REPORT CARDS GRADING THE SPORT’S TOP STARS
OKAY, CLASS, PENCILS down and pass your test papers to the front. It’s time to get graded.
At the start of each year, the PWI editorial team takes a look at 100 of the biggest names in the game and evaluates their accomplishments over the previous calendar year, assigning each wrestler or tag team a letter grade. This year’s Report Cards illustrate which wrestlers have excelled and which have foundered in 2018.
We identified 100 wrestlers or teams from all over the wrestling world, including WWE, New Japan, Impact, ROH, and the independents, and made our evaluations.
Our Report Cards aren’t based on win percentage alone. While telling, that wouldn’t be an accurate gauge of a wrestler’s progress over the course of the year. For example, Braun Strowman won the overwhelming majority of his matches in 2018, but the Universal title remained out of reach. AJ Styles had a lower win percentage but held the WWE title almost all year. That’s why we awarded Styles an A and Strowman a B.
Performance markers include championships won and won-loss records, as well as more intangible criteria, such as quality of opposition faced and career momentum. We also analyzed where a given wrestler was positioned on the card as of January 1, 2019, as compared to where they stood as of January 1, 2018. Becky Lynch, for example, scored a C-last year. She went from being a reasonably popular mid-card performer to being one of Smackdown’s hottest stars, and her Report Card grade improved to an A. Kazuchika Okada, who earned an A+ last year, fell into a mild slump after dropping the IWGP title to Kenny Omega, which caused his grade to drop to a B+ this year.
Unlike your middle school health teacher, our editorial team isn’t a pushover. Only the true standouts receive the coveted A+ grade. This year, only Ronda Rousey made the Dean’s List. She was the only wrestler to go undefeated all year and capture a major championship. No Way Jose and The Ascension flunked out, earning Fs for their efforts.
It’s important to remember, however, that the wrestlers we selected to grade are among the top performers in the world. Even someone receiving a failing grade in our Report Cards is an elite wrestler competing on the national stage. However, a poor grade indicates that a wrestler desperately needs to make some changes as they go through 2019.
The grades have been posted. Now it’s time to see who made the Honor Roll.
A+
RONDA ROUSEY
“Rowdy Ronda” had a flawless 2018, emerging triumphant in a spectacular WrestleMania debut, winning the Raw Women’s title just four months later, and ending the year undefeated. She also earned the top spot in the 2018 PWI “Women’s 100” and the PWI Rookie of the Year award. With a perfect record and heading into 2019 as a presumptive WrestleMania headliner, she’s an easy A+.
A
AJ STYLES
Styles reigned as WWE champion from November 2017 through November 2018 and turned aside challenges from, among others, Shinsuke Nakamura, Samoa Joe, and Daniel Bryan during an impressive reign. He was WWE’s in-ring gold standard for the year, but was often forced to acquiesce to the likes of Roman Reigns, Brock Lesnar, and Braun Strowman.
A
BECKY LYNCH
“The Man” finished 2018 strong, capturing the Smackdown Women’s title and becoming arguably WWE’s hottest anti-hero since “Stone Cold” Steve Austin. She beat out Rousey to win Woman of the Year honors from readers and entered 2019 with tons of momentum. A slow start
