Best British Wrestlers in the world. Joe Lanza: The King Of Banter. 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. Denis Cyplenkov. Hopefully that is not the case much longer. Hogan is the most versatile wrestling star worldwide and one of the most successful wrestlers in the 1980s. 23. 2022 was yet another excellent year from one of pro wrestlings best. Big E is one of the strongest wrestlers of this ongoing era. The goal of the list is to be as well-informed and wide-ranging as possible. Top three matches of 2022: Royal Rumble vs. Seth Rollins; SummerSlam vs. Brock Lesnar; Crown Jewel vs. Logan Paul. Andy has been with WhatCulture for six years and is currently WhatCulture's Senior Wrestling Reporter. 3. Hes still waiting to go fishing with Egotistico Fantastico. This would not be happening if Vince McMahon were still overseeing the WWE product, but the modus operandi has changed under the leadership of Paul Triple H Levesque. Outside of MJF, though, there was a lot to love about Punks year. Roman Reigns has faced and defeated the greatest since winning the title by defeating Bray Wyatt and Braun Strowman. (AC), Both Hashimoto and her home promotion of Sendai Girls have had a sneaky good 2022. Aleksandr Medved. Undisputed WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns has been ranked #1 on the annual PWI 500 list. 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. (SE), In a turbulent year for AEW, it was ironically PACsomeone who had gone through multiple stop/start pushes over the years for various reasonswho was able to be one of the anchors of consistency. At first, he was a heel, but later turned face, around WrestleMania VIII (1992). (GDT), Designed by Elegant Themes | Powered by WordPress, Mickie James Last Rodeo Is the Real Hard to Kill Main Event, Dragon Gate Glorious Gate (March 2) Review, wide-ranging wrestling knowledge that defies his years, Journey Through Guerrilla Island PWG history podcast, most passionate up-and-coming wrestling writers around, FSM 50 2019: The 50 Best Wrestlers in the World, FSM 50 2021: The 50 Best Wrestlers in the World, FSM 50 2020: The 50 Best Wrestlers in the World. Outside of New Japan, his matches against Jon Moxley and Michael Oku were also superb. An element of Rollins transcendent 2022 was his ability to shine while putting others over. He is one of the best and greatest arm wrestlers in history. (GDT), The excitement heading into 2023 will be all about how Giulia can top her second half of 2022. Incredibly, Slamovich worked for 48 different promotions in 2022. 2022 also saw Knight debut for PROGRESS and win the Natural PROGRESSion Series tournament in November. Every aspect of performance was considered, from promos and matches to believability and presence. Sadly, he was pretty much on the shelf from June on, wrestling just eight total matches in the second half of the year. One of the best bell-to-bell wrestlers in the world in 2021, the bulk of Alexander's work took place in relative obscurity with most of his highlights being in Impact Wrestling, AAW and New Japan Strong. Nine excellent bouts in three days made him unquestionably Mania weekends MVP. . She capped off the year winning the World of Stardom Championship, as she goes into 2022 as the top wrestler in the promotion. Josh Alexander. Sitting next to his billionaire boss, CM Punk burned the entire world down. . His Strong Championship challenge against Yuji Okabayashi in BJW was one of the most intense matches of 2022. For the first time in over a year, John Cena makes his in-ring return for WWE this Friday on SmackDown. July 18, 1990. 10. CM Punks 2022 will always be more about what he did outside of the ring, with the fallout and ripple effects of the aptly named Brawl Out likely permeating wrestling discourse for years to come. (SF), When Jake Lee broke his orbital bone at the end of 2021 and had to vacate the Triple Crown, it was no surprise the company immediately pivoted back to Miyahara. (IH), The lucha standout wrestled in a number of high-profile places this year, but my favorite work from Bandido took place in his own promotion, Big Lucha. Moxley dropped the belt to CM Punk at All Out, which will forever be remembered for Punks post-show comments, but that completely overshadowed an incredible match. Kenny Omega is returning to New Japan Pro-Wrestling for its signature Wrestle Kingdom event next week at the Tokyo Dome, and WWE is even allowing Shinsuke Nakamura the opportunity to wrestle the Great Muta at NOAHs The New Year event on Jan. 1. Will it all lead to a father-son match at WrestleMania? The WWE's CEO and majority owner, Vince McMahon, has total authority over the top position. Her matches with Jordynne Grace this year were absurdly compelling, with both using it as a chance to show the world their talent. The first time I saw the names KENTA, CIMA, and Naomichi Marufuji was in the PS 50, and I was encouraged by it to seek them out. 18. Below are biographies of the final 10 wrestlers in the countdown with information about their careers and why they made the list. He began his professional wrestling career in 1992 on the independent circuit, competing in organizations like Smoky Mountain Wrestling and the United . 10. A natural in every aspect of being a pro wrestler, Hayters performances won her a groundswell of support from fans this year. Travis Bagent. AEW Full Gear. But despite the aimless booking at times, Aoyagi continued to be a part of some strong tag matches. 1. (AS), Starting the year by dropping the PWA tag titles to the VeloCities, Dunkzilla Mark Davis and Kyle Fletcher went nomadic, wrestling all over the globe. Putting Roman Reigns fourth on this list, especially ahead of Will Ospreay, was the single hardest decision in the top 10. He has recorded 41 wins and just three losses and became AEW World Champion twice. Age in 2022: 72: Height: 6ft 1in: Weight: 106kg: Country: United States: Status: Retired in 2018: Birth Name: . After a memorable year in and out of the ring, who stands among the best? 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 St Louis native made a fantastic impression when she debuted for NWA's first-ever all-women's PPV Empowerrr in 2021 but the Little Blue Dragon was already making a name for herself on the scene way before that. (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. 80-71. WWEs entire product is built around Reigns presence, and he makes viewers want to watch every time he appears. Top three matches of 2021: SmackDown vs. Roman Reigns; Dynamite "Grand Slam" vs. Kenny Omega; Dynamite "Winter is Coming" vs. "Hangman" Adam Page. Before that, Swerve In Our Glory thrived with their Shaq & Kobe dynamic and were the glue of AEWs tag division. They have had many storied feuds in those two decades, and this year with FTR, they added yet another legacy rivalry to what should ultimately be a career worthy of Hall Of Fame consideration. To paraphrase Voltaire, if Jon Moxley did not exist, it would be necessary to invent him. (Special guest writer TheCubsFan of LuchaBlog), Like his older brother, this Aoyagi had a breakout year. All of that brings us to the years Top 10, a chance to highlight those whose work particularly resonated in 2022. The problem? They are the best to ever do it. Ospreay stood alone and was the clear and obvious choice for the best wrestler of 2022. His matches always tell a story, and he is versatile in his offense, which also includes more traditional aggression. 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. 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. In September, he became the promotions first champion by defeating Flamita in one of the best world title matches of the year. (CL). This year, without the title, Skywalker turned into a deranged psychopath who blended interesting character work with top-level matches better than anyone in the world. Moxley carried AEW amid a tumultuous year. 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. Theres an argument to be made that his January 5 defense against Bryan Danielson is the best AEW singles match ever. Some feel the Ospreay match is a sleeper Match of the Year contender, and while Im personally not quite that high on it, Harwood repeatedly showed that he could hang with the absolute best in the world in singles while also putting together a legendary tag team year with Hair. The best thing about Moxleys in-ring performance from the moment he steps through the curtain is how uncompromising he is with his character. David Otunga (Net Worth: $10m) The former Nexus member could not achieve much in his wrestling career. Bianca had a good wrestling year in 2021, and it is believed that she will continue with good performances in 2022. 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 . He is also the reigning AEW TNT Champion. (RK), Vikingo became the AAA Mega Champion in 2021 because AAA had no real alternatives, and spent 2022 proving he was the best option. 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. By Tornad0 Ranking 20. The Most Compelling Voice In Wrestling Media. Net Worth: $1.6 Billion. Bryan Danielson put together one of . There is an incredible amount to like about this week in wrestling. She works best as a heel, and when she is motivated, you can expect a human highlight reel of moves. Pro Wrestling Illustrated - November 2022 Pro Wrestling Illustrated (PWI) 500 for 2022 Her ability to think on her feet and adapt, saving sequences and matches from otherwise falling apart, is also very impressive, even moreso given that she is a seven-year veteran at just 20 years old. Chances are if you watched Will Ospreay at any point in the year 2022, you saw a great match. (SE), Lindaman has successfully become a big fish in a small pond. Travis Bagent is a well-known name in the arm wrestling world. No world champion was able to touch her greatness this year. Best known as "The Undertaker" from World Wrestling Entertainment. 10. He always wrestles like Jon Moxley SHOULD wrestle, and thats a rare enough attribute these days. That star power placed him on this list. Fortunately, it appears he will make a full recovery. Im still holding out hope that someone from Death Triangle gets the series-ending win. Masha Slamovich. 6 Rising - Stardom. We hope you enjoy this breakdown of all 50 wrestlers (and some honorable mentions) with some short blurbs about each of their years. 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. While he did not work enough matches to be considered the best in the world, he brings value in promos, storylines, drawing power, and reaction, all of which propelled him into the top four for the year. Gerard Di Trolio: Co-host of The Emerald Flowshow specializing in NOAH and All Japan. Vince McMahon resigned. Hence becoming one of the richest wrestlers in 2022. His All-Atlantic title win in a Dynamite main event was a really cool moment in AEWs year. 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. Bruce Baumgartner. Instead of a litany of matches against the industrys top stars, Hart wrestled a very different roster from what he initially expected. For four years now, Voices of Wrestling has kept the annual tradition alive with the same spirit and intention as its predecessors. Newark, NJ. Joe keeps his tabs on everything and often provides a balanced voice to our rankings. (AC), Aoyagi has been trending in an upward trajectory since 2020, but this year he hit new heights by winning the Champion Carnival in a fantastic final against Jake Lee. 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 . Mandy Rose via Instagram. 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. England and Wales company registration number 2008885. This is a list of records held by wrestlers of professional sumo.Only performances in official tournaments or honbasho are included here. He wrestled Claudio Castagnoli for the ROH title, his clash against Wheeler in the Owen Hart Foundation tournament last spring was the match of the night that evennig on Dynamite, and there was also a superb encounter with Will Ospreay. (JL), Youd be forgiven for forgetting that the diminutive mascot is only a year into his Dragongate career. Let's take a look at the 10 best tag teams . Big E has also handled Mark Henry without any hassle showing his sheer force and power. He accumulated his net worth thanks to his professional wrestling, podcasts, rock concerts. Before engaging in a backstage fight with The Elite in AEW, Punk was having perhaps his best in-ring year ever. He signed and joined the World Wrestling Federation in 1983. The WWE is currently the largest wrestling organization, the market share of competing models is so small that one can speak of an economic monopoly. Tag team wrestling across the globe had a banner year in 2022, but no team . While he did solid work in both New Japan junior tournaments this year, his best work was in GLEAT. The sky is the limit. 9. She is undoubtedly the best powerhouse in all of womens wrestling. Will Ospreays 2022 is the most outstanding individual year for any pro wrestler in history. November 19, 2022. The highlight of his year happened outside the walls of NJPW, at the aptly named TAKATaichiDespeMania (TAKA Michinoku 30th Anniversary show), against Jun Kasai in a wild affair that made you clamor to see more of that style from Desperado. He became a white-hot rookie in Japan before being shipped off to Mexico and seamlessly transitioning to the lucha scene. Rollins adds different wrinkles and subtle nuances to his matches, ones that extend far beyond wearing his old Shield gear or Dusty Rhodes-inspired polka dotsbut even those dont feel hokey, they feel inspired. On the annual tradition alive with the Elite in AEW, Punk was having perhaps his in-ring! 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