Photo Credit- WWE
More often than not, the biggest discussion that arises amongst the wrestling community revolves around one question: who is the best wrestler in the world? From Kenny Omega to Roman Reigns, wrestling fans day in and day out plead their case for who they deem to be the best. However, certain wrestlers fall under the radar due to not constantly being in the mainstream eye. Once they re-enter the public eye, though, people are immediately reminded of how great said wrestlers are. The wrestler that perfectly encapsulates this mindset, in my opinion, is WALTER. Whenever WALTER comes into the mainstream eye of professional wrestling, people are constantly wowed by his amazing presence and brilliant in ring work. For this reason, I believe that WALTER is the best professional wrestler on the planet and here’s why.
LEGITIMACY
When discussing who is the best professional wrestler on the planet, people usually look at one of two components: in ring work or character work. People say Kenny Omega is the best wrestler on the planet due to his exceptional in ring skills. People say Roman Reigns is the best due to his compelling character and flawless in-ring storytelling. While both are great in their own way, WALTER I feel is the perfect blend of both worlds. While Kenny is an exciting wrestler to watch due to his flashy offense, WALTER’s offense is far more grounded and stiff. WALTER’s offense isn’t flashy. Every move he does has purpose. Every move has a severe impact on the duration of the matchup. Every time WALTER hits one of his trademark chops, you FEEL that pain yourself. You’re able to put yourself into the boots of his opponents and think to yourself “I’m happy that’s not me in there.” Every time Walter goes to the top rope and hits a splash, you actually believe that this could be the finish because WALTER, for a man his size, rarely ever goes to the top rope. WALTER isn’t flashy or fast paced because he doesn’t need to be. He’s best suited delivering vicious strikes that make the audience shudder in pain and fear.
In terms of character work, WALTER has one of the most realistic personalities in wrestling. His character, as well as the rest of Imperium’s, is that he treats the sport of professional wrestling very seriously. To Imperium, the ring is sacred. Wrestling is not meant to be fun, it’s meant to be hard hitting and violent. To WALTER, all that matters is competition and proving that you’re the best. Unlike most professional wrestlers, WALTER is positioned as someone that treats it as a legitimate combat sport. An important part of professional wrestling is that wrestlers have to be able to make people believe what they’re watching is real. To WALTER, what he’s doing IS real. For this reason, WALTER, in terms of character work and in ring believability, is currently the best wrestler in the world.
CONSTANT CLASSICS
In addition to WALTER’s highly believable character and in ring style, this has translated exceptionally well into his overall match performances. While wrestlers like Kenny Omega are fantastic, it’s easier to pinpoint an Omega match and that’s just average or even lesser than that then it is for WALTER. Why is that? Because WALTER has something to him that most wrestlers lack: an aura. WALTER is sparingly used in NXTUK. He doesn’t wrestle as consistently as people like Roman Reigns and Kenny Omega, and this works to his benefit. Every match WALTER participates in has a purpose. Because of this, his matches instantly feel very important and become must watch. Take for example his matches against people like Tyler Bate, Pete Dunne, Tomasso Ciampa and his two wars with Ilja Dragunov. These matches are considered by many to be some of the best WWE matches in recent memory. What do they all have in common? The presence of the Ring General. It’s very hard to think of one match WALTER has had since arriving in NXTUK that can even be considered average. WALTER’s limited in ring use is an exceptional decision because it instantly makes people hyped to see him wrestle again and eagerly await his return.
Wrestlers like Roman Reigns and Kenny Omega are some of the best wrestlers in the world right now. They both have highly compelling characters and amazing in ring prowess and storytelling. However, only one man usurps these two to become the absolute best. That man is NXTUK’s Ring General WALTER. WALTER is the most believable wrestler on the planet and treats what he does in the ring as pure art and pure sport. He’s developed this unique aura around him where whenever you hear Symphony 9 in E Minor, you know something big is about to go down. WALTER is the perfect blend of legitimacy and entertainment, showing his talents against men like Tomasso Ciampa and Ilja Dragunov day in and day out. WALTER treats the ring as sacred and for this reason is why he should be recognized as the best wrestler in the world.
