10 Best Wrestlers Of 2023 (So Far)

2. Gunther

Sami Zayn
WWE.com

Secondary titles are primary concerns in 2023, and Gunther's Intercontinental Championship run is already the greatest of all time even if it falls short of The Honky Tonk Man's longevity record.

It almost definitely won't, though. WWE are on the home straight with that now, and 'Der Ring General's work has done the heavy lifting passing the days in ways Roman Reigns can only dream of by comparison.

Like the Number One wrestler on this list and certain former Intercontinental Champions, Gunther simply doesn't have bad matches anymore. And if he did, they'd be collector's items in their own right. It's dark arts stuff watching him work too - he forces his opponents into attempting to climb the same mountain but their differing attempts add unique character to every battle. An hour in the Royal Rumble was the test of this, and passing that with flying colours presumably assured him of even greater title runs when this one eventually comes to a close.

Never was this any more pronounced than in his WrestleMania 39 Triple Threat victory over Sheamus and Drew McIntyre. Having swallowed up Match Of The Year plaudits for his singles bout against 'The Celtic Warrior' in 2022, the Champion doubled down on the violence with double the hard-hitting opposition. McIntyre's similar style was the perfect accompaniment, but just when twice the raw power looked enough to demolish the Gunther edifice once and for all, he showed the guts and guile of a future headline babyface lurking beneath the heel exterior.

And speaking of future headline babyfaces...

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