10 Best Wrestlers Of 2023

6. Cody Rhodes

Gunther Cody Rhodes Bryan Danielson
WWE.com

Since WrestleMania 39, Cody Rhodes has been in programmes that are nothing to do with him winning the WWE Championship and/or "Finishing The Story". And yet, he remains the most over babyface in the company. Dumb luck on WWE's part, or the sheer genius of the 'American Nightmare' himself?

In reality, a bit of both. The in-house "facing adversity" road that all supposed superstars must travel was a stupid one to force upon Rhodes, but the damaging losses to Reigns and Brock Lesnar have at least been offset by an unflinching desire to get back to the pinnacle.

The aforementioned Brock series peaking at the end and with a Cody victory was a restorative moment for the performer and fans alike, and his enduring popularity has remained utterly astonishing all year. Triple H's post-WrestleMania filibustering about stories not having endings was nonsense, but Cody's made the work feel like a shoot. He will become WWE Champion (not the World Heavyweight one), and he'll do it on loads of merit too.

Away from the biggest stages (Cody won the Royal Rumble victory via a blinding mini-match with Gunther, had an epic with Reigns in even defeat, and stole SummerSlam against Lesnar), Rhodes has been a joy in singles and red-hot tag matches on Monday Night Raw. An odd couple tag team alongside Jey Uso saw both strike gold literally and figuratively, and a story is a headline one if Cody Rhodes is a part of it.

He's still undeniable. WrestleMania 40 has to prove 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