Best WWE Champion (1990-Present)
The WWE – formerly known as World Wrestling Entertainment, and before that, the World Wrestling Federation – is the largest professional wrestling promotion in the United States. Since its founding in the 1950s, the WWE has been home to hundreds of performers, and launched the careers of more than a few bona fide Hollywood superstars. It’s also big business; via its Smackdown, Raw, and NXT shingles, as well as merch, video games, etc., the company grosses more than $1 billion annually, drawing more than 1 million spectators per year to its various live events. While the company is currently in a moment of transition, for this Patreon-sponsored episode of the Great Pop Culture Debate we look back at these kings of the rings, these studs of the squared circle, as we aim to name the Best WWE Champion of all time. Wrestlers discussed: “Stone Cold” Steve Austin, Goldberg, Triple H, The Rock, The Undertaker, Bret “Hitman” Hart, Kurt Angle, Randy Orton, Shawn Michaels, CM Punk, Edge, John Cena, Randy Savage, Brock Lesnar, Eddie Guerrero, Hulk Hogan.
Join host Eric Rezsnyak, Patreon sponsor Dr. Chad Rezsnyak, and tag-team guest panelists Brian Rezsnyak and Brayden Rezsnyak as they discuss 16 of the biggest superstars from the WWE.
Play along at home by finding the listener bracket here. Make a copy for yourself, fill it out, and see if your picks match up with ours!
For more exclusive content, including the warm-up in which we discuss additional WWE champions who didn’t make the bracket, become a Patreon supporter of the podcast today.
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Round 1 Match-Ups:
Not a Patreon subscriber? Here’s a primer on how we came up with the bracket.
Match-Up 1: “Stone Cold” Steve Austin (1) vs. Goldberg (4)
Match-Up 2: Triple H (3) vs. Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson (2)
Match-Up 3: Undertaker (1) vs. Bret “Hitman” Hart (4)
Match-Up 4: Kurt Angle (3) vs. Randy Orton (2)
Match-Up 5: Shawn Michaels (1) vs. CM Punk (4)
Match-Up 7: Randy Savage (1) vs. Brock Lesnar (4)
Match-Up 8: Eddie Guerrero (3) vs. Hulk Hogan (2)
Want to play along at home?
Download the Listener Bracket and see if your picks match up with ours!
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Episode Credits
Host: Eric Rezsnyak
Patreon Sponsor: Dr. Chad Rezsnyak
Special Guests: Brian Rezsnyak, Brayden Rezsnyak
Producer: Bob Erlenback
Editor: Eric Rezsnyak
Theme Music: “Dance to My Tune” by Marc Torch
