The title of “Wrestler of the Year” is far more subjective
than objective.
This list was based on a combination of the wrestler’s work
in the ring, the attention that work garnered, and their overall impact on the
business over the past year.
Relevance in the wrestling world (ie; if Ronda Rousey is
ranked ahead of Sasha Banks, it means she had the better year, not necessarily
that she is the better wrestler) played a critical role in the creation of this
top ten.
Naturally, the immediate question is why were some ranked
higher than others?
Stage and magnitude are important, but match quality matters
more, as the wrestlers dictate that far more directly than their spot on the
card. Credence was given to those who worked more (Charlotte Flair, for
example, works a much more demanding schedule than Rousey), and there is an
admitted bias toward those performing in America (but if you have the time,
please check out this match between Meiko Satomura and Kay Lee Ray, which begins at the
1:35:00 mark).
Ultimately, who makes you believe? The answer to that
question is inherently subjective, but it is not open to argument that the year
2018 was monumental for women in wrestling. Although it has not always been
this way, industry leader WWE helped lead the way for women in wrestling.
The first-ever women’s Royal Rumble took place in January,
and it is no longer out of the ordinary if a women’s match closes Raw or SmackDown. The movement was nearly
industry-wide. Ring of Honor crowned their first women’s champion in April,
Impact Wrestling continued to add depth to the weekly programming through their
women’s roster, and the women’s four-way match at All In was an important part
of the historic event in September.
A wrestler’s skill at
consistently elevating her opponent was also emphasized, as well as the ability
to generate interest through her work on the microphone. Less of an emphasis
was placed on wins and losses. While a promotion’s creative team does decide
whose hand is raised at the end of a match, it cannot predetermine how a
wrestler will make a crowd feel or respond.
HERE ARE MY TOP 10 WRESTLERS OF 2018, BEGINNING WITH THE NOTABLE OMISSIONS:
HONORABLE MENTION:
Penelope Ford, Sasha Banks, Meiko Satomura, Bayley, Chelsea Green, Io Shirai,
Taya Valkyrie, Britt Baker, Ruby Riot, Natalya Neidhart
10. JORDYNNE GRACE
Top three matches
of 2018: Over The Top Wrestling’s “Defiant” show vs. Dash Chisako; All In’s
“Over The Budget Battle Royale”; Beyond Wrestling’s “Somebody’s Farewell…
Probably” intergender match vs. Brian Cage
Jordynne Grace created a genuine buzz on the Indies in 2018
with no single promotion behind her. Her standout moment occurred at All In’s
Over the Budget Battle Royale, capturing the attention of the wrestling world
with her incredible combination of athleticism and strength.
Impact Wrestling immediately recognized Grace’s value and
signed her to a deal this past October. Looking ahead, Grace would be a perfect
fit for 2019’s Mae Young Classic. And looking back on 2018, Grace stood out for
her ability to create interest in her character and matches without a weekly
television platform.
9. BIANCA BELAIR
Top three matches
of 2018: NXT vs. Deonna Purrazzo from August 22 airing; NXT vs. Nikki Cross
from September 12 airing; NXT Number One Contender Fatal Four Way vs. Io
Shirai, Lacey Evans, and Mia Yim from December 26 airing
This was a breakout year for Belair.
The NXT talent has athleticism that is off the charts, but
what separates Belair is her intelligence. She is extremely cerebral in how she
applies her athleticism to her matches, and this past year saw her become a
true force in the ring.
Belair has a seemingly unlimited amount of charisma, and she
has just started to blossom into her spot as a top talent.
8. TIE: SHAYNA
BASZLER AND KAIRI SANE
Top three matches
of 2018 for Baszler: NXT
TakeOver: New Orleans vs. Ember Moon; Evolution vs. Kairi Sane;
Top three matches
of 2018 for Sane: NXT
TakeOver: Brooklyn vs. Shayna Baszler, Evolution vs. Baszler; NXT TakeOver: War
Games vs. Baszler in two-out-of-three falls match
While neither has raised the women’s title to the prominence
that Asuka did in 2017, both Shayna Baszler and Kairi Sane ensured that the NXT
women’s division remained relevant in 2018.
Baszler brings legitimacy to every match with her MMA
background, and there are few better pure babyfaces in the business than Sane,
who works a style much bigger than her 5’1”, 115-pound stature. The two
excelled in their match at Evolution, which was WWE’s first all-women pay per
view, and both instantly make you believe in their style.
There is a Ricky Steamboat/Ric Flair parallel at play with
Baszler and Sane in the sense that an attraction and an opponent are necessary
in making a story work. In wrestling, there are attractions and there are
opponents, similar to the way in which Joe Frazier was never the attraction in
boxing, as he was the opponent for Muhammed Ali. In the Flair-Steamboat story,
Flair was the attraction and the one whom the story was centered around, while
Steamboat was the opponent, a role necessary in order to tell a compelling
story.
We are still figuring out who the attraction is between
Baszler and Sane, but my money is on Sane. While that may be debatable to some,
we can agree upon the fact that both were necessary to make the women’s
division so relevant in 2018.
7. TONI STORM
Top three matches
of 2018: PROGRESS women’s championship match at GWF Women’s Revolution 8 vs.
Wesna; Mae Young Classic vs. Jinny; Evolution vs. Io Shirai
John Cena was nicknamed “The Protype” during his time in WWE
developmental. Shouldn’t the same be said of Toni Storm?
Storm has the look, the innate ability to cut dynamic
promos, and realistic work in the ring.
Her work in 2018 was worldwide. In addition to winning WWE’s
Mae Young Classic, Storm starred for promotions that included U.K.-based
PROGRESS Wrestling, wXw in Germany, and Japan’s Stardom.
Storm is incredibly focused in the ring, and the dedication
to her craft has been so important to her evolution as a wrestler, particularly
over the past year. She is also a natural performer, always at ease with a
crowd, and her demeanor and personality add to her draw. When Storm is
wrestling, it is difficult to take your eyes off the match. Her addition to the
main roster will be a huge gain for WWE, and her past year was especially
noteworthy.
6. ALEXA BLISS
Top three matches
of 2018: Elimination Chamber vs. Sasha Banks, Mickie James, Bayley, Sonya
Deville, and Mandy Rose; Fatal 4-Way match on June 11 Raw vs. Natalya Neidhart,
Sasha Banks, and Ember Moon; Money in the Bank cash-in vs. Nia Jax
Alexa Bliss’ biggest weekly opponent in 2018 was
overexposure, yet she remained relevant every time she appeared on Raw.
Bliss helped carry the women’s division on Raw, making her segments with Ronda
Rousey and Nia Jax an integral part of the show. It can be argued that the same
could have been said of Sasha Banks or Bayley had they been placed in Bliss’
position, and that is a valid argument. But Bliss made the most of her ability
in the ring, stood out as one of WWE’s best talents on the microphone, and
delivered in an unrelenting, high-profile role.
She has been out of action since late October with what is
widely-regarded (yet never confirmed by WWE) as multiple concussions, but Bliss
still had a monumental year, including great buildups to her matches at
WrestleMania and SummerSlam.
5. ASUKA
Top three
matches of 2018: January 29 Raw match vs. Sasha Banks; WrestleMania 34 vs.
Charlotte Flair; TLC triple threat match against Flair and Becky Lynch
Asuka closed out the first and last pay per view of the year
for WWE, winning the first-ever women’s Royal Rumble as well as one of the
year’s most compelling matches in the main event at TLC against Charlotte Flair
and Becky Lynch.
She muddled through a bad program with Carmella, and then
later disappeared due to questionable booking, but Asuka is a unique talent
that has an easy-to-define character and extremely realistic work in the ring.
Despite the inadequacies in booking that lingered on for
months, Asuka was still as believable at TLC in December as she was at the
Royal Rumble in January.
4. RONDA ROUSEY
Top three matches
of 2018: WrestleMania 34 tag match with Kurt Angle against Triple H and
Stephanie McMahon; SummerSlam vs. Alexa Bliss; Evolution vs. Nikki Bella
Has the Ronda Rousey investment paid off for WWE?
In a word, yes.
Although television ratings haven’t spiked, Rousey brought a
sizeable following that includes a newer fan base of younger females to WWE,
and she is an already established star best known for her work in the UFC,
which opens up channels to coverage on ESPN and Fox Sports.
Rousey’s match quality has been weak, especially at
SummerSlam against Alexa Bliss, which was memorable solely due to Rousey
winning her first title in WWE. But Rousey’s impact extends beyond the ring,
and she certainly made waves throughout the year and brought even more
attention to the women’s division in WWE.
3. TESSA BLANCHARD
Top three matches
of 2018: Impact Redefined triple threat match vs. Allie and Su Yung; Four
corner survival match at All In; 75-minute Rise Wrestling Iron Woman match vs.
Mercedes Martinez
The future of women’s wrestling has a face, and it is Tessa
Blanchard.
Blanchard had an outstanding 2018, shining in the only
women’s match at All In and adding an entirely new edge to the women’s division
in Impact.
This owner of a unique pedigree–her father is Tully Blanchard
and her stepfather is Magnum T.A.–is somehow only 23. Blanchard works hard in
the ring, she is versatile and confident, and her toughness is on display in
every match.
Blanchard is an athlete and can back it up in the ring,
performing compelling matches against both male and female opponents. Her
success in 2018 now leads her to headlining on the Women of Wrestling show on
AXS TV starting in January.
2. CHARLOTTE FLAIR
Top three matches
of 2018: WrestleMania 34 vs. Asuka; Last Woman Standing match vs. Becky Lynch
at Evolution; TLC main event against Lynch and Asuka
Charlotte Flair is one of the best pure athletes in all of
wrestling. Her work this past year hit incredible peaks, starting with her
WrestleMania match against Asuka and ending with an industry-changing TLC main
event with Asuka and Becky Lynch. In between those two seminal events was her
“Last Woman Standing” match against Lynch that closed out WWE’s Evolution pay
per view, as well as the Survivor Series match against Ronda Rousey.
Flair can close a show, which is likely to happen in 2019 at
WrestleMania. She also gives reason to watch SmackDown every week. In a climate where there is no one
male in WWE who is on fire with the audience, Flair kept the crowd wanting more
all throughout the year.
1. BECKY LYNCH
Top three matches
of 2018: SummerSlam triple threat against Charlotte Flair and Carmella; Last
Woman Standing match vs. Flair at Evolution; TLC triple threat against Flair
and Asuka
Hard to believe, but “The Man” was not even a featured part
of this past year’s WrestleMania, instead one of many in the women’s battle
royal.
Only a few months later, we now live in a wrestling world
where a pay per view without Becky Lynch is a significant problem for WWE.
On pace to headline WrestleMania 35 in what looks to be the
first fan-driven call for a headliner since Daniel Bryan at WrestleMania 30,
Lynch elevated herself to another level following her title win and the
unveiling of a new edge and attitude at SummerSlam. She carried herself like a
star in 2018, and none of her peers in the business made a more substantial
jump in value than Lynch.
Lynch’s unpredictability, which is illustrated through her
chaos and violence in the ring, was captured perfectly after her face was
broken and she suffered a concussion from a reckless punch from Nia Jax on the
November 12 edition of Raw.
It is also telling that fans are not only clamoring for Lynch to avenge Jax,
but they want it well before WrestleMania–where Lynch can move on from Jax and
fulfill her destiny, becoming one of the first women to ever headline WWE’s
signature event.
IN OTHER NEWS
• WWE’s decision to bring back the women’s tag team titles
after a 29-year hiatus is a positive, but does not fix the main issue often
casting a shadow over the division.
The women need better storylines. The tag titles will help,
since the chase for gold is a built-in storyline, but there are still too many
wrestlers without a concrete narrative.
The past year was a throwaway for Sasha Banks and Bayley.
Their feud started and stalled before going absolutely nowhere. Both are elite
talents, yet neither is currently booked anywhere near the level at which WWE
has elevated Ronda Rousey, Becky Lynch, Charlotte Flair, or even Nia Jax.
Wrestling needs a strong mid-card in order for a show to
work. The argument can be made that Banks and Bayley should not always be on
the top of the card, which is completely understandable. But their aimless
booking from the past year needs to be remedied in 2019. Otherwise, even a run with
the new tag titles would serve no real purpose.
• Tuesday’s SmackDown saw AJ Styles
throw hands at Vince McMahon (does anyone else feel that
McMahon’s character doesn’t fit in with today’s product?), but the highlight of
the show occurred during the wrestling match between Rusev and Shinsuke
Nakamura.
Rusev won a 22-minute match to finally reclaim the United
States championship, and he looked like a beast in the victory. Nakamura has
the ability to bump–ie; take someone’s moves–and make it look incredibly
realistic. A babyface Rusev wearing gold is well deserved, but the question of
what comes next for Nakamura is also intriguing.
Nakamura won this past January’s Royal Rumble and challenged
AJ Styles for the WWE championship at WrestleMania. It is safe to say that
Nakamura will not be put in a similar spot on the card in 2019.
Speaking with multiple sources close to WWE, Nakamura
remains extremely happy at WWE, with multiple goals he has yet to achieve, so
any rumors of unhappiness or leaving the company are lacking merit. But the
former three-time IWGP heavyweight champion is also far too talented to open
the card.
So where does that leave him?
The next step for Nakamura needs to be a move to Raw. He can work as a babyface or a
heel, challenging Dean Ambrose for the Intercontinental title or even working a
program with Braun Strowman. If Vince McMahon ever wants to spike the
third-hour ratings of Raw,
a Universal championship match between Nakamura and Brock Lesnar would draw a
considerable audience and create a lot of excitement for a show that is often
stale.
• CWF Mid-Atlantic delivers Battlecade XIX this Saturday
from the Sportatorium in Gibsonville, North Carolina.
The main event is Arik Royal cashing in his “golden ticket”
for a heavyweight title match against Trevor Lee on the 1,029th day
of his record-setting title reign.
The show will stream live on Twitch at
7:30pm ET, and presents an opportunity for Royal–who is 33-year-old Arik
Dumas–to prove he is in the same league as Lee, who has established himself as
a star in the California-based Pro Wrestling Guerrilla promotion.
Royal is known as the “Ace Gawd”, and his arsenal includes
versatility. The trash-talking big man brings swagger to every one of his
matches, and he is capable of entering the air or using his power, but his
greatest strength is in connecting with the crowd–albeit in an adversarial
manner.
The two longest-reigning champions in CFW history meet this
Saturday at Battlecade,
WWE’s Madison Square Garden show on Dec. 26 had a plethora
of highlights, but this video of John Cena watching as the stars from NXT made
their way to the ring really resonated with me. Cena also had a seminal moment
nearly 15 years ago at MSG against the Big Show at WrestleMania XX.
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