Following my WAW Year in Review 2004, here's the second part of my little trilogy to end the year, as I present to you my personal Top 10 WAW Wrestlers for 2004.
Before I begin the list, I'll tell you about the ground rules I laid down for myself. Those who made the final cut are there because I enjoyed their matches this year. However, you'll notice some prominent names missing from the list, the likes of Stevie Knight, Alex Shane, Klondyke Kate, and many more prominent names who wrestled for WAW this year. The reason they are missing from the list is simple - they only made one or two appearances for WAW, so, in my opinion, it's not really fair to include someone who has only appeared for WAW once or twice, while not including someone who has appeared time and time again during 2004. So now the rules have been explained, let's start the countdown.....
Before I begin the list, I'll tell you about the ground rules I laid down for myself. Those who made the final cut are there because I enjoyed their matches this year. However, you'll notice some prominent names missing from the list, the likes of Stevie Knight, Alex Shane, Klondyke Kate, and many more prominent names who wrestled for WAW this year. The reason they are missing from the list is simple - they only made one or two appearances for WAW, so, in my opinion, it's not really fair to include someone who has only appeared for WAW once or twice, while not including someone who has appeared time and time again during 2004. So now the rules have been explained, let's start the countdown.....
Just bubbling under the top ten, and in no particular order;
SWEET SARAYA - Although still the best female wrestler in Europe, injuries blighted her performances this year.
"THE TATTOOED WARRIOR" STEVE QUINTAIN - The current Cruiser weight Champion narrowly missed out on a top ten spot. Currently the longest reigning champion in WAW.
"BIG" DAVE WATERS - The reigning Tag-Team Champion narrowly missed out on a top ten spot, thanks to his little brother!
JAMIE LEE - After some indifferent times, Lee shone brightly on the holiday camp circuit and in the arenas in 2004.
BASH - Showed that despite an lengthy absence from the squared circle, he still has the skill to climb back to the top of the mountain.
And now, the top ten itself!
10) THE BULK
Europe's heaviest wrestler just edges out his big brother, Big Dave, to make it into the top ten. As well as being one half of the most dominating tag-teams in Britain today, and a current WAW Tag-Team Champion, the Bulk makes it into the top ten because of his entertaining singles matches this year, most notably his hard-core brawl with Bash at the Atlantis Arena in Great Yarmouth and his three-way dance victory over Hot Stuff and Karl Kragious in Hunstanton this past August.
9) DESTINY
The real breakout year for Destiny in 2004, as she proved that she can hang with the best with some great matches, especially against the Sweet Saraya.
8) PAUL TYRELL
The Essex Boy proved to be a thorn in the side of the Zebra Kid this year, almost defeating him for the British title this summer. His brutal TLC match with Ricky Knight in Yarmouth was also one of the highlights of the year.
7) ZAK ZODIAC
Britain's youngest professional wrestler stepped up a level in 2004, as he proved he can play with the big boys, putting in great performances against the Zebra Kid, Flaming Red, Ashe, Ricky Knight and many others, and as the year comes to an end, he is currently the number one contender to the British Heavyweight title.
6) "GENTLEMAN" JIMMY OCEAN
2004 proved to be an impressive year for the Gentleman. For the first time in a while Ocean looked like he was enjoying his wrestling again, and his matches against Jonny Storm and Steve Quintain proved that. He many not be a full-timer anymore, but he's rediscovered his touch.
5) THE KRAFT
The Essex Bomb showed that he is starting to become a major player in WAW by winning the Atlantis Cup this summer, and almost defeating Ashe for the British title a week later. He still has a lot more to learn, but he made leaps and bounds in 2004.
4) "THE WONDERKID" JONNY STORM
After his tour to Thailand, Storm returned to WAW after a near two year absence with some great showings against Bash, Jimmy Ocean and the Zebra Kid. Good to see the Wonderkid back in WAW.
3) THE ZEBRA KID
If it hadn't been for events in his personal life then Zebra would have possibly topped this list. But despite his troubles he continued to shine not just in WAW but all around Britain as well. His brutal match at the FWA's Vendetta show in July against Ricky Knight is regarded as one of the best matches in Britain this year.
2) "THE DARK ANGEL" ASHE
It's hard to believe that 2004 was only Ashe's third year as a professional wrestler. In August he fulfilled his potential by defeating the Zebra Kid to win the British Heavyweight title. Possibly the best kept secret in British wrestling at the moment, Ashe truly deserves his spot.
1) "ROWDY" RICKY KNIGHT
This may surprise a few people, but I truly believe that Knight deserves the number one spot this year. His performances around the country against some of the top young stars shows that he can still go, despite the fact that he missed a few shows this year. Having been in the wrestling business for over twenty years, Knight's enthusiasm for the industry he loves is infectious.
Well, there's my own personal top ten WAW wrestlers for 2004. I'm sure that many of you reading this have your own personal favourites, so feel free to post your own list over at the WAW Fan Forum. I'll be back in a couple of days with the last part of my trilogy, my top ten WAW matches for 2004.
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