In 2022, we had dominant champions, underrated workhorses and everything else in between for 2022. Whatever the case was, there many stellar individual performances that often flew under the radar or was blatant from week to week. Here are the nominees for WWE Superstar of the Year in 2022.

 

Roman Reigns

I think this one goes without saying. Roman Reigns has hit a level of unparalleled individual dominance that we have not seen since the 80s. Many were impressed when CM Punk was able to hold the WWE Championship for 434 days. Roman Reigns is well on his way to more than double that, and if he somehow escapes WrestleMania with the Universal Championship still intact, he will hit the 1,000 day mark, which you have to think WWE is considering giving him.

Roman doesn’t appear on RAW much, nor does he compete much unless it’s for a big occasion. But if there’s one thing we can’t say, it’s that he doesn’t deliver. Every time he throws down the gauntlet and puts his championship on the line, it always feels like a big fight feel, whether it is Drew McIntyre or Logan Paul. As leader of the Bloodline, he’s proven not only to be a great individual talent, but an elite faction leader.

I can’t really say that Roman has had too many different semblances since his triumphant return at Summerslam 2020, but the commanding presence that he evokes every time he steps into a WWE arena is a sensation that only few superstars in WWE history has been able to match.

Seth Rollins

While Seth Rollins has not held a world championship since 2019, one can say that Seth is finishing off his most complete campaign as a WWE superstar. Without a world champion on RAW, it was contingent on some to carry the show, and Seth Rollins was able to do that weekly on Mondays and on PPV week in and week out. Whether it was Riddle, Cody Rhodes, Theory, Lashley or others, Rollins would routinely steal the show with superb matches.

Between the eccentric entrances, annoying laughs, ridiculously ugly attires and the way he’s been able to captivate audiences, Seth Rollins was arguably WWE’s MVP for 2022. It makes it a shame that he ended the year with a knee injury of which we have yet to know the severity of. All I know is that WWE can’t afford to lose Seth for an extended period of time, because if there’s anything he’s been able to prove, it’s that he is the model of consistency in WWE.

Gunther

Gunther has been able to help bring prestige back to the Intercontinental Championship, and between his rivalry with Sheamus, and some of the other matches he’s had with challengers to his championship, Gunther is well on his way to becoming another dominant champion, one of which WWE has produced many in recent months.

And to think, the first glimpse of Gunther on the main roster we had was him getting eliminated in short order at Survivor Series 2019. However, three years later, Gunther is an incredibly gifted professional wrestler, who has proven to be able to work with highflyers or strong brutes. I cannot wait for what 2023 has in store.

Sheamus

Sorry, if you haven’t before, it’s time to give Sheamus his flowers. When I look at Sheamus’ 2022, he didn’t win any championships, but what he did have was solid performance after solid performance. And this is something that Sheamus has been doing for years. However, in the post-pandemic era, I believe this was the year where Sheamus was able to re-establish himself.

There is no doubt that one day, Sheamus will be rightfully inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame. And if Seth Rollins is the model of consistency, then Sheamus has to be the architect. We don’t know how long Sheamus plans to be a WWE superstar, but we should appreciate him while we still have him.

Sami Zayn

Aside from a very brief run with the Intercontinental Championship, Sami’s 2022 run on paper doesn’t appear to be all that special. But if you have watched WWE television routinely week to week, you will see that Sami was one of the most entertaining and consistent figures on television, and has slowly become a key cog in what is shaping up to be WWE’s biggest storyline in 2023, which is the impending implosion of the Bloodline.

Sami isn’t blood, he isn’t an Uso, and he isn’t family. Yet he has been in the Bloodline for months with no end in sight. He failed to defeat Johnny Knoxville at WrestleMania and couldn’t find anywhere else where she belongs. Therefore, he sought refuge in The Bloodline, and they slowly integrated him in, ultimately making him an honorary Uce. The contention between him and Jey was well thought out and planned over time.

Ultimately, the moment will come where either Sami betrays The Bloodline and seeks after his own pursuits for who he once was, or The Bloodline will exile him in a painful manner and Sami will seek to get revenge. Either way, Sami is shaping up to have a huge 2023 which will impact The Bloodline in a huge way. As one of WWE’s most popular acts in 2022, he deserves to be on this list.

 

AND THE WINNER IS…….

Of all the awards I gave out for the 2022 calendar year, this was actually the easiest one for me to pick a winner. Rollins was a consistent and staying force in WWE every week, doing all of the little things. The easy answer is Roman, but being champion every day of the year doesn’t necessarily mean you are the best superstar. Sorry, but 2022 was the year of Seth “Freakin” Rollins.