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As always, the crossing off of the final dates of the calendar brings reflection and judgment of the past twelve months. Looking back at the banner year for women's wrestling across the board, TheSportster's writers put it to a vote to crown their top Female Wrestler of the Year for 2022. In a relatively swift victory, one woman stood head and shoulders above all; The EST of WWE, Bianca Belair.
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Bianca Belair Is TheSportster's 2022 Female Wrestler Of The Year
In weighing a twelve-month body of work, it's hard to argue that Bianca Belair isn't the industry leader of 2022. Having enjoyed the biggest year in her career in 2021, from winning the Royal Rumble to main eventing WrestleMania against Sasha Banks, Belair has somehow managed to outdo herself over this past year. So, it comes as no surprise that TheSportster's writers voted her as the Female Wrestler of the Year with a landslide victory.
Belair's triumphant year began with a near fifty-minute run in the Royal Rumble, and although unsuccessful in being the last woman standing, her road to WrestleMania was secured the next month. Winning the Elimination Chamber in February earned Belair a WrestleMania title match, opening up another chapter in her feud with Becky Lynch. On the first night of WrestleMania 38, Belair finally managed to get a win over Lynch. With Lynch having shockingly beaten Belair in under a minute at SummerSlam 2021, and Belair constantly just falling short throughout the rest of that year, the WrestleMania 38 win felt like a true culmination of Belair ascending into the WWE's top tier of main event talent.
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Carrying the belt into 2023, Belair's uninterrupted reign as RAW Women's Champion has seen her take on all manner of challengers, cementing herself as a premier talent in all of WWE. The opening months of Belair's reign saw her defend against Carmella, Asuka, and Sonya Deville, on top of continuing her rivalry with Becky Lynch, clashing at 2022's SummerSlam, a year after the two's first infamous encounter. Retaining there set up the rest of Belair's year, with the return of Bayley alongside her new Damage CTRL faction primed to make an impact in the women's division.
The latter half of Belair's 2022 saw her taking her title through plunder filled matches, proving that she can excel in all types of matches. Her heated feud with Bayley saw them collide in a ladder match at Extreme Rules, and then a Last Woman Standing match at Crown Jewel. Damage CTRL as the continuing thorn in her side led Belair to a first for the WWE main roster - WarGames. Coming out of the double-ring steel structure on the winning side, Belair was the first entrant for her team, leading the charge and enduring nearly forty minutes in the brutal contraption.
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It Was A Year Of Excellence All Around For Women's Wrestling
Belair had some stiff competition from around the world of wrestling, with TheSportster's electorate recognizing several other women in the race for 2022's Female Wrestler of the Year. Within WWE, TheSportster recognized the talents of Liv Morgan, winning this year's Money in the Bank and then claiming her first ever championship later that night from Ronda Rousey. Rhea Ripley also received a nod, a consistent presence in WWE, briefly teaming with Morgan and competing alongside her at WrestleMania before taking a darker turn and helping bring The Judgment Day to prominence. As mentioned prior, Bayley's return from injury at SummerSlam was a landmark moment in the WWE's 2022, her own talents helping legitimize Damage CTRL as a force to be reckoned with.
Elsewhere, Jamie Hayter was a contender for TheSportster's Female Wrestler of the Year, having finally ascended to the face of the AEW women's division thanks to the surge of fan support clambering for it. Having put on great performances all year, and closing 2022 with an electric title defense against Hikaru Shida, Hayter is sure to have a great year ahead. IMPACT's Jordynne Grace was also in the running, starting 2022 as the company's Digital Media Champion, and closing it as Knockouts Champion, her feud with Masha Slamovich winning a lot of praise. In Japan, KAIRI and Syuri both received nominations from TheSportster's writers, both of them ruling the joshi rings, with KAIRI the inaugural IWGP Women's Champion, and Syuri as Stardom's top champion for the entire year.
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With such extraordinary talent putting on great performances all over the world, it is a true testament to Belair's achievements as a worthy winner of TheSportster's 2022 Female Wrestler of the Year. Putting on memorable matches, being a reliable champion for premium live events, an always entertaining performer on television, and adding to all the work she puts in away from the ring as her own seamstress, as well as competing in bodybuilding contests, and all the responsibilities that come with being world champion in WWE, Belair is a standout talent.
Set to defend her title against Alexa Bliss to kick off 2023, with Bliss' recent character arc pointing towards this being another big development in the WWE women's division, Belair isn't slowing down. At her current rate, it stands to reason that Belair will be in the running for the award next year as well.
