Top 10 Wrestlers Of The 2010s
Who is the greatest wrestler of the decade?
Any kind of “greatest wrestler” list is based upon subjectivity.
But here’s the criteria I’ve used to determine the best wrestlers of the decade: kayfabe achievements such as wins and championships, popularity, impact on the industry and longevity at the top of the card.
10. CM Punk
Even though he hasn’t wrestled in almost six years, CM Punk still has his name chanted in arenas throughout the United States. That’s because of the impact he’s made on pro wrestling, specifically WWE. From leading the Straight Edge Society to dropping the pipe bomb to holding the WWE Championship for 434 days (the sixth-longest reign in history), CM Punk dominated the first half of the decade, becoming one of the biggest stars in the industry. Oddly enough, he shined even brighter due to his controversial exit.
9. Roman Reigns
Easily the most polarizing wrestler of the past 10 years, Roman Reigns has seemingly replaced John Cena as the face of WWE. Since exploding onto the scene in 2012 as a member of The Shield, Reigns has been anointed as the chosen one, main eventing WrestleMania four years in a row, representing the company in the media and being plastered on endless merchandise. Overcoming every obstacle made fans reject him in historic fashion, at least on the surface. Because when you really look at his accomplishments, it’s surprisingly disappointing him. He’s a three-time WWE Champion, but those reigns combined total less than four months. And then when he finally vanquished his greatest foe – Brock Lesnar – he had to relinquish the Universal Championship two months later due to his leukemia returning. Miraculously, the Big Dog has beaten that, too.
8. Kenny Omega
Your blood is probably boiling over his ranking, but Kenny Omega wasn’t really viewed as top star until 2016. Sure, the Golden Lovers were popular and he went viral after wrestling a nine-year-old girl, but it took kicking AJ Styles out of Bullet Club and assuming leadership of the group for “The Cleaner” to be taken seriously. From that point on, his career skyrocketed: winning the IWGP Intercontinental Championship and the NEVER Openweight 6-Man Tag Team Championship (with The Young Bucks), becoming the first non-Japanese winner of the G1 Climax and earning universal praise for his series with Kazuchika Okada. He finally won the IWGP Heavyweight Championship from Okada in June of 2018, losing the title over six months later at Wrestle Kingdom 13. Of course, that’s only because he and his fellow Elite brethren were launching All Elite Wrestling, where Omega astonishingly has a losing record thus far.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rTizPJj23QY
7. Charlotte
No woman in WWE history has been as successful as Charlotte. Since joining the main roster in the summer of 2015, the daughter of Ric Flair has stayed on top of the women’s division, winning the Women’s Championship a record-setting 10 times. From headlining WrestleMania 35 to winning the first women’s Hell in a Cell, Charlotte has been at the forefront of the women’s revolution, changing the perception of women’s matches from bathroom breaks to highly-anticipated main events. Inside the ring, her clashes with Sasha Banks, Asuka, Becky Lynch and Ronda Rousey have been show stealers. Outside the ring, she is WWE’s go-to person for media appearances, a tremendous goodwill ambassador for the entire sport.
6. Daniel Bryan
If injuries hadn’t sidelined Daniel Bryan for the better part of three and a half years, he would have been the wrestler of the decade. From his first match on the premiere of NXT, the world-renowned grappler captivated the WWE audience as a resilient underdog, who diehards knew could hang with anybody in the major leagues. He quickly rose up the ranks, winning every title in the company, delivering 5-star matches and entertaining crowds as both heel and face. His journey to WrestleMania XXX inspired the Yes! Movement, as Bryan overcame every obstacle to win the WWE Championship on the Grandest Stage. Realizing his momentum had died down following his unbelievable return to the ring, Bryan rejuvenated his career by turning heel and winning the WWE Championship in the fall of 2018, amplifying his environmental advocacy similar to CM Punk’s run with the Straight Edge Society.
5. Hiroshi Tanahashi
Just call him Atlas because he carried New Japan from despair to prominence as the No. 2 pro wrestling company in the world. Hiroshi Tanahashi has spent the past decade jockeying for position with Kazuchika Okada as the top guy in the company. An eight-time IWGP Heavyweight Champion, Tanahashi holds the record for most championships and trails behind only Okada for most title defenses and most combined days as champion. If you follow the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, you’ll know Tanahashi is regarded as a living legend, winning consecutive awards for Wrestler of the Year, Match of the Year and Feud of the Year.
4. John Cena
Although he hasn’t been around much for the past few years, John Cena cemented his legacy in the 2010s as one of the all-time greats. At Royal Rumble 2017, he made history by winning his 16th world title, tying Ric Flair for the record (as WWE sees it). He sent Batista packing in 2010, single-handedly destroyed Nexus, set box-office records with consecutive WrestleMania main events with The Rock and weathered the Summer of Punk, all before exploding into pop culture. Most critics would say Cena actually improved in the ring over the past decade, tearing the house down with a variety of opponents in the U.S. Title Open Challenge, and elevating new stars such as Daniel Bryan, Kevin Owens and Roman Reigns.
3. AJ Styles
Everywhere he went over the past 10 years, AJ Styles ascended to the top. Starting 2010 as TNA World Heavyweight Champion, Styles aligned with Ric Flair and led a new version of the Four Horsemen: Fortune. After enduring the ridiculous Claire Lynch storyline, Styles won the world title for a second time before leaving Impact after failed contract negotiations. Synonymous with the company since its inception, it was time for the Phenomenal One to move on and prove himself in other avenues, such as leading the Bullet Club in New Japan and winning the IWGP Heavyweight Championship twice. Of course, Styles then entered the Royal Rumble, kicking off an unexpectedly incredible run in WWE. A two-time WWE Champion (in which he tied Randy Savage for the eight-longest reign in WWE history), Styles has become the most reliable performer in the company, headlining as either heel or face and dazzling crowds around the world with fantastic matches against everyone from Shane McMahon to John Cena to James Ellsworth to Brock Lesnar.
2. Kazuchika Okada
Blame TNA for whatever you want, but at least Kazuchika Okada emerged from his developmental tour as one of the top (if not the greatest) wrestlers in the world. Returning to New Japan in January of 2012, Okada transformed himself into the villainous “Rainmaker.” Since then, he has won the IWGP Heavyweight Championship five times, holding the record for most combined days as champion. He has won the G1 Climax twice, and headlined Wrestle Kingdom five times. In 2017, Okada became the first Japanese wrestler to top the PWI 500. By this point in the list, you already know he’s responsible for several Matches of the Year and breaking Dave Meltzer’s star rating scale.
1. Brock Lesnar
Send all your hate tweets to somebody who will read them (@Mahalis_2069) because there’s no denying that Brock Lesnar is the wrestler of the decade.
Since his highly anticipated return to the squared circle in 2012, the Beast Incarnate has dominated WWE unlike any before him. Shaking off a couple losses to John Cena and Triple H, Lesnar defeated CM Punk in both men’s greatest match before mauling the entire roster. In 2014, he shocked the world by breaking The Streak and demolished Cena at SummerSlam to win the WWE Championship. He took Roman Reigns to Suplex City and conquered Undertaker in Hell in a Cell. He basically murdered Dean Ambrose at WrestleMania 32 and left Randy Orton in a pool of his own blood at SummerSlam 2016. In between, he returned to UFC to defeat Mark Hunt by unanimous decision, which was ultimately overturned to a no contest due to an anti-doping policy violation.
Let’s forget Survivor Series 2016 and pick it back up at WrestleMania 33, where he won the Universal Championship and handed Goldberg his first clean loss in his career. Lesnar would go on to turn back the challenges of Samoa Joe, Braun Strowman, Roman Reigns (again and again), AJ Styles, Daniel Bryan, Finn Balor and Kane.
Of course he squashed Kofi Kingston on SmackDown’s premiere on FOX – he’s BROCK LESNAR! Nobody in the past 10 years has been the talk of the wrestling world longer than him. Whether you’re sick of his invincibility, jealous of his work schedule or in awe of his unparalleled athleticism, you will pay homage to the greatest wrestler of this and any other decade of which the Beast prowls.
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