1. Shawn MichaelsThis list is tailor-made for the Heartbreak Kid. Though this list is theoretically in no particular order, Shawn Michaels tops it because of his absolutely phenomenal performance over the decade. Let me remind you that he started the decade completely retired and out of professional wrestling. His last match was at WrestleMania 14 in 1998 and hadn't been in the ring since due to horrendous back problems (herniated disks). No one ever thought they would see Shawn in the ring again. But he made a triumphant return with a fantastic build-up against his best friend, Triple H, at SummerSlam 2002. And it's been full steam ahead ever since.
His comeback also came with a shiny new attitude that was all about performing for the fans and not about backstage political wrangling. Case in point: the old HBK would have pissed and moaned about not being the WWE Champion, having to lose matches, etc. The new HBK has been World Champion for a total of 28 days over the last 10 years. He hasn't won a Royal Rumble. Has put so many other wrestlers over and he does it for the good of the business. He's a backstage leader and respected veteran.
And his matches...wow. Six years in a row he has been voted Pro Wrestling Illustrated's Match of the Year. 2004 - HBK vs. Triple H vs. Chris Benoit at WM20. 2005 - HBK vs. Kurt Angle at WM21. 2006 - HBK vs. Vince McMahon at WM22. 2007 - HBK vs. John Cena on Monday Night RAW. 2008 - HBK vs. Ric Flair at WM 24. 2009 - HBK vs. the Undertaker at WM25. Consider that and the return of D-Generation X and you can't help but marvel at the second half of his guaranteed Hall of Fame career. I know that sometime soon, Shawn Michaels will finally hang up his boots for good. But until then, I'm going to enjoy the ride as long as I can.
2. John Cena
Geez, what can you say about John Cena? Way back in his debut against Kurt Angle in 2002, he could have easily melted into the background as another charisma-deficient meathead. Well that certainly changed. Once Cena got to show off his true personality, he caught fire culminating in his first WWE Championship at WrestleMania 21 against JBL. Ever since that moment, a World title hasn't been far from Cena's grasp. Though Cena is not the most technically sound wrestler in the business (but when you think about it, is Triple H? Edge? The Undertaker?), Cena brings a passion and honesty to his work that can't be beat. And as WWE/World Champion, the list of notables he turned away empty handed during his first few title reigns was amazing: JBL, Chris Jericho, Christian, Kurt Angle, Triple H, Edge, Umaga, HBK, and the Great Khali. As Stone Cold Steve Austin and The Rock moved on from wrestling in the early part of the 2000s, John Cena has been the torchbearer and the most important superstar for the WWE in the last decade.
3. Triple HOK, let's be honest. For a time there, the amount of time that Triple H had a World title was ridiculous. From Fall of 2002 to Spring of 2005, he seemed to always have the title around his waist. And it was hurting wrestling. It got stale. There was a lot of talk about his backstage pull (you know, since he is essentially a McMahon) and insisting that he always be on top. In recent years, he has been happy to just team with Shawn as they go about their DX antics and occasionally carry the title or put someone over (see: Jeff Hardy). Whatever the case may be, Triple H has been one of the workhorses for professional wrestling over the last decade and he has posted 13 World title reigns. He has also had memorable matches and feuds with Shawn, the Undertaker, Batista, Orton, Kurt Angle, and Chris Jericho. His passion for the business is not in question. So as long as Triple H is involved with professional wrestling, you can bet that he will be trying to make it the highest quality it can be.
4. ChristianHe is charismatic. You could put him in a match versus a broom handle and he'd make it look good. So why hasn't he risen to the main event? Blame Vince McMahon. Christian was a loyal soldier in the WWE army but knew he could take his game to a higher level. So in 2005, Christian left WWE to join TNA. He did it the right way too. He gave his notice. He didn't badmouth WWE. He simply saw an opportunity and took it. And it worked.
You may not know much about TNA, but it houses some of the best talent wrestling (past, present, and future) that there is. And Christian became Christian Cage and then went on to be the Instant Classic. In TNA, Christian Cage was The Champ. He was the main event. He entered into feuds with Kurt Angle, Samoa Joe, AJ Styles, and Sting. He was given a shot and he took it. After four years of proving himself, Christian returned to WWE. And they have dropped the ball.
Christian's WWE career has been painfully mid-card. When he was tagging with his "brother" Edge, they were untouchable. As Intercontinental and European Champion, he was entertaining. As ECW Champion, he has been the best thing going for that brand. But it's time for him to break through. His time on ECW has been a waste. If this decade brings anything, it should be that Christian finally gets his time to shine on the big stage.
5. Undertaker
Along with Shawn Michaels, The Undertaker is one of the old guard, logging almost twenty years with WWE. In the 2000s, he radically shifted his character from Dead Man Undertaker to Motorcycle Enthusiast Undertaker. This change allowed him to show a little bit more of his personality and was a nice change. Except for the entrance music by Kid Rock and Limp Bizkit. Even though his actual performance schedule has eased up a bit over the past few years, he is still the most respected and feared competitors in the squared circle.
Also this decade, Undertaker managed to pick up an Undisputed WWE Champion reign in addition to three World title reigns. He has managed to stay undefeated at WrestleMania taking down the likes of Triple H (17), Ric Flair (18) Big Show & A-Train (19), Kane (20), Randy Orton (21), Mark Henry (22), Batista (23), Edge (24), and Shawn Michaels (25). The WrestleMania matches against Triple H, Batista, and Shawn Michaels are among the best in WM history. As time has marched on, so has the Undertaker. And he doesn't show any signs of stopping.
6. Kane
Now this may seem like a strange choice. Kane hasn't headlined WrestleManias. He hasn't been World champion this decade (ECW Champion doesn't count). He is often involved in some of the worst feuds out there (see: Triple H and Katie Vick, forcing Lita to marry him and then getting her pregnant). But, against all odds, he has become one of the most consistent and reliable performers that WWE has. So many of WWE's superstars that make it past the mid-card level have flamed out in a matter of years (Brock Lesnar, Goldberg, Mr. Kennedy, etc) but Kane has been running a marathon for the last 14 years. Sometimes being one of the top wrestlers isn't just about championships. It's about longevity of character and fan loyalty. Kane has that, heel or face. And this from a guy who used to wear a mask and speak with one of those voice modulators that people with throat cancer use.
7. Kurt Angle
He is an Olympic gold medalist. His intensity as a performer is hard to match. He may actually be the best pure wrestler in the business today. It's true. It's true. But who would have thought that this milky-white fresh faced rookie in 2000 would turn into the machine that is Kurt Angle today? When Angle finally made it to the top of the WWE, he hung on for dear life. He went on to be one of the best of the best in WWE. He shaved his head bald after losing a hair vs. hair match to Edge and also became the first man in history to make Hulk Hogan tap out. After a few years of greatness, it was clear that Angle was burning the candles at both ends. Eventually, he asked for his release from WWE and made his way over to TNA where he could work a lighter schedule. Though over in TNA, he still went full force and had classic matches with Christian, AJ Styles, and Samoa Joe. Angle still ranks near the top of any list of great active wrestlers.
8. Chris Jericho
Kicking off the year 2000 was Chris Jericho's introduction to the WWF/E audience. He had just escaped being horribly mismanaged and booked in WCW and was joining WWF/E with a great deal of buildup. As Y2J, Jericho debuted by interrupting a promo by The Rock. This is still one of the most memorable trash talking sessions of all time. Over the next few months, Jericho won the Intercontinental title several times but seemed to have reached another glass ceiling as he did in WCW. But finally in late 2001, Jericho beat The Rock and Stone Cold Steve Austin in the same night to become the first ever WWF Undisputed Champion and headline WrestleMania 18 with Triple H. He went on to have memorable feuds with Chris Benoit, Kurt Angle, Shawn Michaels, and Christian but never regained World champion status. And in 2005, Jericho decided to walk away from wrestling. Flashforward two years and a rejuvenated and passionate Jericho returned to WWE, flashy vest and all. His initial run as a face was poorly received so during another feud with HBK, Jericho developed a suit-wearing "self-righteous honest man" gimmick inspired by Anton Chigurh from the film
No Country for Old Men. In doing so, Jericho purposely shed many of the trademarks associated with the "Y2J" character, taking "every characteristic that made him popular, and stripping those traits away from himself."
Paul Heyman was enthusiastic about the transformation, claiming "all that's left is an articulate villain who delivers his lines with little emotion but lots of conviction. Jericho's contempt for all those who dare to oppose him is a 180 degree turn from the fun-loving Ayatollah of Rock 'n' Rolla whose fan base had few peers in terms of numbers and volume." Jericho as a heel has been red hot ever since and hopefully he can carry this through the next decade.
9. Edge
It's very easy to be lukewarm about Edge. For the better part of the 2000s, he was basically a tag team specialist who also found a lot of success in the upper-mid card range. He was very popular but didn't have much of a hook to his personality, especially after he and Christian went separate ways. That all changed in 2005 when it was revealed that he was having an affair with WWE Diva Lita, who at the time was dating Matt Hardy. WWE, being who they are, naturally turned this into a storyline and Edge began to draw huge heat. Edge would go on later that winter to cash in his Money in the Bank suitcase against a battered and beaten John Cena to win his first WWE Championship. From then on, Edge became one of the go to heels in WWE. Edge eventually married SmackDown general manager Vickie Guerrero and formed his own stable, La Familia. Now cast as "The Ultimate Opportunist", he became one of the great cowardly villains who would hang on to his championship and hide behind his associates and connections. Whatever your opinion of Edge, he has been a consistent and passionate contributor to professional wrestling for all of the last decade who can be counted on to tell a good story.
10. AJ StylesThe final name on this list may be foreign to most. AJ Styles has been the cornerstone of TNA Wrestling. In WWE, he would probably be relegated to the cruiserweights and told to hold back his high flying, innovative offense. But in TNA, he has shined. The reason Styles makes this list is because as much as HBK, Undertaker, Triple H, and Cena are WWE company men, Styles has loyalty to TNA. He has won all of their championships and he has held them with dignity. Recently, he has been working on his mic skills and developing his personality. An angle with Christian and Kurt Angle really helped him in that department. But if you don't know AJ Styles, find a video of him on YouTube and you'll understand that he is a unique performer in wrestling today. Maybe one day he'll make it over to WWE, but if he is happy to make his mark in TNA, more power to him.
