Canada has always been one of the biggest pro-wrestling countries, alongside Mexico, Japan, the United States of America, and the United Kingdom. Canadian wrestlers have often been atop the kayfabe pecking order, with Pat Patterson, Bret Hart, Edge, Roddy Piper, Chris Jericho, and Chris Benoit all dominating the pro-wrestling industry at various points.
Going by the sheer number of big-name Canadian wrestlers in pro-wrestling today, it’s safe to say Canada hasn’t slowed down at all. For instance, Kenny Omega is dominating the Japanese wrestling scene.
In this article, we’re ranking the 10 best active Canadian wrestlers in World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) based on their in-ring ability, character work, and promos.
10 10. The Singh Brothers
After enjoying some initial success in the WWE’s Cruiserweight Classic tournament, The Singh Brothers wrestled the first-ever 205 Live televised match. Shortly afterward, WWE moved them to the main roster to play Jinder Mahal’s lackeys in The Modern Day Maharaja’s title pursuits and reigns.
They didn’t have much to do during that period besides being suplexed around by Randy Orton, but that run helped them announce themselves. Now back on 205 Live, Sunil Singh and Samir Singh, real-life brothers from British Columbia, Canada, will look to pick up where they’d left off.
9 9. Natalya
Natalya is the only female Canadian wrestler to make the list, with Maryse no longer wrestling and Chelsea Green yet to make her WWE debut. Born in Calgary, she started out with Stampede Wrestling after becoming the first woman to receive training from the fabled Hart Dungeon. After seven years on the independent circuit, she moved to WWE in 2007 and made her main-roster debut in 2008.
Although she hasn’t had as much kayfabe success as most other seasoned veterans in WWE, she’s been a locker room sweetheart and has hardly ever shied away from putting over younger talents of late. A future WWE Hall of Famer, indeed!
8 8. Jinder Mahal
Those who don’t bother to know about wrestlers’ background may be shocked to see Jinder Mahal make this list. He, who plays an Indian due to his ethnicity, was actually born in Calgary, Canada. After spending eight years on the Canadian indies, he earned a WWE move in 2010.
Although his initial WWE run didn’t go as well as he’d have liked, he returned to make an immediate impact, as WWE rewarded his hard work with a WWE Championship reign. He has since fallen down the pecking order, now chasing R-Truth’s 24/7 Championship, but he’s already etched his names in WWE’s history books.
7 7. Viktor
Kayfabe-wise, Viktor has accomplished nothing since moving to the main roster, although he was booked as a monster alongside The Ascenion teammate Konnor in NXT. Having trained at the Hart Dungeon and under Lance Storm and performed for New Japan Pro Wrestling (NJPW) prior to signing for WWE, he came in with a strong resume.
While he hasn’t had many chances to prove himself, the more educated wrestling fans have always appreciated Viktor’s talent and have claimed he’s been carrying The Ascension all along. He now remains one of the most underused talents on the roster.
6 6. Tyler Breeze
Talking about one underused talent has led us to another: Tyler Breeze. The Prince Pretty was one of the pillars of NXT as Triple H transformed it from a reality TV show to a sub-brand. He put on classics, including the critically-acclaimed fatal four-way with Sami Zayn, Neville (Pac), and Tyson Kidd, and killed it on the microphone.
On the main roster, however, he was reduced to a comedy act alongside fellow developmental great Fandango. Now back on NXT, he’s been proving he hasn’t missed a beat despite only wrestling occasionally on the main roster.
5 5. Eric Young
Of all the main-roster wrestlers who’ve made this list, none has had as little impact as Eric Young. The soon-to-be 40-year-old Ontario-born wrestler spent six years on the indie circuit before moving to Impact Wrestling as a Team Canada member.
He enjoyed a lot of success there, even becoming one of the only five Grand Slam Champions in April 2014. What he lacked in size, he made up for in talent. In NXT, he looked promising, even winning the NXT Tag Team Championship. He’s done nothing of note on the main roster but is still considered one of the most talented wrestlers.
4 4. Robert Roode
Here’s yet another TNA alumnus! Robert Roode signed for NXT as Bobby Roode and achieved instant success. His killer entrance only served as the icing on the cake, as his phenomenal work made him the brand’s biggest heel then. Triple H duly rewarded his good work by putting the NXT Championship on him.
He’s fared far better than most other recent NXT call-ups, winning the United States Championship, Raw Tag Team Championship, and 24/7 Championship. At 42, he probably won’t be winning the Universal Championship or WWE Championship, but he’s already had a career he can be immensely proud of.
3 3. Kyle O’Reilly
Here’s the only entry from the NXT! There’s been a dearth of Canadian talents on the developmental brands – with Davey Boy Smith Jr., Michael Elgin, Kenny Omega, Allie, Ethan Page, and Rosemary all choosing to work the indies – but the future of Canadian wrestling in WWE is secure in Kyle O’Reilly’s hands.
The Undisputed Era wrestler has largely languished in Adam Cole’s shadow in NXT, only winning the NXT Tag Team Championship twice. However, at 32, he can still go on to become as big as his more successful compatriots down the line given his talent.
2 2. Kevin Owens
Here’s the most accomplished wrestler on this list! An excellent all-around performer, Kevin Owens has held singles titles six times on the main roster, including the Universal Championship once. He’s constantly main-eventing even when he’s not a champion.
Despite not boasting the archetypal WWE physique, Owens has won over Vince McMahon. At 35, he’ll go on to win a few more world titles in the future given that he’s one of the few wrestlers Internet fans expect to stay loyal to WWE and not defect to All-Elite Wrestling (AEW).
1 1. Sami Zayn
There’s a chance some of you find putting Sami Zayn atop the list rather controversial. However, his position in the company and the industry speaks for itself. Unlike Kevin Owens, Robert Roode, or Jinder Mahal, he hasn’t won a single main-roster title since leaving NXT in December 2015.
However, despite that, he’s managed to be a top-tier talent. When he was a face, he had the fans cheering him on and, now that he’s a heel, he gets every crowd to hate him. In an era when most heels only get go-away heat, he manages to get genuine reactions from the crowd. It’s only a matter of time before Triple H lobbies for a world-title reign for him.