This month we analyzed the wins and losses of over 840 wrestlers to find the definitive Top 20 Wrestlers in the world for October 2018. The criteria as always is as follows…

  • Wrestlers win/loss records during the previous month
  • The position of the match on the card (a win in the main event is worth more points than a win in the opening match. A Loss in the main event minuses fewer points than losing in the opening match of the night)
  • PPV and TV Show wins are worth more points than house shows
  • Title match wins and losses are also worth more points.

1. Ronda Rousey (WWE)

In a month where WWE focused on the Evolution of the Women’s Division, their biggest drawing female star has made her way to the top of the VoW Power Rankings… She defeated Ruby Riott in a non-title match on the 10/1 RAW… Teamed with the Bella Twins (Nikki and Brie) to defeat the Riott Squad at the Super Show-Down in Melbourne Australia… Again victorious with the Bella’s against Riott Squad on the 10/8 RAW… After the match the Twin’s turned on Rousey setting up a match at Evolution against Nikki Bella… In the build-up, Rousey and Bella exchanged some excellent promo’s… Successfully defended her WWE RAW Women’s Title against Nikki in the main event of WWE’s first ever all women PPV… Even though Rousey still divides people’s opinion it is undeniable the improvements she has made in 2018

2. Daisuke Sasaki (DDT)

Daisuke Sasaki makes his third appearance in the Power Rankings after headlining DDT’s Peter Pan show… Teamed with DAMNATION stablemates Soma Takao and Tetsuya Endo to defeat the trio of Toru Owashi, Yuki Ueno and KUDO on the 10/10 Maji Manji… Sasaki successfully defeated Danshoku Dino to capture the KO-D Openwieght Title at Ryogoku Peter Pan… Teamed with Shuji Ishikawa and fought to a time limit draw against Konosuke Takeshita and Naomichi Marufuji on the 10/28 Maji Manji

3. Tomohiro Ishii (NJPW)

The Stone Pitbull continues to have one of the best years of his career… Teamed with CHAOS teammates Hirooki Goto and Will Ospreay to defeat the Suzuki-Gun trio of Minoru Suzuki, Taichi and Takashi Iizuka at King of Pro Wrestling… Re-Captured the RevPro Undisputed British Heavyweight Title in an excellent match against Suzuki at RevPro’s Global Wars show… Teamed with Goto to defeat Suzuki and TAKA Michinoku on the 10/27 Road to Power Struggle Show… At the time we went to publish it was announced that he would defend his Undisputed British Heavyweight Title against Zack Sabre Jr at Wrestle Kingdom 13

4. Kotaro Suzuki (NOAH)

The 40-Year-Old won the Global Junior League and the GHC Junior Heavyweight Title this month… Teamed with Shuji Kondo to defeat Atsushi Maruyama and Hikaru Sato on the AJPW GROWIN UP Vol. 16 on the 10/3… The following night back in Pro Wrestling NOAH he defeated YO-HEY to win the Global Junior League… Teamed with Yoshinari Ogawa to defeat the RATEL’S team of Daisuke Harada and YO-HEY on the 10/18 Autumn Navigation show… Captured the GHC Junior Heavyweight Title from Harada on Night one of the NOAH Global League 2018

5. MAO (DDT)

At 21 Years old a lot is expected of MAO in DDT… Teamed with his Moonlight Express partner Mike Bailey, Ethan Page and Priscilla Kelly to defeat Akito, Jun Kasai, Masahiro Takanashi and Saki Akai on the 10/10 Maji Manji… Defeated Sanshiro Takagi in a Weapon Rumble march at Ryogoku Peter Pan… Teamed with Keisuke Ishii and Yuki Ino to defeat Kota Umeda, Mizuki Watase and Yuki Ueno on the 10/28 Maji Manji in Korakuen Hall

6. Ultimo Guerrero (CMLL)

Ultimo Guerrero makes his return to the VoW Power Rankings after a three months absence… Guerrero and Diamante Azul became the Number 1 contenders for the Vacant CMLL World Heavyweight Title in a Cibernetico to advance to the Title match against Azul at the 10/16 Arena Mexico Show… Defeated Michael Elgin on the 10/12 Super Viernes… Captured the Heavyweight Title in a Best Two Out of Three Falls Match defeat Azul on the 10/16 Arena Mexico show

7. PAC (Dragon Gate)

The Man that Gravity Forgot made his return to Independent wrestling with a bang… He was the surprise partner for Eita to defeat BxB Hulk and Shingo Takagi on the 10/2 Gate of Victory Show… Teamed with his R.E.D Teammates to defeat MaxiMum on the 10/7  Gate of Victory Show… With Big R Shimizu and Takashi Yoshida he defeated Hulk, Kagetora and YAMATO on the 10/13 Gate of Victory Show… PAC is now the hottest free agent in Professional Wrestling and expect him to start appearing all over the world

8. Seth Rollins (WWE)

The reigning WWE Intercontinental Champion makes it two months in a row in the VOW Power Rankings… Teamed with his Shield Brothers to defeat Braun Strowman, Dolph Ziggler and Drew McIntyre at Super Show-Down in Melbourne, Australia… Qualified for the World Cup Tournament by defeating McIntyre by Count Out… Teamed again with his Shield Brothers to defeat Strowman, Ziggler and McIntyre in Reign’s last television match for the foreseeable future… After the extremely emotional Reigns announcement, Dean Ambrose and Rollins captured the WWE RAW Tag Team Titles… After the match Ambrose shockingly (due to the timing) turned on Rollins… Timing aside Rollins is currently involved in the main feud on RAW

9. Roman Reigns (WWE)

October 2018 will forever be remembered and talked about in the Big Dogs Career… He defeated Dolph Ziggler on the 10/1RAW… Teamed with his Shield Brothers to defeat Braun Strowman, Dolph Ziggler and Drew McIntyre at Super Show-Down in Melbourne, Australia… Teamed again with his Shield Brothers to defeat Strowman, Ziggler and McIntyre on the 10/15… Reigns announced that he is suffering from Leukaemia… This news sent shockwaves around the world with even the BBC in the UK reporting it… WWE is preparing for 1 to 2 years with out the Big Dog… We here at the VoW Power Rankings send our deepest prays the Joe Anoai and wish him a speedy recovery

10. Toni Storm (WWE)

The Australian is very much a WWE wrestler now. Alot of her matches in October were pre-recorded but we only count them in the months they are shown on television… She defeated Hiroyo Matsumoto to qualify for the Quarter Finals of the Mae Young Classic 2018… Storm defeated Meiko Satomura on Night one of the wXw World Tag Team League… She defeated Nina Samuels in the debut of NXT UK show… In the Mae Young Classic Mia Yim was the next to fall to the Australian on the 10/17… In the semi finals, she defeated Meiko Satomura in an excellent match to qualify for the final which was to be held at Evolution… In the Finals she defeated Io Shirai to become only the second ever Mae Young Classic winner… WWE appears to be very high on Storm’s abilities


11. Keisuke Ishii (DDT)

Keisuke Ishii makes his debut in the VOW Power Rankings this month… Teamed with Yumehito Imanari to defeat the DAMNATION team of Mad Paulie and Nobuhiro Shimatani on the 10/10 Maji Manji… Team Dream Futures (Ishii/Shigehiro Irie) defeated HARASHIMA and Yukio Sakaguchi at Peter Pan… With MAO and Yuki Ino, Ishii defeated Kota Umeda, Mizuki Watase and Yuki Ueno on the 10/28 Maji Manji at Korakuen Hall… Ishii only lost two televised matches during October

12. Diamante Azul (CMLL)

Two months in a row Diamante Azul… Qualified for the Vacant CMLL World Heavyweight Title match by winning a Cibernetico with Ultimo Guerrero at the 10/9Arena Mexico Show… Subsequently came up short against Guerrero in the 10/16 Arena Mexico Show… Teamed with Mistico and Valiente to defeat La Peste Negra (Felino/Negro Casas) and Dark Magic at the Blue Panther 40th Anniversary Show

13. Masashi Takeda (Big Japan)

The Big Japan Death Match Star makes his VOW Power Ranking debut… Takeda teamed with Jaki Numazawa and Takumi Tsukamoto to defeat Masaya Takahashi, Toshiyuki Sakuda and Yuko Miyamoto in a Light Tube Six Man Death Match… Teamed with Tsukamoto to defeat Hideki Suzuki and Kazumi Kikuta on the BJW TV Taping at Korakuen Hall… The two teams then fought to a No Contest on the Same show

14. Mistico (CMLL)

VoW Power Ranking Regular Mistico is back again in October… Teamed with El Hijo de LA Park and LA Park to defeat Ciber the Main Man (Cibernetico), The Chrizh and El Barbaro Cavernario on the Internation Gran Prix show… Mistico, LA Park and Volador Jr defeated Cavernario, Chrizh and Hechicero… Teamed with Valiente and Diamante Azul to defeat La Peste Negra (Felino/Negro Casas) and Dark Magic on the Blue Panther 40th Anniversary Show

15. Tajiri (AJPW)

The 24-year veteran was a surprise entry into the VoW Power Rankings this month… With KAI and Zeus, Tajiri defeated Kento Miyahara, Yoshitatsu and Yuma Aoyagi on the 10/3 AJPW GROWIN UP show… On night 4 of the Raising an Army Memorial Series tour Tajiri teamed with KAMIKAZE and Ultimo Dragon to defeat Chikara, Masanobu Fuchi and Osamu Nishimure… Successfully defended his GAORA TV Title against Chikara on Night 11 of the Raising an Army Memorial Series tour

16. Takashi Yoshida (Dragon Gate)

The former Cyber Kong makes his VoW Power Ranking Debut this month… Teamed with R.E.D team mates KAZMA SAKAMOTO and Yasushi Kanda to defeat the MaxiMuM trio of Dragon Kid, Jason Lee and Kaito Ishida on the 10/2 Gate of Victory show… Again, teamed with R.E.D (including PAC) to defeat MaxiMuM on the 10/7 Gate of Victory Show… Yoshida, PAC and Big R Shimizu defeated the Tribe Vanguard trio of BxB Hulk, Kagetora and YAMATO on the 10/13 Gate of Victory Show… Yoshida was undefeated for the month of October in Dragon Gate

17. Willie Mack (Freelancer)

Willie Mack was all over Television in October appearing in Impact, Lucha Underground and for the NWA… Teamed with Rich Swann to defeat Ethan Page and Matt Sydal at Impact Wrestlings Bound for Glory Pay Per View… As The Mack, he defeated Killshot (Shane Strickland) by DQ on the 10/17 Lucha Underground show… Won the Four Way Elimination match to qualify for the NWA National Title Match at the NWA 70th Anniversary Show… Defeated Sam Shaw to capture the title later on in the same show… Having already had a shot in WWE developmental. Mack fits the same sort of void as Sami Callihan

18. Jeff Cobb (Freelancer)

Potentially the hottest non-Japanese or European Freelancer had another excellent month… As the Monster Matanza Cueto, Cobb defeated Taya by DQ on the 10/10 Lucha Underground show… Defeated Eli Isom at Ring of Honor’s Glory by Honor… Captured the RoH Television Title from the WWE Bound Punishment Martinez on the 10/27 ROH on Sinclair… Big Plans ahead for Cobb in Ring of Honor

19. Ryota Hama (Big Japan)

20. Yasufumi Nakanoue (Big Japan)

Hama and Nakanoue won both the Big Japan Saikyo Tag League and the vacant BJW Tag Team Titles in October… Defeated Abdullah Kobayashi and Yoshihisa Uto in a harcore match to qualify for the Saikyo Tag League final on the 10/16 Tag League show… Hama and Nakanoue defeat Daichi Hashimoto and Hideyoshi Kamitani in the Final and also captured the Vacant Big Japan Wrestling Tag Team Titles

Suggestions or Questions?

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