The incredible displays of technical wrestling can make a talent come off as legitimate in the ring. Great technical wrestlers have had mixed results in the industry. A connection with the audience and general promo skills usually are needed to make them get over as characters, that eventually make the technical moves more impactful.
Wrestlers to thrive on the technical side can hold their own chain wrestling, use submissions and just tell a compelling story in the ring with their movements. The best names to do this will be discussed, with the idea of a Mount Rushmore highlighting the best.
10 Eddie Guerrero
Eddie Guerrero did such a great job adapting to different styles that many fans forget he was an elite technical wrestler. The frog splash added the high-flying style to his move-set, and the overall charisma shown in WWE made him a bigger star.
However, Guerrero also thrived in the earlier years of his career, going in with the technical skills. ECW and early WCW years featured Eddie having spectacular mat classics against Dean Malenko to add credibility to his name.
9 Curt Hennig
The name of Mr. Perfect was given to Curt Hennig for his ability to thrive in every area of wrestling along with other sports. Hennig first broke out as a technical wrestling master during his huge rivalry with Nick Bockwinkel.
WWE would spotlight that area of Hennig’s work as Mr. Perfect as well. Matches against Bret Hart, Ric Flair and others showed Perfect could have mat classics whenever given the chance to succeed. Perfect was the first major superstar for WWE from the technical wrestling side of things.
8 Zack Sabre Jr.
The past few years have been strong enough for Zack Sabre Jr. to become a legendary name in technical wrestling matches. Sabre broke out on the United Kingdom scene before thriving in the United States independent circuit.
Each chapter led to Sabre getting an offer from New Japan, where he currently thrives. Sabre’s technical wrestling has evolved the style, as he goes all in with his skill set. The chain wrestling and joint manipulation of Sabre changed the game and redefined what a technical wrestler could do.
7 Finlay
WWE and WCW each used Finlay in the bruiser role where his hard-hitting action helped him get over more. However, the technical wrestling of Finlay was always strong enough to deliver great matches while mixing in the violence.
Finlay always had great matches when receiving enough time against the likes of Chris Benoit and William Regal. The ability of Finlay inside of the ring extended to his off-screen role as a producer, where he now teaches those tools to active superstars.
6 Chris Benoit
The wrestling career of Chris Benoit saw him taking part in many technical wrestling classics in various promotions. WWE and WCW were the places fans most grew attached to Benoit’s work, with dozens of must-watch matches that he took part in.
Benoit’s rivalries against Kurt Angle, Bret Hart, Booker T and plenty others provided his technical wrestling matches at the highest level. The rise of Benoit in each promotion didn’t see him changing his style even when moving up the card.
5 William Regal
WCW introduced William Regal to the general wrestling audience with an in-ring style rarely seen before him. Regal brought the technical wrestling and catch submission exchanges from the United Kingdom scene, proving there was an audience for it in the States.
The move to WWE would see Regal adding more comedy to his character, but his in-ring style remained the same. Regal delivered outstanding matches whenever given time and stayed true to his technical wrestling skills for pretty much the entirety of his career.
4 Dean Malenko
Dean Malenko was known almost primarily for his technical wrestling style. WCW made Malenko a dominant star in the cruiserweight division, who used his technical skills to slow down the faster cruiserweights who flew around the ring.
There were critics of Malenko who didn’t like his weaker promo skills or felt his style was boring, but his bouts always delivered. Malenko had great matches consistently by using the technical wrestling base, even though his limitations prevented him from moving up the card.
3 Bret Hart
The legendary run of Bret Hart featured great matches up and down the card throughout his journey. Bret was able to work multiple styles, but the technical wrestling side was where he excelled most for his greatest matches.
Everything Hart did had a purpose, like targeting the lower leg before going for the sharpshooter. Bret was considered the first world champion in WWE’s mainstream rise to thrive as a technical maestro, rather than being a larger-than-life character, which was the norm at the time.
2 Kurt Angle
WWE found a future legend when recruiting Kurt Angle to join the industry after his success as an Olympic gold medalist. Angle ended up doing his best on the technical wrestling side during matches, in addition to his range as a character.
The technical wrestling skills of Angle led to classics against Chris Benoit, Brock Lesnar and plenty of others who could highlight his moves best. Angle retired with a hit list of iconic matches and as an all-time great technical wrestler.
1 Daniel Bryan
There were relatively low expectations for Daniel Bryan when signing with WWE since technical wrestlers weren’t considered to have the best promos. Bryan ended up doing well on the character side of things without sacrificing his technical wrestling ability.
The in-ring work of Bryan has been second to none whenever put in a position to succeed. Technical wrestling classics against CM Punk, AJ Styles and Cesaro showed just how good Bryan is when the bell rings. No one has done more for the mat technician reputation than Bryan, who probably has a few more years of great work left.