Ranking the best professional wrestlers in WWE is even more difficult than ranking the best athletes in other sports – or even ranking wrestlers in another promotion.
That’s because in WWE, there is so much to consider. Not only do you have to think about the components of athleticism and in-ring story-telling (or the quality of the moves themselves at a technical level, accounting for varying styles), but you also have to think about everything that goes outside of the ring. That includes presence, promos, charisma, facial expressions, and even longevity/consistency.
Comparing heels to faces, tag team wrestlers to singles wrestlers, and all sorts of other scenarios makes for an even greater challenge. But let’s do our best to rank the 10 best wrestlers in WWE right now.
10. Jimmy Uso
Strengths
Jimmy Uso has been getting more of a chance to shine lately. His laid-back attitude was established early on to juxtpaose with twin brother Jey’s hotheadedness, and that made for some very entertaining segments in the Sami Zayn era of the Bloodline. But now, Jimmy has more of a spotlight with Jey on Raw. Jimmy is the de facto right-hand man for Roman Reigns, though his nonchalance and goofiness sometimes clashes with the Tribal Chief’s straight-up mannerisms.
Many of the best wrestlers can seamlessly switch between goofy and serious when the occasion calls for it, and Jimmy has proven to be fantastic in this regard. In the ring, nobody can dispute his quality either. He is one of the best athletes and sellers in WWE today.
Current Impact
Now that Jimmy is getting some singles love on SmackDown and separating himself from Jey, we are seeing that Jimmy is indeed a main event player in WWE in his own right. He is one of the most important wrestlers on the Blue Brand.
Legacy
The Usos are the greatest tag team of all time when purely assessing their in-ring quality, and they’ve honestly only increased their status on the all-time list by excelling so much as singles superstars during this Bloodline run. Jimmy is a shoe-in for the Hall of Fame.
9. Sami Zayn
Strengths
When he was a babyface in NXT, you just knew Sami Zayn had that something special about him. But after getting the run-aound on the main roster, Zayn didn’t truly come into his own until he got that heel run, channeling his inner Fidel Castro as a cowardly Intercontinental Champion. His disheveled look, yammering about conspiracies, stood in stark contrast with the underdog babyface who won over hearts with the Black and Gold brand back in the day.
But as is the case for so many wrestlers, Zayn’s heel run helped him earn even more respect from WWE fans. Zayn was always a great talker, but he got to become even more comfortable on the mic and even better at manipulating the crowd. So when he transitioned to working with the Bloodline, he was 100 percent ready to share the spotlight with the top dog in the industry, Roman Reigns.
His work with the Bloodline was surpassed only by his work in the immediate aftermath of the big turn. Zayn’s reception in Montreal is one of the greatest pops in the history of professional wrestling. To become that beloved by wrestling fans is an accomplishment most people can only dream of.
Zayn is one of the best in-ring wrestlers, storytellers, and talkers in the industry today.
Current Impact
Right now, Zayn is still going strong as a fiery babyface on Monday nights, this time clashing with a different faction in the Judgment Day. His “forever” friendship/rivalry with Kevin Owens also continues to be a highlight on WWE television. No matter what the angle is, Zayn is going to hit a home run. He can excel in so many roles.
Legacy
Zayn was already one of the most celebrated wrestlers in the world before joining WWE. After many worried he would be wasted in the company, Zayn has legitimately become one of the most valuable men in the company. He has yet to win the big one, but he came awfully close against Reigns. Further, he’s a former NXT Champion, two-time tag team champion, and three-time Intercontinental Champion as one of the most valuable modern-day workhorses. And he’ll always have THAT WrestleMania match against Johnny Knoxville, which was a masterpiece.
8. Iyo Sky
Strengths
Iyo Sky, as Io Shirai, was arguably the best wrestler on the planet of any gender before joining WWE, and it’s a status she has maintained in the company. Sky received the name change in WWE as an homage to her highflying athleticism, which includes the most breathtaking moonsault in the industry. Capable of putting on matches that are equally brutal and technical, Sky is a perfectionist in the ring who has mastered her craft. Her charisma makes her an ideal babyface or heel, versatile enough to make a profound impact in any role.
Current Impact
Following her Money in the Bank victory that featured some of the most memorable storytelling in the chaotic match in recent history, Sky successful cashed in to become champion. She and mentor Bayley have always had quite the volatile relationship, including at MITB, and it’s only a matter of time before two of the greats in the industry clash. Some were worried about how Sky would be utilized in WWE, but it’s safe to say she is still one of the most powerful wrestlers in the industry.
Legacy
Iyo Sky is writing one of the strongest legacies in modern wrestling, because she is universally praised and respect. Even the most strict wrestling fans at evaluating in-ring work understand how brilliant Sky is, and even the most mainstream WWE fans have to give Sky her props for what she can do in between those ropes. Her character work is also a real positive. Sky’s biggest accomplishments will likely always be outside WWE, but her ability to “make it” in New York is further testament to her undeniable quality.
7. Bianca Belair
Strengths
One of Bianca Belair’s strengths is indeer her physical strength, as the EST of WWE is as-advertised as one of the most accomplished athletes in the wrestling business. But her skills go well beyond her athletic background. Belair picked up the wrestling business faster than most, going from an unknown Mae Young Classic standout to one of the most electric prospects in NXT to Mrs. WrestleMania.
That moniker has been earned after two all-time classics at the Show of Shows against two of the industry’s top wrestlers in Mercedes Moné and Becky Lynch. Then, she went ahead and had another monstrous showing at WrestleMania 39 against Asuka. That makes three classics in a row.
Belair has the rare talent to connect with anyone. Her positive energy is infectious. She is just who she is as a person and that resonates with people. So few wrestlers can be genuinely loved as “classic” babyfaces, so that makes Belair an even more unique star in modern professional wrestling.
Current Impact
While Belair’s most recent championship reign only lasted minutes, her previous reign went for a record 420 days. Belair surpassed Becky Lynch’s record as the longest-reigning Raw Women’s Champion, bringing her story with Becky full circle. Recall that Becky beat her in mere seconds at SummerSlam, which the EST rectified at the following WrestleMania. No matter how Belair is booked, she always rises above because of how popular she is and how obviously good she is. WWE fans were worried that after her bizarre title losses in NXT, the company would completely drop the ball on her talent. That’s clearly not been the case.
Legacy
Belair is going to be one of the most important wrestlers in WWE history and one of the most influential. In addition to being one of the first Black women to main event WrestleMania alongside Mercedes Moné, Belair is one of the most successful “homegrown” wrestlers in the company’s history. She has become the prototype from which WWE try to find their next great stars in NXT. They want athletes who are genuine, help a locker room, and can connect with an audience as characters. But finding wrestlers like Belair with her work ethic, intelligence, and attention to detail is clearly not easy.
6. Jey Uso
Strengths
Jey Uso is easily one of the best wrestlers in the industry, which he has proven time after time again. Whether it is as Jimmy’s tag team partner or in his feud with Roman Reigns, Jey produced matches of the highest quality. His work with Roman in 2020 helped set the stage for Roman’s brutal reign as champion, and the Tribal Chief wouldn’t be the same character he is today without those initial layers of storytelling told so beautifully with Jey as his dance partner.
On the mic, Jey is so good at crescendoing to pure passion and emotion. He has the pulse on the audience and has gotten himself so over as a babyface that maybe only Cody Rhodes is more popular than he is. Jey has a genuine credibility and respect from WWE fans that can only come from being consistently great for an extended period of time.
Current Impact
Spreading his wings on Monday night, Jey is a legitiamte main-event player, but, as the moniker Main Event Jey Uso suggests, that’s been the case for years since his breakout feud with cousin Roman Reigns. But now that he is all on his own, Jey is shining and creating more complicated layers of storytelling for himself.
Legacy
Jey was always going to be a Hall of Famer because of his incomparable work in tag team wrestling, but, now, Jey is writing a legacy of his own as one of the modern-day greats. There are very few wrestlers operating at a higher level than he is right now. One day, he will be ranked highly on the list of the absolute greatest wrestlers of all time.
5. Seth Rollins
Strengths
Seth Rollins is a true artist inside the squared circle. He sees things that so few other wrestlers can see inside the ring, which enables him to put on a great match with just about anyone. Rollins has been getting better with age, fine-tuning his style and developing a key set of moves that work against a variety of opponents and are easy for live audiences to recognize.
In some ways, Rollins is his era’s Randy Orton. He thrives as a heel, gets over as a heel, becomes babyface, does well as a face, then turns at the right moment when fans want to hate him again. Rollins is an even better bad-ass babyface than Orton, and he can be just as twisted and sadistic as a heel.
Current Impact
Right now, Rollins is the World Heavyweight Champion and doing an excellent job of starting the legacy of a title that was created because of Roman Reigns’ stranglehold on two championships. With any other wrestler, this title would have been immediately written off as secondary. But with Rollins, he puts so much into each match and segment that you can tell how much it means for him to still be regarded as being at the summit of pro wrestling.
Legacy
Rollins is one of the most celebrated and respected wrestlers of his era. He is elite on the mic, elite in the ring, and elite as either a face or a heel. He has taken his lumps from the crowd and from Vince McMahon over the years, but he’s always found his way at the top. At one point in his career, he was significantly more successful than Roman Reigns, whose career will always be linked to his because of their origins in the ever-popular Shield faction.
4. Rhea Ripley
Strengths
Another wrestler known for her incredible physical strength, Rhea Ripley is one of the most intimidating and well-rounded athletes in WWE today. Over the years, she’s also become one of the most captivating characters in the industry, too, needing a mere look to tell an entire story. Ripley has a piercing presence about her, which has made her, in many ways, the true leader of the supposedly leaderless Judgment Day faction. Nobody crosses Mami.
The Eradicator can pull off silly segments with Dominik Mysterio and play off her on-screen partner perfectly, but that doesn’t prevent Ripley from being one of the most serious bad-asses in the industry. In the ring, Ripley’s work has always been top-notch, though WWE haven’t given her as many marquee matchups of late.
Current Impact
Ripley is one of the most popular wrestlers in WWE today, reaching new levels of respect with her work in the Judgment Day. She is one of the faces of Monday Night Raw, proving to be a centepriece of the brand with her character work. That speaks volumes to how much she has grown, though she was always great to begin with.
Legacy
A prodigy of pro wrestling, Ripley looked like a star from the moment she showed up on WWE programming in 2017 as a Mae Young Classic standout and then a year later as the inauguarl NXT Women’s Champion. Ripley has won a handful of titles in WWE, and she triumped in the most recent Royal Rumble. You can always count on Ripley to deliver the goods in the big matches, too.
3. Becky Lynch
Strengths
Becky Lynch is one of the premier talkers in the wrestling business. She can make any feud seem like it is must-see, even if it is a rivalry WWE has given no love. The company can count on putting Lynch into any storyline and she will make it work on the strength of her ability to promote that match. Becky understands the true meaning of the word “promo” in ways that even the most experienced wrestlers don’t.
True to her character, Becky is the definition of a bad-ass babyface. She is great at tweaking her core character so that she remains relevant and just as respected as she was five years ago when she first rose as “The Man” in WWE, but you always know who she is at heart.
Lynch is such a good talker that we can’t forget how brilliant she is in the ring, especially when the full spotlight is on her in the biggest matches against the likes of Belair, Moné, and Charlotte Flair.
Current Impact
Still going strong on Monday nights, Becky Lynch is the classic example of how a top star will never lose their shine even without a title. Lynch shows the same hunger on the microphone whether she is champion or not, whether she is chasing the big title or not. Her willingness to work with NXT talent and give her all to make them look good is something all the true greats, like John Cena and Trish Stratus, have shown. She is at a stage in her career where she can give back.
Legacy
Becky Lynch is in the GOAT tier. There are not many wrestlers in WWE history who can definitively say they are as good as she is or have made as much of an impact on the industry as her. Just look at what she accomplished on the road to WrestleMania 35 and how she has maintained her status since then.
2. Cody Rhodes
Strengths
Cody Rhodes is arguably the best babyface in WWE today. The adulation he receives from WWE crowds in every city is an incredible sgiht to behold, especially when you consider how he was portrayed toward the end of his first run in the company. WWE clearly did not respect his obvious talent, so Cody went out on his own to prove just how damn good he is.
In the ring, Cody is great and fits the WWE style perfectly. He was great in NJPW and ROH, too, but he did not receive as much praise because of who he was being compared to and the kind of hard-hitting style those other wrestlers thrived on. Cody is more gritty than “Strong Style”, as his unforgettable performance inside Hell in a Cell vs. Seth Rollin showed.
But to really get a sense for Cody’s quality, watch his babyface performances in two of the biggest matches possible against Brock Lesnar at SummerSlam and Roman Reigns at WrestleMania 39. Lesnar’s show of respect to Cody after doing the job for the American Nightmare is something the Beast Incarnate doesn’t do for just anyone; it shows you exactly how highly people at the very top of the industry think of Rhodes.
On the mic, Cody is on another level as a face. He talks on an equal level with the audience. They listen to his every word and genuinely root for him, feeling the emotions behind his mission and every step. You can’t find that with anyone else.
Current Impact
Cody is one of the two biggest stars in the wrestling industry right now. He is moving the needle for WWE as the top babyface to Roman Reigns’ status as the top heel, with both men on collision course for another WrestleMania date. Unless you are John Cena and the The Rock, you generally don’t get repeat matches at the Show of Shows. Tacitly, that implies just how high Cody has risen as a face, for him to potentially get another shot at the longest-reigning champion in WWE history.
Legacy
For all that he has accomplished inside and outside WWE and for all the different gimmicks and characters he has portrayed, Cody was already going to be known as a top-notch wrestler in a historical context. But now, he is on that shortlist of the best-ever babyfaces and adding to his legacy with every segment. Some of Cody’s promos over the past year will stand the test of time as examples of how to use real-life stories and make things personal in a way that actually matters to an audience. Cody finds strength in vulnerability, and that’s something we can all admire.
1. Roman Reigns
Strengths
Roman Reigns is the best talker in WWE, hands down. The best character, hands down. Even just seven years ago, if you told people this, they would not have believed you. So many people viewed Reigns as a failed top star – a terrible babyface project from Vince McMahon. But this was the character he was always meant to play. The brooding, arrogant, manipulative, and terrifying top heel, using his family ties and influence as well as an undying will to survive and keep manipulating in order to remain at the top.
Every single segment Reigns is in is a big deal. He has kept an aura about him that we may never see in pro wrestling for a long time. To remain at the top in the modern WWE while still having the respect and interest of the audience as a true heel is so rare that it’s basically been impossible to this point.
In the ring, Reigns’ catalogue of matches as champion stands with any champion ever. The way he can stick the knife and tear it into the audience, killing off the last bit of hope that he initially gave them for the babyface’s win, is unlike anything we’ve seen. Look no further tha his recent matches with Sami Zayn and Cody Rhodes.
Current Impact
The record-breaking champion is still going strong. Roman Reigns is at the zenith of WWE and still rolling, with the Bloodline storyline remaining intriguing to the majority of WWE fans. He is the unequivocal top star of the wrestling industry – the larger than life presence this company needed.
Legacy
This latest reign is the greatest reign of all time, not just for the length but for the time it is taking place in. To do this in modern wrestling is a shock to the system and a game-changer. Reigns is an example for many to try and emulate in the coming years. He puts on a clinic in and outside the ring, captivating the audience’s attention with the mere sound of his entrance music. He just might be the GOAT, and that was his goal all along when embarking on this new journey with Paul Heyman and his family as the unscrupuluous heel leader of the Bloodline.
Kevin was an editor at Daily DDT, covering professional wrestling, and is now doing the same here at Let Them Wrestle.