2018 Wrestling MVP's

Hi guys,

First of all, Merry Christmas. Secondly, what a year 2018 has been for wrestling - there's been ups and downs but in the end of it, without wrestling, my life would've been very different. Wrestling really isn't what it is without the wrestlers themselves and there's been some right stand outs this year so here's my list of MVP's who have really stood out for me in a business that's full of so much talent!

1. Jay White
Me and this blog have made no secret of the fact that Jay White is probably my favourite wrestler but it's not just my bias that's put him no.1 on this list - he's had a hell of a 2018! After coming back from excursion and losing his match against Tanahashi for the IC belt, he got back on course by joining Chaos and then beating Kenny Omega for the US title on the 28th January which he had great defences with against likes of Hangman Page and David Finlay. Even after losing the title, with the likes of the G1 wins over Tana and Okada, Jay just seemed to be on a high beating people left right and centre. Cue betraying Chaos and starting a war on Okada (which will end at Wrestle Kingdom) with the BC OG's by his side and you have to say that White is the breakout star of the year in all of pro wrestling. I can honestly say that White is probably one of the best heel's in the business and does everything with style and ease - it almost seems effortless in the way that he has the ability to make even the nicest of Japanese crowds boo him like I haven't heard in a long time. He also makes the list because when I met him at SSEUK in Manchester, he was honestly the nicest guy ever and, if the future stays bright for this blog, I'd love to interview him one day! He is probably my breakout star of the entire year and has thrived since making his return last year and having the match against Tanahashi at Wrestle Kingdom!

2. Becky Lynch
How can I have a list of my MVP's and not have THE MAN on my list! The rise of women's wrestling over the last few years has been immense but there have been a few names left behind and, until this year, Becky Lynch was sadly one of those people. However, after a failed heel turn (I mean WWE must've know that it's impossible to not love the Irish Lass Kicker), Becky came with a more carefree and vicious attitude showing someone willing to fight through the obstacles to show that she's the best in the business, male or female. After winning the title, she really got the crowd behind her with those firey promo's, the amazing matches she had with the likes of Charlotte and so many others on the SD roster and of course the Ronda Rousey feud. Obviously we've not got the ending to that, after an incident on Raw with Nia caused her to miss Survivor Series, but she made that into a story and is now dominating Ronda through her words alone with no effort. Becky is the epitome of what a superstar should be, she's amazing in the ring, legit badass on the mic and her Twitter is savage af. She added some much need fire to the women's division and I can see 2019 being even better for Lynch (I mean I hope the rumours of her headlining WM are true)!

3. Adam Page
If anyone read my posts about the G1 climax, you would have seen me pretty much gush over how amazing Hangman Page was in that tournament from his matches against Hiroshi Tanahashi to that win over Minoru Suzuki. He's also had some other amazing matches this year against Jay White (for the US title), Joey Janela at All In and Kip Sabian on the ROH tour in the UK. If you factor that in with the great storytelling that went on with the Being The Elite storyline where Hangman Page thought he'd killed Joey Ryan (I mean the guy got carried out by dick druids). It just seems like Page has improved in every way from his ability to now tell story's in his matches and his in-ring skills that just amaze me every single time he has a match like his shooting star presses which are a thing of beauty. I have to agree with what Tanahashi said in the G1 that Page is too good for the Elite because I think he's getting overlooked with some of the big names and personalities in the faction. For me, he's the most underrated member of the faction and has the potential to be one of the biggest stars in NJPW (I mean even his stuff in World Tag League was great and it showed how much the Japanese crowds love him). It's been a breakout year for Adam Page and I think the only way is up and I can't wait to see him in even more dream matches!

4. David Starr
The British wrestling scene is the best it's been for a long time and it's full of so much talent both male and female. However, for me, one of the stand outs on the British independent scene (and a lot of other countries around the world) is the Rev Pro Undisputed British Cruiserweight Champion David Starr! I had the privilege of seeing him at SSEUK and watching him live was even more amazing than seeing some of his matches on the different streaming sites. As well as being a formidable competitor (I mean I love how much pride Starr has for the Cruiserweight title), Starr just has this personality and air about him (I mean he is the embodiment of charisma) that just makes him amazing to watch. His entrance is one of the coolest ever (I'll post a link to it below) and, when he gets in the ring, he fights with a nice mix of ground and cruiserweight oddence whilst still being the heel if he has too. Even though he's had tons of amazing matches in so many different promotions, for me, my favourite this year was his bout against Ishii at York Hall in November. It was one of those matches really breaking boundaries between the divisions (a post will come on that issue at some point) and I loved the fact that it was no where near a squash match - both guys put up an amazing fight and it was just so endearing to watch. Although Starr's 2018 has been phenomenal, I don't see his momentum slowing down!

5. Mustafa Ali
Like Jay White, I've never made it a secret that I love 205 Live and have done since it first started. I also make no secret that I love every single on of those guys who've been working their arses off and I could've picked any of them (Buddy Murphy, Cedric Alexander, Tony Nese and Drew Gulak) but in the end, I chose the rightful representative and the heart of 205 Live Mustafa Ali. I mean the biggest proof is, as of last week, Ali is a member of the SD Live roster after his amazing match against Daniel Bryan (which makes me wonder if he's still going to be on 205 Live, I hope so because if not *sobs*). It's so well deserved because, as well as putting on some amazing matches against Cedric Alexander and Hideo Itami to name a few, his character development has been second to none and he's really taken his story and 205 Live outside the ring. I mean if you haven't seen his dark and haunting video promos on Twitter telling the story of his journey and how it linked to each of his matches, then you haven't lived. They're pure genius and really is moving wrestling to somewhere more accessible to all the fans. This connection to the fans with his amazing in-ring ability that shocks me every time makes Mustafa Ali a worthy candidate on my MVP list!

So, there are my 5 MVP's of wrestling in 2018! Just to let you know that this was such a hard list to make and some people literally missed the list by a millipoint, wrestlers like Zack Sabre Jr, Velveteen Dream, Buddy Murphy and so many more but these are just the ones I personally have loved watching this year! 

Let me know who your MVP's of wrestling are this year and what you think of my list - let me know in the comments or on social media (@Wrestling_Chat on Twitter and Wrestling Chatter on FB) what you thought of this post!

Until next time,

Bye!