10 Best Non-WWE Wrestlers Of 2017
2. Tomohiro Ishii
Tomohiro Ishii is fighting spirit personified.
A world-class worker trapped in a manual labourer's body, he is living, breathing proof that pro wrestling isn't about flips, dives, and flashy gimmicks. He stands at just 5'7", tips the scales at a pudgy 220lbs, and sticks to only a handful of different manoeuvres, none of which are more complex than a superplex. Despite this, nobody is more effective at drawing an audience into their struggle, and that's why Ishii is still one of the best in the world at 41 years old.
He'll never be New Japan's ace, nor will he win the IWGP Heavyweight Championship, but it doesn't matter. He's the underdog. The everyman. Dusty Rhodes without the flamboyance, or Mick Foley with twice the in-ring chops. You're elated when he wins, and heartbroken when he loses, because Ishii is the ultimate sympathy magnet. You don't watch his struggle: you feel it.
Excellent for several years now, Ishii took a while to get going in 2017, but found his rhythm soon after wrestling Kenny Omega and Katsuyori Shibata in March's New Japan Cup. A typically excellent G1 Climax run followed, and the gritty, hard-nosed brawler finished the year on a high with an epic RevPro showdown against Keith Lee, underlining his 'Wrestler Of The Year' candidacy.