10 Best Non-WWE Wrestlers Of 2017
Star ratings for days.
While WWE have experienced a typically up-and-down year at the top of the wrestling pile, those beneath them are thriving.
They'll never compete with Vince McMahon financially, but the business' smaller promotions are currently delivering remarkable feats of artistry, creativity, and athleticism that the restrictive 'sports entertainment' format just can't match. Groups like PROGRESS and NJPW are succeeding where the industry leaders are failing. Their platform is smaller, but there has never been a more rewarding time to follow them, particularly for those sick of WWE's mainstream trappings.
It's a talent-rich scene, with dozens of genuinely world-class performers delivering outstanding matches on a weekly basis, and while standing out can be tricky, the true elite will always find ways of doing so, no matter how crowded it gets.
Things have changed considerably since we last ranked the world's top non-WWE performers. Several names have shot up the rankings, while others have fallen off the list completely, replaced by surging peers. Whatever the case, the names within have stood head and shoulders above the competition in 2017, reducing the likes of Ricochet, The Young Bucks, and Matt Riddle to honourable mentions...
10. Hiromu Takahashi
Ranked at number two in June, Hiromu Takahashi fell off badly in 2017's second half, to the point where he no longer feels like the NJPW Junior Heavyweight division's star, but a supporting actor in a movie starring Will Ospreay, KUSHIDA, and Marty Scurll.
His in-ring fortunes have declined significant. A middling Best Of The Super Juniors run preceded a needless championship loss to KUSHIDA at Dominion 6.11, and while Hiromu will challenge for the belt in a four-way title fight at Wrestle Kingdom 12, he no longer feels like a white-hot commodity.
Regardless, these complaints aren't enough to diminish the incredible start Takahashi made to 2017. Starting with a career-defining Tokyo Dome win over KUSHIDA, Hiromu was soon putting on some of the most breathtaking matches in the company, regardless of weight class. His 11 February clash with Dragon Lee was a beautiful blitzkrieg, he outclassed the exceptional Ricochet in their title fight, and shone against Ospreay, Scurll, and Lee in the BOSJ tourney. Booking concerns aside, the Dominion bout was a borderline classic too.
Takahashi's wild, reckless style and electric charisma have made him a transcendent performer, and he'd be a lock for our top five if NJPW hadn't cycled him out of the spotlight.