10 Best Wrestlers Of 2019 (So Far)
All of these men & women are having better years than Seth Rollins.
A sacred cow amongst WWE fans and a tremendous performer he may be, but Seth Rollins put his foot in the muck with a pre-Stomping Grounds tweet claiming the PPV would show the "best pro wrestling on the planet," then doubling, tripling, and quadrupling down.
Perhaps these tweets wouldn't resonate so poorly had WWE's 'Beast Slayer' not laid a colossal egg in the aforementioned show's main event. Regardless, having only one truly great singles match (vs. AJ Styles) means Rollins has no place on our list, despite his obvious skill and popularity.
He isn't the only notable honourable mention, with Daniel Bryan falling out of contention after a lacklustre post-WrestleMania run, Kazuchika Okada suffering through a lack of high-calibre singles bouts, and injury robbing Tommaso Ciampa of a spot. Indie standouts PAC and Rey Fenix almost made it. Kenny Omega and The Young Bucks, shoe-ins in any other year, haven't worked enough matches to justify their inclusion, despite their obvious impact on the business in 2019.
Matches, promos, character work, presence, aura, and charisma comprised our criteria's backbone, as did how well the performers come off in their respective environments. You can't be a 'best in the world' contender if you aren't showing it...
10. Jon Moxley
Volume is not on Jon Moxley's side, with the former Dean Ambrose working just four bouts (one of which was against Big Cass, for goodness sake) since breaking free from his WWE prison. Regardless, the speed at which he has gone from burned-out Sports Entertainment rodeo clown to legitimately the hottest thing in the wrestling justifies his inclusion.
Bantered off for much of his dying WWE run, the 33-year-old nonetheless played a key role in Fastlane 2019's blistering Shield six-man versus Baron Corbin, Bobby Lashley, and Drew McIntyre. He has since partaken in one of the most memorable debuts in recent memory, attacking Chris Jericho, an official, and Kenny Omega at AEW Double Or Nothing's conclusion, placing him back amongst the sport's most buzz-worthy, then enhancing his star further with a brilliant, bloody brawl to snatch Juice Robinson's IWGP United States Title in NJPW.
A G1 Climax run now beckons for Moxley, who's already back to the best version of himself less than two months after leaving WWE. An electric presence on any show, his post-Stamford promo and character work have been exemplary and if the Robinson match is evidence, his G1 stint should shoot him further up this list.