PWI Reveals Who Is Number One On Their Women’s 150 List
The first ever PWI Women's 150 List has had their top five revealed and the list will be topped out by a WWE star. On Oral Sessions with Renee Paquette this morning, PWI's Kristin Ashly revealed that WWE Bianca Belair will be #1 in the PWI Women's 150 list. She was joined in the top five by World Wonder Ring Stardom's Utami Hayashishita, Impact Wrestling's Deonna Purrazzo and AEW stars Dr. Britt Baker DMD and Thunder Rosa.
Belair is the 14th wrestler to be ranked number one on PWI's 150 list, joining Awesome Kong, Mickie James, Michelle McCool, Madison Eagles, Gail Kim, Cheerleader Melissa, Paige, Nikki Bella, Charlotte, Asuka, Ronda Rousey, Becky Lynch and Bayley in receiving the honor. She is also the first wrestler to be named number one in the women's 150. From 2008 to 2018, PWI's list only featured the Top 50 women's wrestlers, then switched to the Top 100 from 2018 to this year.
This is only the latest accomplishment for Belair in a stellar 2021. The 32 year old began the year by winning the 2021 Royal Rumble, and followed it by defeating Sasha Banks in the main event of Night One of WrestleMania 37 to win the WWE Smackdown Women's Championship. She would hold the title for four months before dropping it to a returning Becky Lynch at SummerSlam. She will look to regain the title today at WWE Crown Jewel, where she will challenge Lynch alongside Banks in triple threat action.
The other four members of the top five are just as accomplished. The 23 year old Hayashishita has defended the World of Stardom Championship eight times for almost a year, including a highly acclaimed match against fellow Stardom star Syuri. Purrazzo has won the Impact Knockout's Championship twice in the last year, and recently gained the AAA Reina de Reinas Championship from Faby Apache at TripleMania XXIX.
Rounding out the top five are rivals Baker and Rosa, who met earlier this year in a highly acclaimed Lights Out Match on AEW Dynamite back in March. Baker has since gone on to win the AEW Women's World Championship, while headlining AEW's first episode of Rampage and AEW Dynamite: Grand Slam in Arthur Ashe Stadium. In addition to AEW, Rosa has competed at a high level in her own promotion, Mission Pro Wrestling, her former promotion the NWA and several other promotions.