Ranking The Top 10 Wrestlers of 2023

Who is the Sports Illustrated Wrestler of the Year?

There was only one pick for Wrestler of the Year.

For me, it came down to who made the greatest impact.

Week after week, live events to televised programs to pay-per-views, who made the most significant imprint on the industry? Who carried their respective company throughout the year? Who made you watch? And yes, matches played an important role, though they weren’t the only piece of the puzzle.

All of that brings us to the year’s Top 10, a chance to highlight those whose work particularly resonated in 2023.

This list is based on a wrestler’s work in the ring, the attention their work generated, and overall impact. Pro wrestling is a unique blend of sport and entertainment, one where your opponent is necessary in order for you to shine. Consistently elevating your opponent was an element factored into this list, as were match quality and the stage on which it took place.

Here are my top 10 wrestlers of 2023, beginning with the honorable mention:

Honorable mention: “Speedball” Mike Bailey, Bailey, Athena, Bryan Danielson, Sami Zayn

#10: Becky Lynch

Top three matches of 2023: Monday Night Raw steel cage match vs. Bayley; NXT Extreme Rules match vs. Tiffany Stratton; NXT match vs. Lyra Valkyria

Courtesy WWE

For Becky Lynch, this past year was more about her opponents than it was about herself.

Lynch, who was out of the WWE title picture, spent a healthy chunk of the year working a lengthy program with Trish Stratus. While Lynch remains at the top of her game, Stratus had been away from full-time wrestling, and it was Lynch’s responsibility to carry the feud. It ran longer than it should have, but Lynch ensured it ended on a high note in their feud-finishing cage match.

TIffany Stratton and Lyra Valkyria were the two greatest recipients of Lynch’s selflessness in 2023. She shined a bright light on Stratton and Valkyria, both of whom are rising stars in NXT and will both be significant players in WWE. Lynch will have her moments to shine on the main roster in 2024, but she also played a valuable role in NXT in 2023.

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#9: Gunther

Top three matches of 2023: WrestleMania 39 triple threat against Drew McIntyre and Sheamus; Monday Night Raw vs. Kevin Owens; Monday Night Raw vs. Chad Gable

Courtesy WWE

Gunther is the longest-reigning Intercontinental champion, surpassing a run the Honky Tonk Man set in 1988. And not only did Gunther smash the record, he has, incredibly, made the most of every day in this ongoing stretch as champion.

Choosing Gunther’s top three matches was difficult. He brought out the best of wrestlers with a remarkably different skill set, from Chad Gable to Drew McIntyre to The Miz to Bronson Reed. His work in the ring is authentic, legitimate, and unlike any of his peers.

If Cody Rhodes wins the world title, Gunther would make a phenomenal challenger. And the prospect of a bout against Brock Lesnar still looms for WrestleMania 40. After his year in 2023, he has cemented himself as one of the best in the world.

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#8: Swerve

Top three matches of 2023: AEW Dynamite vs. Darby Allin; WrestleDream Texas Deathmatch vs. Hangman Page; AEW Dynamite match vs. Bryan Danielson

Courtesy AEW

Swerve showed us a glimpse of the future in 2023, which is a lengthy reign as AEW world champion in 2024. He took a massive leap this past year, receiving opportunities to wrestle main-event talent–and then displaying he was even more compelling in the ring than those heralded opponents.

Stage and setting were extremely relevant, as Swerve shined on pay-per-view. Yet he also was a key contributor to the weekly television broadcasts, delivering content that made AEW must-see when he was on the screen. Swerve finished the year with a stellar run in the Continental Classic, as well as a victory against Dustin Rhodes (filling in for an injured Keith Lee) at Worlds End. Regardless the opponent, Swerve makes his matches worth watching, a quality of a champion.

One year from now, Swerve will be looked at differently than he is at the present moment. That is because he will have become world champion, becoming the face of a major company for the first time in his career.

Just like in 2023, we will get to watch Swerve make history in 2024. 

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#7: Tetsuya Naito

Top three matches of 2023: Wrestle Kingdom 17 vs. Kenoh; NOAH Keiji Muto Grand Final Last Love vs. Keiji Muto; G1 Climax vs. Will Ospreay

Courtesy NJPW

Keiji Muto is one of the greatest of all-time. For his final match, he knew that only one opponent could turn back time and make him shine, and that is why he chose to wrestle Tetsuya Naito.

Naito crafted an exceptional 2023, and a valid argument can be made as to why he should be higher on this list. An incredibly gifted storyteller in the ring, Naito possesses the ability to capture the emotion of the audience in a manner very few can around the world.

The latest G1 run stood out as another example of his brilliance, especially his match against Will Ospreay. He also shined against Muto, Kenoh, Hiroshi Tanahashi, Hikuleo, Kazuchika Okada, and Zack Sabre Jr.—and the list goes on. Now Naito seeks a world title run, seeking to write a new chapter in a real-life 18-year story with SANADA by defeating him at Wrestle Kingdom 18.

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#6: Seth Rollins

Top three matches of 2023: SummerSlam vs. Finn Balor, Crown Jewel vs. Drew McIntyre; Monday Night Raw vs. Jey Uso

Seth Rollins is the first and, as of now, only WWE world heavyweight champion. That title has helped reshape Monday Night Raw, providing a top prize that did not exist with Roman Reigns carrying both titles on SmackDown. But a belt alone does not make a show captivating; Rollins brought life to Raw throughout 2023 because he wrestled outstanding matches that gave tremendous value to the title.

Take your pick for the best Rollins match of 2023–was it against AJ Styles? Logan Paul? Drew McIntyre? Shinsuke Nakamura? Jey Uso? The programs with McIntyre, Nakamura and Uso either reintroduced (McIntyre), reacquainted (Nakamura, who only months prior was working the Slim Jim battle royal at SummerSlam), or introduced (Uso) a deserving talent into the world title picture. Rollins wrestles at an extremely high rate, makes his opponents look like stars, and succeeded in giving meaning to the new belt.

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#5: Will Ospreay

Top three matches of 2023: Wrestle Kingdom 18 vs. Kenny Omega; Forbidden Door vs. Omega; Naomichi Marufuji 25th Anniversary Show vs. Naomichi Marufuji

The recognition of being the wrestler with the best matches in 2023 belongs to Will Ospreay, who certainly deserves the award.

Every time Ospreay wrestled, it was a spectacle. An athletic marvel, he even brought his talents to AEW, wrestling an absurdly compelling match with Kenny Omega at Forbidden Door before shining over the summer against Chris Jericho at All In.

As superb as Ospreay was in 2023, he never carried a company. That will undoubtedly be his goal moving forward, where he looks to prove in the new year that he can hoist AEW on his shoulders as world champion.

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#4: Trinity

Top three matches of 2023: Impact! vs. KiLynn King; Slammiversary vs. Deonna Purrazzo; Two; Bound for Glory vs. Mickie James

Courtesy Impact

After not wrestling for nearly a year, Trinity returned in 2023 to produce the best work of her career.

And she didn’t need a WWE or AEW canvas to ply her trade, instead bringing a spotlight to Impact Wrestling. As Impact Knockouts champion, Trinity is finally getting an opportunity to be the face of the entire division. She has thrived in the role, instilling a genuine creativity in her work (using the ropes to set up a sunset flip in her return bout against KiLynn King, introducing new submission moves), and consistently putting forth elite-level wrestling.

Trinity is carving out her legacy. And she proved in 2023 that she does not need WWE to do it.

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#3: MJF

Top three matches of 2023: Revolution vs. Bryan Danielson; All In vs. Adam Cole; Collision vs. Kenny Omega

Courtesy AEW

MJF reached new heights in 2023. He carried the AEW title for almost the entire calendar year, shifted from heel to babyface, and wrestled, year-round, the most compelling matches in the company.

There is a certain excitement in the air when MJF grabs the microphone. He adds an edge everywhere he goes, even bringing it to social media. In addition to the new character layers, he found a way to stay connected all year with the fan base, which is incredibly difficult to do, especially as a fan favorite with the belt. Whether it was promoting that he was going to out-wrestle Bryan Danielson, or the friendship with Adam Cole, battling Jay White, or the devil storyline, MJF was exceptional all throughout 2023.

This was, without a doubt, the best year of his career. And I mean in the ring, too. He left no doubt that he is one of the absolute best in the world.

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#2: Rhea Ripley

Top three matches of 2023: Monday Night Raw vs. Natalya; WrestleMania 39 vs. Charlotte Flair; Crown Jewel five-way vs. Shayna Baszler, Raquel Rodriguez, Nia Jax, and Zoey Stark

Courtesy WWE

Rhea Ripley did not wrestle the most matches in 2023. Yet, when she stepped in the ring or appeared on screen, she made the most significant impact.

Ripley won the Royal Rumble match, laying the groundwork for her most noteworthy year to date. She became the most captivating member of The Judgment Day, which includes a superstar in Finn Balor, a rising one in Damian Priest, and the continually evolving Dom Mysterio. Whether she was in their corner or wrestling, Ripley reached a whole new tier of greatness.

The bout against Charlotte Flair at WrestleMania 39 was an all-time classic. It was hard-hitting, nonstop action, with all the details making sense in the pursuit of being the absolute best in the world. This is the match that vaulted Ripley into superstardom. Even with only a limited amount of matches since, her popularity continues to soar.

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#1: Cody Rhodes

Top three matches of 2023: Monday Night Raw vs. Finn Balor; WrestleMania 39 vs. Roman Reigns; SummerSlam vs. Brock Lesnar

Courtesy WWE

Nine months ago, the knock on Cody Rhodes was valid: he hadn’t earned his place as WWE champion.

He is making certain that does not happen again.

After returning to the company in 2022, Rhodes was red-hot, and his series of matches with Seth Rollins were incredibly gripping. But he was injured for the majority of the year, then returned in 2023 to win the Royal Rumble and challenge Roman Reigns in the main event of WrestleMania 39. The finish, of course, came at Rhodes’ expense. But this hasn’t been a repeat of Lux Luger in 1993 (in Lex’s defense, he had a solid run as a top babyface into ’94–though that will be a discussion for a different time). Instead of lamenting the loss, playing backstage politics, or simply losing momentum, Rhodes went out and delivered the most magnificent year of his career.

Rhodes has been on a mission all year, evidenced by his WWE-leading 112 matches. Yet a certain intensity was embedded into his work beginning on the Raw following WrestleMania, while he was still selling a rib injury from the prior night, when he called for a rematch. Thus began Rhodes’ long journey back to Reigns, and it has featured captivating matches with Brock Lesnar, Finn Balor, Damian Priest, Dom Mysterio, and Shinsuke Nakamura, with all roads leading to WrestleMania 40.

Could there be a swerve at WrestleMania 40 and Reigns retains? It isn’t out of the realm of possibility, especially depending on the plans for Jey Uso. While that remains unknown, it is undeniable that Rhodes, for the first time ever, has become the face of WWE. He accomplished that feat in 2023, displaying the most memorable work of his already distinguished career.