Welcome to the VP2010s where voters submitted ballots of the best in-ring wrestlers of the 2010s. To learn more about the scoring and how the list came together go to the intro-post. If you would like to review the honorable mentions click the category. Without further ado, the list continues. Also want to thank Chris G for the recommended matches on this post

40. Yuji Okabayashi (10 ballots, 670 points, Average Rank 29.00)

High Voter: Sam (10)
Previously Ranked: 61 (2016), 89 (2017), 18 (2019)

Recommended Matches
w/ Daisuke Sekimoto vs.Manabu Soya & Ryota Hama (BJW, 4/28/11)
vs. Daisuke Sekimoto (BJW, 7/20/15)
vs. Shuji Ishikawa (BJW, 5/5/16)
vs. Hideyoshi Kamitani (BJW, 7/24/16)
w/ Daisuke Sekimoto vs. Hideki Suzuki & Takuya Nomura (BJW, 9/22/16)
w/ Daisuke Sekimoto vs. Isami Kodaka & Yuko Miyamoto (BJW, 10/31/16)
vs. HIdeki Suzuki (BJW, 5/5/17)
w/ Daisuke Sekimoto vs. Shuji Ishikawa & Suwama (BJW, 1/13/19)
vs. Takua Nomura (BJW, 7/21/19)
w/ Yuji Hino vs. Daisuke Sekimoto & WALTER (BJW, 11/4/19)

Much like Daisuke Sekimoto, The Golem kept it simple. Hit harder, get hit harder and if you encounter a problem, just keep lifting weights and getting larger until you destroy it. His resume is essentially the same as ol Daisuke but Yuji Okabayashi took a little longer to reach his full potential this decade than his father. That’s really just splitting hairs though, he still was involved in the insane Twin Towers matches and had some skull crushers against Ishikawa and Sasaki as well and at the end of it all ended up being a more endearing figure than Sekimoto atop BJW. – Cole

When you have what I consider be one of only a handful of matches I truly consider for MOTD, you have a strong chance of ranking highly. The Suzuki match from ‘17 is just that. Doesn’t hurt to also be part of a tag team that set the standard across the decade, across multiple promotions. 

To me, what separates him from other, similar wrestlers (including his tag partner) is a higher IQ. When to sell, when to hit the gas, when to let things breathe, Yuji has this intuitive knack for threading the needle. It breaks my heart that we might not get more of that. Good for him though. – Sam

39. Sasha Banks (15 ballots, 681 points, Average Rank 45.60)

High Voter: jon (11)
Previously Ranked: 70 (2014), 33 (2016), 53 (2017), 96 (2018), 95 (2019)

Recommended Matches
vs. Charlotte (WWE, 3/27/15)
vs. Becky Lynch (WWE, 5/20/15)
vs. Nikki Bella (WWE, 8/17/15)
vs. Bayley (WWE, 8/22/15)
vs. Bayley (WWE, 10/7/15)
vs. Charlotte Flair (WWE, 11/28/16)
vs. Nia Jax (WWE, 8/14/17)
vs. Asuka (WWE, 1/29/18)
w/ Bayley vs. Becky Lynch & Charlotte Flair (WWE, 9/9/19)
vs. Becky Lynch (WWE, 10/6/19)

Sasha Banks has a recklessness that WWE rarely produces. She bumps and sells like Sabu, and then turns around and hits wild highspots, too. She has a really great combination of character work with her in-ring work, as she knows she is the best and is going to take some insane risks to prove it. – jon

38. Negro Casas (10 ballots, 695 points, Average Rank 27.50)

High Voter: the_padraig (5)
Previously Ranked: 19 (2010), 10 (2011), 1 (2012), 1 (2013), 5 (2014), 84 (2016)

Recommended Matches
vs. Jushin Thunder Liger (NJPW, 5/3/10)
vs. Blue Panther (CMLL, 3/2/12)
vs. Valiente (CMLL, 2/4/13)
vs. Mascara Dorada (CMLL, 6/2/13)
vs. Titan (CMLL, 1/3/14)
w/ Barbaro Cavernario & Dragon Lee vs. Cachorro, Hechicero & Virus (CMLL, 5/23/14)
vs. Rush (CMLL, 8/1/14)
vs. Volador Jr. (CMLL, 3/18/16)
vs. Rey Hechicero (NICE, 4/24/16)}
vs. Soberano jr. (CMLL, 6/2/19)

 The 2010s seem to have been Casas’s last run as one of the best in the world, but it was as strong of a decade as any in his amazing career. Casas is great at every aspect of pro wrestling and consistently delivered throughout the decade. His longevity and charisma inevitably gets the crowd to support him, but then his great heel-work reminds you that you’ve hated this guy for your whole life and you can’t wait to see him finally get what’s coming to him. – jon

I want to discuss how amazing Negro Casas is, some would say the greatest wrestler of all time. The fact that he entered the decade at the young age of 50 and was still so obviously one of the greatest wrestlers on the planet, 31 years separated from his debut…it boggles the noggin. Thats why it borderline disgusts me that so much of this footage is locked up in an office building, collecting dust, wiped from the internet. Wrestling is evil, at least let me watch the good stuff. – Sam

37. Masashi Takeda (12 ballots, 695 points, Average Rank 37.08)

High Voter: A. BASTARD, chris gibbons (3)
Previously Ranked: 41 (2018)

A ball of glass and blood soaked energy who’s matches in 2018 were so great he broke through traditional deathmatch circles and became highly regarded in the wider online wrestling world. Personally I’m not a regular deathmatch watcher, but every 6 months or so I’ll look up what’s Takeda’s done and it’s always a hoot. It’s also worth shouting out his Bloodsport match with Jonathan Gresham, where the crazy kid showed he might be even more violent without any weapons at all – EAMONN

Have you ever seen that Shinya Tsukamoto movie, Tokyo Fist? The one where the three main characters develop a psychosexual obsession with boxing, and they beat the shit out of one another and the camera lingers on the makeup effects of their broken and deformed faces like it’s the money shot in a porno? If you haven’t seen that, have you seen Masashi Takeda’s torso? Same vibe. – pto

36. Rey Mysterio (13 ballots, 715 points, Average Rank 42.15)

High Voter: HD (15)
Previously Ranked: 3 (2010), 8 (2011), 43 (2019)

Recommended Matches
vs. Alberto Del Rio vs. Edge vs. Kane (WWE, 12/19/10)
vs. CM Punk (WWE, 6/19/11)
vs. Myzteziz (AAA, 8/9/15)
w/ Fenix & Psycho Clown vs. Johnny Mundo, Low Ki & Pentagon Jr. (AAA, 11/6/15)
vs. Low Ki (JAPW, 11/14/15)
vs. Prince Puma (LU, 1/31/16)
w/ Bandido & Rey Fenix vs. Kota Ibushi, Matt Jackson & Nick Jackson (All In, 9/1/18)
w/ Mustafa Ali vs. Andrade & Samoa Joe (WWE, 1/8/15)
vs. Andrade (WWE, 1/15/19)
vs. Andrade (WWE, 1/22/19)

The greatest TV wrestler of all time spread his wings in the 2010s, leaving the WWE in the middle of the decade and going on a delightful world tour. This featured a dream match against Low Ki which is among either man’s best work of the decade, a few New Japan matches which included forming a one night babyface super trio with Jushin Thunder Liger and Hiroshi Tanahashi, and a run in Lucha Underground where he was presented as a mixture of a living legend and lucha libre Yoda. In both of his WWE runs Rey was great, from the feud with CM Punk to the series of matches with Andrade to the TV classic with John Cena. In a decade which saw many great wrestlers slow down and start to show the wear and tear of time, Mysterio remains a marvel who has aged like a fine wine. Knowing Rey, he could end up on a best of 2020s list and it wouldn’t shock me. – EAMONN

Look, sometimes a guy is just the greatest professional wrestler to have ever lived. Even when he’s older, slowing down a step, taking time off every two years for knee surgery like clockwork, you can’t take that away from him. – pto

San Diego!! Rey Mysterio is someone I think was cool but, often put as the underdog to me hes good in that role still but, he can do more. During his leaving WWE time, he had some fun stuff and got to show more range.

Him in Lucha Underground Aztec Warfare 2 and the All In main event stand out.

I got to watch Rey Mysterio wrestle live three times and he is a great live wrestler. Too, Rey  Mysterio rules. – Henry/Headcheese

35. Kevin Steen / Owens (14 ballots, 722 points, Average Rank 38.71)

High Voter: Timothy Robert Buechner, KungFu Grip (9)
Previously Ranked: 48 (2010), 65 (2011), 99 (2013), 77 (2014), 39 (2016), 91 (2017)

Recommended Matches
w/ Steve Corino vs. Colt Cabana & El Generico (ROH, 4/24/10)
vs. El Generico (ROH, 12/18/10)
w/ Akira Tozawa vs. El Generico & Ricochet (PWG, 5/27/11)
vs. El Generico (PWG, 10/22/11)
w/ Super Dragon vs. Matt Jackson & Nick Jackson (PWG, 12/10/11)
vs. Jay Briscoe (ROH, 4/5/13)
vs. Steve Corino (ROH, 7/19/14)
vs. John Cena (WWE, 6/14/15)
vs. Finn Balor (WWE, 8/22/15)
vs. Sami Zayn (WWE, 7/24/16)

I think about him shouting “THIS IS WRESTLING YOU FUCK FACE” at least once a week – EAMONN

34. Sheamus (14 ballots, 762 points, Average Rank 39.57)

High Voter: Squill (7)
Previously Ranked: 34 (2010), 37 (2011), 17 (2012), 25 (2013), 12 (2014), 71 (2016), 28 (2017)

Recommended Matches
vs. John Morrison (WWE, 12/19/10)
vs. Daniel Bryan (WWE, 4/29/12)
vs. CM Punk (WWE, 10/2/12)
vs. Big Show (WWE, 10/28/12)
vs. Daniel Bryan (WWE, 7/8/13)
vs. Cesaro (WWE, 9/21/14)
vs. Dolph Ziggler (WWE, 4/26/15)
vs. Cesaro (WWE, 9/25/16)
w/ Cesaro vs. Jeff Hardy & Matt Hardy (WWE, 7/9/17)
w/ Cesaro vs. Big E & Kofi Kingston (WWE, 8/7/18)

Sheamus is a hard-hitting fella near and dear to my heart. Sometimes let down by WWE’s failing attempts at comedy, beaker cousin segment notwithstanding, Sheamus was a very reliable wrestler for the WWE and this is most clear with his several bouts against Daniel Bryan for the US and World Title all of which beside the mania squash are brilliant. Sheamus’ real best work though is when he teams up with Cesaro to form the bar. Who fights against the new day in particular are the best tag matches the WWE saw. – the_padraig

I won’t go on record saying Sheamus has jumped Rey Mysterio has the greatest TV wrestler ever but the fact you can put them in the same conversation and it isn’t absurd is a feat in its own right. The idea of “what if you had a dude who hit really hard and could work between 5-15 minutes every week on a worldwide platform” has legs for over a decade is a beautiful thing. – Sam

33. Eddie Kingston (13 ballots, 783 points, Average Rank 33.08)

High Voter: Adrian (13)
Previously Ranked: 79 (2010), 50 (2011), 48 (2012), 36 (2019)

Recommended Matches
vs. Bryan Danielson (CHIKARA, 6/26/10)
vs. Fire Ant (9/18/11)
vs. Mike Quackenbush (CHIKARA, 11/13/11)
vs. Brodie Lee (CHIKARA, 3/25/12)
vs. Jigsaw (CHIKARA, 5/20/12)
vs. Sara Del Rey (CHIKARA, 7/28/12)
vs. Drew Gulak (CHIKARA, 6/14/15)
vs. Fred Yehi (AAW, 5/25/18)
vs. JD Drake (EVOLVE, 1/18/19)
vs. WALTER (PROGRESS, 7/6/19)

“That man would have been the best man at my wedding. That man would have been the godfather to my children.” – EAMONN

I will always wonder what Eddie’s case could have been if CHIKARA didn’t shut down like it did. The Grand Championship was such a vehicle for him being able to show what he’s capable of. Any given night, able to do 10-20 minute match that lacked the bells and whistles of other pieces of the card, it was just a tape nerd going to work. That break altered the promotion in a way where Eddie wasn’t doing Eddie things. As a wrestler, AIW and AAW felt more important to understanding Eddie as a wrestler.

Unlike wrestlers who go to the WWE, from 13-18, I wouldn’t say we lost that part of the decade for Eddie. I would say that he doesn’t feel as motivated and while not bad, isn’t one of the most charismatic and sympathetic wrestlers I’ve ever seen which is the case at other points. At some point in ’18 though you do feel the juice start coming back to the man. The EVOLVE run certainly feels like a “I’m old, I’m broken in more places than I can count, if I can’t force this to work, there is nowhere else for me to go”. And we are stricken with one of the few times in wrestling history where all the right things seem to break for someone like Eddie. – Sam

32. Minoru Suzuki (15 ballots, 827 points, Average Rank 39.47)

High Voter: Squill (6)
Previously Ranked 14 (2012), 42 (2013), 26 (2014), 54 (2017), 23 (2018), 39 (2019)

Recommended Matches
vs. Masakatsu Funaki (AJPW, 3/21/10)
w/ Meiko Satomura vs. Kana & Naomichi Marufuji (Kana Pro, 6/16/14)
vs. AJ Styles (NJPW, 8/1/14)
vs. Kazuchika Okada (NJPW, 8/8/14)
vs. Kazushi Sakuraba (NJPW, 1/4/15)
vs. Takashi Sugiura (NOAH, 9/19/15)
vs. Naomichi Marufuji (NOAH, 12/23/15)
vs. Katsuhiko Nakajima (NOAH, 12/2/16)
vs. Sanshiro Takagi (DDT, 6/1/17)
vs. Josh Barnett (GCW, 4/4/19)

Suzuki decade started with his return to new japan ousting Kojima and taking over the renamed Suzuki-gun. From here suzuki spent time as one of the biggest heels in new japan. Suzuki had storied rivalries with the likes of Kojima, Nagata, Tanahahsia and Nakamura. Suzuki decade is defined as someone who’s always a credible threat but also someone you can beat. Maybe this is most seen in his many bouts against Toru Yano. Suzuki only really got to the top of the card during the year-long invasion of Noah by Suzuki-gun. On his return to new japan Suzuki would finally win gold with a Never Openweight and Intercontinental title. Suzuki is great for the reason he’s always been great, just a wrestler so mean in their offense, vicious strikes and brilliant submissions work. He also just looks cool. – the_padraig

An underdiscussed player in New Japan’s western breakthrough during the 2010s, Suzuki’s masterpiece with Tanahashi at the King of Pro Wrestling and his G1 heel vs heel spectacle against AJ Styles were two matches that helped get eyes on the promotion in the first half of the decade. One of the best live acts I’ve ever seen, Suzuki’s ability to read a crowd and maximise every little detail and movement only improved as the years went on. His body declined but his mind got sharper and sharper, he developed a formula that live audiences loved and then it made the occasions he would switch on his A game even more memorable. He might not have as consistent or prolific a decade as some other wrestlers, but when Suzuki was locked in he was as good as anyone in the world. Also, the fact that he starred in an episode of One Piece means he might have been the most viewed wrestler of the decade – EAMONN

31. Virus (12 ballots, 834 points, Average Rank 25.17)

High Voter: flae (3)
Previously Ranked: 27 (2010), 3 (2011), 2 (2012), 6 (2013), 4 (2014)

Recommended Matches
vs. Guerrero Maya Jr. (CMLL, 10/6/13)
vs. Titan (CMLL, 1/28/14)
vs. Dragon Lee (CMLL, 4/5/15)
vs. Avisman (Chilanga Mask, 4/12/15)
vs. Dr. Cerebro (Chilanga Mask, 8/16/15)
vs. Negro Navarro (Lucha Memes, 12/21/15)
vs. Rey Hechicero (Lucha Memes, 5/4/16)
vs. Demus (RLL, 2/16/19)
vs. Eletrico (CMLL, 8/5/19)
vs. Metalico (CMLL, 5/31/19)

A decade spent as the leader of newly formed Los Cancerberos del Infierno. Already a legend Virus was the best rudo CMLL saw all decade. So technically sound that in every match you can see why he was made CMLL head trainer. With notable apuestas against Demus 3:16 and Metálico for me are must-watches. But his real peak is in his super lightweight title reign, the match he won the title from Guerrero Maya Jr is obviously amazing but every title defense i think is special, especially the three bouts against Dragon Lee. For me, virus was the best luchador of the decade. – the_padraig

CMLL is the greatest promotion ever for me in part because on a week to week basis, finding the wrestlers I dig feels rewarding. It isn’t always, frankly rarely, about “is this match good” but more about “You see what Virus did? Dude kicks ass”. The Recommended Matches we have are all spectacular, some of the best of the whole decade, but the real treat with Virus is how incredible he is in all the random CMLL trios matches. Los Cancerberos del Infierno is one of the most watchable trios of the decade most likely and Virus was the ringleader. – Sam