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The wrestling championship scene has been incredibly exciting this year. From the very top at WWE to the smaller companies like PWG and MLW, there have been some phenomenal champions throughout 2023.
Looking ahead to the New Year, many of these champions have set their respective promotions up to have a great start for 2024.
WWE has a list of elite singles champions in both men's and women's divisions. With that said, All Elite Wrestling has some really solid champions as well, with AEW World Champion MJF leading the pack.
Orange Cassidy has done exceptionally well as the AEW International Champ, just as Christian Cage has done with the TNT title. Needless to say, both AEW and WWE have top-tier stock when it comes to singles champions.
Today, we look at those champs and the other top titleholders of the year. Here is our list of the top five singles championship reigns of 2023.
#5 - Pro Wrestling Guerilla Champion Daniel Garcia
Most wrestling fans recognize Daniel Garcia from AEW's Jericho Appreciation Society. Garcia became incredibly popular with the fans during the JAS' storyline with The Blackpool Combat Club. Garcia went on to defeat Wheeler Yuta to become the Ring of Honor Pure Champ.
Before his popularity in AEW, Daniel Garcia made a name for himself with Pro Wrestling Guerilla. Shortly after making his PWG debut, Garcia was thrown into the title picture after winning the 2022 Battle of Los Angeles (BOLA) tournament.
Daniel earned a championship match with Bandido at the 2022 Delivering the Goods pay-per-view and defeated the Mexican star in a classic 30-minute war to become the new PWG Champion. As of this writing, Daniel Garcia still holds the championship and has done so for nearly 600 days.
#4 - AAA Mega Champion El Hijo del Vikingo
El Hijo del Vikingo is a second-generation megastar from Puebla, Mexico. Most fans probably remember Vikingo best from his epic match against Kenny Omega on AEW Dynamite back in March. However, he was one of the top free agents in all of professional wrestling long before AEW fans got their eyes on him.
Leading up to the AAA Triplemania Regia 2 pay-per-view event, Vikingo was slated to challenge Kenny Omega for the AAA Mega Championship. However, Omega was forced to relinquish the title before the event due to injuries.
Vikingo still went on to claim the title after winning a five-way championship match in the main event of the show. He has carried that title now for over 700 days and counting.
#3 - WWE World Heavyweight Champion Seth Freakin' Rollins
It's probably safe to say that WWE RAW has been owned by Seth Rollins throughout 2023. Seth has boldly welcomed fans worldwide each week to "Monday Night Rollins!"
Aside from Roman Reigns, no one has dominated the WWE main roster quite like Seth Freakin' Rollins.
Earlier in the year, Triple H and crew announced the return of the WWE World Heavyweight Championship. There was a tournament set to name the newly redesigned title.
In the end, Seth Rollins and AJ Styles faced each other in the tournament finals at Night of Champions. After a classic back-and-forth contest, Rollins defeated Styles to become the new World Heavyweight Champion.
Since winning the championship, Seth has elevated the title to its current top level, and he is still the reigning WWE World Heavyweight Champion to date.
#2 - AEW World Champion MJF
His name is Maxwell Jacob Friedman (MJF), and he's better than you...and you know it.
MJF is one of the original pillars of AEW, making his official debut at the inaugural Double or Nothing pay-per-view in 2019. Following that event, MJF quickly rose up the ranks in the upstart company, ultimately becoming its top star.
MJF is known for his blunt and often rude demeanor. Despite his arrogance, fans have been behind him and continue to cheer for him as he has recently turned babyface. He is one of the most polarizing stars in all of professional wrestling and is partially responsible for the ratings success that AEW has enjoyed as a new company.
At the 2022 All Out pay-per-view, MJF won the Casino Ladder Match, which earned him a future title shot. At the Full Gear event, MJF defeated Jon Moxley in the main event, thus winning the AEW World Championship.
Since winning the title, MJF has aligned with Adam Cole, creating one of the most popular duos in wrestling. It's also worth noting that Cole and MJF are the reigning ROH Tag Team Champions as well.
#1 - The Tribal Chief Roman Reigns has held the WWE Universal Championship for over 3 years
We have reached the top of our list of the greatest championship reigns of 2023, and there is no other person who could occupy the top spot other than The Tribal Chief, Roman Reigns.
For almost 1,200 days now, Roman Reigns has been The Head of the Table as the WWE Universal Champion.
One of the most inspiring stories in recent memory was when Roman Reigns was forced to vacate his Universal title in 2018 due to a battle with leukemia. There was a lot of uncertainty regarding his future, but less than one year later, Roman returned and began a journey that took him to the very top.
When Roman Reigns created The Bloodline, his career took off in a way that will likely never be duplicated. Even with the faction being all but dismantled, Reigns continues to rule atop the industry's highest mountain, and his championship reign has raised the standard for professional wrestlers all over the world.
A WWE Hall of Famer called out AEW fans HERE
