Maybe there are a select few MK9 players who continued playing and are better now than they were back when the game was in its prime, but tournaments are no longer stacked, and competition isn't ANYWHERE near as intense. So, no offense, but their skill level at this point in the game's lifespan is pretty much irrelevant as far as merits go. It's like me saying I'm the best Deadly Alliance player at the moment. Who cares? lol. And as for the Smash argument, Melee is still going strong, so they have a reason to continue to update their player rankings!
What should matter is who were the "gods" when MK9 was at its peak. As in, when the US had that UK rivalry, when the people's champ (CD jr) clashed with the EVO champ (PL), when REO bodied everyone he faced after EVO 2012, and when DJT pulled a major upset and mopped PL, REO, and every Kabal in existence during the final EVO.
REO, CD jr, PL, Forever King, Pig, Sonic Fox, DJT, and all the supreme character loyalists deserve mention in that case. Nowadays, you see some people who never even made it out of brackets back then make Top 8. lol.
