We all know the likes of Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson, ‘Stone Cold’ Steve Austin, Hulk Hogan, and John Cena. But despite the unquestionable star power of those four American entertainment icons, WWE is currently in the midst of its greatest-ever run. And it’s a new crop of talent that is responsible for the success. 

Hulk Hogan was the one who ushered professional wrestling into the mainstream. Then, The Rock and Austin took the ball and ran with it, taking Vince McMahon’s money-spinning company to heights never before imaginable. John Cena then carried the torch in their absence, and he was the face of the company when wrestling wasn’t as cool as it had been in years gone by. 

Over the last year though, professional wrestling and WWE in particular has soared to new heights. They have hosted record-breaking event after record-breaking event and on the day of their biggest show of the year, WrestleMania, they announced that they would be merging with the UFC to create a combat sports entertainment behemoth. And it isn’t just wrestling events that have aided the company’s success. 

Earlier this summer, superstars such as Big E, Montez Ford, and Bianca Belair hosted a charity poker tournament at the ESPYs on behalf of WWE. It gave celebrities that are fond of playing table games such as the popular game of online baccarat, blackjack, and roulette, a chance to test their mettle against each other in the cutthroat world of poker. And the event was a rousing success. 

So just who has carried WWE to these unprecedented heights? Let’s take a look at the company’s top stars in 2023. 

Roman Reigns 

The top star in the company and in professional wrestling as a whole is unquestionably Roman Reigns. The Head of the Table is currently in the midst of the fourth longest title reign in company history, with his reign currently standing at a whopping 1,084 days at the time of writing. Between December 2019 and July 2023, the Tribal Chief had not been pinned or submitted however, his real-life cousin Jey Uso managed to get a pinfall over the champ in tag team action at the recent Money in the Bank event at London’s O2 Arena. 

Over the course of his epic championship reign, Reigns has managed to pick up dominant victories over the likes of Brock Lesnar, John Cena, Logan Paul, Daniel Bryan, Edge, Drew McIntyre, and many more top stars. He has become the first man in history to defend his championship at three straight WrestleMania’s and he will match Hulk Hogan’s record of eight main event matches at the Showcase of the Immortals next April. His title reign isn’t thought to be in jeopardy at present, but it could well be in a few months’ time, courtesy of…

Cody Rhodes 

WWE and Cody Rhodes have had a strained relationship over the last decade or so. The son of the iconic ‘American Dream’ Dusty Rhodes was released from the company his father helped put on the map back in 2016 and many thought his career was done. How wrong they were. 

Following his release, the American Nightmare was born, and he took over the independent scene of professional wrestling, competing in organizations such as Impact and Ring of Honor. He would make waves when he headed to New Japan Pro Wrestling and aligned himself with the Bullet Club and from there, things really did snowball. 

Alongside the Young Bucks and Kenny Omega, Rhodes managed to sell out 11,000 tickets for an independent show for the first time in history, and they did so in barely half an hour. That success saw the birth of All Elite Wrestling, WWE’s first true competitor since the death of WCW at the turn of the millennium. Unhappy with that though, Cody decided to walk through the forbidden door last April, leaving the house he built in AEW in favor of a return to WWE. 

He made his triumphant return home at last year’s WrestleMania inside the 100,000+ capacity AT&T Stadium in Texas and has embarked on a career year since. He picked up three consecutive victories over current World Heavyweight Champion Seth Rollins, before winning the Royal Rumble in January. That secured him a spot against Roman Reigns for all the marbles in the main event of WrestleMania 39 at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles. 

Heading into the bout, many expected the challenger to walk away with the gold however, courtesy of a plethora of outside interference, the champ was able to retain. Many expect that his story is not yet finished though. Rhodes is expected to once again with January 2024’s upcoming Royal Rumble match become the first man since Steve Austin to win back-to-back rumbles. Then, many expect him to finally dethrone Reigns at WrestleMania 40 in Philadelphia three months later.