Throughout their program, Rollins made you believe that Matt Riddle was a main event talent. by Andy H Murray. The sky is the limit. Like us on Facebook to see similar stories Please give an overall site rating . July 18, 1990. She won the 2021 Royal Rumble match and became the first-ever black superstar to hold the title in WWE. Every aspect of performance was considered, from promos and matches to believability and presence. But the beauty of this art form is that the script is occasionally forced to change when a new performer connects so intimately with the audience. While she is far from the most athletic wrestler in STARDOM, her ability to both draw fans into what she is doing and draw something more emotional out of her opponents is unique in the current scene. He should win the Triple Crown in 2023. The Most Compelling Voice In Wrestling Media. Yet Belair made it feel special whenever she took the microphone or stepped into the ring. A Reasoned And Well Explained Man. He did everything within his bodily power to ensure that Cody Rhodes return at WrestleMania was viewed as a legitimately jaw-dropping, iconic moment, which it wasthen followed that up with an even better match with Rhodes at WrestleMania Backlash. Denis Cyplenkov. The 2022 PWI Top 500 Wrestlers is a list of the Top 500 wrestlers according to the magazine Pro Wrestling Illustrated. Had one of the best PPV openers ever with Eddie Kingston at Revolution, crafted the unforgettable Anarchy In The Arena, and had an ROH title reign that delivered some really fun bouts with Tomohiro Ishii, Bandido, and Claudio Castagnoli. Oh and check out her match against Miu Watanabe in the Tokyo Princess Cup. (AC), Hopefully, every year-end poll accurately reflects that the Young Bucks were once again the best tag team in the world. 50-41. (RK), The breakout star of the year for CMLL had a great summer run capped off by a thrilling mask vs mask match victory over Stuka Jr, which was one of the must-watch matches of 2022. The genesis of perfection. Visit our corporate site (opens in new tab). All Rights Reserved. That was an industry-defining change, and the aftershocks have only just begun. In 2022, there were no more questions. This was similar for Belair, who dealt with a roster that for parts of the year was missing Sasha Banks, Charlotte Flair, Bayley, Becky Lynch, Naomi, and Alexa Bliss. 11. (SE), Dragongates new top man has hit a home run every time hes stepped up to the plate this year. Buvaisar Saitiev. Chris Jericho is a Canadian-American professional wrestler and musician who is best known for his appearances in WWE between 1999 and 2018. The ultimate workhorse, Ospreay wrestled 73 times in 2022 with 33 singles matches. Shingo and Taichi worked hard together to have the best and most creative matches in King of Pro Wrestling history, including producing a late Match of the Year contender in December on a JTO show. Top 10 Wealthiest/Richest Wrestlers And Their Networth In The World. FTR was also closely aligned with CM Punk, which led to some great content that, unfortunately, ended far too early. Hunter Noffz 8. Tag team of the year: The Usos - 50% The Usos established themselves as the best duo in all of wrestling in 2022. Masha Slamovich. He has harnessed his gift at cutting promos, and he is currently one of the best in the world at the craft. His piece in the trilogy against Mark and Jay Briscoe this year made ROH feel relevant again, and not merely an extension of AEW. He ended the year by winning the Jr. Battle of Glory tournament as the Jr. champion and looks to continue his dominance of the division in 2023. Even after his spectacular year, he remains one of wrestlings best-kept secrets. 10. American professional wrestler currently signed to Impact Wrestling, Rich Swann finished at the 10th rank in the PWI 2021 rankings. Like her nickname, "The Boss," she is the boss during her match in the ring. The Villain Marty Scurll. New Japans 50th anniversary was built around Okada. Jericho has won 30 championships in the WWE, ECW, and WCW. Roman Reigns, CM Punk, Jon Moxley, Bianca Belair, MJF. Another earth-shattering saga was the rise and fall of CM Punk in AEW. The Briscoes; Dynamite vs. Dax Harwood; Dynamite vs. Will Ospreay. On one of the few shows All Japan has had this year with cheering crowds, his fan reactions rivaled that of All Japan ace Kento Miyahara. Their New Japan arrival has been worth the wait, and theyve only just gotten started. Andy is as much a fan of 1985 Jim Crockett Promotions as he is present-day AEW and WWE - just don't make him choose between the two. (IH), Another year where Mayu Iwatani deserves her flowers. 10. Hes truly made a name for himself in AEW with impressive showcases against the likes of Jon Moxley, Claudio Castagnoli, and Eddie Kingston. Nonetheless, I cannot envision a scenario where Nakamura does not walk away victorious. Strickland is great, and he wrestles like a guy who knows it. When Ospreay wasnt dazzling crowds with his singles matches, he was teaming with his United Empire stablemates Aussie Open for a series of kick-ass six-man tags against the Death Triangle and The Elite. Joe Gagne: Wrestling podcast OG and trivia master! They are the best to ever do it. The STARDOM Icon had yet another impressive year, with the ultimate highlight being her loss in the main event of Historic X-Over against KAIRI for the vacant IWGP Womens Championship. There is a certain mystique about Vikingo. The high-flier continued to dazzle audiences worldwide in 2022 with standout matches alongside his brother and tag partner Penta El Zero Miedo and his Death Triangle stablemate PAC. His 30-minute draw with Hideki Suzuki on August 19th as part of the N-1 Victory tournament was one of the most unique and thrilling singles matches of 2022. But that was just the tip of the iceberg for a year which saw him back full time on the US scene after a half decade of being shut out. The breakout star of the year, Jamie Hayter feels like an overnight sensation in AEW. The WWE's CEO and majority owner, Vince McMahon, has total authority over the top position. England and Wales company registration number 2008885. The problem? She capped off the year winning the World of Stardom Championship, as she goes into 2022 as the top wrestler in the promotion. (JL), 2022 marks a big change to the FSM 50 as its the first year without The Ace. Having previously worked for Bleacher Report, Andy specialises in short and long-form writing, video presenting, voiceover acting, and editing, all characterised by expert wrestling knowledge and commentary. December 4th, 2022. There was also a near tragedy when Big Es future was put at risk when he suffered a broken neck in the ring. The Briscoes; Dynamite vs. Dax Harwood; NJPW Royal Quest II vs. Aussie Open. (AC), WrestleMania weekend is a dying concept after years of being beaten to death and abused. NXT has shed its ridiculous 2.0 moniker and returned to creating its own version of entertaining content, which is a lot easier with rising stars like Carmelo Hayes and Bron Breakker. Net Worth: $1.6 Billion. (IH), Hangman entered 2022 the reigning and defending AEW champ, and front-loaded his year with enough high-quality work that he could have done nothing from June on and still been a lock for this list. Together, they make magic. He held Gold Class together after the departures of others and now ends the year with gold around his waist too. To say that Bailey has made up for lost time would be an understatement. She also played an integral role in elevating Iyo Sky and Dakota Kai once they arrived on the main roster this summer, and she has endless chemistry with Bayley. A couple examples of his best work from throughout the year are the Wheeler Yuta match on Rampage and the Windy City Riot match against Will Ospreay. Those are two completely different matches, but Moxley is versatile and he can highlight opponents in a number of ways. But despite the aimless booking at times, Aoyagi continued to be a part of some strong tag matches. Unfortunately, 2022 is yet another year that feels the effect of the pandemic. On a roster where the margin for error is so slim, Diamante represents the perfection that Dragongate preaches to their talent. When Rhodes was severely limited in their Hell in a Cell bout inside the cage, Rollins made viewers forget about limitations and instead focus on all Rhodes was capable of in spite of the gruesome injury. 8. By the end of 2022, he had lapped them and was on the path to possibly becoming an actual junior heavcyweight draw for All Japan. Yamashita has also been a part of some great tag matches with partner Maki Itoh as 121000000. 6. Whether you watched Harwood on screen or bought a ticket to see him in person, he added value every time he took the stage. He's among the highest-paid WWE wrestlers in 2022, commanding an annual salary of $4.5 million. 12 / 20. 2023 is shaping up to be his biggest year since 2019. STARDOMs most popular wrestler is on her way to being one of the very best in the world, as her matches with Giulia and Mayu Iwatani showcased in the 5STAR Grand Prix. 1. Solely because of the nature of the business, which is constantly moving on to the next match and next show, Moxley does not receive nearly enough credit for the way he helped set up MJF to succeed as champ. (JL), Because Shingo spent the back half of the year defending the King of Pro Wrestling title, people may have forgotten just how good the rest of his year was. Now that hes finally won the GHC Heavyweight Championship again, he will probably have an even bigger 2023. 2022 was yet another excellent year from one of pro wrestlings best. Josh Alexander. Ian Hamilton: Writer for 411Mania and BackBodyDrop.com and an expert in European wrestling to complement a well-rounded knowledge of the wrestling world. She is a throwback to a rougher Joshi style that we last got in the 1990s on any big stage. His Strong Championship challenge against Yuji Okabayashi in BJW was one of the most intense matches of 2022. Roman Reigns Tops the PWI 500 List for 2022, Top 20 Wrestlers Revealed. Future Publishing Limited Quay House, The Ambury, Bath BA1 1UA. While they may have a few more gray hairs since they battled Amazing Red & AJ Styles in The Murphy Rec Center at ROH Expect The Unexpected, the passion and fire they put into their big matches is still there in abundance. Please log in again. By Tornad0 Ranking 20. Your session has expired. Joshi fans will argue that Stardom and Sendai Girls are on par, having the two best women's wrestling promotions in Japan. Name. In September, he became the promotions first champion by defeating Flamita in one of the best world title matches of the year. In fact, you can even make an argument that he was the best technical wrestler in the world in 2022. Beating Shingo for the IWGP World title on the first night of WrestleKingdom suggested thatd be the case, while incredible defenses over Will Ospreay, Zack Sabre Jr., and perennial rival Tetsuya Naito teased us into thinking that itd be a straightforward year of Okada dominanceuntil Jay White shockingly dethroned him at Dominion. His All-Atlantic title win in a Dynamite main event was a really cool moment in AEWs year. Sitting next to his billionaire boss, CM Punk burned the entire world down. (CL), Kiyomiya had a MOTYC on the first day of 2022, and from there, it was an incredible year even if NOAHs booking wasnt always on his side. In constant pursuit of a legendary legacy, Rollins constantly pushed pro wrestling to be at its best in 2022. Mandatory Credit: Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY . (SF), Break glass in case of emergency. Tony Khan needed to break the glass so often in 2022 that it probably should have just been left open. Chances are if you watched Will Ospreay at any point in the year 2022, you saw a great match. Tuesday, April 19, 2022 at 1:45 PM by Babu Tendu Adrianna Simwa. As the leader of Cosmic Angels, every member of that groupmost notably Natsupoi and Mina Shirakawahas improved dramatically with Nakano at the helm. 1. The more things change . Wheeler is often overshadowed by Harwood, but he is a vital part of FTR. 4. Scott Edwards: One of the most passionate up-and-coming wrestling writers around. As far as match quality, she had one of the best matches of the year against Utami in June, and had five matches rated **** or higher by the Wrestling Observer (all singles matches). For me, that was a gateway into Japanese wrestling 20 years ago. 56 Ricochet Fans of British Wrestling over the past 10 years will know the name Rampage Brown. The man weighs around 300 pounds and he is here to stay. Rampage Brown. He first came to the WWF in 1990 as Ted DiBiase's mystery partner at The Survivor Series (1990). His series with Wheeler Yuta for the ROH Pure Title were captivating watches, and being a key figure in the chaotic Anarchy in the Arena match ticks another box that warrants his inclusion on this list. Apr 2, 2022; Arlington, TX, USA; Becky Lynch (black attire) and Bianca Belair (red/black attire) wrestle during the Raw Women's Championship match during WrestleMania at AT&T Stadium. Top three matches of 2022: Revolution vs. Bryan Danielson; Forbidden Door vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi; Full Gear vs. CM Punk. 2022 in professional wrestling describes the year's events in the world of professional wrestling.. Beginning in March 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic severely affected the professional wrestling industry worldwide, with many promotions presenting shows behind closed doors.Some events were canceled while others were rescheduled to occur in 2021 and then some in 2022. (JL). Whether it was AAA, Big Lucha, or lesser US indie promotions, the 24-year-old routinely pumped out gif-worthy spots en route to great matches. (SE), Quite possibly the most confident and self-assured wrestler in the world, and with good reason. And it has brought a lot of great wrestling. The goal of the list is to be as well-informed and wide-ranging as possible. All told, an impressive resume in the United States alone before even mentioning his match-of-the-year contender in his home promotion DDT against Kazusada Higuchi. But he did make use of it to push himself into Hollywood. 10. Freestyle wrestling is truly a global sport that is practiced in nearly every country, it is one of the most decorated Olympic sports and a sport that anyone can participate in, no matter the persons size, sex or . Pro wrestlings best gift at cutting promos, and the aftershocks have only just gotten started new tab.! Others and now ends the year margin for error is so slim, Diamante represents the that... The leader of Cosmic Angels, every member of that groupmost notably Natsupoi and Mina Shirakawahas improved with! She took the microphone or stepped into the ring 4.5 million if watched... Good reason of CM Punk, Jon Moxley, Bianca Belair, MJF of $ 4.5 million salary. 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