20 Absolute Best Wrestlers In The World Right Now

14. Will Ospreay

Daniel Bryan Best In The World
Instagram/@willospreay

This tweet encapsulates Will Ospreay's new approach to professional wrestling in 2019:-

Removed from NJPW's junior heavyweight division, the NEVER Openweight Champion has been reborn through violence. His Wrestle Kingdom 13 clash with Kota Ibushi provided the stage. Though the much-anticipated bout started as the flippydoo spectacle many expected, it soon slowed down, becoming a harder, grittier affair. Ibushi was legitimately concussed on a corner spot, but the dead-eyed selling born of that brutal elbow strike really hammered Ospreay's new edge home. For his part, 'The Assassin' had the match one with said Hidden Blade, yet he still chose to hammer the victory home with an unnecessary Stormbreaker. Beating his opponent wasn't enough; Will needed to see him leave on a stretcher.

Ospreay's 2019 is going to be fascinating. Having done the junior heavyweight scene to death, oodles of fresh match-ups have now opened up, from Hirooki Goto and Tomohiro Ishii to bigger names like Tetsuya Naito and Hiroshi Tanahashi. Miss his inevitable G1 Climax run at your peril.

Though his work isn't perfect (the over-the-top shrieking can be grating), it's impossible to omit a wrestler with Will's resume from this list.

2018 ranking: 9.

Channel Manager
Channel Manager

Andy has been with WhatCulture for eight years and is currently WhatCulture's Wrestling Channel Manager. A writer, presenter, and editor with 10+ years of experience in online media, he has been a sponge for all wrestling knowledge since playing an old Royal Rumble 1992 VHS to ruin in his childhood. Having previously worked for Bleacher Report, Andy specialises in short and long-form writing, video presenting, voiceover acting, and editing, all characterised by expert wrestling knowledge and commentary. Andy is as much a fan of 1985 Jim Crockett Promotions as he is present-day AEW and WWE - just don't make him choose between the two.