PWP Nation Women’s Wrestling expert Matthew Hollie tries to determine who the true best in the world is when it comes to the world of female professional wrestling.
The year is almost coming to a complete close and with the holidays coming up, pro wrestling is still heating up in more ways than one.
While the 2015 PWI Female 50 is highly debatable, one thing is for certain; Who has the legitimate claim of being the Best in the World? While some might say Nikki Bella thanks in part of her historical 301-day Divas Championship reign, others might say Santana Garrett due in part of having more belts than any women’s wrestler in 2015.
That is a very solid debate, so let’s examine the two individually, shall we?
MAKING A CASE FOR NIKKI BELLA
If I were a betting man, would say that Nikki Bella wouldn’t even break AJ Lee’s record for holding the Divas Title the longest. Truth of the matter is, I was wrong. Former PWP contributor Greg DeMarco says this about Nikki’s improvement as a wrestler:
“I’m one of Nikki Bella’s biggest supporters. I am on record as saying she’s one of the most improved performers of the past 18-months. She brought attention and heat to a Divas Championship that was devoid of both, even during AJ Lee’s reign. Some agree and some disagree. That’s the glory of the online environment that we live in. When used properly it leads to great discussion where people can agree to disagree.”
Of course, how are you going to argue with Greg DeMarco on that?
But I agree with his opinion about Nikki’s improvement in the past year and a half, as she has performed very well, even to a point some might consider her one of the best women’s wrestlers in the world today. But her title run does come with complete criticism, however; as it was done solely in spite of AJ Lee’s departure and her standing with John Cena, WWE’s high profile wrestler.
Those reasons according to some doesn’t make for a #1 woman wrestler of the year, nor being the best in the world. The hatred towards her for being linked with the company guy really is so white hot you can’t even feel it. And those who feel like her run at the top is the kiss of death of women’s wrestling in the mainstream has a right to express it.
Nikki has supporters all across the globe, and that is respectable. When you look at Nikki’s work in the last few months, she has improved quite a bit when it comes to ring work, promos, etc. But when it comes to insulting her, they go out defensively. But the truth is she is like the Honky Tonk Man of Divas Champions, after the legend who has held the Intercontinental Championship the longest (454 days to be exact).
Just because she’s the longest reigning champ in history, it doesn’t mean she’s the best in this sport. While I’m accused by her faithful fans for having this blind hatred towards Nikki in a way. It wasn’t about the blind hatred, it was about her spot on this year’s Female 50. If you look at the article regarding this, you know exactly what I’m talking about.
When I wrote about her reign was getting stale, I said “This reign is about pride of the company, not about respect. While I can say that Nikki does not have the skill-set to be great, my opinion is that she has an ability to be the best in her craft, no matter what. Fans may crucify me for saying those things, but if that is the way to be professional, even towards your fellow co-workers, so be it. Wrestling is very serious business but it doesn’t mean it can’t be fun.”
Her matches with Paige are not that special due to the fact that those matches are complete reruns, her involvement with the Divas Revolution helped her get over the fact that she is no longer in the shadows of AJ Lee now that she broke her record. With her on the shelf for a while, who knows when she’ll dominate again.
MAKING A CASE FOR SANTANA GARRETT
When you look at Santana Garrett this year, you may notice that this woman has met the same criteria PWI has put in place, but they still place her #4 this year. Whether you agree or not, she has been completely successful after her TNA departure and it shows. With more championships under her belt, Santana has become more of a female Ultimo Dragon than anyone else.
When you add the fact that she has defended the SHINE Championship, the NWA Championship and other championships in the southeast region, Santana has solidified herself as the best in the world when it comes to wrestling. Her battles with Io Shirai (Whom she recently beat to capture the Wonder of Stardom Championship, the second women’s wrestler from North America to do so), La Rosa Negra, Barbi Hayden, Amber Gallows, Mandy Leon, Su Yung and plenty of others are highly recognized and she does it each time she steps in the ring.
When it comes to championships won, quality of opposition, technical proficiency, win-loss records, and momentum, Santana has it down and is the more successful women’s wrestler in the world. While I’m a supporter of Santana’s in-ring work, I have said in an article about Santana two months ago, “If a young talent comes along and goes off saying that this individual is the best, that might come of as a bit cocky. Santana Garrett is never that cocky but is lucky to have plenty of people in her corner. A student of WWE Hall of Famers Scott Hall and Larry Zbyszko, Santana has the ability to be the best there is today, championships or not.”
But in my mind Santana is the true Best In The World, and has held more championships than anyone in the world right about now.
FINAL JUDGEMENT
While Nikki gets the high advantage when it comes to overall activity, she is the most obvious choice for being named the Best in the World. But when you look at how many championships Santana has won in recent months, that’s IMPRESSIVE.
While Nikki’s supporters may claim that Nikki is the best in the world, but until she has more belts than Santana Garrett and more quality matches than Santana Garrett, that claim isn’t worth anything.
Santana Garrett, not Nikki Bella, is the undisputed Best in the World.