We plug on, hitting the midpoint.
60. Dasher Hatfield
Points: 861
Ballots: 15
Highest Vote: 13th Place (Frank McCormick)
Last Year's Placement: Not ranked
Ryan Kilma: One of the most sneaky-good wrestlers out there. He has Kunckleball Schwatrz’s gimmick yet has crafted a convincing, fun moveset out of it. I can’t wait for a Hatfield heel turn: Yankees cap, hidden nail files, doctoring his invisible pitches, I want it all.
John Rosenberger: To be honest, there isn’t a ton of stuff he does in the ring that blows me away but there are a few select things, such as the baseball games and the self-fulfilling submission where he uses his opponents tights to keep the hold in place that I totally go gaga for so I’d be remiss if I didn’t add him to the list.
59. LuFisto
Points: 868
Ballots: 11
Highest Vote:1st Place (Jennifer Logsdon)
Last Year's Placement: Not ranked
TH: When I didn't get a chance to watch more than like two SHIMMER DVDs in a year, I slept on LuFisto a little too much. Granted, in the pre-Kana match era, she was in the low card, doing comedy matches, and getting the crowd warmed up. There's nothing wrong with that at all. She shone there. But I often was unfairly dismissive of her. There was talent that shone through (although one of the matches on a DVD I have was against Rachel Summerlyn, and I feel the need to go back and rewatch it because it's LuFisto vs. Rachel Summerlyn why wouldn't I?). Maybe part of that was out of self-preservation. She spent an eternity working death matches before, to the point where she was sidelined with a stroke. Who has a stroke that young? Apparently, someone who burnt the candle at both ends a bit too hard, that's who.
But what I saw from her this year was impossible to ignore and even more implausible to hold down. She's a manic pinball with one of the best brawl games of any wrestler, male or female, and a willingness to dish out and take brutal offense with higher aptitude than most people not named Masada or Matthew Palmer. However, it was in the "clean" SHIMMER environment where I thought she stood out most. She and Kana vs. Hailey Hatred and Kalamity may have been the third or fourth best tag match of the SHIMMER spring weekend, but on most other cards, it would have blown the other action away. She had a great spat with Leon as well. Her brawl with Mercedes Martinez at WSU Full Steam Ahead was a bit excessive with too disappointing a finish, but up until the end, it was pretty awesome. Anyone who has seen LuFisto wrestle and denied her talent either has wildly divergent tastes than those of us who appreciate her, or they're just lying to themselves.
Jennifer Logsdon: Lufi had one hell of a 2012, considering she started the year unsure if she would continue wrestling or not. In Mexico she won the Lucha POP Women's title in February, and in December won the North Shore Pro-Wrestling title - the first woman to hold a major men's title in Quebec. Her feud with Mercedes Martinez spanned across three promotions and was one of the best wrestling feuds of the year. Lufi always puts her heart and soul into every match - she is incapable of having a bad one, ever. She's one of my heroes and has had an amazing year.
58. Jay Briscoe
Points: 874
Ballots: 15
Highest Vote: 6th Place (Jay Sanudo)
Last Year's Placement: 40th Place
57. UltraMantis Black
Points: 879
Ballots: 15
Highest Vote: 3rd Place (De O'Brien)
Last Year's Placement: Not ranked
Philip Rosenbaum: It wasn't supposed to be a good year for the great and devious UltraMantis Black. It was supposed to be the first of two years in hell for Chikara's equivalent of "Rowdy" Roddy Piper. The man who has always been an important and popular part of the company (rudo or tecnico) had never won the big one, never held any sort of title in Chikara. After Delirious opened the year by promising revenge on him, Mantis went on to have the most successful year of his career, soundly fending off Delirious' army at every turn and winning his first big one by taking home the King of Trios with the Spectral Envoy. He also challenged for the Campeonatos de Parejas at one point, though this was a rare example of the minions of Delirious successfully thwarting the insect overlord. He had the last laugh of the year, however, as at the season finale he picked up the pinfall on Delirious in a ten-man tag match where he teamed with the Envoy and his returning friends Crossbones and Blind Rage to take on Delirious, Ophidian, and The Batiri.
Robot Hammer: UMB's over the top persona and absolute coolest mask ever often overshadow his in ring ability. Don't be fooled, wrestling fans. Beneath that devious exterior lies an extremely talented performer.
56. Willie Mack
Points: 918
Ballots: 15
Highest Vote: 9th Place (De O'Brien)
Last Year's Placement: 81st Place
TH: Willie Mack was not a man to be fucked with in 2012. His year in PWG might have fallen under the radar to some because no fewer than four guys broke out in Reseda. That's not even including guys like Roderick Strong, Kevin Steen, and El Generico who continued to have great years. However, he was there, throwing the chocolate thunder down. He may have had the best match with Sami Callihan on the west coast as well. He might be a guy who's hurt by not wrestling too much outside of California, and his dalliance in AIW was solid if a bit underwhelming. However, he ruled his home turf. No question about it.
Shawn Duckett: Willie Mack is the man! He makes me proud to be a fat boy. Willie displays amazing athleticism for a man his size. He is a fan of this crazy business and it shows in the ring. Willie seems to love every second he is in the ring performing for the fans. Willie’s match against Kevin Steen at Threemendous III was one of my favorites in 2012. Willie Mack is one of the guys makes PWG a special place.
Typical ROH Fan: Willie Mack is a homer pick. I love the dude and his unique style. Originally one of the "local" opening match guys on PWG, Willie secured a full spot on the shows and actually was in the main event scene of 2012. (Favorite 2012 match: with El Generico vs. Sami Callihan & Roderick Strong at PWG DDT)
55. Kyle O'Reilly
Points: 919
Ballots: 15
Highest Vote: 10th Place (Tim Bridges)
Last Year's Placement: Not ranked
Typical ROH Fan: In Adam Cole's 2012 rise, Kyle O'Reilly was sort of forgotten in the post Future Shock ROH world for the two but he still delivered in the ring. His debut in PWG also sparked a lot of awesome matches including one of the best ladder matches I've ever seen. (Favorite 2012 match: with Adam Cole vs. The Young Bucks vs. Super Smash Bros at PWG Threemendous III)
54. Hallowicked
Points: 956
Ballots: 15
Highest Vote: 6th Place (Philip Rosenbaum)
Last Year's Placement: Not ranked
TH: I'm not usually as high on Hallowicked as other guys are, but there's no denying he had a good 2012. His feud with Tim Donst produced some memorable in-ring action, especially for the blowoff at Chikarasaurus Rex. He was also good in multi-wrestler matches, especially in the King of Trios final.
Philip Rosenbaum: In case you haven't gotten the message from Tim Donst, Hallowicked is a GOD. The Gen 1 original had a banner year in 2012, racking up more acclaim to add to his hefty list. Putting aside the fact that he's always been a solid hand at any number of wrestling styles, he was the workhorse of the Spectral Envoy this year, keeping the team up while Frightmare was out with an injury, vanquishing Tim Donst in a Lucha de Apuesta match, and using the Chikara Special to force the submission to bring the title of King of Trios to the Envoy in 2012.
53. James Storm
Points: 1022
Ballots: 14
Highest Vote: 6th Place (Cewsh)
Last Year's Placement: 15th Place
TH: Storm is the Sheamus of TNA. He's a great wrestler, especially working as a blue-collar good guy. However, his character is balls. However, this isn't a list that judges character. Storm spent a good part of the year chasing the white whale that was Robert Roode, and it resulted in at least one stellar main event match, the cage match at Lockdown. Storm's brawling skills were on display, as were his revenge instincts. Working smart doesn't necessarily mean doing what's "smart" as much as it's about staying in character. Storm is an expert at that.
Cewsh: 2012 was the year that TNA decided to see what they had in James Storm as a singles guy for the first real time, and he knocked it out of the park. The first key was to build up a new finish in the Last Call superkick that gave him a dangerous dynamic he had never had before. The second was to put him in the ring with Kurt Angle for 3 months and see what happened. Those matches rocked some socks off, and after that Storm didn’t stop producing all year long after that. His 2012 won’t be remembered as much as some others, but he finally proved he was more than just a tag team guy.
52. Kofi Kingston
Points: 1054
Ballots: 17
Highest Vote: 15th Place (Josh Ray, Joe Drilling, Chris McDonald)
Last Year's Placement: 20th Place
Cewsh: Nobody has had less upward momentum than Kofi Kingston in the past few years, and until 2012, that sort of stasis seemed to have seeped it’s way into his matches as well. But something about teaming up with Evan Bourne and R-Truth seemed to reinvigorate the man, because Kofi busted his ass all year trying to make something special out of the crumbs that WWE gave him to work with. He’s still stuck in stasis, but damned if he doesn’t make stasis look good sometimes.
Scott Holland: I come not to praise Kofi Kingston so much as confirm he is a wrestler who did things on TV in 2012. He put in nearly 18 minutes in the Rumble, including his now famous "handstand save." He may have had more story success (runs with the tag team and Intercontinental titles) than actual outstanding matches, but he delivered a solid performance in capturing the Intercontinental title from The Miz on Main Event in October. He has plenty of WWE colleagues who were not involved in that good of a televised match in 2012, which warrants at least a bit of respect.
51. Ricochet
Points: 1052
Ballots: 15
Highest Vote: 8th Place (Paolo Chikiamco)
Last Year's Placement: 56th Place
TH: Ricochet opened my eyes in 2012. After starting out with a drab, way too prolonged match with Johnny Gargano at EVOLVE 10 (one that was exacerbated by Gargano's injured state), his year in PWG was solid at the very least. He vs. El Generico at Death to All But Metal was one of the best examples of storytelling in a match all year. I wish I'd seen more of him in DGUSA/EVOLVE, but he still impressed me enough for him to make my top 25.
50. Eddie "Eddie Edwards" Edwards
Points: 1064
Ballots: 16
Highest Vote: 13th Place (Jerome Cusson)
Last Year's Placement: 45th Place
Shawn Duckett: I’m a fan of Eddie Edwards, because he can always put on a good match. He takes the art of chopping an opponent’s chest to another level. His Achilles Lock always looks good and believable. Eddie is a good singles wrestler and a great tag team wrestler. I prefer his work in PWG over his stuff from ROH, but that’s true of about every ROH competitor that makes the trek to So Cal. I hope to see more of the Dojo Bros with Roderick Strong in 2013.
Typical ROH Fan: EEEE was one of the more consistent guys and his matches tend to always deliver. 2012 is probably the first year I've fully appreciated him. (Favorite 2012 match: vs. Brian Cage at PWG Threemendous III)
49. AJ Styles
Points: 1091
Ballots: 14
Highest Vote: 4th Place (Typical ROH Fan)
Last Year's Placement: 17th Place
Typical ROH Fan: When doing year end lists, I always realize how much I undervalue AJ Styles. You remember him being in tag matches on the big shows and the whole Claire Lynch thing and assume it was a bad year then you look at his matches. When thinking over my favorite TNA matches of 2012, AJ appeared in three of the five. He's as great as ever and hopefully 2013 he returns to the title picture. (Favorite 2012 match: vs. Christopher Daniels at Destination X)
48. Bork Laser Brock Lesnar
Points: 1108
Ballots: 14
Highest Vote: 8th Place (Josh Ray)
Last Year's Placement: Not ranked
Ryan Kilma: Two matches after eight years of ring rust. Granted, some of that rust was garnished while inside an octagon against people who work really stiff, but it was still an impressive comeback nonetheless. I recently saw Lesnar at a showing of Taken 2 (we live in the same vicinity of Alexandria, MN); he sat in the back, making slightly rude, Jimmy John’s sponsored comments. The other 65 of us sat in silence, because none of us were John Cena or Triple H. As for his presence in the ring, aside from Alicia Fox, he’s the only wrestler I’m afraid might kill his opponent in every match (I’m keeping my fingers crossed for Wrestlemania).
Dylan Hales: I have Brock awful high on my ballot. In other years I don't know if he would have gotten into my top tier. But there were not a ton of guys who I thought had hot runs in wrestling in 2012. Lots of guys had smatterings of high quality, but I'm not even sure if a full third of my ballot were guys who I really thought were strong for totality of the year. And in that sort of environment, a menacing beast, who put on one of the best heel performances in the history of wrestling vs. John Cena is really going to rise to the top. In 2012 Brock Lesnar got my dad to stand up on his feet and scream at the TV for Cena to "punt him in the balls" because my academic (literally) father thought Lesnar was shooting. He also carried HHH to something watchable. So yeah, in a weak year for depth of quality, that gets you pretty high on my ballot.
47. Kassius Ohno/Chris Hero
Points: 1119
Ballots: 16
Highest Vote: 9th Place (Jon Parsons)
Last Year's Placement: 23rd Place
46. Athena
Points: 1154
Ballots: 14
Highest Vote: 3rd Place (Gregory Davis)
Last Year's Placement: 99th Place
TH: Athena broke out huge in 2012, mainly because she got the opportunity be a gangsta in the ring. You can talk an Eskimo into buying ice, but the name on the marquee still reads "wrestling." You have to be able to bring it when the bell rings.
Athena already had a leg up on everyone else. If you have a finisher that you can apply memorably, you've got a leg up on the competition. There are a scant few finishers that compare to the O-Face. Her lack of fear in leaping off things like aprons or chairs or onto things like chairs or the floor is a huge plus. When she hits it, you know the match is over. When someone kicks out of it, you know that the shit just got real.
But if a wrestler could just be made by a finisher, Randy Orton would be the best guy in WWE right now. That's just not the case. Athena engaged in two of the best brawls of the year, one at SHIMMER Vo. 45 against Mercedes Martinez, the other against Jessicka Havok in the Queen of Queens final. She was fierce, intense, and versatile. She was one of the ten best wrestlers in America in 2012. Why? Cuz baby, she's a rockstar.
Cewsh: This was really Athena’s year on the independent scene. After seeing she had a good thing that was catching on, with her “O-Face” finisher, she took her show on the road and started really making a name for herself outside of Texas. Her feud with Mercedes Martinez in Shimmer really made it clear that she had arrived as an in ring talent, and she only reinforced that around the country during the rest of the year. Definitely one to watch for 2013.
45. Ryback
Points: 1167
Ballots: 19
Highest Vote: 5th Place (Jesse Powell)
Last Year's Placement: Not ranked
TH: The narrative surrounding Ryback in 2012 pissed me off. People focused on the wrong things. Oh, he couldn't lift Tensai for the Shell Shocked? The last time I checked, wrestling's not a solo show. Did anyone ever think Tensai didn't do his part, or that he might have sandbagged him? Oh no, he's poor, wronged, Giant Bernard who worked in Japan. Fuck that noise. Ryback's evolution in 2012 was noteworthy enough to get him a spot on my ballot. His squashes were entertaining. They wanted him to be a terminator, and he gave them above-average execution on it. He got the crowd involved. When it came time for him to move up into more established wrestlers, he knew how to incorporate selling into his repertoire without diminishing his character. Yeah, he wasn't Daniel Bryan, but who is? He also wasn't fucking Heidenreich or Matt Morgan either. If you're going to build a monster, Ryback is a positive true outcome.
Jesse Powell: Say what you want, this dude has improved so much, and stormed WWE with his moon-shot push. Whether he was crushing local talent, or fighting for the WWE title, this guy made people go crazy with his power.
Cewsh: When you grade Ryback’s 2012, you have to use a different scale from the rest of the people on this list. For most of the year the man was facing local jobbers and smashing their faces in at an incredible clip. But the thing that makes him a viable candidate for this list is that he made squash matches something to be excited about for the first time in decades. He massacred the guys he got in the ring with, and managed to get fans behind him, despite many thinking it couldn’t be done in that way in this era. And then when he was unleashed on the main event of WWE in October, he made an immediate impact. In 3 short months, he stole the show 3 different times, first with CM Punk, then with Punk and Cena, and then in what may have been the match of the year against The Shield. He came a helluva long way in one year.
44. Chuck Taylor
Points:1206
Ballots: 17
Highest Vote: 9th Place (Jesse Dlugosz)
Last Year's Placement: 53rd Place
Robot Hammer: As a resident of Kentucky, my wish is for one day my Commonwealth will be known more for our Awful Waffling White Trash Luchadors and less for our fast food chicken chains and our staggering high school dropout rate.
John Rosenberger: I’m a sucker for good comedy wrestling and Taylor is one of the best at it in the biz. Look at his heel work making kids cry during matches, look at his invisible hand-grenade, look at him challenging little ones to fights while rolling to the outside. His high-pitched squeals, his visible petulance, I mark out for all of it.
Shawn Duckett: Chuck Taylor is one of the best comedy wrestlers in the business. At first glance he doesn’t really look that impressive, but he is a very good in ring performer. He can tell a story during a match as well as anyone. He also plays the jerk heel very well. A Chuck Taylor match is always fun. So, pour yourself a glass of Kentucky Gentlemen Bourbon and watch a few Chuck Taylor matches and you are guaranteed to have a good time. Plus he is a friend of the Swamp Monster, so that’s enough to make the TWB 100, right?
43. Green Ant
Points: 1269
Ballots: 18
Highest Vote: 4th Place (Okori Wadsworth)
Last Year's Placement: 68th Place
TH: I thought Green Ant took a step back in 2012, but it was probably due to a scaling back of opportunity, or at the very least, a sacrifice of singles pushes for part of a team ethic. That being said, he wasn't bad in tag matches. Just because he's better in singles doesn't necessarily mean he's bad in tags. Plus, he had a sense for the moment; just look at Chikarasaurus Rex when he dove from the Trocadero balcony onto the Gekido below. That being said, he did have two standout singles matches on his watch – one against Mike Quackenbush at the season premiere and a Young Lions Cup shot against Mark Angelosetti at the Alabama show.
Mike Pankowski: Green Ant definitely jumped to the top of the ant hill this year. He has developed his mat wrestling and he will routinely pull out 5-10 different submission attempts in a match. He has also adding some high flying moves into his repertoire, with his impressive balcony dive at Chikarasaurus Rex was standing out the most. He has taken on some skilled singles opponents this past year and has kept up with the tougher opposition. Green Ant has risen from just being part of a team to being a well-rounded singles star.
42. Randy Orton
Points: 1287
Ballots: 17
Highest Vote: 11th Place
Last Year's Placement: Cewsh, Jamie Girouard, Chris McDonald
41. RED BELLY
Points: 1315
Ballots: 19
Highest Vote: 8th Place (Joey Odorisio)
Last Year's Placement: 13th Place
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| Hatfield finishing a suplex on Icarus Photo Credit: Scott Finkelstein |
Points: 861
Ballots: 15
Highest Vote: 13th Place (Frank McCormick)
Last Year's Placement: Not ranked
Ryan Kilma: One of the most sneaky-good wrestlers out there. He has Kunckleball Schwatrz’s gimmick yet has crafted a convincing, fun moveset out of it. I can’t wait for a Hatfield heel turn: Yankees cap, hidden nail files, doctoring his invisible pitches, I want it all.
John Rosenberger: To be honest, there isn’t a ton of stuff he does in the ring that blows me away but there are a few select things, such as the baseball games and the self-fulfilling submission where he uses his opponents tights to keep the hold in place that I totally go gaga for so I’d be remiss if I didn’t add him to the list.
 |
| LuFisto stretching out Nicole Matthews Photo Credit: Gregory Davis/DDS |
Points: 868
Ballots: 11
Highest Vote:1st Place (Jennifer Logsdon)
Last Year's Placement: Not ranked
TH: When I didn't get a chance to watch more than like two SHIMMER DVDs in a year, I slept on LuFisto a little too much. Granted, in the pre-Kana match era, she was in the low card, doing comedy matches, and getting the crowd warmed up. There's nothing wrong with that at all. She shone there. But I often was unfairly dismissive of her. There was talent that shone through (although one of the matches on a DVD I have was against Rachel Summerlyn, and I feel the need to go back and rewatch it because it's LuFisto vs. Rachel Summerlyn why wouldn't I?). Maybe part of that was out of self-preservation. She spent an eternity working death matches before, to the point where she was sidelined with a stroke. Who has a stroke that young? Apparently, someone who burnt the candle at both ends a bit too hard, that's who.
But what I saw from her this year was impossible to ignore and even more implausible to hold down. She's a manic pinball with one of the best brawl games of any wrestler, male or female, and a willingness to dish out and take brutal offense with higher aptitude than most people not named Masada or Matthew Palmer. However, it was in the "clean" SHIMMER environment where I thought she stood out most. She and Kana vs. Hailey Hatred and Kalamity may have been the third or fourth best tag match of the SHIMMER spring weekend, but on most other cards, it would have blown the other action away. She had a great spat with Leon as well. Her brawl with Mercedes Martinez at WSU Full Steam Ahead was a bit excessive with too disappointing a finish, but up until the end, it was pretty awesome. Anyone who has seen LuFisto wrestle and denied her talent either has wildly divergent tastes than those of us who appreciate her, or they're just lying to themselves.
Jennifer Logsdon: Lufi had one hell of a 2012, considering she started the year unsure if she would continue wrestling or not. In Mexico she won the Lucha POP Women's title in February, and in December won the North Shore Pro-Wrestling title - the first woman to hold a major men's title in Quebec. Her feud with Mercedes Martinez spanned across three promotions and was one of the best wrestling feuds of the year. Lufi always puts her heart and soul into every match - she is incapable of having a bad one, ever. She's one of my heroes and has had an amazing year.
 |
| Briscoe unleashing some redneck kung-fu on Adam Cole Photo Credit: Scott Finkelstein |
Points: 874
Ballots: 15
Highest Vote: 6th Place (Jay Sanudo)
Last Year's Placement: 40th Place
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| Mantis getting ready to give Nick Jackson the business Photo Credit: Scott Finkelstein |
Points: 879
Ballots: 15
Highest Vote: 3rd Place (De O'Brien)
Last Year's Placement: Not ranked
Philip Rosenbaum: It wasn't supposed to be a good year for the great and devious UltraMantis Black. It was supposed to be the first of two years in hell for Chikara's equivalent of "Rowdy" Roddy Piper. The man who has always been an important and popular part of the company (rudo or tecnico) had never won the big one, never held any sort of title in Chikara. After Delirious opened the year by promising revenge on him, Mantis went on to have the most successful year of his career, soundly fending off Delirious' army at every turn and winning his first big one by taking home the King of Trios with the Spectral Envoy. He also challenged for the Campeonatos de Parejas at one point, though this was a rare example of the minions of Delirious successfully thwarting the insect overlord. He had the last laugh of the year, however, as at the season finale he picked up the pinfall on Delirious in a ten-man tag match where he teamed with the Envoy and his returning friends Crossbones and Blind Rage to take on Delirious, Ophidian, and The Batiri.
Robot Hammer: UMB's over the top persona and absolute coolest mask ever often overshadow his in ring ability. Don't be fooled, wrestling fans. Beneath that devious exterior lies an extremely talented performer.
 |
| Mack launching into Sami Callihan's dome with an enzugiri Photo Credit: Devin Chen |
Points: 918
Ballots: 15
Highest Vote: 9th Place (De O'Brien)
Last Year's Placement: 81st Place
TH: Willie Mack was not a man to be fucked with in 2012. His year in PWG might have fallen under the radar to some because no fewer than four guys broke out in Reseda. That's not even including guys like Roderick Strong, Kevin Steen, and El Generico who continued to have great years. However, he was there, throwing the chocolate thunder down. He may have had the best match with Sami Callihan on the west coast as well. He might be a guy who's hurt by not wrestling too much outside of California, and his dalliance in AIW was solid if a bit underwhelming. However, he ruled his home turf. No question about it.
Shawn Duckett: Willie Mack is the man! He makes me proud to be a fat boy. Willie displays amazing athleticism for a man his size. He is a fan of this crazy business and it shows in the ring. Willie seems to love every second he is in the ring performing for the fans. Willie’s match against Kevin Steen at Threemendous III was one of my favorites in 2012. Willie Mack is one of the guys makes PWG a special place.
Typical ROH Fan: Willie Mack is a homer pick. I love the dude and his unique style. Originally one of the "local" opening match guys on PWG, Willie secured a full spot on the shows and actually was in the main event scene of 2012. (Favorite 2012 match: with El Generico vs. Sami Callihan & Roderick Strong at PWG DDT)
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| O'Reilly launching into Eddie Edwards with a kick Photo Credit: Scott Finkelstein |
Points: 919
Ballots: 15
Highest Vote: 10th Place (Tim Bridges)
Last Year's Placement: Not ranked
Typical ROH Fan: In Adam Cole's 2012 rise, Kyle O'Reilly was sort of forgotten in the post Future Shock ROH world for the two but he still delivered in the ring. His debut in PWG also sparked a lot of awesome matches including one of the best ladder matches I've ever seen. (Favorite 2012 match: with Adam Cole vs. The Young Bucks vs. Super Smash Bros at PWG Threemendous III)
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| Hallowicked winning King of Trios with the Chikara Special on Mike Bennett Photo Credit: Scott Finkelstein |
Points: 956
Ballots: 15
Highest Vote: 6th Place (Philip Rosenbaum)
Last Year's Placement: Not ranked
TH: I'm not usually as high on Hallowicked as other guys are, but there's no denying he had a good 2012. His feud with Tim Donst produced some memorable in-ring action, especially for the blowoff at Chikarasaurus Rex. He was also good in multi-wrestler matches, especially in the King of Trios final.
Philip Rosenbaum: In case you haven't gotten the message from Tim Donst, Hallowicked is a GOD. The Gen 1 original had a banner year in 2012, racking up more acclaim to add to his hefty list. Putting aside the fact that he's always been a solid hand at any number of wrestling styles, he was the workhorse of the Spectral Envoy this year, keeping the team up while Frightmare was out with an injury, vanquishing Tim Donst in a Lucha de Apuesta match, and using the Chikara Special to force the submission to bring the title of King of Trios to the Envoy in 2012.
 |
| Storm giving Robert Roode the business with a kendo stick Photo Credit: ImpactWrestling.com |
Points: 1022
Ballots: 14
Highest Vote: 6th Place (Cewsh)
Last Year's Placement: 15th Place
TH: Storm is the Sheamus of TNA. He's a great wrestler, especially working as a blue-collar good guy. However, his character is balls. However, this isn't a list that judges character. Storm spent a good part of the year chasing the white whale that was Robert Roode, and it resulted in at least one stellar main event match, the cage match at Lockdown. Storm's brawling skills were on display, as were his revenge instincts. Working smart doesn't necessarily mean doing what's "smart" as much as it's about staying in character. Storm is an expert at that.
Cewsh: 2012 was the year that TNA decided to see what they had in James Storm as a singles guy for the first real time, and he knocked it out of the park. The first key was to build up a new finish in the Last Call superkick that gave him a dangerous dynamic he had never had before. The second was to put him in the ring with Kurt Angle for 3 months and see what happened. Those matches rocked some socks off, and after that Storm didn’t stop producing all year long after that. His 2012 won’t be remembered as much as some others, but he finally proved he was more than just a tag team guy.
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| Kingston drilling The Miz with a dropkick Photo Credit: WWE.com |
Points: 1054
Ballots: 17
Highest Vote: 15th Place (Josh Ray, Joe Drilling, Chris McDonald)
Last Year's Placement: 20th Place
Cewsh: Nobody has had less upward momentum than Kofi Kingston in the past few years, and until 2012, that sort of stasis seemed to have seeped it’s way into his matches as well. But something about teaming up with Evan Bourne and R-Truth seemed to reinvigorate the man, because Kofi busted his ass all year trying to make something special out of the crumbs that WWE gave him to work with. He’s still stuck in stasis, but damned if he doesn’t make stasis look good sometimes.
Scott Holland: I come not to praise Kofi Kingston so much as confirm he is a wrestler who did things on TV in 2012. He put in nearly 18 minutes in the Rumble, including his now famous "handstand save." He may have had more story success (runs with the tag team and Intercontinental titles) than actual outstanding matches, but he delivered a solid performance in capturing the Intercontinental title from The Miz on Main Event in October. He has plenty of WWE colleagues who were not involved in that good of a televised match in 2012, which warrants at least a bit of respect.
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| Ricochet with AR Fox in a modified lightning lock Photo Credit: Scott Finkelstein |
Points: 1052
Ballots: 15
Highest Vote: 8th Place (Paolo Chikiamco)
Last Year's Placement: 56th Place
TH: Ricochet opened my eyes in 2012. After starting out with a drab, way too prolonged match with Johnny Gargano at EVOLVE 10 (one that was exacerbated by Gargano's injured state), his year in PWG was solid at the very least. He vs. El Generico at Death to All But Metal was one of the best examples of storytelling in a match all year. I wish I'd seen more of him in DGUSA/EVOLVE, but he still impressed me enough for him to make my top 25.
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| Edwards locking in a single leg crab on Homicide Photo Credit: Scott Finkelstein |
Points: 1064
Ballots: 16
Highest Vote: 13th Place (Jerome Cusson)
Last Year's Placement: 45th Place
Shawn Duckett: I’m a fan of Eddie Edwards, because he can always put on a good match. He takes the art of chopping an opponent’s chest to another level. His Achilles Lock always looks good and believable. Eddie is a good singles wrestler and a great tag team wrestler. I prefer his work in PWG over his stuff from ROH, but that’s true of about every ROH competitor that makes the trek to So Cal. I hope to see more of the Dojo Bros with Roderick Strong in 2013.
Typical ROH Fan: EEEE was one of the more consistent guys and his matches tend to always deliver. 2012 is probably the first year I've fully appreciated him. (Favorite 2012 match: vs. Brian Cage at PWG Threemendous III)
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| A bloodied Styles stalks an even more bloodied Christopher Daniels Photo Credit: ImpactWrestling.com |
Points: 1091
Ballots: 14
Highest Vote: 4th Place (Typical ROH Fan)
Last Year's Placement: 17th Place
Typical ROH Fan: When doing year end lists, I always realize how much I undervalue AJ Styles. You remember him being in tag matches on the big shows and the whole Claire Lynch thing and assume it was a bad year then you look at his matches. When thinking over my favorite TNA matches of 2012, AJ appeared in three of the five. He's as great as ever and hopefully 2013 he returns to the title picture. (Favorite 2012 match: vs. Christopher Daniels at Destination X)
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| Lesnar locking John Cena in a kimura Photo Credit: WWE.com |
Points: 1108
Ballots: 14
Highest Vote: 8th Place (Josh Ray)
Last Year's Placement: Not ranked
Ryan Kilma: Two matches after eight years of ring rust. Granted, some of that rust was garnished while inside an octagon against people who work really stiff, but it was still an impressive comeback nonetheless. I recently saw Lesnar at a showing of Taken 2 (we live in the same vicinity of Alexandria, MN); he sat in the back, making slightly rude, Jimmy John’s sponsored comments. The other 65 of us sat in silence, because none of us were John Cena or Triple H. As for his presence in the ring, aside from Alicia Fox, he’s the only wrestler I’m afraid might kill his opponent in every match (I’m keeping my fingers crossed for Wrestlemania).
Dylan Hales: I have Brock awful high on my ballot. In other years I don't know if he would have gotten into my top tier. But there were not a ton of guys who I thought had hot runs in wrestling in 2012. Lots of guys had smatterings of high quality, but I'm not even sure if a full third of my ballot were guys who I really thought were strong for totality of the year. And in that sort of environment, a menacing beast, who put on one of the best heel performances in the history of wrestling vs. John Cena is really going to rise to the top. In 2012 Brock Lesnar got my dad to stand up on his feet and scream at the TV for Cena to "punt him in the balls" because my academic (literally) father thought Lesnar was shooting. He also carried HHH to something watchable. So yeah, in a weak year for depth of quality, that gets you pretty high on my ballot.
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| Hero before he became Ohno, knocking his elbow into Michael Elgin's face Photo Credit: Scott Finkelstein |
Points: 1119
Ballots: 16
Highest Vote: 9th Place (Jon Parsons)
Last Year's Placement: 23rd Place
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| Athena with Jojo Bravo in a Koji Clutch Photo Credit: Texas Anarchy |
Points: 1154
Ballots: 14
Highest Vote: 3rd Place (Gregory Davis)
Last Year's Placement: 99th Place
TH: Athena broke out huge in 2012, mainly because she got the opportunity be a gangsta in the ring. You can talk an Eskimo into buying ice, but the name on the marquee still reads "wrestling." You have to be able to bring it when the bell rings.
Athena already had a leg up on everyone else. If you have a finisher that you can apply memorably, you've got a leg up on the competition. There are a scant few finishers that compare to the O-Face. Her lack of fear in leaping off things like aprons or chairs or onto things like chairs or the floor is a huge plus. When she hits it, you know the match is over. When someone kicks out of it, you know that the shit just got real.
But if a wrestler could just be made by a finisher, Randy Orton would be the best guy in WWE right now. That's just not the case. Athena engaged in two of the best brawls of the year, one at SHIMMER Vo. 45 against Mercedes Martinez, the other against Jessicka Havok in the Queen of Queens final. She was fierce, intense, and versatile. She was one of the ten best wrestlers in America in 2012. Why? Cuz baby, she's a rockstar.
Cewsh: This was really Athena’s year on the independent scene. After seeing she had a good thing that was catching on, with her “O-Face” finisher, she took her show on the road and started really making a name for herself outside of Texas. Her feud with Mercedes Martinez in Shimmer really made it clear that she had arrived as an in ring talent, and she only reinforced that around the country during the rest of the year. Definitely one to watch for 2013.
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| Ryback shell-shocking two poor local talents Photo Credit: WWE.com |
Points: 1167
Ballots: 19
Highest Vote: 5th Place (Jesse Powell)
Last Year's Placement: Not ranked
TH: The narrative surrounding Ryback in 2012 pissed me off. People focused on the wrong things. Oh, he couldn't lift Tensai for the Shell Shocked? The last time I checked, wrestling's not a solo show. Did anyone ever think Tensai didn't do his part, or that he might have sandbagged him? Oh no, he's poor, wronged, Giant Bernard who worked in Japan. Fuck that noise. Ryback's evolution in 2012 was noteworthy enough to get him a spot on my ballot. His squashes were entertaining. They wanted him to be a terminator, and he gave them above-average execution on it. He got the crowd involved. When it came time for him to move up into more established wrestlers, he knew how to incorporate selling into his repertoire without diminishing his character. Yeah, he wasn't Daniel Bryan, but who is? He also wasn't fucking Heidenreich or Matt Morgan either. If you're going to build a monster, Ryback is a positive true outcome.
Jesse Powell: Say what you want, this dude has improved so much, and stormed WWE with his moon-shot push. Whether he was crushing local talent, or fighting for the WWE title, this guy made people go crazy with his power.
Cewsh: When you grade Ryback’s 2012, you have to use a different scale from the rest of the people on this list. For most of the year the man was facing local jobbers and smashing their faces in at an incredible clip. But the thing that makes him a viable candidate for this list is that he made squash matches something to be excited about for the first time in decades. He massacred the guys he got in the ring with, and managed to get fans behind him, despite many thinking it couldn’t be done in that way in this era. And then when he was unleashed on the main event of WWE in October, he made an immediate impact. In 3 short months, he stole the show 3 different times, first with CM Punk, then with Punk and Cena, and then in what may have been the match of the year against The Shield. He came a helluva long way in one year.
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| Taylor biting Scott Parker's hand Photo Credit: Scott Finkelstein |
Points:1206
Ballots: 17
Highest Vote: 9th Place (Jesse Dlugosz)
Last Year's Placement: 53rd Place
Robot Hammer: As a resident of Kentucky, my wish is for one day my Commonwealth will be known more for our Awful Waffling White Trash Luchadors and less for our fast food chicken chains and our staggering high school dropout rate.
John Rosenberger: I’m a sucker for good comedy wrestling and Taylor is one of the best at it in the biz. Look at his heel work making kids cry during matches, look at his invisible hand-grenade, look at him challenging little ones to fights while rolling to the outside. His high-pitched squeals, his visible petulance, I mark out for all of it.
Shawn Duckett: Chuck Taylor is one of the best comedy wrestlers in the business. At first glance he doesn’t really look that impressive, but he is a very good in ring performer. He can tell a story during a match as well as anyone. He also plays the jerk heel very well. A Chuck Taylor match is always fun. So, pour yourself a glass of Kentucky Gentlemen Bourbon and watch a few Chuck Taylor matches and you are guaranteed to have a good time. Plus he is a friend of the Swamp Monster, so that’s enough to make the TWB 100, right?
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| Green Ant doing battle with assailANT Photo Credit: Scott Finkelstein |
Points: 1269
Ballots: 18
Highest Vote: 4th Place (Okori Wadsworth)
Last Year's Placement: 68th Place
TH: I thought Green Ant took a step back in 2012, but it was probably due to a scaling back of opportunity, or at the very least, a sacrifice of singles pushes for part of a team ethic. That being said, he wasn't bad in tag matches. Just because he's better in singles doesn't necessarily mean he's bad in tags. Plus, he had a sense for the moment; just look at Chikarasaurus Rex when he dove from the Trocadero balcony onto the Gekido below. That being said, he did have two standout singles matches on his watch – one against Mike Quackenbush at the season premiere and a Young Lions Cup shot against Mark Angelosetti at the Alabama show.
Mike Pankowski: Green Ant definitely jumped to the top of the ant hill this year. He has developed his mat wrestling and he will routinely pull out 5-10 different submission attempts in a match. He has also adding some high flying moves into his repertoire, with his impressive balcony dive at Chikarasaurus Rex was standing out the most. He has taken on some skilled singles opponents this past year and has kept up with the tougher opposition. Green Ant has risen from just being part of a team to being a well-rounded singles star.
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| Orton delivering his signature finisher to Jack Swagger Photo Credit: WWE.com |
Points: 1287
Ballots: 17
Highest Vote: 11th Place
Last Year's Placement: Cewsh, Jamie Girouard, Chris McDonald
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| Barrett pinning Kofi Kingston Photo Credit: WWE.com |
Points: 1315
Ballots: 19
Highest Vote: 8th Place (Joey Odorisio)
Last Year's Placement: 13th Place