What are your Top 10 stories so far in 2022 pro wrestling?

[The Rick Jericho]

We have many months left. But what are your top 10 professional wrestling stories of the year?

Here's a few to start.

WWE:

Vince McMahon retires from WWE
Vince McMahon scandals
Big Johnny scandal and termination
Shane McMahon fired from WWE
Triple H rises to Vince's position
Stephanie McMahon is the New Co-CEO
Cody Rhodes returns to WWE
Cody Rhodes torn pec
Various WWE returns - Gargano, Braun, Dexter, IYO, Dakota, etc....
Sasha Banks and Naomi give the tag titles to Vince and Johnny and walk out of WWE
Big E breaks neck
Stone Cold Steve Austin wrestles a main event match at Wrestlemania

AEW:

Thunder Rosa fisaco
CM Punk backstage brawl with various talent
Jeff Hardy DUI
MJF Pipebomb and no-showing meet and greet
Claudio signs with AEW/ROH

Other:

Scott Hall passes away
Ric Flair returns to the ring for one "final" match at age 73
Tim White and Dave Hebner pass away

[Bo Rida]

Not sure how to compare death and serious stories to the nonsense ones I'll just do the funniest

1. Gripebomb
2. Shane at the rumble
3. WESUK



Stolen from reddit, stories until July, somehow all this doesn't contain the two biggest stories of the year.

January

Roman Reigns contracts COVID, changing the main event of WWE's first major event of the year hours before it starts. Brock Lesnar ends Big E's first and potentially only WWE title reign.

NJPW has a 3 night Wrestle Kingdom. The final night doesn't take place in the Tokyo Dome and is an NJPW vs NOAH co-promotion.

Cody Rhodes cuts the weirdest promo of his life and then has his last match in AEW the following week. Shortly after, it is announced that he is a free agent. Many assume at this point he's still playing 9D chess.

Shane McMahon makes his final WWE appearance after being a part of an incredibly strange Royal Rumble. The other Rumble has the Impact Knockouts Champion in it and is won by a returning Ronda Rousey.

Jon Moxley returns to AEW after a stint in rehab.

WALTER is now GUNTHER.

Mustafa Ali requests his release from WWE. It is never granted.

MLW files an anti-trust lawsuit against WWE.

Samoa Joe and William Regal are part of a batch of staff releases. Regal had been with WWE since the year 2000.

February

WWE does their annual Elimination Chamber show in Saudi Arabia.

Brian Kendrick is granted his WWE release and is immediately announced for a match in AEW. Said match never happens because he's an idiot.

Keith Lee debuts in AEW.

Cesaro leaves WWE after 11 years with the company.

KAIRI returns to Stardom

Everyone is still waiting for Cody to come back.

March

Scott Hall passes away.

Triple H officially announces his retirement.

Tony Khan announces that he is the new owner of Ring of Honor.

Jeff Hardy, Swerve Strickland, William Regal, and Toni Storm debut in AEW.

Tony Khan and MJF have a confrontation over an unauthorized interview. Things quickly blow over and this will never come up again.

Big E breaks his neck. It is still unknown if he'll be able to ever wrestle again.

Cain Velasquez is charged with attempted murder.

Tammy Sytch is involved in a fatal car crash, killing a 75-year old man. She is arrested for DUI and manslaughter charges. This is her third arrest in 2022 alone.

Dark Order status - Colt Cabana stops appearing with them but they remain intact otherwise.

April

ROH has their first PPV after the Tony Khan buyout. FTR and the Briscoes have a MOTYC. FTR become the simultaneous AAA and ROH Tag Team Champions.

Samoa Joe returns to ROH after over a decade and has signed with AEW.

AEW and NJPW announce the Forbidden Door PPV.

Johnny Knoxville has one of the best matches at Wrestlemania.

800 year old Vince McMahon has a match at Wrestlemania.

Cody Rhodes, one of AEW's founders and EVPs, returns to WWE. Some are still pretty sure it's a work.

Steve Austin main events Wrestlemania and it's actually not sad at all.

Mustafa Ali returns to WWE television after sitting out for four months.

Nash Carter is released from WWE after a… messy situation, let's leave it at that.

Elias had a twin brother this whole time.

NJPW President Takami Ohbari saves a little girl that was stuck on a train platform.

The IIspiration announce they're leaving wrestling indefinitely after a six month run in Impact. In related news, r/wrestlewiththeplot soon explodes.

May

MJF no-shows a meet and greet. What follows is a saga of plane tickets, pipebombs, and worked-shoots that turn into shoot-works or the other way around. Despite everything, he appears as scheduled for his match with Wardlow and puts him over.

Jake Atlas is arrested for domestic battery.

Martha Hart and her hat appear on AEW PPV as part of the Owen Hart Memorial Tournament.

CM Punk wins the AEW World Title.

Roderick Strong requests his release from WWE. It is not granted.

Tessa Blanchard has a falling out with WOW, a promotion specifically designed for the purpose of rehabbing her public image.

Kota Ibushi and NJPW management have issues. A lot of them.

Alexa Bliss reveals that her and her husband have been dealing with a violent stalker.

Sasha Banks and Naomi walk out of WWE. Neither have returned and the Women's Tag Titles are still vacant.

The former Authors of Pain announce a wrestling card that seems too good to be true. (It was.)

Stephanie McMahon announces that she's taking a leave of absence from WWE to focus on her family. Some unflattering things are said about her job performance.

Dark Order status - Stu Grayson leaves the group and the promotion.

June

MJF cuts a shoot-worked-shoot-work promo on Tony Khan, demanding he be fired. He has not been on AEW programming since.

Less than a week after winning the AEW World Title, CM Punk breaks his foot and AEW has to crown an interim champion.

Cody Rhodes tears his pec off the bone and then wins a Hell in a Cell match because of course he does.

Despite being cursed by some sort of ancient deity, AEW and NJPW successfully air the Forbidden Door show. At least one confirmed injury occurs at the show itself. Sting is on the card doing sentons and titty-twisters.

FTR now hold the AAA, ROH, and IWGP Tag Team Titles.

Claudio Castagnoli debuts for AEW.

Chris Jericho and MVP nearly get in a fight at a hotel in Houston.

Jeff Hardy is arrested for a DUI, halting his AEW run after three months.

Keiji Muto announces his retirement.

Both Dave Hebner and Tim White pass away.

The WWE board begins an investigation into Vince McMahon regarding hush payments to a former employee. He steps down as chairman and CEO of WWE. Stephanie is back as interim CEO. People stop saying unflattering things about her.

John Laurenitis is placed on leave and temporarily replaced by Bruce Prichard.

Vince appears on Smackdown because "f*** em".

Dark Order status - Alan Angels leaves the group and the promotion. Anna Jay stops wearing her Dark Order gear. They do a promo ensuring everyone that they're still a thing.

July

Io Shirai will be a free agent in August unless a new deal is signed. She has been absent from TV since April.

FTR and the Briscoes run it back and main event the second Tony Khan ROH show.

Depending on your definition, Claudio wins his first World Championship.

Jonathan Gresham walks out of ROH and seemingly wrestling in general.

It comes out that Vince McMahon has paid 4 women $12 million to silence sexual misconduct allegations. Amid all of the scandal, Vince McMahon announces his retirement and is no longer in control of the day-to-day operations in WWE. Stephanie McMahon and Nick Khan are now the co-CEOs. Triple H is now in control of creative and talent relations. Vince remains a majority shareholder.

73 year old Ric Flair is having another wrestling match.

Dark Order status - Anna Jay has left and they are now down to four dudes.