Your Favorite Wrestler's Favorite Wrestler

The return of AJ Lee after a decade was one of the most exciting homecomings in WWE history. She cut her first promo on "WWE Raw," where she introduced herself to younger fans with the witty line that she was "your favorite wrestler's favorite wrestler." While Lee was establishing herself as a big deal to those who may not be familiar with her, she wasn't wrong in the comment. The former three-time Divas Champion's unique character and personality inspired many young girls during her time in WWE, some of whom are in the wrestling business today.

Roxanne Perez is one current WWE star who grew up idolizing Lee. The pair is so close now, Perez jokingly refers to Lee as "mom." Following her return, Perez recreated a photo of the pair backstage from when Perez met the former Divas Champion as a little girl. The former NXT Women's Champion has talked about how much she related to Lee, as a "little four-foot nothing tomboy Latina," who saw herself in Lee. Perez said that watching her idol made her realize she could follow in her footsteps. She has also been adamant about wanting a match with Lee. 

Perez's close friend, former "NXT" star Cora Jade, now known as Elayna Black on the independent scene, is also a huge fan of Lee. She even cosplayed as her idol during a Halloween battle royal back in October 2022. WWE ID talent Zayda Steel, who performs on EVOLVE, also cites Lee as her inspiration to become a wrestler. She called Lee her "Lita," which brings things full circle, as Lita is Lee's favorite wrestler.

"I remember when I was that girl crying because I was so excited to finally meet Lita," Lee once said. "To have girls crying over me is surreal."

Lee's husband, CM Punk, has also been an inspiration for many stars throughout the wrestling business. After spending a few years in Ring of Honor, Punk debuted in WWE in 2005, and many stars of today have followed his lengthy career as they grew up. Most notable is one of his former opponents in AEW, MJF, who cut an impassioned promo on "AEW Dynamite" in November 2021 about how Punk broke his heart when he walked out on WWE back in 2011. MJF even brought photographic proof to his promo and showed off a photo of himself as a kid meeting "The Second City Saint." 

Another AEW star, Adam Cole, credited Punk on an episode of Renee Paquette's "Oral Sessions" podcast as one of two wrestlers (Bryan Danielson being the other) who got him into independent wrestling, thus influencing the beginning of his career heavily. Cole said Punk helped him realize wrestling existed out of WWE, ECW, and WCW. On the WWE side of things, former Women's World Champion Rhea Ripley has said CM Punk was one WWE star whom she idolized growing up in Australia. She said she loved listening to Punk cut promos.

One of Punk's favorite wrestlers when he was a kid was another powerful force on the microphone, "Rowdy" Roddy Piper. During a Q&A on X in 2020 (back when it was known as Twitter and Punk still used the platform), Punk said Piper was one of his favorites. In the Q&A, he also revealed that his March 2022 dog collar match against MJF was a "love letter" to Piper. In the months before his passing, Piper commended Punk for making the jump to UFC and said he was a big fan of "The Voice of the Voiceless" himself.

Sting was the childhood favorite of many kids who grew up watching WCW, but one of those kids who got to live out the dream was Darby Allin in AEW. Allin was by Sting's side throughout his run in Tony Khan's company and even won the AEW Tag Team Championships alongside "The Icon." They defended the titles successfully in Sting's final match, and it was something Allin was proud to be part of. Allin has praised Sting as a mentor and said teaming with him was an honor. Allin also said that he felt like their friendship outside of the ring was stronger than their bond inside of it.

While Allin has never come out and said that Sting was a childhood favorite of his before the pair got to work together, another former major player in AEW has. Cody Rhodes has said that Sting was one of his childhood favorites. He told WWE.com in May 2014 that he grew up a "WCW guy" and said the promotion's crowning achievement was Sting's run where he haunted the nWo without saying a word. Rhodes revealed he was meant to wrestle Sting in AEW before he left the company in February 2022 to return to WWE. Another WCW kid growing up was Charlotte Flair, and while she, of course, supported her father, Ric Flair, she has said she loved Sting, one of Ric's biggest rivals, when she was young.

In June 2022, Sting revealed his own Mount Rushmore of professional wrestlers. He told "The Schmo" that Hulk Hogan "had to be on there," as well as Flair, The Rock, and "Stone Cold" Steve Austin.

"The Best There Is, The Best There Was, The Best There Ever Will Be" Bret Hart inspired many stars in WWE today with his successes in the wrestling world. Hart held 17 titles throughout his career, with other big wins like King of the Ring and the Royal Rumble. One current star who has often expressed his love for Hart is CM Punk, who has even worn gear inspired by "The Hit Man."

Punk, a hockey lover, has called Hart "the Wayne Gretzky" of professional wrestling. He said that he believes Hart is the measuring stick that all other wrestlers should hold themselves to. When he was still in AEW, following his dog collar match with MJF, Punk spoke about his love for Hart and how he hated that "The Hitman's" career was cut short, calling it a "tragedy" and said he'd give up his own opportunity at a second chance at wrestling to give it to Hart. Prior to that, he dedicated his return match in AEW to Hart.

"The Tribal Chief" Roman Reigns has also has called Hart his childhood inspiration. In an interview with ESPN, Reigns called Hart a "journeyman" who could put in 20-30 minutes of work in the ring every night. Hart's niece, Natalya, has even commented on how many times she has heard Reigns say that her uncle made him want to become a wrestler. Elsewhere, in WWE, current United States Champion Sami Zayn is also a big fan of Hart, who he called "underrated" in an interview. He pondered why Hart's name wasn't the first that comes up when people talk about the best.

Eddie Guerrero is one of the most influential wrestlers in history and is often cited by current professional wrestling stars of the day as their inspiration. One of those stars who has always professed her admiration for "Latino Heat" is AEW's Mercedes Mone, formerly known as Sasha Banks in WWE. Mone often uses moves made popular in the ring by Guerrero, including the "Three Amigos" trio of suplexes. 

Mone wrote about her love for Guerrero in a 2024 edition of her "Mone Mag" newsletter where she called him a "beacon of hope, an embodiment of passion, and a source of inspiration." Mone wrote that he "ignited a spark within her" when she was just 10 years old. She called Guerrero's spirit her "guiding light" and even explained in her newsletter how she incorporated his "lie, cheat, steal" philosophy into her life in positive ways.

Raquel Rodriguez is another female star who credits Guerrero's legacy for helping them in the industry. She said previously said that she has taken some of Guerrero's style and attitude to incorporate into her own character. In addition to current and former WWE stars, TNA talent Chris Bey has also said that Guerrero is one of the reasons he wanted to become a professional wrestler. He told the "Arm Drag Takedown" podcast that when he watched Guerrero win the WWE World Championship, he realized he wanted to give that feeling to the world when fans watched him perform. He said that moment is when he knew that professional wrestling was what he wanted to do with his life.

"Stone Cold" Steve Austin, complete with his beer-swigging and middle finger-giving ways, was one of the most popular WWE stars in the Attitude Era that helped WWF thrive in, and eventually win, the Monday Night Wars, so it's no wonder why many stars of today say he was their favorite growing up or that they were inspired by "The Texas Rattlesnake." 

One of those stars actually got Austin out of retirement and faced him in the main event of night one of WrestleMania 38 in a no holds barred match. Kevin Owens, who also uses the Stone Cold Stunner in the ring, put Austin at the top of his top three favorite wrestlers of all time. Owens recalled actually meeting Austin at an airport in 2005. He explained the star gave him the best piece of advice he had ever received, to keep running his mouth. Owens said he took the advice to heart and just kept talking, and it's helped him get to the heights he's gotten to in the industry.

Back in June 2021, Austin revealed his own Mt. Rushmore of wrestling, though decided to only name two out of the four spots. He said he would have to include Ric Flair and Hulk Hogan, though did mention Bruno Sammartino, as well. He said he'd name Flair and Hogan and "leave the rest to everybody else."

"The Ninth Wonder of the World," Chyna, who died in April 2016, was one of the original inspirations for girls who grew up watching professional wrestling. She inspired the next generation of women in the ring, and even helped bring one woman into WWE. Lisa Marie Varon, the former Victoria in WWE, credits Chyna for getting her into the business. Victoria and Chyna met at a Crunch Fitness in 2000 where the former was working, and Chyna helped her apply to the company after telling her she had a great look for wrestling.

In addition to Chyna's direct influence on Victoria, she inspired a host of women who compete in WWE today. Rhea Ripley is often compared to Chyna, and she told The Ringer in 2024 that Paul "Triple H" Levesque likes to "put her next to Chyna," and her career grew into a Chyna-like path naturally. Ripley credited the late star for influencing her role in Judgment Day, as Chyna paved the way for women to get in the ring with men. She said Chyna proved women can beat up men, and be just as good as them.

Jade Cargill has previously recalled growing up watching Chyna and loving how she looked. Cargill said that watching Chyna empowered her and made her think that her own muscles looked great. Raquel Rodriguez was also influenced by Chyna and said on the "Short and To the Point" podcast that "The Ninth Wonder of the World" proved that women could compete with men in the ring. She called her "inspiring" and said watching her growing up was helpful, as she was always playing sports against boys.

The Undertaker is one of the most recognizable WWE stars of all time with a career spanning over 30 years in the ring. He inspired many stars of WWE today who watched him throughout that time, including former "WWE NXT" North American Champion Ricky Saints, who called "The Deadman" his favorite wrestler of all time.

While many watched him growing up, some WWE stars have a more unique connection with Undertaker and why he could be considered one of their favorites. 'Taker has always been known as a locker room leader, and Drew McIntyre revealed back in September 2022 that Undertaker was assigned to be his mentor in his early days in the business. McIntyre said Undertaker was his mentor when he was around 23 years old and he was "awesome."

The late Bray Wyatt's character was inspired by The Undertaker and he was also like a mentor to the late star. The pair feuded in 2015 in a clash of WWE's spookiest, darkest characters and the feud culminated in a match at WrestleMania 31. Video of Wyatt hyping up Undertaker played ahead of a "WWE LFG: Legends & Future Greats" episode following Wyatt's passing. In the video, Wyatt said that Undertaker teaches "everyone, everything" and that's just how powerful he is. Fans even got to witness a special moment between the pair on "WWE Raw" in January 2023 when Undertaker whispered some words of validation the crowd couldn't hear into Wyatt's ear in the ring.

Undertaker has spoken about how much he likes some of the newer talents in WWE over the years. He said that he believes Wyatt should have broken his WrestleMania streak and has also praised McIntyre, as well as GUNTHER. He said he would have loved to see his Undertaker character wrestle "The Ring General."

"The Heart Break Kid," one of the founding members of D-Generation X, Shawn Michaels, is an icon when it comes to professional wrestling history. Many stars over the years have expressed their love for "Mr. WrestleMania," outside of the current crop of "WWE NXT" talent he manages at the Performance Center in Orlando, Florida.

In addition to "Stone Cold," Kevin Owens named Michaels as his first favorite wrestler growing up. Owens said that Michaels was the first reason he wanted to get into the wrestling business in the first place. He said it's helped his own game to be able to sit around and talk to a guy he idolized about everything from life to Michaels' philosophy. When speaking on the Chicago Bears' YouTube channel in May, Seth Rollins also said that it was Michaels who inspired him to become a wrestler and Michaels has been his favorite wrestler since he was 10 or 11 years old. He explained he realized he could become a wrestler as someone who looked more like Michaels during a time when most stars looked like Hulk Hogan.

Kofi Kingston has mentioned that Michaels is his favorite because he was "at the top of his game" for almost four decades. Kingston gushed to WWE.com in 2014 that he had never seen a bad Michaels match and said he's someone who can wrestle anyone regardless of their size.

Johnny Gargano is yet another former "NXT" star who was inspired by "The Showstopper" to get into the business. In 2021, he revealed that as a kid, he'd dance around to Michaels' theme song daily, dress like him for Halloween, and even had Michaels/WWE-themed birthday parties. He called working with Michaels in NXT "a dream come true."

Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson may have more time in Hollywood now than he did in a WWE ring, but those who grew up watching him from his debut in 1996 to 2004, then during his sporadic appearances before he returned for his "Once in a Lifetime" bouts with John Cena, were heavily influenced by his star power and work on the mic.

The Rock is the favorite wrestler of former WWE-turned-AEW star Ricochet. He's said that Johnson's charisma and presence are "just unmatched." In 2016, back when he was still known as Prince Puma in Lucha Underground before signing WWE, Ricochet told Jim Ross on "The Ross Report" that The Rock became an inspiration to him, alongside Eddie Guerrero and Rey Mysterio. He said he had been "the biggest fan" of The Rock ever since WrestleMania 15, where the star was defeated by "Stone Cold" Steve Austin for the WWF Championship.

Montez Ford is also a big fan of The Rock, to the point he revealed he used to write his "Ks" like the Rock's signature back in the day. Ford said that everything about him was "electrifying," down to the way Rock dressed. Rock gave Ford a shoutout on his Instagram account and said that he respected his passion.

Michin once recounted a time where she met The Rock backstage and through tears, told him that he changed her life, because he was the reason she started watching wrestling in the first place. She said he took the time to listen to her and give her some advice and said she was a bigger fan because of it. Perez is another female star who was a big fan of The Rock as a kid, but admitted, because of her young age, she was a fan of his movies first, before she even knew what professional wrestling was.