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Pro Wrestling Illustrated (PWI) is widely regarded as one of the most credible and respected publications within the professional wrestling genre. The company was established in 1979, and today is the longest-running wrestling publication in circulation.
In 1991, Pro Wrestling Illustrated began publishing its annual rankings, which is known as the PWI 500. The inaugural year had Hulk Hogan ranked as #1, with Lex Luger #2 and Ric Flair rounding out the top 3. Pro Wrestling Illustrated determines its annual ranking system by using certain criteria, such as in-ring ability, prominence of feuds, titles won, quality of competition, and relevancy within the wrestlers' respective companies.
The 2023 PWI 500 was recently revealed, and some major names are dominating the list. With that in mind, there are also a few surprises as well. Today, we take a look at some of the biggest stories coming from the newly released ranking. Here are our top five biggest stories from the 2023 PWI 500.
#5 - Claudio Castagnoli jumps 179 spots from the 2022 PWI 500
After spending nearly a dozen years as "Cesaro" with WWE, Claudio parted ways with the company in mid-2022. He made his AEW debut at the Forbidden Door pay-per-view, where he defeated Zack Sabre Jr. After joining the AEW roster, Claudio aligned himself with some familiar faces as a member of The Blackpool Combat Club.
Claudio found himself back in his old stomping grounds after Tony Khan acquired Ring of Honor. At the 2022 Death Before Dishonor pay-per-view, Claudio Castagnoli defeated Jonathan Gresham to become the new ROH World Champion. After dropping the title to Chris Jericho shortly into his reign, Claudio regained the championship at the Final Battle event.
Castagnoli came in at #12 on the 2023 PWI 500 rankings. This was an incredible jump of 179 spots from last year's ranking, where he came in at #191. Claudio's sudden surge is primarily due to his favorable creative direction since signing with AEW.
#4 - Masha Slamovich became the highest-ranked female in PWI 500 history
There's an old saying that "dynamite comes in small packages." That statement fits Masha Slamovich perfectly. At 5'3" and less than 140 pounds, Masha has more heart than stature. Since signing with IMPACT Wrestling in 2016, Slamovich has soared in popularity and has become one of the top stars on the entire roster.
The annual PWI 500 ranking is comprised of mostly male wrestlers. However, PWI makes exceptions for the select few top ladies who compete against women and men. With that said, Masha is arguably the very best in the world when it comes to intergender wrestling. Last year, Masha finished at #110 in the 2022 PWI 500. This year, she is ranked #15, up 95 spots from last year, making her the highest-ranking female ever in the PWI 500.
#3 - Solo Sikoa climbs over 300 spots to #38
Solo Sikoa has enjoyed a career breakthrough over the past year. Solo has been the backbone of The Bloodline, serving as Roman Reigns' muscle throughout the entire saga. Solo has been the most loyal to The Tribal Chief, and now he is primed to see his career take off to the next level.
When the 2022 rankings were released, Solo Sikoa came in at #401. This year. Sikoa soared 363 spots into the top 50 at #38. Now that things have started to shift for The Bloodline and it appears that the stable has essentially been dismantled, Solo should see new opportunities arise as he moves forward in his singles career.
#2 - Gunther ranks #4 after becoming the longest-reigning Intercontinental Champion in WWE history
The past year has been a breakout period for WWE Intercontinental Champion Gunther. After decades of the Intercontinental title record being held by The Honky Tonk Man, Gunther was the one to finally break it, becoming the longest-reigning Intercontinental Champion of all time.
Thanks in part to his historic title run, Gunther is ranked #4 on the 2023 PWI 500. This is a drastic improvement from the 2022 ranking when the Austrian star finished #91. This gave Gunther a jump of 87 spots from the previous PWI 500 ranking. He ranks higher than several top-tier stars such as MJF, Bryan Danielson, and Cody Rhodes, to name a few.
#1 - The Shield reunites in the top 3 spots of the PWI 500
During the 2012 Survivor Series event, a mysterious trio of superstars dressed in black interfered in the main event, a triple-threat match between CM Punk, Ryback, and John Cena. They assisted Punk in winning, thus retaining his title. This trio was revealed to be Roman Reigns, Seth Rollins, and Dean Ambrose (Jon Moxley). Together, they made up a faction known as The Shield.
The Shield would go on to cause complete chaos and destruction for several years before eventually dismantling. From that point, each member would begin their own singles run. Each of the three members has enjoyed a massive amount of success at the highest level. While Rollins and Reigns are still with WWE, Moxley has moved on to AEW, where he has become one of the company's top stars.
This past year has been the year of The Bloodline, so it comes as no surprise that Roman Reigns is still near the top of the PWI 500 rankings, coming in at #2, down just one spot from last year when he was listed as #1. Seth Rollins has taken over the top spot following an incredible year as the inaugural World Heavyweight Champion. Rollins jumped 16 spots from his 2022 ranking at #17.
Lastly, Jon Moxley has had an enormous year with AEW, which has resulted in him climbing up to the #3 spot, which is an improvement from his previous 2022 ranking at #12.
