10 Best Wrestlers Of 2019

1. Will Ospreay

Will Ospreay
NJPW

Throughout the G1 Climax, Will Ospreay threw a more disgusting shotgun blast of a chop than even WALTER has ever delivered.

He very nearly rivalled Zack Sabre, Jr. on the mat. He used a real-life stinger to cast a spell of suspended disbelief in a classic match with Kota Ibushi, and that wasn't even his finest performance in the tournament: that was his near-perfect showdown with Kazuchika Okada.

It wasn't even his finest tournament: he won the Best of the Super Juniors with a career and near-industry best performance opposite Shingo Takagi in which he fought as powerfully as he wrestled, laying to rest a criticism that feels outrageously dumb now. An otherworldly athlete, Ospreay in collaboration with New Japan's production department conveyed that with a magnificent trick, in which the camera would hover over his opponent's awed face following an impossible flex of agility. He stole the mist from BUSHI's mouth in a great moment more recently, one that put over an ability to master the space between moves as much as his supernatural ability to execute physically impossible moves in themselves.

The next decade is his, let alone year, provided he heeds the influence of latter-day influence Hiroshi Tanahashi.

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Michael Sidgwick is an editor, writer and podcaster for WhatCulture Wrestling. With over seven years of experience in wrestling analysis, Michael was published in the influential institution that was Power Slam magazine, and specialises in providing insights into All Elite Wrestling - so much so that he wrote a book about the subject. You can order Becoming All Elite: The Rise Of AEW on Amazon. Possessing a deep knowledge also of WWE, WCW, ECW and New Japan Pro Wrestling, Michael’s work has been publicly praised by former AEW World Champions Kenny Omega and MJF, and current Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes. When he isn’t putting your finger on why things are the way they are in the endlessly fascinating world of professional wrestling, Michael wraps his own around a hand grinder to explore the world of specialty coffee. Follow Michael on X (formerly known as Twitter) @MSidgwick for more!