The Wrestling Observer Newsletter 'Wrestler of the Year' has been revealed and the voting was dominated by three names. Rich keeps an eye on the full world of wrestling with an emphasis on America and Japan. 22 of them have an 8+ rating and 10 have a 9+ rating. Internationally Acclaimed Broadcast Journalist As Heard On BBC Radio. Ivan Yarygin. 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. Outside of MJF, though, there was a lot to love about Punks year. Posted by Alan4L | Jan 9, 2023 | The FSM 50. Joe Gagne: Wrestling podcast OG and trivia master! At first, he was a heel, but later turned face, around WrestleMania VIII (1992). On a roster where the margin for error is so slim, Diamante represents the perfection that Dragongate preaches to their talent. (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. 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. The Leader Of The Hardcore Wrestling Intelligentsia. The man weighs around 300 pounds and he is here to stay. As the leader of Cosmic Angels, every member of that groupmost notably Natsupoi and Mina Shirakawahas improved dramatically with Nakano at the helm. She works best as a heel, and when she is motivated, you can expect a human highlight reel of moves. David Otunga (Net Worth: $10m) The former Nexus member could not achieve much in his wrestling career. (AC), Hopefully, every year-end poll accurately reflects that the Young Bucks were once again the best tag team in the world. 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. For 12 months, Rollins has consistently wrestled the most compelling, convincing, and effective matches throughout all of pro wrestling. In September, he became the promotions first champion by defeating Flamita in one of the best world title matches of the year. Incredibly, Slamovich worked for 48 different promotions in 2022. Like us on Facebook to see similar stories Please give an overall site rating . 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. (AC), Irie gets around. Fortunately, it appears he will make a full recovery. Jamie Hayter vs Toni Storm. Gary Goodridge. 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. Big E is one of the strongest wrestlers of this ongoing era. 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. 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. (SF), If there is anyone on this list who should be climbing up in 2023, it will be Starlight Kid. Victory for Moxley comes as a reward for what was arguably the best . He is popularly known as The Beast Incarnate and was majorly marketed for his intimidating physique and ability to be dramatic. Fenix continues to be one of the most underrated great wrestlers in the world. Feb. 2023 1 Bryan Danielson + More Championship Rate (AS), Starting the year by dropping the PWA tag titles to the VeloCities, Dunkzilla Mark Davis and Kyle Fletcher went nomadic, wrestling all over the globe. The breakout star of the year, Jamie Hayter feels like an overnight sensation in AEW. 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. MJF spent some time off TV, but returned and became AEW World Champion after defeating Jon Moxley at Full Gear 2022. But that was just the tip of the iceberg for a year which saw him back full time on the US scene after a half decade of being shut out. But despite the aimless booking at times, Aoyagi continued to be a part of some strong tag matches. PWI 500 2022 Top 128 Wrestlers Who is the best wrestler or 2022 ? He became world champion on two separate occasions, yet never once defended the title. Roman Reigns, CM Punk, Jon Moxley, Bianca Belair, MJF. For me, that was a gateway into Japanese wrestling 20 years ago. Aleksandr Medved. All of that brings us to the years Top 10, a chance to highlight those whose work particularly resonated in 2022. But it is also the right one. This was similar for Belair, who dealt with a roster that for parts of the year was missing Sasha Banks, Charlotte Flair, Bayley, Becky Lynch, Naomi, and Alexa Bliss. Her ability to think on her feet and adapt, saving sequences and matches from otherwise falling apart, is also very impressive, even moreso given that she is a seven-year veteran at just 20 years old. 10. Zayn, of course, would make perfect sense for a partner, and that would be an emotionally-charged match. The Most Compelling Voice In Wrestling Media. January 5 vs. Will Ospreay and August 18 vs. Will Ospreay. Match Of The Year: Men's WarGames Match, Survivor Series. 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. Then, on New Years Day, Shinsuke Nakamura steps outside the walls of WWE to wrestle at NOAHs The New Year against the Great Muta. Future Publishing Limited Quay House, The Ambury, Bath BA1 1UA. He is one of the best and greatest arm wrestlers in history. He got to shine on both the singles front as the first-ever All-Atlantic Champion, in addition to trios contests as part of Death Triangle. Best known as "The Undertaker" from World Wrestling Entertainment. The 2022 PWI Top 500 Wrestlers is a list of the Top 500 wrestlers according to the magazine Pro Wrestling Illustrated. The Briscoes; Dynamite vs. Dax Harwood; NJPW Royal Quest II vs. Aussie Open. The first half of her reign was so strong that it had people asking if her run was better than Syuris. The Slovakian female arm wrestler was one of the best in the just concluded 43rd World Armwrestling championships. 00:00. 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. 11. 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. Nor is her powerhouse style with technical elements, which isnt as flashy as others in STARDOM. That was an industry-defining change, and the aftershocks have only just begun. It just feels right to have John Cena back in WWE. 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. (CL), Syuri has been the standard when it comes to world champions in 2022. 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. 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. Hes truly made a name for himself in AEW with impressive showcases against the likes of Jon Moxley, Claudio Castagnoli, and Eddie Kingston. 9. 10. MJF was the best AEW wrestler in terms of mic work and character work, but he . 2022 was an outstanding year for Impact Wrestling, as the company delivered some of the highest quality wrestling during their monthly PPVs and Live Specials.Bolstered by a great world champion in the form of Josh Alexander, new signings, and an all-around strong roster, Impact was one of the best promotions of the year. Thanks to her beauty, she had chance to make her modeling debut at New York Fashion Week with Naomi. A Reasoned And Well Explained Man. He is a retired professional wrestler, television star, and actor. He signed and joined the World Wrestling Federation in 1983. 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. With a touch of recency bias admitted to, that makes Zayn the top wrestler for WWE in 2022. November 19, 2022. And without a doubt, the undisputed best wrestler of 2022 has to go to Seth 'Freakin' Rollins. The Last Wrestlers: A Far Flung Journey In Search of a Manly Art. Like her nickname, "The Boss," she is the boss during her match in the ring. 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. The one spot reserved exclusively for an indie talent belongs to someone who earned a place outright. Even after his spectacular year, he remains one of wrestlings best-kept secrets. Let's take a look at the 10 best tag teams . 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. Nobody has ever given as much consistent effort in their matches as Ospreay did in 2022. While he defeated Keiji Muto and Kazuyuki Fujita in 2022, they didnt really put him over. But after January 1st, Kiyomiya had incredible matches with Yoshinari Ogawa, Hideki Suzuki, Go Shiozaki, Timothy Thatcher, and Masa Kitamiya. That star power placed him on this list. 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. He first came to the WWF in 1990 as Ted DiBiase's mystery partner at The Survivor Series (1990). Top three matches of 2022: ROH Supercard of Honor vs. Top three matches of 2022: MLW Azteca vs. Aramis; Rey de Reyes vs. John [Superstar] Morrison; TripleMana vs. Rey Fenix. A gateway into Japanese wrestling 20 years ago a career-killer gimmick and made it special roman Reigns, Punk! # x27 ; s take a look at the helm s WarGames match, Survivor Series joined! 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