2023 was an incredible year for professional wrestling. So many great stories, matches, and moments, but it’s time to take a look at who made the most out of their year. We’ve seen so many new faces continue or even start their rise to the top in the last twelve months, but who grabbed the old “brass ring”? Let’s take a look at the best wrestlers of 2023.
10. CM Punk
If Punk had been around for more of the year, he’d probably be a bit higher on this list. If we are all being completely honest, much of wrestling’s biggest headlines this year have been about CM Punk. He has consistently been the topic of conversation whether in AEW or WWE even when he was out with an injury. On top of this, he has had some great moments and matches. His return to collision, his match with Samoa Joe and his insane return to WWE have helped Punk land this spot. Its unfortunate he was missing for the first half of the year.
9. Rhea Ripley
Rhea Ripley from her rocky start on the main roster and today’s Rhea Ripley are two completely different people. Her transformation is so drastic its hard not to notice just how in the zone she is right now. The Judgement Day has been a great thing for all of the members’ careers, but none more than hers. She has basically become the main character of Raw which is unprecedented and with good reason. She stands head and shoulders above almost any member of the female roster and has consistently put on good matches throughout the year and she more or less saved Dominik’s floundering career. If that isn’t a testament to her talent, I don’t know what is.
8. Toni Storm
What a wild ride Toni Storm’s 2023 has been. From a pretty “meh” start with the Outcasts to quickly becoming one of the most popular members of the roster she has completely transformed her character. She has always had consistently great matches, but this year she found a new aspect of her abilities. Her “Timeless” character has made her one of the more well-rounded wrestlers on the planet and her crowd reactions prove it. She is more over than most people, male or female. Funny, hard-hitting, and unique, Timeless Toni Storm has it all.
7. Kenny Omega
This may be too high for some people, but if having the best match of the year in January and the only competition to the title of “MOTY” is just the rematch isn’t enough, what is? This is clearly a down period for Kenny. He isn’t consistently featured on T.V, but he still manages to have some of the best matches of every year. He’s had singles bangers with Vikingo, Takeshita, and Kyle Fletcher. He had the bat-sh*t insane street fight with Ibushi, Jericho, and the…. Big Show? An under the radar for Kenny Omega would be the career highlight for a lot of guys in any company.
6. LA Knight
LA Knight was not supposed to be on a list of best wrestlers of the year, but thanks to Triple H, his career has been completely turned around. He went from modeling to having the most over catchphrase in the company in such a short time. In 2023, he has completely skyrocketed past any expectations of his career and continues to get some of the loudest reactions in the company. In-ring, he may not be the best, but he has something far more important. His presence is completely unmatched when he gets a microphone in his hand.
5. MJF
MJF had a really strong first eight months of the year and is more than deserving of a placement on this list. He had arguably the greatest iron man match of all time, one of the greatest four-way matches, and basically invented a new genre of wrestling at Wembley stadium. His year long title reign has had countless great matches and moments. Despite a slight downturn in the last few months, he still can perform at the highest level. MJF is definitely one of the best wrestlers of 2023.
4. Cody Rhodes
Cody Rhodes started the year hotter than anyone in the world and is ending it just as hot. After losing to Roman Reigns in the WM main event it seemed like he was destined to lose momentum. Fortunately, fans never lost hope and it feels inevitable that he finishes his story. To their credit, WWE has kept this story alive through subtle hints and allowed fans to trust the process. Outside of this story, he has consistently put on good matches with the likes of Brock Lesnar and the Judgement Day. His story is just starting to kick into gear on the road to the Royal Rumble.
3. Swerve Strickland
Swerve has been a complete phenomenon in the year of 2023. Recently, AEW has lost the “let it play out” abilities it had earned over the first few years. This caused a lot of people to expect Swerve to be one of those guys that gets lost in the shuffle, but by sheer force of will, he has made himself undeniable. Many attempts at Swerve’s push failed miserably (I am looking at you, Trench) and yet he remained hot despite these setbacks. After All In, he merged into the fast lane and never looked back. After two *great* matches with Hangman Page and a fantastic showing in the C2, Swerve seems destined to be world champion soon.
2. Gunther
I promise you that anyone who saw Walter on the independent scene could never have predicted how successful he would be on weekly television. How this has worked so well I will never know, but it sure did work. Gunther feels like a mountain no one can climb. Whoever does beat him eventually will be a made man. Gunther is, with no hyperbole, the best in-ring worker in WWE and the best I.C champ of all time. Gunther might be incapable of having a bad match. Saving a title from the brink and having multiple M.O.T.Y candidates gives him such a high spot on this list.
1. Bryan Danielson
How does Bryan Danielson consistently rank among the best wrestlers in almost every year? His resume is out of this world and it doesn’t make sense. Despite all of his injuries, it never feels like age is catching up to him when he’s in that ring. In one year, Danielson has wrestled a wider range of matches than most wrestlers can in an entire career. An incredible Iron Man match with MJF, Anarchy in the Arena, the match with Okada, a brutal strap match with Ricky Starks, a technical masterpiece with ZSJ, and a great run in the C2 have all happened in just the last 12 months. All of them are match of the year contenders, and yet all of them are completely unique. Is there anything Danielson can’t do? Bryan isn’t just one of the best wrestlers this year, he’s one of the best of all time. Appreciate him while he’s still around.
If you liked this article, check out my “Favorite matches of 2023“. Let me know who you’d include in your list. Is there anyone I forgot that deserves a spot? Make sure to follow me on X @wewanttablez