Biggest Ego In Wrestling

[Carpathian Florist]

I picked Shawn Michaels, I don't buy his "born again" crap. That's usually a crutch for people who don't want their sordid pasts brought up anymore. I watched him on that Michael Landsberg show (not sure if I spelt it correctly) he basically said "I was wrong, I did horrible things" and when Michael called him out on specific things he defended himself and blamed everyone else.
As has been said if anyone in this business deserves an ego, it's Hulk. Michaels doesn't get that same luxury, wasn't the Royal Rumble in his hometown where he was the "rising from the ashes" contender for the title the poorest selling PPV WWE ever had? So much so that a lot of free tickets were given away just to get people in the seats, more so than at any other event? Considering he was that much of a failure, in his own hometown no less, I think Shawn's ego is the biggest when compared to his accomplishments. He has put on some impressive matches, I cannot doubt that, but as guys like Shelton Benjamin have proven, impressive matches alone don't mean anything. I think WWE has rewritten history in regards to Shawn's legacy, based on his ego and the fact he never left for WCW. Whilst everyone on the list provided do possess huge egos, I think the gap between Michael's ego and reality is the largest, making him the worst offender.

I do agree with Foley being included on this list, I agree that he's a huge mark for himself and considers himself a lot more impressive than he really is.

 

[Carpathian Florist]

HBK.. Had an big ego but was actually more like a chip on his shoulder for a couple years. And when push came to shove he went out with a broken back to put over Austin so he gets a pass.

Under threat of violence from the Undertaker. Michael's body, let alone his ego, couldn't handle that sort of bruising. I don't think he could have coped too well being beaten up again, him putting Austin over was more an act of self preservation than doing business

 

[harrythem]

I am so sick and tired of the HHH haters grow up and quit being such haters.

Because adults use the word haters. Oh wait, that's guests on Jeremy Kyle or, for you Americans, Maury Povich, that use that term.

HHH hasn't held anybody down he has put over more people than anybody I can remember in wrestling.

Mick Foley says hi by the way.

Lets look at the facts

Ironic to use that term, when you then ignore them isn't it.

he was one of the first to put over several stars Jericho, Benoit Guerrero Jeff Hardy Batista, Orton, Cena, Cody Rhodes, Dibiase, Edge, and sheamus

Jericho? Nah, in their feud Triple H bitched him out and then, while creative had Jericho, the Undisputed Champion, being Stephanie's dog walker, Triple H creamed him at Mania. Never put Jericho over. Shawn Michaels did, Austin did and Rock did, but Triple H didn't.

When exactly did Triple H put Eddie Guerrero over? Oh wait, was that when Eddie was lower-card with Chyna? Nah, Triple H didn't put him over.

Orton? Are you serious? You remember how much of a loser her made the new Champ look after Orton won it in 2004? Never helped Orton.

Edge? Again, when did this happen? I'm sure he's hardly lost to Edge at all.

Rhodes and Dibiase, I'm sure they lost one match but, when it came to the feud ending match that could've elevated them, they were destroyed in Hell In A Cell.

The others yes, especially Batista (in one of the best things of the decade).

when HHH jobs to someone they become a star.

Shelton Benjamin and Eugene asked if you've got some change so they can buy a cup of tea

They may not be who the internet comunity thinks should be pushed but he does more than any star. HHH hasn't held the belt in years and you can hate all you want when he comes back he will still get the biggest pop.

He will indeed, but then again, John Cena got a massive pop when he returned at the Rumble the other year. There's no arguing he's popular, it's just his methods that people dislike, as he doesn't need them

Tripple HHH has been in the main event for so long beacuse that is what the fans want it may not be what the internet community wants but we are not the majority and all this hate for him is just jealousy he was several time champ before he maried Stephanie.

Triple HHH, does that make him HHH,HHH,HHH? Yes he was champ before he married Stephanie but, unless I'm mistaken, he didn't really slip her a pill then drive to vegas and marry her when she was unconscious, they were together for years before hand. Pretty much since before she started on creative.

If you wan't to blame any one for his long run blame the Rock for abandoning wretling fans blame Stone Cold for being a wife beating little girl and blame Jeff Hardy for not being able to put down the pills.

Oh wow, just wow. To have to defend Triple H using these methods, bravo, proud of you kid. Surprised you didn't say blame Eddie for dying or Benoit for being a murderering coward, etc. Those are other people for other topics.

Some of you are just rediculous with this HHH hate he is the best of this generation period and denying it makes you look rediculous.

Kurt Angle would be offended, and quite rightly, by that comment.

The Triple H hate comes from the fact he is a great wrestler, he has the charisma, star power and ability to make someone a star but he doesn't do it. He always pisses on Mick Foley even though it was Foley that got him over the top. He screwed Booker T over a few times, de-railed Goldberg, was proud of the necrophilia angle with Kane. (deep breath) beat RVD when he could've burst through the main event door. Destroyed both Hardy's to show that Jeff beating him for the IC title was a fluke. Turned Rikishi's push into his own. It just goes on and on. The thing is it's counter-productive to do these things as the company is the future for him and his family. And, for me, the final straw was the edict that "you couldn't show Triple H in a defenceless or beaten state" in images from Smackdown vs Raw 2009. That takes some serious ego to expect that.

 

[ted sheckler]

Under threat of violence from the Undertaker. Michael's body, let alone his ego, couldn't handle that sort of bruising. I don't think he could have coped too well being beaten up again, him putting Austin over was more an act of self preservation than doing business

There's much dispute whether this even happened or not BUT what we do know is that the guy had every reason not to do what he did. He had a broken back and put himself at serious risk just by wrestling. He may have been making threats and acting like a diva BUT give the guy credit..he went out like a man and did the right thing..

 

[ted sheckler]

Michaels doesn't get that same luxury, wasn't the Royal Rumble in his hometown where he was the "rising from the ashes" contender for the title the poorest selling PPV WWE ever had?

Not even by a long shot.. It was actually the WWF had worked in front of in years since Summerslam 1993. The Alamo Dome can hold around 80,000 people.. Rumble drew 60,525 .. There were 20,000 empty seats up top... But for WWF at the time 60,000 people was a GIGANTIC number.

Not sure what the lowest gate for a PPV was BUT I do know the lowest PPV buyrates. Lowest Wrestlemania was 13 Bret vs Austin and Taker vs Sid with a .77 (WM12 did a 1.2 and WM14 did 2.3) the lowest PPV EVER was In Your House #5 did a dismal .3 headlined by Bret Hart vs Bulldog.. but Im sure he doesn't highlight that in his book.

I think WWE has rewritten history in regards to Shawn's legacy, based on his ego and the fact he never left for WCW. Whilst everyone on the list provided do possess huge egos, I think the gap between Michael's ego and reality is the largest, making him the worst offender.

I still doesn't think you've given an example of Shawn's "ego".. I mean he certainly has one but your argument skips over that completely.. Now I often hear Bret refer to himself as the best ever and not in promos.. I've yet to hear the same from Shawn.. I hear other wrestlers say it all the time but Shawn himself seems to be a bit more modest. I wish I knew where you were coming from?

 

[Money Inc.]

For me I have to vote

The Ultimate Warrior

First of all, he broke the #1 rule in wrestling and that is no showing an advertised event. It's funny how some people on here still defend the Ultimate Warrior and then go on to bash guys like Pac for no showing events. It's the just the fact we didn't have inside scoops and internet reports confirming these stories (even though a good 2 dozen wrestlers have come forward and confirmed Warrior was a piece of shit)

Summerslam 91' will be remembered as one of the lowest points in WWF/E history. The fact that Vince McMahon demanded Hogan and Slaughter not to physically touch Warrior shows you how much character the man has. Warrior bought in into his hype and never looked back... I forgot who made the quote but it went something a little like this.. "I think at one point, he forgot how tight them singlets were getting around his biceps and it cut off the circulation going to his brain"

Just look at the man today..

First of all his name is legally Warrior Warrior. If you look at his I.D card, I'm sure his 2nd known address is the nearest courthouse because the prick can't go a month without suing somebody. He has maybe 3 friends in the business if that.... and oh ya.. I forgot to mention he turned the single greatest push in Wrestling history into one of the biggest jokes...

Like I said, we weren't able to get confirmation on how big of a prick he was simply because he was involved in a time where it was all hear say... so even though he probably won't win this vote simply because the newer fans.. Idc.. He's easily the most egotistical f*** to walk through a wrestling curtain.

Michaels attitude era is #2

Listening to some of the stories of just how disrespectful Shawn was during the alleged "pain killer days" makes me sick.

Shawn grew up though and overcame his alledged addiction and more credit to him. I'm not going to sit here and say he deserves a medal, because if some of those stories are true than he deserves a swift kick in the nuts... but at least he found a higher power and admitted he was a jackass while guys like Warrior are still a disgrace.

I'd say my top 5 is anchored with

#3 Nash
#4 Luger
#5 Hogan

 

[TheHitMark-SirJoseOle]

Just to get my opinion out here, sorry Tenta but I am not very impressed with this thread at all. The reason being is that yeah it goes without saying that there will be egos in this business, and yes it goes without saying that Hulk Hogan is probably one of the biggest of them all, but at the same time I don't think we should forget that this is the nature of any business entertainment, sport or otherwise. A lot of why we think these people have egos is because of speculation and what we read out of tell all books, while I considered such accounts to be quite amusing, they are stories as far as I am concerned and nothing more because none of us the "common fans" that is are around to have seen what happened backstage.

The internet has given us this false set of eyes into the wrestling world and it gets really frustrating sometimes to enjoy the product when engaging with other fans because of threads like this. I respect your opinions on things Tenta and I have read many of your posts in the past to say that I do believe you stand on a solid ground when you do bring something up, but I dunno about this one man, I think these are the types of threads that really prevent people from having more positive discussions about pro wrestling.

And yes I know sometimes the backstage egos will probably affect what's seen on the screen but at the same time it's all speculation because none of us are there to see anything that goes on. And when I hear what I hear, I take so much of it with a grain of salt.

However, like the other posters I will bring up one thing, Vince McMahon definitely belongs on this poll because of the stuff I've seen him do on television. I mean this isn't the 80s anymore, we know he runs the show and some of the stuff he's done on television like having his employees put their lips to his posterior and literally kiss it in my mind is just a waste of time to put on television. Then to stage his own death as an angle and have that be the center of attention was even worse, mind you Sherri Martel had died that very same week and she was relegated to a mere picture on the sidebar of the website while the website's main graphic was an "in memoriam" picture link for Vince. Now if you want to talk about an ego that you can more or less prove, there is none better than that one! The man himself is a shameless self promoter and you can't ignore that from some of the scenarios he's put himself in. I know as good ol' JR would say Vince would usually get his "comeuppance" but just the same, the man's a glorified exhibitionist. Anyone that tries denying that and tries to say anything different is delusional.

One backstage tale if it's indeed true to the extent that some claim is it is and I see that people glaringly overlook it is when Austin refused to job to Brock Lesnar and he walked out of WWE for a time. Now granted, I don't know if this is really how it happened, bottom line it was something reported on the net and then WWE used it as a storyline on TV. It may have had some truth but it could have been a storyline from the start. Hell, it's pro wrestling so I would never rule that whole Austin-Lesnar controversy being a work from the start. But suppose we could find out that it was entirely a "shoot" as we call it, I remember hearing Austin say that he didn't want to lose to Lesnar on the fly without build up, so he walked out of WWE for that reason. A lot of internet idiot marks love to stand by that ideology as I've read in the past. The fact is if this is true, Austin walked out on the company plain and simple and that is something that is just as bad as anything any of these "egomaniacs" in this poll are being accused of. Granted I as a fan wouldn't have wanted to see that happen, especially with how Brock Lesnar turned out to not be a WWE mainstay, but guys like The Rock and Hogan did the job to Brock, and granted I'm not going to be delusional enough to not think Hogan doesn't have an ego, but had he been so opposed to losing to Brock Lesnar, I'm sure he would have found his way out of the match. Austin on the other hand, and again this is if the whole scenario with Austin was true in the first place, is no better as far as egos go. There's even scuttlebutt going around that he refused to work with Jeff Jarrett when he was in the WWF. Again, I don't know how true any of these "stories" are but I think a lot of us fans should be a bit more aware that this whole "business" is built on ego. But if you guys want my opinion, I still think there's a lot more "working" in the business than we really know, after all none of us are backstage to see what happens, so none of us and that includes me can say we know for sure on anything. Which in my view makes this poll a very subjective one and granted I know it was opinion based in the first place Tenta, but I think a lot of it undermines why we're supposed to like wrestling in the first place.

Hogan, HHH, Foley, Warrior, Nash, Michaels and so many others I am pretty sure have their primadonna tendencies but again, it's not fair for any of us to determine how big their egos really are when we're not there to see any of these egos in action behind the scenes. Personally speaking, if any of us were in their positions would we really be acting any differently. Who really knows, I would say that if we were to be so lucky to have any of these guys' star power for a day, I have a good feeling a good amount of us as fans would ride the power trip for every bit we could.

I have to say personally Hulk Hogan. A man who personally himself made wrestling cool, yes he did but he didnt do it by himself. His heel run in the NWO was great for the first year or 2 and then it go old and he just kept using his creative control to get his way. He then when WCW folded and the dust was clear came back to wwe and what won the undisputed title of cause, and then went away for awhile returned for the hall of fame and hanged around for awhile, went on to fued woth HBK amd used this creative control to make the storyline how he wanted it, HBK HAD!!! to be heel and he didnt wamt to job to him at all.

Hogan then went on did his thing came back burried ortan at summerslam naturally.

Then after being in money problems he created his own wrestling tour and came down under to Austraila for the first time ever after he couldmt be fucked coming down when wwe did. On a tour the had him flair and his boys (beefcake nasty boys) amd ex wwe guys he thoughy he could sell out 20000 seat statums, he was the main person that was promoted not much of flair and being that ir was his first match after WM 24. Hogan burried flair at all 4 shows qnd the promoter went bankrupt.

And then to give his ego another boost he signed to TNA. And tryed to act loke it was the 80's 90's when he was the biggest thing im pro wrestling.

Thats my personall opion sorry for mistakes i typed this on my iphone

This was an interesting thread you started Tenta despite my feelings about the nature of them in the first place. Sadly the amount of idiots voting really can't make any logical statements on the choices they made. And yeah for the Hogan bashers like jhauth11, yeah Hogan's seen better days and I could do without him on my television screen these days but he's still the guy that laid the foundation down for what we know today as pro wrestling. He's earned his status in wrestling and as far as him burying Flair, get real kid. It was Flair's choice to come out of retirement and work those dates with Hogan, at least as far I know. Maybe someone was holding a gun to his head and making him come out of retirement, I dunno, you tell me. Since you seem to be such an authority on what makes guys like Hogan and Flair tick. On a side note, jhauth11 next time you wanna make a point, find a better outlet to type on than an iPhone, you lose instant credibility points with all the stupid misspelled words, plus your post sounded like garbage to begin with. If Hogan had all the creative control that he had, then you can blame WWE for that, not Hogan himself. It's obvious that WWE wanted Hogan back for that event with HBK and since they've worked with Hogan in the past, they must have known what they were getting into, so shame on them and not Hogan for how the SummerSlam match ended up.

Bottom line guys, you can say all you want about a wrestler's ego but that's not why we're supposed to watch wrestling in the first place. We're supposed to watch this stuff for the story, not the drama behind the scenes, and again without being there, how do any of us really know the truth in the first place?

So to the delusional posters, please start remembering what the nature of pro wrestling is in the first place, aye dios mio!

 

[Caitiff]

Well, this is great; 13 voted for Hogan, and no one has the balls to say why they picked Hulk? really, guys? I know some of you that voted for Hulk are better than that; you don't just blindly vote, do you? Give me some facts; Hogan's a great choice, but don't just blindly pick him, fucking give a reason

I voted for Hogan. I'll even explain my reason. Just remember, Hogan had 100% control over the booking of every event that led to this.

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He openly killed the company that employed him, for the sole purpose of maintaining his spot. What? That's not enough?

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That's enough, right? No? Fine. One more, just for you.

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THAT is what Hulk Hogan's legacy should be. Absolute power corrupts absolutely. And, in WCW, Hulk Hogan had absolute power.

But, on a side note, where is Dixie Carter on this list? She honestly believed that, after hiring a 60 year old geriatric cripple who has no interests in professional wrestling, unless it directly benefit him, she would be able to take her regional territory head to head with WWE, and walk away victorious.

And, when that failed, she recently had a meeting with her roster where she openly declared that, without regard for booking issues, or problems with leadership, the only reason that TNA isn't the biggest wrestling company on the planet is because the wrestlers don't work hard enough. Of course, we're talking about a company that can't even book Kurt Angle vs. AJ Styles correctly, but it's the wrestler's fault for not giving even more of their blood for her ambitions.

Oh, I almost forgot. There was that one time where she had one of he people inform the audience of, you know, her cmpany's fans, that they were, in her eyes, merely unpaid employees of TNA Wrestling, and had no business speaking their minds in a public forum.

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One more thing. The Rock owes every one of his fans an apology. Those fans made him a multi-millionaire before his 30th birthday. If I were him, would I have left for Hollywood? Probably. But, if I were him, would I have completely forgotten about the people who gave me an 8 digit net worth before trying to make it 9? Hell no. And, that's exactly what Dwayne did. All he had to say was "thank you." But, he completely forgot that, without the people chanting the Rock's name, he was simply Rocky Maivia, getting booed out of every arena he entered, and not drawing a fucking dime.

 

[Carpathian Florist]

I still doesn't think you've given an example of Shawn's "ego"..

Well I thought most of that was pretty well known and I didn't think people would wanna read it all again, but all the stuff from his prime when he would refused to lose belts, wouldn't job to anyone, pretty much anything negative reported on him from his pre-"saved" days. I've also seen shoot interviews with thim, he doesn't come across as a modest person to me who has truly accepted the lord into his life, etc etc. What about when he turned up in the WWE off his face on drugs laying into HHH because he "made" him and stuff like that (I could be wrong but I think this may have even been mentioned on his DVD), if that doesn't say ego I don't know what does seeing as HHH was pretty much a sidekick when Shawn left and rose to the main event in his absence. Look at the reunion angle on Raw recently when Bret came back, if Bret is to be believed it wasn't scripted and Michaels, to me, really looked like he couldn't care less about the whole thing. I admit the whole thing is probably a bit overblown now anyway, but as a reborn Christian you would have thought a gesture of forgiveness from a rival would mean something to him....

 

[mayankeagle]

Ok, this is turning out to be another HHH bashing thread. While a lot of people do blame him for being egoistic and pushed beyond his capabilities just because he is Vince's son-in-law, I'd like to say something in the man's defence.

Yeah he is a 13-time world champion because he is the chairman's son-in-law but have we ever thought why is he Vince's son-in-law? Why did Stephanie like him and decide to marry him when there were so many guys on the roster (and in other companies) who'd be dying to marry her?

Rewind back to the Kliq incident where HHH, Diesel, Shawn and Razor Ramon had broken character in the ring and hugged after the match - who had to bear the punishment for that? Diesel and Razor left WWF for WCW, Shawn was a main-eventer and a big draw as champion, so all the punishment was bestowed upon HHH. He was supposed to win King of the Ring in 1996 but Austin was the one who ended up winning it. While it was great for the business that Austin won it, what I'm trying to say is that career hasn't really been very easy for HHH always. He has had his set-backs and he has had to work his a** through to get to where he is, and I mean it in a nice sense. And remember his Wrestlemania with Ultimate Warrior?

HHH was perhaps first identified by Shawn as a good talent, and that's the reason why they formed DX. And as we know, DX has been arguably the greatest tag-team in WWE history - but my estimation is that it is not because of Shawn Michaels but because of HHH. After Shawn was out of action for 4 years due to injury, it was HHH who was running the DX show. It was him who led the rest of the factum to invade WCW - remember? And even later when DX was reunited in 2006, it was HHH who doing most of the vocal promos that re-restablished DX on the top of Raw as fan-favourites. Have to admit it, that HHH has great mic skills and can be very entertaining. While some of the DX actions got boring in late 2009 and early 2010 because it was like a repeat of what we had seen million times, some of their antics (like the impersonation of the McMahons) were fabulous and had the crowd rolling on the floor laughing

HHH has made contributions to the business also - and I mean that, quite a lot. The whole concept of the Evolution factum is a clear example of the same. He was already the champion and a main-eventer, he had no reason to find talent and push other guys himself. Yet he sat backstage with Ric Flair looking at every Raw episode and finally identified Orton and Batista as potential main-eventers. All Evolution story-lines, though actually circling around HHH being champion and the others helping him retain his belt, were actually means of pushing Orton and Batista. So basically, Orton and Batista "evolved" from HHH and Flair, and later when they were capable of being main-eventers themselves, they were dropped out from Evolution (like Orton was removed when he became the youngest champion and later Batista was removed and Evolution disbanded during his feud with HHH in 2005). You've got to give credit HHH for his contributions towards the business and in terms of pushing younger superstars. I don't remember Hogan or Warrior doing any of this.

As for him not losing any matches cleanly - don't you guys remember how HHH lost three matches in a row cleanly to Batista in 2005? Didn't he lose to Cena cleanly at Wrestlemania? Didn't he lose cleanly to Jeff Hardy in 2008 on Smackdown? Didn't he lose cleanly to Undertaker at Wrestlemania 17 and create a classic match? Any time Taker and HHH are in the ring together, just look at the respect that HHH gives him, like he did in their singles' match on Smackdown in 2008 - HHH does give credit and respect where its deserved , I think we should also give him his due respect.

 

[ilapierre]

As big an ego as Hogan, Warrior, Michaels, Hitman, Vince etc have, the guy with the biggest and really most undeserved ego is Triple H. He was never even half the wrestler that Michaels or Hart were, and he couldn't draw anywhere near like Hogan or Warrior. Vince may have the biggest ego in all of wrestling history, followed closely by Hogan, but it was these two people who made and shaped wrestling into what it is today. Egos come hand in hand with fame and success, and for everything they did they have big egos, but deserved in my opinion (no matter how annoying both men can be). However, Triple H won a couple of world titles in 1999 at a point in time in wrestling history when belts were being put on whoever every day of the week (unlike how Hogan wore titles for years and Warrior 9 months). Then Triple H got into a relationship with Stephanie (who really knows how long behind the scenes) and consequently became invincible for a decade. I've read posts by mayankeagle and somebody else here earlier defending Triple H, and i've tried to not be a whiny basher while taking their points into consideration. But, their arguments about Triple H bashers are futile. Smart wrestling fans hate Triple H and devalue his career because they see his career for what it was. An intelligent guy 'playing the game' of life, using his relationship as a powerplay for his career, to play his cards right and book himself down our throats as champ. I credit the guy for putting himself in a position where he'll never some day be found dead on the road from overdosing on painkillers. But as for playing an instrumental part in making wrestling boring by booking himself (and Stephanie booking him) as the champ all the time, and thus holding back a generation of would be stars, I discredit him for the sap sucking leetch he is. So do a lot of people here, and justifiably so. And that's not just whiny Triple H hate. That's simply calling it as I see it, and a majority of people see it like that because that's what any competent wrestling fan should be able to deduce over the past decade of his very nonsensical immortality. We're not Triple H bashers, we're just fans who WILL NOT simply ignore his UNDESERVED ego and we'll always bring attention to the fact that this guy, without McMahon backing, would have amounted to nothing more than an IC Champ.

Hogan may have had a lot of political sway in his championship years, but he was amazing for business. Although rewriters of history will disagree, Warrior was good for business and was more over than even Hogan during his run in 1990. Hitman, as clumsy on the mic as he was and as poorly as WWE did after Hogan left, gave his heart and soul to WWE like Cena 365 days a year, but unlike Cena wrestled epics night in and night out. Hitman elevated future stars by making them look amazing. So did Michaels. And that was great for business. Michaels, like Hitman, did not draw very well, but he, like Hitman, wrestled epic matches and certainly had the charisma and skill to warrant a major ego and a number one spot on top of the company. But all Triple H did was parasitically ride the STCA/Rock wave when Michaels was injured by being in the right place at the right time, hook up with the bosses' daughter, book himself to be the King of Kings, and bore us week after week and month after month and year after year in the 2000s. He did not draw the fans to the arena, Stone Cold did. Once drawn, he did not keep fans seated in front of their tvs, the Rock did. Granted, he played a great villain for these two to feud with, i will give him that. But I bet he was essentially only suppose to be the King Kong Bundy, Ted Dibiase, or Sergeant Slaughter type of guy for the major stars to feud with prior to Steph and all the big stars moving on with their lives. Let's also not forget Triple H was in the right place at the right time being a Michaels/McMahon crony, getting the villainous rub he got from being an accomplice in the Montreal Screwjob. And Triple H's character has only really been interesting when he was Shawn Michaels follower in the 90s, when he was carried by Stephanie in an angle in 99/01, and then again when he apparently became Michaels leader in the 00s with DX. Interesting, but by no means a top drawing persona. His 13 title reigns should not place him as one of the greatest of all time, but speak for itself as the most pathetic display of abusing power. And the great thing about this guy's artificially inflated ego is that it could all be squashed in a second. His legacy could be ruined with one wrong slipup if he were to ever cross the McMahons. He could be rewritten out of the WWE history books just like the Macho Man cause no one messes with daddy's little girl. Could you imagine where an even more monotonously boring guy like Test would be today had he instead married Stephanie??? Yikes!

 

[Judah's Lion]

this is a really unique thread with a whole lot of possibilities for an answer.

there are enormous egos in wrestling. but then again, if the characters and gimmicks and storylines are gonna be larger than life, then the ego to go with it will also be larger than life. just my thought there.

VKM has got a big ego. no question about it. but, as stated previously, all promoters are gonna because of what it is that they're doing. so i'll let him slide.

Hogan, Nash, Luger, Hart, Triple H, etc all have huge freaking egos. but i get it. that's their character coming to life. and sure, whenever you have the booking power, you favor yourself maybe more than you should. but none of them seem to trump the other IMO.

Batista has a pretty big ego and not a ton to back it up, but fact is that the guy did draw, so at least he had that going for him.

by all accounts i've read, Jericho has a pretty big ego. but man, this guy can go in the ring and on the mic and so at least he can back it up.

HBK, unquestionably and admittedly, had an enormous ego back in the day. but i do believe that he really did come back a changed man once he got saved, so i give him a pass. yes, he had a history of being a total egomaniac, but he did redeem himself in my eyes. plus, redemption or not, he could back it up in the ring and on the mic.

so all of that said, there are two guys in particular that stick out to me as the worst offenders of crazy egos. this is because the have the aforementioned crazy egos as all those listed above, but actually don't have much to back it up.

of course, as mentioned, Warrior. he changed his name and everything. but this is just a body builder that was in the right place at the right time. yeah yeah, huge pops. so what. sucked on the mic and sucked in the ring. and he still thinks he's the greatest, not just of all time, but still today, 20 years after the fact.

and then, and i can't believe somebody else didn't pick up on this, Goldberg. same thing as Warrior. right place at the right time and with the right story. but this guy still thinks that he's the best in the world and he hasn't been relevant in a decade. so big on himself that he gets ticked that people use the spear, as if he invented the move.

so for the big ego and sheer lack of credibility in the big scheme of things, plus only about 3 years in the ring each which is not enough time to deserve the ego, my vote is split between Warrior and Goldberg.

again, guys like Hogan, Flair, VKM, HBK, Hart, Nash, Rock, Stone Cold, Triple H, Jericho and Foley (i disagree here, but for the sake of argument) have enormous egos in the wrestling world. but at least they have something to back it up, namely multiple decades in the business, drawing power, great feuds, storylines, matches, ring work and mic work. Warrior and Goldberg cannot say the same.

 

[NoCareEver]

I think you guys are forgetting one of the biggest stars and therefore by default one of the biggest egos: William Goldberg. Here's a dude who never had a clean loss, got in, got his money, and refuses to return to the business only accepting MILLIONS for action figures and such. I'm not saying he's the biggest, I'm just saying he deserves mention.

 

[TJM14]

As far as a wrestler...its Hogan. At Summerslam05 Hogan should've lost 2 the greatest of all time...Shawn Michaels

 

[Hulkamaniac]

As far as a wrestler...its Hogan. At Summerslam05 Hogan should've lost 2 the greatest of all time...Shawn Michaels

Except Hogan is better than Michaels by any objective measure. The right man won. Get over it. When two established stars go head to head, the bigger star should win. Fans pay to see HOgan win...as you might have noticed from the enormous pop Hogan got.

 

[theHeadliner]

Not even by a long shot.. It was actually the WWF had worked in front of in years since Summerslam 1993. The Alamo Dome can hold around 80,000 people.. Rumble drew 60,525 .. There were 20,000 empty seats up top... But for WWF at the time 60,000 people was a GIGANTIC number.

Not sure what the lowest gate for a PPV was BUT I do know the lowest PPV buyrates. Lowest Wrestlemania was 13 Bret vs Austin and Taker vs Sid with a .77 (WM12 did a 1.2 and WM14 did 2.3) the lowest PPV EVER was In Your House #5 did a dismal .3 headlined by Bret Hart vs Bulldog.. but Im sure he doesn't highlight that in his book.



I still doesn't think you've given an example of Shawn's "ego".. I mean he certainly has one but your argument skips over that completely.. Now I often hear Bret refer to himself as the best ever and not in promos.. I've yet to hear the same from Shawn.. I hear other wrestlers say it all the time but Shawn himself seems to be a bit more modest. I wish I knew where you were coming from?

Couldn't agree more. Bret's PPVs drew worse than MIchaels. Shawn headlined WM14 and it was the biggest WM buyrate in years when it happened. Shawn never refers to himself as the best ever, in fact he's rather humble when it comes to that subject. On the other hand, Bret always throws in how he was the best and his matches were works of art, he was a stand up guy, etc. Also as I said earlier, Bret's house was a shrine to himself. He had pics of himself wrestling, posing, and wrestling memorabilia in every single room of his house.

 

[Hulkamaniac]

Foley is an interesting case, despite receiving no votes and a lot of guys hating on Tenta for including him. However, I think it's valid inclusion, although not necessarily the biggest ego ever. Foley has a tendency to mask his ego with self-deprecating humor. Normally, that's a sign of someone who doesn't take himself too seriously, so I understand why people wouldn't necessarily see it. But Foley does it SO damn much, that to me, it's pretty obvious that he feels he's underappreciated, and says these things because he wants everyone to go "Nonono, Mick, you are so awesome, blahblahbalh", and then YOU are the one who's saying how awesome he is, not him, so he looks great, and since you complimented him, now you're personally invested in his greatness. It's actually a bit of brilliant psychology. Like I said, I don't think he belongs on the top of the list, but I think he definitely has a valid place in this poll.

Also, although I'm not particularly a fan of either guy anymore, Hart undeniably has a bigger ego then HBK. And that's saying something. Not that Hart is completely undeserving of having such an ego, but the guy is more of a mark for himself than anyone short of Warrior.

If I were ranking these guys, and not including Vince McMahon, I would go:

1. Warrior
2. Bret Hart
3. Hulk Hogan
4. Shawn Michaels
5. Kevin Nash
6. Mick Foley

Now, if I were ranking these guys rating amount of ego vs. deserved ego:

1. Warrior
2. Kevin Nash
3. Mick Foley
4. Bret Hart
5. Shawn Michaels
6. Hulk Hogan

 

[montkvsting]

To me, Hogan has the biggest ego in wrestling. Hogan always had to be the main guy. He wouldn't allow any wrestlers be in front of him. In WWF, he never put anybody over with the exception of the Ultimate Warrior. Even with guys like the Macho Man and Rick Rude in their prime, Hogan wouldn't put them over. I am still upset about the match with Sting at Starrcade. Sting should've had his moment in the sun. The match changed momentum for WCW. WCW was never the same after that night. Hogan is all about Hogan.

 

[WWFNWA78]

I Picked Hulk Hogan for Biggest ego...lets see why.

Being wrestlings biggest superstar, he developed an ego, and he was known for having say on who would he wrestle and so forth..but i can understand why he did that..seeing as he was the WWF's biggest money maker, i guess you can develop an attitude of doing what you want when you want it.

When he joined WCW...he did the same thing...but Hogan doesn't get the blame for that as Eric Bischoff let him have his way bringing his friends in..but many people who wrestled in WCW were not happy during the time he wrestled there.

Ok not that many good reasons that i'm justifying it, but as wrestlings biggest star...he developed one, but other people fed into it..because simply..they made money off of him.

But in some ways it could be understandable why he had one...can't deny what he did for the business, but i picked him because circumstances made him that way..wheither you can justify it or not.