When it comes to the biggest superstars, the wrestlers who were so larger than life they became household names all over the world, nobody can deny that Hulk Hogan was unmatched in the 1980s. His charisma and carefully crafted face persona endeared him to the fans, and inspired a whole generation of “Hulkamaniacs.”

Successful image marketing and fame doesn't necessarily mean a wrestler has actual wrestling ability, with the immortal Hulkster being a prime example. He seemed to become bigger than the WWF itself, despite only ever using three or four moves.

This leads to the upcoming conundrum. What makes a great superstar? Is it simply their persona and how they go over with the fans? Or should technical skills be the more important factor in establishing a wrestler's legacy?

Since Stone Cold Steve Austin owns the '90s beyond a shadow of a doubt, I'll skip ahead to the first decade of the 2000s. This era is more challenging, as there are a couple of superstars who shone brighter than the others.

Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson was, until his departure from wrestling full-time in 2004, perhaps evenly matched with Austin in terms of overwhelming popularity. Their epic feuds left many fans with divided loyalties, that's how insanely over the Rattlesnake and the Great One were. The nine-time WWE/WCW heavyweight champion would also have to contend with the devious Triple H throughout his career, as well as gaining a new enemy in Mr. McMahon, after Vince screwed him over in favour of Stone Cold at Wrestlemania 17. The Rock's leadership was called upon when a new threat, the WCW/ECW Alliance emerged in 2001. More storylines followed, such as his battles with the reunited NWO, particularly against Hollywood Hulk Hogan. During their Wrestlemania match, both men were alternately booed and cheered, and this led to Hogan “passing the torch” and becoming face again. Before leaving the business to pursue acting, Johnson had some final feuds with such monsters as Goldberg and Brock Lesnar. His movie career has been hit and miss, but he remains perhaps the most anticipated superstar to return to the ring. He also cut some of the most amazing promos ever seen. Who knows just how much bigger his legacy would be if he had remained in the WWE fulltime?

John Cena's arrival in the WWE during 2002 had him sporting a rather bland gimmick. He quickly was thrown into the action though, interacting with the Undertaker and nearly beating Kurt Angle in his first match. His character became more interesting though, with the introduction of a heel rapper persona, where he would viciously cut down his opponents with crude rhymes, even insulting Vince himself. An intense feud with Brock Lesnar would ensue, leading to Cena adopting the FU finishing move as a response to Lesnar's F5, which only furthered his thug image. Unfortunately the heel rapper gimmick ended up tossed aside, as Cena has become a babyfaced hero loved by women and little kids. He is allegedly one of the people responsible for pushing the WWE toward its current PG-rated product, which does not sit well with many Attitude Era fans.