10 Wrestlers Who Are The Best In The World At Exactly ONE Thing
The best in the world at what they do.
Chris Jericho is the greatest working professional wrestler on the planet.
According to Chris Jericho.
"Not being egotistical or arrogant, but right here and right now, for the first time since 2010, I honestly feel that I AM the best in the world," he tweeted on 10 May. "Not gonna discuss or debate. It's just the way I feel..."
The former AEW World Champion deleted the post hours later, but no matter: he'd already given fans something to chew on. That's what Jericho does. He's a master worker with a decades-long history of making people react. Whether he earnestly believes that he's the best in the world doesn't matter, because he got you talking about it.
Debating the best in the world/greatest of all time requires objective and subjective considerations. It's an endless debate that'll never reach a consensus, though most would agree that multi-category excellence is required. This list of variables is infinite, everyone has a different take on their importance, and general consensus will never be found. Atomised conversations on individual traits are considerably easier, fortunately.
How many of these wrestlers belong in a generalised "best in the world" conversation is for you to decide, though each is the industry standard in at least one department...
10. Chris Jericho: Reinvention
He may not be the absolute best professional wrestler on the planet in 2020, but the list of performers who can match Chris Jericho's ability to continually reinvent himself is precisely zero entries long.
From 'Lionheart' and 'The Ayatollah of Rock 'n' Rollah' to 'The Best in the World at What I Do' and the List, Jericho has proven himself a chameleon over the past three decades, routinely coming up with new characters, gimmicks, and hooks to maintain relevance in an ever-changing industry. That his current 'Le Champion'/'Painmaker' run will go down as one of his most compelling speaks to this. Jericho is as great as ever at 49 years old and though his peak athletic years are far behind him, his AEW and NJPW success shows that time has only sharpened his wrestling mind.
Jericho's ability to tap into what clicks with modern audiences has bought longevity comparable to the man who inspired his 'Best in the World' reinvention in 2008, Nick Bockwinkel, who was relevant until the day he retired as a 52-year-old in 1987. Whether he's still wrestling or not, it'd be foolish to bet against Jericho's prominence by the time he hits that age.