Pro Wrestling Illustrated

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Jump to: navigation, search
"PWI" redirects here. For other uses, see PWI (disambiguation).
 This article's introduction section may not adequately summarize its contents. To comply with Wikipedia's lead section guidelines, please consider expanding the lead to provide an accessible overview of the article's key points. (February 2009)
This article needs additional citations for verification.
Please help improve this article by adding reliable references. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (June 2008)
Pro Wrestling Illustrated

Randy Orton on the October 2008 cover
Publisher Stu Saks
Frequency Monthly
Publisher Golden Boy Enterprises
First issue September 1979
Company Sports and Entertainment Publications
Country  United States
Language English
Website www.pwi-online.com
ISSN 1043-7576

Pro Wrestling Illustrated (PWI) is a professional wrestling magazine. PWI is currently based in Blue Bell, Pennsylvania and published by Golden Boy Enterprises.

Contents

[edit] History

The first issue of Pro Wrestling Illustrated was released in 1979. The magazine soon became known for not breaking kayfabe in its articles as it traditionally treated all "angles", or storylines, as real. However, in more recent years, the magazine has taken an editorial approach between kayfabe and "Shoot" writing, differentiating between on-screen feuds and controversies behind the scenes. PWI is not limited to covering only prominent professional wrestling promotions, as it also covers multiple independent promotions in the United States. PWI also publishes other special issues, which include: Pro Wrestling Illustrated Wrestling Almanac & Book of Facts since 1996, Women of Wrestling, and a weekly newsletter entitled PWI Weekly from 1989 to 2000.

PWI has given out annual awards and recognitions since 1972 and has also given out monthly rankings for the big promotions, some select independents, and an overall rankings in singles and tag teams. Additionally, readers are given the ability vote for the winners of the year-end awards with ballots being included in special year-end issues. A special PWI Awards magazine is issued annually, which reveals winners and the number of votes counted. The following is a list of categories in which PWI has issued awards.

[edit] PWI 500

PWI has published its list of the top 500 professional wrestlers each year since 1991, in an annual special edition magazine called the PWI 500.[1] Here are the top ten ranked wrestlers for each year:

Year 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
1991 Hulk Hogan Lex Luger Ric Flair Randy Savage Sting Scott Steiner Ricky Steamboat Steve Williams Arn Anderson Rick Steiner
1992 Sting Randy Savage Ric Flair Rick Rude Bret Hart Ricky Steamboat Jerry Lawler Scott Steiner Ultimate Warrior Steve Austin
1993 Bret Hart Big Van Vader Shawn Michaels Sting Yokozuna Ric Flair Lex Luger Rick Rude Mr. Perfect Scott Steiner
1994 Bret Hart Hulk Hogan Ric Flair Big Van Vader Shawn Michaels Steve Austin Razor Ramon Sting Ricky Steamboat Owen Hart
1995 Diesel Shawn Michaels Sting Bret Hart Sabu Hulk Hogan Big Van Vader Randy Savage Razor Ramon Mitsuharu Misawa
1996 Shawn Michaels The Giant Sting Kenta Kobashi Ahmed Johnson Kevin Nash Rey Misterio, Jr. Hulk Hogan Sabu Ric Flair
1997 Dean Malenko Mitsuharu Misawa Steve Austin Diamond Dallas Page Lex Luger Undertaker Shinya Hashimoto The Giant Jushin Liger Chris Benoit
1998 Steve Austin Goldberg Mitsuharu Misawa Diamond Dallas Page Undertaker Kenta Kobashi Booker T Ken Shamrock Jushin Liger Chris Jericho
1999 Steve Austin Rob Van Dam Mitsuharu Misawa Rey Misterio, Jr. The Rock Diamond Dallas Page Keiji Mutoh Undertaker Goldberg Taz
2000 Triple H The Rock Chris Benoit Kenta Kobashi Jeff Jarrett Justin Credible Mike Awesome Jushin Liger Chris Jericho Kensuke Sasaki
2001 Kurt Angle Steve Austin Chris Benoit Keiji Mutoh Booker T Triple H Scott Steiner Mitsuharu Misawa Chris Jericho Rhyno
2002 Rob Van Dam Undertaker Keiji Mutoh Chris Jericho Eddie Guerrero Kurt Angle Edge Yuji Nagata The Rock Triple H
2003 Brock Lesnar Triple H Kurt Angle Keiji Mutoh Chris Jericho Big Show Booker T Kenta Kobashi Eddie Guerrero Rob Van Dam
2004 Chris Benoit Eddie Guerrero Triple H Kenta Kobashi Randy Orton Toshiaki Kawada John Cena A.J. Styles Shawn Michaels Chris Jericho
2005 Batista John Cena Satoshi Kojima Triple H JBL Kurt Angle A.J. Styles Edge Shelton Benjamin Hiroyoshi Tenzan
2006 John Cena Kurt Angle Edge Samoa Joe Místico Rey Mysterio Brock Lesnar Kenta Kobashi Shawn Michaels Jeff Jarrett
2007 John Cena Edge Mistico Kurt Angle Undertaker Shawn Michaels Christian Cage Perro Aguayo, Jr. Bobby Lashley Takeshi Morishima
2008 Triple H Kurt Angle Randy Orton Samoa Joe Edge Undertaker Shawn Michaels Nigel McGuiness John Cena Shinsuke Nakamura

[edit] PWI Top 50 Females

Year 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
2008 Awesome Kong Beth Phoenix Gail Kim Mickie James MsChif Sara Del Rey Roxxi Laveaux Melina Michelle McCool Candice Michelle

[edit] All-Time Top Fives

1 2 3 4 5
Wrestlers Hulk Hogan Ric Flair André the Giant Bret Hart Antonio Inoki
Tag Teams The Legion of Doom
(Hawk & Animal)		 The Steiner Brothers
(Rick & Scott Steiner)		 Fabulous Freebirds
(Michael Hayes, Buddy Roberts & Terry Gordy)		 The Rock 'n' Roll Express
(Ricky Morton & Robert Gibson)		 British Bulldogs
(Davey Boy Smith & Dynamite Kid)

[edit] Recorded accomplishments

Pro Wrestling Illustrated has recorded select singles and tag team championships of six professional wrestling promotions as "world" level accomplishments, which include those of the American Wrestling Association (AWA), Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW), the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA), Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA), World Championship Wrestling (WCW), and World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE). Of the six organizations, only WWE, TNA, and the NWA remain active. Though different championships within these promotions have been recorded by the magazine, its criteria for selection remains undefined and unexplained. As there is no actual method of determining what constitutes a "world" level accomplishment in professional wrestling, it should be noted that the views presented in the following list are solely those of Pro Wrestling Illustrated and are neither authoritative nor definitive. The following championships are listed by what they are currently referred to in Pro Wrestling Illustrated and currently are or previously were recorded by the magazine.

[edit] References

  1. ^ "Pro-Wrestling Edge - Pro-Wrestling Illustrated 500 History". http://www.wwe-zone.com/other/pwi/500/index.htm. Retrieved on 2008-11-19. 
  • 2005 Pro Wrestling Illustrated Wrestling Almanac & Book of Facts.

[edit] External links

v • d • e
PWI awards
Current awards
Discontinued awards
Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pro_Wrestling_Illustrated"
Personal tools