Which luchadores are you ranking (2026 edition)?

[Phil Schneider]

Did I miss Pantera on your list of guys, we just had him in for DEAN 3, and he looked fucking awesome. Hechicero is a guy with enough of a resume at this point to be considered too (also looked awesome on Saturday)

[TheBean]

Just want to say this is a great post by cad! Invaluable as I start to get into lucha libre. Just wanted to bump this also in case anyone else is interested. 

[cad]

Thanks, I appreciate it. I hope you do get into lucha and find plenty here to disagree with.

[Microstatistics]

Lucha took a real hiding this time but it's not too surprisingly because the stylistic disconnect from the Japanese/American styles is just too much for the majority of people. Hell, I'm not one to talk since, aside the tippy top guys and a few around the upper-middle regions of the list (Hechicero, Casas, Pirata), my list featured far fewer luchadores than it did in the past. I mean Santo & Satanico are unreal and there is high-end lucha I really cherish, but I think I am now aligned with the general consensus that Mexico is a distant #3, relative to Japan and USA, when it comes to professional wrestling.

[Tetsujin]

Lucha has ten really interesting years going forward. Both WWE and AEW are getting stronger within it, be it with AAA or CMLL, and while the consequences of that for current Lucha might be concerning, I ask myself if it's possible that both big American companies showcasing mexican wrestling to a broader audience might get more people interested in its past.

[ohtani's jacket]

9 hours ago, Microstatistics said:

Lucha took a real hiding this time but it's not too surprisingly because the stylistic disconnect from the Japanese/American styles is just too much for the majority of people. Hell, I'm not one to talk since, aside the tippy top guys and a few around the upper-middle regions of the list (Hechicero, Casas, Pirata), my list featured far fewer luchadores than it did in the past. I mean Santo & Satanico are unreal and there is high-end lucha I really cherish, but I think I am now aligned with the general consensus that Mexico is a distant #3, relative to Japan and USA, when it comes to professional wrestling.

Well, I dunno about that. It has a rich wrestling history. It just needs to be curated better. 

[Matt D]

Lucha can be very vibes based. It’ll be pretty funny if the kids find and glom onto Octagon and Rayo, Jr. or something. 

[ohtani's jacket]

1 hour ago, Matt D said:

Lucha can be very vibes based. It’ll be pretty funny if the kids find and glom onto Octagon and Rayo, Jr. or something. 

There's probably morality play stuff that might resonate with the younger crowd. 

[Scarletlikesounds]

2 hours ago, Matt D said:

Lucha can be very vibes based. It’ll be pretty funny if the kids find and glom onto Octagon and Rayo, Jr. or something. 

I can totally see fans my age being really high on Octagon

[Scarletlikesounds]

Ive watched some more stuff even since I've voted In GWE and now I would probably vote for:

Hijo Del Santo

LA Park

El Satanico

Negro Casas

Silver King

Black Terry

Virus

Perro Aguayo

Hechicero

Misterio Jr.

Wagner Jr.

El Dandy

Villano III

Demus

 

I voted Mistico this year really high but I'm not entirely sure about him, a lot of that was recency bias. I could still see it though. I need to go back and watch some more Sangre Chicana. I've really liked what I've seen from Emilio Charles Jr. but I'm not set on that yet. It turns out I REALLY like Silver King, Texano too but King specifically. 

[cad]

On 6/1/2026 at 8:53 PM, Microstatistics said:

I mean Santo & Satanico are unreal and there is high-end lucha I really cherish, but I think I am now aligned with the general consensus that Mexico is a distant #3, relative to Japan and USA, when it comes to professional wrestling.

This is a nice example of the phenomenon, unique to Satanico, wherein his greatness serves to bring down all of his countrymen. I'm not talking crazy when I bring that up. Sometimes a rising tide lifts all boats, and sometimes it just drowns a bunch of people.

But that's okay. Microstatistics takes their wrestling seriously, and I'm sure has come to that position earnestly. Can't ask for any more that that. Even if someone were to reject Mexico's offerings frivolously, that'd be fine too. Lucha spent years excluded from serious discussions about great wrestling. I'm sure a bunch of people became hardcore fans without ever imagining that would involve having opinions on stuff from Mexico. It bummed me out to see posters saying that their disconnect with lucha dissuaded them from submitting a ballot this year. There was a bunch of stuff I couldn't get into either, and that sure as shit didn't stop me. I wouldn't want people watching old CMLL as some kind of homework assignment. You should watch it because there's nothing you'd rather be doing at that moment, except perhaps falling in love.

[Stephen-]

So I ended up voting for...

1. El Hijo del Santo (16)
2. Negro Casas (17)
3. El Satanico (26)
4. Sangre Chicana (29)
5. El Dandy (46)
6. Rush (50)
7. Perro Aguayo (68)
8. LA Park (73)
9. Atlantis (78)
10. Virus (82)
11. Mistico (84)
12. Hechicero (92)
13. Guerrero Maya Jr. (100)

... 13 luchadores, not including Rey Jr. or Eddy. I was close to voting for Blue Panther, Black Terry, Lizmark, Emilio Charles Jr, Mascarita Dorada, and MS-1, but ended up not including them. I am pretty pleased with the group I did land on.