Top 100 Wrestlers Of 2018: 40-21

In honor of the PWI 500, we’ve decided to present our own ranking of the greatest wrestlers over the past year.

(Full disclosure: Juan Bautista suggested compiling a list of 500 wrestlers by himself, but we can’t afford to lose any more writers to death.)

Our ranking differs from the PWI 500 because we use math. Well, at least we try to. Sam Gladen pitched the idea that we all submit our own list of the top 100 wrestlers of 2018, and each ranking represents points. For example, #1 = 100 points, #2 = 99 points, etc.

At the end, we’d calculate who had the most points and assign ranking from there.

Find 100-81 here.
Find 80-61 here.
Find 60-41 here.

So, without further ado, here are 40-21.

40. Roderick Strong (196 points)

HUGE year for Roderick Strong, as he went from being NXT’s most reliable hand to turning heel (in the exact manner I predicted) and joining The Undisputed Era to fill in for Bobby Fish before becoming a permanent fixture. This was the type of thing Strong’s career needed so badly. Watching him in ROH, you can tell very quickly that he’s a 10 in the ring, but when it came to everything else, he was always sorely lacking. But… when you pair him with Adam Cole and Kyle O’Reilly… well, 2018 happens. – Jack Goodwillie

39. Brian Cage (197 points)

The Machine ran roughshod over Impact this year, sending EC3 and Bobby Lashley out of the company as part of a winning streak that lasted until Bound For Glory. Although time will tell whether it was a wise decision to abandon the X-Division Championship for a shot at the world title, Cage has carved out his place as one of the company’s biggest stars. – John Corrigan

38. Kyle O’Reilly (198 points)

When it comes to ReDragon/The Undisputed Era, O’Reilly has always been pegged as the breakout singles star. We haven’t really seen much of that usage in NXT, but I also think he’s too good to be a career tag wrestler. His style is completely unique, and while we’re seeing a lot of wrestlers of today incorporate MMA moves into their pro wrestling moveset, O’Reilly’s is really 75-25 MMA. That makes him stand out, of course, but he’ll always have upward momentum as long as he’s paired with his stablemates in TUE. – Jack Goodwillie

37. Roman Reigns (199 points)

Although being watered down by current WWE creative, Roman Reigns main evented Fastlane, WrestleMania, Backlash, SummerSlam, Hell in a Cell and Super Show-Down. – Juan Bautista

36. Kairi Sane (204 points)

As I said in my Io Shirai blurb, Sane is a less angry, more character-driven Io Shirai and man, she is so CUTE. I mean, I have a major distaste for anime characters (Doki Doki Literature Club is the new Two Girls, One Cup), but man, did I get off-topic or what? Anyway, I do happen to like inherently good babyfaces who can also rise to the occasion and deliver athletically in the ring, and that’s what Sane is all about. I love the Pirate Princess persona, and given their similar roots, it’ll be interesting to see if it’ll be Sane or Shirai that breaks out big next year, or perhaps both? – Jack Goodwillie

35. Velveteen Dream (205 points)

What can I say that hasn’t already been said? Some have been hard on the Dream’s work at house shows, but he’s only 23! He’s far from a ring general, but given the right opponent (which is pretty much anyone in the upper-mid card on NXT), Dream can deliver a hellacious match and his transformation from narcissistic heel to fan favorite has been fun to watch this year. Go watch his match with Tommaso Ciampa from LA if you can, as it’s among my favorites of the year. – Jack Goodwillie

34. Jay White (207 points)

The Switchblade wreaked havoc upon NJPW all year long, causing major strife in its two top factions. First, he viciously declined Kenny Omega’s offer to join Bullet Club, then he attacked Chaos from the inside, leading a rebellion against Okada. Ironically, he finished 2018 as the new leader of Bullet Club. – John Corrigan

33. Johnny Impact (211 points)

Whatever you want to call him, Johnny Impact continued another year of making the world his oyster. He competed for various promotions around the globe, dazzling audiences and racking up accolades. In June, he returned to Impact Wrestling, where he finally won the world title in a great, yet controversial clash with Austin Aries at Bound For Glory. Oh, and Johnny was on Survivor! – John Corrigan

32. Minoru Suzuki (216 points)

The baddest man in the Land of the Rising Sun had a terrible start to the year, losing not only the NEVER Openweight Championship at Wrestle Kingdom 12, but also his hair! He quickly rebounded, though, winning the IWGP Intercontinental Championship from Tanahashi before dropping the belt to Naito in April. – John Corrigan

31. Cesaro (230 points)

Again, we got another really solid year out of Cesaro and Sheamus in The Bar, but you’ve gotta wonder why the man hasn’t gotten a serious run as a single’s star yet. I always looked at him as an above average promo, at best, but even then the dude is like a Swiss army knife in the ring (pun intended). There’s nothing he can’t do and he’s probably the pound-for-pound strongest guy on the roster. – Jack Goodwillie

30. The Miz (231 points)

Still awesome. Although his reality show and dedication to family life have softened the Miz’s pure, heelish unlikability, he remains the best at doing Sports Entertainment and navigating the current media environment in a way that feels professional and pro wrestling. – David Gibb

29. Shayna Baszler (234 points)

It’s really remarkable how far Shayna Baszler has come since first appearing at the MYC. She’s anything but flashy, and I wouldn’t even say she’s a superior athlete, and certainly not the athlete Ronda Rousey is, and this hurts her matches sometimes along with pacing. But man is she believable as the top heel on NXT. She does have a dedicated fan following *cough* queenofwrestling on Instagram *cough* and that’s a little weird for all of her heatseeking heel antics. That said, I’ll bet she continues her ascent up these rankings next year with an entourage now behind her. – Jack Goodwillie

28. Will Ospreay (238 points)

The Aerial Assassin soared to new heights this year, launching his own promotion – Frontline Wrestling – in the United Kingdom. He continued to dominate New Japan, holding the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship for nearly six months and challenging Jay Lethal (albeit unsuccessfully) for the ROH World Title at Death Before Dishonor. – John Corrigan

27. Jay Lethal (243 points)

Rarely looking up at the lights this year, Jay Lethal climbed back up the mountain of ROH, winning his second World Title in June. Since then, the former “Black Machismo” turned back the challenges of Will Ospreay, Cody and even Flip Gordan in a high-profile bout at ALL IN. – John Corrigan

26. The Young Bucks (245 points)

Matt and Nick Jackson are arguably the most popular tag team in the world and they’ve built most of their notoriety in a promotion where being a (relatively unknown) Westerner is not typically a path to success. – Sam Gladen

25. Braun Strowman (250 points)

Braun Strowman would have been a top star in the WWF/E in 1978, 1988, 1998… well, you get the picture. Vince McMahon has built The Monster Among Men as only he can do, and the fans have responded in a way they haven’t during other recent attempts. However, the question remains how Braun fits into the world title picture long-term and whether his Superman-like character can find ways to evolve without getting all Silver Age’d out. – David Gibb

24. Shane Strickland (255 points)

While CZW fans have known about “Swerve” for years, the national audience got their first extended look at his face in 2018, when MLW made him their champion at re-launch with a victory over EVOLVE/NXT-bound Matt Riddle. Swerve’s run as MLW World Heavyweight Champion showed he’s much more than a guy who’s willing to get his back cut up, but his own movement through the EVOLVE pipeline resulted in a loss of TV time that has significantly cooled his momentum down. The early months of 2019 will be telling in determining which direction “Swerve’s” stock is trending. – David Gibb

23. Austin Aries (265 points)

When you’re on top of the mountain, there’s no place left to go but down. That’s what happened to Austin Aries this year, as he started out as the “Belt Collector” and ended with a meltdown at Bound For Glory. Regardless of his exit from Impact Wrestling, Aries sure delivered for the new administration, consistently having 5-star matches with various talent, shining in his top villain role and being a dependable headliner during the company’s resurgence. – John Corrigan

22. Marty Scurll (269 points)

The Villain went from being part of the most popular force in all of wrestling to leading his own faction of monsters. Although he lost the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship just four days into the year, he and the Young Bucks would later snatch the NEVER Openweight Six-Man Tag Team Titles before feuding with fellow Bullet Club members. Similar to Juice Robinson, it will be interesting to see how Marty Scurll fares in 2019. – John Corrigan

21. Toni Storm (270 points)

Toni Storm got to WWE for good this year, but her name deserves to be right with Tessa’s as standout women outside of WWE. Of course, her year capped with winning the MYC and I always thought she was the right choice for that. Storm Zero is a hell of a finisher and I happen to believe Toni is in the “fave five” of fans from all around the world. Again, there’s no lid on what she can accomplish moving forward either, at just 23-years-young. – Jack Goodwillie