:lmao I know, it's like people don't realize PWI is just an Apter mag. Bill Apter used to have a bunch of magazines he'd put out every single month, filled with pictures he took, and containing interviews he just made up in his head. Literally. Every wrestler who has ever spoken about it says they don't know anyone who was actually interviewed for the magazine, Apter made stuff up that helped sell tickets so the wrestlers didn't mind, and Apter got to make his money too. Those magazines contained next no actual facts, it was all 100% kayfabe and they were created just for kids and for older marks too dense to realize wresrling is a work. They would contain articles with titles like "Ric Flair vows to eliminate Dusty Rhodes from wrestling for good!" And contain entirely fictitious quotes, attributed to Flair and Rhodes when in reality it was just Bill sitting alone on his type writer making shit up.
However, it's 2015 not 1979. PWI ranking something is even less legitimate than Meltzer or Keller ranking something, because at least Meltzer and Keller don't insult the audiences intelligence and they take match quality, character work, promos, overall impact on the industry, etc into account instead of just kayfabe accomplishments like an Apter mag.
Essentially, if you are putting any stock into who PWI rates as the wresrler of the year, then you are using the same logic as the people who say Cena is the best wrestler ever because when he retires he will have the most title reigns.
So please, people, stop acting like this means anything. It doesn't. AJ Styles was not the best wrestler in 2010, Cena sure as hell wasn't in 2012, Orton sure as fuck wasn't in 2008, and while Punk was def. wrestler of the year in 2011 and Bryan in 2013, even a broken watch is right twice a day .
For the record, I think AJ prob deserves it for this year. He's been absolutely killing it. Cesaro and Owens deserve strong consideration as well.