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WWE has had some of the greatest superstars in professional wrestling history. But fans have often argued about the in-ring caliber of even top-tier stars.
WWE typically focuses more on the storytelling aspect inside the ring rather than the physically competitive nature of wrestling. For this reason, it's widely believed that many Japanese wrestlers in the 1990s were the best in the world.
Even today, some of the industry's elite competitors star in promotions like AEW and NJPW. But these five current WWE Superstars have been declared as the world's best wrestler. Some of these stars have received the honor during their time with the company. Others earned that praise before they competed in a WWE ring.
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#5. AJ Styles - Often called the best in the world, even before he joined WWE
AJ Styles was viewed as one of the world's best wrestlers long before he joined WWE. Styles' remarkable career took him all over the globe, even before he made his WWE debut. The company recruited Styles in the early 2000s, but he turned the offer down. Instead, he joined the newest promotion on the block at the time, TNA.
Styles helped elevate the company into a promotion that had the potential to rival WWE. While Vince McMahon's company was in the Ruthless Aggression Era, Styles was getting a reputation as one of the best wrestlers in the world.
Fans who followed him throughout his TNA/IMPACT Wrestling tenure believed that Styles was a better in-ring competitor than almost everyone in WWE. But it was Styles' move to New Japan Pro-Wrestling that truly turned him an international superstar.
Although his tenure with NJPW only lasted two years, Styles had two reigns as the IWGP Heavyweight Champion, one of the most prestigious prizes in the pro wrestling industry.
Styles' international success certainly caught the WWE's attention. The company finally seized the opportunity to sign "The Phenomenal One" after Wrestle Kingdom 10, where he lost to Shinsuke Nakamura in an instant classic.
In a short span of time, WWE signed four major NJPW superstars in Styles, Nakamura, Karl Anderson, and Luke Gallows. Although the Good Brothers' WWE run didn't work out, the duo made good money.
On the other brand, Styles thrived as soon as he arrived in WWE, and he proved that he is the best wrestler in the world. Several legends and personalities have declared that Styles wasn't just the best in WWE, but in the entire professional wrestling industry.
Given how quickly he rose to the top in WWE, it's hard to deny these claims. Styles himself has described his ascendance to the forefront of the company as the cream rising to the top.
#4. Io Shirai - Praised as one of the best in WWE and the world
Io Shirai has been with WWE for over 2 years now, but she should have been signed much earlier. In 2017, it was reported that WWE was interested in signing her from STARDOM along with Kairi Hojo, later known as Kairi Sane.
Sane signed with WWE, but injuries delayed Shirai's signing with the company. While she was only known to a smaller, hardcore wrestling audience, WWE had its eyes on her for a while.
Some acclaimed names, including Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, declared Io Shirai as the best wrestler in the world along with fellow STARDOM stars Hojo and Mayu Iwatani.
While WWE was only in the early stages of figuring out how to promote the women on its roster more, Io Shirai was delivering remarkable performances. She regularly stole the show whenever she had a featured match on the card. Her matches were often called some of best bouts in the world.
Luckily, her talent has been recognized in NXT, and in June 2020, she became the NXT Women's Champion. As of this writing, she is 264 days into her reign with the first title she won in WWE.
#3. Seth Rollins - Carried WWE on his back in 2015
When asked about who the best WWE Superstar of 2015 was, the answer is clearly Seth Rollins. Few other wrestlers are even in the running, as he was the most-heavily featured star between April and November 2015.
2015 was a relatively weak year for WWE, and it didn't generate the level of excitement that fans usually hope for. This down year was a prelude to 2016, which many fans believe to be the best year of WWE's PG era.
But Rollins was the saving grace of Monday Night RAW and WWE in 2015. Although he was a heel, his impressive in-ring abilities stood out every single night. His remarkable run began with a spectacular showing at the 2015 Royal Rumble show. There, he delivered an astonishing performance in the WWE Championship match against Brock Lesnar and John Cena.
Throughout the year, Rollins was praised by fans and analysts alike. Although some would argue that Hiroshi Tanahashi and Kazuchika Okada from Japan were on a higher level, Rollins' in-ring skills were at an all-time high in WWE. It's easy to see why he was considered the best in the world in 2015, and he has maintained his exemplary work rate ever since.
#2. Sasha Banks - Widely considered the best in the world during the pandemic era for WWE
In 2020, several WWE Superstars took extensive hiatuses. With WWE deciding that it wouldn't bring back Brock Lesnar until the crowds returned, the company needed its other stars to step up.
Two of the best examples were Bayley, and Sasha Banks. The Golden Role Models were central figures of WWE programming in 2020, as they regularly appeared on both RAW and SmackDown.
There was a time when the duo held both women's world titles and the Women's Tag Team titles. Banks and Bayley completely dominated WWE for several months, and in some ways, The Boss outperformed her partner.
Banks' 2020 culminated with a SmackDown Women's Championship victory over Bayley at Hell in a Cell. Previously, Banks had been known for her unsuccessful title runs. But this time, The Boss has reigned supreme since October 2020.
Sports Illustrated even named Banks as the best wrestler in the world in 2020, and she edged out the likes of Jon Moxley and Drew McIntyre. Banks has stated that WWE's lighter schedule has allowed her to increase the quality of her matches. Hopefully, this trend will continue, even if/when the wrestling industry returns to some semblance of normalcy.
#1. Daniel Bryan - considered to be the best in the world for a large part of his WWE career
Daniel Bryan has been with WWE for 11 years now, but he was briefly forced to retire due to some severe injuries. Still, he has widely been considered as one of the best wrestlers of his generation. Bryan Danielson, as he was known before his WWE career, was considered to be the finest in-ring competitors in the world.
Even in WWE, it took him a few years, but by 2013, he was the hottest superstar in the company. He regained his status as the best overall wrestler in the world. The fact that he wasn't the prototypical "big man" gave him plenty of hurdles to overcome in Vince McMahon's company.
But Bryan's journey culminated in one of the greatest moments in WWE history at WrestleMania 30, where he won the WWE World Heavyweight Championship.
Even after his return to the ring in 2018, he did the unthinkable by turning heel and winning the WWE Championship. This development led to his best reign as WWE Champion. As "The Planet's Champion", he received critical acclaim, and he got booed out of the building week in and week out.
Bryan's enduring success proved that despite nearly 3 years away from the ring, he was still the best in the world, and he was given his due credit for it. To this day, his matches are regularly praised for their excellence.
