10 Best Wrestlers Of 2023 (So Far)

7. Cody Rhodes

Sami Zayn
WWE.com

Cody Rhodes is currently in the middle of a programme that's nothing to do with him winning the WWE Championship, but it's not the incomplete storyline with Brock Lesnar or his Money In The Bank aspirations getting in the way of him being allowed to "Finish The Story".

It's the in-house "facing adversity" programme that all supposed "superstars" must embark upon now despite every made man in company history doing nothing of the sort en route to the top.

Cody's 2023 resumé was impressive already, but when considering the heavy losses against Lesnar and Roman Reigns, his enduring popularity is frankly astonishing. Nothing can stop 'The American Nightmare', and that thankfully includes WWE's creative and Triple H's post-WrestleMania filibustering about stories not having endings. He will become WWE Champion (not the World Heavyweight one), and he'll do it on loads of merit too.

His Royal Rumble victory featured a blinding mini-match with Gunther, his WrestleMania main event was the best version of the new Roman Reigns epic (despite the result), and his contests with Lesnar have been 'The Beast's most captivating in years. Cody Rhodes is yet again undeniable, in spite of his new employer's desperation to disprove that.

Contributor
Contributor

Michael is a writer, editor, podcaster and presenter for WhatCulture Wrestling, and has been with the organisation nearly 8 years. He primarily produces written, audio and video content on WWE and AEW, but also provides knowledge and insights on all aspects of the wrestling industry thanks to a passion for it dating back over 35 years. As one third of "The Dadley Boyz" Michael has contributed to the huge rise in popularity of the WhatCulture Wrestling Podcast and its accompanying YouTube channel, earning it top spot in the UK's wrestling podcast charts with well over 62,000,000 total downloads. He has been featured as a wrestling analyst for the Tampa Bay Times, GRAPPL, GCP, Poisonrana and Sports Guys Talking Wrestling, and has covered milestone events in New York, Dallas, Las Vegas, Philadelphia, London and Cardiff. Michael's background in media stretches beyond wrestling coverage, with a degree in Journalism from the University Of Sunderland (2:1) and a series of published articles in sports, music and culture magazines The Crack, A Love Supreme and Pilot. When not offering his voice up for daily wrestling podcasts, he can be found losing it singing far too loud watching his favourite bands play live. Follow him on X/Twitter - @MichaelHamflett