Who Topped PWI's Annual Top 50 Women's Rankings?

The February 2015 issue of Pro Wrestling Illustrated, which features PWI's annual "Female 50" rankings, was released earlier today to subscribers of the magazine's digital edition. WWE's Paige grabbed top honors after coming in at #12 last year. Her arch-rival AJ Lee was the runner up in this year's rankings, up from ninth place last year. Indy grappler Kat Von Heez rounded out the list at #50. Below are the rankings for places 1 through 10:

1. Paige
2. AJ Lee
3. Gail Kim
4. Cheerleader Melissa
5. LuFisto
6. Angelina Love
7. Ivellisse
8. Courtney Rush
9. Natalya
10. Charlotte

PWI Senior Writer Dan Murphy, who compiled the rankings, told WrestlingINC.com that this year was one of the most competitive evaluation periods in the history of the Women's 50. "There has been an incredible surge in the popularity of women's wrestling over the past few years," Murphy explained. "This can be seen in WWE with the emergence of Total Divas and the rise of both Paige and AJ Lee, in TNA with the competition for the Knockouts title, and on the independent level with thriving women's promotions like SHIMMER, SHINE, WSU, and NCW Femmes Fatales, among others."

Murphy expounded upon the rise of Total Divas and its impact on the selection process, stating: "This year was particularly difficult due to the "Total Divas" effect. You had a few women who were featured very prominently on WWE TV – which is really the goal of any wrestler, male or female – who may not have been strong wrestlers in a technical sense, but still wrestled more than 100 matches on the national stage, which is an incredible accomplishment." All in all, Murphy described this year's list as eclectic and potentially controversial.

In addition to the "Female 50," the new issue of PWI also includes features on each of the current heavyweight champions from the industry's three most prominent promotions: Brock Lesnar (WWE), Bobby Roode (TNA) and Jay Briscoe (ROH). Up-and-coming rookie Tessa Blanchard, daughter of WWE Hall of Famer Tully Blanchard, is profiled in the issue's "One to Watch" section and the volume also includes an eight-page "Press Conference" feature on Cesaro. The magazine can be purchased at PWI's official website beginning at noon on Thursday, November 14.