MJF earned his spot as the top star in all of pro wrestling forr 2026. (Credit: Frank Jansky/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
MJF is the top performer in all of pro wrestling, at least according to one metric.
Pro Wrestling Illustrated released its 36th annual ranking of the world’s top 500 wrestlers, and it was the three-time AEW World Champion who topped the PWI 500, one of the most prestigious honors in all of sports entertainment. Ironically enough, MJF supplanted former AEW star Cody Rhodes, who ranked No. 1 on the PWI 500 in both 2024 and 2025, as the biggest and most impactful star inside the squared circle.
Former World Heavyweight Champion CM Punk came in at No. 3 while Mistico, who primarily wrestlers for CMLL, came in at No.4. The most notable absence from the list is current World Heavyweight Champion Roman Reigns, who did not meet PWI’s requirements of wrestling at least 10 matches during the award period between Aug 1., 2025 and July 31, 2026.
Reigns’ absence from the list, especially given his noted drawing power and impressive resume of matches during this timeframe, will certainly be one of the biggest talking points in the days ahead.
PWI 500 List 2026
Here are the top 10 wrestlers on the PWI 500 for 2026:
- MJF (AEW)
- Cody Rhodes (WWE)
- CM Punk (WWE)
- Mistico (CMLL/AEW)
- Konosuke Tashesita (AEW)
- “Hangman” Adam Page (AEW)
- Yota Tsuji (NJPW)
- Trick Williams (WWE)
- Oba Femi (WWE)
- Gunther
- The full PWI 500 can be viewed here, but let’s take a look at some notable (and potentially controversial) rankings in the top 25 of the list:
- 15: Kenny Omega
- 16: Will Ospreay
- 20: Seth Rollins
- 21: Kyle Fletcher
- 22: Sami Zayn
Although it is widely considered a great honor for a pro wrestling to top the PWI 500, the annual list is also universally criticized for its unclear ranking system. Year in and year out, the general consensus is that numerous wrestlers are ranked either far too high or far too low, especially when considering pure in-ring ability.
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