Pro Wrestling Illustrated revealed the top of its 2026 PWI 500 list on Thursday, September 24, and the former AEW World Champion MJF sits at No. 1. The placement marks a dramatic rise for MJF, who was ranked No. 30 on the 2025 list, according to Fightful and Wrestling Headlines.
MJF’s ascent to the top spot means he ranks ahead of Cody Rhodes and CM Punk, both former Undisputed WWE Champions, who round out part of the top ten alongside Mistico and Trick Williams, per the reporting from Fightful, 411Mania, Wrestling Headlines and WrestleZone.
Wrestling Headlines noted that Cody Rhodes had topped a previous PWI 500 list, underscoring the significance of MJF displacing him and Punk in the 2026 rankings. WrestleZone’s report specifically framed the result as MJF, an AEW star, ranking higher than the two former WWE-affiliated champions, Rhodes and Punk.
The PWI 500 is Pro Wrestling Illustrated’s long-running annual ranking of professional wrestlers, and the 2026 edition is its 36th, according to WrestleZone. The full top ten also includes Mistico and Trick Williams, though the complete order beyond the top spots was not detailed across the available reporting.
