From the queen of the north to a hometown hoverboard hero: The Top 100 Wrestlers of 2018 #100-76

You voted. I tallied and in the end over a hundred fifty individual talents received votes in our annual poll. We kick the list off with the beginning of the year and the first twenty-five stars to make the list!

Image credit: Taya Valkyrie on Twitter.

100. Taya Valkyrie 

Far more this Mrs. Johnny Mundo, Taya has shown in Mexica, Lucha Underground and Impact that she's a talent to be watched. She's quickly cemented herself as a top tier talent anywhere in the world.

99. Big E

The lowest rated member of The New Day remains maybe the most overlooked talent in WWE. While he's made a good living as one third of the team, he could have been a main event player. Alas, that seems far in the past now for the former Mr. Langston.

97 (tie). Kofi Kingston

97 (tie). Sasha Banks

It's been a sharp fall for the woman that topped the list back in 2015. Sasha stayed healthy for the entire year but has lost pretty much her entire push as a star player on the women's roster with the focus of Ronda Rousey, Nia Jax and Alexa Bliss this year.

96. Bray Wyatt

95. Sarah Logan 

Ranked higher than her stablemate Liv Morgan (who fell out of the Top 100, sadly), Logan has a ton of untapped potential if the WWE chooses to use it. Right now, I fear she will be lost in the mix of too many stars without enough spots on WWE television.

94. Shain Bender

The young Iowa upstart has proven himself an impressive high-flyer both locally and in promotions such as IWA Mid-South. With some seasoning, his abilities and his good looks could get him far in the business.

93. Hiroshi Tanahashi

In perhaps the lowest showing one might expect for a G1 Climax winner, Tanahashi is showing his age but still capable of great wrestling.

92. Jeff Cobb

91. Hiromu Takahashi

90. Sheamus

89. Jaysin Strife

A veteran on the indies, Strife remains an Iowa talent that somehow hasn't broken out nearly as much as he should.

Image credit: Ember Moon on Twitter.

88. Ember Moon

She put in solid performances carrying the NXT Women's belt, but her call up to the main roster hasn't offered her nearly as much to do as it should. She killed it on the independents, but it remains to be seen if she will ever get a chance to shine on a Rousey dominated WWE roster.

87. Tetsuya Naito

85 (tie). Kevin Owens

After being the only talent to make the Top 10 three straight years, Owens finds himself fallen far after a storyline firing and a real life injury. He's still got a ton of upside for WWE, but he will need a strong push upon his return to make it reality.

85 (tie). Zeus

The muscular behemoth of All Japan has helped put the company back on the map this year. He's came a long way since I first saw him as part of Osaka Pro, but he remains one of the most entertaining power wrestlers out there today.

84. Kota Ibushi

83. Tomohiro Ishii

82. Mat Fichett

81. Cesaro

80. Davey Vega

I've known about Vega since his days wandering into Chikara's midst as part of the Submission Squad (a unit that also featured Ember Moon in her indie days.) Along with his new partner Mat Fitchett he now reps the Besties in the World. He's become a top tier talent on the Midwest indies, bouncing from Texas to Ohio and even overseas. They are a top flight team especially when they're up against their perennial rivals, the Rascalz.

78 (tie). Trent Seven

78 (tie).  Jimmy Uso

77. Jey Uso

76. Connor Braxton

While he doesn't seem to quite have the push he was receiving a year ago at SCW, his biggest claim to fame is unfortunately still a hoverboard spot that went viral a couple years back on Youtube. He's slowly becoming a regular for AAW, Blackcraft and F1RST however, which should help get more eyes on him and hopefully mean a lot more bookings ahead for Seth Rollins and Marek Brave's first student.

Looking back: The top 10 wrestlers of 2015

With votes now open for the Top 10 wrestlers of 2016, I thought it would be convenient to look back at the ten wrestlers that topped the list in 2015. It was an interesting list, featuring two Lucha Underground standouts, four WWE midcarders, an NXT wrestler and a recent WWE graduate who barely accomplished anything on the main roster that year. Yet, I can think of few lists as representative of the great talent of 2015 as this one. So without more ado, here's the list of some great talent. Click on each name to read their full entry.

1. Pentagon Jr.: I ranked him much higher, but Pentagon Jr. deserved to be near the top of any list he was on for his work in Lucha Underground.
2. Cesaro: Few talents are as consistent as the Swiss Superman.
3. Kofi Kingston: The New Day rose to fame in 2015, but even I was a bit surprised by Kofi's high placing. I actually personally placed him below Xavier Woods, who just barely missed the list. 
4. Prince Puma: Rather as Puma or Ricochet, he put on some great matches in 2016 in both Lucha Underground and New Japan Pro Wrestling.
5. John Cena: It's not that often that an IWC site would rank Cena so high, but few people could argue how good Cena was during his United States title reign.
6. Big E: No one emerged with as much flair as part of The New Day as Big E. He showed why he deserves a main event push sooner rather than later last year. Hopefully 2017 is the year of Big E..
7. Seth Rollins: Iowa's own Seth Rollins dominated the main event picture of WWE and put on some great matches to boot. 
8. Bayley: Fact: There was no greater babyface in wrestling in 2015 than Bayley. 
9. Kevin Owens: He was already an indie superstar, but Owens took NXT then WWE by storm in 2015. 
10. Sasha Banks: I don't think anyone put on as many great matches in 2015 as Sasha. Sadly her 2016 might not have been quite as bright, but she's still easily one of the most talented wrestlers in the world today.

The Royal Rumble Is Here!

As everyone who is a wrestling fan knows by now, tonight is the night Roman Reigns defends his WWE World Heavyweight title against 29 other men in the Royal Rumble match. The WWE got something right this time, creating a lot of rumor and speculation about who is going to come out on top and be crowned the new WWE champion. What makes this match so crazy is that we don't even know exactly who might appear in the Rumble, so it is hard to say who is going to take home the biggest prize in the wrestling business. What I am going to do in this post is look a few possibilities of what MIGHT happen.

TRIPLE H: The Game hasn't been in a match since he defeated Sting last year at Wrestlemania. I think there is a huge chance that he will enter the Rumble and take his revenge on Roman Reigns for his attack a couple months ago. The fact he hasn't appeared at all on Raw since means his return is going to be a big deal and the Rumble makes sense. Also, this might be his last Wrestlemania and if the Game is coming to an end, it would be best for business if he put over the new champion with his final match. The  Game is nothing if not a worker, and he'll work a great run to put Reigns over. This theory makes the most sense based on what they've been doing story wise with Roman and Vince.

DANIEL BRYAN: Here is how it is with Bryan; if he does not return in the Rumble, his career is officially finished in the WWE. If he can't come back now, there is no point in him coming back at all until after Wrestlemania. I don't know the truth of what is going on with him and WWE staff, but this is the time it makes the most sense to come back. He's still on Total Divas, right? So it isn't over yet. But it might be come Monday morning.

AJ STYLES: AJ, or perhaps any of the other new hires, might make an appearance in the Rumble. They won't be given a WM shot so early, but they might start off a new feud with a mid-card talent to build up to a WM appearance. I can see AJ coming in and facing Dolph Ziggler, who seems to be the guy who puts people ever, especially since Tyler Breeze is in the dog house with Vince for leaving a RAW taping early. Either way, him and his crew are coming, its only a matter of when they will appear.

THE ROCK: One thing people are missing here is that Roman Reigns is not technically "alone". His family has worked for Vince for generations and he has cousins everywhere. The Usos have a title match that very night but that doesn't mean they aren't going to be in the Rumble. There have been rumors of the Rock appearing at Wrestlemania. The WWE and the Rock desperately want to reverse the negative showing at the last Rumble that Reigns won, so it is entirely possible that halfway through the Rumble, the most electrifying name in sports entertainment is going to come to the aid of his brother-in-arms, Roman Reigns. Not only would this create a huge story within the Rumble itself but it would be a huge surprise to see the Rock come in to lend a hand. Hell, there are a ton of Samoans who could come to his aid, imagine all of them taking a stand at once?!?

JOSH BREDL: Why is this guy here? Because they are putting him in the Rumble. After calling the Social Outcasts "Social Jobbers" and pissing off Bull Dempsey and Kevin Owens, he was explicitly told by Stardust he would be changing in the hallway and was not welcome backstage. Look for him to take a huge amount of real hits in the Rumble this year. Another Blue Meanie moment, perhaps?

BROCK LESNAR: The chances of Brock Lesnar winning the Royal Rumble are about the same as Kofi Kingston, although for entirely different reasons. Brock doesn't need the Rumble, or the WWE title to sell him to crowds. People love watching the Beast take people to Suplex City, it doesn't matter what the main event roster looks like, Brock is a monster all of his own. The question here is who does the WWE think needs a Beast Push? My money is on Bray Wyatt, but I'd love to see Owens lose his match for the title and take it out on Brock at the Rumble. Imagine Brock getting right up after a pop-up power bomb? Those kinds of feuds are what WWE highlight reels are made of. Owens has had his title shots, but he hasn't shed enough blood in a WWE ring to get the title. A match with Brock could set Owens up for the return of a babyface Seth Rollins.

The Royal Rumble is a perfect opportunity to reboot the story lines for the season finale. Let's see what they do with it!

Big E: #5 in the Wrestling Weekday Top 10 Wrestlers of 2015, presented by ESO-PRO

Image credit: WWE.com. 

Since Wrestlemania, it's hard to argue that The New Day have consistently been the most entertaining part of Raw week after week. Kofi Kingston, Xavier Woods and a trombone have all had amazing moments, but the true star of the show has been Big E. With his preacher-style presentation, crazy lines and always impressive in ring skill, he is easily one of the top up-and-coming stars in WWE.

Long time viewers of NXT knew exactly how great Big E can be on the microphone and followers of him on social media know that he's just plain crazy much of the time. As Lauren Price puts it in her nomination: “Glad that New Day has given a chance to show his personality and wit on the main roster vs being stuck as someone’s silent bodyguard.”

NXT Advent Calendar Day 5: The 5 count

Big E floated around WWE developmental literally for years. He started with the company way back in 2009 but waited for three years before he debuted on main WWE television. But during the earliest days of NXT as a brand on its own, he quickly became one of the promotion's most beloved talents.

Big E in NXT.

We all know about Big E's natural charisma but it was an ingenious but simple gimmick that really got him over with the Florida fans. Because Big E was so dominant in his matches, he declared the referees should count until five before they counted a pinfall after his finisher.

The New Day are the best thing going!

Image Credit: WWE.com.

It's hard not to acknowledge how good Kofi Kingston, Big E and Xavier Woods have been in the last several months. Since their post-Wrestlemania push, they have done everything in their power to get over as a grating but well oiled unit built around taking titles and pushing their own cause to the masses.

Look no further than their most recent campaign, the important #SaveTheTables campaign.

Introducing the WWE Top 10!

I like Top 10 lists because I am someone that enjoys being on the internet regularly. The internet may in fact be about half list at this point, but as this blog has developed, I felt it was important to have a way to express who I feel are the important players in WWE and the other corners of wrestling for any given month. Because of this, I have conceived a regular Top 10 list for every Wednesday, starting today. WWE will receive a list the week after every major pay-per-view, while NXT, TNA, ROH, Japan, the indies and Lucha Underground will all see lists filling the spaces in between. So stay tuned for a look for the countdown every week starting right now, with your WWE Top 10.

The Cosmic Wasteland has elevated Stardust's game. Image credit: WWE.com.

The Dudley Boyz return is exactly what the WWE Tag Team division needs

Last night on Raw, Bubba Ray and D-Von Dudley returned to lay out WWE Tag Team champions The New Day in classic fashion. It was a huge surprise on a very solid episode of RAW, and it revitalizes the tag team division in a matter of seconds.

Just over a full decade after their last appearance at One Night Stand 2005, the Dudley Boyz immediately took up where they left off against Tommy Dreamer and The Sandman. They took out Kofi Kingston and Big E, before delivering a Wassup and a 3D to Xavier Woods. After a staredown with Titus O'Neil and Darren Young, they left the ring to the cheers of fans.

Xavier Wood gets a 3D through the table. Image credit: WWE.com.