July 12, 2018
By: Mike Johnson
Every week here at FITE, we feature the Top Ten ranked personalities in the world of professional wrestling. Unlike other combat sports, pro wrestling cannot be measured in just wins and losses, especially when the drama and excitement of the genre is specifically based around not just the physical performance, but the excitement level created by its combatants. Thus, our top ten measures the most newsworthy performers in the business, who's momentum drives not just their own career paths but the promotions they compete for.
1. Roman Reigns
Despite the chaos and despite the push-back from the WWE audience, Roman Reigns never fails to push through the storm, this week returning to the top of the FITE Rankings. With his victory over Bobby Lashley on Monday Night Raw, Reigns takes the elevator back to the top, setting the stage for his long-awaited Summerslam main event against Universal Champion Brock Lesnar. Reigns has been a dynamic figure for World Wrestling Entertainment and appears set to dominate the remainder of the summer, and if he is victorious, perhaps even longer.
2. AJ_Styles
The WWE Champion has been one of the most spectacularly consistent professional wrestlers in the world for some time, but his recent classic against Andrade "Cien" Almas on Smackdown as well as his live event bouts against Rusev and Samoa Joe have created an incredible body of work. With Samoa Joe set in stone as Styles' challenger at Summerslam, the level of anticipation for Styles' next classic has never been higher. There's a reason why Styles has been nicknamed "Phenomenal" – it describes his ability to take the WWE audience on an emotional ride with his in-ring exploits.
3. Austin Aries
At Slammiversary in Toronto, Impact World Champion Austin Aries performed like a demon possessed, imbuing the spirit of the professional wrestling champion of yesteryear. With insane physical skills and a work ethic that not only allows him to excel but is so great, it raises the level of his opponent's work as well, Aries helped boost Moose to the best work of his career. Aries has crisscrossed the world over, creating a body of work that has captured the attention of the world. That's what a true champion does.
4.Samoa Joe
Over the course of his career, Samoa Joe has held the top championships in Ring of Honor and TNA Wrestling. One of his top rivals, almost as long as they have each been competing, has been AJ Styles. Since Joe attacked and choked out Styles on Smackdown this week, he has set the stage for yet another confrontation between the two. Summerslam may be the crowning moment of Samoa Joe's career. The momentum continues to build for the Samoan Submission Machine, setting the stage for a perfect storm that may result in Joe once again hoisting championship gold over his head.
5. Pentagón Jr
At Slammiversary, the lucha star and former Impact Wrestling Champion scored what may have been the milestone moment for him in the United States, defeating Sami Callihan in a bloody, dramatic confrontation. Shaving Callihan's head and retaining his own mask, Pentagon stole the show with what was considered the most vibrant match of the FITE broadcast. With main event matches on upcoming Impact TV episodes and a big appearance set for PCW Ultra in California on FITE, Pentagon continues to excel.
6. Matt Riddl
The spotlight of the pro wrestling world is shining down upon Matt Riddle. While the EVOLVE Champion has a slew of title defenses on upcoming EVOLVE broadcasts on FITE, rumors of interest from New Japan Pro Wrestling and WWE have only intensified the attention and speculation on Riddle's performances and his future plans. The former UFC fighter has carved his own niche in the world of pro wrestling and that path is about to become far more popular.
7. Jay Lethal
After capturing the ROH World Championship in shocking and spectacular fashion during a four-way encounter on ROH Television this week on FITE, Lethal stepped into the ring in Atlanta against Jonathan Gresham. The two brought down the house at Center Stage, bringing an extended standing ovation for each competitor. In just two matches, Lethal has brought a renewed gleam to the glow of the ROH World title belt.
8. Drew Mcinytyre
The Scottish star continues to excel during his current WWE run, bringing an intense in-ring performance to Monday Night Raw episodes. Morphing into one of the best antagonists in professional wrestling, McIntyre's path to Summerslam continues to glow with his battles against Seth Rollins, Finn Balor and more. He brings a grittier dimension out of Dolph Ziggler, but McIntyre is long past being someone else's muscle – instead, he's the future of WWE.
9. Seth Rollins
As he continues his pursuit of the WWE Intercontinental Championship, Rollins works to overcome the blip of a vastly underperforming Iron Man Match at Extreme Rules. Since then, Rollins has returned to his usual groove, having great matches on Monday Night Raw and at live events. With fans increasingly invested in him as a performer and personality, Rollins is being willed back into the upper echelon of the FITE rankings, providing an endless stream of amazing performances in the process.
10. Moose
The former NFL great had the opportunity to main event his first major Impact Wrestling event at Slammiversary in Toronto, challenging Austin Aries. While Moose failed to capture the belt and dealt with injuries coming out of the bout, he also electrified audiences with his greatest performance in professional wrestling to date. Moose left everything out there with his performance, mixing physicality and drama and for the first real time in his career, showcasing the potential of what he has beyond the surface. In professional wrestling, there are performances that mature and evolve performers and live on FITE, we witnessed Moose rise to a new level. With the door kicked open, the future is his to seize.
11. Dolph Ziggler
Dolph Ziggler may still be the Intercontinental Champion, but his run back towards greatness suffered a nasty stumble at the WWE Extreme Rules PPV. While his work ethic is never in question, if Ziggler wants to truly embody what it takes to be a top performer in pro wrestling, he needs to shake off everything that distracted him and get back to hitting the ball every week with incredible in-ring prowess and all the split-second timing that made his in-ring resurrection so vibrant.
12. Sami Callihan
Sami Callihan is no entertainer. He's a force of nature, a riot starter, a pugilist. In a world where professional wrestling has become sanitized for all ages, Callihan is a throwback to the muck, the grit, the slime of yesteryear. Although he lost his hair to Pentagon Jr. at Impact Wrestling's Slammiversary, the violent and intense spectacle shocked FITE viewers and set the bar for everything else on the PPV broadcast. Callihan will be coming back for revenge, because all great monsters return. He will be no different.
13. Tom Lawlor
The former UFC fighter showed he is indeed the real deal with a massive win in the first-ever 40-man Battle Riot match presented by Major League Wrestling. With a victory that aired over national television and a guaranteed shot at MLW Champion Low Ki, Lawlor proved that professional wrestling wasn't just a quirky quest to entertain himself or a lark designed to waste time until he returns to the Octagon. No, Lawlor is the real deal. He's still at the infancy of his pro wrestling adventure, but he's already captured the imagination of many…and more to come.
14. Andrade "Cien" Almas
The former WWE NXT Champion seems to have finally found himself on the Smackdown brand of the WWE main roster. Whether it was an excellent performance against WWE Champion AJ Styles that turned the heads of those watching backstage that led to Almas getting renewed confidence from decision-makers, a big win over Rusev on Smackdown Live this week or a series of wins against Sin Cara on live events, Almas has consistently delivered. Whether it's his youthful exuberance, the chip on his shoulder or Zelina Vega, all the elements are there for Almas to break through in a major way.
15. Bobby Lashley
With his loss to Roman Reigns on Monday Night Raw this week, Lashley watched his road to the main event of Summerslam evaporate as his shoulders were counted to the mat. With his Extreme Rules victory over Reigns nullified, a dark fog now sits over Lashley's short-term future for WWE. The next moves, both from a creative standpoint and from a performance perspective will be extremely important as to whether Lashley can rebound and climb back up the FITE Rankings. Lashley's toughest battle in WWE is about to begin.Mike Johnson is the lead reporter for PWInsider.com and has been writing about professional wrestling since 1996. He can be found on Twitter @MikePWInsider and MikeJohnsonWrites.com.
