Bianca Belair Tops The PWI Women's 150

Pro Wrestling Illustrated has named Bianca Belair the number one women's wrestler following what has been an incredible 12 months for the WWE Superstar.

Just when the dust had settled following the discourse surrounding PWI naming Kenny Omega number one in its ranking of the best 500 men in wrestling, it has revealed who has topped the pile for the women. As was first revealed by Kristen Ashly during an appearance of Oral Sessions, Bianca Belair has taken the top spot for the first time in her career.

From 23 To Number 1

Belair was number 23 this time last year, and her ascension to number one is indicative of the rise she has experienced in WWE. It's hard to think of someone in recent history whose star has risen faster than Belair's after being called up from NXT. The list of what she hasn't achieved is a shorter one than what she has done during PWI's evaluation period.

RELATED: Did WWE Waste The Big Bianca Belair vs. Charlotte Flair Match?

During that time Belair won the women's Royal Rumble, main evented the first night of WrestleMania 37, and held the SmackDown Women's Title for more than 130 days. The only low point for Belair was losing that title to Becky Lynch in less than 30 seconds. That match may not have even been included in PWI's evaluation period since it didn't happen until SummerSlam.

The Rest Of The Top Ten

That wrong may also have been righted by the time you read this. Belair will get the chance to win her title back at Crown Jewel later today, competing in a triple threat match against Lynch and Sasha Banks. The odds on favorite to win that one will be The Boss, though. Lynch and Belair are both headed to Raw once the draft picks take hold tomorrow, meaning Banks is the only one in the match who can take the title back to the blue brand.

Speaking of Banks, she made it to number six in the PWI 150. Lynch didn't register since she didn't wrestle a single match during the evaluation period. The rest of the top ten is made up of Utami Hayashishita, Deonna Purrazzo, Britt Baker, Thunder Rosa, Siri, Io Shirai, Tam Nakano, and Raquel Gonzalez. A far less WWE-dominated top ten than usual as AEW's women's division continues to improve, not to mention the stellar work of Purrazzo.