20 Absolute Best Wrestlers In The World Right Now

11. Cody

As a wrestler, Cody is outdone by almost everyone else on this list; as a worker, he's in the top three.

'The American Nightmare' is received by his audience as a hero for his performances as much as his role in reshaping the wrestling landscape with AEW. Before our eyes, he has evolved into someone with an excellent grasp of what the sport is really about: provoking emotional responses from engaged audiences. Rewatch the bout Cody has gone on the record to call "the best match ever, Hulk Hogan vs. The Rock, or the former Stardust's own sublime clash with brother Dustin Rhodes at AEW Double or Nothing, to understand his wrestling philosophy.

If the Dustin bloodbath highlighted how far he's come as an in-ring storyteller, the Chris Jericho feud put Cody over the edge as one of the best in the game. Character work was almost one of his strongest attributes, sure, but he was a sublime chaser for 'Le Champion,' with that "same silver spoon" promo destined to go down as one of this era's most memorable.