As recently as early 2021, he seemed to lag behind his Dojo classmates Hokuto Omori and Dan Tamura. At first, he was a heel, but later turned face, . 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. Mandy Rose via Instagram. Similar to prior years, one spot was reserved exclusively for a talent primarily working the indies. Today, we assess its protagonists in a way tailored to WhatCulture's coverage. Matches with Risa Sera, Utami Hayashishita, and both bouts with Giulia highlight what everyone should watch if they havent been watching. (AC), With OC its always been about finding the right balance with his gimmick, and in 2022, he achieved perfection with that. She stands out amongst various wrestlers while performing. Knows the Japanese scene inside out. Andy has been with WhatCulture for six years and is currently WhatCulture's Senior Wrestling Reporter. It just feels right to have John Cena back in WWE. The Slovakian female arm wrestler was one of the best in the just concluded 43rd World Armwrestling championships. 248 Super J-Cast The Return of Fantasticamania. Yet Belair made it feel special whenever she took the microphone or stepped into the ring. Leave your outdated and ignorant criticisms of his working style at the door. Co-host of the Adam & Mike Big Audio Nightmare and [emailprotected] podcasts. Her matches with Jordynne Grace this year were absurdly compelling, with both using it as a chance to show the world their talent. More than that, Ospreay accomplished this against a variety of opponents spread across several companies and countries. When Rhodes was severely limited in their Hell in a Cell bout inside the cage, Rollins made viewers forget about limitations and instead focus on all Rhodes was capable of in spite of the gruesome injury. Joshi fans will argue that Stardom and Sendai Girls are on par, having the two best women's wrestling promotions in Japan. Shes become undeniable and one of STARDOMs true greats with this title reign being the exclamation point. 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. A true master of the craft, Rollins is a throwback who could thrive in any era, and he is a joy to watch on a weekly basis. It was a legit MOTYC and a great example of how to put over a young up and coming talent. Brock Lesnar. (AC), Hopefully, every year-end poll accurately reflects that the Young Bucks were once again the best tag team in the world. An element of Rollins transcendent 2022 was his ability to shine while putting others over. Jon Moxley was the best AEW wrestler of 2022 for several reasons. He defeated Brock Lesnar at WrestleMania 38, John Cena at SummerSlam, and most recently, Drew McIntyre in front of 62,000 spectators in Cardiff, Wales. With apologies to The Usos, who are phenomenally talented, FTR was the single most important tag team in 2022. Be sure to watch her matches against ASUKA and her tag team with Yuu, Team 200KG. 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. 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. Rich Kraetsch: Co-host of the long-running Flagship Podcast on Voices of Wrestling, editor of VoicesofWrestling.com and one-half of FlagshipPatreon.com. 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. 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. 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. 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. England and Wales company registration number 2008885. 4. Higuchi also delivered in tag performances too, alongside new tag partner Naomi Yoshimura (who he also had an outstanding match against in the King of DDT finals, which not only crowned Higuchi king, but also KO-D Champion). Top three matches of 2021: SmackDown vs. Roman Reigns; Dynamite "Grand Slam" vs. Kenny Omega; Dynamite "Winter is Coming" vs. "Hangman" Adam Page. Hulk Hogan, is one of the greatest wrestlers the world has ever seen. (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. With an expanded panel of knowledgeable voters this year, we hope to have covered every corner of the wrestling world well. (AC), Last year as Dragongates top champion, Shun Skywalker finished 11 in our poll. (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. The English pro wrestler born as Zack Sabre Jr, is currently signed to NJPW and one-half of the IWGP Tag Team Champions alongside fellow Suzuki-gun stablemate Taichi. That star power placed him on this list. 8. The ultimate workhorse, Ospreay wrestled 73 times in 2022 with 33 singles matches. (JL). 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. All Rights Reserved. (SE), In a promotion largely dominated by much older wrestlers and mostly devoid of larger-than-life characters, Kenoh stands out in Pro Wrestling NOAH. Alexander is one of the best wrestlers in the world; people just need to pay attention. Once the company pulls the trigger on Reigns' betrayal of Sami, Zayn will be the most white-hot face in the business, bar none. The smoothest high-flier in history, Fenixs effortless gliding and maneuvering through the air makes the otherwise impossible look routine. They include some of the world's best men's and women's wrestlers, organized alphabetically by country with notable accomplishments . The Golden Phoenix captivated audiences with her stunning aerial offense and fantastic run as the Wonder of STARDOM Champion. Tag team of the year: The Usos - 50% The Usos established themselves as the best duo in all of wrestling in 2022. Lost the Rev Pro tag titles in January, then started an on again, off again feud with Will Ospreay that culminated in Knight finally unseating Ospreay for the Rev Pro title in Augustonly to lose the title (via proxy, with his brother Zak replacing him due to a broken wrist) in December to Great O-Khan. In every emergency, Jon Moxley was there, and he delivered. (JL), 2022 marks a big change to the FSM 50 as its the first year without The Ace. 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. 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. Those two matches? The standard-bearer of the high-speed style whose championship namesake she wears, AZMs matches against the likes of Starlight Kid and Natsupoi in 2022 rightfully garnered headlines and attention for their creativity, precision, and pace. The Leader Of The Hardcore Wrestling Intelligentsia. 5. Like all forms of entertainment, it is necessary that wrestling follows some sort of script. Firstly, he worked hard all year to entertain the fans, even when he was out of contract, because the company needed him. His defense of the junior title in the Tokyo Dome against fellow junior mainstay Hiromu Takahashi started the year on a good note. Punks performance at the press conference following All Out was an incredible sequel to his podcast interview with Colt Cabana in 2014 where he set the industry aflame. 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 is widely regarded as one of the best wrestlers in the world today with an annually salary of $1 million. He became a white-hot rookie in Japan before being shipped off to Mexico and seamlessly transitioning to the lucha scene. Hopefully that is not the case much longer. His All-Atlantic title win in a Dynamite main event was a really cool moment in AEWs year. Dia is everything a babyface should be. His new high-flying style has been helped by a new look and increased charisma. (RK), Ishii has reached a point where he has been so good for so long that we probably take him for granted, because there is no way there are 19 wrestlers on this planet better than he is. Pro Wrestling Illustrated - November 2022 Pro Wrestling Illustrated (PWI) 500 for 2022 FTR was also closely aligned with CM Punk, which led to some great content that, unfortunately, ended far too early. After a memorable year in and out of the ring, who stands among the best? 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. Weve reached a point where its probably time we start thinking about whether Sheamus is arguably the best WWE television wrestler of all time. Best AEW Women's Match of 2022: Toni Storm vs. Jamie Hayter, Full Gear. He is one of the best and greatest arm wrestlers in history. The 2018 World Wrestling Championship will be held in Budapest, Hungary from October 22 - 28. Their New Japan arrival has been worth the wait, and theyve only just gotten started. Top three matches of 2022: Beyond Wrestling Munky Business vs. AC Price; GCW Maniac vs. Mike Bailey; Bound for Glory vs. Jordynne Grace. Check Price on Amazon. Together, they make magic. 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. 10. A rebrand in March almost had the former WALTER share some history that, to be kind, would have been super problematic. 55 Darby Allin. Top three matches of 2022: Forbidden Door vs. Orange Cassidy; G1 Climax vs. Kazuchika Okada; NJPW Burning Spirit vs. David Finlay. Seth has undergone a subtle career-run with his string of matches against Cody . Throughout their program, Rollins made you believe that Matt Riddle was a main event talent. 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