Ranking the top 10 wrestlers of 2019

2019 was probably one of the best years to be a professional wrestling fan. We saw the debut of All Elite Wrestling which took Wednesday night wrestling to a whole other level. And this year has seen some stellar performances from some incredible wrestlers.

There are always arguments that arise every year among hardcore wrestling fans regarding who was the best wrestler of the year. Therefore, we decided to make it easier for those fans and rank the 10 best wrestlers inonhis list.

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. This list contains both male and female wrestlers.

Hence, without any further ado, let’s take a look at who made the top 10.

#10 Will Ospreay

Without a doubt, Will Ospreay has been the best bout machine of 2019. When it comes to delivering jaw-dropping performances, very few wrestlers on the planet come close to Will Ospreay. Rightly nicknamed ‘The Aerial Assassin”, Ospreay’s aerial feats are a highlight reel on their own.

After becoming a two-time Best of the Super Juniors winner and a three-time IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion, Will has earned the right to call himself one of the best wrestlers in the world. Moreover, he has put his speed and agility to the test and held his own against some of NJPW’s best heavyweights such as Kazuchika Okada, Jay White, Lance Archer and many more.

In 2019, Will Ospreay has wrestled in two of the highest-rated matches. He put on a stellar performance against Shingo Takagi in the Best of The Super Juniors finals to win his third IWGP Junior Heavyweight Title. A few weeks later, he took IWGP Heavyweight Champion Kazuchika Okada to the limit in the G1 Climax tournament which many fans regard as a career highlight for Ospreay.

All these accomplishments in just twelve months have seen Will Ospreay occupy the number 10 spot on this list.

#9 Hiroshi Tanahashi

Known by many Japanese fans as the man who carried New Japan on his back during its difficult period, Hiroshi Tanahashi has become a legend in Japanese wrestling. ‘The Ace’ has had a roller coaster of a year in 2019.

After winning the G1 Climax in 2018, Tanahashi successfully challenged Kenny Omega for the IWGP Heavyweight Champion at Wrestle Kingdom 13. Hiroshi Tanahashi is the living testament that age is just a number. At 42 years young, Tanahashi seems to be getting better with each passing year.

His experience and skills show in the way he paints a beautiful picture across the wrestling canvas. This year, he has put on stellar matches against Will Ospreay, Evil, Kota Ibushi, and Sanada. One could argue that this may have been one of Tanahashi’s best years yet.

Let’s hope that Tanahashi’s match by match performance continues to rise. Maybe next year ‘The Ace’ will occupy the number one spot on this list.

#8 Adam Cole

Very few wrestlers in the world have had as good a year as Adam Cole. Say what you want about Adam Cole and The Undisputed Era but it doesn’t change the fact that Cole is one of the biggest prospects in the world right now.

Cole started the year in great fashion by becoming the number one contender for the NXT Championship on the March 20th episode of NXT. Cole then went on to defeat Johnny Gargano in an epic two out of three falls match at NXT Takeover: New York.

Since winning the NXT Championship, Adam Cole has been on a roll, having one of the best months of his career in November when he defeated Daniel Bryan on Smackdown and went on to defend his NXT Championship against Pete Dunn at Survivor Series.

With the competition for the NXT Championship heating up, it will be interesting to see how Adam Cole holds on to his gold in 2020.

#7 Johnny Gargano

Johnny Gargano can rightly be called WWE’s best bout machine of 2019. While many of his colleagues from NXT have been called up to the main roster, Gargano’s place at the upper echelons of NXT seems far from over. To be honest, many fans won’t mind if Gargano remains in NXT forever. On NXT, he has been able to stand out from the rest whereas a move to the main roster could allow him to get lost in the noise.

Gargano has been able to deliver standout performances consistently. He never fails to live up to his moniker – Johnny Wrestling. He has been stellar in every NXT Takeover match that he has participated in this year. You might as well call him Johnny Takeover.

Gargano started his year by putting on an instant classic against Ricochet. He followed that up with another highly-rated match against Adam Cole at NXT Takeover XXV. Just when you thought it couldn’t get better for Johnny Wrestling, he delivered a critically acclaimed match against Adam Cole at NXT Takeover: New York.

Match wise, he has been WWE’s most dependable asset and has more than justified his place at number six on this list.

#6 Becky Lynch

Becky Lynch has had an interesting transformation over the past year which has seen her career move in an upward trajectory. Lynch started her year in great fashion by winning the Women’s Royal Rumble match.

‘The Man’ then went on to challenge Charlotte Flair and Ronda Rousey in a winner takes all match at WrestleMania 35. Lynch won the match by pinning Ronda Rousey in a controversial finish becoming “Beck Two Belts” in the process.

Although Lynch quickly lost the Smackdown Women’s Title to Charlotte, she managed to hold on to the RAW Women’s Championship. Lynch went on to break Rousey’s record by becoming the longest-reigning RAW Women’s Championship of all-time by holding the belt for more than 232 days.

It’s exciting to see for how long Becky Lynch will hold on to the RAW Women’s Championship especially if Shayna Baszler gets bumped up to the main roster.

#5 Kazuchika Okada

This time last year, Kazuchika Okada was the third-ranked wrestler in the world. But after losing the IWGP Heavyweight Championship in 2018, Okada remained quiet for a while. He wasn’t delivering outstanding matches that he is known for.

It almost seemed like Kenny Omega’s exit from NJPW had an indirect effect on Okada. It’s undeniable that the two men had incredible chemistry in the ring.

It took Okada a few months to finally regain his prominence by defeating Jay White for the NJPW’s top prize at ROH/NJPW G1 SuperCard. Since then, he has delivered captivating performances consistently.

Okada had a terrific G1 Climax in 2019. Even 'The Rainmaker' couldn’t win the tournament, his performances throughout the tournament were memorable. He had a brilliantly put together match against Will Ospreay. He put on a couple of breathtaking matches against Sanada and Kota Ibushi as well.

Despite dropping down to number five, he can still be considered one of the best in-ring performers in the world. Given the run he has been on, Okada may soon reclaim the number one spot on this list.

#4 Chris Jericho

Just when you think that Chris Jericho’s wrestling career is over, he manages to reinvent his character and get over with the fans. Jericho started the year by unsuccessfully challenging Okada for the IWGP Heavyweight Championship, but his year has only gotten better since then.

Jericho then went on to defeat Kenny Omega at Double or Nothing followed by a victory against Adam Page at All Out making him the inaugural AEW World Champion.

Since then, Le Champion has been unstoppable and even formed his stable called The Inner Circle. Currently, Jericho is one of the best heels in professional wrestling. His promo work is second to none and his matches have been quite good. Jericho is the guy who can carry the AEW brand of professional wrestling to great heights.

It will be interesting to see what Jericho does with this gimmick in 2020 but the next year looks promising for the AEW Champion.

#3 AJ Styles

If you were to create a list of top 10 wrestlers in the past decade, AJ Styles’ name would be somewhere near the top of that list. There have been few wrestlers who have been as consistent as AJ Styles in recent years.

His smoothness and flow of execution in the ring can make even the most experienced wrestlers look like amateurs. AJ Styles held the WWE Championship for the better part of 2018 before finally losing the belt to Daniel Bryan at TLC. Despite losing his title, WWE still managed to keep him relevant throughout the year with feuds against Randy Orton, Seth Rollins, and Ricochet. Styles even went on to defeat Ricochet for the WWE United States Championship.

Styles has been one of WWE’s best in-ring performers of the year with multiple 4-star matches against Daniel Bryan, Seth Rollins, Samoa Joe, and Shinsuke Nakamura.

Styles’ year has been nothing less than phenomenal.

#2 Shayna Baszler

No female wrestler in the world has been as dominating as Shayna Baszler. She has taken on all comers and has destroyed anyone who has challenged her for the title. Baszler is currently one of the most feared women’s wrestlers on the planet. She won her second NXT Championship at NXT Takeover: New Orleans in 2018 and held the title for nearly 18 months.

‘The Queen of Spades’ has successfully defended her title against the likes of Io Shirai, Bianca Belair, Kairi Sane, and even Candice LeRae.

If that wasn’t impressive enough, Baszler took on Bayley and Becky Lynch at Survivor Series and emerged victoriously. Although Baszler recently lost her title to Rhea Ripley last week, it still doesn’t take anything away from her dominant year.

Things look promising for Shayna heading into the new year. Maybe next year, Baszler will win either the RAW or Smackdown Women’s Championship.

#1 Seth Rollins

As we all know, Roman Reigns was diagnosed with Leukemia last year which meant he was going to be out the ring for a considerable amount of time. This meant that WWE needed another Superstar who could carry the company on his shoulders.

Then came Seth Rollins – a man whose in-ring skills and promos had left fans wondering for years as to why WWE hasn’t pushed Rollins as much as they have pushed Reigns.

This was also going to the first time that Rollins would be prominently pushed since his return from injury a couple of years ago. WWE has thrown him the ball and hasn’t looked back since.

This year, we all witnessed Rollins defeat Brock Lesnar twice for the Universal Championship. On both occasions, Rollins beat Lesnar clean. Let that sink in for a moment. No one can say that they defeated ‘The Beast’ cleanly twice in the same year except for 'The Beast Slayer’.

As Rollins; stock continues to rise exponentially, WWE will probably continue to push him to incredible heights as the top heel of the company. Currently, Rollins can take his spot at number one on this list and quite frankly, he deserves it.

There you have it. These are the top 10 wrestlers of 2019. Who do you think should’ve made the top 10 this year? Please let us know in the comment section below.