50. Sheamus (39 ballots, 1630 points)
Average Rank: 46.38
Last Year’s Rank: 138
High Vote: Kadaveri (15)

Recommended Matches

• vs. Shinsuke Nakamura (WWE, 4/22)
• vs. Gunther (WWE, 5/6)
• vs. Ludwig Kaiser (WWE, 6/3)
• vs. Bron Breakker (WWE, 6/17)
• vs. Gunther vs. Ilja Dragunov (WWE, 7/1)
• vs. Ludwig Kaiser (WWE, 8/5)
• vs. Pete Dunne (WWE, 8/19)
• vs. Pete Dunne (WWE, 10/7)
• vs. Bron Breakker (WWE, 11/11)
• vs. Bron Breakker vs. Ludwig Kaiser (WWE, 11/30)

“One of the best TV wrestlers of the year. Was able to make programs with Pete Dunne and Ludwig Kaiser actually produce good matches, which may be one of the greatest accomplishments of anyone on this list. Was one of the great sellers of the year, and his offense always felt violent and bruising.” ~ Conor S.

“He is apparently only allowed to wrestle other Europeans and Steiner children, but those are pretty ideal Sheamus opponents. Still a top 5 most watchable wrestler in WWE decades in.” ~ Chris Gibbons

49. Kyle Fletcher (40 ballots, 1716 points)
Average Rank: 39.48
Last Year’s Rank: 130
High Vote: Daniel L. (8)

Recommended Matches

• vs. Lee Johnson (ROH, 6/15)
• vs. Kazuchika Okada (AEW, 9/4)
• vs. Atlantis Jr. (AEW, 10/17)
• vs. Komander (AEW, 11/2)
• vs. Will Ospreay (AEW, 11/23)
• vs. Shelton Benjamin (AEW, 12/4)
• vs. Kazuchika Okada (AEW, 12/7)
• vs. Mark Briscoe (AEW, 12/12)
• vs. Daniel Garcia (AEW, 12/22)
• vs. Will Ospreay (AEW, 12/28)

“a flawed year that takes Fletcher some time to find himself. But once he got that heel persona down Fletcher started producing some brilliant stuff. There’s just something with him, he just seems to get it. Fletcher is a guy I never saw myself becoming a fan off but after this year, he’s proved me wrong. “ ~ Padraig

“In 2024 , it seemed like the Australian Randy Orton, was the perfect foil for Will Ospreay, with each complimenting the other’s style.

2025 has already made something of a mockery of this, as their feud succumbed to Ospreay-ism, but last year also established Kyle’s great chemistry with Mark Briscoe and this looks like a more reliable (if lower profile) source of great matches, going forward.” ~ Nick Yeoman

“Kyle Fletcher. What a year. Watching a guy go from generically talented to an actual, smart, solid worker is so cool, and Kyle did it in front of our eyes in 2024. Last year was the beginning of his improvement, but there is still enough there to make a solid case. Post-heel turn (with a promo that I love, shaving your head will always be cool to me) he really tapped into a new level of character work in the ring. Starting with the Komander match, establishing firmly the type of heel he was going to be, it felt so refreshing to actually invest into someone for the first time. Getting two good matches out of Ospreay after that is even more of a feat perhaps, but the real Fletch potential was being paired up against Daniel Garcia. Pure babyface heart is the exact scenario to train this new Kyle against, and I have a feeling 2025 will bring us much more meat off the bone of that feud. Fletchlights rise up.” ~ Andy/Shrimp

“After his big heel turn Fletcher had some of the best facial expressions and body language of any wrestler in 2024. He is insufferable while in control, and eats shit wonderfully during a face comeback. He knows how to slow things down and milk heat, while still having offense that feels credible and dangerous to a modern audience. Unlike so many of his contemporaries his facial expressions are actually highlights of many of his performances and add to his matches. He isn’t afraid to be booed and that makes cheering the faces that much better. He had the wonderful rivalry with Ospreay that led to his transformation and one of the most consistent performances in the Continental Classic. He’s on his way to being the best heel in AEW, and 2024 was a great start.” ~ Conor S.

“I’ve hated this dude for years. Separating him from one of the most boring tag acts of the last decade and letting him cook as a heel was one of the best moves of the last year. Fletcher really came into his own in the last half of the year. He feels like a completely different wrestler now.” ~ Chris Gibbons

48. Takuya Nomura (40 ballots, 1727 points)
Average Rank: 51.58
Last Year’s Rank: 9
High Vote: Tsunami Papi (10)

Recommended Matches

• w/ Fuminori Abe vs. Dominic Garrini & Kevin Ku (GCW, 2/9)
• w/ Fuminori Abe vs. Jonathan Gresham & Mike Bailey (GCW, 2/10)
• vs. Yuya Aoki (BJPW, 3/20)
• vs. Fuminori Abe (GCW, 4/4)
• w/ Fuminori Abe vs. Kazusada Higuchi & Ryota Nakatsu (BASARA, 6/21)
• vs. Dan Tamura (Evolution, 6/27)
• w/ Fuminori Abe vs. Daisuke Sekimoto & So Daimonji (BJPW, 8/28)
• w/ Kazunari Murakami vs. Fuminori Abe & Yuki Ishikawa (KTDan, 10/23)
• w/ Fuminori Abe vs. Dan Tamura & Shuji Ishikawa (Evolution, 12/27)
• w/ Fuminori Abe vs. Daisuke Sekimoto & Masato Tanaka (BJPW, 12/31)

“Nomura gets the short end of the stick on lists like this, and the fact that (as of 4/1) I’m the only one writing about him feels like proof of that. He might not be as flashy or charismatic as Abe, but he often serves as the glue for the Astronauts, especially when they start veering into the comedy tropes (which they did a little too frequently in 2024 for my liking). I also enjoyed his singles work quite a bit this year, especially the tight, precise BJW World Strong Title shot he had against Yuya Aoki earlier in the year. Here’s hoping both Abe and Nomura get back to their roots a little more this year.” ~ Orchid

47. PAC (44 ballots, 1740 points)
Average Rank: 51.23
Last Year’s Rank: 308
High Vote: Patrick (11)

Recommended Matches

• w/ Daniel Garcia & Penta el 0M vs. Kazuchika Okada, Matthew Jackson & Nicholas Jackson (AEW, 4/17)
• vs. Kazuchika Okada (AEW, 4/21)
• vs. Johnny TV (AEW, 5/11)
• vs. Bryan Danielson (AEW, 7/3)
• w/ King & Lucha Brother vs. Mascara Dorada, Mistico & Volador Jr. (CMLL, 7/26)
• vs. Lio Rush (AEW, 7/27)
• w/ Rocky Romero vs. Mascara Dorada & Volador Jr. (CMLL, 8/2)
• w/ Claudio Castagnoli vs. Darby Allin & Orange Cassidy (AEW, 11/6)
• vs. Jay White (AEW, 12/4)
• vs. Volador Jr. (CMLL, 12/13)

“PAC seems to be the guy Tony always dusts off to take a loss when he’s about to push someone, which is how it felt he spent the earlier parts of 2024 (in losses to Ospreay & Okada). I think he might be better than most of the people he loses to, but that’s cool. But he really shined in the trios matches that took place early in the fall, acting as the highlight reel to Claudio’s burner and YUTA’s grounded approach. It’s a shame so much of the latter part of his career has been at the whims of AEW’s visa department (if they even have one).” ~ Orchid

46. Calvin Tankman (41 ballots, 1749 points)
Average Rank: 49.80
Last Year’s Rank: 460
High Vote: Timothy Robert Buechner (11)

Recommended Matches

• vs. Andrew Everett (DPW, 1/20)
• vs. Colby Corino (DPW, 1/21)
• vs. Mike Bailey (DPW, 4/14)
• vs. Kevin Ku (DPW, 5/19)
• vs. Alex Shelley (DPW, 6/16)
• w/ Titus Alexander vs. Jake Something & Mike Bailey (DPW, 7/6)
• vs. Trevor Lee (DPW, 8/18)
• w/ Shane Mercer vs. Marino T. & Philly C. (Freelance, 9/27)
• vs. Jake Something (DPW, 10/13)
• vs. Timothy Thatcher (WCPW, 11/16)

“Tankman had my favorite world title run of 2024. A big man who is able to be insurmountable or vulnerable when called for, making each defense all the more compelling.” ~ Stevan S.

“I won’t lie, Calvin Tankman never really clicked with me. At least he never clicked with any sort of consistency. This year, I still have plenty of issues but the DPW title run feels like a wrestler finally finding his footing. Going from a big dude who can do fancy stuff into a big dude who owns every ring he’s in. I’m not going to try and backseat therapist why that happens, but it happened and that is all that matters. Weirdly when he’s not in his role as champion, the vibes felt off. Calvin could come off as another guy. But it is hard to watch the Kevin Ku or even the Irie match and come away feeling like he’s “just another indie big man”. “ ~ Sam DiMascio

“It takes a lot of balls to try and closely mirror Samoa Joe’s ROH world title run. DPW had the guts to attempt it and Tankman had the talent to pull it off. He even managed to get close to Joe vs Mark Briscoe, in a cage, with Colby Corino.

The seeming decline of his team with BEEF, is further proof that good things don’t last, in the world.” ~ Nick Yeoman

45. Ultimo Guerrero (33 ballots, 1756 points)
Average Rank: 37.27
Last Year’s Rank: 175
High Vote: Nathan A. (7)

Recommended Matches

• vs. Mistico (NJPW/CMLL, 2/19)
• w/ Blue Panther, Mistico & Volador Jr. vs. Bryan Danielson, Claudio Castagnoli, Jon Moxley & Matt Sydal (CMLL, 3/29)
• vs. Templario (CMLL, 7/12)
• vs. Gabe Kidd (NJPW/CMLL, 7/13)
• w/ Rocky Romero vs. Templario & Titan (CMLL, 7/26)
• w/ Gran Guerrero & Stuka Jr. vs. Atlantis Jr., Mascara Dorada & Volador Jr. (CMLL, 9/6)
• w/ Gran Guerrero & Stuka Jr. vs. Atlantis Jr., Templario & Titan (CMLL, 9/20)
• w/ Gran Guerrero & Stuka Jr. vs. Mascara Dorada, Mistico & Neon (CMLL, 10/1)
• w/ Gran Guerrero & Stuka Jr. vs. Atlantis Jr., Neon & Templario (CMLL, 10/29)
• vs. Blue Panther (CMLL, 11/30)

“Los Guerreros Laguneros were one of the safest bets in wrestling in 2024, and naturally, Ultimo was a big part of that. Throw in some really good singles stuff as well, and he has a quietly great year among the more celebrated luchadors in the promotion. Raise the roof.” ~ Stevan S.

44. Jeff Jarrett (43 ballots, 1845 points)
Average Rank: 46.47
Last Year’s Rank: 117
High Vote: TyPls (15)

Recommended Matches

• w/ Jay Lethal & Mark Briscoe vs. Brody King, Buddy Matthews & Malakai Black (AEW, 3/7)
• w/ Jay Lethal & Satnam Singh vs. Bryan Danielson, Cash Wheeler & Dax Harwood (AEW, 5/25)
• vs. Adam Page (AEW, 7/3)
• w/ Calvin G. Lewis, Malcolm Cambridge & Satnam Singh vs. Joshua Bishop, Nathan Zegura, Sam Holloway & Tom Lawlor (AIW, 7/13)
• vs. Bryan Danielson (AEW, 8/7)
• vs. Ariya Daivari (AEW, 8/21)
• w/ Jay Lethal vs. Isiah Kassidy & Marq Quen vs. Matt Taven & Mike Bennett (AEW, 8/28)
• vs. Adam Page (AEW, 9/25)
• vs. QT Marshall (AEW, 12/28)

“the last outlaw shows he’s still got it at the age of 57, Jarrett was having the standard year his AEW run has produced but then the Owen Heart cup happened and it lit a fire under Jarrtes ass that would go to make him the best Wrestler on TV for about a month and a half. bree fucking woo” ~ Padraig

“A hell of a summer from Double J to casually remind us of how awesome he is. “ ~ Stevan S. 

“Bree woo bree woo haha he hittem with the guitar again.” ~ M0ndo

“Similar to Dustin in a lot of ways. His great equalizer will always be his right hand, the body can give but the hand won’t go. But like Dustin, that is a thing I say as I expect the body to break down and these dudes don’t do that. Loved the performance in the Page match. The old gunslinger against the man in his prime, it totally works. Outside of Dustin, don’t think someone else could have quite pulled it off.” ~ Sam DiMascio

“Two of my favorite TV matches ever happening in JJs 2024. The Owen match with Hanger and the brawl with Bryan in the All In build are both magical pieces of television. I get it, its Jeff Jarrett, hes got quite a history. But just looking at in ring work in 2024, it’s hard to deny that Slap Nuts made you feel. I don’t know where he goes this year, but we will always have those 2 all timers to cherish.” ~ Andy/Shrimp

43. Kazuchika Okada (40 ballots, 1902 points)
Average Rank: 42.25
Last Year’s Rank: 10
High Vote: Flae (7)

Recommended Matches

• vs. Bryan Danielson (NJPW, 1/4)
• vs. Will Ospreay (NJPW, 1/13)
• vs. Eddie Kingston (AEW, 3/20)
• vs. PAC (AEW, 4/21)
• vs. Bryan Danielson (AEW, 10/2)
• vs. Daniel Garcia (AEW, 11/27)
• vs. Mark Briscoe (AEW, 12/4)
• vs. Kyle Fletcher (AEW, 12/7)
• vs. Ricochet (AEW, 12/28)
• vs. Will Ospreay (AEW, 12/28)

“The people who are saying Okada is washed are talking out of their ass, most likely because their viewing experience of Okada is limited to Tokyo Dome and Osaka-jō Hall matches. What Okada has done in 2024 is super-impressive to me: he’s come to a new country where he isn’t fluid in the language and made himself relevant to an audience that likes to think of themselves as “smart” but can’t prevent themselve from screaming MEAT very loudly any time to large men smack each other in the tits. AEW Okada is a semi-decent midcard wrestler, which is exactly what AEW needs him to be for all but 2 or 3 shows a week.” ~ Orchid

“Classic case of a shitty gimmick getting in the way of solid wrestling for a lot of people. 2024 wasn’t touching Okada’s last few years in New Japan, but as he enjoys his lighter schedule in AEW, he put on his working boots when it mattered most. The Ospreay match to end the year, the Danielson match at the Dome and his C2 run were phenomenal and good reminders why Tony Khan threw a bazillion dollars at the Money Man.” ~ Chris Gibbons

“Maybe the most misunderstood wrestler of 2024 when you consider the discrepancy between how his performances were described to actual material. The real talk about Okada’s year, his first in a major American wrestling promotion is that he demonstrated an ability to adapt narrative and structural beats from his New Japan epic formula while intensifying expression of character work, resulting in consistently solid matches on TV due to the stripped-down, simplistic nature of their psychology. If these matches are tedious, phoned-in, and lazy, would they be better if he swapped the stooging, concentrated neck work, and decisive transitions for several interminable chop exchanges and endless nearfall trading. Often when watching AEW cards in 2024, his match would feel like a breath of fresh air because he grasps the value of restraint.” ~ Flae

42. Kris Statlander (46 ballots, 1943 points)
Average Rank: 45.76
Last Year’s Rank: 123
High Vote: Nick (9)

Recommended Matches

• vs. Queen Aminata (AEW, 1/17)
• vs. Riho (AEW, 3/6)
• w/ Willow Nightingale vs. Julia Hart & Skye Blue (AEW, 3/20)
• vs. Anna Jay vs. Skye Blue vs. Willow Nightingale (AEW, 3/27)
• w/ Momo Watanabe vs. Tam Nakano & Willow Nightingale (AEW/NJPW, 6/30)
• vs. Willow Nightingale (AEW, 7/3)
• vs. Willow Nightingale (AEW, 9/7)
• vs. Hikaru Shida (AEW, 11/20)
• vs. Mercedes Mone (AEW, 11/23)
• vs. Mercedes Mone (AEW, 12/28)

“Delivered every time she was given a spot on a pay per view this year. I still believe the Willow street fight is the best women’s match produced in the company’s history. “ ~ Stevan S.

“Kris Statlander had herself a breakout year by the time 2024 closed out. In just the final 3 months alone she had 3 absolute classics with Willow in a street fight, and two Moné matches that stole the show on their respective cards. AEW has had ups and downs with its women’s division, but what Stat and Moné did last year feels like an actual shift. It is funny closing her year with two great wrestling matches, when her other two best ones are plunder fests. The All Out encounter with Willow felt like such a wonderful payoff, not to the weird kayfabe story, but to the potential that both women had been building with their previous tag plunders. One of those taking place in 2024 too, their match against Julia and Skye from March. God I miss Rampage. Also my girlfriend says Stat has cool pigeons and cool bearded dragon, and I can’t argue with that.” ~ Andy/Shrimp

41. Templario (41 ballots, 2102 points)
Average Rank: 33.88
Last Year’s Rank: 48
High Vote: Nick Yeoman (9)

Recommended Matches

• vs. Mascara Dorada (CMLL, 1/5)
• vs. Soberano Jr. (NJPW/CMLL, 2/18)
• vs. Angel de Oro (CMLL, 4/26)
• vs. Flip Gordon (CMLL, 5/10)
• w/ Mascara Dorada vs. Rocky Romero & Taiji Ishimori (CMLL, 6/21)
• vs. Ultimo Guerrero (CMLL, 7/12)
• vs. Soberano Jr. (CMLL, 9/6)
• w/ Neon & Star Jr. vs. Angel de Oro, Niebla Roja & Soberano Jr. (CMLL, 9/13)
• w/ Atlantis Jr. & Titan vs. Gran Guerrero, Stuka Jr. & Ultimo Guerrero (CMLL, 9/20)
• w/ Mascara Dorada & Mistico vs. Barbaro Cavernario, Euforia & Soberano Jr. (CMLL, 10/25)

“An awesome fireworks guy, and a nice variable when added to main events. Also helps to carry a sword. “ ~ Stevan S.

“Forever one of My Dudes. His case doesn’t really change year to year. This year I think he has a few less standout matches but that doesn’t stop all the good things about him from being true. Templario still is a great energy guy in every trios match he is in. You always need a folks in these matches that will go 100 MPH into their opponent.” ~ Sam DiMascio

“A lesser talent could have been lost in the shuffle this year. The premature decline of his promising alliance with Soberano Jnr and Rocky Romero, along with  a face turn that was executed with all the fanfare of a slight administrative error being corrected, left him in a technico locker room already stuffed with similarly flashy workers.

Even if he was never the driving focus of anything happening in CMLL, Templario simply remains too cool, too spectacular and too suited to trios matches, to go unnoticed.” ~ Nick Yeoman