Twitter is ablaze recently as the news has hit about Pro Wrestling Illustrated and its annual top 500 list. For those who don’t know, the PWI Top 500 is a ranking of who is the best wrestler. Last year’s number one spot went to Seth Rollins. This year’s candidate has been revealed and fans certainly aren’t happy.
Reigns is #1
Roman Reigns has been named the #1 ranked wrestler on the 26th annual PWI Top 500 list. Fans have certainly taken to Twitter to voice their opinion on the matter. As to be expected many wrestling fans are not happy about this year’s ranking. If the photo Reigns tweeted last week is true, then the headline “Half of You Will Hate This” exhibits that PWI is prepared for any backlash it may receive.
Reigns made the following comments to PWI about his ranking: “Thank you man. It’s crazy. Last year, was I what, three or four? To just remain in that same company, to be in that class with those guys, it’s world class,” he said. “It’s a great honor and it goes with a lot of hard work. It’s very flattering. It just shows that if you keep your head down and stick to your day-to-day, you grind it out and take the long road, good things happen. It’s a great achievement and another great accolade.”
Fans not pleased
It is no surprise that wrestling fans aren’t happy about the news. It is to be expected since many of the spectators don’t give Roman Reigns a chance. Some spectators may think that the ranking has been rigged or that this is just a way to shove Reigns in everyone’s face but that is highly unlikely. What wrestling fans need to realize is that PWI isn’t biased.
Last year’s number one female wrestler spot went to Nikki Bella, which led to PWI receiving hate mail from their readers. PWI released a statement in their next issue addressing the issue fans had with Nikki Bella being considered the top woman in the wrestling world. The magazine then explained what it was that got Nikki Bella that ranking. The number one spot came down between Bella, Sasha Banks, and Paige. Although many fans have argued that Sasha Banks is a more talented wrestler than Nikki Bella and should have been ranked #1, PWI stated that it was Nikki Bella’s title reign that won her the spot. So not only does PWI rank the talent of each wrestler, they also take into consideration storyline and championships.
The evaluation period for the list was July 1, 2015 through June 30th, 2016. During that period, Reigns has won the WWE Championship three times. Reigns was also involved in storylines against the McMahons and Triple H. Reigns had to defend his championship against thirty other guys in the Royal Rumble and then headlined WrestleMania once again. Much to fans’ discomfort, Roman Reigns will be this year’s number male wrestler out of 500. The Roman Empire celebrates.