#TheChris100 2022: #20-1
Here it is. The top 20 workers of the year. Let's do this again next year.
Last
year’s rank: 6
High
vote: brendan durant, Cam Stewart, Sol (3)
Recommended
matches
-
w/
Darby Allin vs. Anthony Bowens & Max Caster (AEW, 1/19)
-
w/
Darby Allin & Sammy Guevara vs. Andrade El Idolo, Isiah Kassidy & Matt
Hardy (AEW, 3/6)
-
w/
Darby Allin, Matt Hardy & Jeff Hardy vs. Isiah Kassidy, Marq Quen, The
Blade & The Butcher (AEW, 3/23)
-
w/
Darby Allin & Shingo Takagi vs. El Phantasmo, Matt Jackson & Nick
Jackson (AEW/NJPW, 6/26)
-
w/
Darby Allin & Miro vs. Brody King, Buddy Matthews & Malakai Black (AEW,
9/4)
-
w/
Darby Allin vs. Brody King & Buddy Matthews (AEW, 9/21)
-
w/
Darby Allin vs. Jay Lethal & Jeff Jarrett (AEW, 11/19)
“The
wild brawl match with the Stinger is the most sure thing in wrestling right
now. Your uncle could step in the ring with Steve on a given Wednesday night
and Steve would drag three and a half stars out of him while also jumping off a
balcony or going through a table or doing anything else a 64 should not
generally be doing. But Sting does it, because he’s the best fucking babyface
of all time and he loves this fucking business, baby.” ~ Chris
Last
year’s rank: 102
High
vote: Sol (9)
Recommended
matches
-
w/
Max Caster vs. Darby Allin & Sting (AEW, 1/19)
-
vs.
Jon Moxley (AEW, 1/26)
-
vs.
Orange Cassidy (AEW, 2/23)
-
w/
Max Caster vs. Austin Gunn & Colten Gunn (AEW, 8/3)
-
w/
Max Caster vs. Keith Lee & Swerve Strickland (AEW, 9/4)
-
w/
Max Caster vs. Keith Lee & Swerve Strickland (AEW, 9/21)
-
vs.
Swerve Strickland (AEW, 11/16)
-
w/
Max Caster vs. Keith Lee & Swerve Strickland (AEW, 11/19)
-
w/
Max Caster vs. Cash Wheeler & Dax Harwood (AEW, 12/7)
-
w/
Billy Gunn vs. Jay Lethal & Jeff Jarrett (AEW, 12/21)
“He’s
always had the potential to be a super-worker, but he really showed out in 2022
with the increased shine on The Acclaimed.” ~ TH
“Around
this time last year, I feel like all the conversation around Bowens was that he
was a really solid hand and a GREAT hot tag that had potential to break out
with the right pitch. AEW pulled the trigger on The Acclaimed and that was
proven correct and then some .Bowens is the workhorse of some of the absolute
best tag matches of the year. The babyface turn for the tag was the absolute
right choice as his fire coming out of a Caster tag is an unparalleled level of
energy.” ~ Chris
Last
year’s rank: 20
High
vote: Henry (3)
Recommended
matches
-
vs.
Yuya Uemura (NJPW, 2/17)
-
vs.
Bryan Danielson (AEW, 2/23)
-
w/
Fred Yehi vs. Eddie Kingston & Fred Rosser (NJPW, 3/20)
-
vs.
Eddie Kingston (AEW, 4/20)
-
Anarchy
in the Arena (AEW, 5/29)
-
vs.
Jon Moxley (AEW, 6/1)
-
Blood
& Guts (AEW, 6/29)
-
w/
Chris Jericho vs. Claudio Castagnoli & Wheeler Yuta (AEW, 10/26)
-
w/
Jake Hager vs. Claudio Castagnoli & Wheeler Yuta (AEW, 12/7)
-
vs.
Wheeler Yuta (ROH, 12/10)
“Much
like with Hangman, Garcia could’ve been really annoying if there still was a
viable indie scene that would’ve had him and let him be the next
Danielson/Richards/Steen-type everywhere guy. I remember seeing promise in his
Beyond Wrestling stuff back in like 2019 but kinda recoiling at how he didn’t
have any guidance or ability or desire to self-edit. Fast forward to his
signing in AEW, and he put it all together with the limits TV put on him. All
his intensity and fury and ability coalesced into this dynamic package in the
ring, and he’s become one of the brightest prospects in the entire sport.” ~ TH
Last
year’s rank: 83
High
vote: Matthew Bracket, Cam Stewart (5)
Recommended
matches
-
vs.
Matt Sydal (AEW, 1/8)
-
vs.
Jay Lethal (AEW, 2/2)
-
vs.
Swerve Strickland (AEW, 3/23)
-
w/
Powerhouse Hobbs vs. Keith Lee & Swerve Strickland (AEW, 4/13)
-
w/
Powerhouse Hobbs vs. Keith Lee & Swerve Strickland vs. Matt Jackson &
Nick Jackson (AEW, 7/13)
-
vs.
Hook (AEW, 7/27)
-
vs.
QT Marshall (AEW, 9/2)
-
vs.
Powerhouse Hobbs (AEW, 9/4)
-
vs.
Powerhouse Hobbs (AEW, 9/23)
-
vs.
Lance Archer (AEW, 11/18)
“Starks
is another AEW worker who had a 2021 laying a foundation and then absolutely
proving himself in 2022. He’s got a natural charisma and a really unique
offense in the ring that made him perfect for his tag team with Powerhouse
Hobbs, but it’s his work when he got singles opportunities that really grabbed
me in the past year. At this rate, he might be a shoe-in for the top 10 in
2023.” ~ Chris
Last
year’s rank: 91
High
vote: Michael Clapham, Nadine Smith (4)
Recommended
matches
-
vs.
Master Wato (NJPW, 2/11)
-
vs.
Kazuchika Okada (NJPW, 3/2)
-
vs.
SHO (NJPW, 4/9)
-
w/
DOUKI vs. Jun Kasai & Tomoaki Honma (JTO, 5/6)
-
vs.
TJP (NJPW, 5/19)
-
vs.
DOUKI (NJPW, 5/28)
-
vs.
El Phantasmo (NJPW, 5/31)
-
w/
Yoshinobu Kanemaru vs. Keith Lee & Swerve Strickland (AEW/NJPW, 6/26)
-
vs.
Jon Moxley (NJPW, 7/30)
-
vs.
Jun Kasai (JTO, 9/12)
“El
Desperado managed to surpass Hiromu as the true ace of NJPW’s junior division, but
it’s his work in bloody brawls that made him an upper echelon worker for 2022.
The Kasai feud in JTO and the Moxley match in the States are some of Despy’s
best performances yet, and really makes you wonder how good this guy would be
in a promotion where he was running the razor regularly.” ~ Chris
Last
year’s rank: 51
High
vote: Scoop Detective (4)
Recommended
matches
-
vs.
Mercedes Martinez (AEW, 3/9)
-
vs.
Toni Storm (AEW, 5/11)
-
w/
Britt Baker vs. Thunder Rosa & Toni Storm (AEW, 8/3)
-
vs.
Thunder Rosa (AEW, 8/5)
-
vs.
Britt Baker vs. Hikaru Shida vs. Toni Storm (AEW, 9/4)
-
vs.
Willow Nightingale (AEW, 9/28)
-
w/
Britt Baker vs. Hikaru Shida & Toni Storm (AEW, 10/12)
-
vs.
Riho (AEW, 10/26)
-
vs.
Toni Storm (AEW, 11/19)
-
vs.
Hikaru Shida (AEW, 12/21)
“Hayter
spent the past few years playing second fiddle to Britt Baker. She does mesh
extremely well teaming with Baker, but she really broke out as she finally got
a chance to shine outside of her stable and win the title in a wide-open AEW
women’s division. Even as someone who thinks the AEW women’s division is
underrated, I think Hayter is head and shoulders above a lot of her competition,
and I look forward to seeing her showcase that more this year.” ~ Chris
Last
year’s rank: 140
High
vote: Matthew Bracket (3)
Recommended
matches
-
w/
Anthony Bowens vs. Darby Allin & Sting (AEW, 1/19)
-
w/
Anthony Bowens vs. Jungle Boy & Luchasaurus (AEW, 3/9)
-
vs.
Keith Lee (AEW, 3/16)
-
vs.
CM Punk (AEW, 3/30)
-
vs.
Dante Martin (AEW, 5/27)
-
w/
Anthony Bowens vs. Austin Gunn & Colten Gunn (AEW, 8/3)
-
w/
Anthony Bowens vs. Keith Lee & Swerve Strickland (AEW, 9/4)
-
w/
Anthony Bowens vs. Keith Lee & Swerve Strickland (AEW, 9/21)
-
w/
Anthony Bowens vs. Keith Lee & Swerve Strickland (AEW, 11/19)
-
w/
Anthony Bowens vs. Cash Wheeler & Dax Harwood (AEW, 12/7)
“All
his raps get the most attention, but Platinum Max has turned into a solid Ricky
Morton in tag matches. Sells well and gets his high spots to shine.” ~ TH
Last
year’s rank: 88
High
vote: BlodN (1)
Recommended
matches
-
vs.
Will Ospreay (NJPW, 1/5)
-
w/
Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Kaito Kiyomiya & Keiji Mutoh (NJPW/NOAH, 1/8)
-
vs.
Tetsuya Naito (NJPW, 2/20)
-
w/
Hiroshi Tanahashi & Tatsumi Fujinami vs. Minoru Suzuki, Yoshiaki Fujiwara
& Zack Sabre Jr. (NJPW, 3/1)
-
vs.
El Desperado (NJPW, 3/2)
-
vs.
Tetsuya Naito (NJPW, 3/26)
-
vs.
Zack Sabre Jr. (NJPW, 4/9)
-
vs.
Tetsuya Naito (NJPW, 5/1)
-
vs.
Jay White (NJPW, 6/12)
-
vs.
Lance Archer (NJPW, 8/16)
“a
couplet about kazuchika okada:
The
money mans coin drops and the match is on
Live
in the hallowed halls of ryogoku koukugikan
a
haiku about kazuchika okada:
the
money man’s coin
makes
a special sound when the
rain
falls from the sky” ~ brendan durant
“A
couple years ago I was ready to call Okada cooked. I thought his body was already
breaking to the point he wouldn’t be able to work his New Japan epics much
longer. And then the company’s ace had maybe the best year he’s had in his
storied career. I will never pretend to know anything again.” ~ Chris
Last
year’s rank: 13
High
vote: Chris (1)
Recommended
matches
-
w/
Taichi vs. Hirooki Goto & YOSHI-HASHI (NJPW, 1/4)
-
w/
Yoshinobu Kanemaru vs. Naomichi Marufuji & Yoshinari Ogawa (NOAH/NJPW, 1/8)
-
vs.
Ryohei Oiwa (NJPW, 3/6)
-
vs.
Will Ospreay (NJPW, 3/21)
-
vs.
Tetsuya Naito (NJPW, 3/27)
-
vs.
Kazuchika Okada (NJPW, 4/9)
-
vs.
Claudio Castagnoli (AEW/NJPW, 6/26)
-
vs.
KENTA (NJPW, 7/17)
-
vs.
Aaron Henare (NJPW, 7/23)
-
vs.
David Finlay (NJPW, 10/27)
“How
the fuck was I the only person that voted ZSJ number one. How the fuck did he
not even make the top 10. What the fuck are you people doing. Did you watch
wrestling at all. I hate you. Somebody else compile this list next year.” ~ Chris
Last
year’s rank: 173
High
vote: Sol (7)
Recommended
matches
-
w/
Jay Briscoe vs. John Wayne Murdoch & Reed Bentley (GCW, 1/15)
-
w/
Jay Briscoe vs. Anthony Henry & JD Drake (Warrior, 2/12)
-
w/
Jay Briscoe vs. Arez & Penta El 0M (HOG, 3/11)
-
w/
Jay Briscoe vs. Doug Williams & Harry Smith (NWA, 3/20)
-
w/
Jay Briscoe vs. Bestia 666 & Mecha Wolf (NWA, 3/21)
-
w/
Jay Briscoe vs. Cash Wheeler & Dax Harwood (ROH, 4/1)
-
w/
Jay Briscoe vs. Cash Wheeler & Dax Harwood (ROH, 7/23)
-
w/
Jay Briscoe vs. Ciclope & Miedo Extremo (GCW, 8/13)
-
w/
Jay Briscoe vs. Cash Wheeler & Dax Harwood (ROH, 12/10)
-
w/
Jay Briscoe vs. Jay Lyon & Midas Black (HOG, 12/17)
“Mark
has been in his brother’s shadow for basically their entire careers, and 2022
was no exception, but he’s still an absolutely brilliant tag worker. Look closely
at those FTR vs. Briscoes matches and honestly Mark might be having the best
individual performances. His interactions with Cash Wheeler in particular were
incredible.” ~ Chris
Last
year’s rank: 93
High
vote: Lasagna Tray (3)
Recommended
matches
-
w/
Cash Wheeler vs. CM Punk & Jon Moxley (AEW, 2/9)
-
vs.
CM Punk (AEW, 3/23)
-
w/
Cash Wheeler vs. Jay Briscoe & Mark Briscoe (ROH, 4/1)
-
w/
Cash Wheeler vs. Matt Jackson & Nick Jackson (AEW, 4/6)
-
vs.
Cash Wheeler (AEW, 4/27)
-
w/
Cash Wheeler vs. Jay Briscoe & Mark Briscoe (ROH, 7/23)
-
w/
Cash Wheeler vs. Keith Lee & Swerve Strickland (AEW, 10/26)
-
w/
Cash Wheeler vs. Great-O-Khan & Jeff Cobb (NJPW, 11/5)
-
w/
Cash Wheeler vs. Anthony Bowens & Max Caster (AEW, 12/7)
-
w/
Cash Wheeler vs. Jay Briscoe & Mark Briscoe (ROH, 12/10)
Last
year’s rank: 148
High
vote: pedro (3)
Recommended
matches
-
vs.
Eddie Kingston (AEW, 3/6)
-
Anarchy
in the Arena (AEW, 5/29)
-
vs.
Ortiz (AEW, 6/15)
-
w/
Minoru Suzuki & Sammy Guevara vs. Eddie Kingston, Shota Umino & Wheeler
Yuta (AEW/NJPW, 6/26)
-
Blood
and Guts (AEW, 6/29)
-
vs.
Jon Moxley (AEW, 8/10)
-
vs.
Claudio Castagnoli (AEW, 9/21)
-
vs.
Dalton Castle (AEW, 10/18)
-
vs.
Tomohiro Ishii (AEW, 11/23)
-
vs.
Action Andretti (AEW, 12/14)
“All
of wrestling is deception, that's the job description, and King Fraud
hornswoggled his way all the way up to my #4 spot (I used a points-based system
to decide who went where and this one is without a doubt the most it surprised
me). The Kingston match goes without saying and then the ROH world title reign
pushed him all the way over the edge, getting to flex his trade against guys
like Danielson, Bandido and Ishii. Jericho's big con this year was getting to
wrestle great wrestling matches, and when you pull it off the way he did all I
can do is hand it to you.” ~ alistair from twitter
“It
can be hard to separate how annoying he is as a character from the absolutely
out-of-leftfield stunner of a year he had in the ring, but the dude still has it.
One would expect him to lean into the grumpy old man archetype with how his
body seems to be on the decline, but he can still do a lot of his younger spots
and do them well. After stumbling a bit in 2020 and 2021, it’s great to see
that he still can produce in the ring if he puts his whole ass into it.” ~ TH
Last
year’s rank: 165
High
vote: cake (1)
Recommended
matches
-
w/
Mark Briscoe vs. John Wayne Murdoch & Reed Bentley (GCW, 1/15)
-
w/
Mark Briscoe vs. Anthony Henry & JD Drake (Warrior, 2/12)
-
w/
Mark Briscoe vs. Arez & Penta El 0M (HOG, 3/11)
-
w/
Mark Briscoe vs. Doug Williams & Harry Smith (NWA, 3/20)
-
w/
Mark Briscoe vs. Bestia 666 & Mecha Wolf (NWA, 3/21)
-
w/
Mark Briscoe vs. Cash Wheeler & Dax Harwood (ROH, 4/1)
-
w/
Mark Briscoe vs. Cash Wheeler & Dax Harwood (ROH, 7/23)
-
w/
Mark Briscoe vs. Ciclope & Miedo Extremo (GCW, 8/13)
-
w/
Mark Briscoe vs. Cash Wheeler & Dax Harwood (ROH, 12/10)
-
w/
Mark Briscoe vs. Jay Lyon & Midas Black (HOG, 12/17)
“Jay
Briscoe is undoubtedly one of the best wrestlers of his generation. He’s right
up there with Punk, Styles, Joe, Danielson, etc. Few people have the resume as
Jay Briscoe as a singles ortag worker, and his final year before his
tragic passing was no exception. Jay Briscoe lived and breathed professional
wrestling, and that showed every single second he was in the ring. It didn’t
matter if you were a young wrestler looking for a chance to shine against a
legend or a fellow great, Jay gave his absolute best every single time he stepped
in the ring. A true one-of-a-kind worker, a true legend. His absence leaves a
hole in this business. He will be truly, truly missed.” ~ Chris
Last
year’s rank: 5
High
vote: Mike, Heidi (3)
Recommended
matches
-
vs.
Chris Jericho (AEW, 3/6)
-
w/
Otiz & Santana vs. Chris Jericho, Daniel Garcia & Jake Hager (AEW,
4/13)
-
Anarchy
in the Arena (AEW, 5/29)
-
w/
Shota Umino & Wheeler Yuta vs. Chris Jericho, Minoru Suzuki & Sammy
Guevara (AEW/NJPW, 6/26)
-
Blood
& Guts (AEW, 6/29)
-
vs.
Chris Jericho (AEW, 7/20)
-
vs.
Tomohiro Ishii (AEW, 9/4)
-
vs.
Sammy Guevara (AEW, 9/21)
-
w/
Ortiz vs. Jun Akiyama & Konosuke Takeshita (AEW, 11/18)
-
vs.
Jun Akiyama (AEW, 11/19)
“They
really don’t make ‘em like King anymore, do they? He knows how to brawl, to
throw punches, make things look as gritty and real, which is key because I’m
not sure he knows wrestling is a work. Super pumped that he got to work Jun
Akiyama in a tag AND in a singles match too in 2022. Dude deserves the world.”
~ TH
Last
year’s rank: 94
High
vote: Sol (2)
Recommended
matches
-
w/
Dax Harwood vs. CM Punk & Jon Moxley (AEW, 2/9)
-
w/
Dax Harwood vs. Jay Briscoe & Mark Briscoe (ROH, 4/1)
-
w/
Dax Harwood vs. Matt Jackson & Nick Jackson (AEW, 4/6)
-
vs.
Dax Harwood (AEW, 4/27)
-
vs.
Jeff Cobb (AEW, 6/22)
-
w/
Dax Harwood vs. Jay Briscoe & Mark Briscoe (ROH, 7/23)
-
w/
Dax Harwood vs. Keith Lee & Swerve Strickland (AEW, 10/26)
-
w/
Dax Harwood vs. Great-O-Khan & Jeff Cobb (NJPW, 11/5)
-
w/
Dax Harwood vs. Anthony Bowens & Max Caster (AEW, 12/7)
-
w/
Dax Harwood vs. Jay Briscoe & Mark Briscoe (ROH, 12/10)
“The
superior member of FTR in every way. He elevates all of their tags by bumping
like an uncaged animal and European Uppercutting fools into oblivion. One of
the most shameful things about AEW TV in recent memory has been this guy never
getting singles opportunities while Bald Fraud gets endless chances to
manufacture a hollow “wrestler of the year” campaign. That being said, in his
singular one on one match that wasn’t the unsalvageable abomination known as
FTR explodes, he actually demonstrated a proper understanding of Bret Hart
psychology with a super intelligently worked David vs. Goliath style match vs.
Jeff Cobb. He is a riveting watch at all times.” ~ Flae
“Dax
gets all the love, but I think Cash had a better year. He was a great glue guy
for the team, and him being the high spot dude for FTR was both funny and
punctuated their matches well.” ~ TH
Last
year’s rank: 445
High
vote: Flae (1)
Recommended
matches
-
vs.
Ricky Starks (AEW, 3/23)
-
w/
Keith Lee vs. Powerhouse Hobbs & Ricky Starks (AEW, 4/13)
-
vs.
Darby Allin (AEW, 4/27)
-
w/
Keith Lee vs. El Desperado & Yoshinobu Kanemaru (AEW/NJPW, 6/26)
-
w/
Keith Lee vs. Anthony Bowens & Max Caster (AEW, 9/4)
-
w/
Keith Lee vs. Anthony Bowens & Max Caster (AEW, 9/21)
-
vs.
Billy Gunn (AEW, 10/12)
-
w/
Keith Lee vs. Cash Wheeler & Dax Harwood (AEW, 10/26)
-
w/
Keith Lee vs. Anthony Bowens & Max Caster (AEW, 11/19)
-
w/
Keith Lee vs. JD Griffey & Shane Taylor (ROH, 12/10)
“To
those who thought his Hell of War match in Lucha Underground was a flash in the
pan, to those who felt he couldn’t rub the stink of Hit Row off him, and to
those who meticulously nitpicked every bit of his offense for years: apologize
to Swerve Strickland. It’s vindicating seeing a guy I’ve been a fan of for some
time prove his naysayers wrong. Not only has Swerve found his groove as a heel
by embracing some of the more ridiculous, cringeworthy aspects of his
character, but he’s found a way to drill down his focus in the ring. People
tend to get so caught up in the “wasted movement” of his offense that they
ignore how compelling his limbwork and control segments have grown over the
last couple years. As excellent as The Acclaimed were in their series of matches
against Lee and Swerve, it was Strickland’s work on top that held together
their matches and made for some of the easiest to watch tag matches AEW has
ever produced. He’s also responsible for bringing in Rick Ross for one of the
most unintentionally funny wrestling TV moments in years. Whether or not his
new stable succeeds or fails, Swerve as a singles act will continue to impress
moving forward.” ~ Sol
“Man,
Swerve came into AEW and just started lighting everything on fire. Few guys
work heel as well as he does without sacrificing any of the shit that makes him
stand out.” ~ TH
Last
year’s rank: 1
High
vote: TH (1)
Recommended
matches
-
vs.
Hangman Page (AEW, 1/5)
-
vs.
Christopher Daniels (AEW, 3/2)
-
vs.
Jon Moxley (AEW, 3/6)
-
vs.
Wheeler Yuta (AEW, 3/30)
-
vs.
Trent Beretta (AEW, 4/6)
-
w/
Jon Moxley & Wheeler Yuta vs. Aaron Solo, Nick Comoroto & QT Marshall
(AEW, 5/18)
-
vs.
Matt Sydal (AEW, 5/27)
-
Anarchy
in the Arena (AEW, 5/29)
-
vs.
Jake Hager (AEW, 8/31)
-
vs.
Chris Jericho (AEW, 10/12)
-
w/
Claudio Castagnoli vs. Chris Jericho & Sammy Guevara (AEW, 11/16)
“Honestly,
I feel lucky being alive the same time he’s active and near his prime even if a
little bit past it. 2022 felt like he was really feeling himself again, getting
to spread his wings, do things WWE wouldn’t even let him do in his best years
in that company, being the indie Dragon only on the biggest stages. A true
artist in the ring in an industry still full of carnies.” ~ TH
Last
year’s rank: 3
High
vote: brendan durant, Scoop Detective, Nate, Cam Stewart, Sol, Nate Mair (1)
Recommended
matches
-
vs.
Andrade El Idolo vs. Sammy Guevara (AEW, 3/4)
-
w/
Sammy Guevara & Sting vs. Andrade El Idolo, Isiah Kassidy & Matt Hardy
(AEW, 3/6)
-
w/
Jeff Hardy, Matt Hardy & Sting vs. Isiah Kassidy, Marq Quen, The Blade
& The Butcher (AEW, 3/23)
-
vs.
Andrade El Idolo (AEW, 4/20)
-
vs.
Jeff Hardy (AEW, 5/11)
-
vs.
Kyle O’Reilly (AEW, 5/29)
-
vs.
Brody King (AEW, 8/10)
-
w/
Sting vs. Brody King & Buddy Matthews (AEW, 9/21)
-
w/
Sting vs. Jay Lethal & Jeff Jarrett (AEW, 11/19)
-
vs.
Samoa Joe (AEW, 12/7)
“The
guy spent much of the year doing what he does best: getting destroyed.” ~ Joseph
Montecillo
“I
don’t get how Darby Allin does it. From starting years ago as some weird goth
freak taking insane bumps on EVOLVE shows at La Boom to being one of the biggest
stars in professional wrestling, he just keeps getting better. He’s maintained
his level of controlled recklessness while only getting better and better from
a technical standpoint. He’s known for his insane bumps in big matches but he
is just as capable of doing a memorable exchange on the match. I dare anyone to
find somebody better at bumping or selling in all of wrestling. Conventional logic
says somebody who’s put his body through this much punishment should be slowing
down by now. Yet somehow it feels like Darby Allin’s career is still so young.”
~ Chris
Last
year’s rank: 2
High
vote: Matthew Bracket, Parker Smith (1)
Recommended
matches
-
vs.
Wardlow (AEW, 1/12)
-
w/
Jon Moxley vs. Cash Wheeler & Dax Harwood (AEW, 2/9)
-
vs.
MJF (AEW, 3/6)
-
vs.
Dax Harwood (AEW, 3/23)
-
vs.
Max Caster (AEW, 3/30)
-
vs.
Dustin Rhodes (AEW, 4/20)
-
vs.
Hangman Page (AEW, 5/29)
-
w/
Cash Wheeler & Dax Harwood vs. Austin Gunn, Colten Gunn & Max Caster
(AEW, 6/1)
-
vs.
Jon Moxley (AEW, 8/24)
-
vs.
Jon Moxley (AEW, 9/4)
“Doesn't
matter that he ceased to exist four months into the year, when Punk was around
there was nobody doing it like him. His matches feel special in a way nobody
else's do, not even technical greats like Bryan Danielson or genius
all-rounders like Moxley. I'd sacrifice Kenny and both Young Bucks in an
Eclipse-like fashion (Nick Jackson is the Casca) if it meant getting him back
in the ring for two, maybe three more years.” ~ alistair from twitter
“Before
he got hurt (twice) and had that flameout after All Out, Punk was on track for
a career year, just turning in banger after banger with a wide array of
opponents. Someone who was maybe guilty in the past of taking the game places
that Shawn Michaels foolishly led it, he showed that fans can and will get into
the Bret Hart-style of technically excellent but emotionally charged in-ring
work.” ~ TH
Last
year’s rank: 31
High
vote: Mike, Ty, Fin Bergin, Michael Clapham, Lasagna Tray, joey v, Waleed, Jon,
Joseph Montecillo, Strom, alistair from twitter, Tanner, Doxxy, BarackSays,
Luke (1)
Recommended
matches
-
w/
CM Punk vs. Cash Wheeler & Dax Harwood (AEW, 2/9)
-
vs.
Bryan Danielson (AEW, 3/6)
-
vs.
Biff Busick (GCW, 3/31)
-
vs.
Wheeler Yuta (AEW, 4/6)
-
vs.
Will Ospreay (NJPW, 4/16)
-
vs.
Tom Lawlor (DEFY, 4/30)
-
w/
Bryan Danielson vs. Dante Martin & Matt Sydal (AEW, 5/18)
-
Anarchy
in the Arena (AEW, 5/29)
-
vs.
Kyle O’Reilly (AEW, 6/10)
-
vs.
Tony Deppen (GCW, 6/18)
-
Blood
and Guts (AEW, 6/29)
-
vs.
Rush (AEW, 7/27)
-
vs.
El Desperado (NJPW, 7/30)
-
vs.
Mance Warner (AEW, 8/5)
-
vs.
Chris Jericho (AEW, 8/10)
-
vs.
CM Punk (AEW, 8/24)
-
vs.
CM Punk (AEW, 9/4)
-
vs.
Adam Page (AEW, 10/18)
-
vs.
Penta El 0M (AEW, 10/26)
-
w/
Claudio Castagnoli vs. Dante Martin & Darius Martin (AEW, 12/28)
“People
make fun of him because he bleeds a lot, but you know what? Him introducing
blood back into the mainstream in a big way is important as hell. AEW missed
him when he was out rehabbing (necessary though, health first), but when he was
active, man, like, no one was more electric and brought raw energy in the ring
like he did. Even if he never cut a promo, he’d still be AEW’s most important
guy for the kind of brawling and real rawness he provided.” ~ TH
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