Every year we get a list far larger than just ten wrestlers from our correspondents for the Top Ten Wrestlers of 2017. Sixty wrestlers in all made the list without making the top ten.
Last weekend, we shared twenty names from that list. This weekend, we will deliver thirty more names. The final ten will be revealed before number one goes live at the end of the week.
On with the list!
Sasha Banks: The Boss came in at number one on the list two years ago, but has failed to make either last year's list or this one. In fact this year, she only received votes from The Pro Wrestling Roundtable's John Morgan Neal. There's a long list of stars that failed in WWE where they succeeded in NXT. Sasha feels like one of those stars. I suspect WWE might still get behind her for a long run with the belt, but she may need a brand free of Asuka, Alexa Bliss and Charlotte for that to ever happen.
Jinder Mahal: Jinder's push to the main event ate up much of the top title picture of Smackdown in 2017. While I won't argue he improved immensely as a performer in 2017, I am sure I am not the only one that disagrees with Derek Lankford placing him anywhere close to the top 25 wrestlers in the world, let alone top ten.
Aleister Black: I saw Tommy End a few times on indie events and thought he was a solid talent with tons of skill. His first televised WWE match against Neville at the UK Title Tournament was impressive. But the creation of Aleister Black brought him to another level of greatness. His tweener gimmick in NXT may be the best extrapolation of that idea ever. His ringwork is impeccable. His character is defined, if mysterious. And the Black Mass is a stellar finisher.
Drew Gulak: One of the best wrestlers in the world before he appeared in the Cruiserweight Classic, Gulak joins Jack Gallagher and Akira Tozawa as the only stars
205 Live has managed to make. He repurposed his Gulak for a Better Combat Zone into Gulak for a Better 205 Live and immediately started to turn worldwide fans on to his talent. The accomplished technical star (and secret exceptional high flyer) seems poised for a big push against Enzo Amore, possibly even a Wrestlemania match for the Cruiserweight title.
Ember Moon: As soon as Asuka left NXT, Ember became the de factor queen of the NXT universe. Though she had to face down multiple talents to win the Women's title, she's easily the most seasoned talent on the show. Accompanied by one of the best finishers in the business, hopefully 2018 will be a time for some great character development for the NXT's new female ace.
Bobby Lashley: Of the only talents that remained with Impact Wrestling from last year, Lashley continued to show himself as one of the most improved storytellers in professional wrestling. While his gimmick isn't that far from Brock Lesnar's, his workrate is far more impressive. I suspect if more correspondents regularly watched the former #2 promotion, he would have ranked on more lists.
Chris Jericho: He started the year as a man with a list and a purpose. The United States champion helped Kevin Owens keep the WWE Universal title while also dominating his own division. But it was his feud with Owens that marked his true talents. He clearly still has tons to still give, even if his move to New Japan at the end of the year very much feels like the beginning of an endgame for his wrestling career.
Naomichi Marifuji: The Pro Wrestling NOAH star made his Impact Wrestling debut this year, but the rebuilding of the promotion post-NJPW crossover has been on his back. He's proven impressive both in his home promotion as tag champion (with Maybach Taniguchi) but he also put on strong showings during his appearances on American shores. While I didn't put him on my personal list, I can't complain with Jeff Yelton's pick.
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| Image credit: Matt Hardy. |
Matt Hardy: While he didn't have the prominence during his WWE run this year as he did with TNA and his short ROH run, Matt still had an impressive 2017, even if he didn't repeat his appearance in the Top Ten, let alone at number one.
Rusev: Rusev came back from injury maybe better in the ring than when he left. But WWE seemed uninterested in a strong push behind him. By the end of the year, he started his push for Rusev Day and signing with Aiden English, both of which have put him over as an effective future babyface. Rusev remains one of the talents with the most untapped potential in WWE today.
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| Image credit: Puroresu Spirit. |
Kento Miyahara: I have regularly watched bits and pieces of All Japan Pro Wrestling as it sought to resurrect itself in the last two years. In many ways, their young ace is the reason for the resurgence. With a beautiful package German suplex and great technical wrestling skills, he's become a huge star for the promotion at only 28. Though the company has diversified its main event scene quite a bit in 2017, he still put on some of the best matches in the promotion's recent history and received a fairly high vote from me for that reason.
Tim Storm: The oldest name on the list also held the NWA World Heavyweight title throughout the majority of the year. Storm quietly made his name across Texas indies for years, but it was with the backing of Billy Corgan's new NWA he rose to national prominence. He put on some solid matches and some just okay ones, all leading up to the loss of the title too Nick Aldis at CZW's
Cage of Death of all places.
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| Image credit: Impact Wrestling. |
Rosemary: As she left Decay behind, Rosemary became an even more accomplished in ring talent on the Impact Wrestling card. Perhaps the most impressive talent overall from Impact all year long, it remains a shame her feud with Taya was scuttled by injury, or that Sexy Star's shoot on her took up so much news against her great work in ring.
Other talents receiving votes: Brock Lesnar, Eddie Edwards, Enzo Amore, Jeff Cobb, Jey Uso, Jimmy Uso, John Cena, Kairi Sane, Kota Ibushi, Marty Scurll, Penta El Ciero Miedo, Roman Reigns, Sami Callihan, Sami Zayn, Shinsuke Nakamura, Tomohiro Ishii and Tyler Bate.
Tomorrow, we kick off the top three with the most dominant champion in wrestling today!
All image credits are to WWE unless otherwise noted.
