Top 10 Greatest Professional Wrestling Champions Before Vince McMahon

Some of pro wrestling's greatest champions came before the sport fell victim to VMS (Vince McMahon Syndrome).

The Top Ten

Lou Thesz

Aloysius Martin "Lou" Thesz was an American professional wrestler and six-time world champion, most notably holding the NWA World Heavyweight Championship three times. He is considered one of the greatest wrestlers of all time and was instrumental in shaping modern professional wrestling. Thesz's career... read more

While I respect Bruno Sammartino, I feel that Thesz did more for wrestling on a global scale than Bruno did. He was the first Undisputed World Champion and the youngest. He helped Rikidozan get AJPW started and established the NWA as the dominant organization in the U.S. Even Vince McMahon Sr. viewed the NWA Title as the world title in wrestling.
Bruno Sammartino

Bruno Leopoldo Francesco Sammartino was born in Pizzoferrato, Abruzzo, Italy, on October 6, 1935, to Alfonso and Emilia Sammartino. He died on April 18, 2018, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Sammartino was known for his powerful bearhug finishing move and is widely considered one of the greatest professional... read more

Two-time WWWF Champion, holds the longest reign as champion. Also a 211-time headliner at Madison Square Garden, including 187 sellouts.
Verne Gagne

Laverne Clarence "Verne" Gagne was an American professional wrestler, football player, wrestling trainer, and promoter. He was best known for his dominance in the American Wrestling Association, where he held the AWA World Heavyweight Championship for a combined ten years. Gagne was posthumously inducted... read more

Ten-time AWA Champion, four-time AWA Tag Team Champion, and also won numerous NWA regional titles.
Bronko Nagurski

Bronislau "Bronko" Nagurski was a Canadian‑born American football player born on November 3, 1908, who became one of the early legends of the NFL. He starred as a fullback and defensive tackle, renowned for his remarkable strength and feared on the field during the 1930s .... read more

Pro Football Hall of Famer with two NWA World Titles to his name.
Pedro Morales

Pedro Antonio Morales was a Puerto Rican professional wrestler. He was best known for his appearances in the United States with Worldwide Wrestling Associates and the World Wide Wrestling Federation. Morales was the first man in wrestling history to win all three major men's titles in the WWF: the WWF... read more

First WWWF Triple Crowner (WWWF, WWWF Intercontinental, and WWWF Tag Team titles).
Gene Kiniski

NWA and AWA World Champion, and held numerous regional titles.
Danny Hodge

Two-time NWA Junior Heavyweight Champion.
Buddy Rogers

Buddy Rogers, known professionally as "Nature Boy" Buddy Rogers, was a pioneering American professional wrestler. He became one of the biggest stars of the early television era of wrestling.
Rogers held 13 world championships and was the first person to hold the top titles in both the NWA and... read more
Ed "Strangler" Lewis
Johnny DeFazio

Four-time WWWF Junior Heavyweight Champion.