Hulk Hogan and the Mount Rushmore of Wrestling

Hulk Hogan's place on the Mount Rushmore of Professional Wrestling is set. In terms of fame and influence, there was no one greater than Hogan.

So, the debate begins with the other three spots. Following Hogan's death last Thursday, I put Stone Cold Steve Austin, The Rock, and The Undertaker next to The Immortal One. However, when asked, the OutKick readers didn't agree.

Our readers took specific issue with the inclusion of The Undertaker. Most of them agreed that Austin and The Rock deserved a spot alongside Hogan. By all accounts, they are the three most famous and successful wrestlers of all time. But the fourth spot is up for debate. There are probably five to six performers worthy of consideration for the spot.

Patrick Hatten, the producer of Fox News' "Will Cain Country," argued that Hogan should count for two spots, separating his heroic "Hulk Hogan" character from his villainous "Hollywood Hogan" persona.

"Hogan's heel turn was so big he practically was a different person," Hatten said on X. "Hulk Hogan, Hollywood Hogan, Stone Cold, and The Rock."

He might be onto something…

NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA - APRIL 6: "Stone Cold" Steve Austin and Hulk Hogan face-off in the ring during Wrestlemania at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome on April 6, 2014 in New Orleans, Louisiana. (Photo by John Giamundo/WWE via Getty Images.)

Other OutKick readers took issue with the omission of Ric Flair. Some even said the exclusion of Flair disqualified me from all things wrestling.

Look, Flair is synonymous with the genre. He's iconic. However, by the time Hogan mainstreamed wrestling in the 1980s, Flair was more of a No. 2. As a result, he never hosted a WrestleMania. Moreover, WWE softened his legacy some by recently having John Cena surpass his record of world championship wins.

Speaking of Cena, he also received several votes from the OutKick faithful. In actuality, I debated putting Cena over The Undertaker. His case is that strong.

Other than Hogan, no one played the role of "face of the company" longer than Cena. While Austin and The Rock were more popular than Cena, their runs were remarkably short. Austin, who was even bigger than Hogan in his prime, sat atop WWE for only four years (1998 to 2001) before retiring because of a neck injury. The Rock was on top for maybe two years (2001-2002) before leaving for Hollywood. 

Hulk Hogan and the Mount Rushmore of Wrestling 

PHOENIX, ARIZONA - JUNE 9: John Cena enters the ring  during Monday Night RAW at PHX Arena on June 9, 2025 in Phoenix, Arizona.  (Photo by Rich Freeda/WWE via Getty Images)

Meanwhile, Cena was the top guy in the industry from about 2005 to 2016. He was also the catalyst behind WWE's pivot to PG programming, which was polarizing but nonetheless wildly successful financially. 

Expect WWE to show how much Cena meant to the business when he retires this December. 

Still, I gave The Undertaker the edge because the intellectual property of "The Deadman" character is more iconic than Cena's. It's distinctive, and the aura is unmatched. If there's a knock against Cena, his character is a bit corny and, at times, shallow.

"Macho Man" Randy Savage was another favorite of the OutKick readers. Mount Rushmore seems like a stretch, but he sure was popular.

LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - APRIL 19: Roman Reigns makes his entrance during WrestleMania 41 Saturday at Allegiant Stadium on April 19, 2025 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Rich Freeda/WWE via Getty Images)

A few whippersnappers were aghast that we didn't include Roman Reigns, the biggest star in wrestling today. Admittedly, the case for Reigns is more than just prisoner of the moment-ism. 

WWE was at its lowest point since the mid-stages of the Monday Night War in 2020. The booking was stale. Upstart wrestling company AEW had emerged and made significant gains among viewers 19-49.

Then Roman Reigns returned from a COVID hiatus as the new villainous Tribal Chief and reshaped WWE's entire business, culminating in a 10-year, $5 billion deal to move Raw to Netflix.

The knock on Reigns is the booking. It was mostly bad. Though he's main-evented a record 11 WrestleManias, they were hardly memorable. The company put him against a washed-up Triple H once and a part-time Brock Lesnar thrice.

In 2017, Reigns "retired" The Undertaker, only for him to unretire a year later. Two years ago, WWE had a chance to book one of the biggest WrestleMania main events, pitting Reigns against his real-life cousin, The Rock. That was the plan, but the company changed course due to negative social media reaction.

To no fault of his own, stars like Cena, Undertaker, Savage, and Andre the Giant were booked better than Reigns.

I'll stick with my list. Though putting Hogan on twice, as Hulk and Hollywood, is enticing.