Professional wrestling is currently dealing with an embarrassment of riches. The scripted sport has begun to enter a new golden age captained by a select few superstars from multiple different companies. Gone are WWE’s days of having just one top guy. Undisputed WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns continued his historic run with his golden prize, and while he remains his employer’s biggest box office attraction, his exclusion from this year’s Best Male Wrestler category exemplifies just how strong the field was. A number of WWE stars stepped up during Reigns’s extended absences, with nominees Gunther and Seth Rollins standing out amongst the rest. Gunther shattered the record for longest-reigning WWE Intercontinental Champion earlier this fall, holding the title for the entirety of 2023, and Rollins became the inaugural WWE World Heavyweight Champion, helping establish prestige to a new world title.
Videos by ComicBook.com
Like Gunther and Rollins, two AEW champions significantly elevated their titles during what can be considered career years for both. MJF went into 2023 as AEW World Champion and went on to have high-profile defenses against Bryan Danielson, Samoa Joe, and Jay White. He even headlined AEW ALL IN: London, closing the largest professional wrestling event of all time with his title above his head. Orange Cassidy took what was once called an unnecessary addition to AEW’s title catalog, the AEW International Championship, and made it the company’s workhorse prize. Cassidy holds the record for most successful title defenses in AEW history and is currently in his second reign with it.
The most versatile year came from outside of the world’s two biggest wrestling companies. NJPW’s Will Ospreay kicked off 2023 with what some have called the greatest match of all time when he wrestled Kenny Omega at NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 17. Ospreay then avenged that loss six months later at AEW x NJPW Forbidden Door in another instant classic. Outside of his pair of Omega matches, Ospreay defeated the likes of Kazuchika Okada and Chris Jericho while also putting on critically-acclaimed performances in promotions like Impact Wrestling and RevPro.
While there is an argument to be made for each of these men to be crowned Best Male Wrestler, only one can walk away with the Golden Issue.
And the winner for the 2023 ComicBook.com Golden Issue Award for Best Male Wrestler is…
Orange Cassidy!
Freshly Squeezed took the comedy wrestler allegations seriously throughout 2023. After avenging his then-biggest loss in Fall 2022 when he defeated Pac to become AEW All-Atlantic Champion, Orange Cassidy went into 2023 on a mission: make his title mean something. Rebranded as the AEW International Title in March, Cassidy had a record 26 consecutive title defenses during his first reign. He bested the likes of former Ring of Honor World Champion Jay Lethal, former IWGP United States Champion Lance Archer, and former Impact World Champion Pentagon Jr.
This run was enough to land Cassidy in the main event of a pay-per-view, as he headlined AEW All Out 2023 against Jon Moxley. Despite coming up short, Cassidy re-cemented his toughness, putting up a legitimate fight against the man nicknamed the Purveyor of Violence. Two months later, Cassidy avenged that loss as well, defeating Moxley at AEW Full Gear.
Cassidy ends Roman Reigns’s three-year run of winning Best Male Wrestler, as the Tribal Chief collected the win every year from 2020 until 2022.
The nominees for 2023 Best Male Wrestler are:
- Gunther
- MJF
- Orange Cassidy – WINNER
- Seth Rollins
- Will Ospreay
