5 most influential WWE Superstars of the Ruthless Aggression era

WE went through a major transition in 2002. Stars like The Rock, Stone Cold Steve Austin, and Mick Foley were retiring or limiting their appearances. WWF was transitioning to the WWE after a lawsuit. WWE needed new faces to carry the company. Vince McMahon even challenged his roster to stand out and show their aggression. Then, on one famous night on Smackdown, the WWE began its push towards "ruthless aggression," and the rest was history.

The Ruthless Aggression Era ran roughly from 2002 to 2008. It featured a more toned-down version of the Attitude Era, but not quite as PG as the product that would soon follow in WWE. New faces appeared on the WWE landscape, and old faces forged ahead and changed their identity. WWE faced plenty of backlash from those who longed for the Attitude Era but now look back fondly on this time frame.

WWE's Ruthless Aggression produced a multitude of stars. This list ranks the top five of the era, but there are many more. Everyone has their favorites, and some may not make the cut. The list does not, however, include any female superstars. WWE was still a few years away from taking the women's division as seriously as they should. Kudos to Trish Stratus and Lita, two excellent performers who came along just in time.

In this listicle, let's look at the five most influential superstars of the Ruthless Aggression Era.

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#5 WWE Evolves: Triple H

WWE and its transition from the Attitude Era to the Ruthless Aggression Era was not just about creating new stars but having established stars there to support them. Triple H helped forge the careers of two future Hall of Famers: Randy Orton and Batista. Triple H, along with Ric Flair, established a faction called Evolution. The group was the Evolution of the Four Horsemen of Ric Flair and DX, led by Shawn Michaels and Triple H. The group helped build the star power of Randy Orton and Batista.

Under Triple H's tutelage, Orton and Batista grew in stature and developed their craft. The eventual breakup of the group helped both elevate their status. First, Orton would win the world title and feud briefly with Triple H, and then Batista would do the same. The Ruthless Aggression Era fits Triple H's heel character perfectly. Arrogant and aloof, Triple H helped establish Orton and Batista as stars when they eventually broke from the group to take him down.

Another reason that Triple H belongs on this list is his feud with Shawn Michaels. Thanks to their amazing storytelling, Triple H and Michaels put together a series of matches that spanned almost the entire era and brought Michaels back into prominence. If Triple H wasn't a part of the WWE at the time, Shawn Michaels would never come back, and years of amazing matches would never happen.

WWE and its fanbase know this well: Triple H put the ruthlessness into the Ruthless Aggression Era.

#4 WWE’s Generational Star: Randy Orton

Before he was the WWE’s Viper, Randy Orton was supposed to be the chosen one. He had the looks, the body, and the pedigree. He just needed a gimmick. Then along came Evolution, and Orton’s star was soon on the rise. Orton was the group’s first breakout star over Batista. He won the WWE World Title at SummerSlam, and his eventual feud with Triple H was supposed to make him the next big thing.

Strangely, WWE fans didn’t take to Orton as a straight-up babyface. The rocket strapped to his back at the time never took off. Instead, the WWE repositioned Batista to his role, and he would be the breakout star in battling Triple H. Randy Orton would need to reinvent himself to become a star.

Orton has always been better in the WWE for being a dangerous heel. He really took off when he became “The Legend Killer” and feuded with legends like Mick Foley, The Undertaker, and even Hulk Hogan. Orton’s skill all along was his ability to have good matches against all types of opponents. The Ruthless Aggression Era allowed Orton to do just that.

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#3 WWE’s Deadman: The Undertaker

The beauty of the Undertaker character has always been the ability to adjust the character to best suit the time in WWE. He was over the top gimmicky during the end of Hogan’s era. He was the Phenom during The New Generation Era and the Deadman during the Attitude Era. During Ruthless Aggression, The Undertaker went from a redneck biker character to an athletic Deadman character and raised the level of his performances.

WWE saw the best of the Undertaker during the Ruthless Aggression Era. Taker changed his look from biker back to the Deadman, got in shape and put on some of the best matches of his career. He had an amazing match with a young Brock Lesnar. He had equally great matches with Edge, Randy Orton, and Batista. In each feud, he elevated his own performance while also enhancing the credibility of his younger foes. This was truly the height of Undertaker’s powers.

By the end of the Ruthless Aggression Era, the Undertaker’s character had evolved from a biker to the original gimmick to finally a more well-rounded version. He got himself in the best shape of his career and was able to have high-quality matches with several different opponents. It would set the stage for the classic matches of the Streak at WrestleMania against the likes of Shawn Michaels, Triple H, and, of course, Brock Lesnar.

It is testament to the constant tinkering of his character that the Undertaker has been considered among the top five superstars over the past 25 years. The Ruthless Aggression Era was no exception.

#2 WWE's Resident Animal: Batista

Batista sometimes gets lost in the shuffle when thinking of all-time WWE greats. From 2002 to 2010, Batista won six world titles, four World Heavyweight Championships, and two WWE Championships. He also held the World Tag Team title twice and won the WWE Royal Rumble twice. Lastly, the Animal has headlined Wrestlemania twice.

Batista became the fan's choice during the slow build towards Evolution's breakup, and the WWE had to switch gears and go from Randy Orton to Batista as the main foil for Triple H. Batista took the ball and ran with it. He defeated Triple H at Wrestlemania and subsequently had two excellent follow-up matches with him. He would eventually headline Smackdown and have some great feuds with the likes of Eddie Guerrero, JBL, Edge and eventually The Undertaker.

Batista always came ready to perform, especially in big matches. He had the look, attitude, and ability to fit the era perfectly. If not for our #1 performer on the list, he might be remembered even more for his role in helping forge Ruthless Aggression.

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#1. WWE's Flag Bearer: John Cena

If you coin the phrase, you almost have to be the #1 most influential superstar of the Ruthless Aggression Era. John Cena burst onto the WWE stage with his infamous slap to the face of Kurt Angle on an episode of WWE Smackdown. Interestingly, Cena's star did not take off, at least not right away.

John Cena was just another muscle-bound WWE superstar until he came upon his "Thugonomics" gimmick. The WWE Superstar/rapper became a featured performer on each week's episode of Smackdown. His performances got so strong that he soon turned face to satisfy the WWE crowd that enjoyed his rhymes. John Cena then became THE face of the Ruthless Aggression Era.

First, Cena won the US Title, showing impressive strength against The Big Show at Wrestlemania XX. By next year's Wrestlemania, along with Batista, Cena would have won gold. Cena would win the WWE title while Batista won the World Heavyweight Title. While Batista's matches were probably slightly better than Cena's at the time, Cena was light years better than Batista on the mic and soon surpassed him as the face of WWE and was moved to RAW.

Cena went on to headline five Wrestlemanias, which is third only to Triple H's seven and Hulk Hogan's eight. He is tied with Ric Flair for the most world championships of all time and is now an established Hollywood star. Thanks to the Ruthless Aggression Era and starting with the slap heard around the world, Cena truly became the face that runs the place.