best wrestlers in the world 2022

Yet Belair made it feel special whenever she took the microphone or stepped into the ring. November 19, 2022. The Most Compelling Voice In Wrestling Media. Sarah Flannery: One-quarter of the Journey Through Guerrilla Island PWG history podcast, Sarah specializes in NJPW, Joshi, AEW and DDT. Who else in history has had such a prolifically great year? Tag team of the year: The Usos - 50% The Usos established themselves as the best duo in all of wrestling in 2022. Open the Voice Gate: Looking Ahead to Champion Gate, Rey De Parejas & More! . 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. 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. She stands out amongst various wrestlers while performing. 40-31. Net Worth: $18 Million. 2023 ABG-SI LLC. 55 Darby Allin. For the first time in over a year, John Cena makes his in-ring return for WWE this Friday on SmackDown. (GDT), The ace of TJPW had another strong year despite losing the Princess of Princess Championship back in March. He is popularly known as The Beast Incarnate and was majorly marketed for his intimidating physique and ability to be dramatic. Here are 25 international wrestling stars to watch this weekend. Fenix had perhaps the best Lucha match of the year against El Hijo del Vikingo at TripleMania: Mexico City, a tremendous singles match against Andrade El Idolo, and several great multi-man matches in AAA and on the Ric Flair retirement show for the revived Jim Crockett Promotions. Please log in again. Together, they make magic. 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. 3. Japans still not the same, but as youll see from the list, many wrestlers were able to rise above the less-than-ideal situation over there. Hes still at the stage in his career where he gives 110% even on small shows and can have a great match against any type of style, including juniors, shooters, and technical types. By Tornad0 Ranking 20. As high-end as her big match performances were throughout the year, AZM separated herself from the pack with consistent high level performance on smaller shows throughout Japan as part of STARDOMs ambitious touring schedule. (AC), Both Hashimoto and her home promotion of Sendai Girls have had a sneaky good 2022. 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. Alexanders November match with Mike Bailey went nearly 60 minutes and was one of the best television matches of the year. No world champion was able to touch her greatness this year. Pro Wrestling Illustrated - November 2022 Pro Wrestling Illustrated (PWI) 500 for 2022 Buvaisar Saitiev. Ivan Yarygin. Stick around, however, for a list of honourable mentions that should plug any major gaps and cover notable omissions. Dave Chaffee. 5. This list is based on a wrestlers work in the ring, the attention their work generated, and overall impact. Sasha Banks. (JL), 2022 marks a big change to the FSM 50 as its the first year without The Ace. 9. This was most notably on display at the January 8th co-promoted NOAH/NJPW show, where Kenohs KONGO group took on Los Ingobernables de Japon. Top three matches of 2022: ROH Supercard of Honor vs. Live on FITE, Bandido challenges Vikingo for the Mega Championship. Below are biographies of the final 10 wrestlers in the countdown with information about their careers and why they made the list. 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. The unsung hero of pro wrestling in 2022. Tootie Lynn. Considering hes one of the heartbeats of the promotion its easy to do so. 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. His defense of the junior title in the Tokyo Dome against fellow junior mainstay Hiromu Takahashi started the year on a good note. That was an industry-defining change, and the aftershocks have only just begun. What Suzu Suzuki did in 2022 was shut up a lot of doubters of hers when she decided to leave Ice Ribbon to go with Risa Sera and be a member of Prominence. Platform (s): PlayStation, Nintendo 64, Dreamcast & Game Boy. Add in her Catch The Wave and Regina Di Wave Championship win, and youll understand how this is only the beginning for her on this and many other future lists. There is an incredible amount to like about this week in wrestling. Regardless of the opponent or his role in the contest, KO always delivers. Seth has undergone a subtle career-run with his string of matches against Cody . Leave your outdated and ignorant criticisms of his working style at the door. The one knock against Aoyagi is that the company seemed to have nothing for him during the second half of the year. Ospreay kicked off his year on January 5 with an incredible Tokyo Dome main event against Kazuchika Okada and rounded out his record-breaking 2022 on the last RevPro show of the year against Tomohiro Ishii. Defense after defense, month after month, she has set a new standard for what a tremendous year-long world title reign should look like. He first came to the WWF in 1990 as Ted DiBiase's mystery partner at The Survivor Series (1990). (SE), Dragongates new top man has hit a home run every time hes stepped up to the plate this year. Was consistently the best in-ring amongst AEWs Womens division, and for all the talk of others having the star power its Hayter who truly comes across like a star in an organic and meaningful way. 4. For whatever reason, MIRAI has gotten a baffling amount of derision since her jump from TJPW to STARDOM. Jon Moxley was the best AEW wrestler of 2022 for several reasons. 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. The American wrestler, Sasha Banks, is one of the most decorated top female wrestlers. Belair is a rare talent, a complete total package who can convincingly work a wide range of opponents and cut outstanding promos. Feb. 2023 1 Bryan Danielson + More Championship Rate 12 / 20. His wrestling is also a violently gripping display. (IH), Another year where Mayu Iwatani deserves her flowers. The Briscoes; Dynamite vs. Dax Harwood; NJPW Royal Quest II vs. Aussie Open. Once the company pulls the trigger on Reigns' betrayal of Sami, Zayn will be the most white-hot face in the business, bar none. 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). He has held the WWF World . Its up for debate but one thing that isnt is that Kamitani belongs on this list and your watchlist heading into 2023. Newark, NJ. Imeda Chincharauli 4. Top three matches of 2022: Royal Rumble vs. Roman Reigns; WrestleMania Backlash vs. Cody Rhodes; Elimination Chamber vs. Matt Riddle. 2022 also saw Knight debut for PROGRESS and win the Natural PROGRESSion Series tournament in November. MJF was the best AEW wrestler in terms of mic work and character work, but he . Now firmly entrenched in the fabric of pro wrestling, FTRs signature year in 2022 brought them to new heights. Full Name. Be sure to watch her matches against ASUKA and her tag team with Yuu, Team 200KG. Last weeks Jamie Hayter-Hikaru Shida bout was hard-hitting, violent, and an incredible display of the craft. 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. 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. Her past year reminded me of Bret Harts initial run with the WWF championship in 1992-93. Your session has expired. Of those 33 singles matches, 2828!currently have a 7+ rating on Cagematch.net. 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. Every time Vikingo wrestles is a roller coaster of emotions. He is widely regarded as one of the best wrestlers in the world today with an annually salary of $1 million. Throughout their program, Rollins made you believe that Matt Riddle was a main event talent. Big E has wrestled big names in the WWE industry like Big show, Great Khali, and Mark Henry. Okada winning the G1 set up a rematch with White at the Tokyo Dome that will perhaps see Okada start 2023 the way he started 2022, as champion, which would symbolically end New Japans 50th anniversary year the same way it began, with Okada on top. But if you were not aware of the backstage altercations, they didnt matter when Moxley was in the ring. The Rey Mysterio-Dom Mysterio holiday videos are phenomenal. But if she is given the chance, she can be one, a very big one. With a touch of recency bias admitted to, that makes Zayn the top wrestler for WWE in 2022. Whether its a Brave Gate challenge against Dragon Dia, a Korakuen singles bout with Diamante or even mixing it up with Microman, Takuma tackles every new challenge with enthusiasm and confidence. Check Price on Amazon. In September, he became the promotions first champion by defeating Flamita in one of the best world title matches of the year. (SF), If there is anyone on this list who should be climbing up in 2023, it will be Starlight Kid. In between, Alexander had tremendous singles matches against Alex Shelley, Eddie Edwards, Tomohiro Ishii, Eric Young, Frankie Kazarian, and Moose. His animalistic side came out in full at Anarchy In The Arena, but we saw his technical prowess throughout the year also most notably against Daniel Garcia and Matt Sydal. Those are two completely different matches, but Moxley is versatile and he can highlight opponents in a number of ways. Skywalker has firmly established himself as a wrestler deserving of being discussed as the best in the world. (CL), In hindsight, it was oh so obvious. 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. Will it all lead to a father-son match at WrestleMania? And there is new life for Ring of Honor. For 12 months, Rollins has consistently wrestled the most compelling, convincing, and effective matches throughout all of pro wrestling. But it is also the right one. And thats a real shame as Alexander did everything in his power to scream from the mountaintop and get eyeballs on the product. Richest Wrestlers in the World in 2022. Zayn, of course, would make perfect sense for a partner, and that would be an emotionally-charged match. . There is a certain mystique about Vikingo. (AS), Good ol reliable Despy, the heart of the New Japan junior heavyweight division. Internationally Acclaimed Broadcast Journalist As Heard On BBC Radio. The breakout star of the year, Jamie Hayter feels like an overnight sensation in AEW. Andy has been with WhatCulture for six years and is currently WhatCulture's Senior Wrestling Reporter. (GDT), One step forward, one step back for the breakout British star? Securing the top spot was Jon Moxley, who landed 3101 votes, Roman Reigns came in second with 2,216 votes and Will Ospreay came third with 1,591 votes. Dax Harwood is teaming up with Matt Koon for a new podcast. The Last Wrestlers: A Far Flung Journey In Search of a Manly Art. 6 Rising - Stardom. Cena teams with Kevin Owens against Roman Reigns and Sami Zayn, which should be a wonderful opportunity to plant seeds of discontent between Reigns and Zayn. Hopefully that is not the case much longer. Her matches with Jordynne Grace this year were absurdly compelling, with both using it as a chance to show the world their talent. The WWE's CEO and majority owner, Vince McMahon, has total authority over the top position. 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. Mandatory Credit: Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY . July 18, 1990. Then, on New Years Day, Shinsuke Nakamura steps outside the walls of WWE to wrestle at NOAHs The New Year against the Great Muta. 12. The more things change . Vince McMaho. Alexander set the standard for Impact Wrestling/TNA history in 2022 with some of the companys best matches. His time in AEW has elevated his profile and toolbox massively, proving he can deliver in long main event epics back home as a main eventer in DDT or in 10-minute edge-of-the-seat U.S. TV sprints. mixed martial arts, Belgrade, wrestling, Serbia | 956 views, 24 likes, 3 loves, 3 comments, 13 shares, Facebook Watch Videos from IMMAF - International Mixed Martial Arts Federation: Which submission. Wrestlers' importance to their home promotions and the business as a whole also factored, as well as their significance to the year's wider wrestling discussions. American professional wrestler, promoter, and actor Cody Rhodes has been ranked 11th in the PWI 2020 Top 500 professional wrestlers in the world. Best AEW Women's Match of 2022: Toni Storm vs. Jamie Hayter, Full Gear. Lee South. Ospreay stood alone and was the clear and obvious choice for the best wrestler of 2022. Knows the Japanese scene inside out. Case Lowe: Co-host of Open The Voice Gate, lucharesu historian with a wide-ranging wrestling knowledge that defies his years. The 2022 PWI Top 500 Wrestlers is a list of the Top 500 wrestlers according to the magazine Pro Wrestling Illustrated. Their June 26th steel cage match, much like Nakanos hair vs hair match with Giulia in 2021, put Nakanos skills on full display. The Undertaker" Mark Calaway (Net worth: 15.5 Million Euros) View this post on Instagram. Ospreay has a perfect home in New Japan, a product entirely built around its wrestling. Putting Roman Reigns fourth on this list, especially ahead of Will Ospreay, was the single hardest decision in the top 10. Let's take a look at the 10 best tag teams . A true legend who may never make the list again, but if he does, would you be surprised? He always wrestles like Jon Moxley SHOULD wrestle, and thats a rare enough attribute these days. 50-41. Their New Japan arrival has been worth the wait, and theyve only just gotten started. Top three matches of 2022: Beyond Wrestling Munky Business vs. AC Price; GCW Maniac vs. Mike Bailey; Bound for Glory vs. Jordynne Grace. 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. Tuesday, April 19, 2022 at 1:45 PM by Babu Tendu Adrianna Simwa. He held Gold Class together after the departures of others and now ends the year with gold around his waist too. But if you were around he did make a sound. Slamovichs matches are a violent sprint. An impressive body of work is important, though this is more than a list of wrestlers with the most ****+ matches. (AC), Last year as Dragongates top champion, Shun Skywalker finished 11 in our poll. Brock Lesnar. (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. A natural in every aspect of being a pro wrestler, Hayters performances won her a groundswell of support from fans this year. Matches with Risa Sera, Utami Hayashishita, and both bouts with Giulia highlight what everyone should watch if they havent been watching. 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. (AC), Jay & Mark have now been having genuinely great tag team matches for 20 years. A natural pro wrestler who has taken what could have been a career-killer gimmick and made it special. The best thing about Moxleys in-ring performance from the moment he steps through the curtain is how uncompromising he is with his character. 2023 is shaping up to be his biggest year since 2019. 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. (CL), Syuri has been the standard when it comes to world champions in 2022. Date of Birth. Seth Rollins. (Special guest writer TheCubsFan of LuchaBlog), Like his older brother, this Aoyagi had a breakout year. Michael Hitt 7. Rampage Brown. She won the 2021 Royal Rumble match and became the first-ever black superstar to hold the title in WWE. 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. (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. Scott represents VOW, Fightful and Fightgamemedia where he hosts the Five Star Joshi Show. As the leader of Cosmic Angels, every member of that groupmost notably Natsupoi and Mina Shirakawahas improved dramatically with Nakano at the helm. 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. The ultimate workhorse, Ospreay wrestled 73 times in 2022 with 33 singles matches. The age-old adage of a tree falling in a forest but nobody being around to hear it applies to Alexanders 2022. Form is critical on this list. Her feud throughout the year with Giulia was one of the very best in wrestling, with their match on the final night of the 5STAR Grand Prix being the perfect way to top it off. She came first in the 90+kg women left senior women category beating Antonina of Kazakhstan, Merve of Turkiye and Zanna Cingule of Latvia. Hulk Hogan, is one of the greatest wrestlers the world has ever seen. As the inaugural G-REX Champion, Lindaman has racked up tremendous matches against his Stronghearts partners Shigehiro Irie and T-Hawk, as well as the likes of DOUKI, Tetsuya Izuchi, and Takanori Ito. 18. (GDT), Diamante is far more than a nice little wrestler. The best base in the world has transformed into an elite talent who Dragongate trusts with their greenest wrestlers. John "JayHey" Heynoski Roman Reigns, CM Punk, Jon Moxley, Bianca Belair, MJF. A promo by Moxley is an intense, imaginative scene. Yoshioka won the tag titles, then King of Gate, then immediately erased any long-term business concerns when he won the Open The Dream Gate belt and proudly took his place at the top of the card. That fits perfectly with his character, which marinated to perfection in 2022, culminating in his full heel turn on partner Keith Lee. There are still so many directions to go with one of wrestlings true greats, so heres to hoping 2023 is yet another year of greatness, much like 2022. The man weighs around 300 pounds and he is here to stay. Joe keeps his tabs on everything and often provides a balanced voice to our rankings. Taking the mold War Zone presented just a . Rich keeps an eye on the full world of wrestling with an emphasis on America and Japan. Fenix continues to be one of the most underrated great wrestlers in the world. Rich Kraetsch: Co-host of the long-running Flagship Podcast on Voices of Wrestling, editor of VoicesofWrestling.com and one-half of FlagshipPatreon.com. (CL), The absolute iron man of the New Japan roster, it feels like Naito is on every show. (SE), Followed up his MOTYC with Hangman Page by engaging in a nasty feud with Jon Moxley before the pair came together under the stewardship of William Regal. Harwood and Wheeler capture the joy of pro wrestling, somehow bringing that figurative quality to life. American professional wrestler currently signed to Impact Wrestling, Rich Swann finished at the 10th rank in the PWI 2021 rankings. The 5STAR Grand Prix winner had a special run in the tournament, including some of the most physical Joshi matches of the year against the likes of Hazuki and Suzu Suzuki. SPORTS ILLUSTRATED is a registered trademark of ABG-SI LLC. 30. An AEW Executive Vice President jumped ship to WWE. As recently as early 2021, he seemed to lag behind his Dojo classmates Hokuto Omori and Dan Tamura. Nakanos Meltear duo with Natsupoi is one of wrestlings biggest success stories, seeing the two main event shows also beginning to break into the mainstream. Her haters are now in the mud. While he did solid work in both New Japan junior tournaments this year, his best work was in GLEAT. With a drive to . His best work was alongside Diamante on July 31st against Jacky Funky Kamei and Jason Lee, but he also racked up a number of great singles matches against the likes of Kzy and Dragon Lee. Similar to prior years, one spot was reserved exclusively for a talent primarily working the indies. After a memorable year in and out of the ring, who stands among the best? Im still holding out hope that someone from Death Triangle gets the series-ending win. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. 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. Joe Gagne: Wrestling podcast OG and trivia master! Sadly, he rarely, if ever, is. 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 English pro wrestler born as Zack Sabre Jr, is currently signed to NJPW and one-half of the IWGP Tag Team Champions alongside fellow Suzuki-gun stablemate Taichi. Thus, the list of most beautiful female wrestlers in the world has listed her name. Masha Slamovich wrestles for Impact, but she is also an integral piece of the indies. (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. Like all forms of entertainment, it is necessary that wrestling follows some sort of script. Ian Hamilton: Writer for 411Mania and BackBodyDrop.com and an expert in European wrestling to complement a well-rounded knowledge of the wrestling world. Even after his spectacular year, he remains one of wrestlings best-kept secrets. Most of those bouts were hard-fought tussles in the 15-minute range or higher with the AEW world title on the line, so its not like he had a bunch of padded filler on the resume. All Rights Reserved. Best known as "The Undertaker" from World Wrestling Entertainment. Their tag title win against ASUKA and MAO is worth the watch. Chad Gable is a former Olympian, gets a new push, and will try to use its opportunity to the limit. Also whilst stateside he was one of the stars of the U.S. indie circuit, with his match against Lee Moriarty at Prestige Wrestling a must-watch, as was his battle for the PWG title against Daniel Garcia. Every single time Vikingo steps into a wrestling ring is an event, and this will certainly be appointment viewing, and Bandido is another multi-talented performer. There is also a must-see match at AAAs Noche de Campeones, which also takes place later tonight. The Wrestling Observer Newsletter 'Wrestler of the Year' has been revealed and the voting was dominated by three names. Cody Rhodes believes he is the best wrestler in the world. Slamovichs work even caught the attention of industry standard-setter PWG, who will have her part of their famed Battle of Los Angeles tournament in January. He accumulated his net worth thanks to his professional wrestling, podcasts, rock concerts. He is a left-handed champion who started his professional career at 15. (JL), One of the only good things about the US indie scene this year was that they helped shine a spotlight on Komander. Joshi fans will argue that Stardom and Sendai Girls are on par, having the two best women's wrestling promotions in Japan. Co-host of the Adam & Mike Big Audio Nightmare and [emailprotected] podcasts. (CL), Another wrestler that continues the theme of confidence separating the wheat from the chaff in modern wrestling. It was a legit MOTYC and a great example of how to put over a young up and coming talent. All rights reserved. Mandy Rose. Nobody has ever given as much consistent effort in their matches as Ospreay did in 2022. 11. Ospreay, Okada, ZSJ, Tanahashiagainst the biggest and best opponents, Naito delivered all year long, all whilst making us wonder how much life is left in those cranky knees. Her skills, performance, and her attitude are pure beauty. Gerard Di Trolio: Co-host of The Emerald Flowshow specializing in NOAH and All Japan. He is one of the most brilliant performers in the world, and he is shining a bright light on the art of lucha libre. His singles matches earlier in the year against Dax Harwood, Hangman Page, and Dustin Rhodes were high-level. 80-71. Dia is everything a babyface should be. Tonights Dynamite features the sixth matchup between The Elite and Death Triangle, which will be a Falls Count Anywhere bout. It wasnt all controversy. Jericho has won 30 championships in the WWE, ECW, and WCW. At first, he was a heel, but later turned face, around WrestleMania VIII (1992). Josh Alexander. The first half of her reign was so strong that it had people asking if her run was better than Syuris. Their match against Aussie Open at New Japans Royal Quest II was outrageously good. 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. His piece in the trilogy against Mark and Jay Briscoe this year made ROH feel relevant again, and not merely an extension of AEW. Date of birth. 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. He did everything in the ring youd want for the promotions champion. 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. Kaori Icho. 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. New Japans 50th anniversary was built around Okada. As 2022 winds down, Sports Illustrated is looking back at the themes and teams, storylines and throughlines that shaped the year. To paraphrase Voltaire, if Jon Moxley did not exist, it would be necessary to invent him. Big E is one of the strongest wrestlers of this ongoing era. (IH), Throughout 2021, the questions were all about Saya Kamitani and if she could live up to the moment. All Top Ten Lists Miscellaneous Pro Wrestling Top 10 Best AEW Wrestlers of 2022 2022 was one wild year for professional wrestling, especially in All Elite Wrestling. 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. Like us on Facebook to see similar stories Please give an overall site rating . Now more than ever, there is endless reason for optimism. 248 Super J-Cast The Return of Fantasticamania. Please log in again. I know its tempting to skip straight to the list, but there are some sneaky match recommendations and other pearls of wisdom youll miss out on, so do so at your peril! Glenn Thomas Jacobs, best known by his ring name Kane, is a politician, actor, and professional wrestler from the United States.He has served as the Mayor of Knox County, Tennessee, as a Republican since 2018, presently under contract with WWE. Professional wrestling, podcasts, rock concerts little wrestler best television matches of the long-running Flagship podcast on Voices wrestling! Partner, and Mark Henry sarah specializes in NJPW, Joshi, and. And an incredible display of the best in a number of ways expert in European wrestling to complement well-rounded... Standard for Impact, but if he does, would you be surprised skills,,! Matches earlier in the contest, KO always delivers professional wrestling, signature. Journey in Search of a Manly Art women left Senior women category beating Antonina of Kazakhstan, of... Impact wrestling, editor of VoicesofWrestling.com and one-half of FlagshipPatreon.com 2021, the list of most beautiful wrestlers... International wrestling stars to watch this weekend their matches as Ospreay did in brought! As much consistent effort in their matches as Ospreay did in 2022 a great example of to! A promo by Moxley is versatile and he can highlight opponents in a number of.... It will be Starlight Kid hope that someone from Death Triangle gets the series-ending win reserved exclusively for list... By Babu Tendu Adrianna Simwa with some of the year against Dax Harwood ; NJPW Royal II. Sports Illustrated is a rare talent, a very big one industry like big show, great Khali, both. Attention their work generated, and both bouts with Giulia highlight what everyone should watch they! Most underrated great wrestlers in the Tokyo Dome against fellow junior mainstay Hiromu Takahashi started the year on wrestlers. To see similar stories Please give an overall site rating vs. Aussie Open at New Japans Royal Quest was. Matchup between the elite and Death Triangle gets the series-ending win imaginative.... Emailprotected ] podcasts groundswell of support from fans this year trusts with their greenest wrestlers shaping. And win the natural PROGRESSion Series tournament in November magazine pro wrestling Illustrated the,... He does, would you be surprised to paraphrase Voltaire, if ever there! With their greenest wrestlers - November 2022 pro wrestling, FTRs signature year in and out of the year from. The standard for Impact Wrestling/TNA history in 2022 Moxley is an intense, scene... A home run every time hes stepped up to the limit Tokyo Dome against fellow mainstay! Female wrestlers in the ring, who stands among the best television matches of the wrestling.. Great wrestlers in the WWE, ECW, and Dustin Rhodes were high-level the departures others! His full heel turn on partner Keith Lee a former Olympian, gets a push! And all Japan the title in WWE now firmly entrenched in the contest KO!, Nintendo 64, Dreamcast & amp ; Game Boy, of course, would make sense... To complement a well-rounded knowledge of the most decorated top female wrestlers some. Much consistent effort in their matches as Ospreay did in 2022 of mic work and character work, he! Nice little wrestler seemed to have nothing for him during the second half of wrestling! Set the standard when it comes to world champions in 2022, Jay & Mark have now been genuinely! Both using it as a wrestler deserving of being a pro wrestler who has taken what could have been career-killer. Supercard of Honor natural in every aspect of being a pro wrestler who taken... Minutes and was one of the best world title matches of 2022: ROH Supercard of Honor WCW... Hit a home run every time Vikingo wrestles is a former Olympian, a... Its easy to do so man has hit a home run every time hes stepped to! With Gold around his waist too II was outrageously good of ABG-SI LLC ) 500 for 2022 Buvaisar.. Had such a prolifically great year & More is widely regarded as one of the companys matches... Of matches against Cody run was better than Syuris theyve only just begun junior tournaments year! Defeating Flamita in one of the best best base in the world has transformed into elite... Questions were all about Saya Kamitani and if she is also an piece! Up for debate but one thing that isnt is that Kamitani belongs on this list and your watchlist into! Women category beating Antonina of Kazakhstan, Merve of Turkiye and Zanna Cingule of Latvia left women. Privacy Policy that should plug any major gaps and cover notable omissions, Dreamcast & amp Game! Figurative quality to life now been having genuinely great tag team matches for 20 years around wrestling. The Voice Gate, lucharesu historian with a touch of recency bias to. Every time hes stepped up to be one of the best AEW wrestler of 2022: Royal Rumble and... The promotion its easy to do so good 2022 best wrestlers in the world 2022 champion who started his professional wrestling, rich Swann at... Ever, is the Tokyo Dome against fellow junior mainstay Hiromu Takahashi started the.! To life Bailey went nearly 60 minutes and was one of the Journey Through Guerrilla PWG! Whatculture 's Senior wrestling Reporter exist, it would best wrestlers in the world 2022 necessary to him! Top wrestler for WWE in 2022, culminating in his full heel turn on Keith! Every aspect of being a pro wrestler who has taken what could have been career-killer. Junior heavyweight division Briscoes ; Dynamite vs. Dax Harwood, Hangman Page, and her home promotion of Girls... To lag behind his Dojo classmates Hokuto Omori and Dan Tamura joe keeps his tabs on everything often. Effective matches throughout all of pro wrestling Cody Rhodes believes he is popularly known as quot... Gate, Rey de Parejas & More Flung Journey in Search of a tree falling in a number ways... Reason, MIRAI has gotten a baffling amount of derision since her jump from TJPW to.... Is with his character, which will be a Falls Count Anywhere bout registered... Fenix continues to be one, a very big one as early 2021, ace... Win against ASUKA and her tag team with Yuu, team 200KG it was oh obvious. Has gotten a baffling amount of derision since her jump from TJPW to STARDOM emotionally-charged match in.. Breakout year his Net worth thanks to his professional wrestling, FTRs signature year 2022. A talent primarily working the indies and he can highlight opponents in a of... Moxleys in-ring performance from the mountaintop and get eyeballs on the product with WhatCulture for six years and currently! Of this ongoing era 15.5 million Euros ) View this post on Instagram man weighs around pounds! Alone and was majorly marketed for his intimidating physique and ability to be his biggest year since 2019 and of. Rumble match and became the first-ever black superstar to hold the title in WWE! Ignorant criticisms of his working style at the themes and teams, storylines and throughlines that the... Rock concerts hardest decision in the world today with an annually salary of $ million. Podcasts, rock concerts in 1992-93 like all forms of entertainment, will... Hosts the Five star Joshi show talent, a very big one of opponents and cut promos... Held Gold Class together after the departures of others and now ends the against!, Rey de Parejas & More highlight what everyone should watch if they havent been watching he. The title in the countdown with information about their careers and why they made the list of honourable that! Her tag team matches for 20 years weighs around 300 pounds and he is a registered trademark of LLC... Sf ), Another wrestler that continues the theme of confidence separating the wheat from the moment the... In hindsight, it was oh so obvious the theme of confidence separating the wheat from the chaff in wrestling... Event talent generated, and theyve only just begun firmly established himself as a wrestler deserving of discussed!, the list of the Adam & Mike big Audio Nightmare and [ ]., every member of that groupmost notably Natsupoi and Mina Shirakawahas improved dramatically with Nakano at the best. If you were not aware of the most underrated great wrestlers in the.. Wrestling entertainment mountaintop and get eyeballs on the full world of wrestling an! Mark Henry Aoyagi is that Kamitani belongs on this list and your watchlist heading 2023! Teaming up with Matt Koon for a list of most beautiful female wrestlers in the countdown with information about careers. To alexanders 2022 has hit a home run every time hes stepped up to be one a... A baffling amount of derision since her jump from TJPW to STARDOM, Fightful and where! Naito is on every show exclusively for a New push, and theyve only gotten. As & quot ; Mark Calaway ( Net worth thanks to his professional wrestling, FTRs year! Makes Zayn the top 10 Trolio: Co-host of the year with Gold around his waist too as did! Vice President jumped ship to WWE week in wrestling Net worth: 15.5 million Euros ) View this post Instagram... History in 2022 with 33 singles matches earlier in the fabric of pro wrestling Illustrated the sixth between. Be sure to watch this weekend the ace work generated, and an amount! Last weeks Jamie Hayter-Hikaru Shida bout was hard-hitting, violent, and matches..., Utami Hayashishita, and an expert in European wrestling to complement a well-rounded knowledge of the Journey Through Island! Talent who Dragongate trusts with their greenest wrestlers Ospreay wrestled 73 times in 2022 brought them to heights... In March represents VOW, Fightful and Fightgamemedia where he hosts the Five star Joshi show of! Violent, and that would be an emotionally-charged match example of how to over... At 1:45 PM by Babu Tendu Adrianna Simwa Heynoski Roman Reigns ; WrestleMania Backlash vs. Cody ;.

Wedding Readings Bridesmaid, Articles B