Building the Ideal WWE Superstar

Given the many, many nuances that professional wrestling entails, it is simply impossible to be dominant in every aspect of the sport. Yes, superstars like Seth Rollins and Kevin Owens can excel in many of its different facets, but being the world's best at absolutely everything is simply unheard of. Therefore, in the following article, we will attempt to construct the ideal WWE superstar, comprised of the best in the world (that I have observed, keep in mind—and I primarily watch WWE) at what they do. In order to incorporate as many performers as possible, the following categories will be included:

Looks
Physique
Strength
Agility
Wrestling Skills
In-Ring Psychology
Presence
Heart
Promo Skills
Charisma
Fan Connection
Mastering of Gimmick
Experience
Mainstream Appeal
Wrestling Mind

Without any further ado, let's get into it:
(Note: only current performers will be taken into account. The Rock is excluded, and Undertaker is only included in the Presence category, simply because it's so synonymous with him. They don't have to be from WWE, but the majority of them will be, based on the reasons above)

The LOOKS of ROMAN REIGNS—

Despite the fact that this Samoan superstar has had his troubles getting over with fans, there's no denying that he has a massive future in the company. He may not have the best in-ring skills, and he certainly is no smack talker Skywalker, but Reigns does have one thing going for him in a huge way: his movie-star good looks. Reigns' long black locks and perfectly groomed facial hair certainly goes a long way in winning over ladies in the audience, something that is extremely beneficial for WWE, and therefore an important part of creating the ideal superstar. More importantly, however, he has the kind of image that WWE would just love to promote as the face of their company. As much as the past few years have done to help erase the idea of what a prototypical champion has to look like (see: Daniel Bryan, Dean Ambrose, etc.), there's no doubting that Roman's potential mainstream appeal due to his movie star good looks is a huge asset to both him and the company. (*Note: to be fair, he's not just a pretty face. The guy can go decently in the ring, and he certainly is capable of exciting the crowd)

Others who were close: John Cena, Randy Orton, Dolph Ziggler, the Miz

The PHYSIQUE of RYBACK—
Say what you will about his wrestling skills, but there's no doubting that Ryback looks like he's been chiseled out of granite. This strapping strongman from Las Vegas, Nevada has worked for years and years to obtain the body that he currently has, and his hard work has clearly paid off. With a diet that consists of a whopping 8-10 meals a day and an extensive lifting program, the Big Guy is 291 pounds of pure muscle, with the type of physique that Vince supposedly adores.
Others who were close: Neville, John Cena

The STRENGTH of MARK HENRY—
Uh...duh.


For real though, Mark Henry's strength is legit. Although it may not be true anymore, at one point in his life, Henry could legitimately claim to be the strongest man in the world. Plus, just look at those arms! They're like tree trunks! We hear the phrase tossed around so often that it's begun to feel like nothing more than another buzzword created to sell merch, but Henry truly is one of the strongest men in the world. That's why, in a world populated almost exclusively by cartoonishly strong men and women, Henry takes the top spot here. 

Others who were close: Ryback, Cesaro, Brock Lesnar

The AGILITY of NEVILLE—
When the dimunitive Brit—and I mean that relatively, he's 5'10 and almost 200 pounds—takes to the skies during a match, it simply is a joy to behold. Whether he's hitting ridiculous 450 splashes from the apron, standing shooting star presses (see Brock, that's how it's done), or putting opponents down for the count with arguably the most aesthetically pleasing finisher in WWE today (by the way, did you know he's done a standing version of that move?? Good lord), Neville is the closest thing to a real-life superhero WWE has had since Hurricane. (Note: do yourself a favor and watch the entirety of the latter two links above—trust me, it's worth it)
Others who were close: Kalisto, AJ Styles, Kofi Kingston

The WRESTLING SKILLS of CESARO—
I'll admit, I'm not a technical wrestling hardcore purist. Zack Sabre Jr.'s match (the only one of his I've seen so far, to be fair) at the CWC simply didn't grab my attention. It was a decent enough match, sure, but for me, wrestling skill entails much more than purely being a good technical wrestler. It's wrestlers who can use their technical prowess to construct exciting movesets who are really wrestling aficionados, in my opinion at least. Therefore, amongst stiff competition, Cesaro just barely edges out the likes of Styles, the King of Strong Style Shinsuke Nakamura, Ibushi, Rollins, Angle, and many others. Not only is the Swiss Superman remarkably strong, but he can also pull out a huge variety of moves, the diversity of which is simply ridiculous. From his spinning corkscrew uppercut to the infamous Cesaro Swing, despite WWE severely limiting his moveset, the man formerly known as Claudio Castagnoli still shines above and beyond his peers as both a technical wizard and a bruising brawler who could, similarly to Ric Flair, have a good match with a broom. 

Others who were close: Shinsuke Nakamura, AJ Styles, Kota Ibushi, Seth Rollins, Kurt Angle, etc.

The IN-RING PSYCHOLOGY of RANDY ORTON—

When it comes to straight-up engaging the audience and forcing them to get emotionally involved in a match, there just isn't anyone better than the Viper. When Orton smoothly flings himself to the mat in eerily snake-like fashion, pounding his fists in a fit of predatory rage, the crowd goes into a frenzy. Given the additional excitement of possibly getting to see one of the most over moves in WWE history, the RKO, fans cannot get enough of Orton when he's on his game. From the Legend Killer to the Apex Predator, despite his gimmick arguably becoming a slight bit stale before his injury last year, Orton is a master of working the crowd, no matter whether he's a despised heel or a beloved face. While Triple H certainly deserves honorable mention (just rewatch his Wrestlemania 30 match with Daniel Bryan. The villainy was so good that fans in attendance must legitimately have wanted to hurt HHH), as well as Seth Rollins for turning a seemingly babyface-like moveset into the arsenal of the company's number one heel, Orton just edges these two out. 

Others who were close: Triple H, Seth Rollins, Bray Wyatt, Dean Ambrose,

The PRESENCE of THE UNDERTAKER—Simply put, there is quite possibly no other WWE Superstar in history who has the amazing presence of the Undertaker. When Mark Calaway steps out from behind the curtain, robed in all black, and begins his slow walk to the ring, you can't help but stare in awe. After 20+ years of  terrorizing both his opponents and any children watching his eerie entrance, the man known as the Phenom possesses a sense of legitimacy that few others have. When this man walks into an arena, you stand up, and you watch. Even without the allure of the streak (one of the most impressive figures in sports EVER. Who cares if it's scripted, 21 wins in a row at the biggest event in sports entertainment is legit), Taker still commands respect like literally no other. At the current moment, Brock Lesnar is the only one who can even come close to touching the aura of the Deadman. Then again, as much as it may seem otherwise sometimes, Lesnar's gimmick is that of a human being. Taker, however, is undead. In today's era of rampant cynicism, maintaining the legitimacy of a gimmick like that is no small feat.  

Others who were close: Brock Lesnar, Bray Wyatt

The HEART of DOLPH ZIGGLER—
While, yes, Daniel Bryan would undoubtedly have led this category were it not for his unfortunately premature retirement due to concussions, take nothing away from the remarkable "never-say-die" attitude of Dolph Ziggler. Though much of this category can indeed be attributed to how his character is portrayed—that is to say, the likes of Brock Lesnar and the Undertaker aren't really eligible for this category simply due to the fact that their characters are very rarely placed into situations where

they're as vulnerable as Ziggler—Dolph simply does a phenomenal job of bouncing back, no matter what happens. No matter if he's getting destroyed by Baron Corbin on the preshow or if he's fighting for the biggest prize in the industry at Summerslam, Ziggler gives 100 percent every single day, and it shows in his performances, as well as his fan support. There's a reason why his catchphrase involves stealing the show—because he's so darn good at it.
Others who were close: Sami Zayn, Zack Ryder, Bayley

The PROMO SKILLS of PAUL HEYMAN—

Simply put, in the entire history of professional wrestling, a medium in which every Tom, Dick, and Harry loves to run their mouths, nobody has been as consistently excellent at talking as Paul Heyman. They just haven't. Heyman is the type of guy who could read the phone book and still somehow make it interesting. When you put a mic in the hands of this ponytailed pariah, you are basically guaranteed some sort of compelling entertainment. Not only is he phenomenal at promoting upcoming events—as well as, you know, an entire company based in a small Philly bingo hall—but also at putting over whomever he serves as an advocate for (just pretend Axel, Cesaro, and Heidenreich never happened). Finally, and perhaps most importantly, when the time comes, he can drop a pipe bomb like no other. Seriously. Punk's pipe bomb in Vegas may be the more well-known, but Paul E was delivering verbal haymakers years before Punk's time. WWE has seen a slew of great talkers in its day, but Heyman is simply head and walrus-like shoulders above the rest. 

Others who were close: Bray Wyatt, Kevin Owens, John Cena, Enzo Amore, Chris Jericho

The CHARISMA of ENZO AMORE—
I went back on forth a little bit on this one, particularly due to the Ayatollah of Rock and Rolla's uncanny ability to make nearly any situation entertaining, as well as the fact that he's been doing this

for 17 years and he can still make himself interesting, but in the end, the Smack Talker Skywalker has to prevail. When he and Cass step through the curtain, mics in hand, the crowd goes absolutely berserk. Why? The duo are decent in-ring workers, but certainly not good enough to warrant the sort of reactions they get. With all due respect to Cass, the impressively rhythmic yapping of Enzo Amore and his infectious energy are the only reasons why the pair is as popular as they are. When Enzo is on the mic, magic happens. What differentiates his excellent mic skills from his ungodly charisma, however, is how every single part of his character goes fully hand in hand with the way he talks. Charisma is the ability to inspire devotion through one's actions, which includes both what you say and what you do, and Enzo mixes the two perfectly. With his weirdly compelling pigeon-like head bobbing, as well as the almost-cliché babyface in peril role he plays almost perfectly, Amore's charisma pulls fans along for the ride like nobody else in the company right now.
Others who were close: Chris Jericho, John Cena, Bray Wyatt, the Miz

The FAN CONNECTION of BAYLEY—
While the above three categories all go rather hand in hand, there are some oh-so-subtle nuances that make them slightly different. Mic skills purely have to do with how one talks, while charisma involves one's actions and the ability to inspire devotion through them as well, which sounds pretty similar to fan connection. For the purposes of this article, however, fan connection simply has to do with how much of a certain reaction a superstar garners from all parts of the crowd (read: John Cena's infamously mixed reaction is not a top contender). Therefore, with that unnecessarily long disclaimer out of the way: Bayley! While, again, the American Dragon Daniel Bryan would very much be a top contender for this prize if it weren't for all those darned concussions, Bayley is by no means a poor a favorite of—little girls (I'm including this link even though it's slightly tangential simply due to its sheer brilliance), making her extremely popular with both children and parents alike, but she is also one of the purest babyfaces we've seen in a long, long time (although, as this article is being written, she is showing signs of changing that for her impending title match with Asuka in Brooklyn). Add in to that the fact that the majority adult male population of the fanbase loves her for being a dang good wrestler, and she has a connection with the crowd that no other performer can boast nowadays.
second choice. Quite simply, in the aforementioned age of cynicism we live in, particularly when it comes to pro wrestling and the fickleness of modern fans, the fact that Bayley is so universally popular is astounding. Not only is she an amazing role model for—and therefore
Others who were close: Dean Ambrose, Dolph Ziggler, Sasha Banks, Rusev, Enzo and Cass

The GIMMICK MASTERING of BRAY WYATT—
The real-life brother of Bo Dallas may very well be the most underrated superstar in WWE today. Not only does he boast quite an impressive moveset (his chokeslam is absolutely vicious! Much better than guys like Show and Kane, who actually use the move as a finisher) that legitimately looks like it hurts, but perhaps more importantly, he has mastered his respective gimmick to a level that no one else in the company has really done since Taker himself. While part of this is undoubtedly due to the fact that his gimmick is much more unique than some of the other ones we've seen, it also means that it takes an incredible amount of dedication to pull off. While guys like Enzo and Cass, two fast-talking—although, really, it's one fast-talking guy and another who can barely rattle off a catchphrase—boys from Jersey, really do exist, and a cantankerous fighter who simply wants to provide for his family like Kevin Owens certainly isn't too difficult to buy into, Bray Wyatt's gimmick of a swamp-dwelling cult leader wouldn't normally be quite as relatable to fans. However, Wyatt has done a phenomenal job of making it so. Everything he does, from his eerily mesmerizing way of speaking to his scraggly, unkempt appearance (not to mention his awesome spider walk) does an excellent job of convincing fans that the Eater of Worlds truly is an supernatural being.
Others who were close: Undertaker, Enzo and Cass, Kevin Owens,

The EXPERIENCE of CHRIS JERICHO—
It's hard to believe that, as this article is being written, the millenium countdown signaling the arrival of Chris Jericho in WWE from WCW first struck zero over 17 years ago. Since then, the Ayatollah of Rock and Rolla has done it all, winning the Intercontinental Championship a record nine times, as well as the world championship six times, most famously becoming the first undisputed WWE champion by beating Stone Cold Steve Austin and the Rock in the very same night. While it's easy to turn those facts into simple buzzwords, nothing more than a few more meaningless facts for Michael Cole to spew out every time Jericho steps out from behind the curtain, it's important to understand just how significant they are. Y2J has not only worked with hundreds of incredibly talented wrestlers over his 26-year (!) wrestling career, but he's also traveled all over the world, winning a total of 30+ championships in ECW, WCW, and WWE alone. Add in to that the fact that he's managed to remain relevant and interesting since 1999, providing some of the best wrestling anywhere in the world (remember, his feud vs. Shawn Michaels won PWI's Feud of the Decade award, which is no small feat), and you have the recipe for one of the most legendary careers of all time.
Others who were close: Triple H, Undertaker, Tajiri, Mark Henry, Big Show, Kane, William Regal, etc.

The MAINSTREAM APPEAL of JOHN CENA—
While the Rock certainly takes the cake when it comes to former wrestlers making a splash in the real world, John Cena is undoubtedly on his way to following in the Great One's footsteps. Cena made his big entrance into mainstream pop culture in a rather unusual way following the viral explosion of the John Cena prank call, getting his entrance music inserted—volume cranked up to a ridiculous level—into various video clips left and right. However, Cena and WWE have done well to capitalize on that themselves, grabbing him high-profile spots hosting both the ESPYs and the Teen Choice Awards. As Cena's wrestling career seemingly begins to wind down just a bit, with him reportedly being pulled from certain live events, the face that runs the place surely sits poised to make an extremely successful transition into the world of entertainment. He already serves as a remarkable ambassador
to the company, currently holding the record for most Make-A-Wishes granted, and that will only continue as his WWE schedule becomes thinner and thinner and his movie/public appearance schedule becomes more populated with appearances. Seth Rollins could have been a possible contender due to his recent "feud" of sorts with Jon Stewart, but unfortunately for Seth, the iconic Daily Show is no longer on air, putting the brakes on what could have been a very lucrative partnership for all involved.

Others who were close: Randy Orton, the Miz, Seth Rollins,

The WRESTLING MIND of TRIPLE H—
Before I start this category, let me clarify: Vince McMahon is an absolute legend in the professional wrestling business. Say what you will about his methods, but there's no doubting that Vinny Mac has turned the WWE into a global juggernaut, one of the most popular sports in the world that, for a certain period of time, regularly grabbed television ratings over 8.0. However, for the purposes of this article, we are examining who in the wrestling world can currently put on the best show. As great as Paul E made ECW, right now, NXT is pretty untouchable. They've done an extraordinary job of mixing established stars from the indies and homegrown stars from Full House, all the while producing a sensational wrestling show. In addition, he's been a driving force behind the Women's Revolution (which, mind you, is MUCH different from the Diva's Revolution), which has produced some of the greatest women's wrestling WWE has ever seen. Add into the mix the fact that he is also one of the greatest in-ring psychologists of all time—his actions during the buildup to Wrestlemania 30, and even at the event itself were so deliciously heelish that you couldn't help but absolutely despise the guy—and Paul "Triple H" Levesque currently has one of the greatest creative wrestling minds in the world. 

Others who were close: Vince McMahon, Paul Heyman

So, as a recap, this is our ultimate WWE superstar:
Looks-Roman Reigns
Physique-Ryback
Strength-Mark Henry
Agility-Neville
Wrestling Skills-Cesaro
In-Ring Psychology-Randy Orton
Presence-Undertaker
Heart-Dolph Ziggler
Promo Skills-Paul Heyman
Charisma-Enzo Amore
Fan Connection-Bayley
Mastering of Gimmick-Bray Wyatt
Experience-Chris Jericho
Mainstream Appeal-John Cena
Wrestling Mind-Triple H

That's our list! If you think we missed out on any categories, superstars, or just feel like listing all 1,004 holds you know, feel free to comment below.
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