Is Seth Rollins the best wrestler in the world? The 2023 PWI 500 says yes

The Shield rules pro wrestling even in 2023, as evidenced by this year’s PWI 500 top 10.

Roman Reigns may be making history with his title run and considered by most to be the top current WWE star. But according to the 2023 PWI 500, he’ll have to settle for runner-up for the title of best wrestler in the world to a former teammate in The Shield.

As revealed today on SiriusXM’s Busted Open, Seth Rollins has ascended to the top spot in this year’s PWI 500, knocking Reigns, who topped last year’s list, down to No. 2. Two other WWE stars, Gunther and Cody Rhodes, joined them at No. 4 and 10, respectively.

AEW’s highest-placing wrestler for 2023 was the other former member of The Shield, Jon Moxley, at No. 3, up from 12 in 2022. AEW World Heavyweight Champion MJF is sixth (and seems the most likely of anyone to complain publicly that he should be ranked higher, while the man Moxley recently beat for the International Championship, Orange Cassidy, is eighth.

AEW can also make a partial claim on AAA Mega Champion El Hijo del Vikingo, who earned the No. 5 spot. Kazuchika Okada is the lone NJPW representative at No. 7, while Josh Alexander has that same honor for Impact Wrestling at No. 9.

Rollins is now only the second man to top the PWI 500 on three different occasions, as he was also No. 1 in 2015 and 2019. John Cena (2006, 2007 and 2013) is the other.

While there’s no question Rollins has had an amazing year, including his winning and defending the World Heavyweight Championship, it may raise some eyebrows to se him above Reigns — who not only continues his historic Universal Championship run but has also been the centerpiece of the hottest storyline in pro wrestling for well over a year.

That said, the PWI 500 rankings are nothing if not great fodder for debate, and that’s sure to be the case when the full list drops later today.