A picture of Dean Malenko and Eddie Guerrero wrestling

Technical wrestling has existed in wrestling for a long time. Focusing more on holds, takedowns, submissions, and grappling, technical wrestling is about putting everything on the mat and finding ways to target, takedown, and submit your opponent. Technical wrestling can take influence from different styles of wrestling and martial arts like shoot, catch, Lucha, puro, judo, and MMA. Anyway, here are the my picks for the Top 30 Technical Wrestlers. Note: Some of your faves won’t be on here. For that, I apologize. They’ll likely be on the honorable mentions section.

Honorable Mentions: Kenta Kobashi, Eddie Edwards, Tito Santana, Arn Anderson, Taz, Fred Yehi, SANADA, Kushida, Timothy Thatcher, Fit Finlay, Atlantis, Dave Richards, Pre 96 Scott Steiner, La Sombra/Andrade Cein Almas, Jack and Gerald Brisco, Bob Backlund, Masa Saito, Jason Jordan, Chad Gable, Roderick Strong, Osamu Nishimura, Nick Bockwinkel, Kana/Asuka, Rick Martel, Ultimo Dragon, Koji Kanemoto, Akira Maeda, Jonathan Gresham, Hideki Suzuki, Nohubiko Takada, Masakatzu Funaki, Kiyoshi Tamura, Manami Toyota, Hiroshi Hase, Mariko Yoshida, CIMA, Dolph Ziggler, Drew Gulak, Jack Gallagher, Billy Robinson, Chris Hero/Kassius Ohno, Molly Holly/Mona, Lance Storm, Doug Williams, Tyler Bate, Pete Dunne, Bobby Fish, Tommaso Ciampa, Johnny Gargano, Shinsuke Nakamura, Riki Choshu, Jumbo Tsuruta, Claudio Castagnoli/(Antonio) Cesaro, Blue Panther, Mil Mascaras, Yuji Nagata, Hideki Suzuki, Ultimo Dragon, Johnny Saint, Akira Hokuto, Ted Dibiase Sr., Alex Shelley, AJ Styles, KENTA/Hideo Itami, Nigel McGuinness/Desmond Wolfe, Yoshiaki Fujiwara, Kazuchika Okada, Katsuyori Shibata, Karl Gotch, Chavo Guerrero Sr.

30. Jun Akiyama – Jun Akiyama is considered to be one of the best wrestlers in All Japan outside the Four Pillars (Misawa, Kobashi, Taue, Kawada) during its Golden Years. Essentially the Fifth Pillar, Akiyama’s style is more technical than his more hard hitting contemporaries, even though his style was just as hard hitting. His use of holds, submissions, knees, and suplexes led him to put on some of the greatest matches in puroresu. He’s known for his innovation of the Blue Thunder Bomb/Driver, Exploder and it’s more brutal wrist clutch variation. While he was mainly used a tag team wrestler in AJPW, he eventually broke out as a singles star in Noah before returning back to AJPW.

29. Gail Kim – One outta two women on this list, Gail, who’s not only absolutely gorgeous, but was an amazing wrestler in the ring during her heyday. During her time in WWE and TNA/Impact she was known for her amazing agility and awesome submissions that she can pull out of her bag. Her main choice of submitting was the Christo, a modified flying tilt a whirl armbar that she pulled with ease. She’s retired now after ending her career on a high note.

28. Minoru Suzuki – Even though he’s been more focused on beating the crap outta anyone in and out the ring, The Suzukigun leader’s submission skills still remains top notch. A pioneer of MMA and shoot style wrestling, Minoru’s submissions skills were widely regarded as the best, using his catch and freestyle wrestling background to find ways to stretch and bend his opponents. This made him a star in promotions like Pancrase, AJPW, Noah, and currently NJPW. PS, he’s an absolute badass.

27. Jaguar Yokota – The second woman on this list, Jaguar Yokota is not only considered one of the best women wrestlers ever, but one of the best regardless of gender during her heyday. She’s well known for her innovation of the Suplex Powerslam (popularized by Goldberg as the Jackhammer) and the Sheerdrop Tiger Driver (popularized by Mitsuharu Misawa as the Tiger Driver 91). Anyway, what made her so great is how she delivered in the ring. She was fluid, crisp, and impactful. She knew how to pin her opponents, stretch em, or take em down. An example is her famous match with Lioness Asuka that showed off her ability to put on a wrestling clinic. Since then, she has trained many wrestlers that would become legends themselves like Manami Toyota and remains a household name in the Japanese wrestling world.

26. Volk Han – While not a huge name in professional wrestling, Volk Han was a known international name in the shoot wrestling world. Known for his gifted sambo skills in the ring, this guy could pull out any submissions in the ring from leg locks, armbars, and chokes. Give him a submission and he’ll pull it. His submissions skills made him a name in RINGS and put on memorable performances with wrestlers like Akira Maeda and Kiyoshi Tamura.

25. Tatsumi Fujinami – Innovator of the Dragon Suplex, Sleeper, and Screw, Tastumi Fujinami was one of New Japan’s top wrestlers from the 70s to the 90s. His in ring skills represented the styles of his trainers: The strong style of Antonio Inoki mixed in with the catch wrestling of Karl Gotch. He was adept in pins, holds, submissions, and suplexes. His skills made him the then top ace of the company and a force wherever he went. He was also named the Best Technical Wrestler in 85, 86, and 88 by Dave Meltzer.

24. CM Punk – Despite some controversy that he got himself into in recent times, CM Punk was a solid performer in the ring whether he was in the indies, ROH, or WWE. He had a technical, but stiff and agile, style in the ring and this led to classics against wrestlers like Samoa Joe, AJ Styles, and John Cena. This guy could deliver when he can.

23. Dory Funk Jr. – The older brother of Terry Funk and innovator of the Cloverleaf, Dory Funk Jr was one of the definite figures of traditional mat wrestling. A complete opposite from his hardcore brawling brother, Dory was more about holds, grapplings, submissions, and pins. His style represented the early wrestling style of the NWA and led him to hold their world title belt for almost four years.

22. Dos Caras – Brother of lucha star Mil Mascaras and Father of multi time world champion Alberto Del Rio/Alberto El Patron/Dos Caras Jr., Dos Caras never had the worldwide recognition as his brother or son, but he is recognized as being one of the great heavyweight wrestlers in Mexico. Now, why him over his famous brother? Because he was the much better worker, with his lucha style being more mat based, tho he took in the air a few times. He can bend and stretch opponents in different ways, put em in unique submissions such as the Grounded Octopus Hold and Arm Trap Stump Puller, and of course pin em with his own speciality, the Dos Caras Clutch. He represents the more technical side of lucha libre.

21. Shawn Michaels – One of the greatest performers to ever grace a WWF/E ring, Shawn Michaels could put on some solid technical performances. Whenever he’s in the ring, he knew how to carry himself in the ring and put on a story with his opponents and how to take em down. His technical performances were very useful in some matches against wrestlers like Chris Jericho, Kurt Angle, John Cena, and even Bret Hart. HBK’s performances (sans some matches like his return match at Crown Jewel) were amazing and awe-inspiring.

20. Mike Quackenbush – Some of y’all may heard of him, some of y’all don’t, but Mike is a wrestling legend in the independent scene. Founder of indie promotion Chikara where many of our contemporary stars had their start in, he’s an amazing and exciting in ring performer. His style is strongly influenced by lucharesu with his innovative and unique moveset such as his submissions like the Lighting Locks and his own specialty, the over copied CHIKARA Special, and his Quackendrivers. His in ring style made him a legend in the indies.

19. Great Muta/Keiji Mutoh – Whether as himself or his famous persona the Great Muta, Keiji Mutoh is the one of the biggest names in puroresu, and one of the first Japanese wrestlers to become a popular name in the USA. He’s also invented the Shining Wizard and Muta Lock. Mutoh always put on scientific performances in the ring, mixing agility and technique with his martial arts background. He could perform with grace as himself or aggression as Muta. No matter what, he knows how to lay it down in the ring.

18. Ricky Steamboat – While he never reached the full success of his contemporaries, Ricky Steamboat was one of the best wrestlers in the 80s. His style was simplistic yet amazing. He could take you down with an arm drag, find many ways to pin you, including his Diving Crossbody, and put you into his holds like his Double Chickenwing. His wrestling style led him to have so many amazing matches, most notably his 1989 series of matches with Ric Flair. Even when he returned at his 50s with a match with Chris Jericho, he could still go.

17. Chris Jericho – Not the same wrestler he once was, it’s surprising how far he’s still going and can still put on some good performances now that he’s hitting 50. Anyway, back in the day before he was having a little bit of the Bubbly and the Painmaker, Jericho was one of the best in ring workers during the 90s and 00s. His in ring style mixed the styles of North America, Japan, and Mexico and could put on wrestling clinics in the ring. He could be agile as a bird, stretch opponents with his submissions like his Walls of Jericho and the always painful Liontamer, or find ways to take down his opponents like his Suplexes and Powerbombs. Anyway, Jericho was a beast in the ring and still can perform, albeit differently, to this day.

16. Hiroshi Tanahashi – Not only one of the best in Japan, he’s one of the best in the world, period. Tanahashi is known for putting on some of the best matches in modern wrestling, and his skills are why. He can show that he’s a good technician in the ring with his beautiful drop kick, takedowns like his Snap Swinging Neckbreaker and Dragon Leg Whip, submissions like the amazing but painful Cloverleaf, and of course his awesome suplexes. Regardless of what he put out, he can perform at 100 with flair and grace.

15. Zack Sabre Jr. – Ah yes, currently the consecutive six time Best Technical Wrestler by Dave Maltzer, Zack Sabre Jr. is also considered to be one of the best technicians currently. This guy is known for pulling some of the most unique and innovative submissions in his movement. He could find the most creative ways to stretch his opponents and it’s mostly something new in his matches. This man is an encyclopedia of holds. Not only that, he can also utilize strikes like his uppercuts and kicks, pins, and suplexes.

14. Ric Flair – WOOOOO! TBR, Ric Flair isn’t one my favorite wrestler, but I put him on here because of his legacy. Ric Flair is considered to be one of the best wrestlers ever. Not only highly charismatic, he could deliver some of the best matches ever. When in the ring, he knew how to target and put down opponents before putting him in his signature submission, the Figure Four Leg Lock. His matches with Barry Windham, Ricky Steamboat, Sting, and even his retirement match with Shawn Michaels at age 59 says so.

13. Dynamite Kid (d. 2018) – Yes, he was a bully and an asshole outside the ring and paid the price for his drug and steroid addiction and wrecking his body in the ring. However, he’s one of the greatest and influential wrestlers to ever step in the ring. Mixing his British background with the wrestling style of Japan and Mexico, Dynamite Kid could grapple with his holds and power moves like the Tombstone and his own invention the Superplex and mixed that with his high flying ability. His style was considered innovative and unique at the time and his matches with Tiger Mask (which led to the first 5 star match rated by Meltzer) are considered to be influential in the wrestling world. This includes one wrestler I’ll talk about later. PS, he was awarded the Best Technical Wrestler award by Meltzer, only being tied with Masa Saito. He died in 2018 and his wrestling style remains influential.

12. “Mr. Perfect” Curt Hennig (d. 2003) – There’s a reason why he’s called Mr Perfect cuz everything he did in the ring looked so perfect. His technical skills were so awesome that they were a huge advantage in his pushes in AWA, WWF, and WCW. Even though he only won the world title in AWA, that didn’t stop him of making any title he won feel like the top title like the Intercontinental Champion. His arsenal was great, ranging with his amazing Dropkick, the Rolling Neck Snap, Knee Bar Drop, Figure Four, and of course his beautiful Perfect Plex. His career was cut short in 2003 with his death, but legacy still carries on. RIP Curt.

11. William Regal – William Regal (Steve in other promotions like WCW and NJPW) is an underrated performer in WWE and WCW. Mixing British catch with American brawling and Japanese puroresu, Regal was one of the definitive technicians of his period. He knew how to put you in a hold, tying and twisting you like a screw, submit ya like his Regal Stretch, and suplex you like his Regal Plex. His skills were overlooked that is sad that he didn’t get a push to World Champion. Anyway, he still has signs that he still got it. Check out his match with Cesaro.

10. Mitsuharu Misawa (d. 2009) – Oh yes, essentially one of my favorite wrestlers, Mitsuharu Misawa is one of wrestling greats. The man has the record of 5 and up stars matches and his in ring skills tell why. Whole he’s not a full fledged technician, Misawa has always had a technical style in his matches and can do some of the best technical performances in the ring. His psychology was great, his storytelling was great, his grappling technique was great. He was just great overall. He knew how to deliver a wrestling clinic in the ring with almost anybody. If you want a more technical Misawa, check out his early matches (during and after his tenure as Tiger Mask) and some matches like against Akiyama and Kenta Kobashi. PS, he’s innovated the Tiger Driver, Emerald Flowison (including its Kai version), and the Tiger Suplex 85. Misawa was a gifted wrestler and impacted the wrestling world with his style and it was sad how his life ended in the ring. RIP Misawa-san. His legacy still lives on.

9. Daniel Bryan/Bryan Danielson – YES! YES! YES! Daniel Bryan or Bryan Danielson is a modern day technical legend. A record 8 time winner of the Best Technical Wrestler Award, this award was even named after him after his first retirement. Anyway, Bryan was a technical god wherever he go, whether he was in ROH, WWE, the Indies, or Japan. He could deliver so good in the ring that it’s unbelievable. He possesses a variety of submissions, suplexes, strikes, and some pins, and you better be ready for him because he’s not afraid to go 100 percent. Even returning from his retirement, he’s still an in-ring whiz.

8. Bret Hart – The Hitman, the Excutioner of Excellence, the Best There Is, the Best There Was, the Best There Ever Will Be. I’m not a huge fan of Bret Hart (I’ll explain later), but anyway there’s was no technical wrestler at the time who achieved the amount of popularity as Bret Hart. He was a damn fine wrestler in the ring. He pulled off his moves with the most excellence in the ring. He could pull of some of the most technical performances in a ring especially against wrestlers like Mr. Perfect, his brother Owen (RIP), brother-in-law British Bulldog (RIP), Dynamite Kid, Both Tiger Mask I and II, Chris Benoit, and even Shawn Michaels (their Iron Man Match for WWF Championship). He was so good that just his in ring skills got him over with fans. Even though he opinion for him has since soured because of his bitter attitude towards others and questioning of his skills over better wrestlers, he still is regarded as not only a technical legend, but a wrestling legend period.

7. Jushin “Thunder” Liger – (Insert Ikari No Jyushin Liger theme) Oh Yes! The puro legend himself, Jushin Liger is one the most innovative, popular, and influential junior heavyweights, not only in his home, but of all time. He had an impact on the wrestling with his high flying meets technical style. A 1989-1992 (a then record) winner of Best Technical Wrestler, Liger’s technical style, which is based off of lucharesu, is described as agile and fluid but stiff. He can grapple and put on a story with anybody. His matches are an absolute beauty. Even when he toned down his high flying style, he still put amazing mat wrestling skills. He has now retired, but he will always be remembered as a legend in the ring. Thank you Liger-san.

6. Owen Hart (d. 1999) – One of the most tragic stories in wrestling, Owen Hart was one of WWF’s talented wrestlers in the ring who’s life was cut short in 1999 from a freak accident. Owen was a beast in the ring. He was much better than his brother (why I said what I said about Bret), but TBH he was better than a lotta wrestlers at his time. He was also more charismatic and had better mic skills. He rarely had a bad match and can put on amazing performances. He can pull off any move from his vault and perform with grace and smoothness (sans the Tombstone botch). If his matches in the F wasn’t enough, check out his matches in NJPW. His career may’ve ended shortly, but that didn’t stop the fact that he’s recognized as one of the best in ring workers in the E’s history.

5. Kurt Angle – It’s true/real. It’s damn true/real. The only Olympic Gold Medalist in professional wrestling, Kurt Angle is one of the most gifted wrestlers in the ring. Using his amateur wrestling background, he showed in technical prowess, whether in WWE, TNA, or even Japan. His amateur based style revolves around suplexes like the German and Overhead Belly to Belly, submissions like the Ankle Lock, and let’s not forget his finisher the Angle Slam. His skills led him to put on great matches against the likes of Chris Benoit, Brock Lesnar, Eddie Guerrero, Shawn Michaels, Samoa Joe, and AJ Styles.

4. Chris Benoit (d. 2007) – Sigh. First, let’s get this out of the way, there is no way that Chris Benoit will ever be rehabilitated for his actions following his death in 2007. His actions will always overshadow his legacy and that’s sad because he was a great wrestler in the ring. Taking a huge influence from the Dynamite Kid, which was both a blessing and a curse, and Bret Hart, he took their styles and transformed it into his own style. His suplexes were amazing yet intense like his Snap, Super (both adopted from Dynamite), German, and Dragon and so were his submissions like his Crossface (which he learned from Dean Malenko) and Sharpshooter (adpoted from Hart). His technical skills were so great that the wrestling companies he’s been through (NJPW, ECW, WCW, and WWF/E) once considered their matches with him to be one of their’s best. If he didn’t do what he did, he would be considered a legend in the ring. He was also a then record 5 time Best Technical Wrestler.

3. Dean Malenko – The Man of 1,000 Holds and the 2 time winner of the Best Technical Wrestler award, there’s no wrestler synonymous with technical wrestling as Dean Malenko. Even though he wasn’t a top star, he put on some freaking amazing performances and matches. He was always smooth and tactile in the ring, especially with the way he moved and transition. He mixed up in the ring, always bringing something new in his arsenal. He had different types of grappling moves and ways how he do em, especially his submissions like his signature Cloverleaf. His matches with Eddie Guerrero (especially in ECW), Chris Jericho, Chris Benoit, and Rey Mysterio are considered classics.

2. Eddie Guerrero (d. 2005) – There’s no other words to describe Eduardo Gory Guerrero. One of the most beloved, gifted, and influential technicians, Eddie made a splash with his in ring skills and charisma whether he was AAA, NJPW, ECW, WCW, or WWF/E. His technical skills were always superb, going out there in the ring and perform with grace and charisma. Mixing American mat wrestling with his lucha libre background and some elements of puro, Eddie could take people to the ground with his holds and submissions, with added agility such as his dropkicks, Tornado DDTs, and his own speciality the Frog Splash, and power like his Suplexes, Powerbombs, and Brainbuster. The man was the ultimate wrestling tactician. Sadly, he was another wrestler whose career was abruptly ended, as he passed away 2005. Despite his death, his legacy and impact still lives on. There will never be another Eddie Guerrero. RIP Eddie, Viva La Raza!

Note: Before I get to #1, I know some of y’all wondering who could be #1? Well, it may be a weird pick for some of y’all, but I picked someone so widely admired and influential in wrestling that he would be a shoe in for the top. Also, the fact that without him, wrestling would be nothing. So here’s #1.

1. Lou Thesz (d. 2002) – Who else could it be? Lou Thesz is an overall legend in wrestling. Without him, we wouldn’t have all these wrestlers listed on here and many others because a lot of them owe debt to this guy. Before anybody question about actually seeing him wrestling before, note that there is a library of videos of his wrestling skills and matches of him. Anyway, Lou Thesz was a technical wrestler avant la lettre (before a term existed). Lou Thesz was a master in catch wrestling, utilizing holds, submissions, and grappling maneuvers. He could put you in a lock and tear your limb off or drop you with his takedowns. He was both feared and respected for that. His wrestling style was considered at the time innovative and he would be a predecessor of shoot wrestling and mixed martial arts along with technical wrestling. Not only that, he has innovated several that are used to this day like the German Suplex, STF, Thesz Press, and the Powerbomb (which was actually a botched attempt at a Piledriver). Thesz is a GOAT and check it his videos and match if you can. 😉