Who is #1?

there isn't a real definitive answer for this however Hulk Hogan seemingly commands the most logical choice.
because without Hulk Hogan we wouldn't have gotten ANY of the other guys, the WWE most likely would have folded in the 80's or at least never got beyond local markets

Hulk Hogan achieved incredible success within the wrestling industry. He was also able to transcend into pop culture the way most guys dream of.
While Stone Cold Steve Austin was the biggest part of what FANS regard as the best period ever for wrestling, and The Rock has become the biggest star OUTSIDE of wrestling....none of them could hold a candle to what Hogan did for the industry.

Hogan WAS wrestling for a decade+

And the other point is, if you ask 100 adults to name a professional wrestler it's extremely likely that 75 of them will say "Hulk Hogan"

people could say Bruno, but Bruno didn't carry over beyond the 70's and his success was in the WWWF which technically isn't "WWE history"
you could say Andre...but Andre didn't sell arenas, Andre was just a major attraction
you could say John Cena, because let's face it...he's the biggest thing the WWE has for the past 10 years but not the biggest star EVER
you could say Ric Flair, but his success was more outside the WWE

some people will say guys like Bret, Shawn, Undertaker...because of their longevity in the business, incredible championship merit and overall ring talent...but lets be honest, none of those guys LITERALLY carried the company on their back the way Hogan, Austin & Cena have done

I'd say it's a legitimate argument for
Hogan, Austin, Rock or Cena.

but a LOT of it truly is generational...still, Hulk Hogan should be the most logical choice here, whether you were a fan or not

Without Hogan there would have been no Austin, without Austin there would have been no Rock, without Rock there would have been no Cena, without Cena there would be no.......(whomever the next #1 guy becomes)

That's impossible to answer since different eras had different stars so there isn't a definitive number 1.

I'm not a fan, but there is a definite correct answer, and that is Hulk Hogan.

This isn't a matter of opinion.

In my opinion, Shawn Michaels.

It's not a matter of opinion, it's Waylon Jennings.

Hogan. I don't think people realize how big he was in the 80s. He literally changed the landscape of pro wrestling and how people viewed it. To date he is the only wrestler to ever be featured on the cover of sports illustrated.

People can argue Austin due to the attitude era but there would have been no Austin without hogan.

Hogan, he was the face of the company when the WWF made wrestling matter for the first time. Austin, Rock and Cena have made the company far more money than the Hulkster ever did, but none of them are as synonymous. WWF = Hulk Hogan. Hulk Hogan = WWF. And more people probably still think of WWF rather than WWE. Hogan was the big bang of wrestling, taking it from boring black-and-white hammerlocks to global tours and colourful characters.

I think there would be a case for Austin, if his career had gone longer and if Rock hadn't been in the same era to overshadow him a bit.

the Hulk Hogan

Assuming this is just all encompassing, most important ever and not based on solely in-ring work, number one has to be Hogan. Regardless of personal feeling, I can say for sure that he is who everyone would think of when you say "pro wrestling" or even just "wrestling" for that matter. Wrestling was at an insane high at the time and Hogan was the man of the times then and is still is really. Everyone in the world probably knows two wrestlers, Hulk Hogan and Randy Savage, but Hogan is quite frankly a pop culture icon. Savage was a #2 in the 80s, but is still well known. Number two is Austin I'd say, just by being that face of the Attitude Era which was one of the biggest wrestling boom phases ever (I guess the biggest really).