Which wrestler in the history of WWE helped put over the most superstars?

[Sedated]

Sorry if this is the wrong section but it seemed like the most fitting one to me.

Now not just who helped put the most wrestlers over, but who helped get the most "superstars" over. So a combination of both quantity and quality.

The wrestler didn't necessarily have to win the match to be put over. Hell, it's possible they didn't even have a match and they got a rub by association. You could possibly argue that HHH/Ric Flair helped put over Batista/Orton just by being in Evolution with them.

I started thinking about this and I'm honestly not too sure who I'd pick but I thought it was a pretty interesting topic. I'm going to wait until I see what some other people have to say before I pick my choice. Try to be a little specific in how you feel the wrestler you named was put over and how this helped propel his career. In a lot of cases it'll be pretty obvious so no need to beat a dead horse, just give a little more information than "Hogan put over Ultimate Warrior."

Just a few quick examples using Brettt Hart.

He put over HBK huge in their classic Iron Man match. This was and maybe still is the biggest win in HBK's career and was his first WWE title win. This was the match that really cemented HBK going from an IC champion, to a main eventer.

Stone Cold also was really helped by his feud with Brettt Hart. Their wrestlemania submission match being the big turning point. The way Austin refused to quit really made the crowd get behind him and helped propel Austin to go on to be one of, if not the greatest wrestlers of all time.

 

[Nate DaMac]

Bret* damnit. One t.

In my opinion, it would be Mick Foley. Foley brought out the best in Rock and pretty much made him a legit main eventer. He was well on his way to being a superstar, but there's no doubt in my mind that Mick got him over the hump.

He also put over HHH. He was also a legit star who was very popular during the DX era. Still, he wasn't entirely bought as a World Title contender. Enter Mick Foley, and well, you see where he is now.

He also did wonders for the careers of Edge and Randy Orton with those fucking insane Hardcore matches. He made men of those boys.

 

[GideonGodsend]

in the past when i watched i didnt know what putting someone over meant. but in the modern age id say chris jericho, he's made it a career of putting on a competitive match with everyone he wrestles. he can have a great match with evan bourne and a great match with john cena. can cena put on a great match with bourne? no it'll be a squash match. in these past few years jericho has put numerous people over: kingston, morrison, bourne, barrett and the list goes on. obviously these superstars played their own part in getting over and other main eventer also helped, because not one man can put one man over, but jericho has played a big part in getting superstars over

 

[Hollywood Naitch]

Bret* damnit. One t.

In my opinion, it would be Mick Foley. Foley brought out the best in Rock and pretty much made him a legit main eventer. He was well on his way to being a superstar, but there's no doubt in my mind that Mick got him over the hump.

He also put over HHH. He was also a legit star who was very popular during the DX era. Still, he wasn't entirely bought as a World Title contender. Enter Mick Foley, and well, you see where he is now.

He also did wonders for the careers of Edge and Randy Orton with those fucking insane Hardcore matches. He made men of those boys.

I would also have to go with Foley, one of the most unselfish main eventers in the history of the WWE, no airs and graces, no complaints. Just went out there and gave his all every night no matter who he was in the ring with. Anyone Foley was associated with came out of the match better for it.

Edge, Orton, Rock, Triple H are the obvious choices, but even in the HIAC match with Undertaker, letting Taker throw him from the top of the cage helped make The Deadman into an even more unstoppable force.

 

[themick]

My answer is a spin off the people who are saying Foley and it is none other than The Undertaker. No disrespect to Foley but Taker got Foley over with the WWE crowd to begin with. Kane couldn't get over in different roles with the company, but his association with Taker helped turn him into a monster. When Taker was leading the Ministry, he was given a bunch of wrestlers people either didn't know or didn't care about (JBL, Edge, Christian, etc.) and helped give them enough of a rub that made it easier for them to be taken more seriously on their own. He has helped elevate a number of wrestlers like Jeff Hardy and Randy Orton into main-event status. Heck, he even tried to legitimize Tough Enough by losing to Maven for crying out loud! My vote is for the Deadman.

 

[OutsiderDX]

If we are saying that "put over" and "made" as the same thing.

There are have been few wrestlers who have been in position to put over others. 90 % of guys are looking to be put over. I'm not saying the following is a complete list, but it's a start.

Bret Hart- made : HBK, Austin

Undertaker - made : Kane, Foley

Foley - made : Rock (1/2), HHH (1/2)

HBK - ???

Austin - made : Rock (1/2)

Rock - made: Hurricane

HHH - made : Orton, Batista, Shemus

Cena - made : nobody

JBL - made Cena

Wrestlers who never had anyone made them : Hogan, Taker, Hart,

 

[Rammsteinerteen]

A lot of people has chosen Mick Foley, and to me, it's a great choice. He lost to people like The Rock, Undertaker, Vader, Owen Hart, British Bulldog, I think Bret Hart, Stone Cold Steve Austin, Big Show, and HHH ESPECIALLY. But one person that put over so much people in the past never got a deserving push. He basically beat all the losers, but he lost to all the top or mid card stars. His name is Goldust. Goldust was an amazing talent, and I remember his storylines always being intriguing. But he always lost the feud he was in, making the stars he lost to look like top stars. And he's doing that today, with people like Sheamus or Ted Dibiase.

Undertaker, if I remember correctly, during the mid 90s had put so much people over. He lost to almost everybody. Bret Hart, HBK, The Rock, Big Show, and Stone Cold.

 

[Nate DaMac]

Cena - made : nobody

I call bullshit. First of all, Miz wouldn't be nearly as popular if it weren't for Miz calling out Cena all the time back when he was doing that streak thing.

Furthermore, I have no doubt in my mind that Cena played a HUGE part in Orton being as popular as he is now. The feud they had put Orton over the top.

Also, he tried with Wade Barrett. Barrett was a believable main eventer for a while thanks to Cena, but it isn't his fault that they dropped the ball on him.

 

[Rampage Bentley]

If we are saying that "put over" and "made" as the same thing.

There are have been few wrestlers who have been in position to put over others. 90 % of guys are looking to be put over. I'm not saying the following is a complete list, but it's a start.

Bret Hart- made : HBK, Austin

Undertaker - made : Kane, Foley

Foley - made : Rock (1/2), HHH (1/2)

HBK - ???

Austin - made : Rock (1/2)

Rock - made: Hurricane

HHH - made : Orton, Batista, Shemus

Cena - made : nobody

JBL - made Cena

Wrestlers who never had anyone made them : Hogan, Taker, Hart,

"Never had anyone made them" huh? Are you serious in saying no one made Hogan? That seems like a bad joke. Andre the Giant put over Hogan BIG time, as did Rowdy Roddy Piper. If it weren't for those two Hogan would be NOBODY

 

[deforty]

If we are saying that "put over" and "made" as the same thing.

There are have been few wrestlers who have been in position to put over others. 90 % of guys are looking to be put over. I'm not saying the following is a complete list, but it's a start.

Bret Hart- made : HBK, Austin

Undertaker - made : Kane, Foley

Foley - made : Rock (1/2), HHH (1/2)

HBK - ???

Austin - made : Rock (1/2)

Rock - made: Hurricane

HHH - made : Orton, Batista, Shemus

Cena - made : nobody

JBL - made Cena

Wrestlers who never had anyone made them : Hogan, Taker, Hart,

I believe Hogan was really made by Andre at WMIII and Hogan put over Taker. Yes i know that Hogan was popular by then but thats what made Hulkamania take off and didn't taker beat Hogan at his Debut?

You could essentially say Ric Flair put over the most people. Dusty Rhodes, Sting, Orton, Batista, HBK.

If what you are referring to is passing the torch to someone i would say Hogan has done that the most.

Hogan to Ultimate Warrior, Sid Justice/Vicious, Goldberg, Yokazuna, Undertaker, The Rock...there might be a few more times in there I am not sure I think he lost the title to Yokazuna, I know he beat him at a WM but i think He lost it to him also.

 

[Heartachetonight926]

Cena - made : nobody,

Well if you think about it, Cena kind of "Made" the Miz. Back in 2009 when miz was drafted to RAW, everyone thought he would be future endeavored, but then he had a feud with Cena and it made people take him more seriously. Cena didn't exactly put him over in any match, but the whole feud pushed the Miz into the right direction.


Oh, and don't forget about Barret....even though Barret still has a bit of work to do, Cena put him over big time with the whole Nexus angle.

 

[BestForTheBusinesso9]

I think people are getting putting someone over confused with losing the match and I think those people are missing the point. Putting someone over involves bringing a superstar to another level basically by being involved in a feud with said person. This usually requires a win to really catapult someone but in some cases its not necessary. My pick here is HBK, and I know more often than not his put overs don't launch peoples careers but he has single handedly kept the Undertaker relevant the last couple years through the Wrestlemania put-overs.

I'm not understanding the Undertaker argument, I have watched him for years and unless you count the monster heels they bring in over the years to face the Undertaker then I really can't put my finger on anyone specific that has really catapulted to a major star based on the Undertaker's rub. The two possibilities being Kane and Mick Foley with Kane's success outside of feuds with the Undertaker a definite question mark and Mick Foley already an established wrestler.

Now, let me go through the Shawn Michaels list of people he has put over for the idiot with the ???.

He and Triple H put over Dibiase and Rhodes in there tag feud back in 09' a rivalry that helped bring some credibility back to the tag belts.

I strongly believe that his Orton and Jericho feuds established them at that particular time to be the top heels(yes, they were already successful but in different roles than at that particular point in time)

Chris Benoit also got a huge rub from HBK in his run to the main event.

I'm going to back in time a little bit with some of my people, While Bret Hart helped establish Stone Cold the Wrestlemania before Wrestlemania 14 was the "passing of the torch" from HBK to Stone Cold. This match and the build-up definitely sent SCSA to the next level.

Two men that started off as bodyguards for Shawn Michaels that after feuds with him went on to win world titles? Psycho Sid and Diesel. Can't say Shawn didn't basically establish who these guys even were.

Another match that is one the best all-time that people actually forget who won sometimes, the Razor Ramon-HBK ladder match from Wrestlemania X. This definitely helped solidify both men but by the won/loss argument was definitely a putover.

The British Bulldog was another guy that received a lot from his matches with Shawn Michaels and while Michaels usually won and the Bulldog was a known star he wasn't exactly a superstar in the US before these matches.

I know some of these examples might be ripped apart but I was going off memory and sometimes we don't remember all of the details but I think I've proven my point of Shawn Michaels putting some people over. This doesn't include countless times he raised a wrestlers in-ring performance in one match like he has done at Wrestlemania after Wrestlemania. Those include Vince McMahon even.

 

[triplehbk23]

2 names would have to immediatly come to mind and that would be Mick Foley and Andre.

Foley put over Rock many times, Triple H, Randy Orton, Edge, Sting, Vader and many more

and nadre for puttin over Hogan and the warrior and doin wonders for the careers of Duggan and jake roberts in my opinion

 

[Iversen]

If we are saying that "put over" and "made" as the same thing.

There are have been few wrestlers who have been in position to put over others. 90 % of guys are looking to be put over. I'm not saying the following is a complete list, but it's a start.

Bret Hart- made : HBK, Austin

Undertaker - made : Kane, Foley

Foley - made : Rock (1/2), HHH (1/2)

HBK - ???

Austin - made : Rock (1/2)

Rock - made: Hurricane

HHH - made : Orton, Batista, Shemus

Cena - made : nobody

JBL - made Cena

Wrestlers who never had anyone made them : Hogan, Taker, Hart,

Bit harsh. HBK spent near enough the last few years putting people over. Just because they didn't make it isn't necessarily down to him.

Rhodes and Dibiase got put over by DX hugely. They didn't just beat them if I remember correctly they even made HBK tap out at one point. I know thats not quite the same as making someone like Taker tap out but it's still a big push.

It kind of depends by what you mean. I mean someone like HBK made Jericho look amazing in their feud even if he did win. But you could argue that Jericho was already over.

In many ways you could say that HBK has added more credibility to the streak that anyone before him had so he's put that over.

Guys like Flair as much as people might disagree have spent a long time putting people over. Just look at someone like Jay Lethal just because he hasn't quite hit his potential doesn't end the fact that Flair massively put him over. You can't get a much better rub than going up against 'God'.

 

[ECW Sandman]

Andre put over Hogan and Savage put over The Dragon both at WrestleMania III Flair put over Sting back in the 80's /90's back in NWA/WCW.

 

[S.J. Maximus]

Honestly everyone is going to call me crazy but I'm going to go with Triple H. The question by the original poster says how many "superstars" did this man put over so let's look at Triple H's resume and see what comes up:

-The Rock - These guys feuded for the better part of 2 years (98-00) over the IC title and then WWF title, both elevating each other in the process. They both helped each other reach the level of superstardom that they achieved, constantly trading those titles back and forth and putting on classics time after time in that 2-year period.

-Kurt Angle - As Kurt was floating in the midcard trying to get that elevation, WWE Creative used HHH and Steph's onscreen marriage to propel Kurt Angle to the main event permanently. Triple H's newfound stardom from the Rock was the perfect thing to give Kurt newfound stardom as well.

-Chris Benoit - Say what you will about this man (and his feud with HHH) but the record will always show (you may just have to dig for it) that HHH tapped out to the Crossface at WrestleMania 20. Triple H was the big dog on RAW for 2 years and Evolution was big, he was the main guy from the Attitude Era still in the company, yet he let Chris Benoit become the face and tapped out to him at WrestleMania, giving Chris a solid run as champ

-Batista - One year after Triple H looked weak in tapping to the new face Chris Benoit, Triple H was bloodied at the hands of a man 3 years into the company. Batista demolished HHH in the main event of WrestleMania 21, and continued to do so for the rest of their feud that year. If Batista wasn't as injury prone as he was, he IMO would've been bigger than John Cena. Don't believe me? Look at any clip from 2005 (preferably the Royal Rumble where they were the last 2 guys)

-John Cena - For the third straight WrestleMania, major heel Triple H loses to a new face to put him over for the fans. For the third straight year, HHH's WrestleMania opponent went on to be the new face of the entire WWE instantly after WrestleMania. For the second time in 3 years, Triple H taps out in the main event of WrestleMania. If he wasn't the final hurdle that propelled Cena into the stratosphere he's in now, then I don't know who did because it sure as hell was not JBL.

-Randy Orton - In 2007 Triple H finally made up for squashing his young protege in 2004. Triple H helped Orton develop tremendously in Evolution, but didn't really do much for Orton's growth after kicking him out and taking his title. In 2007, however, Triple H kinda sorta put Orton over by losing in that LMS match at No Mercy. He then again kinda sorta put Orton over by not dominating in the main event of WrestleMania 24 like everyone voted he would. Then the final chapter of this long, dragged out process came in 2009 when Orton punted Triple H to oblivion to become the new WWE Champion.

-Jeff Hardy - If you've been watching wrestling for that last 10-15 years you'll probably be confused. "Which year am I talking about? 2001 or 2007?" I'm talking about both. In 2001 HHH and Austin were dominating every division as the 2-man Power Trip until the Hardys and Deadman Inc. came to save the day. Hardy taking the IC strap off HHH put him over BIG TIME, which made his 2002 fight for the Undisputed title that much more believable. In 2007, the 2 feuded with Edge for the WWE title, a feud that ended up goin in Hardy's favor as he won the title for the first time ever.

I don't include Sheamus because he isn't even a main event superstar right now (he's losing to Mark Henry and looks to be match-less for WM27) and his feud with Triple H didn't do too much for the bigger picture of his career.

but The Rock, Kurt Angle, Chris Benoit, Batista, John Cena, Randy Orton, and Jeff Hardy. 7 MAIN EVENT GUYS. 6 HALL OF FAME CALIBER GUYS (sorry Benoit, you're a murderer).

I'm giving it to The Game

 

[OutsiderDX]

You have to be kidding me that the Cena made The Miz.

Cena did the complete opposite, he BURIED The Miz at The Bash 2009... destroying him in 5 minutes!! Yeah that is really putting someone over.

6 Weeks of build-up to the match, and Cena completely demoilished any momentum.


By the way, like i mentioned i think there is a distinct difference between "rub" "putting over" and "making" someone.

Rub = being involved with a star, but not necessarily being put over.

Putting Over = can be a one time event, such as letting someone pin him, or getting the best of a fued.

Making Someone = An event that causes another wrestler to be over for the rest of his career. A less popular/over wrestler can never make a more popular wrestler. As an example, Piper did not make Hogan, but i do think he helped put hogan over.

I think Cena gave a rub to Barrett, but at what point did Cena ever EVER put Barrett over. The answer: He didn't. Also see Miz- Miz got definitely got a rub from Cena, but in the end was never put over.

 

[TheDonjo]

Hulk Hogan gets a lot of criticism from fans but he has done well putting people over in the past. For example, when he was champion I can remember the matches he would have on Saturday Night's Main Event. I am talking about his matches with people like The Genius and Bad News Brown. He even made those guys look relevant. Which, in all honesty they were two of the most underrated wrestlers of all time.

Then there was his feud with Ultimate Warrior where he put him over. In WCW, he did help to put over Sting during the whole Sting/NWO feud. He also put over Goldberg and dropped the belt on Nitro to him. He even tried getting Billy Kidman over in a feud.

In his last stint in the WWE he helped to put over HHH, The Rock, Kurt Angle, and The Undertaker.

HHH has also put over many people over the years. He put over Batista in, I believe, 3 straight pay per views. He also put over Shelton Benjamin on Raw and even tried getting Eugene over in a feud.

 

[Judah's Lion]

seriously...? no votes for the Brooklyn Brawler...? this guy gave everybody the rub!

in all seriousness, i'd have to go with a couple of guys not yet mentioned: Scott Hall and Curt Hennig.

these two guys are two of the best ever to never hold the world title. they held a number of tag titles and mid-card belts, but never the world titles.

their matches are some of the best in the history of the business and turning points in the careers of other stars.

Razor Ramon vs. Shawn Michaels. Scott Hall isn't solely responsible for HBK's push and/or success. Shawn is pretty talented all on his own. but Hall had a hand to play in that and this whole feud was a great way for Hall to help Shawn get over in a big way.

Perfect vs. Bret Hart was amazing. and Hart getting the IC title off of Perfect was the start of his singles career.

i think of these two guys and just can't help but see, not just the stars that they helped, but the example they left. is it possible that if Perfect didn't give Hart the rub that Hart wouldn't have given Austin the rub? maybe. is it possible that if Hall didn't help put HBK over that Shawn wouldn't have done the same to countless others, including Foley (Mindgames 96)?

no one really knows. i just thought that Hall and Hennig deserved honorable mentions.

 

[Macho_King]

I know im going old school here but my choice would have to be Johnny Rodz. I think the wwe would agree hes been in there hall of fame since 95 i believe.

 

[JuviJuiceIsLoose]

I think The Rock deserves a lot of credit for helping build guys up and making them look legit.

-Kurt Angle's 1st World Title win was against The Rock
-Chris Benoit's 1st Main Event PPV Match in the WWE was against The Rock
-Chris Jericho's legendary WWE debut was interrupting The Rock
-Brock Lesnar beat The Rock to become WWE Champion

Then, there was his interactions with guys like Hurricane and Christian.

He even tried to put over Billy Gunn, but even The Rock couldn't work that miracle!

 

[bjarvis]

I'm going to go with Mick Foley. He got over himself, and then he worked with guys like Kane, then with The Rock, then with Triple H, then with Randy Orton and then he helped solidify Edge in the Main Event spot, after his one month 1st World Title reign. All of those men went on to have lengthy careers in the Main Event, winning something like 40 World Titles between them.

He also helped to get the brutality of the Hell in a Cell, solidifying the Main Event carnage like status of the Cell.

 

[GrandSword]

Jake Roberts, Ted Dibiase and Roddy Piper back in the day were the guys who would fight the next World Champion to get them over and move them into the top spot.

It was a role that Jake Roberts went on record to resent but nonetheless did as that was his role. These htree men got guys like Hogan, Svage and Warrior not just over but into a transecended type level... These guys contributions to the sport should not be forgotten.

I agree with the Foley's etc... but these three men in the WWF/E put over the most stars and put them over to a whole new level...

 

[Dyno Kid]

Of course it's Flair ! Look at who he put over, gave a rub, or made:

Ric Steamboat: Took a no-name and lost on t.v. to Steamboat while Flair was the mid-atlantic champ and Steamboat was made !

Sting: First Clash of Champions main event made Sting a legit star !

Magnum T.A.: Left mid-south territory and came to JCP and was a major star challenging Flair for the NWA title

Nikita Koloff: Monster Russian looked like a million dollars working with Flair in 1985 going after the NWA title including a match in July that drew almost 30,000 fans.

Lex Luger: Came into JCP and was put into the 4 Horsemen to learn from Flair on how to be a star. Had the best matches of his career working with Flair in 1988 over te WCW title.

Also went to every territory all across the country and put every star over and made them look like legit world champion contenders !

 

[Heartachetonight926]

You have to be kidding me that the Cena made The Miz.

Cena did the complete opposite, he BURIED The Miz at The Bash 2009... destroying him in 5 minutes!! Yeah that is really putting someone over.

6 Weeks of build-up to the match, and Cena completely demoilished any momentum.


By the way, like i mentioned i think there is a distinct difference between "rub" "putting over" and "making" someone.

Rub = being involved with a star, but not necessarily being put over.

Putting Over = can be a one time event, such as letting someone pin him, or getting the best of a fued.

Making Someone = An event that causes another wrestler to be over for the rest of his career. A less popular/over wrestler can never make a more popular wrestler. As an example, Piper did not make Hogan, but i do think he helped put hogan over.

I think Cena gave a rub to Barrett, but at what point did Cena ever EVER put Barrett over. The answer: He didn't. Also see Miz- Miz got definitely got a rub from Cena, but in the end was never put over.

YOU ARE CONFUSING the words "Putting" over the superstars, and "Getting" over superstars. losing to someone is not how you get them over with the fan's, you have to make the audience believe in his character. Miz's feud with Cena elevated his status, and made the fan's take him more seriously.

So yes, Cena did make the Miz.