2022 Year-End Awards

Disclaimer: Some of the wrestlers mentioned in this article are terrible people. Their inclusion in these lists is in no way, shape, or form an endorsement of character.

2022, in more ways than one, was a clear step up from 2021 in wrestling. With many promotions returning to cheering crowds, the atmosphere change helped in terms of the sheer number of great matches this year. And yet, I couldn’t shake the feeling that something was still missing. 2022 was also plagued by injuries, with Arisa Nakajima, Bryan Danielson, and CM Punk missing significant time to name a few names. Tsukushi Haruka, one of my favorite discoveries of 2021, who didn’t make my list last year due to how late I came across her work, retired. Another one of those discoveries, Mei Hoshizuki, vanished from wrestling altogether. Very little in wrestling this year hooked me quite like the captivating Sendai Girls vs. Marvelous feud, either. I burnt myself out on several occasions, not watching anything for weeks at a time. As a result, this list may seem a little lighter than last year’s, but it’s still a culmination of my efforts to watch as much wrestling as humanly possible in a short time. That also comes with the caveat that I’ll have blind spots. It’s simply futile to try and watch everything that airs, and now more than ever, I have less time for things I don’t enjoy. I’m trying something a little different this year, so if the Wrestler of the Year biographies in particular sound similar, please bear with me. I often struggle to articulate why it is I enjoyed something, doubly so for wrestlers themselves. As always, please note that my brain goes into overdrive while ranking things, especially at this scale, so some names or matches may have slipped through the cracks.

Some of my blindspots include the following:

AJPW
European indies
Ice Ribbon
Stardom
Note: I tried. I really tried to give the promotion a shot, but the Bushiroad-ification of Stardom has ruined it for me. I watched as much as I could handle and cherry-picked here and there. The high-speed division remains a highlight, but the bulk of the matches they produce simply aren’t for me anymore. If they’re for you, that’s cool.
TJPW
Tenryu Project
Low-level Japanese indies
Australian indies

Now, with that out of the way, let’s get into what I have seen. In 2022, I watched 1,182 matches spanning 99 promotions. 37 of those matches were at four stars higher, with me also adjusting my scale recently. 229 wrestlers from 32 promotions made my Wrestler of the Year spreadsheet, meaning they had at least one match rated at three-and-a-half stars or higher.

Most Improved:
1. Yuki Ishida

Since joining Harimao alongside Kazusada Higuchi and Naomi Yoshimura, Yuki Ishida has started to put it together. His sumo-based offense sets him apart from the other DDT youngsters, and he brings much-needed energy to the promotion’s undercards. The only reason he didn’t make my Rookie of the Year list last year and was relegated to an honorable mention is that I hadn’t seen enough of him.

Recommended matches:

w/ HARASHIMA & Naomi Yoshimura vs. Jun Akiyama, Tetsuya Endo & Yusuke Okada (DDT, 5/29) [Wrestle Universe]
w/ Kazusada Higuchi vs. Konosuke Takeshita & Toi Kojima (DDT, 8/24) [Wrestle Universe]
w/ Kazusada Higuchi & Naomi Yoshimura vs. Shunma Katsumata, Toi Kojima & Yuki Ueno (DDT, 10/1) [Wrestle Universe]
w/ Kazusada Higuchi & Naomi Yoshimura vs. Hideki Okatani, Yukio Sakaguchi & Kouki Iwasaki (DDT, 10/16) [Wrestle Universe]
w/ Kazusada Higuchi vs. Yuki Ueno & Toi Kojima (DDT, 12/14) [Wrestle Universe]
w/ Yuji Hino vs. HARASHIMA & Yukio Sakaguchi (DDT, 12/29) [Wrestle Universe]

Rookie of the Year:
Anyone who is in their first full year as a professional wrestler is eligible for Rookie of the Year. For example, if someone debuted in December of 2021, they’d qualify for 2022.

Honorable mentions: Takuma Fujiwara, Maya Fukuda, & ISHIN

3. Bron Breakker
After bursting onto the scene in September of last year, Bron Breakker has made quite the impact. He wrestles like you’d expect a Steiner to wrestle, combining sweet power moves with explosive athleticism.

Recommended matches:

vs. Gunther (WWE, 4/5) [Peacock]

2. Takumi Hayakawa/Minorita
Takumi Hayakawa debuted in Dragongate late last year and felt somewhat lost in the shuffle at first. Since joining up with GOLD CLASS and being repackaged as Minorita (a mini version of Kota Minoura), he’s been a ball of energy, bringing life to every match he participates in.

Recommended matches:

w/ Ben-K & Kota Minoura vs. Dragon Dia, Madoka Kikuta & Yuki Yoshioka (DG, 11/27) [DG Network]
w/ Ben-K & Kota Minoura vs. H・Y・O, ISHIN & Shun Skywalker (DG, 12/10) [DG Network]

1. Hook
Hook has an undeniable aura, intensity, and swagger to him that’s made him one of the quieter highlights of AEW. Plus, he does cool throws and suplexes people on their heads.

Recommended matches:

vs. Angelo Parker (AEW, 9/4) [YouTube]

Feud of the Year:

3. Adam Priest vs. Anthony Henry
Seeing Adam Priest go from playing the de facto heel to winning over the ACTION crowd has been a delight. Their rivalry kicked off with a great match in January and spilled over to IWTV’s Southeast First: Uncharted Territory in June. Henry gradually started to up his intensity and meanness in their third encounter, with the matches capturing the versatility of both performers.

2. FTR vs. The Briscoes
I’ve covered it in-depth elsewhere in this list, but the FTR vs. Briscoes feud was nothing short of breathtaking. With little to no build-up, they produced bonafide tag team classics on two separate occasions.

1. CM Punk vs. Jon Moxley
No feud in wrestling in 2022 captured the feeling of authenticity better than CM Punk vs. Jon Moxley. Punk returned from a foot injury that kept him out of action for a few months, saving Mox from a beatdown from the Jericho Appreciation Society. In Punk’s absence, Mox captured the AEW Interim World Title. Regardless of who you rooted for, Punk and Mox made you feel something. The promos were classic pro wrestling, vitriolic, and deeply personal. They played off the idea that Punk rushed his comeback, with Mox defeating him for the title in three minutes on an episode of Dynamite, resulting in one of the finest angles of the year. It all culminated in a terrific, visceral match at All Out, which, as of now, could be Punk’s swan song from wrestling. If it is, what a way to go out.

Show of the Year:

5. GLEAT G PRO WRESTLING Ver. 25 (5/18/2022)
This card had a little bit of everything. Two promising youngsters duking it out for supremacy, a hard-hitting joshi exhibition, and a breathtaking display of athleticism in the six-man tag. By the time the main event title match between El Lindaman and Shigehiro Irie rolled around, it felt like a legitimate triumph, one of GLEAT’s peaks in a great year for the company.

4. GLEAT Ver. Ex (10/9/2022)
GLEAT proves why they consistently have some of the best big shows in Japan currently. The opening UWF Rules matches were fun, with the 20-minute time-limit draw between Hideki Sekine & Hikaru Sato vs. Takanori Ito & Yu Iizuka being a highlight. They followed that up with a blisteringly-fast fireworks show featuring the debuts of Bandido and Komander. Kaito Ishida vs. Tetsuya Izuchi felt like a statement about the promotion’s future, and I came out of that match feeling like Izuchi and Ishida were made men. A remarkable card overall.

3. CAPTURE International Dungeon Fight (3/23/2022)
A full card of shoot-adjacent matches happening in a dimly-lit basement in front of around 20 people, and it was incredible. Three great matches, a fun boxing exhibition, and a solid opener round out the card. With so many stiff strikes, the matches easily could have felt samey, but they all carved their own path.

2. ROH Death Before Dishonor (7/23/2022)
2022 was an uncertain, but strong year for ROH, and this show was no different. The crowning of Claudio Castagnoli as ROH World champion in the opener set the tone for the rest of the event. While I wasn’t as high as Rush vs. Dragon Lee as others, the Pure Title match was excellent, and the card was rounded out by a few more solid to good matches.

1.AEW & NJPW Forbidden Door (6/26/2022)
Finally, a complete AEW pay-per-view that captured me for its entire runtime despite some less-than-ideal build up. Seeing New Japan talent in a promotion that allows cheering for the first time in a while felt like a breath of fresh air, with even the likes of YOSHI-HASHI getting raucous reactions. On the side of the matches, nearly everything over-delivered. There was only one miss on the main show, that being the IWGP Title four-way, and everything else had a floor of being decent to good. Claudio Castagnoli and Zack Sabre Jr. put on a technical clinic, while Jon Moxley and Hiroshi Tanahashi delivered exactly what you’d expect out of them in a main event setting. There was also lots of variety spread out across the card, between fast-paced scrambles, more traditional back-and-forth matches, and good, old-fashioned crowd pleasers. Not to mention the hot show-closing brawl to set up Blood & Guts on the following week’s episode of Dynamite. One of the best major AEW events I can recall in my two years of following the promotion, and easily the best show NJPW has been involved in within the last few years.

Discovery of the Year:
The Discovery of the Year goes to a wrestler I was unfamiliar with for up to a full year prior to 2022.

5. Super Crafter U
Super Crafter U is a bit of an enigma. His identity is unknown and he wears a mask, but he’s believed to be a CAPTURE trainee. Footage of Crafter may be hard to come by, but that doesn’t mean he’s any less impressive. His repertoire consists of flashy mat work and jumping spin kicks, but it’s always done logically. That’s a winning combination in my book, and it’s made Crafter stand out in his home promotion.

Recommended matches:

w/ Naoya Nomura vs. Kosuke Sato & Rikiya Fudo (CAPTURE International, 3/23)
vs. Kosuke Sato (CAPTURE International, 5/8)
vs. Naoya Nomura (CAPTURE International, 5/8)

4. Rikiya Fudo
Rikiya Fudo is a big, hulking tank of a man who will clobber his opponents with forearms and laugh about it. He’s quickly won me over with his showings in CAPTURE, where he’s run through Rocky Kawamura like a wrecking ball and played the perfect towering giant for Naoya Nomura to overcome in their title tournament finals. Everything Fudo does looks snug and painful, and he’s a real throwback in that sense.

Recommended matches:

w/ Kosuke Sato vs. Naoya Nomura & Super Crafter U (CAPTURE International, 3/23)
vs. Rocky Kawamura 2 (CAPTURE International, 5/8)
vs. Naoya Nomura (CAPTURE International, 5/8)

Rikiya Fudo (striped singlet)
Photo credit: CAPTURE International

3. Miyuki Takase
Miyuki Takase is sensational. She brings an infectious energy to every match she’s in and is a joy to watch. Takase will lariat the life out of her opponent and show off her comedy chops in the same breath. While I wish she’d do a little less of the latter in her more prominent matches, Takase rarely, if ever, disappoints.

Recommended matches:

vs. Yurika Oka (Sendai Girls, 1/8) [YouTube]
w/ Mika Iwata vs. DASH Chisako & Hiroyo Matsumoto (Sendai Girls, 2/4) [YouTube]
w/ Ryo Mizunami vs. DASH Chisako & Hiroyo Matsumoto (Sendai Girls, 2/20) [YouTube]
vs. Ayame Sasamura (WAVE, 6/22)

2. Suzu Suzuki
Suzu Suzuki is a legitimate prodigy in a current wrestling world full of very talented rookies. Her rise to – ahem – Prominence has been a delight to watch. From her matches against the likes of Kohaku on WAVE undercards to facing Tomoka Inaba in JTO to the MIRAI feud in Stardom, Suzuki has been a breath of fresh air in the joshi scene. I was late to hop on the Suzu bandwagon, largely because I didn’t discover her until I started working on last year’s Year-End Awards, but now I’m fully on board.

Recommended matches:

vs. Kohaku (WAVE, 4/1)
vs. MIRAI (Stardom, 7/8) [YouTube]
vs. MIRAI (Stardom, 8/11) [Stardom World]
vs. Tomoka Inaba (JTO, 12/19) [NJPW World]

1. Seichi Ikemoto
Seichi Ikemoto is an elite-level grappler and kickboxer who burst onto my radar out of nowhere earlier in the year. Aside from his excellent showings in GLEAT, he’s also proven to be somewhat eccentric, as shown by the match with Atsunori Suzuki at his publication party, where they fought on a mat as Ed Sheeran’s “Shape of You” played in the background. Or how about the rematch, where they fought on another mat in front of a lake? Ikemoto is one of the few wrestlers where I’ll watch pretty much anything they do.

vs. Soma Watanabe (GLEAT, 3/13) [YouTube]
vs. Atsunori Suzuki (Seichi Ikemoto Produce, 5/28) [YouTube]
w/ Takanori Ito vs. Minoru Tanaka & Yu Iizuka (GLEAT, 6/11) [YouTube]
vs. Yu Iizuka (GLEAT, 9/4) [YouTube]
vs. Atsunori Suzuki (Unknown Promotion, 9/23) [YouTube]
w/ Tetsuya Izuchi vs. Minoru Tanaka & Yu Iizuka (GLEAT, 10/22) [YouTube]

Promotion of the Year:
5. AEW
AEW fell off a cliff post-All Out. Between pushing some of the stalest and boring acts imaginable, and the departure of CM Punk, they just didn’t have the same spark as they did in the first nine months of 2022. Despite all that, they landed on this list through the sheer number of great matches produced.

4. Dragongate
Despite my qualms with the KAI title reign, Dragongate had a strong year in 2022. With breezy undercards, their shows were usually, at worst, easily-digestible.

3. CMLL
CMLL is one of the most watchable promotions going currently. You can tune into just about any of their shows, and chances are, you’re going to see a trios match or two that’s good or better. The elevation of Atlantis Jr. into the upper card has been a highlight.

2. IWTV
IWTV’s Southeast First: Uncharted Territory was a welcome addition to the weekly wrestling show buffet and a nice palate cleanser at that. Their shows were breezy, often producing a handful of matches worth seeking out per week. Uncharted Territory may not have had a long run, but they certainly made the most of their time.

1. ACTION Wrestling
ACTION is a tremendous promotion carried by the strength of its booking team and a roster of not-so-well-known but talented wrestlers. Their main title scene featured a who’s who of some of the best talent in the U.S. indies, including Arik Royal, Kevin Ku, Adam Priest, and Anthony Henry. All of this is capped off by brisk shows that never outstayed their welcome and the excellent feud between Priest and Henry.

Tag Team of the Year:

5. Harimao (Kazusada Higuchi & Naomi Yoshimura)
Harimao’s run was unfortunately cut short due to Naomi Yoshimura suffering a herniated disc. That said, what I saw of them as a team was promising. Yoshimura, in particular, has shown growth as a part of this new unit, and it was on full display in his matches tagging with Higuchi. Despite having a short résumé, their matches with both Burning and Akito & Yukio Sakaguchi in the build up to Higuchi’s title matches with Endo and Sakaguchi, respectively, provided a very good taste of what was to come.

4.Violence Is Forever (Dominic Garrini & Kevin Ku)
Both Dominic Garrini and Kevin Ku shined in a singles setting in 2022. That’s not to say their tag team took a backseat. It’s not just the great matches, although they certainly had plenty with Suplex Science, The WorkHorsemen, and Shigehiro Irie & Fuminori Abe, to name a few teams, but their ability to get solid matches out of lesser workers. Time after time, VIF took wrestlers I’m not particularly fond of and, at the very least, got a perfectly decent match out of them. That counts for something, too.

3. The Astronauts (Takuya Nomura & Fuminori Abe)
It seems like The Astronauts have perenially been on my Tag Team of the Year shortlist since they started teaming, but what can I say? They’re great! Kicking off the year with solid matches against Okami, they’d move on to a genuine hoot with Daisuke Sekimoto and Ryota Hama. And that’s not to mention the excellent bouts they produced against Strong BJ, Koji Kanemoto & Kazuki Hashimoto, Similarity, Kazumi Kikuta & Kohei Sato, and Hikaru Sato & Takuho Kato. The Astronauts can work with just about anybody, and they’re as much a proven commodity as any team at this point.

2. The Briscoes (Jay Briscoe & Mark Briscoe)
They may only have three high-profile matches under their belt, but the three matches are varying levels of good to great. The FTR feud simply could not have thrived without the controlled chaos The Briscoes bring to all of their matches. Mark and Jay are masterful brawlers, bringing a level of violence to the FTR Dog Collar match that suited the match. Jay’s unfortunate passing recently has left an indelible mark on the wrestling world. While I can’t say I’m the most familiar with their past work, it’s clear from what I have seen that The Briscoes had an undoutable influence on the current tag team style. But for my money, nobody did it better than ‘Dem Boys. R.I.P. Jay Briscoe.

1. FTR (Cash Wheeler & Dax Harwood)
After not getting to do much for a few years, FTR was given something to sink their teeth into in 2022, and they ran with the ball. As the AAA, IWGP, and ROH champions, they were at the forefront of every show they were on. When I think about FTR’s 2022, I think about the legendary feud with The Briscoes, but also about matches they had with The Rock ‘N’ Roll Express and The Wolves. Whether they were working a small show in Spartanburg, South Carolina, or a sold-out PPV in front of thousands of fans, FTR put in no less effort than they would have in any other bout. No team consistently did what FTR did at their level, and that makes them my Tag Team of the Year.

10 Under 10:
The 10 Under 10 is comprised of a list of sub-ten-minute matches you should make time for. Many of the matches on this list are more technically oriented and mat-based, but there are a few outliers. Think of this as a “Hoot of Year” type list.

10. Tetsuya Izuchi vs. Yu Iizuka (GLEAT, 3/5) [YouTube]
Reviewed here
9. Biff Busick vs. Kevin Ku (C*4, 4/22) [IWTV]
8. Adam Priest vs. Anthony Henry (ACTION, 12/2) [IWTV]
7. CM Punk vs. Jon Moxley (AEW, 8/24) [YouTube]
6. Brock Lesnar vs. Bobby Lashley (WWE, 11/5) [Peacock]
5. Timothy Thatcher vs. JR Kratos (GCW, 3/31) [FITE Plus]
4. Daijiro Matsui vs. Daisuke Nakamura (GLEAT, 3/5) [YouTube]
3. Soma Watanabe vs. Seichi Ikemoto (GLEAT, 3/13) [YouTube]
2. Seichi Ikemoto vs. Atsunori Suzuki (Seichi Ikemoto Produce, 5/28) [YouTube]
1. Dominic Garrini vs. Daniel Makabe (SCI, 8/6) [IWTV]

Match of the Year:
Note: Due to the volume of matches listed, I decided to forego blurbs.
100. Big E vs. Brock Lesnar vs. Bobby Lashley vs. Kevin Owens vs. Seth Rollins (WWE, 1/1) [Peacock]
99. Eddie Kingston vs. Jun Akiyama (AEW, 11/19) [YouTube]
98. The 37KAMIINA (Yuki Ueno & Toi Kojima) vs. Harimao (Kazusada Higuchi & Yuki Ishida) (DDT, 12/14) [Wrestle Universe]
97. Místico & Panterita del Ring Jr. vs. Gran Guerrero & Raider (CMLL, 12/23) [YouTube]
96. Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Zack Sabre Jr. (NJPW, 7/30) [NJPW World]
95. Hikaru Sato vs. TORU (Tenryu Project, 6/15)
94.Shingo Takagi vs. Zack Sabre Jr. (NJPW, 3/26) [NJPW World]
Reviewed here
93. Hitamaru Sasaki vs. Soma Watanabe (Kyushu Pro Wrestling, 5/8) [YouTube]
Reviewed here
92. Tomoka Inaba vs. Suzu Suzuki (JTO, 12/19) [NJPW World]
91. Randy Orton vs. Chad Gable (WWE, 1/24) [Peacock]
90. Hechicero & Mephisto & Atlantis Jr. vs. Guerrero Maya Jr., Stuka Jr. & Místico (CMLL, 11/22) [YouTube]
89. Biff Busick vs. Mike Bailey (PWG, 5/1) [Highspots TV]
88. Místico vs. Atlantis Jr. (CMLL, 5/27)[YouTube]
87. Último Guerrero vs. Averno (CMLL, 5/6) [YouTube]
Reviewed here
86. Seichi Ikemoto vs. Soma Watanabe (GLEAT, 3/13) [YouTube]
85. Biff Busick vs. Mike Bailey (PWG, 5/1) [Highspots TV]
84. Daisuke Nakamura vs. Daijiro Matsui (GLEAT, 3/5) [YouTube]
Reviewed here
83. Masato Tanaka vs. Fuminori Abe (ZERO1, 7/8)
82. El Hijo del Alebrije & Relámpago vs. El Hijo del Fishman & El Hijo del Pirata Morgan (IWRG, 1/30) [YouTube]
81. Eddie Kingston vs. Tomohiro Ishii (AEW, 9/4) [YouTube]
80. Zack Sabre Jr. vs. The Great-O-Khan (NJPW, 3/17) [NJPW World]
79. Arik Royal vs. Kevin Ku (ACTION Wrestling, 3/4) [IWTV]
78. Ilja Dragunov vs. Roderick Strong (WWE, 4/7) [Peacock]
77. Suzu Suzuki vs. MIRAI (Stardom, 8/11) [Stardom World]
76. Psycho Clown vs. Villano IV (AAA, 6/18) [YouTube]
75. Naoya Nomura & Super Crafter U vs. Kosuke Sato & Rikiya Fudo (CAPTURE International, 3/23)
Reviewed here
74. The Astronauts (Takuya Nomura & Fuminori Abe) vs. Kazuki Hashimoto & Koji Kanemoto (BJW, 7/24) [BJW Core]
73. AZM vs. Mei Suruga (Stardom, 4/29) [Stardom World]
72. Bryan Keith vs. Shane Taylor (New Texas Pro, 7/16) [YouTube]
71. Alex Shelley vs. Jay White (Impact Wrestling, 3/5) [Impact Plus]
70. Demus vs. Perro de Guerra Jr. (Lucha Memes, 6/19) [IWTV]
69. Dragon Kid & Kzy vs. Knesuka (K-ness & Susumu Yokosuka) (DG, 4/7) [DG Network]
68. Darby Allin vs. Brody King (AEW, 7/20)
67. Seichi Ikemoto vs. Atsunori Suzuki (Unknown Promotion, 9/23) [YouTube]
66. Takanori Ito vs. Shinya Aoki (GLEAT, 12/30) [YouTube]
65. Anthony Henry vs. Travis Huckabee (Pro Wrestling GRIND, 7/1) [IWTV]
64. Bryan Danielson vs. Wheeler YUTA (AEW, 3/30)
63. Kazusada Higuchi & Naomi Yoshimura vs. The 37KAMIINA (Toi Kojima & Yuki Ueno) (DDT, 7/7) [Wrestle Universe]
Reviewed here
62. Takanori Ito & Kengo Mashimo vs. Minoru Suzuki & Takuya Nomura (Kenta Kobashi Produce, 6/15)
61. El Lindaman vs. T-Hawk (GLEAT, 2/22) [YouTube]
60. Hitamaru Sasaki vs. Kotaro Nasu (Kotaro Nasu Produce, 6/5) [YouTube]
Reviewed here
59. Chikayo Nagashima & Takumi Iroha vs. Mio Momono & Rin Kadokura (Marvelous, 6/24)
58. Eddie Kingston vs. Chris Jericho (AEW, 3/6) [BR Live]
57. Eruption (Kazusada Higuchi & Yukio Sakaguchi) vs. HARASHIMA & Hikaru Sato (DDT, 5/1) [Wrestle Universe]
Reviewed here
56. Daniel Makabe vs. Nicole Matthews (365 Pro Wrestling, 4/23) [YouTube]
55. The Astronauts (Fuminori Abe & Takuya Nomura) vs. Hikaru Sato & Takuho Kato (BJW, 11/6) [BJW Core]
54. Minoru Tanaka & Soma Watanabe vs. Hitamaru Sasaki & Manabu Hara (Kyushu Pro Wrestling, 5/1) [YouTube]
Reviewed here
53. Seichi Ikemoto vs. Atsunori Suzuki (Seichi Ikemoto Produce, 5/28) [YouTube]
Reviewed here
52. Kazusada Higuchi vs. Shinya Aoki (DDT, 10/12) [Wrestle Universe]
Reviewed here
51. Mad Dog Connelly vs. Jake Lander (ZERO1 USA, 4/30) [YouTube]
50. Hiroshi Tanahashi, Kazuchika Okada & Tatsumi Fujinami vs. Suzuki-gun (Minoru Suzuki & Zack Sabre Jr.) & Yoshiaki Fujiwara (NJPW, 3/1) [NJPW World]
49. Adam Priest vs. Anthony Henry (ACTION Wrestling, 10/7) [IWTV]
48. Jun Akiyama vs. Kazusada Higuchi (DDT, 7/3) [Wrestle Universe]
Reviewed here
47. Hideki Suzuki vs. Kazuyuki Fujita (NOAH, 8/17) [Wrestle Universe]
46. Daniel Makabe vs. Hoodfoot (SUP, 4/17) [IWTV]
Reviewed here
45. Katsuyori Shibata vs. Ren Narita (NJPW, 1/4) [NJPW World]
Reviewed here
44. JD Drake vs. Adam Priest (ACTION Wrestling, 6/10) [IWTV]
43. Adam Priest vs. Mad Dog Connelly (IWTV, 7/8) [IWTV]
42. Daniel Makabe vs. Anthony Henry (ACTION Wrestling, 6/10) [IWTV]
41. Anthony Henry vs. Adam Priest (IWTV & ACTION Wrestling, 1/21) [IWTV]
40. Adam Priest vs. Anthony Henry (IWTV, 7/18) [IWTV]
39. Bryan Danielson vs. Jon Moxley (AEW, 3/6) [BR Live]
38. Biff Busick vs. SLADE (Beyond Wrestling, 2/4) [IWTV]
Reviewed here
37. Go Shiozaki vs. Kaito Kiyomiya (NOAH, 4/30) [Wrestle Universe]
Reviewed here
36. The Astronauts (Takuya Nomura & Fuminori Abe) vs. Strong BJ (Daisuke Sekimoto & Yuji Okabayashi) (BJW, 6/27) [BJW Core]
35. Kazusada Higuchi vs. Yukio Sakaguchi (DDT, 10/23) [Wrestle Universe]
34. Tomohiro Ishii vs. Yoshinobu Kanemaru (NJPW, 6/20) [NJPW World]
Reviewed here
33. ACH vs. Mike Bailey (West Coast Pro, 2/11) [IWTV]
Reviewed here
32. FTR (Cash Wheeler & Dax Harwood) vs. The Young Bucks (Matt Jackson & Nick Jackson) (AEW, 4/6)
Reviewed here
31. Daniel Makabe vs. Liiza Hall (365 Pro Wrestling, 3/19) [YouTube]
30. Daniel Makabe vs. Alex Shelley (NEW, 4/7) [YouTube]
29. Dominic Garrini vs. Bryan Keith (Timebomb Pro, 10/13) [YouTube]
28. Bryan Danielson vs. Daniel Garcia (AEW, 8/17)
27. Gunther vs. Rey Mysterio (WWE, 11/4) [Peacock]
Reviewed here
26. Darby Allin vs. Samoa Joe (AEW, 12/7)
25. MJF vs. CM Punk (AEW, 2/2) [BR Live]
Reviewed here
24. Adam Page vs. Bryan Danielson (AEW, 1/5)
Reviewed here
23. Becky Lynch vs. Bianca Belair (WWE, 4/1) [Peacock]
22. Wheeler YUTA vs. Daniel Garcia (ROH, 7/23) [Honor Club]
21. El Lindaman vs. Shigehiro Irie (GLEAT, 5/18) [YouTube]
Reviewed here
20. Kazusada Higuchi vs. Konosuke Takeshita (DDT, 9/25) [Wrestle Universe]
19. Daniel Makabe vs. Dominic Garrini (SCI, 8/6) [IWTV]
18. Kevin Ku vs. Adam Priest (ACTION Wrestling, 8/12) [IWTV]
17. Anthony Henry vs. Alex Shelley (ACTION, 5/6) [IWTV]
16. Atlantis Jr. vs. Stuka Jr. (CMLL, 9/16) [YouTube]
Reviewed here
15. MUSASHI vs. Fujita Hayato (Michinoku Pro Wrestling, 7/1)
Reviewed here
14. Jonathan Gresham vs. Hechicero (Lucha Memes, 10/16) [IWTV]
13. Gunther vs. Sheamus (WWE, 9/3) [Peacock]
12. Timothy Thatcher vs. Wheeler YUTA (Beyond Wrestling, 8/21) [IWTV]
11. Adam Priest vs. Travis Huckabee (SUP, 6/19) [IWTV]
10. CM Punk vs. Dustin Rhodes (AEW, 4/20)
9. Bryan Danielson vs. Daniel Garcia (AEW, 7/27)
8. Roman Reigns vs. Brock Lesnar (WWE, 7/30) [Peacock]
7. Ren Narita vs. Tomohiro Ishii (NJPW, 10/26) [NJPW World]
Reviewed here
6. Jon Moxley vs. Wheeler YUTA (AEW, 4/8)
5. Jon Moxley vs. CM Punk (AEW, 9/4) [BR Live]
4. The Jericho Appreciation Society (Angelo Parker, Chris Jericho, Daniel Garcia, Jake Hager & Matt Menard) vs. The Blackpool Combat Club (Bryan Danielson & Jon Moxley), Proud-N-Powerful (Ortiz & Santana) & Eddie Kingston (AEW, 5/29) [BR Live]
Reviewed here
3. Jon Moxley vs. Biff Busick (GCW, 3/31) [FITE Plus]
2. FTR (Cash Wheeler & Dax Harwood) vs. The Briscoes (Jay Briscoe & Mark Briscoe) (ROH, 4/1) [Honor Club]
Reviewed here
1. FTR (Cash Wheeler & Dax Harwood vs. The Briscoes (Jay Briscoe & Mark Briscoe) (ROH, 12/10) [Honor Club]

Wrestler of the Year:
Honorable mentions: Mike Bailey, El Lindaman, Hikaru Sato, Suzu Suzuki & Bryan Keith

20. Naomi Yoshimura
It feels like Naomi Yoshimura has finally come into his own. After leaving DISASTER BOX and joining up with Harimao stablemates Kazusada Higuchi and Yuki Ishida, something clicked for Yoshimura. His singles matches began to feel complete and more layered, as shown by the excellent King of DDT tournament final against Higuchi. Whether he was in the ring with rookies or veterans, Yoshimura has been involved in some of the best tag matches in the promotion this year.

Recommended matches:

w/ HARASHIMA & Kazuki Hirata vs. Konosuke Takeshita, Toi Kojima & Yuki Ueno (DDT, 2/5) [Wrestle Universe]
w/ HARASHIMA vs. Kazusada Higuchi & Hideki Okatani (DDT, 4/24) [Wrestle Universe]
w/ HARASHIMA & Yuki Ishida vs. Jun Akiyama, Tetsuya Endo & Yusuke Okada [Wrestle Universe]
vs. HARASHIMA (DDT, 6/19) [Wrestle Universe]
vs. Yuki Ueno (DDT, 7/3) [Wrestle Universe]
vs. Kazusada Higuchi (DDT, 7/3) [Wrestle Universe]
w/ Kazusada Higuchi vs. Toi Kojima & Yuki Ueno (DDT, 7/7) [Wrestle Universe]
w/ Kazusada Higuchi vs. Tetsuya Endo & Jun Akiyama (DDT, 8/14) [Wrestle Universe]
w/ Kota Umeda & Keisuke Okuda vs. Hideki Okatani, Yukio Sakaguchi & HARASHIMA (DDT, 8/20) [Wrestle Universe]
w/ Kazusada Higuchi & Yuki Ishida vs. Shunma Katsumata, Toi Kojima & Yuki Ueno (DDT, 10/1) [Wrestle Universe]
w/ Kazusada Higuchi vs. Akito & Yukio Sakaguchi (DDT, 10/15) [Wrestle Universe]
w/ Kazusada Higuchi & Yuki Ishida vs. Hideki Okatani, Yukio Sakaguchi & Kouki Iwasaki (DDT, 10/16) [Wrestle Universe]

19. Fuminori Abe
The other half of The Astronauts. Fuminori Abe might be the most expressive wrestler in Japan currently. His tag team matches with Takuya Nomura are always a highlight, but Abe’s most impressive performances often come from under-the-radar bouts. Basement shoot-style in CAPTURE? Abe can do that. A charming slugfest with tons of personality against Masato Tanaka in ZERO1? You got it. Abe gives it his all on every show he’s a part of, making him a joy to watch.

Recommended matches:

vs. Shoki Kitamura (ZERO1, 1/1) [Wrestle Universe]
w/ Takuya Nomura vs. Daichi Hashimoto & Hideyoshi Kamitani (BJW, 2/20) [BJW Core]
w/ Sanshu Tsubakichi vs. Jota & Keisuke Goto (CAPTURE International, 3/23)
w/ Takuya Nomura vs. Daisuke Sekimoto & Ryota Hama (BJW, 3/30) [BJW Core]
w/ Takuya Nomura vs. Daisuke Sekimoto & Yuji Okabayashi (BJW, 6/27) [BJW Core]
vs. Masato Tanaka (ZERO1, 7/8)
w/ Takuya Nomura vs. Kazuki Hashimoto & Koji Kanemoto (BJW, 7/24) [BJW Core]
w/ Shigehiro Irie vs. Dominic Garrini & Kevin Ku (wXw, 10/2) [wXw NOW]
w/ Takuya Nomura vs. Takuho Kato & Hiroyuki Suzuki (BJW, 10/9) [BJW Core]
w/ Takuya Nomura vs. Kazumi Kikuta & Kohei Sato (BJW, 10/10) [BJW Core]
w/ Takuya Nomura vs. Hikaru Sato & Takuho Kato (BJW, 11/6) [BJW Core]

18. Wheeler YUTA
After locking up with Jon Moxley early in the year and joining Blackpool Combat Club, YUTA is a made man in AEW. His matches have been succinct and violent, two of my favorite qualities in wrestling. On top of being a delight in singles matches against the likes of Timothy Thatcher and Daniel Garcia, YUTA’s become quite the squash match worker alongside his BCC stablemates.

Recommended matches:

vs. Mike Bailey (PWG, 1/30) [Highspots TV]
vs. Lucky Ali (PWX, 3/26) [IWTV]
vs. Bryan Danielson (AEW, 3/30)
vs. Jon Moxley (AEW, 4/8)
vs. Robbie Eagles (NJPW, 5/17) [NJPW World]
vs. El Desperado (NJPW, 5/22) [NJPW World]
vs. El Lindaman (NJPW, 5/26) [NJPW World]
vs. TJP (NJPW, 5/31) [NJPW World]
w/ Eddie Kingston & Shota Umino vs. Chris Jericho, Sammy Guevara & Minoru Suzuki (AEW & NJPW, 6/26) [BR Live]
vs. Daniel Garcia (ROH, 7/23) [Honor Club]
vs. Timothy Thatcher (Beyond Wrestling, 8/21) [IWTV]
vs. Daniel Garcia (ROH, 12/10) [Honor Club]

17. Konosuke Takeshita
Despite making my list last year, I felt that Takeshita could use a new coat of paint at that point. In 2022, Takeshita primarily competed in the United States, where he was a breath of fresh air. Takeshita’s hard-hitting, all-action formula worked against a litany of new opponents. His DDT work was rock-solid, too, with the KO-D Title match against Kazusada Higuchi being among his best.

Recommended matches:

w/ Toi Kojima & Yuki Ueno vs. Jun Akiyama, Tetsuya Endo & Yuya Koroku (DDT, 1/7) [Wrestle Universe]
vs. Toi Kojima (DDT, 1/9) [Wrestle Universe]
w/ Shunma Katsumata & Yuki Ueno vs. Jun Akiyama, Tetsuya Endo & Yuya Koroku (DDT, 1/15) [Wrestle Universe]
w/ Toi Kojima vs. Tetsuya Endo & Yuya Koroku (DDT, 1/22) [Wrestle Universe]
w/ Yuki Ueno vs. Shuji Kondo & Kazuki Hirata (DDT, 1/30) [Wrestle Universe]
w/ Toi Kojima & Yuki Ueno vs. HARASHIMA, Kazuki Hirata & Naomi Yoshimura (DDT, 2/5) [Wrestle Universe]
w/ Yuki Ueno, Shunma Katsumata & MAO vs. Tetsuya Endo, Jun Akiyama, Yusuke Okada & Yuya Koroku (DDT, 2/6) [Wrestle Universe]
w/ Yuki Ueno vs. Hideki Okatani & Kazusada Higuchi (DDT, 2/14) [Wrestle Universe]
w/ Toi Kojima & Yuki Ueno vs. Tetsuya Endo, Jun Akiyama & Yuya Koroku (DDT, 3/12) [Wrestle Universe]
w/ Toi Kojima & Yuki Ueno vs. Tetsuya Endo, Yusuke Okada & Yuya Koroku (DDT, 3/27) [Wrestle Universe]
w/ HARASHIMA & Antonio Honda vs. Tetsuya Endo, Jun Akiyama & Yukio Sakaguchi (DDT, 4/10) [Wrestle Universe]
vs. Adam Page (AEW, 5/18)
vs. Eddie Kingston (AEW, 7/8)
vs. Claudio Castagnoli (AEW, 8/6)
w/ Toi Kojima vs. Kazusada Higuchi & Yuki Ishida (DDT, 8/24) [Wrestle Universe]
vs. Kazusada Higuchi (DDT, 9/25) [Wrestle Universe]

16. Alex Shelley
Alex Shelley is one of the most versatile and underappreciated wrestlers on the indies, maybe even on the planet. He’s a fantastic veteran hand to help guide younger talents, and a high-octane, explosive wrestler who can put his foot on the gas when need be. Aside from the phenomenal matches with Daniel Makabe and Anthony Henry, Shelley had very good to great matches with Jay White, Chris Sabin, Mike Bailey, and KUSHIDA.

Recommended matches:

vs. AC Mack (IWTV & ACTION Wrestling, 1/21) [IWTV]
vs. Lee Moriarty (PWG, 1/29) [Highspots TV]
vs. Jay White (Impact Wrestling, 3/5) [Impact Plus]
vs. Mike Bailey (Impact Wrestling, 4/1) [Impact Plus]
vs. Daniel Makabe (NEW, 4/7) [YouTube]
vs. Anthony Henry (ACTION Wrestling, 5/6) [IWTV]
vs. Chris Sabin (Impact Wrestling, 7/21) [YouTube]
vs. KUSHIDA (NJPW, 7/30) [NJPW World]
w/ Chris Sabin & Jay Lethal vs. Cash Wheeler, Dax Harwood & Wardlow (AEW, 9/4) [BR Live]

15. WALTER/Gunther
Despite the incredibly silly name change, Gunther is proof that good things happen when you let a great wrestler, wrestle. Be it the singles matches with Sheamus, Roderick Strong, Rey Mysterio, and Bron Breakker, or the tag and trios bouts with Imperium against The Brawling Brutes, Gunther has as much of a volume case as any WWE wrestler this year.

Recommended matches:

vs. Roderick Strong (WWE, 1/18) [Peacock]
vs. Bron Breakker (WWE, 4/5) [Peacock]
vs. Sheamus (WWE, 9/3) [Peacock]
w/ Giovanni Vinci & Ludwig Kaiser vs. Butch, Ridge Holland & Sheamus (WWE, 9/9) [Peacock]
vs. Sheamus (WWE, 10/7) [Peacock]
w/ Giovanni Vinci & Ludwig Kaiser vs. Butch, Ridge Holland & Sheamus (WWE, 10/8) [Peacock]
vs. Rey Mysterio (WWE, 11/4) [Peacock]
vs. Ricochet (WWE, 12/16) [Peacock]

14. Takuya Nomura
An integral part of Big Japan, and one-half of everyone’s favorite space-themed tag team, The Astronauts. Nomura was one of the best wrestlers in Japan this year. His BJW World Strong title matches with Yuji Okabayashi are worth checking out, but the highlight of his run was a series of tags with Fuminori Abe against a diverse list of opponents. Nomura brings a no-nonsense attitude to all of his matches, and kicks incredibly hard. It’s hard not to love him on some level.

Recommended matches:

vs. Yuji Okabayashi (BJW, 1/2) [BJW Core]
vs. Yuji Okabayashi (BJW, 2/6) [BJW Core]
w/ Kosuke Sato vs. Kazuki Hashimoto & Kohei Sato (BJW, 2/11) [BJW Core]
w/ Fuminori Abe vs. Daichi Hashimoto & Hideyoshi Kamitani (BJW, 2/20) [BJW Core]
vs. Hiroshi Yamato (CAPTURE International, 3/23)
w/ Fuminori Abe vs. Daisuke Sekimoto & Ryota Hama (BJW, 3/30) [BJW Core]
vs. Kento Miyahara (AJPW, 4/13) [AJPW TV]
w/ Kosuke Sato vs. Daisuke Sekimoto & Yuji Okabayashi (BJW, 6/6) [BJW Core]
w/ Minoru Suzuki vs. Takanori Ito & Kengo Mashimo (Kenta Kobashi Produce, 6/15)
w/ Fuminori Abe vs. Daisuke Sekimoto & Yuji Okabayashi (BJW, 6/27) [BJW Core]
w/ Fuminori Abe vs. Kazuki Hashimoto & Koji Kanemoto (BJW, 7/24) [BJW Core]
w/ Daichi Hashimoto & Yuya Aoki vs. Daisuke Sekimoto, Yuji Okabayashi & Yasufumi Nakanoue (BJW, 8/7) [BJW Core]
w/ Fuminori Abe vs. Takuho Kato & Hiroyuki Suzuki (BJW, 10/9) [BJW Core]
w/ Fuminori Abe vs. Kazumi Kikuta & Kohei Sato (BJW, 10/10) [BJW Core]
vs. Takuho Kato (BJW, 10/11) [BJW Core]
w/ Yuya Aoki vs. Daichi Hashimoto & Takuho Kato (BJW, 10/28) [BJW Core]
w/ Fuminori Abe vs. Hikaru Sato & Takuho Kato (BJW, 11/6) [BJW Core]

13. Anthony Henry
One of the unsung heroes of the U.S. indies. Henry was involved in one of my Feuds of the Year with Adam Priest, flipping a switch and cranking up the ferocity of his work as a heel. He was a model of consistency throughout the year, having great to excellent matches with Alex Shelley, Travis Huckabee, ACH, Daniel Makabe, and more.

Recommended matches:

vs. Adam Priest (IWTV & ACTION Wrestling, 1/21) [IWTV]
vs. Lee Moriarty (AEW, 2/8) [YouTube]
vs. ACH (PWX, 3/26) [IWTV]
vs. Alex Shelley (ACTION Wrestling, 5/6) [IWTV]
vs. Kevin Ku (IWTV, 5/30) [IWTV]
vs. Daniel Makabe (ACTION Wrestling, 6/10) [IWTV]
vs. Travis Huckabee (Pro Wrestling GRIND, 7/1) [IWTV]
vs. Adam Priest (IWTV, 7/18) [IWTV]
vs. Arik Royal (ACTION Wrestling, 8/12) [IWTV]
w/ JD Drake vs. Dominic Garrini & Kevin Ku (DPW, 9/17) [DPW On-Demand]
w/ JD Drake vs. Dante Martin & Matt Sydal (AEW, 10/4) [YouTube]
vs. Adam Priest (ACTION Wrestling, 10/7) [IWTV]
vs. Adam Priest (ACTION Wrestling, 12/2) [IWTV]

12. Daniel Makabe

Allow me to gush for a moment if you will. When I first saw Daniel Makabe wrestle Timothy Thatcher in the summer of 2017, I was immediately captivated. A technician clad in a soccer jersey who not only looked competent in the ring but held his own against one of the finest wrestlers in the world? Since then, I’ve delved deep into Dan’s indie catalog. Seeing him go from working small promotions in the Pacific Northwest to facing the likes of CIMA, Negro Navarro, Jonathan Gresham, and even Daisuke Ikeda and Yuki Ishikawa has been an absolute pleasure. Over this year’s Scenic City Invitational tournament weekend, Makabe announced that he might not be not long for wrestling due to nagging injuries. While I’m a bit disheartened to see one of my favorites potentially leave something he’s so good at, for entirely understandable reasons, Makabe has this innate ability to pack matches full of little details such that you never feel cheated by the length. In that respect, he’s one of the more thoughtful competitors on the North American independent scene today. Whether he was facing Nicole Savoy, Nicole Matthews, Bryan Keith, Hoodfoot, Anthony Henry, Dominic Garrini, Liiza Hall, or a plethora of other names, it was a pleasure watching Makabe work his magic. Here’s hoping we’ll get to see it again in 2023, wherever Makabe goes or whoever he’s facing.

P.S. Dear promoters, please book Makabe vs. Bryan Danielson while it can still conceivably happen.

Recommended matches:

vs. Davey Richards (DOA, 1/15) [YouTube]
vs. Nicole Savoy (DUSK Pro, 3/6) [YouTube]
vs. Liiza Hall (365 Pro Wrestling, 3/19) [YouTube]
vs. Alex Shelley (NEW, 4/7) [YouTube]
vs. Hoodfoot (SUP, 4/17) [IWTV]
vs. Nicole Matthews (365 Pro Wrestling, 4/23) [YouTube]
vs. Bryan Keith (SOS, 5/13) [YouTube]
vs. Anthony Henry (ACTION Wrestling, 6/10) [IWTV]
vs. Travis Williams (NEW, 6/24) [YouTube]
vs. Damyan Tangra (SCI, 8/5) [IWTV]
vs. Dominic Garrini (SCI, 8/6) [IWTV]

11. Eddie Kingston
Eddie Kingston knows how to tug at the heartstrings. It’s one of his best attributes as a wrestler, and there are many. Following a shockingly great match with Chris Jericho, he’d go on to live up to and exceed expectations against Tomohiro Ishii, Konosuke Takeshita, and even have his dream match against Jun Akiyama. Kingston’s ability to keep you glued to the screen no matter what he does is why he’s one of my favorite performers today. He was also the highlight of Anarchy in the Arena, being so consumed with hurting Jericho that he carried a can of gasoline down the ramp to douse his own partner in, producing one of the coolest visuals of 2022.

Recommended matches:

vs. Gabriel Kidd (NJPW, 1/8) [NJPW World]
vs. Chris Jericho (AEW, 3/6) [BR Live]
w/ Fred Rosser vs. Fred Yehi & Daniel Garcia (NJPW, 4/9) [NJPW World]
vs. Daniel Garcia (AEW, 4/22)
vs. Tomohiro Ishii (NJPW, 5/14) [NJPW World]
w/ Bryan Danielson, Jon Moxley, Ortiz & Santana vs. Angelo Parker, Chris Jericho, Daniel Garcia, Jake Hager & Matt Menard (AEW, 5/29) [BR Live]
w/ Shota Umino & Wheeler YUTA vs. Chris Jericho, Sammy Guevara & Minoru Suzuki (AEW & NJPW, 6/26) [BR Live]
vs. Konosuke Takeshita (AEW, 7/8)
vs. Tomohiro Ishii (AEW, 9/4) [YouTube]
vs. Jun Akiyama (AEW, 11/19) [YouTube]

10. Atlantis Jr.
Living up to the name of one of the monoliths of lucha libre is a tall task for anyone, let alone a twenty-something-year-old. And yet, Atlantis Jr. has taken his role as the son of Atlantis in stride. He came into his own as a rudo, producing some of the best matches in Mexico this year with Mistico and Stuka Jr., to name a few. If all goes well, I have no doubt he’ll be a mainstay on these year-end lists in the decades to come.

Recommended matches:

w/ Gran Guerrero & Negro Casas vs. Soberano Jr., Místico & Titán (CMLL, 1/1) [YouTube]
w/ Místico & Titán vs. Euforia, Hechicero & Mephisto (CMLL, 2/4) [YouTube]
vs. Euforia (CMLL, 2/22) [YouTube]
w/ Mephisto & Templario vs. Negro Casas, Stuka Jr. & Titán (CMLL, 4/1) [YouTube]
vs. Místico (CMLL, 5/27) [YouTube]
vs. León Dorado (Lucha Memes, 7/16) [IWTV]
w/ Bárbaro Cavernario & El Hijo del Villano III vs. Blue Panther, Soberano Jr. & Negro Casas (CMLL, 8/12)
vs. Stuka Jr. (CMLL, 9/16) [YouTube]
w/ Gran Guerrero & Último Guerrero vs. Soberano Jr., Místico & Volador Jr. (CMLL, 10/28) [YouTube]
w/ Hechicero & Mephisto vs. Guerrero Maya Jr., Stuka Jr. & Místico (CMLL, 11/22) [YouTube]

9. Daniel Garcia
Daniel Garcia feels like a can’t-miss star for AEW. The intensity and aggression he brings to his matches is virtually unparalleled. The feuds with Bryan Danielson and Wheeler YUTA are some of his best work, but Garcia has sneaky-good television matches against the likes of Jon Moxley to round out his case.

Recommended matches:

vs. Bryan Danielson (AEW, 2/23)
vs. Yuya Uemura (NJPW, 3/26) [NJPW World]
w/ Fred Yehi vs. Eddie Kingston & Fred Rosser (NJPW, 4/9) [NJPW World]
vs. Eddie Kingston (AEW, 4/22)
w/ Angelo Parker, Chris Jericho, Jake Hager & Matt Menard vs. Bryan Danielson, Jon Moxley, Ortiz, Santana & Eddie Kingston (AEW, 5/29) [BR Live]
vs. Jon Moxley (AEW, 6/1)
vs. Wheeler YUTA (ROH, 7/23) [Honor Club]
vs. Bryan Danielson (AEW, 7/27)
vs. Bryan Danielson (AEW, 8/17)
vs. Wheeler YUTA (ROH, 12/10) [Honor Club]

8. Cash Wheeler
The other half of my Tag Team of the Year. Cash Wheeler’s performances in FTR’s big matches were tremendous. Whether he was making timely saves or putting a new spin on old tricks, Cash’s execution of textbook tag-team wrestling always stood out. He may not have the singles résumé of Harwood, but he’s a fantastic wrestler in his own right.

Recommended matches:

w/ Dax Harwood vs. Ricky Morton & Robert Gibson (BTW, 1/22)
w/ Dax Harwood vs. Jon Moxley & CM Punk (AEW, 2/9)
w/ Dax Harwood vs. Jay Briscoe & Mark Briscoe (ROH, 4/1) [Honor Club]
w/ Dax Harwood vs. Matt Jackson & Nick Jackson (AEW, 4/6)
vs. Dax Harwood (AEW, 4/27)
w/ Dax Harwood vs. Davey Richards & Eddie Edwards (ASW, 6/11)
vs. Jeff Cobb (AEW, 6/24)
w/ Dax Harwood vs. The Great-O-Khan & Jeff Cobb vs. Rocky Romero & Trent Beretta (AEW & NJPW, 6/26) [BR Live]
w/ Dax Harwood & Wardlow vs. Chris Sabin, Alex Shelley & Jay Lethal (AEW, 9/4) [BR Live]
w/ Cash Wheeler vs. Jay Briscoe & Mark Briscoe (ROH, 12/10) [Honor Club]

7. Dax Harwood
One-half of the slam-dunk pick for Tag Team of the Year. Dax Harwood has a knack for details in wrestling, as shown by FTR’s series of matches against The Briscoes, The Young Bucks, and even The Rock ‘N’ Roll Express, to name a few. He’s also distinguished himself from his partner, Cash Wheeler, with a few impressive singles performances.

Recommended matches:

w/ Cash Wheeler vs. Ricky Morton & Robert Gibson (BTW, 1/22)
w/ Cash Wheeler vs. Jon Moxley & CM Punk (AEW, 2/9)
vs. CM Punk (AEW, 3/23)
w/ Cash Wheeler vs. Jay Briscoe & Mark Briscoe (ROH, 4/1) [Honor Club]
w/ Cash Wheeler vs. Matt Jackson & Nick Jackson (AEW, 4/6)
vs. Cash Wheeler (AEW, 4/27)
w/ Cash Wheeler vs. Davey Richards & Eddie Edwards (ASW, 6/11)
vs. Will Ospreay (AEW, 6/15)
w/ Cash Wheeler vs. The Great-O-Khan & Jeff Cobb vs. Rocky Romero & Trent Beretta (AEW & NJPW, 6/26) [BR Live]
w/ Cash Wheeler & Wardlow vs. Chris Sabin, Alex Shelley & Jay Lethal (AEW, 9/4) [BR Live]
w/ Cash Wheeler vs. Jay Briscoe & Mark Briscoe (ROH, 12/10) [Honor Club]

6. Kevin Ku
2022 was a year of growth for Kevin Ku. Competing primarily as a singles wrestler, Ku found his footing, displaying a greater eye for detail in his matches. The Adam Priest match from ACTION sticks out as an example of this. Whether he was competing by himself or with Violence Is Forever tag team partner Dominic Garrini against the likes of Shigehiro Irie & Fuminori Abe or The WorkHorsemen in tag-team action, Ku always put in maximum effort.

Recommended matches:

vs. Arik Royal (ACTION Wrestling, 3/4) [IWTV]
vs. Avery Good (BLP, 3/26) [FITE Plus]
vs. Brandon Williams (SUP, 4/17) [IWTV]
w/ Dominic Garrini vs. Alex Kane & Damyan Tangra (SUP, 4/17) [IWTV]
vs. Bryan Keith (Timebomb Pro, 4/21) [YouTube]
vs. Biff Busick (C*4, 4/22) [IWTV]
vs. Alex Kane (ACTION Wrestling, 5/21) [IWTV]
vs. Anthony Henry (IWTV, 5/30) [IWTV]
vs. Kyle Matthews (IWTV, 6/6) [IWTV]
vs. JD Drake (IWTV, 6/27) [IWTV]
vs. Calvin Tankman (DPW, 7/10) [DPW On-Demand]
vs. BoJack (IWTV, 7/18) [IWTV]
vs. Dominic Garrini (SCI, 8/5) [IWTV]
vs. Adam Priest (ACTION Wrestling, 8/12) [IWTV]
w/ Dominic Garrini vs. Anthony Henry & JD Drake (DPW, 9/17) [DPW On-Demand]
w/ Dominic Garrini vs. Shigehiro Irie & Fuminori Abe (wXw, 10/2) [wXw NOW]
vs. Mike Bailey (Timebomb Pro, 10/13) [YouTube]

5. CM Punk
Much has been said about the so-called Brawl Out and all it entails, and I’m not here to relitigate that. What I will say, however, is that CM Punk is a fantastic professional wrestler. He kicked off the Year by giving MJF his two career matches and producing a modern television classic with Dustin Rhodes, followed by a strong feud with Adam Page, and eventually Jon Moxley. Whether you love or hate him, Punk drew emotion out of people, unlike anyone in AEW. If Mox is the heart and soul of the promotion, Punk was the lifeblood that kept it going in the right direction. More than anyone else, Punk in AEW felt like must-see TV. AEW hasn’t had that same spark for me without the best in the world.

Recommended matches:

vs. MJF (AEW, 2/2)
w/ Jon Moxley vs. Cash Wheeler & Dax Harwood (AEW, 2/9)
vs. MJF (AEW, 3/6) [BR Live]
vs. Dax Harwood (AEW, 3/23)
vs. Dustin Rhodes (AEW, 4/20)
vs. Adam Page (AEW, 5/29) [BR Live]
vs. Jon Moxley (AEW, 8/24) [YouTube]
vs. Jon Moxley (AEW, 9/4) [BR Live]

4. Bryan Danielson
As a member of the Blackpool Combat Club, Bryan and his teammates produced a wonderful series of swift, violent beatdowns. On the singles front, he’s as great as ever, delivering thrilling contests against AEW up-and-comers Wheeler YUTA and Lee Moriarty. Later in the year, he partook in an excellent, layered student vs. master feud with Daniel Garcia that produced two of AEW’s best matches of the year.

Recommended matches:

vs. Adam Page (AEW, 1/8)
vs. Lee Moriarty (AEW, 2/16)
vs. Daniel Garcia (AEW, 2/23)
vs. Christopher Daniels (AEW, 3/2)
vs. Jon Moxley (AEW, 3/6) [BR Live]
vs. Wheeler YUTA (AEW, 3/30)
w/ Jon Moxley vs. Dante Martin & Matt Sydal (AEW, 5/20)
vs. Matt Sydal (AEW, 5/27)
w/ Jon Moxley, Ortiz, Santana & Eddie Kingston vs. Angelo Parker, Chris Jericho, Daniel Garcia, Jake Hager & Matt Menard (AEW, 5/29) [BR Live]
vs. Daniel Garica (AEW, 7/27)
vs. Daniel Garcia (AEW, 8/17)
vs. Chris Jericho (AEW, 9/14)
vs. Jon Moxley (AEW, 9/21)
vs. Sammy Guevara vs. Chris Jericho vs. Claudio Castagnoli (AEW, 11/19) [BR Live]

3. Jon Moxley
From January through the beginning of September, Moxley looked like my runaway pick for Wrestler of the Year. That is until AEW fell off a cliff post-All Out. For those first eight-plus months, it felt like Mox could do no wrong in the ring. Mox’s best quality is that his matches feel more distinct than virtually everyone in AEW. There’s a tangible gritty, grungy feel to them that makes him so exciting to watch. Wheeler YUTA came out of their excellent singles bout as a made man in AEW. Big matches against the likes of Bryan Danielson, Hiroshi Tanahashi, etc. delivered, but I was most impressed by Mox’s ability to get good or better matches out of wrestlers I’m not especially fond of. He also showed off his versatility in the always-violent and highly-entertaining Blackpool Combat Club trios matches.

Recommended matches:

w/ CM Punk vs. Cash Wheeler & Dax Harwood (AEW, 2/9)
vs. Bryan Danielson (AEW, 3/6) [BR Live]
vs. Biff Busick (GCW, 3/31) [FITE Plus]
vs. Wheeler YUTA (AEW, 4/8)
vs. Tom Lawlor (DEFY Wrestling, 4/30) [DEFY On-Demand]
w/ Bryan Danielson vs. Dante Martin & Matt Sydal (AEW, 5/20)
w/ Bryan Danielson, Santana, Ortiz & Eddie Kingston vs. Angelo Parker, Chris Jericho, Daniel Garcia, Jake Hager & Matt Menard (AEW, 5/29) [BR Live]
vs. Daniel Garcia (AEW, 6/1)
vs. Kyle O’Reilly (AEW, 6/8)
vs. Mike Bailey (REVOLVER, 6/11) [FITE Plus]
vs. Tony Deppen (GCW, 6/18) [FITE Plus]
vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi (AEW & NJPW, 6/26) [BR Live]
vs. Rush (AEW, 7/27)
vs. CM Punk (AEW, 8/24) [YouTube]
vs. CM Punk (AEW, 9/4) [BR Live]
vs. Bryan Danielson (AEW, 9/21)
w/ Claudio Castagnoli vs. Dante Martin & Darius Martin (AEW, 12/28)

2. Kazusada Higuchi
My other original pick for number one. 2022 was a remarkable year in the career of Kazusada Higuchi. After graduating from Eruption, he’d go on to capture the KO-D Openweight Championship for the first time in his career, later forming Harimao alongside Naomi Yoshimura and Yuki Ishida. While he was consistently great throughout the year, the case for Higuchi as Wrestler of the Year primarily comes from his King of DDT run and subsequent title reign, which featured excellent matches against Yoshimura, Jun Akiyama, Konosuke Takeshita, Shinya Aoki, and Yukio Sakaguchi. I never came away from a Higuchi match dissatisfied with his performance.

Recommended matches:

vs. Hideki Okatani (DDT, 1/3) [Wrestle Universe]
w/ Hideki Okatani vs. HARASHIMA & Yuji Hino (DDT, 1/7) [Wrestle Universe]
w/ Hideki Okatani vs. Tetsuya Endo & Jun Akiyama (DDT, 2/5) [Wrestle Universe]
vs. Toi Kojima (DDT, 2/6) [Wrestle Universe]
w/ Hideki Okatani vs. Konosuke Takeshita & Yuki Ueno (DDT, 2/14) [Wrestle Universe]
w/ Hideki Okatani vs. HARASHIMA & Naomi Yoshimura (DDT, 4/24) [Wrestle Universe]
w/ Yukio Sakaguchi vs. HARASHIMA & Hikaru Sato (DDT, 5/1) [Wrestle Universe]
w/ Hideki Okatani & Yukio Sakaguchi vs. Jun Akiyama, Tetsuya Endo & Yusuke Okada (DDT, 5/28) [Wrestle Universe]
vs. Yoshiki Inamura (NOAH, 5/30) [Wrestle Universe]
w/ Daichi Hashimoto & Yuma Aoyagi vs. Daisuke Sekimoto, Shuji Ishikawa & Yuji Hino (Kenta Kobashi Produce, 6/15)
w/ Yukio Sakaguchi vs. Jun Akiyama & Yusuke Okada (DDT, 6/25) [Wrestle Universe]
vs. Jun Akiyama (DDT, 7/3) [Wrestle Universe]
vs. Naomi Yoshimura (DDT, 7/3) [Wrestle Universe]
w/ Naomi Yoshimura vs. Toi Kojima & Yuki Ueno (DDT, 7/7) [Wrestle Universe]
w/ Naomi Yoshimura vs. Tetsuya Endo & Jun Akiyama (DDT, 8/14) [Wrestle Universe]
w/ Yuki Ishida vs. Konosuke Takeshita & Toi Kojima (DDT, 8/24) [Wrestle Universe]
w/ Naomi Yoshimura vs. HARASHIMA & Toru Owashi (DDT, 9/4) [Wrestle Universe]
vs. Konosuke Takeshita (DDT, 9/25) [Wrestle Universe]
w/ Naomi Yoshimura & Yuki Ishida vs. Shunma Katsumata, Toi Kojima & Yuki Ueno (DDT, 10/1) [Wrestle Universe]
vs. Shinya Aoki (DDT, 10/12) [Wrestle Universe]
w/ Naomi Yoshimura vs. Akito & Yukio Sakaguchi (DDT, 10/15) [Wrestle Universe]
w/ Naomi Yoshimura & Yuki Ishida vs. Hideki Okatani, Yukio Sakaguchi & Kouki Iwasaki (DDT, 10/16) [Wrestle Universe]
vs. Yukio Sakaguchi (DDT, 10/23) [Wrestle Universe]
w/ Yuki Ishida vs. Yuki Ueno & Toi Kojima (DDT, 12/14) [Wrestle Universe]

1.Adam Priest
I was impressed with his work last year, but in 2022, “Any Style” Adam Priest was a revelation. He kicked things off with a barnburner against Anthony Henry and didn’t let off the gas for the remaining 11 months. Priest’s versatility is his strongest suit, proving he can go with just about anyone in any situation. Hardcore matches to lengthy wars of attrition, title match sprints, being the steady veteran hand guiding someone with raw athletic potential, technical masterclasses, wild brawls, you name it. The only thing that’s really missing from Priest’s year is a tag team run. In a time when so many wrestlers’ matches felt similar, Priest constantly did something different. Whether it was as a beloved babyface in ACTION or a dastardly heel elsewhere, he always delivered. I originally had a few other wrestlers earmarked for this spot (see: Kazusada Higuchi & Jon Moxley), but when I went through Priest’s individual performances at the end of the year I couldn’t help but have him at number one. Roll Tide, bay-bay!

Recommended matches:

vs. Anthony Henry (IWTV & ACTION Wrestling, 1/21) [IWTV]
vs. JD Drake (ACTION Wrestling, 6/10) [IWTV]
vs. Travis Huckabee (SUP, 6/19) [IWTV]
vs. Mad Dog Connelly (IWTV, 7/11) [IWTV]
vs. Anthony Henry (IWTV, 7/18) [IWTV]
vs. Cole Radrick (SCI, 8/5) [IWTV]
vs. Kevin Ku (ACTION, 8/12) [IWTV]
vs. Dominic Garrini (AIW, 8/19) [FITE Plus]
vs. Anthony Henry (ACTION, 10/7) [IWTV]
vs. Lee Moriarty (BLP, 10/29) [IWTV]
vs. Jackson Drake (DPW, 11/12) [DPW On-Demand]
vs. Anthony Henry (ACTION Wrestling, 12/2) [IWTV]

As always, if you made it this far, thanks for reading! Your support is very much appreciated.

Spinning Wheel Kick