If you read “Pro Wrestling Illustrated” religiously like me, the best issue of the year just dropped digitally-it’s PWI 500 time! For those waiting for paper copies, it’s about 3 weeks away. If you want to avoid SPOILERS, stop reading here. Otherwise, click below for the top 10 overall and Japan wrestlers in this year’s rankings (including foreigners who compete primarily in Japan):
First, the overall top 10:
1-Cody Rhodes (WWE)
2-Swerve Strickland (AEW)
3-Will Ospreay (AEW) (Left New Japan earlier this year)
4-Seth Rollins (WWE) (#1 last year)
5-Tetsuya Naito (New Japan)
6-Damian Priest (WWE)
7-MJF (AEW)
8-Jon Moxley (AEW)
9-Gunther (WWE)
10-Mistico (CMLL)
Now the rest of the Japanese or primarily Japan-based wrestlers ranked:
16-SANADA (New Japan)
21-Kazuchika Okada (New Japan/AEW)
32-Katsuhiko Nakajima (Independent/Freelancer)
33-Zack Sabre Jr. (New Japan)
35-Kenoh (Pro Wrestling NOAH)
41-Yuma Anzai (All-Japan)
44-Satoshi Kojima (New Japan)
46-Hiromu Takahashi (New Japan)
47-Kaito Kiyomiya (NOAH)
49-David Finlay (New Japan)
50-Hijo de Dr. Wagner Jr. (NOAH)
54-Max The Impaler (Tokyo Joshi Pro)
60-El Desperado (New Japan)
67-Konosuke Takeshita (DDT)
71-Yota Tsuji (New Japan)
74-Luis Mante (Dragon Gate)
78-Jake Lee (NOAH/New Japan)
81-Hiroshi Tanahashi (New Japan)
82-Go Shiozaki (NOAH)
84-Yuki Ueno (DDT)
85-Shingo Takagi (New Japan)
88-MAO (DDT)
91-YAMATO (Dragon Gate)
93-Chris Brookes (DDT)
98-Shota Umino (New Japan)
100-HAYATA (NOAH)
102-Kento Miyahara (All-Japan)
103-Sho (New Japan)
104-Daga (NOAH)
106-Rina Yamashita (Game Changer Wrestling)
107-Shun Skywalker (Dragon Gate)
120-Ben-K (Dragon Gate)
121-Jeff Cobb (New Japan)
125-Hirooki Goto (New Japan)
127-Titan (New Japan)
131-Minoru Suzuki
137-Yuma Aoyagi (All-Japan)
143-Yuya Uemura (New Japan)
155-KENTA (New Japan)
156-Jun Saito (All-Japan)
162-Rising Hayato (All-Japan)
168-Hyo (Dragon Gate)
169-Robbie Eagles (New Japan)
176-DOUKI (New Japan)
178-Tomohiro Ishii (New Japan)
182-Ren Narita (New Japan)
183-Royce Isaacs (New Japan)
189-El Phantasmo (New Japan)
194-Gabriel Kidd (New Japan)
200-Shigehiro Irie (GLEAT)
210-Naruki Doi (Independent/Freelancer)
213-Timothy Thatcher (NOAH)
220-HENARE (New Japan)
221-Katsuyori Shibata (New Japan/AEW)
225-Rei Saito (All-Japan)
228-Dan Tamura (All-Japan)
229-Tama Tonga (New Japan/WWE)
230-Hayato Tamura (GLEAT)
234-Yoh (New Japan)
238-El Lindaman (GLEAT)
240-ISHIN (Dragon Gate)
241-Suwama (All-Japan)
242-Drilla Moloney (New Japan)
250-KUSHIDA (New Japan/TNA)
254-EVIL (New Japan)
263-Masato Tanaka (ZERO1)
267-Taiji Ishimori (New Japan)
272-Great-O-Khan (New Japan)
274-Kevin Knight (New Japan)
277-Strong Machine J (Dragon Gate)
287-Hikuleo (New Japan/WWE)
290-TJP (New Japan)
295-Tom Lawlor (New Japan)
296-Seigo Tachibana (All-Japan)
305-Hikaru Sato (All-Japan)
311-Shuji Ishikawa (Independent/Freelancer)
326-Francesco Akira (New Japan)
341-Jack Morris (NOAH)
346-Ninja Mack (NOAH)
357-Boltin Oleg (New Japan)
367-Fuminori Abe (All-Japan)
370-Masa Kitamiya (ZERO1)
373-Callum Newman (New Japan)
374-Manabu Soya (NOAH)
399-Yoshiki Inamura (NOAH) (listed as YOICHI)
440-Quiet Storm (GLEAT)
456-Maki Itoh (Tokyo Joshi Pro)
459-Ulka Sasaki (NOAH)
474-Dragon Dia (Dragon Gate)
The ranking evaluation period was from 8/1/2023-7/31/2024 and takes much more than win/loss record and titles wow into account. A wrestler has to be in a certain number of matches to qualify which explains easily the most notable 500 omission this year…Roman Reigns (WWE). Only 5 singles matches this year, the requirement for ranking consideration is 6.
