Separate the Great Ones

[Next Big Thing]

I must admit, I kind of stole this idea from the "What does Randy Orton need to do to get to the next level thread," but I am curious, how do you rank/ differentiate great wrestlers and where would you place certain currently active and recently retired wrestlers in those terms.

For me, there's three levels of greatness and just because a guy was booked at the top or had multiple runs as the champion doesn't necessarily mean he's great. He might have been good, and might be a Hall of Famer, but doesn't make you say he was one of the greatest.

Tier 1) ICONS of the Sport: This spot is occupied by only a select few like Hogan(not TNA), Flair (not TNA), and Austin. These were the guys who not only wrestled on top, but drew money and made the era/ companies they wrestled in synonymous with their name. They weren't flashes in the pan and without them the wrestling business wouldn't be where it is or what it is today.

Tier 2) Legendary, but not Iconic: Then there's that level of top guys who, as great as they were, are still in the shadows of those icons. While they would surely be missed, their absence in the wrestling business wouldn't leave as much of a void as the ICONS. This is where I'd put Macho Man, Dusty Rhodes, Bret, Sting etc...

Tier 3) Great Contributors: Finally, there's a third level for those guys who weren't necessarily permanent main stays in the main event, and may have gotten a shorter run at the top, but still can't be denied in terms of their contributions to the business. This might be a little controversial because of who I'd place there but this is where I'd put someone like Eddie Guerrero or even Booker T. In terms of mainstream wrestling, Booker T is the most decorated and accomplished black wrestler in history. Eddie is the equivalent of that as a latino and in my opinion contributed to guys like Chris Benoit and Rey Mysterio winning the heavyweight championships. For them to have persevered and gotten over is amazing.

So here's the group I have for you guys to evaluate: Trish Stratus, HHH, Chris Jericho, Randy Orton, Cena, HBK, Taker, Big Show, Edge, Rey Mysterio. Not all of these people have to be placed.