5 times current WWE Superstars have been called the world's best wrestler
WWE has had some of the greatest superstars in professional wrestling history. But fans have often argued about the in-ring caliber of even top-tier stars.
WWE typically focuses more on the storytelling aspect inside the ring rather than the physically competitive nature of wrestling. For this reason, it's widely believed that many Japanese wrestlers in the 1990s were the best in the world.
Even today, some of the industry's elite competitors star in promotions like AEW and NJPW. But these five current WWE Superstars have been declared as the world's best wrestler. Some of these stars have received the honor during their time with the company. Others earned that praise before they competed in a WWE ring.
#5. AJ Styles - Often called the best in the world, even before he joined WWE
AJ Styles was viewed as one of the world's best wrestlers long before he joined WWE. Styles' remarkable career took him all over the globe, even before he made his WWE debut. The company recruited Styles in the early 2000s, but he turned the offer down. Instead, he joined the newest promotion on the block at the time, TNA.
Styles helped elevate the company into a promotion that had the potential to rival WWE. While Vince McMahon's company was in the Ruthless Aggression Era, Styles was getting a reputation as one of the best wrestlers in the world.
Fans who followed him throughout his TNA/IMPACT Wrestling tenure believed that Styles was a better in-ring competitor than almost everyone in WWE. But it was Styles' move to New Japan Pro-Wrestling that truly turned him an international superstar.
Although his tenure with NJPW only lasted two years, Styles had two reigns as the IWGP Heavyweight Champion, one of the most prestigious prizes in the pro wrestling industry.
Styles' international success certainly caught the WWE's attention. The company finally seized the opportunity to sign "The Phenomenal One" after Wrestle Kingdom 10, where he lost to Shinsuke Nakamura in an instant classic.
In a short span of time, WWE signed four major NJPW superstars in Styles, Nakamura, Karl Anderson, and Luke Gallows. Although the Good Brothers' WWE run didn't work out, the duo made good money.
On the other brand, Styles thrived as soon as he arrived in WWE, and he proved that he is the best wrestler in the world. Several legends and personalities have declared that Styles wasn't just the best in WWE, but in the entire professional wrestling industry.
Given how quickly he rose to the top in WWE, it's hard to deny these claims. Styles himself has described his ascendance to the forefront of the company as the cream rising to the top.