MJF Tops 2026 PWI 500, But Who Could Take His Spot?

MJF has been named the number one wrestler in the world in the 2026 edition of the PWI 500, the annual kayfabe-based rankings that weigh championship reigns, win-loss records, and the strength of a star’s feuds over the previous year. It’s the first time an AEW talent has claimed the top spot since Kenny Omega did so back in 2021, and MJF is one of only three AEW names to crack the overall top ten this year — joined by Konosuke Takeshita at number five and Hangman Adam Page at number six. Cody Rhodes, who topped the list in both 2024 and 2025, was dethroned this time around.

The PWI 500 has always been a curious institution in pro wrestling — a Wrestling Observer-adjacent relic that treats storylines as if they were real sporting outcomes, tallying up title runs and program quality the way a stat sheet might track wins and losses in any other sport. It’s not a measure of merchandise sales, TV ratings, or backstage pull, and it never claims to be. But it has endured for decades precisely because it gives fans and media a shorthand way to talk about who’s having the best in-ring year, independent of company size or television platform.

With MJF now holding the crown, the natural question becomes who’s positioned to take it from him going forward — and AEW has no shortage of candidates. Will Ospreay, who has cracked the top ten four separate times and peaked at number three in 2024, sits at 16 this year after working his way back from injury. As the reigning AEW World Champion, a sustained run at the top of the card through 2027 would put him firmly back in the conversation for the number one spot.

Kyle Fletcher, currently ranked 21st, is another name trending upward. A former AEW International Champion, two-time TNT Champion, and World Trios Champion, Fletcher has built himself into one of the promotion’s most compelling characters — much of it forged through his rivalry with Ospreay, a program intense enough that Fletcher shaved his own head as part of the storyline. A future World Championship pursuit could be the vehicle that pushes him into the sport’s elite tier.

Then there’s Page, a two-time AEW World Champion and Triple Crown winner (alongside Omega, the only other star to hold that distinction in AEW). His number six ranking this year, down from a career-best number four in both 2022 and 2025, says less about any decline on his part than about the strength of the field above him. Should Page find his way back into a world title picture, that number could climb again quickly.

Whether any of this actually matters in a tangible sense is fair to debate — the PWI 500 doesn’t move the needle on box office or television deals. But it remains one of the few widely referenced barometers of momentum across the entire industry, indie scene included, and it offers a rare snapshot of which stars the wrestling media consensus believes are peaking at any given moment. For now, that consensus says MJF, and AEW will be watching closely to see who challenges him for the title next.

AEW star MJF tops this year's PWI 500 list!

The top 10:

1. MJF (AEW)
2. Cody Rhodes (WWE)
3. CM Punk (WWE)
4. Mistico (CMLL, AEW)
5. Konosuke Takeshita (AEW, NJPW, DDT)
6. Adam Page (AEW)
7. Yota Tsuji (NJPW)
8. Trick Williams (WWE)
9. Oba Femi (WWE)
10. GUNTHER (WWE) pic.twitter.com/iCGNx6OoCb

— WrestleTalk (@WrestleTalk_TV) September 24, 2026