By Harry Miller

To look back at 2023 is to look back at an amazing twelve months of wrestling which has seen the British independent scene flourish. As usual, the North has been at the forefront of this, producing some of the greatest wrestlers to grace this country.

I have whittled down the mass amount of talent to a top five but I would be remiss if I didn’t give some honourable mentions to those who just missed out.

Honourable Mentions

• Kid Lykos and Kid Lykos II. Whether they’re as a duo or single competitors, the Lykos’ are exceptional performers that stun the audience enough for them to stop shouting obscenities at them. As a pair, Lykos Gym (with Gene Munny who was also a close contender for the top five) are current NORTH Tag Team champions. Lykos’ bout with Spike Trivet for the Progress World Championship is a match-of-the-year contender and Lykos II’s two-out-of-three falls match with Leon Slater for the NORTH Championship is one of the best showcases of youth excellence this year.
• Harley Hudson is one of the highest potential stars in all of British wrestling. This statement was proven when Impact Wrestling invited Hudson to appear at their UK tour which saw the Pink Princess win the 2023 iteration of Gut Check and signing a full-time contract with the American promotion. Impact weren’t the only ones to notice the rising star as PWI ranked Hudson 238 in the PWI Women’s 250 and Outsports ranked her 39 in the QWI 200.
• Ivy has really broke into the upper echelon of the independent wrestling scene this year. 2023 saw Ivy win more championships than she has limbs including becoming the first ever True Grit Wrestling Women’s Champion, Queen of the Carnival Champion and the BWR Women’s Champion. Don’t be surprised to see Ivy high on this list next year, probably with more championships.

🌟 WRESTLER SPOTLIGHT 🌟@Ivy_Wrestler

-First ever @TrueGritWrestle Women’s Champion
–@BritWresRev Women’s Champion
–@WIN_Wrestling Tag Champion (with @JoeyWrestler)
–@WrestleCarnival Queen Of The Carnival pic.twitter.com/RfxKec0FsQ

— The Northern Independents (@NorthernIndys) November 17, 2023

5.) Man LikeDereiss

The Lyrical Dragon has solidified himself as a premier talent on the British independent scene and this year may have been his best yet.

In 2023, Man Like DeReiss has been crowned the King Of The Carnival Champion, Resurgence Champion, TNT Ultra X Champion, Evolution Midnight Champion and has held three different tag-team championships with partner Leon Slater.

DeReiss hasn’t just spat fire on the match but has also produced fire matches all over the country. At ‘Progress: Chapter 155’, DeReiss delivered an instant classic with independent wrestling legend, Mark Haskins. The stand-out match is DeReiss’s year has to be his bout with NJPW’s Gabe Kidd at ‘OTT ScrapperMania VII’ which saw the Lyrical Dragon come out on top against the Young Bull in a physical affair.

Man Like DeReiss’ Career at @NORTH_NCL so far:

-Inaugural Tag Team Champion

-Longest Winning Streak Ever

-2nd Most Amount Of Wins (Post-pandemic)

-Only Pinned Once In Past 12 Matches

Mr Underrated.

🐉🔥 pic.twitter.com/iAvc1EUdPo

— harry (@lowercaseharry) July 14, 2023

As either a singles competitor or a part of a team, DeReiss has an undeniable star power that shines through and will help the Dragon sore to the top of the independent scene.

4.) Lizzy Evo

Lizzy Evo has been dominating the UK wrestling scene for almost a decade and 2023 saw the Liverbird stake her claim as top of the division.

Evo wrote her name in the annals of British history by becoming the first ever two-time TNT Women’s Champion, the first ever two-time TNT Women’s Tag Team Champion, the first ever 1PW Women’s World Champion and continued her tenure as the longest reigning CATCH Women’s Champion.

The list of Lizzy Evo’s fallen foes in 2023 extends as long as the River Mersey, filled with stellar names such as former WWE star Millie McKenzie, three-time OTT Women’s Champion Session Moth Martina and former EVE Champion Nina Samuels.

Every year is better than the last for Evo so expect even more championships and plaudits for the Liver Bird in 2024.

3.) Scotty Rawk

The Lost Boy of professional wrestling found his way on this list through constantly delivering the match of the night every night he’s booked.

2023 for Scotty Rawk was a golden year, winning the TCW Championship, the BWR Heavyweight Championship and United Wrestling Tag-Team Championships with partner Kira Chimera. A highlight of Rawk’s year was overcoming the likes of Amir Jordan, Joseph Connors and Brady Phillips in BWR’s Anarchy Briefcase ladder match which lead to his crowning as heavyweight champion.

This has been a breakout year of sorts for Scotty Rawk who is finally and rightfully being recognised on a national stage. The Lost Boy has recently made his debut on an international stage which could be the first step in a global takeover.

🌟WRESTLER SPOTLIGHT🌟@ScottyRawk

-Longest reigning @BritWresRev Cruiserweight Champion
–@TIDALWRESTLING Champion
–@TNTExtremeWres Ultra X Champion
-1/2 of The Dogz Bollox with @KiraChimera

🖤 pic.twitter.com/uizPXcDkVN

— The Northern Independents (@NorthernIndys) December 15, 2023

2.) Leon Slater

Leon Slater will be on top of many people’s wrestler of the year list and it’s clear to see why.

The teenage sensation won five separate titles in 2023 including the NORTH World Championship, the RevPro Undisputed Cruiserweight Championship and the TNT World Championship. Slater has had match-of-the-year calibre bouts with the likes of former IWGP World Heavyweight Champion Will Ospreay and fellow teenage superstar, AEW star Nick Wayne.

Despite the mass amount of 5 star classics and championship wins, the highlight of Leon Slater’s year is undoubtedly signing for Impact Wrestling. Being apart of one of the biggest wrestling promotions in the world, in front of a worldwide audience is exactly where Slater deserves to be.

This year has been fantastic for the Youngest In Charge but in 2024, the global stage awaits.

The Wrestler Of The Year: Rhio

The indestructible Rhio has had a year like no other and has cemented herself as the greatest British independent wrestler of 2023.

Rhio made history by becoming the first ever wrestler to hold the Progress World Women’s Championship and ICW Women’s Championship at the same time. Just this week, Rhio has surpassed Viper (now WWE’s Piper Niven) to become the third longest reigning ICW Women’s Champion ever and will become the longest reigning in women’s champion in history if she holds the title for another 28 days.

💜 Rhio successfully defended the PROGRESS Women’s World Championship against Lizzy Evo & Kanji at #VENDETTA.

👀 Who will Rhio defend the title against next?

🎁 & will Rhio defend the title at UNBOXING VI? #PROGRESSWrestling #Wrestling pic.twitter.com/goLWsc5klR

— PROGRESS Wrestling (@ThisIs_Progress) November 29, 2023

Another great moment in wrestling history saw Rhio become the inaugural winner of NORTH’s NCL Cup, defeating three of the countries finest in a single night . Aside from making constant history, Rhio has had a fantastic catalogue of matches all across the country and even expanding into continental Europe. Every month this year has had at least one Rhio banger; truly the personification of consistency.

Highlights of Rhio’s year include:

• Defeating former Ring Of Honour Women’s Champion Mercedes Martinez in front of more than 700 fans at ‘NORTH Thunderstruck’
• Besting both Kenji and Lizzy Evo in a triple threat to defend her Progress Women’s Championship at ‘Progress: Chapter 160′
• Winning 2-1 in a British Round Rules Match against Angel Hayze to successfully retain the ICW Women’s Championship at ‘ICW Get The F Out’

2023 is the year of Rhio. Will she be able to retain this title in 2024? Probably, Rhio is pretty good.

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