THE 28TH ANNUAL PWI 500
IT’S HARD TO envision Kenny Omega in a New Japan uniform at this time next year. Omega acknowledged the obvious in a podcast conversation with Jim Ross in June. “WWE has a great collection of talent,” he said. “I’d feel like it was a missed opportunity if I couldn’t work with them at some point. I’d like to be able to do it while I can still move.”
Omega is a bright man. Politically speaking, his response to JR’s question about a future in WWE was perfect. He’s interested; he’d be a fool not to be. But at the same time, he never said a jump was imminent. In fact, shortly before he was asked about WWE, Omega stated that he had more goals to achieve in New Japan.
Omega’s set up perfectly to do exactly what he wants to do and get rewarded richly. Being named number-one in the “PWI 500” certainly doesn’t hurt his cause. WWE is aware of Omega’s talents and growing worldwide appeal. The McMahons know that he is a major reason Ring of Honor and New Japan were able to secure a date at Madison Square Garden during WrestleMania weekend. When Omega completes his mission in Japan, those billion-dollar contracts with USA and Fox will be just about ready to kick in.
Can New Japan stave off the inevitable raid? It’s quite possible. NJPW is not without resources of its own. New company President and CEO Harold Meij has been on the job long enough to know the value of Omega and Kazuchika Okada, who finished number one in the “500” a year ago. Signing Omega or Okada or both would strengthen WWE and also weaken the rising threat of a viable competitor getting stronger.
Omega’s contract expires on January 31.
The “PWI 500” rankings are compiled after hours of meetings of a committee consisting of six writers and editors. The wrestler bios were written by Senior Writers Dan Murphy, Al Castle, and Harry Burkett, along with Contributing Writers Mike Bessler, Louie D, Brady Hicks, and Kevin McElvaney.
The criteria for the “PWI 500” (in order of importance) are as follows:
✦ Win-loss record
✦ Technical ability
✦ Influence on the sport
✦ Success against the highest grade of competition
✦ Success against the most diverse competition
✦ Activity
The “PWI 500” is not a ranking for the calendar year January through December. The "evaluation period" this year ran from July 1, 2017, through June 30, 2018.
Wrestlers must meet the following requirements for activity to be considered for a ranking: 20 matches during the evaluation period or at least one match in seven separate months.
The numbers in parentheses following each name represent the wrestler's height, weight, years of pro experience, and ranking in the 2017 “PWI 500.” An "NL" means the wrestler was not listed a year ago. The “NL” designation is also used in the 500 “Path” for the top 10 wrestlers. Following the ratings is an alphabetical list of the “PWI 500” (page 74), as well as commentary from our three senior writers (pages 76-78).
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KENNY OMEGA
HEIGHT: 6'
WEIGHT: 238
YEARS PRO: 18
2017 RANK: 5
PATH TO NUMBER 1: 422 in 2008, 318 in 2009, 142 in 2010, 85 in 2011, 185 in 2012, 125 in 2013. 183 in 2014, 54 in 2015, 23 in 2016, 5 in 2017
TOP FIVE MOMENTS DURING EVALUATION PERIOD:
✦ 1. Beat arch-rival Kazuchika Okada two falls to one to capture the IWGP heavyweight championship at Dominion in the fourth of their epic series of matches.
✦ 2. Defeated Michael Elgin, Jay Lethal, and Tomohiro Ishii over a two-night tournament in July 2017 to become New Japan's inaugural U.S. champion.
✦ 3. Won a brutal no-disqualification grudge match against Chris Jericho in a featured bout at New Japan's signature Wrestle Kingdom 12 event at the Tokyo Dome in January.
✦ 4. Won seven matches—including one against Okada—to advance to the finals of the 2017 G1 Climax tournament.
✦ 5. Teamed with Kota Ibushi as the reunited Golden Lovers to defeat The Young Bucks at March's Strong Style Evolved event in Long Beach, California.
WHY HE'S NUMBER 1:
By completing his quest to become IWGP heavyweight champion, Omega joined the elite ranks of Stan Hansen, Vader, and AJ Styles as among the most accomplished North American wrestlers to ever compete in Japan … Omega’s success overseas has served to make him one of the hottest commodities in the U.S., despite never having been a featured act in nationally televised wrestling promotion here … More than just an excellent technician, the "Best Bout Machine" has shown a remarkable knack for dramatic storytelling in the ring … His series of matches against Okada is already widely regarded as among the greatest in wrestling history, and you can bet there will be more … There may not be enough stars in the galaxy for Dave Meltzer to award the eventual Omega-Okada 5 … At 34, and with significantly improved physical conditioning, there's no telling the heights Omega could reach over the next decade … The question isn't whether WWE will try to poach Omega from New Japan. The question is whether Omega will want to take the leap.
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AJ STYLES
HEIGHT: 5'11"
WEIGHT: 218
YEARS PRO: 20
2017 RANK: 2
PATH TO NUMBER 2: 458 in 2000, 199 in 2001, 70 in 2002, 11 in 2003, 8 in 2004, 7 in 2005, 13 in 2006, 32 in 2007, 21 in 2008, 19 in 2009, 1 in 2010, 24 in 2011, 28 in 2012, 28 in 2013, 4 in 2014, 4 in 2015, 4 in 2016, 2 in 2017
TOP FIVE MOMENTS DURING EVALUATION PERIOD:
✦ 1. Defeated Jinder Mahal on the November 7 edition of Smackdown from Manchester, England, to capture his second WWE heavyweight championship.
✦ 2. Beat Shinsuke Nakamura in what was billed as a dream match at WrestleMania to retain his championship.
✦ 3. Beat both Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn in a handicap WWE title match at the Royal Rumble in January.
✦ 4. Again beat the odds to retain his championship in a Six-Pack Challenge match at Fastlane that included John Cena, Kevin Owens, Sami Zayn, Dolph Ziggler, and Baron Corbin.
✦ 5. Pinned Kevin Owens at an untelevised event in Madison Square Garden in July of 2017 to win his first U.S. championship.
WHY HE'S NUMBER 2:
“Phenomenal” is getting to be an understatement for Styles, who, at 41, appears to be still very much in his prime … Approaching eight months at the conclusion of the evaluation period, Styles’ WWE heavyweight championship reign is the longest in seven years, and the second longest in a dozen … It’s true that competing exclusively on the Smackdown brand, Styles has not defended his title against many of WWE’s most formidable competitors, but he’s more than made up for the lack of depth among his challengers by taking them on all the time, and sometimes two—or even five—at a time … Came up short in a non-title champion vs. champion bout against Universal titleholder Brock Lesnar at Survivor Series, but not before giving Lesnar one of his toughest fights to date … Long-anticipated feud with Nakamura was a disappointment, largely due to some questionable decisions by WWE’s creative team … Impeccable timing and crisp execution make everything Styles does in the ring look just about perfect.
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KAZUCHIKA OKADA
03
HEIGHT: 6'3"
WEIGHT: 236
YEARS PRO: 14
2017 RANK: 1
PATH TO NUMBER 3: 230 in 2010, 286 in 2011, 40 in 2012, 5 in 2013, 5 in 2014, 27 in 2015, 2 in 2016, 1 in 2017
TOP FIVE MOMENTS DURING EVALUATION PERIOD:
✦ 1. Defeated Tetsuya Naito to retain the IWGP championship at Wrestle Kingdom 12—the sixth straight time he headlined New Japan’s annual Tokyo Dome supershow.
✦ 2. Beat old foe Hiroshi Tanahashi at Wrestling Dontaku in May to set a new record for most IWGP title defenses at 12—one more than Tanahashi’s previous record.
✦ 3. Bested Zack Sabre Jr. at Sakura Genesis in April to tie the record for most IWGP title defenses at 11.
✦ 4. Defeated then-Ring of Honor heavyweight champion Cody Rhodes to retain the IWGP championship in the main event of New Japan’s G1 Special event in Long Beach, California, in July 2017.
✦ 5. Put away EVIL with his signature Rainmaker clothesline to retain his IWGP title and avenge a loss against the same man at last year’s G1 Climax tournament.
WHY HE'S NUMBER 3:
Last year’s number one-ranked wrestler had nearly as impressive a follow-up, setting multiple IWGP title records and continuing to raise the bar for what a match of the year candidate looks like … Fourth reign with NJPW’s top prize lasted an astonishing 720 days—far surpassing Shinya Hashimoto’s previous record of 489 days … Throughout his championship run, the “Rainmaker” was extremely active—both in singles title defenses and in tag team competition with his CHAOS stablemates … Even traveled to Australia to beat Melbourne City Wrestling star Slex in November … Historic title reign finally came to an end on June 9 at the hands of Kenny Omega in the fourth chapter in their classic series … At just 30 years old, it’s likely Okada has many more championship reigns in his future … A wrestling machine, perfectly combining athleticism, charisma, and showmanship for what is sure to be a hall of fame career.
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BROCK LESNAR
04
HEIGHT: 6'3"
WEIGHT: 286
YEARS PRO: 18
2017 RANK: 25
PATH TO NUMBER 4: 87 in 2001, 17 in 2002, 1 in 2003, NL in 2004-2005, 7 in 2006, NL in 2007-2015, 19 in 2016, 25 in 2017
TOP FIVE MOMENTS DURING EVALUATION PERIOD:
✦ 1. In spite of rumors that he was leaving WWE, pinned Roman Reigns after a sixth F5 to retain the Universal championship at WrestleMania 34.
✦ 2. Pinned Reigns in a Fatal 4-Way Universal title match in the main event of SummerSlam that also included Samoa Joe and Braun Strowman.
✦ 3. Defeated his Smackdown counterpart, WWE titleholder AJ Styles, in a non-title bout at November’s Survivor Series.
✦ 4. Stopped Braun Strowman to retain the Universal title at September’s No Mercy event.
✦ 5. Successfully defended the Universal title against Samoa Joe in a wild brawl at WWE’s Great Balls of Fire event in July 2017.
WHY HE'S NUMBER 4:
It’s true that Lesnar barely met our activity standards to qualify for the “500,” but the sheer dominance displayed by WWE’s “Beast Incarnate” over the past year cannot be denied … Held the Universal championship during the entire evaluation period—not only defeating a wide range of top contenders, but usually making it look easy … Lesnar’s 16 matches during the period were the most for a 12-month frame since he returned to WWE six years ago, and included non-televised bouts against The Miz, Kane, and Sheamus … If it’s possible, Lesnar may actually be underrated—not getting enough credit by many fans for his insane athleticism, especially for a 41-year old super heavyweight … Last cracked the top 10 of the “500” 15 years ago, when he earned the number-one spot on the 2003 list … Just like it did three years ago, the end of Lesnar’s WWE contract, right around WrestleMania season, led to wide speculation—much of it fueled by Lesnar himself—that he would be leaving pro wrestling to return to the UFC … Lesnar signed a short extension with WWE, but an octagon return remains very much in play.
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SETH ROLLINS
05
HEIGHT: 6'1"
WEIGHT: 217
YEARS PRO: 13
2017 RANK: 16
PATH TO NUMBER 5: 88 in 2008, 17 in 2009, 19 in 2010, 53 in 2011,46 in 2012, 35 in 2013,12 in 2014, 1 in 2015, 8 in 2016, 16 in 2017
TOP FIVE MOMENTS DURING EVALUATION PERIOD:
✦ 1. Won a triple-threat match against Intercontinental champion The Miz and Finn Balor at WrestleMania to capture his first I-C title, joining an elite group of “Grand Slam” champions who have worn the WWE heavyweight, Intercontinental, U.S., and tag team championships.
✦ 2. Retained the Intercontinental title in a thrilling ladder match that included The Miz, Balor, and Samoa Joe at the Greatest Royal Rumble event in Saudi Arabia in April.
✦ 3. Reunited with his former Shield partner Dean Ambrose to win the Raw tag team championship from Cesaro and Sheamus at SummerSlam 2017.
✦ 4. Teamed with Jason Jordan to capture the Raw tag team championship from Cesaro and Sheamus for the second time during the evaluation period on the Christmas Day edition of Raw.
✦ 5. Successfully defended the I-C title against former champion The Miz at Backlash in May.
WHY HE'S NUMBER 5:
For the first time since returning from his extended injury hiatus in 2016, WWE’s “Architect” is looking like the Seth Rollins that topped the “PWI 500” in 2015 … After losing two tag team championships, and two tag team partners, to injury, Rollins re-focused on singles success, and has been, arguably, WWE’s hottest act ever since … Surging popularity has come about organically, as WWE fans have been won over by the “Kingslayer’s” consistently exciting performances and dogged effort in the ring … After experimenting with various finishers, including the Pedigree, has gone back to using the curb stomp maneuver that brought him considerable success … With fans squarely in his corner, Rollins is making a strong argument for replacing his former Shield stablemate, Roman Reigns, as the centerpiece babyface on the Raw brand … Having already redesigned his career path, and rebuilt his momentum, all that’s left is to reclaim a world championship.
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BRAUN STROWMAN
06
HEIGHT: 6'8"
WEIGHT: 385
YEARS PRO: 4
2017 RANK: 34
PATH TO NUMBER 6: 163 in 2016, 34 in 2017
TOP FIVE MOMENTS DURING EVALUATION PERIOD:
✦ 1. Outlasted 49 other competitors to win the inaugural Greatest Royal Rumble match at the titular event in Saudi Arabia in April.
✦ 2. Beat seven other wrestlers to the top of the ladder to win the 2018 men’s Money in the Bank match and guarantee himself a future world title opportunity.
✦ 3. Won the Raw tag team championship, essentially single-handedly, by beating Cesaro and Sheamus at WrestleMania after picking a 10-year-old fan as his partner.
✦ 4. Set a record for most eliminations in an Elimination Chamber match by taking out The Miz, Elias, John Cena, Finn Balor, and Seth Rollins in the February match before being pinned by Roman Reigns.
✦ 5. Defeated Reigns in an unruly ambulance match at WWE’s Great Balls of Fire event on July 9, 2017.
WHY HE'S NUMBER 6:
Not since Brock Lesnar or Goldberg have fans seen a wrestling novice achieve such heights in a relatively short period … The former Strongman national champion has already established himself as one of the most powerful competitors in modern wrestling history, capable of lifting huge objects … Unfortunately for his opponents, he often puts those objects down on top of them … In the ring, Strowman may not be the most graceful WWE superstar, but his wrestling has improved tremendously, and he is more than capable of holding up his end of an entertaining match … Combines his gigantic frame, awesome power, and surprising speed to mow down opponents with astonishing impact—often sending them flying several yards … Despite his imposing nature, Strowman has also proven himself a gentle giant, most often using “these hands” to high five children at ringside and occasionally pick one up into his massive arms for a hug … The “Monster Among Men” has the marketability, work ethic, and attitude necessary to go very far in the sport—and a briefcase that can help him get there quickly.
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ROMAN REIGNS
07
HEIGHT: 6'3"
WEIGHT: 265
YEARS PRO: 8
2017 RANK: 4
PATH TO NUMBER 7: 351 in 2012, 39 in 2013, 7 in 2014, 4 in 2015,1 in 2016, 4 in 2017
TOP FIVE MOMENTS DURING EVALUATION PERIOD:
✦ 1. Won a seven-man Elimination Chamber match in February to earn a shot at Brock Lesnar’s Universal championship at WrestleMania.
✦ 2. Defeated John Cena in an epic clash of WWE standard-bearers at September’s No Mercy event.
✦ 3. Bested Samoa Joe in the main event of May’s Backlash event after hitting him with his patented spear.
✦ 4. Captured his first Intercontinental championship by defeating The Miz on the November 20 edition of Raw.
✦ 5. Beat Jinder Mahal in a grudge match at June’s Money in the Bank event.
WHY HE'S NUMBER 7:
It’s hard to call WWE’s five-year-long effort to make Reigns its top star anything more than a bust, but it’s not because Reigns isn’t tremendously talented or giving it his all … Vince McMahon may try to convince himself that, like with former WWE poster boy John Cena, the boos are a sign of how much fans care, but it’s hard to make that case when those fans can be seen walking out on Reigns’ matches in droves … The biggest tragedy of Reigns’ failed push is that he really does have the tools to be a headline act, if cast in the proper role … But as the proverbial square peg being shoved in a round hole, Reigns appears miserable, and emotes the body language of a man who dreads coming to work each day … Questionable booking aside, Reigns is a fierce competitor in the ring … Has tremendous confidence and an unmatched will to win, as evidenced by his ability to withstand five F5s from Brock Lesnar during their WrestleMania encounter before finally succumbing to a sixth … The “Big Dog” has done himself no favors by constantly complaining about being wronged by WWE management, when even the least savvy of fans knows the opposite is true.
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CODY RHODES
08
HEIGHT: 6'2"
WEIGHT: 215
YEARS PRO: 12
2017 RANK: 33
PATH TO NUMBER 8: 172 in 2007, 29 in 2008, 48 in 2009, 41 in 2010, 35 in 2011, 23 in 2012, 53 in 2013, 82 in 2014, 65 in 2015, 111 in 2016, 33 in 2017
TOP FIVE MOMENTS DURING EVALUATION PERIOD:
✦ 1. Beat this year’s number-one ranked wrestler, Kenny Omega, in the featured match of ROH’s Supercard of Honor event over WrestleMania weekend in New Orleans.
✦ 2. Successfully defended his Ring of Honor heavyweight championship in a Texas Death Match against former champion Christopher Daniels in November.
✦ 3. Retained the ROH title in a match against veteran Japanese star Minoru Suzuki at the Death Before Dishonor 15 pay-per-view in September.
✦ 4. Beat NJPW junior heavyweight standout KUSHIDA to keep his ROH heavyweight title at ROH Global Wars in October.
✦ 5. Defeated Hiromu Takahashi in the jointly promoted NJPW/ROH War of the Worlds event in May.
WHY HE'S NUMBER 8:
Putting aside all his big match victories and six-month reign with the ROH title, Rhodes’ most impressive accomplishment over the past year—if not his entire career—came in May, when “All In,” the independent wrestling super show that he conceived and is bankrolling, sold out in 30 minutes, making it the most successful non-WWE.
War Raiders tandem with Ray Rowe considered one of the hardest-hitting teams in the sport … Captured the IWGP tag title from Tama Tonga and Tanga Loa on the first day of the evaluation period … In hot pursuit of NXT tag gold since signing with WWE in January.
