10 Best Wrestlers Of 2023 (So Far)

5. Kenny Omega

Sami Zayn
AEW

Ever the divisive sort, Kenny Omega's 2022 return had fans fizzing for him to shake off the cobwebs in singles action, but the strains of "Battle Cry" only hitting once - and for an AEW Dark taping no less - left many wanting more from 'The Best Bout Machine'.

2023 was just four days old when he came through with the goods, and the hits haven't stopped since.

A Wrestle Kingdom 17 return to New Japan Pro Wrestling and bout with Will Ospreay surpassed sky-high expectations. It instantly sold the potential of a rematch that AEW can promote for Forbidden Door and beyond, and elusive singles offerings against El Hijo del Vikingo and Jon Moxley on Dynamite were two of the company's best matches this year.

Elsewhere, his trios sprints alongside The Young Bucks against AR Fox & Top Flight were a riot, a title loss to The House Of Black at Revolution 2023 and follow-up three-way with The Jericho Appreciation Society represented a peak for the three-man thus far, and Anarchy In The Arena 2 was a reminder that The Elite's never-ending saga can still belong in the company's main event scene.

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