Cody Rhodes Named No 1 in PWI 500 2025 for Second Straight Year

Pro Wrestling Illustrated has named Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes the number one wrestler in its 2025 PWI 500, the publication announced Tuesday, putting Rhodes at the top for the second consecutive year. The ranking, compiled for the period August 1, 2024, through July 31, 2025, places Rhodes ahead of AEW’s Jon Moxley and WWE’s GUNTHER in the top three and includes a top 10 featuring a mix of WWE, AEW and international stars.

PWI said its annual rankings weigh in-ring achievement, influence, technical ability, the quality of competition and activity. The magazine requires wrestlers to have at least 10 singles matches during the evaluation window, or six matches spread across separate months, to be eligible. That rule helps explain the absence of some major names this year, most notably Roman Reigns, who did not meet the activity threshold during the assessment period, according to reports.

Rhodes’s placement reflects a year in which he was a central figure in WWE storylines, carrying the company’s top title for much of the evaluation period, headlining major events and recording multiple high-profile defenses. During the window PWI assessed, Rhodes lost the Undisputed WWE...