Building WWE's Mount Rushmore
Mount Rushmore National Memorial is one of America’s most iconic landmarks, located deep within the Black Hills mountain range of western South Dakota. The landmark itself is a granite surfaced mountain, which was used as an artist’s canvas, so-to-speak, for world-renowned sculptor Gutzon Borglum.
Four of America’s most revered leaders were carved into the surface of this mountain. Former US Presidents George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln and Theodore Roosevelt were the four faces which were carved into the mountain. This project took over 14 years to complete, with over 400 workers used to complete the project.
Borglum used a strategic mixture of rock-climbers, miners and of course, sculptors to complete the process, which began in 1927, ending in 1941.
For quite some time now, wrestling fans have debated over which of the many all-time greats would be worthy of belonging on WWE’s version of Mount Rushmore. It’s an argument with unlimited options.
Personally, I have gone over this topic in my mind, over and over. I have a list of roughly 30 legends that could all be mentioned in anyone’s top 10 list. However, when it comes down to those final, top 4, the list remains the same, for the most part. With that in mind, let’s take a look at the four wrestlers that I would put on my WWE version of Mount Rushmore.
#1 The Rock
No one in the history of the industry has gone on to have the type of crossover success that The Rock has. When you look back at his humble beginnings in the sport, Rocky Maivia appeared to be a long way from following in the footsteps of his legendary father, Rocky Johnson.
However, in a matter of practically no time, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson was on top of the wrestling world.
At the height of The Rock’s in-ring success, the mere mention that he might show up at an event would send ticket sales through the roof. During his “Smackdown Hotel” era, The Rock essentially took the weekly Smackdown program to the top of television ratings, almost single-handedly.
The Rock’s success didn't stop inside the ring, it carried over to the big-screen. Hollywood took notice of the most charismatic persona in sports-entertainment, and the rest is history. With huge box office features to his credit, such as The Fast and Furious series, The Rock quickly propelled to the top of the film industry, as the most sought after talent on the market.
The Rock will soon enter the WWE Hall of Fame, there’s no question about that. If there was, in fact, a monument for all-time great wrestlers, similar to Mount Rushmore, The Rock would surely have a place on it.