I love that Randy Orton is basically going through his version of the John Cena US title run where everyone was like "oh crap he can wrestle".

@preethanj1105

4 күн бұрын

@@JustDonny oh my god....this is so well put...a perfect comparison..made my day!

@juniorkhomari1850

4 күн бұрын

I never understood why pretty much all legendary wrestlers name randy orton or Eddie Guerrero as a dream opponent. I understand why now. I actually started realizing that during his tag run with riddle. Randy is absolutely awesome. Fantastic pro wrestler

@GLsJAwtomatica

3 күн бұрын

Randy Orton has always bored me to tears

Glad ZSJ got an honorable mention. He's really found his groove.

It's cody for me. It's the most emotional I've ever been over a wrestling match and it finished the story. Will has had better in ring performances but no one has come close to eliciting the emotion from me like cody has.

Bayley not being on this list is highway robbery. - Record breaking Women’s Royal Rumble performance and win - Incredible and vindicating babyface turn fueled by genuine fan response - Best women’s match of the year so far against IYO SKY at WrestleMania - 2nd best women’s match of the year so far against Naomi and Tiffany Stratton at Backlash - Great match against Piper Niven at Clash at the Castle

@rvs2677

4 күн бұрын

Real

@tsdqhussain

4 күн бұрын

@@HandsomeSassage Her road to wm story was non existent.

@eace446

3 күн бұрын

Sure the WM stuff was good but nothing really crazy before that. She was treading water until the turn.

@num1Jaysta

3 күн бұрын

WWE underhyping her is a shame

@LordBlakeWhitehouse

3 күн бұрын

Yet it feels like she’s done nothing this year

Very surprised Punk and ripley are here but Toni Storm isn’t. She’s had incredible character work and good matches all year

@marvin5019

3 күн бұрын

She Fell Off hard tho

@screwdarulez1000

3 күн бұрын

@@marvin5019 I’m curious why you feel that way? The timeless gimmick certainly isn’t for everyone but I’ve been loving her work

@STNJ_YT

3 күн бұрын

​​@@screwdarulez1000well of course you won't get that answer. It's easy to just say some random claim without actually backing up his opinion. He's also in the thread bad mouthing storm and praising "all of Punk's wrestling"

@GLsJAwtomatica

3 күн бұрын

The match she had against Serena Deeb is one of my favorite matches this year

@marvin5019

Күн бұрын

@@screwdarulez1000 it got stale, i like it at the start now i dont see any progression on it? And i despise this HOT LESBIAN ACTION angle they are doing for ratings, that also might be why my opinion is so low on her right now

No Toni Storm is craaazy

SAY HIS NAME AND HE APPEARS!!!!

@JohnJohn-vv4ns

4 күн бұрын

That fraud should not be in the list

@siryorgi6585

4 күн бұрын

@@JohnJohn-vv4ns have you seen any of his matches?

@shortesnameofalltime

4 күн бұрын

@@JohnJohn-vv4nsWomp Womp put some more respect on the name of your next TNA WORLD CHAMP

@eliramon420

4 күн бұрын

I BELIEVE IN JOE HENDRY!

@royalty843

4 күн бұрын

​@@eliramon420👏🏾👏🏾

not having Toni Storm on the list is CRAZY

@haroldplemmons9479

4 күн бұрын

Lol she's been really good for sure.

@num1Jaysta

3 күн бұрын

Yeah seriously

@betterthanumjf

3 күн бұрын

Facts

Swerve Strickland has to be nominated..

@TeamGhostRyderINC

4 күн бұрын

No, he isn't as good as the number forth pick. He never stood a chance. So I'm agreeing with their forth pick in this review of the best.

@boycottactivision

4 күн бұрын

@@TeamGhostRyderINC I wish I understood what you just said, but Swerve has some of the best moves, & some of the best matches

@RealPokemonJoe

3 күн бұрын

​@@boycottactivision And some of the best promos

@TeamGhostRyderINC

3 күн бұрын

@@boycottactivision when you watch the video you will see my foreshadow joke will make you know where he sit on to. Also I like Swerve and he deserve to be in on top of any list this year for being amazing good at what he can do in the ring.

@boycottactivision

3 күн бұрын

@@TeamGhostRyderINC Like they said in the Video, his matches had good ratings, & supposedly this list is about in ring performance. Which makes it funny you don't have these complaints about CM Punk who hasn't wrestled outside of the Rumble..

If punk is there (which is an awful pick), seth Rollins definitely needs to be there. He wrestled for 3 months with a torn meniscus. That's Ludacris. Tony storm and liv Morgan were also snubbed. Both should be top 10

@jamescurrall9341

3 күн бұрын

Seth for sure he was great in the build to Mania (personally outside of the rock I think he did the best promo work) plus then had two matches (with a torn knee) and put over Drew so well and sacrificed a lot of himself to help put over Cody as well. I would say the fact he hasn't been able to work in ring for about 3 of the 6 months puts him about but Punk is there so.....

@theactualmasterbeef

2 күн бұрын

No, that's Seth.

Props to Swerve for being the only Black Wrestler on the list.

@boycottactivision

3 күн бұрын

I'm torn on that opinion, because they keep bringing up character work, but sware this list is about "in ring". If it's both, then Trick Williams should be in the top 10.

I'm a little surprised that Takeshita didn't even make HMs.

@_Pauper_

4 күн бұрын

I have a feeling next year or this next half a year will be pivotal for him.

@juniorkhomari1850

4 күн бұрын

He's done nothing though. I understand why he complained in that Japanese interview. His booking really has been atrocious

@DanielHernandez-ut8fq

3 күн бұрын

He’s not a Pokémon, he can’t learn HMs

@bobrewer8239

3 күн бұрын

while i love takeshita as much as the next guy, other than that will match at revolution and the blue thunder bomb spot at forbidden door, he hasnt really done much. all the potential in the world tho.

@wagyubeefstyle

3 күн бұрын

@juniorkhomari1850 that interview was done in kayfabe I thought because he says Don callis helped him adjust and that's why he was in the family.

Rhea got votes despite missing two months and vacating the title, while Toni Storm didn’t get in the Top 15? But Punk wrestled 15 minutes in the Rumble and is #10. So weird.

@glenndallas7171

3 күн бұрын

Yeah, this was such a weird list.

@MrGanjie

3 күн бұрын

Alot of current punks validation is based on his general reputation tbh If we were judging him based on the last year he's only really messed with Drew and talked about not too much ratio wise

@six6thdisciple

3 күн бұрын

YEAH & WWE FANS ARE THE IWC AND THEY RUN THE POLLS & LIST NOT EXCLUSIVE TO INSIDERS

@antoniohristov8729

3 күн бұрын

some people are stars and some aren't

@dantorkel7561

3 күн бұрын

@@antoniohristov8729 clown response

I would put any of the 5 who missed out above Punk.

@videoeditorkaran

4 күн бұрын

💯

@num1Jaysta

3 күн бұрын

Word

@marvin5019

3 күн бұрын

Then they should try to be charismatic and do a good feud?

@num1Jaysta

3 күн бұрын

@@marvin5019 That’s not what wrestler of the year is

@marvin5019

3 күн бұрын

@@num1Jaysta it is. Create Great Charakters and u get that Spot, Produce weekly Great Matches Without a Single care for you as a Charakter and u wont its pretty simple in that regard.

If this was just for in-ring, yes Will Osprey is the best wrestler. But being a wrestler is not just your in-ring work, its also your character work, storytelling and ability to connect with the fans uniquely while putting on good matches. With these things combined, wrestler of the year so far in my opinion is Cody Rhodes.

@meles3740

3 күн бұрын

It's true. Rhodes has been plagued with uninspiring opponents, but he's way better than Ospreay overall for the first six months through to the time these votes were done for this video. That being said after this video was made Ospreay was masterful on June 30 and somebody big is going to have to build Cody up in the 2nd half for him to catch Ospreay who may be about to catch fire. Scuttlebutt has it that Ospreay had a lot to do with the booking of June 30 and he apparently has an excellent nose for business. Obviously WrestleTalk has an inherent bias for Ospreay and probably AEW as a result.

@arnekamphuis31

3 күн бұрын

true, but i would go 1 further.. he wouldnt even be on my list for total package everything .. find his character stuff boring and crinchy and makes me wanne skip to the next segment.

Not only is it insane that he’s not on the list, not only is it insane he didn’t get an honorable mention, BUT IT IS INSANE THAT NONE OF THE COMMENTS ARE EVEN POINTING IT OUT- HOW IS DAMIAN PRIEST NOT ON THIS LIST AT ALL?! He’s had consistent bangers, cashed in MITB at wrestlemania, and is a literal World Champion right now! He belongs in the top 10 over a LOT of these guys!

I love the videos when Luke gets to do his spreadsheets and is clearly very happy about it

It should always be Penta

Hi guys FYI on the Spotify upload tempest sounds fine but Luke and Pete sound very quiet

Idk if you'd like to do it at the beginning of the calendar year, the wrestling year, i.e. post Wrestlemania, or some other time, but this makes me wonder what a kind of wrestling fantasy draft could look like and if it could be fun.

I would love a list during this middle of the year awards of stars that deserve more. Like who would you push in the second half of the year that isn’t pushed currently

I like this idea. People tend to be partial to the second half of a year when rating yearly performance, which makes sense since its hard to remember everything.

Has Luke become Dan Layton?

@Stromatolites151

4 күн бұрын

“Just the hint of a bosom”

@TeamGhostRyderINC

4 күн бұрын

Yes

@DR.64A9

4 күн бұрын

He wishes

So you have Punk and Ripley, but no Toni Storm???

I agree with everything you guys said about Cody, but I think he needs more than the same wobbly voice promo and talking about his dad. He needs to come into his own now and have a great fued or two that isn't just filler stuff until the rock or roman comes back

This will be interesting to see how these wrestlers stack come the end of the year

@howard9653

4 күн бұрын

I always think that about the Cultaholic half year awards

Feels like this could have been just a 2 man and a bobblehead doll panel

Seeing the top of the list does make me miss Kenny, I do hope he's able to return to the ring one day and make us all remember who was known as the best bout machine.

Loving the shirt Luke! Really suits you, looking very sharp!

I like doing awards now because it takes into account mania and the follow-up to mania stories

I think you should do one on angle of the year or feud of the year. Thank you guys love all the content

Tempest’s mic is too loud

Glad to see even tho Dan couldn't make it, his spirit made it thru Luke's shirt

I figured it would be will, I wouldn’t have had him but it’s the UK crowd voting

After Forbidden door, swerve is even more solidified on this list

@meles3740

3 күн бұрын

I was surprised to see him so high after a worse push than Cody after gaining the title, but it sure loos like he'll be moving up the list by the end of the year. Drew is probably a very weak #3 right now as he's not quite getting over despite excellent promo skills.

@Kosii08

3 күн бұрын

@@meles3740 Yeah I agree. They just need to capitalize off Swerves momentum from his feud with Ospreay, and continue to book him like an actual champion lol. They seem to be finally letting him be the Swerve that got him over instead of a generic baby face.

Not having Toni Storm on the list makes this list questionable.

Can't wait for the Tri-monthly awards!!!

Recorded before FD. I wonder if Swerves ranking would have been higher if recorded after his match vs Ospreay.

Whoever gave the penta top nomination I LOVE YOU MAN

Hope you guys do this for worst wrestler and best/worst show as well. I feel like by the end of the year some shows get lost in the shuffle.

Punk and Rhea had no business on this list

Would absolutely have Toni over Rhea.

I like this but I will say going forward you should have some qualifications as in half year nominees you have to have wrestled 5 matches & year end nominees have to wrestle at least 10 matches think it would help with voting 💯💯💯

Tempest blowing out my ear drums lmao

@stonr2keh769

4 күн бұрын

hes the worst

@nategarver7643

3 күн бұрын

He talks way too much

Funny thing is next year we're going to get quarterly best wrestler list but they're going to call it Luke Owen's Tri-Monthy Best Wrestler list

@BadenAW

2 күн бұрын

Love the 3-count reference

I wish I could go back to wrestlemania and watch the sami/Gunther match again. I lost my voice screaming for Sami.

Curious where Swerve would have been ranked had this been recorded after Forbidden Door.

Not having Iyo Sky on this list hurt my soul

First… this was one my favorite videos you have made. Keep it up. Second how is there only 1 female on this list and she has been injured for months now? The women’s division in WWE is great and I’ve heard AEW has a great women’s division as well.

@meles3740

3 күн бұрын

Perhaps the ladies will take over in the 2nd half. Mami should be fire when she returns to deal with Liv Morgan. Things are taking shape in AEW for the 2nd half and we'll see what is on the table for Wembley shortly.

26:43 i take some issue to that. No cody is rocking with the same moves but it's more natural in a sports entertainment style. That idealist americana works for wwe but that ideal doesnt work for a company born from indie sentinment

Why is Tempest Always so loud and Luke so calm?

I'm not a wwe guy, but how did Roman not make the top 11??

@MarkStanley11

4 күн бұрын

Probably because he has wrestled 3 matches this year and not been on TV in 3 months

@eace446

3 күн бұрын

Dude was on screen for less than an hour all year

There's a lot of Will Ospreay bias on WrestleTalk, and I get it because he's British and you guys are British. The only reason he is first, in my opinion, is because he's British and has the best matches. But you need more than just having the best matches to be considered the best wrestler in the world. In my opinion, the best wrestler isn't just about in-ring performance; it's also about promo work, character work, and storytelling. Will Ospreay does not have the best promo or even the best character. What is his character, even? And what stories has he told this year that are the best? The best wrestler should either be Danielson or Cody Rhodes because they check all those boxes. That's just my opinion. I love this podcast, by the way. I'm not hating in any way; I'm just sharing my opinion, and you don't have to agree with it at all if you don't think it's right.

@BadenAW

2 күн бұрын

You what bruv?

I dont know about you guys but for me the wrestler of the year should be the one who draws the most and is good in ring and also is a full timer

Osprey I think is a guy who was gunna be a top guy anywhere. I remember back in the day I assumed he was just a flippity dude, then he put on some weight and worked on his ground game. I also assumed he couldn't talk, maybe not the best promo, but he is very likable, I want to hang out with guy any time he speaks. And he's so young, I hope he stays healthy, because I wanna see him have a long long career

How can it be so shocking for you guys that a lot of people value character work just as much or even over in-ring work? A great wrestling match without a story is like watching an action scene taken out of a movie. It's impressive, it's really well done and people deserve a ton of credit for it. But who is gonna care about it?

Penta deserves honorable mention just for being Penta. Baseline, doing nothing of note Penta is still better then most wrestlers 👍

There’s SO MANY great wrestlers these days. Hard to narrow down to just 10.

Swerve is number 1

My Wrestler of the Year candidates: 1. Swerve Strickland 2. Cody Rhodes 3. Will Ospreay 4. Sting (sentimental) 5. Brian Danielson 6. John Moxley 7. Damien Priest 8. Rhea Ripley 9. Samoa Joe 10. Randy Orton

@thebig0plonkerdon818

4 күн бұрын

i think he likes aew

@frostichops3411

4 күн бұрын

No Seth Rollins in the top 10 when he was the mvp of wrestlemania is crazy 😂

I know why Kaito Kiyomiya isnt on here but he should be Special shout out Kosei fujita

Drew is wrestler of the year for me.

1. Cody Rhodes 2. Seth Rollins 3. Damian Priest 4. Drew McIntyre 5. Toni Storm 6. Swerve Strickland 7. Chad Gable 8. Gunther 9. Will Ospreay 10. Oba Femi

@lewney12

3 күн бұрын

Wouldn't say Rock, Roman, CM Punk, Rhea, MJF & similar people who haven't wrestled much. Shoutout to Konosuke Takeshita too

This is a good idea because a lot of wrestlers get terrible booking in like half a year

Ospreay's best match is war dogs united empire Dog Pound

No Toni Storm on this list is embarrassing.

@PilotZaku

4 күн бұрын

How? She isn’t that hype like calm down and yes I been watching AEW…She is great but not top 10…

@morlun838

4 күн бұрын

​@@PilotZaku Far better than Rhea or Punk have been in the first 6 months of this year. More great matches than both of those combined, top notch character work, top champion of her division, she's far more deserving than those two or several of the others on this list.

@fscorpion678

4 күн бұрын

@@PilotZakuYou're saying her run this year hasn't been better than Punk or Rhea? Embarrassing.

@malmazing24

4 күн бұрын

She finally has a character, there are better female wrestlers 😮

Where's Toni Storm.

Replace cm junk with tony storm

@videoeditorkaran

4 күн бұрын

💯

Just about to watch this and I already know number one will be JOE HENDRY.

How did Punk get top 10 and Toni Storm didn’t even get an honorable mention? Also what’s up with the Penta vote, but he at least has had plural matches this year.

If the criteria is truly who is the best "wrestler" then does that mean the best in-performer (least botches or errors in missing spots and remaining fluent in move-sets and selling)? Because if the criteria also means promos, storyline and out-of-ring performance then it should be called best "professional wrestling sports entertainer" which would embody all aspects of the industry as a performer. This is what happens when you try to critique actor's characters for their scripted performance along with their true ability for athletic stunt choreography. 🤷🏻‍♂️ But, as long as y'all are having fun with it and keeping us entertained. 😁👍

26:09 I love Cody, hes comfortably my favorite guy in the company, but I would comfortably put Daniel Bryan before his first retirement up against him as the best pure main event babyface of the modern era.

Ilja: Started year as NXT with amazing matches, then lost it in an amazing match, and got called up to RAW to have amazing matches Trick: Most over guy in NXT, arguably the company, and won the NXT dethroning Ilja

Well, what about Jeff Jarrett?

If this were after Forbidden Door, Swerve would be higher.

"Ha ha.. Yes!" 😂

Who is number one I couldn’t understand like I’m being serious ?

I really really would’ve had Randy, Copeland, or Willow at 10 before Punk

Kind of extremely disappointing.Bayley isn't on this list. She was the best part of the Royal Rumble.She was the best Part of WrestleMania. Damage control carried smackdown when roman wasn't their

Haven't started this yet but Luke's here it's going to be Osprey isn't it. It's always Osprey. Not saying it's not deserved if you are only taking in ring into consideration.

@BadenAW

2 күн бұрын

He has a very British indie style of promo, but come on bruv...

I thought it was ...so far?

I Think Ospreay, Swerve, Rhodes, McIntyre, Gunther is on The list

My wrestlers of the year are: Gunther, Dirty Dom, and Oba Femi

@diabeticman2194

4 күн бұрын

Oba Femi’s a great shout, he has the aura

@meles3740

3 күн бұрын

Liv Morgan I'd give the nod over Dirty Dom. Love all the Toni Storm love in this list, but Liv has been a gold mine filling in for Ripley.

720p??...

3:10. I have no issues with this at all. I’ve said before, and I’ll say again, wrestling is the least important part of wrestling. I like a good in ring performance as much as the next guy, but I am watching pro wrestling, not either UFC or Capoeira, and story is everything for me.

Yall should be embarrassed for not having Seth on this list. The MVP of wrestlemania who wrestled 2 matches injured and still interfered in the main event. Let’s not forget him returning WAY earlier than anyone ever thought. This is embarrassing 😂

My best wrestler of the year is Bryan Danielson

Surprised AJ didn’t make the top ten since the heel turn with the Cody matches. The LA Knight feud and match was pretty good, had a good performance in the not so great Rumble 4 way

The greatest luchador of all time Dominik Mysterio was screwed. This list is invalid.

People always talk about how terrible the wwe women's tag team titles are, but look there.... Talent Name took the number 2 spot

Did the voters realise they were voting based on the half year, and not for favoruite wrestler in general? No other reason for Punk to be on this list

@BadenAW

2 күн бұрын

His program with Drew is the best thing on WWE. He can get on the list for promos alone.

Toni Storm 😢😢😢

Give bayley respect she should be in list no cm punk or rea riple

@RexyReyes-n7e

2 күн бұрын

Relax...She's the no. 1 on ESPN's Top 10 women's wrestlers of 2024.

In terms of match quality, Ospreay has it in the bag by miles. In terms of success, Cody Rhodes gets it for having an amazing culmination of his story and being the face of WWE. Swerve, Gunther, Toni Storm, Sami Zayn, Trick Williams and Joe Hendry are also contenders imo

Not surprised...🙄😏

Having Punk in the top 10 wrestlers of the half year while excluding Toni Storm and Tiffany Stratton from even the top 15 is laughable

No way Will Osprey is no. 1 this year at this moment. I understand why he is voted the best, but nah. He has a very good chance of becoming the best wrestler come the end of the year, but so does Drew Mcintyre the way he's going. For now, it is obviously Cody.

Ospry is great in the ring. In 10 years nobody will talk about any of his matches. I never feel connected to anything he does. Having cool matches helps but like, people will tell the next generation about something like Cody/Roman or mjf/punk. Maybe it's just me idk.

@videoeditorkaran

4 күн бұрын

clearly just you 😂

@videoeditorkaran

4 күн бұрын

@@Adum lol a 2 billion dollar company with sold out ppv arenas and a surefire new deal on the table. Sure. Go ahead and downplay while sitting in ur $2 basement 🤣 what a waste of space

Please button up your shirt next time Luke.

I'm sorry, but this list is silly. Will above Cody? He's a great wrestler, but hasn't had THAT good of a year so far compared to Cody. And where is Seth???? The man overperformed at WM40 with an injured knee. I appreciate everyone's opinion, but this notion that pure wrestling skills and not selling, is above overall skills+promo+performance altogether.