Disclaimer:
Pro wrestling, unfortunately, like a lot of other forms of media leads bad people to have a lot of major platforms. I will be praising some bad people on this list, and I hope you understand that I am praising these people’s works, not the people themselves. I hope you all understand and enjoy what I have written.
General Thoughts:
It’s not unpopular to say that 2022 was a frustrating year of professional wrestling.
The biggest advantage of 2022 is that it truly felt like an actual year of professional wrestling, the first year you can really describe as so since 2019. Was it a special year? Outside of me being exposed to more new promotions, wrestlers, and styles, sure. But for a year of being great professional wrestling: it was not really a special year whatsoever.
So many things that at one point truly felt special, would be snuffed out due to circumstance. The highs peaked incredibly high all across the world it felt like, but it just felt like there was a general lack of consistency in quality everywhere in almost every scene. There wasn’t a true twelve months of consistency across the board for anyone in their cases for much of anything (with a few small exceptions). As a result, many of the categories feel kind of top-heavy. It isn’t a very deep race for the best of the best.
Of course, the biggest story of the year was Vince McMahon’s now temporary leaving of the WWE. I wouldn’t say WWE didn’t improve dramatically at all, but it did feel like a lot of wrestlers got more opportunities that I, and many other people felt that they deserved. AEW had some of the highest peaks of any company, but of course, the company would feel exhaustive post-Brawl Out, especially with how the world title scene was shuffled around at a consistent rate. The indie scene didn’t have much of anything noteworthy in the scenes of the northeastern, west coast, or the midwestern U.S. but the southeast blossomed with its exceptional crop of talent. Deathmatch wrestling thrived as well despite GCW’s existence, as my appetite for truly brainless nonsense thrived with the continued rebellious popularity of the scene.
A pleasant surprise was the greatness in Mexico. CMLL with Atlantis Jr, and fellow younger aspects of the roster, as well as the elders of the company, began a return to form with charming and exciting lucha libre. On top of that, although it wasn’t a great year for AAA as a whole, the Ruleta De La Muerte was genius.
Japan had some runs of greatness as well. Clap crowds were still prevalent, which was a disadvantage, but looking at the companies as a whole, NJPW, and NOAH weren’t consistently great (NOAH had the strangest year of any promotion it felt like). DDT and Dragon Gate were clearly at the forefront of quality in the world of Puro with their incredibly deep rosters. Neither promotion had a truly consistent year, but they were the two companies that peaked the highest during this time period. There seemed to be good from every single company I came across in 2022 in this region.
But all in all, despite the frustration, there was a lot to celebrate in 2022.
Blind Spots:
European, Japanese, Australian and Mexican Indies
Week-to-week following of promotions - Most of the heavy lifting on 2022 watching was done from January-March 2023.
Smaller Joshi companies
Promotion Of The Year:
Southeast First
Southeast First baby.
The promotion race was one where I didn’t really see any promotion really connecting too much with me. All of the candidates had asterisks, but the only one I felt that felt truly worthy of such a hefty award was the Southeast. From the beginning of the year with the mission statement of the first show (even if that is technically an ACTION Wrestling show), to the entire run of Uncharted Territory, we saw greatness at a consistency that no other promotion could really match. Uncharted Territory felt incredibly special to watch in 2022. It was one of the best parts of what was an overall lackluster summer for me. Of course, it helps when you fixate the top two wrestlers in the promotion as Kevin Ku and Adam Priest, with their undefeated streaks and subtle jabs against each other being a really fun and captivating storyline that not many other storylines in the world of professional wrestling kept on this level of engagement. Week in and week out there was at least something to latch upon with every matchup they were given.
But it wasn’t just them, the cards were consistently full of great talents. The home talents of Anthony Henry, Arik Royal, Tank, and Damyan Tangra, as well as bringing in some of indie wrestlings best such as Tony Deppen, Daniel Makabe, Slade, Hoodfoot, and Sawyer Wreck also were there to make the card truly feel like there rarely was something to miss. This was also bolstered as well as a very fun three-way rivalry between Rico Gonzalez, Rob Killjoy, and Ashton Starr and AC Mack being the heart and soul of the entire part of the scene.
On top of that, there was a great variety in matches displayed, with a 4th of July deathmatch between Krule and Slade, and a street fight involving John Wayne Murdoch and Adam Priest. There were also a lot of worthwhile talents that I discovered during this season such as Mad Dog Connelly, Noah Hossman, BK Westbrook and Joe Black. Despite only being around for only a fraction of the year, no other promotion managed to consistently keep me glued to my screen with every event that was released as Southeast First. Long live indie wrestling.
Honorable Mentions:
Dragon Gate
Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre
ICW No Holds Barred
All Elite Wrestling
ACTION Wrestling
Event Of The Year:
DDT King Of DDT 2022 Finals
I really, really considered giving this award to Dragon Gate’s Dangerous Gate and Forbidden Door. Both of those shows have stacked cards full of great matches. But neither of those shows has the most viscerally emotional series of matches of 2022. Kazusada Higuchi’s coronation as the top guy in DDT in the wake of Tetsuya Endo’s concussion allowed this show to truly be a special one. The first-round matchups, a fast-paced battle like the Yoshimura/Ueno to a more, meat-and-potatoes, grizzly matchup like Higuchi/Akiyama highlight the two strongest aspects of DDT. On top of that, the tags with Burning/HARASHIMA & Takahashi and Andrew Everett’s debut tag are a nice, charming break before the biggest emotional climax of professional wrestling in 2022. Higuchi’s win and the subsequent celebration leave me in tears every time I watch it. It’s such a perfect moment to reward one of the best talents in the world for all the hard work he had done, and with Sanshiro Takagi giving the DDT flag to Higuchi, it felt like it will highlight what he would soon accomplish.
Honorable Mentions:
Dragon Gate - Dangerous Gate 2022 [9/19/2022]
AEW & NJPW - Forbidden Door [6/26/2022]
ACTION Wrestling & IWTV - Southeast First [1/21/2022]
SCI - Scenic City Invitational 2022 [8/5/2022 & 8/6/2022]
Tag Team Of The Year:
FTR - Dax Harwood & Cash Wheeler
There isn’t much to say here, as anyone who followed pro wrestling this past year knows FTR was truly something special. I’ll just keep it light knowing how much of an impact they made on my viewing in 2022. This was the year that cemented Dax & Cash as one of the greatest ever with a trio of matches transcendental to my own growth as a viewer, as well as many other gems to boot. Far and away the best tag team of 2022.
Honorable Mentions:
The Briscoes - Jay Briscoe & Mark Briscoe
Harimao - Kazusada Higuchi & Naomi Yoshimura
Astronauts - Takuya Nomura & Fuminori Abe
Los Infernales - Hechicero, Mephisto, & Euforia
Top 25 Matches of 2022
Honorable Mentions - Chronological
Ciclope & Lobo Blanco vs. Damien 666 & El Mago (Vanguardia El Coalicion - 1/30/2022)
Very fun unadulterated chaos. The explosion spots cemented this match as an all-time hoot.
Disaster Box [HARASHIMA & Naomi Yoshimura] vs. The 37KAMIINA [Konosuke Takeshita & Yuki Ueno] (DDT Ultimate Tag League 2022 The Final! - 2/27/2022)
A Frantic ass tag match with four of the best wrestlers on an insanely deep roster. Lots of exciting swings in momentum alongside the dazzling moves and brutal strikes.
FTR [Cash Wheeler & Dax Harwood] vs. The Briscoes [Jay Briscoe & Mark Briscoe] (ROH Death Before Dishonor - 7/23/2022)
A bit overlong for my own tastes, which I understand knowing the stip, but still a major highlight of my viewership in 2022.
Yumehito Imanari vs. Shigehiro Irie (Ganbare Pro Ultra Soul 2022 - 8/13/2022)
Spirit never dies. There are a lot of things I’d personally nitpick about the match, but if we are talking about emotion, not many other matches topped this one in 2022.
Bryan Danielson vs. Daniel Garcia (AEW Dynamite - 8/17/2022)
An emotionally satisfying ⅔ falls match with two of the best in the world. You cannot deny the dragon, nor you can deny the dragon slayer.
Timothy Thatcher vs. Kaito Kiyomiya (Pro Wrestling NOAH Global Honored Crown - 11/10/2022)
NOAH does an Inoki tribute match and succeeds wildly. Maybe the only time NOAH ran a 30+ minute epic and it delivered in swaths in recent memory. Most likely, it’s because it has Timothy Thatcher involved in stretching the young ace of NOAH thin.
Wheeler Yuta vs. Daniel Garcia (ROH Final Battle - 12/10/2022)
Garcia’s genius is on full display. One of my favorite executions of pure rules I have ever seen with an incredibly crafty approach to how to work such a match.
Minoru Suzuki & DOUKI vs. Jun Kasai & Tomoaki Honma (JTO 50th Anniversary For TAKATaichi Together ~ Last TAKATaichi - 12/19/2022)
Forks, blood, and one of the best finishes of the year. An awesome display of how personality can get you so far in a single match.
Anthony Henry vs. Alex Shelley (ACTION Wrestling Jaw Breakers - 5/6/2022)
One of the best-executed bangers between two of the best wrestlers in the world today. I am a fan of limb work, sometimes it can be too much for my own personal tastes, but when it is done by these combatants it makes a match that is as focused on the motif: it pays off in droves. Alex Shelley’s craft of limb work is matched with the same focus as Henry’s, and the two simply have one of the best-paced and structured matches of the year. It helps when the two combatants are so great at displaying true vigor and strength in every action. The match escalates naturally with ferocious bombs, a strength especially seen with Henry, and a thrilling pin-combination finish that left me jumping out of my seat the first time I watched it! Quite simply one of the most well-executed matches of the entire year that embodies all killer, no filler.
24. Adam Priest vs. Mad Dog Connelly (Southeast First Uncharted Territory - Season 4 Episode 11 - 7/11/2022)
Adam Priest is forced to corral an unknown, dangerous man, and therefore he is forced to live up to his name, something he had accomplished before against most of his competition, but never to this degree. Adam Priest has maybe been my favorite performance of his throughout the entire year. He plays both as a cowardly heel afraid of the ball of energy known as Mad Dog Connelly and simultaneously he manages to also throw in several jabs at Kevin Ku via hotdogging during the match whenever he gets on top of Connelly, which forces him to eat total shit. The arm work was an awesome throughline to have Priest weasel his way out of Connelly’s attacks. Priest is able to continuously use the weakness to hit devastating moves on Connelly. It’s a match that not only puts over the ego of Priest, but also the genuine skill he does have despite that. Through cleverness, genuine skill, and a little bit of dumb luck he manages to somehow succeed. A genius stroke of TV wrestling.
23. Ren Narita vs. Tomohiro Ishii (NJPW Battle Autumn 2022 - Day 9 - 10/26/2022)
The absolute charmer of the year. One of the several prodigal sons of Shibata is able to invoke his trainer and match the energy of the stone pitbull. The match is able to have kinetic energy to it where there always seems to be something crucial happening. Narita’s blistering offense and fiery comebacks were captivating as ever, being able to match the strength of the ferocious obstacle known as Ishii. In turn, the crowd absolutely comes alive during this match. The match seemed to be destined to hit the 15-minute time limit as both men looked like they could wail on each other for hours. However, Narita was able to sneak his way out of the vertical drop brainbuster and hit a clever Narita special for the finish in one of my personal favorite finishing sequences of the year. A true exclamation point that announced the capabilities of Ren Narita.
22. Strong BJ vs. Astronauts (BJW Bloody Musou Tournament Opening Round - 6/27/2022)
Dudes fucking rock, man. Two of the top tag teams in all of pro wrestling collide and provide enough action to fill a 30-minute timeframe without falling into the many pitfalls of that run time. It helps when it involves four excellent wrestlers who have seen the best wrestlers of the year lists across many years at a consistent basis, and it is in the land of the strong division. The match is just a god damner in every sense of the word. The match escalates soon into a very brolic display of what makes the strong division so attractive. There are ferocious spots with the four of each other pummelling each other with seismic bombs, but there is genuine drama towards the end of the match, especially with the finishing sequence between Abe and Okabayashi. The race against the clock becomes apparent, and Abe and Okabayashi’s exhaustion sets in, with Abe frantically covering Okabayashi to try and get a pin before the time limit snuffs out any hope of seeing a winner today. A true display of what makes a division still so attractive to me as a viewer as it once again bellows a rage of strength and spirit unlike any other.
21. Atlantis Jr. vs. Stuka Jr. (CMLL 89 Anniversario - 9/16/2022)
A masterfully structured Apuesta main event between two of the best wrestlers in Mexico at different eras of their careers. Atlantis Jr is the heir to the Atlantis throne, and Stuka Jr is the tenured rival. The match began as a tense battle of pinning combinations and dives, which ropes the crowd in for the roller coaster to come. The match slowly devolves into a war of attrition fought with dives and bombs. There are some truly gnarly spots from both of them, such as Stuka Jr’s Torpedo Splash on the ramp, and Atlantis Jr’s missed dive which leads him to slide grossly across the top of the barricade. The finishing stretch truly made the match feel like Atlantis Jr’s spirit was making him survive the onslaught from Stuka. But the spirit of Atlantis Jr reigns true, by withstanding the barrage and managing to finally snag him in La Atlantida and to wrench him enough to make him submit. An incredibly strong Apuesta with bounds of soul, a match that I'll almost always fall head over heels for with the stakes involved and the exciting action.
20. Brody King vs. Darby Allin (AEW Dynamite - Fyter Fest 2022 Night 3 - 7/20/2022)
Fucking grotesque in the best way possible. Brody is able to absolutely pummel Darby by striking, throwing, and choking the soul out of Darby Allin. Darby is able to bump around the ring with such ferocity and Brody is able to look like one of the most imposing wrestlers in the world doing it by just ragdolling him anywhere he pleases. However, it’s too bad Darby Allin is damn near impossible to break spiritually. Darby is able to find his way to make a desperate comeback attempting to overcome the beast. Oftentimes throwing his entire body frantically at the monster, before it is absolutely snuffed out with the most brutal finish of the entire year. The most hateful match of the year, and oftentimes that’s what you need to make it to this position.
19. Fujita “Jr” Hayato vs. MUSASHI (Michinoku Pro Tokyo Conference Vol. 1 ~ Genko Itchi - 7/1/2022)
An out of nowhere experience if there ever was one in 2022. Michinoku Pro hasn’t really been a notable promotion for a very lengthy amount of time, but yet, with the return of Fujita Hayato from cancer, he’s able to bring Michinoku Pro back to relevance with one of the best title fights of the year. There’s easily some of the most violent action that happened the entire year, which really bolsters how big the stakes really are here. The top of the division has to defend against the former top wrestler, who is still at his peak of power. The two fight like hell to battle for the spot, throwing combustive offense and selling the offense like hell. Despite the time missed in the ring, Hayato is able to withstand the physical toll and manage to bring it to MUSASHI all the same. After some of the strongest action the entire year has ever seen, the toll is too much, Hayato is able to wear down MUSASHI enough to reign supreme and reclaim his throne. An amazingly stiff fundamentally sound epic between the top dogs of Michi Pro.
18. Eddie Kingston vs. Chris Jericho (AEW Revolution 2022 - 3/6/2022)
Our hero Eddie Kingston is once again asked to defy the odds against one of the faces of a wrestling generation. Something is different tonight, however, for both combatants. Jericho is able to work a concisely-structured beat down on Kingston’s eye, as well as several gnarly head drops. It was awesome seeing Jericho match the violence that Eddie is usually bringing within this type of match. Kingston’s offensive and defensive performance makes this match a true treat, however. Kingston is able to make overcoming one of the faces of AEW feel seismic. By being able to beat down Jericho just enough by staying true to his influence, in turn, Jericho eats the words he said in the previous weeks building up. When it happens, Kingston has one of the greatest displays of disbelief in victory after overcoming Jericho, crumbling to his knees after he finds out the result after all the physical brutality. A true masterclass from an all-time favorite finally being able to beat the odds.
17. Roman Reigns vs. Brock Lesnar (WWE SummerSlam 2022 - 7/30/2022)
Hell yeah!!! Brock Lesnar with the tractor can just be spammed here but the momentum swings, brawling, awesome selling, Brock Lesnar doing a fucking Thesz press off the tractor, Austin Theory’s bum ass gets his shit rocked, the fucking spamming of whatever the fuck Roman and the Usos can do to kill the beast for ten seconds, it’s just fucking gnarly. A mishmash of the best of WWE’s heavyweight meat and potatoes wrestling with real brolic moves and something unlike anything else that only a company with the budget of the WWE can come up with. Brock Lesnar with the tractor Brock Lesnar with the tractor Brock Lesnar with the tractor Brock Lesnar with the tractor Brock Lesnar with the tractor Brock Lesnar with the tractor Brock Lesnar with the tractor Brock Lesnar with the tractor Brock Lesnar with the tractor Brock Lesnar with the tractor.
16. Jon Moxley vs. Biff Busick (GCW Josh Barnett’s Bloodsport 8 - 3/31/2022)
A mean, barbarous and shining accomplishment of Bloodsport so far. Moxley is able to fight a kindred spirit in Biff, and they pretty much accomplish being mirror images of each other. Biff bleeds buckets and withstands the clutches of the death rider. While being in those clutches the crowd rallies behind him, and despite the beating, he remains defiant before he’s pummelled in. Real strong, snug, and bloody, sometimes that’s all you really need, especially in a form of wrestling as bare-bones as Bloodsport.
15. Biff Busick vs. SLADE (Beyond Wrestling Day 91 - 2/4/2022)
Biff’s return spring run of matches began with him facing off against the executioner of the northeastern wrestling scene. A real belter of a hardcore match, and maybe the most carnal display of violence the entire year. Despite the lack of eyepopping weapons, as they only really stick to a trash can and a chair, the cuts that both men give each other as well as the shots they take with these weapons reeks of utter savagery. Wrestling can be rather simple, especially when two people are willing to hit each other hard enough.
14. Daniel Garcia vs. Bryan Danielson (AEW Dynamite - Fight For The Fallen 2022 - 7/27/2022)
The heartbreaker of the year, Bryan is able to play one of the most sympathetic matches of his career. He’s able to do something as outrageous as a head trauma angle on live TV. His performance stumbling through the match against the calculated killer across the ring begins to wear him down and pour on the violence. But, of course, the American Dragon won’t go down that easy, and he leads into some of the most lively comebacks that I have seen from him. Before he knows it, however, he’s stumbles into the arms of the JAS, and deeper into the clutches of Garcia. A cruel twist of fate to where the arrogant Garcia goes out as the prizewinner and a match that left me dying to see where it leads next.
13. MJF vs. CM Punk (AEW Dynamite - 2/2/2022)
I hate being the guy who says something as cliche as “I can’t believe this was given to us on free TV!” but a match with this much scale, and such a wild mission statement of going 38 minutes, is just something that I would never expect to be on a random episode of Dynamite, especially without any of the loud branding of a special episode, or giving away some sort of fuck finish. It’s such an awesome tribute to a different time in pro wrestling, with slower pacing and more territory-esque devices. However, the true masterwork is that it’s full of sweet motifs that really kept me glued to the screen, on top of the fun stooging from MJF and CM Punk beating the hell out of the most disliked man in AEW. It’s a little bit too ambitious admittedly, but the highs, twists, and turns that this match had given me is still so awe-inspiring months later. A true feat in pro wrestling.
12. El Lindaman vs. Shigehiro Irie (GLEAT G PROWRESTLING Ver. 25 5/18/2022)
As raucous as they come. Lindaman is put through the wringer by the physical marvel known as Shigehiro Irie. Irie is able to bring his meanness and tenacity that whenever we get to see from him is truly special. He hits some of the most stomach-turning strikes and bombs we are able to see all year. When Lindaman responds in kind, it feels that there rarely was another match that replicated the feelings of pure soul that a lot of the best Korakuen main events have had to offer. It felt like Lindaman and Irie were able to really bring back the feeling that I so often missed from a lot of matches that happened during the age of the pandemic. They’re able to light up the atmosphere with every defiant yell from Lindaman, and with every gross strike from Irie.
11. Anthony Henry vs. Adam Priest (ACTION & IWTV Southeast First 1/21/2022)
Henry and Priest would go on to have maybe the best lengthy rivalry that spanned all of 2022, they had four absolutely brilliant matches in 2022, but oddly enough, the first one is still the one that tops everything for me, kind of an odd rarity for a series of matches that would define a major part to the promotion of 2022. It’s a match that epitomized a lot of what made the Southeast so great for me this year. Really direct, with no filler, distinct characters, and a unique structure. Priest is able to play the one getting tortured here incredibly well in one of the most captivating babyface performances of 2022. He’s able to really contort his body in such odd ways in this one with every ferocious action from Henry. Henry comes off as an awesome arrogant heel torturing the beloved Priest in front of his Priest Peeps. He has an imposing figure that makes the match go from great to incredible in maybe his best performance of the entire year. The tense finishing stretch is the cherry on top, especially with how terrifying it was able to look. There’s a real tense feeling to the impending doom of the exposed turnbuckle, and the two are able to play around it as a device for both wrestlers to improvise and for one of the most disgusting finishes of the year. A precedent of brilliance for the entire southeastern indie scene, and a match that launched the greatness of both wrestlers in 2022.
10. Jon Moxley vs. Wheeler Yuta (AEW Rampage - 4/8/2022)
A real defiant belter of a match. Yuta’s arc at the beginning of the year where he slowly becomes one of the most fierce performers of 2022 to be accepted by the Blackpool Combat Club is an emphatic delight, and it peaks here with this modern TV classic. Mox is able to bully Yuta in one of his many great performances as an imposing figure for a wrestler to overcome in 2022, but of course, this match is about Wheeler Yuta. Yuta is able to have some of the most emphatic responses to the violence that was poured on by Moxley. He was able to respond with such enthusiasm that makes him belong in the supergroup known as the Blackpool Combat Club. Through bloodletting and the array of high-impact moves that Moxley brings out, Yuta remains strong in a way where he feels like there’s an aspect to him that we didn’t know before, where he’s able to grow as a performer in front of our very eyes. The strongest showcase of a talent that we got to see all year.
9. Adam Page vs. Bryan Danielson (AEW Dynamite - 1/21/2022)
Though it’s not the hour-long time limit draw is one of the biggest classics from Bryan Danielson in his career, the rematch is also on a very high level as one of the biggest highlights of 2022. The match is a lot different, it’s not as methodical, it is a lot more direct, and there’s even more bloodshed than in the first installment. The bloodshed in this match is one of the main attractions, but Bryan also being an incredibly ignorant challenger, running away from Adam Page’s offense in the beginning, and then later laying in the lumber with his offense despite his bloodshed is just extraordinary. But Adam Page is too much of a strong force tonight. He’s able to stifle Bryan numerous times, and seeing Bryan’s dissatisfaction was one of the most rewarding showcases of comeuppance the entire year, even if it is not a more direct form of comeuppance. Page also felt like an insurmountable wrestler to Bryan with how he’s able to weasel his way back into playing the match in his favor with his strength, or due to Bryan’s own ego. How much of a struggle this match becomes with the strikes, headbutts, and blood painting the match really turns this match into so much more of a rugged affair, and that’s much more of what makes my fist pump as a professional wrestling fan. Adam Page is able to surmount the Dragon due to his new approach, and it feels like Bryan had to eat his words in return.
8. CM Punk vs. Jon Moxley (AEW All Out 2022 - 9/4/2022)
The best matches from CM Punk this year were overflowing with so many story details that add to what made this main event so great. It is truly a crime if this match does go down in the semi-infamous status that it has seemingly gone under since the hiatus of CM Punk has began. From everything with the Punk title loss due to the freak accident of a match a couple of weeks ago, to Mox putting CM Punk through a very “Mox” experience that we got so much of in 2022, to CM Punk finding a way to overcome through the said experience and the previous history of this entire summer. It’s insanely captivating how Punk is able to work around Mox’s game plan as a defensive wrestler, putting on an incredible selling performance to put over how much pain he was in with the blood and the limb selling. The connection to the crowd is also there, which in a town that is as attached to a wrestler as Chicago is to CM Punk, it truly is electric. Moxley is able to have one of his best stints in crowd work in return by enraging the Chicago faithful in his beatdown, as well as having a focused approach. When Punk was able to hit the first GTS, as Mox’s body fell upon him, there weren’t many other visuals in wrestling that matched the weight of the situation and how truly strong it was to see CM Punk outlast and withstand the man who was on top of the pro wrestling world. I hope there are more of these to come, but if not, I’d at least find solace in this match being a magnificent display of survival.
7. Gunther vs. Sheamus (WWE Clash At The Castle - 9/3/2022)
In a year full of strong fights, this is the strongest. Sheamus is the valiant hero and is facing off against the young prodigy known as Gunther. Gunther is able to really pummel Sheamus with his strikes, and although Sheamus is able to hang with him, and rope him in with his offense several times, Gunther’s attack was too much, as his back gives out right as he had him. Both Gunther and Sheamus beat the hell out of each other, Gunther paints Sheamus’ chest red with chops, Sheamus’ beats of the bodhran are put over as violent as ever, and the match ends with one of the stiffest lariats ever thrown in the WWE. It’s not a complicated match whatsoever, it’s two of the meanest men in all of the land pummelling each other, and hell, it would lead to a handful more matches that build off of this vigorous piece of violence. Simplicity can be king.
6. Anarchy In The Arena (AEW Double Or Nothing 2022 - 5/29/2022)
One of the best displays of raw maximalism in professional wrestling, especially in recent years. I mean, Wild Thing playing throughout half of the match, high spots with ridiculous bumps, brawling that scales the entire venue this is being held in, blood (lots of it), and of course maybe the best single visual of pro wrestling maybe ever? It’s such a wild match that had such lengthy ambitions that somehow succeeded, largely due to the talents of the people involved. The real frantic feeling of the first few minutes never really lets up until the ending stages where some of the most awe-inspiring spots are left. It’s able to keep almost every second violent. The finishing stretch is also one of the finest that AEW has ever constructed, putting over the grudge between Bryan and Eddie, and ending the match with an incredibly high level of violence and creativity. It’s an incredibly ambitious match that succeeded in it’s hefty expectations to solidify itself as one of the most memorable matches of the year, and something unlike anything else.
5. Kazusada Higuchi vs. Naomi Yoshimura (DDT King Of DDT 2022 Final Round - 7/3/2022)
The match that stole my heart and a significant part of what made Kazusada Higuchi a true favorite of mine. Before the final step of Higuchi’s crowning as the King of DDT. The question was, can Kazusada Higuchi beat a competitor with as much momentum as himself, Naomi Yoshimura? Higuchi and Yoshimura both seemed to excel past their own respectable biggest obstacles in the opening rounds. It felt that Higuchi was finally succeeding at the level he should have been for a lengthy time in his career, and that Yoshimura was too odd of a creature to really master knowing his freakish athleticism and often bizarre arsenal of moves. What we got was a match full of action and a coronation of a new hero. Despite Yoshimura having Higuchi reeling for a good amount of the match, Higuchi is quite simply undeniable throughout this entire match. He’s able to really connect with his offense, all feeling so full of life and strength. It feels with every fervent action from Higuchi, he quite simply feels like he cannot be denied tonight. Tonight must be the night. Yoshimura is fantastic too, able to really play up to the danger of the brain claw slam and the rest of Higuchi’s arsenal incredibly well, as well as bringing the lumber himself with the strikes. In the end, Higuchi is able to survive the young prodigy and is able to crown himself the new king of DDT. It’s admittedly a match that is boosted by my favorite wrestling moment of 2022 happening after, but the ride to get there was an absolutely glorious kaiju fight.
4. El Desperado vs. Jun Kasai (JTO TAKA Michinoku Debut 30th Anniversary ~ TAKATaichiDespeMania - 9/12/2022)
Potentially, deathmatch wrestling’s most soulful rendition yet, and a tale of life and death. Even if it’s not the most grotesque death match; there aren’t any light tubes, as high-scale of bumps, or other theatrics as other more visceral death matches have, that doesn’t matter as this match is more about life and death itself. Despe has to step into an environment that is so foreign and such a disadvantage to himself to fight one of his peers that has embarrassed him on a consistent basis. Not wanting to go out weak, he ends up fighting like all hell, with nothing to lose. He sheds the famous mask that he is known for, he throws his body with force on every spot, and he kicks out like he’s fighting for his life with every single major punishment Kasai puts him through. He’s able to withstand and eventually outlast the man synonymous with Japanese deathmatch wrestling with such a strong showcase of heart. Kasai on the other hand, is having an incredible time just engaging and being around the crowd. He’s able to take so much joy into the match and being apart of the match, and by getting to live on the wild side. The lesson of the match with the famous post-match promo and the sentiment of how life truly is worth living despite its meandering meaninglessness was an incredibly impactful statement to really end upon. Even if there are three matches that I believe are better than this one, I do have to say this match has the best message from any match I have seen in the whole year. A match that is brimming with life and is uplifting despite the amount of sheer plunder and violence displayed.
3. Kazusada Higuchi vs. Konosuke Takeshita (DDT Who’s Gonna Top? 2022 - 9/25/2022)
The past vs. the present. Despite the crowning of Kazusada Higuchi as the best wrestler in DDT, as the person who would lead the promotion into the future, he is faced off against another man who had that same title in the past, Konosuke Takeshita. Despite the danger of losing the belt to someone who is on paper the favorite, considering how his popularity got him over in the U.S., as well as his own history with the KO-D title, Higuchi comes in and gives Takeshita the fight of his life, and in-return, Takeshita has to do the same. It’s a real battle between two absolute freaks of nature. Despite all the physical toil that Takeshita is able to unleash, Higuchi quite simply won’t be denied knowing how long he had to get there, ring posts be fucking damned. The match completely turns around from that point on, and Takeshita is able to really pull out an awesome frantic performance where he realizes he really needs to dig deep to at least corral the king of DDT. It’s a match that devolves into a primal, frenetic bomb fest towards the end, and it’s maybe one of the best finishing sequences of the entire year where Higuchi pounds back the momentum from Takeshita right back into him with such force that knocks both of them unconscious. A truly special, ferocious match brimming with strength, soul, and persistent urgency.
2. FTR vs. The Briscoes (ROH Supercard Of Honor 2022 - 4/1/2022)
The beginning of one of the greatest trilogies in wrestling history. Everything from the beginning stages where Dax even comes out and high-fives some fans in anticipation for this match, to the ref catching the chair being thrown into the ring a few minutes later, to the creative and wicked bumps just feels like one of the best-executed tag matches in forever. When the match begins to really break the palpable tension with the blading, it really gets an irresistible feverish pace that never lets up. The Briscoes and FTR are able to consistently top one another with some of the strongest strikes, dazzling spots, and thrilling drama that either team has ever been able to contribute. The match is able to weave in between its many segments with such grace and ease. One of my favorite moments of this match is when Mark Briscoe inadvertently decides to hit some absolutely crazy dive on Cash Wheeler right as he gets a chance to see Cash in his peripheral vision. It’s a match where it feels like there weren’t any real speed bumps or anticipation waiting for the next segment of the match. It felt like the match itself was going down the chaotic path that I had been envisioning in my head when bored at work for months at such a smooth progression. It’s everything I could have asked for and more, and there was so much more to come.
1. FTR vs. The Briscoes (ROH Final Battle 2022 - 12/10/2022)
Right before the end of 2022, the best pairing of 2022 paint the canvas a deep crimson and steal the match of the year in the process. It’s a match that honestly in the months that have followed has gained mythic status in my fandom of professional wrestling. Despite it being shoehorned onto the card last minute by a backstage segment on Dynamite by The Gunns of all people, they were able to absolutely hit a grand slam repeatedly over and over in this match to the point of legendary status. They were able to have a match that absolutely runs with the strengths of both teams. Easily two of the greatest tag teams ever getting a chance to spill blood one final time. 2022 was a year painted with blood in professional wrestling, with only two matches in the top ten not having any blood spilled, so it’s fitting that one of the most visceral displays of violence in pro wrestling is able to top the list in 2022. The plunder in this match with how all four men take absolutely ridiculous damage to their bodies in this match is one of the best displays of maximalism in professional wrestling ever. For fucks sake, the referee fucking blades! Although FTR is able to step up and absolutely hang with The Briscoes in the usage of chairs, tables, and other gimmickry throughout the series of matches, The Briscoes have it embedded in their history. It is so fitting that their last major scale match ever in their home promotion sees them win the titles synonymous with them in a match that fits them so much more. From the days of hitting shooting star presses onto gravel with unprotected chair shots back in 2005, to this match where Jay has to frantically choke out Dax before Cash can make the save. I can’t help but feel like this match is the climax of the story of The Briscoes as a tag team. I am aware they do have their actual final match against The Mane Event at a HOG show later on, but as far as I am concerned, they had their final installment as one of the staple figures of Ring Of Honor in this match, at the biggest ROH has been to that point. Thankfully, we had a chance to witness a legitimate greatest match of the 2020s contender and probably a legitimate GME contender from this quartet of absolutely brilliant professional wrestlers. What a goddamn way for them to go out. Your 2022 match of the year, FTR vs. The Briscoes, Double Dog Collar.
Top 25 Wrestlers of 2022
Honorable Mentions
Alex Shelley
El Desperado
Biff Busick
Daniel Makabe
Hideki Suzuki
The Briscoes - Jay Briscoe & Mark Briscoe
It would be lying if this pick wasn’t a sentimental one, especially over wrestlers who were consistent as hell but didn’t have the greatest environment (Hideki Suzuki & Alex Shelley), or wrestlers who were having a great year before wrapping up their careers, temporarily or not (Daniel Makabe & Biff Busick). But even then, there is legitimate depth to the case of Dem Boys this year. A lot of good to great indie tags as GCW champs, especially their insane match with The Rejects at the beginning of the year. There also was the series of matches against FTR which are as formative to my growth as a viewer and fan of professional wrestling as not many other trilogies are. I remember vividly how many times I watched their series of matches. I always got this feeling of how grateful I am to be a wrestling fan while there is so much access great wrestling. Of course, it’s May 2023 as I am writing this, and Jay Briscoe passed away on January 17th. Despite the tragedy, I remember feeling how grateful I was to be a part of the communities I was a part of as a wrestling fan, and how Jay Briscoe’s work was one of the wrestlers that brought me closer to the feelings of belonging and companionship that I oftentimes lacked in recent years. Whether it was the series of FTR matches, their match against The Kingdom at Final Battle 2021, or watching their extensive backlog to flip on while no show really caught my eye that particular night. The Briscoes managed to wrap up their career as a tag team with the top two matches of 2022 for me. Hell, they finished with three matches in the top thirty matches of 2022. Doing so by adding another notch of greatness in their rivalry history alongside Steenerico, Second City Saints, The Young Bucks, and many more. The final year for debatably, and honestly my pick for the greatest tag team ever, was an incredible one. RIP Jay Briscoe.
Recommended Matches:
vs. The Rejects [John Wayne Murdoch & Reed Bentley] (GCW 1/15)
vs. FTR [Dax Harwood & Cash Wheeler] (ROH 4/1)
vs. FTR [Dax Harwood & Cash Wheeler] (ROH 7/23)
vs. FTR [Dax Harwood & Cash Wheeler] (ROH 12/10)
Fuminori Abe
Fuminori Abe didn’t have many individual singles performances in 2022 that truly wowed me as much as previous years may have, but he is one of the wrestlers in the world right now that has such a high floor. He is one of the best tag workers in the world, as being a part of a tag team that has been a consistent tag team of the year contender for the past half-decade immediately slots you into that conversation. But Abe is able to be consistently one of the most entertaining wrestlers in the world on top of that. He’s able to flex his expressive natural charisma in the usual areas you find him in 2022, but he had several appearances in wXw where he’s able to work a more integrative style working matches with some of the US indies best wrestlers such as Violence Is Forever and Masha Slamovich. He also was able to take this more integrative style to one of the many promotions he calls home with Masato Tanaka in ZERO1. He also hits really hard, and although that is a rather simple aspect of him, it is also an aspect that adds to the case of him being one of the most entertaining wrestlers in the world. He is able to take it to the strongest wrestlers of Japan with his heavy kicks and punches. Even in a quieter year for him, Fuminori Abe is able to find himself in the top 25.
Recommended Matches
w/Takuya Nomura vs. Okami [Daichi Hashimoto & Hideoyshi Kamitani] (BJW 5/5)
w/Takuya Nomura vs. Strong BJ [Daisuke Sekimoto & Yuji Okabayashi] (BJW 6/27)
w/Takuya Nomura vs. Koji Kanemoto & Kazuki Hashimoto (BJW 7/24)
vs. Masha Slamovich (wXw 9/30)
w/Shigehiro Irie vs. Violence Is Forever [Kevin Ku & Dominic Garrini] (wXw 10/2)
w/Takuya Nomura vs. Hikaru Sato & Takuho Kaho (BJW 11/6)
vs. Isami Kodaka (BASARA 12/11)
John Wayne Murdoch
JWM was the driving force of greatness for deathmatch wrestling in the U.S. in 2022 and has been for several years. I’ll always prefer Murdoch as more of a face, but heel Murdoch in 2022 was brilliant. He was able to set himself up in many situations where his successes felt incredibly frustrating, for example, the second Colon match, and his demise felt incredibly satisfying, such as the Rejects/Rock N Roll Express tag and his match against Hoodfoot in ICW NHB. Though the best work from Murdoch this year showed that he just has the artform of deathmatch wrestling down to a science. He is able to get the most out of capable wrestlers such as Cole Radrick, KRULE, and Hoodfoot by understanding their strengths in this environment. He knows that KRULE is supposed to be an unstoppable monster so he spends most of the match stooging and then eats total shit towards the end. He also has several matches that are just absolute fist-pumpers, such as the Tremont match at GCW Homecoming weekend and the NGI7 finals against Alex Colon. The only thing that brought down Murdoch this year is the level of competition in the deathmatch scene being rather top-heavy at the moment. But otherwise, hail the Duke of Hardcore. The patriarch of consistency in bloodshed.
Recommended Matches
w/Reed Bentley vs. The Briscoes [Jay Briscoe & Mark Briscoe] (GCW 1/15)
vs. Cole Radrick (GCW 4/30)
vs. Matt Tremont (GCW 8/14)
vs. KRULE (ICW NHB 8/20)
vs. Hoodfoot (ICW NHB 10/29)
vs. Alex Colon (GCW 11/12)
Bryan Keith
Bryan Keith was able to deliver on so many levels of the indie scene in 2022, from his local promotion New Texas Pro to the Dakotas with Timebomb Pro, to his several appearances in Freelance this year. He was one of the most consistently fantastic performers of 2022, he was able to be a true delight every time I got a chance to see him. Granted, he checks all the sweet spots for my favorite wrestlers. But it is largely due to his adaptiveness as a performer. He’s able to not only be the ace in his home promotion against Shane Taylor, but he’s also able to play a great bruiser heel character when wrestling someone like Daniel Makabe. He’s also able to just show out and have true bangers with the likes of Cole Radrick, as well as the second installment of his match against Kevin Ku, and even has another banger where the bottom rope snaps against Mike Bailey. Bryan Keith didn’t peak as high as several of the other indie talents of 2022, but he was able to be a true highlight wherever he managed to get a chance to shine.
Recommended Matches
vs. Cole Radrick (UP 1/15)
vs. Kevin Ku (Timebomb Pro 4/21)
vs. Shane Taylor (New Texas Pro 7/16)
vs. Dominic Garrini (Timebomb Pro 8/4)
vs. Dominic Garrini (Timebomb Pro 10/13)
vs. Mike Bailey (Freelance 12/16)
Jun Kasai
At 48 years old, Jun Kasai was able to have one of his career years. Letting that sink in more is really such an astronomic feat after his lengthy career of bloodshed. It helps when you’re involved with one of the feuds of the year with El Desperado, working three incredible matches during that time period. But on top of that, Jun Kasai had several brilliant matches in his home promotion, and across the entire scene of puro. He was able to have an incredible No DQ tag match against BULK Orchestra in GLEAT, he also had a handful of brilliant matches against his successors in FREEDOMS such as Rina Yamashita and Toshiyuki Sakuda. Despite his best matches being kind of few and far between, he doesn’t have a deep volume in 2022, Kasai in the twilight of his career was able to reach some of the highest peaks of his career, and he remained a significant part of the brilliance in deathmatch wrestling in 2022.
Recommended Matches
w/Tomoaki Honma vs. El Desperado & DOUKI (JTO 5/6)
w/Daisuke Masaoka & Masashi Takeda vs. Drew Parker, Violento Jack, & Toshiyuki Sakuda] (FREEDOMS 7/10)
vs. El Desperado (JTO 9/12)
w/Masashi Takeda vs. Hayato Tamura & Ryuichi Kawakami (GLEAT 10/9)
w/Tomoaki Honma vs. Minoru Suzuki & DOUKI (JTO 12/10)
Dominic Garrini
Dominic Garrini has been one of the fixtures of the indie scene for the past few years in terms of my enjoyment, and it doesn’t surprise me one bit that he finds himself in this position. He admittedly doesn’t peak as high as his peers this time around, but there rarely was a Dom match that I saw this past year that I didn’t get something out of. Not only is he able to work with Kevin Ku as the final bosses of the indie tag team wrestling scene, but also is able to work as a dominant heel champion in Timebomb Pro, a ruthless badass in the chains at ICW No Holds Barred, and as a tenured fan favorite in AIW. Variability in his many platforms is the main positive of a lot of the best indie wrestlers right now (see the previous case for Bryan Keith) and Dominic was able to shine in a lot of different roles in 2022.
Recommended Matches
vs. Isaiah Broner (ICW NHB 3/12)
w/Kevin Ku vs. Suplex Science [Damyan Tangra & Alex Kane] (SUP 4/17)
vs. Bryan Keith (Timebomb Pro 8/4)
vs. Daniel Makabe (SCI 8/6)
vs. Adam Priest (AIW 8/19)
w/Kevin Ku vs. The Workhorsemen [JD Drake & Anthony Henry] (DPW 9/17)
w/Kevin Ku vs. Fuminori Abe & Shigehiro Irie (wXw 10/2)
vs. Bryan Keith (Timebomb Pro 10/13)
Suzu Suzuki
Suzu Suzuki was able to blossom as a part of being one of the many freelance workhorses of the Joshi scene, and in turn, was far and away the best women's wrestler in the world in 2022. Suzu was able to plug into almost any environment and absolutely thrive. She managed to be the biggest highlight of a very lackluster promotion like Bushiroad-era Stardom, have several fantastic matches in a company like WAVE where she held the top title briefly there, and was also able to blossom as a hardcore and death match wrestler in 2022 working several intergender hardcore and death matches, the highlights being the ones against Tomoya Hirata and Chris Brookes. She really takes it to another level with the strikes, crowd engagement, and psychology in every match. Consistent as ever, Suzu was the everywoman of the Joshi scene in 2022.
Recommended Matches
vs. Chris Brookes (Gake No Fuchi 1/4)
vs. Kohaku (WAVE 4/1)
vs. MIRAI (Stardom 8/11)
vs. Giulia (Stardom 10/1)
vs. Tomoka Inaba (JTO 12/19)
Mike Bailey
I understand where a lot of fans were tuned out of Speedball by the end of the year. But considering the ridiculous workload of him pretty much wrestling everywhere due to his Visa troubles in the past few years, and in turn amassing the volume he was able to accumulate in 2022, Speedball was a big favorite of my viewership in 2022. Despite his admittedly sometimes formulaic match structure, he was able to have several of the best indie wrestling matches of 2022 across the entire scene. From being an invader to promotional favorites such as Lee Moriarty in Enjoy, Colby Corino in DPW, Bobby Gunns in wXw, and Bryan Keith in Freelance, to being a very consistent performer for West Coast Pro against ACH and Konosuke Takeshita. Donning several different babyface and heel roles in these many matches. Even partaking in a ridiculous Mania weekend against everyone from the likes of Jay White to Cole Radrick. Speedball had one of the most impressive volumes of any performer of 2022, though he didn’t peak as high for me as his contemporaries. Mike Bailey continuously wowed me as a viewer in 2022, and he was a major fixture in my viewership in return.
Recommended Matches
vs. ACH (West Coast Pro 2/11)
vs. Lee Moriarty (Enjoy 4/9)
vs. Konosuke Takeshita (West Coast Pro 6/10)
vs. Colby Corino (DPW 10/15)
vs. Jonathan Gresham (GCW 10/23)
vs. Bryan Keith (Freelance 12/16)
Wheeler Yuta
Wheeler Yuta’s first quarter of the year honing his craft as a more indie-centric performer still got several great matches, but as far as I am concerned, his arc of joining the BCC let him blossom into one of AEW’s strongest performers of 2022. He’s able to wrestle several of the best wrestlers in the world throughout the year on both fronts and was able to shine with the hefty names of Busick, Danielson, Moxley, and Thatcher in their matches either teaming or facing off with these names, amongst the best of the last decade. It also helps that he was able to have one of the most entertaining rivalries of the year against Daniel Garcia, working some truly gritty matches with some of the most creative match structures and spots throughout the three-match series over the ROH Pure title. Yuta is able to really be one of the best young wrestlers in the world right now at age 26, and knowing the weight of the talent he is able to surround himself with, it’s only up from here. A truly exciting thing to think about.
Recommended Matches:
vs. Biff Busick (Beyond 3/13)
vs. Bryan Danielson (AEW 3/30)
vs. Jon Moxley (AEW 4/8)
vs. Daniel Garcia (ROH 7/23)
vs. Timothy Thatcher (Beyond 8/21)
vs. Daniel Garcia (ROH 12/10)
Gunther/WALTER
Despite all the negative things that happened to Gunther in 2022, such as the name change and surviving what was looking to be horrible booking on SmackDown, Gunther was immediately WWE’s most captivating performer of 2022. It helps when you’re able to wrestle someone like Sheamus on a consistent basis who has always been one of the most capable wrestlers in the WWE, but also having a murderers row of great opponents as well before and after that with Roderick Strong, Ricochet, Shinsuke Nakamura, and Rey Mysterio. But of course, the feud with Sheamus was one of the best feuds of 2022, with me being a big fan of all of the matches that happened in 2022. Between the two singles matches as well as the two six man tag team matches between Imperium and The Brawling Brutes. He’s able to bring his imposing character to WWE and still thrive on a high level, and as one of the most capable wrestlers in the world, it’s a no-brainer he finds himself here.
Recommended Matches:
vs. Sheamus (WWE 9/3)
w/Ludvig Kaiser & Giovanni Vinci vs. The Brawling Brutes [Sheamus, Butch, & Ridge Holland] (WWE 9/9)
vs. Sheamus (WWE 10/7)
w/Ludvig Kaiser & Giovanni Vinci vs. The Brawling Brutes [Sheamus, Butch, & Ridge Holland] (WWE 10/8)
vs. Rey Mysterio (WWE 11/4)
15. Shigehiro Irie
The physical marvel that is known as Shigehiro Irie wrestled everywhere in 2022 in the world of Puro. AJPW, GLEAT, Ganbare Pro, & BJW were all places where Shigehiro Irie was allowed to excel as one of the great workhorses of pro wrestling. It paid off in droves, he was able to throw down with fellow giants like Shuji Ishikawa and Yuji Okabayashi, and he was also able to have a pair of amazing David vs. Goliath title matches against endlessly likable wrestlers like El Lindaman and Yumehito Imanari. He also excelled in every single Stronghearts multi-man being one of the best aspects of the best of those matches and was also able to bring his best aspects against the likes of Jonathan Gresham, Fuminori Abe, and Violence Is Forever in wXw. Shigehiro Irie was one of the wrestlers that was easy to find in 2022, and the aspect of him working everywhere and bringing what he does best made him one of the best of the best in 2022.
Recommended Matches:
vs. Jonathan Gresham (wXw 3/6)
vs. Shuji Ishikawa (AJPW 4/9)
vs. El Lindaman (GLEAT 5/18)
vs. Yumehito Imanari (Ganbare Pro 8/13)
vs. Yuji Okabayashi (BJW 8/28)
w/Fuminori Abe vs. Violence Is Forever [Kevin Ku & Dominic Garrini] (wXw 10/2)
Takuya Nomura
Takuya Nomura is with his frequent tag partner as a wrestler who has an incredibly high floor, and with more singles opportunities that peaked higher for me, he’s able to land in the top 15 even if he wasn’t given as big of a role as he had in 2021. If you were able to get your hands on a Takuya Nomura match in 2022, there was a high chance it was brilliant. Everything from several of his matches in AJPW’s Champion Carnival against names like Kento Miyahara and Yuma Aoyagi, the swath of brilliant tag and singles match he had against the likes of members of Okami and Strong BJ, and even several matches against newer faces like Takuho Kaho proved that Nomura is one of the best wrestlers in Japan today, despite BJW’s footage being difficult to access on a consistent basis. Nomura is able to be of the fundamental parts of one of the most consistent promotions in Japan, and he continues to prove how he’s able to be an incredibly special talent amongst the best in that country.
Recommended Matches:
vs. Yuji Okabayashi (BJW 1/2)
vs. Yuji Okabayashi (BJW 2/6)
vs. Hiroshi Yamato (CAPTURE 3/23)
vs. Kento Miyahara (AJPW 4/13)
w/Fuminori Abe vs. Okami [Daichi Hashimoto & Hideoyshi Kamitani] (BJW 5/5)
w/Kosuke Sato vs. Strong BJ [Daisuke Sekimoto & Yuji Okabayashi] (BJW 6/6)
w/Fuminori Abe vs. Strong BJ [Daisuke Sekimoto & Yuji Okabayashi] (BJW 6/27)
w/Fuminori Abe vs. Koji Kanemoto & Kazuki Hashimoto (BJW 7/24)
vs. Takuho Kaho (BJW 10/11)
w/Fuminori Abe vs. Hikaru Sato & Takuho Kaho (BJW 11/6)
Eddie Kingston
Due to booking, it wasn’t the most consistent years for Eddie Kingston in 2022. But the highs are undeniable. Eddie is an all-time favorite for myself, and seeing him succeed against Chris Jericho was one of the most joyful moments of the year, as was his match against his hero Jun Akiyama. But it isn’t just there, his two matches against Tomohiro Ishii are both absolutely brilliant, he has several other gems in AEW feuding with the JAS and the awesome singles against Konosuke Takeshita , and of course he has an absurd hoot against SLADE in Beyond as well. Being the best part in the best spectacle of 2022 in pro wrestling with Anarchy In The Arena with the infamous gas can spot also helps a ton. He’s able to engage me as a viewer on the same level as only a few others really can in pro wrestling, and when he got a chance to succeed, not many wrestlers were better than the Mad King.
Recommended Matches:
vs. Chris Jericho (AEW 3/6)
vs. Tomohiro Ishii (NJPW 5/14)
Anarchy In The Arena (AEW 5/29)
vs. Konosuke Takeshita (AEW 7/8)
vs. SLADE (Beyond 8/21)
vs. Tomohiro Ishii (AEW 9/4)
vs. Jun Akiyama (AEW 11/19)
Atlantis Jr.
Atlantis Jr. was CMLL’s shining star in 2022. He was able to be the most engaging performer in a surprisingly incredible year for CMLL. He was able to be incredibly reliable working as a Tecnico and as a Rudo in 2022. Some of his most captivating performances include him working as a Rud against Mistico, but his most engaging performance was playing a Tecnico in the Apuesta against Stuka Jr. Throw in a whole swath of brilliant Trios matches and several other great singles against El Terrible, Euforia, and Leon Dorado in Lucha Memes, you have one of the most versatile performers in lucha libre. At his young age, it is only up from here for the heir to the throne of the Atlantis name.
Recommended Matches:
w/Gran Guerrero, & Negro Casas vs. El Soberano Jr, Titan, & Mistico (CMLL 1/1)
vs. Mistico (CMLL 5/27)
vs. Leon Dorado (Lucha Memes 7/16)
vs. Stuka Jr. (CMLL 9/16)
w/Ultimo Guerrero, Gran Guerrero vs. El Soberano Jr, Mistico, & Volador Jr. (CMLL 10/28)
Daniel Garcia
Daniel Garcia at the peaks of the JAS/BCC feud had him as one of the best wrestlers in AEW, a truly exciting thing to think about being 24 years young. Garcia in his rivalries against Wheeler Yuta and Bryan Danielson had him contribute to two of the best series of matches in 2022, where he both found captivating ways to work on the same level as two of the best wrestlers in the realm of Tony Khan’s promotions. Being a part of several other gems against Yuya Uemura and Eddie Kingston only bolstered his case. He’s able to bring an intensity that is hard to match in pro wrestling today, and getting a chance to work with wrestlers who are on a similar level of greatness throughout 2022 strengthened his case, despite admittedly not having the most variation in opponents. One of the most consistent performers in North America, and one of the wrestlers to be the most excited about after 2022.
Recommended Matches:
Anarchy In The Arena (AEW 5/29)
vs. Jon Moxley (AEW 6/1)
vs. Wheeler Yuta (ROH 7/23)
vs. Bryan Danielson (AEW 7/27)
vs. Bryan Danielson (AEW 8/17)
vs. Wheeler Yuta (ROH 12/10)
Naomi Yoshimura
Naomi Yoshimura instantly became a favorite in my viewership in DDT in 2022, and he was able to be maybe the best tag worker in Japan in 2022, tagging with the likes of HARASHIMA and Kazusada Higuchi. Yoshimura being the raucous powerhouse in 2022 against some of the best wrestlers in DDT was always something to be excited about. His strong strikes and eccentric move set bolstered his case to that degree, as well as took him in as a true delight as a singles competitor against names like the aforementioned HARASHIMA and Yuki Ueno. He also took roles that actually surprised me, such as portraying one of the most captivating face-in-peril sequences in the Burning Tag in mid-August 2022. He was an undeniable force of nature for the majority of 2022, and although his work didn’t peak as high consistently, the matches that did peak high were some of the most memorable matches of the puro scene in 2022. Despite him ending off the year quietly with his injury, Yoshimura was one of the strongest and most consistent performers of 2022.
Recommended Matches:
w/HARASHIMA vs. Konosuke Takeshita & Yuki Ueno (DDT 2/27)
vs. HARASHIMA (DDT 6/19)
vs. Kazusada Higuchi (DDT 7/3)
w/Kazusada Higuchi vs. Jun Akiyama & Tetsuya Endo (DDT 8/14)
w/Kazusada Higuchi vs. HARASHIMA & Toru Owashi (DDT 9/4)
w/Kazusada Higuchi & Yuki Ishida vs. Konosuke Takeshita, Yuki Ueno & Toi Kojima (DDT 9/13)
Konosuke Takeshita
Though Konosuke Takeshita may have at times regressed into a much less attractive performer in the United States, his work in the U.S. for the majority of 2022 was one of the best stories of both AEW and the American indie scene. Getting a chance to work many of the best wrestlers in the region from Eddie Kingston, Jon Moxley, Claudio Castagnoli, and Mike Bailey. On top of that, his work in DDT in 2022 was also brilliant, albeit limited. Whether it was tagging with his 37KAMIINA compatriots in Yuki Ueno or Toi Kojima, or facing off against the rampaging monster Kazusada Higuchi. Konosuke Takeshita was able to work in two parts of the world that had him excel, and he amassed an incredibly impressive volume in the process. Though he also had a quiet end of the year due to taking time off after a hectic majority of the year traveling across the U.S., Soup was able to have several of the strongest matches of 2022, and was a constantly beloved performer in both parts of the world.
Recommended Matches:
w/Yuki Ueno vs. HARASHIMA & Naomi Yoshimura (DDT 2/27)
vs. Adam Page (AEW 5/18)
vs. Mike Bailey (West Coast Pro 6/10)
vs. Eddie Kingston (AEW 7/8)
vs. Jon Moxley (AEW 7/13)
vs. Claudio Castagnoli (AEW 8/5)
w/Toi Kojima vs. Kazusada Higuchi & Yuki Ishida (DDT 8/24)
w/Yuki Ueno & Toi Kojima vs. Kazusada Higuchi, Naomi Yoshimura, & Yuki Ishida (DDT 9/13)
vs. Kazusada Higuchi (DDT 9/25)
CM Punk
CM Punk due to injury and his absence for Brawl Out does not have the biggest volume in 2022, but he was able to do something that was hard for many performers in 2022. That being wildly consistent and rarely ever having a negative aspect about his work. Whether it was the legendary feud against MJF, a feud that I would be willing to coin one of his best, his TV gems against names like Dax Harwood and Dustin Rhodes where he was able to add more clever match structure and another incredible feud against Jon Moxley. Though he wasn’t as sound as his peers in 2022 with several botches in his matches, he’s able to regain this by being the force of personality that is CM Punk. Though his time was brief, not many wrestlers achieved the highs of CM Punk in 2022.
Recommended Matches:
vs. MJF (AEW 2/2)
w/Jon Moxley vs. FTR [Dax Harwood & Cash Wheeler] (AEW 2/9)
vs. MJF (AEW 3/6)
vs. Dax Harwood (AEW 3/23)
vs. Dustin Rhodes (AEW 4/20)
vs. Jon Moxley (AEW 8/24)
vs. Jon Moxley (AEW 9/4)
Bryan Danielson
Booking is not on the side of Bryan Danielson for a good chunk of the year. Being forced to feud with the JAS for an extended period of time over the ROH title, and having a really lackluster first and third match against Chris Jericho in their series of matches are the only real major drawbacks for Bryan for the year. Despite that, Bryan was still able to achieve heights that not many other wrestlers achieved in 2022. Part of that is being a part of one of the best stables in pro wrestling in the Blackpool Combat Club. It began with the second installment of the Adam Page match which is an incredible slice of violence at the very beginning of the year. He was a crucial part of Anarchy In The Arena’s first installment. There are also the second and third installments against Daniel Garcia that were truly magnificent. On top of that, there’s a whole swath of really great TV matches against Dax Harwood, Jake Hager, Trent Beretta, Christopher Daniels, Lee Moriarty & Wheeler Yuta, which is a very diverse group, and shows how excellent Bryan was as a TV wrestler in this year, which makes up for the bulk of his volume in his case. Danielson despite his many situational pitfalls was still absolutely excellent in 2022, and I would expect nothing less from the dragon.
Recommended Matches:
vs. Adam Page (AEW 1/5)
vs. Jon Moxley (AEW 3/6)
vs. Wheeler Yuta (AEW 3/30)
Anarchy In The Arena (AEW 5/29)
vs. Daniel Garcia (AEW 7/27)
vs. Daniel Garcia (AEW 8/17)
w/Claudio Castagnoli vs. Chris Jericho & Sammy Guevara (AEW 11/16)
Kevin Ku
Kevin Ku took the step from an always solid and reliable wrestler to one of the absolute best in the United States Indies in 2022. There has always been great tag teamwork with Dominic Garrini as Violence Is Forever, aka the final bosses of indie tag team wrestling. But as a singles performer, Kevin Ku’s volume was one of the strongest of the entire year. It felt like every single match he had he was able to excel in almost every department. He hits really hard, he’s willing to take some ridiculous bumps, he’s a great seller, and has an awesome eye for detail. He also was able to be an integral part to the 2022 promotion of the year, Southeast First. Ku really blossomed even more as a performer during that run, working with everyone from the best-known wrestlers of that scene to largely unknown names that I was unfamiliar with. It feels that every facet Kevin Ku brings to the table was amplified to the highest degree yet, and I can’t wait to see more of what he can produce in 2023.
Recommended Matches:
vs. Arik Royal (ACTION 3/4)
w/Dominic Garrini vs. Suplex Science [Damyan Tangra & Alex Kane] (SUP 4/17)
vs. Bryan Keith (Timebomb Pro 4/21)
vs. Biff Busick (C*4 4/22)
vs. Alex Kane (ACTION 5/21)
vs. Anthony Henry (SE First 5/30)
vs. JD Drake (SE First 6/27)
vs. Adam Priest (ACTION 8/12)
w/Dominic Garrini vs. The Workhorsemen [JD Drake & Anthony Henry] (DPW 9/17)
w/Dominic Garrini vs. Fuminori Abe & Shigehiro Irie (wXw 10/2)
Anthony Henry
As one of the triumvirate of brilliant wrestlers of the Southeast indies alongside the aforementioned Kevin Ku and Adam Priest, Anthony Henry was able to continuously be one of the strongest performers of the U.S. indies scene. Whether Henry was brought in as an absolute badass face performer, or as a formidable technically sound heel, Henry was one of the most consistent performers of 2022. Whether ACTION Wrestling, Southeast First, DPW, or even AEW Dark and Dark: Elevation, Henry was able to consistently bring in results in 2022. Consistently bringing in heavy strikes, sound grappling, and creative match structure. He was also part of one of the best feuds of 2022 with his series of matches against Adam Priest in ACTION and Southeast First. He’s able to work as both a face and a heel during this time, being able to have the versatility that a lot of the best indie wrestlers of this year had. Anthony Henry was able to be one of the few great match machines that the indie wrestling scene needed in 2022, and he achieved it every single time.
Recommended Matches:
vs. Adam Priest (ACTION 1/21)
vs. Alex Shelley (ACTION 5/6)
vs. Kevin Ku (SE First 5/30)
vs. Colby Corino (DPW 6/3)
vs. Daniel Makabe (ACTION 6/10)
vs. Travis Huckabee (GRIND 7/1)
vs. Adam Priest (SE First 7/18)
w/JD Drake vs. Violence Is Forever [Kevin Ku & Dominic Garrini] (DPW 9/17)
vs. Erick Stevens (BLP 9/24)
vs. Adam Priest (ACTION 12/2)
FTR - Dax Harwood & Cash Wheeler
FTR’s pull as one of the greatest teams of all time was really cemented in 2022. Though they started the year heel, their evolution to the babyface veterans that will be, at least for me, will be the best version of themselves. From the CM Punk & Moxley tag on, they absolutely tear it up everywhere. The trilogy of The Briscoes matches are all incredible, but on top of that there’s the Young Bucks tag, probably my favorite Young Bucks match in AEW. Of course, they were also able to get the most out of teams I am not necessarily that high on such as Aussie Open, American Wolves, and Roppongi Vice, at least for myself. Which is partially reliant on how focused their work on more of a dramatic sense rather than a move-centric sense. I enjoy the fireworks, but it’s all about how they’re able to structure more dramatic segments and in turn use that to get the most out of their competition. Every single major tag title match it felt that FTR was able to really cement themselves time in and time out as the best tag team in the world, even if they weren’t able to consistently bring in matches that really eclipsed a higher level due to the talent level they were often dealt with. Stuff like Dax’s singles stuff this year getting the most out of wrestlers I really don’t like at all like Adam Cole and Will Ospreay feels like the cherry on top here. FTR did cement themselves as the Top Guys in 2022, and it feels like they will be Top Guys for the final few years to come.
Recommended Matches:
vs. CM Punk & Jon Moxley (AEW 2/9)
Dax - vs. CM Punk (AEW 3/29)
vs. The Briscoes [Jay Briscoe & Mark Briscoe] (ROH 4/1)
vs. The Young Bucks [Matt Jackson & Nick Jackson] (AEW 4/6)
Dax - vs. Will Ospreay (AEW 6/15)
vs. United Empire [Jeff Cobb & Great O-Khan] vs. Roppongi Vice [Rocky Romero & Trent Beretta] (AEW & NJPW 6/26)
vs. The Briscoes [Jay Briscoe & Mark Briscoe] (ROH 7/23)
vs. Aussie Open [Kyle Fletcher & Mark Davis] (NJPW 10/1)
vs. United Empire [Jeff Cobb & Great O-Khan] (NJPW 11/5)
vs. The Briscoes [Jay Briscoe & Mark Briscoe] (ROH 12/10)
Adam Priest
Adam Priest was a name I was interested in in 2022, but for all twelve months it felt like Adam Priest was a man on a mission to really cement himself as the man on the independent scene in 2022. For me, at least, he succeeded. Everything from the incredible feuds with Anthony Henry and Kevin Ku where he worked as both a babyface and a heel in both feuds, to being a fiery babyface in ACTION, a cowardly heel in Southeast First, to the ICW NHB appearances flirting with death match wrestling, to guiding a younger wrestler to a truly surprisingly fantastic performance, he’s able to do so many individual things to where him being one of the best wrestlers in the world was simply undeniable. He was given the ball with Southeast First and absolutely chug along on a weekly basis, being the other wrestler in that promotion allowed to really cook on a weekly basis against an array of talents that spanned from hidden gems, to younger performers, to well-established attractions. Despite the lack of tag team experience this year, the variation and the ability of Adam Priest to really plug into any environment and thrive to a degree that not many other wrestlers were able to achieve. I talked frequently on how a lot of the best indie talents of 2022 were able to work so many different roles, and yet, Adam Priest quite literally made his own ambidexterity his own mantra. ROLL TIDE BAY-BAY.
Recommended Matches:
vs. Anthony Henry (ACTION 1/21)
vs. JD Drake (ACTION 6/10)
vs. Travis Huckabee (SUP 6/19)
vs. Mad Dog Connelly (SE First 7/11)
vs. Anthony Henry (SE First 7/18)
vs. Tank (ICW NHB 7/22)
vs. Kevin Ku (ACTION 8/12)
vs. Dominic Garrini (AIW 8/19)
vs. Kevin Blackwood (BLP 8/27)
vs. Eric Ryan (ICW NHB 11/18)
vs. Hardway Heeter (ICW NHB 11/19)
vs. Anthony Henry (ACTION 12/2)
2. Kazusada Higuchi
Given a consistent enough year for Kazusada Higuchi, he’s for me the slam dunk wrestler of the year. Higuchi became an all-time favorite for me in 2022. Higuchi became the wrestler I looked forward to watching the most in 2022. Please allow me to be personal for a second, but Higuchi’s work was one of those wrestlers that guided me through a really strange year for myself, so there’s a lot of sentiment going through Higuchi’s year. I was able to take comfort in the coronation of one of the best wrestlers in the world getting the chance to finally prove himself as such. He doesn’t have a great twelve months, which is admittedly the main reason why he is held back from being at the top of the list, but from May to the end of the year, Higuchi was slowly but surely able to finally get the chance to cook. In every single environment, from house shows to tags, to title matches, Higuchi cemented himself as the best wrestler in Japan. He’s able to fully understand his role in all of these situations. Between getting to work with some of the best wrestlers in DDT in Jun Akiyama, Naomi Yoshimura, Konosuke Takeshita, Yukio Sakaguchi, and Shinya Aoki. He also as well as working with wrestlers I usually just don’t care for like Tetsuya Endo and Yukio Naya and bringing them to new heights as performers. He’s able to really work almost all of these matchups from different story angles, which is a major advantage to his case. On top of that, he was given the chance to work as a tag team champion and smaller-scale tag matches simultaneously. His work with Naomi Yoshimura and Yuki Ishida as Harimao continued the greatness of Higuchi, especially with how deep his knowledge for tag team wrestling is through years of working in these tag environments. He’s also able to really bring all the mechanics to these matches with his heavy strikes, lariats, and even some freakish athleticism. How Higuchi is able to also simultaneously take on being in peril and also being imposing shows how flexible of a performer Higuchi was this year outside of the types of matches that were being wrestled. For most of the writing of this project, I had Higuchi at #1 for most the writing of this list, but of course, there was one man that surpassed him.
Recommended Matches:
w/Yukio Sakaguchi vs. Hikaru Sato & HARASHIMA (DDT 5/1)
w/Daichi Hashimoto & Yuma Aoyagi vs. Daisuke Sekimoto, Shuji Ishikawa, & Yuji Hino (Fortune Dream 7 6/15)
vs. Jun Akiyama (DDT 7/3)
vs. Naomi Yoshimura (DDT 7/3)
w/Naomi Yoshimura vs. Tetsuya Endo & Jun Akiyama (DDT 8/14)
vs. Tetsuya Endo (DDT 8/20)
w/Yuki Ishida vs. Konosuke Takeshita & Toi Kojima (DDT 8/24)
w/Naomi Yoshimura vs. HARASHIMA & Toru Owashi (DDT 9/4)
w/Naomi Yoshimura & Yuki Ishida vs. Konosuke Takeshita, Yuki Ueno, & Toi Kojima (DDT 9/13)
vs. Konosuke Takeshita (DDT 9/25)
vs. Shinya Aoki (DDT 10/12)
vs. Yukio Sakaguchi (DDT 10/23)
w/Yuki Ishida vs. Yuki Ueno & Toi Kojima (DDT 12/14)
Jon Moxley
No wrestler felt as insurmountably great at his best as Jon Moxley in 2022. I understand why people wouldn’t roll with Mox this year, he has a steep drop-off in quality post-Brawl Out due to AEW as a whole having a whole steep drop-off. But Mox was able to regain the magic enough times before the year ended to wrap up his 2022 on a high enough note. Moxley has four matches on the MOTY list, he’s the wrestler with the most entrants on the Top 25. His best matches of the year really felt like major landmark moments in the year for 2022. Between the formation of the Blackpool Combat Club in his match against Wheeler Yuta, the spectacle of Anarchy In The Arena, and the entire feud with CM Punk. The biggest Jon Moxley matches felt like colossal moments, but even working in other promotions outside of the confines of AEW benefitted Moxley a lot as well. Even outside of AEW, he was able to be as consistent as ever. Of course, there’s the Bloodsport match against Biff Busick, but also the GCW title match against my boy Tony Deppen and an awesome bloodbath against Tom Lawlor. In all of these matches, Moxley’s style stands out and is just so attractive. His morose, grungy brand of professional wrestling was always something that kept my eyes glued to the screen in his best work, especially knowing how his moveset was adapted into even more of this kind of feeling. He’s also the wrestler that felt like the biggest deal all of 2022. This year, especially the March-September run of Moxley felt like the final thesis statement that Jon Moxley has been maybe not only the best wrestler of 2022, but in recent memory, he’s the best working period. Jon Moxley’s scale of work this year was insurmountable, and he was the best wrestler of 2022 for that reason. Jon Moxley, your 2022 wrestler of the year.
Recommended Matches:
w/CM Punk vs. FTR [Dax Harwood & Cash Wheeler] (AEW 2/9)
vs. Bryan Danielson (AEW 3/6)
vs. Biff Busick (GCW 3/31)
vs. Wheeler Yuta (AEW 4/8)
vs. Tom Lawlor (DEFY 4/30)
Anarchy In The Arena (AEW 5/29)
vs. Daniel Garcia (AEW 6/1)
vs. Tony Deppen (GCW 6/18)
vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi (AEW & NJPW 6/26)
vs. Konosuke Takeshita (AEW 7/13)
vs. El Desperado (NJPW 7/30)
vs. CM Punk (AEW 8/24)
vs. CM Punk (AEW 9/4)
vs. MJF (AEW 11/19)
w/Claudio Castagnoli vs. Top Flight [Darius Martin & Dante Martin] (AEW 12/28)
If you read all of this, thank you so much!! I have always wanted to do something like this and this project I have been working on since the beginning of 2022 itself. I am hoping now that we are in 2023, I'll be able to release whatever form of content that would be (most likely video, this was going to be a video originally) by the end of the year. There are some other projects I have begun to work on that I am incredibly excited for that I hope I can show you soon.
I’d like to thank several people for directly or indirectly helping with this project:
Joseph Montecillo for making me want to do these projects several years ago, and having his Twitter match thread be a backbone for my viewership.
You can find him here and here:
Nova and Corwo of course, both are awesome friends of mine in this community who helped me with finding matches.
You can find them here and here:
MOOSE group chat for letting me ramble on and also collectively participate in the nonsense that oftentimes kept me sane.
Planet Jarrett for sharing matches and friendships for years, as well as many great recommendations that kept this project fresh and fun.
Jordan Cujoh over at Cujohgraps my Deadlock-pilled brother
You can find him here:
Lastly, my buddies over at the almighty Fujita’s Egg. I wouldn’t have finished this list without my friends being in my corner and sharing this brotherhood of professional wrestling, as well as a friendship that transcends it. The entire egg deserves thanks, but especially: Lawson, Armani, Andos, Catch, Boston Strong Camhausen, Neil, Ethan, Francis, Ash, Bear, Jom, Mason, Nikko Mutamist, OscarShotz, Puroraisedme, Catch, and The Legendary Google Murray Bookchin.
Thank you all once again, much love.