The Best Bout Machine was ranked #1 on the PWI 100 in 2018. Roman Reigns Tops the PWI 500 List for 2022, Top 20 Wrestlers Revealed. Nor is her powerhouse style with technical elements, which isnt as flashy as others in STARDOM. Wheeler is often overshadowed by Harwood, but he is a vital part of FTR. His All-Atlantic title win in a Dynamite main event was a really cool moment in AEWs year. Vikingos skills remained a cut above everyone else even in a time of amazing highflyers; it never felt safe to blink during his matches. (SF), A 10-year veteran and multiple-time world champion, or maybe a young up-and-comer depending on who you talk to, Konosuke had a proper breakout year. It is the 31st annual issue. He has held the WWF World . Rhodes was revealed to be the mystery opponent for Seth Rollins and defeated Rollins with Cross Rhodes in front of more than 70,000 fans inside AT&T Stadium. Of course, that all depends on how you value and rate the past year in wrestling. 10. Other standout performances include his GHC Title loss to forever-rival Kaito Kiyomiya, a February 11th victory over Go Shiozaki, and a thrilling GHC Tag Team championship challenge with Katsuhiko Nakajima against Takashi Sugiura and Satoshi Kojima. 2023 ABG-SI LLC. Even if you took away every match Ishii wrestled in Japan in 2022, hed still easily be a Top 50 worldwide wrestler based on his AEW, Impact, and U.S.-based New Japan work alone. The match will co-main event the show, along with what has the potential to be a superb Kaito Kiyomiya-Kenoh GHC heavyweight championship bout, at Tokyos historic Nippon Budokan venue. A rebrand in March almost had the former WALTER share some history that, to be kind, would have been super problematic. Sadly, he was pretty much on the shelf from June on, wrestling just eight total matches in the second half of the year. Former professional wrestler Vince has made a name for himself in a variety of different fields. (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. Unfortunately, 2022 is yet another year that feels the effect of the pandemic. A true legend who may never make the list again, but if he does, would you be surprised? That was the case in their tag bout against the Rock n Roll Express earlier this year for Big Time Wrestlings show in Spartanburg, South Carolina, when they had Bret Hart in their corner in Webster, Massachusetts against Brian Pillman Jr. and Brock Anderson (who had Arn Anderson in their corner), as well as their six-man tag last month with Ricky Steamboat. Top three matches of 2022: Battle of the Belts III vs. Thunder Rosa; Full Gear vs. Toni Storm; Dynamite vs. Hikaru Shida. Mandy Rose. Sadly, he rarely, if ever, is. He kept that momentum going in spirited bouts against Adam Cole, Lance Archer, and a forgotten gem with Konosuke Takeshita. Born on March 24, 1965. 10. Top three matches of 2022: Royal Rumble vs. Roman Reigns; WrestleMania Backlash vs. Cody Rhodes; Elimination Chamber vs. Matt Riddle. But it took a lot of toil, tears, and blood for her to reach this point, where she is seizing peoples attention on a weekly basis as AEW womens champion. 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. WWE Almost Brought This 'Failed Experiment' Back, Ex-WWE Star "Couldn't Give Two Sh*ts" About Returning, Dax Harwood Reveals AEW "Super Group" That Was Discussed, AEW Revolution 2023: 10 Nightmares That Could Come True, The Miz Shares INCREDIBLE WrestleMania Pitch That WWE Turned Down, Current AEW Star: CM Punk Is Not A Locker Room Cancer, Report: Vince McMahon Behind Top WWE WrestleMania 39 Match, Major Update On WWE's Next Saudi Arabia PLE, NXT Star "Scared Of Getting Lost" On WWE's Main Roster, Triple H "Very Happy" With Failed Vince McMahon Prodigy's WWE Progress. 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. His singles matches earlier in the year against Dax Harwood, Hangman Page, and Dustin Rhodes were high-level. Lynn's wrestling training began in 2017 and made her debut . Net Worth: $18 Million. While she did not work an abundance of matches this year, her overall impact secured this spot. Like her nickname, "The Boss," she is the boss during her match in the ring. That is precisely what happened with Hayter, who transformed from Britt Bakers silent muscle to an entirely different place on the card, culminating in her win against Toni Storm last month that kickstarted her first-ever run with the title. On the first Korakuen Hall shows of the year, Dragongate established that this year was going to be all about Yuki Yoshioka and his foe-turned-friend Dragon Dia. Full Name. Rich Kraetsch: Co-host of the long-running Flagship Podcast on Voices of Wrestling, editor of VoicesofWrestling.com and one-half of FlagshipPatreon.com. Bryan Danielson put together one of . Though this appeared destined to go seven as soon as the dates and stipulations of all the matches were announced, it has been fun watching it all unfold. Last weeks Jamie Hayter-Hikaru Shida bout was hard-hitting, violent, and an incredible display of the craft. Putting Roman Reigns fourth on this list, especially ahead of Will Ospreay, was the single hardest decision in the top 10. Hence becoming one of the richest wrestlers in 2022. 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. The company which was founded 3 years ago has seen a lot of growth this year, especially after the purchase of beloved indie wrestling promotion Ring of Honor, and of course all the drama that came after the company's All Out pay . Ospreay has a perfect home in New Japan, a product entirely built around its wrestling. The genesis of perfection. 6 Rising - Stardom. On top of returning to his top singles form, Miyahara was also a part of several high-level tags throughout the year, ending with winning the Real World Tag League with Takuya Nomura. The 2018 World Wrestling Championship will be held in Budapest, Hungary from October 22 - 28. Rich keeps an eye on the full world of wrestling with an emphasis on America and Japan. 70-61. 7 Hulk Hogan. Consistency was given as much weight as ceilings and floors. No world champion was able to touch her greatness this year. The Golden Phoenix captivated audiences with her stunning aerial offense and fantastic run as the Wonder of STARDOM Champion. Sasha Banks. The Iwate-born prodigy had barely wrestled ten matches when last years list came out. There is also a must-see match at AAAs Noche de Campeones, which also takes place later tonight. We hope to not only provide a credible ranking but also to expose readers to some new wrestling. Brock Lesnar. Best bouts were against Toni Storm, Hikaru Shida, and Willow Nightingale all of which tore the house down, and Hayter was dripping confidence every step of the way. 9. (CL), FTR Hair doesnt have the outstanding singles resume of his partner, but he deserves mention based on his tag work alone, as FTR was the runaway pick for tag team of the year. 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. Roman Reigns, CM Punk, Jon Moxley, Bianca Belair, MJF. He restored honor to a vacant world title on two separate occasions, beginning with a classic against Hiroshi Tanahashi at Forbidden Door in June. 50-41. Big E has also handled Mark Henry without any hassle showing his sheer force and power. Names like Sasha Banks, Kenny Omega, Becky Lynch, and AJ Styles, all of whom are amongst this generation's finest, didn't make the cut, despite their highs. For 12 months, Rollins has consistently wrestled the most compelling, convincing, and effective matches throughout all of pro wrestling. Higuchi also delivered in tag performances too, alongside new tag partner Naomi Yoshimura (who he also had an outstanding match against in the King of DDT finals, which not only crowned Higuchi king, but also KO-D Champion). Marty Scurll is one of those rarities; a technical wrestler who also has a well-developed gimmick and persona. All in all, Takeshitas former nickname, The Future, is ringing true, and with his move to America, youd expect to see his name littered amongst the best in the world for many years to come. Like us on Facebook to see similar stories Please give an overall site rating . Last weeks Dynamite featured a scintillating Jamie Hayter-Hikaru Shida main event, the caliber of match that instantly raised the stature of the AEW womens championship. Josh Alexander should be a lot higher on this list. (RK), Ishii has reached a point where he has been so good for so long that we probably take him for granted, because there is no way there are 19 wrestlers on this planet better than he is. Brief runs with the OTT tag titles and the first NJPW STRONG tag champions were the precursor to them hitting New Japan proper in November, followed by being agonizingly close to winning the World Tag League in December. Fujiwara had a rookie year that should be compared with the likes of Jun Akiyama and Kurt Angle. He was a huge part of the critically acclaimed Shunmante vs. Kung-Fu Masters tag, but also crushed it whenever he had a chance to wrestle in a singles capacity. He takes a beating, he fights back, and on his best nights, hes able to win big matches. Since then, shes taken more international bookings in Europe and North America, raising her stock globally. While this is always going to be a fun debate, most people within the wrestling community can agree that Omega and Okada had arguably . Ospreay looked like a star, which he undoubtedly is, and he also made Finlay look like a beast (which he is). Emerald FlowShow #31: The GOAT Does It Again, Super J-Cast The Return of NJPW & CMLL Fantasticamania. For better and worse, this past year was unforgettable. . Ospreay stood alone and was the clear and obvious choice for the best wrestler of 2022. The Undertaker" Mark Calaway (Net worth: 15.5 Million Euros) View this post on Instagram. 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. His profile is full of national and international professional arm-wrestling titles. Since his release from WWE developmental in 2011, he has been a consistent name in the UK wrestling scene. But it is also the right one. 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