What factors does Sports Illustrated consider for a wrestler to make their list?
It’s due to a combination of work rate, drawing ability, and overall impact on the business in 2017.
Here’s SI’s full top ten below:
1) Kenny Omega
2) AJ Styles
3) Roman Reigns
4) John Cena
5) Braun Strowman
6) Kazuchika Okada
7) Kevin Owens
8) Matt Riddle
9) Cody Rhodes
10) Keith Lee
Omega’s top three matches listed are: vs. Kazuchika Okada (Wrestle Kingdom 11), vs. Juice Robinson (G1 Climax), vs. Tomohiro Ishii (New Japan Cup). Sports Illustrated writes:
Kenny Omega is better than AJ Styles.
And Omega was certainly better than Styles in 2017. The Cleaner is the alpha and the omega when it came to pro wrestling this past year. Omega is otherworldly in the ring, delivering memorable affairs with Minoru Suzuki, Kazuchika Okada, Michael Elgin, and helped Juice Robinson to the finest match of his career.
Unlike Styles and Reigns, who have the WWE wagon entrenched firmly behind them, Omega has created his own buzz in America. Along with some of the best bouts of the year, an ability to enhance his opponent, and a must-see intangible, Kenny Omega is Sports Illustrated’s Wrestler of the Year for 2017.