New York might be located on the eastern seaboard of the United States, but it pretty much exists as its own planetoid. The five boroughs that make up New York City are some of the most unique areas you’ll ever visit, each featuring some of the most diverse cultures that all smash into each other to make that “New Yawker” culture.
Perhaps more than any other town in wrestling history, New York has long been thought of as a stronghold for the WWE, with some of the company's most iconic moments taking place there. There are also several wrestlers in history who have hailed from that great city.
9 Damian Priest
Out of the current crop of New Yorkers currently in the ring, The Archer Of Infamy is leading a pack that includes Dalton Castle and MJF. He already has mastered the art of being effortlessly cool.
In the ring, the guy has mastered the art of being a bigger man and still gaining sympathy, as he sells a beat down. That can be considered a lost art in some circles. After getting a quick rub from teaming up with Bad Bunny, it's only a matter of time before Priest is on top.
8 Chris Kanyon
There’s a reason the answer to “Who better than Kanyon?” is nobody. It’s because Champagne Chris Kanyon was wildly ahead of his time in the ring. Buddy Murphy might refer to himself as the best-kept secret, but Kanyon was the epitome of that in WCW, even becoming the MVP of The Alliance.
Nearly every match the Queens native had was as different as the borough he hailed from; Kanyon always tried to pull off some new innovative move every match.
7 Beth Phoenix
A trailblazer in every sense of the word, Buffalo native Beth Phoenix got her start in the days of the much-maligned Divas Division. Clearly ahead of her time, she was able to be one of the stable rocks in the foundation of this era of Divas and inspire the next.
Plus, she’s only 40 now, perhaps a full-fledged return can happen one day, instead of just memorable Royal Rumble cameos and the odd tag-team match here and there.
6 Tazz
Perhaps the contributions of Tazz will be overlooked as time passes on. But before the likes of both real and kayfabe shoot fighters began coming to the ring in droves, Tazz was one of, if not the first of a new generation.
For years, being a technical star or a burly brawler made up most of the two kinds of wrestling characters out there (other than high flyers). But Tazz was able to be the hybrid of both, and was able to become a legend of sorts all over the north-eastern seaboard.
5 Matt Cardona
Trained by fellow New Yorker, Mikey Whipwreck, Matt Cardona wanted so much more out of his WWE career. But it certainly wasn’t for lack of his trying that he wasn’t able to achieve his goals.
He remains the prime example of how to get over huge by leveraging social media. For years, he had his own internet show and little by little, fans chanting “We Want Ryder,” all over arenas. He should be championed for his unique ability to get over despite WWE not wanting him to.
4 Tommy Dreamer
There’s a reason that Tommy Dreamer still gets smatterings of cheers of “E-C-Dub.” For nearly a decade, he was the heart and soul of the original ECW promotion. Dreamer has always been a champion of hardcore wrestling no matter which promotion he is a part of.
In honor of the old ECW wrestling school, Dreamer opened up his own House Of Hardcore wrestling promotion. The Innovator Of Violence has also become one of the most trusted agents and was known for some of the most memorable feuds and moments of the nineties.
3 Brodie Lee
There probably isn’t a wrestling fan alive today that doesn’t realize how good Brodie Lee was. For fans, the unfortunate thing about his untimely demise is that we were all finally getting to see a promotion realize his true potential.
The Rochester native spent years on the indies before getting signed as Luke Harper. But after playing second fiddle for a little over five years, he was getting to really flex his muscles as The Exalted One in AEW, where he decimated Cody and then had a match of the year contender with Jon Moxley.
2 The Dudley Boyz
Obviously, Bubba Ray and D-Von weren’t real brothers. But even before they formed the Dudley Boyz, they might as well have been. They each grew up in Long Island, each trained with Johnny Rodz, and each got their start in 1991. But when they finally came together, their reign of terror in ECW made them the most reviled heels in the sport.
When they headed to WWE, they didn’t tone down the act that much, and still generated a massive amount of heat. Their rise to glory continued throughout TNA, New Japan, and then back again to the WWE, where the claimed their rightful place in the Hall Of Fame.
1 Mick Foley
Three characters, three royalty paychecks. Countless promotions where he’d almost always rise to either main event status or achieve cult-like fandom. The real Mick Foley has an Everyman appeal that makes him lovable to all - he’s the uncle we all want at family dinners. But in the ring, his brawls were wild, violent, and bloody.
But whenever a big-name babyface or an up-and-coming heel needed a crazy wrestler to work with, the Micker was there to oblige. Foley is one of the most versatile performers in wrestling and definitely the best wrestler from New York.