Her year in 2022 was one of the best in the industry. This would not be happening if Vince McMahon were still overseeing the WWE product, but the modus operandi has changed under the leadership of Paul Triple H Levesque. 12. For four years now, Voices of Wrestling has kept the annual tradition alive with the same spirit and intention as its predecessors. There is something for everyone in pro wrestling, and with 2022 as an indication, it is a great time to be a fan. His Strong Championship challenge against Yuji Okabayashi in BJW was one of the most intense matches of 2022. Top 10 WWE Wrestlers Who Died in 2022 || WWE Superstars Deaths 2022#WWE #Wrestlers#Top10#WWESuperstars#Superstars#WWEWrestlers #.Matilda The Hun Died: Janua. Open The Voice Gate - Looking ahead to Champion Gate, Rey de Parejas and More! Hogan is the most versatile wrestling star worldwide and one of the most successful wrestlers in the 1980s. Michael Hitt 7. 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 . Internationally Acclaimed Broadcast Journalist As Heard On BBC Radio. Before this, tournaments were held less frequently; sometimes only once or twice per year. Today, we assess its protagonists in a way tailored to WhatCulture's coverage. Vikingos skills remained a cut above everyone else even in a time of amazing highflyers; it never felt safe to blink during his matches. 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. Vince McMaho. Abdulrashid Sadulaev. That fits perfectly with his character, which marinated to perfection in 2022, culminating in his full heel turn on partner Keith Lee. The one spot reserved exclusively for an indie talent belongs to someone who earned a place outright. Tootie Lynn. 1. July 18, 1990. Date of Birth. Top three matches of 2022: Elimination Chamber match; WrestleMania 38 vs. Becky Lynch; Crown Jewel vs. Bayley. Since then, shes taken more international bookings in Europe and North America, raising her stock globally. 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. Hopefully that is not the case much longer. Once the company pulls the trigger on Reigns' betrayal of Sami, Zayn will be the most white-hot face in the business, bar none. (IH), Another year where Mayu Iwatani deserves her flowers. 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. Open the Voice Gate: Looking Ahead to Champion Gate, Rey De Parejas & More! All rights reserved. In Conclusion. In addition, she became the SmackDown Women's Champion at Wrestlemania 37. (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. Top three matches of 2022: Forbidden Door vs. Orange Cassidy; G1 Climax vs. Kazuchika Okada; NJPW Burning Spirit vs. David Finlay. mixed martial arts, Belgrade, wrestling, Serbia | 956 views, 24 likes, 3 loves, 3 comments, 13 shares, Facebook Watch Videos from IMMAF - International Mixed Martial Arts Federation: Which submission. 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. 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. He is also the reigning AEW TNT Champion. New Japans 50th anniversary was built around Okada. Feb. 2023 1 Bryan Danielson + More Championship Rate 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 first half of her reign was so strong that it had people asking if her run was better than Syuris. 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. If you prefer some of the more established stars from prior generations, there is ECW icon Bubba Dudleywho did a marvelous job rebranding himself as Bully Rayback in Impact Wrestling, cutting his distinct brand of promos and further elevating Josh Alexander. 8. 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 ace of TJPW had another strong year despite losing the Princess of Princess Championship back in March. While he did solid work in both New Japan junior tournaments this year, his best work was in GLEAT. But if you were around he did make a sound. One of Impacts finest, and someone who has given indy promotions across the country their best bouts of the year. There was also a near tragedy when Big Es future was put at risk when he suffered a broken neck in the ring. . While overshadowed by what followed in the immediate aftermath, Punks AEW Championship victory over Jon Moxley at ALL OUT shouldnt be forgotten as one of the great matches of 2022. The age-old adage of a tree falling in a forest but nobody being around to hear it applies to Alexanders 2022. (GDT), Designed by Elegant Themes | Powered by WordPress, Mickie James Last Rodeo Is the Real Hard to Kill Main Event, Dragon Gate Glorious Gate (March 2) Review, wide-ranging wrestling knowledge that defies his years, Journey Through Guerrilla Island PWG history podcast, most passionate up-and-coming wrestling writers around, FSM 50 2019: The 50 Best Wrestlers in the World, FSM 50 2021: The 50 Best Wrestlers in the World, FSM 50 2020: The 50 Best Wrestlers in the World. (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. Vince McMahon resigned. An impressive body of work is important, though this is more than a list of wrestlers with the most ****+ matches. In every emergency, Jon Moxley was there, and he delivered. (AC), With OC its always been about finding the right balance with his gimmick, and in 2022, he achieved perfection with that. The American wrestler, Sasha Banks, is one of the most decorated top female wrestlers. (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. MJF was the best AEW wrestler in terms of mic work and character work, but he . Those two matches? The Villain makes for compelling entertainment just . 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. Kevin Owens is the best in-ring performer on the current WWE roster. The Villain Marty Scurll. Here are 25 international wrestling stars to watch this weekend. Whether you watched Harwood on screen or bought a ticket to see him in person, he added value every time he took the stage. 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. (RK), Vikingo became the AAA Mega Champion in 2021 because AAA had no real alternatives, and spent 2022 proving he was the best option. Stew Commonly Eaten in Vast Quantity by Sumo Wrestlers (Harpsichord Version) Check Price on Amazon. 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. On top of returning to his top singles form, Miyahara was also a part of several high-level tags throughout the year, ending with winning the Real World Tag League with Takuya Nomura. December 4th, 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. 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. 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. Last weeks Jamie Hayter-Hikaru Shida bout was hard-hitting, violent, and an incredible display of the craft. 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. As far as wrestling games in the late nineties go, WWF Attitude is up there with the best. (JL), 2022 marks a big change to the FSM 50 as its the first year without The Ace. Harwood and Wheeler capture the joy of pro wrestling, somehow bringing that figurative quality to life. Putting Roman Reigns fourth on this list, especially ahead of Will Ospreay, was the single hardest decision in the top 10. Most of his matches were excellent, even though he bled too much. Date of birth. 2023 is shaping up to be his biggest year since 2019. Rhodes was revealed to be the mystery opponent for Seth Rollins and defeated Rollins with Cross Rhodes in front of more than 70,000 fans inside AT&T Stadium. But he did make use of it to push himself into Hollywood. Jon Moxley was the best AEW wrestler of 2022 for several reasons. The sky is the limit. 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. 9. Fujiwara had a rookie year that should be compared with the likes of Jun Akiyama and Kurt Angle. 4. Together, they make magic. A year spent in many places not normally on the wider radar, but a year that rarely disappointed when you sought him out. Rubie's Daddy's Li'l Girl Inflatable Adult Costume, As Shown, One Size. Fans of British Wrestling over the past 10 years will know the name Rampage Brown. And it has brought a lot of great wrestling. Having previously worked for Bleacher Report, Andy specialises in short and long-form writing, video presenting, voiceover acting, and editing, all characterised by expert wrestling knowledge and commentary. (AC), It could have gone so differently. Of those 33 singles matches, 2828!currently have a 7+ rating on Cagematch.net. We hope to not only provide a credible ranking but also to expose readers to some new wrestling. (JL), One of the only good things about the US indie scene this year was that they helped shine a spotlight on Komander. The more things change . Gary Goodridge. 02:55:00. (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? 2022 in professional wrestling describes the year's events in the world of professional wrestling.. Beginning in March 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic severely affected the professional wrestling industry worldwide, with many promotions presenting shows behind closed doors.Some events were canceled while others were rescheduled to occur in 2021 and then some in 2022. 90-81. Case Lowe: Co-host of Open The Voice Gate, lucharesu historian with a wide-ranging wrestling knowledge that defies his years. And thats a real shame as Alexander did everything in his power to scream from the mountaintop and get eyeballs on the product. 23. Cena teams with Kevin Owens against Roman Reigns and Sami Zayn, which should be a wonderful opportunity to plant seeds of discontent between Reigns and Zayn. Intense and full of passion, Slamovich will play a major role in pro wrestling over the coming years. A post shared by Undertaker (@undertaker) All of that brings us to the years Top 10, a chance to highlight those whose work particularly resonated in 2022. American professional wrestler currently signed to Impact Wrestling, Rich Swann finished at the 10th rank in the PWI 2021 rankings. Big E has wrestled big names in the WWE industry like Big show, Great Khali, and Mark Henry. 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. 55 Darby Allin. One of the beauties of the list in previous years was being able to highlight names that a reader may not be aware of. To put Ospreays year into proper context, our #2 finisher, Kazuchika Okada, had two matches finish with a 9+ rating on Cagematch.net. Katsuyori Shibata fought several times. Rhodes returned to the WWE during night one of WrestleMania 38 after a six year absence. 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. 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. 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. Top 10 Wealthiest/Richest Wrestlers And Their Networth In The World. 70-61. 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. (SE), Dragongates new top man has hit a home run every time hes stepped up to the plate this year. He kept that momentum going in spirited bouts against Adam Cole, Lance Archer, and a forgotten gem with Konosuke Takeshita. Sasha Banks. The one spot reserved exclusively for . Being honest, he has every right to be in there, and weve done him dirty, no question. Roman Reigns, CM Punk, Jon Moxley, Bianca Belair, MJF who wins Wrestler of the Year? In 2022, there were no more questions. His piece in the trilogy against Mark and Jay Briscoe this year made ROH feel relevant again, and not merely an extension of AEW. Defense after defense, month after month, she has set a new standard for what a tremendous year-long world title reign should look like. 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. Josh Alexander. Name. On one of the few shows All Japan has had this year with cheering crowds, his fan reactions rivaled that of All Japan ace Kento Miyahara. . 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. Once Kenny Omega returned to the picture, The Elite reestablished themselves as, for lack of a better term, an elite trio. Securing the top spot was Jon Moxley, who landed 3101 votes, Roman Reigns came in second with 2,216 votes and Will Ospreay came third with 1,591 votes. She is a throwback to a rougher Joshi style that we last got in the 1990s on any big stage. Amanda Rose Saccomanno. The Best Bout Machine was ranked #1 on the PWI 100 in 2018. Mandy Rose via Instagram. 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. Stardom has given us the likes of Io Shirai, Kairi Sane and Toni Storm, and the famous Oedo Tai stable that young men across the world go crazy for. Europe and North America, raising her stock globally were held less frequently ; only... Lucharesu historian with a wide-ranging wrestling knowledge that defies his years FSM 50 as its.! His years work and character work, but a year that should compared! Suffered a broken neck in the PWI 2021 rankings the Voice Gate Looking... Archer, and an incredible display of the beauties of the best in the PWI rankings. 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Age-Old adage of a better term, an Elite trio to Impact wrestling, Rich Swann finished at 10th.

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