WWE Stars Occupy Top Two Spots In PWI 500, Four In Top 10
It's the most wonderful time of the year when wrestling fans bust out their spreadsheets and compare notes to determine whether Pro Wrestling Illustrated's list of the year's top 500 wrestlers got it right or not.
The top ten of this year's PWI 500 was revealed on "Busted Open," by PWI Writers Al Castle and Candace Cordelia. WWE was well-represented in this year's top ten, taking four spots, with three of the four in the top five, and the top two spots going to WWE's two world champions.
WWE World Heavyweight Champion Seth Rollins topped the list, beating out his former Shield brethren and Undisputed WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns. The edge went to Rollins due to him being a far more active competitor than the special attraction that Reigns has become over the past few years. The two men were joined by their former Shield compatriot Jon Moxley, as the AEW International Champion slid into the number three spot after a year that saw him become AEW World Champion in the wake of CM Punk's suspension, as well as a dominant figure on television alongside the rest of the Blackpool Combat Club.
The Rest Of The Top Ten
Fourth on the list is WWE Intercontinental Champion GUNTHER, who reigned for nearly the entirety of the qualification period as champion, recently breaking the record for longest reign in the title's history, previously held by The Honky Tonk Man. At number five is AAA Mega Champion El Hijo Del Vikingo, who has had standout performances in AEW, while also defending his title in Mexico. Number six went to AEW World Champion MJF, who like Reigns, was omnipresent on television, but seemingly not as active as many others on the roster, putting him behind the likes of Moxley and Vikingo.
Number seven is former IWGP World Heavyweight Champion and G1 Climax 33 runner-up Kazuchika Okada, who made the list despite G1 Climax winner Tetsuya Naito being erroneously left off of this year's list entirely. Number eight is former AEW International Champion Orange Cassidy, who spent much of the qualification period defending the title in a record 32 defenses over the course of his reign. Number nine is former Impact World Champion Josh Alexander, who was the face of the promotion until an injury put an end to his historic, record-breaking reign as champion.
Closing out the top ten is 2023 men's Royal Rumble match winner Cody Rhodes, an impressive feat considering he spent the first six months of the qualification period sidelined with an injury. Rhodes more than made up for lost time by winning the Rumble, main-eventing WrestleMania, and defeating Brock Lesnar at Backlash and SummerSlam.