Top three matches of 2022: ROH Supercard of Honor vs. A year spent in many places not normally on the wider radar, but a year that rarely disappointed when you sought him out. Of course, that all depends on how you value and rate the past year in wrestling. Her matches with Jordynne Grace this year were absurdly compelling, with both using it as a chance to show the world their talent. He is also the reigning AEW TNT Champion. Weve reached a point where its probably time we start thinking about whether Sheamus is arguably the best WWE television wrestler of all time. 55 Darby Allin. Hes been a phenomenal major league champion. Brock Lesnar. 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. But he did make use of it to push himself into Hollywood. (AS), Good ol reliable Despy, the heart of the New Japan junior heavyweight division. 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. (GDT), The excitement heading into 2023 will be all about how Giulia can top her second half of 2022. (CL), Another wrestler that continues the theme of confidence separating the wheat from the chaff in modern wrestling. Fortunately, though, All Elite Wrestling, Impact and New Japan Pro-Wrestling offer a great alternative for viewers who love the time-honored tradition. Now a (deserving) Hall of Famer, Naitos big singles matches this year added to that resume. 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. Ospreay has a perfect home in New Japan, a product entirely built around its wrestling. There is something for everyone in pro wrestling, and with 2022 as an indication, it is a great time to be a fan. 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. Travis Bagent is a well-known name in the arm wrestling world. It was a legit MOTYC and a great example of how to put over a young up and coming talent. Unfortunately, 2022 is yet another year that feels the effect of the pandemic. Top 10 WWE Wrestlers Who Died in 2022 || WWE Superstars Deaths 2022#WWE #Wrestlers#Top10#WWESuperstars#Superstars#WWEWrestlers #.Matilda The Hun Died: Janua. Full Name. Whether it was AAA, Big Lucha, or lesser US indie promotions, the 24-year-old routinely pumped out gif-worthy spots en route to great matches. The unsung hero of pro wrestling in 2022. In constant pursuit of a legendary legacy, Rollins constantly pushed pro wrestling to be at its best in 2022. Top three matches of 2022: Forbidden Door vs. Orange Cassidy; G1 Climax vs. Kazuchika Okada; NJPW Burning Spirit vs. David Finlay. 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 . 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. 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. While she did not work an abundance of matches this year, her overall impact secured this spot. Tuesday, April 19, 2022 at 1:45 PM by Babu Tendu Adrianna Simwa. Shingo and Taichi worked hard together to have the best and most creative matches in King of Pro Wrestling history, including producing a late Match of the Year contender in December on a JTO show. 00:00. The American wrestler, Sasha Banks, is one of the most decorated top female wrestlers. 12 / 20. (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. (GDT), One step forward, one step back for the breakout British star? Hes still waiting to go fishing with Egotistico Fantastico. Top three matches of 2022: Royal Rumble vs. Roman Reigns; WrestleMania Backlash vs. Cody Rhodes; Elimination Chamber vs. Matt Riddle. Shes become undeniable and one of STARDOMs true greats with this title reign being the exclamation point. (AC), WrestleMania weekend is a dying concept after years of being beaten to death and abused. Net Worth: $1.6 Billion. However, she has proven to be a dependable workhorse and was one of the most unexpected highlights of STARDOM in 2022 including winning the Cinderella Tournament. Ospreay will continue to be tested on the mic in the coming year, but there is absolutely no doubt about his performance in the ring. Your session has expired. Please log in again. Session expired. 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. The more things change . For whatever reason, MIRAI has gotten a baffling amount of derision since her jump from TJPW to STARDOM. Scott represents VOW, Fightful and Fightgamemedia where he hosts the Five Star Joshi Show. (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. 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. Nor is her powerhouse style with technical elements, which isnt as flashy as others in STARDOM. That's why it is considered that it is high time to strike while the iron is hot. It gets tougher each year to find the positives, but there was a glaring one in 2022 Speedball engaging in a hugely impressive tour de force. John "JayHey" Heynoski (JL). 60-51. Alexander is one of the best wrestlers in the world; people just need to pay attention. Trust me, there were plenty of healthy disagreements and debate along the way, which only strengthens a list like this. With a touch of recency bias admitted to, that makes Zayn the top wrestler for WWE in 2022. In every emergency, Jon Moxley was there, and he delivered. He first came to the WWF in 1990 as Ted DiBiase's mystery partner at The Survivor Series (1990). Name. 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 first half of her reign was so strong that it had people asking if her run was better than Syuris. 56 Ricochet The manner in which Ospreay took the punishment from Finlay was a sight to behold, and that match will be looked upon fondly as Finlay continues his rise to stardom. Dylan - "There can not be a Top Joshi . who wins Wrestler of the Year? 10. David Daniel Otunga. For better and worse, this past year was unforgettable. 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. Incredibly, Slamovich worked for 48 different promotions in 2022. January 5 vs. Will Ospreay and August 18 vs. Will Ospreay. 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. Tag team of the year: The Usos - 50% The Usos established themselves as the best duo in all of wrestling in 2022. 2023 is shaping up to be his biggest year since 2019. One of Impacts finest, and someone who has given indy promotions across the country their best bouts of the year. Their June 26th steel cage match, much like Nakanos hair vs hair match with Giulia in 2021, put Nakanos skills on full display. Tag team wrestling across the globe had a banner year in 2022, but no team . 5. David Otunga (Net Worth: $10m) The former Nexus member could not achieve much in his wrestling career. Jamie Hayter vs Toni Storm. 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. Expect him to be a name on this list every year going forward. 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. With 47 matches under his belt for AEW in 2022, Mox was one of the promotions hardest workers. 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 . He has held the WWF World . Top three matches of 2022: Battle of the Belts III vs. Thunder Rosa; Full Gear vs. Toni Storm; Dynamite vs. Hikaru Shida. Victory for Moxley comes as a reward for what was arguably the best . She came first in the 90+kg women left senior women category beating Antonina of Kazakhstan, Merve of Turkiye and Zanna Cingule of Latvia. 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. 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. Hence becoming one of the richest wrestlers in 2022. (GDT), The ace of TJPW had another strong year despite losing the Princess of Princess Championship back in March. Fortunately, it appears he will make a full recovery. 1. Andy has been with WhatCulture for six years and is currently WhatCulture's Senior Wrestling Reporter. There is a certain mystique about Vikingo. 23. 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. Her skills, performance, and her attitude are pure beauty. Rich keeps an eye on the full world of wrestling with an emphasis on America and Japan. WhatCulture is part of Future plc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. This statement contains no hyperbole or exaggeration; you will not find any wrestler in history with the vast catalog of great matches that Ospreay produced in 2022. The professional wrestler made his debut in 2000 and is among the best-known WWE stars. 10. July 18, 1990. (IH), Throughout 2021, the questions were all about Saya Kamitani and if she could live up to the moment. He takes a beating, he fights back, and on his best nights, hes able to win big matches. (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. Dax Harwood is teaming up with Matt Koon for a new podcast. Davit Stepanyan 3. 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 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. Date of Birth. (JL), For many years, Higuchi flew under the radar in DDT, all whilst consistently delivering good performances, be it as part of Eruption or as a solo. Adam Summers: Bringing nearly 20 years of wrestling writing and podcasting experience to the table. 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. Brock Lesnar. Strickland is great, and he wrestles like a guy who knows it. 50-41. 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 Briscoes; Dynamite vs. Dax Harwood; NJPW Royal Quest II vs. Aussie Open. Kevin Owens is the best in-ring performer on the current WWE roster. (SF), Break glass in case of emergency. Tony Khan needed to break the glass so often in 2022 that it probably should have just been left open. 10. Top 10 Greatest Wrestlers in History - Best Wrestlers of all time include the most popular WWE superstars in the history of the sports. Of those 33 singles matches, 2828!currently have a 7+ rating on Cagematch.net. Josh Alexander should be a lot higher on this list. He should win the Triple Crown in 2023. 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. 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. 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. Feb. 2023 1 Bryan Danielson + More Championship Rate Top 25 Best Bollywood Films of 2022 a list of 25 titles 25 Best Dancers of Indian Cinema a list of 25 people . Hogan is the most versatile wrestling star worldwide and one of the most successful wrestlers in the 1980s. Yamashita has also been a part of some great tag matches with partner Maki Itoh as 121000000. When smashing one aspect of the wrestling business just isn't enough. 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. 9. He became a white-hot rookie in Japan before being shipped off to Mexico and seamlessly transitioning to the lucha scene. 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. Imeda Chincharauli 4. Mandy Rose. Solely because of the nature of the business, which is constantly moving on to the next match and next show, Moxley does not receive nearly enough credit for the way he helped set up MJF to succeed as champ. (RK), Vikingo became the AAA Mega Champion in 2021 because AAA had no real alternatives, and spent 2022 proving he was the best option. 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. The sky is the limit. The goal of the list is to be as well-informed and wide-ranging as possible. As far as match quality, she had one of the best matches of the year against Utami in June, and had five matches rated **** or higher by the Wrestling Observer (all singles matches). 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 . 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. Here are 25 international wrestling stars to watch this weekend. The Villain Marty Scurll. Buvaisar Saitiev. Seth Rollins. Harwood and Wheeler capture the joy of pro wrestling, somehow bringing that figurative quality to life. As recently as early 2021, he seemed to lag behind his Dojo classmates Hokuto Omori and Dan Tamura. Knows the Japanese scene inside out. Defense after defense, month after month, she has set a new standard for what a tremendous year-long world title reign should look like. 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. Katsuyori Shibata fought several times. Regardless of skill, a wrestler can't enter the WOTY conversation if they aren't regularly producing WOTY-level work. Sadly, he rarely, if ever, is. Maybe its because her look isnt what STARDOM has been going for lately. Ospreay, for instance, consistently works spectacular matches, but Reigns is in an entirely different position. He's among the highest-paid WWE wrestlers in 2022, commanding an annual salary of $4.5 million. (AC). Those are two completely different matches, but Moxley is versatile and he can highlight opponents in a number of ways. He is popularly known as The Beast Incarnate and was majorly marketed for his intimidating physique and ability to be dramatic. She is undoubtedly the best powerhouse in all of womens wrestling. All in all, Takeshitas former nickname, The Future, is ringing true, and with his move to America, youd expect to see his name littered amongst the best in the world for many years to come. (AC), Hopefully, every year-end poll accurately reflects that the Young Bucks were once again the best tag team in the world. Sitting next to his billionaire boss, CM Punk burned the entire world down. Elsewhere we were treated to a full 12 months of normal feeling wrestling, and it was certainly very welcome for fans. Top three matches of 2022: Revolution vs. Bryan Danielson; Forbidden Door vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi; Full Gear vs. CM Punk. Live on FITE, Bandido challenges Vikingo for the Mega Championship. Outside of MJF, though, there was a lot to love about Punks year. Hes truly made a name for himself in AEW with impressive showcases against the likes of Jon Moxley, Claudio Castagnoli, and Eddie Kingston. 80-71. Most of his matches were excellent, even though he bled too much. 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. Top three matches of 2022: Beyond Wrestling Munky Business vs. AC Price; GCW Maniac vs. Mike Bailey; Bound for Glory vs. Jordynne Grace. (JL), 2022 marks a big change to the FSM 50 as its the first year without The Ace. Tonights Dynamite features the sixth matchup between The Elite and Death Triangle, which will be a Falls Count Anywhere bout. 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. Chad is full of talents and he has the support of fans behind the scenes. Alexander set the standard for Impact Wrestling/TNA history in 2022 with some of the companys best matches. The breakout star of the year, Jamie Hayter feels like an overnight sensation in AEW. (IH). Alexanders November match with Mike Bailey went nearly 60 minutes and was one of the best television matches of the year. 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. While he did solid work in both New Japan junior tournaments this year, his best work was in GLEAT. 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. Roman Gromov 2. He first came to the WWF in 1990 as Ted DiBiase's mystery partner at The Survivor Series (1990).

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