10 Wrestlers Who Overdelivered In 2023
Doing the job - and then some.
As 2023 draws to a close, and fans reflect on a particularly wild year in wrestling, the standout performers have mostly been as expected. Roman Reigns remains a draw whether you like him or not, MJF’s evolution has been a joy to behold, Seth Rollins remains the workhorse’s workhorse.
Beyond the usual suspects, though, are the wrestlers who have found themselves unexpectedly holding the ball and running with it. From superstars in the spotlight who have used it in exciting and unexpected ways, to those who have marched their way to the front of the queue through sheer force of personality, these workers have done far more than could reasonably be expected from what they’ve been given.
In the strange world of sports entertainment you live or die by the booker’s pencil, to some extent, but some of these performers have proved that it’s not always so simple - find that spark, or simply bust a gut, and you can turn yourself from also-ran to next in line.
An incredible 12 months, then, but for these wrestlers, now’s the time to look forward to what will be an incredible 2024.
10. Bryan Danielson
Danielson features low on this list because overdelivery is relative. Fans know what to expect from him to some extent. That he’s one of the best wrestlers on the planet goes without saying; that he’s a true locker room leader is obvious.
Even by his own lofty standards, though, 2023 has been pretty fantastic for the American Dragon. From the off he’s put on a bevy of spectacular TV matches: a bloodbath against Rush, show stealing bouts against Swerve, Andrade, and Kingston.
On PPV, he levels up further. The MJF Iron Man match. The technical spectacular with Zack Sabre Jr, a match with impossible hype that it somehow lived up to. Perhaps most impressively of all, the strap match against Ricky Starks, a masterclass on how to shine a spotlight on a younger star while still looking like a killer.
All that, and he’s expertly hyped fans for 2024, his final full time year. Tony Khan is clearly enamoured of Danielson, and will likely let him do whatever he wants for his swansong. For a lot of superstars, that would be cause for concern - not for this guy, wrestling’s purest man.