(GDT), In addition to being one-half of the best tag team in the world and being one-fourth of the three best tag matches of the year, FTR Bald padded his resume with rock-solid singles matches against the likes of CM Punk, Bryan Danielson, Claudio Castagnoli, Cash Wheeler, and Will Ospreay. Best British Wrestlers in the world. 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. Top 10 Wealthiest/Richest Wrestlers And Their Networth In The World. (SE), Dragongates new top man has hit a home run every time hes stepped up to the plate this 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. 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. Now a (deserving) Hall of Famer, Naitos big singles matches this year added to that resume. Outside of MJF, though, there was a lot to love about Punks year. His dominant Olympic performance and legendary last-second takedown finish in the gold-medal match solidified Steveson's position as the most exciting collegiate wrestler to watch this upcoming . 22 of them have an 8+ rating and 10 have a 9+ rating. Since then, shes taken more international bookings in Europe and North America, raising her stock globally. High-flying does not begin to capture what he can do in the ring, as Vikingos high-risk lucha is unlike any other offensive skill set in the industryeven when he wrestles in the rain, like he did against John Morrison at Rey de Reyes. 9. July 18, 1990. The Villain makes for compelling entertainment just . His profile is full of national and international professional arm-wrestling titles. As recently as early 2021, he seemed to lag behind his Dojo classmates Hokuto Omori and Dan Tamura. She works best as a heel, and when she is motivated, you can expect a human highlight reel of moves. (CL), At the age of 20 years old, Suzu Suzuki already has a claim to being called the best wrestler in the world. 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. Regardless of skill, a wrestler can't enter the WOTY conversation if they aren't regularly producing WOTY-level work. Katsuyori Shibata fought several times. Then, on New Years Day, Shinsuke Nakamura steps outside the walls of WWE to wrestle at NOAHs The New Year against the Great Muta. (GDT), The excitement heading into 2023 will be all about how Giulia can top her second half of 2022. (AC), The Seth Rollins series was arguably the best overall work of Codys career, but dont forget the January ladder match against Sammy Guevara. With one noteworthy exception, Will Ospreay wrestled the best matches of the year. 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. Austin has won two World Wrestling Federation Intercontinental Championships, six World . 90-81. She also kicked off 2022 with a killer 30-minute draw against Mayu Iwatani and her first title challenge against Syuri. 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. Nine excellent bouts in three days made him unquestionably Mania weekends MVP. The Last Wrestlers: A Far Flung Journey In Search of a Manly Art. 6 Rising - Stardom. 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. Fans of British Wrestling over the past 10 years will know the name Rampage Brown. He did it in Impact Wrestling, where, in its current state, its near-impossible to generate buzz or attention. Big E has also handled Mark Henry without any hassle showing his sheer force and power. Will it all lead to a father-son match at WrestleMania? In Conclusion. Being honest, he has every right to be in there, and weve done him dirty, no question. Buvaisar Saitiev. They are the best to ever do it. 22 of them have an 8+ rating and 10 have a 9+ rating. Harwood and Wheeler capture the joy of pro wrestling, somehow bringing that figurative quality to life. He defeated Brock Lesnar at WrestleMania 38, John Cena at SummerSlam, and most recently, Drew McIntyre in front of 62,000 spectators in Cardiff, Wales. Age in 2022: 72: Height: 6ft 1in: Weight: 106kg: Country: United States: Status: Retired in 2018: Birth Name: . Sasha Banks. This dude ruled the world of WWE, having had a successful career in different sports such as martial arts, football, and professional wrestling. WhatCulture is part of Future plc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. 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. Here are 25 international wrestling stars to watch this weekend. Whether that will ever fully manifest is a legitimate question, but he continued to give his opponents a brighter spotlight than they would see anywhere else. Pro Wrestling Illustrated - November 2022 Pro Wrestling Illustrated (PWI) 500 for 2022 (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. Who possibly could have imagined that 2022 would be the year Vince McMahon stepped down from power? Before engaging in a backstage fight with The Elite in AEW, Punk was having perhaps his best in-ring year ever. 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. Pro wrestling is a unique blend of sport and entertainment, one where your opponent is necessary in order for you to shine. Dave Chaffee is the next strong man on the list of best arm-wrestlers. 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. 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. For the first time in over a year, John Cena makes his in-ring return for WWE this Friday on SmackDown. (SE), In a promotion largely dominated by much older wrestlers and mostly devoid of larger-than-life characters, Kenoh stands out in Pro Wrestling NOAH. To say that Bailey has made up for lost time would be an understatement. (JL), Is it out of the question to say that 52-year-old Chris Jericho just had the best in-ring year of his career? (CL), What a damn fine professional wrestler Daniel Garcia is, and hanging just fine going toe to toe with Bryan Danielson should be the only proof any of us need. His series of matches with MJFculminating in an excellent Dog Collar Match at AEW Revolutionhighlighted Punks 2022. 10. As 2022 winds down, Sports Illustrated is looking back at the themes and teams, storylines and throughlines that shaped the year. Kaori Icho. We hope to not only provide a credible ranking but also to expose readers to some new wrestling. Tag team wrestling across the globe had a banner year in 2022, but no team . She is undoubtedly the best powerhouse in all of womens wrestling. Kevin Palko 6. Theres an argument to be made that his January 5 defense against Bryan Danielson is the best AEW singles match ever. 4. Mandy Rose via Instagram. Paul 'Triple H' Levesque bounced back from a near-fatal heart issue in 2021 to effectively become the most powerful man in wrestling. (GDT). November 19, 2022. The biggest obstacle in her way is just how big a star Rossy Ogawa and Bushiroad think she can be. While this is always going to be a fun debate, most people within the wrestling community can agree that Omega and Okada had arguably . Shes become undeniable and one of STARDOMs true greats with this title reign being the exclamation point. Her haters are now in the mud. Amazingly enough, 2022 marks 20 years since Brock Lesnar arrived in WWE and took the wrestling world by storm; two decades later, he's still at the top of the food chain. With a drive to . Yet Belair made it feel special whenever she took the microphone or stepped into the ring. Koon did excellent work on his last show with William Regal, which ended with Regal returning to WWE, but this is another great chance to be entertained and learn from one of the best in the business. Moxley became synonymous with AEW in 2022, even more impressive when considering all he accomplished previously in WWE. 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. Consistency was given as much weight as ceilings and floors. Kevin Owens. It just feels right to have John Cena back in WWE. (AC), It could have gone so differently. 60-51. 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. Dax Harwood is teaming up with Matt Koon for a new podcast. From a battle in the rain against Johnny Mundo, to a five-way in Tijuana, to a state-of-the-art TripleMania match with Fenix, to a battle (nearly) to the death against his closest ally Laredo Kid, Vikingo came through big whenever he had the chance. American professional wrestler currently signed to Impact Wrestling, Rich Swann finished at the 10th rank in the PWI 2021 rankings. Of those 33 singles matches, 2828!currently have a 7+ rating on Cagematch.net. Match Of The Year: Men's WarGames Match, Survivor Series. (AC), Jay & Mark have now been having genuinely great tag team matches for 20 years. 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. Stick around, however, for a list of honourable mentions that should plug any major gaps and cover notable omissions. (SE), Quite possibly the most confident and self-assured wrestler in the world, and with good reason. Davit Stepanyan 3. His matches always tell a story, and he is versatile in his offense, which also includes more traditional aggression. Im still holding out hope that someone from Death Triangle gets the series-ending win. 5. In every emergency, Jon Moxley was there, and he delivered. With 47 matches under his belt for AEW in 2022, Mox was one of the promotions hardest workers. He restored honor to a vacant world title on two separate occasions, beginning with a classic against Hiroshi Tanahashi at Forbidden Door in June. SPORTS ILLUSTRATED is a registered trademark of ABG-SI LLC. Pro Wrestling Illustrated announced today that Reigns topped the 32nd annual list of the 500 best wrestlers in the world, based on criteria that includes win-loss record, titles . Japan, Canada, and Europe was the bulk of his 2022, but if youre looking for key matches or moments his match against El Lindaman for GLEAT in May and the demonic laugh and headbutt to Fuminori Abe during wXws Ambition stand out, along with a tag bout with Fuminari Abe against Violence is Forever for wXw in October. Joe Lanza: The King Of Banter. 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. Provide a credible ranking but also to expose readers to some new wrestling has made up for time... 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