Throughout the storied history of professional wrestling, there have been select moments that we, as fans will never forget.
Whether it be a certain title match, or maybe a surprising return. Whatever the case may be, there's certain nostalgic landmarks that you and I will always be able to look back at, in order to pull out some of those great memories that have truly made us the fans that we are today.
A key element to wrestling's history are the countless memorable quotes. Whether it be something you heard in an epic promo, or maybe something that an announcer said at the booth ringside. Regardless, there are some quotes that you will undoubtedly never forget.
It's a part of the identity of this industry and the fabric of what makes it so great. In this column, we take a look back at some of the greatest quotes that have been made in WWE history. In fact, we have narrowed them down to the top 10 WWE quotes of all-time. Take a trip with us and see just how many of these quotes you can recall.
#10 "If you're not down with that...."
Triple H and Shawn Michaels will always be considered the cornerstones of Degeneration-X. They began as two company misfits, just doing what they wanted to do, whenever they wanted to do it. They would eventually have new members come and go in the DX stable.
Also read: Top 10 greatest WWE catchphrases of all time
But, the carefree ideology would remain the same. X-Pac, Chyna, Rick Rude, Billy Gunn and The Road Dogg would all be a part of the green and black squad, with Gunn and Road Dogg being two of the constants of the stable.
With their wild and reckless antics, one of the most memorable aspects of DX was their entrance, which is where we got the number 10 greatest quote.
"If you're not down with that, we got two words for ya.......SUCK IT!"
#9 "Austin 3:16...."
Stone Cold Steve Austin is and always will be one of the greatest talkers of all-time. After the finals of the 1996 King of the Ring, Austin gave us another epic promo, which is where the number 9 quote came from.
Austin faced off against Jake the Snake Roberts in the King of the Ring tournament finals. During this time, Jake was using the religious, Bible thumping gimmick and that gimmick was the focus of Austin's post-match promo, which is where the number 9 quote, the following statement was excerpted from.
"Austin 3:16 says I just whipped your ass!"
#8 "The champ....is HERE!"
You can love him, or you can hate him, but at the end of the day, the fact remains that John Cena is the biggest star of this generation. 20, 30 years from now, fans will be looking back at John Cena as we once did Hulk Hogan. Cena has withstood the test of time and has become one of the true living legends of this era.
One of the key attributes of John Cena is his ability to work the mic. Most of his promos are done to help draw the audience in and engage them with the show. That's what happened when he made the following remark, which has become something he uses quite often and is our number 8 quote.
"The CHAMP... is HERE!!"
#7 "The irresistible force...."
Gorilla Monsoon is recognised as one of the greatest commentators of all-time. His run with Bobby "the Brain" Heenan is something that sticks out as one of my prized childhood memories. Monsoon was the perfect babyface commentator, while Heenan was his ultimate antagonist. Together, the duo made for fantastic television, years ahead of their time.
The build for Wrestlemania 3 became something that no one in the industry had ever anticipated.
With over 93 thousand fans packed into the Silverdome, the main focus that night surrounded the main event, which featured Hulk Hogan battling Andre The Giant. During the pre-match discussion, Gorilla Monsoon spoke of the match in the same manner of a David vs Goliath setting, which is where he delivered our number 7 quote.
"The irresistible force meets the immovable object."
#6 "To be the man..."
He was indeed every man’s nightmare and every woman's dream. The Nature Boy Ric Flair possessed an element of unmatched class and swagger that no one could even remotely touch. Throughout his iconic career, Flair has been the voice of a plethora of epic quotes.
Whether he was challenging someone to walk that isle, or expressing the difficulty in holding down his alligator shoes, Ric Flair spent a lifetime captivating millions with his words and leaving fans in awe of his in-ring abilities.
It's really hard to pinpoint just one Ric Flair quote, but it all came down to the one quote that was simple and impactful. That's why the following Flair excerpt is our number 6 quote.
"To be the man... you gotta beat the man."
#5. "R.I.P."
He's one of the few living legends left in wrestling today. Some complain of his "part-time" status, but I say the man has earned the right to work whenever he wants. For over two decades now, The Undertaker has been at the very top of the wrestling world.
While he's always been a dominant performer inside the ring, Taker has remained a man of very few words. To be honest, when you're a superstar of that calibre, your talking is done inside the ring. However, when Taker did speak...we always listened. That's why the following simple quote is number 5 on our list.
"Rest...in...Peace."
#4 The best there is....
Bret The Hitman Hart is arguably one of the greatest technical wrestlers of all-time.
Bret gave us a number of top-tier matches and fantastic title reigns throughout his storied career. One of the other attributes, or superior qualities of Bret Hart, were his mic skills. While Bret was never known as much of a talker, he did drop the occasional promo worthy of recognition.
At some point, Bret Hart began making one statement over and over, and it eventually became one of the greatest, as well as one of the most recognisable quotes in WWE history.
"I'm the best there is, the best there was and the best there ever will be."
#3 "That's the bottom line...."
Stone Cold Steve Austin comes in with another top ten great quote on our list.
To be honest, Austin could probably have an entire list of his own, dedicated to his memorable quotes. Austin was undeniably just as vicious on the mic, as he was in the ring. He was a master manipulator and had a unique ability to control his opponent long before the bell ever rang.
The number two quote is something that will likely be repeated by fans for a lifetime. It's a quote Steve used to cap off nearly all of his greatest promos.
"That's the bottom line, 'cause Stone Cold said so!"
#2 "Whatchya gonna do...."
Today's newer generation will never fully understand the full impact that Hulk Hogan and the Hulkamania era had on professional wrestling and that's really too bad. Some of today's styles and gimmicks are heavily influenced by Hogan and when you think about it, wrestling would not be what it is today, had there not been a Hulk Hogan. Period.
Unfortunately, his recent issues have cast a huge, dark cloud over the once adored icon. Regardless of what actually did transpire, you cannot simply dismiss everything Hogan did for the industry. It would be like someone asking me to delete my childhood. It's just not possible.
With that said, the 80's were ruled by Hulkamania and the power of the 24-inch pythons, brother! Fans hung on every word he said and lived by his motto of saying your prayers and eating your vitamins. When it came to quotes by Hogan, there were plenty and it seemed like his promos were always delivered in the presence of Mean Gene.
The number two quote on our list comes from Hulk Hogan and I'm sure everyone is familiar with it.
"Whatchya gonna do, brother... when Hulkamania runs wild on you?!"
#1 "If you smelllll....."
My oh my, the Great One has, over his career, amassed a long list of legendary quotes for the millions......and millions of The Rock's fans.
Rocky oozed with natural charisma and shined with his genetically superior athletic abilities long before Charlotte did. Once he found his groove in the WWE, his career shot off like a cannon. Fans worldwide quickly learned that The Rock was not only the ‘now’ but also the future.
The Rock was flawless with his delivery, each and every time he touched a mic. He was the type of person who gave you
He was the type of person who gave you goosebumps when he spoke and left you wanting more, after he had made his exit. That's why our number one quote comes directly from The Rock himself. It's a catchphrase of sorts, which he used on countless occasions and the whole world knows this line....
"If you smellllllll........what the ROCK is cookin'."
For latest WWE News, live coverage and rumours visit our Sportskeeda WWE section. Also if you are attending a WWE Live event or have a news tip for us drop us an email at fightclub (at) sportskeeda (dot) com.
What makes Sting special? His first AEW opponent opens up RIGHT HERE.
