Rap and wrestling have been connected for decades, with so many rappers loving professional wrestling and wrestlers showing love right back to rappers. With that being said, it begs the question, what are the rapper/wrestler counterparts? There has been enough time in both of the artform's histories to look back and see parallels between the greats of both.
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Some of the counterparts are down to how each of their personalities is, some are down to the matching of technical abilities, and some counterparts are the embodiments of each other in different forms, maybe even suggesting that one or both could have taken inspiration from the other.
10 Bret Hart & Nas
The most obvious one is Bret Hart and Nas. Bret Hart and Nas are two of the greatest, if not the greatest, technicians of their art. Nas' debut album Illmatic made rippling effects throughout hip-hop, still seen to this day, with stunning critical acclaim and perfectly exemplified for many what an overall lyricist was. From his storytelling ability that may be unmatched to his punchline, Nas is a god to lyrical rap fans.
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The same can be said about Bret "Hitman" Hart, as his matches are a requirement for any technical wrestler to watch. His classics with the likes of Shawn Michaels, Owen Hart, Stone Cold, etc., showcase Hart at his best and is some of the high points of in-ring wrestling.
9 Bryan Danielson & Kendrick Lamar
Bryan Danielson and Kendrick Lamar are near reflections of each other in terms of rappers and wrestlers. Both crafts have had decades of technicians, icons, and those that laid the groundwork like Danielson and Lamar, inspiring more to come along to study them and get as close to achieving what so many people have wanted. Both men are shorter and in a field that showcases violence, Danielson and Lamar have come along and smashed those ideas that you have to be scary, mean, or anything but your authentic self to become the absolute best at what you love.
8 Hulk Hogan & Eminem
Hulk Hogan and Eminem were both massive for their time. Eminem is still seen as fairly big, but his time in the hip-hop limelight has diminished some, and like Hogan, when fans reflect back on some of the work, it doesn't age well. Much of Eminem's subject matter can be cringy to listen to when looking back on his time on top, and many do not go back to watch Hogan's in-ring work over and over again. Like Eminem, Hogan was a titan that changed the way his industry was and will forever be one the biggest names, but many look at what came after him and see the longevity of that work as more impressive, as Hogan's personality may have been larger than life, but he never had the promo skills of a Rock, Ric Flair, or Mick Foley or the wrestling skills of a Stone Cold, Bret Hart, or Bryan Danielson.
7 John Cena & Drake
Arguably the biggest stars of their crafts and some of the most polarizing. Drake is known for having hit after hit, having one of the greatest dominance on the charts that hip-hop has ever seen. However, despite the fact that there is a song that everyone knows from Drake, he is still extremely hated by many.
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No wrestler has been as polarizing as John Cena. When Cena came out in his decade-plus of dominance in the WWE, he was met with a mix of boos and cheers, with many fans booing him for being such a white-meat face (similar to the rap fans that believe Drake was too pop or mainstream). However, both have carved out a lane that will be talked about forever.
6 HHH & Jay-Z
HHH and Jay-Z have tons of similarities to each other. Both men have established themselves as icons in multiple generations of their crafts, and while becoming the top star in their industry, they married two of the most famous women in Beyonce and Stephanie McMahon, respectively, becoming notable power couples, especially in their art.
Both men also dominated in their respective fields, with HHH holding 14 world championships and Jay-Z winning 23 Grammys. Not only are they both extremely accomplished at what they do, but they then later turned around and built foundations that propelled many others to come after them and become stars, with Jay-Z becoming the founder of Roc Nation and HHH running NXT.
5 The Hardy Boyz & Outkast
The Hardy Boyz are arguably the most important and inspirational tag team of all time. The Hardys burst onto the scene as an alternative to the rest of the Attitude Era in the best way possible. The Hardys were the high-flying team that represented the Jackass/Early Pop Punk culture.
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The easy comparison here is Outkast. Outkast showcased a unique sound, combined with incredible technique and lyrics, and Andre 3000 and Jeff Hardy correlate as the artistic, enigmatic souls that take chances and everyone loves, while Matt Hardy and Big Boi are the consistency of the group, giving fans the more technical work in Matt's case or more of the traditional hip-hop sound at the time in Big Boi's, and both are able to deliver consistently every single time.
4 Shawn Michaels & Lil Wayne
Shawn Michaels, at his peak, has some of the most incredible work ever seen in wrestling history. His personality, his teams, his wardrobe, and his unforgettable classic matches that he seemed to have on a near-monthly basis.
Nowadays, Michaels is mentioned in just about all wrestler's lists as their biggest inspiration. Wayne's Carter trilogy is still played by every significant rap fan. This is all without mentioning Wayne's dominance in mixtapes as well, providing numerous classic mixtapes, making it hard to argue against his claim of "Best Rapper Alive." Wayne's run proved to be some of the most inspirational work for today's artists.
3 CM Punk & Kanye West
Of course, CM Punk and Kanye West would be the perfect comparison given they are both from the Windy City of Chicago, but there are much more connections than the two just being from the same city. The biggest would be that it would not be a stretch to call these two stars the most influential men of their crafts in the last 10 to 15 years.
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What Punk has done to the wrestling business is up there with the level of influence West has made by being such a prolific artist and never sticking to just one sound, always remaining innovative.
2 The Rock & Notorious BIG
The Rock and Notorious BIG, aka Biggie Smalls, are perfect counterparts. They are synonymized with a rivalry that paired the two biggest people of their industry at their time against each other, and both also played the role of the more luxurious and bravado character for much of their careers. Also, although they are remembered as some of the greatest, their careers weren't as long as most think. However, the biggest reason why these two are perfect counterparts is due to how good they were on the mic. The smoothness, the charisma, and the swagger are something that cannot be taught, and these two had it all.
1 Stone Cold Steve Austin & Tupac
Stone Cold Steve Austin and Tupac share wildly similar energy from the mentality to the middle fingers that both throw up in photos. Both showcased a refusal to never back down and were uniquely themselves 24/7. Both were a much-needed change in their crafts as well, as Austin was becoming the new star of WWE that had just seen Vince McMahon screw Bret Hart, and the fans wanted to see someone go against the boss and the authority.
Tupac became one of the biggest stars music has ever seen, being both an anti-authority character like Austin and an introspective songwriter.
