Today, Pro Wrestling Illustrated is releasing the digital version of their magazine edition featuring the 2020 PWI Women’s 100 ranking.
This year, Bell To Belles took part in ranking the best women wrestlers for the year, and is co-revealing the top ten list, along with details on other ranking women, with PWI and Warren Hayes of the Mr. Warren Hayes Show.
The evaluation period for the 2020 PWI Women’s 100 list was from October 1, 2019 until September 30, 2020. This year, special consideration was given to work history and momentum, due to COVID-19. Women were evaluated based on the following criteria:
- Championships won
- Quality of opposition
- Technical proficiency
- Win-loss records
- Overall activity
- Momentum/promotional “push”
Below is the top ten of the 2020 PWI Women’s 100, in order:
- Bayley
- Becky Lynch
- Asuka
- Charlotte Flair
- Sasha Banks
- Hikaru Shida
- Tessa Blanchard
- Riho
- Io Shirai
- Mayu Iwatani
Important to note
The top five ranked women all work for WWE; four of the five being the Four Horsewomen, themselves. The women of WWE certainly had more time to work during the COVID-19 era, but it’s no surprise that these particular women ranked so high. In particular, Bayley as the #1 spot was highly expected and earned.
Out of the top 10, half of the women ranked are joshi wrestlers, which speaks to the influence joshi had on the last year of women’s wrestling. In their first year as a promotion, AEW fostered two of these joshi wrestlers–a testament to how AEW builds their women’s division.
Notes on the remaining 90 women ranked
A total of 38 women ranked on this year’s list did not rank on last year’s list–a whopping 38 percent.
Surprise first-ever rankings include Priscilla Kelly (#38), Big Swole (#39), Nina Samuels (#90) and Jamie Hayter (#47). The large number of newly ranked women this year is a telling sign that the evolution of women’s wrestling is well underway and still in progress.
Other things to look for in this year’s PWI Women’s 100 include the large number of Impact women ranked, the domination of the independent scene, and the effort to include women from all corners of the globe.
Order the digital version of the PWI Women’s 100 edition today. The edition will hit newsstands on November 10. Visit the official PWI Twitter for more information.
Watch PWI Editor-in-Chief Kevin McElvaney reveal the PWI Women’s 100 with Mr. Warren Hayes on a special premiere episode of the Mr. Warren Hayes Show here.
Bell To Belles interviewed over 20 women who ranked on the 2020 PWI Women’s 100 in a special interview series in collaboration with PWI. Return every day until Nov. 4 for a new video, audio, or written interview!
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