WWE Mount Rushmore of the 1990s

WWF was in a strange place at the start of the 1990s. They were still the leader in professional wrestling and Hulk Hogan was still the biggest wrestling star in the world. WCW was around but wouldn't be a threat to the WWF until the middle of the decade.

As the decade began, Hogan was starting to cede some main-event spotlight to others like the Ultimate Warrior and the Undertaker. But once Hogan left and several others followed him to WCW, it left WWF in a weird spot.

Its roster was filled with legit Superstars like Mr. Perfect, Bret Hart and Shawn Michaels but also many occupation-based gimmicks like the Goon, Repo Man, Duke 'the Dumpster' Droese and Isaac Yankem, DDS.

Gone were the larger-than-life stars like Warrior, Hogan and Randy Savage. Half of the roster could have answered your phone call to either fix your plumbing or teach you math.

Once stars like Hart and Michaels started to be featured instead of the muscle-bound stars like Warrior and Hogan, the mid-90s started WWE on the path that would eventually lead to the Attitude Era.

While the decade obviously finished off in a much different way than it started, there were certainly Superstars that helped carry the company during various points of the '90s.

Although Mount Rushmore itself only has four heads at the top of the monument, here are five superstars that would be a part of a Mount Rushmore for WWF/WWE in the 1990s.

#5 The Undertaker

The Undertaker is the greatest gimmick of all time.

Once The Undertaker debuted at Survivor Series in 1990, it changed wrestling forever. While most of the former superstars were athletic guys who had normal characters, the Undertaker was a truly unique gimmick and character and was something that was completely different than anything that was being done at the time.

Even though he is still technically active today, his career has spanned 30 years with the WWE. He's lived through every era in the WWE since his debut and he managed to adapt his craft and character with each era change.

Although I was never a huge fan of the 'American Badass' version of his character, he still kept up with all of the young up and comers like Randy Orton, Triple H, John Cena, Edge and Batista during the 2000s.

Since his gimmick was so unique, it ultimately became so popular that he was turned into a face early in the 90s.

The sign of a truly amazing performer is not only their ability to adapt but also the ability to play both a heel or a face and play them well.

'Taker did just that in the '90s. He also proved that a man of his size could be extremely agile with his moves off of the ropes.

#4 Bret Hart

For those who watched wrestling in the 1980s, you know that Hart started out primarily as a tag team specialist alongside Jim Neidhart.

But it became apparent that Bret Hart was a star waiting to happen, so he was soon given a singles push that resulted in an Intercontinental Championship reign.

Another factor that helped push Hart further up the card was WWF's then stance of trying to feature superstars who appeared less muscle-bound due to the steroids' trial of the early '90s.

Hart was the perfect antithesis to Superstars like to Hulk Hogan and the Ultimate Warrior, so pushing him to the main event was a no-brainer.

Throughout his time in the WWF, Hart won the the WWF World Heavyweight Championship five times and had great feuds with the likes of Shawn Michaels, Steve Austin and the Undertaker.

His match and storyline with his brother Owen was also one of the most memorable of all time, especially since Owen ended up winning the match at WrestleMania X.

Without Hart, the WWF would have had trouble transitioning from the early part of the decade to the middle and second half of the 1990s.

He was one of the best technical wrestlers of all time and had he not had a falling out with Vince McMahon, he might have continued to dominate the WWF during the advent of the Attitude Era.

#3 Shawn Michaels

'The Heartbreak Kid' was instrumental throughout the '90s.

Whether you loved him or hated him in the 1990s, one thing couldn't be argued - Michaels was one of the greatest performers of all time.

Like his main rival Hart, he started out as a tag team specialist but was clearly destined for greater things.

Once he broke off from the Rockers, he turned into the cocky heel that would define his tenure in the 1990s both on-screen and off of it.

Even though he might have had some backstage pull, he had more than enough of the talent to back up any pushes in the ring.

He participated in the first-ever acknowledged ladder match in WWF history against Razor Ramon for the Intercontinental Championship.

Michaels also participated in some of the most memorable matches of the decade against both Bret Hart and Steve Austin.

An unfortunate back accident towards the end of the decade cut his in-ring career short, but in retrospect, it helped him turn his life around.

Like Hart and the Undertaker, Michaels was a huge part of the transition period from the end of the age of Hogan at the beginning of the decade through the eventual transition to the Attitude Era.

The partnership with Triple H in DX helped revolutionize things in WWF and wrestling at that time, and like 'Taker, he was able to adapt to each generation or era in which he took part.

His feud with Bret Hart helped pull back the veil of kayfabe a bit while his feud with 'Stone Cold' solidified that 'the Texas Rattlesnake' was bonafide star.

#2 Stone Cold Steve Austin

I'll admit that I had one of Austin's shirts during the height of his run. While it doesn't fit now, Austin's anti-authority, 'doesn't care about the consequences' character certainly does.

Becky Lynch was Austin-like during her recent run to the top of the company, but no one did it better than Stone Cold Steve Austin.

He kicked things off with the infamous 'Austin 3:16' promo after winning King of the Ring in 1996, and he became so popular as a heel that he was starting to get cheered by the crowd.

Audiences in the '90s weren't as cynical and opinionated as they are today, but the seeds of those newer audiences were planted with the run of Austin to the top of the WWE.

His match against Michaels cemented his place atop the WWF and his feud with Mr. McMahon defined the Monday Night Wars and the Attitude Era.

Austin was truly one-of-a-kind. Mr. McMahon would have had trouble getting himself as over as a heel when he opposed Austin, so it can be said that the Rattlesnake was just as important to McMahon as the Chairman was to the former Champion. The rest is literally history.

#1 The Rock

Things didn't start out well for the Rock but he quickly became champ.

The Rock was something completely different from the rest of the Superstars in the 1990s. There were a few superstars here and there that were still good on the mic.

But once Dwayne Johnson transformed from Rocky Maivia to the Rock, he changed what it meant to be masterful on the microphone.

He found his beginnings in the company a little harder, starting out as a smiling babyface like Apollo Crews is today. Once the crowd started to turn against him, he turned heel and would berate the audience nightly.

Since he was so transcendent on the mic, Mr. McMahon saw dollar signs in what this young star would be capable of as a major player in the WWF.

The Rock had tenures as a member of the Nation of Domination, a tag team partner of Mick Foley and a member of the Corporation.

His feuds with Mick Foley and Stone Cold defined the latter part of the decade and helped transition the company into the new millennium.

Even though I wasn't a huge and still am not a huge fan of his, it's hard to argue against his spot in history and the fact that he was one of the most impactful and important superstars of the 1990s.