During MIyaharas reign, AJPW immediately saw an increase in business and produced many more great singles matches versus the two previous years, during which the company seemed hesitant to put the Triple Crown back on him while Jake Lee got his chance to run with the ball. 10. 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. by Andy H Murray. Discovering new wrestling was always one of the most enjoyable parts of my fandom when I was younger, and too often nowadays, people are closed off to that like its some kind of bad thing. Her matches with Jordynne Grace this year were absurdly compelling, with both using it as a chance to show the world their talent. Harwood and Wheeler capture the joy of pro wrestling, somehow bringing that figurative quality to life. Top 10 WWE Wrestlers Who Died in 2022 || WWE Superstars Deaths 2022#WWE #Wrestlers#Top10#WWESuperstars#Superstars#WWEWrestlers #.Matilda The Hun Died: Janua. Of course, that all depends on how you value and rate the past year in wrestling. Fortunately, though, All Elite Wrestling, Impact and New Japan Pro-Wrestling offer a great alternative for viewers who love the time-honored tradition. Roman Reigns Tops the PWI 500 List for 2022, Top 20 Wrestlers Revealed. 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. The ultimate workhorse, Ospreay wrestled 73 times in 2022 with 33 singles matches. Harwood and Wheeler find a way to capture the essence of pro wrestling. She capped off the year winning the World of Stardom Championship, as she goes into 2022 as the top wrestler in the promotion. Their tag title win against ASUKA and MAO is worth the watch. Retaining just the forename still led to the usual name change hand-wringing, but it was a main roster call-up where things could have gone especially badly, particularly with Vince McMahon still in control. Top 25 Best Bollywood Films of 2022 a list of 25 titles 25 Best Dancers of Indian Cinema a list of 25 people . Kevin Palko 6. 70-61. Ospreay looked like a star, which he undoubtedly is, and he also made Finlay look like a beast (which he is). (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. But if she is given the chance, she can be one, a very big one. 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. (RK), Vikingo became the AAA Mega Champion in 2021 because AAA had no real alternatives, and spent 2022 proving he was the best option. 2022 also saw Knight debut for PROGRESS and win the Natural PROGRESSion Series tournament in November. (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. (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. Roman Reigns, CM Punk, Jon Moxley, Bianca Belair, MJF who wins Wrestler of the Year? 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. 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 . 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. A natural pro wrestler who has taken what could have been a career-killer gimmick and made it special. Slamovichs matches are a violent sprint. 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. In every emergency, Jon Moxley was there, and he delivered. No world champion was able to touch her greatness this year. Undisputed WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns has been ranked #1 on the annual PWI 500 list. Those are two completely different matches, but Moxley is versatile and he can highlight opponents in a number of ways. Fortunately, it appears he will make a full recovery. 40-31. John Smith. New Japans 50th anniversary was built around Okada. She came first in the 90+kg women left senior women category beating Antonina of Kazakhstan, Merve of Turkiye and Zanna Cingule of Latvia. Fresh booking has led to a much more interesting promotion and Hashimoto as their top star has helped that along by delivering high-level main events. Brock Lesnar. Vince McMaho. Denis Cyplenkov. 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. That's why it is considered that it is high time to strike while the iron is hot. An AEW Executive Vice President jumped ship to WWE. (Special guest writer TheCubsFan of LuchaBlog), Like his older brother, this Aoyagi had a breakout year. (AS), In his first year without a mask, Dragon Dia has become Dragongates next great white-meat babyface. He kept that momentum going in spirited bouts against Adam Cole, Lance Archer, and a forgotten gem with Konosuke Takeshita. 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. Vikingo transforms moves that people have already seen countless timeslike the 450and bestows a new, never-before-seen twist on them. An impressive body of work is important, though this is more than a list of wrestlers with the most ****+ matches. And without a doubt, the undisputed best wrestler of 2022 has to go to Seth 'Freakin' Rollins. Former professional wrestler Vince has made a name for himself in a variety of different fields. 10. He is a left-handed champion who started his professional career at 15. This dude ruled the world of WWE, having had a successful career in different sports such as martial arts, football, and professional wrestling. 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. Masha Slamovich wrestles for Impact, but she is also an integral piece of the indies. (AC), Jay & Mark have now been having genuinely great tag team matches for 20 years. 23. Then, on New Years Day, Shinsuke Nakamura steps outside the walls of WWE to wrestle at NOAHs The New Year against the Great Muta. "The Queen" is considered one of the best pro wrestlers in WWE today. Hes been a phenomenal major league champion. Date of Birth. 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. Considering hes one of the heartbeats of the promotion its easy to do so. Wheeler is often overshadowed by Harwood, but he is a vital part of FTR. Pro wrestling is a unique blend of sport and entertainment, one where your opponent is necessary in order for you to shine. 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. The Undertaker" Mark Calaway (Net worth: 15.5 Million Euros) View this post on Instagram. Hopefully that is not the case much longer. Top three matches of 2022: Beyond Wrestling Munky Business vs. AC Price; GCW Maniac vs. Mike Bailey; Bound for Glory vs. Jordynne Grace. 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 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. (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? Imeda Chincharauli 4. 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. That fits perfectly with his character, which marinated to perfection in 2022, culminating in his full heel turn on partner Keith Lee. A post shared by Undertaker (@undertaker) 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. 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. He should win the Triple Crown in 2023. Live on FITE, Bandido challenges Vikingo for the Mega Championship. One of Impacts finest, and someone who has given indy promotions across the country their best bouts 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 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. The match that will ultimately define Higushis championship run was his title defense against Konosuke Takeshita, a bout that will no doubt rack up some points in the MOTY race. (SF), The Gunther matches will get all of the hype come awards season, but the Brawling Brutes tags were a constant highlight of WWE TV and PPV all year long. Sadly, he was pretty much on the shelf from June on, wrestling just eight total matches in the second half of the year. (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. . Her hard-hitting style was on full display in 2022 when she stepped into STARDOM, making many take notice of how talented she was. 12. 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. Oh and check out her match against Miu Watanabe in the Tokyo Princess Cup. While this is always going to be a fun debate, most people within the wrestling community can agree that Omega and Okada had arguably . A rebrand in March almost had the former WALTER share some history that, to be kind, would have been super problematic. Dave Chaffee is the next strong man on the list of best arm-wrestlers. 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. In September, he became the promotions first champion by defeating Flamita in one of the best world title matches of the year. He first came to the WWF in 1990 as Ted DiBiase's mystery partner at The Survivor Series (1990). Ivan Yarygin. Moxley became synonymous with AEW in 2022, even more impressive when considering all he accomplished previously in WWE. Pro Wrestling Illustrated - November 2022 Pro Wrestling Illustrated (PWI) 500 for 2022 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. 12 / 20. Andy has been with WhatCulture for six years and is currently WhatCulture's Senior Wrestling Reporter. 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. His defense of the junior title in the Tokyo Dome against fellow junior mainstay Hiromu Takahashi started the year on a good note. Before this, tournaments were held less frequently; sometimes only once or twice per year. (AC). Unfortunately, 2022 is yet another year that feels the effect of the pandemic. AEW Full Gear. Top three matches of 2022: ROH Supercard of Honor vs. Vikingos skills remained a cut above everyone else even in a time of amazing highflyers; it never felt safe to blink during his matches. Chances are if you watched Will Ospreay at any point in the year 2022, you saw a great match. In addition to that sublime set of matches, his promos and evolved character work brought him to a whole new level of greatness. 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. 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. 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