20 Absolute Best Wrestlers In The World Right Now

Hiroshi Tanahashi's greatest achievement will always be saving New Japan Pro Wrestling from rampant Inokiism over a decade ago, but what he accomplished at Wrestle Kingdom 13 can't be understated either.

The 42-year-old Ace once again proved that his smarter, more nuanced approached to professional wrestling was the superior style, as he bested IWGP Heavyweight Champion Kenny Omega in a bout worthy of its Tokyo Dome setting. His was a personal war on the body-destroying, high-risk approach favoured by 'The Cleaner' and wrestlers of his ilk. Though forced to dip his toe in Omega's waters with a top rope dive through a table outside the ring, Tana succeeded via one of the most nuanced performances of his career, built with the kind of minor details only the all-time greats come close to mastering.

That's exactly what Tanahashi his: one of the best to ever do this.

An in-ring storyteller par excellence, his body is no doubt riddled with aches and pains, but his mind has never been sharper. His timing is impeccable, and unlike Omega (and occasionally Okada), it never feels like he's doing too much. Rather, everything Tanahashi does between the ropes (from his ligament-snapping Dragon Screws to his incredible limb selling as purpose), and after notching another landmark victory with another world-class Wrestle Kingdom performance, he has marked himself as the best wrestler in the world once more.

2018 ranking: 5.