Power Rankings - 2019 So Far...

Power Rankings

2019 So Far...

   This is my Power Rankings for the year in wrestling so far. I will be ranking wrestlers in terms of their achievement within the world of wrestling inside and outside of the ring.

1. Kazuchika Okada

   Another year of excellence from the ace of New Japan. 2019 saw Okada win the New Japan Cup, win back the IWGP Heavyweight Title and put together a string of masterful performances in the G1 29.

   Okada is currently the most valuable commodity in professional wrestling. A dynastorial champion who elevates whoever gets in the ring with him. Okada is already the greatest IWGP Champion of all time and he is only 31. He is definitely one of the top three wrestlers in the world and he will get better. Another ten years of brilliance is probable.

   His matches with Ospreay, Suzuki and SANADA have been highlights of the year as he rebuilt his Rainmaker character, short trunks and all.

2. Becky Lynch

   She has, inarguably, cooled off in recent months but on the strength of her Royal Rumble win and the defeat of Ronda Rousey at Wrestlemania as well as the evolution of her 'The Man' persona she is undeniable one of the very hottest commodities in the business.

   Her promos are polished and yet organic. She connects with the fans yet is face of the biggest company in the wrestling world. Becky Lynch has used 2019 to become one of the most recognisable names in wrestling.

   When handles correctly she is part of scorching hot feuds and creates a big match feel. Her feud with Rousey was the perfect example of this and her upcoming feud with Sasha Banks is in the same vein.

3. Chris Jericho

   Chris Jericho is 48 years old yet has possible had the biggest year in his wrestling career. He has been the IWGP Intercontinental Champion, challenged for the IWGP Heavyweight Title and has become the first ever AEW World Champion.

   He is a promo machine and has been 'don't take your eyes off him' good in feuds. His work with Adam Page, Tetsuya Naito and Kenny Omega has been compelling.

   He is now going to be the centre piece for the television debut of AEW on TNT. He will get significant mic-time and will be feuding with the biggest and most skilled performers in AEW. He has proven that he can draw interest and create brilliance with relative ease.

4. Tessa Blanchard

   An Impact Wrestling star yet on the most compelling and now influential performers in the world. Callis and D'Amore deserve a huge amount of credit for how they have booked her however her talent is shining through in a big way!

   Her intergender matches are pulling up trees in the wrestling world. She has an incredible look, a believable style and a compelling ability to sell. It's inconceivable that Impact can hold onto her for much longer despite the incredible job they have done to elevate her.

   It could be argued that she is the next stage of the woman's evolution within wrestling, that it is in fact her that is the heir to the four horsewomen. If AEW can get hold of her it could be next level for all parties. She is poised to take the work of Becky Lynch to the next level.

5. Kota Ibushi

   An incredibly gifted performer and perennially cited to be a breakout star. However Kota Ibushi is 37 years old. That's six years older than Okada.

   2019 has been different though. Ibushi has signed a lifetime contract with New Japan after years of flitting from company to company. This has seen New Japan become comfortable with investing in Ibushi. 20189 say Ibushi win the G1 29 and he is scheduled to face Okada at Wrestle Kingdom.

   Incredible in the ring, uber popular with Japanese and Western fans and star-like looks Kota Ibushi is about to fulfill his monstrous potential.

6. Jon Moxley

   What a year it has been for Jon Moxley. From leaving WWE to cryptic messages to resurfacing as Jon Moxley to AEW to NJPW to the G1 and the incredible podcast tell alls. Jon Moxley has gone from struggling as Dean Ambrose to storming AEW and NJPW as Jon Moxley.

   His self promotion, the way he has conducted himself and his sheer talent in the ring has enabled him to power back to prominence in the wrestling world. He is now a star in Japan and is poised to be a major player in AEW.

   His promo work in AEW has proven him an intelligent man who understands the business and what fans want but iti has been his work in Japan that has really stood out. His G1 run was incredible. He mixed it up with a variety of styles and worked the incredibly difficult New Japan with aplomb.

7. Cody Rhodes

   Cody is an interesting wrestler. Often maligned as not up to the standard of the other wrestlers that are pushing the business into the future yet he is a compelling worker and a magnetic personality.

   He has had incredible matches against Shawn Spears and Dustin Rhodes so far this year. He is a masterful promo and a genius businessman. He is the face of AEW and possible the most over babyface in the fledgling company.

   His ability to build up a match giving each a big match feel is invaluable. He is not in the top bracket in terms of wrestling technical ability but his charisma and creative skills are very special.

8. Seth Rollins

   It has been an interesting year for Seth Rollins. Elevated in difficult circumstances, Rollins has been the mainstay of the main event scene on Raw for a year now. He is the number one babyface but is a somewhat controversial character.

   Incredibly skilled in the ring yet he struggles to remain over with the fans. A questionable Twitter game and some poor character work has made life difficult for him however he has had some superb moments this year.

   His victory against Lesnar at Summerslam was an incredible performance and has rehabilitated his character. He is now one of the most valuable commodities in the business.

9. Will Ospreay

   Considered one of the best, of not the best wrestler in the world. This year Will Ospreay won the BOSJ, the IWGP Junior Heavyweight title and competed in the G1 as a junior heavyweight.

   Ospreay has moved to Japan and is becoming a major player in New Japan. Apparently he is considered the heir to Kenny Omega. He has put on a succession of terrific matches this year against Eagles, Takagi, Ibushi and Okada.

   With an ever evolving moveset and a unique charisma at 26 years old, the world is in Will Ospreay's hands.

10. Johnny Gargano

   The injury to Tommaso Ciampa was gutting for NXT fans who had watched their epic feud. However the somewhat impromptu match with Adam Cole was an incredible spectacle.

   Four five star matches as a WWE wrestler is something to take notice of. Gargano is an incredible worker and is almost guaranteed to have the best match on the card.

   He is in an interesting position. He is almost the next Brian Danielson yet he is already signed by WWE. Yet if he did decide to go elsewhere he would hit the top of the card instantly.

Honourable Mentions

• Kenny Omega - The best wrestler in the world and AEW EVP is building a compelling story in the fledgling promotion.
• The Young Bucks - The Jackson brothers are at the forefront of a tag team dynasty.
• The Undisputed Era - This quartet will be at the front of NXT as it takes on AEW in the 'Wednesday Night War'.
• MJF - A truly special promo. He has so very much potential as a heel in AEW.
• Sasha Banks - The possible resurgence of Sasha Banks coupled with her wrestling ability is potentially very special.
• Io Shirai - Wrestling ability as it has always been, top tier, however her character work has taken the wrestling world by storm.

Booking NJPW - #1 Royal Quest

Booking NJPW

Royal Quest

Ryusuke Taguchi, Shota Umino and Ren Narita vs. Roppongi 3K (Rocky Romero, Sho and Yoh)

   A high quality opening match. Roppongi 3K should win with strong performances from their opposition's Young Lions. Rocky Romero should get the pin over Taguchi.

Kota Ibushi and Juice Robinson vs. Bullet Club (Yujiro Takahashi and Hikuleo)

   This should be a Kota Ibushi showcase. All the athleticism. All the big moves. And all the love from the crowd. His first challenger for the brief case should also become apparent after the match. A confrontation with EVIL would be fitting.

Chaos (Will Ospreay and Robbie Eagles) vs. Bullet Club (Taiji Ishimori and El Phantasmo)

   This will be a fast paced showcase match. El Phantasmo should pin Eagles to set up a match with Ospreay for the title. Expect to see Ospreay pull out all the stops for his return to the UK.

Los Ingobernables de Japon (Tetsuya Naito and SANADA) vs. Bullet Club (Jay White and Chase Owens)

   The absence of EVIL in this match could suggest he will be confronting Ibushi to challenge for the Wrestle Kingdom contract. Jay White will likely score a pin fall over SANADA or even Naito to set up a future match for the IWGP Intercontinental Title. Expect intriguing interactions between White and Naito.

Guerrillas of Destiny (Tama Tonga and Tanga Loa) vs. TBD (RPW's Road to Royal Quest tournament winners)

   Hopefully, this will be an opportunity for NJPW to add new blood to their tag division. Aussie Open have a great reputation and would be an intriguing pair. The Guerrillas' title reign is very stale. They are an entertaining act who are charismatic and Tama really gets Twitter. However New Japan do not capitalise on this.

   If New Japan were to believe strongly in Aussie Open a title win here could be very worthwhile.

Tomohiro Ishii vs. KENTA

   This could be a banger. The hard hitting clash seems destined to be spoken about in platitudes on Twitter. The crowd will be firmly behind Ishii and KENTA will play up to this.

   The booking of this is diificult. Ishii has been NEVER Openweight champion without doing much with it before. A KENTA win perhaps with nefarious means could be fitting. This would fit in with the Western expansion.

Zack Sabre Jr. vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi

   Their previous matches have been critically acclaimed and ZSJ will want to put on a terrific match for his home crowd. Tanahashi's G1 showed that despite early slips he is still a expert act and can still put on an absolute clinic.

   Zack should win here, keeping the title in the UK and to elevate him after a difficult G1 returning to the heights of 2018.

Kazuchika Okada vs. Minoru Suzuki

   Kazuchika Okada will win here, there's no question of that. Minoru Suzuki is familiar to Rev Pro audiences and has held their top belt so it is fitting he is headlining this event.

   This match should be used to build up Suzuki again as a vindictive heel monster. Even at his age he is still compelling and believable in the ring. Okada and Suzuki will put on a masterclass for the British crowd.

   Potential challengers for Okada between now and Wrestle Kingdom are not particularly obvious. With losses to Ibushi who he will be facing at Wrestle Kingdom and SANADA who he has already beaten twice this year leave things a bit murky. It would be plausible for SANADA to get another shot as he won the last match between them. It would probably work for him to confront Okada after the match.

   SANADA and EVIL both challenging Okada and Ibushi for their respective places at Wrestle Kingdom would be an intriguing scenario.

G1 29 - Performance Analysis - A-Block

G1 29

A-Block - Performance Analysis

G1 29 - How it unfolded.

   The 2019 G1 was an incredible tournament full of expert in ring performances. Throughout the G1 I ranked wrestler's performance each night awarding points from 10 down to 1 depending on where I ranked each wrestler. Below is the average for each wrestler as a graph displaying their overall performance throughout the G1 in comparison with their fellow wrestlers.

After each round the wrestlers were ranked from 1-10. First place getting 10 points and tenth getting 1. The table above shows the average of these allocated points over the 9 rounds.

Bad Luck Fale - 1

   Fale is out of place in these tournaments. He is not up to the standard of the other wrestlers. There were some moments within this competition where babyfaces had some good moments fighting against the bigger man and his interfering Bullet Club members.

   Fale, historically, has played the role of spoiler to enable strong candidates to lose without being too damaged due to his size. However in the G1 29 his lumbering performances were not convincing especially as he mind-bogglingly picked up four victories.

   The emergence of Archer as an imposing, popular and able big man surely renders Bad Luck Fale obsolete?

EVIL - 3.56

   EVIL put in a few great performances. His match with SANADA was tremendous.

   He is a compelling striker and has the ability to hit high impact grapples. However, EVIL lacks the intrigue of most other G1 competitors. He is a solid worker but he is somewhat uninspiring. He doesn't really excel with any aspect of his craft.

   EVIL needs to be repackaged his gimmick is not good and this hampers his overall performance. Such weak presentation affects the perception of him, overall, as a performer. A potentially top level performer but is missing something significant currently.

KENTA - 4.33

   I was so intrigued to see KENTA in the G! but I was dubious as to whether he would be able to keep up with the incredible performance levels expected in the G1.

   It was a mixed bag as far as KENTA's G1 journey went. Generally, he was a good worker with a compelling story. He was booed by the crowd and took pleasure in disrespecting his opponents. He battered his opponents with kicks and palm strikes but ultimately looked a little off the pace at times.

   Ultimately, KENTA was an interesting part of the G1. His mates were generally intriguing and his journey in NJPW will continue to capture the intrigue of wrestling fans. His next steps as a Bullet Club member will be fascinating.

Archer - 5.22

   Lance Archer was included in the G1 and Minoru Suzuki was left out. Confusing. However Archer was a revelation in this tournament and by the end nobody was questioning his inclusion.

   He was an absolute monster throughout! His character work was fully committed and his in ring work was quite simply surprisingly compelling. He didn't wrestle the longest matches or the most technically proficient matches however they were always a spectacle. 

   He thrived as an overly intense, psychotic badass throughout the tournament and even managed to get the crowd chanting his name in a match in opposition to the eternally beloved Tanahashi.

SANADA - 5.44

   I would catagorise SANADA's position in NJPW at the moment as odd. Recently he has had a IWGP championship match against Okada and has even beaten the reigning IWGP champion in a G1 match. However he was distinctly middle of the pack throughout the G1 and doesn't really look as if he's about to progress much past this anytime soon!

   He is in, arguably, the coolest stable in world wrestling but he doesn't really benefit from this nearly as much as he should. He was a solid part of this G1 putting on some terrific matches but he remains thoroughly uninteresting a lot of the time.

   He continuously performed well and always sold athletically to benefit his opponents. He really did look the part in his victorious effort against Okada,

Tanahashi - 5.56

   I have always found Tanahashi confusing. However G1 29 was where he completely changed my perspective of him. He has a real turnaround about halfway through, going from looking like Goldberg in Saudi Arabia to a master craftsman.

   Tanahashi was a masterful aging veteran in this tournament. He didn't fly through his opponents as he has done in the past. He looked shaky as he approached the halfway mark struggling to physically full fill his role. However int he closing stretch he was masterful. 

   His final few matches showed Tanahashi's magic to full effect. He wrestled and dramatised his matches into masterful stories. He sold and fought back. He timed Dragon Screws to perfection. He opened a window into the future; one where Tanahashi is still a compelling performer, one where he is part of excellent matches and one where he is working with up and coming guys out with the main event scene.

Zack Sabre Junior - 6.89

   ZSJ is an intriguing performer. His style is a welcome variation within the G1. Competitors have to either do as SANADA did and beat ZSJ at his own game or do as Tanahashi did and stay as far away from ZSJ's game as possible.

   The story of early exit was managed well by ZSJ. He spoke of beating the system by just beating Okada then took pleasure out of trying to be the spoiler. His performances were solid throughout. He made each match a story be it as a coiled cobra looking for any weakness or attempting to take on strikers at their own game with a barrage of uppercuts.

   Zack's matches with Ospreay, Tanahashi and Okada were particular highlights in his tournament. He could go far in NJPW if he sticks around long enough. He should consider following Ospreay's example.

Kazuchika Okada - 7.22

   Okada is NJPW's crown jewel for a reason. With him as champion, everything seems right in the wrestling world. He was a force of nature in this G1, giving a variety of wrestlers their best match of the tournament.

   Okada's matches with Ospreay, Naito and Ibushi were highlights of the entire tournament. He was at his absolute best in this tournament in the closing stretch of his matches. A string of nail-bitig finales made Okada one of the G1's MVPs.

   The manner in which he countered Ospreay's Stormbreaker into the Rainmaker in the closing stretch of their match of the tournament contender will stick in the memory of many viewers for a long time. Okada was so compelling and so good in the ring that the champion winning seemed a feasible possibility this year.

Kota Ibushi - 7.78

   Kota Ibushi is a fantastic talent. He was consistently excellent throughout the tournament. His early slips meant that all his matches were meaningful must-win encounters.

   His matches with Ospreay and Okada were incredible spectacles. Saying that he was possibly the most consistently excellent participant in the entire G1. 

   Ibushi finally took his rightful place as NJPW's next big star. His 'hulk ups' were a big part of his performances, the way he 'turned the switch' and battered his opponents was a big part of Ibushi's tournament. Along with his injury storyline and his incredible selling ability Ibushi's G1 was stellar.

Will Ospreay - 8.22

   Ospreay's early tournament form was incredible. His matches against Archer, Ibushi and Okada were exquisite. He waned as the tournament went on and by this I mean he was still fantastic but he didn't quite hit the excellent heights of the first half of the tournament,

   Ospreay is now considered by most as the world's best wrestler and I agree. His range of kicks, the Tiger Wall and his incredible finishing sequences throughout the G1. He managed to put over many an opponent with his selling ability back-flipping as he took lariats and even folding up like an accordion on occasion.

   Ospreay has a bright future in NJPW. His move to Japan and his elavation to the heavyweights are the beginning of big things. His float over reversal of the Rainmaker was probably my favourite moment of the whole G1.