10 Wild Outside Bets To Win Wrestler Of The Year 2022

5. Momo Watanabe

While much of the Japanese wrestling scene is still struggling through the COVID-19 restrictions that have successfully helped limit the virus' impact in the country, World Wonder Ring Stardom has had a stellar year, delivering exceptional pay-per-view after exceptional pay-per-view to stand out as the nation's best in-ring promotion in 2021.

The likes of Syuri, Giulia, and rookie monster Utami Hayashishita have drawn most of the plaudits, with company ace Mayu Iwatani and Tam Nakano (quietly the best wrestler in Stardom) attracting similar levels of praise. 21-year-old Momo Watanabe, though just has talented, has unfortunately slipped in this regard, which is primarily a consequence of Stardom's focus on other wrestlers at the top of the pile.

This speaks to the company's ridiculous talent roster. Stardom is stacked with world-class wrestlers, many of whom are still under 30. Finding a seat at the top table is very, very difficult, and in Watanabe, they have a potential cornerstone who'll likely have to remain patient for a big opportunity.

Should those opportunities come in 2022, there's no reason she can't have the kind of year Syuri or Hayashishita have just had. A three-dimensional wrestler who is as great a sympathetic babyface as she is a murderous heel, Momo will soar once she stops playing stepping stone.