100. Kevin Owens (17 ballots, 571 Points) – LOWEST RANKED 17 BALLOT WRESTLER
Last Year’s Rank: 94
High Vote: Andy (10)
Average Rank: 55.65
24.64% of Ballots Made

Recommended Matches
– vs. Sami Zayn (WWE, 1/13)
– vs. Roman Reigns (WWE, 1/28)
– w/ Sami Zayn vs. Jey Uso & Jimmy Uso (WWE, 4/1)
– w/ Sami Zayn vs. Roman Reigns & Solo Sikoa (WWE, 5/27
– vs. Gunther (WWE, 6/5)
– w/ Sami Zayn vs. Gunther & Ludwig Kaiser (WWE, 6/12)
– w/ Sami Zayn vs. Damian Priest & Dominik Mysterio (WWE, 7/17)
– w/ Sami Zayn vs. Damian Priest & Finn Balor (WWE, 9/2)
– w/ Sami Zayn vs. Cody Rhodes & Jey Uso (WWE, 10/9)
– vs. Carmelo Hayes (WWE, 12/15)

“Someone with some crazy highs given the state of 2023 WWE. The tag title match at WM was great and you stack that up with some TV highlights such as the Gunther match and the Street Fight against Balor and Priest, of course he makes my list.” ~Tanner

“2023 the year I learned that Kevin Owen’s son Owen is now taller than Kevin and is possibly training to be a wrestler. It’s a real shame Big Kev decided to retire instead of signing with AEW when he had a change” ~Timothy Robert Buechner

99. Big Boss Shimizu (11 ballots, 576 points)
Last Year’s Rank: 695
High Vote: Raiden, Corwo, Joseph Montecillo (9)
Average Rank: 30.45
15.94% of Ballots Made

Recommended Matches
– w/ Kzy vs. Madoka Kikuta & Kikuta (DG, 3/5)
– w/ Kzy vs. Masaaki Mochizuki & Mochizuki Jr. (DG, 3/18)
– w/ Jacky “Funky” Kamei & Kzy vs. Dragon Dia, Madoka Kikuta & Yuki Yoshioka (DG, 5/24)
– vs. Minorita (DG, 6/11)
– w/ Jacky “Funky” Kamei & Kzy vs. Kota Minoura, Minorita & Naruki Doi (DG, 7/2)
– vs. Madoka Kikuta (DG, 8/3)
– vs. Kota Minoura (DG, 8/3)
– vs. Ben-K (DG, 9/7)
– w/ Kzy vs. Mochizuki Jr. & Yoshiki Kato (DG, 10/26)
– vs. Madoka Kikuta (DG, 11/5)

“After being omitted from the Reiwa Six lineup, BIG BOSS Shimizu spent the latter half of 2023 fighting to prove he deserved a role in leading the new generation. His King of Gate tournament run involved securing wins against members of the “Big 6″ and seasoned veterans, leading to an impressive performance in the finals. The peak of his year came with a hometown bout for the Open the Dream Gate Championship, where the odds of a Shimizu victory may have been uncertain, yet still delivered what many considered a Match of the Year contender. In his 10th year in professional wrestling, BIG BOSS Shimizu not only heightened his standing among the roster but also reinforced his value as an in-ring performer.” ~ Andrew Ridener

98. Shota Umino (13 ballots, 579 points)
Last Year’s Rank: 150
High Vote: Jacob Shearin (10)
Average Rank: 41.08
18.84% of Ballots Made

Recommended Matches
– vs. Zack Sabre Jr. (NJPW, 3/15)
– vs. Zack Sabre Jr. (NJPW, 4/8)
– w/ Jon Moxley & Wheeler Yuta vs. Kazuchika Okada, Rocky Romero & Tomohiro Ishii (NJPW, 5/21)
– w/ Claudio Castagnoli & Jon Moxley vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi, Kazuchika Okada & Tomohiro Ishii (NJPW, 6/4)
– w/ Claudio Castagnoli, Jon Moxley, Konosuke Takeshita & Wheeler Yuta vs. Adam Page, Eddie Kingston, Matt Jackson, Nick Jackson & Tomohiro Ishii (AEW/NJPW, 6/25)
– vs. Kaito Kiyomiya (NJPW, 7/21)
– vs. Yota Tsuji (NJPW, 8/1)
– vs. Hikuleo (NJPW, 8/5)
– vs. Will Ospreay (NJPW, 11/4)
– w/ Ren Narita vs. Tomohiro Ishii & Toru Yano (NJPW, 12/1)

“Since NJPW’s new ‘Three Musketeers’ were crowned, I’ve been the most down on Shota Umino’s work. That seemed to be vindicated at the start of the year as he looked exposed during his title match with Naito, but he did steadily improve his case as the year went on with the ZSJ feud and consistent work in the G1. He’s still got a way to go if he wants to be New Japan’s next ace like many are expecting, but by the end of summer 2023 the vision started to be a bit clearer.” ~ chris

97. Matt Jackson (15 ballots, 600 points)
Last Year’s Rank: 49
High Vote: JML (13)
Average Rank: 41
21.74% of Ballots Made

Recommended Matches
– w/ Nick Jackson vs. Dante Martin & Darius Martin (AEW, 1/18)
– w/ Kenny Omega & Nick Jackson vs. AR Fox, Dante Martin & Darius Martin (AEW, 2/8)
– w/ Kenny Omega & Nick Jackson vs. Brody King, Buddy Matthews & Malakai Black (AEW, 3/5)
– w/ Adam Page, Kenny Omega & Nick Jackson vs. Bryan Danielson, Claudio Castagnoli, Jon Moxley & Wheeler Yuta (AEW, 5/28)
– w/ Adam Page, Eddie Kingston, Nick Jackson & Tomohiro Ishii vs. Claudio Castagnoli, Jon Moxley, Konosuke Takeshita, Shota Umino & Wheeler Yuta (AEW/NJPW, 6/25)
– w/ Adam Page, Kenny Omega, Kota Ibushi & Nick Jackson vs. Claudio Castagnoli, Jon Moxley, Konosuke Takeshita, PAC & Wheeler Yuta (AEW, 7/19)
– w/ Nick Jackson vs. Austin Gunn & Colten Gunn (AEW, 8/16)
– w/ Cash Wheeler, Dax Harwood & Nick Jackson vs. Austin Gunn, Colten Gunn, Jay White & Juice Robinson (AEW, 9/3)
– w/ Nick Jackson vs. Komander & Penta El 0M (AEW, 11/15)
– w/ Nick Jackson vs. Chris Jericho & Kenny Omega (AEW, 11/18)

“The Young Bucks had a relative down year as far as top tier feuds go, but Matt and Nick continue to prove themselves as top tier big match wrestlers in AEW. All the big gimmick matches and 10-man tags got all the hype, but the feud with Top Flight where the Jacksons got to let loose against a much younger flippy brother tag team was some of the best work they’ve done in years.” ~ chris

96. Virus (15 ballots, 604 points)
Last Year’s Rank: 317
High Vote: Puroluchitas (7)
Average Rank: 47.53
21.74% of Ballots Made

Recommended Matches
– w/ Cancerbero & Luciferno vs. El Coyote, Okumura & Polyora (CMLL, 2/17)
– vs. Blue Panther (CMLL, 2/24)
– vs. El Satanico (CMLL, 3/3)
– w/ Barbaro Cavernario vs. Bad Dude Tito & Zack Sabre Jr. (NJPW, 5/21)
– w/ Barbaro Cavernario & Templario vs. Mascara Dorada 2.0, Metalik & Titan (CMLL, 7/14)
– w/ Volador Jr. vs. Rocky Romero & TJP (CMLL, 8/11)
– vs. TJP (CMLL, 9/22)
– vs. Mistico (CMLL, 9/29)
– w/ Troyano & Valiente vs. Hijo de Rey Pantera, Rey Pantera Jr. & Yorvak (Lucha Libre Radioactiva, 12/21)
– vs. Calibus (Lucha Memes, 12/25)

“It wasn’t something I was putting up to debate but Virus is the greatest Lighting Match wrestler of all time. Sure, he has a banger with fellow contender Blue Panther, but at the end of the day it just has to be Virus. Whether it be against someone that I didn’t immediately sense he would gel with like TJP. Or some random young flyer he can help guide to a less blunt match, something a little more sophisticated than they are used to. Virus still has it, he never lost it.” ~ Sam DiMascio

95. Nick Jackson (15 ballots, 605 points)
Last Year’s Rank: 51
High Vote: JML (14)
Average Rank: 40.67
21.74% of Ballots Made

Recommended Matches
– w/ Matt Jackson vs. Dante Martin & Darius Martin (AEW, 1/18)
– w/ Kenny Omega & Matt Jackson vs. AR Fox, Dante Martin & Darius Martin (AEW, 2/8)
– w/ Kenny Omega & Matt Jackson vs. Brody King, Buddy Matthews & Malakai Black (AEW, 3/5)
– w/ Adam Page, Kenny Omega & Matt Jackson vs. Bryan Danielson, Claudio Castagnoli, Jon Moxley & Wheeler Yuta (AEW, 5/28)
– w/ Adam Page, Eddie Kingston, Matt Jackson & Tomohiro Ishii vs. Claudio Castagnoli, Jon Moxley, Konosuke Takeshita, Shota Umino & Wheeler Yuta (AEW/NJPW, 6/25)
– w/ Adam Page, Kenny Omega, Kota Ibushi & Matt Jackson vs. Claudio Castagnoli, Jon Moxley, Konosuke Takeshita, PAC & Wheeler Yuta (AEW, 7/19)
– w/ Matt Jackson vs. Austin Gunn & Colten Gunn (AEW, 8/16)
– w/ Cash Wheeler, Dax Harwood & Matt Jackson vs. Austin Gunn, Colten Gunn, Jay White & Juice Robinson (AEW, 9/3)
– w/ Matt Jackson vs. Komander & Penta El 0M (AEW, 11/15)
– w/ Matt Jackson vs. Chris Jericho & Kenny Omega (AEW, 11/18)

94. AZM (12 ballots, 619 points)
Last Year’s Rank: 298
High Vote: Tommy (8)
Average Rank: 41.33
17.39% of Ballots Made

Recommended Matches
– vs. Starlight Kid (Stardom, 3/4)
– vs. Hauzki (Stardom, 3/26)
– vs. Hazuki vs. Mercedes Mone (NJPW, 4/8)
– vs. MIRAI (Stardom, 8/5)
– vs. Saori Anou (Stardom, 8/6)
– vs. Utami Hayashishita (Stardom, 8/15)
– vs. Mina Shirakawa (Stardom, 9/2)
– vs. Momo Watanabe (Stardom, 9/30)
– vs. Mayu Iwatani (Stardom, 10/1)
– vs. Giulia (Stardom, 12/2)

“AZM seemed to venture higher than the High Speed level this year and had some big matches. She just keeps getting better and better each year, and who knows how high she’ll be when she hits her peak.” ~ Steven Graham

93. Cody Rhodes (16 ballots, 625 points)
Last Year’s Rank: 35
High Vote: Pedro (2)
Average Rank: 37.94
23.19% of Ballots Made

Recommended Matches
– vs. Finn Balor (WWE, 1/30)
– vs. Chad Gable (WWE, 2/27)
– vs. Roman Reigns (WWE, 4/2)
– vs. Brock Lesnar (WWE, 5/6)
– vs. Brock Lesnar (WWE, 5/27)
– vs. Brock Lesnar (WWE, 8/5)
– w/ Jey Uso vs. Damian Priest & Finn Balor (WWE, 10/7)
– w/ Jey Uso vs. Kevin Owens & Sami Zayn (WWE, 10/9)
– vs. Damian Priest (WWE, 11/4)
– w/ Jey Uso, Randy Orton, Sami Zayn & Seth Rollins vs. Damian Priest, Dominik Mysterio, Drew McIntyre, Finn Balor & JD McDonagh (WWE, 11/25)

“Cody remains one of the most magnetic performers in the world as his star continues to shine since returning to WWE. While he wasn’t able to finish his story and win the title against Roman at mania, he was the first wrestler I’ve felt get anything out of Brock Lesnar in some while, and was consistent in the singles opportunities and tags he got to showcase his skill. I think a lot of people are focused in on his pure presence and work on the mic, but Cody in the ring was as good as ever.” ~ chris

92. El Hijo del Dr. Wagner Jr. (14 ballots, 629 points)
Last Year’s Rank: 218
High Vote: Adam (3)
Average Rank: 49.79
20.29% of Ballots Made

Recommended Matches
– vs. Manabu Soya (NOAH, 2/5)
– vs. Jack Morris (NOAH, 4/16)
– vs. Hideki Suzuki (NOAH, 5/4)
– vs. AMAKUSA (NOAH, 7/9)
– w/ Go Shiozaki vs. Jake Lee & Kenoh (NOAH, 7/15)
– vs. Go Shiozaki (NOAH, 8/11)
– vs. Manabu Soya (NOAH, 8/27)
– w/ Alejandro & Ninja Mack vs. Alpha Wolf, Dragon Bane & Psycho Clown (NOAH, 9/9)
– vs. Psycho Clown (NOAH, 9/24)
– vs. Jack Morris (NOAH, 10/28)

“Stuntin’ like his daddy. Without a shadow of a doubt, a highlight year for Wagner III. With a good run in the N-1 Victory and a near year long run with the GHC National, El Hijo de Dr. Wagner Jr. in my eyes is NOAH’s best import. Though there are some downsides to his year (lacklustre Psycho Clown feud mostly), he’s still a fantastic worker and has a bit more room to grow.” ~ Ed

91. Mizuki (11 ballots, 630 points) – HIGHEST RANKED 11 BALLOT WRESTLER
Last Year’s Rank: 154
High Vote: Henry/HeadCheese (19)
Average Rank: 43.73
15.94% of Ballots Made

Recommended Matches
– w/ Yuka Sakazaki vs. Miu Watanabe & Suzume (TJPW, 2/11)
– w/ Yuka Sakazaki vs. Maki Itoh & Miyu Yamashita (TJPW, 3/31)
– vs. Nao Kakuta (TJPW, 4/15)
– vs. Sawyer Wreck (TJPW, 5/5)
– vs. Miu Watanabe & Rika Tatsumi (TJPW, 6/11)
– vs. Maki Itoh (TJPW, 7/8)
– w/ Shoko Nakajima vs. Maki Itoh & Miyu Yamashita (TJPW, 9/18)
– vs. Miyu Yamashita (TJPW, 10/9)
– w/ Yuka Sakazaki vs. Miu Watanabe & Rika Tatsumi (TJPW, 11/19)
– w/ Miyu Yamashita, Rika Tatsumi, Shoko Nakajima & Yuka Sakazaki vs. Arisu Endo, Miu Watanabe, Moka Miyamoto, Suzume & Yuki Arai (TJPW, 12/1)

“2023 was the year of the rabbit, the popping sugar rabbit. Mizuki brings so much energy and passion. She was great in the NOAH and Mark Hitchcock Supershow. A wrestler I got to watch live and her enthusiasm and skill is radiated through. She was also my TJPW match of the year and one of my favorite championship matches of the against Sawyer Wreck.” ~ Henry/HeadCheese