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Daily DDT Staff Picks for Top 5 Current WWE Wrestlers

By Bassam Kaado

Seth Rollins makes his way to the rign during the WWE World Cup Quarterfinal match as part of as part of the World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) Crown Jewel pay-per-view at the King Saud University Stadium in Riyadh on November 2, 2018. (Photo by Fayez Nureldine / AFP) (Photo credit should read FAYEZ NURELDINE/AFP/Getty Images)
Seth Rollins makes his way to the rign during the WWE World Cup Quarterfinal match as part of as part of the World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) Crown Jewel pay-per-view at the King Saud University Stadium in Riyadh on November 2, 2018. (Photo by Fayez Nureldine / AFP) (Photo credit should read FAYEZ NURELDINE/AFP/Getty Images) /
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Kyle Brown’s Top 5

  1. AJ Styles
  2. Finn Balor
  3. Seth Rollins
  4. Ricochet
  5. Kofi Kingston

First thing’s first, I wanted The Miz at number five here. I waffled back-and-forth before finally settling on Kofi based on his recent run.

Also, I could have put any number of NXT or 205 Live stars on this list. If you aren’t watching those shows, you’re missing out on exciting talent like Velveteen Dream (he gets called up in the next 3-6 months, write it down), Adam Cole, Mike Kanellis, Drew Gulak, Shayna Baszler, and Io Shirai.

Finally, I did not include any of the Women’s Division competitors here. I stuck strictly to the men, but I’d give you Sasha, Bayley, Charlotte, Alexa, and Asuka (sorry Becks) as my top-five.

Anyway, back to this list of the current top-five WWE performers.

Kofi Kingston was always the guy that would battle in the mid-card and give you a solid match with one or two exciting spots. For me, like a lot of people, his feud with Randy Orton almost a decade ago gave me a glimpse that perhaps Kofi could hang in the main event scene.

I was worried that his toiling would never pay off and that the New Day schtick would be nothing more than a corporate mascot. The way he got the fans behind him and really forced an audible to be called from the top this past year has never been seen before. I’m glad he is being given a chance to run with the strap, because I think it has legitimized Kofi as a top star on today’s roster.

Ricochet was in danger of being another NXT call-up that was mismanaged by Vince McMahon and his writing team. That story is getting old. However, he was given a golden opportunity when Rey Mysterio went down with an injury and is now the reigning US Champion.

Ricochet has had a history of championship success in other promotions, and I am very excited to see if the company will take the restraints off and let Ricochet show that he is, possibly, the most talented in-ring performer on the roster. The only knock I’ll give him is his shaky work on the mic. If he can get his promos to a level near his matches, Ricochet can be a top star for WWE for years to come.

I’ll be honest, Seth Rollins doesn’t really do it for me. I think he works hard. He is very good on the mic. I think he has made the most of the opportunities that have been given to him with various titles. I actually think number three may be too high for him because of two things; he is injury prone, and he is dangerous.

Rollins has not been able to stay off the shelf with injuries and I am always left wondering when the next one is coming. I would be hesitant to put the title on him because of this reason, but I’m not in creative. Rollins’ history of injuring people almost makes me want to knock him off the list entirely.

He sent Sting into retirement with a reckless bucklebomb and that doesn’t fly with this Stinger fan. (Finn Balor’s injury could be attributed to Rollins or just to bad luck, you make the call.) I can’t deny his success, but I can penalize him to keep him from the top.

Speaking of Balor … can we just turn him loose and let the New Japan version out? If you don’t know how awesome he was as Prince Devitt in NJPW, you need to look it up. Balor has the potential to be fire in his promos and in the ring. I would even settle for the performer we saw when he was NXT Champion. I will continue to say the wrong call is being made by keeping the Universal or WWE Championship off of him.

He never got his shot to show what he could do with it. I think he oozes talent and if he were given just a little more of the spotlight, he would shine. The tease of a feud with Shinsuke Nakamura on Smackdown Live this past week has me desperately wanting to see the renewal of that rivalry. Hopefully, they are given time to showcase exactly what Balor can give audiences.

AJ Styles has been the best wrestler for the last three promotions he has been a part of. He was the best TNA had to offer. He was the top draw in New Japan. After making his long-awaited debut in WWE, he has taken the company by storm and has had more success in a short amount of time than most any other superstar in history. His moves are innovative, his promos are compelling, he can be a face or a heel and be believable.

Here is my hope for Styles in the coming year: I hope they run with The Club angle that is taking place right now. Styles as a faction leader is something the American audience needs to see. I also hope they work Balor into the mix and we get that feud down the road. We, the fans, deserve the two best WWE has to offer involved in a series of unforgettable matches.

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