Like all forms of entertainment, it is necessary that wrestling follows some sort of script. 1. Dave Chaffee. 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. Chances are if you watched Will Ospreay at any point in the year 2022, you saw a great match. In between, Ospreay had standout performances against the likes of Tetsuya Naito, Zack Sabre Jr., Shingo Takagi, Michael Oku, Orange Cassidy, Nick Wayne, Ricky Knight Jr., Mike Bailey, Jon Moxley, Blake Christian, Dax Harwood, and Titus Alexander among others. FTR was also closely aligned with CM Punk, which led to some great content that, unfortunately, ended far too early. 18. 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. The Briscoes; Dynamite vs. Dax Harwood; NJPW Royal Quest II vs. Aussie Open. Firstly, he worked hard all year to entertain the fans, even when he was out of contract, because the company needed him. Rhodes returned to the WWE during night one of WrestleMania 38 after a six year absence. 4. 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. Being honest, he has every right to be in there, and weve done him dirty, no question. Also heard and read on FlagshipPatreon.com. Open the Voice Gate: Looking Ahead to Champion Gate, Rey De Parejas & More! She capped off the year winning the World of Stardom Championship, as she goes into 2022 as the top wrestler in the promotion. But if you were not aware of the backstage altercations, they didnt matter when Moxley was in the ring. Tonights Dynamite features the sixth matchup between The Elite and Death Triangle, which will be a Falls Count Anywhere bout. She delivered breathtaking moments at WrestleMania and SummerSlam against Lynch, and there was genuine uncertainty as to whether she was going over against Bliss at the end of Elimination Chamber. Drew McIntyre However, with the new regime behind him and a new slimmed-down frame, Gunther produced his typical great in-ring, highlighted by the violent Clash at the Castle win over Sheamus. 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. But despite the aimless booking at times, Aoyagi continued to be a part of some strong tag matches. But if you were around he did make a sound. With an expanded panel of knowledgeable voters this year, we hope to have covered every corner of the wrestling world well. 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. Abdulrashid Sadulaev. by Andy H Murray. The American wrestler, Sasha Banks, is one of the most decorated top female wrestlers. Expect him to be a name on this list every year going forward. John "JayHey" Heynoski 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. He should win the Triple Crown in 2023. Fujiwara had a rookie year that should be compared with the likes of Jun Akiyama and Kurt Angle. The United States of America, Iran, Turkey, Hungary, and Sweden have also have made it to the top ten bagging 237, 172, 172, 123 and 116 medals respectively. PWI 500 2022 Top 128 Wrestlers Who is the best wrestler or 2022 ? MJF spent some time off TV, but returned and became AEW World Champion after defeating Jon Moxley at Full Gear 2022. Dwayne Johnson (The Rock) is the richest WWE wrestler in 2022, with an approximate net worth of $381 million. Top three matches of 2022: Battle of the Belts III vs. Thunder Rosa; Full Gear vs. Toni Storm; Dynamite vs. Hikaru Shida. In fact, you can even make an argument that he was the best technical wrestler in the world in 2022. (AS), In his first year without a mask, Dragon Dia has become Dragongates next great white-meat babyface. January 5 vs. Will Ospreay and August 18 vs. Will Ospreay. A true legend who may never make the list again, but if he does, would you be surprised? He has harnessed his gift at cutting promos, and he is currently one of the best in the world at the craft. An impressive body of work is important, though this is more than a list of wrestlers with the most ****+ matches. His new high-flying style has been helped by a new look and increased charisma. Bruce Baumgartner. Josh Alexander. 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. (RK), One of the best in-ring storytellers of this generation had another great year, this time largely centered around her feud with and eventual team with Natsupoi. More than that, Ospreay accomplished this against a variety of opponents spread across several companies and countries. 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. Not only did he have great matches against Rising HAYATO, Minoru Tanaka, and Hikaru Sato, but thanks to his presence, junior heavyweight tags in All Japans midcard are becoming must-watch. 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. 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. 1. 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. Scott - "We've reached a point where it's time to seriously consider the 20-year-old violent phenom the best wrestler in the world. The more things change . 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. 9. 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), 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. Knows the Japanese scene inside out. We hope to not only provide a credible ranking but also to expose readers to some new wrestling. Every time Vikingo wrestles is a roller coaster of emotions. The one spot reserved exclusively for an indie talent belongs to someone who earned a place outright. It just feels right to have John Cena back in WWE. Matches with Risa Sera, Utami Hayashishita, and both bouts with Giulia highlight what everyone should watch if they havent been watching. Of those 33 singles matches, 2828!currently have a 7+ rating on Cagematch.net. 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. As 2022 winds down, Sports Illustrated is looking back at the themes and teams, storylines and throughlines that shaped the year. Due to Tetsuya Endo vacating the KO-D title, we finally got to see Higuchi be handed the ball, and by word did he run with it, proving all of those who were singing his praises for all of these years right. Travis Bagent is a well-known name in the arm wrestling world. We mentioned this match in passing in awarding the Women's Wrestler of the Year honors to Jamie Hayter, but let's dive into it a tad more. Zayn, of course, would make perfect sense for a partner, and that would be an emotionally-charged match. Their match against Aussie Open at New Japans Royal Quest II was outrageously good. Davit Stepanyan 3. WhatCulture is part of Future plc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. 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. 2022 was yet another excellent year from one of pro wrestlings best. For 12 months, Rollins has consistently wrestled the most compelling, convincing, and effective matches throughout all of pro wrestling. Will it all lead to a father-son match at WrestleMania? (GDT), One step forward, one step back for the breakout British star? Live on FITE, Bandido challenges Vikingo for the Mega Championship. Check Price on Amazon. Chuck in one of the grittiest AEW title matches of the year against Mox at Quake By The Lake, and you have the answer to the question that opened this blurb. 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. 6 Rising - Stardom. (AC), Hopefully, every year-end poll accurately reflects that the Young Bucks were once again the best tag team in the world. He is a retired professional wrestler, television star, and actor. The Last Wrestlers: A Far Flung Journey In Search of a Manly Art. His wrestling is also a violently gripping display. Tootie Lynn. He first came to the WWF in 1990 as Ted DiBiase's mystery partner at The Survivor Series (1990). Case Lowe: Co-host of Open The Voice Gate, lucharesu historian with a wide-ranging wrestling knowledge that defies his years. Their June 26th steel cage match, much like Nakanos hair vs hair match with Giulia in 2021, put Nakanos skills on full display. A year spent in many places not normally on the wider radar, but a year that rarely disappointed when you sought him out. This is a list of records held by wrestlers of professional sumo.Only performances in official tournaments or honbasho are included here. There's no other way to put it. He was a major part of the main event scene since the beginning of WCPW. She also kicked off 2022 with a killer 30-minute draw against Mayu Iwatani and her first title challenge against Syuri. Let's take a look at the 10 best tag teams . His Strong Championship challenge against Yuji Okabayashi in BJW was one of the most intense matches of 2022. Travis Bagent. Aleksandr Medved. 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. 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. 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. (JL), 2022 marks a big change to the FSM 50 as its the first year without The Ace. While this is always going to be a fun debate, most people within the wrestling community can agree that Omega and Okada had arguably . (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. Vince McMahon resigned. Yes, he finished #21 in this poll, a tremendous feat and accomplishment on its own, but Fenix should be top of mind when discussing the absolute best wrestlers in the world. (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. Top three matches of 2021: SmackDown vs. Roman Reigns; Dynamite "Grand Slam" vs. Kenny Omega; Dynamite "Winter is Coming" vs. "Hangman" Adam Page. (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. Seth Rollins. 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. Victory for Moxley comes as a reward for what was arguably the best . Today, we assess its protagonists in a way tailored to WhatCulture's coverage. Bryan Danielson put together one of . Gerard Di Trolio: Co-host of The Emerald Flowshow specializing in NOAH and All Japan. 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. There was also a near tragedy when Big Es future was put at risk when he suffered a broken neck in the ring. 3. In September, he became the promotions first champion by defeating Flamita in one of the best world title matches of the year. Her tag team and trios runs this year earned her a comfortable spot on the list while her singles work should have her among the elite come the end of 2023. 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. Nine excellent bouts in three days made him unquestionably Mania weekends MVP. Chad Gable is a former Olympian, gets a new push, and will try to use its opportunity to the limit. (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. Feb. 2023 1 Bryan Danielson + More Championship Rate Mandy Rose via Instagram. Im still holding out hope that someone from Death Triangle gets the series-ending win. Once Kenny Omega returned to the picture, The Elite reestablished themselves as, for lack of a better term, an elite trio. (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? Top three matches of 2022: Royal Rumble vs. Roman Reigns; WrestleMania Backlash vs. Cody Rhodes; Elimination Chamber vs. Matt Riddle. 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. Dont let her underwhelming match with Thunder Rosa in AEW deter you from seeking out her other stuff if youve never seen her before. This year, we assess its protagonists in a way tailored to whatculture 's coverage WrestleMania... Capped off the year to be in there, and effective matches throughout all of pro wrestling Falls Count bout... Right to have John Cena back in WWE part of some strong tag matches despite the aimless at. The sixth matchup between the Elite reestablished themselves as, for lack of a Manly Art would perfect... Again, but returned and became AEW world Champion after defeating Jon at... 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