Top 10 Wrestlers of the 2010s

Each era in professional wrestling is typically defined by the decade. Everyone thinks of Ric Flair, Hulk Hogan and Randy Savage for the 80s. Fans of the 90s will remember names like Steve Austin, The Rock, and Sting for their incredible runs. 2000s wrestlers to take over featured Kurt Angle, Rob Van Dam, and Brock Lesnar. The decade of the 2010s is still going strong today with many great stars adding to their resumes.

We will look at the elite names in the wrestling world in recent memory. These performers have made a mark that will be remembered for their role in the decade many years from now. Each talent on the list accomplished incredible things to help add to this era of wrestling. Some of them are retired already or transitioning into the end of their time in the ring while others are still going strong. These are the top ten wrestlers of the 2010s.

10 Seth Rollins

The rise of The Shield has been the biggest success story for WWE in the decade. Seth Rollins was one of the three stars to form from the faction. Rollins was one of the top in-ring performers before even signing with WWE.

However, the jump to WWE allowed him to accomplish his childhood dreams of becoming a WWE Champion. Rollins did incredible things both in The Shield and as a singles star. The legacy of Rollins is still going as the final year of the decade will see him have a Universal Championship reign.

9 Kevin Owens

Kevin Owens has not been in WWE for the entire decade so far, but his time outside of the company is a major reason why he deserves a spot on the list. The success of Owens in Ring of Honor helped showcase how successful wrestlers could be outside of WWE with the growing fan base.

Owens helped create the boom for the indie scene that is still going strong today. The signing to WWE also proved that he was good enough to thrive in the big league. Owens winning the Universal Championship was the crowning moment as a top star for the 2010s.

8 Randy Orton

Randy Orton has been a fixture at the top of the WWE pecking order for many years now. The rise of Orton started in the mid-2000s and he has continued to win world titles since then. Two of the top runs of his career came in the 2010s.

Orton’s feud with Christian on the Smackdown brand was a tremendous success that delivered some of the best matches of his career. Daniel Bryan’s journey to the top of WWE also featured Orton playing the heel holding him down. Orton had many ups and downs in the decade so far, but the ups give him a top ten spot.

7 Shinsuke Nakamura

One of the biggest aspects of the decade so far has featured New Japan becoming a successful brand worldwide. Shinsuke Nakamura was a huge reason for the momentum rising in North America with the new fans falling in love with the product.

A combination of unparalleled charisma and incredible matches made Nakamura a top face in NJPW. WWE signed Nakamura following the hype and he would become the most successful Japanese star in company history. The importance of Nakamura’s success made him one of the top stars of the decade.

6 Charlotte Flair

The women’s evolution in WWE and beyond is another huge chapter for the decade of wrestling. WWE realized just how much fans wanted to see the women’s division get a fair chance to showcase their skills.

Charlotte Flair has been the biggest success story of the women’s division to have many incredible moments to push the movement forward. History-making moments like the first women’s main event, first women’s Hell in a Cell match, and first women’s WrestleMania moment all showcased the importance of Charlotte’s role. She certainly is a top star of the 2010s for good reason.

5 CM Punk

CM Punk deserves contention for the top spot as the most important wrestler of the 2010s. The Summer of Punk in 2011 created one of the greatest storylines in WWE history with fans falling in love with his character blurring the lines of reality.

Punk had an incredible WWE Championship reign with outstanding wins over the likes of John Cena, Chris Jericho, Daniel Bryan, and many others. The decision to leave in 2014 due to backstage frustration with his booking following the end of his title reign led to Punk leaving earlier than expected. If he continued wrestling, punk could be the top wrestler of the 2010s.

4 Roman Reigns

The Shield’s dominance in WWE featured Roman Reigns having the biggest role after the split. Reigns had a polarizing response from the fans, but it did not prevent him from finding success. The incredible accomplishment of four WrestleMania main events in a row showed just how much WWE believed in Reigns.

WWE found their next face of the company with Reigns as he became a workhouse to represent the company in and out of the ring. Reigns’ battle with leukemia has seen him return to great responses from the fans. The decade should end with more great moments from Roman.

3 AJ Styles

The journey of AJ Styles throughout the decade has been a tremendous story to witness. Styles was told by Impact Wrestling that he was not worth his contract request of a raise. A move to New Japan and Ring of Honor allowed Styles to rebuild his reputation as arguably the best wrestler in the world.

WWE could no longer deny Styles when he returned to the free agent market in early 2016. Styles signed with WWE and became a top star within a few months. The brand split saw Styles become the face of Smackdown as an incredible WWE Champion. AJ earned a spot as a top star of the decade.

2 Daniel Bryan

No one could have predicted that Daniel Bryan would become the top star in WWE at some point during the start of the decade. Bryan was in the mid-card picture at the start of the decade, but fans would gradually develop support for him.

The rise as the most beloved face came in 2013 with the culmination of winning the WWE World Championship at WrestleMania 30. Injuries led to Bryan being forced to retire for a few years before WWE cleared him in 2018. Bryan’s heel run has seen more great moments come as a top star for the company.

1 John Cena

John Cena started the decade deep into his run as the face of the company. The incredible stint as the face of WWE would continue until around 2016 when Roman Reigns took the spot. Cena still was the most successful and important star to WWE in the decade.

The first half of the decade featured Cena having a huge role in getting CM Punk and Daniel Bryan to the next level. Cena also helped Kevin Owens, AJ Styles, and Seth Rollins when working with them. The combination of his individual importance along with helping others makes Cena the top wrestling star of the 2010s.

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