70. Shingo Takagi (23 ballots, 1225 points)
Average Rank: 31.17
Last Year’s Rank: 65
High Vote: Jacob Shearin (3)

Recommended Matches

• vs. Masaaki Mochizuki (DG, 1/10)
• vs. Jon Moxley (NJPW, 1/13)
• vs. Yuya Uemura (NJPW, 3/8)
• vs. Gabe Kidd (NJPW, 3/13)
• vs. Gabe Kidd (NJPW, 5/4)
• vs. Yuya Uemura (NJPW, 5/11)
• vs. Great-O-Khan (NJPW, 7/23)
• vs. Zack Sabre Jr. (NJPW, 8/17)
• vs. Ryohei Oiwa (NJPW, 10/14)
• vs. Zack Sabre Jr. (NJPW, 11/4)

“Shingo reminds me a lot of the canned chili I eat two or three times a week–at one point, I decided it was the best chili on the face of the planet. But at this point, I’m just eating the same chili again this week. The stand out match of his from last year was the Texas Death against Moxley at Battle In The Valley, where he gave so much to Mox that once the match was over, I was completely convinced the future IWGP champ was about to start the run of his life. That didn’t work out. But I still enjoy Stagg’s Chili, slightly more than I enjoy Shingo Takagi in 2024.” ~ Orchid

69. Barbaro Cavernario (27 ballots, 1230 points)
Average Rank: 44.33
Last Year’s Rank: 133
High Vote: Aubie (11)

Recommended Matches

• vs. Esfinge (CMLL, 1/5)
• vs. Mascara Dorada (CMLL, 1/19)
• vs. Averno (CMLL, 3/29)
• vs. Mascara Dorada (CMLL, 4/21)
• vs. Flip Gordon (CMLL, 7/6)
• vs. Yota Tsuji (NJPW/CMLL, 7/13)
• w/ Dragon Rojo Jr. & Terrible vs. Mascara Dorada, Neon & Star Jr. (CMLL, 7/16)
• w/ Angel de Oro & Soberano Jr. vs. Mascara Dorada, Mistico & Templario (CMLL, 8/9)
• w/ Euforia & Soberano Jr. vs. Mascara Dorada, Mistico & Templario (CMLL, 10/25)
• vs. Barboza vs. Difunto vs. Xelhua (CMLL, 11/1)

“I will never quit Barbaro Cavernario. He’s a violent ball of energy in any match he’s in. CMLL doesn’t always have someone in a match who will truly Lay It In and you never have to question that being in play when Cavernario is in any given match.” ~ Sam DiMascio

“Few wrestlers are able to project chaos and control as effortlessly as Cavernario. In most companies he’d be head and shoulders above the rest of the wrestlers, he just happens to be on CMLL’s amazing roster.” ~ Dan Rice

68. Wheeler Yuta (38 ballots, 1238 points)
Average Rank: 57.89
Last Year’s Rank: 36
High Vote: M. Smith (15)

Recommended Matches

• vs. Komander (AEW, 1/3)
• vs. Eddie Kingston (AEW, 1/10)
• w/ Claudio Castagnoli vs. Cash Wheeler & Dax Harwood (AEW, 6/8)
• vs. Lee Moriarty (ROH, 6/20)
• vs. Lee Moriarty (ROH, 7/26)
• vs. Anthony Henry (ROH, 7/28)
• vs. Rocky Romero (AEW, 8/7)
• w/ Claudio Castagnoli vs. Matthew Jackson & Nicholas Jackson (AEW, 9/7)
• vs. Anthony Henry (AEW, 9/12)
• vs. Adam Page (AEW, 11/27)

“Perpetually underlized by AEW, I often fear Wheeler Yuta is a little too subtle for his own good. He often makes subtle shifts to his offense depending on the role he’s in (remember the few months he was busting out the Cattle Mutilation?) and is smart enough to let the action breathe sometimes, building tension with crowd work and subtle limb-selling. I find myself thinking about his September match against Anthony Henry on Collision quite a bit: in what felt like a warm-up for The Deathriders turn in hindsight, Henry & YUTA called the match so that Yuta was working under him until they came back from ad break. Afterwards, Yuta starts working to dominate and gets so into his hammer and anvil strikes that he backs referee Mike Posey into a corner when he tries to peel Yuta off them. He’s foreshadowing here, probably in a way that most fans won’t notice, as this feels like a throwaway match. But Yuta is constantly rewarding the fans who pay close attention to details, which is probably why he ended up on this list.” ~ Orchid

67. Yuma Anzai (26 ballots, 1238 points)
Average Rank: 41.46
Last Year’s Rank: 111
High Vote: Jacob Shearin (2)

Recommended Matches

• vs. Kaito Kiyomiya (Nippon TV Produce, 2/9)
• w/ Ryuki Honda vs. Tetsuya Endo & Yuki Iino (DDT, 3/17)
• vs. Katsuhiko Nakajima (AJPW, 3/30)
• vs. Ryuki Honda (AJPW, 4/21)
• vs. Kento Miyahara (AJPW, 5/29)
• vs. Hideki Suzuki (AJPW, 6/24)
• vs. Ryuki Honda (AJPW, 7/20)
• vs. Rei Saito (AJPW, 8/3)
• vs. Yuma Aoyagi (AJPW, 8/17)
• w/ Rising HAYATO vs. Kento Miyahara & Ryo Inoue (AJPW, 12/31)

“A glimpse of the finished product. Passed many Sink or Swim situations with flying colors with the Triple Crown, and I’m excited to see where he goes from here. He’s also really great at getting his ass kicked, which goes a long way for me. “ ~ Stevan S.

66. Christian Cage (33 ballots, 1290 points)
Average Rank: 46.79
Last Year’s Rank: 23
High Vote: Sol (8)

Recommended Matches

• vs. Dustin Rhodes (AEW, 1/17)
• w/ Killswitch & Nick Wayne vs. Cash Wheeler, Daniel Garcia & Dax Harwood (AEW, 2/3)
• w/ Brian Cage, Killswitch & Roderick Strong vs. Daniel Garcia, Hook, Orange Cassidy & Trent Beretta (AEW, 2/28)
• vs. Daniel Garcia (AEW, 3/3)
• vs. Adam Copeland (AEW, 3/20)
• vs. Swerve Strickland (AEW, 5/26)
• w/ Killswitch & Nick Wayne vs. Austin Gunn, Colten Gunn & Juice Robinson (AEW, 7/20)
• vs. Jay White (AEW, 10/16)
• w/ Adam Page vs. Jay White & Juice Robinson (AEW, 11/13)
• w/ Nick Wayne vs. Hook & Katsuyori Shibata (AEW, 12/18)

“Christian spent the last quarter of the year running around with a binder, so it’s easier to forget some of the strong work he did prior to The Deathriders angle kicking off in earnest. He was easily the key figure in the feud against Adam Copeland, leaning on classic heel tactics that made is easy for Copeland’s paint-by-numbers approach to match psychology to land (a gargantuan task in hindsight, especially during the I Quit match). He also did some utterly hilarious work on Collision over the summer, highlighted the one time he wore a turtleneck referee shirt that made him look like the offspring of Scott Foster and Slenderman. A true worker, one who will probably never be appreciated as much as he deserves to be.” ~ Orchid

65. Yota Tsuji (24 ballots, 1295 points)
Average Rank: 33.13
Last Year’s Rank: 77
High Vote: Jacob Shearin (4)

Recommended Matches

• vs. Yuya Uemura (NJPW, 2/24)
• vs. Jeff Cobb (NJPW, 3/10)
• vs. Hirooki Goto (NJPW, 3/20)
• vs. Tetsuya Naito (NJPW, 4/6)
• vs. David Finlay (NJPW, 5/3)
• vs. Barbaro Cavernario (NJPW/CMLL, 7/13)
• vs. Konosuke Takeshita (NJPW, 7/20)
• vs. David Finlay (NPJW, 7/21)
• vs. David Finlay (NJPW, 8/17)
• vs. Zack Sabre Jr. (NJPW, 8/18)

“after Yuya Uemura (the best wrestler in the world) withdrew from the G1 34 due to injury, the path was clear for Yota Tsuji to deliver the standout performance among the NJPW young lions that have been given prominent roles. While Shota Umino and Ren Narita delivered stinker after Stinker, Tsuji shone each night & made the quarterfinal tournament, where his input helped raise the profiles of Konosuke Takeshita, David Finlay, and Zack Sabre Jr., all while setting himself up for his first singles championship win (albeit in 2024). There’s still a few too many holes in his work, especially around selling and match psychology. But he’s poised to be a big part of NJPW’s potential turnaround, and I bet he places higher on next year’s list if he can iron out the little wrinkles.” ~ Orchid

64. Yuya Uemura (36 ballots, 1318 points)
Average Rank: 50.92
Last Year’s Rank: 595
High Vote: L.C. Moe (3)

Recommended Matches

• vs. Yota Tsuji (NJPW, 2/24)
• vs. Shingo Takagi (NJPW, 3/8)
• vs. Great-O-Khan (NJPW, 6/9)
• vs. David Finlay (NJPW, 7/20)
• vs. Hirooki Goto (NJPW, 7/21)
• vs. Konosuke Takeshita (NJPW, 7/25)
• vs. Jeff Cobb (NJPW, 7/28)
• vs. HENARE (NJPW, 7/31)
• vs. El Phantasmo (NJPW, 8/4)
• vs. Yota Tsuji (NJPW, 8/10)

“Yuya lost his powers when he had his head shaved, but bounced back in time for the G1. Easily the brightest of the new generation in NJPW, only hindered by the unfortunate injury. “ ~ Stevan S.

“As close as you will get to a Cooper Flagg/Wembayama/Ohtani prospect in wrestling. His style is clearly inspired by great territory babyfaces of the past, and his energy and ability to improvise puts him way ahead of his next generation peers. There are certain guys you can invest in based on having an epic theme song and cool armdrags, and this is one” ~L.C. Moe

“The savior of New Japan Pro Wrestling. A total armdrag, hammerlock, and above all else, TOUKON merchant. Real ones understand how this computes” ~ Flae

63. Samoa Joe (36 ballots, 1327 points)
Average Rank: 54.64
Last Year’s Rank: 6
High Vote: Patrick (4)

Recommended Matches

• vs. Hook (AEW, 1/17)
• w/ Brian Cage & Swerve Strickland vs. Adam Page, Hook & Rob Van Dam (AEW, 2/21)
• vs. Adam Page vs. Swerve Strickland (AEW, 3/3)
• vs. Wardlow (AEW, 3/13)
• vs. Dustin Rhodes (AEW, 4/10)
• vs. Swerve Strickland (AEW, 4/21)
• vs. Isaiah Kassidy (AEW, 5/1)
• w/ Hook & Katsuyori Shibata vs. Ariya Daivari, Josh Woods & Tony Nese (AEW, 6/30)
• w/ Hook & Katsuyori Shibata vs. Big Bill, Chris Jericho & Jeff Cobb (AEW/NJPW, 6/30)
• vs. Chris Jericho (AEW, 7/10)

“Reliable as ever. It took little time for him to rehab the world title, which is an accomplishment in and of itself. “ ~ Stevan S.

“I’m as shocked as you are. Joe is still going strong after all these years. I guess that stair bump in TNA didn’t ruin him. Truly though, the Dustin match is on a different level and is a match between two real Pros’ Pros. Joe knows how to throw a god damner of a punch still and that thing doesn’t like it is ever going away.” ~ Sam DiMascio

62. Brody King (34 ballots, 1346 points)
Average Rank: 48.21
Last Year’s Rank: 108
High Vote: Haven (10)

Recommended Matches

• vs. Mark Briscoe (AEW, 2/10)
• w/ Buddy Matthews & Malakai Black vs. Jay Lethal, Jeff Jarrett & Mark Briscoe (AEW, 3/7)
• vs. Adam Copeland (AEW, 5/8)
• vs. Darby Allin (AEW, 10/12)
• w/ Malakai Black vs. Cash Wheeler & Dax Harwood (AEW, 11/13)
• vs. Darby Allin (AEW, 11/27)
• vs. Claudio Castagnoli (AEW, 12/4)
• vs. Ricochet (AEW, 12/11)
• vs. Komander (AEW, 12/18)
• vs. Will Ospreay (AEW, 12/22)

“Life’s hard, be harder. Could try to write a lot of word on Brody King’s 2024, but a big part of what made him stand out to me last year is just how fucking cool he is. Hardcore vocalist with the ski mask and jacket fit, tatted the fuck up, throwing little Darby Allin around like a frisbee. I’m sorry, coolness is big for me, and Brody is a top 3 cool MF in AEW. In terms of work though, there’s a rock solid case. The Darby matches obviously rule, even if I have live bias on the Wrestledream one. And once again, an underrated part of the C2, making so many things work in that tournament. The feed being cut out from the cannonball in the Allin C2 match is a “dudes rock” moment that should be remembered.” ~ Andy/Shrimp

61. Miu Watanabe (28 ballots, 1362 points)
Average Rank: 40.21
Last Year’s Rank: 141
High Vote: Sol (5)

Recommended Matches

• w/ Rika Tatsumi vs. Arisu Endo & Suzume (TJPW, 2/10)
• vs. Miyu Yamashita (TJPW, 3/31)
• w/ Moka Miyamoto vs. Shoko Nakajima & Yuki Aino (TJPW, 4/27)
• vs. Shoko Nakajima (TJPW, 5/6)
• vs. Vertvixen (TJPW, 6/9)
• vs. Rika Tatsumi (TJPW, 7/20)
• vs. Arisu Endo (TJPW, 7/28)
• vs. Zara Zakher (TJPW, 8/3)
• vs. Ryo Mizunami (TJPW, 9/22)
• w/ Miyu Yamashita vs. Meiko Satomura & Shoko Nakajima (TJPW, 10/6)

“Miu Watanabe herself is evidence against the grating stereotypes permeating Tokyo Joshi Pro. They perceive the company as all-frills, with little substance, a place that prioritizes cutesy aesthetics and idol-esque characters over workrate. Yet, it’s the frontwoman of the Up-Up Girls whose wrestling harkens back to the often romanticized old-school values. As a dynamic powerhouse and reliable base for her opponents, Miu emphasizes believable selling and the kind of airtight focus many main-event wrestlers in Joshi let fall through the cracks in their attempt to escalate with empty-calorie big moves and superficial fighting spirit. The consequence of the dueling bodywork in her title defense against Shoko Nakajima embodies the values Miu and TJPW covet, one that many critics yearn for despite it happening directly under their noses.” ~ SolPosting

“Miu’s first POP reign lived up to expectations. Great as both an underdog and obstacle, and frequently elevated lesser opponents. “ ~ Stevan S.