Pro Wrestling Illustrated recently unveiled its 2026 PWI 500 rankings, with former AEW World Champion MJF claiming the top spot for the first time. Maxwell Jacob Friedman expressed surprise that it took so long for him to reach number one, telling PWI, “My first thought was ‘What took so long?’ and my second was ‘Some people are slow learners.’ But we made it happen—we achieved the number one ranking.”
The list’s evaluation covered August 1, 2025, through July 31, 2026, during which MJF reinforced his status as a key figure in All Elite Wrestling. He headlined four AEW pay-per-views, all featuring the AEW World Championship, emerging victorious in each title match. Across two reigns totaling 154 days, MJF successfully defended the AEW World Championship nine times. Beyond AEW, he captured the CMLL World Light Heavyweight Championship on August 1, 2025, holding it until mid-September when he was bested by Mistico in one of CMLL’s most acclaimed bouts of the year.
Having placed sixth in 2023 and seventh in 2024, MJF finally displaced his former mentor Cody Rhodes, who settled for second place after topping the list the previous two years. Former rivals CM Punk and Mistico ranked third and fourth, respectively, with Konosuke Takeshita in fifth. Hangman Page, another major adversary of MJF’s over the past year, secured sixth place, followed by Yota Tsuji in seventh. Completing the top ten were Trick Williams (eighth), Oba Femi (ninth), and GUNTHER (tenth).
Please attribute all quotes to “Pro Wrestling Illustrated” and acknowledge Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.
Fan Take: MJF’s rise to the top of the PWI 500 signals a major shift in wrestling’s landscape, highlighting AEW’s growing influence in the sport. This achievement not only cements MJF’s legacy but also promises exciting new rivalries and storylines that can elevate professional wrestling’s global appeal.
Source: www.wrestlinginc.com
