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PWI 500 is Pro Wrestling Illustrated’s annual attempt at ranking the top 500 wrestlers of the year from various promotions like NJPW, ROH, WWE etc.
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The wrestlers are ranked based on a variety of criteria like a win-loss record, quality of competition, major feuds, championships won and overall wrestling ability. Therefore, the wrestlers who rank in the top 10 have earned the right to call themselves the best in the world.
Hence, without any further ado, let’s take a look at who made the top 10.
#10 The Miz
The Miz is currently one of the best acts in pro wrestling and he has been that way for quite some time now. His mic skills are second to none. In fact, it now feels as if The Miz can make nearly any segment entertaining.
This has seen him climb the ladder to become one of WWE’s best mid-card wrestlers. This led to him winning the International Championship for a record eighth time. The Miz has had a meaningful year in WWE.
He started the year in grand fashion by regaining his Intercontinental Championship when he defeated Roman Reigns on RAW. He held on the belt for a few more months before eventually dropping the belt to Seth Rollins at WrestleMania 34.
Post his title reign, the former Intercontinental Champion was involved in a feud with long-time rival Daniel Bryan.
This feud can be considered as one of the best storylines of the year. Miz then went on to qualify for the WWE World Cup tournament at Crown Jewel. He made it to the finals but had to forfeit the tournament due to an injury.
With his ring work and mic skills constantly improving, Miz could have a huge role to play in WWE’s main event scene especially in the absence of Roman Reigns.
#9 Tetsuya Naito
Tetsuya Naito started 2018 by challenging Kazuchika Okada in a title bout at Wrestle Kingdom 12.
The match was an instant classic receiving a 4.5 rating, but Naito was unable to defeat the IWGP Heavyweight Champion. A few months later, Naito went on to win the IWGP Intercontinental title for the second time by defeating Minor Suzuki.
He held the belt for 41 days before losing it to Chris Jericho in another classic match at Dominion. This was his most notable feud of the year.
Naito also took part in the G1 Climax and put on some incredible matches with Kota Ibushi, Juice Robinson, Zack Sabre Jr., and Sanada throughout the tournament.
Clearly, 2018 has been a great year for the former IWGP Intercontinental Champion which helped him reach the number nine spot on this list.
2019 is expected to get better as he is already set to face Chris Jericho for the IWGP Intercontinental Championship at the Wrestle Kingdom 13.
#8 Cody
Cody has really come into his own after leaving WWE. We are now able to witness first hand what he is capable of.
His mic skills, character and ring work has considerably improved over the years. He knows how to better engage the audience which has seen him gain a lot of notoriety over the past year.
Cody has been involved in many notable feuds over the year including a feud with his former stablemate Kenny Omega.
This resulted in the two finally clashing at the G1 Special in San Fransisco when Cody challenged Kenny Omega for the IWGP Heavyweight Championship. Both wrestlers fought an exciting match with Kenny Omega coming out on top.
Cody then went on to successfully challenged Nick Aldis for his NWA World Heavyweight Championship at All In. On October 24, Cody turned a few heads by announcing that he would no longer be a part of Bullet Club.
2019 could prove to be an exciting year for Cody since he is no longer part of Bullet Club. In fact, with no alliance holding him back, Cody could very well become an IWGP Heavyweight Champion next year.
#7 Roman Reigns
If you were to compile a list of top 10 wrestlers in the world, Roman Reigns’ name would be included. After all, he is Vince McMahon’s blue-chip prospect. Roman Reigns spent the better part of 2018 fighting for the Universal title.
Reigns started the new year by losing his Intercontinental Championship to The Miz on the 25th Anniversary of RAW.
‘The Big Dog’ went on to participate in the Royal Rumble match and was the last man eliminated. Finally, Reigns got his long-awaited rematch against Brock Lesnar for the Universal Championship at WrestleMania 34.
The two men had an absolute bloody contest that saw Lesnar emerge the victor after pinning Roman Reigns by hitting him with his sixth F-5. They had a rematch for the championship at the Greatest Royal Rumble in a steel cage match.
Reigns lost the match after he speared Brock Lesnar through the cage allowing him (Lesnar) to escape the cage first.
The two men fought for the final time at SummerSlam. This time Reigns was victorious over Lesnar. After a successful title challenge against Lesnar, Reigns reignited his feud with Braun Strowman and the two men clashed in a Hell in a Cell match at the namesake PPV.
However, the match ended in a draw after interference from Brock Lesnar. This prompted a triple threat match between Brock Lesnar, Braun Strowman and Roman Reigns for the Universal Championship at the Crown Jewel event.
However, on October 22 episode of RAW, Reigns announced that he will be stepping away from the ring for a while due to Leukemia. This was the last we saw of ‘The Big Dog’ on WWE television.
#6 Braun Strowman
Braun Strowman has quickly climbed the main event ladder in WWE. He has been able to captivate audiences due to his raw strength and power.
Fans actually want to cheer him because he talks less and fights more. Some of his feats have seen him topple over trucks and lift very heavy objects.
This has left fans hungry for more. They just can’t get enough of Strowman. Hence, WWE decided to give ‘The Monster Among Men’ his first major push with the company.
He was put in a triple threat match against Kane and Brock Lesnar at the Royal Rumble. He was unsuccessful in winning the title.
Then, Strowman went on to win the RAW Tag Team Championship with Nicholas by defeating The Bar.
That didn’t stop ‘The Monster Among Men’ from wreaking havoc. Strowman won the Greatest Royal Rumble match and also broke Roman Reigns’ record of most eliminations by eliminating 13 men.
Again, Strowman found himself in the main event picture after he won the Money in The Bank ladder match at the namesake PPV.
Braun attempted to cash in his money in the bank briefcase against Reigns at Hell in a Cell but was unsuccessful as the match ended in a draw due to interference from Lesnar.
Strowman had his one on one match against Lesnar for the vacant Universal Championship belt at the Crown Jewel event. Strowman was again unsuccessful in winning the belt.
Clearly, Strowman has had a busy year in 2018 and next year is expected to get better. In fact, Strowman is scheduled to face Lesnar at the Royal Rumble PPV next year.
However, little is known about whether this match will actually take place considering Strowman’s current injury.
#5 Seth Rollins
Seth Rollins is one of the best in-ring performers that WWE has to offer. He has been consistently evolving over the years. 2018 was an exceptional year for ‘The Architect.’
In a test of endurance, Rollins wrestled for one hour and five minutes in a seven-man RAW gauntlet match.
He eliminated Roman Reigns and John Cena before being eliminated by Elias. This also set a new record as the longest performance in a match by any wrestler in RAW history.
Rollins went on to win the Intercontinental Championship at WrestleMania 34 making him the twenty-ninth Triple Crown Champion and the eighteenth Grand Slam Champion in the process.
Rollins proved to be a fighting champion as he defended his Championship in several open challenges before finally losing the title against Dolph Ziggler on the June 18, 2018, edition of RAW thanks to Drew McIntyre.
Rollins feuded with Ziggler for a few more months and finally reclaimed the Intercontinental Championship at SummerSlam.
His year got better as he went on to win the RAW Tag Team Championships with Dean Ambrose before he was betrayed by Dean on the same night.
This meant that Rollins was left to defend the Tag Titles in a handicap match against the Authors of Pain resulting in him (Rollins) losing the belt. Rollins then went on to feud with Dean Ambrose and even lost the Intercontinental Championship to Dean at TLC.
#4 Brock Lesnar
Brock Lesnar’s position on this list could raise more eyebrows due to the fact that he barely appears on WWE television.
He has also had very few title defenses when compared to AJ Styles. However, the fact the Brock Lesnar held the Universal Title for 504 days coupled with the fact that he went on to win the title again later in the year has earned him the fourth spot on this list.
Moreover, Lesnar’s reign as champion became known as “the longest in the modern era” when he surpassed CM Punk’s 434 days reign. Lesnar’s reign ended when he was pinned by Roman Reigns at SummerSlam.
However, this didn’t silence ‘The Beast’ as he returned during Reigns’ first title defense against Braun Strowman at The Hell in a Cell PPV attacking both men in the process.
It was later announced that Lesnar would challenge Reigns and Strowman in a Triple Threat Match at the Crown Jewel event. However, an unfortunate turn of events resulted in Reigns’ relinquishing the Universal Title.
This meant that their match at Crown Jewel was now a one on one match. Lesnar went on to win the belt by defeating Strowman in three minutes thanks to a pre-match attack by Baron Corbin.
Lesnar started the year as Universal Champion and will end the year as Universal Champion. Given Roman Reigns’ absence from the WWE, Lesnar will likely remain Champion for a very long time.
#3 Kazuchika Okada
Kazuchika Okada started the year with a successful title defense against Tetsuya Naito at Wrestlekingdom 12.
At this point, Okada broke Hiroshi Tanahashi’s record of 1,358 combined days as champion. Okada’s record-breaking year continued when he defeated Hiroshi Tanahashi at Wrestle Dontaku 2018 in his 12th successful title defence.
The match itself was an instant classic and earned a 5 1/2 rating from Wrestling Observer Newsletter.
His next challenger was later announced to be Kenny Omega at Dominion 6.9 in Osaka-jo Hall. The two men fought each other on three previous occasions with each man holding a record of one win, one draw, and one loss.
This match was to be a two out of three falls contest. Omega won the match by defeating Okada 2-1 to win the IWGP Heavyweight Championship after the grueling 65-minute match ending Okada’s streak at 720 days.
The match is widely regarding by the wrestling fraternity as the greatest wrestling match in history. Wrestling Observer Newsletter gave the match a record-breaking 7-star rating.
However, since losing his belt, Okada has had a pretty silent year and has failed to win the G1 Climax. This has seen him settle for the number 3 spot on this list.
#2 AJ Styles
Just like Brock Lesnar, AJ Styles started the year as WWE Champion, but unlike his RAW counterpart, AJ Styles has had much more title defenses.
Every year, AJ Styles just seems to get better. His mic skills and ring work are constantly on the rise and so is his ability to put on great matches every time he sets foot in the squared circle.
Styles has spent the better part of the year defending his Championship against notable opponents like Kevin Owens, Sami Zayn, John Cena, Samoa Joe, Shinsuke Nakamura and Daniel Bryan.
In fact, Styles held the WWE Championship for 371 days before losing the title to Daniel Bryan on an episode of Smackdown Live. 2018 has been one of Style’s best years and next year promises to be better.
‘The Phenomenal One’ has been WWE’s workhorse over the past year placing him at No.2 in this list.
#1 Kenny Omega
Kenny Omega has been one of the best things in professional wrestling for quite some time. His unique charisma and ring presence are second to none. Not to mention his uncanny ability to put on great matches.
Omega has been involved in three of the highest rated matches of the year including a whopping 7-star two out of three falls match against longtime rival Kazuchika Okada that saw him win the IWGP World Heavyweight Champion ending Okada’s reign at 720 days.
Omega has since been a fighting champion defending his title on multiple occasions against the likes of Cody Rhodes, and Tomohiro Ishii. He also put on great matches in the G1 Climax against Kota Ibushi, Sanada, Zack Sabre jr, and Juice Robinson.
The roll that Omega is on at the moment indicates that he will be IWGP Heavyweight Champion for a very long time. Omega’s in-ring ability and stunning performances throughout the year currently makes him the best wrestler in the world.
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