Wrestler Most Valuable Player 2019
10) Cody
I hesitate to put Cody on this list because he is not as valuable a wrestler as he is as an executive. Cody is probably the second or third most important figure in American pro wrestling if we factor in his executive contributions to the business. But this list is not for that. With that being said I do think he is still important to All Elite Wrestling. He was a big part of a lot of major storylines in 2019 AEW. Cody is one of the best promos in the world right now and that is reflected with the connection he has with the crowd. He is probably the most over wrestler now and in 2019 in AEW. He has also had a couple of great matches, including the Match of the Year level match he had with his brother Dustin at Double or Nothing.
9) Jay White
Jay White had a very successful year in NJPW. He won the IWGP Heavyweight Title at the beginning of 2019 and although it was a short zero defense reign, it was significant in the fact that it established him as one of the top players of that promotion. The end of that reign came at a sold-out G1 Supercard at Madison Square Garden where he main evented with Kazuchika Okada. White continued to be a big part of NJPW throughout the year. He also had a run with the IWGP Intercontinental Title and was a big part of the Double Gold Dash along with three other top NJPW stars. White also made it to the finals of the G1 Climax and although he didn’t win, making it to the finals is a big deal, especially since he is the second foreigner to do so. His in-ring year was up and down. The G1 final against Kota Ibushi, the Okada matches and the Tanahashi matches were all great. He had a match with Tetsuya Naito that was also great in the fall. Some of his other matches were not so great. Had White been more consistent with his in-ring work he’d be higher on this list.
8) Psycho Clown
Admittedly I am not the biggest lucha fan nor am I the leading expert on it. I watch very little lucha throughout the year but what I do watch is big AAA shows. What I take away from watching these shows is that Psycho Clown is the biggest star in the promotion. The guy is over. He also is a big draw in Mexico and is a part of a lot of major storylines in the promotion. It’d be a crime not to include him in this list. He’s at number eight with my limited knowledge of his work so just imagine how higher he’d be if I actually followed AAA closer.
7) Ben-K
Ben-K is an important piece to the new generation of Dragon Gate. He has been placed into the position of the new ace in 2019 and he did great with it. He had a pretty good year in the first half but after getting kicked out of R.E.D in May he really picked up steam. His run in King of Gate was great and his victory of Pac at Kobe World was an important moment. He had a great run with the Open the Dream Gate championship and although it was shorter than anticipated it was very successful. Ben-K’s in-ring year was also impressive. He had a match of the year caliber match against Masaaki Mochizuki in October.
6) Will Ospreay
Ospreay already won my award for Most Outstanding Wrestler of 2019 but his in-ring year was so great that it merited ranking on this list. I’m not going to go into depth on his in-ring year because I already did that on the Most Outstanding Wrestler list but needless to say it was historic. Ospreay was also a major part of NJPW’s storylines in 2019. He competed in almost every tournament they had to offer. He also wrestled in various indies all over the world and was a big draw in those places.
5) Chris Jericho
Jericho’s 2019 is one of the best years of his career. He was a major part in AEW getting as popular as it did and probably was a big factor in the TNT TV deal. He was the only champion that made sense for the promotion and he definitely lived up to the expectations for the first champion. Character wise he was just as entertaining as his best in the world run in WWE in 2008. His promos were great and his in-ring work was pretty good. Mixed with his AEW run is his NJPW run as well. He’s also a big draw for New Japan and has had his best matches of his career there. The match with Tetsuya Naito at Wrestle Kingdom 13 was a legit match of the year contender. Jericho also main evented Dominion against Kazuchika Okada for the IWGP Heavyweight Title. He was a major part in the main events of the number 2 and number 3 promotions of the world.
4) Kazuchika Okada
Okada always has under-the-radar years. He is sometimes a boring pick for wrestler of the year but always a correct choice. He had a great in-ring year that contributed to his spot on this list. Okada was champion for nine months out of the year and of course was a big part of NJPW’s storylines. He main evented Dominion with Chris Jericho and main evented and sold out Madison Square Garden against Jay White. He has been a consistent player in NJPW for years now and he’s only 32.
3) Pac
Pac this year was a tribute to old school wrestling renegades. He won Dragon Gate’s Open the Dream Gate title in late 2018 and protected through 2019 like it was his own child. He wrestled in many indies across the world. The belt was protected because he knew he had to and knew his worth. His in-ring year was pretty good and wrestled a lot of dream matches including with Will Ospreay. The culmination of his Dream Gate run came at Kobe Wrestling Festival where he dropped the title to and elevated Ben-K in a great match. After that he joined All Elite Wrestling and instantaneously became a major player in that promotion. He continued to have great matches, further elevate his stardom and still looked strong while doing it.
2) Kento Miyahara
No wrestler is as vital to their promotion as Kento Miyahara is to All Japan Pro Wrestling. Were it not for him the promotion would be in serious trouble. Miyahara’s current title reign in 2019 was an all-timer. Match after match he consistently performed at a high level. He has the ability to get anyone on that roster over during his matches. He continues to draw good crowds for AJPW and even though he has plateaued as a draw he hasn’t hurt them substantially either. That is the only reason why he isn’t at number one for this list. The connection he has with the fans is fitting of an ace.
1) Kota Ibushi
Ibushi dominated the heavyweight scene in New Japan. His in-ring year was great with many MOTY level matches. After signing with the promotion full time he was immediately inserted into the top storylines. He won the IWGP Intercontinental Title at Madison Square Garden against Tetsuya Naito. He was a big draw on a lot of shows for NJPW especially during the G1 Climax. He won the G1 Climax which is one of the more important trophies to win in pro wrestling. Ibushi continues to have adoration from fans unmatched by almost no one.
