The 1992 Wrestler of The Year List
To put together my top 100 list of the greatest wrestlers ever, I am going through each year and putting together a list for that particular year. Previously, on the podcast “Maybe Not Taue,” I compiled a list for 1985, 1990, 1997, & 2021. You can listen to those here. 1983, 1989, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2001, 2004, 2010, 2015, 2019, 2022, and 2023 are on the blog.
1992
It’s been a great year for pro wrestling, and the top-end talent really cemented themselves. However, I had a hard time ranking the first two-thirds of the list. There were a lot of really good wrestlers all vying for the same positions. I tried my best!
Notes
All of the below stats are from Cagematch. Yes, they are not perfect.
The recommended matches are not a definitive list. It’s a list of cool matches I watched for this process or were on my spreadsheet beforehand!
Honourable Mentions
- Bam Bam Bigelow
- Larry Zbyszko
- Mitsuharu Misawa
- Sakie Hasegawa
- Suzuka Minami
The List
#25
El Dandy
Previous Ranking: 1990 (2nd) & 1996 (14th)
Years Unranked: 1983, 1985, 1989, 1993, 1994, 1995, 2001, 2004, & 2010
Matches: 58
Places Worked: WCW, SWS, UWA, WWA, & AAA
Titles Won: CMLL World Middleweight Championship (twice)
Tournaments: CMLL World Middleweight Title Tournament (winner)
Recommended Matches:
- w/ Goro Tsurumi vs Naoki Sano & Ultimo Dragon, SWS, March 18
- vs Negro Casas, CMLL, July 3
- vs El Satanico, CMLL, September 18
#24
Barry Windham
Previous Ranking: none
Years Unranked: 1983, 1985, 1989, 1990, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1997, & 2001
Matches: 201
Places Worked: WCW & NJPW
Titles Won: WCW World Television Championship & NWA/WCW World Unified Tag Team Championship w/ Dustin Rhodes (twice)
Tournaments: NWA World Tag Team Title Tournament w/ Dustin Rhodes (finals), G1 Cliamx, & WCW King of Cable Tournament
Recommended Matches:
- w/ Dustin Rhodes & Ron Simmons vs Arn Anderson, Bobby Eaton, & Larry Zybyszko, WCW, January 21
- w/ Sting’s Squadron vs The Dangerous Alliance, WCW, May 17 (#4 MOTY)
- w/ Dustin Rhodes vs Larry Zybszko & Steve Austin, WCW, February 29
#23
Takako Inoue
Previous Ranking: 1993 (19th) & 1996 (19th)
Honourable Mentions: 1994, 1995, & 2004
Years Unranked: 1997, 2004, 2010, 2015, & 2019
Places Worked: AJW & UWF
Titles Won: Japanese Tag Team Championship w/ Mariko Yoshida
Tournaments: AJW Japan Grand Prix & AJW Tag League The Best w/ Terri Powers
Recommended Matches:
- w/ Kyoko Inoue vs Akira Hokuto & Bull Nakano, AJW, June 21
- vs Aja Kong, AJW, August 9
- vs Akira Hokuto, AJW, December 13
#22
Akira Taue
Previous Ranking: 1990 (15th), 1993 (24th), 1995 (1st), & 1996 (3rd)
Honourable Mentions: 1994, 2001, & 2004
Years Unranked: 1985, 1997, & 2010
Matches: 149
Places Worked: AJPW
Titles Won: AJPW World Tag Team Championship w/ Jumbo Tsuruta
Tournaments: Champion Carnival & AJPW Real World Tag League w/ Jun Akiyama (finals)
Akira Taue continued to emerge in AJPW, teaming with Jumbo Tsuruta and being a rock on that cool tag team. The few big singles opportunities he got, he really delivered, especially the Stan Hansen title match where he looked not only like he belonged with Hansen but was just as big of a menace as him.
Recommended Matches:
- w/ Jumbo Tsuruta vs Kenta Kobashi & Tsuyoshi Kikuchi, AJWP, January 26
- w/ Jumbo Tsuruta & Masa Saito vs Kenta Kobashi, Mitsuharu Misawa, & Toshiaki Kawada, AJPW, May 22
- vs Stan Hansen, AJPW, July 31
#21
Yumiko Hotta
Previous Ranking: 1993 (39th) & 1995 (24th)
Years Unranked: 1990, 1994, 1996, 1997, 2001, 2004, 2010, 2015, 2019, 2021, & 2022
Places Worked: AJW & CMLL
Tournaments: AJW Japan Grand Prix & AJW Tag League The Best w/ Suzuka Minami
Recommended Matches:
- vs Bull Nakano, September 11
- w/ Suzuka Minami vs Manami Toyota & Toshiyo Yamada, AJW, October 17
- w/ Takako Inoue vs Hikari Fukuoaka & Mayumi Ozaki, JWP, December 1
#20
Negro Casas
Previous Ranking: 1990 (23rd), 1994 (21st), 1996 (11th), 1997 (18th), & 2001 (14th)
Honourable Mentions: 1993 & 1995
Years Unranked: 1983, 2004, 2010, 2015, 2019, 2021, 2022, & 2023
Matches: 103
Places Worked: CMLL, UWA, NJPW, WWA, WAR, FMW, WWF, & AAA
Tournaments: NJPW Top of The Super Junior III & CMLL World Middleweight Title Tournament (finals)
Recommended Matches:
- w/ Horace Boulder & Tim Patterson vs Atsushi Onita, El Hijo del Santo, & Tarzan Goto, FMW, May 16 (#10 MOTY)
- vs El Dandy, CMLL, July 3
- vs Ultimo Dragon, WAR, September 15
#19
Kenta Kobashi
Previous Ranking: 1993 (11th), 1994 (19th), 1995 (6th), 1996 (18th), 1997 (15th), & 2004 (8th)
Years Unranked: 1989, 1990, & 2001
Matches: 156
Places Worked: AJPW
Titles Won: All Asian Tag Team Championship w/ Tsuyoshi Kikuchi
Tournaments: Championship Carnival & AJPW Real World Tag League w/ Giant Baba
Recommended Matches:
- w/ Tsuyoshi Kikuchi vs Akira Taue & Jumbo Tsuruta, AJPW, January 26
- w/ Tsuyoshi Kikuchi vs Danny Kroffat & Doug Furnas, AJPW, May 25 (#2 MOTY)
- w/ Tsuyoshi Kikuchi vs Masa Fuchi & Yoshinari Ogawa, AJPW, July 5
#18
Toshiyo Yamada
Previous Ranking: 1993 (35th)
Years Unranked: 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 2001, & 2004
Places Worked: AJW, CMLL, W*ING, & UWF
Titles Won: UWA World Women’s Tag Team Championship w/ Manami Toyota & WWWA Tag Team Championship w/ Manami Toyota
Tournaments: AJW Japan Grand Prix & AJW Tag League The Best w/ Manami Toyota (finals)
Toshiyo Yamada is such an interesting wrestler. She’s clearly trying to fit the Crush Gals mold that was previously set as the standard for AJW superstars, but she isn’t at that level. To this point, she was the best wrestler ever at reigning Toyota in and she really added to all those classic tag matches, definitely a big part of those. However, this was probably her peak, as she was shuffled away from being featured and really blended in with the undercard. Her kicks and offense were unreal!
Recommended Matches:
- w/ Akira Hokuto vs Aja Kong & Bull Nakano, AJW, August 15
- vs Aja Kong, AJW, August 30
- w/ Manami Toyota vs Dynamite Kansai & Mayumi Ozaki, AJW, November 26 (#1 MOTY)
#17
“The Natural” Dustin Rhodes
Previous Ranking: 1993 (33nd) & 1994 (2nd)
Years Unranked: 1989, 1990, 1995, 1996, 1997, 2001, 2004, 2010, 2015, 2021, & 2023
Matches: 245
Places Worked: WCW & NJPW
Titles Won: NWA/WCW Unified Tag Team Championship w/ Barry Windham (twice)
Tournaments: WCW Nintendo Top Ten Challenge Tournament, NWA World Tag Team Title Tournament w/ Barry Windham (finals), WCW King of Cable Tournament
Recommended Matches:
- w/ Barry Windham vs Larry Zbsyzko & Steve Austin, WCW, February 29
- vs Rick Rude, WCW, May 1
- w/ Sting’s Squadron vs The Dangerous Alliance, WCW, May 17 (#4 MOTY)
#16
Scott “Flash” Norton
Previous Ranking: 1995 (14th), 1996 (22nd), 1996 (25th), & 2001 (16th)
Honourable Mentions: 1993 & 1994
Years Unranked: 1989, 1990, & 2004
Matches: 97
Places Worked: NJPW
Titles Won: IWGP Tag Team Championship w/ Tony Halme
Tournaments: G1 Climax & NJPW Super Grade Tag League II w/ Super Strong Machine
Recommended Matches:
- w/ Brad Armstrong vs Hiroshi Hase & Keiji Muto, NJPW, February 10
- w/ Masa Saito vs Bam Bam Bigelow & Big Van Vader, NJPW, July 8
- vs Bam Bam Bigelow, NJPW, August 6
#15
Dynamite Kansai
Previous Ranking: 1993 (5th), 1994 (11th), 1995 (2nd), & 1996 (24th)
Honourable Mentions: 2001
Years Unranked: 1996, 2004, 2010, & 2015
Places Worked: JWP & AJW
Titles Won: JWP Openweight Championship
Recommended Matches:
- w/ Hikari Hukuoka vs Cutie Suzuki & Mayumi Ozaki, JWP, April 3
- w/ Cutie Suzuki vs Devil Masami & Mayumi Ozaki, JWP, August 16
- w/ Mayumi Ozaki vs Manami Toyota & Toshiyo Yamada, AJW, November 26 (#1 MOTY)
#14
Genichiro Tenryu
Previous Ranking: 1989 (1st), 1993 (10th), 1994 (4th), 1996 (4th), 2001 (12th), & 2004 (3rd)
Years Unranked: 1983, 1985, 1990, 1995, 1997, 2010, & 2015
Matches: 40
Places Worked: SWS, WAR, NJPW, & WWF
Tournaments: SWS Tag Team Title Tournament w/ Ashura Hara (finals)
1992 was an interesting year for Tenryu. He started the year with SWS as they died off before launching WAR. The year ended with the start of the tremendous NJPW vs WAR feud. Tenryu was unreal in all of this but was lacking in a lot of footage availability. Still, it’s Tenryu, and he was great in the flashes we got!
Recommended Matches:
- w/ Masao Orihara vs The Great Kabuki & Tatsumi Kitahara, WAR, July 14
- w/ Koki Kitihara vs Kengo Kimura & Shiro Koshinaka, WAR, October 23
#13
Mayumi Ozaki
Previous Ranking: 1993 (12th), 1994 (25th), 1995 (9th), & 2001 (6th)
Honourable Mentions: 1996
Years Unranked: 1997, 2004, 2010, 2015, 2019, 2021, 2022, & 2023
Places Worked: JWP, AJW, & Seishin Kaikan THE KENKA
Titles Won: JWP Tag Team Championship w/ Cutie Suzuki
Recommended Matches:
- w/ Devil Masami vs Cutie Suzuki & Dynamite Kansai, JWP, August 16
- w/ Dynamite Kansai vs Manami Toyota & Toshiyo Yamada, AJW, November 26 (#1 MOTY)
- w/ Hikari Fukuoka vs Takako Inoue & Yumiko Hotta, JWP, December 1
#12
Manami Toyota
Previous Ranking: 1990 (8th), 1993 (13th), 1994 (6th), 1995 (3rd), 1996 (20th), & 1997 (3rd)
Years Unranked: 1989, 2001, 2004, 2010, & 2015
Places Worked: AJW, CMLL, W*ING, & UWF
Titles Won: UWA World Women’s Tag Team Championship w/ Toshiyo Yamada, WWWA Tag Team Championship w/ Toshiyo Yamada, & IWA World Championship
Tournaments: AJW Japan Grand Prix (finals) & AJW Tag League The Best w/ Toshiyo Yamada (finals)
Recommended Matches:
- w/ Toshiyo Yamada vs Aja Kong & Bison Kimura, AJW, March 20
- w/ Toshiyo Yamada vs Aja Kong & Kyoko Inoue, AJW, July 15
- w/ Toshiyo Yamada vs Dynamite Kansai & Mayumi Ozaki, AJW, November 26 (#1 MOTY)
#11
Ricky “The Dragon” Steamboat
Previous Ranking: 1985 (17th) & 1989 (3rd)
Years Unranked: 1983, 1990, 1993, & 1994
Matches: 218
Places Worked: WCW
Titles Won: WCW World Television Championship & NWA/WCW Unified World Tag Team Championship w/ Shane Douglas (twice)
Tournaments: WCW Nintendo Top Ten Challenge Tournament (finals) & NWA World Tag Team Title Tournament w/ Nikita Koloff
Recommended Matches:
- w/ Sting vs Rick Rude & Steve Austin, WCW, January 21
- w/ Sting’s Squadron vs The Dangerous Alliance, WCW, May 17 (#4 MOTY)
- vs Rick Rude, WCW, June 20
#10
Keiji Muto
aka The Great Muta
Previous Ranking: 1989 (22nd)
Honourable Mentions: 1996
Years Unranked: 1985, 1990, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1997, 2001, 2010, 2015, 2019, 202, & 2022
Matches: 153
Places Worked: NJPW & WCW
Titles Won: IWGP Heavyweight Championship
Tournaments: G1 Climax, NJPW Suger Grade Tag League II w/ Bam Bam Bigelow
Muto had an interesting 1992. The first half of the year was focused on the great tag team in Hiroshi Hase. They were legit great. In the latter half, he donned his Great Muta gimmick and took the IWGP Title. His few WCW appearances were not that great, which kept him lower in the top 10.
Recommended Matches:
- w/ Hiroshi Hase vs Brad Amstrong & Scott Norton, NJPW, February 10
- w/ Hiroshi Hase vs Bam Bam Bigelow & Big Van Vader, NJPW, May 1
- vs Masahiro Chono, NJPW, August 10
- vs Hiroshi Hase, NJPW, December 14
#9
Bret “Hitman” Hart
Previous Ranking: 1985 (23rd), 1989 (11th), 1990 (18th), 1993 (9th), 1994 (1st), 1995 (4th), & 1997 (1st)
Years Unranked: 1983, 1996, & 2010
Matches: 210
Places Worked: WWF
Titles Won: WWF Intercontinental Championship & WWF World Heavyweight Championship
Recommended Matches:
- vs Roddy Piper, WWF, April 5
- vs The British Bulldog, WWF, August 29
- vs Shawn Michaels, WWF, November 25
#8
“Macho Man” Randy Savage
Previous Ranking: 1985 (18th), 1989 (5th), & 1990 (10th)
Honourable Mentions: 1995
Years Unranked: 1983, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, & 1997
Matches: 164
Places Worked: WWF
Titles Won: WWF World Heavyweight Championship
Tournaments: WWF Royal Rumble
The Macho Man had an amazing 1992, coming back from being a heel for so long and moving back up the card to the WWF World Title. This was the height of his character work, as shown in the Roberts feud and the WrestleMania feud. Afterward, he became an amazing Champion and oh-so-good when given a chance to show it inside the WWF system.
Recommended Matches:
- vs Jake Roberts, WWF, January 27
- vs Shawn Michaels, WWF, April 19
- vs Ultimate Warrior, WWF, August 29
#7
Kyoko Inoue
Previous Ranking: 1993 (3rd), 1994 (15th), 1995 (5th), 1996 (7th), 1997 (7th), 2001 (24th), & 2004 (20th)
Years Unranked: 2010, 2015, 2019, 2021, 2022, & 2023
Places Worked: AJW, W*ING, & CMLL
Titles Won: All Pacific Championship
Tournaments: AJW Japan Grand Prix & AJW Tag League The Best w/ Aja Kong (winner)
Recommended Matches:
- w/ Takako Inoue vs Akira Hokuto & Bull Nakano, AJW, June 21
- w/ Aja Kong vs Manami Toyota & Toshiyo Yamada, AJW, July 15
- w/ Aja Kong vs Debbie Malenko & Sakie Hasegawa, AJW, October 17
- vs Akira Hokuto, AJW, November 26 (#6 MOTY)
#6
Sting
Previous Ranking: 1989 (24th) & 1993 (34th)
Years Unranked: 1990, 1994, 1995,1996, & 2023
Matches: 193
Places Worked: WCW & NJPW
Titles Won: WCW World Heavyweight Championship
Tournaments: WCW King of Cable Tournament (winner)
Recommended Matches:
- w/ Sting’s Squadron vs The Dangerous Alliance, WCW, May 17 (#4 MOTY)
- vs Cactus Jack, WCW, June 20
- vs Big Van Vader, WCW, July 12
- vs Big Van Vader, WCW, December 28 (#9 MOTY)
#5
Aja Kong
Previous Ranking: 1990 (6th), 1993 (8th), 1994 (3rd), 1995 (7th), 1996 (9th), 1997 (5th), & 2001 (10th)
Honourable Mentions: 2004
Years Unranked: 2004, 2010, 2015, 2019, & 2023
Places Worked: AJW, CMLL, & W*ING
Titles Won: WWWA Tag Team Championship w/ Bison Kimura & WWWA World Championship
Tournaments: AJW Japan Grand Prix (winner) & AJW Tag League The Best w/ Kyoko Inoue (winner)
After years of trying, 1992 was the year Kong became the Champion and ace of AJW. Her chasing and alliance with Nakano was perfect pro-wrestling. Her destructive matches against others were all delights, too. You can’t go wrong with Kong in 1992.
Recommended Matches:
- vs Bull Nakano, AJW, April 25 (#7 MOTY)
- w/ Bull Nakano vs Akira Hokuto & Toshiyo Yamada, AJW, August 15
- vs Toshiyo Yamada, AJW, August 30
- vs Bull Nakano, AJW, November 26 (#3 MOTY)
#4
Big Van Vader
Previous Ranking: 1989 (19th), 1993 (4th), & 1994 (17th)
Years Unranked: 1985, 1990, 1995, 1996, 1997, & 2001
Matches: 159
Places Worked: WCW & NJPW
Titles Won: IWGP Tag Team Championship w/ Bam Bam Bigelow & WCW World Heavyweight Championship
Tournaments: WCW Nintendo Top Ten Challenge WCW King of Cable Tournament (finals)
Not only was he the dominant monster champion in WCW, but he was also part of a dominant monster tag team in NJPW. The Sting series is undeniable, but that is only a small part of his resume in 1992.
Recommended Matches:
- w/ Bam Bam Bigelow vs Hiroshi Hase & Keiji Muto, NJPW, May 1
- w/ Bam Bam Bigelow vs Masa Saito & Scott Norton, NJPW, July 8
- vs Sting, WCW, July 12
- vs Sting, WCW, December 28 (#9 MOTY)
#3
“Ravishing” Rick Rude
Previous Ranking: 1989 (13th)
Years Unranked: 1983, 1985, 1990, 1993, & 1994
Matches: 226
Places Worked: WCW & NJPW
Tournaments: WCW Nintendo Top Ten Challenge Tournament (winner), NWA World Tag Team Title Tournament w/ Steve Austin, G1 Climax (finals), & WCW King of Cable
The greatest year of Rick Rude’s career. He has such an amazing heel and seemed to put all of his potential together into his role as the top shithead in WCW. Whether he was in a heated feud with Steamboat, facing youngsters like Rhodes, or going to Japan and having classics in the G1, Rude did it all in 1992.
Recommended Matches:
- w/ Steve Austin vs Ricky Steamboat & Sting, WCW, January 21
- w/ The Dangerous Alliance vs Sting’s Squadron, WCW, May 17 (#4 MOTY)
- vs Dustin Rhodes, WCW, May 30
- vs Ricky Steamboat, WCW, June 20
- vs Masahiro Chono, NJPW, August 12 (#8 MOTY)
#2
“The Dangerous Queen” Akira Hokuto
Previous Ranking: 1989 (14th), 1990 (4th), 1993 (1st), 1994 (9th), 1995 (15th), 1997 (24th), & 2001 (9th)
Years Unranked: 1996
Places Worked: AJW, CMLL, W*ING, & FMW
Titles Won: All Pacific Championship
Tournaments: AJW Japan Grand Prix
The greatest wrestler ever had another great year has she became more and more of The Dangerous Queen. She was one of the best brawlers and one of the best technical wrestlers of the year. She can do anything and had some great matches to back it up. Her simmering underneath the main event as a force had everyone of her matches feel special.
Recommended Matches:
- vs Bull Nakano, AJW, July 30 (#5 MOTY)
- w/ Toshiyo Yamada vs Aja Kong & Bull Nakano, AJW, August 15
- vs Suzuka Minami, AJW, September 15
- w/ Bull Nakano vs Combat Toyoda & Megumi Kudo, FMW, September 19
- vs Kyoko Inoue, AJW, November 26 (#6 MOTY)
#1 “Wrestler of the Year”
Bull Nakano
Previous Ranking: 1985 (14th), 1989 (16th), 1990 (1st), 1993 (7th), 1994 (8th), & 1995 (23rd)
Years Unranked: none
Places Worked: AJW, CMLL, & FMW
Titles Won: CMLL World Women’s Championship
Tournaments: CMLL World Women’s Title Tournament
The final year of Nakano’s WWWA title reign was another of her great years. She was able to show the wear and tear of the defenses as the year went along. You can see her go from dominant champion to vulnerable champion throughout 1992, dating back to 1991. She had three matches in the top 10 of the year, so the high end was there as well.
Recommended Matches:
- vs Aja Kong, AJW, April 25 (#7 MOTY)
- w/ Akira Hokuto vs Kyoko Inoue & Takako Inoue, AJW, June 21
- vs Akira Hokuto, AJW, July 30 (#5 MOTY)
- w/ Akira Hokuto vs Combot Toyoda & Megumi Kudo, FMW, September 19
- vs Aja Kong, AJW, November 26 (#3 MOTY)
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The 1996 Wrestler of The Year List
To put together my top 100 list of the greatest wrestlers ever, I am going through each year and putting together a list for that particular year. Previously, on the podcast “Maybe Not Taue,” I compiled a list for 1985, 1990, 1997, & 2021. You can listen to those here. 1983, 1989, 1993, 1994, 1995, 2001, 2004, 2010, 2015, 2019, 2022, and 2023 are on the blog.
1996
If you read my Match of the Year List for 1996, you know how high I was on the matches for this year, but weirdly, the Wrestler of the Year list is much harder! No clear-cut winners and lots of options! Here is what I settled on.
The List
All of the below stats are from Cagematch. Yes, they are not perfect.
The recommended matches are not a definitive list. It’s a list of matches I have watched for this process, plus matches on my spreadsheet from before. Each wrestler probably had more matches I could recommend, but I limited it to keep this cleaner.
The matches listed are all 7/10 or higher; if they are bolded, they are 8/10 or higher.
Honourable Mentions
- The Great Muta
- Jaguar Yokota
- Mayumi Ozaki
- Mitsuharu Misawa
- Psychosis
- El Hijo del Santo
- Terry Funk
- Ultimo Dragon
The List
#25
Owen Hart
Previous Ranking: 1994 (13th) & 1997 (8th)
Years Unranked: 1989, 1990, 1993, & 1995
Matches: 177
Places Worked: WWF, TWWF, & USWA
Titles Won: WWF World Tag Team Championship w/ The British Bulldog
Tournaments: WWF Royal Rumble, WWF World Tag Team Title Tournament w/ The British Bulldog, WWF Kuwait Cup, WWF King of the Ring, WWF Intercontinental Title Tournament, & WWF Middle East Cup
Kind of an under the radar great year for Owen. Sure, he had a PPV match with Michaels, which was so fun, but the rest was squarely playing the role of being the workhouse of big tag matches and working underneath matches. Luckily, he excels in that.
Recommended Matches:
- vs Shawn Michaels, WWF, February 18
- w/ The British Bulldog & Vader vs Ahmed Johnson, Shawn Michaels, & Sycho Sid, WWF, July 21
- vs Savio Vega, WWF, August 18
#24
Dynamite Kansai
Previous Ranking: 1993 (5th), 1994 (11th), & 1995 (2nd)
Honourable Mentions: 2001
Years Unranked: 1997, 2010, 2015, & 2019
Matches: 37
Places Worked: JWP, AJW, GAEA, & Rikidozan Memorial
Titles Won: JWP Tag Team Championship w/ Cutie Suzuki
Few wrestlers are more fun to watch than Kansai. She’s so serious and has such badass offense, yet she has a very fun and colorful outfit. Being stuck with JWP booking doesn’t help anyone, but she is great enough to overcome that and stand out.
Recommended Matches:
- vs Mayumi Ozaki, JWP, August 10
- w/ Aja Kong vs Devil Masami & Kyoko Inoue, JWP, October 13
- w/ Cutie Suzuki vs Devil Masami & Hikaru Fukuoka, JWP, November 26
#23
“Lord” Steven Regal
Previous Ranking: 1993 (37th) & 1994 (23rd)
Years Unranked: 1995, 1997, 2001, 2004, & 2010
Matches: 76
Places Worked: WCW, NJPW, ASW, & CWA
Titles Won: WCW World Television Championship
Tournaments: WCW Lord of the Ring, NJPW Japan/US All-Star Tournament, NJPW Super Grade Tag League VI w/ David Taylor, WCW World War 3, & WCW United States Title Tournament
Regal focussed most of the year on the WCW TV Championship and his amazing feud with Finlay. That Finlay feud is probably enough to get anyone onto the list.
Recommended Matches:
- vs Fint Finlay, WCW, March 24
- vs Fit Finlay, WCW, April 27
- vs Lex Luger, WCW, August 20
#22
Scott “Flash” Norton
Previous Ranking: 1995 (14th), 1997 (25th), & 2001 (16th)
Honourable Mentions: 1993 & 1994
Years Unranked: 1989, 1990, & 2010
Matches: 80
Places Worked: WCW & NJPW
Tournaments: NJPW One Night Tag Team Tournament w/ Hugh Morrus, WCW Lord of the Ring, NJPW Japan/US All-Star Tournament, NJPW Super Grade Tag League VI w/ Shinya Hashimoto (winner), & WCW World War 3
Scott Norton has become the person I have been most impressed with coming out of this round of GWE. He is my favourite big man worker, maybe ever. He has the perfect aura and knows the perfect amount to sell. Not too much, so he doesn’t feel like a monster, but enough to get his opponent over. Plus, he carried Ice Train around to good stuff.
Recommended Matches:
- w/ The Steiner Brothers vs Power Warrior & The Road Warriors, NJPW, April 29
- w/ Ice Train vs The Steiner Brothers, WCW, June 16
- vs Lex Luger, WCW, November 11
#21
Devil Masami
Previous Ranking: 1983 (9th), 1985 (6th), 1993 (20th), & 1995 (18th)
Years Unranked: 1994, 1997, 2001, & 2004
Matches: 34
Places Worked: JWP, GAEA, & AJW
Titles Won: JWP Tag Team Championship w/ Hikari Fukuoka
The legendary Masami continues to be great in 1996, mostly being the stand out in tag matches. She has an elite ability to make everything entertaining.
Recommended Matches:
- w/ Kyoko Inoue vs Aja Kong & Dynamite Kansai, JWP, October 13
- vs Chigusa Nagayo, GAEA, November 2
- w/ Hikaru Fukuoka vs Cutie Suzuki & Dynamite Kansai, JWP, November 26
#20
Manami Toyota
Previous Ranking: 1990 (8th), 1993 (13th), 1994 (6th), 1995 (3rd), & 1997 (3rd)
Years Unranked: 1989, 2001, 2004, 2010, & 2015
Matches: 253
Places Worked: AJW & JWP
Titles Won: WWWA Tag Team Championship w/ Mima Shimoda
Tournaments: AJW JAL Scramble Cup Okinawa Tag Tournament w/ Mariko Yoshida (winner), AJW 2nd Grand North Six Woman Tag League w/ Kaoru Ito and Mariko Yoshida, & AJW Tag League The Best w/ Rie Tamada (winner)
Just as I thought Toyota had turned the tables and left all her silliness behind, here comes 1996 Toyota, who let a lot of her bad habits return. Sure, her spots are elite, and her work rate is unreal, but I don’t know if you can tell watching her in 1996 if she knows how to put together a match.
Recommended Matches:
- w/ Kaoru Ito vs Double Inoue, AJW, January 3
- vs Kyoko Inoue, AJW, March 31
- vs Aja Kong, AJW, October 6
#19
Takako Inoue
Previous Ranking: 1993 (19th)
Honourable Mentions: 1994, 1995, & 2004
Years Unranked: 1997, 2001, 2010, 2015, & 2019
Matches: 249
Places Worked: AJW & JWP
Titles Won: WWWA Tag Team Championship w/ Kyoko Inoue & AJW All-Pacific Championship
Tournaments: AJW JAL Scramble Cup Okinawa Tag Tournament w/ Mima Shimoda, AJW 2nd Grand North Six Woman Tag League w/ Yumi Fukawa and Yumiko Hotta, AJW Japan Grand Prix, & AJW Tag League The Best w/ Yumi Fukawa
Inoue is one of my favourite wrestlers, and in 1996, she got to shine, not only with Double Inoue, but also with one of the most hidden gem matches ever with her and Mariko Yoshida. I love her just choke slamming people and other cool offense like the flying knee to the back of the head.
Recommended Matches:
- w/ Kyoko Inoue vs Akira Hokuto & Mima Shimoda, AJW, January 22
- vs Hiromi Yagi, JWP, July 7
- vs Mariko Yoshida, AJW, October 6
#18
Kenta Kobashi
Previous Ranking: 1993 (11th), 1994 (19th), 1995 (6th), 1997 (15th), & 2004 (8th)
Years Unranked: 1989, 1990, & 2001
Matches: 131
Places Worked: AJPW
Titles Won: Triple Crown Championship
Tournaments: AJPW Championship Carnival & AJPW Real World Tag League w/ The Patriot
When you think about 90s wrestling, most people automatically think of the four pillars. Kobashi was the second best pillar of 1996. He suffered from switching from teaming with Misawa to teaming with The Patriot, but he made up for it by winning the Triple Crown for the first time!
Recommended Matches:
- vs Akira Taue, AJPW, July 24
- vs Stan Hansen, AJPW, September 5
- vs Toshiaki Kawada, AJPW, October 18
#17
Dick Togo
(aka SATO)
Previous Ranking: none
Years Unranked: 1993, 1994, 1995, 1997, 2001, 2004, 2010, 2019, 2021, 2022, & 2023
Matches: 143
Places Worked: Michinoku Pro, ASW, Inoki Festival in Yojogi, NJPW, & WAR
Titles Won: MPW British Commonwealth Junior Heavyweight Championship
Tournaments: Michinoku Futaritabi w/ MEN’S Teioh (winner)
Being the heavy in one of the greatest stables ever and having that awesome of a senton bomb will make you automatically ranked high. The Liger match really showed his full potential, which is as high as anyone’s.
Recommended Matches:
- vs Jushin Liger, NJPW, June 17 (#7 MOTY)
- w/ Kaientai Deluxe vs Gran Naniwa, Masato Yakushiji, Super Delfin, & Tiger Mask IV, M-Pro, October 10 (#6 MOTY)
- w/ Kaientai Deluxe vs Gran Hamada, Gran Naniwa, The Great Sasuke, Masato Yakushiji, & Super Delfin, M-Pro, December 16
#16
Chigusa Nagayo
(aka Zero)
Previous Ranking: 1983 (16th), 1985 (1st), 1989 (15th), 1994 (22nd), 1995 (10th), & 2001 (15th)
Years Unranked: 1997, 2004, & 2019
Matches: 32
Places Worked: GAEA, FMW, LLPW, JWP, WCW, AJW, & Rikidozan Memorial
Titles Won: AAAW Heavyweight Championship
Tournaments: GAEA Tag Team Tournament w/ Makie Numao, & WCW World Women’s Title Tournament
The legendary Nagayo continues to pull out amazing years after her comeback. Whether she was in the ring with a bunch of rookies or facing off against other legends, Nagayo was impressive. Plus she did a fun WCW gimmick!
Recommended Matches:
- w/ Bomber Hikari & Sonoko Kato vs Eagle Sawai, Jenn Yukari, & Michiko Nagashima, GAEA, February 16
- w/ Bomber Hikari & Sonoko Kato vs Eagle Sawai, Jenn Yukari, & Michiko Nagashima, LLPW, March 12
- vs Sonoko Kato, GAEA, November 16
#15
Mankind
(aka Cactus Jack)
Previous Ranking: 1995 (22nd)
Honourable Mentions: 1994
Years Unranked: 1989, 1990, 1993, & 1997
Matches: 163
Places Worked: WWF, IWA Japan, ECW, USWA, & FMW
Tournaments: WWF Middle East Cup
Turning The Undertaker from one of the most boring wrestlers ever into having awesome matches all year is a feat that gets Foley into the top 15.
Recommended Matches:
- vs W*ING Kanemura, FMW, May 5
- vs Shawn Michaels, WWF, September 22
- vs The Undertaker, WWF, October 20
#14
El Dandy
Previous Ranking: 1990 (2nd)
Years Unranked: 1983, 1985, 1989, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1997, 2001, & 2004
Matches: 48
Places Worked: CMLL & TPW
Tournaments: CMLL Grand Prix & CMLL Torneo de Parejas w/ Olimpico
El Dandy is as talented as any wrestler in history. His ability to brawl and work technical wrestling at such alltime great levels is ridiculous. Dandy will make the list any year if he has enough opportunities and there is enough footage!
Recommended Matches:
- w/ Atlantis, Lizmark, & El Hijo del Santo vs Blue Panther, El Felino, Dr. Wagner Jr., & Negro Casas, CMLL, March 22
- vs Black Warrior, CMLL, October 15
- vs El Hijo del Santo vs Negro Casas, CMLL, December 6 (#4 MOTY)
#13
Megumi Kudo
Previous Ranking: 1993 (18th) & 1997 (10th)
Years Unranked: 1990, 1994, & 1995
Matches: 114
Places Worked: FMW, AJW, Jd’, & GAEA
Titles Won: FMW Independent Women’s & WWA Women’s Championship
The only thing keeping Kudo from being higher is the fact she mostly worked in FMW, which had limited opponents. She put up about as good a year as she could under those circumstances.
Recommended Matches:
- vs Chigusa Nagayo, FMW, January 10
- vs Combat Toyoda, FMW, May 5 (#3 MOTY)
- vs Shinobu Kandori, FMW, December 11
#12
“Stone Cold” Steve Austin
(aka The Ringmaster)
Previous Ranking: 1993 (23rd), 1997 (11th), & 2001 (1st)
Honourable Mentions: 1994
Years Unranked: 1990 & 1995
Matches: 178
Places Worked: WWF & USWA
Tournaments: WWF Royal Rumble, WWF Kuwait Cup, WWF King of the Ring (winner), WWF Intercontinental Title Tournament, & WWF Middle East Cup
What a difference a year makes. Austin started 1996 as The Ringmaster, a mute cyborg wrestling machine character brought in by Ted DiBiase. However, DiBiase left, and Austin won the King of the Ring and got mic time, and ended the year as one of the hottest stars in wrestling! The Bret feud took him to another level.
Recommended Matches:
- vs Savio Vega, WWF, May 28
- vs Hunter Hearst Helmsley, WWF, October 20
- vs Bret Hart, WWF, November 17 (#1 MOTY)
#11
Negro Casas
Previous Ranking: 1990 (23rd), 1994 (21st), 1997 (18th), & 2001 (14th)
Honourable Mentions: 1993 & 1995
Years Unranked: 1983, 2004, 2010, 2015, 2019, 2021, 2022, & 2023
Matches: 53
Places Worked: CMLL, WAR, NJPW, & World Wrestling Peace Festival
Tournaments: CMLL Gran Prix & NJPW J-Crown Tournament
I never thought of Casas as a tecnico. He is so clearly a rudo in my mind. However, in 1996, I was proved wrong as he was so great in that role. He was a Tito Santana type. I hate the heel and will fight tooth and nail to take him out. It ruled.
Recommended Matches:
- w/ Blue Panther, El Felino, Dr. Wagner Jr. vs Atlantis, El Dandy, Lizmark, & El Hijo del Santo, CMLL, March 22
- vs Bestia Salvaje, CMLL, October 18
- vs El Hijo del Santo vs El Dandy, CMLL, December 6 (#4 MOTY)
#10
“The Total Package” Lex Luger
Previous Ranking: 1989 (2nd) & 1990 (13th)
Years Unranked: 1985, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1997, & 2001
Matches: 141
Places Worked: WCW, NJPW, & World Wrestling Peace Festival
Titles Won: WCW World Tag Team Championship w/ Sting & WCW World Television Championship (twice)
Tournaments: WCW Lord of the Ring, NJPW Japan/US All-Star Tournament, WCW World War 3, & WCW United States Heavyweight Title Tournament
Luger started the year in the super fun angle with Sting, pretending to be a heel behind his back but a good guy in front of him! He had some fun stuff until the nWo arrived. That is when Luger was back into prime form. Babyface Luger, against unbelievable odds, is Luger at his best!
Recommended Matches:
- vs Steven Regal, WCW, August 20
- w/ Randy Savage & Sting vs nWo, WCW, July 7
- vs Scott Norton, WCW, November 11
- vs The Giant, WCW, December 29
#9
Aja Kong
Previous Ranking: 1990 (6th), 1993 (8th), 1994 (3rd), 1995 (7th), 1997 (5th), & 2001 (10th)
Honourable Mentions: 2004
Years Unranked: 2010, 2015, 2019, & 2023
Matches: 248
Places Worked: AJW, JWP, Michinoku Pro, & FMW
Tournaments: AJW JAL Scramble Cup Okinawa Tag Tournament w/ Kaoru Ito, AJW 2nd Grand North Six Woman Tag League w/ Misae Genki and Yoshiko Tamura, AJW Japan Grand Prix (winner), & AJW Tag League The Best w/ Yoshiko Tamura
Kong was pushed down the card in 1996 behind Toyota and Inoue, but she was still Kong and still great.
Recommended Matches:
- vs Combat Toyoda, FMW, January 10
- vs Yumiko Hotta, AJW, July 14
- vs Kyoko Inoue, AJW, August 30 (#9 MOTY)
- w/ Dynamite Kansai vs Devil Masami & Kyoko Inoue, JWP, October 13
#8
Jushin Thunder Liger
Previous Ranking: 1989 (12th), 1990 (12th), 1993 (32nd), 1994 (16th), 1995 (19th), 1997 (19th), & 2004 (14th)
Honourable Mentions: 2010
Years Unranked: 1985, 2001, 2015, & 2019
Matches: 134
Places Worked: NJPW, WCW, CMLL, WAR, Michionku Pro, & World Wrestling Peace Festival
Titles Won: IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship, MPW British Commonwealth Junior Heavyweight Championship, & WAR International Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship w/ El Samurai
Tournaments: NJPW Best of the Super Junior III, NJPW J-Crown Tournament, & NJPW One Night Tag Team Tournament w/ Keiji Muto
Even though Liger had brain cancer in 1996, it still ended up as perhaps his greatest year ever. Whether he changed his style up out of choice or necessity, it really worked for him. He was a beast!
Recommended Matches:
- vs Shinjiro Otani, NJPW, March 17
- vs Dick Togo, NJPW, June 17 (#7 MOTY)
- vs The Great Muta, NJPW, October 20
- vs Rey Misterio Jr., WCW, December 29
#7
Kyoko Inoue
Previous Ranking: 1993 (3rd), 1994 (15th), 1995 (5th), 1997 (7th), 2001 (24th), & 2004 (20th)
Years Unranked: 2010, 2015, 2019, 2021, 2022, & 2023
Matches: 237
Places Worked: AJW & JWP
Titles Won: WWWA Tag Team Championship w/ Takako Inoue & WWWA World Championship
Tournaments: AJW JAL Scramble Cup Okinawa Tag Tournament w/ Toshiyo Yamada, AJW 2nd Grand North Six Woman Tag League w/Reggie Bennett and Tomoko Watanabe (winner), AJW Japan Grand Prix, & AJW Tag League The Best w/ Chaparita Asari
1996 was the year Inoue finally won the WWWA World Championship. Such a great moment after seeing her behind the other AJW greats for years!
Recommended Matches:
- w/ Takako Inoue vs Akira Hokuto & Mima Shimoda, AJW, January 22
- vs Manami Toyota, AJW, March 31
- vs Aja Kong, AJW, August 30 (#9 MOTY)
- w/ Devil Masami vs Aja Kong & Dynamite Kansai, JWP, October 13
#6
TAKA Michinoku
Previous Ranking: 1997 (17th)
Years Unranked: 1993, 1994, 1995, 2001, 2004, 2010, 2015, 2019, 2021, 2022, & 2023
Matches: 179
Places Worked: Michinoku Pro, FMW, BattlArts, NJPW, W*ING, Inoki Festival in Yoyogi, & Alpha Japan Promotion
Titles Won: Independent World Junior Heavyweight Championship
Tournaments: Michinoku Futaritabi w/ Shoichi Funaki
The young punk of Michinoku Pro had his most elite year in 1996. His balance and flying may be unmatched by anyone at this time.
Recommended Matches:
- vs Super Delfin, NJPW, June 17
- w/ Kaientai Deluxe vs Gran Naniwa, Masato Yakushiji, Super Delfin, & Tiger Mask IV, M-Pro, October 10 (#6 MOTY)
- vs Minoru Tanaka, BattlArts, October 30
- w/ Kaientai Deluxe vs Gran Hamada, Gran Naniwa, The Great Sasuke, Masato Yakushiji, & Super Delfin, M-Pro, December 16
#5
Too Cold Scorpio
(aka Flash Funk & Black Wozuma)
Previous Ranking: 1993 (29th)
Years Unranked: 1994, 1995, 1997, 2001, 2004, 2015, 2021, & 2022
Matches: 100
Places Worked: ECW, TPW, & WWF
Titles Won: ECW World Television Championship
Scorpio’s first half of the year put him in the front runner for #1. The matches he pulled out of Sabu and Shane Douglas were all-timer level. However, he spent the last half of the year teaming with The Sandman and then going to the WWF to be Flash Funk, so he dropped off a bit.
Recommended Matches:
- vs Sabu, ECW, February 17
- vs Shane Douglas, ECW, May 11
- vs Chris Jericho vs Pitbull II vs Shane Douglas, ECW, July 13
- vs Chris Jericho, ECW, August 3
#4
Genichiro Tenryu
Previous Ranking: 1989 (1st), 1993 (10th), 1994 (4th), 2001 (12th), & 2004 (3rd)
Years Unranked: 1983, 1985, 1990, 1995, 1997, 2010, & 2015
Matches: 47
Places Worked: WAR, UWF-I, NJPW, Kitao Dojo, WYF, & Rikidozan Memorial
Titles Won: WAR World Six Man Tag Team Championship w/ Nobutaka Araya and Ultimo Dragon
Tournaments: NJPW One Night Tag Team Tournament w/ Nobutaka Araya & WAR Six Man Tag Team Title Tournament w/ Tatsumi Fujinami and Nobutaka Araya
Tenryu had a fun 1996, being the veteran going to war with shoot-style guys. Seriously, if you can get me to enjoy a match against shoot guys, then you are very special.
Recommended Matches:
- vs Tatsumi Fujinami, NJPW, April 29
- vs Yoji Anjo, WAR, July 21
- vs Nobuhiko Takada, UWF-I, September 11
- vs The Great Muta, WAR, October 11 (#2 MOTY)
#3
Akira Taue
Previous Ranking: 1990 (15th), 1993 (24th), & 1995 (1st)
Honourable Mentions: 1994, 2001, & 2004
Years Unranked: 1989, 1997, & 2010
Matches: 128
Places Worked: AJPW
Titles Won: AJPW World Tag Team Championship w/ Toshiaki Kawada & Triple Crown Championship
Tournaments: AJPW Championship Carnival (winner) & AJPW Real World Tag League w/ Toshiaki Kawada (winner)
Akira Taue finally did it in 1996. He destroyed Misawa and took the Triple Crown. Sadly, the reign didn’t last too long. He continued his path of destruction from the year prior, and there are few as good as Taue when he is choke slaming fools left and right!
Recommended Matches:
- vs Mitsuharu Misawa, AJPW, May 24
- vs Kenta Kobashi, AJPW, July 24
- w/ Toshiaki Kawada vs Jun Akiyama & Mitsuharu Misawa, AJPW, November 29
- w/ Toshiaki Kawada vs Jun Akiyama & Mitsuharu Misawa, AJPW, December 6 (#10 MOTY)
#2
Rey Misterio Jr.
Previous Ranking: 1995 (17th), 1997 (6th), 2001 (23rd), 2004 (21st), & 2010 (15th)
Years Unranked: 1993, 1994, 2015, 2019, 2021, 2022, & 2023
Matches: 104
Places Worked: WCW, AAA, WAR, ECW, Promo Azteca, Tijuana, Mexicali, & World Wrestling Peace Festival
Titles Won: WCW World Cruiserweight Championship & WWA World Welterweight Championship
Tournaments: AAA Torneo de Parejas w/ Venum & WCW World War 3
Misterio continued to go on the road in 1996 and made it onto WCW, where he became a phenomenon. He was truly ahead of his time with his flying, but he was more than that. He was so sympathetic in his selling and had such a variety of opponents and great matches.
Recommended Matches:
- vs Juventud Guerrera, Tijuana, March 16
- vs Pyschosis, WCW, July 7 (#5 MOTY)
- vs Super Calo, WCW, September 15
- vs Dean Malenko, WCW, October 27
- vs Ultimo Dragon, WCW, November 24
#1
Shinjiro Otani
Previous Ranking: 1997 (16th)
Honourable Mentions: 1994
Years Unranked: 1993, 1995, 2001, 2004, 2010, 2015, 2019, & 2021
Matches: 124
Places Worked: NJPW, WCW, WAR, & UWF-I
Titles Won: WCW World Cruiserweight Championship, UWA World Junior Light Heavyweight Championship, & NWA World Welterweight Championship
Tournaments: NJPW Young Lion Cup, NJPW Best of The Super Junior III, NJPW J-Crown Tournament, & NJPW One Night Tag Team Tournament w/ Kensuke Sasaki
1996 turned out to be the year of the Junior Heavyweights, and nobody was as good as Otani. His over the top selling kept every match he was in interesting. When he took a match into the finishing sequence, there was nobody like him, and the crowd was so into it. He just felt special day in and day out in 1996.
Recommended Matches:
- vs El Samurai, NJPW, January 21 (#8 MOTY)
- vs Jushin Liger, NJPW, March 17
- vs Black Tiger, NJPW, June 5
- vs Kazushi Sakuraba, NJPW, June 17
- vs Ultimo Dragon, NJPW, August 4
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The Greatest Wrestlers of 2023
To put together my top 100 list of the greatest wrestlers ever, I am going through each year and putting together a list for that particular year. Previously, on the podcast “Maybe Not Taue,” I compiled a list for 1985, 1990, 1997, & 2021. You can listen to those here. 1983, 1989, 1993, 1994, 1995, 2001, 2004, 2010, 2015, 2019, & 2022 are on the blog.
2023
A weird year, but lots of great wrestlers, just maybe not many elite ones. I put together a list that I am satisfied with, though!
The List
All of the below stats are from Cagematch. Yes, they are not perfect.
The recommended matches are not a definitive list. It’s a list of matches I have watched for this process, plus matches on my spreadsheet from before. Each wrestler probably had more matches I could recommend, but I limited it to keep this cleaner.
The matches listed are all 7/10 or higher; if they are bolded, they are 8/10 or higher.
Honourable Mentions
I had to have 10 honourable mentions this year because there were so many at the cusp that needed shootouts. Sadly, a lot of these hurt were hurt by injuries or just a lack of televised matches.
- CM Punk
- KAIRI
- Mariah May
- Mercedes Mone’
- Momo Watanabe
- Nanae Takahashi
- Roman Reigns
- Starlight Kid
- Suzu Suzuki
- VENY
#25
Unagi Sayaka
(Dark Unagi & Ichigo Sayaka)
Previous Ranking: unranked
Years Unranked: 2019, 2021, & 2022
Matches: 101
Places Worked: Marvelous, GLEAT, ZERO1, Diana, SSPW, AJPW, GCW, JTO, West Coast Pro, Ganbare Pro, Sendai Girls, PWR, Sukeban, RCW, LLPW-X, COLOR’S, Kitsune, Prestige, & OSW
Title Won: Kitsune World Championship
Tournaments: Queen of Indies, SSPW Strong Style Women’s Tag Team Title Tournament w/ Dark Tiger, & ZERO1 Fire Festival
Sayaka has spent her time after leaving Stardom very well, traveling all over Japan and parts of America, and has become an even bigger star. She is always a highlight, and her star appeal makes every match feel important, even on the undercard of Marvelous.
Recommended Matches:
- vs Takumi Orha, Marvelous, May 3
- w/ Sareee vs KAIRI & Saori Anou, AJPW, September 8
- vs Masha Slamovich, GCW, October 10
#24
Miyu Yamashita
Previous Ranking: 2021 (14th) & 2022 (8th)
Years Unranked: 2015 & 2019
Matches: 91
Places Worked: TJPW, EVE, Prestige, SPARK Joshi, DREAMWAVE, LLL, DPW, CCW, ROH, Impact, MLW, DDT, OTT, Gatoh Move, Enjoy, SLA, Inspire, BLP, Ladies Night Out, Glory Pro, AIW, HOG, MAW, New Texas Pro, ROL, BCP, DEFY, West Coast Pro, REVOLVER, NJPW, NEW, & NOAH
Titles Won: TJPW Princess Tag Team Championship w/ Maki Itoh, CCW Network Championship, CCW Championship, SPARK Joshi World Championship, EVE Championship, & TJPW Princess of Princess Championship
Tournaments: TJPW Futari Wa Princess Max Heart Tournament w/ Maki Itoh (winner), TJPW Princess of The Decade, & TJPW Tokyo Princess Cup (winner)
One of the best aces in wrestling who always delivered when called upon. Her kicks and attitude help her stand out among many of the great Joshi wrestlers.
Recommended Matches:
- w/ Maki Itoh vs Mizuki & Yuka Sakazaki, TJPW, March 31
- vs Mizuki, TJPW, October 9
- w/ Mizuki, Rika Tatsumi, Shoko Nakajima, & Yuka Sakazaki vs Arisa Endo, Miu Watanabe, Moka Miyamoto, Suzume, & Yuki Arai, TJPW, December 1
#23
Bianca Belair
Previous Ranking: 2021 (9th) & 2022 (3rd)
Years Unranked: 2019
Matches: 64
Place Worked: WWE
Title Won: WWE Women’s Championship
We may have to start calling her Mr. WrestleMania, because she delivers every year. She was tremendous all year, but it felt like she didn’t have a long run of chances to prove she belonged in the upper half of the list.
Recommended Matches:
- vs Asuka, WWE, April 2
- vs IYO SKY, WWE, May 6
- vs Bayley, WWE, October 27
#22
Titan
Previous Ranking: none
Years Unranked: 2010, 2015, 2019, 2021, & 2022
Matches: 144
Places Worked: CMLL, NJPW, RevPro, & CWE
Tournaments: CMLL Torneo Incredible De Parejas w/ Dragon Rojo Jr., Campeon Universal Del CMLL, NJPW Best of the Super Junior 30 (finals), CMLL Torneo La Leyenda De Plata, NJPW Super Junior Tag League w/ BUSHI
He was always a really good luchador for me, putting together great matches when given the chance. He probably would have been ranked before if I had watched more Lucha.
Recommended Matches:
- vs Mistico, CMLL, June 16
- w/ Soberano Jr. vs Lince Dorada & Samuray del So, CMLL, September 16
- vs Mascara Dorada 2.0, CMLL, September 29 (#8 MOTY)
#21
Maki Itoh
Previous Ranking: 2021 (8th) & 2022 (17th)
Years Unranked: 2019
Matches: 83
Places Worked: TJPW, GCW, ROW, AEW, MLW, LLL, Hoodslam, DREAMWAVE, SPARK Joshi, DDT, NOAH, BLP, Mystery Wrestling, PWG, DEFY, Prestige, Smash, IWS, Pandemonium, & NEW
Title Won: TJPW Princess Tag Team Championships w/ Miyua Yamashita
Tournaments: TJPW Futari Wa Princess Max Heart Tournament w/ Miyu Yamashita (winners), TJPW Princess of The Decade, & TJPW Shinagawa Three Woman Festival w/ Haru Kazashiro and Runa Okubo
It was fun watching her take her unique style to America and become the star of GCW. Of course that didn’t stop her from being great in Japan as well. Her character is one of the best in the world today.
Recommended Matches:
- w/ Miyu Yamashita vs Mizuki & Yuka Sakazaki, TJPW, March 31
- vs Mizuki, TJPW, July 8
- vs Billie Starkz, GCW, July 14
#20
Jey Uso
Previous Ranking: 2022 (21st)
Years Unranked: 2010, 2015, 2019, & 2021
Matches: 73
Place Worked: WWE
Title Won: WWE Unified Tag Team Championships w/ Cody Rhodes
After a fantastic run with his brother and having to two ten matches of the year with him, he ventured into a very over singles act and even had a really good match with Seth Rollins.
Recommended Matches:
- w/ Jimmy Uso vs Kevin Owens & Sami Zayn, WWE, April 1 (#9 MOTY)
- w/ Jimmy Uso vs Roman Reigns & Solo Sikoa, WWE, July 1 (#5 MOTY)
- vs Seth Rollins, WWE, December 4
#19
IYO SKY
Previous Ranking: 2015 (7th) & 2019 (16th)
Years Unranked: 2010, 2021, & 2022
Matches: 85
Place Worked: WWE
Title Won: WWE Women’s Championship
Tournaments: WWE Royal Rumble
Io Shirai being given the title and having big matches finally enabled her to live up to her actual skill level.
Recommended Matches:
- vs Becky Lynch, WWE, March 27
- vs Bianca Belair, WWE, May 6
- vs Asuka, WWE, September 22
#18
Sareee
Previous Ranking: 2019 (11th)
Years Unranked: 2015, 2021, & 2022
Matches: 25
Places Worked: SEAdLINNNG, Sendai Girls, Sukeban, Land’s End, AJPW, Diana, SSPW, & Evolution
Title Won: SEAdLINNNG Beyond The Sea Championship
Sareee’s return to Joshi after doing nothing in NXT for years was one of the year’s highlights. She worked around the indies, ran her own shows, and was always the highlight! With a more full year next year, she should be higher.
Recommended Matches:
- w/ Aja Kong vs Mika Iwata & Mio Momono, Hanak Kimura Memorial Produce, May 23
- vs Arisa Nakajima, SEAdLINNNG, August 25 (#6 MOTY)
- w/ Unagi Sayaka vs KAIRI & Saori Anou, AJPW, September 8
#17
AZM
Previous Ranking: 2021 (24th) & 2022 (11th)
Years Unranked: 2015 & 2019
Matches: 120
Places Worked: Stardom, GP MAX, & NJPW
Tournaments: Stardom Triangle Derby I w/ Saya Kamitani and Utami Hayashishita, Stardom Cinderella Tournament, & Stardom 5STAR Grand Prix
AZM seemed to venture higher than the High Speed level this year and had some big matches. She just keeps getting better and better each year, and who knows how high she’ll be when she hits her peak.
Recommended Matches:
- vs Hazuki vs Mercedes Mone’, NJPW, April 8
- w/ Queen’s Quest vs Oedi Tai, Stardom, June 25 (#4 MOTY)
- vs Utami Hayashishita, Stardom, August 15
#16
Mayu Iwatani
Previous Ranking: 2015 (12th), 2019 (5th), 2021 (10th), & 2022 (5th)
Years Unranked: none
Matches: 109
Places Worked: Stardom & NJPW
Title Won: IWGP Women’s Championship
Tournaments: Stardom Triangle Derby I w/ Hanan and Momo Kohgo, Stardom Cinderella Tournament, & Stardom 5STAR Grand Prix
The legendary Iwatani is not slowing down anytime soon. Every big match feels like a huge spectacle, which she hopefully gets more of a chance to show off in 2024.
Recommended Matches:
- vs Mercedes Mone’, Stardom, April 23
- vs Utami Hayashishita, Stardom, August 13
- vs AZM, Stardom, October 1
#15
Orange Cassidy
Previous Ranking: 2019 (12th)
Years Unranked: 2004, 2010, 2015, 2021, & 2022
Matches: 63
Places Worked: AEW, NJPW, & Mystery Wrestling
Title Won: AEW International Championship
Tournaments: AEW Blind Eliminator Tag Team Tournament w/ Darby Allin
Nobody plays their character like Orange Cassidy, and they are one of the true highlights of AEW. Someone I can watch any match of, and it will make me happy.
Recommended Matches:
- vs Wheeler Yuta, AEW, February 22
- vs Jeff Jarrett, AEW, March 15
- vs Swerve Strickland, AEW, June 7
#14
Mina Shirakawa
Previous Ranking: none
Years Unranked: 2019, 2021, & 2022
Matches: 126
Places Worked: Stardom & GP MAX
Titles Won: Wonder of Stardom Championship & Goddesses of Stardom Championship w/ Mariah May
Tournaments: Stardom Triangle Derby I w/ Mariah May and Xia Brookside, Stardom Cinderella Tournament, & Stardom 5STAR Grand Prix
Near the end of 2022, Shirakawa started to really put it together, working the leg great and developing great match story telling skills. In early 2023, she continued that, and her Wonder of Stardom win was one of the best moments of the year. Sadly, she got injured and missed a bunch of time, which kept her outside the top ten.
Recommended Matches:
- vs Saya Kamitani, Stardom, April 23
- vs Natsupoi, Stardom, May 4
- vs Tam Nakano, May 27
#13
MIRAI
Previous Ranking: 2022 (19th)
Years Unranked: 2019 & 2021
Matches: 127
Place Worked: Stardom
Titles Won: Goddesses of Stardom Championship w/ Ami Sourei & Wonder of Stardom Championship
Tournaments: Stardom Triangle Derby I w/ Ami Sourei and Syrui (finals), Stardom Cinderella Tournament (winner), & Stardom 5STAR Grand Prix
She is slowly becoming one of my favourites and her Wonder of Stardom Championship run was really good. I love her lariats and the great arsenal she unleashes to try to end a match. She also has an undeniable charisma, which makes each of her matches have something extra.
Recommended Matches:
- vs Tam Nakano, Stardom, July 2
- vs Maika, Stardom, September 30
- vs Momo Watanabe, Stardom, October 9
#12
Bryan Danielson
Previous Ranking: 2004 (18th), 2010 (12th), 2019 (13th), & 2021 (18th)
Years Unranked: 2001, 2015, & 2022
Matches: 29
Places Worked: AEW, ROH, & NJPW
Tournaments: AEW Continental Classic
Some people will think this is crazy low for Danielson, but he is a guy who doesn’t really do it for me, even though I recognize he is really good. This place seems perfect for me.
Recommended Matches:
- vs Rush, AEW, February 8
- vs Ricky Starks, AEW, September 3
- vs Swerve Strickland, AEW, October 10
#11
Mio Momono
Previous Ranking: 2021 (19th)
Years Unranked: 2022
Matches: 66
Places Worked: Marvelous, Sendai Girls, West Coast Pro, SEAdLINNNG, Oz Academy, PWR, RCW, LLPW-X, DPW, Prestige, NOAH, Ganbare Pro, Ice Ribbon, & GPS
Title Won: AAAW Championship
Tournaments: Queen of Indies (finals)
The whole AAAW Championship run in Marvelous was absolutely great. She is one of the best underdog wrestlers in the world today!
Recommended Matches:
- vs Chihiro Hashimoto, Marvelous, March 15
- vs Chikayo Nagashima, Marvelous, May 3
- vs Mayumi Ozaki, Marvelous, August 7
#10
Mascara Dorada 2.0
(Panterita del Ring Jr.)
Previous Ranking: none
Years Unranked: 2021 & 2022
Matches: 141
Places Worked: CMLL, RevPro, Lucha Libre Radioactiva, MLW, NEW, NJPW, ANLL, GALLI, IWC, & The Wolf King
Title Won: World Historic Welterweight Championship
Tournaments: CMLL Rey Del Aire VIP, Campeon Universal Del CMLL, CMLL Copa Jr. VIP, CMLL Copa Dinastia w/ Pantereitta del Ring, & Torneo La Leyenda De Plata (winner)
This is the most excited I’ve been about a young wrestler in maybe a decade. Dorada wrestles way beyound his years. Not only is his flying at another level, but his psychology is great, and everything he does makes sense. He does the little things so well for someone only a few years into their career.
Recommended Matches:
- vs Titan, CMLL, September 29 (#8 MOTY)
- w/ Mistico y Titan vs Angel de Oro y Niebla Roja y Templario, CMLL, October 6
- vs Rocky Romero, CMLL, December 15
#9
Maika
Previous Ranking: 2021 (22nd)
Years Unranked: 2019 & 2022
Matches: 130
Place Worked: Stardom
Title Won: World of Stardom Championship
Tournaments: Stardom Triangle Derby I w/ Himeka and Lady C, Stardom Cinderella Tournament, & Stardom 5STAR Grand Prix (winner)
After a hot start of the year teaming and then helping to end her best friend Himeka’s career, Maika did kind of blend into the crowd until the 5STAR Grand Prix, where she really took off. Her run to the title was very satisfying.
Recommended Matches:
- w/ Himeka vs Nanae Takahashi & Yuu, Stardom, February 4
- vs Himeka, Stardom, April 23
- vs Suzu Suzuki, Stardom, September 30
#8
Sami Zayn
Previous Ranking: 2010 (9th), 2022 (15th)
Years Unranked: 2004, 2015, 2019, & 2021
Matches: 94
Place Worked: WWE
Title Won: WWE Unified Tag Team Championships w/ Kevin Owens
If they decided to give Zayn the title, like they should have, this could have been an even better year. However, they moved him into a tag team for most of the year. That said, he fucking delivered there, and it was great to see him back as the great babyface he is.
Recommended Matches:
- vs Roman Reigns, WWE, February 18
- w/ Kevin Owens vs The Usos, WWE, April 1 (#9 MOTY)
- w/ Kevin Owens vs Damian Priest & Finn Balor, WWE, September 2
#7
Tam Nakano
Previous Ranking: 2019 (10th), 2021 (4th), & 2022 (7th)
Years Unranked: none
Matches: 98
Places Worked: Stardom & NJPW
Titles Won: World of Stardom Championship & Wonder of Stardom Championship
Tournaments: Stardom Triangle Derby w/ Natsupoi and SAKI & Stardom Cinderella Tournament
It was shaping up to be a year where she could have been in the top spot, but she got injured and had to vacate the World of Stardom Championship and miss a lot of time. Still, the title win at the biggest show ever may be my favourite Stardom moment ever.
Recommended Matches:
- w/ Waka Tsukiyama vs KAIRI & Nana Takahashi, Stardom, March 25
- vs Giulia, Stardom, April 23 (#1 MOTY)
- vs Natsupoi, Stardom, September 30
#6
Becky Lynch
Previous Ranking: 2015 (16th) & 2019 (3rd)
Years Unranked: 2021 & 2022
Matches: 69
Place Worked: WWE
Titles Won: WWE Women’s Tag Team Championship w/ Lita & NXT Women’s Championship
Tournament: WWE Royal Rumble
Lynch was called upon to have a different year this year, but she really excelled in it. From working with the part-timer legend Trish to working with NXT, she ruled and put on great performances weekly.
Recommended Matches:
- vs Trish Stratus, WWE, September 2 (#7 MOTY)
- vs Tiffany Stratton, NXT, September 30
- vs Lyra Valkyria, NXT, October 24
#5
Athena
Previous Ranking: 2015 (23rd)
Years Unranked: 2010, 2019, 2021, & 2022
Matches: 55
Places Worked: ROH, AEW, MPX, REVOLVER, NJPW, & Prestige
Tournaments: AEW Owen Hart Foundation Women’s Tournament
The ace of ROH had a great year dominating that company on their TV and occasional big events.
Recommended Matches:
- vs Willow Nightingale, ROH, February 25
- vs Kiera Hogan, ROH, June 17
- vs Mercedes Martinez, ROH, October 28
- vs Billie Starkz, ROH, December 15
#4
Giulia
Previous Ranking: 2021 (16th) & 2022 (1st)
Years Unranked: 2019
Matches: 127
Places Worked: Stardom & NJPW
Titles Won: Artist of Stardom Championship w/ Mai Sakurai and Thekla, & NJPW STRONG Women’s Championship
Tournament: Stardom Cinderella Tournament
In what looks like their final full year in Japan, Giulia started as World Champion but moved on to the NJPW title by the end of the year. They had some really high highs but always delivered even when they were pushed down the card.
Recommended Matches:
- vs Suzu Suzuki, Stardom, February 4
- vs Tam Nakano, Stardom, April 23 (#1 MOTY)
- vs Willow Nightingale, NJPW, July 5
- vs Megan Bayne, Stardom, December 29
#3
Swerve Strickland
Previous Ranking: unranked
Years Unranked: 2015, 2019, 2021, & 2022
Matches: 40
Places Worked: AEW, DEFY, Jericho Cruise, HOG, NJPW, & AAA
Tournaments: AEW Blind Eliminator Tag Team Tournament w/ Keith Lee & AEW Continental Classic
The best heel in wrestling had some of the greatest matches of the year. Playing into that role allowed Swerve to have the breakout year they have deserved for a long time now. It’s great to see when such a talent finally gets the spotlight. Here’s hoping they win the title in 2024.
Recommended Matches:
- vs Nick Wayne, DEFY, April 8 (#10 MOTY)
- vs Orange Cassidy, AEW, June 7
- vs Bryan Danielson, AEW, October 10
- vs Adam Page, AEW, November 18 (#2 MOTY)
- vs Jay White, AEW, November 29
#2
Mistico
Previous Ranking: unranked
Years Unranked: 2004, 2010, 2015, 2019, 2021, & 2022
Matches: 165
Places Worked: CMLL & Producciones TC
Tournaments: CMLL Rey Del Aire VIP, CMLL Torneo Incredible De Parejas w/ Averno (winners), Campeon Universal Del CMLL, CMLL Copa Jr. VIP, CMLL Copa Dinastia w/ Dr. Karonte (winners), & CMLL
Torneo La Leyenda De Plata
Mistico in CMLL in the mid to late 2000s was one of the best wrestlers in the world. Then he went to WWE and was missed, and his return to Mexico, mostly in AAA, made him feel like a huge deal but never an elite worker. However, here in 2023, Mistico looks not only like the biggest star in the world but one of the best workers. His connection to the crowd is a huge aspect of it, but he is smart in timing his spots, hope spots, and comebacks. He gathers so much sympathy and support in the ring. Watching him weekly just feels special.
Recommended Matches:
- vs Titan, CMLL, June 16
- vs Soberano Jr., CMLL, September 1
- vs Virus, CMLL, September 29
- vs Templario, CMLL, October 13
- w/ Atlantis Jr. & Star Jr. vs Andrade el Idolo & Angelo de Oro & Soberano Jr., CMLL, December 15
#1
Gunther
Previous Ranking: 2019 (17th) & 2022 (2nd)
Years Unranked: 2010, 2015, & 2021
Matches: 96
Place Worked: WWE
Tournament: WWE Royal Rumble
The best Intercontinental Champion in WWE, which is saying a lot for this worker’s title. He delivered in big matches, he delivered in TV matches, in tags, and in every situation he was in. Having the elite matches he had with The Miz and Chad Gable in 2023 would almost be enough to give him the nod, but his consistent ability to get great performances each and every match was unmatched.
Recommended Matches:
- vs Drew McIntyre & Sheamus, WWE, April 2
- vs Chad Gable, WWE, August 21
- vs Chad Gable, WWE, September 4 (#3 MOTY)
- vs Bronson Reed, WWE, October 16
- vs The Miz, WWE, December 18
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The Greatest Wrestlers of 1995
In route to putting together my top 100 list of the Greatest Wrestlers Ever, I am going through each year and putting together a list for that particular year. Previously, on the podcast “Maybe Not Taue”, I put together a list for 1985, 1990, 1997, & 2021. You can listen to those here. 1983, 1989, 1993, 1994, 2001, 2004, 2010, 2015, 2019, & 2022 are on the blog.
1995
It was filled with some tremendous wrestlers and one of the most varied years I’ve ranked. Every type of wrestling was at a high level, which made this pretty difficult. I’m okay with my list, though!
The List
All of the below stats are from Cagematch. Yes, they are not perfect.
The recommended matches are not a definitive list. It’s a list of matches I have watched for this process, plus matches on my spreadsheet from before. Each wrestler probably had more matches I could recommend, but I limited it to keep this cleaner.
The matches listed are all 7/10 or higher; if they are bolded, they are 8/10 or higher.
Honourable Mentions
- Bam Bam Bigelow
- Hayabusa
- Jeff Jarrett
- Mima Shimoda
- Negro Casas
- Randy Savage
- Takako Inoue
#25
Toshiaki Kawada
Previous Ranking: 1993 (31st)
Years Unranked: 1983, 1985, 1989, 1990, 1994, 1997, 2001, 2004, & 2010
Matches: 140
Places Worked: AJPW & Bridge of Dreams
Title Won: AJPW World Tag Team Championship w/ Akira Taue
Tournaments: AJPW Champion Carnival, AJPW Real World Tag League w/ Akira Taue (finals)
He was a focal point of the AJPW year and finally got his win over Misawa in a top-20 match of all time.
Recommended Matches:
- vs Kenta Kobashi, AJPW, January 19
- vs Akira Taue, AJPW, April 8
- w/ Akira Taue vs Kenta Kobashi & Mitsuharu Misawa, AJPW, June 9 (#1 MOTY)
#24
Yumiko Hotta
Previous Ranking: 1993 (39th)
Years Unranked: 1990, 1994, 1997, 2001, 2004, 2010, 2015, 2019, 2021, & 2022
Matches: 244
Place Worked: AJW
Title Won: All Pacific Championship
Tournaments: WWWA Tag Team Title Tournament w/ Toshiyo Yamada, AJW 1st Grand North Six Woman Tag League w/ Etsuko Mita & Mima Shimoda, AJW Japan Grand Prix (finals), AJW Tag League The Best w/ Reggie Bennett
When she brought it, she really brought it. There are some amazing performances mixed in with some disappointing ones.
Recommended Matches:
- w/ Rie Tamada vs Double Inoue, AJW, June 27
- vs Manami Toyota, AJW, September 3 (#4 MOTY)
- vs Toshiyo Yamada, AJW, December 4
#23
Bull Nakano
Previous Ranking: 1985 (14th), 1989 (16th), 1990 (1st), 1993 (7th), & 1994 (8th)
Years Unranked: none
Matches: 34
Places Worked: WWF, AJW, WCW, Jd’, NJPW, & Bridge of Dreams
Although she spent a lot of time in the WWF working with Madusa, the moment she had to shine in AJW showed she was a very smart worker, even if her body was breaking down.
Recommended Matches:
- vs Kyoko Inoue, AJW, March 26
- vs Kyoko Inoue, AJW, September 2 (#9 MOTY)
- w/ Akira Hokuto vs Cutie Suzuki & Mayumi Ozaki, WCW, November 26
#22
Cactus Jack
Previous Ranking: none
Years Unranked: 1989, 1990, 1993, 1994, & 1997
Matches: 124
Places Worked: IWA Japan, ECW, SMW, NWA, MEWF, BTW, Deaf Wrestlefest, Bridge of Dreams, MTW, & CAPW
Titles Won: SCW Heavyweight Championship, NAASW North American Heavyweight Championship, IWA World Tag Team Championship W/ Tracy Smothers, ECW World Tag Team Championship w/ Mikey Whipwreck
Tournaments: King of the Death Matches (winner), NWA World Tag Team Title Tournament w/ Tiger Jeet Singh (finals)
Cactus had a tremendous 1995. He spent a lot of it in IWA Japan doing wild death matches, including winning The King of The Deathmatches. Add to that his ECW run, which saw him have a great heel run.
Recommended Matches:
- w/ The Headhunters vs Leatherface, Shoji Nakamaki, & Terry Funk, Bridge of Dreams, April 2
- vs Terry Funk, ECW, April 15
- vs Terry Gordy, IWA Japan, August 20
#21
The 1-2-3 Kid
Previous Ranking: 1990 (19th), 1993 (25th), & 1994 (18th)
Years Unranked: 1997, 2001, 2010, & 2015
Matches: 118
Places Worked: WWF, WAR, & Stu Hart Tribute Show
Title Won: WWF World Tag Team Championship w/ Bob Holly
Tournament: WWF World Tag Team Title Tournament w/ Bob Holy (winners)
The Kid was the highlight of the WWF undercard, making the most of his few chances. Not only was he an all-time babyface, but he proved he could be a tremendous heel at the end of the year, too.
Recommended Matches:
- w/ Bob Holly vs Bam Bam Bigelow & Tatanka, WWF, January 22
- vs The Roadie, WWF, July 23
- vs Hakushi, WWF, August 27
#20
Brian Pillman
Previous Ranking: none
Years Unranked: 1989, 1990, 1993, 1994, & 1997
Matches: 75
Places Worked: WCW, NJPW, & Stu Hart Tribute Show
Tournaments: WCW United States Heavyweight Title Tournament, WCW Slim Jim Challenge (finals), NJPW Best of The Super Juniors
Pulling off the quality of matches he did with Alex Wright and Johnny B. Badd on pay-per-view makes him an automatic for this list. They are two of the best carry jobs in wrestling history.
Recommended Matches:
- vs Alex Wright, WCW, June 18
- vs Johnny B. Badd, WCW, September 17
- vs Eddie Guerrero, WCW, November 20
#19
Jushin Thunder Liger
Previous Ranking: 1989 (12th), 1990 (12th), 1993 (32nd), 1994 (16th), 1997 (19th), & 2004 (14th)
Years Unranked: 1985, 2001, 2010, 2015, & 2019
Matches: 53
Places Worked: NJPW, WCW, & WAR
Tournament: Super J Cup (winner)
Liger worked a fun role as the legend of junior heavyweights and got his due by winning the second Super J Cup, although his usual high-end stuff was lacking.
Recommended Matches:
- vs Eddie Guerrero, WCW, September 7
- vs Koji Kanemoto, NJPW, December 11
- vs Ultimo Dragon, WAR, December 13
#18
Devil Masami
aka Super Heel Devil Masami
Previous Ranking: 1983 (9th), 1985 (6h), & 1993 (20th)
Years Unranked: 1994, 1997, 2001, & 2004
Places Worked: JWP, GAEA, & Bridge of Dreams
No matter what boring JWP tag match Devil was put in, she always did something interesting, and to me, that’s really impressive. When she got into high-end brawls, they ruled!
Recommended Matches:
- w/ Candy Okutsu vs Cutie Suzuki & Hikari Fukuoka, JWP, March 17
- w/ Mayumi Ozaki vs Chigusa Nagayo & Dynamite Kansai, GAEA, April 15 (#3 MOTY)
- vs Mayumi Ozaki, JWP, December 9
#17
Rey Misterio, Jr.
Previous Ranking: 1997 (6th), 2001 (23rd), 2004 (21st), & 2010 (15th)
Years Unranked: 1993, 1994, 2010, 2015, 2019, 2021, & 2022
Matches: 75
Places Worked: AAA, ECW, & WAR
Titles Won: WWA World Tag Team Championship w/ Rey Misterio, Mexican National Trios Championship w/ Octagon & Super Muneco, WWA World Welterweight Championship (twice)
Tournament:
Rey Jr. started to put it together in 1995, leading to a world tour with Psicosis doing an amazing touring match.
Recommended Matches:
- vs Juventud Guerrera, AAA, April 21
- w/ El Hijo del Santo, Octagon, & La Parka vs Blue Panther, Fuerza Guerrera, Pentagon, & Psicosis, AAA, June 18
- vs Psicosis, AAA, September 2 (#5 MOTY)
#16
Eddie Guerrero
aka Black Tiger
Previous Ranking: 1993 (36th), 1994 (10th), 1997 (13th), & 2004 (1st)
Years Unranked: 2001
Matches: 103
Places Worked: NJPW, WCW, ECW, AAA, & CMLL
Title Won: ECW World Television Championship (twice)
Tournament: NJPW Best of The Super Junior
The Dean Malenko feud is over-rated, but his NJPW and WCW work is better than expected. He was an all-elite talent and did get to show it around the world, albeit in a limited capacity.
Recommended Matches:
- vs Too Cold Scorpio, ECW, April 8
- vs Dean Malenko, ECW, July 28
- vs Shinjiro Ohtani, WCW, December 27
#15
Akira Hokuto
aka Reina Jubuki
Previous Ranking: 1989 (14th), 1990 (4th), 1993 (1st), 1994 (9th), 1997 (24th), & 2001 (9th)
Years Unranked: none
Matches: 30
Places Worked: AJW, WCW, NJPW, CMLL, & Bridge of Dreams
Title Won: WWWA Tag Team Championships w/ Mima Shimoda
Tournament: AJW Tag League The Best w/ Mima Shimoda
Yes, she worked a lot of CMLL that is hard to find footage, but her return to AJW brought instant energy to the company, and she delivered in a more limited role.
Recommended Matches:
- w/ Etsuko Mita & Mima Shimoda vs Kaoru Ito, Mariko Yoshida, & Reggie Bennett, AJW, June 27
- w/ Chaparita ASARI vs Etsuko Mita & Mima Shimoda, AJW, August 14
- vs Manami Toyota, AJW, September 2
#14
Scott Norton
Previous Ranking: 1997 (25th) & 2001 (16th)
Years Unranked: 1989, 1990, 1993, 1994, & 2004
Matches: 62
Places Worked: NJPW & WCW
Tournament: G1 Climax
No wrestler has impressed me more in this process than Norton! As a dominant badass gaijin, he is perfect, and he even looked cool in WCW.
Recommended Matches:
- vs Hawk, NJPW, January 4
- vs Keiji Muto, NJPW, February 3 (#8 MOTY)
- vs Randy Savage, WCW, September 11
#13
Terry Funk
Previous Ranking: 1983 (1st), 1985 (12th), 1990 (4th), 1993 (17th), 1994 (5th), & 1997 (22nd)
Years Unranked: 1990
Matches: 41
Places Worked: IWA Japan, ECW, NJPW, NWA New Jersey, NWC, Stu Hart Tribute Show, SMW, & Bridge of Dreams
Tournaments: King of the Deathmatches (finals), NWA World Tag Team Title Tournament w/ Keisuke Yamada
Funk embraced the death match role this year and spent a great part of his year in IWA Japan doing those, and they all ruled. He was also a big factor in giving ECW credibility and being the most entertaining person there.
Recommended Matches:
- w/ Leatherface & Shoji Nakamaki vs Cactus Jacks & The Headhunters, Bridge of Dreams, April 2
- vs Cactus Jack, ECW, April 15
- vs Leatherface, IWA Japan, August 20
#12
Mitsuharu Misawa
Previous Ranking: 1990 (7th), 1993 (38th), & 1994 (14th)
Years Unranked: 1983, 1985, 1989, 1997, 2001, & 2004
Matches: 140
Places Worked: AJPW & Bridge of Dreams
Title Won: Triple Crown Championship
Tournaments: AJPW Championship Carnival (winner), AJPW Real World Tag League w/ Toshiaki Kawada (winners)
The ace of AJPW held up their end of the bargain and delivered when it mattered big time.
Recommended Matches:
- vs Akira Taue, AJPW, April 15 (#6 MOTY)
- w/ Kenta Kobashi vs Akira Taue & Toshiaki Kawada, AJPW, June 9 (#1 MOTY)
- vs Kenta Kobashi, AJPW, Octboer 25
#11
El Hijo del Santo
Previous Ranking: 1990 (21st), 1993 (15th), 1994 (7th), 1997 (2nd), 2001 (2nd), & 2004 (4th)
Years Unranked: 1983, 1985, 1989, & 2010
Matches: 50
Places Worked: AAA, CMLL, & WYF
Title Won: NWA World Welterweight Championship
Tournaments: NWA World Junior Heavyweight Title Tournament (finals), CMLL Second Generation Tag Team Tournament w/ El Rayo de Jalisco Jr., NWA World Welterweight Title Tournament (winner)
Santo has his usual legendary tecnico self. No notes.
Recommended Matches:
- vs Psicosis, AAA, May 3
- w/ Octagon, La Parka, & Rey Misterio Jr. vs Blue Panther, Fuerza Guerrera, Pentagon, & Psicosis, AAA, June 18
- vs Negro Casas, CMLL, December 1
#10
Chigusa Nagayo
Previous Ranking: 1983 (16th), 1985 (1st), 1990 (15th), 1994 (22nd), & 2001 (15th)
Years Unranked: 1997, 2004, & 2019
Matches: 21
Places Worked: GAEA, FMW, & JWP
Tournament: GAEA Splash J & Running G Tournament w/ Chikayo Nagashima & Tomori Kobayashi
She was good to start the year in JWP, but once she built a promotion around herself and had epic main events each month in GAEA, she cemented herself as having another all-time great year!
Recommended Matches:
- w/ Dynamite Kansai vs Devil Masami & Mayumi Ozaki, GAEA, April 15 (#3 MOTY)
- vs Dynamite Kansai, JWP, June 16
- vs Bad Nurse Nakamura, GAEA, July 29 (#10 MOTY)
- vs Shark Tsuchiya, GAEA, November 3
#9
Mayumi Ozaki
Previous Ranking: 1993 (12th), 1994 (25th), & 2001 (6th)
Years Unranked: 1997, 2004, 2010, 2015, 2019, 2021, & 2022
Places Worked: JWP & GAEA
Title Won: JWP Tag Team Championship w/ Hikari Fukuoka
She’s so awesome fighting against Dynamite in wild brawls, and two matches in the top 10 of the year is a great achievement.
Recommended Matches:
- w/ Hikari Fukuoka vs Dynamite Kansai & Hiromi Yagi, JWP, January 22
- vs Dynamite Kansai, JWP, March 17 (#7 MOTY)
- w/ Devil Masami vs Chigusa Nagayo & Dynamite Kansai, GAEA, April 15 (#3 MOTY)
- vs Cutie Suzuki, JWP, October 15
#8
Psicosis
Previous Ranking: 1997 (23rd)
Years Unranked: 1993, 1994, 2001, 2004, 2010, 2015, & 2019
Matches: 66
Places Worked: AAA, ECW, & WAR
Titles Won: WWA World Welterweight Championship, WWA World Trios Championship w/ Fuerza Guerrera & Juventud Guerrera, Mexican National Trios Championship w/ Fuerza Guerrera & Blue Panther, Mexican National Welterweight Championship
Psicosis emerged in 1995 with the series with Rey Misterio, but it didn’t stop there. An absolutely insane bumper but an incredible base as well. He proved he could work the mat almost as well as the flying with matches like the one with El Hijo del Santo.
Recommended Matches:
- w/ Blue Panther & Fuerza Guerrera vs El Hijo del Santo, Octagon, & Rey Misterio, Jr., AAA, March 17
- vs El Hijo del Santo, AAA, May 3
- w/ Blue Panther, Fuerza Guerrera, & Pentagon vs El Hijo del Santo, Octagon, La Parka, & Rey Misterio Jr., AAA, June 18
- vs Rey Misterio Jr., AAA, September 2 (#5 MOTY)
#7
Aja Kong
Previous Ranking: 1990 (6th), 1993 (8th), 1994 (3rd), 1997 (5th), & 2001 (10th)
Years Unranked: 2004, 2010, 2015, & 2019
Matches: 242
Places Worked: AJW, WWF, FMW, & Bridge of Dreams
Title Won: WWWA World Championship
Tournaments: WWWA Tag Team Title Tournament w/ Mariko Yoshida, AJW 1st Grand North Six Woman Tag League w/ Reggie Bennett & Rie Tamada, AJW Tag League The Best w/ Takako Inoue
It was another banger year for Kong as she stepped out of the dominant ace role and took on another role which she equally excelled at.
Recommended Matches:
- vs Manami Toyota, AJW, June 27
- vs Dynamite Kansai, AJW, August 30
- vs Bison Kimura, AJW, September 2
- vs Kyoko Inoue, AJW, December 4
#6
Kenta Kobashi
Previous Ranking: 1993 (11th), 1994 (19th), 1997 (15th), & 2004 (8th)
Years Unranked: 1989, 1990, & 2001
Matches: 140
Places Worked: AJPW, & Bridge of Dreams
Tournaments: AJPW Championship Carnival, AJPW Triple Crown Title Contendership League (finals), AJPW Real World Tag League w/ Mitsuharu Misawa (winner)
It was one of the better years for the four pillars, and Kobashi was a huge part of it. His selling and sympathy really set him apart from the other three, making his matches unique. His performance in 6/9/95 is goat level.
Recommended Matches:
- vs Toshiaki Kawada, AJPW, January 19
- vs Akira Taue, AJPW, March 21
- w/ Mitsuharu Misawa vs Akira Taue & Toshiaki Kawada, AJPW, June 9 (#1 MOTY)
- vs Mitsuharu Misawa, AJPW, October 25
#5
Kyoko Inoue
Previous Ranking: 1993 (3rd), 1994 (15th), 1997 (7th), 2001 (24th), & 2004 (20th)
Years Unranked: 2010, 2015, 2019, 2021, & 2022
Matches: 233
Places Worked: AJW, WWF, & Bridge of Dreams
Title Won: WWWA Tag Team Championship w/ Takako Inoue
Tournaments: WWWA Tag Team Title Tournament w/ Takako Inoue (winner), AJW 1st Grand North Six Woman Tag League w/ Takako Inoue & Tomoko Watanabe (winner), AJW Japan Grand Prix, AJW Tag League The Best w/ Tomoko Watanabe (winner)
I know I have a personal bias toward Inoue, but she had another tremendous year in my book. She has a great resume of matches, but it’s not just the great matches for her. No matter the match, she keeps it entertaining with her unique offense, charisma, and energy.
Recommended Matches:
- w/ Takako Inoue vs Manami Toyota & Sakie Hasegawa, AJW, January 3
- vs Manami Toyota, AJW, May 7
- vs Bull Nakano, AJW, September 2 (#9 MOTY)
- vs Aja Kong, AJW, December 4
#4
Bret “Hitman” Hart
Previous Ranking: 1985 (23rd), 1989 (11th), 1993 (9th), 1994 (1st), & 1997 (1st)
Years Unranked: 1983 &2010
Matches: 149
Places Worked: WWF & Stu Hart Tribute Show
Title Won: WWF World Championship
Pushed way down the card wrestling pirates, ninjas, and dentists most of the year, Bret was tremendous. It might be his most impressive year for the quality he pulled out of non-quality folks. The Diesel matches were the big stand-out for him, but those opportunities were few and far between, keeping him out of the top 3.
Recommended Matches:
- w/ British Bulldog vs Bob Backlund & Owen Hart, WWF, January 25
- vs Hakushi, WWF, May 14
- vs Diesel, WWF, November 19 (#2 MOTY)
- vs British Bulldog, WWF, December 17
#3
Manami Toyota
Previous Ranking: 1990 (8th), 1993 (13th) 1994 (6th), & 1997 (3rd)
Years Unranked: 1989, 2001, 2004, 2010, & 2015
Matches: 241
Places Worked: AJW, NJPW, WCW, & Bridge of Dreams
Title Won: WWWA World Championship (twice)
Tournament: WWWA Tag Team Title Tournament w/ Blizzard Yuki (finals), AJW 1st Grand North Six Woman Tag League w/ Mariko Yoshida & Kaoru Ito, AJW Japan Grand Prix (winner), AJW Tag League The Best w/ Kaoru Ito (finals)
The big Toyota year with the title reigns. Her high-end and when she is one is really unmatched by anyone. She’s not the most complete wrestler, but you have to give her credit for pioneering the NJPW/AEW style that is prevalent nowadays.
Recommended Matches:
- w/ Sakie Hasegawa vs Double Inoue, AJW, January 3
- vs Kyoko Inoue, AJW, May 7
- vs Akira Hokuto, AJW, September 2
- vs Yumiko Hotta, AJW, September 3 (#4 MOTY)
- vs Dynamite Kansai, AJW, December 4
#2
Dynamite Kansai
Previous Ranking: 1993 (5th) & 1994 (11th)
Years Unranked: 1997, 2001, 2004, 2010, & 2015
Places Worked: JWP, GAEA, AJW, & Bridge of Dreams
Titles Won: WWWA World Championship, JWP Tag Team Championship w/ Cutie Suzuki, JWP Openweight Championship
Tournament: GAEA Splash & & Running G Tournament w/ Makie Numano & Yasuko Kuragaki
When Dynamite Kansai got a chance to deliver in a match, she really did. She was unbelievable in those big matches, especially the series with Ozaki. What’s keeping her out of the number 1 spot is the boring JWP booking she mostly worked in.
Recommended Matches:
- vs Mayumi Ozaki, JWP, March 17 (#7 MOTY)
- w/ Chigusa Nagayo vs Devil Masami & Mayumi Ozaki, GAEA, April 15 (#3 MOTY)
- vs Chigusa Nagayo, JWP, June 16
- vs Aja Kong, AJW, August 30
- vs Manami Toyota, AJW, December 4
#1
“1995 Wrestler of the Year”
Akira Taue
Previous Ranking: 1990 (15th) & 1993 (24th)
Years Unranked: 1989, 1994, 1997, 2001, & 2004
Matches: 140
Places Worked: AJPW & Bridge of Dreams
Title Won: AJPW World Tag Team Championships w/ Toshiaki Kawada
Tournaments: AJPW Champion Carnival (finals), AJPW Triple Crown Title Contendership League (winner), AJPW Real World Tag League w/ Toshiaki Kawada (finals)
When I started to watch the non-joshi footage of 1995, I joked with a friend that putting Akira Taue number one would be the funniest pick. I had always loved Taue, but he everybody has him under the other pillars. Watching the footage now, it’s no joke. Taue is the best wrestler of 1995. His story of becoming unleashed in 1995, running through the Carnival on a rampage to take out Misawa and grab the title, was enthralling. He is the highlight of the best match of the year, too, with the four pillars all on display. Taue is the man in 1995 that most of the promotion revolves around! Plus, he doesn’t have the negatives that I associate with the rest of the pillars.
Recommended Matches:
- vs Kenta Kobashi, AJPW, March 21
- vs Toshiaki Kawda, AJPW, April 8
- vs Mitsuharu Misawa, AJPW, April 15 (#6 MOTY)
- w/ Toshiaki Kawada vs Kenta Kobashi & Mitsuharu Misawa, AJPW, June 9 (#1 MOTY)
- vs Mitsuharu Misawa, AJPW, September 10
Coming Soon
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The Greatest Wrestlers of 1989
In route to putting together my top 100 list of the Greatest Wrestlers Ever, I am going through each year and putting together a list for that particular year. Previously, on the podcast “Maybe Not Taue”, I put together a list for 1985, 1990, 1997, & 2021. You can listen to those here. 1983, 1993, 1994, 2001, 2004, 2010, 2015, 2019, & 2022 are on the blog.
1989
One of the all-time great years in wrestling history!
The List
All of the below stats are from Cagematch. Yes, they are not perfect.
The recommended matches are not a definitive list. It’s a list of matches I have watched for this process, plus matches on my spreadsheet from before. Each wrestler probably had more matches I could recommend, but I limited it to keep this cleaner.
The matches listed are all 7/10 or higher; if they are bolded, they are 8/10 or higher.
As an added bonus, I used AI to create poems about each wrestler, and they are as bad as you may expect!
Honourable Mentions
- Dan Kroffat
- Greg Valentine
- Lioness Asuka
- El Satanico
- Tito Santana
#25
Bad News Brown
Previous Ranking: none
Years Unranked: 1983, 1985, 1990, 1993, 1994, & 1997
Matches: 130
Place Worked: WWF
Tournaments: WWF Royal Rumble & WWF King of the Ring
n ’89, Bad News ruled the scene,
Cool and badass, wrestling’s dream.
With aura intact in the cartoon world,
A force to reckon, flag unfurled.
Their presence fierce, no foe defied,
In every battle, they’d abide.
A legend’s spirit, bold and true,
Bad News Allen, a mighty brew.
Recommended Matches:
- vs Randy Savage, WWF, January 16
- vs Brutus Beefcake, WWF, April 22
#24
Sting
Previous Ranking: 1993 (34th)
Years Unranked: 1990, 1994, & 2010
Matches: 172
Places Worked: NWA & AJPW
Title Won: NWA World Television Championship
Tournament: NWA Iron Man Tournament (winner)
In ’89, Sting rose with might,
Evolved into a good hand’s light.
Exciting, like a bolt of thunder,
In the ring, a spellbinding wonder.
A wrestler, fierce, and full of zest,
A force that put fans to the test.
With every move, hearts would soar,
Sting’s presence, wrestling’s uproar.
Recommended Matches:
- vs The Great Muta, NWA, July 23
- vs Lex Luger, NWA, December 23
#23
Tully Blanchard
Previous Ranking: 1985 (11th)
Years Unranked: 1983 & 1994
Matches: 121
Place Worked: WWF
Title Won: WWF World Tag Team Championship w/ Arn Anderson
Tournament: WWF Royal Rumble
In ’89, Blanchard’s cunning mind,
The Brain Busters, a tag team bind.
Ruling the scene, with skill untold,
WWF’s gold, their hands would hold.
A perfect counter, cocky and sly,
Cheating smart, the crowd’s “Oh my!”
In the ring, a villainous flair,
Tully Blanchard, a presence rare.
Recommended Matches:
- w/ Arn Anderson vs The Rockers, WWF, January 23
- w/ Arn Anderson vs Demolition, WWF, July 18
- w/ Arn Anderson vs The Hart Foundation, WWF, August 28
#22
The Great Muta
aka The Super Black Ninja
Previous Ranking: none
Years Unranked: 1985, 1990, 1993, 1994, 1997, 2001, 2004, 2010, 2015, 2019, 2021, & 2022
Matches: 158
Places Worked: NWA & WCCW
Title Won: NWA World Television Championship
Tournament: NWA Iron Man Tournament
In ’89, The Great Muta came,
A mysterious presence, fame aflame.
Unique, they graced the NWA’s stage,
Unseen moves, a mystic’s sage.
With misty shroud and skillful grace,
In the ring, they’d leave a trace.
A wrestling enigma, a sight to behold,
The Great Muta’s tale, forever told.
Recommended Matches:
- vs Sting, NWA, July 23
- vs Lex Luger, NWA, December 13
#21
Jacques Rougeau
Previous Ranking: none
Years Unranked: 1983, 1985, 1993, 1994, & 1997
Matches: 114
Place Worked: WWF
In ’89, Jacques Rougeau took the floor,
Unreal heat, fans’ hatred poured.
Pretending to be American, the act so sly,
Boos and jeers, they’d amplify.
The Fabulous Rougeaus, a tag team grace,
In the ring, they’d leave a trace.
Perfectly paired, their chemistry shone,
A wrestling legacy, forever known.
Recommended Matches:
- w/ Raymond Rougeau vs The Hart Foundation, WWF, February 3
- w/ Raymond Rougeau & Rick Martel vs Tito Santana & The Rockers, WWF, August 28
- w/ Raymond Rougeau vs The Rockers, WWF, October 13
#20
Shawn Michaels
Previous Ranking: none
Years Unranked: 1985, 1990, 1993, 1994, 1997, 2004, & 2010
Matches: 151
Place Worked: WWF
Tournament: WWF Royal Rumble
In ’89, Shawn Michaels’ star did gleam,
A wrestling heart with a dream.
With charisma and moves so fine,
He graced the ring like a divine.
From Rockers’ days to solo flight,
A superstar rising, shining bright.
In ’89, his journey began,
A legend’s path, a wrestling fan.
Recommended Matches:
- w/ Marty Jannetty vs The Brain Busters, WWF, January 23
- w/ Marty Jannetty vs The Fabulous Rougeaus, WWF, October 13
- w/ The Ultimate Warriors vs The Heenan Family, WWF, Survivor Series, November 23 (#4 MOTY)
#19
Big Van Vader
aka Bull Power
Previous Ranking: 1993 (4th) & 1994 (17th)
Years Unranked: 1985, 1990, 1997, & 2001
Matches: 95
Places Worked: NJPW, UWA, EMLL, & CWA
Titles Won: IWGP Heavyweight Championship (twice), CWA World Heavyweight Championship, & UWA World Heavyweight Championship
Tournament: IWGP Heavyweight Title Tournament (winner)
In ’89, Big Van Vader stood tall,
A wrestling monster, mighty and all.
With power and force, he’d dominate,
In the ring, none could emulate.
The IWGP Heavyweight Title, his claim,
A gaijin legend, forging his name.
In NJPW, he’d leave his mark,
Big Van Vader, fierce and dark.
Recommended Matches:
- vs Tatsumi Fujinami, NJPW, February 9
- w/ Bam Bam Bigelow vs Riki Choshu & Tatsumi Fujinami, NJPW, May 24
- vs Salman Hashimikov, NJPW, July 13
#18
Big Boss Man
Previous Ranking: 1990 (24th) & 1993 (30th)
Years Unranked: 1994, 1997, & 2001
Matches: 148
Place Worked: WWF
Tournament: WWF Royal Rumble
In ’89, Big Boss Man held his reign,
A part of Twin Towers, wrestling’s domain.
With Akeem, they struck a fearsome pose,
A tag team power that surely rose.
Feuding with Mania, an epic clash,
A story told with a thunderous crash.
As a big man who bumped, he’d amaze,
In the ring, he set hearts ablaze.
Boss Man’s prowess, an awe to see,
In ’89, a wrestling legacy.
Recommended Matches:
- w/ Akeem vs Demolition, WWF, July 10
- w/ Akeem & Andre the Giant vs Jim Duggan & Demolition, WWF, August 28
#17
Andre the Giant
Previous Ranking: 1983 (15th)
Years Unranked: 1985 & 1990
Matches: 122
Place Worked: WWF
Title Won: WWF World Tag Team Championship w/ Haku
Tournament: WWF Royal Rumble
In ’89, though broken, Andre stood tall,
A wrestling mind, wise like a thrall.
Picking his shots with measured grace,
Each move he made left a lasting trace.
With The Colossal Connection, gold they’d claim,
WWF Tag Team Titles, etching their name.
A giant’s heart, a legend’s might,
In ’89, Andre’s wrestling light.
Recommended Matches:
- vs Bret Hart, WWF, April 10
- w/ Heenan Family vs The Ultimate Warriors, WWF, Survivor Series, November 23 (#4 MOTY)
- w/ Haku vs Demolition, WWF, December 28
#16
Bull Nakano
Previous Ranking: 1985 (14th), 1990 (1st), 1993 (7th), & 1994 (8th)
Years Unranked: none
Place Worked: AJW
Title Won: AJW All Pacific Championship
Tournaments: AJW Tag League The Best w/ Beastie & AJW Japan Grand Prix
In ’89, Bull Nakano’s star did rise,
A wrestling force, a fierce surprise.
From the shadows, they found their look,
A transformation, a bold rebuke.
With strength and style, they’d take the stage,
A rising star, a wrestling sage.
In ’89, their journey did unfold,
Bull Nakano, a story to be told.
Recommended Matches:
- vs Akira Hokuto, AJW, April 23
- vs Lioness Asuka, AJW, May 14 (#6 MOTY)
- w/ Aja Kong vs Akira Hokuto & Suzuka Minami, AJW, October
#15
Chigusa Nagayo
Previous Ranking: 1983 (16th), 1985 (1st), 1994 (22nd), & 2001 (15th)
Years Unranked: 1997, 2004, & 2019
Place Worked: AJW
Titles Won: IWA World Championship & WWWA Tag Team Championship w/ Lioness Asuka
In ’89, Chigusa reached her peak,
A wrestling legend, bold and unique.
In the ring, she’d shine so bright,
A force to reckon, pure delight.
“The Day the Music Died,” she bid adieu,
A farewell that touched hearts anew.
Until then, at the top she’d reside,
A legend retiring with unmatched pride.
Recommended Matches:
- vs Lioness Asuka, AJW, January 29
- vs Akira Hokuto, AJW, March 19 (#7 MOTY)
- w/ Lioness Asuka vs Akira Hokuto & Suzuka Minami, AJW, April 2
#14
Akira Hokuto
Previous Ranking: 1990 (4th), 1993 (1st), 1994 (9th), 1997 (24th), & 2001 (9th)
Years Unranked: none
Places Worked:
Title Won: WWWA Tag Team Championshi w/ Suzuka Minami
Tournaments: AJW Tag League The Best w/ Etsuko Mita & AJW Japan Grand Prix
In ’89, Akira’s stardom soared,
A wrestling queen, her reign assured.
A rising star, a force untamed,
In the ring, her fire inflamed.
The Dangerous Queen, she would become,
A persona fierce, a wrestling drum.
In ’89, her legend grew,
Akira Hokuto, a sight to view.
Recommended Matches:
- vs Chigusa Nagayo, AJW, March 19 (#7 MOTY)
- vs Bull Nakano, AJW, April 23
- w/ Suzuka Minami vs Aja Kong & Bull Nakano, AJW, October
#13
“Ravishing” Rick Rude
Previous Ranking: none
Years Unranked: 1983, 1985, 1990, 1993, & 1994
Matches: 132
Place Worked: WWF
Title Won: WWF Intercontinental Championship
In ’89, Ravishing Rick Rude stood tall,
A wrestling heart that enthralled.
With charm and muscles, he’d impress,
A ravishing persona, none could suppress.
In the ring, a masterful display,
Each move, a captivating ballet.
A true heel, he played the part,
Ravishing Rick Rude, a work of art.
Recommended Matches:
- vs Tito Santana, WWF, February 11
- vs Ultimate Warrior, WWF, August 28
- vs Roddy Piper, WWF, December 28
#12
Jushin “Thunder” Liger
Previous Ranking: 1990 (12th), 1993 (32nd), 1994 (16th), 1997 (19th), & 2004 (14th)
Years Unranked: 1985, 2001, 2010, 2015, & 2019
Matches: 87
Places Worked: NJPW & UWA
Title Won: IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship
In ’89, Jushin Liger’s thunder roared,
IWGP Junior Heavyweight title he scored.
A legend born with a striking sight,
Cool they looked, a dazzling light.
Feuding with Sano, a clash for the age,
In the ring, they’d fiercely engage.
A masked marvel with moves that inspire,
Jushin Liger, a wrestling fire.
Recommended Matches:
- vs Black Tiger, NJPW, July 12
- vs Naki Sano, NJPW, July 13
- vs Naoki Sano, NJPW, August 10 (#5 MOTY)
#11
Bret “Hitman” Hart
Previous Ranking: 1985 (23rd), 1990 (18h), 1993 (9th), 1994 (1st), & 1997 (1st)
Years Unranked: 1983 & 2010
Matches: 152
Place Worked: WWF
In ’89, Bret “Hitman” Hart took flight,
A singles push, a wrestling delight.
Excellence of execution, they’d acclaim,
In the ring, he played a masterful game.
The Hart Foundation, strong as steel,
In tag team glory, hearts they’d steal.
A wrestler with grace, skill, and heart,
Bret Hart’s legend, forever a part.
Recommended Matches:
- vs Ted DiBiase, WWF, March 8
- vs Andre the Giant, WWF, April 10
- w/ Jim Neidhart vs The Brain Busters, WWF, August 28
#10
Demolition Ax
Previous Ranking: none
Years Unranked: 1983, 1985, 1990, 1993, & 2010
Matches: 144
Place Worked: WWF
Title Won: WWF World Tag Team Championship w/ Smash
Tournament: WWF Royal Rumble
In ’89, Ax of Demolition’s might,
A tag team force that shone so bright.
Despite his partner’s lackluster sway,
Demolition ruled, come what may.
In tag team wrestling, he’d excel,
Psychology unmatched, they’d quell.
Their title run, a glorious stride,
Ax’s prowess, wrestling’s pride.
Recommended Matches:
- w/ Smash vs The Brain Busters, WWF, April 25
- w/ Smash vs The Twin Towers, WWF, July 10
- w/ Smash vs The Brain Busters, WWF, July 18
- w/ Smash vs The Colossal Connection, WWF, December 28
#9
Yoshiaki Yatsu
Previous Ranking: none
Years Unranked: 1983, 1985, 1990, 1993, 1994, & 1997
Matches: 145
Places Worked: AJPW & WWA
Title Won: AJPW Wolrd Tag Team Championship w/ Jumbo Tsuruta (twice)
Tournament: AJPW Real World Tag League w/ Jumbo Tsuruta
In ’89, Yoshiaki Yatsu took flight,
An amazing feud, a wrestling light.
With Tenryu, battles fierce and grand,
Bringing out the best, hand in hand.
Alongside Jumbo, as a tag team pair,
In the ring, a force beyond compare.
Yatsu’s prowess, a sight to see,
In ’89, a wrestling legacy.
Recommended Matches:
- w/ Jumbo Tsuruta vs Genichiro Tenryu & Tohsiaki Kwada, AJPW, February 23
- vs Genichiro Tenryu, AJPW, July 18 (#10 MOTY)
- w/ Jumbo Tsuruta vs Genichiro Tenryu & Stan Hansen, AJPW, July 31
- w/ Jumbo Tsuruta vs Genichiro Tenryu & Stan Hansen, AJPW, December 6 (#1 MOTY)
#8
Arn Anderson
Previous Ranking: none
Years Unranked: 1983, 1985, 1990, 1993, & 1994
Matches: 145
Places Worked: WWF & NWA
Title Won: WWF World Tag Team Championship w/ Tully Blanchard
Tournament: WWF Royal Rumble
In ’89, Arn Anderson’s star did gleam,
WWF Tag Team Titles, his dream.
With Tully, The Brain Busters’ reign,
A duo feared, a wrestling chain.
In every bout, he’d steal the show,
A masterclass, he’d make them glow.
With skill and wit, he’d take control,
Arn Anderson, wrestling’s soul.
Recommended Matches:
- w/ Tully Blanchard vs The Rockers, WWF, January 23
- w/ Tully Blanchard vs Demolition, WWF, July 18
- w/ Tully Blanchard vs The Hart Foundation, WWF, August 28
- w/ Heenan Family vs The Ultimate Warriors, WWF, Survivor Series, November 23 (#4 MOTY)
#7
Stan Hansen
Previous Ranking: 1983 (3rd), 1985 (9th), 1990 (22nd), 1993 (2nd), & 1994 (20th)
Years Unranked: 1997
Matches: 87
Places Worked: AJPW & WWA
Title Won: AJPW World Tag Team Championship w/ Genichiro Tenryu (thrice)
Tournament: AJPW Real World Tag League w/ Genichro Tenryu (winner)
In ’89, Stan Hansen’s might would rise,
Tag team glory, a fierce surprise.
With Tenryu, a force untamed,
A partnership that fiercely flamed.
In AJPW, his menace spread,
A bad ass presence, none would tread.
A wrestling beast, a force to fear,
In ’89, Hansen’s legend clear.
Recommended Matches:
- vs Genichiro Tenryu, AJPW, March 29
- w/ Genichiro Tenryu vs Jumbo Tsuruta & Yoshiaki Yatsu, AJPW, July 31
- w/ Genichiro Tenryu vs Giant Baba & Rusher Kimura, AJPW, November 29 (#2 MOTY)
- w/ Genichiro Tenryu vs Jumbo Tsuruta & Yoshiaki Yatsu, AJPW, December 6 (#1 MOTY)
#6
Jumbo Tsuruta
Previous Ranking: 1990 (3rd)
Years Unranked: 1983, 1985, & 1994
Matches: 148
Places Worked: AJPW & WWA
Titles Won: PWF Heavyweight Championship, NWA United National Championship, AJPW Triple Crown Championship (twice), AJPW World Tag Team Championship w/ Yoshiaki Yatsu (twice)
Tournament: AJPW Real World Tag League w/ Yoshiaki Yatsu
In ’89, Jumbo stood the test,
AJPW’s ace, a legend blessed.
With Tenryu, a feud for the age,
Classic battles, wrestling’s stage.
The Triple Crown, he’d claim with might,
Twice a champion, his wrestling height.
A legend’s legacy, forever known,
In ’89, Jumbo’s greatness shown.
Recommended Matches:
- w/ Yohsiaki Yatsu vs Genichiro Tenryu & Tohsiaki Kwada, AJPW, February 23
- w/ Yoshiaki Yatsu vs Genichiro Tenryu & Stan Hansen, AJPW, July 31
- vs Genichiro Tenryu, AJPW, June 5 (#3 MOTY)
- w/ Yoshiaki Yatsu vs Genichiro Tenryu & Stan Hansen, AJPW, December 6 (#1 MOTY)
#5
“Macho Man” Randy Savage
aka The Macho King
Previous Ranking: 1985 (18th) & 1990 (10th)
Years Unranked: 1983, 1993, 1994, & 1997
Matches: 150
Place Worked: WWF
Title Won: WWF King of the Ring
Tournament: WWF Royal Rumble
In ’89, Savage stood tall,
Carrying workers, one and all,
From the depths, he pulled out grace,
Elevating each wrestling space.
WrestleMania’s main event, a sight,
A match that soared to highest height,
Amidst the crap, he found his way,
A top 5 worker, none could sway.
Recommended Matches:
- vs Bad News Brown, WWF, January 16
- vs Ultimate Warrior, WWF, February 11
- vs Brutus Beefcake, WWF, July 18
- vs Jim Duggan, WWF, November 25
#4
Terry Funk
Previous Ranking: 1983 (1st), 1985 (12th), 1993 (17th), 1994 (5th), & 1997 (22nd)
Years Unranked: 1990
Matches: 79
Places Worked: NWA, PWF, WWA, & AWA
In ’89, Terry Funk, wild and bold,
Middle-aged and crazy, stories untold.
A classic feud, the NWA Title at stake,
Unpredictable, yet brilliance they’d make.
In the ring, a masterful spree,
Always great, setting spirits free.
A legend’s year, forever revered,
Terry Funk, a wrestling pioneer.
Recommended Matches:
- vs Eddie Guerrero, NWA, May 9
- vs Ricky Steamboat, NWA, June 14 (#8 MOTY)
#3
Ricky “The Dragon” Steamboat
Previous Ranking: 1985 (17th)
Years Unranked: 1983, 1990, 1993, & 1994
Matches: 71
Places Worked: NWA & AJPW
Title Won: NWA World Championship
In ’89, “The Dragon” soared,
NWA’s Champion, spirits roared.
Feuding for the title, a legend’s bout,
Classic after classic, without a doubt.
The perfect babyface, hearts would sway,
In the ring, they’d steal the day.
With honor, skill, and fire within,
Ricky Steamboat, a wrestling kin.
Recommended Matches:
- vs Terry Funk, NWA, June 14 (#8 MOTY)
- vs Lex Luger, NWA, July 23
#2
“The Total Package” Lex Luger
Previous Ranking: 1990 (13th)
Years Unranked: 1985, 1993, 1994, 1997, & 2001
Matches: 170
Place Worked: NWA
Title Won: NWA United States Championship (twice)
Tournament: NWA Iron Man Tournament
In ’89, “The Total Package” arose,
NWA’s US Champion, he chose.
As face or heel, he’d leave a mark,
Great matches, shining like a spark.
In every situation, he’d deliver,
A wrestling force, a relentless river.
A year of triumph, fame, and pride,
Lex Luger’s legacy, forever tied.
Recommended Matches:
- vs Barry Windham, NWA, February 20
- vs Ricky Steamboat, NWA, July 23
- vs Tommy Rich, NWA, September 12
- vs Steve Williams, NWA, October 8
- vs Brian Pillman, NWA, November 15
#1
“1989 Wrestler of the Year”
Genichiro Tenryu
Previous Ranking: 1993 (10th), 1994 (4th), 2001 (12th), & 2004 (3rd)
Years Unranked: 1983, 1985, 1990, 1997, 2010, & 2015
Matches: 142
Places Worked: AJPW, NWA, & WWA
Titles Won: AJPW World Tag Team Championships w/ Stan Hansen (twice) & AJPW Triple Crown
Tournament: AJPW Real World Tag League w/ Stan Hansen (winner)
In ’89, Tenryu’s might,
AJPW’s star shining bright,
Triple Crown and Tag Team’s claim,
In dominance, they etched their name.
Three matches, best of the year,
In the ring, no peer to fear,
With Jumbo and Yoshiaki’s might,
Legendary feuds took flight.
Consistently, he’d ignite,
1989, his wrestling height.
Recommended Matches:
- vs Stan Hansen, AJPW, March 29
- vs Jumbo Tsuruta, AJPW, June 5 (#3 MOTY)
- vs Yoshiaki Yatsu, AJPW, July 18 (#10 MOTY)
- w/ Stan Hansen vs Giant Baba & Rusher Kimura, AJPW, November 29 (#2 MOTY)
- w/ Stan Hansen vs Jumbo Tsuruta & Yoshiaki Yatsu, AJPW, December 6 (#1 MOTY)
Upcoming!
Since the joshi watches of 1995 is ending, that will be the next list. A fascinating year as the Monday Night Wars started, AJPW was at it’s height, AAA was unreal, death matches were signing in Japan, and ECW was on the rise. Really looking forward to it.
You can discuss this on Twitter!
Discord
We also have a lovely discord community to discuss the greatest wrestler ever project and anything else under the sun. It’s an open and welcoming group, and I am very proud of it. Everyone is welcome:
Join:
We also do weekly watch-along parties with chat!
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The Greatest Wrestlers of 2019
In route to putting together my top 100 list of the Greatest Wrestlers Ever, I am going through each year and putting together a list for that particular year. Previously, on the podcast “Maybe Not Taue”, I put together a list for 1985, 1990, 1997, & 2021. You can listen to those here. 1983, 1993, 1994, 2001, 2004, 2010, 2015, & 2022 are on the blog.
2019
I love 2019; it was the year I was so into watching almost every women’s indie match, and the first year, I started to dip into Stardom.
The List
All of the below stats are from Cagematch. Yes, they are not perfect.
The recommended matches are not a definitive list. It’s a list of matches I have watched for this process, plus matches on my spreadsheet from before. I will not go beyound 5 matches.
The matches listed are all 7/10 or higher; if they are bolded, they are 8/10 or higher.
Honourable Mentions
- Arisa Nakajima
- ASUKA
- Charlotte Flair
- Jonathan Gresham
- Kairi Sane
- Roman Reigns
- Thunder Rosa
#25
Kris Statlander
Years Unranked: 2021 & 2022
Matches: 134
Places Worked: Beyond, CAP, NYWC, AAW, QOC, Limitless, WrestlePro, FSCW, AEW, CW, CZW, SHIMMER, WSU, ZERO1 USA, B!P, GCW, WWR, Femmes Fatles, AML, C4, IWTV, MTW, BCW, Dropkick Depression, Bar Wrestling, CHIKARA, EVOLVE, SHINE, REVOLVER, Sabotage, HMW, HOG, ROH, PWM, NOVA Pro, BLP, & WWE
Titles Held: NYWC Starlet Championship, IWTV Independent Wrestling Championship, B!P Bedlam Championship, WSUA Spirit Championship, CAP Television Championship, & AAW Women’s Championship
Tournaments: Queen of the North (finals), Beyond Treasure Hunter Tournament (winner), CZW Best of the Best 18, NYWC/Outlaw Wrestling King & Queen Tournament w/ Orange Cassidy (finals), Making Town Classic Tournament, REVOLVER One Night Tournament, & CHIKARA King of Trios w/ Nick Gage & Thomas Santell
Weirdly, Kris Statlander wasn’t even on my GWE spreadsheet. However, after I put out my match of the year list, Statlander was on their twice! I am saying her year was sneaky good as she completely broke out on the Indies and worked everywhere, bringing a different character and some fresh excitement to the scene.
Recommended Matches:
- vs Ashley Vox, “Unsanctioned,” Limitless, January 11 (#5 MOTY)
- vs Orange Cassidy, IWTV, May 26
- vs Joey Janella, Beyond, June 12 (#8 MOTY)
- vs Kimber Lee, “Cage,” Beyond, July 28
- vs Mercedes Martinez, Beyond, November 14
- plus more
#24
Tsukasa Fujimoto
Previous Ranking: 2021 (13th)
Years Unranked: 2010, 2015, & 2022
Matches: 125
Places Worked:
Title Held:
Tournament:
The veteran Fujimoto is always a threat for this list, as long as there are enough opportunities and footage of her. If she branched out from Ice Ribbon more to give herself more variety, she would probably be higher on this list. She is a dynamo in the ring with very sound psychology and a knack for having exciting finishing sequences.
Recommended Matches:
- vs Maya Yukihi, Ice Ribbon, August 3
- vs Sareee, Ice Ribbon, September 14
- w/ Tsukushi vs Maya Yukihi & Risa Sera, Ice Ribbon, November 3
#23
Nanae Takahashi
Previous Ranking: 2004 (11th) & 2010 (20th)
Years Unranked: 1997, 2001, 2015, 2021, & 2022
Matches: 54
Places Worked: SEAdLINNNG, Marvelous, Gatoh Move, WAVE, ZERO1, Ice Ribbon, AWG, Dragon Gate, & NagoJo
Titles Held: SEAdLINNNG Beyond The Sea Championship & Blast Queen Championship
Always the hard-hitting veteran, it is nice to see Nanae sneak onto the list this late into her career. It does help running a promotion where you can give yourself a lot of cool opportunities.
Recommended Matches:
- vs ASUKA, SEAdLINNING, March 20
- vs Takumi Iroha, SEAdLINNNG, May 29
- vs Arisa Nakajima, “Hair vs Hair”, SEAdLINNNG, November 2
#22
Momo Watanabe
Previous Ranking: 2021 (6th) & 2022 (16th)
Years Unranked: 2015
Matches: 89
Places Worked: Stardom & Tokyo Gurentai
Titles Held: Wonder of Stardom Championship & Goddesses of Stardom Championship w/ Utami Hayashishita
Tournament: Stardom Trios Tag Team Tournament w/ AZM & Konami, Stardom Cinderella Tournament, Stardom 5STAR Grand Prix, & Goddesses of Stardom Tag League w/ AZM
The young Watanabe had a great year, winning a variety of championships in Stardom. She was already a bruiser striking this early into her career and really showed up in big match opportunities.
Recommended Matches:
- vs Tam Nakano, Stardom, January 14
- vs Jungle Kyona, Stardom, March 3
- vs Utami Hayashishita, Stardom, April 5
- w/ Utami Hayashishita vs Jungle Kyona & Konami, Stardom, July 15
#21
Daniel Makabe
Years Unranked: 2015, 2021, & 2022
Matches: 65
Places Worked: 3-2-1 BATTLE!, WAC, wXw, ECCW, DOA, PPW, SCI, Riptide, BLP, Beyond, Breed Pro, 5CC, OWE, PWA, GCW, ISW, Pizza Party Pro, & Freelance
Tournaments: Scenic City Invitational (winner), wXw AMBITION 11, 3-2-1 BATTLE! Seattle Underground Title Tournament, Riptide Tag Team Tournament w/ Chris Brookes, wXw AMBITION Wildcard Edition (finals), PPW Title Tournament (finals), & 3-2-1 BATTLE! GO! Tournament (winner)
I’ve seen Makabe called the Budy Rose of the Pacific Northwest, and this is a really fun comparison. While mostly focused on matwork and submissions, his ability to story tell really sets him apart. A tremendous heel.
Recommended Matches:
- vs Jonathan Gresham, 3-2-1 BATTLE!, April 19
- vs Timothy Thatcher, 3-2-1 BATTLE!, July 12
- plus more
#20
Konami
Years Unranked: 2015 & 2021
Matches: 93
Place Worked: Stardom
Titles Held: Artist of Stardom Championship w/ Hana Kimura & Jungle Kyona & Goddesses of Stardom Championship w/ Jungle Kyona
Tournaments: Stardom Trios Tag Team Tournament w/ AZM & Momo Watanabe, Stardom Cinderella Tournament (finals), Stardom 5STAR Grand Prix (finals), & Goddesses of Stardom Tag League w/ Jungle Kyona
I always enjoy Konami, but I didn’t think about ranking until now. She had a tremendous year as one of the big shots in TCS. She had plenty of bigger opportunities and delivered in those situations, including main event title matches. She reminds me of Tajiri, and seeing Tajiri in Stardom is great fun.
Recommended Matches:
- vs Mayu Iwatani, Stardom, February 24
- vs Kagetsu, Stardom, May 26
- w/ Jungle Kyona vs Momo Watanabe & Utami Hayashishita, Stardom, July 15
- w/ Jungle Kyona vs Arisa Hoshiki & Tam Nakano, Stardom, November 24
- vs Arisa Hoshiki, Stardom, December 24
#19
Asuka
Previous Ranking: 2010 (3rd) & 2015 (10th)
Years Unranked: 2004, 2021, & 2022
Matches: 120
Place Worked: WWE
Titles Held: WWE SmackDown Women’s Championship & WWE Women’s Tag Team Championship w/ Kairi Sane
Being a non-World Champion in WWE as a woman makes it hard to put together a case, but I think Asuka accomplished it. From the tremendous title match with Lynch at the Rumble to the amazing team with Sane, she was a great performer all year. I can’t reiterate enough how awesome Kabuki Warriors were, and her having another awesome heel run really was much needed.
Recommended Matches:
- vs Becky Lynch, WWE, January 27
- w/ Kairi Sane vs Dakota Kai & Tegan Nox, NXT, October 30
- w/ Kairi Sane vs Becky Lynch & Charlotte Flair, “TLC”, WWE, December 15
#18
Chihiro Hashimoto
Years Unranked: 2021 & 2022
Matches: 97
Places Worked: Sendai Girls, DDT, Diana, WAVE, Marvelous, FCP, PURE-J, ZERO1, Dragon Gate, & Oz Academy
Titles Held: Sendai Girls Tag Team Championship w/ Mika Iwata, Sendai Girls World Championship (twice), & DDT KO-D Six Man Tag Team Championship w/ DASH Chisako & Meiko Satomura
Tournaments: Sendai Girls Royal Tag Team Tournament w/ Yuu (finals) & DDT D-Ou Grand Prix
I’m starting to think that any year Hashimoto has enough footage for me to watch, she’ll make the list somewhere. She is such a bruising brute of a wrestler who has a tremendous aura. Her taking on all challenges in Sendai Girls is perfect wrestling.
Recommended Matches:
- vs Kyoko Inoue, Diana, February 24
- vs Jordynne Grace, Sendai Girls, April 16
- vs Sareee, Sendai Girls, June 8
#17
WALTER
Previous Ranking: 2022 (2nd)
Years Unranked: 2010, 2015, & 2021
Matches: 67
Places Worked: WWE, wXw, PROGRESS, OTT, EVOLVE, FCP, Smash, BJW, & FWF
Titles Held: OTT World Championship, PROGRESS Atlas Championship, wXw World Tag Team Championship w/ Ilja Dragunov, PROGRESS Unified World Championship, & WWE NXT United Kingdom Championship
Tournaments: wXw 16 Carat Gold Tournament (finals) & wXw AMBITION 11 (winner)
A mixed bag from WALTER, from his usual hot start in wXw and the shocking match he dragged out of Müller to settling into NXT UK and having to have a rare show to have a great match.
Recommended Matches:
- vs Veit Müller, wXw, February 15
- vs Pete Dunne, NXT, April 5
- vs Pete Dunne, NXT UK, April 19
- plus more
#16
Io Shirai
Previous Ranking: 2015 (7th)
Years Unranked: 2010, 2021, & 2022
Matches: 69
Places Worked: WWE
Tournament: WWE Royal Rumble
Having a great run as a face and a heel in a single year is a great way to get ranked. She was still as great as she was in Stardom, just with fewer and different opportunities. Her heel turn and matches in that character were great.
Recommended Matches:
- vs Bianca Belair vs Kairi Sane vs Shayna Baszler, NXT, April 5
- vs Shayna Baszler, NXT, June 1
- vs Shayna Baszler, “Cage”, NXT, June 12
- vs Candice LeRae, NXT, August 10
#15
LA Park
aka La Parka
Previous Ranking: 2001 (4th), 2004 (9th), 2010 (5th), & 2015 (18th)
Years Unranked: 1993, 1994, 1997, 2021, & 2022
Matches: 76
Places Worked: AAA, MLW, G21, KAOZ, NLL, Invasion Indy, The Crash, Producciones Sanchez, Lucha Libre Boom, CMLL, PWM, AULL, IWRG, FMLL, Promociones Tao, WrestleRex, LEGEND, DEFY, Martinez Entertainment, Lucha Time, CWFH, LLE, Impact, GCW, TWE, WWW, & Warrior Wrestling
Titles Held: DDT Iron Man Heavy Metal Championship, XWW Universal Championship, G21 Heavyweight Championship, & G21 Tag Team Championship w/ El Hijo de LA Park
Park is an all-time great brawler, and even though he was slowly down, he was still great in 2019. He brings that aura of unpredictability and danger that few can bring.
Recommended Matches:
- vs Masato Tanaka, GCW
- vs Jacob Fatu, “No DQ”, MLW, November 2
- vs Blue Demon, Jr., IWRG, December 15
#14
Takumi Iroha
Years Unranked: 2015, 2021, & 2022
Matches: 87
Places Worked: Marvelous, WAVE, SEAdLINNNG, Diana, & DDT
Titles Held: SEAdLINNNG Beyond The Sea Championship & Regina Di WAVE Championship
Tournament: Catch The WAVE (winner)
I’m so glad I finally got to rank Iroha, as lack of footage or injuries held her back before. The ace of Marvelous got to travel to SEAdLINNING and show them she’s one of the best Joshi workers of this century. With tremendous offence, kicks, and charisma, she is a true protege of Chigusa Nagayo.
Recommended Matches:
- vs Nanae Takahashi, SEAdLINNNG, May 29
- vs Arisa Nakajima, SEAdLINNNG, Semptember 18
- vs Mio Momono, Marvelous, November 3
- w/ Kaho Kobayashi vs Hazuki & Kagetsu, Sumire Natsu Produce Forever, December 15
#13
Daniel Bryan
Previous Ranking: 2004 (18th), 2010 (12th), & 2021 (18th)
Years Unranked: 2001, 2015, & 2022
Matches: 90
Place Worked: WWE
Titles Held: WWE Championship & WWE SmackDown Tag Team Championship w/ Rowan
The WrestleMania match with Kofi Kingston is a truly great performance which would cement Bryan onto the list. However, adding on his heel work throughout the year, he’s in the top 15.
Recommended Matches:
- vs Kevin Owens vs Mustafi Ali, WWE, March 10
- vs Kofi Kingston, WWE, April 7 (#3 MOTY)
- w/ Roman Reigns vs Erick Rowan & Luke Harper, WWE, October 6
#12
Orange Cassidy
aka Fire Ant
Years Unranked: 2004, 2010, 2015, 2021, & 2022
Matches: 102
Places Worked: GCW, Beyond, CHIKARA, NYWC, Outlaw Wrestling, PWG, AEW, BLP, LVAC, Bar Wrestling, F1RST, ICW, EVOLVE, Flying V, IWTV, A1, HOH, FCP, PWA Black Label, WrestlePro, Smash, WC, SFP, Wild Zero, MCW, OTT, Prestige, Ground Zero, B!P, BTW, Destiny, TRUE, & SLA
Titles Held: IWTV Independent Wrestling Championship (twice), F1RST Wrestling Uptown VFW Championship, & A1 Zero Gravity Championship
Tournaments: NYWC/Outlaw Wrestling King & Queen Tournament w/ Kris Statlander (finals), PWG Battle of Los Angeles, BLP Turbo Graps 16, CHIKARA King of Trios as Fire Ant w/ Green Ant & Thief Ant, PWA Black Label Colosseum Tournament, FCP Infinity Tournament, & AEW Dynamite Diamond Ring
Watching Cassidy transform from a comedy worker to the ace of the northeast indies was a great ride, and if you like his current title run in AEW, you’ll like this as well. He was not only hilarious but also found tremendous ways to bring his character into serious great matches.
Recommended Matches:
- w/ Session Moth Martina vs Brian Cage & Jordynne Grace, Beyond, April 3
- vs Jonathan Gresham, “European Rounds”, IWTV, April 4
- vs Joey Janella, GCW, May 4
- vs Kris Statlander, IWTV, May 26
- w/ Chuck Taylor vs BLANK & Still Life, Beyond, June 19
#11
Sareee
Years Unranked: 2015, 2021, & 2022
Matches: 85
Places Worked: Sendai Girls, Diana, Marvelous, WAVE, Dotonbori Pro, MBPW, JTO, Ice Ribbon, HEAT UP, ZERO1, & GPS
Titles Held: Sendai Girls World Championship & World Woman Pro-Wrestling Diana World Championship
Tournament: Sendai Girls Royal Rag Tournament w/ Nanami
Sareee went from a young up-and-comer to the ace of Sendai Girls in 2019, and it was a great story. Her facing all these legends and not only keeping up with them but surpassing them was impressive.
Recommended Matches:
- vs Meiko Satomura, Sendai Girls, April 16
- vs Chihiro Hashimoto, Sendai Girls, June 8
- vs Giulia, Minoru Tanaka Produce, June 18
- vs DASH Chisako, Sendai Girls, July 7
- vs Tsukasa Fujimoto, Ice Ribbon, September 14
#10
Tam Nakano
Previous Ranking: 2021 (4th) & 2022 (7th)
Years Unranked: none
Matches: 84
Places Worked: Stardom & Tokyo Gurentai
Titles Held: Artist of Stardom Championship w/ Mayu Iwatani & Saki Kashima (twice)
Tournaments: Stardom Trios Tag Team Tournament w/ Arisa Hoshiki & Saki Kashima (finals), Stardom Cinderella Tournament, Stardom 5STAR Grand Prix, & Goddesses of Stardom Tag League w/ Arisa Hoshiki (winner)
Tam, the queen storyteller in wrestling today, spent most of the year with the Hoshiki story. As amazing as that was, it would be dead without Nakano. I may be biased due to her being one of my favourites, but I don’t think anyone can deny she was a great character in 2019 with some great matches.
Recommended Matches:
- vs Momo Watanabe, Stardom, January 14
- vs Kagetsu, Stardom, April 29
- vs Arisa Hoshiki, Stardom, June 16 (#2 MOTY)
- vs Mayu Iwatani, Stardom, September 7
- w/ Arisa Hoshiki vs Jungle Kyona & Konami, Stardom, November 24
#9
Shayna Baszler
Years Unranked: 2021 & 2022
Matches: 80
Places Worked: WWE
Title Held: WWE NXT Women’s Championship
I had completely forgotten that there was a time when Baszler was treated properly in WWE. The badass dominant champion of NXT was a great run for her and put her in a fun contrast with the majority of the roster she faced. When it was finally time for her to lose and move on, she did so, making a new star.
Recommended Matches:
- vs Bianca Belair, NXT, January 26
- vs Bianca Belair vs Io Shirai vs Kairi Sane, NXT, April 5
- vs Io Shirai, NXT, June 1
- vs Io Shirai, “Cage”, NXT, June 12
- vs Rhea Ripley, NXT, December 18
#8
Jungle Kyona
Years Unranked: 2022
Matches: 86
Places Worked: Stardom, YMZ, & Tokyo Gurentai
Titles Held: Artist of Stardom Championship w/ Hana Kimura & Konami & Goddesses of Stardom Championship w/ Konami
Tournaments: Stardom Trios Tag Team Tournament w/ Natsuko Tora & Ruaka, Stardom Cinderella Tournament, Stardom 5STAR Grand Prix, & Goddesses of Stardom Tag League w/ Konami
Jungle in TCS is my favourite version of Jungle. Her getting so close but just coming up short led to dramatic storytelling. This might be the best year of her career.
Recommended Matches:
- vs Momo Watanabe, Stardom, March 3
- w/ Konami vs Momo Watanabe & Utami Hayashishita, Stardom, July 15
- vs Arisa Hoshiki, Stardom, August 10 (#7 MOTY)
- w/ Konami vs Arisa Hoshiki & Tam Nakano, Stardom, November 24
#7
El Barbaro Cavernario
Years Unranked: 2015, 2021, & 2022
Matches: 125
Places Worked: CMLL, NJPW, ROH, The Crash, AULL, RevPro, Martinez Entertainment,
Lucha Libre Real, & Promociones Bello
Title Held: Mexican National Light Heavyweight Champion
Tournaments: Campeon Universal del CMLL, CMLL Torneo National de Parejas Incredibles w/ Titan (winner), CMLL Torneo Incredible de Parejas w/ Flyer, CMLL Torneo Gran Alternativa w/ Espanto, Jr., & RevPro British J Cup
Every single spotlight match he had, he delivered, and he was a lot of fun in the random pointless trios matches as well. They are such a ridiculous bumper with great charisma and real smarts for putting together an exciting match.
Recommended Matches:
- vs Dragon Lee, CMLL, January 4
- vs Titan, CMLL, February 22
- vs Mistico, CMLL, May 24
#6
“The Boss” Sasha Banks
Previous Ranking: 2015 (1st) & 2021 (12th)
Years Unranked: 2022
Matches: 73
Place Worked: WWE
Title Held: WWE Women’s Tag Team Champion w/ Bayley
Banks spent the first half of the year trying to establish a women’s tag division and then moved into a great feud with Becky Lynch. She was great doing both of those things. The Boss, even limited, is one of the greatest in the world.
Recommended Matches:
- Elimination Chamber Tag Match, WWE, February 17
- w/ Bayley vs Becky Lynch & Charlotte Flair, WWE, September 9
- vs Becky Lynch, WWE, September 15
- vs Becky Lynch, “Hell in a Cell”, WWE, October 6 (#9 MOTY)
- plus more
#5
Mayu Iwatani
Previous Ranking: 2015 (12th), 2021 (10th), & 2022 (5th)
Years Unranked: none
Matches: 78
Places Worked: Stardom, ROH, EVE, Diana, & NJPW
Titles Held: ROH Women of Honor World Championship, Artist of Stardom Championship w/ Saki Kashima & Tam Nakano (twice), & World of Stardom Championship
Tournaments: Stardom 5STAR Grand Prix & Goddesses of Stardom Tag League
Mayu continued to be the GOAT of Stardom and had another great year with the Red Belt and, weirdly, the ROH Title. The ROH trips didn’t yield much, but at least she had some great defences of that belt in Stardom.
Recommended Matches:
- vs Kelly Klein, ROH, February 10
- vs Konami, Stardom, February 24
- vs Tam Nakano, Stardom, September 7
- w/ Arisa Hoshiki vs Hazuki & Kagetsu, Stardom, December 1
- vs Kagetsu, Stardom, December 24
- plus more
#4
Kagetsu
Previous Ranking: 2015 (24th)
Years Unranked: 2010
Matches: 97
Places Worked: Stardom, EVE, ROH, & Tokyo Gurentai
Titles Held: World of Stardom Championship & Artist of Stardom Championship w/ Andras Miyagi & Natsu Sumire
Tournaments: Stardom Trios Tag Team Tournament w/ Hazuki & Natsu Sumire, Stardom Cinderella Tournament, Stardom 5STAR Grand Prix, & Goddesses of Stardom Tag League w/ Natsu Sumire
The main heel in Stardom, Kagetsu spent a lof the year as the Red Belt Champion and all of the year kicking ass. He cut a unique presence as he could go with the more dramatic work-rate action, but he mostly enjoyed being a badass. I loved him against lesser opponents being arrogant and just plain mean, but giving them enough to come out looking great.
Recommended Matches:
- vs Tam Nakano, Stardom, April 29
- vs Konami, Stardom, May 26
- w/ Hazuki vs Arisa Hoshiki & Mayu Iwatani, Stardom, December 1
- w/ Hazuki vs Kaho Kobayashi & Takumi Iroha, Sumire Natsu Produce Forever, December 15
- vs Mayu Iwatani, Stardom, December 24
#3
“The Man” Becky Lynch
Previous Ranking: 2015 (16th)
Years Unranked: 2021 & 2022
Matches: 131
Place Worked: WWE
Titles Held: WWE SmackDown Women’s Championship & WWE Raw Women’s Championship
Tournament: WWE Royal Rumble (winner)
Becky Lynch really took off in 2019, winning the first WrestleMania main evented by women. Her year stretched far beyond great promos, and being super over, she also had tremendous matches, including the great feud with Sasha Banks. She was must watch every time she was on screen.
Recommended Matches:
- vs Asuka, WWE, January 27
- w/ Charlotte Flair vs Bayley & Sasha Banks, WWE, September 9
- vs Sasha Banks, WWE, September 15
- vs Sasha Banks, “Hell in a Cell”, WWE, October 6 (#9 MOTY)
- w/ Charlotte Flair vs Asuka & Kairi Sane, “TLC”, WWE, December 15
- plus more
#2
Arisa Hoshiki
Years Unranked: none
Matches: 84
Places Worked: Stardom & EVE
Title Held: Wonder of Stardom Championship
Tournaments: Stardom Trios Tag Team Tournament w/ Saki Kashima & Tam Nakano (finals), Stardom Cinderella Tournament (winner), Stardom 5STAR Grand Prix, Stardom Goddesses of Stardom Tag League w/ Tam Nakano (winner)
What a wild career Hoshiki had. 2019 was the only year she worked over 15 matches; she debuted in 2018 and retired in 2020, and ended up #2 on this list. Her ability to get kicks off at unique angles and time them perfectly makes her stand out. She had such a great ability to step up in big matches and was instantly likable as a babyface. What a tremendous year as the Wonder of Stardom Champion, working the long-term story with Tam Nakano and Jungle Kyona.
Recommended Matches:
- vs Tam Nakano, Stardom, June 16 (#2 MOTY)
- vs Hazuki, Stardom, July 24
- vs Jungle Kyona, Stardom, August 10 (#7 MOTY)
- w/ Tam Nakano vs Jungle Kyona & Konami, Stardom, November 24
- vs Konami, Stardom, December 24
- plus more
#1
“The Latina Sensation”
Mercedes Martinez
Previous Ranking: 2010 (19th) & 2021 (17th)
Years Unranked: 2004 & 2022
Matches: 65
Places Worked: EVE, SHIMMER, Rise, Shine, NHPW, PPW, AWS, Beyond, AEW, Femmes Fatles, RevPro, AIW, VIP, Ladies Night Out, Hurricane Pro, WAW, UCE, Riptide, UPWA, F1RST, WOW, & APW
Titles Held: Phoenix of RISE Championship, IndyGurlz Australia Championship, PPW Women’s Championship, SHIMMER Tag Team Championship w/ Cheerleader Melissa, AWS Heavyweight Championship, SHINE Championship, Bellatrix World Championship, & Femmes Fatales Championship
Tournaments: NHPW Global Conflict X Tournament (finals), EVE Tag Team Title Tournament w/ Laura Di Matteo (finals), & EVE SHE-1
In 2019 Martinez worked everywhere, having great matches with great wrestlers and wrestlers she had to completely carry. It was similar to Chris Hero’s 2010, a year that also got him to #1 on my list. During that year, she had me ordering all kinds of shows and searching her out. Everything was entertaining to great, and I had 11 or so matches of her’s on my spreadsheet. Bonus, I met her in Toronto at The Summit, and she was the nicest person alive.
Recommended Matches:
- vs Kay Lee Ray, EVE, February 9
- vs Kylie Rae, “No Ropes Submission”, RISE, March 29 (#1 MOTY)
- vs Charlie Morgan, SHIMMER, March 30
- vs Thunder Rosa, Hurricane Pro, July 27
- vs Jordynne Grace, The Summit, August 10 (#10 MOTY)
- plus more
There we have it; after months of watching the footage, I can move on from 2019. Did you love this list, or did you love it? Contact me on Twitter or Discord to let me know.
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The Greatest Wrestlers of 2001
In route to putting together my top 100 list of the Greatest Wrestlers Ever, I am going through each year and putting together a list for that particular year. Previously, on the podcast “Maybe Not Taue”, I put together a list for 1985, 1990, 1997, & 2021. You can listen to those here. 1983, 1993, 1994, 2004, 2010, 2015, & 2022 are on the blog.
2001
This year took a very long time because it was a time before my spreadsheet and while I was in University and wasn’t following very closely. I watched a lot of footage for this one, so my apologies for the lateness. Next time I am moving to 2019, where I have a very throughout spreadsheet filled out already.
The List
All of the below stats are from cagematch. Yes, they are not perfect.
The recommended matches are not a definitive list, it’s a list of matches I have watched for this process, plus matches on my spreadsheet from before. I will not go beyound 5 matches.
The matches listed are all 7/10 or higher; if they are bolded, they are 8/10 or higher.
Honourable Mentions
- Akira Taue
- Dynamite Kansai
- Etsuko Mita
- Jun Akiyama
- Mima Shimoda
- Rob Van Dam
- X-Pac
#25
Yuji Nagata
Previous Ranking: 2004 (24th)
Years Unranked: 1993, 1994, 1997, 2010, 2015, 2021, & 2022
Matches: 121
Places Worked: NJPW, AJPW, & ZERO-ONE
Tournaments: IWGP Heavyweight Title Tournament, NJPW Naeba Cup Tag Tournament w/ Jushin Liger (winner), NJPW G1 Climax (winner), NJPW SKY PerfectTV! Cup (finals), NJPW G1 Tag League w/ Manabu Nakanishi
Yuji Nagata sneaks onto a second top 25 list for me by being the stand-out NJPW star who fights like hell as an underdog who is outmatched by badasses and shoot guys. He has a great flare for the dramatic in selling and makes every match feel like they have a big fight feel.
Recommended Matches:
- w/ Shinya Hashimoto vs Jun Akiyama & Mitsuharu Misawa, ZERO-ONE, March 2
- vs Kazayuki Fujita, NJPW, June 6
- vs Scott Norton, NJPW, September 23
#24
Kyoko Inoue
Previous Rankings: 1993 (3rd), 1994 (15th), 1997 (7th), & 2004 (20th)
Years Unranked: 2010, 2015, 2021, & 2022
Matches: 101
Places Worked: FMW, NEO, JWP, GAEA, & Oz Academy
Title Held: NWA Women’s Pacific & NEO Championship
Tournaments: NEO Stage (finals), NEO Japan Cup, & NEO Mid Summer Tag Tournament w/ Lioness Asuka (winner)
I admit I am a mark for Kyoko Inoue, but watching her in 2001 she still delivered plenty of great performances. I loved Inoue as a grizzled veteran as the wild underdog energy is replaced with viciousness mixed with fun.
Recommended Matches:
- vs Ran Yu Yu, JWP, April 28
- vs Mima Shimoda, NEO, May 3
- w/ Azumi Hyuga vs Command Bolshoi & Ran Yu Yu, JWP, November 13
- w/ Lioness Asuka vs Etsuko Mita & Mima Shimoda, FMW, November 23
#23
Rey Mysterio, Jr.
Previous Rankings: 1997 (6th), 2004 (21st), & 2010 (15th)
Years Unranked: 1993, 1994, 2015, 2021, & 2022
Matches: 32
Places Worked: WCW, CMLL, & Mexico
Title Held: WCW Cruiserweight Tag Team Championship w/ Billy Kidman
Tournament: WCW Cruiserweight Tag Team Title Tournament w/ Billy Kidman (finals)
Mysterio was having a great run in WCW before it closed, and upon further research that great run continued in Mexican indies. The Tijuana run was a lot more gritty than in WCW, so he showed some great range.
Recommended Matches:
- vs Chavo Guerrero, Jr., WCW, February 18
- w/ Billy Kidman vs Elix Skipper & Kid Romeo, WCW, March 18
- vs Juventud Guerrera, Tijuana, April 6
- w/ Damian 666 & Vampiro vs Halloween, LA Par-K, & Rey Mysterio, Sr., Tijuana, October 26
#22
Blue Panther
Previous Ranking: none
Years Unranked: 1985, 1990, 1993, 1994, 1997, 2004, 2010, 2015, 2021, & 2022
Matches: 95
Places Worked: CMLL, IWRG, Toryumon Mexico, AJPW, & Mexico
Titles Held: Mexican National Trios Championship w/ Fuerza Guerrera & El Signo and CMLL World Trios Champioship w/ Black Warrior & Dr. Wagner, Jr.
Tournaments: IWRG Copa Ovaciones (finals), CMLL Torneo de Parejas w/ Fuerza Guerrera (finals), CMLL Torneo Gran Alternativa w/ Virus
I had been trying to rank Blue Panther so many times in the past, but I hadn’t found the right amount or quality of matches until this year. He is a tremendous technical wrestler, but also a great brawler. He has that legit presence that makes each match he is in feel bigger.
Recommended Matches:
- vs El Hijo del Santo, CMLL Japan, January 28
- vs El Felino, IWRG, February 15
- vs Blue Demon, Jr., “2/3 Falls”, IWRG, July 26
#21
Kumiko Maekawa
Previous Ranking: none
Years Unranked: 1993, 1994, 1997, & 2004
Matches: 124
Place Worked: AJW
Tournaments: AJW Japan Grand Prix (finals) & AJW Tag League The Best w/ Misae Genki
Her year hangs on the Nakanishi series of matches and those are tremendous. She’s got a great kick badass style that aligns well with the history of Joshi. Her kicking the crap out of Nakanishi is always awesome.
Recommended Matches:
- vs Momoe Nakanishi AJW, May 4
- vs Momoe Nakanishi, AJW, August 17
- vs Momoe Nakanishi, AJW, October 24
- vs Nanae Takahashi, AJW, November 11
#20
Chikayo Nagashima
Previous Ranking: none
Years Unranked: 1997, 2004, 2010, 2015, 2021, & 2022
Matches: 54
Places Worked: GAEA & Oz Academy
Title Held: AAAW Tag Team Championship w/ Sugar Sato
Tournaments: GAEA One Day Tag Team Tournament w/ Toshie Uematsu, GAEA GAORA Cup (finals), AAAW Title #1 Contendership Tournament, & GAEA High Spurt 600 Tournament
Nagashima is a perfect complement to a tag match on the babyface side. She has great fire and some breathtaking moves.
Recommended Matches:
- w/ Carlos Amano vs Meiko Satomura & Sumie Sakai, Oz Academy, February 18
- w/ Dynamite Kansai & Mayumi Ozaki vs Aja Kong, Chigusa Nagayo, & The Bloody, Oz Academy, February 18
- w/ Sugar Sato vs Akira Hokuto & Mayumi Ozaki, GAEA, April 22
#19
Último Guerrero
Previous Ranking: 2004 (#22)
Years Unranked: 1997, 2010, 2015, 2021, & 2022
Matches: 100
Places Worked: CMLL & Mexico
Title Held: CMLL World Tag Team Championship w/ Rey Bucanero
Tournaments: CMLL Torneo de Parejas w/ Rey Bucanero (finals) & CMLL Torneo de Parejas w/ Violencia
The team with Bucanero is tremendous and the feud with Stanico is an all-time great and that carries his year.
Recommended Matches:
- w/ Rey Bucanero & Tarzan Boy vs Black Warrior, El Satanico & Shocker, “2/3 Falls”, CMLL, March 30
- vs El Satanico, “2/3 Falls”, CMLL, May 11
- vs Averno vs Mascara Magica vs Mephisto vs Rey Bucanero vs El Satanico vs Tarzan Boy, “Mask vs Hair Cage”, CMLL, September 28
- w/ Rey Bucanero vs El Hijo del Santo & Negro Casas, “2/3 Falls”, CMLL, November 2
- w/ Dr. Wagner, Jr. vs Antifaz & LA Par-K, “2/3 Falls”, Wrestling Monterrey, December 30
#18
Dr. Cerebro
Previous Ranking: none
Years Unranked: 1993, 1994, & 1997
Matches: 60
Places Worked: IWRG & X-LAW
Title Held: IWRG Intercontinental Welterweight Championship
Tournament: IWRG Copa Ovaciones (semi-finals)
Lucha de Apuestas: lost mask to El Hijo del Santo (March 1)
A tremendous technical wrestler, Dr. Cerebro spent the year schooling everyone on the mat in IWRG.
Recommended Matches:
- vs El Felino, “2/3 Falls”, IWRG, January 18
- vs El Hijo del Santo, “2/3 Falls”, IWRG, February 22
- vs El Hijo del Santo, “Mask vs Mask 2/3 Falls”, IWRG, March 1
#17
Azumi Hyuga
Previous Ranking: none
Years Unranked: 1997 & 2004
Matches: 74
Places Worked: ARSION, JWP, Osaka Pro, FMW, & NEO
Titles Held: JWP Openweight Championship & JWP Tag Team Championship w/ Kayoko Haruyama
Tournaments: ARSION ZION (finals) & Twin Stars Of ARSION League w/ Fabi Apache (semi-finals)
Hyuga can really go as an underdog flying babyface and is great at getting sympathy and having exciting offence.
Recommended Matches:
- vs Ayako Hamada, ARSION, February 12
- vs Command Bolshoi, JWP, February 18 (#10 MOTY)
- w/ Kyoko Inoue vs Command Bolshoi & Ran Yu Yu, JWP, November 13
- vs Command Bolshoi, JWP, November 21
#16
Scott Norton
Previous Ranking: 1997 (25th)
Years Unranked: 1990, 1993, 1994, & 2004
Matches: 63
Place Worked: NJPW
Title Held: IWGP Heavyweight Championship
Tournaments: NJPW G1 World (finals) & G1 Tag League w/ Super J
I just love watching Scott Norton destroy fools and thankfully he had an IWGP Title reign this year so there were lots of opportunities to watch that. He’s big, he sells great, and his offence is incredible.
Recommended Matches:
- vs Kensuke Sasaki, NJPW, March 17
- vs Kazayuki Fujita, NJPW, April 9
- vs Don Frye, NJPW, May 5
- vs Don Frye, NJPW, September 16
- vs Yuji Nagata, NJPW, September 23
#15
Chigusa Nagayo
Previous Ranking: 1983 (16th), 1985 (1st), & 1994 (22nd)
Years Unranked: 1997 & 2004
Matches: 31
Places Worked: GAEA & Oz Academy
Nagayo was such a great complimentary piece in tag matches in 2001. She is amazing coming in with her unique presence and aura.
Recommended Matches:
- w/ Lioness Asuka vs Akira Hokuto Mayumi Ozaki, GAEA, January 27
- w/ Aja Kong & The Bloody vs Chigusa Nagashima, Dynamite Kansai & Mayumi Ozaki, Oz Academy, February 18
- w/ Meiko Satomura vs Akira Hokuto & Mayumi Ozaki, GAEA, March 11 (#5 MOTY)
- w/ Lioness Asuka vs Akira Hokuto & Mayumi Ozaki, GAEA April 8
#14
Negro Casas
Previous Ranking: 1990 (23rd), 1994 (21st), & 1997 (18th)
Years Unranked: 1983, 1993, 2004, 2010, 2015, 2021, & 2022
Matches: 107
Places Worked: CMLL, NJPW, & Mexico
Title Held: CMLL World Tag Team Championship w/ Negro Casas
Tournaments: CMLL Torneo de Parejas w/ Felino, CMLL Torneo de Parejas w/ Olimpico (winners), CMLL Leyenda de Plata (finals), & CMLL Copa Arena Mexic w/ Felino & La Fiera
Lucha de Apuestas: won Halcon de Oro’s hair (June 10)
Negro Casas will be making my list any year he has enough opportunities and thankfully he worked a bunch of indies in 2001. It was nice to see him as a grizzled técnicos throughout the year.
Recommended Matches:
- vs El Hijo del Santo, “2/3 Falls”, Tijuana, June 9
- vs Antifaz, “2/3 Falls”, Monterrey, June 10
- vs Bllack Warrior, CMLL, October 19
- w/ El Hijo del Santo vs Rey Bucanero & Último Guerrero, “2/3 Falls”, CMLL, November 2
#13
El Satanico
Previous Ranking: 1990 (5th) & 1993 (12th)
Years Unranked: 1983, 1985, 1994, 1997, 2004, 2015, 2021, & 2022
Matches: 76
Places Worked: CMLL & Mexico
Tournaments: CMLL Torneo de Parejas w/ Mano Negra, CMLL Tornedo de Parejas w/ Black Warrior, & CMLL Copa Arena Mexico w/ Averno & Memphisto
Lucha de Apuestas: won Mascara Magica’s mask (September 28)
The evil Satanico had a great year feuding with Último Guerrero and turning from the evil leader of an evil group to using his evil to try to destroy that very same group he created. A great brawler who weirdly works very well as a técnico.
Recommended Matches:
- w/ Black Warrior & Shocker vs Rey Bucanero, Último Guerrero, & Tarzan Boy, “2/3 Falls”, CMLL, March 30
- vs Último Guerrero, “2/3 Falls”, CMLL, May 11
- vs Averno vs Mascara Magica vs Mephisto vs Rey Bucanero vs Tarzan Boy vs Último Guerrero, “Mask vs Hair Cage”, CMLL, September 28
#12
Genichiro Tenryu
Previous Ranking: 1993 (10th), 1994 (4th), & 2004 (3rd)
Years Unranked: 1983, 1985, 1990, 1997, 2010, & 2015
Matches: 83
Places Worked: AJPW & FMW
Titles Held: AJPW Triple Crown Championship & AJPW World Tag Team Championship w/ Yoji Anjo
Tournaments: AJPW Championship Carnival (winner) & AJPW Real World Tag Team League w/ Kodo Fuyuki
Old man Tenryu continues to deliver year after year. Few joys in wrestling compare to Tenryu using his old man strength to beat the crap out of others! The match he had with Mutoh is the most impressive performance of 2001.
Recommended Matches:
- vs Taiyo Kea, AJPW, March 3
- vs Kodo Fuyuki, FMW, May 5
- vs Keiji Mutoh, AJPW, June 8 (#4 MOTY)
#11
The Bloody
Previous Ranking: none
Years Unranked: 1997 & 2004
Places Worked: Jd’, Oz Academy, GAEA, JWP, & NEO
Titles Held: AWF World Women’s Championship (twice), BS Japan Queen of the Ring (twice), & TWF World Women’s Tag Team Championship w/ Fang Suzuki
If more footage existed The Bloody would have been on the 2004 rankings and thankfully in 2001 there is lots of footage! An insane bumper with murderous intent. The Bloody was involved in the feud of the year with Sumie Sakai and had plenty of good performances outside of that feud. She worked well in brawls or clean matches and as a heel or face. A tremendous year.
Recommended Matches:
- w/ Megumi Yabashita vs Fang Suzuki & Sumie Sakai, Jd’, February 11
- w/ Aja Kong & Chigusa Nagayo vs Chigusa Nagashima, Dynamite Kansai & Mayumi Ozaki, Oz Academy, February 18
- vs Aja Kong, Jd’, March 18
- vs Sumie Sakai, Jd’, April 29 (#6 MOTY)
- w/ Fang Suzuki vs Sumie Sakai & Hiroyo Muto, “LSD 2001 Match: No Rules Falls Count Anywhere Weapons Death Match”, Jd’, July 22 (#3 MOTY)
#10
Aja Kong
Previous Ranking: 1990 (6th), 1993 (8th), 1994 (3rd), & 1997 (5th)
Years Unranked: 2004, 2010, & 2015
Matches: 54
Places Worked: GAEA, ARSION, & Oz Academy
Titles Held: AAAW Championship (twice)
Tournaments: GAEA GAORA Cup, AAAW Title #1 Contendership Tournament (semi-finals), & GAEA High Spurt 600 Tournament
A down year for Aja Kong still gets her into the top 10! She was kind of downplayed throughout the year, but when she was called upon to deliver she did.
Recommended Matches:
- vs Mayumi Ozaki, GAEA, January 14
- w/ Chigusa Nagayo & The Bloody vs Chigusa Nagashima, Dynamite Kansai & Mayumi Ozaki, Oz Academy, February 18
- vs The Bloody, Jd’, March 18
- vs Mayumi Ozaki, GAEA, October 28
- vs Meiko Satomura, GAEA, December 15
#9
Akira Hokuto
Previous Ranking: 1990 (4th), 1993 (1st), 1994 (9th), & 1997 (24th)
Years Unranked: none
Matches: 22
Places Worked: GAEA & Oz Academy
Title Held: AAAW Tag Team Championship w/ Mayumi Ozaki
Okay, I know, only 22 matches worked, but… it’s Akira Hokuto! In her limited work, she was able to get into a top 10 match of all time, another match in the top 10 of the year, plus be a part of one of the greatest short-term tag teams of all time with Mayumi Ozaki. Her year was littered with amazing insane brawls, but also regular matches too. She still had it, although she had to manage her workload.
Recommended Matches:
- w/ Toshiyo Yamada vs Meiko Satomura & Saika Takeuchi, GAEA, February 25
- w/ Mayumi Ozaki vs Chigusa Nagayo & Meiko Satomura, GAEA, March 11 (#5 MOTY)
- w/ Mayumi Ozaki vs Crush Gals, GAEA April 8
- w/ Mayumi Ozaki vs Chigusa Nagashima & Sugar Sato, GAEA, April 22
- vs Meiko Satomura, GAEA, April 29 (#1 MOTY)
- plus more
#8
Command Bolshoi
aka PIKO
Previous Ranking: 2004 (19th), 2010 (14th), & 2015 (9th)
Years Unranked: 1993, 1994, & 1997
Matches: 60
Places Worked: ARSION, JWP, FMW, & Osaka Pro
Titles Held: JWP Openweight Championship & JWP Tag Team Championship w/ GAMI
I have a whole blog post looking at Bolshoi in 2001, but to summarize she had a great year being the glue that held JWP together. She can really do it all, with great brawls, great flying, great technical wrestling, and great strikes. There is not a bad performance by her in 2001 and many great ones.
Recommended Matches:
- vs Azumi Hyuga, JWP, February 18 (#10 MOTY)
- w/ Ran Yu Yu vs Azumi Hyuga & Kyoko Inoue, JWP, November 13
- vs Ayumi Hyuga, JWP, November 21
- vs Kayoko Haruyama, JWP, December 9 (#7 MOTY)
#7
Meiko Satomura
Previous Ranking: 2004 (10th), 2010 (6th), & 2015 (3rd)
Years Unranked: 1997 & 2021
Matches: 51
Places Worked: GAEA & Oz Academy
Title Held: AAAW Championship
Tournaments: GAEA One Day Tag Team Tournament w/ Saika Takeuchi, GAEA GAORA Cup, AAAW Title #1 Contendership Tournament (finals), & GAEA High Spurt 600 Tournament (winner)
2001 was the year that Satomura raised to the top of GAEA from her tremendous feud with Akira Hokuto to her winning the title in mid-December from Aja Kong.
Recommended Matches:
- vs Dynamite Kansai, GAEA, January 27
- w/ Sumie Sakai vs Carlos Amano & Chigusa Nagashima, Oz Academy, February 18
- w/ Chigusa Nagayo vs Akira Hokuto & Mayumi Ozaki, GAEA, March 11 (#5 MOTY)
- vs Akira Hokuto, GAEA, April 29 (#1 MOTY)
- vs Aja Kong, GAEA, December 15
- plus more
#6
Mayumi Ozaki
Previous Ranking: 1993 (12th) & 1994 (25th)
Years Unranked: 1997, 2004, 2010, 2015, 2021, & 2022
Matches: 46
Places Worked: GAEA & Oz Academy
Titles Held: AAAW Tag Team Championship w/ Akira Hokuto & AAAW Championship
Tournaments: GAEA One Day Tag Team Tournament w/ KAORU (winners), GAEA GAORU Cup (winner), & GAEA High Spurt 600 Tournament
Ozaki was hard to place in 2001, as I had her everywhere from #1 to #10 before placing her here. The tag team with Hokuto has become one of my favourites of all time. Add in a title run with the main belt in GAEA and the tremendous title matches with Aja Kong, and you get a great year.
Recommended Matches:
- vs Aja Kong GAEA, January 14
- w/ Dynamite Kansai & Chigusa Nagashima vs Aja Kong, Chigusa Nagayo, & The Bloody, Oz Academy, February 18
- w/ Akira Hokuto vs Chigusa Nagayo & Meiko Satomura, GAEA, March 11 (#5 MOTY)
- w/ Akira Hokuto vs Crush Gals, GAEA April 8
- w/ Akira Hokuto vs Chigusa Nagashima & Sugar Sato, GAEA, April 22
- plus more
#5
Momoe Nakanishi
Previous Ranking: 2004 (7th)
Years Unranked: 1997
Matches: 146
Places Worked: AJW, WING, & FMW
Title Held: WWWA Tag Team Championship w/ Nanae Takahashi
Tournaments: AJW Japan Grand Prix (winner) & AJW Tag League The Best w/ Kaoru Ito
A tremendous babyface who sells from underneath like few others. The year is known for her series with Maekawa, but if you dig deeper there is more there. She was a glimmer of hope in late-era AJW.
Recommended Matches:
- w/ Nanae Takahashi vs LCO, “2/3 Falls”, AJW, January 4
- vs Kumiko Maekawa AJW, May 4
- vs Kumiko Maekawa, AJW, August 17
- vs Mima Shimoda, AJW, August 17
- vs Kaoru Ito, AJW, September 16
- plus more
#4
LA Par-K
aka La Parka
Previous Ranking: 2004 (9th), 2010 (5th), & 2015 (18th)
Years Unranked: 1993, 1994, 1997, 2021, & 2022
Matches: 35
Places Worked: CMLL, X-LAW, IWRG, & Mexico
Title Held: WWA World Light Heavyweight Championship
Lucha de Apuestas: won El Dandy’s hair (June 4), won Huracan Ramirez Jr’s mask (June 25), won Damian 666’s hair (December 21), and won Shiryu Dragon’s mask.
One of the luchadors who benefited the most from being in WCW and its closing. He was the king of the Indies in 2001 and filled his year working amazing brawls.
Recommended Matches:
- w/ Halloween & Rey Mysterio, Sr. vs Damian 666, Rey Mysterio, Jr., & Vampiro, Tijuana, October 26
- vs El Hijo del Santo, “Cage”, Tijuana, November 16
- vs El Hijo del Santo, Wrestling In Monterrey, December 23 (#2 MOTY)
- w/ Antifaz vs Dr. Wagner, Jr. & Último Guerrero, “2/3 Falls”, Wrestling Monterrey, December 30
#3
Sumie Sakai
Previous Ranking: none
Years Unranked: 1997, 2004, 2010, 2015, & 2022
Places Worked: Jd’, JWP, & Oz Academy
Titles Held: BS Japan Queen of the Ring, AWF World Women’s Championship, & TWF World Women’s Tag Team Championship w/ Hiroyo Muto
I hadn’t even considered Sumie Sakai for GWE before and my experience with her is all current veteran stuff. However, after watching the footage, she was elite in 2001. She bumps harder than almost anyone in history and can put in a great babyface high spot match, but you can also add her being in so many insane brawls to her resume.
Recommended Matches:
- w/ Fang Suzuki vs The Bloody & Megumi Yabashita, Jd’, February 11
- w/ Meiko Satomura vs Carlos Amano & Chigusa Nagashima, Oz Academy, February 18
- vs Megumi Yabashita, Jd’, March 18 (#9 MOTY)
- vs The Bloody, Jd’, April 29 (#6 MOTY)
- w/ Hiroyo Muto vs The Bloody & Fang Suzuki, “LSD 2001 Match: No Rules Falls Count Anywhere Weapons Death Match”, Jd’, July 22 (#3 MOTY)
#2
El Hijo del Santo
Previous Rankings: 1990 (21st), 1993 (15th), 1994 (7th), 1997 (2nd), & 2004 (4th)
Years Unranked: 1983, 1985, & 2010
Matches: 44
Places Worked: CMLL, IWRG, X-LAW, AJPW, & Mexico
Title Held: CMLL World Tag Team Championship w/ Negro Casas
Tournament: CMLL Leyenda de Plata
Lucha de Apuestas: won Dr. Cerebro’s mask (March 1) & won Nicho el Millionario’s hair (April 6)
Santo keeps rolling out great year by great year. 2001 was highlighted by some ridiculous brawls with LA Park and with Santo upping his dive game. For some reason in 2001, Santo decided that his dives should be extra fast and extra violent looking. Santo working a variety of promotions gave him a nice varied resume for 2001.
Recommended Matches:
- vs Blue Panther, CMLL Japan, January 28
- vs Dr. Cerebro, “Mask vs Mask 2/3 Falls”, IWRG, March 1
- vs Negro Casas, “2/3 Falls”, Tijuana, June 9
- w/ Negro Casas vs Rey Bucanero & Último Guerrero, “2/3 Falls”, CMLL, November 2
- vs LA Par-K, Wrestling In Monterrey, December 23 (#2 MOTY)
- plus more
#1
“Stone Cold” Steve Austin
Previous Rankings: 1993 (23rd) & 1997 (11th)
Years Unranked: 1990 & 1994
Matches: 108
Place Worked: WWF
Titles Held: WWF World Heavyweight Championship, WWF World Tag Team Championship w/ Triple H, & WWF Undisputed World Heavyweight Championship
Tournament: WWF Royal Rumble (winner)
In late 2000 Austin returned from neck surgery and after working through ring rust he was a man on a mission. In 2001 he was out to prove many things. He proved he was more than a brawler. He proved he was still the top guy in the WWF. He tried to prove he could still be a great heel, but he was so loved that was a little ambitious. He had tremendous matches with a variety of opponents in different styles while remaining the ace of the biggest company on earth.
Recommended Matches:
- vs Triple H, “3 Stages of Hell”, WWF, February 25
- vs The Rock, “No DQ”, WWF, April 1
- vs The Rock, “Cage”, WWF, April 2
- vs Kurt Angle, WWF, August 19 (#5 MOTY)
- plus more
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The Greatest Wrestlers of 1994
In route to putting together my top 100 list of the Greatest Wrestlers Ever, I am going through each year and putting together a list for that particular year. Previously, on the podcast “Maybe Not Taue”, I put together a list for 1985, 1990, 1997, & 2021. You can listen to those here. 1983, 1993, 2004, 2010, 2015, & 2022 are on the blog.
1994
This was a difficult year to do. Any of the top 3 could have easily been in any order without blinking an eye and I had to make 10 honourable mentions! I don’t think I will be happy with the order ever, so this is the order as of the date I publish this.
The List
All of the below stats are from cagematch. Yes, they are not perfect.
The recommended matches are not a definitive list, it’s a list of matches I have watched for this process, plus matches on my spreadsheet from before. I will not go beyound 5 matches.
The matches listed are all 7/10 or higher; if they are bolded, they are 8/10 or higher.
Honourable Mentions
- Akira Taue
- Big Boss Man
- Cactus Jack
- Earthquake
- Espectrito
- Mascarita Sagrada
- Scott Norton
- Shinjiro Ohtani
- Steve Austin
- Takako Inoue
- Toshiaki Kawada
#25
Mayumi Ozaki
Previous Ranking: 1993 (#12)
Years Unranked: 1997, 2004, 2010, 2015, 2021, & 2022
Matches: 70
Places Worked: JWP & AJW
Title Held: JWP Tag Team Championship with Cutie Suzuki
Mayumi Ozaki is a tremendous opportunist in the ring and the highlight of her year was trying to dethrone the legend of Chigusa Nagayo.
Recommended Matches:
- vs Chigusa Nagayo, JWP, January 11
- with Cutie Suzuki vs Etsuko Mita & Mima Shimoda, AJW, March 27
- vs Chigusa Nagayo, JWP, May 22
- vs Cutie Suzuki, JWP, August 8
#24
Atsushi Onita
Previous Ranking: 1993 (#16)
Years Unranked: 1983, 1990, 1997, 2015, 2021, & 2022
Matches: 147
Places Worked: FMW, WAR, & M-Pro
Titles Held: FMW Brass Knuckles Championship & FMW Brass Knuckles Tag Team Championship with Mitsuhiro Matsunaga
Tournaments: FMW Brass Knuckles Tag Team Title Tournament with Katsutoshi Niiyama (finals), FMW Six Man Tag Team Tournament with Sambo Asako & Tarzan Goto (winner), & WAR Super Battle of 6 Men with Bam Bam Bigelow & Genichiro Tenryu (winner)
If you want a spectacle look no further than Atsushi Onita. He delivered that in 1994, especially in the feud with Tenryu.
Recommended Matches:
- vs Mr. Pogo, “Street Fight”, FMW, January 6
- with Tarzan Goto vs Ashura Hara & Genichiro Tenryu, WAR, March 2
- vs Genichiro Tenryu, “No Ropes Exploding Barbed Wire Cage Death Match”, FMW, May 5
#23
“Lord” Steven Regal
Previous Ranking: 1993 (#37)
Years Unranked: 1997, 2004, & 2010
Matches: 135
Places Worked: WCW & NJPW
Title Held: WCW World Television Championship (twice)
Tournaments: WCW European Cup & NJPW Super Grade Tag League IV with Mike Enos
The WCW World Television Champion for most of the year, Regal made those defences an art.
Recommended Matches:
- vs Dustin Rhodes, WCW, January 27
- vs Arn Anderson, WCW, February 20
- vs Larry Zbyszko, WCW, May 22
- vs Larry Zbyszko, WCW, May 28
#22
Chigusa Nagayo
Previous Rankings: 1983 (#16) & 1985 (#1)
Years Unranked: 1997 & 2004
Matches: 13
Places Worked: JWP & AJW
#22 is pretty high for someone who only worked 13 matches, but the work she did put in was all great. The returning legend battling the up-and-comers was a consistently awesome match all year round.
Recommended Matches:
- vs Mayumi Ozaki, JWP, January 11
- vs Mayumi Ozaki, JWP, May 22
- vs Command Bolshoi, JWP, October 20
- vs Reggie Bennett, AJW, November 20
#21
Negro Casas
Previous Rankings: 1990 (#23) & 1997 (#18)
Years Unranked: 1993, 2004, 2010, 2015, 2021, & 2022
Matches: 60
Places Worked: CMLL, UWA, & NJPW
Tournaments: CMLL Copa Arena Coleseo with Mocho Cota, Super J Cup, CMLL World Tag Team Title #1 Contendership with El Dandy, CMLL Copa Oro with Emilio Charles, Jr., CMLL World Tag Team Title #1 Contendership with El Dandy, & Torneo Gran Alternativa with Hector Garza (winner)
Apuestas Record: won Mocho Cota’s hair
Negro Casas had another great year and he had a knack for getting awesome matches out of not-awesome opponents. After years as an amazing rudo, he got to flex his amazing tecnico talent in 1994!
Recommended Matches:
- vs Ultimo Dragon, CMLL, July 9
- with El Dandy vs The Headhunters, CMLL, July 29
- vs Mocho Cota, “Hair vs Hair”, CMLL, September 23
#20
Stan Hansen
Previous Rankings: 1983 (#3), 1985 (#9), 1990 (#22), & 1993 (#2)
Years Unranked: 1997
Matches: 139
Place Worked: AJPW
Tournaments: AJPW Champion Carnival & AJPW Real World Tag League with Giant Baba
The legendary tough Texan gaijin had his push limited a little in 1994 as he aged, but when given the big matches boy did he produce. There wasn’t much more fun in 1994 than Hasnen teaming with Giant Baba in the Real World Tag League.
Recommended Matches:
- vs Kenta Kobashi, AJPW, April 10
- vs Akira Taue, AJPW, April 11
- with Mitsuharu Misawa vs Akira Taue & Kenta Kobashi, AJPW, October 22
#19
Kenta Kobashi
Previous Rankings: 1993 (#11), 1997 (#15), & 2004 (#8)
Years Unranked: 1990
Matches: 139
Place Worked: AJPW
Title Held: AJPW World Tag Team Championship with Mitsuharu Misawa (twice)
Tournaments: AJPW Champion Carnival & AJPW Real World Tag League with Mitsuharu Misawa (winner)
Kenta Kobashi is really starting to stand out among the four pillars in AJPW for me due to being the one to really show his emotions.
Recommended Matches:
- vs Akira Taue, March 27
- vs Stan Hansen, AJPW, April 10
- with Mitsuharu Misawa vs Akira Taue & Toshiaki Kawada, AJPW, May 21
- with Akira Taue vs Mitsuharu Misawa & Stan Hansen, AJPW, October 22
#18
1-2-3 Kid
Previous Rankings: 1990 (#19) & 1993 (#25)
Years Unranked: 1997
Matches: 162
Places Worked: WWF & SMW
Title Held: WWF World Tag Team Championship with Marty Jannetty
Tournament: WWF King of the Ring (semi-finals)
Sean Waltman was an outstanding babyface in 1994. His selling was really sympathetic, his hope spots were beautifully timed, and his high spots were tremendous. He had the stand-out performance in his World Title shot, but on the rare chances he had he delivered.
Recommended Matches:
- vs Owen Hart, WWF, June 19
- vs Bret Hart, WWF, July 1 aired July 11 (#5 MOTY)
- vs Owen Hart, WWF, August 15
- with Razor Ramon vs Diesel & Shawn Michaels, WWF, September 28 aired October 30
#17
Vader
aka Super Vader
Previous Ranking: 1993 (#4)
Years Unranked: 1985, 1990, & 1997
Matches: 86
Places Worked: WCW & UWFi
Titles Held: WCW United States Heavyweight Championship & Pro-Wrestling World Heavyweight Championship
Tournaments: WCW European Cup (finals) & UWFi Best of the World Tournament (winner)
With Ric Flair becoming the booker and then Hulk Hogan entering WCW, Vader ceased to be the monster on top. He did find a role though that made him a tremendous part of the year. I loved his feud with The Big Boss Man, but my anti-shoot style stance made me not enjoy his run in UWFi.
Recommended Matches:
- vs The Boss, WCW, April 17
- vs The Guardian Angel, WCW, July 17
- vs Dustin Rhodes, WCW, November 16
#16
Jushin “Thunder” Liger
Previous Rankings: 1990 (#12), 1993 (#32), 1997 (#19), & 2004 (#14)
Years Unranked: 1983, 2010, & 2015
Matches: 97
Places Worked: NJPW, AAA, & WCW
Title Held: IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship
Tournament: Super J Cup (semi-finals) & Best of the Super Junior (winner)
Jushin Liger spearheaded putting the junior heavyweights into the spotlight in 1994 leading up to the Super J Cup. I loved his work in Japan but discount his work abroad.
Recommended Matches:
- with El Samurai vs Black Tiger & Villano V, NJPW, March 5
- vs The Great Sasuke, NJPW, April 16
- with El Hijo del Santo, Octagon, & Tiger Mask III vs Blue Panther, Eddy Guerrero, La Parka, & Psicosis, AAA, May 15
- vs Super Delphin, NJPW, June 13
- plus more
#15
Kyoko Inoue
Previous Rankings: 1993 (#3), 1997 (#7), & 2004 (#20)
Years Unranked: 2010, 2015, 2021, & 2022
Matches: 165
Places Worked: AJW, LLPW, FMW, JWP, & WWF
Titles Held: All Pacific Championship & WWWA Tag Team Championship with Takako Inoue
Tournaments: AJW Okinawa Cup Tag Team Tournament with Reggie Bennett (semi-finals), AJW Tag League The Best with Sakie Hasegawa, AJW VTOP Woman Tournament
Kyoko Inoue continues to just produce great match after great match. Her unique style and look, make her stand out. I love her silly offence and her intense finishing stretches.
Recommended Matches:
- vs Bull Nakano, AJW, January 24
- with Bull Nakano vs Aja Kong & Manami Toyota, AJW, March 3
- vs Candy Otsuka, JWP, May 22
- vs Manami Toyota, AJW, August 24 (#9 MOTY)
- with Takako Inoue vs Manami Toyota & Toshiyo Yamada, AJW, October 9
- plus more
#14
Mitsuharu Misawa
Previous Rankings: 1990 (#7) & 1993 (#38)
Years Unranked: 1983, 1985, 1997, & 2004
Matches: 140
Place Worked: AJPW
Titles Held: Triple Crown & AJPW World Tag Team Championship with Kenta Kobashi (twice)
Tournaments: AJPW Champion Carnival & AJPW Real World Tag League with Kenta Kobashi (winner)
The stoic ace of AJPW was too good to deny a top-15 spot in 1994. He wrestled like an ace
Recommended Matches:
- with Kenta Kobashi vs Akira Taue & Toshiaki Kawada, AJPW, May 21
- vs Toshiaki Kawada, AJPW, June 3
- vs Steve Williams, AJPW, July 28
- with Stan Hansen vs Akira Taue & Kenta Kobashi, AJPW, October 22
#13
Owen Hart
Previous Ranking: 1997 (#8)
Years Unranked: 1990 & 1993
Matches: 195
Places Worked: WWF & SMW
Tournaments: WWF Royal Rumble & WWF King of the Ring (winner)
A true breakout year for Owen Hart, as a feud with his brother Bret put him toward the top of the card. His King of the Ring winning performance was tremendous as well.
Recommended Matches:
- with Bret Hart vs The Steiner Brothers, WWF, January 11
- vs Bret Hart, WWF, March 20 (#1 MOTY)
- vs 1-2-3 Kid, WWF, June 19
- vs Bret Hart, WWF, September 28 aired October 23
- vs Dave Boy Smith, WWF, November 8 aired November 20
- plus more
#12
Shinbou Kandori
Previous Ranking: 1993 (#6)
Years Unranked: 1997
Matches: 37
Places Worked: LLPW, WAR, AJW, PWFG, & FMW
Title Held: LLPW Championship
I have the weirdest relationship with Shinbodu Kandoir than with anyone. She’s in my #1 feud of all time and in 1994 she is in some all-time classics, however she’s outside the top 10 for me. The high-end stuff is super high-end, but watching her most nights she works a style I just don’t care to see.
Recommended Matches:
- with Akira Hokuto vs Aja Kong & Bull Nakano, AJW, March 27 (#2 MOTY)
- vs Bull Nakano, “Chain Match”, LLPW/FMW/AJW, July 14 (#4 MOTY)
- vs Noriyo Tateno, LLPW, September 23
#11
Dynamite Kansai
Previous Ranking: 1993 (#5)
Years Unranked: 1997, 2004, 2010, & 2015
Matches: 75
Places Worked: JWP & AJW
Title Held: JWP Openweight Championship
Tournament: AJW VTOP Woman Tournament (semi-finals)
She remains one of my favourite badass kickers and she continued to have awesome performances in both JWP and AJW.
Recommended Matches:
- vs Sakie Hasegawa, AJW, March 27
- vs Devil Masami, JWP, August 8
- with Yumiko Hotta vs Aja Kong & Akira Hokuto, “Elimination Match”, AJW, August 24 (#6 MOTY)
- vs Kyoko Inoue, AJW, November 20
- vs Aja Kong, AJW, November 20
- plus more
#10
Eddy Guerrero
aka Black Tiger
Previous Rankings: 1993 (#36), 1997 (#13), & 2004 (#1)
Years Unranked: none
Matches: 119
Places Worked: NJPW, AAA, CWUSA, & UWA
Title Held: AAA World Tag Team Championship with Love Machine
Tournaments: AAA Torneo de Parejas with Love Machine, Super J Cup, IWGP Junior Heavyweight Title Tournament (semi-finals), Super Grade Jr. Heavyweight Tag League with Great Sasuke (finals), AAA Torneo de Parejas with Love Machine, NJPW Eight Man Tag Team Tournament with Black Cat, Norio Honaga, & Wild Pegasus
Apuestas Record: lost hair with Love Machine to El Hijo del Santo & Octagon
In Mexico, he was at nuclear level heel heat territory level leading to him losing his hair. In Japan, he was a standout masked heel. An all-around tremendous year for Guerrero.
Recommended Matches:
- with Villano V vs Jushin Liger & El Samurai, NJPW, March 5
- with Blue Panther, La Parka, & Psicosis vs Jushin Liger, El Hijo del Santo, Octagon, & Tiger Mask III, AAA, May 15
- plus more
#9
Akira Hokuto
aka Reina Jubuki
Previous Rankings: 1990 (#4), 1993 (#1), & 1997 (#24)
Years Unranked: none
Matches: 20
Places Worked: CMLL & AJW
Title Held: CMLL World Women’s Championship
Tournament: AJW VTOP Woman Tournament (winner)
Yes, Hokuto worked under 25 matches and spent most of her time in Mexico doing not much, but when she was in AJW she was magical. The year was built towards her in the Tokyo Dome leaving AJW and the ride was wonderful all the way there.
Recommended Matches:
- with Shinobu Kandori vs Aja Kong & Bull Nakano, AJW, March 27 (#2 MOTY)
- with Aja Kong vs Dynamite Kansai & Yumiko Hotta, “Elimination Match”, AJW, August 24 (#6 MOTY)
- vs Combat Toyoda, AJW, November 20
- vs Eagle Sawai, AJW, November 20
- vs Aja Kong, AJW, November 20
#8
Bull Nakano
Previous Rankings: 1985 (#14), 1990 (#1), & 1993 (#7)
Years Unranked: none
Matches: 138
Places Worked: AJW, WWF, LLPW, FMW, JWP, & NOW
Title Held: WWF World Women’s Championship
Tournament: AJW Okinawa Cup Tag Team Tournament with Chikako Shiratori
Although Bull Nakano spent the last portion of the year in the WWF in a repetitive feud with Alundra Blayze, her stuff before that was tremendous. She has adapted so well to working as not the ace, but instead a badass defender of AJW.
Recommended Matches:
- vs Kyoko Inoue, AJW, January 24
- with Kyoko Inoue vs Aja Kong & Manami Toyota, AJW, March 3
- with Aja Kong vs Akira Hokuto & Shinobu Kandori, AJW, March 27 (#2 MOTY)
- with Aja Kong vs Etsuko Mita & Mima Shimoda, AJW, June 10
- vs Shinobu Kandori, “Chain Match”, LLPW/FMW/AJW, July 14 (#4 MOTY)
- plus more
#7
El Hijo del Santo
Previous Rankings: 1990 (#21), 1993 (#15), 1997 (#2), & 2004 (#4)
Years Unranked: 1983, 1985, & 2010
Matches: 78
Places Worked: AAA, UWA, & NJPW
Titles Held: WWA World Welterweight Championship, AAA World Tag Team Championship with Octagon, Mexican National Trios Championship with Super Muneco & Angel Azteca, UWA World Welterweight Championship, & Mexican National Welterweight Championship
Tournaments: AAA Torneo de Parejas with Octagon (semi-finals), NJPW Eight Man Tag Team Tournament with El Mexicano, Mascara Sagrada, & Perro Aguayo, & AAA Trios Tournament with Octagon & Rey Misterio, Jr. (semi-finals)
Apuestas Record: won Eddy Guerrero & Love Machine’s hair with Octagon
El Hijo del Santo spent most of the year in the epic feud with Los Gringos Locos as one of the greatest tecnicos of all time. His work outside that feud also impressed, including showing he could work well in NJPW.
Recommended Matches:
- vs Psicosis, AAA, February 16
- with Jushin Liger, Octagon, & Tiger Mask III vs Blue Panther, Eddy Guerrero, La Parka, & Psicosis, AAA, May 15
- vs Norio Honaga, NJPW, November 18
- plus more
#6
Manami Toyota
Previous Rankings: 1990 (#8), 1993 (#13), & 1997 (#3)
Years Unranked: 2004, 2010, & 2015
Matches: 171
Place Worked: AJW
Titles Held: WWWA Tag Team Championship with Toshiyo Yamada, All Pacific Championship, & IWA World Championship
Tournaments: AJW Japan Grand Prix, AJW Okinawa Cup Tag Team Tournament with Sakie Hasegawa (winner), AJW Tag League The Best with Takako Inoue (winner), & AJW VTOP Tournament
When I started watching all of Joshi, I really didn’t get the Toyota hype. Yes, she was an amazing athlete with breathtaking moves, but her ignoring of storytelling to do sed moves was really bad. We are now into 1994 and that seems to have gone away leaving behind a tremendous wrestler.
Recommended Matches:
- with Aja Kong vs Kyoko Inoue & Bull Nakano, AJW, March 3
- vs Kyoko Inoue, AJW, August 24 (#9 MOTY)
- vs Toshiyo Yamada, AJW, August 24
- with Toshiyo Yamada vs Kyoko Inoue & Takako Inoue, AJW, October 9
- vs Aja Kong, AJW, November 20 (#3 MOTY)
- plus more
#5
Terry Funk
Previous Rankings: 1983 (#1), 1985 (#12), 1993 (#17), & 1997 (#22)
Years Unranked: 1990
Matches: 63
Places Worked: WCW, NWA, ECW, SMW, IWA Japan, FMW, MTW, USWA, NWC, MWCW, & WWN
Title Held: ECW Heavyweight Championship
Apuestas Record: won Nobutaka Araya & Shojo Nakamaki’s hair with Hiroshi Ono
Terry Funk was a wild crazy brawler all over the world in 1994. Whether he was in a big promotion like WCW and the great feud with the Rhodes family, or if he was in a tiny indie as a legend, or if he was in a deathmatch promotion in Japan he was great.
Recommended Matches:
- vs Sabu, WWN, February 28
- with Stud Stable vs Dustin Rhodes, Dusty Rhodes, & The Nasty Boys, “War Games”, WCW, September 18 (#7 MOTY)
- vs Tito Santana, NWC, October 8
- with Hiroshi Ono vs Nobutaka Araya & Shoji Nakamaki, “Hair vs Hair No Ropes Barbed Wire Fire Death Match”, IWA Japan, November 13 (#10 MOTY)
#4
Genichiro Tenryu
Previous Rankings: 1993 (#10) & 2004 (#3)
Years Unranked: 1983, 1985, 1990, 1997, 2010, & 2015
Matches: 73
Places Worked: WAR, WWF, NJPW, & FMW
Tournaments: WWF Royal Rumble, WAR World Six Man Tag Team Title Tournament with Animal Hamaguchi & Koki Kitahara (finals), & WAR Super Battle of 6 Men with Atsushi Onita & Bam Bam Bigelow (winner)
Genichiro Tenryu had another amazing year not only being the ace of WAR, but having a few with NJPW, FMW, and Lex Luger of the WWF. His ability to make a big match feel even bigger is unmatched in 1994.
Recommended Matches:
- vs Antonio Inoki, NJPW, January 4
- vs Shiro Koshinaka, WAR, January 14
- vs Shinya Hashimoto, NJPW, February 17
- with Ashura Hara vs Atsushi Onita & Tarzan Goto, WAR, March 2
- vs Atsushi Onita, “No Ropes Exploding Barbed Wire Cage Death Match”, FMW, May 5
#3
Aja Kong
Previous Rankings: 1990 (#6), 1993 (#8), & 1997 (#5)
Years Unranked: 2004, 2010, & 2015
Matches: 173
Places Worked: AJW & JWP
Title Held: WWWA World Championship
Tournaments: AJW Okinawa Cup Tag Team Tournament with Rie Tamada, AJW Tag League The Best with Reggie Bennett, AJW VTOP Tournament (finals)
Another year as the WWWA World Champion in AJW and another great year. She was a big part of two of the greatest matches ever, which easily propels her into the top 3. She’s a great ace, although she was a little overshadowed throughout the year due to the focus on Hokuto. In big matches she delivered.
Recommended Matches:
- vs Yumiko Hotta, AJW, January 24 (#8 MOTY)
- with Bull Nakano vs Akira Hokuto & Shinobu Kandori, AJW, March 27 (#2 MOTY)
- with Akira Hokuto vs Dynamite Kansai & Yumiko Hotta, “Elimination Match”, AJW, August 24 (#6 MOTY)
- vs Manami Toyota, AJW, November 20 (#3 MOTY)
- vs Dynamite Kansai, AJW, November 20
- plus more
#2
Dustin Rhodes
Previous Ranking: 1993 (#33)
Years Unranked: 1990, 1997, 2004, 2010, 2015, & 2021
Matches: 89
Place Worked: WCW
“The Natural” Dustin Rhodes finally breakout in 1994 with a long epic feud with The Studd Stable. He is a perfect brawling tough underdog and should have been the guy WCW built around going forward, but the arrival of Hogan ruined that.
Recommended Matches:
- with Brian Pillman & Sting vs Paul Orndorff, Rick Rude, & Sting, “ThunderCage”, WCW, February 20
- vs Bunkhouse Buck, “Bunkhouse Match”, WCW, April 17
- vs Steve Austin, WCW, April 20
- with Dusty Rhodes & The Nasty Boys vs Stud Stable, “War Games”, WCW, September 18 (#7 MOTY)
- vs Vader, WCW, November 16
- plus more
#1
Bret “Hitman” Hart
Previous Rankings: 1985 (#25), 1990 (#18), 1993 (#9), & 1997 (#1)
Years Unranked: 1983 & 2010
Matches: 168
Place Worked: WWF
Title Held: WWF World Heavyweight Championship
Tournament: WWF Royal Rumble (winner)
Bret Hart spent most of the year as the WWF World Champion, mostly elevating his brother, but also elevating everyone else around him in an almost NWA style of touring champion vs local underdog. He shifted from true babyface to subtle heel whatever the situation needed. He made Owen, 1-2-3 Kid, and Diesel and re-established Bob Backlund all in one year while having some of the best matches of the year.
Recommended Matches:
- with Owen Hart vs The Steiner Brothers, WWF, January 11
- vs Owen Hart, WWF, March 20 (#1 MOTY)
- vs Diesel, WWF, June 19
- vs 1-2-3 Kid, WWF, July 1 aired July 11 (#5 MOTY)
- vs Owen Hart, WWF, September 28 aired October 23
- plus more
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Upcoming
I decided to jump outside my comfort zone and I will be dealing with the 1950s next. There isn’t enough footage to do each year separately for Greatest Wrestler Ever, so I will handle the decade as a whole. I will also be working on 2001 because the 1950s can be a bit dry, so I need to mix it up. One of those will be coming soon.
The Greatest Wrestlers of 2022
In route to putting together my top 100 list of the Greatest Wrestlers Ever, I am going through each year and putting together a list for that particular year. Previously, on the podcast “Maybe Not Taue”, I put together a list for 1985, 1990, 1997, & 2021. You can listen to those here. 1983, 1993, 2004, 2010, & 2015 are on the blog.
2022
This last year was another great year of wrestling. WWE had a lot of great stuff again, AEW is still strong, and joshi is really on track. It was really difficult to narrow this list down. The honourable mention list could had been 25 names itself.
Process
I have a master list of everyone I have considered for each of these top 25 lists and how many matches they worked on each year. I see who worked in 2022 and start watching the footage. I take suggestions and look at other lists to see who needs to be explored.
After watching a ton of footage I start to make a list and cut anyone who either I can’t find 3 matches of their worth recommending or I don’t care to find that many. From there it’s a matter of finding an order that I feel comfortable with based on the quality of output, versatility, and whatever qualities make a great wrestler.
The List
All of the below stats are from cagematch. Yes, they are not perfect.
The recommended matches are not a definitive list, it’s a list of matches I have watched for this process, plus matches on my spreadsheet from before. I will not go beyound 5 matches.
The matches listed are all 7/10 or higher; if they are bolded, they are 8/10 or higher.
Honourable Mentions
- Athena
- Becky Lynch
- Atlantis, Jr.
- Deonna Purrazzo
- Hazuki
- Mercedes Martinez
- Unagi Sayaka
#25
KAIRI
Previous Ranking: 2015 (#2)
Years Unranked: none
Matches: 9
Places Worked: Stardom & NJPW
Title Held: IWGP Women’s Championship
Tournament: IWGP Women’s Title Tournament (winner)
Last year CM Punk returned and worked very few matches and ended up #25 on my list, and this year it is KAIRI’s turn. Yes, she only worked 9 matches, but every single one of those matches made my spreadhseed as a recommended match a percentage unmatched by anyone else.. She brings a presence to matches that few wrestlers alive do, plus she’s one of my all-time favourites.
Recommended Matches:
- with Mayu Iwatani vs Tam Nakano & Unagi Sayaka, Stardom, March 26
- vs Starlight Kid, Stardom, March 27
- vs Saya Kamitani, Stardom, November 19
- vs Mayu Iwatani, NJPW/Stardom, November 20 (#4 MOTY)
- vs Utami Hayashimta, Stardom, December 29
- plus more
#24
Mei Suruga
Previous Ranking: none
Years Unranked: 2021
Matches: 116
Places Worked: Gatoh Move, CMLL, TJPW, Oz Academy, AEW, M-Pro, SPW, DPW, SEAdLINNNG, HEAT UP, Stardom, & Beyond
Title Held: Gatoh Move Asia Dream Tag Team Championship with Baliyan Akki
One of the best babyface wrestlers around today and the most fun. Aside from working all over Japan, she had fun stuff in Mexico and the USA.
Recommended Matches:
- vs AZM, Stardom, April 29
- with Haruka Umesaki vs Chie Koishikawa & Kaori Yoneyama, Gatoh Move, May 4
- vs Yuna Mizumori, Gatoh Move, September 15
- vs Emi Sakura, DPW, October 15
#23
Reyna Isis
Previous Ranking: none
Years Unranked: 2015 & 2021
Matches: 66
Place Worked: CMLL
Tournaments: CMLL Universal De Amazonas 2022 & CMLL Copa Bicentenario Femenil with Avispa Dorada
I don’t think I’d seen Reyna Isis prior to her mask match this year, but that performance blew me away so much I watched a lot more. She mixes some of the dives of lucha you would expect, with a more brutal bruising style that is a joy to watch. She is limited by the booking of luachadoras, but makes every opportunity count!
Recommended Matches:
- with La Vaquerita vs Marcela & Metalica, CMLL, March 18
- vs La Jarochita, CMLL, May 6
- vs La Jarochita, “Mask vs Mask”, CMLL, September 16
#22
Masha Slamovich
Previous Ranking: none
Years Unranked: 2021
Matches: 126
Places Worked: GCW, Impact, wXw, West Coast Pro, Beyond, H2O, ETU, ICW, AAW, Lucha Memes, CFU, Prestige, Limitless, HOG, REVOLVER, ACTION, BLP, PWG, Scenic City, BCP, FIGHT LIFE, VxS, NPU, NFC, HTW, WrestleCade, AIW, DWW, NFC, Garden State PW, NCW, Remarkable, Outlaw Wrestling, TERMINUS, WWR+, VIBE, IGB, GFW, MPW, BIP, SPW, New Texas Pro, VWR, Timebomb Pro, Journey Pro, TRP, & Catalyst Wrestling
Titles Held: TTW Championship, ETU Key to the East Championship, & CFU Undisputed Championship
Tournaments: Scenic City Invitational, West Coast Cup, Key to the East Title Tournament (winner), Lucha Memes Battle of Coacalco (winner), Femme Fatales (finals), AAW Jim Lynam Memorial Tournament, NFW Title Tournament, & HTW Christmas Trios with Jordan Bale & Ray Lyn
Putting together her stats almost made me want to add stats anymore, look at all the places she worked! She was in great demand in 2022, and that is because she gets something about pro-wrestling a lot of people don’t get. You should stand out!
Recommended Matches:
- vs Mike Bailey, GCW, May 21
- vs Miyu Yamashita, Prestige, May 28
- vs Deonna Purrazzo, Impact, August 26
- vs Jordynne Grace, Impact, October 7
#21
The Usos
Jimmy & Jey
Previous Ranking: none
Years Unranked: 2010, 2015, & 2021
Matches: 140 each
Place Worked: WWE
Title Held: WWE Raw Tag Team Championship & WWE SmackDown Tag Team Championship
Tournament:
The Bloodline storyline is tremendous and The Usos are a huge part of that. They held the tag team titles all year and had amazing defenses when called upon.
Recommended Matches:
- vs The Street Profits, WWE, July 2 (#6 MOTY)
- vs The New Day, WWE, November 11
- with The Bloodline vs Drew McIntyre, Kevin Owens, Butch, Ridge Holland, & Sheamus, “War Games”, WWE, November 26 (#8 MOTY)
#20
Miu Watanabe
Previous Ranking: none
Years Unranked: 2021
Matches: 62
Places Worked: TJPW, DDT, & NOAH
Title Held: TJPW International Princess Championship
Tournaments: TJPW Futari No Princess Max Heart Tournament with Rika Tatsumi (winner) & TJPW Tokyo Princess Cup (finals)
My friend suggested I check out Mia Watanabe as I was finishing off my list and I was immediately impressed. I underdog babyface who does variations on giant swings is so far up my alley! The run she had in the Princess Cup was tremendous.
Recommended Matches:
- vs Shoko Nakajima, TJPW, July 31
- vs Miyu Yamashita, TJPW, August 13
- vs Yuka Sakazaki, TJPW, August 14
- vs Suzume, TJPW, September 17
#19
MIRAI
Previous Ranking: none
Years Unranked: 2021
Matches: 114
Places Worked: Stardom, NJPW, & JTO
Tournament: Stardom Cinderella Tournament (winner) & Stardom 5Star Grand Prix
She started the year debuting in Stardom looking like the lesser between her and Thekla, but immediately found her groove. Her passionate power style makes her feel like a future Stardom star.
Recommended Matches:
- vs Syuri, Stardom, January 29
- vs Koguma, Stardom, April 29
- vs Saya Kamitani, Stardom, May 28
- vs Mayu Iwatani, Stardom, July 30
- with Maika vs Aoi & Tomoka Inaba, JTO, September 12
- plus more
#18
Natsupoi
Previous Ranking: none
Years Unranked: 2021
Matches: 93
Places Worked: Stardom & NJPW
Titles Held: Artist of Stardom Championship with Himeka and Maika & Goddesses of Stardom with Tam Nakano
Tournaments: Stardom Cinderella Tournament (semi-final) & Stardom 5Star Grand Prix
After spending half the year in a great team with Maika and Himeka, she trainsitioned to the feud with Tam Nakano and eventually joining Tam in Cosmic Angels, where they formed an amazing tag team. Her agility may be unmatched in wrestling and I can’t get enough of her throwing German suplexes.
Recommended Matches:
- vs Saya Kamitani, Stardom, February 23
- vs AZM vs Koguma, Stardom, March 27
- with Himeka & Maika vs Momo Watanabe, Saki Kashima, & Starlight Kid, Stardom, May 28
- vs Tam Nakano, “Cage”, Stardom, June 26
- with Tam Nakano vs Nanae Takahashi & Yuu, Stardom, December 29
- plus more
#17
Maki Itoh
Previous Ranking: 2021 (#8)
Years Unranked: none
Matches: 62
Places Worked: TJPW, GCW, AEW, Prestige, DDT, NOAH, & NEW
Title Held: TJPW International Princess Championship
Tournaments: TJPW Futari No Princess Max Heart Tournament with Miyu Yamashita & Owen Hart Foundation Women’s Tournament
I do really love Maki Itoh and it was really cool to see her work in America so much, but I do feel it hampered her chances to show how awesome a wrestler she is. She did get to show off how great her character was though!
Recommended Matches:
- with Miyu Yamashita vs Hikaru Shida & Moka Miyamoto, TJPW, May 3
- vs Mia Yim, Prestige, May 28
- vs Miyu Yamashita, Prestige, May 29
#16
Momo Watanabe
Previous Ranking: 2021 (#6)
Years Unranked: 2015
Matches: 105
Places Worked: Stardom & NJPW
Titles Held: Goddesses of Stardom with Starlight Kid & Artist of Stardom with Saki Kashima and Starlight Kid
Tournaments: Stardom Cinderella Tournament, Stardom 5Star Grand Prix, & IWGP Women’s Title Tournament
I feel like Momo Watanabe could challenge for number 1 if she was given a proper singles push. She made the most of being in the upper midcard and mostly in teams this year.
Recommended Matches:
- vs AZM, Stardom, January
- vs Syuri, Stardom, July 9
- vs Suzu Suzuki, Stardom, September 18
- vs Hazuki, Stardom, October 1
- vs Mayu Iwatani, Stardom, October 22
- plus more
#15
Sami Zayn
Previous Ranking: 2010 (#9)
Years Unranked: 2004, 2015, & 2021
Matches: 78
Place Worked: WWE
Title Held: WWE Intercontinental Championship
Tournaments: WWE Royal Rumble & WWE SmackDown World Cup
Sami Zayn has done the best character work of his career in 2022 with joining The Bloodline. The people dying for him to turn on them makes every match he has interesting. Outside of that great run, he pulled the miracle of having an awesome match at WrestleMania with Johnny Knoxville.
Recommended Matches:
- vs Johnny Knoxville, “Anything Goes”, WWE, April 3
- with The Bloodline vs Drew McIntyre, Kevin Owens, Butch, Ridge Holland, & Sheamus, “War Games”, WWE, November 26 (#8 MOTY)
- vs Sheamus, WWE, December 2
#14
Suzu Suzuki
Previous Ranking: none
Years Unranked: 2021
Matches: 90
Places Worked: WAVE, Stardom, Prominence, JTO, DDT, RJPW, Ice Ribbon, Sendai Girls, MBPW, & GLEAT
Titles Held: Regina Di WAVE Championship & Artist of Stardom Championship with Hiragi Kurumi and Risa Sera
Tournaments: DDT King of Street Wrestling & Stardom 5Star Grand Prix
The real break out star of 2022 for me, Suzu Suzki did it all. From death matches to high drama affairs. Suzu is a future mega star in joshi.
Recommended Matches:
- vs Risa Sera, “Corner Free Weapon Valkyrie Death Match”, Prominence, May 29
- vs Mayu Iwatani, Stardom, September 12
- vs Momo Watanabe, Stardom, September 18
- vs Giulia, Stardom, October 1
- vs Tomoka Inaba, JTO, December 19
- plus more
#13
Utami Hayashishita
Previous Ranking: 2021 (#2)
Years Unranked: none
Matches: 105
Places Worked: Stardom & NJPW
Tournaments: Stardom Cinderella Tournament, Stardom 5Star Grand Prix, IWGP Women’s Title Tournament (semi-final)
Although Utami was pushed down the crowd this year after her previous years of carrying the company, she still managed to have a great year when put into big matches.
Recommended Matches:
- with AZM & Saya Kamitani vs Hazuki, Koguma, & Mayu Iwatani, “Cage”, Stardom, June 26
- vs Syuri, Stardom, July 31
- vs Mayu Iwatani, Stardom, October 23
- vs Syuri, Stardom, November 19
- vs KAIRI, Stardom, December 29
- plus more
#12
Jon Moxley
Previous Ranking: none
Years Unranked: 2004, 2010, 2015, & 2021
Matches: 63
Places Worked: AEW, GCW, NJPW, WR, DEFY, & NEW
Titles Held: AEW World Championship (twice) & GCW World Championship
Tournament: AEW Grand Slam Tournament of Champions (winner)
I’m not as high on Moxley as others are, as he works a lot of styles I don’t enjoy, but he did have a standout year that can’t be denied.
Recommended Matches:
- vs Wheeler YUTA, AEW, April 6
- vs Daniel Garcia, AEW, June 1
- vs Mike Bailey, WR, June 11
- vs Rush, AEW, July 27
- vs CM Punk, AEW, September 4
#11
AZM
Previous Ranking: 2021 (#24)
Years Unranked: 2015
Matches: 95
Places Worked: Stardom & NJPW
Title Held: High Speed Championship
Tournament: Stardom Cinderella Tournament & Stardom 5Star Grand Prix
A huge year for AZM who ceased being a teenager and became the master of the “High Speed” division. Her innovative speedy with quick near falls style is a wonder to behold and had made great matches from that. The Momo Watanabe feud was a great start of the year too, to see her work an awsome grudge match.
Recommended Matches:
- vs Momo Watanabe, Stardom, January 8
- vs Starlight Kid, Stardom, February 23
- vs Koguma vs Natsupoi, Stardom, March 27
- vs Mei Suruga, Stardom, April 29
- vs Syuri, Stardom, July 30
- plus more
#10
Roman Reigns
Previous Rankings: 2015 (#4) & 2021 (#7)
Years Unranked: 2010
Matches: 52
Place Worked: WWE
Titles Held: WWE Universal Championship & WWE Championship
Roman Reigns is the most old-school ace of a wrestling company that exists today. The number of aired matches he had this year was low, but he delivered in them. His star presence in The Bloodline storyline is unmatched by anyone.
Recommended Matches:
- vs Brock Lesnar, WWE, April 3
- vs Brock Lesnar, “Last Man Standing”, WWE, July 30
- vs Drew McIntyre, WWE, September 3
- with The Bloodline vs Drew McIntyre, Kevin Owens, Butch, Ridge Holland, & Sheamus, “War Games”, WWE, November 26 (#8 MOTY)
#9
Starlight Kid
Previous Ranking: 2021 (#11)
Years Unranked: none
Matches: 113
Places Worked: Stardom & NJPW
Titles Held: High Speed Championship, Goddesses of Stardom Championship with Momo Watanabe, & Artist of Stardom Championship with Momo Watanabe and Saki Kashima
Tournament: Stardom Cinderella Tournament & Stardom 5Star Grand Prix
Starlight Kid really fell into her role as a heel and a defacto leader of Oedi Tai in 2022. Her tag team with Momo Watanabe was amazing.
Recommended Matches:
- vs AZM, Stardom, February 23
- vs KAIRI, Stardom, March 27
- vs Saya Kamitani, Stardom, July 9
- vs Giulia, Stardom, August 27
- vs Mayu Iwatani, Stardom, October 1
- plus more
#8
Miyu Yamashita
Previous Ranking: 2021 (#14)
Years Unranked: 2015
Matches: 65
Places Worked: TJPW, Prestige, EVE, RCW, AEW, Garden State PW, DDT, NOAH, & DPW
Title Held: TJPW Princess of Princess Championship & EVE Championship
Tournaments: TJPW Futari No Princess Max Heart Tournament with Maki Itoh & TJPW Tokyo Princess Cup (semi-finals)
Her kicks still wow me no matter how often I see her work! Miya Yamashita adding a world tour to her awesome TJPW work helped move her into the top 10 for 2022.
Recommended Matches:
- vs Mizuki, TJPW, January 4
- with Maki Itoh vs Hikaru Shida & Moka Miyamoto, TJPW, May 3
- vs Masha Slamovich, Prestige, May 28
- vs Miu Watanabe, TJPW, August 13
- vs Alex Windsor, EVE, November 13
- plus more
#7
Tam Nakano
Previous Ranking: 2021 (#4)
Years Unranked: none
Matches: 107
Places Worked: Stardom & NJPW
Title Held: Goddesses of Stardom with Natsupoi
Tournament: Stardom Cinderella Touranment & Stardom 5Star Grand Prix (finals)
Another tremendous year for Tam Nakano, one of the wrestlers who puts the most thought into her matches and stories than anyone. I loved the feud and then team with Natsupoi and that was all tremendous stuff. The big matches all really delivered.
Recommended Matches:
- vs Saya Kamitani, Stardom, March 27
- vs Natsupoi, “Cage”, Stardom, June 26
- vs Syuri, Stardom, September 23
- vs Giulia, Stardom, October 1 (#5 MOTY)
- with Natsupoi vs Nanae Takahashi & Yuu, Stardom, December 29
- plus more
#6
Sheamus
Previous Ranking: none
Years Unranked: 2004, 2010, 2015, & 2021
Matches: 83
Place Worked: WWE
Tournament: WWE Royal Rumble
A huge bounce-back year for Sheamus, probably because his friend is running creative and he is getting the babyface chances he excels so well in.
Recommended Matches:
- vs Gunther, WWE, September 3 (#7 MOTY)
- with Butch & Ridge Holland vs Giovanni Vinci, Gunther, & Ludwig Kaiser, “Good Ole Fashioned Donnybrook”, WWE, October 8
- vs Solo Sikoa, WWE, October 21
- with Drew McIntyre, Kevin Owens, Butch, & Ridge Holland vs The Bloodline, “War Games”, WWE, November 26 (#8 MOTY)
- vs Sami Zayn, WWE, December 2
#5
Mayu Iwatani
Previous Rankings: 2015 (#12) & 2021 (#10)
Years Unranked: none
Matches: 106
Places Worked: Stardom & NJPW
Title Held: SWA Undisputed World Women’s Championship
Tournaments: Stardom Cinderella Tournament, Stardom 5Star Grand Prix, & IWGP Women’s Title Tournament (finals)
The Icon of Stardom, Mayu Iwatani, proves that she can work anywhere on the card and be great.
Recommended Matches:
- vs Giulia, Stardom, January 29 (#3 MOTY)
- vs Syuri, Stardom, March 27
- vs Starlight Kid, Stardom, October 1
- vs Utami Hayashimta, Stardom, October 23
- vs KAIRI, NJPW/Stardom, November 20 (#4 MOTY)
- plus more
#4
Syuri
Previous Rankings: 2010 (#25) & 2021 (#1)
Years Unranked: 2015
Matches: 105
Places Worked: Stardom & NJPW
Titles Held: SWA Undisputed World Women’s Championship, Goddesses of Stardom with Giulia, & World of Stardom Championship
Tournaments: Stardom Cinderella Tournament & Stardom 5Star Grand Prix
There is a lot going on for Syuri in 2022. She was the champion all year, she had some really great matches and really continued her amazing 2021. What drops her down a few slots from last year was a few really dead defences and how long God’s Eye took to really find their place.
Recommended Matches:
- vs MIRAI, Stardom, January 29
- vs Mayu Iwatani, Stardom, March 27
- vs ASUKA, Hana Kimura Memorial, May 4
- vs Utami Hayashimta, Stardom, November 19
- vs Giulia, Stardom, December 29 (#1 MOTY)
- plus more
#3
Bianca Belair
Previous Ranking: 2021 (#9)
Years Unranked: none
Matches: 106
Place Worked: WWE
Title Held: WWE Raw Women’s Championship
Tournament: WWE Royal Rumble
Bianca Belair has really developed into a great ace who steps up in big situations. Of course, she’s a tremendous athlete, but she’s now got down the charisma and ability to engage the crowd like few others.
Recommended Matches:
- vs Becky Lynch, WWE, April 2 (#2 MOTY)
- vs Becky Lynch, WWE, July 30
- with Alexa Bliss & Asuka vs Damage CTRL, WWE, September 3
- vs Io Sky, WWE, September 26
- vs Bayley, “Ladder Match”, WWE, October 8
- plus more
#2
Gunther
aka WALTER
Previous Ranking: none
Years Unranked: 2010, 2015, & 2021
Matches: 83
Places Worked: WWE
Title Held: WWE Intercontinental Championship
WALTER had an amazing year which really took off in the spring when he joined the main roster. Giving a great wrestler the IC Championship was a genius move and lead to so many great matches. The Sheamus feud was amazing, but what I loved was the random throw-away TV defences. His ability to be a dominant champion, but give enough hope to his opponent’s fans was tremendous.
Recommended Matches:
- vs Bron Breakker, NXT, April 5
- vs Sheamus, WWE, September 3 (#7 MOTY)
- with Giovanni Vinci & Ludwig Kaiser vs Butch, Ridge Holland, & Sheamus, “Good Ole Fashioned Donnybrook”, WWE, October 8
- vs Rey Mysterio, WWE, November 4
- vs Ricochet, WWE, December 16
#1
Giulia
Previous Ranking: 2021 (#16)
Years Unranked: none
Matches: 106
Places Worked: Stardom & NJPW
Titles Held: Goddesses of Stardom with Syuri & World of Stardom
Tournament: Stardom Cinderella Tournament & Stardom 5Star Grand Prix (winner)
The whole year of Giulia felt like a lead-up to her winning the Red Belt from Syuri and that happened on the final show of the year and delivered the match of the year.
She may have some inconsistencies, but in the big matches, she always delivered. She took MIRAI and Thekla under her wing and made them stars, and then took Mai Sakura from being the worst on the Stardom roster and made her a very good and fun part of the undercard.
Giulia feels like the new CM Punk in terms of smarts, but maybe not physically able to pull everything off technically beautifully. The difference comes from Giulia seeming to use her passion for the business in a friendly more cooperative manner than Punk.
This could be her career year, but 2023 will be her year on top and I am excited to see where that goes.
Recommended Matches:
- vs Mayu Iwatani, Stardom, January 29 (#3 MOTY)
- vs Starlight Kid, Stardom, August 27
- vs Suzu Suzuki, Stardom, October 1
- vs Tam Nakano, Stardom, October 1 (#5 MOTY)
- vs Syuri, Stardom, December 29 (#1 MOTY)
- plus more
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Upcoming
The Chronological weekly Joshi watch is just ending 1994, so that will be covered next here.
The Greatest Wrestlers of 1983
In route to putting together my top 100 list of the Greatest Wrestlers Ever, I am going through each year and putting together a list for that particular year. Previously, on the podcast “Maybe Not Taue”, I put together a list for 1985, 1990, 1997, & 2021. You can listen to those here. 1993, 2004, 2010, & 2015 are on the blog.
1983
Going back to the 1980s was something I needed to do to balance out my overall list. 1983 was before I was watching, I was two years old. but it’s the year supercards really took off in the USA. Sadly, I was a bit disappointed in this year. I knew the finishes would be bad, but that was still difficult to deal with. What really bugged me was the amount of time killing I felt was happening in matches. I doubt that was the purpose of it, but a lot of matches felt like they had a cool start, rested a bunch, then had a great ending. Luckily enough workers and matches overcame that and I have put together a list of 25 great wrestlers!
Process
I have a master list of everyone I have considered for each of these top 25 lists and how many matches they worked on each year. I see who worked in 1983 and start watching the footage. I take suggestions and look at other lists to see who needs to be explored.
After watching a ton of footage I start to make a list and cut anyone who either I can’t find 3 matches of their worth recommending or I don’t care to find that many. From there it’s a matter of finding an order that I feel comfortable with based on the quality of output, versatility, and whatever qualities make a great wrestler.
The List
All of the below stats are from cagematch. Yes, they are not perfect. I have excluded AJW’s number of matches, because cagematch has next to nothing on them.
The recommended matches are not a definitive list, it’s a list of matches I have watched for this process, plus matches on my spreadsheet from before. Starting with this list I will not go beyound 5 matches.
The matches listed are all 7/10 or higher; if they are bolded, they are 8/10 or higher.
Honourable Mentions
- Bad News Allen
- Big John Studd
- Junkyard Dog
- MS-1
- Pedro Morales
- Rick Martel
#25
Jake “The Snake” Roberts
Previous Ranking: none
Years Unranked: 1985, 1990, 1993, 1997, 2004, & 2015
Matches: 204
Places Worked: Mid-Atlantic, GCW, Florida, Maple Leaf, WCCW, & Mid-South
Title Held: NWA World Television Championship
Tournament: NWA World Tag Team Title #1 Contendership Tournament with Dory Funk, Jr. (final)
Previously I never considered Roberts as a real candidate, but I stumbled across a performance of his that blew me away. The more I dug into his 1983, the more impressed I was. When Jake is an evil wrestler tearing people apart with great psychology, he is fantastic and makes it onto this list.
Recommended Matches:
- vs Brett Sawyer, GCW The Last Battle of Atlanta, October 23
- vs Jim Duggan, Mid-South, December 16
- vs Ron Garvin, GCW, December 17
#24
Itsuki Yamazaki
Previous Ranking: 1985 (#13)
Years Unranked: none
Places Worked: AJW
Tournament: Fuji Television League Cup with Devil Masami
The future Jumping Bomb Angel was already an exciting wrestler in 1983. She was essentially a cruiserweight worker in AJW and gave a different element to her matches.
Recommended Matches:
- vs Noriyo Tateno, AJW, July 9
- vs Mimi Harigawa, AJW, November
- with Jumbo Hori vs Devil Masami & Itsuki Yamazaki, “2/3 Falls”, AJW, November 29 (#5 MOTY)
#23
Mad Dog Vachon
Previous Ranking: none
Years Unranked: 1985
Matches: 97
Places Worked: AWA & International Wrestling
Vachon was in his mid-50s in 1983, but when you are that great of a wrestler it doesn’t stop you from being awesome. He brought a great chaotic brawling energy to all of his matches. The old veteran badass legend as a babyface really fits in great with AWA.
Recommended Matches:
- with Baron Von Raschke vs Jerry Blackwell & Sheik Adnan Kaissey, “Taped Fist”, AWA, March 13
- vs Jerry Blackwell, “Algerian Death Match”, AWA, May 22 (#10 MOTY)
- vs Nick Bockwinkel, AWA, December 25
#22
Dynamite Kid
Previous Ranking: none
Years Unranked: 1985 & 1990
Matches: 178
Places Worked: Pacific Northwest, Stampede, & NJPW
Titles Held: Stampede World Mid-Heavyweight Championship, NWA Pacific Northwest Heavyweight Championship, & NWA Pacific Northwest Tag Team Championship with The Assassin
Dynamite Kid is a precursor of a wrestling style I rather dislike and I’m not so keen on it in 1983, however, he was having great matches in three different countries and that’s hard to deny.
Recommended Matches:
- vs Kuniaki Kobayashi, NJPW, April 3
- vs Tiger Mask, NJPW, April 21
- vs Buddy Rose, Portland, September 17
#21
Jumbo Hori
Previous Ranking: 1985 (#25)
Years Unranked: none
Place Worked: AJW
Title Held: WWWA Tag Team Championship with Yukari Omori
Tournament: Fuji Television League Cup with Yukari Omori
As you can tell from the name Jumbo Hori is a big kind of power wrestler in joshi. Watching her power bomb the roster always gets a pop out of me. What really got her onto the list was her team with Yukari Omori, The Dynamite Girls were a perfect foil for the roster and a great tag team.
Recommended Matches:
- vs Devil Masami, AJW, May
- with Yukari Omori vs Devil Masami & Taranutla, AJW, June 14
- with Yukari Omori vs Devil Masami & Itsuki Yamazaki, “2/3 Falls”, AJW, November 29 (#5 MOTY)
#20
Killer Khan
Previous Ranking: none
Years Unranked: 1985
Matches: 175
Place Worked: NJPW
Tournament: IWGP League
The wild “Mongolian” Killer Khan is a joy to watch. He’s so expressive it makes every match just fun! Of course, he’s a violent brawler which helps too. A perfect foil
Recommended Matches:
- vs Seiji Sakaguchi, NJPW, January 14
- vs Andre the Giant, NJPW, June 1
- vs Bad News Allen, NJPW, September 22
#19
Jerry Blackwell
Previous Ranking: none
Years Unranked: 1985
Matches: 159
Places Worked: AWA, St. Louis, Central States, & Memphis
Titles Held: NWA Missouri Heavyweight Championship & AWA World Tag Team Championship with Ken Patera
Tournament: NWA Missouri Heavyweight Title Tournament
There isn’t a lot of footage of Blackwell in 1983, but what we do have is awesome. He’s full-on heel-wrecking ball mode this year, spending most of his time as a Sheik meaning with Adnan Kaissey and Ken Patera. The team is a tremendous heel unit that can show dominance, but also bump to really put the faces over.
Recommended Matches:
- with Sheik Adnan Kaissey vs Baron Von Raschke & Mad Dog Vachon, “Taped Fist”, AWA, March 13
- vs Mad Dog Vachon, “Algerian Death Match”, AWA, May 22 (#10 MOTY)
- with Ken Patera vs Greg Gagne & Jim Brunzell, AWA, November 24
#18
“Wildfire” Tommy Rich
Previous Ranking: none
Years Unranked: 1985, 1990, 1993, & 1997
Matches: 170
Places Worked: GCW, Mid-Altlantic, AJPW, Mid-South, SWCW, St. Louis, & Central States
Title Held: NWA National Heavyweight Championship
Tournament: NWA National Heavyweight Title Tournament
The babyface component of the Buzz Sawyer feud, Rich was a great-selling babyface. He fought with great fire and could mix it up with a bloody brawl as well as anyone.
Recommended Matches:
- vs Buzz Sawyer, “No DQ”, SWCW, July 4
- vs Kamala, Mid-South, July 29
- vs Buzz Sawyer, “Cage”, GCW The Last Battle of Atlanta, October 23 (#7 MOTY)
#17
Tiger Mask
Previous Ranking: none
Years Unranked: 1985, 1997, & 2010
Matches: 102
Places Worked: NJPW & UWA
Title Held: WWF Junior Heavyweight Champion (twice)
I can see why people were so enamoured by Tiger Mask in 1983. The mask and colours made him stand out. The quickness of the kicks and flying was breathtaking. Not to mention some of the moves you never saw in Japan were all of a sudden front and centre in NJPW.
Recommended Matches:
- vs Gran Hamada, NJPW, February 3
- vs Black Tiger, NJPW, February 7
- vs Dynamite Kid, NJPW, April 21
#16
Chigusa Nagayo
Previous Ranking: 1985 (#1)
Years Unranked: 1997 & 2004
Place Worked: AJW
The Crush Gals didn’t fully take off yet in 1983, but you got glimpses of the greatness of Chigusa already.
Recommended Matches:
- vs Lioness Asuka, AJW, January 4
- with Lioness Asuka vs Jaguar Yokota & Noriyo Tateno, AJW, August 21
- with Lioness Asuka vs Jaguar Yokota & Kanako Nagatomo, AJW, November
- vs Jaguar Yokota, AJW, December
#15
Andre the Giant
Previous Ranking: none
Years Unranked: 1985 & 1990
Matches: 223
Places Worked: WWF, NJPW, Mid-South, AWA, Florida, Mid-Atlantic, International Wrestling, WCCW, Pacific Northwest, UWA, St. Louis, Central States, Maple Leaf, EMLL, WWC, Stampede, & Memphis
Tournament: IWGP League (semi-final)
Andre the Giant is one of the most rewarding wrestlers to work with in the early 1980s. In NJPW he’s a monster force of nature and in America, he is going from territory to territory doing all sorts of fun matchups, of course, centred in the WWF. He’s such a smart worker and gives the fans exactly what they want!
Recommended Matches:
- vs Akia Maeda, NJPW, May 13
- vs Killer Khan, NJPW, June 1
- vs Abdullah the Butcher, WWC Aniversario 10, September 17
#14
Butch Reed
Previous Rankings: 1985 (#15) & 1990 (#20)
Years Unranked: none
Matches: 158
Places Worked: Mid-South, GCW, St. Louis, & Central States
Title Held: Mid-South North American Championship (twice) & Mid-South Tag Team Championship with Jim Neidhart
Tournaments: Mid-South North American Title Tournament (semi-final), NWA Missouri Heavyweight Title Tournament (semi-final), & GCW Thanksgiving Day Tag Team Tournament with Pez Whatley (winner)
Butch Reed is one of those wrestlers that just clicks with him. His charisma is great, he works great as an underdog babyface or a beast rough heel, and he looks great. All of that was on display in 1983.
Recommended Matches:
- vs Iron Sheik, Mid-South, April 8
- vs Junkyard Dog, Mid-South, July 29
- vs Junkyard Dog, “Dog-Collar”, Mid-South, November 3
#13
“Mad Dog” Buzz Sawyer
Previous Ranking: none
Years Unranked: 1985 & 1990
Matches: 173
Places Worked: GCW, Mid-South, SWCW, & Florida
Title Held: NWA National Tag Team Championship with Brett Sawyer
Tournament: NWA National Heavyweight Title Tournament
Buzz Sawyer was the catalyst for one of the most famous feuds of 1983, the Tommy Rich feud. He was the perfect violent enemy to torment Rich. What’s impressive about his 1983, was his ability to work babyface as well later in the year. If you are looking for a good brawl, you don’t have to look further than Sawyer in 1983.
Recommended Matches:
- vs Tommy Rich, “No DQ”, SWCW, July 4
- vs Tommy Rich, “Cage”, GCW The Last Battle of Atlanta, October 23 (#7 MOTY)
- vs Abdullah the Butcher, GCW, November 6
- vs Ted DiBiase, GCW, November 4
#12
“The Magnificent One” Don Muraco
Previous Ranking: 1985 (#24)
Years Unranked: 1993
Matches: 218
Places Worked: WWF & Maple Leaf
Title Held: WWF Intercontinental Championship
Don Muraco was at his height as an arrogant heel in 1983. He won the belt in January in a great brawl with Pedro Morales and spent the rest of the year defending the belt and getting massive heat. He had an all-time classic feud to end the year out that had very special moments. The real negative was his feud with Backlund over the World Title. In 1983 those two decided to spend most of the matches in headlocks instead of having a good match.
Recommended Matches:
- vs Pedro Morales, WWF, January 22
- vs Rocky Johnson, WWF, May 23
- plus more
#11
Terry “Bam Bam” Gordy
Previous Ranking: none
Years Unranked: 1985, 1990, & 1993
Matches: 131
Places Worked: WCCW, Mid-South, AJPW, & SWCW
Titles Held: NWA American Heavyweight Championship, NWA American Tag Team Championship with Michael Hayes, WCCW World Six Man Tag Team Championship with Buddy Roberts and Michael Hayes (twice), & NWA Texas Brass Knuckles Championship
I have never thought too much about Terry Gordy in the past, but this year was a real eye-opener for me. He’s a whirlwind of destructive beefy energy. He really excels in tags as a complement to others either teaming with Hansen or The Fabulous Freebirds.
Recommended Matches:
- vs Kerry Von Erich, WCCW, June 10
- with Buddy Roberts & Michael Hayes vs David Von Erich, Kerry Von Erich, & Kevin Von Erich, “2/3 Falls”, WCCW, July 4 (#8 MOTY)
- with Stan Hansen vs Genichiro Tenryu & Jumbo Tsuruta, AJPW, August 26 (#6 MOTY)
- with Stan Hansen vs Dory Funk, Jr. & Terry Funk, AJPW, August 31
#10
Sgt. Slaughter
Previous Ranking: none
Years Unranked: 1985 & 1990
Matches: 219
Places Worked: WWF, Mid-Atlantic, Maple Leaf, & CWA
Titles Held: NWA World Tag Team Championship with Don Kernodle & NWA Canadian Heavyweight Championship
Sgt. Slaughter was a tremendous heel in 1983. He took a nothing guy in Don Kernodle and they headlined the first huge supercard in America because the program with Youngblood and Steamboat was so hot. He then moved on to the WWF and again was a tremendous heel, albeit with fewer opportunites to have stellar matches.
Recommended Matches:
- with Don Kerndodle vs Jay Youngblood & Ricky Steamboat, Mid-Atlantic, January 30
- with Don Kernodle vs Jay Youngblood & Ricky Steamboat, “Cage”, NWA Starrcade, March 12 (#4 MOTY)
- vs Bob Backlund, WWF, May 23
#9
Devil Masami
Previous Rankings: 1985 (#6) & 1993 (#20)
Years Unranked: 1997 & 2004
Place Worked: AJW
Title Held: WWWA Tag Team Championship with Tarantula
Tournament: Fuji Television League Cup with Itsuki Yamazaki
Devil Masami was a stand-out in AJW with her huge presence. She had a great run in multiple tag teams, making both feels like natural teams. Her facial expressions were elite, of course, as well as her dominant heel abilities.
Recommended Matches:
- with Tarantula vs Jaguar Yokota & Mimi Hagiwara, AJW, January 4
- vs Jumbo Hori, AJW, May
- with Tarantula vs Jumbo Hori & Yukari Omori, AJW, June 14
- vs Monster Ripper, “Chain”, AJW, November
- with Itsuki Yamazaki vs Jumbo Hori & Yukari Omori, “2/3 Falls”, AJW, November 29 (#5 MOTY)
#8
Kerry Von Erich
Previous Ranking: none
Years Unranked: 1985 & 1990
Matches: 150
Places Worked: WCCW, Mid-South, AJPW, St. Louis, & Central States
Titles Held: NWA Missouri Heavyweight Championship, WCCW World Six Man Tag Team Championship with David Von Erich and Kevin Von Erich (twice), & NWA American Tag Team Championship with Bruiser Brody
Kerry Von Erich is a unique watch. He looks extremely athletic with a great body but seems kind of uncoordinated. He often looks like he is legit fighting for his life and is not in a worked match. He is charismatic though and can build a lot of sympathy and his wild punch comebacks are fun to watch.
Recommended Matches:
- vs Greg Valentine, St. Louis, February 11
- vs Genichiro Tenryu, AJPW, April 7
- vs Terry Gordy, WCCW, June 10
- with David Von Erich & Kevin Von Erich vs Buddy Roberts, Michael Hayes, & Terry Gordy, “2/3 Falls”, WCCW, July 4 (#8 MOTY)
#7
Sangre Chicana
Previous Ranking: none
Years Unranked: 1985, 1990, 1993, 1997, & 2004
Places Worked: EMLL & UWA
Titles Held: UWA World Light Heavyweight Championship (twice)
Sangre Chicana in 1983 was one of the great lucha-brawling tecnicos in wrestling history, which was highlighted by the MS-1 main event match at the 50th Anivesario. He was a special underdog who never backed down and luckily one of the few luchadores with enough footage remaining.
Recommended Matches:
- vs MS-1, “Cabellera vs Cabellera”, EMLL 50. Aniversario – C, September 23 (#1 MOTY)
- vs El Satanico, EMLL, September 24
- with La Fiera & Mocho Cota vs Espectro, Jr., MS1, & El Satanico, EMLL, September 30
- vs Ringo Mendoza, EMLL, October 28
- vs Villano III, EMLL, November 18
#6
“Playboy” Buddy Rose
Previous Ranking: none
Years Unranked: 1990
Matches: 188
Places Worked: Pacific Northwest, WWF, NJPW, & Maple Leaf
Title Held: NWA Pacific Northwest Tag Team Championship with Brian Adidas & NWA Pacific Northwest Tag Team Championship with Curt Hennig
Buddy Rose has always been an amazing ace heel in Portland and in 1983 he showed even more with a great babyface run. The real joy of Buddy is watching him a week to week in the same venue and not having it get old.
Recommended Matches:
- vs Pedro Morales, WWF, February 18
- vs Chris Adams, Portland, February 28
- vs Curt Hennig, Portland, March 26
- vs Dynamite Kid, Portland, September 17
#5
Jaguar Yokota
Previous Ranking: 1985 (#2)
Years Unranked: 1997, 2004, 2010, 2015, & 2021
Place Worked: AJW
Title Held: WWWA World Championship
Jaguar Yokota feels like a wrestler working at another level in 1983. The speed, the innovative moves that men won’t be doing for decades, the intensity, and power. Watching Jaguar in 1983 feels like you are watching Rey Mysterio in 1995, it is special and the future.
Recommended Matches:
- with Mimi Hagiwara vs Devil Masami & Tarantula, AJW, January 4
- vs La Galactica, “Hair vs Mask”, AJW, May 7
- with Noriyo Tateno vs Chigusa Nagayo & Lioness Asuka, August 21
- with Kanako Nagatomo vs Chigusa Nagayo & Lioness Asuka, AJW, November
- vs Chigusa Nagayo, AJW, December
#4
Nick Bockwinkel
PreviousRanking: 1985 (#19)
Years Unranked: none
Matches: 107
Places Worked: AWA, Memphis, Mid-South, AJPW, International Wrestling, & Stampede
Title Held: AWA World Heavyweight
Bockwinkel is one of the smartest wrestlers of all-time and spending the year as the AWA World Champion really allowed him to show that off against a variety of opponents in a variety of different promotions.
Recommended Matches:
- vs Rick Martel, AWA, March 13
- vs Jumbo Tsuruta, AJPW, July 13
- vs Wahoo McDaniel, AWA, August 28
- vs Junkyard Dog, Mid-South, September 23
- vs Mad Dog Vachon, AWA, December 25
- plus more
#3
Stan Hansen
Previous Rankings: 1985 (#9), 1990 (#22), & 1993 (#2)
Years Unranked: 1997
Matches: 124
Places Worked: AJPW, GCW, Memphis, SWCW, & Florida
Titles Held: NWA International Tag Team Championship with Ron Bass, CWA Television Championship, AWA International Heavyweight Championship, & PWF Heavyweight Championship
Tournaments: AJPW World Tag Team League with Bruiser Brody (winner), NWA National Heavyweight Title Tournament (semi-final), & AJPW Real World Tag League with Bruiser Brody (winner)
Hansen is as rough and badass in 1983 as I’ve seen him in any other year. Every Hansen match is chaotic and wild, no matter what promotion he’s working in. Starting an instant classic team with Terry Gordy really helps his case as well. Heck, he even made a team with Bruiser Brody enjoyable.
Recommended Matches:
- vs Giant Baba, AJPW, April 11
- vs Terry Funk, AJPW, April 14 (#2 MOTY)
- with Terry Gordy vs Genichiro Tenryu & Jumbo Tsuruta, AJPW, August 26 (#6 MOTY)
- with Terry Gordy vs Dory Funk Jr. & Terry Funk, AJPW, August 31
- vs Giant Baba, AJPW, September 8
#2
Greg “The Hammer” Valentine
Previous Ranking: 1985 (#5)
Years Unranked: 1990, 1993, & 1997
Matches: 255
Places Worked: Mid-Atlantic, St. Louis, Central States, Maple Leaf, GCW, & Florida
Title Held: NWA United States Heavyweight Championship (twice)
Tournaments: NWA World Tag Team Title #1 Contendership Tournament with Gene Anderson & NWA Florida Heavyweight Title Tournament
There is something about Greg Valentine’s style that really hits home for me. He picks apart his opponent in a brutal but well-planned-out style. The Piper feud is an all-time classic feud that is a must-watch, but I would say you get something out of every one of his matches, even the television squashes.
Recommended Matches:
- vs Kerry Von Erich, St. Louis, February 11
- vs Roddy Piper, Mid-Atlantic, July 9
- vs Roddy Piper, “Dog Collar”, NWA Starrcade, November 24 (#3 MOTY)
- plus more
#1
Terry Funk
Previous Rankings: 1985 (#12), 1993 (#17), & 1997 (#22)
Years Unranked: 1990
Matches: 76
Places Worked: AJPW, Mid-Atlantic, SWCW, Maple Leaf, WCCW, & Memphis
Tournaments: AJPW World Tag Team League with Dory Funk Jr. & SWCW World Heavyweight Title Tournament
What a versatile year by Funk. Not only was he an elite heel working almost everywhere, but he also proved he was an all-time great babyface while working in AJPW. This is very evident in the Hansen feud and leading up to his “retirement” at the end of August. To add to the versatility, he had amazing brawls like the Singh match and amazing technical displays like the Orton match. There was a little bit of everything by Funk in 1983 that puts him #1.
Recommended Matches:
- vs Stan Hansen, AJPW, April 14 (#2 MOTY)
- vs Bob Orton, Jr., SWCW, May 21
- vs Tiger Jeet Singh, AJPW, July 19 (#9 MOTY)
- with Dory Funk, Jr. vs Stan Hansen & Terry Gordy, AJPW, August 31
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