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.

A Phenomenal rise to the top: AJ Styles is the top wrestler of 2017

It's hard to argue that the obvious most valuable player of WWE today deserves a place at the top of the list. Over his twenty year career, we've watched AJ evolve from a cruiserweight jobber alongside Air Paris, to a foundation of the early days of TNA as X Division champion to a seasoned champion in Impact Wrestling, New Japan Pro Wrestling and now World Wrestling Entertainment.

Image credit: WWE.com.

While he missed ranking on the Top 10 during the final days of his NJPW run (he actually came in #24 in the overall poll), he ranked at number two last year behind only Broken Matt Hardy. But this year, he would prove why he carried his nickname for all these years.

AJ opened and closed the year with the WWE World Heavyweight champion. But he would quickly drop the title at Royal Rumble to give John Cena his sixteenth (and three week) reign with the title. He took his immediate anger out on Shane McMahon. Their hatred brewed for several weeks until the two met in a brutal match to open Wrestlemania. With the anger between the two cooling, AJ turned face and started a run of matches like no other in WWE.

He entered a stellar feud with this year's #7, Kevin Owens. Over several months, the two men had amazing match after amazing match that extended through the summer. Ultimately, he would walk out with a short reign with the United States title. Though he quickly dropped that belt in match with Baron Corbin and Dolph Ziggler, he quickly rose to prominence by beating Jinder Mahal for his second title. He wrestled Brock Lesnar in an epic encounter at Survivor Series. From there he finished his feud with Jinder, only to move back to another series of stellar matches with Kevin Owens and Owens' new ally Sami Zayn.


AJ didn't come in at first place based on his winning record. In fact, he dropped far more pay-per-view matches than he won in 2017. But winning is far from everything in an entertainment form as subjective as professional wrestling. Every week he appeared in a match, Styles wowed fans. He consistently pulled out some of the best matches ever from Jinder Mahal or Baron Corbin. His in ring psychology is second to none and his offense is filled with flashy moves he can hit quickly and effectively. With a control of his body like no other talent on the planet, he can switch from solid mat skills to high flying in an instant. This versatility gives him so many ways to keep a match's momentum moving forward, that it may actually be impossible for AJ to have a bad match.

Over the course of the year, AJ has done something WWE has tried to do for over a decade with limited success (and rarely succeeded purposefully.) They have created a true blue white meat babyface that children, casual fans and the more jaded older fans (like myself) can get behind. It's made him easily the most popular talent online in the WWE roster. He's even one of the four talents focused on for merchandise over at WWE Shop. Sharing company with massive merch sellers like John Cena, The Shield and Finn Balor is nothing to scoff about.

The real question for AJ is where he's going in 2018. A feud with Shinsuke Nakamura may be in the future. If AJ retains and Nakamura wins the Rumble, they could set up a super-hot feud that could re-energize Nakamura. If they can come even close to their mat classic at Wrestle Kingdom 10 they could create something truly... phenomenal.

Mr. Threepeat: Kevin Owens clocks in at #7!

Only one name has made everyone of the annual Top 10 lists on this site. And that is a man that has taken WWE by storm since he first signed in August 2014. A dominant former NXT Champion, WWE Universal Champion, two time Intercontinental Champion and three time United States Champion (the most recent of which came in mid-2017), Kevin Owens makes a solid argument for being WWE's most valuable player.

Image credit: WWE.com.

2017 opened with Owens at a new high. He won the WWE Universal title after the first champion Finn Balor went down with an injury sustained in his first title match. He held it all through the second half of the year, even beating Roman Reigns at Royal Rumble to retain. But his obsession with his own greatness made him turn on his friend and ally Chris Jericho. This turn would lead to a distraction at Fastlane that would cost Owens his title and his main event berth at Wrestlemania. Owens and Jericho degenerated into a feud that would lead through a transfer to the Smackdown brand. They would trade the United States title twice before the feud was over.

From there, Owens moved into a feud with AJ Styles over the United States title that carried both through the summer. They put on a series of epic matches, but ultimately the Phenomenal One came out on top.

But it was his shenanigans in the ring that ultimately lead to Summerslam and Shane McMahon's insertion in his match for the US title with Styles. He segued into a feud with Shane himself, one that still burns as 2017 closes.

Owens beat down Mr. McMahon to really kick it off, followed by a destructive Hell in a Cell match at that same pay-per-view. Sami Zayn would rescue him there, joining forces with his own friend as both felt Shane failed to give them the chances they deserved in Smackdown's "land of opportunity." He would interfere against his own brand's team (lead by Shane) at Survivor Series. Shane wanted to fire both men afterwards, but Daniel Bryan stepped in to keep both employed. Bryan would also count the deciding three count at Clash of Champions in a match for Owens and Zayn's jobs. This would turn Shane's enmity towards Bryan as well, but even as Owens moves back into the World title picture, his enmity with his boss still holds.

Kevin Owens is one of those rare talents that shines past any flaws. He looks like a pretty normal guy thrown in a world of lithe high fliers and muscular giants. But this belies his immense in ring skills, his ability to cut wicked promos (in his second language no less) and his ability to tell some of the best stories in wrestling today. Only a handful of talents can rise above the often dreadful storytelling of WWE programming. Kevin Owens deserves his place on this list for his ability to outshine so many talents around him.

Now Kevin Owens enters 2018 as the most hated man on the Smackdown roster. With multiple potential opponents to face moving forward, it remains to be seen if he can continue his streak into a fourth year. But now aligned with Sami Zayn, the future continues to be bright for the Top 10's most decorated entrant.

As we close out this entry, let's look back at one of Owens' finest moments as the Festival of Friendship comes to dark close...


Tomorrow, we introduce the talent with the highest rise in profile of the year, that rose out of a burgeoning wrestling scene to become one of the top talents in the world.

Chris Jericho: #7 in the Top 10 Wrestlers of 2016

It's actually a bit hard to write about our number seven pick in the yearly top 10. Chris Jericho has been an icon of wrestling for over twenty years now, with almost eighteen of those in WWE. He's won a ridiculous number of titles, stood atop the WWE on several occasions and even main evented a Wrestlemania. But for the first time in quite awhile, he showed in 2016 why he was a living legend (with all apologies to Larry Zbyszko.)

Image credit: WWE.com.

After a solid showing in the 2016 Royal Rumble (where he entered sixth), he went on to an extended feud with AJ Styles that would steal the show on multiple pay-per-views. Most people expected him to leave after his feud with Styles ended, as Jericho has regularly worked only the months around Wrestlemania, but he re-upped his three month contracts to continue his run, first feuding with Dean Ambrose, whom he lost the Money in the Bank match too only a few short weeks after being impaled on a bed of thumbtacks.

From there though, his rebirth really took off. With The List firmly in place and a friendship with Kevin Owens forming, he would soon help his fellow Canadian as Owens fought to retain his WWE Universal title.

These awards are based on in ring work, but I honestly think some of Jericho's best work has been outside regular matches. His backstage segments have been stupendous and The List is responsible for numerous comedic segments like only Jericho can do. (Though I would take more references to "armbar".)

Let's be honest: Jericho is in the twilight of his career. At 46, he's still in impressive shape, but a body can only hold out so long. I doubt his current run will last all the way through 2017. But Jericho's ever present work to reinvent himself continues to make him one of the most compelling figures on WWE television and that was more than enough to score him a spot in this list.

Next up, a Japanese superstar finally gets on the list, but it's probably not who you suspect...

Kevin Owens: #9 in the Top Wrestlers of 2016

The first repeat appearance from last year's Top 10 list dropped seven spots from his #2 finish in 2015. But while Kevin Owens didn't have the astronomical rise in 2016 that he had in 2015, he has been one of the most consistent wrestlers on the WWE and later Raw roster in the last year.

Image credit: WWE.com.

From his dominating run as Intercontinental champion at the beginning of the year to his renewed feud with Sami Zayn to his new BFF relationship with Chris Jericho and his rise to WWE Universal champion, the former Kevin Steen has put on solid matches week in and week out on television and on pay-per-view.

In my opinion however, many of his accomplishments have been mired by the terrible writing typical of Raw. Since the brand split, Smackdown simply became a stronger brand and it takes a ton of star power to overcome the mess that is that broadcast.

But Kevin Owens has always shown an ability to stand out from the pack. He did it in Ring of Honor, to the point the company had no choice but to rehire him and give him the championship. He did it in NXT where he immediately became the top star, albeit in a short run. And he did it on Raw in 2015, taking his first onscreen win against John Cena.

It's hard to separate Owens' championship success from his
partnership with Chris Jericho. Image credit: WWE.com.

Unfortunately, his rise to WWE Universal champion also came with the typical chickenshit heel exploits it seems Raw's writing team requires for all their heel main eventers. While he and his partner in crime Jericho have done their best with the material, it is hard to argue the staleness of the material hurt Kevin Owens's ranking this year. While last year he received multiple first place votes, this year his highest ranking by any contributor was fifth place. Only a consistent showing in the middle of the Top Ten on multiple lists brought him to the Top 10 at all, and then just barely. He didn't even make my personal Top 25, coming in at the 28th spot right behind Xavier Woods.

But the one thing wrestling fans can be sure of is that Kevin Owens will continue to try and make every match he wrestles compelling. Here's hoping in 2017 he's given a lot more to work with than the same stale finishes.

Tomorrow NXT gets their first star on the list, a talent that is anything but a developmental star.

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.

Figured Out: Hasbro style WWE figures return next year!

I have to admit it right now: I have been an action figure collector for years but never found the Hasbro WWF figures very impressive. The cartoony designs and super-limited articulation were everything I didn't want in toys of the early 90s. While I bought from several concurrent lines (mostly post-Sgt. Slaughter) G.I. Joe, my WWF fandom was pretty much limited to Saturday morning viewing.

I didn't actually start buying WWE figures until the last couple years. I eyed a few Jakks Pacific toys back in the day, but those didn't even intrigue me as much as the stellar production qualities of modern Mattel releases.

But I know a ton of fans still exist for the Hasbro figures, so the announcement that Mattel will give up on all their other weird variant WWE figures (suck as Slam City) to give old Hasbro fans exactly what they've clamored for makes a lot of sense. They showed off the first wave of figures at Comic Con in July.

Image credit: toynewsi.com

Toy News International got a very good shot of them there, but WWE.com was nice enough to post pictures of all the prototypes on the site. They include a better shot of Undertaker and the unseen Roman Reigns.

Honestly, Kevin Owens might convince me to change my mind on this line. We'll see when a price point is announced.

The figures drop sometime in the spring of next year.

The final WWE Top 10

Today, I am posting the final WWE Top 10 for at least the foreseeable future. Why? Because as of SummerSlam, I will start posting individual rankings for the Raw and Smackdown rosters. Stay tuned for that, but in the mean time let's take a look at the top stars of WWE after the first week of the brand extension!

Sasha Banks, new Women's Champion

1. Sasha Banks:  The Boss finally reached the top of WWE, a place millions of fans have wanted her at since she joined the main roster. Despite some pushbacks, it is also clearly a place WWE management wants her at, as she has been groomed as the female face of the company for quite some time in advertisements and group photos. Her team with Bayley at Battleground and her huge victory on Raw make it hard to not treat her as the biggest WWE star coming out of July. (U/1)
   
2. Dean Ambrose: Dean retained the WWE World Heavyweight Championship for Smackdown at Battleground. The Shield three way was an amazing match and Dean looks poised to be a major face of the company for the rest of the year. (2/10)
   
3. Finn Balor: Beating four of Raw's top talents in your debut cannot be overstated. Finn is a world champion level competitor and WWE made that clear as they framed him as one of the two men that will battle for the new WWE Universal championship at Summer Slam. (U/1)
   
4. Seth Rollins: He didn't win at Battleground, but Seth Rollins is still clearly the biggest star on Raw. Whether he can maintain that role after Summer Slam is anyone's guess, but he is poised to continue his role as one of the top players in WWE for months to come. (U/1)
   
5. John Cena: Cena feels like he's suffering from a slight demotion right now, but he is still a key player for WWE and should remain so in the coming years. While he didn't win the title shot on Smackdown Live! last week, he did score his first pinfall on AJ Styles, a feat I suspect he will try to repeat at Summer Slam. (U/1)
   
6. The Club: They might not have won at Battleground, but they made a statement the next night on Raw. The Club clearly are poised to be dominant in the tag team division and that might soon cost The New Day their championships. (U/1)
7. Sami Zayn: His victory may have been a moral one only, but Zayn seems poised for bigger stakes as his WWE main roster career continues outside the shadow of Kevin Owens. (2/2)
8. The New Day: The end of July was rough on The New Day, but they did take the title of the longest reigning tag champions of the modern era. Don't suspect that reign to last much longer though under the threat of The Club. (4/6)
9. Kevin Owens: He didn't win at Battleground, but anyone in a match that good deserves a featured place on this list. (7/4)
10. Dolph Ziggler: He didn't even get a match at Battleground, but Ziggler gets a major push as he scored the number one contendership at Summer Slam. A fresh face in the Smackdown main event scene should help differentiate the blue brand going forward. (U/1)

Ziggler made a splashy entrance into his first Top 10 on the first Smackdown
of the brand extension.

Agree with the list? Disagree? Let me know your thoughts of who you think deserved to be in the post Battleground Top 10.

Belated Battleground thoughts

Here's a few thoughts I had on WWE Battleground from Sunday night, presented in handy bullet point format.

• Dean Ambrose proved his worth to the main event scene with a victory in a great main event. The Shield three-way should have main evented Wrestlemania, but all three men proved they should be contenders. 
• Randy Orton was on the top of his game with his mike work. He looked more alive and energized than he has in a very long time. Orton has the potential to look like a fresh character in 2016, something he hasn't been for years. 
• Natalya and Becky Lynch feel like two women that need more to their feud. They got shorted TV time due to the draft, so hopefully they will get more time to develop their storyline on Smackdown Live. 
• Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn lived up to the pressure another match between the two men meant. Zayn finally got a big win on the main roster while Owens did the job for his long time friend. Both should come out of the night looking like a million bucks. 
• Darren Young's new gimmick is gold and his wrestling style has seriously improved with the addition of some Backlund moves and mannerisms. 
• Zack Ryder looked great against Rusev. Teaming with Mojo Rawley on Smackdown Live almost feels like a demotion for him after the match.
• The New Day versus the Wyatt Family served no purpose, but the match was solid. It will be interesting to see how Bray is booked as part of the strangely designed Smackdown Live roster.
• Bayley is awesome. Her debut is everything wrestling should be. Her and Sasha put on a great match to kick off the show and her full time main roster spot can only be considered highly anticipated now. 

Image credit: WWE.com.

The draft... happened: a few underwhelmed thoughts

I know I am certainly not the only person that found the WWE Draft a bit underwhelming. While far stronger than the version we got from WWE way back in 2002 or the random lottery of later years, the order of so many of the picks were so random. Midcard champions not going until the sixteenth and seventeenth overall pick is certainly insane, while the number one contenders to those titles are treated like also-rans drafted on the secondary show.

Despite much ballyhoo about WWE trying to make Smackdown as strong as Raw, the action of the night really didn't bring that out. Raw seemed programmed to the future with Zayn, Cesaro, Owens and Balor all in strong places while Smackdown feels like it will have to be built around Ambrose, Styles, Wyatt and Cena simply because the roster isn't very deep beyond them. Orton could be a wildcard but he likely will be looking few live events, similar to Cena's new schedule. That especially makes Smackdown an incredibly weak touring brand.

The NXT signings were mostly underwhelming. Balor went high and should get a massive main roster push. American Alpha should be the focus of the Smackdown tag division going ahead, although if that comes with no title belts who knows how important that will really feel. Nia Jax feels way too soon. Alexa Bliss, Carmella and Mojo Rawley could all work on the main roster, but none really feel like they've accomplished enough in NXT to make the call-ups sensible. Other NXT veterans like Tye Dillinger would be more sensible, while Austin Aries, Samoa Joe and Bobby Roode have already showed they can be main event players. However one shimmer of sunlight: it does seem likely we will see the Hype Bros finally start a strong run on Smackdown, though whatthey can accomplish is anyone's guess.

Of course, the real question of the future will be built around the writers. Raw continues with the same writer it has had for quite some time, a man without a real good sign of knowing how to freshen things up. Smackdown looks to be in the charge of Ryan Ward, former NXT head writer, which could mean a stronger simpler booking method for the show. More storylines built around strong athletic competition seems sensible, but without so many of the superstar NXT alum like the aforementioned Zayn, Cesaro, Owens and Balor, it feels more like rehabilitation for older stars (Dolph Ziggler) and continued Ward pet projects (Baron Corbin and Apollo Crews.)

Next week, we will see with the beginning of a new era for the two brands. Here's hoping they give us the future WWE deserves with the talent it now possesses.

Looking back at Extreme Rules 2016

Like too many WWE pay-per-views, Extreme Rules had some great moments but they were tempered by far too many terrible events that just hurt the show. And of course, the news of Cody Rhodes' requested release being approved darkened the night just a bit (but more on that later this week.)

Image credit: WWE.com.

The pre-show gave us another confrontation between Big Cass and the Dudley Boyz, another segment clearly designed to promote the eventual feud between Enzo and Cass and the veteran extremists. Cass has certainly come into his own as a solo star in the last few weeks though and I suspect Vince will have a big future in mind for him.

Baron Corbin and Dolph Ziggler's no holds barred match had exactly one normally illegal move as Corbin set up the End of Days with a low blow. It completely wasted the stipulation, but at the same time they didn't want to do anything that would hurt the main event, which has the exact same stipulation with a different name.

The main show opened with The Usos and The Club in a tornado tag team match. Jimmy and Jey set out to have another great match in their repertoire and their battle with Karl Anderson and Luke Gallows did not fail. The two teams put on a classic match in a format rarely seen on WWE television. Hopefully this will convince someone that more tornado tags will be great in the future of the tag division.

Previewing Extreme Rules 2016

Image credit: WWE. 

I’m still not quite sure what to make of this year’s Extreme Rules card. While this is the ‘new era’ of WWE, the card feels even less “extreme” than previous years. But the ongoing feuds offer some great match potential along with a few intriguing storylines.

The pre-show gives us Dolph Ziggler vs. Baron Corbin for the second month in a row, this time in a no disqualification match. (If you’re wondering how this is different than the Extreme Rules main event, the answer is they’re not at all different in modern WWE.) This feud still makes little sense to me as an ongoing storyline. Ziggler should be at a higher level than Ziggler, but Corbin should be winning if the company wants to establish him as a main roster star.

As an aside, this is the second month since his debut Apollo Crews doesn’t appear on pay-per-view. Dude has too many skills to not be used in a stronger feature.

The Top 10 Wrestlers of WWE, April 2016 edition

It has been six weeks since we last ran down the list of the top wrestlers in WWE. As the post-Wrestlemania WWE starts to take shape, let's look at all the wrestlers that are getting television time and excelling right now.

Image credit: WWE.com.

1. Dean Ambrose: Dean didn't have a very good Wrestlemania, nor did he appear on the post-Wrestlemania episode of Raw. But as he starts a new storyline with Chris Jericho, he seems ready to build his credibility back up. It seems likely he will continue to be a pseudo-main eventer over the next several months, even if WWE seems terrified of putting the title belt on him. (1/4)
2. Chris Jericho: Jericho picked up a strange win over AJ Styles at Wrestlemania. It seems in hindsight, the purpose was to make it clear that Jericho deserved a continued spot on WWE television for the next few months. Expect a long feud between him and Ambrose, most likely leading towards a SummerSlam resolution to his current run. (U/1)
3. Charlotte: I am not sure I am happy with a lot of the current booking behind Charlotte, but she continues to rise to the top in women's matches. The main roster has exposed many of her weaknesses in match building, but she still excels when working with ring generals like Sasha, Becky and her latest foe: the always solid Natalya. (9/5)
4. Roman Reigns: He won the main event of Wrestlemania, but it is still hard to treat Roman as an important figure in WWE. Fans react horrifically to all his appearances. The plodding main event had fans leaving Wrestlemania early. Reigns has great talent, but he will never be a huge star under his current direction. Hopefully WWE realizes his current tweener gimmick can take him into a strong heel turn to get him solidly set as a top player in the company. (10/6)
5. The New Day: Big E, Kofi and Xavier might be victims of their own success. They have been left with few unbeaten opponents in the still remarkably strong tag team division. The current tag tournament should help them find new opponents. Personally, I think it's time for the team to lose the belts. WWE would be far wiser to move the group into solo feuds, though without breaking up a unit that often brings the most entertainment value to any episode of Raw. (3/6)
6. Enzo Amore & Colin Cassady: Enzo and Cass finally debuted on the main roster the night after Wrestlemania. Of all the talents that are new to the roster right now, they are clearly the most over by leaps and bounds. The two men seem poised to take the roster by storm in the same way The New Day did exactly a year ago. I suspect we will see a successful tag team run for both men in the coming months, even if it doesn't come with an immediate title shot. (U/1)
7. Kevin Owens: Back in prize fighter without a prize mode, KO still commands attention on every appearance. The brutality shown between him and Zayn seems ready to ignite into a massive feud between both men. If played right, WWE could build either man to main event status in a matter of weeks. (6/6)
8. Cesaro: The Swiss Superman returned to WWE the night after Wrestlemania and instantly set himself up as a strong contender for the best talent on the roster. WWE realizes they have a great star with the King of Swing, but they still seem unsure of the direction he should go in. With a Intercontinental title shot in his future, he could easily bring some prestige to the belt, especially if they allow him to showcase his talents the way Cena did with his open challenges. (U/1)
9. Sami Zayn: The Zayniacs have to be overjoyed at the attention Sami has received in WWE. He had a great showing at his first Wrestlemania, and eight days later he had a barnburner of a match with the number one wrestler for the number one contendership. The company clearly understands they have a strong talent with Zayn, but it remains to be seen if he will follow the career path of Cesaro and Ambrose, never quite able to break into the main event scene. (U/1)
10. AJ Styles: WWE has a hot ticket with AJ Styles and it seems the company realizes it. Coming off his New Japan run, Styles has put on amazing WWE match after amazing WWE match. After two wins in two matches, he has secured his place as number one contender. My only fear right now is that WWE might pull a heel turn for Styles soon to form some kind of WWE version of the Bullet Club. I think it could only be called a mistake to turn Styles heel now, at the height of his babyface popularity. And the real question may be if WWE is actually willing to allow Styles to beat Reigns, perhaps the ultimate example of an outside talent beating the established WWE star. (4/3)

The new number one contender is currently the hottest star on the WWE roster.
Image credit: WWE.com.

As a reminder, the twin number rankings for the wrestlers list their previous ranking on the list (a U means they were unlisted) and the number of lists the wrestler has appeared on in a row.

The Top 10 Wrestlers of WWE, February 2016

Another pay-per-view and the big Raw after it have both fallen into the past and that means it is time to take a look at the Top 10 Wrestlers in WWE for the month. It has been an interesting month filled with weird pushes and negative reactions, culminating in a Fastlane card with solid in ring action but poor storytelling. Coming from that, here is this writer's choices for the best ranked wrestlers in the company. As a reminder, the rankings are followed by a two number code. The first number is their listing in the last Top 10 while the second number is the number of lists they've been on.

Kevin Owens continues to be a key player in WWE's midcard.
Image credit: WWE.com.

Shane's return is a win, but where's the focus on new talent?

Shane O'Mac is back! Image credit: WWE.com. 

Let's get this out of the way first: Shane McMahon making his long awaited comeback to WWE was a huge win for the company last night. Shane puts on great matches whenever he's on WWE television, where he could even make electrocuted testicles something entertaining. (Yes, really.) As Undertaker's Wrestlemania opponent, he's certainly a strange pick but he's got the potential to take the company in a much needed, new direction after the biggest show of the year.

The problem is that his return is simply not enough in the current holding pattern of the WWE roster. With numerous stars on the shelf, it seems like the perfect time to start bringing out fresh new characters, but WWE seems completely unwilling to even use half the stars they have on the main roster in a significant way. Cesaro is healthy but hasn't returned to television yet. Neville seems doomed to six man matches. The Wyatt Family have suddenly lost all direction as the Wyatt-Lesnar feud dissipates into dust.

Meanwhile, Jericho and Styles are suddenly a tag team for no reason, the New Day are feuding with everyone's least favorite stable, the League of Nations, and I'm still not sure if WWE even knows what it's doing right now with Kevin Owens or Kalisto, the company's secondary champions. Dolph Ziggler, Neville and Tyler Breeze have become little more than afterthoughts. Meanwhile stars like Enzo and Cass, Samoa Joe and Baron Corbin are in a holding pattern until they're called up from NXT.

Amore and Cassady are ready for the big show. 

It seems like a strange time for WWE not to spread the focus on the wealth of talent they have and build stronger stories that will propel interest in the rest of the card, especially when they are pushing as tough a sell in the main event as Roman Reigns versus Triple H (a.k.a. the battle of who we want to see less.)

Hopefully, a Cesaro-Kevin Owens feud is in the making in the coming weeks. Perhaps WWE will expand past the already announced No Holds Barred and Hell in a Cell match to give fans a much needed Tag Team TLC match as well. The New Day, The Dudleys, Sheamus and Del Rio and maybe even the team of Chris Jericho and AJ Styles could do amazing things on that stage. But it is truly time to let the wrestlers of the company shine as more than great technicians, but to use this period leading up to the biggest show of the year to build new stars.

And I don't mean Roman Reigns.

Wrestlemania Predictions

Wow, the injury list in the WWE has grown bigger than the roster. John Cena. Seth Rollins. Cesaro. Daniel Bryan (Retired), Tyson Kidd (probably retired), Sting (probably retired), Randy Orton, Nikki Bella, Sheamus, and I am sure there are a few more I am forgetting here.

Hell, if it wasn't for the remaining members of The Shield, Kevin Owens and AJ Styles, the WWE wouldn't have a show.

So what is left for Wrestlemania?

My guess is, given the current state of the roster, the WWE is going to play it safe. Due to their terrible booking the last few months, they don't have big enough heels to pull off huge matches. This has always been my biggest complaint with the WWE this past year and why I prefer Lucha Underground; the whole concept of babyface and heel is outdated. They can play that role, but the booking should be based on talent, not role. I want to see Del Rio against Sheamus, not Kalisto five times in a row, or Brock Lesnar vs Rusev. These kinds of matches earn respect and build careers, not throwing every heel against Dolph Ziggler repeatedly.

Over in NXT there are a ton of great stars ready to make the jump to prime time. But the WWE can't push new wrestlers this close to Wrestlemania, it is too risky. We'll be lucky if they put AJ Styles in.
Instead they are going to have to go with what they got now, I doubt they'll bring anyone up for the big show. Some great wrestlers include Samoa Joe, Apollo Crews and Baron Corbin. Corbin against Bray Wyatt would be one hell of a match, but since the WWE doesn't put heels against heels, there is almost no chance of that happening. We were lucky to get Finn Balor VS Apollo Crews on an episode of NXT.

I believe they'll play it safe and have Brock Lesnar beat Triple H for the WWE title at Wrestlemania. Crowds love Brock and he's a guaranteed sell. This is the safest and most logical route for the WWE to take. Even though we've seen these two go at each other in passed, they are, like it or not, the two top dogs in the WWE.

Dean Ambrose and Roman Reigns will end up facing off against each other, with perhaps one of them turning heel (because the WWE is obsessed with the heel/babyface concept). I'd love to see a clean rematch between Roman Reigns and Brock Lesnar and it might happen, but then they would have to build a new storyline for Ambrose, which I don't think they have the ability to do this close to Wrestlemania.

And where is the Undertaker?

Do they even have enough wrestlers to fill the show? Do guys like Chris Jericho still have the star power for one more Wrestlemania? Will Vince give a guy like Kevin Owens a main event spot?
I am sure we'll get Calisto against someone, or maybe Del Rio, if he takes back the belt at Fastlane. Or maybe they'll just face each other again, a match we've already seen five times.
Having Ambrose carry the Intercontinental title is a waste at this point since he doesn't need it to make the main event. Would have been better to let Ryback keep it and give him a good match at WM, but Ryback seems to be falling hard.

Strange as it may sound, it appears that one of the Social Outcasts might actually get a WM match. Thanks to injuries the guys who six months ago were looking at unemployment might have a shot at the mid-card slot, if the mid-carders have to main event. Interesting times, either way.

AJ needs opponents!

AJ certainly is Phenomenal, but his list of opponents so far hasn't been.
Image credit: WWE.com.

With a severely depleted roster, I think the lack of star talent is visible nowhere as much as it is in the first two weeks of AJ Styles' run with the company. By Thursday night, he will have had three televised matches and none of them are against talents he should be facing. An aging veteran, a jobber with friends and now a former champion turned lower midcarder are just not the stars AJ needs to get over big in WWE.

But the problem right now is there is no one to fit that bill on the heel side. Triple H is the top heel, but isn't wrestling. With three quarters of the League of Nations on the injured list, only Rusev and Kevin Owens fill any kind of top heel push of any kind. WWE has a few lower midcard heels that could easily be elevated into an AJ feud as well as a few face stars that could also turn heel to fit that bill: people like Stardust, Goldust, R-Truth or even Neville.

The Top 10 Wrestlers of WWE, January 2016 edition

Another pay-per-view is in the rear view and that can only mean one thing: it is time to look at the top wrestlers of the last month in WWE.

Image credit: WWE.com.

1. The League of Nations: Previously listed individually, the unit of Sheamus, Rusev and Alberto Del Rio are actually coming together nicely as a team. They probably should start picking up wins though if they are going to be treated as anything other than jobbers though. (7/3)
2. The Wyatt Family: They dominated Brock Lesnar on Raw and at the Royal Rumble. Bray Wyatt and his proteges even have stood up to the face of The Authority. It is an intriguing time for the cult-like stable, one that should lead them to higher places on this list before year's end.  (2/4)
3. Kevin Owens: He lost to Dean Ambrose and was booted from the Rumble by Sami Zayn, but Owens looked like a million bucks at the paye-per-view nonetheless, even eliminating newcomer AJ Styles. Hopefully Owens/Styles will be on WWE television very soon as it could potentially blow the roof off the house. (8/4)
4. Sasha Banks: She made a (Banks) statement at Royal Rumble and hopefully set up a three or four way Divas match at Wrestlemania in the process. One can expect a compelling title match between her and Charlotte at Fastlane, but whether or not WWE is ready for the title to change hands yet remains to be seen. (10/2)
5. Charlotte: Her heel turn and alliance with dear old dad has lit a fire under her that hasn't been seen since her days as NXT Women's Champion. She has put on great performances against Becky Lynch that hopefully will set up something great in the next two months with feuds against Becky, Sasha, Paige or maybe even... Bayley! (6/3)
6. The New Day: While Big E, Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods may not have had as strong a January as they have previous months, interactions with the Rock and another win over the Usos have kept them in the spotlight. (3/4)
7. AJ Styles: Just the mention of his name gets a bigger pop than anyone else on the roster. Styles in WWE is huge news and he's already made an impact with a great Royal Rumble performance and a solid win over Chris Jericho, one of several first time ever matches coming from Styles on the roster. (U/1)
8. Roman Reigns: WWE booked him to get booed at Royal Rumble, but were at least smart enough not to bring the match down to just him and Triple H. He is currently walking a fine line right now. He's got the talent to get over, but WWE's willingness to push him down everyone's throats may end up costing them any chance to get him over as a babyface. (1/4)
9. Dean Ambrose: After an amazing performance in the Last Man Standing match to kick off Royal Rumble, he put on a stellar show in the final match as well. Ambrose has everything but the company's backing to get over as a major star the world over. He seems destined to be stuck in the Shawn Michaels role from '91 to '95, where it seemed like he can never quite get to the title. (4/2)
10. Triple H: I had doubts I would ever put his name on this list, but now he's debuting as number one and the new WWE World Heavyweight Champion. While I am not sure having him win was really what was best for business going into Wrestlemania, he put on a strong showing in the Rumble and seems poised to once again waste ten to twenty minutes at the front of Raw for months to come. (U/1)

Expect to see this a lot in the coming weeks. Image credit: WWE.com.

The Royal Rumble in review

WWE knew from the get go that this year was built around the main event even more than previous years. With nearly an hour and fifteen minutes devoted to the Royal Rumble itself, the other matches were treated more like lead up than anything else. Kevin Owens and Dean Ambrose put on a compelling Last Man Standing match while Kalisto shocked Alberto Del Rio yet again to become a two time United States champion. The New Day pulled out a win over the Usos while Ric Flair's interference yet again allowed Charlotte to beat Becky Lynch. In fact, the only really interesting thing to happen on the undercard was the return of Sasha Banks to absolutely brutalize Charlotte post-match.

This was a beautiful thing to see after the Divas match.
Image credit: WWE.com.

But the story of the night was really all about the Rumble. With Roman Reigns in at number one and defending his WWE World Heavyweight title in the process, he had everything to lose against 29 other men. But after eliminating the #2 entrant Rusev, Reigns got his first big surprise of the night in the form of a man rumored to make his WWE debut for weeks now: AJ Styles.

Image credit: WWE.com. 

Styles wasn't the only surprise of the night however. While he was eliminated a bit earlier than one might expect, by none other than Kevin Owens (who awesomely mocked Styles' pose after the throw out), Owens had his own run ins after already taking a beating in the Last Man Standing match that kicked off the show. First Dean Ambrose followed immediately after his entry, then Sami Zayn made his return to the WWE roster to eliminate his rival from a shot at the WWE title.

The League of Nations attacked Roman Reigns mid-match in perhaps the dumbest mugging in the history of professional wrestling. They brutalized him three on one and put him through a table, but they didn't roll him back in the ring to be eliminated. Instead they let him walk to the back where he could rest up and recoup for the end of the event.

The combined Wyatt Family were not as foolish though. After Braun Strowman single handedly eliminated both Big Show and Kane, he ran head long into a Beast Incarnate. Brock Lesnar eliminated Strowman, Erick Rowan and Luke Harper before Bray Wyatt could even reach the ring, but he couldn't stop them from returning for a four on one beatdown. Even Lesnar couldn't take down the entire unit, who eliminated him en masse. Conveniently, his elimination also allowed both him and Reigns to never share the ring for even a second, sparing a future main event match.

To no one's surprise, the final surprise entrant was #30: Triple H. He followed #29 Sheamus, a man that was jumped by Roman Reigns on his return to the match. After Triple H entered, Dolph Ziggler was quickly thrown from the ring. With Sheamus still out, he tried to form an alliance with Wyatt, but the cult leader turned on the face of The Authority. Wyatt and Jericho wouldn't last much longer, but after Reigns dumps a returning Sheamus, Triple H grabs him from behind to dump him from the ring and eliminate Reigns' chance to retain his title.

It was down to two men: Dean Ambrose and Triple H. And if anyone has ever watched WWE, only one option for victory remained. Triple H eliminated Ambrose to become a fourteen time WWE World Heavyweight champion.

Image credit: WWE.com. 

While the end wasn't a surprise, the Rumble did accomplish a few things: it gave us a reason to root for Reigns come Wrestlemania as he challenges Triple H. It creates a compelling story to give us reason to watch Wyatt versus Lesnar. The situation between Owens and Zayn also sets up a potential match. Overall, this wasn't the best Royal Rumble ever, but it was far far from the worst. Fans didn't go away with the hatred and disappointment they were left with in 2014 and 2015, plus they were given reason to be intrigued by the road to Wrestlemania.

Kevin Owens: #2 in the Wrestling Weekday Top 10 Wrestlers of 2015, presented by ESO-PRO

Image credit: WWE.com.

The man once known as Kevin Steen made his NXT debut just weeks before 2014 closes. Within two months, he was NXT champion after a brutal match with his former friend Sami Zayn. Three months later, he was on the main roster and immediately embroiled in a feud with John Cena. At Elimination Chamber, he scored an upset clean win over Cena with his pop up powerbomb. And though he wasn't able to take the title from Cena, he stole the show for four straight pay-per-views, against Cena and then Cesaro. A month later, he was Intercontinental champion. Not bad for a guy with barely a year under his belt.

Owens is proof that with the right push from creative on the right talent, they can break through the boundaries quickly and effectively. He is majorly over and while he has yet to challenge for the WWE World Heavyweight title, he has been a dominant figure on WWE television. Yet some people still claim WWE fails to push him.

I am pretty sure half a dozen wrestlers would love to have Owens' spot, where he hasn't missed a pay-per-view appearance since his debut. And unlike some folks WWE has featured regularly (say, Roman Reigns and Bray Wyatt), he hasn't had a bad match in the bunch.

Owens seems poised to be a future main eventer in WWE and may be more entertaining than just about any other contender for that title. He does everything he can to improve the program every time he appears. As Mike Gordon puts it: “No one works harder to make it look so effortless.” And that couldn't be more true. Despite his build, I can think of few talents on the independent scene that toiled as hard to get where they are now than Kevin Owens. For goodness sake, this is a native French speaker that taught himself English by watching WWE television as a child. I would be hard pressed to see anyone more devoted to the sport of kings than "The Prizefighter."