20 Absolute Best Wrestlers In The World Right Now

9. Eddie Kingston

Kingston would feature higher on this list if not for his recent period of inactivity. Injury robbed wrestling of its most believable pugilist for much of January and February, including what would have been a highlight match against the criminally underrated AJ Gray in GCW, but now he's back as the wedge between Santana, Ortiz, and the rest of The Inner Circle, delivering to his usual standard.

The realest guy in any room he walks into has exceeded even the loftiest expectations of his AEW run. No longer grinding the independent circuit, he has become a compelling, grounded presence on TNT and TBS, thanks primarily to the complete lack of a line between the man he is in real life and who he "plays" on television. When Eddie appears on your screen, you are guaranteed to get something from the heart, and having been instrumental in some of AEW's best matches of 2021 towards the back-end of the year, he has silenced the off-base criticism that his promos and character outweigh what he does between the ropes.

There's no "performing" with Eddie. You never need to suspend your disbelief with him because he isn't an actor pretending to be something he is not. What you're getting is a rugged, raw master psychologist who now stands amongst the most over people in AEW on the strength of his output.

Who else could turn an arena of people against babyface CM Punk at the moment?.