“Best Canadian Wrestlers in Professional Wrestling”

The reputation of professional wrestling and Canada has been well documented. Known to have their own agenda, during PPVs, Canadian fans have produced some truly memorable moments. Anyone who is anyone can remember the tremendous reaction during the iconic Hulk Hogan and The Rock contest from Wrestlemania 18.

Canada has always had a special place in professional wrestling. The passion shown by its fans rivals no one in the wrestling world and The Great White North has produced some of the greatest to ever step between the ropes.

With Canadian Thanksgiving coming up it got the wheels spinning as to who are the best. Who are the men/and women who have done their country proud? Below we will take a look at some of the best Canadian wrestlers in history.

“Iron” Mike Sharpe

For those of a certain age, this name might not ring a bell, for others, it will bring back fond memories.

Iron Mike was a regular jobber back in the 80s and 90s. In a day where enhancement talents would have a lengthy run, Sharpe was one of the best. He was a great heel and would get some great reactions from the crowd. He got the perfect amount of heel heat to get his opponent over and his aura was never ruined by the number of losses he tallied up.

In the history of wrestling, only the Brooklyn Brawler rivals Mike Sharpe as the best enhancement talent of all time.

Bret “The Hitman” Hart

Coming from the fabled Hart Dungeon, Hart broke into WWE as a tag team specialist. Along with Jim Neidhart, he formed one of the greatest tag teams in WWE history. Their matches were fantastic and feuds are fondly remembered.

Not resting on his laurels Bret broke into the singles arena and became one of the greatest to ever compete. He had multiple reigns with both the Intercontinental Championship and WWE Championships. He put WWE on his back in their time of need and carried the company through some dark times.

The talent and accolades he amassed during his career more than make his place on this list essential.

Kevin Owens

Owens will be the most recent addition to the list but that shouldn’t take away from his impact. Breaking in as Kevin Steen, Owens quickly made his way through the indy scene, winning championships wherever he went.

Once he made his way to WWE, Owens established himself as the most hated heel in the history of NXT. He continued this heel run by making his main roster debut and beating John Cena, cleanly. It was a massive win and one that quickly set him as a top-of-the-card talent.

Since his win, Owens has pilled on accomplishment after accomplishment. This topped with his national pride has made him one of the most recognizable Canadian faces in wrestling today.

Trish Stratus

Coming to WWE as a valet, the former fitness model looked great but that is where it ended. Most didn’t give her much of a chance but through hard work and perseverance, her talent grew. She started slowly but the hard work paid off and she soon became one of the best female wrestlers on the roster.

She was able to turn preconceived notions in wrestling by being both beautiful and a great wrestler. She helped to change the view of female wrestling in WWE and was soon considered a cornerstone of the women’s division.

Trish got the world to take women’s wrestling seriously. Long before the women’s revolution took place Trish was changing minds the world over.

Pat Patterson

One of Vince McMahon’s lieutenants, the man from Quebec is one of the more influential men in professional wrestling history.

Before he got his role backstage, Patterson will forever be known as the first Intercontinental Champion. The start of this lineage may be suspect but Patteson being the first in a long line of greats cannot be argued.

When he wasn’t winning championships, Patterson is famously known for having Vince McMahon’s ear. He was a backstage agent for years and was the one who came up with the concept of The Royal Rumble. One of the biggest PPVs on the WWE calendar.

Chris Jericho

Yes, this is a bit of a cheat considering his American birth, but he does hold dual citizenship so he is on the list!

Y2J has had a very long career in professional wrestling. He has been a major part of NJPW, WCW, WWE, and now AEW. In each organization he continuously reinvented himself to remain relevant in an ever-changing business. It goes to show the immense talent he possesses and that he was able to keep up with the times by always tweaking his character.

His talent also ensured that he had held more championships than most. He has held 7 World Championships across multiple organizations, on top of having numerous reigns with their mid-card championships. It was a testament to the longevity of the Ayatollah of Rock and Rolla.

Roddy Piper

In the mirror to Jericho, we have a wrestler who wasn’t billed from Canada but was a true Canadian. Hailing from Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Piper was a major reason for the entrance of professional wrestling into pop culture.

The inception of Wrestlemania and The Rock and Wrestling Connection was a massive deal. A deal that wouldn’t have worked had Piper not played the perfect foil to Hogan and his compatriots.

Piper was one of the best talkers in wrestling history. His ability to blend reality and fiction was unmatched and his promos are often used to train other wrestlers today.

Edge

The Rated R Superstar is one of the best Canadians, in recent memory, to grace WWE. Starting in a great tag team, Edge collected a large amount of tag team championships. He, along with Christian, helped to make the tag team division a legitimate thing.

Following his break, Edge became a perfect main event heel. His Ultimate Opportunist gimmick fits him beautifully and helped to establish him as a main event talent. He continued t take his shots and became the wrestler who has held more championships than any other in WWE history.

Rick Martel

In a time when there weren’t many Canadians in wrestling Martel was making a name for himself and his country. Starting in the AWA, Martel rose through the ranks like a shot and was soon the World Champion. Holding it for nearly 19 months Martel was one of the longest-reigning champs of the 80s.

After he left AWA Martel broke into WWE and became of its most notable figures. During his tenure, he formed a fantastic tag team with Tito Santana. Winning the tag team championships the duo became one of the most popular teams on the roster.

Following his split with Santana, Martel switched to the arrogant heel, The Model. It was a great persona and showed off his talent, being able to switch between both heel and babyface.

Kenny Omega

Omega has been an incredible talent throughout his career and may be one of the most famous Canadians to never compete in WWE.

Throughout his career Omega has been heralded as the best wrestler in the world. His feuds against Kazuchika Okada were legendary. They produced some of the best matches ever put on and have earned the most 5-star ratings from Dave Meltzer if that’s something you are concerned about.

After leaving Japan, Omega became one of the cornerstones of AEW. The North American promotion quickly became as popular as WWE. Omega was a huge part of this and helped to usher in a new era of North American professional wrestling.