The 2010s were an exciting time to be a wrestling fan. With WWE continuing to hold onto its position as the world's top wrestling promotion, rival brands suddenly began to sprout up from around the globe.
From veteran WWE talents to wrestlers who headlined NJPW, ROH, and AEW pay-per-view events, here are some of the greatest wrestlers to compete in the 2010s.
A former Junior Heavyweight Champion in NJPW and the longest-reigning NXT Champion thus far, Bálor's achievements in the 2010s tend to be overshadowed by his underutilized booking in the late '10s and early '20s.
Brash, self-assured, and rebellious, he lit a fire in WWE that had been out since the Attitude Era, making wrestling fun again for the first time in years.
His move set was considerably watered down, the younger, athletic Beast Incarnate having slowed a little in the decade away from WWE. But love him or hate him, Lesnar's booking in WWE has been nothing short of brilliant.
Graduating from a secondary championship contender to a world-title competitor by the close of the 2000s, Orton's path to career stardom was set in stone at the onset of the 2010s.
The David Bowie of pro wrestling, Jericho's strength as a wrestler has always been his ability to recreate himself from the ground up, embodying new characters and gimmicks drastically different from any he'd inhabited.
A consistently great wrestler in terms of his strength and endurance, Reigns was slated to become the main star of WWE by the mid-2010s — a decision met with extreme backlash from fans everywhere.