The Most Extreme Pro Wrestlers in WWE History

The word extreme has always had a close relationship with professional wrestling. It is an identifier that is used to get that extra something out of a character description. It tells the fans that a particular wrestler or gimmick is going to be more than your regular example.

WWE has been one the biggest advocates of the word extreme. Starting in the Attitude Era WWE used the word as the backbone of their brand. It was a way of life during that time, and it connected with the young audience beautifully.

During this time there was a laundry list of wrestlers who were described as extreme. But who among them deserves to be considered the best? Here are 5 candidates for the most extreme wrestler during the 1990s.

Top 5 Extreme Competitors in Pro Wrestling

Mick Foley

At the top of the list is a man who made his career on being extreme. Mick Foley made his name all over the world by being crazier than any man on the roster. Whether it be in WCW or in Japan, Foley was known to push the limit as far as it could go. When he debuted in WWE, as Mankind, this style of working was carried over. He became a household name for the extreme bumps he took. It was something that the national audience hadn’t seen much of and now it was coming to them every week.

A ridiculously heinous-looking series of unprotected chair shots at the Royal Rumble and countless slams onto thousands of thumbtacks are some highlights of his WWE tenure. His association with the word extreme is what cemented his legacy in the WWE and wrestling in general.

Ken Shamrock

Not all 90’s extreme wrestlers had to know their way around the weapons, sometimes it just took a certain level of intensity. That is exactly what we got from Ken Shamrock every time he walked to the ring.

Shamrock made his name as one of the best fighters of a fledgling company known as UFC. His brutality was famous and his entire walk-up schtick drove fear into the hearts of his opponents. When he came into WWE, he brought this extreme mentality with him. He stormed to the ring wide-eyed intimidating anyone who looked in his direction. It was followed up by Shamrock smashing his face to psych himself up. An extreme sight to behold for anyone.

In addition to that he was one of the stiffest workers in the company. His matches were always intense and had a sense of realism to them that others didn’t. From top to bottom Shamrock was an extreme wrestler and extreme addition to the WWE.

Vince McMahon

The boss was one of the best figures of the Attitude Era. His heel persona was textbook and helped to make his feud with Steve Austin an all-time great. However, this persona may not have reached elite levels if he wasn’t extreme in the ring. McMahon knew that he couldn’t match the work rate of any wrestler, so he needed to make up for that in other avenues.

Vince McMahon was a crazy man in the ring. At his age taking massive bumps as he did was a risky move but one that he knew would pay off. The fans hated his character so much that they would turn out in droves to see him get his comeuppance.

The kicker of all this is that McMahon didn’t need to do it. He would have still owned a profitable wrestling company, but he understood what needed to be done. Vince’s ability to put his body on the line in the name of entertainment puts the owner right up there with the most extreme of the 90s.

The Undertaker

The Undertaker was the general of the WWE locker room for decades. He was the voice of the wrestling collective and the most loyal employee a wrestling promoter could ask for. The Man from Death Valley was also one of the most extreme wrestlers that the company had.

His dedication to his craft was one aspect of his extreme nature. Many wrestlers would drop their personas outside of the ring, but The Undertaker refused to.  This was a massive undertaking, pun intended, that showed how far he was willing to go.

The Undertaker was also willing to go as far as needed in the ring. Due to his supernatural character, he was constantly put into gimmick matches against larger athletes. These matches far outnumbered any that other wrestlers were thrown into. It had to have taken an extreme toll on the man’s body throughout the years.

There were no other wrestlers that matched The Undertaker in dedication. It was the most extreme part of his personality and one that gave him a huge role in the company.

 Bret Hart

Bret Hart will forever go down as one of the best wrestlers to ever step between the ropes. He was the leader of WWE during a dark time and his efforts helped to sustain the company.  As revered as Hart is there is one word that doesn’t get associated with him as much as it should, and that is extreme.

Everything about Bret’s character and personality screamed extreme. His promos were among the most intense in the company. There was no comedy to his words, only a sense of purpose dripping with seriousness. This set him apart from every wrestler of his day.

Bret’s extreme nature didn’t end with his promos, in fact in was further heightened when he stepped into the ring. Bret’s move set was stiff and looked about as real as any could get. It made us all feel the moves every time he applied them. This was also true from his opponent’s point of view, many of whom would comment on Bret putting a bit too much pressure on his submission moves.

Bret was a man known to take his role in WWE seriously. Everything about his persona’, in and outside the ring, was very intense for just about everyone. There is nothing more extreme than that.