his look and size John Cena became very redundant and wasn't a great worker as well if we going to say that about Batista but Batista has more iconic feuds and matches also Batista vs John Cena 2010 Batista wasn't better on the mic? and didn't carry that feud? also when was John Cena a great heel? Exactly also when they both came up Batista had the crowd ready for him to be the next guy with the HHH feud

[@officerfranktenpenny2053]

@@javierbarajas4968 I never saw better acting wrestler than Batista. Never. His acting skills are 10/10. He had one of the best mic skills ever and you could find it in 2010 and 2014. He looked actually like a 99 overall star. He had great matches. Just haters who like flips and cringe talkers like CM Punk…

[@JayWIll2000s]

@@javierbarajas4968 facts 😂2005 was the start of john cena reign

[@obsessivefanboy7]

2005 was really Batista's year. He had the bigger moments/feuds: he won the royal rumble, he headlined and closed WM21, he defeated HHH three times in a row on PPV which had never been done before, his matches were usually billed higher on the card than Cena's matches when they were on the same PPV, he had a great program with Eddie Guerrero and won the tag team titles with Rey Mysterio, who was also one of the most over babyfaces on Smackdown, and he was still over with both the casual and hardcore fans. 2006 and 2007 was definitely Cena's best years. And 2009 should've been Orton's year. Heel Orton that year was an absolute menace and savage. He defeated HHH & Cena, he took out Batista, he made the McMahon's lives a living hell that year. That year alone cemented Orton's legacy as one of the greatest top heels in WWE history.

[@kuls43]

Yeah, Batista defeated Cena in Royal Rumble. Batista fought in the main event of Mania. His feud with HHH was way more lethal than Cena JBL feud. Batista defeated HHH clean in back to back 3 ppvs. It was definitely Batista's year.

[@kuls43]

Also no mention of Lesner during his 400 day's championship run is funny. Brock was dominating as hell.

[@Sticktothemodels]

Yup

[@caidendaniel4537]

“Repent, for the kingdom of Heaven is at hand” Matthew 3:2

[@ram76921]

the botched royal rumble where he and cena both touched the ground at the same time 😆

[@usmanafzal8005]

And with all that info, one wrestler as the backbone and the leader of the locker room The Undertaker. Legend

[@bls8959]

He was a bad leader

[@usmanafzal8005]

@@bls8959 ask them

[@kamahl55]

I honestly think Randy Orton deserved 2009, but also 2020. He made those raw episodes watchable

[@mikeroagreschen5350]

Orton was the standout player during COVID. It had to be hard to tell a story in the ring with no audience. But Randy did it.

[@alexandrenamor8463]

@@mikeroagreschen5350 That's probably when Randy Orton is at his best tbh. He can't do 4 or 5 stars matches on a weekly basis like AJ Styles or Seth Rollins or be the face of an entire era of superstars like Hogan, Austin, The Rock or Cena, but his acting skills, his facial expressions, his character work and the intensity he puts behind some spots that shouldn't be this good are some qualities that put Orton up there imo. That's why without an audience to set the mood and react to what is happening in the ring or in the locker room, Randy Orton litteraly carried WWE in the pandemic period.

[@nicoleleah9734]

Couldnt agree more. Year of Orton 2009

[@bitaks5799]

2009: CM Punk 2020: Randy Orton

[@DreamisZlatan]

​@@bitaks5799 bro whattt😂 09 punk was good but not as entwrtaining as orton

[@corporateboom]

Honourable mention goes to The Undertaker

[@travismason5732]

The one guy who fits into every single person’s top 5

[@andrewboxall2945]

did he even have his name said in the whole video????

[@GHanBax]

He's not just "best of the year guy", he's probably the best of all time, and has always been mostly consistent throughout his career. He possessed the size, skills, and story which makes sports entertainment what it is.

[@surge78]

@@andrewboxall2945 not once....even during his title runs

[@qui-gone]

​@@andrewboxall2945nope

[@brf101]

Hard to believe Chris Jericho was omitted from this list. What a legend!

[@GameTime-yj6qv]

This guy is going on Jerichos List!

[@aniketprasad3128]

That year would be dicey. I would also nominate Jeff Hardy for the same 2008-09 year

[@murderface3r]

And an awesome singer

[@countjobula]

IMO 2004 was Benoit's year. Won the rumble from #1 and finally got the championship and gold he deserved.

[@bls8959]

I prefer Eddie that year

[@joselombana8381]

While I'm a mark for Benoit. He wasn't the biggest star that year though. You need more than just a Royal rumble and WrestleMania moment. The majority of those 12 months you have to have high-profile matches and win a lot of them. He was only champ from marth till August about 150+ days only. That's not a great year in the grand scheme of things.

[@kadharefinley224]

From Bruno to Hogan to Bret to Shawn to Austin to Rock to HHH to Lesnar to Cena to Orton to Punk to Bryan to Rollins to Reigns WWE has had some legendary wrestlers throughout the years

[@cliffordjackson3]

ALL FACTS NO CAP.

[@sanchorice6382]

Also... The UNDERTAKER!!

[@lexkanyima2195]

But who had the best torch passing moment ?

[@fingersTitan]

but this list isn't "BEST" wrestler around each year.. It's title holders of that year.. Not the same thing at all.. Austin was a package and even before his neck.. He wasn't in the top lot.. He had everything else to go with the package that got him where he deserved to be.. That isn't BEST wrestler..

[@albertofava865]

@@fingersTitan this is a top guy list of every year

[@shawnmichaels568]

Randy orton in 2009 was something else, His heel work was excellent. The man was one of the most sadistic human being on earth during that time.

[@afrikasmith1049]

The Undertaker is so underrated in this video that it's almost criminal.

[@joselombana8381]

Name one year where the dead man was on fire for 12 months or in a single calendar year. Undertaker is my favorite wrestler I cried like a baby when he became 21-1. But he never had a 12 month stretch where he was on top and doing high profile matches. There was a stretch in his career when he was only wrestling once a year and that was at WrestleMania having Stellar wrestlemania matches doesn't is not enough

[@leonardisshepard1340]

The Undertaker was never the face of the company but yet he was the conscious of the company. And arguably Top 5 greatest in history and in the WWE!

[@filiphorvat3760]

He is greatest undeetaker is number 1

[@mirospajic9929]

Easily nr.1! He was on top since start to end!

[@ShawnInGame]

Yes 1- HBK 2- Austin 3- Undertaker

[@MrParker-ux2mh]

I can make a compelling argument that Drew McIntyre had the best early pandemic year 2020

[@robchuk4136]

And you'd be correct. He carried WWE through the lockdown

[@septiandwi7739]

The year when WWE rise from downfall since 2014-2019(when Daniel Bryan babyface era ended then come Roman who despites by majority fans)

[@jshipp5469]

If only drew had an audience when he beat Lensar instead of a performance center

[@ultraexcalibur1728]

Drew never gets the recognition he deserves.

[@djoker2232]

Very true if Wwe wants he can be the biggest star but everyone has to be sacrificed for the one and only Roman Boring Reigns

[@Jimbo_Ka-Blamo]

2008 was easily Jericho over Orton and 2009 was easily Orton over HHH

[@AD-ur1fk]

Right. Jericho was the hottest superstar 2008.

[@ForzasPanda]

Being over during rumble/mania > being over during summer/survivor

[@alexandrenamor8463]

Orton defeated clean the Intercontinental Champion Jeff Hardy at the Royal Rumble after an insane feud, and the two biggest babyfaces (John Cena and Triple H) of the company at WrestleMania to retain a WWE Championship he held for over 6 months. That's hard to beat. Meanwhile, even though this feud with Michaels was awesome, Jericho had 2 short World Heavyweight Championship reigns and lost in the big events.

[@gshoots4357]

no way, 2009 was jeff hardy's year, he was outselling everyone and getting by far the best reactions

[@bitaks5799]

2008: Chris Jericho 2009: CM Punk

[@jp3813]

8:11 vs 14:58 As much as I love the Attitude Era, I feel that many just assume that it was when pro-wrestling peaked in popularity. But the highest Nielsen rating that the Monday Night Wars achieved for a single show was 8.1 when Raw went unopposed, while the highest for Nitro was 6.0, also unopposed. Even if you combine those numbers despite them happening on different dates, they still don't reach the 1st Main Event special's 15.2 in 1988 (33 million viewers) that remains an all-time record for the business to this day. The 2nd iteration achieved an 11.6, the 3rd w/ 12.8, the 4th w/ 8.6, & the 5th w/ 6.7 in '91. The original 31-episode run of Saturday Night's Main Event also drew bigger ratings in general than either Raw or Smackdown (peaked at 5.8) during their respective heydays. That's one of the reasons why The Golden Era is officially referred to as such.

[@willisapril]

The WWF golden era January 1984-June 1993 was the best.

[@jp3813]

@@willisapril WrestleMania IX was awful though.

[@jjanderson6140]

This is like comparing a regular monday night raw to a big 4 ppv that was broadcast for free. Of course they were going to draw incredible ratings. The attitude era was the most profitable time for wrestling.

[@jp3813]

@@jjanderson6140 The big four PPVs were established in '88. The Main Event was held once or twice a year, while Saturday Night's Main Event was up to five times a year. A total of at least 10 shows, not counting other WWF programming like Prime Time. The subject referenced by the timestamps is about popularity, not profitability. Free TV means way more casuals watching.

[@negrosuave9315]

Ain’t nothing topping the attitude era as far as stars, storylines, characters, styles, crazy matches, promotion, etc! They took it to another level in that era!

[@lifeonearth4223]

This was a pleasant cruise through the different generations. Excellent video!

[@WRESTLEWITHANDY]

Appreciate the support, glad you enjoyed the vid ☝🏻🤘🏻💪🏻👊🏻

[@RuthlessWWE]

I’d honestly give Randy Orton the best wrestler of the year in 2009. He was the most evil heel of all time. Destroying the McMahons, winning numerous WWE titles, epic feud with Cena and HHH, and had an amazing faction with Legacy

[@jimbo_1312]

That whole punt-kicking the McMahons thing was a great storyline, and the whole kissing Steph after the punt kick was peak heel behaviour.

[@cliffordjackson3]

@@jimbo_1312 FACTS the only bad part about that orton mcmahon story was his match against triple h for the wwe championship at wrestlemaina 25.

[@lexkanyima2195]

@@cliffordjackson3 a missed opportunity

[@kamahl55]

Was literally about to comment this as well lol

[@sajanaryal6932]

2010 too.. Orton was far more over than Cena that year. This dude’s logic seems flawed to me

[@mycahjofficial]

*I would’ve had Batista for 2005. Even though John Cena did held his own that year, but I feel like Batista had a bigger year as he was coming off his feud with Triple H and he carried SmackDown throughout the entire year.*

[@zolzbernack7563]

And he wasn't annoying.

[@IStevenSeagal]

@@zolzbernack7563And he didn't kil wrestling like a certain jar head.

[@obasiswift]

@@IStevenSeagal Roman reigns *cough cough*

[@applycontext9161]

@@IStevenSeagal stfu

[@IStevenSeagal]

@@obasiswift No kid. Its Cena.

[@jjanderson6140]

2004 was also a tough year to call. Obviously in hindsight, we want to give it to Eddie, but Benoit had the bigger year, winning the Rumble from the number 1 spot, winning maineventing Wrestlemania against triple h and hbk where he would win the world title, and then having a run that lasted until summerslam. You also had Orton, who's popularity was growing outrageously even though he was a heel, and he would then be the one to take the title from Benoit at summerslam, where he would become the youngest champion in history.

[@QuesoKaso]

Yeah, I love both of these guys, but Benoit got pushed way harder than Eddie, and it worked.

[@jayb2705]

Yeah Benoit was the bigger star that year. But I feel KZbinrs want to play it safe and go with the WWE policy of trying to erase this guy from wrestling history, which is so unfair because what he did in the ring was incredible.

[@joesynak2812]

This was an EXCELLENT video. I’d love to see you do this with WCW and TNA as well!

[@onjohns1]

1993 was Bret’s year. Yoko was champion, but Bret continued to put on the best show.

[@blacksabbath4252]

I would give bret 92 to 94

[@krisisnWo]

Completely agree with this.

[@endersdragon34]

@@blacksabbath4252 97 too, while Austin had a great 97 Bret was just on another level altogether.

[@michaeltabor2077]

@@blacksabbath4252 umm macho & flair??

[@GameTime-yj6qv]

Yokozuna was too dominant though. Won the Rumble as well. Yoko takes 93. But Bret should have taken 97.

[@jruwilkerson1356]

Maybe not the actual best wrestler but Triple H was literally the Measuring Stick of the WWE for the early 2000s. He was the guy you had to beat

[@stat-x]

He was the guy who worked with the guy that drew money 😁

[@mikeroagreschen5350]

He was the gatekeeper on Raw. Undertaker was the gatekeeper on Smackdown.

[@randlemarsh]

That's what happens when you're sleeping with the boss's daughter.

[@heyyoitsmebrian]

agree with stat. hes always feuding with the more interesting guy in the early 2000s. Kane, michaels, Rvd, jericho,

[@petersonofleo11]

@@randlemarsh 2000-2001 HHH had great feuds and matches against Foley, The Rock, Austin, Jericho, Angle and Benoit. 2000-2001 HHH before tearing his quad was maybe the best worker in the company maybe not the main guy like Austin and The Rock but HHH had a great peak and that is undeniable.

[@cxrap234]

Idk, the Rock was huge from '99 right thru 2002. To have him as only 2000 feels like a crime somehow but I get it

[@Pontiacgxp303]

It was goofy AF . The rock and Stone Cold shared 2001

[@the757general2]

Outside of 2000 they was never a time where Rock was more popular than Austin. Either Austin was more popular or they got equal level pops.

[@DannyHsn]

​@@the757general2 Correct

[@johnandrewliem]

Andy, you are now officially my fave wrestling channel, this video is amazing

[@samadagoat7769]

From 90-2021 Taker been the final boss .. The best of the best

[@shane-irish]

Agree

[@serious261]

Taker been the final boss

[@cuckertarlson3037]

Lol no, taker was always at the top but he was never THE top. Even when he main evented WrestleMania 13 and was wwf champion, he was still overshadowed by Bret and Austin.

[@shane-irish]

@@cuckertarlson3037 he was top allways numpty

[@samadagoat7769]

@@cuckertarlson3037 taker and Austin have the highest rated segment in the history of wwe history also the top 10 taker is in 3 of them tied with Austin . And has more match of the year awards as long with the most memorable moment mankind

[@alexmercer3878]

So are we gonna forget that Drew Mcintyre basically hold the WWE on his back during the pandemic era? Really? 2020 was Drew's year

[@bitaks5799]

Drew did great, but Randy was unstoppable in 2020. Probably the best year of his career.

[@heyyoitsmebrian]

@@bitaks5799 randy orton taggin with riddle was the only good thing hes done since like 2014. hes been unbelievably boring

[@ramms]

​@@heyyoitsmebrianhis fued with edge was amazing

[@Eh.........]

Undertaker is not the face of a company, he's a soul of a company

[@titustitandoomsdaytondc7311]

This is one of your best ones. Great idea for a post.

[@mikeabel7577]

The best wrestler the WWF had in 1990 was John Tenta, the Canadian Earthquake. He was a terrifying force, probably the best heel the WWF produced in the early 90's until Yokozuna came along. He made Warrior and Hogan both look like superheroes and was integral to the main event scene all year long. One of the most underrated stars of his generation.

[@lexkanyima2195]

He was a top heel, but not a champion

[@clintsaines9274]

No

[@mikeabel7577]

@@lexkanyima2195Sounds like you need a history lesson. The WWF did not put the strap on heels for any significant amount of time until Yokozuna came along. This isn't a list of "Best Champions" it's a list of "The Best Wrestler from every year" and Earthquake was, by far, the most impactful star the WWF had in 1990. He made the storyline for Hogan - Warrior match at WM6 make sense. He wrestled Hogan in the actual main event of SummerSlam 1990 and carried the company through the debacle that was Warrior's title run.

[@lexkanyima2195]

@@mikeabel7577 he was over, but he wasn't Yoko

[@anthonybranco]

Tenta was never a big time wrestler. The best the WWF did with big men was with Bundy in 1986. The guy was legit scary.

[@Buckdawg]

I'm still giving 97 to Bret.. 2 world title reigns, show stolen at Mania, headlines and steals Summerslam, Hart Foundation reunion, an awesome heel turn, and the culmination of greatest feud of all time against HBK. Sure, Austin was on the rise, and '98 was def his year, but he didn't quite do enough in 97 to edge the last great year of The Hitman.

[@stat-x]

Agreed.

[@adambowlds9739]

I agree 100 percent.

[@adambowlds9739]

Check out an early Bret Hart vs Buzz Sawyer 1979. Awesome Technical match. Even back then you can tell Bret had the it factor. Can't believe I just found this.

[@user-bi5nw4vp6t]

1997 is the 3rd best year after 2000 and 98 in wwe history

[@negrosuave9315]

@@user-bi5nw4vp6tagreed!

[@mikeroagreschen5350]

2002 is a tough one. Austin left in May. The Rock was a part-timer. Triple H came back as a face but turned heel that summer. I guess Angle makes sense.

[@raulramirez9657]

02 was definitely Brock’s year

[@the757general2]

Austin left in June right before the King of the Ring. He refused to lose to rookie Brock Lesnar in a King of the Ring qualifying match on Raw with no buildup.

[@atifqavi2054]

2002 was Kurt Angle's year.

[@NicholasNathaniel7]

I’m surprised Jericho didn’t make the list with his Y2J introduction to storyline with Triple H and Stephanie leading to Undisputed Champion. Outstanding video and great list of stars. Brett Hart played an intricate part in the rise of HBK and Stone Cold.

[@KPURPLEKiNG]

Skipping over Triple H somewhere in 1999-2004 is a damn crime.

[@kevinpayton2664]

Whether you like him or not, that time span was the best of his career. I'd argue that he was the best wrestler in 2000 instead of the Rock.

[@chrisgavin2794]

Hhh was never the tip of the spear.

[@brandonhonaker5493]

@@kevinpayton2664 research the numbers rock did in 2000

[@TheKendeHD]

@@chrisgavin2794 What? he was very popular in his fueds with rock and austin in 99-01 then gotta a huge pop in 2002 and held the title until 2005 what are you saying😂😂😂

[@AD-ur1fk]

@@kevinpayton2664 naw . The rock was the one of the biggest things on the planet in 2000. If you want to go by matches wise yes, but overall it’s easily rock

[@BigJerichool222]

2008 has to be Chris Jericho, though

[@vapidcity]

Hogan, Undertaker, Kane, Lesnar and Cena really defined certain eras. You could spot them the quickest on any poster regardless if Rock, HHH or Austin were in it. It's like they were monolithic

[@ShawnInGame]

HBK = GOAT

[@mariomanningfan]

97 was Bret's year and I don't see how it's even a debate. Austin dominated 98 and 99 but Vince needed a guy to introduce us to a new type of wrestling. The attitude era turned conventional good guy/bad guy storytelling on its head. Brett went into WM 13 as that golden era face and 30 minutes later, walked out as an attitude era villain. He got us to cheer for the bad guy, which is what 1998-2004 was all about....to give anyone but Bret 1997 is just wrong. And no matter how much that double turn is praised, it won't be enough.

[@the757general2]

Austin is the main reason the ratings for Raw started closing in on Nitro towards the end of the year. People were turning in to see what he'd do next.

[@krisisnWo]

I would argue that 2001 was still the year of Steve Austin. From the time he returned in the bottom half of 2000 up until his heel turn at Wrestlemania X-7 it was like he had never left in terms of his reception and merchandise sales.

[@zemox2534]

Steve Austin was overexposed, and frankly, I find him overrated as hell. Peolple complained about Punk bringing unprofessional but giving Steve a pass . He bloody walked out in 2002

[@sunpreetsandhu6464]

@@zemox2534 steve was almost more popular than the company itself, WWE not meeting his demands is where the problem was.

[@Pontiacgxp303]

Stone Cold and the Rock shared it around that time! People just don't usually admit it because one is black

[@sthbmc5963]

Austin was so over in 2001 he had the crowd turning on Rock during the X7 build. Then got voted wrestler of the year despite spending April to November as a heel.

[@mattias4665]

Yes. 2001 should be Austin or The Rock. They were the biggest stars.

[@lion52193]

2004 was definitely Benoit’s year tho, he was getting momentum because of his and Angle’s matches from 2003 that he just got the big push starting from Royal Rumble.

[@GoodOmali]

Nah it was Eddie's year. Eddie beat lesnar and Angle as well as his matches with booker T, the two with JBL which got his momentum going, and the fatal four way with him, JBL, Booker and Taker were A1. Benoit worked but not like Eddie. Benoit big push storyline ended after he lost to Orton at summerslam then raw focused right back on HHH and built Batista's story

[@bootydaddy555]

@@GoodOmali no it was Benoit's year not Eddie's.

[@megascizor32]

@@bootydaddy555 nah it was eddies

[@bootydaddy555]

@@megascizor32 no it was Benoit's. It was more JBL than Eddie on smackdown in 2004. Eddie's title reign was short and lame. Eddie is overrated.

[@travismason5732]

They aren’t going to mention Benoit at all. They both were on top though to be honest. Seems fitting. Hopefully one day his horror will be forgiven by the WWE. The guy clearly had CTE before it’s discovery.

[@Bhekizulu_Magagula]

I started watching when I was 10 in 2004, so this would be my list. Honourable mention; 2002, 2003 I watched sporadically, so I'll judge those years from what I saw and remember. 2002:Brock Lesnar (beat the Rock and became youngest wwe champion. Dominated Smackdown). 2003:Brock Lesnar (beat kurt Angle in wm main event, dominated Smackdown). 2004: HHH (was leader of Evolution. Ended major rivalry against hbk inside hell in a cell. Won world title against Randy Orton). 2005:Batista (won the Rumble-last eliminating John Cena. Won wm main event against HHH, beat HHH 2 more times, dominated Jbl and Smackdown, fun rivalry against Eddie Guerrero). 2006:John Cena (defeated HHH at wm,,great rivalry against edge, rvd). 2007:John Cena (dominated the year. Main evented wm against hbk, had match of the year on raw against hbk, beat umaga and khali, began legendary rivalry against Randy Orton). 2008:Randy Orton (beat Jeff Hardy at Rumble, beat HHH and Cena at wm, age of orton, returned from injury and created the Legacy). 2009:Randy Orton (won rumble, kicked vince McMahon in the head, kissed a knocked out Stephanie, won his rivalry against HHH at the 3 stages of hell match, won wwe championship multiple times that year, injured Batista, extended legendary rivalry against John Cena). 2010: John Cena (defeated Batista at wm, defeated Batista 2 more times-causing Batista to quit wwe, defeated nexus at summerslam, overcame nexus by defeating wade Barrett at tlc). 2011:Cm Punk (joined and led nexus, defeated John Cena at mitb, won the wwe title at msg against Alberto Delrio). 2012:Cm Punk (successfully defended Wwe title throughout the year, attacked the Rock at raw1000, restarted great rivalry against John Cena, aligned with Paul heyman). 2013:Daniel Bryan (beginning of yes movement, beat John Cena at summerslam, had a great rivalry against Randy Orton and the Authority). 2014:Brock Lesnar (defeated undertaker-ending the streak, dominated John Cena at summerslam-becoming wwe world heavyweight champion). 2015:Seth Rollins (great performance at Rumble against Cena and Lesnar, great wm match against Randy Orton, beat Lesnar and Roman Reigns in wm main event by cashing in mitb in the "heist of the century", great run with j&j security and authority, great matches with John Cena, wwe and United States champion). 2016: Aj styles (shock debut at Rumble, great matches against Roman Reigns, classic rivalry against John Cena, won the wwe championship and became the face that runs the place during an epic Smackdown year). 2017:Roman Reigns (great matches against Braun Strowman, great fatal 4 way against Strowman, Lesnar and Samoa joe at summerslam, beat Undertaker at wm, and beat John Cena at No mercy-officially ending the John Cena era). 2018:Becky Lynch (instantaneously became the most talked about person in the industry after slapping charlotte flair at summerslam, won the women's championship against Charlotte flair, held her head up high after having her nose broken on Raw-creating an iconic image, became the Man). 2019:Seth Rollins (won rumble, beat brock Lesnar at wm-becoming universal champion, beat Lesnar again at summerslam, announced a high profile relationship with the Man, becky Lynch, won universal title twice that year). 2020:Drew McIntyre (won Rumble, beat Brock Lesnar for the wwe championship, beat Randy Orton on multiple occasions, held down the fort during the first pandemic year). 2021 and 2022:Roman Reigns (Head of the Table, Tribal Chief, Leader of the Bloodline, Wm main eventer, undisputed wwe universal champion). 2023:Roman Reigns/Cody Rhodes/Sami Zayn. I noticed while writing this that there's a common denominator on most of these years, and that's John Cena. Love him or hate him, and I didn't love him for most of these years, but he is the Greatest of all Time. You had to go through him to get to the top because he was always at the top. He may have not always been the main focus, or that year's best per se, but the year's best always had to dance with John at least once to be the year's best, because Cena was the face of the wwe. He's the best of the best, just like Roman Reigns is the Greatest Champion of all Time.

[@greatnessdelton1381]

Any answer but Lord Voldemort or Eddie Guerrero in 2004 is wrong.

[@MrGabito88]

Thanks this is a great video i gave it a thumbs up

[@shawnmichaels568]

Cena in 07 was on another level, Putting on classics with the likes of HBK, Umaga and Randy orton.

[@lastillrules365]

The disrespect to 07/08 undertaker is upsetting here

[@speargraphy6301]

Yes I totally agree..😓😓

[@shane-irish]

Yes i hate when youtubers forget that taker was top for 30 years just take him for granted he drew he main evented for 30 years also

[@sajanaryal6932]

@@shane-irish This dude’s logic is clearly flawed. 2004 was Benoit’s year. 2005 was clearly Batista’s year and 2009, 2010 and perhaps even 2011 were Orton’s.

[@Osman-kv1vw]

​@@sajanaryal6932and 2006 is edge's

[@smsibasish]

Great video! Nostalgia of early 2000s

[@smo4082]

The like of Austin and the Rock wouldn't have made it where they did without Undertaker and HHH. It shows you just how good Austin and Rock were that that they sit above those two.

[@jjfromthebigland781]

Its impossible for anyone to say the Macho Man's name without doing an impression of him...

[@scsa852]

Ultimate warrior

[@GameTime-yj6qv]

Oh yeah!

[@chillout5218]

Oooooohhhhh yyyyeeaahh!

[@andyanderson516]

2020 was the start of heel roman but forgetting the year drew had in 2020. He carried wwe that year too

[@jeffrey8049]

That’s what I was about saying

[@joshuat770]

Enjoyed watching this video.

[@Anuj_yadav_entertainment]

Salute to your hard work❤❤❤

[@diguanraalte1665]

2009 Was orton’s Year! He won the WWE championship 3 times😑

[@Realistic316]

Kurt Angle is underrated…. he was extremely funny

[@senraq6332]

No Undertaker, No Jericho, No Andre the Giant? This list false.

[@aniketprasad3128]

I'm shocked Jeff Hardy wasn't the top guy in 2008-9. He was outselling anyone and everyone by far that time.

[@nicholassealy251]

when Eddie passed that hurt me a lot rest in peace Eddie Guerrero

[@relent-lass7510]

I’ll never forget that day

[@oldironsides4107]

When did Eddie get so popular? I stopped watching at that time and I always hated him in wcw.

[@DomSr]

Let's just take a moment to recognize HHH. The video said he was #1 in 2009 but I would argue that he was #1 a couple of times from 2000 - 2009. He was at least in the top 3 for about 15 years.

[@GoodOmali]

I would've given it to him in 01 for sure

[@jshipp5469]

@@GoodOmali over Austin in 01’? I’d say 2000

[@bitaks5799]

Triple H was the best wrestler of 2000. He did the match of the year along with Jericho (Fully Loaded).

[@aniketprasad3128]

He was the guy who was #2 for multiple years but never really the top guy

[@onesaucynougat7471]

@@GoodOmalithe year he was absent for most of? Yeah alright, that makes sense.

[@adamrenfrow]

Give 93 and 97 to Bret also.

[@timidstein888]

It’s crazy to me that there was so much noticeable evolution in the product between late 80s through to around 05’ and then (other than a few standout feuds and moments such as Punk, The Shield, Bryan’s Yes movement and AJ Styles) WWE has felt very similar/stale for almost 20 freaking years…crazy.

[@wwewrestlingandgaming4136]

John Cena was the mainstream star of the turning point of the mid 2000s. Cena had such a great 04-07. Won the US title in 04, the WWE title in 05, his legendary feud with Edge in 06, the masterclass in 07. Also had a all-time Rumble moment in 08 when he surprisingly returned.

[@cr5cc]

I'm just confused when he said cena tried to get the nexus over... he literally killed them in one match

[@JayWIll2000s]

@@cr5cc dude people keep saying that John cena needed that win over the nexus cena needed to win summer slam 2010 after he was forced to lose 6 straight after that from 2011-2016

[@callmehazza9]

No Way is 2009 HHH's year. Definitely goes to Hardy

[@hollowinside1962]

Exactly 2009 was Jeff s year

[@raulramirez9657]

Orton

[@Osman-kv1vw]

​@@hollowinside1962no it was Randy's orton

[@JLvatron]

Hogan was the best wrestler EVERY time he was in WWF. Nobody could ever match his commanding entertainment factor. And once he ascended to Hollywood, he was in another league altogether. Hollywood Hogan truly transcended the sport.

[@juststatedtheobvious9633]

Hence the box office success of Mr. Nanny and Suburban Commando. Dwayne who?

[@robifrank77]

Indeed HH will always be the one to put wrestling on the map and the best ever. And in the mid 90s he reinvented himself for the biggest heel turn of all time and forming the NWO. Where Hulk Hogan goes that's where pro wrestling goes!

[@JLvatron]

@@robifrank77 Your comment deserves multiple thumbs up. Or as Hogan described the Million Dollar Man, "Multi! Multi!"

[@sandraweilbrenner67]

I just subbed. Great video

[@WRESTLEWITHANDY]

Appreciate the support, new vid coming your way tomorrow ☝🏻

[@BishopM1]

‘97 saw the RISE was Austin but Bret was still the top guy that year. Austin’s staple was ‘98 and ‘99. ‘09 HHH? BOR-RING! Fantastic and unbiased list though. Great job. Seriously.

[@GameTime-yj6qv]

I would give 2001 to Austin as well

[@KyleJButcavageJr]

Honestly older wrestling is my favorite. I was born in 2001 but didn’t get into wrestling until 2017 so I just love watching old Raw and SmackDown episodes. Also love these videos. If you haven’t done best matches of every year you should!!!!

[@spiscold50]

GREAT VIDEO‼️

[@atharv.018]

Every one comes and go but one man who comes to everyones mind when they hear WWE is no other than undertaker

[@DrBeauHightower]

Great video Andy!

[@WRESTLEWITHANDY]

Appreciate you doc🤘🏻💪🏻👊🏻👊🏻

[@BlessedAreTheCheesemakers]

Bret was the best performer in '93, '95, '96, and '97 too

[@jshipp5469]

I’d give michaels 96’ over Bret just cuz Bret was gone half the year. 97’ is a even split to me

[@TheKendeHD]

The best there ever was

[@BlessedAreTheCheesemakers]

@@TheKendeHD best there ever will be

[@shane-irish]

Undertaker 1997

[@endersdragon34]

@@jshipp5469 I would give 97 to Bret for the same reason you would give 96 to Shawn. While he was no doubt great, he was still gone much of the year to find his smile.

[@phil6844]

Everyone complains about the Roman era but imagine spending six years having to watch Bob as champ 😂🤮🤮🤮

[@Boxingfan13]

This was a great video

[@chasers7381]

IMO, 2007 should go to Batista. He was going to crazy that year

[@KingJadInfiniteHope]

Cena was on a 380 day reign as wwe champion (longest in 20 years), plus he main evented wrestlemania AND won. 2007 was definitely Cenas year, and his best year in wrestling.

[@alexandrenamor8463]

2005 is more debatable but 2007 was Cena's no doubt about it.

[@calebdodoo9965]

I'd say Becky for 2018 and Adam Cole for 2019 Drew for 2020 Roman in 2021 and 2022

[@theevn7]

Good video Andy

[@alias7794]

Jeff Hardy was for sure somewhere between 2007-2009 the face of wwe his brawl agains randy orton, the way he became wwe champion against triple h and edge, his brawl against edge and cm punk ...

[@joselopez6990]

It’s a crime Undertaker was not included

[@raulramirez9657]

Undertaker never was the best of any year. He was one of the best for a long time for sure but never the best

[@GhostGarcia414]

Umm you forgot to mention the undertaker winning the WWF title at survivor series in 1991.

[@juststatedtheobvious9633]

He lost it by Tuesday.

[@micahkiyimba8641]

The Age of Orton is still my favourite WWE Era. There is no heel who will ever be that good.

[@Aaron_Era]

20:50 To be fair, John could've easily done that by letting them win in SummerSlam, only for him to flip plans around for a "good-guy win" which effectively buried most, if not all, of the members, and soured the momentum the Nexus had. Edge and Chris Jericho have also agreed that it was the wrong choice to let Team WWE win

[@bensheekey1399]

I'm surprised that the Undertaker isn't on this list at all

[@chipweber433]

I grew up watching Kurt Angle with hair and it's still weird for me to see him with hair lol. Bald Angle is when he turned into the wrestling machine for me.

[@dhruviktandel3860]

In My Humble Opinion 2020 was the year of Drew McIntyre.

[@MadladEDITS]

2004 was definitely Chris Benoit's year.He won the royal rumble of 2004 and also was in the main event of WrestleMania 20.Please include His name.

[@RoseyRK]

2001 should be a draw between Austin & Rock.

[@jjanderson6140]

Nah it should go to Austin, but only because Rock was out for like 4 months or so right in the middle of the year. Otherwise I agree that they were very nearly on an equal playing field.

[@RoseyRK]

@@jjanderson6140 ratings went down when The Rock left and came back up when he returned. The Rock came back and took the main event spot of Austin and became WCW champion and he has no history with WCW like Austin did. He was the last man (only man) standing at survivor series beating Austin and putting the final nail in to WCW coffin.

[@jjanderson6140]

@@RoseyRK Rocks first ppv back that year was summerslam, and he was in the main event against booker t. The following month, Austin vs angle was the main event of unforgiven, and at no mercy in October the main event was Austin vs angle vs rvd. Rock, meanwhile, was on the undercard both times. In November, they co-main evented the Rebellion ppv, in which Austin beat the Rock to successfully defend the wwe title. In Survivor series they main evented together, and this time rock went over, which was basically necessary for story purposes. In December, the final match was Austin vs Jericho. So I fail to see how Rock returned and “took the main event from Austin”, when Austin was in literally every ppv main event except one, while rock was undercard for 3 of them. And of course ratings went down when he left, he was hugely popular. Imagine if Austin had been the one who left, ratings would’ve went down as well. It doesn’t change Austin outlasting rock at the rumble, beating him in the mania main event, and then holding onto the title for very nearly the entire year afterwards while being in the main event scene the whole time. And yes, rock won the wcw title while Austin didn’t, even though he had history with it. Austin was wwe champion, and so they couldn’t give him the wcw title as well since they had the plan to unite the belts at the end of the year and doing so earlier would’ve ruined the impact of the moment.

[@hassanshah4079]

1997, 1998, 1999 were Austin's years. 2000 was The Rock's year as Austin was out due to a neck injury and then 2001 was a tie between Austin and Rock.

[@TheRexrapper]

@@jjanderson6140 Austin was out in 2000 and business elevated

[@heathproductions]

Drew McIntyre was definitely the best of 2020

[@napoleonharris8802]

Smackdown was literally launched because of the Rock! I’d say he deserves more credit.

[@jenniferparker5189]

After all, it was the Rock who was putting "the Smackdown" on every one around.

[@KING-jc4yd]

Austin Theory will be the next WWE Megastar and next Top guy in WWE same as Hulk Hogan,Stone Cold Steve Austin,The Rock,John Cena and Roman Reigns👍🏻👍🏻

[@haroonzahoor6840]

Undertaker, Batista , Jericho and Benoit should have been on the list as well

[@coltkillergaming5685]

2020 was McIntyre

[@Sai-xf1eo]

Damn !!!! your macho man impression is stellar

[@BlazeBeatsMusic]

amazing video

[@mdav431]

Edge deserved consideration at some point for the mid to late 2000s

[@tervinnyengwa1250]

I thought he was gonna get the 2006 spot,but I guess Cena did have a great year too.

[@mdav431]

@tervinnyengwa1250 yeah personally I was thinking any year from 07-2010

[@Pablo-uq6tr]

edge from 05 to 06 was the top heel went from mid carder to star. he was the reason people watched raw not John cena.

[@JCSTYLEZ]

I mean, he was good in 05, but that was cenas year

[@FDC42585]

2005 is actually Batista's year

[@magicalgold010]

Excellent documentary

[@Hugo-jb5sp]

Triple H deserved 2000 , absolutely his best year of work

[@TheRexrapper]

No way in hell did he deserve it over The Rock

[@XNR7phillips]

Actually, The Rock deserved 2000-2003, & 13,14

[@petersonofleo11]

@@TheRexrapper The Rock was the bigger star in 2000 but HHH had great feuds and matches against Foley, The Rock, Angle, Jericho and Benoit.

[@TheRexrapper]

@@petersonofleo11 Facts

[@a.h.videos48]

​@@XNR7phillipsfact.

[@jameslookstwice]

I was a huge Snuka fan growing up in the 80s.I knew nothing about the crime he was accused of at that time.

[@anthonyrosasjr1939]

Wait, what about the Undertaker, he’s reason why I love WWE, and I know I’m not the only one.

[@shane-irish]

I know right stupid video undertaker top for 30 years held the belt 1997 for 6 months made lots moneys drew lots as well

[@lolabunny1949]

Man hard to believe that the Tribel Chief Era started in 2020 it kind of feels longer than that