WWE Champion John Cena has been named the #1 wrestler of the year in the latest Pro Wrestling Illustrated Top 500. Cena joins a list of top names in wrestling history to have topped this list since PWI began publishing it in 1991, including (according to Wikipedia) Hulk Hogan, Sting, Bret Hart (2x), Diesel, Shawn Michaels, Dean Malenko, Steve Austin (2x), HHH, Kurt Angle, RVD, Brock Lesnar, Chris Benoit and 2005’s #1 wrestler, Dave Batista. The annual list will appear in the November issue of the magazine, on newsstands September 26.
Photo Credit: PWI-Online.com
John Cena is rarely talked about as one of the top professional wrestlers in the world, particularly because of the backlash he has received in the past year or so. While kids and women seem to love him (and show this love via buying merchandise and cheering him at shows), as a babyface character, he has gotten booed more often than not, particularly by crowds made up of “smart” fans that value in-ring workrate over charisma and body type, Cena’s two top qualities.
Of course, PWI has traditionally been written from a kayfabed perspective, and John Cena has been WWE Champion – the top belt in the industry – for most of the past two years. the WIA hobby site has posted the complete list of this year’s PWI 500, which will no doubt spark debate among smart fans and smarks alike. Here is this year’s top 25 (buy the magazine or go to that link for the full list):
1. John Cena
2. Kurt Angle
3. Edge
4. Samoa Joe
5. Mistico
6. Rey Mysterio Jr.
7. Brock Lesnar
8. Kenta Kobashi
9. Shawn Michaels
10. Jeff Jarrett
11. Taiyo Kea
12. Christian Cage
13. AJ Styles
14. Satoshi Kojima
15. Christopher Daniels
16. Bryan Danielson
17. Perro Aguayo Jr.
18. Rob Van Dam
19. King Booker
20. Jun Akiyama
21. Triple H
22. Ultimo Guerrero
23. Batista
24. Ric Flair
25. Kensuke Sasaki
Go to PWI-Online.com for more information on the magazine.
