Ranking the 10 WWE and AEW MVPs Halfway Through 2026
Even at times when the creative has been inconsistent, WWE and All Elite Wrestling have been carried by a crop of exceptional competitors throughout the first half of 2026.
WWE in particular has been all over the place since the beginning of the year, with fans frustrated by the lack of excitement surrounding the product but also occasionally satisfied by some of the stronger shows it has managed to produce.
AEW, meanwhile, has been putting forth an outstanding effort with its character development, storyline progression and quality of pay-per-views. Specifically, it has done an effective job of keeping the AEW World Championship scene hot and elevating a few fresh faces in the process.
It's shaping up to be a promising summer season for both companies, and with July 1 marking the exact halfway point of 2026, it's important to acknowledge those who were recurring highlights over the last six months and did some of their best work to date.
From newcomers who got over with the audience in a major way to established stars who excelled at an elite level, these are WWE and AEW's top 10 MVPs for 2026 so far, ranked.
10. Trick Williams
1 of 10
While Trick Williams will never be mistaken for being a master of the squared circle, he managed to become an instant fan favorite upon arriving on the main roster at the onset of 2026 and one of WWE's fastest-rising stars in recent history.
Williams quickly proved himself as the perfect fit for the big stage and bright lights. He had impressive showings in the Royal Rumble and in the Elimination Chamber before winning the United States Championship from Sami Zayn at WrestleMania 42.
He has since successfully defended the star-spangled prize against Zayn and Ricky Saints at Backlash and Night of Champions, respectively.
It isn't Williams' matches that make him such a spectacle but rather his promos and personality. He brings life to an otherwise dreary SmackDown on Friday nights, and he's merely scratched the surface of what he's capable of.
He's excelled in the midcard so far this year, but at the aggressive rate he's (rightfully) being pushed, it won't be long before he's in the main event mix.
9. Jon Moxley
2 of 10
Jon Moxley's dreadfully boring reign as AEW world champion and the overreliance on The Death Riders in general actively brought down the company's product this time a year ago, whereas now he is the promotion's ultimate workhorse.
Moxley closed out 2025 as AEW continental champion and has had no shortage of title defenses in the first half of 2026. Granted, the outcome of his matches is usually a foregone conclusion, but he never fails to deliver whenever the bell rings and the gold is up for grabs.
His biggest bangers have come against Konosuke Takeshita, Will Ospreay and most recently Bandido. His alliance with Ospreay has ensured he's remained relevant toward the top of the card while also dominating the midcard.
His character work is arguably his greatest weakness at the moment, as it's confusing from week to week whether he and the rest of The Death Riders are supposed to be babyfaces or heels. It typically depends on who they're working with, but at least the quality of Moxley's matches can't be questioned.
8. Sami Zayn
3 of 10
Sami Zayn started the year colder than he's been as a character in some time. He had an incredible albeit brief run as United States champion late last year but came into 2026 directionless.
The lukewarm reaction to his Undisputed WWE Championship clash with Drew McIntyre at the Royal Rumble in Saudi Arabia hardly helped matters.
It was only after he started embracing the boos he was getting from crowds that he became infinitely more interesting. More importantly, he didn't go full-fledged heel; he simply stated that he did nothing to deserve the backlash from fans and that he stuck by those who stuck by him.
That added an intriguing element to his feud with Trick Williams, who was organically getting over as a babyface. They had a pair of fun matches over the United States Championship, both of which Zayn was on the receiving end of.
Zayn played a pivotal role in Williams' ascent and eventually in heating up the main event scene with Cody Rhodes and Gunther. His inner turmoil made for fantastic television in the first six months of 2026, culminating in an amazing moment at Night of Champions where he walked away the new undisputed WWE champ.
Above all else, his biggest feat in 2026 has been salvaging SmackDown from complete creative despair.
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7. CM Punk
4 of 10
Although CM Punk has been absent from WWE TV since the post-WrestleMania Raw, there's no denying the remarkable roll he was on for the first four months of the year, and how the red brand has largely been lost without him.
It may not have been the original plan, but Punk winning the World Heavyweight Championship after Seth Rollins had to vacate it due to injury resulted in Raw becoming a significantly stronger show on the Road to WrestleMania.
In January alone, Punk defended the prestigious prize on Raw three times. His matches with Bron Breakker, Finn Bálor and AJ Styles ranged from good to great and his promos were almost always home runs.
His rivalry with Roman Reigns made for must-see TV ahead of 'Mania, and the matchup itself in the main event of Night 2 was a five-star classic. The Second City Saint is in the twilight of his illustrious career yet just had one of his hottest runs ever at the age of 47.
6. Darby Allin
5 of 10
Darby Allin started the year fresh after finishing his feud with The Death Riders at the end of 2025.
His subsequent storyline with The Dogs was nothing out of the ordinary, but all it took was winning the AEW World Championship in his hometown in shocking fashion for him to become white-hot again.
The polarizing online reaction to his swift victory over MJF didn't hinder his momentum in the slightest. He wasted no time in taking on all comers to establish himself as a fighting champion.
In just a little over a month, Allin successfully defended the title seven times between Dynamite and Collision, including twice in one week toward the end. He finally dropped the belt back to MJF in a terrific Hair vs. Title match at Double or Nothing.
His role on AEW TV has obviously been curtailed since then, but he's currently embroiled in a heated feud with Kevin Knight that should run through at least All In. He had to win the big one eventually, and the way it was booked made for an incredibly entertaining stretch of television heading into what wound up being the best AEW pay-per-view of 2026 to date.
5. Will Ospreay
6 of 10
Will Ospreay was responsible for some of AEW's most memorable matches even before putting pen to paper with the promotion in 2023, and that hasn't changed since he officially became "All Elite," either.
After missing the final stretch of 2025 with a neck injury, Ospreay returned well ahead of schedule at Revolution in March, picking up where he left off with The Death Riders.
His loss to Jon Moxley the next month at Dynasty resulted in a story where he had to build himself back up by reluctantly agreeing to accept guidance from Death Riders.
From there, he worked his way through the men's Owen Hart Cup, having standout matches with the likes of Samoa Joe, Mark Davis and Swerve Strickland. Unlike last year, he was able to get the job done and emerge victorious with the trophy in tow, earning him an opportunity at the AEW World Championship in his native England at All In.
Ospreay is a human highlight reel capable of bringing the best out of everyone he shares the ring with, which in turn makes every show that he's on better. Soon, he will be permanently slotted at the main event level where he belongs.
4. Thekla
7 of 10
Thekla was already considered a great pickup for AEW when she joined last summer, but no one could have expected the excellence she'd produce in the year that followed.
She originally fell short of capturing the AEW Women's World Championship early on in the year, only to unseat Kris Statlander for the title in their bloody and brutal rematch on Dynamite in February.
Since then, she's embarked on a ruthless reign that has seen her knock off everyone from Mina Shirakawa and Thunder Rosa to Jamie Hayter and Alex Windsor. Toni Storm vanished from AEW TV in March and Mercedes Moné sat on the sidelines until right before Forbidden Door, allowing Thekla to take full control of the AEW women's division.
No other female in the company has come close to matching her aura, not only when she wrestles but especially when she's cutting promos. She's a captivating talker and never fails to command the attention of the audience when she has a mic in her hand.
The Toxic Spider recently revealed she has re-signed with AEW for a few more years, indicating that the company recognizes her value and is planning to keep her as a cornerstone of that division going forward, as it should.
3. Oba Femi
8 of 10
Oba Femi made an immediate impact the moment he debuted on the main roster in the Royal Rumble. His exciting interaction with Brock Lesnar laid the groundwork for them to wage war at WrestleMania 42, and thankfully, WWE gave fans what they wanted to see.
The Ruler racked up wins before confronting Lesnar on Raw in early March and accepting his open challenge for The Show of Shows. Their feud was booked perfectly, right down to Femi essentially squashing Lesnar in a matter of minutes at 'Mania.
A star was born that night, as evidenced by the raucous reaction he received on Raw that Monday.
For some reason, WWE struggled to find something substantial for him to do coming out of the event. His own open challenge gimmick was short-lived and his loss to Lesnar at Clash in Italy wasn't ideal, but he bounced back by winning the King of the Ring tournament.
Femi made the questionable call of forgoing his guaranteed title shot (for now) to settle his score with Lesnar inside Hell in a Cell at SummerSlam, but his stock is still skyrocketing. It's more a matter of when and not if he'll be wearing world title gold, and his rapid rise in popularity has been fascinating for fans to follow this year.
2. Penta
9 of 10
He may not be fighting for world titles or headlining PLEs, but Penta has been an absolute treat to watch this year now that WWE has finally found the right role for him.
Penta exceeded all expectations with his rookie year in WWE, but coming into 2026, he needed to fulfill his destiny by becoming a champion. He did just that by besting Dominik Mysterio for the intercontinental title in March and going on a tear with the belt from there.
In addition to getting the chance to compete at his second straight WrestleMania, he reigned supreme in a grueling ladder match that featured some of the very best Raw has to offer.
The intercontinental title scene stayed hot post-WrestleMania as well with Penta having barn-burners with Ethan Page, Je'Von Evans and Rey Mysterio while the prestigious prize was at stake.
His string of stellar matches has been the lifeblood of Raw from an in-ring standpoint and his standing with the fans hasn't waned whatsoever. It's unknown whether a world title pursuit will ever be in his future, but for now, he's running rampant on Raw as intercontinental champion and has shown no signs of slowing down anytime soon.
1. MJF
10 of 10
MJF was sorely missed in AEW when he took time off last fall, but he returned at just the right time before the close of 2025 to regain the AEW World Championship and kick off what has been a banner year for him.
What's worked so wonderfully about his second and third reigns as champ is that everyone on the roster has been gunning for him, meaning there's always a credible challenger waiting in the wings to get a crack at the coveted title.
His bouts with Bandido and Brody King, while predictable, were enjoyable and his back-to-back PPV matches with Adam Page and Kenny Omega demonstrated that he could hang with anyone inside the ring.
His loss of the gold to Darby Allin was the hard reset his character needed to evolve, and now that he has the belt back in his possession, he's once again thriving as the focal point of the promotion.
MJF's promos are more meaningful now than they've ever been and his matches are regularly great. AEW has built up such a strong roster that the company wouldn't crumble without him, but it would be difficult to keep the hot streak going if he wasn't around to serve as the glue that holds everything together.
The many enemies MJF has made this year will keep him busy for months to come, giving fans plenty to look forward to in the remainder of 2026.
Graham Mirmina, aka Graham "GSM" Matthews, has specialized in sports and entertainment writing since 2010. Visit his website, WrestleRant, and subscribe to his YouTube channel for more wrestling-related content.
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