Pro Wrestling Illustrated (PWI) has once again come in to name the greatest wrestlers in the world, this time taking a look at the female wrestlers who showed the most dominance.
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Specifically, the 2024 PWI Women’s 250 looks at women wrestlers from Oct. 1, 2023-Sept. 30, 2024, and ranks them based on in-ring achievement, influence, technical ability, competition, and activity, meaning they wrestled at least 10 singles matches.
This year, the list has some shocking upsets, with All Elite Wrestling (AEW) having a dominating presence in the Top 10 over WWE.
NAGOYA, JAPAN – OCTOBER 05: Toni Storm and Mayu Iwatani compete during the Women’s Pro-Wrestling “Stardom” at Dolphins Arena on October 05, 2024 in Nagoya, Aichi, Japan.
Etsuo Hara/Getty Images
PWI officially named Timeless Toni Storm as the No. 1 female wrestler in the world, the first wrestler from AEW to accomplish this feat.
“At the risk of sounding overly dramatic, it’s fair to say Toni Storm isn’t just a star, she’s a phenomenon,” PWI said.
“Beyond just being a hoot, Storm’s comfort on the microphone and in front of a camera have been integral to some of AEW’s most compelling storylines of the last year … Not only is Storm’s flashy presentation the stuff of Hollywood blockbusters, her execution in the ring is Oscar-worthy.”
Storm isn’t the only AEW presence in the Top 10. She is joined by Willow Nightingale (No. 8), Storm’s rival Mariah May (No. 9), and current Ring of Honor (ROH) Women’s Champion Athena (No. 10).
Additionally, former New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) Strong Women’s Champion Stephanie Vaquer, who is ranked No. 5, wrestled in two matches for AEW, losing her aforementioned title to Mercedes Moné. She has now signed with WWE.
Meanwhile, WWE only has two wrestlers in the Top 10: last year’s No. 1 wrestler Rhea Ripley (No. 3) and Bayley (No. 7).
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However, Jordynne Grace of Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA) made multiple appearances in the WWE during this period. She is currently ranked No. 2 overall.
Other wrestlers in the Top 10 include Maika (Stardom, No. 4) and Saree (Free Agent, No. 6), who previously wrestled for WWE NXT for three years.
While this certainly shows how far AEW’s women’s division has come, WWE still dominates when the list extends to the Top 20.
WWE Superstars ranked 11-20 include current NXT Women’s Champion Roxanne Perez (No. 11), current World Women’s Champion Liv Morgan (No. 12), Iyo Sky (No. 13), Becky Lynch (No. 17), and Lyra Valkyria (No. 20).
Meanwhile, AEW only has one other wrestler in the Top 20: Mina Shirakawa (No. 16). Other wrestlers in the Top 20 include Mayu Iwatani (NJPW, No. 14), Masha Slamovich (TNA, No. 15), Miu Watanabe (True Japan Pro-Wrestling, No. 18), and Miyu Yamashita (Major League Wrestling & TNA, No. 19).
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