Bianca Belair Takes #2 Spot In PWI Women's 150

Every year, more and more women across the realm of pro wrestling are pushing themselves to greater heights. The current "Raw" Women's Champion Bianca Belair, for example, had an exceptional year, defeating Becky Lynch at both WrestleMania and SummerSlam, as well as thwarting Bayley, IYO SKY, and Dakota Kai of Damage CTRL in a ladder match at the more recent WWE Extreme Rules PLE. But even the dominance and glamour of Belair only earned her second place on this year's PWI Women's 150, Pro Wrestling Illustrated's annual list of the top 150 competitors in women's divisions and promotions.

The top spot this year went to current World of Stardom Champion, Syuri. This marks the first time a woman from Stardom has been ranked #1, and only the second time a woman from the promotion placed in the top three. Last year, Utami Hayashishita was the first woman in Stardom history to break the top three by placing #2 behind Belair. Sidelined AEW Women's Champion Thunder Rosa, Becky Lynch, and TBS Champion Jade Cargill follow Syuri and Belair in the top five, while Jordynne Grace, Saya Kamitani, Charlotte Flair, Starlight Kid, and Taya Valkyrie round out the top ten.

Pro Wrestling Illustrated evaluated women from October 1, 2021, until September 15, 2022, on criteria like achievements, influence on the sport and promotions, technical ability, quality of competition, and activity, meaning they must compete in at least ten matches a year or at least one match every month for six months to qualify for evaluation. The magazine intentionally keeps the scoring two weeks shy of 12 months to " accommodate slightly shorter editorial lead times." The PWI Women's 150, established in 2008, is one of three annual lists released by the magazine, along with the PWI 500 and PWI Tag Team 50.