DeutschEnglish
Not logged in or registered. | Log In | Register | Password lost?

Superstar Of The Week

The Superstar Of The Week is chosen each week by the CAGEMATCH team based on what has happened in the previous week. Often the absolute success is not the primary reason for the choice, but the relative, personal success is taken into account as well.
Displaying items 1 to 100 of total 1071 items that match the search parameters.
Last weekend wXw's prestigious 16 Carat Gold Tournament was held yet again at the Turbinenhalle in Oberhausen. Sixteen wrestlers battled it out to determine the next winner of the tournament. While not being considered a favourite before the start of the weekend, Amboss' Laurance Roman had an impressive run through his opponents by beating NJPW Young Lion Oskar, ECW Legend Masato Tanaka and GCW mainstay 1 Called Manders. In the final of the tournamend Roman met wXw's newest posterboy Peter Tihanyi and was able to beat the Hungarian to crown himself the winner of 16 Carat Gold, a tournament which was won by big names of the industry like Gunther, Zack Sabre Jr. and Malakai Black. After a weekend like that we at CAGEMATCH.net would like to congratulate Laurance Roman on his recent success and being named our new Superstar Of The Week!
09/2024: Sting
At AEW Revolution 2024 on 03.03.2024, "The Icon" Sting retired after a legendary career that spanned nearly four decades. Alongside his tag team partner and protégé Darby Allin, Sting successfully defended the AEW World Tag Team Championships in a classic match against The Young Bucks. Following Sting's victory and retirement celebration, AEW figurehead Tony Khan announced that the AEW World Tag Team Titles would be relinquished and that a tournament would be held to crown new champions. The entire CAGEMATCH Team would like to wish Sting congratulations on a tremendous career! And for one last time, we are proud to call Sting Superstar Of The Week!
08/2024: Kid Lykos
A career with highs and great lows, ups and downs but ultimately Kid Lykos made his dream come true last weekend at PROGRESS Chapter 163: Twisted Metal at the Electric Ballroom in London. Lykos faced PROGRESS World Champion Spike Trivet in a Steel Cage Match and after losing to Trivet twice last year, Lykos was eager to finally beat his nemesis. In a bloody match the former man with the wolf mask defeated Spike Trivet to capture one of the biggest prizes the UK wrestling scene has to offer. After having career threatening injuries he fought his way back on top of the wrestling world. Congratulations Kid Lykos for becoming the new PROGRESS World Champion, as well as for being named the CAGEMATCH.net Superstar Of The Week!
Neil Diamond Cutter's rise from relative nobody to one of the best American deathmatch wrestlers going today has been a joy to watch unfold. Even though he is a bit older (at 38-years of age), NDC has been on what is arguably the best run of his 18-year career as of late. At H2O's 'Causing Havoc' event on 17.02.2024, a Danny Havoc Hardcore Title Tournament took place. Neil Diamond Cutter overcame the odds by defeating the likes of Jimmy Lyon, Alex Stretch, Anthraxx, and Jess Moss to win the entire tournament and became the new H2O Danny Havoc Hardcore Champion. Congratulations to 'The Honey Badger' on becoming the new H2O Danny Havoc Hardcore Champ, as well as for being named the CAGEMATCH.net Superstar Of The Week!
As one of twenty junior heavyweights Masha Slamovich started in this year's edition of the Jersey J-Cup, the second-oldest tournament in United States, to add yet another great achievement to her career. After wins over Man Like DeReiss, former Martial Artist Matt Makowski and shooting star Alec Price she faced current JCW Champion Jordan Oliver in the final, not only to win the prestigious tournament but also to win the JCW Championship. After the exhausting and grueling tournament both combattans were already maxed out but still had a good match with the better ending for Slamovich. We at CAGEMATCH.net would like to congratulate Slamovich on her recent success and for being named our Superstar Of The Week!
Being from a famous mexican wrestling family isn't that easy. After working the mexican indies for nearly a decade, El Hijo del Dr. Wagner Jr. came to Japan in 2019 to work frequently with Pro Wrestling NOAH. He didn't make any big headlines until post pandemic when he won the GHC National Championship at the end of 2022. This reign has been career defining for El Hijo del Dr. Wagner Jr., he had a stellar championship reign as the National Champion and hold the title for 352 days, which is the longest reign in title history. 2023 was a strong year for Wagner Jr., but 2024 kicked off even better when he could beat Kenoh for NOAH's biggest prize: The GHC Heavyweight Championship. We at CAGEMATCH.net would like to congratulate El Hijo del Dr. Wagner Jr. for his recent success and that's why he's being named our Superstar Of The Week!
04/2024: Bayley
NXT Women's Champion, RAW Women's Champion, SmackDown Women's Champion, WWE Women's Tag Team Champion and Ms. Money In The Bank - Bayley's accomplishments are unprecedented. But while she achieved almost everything there is to achieve in WWE, she never had a singles match at WrestleMania. So when she entered the Royal Rumble 2024, her goal was pretty clear: winning the prestigeous battle royal for the first time in her career to earn a title shot at 'The Grandest Stage Of Them All'. After going into the match as entrant #3 she impressively outlasted all of her opponents by lastly eliminating Liv Morgan. With that victory Bayley did not only punch her ticket to WrestleMania XL, but also made her our Superstar Of The Week. Congratulations!
03/2024: Chris Adonis
After a fourteen-year-long abstinence from the World Wrestling Council in Puerto Rico, Chris Adonis fka Chris Masters, made his comeback at WWC's recent Pay-Per-View Euphoria to challenge Intelecto 5 Estrellas for the biggest prize World Wrestling Council has to offer: The WWC Universal Heavyweight Championship. The former WWE Superstar came up victorious after little over eight minutes to be crowned as the new WWC Universal Heavyweight Champion, this makes him the first non Puerto-Rican born wrestler since 2012 winning the title. Congratulations to Chris Adonis on becoming WWC Universal Heavyweight Champion, as well as for being named the CAGEMATCH.net Superstar Of The Week!
02/2024: Moose
TNA Wrestling celebrated their comeback after a seven year long name change to Impact Wrestling with the Pay-Per-View Hard To Kill 2024. Alex Shelley, a synonym for TNA Wrestling and their current World Champion, defended his championship against former World Champion Moose in Las Vegas, Nevada. After over twenty-one minutes Moose came out on top with a huge victory over a real TNA icon. The 39 year old Man from Seabrook, Maryland is now a two-time TNA World Champion. We at CAGEMATCH.net would like to congratulate Moose on his recent achievement and for being our Superstar Of The Week!
01/2024: Tetsuya Naito
Tetsuya Naito finally achieved his destiny by defeating IWGP World Heavyweight Champion and former stablemate SANADA not only to become the new champion but finally having his long awaited Los Ingobernables de Japon roll call to close New Japan's biggest show of the year Wrestle Kingdom. Naito and his fans has waited ten long years for this opportunity. It started with being demoted to the semi main event at Wrestle Kingdom 8 despite having an IWGP Heavyweight title match. Then he was ambushed by KENTA after winning both IWGP Heavyweight and IWGP Intercontinental titles simultaneously at Wrestle Kingdom 14 and the roll call was postponed yet again. With finally having his roll call at the Tokyo Dome and winning the biggest prize in NJPW, we at CAGEMATCH.net are very happy to name Tetsuya Naito the first Superstar Of The Week of 2024!
52/2023: Samoa Joe
After chasing the AEW World Championship for months, Samoa Joe finally got yet another chance at the prestigious title against long time reigning champion Maxwell Jacob Friedman at AEW's PPV Worlds End. Joe got this opportunity while having MJF's back against different enemies such as The Gunns and others. The Samoan Submission Machine took the bull by it's horns and with a little bit of luck Joe was able to lock in the dangerous Coquina Clutch to finally capture All Elite Wrestling's biggest gold. This marks Joe's first World Championship win since 2008 with now 44 years of age. We at CAGEMATCH.net would like to congratulate Samoa Joe on his recent achievement and that's why The Samoan Submission Machine is our newest Superstar Of The Week!
51/2023: Luis Mante
In summer Diamante lost his mask in a Mask Vs. Mask Steel Cage Five Way Survival match, which lead to his exit from the Z-Brats stable. The humilation he received by his stablemates were too much for the mexican, he left Dragongate for a short span of time and ultimately returned in October to the promotion to confront Shun Skywalker, the current Open The Dream Gate Champion and his former Z-Brats friend. Mante desperately tried to get a match with Skywalker and finally it happened at Final Gate where Mante, Madoka Kikuta and Sykwalker met for the title. Mante was able to tale the title off Skywalker and crowned himself as only the third ever foreign wrestler to ever win Dragongate's prestigious title. With one of DG's greatest success story ever from being an undercard guy to the face of the company, we at CAGEMATCH.net are happy to award Mante the Superstar Of The Week award!
50/2023: Kyle Fletcher
After Samoa Joe's record breaking reign as the ROH World Television Champion, the title has been vacated and at Final Battle 2023 the title was contested between six competitors in a Survival Of The Fittest Six Way Match. The 24 year old australian wonderkid Kyle Fletcher survived Bryan Keith, Dalton Castle, Komander, Lee Johnson and Lee Moriarty to become the new ROH World Television Champion. Since becoming a member of the Don Callis Family he showed a change of character and with winning his first singles championship since joining All Elite Wrestling it was the right decision to side with Callis. We at CAGEMATCH.net would like to congratulate Fletcher on his recent success and for becoming our new Superstar Of The Week!
The american Joshi promotion Sukeban is making their waves with it's unique of approach of Joshi Pro-Wrestling. Joshi superstars from across Japan are travelling to the United States to compete in a very special universe with own characters and stories. On the recent Sukeban show in Miami, the promotion seeked it's first Sukeban World Champion in a match between Commander Nakajima aka Arisa Nakajima from SEAdLINNNG and Ichigo Sayaka aka Unagi Sayaka who worked for promotions such as GLEAT, Stardom and others. Nakajima was able to defeat Sayaka after eight minutes to crown herself the inaugral Sukeban World Champion. We at CAGEMATCH.net would like to congratulate Nakajima for her recent success and for winning our Superstar Of The Week award!
Back in April, Ichiban defeated Brad Hollister in the finals of a title tournament to become the inaugural Wrestling Open Champion. With nearly 10 successful title defenses to his name, Ichiban and the Wrestling Open Championship became synonymous with one another. However, with help from his Big Business stablemates, Hollister earned himself a shot at the Wrestling Open Title at Wrestling Open #100 on 30.11.2023. When the show came to a close, it was "Big Bacon" who had his hand held high as the new Wrestling Open Champion. Congrats to Hollister on his Wrestling Open Title victory, and for being voted as the CAGEMATCH.net Superstar Of The Week!
47/2023: Junior Benito
Over the past year, Junior Benito has made a name for himself as an accomplished tag team wrestler as part of Fresh Air alongside Macrae Martin. However, Benito's biggest win of his career came on 24.11.2023 at C4 Sixteen Candles in a singles match for the C4 Championship. Kevin Blackwood, the top heel in C4 and champion for just under two years, defended the C4 Title against Benito in a No Disqualification No Count Out match. With help from Cecil Nyx, who evened out the odds against Haley Dylan, Blackwood's valet, Benito pinned Kevin Blackwood after hitting his patented 450 Splash to become the new C4 Champion. Congratulations to "The Young Bull" on becoming C4 Champion for the first time, as well as for being awarded the title of CAGEMATCH.net Superstar Of The Week!
46/2023: Julia Hart
"None shall mourn, I am reborn.." and yes indeed Julia Hart is reborn. After having her debut as a cheerleader alongside the Varsity Blonds, Julia Hart had a reincarnation as a dark goth girl last year and joined the House Of Black. Julia Hart started an unbeaten run as a member of the House which finally lead to a TBS Championship match at AEW's WrestleDream in October against Champ Kris Statlander. Hart came up short, but she got herself back into the title picture by winning a TBS Title Eliminator match. At Full Gear, Julia Hart was able to overcome not only Statlander but also Skye Blue to become the third ever TBS Champion. We at CAGEMATCH.net would like to congratulate Julia Hart on her recent success and for becoming our newest Superstar Of The Week!
45/2023: Yuki Ueno
Yuki Ueno has finally done it. The 28-year-old man from Osaka had the biggest match of his seven-year-long career so far when he faced the current KO-D Openweight Champion Chris Brookes at the legendary Ryogoku Kokugikan in front of almost 5,000 fans. After nearly thirty minutes, Yuki Ueno dropped Chris Brookes to the ground with his finishing move the WR to capture the KO-D Openweight Championship to fulfill his dream to become the best DDT Pro Wrestling has to offer. We at CAGEMATCH.net would like to congratulate Yuki Ueno on his recent achievement, and that's why Ueno will be our newest Superstar Of The Week!
Having worked for Pro Wrestling NOAH since 2005, Katsuhiko Nakajima shocked the wrestling world when he announced this past September that he would be departing from the company. Many speculated WWE, AEW, and NJPW as potential landing spots for Nakajima. However, it was All Japan Pro Wrestling that "The Genius of the Kick" found himself signing a contract with. In his very first match with the company, on the final night of AJPW's Giant Series, Nakajima pinned Yuma Aoyagi to win the historic Triple Crown Championship for the first time.
43/2023: Lyra Valkyria
After coming up short earlier this year in a WWE NXT Women's Title tournament, Lyra Valkyria had to face "The Man" Becky Lynch at NXT Halloween Havoc Night One in a fight among compatriots. After failing to win the title in July against Tiffany Stratton, the 27 year old had another chance in the biggest match of her 8 year long career. She did the unexpected and beat her compatriot after sixteen minutes to win the WWE NXT Women's Championship against one of the biggest female superstars WWE has ever produced. That's why Lyra Valkyria is our newest Superstar Of The Week!
42/2023: Leon Slater
If just one name had to be credited for the recent renewed interest in the UK independent wrestling scene, many would likely point to Leon Slater. On 21.10.2023, the innovator of the 450 Swanton won the coveted British J Cup 2023 tournament by overcoming CMLL's Mascara Dorada, Wild Boar, Harrison Bennett, and Will Kaven in matches. With his debut in the United States for Impact Wrestling right around the corner, it's surely only a matter of time before Leon Slater becomes a household name worldwide. For now, though, we are proud to name Slater as the CAGEMATCH.net Superstar Of The Week!
Back in August, the 20-year old Starboy Charlie defeated the likes of Bryan Keith, Alpha Zo, and Jay Malachi to win the 2023 edition of the West Coast Cup, also earning himself a future shot at Titus Alexander and the West Coast Pro Wrestling Heavyweight Title. On 14.10.2023 at West Coast Pro 5, Charlie defeated and ended the 371-day reign of Titus Alexander in a reported MOTYC to become the new West Coast Pro Wrestling Heavyweight Champion. Congratulations to Starboy Charlie on becoming West Coast Pro Wrestling Heavyweight Champion, as well as for being named the CAGEMATCH.net Superstar Of The Week!
40/2023: Billie Starkz
She's only 18-years-old, but Billie Starkz is making waves in Pro-Wrestling since joining All Elite Wrestling. Not only she's Athena's personal project called "Minion In Training" on Ring Of Honor on Honor Club, but also she's still working independent successfully. So it was last weekend when Starkz went to Wrestling Revolver where she's competed at Revolver's Women's Grand Prix alongside seven other women. After victories over Rachel Armstrong and ROH co-worker Trish Adora, Starkz went into the final, where she faced AEW's Marina Shafir. After nearly twelve minutes, Starkz was able to defeat "The Problem" to win the inaugural Women's Grand Prix. With a huge win like that Billie Starkz is now our newest Superstar Of The Week!
39/2023: Suzu Suzuki
The rise of young Suzu Suzuki in World Wonder Ring Stardom continued last weekend when the 21-year-old former Death Match wrestler came through the grueling long 5STAR Grand Prix and faced Donna del Mondo's Maika in the tournament final. In an outstanding match prodigy Suzuki was able to overcome Maika after fourteen minutes to win the most prestigious Joshi tournament's of them all. With that win Suzuki has now the rights to challenge for the #1 championship in STARDOM, the World of Stardom Championship. We at CAGEMATCH.net congratulate Suzuki on her recent success and therefore Suzu Suzuki is our new Superstar Of The Week!
The rivalry between the former roommates is nearly twenty years in the making, a rivalry with hate and passion - Eddie Kingston and Claudio Castagnoli met yet again in a singles match and this time it wasn't only for pride and honour, it was for the ROH World Championship and the NJPW STRONG Openweight Championship. In March at Supercard Of Honor the "Mad King" failed to win the ROH title of his old friend and left Los Angeles yet again as the loser against Castagnoli, last weekend Kingston turned the tables around and beat "Double C" for the first time after 14 years and crowned himself as the double champion. We at CAGEMATCH.net would like to congratulate Eddie on his recent success and that's why Kingston is our new Superstar Of The Week!
37/2023: Becky Lynch
Last Tuesday Becky Lynch became a Grand Slam Champion by defeating Tiffany Stratton for the WWE NXT Women's Championship, a championship "The Man" didn't win before in her WWE career. With this title win Becky Lynch cement her status as one of the greatest female WWE wrestler ever, and it's yet another historic milestone for her after winning the first ever women's WrestleMania main event and now for becoming a Grand Slam Champion. We at CAGEMATCH.net would like to congratulate Becky Lynch for becoming a "Grand Slam Man" and for winning our Superstar Of The Week award!
36/2023: Gunther
For 35 years no wrestler was able to even come close to The Honky Tonk Man's record reign as WWE Intercontinental Champion. And when Gunther captured the prestigious title on 10 June 2022 very few people would have imagined that he could be the one to actually break that record of 453 days. But after yet another successful title defense against Chad Gable on Monday Night RAW it was clear that the Austrian would become the longest reigning WWE Intercontinental Champion of all time. That astonishing accomplishment makes Gunther our Superstar Of The Week!
35/2023: Davey Vega
Last weekend, Davey Vega had the chance to win his first ever AAW Heavyweight Championship and to put an end to Jake Something's 364-day long title reign. The current titleholder of the AAW Heritage title took the opportunity and beat Jake Something to not only get his first ever AAW Heavyweight Championship but also to become an AAW Triple Crown Champion. Vega joins an illustrious group of men like Jimmy Jacobs, Shane Hollister, ACH Penta El Zero Miedo and Jake Something who were the only men before him to win every title in AAW. We at CAGEMATCH.net would like to congratulate Davey Vega on his recent accomplishments and for becoming our Superstar Of The Week!
34/2023: Billy Gunn
Ten. Ten long years of waiting, Ten years of waiting to finally win a title in a major US wrestling promotion again. Billy Gunn stepped foot into the full packed Wembley Stadium alongside his boys Max Caster and Anthony Bowens to take on the demonic House Of Black and to the surprise of many the unequal trio came out victorious to win the AEW World Trios Championship! It has been a long period of waiting for "Mr. Ass" but his patience finally payed off. We at CAGEMATCH.net would like to congratulate Billy Gunn for winning the AEW World Trios titles and for becoming our Superstar Of The Week for the first time in his career. Scissor me daddy ass!
33/2023: Peter Tihanyi
Peter Tihanyi is making a name for himself over the last two years, is continuously improving and is one of the hottest talents in the world of wrestling today. Last weekend he faced the dominating Mike D for the WrestlingKULT Championship, the champion held the title for over 530 days and was the dominating force in germany's WrestlingKULT promotion. The hungarian grabbed the opportunity by his horns and defeated Mike D to the delight of the fans to become the new WrestlingKULT Champion! It's the best year of his career so far, with him reaching the semi-finals of the wXw 16 Carat Gold tournament and now winning his first ever singles title in Germany. Congratulations Peter not only for becoming a champion but also for winning our Superstar Of The Week award!
32/2023: Tetsuya Naito
The final of the thirty-third edition of the G1 Climax was contested between last year's winner Kazuchika Okada and two time winner Tetsuya Naito, a battle between great rivals. Just days prior to the final the charismatic leader of Los Ingobernables de Japón overcame the massive Hikuleo in the quartfinals and Will Ospreay in the semi final to qualify himself for his fourth G1 Climax final in his career. After a hard match with the "Rainmaker" Naito could land a Destino to not only pin his nemesis Kazuchika Okada but to win his third G1 Climax which makes him only the fifth man to win three G1 Climax tournaments. We at CAGEMATCH.net would like to congratulate Tetsuya Naito on his great achievement and also for becoming our Superstar Of The Week!
31/2023: IYO SKY
Carmella, Alexa Bliss, Bayley, Asuka, Nikki A.S.H., Liv Morgan - every one of those women won Money In The Bank and every one of those women became champion by cashing in the contract. So when IYO SKY won the prestigious briefcase a couple of weeks ago, it was clear that she wanted to become "Lucky No.7". At SummerSlam champion Asuka, Bianca Belair and Charlotte Flair battled for the WWE Women's Title in a triple threat match. At the end, it was Bianca who was able to roll-up Asuka to win the initial match. While the "E.S.T. Of WWE" celebrated her victory, IYO SKY came out to capitalize on an injured new champion. She cashed in her contract and within seconds hit her trademark moonsault and beat her opponent to become WWE Women's Champion for the first time in her career. CAGEMATCH congratulates the "The Genius Of The Sky" and crowns her Superstar Of The Week!
To honor the legendary El Santo once again CMLL hosted the annual Leyenda de Plata tournament and the final of it took place at the Arena Mexico between New Japan Pro Wrestling's Rocky Romero and young and upcoming Mascara Dorada 2.0. In an amazing match Dorada pulled up the upset and beat the current NWA World Historic Welterweight Champion not only to win one of the most the prestigious tournaments of all Mexico but also to earn him a potential future titlematch against Romero. We at CAGEMATCH.net would like to congratulate on Dorada's recent achievement and for becoming our Superstar Of The Week!
29/2023: Chris Brookes
Four years ago a young brit flew to Japan to fulfill his dream of becoming a Pro Wrestler in the land of the rising sun, four years later Chris Brookes is a mainstay of DDT Pro Wrestling and since last weekend Brookes is also the current KO-D Openweight Champion, the biggest prize a wrestler can win in DDT. At the legendary Ryogoku Kokugikan at DDT's biggest show of the year, Wrestle Peter Pan, Brookes fought against the behemoth Yuji Hino and to the surprise of the packed crowd the man from the West Midlands beat Hino to become the KO-D Champion. We at CAGEMATCH.net would like to congratulate Brookes on his recent achievement and for becoming our Superstar Of The Week!
The heat was on in Chattanooga this past weekend, when a field of 16 wrestlers tried to win the coveted Scenic City Invitational Tournament. The likes of world traveler Timothy Thatcher, hardcore wrestling legend Tank and rising stars like Adam Priest and last years winner Jaden Newman gave it their all, but ultimately the Cornbelt Cowboy Manders was able to beat Noah Hossmann and Sawyer Wreck, before putting away Priest, Landon Hale and Darian Bengston in the final Four Way Match, much to the joy of everyone in the TWE Arena. Now, he's not only the 1 Called Manders, but the 1 Called Scenic City Invitational Tournament winner and our Superstar Of The Week.
27/2023: Michael Oku
From being the longest reigning RevPro Undisputed British Cruiserweight Champion to the RevPro Undisputed British Heavyweight Champion: Michael Oku has concluded his killer run for Revolution Pro Wrestling after becoming their Heavyweight Champion at Epic Encounter at York Hall in London's East End. Not only that Oku grabbed the title but he also ended the insanely long unbeaten run of New Japan Pro Wrestling's Great-O-Khan who had been undefeated in RevPro since his arrival 2018. With now being a Heavyweight Champ, Michael Oku is also RevPro's only Grand Slam Champion. We at CAGEMATCH.net would like to congratulate Oku for his recent achievements and also for winning our Superstar Of The Week award!
26/2023: Yuma Aoyagi
After failing to win the legendary Triple Crown Championship on four occasions it was finally the time for All Japan's very own Yuma Aoyagi to capture one of the biggest prizes in Japanese pro-wrestling. In front of a packed crowd at Korakuen Hall, Aoyagi met New Japan's Yuji Nagata who had the title since February. After twenty-one minutes Aoyagi was able to overcome "Blue Justice" to not only bring back the title to All Japan but to become the new Triple Crown Champion. From the All Japan dojo to being the best wrestler in the promotion, we at CAGEMATCH.net would like to congratulate Aoyagi for his achievement and for becoming our CAGEMATCH Superstar Of The Week!
25/2023: Will Ospreay
At Wrestle Kingdom 17 the world witnesses the epic match between former AEW World Champion Kenny Omega and IWGP United States Heavyweight Champion Will Ospreay, which lead to Ospreay losing the title to "The Best Bout Machine". A match famous Dave Meltzer gave 6 1/4 stars to, a match which hurt Ospreay a lot. Not only losing the IWGP US title but also by not proving his point that he's the best wrestler on planet earth. Almost six months later the ""Commonwealth Kingpin" came through a #1 contender's tournament by beating the "Ace" Hiroshi Tanahashi and the "Murderhawk Monster" Lance Archer to meet Kenny Omega yet again. At Forbidden Door in Toronto Ospreay finally beat Kenny Omega to not only recapture the IWGP US title but also for becoming our CAGEMATCH Superstar Of The Week!
Work smart, not hard. That's a motto lots of heels in the history of professional wrestling lived by to make their way to the top. And at wXw Drive Of Champions 2023 it was Robert Dreissker who did a very smart thing when he challanged fighting champion Shigehiro Irie for the Unified World Wrestling Title. The Japanese, who just successfully defended his gold against Mike D in a hard-fought battle, accepted Dreissker's challenge. After unfairly attacking his opponent with his mask, it took the Austrian only two minutes to beat Irie for the title. That smart tactic made Robert Dreissker the wXw Unified World Wrestling Champion for the first time in his career - and CAGEMATCH Superstar Of The Week!
23/2023: Alex Shelley
Alex Shelley has been an institution in Impact Wrestling for almost twenty years. Yet, in that time he was never able to really break out as a singles wrestler like he did in other promotions all over the world. At Under Siege a couple of weeks ago, he earned himself a rare World Title opportunity when he won a six way match. But considering the momentum current Champion Steve Maclin had, Shelley went into Against All Odds as the clear underdog and a title change seemed highly unlikely. Therefore, the joy of the fans in attendance was even bigger when Shelley hit the Shell Shock and pinned his opponent to finally become the Impact World Champion. Not only did that make him the #1 man in Impact Wrestling, but also our Superstar Of The Week!
Rina Yamashita has called herself the Game Changer Wrestling Ultraviolent Champion for nearly 300 days, which is quite an accomplishment. However, the "Deathmatch Amazon" went one better as she competed in the eighth edition of GCW's Tournament Of Survival and won the whole thing. Yamashita first survived a triple threat match with Sawyer Wreck and Kasey Kirk to advance to the semi-final, where Toru Sugiura waited. She went on to defeat the former FREEDOMS World Champion and even beat John Wayne Murdoch in the finals to win TOS. We at CAGEMATCH.net would like to congratulate Rina on her achievement, and for becoming our CAGEMATCH Superstar Of The Week!
21/2023: Seth Rollins
Although he is considered by many as one of the best performers in WWE, Seth Rollins hasn't held a world title in almost four years. So when Triple H announced the introduction of the new World Heavyweight Championship, "The Visionary" saw his opportunity on the horizon to once again climb to the top of the mountain. After winning a Triple Threat Match on RAW a couple of weeks ago, Rollins advanced to the finals of the tournament, in which he had to face SmackDown's AJ Styles. At Night Of Champions in Jeddah these two top superstars had a back-and-forth match. In the end, it was indeed Seth Rollins who was able to pin his opponent after the Curb Stomp. With that victory Rollins made history by becoming the first World Heavyweight Champion. In addition to that, we crown him CAGEMATCH Superstar Of The Week for the sixth time in his career.
AEW's Willow Nightingale did the impossible last weekend when she came through a four women tournament to determinate the inaugral NJPW STRONG Women's Champion after defeating Mercedes Mone in the finals of the tournament. Nightingale defeated Stardom wrestler Momo Kohgo to advance to the finals. After nearly fourteen minutes, Nightingale shocked the wrestling world by hitting the Babe With The Powerbomb to put Mone's shoulders down for three seconds to become the champion. It's clearly Willow's biggest achievement so far in her career. We at CAGEMATCH.net would like to congratulate Willow on becoming the first ever NJPW STRONG Women's titleholder, while also naming her our Superstar Of The Week!
19/2023: Templario
The feud between Templario and Dragon Rojo Jr. has quickly become one of the most notable rivalries in all of lucha libre. At the CMLL event on 12.05.2023, Dragon Rojo Jr. put his CMLL World Middleweight Championship on the line against Templario. With Rojo being forced to cover his face after Templario removed his mask, Templario scored a dirty pinfall victory over Dragon Rojo Jr. to become the new CMLL World Middleweight Champion, ending Dragon Rojo Jr.'s reign at 405 days. With this win, Templario is now a double champion, holding both the CMLL World Middleweight and Mexican National Middleweight Titles. It now appears that a Mask Vs. Mask match is in the future for these two luchadores.
18/2023: Yuya Aoki
After triumphantly returning from an injury that saw him fracture both his tibia and fibula last year, Yuya Aoki began teaming with Shigehiro Irie as Hearts On Fire. When Irie announced that he would be going on excursion in Europe and the United States, Aoki set his eyes on his mentor, Yuji Okabayashi, and the BJW World Strong Heavyweight Championship. At the BJW Endless Survivor ~ Infinity Independent event on 04.05.2023, Aoki defeated Okabayashi for the BJW World Strong Heavyweight Title, ending Okabayashi's historic reign at 487 days. Not only was Aoki's championship win on 04.05.2023 the biggest accomplishment of his career to date, but the 26-year old Aoki and Okabayashi are already receiving Match Of The Year acclaim by wrestling fans and journalists alike.
17/2023: Cole Radrick
Over the past few years, Cole Radrick has quickly emerged as a standout of the independent wrestling circuit, especially in his home area of the Midwest. In the main event of the BLP 2 Cold 2 Hold pay-per-view event on 29.04.2023, "Raddy Daddy" defeated Billie Starkz, Alec Price, and Skye Blue to win the BLP Heavyweight Title, arguably his biggest accomplishment to date. Radrick adds his name to a long list of prestigious wrestlers to hold the BLP Heavyweight Championship, including Tom Lawlor, Jordynne Grace, Ethan Page, and PCO. From everyone here at CAGEMATCH.net, we applaud Cole for becoming the new BLP Heavyweight Champion, as well as for being named our Superstar Of The Week!
16/2023: Tam Nakano
The saga between Giulia and Tam Nakano has continued once again in front of a big Yokohama crowd at Stardom's All Star Grand Queendom. The two rivals had another battle for a title, this time the World Of Stardom Championship was on the line, held by Donna del Mondo leader Giulia. In a very good match Tam Nakano defeated her rival for the Wonder Of Stardom Championship to crown herself as the World Of Stardom Champion for the very first time in her career after failing to win the title last year. We at CAGEMATCH.net would like to congratulate Tam Nakano for becoming the World Of Stardom Champion and to being named our Superstar Of The Week!
15/2023: Steve Maclin
The former Steve Cutler of The Forgotten Sons in WWE, Steve Maclin earned an opportunity at the Impact World Championship after pinning Heath in a four-way match that also included Brian Myers and PCO at the No Surrender PPV event on 24.02.2023. After Josh Alexander was forced to relinquish the Impact World Title due to injury, Maclin was booked against and went on to defeat Kushida in a singles match for the vacant Impact World Championship at Rebellion on 16.04.2023. Congratulations to Steve Maclin for winning the top prize in Impact Wrestling, in addition to being named the CAGEMATCH.net Superstar Of The Week!
14/2023: SANADA
After seven years in New Japan Pro Wrestling SANADA's journey to become a World Heavyweight Champion came to an end when he defeated Kazuchika Okada for the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship at the Ryogoku Kokugikan, the place where he made his debut back then by attacking Kazuchika Okada after all to help Tetsuya Naito to become IWGP Champion. The last weeks have been pretty busy for SANADA with leaving Los Ingobernables de Japón, joining Just Four Guys and ultimately winning the New Japan Cup. From everyone here at CAGEMATCH.net we would like to congratulate SANADA on becoming the IWGP World Heavyweight Champion and for being voted as our Superstar Of The Week!
13/2023: Rhea Ripley
After winning the women's Royal Rumble match on 28.01.2023, Judgment Day's Rhea Ripley challenged Charlotte Flair for the SmackDown Women's Championship at WrestleMania 39. Rhea had previously lost to Charlotte at WrestleMania 36 in 2020, and leading up to WrestleMania 39, Flair made Ripley very much aware of this fact. At WrestleMania 39 - Tag 1 on 01.04.2023, Ripley defeated Flair to win the SmackDown Women's Championship. With this victory, Ripley became the seventh Women's Triple Crown champion, the fifth Women's Grand Slam champion, and the youngest grand slam champion in WWE history at 26-years old. From everyone here at CAGEMATCH.net, we would like to congratulate Rhea Ripley on her recent accomplishments, as well as for being voted Superstar Of The Week!
12/2023: Tomoya Hirata
From his humble beginnings at the FREEDOMS Dojo in 2017 to now becoming world champion in 2023, Tomoya Hirata has already left his mark on the wrestling business in a relatively short amount of time. After losing the King Of FREEDOM World Tag Team Titles alongside his partner Toru Sugiura, Hirata turned his eyes towards the biggest prize FREEDOMS has to offer, the King Of FREEDOM World Championship. In front of a packed at Korakuen, Hirata managed to defeat Violento Jack in a dangerous death match to become the 18th King Of FREEDOM World Champion. Congratulations to Tomoya Hirata on winning the King Of Freedom World Title and for being named Superstar Of The Week by all of us at CAGEMATCH.net!
After a brilliant weekend in Germany, Masha Slamovich returned to her hometown of New York City to challenge GCW legend Nick Gage for the Game Changer Wrestling World Championship in front of her family and friends. After a grueling 20-minute match in the squared circle with a formidable opponent like Gage, Slamovich overcame interference from Blake Christian with the help of her boyfriend AKIRA. She ultimately defeated Gage for the title with a piledriver and a rear -aked choke, forcing the current champ to tap out. Congratulations to Masha Slamovich on winning the GCW World Championship and being named Superstar Of The Week by CAGEMATCH.net!
The stakes couldn't have been any higher: this year's 16 Carat Gold Tournament was not only for the prestigeous trophy that comes along with a future world title opportunity, but for the first time ever the winner of 16 Carat Gold would be crowned the new wXw Unified World Wrestling Champion. After three days it came down to Shigehiro Irie and Axel Tischer in the finals. While the 'Axeman' was the odds-on favorite on paper as a former two-time champion, 'Beastmode' was certainly the sentimental favorite going into this match. And much to the delight of the fans in Oberhausen Irie was able to defeat Tischer via referee stoppage after a hard-fought battle to win 16 Carat Gold 2023. That victory not only made him the new wXw Unified World Wrestling Champion, but also CAGEMATCH's Superstar Of The Week!
09/2023: Jason Lee
Jason Lee did it! After being with Dragongate for six long years the man from Hong Kong finally won his first ever singles title at Champion Gate. In an exciting match he defeated the current champion Minorita in just twelve minutes to capture the Open The Brave Gate Championship at the EDION Arena in Osaka. After failing in three Brave Gate title matches before the 30 year-old crowned himself as a singles champion. From everyone here at CAGEMATCH.net, we congratulate Jason Lee on winning his first ever singles championship in Dragongate and for being named the Superstar Of The Week!
After having a great 2022, Ricky Knight Jr. continues his hot streak this year by challenging former WWE superstar Big Damo fka Killian Dain for the PROGRESS Atlas Championship. In a real test against a bigger opponent RKJ showed that he got the mental ability and the strength to beat such a well known opponent like "The Beast Of Belfast". It was at the famous Electric Ballroom in the heart of London where RKJ grabbed another opportunity to win a title of a big domestic promotion. Congratulations RKJ for becoming the new PROGRESS Atlas Champion and for becoming our Superstar Of The Week!
07/2023: Yuji Nagata
Yuji Nagata may be 54 years of age, but he made history over the weekend with his match against six-time Triple Crown Champion Kento Miyahara. "Blue Justice" is now just one of five men who has captured all three major titles of the Japanese "Big Three" promotions, including New Japan Pro Wrestling (2002), Pro Wrestling NOAH (2014), and All Japan Pro Wrestling. A true Grand Slam Champion. And it's also the right time to crown Yuji Nagata as our Superstar Of The Week for the fifth time after a 15-year dry spell. What a weekend for "Blue Justice," and congratulations, legend!
06/2023: Jordan Oliver
At just 23 years of age, Jordan Oliver has wrestled stars of the independent wrestling scene, such as YAMATO, Tony Deppen, and Matt Cardona, during his career. Last weekend, he wrestled for JCW, the sister company of Game Changer Wrestling, and was able to overcome Alex Shelley, Joey Janela, and even Mike Bailey to win the JCW Jersey J-Cup 2023. Not only did he win the tournament, but he also also won his first bigger singles title, the JCW Championship, making hi the inaugural titleholder. Congratulations, Jordan, for this accomplishment, and congratulations for becoming our Superstar Of The Week!
05/2023: Violento Jack
It may be already Jack's fourth King Of FREEDOM World title win in his 18 year long career but capturing the title of one of the hottest deathmatch wrestlers out there is quite something. Even more important is the fact that Jack and now former champion Drew Parker are stablemates of ERE, in which the welshman outstripped the mexican and became some sort of a leader of the faction. Jack's surprisingly challenge became a nightmare for Parker when the masked man locked in his dangerous mexican stretch for the title victory. Jack not only won his fourth King Of FREEDOM World title but he's also our Superstar Of The Week!
04/2023: Rhea Ripley
While going into the Women's Royal Rumble Match as one of the favourites, Rhea Ripley faced the biggest of odds when she had to enter the contest as entrant #1. But in the end it was indeed the 26-year old Australian who outlasted all of her 29 competitors to win the 2023 Royal Rumble Match. In the process she eliminated six superstars by herself and set a new women's record with a total match time of 61:08 minutes. Rhea Ripley is going to WrestleMania - as our Superstar Of The Week!
03/2023: Jay Briscoe
Former two-time ROH World Champion and 13-time ROH World Tag Team Champion, Jay Briscoe, tragically passed away on 17.01.2023. The Briscoe Brothers, of which Jay was a part of alongside his brother, Mark, for nearly 23 years, were one of the most beloved and decorated tag teams in modern pro wrestling history. Aside from their storied careers in Ring of Honor, the Briscoes also held tag team gold in numerous companies worldwide, such as New Japan Pro Wrestling, Pro Wrestling NOAH, Impact Wrestling, Game Changer Wrestling, and Combat Zone Wrestling, just to name a few. All of us at CAGEMATCH.net were fans of Jay Briscoe and watched him grace the ring for many years. He will be sorely missed. Our thoughts are with Jay's family, friends, and fans at this time.
02/2023: Mickie James
Back in September 2022, Mickie James announced her "Last Rodeo" tour, which meant that she would have to retire if she were to lose a match again. However, Mickie stated that if she was able to keep on winning and capture the Impact Knockouts Championship, her career would continue on. After a string of impressive victories over the past several months, Mickie earned the right to challenge Jordynne Grace for the Knockouts Title in the main event of Hard To Kill 2023 on 13.01.2023. It was Mickie James, who pinned champion Jordynne Grace in a near-20 minute contest, thereby becoming the new Knockouts Champion, as well as being able to continue on with her in-ring career in the process.
It's funny that, with all his accolades, Kazuchika Okada had to wait seven long years to get his hands back on the CAGEMATCH Superstar Of The Week Award. After losing the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship last summer against Jay White, Okada came back better than ever when he won the prestigious G1 Climax tournament for a second straight year in a row and move on to Wrestle Kingdom 17 to challenge for the biggest price in New Japan Pro Wrestling. In front of a packed house in the Tokyo Dome "The Rainmaker" was then able to beat his former stablemate "Switchblade" after thirty-three minutes to win the IWGP World Heavyweight Title back. That big win does not only make Okada a seven-time champion, but also our first Superstar Of The Week of 2023.
52/2022: Giulia
Back in October, Giulia became our Superstar Of The Week after coming out on top of the 5STAR Grand Prix 2022 tournament. By winning the 5STAR Grand Prix, Giulia earned the right to challenge Syuri for the World Of Stardom Title on 29.12.2022 at Dream Queendom 2022. In a near 30-minute main event match, "Beautiful Madness" Giulia pinned Syuri following a Glorious Northern Lights Bomb to win the World Of Stardom Championship, Stardom's top prize, for the very first time. For this reason, the CAGEMATCH.net team has selected Giulia to be Superstar Of The Week once again!
51/2022: Minorita
The 25-year old, 156 cm sidekick of Ben-K, Minorita was granted an Open The Brave Gate Title match against H.Y.O after he defeated Ryu Fuda in a heated game of rock paper scissors. At Dragon Gate's The Final Gate event on 25.12.2022, Minorita pinned H.Y.O. to win the Open The Brave Gate Championship, ending H.Y.O.'s reign at 148 days. From everyone here at CAGEMATCH.net, we congratulate Minorita on winning his first-ever singles championship and for being named the Superstar Of The Week!
50/2022: Levaniel
He's fighting "Für die Liebe" (eng.: For the love) and boy he did that on saturday when Levaniel finally captured the wXw Unified World Wrestling Championship after defeating frenchman Tristan Archer at wXw's 22nd Anniversary show. The homegrown talent had quite a year with having multiple chances to win the big title of the promotion, most notable on wXw'S biggest stage the 16 Carat Gold in March, and winning the Shortcut To The Top Battle Royal in August. Congratulations Levaniel you're the wXw World Champion and our CAGEMATCH.net Superstar Of The Week!
On the 15.11.2022 edition of NXT, Shawn Michaels announced a new match format for WWE called the Iron Survivor Challenge, which would debut at NXT Deadline on 10.12.2022. The winners of the Iron Survivor Challenge matches would be declared the new number one contenders for the NXT Championship and NXT Women's Championship respectively. Grayson Waller would emerge from the men's match victorious, outlasting Carmelo Hayes, JD McDonagh, Joe Gacy, and Axiom, to win the bout. With his impressive victory at NXT Deadline, Grayson Waller is the CAGEMATCH.net Superstar Of The Week!
48/2022: ASUKA
After losing a much-anticipated title match against Chihiro Hashimoto on 10.07.2022 at Sendai Girls' biggest show of the year, SENJO Chronicle, many expected ASUKA to fall to the back of the line of Hashimoto's top challengers for the Sendai Girls World Title. Just five months later, at Sendai Girls Big Show In Osaka on 04.12.2022 , however, ASUKA earned the right to challenge Hashimoto for the Sendai Girls World Championship once more. After a heated contest, ASUKA pinned Chihiro Hashimoto, ending her historic 1,148-day reign as champion, to win the Sendai Girls World Title for the first time in her young career. From everyone here at CAGEMATCH, congratulations to ASUKA for becoming the new Sendai Girls World Champion and for becoming our very own Superstar Of The Week!
47/2022: Lana Austin
Lana Austin, a nine-year veteran of the English professional wrestling scene and the leader of the Lana Austin Experience, earned the right to challenge "The Asian Sensation" Kanji for the prestigious PROGRESS Women's Championship in the main event of PROGRESS Chapter 146 on 27.11.2022. Despite a valiant effort by the defending champion Kanji, it was "The Queen Of Mean" Austin who walked out of Chapter 146 as the victor, thus becoming the PROGRESS Women's Champion for the first time in her career. Lana adds herself to a loaded list of former PROGRESS Women's Champions, including Toni Storm, Jinny, Meiko Satomura, Jordynne Grace, and Gisele Shaw. We congratulate Lana Austin on her recent success, as well as for being named the CAGEMATCH.net Superstar Of The Week!
46/2022: MJF
"The greatest trick the devil ever pulled off was convincing the people he didn't exist" -- This famous saying has now become synonymous with the rise of Maxwell Jacob Friedman. Leading into AEW's final PPV event of 2022 MJF tried to make everybody believe that he wanted to win the AEW World Title in a respectable way. But champion Jon Moxley and the entire world eventually found out that you cannot trust the devil. With the help of William Regal and his famous brass knucks MJF was able to defeat his opponent in the main event of Full Gear to become the new AEW World Champion. After failing in his first attempt to become the top guy in All Elite Wrestling two years ago MJF finally reached his goal and with that the distinction of CAGEMATCH Superstar Of The Week.
45/2022: Tyrus
In order to earn himself another shot at Trevor Murdoch and the NWA Worlds Heavyweight Championship, Tyrus relinquished his NWA Television Championship, ending his historic reign at 414 days. Tyrus' date with destiny was set in a three-way match for the NWA Worlds Heavyweight Title against champion Trevor Murdoch and his number one rival, Matt Cardona, at NWA Hard Times In New Orleans on 12.11.2022. Following a Tongan death grip and chokeslam, the former "Funkasaurus" pinned Murdoch to capture his first ever NWA Worlds Heavyweight Championship.
44/2022: Logan Paul
Congratulations to "The Ultimate Influencer" Logan Paul for becoming the CAGEMATCH.net Superstar Of The Week! In just his third ever professional wrestling match, Paul challenged Roman Reigns for the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship at WWE Crown Jewel 2022 on 05.11.2022 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Despite coming up short in the contest, Logan Paul gained the respect of wrestling fans worldwide for his spectacular performance and his ability to continue working through the match with a torn meniscus, MCL, and ACL.
43/2022: Austin Luke
A student of Matt Tremont at the H2O Wrestling Academy, Austin Luke made his professional wrestling debut in early 2019. Since then, "The Anti Social Anti Hero" has made appearances for some of the top independent promotions in the United States, such as GCW and Beyond Wrestling as part of the Wrestling Open brand. On 30.10.2022 at H2O's Bound By Blood event, Luke defeated Colby Corino for the H2O Heavyweight Title in an NWA Rules match. Subsequently, at just 21 years of age, Luke became the youngest H2O Heavyweight Champion in history. The future is undoubtedly very bright for young Austin Luke, but for now, we would like to congratulate him on becoming the new H2O Heavyweight Champion and the CAGEMATCH.net Superstar Of The Week!
42/2022: Wes Lee
From the heights of ecstasy to the depths of despair - Wes Lee's April was something else. Days after winning the WWE NXT Tag Team Championship for the second time alongside his MSK buddy Nash Carter, Carter was released, and the titles were vacated. Experience shows that losing a tag team partner does not necessarily mean moving up the career ladder. Exceptions prove the rule. He fought his way into NXT's singles division and defeated Tony D'Angelo in September to qualify for a Five Way Ladder Match for the vacant WWE NXT North American Championship. In the opening contest of WWE NXT Halloween Havoc 2022, he successfully climbed a (real) ladder and claimed the title, defeating Carmelo Hayes, Nathan Frazer, Oro Mensah and Von Wagner. Congrats, Wes Lee, our Superstar Of The Week!
Before the 12.10.2022 edition of AEW Dynamite, Orange Cassidy had challenged for AEW championships on eight separate occasions, but he had never been able to win. Most recently, at AEW Grand Slam 2022 in late September, Cassidy unsuccessfully challenged PAC for the AEW All-Atlantic Championship, thanks to PAC illegally using a ring keeper's hammer. When OC watched his fellow Best Friend, Trent Beretta, lose to PAC in a similar fashion at AEW Battle Of The Belts IV, Cassidy seemingly had enough of the champion's antics and challenged him for the All-Atlantic Title once more. On 12.10.2022, after avoiding yet another attempted hammer shot by PAC and nailing a pair of Orange Punches, OC was finally able to capture his first championship in All Elite Wrestling, the AEW All-Atlantic Title. From everyone here at CAGEMATCH.net, congratulations to Orange Cassidy on becoming a champion in AEW, as well as for being voted as the Superstar Of The Week!
After beating the likes of Chris Sabin, Masha Slamovich, Nick Wayne and Starboy Charlie in the finals to win the West Coast Cup this year, Titus Alexander aimed to become the next West Coast Pro Wrestling Heavyweight Champion. Not an easy task when you look at the dominant champ Jacob Fatu who has beaten the top indy guys such as Bandido, Mike Bailey or Tom Lawlor. It was a typical David versus Goliath type of fight when Alexander stepped into the booth to face the big Samoan. Alexander made his dream come true, overcame the huge obstacle and crowned himself as the fourth West Coast Pro Wrestling Heavyweight Champion, as well as our CAGEMATCH.net Superstar Of The Week!
39/2022: Giulia
Ever since leaving Ice Ribbon for Stardom in 2019, Giulia has quickly risen to become one of the company's most beloved wrestlers. After two months worth of grueling matches, Giulia went on to defeat her longtime rival, Tam Nakano, in the tournament finals to win the 5STAR Grand Prix 2022 on 01.10.2022. With her 5STAR Grand Prix victory, Giulia now looks ahead to the biggest match of her career, in which she will challenge Syuri for the World Of Stardom Championship on 29.12.2022 at Sumo Hall. For the time being, though, we congratulate Giulia on winning the 5STAR Grand Prix, as well as for becoming the CAGEMATCH.net Superstar Of The Week!
38/2022: Ace Romero
Ace Romero has competed in Limitless Wrestling's annual Vacationland Cup tournament since its inception in 2019. In 2019, Romero came up short in the tournament finals. In 2020, he made it to the semi finals. In 2021, he fell in the tournament finals yet again. On 27.08.2022, however, "Acey Baby" had his moment when he managed to defeat Channing Thomas, Charles Mason, and Rip Byson for the 2022 Vacationland Cup. By winning the Vacationland Cup, Romero earned himself a title shot against "The Prize" Alec Price for the prestigious Limitless World Championship. On 24.09.2022, at Limitless Chasing Forever, Romero continued his successful 2022 by capturing the Limitless World Title, ending Alec Price's 315-day reign as champion in the process. From all of us at CAGEMATCH.net, we would like to congratulate Ace on winning the Limitless World Championship, as well as for becoming our Superstar Of The Week!
37/2022: Atlantis Jr.
One of CMLL 89. Aniversario's main attractions on the evening of 16.09.2022 was the Cuadrangular Eliminatorio De Parejas Increibles, in which the winners of the tag team tournament would later face off against one another in a Mask Vs. Mask Match. In the finals of the Cuadrangular Eliminatorio De Parejas Increibles, Atlantis Jr. and Stuka Jr. went on to defeat Averno and Ultimo Guerrero. Subsequently, the main event of CMLL 89. Aniversario was set: the young Atlantis Jr. vs. the legendary Stuka Jr. Despite the 43-year old Stuka Jr. putting up the fight of a lifetime, Atlantis Jr. won the match and took Stuka Jr.'s mask in a very emotional yet memorable moment that will surely be remembered by lucha libre fans for many years to come.
36/2022: Kasey Kirk
Since the beginning of 2022, Kasey Kirk has slowly developed a name for herself as being one of the most exciting new deathmatch wrestlers on the American independent circuit. After a number of victories and strong performances in ICW No Holds Barred over the likes of Danny Demanto, John Wayne Murdoch, Eric Ryan, and her husband Brandon Kirk, Kasey earned the right to challenge ICW American Deathmatch World Champion Joel Bateman on 10.09.2022 in Newark, New Jersey. It was Kasey Kirk who walked away from that match as the winner, subsequently becoming the first woman yet to hold the ICW American Deathmatch World Title, ICW No Holds Barred's top prize. Congratulations to Kasey on becoming the new ICW American Deathmatch World Champion, in addition to being voted as the CAGEMATCH.net Superstar Of The Week!
Despite being just 26-years old, there are few professional wrestlers in the world who have received such acclaim as "The Supernova" Kaito Kiyomiya since he made his debut in 2015. Along with being a former GHC Heavyweight Champion and two-time GHC Tag Team Champion, Kiomiya can now call himself a two-time winner of the prestigious N-1 Victory tournament (known through 2019 as the Global League tournament, which he won in 2018). On 03.09.2022, Kaito Kiyomiya defeated Hideki Suzuki in the tournament finals to win the 2022 NOAH N-1 Victory, thus earning himself a future shot at the GHC Heavyweight Title. Will "The Supernova" be able to capture the GHC Heavyweight Championship for a third time? Only time will tell... Until then, he is the CAGEMATCH.net Superstar Of The Week!
34/2022: Jon Moxley
After CM Punk announced that he would no longer be able to defend the AEW World Championship due to injury, it was decided that an interim champion would be crowned at the AEW/NJPW Forbidden Door pay-per-view on 26.06.2022. Moxley faced and went on to pin Hiroshi Tanahashi for the interim title at Forbidden Door. After successfully defending the interim championship against the likes of Brody King, Konosuke Takeshita, Rush, Mance Warner, and Chris Jericho, CM Punk returned from injury to confront Jon Moxley on the 10.08.2022 edition of Dynamite. On the 24.08.2022 edition of Dynamite, Moxley pinned Punk to win the AEW World Title for a record-setting second time, becoming the undisputed champion in the process.
"RKJ" is definitely one of the brightest young talents in professional wrestling today. The 22 year old from Norwich made a name for himself in smaller english promotions until he found his first big success in Southside Wrestling Entertainment, where he became the Speed King Champion and even won the Southside Heavyweight Championship before retiring the title to crown himself as the British Heavyweight Champion. With that achievement Ricky Knight Jr. started one of the most interesting feuds in wrestling against Will Ospreay. The "Commonwealth Kingpin" defeated Knight Jr. on two occassions in 2020 and 2021, but finally a year later RKJ dethroned Ospreay after a 919 days long reign as the RevPro Undisputed British Heavyweight Champion, his biggest career achievement yet. That's why Ricky Knight Jr. is our SOTW!
32/2022: Big Damo
After his five-year stint with WWE ended, The Beast Of Belfast came back to the Independent Circuit as a much more experienced worker than before. The former Killian Dain made his New Japan Pro-Wrestling debut in America, worked for several US-Independent promotions like DEFY or Black Label Pro and made his way back across the pond to his home turf wrestling for ICW and OTT again. However, his biggest achievement after being released by the market leader came true last weekend when he defeated Chris Ridgeway for the PROGRESS World Championship at Chapter 137, Damo entered his name in a lineage of great PROGRESS champions such as Will Ospreay, WALTER and Pete Dunne. On top of that he is our CAGEMATCH Superstar Of The Week!
31/2022: Jaden Newman
It's the year of Jaden Newman! After making waves with matches on IWTV's Uncharted Territority against the likes of Jonathan Gresham and others, Newman entered the Scenic City Invitational Tournament for the second straight year after losing in the semi finals last year. It went way better this time as he moved on to the final four way match after beating Myron Reed and Ashton Starr in the first two rounds. Newman overcame Billie Starkz, Adam Priest and Kevin Ku to finally win the Scenic City Invitational Tournament.. and CAGEMATCH Superstar Of The Week!
30/2022: Yuki Yoshioka
A 2016 graduate of the Dragon Gate Dojo, Yuki Yoshioka returned to Dragon Gate after an excursion to Mexico in October of 2020 as the masked Dia Inferno. Immediately aligning himself with the R.E.D. stable, Dia Inferno (Yoshioka) entered a heated feud with Dragon Dia. On 01.12.2021, at Fantastic Gate 2021 - Tag 1, Inferno and Diamante of R.E.D. faced Dragon Dia and Shun Skywalker of Masquerade in a Mask Vs. Mask tag team match, with the loser of the fall having to unmask. Despite winning the match and forcing Dragon Dia to unmask, in an emotional moment, Dia Inferno also removed his own mask and revealed himself to be Yuki Yoshioka. From May through June, Yoshioka took part in the 2022 King of Gate, which he eventually won, defeating Kota Minoura in the tournament finals on 02.06.2022. After winning the King of Gate, Yoshioka earned the right to challenge Open The Dream Gate Champion KAI for the title on 30.07.2022 at Kobe World. Yuki Yoshioka went on to win the Open The Dream Gate Title at the event, capturing his first major singles title in the process. Congratulations to Yoshioka on becoming the new Open The Dream Gate Champion, as well as the CAGEMATCH.net Superstar Of The Week!
After an 11-year tenure with WWE, Claudio Castagnoli made his debut for All Elite Wrestling at AEW/NJPW Forbidden Door on 26.06.2022, revealing himself to be the newest member of the Blackpool Combat Club. Castagnoli went on to earn a big victory over Zack Sabre Jr. at the AEW/NJPW pay-per-view and picked up the win for his team against the Jericho Appreciation Society in a Blood and Guts match on the 29.06.2022 edition of Dynamite. On the 15.07.2022 edition of Rampage, Castagnoli interrupted ROH World Champion Jonathan Gresham during a promo in which Gresham declared himself the "best technical wrestler in the world." On 23.07.2022 at the ROH Death Before Dishonor PPV, "The Swiss Superman" challenged and pinned Jonathan Gresham to win the ROH World Title, his first world championship in his 22-year professional wrestling career. Alas, it is a no-brainer for Claudio Castagnoli to be named the CAGEMATCH.net Superstar Of The Week!
28/2022: Suzu Suzuki
Many fans around the world were not sure what to make of 19-year old wrestling prodigy Suzu Suzuki's decision to leave Ice Ribbon at the end of 2021, despite being set to be the ace of the promotion for years to come. Now, the "Violent Prodigy" is a freelancer and has been heavily involved in her true passion: deathmatch wrestling. However, being a freelance wrestler has also brought other non-deathmatch companies' interest in bringing in Suzu Suzuki to compete for them. Suzuki entered Pro Wrestling WAVE’s Catch The WAVE tournament, being placed in a block alongside Haruka Umesaki, Kohaku, Chie Ozora, and Riko Kawahata. After fighting her way to the finals and being named the tournament MVP, Suzuki faced and went on to defeat Miyuki Takase on 17.07.2022 to win the 2022 Catch The WAVE, as well as the coveted Regina Di WAVE Championship.
27/2022: Wardlow
Since freeing himself from the reigns of MJF, the 6'3" and 267-pound Wardlow has looked unstoppable in All Elite Wrestling. After working his way to the top of the AEW Rankings and accumulating an impressive record of 14-2 on the year, "Mr. Mayhem" earned the right to challenge Scorpio Sky for the AEW TNT Championship on the 06.07.2022 episode of Dynamite. Even a street fight with Dan Lambert, Ethan Page, and American Top Team at ringside couldn't keep the TNT Title with Scorpio Sky. Following his trademark Powerbomb Symphony, it was Wardlow who walked away victorious and with his first championship in All Elite Wrestling, which more than justifies him being named the CAGEMATCH.net Superstar Of The Week!
26/2022: Fujita Hayato
For over a decade, Fujita "Jr." Hayato was a pillar for Michinoku Pro Wrestling and amongst the company's top heels. Hayato first captured the Tohoku Junior Heavyweight Title, Michinoku Pro's top prize, in December 2008 from Yoshitsune. He won the championship for a second time after defeating Kenoh in June 2012. In late 2018, Hayato announced that he had been diagnosed with spinal cancer. Subsequently, many believed it was only a matter of time before Hayato would retire from professional wrestling altogether. However, during the summer of 2022, Fujita "Jr." Hayato revealed that he would be returning to Michinoku Pro to challenge Musashi for the coveted Tohoku Junior Heavyweight Championship. Hayato went on to defeat Musashi on 01.07.2022 to win the Tohoku Junior Heavyweight Title for a third time. During his post-match celebration, an emotional Hayato called out Kenoh (now with Pro Wrestling NOAH) and New Japan Pro Wrestling's Hiromu Takahashi for future matches. The CAGEMATCH.net Team would like to congratulate Fujita "Jr." Hayato on his return to professional wrestling, and he is our Superstar Of The Week!
25/2022: Fred Rosser
After being released from his WWE contract in late 2017, many were surprised by the news that New Japan Pro Wrestling would be bringing in the wrestler formerly known as Darren Young, Fred Rosser, in August 2020. Rosser earned himself a shot at the NJPW STRONG Openweight Title against champion "Filthy" Tom Lawlor in late 2021. Despite an impressive and memorable performance in which he proved that he did indeed belong in New Japan, Rosser came up short against Lawlor. Rosser worked his way up the ranks, and once again, challenged Lawlor for the STRONG Openweight Title in a match that aired on 25.06.2022. This time, Fred Rosser was victorious and he became the new NJPW STRONG Openweight Champion, ending Lawlor's one-year title reign in the process. Furthermore, we are pleased to name Fred Rosser as the CAGEMATCH.net Superstar Of The Week!
24/2022: Toni Harting
Toni Harting's long journey to become a world champion finally came to an end when he beats Axel Tischer for the GWF World title at Rising Heat. Harting was mainly a tag team wrestler in which he had his first successes in the German Wrestling Federation, becoming a tag team champion. Being on his own in 2020 he quickly won the GWF Berlin title, had one of longest reigns with the belt and has beaten the likes of Tarkan Arslan and Marius Al-Ani.
If you follow Japanese pro wrestling, you will know that Satoshi Kojima's name is synonymous with being one of the great wrestlers of the twenty-first century. On 30.04.2022 at Majestic 2022 for Pro Wrestling NOAH, Kojima was revealed as Naomichi Marufuji's mystery partner against Kinya Okada and Yoshiki Inamura. This would mark Kojima's first match for NOAH since 2016. At CyberFight Festival 2022 on 12.06.2022, Kojima challenged and would go on to defeat Go Shiozaki to win the GHC Heavyweight Championship for the first time.
Following a more than successful tour of Pro Wrestling NOAH in April 2022 (in which he went unbeaten in seven matches, including becoming one-half of the GHC Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Champions alongside Yoshinari Ogawa), Chris Ridgeway continued his monumental year in his home country of England. In the finals of the PROGRESS Super Strong Style 16 tournament on 05.06.2022, the 28-year old Ridgeway overcame Warren Banks to win Europe’s most prestigious wrestling tournament, as well as the coveted PROGRESS World Title for the very first time. For these incredible accomplishments, we are pleased to name Chris Ridgeway as the CAGEMATCH.net Superstar Of The Week!
21/2022: CM Punk
Seven years after his controversial exit from WWE and announcing his retirement from pro wrestling, CM Punk debuted for AEW on the 20.08.2021 edition of Rampage. After accumulating an impressive 18-1 record since returning and working his way to the top of the Power Rankings, Punk earned the right to challenge "Hangman" Adam Page for the AEW World Title at Double Or Nothing 2022. It was Punk who outlasted Page to become a world champion for the first time since 2013, as well as CAGEMATCH.net Superstar Of The Week for the first time since 2012!
20/2022: Bryce Donovan
Since 2018, most would likely associate Bryce Donovan as being no more than one-third of the Shook Crew stable alongside his teammates, AEW's Max Caster and Bobby Orlando. However, on 22.05.2022 at Create A Pro Wrestling's The Grand Stage, Donovan took a big step towards separating himself from the pack as a singles star. Create A Pro invited some of its most successful students from the past (e.g., Kris Statlander, Alex Reynolds, John Silver) for the show, but it was the main event that earned the most buzz, as Bryce Donovan ended Eric James' 211-day reign to become the new CAP Champion... and the CAGEMATCH Superstar Of The Week!
Juice Robinson had not made an appearance in Japan for over a year until he unexpectedly attacked Hiroshi Tanahashi at NJPW Wrestling Dontaku 2022, officially aligning himself with BULLET CLUB in the process. Months prior, Robinson had suggested that he was was not looking to re-sign with New Japan and that he was contemplating retiring from pro wrestling altogether. Of course, this all turned out to be a farce. On 14.05.2022, the man now known as "Rock Hard" Juice Robinson defeated Tanahashi, Jon Moxley, and Will Ospreay to win the IWGP United States Title for a third time on the NJPW Capital Collision PPV in Washington, DC.
With over 20 years of in-ring experience and having competed for nearly every prominent promotion in the United States, there is arguably no American female wrestler more accomplished than Mercedes Martinez. At ROH Supercard Of Honor 2022, it was Mercedes who pinned Willow Nightingale to become the Interim ROH Women's World Champion. Then, in the main event of the 04.05.2022 edition of AEW Dynamite, Martinez added another feather in her cap (and acquired perhaps the biggest win of her storied career) by defeating Deonna Purazzo in a unification match for the ROH Women's World Title.
17/2022: Daniel Garcia
Daniel Garcia's meteoric rise in 2022 has been a sight to behold. Back in January, Garcia won Pro Wrestling Guerrilla's prestigious Battle Of Los Angeles tournament by defeating Kevin Blackwood, Black Taurus, and Mike Bailey to earn a title shot against PWG World Champion Bandido. Since then, the 23-year old prodigy has joined forces with Chris Jericho as part of the Jericho Appreciation Society in AEW. Using some of Y2J's signature maneuvers to help him, Daniel Garcia captured the PWG World Title from Bandido on 01.05.2022, ending his historic reign at 863 days.
After defeating Christian Cage to capture his first Impact World Championship at Bound For Glory 2021, Josh Alexander immediately lost the title to Moose after the former NFL player successfully cashed in his Call Your Shot Gauntlet trophy. Alexander would then disappear, until finally resurfacing at Sacrifice 2022, where he announced that he had signed a multi-year contract with Impact Wrestling and that he wanted a title shot against the man who took the championship from him. In the main event of Rebellion 2022, Josh Alexander was finally able to get his revenge on Moose by defeating him for the Impact World Title.
15/2022: Samoa Joe
The former three-time WWE NXT Champion, former TNA World Heavyweight Champion, and AEW's latest signee, "The Samoan Submission Machine" Samoa Joe immediately made his presence known within All Elite Wrestling when he pinned the legendary Minoru Suzuki to capture his first ROH World Television Title on the 13.04.2022 edition of AEW Dynamite.