The best wrestler from each of the 50 United States 

VIRGINIA - Tony Atlas

HONORABLE MENTION: Magnum T.A.

The first African American to win a tag team title in WWF is also Virginia's greatest of all time

Tony Atlas is a history-making superstar that is not talked about as often as he should be.

A former three-time Mr USA, Atlas ventured into pro-wrestling as part of various NWA territories. Though he was mostly a tag team wrestler, he does hold the distinction of being the first man to press slam/pin Hulk Hogan. Throughout his time in the territories, he won nine Heavyweight Championships, seven Tag Team Championships, two Intercontinental Championships, a Television Championship, and a Brass Knuckles Championship. Not bad!

But perhaps what he's best known for is his partnership with Rocky Johnson (The Rock's dad) in the early 80's. The duo famously won the WWF Tag Team Championship from The Wild Samoans in 1983, becoming the first African American competitors to hold the gold.

Sadly, burgeoning drug issues made Atlas a less dependable performer in the mid-to-late 80's, so his career was not quite as good as it should have been. Still, his accolades earn him the distinction of being Virginia's greatest wrestler of all time.

WASHINGTON - Daniel Bryan

I am going to go on record for a moment - I don't think I've ever seen a better pure babyface in my entire life than Daniel Bryan.

Legitimately one of the most technically gifted wrestlers of all time, Daniel Bryan was trained by Shawn Michaels and William Regal (among others), so it's pretty easy to see where he gets it from. Bryan was a phenom who put on absolute thrillers everywhere he went, but he was most well-known for his work in ROH, Japan, and of course, WWE.

If I were to list all of the titles Daniel Bryan won throughout his career, you'd be reading all night, so all I'll say is... it was a lot. And for good reason - everywhere he went, he became that company's finest pure wrestler. In WWE, his stellar in-ring work earned him a connection to the fans that no one else in the company could replicate. That, along with his famous "YES!" chant (which, interestingly, started out as a method of getting heel heat), propelled him to the top of the card, and he eventually won the WWE World Heavyweight Championship at WrestleMania 30 in one of the best "feel-good" moments in wrestling history.

Not too long after this, Bryan was forced into an early retirement due to complications from concussions. Even though WWE remains adamant in refusing to clear him, several doctors now have informed him that he is okay to wrestle, so he still holds out hope that he'll be able to return to the ring some day. And so do we.

So, does Daniel Bryan earn his place as the best wrestler from Washington state? YES! YES! YES! YES! YES!

WEST VIRGINIA - Ray "The Crippler" Stevens

Ray "The Crippler" Stevens wrestled for an astonishing four decades, getting his start in 1950 at just 15-years-old.

Often viewed as the best pure worker of the 1960's, Stevens was one of those guys who could wrestle a broom and put on a good match. A fearless, acrobatic, and charismatic performer, Stevens won championships just about everywhere. He won a total of 12 United States Championships, four Heavyweight Championships, two Television Championships, four Junior Heavyweight Championships, three Brass Knuckles Championships, and an unprecedented 18 Tag Team Championships. Perhaps his most memorable partners were Pat Patterson (they were called The Blond Bombers), Jimmy Snuka, and Nick Bockwinkel, but he tagged with plenty of other noteworthy gentlemen, such as Greg Valentine and "High Chief" Peter Maivia.

So far, he is a member of three different pro-wrestling Halls of Fame, and I imagine he'll likely be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame as a legacy inductee some day. His innovative offence and incontrovertible in-ring talent make him an easy pick for West Virginia's best wrestler of all time.

Sorry, Heath Slater - the original "Crippler" is the best West Virginia has to offer

WISCONSIN - The Crusher

HONORABLE MENTION: Ed "The Strangler" Lewis

A true wrestling pioneer, South Milwaukee, Wisconsin's own "Crusher" inspired more people than you may know.

The Crusher was a precursor to many of wrestling's great brawlers. He was a barrel-chested beer chugger like Stone Cold Steve Austin who could take punishment like Mick Foley and mount a comeback like Hulk Hogan. Though primarily a tag team competitor (he won a total of 24 Tag Team Championships throughout his career), he also held five Heavyweight Championships (six in total) across various AWA territories. He has been inducted into the Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame, the WCW Hall of Fame, and the Wrestling Observer Newsletter Hall of Fame so far, and I can imagine he'll likely be inducted as a legacy inductee along fellow native Wisconsinite Ed "Strangler" Lewis.

Though you may not have heard about The Crusher before, he has had a noticeable influence on the wrestling industry. For that, I nominate him as the best wrestler to ever come from Wisconsin.

WYOMING - Eric Bischoff

Eric Bischoff only has a house in Wyoming, but he's the only one, so he wins by default

Eric Bischoff is sort of all over the map - he was born in Michigan and now has houses in California, Arizona, and Wyoming, the latter of which makes him the only pro-wrestler (or, I guess in this case, pro-wrestling personality) from Wyoming.

His wrestling acumen is nothing to write home about, but he has been pretty consistently fantastic as a heel authority figure. He did it well in WCW, WWE, and even in TNA. The man just exudes sleaziness from every pore on his body, and we love him all the more for it.