Will it all lead to a father-son match at WrestleMania? Then, on New Years Day, Shinsuke Nakamura steps outside the walls of WWE to wrestle at NOAHs The New Year against the Great Muta. Braun Strowman - $1.2 million WWE . But if she is given the chance, she can be one, a very big one. Best WWE Women's Match of 2022: Bianca Belair vs. Becky Lynch, WWE Raw Women's Championship match, WrestleMania 38. Her matches with Jordynne Grace this year were absurdly compelling, with both using it as a chance to show the world their talent. Those are two completely different matches, but Moxley is versatile and he can highlight opponents in a number of ways. Top three matches of 2022: Revolution vs. Bryan Danielson; Forbidden Door vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi; Full Gear vs. CM Punk. Mandatory Credit: Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY . She stands out amongst various wrestlers while performing. The age-old adage of a tree falling in a forest but nobody being around to hear it applies to Alexanders 2022. Moxley became synonymous with AEW in 2022, even more impressive when considering all he accomplished previously in WWE. 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. 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. 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. Bruce Baumgartner. Defense after defense, month after month, she has set a new standard for what a tremendous year-long world title reign should look like. 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. 50-41. Feb. 2023 1 Bryan Danielson + More Championship Rate Denis Cyplenkov. (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. Also, Dwayne Johnson is an actor who is ranked by Forbes in the list of the highest-paid actors in 2022. January 5 vs. Will Ospreay and August 18 vs. Will Ospreay. His Strong Championship challenge against Yuji Okabayashi in BJW was one of the most intense matches of 2022. 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. Big E has wrestled big names in the WWE industry like Big show, Great Khali, and Mark Henry. Top 25 Best Bollywood Films of 2022 a list of 25 titles 25 Best Dancers of Indian Cinema a list of 25 people . Before that, Swerve In Our Glory thrived with their Shaq & Kobe dynamic and were the glue of AEWs tag division. Tuesday, April 19, 2022 at 1:45 PM by Babu Tendu Adrianna Simwa. 10. A writer, presenter, and editor with 10+ years of experience in online media, he has been a sponge for all wrestling knowledge since playing an old Royal Rumble 1992 VHS to ruin in his childhood. 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. She works best as a heel, and when she is motivated, you can expect a human highlight reel of moves. by Andy H Murray. Pro Wrestling Illustrated - November 2022 Pro Wrestling Illustrated (PWI) 500 for 2022 Richest WWE Wrestlers in The World 2022. The genesis of perfection. One of the most consistently great bell-to-bell wrestlers today, Alexander had the best in-ring year in Impact Wrestling/TNA history. 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. 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. Davit Stepanyan 3. Ospreay, for instance, consistently works spectacular matches, but Reigns is in an entirely different position. Consistency was given as much weight as ceilings and floors. 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. They are the best to ever do it. 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). 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. Randy Orton has won multiple championships, including the WWE Heavyweight Championship, World Championship, and the WWE United States Championship. 2022 was good for Giulia, but 2023 will be special for the Donna del Mondo leader. All told, an impressive resume in the United States alone before even mentioning his match-of-the-year contender in his home promotion DDT against Kazusada Higuchi. Name. 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. SPORTS ILLUSTRATED is a registered trademark of ABG-SI LLC. 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. Best known as "The Undertaker" from World Wrestling Entertainment. John Smith. Harwood and Wheeler capture the joy of pro wrestling, somehow bringing that figurative quality to life. Another earth-shattering saga was the rise and fall of CM Punk in AEW. WWE. Rhodes returned to the WWE during night one of WrestleMania 38 after a six year absence. 10 women's wrestlers to look out for in 2022. 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. Who possibly could have imagined that 2022 would be the year Vince McMahon stepped down from power? (AS), Good ol reliable Despy, the heart of the New Japan junior heavyweight division. 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. 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. 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. Every time Vikingo wrestles is a roller coaster of emotions. 9. His flying looks smooth and effortless. There are still so many directions to go with one of wrestlings true greats, so heres to hoping 2023 is yet another year of greatness, much like 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. Intense and full of passion, Slamovich will play a major role in pro wrestling over the coming years. 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. Putting Roman Reigns fourth on this list, especially ahead of Will Ospreay, was the single hardest decision in the top 10. 22 of them have an 8+ rating and 10 have a 9+ rating. Top three matches of 2022: Royal Rumble vs. Seth Rollins; SummerSlam vs. Brock Lesnar; Crown Jewel vs. Logan Paul. 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. (GDT), The ace of TJPW had another strong year despite losing the Princess of Princess Championship back in March. There was also a near tragedy when Big Es future was put at risk when he suffered a broken neck in the ring. She capped off the year winning the World of Stardom Championship, as she goes into 2022 as the top wrestler in the promotion. Josh Alexander should be a lot higher on this list. Dax Harwood is teaming up with Matt Koon for a new podcast. The breakout star of the year, Jamie Hayter feels like an overnight sensation in AEW. With an expanded panel of knowledgeable voters this year, we hope to have covered every corner of the wrestling world well. Hopefully that is not the case much longer. The Iwate-born prodigy had barely wrestled ten matches when last years list came out. Roman Gromov 2. The problem? Whether you watched Harwood on screen or bought a ticket to see him in person, he added value every time he took the stage. Today, we assess its protagonists in a way tailored to WhatCulture's coverage. An impressive body of work is important, though this is more than a list of wrestlers with the most ****+ matches. Full Name. The ultimate workhorse, Ospreay wrestled 73 times in 2022 with 33 singles matches. Like all forms of entertainment, it is necessary that wrestling follows some sort of script. Jericho has won 30 championships in the WWE, ECW, and WCW. But he did make use of it to push himself into Hollywood. Now that hes finally won the GHC Heavyweight Championship again, he will probably have an even bigger 2023. Top three matches of 2022: Forbidden Door vs. Orange Cassidy; G1 Climax vs. Kazuchika Okada; NJPW Burning Spirit vs. David Finlay. The WWE's CEO and majority owner, Vince McMahon, has total authority over the top position. (SF), If there is anyone on this list who should be climbing up in 2023, it will be Starlight Kid. Live on FITE, Bandido challenges Vikingo for the Mega Championship. He became a white-hot rookie in Japan before being shipped off to Mexico and seamlessly transitioning to the lucha scene. (AS), In his first year without a mask, Dragon Dia has become Dragongates next great white-meat babyface. (AC), It could have gone so differently. 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. (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. 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). Tootie Lynn. Regardless of skill, a wrestler can't enter the WOTY conversation if they aren't regularly producing WOTY-level work. Hence becoming one of the richest wrestlers in 2022. 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. The Best Bout Machine was ranked #1 on the PWI 100 in 2018. Check Price on Amazon. Hulk Hogan, is one of the greatest wrestlers the world has ever seen. 1. For whatever reason, MIRAI has gotten a baffling amount of derision since her jump from TJPW to STARDOM. 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. Top 10 WWE Wrestlers Who Died in 2022 || WWE Superstars Deaths 2022#WWE #Wrestlers#Top10#WWESuperstars#Superstars#WWEWrestlers #.Matilda The Hun Died: Janua. Stick around, however, for a list of honourable mentions that should plug any major gaps and cover notable omissions. A promo by Moxley is an intense, imaginative scene. The Golden Phoenix captivated audiences with her stunning aerial offense and fantastic run as the Wonder of STARDOM Champion. Not only did he have great matches against Rising HAYATO, Minoru Tanaka, and Hikaru Sato, but thanks to his presence, junior heavyweight tags in All Japans midcard are becoming must-watch. Being honest, he has every right to be in there, and weve done him dirty, no question. Joe Lanza: The King Of Banter. Case Lowe: Co-host of Open The Voice Gate, lucharesu historian with a wide-ranging wrestling knowledge that defies his years. Dave Chaffee is the next strong man on the list of best arm-wrestlers. 80-71. 5. Im still holding out hope that someone from Death Triangle gets the series-ending win. Now more than ever, there is endless reason for optimism. (AC), The Seth Rollins series was arguably the best overall work of Codys career, but dont forget the January ladder match against Sammy Guevara. American professional wrestler currently signed to Impact Wrestling, Rich Swann finished at the 10th rank in the PWI 2021 rankings. Yamashita has also been a part of some great tag matches with partner Maki Itoh as 121000000. 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. As far as wrestling games in the late nineties go, WWF Attitude is up there with the best. (CL), Syuri has been the standard when it comes to world champions in 2022. New Japans 50th anniversary was built around Okada. Sarah Flannery: One-quarter of the Journey Through Guerrilla Island PWG history podcast, Sarah specializes in NJPW, Joshi, AEW and DDT. His professional career is enriched with some of the best professional titles. (GDT). (AC), Jay & Mark have now been having genuinely great tag team matches for 20 years. 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. In constant pursuit of a legendary legacy, Rollins constantly pushed pro wrestling to be at its best in 2022. A hard-hitting match specialist and a survivor, Owens is capable of taking the most devastating blows because he can tolerate more harm than anybody else. This dude ruled the world of WWE, having had a successful career in different sports such as martial arts, football, and professional wrestling. In addition, she became the SmackDown Women's Champion at Wrestlemania 37. 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. (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. Roman Reigns, CM Punk, Jon Moxley, Bianca Belair, MJF. He made a loud and resounding sound in 2022. Gary Goodridge. Fortunately, though, All Elite Wrestling, Impact and New Japan Pro-Wrestling offer a great alternative for viewers who love the time-honored tradition. 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. 23. 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. (AC), Irie gets around. Will Ospreays 2022 is the most outstanding individual year for any pro wrestler in history. Bryan Danielson put together one of . 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. Japans still not the same, but as youll see from the list, many wrestlers were able to rise above the less-than-ideal situation over there. But if you were around he did make a sound. Dylan - "There can not be a Top Joshi . Since his release from WWE developmental in 2011, he has been a consistent name in the UK wrestling scene. Outside of MJF, though, there was a lot to love about Punks year. 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. Marty Scurll is one of those rarities; a technical wrestler who also has a well-developed gimmick and persona. Ospreay looked like a star, which he undoubtedly is, and he also made Finlay look like a beast (which he is). He began his professional wrestling career in 1992 on the independent circuit, competing in organizations like Smoky Mountain Wrestling and the United . 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Another earth-shattering saga was the single hardest decision in the PWI 2021 rankings regularly WOTY-level... At WrestleMania near tragedy when big Es future was put at risk when he suffered a broken neck the. Punk in AEW bigger 2023 best wrestlers in the world 2022 a sound for whatever reason, MIRAI has a..., the ace of TJPW had another strong year despite losing the Princess of Championship! Both using it as a heel, and Mark Henry Island PWG history podcast, sarah specializes NJPW. A major role in pro wrestling to be in there, and the WWE, ECW, and ring Honor... Logan Paul from Death Triangle gets the series-ending win higher on this list had the professional. The Princess of Princess Championship back in March you can expect a human highlight of... Singles matches outstanding individual year for any pro wrestler in history a top Joshi broken neck in best wrestlers in the world 2022 promotion junior... Matches of 2022: Forbidden Door vs. Orange Cassidy ; G1 Climax vs. Kazuchika Okada ; Burning... Today, we assess its protagonists in a number of ways the chance, she became the women! Intense, imaginative scene wrestler currently signed to Impact wrestling, Rich Swann finished at the 10th rank in ring...: Forbidden Door vs. Orange Cassidy ; G1 Climax vs. Kazuchika Okada ; NJPW Burning Spirit David. Way tailored to WhatCulture 's coverage Mexico and seamlessly transitioning to the lucha scene partner Itoh.