I called number one before I looked - if you did NOT call number 1, what did you guess it would be ?
Didn't even click on it. Far too subjective. For someone like me who didn't like Van Halen and his "flash before substance" approach, that likely takes out half the list. I find Jimmy Page to be annoying. When you consider he was 3rd string for The Yardbirds... And the 2 he followed, Clapton and Beck, yeah really good players but Clapton's play after a while took on a certain sameness. Beck, okay, but because he can't sing I never really followed him post Yardbirds. Clapton's best work was with Mayall.
So it really depends on your influences and tastes. I know people who swear by Terry Kath. One is gaga for Bonamassa. Another thinks Mike Rutherford is it. Another thinks it's Neil Schon. It turns into Ford vs Chevy vs Mopar very quickly.