Over the last 30 years, WWE has very much become a global company. While many of its events go down in the United States the promotion has a massive audience all over the world. The company has also featured many legendary performers who came from lands outside the US.
With that in mind, let’s take a look at the 10 greatest foreign-born WWE stars of all time.
10. Kevin Owens
Canadian-born star Kevin Owens does not get enough credit for how talented he is. While he doesn’t look like a typical WWE star, he has shown he can put on an entertaining match with any wrestler and is a far better athlete than he may seem. He has won every title in the company and he has done something many of his contemporaries on this list haven’t and main evented WrestleMania twice.
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9. Kofi Kingston
Many overlook it during his ring entrance, but former WWE champion Kofi Kingston is announced as a native of Ghana. He is one of the longest-tenured members of the roster and there is no title he has not won. He has stayed relevant for two decades and his inclusion in one of the greatest teams of all time, The New Day, easily makes him one of the greatest foreign-born WWE wrestlers ever.
8. ‘Rowdy’ Roddy Piper
While he is forever known for playing a Scottsman, WWE legend “Rowdy” Roddy Piper is actually Canadian. Few were better on the mic than “Hot Rod” and “Piper’s Pit” is still seen by many as the best talk show in company history. He broke the mold of what a WWE star can be in an era of bulky bodies and is near the top of the list of the greatest performers not to be WWE champ.
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7. Trish Stratus
Trish Stratus is without a doubt the greatest female performer to come out of the wrestling-rich nation of Canada. She was a pioneer who helped forever change the narrative on women’s wrestling and has been a massive influence on most of the female talent on the roster today. She is like the Mickey Mantle of women’s wrestling.
6. Bruno Sammartino
To this day, Bruno Sammartino is still the greatest wrestling wrestling export from Italy. He was one of the first legends of WWE back when it was still WWF. While he may not be very interesting to current fans, his place as the longest-reigning WWF/WWE champion at 2,803 days is a record that will never be broken. When combining both his world title reigns, he was at the top of the WWF/WWE mountain for 11 years.
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5. Becky Lynch
Becky Lynch followed the path that Trish Stratus laid and then elevated women’s wrestling to an all-new level. She is not just the great female wrestler from Ireland, but she is the best performer ever not from the US. No woman has ever come close to the popularity heights Lynch hit in 2018 and 2019 and she rode that popularity into being a part of the first-ever WrestleMania main event featuring an all-women’s bout.
4. Chris Jericho
Chris Jericho in many ways was the next generation version of Roddy Piper. Many Canadian wrestlers are known for being great wrestlers but like the “Rowdy” one he was one of the most entertaining performers to come out of America’s northern native. He won every title in the company and of course, is the only man to beat both “Stone Cold” Steve Austin and The Rock in one night.
3. Edge
Edge had a special run in WWE. He was a part of a group that still has one of the most beloved theme songs in history (The Brood), then became one half of a legendary tag team (Edge & Christian). However, he did not stop there and went on to be one of the top stars of the Ruthless Aggression era. He had a career to admire before a neck injury cut it short, but then he added a new chapter when he made his triumphant return in 2020 and was able to main event WrestleMania for a second time.
2. Andre the Giant
There probably would be no WWE if Hulk Hogan did not have an icon like Andre the Giant to slam and pin at WrestleMania 3. He was, arguably, the most dominant force the wrestling business has ever seen and is the standard for what a giant should be. And still, to this day, he is the most famous professional wrestler from France.
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1. Bret Hart
Not only is Canada’s Bret Hart the greatest foreign-born WWE superstar of all time but there are many who believe the “excellence of execution” is the greatest wrestler of all time. Hart is one of the best to ever do it inside a wrestling ring and is a legitimate hero in his homeland.
For many of the top stars on the current WWE roster, “The Hitman” was the inspiration for their journeys to the company and the multi-time world champion is the perfect example of what the top representative of a wrestling company should be.
