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SI released a Top 20 WWE wrestler list

For what has become an annual tradition, Sports Illustrated has set the online wrestling community ablaze with its Top 20 all-time WWE wrestlers list.

This year’s edition, which features Stone Cold Steve Austin at the apex, has sparked widespread debates among wrestling fans.

A full list of SI’s Top 20 is as follows:

1. Stone Cold Steve Austin
2. Hulk Hogan
3. The Rock
4. John Cena
5. Roman Reigns
6. Undertaker
7. Triple H
8. Shawn Michaels
9. Bret Hart
10. Bruno Sammartino
11. Randy Savage
12. Kurt Angle
13. Roddy Piper
14. Edge
15. Randy Orton
16. Andre The Giant
17. CM Punk
18. Chris Jericho
19. Mick Foley
20. Becky Lynch

While acknowledging that any ranking of WWE’s all-time greats is bound for a few imperfections, this year’s Sports Illustrated list has more than a few unforgivable exclusions.

Let’s take a look at some of the biggest surprises and snubs from SI’s Top 20 WWE wrestlers of all-time.

Biggest Snubs From the SI Top 20

Forming a bite-sized Top 20 list from the sea of wrestling icons that have called WWE home since 1953 is admittedly difficult.

Still, there are a few wrestlers who should have inarguably cracked the list that Sports Illustrated left off.

Chief among them are AJ Styles, Jeff Hardy and Kane.

AJ Styles

Throughout his illustrious career, AJ Styles became World Champion in TNA, NWJP, and WWE. During that span, he’s fought some of the biggest icons in pro wrestling, including John Cena, Undertaker, Chris Jericho, Randy Orton and Brock Lesnar, among others.

During his decade-long run in WWE, Styles was consistently among the best in-ring talents in the company. One could argue that Styles is a top-five wrestler of all time, regardless of promotion. For the Phenomenal One to be completely omitted from WWE’s Top 20 seems like a tremendous oversight.

Jeff Hardy

When discussing the WWE history and the spectacular in-ring moments attached to it, it’s impossible not to mention Jeff Hardy.

Hardy is WWE’s most fearless daredevil, and his reckless abandon in the ring catapulted him into the main event scene.

A Grand Slam champion and one-half of the iconic Hardy Boyz tag team, Jeff Hardy is among the most accomplished wrestlers in WWE history.

His influence, both culturally and in the ring, should have made him a shoo-in for the Top 20 list.

Kane

Despite playing a massive role in the heralded Attitude Era, Kane has become somewhat underrated over time.

Not only was he a force in the ring and one of the most feared fighters on the roster, but his masked character design is among the best in wrestling history.

Kane was the third Grand Slam champion in WWE history and absolutely deserves a spot on the Top 20 list.

Honorable Mentions

Shockingly, Ric Flair and Brock Lesnar were also absent from this year’s list.

Biggest Surprises From the SI Top 20 List

Before jumping into the biggest surprises, I first want to lead by saying that everyone listed played a seismic role in pushing WWE forward.

Although I disagree with a few selections, I do not want to discredit or belittle the impact of anyone listed.

With that said, there are a few issues that need to be addressed.

For starters, the late Hulk Hogan is listed way too high. Hogan certainly deserves his flowers for pushing wrestling into the mainstream spotlight, but his in-ring ability left a lot to be desired. I mean, his finishing was quite literally just a leg drop.

For him to be listed above talents like The Rock, Undertaker, Triple H and John Cena is asinine.

Roman Reigns cracking the Top Five, several slots higher than Kurt Angle, Triple H, CM Punk, and Randy Orton, also reeks of recency bias.