With so many wrestlers in todays sphere of influence, it can be hard to pick just one to single out and name “Best in the World”. Fortunately for those who follow me on social media, I presented you with that daunting question, the only rules being that they must be a currently active wrestler. Today I am here to confirm *almost* everyones belief that their favorite wrestler is, in fact, best in the world.
Miu Watanabe
A very popular answer from my question was Miu Watanabe of Tokyo Joshi Pro Wrestling. Out of all the wrestlers from TJPW, she’s definitely had the most stand-out year this year. The perfect combo of strength and cuteness, what’s not to love? She made her debut in 2018 and was extremely likeable almost right away. A member of the pro wrestling singing group “UP UP GIRLS” shes easy to spot in her bright pink attire. She has held every belt there is to hold in TJPW and is the current “Princess of Princess Champion” which is essentially the company’s main title. Known for her giant swing move and just overall strength in the ring, she’s always been a top star with or without a belt. For those unaware, most joshi companies have what they call an “ace” or essentially the top star of the company. While she is still young, I feel she could most certainly be the future ace of TJPW! The current ace being the indisputable Miyu Yamashita and while she is a whole other story, I feel when the day comes for Miyu to pass the torch, she will pass the title of ace onto Miu. Charisma flows from Miu like it’s endless and she makes it seem so easy to be a babyface. The title of world champion is not something every wrestler deserves, but Miu has more than earned the right to be up there with the best. Here are three matches I’d recommend of hers if you’d like to introduce yourself to Miu.
- VS Shoko Nakajima 7.31.22
- VS Miyu Yamashita 8.13.22
- VS Rika Tatsumi 3.18.23
“Hangman” Adam Page
While men’s wrestling is not my specialty, who would I be to turn my cheek on a fellow rootin’ tootin’ cowboy? Adam Page is currently working with AEW and is a former world champion there. Many fans noted that he’s a great storyteller, and never fails to put on a show for both the live crowds and those watching at home. Storytelling is a skill far too overlooked and under-appreciated in todays wrestling world. While doing flips and cool tricks does entertain the crowd, it won’t be what brings them back for more. Storytelling is truly the heart and soul of this business, all of the people who have ever been in an “all-time greatest wrestler” conversation have all been able to tell a story and leave fans wanting more. Adam Page is obviously starting to wiggle his way into the greatest storyteller crowd because while I personally don’t watch AEW, I always want to know what Adam Page is up to. This isn’t to take away from Adam’s in ring work either, it’s obvious he deserves to be in the conversation for best technique as well. I also think some of the best characters in the sport are people who just take themselves and turn it up to 100. It’s obvious Adam is a country boy, he isn’t some city boy dressing up in boots and a hat saying “yeehaw” every chance he gets. He really is who you see on the screen (to a degree), he really is the cowboy we all believe he is and thats one of the reasons he is such a good storyteller, because he found the cheat code of wrestling gimmicks, just be yourself. If you want to saddle up with Adam Page, here’s three matches I suggest you check out.
- VS Swerve Strickland 7.2.24
- VS Bryan Danielson 7.10.24
- VS Jon Moxley 3.5.23
Sareee
When “Sareee” changed to “Sarray” in 2021, what should’ve been a generational run in WWE, ended up being a total dissapointment because of WWE’s story and character ideas. When she left the company in 2023 and changed back to Sareee, we saw a completely new side of her. It’s obvious she was fueled by the failure of WWE and became the absolute beast we’ve all come to know. From jumping from company to company and holding more titles than she can hold, there’s no argument when someone says “Sareee is the best in the world”. When WWE took the Japanese girl who had immense talent and made her nothing more then a stereotype by dressing her in a schoolgirl uniform and pigtails, it was insulting to not only her, but to the fans intelligence as well. Sareee declares herself “The Sun God” and with her energy and passion that shoots out of her like beams, it’s hard to disagree. She is the current Marigold world champion and has come to dominate almost everyone she comes across. As a freelancer, she has the freedom to do almost anything she can put her mind to. She occasionally holds self-produced wrestling shows called “Sareee-ISM” and features numerous talents from across Japan on her shows. Whatever the future holds for Sareee, there’s no doubt she’ll be the best one there. Here’s three matches to become accustomed to Sareee.
- W/ Mayu Iwatani VS Chihiro Hashimoto & VENY 9.2.24
- VS Giulia 7.13.24
- VS Bozilla 10.24.24
Mayu Iwatani
The worldwide known ACE of Stardom and one of the company’s “big three”, Mayu has been undeniable since she arrived. Mayu is the current womens champion for New Japan and has been having amazing matches in her reign. Iwatani has been with Stardom 11 years now and is one of the companies original trainees. Mayu has always been a fan-favorite among Stardom fans and still holds fans in the palm of her hand. Her talent knows no limits, even after 11 years, she shows no signs of slowing down anytime soon. She’s wrestled in the Tokyo Dome and regularly main events shows all across Japan. While the company Stardom has changed A LOT over the past few years, one thing is certain, Mayu is unchanging in the best way possible. Constantly evolving in-ring, but never changing her personality for wrestling and continues to stay true to herself. A movie about her life recently came out called “Runaway Wrestler” but it has yet to be translated to English. While we wait for the movie translation, here are three matches of Mayu’s to check out.
- VS Sareee 4.27.24
- VS KAIRI 11.20.22
- VS Giulia 9.11.22
Gunther/WALTER
WWE’s self-proclaimed “Ring general” is someone I’m not surprised was listed multiple times. Gunther has been wrestling since 2005 and although he’s been with WWE a short time overall, he’s made such a huge impact that has become hard to ignore. I do not watch WWE regularly, only tune in for bigger shows/matches, but Gunther’s impact has been felt far and wide. Current World Heavyweight Champion for the company, he’s frequently regarded by journalists and other wrestlers as “Best in the World”. The German native is well known for his indie wrestling run both in Germany and eventually the world over. He’s wrestled in the UK, Japan, and US before signing to WWE. He became undeniable and still is to this day. His wrestling style is super stiff and he’s not afraid to hit hard like Stan Hansen of the past. Gunther truly believes the mat is sacred and it’s hard to disagree with him. He’s best known for his matches with “smaller” wrestlers, though everyone could be considered little to him. To see what I mean here are three matches I recommend you watch!
- VS Iija Dragunov 8.22.21
- VS Sheamus 10.7.22
- VS The Miz 11.25.23
While these were a couple of the most popular repeat answers I received for the “Best in the World” conversation, the main reason of this article wasn’t necessarily to create more discourse, it was to confirm as many beliefs as I can that your favorite wrestler is in fact best in the world regardless of the “truth”. The thing that makes wrestling so special is how different it can be, from the stories, the companies, to the wrestlers themselves. Everyone in wrestling has a passion for it, and we as fans share that common interest. Our differences unite us and is the reason why wrestling IS wrestling! Without differences this sport probably wouldn’t exist or be the sport we all love today. So whether your favorite wrestler is new on the scene or is a grizzled veteran, they are the best in YOUR world! This is what creates competition, rivalry and story. I got so much variety in responses from this little “experiement” and that was so wonderful to see! So continue to spread positive love for wrestling, it’s what keeps this sport going!
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