All too often all professional wrestlers are tarred with the same brush, mostly by those who have zero-to-no passing interest in the business. Big, musclebound guys who think the world of themselves and what they do. While that might be the case for a number of wrestlers, it is most certainly not right to assume everybody is like that. The industry is made up of an incredible amount of different personalities, and some of the men and women are extremely humble.

In fact, for the most part, those at the top of the industry are quite humble, as is the case in many different walks of life. That being said, you have to have at least a little ego to make it to the top. If you don't believe you're the best then the promoter won't think you're the best, and that spells bad news for your career. There's a balance you have to strike. If someone were to approach Vince McMahon and talk themselves up and demand title shots, well that isn't going to end well for them.

Here are ten stars who went too far when it comes to ego, and ten who got the balance exactly right.

20 Oversized Ego: Buff Bagwell

It's hard to believe almost 20 years on, but when Vince McMahon bought out WCW in 2001 he initially planned to keep the brand going. Apparently Nitro may have even continued in some form of fashion. Considering how he has treated certain former WCW talents since then, well like we said it's hard to imagine a world in which a McMahon-run WCW exists. The match and rivalry that was allegedly supposed to launch it all was Booker T versus Buff Bagwell. However, their match on Raw was infamously a disaster. That meant right from the off, Mr. McMahon didn't have the best opinion of two of the top WCW guys he had acquired.

While Booker worked hard to become a WWE guy, Bagwell was released a week later following a confusing timeline that involved him missing a show and his mother calling WWE. Naturally Bagwell has had some pretty derogatory things to say about WWE ever since. In fact, he has claimed that if they had stuck with him and given him the appropriate push, he would have become as a big a star as John Cena. That's a pretty bold claim, and if he was that good why did he not make it further up the card in WCW?

19 Humble: William Regal

Many of the names that end up appearing on this list, whether they are egotistical or humble, will be big stars from the past. Wrestlers that were World Champions or have perhaps since been inducted into WWE's Hall Of Fame. One man who never reached the lofty heights of a World Title, plus is not yet a Hall Of Famer, is William Regal. The Englishman will likely tell you that he deserves neither of those accolades. As smart a man as the NXT General Manager is, in this instance he couldn't be more wrong.

Not only did Regal help bring the hard-hitting, British style of pro wrestling to the United States, but he also managed to adapt his own style so that he fitted in and thrived wherever he went. The former Intercontinental Champion battled his own demons throughout his career, competing in WCW, WWE and pretty much everywhere else that you've ever heard of during his long career. Nowadays he imparts his decades of wisdom on new recruits at WWE's Performance Center, as well as helping Triple H scout the globe for new prospects. The Game thankfully recognizes that Regal's experience is unmatched and extremely valuable.

18 Oversized Ego: Jazz

If you were a pro wrestling fan that was just waking up from being in a coma for the last decade then the thing that would probably surprise you most is the current state of the women's division in WWE. When you slipped into the theoretical coma the females of WWE would have mainly been wrestling in their underwear and throwing one another into pools of chocolate pudding. For most, it was an opportunity to go to the bathroom or fix themselves a drink or a sandwich. Nowadays though the women are very much stealing the show. They are headlining PPVs, stepping inside Hell In A Cell, competing in Royal Rumble matches. Many women from the past who deserved those opportunities have returned for cameo appearances as well.

One former Women's Champion who has seemingly not been invited back is Jazz.

Jazz competed in the early 2000s and was one of the few female competitors on the roster at the time who could actually wrestle. She still competes to this day and clearly feels as if she deserves to be called for a comeback. Jazz has been angling for that by abusing Charlotte Flair on Twitter, claiming the current WWE star wouldn't be where she is today if it wasn't for her. That's a pretty bold claim.

17 Humble: Kane

When you have been employed by WWE for more than 20 years without leaving the company, most would likely admit that you have every right to be pretty egotistical. Even those who have never really received a massive push and have just become company men and women, it is still an incredible achievement. Kane is a level above that. Not only has he been an employee of Vince McMahon's since 1995 but for the bulk of that time, he has been the red and black-clad Big Red Machine. A former WWE Champion and one of the most iconic figures in WWE's history.

Despite all of that, and the fact that he portrays a terrifying character on TV, the man behind the mask, Glenn Jacobs, by all accounts is an extremely smart, nice, and above all humble guy. What makes that even more surprising is the fact that he has one foot very much planted in the political world. If there are two careers that can make a person jaded its professional wrestling and politics. Nevertheless, anyone who has ever shared a locker room with or conversed with Jacobs, whether he be Kane or the potential next mayor of Knoxville County, Tennessee, it sounds as if he is extremely pleasant and very down to earth.

16 Oversized Ego: Jeff Jarrett

While what it means to be a World Champion has changed throughout the history of professional wrestling, it is still one of the greatest honours a performer can receive. If you are wearing your promotion's most prestigious prize around your waist or over your shoulder then it means that company and its bookers have the utmost faith in you. Whether it be Bruno Sammartino holding the WWE Title for years and years all the way up to AJ Styles as the current champion, there's an awful lot of pride involved. There have been occasions in wrestling though where the person booking the matches views themselves as much better than they actually are.

Take Jeff Jarrett for instance. Double J may have been inducted into the WWE Hall Of Fame this year, but there's a reason he was never a World Champion under Mr McMahon. Once he started his own promotion though, which he intended to be a rival of his former employers, it didn't take long for him to win his own company's ultimate prize. We're talking about TNA of course and decisions like this one are likely why the company never did reach the lofty heights that Jarrett initially envisioned for his baby.

15 Humble: Rey Mysterio

For the longest time pro wrestling was simply looked upon as a land of giants. Big, muscular men who were at least six feet, five inches tall and in many ways appeared to be larger than life. It took some very special competitors to change that viewpoint and help bring about the terrific product that we have today. In WWE Superstars such as Shawn Michaels and Bret Hart got the ball rolling. Over in WCW it was another group of stars. Wrestlers like Chris Jericho and Eddie Guerrero may have been ignored by Eric Bischoff, but WWE and the fans were taking notice.

Perhaps one of the most revolutionary of all from that group was Rey Mysterio.

At the time he was a young, masked luchador, bringing something from Mexico that mainstream fans had never seen before. Mysterio flew around the ring like he was a real-life superhero, so he naturally captured the imaginations of fans around the world. The former World Champion recently spoke about his, still ongoing, career on X-Pac's podcast and was incredibly humble about it. Mysterio's mask has effectively become a national symbol in Mexico at this point, and the country's soccer team even used it as inspiration for their kits at the last World Cup.

14 Oversized Ego: Billy Graham

Each generation of pro wrestling fans likely views the business in their own unique way. If you grew up watching the Attitude Era and WWE going head to head with WCW during the Monday Night War, what you think 'good wrestling' is will likely be very different to the generation before who were being told to eat their vitamins by the then clean cut Hulk Hogan. Arguably the first real pro wrestling boom came along with Hulkamania, and many more casual fans might not realize how much came before him and the nationalization of WWE.

Truth be told, a lot of what The Hulkster brought to the ring was inspired by a WWE Hall Of Famer named Superstar Billy Graham. The similarities are plain to see when you look at both stars side by side. Even though Graham's contributions to the business are vital, he has unfortunately since become one of those salty former wrestlers who believes most of today's product is bad compared to 'the good old days'. In the last year alone he has taken shots at Shane McMahon and Ronda Rousey, the latter of which he really went off on following her debut at WrestleMania 34.

13 Humble: Bruno Sammartino

The pro wrestling world recently lost one of its biggest and most legendary stars, Bruno Sammartino. During an earlier entry we discussed how, for many fans, the popularization of the business didn't happen until the birth of Hulkamania. If that is true then the exception to that rule is the career of Sammartino. Even though the WWE Hall Of Famer was the figurehead of the company during a time when the promotion was only based in the North East of the United States, Sammartino managed to transcend the business.

The Living Legend sold out Madison Square Garden almost 200 times, and his journey to America and WWE was even more incredible than what he did once he was there. As a child he almost died and for years had to hide in the Italian mountains from Nazi soldiers during World War II. After living a life like that you could tell from interviews and those who interacted with him that Sammartino was still a very kind and extremely humble man. Most men who held the WWE Championship for over a decade would likely be pretty braggadocios about it. Not Sammartino, and there will be no man who ever matches that feat.

12 Oversized Ego: CM Punk

No matter how good some of the men and women in WWE are, there is not enough room at the top of the mountain for everybody. That has never been truer in the business than it is right now. While there are more top titles in the industry nowadays of course, the WWE roster is more stacked than it ever has been before. Superstars such as Seth Rollins, AJ Styles, Finn Balor and Shinsuke Nakamura are all currently some of the best wrestlers on the planet, however, not all of them can be World Champion at the same time. Not only does that mean fans of those stars and so many others have to be understanding, but it also requires a lot of patience on behalf of the Superstars in question.

One man who got tired of waiting for what he believed he deserved was CM Punk.

Despite holding the WWE Title for an incredible 434 straight days, he still believed that he deserved more. Never getting to headline WrestleMania always bugged him, and eventually that plus a host of other things got to him so much that he not only left WWE, but he abandoned pro wrestling altogether.

11 Humble: Stone Cold Steve Austin

While there are hundreds of different men and women that have contributed in various major ways to the pro wrestling business, there are only a small handful who are considered to be the absolute best. Wrestlers who made incredible amounts of money for the promotions they were working for, and are always on people's wrestling Mount Rushmores. Stone Cold Steve Austin is one of those wrestlers. In the relatively short amount of time that he was on top in WWE, he likely made more money for Vince McMahon than anyone who came before and any Superstar who has been hired since.

No one had seen anything like him before, and he played the role of anti-hero perfectly. As mentioned above though, his run on top was shorter than most fans likely remember. By 2003 Austin had hung up his boots and walked off into the sunset. He is still in the business though and currently has his own podcast. On that show he sounds like the most down to earth, regular Texas guy, and even with all his fame and all his money, he is still the same person he was before ever stepping foot inside a wrestling ring.

10 Oversized Ego: Kevin Nash

There are a number of things that led to the untimely demise of WCW. At one point it really looked as if Eric Bischoff and co might actually see off Vince McMahon and WWE. Unfortunately for them it turned out that they were around for a good time, but not a long time. One thing that many former employees of the defunct company say to this day is that towards the end of the promotion's run, no one really knew who to go to and who was in charge.

For a period of time Kevin Nash was one of the men in charge of the booking, and even without the benefit of hindsight that had to be looked upon as a bad idea. Nash was a part of the nWo and even without the book he was managing to get himself involved in every single top angle. From his time as the worst drawing WWE Champion ever to his run with WCW, Nash thought of himself as a much bigger deal than he actually was. When you let someone with that mindset book their own career, things are not going to end well for you.

9 Humble: Shawn Michaels

For the most part it feels as if Shawn Michaels has had two entirely separate pro wrestling careers. In fact in some ways he actually has. If this list were being written 20 years ago, then the Heartbreak Kid would not be on this side of the list. The WWE Hall Of Famer was extremely hard to work with, was off the rails, and when he was forced to retire following his back injury it sounds as if all of that was amplified. Thankfully at some point during that down time there was a turning point for Michaels, likely when he fell out with his best friend, Triple H.

Shortly after that, HBK returned and began the second chapter of his WWE career.

Michaels was transformed. He had found God, had a family, but his in-ring abilities were just as good as they ever were. Most would tell you that he is the best in-ring performer of all time, and that is hard to argue with. Even at the age of 52, HBK could probably still return for a third time and put on a terrific match. He had the perfect retirement though, the second time around, and has no interest in ever wrestling again.

8 Oversized Ego: Hulk Hogan

Even though this article is directly comparing wrestlers who had massive egos and those who are much more humble, to some extent you have to have an ego to make it in the pro wrestling business. If you don't think you're awesome and that you should be on the very top of the pile, then there's not much point in you stepping in the ring. Clearly no one thought more of himself than Hulk Hogan, and that's one of the main reasons why he became one of the biggest and most popular names in WWE history.

The Hulkster was portrayed as a larger than life super hero, and The Immortal One embodied that and believed it to be so. There's a reason Hogan very rarely lost matches, across WWE and WCW later in his career. Not only did Vince McMahon and Eric Bischoff think it would damage Hogan, but above all else Hulk believed that he shouldn't be losing matches. The Hulkster would say something to the effect of "that doesn't work for me, brother" when he didn't like an idea, and if those words were uttered then the idea wasn't going to happen.

7 Humble: Sting

Throughout the Monday Night War between WWE and WCW a lot of wrestlers jumped back and forth between the two companies. Kevin Nash, Scott Hall, Lex Luger, Chris Jericho, even Steve Austin has wrestled for both promotions. There were always two constants though. Two men whose loyalties never wavered regardless of what was happening around them. The Undertaker in WWE and Sting in WCW. Both men were cornerstones of their respective companies, and if either man had jumped ship during the late 1990s then it would have been the biggest move of all during the war.

Sting eventually came to WWE of course, but it was almost fifteen years after Vince McMahon had bought out WCW. During that period Sting spent a lot of time wrestling for Impact. Even at their height, The Icon was too good for them. His loyalty to a company that no longer existed along with how humble he is held up his career for a number of years. If you've heard interviews with Sting or even met him, you will know how nice and down to earth he is. Even though he will go down as one of the most iconic wrestlers of all time, he will likely never admit it himself.

6 Oversized Ego: Ryback

The pro wrestling business is currently in something of a transition period. For almost 20 years, WWE has really been the only game in town, at least when it comes to massive, money making companies. That isn't really the case any more. Wrestlers can now make great careers for themselves on the independent circuit. From New Japan to Ring Of Honor to Lucha Underground, the future, and the present for that matter, looks bright. Cody Rhodes is of course the prime example of someone who has shown his peers that you don't need WWE. Ryback wanted to be another guy who did that, but it hasn't worked out so well.

The Big Guy has dropped off the radar somewhat since leaving WWE, but while he was under the tutelage of Vince McMahon he thought an awful lot of himself. Ryback felt like he deserved a WrestleMania spot opposite Brock Lesnar, and also that he should be the next John Cena in WWE. There was a time when it looked as if WWE did have big plans for Ryback, but once those plans faded he became very frustrated. His outspokenness made things worse, and eventually he and WWE parted ways.

5 Humble: The Rock

Being a fan of professional wrestling can often feel like a very lonely existence. You likely often feel as if no one else you know is watching, or even knows anything about the business. Then WrestleMania rolls around and you witness as many as 100,000 fans in one stadium all watching the thing that you love. There are also a handful of stars who transcend the business and break into the mainstream. Everyone knows who Hulk Hogan and John Cena are, whether they're wrestling fans or not, but in the present day the biggest star wrestling has ever created is The Rock.

Dwayne Johnson is currently the biggest movie star on the planet and for us fans, it's sometimes hard to believe that it began with pro wrestling.

If you show footage of Rock's WWE debut, wearing the ribbons and with the curly hair, it would likely blow their minds. Despite being one of the most recognizable people on the planet right now, The Rock remains incredibly humble. He still does things for the fans even though he is always incredibly busy, and one day he may even be the President of the United States of America.

4 Oversized Ego: Alberto Del Rio

WWE very much goes through peaks and valleys when it comes to its popularity. During the late 1980s Hulkamania was running wild, and the world couldn't get enough of it. By the mid-1990s however, things had taken a downturn. Hogan had moved on and Vince McMahon needed new blood. A more modern day example of that happened around seven years ago. Many fans had tuned out and something big needed to happen to bring them back in. That something was CM Punk. His rivalry with John Cena is cited by many fans as the feud that got them to start watching again.

One man who doesn't get enough credit for that time though is Alberto Del Rio. The Mexican wrestler was also WWE Champion during that time and had great matches with both men. Clearly that may have gone to his head though, as since then Del Rio has became unbearable. The former champ came back to WWE for a second stint, but he valued himself far higher than the company did at that point. Since leaving he has fired jibes and insults at the company, and recently has clearly dubbed himself too big or too good to compete for Impact Wrestling too.

3 Humble: Mick Foley

The Monday Night War and the pivotal moments within it have been referenced regularly throughout this article. Of all the things that influenced the ratings and the ultimate outcome however, there was one moment in particular which is looked at as the ultimate turning point. That was the night Mankind, aka Mick Foley, first won the WWE Championship. Raw that night was pre-taped, however Nitro was live. The announcers on Nitro revealed the results of Raw in an attempt to keep viewers tuned in to WCW. Upon hearing that they could see Mankind become WWE Champion, over half a million fans opted to change the channel. WCW would never really come back from that.

Despite being the man who was the focal point of that moment, Foley is still an extremely humble man. In fact, he recently admitted that he didn't think he deserved to be WWE Champion at that time and that he was downright confused with the decision to take the title from The Rock. Foley can be as humble as he likes, but that moment plus so many others involving him changed and revolutionized the pro wrestling business. He sacrificed an awful lot for our entertainment.

2 Oversized Ego: Scott Steiner

There are a number of wrestlers who we constantly hear about that have made a bad name for themselves backstage. One name that always crops up in these conversations is Scott Steiner's, and it has done ever since he returned to WWE in 2002. When Scott was part of a tag team along with his brother Rick those poor opinions of him didn't seem to exist. However, as a singles star Big Poppa Pump definitely seems to think pretty highly of himself, or at least much higher than those who have booked him anyway.

Things really got heated during his rivalry with Triple H, the matches were poor, the story line was bad, and both men spoke ill of each other. The Game is clearly one of WWE's most valuable assets, and was all the way back in 2003, so thinking that you're bigger and better than him is never going to end well, whether you're right or wrong. Steiner has issues with WWE to this day which is why the highest plateau he can hope to reach in the present day is Impact Wrestling. His big ego and bad attitude has really effected his career in a negative way.

1 Humble: John Cena

There's a belief when it comes to big names and celebrities that those who are at the very top of their game are the ones who are the nicest. That they are at their pinnacle so what is there to be mad about? Plus they recognize that they wouldn't be there without the help of the fans. On the flip side of that coin, mid-level celebrities are apparently the ones to avoid. Those who think they deserve to be more popular, or in a wrestler's case higher up the card, and think themselves to be higher or better than their fans.

The Rock is a perfect example of someone who has made it and is hence a really nice guy, and John Cena also appears to fall into that category.

He may be going through a tricky time when it comes to his love life as of late, but aside from that what does the sixteen time World Champion really have to be mad about? He has more money than he will ever need, is in good health, and has helped carry WWE for around fifteen years. Apart from his talent, there's a reason so many movies and TV shows want him around, it's because he's a nice guy and people like him.