Roman Reigns left off 2026 PWI Top 500 after failing to meet match requirements

Roman Reigns was omitted from Pro Wrestling Illustrated’s 2026 Top 500 list, which PWI released on September 24 and which covered performances between August 1, 2025 and July 31, 2026. The magazine’s eligibility rules, not WWE standing, were cited as the reason for his absence.

PWI requires wrestlers to have competed in at least 10 singles matches during the evaluation period, or six singles matches held across six different months. Reigns took only five singles matches in that window — facing Bronson Reed twice, CM Punk once and Jacob Fatu twice — leaving him short of the minimum threshold.

During the evaluation period Reigns captured the World Heavyweight Championship by defeating “The Second City Saint” at WrestleMania 42 and recorded two successful title defenses against Jacob Fatu. Those title achievements occurred inside the PWI window but did not offset the shortfall in singles-match volume required for inclusion.

PWI’s published #PWI500 Top 10 (2026) listed 1. @The_MJF 2. @CodyRhodes 3. @CMPunk 4. @caristicomx 5. Konosuke Takeshita 6. Adam Page 7. @njpw_yotatsuji 8. @_trickwilliams 9. @Obaofwwe 10. @Gunther_AUT. MJF rose from No. 30 in 2025 after winning the AEW World Championship twice during the evaluation period, while Cody Rhodes — who had been No. 1 for the previous two years — placed second and narrowly missed becoming the first three-time consecutive PWI No. 1.

MJF’s top ranking also made him the third AEW wrestler to finish No. 1 on the list, joining Jon Moxley and Kenny Omega. The 2026 list reflects wrestlers’ records, championships and activity strictly within its designated 12-month window, which determined eligibility and placement.

Reigns became more active after the July 31 cutoff: he returned to WWE television later in the summer, defended the World Heavyweight Championship against Seth Rollins at SummerSlam, defeated Penta in Mexico City on September 14, and is scheduled to defend against LA Knight at Money in the Bank on October 10 following a confrontation in which Knight hit Reigns with a BFT. Those appearances occurred after the evaluation period and therefore could not be counted for the 2026 rankings.

Because the PWI 500 uses a defined 12-month evaluation period, Reigns’ post–July 31 activity, including the scheduled Money in the Bank defence on October 10, will be considered for the next edition of the list.