From before the earliest days of the WWF through to the modern day, Canadians have often featured among the headline acts of pro wrestling events.
Now boasting a rich history of famous and incredibly popular stars of the squared circle, this is a look at the very best Canadian wrestlers of all time.
Bret Hart
Bret Hart is the only place to start when discussing the greatest Canadian wrestlers of all time, having dominated the WWF scene and earned continued praise for his athleticism and ring craft.
In his time with the WWF, the Calgary native claimed the heavyweight title five times and headlined WrestleMania three times, but was fiendishly ousted by the company’s owner.
Hart was legitimately feuding with Shawn Michaels and had agreed to leave for World Championship Wrestling around one week before his November 1997 Survivor Series match with Michaels, at which time Hart was the reigning champion.
The event took place in Montréal, and Hart was looking to bow out on a high in front of his home crowd and against his bitter rival, but Vince McMahon changed the predetermined outcome to have Michaels pull an unscripted screwjob on the Canadian to win the match.
His incredible performances and legacy are still honoured, however, and he’s been inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame not once but twice.
Trish Stratus
One of the WWE’s most famous female wrestlers of the 00s and, arguably, the greatest Diva of all time, Toronto’s own Trish Stratus broke out from arm-candy storylines to wow the crowds with her wrestling skills.
Charisma and athleticism make WWE superstars, and Stratus had them both by the bucket load, earning the titles of Diva of the Decade as well as setting the record with seven WWE Women’s Championship titles.
Perhaps her most definitive moment came in Toronto at Unforgiven 2006, up against fellow incredibly popular female wrestler Lita.
Not only did she win with the help of a Bret Hart move, but she then announced her retirement from pro wrestling.
Whipper Billy Watson
Before Bret Hart, “Whipper” Billy Watson was Canada’s finest wrestler and set the bar for what Hart would eventually surpass.
Born in East York, Ontario, Watson wrestled for over 30 years, with his highlight-reel events and moves predominantly coming under the NWA banner.
As a heavyweight, the 5’10’’ Canadian won the title twice and boasted several captivating feuds to fuel his career, with the best being against Lou Thesz.
With former perpetual boxing betting favourite Jack Dempsey coming in as the event’s referee, Watson defeated Thesz in 1956 to end his foe’s six-year reign as the world champion.
Roddy Piper
Born in Saskatoon, “Rowdy” Roddy Piper was a part of the WWF and WCW in his distinctly Scottish persona – owing to his Scottish heritage.
He headlined WrestleMania in the WWF and Starrcade in the WCW, boasting over 30 championship titles by the end of his career, and yet, one of his most endearing parts was as the interview host of “Piper’s Pit.”
Piper quickly became one of the most popular pro wrestlers on the scene, inspiring many other athletes to follow his persona and adopt some of his biggest moves.
Once a must-have in the UFC odds, Ronda Rousey adopted the “Rowdy” name and lends it to her finishing move now that she’s in the WWE.
Angelina Love
Toronto-born Angelina Love was scouted and brought into the development systems of the WWE in 2004, but by 2007, the company released her. That didn’t stop the Canadian from pursuing her pro wrestling ambitions.
Proving that the WWE isn’t the be-all and end-all of pro wrestling, under the moniker of “Canadian Angel,” she wrestled in Mexico, Canada, and the UK, but was best-known for her several stays with TNA wrestling.
Across her four stints with the promotion that now goes by the name of Impact, Love became a seven-time world champion and conquered the tag team line alongside Winter.
Edge
A huge reason why tag-team wrestling enjoyed a comeback in the WWF during its Attitude Era, Edge and Christian made for one of the most entertaining and opportunistic duos in the company’s history.
They won the World Tag Team Championship a total of seven times and were always the stars of the show whenever the matches called for chairs, tables, and especially ladders.
After his tag team triumphs, the Orangeville native went on to collect a massive 31 championships in the WWE and seven World Heavyweight Championship straps.
Even now, Sami Zayn looks to be on the right track to join these ranks, proving that these legends of pro wrestling will have more competition for these greatest Canadians of all time top spots.
*Credit for all images in this article belongs to AP Photo*
FIRST PUBLISHED: 27th February 2023
