10 Wild Outside Bets To Win Wrestler Of The Year 2022

4. Daniel Garcia

Daniel Garcia
AEW

For what he has done on the American independent scene supplemented by his superlative work in small windows of opportunity in AEW, Daniel Garcia is a Wrestler of the Year 2021 contender.

The 23-year-old has the Danielson gene. He is a detail-oriented and precise wrestler who makes every moment matter, big or small, who bumps and sells as well as he attacks and transitions. Elite-tier facial expressions and mastery of his character (a technical assassin who knows he's a great wrestler, but whose fragile arrogance shatters whenever he bites off more than he can chew, which happens frequently) show that he already has a tremendous grasp of ideas that often take wrestlers decades to figure out. Even in shorter bouts like his six-minuter with Lee Moriarty (AEW Dark: Elevation - 13 September), Garcia has demonstrated himself a focused, concise storyteller - having done so on a variety of different stages.

An excellent Limitless World Championship run (highlighted by a Match of the Year candidate opposite JD Drake) show Garcia's prowess as a top guy, playing a reviled, shortcut-taking figurehead in the company's smaller rooms. Similarly, he had CM Punk's best AEW match prior to Eddie Kingston and has more than held his own against the likes of Jon Moxley.

The world is Daniel Garcia's. In five years, we may talk of him as the best wrestler on the planet. In 2022, he should at least be in that conversation, as he continues to refine and improve on his already excellent game.

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Channel Manager
Channel Manager

Andy has been with WhatCulture for eight years and is currently WhatCulture's Wrestling Channel Manager. A writer, presenter, and editor with 10+ years of experience in online media, he has been a sponge for all wrestling knowledge since playing an old Royal Rumble 1992 VHS to ruin in his childhood. Having previously worked for Bleacher Report, Andy specialises in short and long-form writing, video presenting, voiceover acting, and editing, all characterised by expert wrestling knowledge and commentary. Andy is as much a fan of 1985 Jim Crockett Promotions as he is present-day AEW and WWE - just don't make him choose between the two.