WWE Mount Rushmore of the 1990s
WWF was in a strange place at the start of the 1990s. They were still the leader in professional wrestling and Hulk Hogan was still the biggest wrestling star in the world. WCW was around but wouldn't be a threat to the WWF until the middle of the decade.
As the decade began, Hogan was starting to cede some main-event spotlight to others like the Ultimate Warrior and the Undertaker. But once Hogan left and several others followed him to WCW, it left WWF in a weird spot.
Its roster was filled with legit Superstars like Mr. Perfect, Bret Hart and Shawn Michaels but also many occupation-based gimmicks like the Goon, Repo Man, Duke 'the Dumpster' Droese and Isaac Yankem, DDS.
Gone were the larger-than-life stars like Warrior, Hogan and Randy Savage. Half of the roster could have answered your phone call to either fix your plumbing or teach you math.
Once stars like Hart and Michaels started to be featured instead of the muscle-bound stars like Warrior and Hogan, the mid-90s started WWE on the path that would eventually lead to the Attitude Era.
While the decade obviously finished off in a much different way than it started, there were certainly Superstars that helped carry the company during various points of the '90s.
Although Mount Rushmore itself only has four heads at the top of the monument, here are five superstars that would be a part of a Mount Rushmore for WWF/WWE in the 1990s.
#5 The Undertaker
Once The Undertaker debuted at Survivor Series in 1990, it changed wrestling forever. While most of the former superstars were athletic guys who had normal characters, the Undertaker was a truly unique gimmick and character and was something that was completely different than anything that was being done at the time.
Even though he is still technically active today, his career has spanned 30 years with the WWE. He's lived through every era in the WWE since his debut and he managed to adapt his craft and character with each era change.
Although I was never a huge fan of the 'American Badass' version of his character, he still kept up with all of the young up and comers like Randy Orton, Triple H, John Cena, Edge and Batista during the 2000s.
Since his gimmick was so unique, it ultimately became so popular that he was turned into a face early in the 90s.
The sign of a truly amazing performer is not only their ability to adapt but also the ability to play both a heel or a face and play them well.
'Taker did just that in the '90s. He also proved that a man of his size could be extremely agile with his moves off of the ropes.