50 Best Wrestlers Of The 2020s (So Far)

44. Giulia

WWE Night Of Champions 2025 Cody Rhodes King Of The Ring
WWE.com

There was a fleeting moment during the earliest days of Giulia’s NXT tenure when whispers began circulating - had WWE overreached with the signing of Stardom’s crown jewel? A slightly subdued debut in front of a notoriously reactive audience led to some skepticism.

Gradually though, she reasserted the same formidable presence that made her a legend in Japan. By the time she dethroned Roxanne Perez to become NXT Women’s Champion in short order, it felt less like a coronation and more like a formality. The title - one that still carries a deep prestige - was a fitting reward for someone whose brilliance had long been proven elsewhere.

From her breakout run in 2020 as part of Donna Del Mondo, she quickly became the promotion’s most magnetic and versatile star. Across 2022 and 2023, she was the breakout star elect thanks to work with the likes of Mayu Iwatani, Tam Nakano, and Suzu Suzuki. The company entered masterclass factory form, with Giulia front and centre and earning acclaim that expanded beyond Joshi circles.

That best-in-the-world aura returned via a whistle-stop run in NXT, and it feels increasingly as though the matches will follow on the main roster too. She already operates with the confidence of someone who’s seen and conquered every kind of stage, making her matches appointment viewing and her ceiling still thrillingly unknown. 

Contributor
Contributor

Michael is a writer, editor, podcaster and presenter for WhatCulture Wrestling, and has been with the organisation over 8 years. He primarily produces written, audio and video content on WWE and AEW, but also provides knowledge and insights on all aspects of the wrestling industry thanks to a passion for it dating back over 35 years. As one third of "The Dadley Boyz" Michael has contributed to the huge rise in popularity of the WhatCulture Wrestling Podcast and its accompanying YouTube channel, earning it top spot in the UK's wrestling podcast charts with well over 62,000,000 total downloads. Within the podcasting space, he also co-hosts Benno & Hamflett, In Your House! and Podcast Horseman: The BoJack Horseman Podcast. He has been featured as a wrestling analyst for the Tampa Bay Times, Fightful, POST Wrestling, GRAPPL, GCP, Poisonrana and Sports Guys Talking Wrestling, and has covered milestone events in New York, Dallas, Las Vegas, Philadelphia, London and Cardiff. Michael's background in media stretches beyond wrestling coverage, with a degree in Journalism from the University Of Sunderland (2:1) and a series of published articles in sports, music and culture magazines The Crack, A Love Supreme and Pilot. When not offering his voice up for daily wrestling podcasts, he can be found losing it singing far too loud watching his favourite bands play live. Follow him on X/Twitter - @MichaelHamflett