Welcome to day six of the 2021 QWI 200 list.

Last year’s introduction to the Queer Wrestling Index 100 ended with the point that LGBTQ pro wrestling had grown as a movement and community to the point where “ignoring their presence isn’t an option anymore.”

Just like the community grew and evolved, so too must the QWI. That’s why the list has expanded to 200 stellar and proud LGBTQ wrestlers. That’s why I’ve made the decision to rank the list going forward, instead of 2020’s alphabetical order structure.

Previous entries:

Day one – #200-171

Day two – #170-141

Day three – #140-111

Day four – #110-81

Day five – #80-51

Here are the wrestlers ranked this year from 50 to 21.

50. Dani Jordyn

On day 198 of her reign as Intense Wrestling Entertainment Women’s champion, there is no denying that Dani Jordyn had a banner year. Jordyn maintained her presence on All Elite Wrestling, competing regularly on AEW Dark and Dark: Elevation. “The Real Mean Girl” brought her burn book across the South, displaying her skills on Championship Wrestling From Atlanta, Southern Honor and New Texas Pro Wrestling. But the South couldn’t contain her as she debuted for Washington-based Without a Cause Wrestling in a match against Rebel Kel.

49. Eddy McQueen

Eddy McQueen personifies the term Diva so well that he doesn’t need the Divas championship to prove it. But McQueen still has the title, as evidenced by the mesmerizing performance he turned at Paris Is Bumping: Solid Gold ‘21. The Mother of House McQueen put a stamp on his icon status at MV Young’s Polyam Cult Party and Pro Wrestling VIBE’s Cassandro Cup, where McQueen entered the Britney Spears Open Invitational. McQueen’s entrance at Paris Is Bumping alone is worthy of honor.

48. Dillon McQueen

“The Gaytriarch” reached new peaks in 2021. The New South Pro Wrestling mainstay began the year as New South Tag Team champion alongside Kenzie Paige and ended the year feuding with her, settling things in a Last Person Standing match. McQueen branched out as well, logging appearances in ACTION Wrestling, Fest Wrestling and All Elite Wrestling. He also featured heavily on multiple LGBTQ Pride events, including EFFY’s Big Gay Brunch, No Peace Underground Fear The Gay Agenda and GCW Fight Forever.

47. Jared Evans

The thing about Jared Evans is that he continues to impress every time he steps into the ring. “The Blacklisted Prince” followed up a breakout 2020 with appearances at Game Changer Wrestling, ACTION Wrestling and MV Young’s Polyam Cult Party. Evans delivered great performances during Wrestlemania week, entered the Cassandro Cup tournament and turned heads in two matches at Paris Is Bumping: Solid Gold ‘21.

46. Ace Perry

Soulless no more, Ace Perry proved himself as a known name in the Midwest wrestling scene thanks to myriad stellar performances. Donning his best Midsommar look, Perry regained his soul from EFFY at EFFY’s Big Gay Brunch and never looked back. He returned to the Brunch to take down Frontman Jah-C, starred at New Wave Pro and AAW and entered the Ohio Wrestling Alliance Heavyweight title tournament. Perry ended the year claiming gold, dethroning the Absolute Intense Wrestling Tag Team champions alongside Major League Wrestling’s Hammerstone.

45. Don’t Die Miles

The sensation of hydration and death-defying Midwest star Don’t Die Miles may be the wrestler with the biggest heart going today. After showcasing their growth on Paradigm Pro Wrestling No Hook, Miles challenged then-PPW champion Myron Reed and Pan Afrikan World Diaspora Wrestling champion Trish Adora at OWA Good Trouble. They logged appearances with Unsanctioned Pro, Hybrid Championship Wrestling and F1rst Wrestling, but Miles reached their highest point (literally) in New Wave Pro. Miles captured the NWP Crossroads title in January, leaped off a scissors lift in August and dethroned longtime NWP Heavyweight champion Solomon Tupu in November.

44. Logan Black

Wearing his heart and a pair of brass knuckles on his sleeve, Logan Black turned in a year worthy of his veteran status. From wrestling during a rave to dropping fools at Wrestlers Lab, Black tore through the Northeast. He starred at Blitzkrieg! Pro, Pro Wrestling Grind and Limitless Wrestling, and joined his T2T Academy students at MV Young’s Polyam Cult Party and multiple Industrial World Wrestling events. Black’s Year One Pro Wrestling podcast also gave fans insight into some of their favorite independent wrestlers along with candid discussions about queerness and mental health awareness in pro wrestling.

43. Jake Atlas/Kenny Marquez

Atlas was a breath of fresh air during his time with WWE this year, regularly competing on NXT and 205 Live. Atlas entered the Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic alongside Shane Strickland and formed the first all-LGBTQ tag team in WWE history with Mercedes Martinez during Pride month. After his WWE exit, Atlas blew minds by making his independent wrestling return at EFFY’s Big Gay Brunch, defeating EFFY in the main event. He appeared for Ring of Honor before announcing he would take an indefinite break from pro wrestling to address his mental health. If he never steps in a ring again, Atlas would have left an impressive legacy.

42. Fred Rosser

Rosser’s performance this year should take the words “the former Darren Young” out of everyone’s mouths going forward. Rosser became the first out gay man to ever sign with New Japan Pro Wrestling, regularly battling the stars of NJPW Strong and challenging Tom Lawlor for the NJPW Strong Openweight title. Rosser also debuted with the National Wrestling Alliance, flirting with championships from the get-go. His Block The Hate campaign promotes inclusion and LGBTQ visibility through pro wrestling and beyond.

41. Speedball Mike Bailey

Mike Bailey may be one of the nicest people in pro wrestling, but stepping in the ring with him is a completely different experience. One of the top technical wrestlers throughout his 15-year career, Speedball showed his skill by capturing the International Wrestling Syndicate and C4 titles in Canada and winning the Revolution Pro British J Cup. He also showcased emerging Canadian talents on his Twitch channel, including Alex Maze. It came as no surprise when Impact Wrestling offered him a contract later in the year, setting him up for national TV exposure in 2022.

40. Da Shade

It may be hard to see Da Shade through the copious amount of championship titles that adorn him. The Las Vegas star became the first Princex of Pride champion at Full Queer, and claimed both the Party Hard Wrestling Multiverse Tag Team and LVL Up Expo Tag Team Titles this year. In his 100+ day reign with the Princex of Pride title, Shade has faced all comers, defending the title at Dark Sheik’s Fearless, Big Valley Wrestling, VERSUS Pro Wrestling and FSW Las Vegas.

39. Shea McCoy

Pro wrestling can be chaotic, but when Shea McCoy is in the ring, it can’t help but be chaotic. McCoy turned in show-stealing performances against Athrun Amada at MV Young’s Polyam Cult Party 4 and Eden von Engeland in an all-non-binary UWFi Rules battle at Paradigm Pro Wrestling As The Rush Comes. They captured the Camp Leapfrog Campeonatos de Ranas titles with Boomer Hatfield and aligned themself with the Best Business Bureau against Billy Dixon. McCoy recorded other notable appearances at Paris Is Bumping: Solid Gold ‘21, Game Changer Wrestling, Combat Fights Unlimited and Wrestlers Lab.

38. Jody

S4TB’s resident Unsafe Prince, Jody cemented himself as an indie phenom (shoutout to the ACABtaker) in 2021. The Las Vegas native was one of the breakout stars of Paradigm Pro Wrestling No Hook, capturing the Midwest.com Championship Chain and realizing his own potential. He unleashed it on the Las Vegas scene in VERSUS Pro Wrestling. Jody held the VERSUS Battleborn title and challenged for the Wrestlers Lab title against MV Young at Polyam Cult Party 3. Jody also appeared at Dark Sheik’s Fearless before he and S4TB established their own promotion, Graphouse.

37. Adriel Noctis

From one side of S4TB to another, Adriel Noctis represents the group’s dark edge alongside Creature Feature tag team partner Lazarus. Noctis became a Paradigm Pro Wrestling regular after impressing on No Hook, challenging for the PPW Tag Team titles alongside Lazarus. Noctis notched appearances with Defy Wrestling, Without a Cause Wrestling, MV Young’s Polyam Cult Party and Championship Wrestling From Hollywood before defeating MV Young to become the inaugural Graphouse champion.

36. Funny Bone

Meet your Demi-God of Death, everyone. Funny Bone has been one of the most intense and hard-hitting fighters in independent wrestling for years, and 2021 was no different. He brought destruction to Dark Arts Entertainment, West Coast Pro Wrestling and Game Changer Wrestling while challenging for titles in The Crash, Best of the West and FSW Las Vegas. Funny Bone faced off with EFFY at Dark Sheik’s Fearless and mesmerized onlookers in Faye Jackson’s Grey Sweatpants Battle Royal.

35. Aggro

“The CAP-tain” of MSP, Aggro whipped through the Northeast with tag team partner DangerKid in yet another year of vibes. After coming out earlier this year, Aggro captured tag team gold in Chaotic Wrestling and Iron Heart Pro Wrestling. He also shined in singles action in Limitless Wrestling, defeating Alec Price. His and DangerKid’s quest to establish Limitless Tag Team titles led to a match of the year contender when MSP battled AEW’s Daniel Garcia and Kevin Blackwood at Limitless Fortune Favors The Bold.

34. DangerKid

DangerKid turned in a stellar year in the ring, but their largest impact came in a coming out message that engendered love from all corners of the wrestling world. DK turned that love into action alongside Aggro, bringing MSP to new heights. The duo added the Pro Wrestling Magic Tag Team titles to their collection while shining in Pro Wrestling Grind and Wrestlers Lab. MSP also delivered a thrilling no ring deathmatch against Culture Inc. at No Peace Underground Fear The Gay Agenda.

33. Mr. Grim

A hitman that never misses his mark, Mr. Grim displayed uncanny athletic ability and power up and down the East Coast in 2021. Grim established himself as one of the most intimidating forces in Enjoy Wrestling, delivering bangers against MV Young and Lee Moriarty. He also shined at MV Young’s Polyam Cult Party, Battle Club Pro and Wrestlers Lab. Grim secured gold, winning the Ignite Wrestling title, before battling Cerberus at Pro Wrestling After Dark and delivering a match of the night Wrestlemania week at Generation Championship Wrestling’s We Run This Town against “The Infinite Man” Timmy Lou Retton.

32. O’Shay Edwards

The Big Bad Kaiju found a new stomping ground in Ring of Honor this year, joining the ranks of Shane Taylor Productions to bring a new era to the company. Edwards defended the ROH Six-Man Tag Team titles as part of the group and entered the Survival of the Fittest tournament. Outside of ROH, Edwards ran roughshod over promotions in the Southeast and Midwest, capturing the Intense Wrestling Entertainment Heavyweight title and scoring notable wins in ACTION Wrestling, Wrestlers Lab and Ohio Wrestling Alliance.

31. Ziggy Haim

A Pittsburgh hero, Ziggy Haim manifested greatness in 2021 in and beyond the city she calls home. Haim and Edith Surreal’s white hot battles in Enjoy Wrestling culminated in a match of the year contending Hair vs. Mask match at Enjoy’s Night Moves, and she added notable battles at Ryse Wrestling, Absolute Intense Wrestling and Game Changer Wrestling. “The Final Girl” also delivered one of the most emotional moments of the year, breaking into tears after dethroning David Lawless as Ryse Grand champion at MV Young’s Polyam Cult Party 3

30. Ashley Vox

Ashley Vox should be a household name. Vox logged matches with multiple major promotions this year, including All Elite Wrestling, Major League Wrestling and Ring of Honor. A star of Limitless Wrestling, Vox tore it up in major independents Beyond Wrestling and Women’s Wrestling Revolution. With her sister Delmi Exo, Vox defended her tag team titles in both Battle Club Pro and SHIMMER, ending a decorated year for The Sea Stars. Her and Leyla Hirsch also rival any other LGBTQ wrestling couple for the heartwarming award.

29. Angelus Layne

If you have a fav on the Southern independent scene, chances are Angelus Layne ran through them at some point. A formidable villain in ACTION Wrestling, Layne brought beautiful brutality to Wrestlemania week at ACTION/SUP Have Fun, Be Sad before feuding with ACTION owner Matt Griffin. She also made her return to St. Louis Anarchy, topping Brooke Valentine and Charlie Evans.

28. Brooke Valentine

The “Queen Bee” took the wrestling world by storm this year after superb outings against Ziggy Haim and Willow Nightingale at both editions of GCW Allie Katch’s Real Hot Girl Shit. The reigning ZOWA Women’s champion, Valentine challenged for the Impact Knockouts Tag Team titles, won the Britney Spears Open Invitational at Pro Wrestling VIBE’s Cassandro Cup and became number one contender to Frontman Jah-C’s Black Wrestlers Matter title. Her debuts at F1rst Wrestling and battle with Allie Katch at Glory Pro Wrestling were a perfect cap to her year.

27. Diamante

Diamante became even more of a mainstay in All Elite Wrestling’s women’s division, regularly appearing on AEW Dark and Dark: Elevation. Her feud with Big Swole was a highlight of the program, culminating in a Three Strikes match that blew away expectations. She entered the Casino Battle Royal at AEW All Out and logged multiple appearances outside of AEW, most notably at NWA Empowerrr, Heavy Metal Wrestling and Ladies Night Out 11.

26. Sandra Moone

Eyes to the stars, Sandra Moone shot to the stratosphere in Las Vegas and beyond. The S4TB member captured the FSW Las Vegas Women’s title and Party Hard Wrestling Party Monster title alongside notable appearances with VERSUS Pro and Paradigm Pro Wrestling’s No Hook project. Moone hit the West Coast as well, appearing with Full Queer, Without a Cause Wrestling and West Coast Pro Wrestling before main eventing GCW’s first LA Fights show against Dark Sheik. Moone also made her Impact Wrestling debut, setting her up for new heights in 2022.

25. Leyla Hirsch

Hirsch built herself into a formidable force in All Elite Wrestling, entering the AEW Women’s World Title Eliminator tournament and impressing on AEW Dark and Dark: Elevation. She entered the Casino Battle Royale at AEW All Out, but she had numerous incredible matches outside of AEW as well. Her battle with Kamille over the NWA Women’s Worlds title at NWA Empowerrr stole the show and she challenged for the Independent Wrestling title at Beyond Wrestling. She even stepped into the ring against her partner, Ashley Vox, in Maine-based Limitless Wrestling.

24. Kiera Hogan

Pro wrestling’s Hottest Flame took her firebrand on tour through multiple major promotions in 2021. After two reigns as Impact Wrestling Knockouts Tag Team champion with Tasha Steelz, Hogan dropped some pain on the competition in All Elite Wrestling and the NWA. She stepped into the ring with her hero, Mickie James, challenging for the Impact Knockouts title and debuted for GCW at For The Culture. Hogan also got the chance to wrestle women’s wrestling legend Jazz during her retirement tour.

23. Shayna Baszler

Baszler’s second year on the WWE main roster brought her first taste of post-NXT gold when she won the WWE Women’s Tag Team titles with Nia Jax. The duo defended the belts in a raucous bout at Wrestlemania 37 against Natalya and Tamina. “The Queen of Spades” brought her submission prowess to singles competition as well, reaching the semifinals of the Queen’s Crown tournament and representing Smackdown at WWE Survivor Series.

22. Jai Vidal

One Power Bottom Bomb at a time, Jai Vidal paraded through his home scene in Las Vegas, breaking through to a national stage. Vidal and Bad Bitchez partner Parada made their GCW debut at EFFY’s Big Gay Brunch, and Vidal never looked back. He shined at FSW Las Vegas and VERSUS Pro, challenging Ice Williams and Chris Bey for the FSW No Limits title. Vidal captured the PCW Ultralight title, faced off with Midas Kreed at Full Queer, won the Twink Gauntlet of Death at No Peace Underground Fear The Gay Agenda and pulled off death-defying dives at EFFY’s Big Gay Brunch Chicago and LA Fights. To cap it off, Vidal made his Impact Wrestling debut against Eric Young.

21. Devon Monroe

“Black Sexcellence” Devon Monroe saw his profile grow immensely in 2021. Monroe secured his first championship in F1rst Wrestling, defeating Arik Cannon for the F1rst Uptown VFW title in November. Monroe worked through opponents at EFFY’s Big Gay Brunch, Paris Is Bumping: solid Gold ‘21, Black Wrestlers Matter and the Cassandro Cup before bursting onto the Jersey Championship Wrestling stage. The world also got to meet Deathmatch Devon in No Peace Underground battles against Jamie Senegal, Jimmy Lloyd and Cole Radrick.

Come back tomorrow to find out the top 20 LGBTQ pro wrestlers of 2021.

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