Bully Ray Lists WWE Stars On Mount Rushmore Of Drawing Money

With gate and attendance records continuing to shatter, WWE itself is on a prosperous path right now. On a recent episode of "Busted Open Radio," WWE Hall of Famer Bully Ray took a look at WWE's overall journey, highlighting four names that have especially helped its business boom.

"The Mount Rushmore of the WWE, work rate, drawing ability, when it comes to the ability to draw for a length of time and the amount of money generated because of any one talent, personality, or man, nobody is bigger than the Hulk [Hogan], Steve [Austin], [John] Cena and Roman [Reigns]," Ray said. "I'm putting Roman on the list now because of the original point made that he's been around for ten years and he's been at ten WrestleManias."

When questioned about his decision to not include Bruno Sammartino, who holds the record for the most sellouts at NYC's Madison Square Garden, in this Mount Rushmore, Ray pointed out that the former WWE Champion sold out a singular building; meanwhile, Hogan, Austin, Cena, and Reigns have sold out venues from around the entire world for WWE.

Backed by the support of the "Hulkamaniacs," Hogan ruled WWE throughout the 1980s and early 1990s. "Stone Cold" Steve Austin reached similar success during WWE's Attitude Era (1997-2001), before Cena followed suit in the Ruthless Aggression and PG eras. Reigns, the longest-reigning world champion of the modern era, remains a popular figure in today's landscape, with CM Punk and Seth Rollins currently lined up as his WWE WrestleMania 41 opponents.

If you use any of the quotes in this article, please credit "Busted Open Radio" with a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.