We’re in the thick of WrestleMania 41 season and I’m in the mood to talk some wrestling! To explain this list a bit further, this is my top 10 personal favorite men and women’s wrestlers on the WWE roster from the current era. That means I’m excluding legends the likes of John Cena, CM Punk, Rey Mysterio, Randy Orton, etc. because even though they’re a part of the current roster, they were prevalent throughout my childhood and don’t feel like they necessarily belong to the current class of wrestlers as much as they do the one before them. I’m still including those that are currently injured but will most certainly make a return as well. This isn’t a set in stone list either, these are just 10 of my personal faves from the current era. The order and placement of these people can certainly change over time depending on booking, time left off TV for a myriad of reasons, and whatever else. Remember, before the anger ensues (I know how you wrestling fans are), this is just my dumb personal opinion. This has no reflection on you or yours, I’d love to hear yours though as well!
!Cheat Submission! #10a: Rey Fenix- Now, Rey just debuted in WWE a couple weeks ago at this point, so I have to give it some time before adding him to the list officially, but the dude is a total firecracker in the ring, and I love his style! Rey Mysterio was one of my absolute favorites growing up and I’ve been hoping and searching for the closest thing to the next Rey for a while, Fenix very well could be that. I loved him and Penta in AEW, but I’ve always preferred Fenix from an in-ring standpoint a little bit more, he’s just a bit quicker and to me at least, more exciting. He’s dealt with some injury stuff in the past though so I just hope he can stay healthy, and he has a pretty strong chance of skyrocketing up this list in the coming months if he’s booked properly. I’m really looking forward to his run in the WWE!
#10: Lyra Valkyria- I really got behind Lyra after her series of matches with Iyo last year shortly after she was called up to the main roster. She’s been booked quite well for the past year and change from an in-ring standpoint and currently sits still as the inaugural Women’s Intercontinental Champion. She may have a little ways to go still on the mic, but that’s totally okay. The crowd is already getting behind her based solely on her awesome performances in the ring and her clear passion for the sport. She’s young and she certainly has it between the ropes so full confidence in her moving forward as one of my favorite women on the roster. Look forward to seeing her develop even further and hopefully by this time next year she’ll be an even larger staple of the women’s division and on more people’s radar.
#9: Jacob Fatu- Jacob Fatu is an absolute animal as a character, plain and simple. He’s a wild, screaming maniac on the mic and the way he wrestles in the ring doesn’t feel much different. Unhinged is a good term to describe him I’d say. He can ground and pound his opponent into the dirt, or he can do a backflip splash off the top rope onto them as well, whatever you prefer. I love his style, he’s so original, chaotic, in your face, and intimidating. No one on the current roster is really like him and he impresses between the ropes (I’d argue) more than maybe anyone else in the Bloodline. Certainly, one of my favorite parts of the current era of Smackdown. I like LA Knight, I think he’s an absolute blast on the mic, but I’d be lying if I said I don’t want to see Fatu walk out of Mania with the strap, but I’m still not so sure about that. Excited to see how his 2025 plays out though, feels like he’s about to get a good push.
#8: Bronson Reed- Bronson is one of those guys who has a chance to really jump up this list upon his return as well, depending on how he’s used and if they don’t let him get lost in the shuffle. He’s been off TV for a while now though and he was just beginning to really get a push in the few months before his injury, so it’s hard to really place him much higher for me at this time unfortunately. I love Bronson though and was getting very behind him before he got hurt. I’m a fan of the big man wrestling and in this current era of wrestlers, I’d argue that absolutely no one does big man wrestling better or with more agility than Big Bronson Reed. The Last Monster Standing match against Strowman last year on Raw was absolutely epic. I’m a fan of the actual monster gimmick of his as well, is it a little cheesy? Sure, maybe, but that’s wrestling and it’s all about making it work, and Bronson Reed definitely makes his gimmick work. I hope he gets a big push and a prominent story upon his return, I’m just anxiously awaiting it at this point.
#7: Logan Paul- Okay, okay. Here we go, I can practically hear the boos through my keyboard as I type this. I like Logan between the ropes man, and I don’t care who knows it! I kind of think it’s fun that wrestling fans have such venomous hate for him as well. He undoubtably draws attention to the product and that can’t be argued. He could’ve just been another celebrity though, used the WWE platform to boost his own product, do some cross promotion at a big event like WrestleMania and then hit the bricks, but that isn’t what happened at all. He stayed and has just gotten better and better in the ring. He’s usually booked quite well, he’s a natural on the mic, and can handle the heat from a live audience very well for not coming up in the sphere of professional wrestling. He’s one of the most natural hate able douchebag characters ever and he can back all of it up in the ring too, every major match he has he does something that makes my jaw drop at least once it feels like. I am not taking anything out of the ring into consideration here, I don’t really follow Logan much outside of the world of WWE, and I didn’t beforehand either, but inside the world of the WWE, I am one of the unashamed fans of what he brings to the table. Sue me.
#6: Wyatt Sicks- I understand that the Wyatt Sicks haven’t done a whole lot yet, but once again they’ve been a bit plagued by Bo Dallas’s injury just as they were getting off the ground. This is the world of professional wrestling once again though, unfortunately injuries happen, and they get in the way of intriguing storylines and character development frustratingly often. I love horror though and I was a huge fan of Bray Wyatt’s in this current era. This faction is the closest piece we still have to Bray in the business (his younger brother leads them for goodness’ sake) and they are certainly carrying on the torch of that cerebral horror that he gave us. They are the horror act of current WWE, and I am absolutely behind the gimmick. The masks, the entrance, the fog, the CINEMA, I am into all of it. I was one of the few people that actually loved their debut last year on Raw, it was one of my favorite moments of the year. Was it a little unrealistic and over the top? Yes, it didn’t feel as much like professional wrestling as it did a found footage horror movie, but that’s exactly what made it, and this group in general awesome. We’re in an era where they’re able to do more cinematic things when stories call for it and it’s kind of awesome. Get into the spooky, horror movie playing out on live TV vibe, and quit looking for realism always in professional wrestling. I get if it’s not your thing though, that’s okay. I enjoy a good gimmick, and the Wyatt Sicks have a great one in my mind, it just needs to be utilized and presented properly. Please.
#5: Sami Zayn- Sami Zayn is undoubtably one of the best tried and true “wrestlers” of the current era. He’s compelling on the mic and tells a fantastic story in the ring every time he wrestles. He’s one of the best underdog style wrestlers probably of all time. The dude can sell like no other. Sami works well as a face and a heel, but I think his character and style of wrestling just come off better as a face a lot of the time. Sami feels like one of those wrestlers that no matter the credit he does get, he still feels underrated and like he won’t be fully appreciated for how good he is between the ropes until he’s gone and retired. He’s had one of my favorite matches at WrestleMania 3 years in a row at this point (even though he won’t be on the card this year. Damn.) and usually ends up having 2 or more matches on my Top 10 Favorite Matches of the Year when I make that annual list. Sami and Kevin came up together and are both absolutely fantastic workers and deserve all the flowers in the world, they’re a wrestler’s favorite kind of wrestler. That’s the best way to describe them, and I love them both (get well soon Kevin), but the past couple years I’ve just been more invested into Sami personally.
#4: Iyo Sky- Iyo Sky is so, so much fun in the ring. She upped the ante for highflying in the women’s division and in general and is in a class of her own when it comes to her in ring style. No one really wrestles like her either, she’s original and so fun to watch, so it’s nice seeing her getting prevalent spots on the WrestleMania card the last couple years and staying an important staple in the women’s division throughout the rest of the year. I would be lying if I said I didn’t hope she retained her belt this year at Mania 41. Sure, she walked into Mania as a champ last year as well (great match by the way), but that was more about completing Bayley’s story, no one really thought Iyo was going to win that match. This year Bianca and Rhea have been kind of shoving her aside and making her an afterthought in their personal rivalry, so it would be such a disservice to Iyo as a competitor to have her drop the belt to either of them at the show of shows. Establish this woman, put some damn respect on her name, and there’s no better way to do that than give her a credible win over Bianca Belair and Rhea Ripley at WrestleMania. Iyo Sky is awesome, she’s another one that no matter what kind of story they want to throw her in or what they need her to do, she makes it work, and you have absolutely no worries it’ll be good once that bell rings. She also has arguably my favorite theme song on the current roster so bonus points for that as well, but that’s beside the point.
#3: Charlotte Flair- Here we go. More controversial wrestling opinions to draw myself some heat. I am a Charlotte fan; I have been behind her for years. I understand that people have differing opinions of her and feel she’s been shoved down our throats at times or gets too much handed to her, but she’s also one of the OG horsewomen that helped pave the way for a lot of the awesome women’s wrestling we get on a weekly basis in WWE today. She’s also most certainly one of the most crisp and all around best damn wrestlers from an in-ring standpoint on the roster (in my personal opinion of course) and she’s gotten better and better on the mic as the years have gone as well. In my opinion, Charlotte is a living legend in the business practically at this point and regardless of if you enjoy the amount of prominence she tends to get or not, I think most wrestling fans will look back at her major matches and overall career with a lot of fondness long after she retires. I will admit that the build between her and Tiffany for the Women’s Championship at this coming Mania has at times been…awkward, there doesn’t seem to be much love lost between the 2 of them. Personal lives and situations aside though, I was one of the ones that was beyond hype to see ‘The Queen’ return at this year’s Royal Rumble and earn her chance back onto the WrestleMania card, and I’m sure the match is going to be great. I don’t know how much longer she’ll be going at the pace she’s currently going, she’s been in the game for a pretty long time at this point and achieved a lot of accolades, so I’m going to soak this run in while she’s here and it’s happening regardless.
#2: Gunther- When it comes to pure mat presence no one can top The Ring General himself. He’s the textbook definition of the term ‘professional wrestler’. As old school as it gets in terms of gear and in ring style, he’s a force to be reckoned with, and someone I appreciate probably much more as an adult wrestling fan who sees the product through a very different scope than I did as a child. Gunther isn’t overly flashy and he doesn’t worry too much about his entrance or really anything to do with his outfit or presentation, but when that bell rings you are officially working on his time. He hits HARD, his chops and closed hammer fists are some of the very hardest and loudest I’ve ever seen or heard, and he is a technical wizard that can twist you into a pretzel or put you to sleep when brought down to the mat as well. Gunther is a winner through and through, the guy hardly ever loses unless the loss really means something, hell he’s the longest reigning Intercontinental Champion of all time, but I don’t need to tell y’all that. That being said, I assume he loses at Mania again this year unfortunately. Don’t get me wrong, Jey has most certainly earned it, and it will be a very memorable feel-good moment if and when it happens, but I’m just such a Gunther fanboy and seeing him with gold of some form just feels right. I guess that’s the price you pay when being one of the best heels in the business though, you have to put over the babyfaces.
#1: Seth ‘Freakin’ Rollins- Now, the complete inverse of the Ring General. Ironic that my top 2 are like polar opposites when it comes to presentation and flashiness involved with their characters. Rollins is the flashiest player in the game! Seth has been my boy since 2014, I hitched my saddle onto him early and have stuck on that ride for years now. He was my favorite member of The Shield back in the day when they were still together, and I bought into him the second he turned on The Shield and sided with The Authority as well during that Money in the Bank run. Seth just knows exactly who he is and every iteration of his character has been a success in large part because of him. His character work is unmatched, his mic work is solid as can be, and he’s a damn good wrestler in the ring once the bell rings as well. I know that he’s presented as a top guy in the company, but again I feel like he’s a bit underrated even still. Just his pure ability to be able to carry a story and carry a wrestler through a match if need be is impressive and he’s been used for and put in that position many times and has always made his opponents look better for it. Cody’s return, Logan’s first singles Mania match, the rivalry with Punk, I’d even say he’ll be carrying a lot of the workload through the triple threat match at this upcoming Mania as well if I had to guess. Seth is a workhorse competitor through and through and I rarely, if ever, find myself in a position where I’m not rooting for him. I’ve loved the way they’ve built this triple threat match between him and Punk and Reigns though. They haven’t changed any of their characters much, they’ve allowed all of them to come out there and still get cheered. They’re just 3 fan favorites that happen to all have serious beef with one another and it’s up to the crowd to decide who they want to cheer for. I love a story like that and hope we get more of them moving forward. It’s 2025, we don’t always need a clear cut ‘good guy’ and ‘bad guy’ in our wrestling stories anymore.
That’s all for this one folks! Don’t hate me too much, remember this is just my personal opinion and has no reflection on you! I’d love to hear some of your lists as well though so hit me up and let me know some of your favorites from the current era! Other than that, I hope you all have a great week ahead and a wonderful WrestleMania viewing experience!
