There are few periods in professional wrestling history that can compare to the 1990s. Sure, the mid-nineties were arguably a down period for the business. That is largely so because they fell after WWE’s white-hot Hulkamania years and some of the NWA’s finest in-ring presentation featuring the lines of Ric Flair and Harley Race. Moreover, they came before the Monday Night War when WCW, powered by an incredibly deep roster, launched the nWo angle, while WWE reinvented itself behind stars like Stone Cold Steve Austin and The Rock.

Who were the greatest champions during this tumultuous decade, and how do they rate against one another? This article looks at the top ten.

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10 10. Randy Savage

When it comes to iconic characters and great workers of the 1990s, The Macho Man Randy Savage has to factor into the conversation. His time spent as a world champion was limited enough to relegate him to lower end of this countdown, but is nonetheless worth celebrating.

Savage won the WWE Championship for the second time at WrestleMania 8, picking up a dramatic victory over Ric Flair. That reign lasted a matter of months, including retaining the title over The Ultimate Warrior at SummerSlam 1992. From there, Savage would pick up four more world title reigns in WCW, consistently a main event player though, cumulatively, the reigns averaged under two weeks in duration.

9 9. Yokozuna

WWE has typically leaned into the dynamic of having a face champion who takes on all comers at the top of the card, as opposed to a dominant heel champion. From spring 1993 to spring 1994, however, it was monster heel Yokozuna who reigned over WWE.

In two title reigns, Yokozuna battled with Hulk Hogan, Bret Hart, Lex Luger, The Undertaker and others in the main event. While this wasn’t exactly a hot period for WWE, the big man nonetheless did well in presenting an insurmountable aura, and putting on shockingly athletic performances for a person of his size.

8 8. The Undertaker

The Undertaker has rarely been treated as the top star in WWE, but throughout the 1990s he firmly established himself as one of the most durable talents at the company’s disposal.

The Dead Man never got a very long run with the belt, but did get nearly half a year at the helm in 1997, which included dropping the title in a SummerSlam classic to Bret Hart. This was by far Taker's best World Championship reign, even if it was a bit underwhelming.

7 7. Sting

Sting was WCW’s most reliable talent in the 1990s. He spent much of the early 1990s in the title picture opposite the likes of Ric Flair, Lex Luger, and Big Van Vader. It’s telling that he’d still be hanging around on top, an even bigger star when WCW took flight in the late 1990s, peaking when he beat Hollywood Hogan for the WCW Championship at Starrcade 1997.

Sting’s charisma, athleticism, and look all contributed to a viable world champion who largely defined the WCW title scene in a vitally important decade.

RELATED: FROM THE UNDERTAKER TO STING: 5 LEGENDS WHO SHOULD HAVE ONE MORE MATCH (& 5 WHO SHOULD NEVER WRESTLE AGAIN)

6 6. Big Van Vader

Big Van Vader’s lackluster run in WWE tends to mar his legacy, particularly because the company was phasing him out of a top spot just as the popular Attitude Era took over. Nonetheless, Vader played an important role in the 1990s, particularly for his efforts in the main event scene for WCW.

Vader defeated Sting for the WCW in dominant fashion in early 1992 and reigned for half the year. He’d go on to an even more impressive run over the course of 1993. Vader reigned for all but a week or so, when Sting briefly took the title on an international tour, and before Ric Flair snagged the big gold belt at Starrcade at the end of the year. The big man’s title run included fantastically brutal clashes with Cactus Jack, and playing a keen monster opposite the likes of Sting, Davey Boy Smith, and Flair.

5 5. Steve Austin

There’s a very real argument to be made that there was no greater WWE Superstar in the 1990s than Stone Cold Steve Austin. Indeed, racking up his first four world title reigns in the late 1990s was no small feat, as Austin did battle with other icons of the day including The Rock, The Undertaker, and Kane.

However, for the purposes of this countdown, it’s worth noting that he was quite arguably a better challenger than champion—more fun when he was chasing the likes of The Rock or Shawn Michaels than when he’d actually captured the gold. Additionally, a good bit of Austin’s championship legacy came in 2001, after the period considered for this countdown, including his heel run with the belt in 2001 that was one of the few silver linings of the lukewarm InVasion angle.

4 4. Shawn Michaels

Shawn Michaels captured his first WWE Championship in truly epic fashion at WrestleMania 12, surviving over an hour in the ring with arch-rival Bret Hart before hitting Sweet Chin Music to collect the win. With a glut of star power and top-rate workers, HBK carried the company as its talented champion for this period.

Michaels would go on to additional title reigns as both a face and heel, including getting featured as the leader of the brand new D-Generation X faction. In kayfabe, the group was largely assembled to protect Michaels personally, and then his title reign.

RELATED: SHAWN MICHAELS' 5 BEST WRESTLING ATTIRES (& HIS 5 WORST)

3 3. Bret Hart

Bret Hart carried WWE through a transition in eras. He arrived on top coming out of a time when larger than life Superstars like Hulk Hogan, The Ultimate Warrior, and Randy Savage led the main event scene, but before the Attitude Era would take off with guys like Stone Cold Steve Austin and The Rock at the helm.

In that in-between time, WWE experimented with stars like Lex Luger and Diesel on top. The company consistently came back to Hart for his technical skills, as well as his ineffable ability to connect with fans, especially on an international basis. Hart was a featured fighting champion for much of the mid-nineties, and toward the end of his WWE run a great heel champ. He tacked on two WCW Championships to round out his impressive decade

2 2. Ric Flair

There are few wrestlers more synonymous with world champion status than Ric Flair, whose quantity, quality, and duration of reigns is tough to compete with. Though Flair was arguably in his heyday in the 1980s, his performance in the early 1990s in particular warrants him a high spot on this countdown.

After reigning as world champ in WCW, The Nature Boy made a largely seamless transition to the top of WWE, where he spent nearly half of his one year tenure as world champ. From there, he returned to WCW where bridged an important gap—first the hero to overcome Big Van Vader for the strap at Starrcade 1993, then the heel to drop to the title to Hulk Hogan when he arrived in 1994. Flair would remain in the WCW Championship scene throughout the mid-1990s with short reigns, before collecting one last one in 1999.

1 1. Hulk Hogan

When it comes to racking up meaningful world title reigns in the 1990s, it’s hard for anyone to compete with Hulk Hogan's record. Hogan led off the 1990s at the forefront for WWE. He entered the decade as champ and went on to a big title win at WrestleMania 6 over Sgt. Slaughter. Hogan would reign again, an unlikely returning champ, for a spell in 1993.

In WCW, The Hulkster would add depth to his 1990s resume. First, he was the face world champion who reigned for over a year from mid-1994 into fall 1995. Then, he wrote a brand new chapter of his career by turning heel to lead the nWo. In the process, he made the unlikely transition from arguably the greatest face world champion of the decade to the greatest heel champ of the decade. From summer 1996 through 1997, Hogan had a stranglehold on the title, and he would cycle in and out of the title picture for the rest of the decade to boot.

NEXT: THE 10 MOST IMPORTANT WWE MATCHES OF THE 1990S