20 Absolute Best Wrestlers In The World Right Now

Celebrating Roman Reigns, CM Punk, Utami Hayashishita, and the best wrestlers in the world.

Best in the world 2022
AEW/WWE/NJPW/ROH/Stardom

The criteria here differ from our recent 10 Best Wrestlers Of 2021 list, which encompassed importance to business, relevance, and other factors separate from onscreen output. Here, the scope is narrower. The goal is to determine the most outstanding wrestler right now, based solely on their performances.

Consistency and quality are key, with every aspect of the wrestlers' body of work taken into account. Matches, promos, character work, and everything else that happens onscreen. Nothing more, nothing less.

Current form is critical. Some of the most talented wrestlers in the world aren't on this list purely because they aren't showing it. If a wrestler has delivered significant volumes of high-quality work over the past few months, they can't be considered one of the best in the world right now, with injuries, inactivity, and weak direction precluding several greats from making it.

And if you're wondering where a certain name is, look out for the honourable mentions page towards the end. There are a lot of world-class wrestlers out there and with footage more accessible than ever before, narrowing them down to 20 was difficult. There's no great shame in not making the cut.

Anyway, here they are. The best wrestlers in the world.

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Channel Manager

Andy has been with WhatCulture for six years and is currently WhatCulture's Senior Wrestling Reporter. 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.