39 Best Wrestlers From 39 Different Countries

7. South Africa: Justin Gabriel

british bulldog portrait
WWE.com

Birthplace: Cape Town, South Africa

Whilst his father, Paul Lloyd Snr./Pink Panther, is known as the most influential South African wrestler of all time, the former Justin Gabriel/current PJ Black is the most successful and globally recognised talent to come from the country.

Despite recent appearances with GWF and TNA, the high-flying daredevil is best known for his 5 years on the WWE’s main roster. Having debuted as part of The Nexus, Gabriel went on to become a 3-time Tag Team Champion before his time with the company came to an end at the start of this year.

Even though Gabriel is making a good living as PJ Black on the independent circuit and recently floating between GWF and TNA, one would have to think that a return to the big leagues of the WWE could be in the future of South Africa’s brightest wrestling talent.

Senior Writer
Senior Writer

Once described as the Swiss Army Knife of WhatCulture, Andrew can usually be found writing, editing, or presenting on a wide range of topics. As a lifelong wrestling fan, horror obsessive, and comic book nerd, he's been covering those topics professionally as far back as 2010. In addition to his current WhatCulture role of Senior Content Producer, Andrew previously spent nearly a decade as Online Editor and Lead Writer for the world's longest-running genre publication, Starburst Magazine, and his work has also been featured on BBC, TechRadar, Tom's Guide, WhatToWatch, Sportkskeeda, and various other outlets, in addition to being a Rotten Tomatoes-approved film critic. Between his main dayjob, his role as the lead panel host of Wales Comic Con, and his gig as a pre-match host for Wrexham AFC games, Andrew has also carried out a hugely varied amount of interviews, from the likes of Robert Englund, Kane Hodder, Adrienne Barbeau, Rob Zombie, Katharine Isabelle, Leigh Whannell, Bruce Campbell, and Tony Todd, to Kevin Smith, Ron Perlman, Elijah Wood, Giancarlo Esposito, Simon Pegg, Charlie Cox, the Russo Brothers, and Brian Blessed, to Kevin Conroy, Paul Dini, Tara Strong, Will Friedle, Burt Ward, Andrea Romano, Frank Miller, and Rob Liefeld, to Bret Hart, Sting, Mick Foley, Ricky Starks, Jamie Hayer, Britt Baker, Eric Bischoff, and William Regal, to Mickey Thomas, Joey Jones, Phil Parkinson, Brian Flynn, Denis Smith, Gary Bennett, Karl Connolly, and Bryan Robson - and that's just the tip of an ever-expanding iceberg.