It’s been quite a year in the land of professional wrestling, as 2023 saw a lot of ups and downs for many superstars across all promotions. But who was the “best of the best” when it came to the male talents?
2023 Top Male Wrestler Of The Year: Seth Rollins
Seth Rollins may not be “The Man” in the WWE (or his own home for that matter); however, in 2023 he proved why he’s on the road to becoming a future Hall of Famer and one of the GOATs in professional wrestling.
Leveling up his character charisma a few notches this year, he continued to connect with the WWE audience on a higher level and once again proved he’s one of the best talents on the mic and in that ring, within the WWE roster.
There’s a good reason why he hit the number-one spot on PWI’s top 500 list for 2023, but one major reason was becoming the inaugural WWE World Heavyweight Champion (and a fighting champion at that) carrying the company on his shoulders during most of the year.
While Roman Reigns broke records with his part-time schedule, Rollins earned the respect of fans, peers, and wrestling media with his workhorse mentality, arriving to Monday Night RAW each week, ready to entertain and entice the WWE Universe.
2023 Top Male Wrestler Of The Year: Honorable Mention – Roman Reigns
Speaking of Roman Reigns, The Tribal Chief absolutely deserves to be acknowledged in this 2023 “best of the best” male superstar list. He shattered the modern-era history books hitting a 1,000-day (plus, plus, plus) run as WWE Universal Champion.
Reigns may not show up every week on SmackDown, but when he does, he has fans on the edge of their seats. He also was at the helm of one of the best stories the company has ever told, as the Bloodline stood strong for as long as they could and then slowly crumbled, as fans’ eyes were glued to the screen.
2023 Top Male Wrestler Of The Year: Not Quite Done …
It’s hard to nail down “just one” superstar that stood at the top of the wrestling food chain, as so many have done great things. Audiences can’t forget about the significant accomplishments of other stars in other promotions, and as far as mic skills and squared-circle performance AEW’s World Heavyweight Champion, Mark Jacob Friedman, a.k.a. MJF is as best as they come and has had a phenomenal year.
Jon Moxley also proved once again in 2023 that his intensity both in the ring and in promos was All Elite Wrestling’s gain and the WWE’s loss.
Lastly, it would be hard to walk away from a list like this without mentioning what WWE’s Intercontinental Champion GUNTHER has brought to the table in 2023. He became the longest-running IC titleholder of all time, and continued a level of excellence when it came to his matches; whether that be WrestleMania 39’s triple threat bout when he successfully retained against Drew McIntyre and Sheamus or simply his matches on Monday Night RAW.
What will 2024 bring for this incredible talent? Only time will tell.
