10 Best Wrestlers Of 2023 (So Far)

6. Rhea Ripley

Sami Zayn
WWE.com

Rhea Ripley's on such incredible form in 2023 that she'd be number one on this list if anybody else in her orbit were being booked (and working) to a similar standard.

The Judgment Day's toughest member since the moment she joined, Ripley built on a staggeringly impressive second half of 2022 by going coast-to-coast in the Royal Rumble to punch her ticket for WrestleMania 39. A genius seller who understands how her character should approach differing physical obstacles, she made her 23:35 against Charlotte Flair at the 'Show Of Shows' look as tough as the 1:01:08 she spent in the January classic, and stole the show from underneath the epic Bloodline main event drama on the 'Grandest Stage'.

Believably dominant in contrast to the muddled way her character was initially handled on the main roster, there was a measured quality to her thrilling squash wins over Zelina Vega and Natalya at Backlash and Night Of Champions respectively, and her partnership with Dominik Mysterio continues to be one of the most endearingly appalling things in all of wrestling.

A multi-tool player in a division with too few serious contenders, Ripley will surely follow recent trends and hold the SmackDown Women's Championship for a long long time. An impending feud with Becky Lynch could be legacy-defining stuff if it reaches its peak.

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