Fight Booth PW Awards: Top 20 Male Wrestlers of 2015

Winner: Seth Rollins

“I’m going to have to go with Seth Rollins. He was the heart and soul of the WWE for much of 2015, and certainly its backbone for months. He is in my opinion, the most talented in ring talent currently on any roster, and is personable, and will make an AMAZING face when he returns from his knee injury. His work on the mic, in the ring and overall makes him the best of the best. I’ve got a hunch he will be a front-runner for this award next year as well.” – Dan Rose

“Rollins is my top wrestler of the year now 2 years running. Last year, he proved that he was the best wrestler on the roster. This year, he proved that he can put the company on his back. The booking may not have been great during his title run but he still did everything he could in his power to make us watch. He’s hungry and it shows every single time he goes out there. After he was sidelined due to an untimely injury, the ratings for Monday Night RAW reached their lowest point. Vince McMahon had to book himself and a World Title change for the first time since 2011 to get them back to a respectable number. Let’s hope they make him Rollins a babyface when he comes back in 2016 because with a move set like the one he currently boasts it’s tough not to root for the guy. ” – Dave Reno

“What can I really add to what I have already said about Seth Rollins? He began the year with a MOTY candidate in the triple threat at the Royal Rumble, he cashed in MITB at WrestleMania to have a huge WM moment in just his 3rd year in WWE. He was the main man from April to November in the biggest wrestling promotion in the world, and I can’t help but put him at the top of the list.” – Chris Langevin

Runner Up: Kevin Owens

“He debuted last December in NXT, won the title in February, debuted on the main roster in May, beat John Cena in his debut match at the end of May, won the Intercontinental title in September, and is now one of the top heels in WWE. That is one hell of a year for ANY superstar, but for someone to have done that in his first YEAR in the company is unbelievable.” – Chris Langevin

3rd Place: Jay Lethal 

“Jay Lethal’s current ROH run with Truth Martini has been delightful. They create the kind of magic that I can only compare to what CM Punk and Paul Heyman did during their time together for the folks who haven’t been able to enjoy it. It’s one of those runs that could last forever and I wouldn’t complain; you can never have too much of a good thing. Lethal’s match against Jay Briscoe at ‘Best in the World’ was filthy good and it saw the already longest reigning ROH TV Champion in company history earn his first ROH World Championship. Even in a losing effort against Roderick Strong, where his 567 day reign would finally end, he put on a match of the year worthy performance that had the crowd in the palm of their hands with every near fall. Lethal looked stronger than ever to cap off the calendar year when he beat A.J. Styles clean at Final Battle in an unforgiving match that saw him focus on Styles’ lingering back issues. It was a magical year for “The Greatest First Generation Wrestler” in the world and with a big win over Michael Elgin at Wrestle Kingdom 10 to kick off 2016 it doesn’t look like Lethal and the House of Truth (now sans Donovan Dijak) are looking to slow down anytime soon.” – Dave Reno

4. John Cena

5.  Finn Balor

“Finn has been the main man in NXT for the entire year, winning their championship in July. Since I put the promotion as the best promotion of the year, I had to make sure two of their top competitors were at the top of the list. Finn has had phenomenal matches all year long, and with his signature entrance, he stands out above the rest on the roster. It doesn’t sound like he’s rushing to get to the main roster, which may be a good thing for us, as we continue to see him steal the shows at the Takeover specials.” – Chris Langevin

6. Cesaro

7. Shinsuke Nakamura

“While I have AJ Styles rated higher (mostly for his position in ROH as well as NJPW), I think Shinsuke Nakamura is the best wrestler and talent in NJPW. He had a phenomenal year once again as he was in the finals of the G1 Climax, he was the IWGP Intercontinental Champion to start the year, lost the title, then re-gained the title for the 5th time to end out the year.” – Chris Langevin

“WWE fans are in for a treat if the rumors of Nakamura leaving NJPW are true. He’s the most exciting, interesting and original character in pro wrestling today. His in ring movements and menacing facial expressions simply cannot be duplicated.” – Dave Reno

8. Dean Ambrose

9. A.J. Styles

10. Prince Puma (Ricochet)

“Prince Puma debuted on Lucha Underground this year and was their main guy for pretty much the entire first season. This was a wrestling show like any other with a very soap opera-y feel for the storylines, and matches that really took your breath away. Prince Puma, who I’ve been a fan of for many years as Richocet on the indies, really had some fantastic matches with Johnny Mundo (John Morrison of former WWE fame), and many more from the LU roster, and I was happy to see him finally get some national TV exposure for the first time.” – Chris Langevin

“There is no denying the in ring talent that is Prince Puma. He is fearless and flawless. Every single match he wrestles in is poetry. Find me a bad match or a bad feud. It’s not possible.” – Andrea Mitchell

11. Roderick Strong

12. Bray Wyatt

13. Brock Lesnar

14. Pentagon Jr.

15. Randy Orton

16. Kazuchika Okada

17. Angelico

18. Son of Havoc

19. Dolph Ziggler

20. Alberto Del Rio (El Patron)

image credits – WWE/Rolling Stone