20 Absolute Best Wrestlers In The World Right Now
Ranking the world's biggest hitters, from WWE, Japan, Mexico, and beyond.
Much has changed since the last time we considered the best wrestlers in the world, but while everyone has a differing opinion on this subject (and there's no such thing as an objective "best" wrestler), our criteria are relatively straightforward.
In-ring ability, character work, presence, aura, and charisma are equally important. Moreso is how well a performer comes off in their environment. Regardless of whether it's their fault or otherwise, it's impossible to call someone a "best in the world" contender if they aren't showing it. Besides, the cream of the crop find ways to transcend inconsistent writing anyway.
Honourable mentions are many. Seth Rollins, WWE Raw's most consistent wrestler, misses out through his unconvincing promo work and propensity to wet the bed in big matches (see: TLC 2018, Extreme Rules 2018). Chris Jericho's brilliant NJPW appearances are too sparse. Matt and Nick Jackson's incredible selling-oriented 2018 has tailed off over the past few months. Tetsuya Naito is a victim of middling booking and stagnant card position, though 2019 promises greater riches. Asuka is only just showing signs of her former self again. The list goes on.
Who's left after such noteworthy omissions? Let's find out...
20. AJ Styles
Though AJ Styles deserves great credit for salvaging the WWE Championship's credibility following Jinder Mahal's dismal reign, and his 2018 definitely picked up towards the end, last year wasn't vintage by the man's own high standards.
The 'dream' Shinsuke Nakamura feud didn't meet expectations. Upon concluding it, Styles would drift into a rivalry with Samoa Joe that yielded improved in-ring fortunes, though the storyline's soap opera trappings jumped the shark long before the blow-off match. To contrast, the Bryan programme has been outstanding, and Survivor Series was AJ's best match in a long time, but there just isn't enough evidence to support the argument that Styles is a 'Best in the World' contender in his current form.
Despite all this, Styles isn't a negative performer by any stretch of the imagine (he remains a world-class in-ring talent), and there's nothing to suggest his skills have declined at all. Rather, his slide from 2 to 20 is mostly presentation based. That's not his fault, but we can't make an argument for a guy who spent much of last year farting out three-star specials with Nakamura.
2018 ranking: 2.