{"id":34371,"date":"2023-06-29T16:48:50","date_gmt":"2023-06-29T14:48:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.radiotimes.com\/?p=1851730"},"modified":"2023-06-29T20:44:00","modified_gmt":"2023-06-29T18:44:00","slug":"best-british-wwe-wrestlers-of-all-time","status":"publish","type":"rss_feed","link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/rss_feed\/best-british-wwe-wrestlers-of-all-time\/","title":{"rendered":"Best British WWE wrestlers of all time"},"content":{"rendered":"

Our round-up of the best British WWE wrestlers of all time. <\/p>

By Jake Wilson\n \t\t<\/p>

Published: Thursday, 29 June 2023 at 12:00 am<\/p>

\n\n

The United Kingdom is known for producing incredible footballers, cricketers and athletics stars, but lesser known for the phenomenal wrestling talents it has produced.<\/p>\n

That is changing, as the British wrestling scene expands into the mainstream, with heaps of top talent crossing the Atlantic to find success.<\/p>\n

We have studied the tapes to find the greatest British WWE wrestlers, from outstanding athletes to some of the best brains the industry has ever seen.<\/p>\n

To be clear, this is a list of the greatest professional wrestlers from the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland \u2013 so incredible stars from the Republic of Ireland, like Becky Lynch and Finn B\u00e1lor, are not eligible.<\/p>\n

To compile this countdown, we balanced superstars\u2019 career influence, in-ring ability and championship success in WWE.<\/p>\n

This meant wrestlers like the late Dynamite Kid just missed out, while burgeoning talents like Noam Dar, Butch and Piper Niven wait, ready to smash their way onto this esteemed list in the future.<\/p>\n

RadioTimes.com<\/a> brings you our ranking of the 10 best British WWE wrestlers of all time.<\/p> \n

5. Finlay<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Though David John Finlay Jr was only an in-ring competitor in WWE between 2005 and 2010, his influence on the company is still growing even today.<\/p>\n

Inside the squared circle he was a tough, skilled competitor \u2013 even winning the United States championship \u2013 but he has made his largest contribution outside of it.<\/p>\n

Fit is one of the most respected trainers in the business. Stars from several generations praise Finlay with having a huge influence on their careers.<\/p>\n

He trained the likes of John Cena and Randy Orton in his early days with the WWE, while his work with the company\u2019s female competitors is also credited with changing the face of the division.<\/p>\n

4. Paige<\/strong><\/h2>\n
\""Paige\"<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>
Paige with fans in Cologne in 2016.<\/span><\/figcaption> Marc Pfitzenreuter\/Getty Images<\/i><\/span><\/div>\n

Everyone remembers Paige\u2019s WWE debut. It was the Raw after WrestleMania XXX, typically the most unpredictable night of the year, and dominant Divas champion AJ Lee was in the ring.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s where Paige comes in. She came out to congratulate AJ on her WrestleMania title defence, reaching 295 days as champion, but the heel champ took things too far, slapping and forcing Paige into a title match.<\/p>\n

The fans were behind the 21-year-old NXT upstart, and the crowd simultaneously jumped out of their seats when Paige fought out of AJ\u2019s Black Widow submission move and ended up pinning the champ for three.<\/p>\n

That moment was hard to top, but Paige broke real ground for female competitors in WWE. She was the inaugural NXT Women\u2019s champion, became a two-time Divas champion and played a key on-screen in WWE\u2019s Women\u2019s Revolution before serious injury cut her run with the company short.<\/p>\n

3. William Regal<\/strong><\/h2>\n

You\u2019ll be hard-pressed to find many more highly-respected pros in the wrestling business than William Regal.<\/p>\n

The Staffordshire-born superstar has done it all in sports entertainment and in WWE \u2013 and he has done whatever it takes for the health of the business, even if that meant literally kissing the boss\u2019s ass (for a storyline).<\/p>\n

In WWE, Regal won multiple Intercontinental, Hardcore, European and Tag Team Championships, while also earning the distinction of winning the King of the Ring tournament.<\/p>\n

He was the king of the wrestling psychology, too. Regal understood every intricacy of heel work and he has spent the second half of his career sharing with young talent everything that made him an in-ring master.<\/p>\n

His work in NXT continues to take that platform to new heights.<\/p>\n

2. Drew McIntyre<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Having a brilliant finisher is helpful in professional wrestling. Luckily for Drew McIntyre, he has two. The Scottish Warrior lays out anyone in his path with his devastating Claymore Kick, but only if his wicked DDT, the Future Shock, hasn\u2019t done the job.<\/p>\n

These moves have most certainly done the job for Drew McIntyre\u2019s career. The superstar from Ayr, Scotland, has made the most of his second chance in the company, building swiftly up through NXT and the main roster to the top of the mountain.<\/p>\n

He eliminated Roman Reigns to win the 2019 Royal Rumble, beat Brock Lesnar in the main event of WrestleMania to become the first British WWE champion, and kept rolling from there.<\/p>\n

While his place in the company is a little unsure at present, his resume and career speaks for itself. He is a Triple Crown champion, led WWE during its toughest times and that comeback, well, has been as brilliant as his finishers.<\/p>\n

1. British Bulldog<\/strong><\/h2>\n