Jon Moxley ranked #1 in the prestigious PWI 500 for 2020

Jon Moxley with the AEW World and IWGP US titles.

Jon Moxley has topped the Pro Wrestling Illustrated (PWI) 500 for 2020.

The evaluation period for this year's PWI 500 is July 1, 2019 - June 30, 2020. The criteria for ranking are as follows:

Win-loss record
Technical ability
Influence on the sport
Success against the highest grade of competition
Success against the most diverse competition
Activity
— PWI (@OfficialPWI) August 27, 2020

Since the cover is already making its way around online, no point in waiting any longer: Congratulations to @AEWrestling's @JonMoxley on being the #1 ranked wrestler in this year’s PWI 500! Preorder your print copy now at https://t.co/EuUXs75XJB pic.twitter.com/O0JrkyvJ6U
— PWI (@OfficialPWI) August 27, 2020

The entire PWI 500 list has not been revealed as of this writing, but the word doing the rounds is that the complete list should be out in a few hours.

This year’s PWI 500 comes out tonight. It was a massive honor to help contribute to the list and also extremely exciting to write up some folks who I love to support who are on the list for the very first time. Congratulations everyone!
— Andrea Hangst (@FBALL_Andrea) August 27, 2020

The prestigious PWI 500 started in 1991 and in case you're wondering, this is how last year's (2019) top 10 looked like:

Seth Rollins
Daniel Bryan
AJ Styles
Kofi Kingston
Kazuchika Okada
Johnny Gargano
Roman Reigns
Kenny Omega
Hiroshi Tanahashi
Will Ospreay

While the complete list for 2020 isn't out just yet, Jon Moxley is the best wrestler in the world for 2020 with the emergence of AEW, where is he is the reigning World Champion.

Jon Moxley's incredible journey since leaving WWE

Jon Moxley ended his highly successful yet excruciatingly frustrating WWE stint in April 2019 after his contract expired that month and he chose to leave.

The mainstream professional wrestling world knew all Dean Ambrose, but independent wrestling fans would always remember him as Jon Moxley.

The former Shield member wasted no time in making waves following his WWE exit as he made AEW debut at Double or Nothing in May 2019 by attacking Kenny Omega. Mox wrestled his first AEW match against Joey Janela at Fyter Fest in June.

Moxley wanted to keep himself busy, and he had a point to prove, which took him to Japan. The former WWE Champion became the IWGP United States Heavyweight Champion at NJPW Best Of The Super Juniors XXVI - Day 15 in June by defeating Juice Robinson.

He was stripped of the title, but he won it back against Lance Archer at Wrestle Kingdom 14, and as things stand, he is currently in his second reign with the Championship.

Moxley's rise in AEW continued at a steady pace, and it eventually led to his AEW World title victory against Chris Jericho at AEW Revolution in February 2020. Moxley has defended the title against Brian Cage, Brodie Lee, Darby Allin, and Jake Hager and he is set to put the title on the line against MJF at the upcoming All Out PPV.

As expected, MJP had a predictable reaction to Moxley's latest achievement:

What a joke. https://t.co/36Jrocr0u9
— Maxwell Jacob Friedman™️ (@The_MJF) August 27, 2020

Jon Moxley has upped his game to a whole new level since leaving WWE. He was always a workhorse, and that hasn't changed one bit. In addition to working for AEW and NJPW, Moxley has also wrestled for several indie promotions.

Moxley currently holds top titles in two massive promotions. He regularly puts in solid matches and has thrived in cutting promos ever since being given the creative freedom to express himself.

The pandemic era may have hampered his AEW World title reign, however, his unmatched worth ethic and the accolades to accompany it deservedly puts him at the top spot of PWI 500 for 2020.

Stay tuned for the full list.