We’re at the point of the year where all eyes will be on the PWI 500 rankings – seeing who made the top spots this year. It’s the 32nd year of this tradition – and the top five are names people expected. These five wrestlers accomplished the most between July 1st, 2021 & June 30th, 2022- and there was only one man who could have made the #1 spot.
Roman Reigns Is Acknowledged As The #1 Wrestler Of 2022
Right now in the world of professional wrestling, Roman Reigns is the dominant force. He’s been the WWE Universal Champion for 746 days, and would claim the WWE Championship from Brock Lesnar to become the Undisputed WWE Universal Champion at WrestleMania. No one has been able to take him down, even Drew McIntyre in the UK failed to pin The Tribal Chief.
Pure domination and being the top star of WWE puts him at #1, rising from the #2 slot in 2021. He previously made #1 in 2016 – and this likely won’t be the last time he finds himself ontop of the industry rankings.
Kazuchika Okada Waved The Flag Proud For NJPW In 2022
Taking the #2 spot this year is the ace of NJPW – Kazuchika Okada. During the timeframe observed, Okada won the 2021 G1 Climax before claiming the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship at Wrestle Kingdom from Shingo Takagi, before successfully defending against Will Ospreay, Zack Sabre Jr. and Tetsuya Naito.
Rising from the #25 spot in 2021 shows that Okada is back on a hot streak – and winning the 2022 G1 Climax puts him on the track for another dominant year. Jay White was able to get the belt from Okada, but otherwise had a quiet 2021 and early 2022 – putting him lower in the rankings.
CM Punk’s Return To Professional Wrestling Was Briefly Pure Magic
CM Punk is the talk of the wrestling world right now, but not because he’s #3 on the PWI 500. Last ranked in 2013, Punk made a major return to professional wrestling – and went on a hot streak in AEW. Beating the likes of Darby Allin, Eddie Kingston, and MJF on his way to winning the AEW World Championship for the first time had the wrestling world on the edge of their seats.
Right now, Punk is recovering from a torn tricep – and was the cause of a backstage brawl in AEW. It’s unclear what the future of CM Punk in professional wrestling is. However, this was a run that exceeded expectations, and got Punk a ranking to match what he found in 2010.
Hangman Page’s Time As AEW World Champion Was Incredible
When it comes to AEW originals, Hangman Page remains one of the fan favourites in the company. This made his rise to becoming the AEW World Champion something truly special. He took down Kenny Omega to win the belt at Full Gear 2022, defended against Bryan Danielson twice, Adam Cole twice, and Lance Archer once – each match more brutal than the last.
His reign came to an end by the hands of CM Punk, and Page sadly cooled off from there. Standing alongside The Dark Order, he’s regaining his confidence – and could maintain a Top 5 spot in 2023 if he can refind the fire that made him a champion.
Bobby Lashley Has Hit His Peak In WWE Finally
The #5 spot in 2022 goes to Bobby Lashley – who had a quietly great year. Three championship victories including two WWE Championships and an on-going reign as United States Championship has shown that Lashley is a timeless powerhouse. He’s on a hot run as a babyface in WWE, something that was always the hope since he left OVW – and seeing him reach his potential has turned eyes onto his sheer talent.
Victories over the likes of Brock Lesnar, Goldberg, & Randy Orton, have put him second only to Roman Reigns in WWE – and while he’s fallen from a #3 spot in 2021? There’s only room for Lashley to move higher in 2023 if he remains this solid.
Do you agree with the Top 5 spots PWI picked for this list? Let us know what you think in the comment section down below.
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