Top 5 WWE Champions of the 1990s

The 1990s was arguably the greatest era of professional wrestling. You had the Monday Night Wars, the debut of several innovative ideas in the industry including Monday Night Raw, ECW, the debut of WCW Monday Nitro and some of the greatest matches in the history of the business. The 90s also produced some of the greatest champions, some of which have already been inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame. This time around, we're going to take a brief look at five of the greatest WWE Champions of the 1990s. So in no particular order, let's get this done.

The first name we will look at is a member of the WWE Hall of Fame. He is a 5-time WWE Champion, 2-time Tag Team and I-C Champion, and the 1993 King of the Ring, talking about Bret "Hitman" Hart. Initially starting as a tag team specialist, Bret won the tag team titles twice with his brother-in-law Jim "The Anvil" Neidhart. From there he would move onto singles stardom. Dethroning the legendary Ric Flair in 1992 for the WWF Championship, Bret would go to be recognized as the most defending WWE Champion of the era. After the infamous Montreal controversy, Bret went onto WCW and claimed the WCW United States and eventually the WCW World Championship. The Hitman was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2006, and most recently spent time as the General Manger of Monday Night Raw.

While we're on the subject of the 1997 Montreal Screwjob, we almost have to mention none other than "The Heartbreak Kid" Shawn Michaels. Undoubtedly the most controversial champion of the decade, Michaels ran rampant over the WWF during the early stages of the Attitude Era. After facing retirement in 1998, Michaels dropped the WWF Championship to "StoneCold" Steve Austin at WrestleMania XIV in Boston. He would return some four and half years later at SummerSlam 2002 in a vicious brawl against longtime ally, Triple H. Michaels storybook career closed at WrestleMania XXVI in Arizona, as he fell to The Undertaker for the second consecutive year.

Of course you can't talk about the Attitude Era without talking about another inductee in the WWE Hall of Fame, "StoneCold" Steve Austin. The Texas Rattlesnake was the colorful face of the company from 1998 into the new millenium. Perhaps the greatest feud of the modern era was Austin vs. McMahon. It was Champion vs. Chairman for several years and saw some of the wildest, most outrageous moments in television history. Austin's classic battles with The Undertaker, Bret Hart, The Rock, and anybody else who stepped in his way solidified his spot as one of the greatest champions of not only the 90s but in the history of the industry.

Some feel the next name on the list lost some credibility and respect when he turned a Hall of Fame induction into a roast of current WWE stars. Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson was undoubtedly the most electrifying man in sports entertainment for a reason. He had the immense fan following, unbelievable work on the microphone and could turn any situation into a WrestleMania moment. Whether it was his matches with Steve Austin, Triple H, The Undertaker or even teaming with Mick Foley as the Rock 'N Sock Connection, The Rock was arguably the millenium champion. But many feel when he inducted his father, Rocky Johnson, into the WWE Hall of Fame, he lost some respect with he verbally basted. However for all the intense hard hitting matches he had over his career, he almost has to be included on the list.

And to round out the list, I'm going to throw in Hulk Hogan. Now anybody who knows me will attest to the fact that I have never been the world's biggest Hogan fan. As a matter of fact, I grew up on the likes of Randy Savage, The Freebirds, Von Erich's, and so forth. But we are talking about a guy who has made an impact in the business over the last 30 years or so. And aside from the Mr. America disaster gimmick a few years ago, he has been the influence on several WWE stars.

Well that wraps up another Top 5 list, I'll be back soon with another list of some creation that I can come up with. Until next time, thanks for reading and as always, feel free to let me know if you have any questions, comments, or ideas! Have a great week guys!