In this second part of the list, we look at those female wrestlers that shook the wrestling world in 2018. There are a good mix of styles on offer here and from a number of different companies.
20=. Momo Watanabe
Millie McKenzie isn't the only insanely talented 18-year-old in the wrestling world. Watanabe has a ridiculously bright future and has already had great matches with Jungle Kyona and Hazuki, as well as a couple of blinders against Io Shirai and Mayu Iwatani. She is currently the Wonder of Stardom and Goddesses of Stardom champion. There is near limitless potential here.
20=. Ivelisse
Why are there two number 20s? Put simply, I forgot about Ivelisse. So instead of changing all of the list below this, I elected to insert her as an extra. If you want, you can pretend that Nia Jax isn't on the list. Ivelisse has once again been a big part of Lucha Underground programming and has been a regular in SHINE, winning their tag titles.
19. Ember Moon
It has been a weird year for Moon this year. She started the year as NXT Women's champion and was called up after WrestleMania. She hasn't always been used as she probably should have and she was incredibly over at Evolution, and should have won that battle royal. She is a great wrestler that deserves to be in the title picture on whatever show she is on.
18 Taya Valkyrie
Taya has had a good run in Impact this year but has yet to get her hands on the Knockouts Title. She is also a major part of Lucha Underground and has an... interesting story going forward. She also wrestles in AAA in Mexico, winning their Lucha Capital Women's Tournament. She is a good wrestler with a good gimmick and should continue to have success.
17. Viper
Quite possibly the best big wrestler in women's wrestling. She is a title magnet too, having held titles in ICW, PCW, Stardom, EVE and ABC in this year alone. She also dropped the Fierce Females title that she had held for 1122 days. The match that she will be most remembered for this year is the ultraviolent Queen of Insanity match against Kay Lee Ray, which is well worth checking out.
16. Mercedes Martinez
One of the very best veterans still competing at a high level. She was once again part of the Mae Young Classic, during which she put on an incredible match with Meiko Satomura. She has picked up a number of titles this year in companies such as SHIMMER, SHINE, and WSU. The most notable title win she had though was the Phoenix of RISE title, which she won from Tessa Blanchard in a 75-minute Ironman match, the longest women's match in history.
15. Kagetsu
She is one of the key parts in Stardom rebuilding themselves after the high profile losses they have suffered. She has a great look and backs that up with her wrestling ability, which is very well rounded. Her current role as the leader of Oedo Tai fits her perfectly and her performances have been rewarded with the Wonder of Stardom title.
14. Kay Lee Ray
Quite frankly, Kay Lee Ray is nuts, in the best possible way. She was the other half of the Queen of Insanity match in ICW and has been impressive wherever she has wrestled. She is the current ICW and World of Sport women's champion, and her performances ensure that she will continue to be near the top of whatever company she wrestles for.
13. Asuka
An inconsistent year has seen Asuka drop from first in last year's list. Following the loss of her streak at WrestleMania she kind of got lost in the shuffle and got stuck with a terrible feud with Carmella. Her ring work remained at a high quality though and she finally got her moment on the main roster when she won the Smackdown women's title at TLC.
12. Arisa Nakajima
One of the most talented wrestlers in all of Joshi, Arisa went about business at the level that is expected of her this year. She may not have picked up the titles that some of her contemporaries did this year but you can guarantee that she will put in one hell of an effort every time. The best wrestler on the SEAdLINNNG roster.
11. Jordynne Grace
Thick Momma Pump. She has been going from strength to strength this year, from throwing around Brian Cage at ALL IN to destroying everything in front of her in Impact to ending the year by winning the PROGRESS women's title. She is also another wrestler that has almost all of her wrestling career in front of her as she is only 22. She's great.
10. Io Shirai
Shirai has had a year that can be summarised in two halves. In the first half of the year, she continued to tear it up in Stardom, putting on a number of excellent matches with the likes of Momo Watanabe. The second half of the year is her WWE career to this point. She has been good in the company so far, with a couple of standout matches in the MYC. She has since become part of the NXT roster and is currently in the settling in period that accompanies most new talents.
9. Kairi Sane
She has been part of one of the best women's feuds this year, with Shayna Baszler, and held the NXT women's title as part of that feud. She also got her first tastes of main roster PPVs, with an appearance in the Royal Rumble and an excellent showing at Evolution. She is very talented and will remain as a part of the upper echelons of the NXT card heading forward.
8. Ronda Rousey
The ease with which Rousey has taken to wrestling is nothing short of astonishing. From her first match at Mania 34, she has barely put a foot wrong and along the way she has put on a couple of absolute belters. If she continues to progress at this rate, the main event of WrestleMania 35 is going to be excellent.
7. Toni Storm
She has continued to advance her career with a great year and some very big wins. She was highly impressive in the MYC, putting in great matches with Io Shirai and Meiko Satomura on the way to winning the tournament. She has picked up titles in wXw, PROGRESS, and Stardom but will be spending a lot more time in a WWE ring heading forward.
6. Shayna Baszler
There are a lot of people out there that don't like Baszler, but I don't give a fuck about that. She has really come into her own this year and in her two reigns with the NXT women's title, she has established herself as one of the best women in the roster. She has had a great series of matches with Kairi Sane and put on other great matches with Toni Storm and Ember Moon. Strangely, Baszler is technically still the AIW and Premier women's champion. I don't think she will be defending them.
5. Tessa Blanchard
Blanchard is money. She may not have had the list of buzz-worthy matches that some of the others on this list have had but the way in which she carries herself is outstanding. She is currently a champion in six different companies and has held the title in another two at different points this year. She is the star of Impact's Knockouts division, was a part of ALL IN, and can go in long matches such as the 75-minute Ironman match against Mercedes Martinez.
4. Mayu Iwatani
Mayu Iwatani is an absolute magician in the ring. Her matches against Momo Watanabe were among the very best this year, and in all honesty, there isn't anyone on the Stardom roster that can match her for consistent quality. She is the wrestler most able to take over from where Io Shirai left off, which are big shoes to fill. She is the current Artist of Stardom champion and won this year's 5Star Grand Prix.
3. Becky Lynch
You may be thinking 'why is Becky Lynch only third in this list?' but the fact is that even though she is the hottest act the WWE has had in some time she didn't really do much of particular note until Summerslam. From that point on though she has been inferno hot. Her feud with Charlotte Flair has featured some superb matches and there is nobody more over than she is. She also managed to have a moment that felt genuinely Stone Cold-esque, which can be seen in the picture above. She is by far the most sensible choice to win the Royal Rumble, and main event WrestleMania. On a side note, she wrestled 133 matches in 2018.
2. Charlotte Flair
The success of Becky Lynch has kind of made people forget that Charlotte has been going about her business at a very high level throughout the entire year. She had a high profile match against Asuka at Mania, and nailed it. She was in the Money In The Bank match, and nailed it. She was part of the hottest women's feud in ages, and nailed it. And when Becky Lynch got injured she stepped in to wrestle Ronda Rousey, and fucking nailed that too. Lynch may be the biggest part of the women's division going forward but without Charlotte, none of it gets done.
1. Meiko Satomura
Meiko is a 23-year veteran and possible actual deity. 2018 may have been her most active year ever, certainly in terms of how many different companies she worked for, and the quality of her output has been astonishing. She was the clear standout performer in the Mae Young Classic, putting on exceptional matches against Mercedes Martinez and Toni Storm, but that was just the tip of the iceberg. She wrestled a top notch match with Io Shirai in Sendai, she went to EVE and stole the show with Kay Lee Ray, she wrestled for OTT and put on one of their best matches of the year, she went to DDT and won their Openweight title, she won the Femmes Fatales tournament in wXw, and she went to Fight Club Pro and won their singles title from Chris Brookes and still holds it. The fact that she is still able to perform at this level, this far into her career is nothing short of incredible. An easy choice for the number one spot this year.
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