It’s an indisputable historical fact that having a wicked beard puts one in the company of greatness. Think about it. The hall of American legend alone is filled with men sporting fanatical facial hair: Abraham Lincoln, Brian Wilson, Grizzly Adams, and ZZ Top just to name a few.
Think you have what it takes to recognize the best of the beards? Step right up and take WWE.com’s Great Beard Challenge of 2012! Experience the completely unkempt guessing game featuring some of the best beards in WWE's storied history. Take an up-close and personal look at the facial follicles in question, followed by the reveal photograph just one slide later. With that, let's cut right to it!
This Superstar was signed by the St. Louis Cardinals as a catcher after graduating high school.
"Macho Man" Randy Savage is one of the most beloved Superstars of all time. He also grew one of the most iconic beards in WWE history.
Savage was a two-time WWE Champion known as much for his in-ring ability as for his bombastic attire and skills on the mic. Among his many accolades, he battled Ricky "The Dragon" Steamboat in what many argue was the greatest match in the storied history of The Showcase of the Immortals — an absolute technical clinic at WrestleMania III.
"Macho Man" may have changed his look numerous times throughout his legendary career, but his beard remained a facial feature through it all, consistent with his excellence.
This Superstar is an avid comic book fan.
The current WWE Champion is a bit less scruffy now, but at one point CM Punk had the whole "hobo chic" look down pat. Punk may abide by a Straight Edge lifestyle, but that obviously doesn’t include a clean-shaven appearance as The Second City Saint once sported an epically scraggly black beard that was just as much part of his appearance as the red "X" he wears proudly on each fist.
Now, as Punk readies for his upcoming battle against Daniel Bryan with the WWE Title on the line at WWE Over the Limit, the champion will sport a more closely cropped cut, certainly fitting for a Superstar of A-list status.
Long before he was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame, this legendary competitor became a member of the Ithaca College Athletic Hall of Fame in 1973.
While an entire generation of WWE Universe members knows him as the (clean-shaven) voice of WWE, "Gorilla" Monsoon donned a wild beard back in his competitive days to go along with his massive physique.
Renowned for his in-ring abilities and enormous girth, Monsoon dominated opponents in tag team and singles action, enjoying a legendary run with tag team partner Killer Kowalski and engaging in one of the most epic battles in WWE history against Bruno Sammartino at Madison Square Garden. That match, a full 90-minute marathon, kicked off a string of bouts between the two iconic grapplers.
But the story of Monsoon’s career was just getting started when he hung up his boots as “Gorilla” would become the voice of WWE as one of the company’s most-loved commentators. In-ring or out of it, beard or no beard, Monsoon was a force of nature.
This former Superstar is also a noted children’s book author.
Mick Foley may make his living today as a writer, but he made his bones as The Hardcore Legend. Foley was involved in nearly every match type you can think of, and he did so as three separate-but-equally-charismatic personas.
Despite his multitude of personalities, however, there was a common thread that connected all three: Foley’s one-tooth-too-few grin surrounded by his unkempt mop of hair and wild beard, a trademark of the Attitude Era, lent the Superstar a look befitting a Muppet. Albeit a Muppet with a penchant for thumb-tack matches.
Mick Foley is a lot of things: hardcore legend, WWE Champion and best-selling author.
What he has never been, however, is well-groomed.
This Superstar’s father is a member of the Manitoba Hockey Hall of Fame.
Chris Jericho’s arrival in WWE may have teased the ushering in of "the end of the world," but back in 2002, he grew the beard to end all beards. Since then, Jericho has tried on a number of different bearded styles throughout a career that has included reigns as WWE Champion, World Heavyweight Champion, WCW Champion and Intercontinental Champion.
The self-proclaimed "Best in the World at What He Does" has made a career out of making powerful statements both inside and outside the ring, changing his style — from rock star cut to downright fuzzy — with each new bearded incarnation.
This legendary Superstar recorded a track on WWE’s first-ever music album.
There are just certain expectations that come with a name like Hillbilly Jim. A wild, bushy beard is definitely one of those expectations. Group that with a pair of overalls, mix in some moonshine and barn dancing and a whole lot of in-ring ability, and you get Hillbilly Jim.
Plucked straight out of the front row of a WWE event and into the ring, Hillbilly Jim was trained by Hulk Hogan himself on his way to becoming one of the most popular performers of the 1980s.
Just as iconic as his overalls, though, is that tangled beard that encircled an ever-present smile.
As a child, this WWE Hall of Famer was driven to school by playwright Samuel Beckett.
There are huge icons in the history of WWE, and then there are giants. And above everyone, there’s Andre.
Undefeated in WWE for nearly 15 years, Andre the Giant will forever be in a class of his own. The Eighth Wonder of the World was universally beloved, and his contributions to WWE and to popular culture are unmatched. It goes without saying that Andre was hard to miss — the 7-foot-4 behemoth tipped the scales at nearly half a ton.
Topped off with tufts of hair that covered his face, Andre’s bushy beard and muttonchops sideburns are as indelible in pop culture as was his turn in 1987’s classic film,The Princess Bride.
Iconic, in a big way.
This wild-bearded bruiser played college football at West Texas A&M University.
Complemented perfectly by his untamed, unkempt black forest of a beard, Bruiser Brody was one of the most feared competitors to ever step foot inside a WWE ring.
Known as an out-and-out brawler within the confines of the squared circle, Bruiser’s body of work makes us wish he and Brock Lesnar could have locked horns in an Extreme Rules dream match.
Brody’s down and dirty fighting style was made all the more ferocious by his enormous stature, his "you can’t beat me" mindset and his wild, menacing appearance.
This bizarre former Superstar hailed from "Parts Unknown." And no, he’s not The Ultimate Warrior.
Not even the stewardship of legendary managers Bobby "The Brain" Heenan and “The Mouth of the South” Jimmy Hart could control the wild man known as Missing Link. As manic inside the ring as he was outside of it, Missing Link’s odd tendencies included growing patchy tufts of hair on his otherwise bald head and painting himself green before a bout.
While not the wildest beard WWE has ever seen, Missing Link’s was undeniably distinctive.
This WWE Hall of Famer studied radio broadcasting while in college.
This beard belongs to one of the greatest Superstars in WWE’s history: Edge. His induction into the WWE Hall of Fame earlier this year put the exclamation point on one of the all-time great careers and cemented Edge’s place amongst the highest order of WWE legends.
The Rated-R Superstar had a variety of styles over the course of his career, and these days he may sport a more clean-shaven, short-cropped appearance, but Edge will always be remembered for his uncanny in-ring talent and his trademark rock star look — long hair, beard and all.
As a manager, this WWE Hall of Famer was seen on more than one hit music videos on MTV.
Often imitated but never duplicated, Captain Lou Albano is a lot of different things to a lot of different WWE Universe members: Tremendous in-ring performer, legendary manager, cartoon star. Captain Lou was all of these things. But above all else, he was one of the all-time great WWE personalities. With a wild beard kept somewhat together with the help of rubber bands and a truckload of charisma, Albano was truly one of a kind.
When we think of WWE’s most eccentric personalities, our first thoughts go straight to "Captain Lou, Captain Lou" Albano and his unique bearded styling.
Sorry, no hints for this one. If you’re stumped, well, that’s just one more reason to watch SmackDown this Friday, fella!
World Heavyweight Champion Sheamus has been a red-hot man on a mission since the tail end of 2011, and his fiery streak culminated with the World Heavyweight Championship at WrestleMania when he dropped Daniel Bryan in just 18 seconds.
He may be known as The Great White, but Sheamus’ shockingly red beard and fiery hair define both his trademark appearance and his temperament.
This former Superstar is the father of a current WWE Diva.
Jim "The Anvil" Neidhart has quite the resume.
Trained in Stu Hart’s infamous and legendary basement, Neidhart was well-equipped for greatness. One-half of arguably the greatest tag team of all time, "The Anvil" was the power to Bret "Hit Man" Hart’s grace as The Hart Foundation blazed a path through WWE and claimed the tag team titles on two separate occasions.
Often seen laughing manically while tugging on that manic soul patch, "The Anvil" was a legendary talker with the ability to back it up.
This beard belongs to, unquestionably, the most terrifying Superstar of all time.
You know a competitor is intimidating when even his beard is scary.
When it comes to daunting Superstars, there has never been anyone who strikes fear into the hearts of opponents quite like WWE’s legendary Undertaker. Undefeated on The Grandest Stage of Them All, The Deadman takes his mythic aura to a whole new level at WrestleMania.
Back in his Ministry of Darkness days, The Phenom sported a downright demonic ’do that fit perfectly with his terrifying persona and still rings terror into the hearts of men today.