If you skip the intro and title of this article and jump right into the list, it may look like we are doing a ranking of the greatest of all time. In all actuality, we will be highlighting the wrestlers with the biggest egos of all time. It’s kind of ironic that so many of the best would be on this list, but not all that surprising. In fact, professional wrestling is a business that is predicated on believing in yourself, even if nobody else shares that opinion.

Just the mere idea of becoming a professional wrestler is an intimidating concept; you will be walking out in front of strangers, in your underwear and trying to please and pander to a new audience every night. Think about how much self confidence it would take most of us to do one of those things, let alone all of them plus more.

Remember that irony that was mentioned earlier? Well it’s also pretty ironic that every single person on this list has been through the WWE for at least one run, with all but two winning the a major Championship while employed by the sports entertainment company. It’s that kind of success that can drive an otherwise humble wrestler, to have an inflated ego, which can result in a bad reputation. The negative rap is usually created from these egotistical wrestlers protecting their top spot from would be challengers with accidental collateral damage happening from time to time.

We are going to count down the wrestlers with the biggest inflated egos in all of wrestling. Admittedly, we could probably find a reason to call every wrestler who has tasted success egotistical, but today we are only looking at the top 15. As always let us know how you feel in the comments below, and let us know who we forgot….unless you put Brock Lesnar...don’t put Brock Lesnar.

18 15. DDP

via onlineworldofwrestling.com
via onlineworldofwrestling.com

Although Diamond Dallas Page has saved countless careers and lives with his innovative DDP Yoga over the past few years, it doesn’t change the fact that his ego has always been a little skewed. When Page started in the wrestling business, managing Scott Hall (then the Diamond Stud), Hall stated that Page would draw all of the crowd attention away from the match and to himself.

Eventually after transitioning into a wrestler in WCW, Page would go on to rub people the wrong way, by always interjecting himself onto the card. A former WCW color commentator called Page “D.D. Me” on a recent interview on Ric Flair’s Wooooo Nation podcast, also calling Page “the most self-serving person to ever work in the industry.".

17 14. Mick Foley

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via interviewly.com

He may be an ambassador for Santa Claus, and the darling of the IWC, but Mick Foley is actually just as egotistical as all of the other people on this list. Foley is a notorious self promoter, and is always trying to hop into the spotlight that others are in.

The Hardcore Legend follows the money, and has stated that he came back into professional wrestling to make a few bucks, even though he knew he lost a step. One of the biggest ego plays, is taking a spot on the card away from a younger talent who is still at the top of his game.

Foley also uses his perceived influence to cause a ruckus in the online community whenever he feels that professional wrestling isn’t going the way he thinks it should. Recently on the Steve Austin’s podcast, Foley stated that he was representative of all wrestling fans, which in an of itself is a pretty ego driven mindset.

16 13. Chris Jericho

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via liverpoolecho.co.uk

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While it can be said that Chris Jericho is one of the most respected men in the wrestling business, it can also be said that he carries a huge ego. Jericho has gotten into many fights backstage, and outside of wrestling, because of his obnoxious/know it all nature.

Y2J has also blasted WWE Superstars for stealing his gimmicks, which in all actuality he didn’t invent. Speaking of inventing, Jericho has taken so much credit for inventing, creating or suggesting things, that it actually has spawned a meme on the internet. The only saving grace for Jericho, is that he will put over younger talent whenever he comes back.

14 12. Goldberg

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via tumblr.com

Bill Goldberg’s ego isn’t his fault, it is the cause of being built up too much and too fast, for someone so green in the business. Due to the fact that he beat everyone and their mother on the roster at WCW, Goldberg’s ego was through the roof by the time he was in the main event picture.

Other top guys gave Goldberg advice to watch his own back, which he did, so much so that Eric Bischoff would eventually call him a “business monster”. After the fall of WCW, Goldberg continued his streak of burning bridges and quickly flamed out of the WWE, due to his inflated ego and bad matches.

13 11. Jeff Jarrett

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via prowrestlingpowerhouse.com

If you can’t become a successful World Champion in your current company, and can’t get hired anywhere else, why not be like Jeff Jarrett and start your own...twice. Yes the King of the Mountain and former TNA Champion literally has built companies around himself, hoping to become the largest draw on the card.

Jarrett has even built a stable around himself and refereed to the company as a whole as “Planet Jarrett”. Double J even went as far as to induct himself into the TNA Hall of Fame in 2015, proving that his ego has no bounds.

12 10. Kevin Nash

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via wcwworldwide.com

One of the most polarizing figures in pro wrestling is Kevin Nash. He has been alleged to have a huge ego while in WCW, due to being paid like a top star in the company. Money would be the ultimate ego inflation device for Nash, as all of his decisions were based around making himself richer. In fact when he assumed the role of booker for WCW, Nash booked himself to break Goldberg's undefeated streak; it is assumed that Nash figured he would gain popularity by doing this, which would translate to more money.

11 9. Ric Flair

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via wwe.com

Ric Flair is considered by many to be the greatest wrestler of all time, and it may have gone to his head. The legend goes that Flair would often segregate himself from other wrestlers whom he felt were beneath him; former WWE talent Gangrel even went as far as to claim that The Nature Boy wouldn’t make eye contact with low-card wrestlers.

Another common claim against Flair is that he was very selective of his opponents during his prime, which would ensure that he wouldn’t have his reputation tarnished.

10 8. The Rock

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via imageevent.com

Despite the fact that The Rock has been named as one of the most humble people in Hollywood, the former WWE Champion has a spot on this list. The Rock was extremely protective of his character while working full time in the WWE. During two separate Talk is Jericho Podcasts, both the Dudley Boyz and Chris Jericho talked about how The People’s Champion would refuse certain angles.

Bubba Ray would go on to say that Rocky would say certain ideas were good, “just not for The Rock”. This apparently was the case on multiple occasions, as the two parties brought it up during the second interview as well. Once again, a saving grace for The Rock would be the fact that he never had a problem putting anybody over.

9 7. Bret Hart

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via wrestlingwithpopculture.com

Bret Hart is notoriously known for being a fan of himself in the world of professional wrestling, and believing his own hype. Now for the Canadian audience Bret considered himself a hero, which means that there were certain things he refused to do in Canada; losing being one of them. The Hitman’s ego led to him refusing to drop the title to Shawn Michaels at Survivor Series in 1997, prior to his departure from the company.

Until this day, Hart pats himself on the back for his ability and accomplishments in wrestling during his interviews. He truly believes that he is the best there is, the best there was, and the best there ever will be.

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7 6. Triple H

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via rapgenius.com

There are probably more reports about Triple H’s ego than any other wrestler on this list, but the fact that most of them can’t be corroborated with facts is why he is in the middle of this list. The lore of Trip’s scumbag nature is bigger than the actual trail of evidence, but that’s not to say there isn’t any proof at all.

Triple H has decided to take victories over opponents who most fans think should have won, such as Booker T at WrestleMania XIX, Brock Lesnar at WrestleMania XXIX, Sheamus at WrestleMania XXVI and CM Punk at Night of Champions in 2011. In all of these feuds, the loser had more momentum going into the match and for all intents and purposes should have taken the victory, but in an attempt to protect his status, Triple H used his influence to go over.

6 5. Shawn Michaels

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via tattoobite.com

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Shawn Michaels is known for having one of the worst egos, and attitudes in wrestling during the 1990s, often angering everyone who came into contact with the rising star. The story goes that HBK refused to lose to anyone that wasn’t in the Kliq, or who didn’t comply with the group. Michaels was out of control by the time he was injured in 1998, and left the WWE for four years.

Some think that Michaels finally got his ego in check when he became a born again Christian in the early 2000s. However there were glimpses of the old Michaels lurking in the shadows of his more PG friendly character; specifically when HBK made a mockery of Hulk Hogan at SummerSlam in 2005, by overselling every single move out of spite of not winning.

4 4. Stone Cold Steve Austin

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via sportsworldnews.com

Although Steve Austin regrets some of his decisions while at the height of his career, it doesn’t change the fact that they happened. Most infamously, Austin refused to do a job for Brock Lesnar on an episode of RAW, and subsequently left WWE television for a few months. Vince McMahon confirmed that The Rattlesnake was difficult to work with during his WWE Network interview conducted by Austin.

Austin has also been accused of outright refusing to let other people go over clean, holding down specific wrestlers (Billy Gunn and Jeff Jarrett) for personal vendettas, and thinking he was “bigger than the business” according to Jim Ross.

3 3. CM Punk

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via wwe.com

CM Punk was good, but best in the world?...meh. Well that’s a subjective opinion, much like Punk’s own opinion about himself. The former World Champion and current UFC fighter has gone off on more tirades about his own talent than anyone else on this list.

Stemming from his infamous pipe bomb promo back in 2011, Punk made no bones about letting everyone know how much better he was than WWE. In fact during an interview on The Art of Wrestling with Colt Cabana, the Straight Edge Superstar claimed that he was the only thing that was right with the WWE - all while bashing WWE Creative, Ryback, Triple H, Vince McMahon, The Nexus, The Miz, The Rock and Brock Lesnar.

 

2 2. Hulk Hogan

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via playbuzz.com

Perhaps the most deserving of a big ego is the Immortal Hulk Hogan. Hogan single handedly saved wrestling in the 80s, and elevated it to a national stage unlike any other person in history. Earning this iconic status obviously inflated Hogan’s ego, as he demanded full creative control when eventually signing to WCW in the mid 90s. Many claim that Hogan’s control of the company is what drove WCW to its demise, citing that Hogan would only lose to handpicked opponents, and even that was rare.

Another example of Hogan’s ego getting the better of him is during his time as one of the creative minds in TNA. Hogan’s own ideas about wrestling were forced down the throats of TNA fans, with the Hulkster changing the format of the show, the ring shape and the air date of the show. All of his ideas failed, and so did TNA as a result.

1 1. Vince McMahon

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via forbes.com

You have to have an ego to be as successful as Vince McMahon. Creating an empire that his spanned four decades isn’t what makes McMahon arrive on this list, but rather it is his creative control that does.

At one time, Vince had his finger on the pulse of pop culture and was able to make rational decisions about the creative direction for the company. Over the years, his age has caught up with him and he has fallen out of touch, but his ego will not allow him to hand over full control to anyone else. His ego is often left unchecked in this area, as most of the bad ideas of the past decade are spawned out of his head. His ego is what created the industry we all love, and will possibly be the thing to destroy it. 

Side note: Vince McMahon also defeated God in a match. Yup, that happened.