PWI Female 50 - A Bit Of A Surprise

[Jack-Hammer]

Earlier today, Pro Wrestling Illustrated announced its picks for the 50 best female wrestlers. For the first time since 2010, one of the WWE Divas tops the list. The top 10 reads as follows:

1. Paige
2. AJ Lee
3. Gail Kim
4. Cheerleader Melissa
5. LuFisto
6. Angelina Love
7. Ivelisse Velez
8. Courtney Rush
9. Natalya
10. Charlotte

I'm a little surprised to see Paige ranked at #1 this year, though she has had a helluva year all told. Despite the hit & miss booking she's gotten since coming up to the main roster, she's got a lot of talent, has a unique look has a potentially bright future.

Charlotte has come a long way since breaking into wrestling only a couple of years ago. She's flourished in NXT and has been involved in some of the best women's matches in WWE history. That's not exactly saying a whole helluva lot, granted, but she's genuinely had some great matches in NXT this year. I'd have ranked her much higher than Natalya, whom she had a classic bout with at one of the live NXT specials earlier this year for the vacant NXT Women's Championship.

 

[ABMorales787]

If Ivelisse can be there, then Taya Valkyrie should be high on that list. AAA's Reina de Reinas Champion and one of the top draws of the company. Far more accomplished than Ivelisse, Angelina Love, LuFisto and on. She should be #3 at the least.

 

[Remix]

Eh, these lists are always biased towards wrestlers performing in American promotions, which is why Taya is lower on the lost than she should be. I would put money on most of the judging panel not watching any AAA, let alone enough to accurately rank her in a list like this.

Ivelisse is probably ranked about right. She's coming up on having a year long title reign having beaten a lot of highly rated names over that time (including one former #1 PWI50 in Madison Eagles) and having consistently good matches before and since winning the title.

 

[mizowns]

Congrats to Paige.

She has been the best, you have to agree she made most of it.

I think Alicia Fox can be something for 2015.

 

[ABMorales787]

The full list:

1. Paige – WWE (12)
2. AJ Lee – WWE (9)
3. Gail Kim – TNA (6)
4. Cheerleader Melissa – Independent (1)
5. LuFisto – Independent (21)
6. Angelina Love – TNA (NL)
7. Ivelisse Velez – Independent (NL)
8. Courtney Rush – Independent (23)
9. Natalya – WWE (13)
10. Charlotte – WWE (NL)
11. Madison Rayne – TNA (NL)
12. Barbi Hayden – Independent (NL)
13. Jessicka Havok – TNA (4)
14. Saraya Knight – Independent (3)
15. Brittany – TNA (45)
16. Brie Bella – WWE (22)
17. Cameron – WWE (37)
18. Kacee Carlisle – Independent (7)
19. Bayley – WWE (47)
20. Mia Yim – Independent (41)
21. Kellie Skater – Independent (15)
22. Mercedes Martinez – Independent (10)
23. Athena – Independent (25)
24. Nikki Bella – WWE (32)
25. Alicia Fox – WWE (35)
26. Cherry Bomb – Independent (28)
27. Su Yung – Independent (NL)
28. Kimber Lee – Independent (NL)
29. Emma – WWE (38)
30. Nicole Matthews – Independent (26)
31. Leva Bates – Independent (40)
32. Nikki Storm – Independent (NL)
33. Candice LeRae – Independent (NL)
34. Mickie Knuckles – Independent (NL)
35. Portia Perez – Independent (29)
36. Taryn Terrell – TNA (17)
37. Nevaeh – Independent (39)
38. Marti Belle – Independent (NL)
39. Naomi – WWE (24)
40. Velvet Sky – TNA (11)
41. Becky Lynch – WWE (NL)
42. Veda Scott – Independent (43)
43. Amber O’Neal – Independent (42)
44. Sassy Stephie – Independent (36)
45. Christina Von Eerie – Independent (30)
46. Crazy Mary Dobson – Independent (NL)
47. Jessie Kaye – Independent (NL)
48. Heidi Lovelace – Independent (NL)
49. Angie Skye – Independent (NL)
50. Kat Von Heez – Independent (NL)

This list is a pile of biases shit. Where the hell are Taya Valkyrie, Faby Apache and Sexy Star? They wrestled in feature bouts for Triplemania 22, a crowd of 23,000, all 3 winning championships in the second biggest North American promotion, but somehow women wrestling in shows that get less 2000 are on there? Cameron in 17. She can't even do a pincover right.

Horseshit.

 

[6timehitta]

Other than the fact that they missed the 3 prior women that KJ mentioned, the rankings are just a fucking joke. Candice LaRae is arguably the best woman in the indies at the moment and she's all the way down at 33? You could also argue that while the WWE divas are more prominent and viewed more, that the only 2 women that need to be ranked from there are Paige and AJ. You could make an argument for Natalya although that's more off her name instead of her accomplishments in the last year.

Another two women I'd look into adding for next year are Hudson Envy and Madison Eagles. Eagles was the number one woman in 2011 and Envy is a young up and comer, who has already wrestled against the likes of Awesome Kong, LuFisto, and Candice LaRae.

 

[Viola Moonlight]

I've got to disagree on Candice LeRae being #33. She won the Tag Team championships from one of the best tag teams in professional wrestling. That accomplishment alone should be able to topple someone like Cameron who really hasn't done anything. Surely a kayfabe rating system can't have "WWE employee" as a higher ranking than a championship?

However, I do agree with Paige as the top spot. NXT women's champ, two-time Divas champion (winning the title upon debut) and held two titles at once. Very impressive feat for any woman in professional wrestling. Congratulations to her for making it high on the list so quickly.

 

[It's...Baylariat!]

These lists are usually not that well done. This seems no different. Candice LeRae should be in the Top 5 on this list. She's a co-holder of TAG TEAM belts... with a dude. Also she bladed better than anyone in wrestling this past year.

I suppose Paige does get a nod at the top here. She's rather dashing and very good in the ring considering she's being booked by someone who's clearly bi-polar.