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MJF ends Cody Rhodes’ run atop the PWI 500

Live coverage and related reports for MJF ends Cody Rhodes’ run atop the PWI 500.

AI Story Summary

What happened?

Pro Wrestling Illustrated released its 36th annual PWI 500, with AEW’s Maxwell Jacob Friedman (MJF) claiming the No. 1 spot. MJF ends Cody Rhodes’ two-year run atop the list after a dramatic jump from No. 30 last year. The top five also features CM Punk, Mistico and Konosuke Takeshita, and the ranking reflects representation across multiple promotions. PWI’s evaluation window for this edition ran from Aug. 1, 2025 to July 31, 2026.

Key Takeaways

  • MJF is the new No. 1 in the PWI 500, ending Cody Rhodes’ two-year reign.
  • MJF made a major leap, moving from No. 30 in last year’s list to No. 1.
  • Cody Rhodes remains at No. 2, with CM Punk at No. 3.
  • Mistico and Konosuke Takeshita round out the top five.
  • The list covers Aug. 1, 2025–July 31, 2026 and includes competitors from multiple promotions.

AI Timeline

PWI 500 released

Pro Wrestling Illustrated published the 36th annual PWI 500.

No. 1 announced

MJF was named the top-ranked wrestler in the list.

Cody's run ends

Cody Rhodes' two-year streak as PWI 500 No. 1 came to an end at No. 2.

MJF's jump

MJF rose from No. 30 in last year's PWI 500 to No. 1 this year.

Top five published

The top five was released: MJF, Cody Rhodes, CM Punk, Mistico, Konosuke Takeshita.

Model: gpt-5-mini•Generated: Sep 24, 3:33 PM

Sources Covering This Story

Cageside Seats

Timeline

Sep 24, 3:25 PM

MJF ends Cody Rhodes’ run atop the PWI 500

Cageside Seats • AEW

The 36th annual PWI 500 — Pro Wrestling Illustrated’s (mostly) kayfabe ranking of the 500 best wrestlers in the world — is here. Grabbing the top spot, beating out a former mentor-turned-rival in Cody Rhodes and a former inspiration-turned-nemesis in CM Punk, was AEW’s Maxwell Jacob Friedman. The three-time AEW World champ ended Rhodes two-year run as the top man in the PWI 500. It represents a huge leap for MJF, who was 30th in last year’s edition. They were followed by one of the hottest wrestlers in the world, Mistico, with New Japan & AEW’s Konosuke Takeshita rounding out the top five. Here’s the entire top ten: MJF Cody Rhodes CM Punk Mistico Konosuke Takeshita Hangman Adam Page Yota Tsuji Trick Williams Oba Femi Gunther As has been their trend in recent years, PWI gives us a fairly balanced list from the Aug. 1, 2025-July 31, 2026 time period they consider. We’ve got five WWE names, four AEW ones (two of which also represent partners CMLL and New Japan), and a strictly NJPW wrest

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