3 terrible WWE locker room leaders and 3 great ones

The WWE locker room has certainly evolved over the years. Back in the 80s and 90s, the locker room was notorious for being an absolutely nasty and toxic place, where grown men acted like children and "ribs" or pranks as they're called, were taken too far, too often.

The circumstances of everything was completely different back then. The schedules were even crazier and usage of alcohol and pills were rampant. It's safe to say that locker rooms have matured a lot more since then and even consumption of pills have reduced, while overall alcohol and drug consumption has drastically gone down as well.

Either way, the locker room has always been full of leaders - good and bad. It has always been a mixed bag in the past and not as healthy as it is today. We look at the good and bad sides of locker room leaders!

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#3. Terrible - Chris Benoit

Chris Benoit took locker room etiquette very seriously

Every time Chris Benoit's name is mentioned, people instantly refer to the 2007 tragedy. Since everybody already knows about it, we'll choose to skip it. It's been revealed that in 2005/06, Benoit was one of the locker room leaders and he really made sure to keep young superstars in check.

There was a time when a superstar reportedly disrespected Shawn Michaels, so Benoit made him do a 1000 squats while doing it beside him. When the superstar complained about not being able to walk, Benoit made him do 500 more.

Then, there was the infamous Miz incident, where The A-Lister was eating chicken over Benoit's bag, spilling some on it as well. An infuriated Benoit kicked him out of the locker room and for six months, The Miz was made to change in small rooms outside until he earned his place right back.

#3. Great - John Cena

John Cena was the franchise player of WWE for a decade

John Cena was the face of WWE for a good decade, which is why it's easy to imagine that he was the locker room leader. While his role has naturally reduced over time, Santino Marrella was one who vouched for him, praising his work ethic and morals.

He was definitely the locker room leader or at least I saw him like that and the reason I saw him there was because of his work ethic and he is just a good guy, really good principles and morals and values. Just a stand-up guy and he works so damn hard. You could not be but awe inspired that this guy can just go and go and go and not complain or whine and he leads by example and that is what a real locker room leader is supposed to be.”

Given how hard Cena worked, one can only imagine that he was an absolutely positive figure in the WWE locker room.

#2. Terrible - Hardcore Holly

Hardcore Holly certainly lived up to his name

Hardcore Holly, or Bob Holly as he was known, was one of the most notorious backstage locker room leaders. If anything, it seemed as though he was policing things backstage and many superstars felt the brunt of his ruthlessness.

Renee Dupree, for example, was stiffed and punched for real during a match after he got a speeding ticket by using Bob Holly's car. Holly had his license suspended and went after Dupree, both during the match and backstage.

Mr. Kennedy was another victim. He was physically ejected from the locker room, being told to get out and stay out until Holly said he was allowed back in. Matt Striker too, had been beaten up when coming over to SmackDown after comments he made about the crew.

The craziest part? Holly had openly claimed a lot of these to be true in his book that he released in 2013. One can only imagine how rigid the SmackDown locker room was during the Ruthless Aggression era.

#2. Great - Roman Reigns

Roman Reigns is the most beloved backstage figure

In case you didn't realize it, Roman Reigns may be a polarizing figure among the WWE Universe, but backstage, he's the most beloved figure among his fellow-WWE superstars. Ask any superstar from Braun Strowman to Aleister Black to Nia Jax and all of them have had nothing but good things to say about Roman Reigns.

He's a true locker room leader and one that can be looked up to because of his incredible work ethic. One can only imagine how heartbroken the locker room was when he made the announcement about his leukaemia. But he said he would fight it and return - and that's exactly what happened.

Nia Jax described what happened backstage when he made the announcement of his remission, stating that there wasn't a single "dry eye" backstage. He was the one who reportedly threw Enzo Amore out of the European tour bus, but it was likely done for good reason.

There has never been a bad word uttered about Reigns by his fellow superstars.

#1. Terrible - JBL

JBL is WWE's most notorious bully

JBL is known to be the most notorious bully over the past two decades in WWE. There are several stories about his bullying and the last one that happened prior to his departure was that of Mauro Ranallo.

Either way, that pales in comparison to what he did back in the day. For example, he refused to shake the Hardy Boyz's hands, telling them to "go to hell". Why did he say that? Because they refused to throw beer cans at road signs while on the road.

Another creepy instance was when Edge was just getting started. He was taking a shower when Bradshaw came and began to rub soap on his body. This was just one of many instances of his backstage antics and he and Ron Simmons both beat up Public Enemy during their brief spell with the company.

We could go on about the things he's done backstage, but you get the picture. Somehow, he always managed to get a pass because of being close to Vince McMahon.

#1. Great - The Undertaker

Taker

The most remembered, loved and respected member of the WWE locker room and the one true leader will always be one man - The Undertaker. There are several stories over the years that prove just how great The Phenom was in the locker room.

Gaining respect in the 90s, The Undertaker established the "Bone Street Krew" to combat "The Kliq". Moreover, when you hear all of the infamous "Wrestler's court" stories, what's the one thing in common? It's the fact that The Undertaker is the final judge and jury.

His status in the locker room was so well known that even Vince McMahon had to respect it. Superstars like Steve Austin, Shawn Michaels, Chris Jericho etc. have all had confrontations with The Undertaker backstage and they all bowed down and ultimately ended up listening to him.

It was likely his maturity and level-headedness that made him the leader. As Michelle McCool once said, Mark Callaway just commands a presence when he walks into a room.