50 Best Wrestlers Of The 2020s (So Far)
12. Bianca Belair
To anoint yourself the 'EST of WWE' on arrival was bold, but Bianca Belair made it a mission statement to prove the nickname true every time she stepped between the ropes. It's been mission accomplished just about every time since.
She first caught fire in NXT in the late 2010s, but her big breakthrough came at the 2021 Royal Rumble when - just under a year into her time on the main roster and having subsequently never wrestled in front of a crowd as a WWE Superstar - she outlasted the field to book her title shot at WrestleMania 37. There, in front of a socially distanced crowd - she made history by headlining Night 1 against Sasha Banks in a match that was not only an instant classic, but also a genuine cultural moment and wrestling history in the making.
From there, Belair never looked back. She held the Raw or SmackDown Women's Championship for large stretches of the decade’s first half, turning in high-profile performances against Becky Lynch, Bayley, Asuka, IYO SKY, and Charlotte Flair. Her reigns were dominant but never dull - she elevated challengers and carried segments regardless of the creative’s strength behind them.
And that’s the story of Belair in many ways - even when the booking has lagged or the division has floundered, she’s remained a rock. In 2024/25, she's added a new layer to her game by helping usher in Jade Cargill and other new names, while stealing yet more WrestleManias even in spite of her undefeated streak coming to an end at the hands of Sky and Ripley.