Top 5 Greatest WWE Wrestler Of The 2010s: The 2010s were a trying time for WWE. Only years before the start of the decade, the company went PG, and the impact of the move was being felt. As the product focused on entertaining a far younger audience, several long-time viewers just quit watching.
Despite some of the worst years of WWE programming being in this decade, these years did set the groundwork for a far more successful era in the 2020s. And even though the product turned PG, there were still a lot of good things about the WWE.
In fact, the shift from big-man wrestlers to those more technically proficient took place in mid-2010 as the company was struggling—the move that changed WWE programming forever. But with so many different superstars and focuses of the product within a decade who were the greatest wrestlers from 2010 to 2019.
Who are the top 5 greatest WWE wrestlers of the 2010s? Well, not exactly five (you will understand as you read the list). Which WWE superstars were the greatest of the previous decade?
Top 5 Greatest WWE Wrestler Of The 2010s
5) AJ Styles
Despite being in the WWE for only the latter half of the decade, AJ Styles makes this list purely on the basis of what impact he had on the promotion’s culture, its product, and how they created superstars of the upcoming generation.
Before signing with the WWE in early 2016, Styles was a multi-time world champion and a legend of rival promotion TNA. He was also a former IWGP World Heavyweight Champion in New Japan and probably the biggest wrestler in the world outside of WWE. So, with him already being an icon of the business, people were excited yet sceptical of his signing.
Before this, the Stamford-based promotion only sent big and muscle-bound men to the main event. But with AJ being a technical maestro, his being a main event star in the company was not expected. Despite that, his debut at the 2016 Royal Rumble made a huge splash.
However, all of his fans’ concerns were washed away when, within months of his debut, AJ Styles
4) Daniel Bryan
While Daniel Bryan might be the fourth on this list, his rise to the main event in WWE was one of the seminal moments in professional wrestling. Having made his debut in the company in 2010 via NXT, Bryan already carried the reputation of being one of the most technically gifted wrestlers in the whole world.
While he did win a few titles, including the World Heavyweight Championship in the first few years at the promotion, his rise to the top of the card in 2014 was arguably the first time when WWE did not look towards a muscle-bound heavyweight wrestler to be the face of the company. His taking on and defeating The Authority at WrestleMania 30 is one of the greatest moments in modern wrestling.
Daniel Bryan was forced to retire from in-ring competition in 2018, after which he remained active on WWE TV. His return to wrestling was the first of its kind for wrestlers who retired due to neck issues. And his second stint in the company was equally memorable.
While yes, Daniel Bryan was among the greatest wrestlers in the WWE in the 2010s, what brings him to this list is how he opened the doors for smaller guys to become world champions and company flagbearers.
Check Out: Top 5 Best WWE Wrestlers Of The 2020s
3) Brock Lesnar
Brock Lesnar was the top dog in WWE in the 2010s. After an eight-year absence from the company, he returned to the WWE in 2012 and started getting into feuds with some of the biggest stars in the company. But he did not become the main attraction in the promotion till he broke The Undertaker’s historic WrestleMania streak in 2014.
After that, he was the answer whenever WWE needed to boost some excitement into the world title scene. He won several world titles in dominating fashion—he also main evented two ‘Manias this decade.
Brock Lesnar was also arguably the most popular star in the WWE internationally, with his fame extending outside the US and across the world during his time in the company.
With the pedigree he brought to the WWE as a former UFC Champion and his appearance in some of the most iconic and memorable moments in the 2010s, Brock Lesnar does deserve a place on this list.
Check Out: Top 5 Greatest WWE Wrestler Of The 2010s
2) The Shield (Roman Reigns, Seth Rollins, Dean Ambrose)
Now this is something unusual. But those who watched the WWE in the 2010s will know how the paths and careers of the three SHield members were interconnected. And thus, it only felt right to put all of them on the list in one spot.
Dean Ambrose, Seth Rollins, and Roman Reigns made their WWE main roster debut together as the Shield, a faction of three young wrestlers who wreaked havoc on the roster. While the three were solid on their own, they were unstoppable together, even defeating the teams filled with main eventers just with their teamwork.
When Seth betrayed his brethren and broke the stable in 2014, it was evident that the three men were set to rule the WWE in the coming decade. While Roman was seen as the successor of John Cena, it was Rolling who first won the WWE Championship in the main event of WrestleMania 31, cashing in his Money in the Bank.
In the next few years, all three men would be world champions. And while Roman Reigns and Seth Rollins soared to the main event, Dean Ambrose became an upper mid-carder, leaving the WWE in 2019. And playing an instrumental role in the rise of All Elite Wrestling
As for Reigns and Rollins, Roman was ultimately rejected as a babyface by fans at large. So in one of the biggest moves in promotion history, the Big Dog turned hell and became The Tribal Chief. Since then, not only Roman Reigns has become the face of the company but has entered conversations of being an all-time great.
As for Seth, he became a multi-time world champion and is now seen as a workhorse legend on the roster. He might have had the most impact out of the three on the coming generation of wrestlers.
1) John Cena
Coming into the 2010s, John Cena was the divisive face of WWE. While the young population of fans adored the Leader of the Cenation, a vast number of adult fans were not too fond of him. But despite what his detractors would say, Cena was the face of the promotion back then and was a terrific person to hold that mantle.
Cena won a lot of his 16 world titles in the first half of 2010, but his time as the top dog in the promotion ended when Brock Lesnar squashed him for the WWE Championship at SummerSlam 2014. After that, he was still one of the top stars in the company, just not the biggest.
Despite that, his popularity among the younger fans, who now grew up watching him wrestler, still adored John. And in the mid-2010s, he changed tactics and went from top champion in the company to trying to elevate newer talents with him. His US Championship Open Challenge in 2015 is still one of the most memorable mid-card title reigns ever.
One cannot forget how Cena had some of the greatest WWE matches of all time in this decade. From his several battles with CM Punk to his iconic matches with AJ Styles at SummerSlam 2016 and Royal Rumble 2017, to arguably the greatest triple-threat match in WWE history between him, Brock Lesnar, and Seth Rollins at Royal Rumble 2015.
Towards the end of the decade, John Cena had set foot in Hollywood and became a part-time wrestler. But he didn’t lose his popularity. In fact, the fans who previously booed him throughout his career now realise that Cena was indeed among the greatest WWE Superstars of all time and definitely the greatest in the 2010s.
Check Out: Top 5 Greatest WWE Wrestler Of The 2010s
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