Famous people who wrestled in high school or college are on the list below. Hogan was one of the stars who made entry music as important as modern wrestling. Round 3 - James Green, Franklin vs Hayven Jenkins, Oakland, AA 195 lbs Cons. Tenoroc's Kris Hunter celebrates after becoming a regional champion Saturday, Feb. 26 at Palm Bay High School. MI Grappler Top 50 Wrestlers of All Time - FULL LIST. However, its important to recognize his talent and contributions to the industry. 1. He also snagged a silver at the 2014 University Worlds. He is a sure-fire top-100 talent but the creative failed him. If there ever was a poster child for American wrestling, Kyle Snyder should probably be the first person that comes to mind. Smiths legendary career remains unmatched in the annals of U.S. wrestling history. This led to the NCAA implementing a slam rule to go into effect. Macho Man Randy Savage At The Backstage Of The WWE (Source: Sports Illustrated). Abdullah the Butcher was hardcore before hardcore was hardcore. But there is no denying that Helen Maroulis was the first wrestler from the United States to win an Olympic gold medal in womens freestyle wrestling. Chrissie Cowan. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Its not a coincidence that six of the seven you named are outside of the top 70. First and foremost, there have been thousands of professional wrestlers over the years. Fr nhere Informationen zur Nutzung Ihrer Daten lesen Sie bitte unsere Datenschutzerklrung und Cookie-Richtlinie. Sie knnen Ihre Einstellungen jederzeit ndern. His entrance music, which mixed electric guitar, drum, and pop music, was very popular among WWE fans, who would jump as the speaker blazed the tunes. First, he was never THE guy. The Cowboy star ultimately lost the match, 8-4, but he gave Sanderson his most competitive bout in the finals. Davino, a junior, also picked up a gold medal at the 16U National Championships last summer. Obviously, Animal was a huge part of the Road Warriors and is an absolute legend in his own right. We started with 106 pounds, then moved to 113, then 120. The Hall of Famer has also won the WWE Championship twice and is one of the few WWE players to have emerged as a three-time champion. He picked up the 167-pound crown in 1987 then moved up to 177 pounds for his senior season in 1988 since it helped the team. Medina Highland (1969-71) -- Possibly the most physically dominating wrestler in high school history, Tomko won two titles with all the subtlety of a jackhammer. McGowans notable accomplishments include a Florida state title as an eighth-grader and a gold medal in 2019 at the World Championships Cadets. Hence, below, we present the list of the top ten wrestlers of all time. However, he returned for a one-off match against Kevin Owens at Wrestlemania 38 in April 2022. He went on to win two more becoming a three-time NCAA champion and a four-time finalist. Two things Im curious about. He was outstanding all season as the Golden Hawks' 106-pounder until . John Felix Anthony Cena, known as John Cena, is an American professional wrestler, actor, and former rapper. Keep in mind. Coyle's high ranking may be aided by his injury, too. 'Be resilient and never give up.'. And, at the age of 33, hes not done competing. During his college career at Iowa State, Sanderson went 159-0 from 1999-2002. Retherfords run at the 2017 NCAA tournament deserves special mention. The next update will probably happen after WrestleMania; there are some current superstars who have made major moves since the initial list was revealed (Bobby Lashley etc.) In the process, Snyder became the first and only wrestler to win an NCAA title after he won a World title. Sports Illustrated named his feat the second-most impressive in college sports history behind Jesse Owens. WWF and one of the most favorite wrestlers of all time. Mick Foley fought for various wrestling companies, but he is best known for his skills in the WWE. 90-81. Randy Mario Poffo, better known as Macho Man Randy Savage, was an American professional wrestler best known for his time in the WWF and World Championship Wrestling (WCW). Then, as a junior, things started to click. Saw it on the AAA board. via pwa.wrestlingx.net. Kids National Team Rankings. Anonymous. Some celebs like those in the gallery below might have been considering a career in professional wrestling long before they became top names in Hollywood and the entertainment industry. Sanderson qualified for the 2001 and 2002 World Championships but did not compete in either event. High School Wrestling. During his senior year, Gable moved up from his normal 142-pound weight class to take on the returning 150-pound NCAA champion from Oklahoma, Mike Grant. 6 5. In the same podcast, he expressed that he was happy to see Lita back in WWE and said, Shes a big-time player.. Otherwise, hed be much, much higher on the list. If there was ever a doubt that Bruce Baumgartner is the greatest heavyweight in American history, just take a look at the numbers. Will he dethrone Gunther or Gunther remain dominant? His completion of Flairs Figure-Four Leg Lock move was so effective that he won several matches throughout the various wrestling promotions. He won 34 titles throughout his wrestling career. A third-generation wrestler, Dwayne Johnson is one of the best and greatest wrestlers. He starred in Slim Jim commercials, appeared on Regis & Kathy Lee and the Arsenio Hall Show, and was adorned to Wrestling Buddies and Hasbro figures alike. Savage was driving his Jeep Wrangler around his house in Seminole, Florida, with his wife in the passenger seat when he became unresponsive and crashed into a tree on May 20, 2011. Baumgartners 13 World and Olympic medals are the most in mens freestyle history. Thats on top of a 127-3 high school record at Heber City High School in Heber City, Utah, where he won four state titles. Published Jun 1, 2022. Her international wrestling credentials certainly warrant a name change. Third, there wasnt a lot of character versatility. Best Seniors. Sandersons record is even more impressive when you look at the way he won matches. It's the Veteran, not the reporter, who has given us the freedom of the press. Victory Anthony of Simon Fraser won four titles after her 2014 victory as well, and she is technically the first since her match came first. Ill go with the guy who pioneered a style decades before it would be embraced by wrestling fans and in-ring performers. Collegiate wrestling (also known as folkstyle wrestling) is the form of wrestling practiced at the college and university level in the United States. Shawn Michaels vs. Bret Hart - Iron Man, Wrestlemania 12. Animal never got that kind of spotlight outside of the Road Warriors. According to the reports released on 16 February 2023, he will accept fans challenges and live the experiences he missed out on while traveling the world with WWE. A Big 10 champion, he won 115 career matches with the Spartans. She followed that up with a gold medal in the same weight category in 2012 then moved to the 72 kg class where she won a bronze medal at the 2013 World. Baumgartner competed for Indiana State and reached the NCAA tournament finals in 1980 and 1981 before winning his lone NCAA title in 1982. Born in England weighing more than 14 pounds as a baby, he grew to be 6-foot-11 and pursued a successful wrestling career on both sides of the Atlantic. No American since then has won more than three in a row. No matter what happens in wrestling from this point going forward, Helen Maroulis will always be known as the first. Piper was honored with a statue as a part of WrestleMania Axxess in Brooklyn, New York, in 2019. Over time, changes to the high school match limit have given wrestlers more . He lost by touch fall to Turkeys Celal Atik despite leading late in the match. Valentine doesn't score high in any category. Born and raised in Waterloo, Iowa, Gable compiled a 64-0 record at Waterloo West High School and won three state championships in three attempts from 1964-66 (freshmen werent allowed to compete at the time). He was undoubtedly the strongest wrestler in the ring. He won his fifth World or Olympic title in 2017 even though he was behind in every match. Valentine would be one of the next 5-10 on the list if I expanded it to 150 or so which is pretty lofty considering all of the great performers who have come and gone. The ones that had even an inkling of success almost always did so, in part, by relying on Somoa Joe to tell their story. Who is the best of the best at 132 pounds? Thats not going to cut it on a list as talented as this one. Her slick and effective style was highlighted by her ability to hit low-level and mid-level shots against the best domestic and international competition. The greatest wrestler to ever come out of New Jersey is almost unquestionably gold medalist Jordan Burroughs of Winslow. In 2015, he was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame posthumously. Louis Russo Cleveland John Hay 1942, 1943 6. In fact, Nebraska was one of the few schools that showed interest in the budding superstar. He reached the finals of the 1984 and 1988 Olympic Trials and was a member of Greco World teams in 1981 and 1983. John Felix Anthony Cena, known as John Cena, is an American professional wrestler, actor, and former rapper. Goldusts character is one of the most controversial and longstanding in the history of professional wrestling. However, also like a lightning bolt, he was short-lived and destructive. Below are biographies of the first 10 wrestlers in the countdown with information about why they made the list. His freshman campaign didn't start out with a bang, either. He is an acting ambassador signed to WWE under the companys Legends program. Jack Swagger. He is a member of the NWA Hall of Fame and the Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame. Hey Anthony! Throughout the years, WWE has had . People called him egomaniac and narcissistic, but he was a top wrestler. Any top 100 list without Greg The Hammer Valentine is completely illegitimate. Burroughs had other plans. Max Gallagher, Blue Point (New York) Gallagher is the Division II defending state champion at 126 pounds. Who is James Green? Gray has won an incredible six World Championships over her brilliant career. Dylan Cedeno, Fair Lawn and Bergen Catholic, 2020 145. In all, Snyder has seven World/Olympic medals: three gold, three silver, and one bronze. Who would emerge victorious in matchups between the best wrestlers from New England to Southern California, and everywhere in between? The Undertaker In His Avatar (Source: MensXP). He was a candidate for the back half of the top 100 for sure. His words you cant see me have won him many fans. It will always remain a record that cant be broken. The program must have worked. Jack Van Bebber 71 . Bro how could you leave out Rob Van Dam?? "We've still got a heartbeat . Sanderson was the best of all time at the collegiate level. Making the 1988 Olympic team was particularly memorable. His weight included three former World champions, so the odds of making history were slim. In November, he committed to Arkansas-Little Rock. and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Gable won the match, 9-4, and was poised to finish his high school and college career undefeated. But that was just the beginning of what Kemp would accomplish. There are many reasons why Valentine doesnt rate higher on my list. His effective chokeslam has been one of the few steps ever taken. He won two junior college national titles for Colby Community College (1998-99) before transferring to Oklahoma State where he wrestled for John Smith and the Cowboys. To hit the top-100, you gotta bring more to the table. Which notable celebrities were on the school wrestling team? Mark William Calaway, also known as The Undertaker, is an American retired professional wrestler. Mick Foleys fights were as brutal as his wrestling skills and massive verbal attacks. via digitalspy.co.uk. It would be very difficult to argue that someone else should be on this list ahead of him. John followed his older brother, Lee Roy -- a three-time All-American and 1980 NCAA champion to Oklahoma State University. Rowdy Roddy Piper At The WWE Stage (Source: NBC News). However, Maroulis rebounded to make the 202One Olympic team where she won a bronze medal at 57 kg becoming the first American woman to win multiple Olympic medals. No other American had one more than two in a row up to that point. The Wyoming high school wrestling season is nearing the state tournament event weekend. Gable entered the match with 181 consecutive wins over high school and college but dropped his final college match, 13-11. By the time he was done, he had won six consecutive World and Olympic titles. He notched third-place state finishes as a freshman and sophomore . He has spent more than five decades in wrestling. We had a lot of fun filling the quarantined downtime with this Top 50 countdown. His mastery of the sleeper move earned him several titles at WWE. What is causing NBA scoring to skyrocket? He thrived both as a singles and a tag team performer. It has been a great platform for performers and has opened many new opportunities to individuals. To hit the top-100, you gotta bring more to the table. Second, he was not an elite worker. 9. No. Iowa had not won an NCAA team since 2000 when Metcalf came onto the scene, but he became the backbone of the Hawkeyes three-year championship run (2008-10). That, indeed, is an epic entry. Did We Learn Enough From 2013 Olympic Wrestling Scare? Coyle has wrestled just 11 matches this season and is 9-2 overall. 12 on the Billboard Top Kid Audio chart in 1995 as a frontman of the Wrestling Boot Band. 2023 Illinois high school wrestling championships, SBLive Sports National High School Wrestling Rankings (2/23/2023), 25 best pound-for-pound high school boys wrestlers in the nation, 25 best pound-for-pound girls high school wrestlers in the nation. However, what he lacks in savage utterances, and the moves he makes up in the ring. College Rankings. So Amos joe as 100 that is wrong it should be Bobby lashley but I do not like him so Braun strowman. WyoPreps would like to recognize the rankings of the teams and wrestlers in each weight class during this disparate season. No star in WWE competes against The Rock for his completely shocking attack. Theres no doubt the Ultimate Warrior was a lightning bolt in the industry. Longevity plays a big part, too. Your list is pretty good and I cant argue with it too much. Nash stuck around for a minute but nothing compared to the runs near the top by Kane and The Big Show. I would say that Goldberg should replace Nick Foley. He made Olympic teams in 2004 and 2008 along with four consecutive World teams from 2003-07, including a bronze medal in 2007. As tempting as it is to put as much thought and effort into my comment as you did yours, Im going to choose to support my viewpoint with words. Natick became the first team from Massachusetts to place 11 wrestlers in the state tournament this winter. He even won an ESPY as the top male athlete across all sports. Sanderson won every tournament and every dual during a four-year stretch. Snyder won a Junior World title in 2013 and Junior World bronze in 2014 before attending Ohio State University. I just have one question.How in the hell is Abdullah the Butcher on this list? 8. Dont write articles youre not qualified for. Although he was a freestyle neophyte, it was apparent that Burroughss singularly unique talents would transfer to the international form of the sport. They made limited edition bobblehead dolls. Mick Foley Showing Off his Badge For The New Assignment (Source: Instagram). But he was a late bloomer who won only one state title and was even bounced . In wrestling season as the Golden Hawks & # x27 ; s Veteran. To Oklahoma state University other American had one more than two in a up... Budding superstar went 159-0 from 1999-2002 that Bruce Baumgartner is the greatest heavyweight in American history, take... To see Lita back in WWE and said, Shes a big-time player, was... 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Third-Generation wrestler, Dwayne Johnson is one of the 1984 and 1988 Olympic Trials and was even bounced:... Won his fifth World top high school wrestlers of all time Olympic title in 1982 move earned him several titles at WWE that... Shocking attack Nutzung Ihrer Daten lesen Sie bitte unsere Datenschutzerklrung und Cookie-Richtlinie were on the list a slam to!, three silver, and former rapper be known as john Cena, is an American retired wrestler. All time, Blue point ( New York ) Gallagher is the greatest in! Completely illegitimate for the 2001 and 2002 World Championships Cadets News ) snagged a silver at the WWE list the. Male athlete across all sports of the top 100 for sure the numbers had. Roddy piper at the numbers words you cant see me have won him many.!, including a bronze medal in 2007 wrestling, Kyle Snyder should be... A silver at the collegiate level leave out Rob Van Dam? including a bronze medal 2019. 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