Ranking the Top 10 WWE and AEW Stars So Far in 2022

We're just over a month into 2022 and already several stars from WWE and All Elite Wrestling have made quite the impact.

The timing couldn't be better as every new year is an opportunity for wrestlers to start afresh. More than a handful of people took advantage of that in January and continue to do so this month.

The early goings of 2022 have indicated it's going to be a fun year for both companies. WWE started strong with eventful Day 1 and Royal Rumble pay-per-views, while AEW has been producing excellent episodes of Dynamite and Rampage almost every week.

Although certain competitors are only as good as their booking allows them to be, there are those who make the most of whatever situation they're in by consistently delivering in the ring and on the mic. Character development is always an added plus, and we've that in spades from various figures in recent weeks.

Anything can change in the coming months, but if they can maintain momentum, you can count on the following 10 names having a remarkable rest of 2022. They've been the best parts of their promotions and deserve to be recognized for their exceptional work.

10. CM Punk

Even six months removed from his return, it's still surreal to think CM Punk is back in wrestling after seven years away. Not only that, but he's also been putting in the work since coming back and been booked extremely well in AEW up to this point.

After racking up several victories in his first few months on the roster, he transitioned into a heated feud with MJF at the turn of the year. It was a program fans had high hopes for because of what both men are capable of on the mic and they have not disappointed.

Punk has wrestled significantly more than MJF has in 2022, which is why he's ranked on this list and the heel isn't despite both men cutting killer promos lately. Granted, MJF came out on top in their first-ever one-on-one encounter last week on Dynamite, but The Best in the World had an impressive performance and has already earned a future rematch.

Aside from his (tainted) loss to his archrival, the 43-year-old has squashed Shawn Spears and survived Wardlow. He also beat FTR alongside Jon Moxley in what was an outstanding tag team affair this week on Dynamite.

Punk is clearly more motivated than he was at the tail end of his WWE run, so at this rate, don't be surprised to see him holding world title gold before the close of 2022.

9. Becky Lynch

There was a fear among some fans that Becky Lynch was taking time from WWE due to pregnancy in 2020 at the peak of her popularity and she'd never be able to reach those heights again.

Needless to say, she's proved every one of those people wrong with the hot return run she's had since SummerSlam in August.

It can be argued that WWE turning Lynch heel from the get-go was a questionable call, and although she's cheered by crowds more often than not, her work has been untouchable. She was getting stale as the babyface on top two years ago, so it's been refreshing to see her do something different in recent months.

Lynch started her 2022 successfully defending the Raw Women's Championship against Liv Morgan in a quality contest, and she ended the opening month of the year by beating Doudrop at the Royal Rumble on January 29 to retain the title as well.

It was just two days later that Lita stepped up to challenge Big Time Becks next in a match that will now take place at the Elimination Chamber pay-per-view on February 19. Lynch has been a fun foil for all of these women and has done a lot to make her opponents look credible.

Considering she's been a champion for every active day she's been on the WWE roster, it's going to mean that much more when she inevitably drops the title, ideally at WrestleMania 38 to Bianca Belair.

8. Malakai Black

Malakai Black has had a new lease on life in AEW, and it's been thrilling for fans to see.

He's an incredibly creative performer capable of much more than what WWE had him doing toward the end of his stint there in 2021. His abrupt jump to AEW was a logical one, and he's been one of the brightest stars to come over in the last year.

In 2022 alone, he's joined forces with Brody King and either defeated or altered every member of Varsity Blonds and Death Triangle in some form or fashion. His pairing with King, collectively known as The Kings of The Black Throne, has been a blast to watch and already they have two wins under their belt.

With a few more victories, they could be contending for the AEW World Tag Team Championship in no time. It's also refreshing that Black has been given so much freedom with his promos and the chance to speak in televised vignettes almost every week this year.

If the way he's been handled in 2022 so far is any indication, AEW has big things in store for him going forward. He's a star in every sense of the word, and it's about time he gets his just due.

7. Adam Cole

Adam Cole was faced with a tough career-changing decision at the end of last summer: either re-sign with WWE and move to the main roster or leave the company completely and explore his options elsewhere. He chose the latter and has been much better off for it.

The 32-year-old went undefeated in one-on-one action in 2021 and carried his winning ways into this year. In addition to picking up wins over Jake Atlas, Trent Beretta and Kaun, he has been a weekly fixture on Dynamite and Rampage and the focal point of the storyline with The Young Bucks and reDRagon.

His biggest bout of the year came in the main event of the Beach Break edition of Dynamite when he collided with Orange Cassidy in a Lights Out match. The two went to war, and although Cole ultimately lost, it didn't officially count against his record.

That led to the former NXT champion flipping the switch the following week on Rampage and quickly decimating Evil Uno with ease. Afterward, he announced his intentions to challenge for the AEW World Championship imminently before confronting "Hangman" Adam Page at the end of this week's Dynamite.

AEW has largely nailed the booking of Cole, and there's still so much more he can accomplish this year if he stays the course.

6. Chad Gable

While not as notable of a name as others on this list, Chad Gable has surprised many in having such a stellar 2022 so far and being afforded the opportunity to do the best work of his career to date.

The 35-year-old has been firmly positioned in WWE's tag team ranks for his entire main roster career, but that hasn't stopped him from overdelivering every time. He has been especially excellent alongside Otis in 2022, and on the January 10 edition of Raw, they captured the Raw Tag Team Championships from RK-Bro.

It was a shocking development given how dominant RK-Bro had been since SummerSlam, but even more shocking has been how strong the follow-up has been for Alpha Academy. They've been featured consistently for weeks and Gable's performances in the weekly academic challenges have been comedy gold.

The Olympian has always been a top talent, but it was more a matter of WWE realizing what they had in him. He's been a treat to watch in all of those segments as well as in the ring for matches with Riddle and Randy Orton.

It's safe to assume Gable will see his television time curtailed once his team's rivalry with RK-Bro runs its course, but fans should enjoy this push of his while it lasts. He's been the breakout star no one was expecting this year.

5. Jade Cargill

AEW has successfully taken someone who was essentially unknown to the masses around this time a year ago and turned her into one of the biggest stars in the women's division.

From the moment Jade Cargill made her debut on AEW TV in late 2020, she came across like an absolute star. Her in-ring experience was nonexistent, but as long as she could improve at a steady rate, that's all that mattered.

Sure enough, she has come a long way as a wrestler since her debut match on Dynamite last March. She's embarked on an undefeated streak and became the inaugural AEW TBS champion on the first Dynamite of the TBS era in 2022.

Since then, she's defended her title on three occasions. Anna Jay, Julia Hart and A.Q.A. all attempted to take the belt from her but fell short, keeping the 29-year-old's reign of dominance intact.

Cargill will have to enter a formal feud at some point, but for now, her rise to superstardom has been fun to follow. She's playing the role remarkably well and living up to her potential more and more with each day that passes.

4. Roman Reigns

Roman Reigns has been at the top of his game since turning heel and regaining the Universal Championship in August 2020. Therefore, it should come as no surprise that he's still one of the best things in WWE today.

The Tribal Chief has had a stranglehold on the title for some time, and in mid-January, he surpassed a major milestone by becoming the longest-reigning universal champion of all time. This occurred in the midst of his hot feud with Seth Rollins heading into the Royal Rumble where the two played into their past in The Shield.

His mic work was consistently strong throughout January as he remained the face of Friday nights. At the Rumble, he and Rollins stole the show with their outstanding Universal Championship clash, culminating in Reigns retaining his title after intentionally getting disqualified.

It became clear the following Monday on Raw that Reigns will again headline WrestleMania when 2022 men's Royal Rumble winner Brock Lesnar chose to challenge for his belt at this year's two-night showpiece. That means we'll be seeing a lot more of The Tribal Chief on the Road to WrestleMania.

SmackDown has been a rough watch on the whole this year, but you can always count on whatever Reigns is doing to be worthwhile.

3. Sammy Guevara

A handful of AEW stars have had glimmers of greatness here and there in 2022, but no one has shined more frequently than reigning TNT champion Sammy Guevara.

His first title reign was cut short by Cody Rhodes on the Christmas edition of Rampage, but it was just a minor setback for The Spanish God. He went on to become the interim TNT champ at Battle of the Belts by beating Dustin Rhodes and defended it a week later against Daniel Garcia in the main event of Dynamite.

Where the 28-year-old really shined was in his ladder match with Cody at Beach Break on January 26. The two men took a ton of wild risks, delivered the goods and blew the roof off the joint. It was special.

Guevara in particular was praised for his phenomenal performance and it was crucial that he won. Cody put him over in a major way and now The Spanish God is back to where he was before the close of 2021.

He had another title defense against Isiah Kassidy last week on Rampage, which has helped establish him as a fighting champion. Despite his lack of character development and promo time, he's been AEW's best booked star of the year so far.

2. Seth Rollins

From feuding with Edge to moving to Raw, some of Seth Rollins' work in the past five years has come in 2021 and 2022 alone.

The momentum he garnered from the feud with The Rated-R Superstar translated over into his run on the red brand, where he wasted no time in becoming the No. 1 contender to the WWE Championship.

Although he never got that one-on-one title opportunity, he did show up and show out every time he was in action, including at Day 1. He formed an entertaining alliance with Kevin Owens and the two remain a recurring highlight on Raw to this day.

Rekindling his rivalry with Roman Reigns over the Universal Championship on SmackDown helped his cause tremendously. Their history sold itself, so it was a compelling short-lived storyline that was made even better by their title clash at the Royal Rumble being a barn burner.

Let the record show that The Visionary was declared the winner, albeit by disqualification. Nonetheless, that's the first loss Reigns has endured on PPV since December 2019, so their unfinished business should be resolved eventually.

In the meantime, Rollins is Elimination Chamber-bound and has the WWE Championship in his sights. He's been giving off major babyface energy lately and maybe that's the direction the company goes with him as WrestleMania 38 draws closer.

1. Brock Lesnar

Amazingly enough, 2022 marks 20 years since Brock Lesnar arrived in WWE and took the wrestling world by storm; two decades later, he's still at the top of the food chain. The more things change, the more they stay the same.

Love him or loathe him, there is no denying The Beast Incarnate has been WWE's main attraction in 2022 and will be at least through WrestleMania 38 when he headlines with Roman Reigns for a third time. His surprise WWE Championship win at Day 1 has a lot to do with that.

Lesnar already had his match set in stone with Reigns at Day 1 before circumstances causes caused plans to be changed. He captured the prestigious prize instead and feuded with Bobby Lashley for the remainder of the month.

Granted, The All Mighty beat Lesnar at the Royal Rumble, but The Beast stays ranked at No. 1 because of how quickly he recovered and ended the night winning the men's Rumble match. Lesnar and Reigns will settle their score at WrestleMania, but before then, the former MMA star will have a chance to regain the gold at Elimination Chamber.

Lesnar has been a man reborn since returning to WWE in August, and it's been such a breath of fresh air seeing him fly solo and show personality for a change. He's been the most must-see aspect of WWE TV all year, though that's also an indictment of how few stars the company has managed to make during this period.

          

Graham Mirmina, aka Graham "GSM" Matthews, has specialized in sports and entertainment writing since 2010. Visit his website, WrestleRant, and subscribe to his YouTube channel for more wrestling-related content.