There was also a near tragedy when Big Es future was put at risk when he suffered a broken neck in the ring. Imeda Chincharauli 4. Ospreay kicked off his year on January 5 with an incredible Tokyo Dome main event against Kazuchika Okada and rounded out his record-breaking 2022 on the last RevPro show of the year against Tomohiro Ishii. AEW Full Gear. 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. As the leader of Cosmic Angels, every member of that groupmost notably Natsupoi and Mina Shirakawahas improved dramatically with Nakano at the helm. Masha Slamovich. His piece in the trilogy against Mark and Jay Briscoe this year made ROH feel relevant again, and not merely an extension of AEW. (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. 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. Dwayne Johnson (The Rock) is the richest WWE wrestler in 2022, with an approximate net worth of $381 million. The best female arm wrestler in the world in 2022 was Barbora Bajciova. John Cena is the second on the list of the top 10 richest WWE Wrestlers in the whole world in 2022 with an average net worth of USD . 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. (AS), In his first year without a mask, Dragon Dia has become Dragongates next great white-meat babyface. 4. His wrestling is also a violently gripping display. Fenix continues to be one of the most underrated great wrestlers in the world. Randy Orton has won multiple championships, including the WWE Heavyweight Championship, World Championship, and the WWE United States Championship. Tag team of the year: The Usos - 50% The Usos established themselves as the best duo in all of wrestling in 2022. His time in AEW has elevated his profile and toolbox massively, proving he can deliver in long main event epics back home as a main eventer in DDT or in 10-minute edge-of-the-seat U.S. TV sprints. Being honest, he has every right to be in there, and weve done him dirty, no question. 12 / 20. Alexanders November match with Mike Bailey went nearly 60 minutes and was one of the best television matches of the year. . Sadly, he was pretty much on the shelf from June on, wrestling just eight total matches in the second half of the year. The problem? Vikingo transforms moves that people have already seen countless timeslike the 450and bestows a new, never-before-seen twist on them. Derailed by the pandemic, pro wrestling as a whole fully reconnected with live audiences in 2022. Her matches with Jordynne Grace this year were absurdly compelling, with both using it as a chance to show the world their talent. 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. His singles matches earlier in the year against Dax Harwood, Hangman Page, and Dustin Rhodes were high-level. All of that brings us to the years Top 10, a chance to highlight those whose work particularly resonated in 2022. Sitting next to his billionaire boss, CM Punk burned the entire world down. And it has brought a lot of great wrestling. The Most Compelling Voice In Wrestling Media. This dude ruled the world of WWE, having had a successful career in different sports such as martial arts, football, and professional wrestling. 8. After Punk was no longer part of AEW, Moxley won the belt back again, setting up MJF for his chance to be atop the company. He restored honor to a vacant world title on two separate occasions, beginning with a classic against Hiroshi Tanahashi at Forbidden Door in June. A Reasoned And Well Explained Man. 1. She delivered breathtaking moments at WrestleMania and SummerSlam against Lynch, and there was genuine uncertainty as to whether she was going over against Bliss at the end of Elimination Chamber. (RK), Vikingo became the AAA Mega Champion in 2021 because AAA had no real alternatives, and spent 2022 proving he was the best option. Jericho has won 30 championships in the WWE, ECW, and WCW. (CL). She also played an integral role in elevating Iyo Sky and Dakota Kai once they arrived on the main roster this summer, and she has endless chemistry with Bayley. 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. (IH). That star power placed him on this list. 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 always wrestles like Jon Moxley SHOULD wrestle, and thats a rare enough attribute these days. (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. 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. (CL), FTR Hair doesnt have the outstanding singles resume of his partner, but he deserves mention based on his tag work alone, as FTR was the runaway pick for tag team of the year. American professional wrestler, promoter, and actor Cody Rhodes has been ranked 11th in the PWI 2020 Top 500 professional wrestlers in the world. With 47 matches under his belt for AEW in 2022, Mox was one of the promotions hardest workers. On a roster where the margin for error is so slim, Diamante represents the perfection that Dragongate preaches to their talent. The Undertaker" Mark Calaway (Net worth: 15.5 Million Euros) View this post on Instagram. The one knock against Aoyagi is that the company seemed to have nothing for him during the second half of the year. 5. Together, they make magic. Roman Reigns, CM Punk, Jon Moxley, Bianca Belair, MJF who wins Wrestler of the Year? (GDT), One step forward, one step back for the breakout British star? Many fans predict that 2022 will become a breakout year for one of the best WWE wrestlers. 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. With an expanded panel of knowledgeable voters this year, we hope to have covered every corner of the wrestling world well. (GDT), Diamante is far more than a nice little wrestler. The best base in the world has transformed into an elite talent who Dragongate trusts with their greenest wrestlers. 22 of them have an 8+ rating and 10 have a 9+ rating. But if you were not aware of the backstage altercations, they didnt matter when Moxley was in the ring. Alexander is one of the best wrestlers in the world; people just need to pay attention. (GDT). Top three matches of 2022: Revolution vs. Bryan Danielson; Forbidden Door vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi; Full Gear vs. CM Punk. 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. "The Queen" is considered one of the best pro wrestlers in WWE today. Moxley became synonymous with AEW in 2022, even more impressive when considering all he accomplished previously in WWE. But without looking too far ahead, it will be fun to see Cena back in a WWE ring. Its up for debate but one thing that isnt is that Kamitani belongs on this list and your watchlist heading into 2023. In addition to that sublime set of matches, his promos and evolved character work brought him to a whole new level of greatness. (AC). Nonetheless, I cannot envision a scenario where Nakamura does not walk away victorious. He became world champion on two separate occasions, yet never once defended the title. (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. 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. 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. (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. He has harnessed his gift at cutting promos, and he is currently one of the best in the world at the craft. Putting Roman Reigns fourth on this list, especially ahead of Will Ospreay, was the single hardest decision in the top 10. who wins Wrestler of the Year? For whatever reason, MIRAI has gotten a baffling amount of derision since her jump from TJPW to STARDOM. 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. A natural in every aspect of being a pro wrestler, Hayters performances won her a groundswell of support from fans this year. 10. Brock Lesnar. More than that, Ospreay accomplished this against a variety of opponents spread across several companies and countries. She also kicked off 2022 with a killer 30-minute draw against Mayu Iwatani and her first title challenge against Syuri. Leave your outdated and ignorant criticisms of his working style at the door. But if you were around he did make a sound. No world champion was able to touch her greatness this year. Your session has expired. She works best as a heel, and when she is motivated, you can expect a human highlight reel of moves. Top three matches of 2022: ROH Supercard of Honor vs. Also heard and read on FlagshipPatreon.com. Name. She came first in the 90+kg women left senior women category beating Antonina of Kazakhstan, Merve of Turkiye and Zanna Cingule of Latvia. Hunter Noffz 8. By the end of 2022, he had lapped them and was on the path to possibly becoming an actual junior heavcyweight draw for All Japan. And without a doubt, the undisputed best wrestler of 2022 has to go to Seth 'Freakin' Rollins. 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. As high-end as her big match performances were throughout the year, AZM separated herself from the pack with consistent high level performance on smaller shows throughout Japan as part of STARDOMs ambitious touring schedule. Also, Dwayne Johnson is an actor who is ranked by Forbes in the list of the highest-paid actors in 2022. Sarah Flannery: One-quarter of the Journey Through Guerrilla Island PWG history podcast, Sarah specializes in NJPW, Joshi, AEW and DDT. A post shared by Undertaker (@undertaker) (AC), Last year as Dragongates top champion, Shun Skywalker finished 11 in our poll. 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. 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. Kevin Owens. by Andy H Murray. Be sure to watch her matches against ASUKA and her tag team with Yuu, Team 200KG. For the first time in over a year, John Cena makes his in-ring return for WWE this Friday on SmackDown. 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. Yet Belair made it feel special whenever she took the microphone or stepped into the ring. In fact, you can even make an argument that he was the best technical wrestler in the world in 2022. That is precisely what happened with Hayter, who transformed from Britt Bakers silent muscle to an entirely different place on the card, culminating in her win against Toni Storm last month that kickstarted her first-ever run with the title. Dia is everything a babyface should be. Knows the Japanese scene inside out. Was consistently the best in-ring amongst AEWs Womens division, and for all the talk of others having the star power its Hayter who truly comes across like a star in an organic and meaningful way. (SE), Quite possibly the most confident and self-assured wrestler in the world, and with good reason. Their tag title win against ASUKA and MAO is worth the watch. He is also the reigning AEW TNT Champion. He should win the Triple Crown in 2023. 18. Top 10 Greatest Wrestlers in History - Best Wrestlers of all time include the most popular WWE superstars in the history of the sports. Check Price on Amazon. A natural pro wrestler who has taken what could have been a career-killer gimmick and made it special. But it took a lot of toil, tears, and blood for her to reach this point, where she is seizing peoples attention on a weekly basis as AEW womens champion. Two separate occasions, yet never once defended the title top three matches the! Have been a career-killer gimmick and made it special to touch her greatness year. World their talent history - best wrestlers in the world has transformed into an elite talent who Dragongate with! 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