20 Absolute Best Wrestlers In The World Right Now
2. Shingo Takagi
Shingo Takagi, New Japan's Dragon, is the most reliable in-ring wrestler in the world, and there's a lot of distance between him and the competition.
Kenny Omega, Hiromu Takahashi, Kota Ibushi, and Tetsuya Naito all have lower floors, and Shingo peaks as high as any of them. Daniel Bryan and Sasha Banks haven't yet had the opportunity to perform in the same kind of spotlights in 2021. The wrestler who finished first on our list is incredible at every aspect of modern professional wrestling, but sometimes dips between the ropes.
Not Takagi. As strong and imposing as he is fast and explosive, the former Dragongate power-junior has started 2021 as he spent much of 2020. Wrestle Kingdom 15 saw him and Jeff Cobb engage in the kind of gutsy action fight that makes the NEVER Openweight division such fun. A few weeks later, Shingo met Hiroshi Tanahashi in a more refined, considered pro wrestling match that relied more on classicism than big bombs. Both bouts saw Shingo adapt to his opponents' strengths, and both bouts saw him excel.
A big match with Kazuchika Okada now awaits Los Ingobernables de Japon's schoolyard bully in the New Japan Cup. If it delivers to the same level as their recent G1 Climax match, Takagi will strengthen his position as the runaway in-ring wrestler of the year.