The Undertaker Leaves Legendary Name Off His Mount Rushmore of Wrestlers

• Andre the Giant
• Hulk Hogan
• "Stone Cold" Steve Austin
• Ric Flair

His rationale was based on impact. For Taker, these four stars have been "the most instrumental" in the history of wrestling.

One name was missing from his list: "The Greatest of All Time," John Cena.

Mount Rushmore lists are inherently subjective. There is no universal criterion to determine the qualifications for a list, let alone who makes it.

That said, WWE has gone out of its way to exalt "The Never Seen 17" John Cena above the legends who preceded him.

Taker's rationale makes complete sense. Each of the four legends he named had a tremendous impact on the professional wrestling industry. Until 2025, Andre, Hogan, Austin, and Flair are on most people's Mount Rushmores.

As time goes on, the question becomes: who gets bumped?

My Take

Based on the list Taker provided, I would have to take off Ric Flair. If Mount Rushmores had five or six spots, we'd be having a different conversation. But John Cena's historic win at WrestleMania 41, controversial as the ending of the match was, propelled Cena above "The Nature Boy."

Unlike Flair, Cena's professional wrestling career has exclusively been with WWE. Nevertheless, his impact on the business as a whole has surpassed Flair's and he still has many years for his legacy to grow.

Even though Cena's in-ring career will be done on December 13, 2025, he has already committed to being an ambassador for the WWE for years to come. The more his movie career and celebrity status outside of the WWE grow, the more impact he will continue to have on the business he loves.

John Cena might be done wrestling soon, but he is not done with WWE.

WWE will continue to draw on the equity put into Cena for the past 25 years. As the company continues to move to the center of the mainstream, its association with Cena will pay dividends for the next 25 years.

Plus, Cena doesn't have any baggage. He has a clean record and is still a respectable role model for most of the world. Unlike Flair, WWE won't have to worry about what Cena may say or do at a wrestling convention.

Considering the impact he's already had and will continue to have, I'd have to put Cena next to Andre, Hogan, and Austin for being "the most instrumental" stars in the history of wrestling.