In every corner of the world, LGBTQ people, including LGBTQ pro wrestlers, aren’t simply existing anymore.

We are thriving.

With nearly 500 out LGBTQ professional wrestlers worldwide (and counting), those who want to erode what we’ve built are in for the rudest of awakenings.

The Queer Wrestling Index 200 aims to celebrate the community making that possible within the pro wrestling world.

Welcome to the 2022 QWI 200.

Note: Mason Myles, who was previously ranked #114 on the list, was removed after informing Outsports that he isn’t part of the LGBTQ community and posts they/them pronouns publicly as a message of inclusivity towards LGBTQ fans from an ally of the community. Myles’ removal means a new number 200 has been added and the ranking of all honorees previous to him have been updated to reflect his removal.

Previous Entries:

Day One: 200-171

Day Two: 170-141

140. Quincy Elliott

“The Super Diva” Quincy Elliott’s pro wrestling journey hit the mainstream this year when he signed with WWE. Appearing primarily on the company’s NXT and NXT Level Up brands, Elliott brought an energy unseen from any other out performer under WWE’s roof. His re-debut on NXT later in the year, complete with Viscera and Goldust callbacks, put him in the spotlight, letting his deceptively agile in-ring ability meet his campy demeanor. Elliott’s WWE journey is just starting, but he has the chops to keep the Gagitude Era pushing forward. There are too many ring posts that haven’t been ground upon yet to stop now.

139. Hayley Shadows

The viciousness that embodies Hayley Shadows is well-known throughout the Midwest, but in 2022 more people got a taste of what she is capable of. Shadows made her AEW debut against Julia Hart amidst showdowns with NWA champions Kamille, Ella Envy and Kenzie Paige on NWA Powerrr. She returned to Ohio Valley Wrestling for the first time since 2020, facing Leila Grey and Charlie Kruel. But those appearances didn’t keep her from keeping her name on the region’s lips. She challenged Alice Crowley for the Summit Pro title and took Juniper Gates to task at Cincinnati Pride’s Power! Pride! Pro Wrestling! event.

138. Sazzy Boatright

This motherfucker right here. The one true fucker of moms kept evolving in the ring over the course of their second year in the ring. Sazzy Boatright won their first title, the WNRN Internet championship, before racking up appearances with Industrial World Wrestling, BlitzKrieg Pro and Pro Wrestling VIBE. They formed the comical tag team Boats & Goats with Bobby Orlando in Wrestlers’ Lab and repped for the community at NLS Is For Everyone and Wrestle Queerdom. But, of course, what could top their performance in the Grey Sweatpants scramble at Paris Is Bumping: The Legends Ball, sweatpants chaps and all.

137. Chris Crunk

Crunk feels like an integral part of the Alabama pro wrestling scene, and his memorable bouts in New South Pro Wrestling and Pro South Wrestling this year support that position. Crunk twice challenged for the New South championship, affectionately known as “Humongold,” in triple threat matches involving Rolando Perez, Kenzie Paige and Adam Priest, logging a victory over Sean Campbell in an I Quit match in between. He entered the year as PSW All-Out champion and stood toe-to-toe with Kidd Bandit in a return match from her Alabama debut in 2021.

136. Eliza Hammer

Eliza Hammer fights with honor. Well, most of the time. The Sacramento native logged plenty of tag team victories with her Honor Society partner Sir Samurai in West Coast promotions 5CC Wrestling and Supreme Pro Wrestling. They captured the Phoenix Pro Wrestling Tag Team titles, making her the first woman to hold a title in the company’s history. But 2022 was one of her best in singles competition too. She challenged for the SPW Heavyweight title and AIWF America’s Heavyweight title before winning the Taqueria Guadalajara Super Giant Burrito title. Hammer also made her Full Queer debut against Kikyo at the Folsom St. Fair.

135. Richie Coy

Don’t let the seemingly endless images of them getting bodied or the perplexing mixture of pickles and caffeine fool you into thinking Richie Coy isn’t transforming into a force in the SoCal wrestling scene. After reuniting the Anti-Saviors with Kidd Bandit early in the year. Coy went on a tear with matches for Santino Bros., Oasis Pro Wrestling, Desert Pro Wrestling and Venue Wrestling Entertainment. They also blossomed with local lucha promotions East Los Lucha and RGR, but Coy drew the most eyes with multiple appearances in Las Vegas’ PrideStyle. They challenged Da Shade for the Princex of Pride title under the Vegas lights. Throw in a banger with New Japan star Yuya Uemura at Pandemonium Pro and you have a solid first year-plus in the ring.

134. Pimpinela Escarlata

After more than 30 years in the ring, one of the most revolutionary lucha practitioners for the LGBTQ community is still going strong and reaching new heights. The legendary exotico continued his feud with Mamba in AAA early in the year before reaching their highest stage for English-speaking audiences in America. Pimpi defeated EFFY in the main event of EFFY’s Big Gay Brunch Dallas in a match full of besos and mayhem. They fought the hardcore luchadora Sadika for Loko Wrestling and defended the Robles Trios titles in multiple Mexican promotions. Escarlata wrapped things up by challenging for the KAOZ Women’s title against famed luchadoras Faby Apache and Black Widow.

133. Andey Ripley

Mark 2022 as the year that Andey Ripley and Irving West, the striking tag team known as C.R.E.E.P.S., were no longer the best-kept secret of the Georgia wrestling scene. The duo made their way up to Pennsylvania for LVAC, took part in Evanston, IL promotion Palmhouse Pro Wrestling’s debut show and participated in Paradigm Pro Wrestling’s UWFI Rules Contenders Series. Back home, the two reigned as the Southern Violence & Wrestling Tag Team champions and made their debut with ACTION Wrestling and Southern States Pro Wrestling. But Ripley’s largest moment came in solo competition when they captured the SVW Heavyweight title, becoming the first non-binary heavyweight champion in the Southeast U.S.

132. Keith Haught Jr.

“The Cuddly Cryptid” reached new peaks in 2022. They entered the year as POSER Wrestling Softcore champion before rising to the top of Pittsburgh-based RYSE Wrestling’s tag team division with Tyler Voxx. The two won the RYSE Tag Team titles in February and remained in the title picture alongside teams like The Runway and War Hoss for the rest of the year. Haught also popped up at promotions in West Virginia and Ohio and entered Pitt Fight’s Bobcat Brawl.

131. Tommy Purr

Tommy Purr remains one of the foundations of LGBTQ pro wrestling in Las Vegas. The “Sin City Kitty” lent his voice to the upstart promotion PrideStyle before jumping into the PrideStyle ring himself, standing up to Final Destination in a stint as commissioner. But it wasn’t all clerical work for Purr. He entered the ring for Big Valley Wrestling, Versus Pro and Wrestle Drag, where he fought Chubby Depp in a Skin 2 Win match. There also seems to be an issue between him and pro wrestling trailblazer Jamie Senegal brewing now that she has returned to the ring.

130. Parm Singh Mann

Parm Singh Mann is one of the brightest presences in the Pacific Northwest pro wrestling scene. Always positive and unwilling to back down from a challenge, Mann sent shockwaves through Without A Cause when he pinned WAC champion Keita in a non-title match. Parm shared the ring with Daniel Makabe and Allan Jepsen in Vancouver’s Nation Extreme Wrestling and returned to 5CC Wrestling for the first time in two years. He held strong against Anton Voorhees at CasGAYdia as well. Outside of the ring, Mann founded DUSK Pro Wrestling, a Vancouver-based promotion that is already establishing itself as a destination.

129. Honest John

Enigmatic at times but always down to deliver a banger, Honest John is a proven force in the American Southwest. John held multiple championships in California-based promotions in 2022, including the Pandemonium.TV and FIST Wrestling Ge FIST’d titles. He made multiple appearances for Full Queer, sharing the ring with IMPACT star Alan Angels and GLAMpion Brittany Wonder. John solidified his place in Las Vegas as well, making multiple appearances with PrideStyle and Versus Pro. He added to his title collection, winning the Arizona Wrestling Federation Unleashed title and kept audiences attuned to Championship Wrestling From Hollywood and Wrestle Drag.

128. Jack Andrews

Cozyboi made his opponents feel discomfort throughout 2022. He and Chris Copeland, known collectively as The Ody, carried a nearly one-year Paradigm Pro Wrestling Tag Team title reign into the year before losing them to Shooters Don’t Die, sparking a rivalry across multiple promotions. The Ody held strong in Unsanctioned Pro, Summit Pro and the Ohio Wrestling Alliance, even fighting each other with MLW star Myron Reed as special referee. The two challenged for the Asylum Wrestling Revolution Tag Team titles in a no ring deathmatch before Andrews struck out into singles competition. Andrews made his Invictus Pro debut, took on Malcolm Monroe III at Power! Pride! Pro Wrestling! and linked back up with Copeland to battle rising out rookies Edward Draven and Giovanni Rayne at OWA Fight 4 Pride.

127. Kaydin Pierre

The head of Pink Gang 2.0, “The Pink Prince” Kaydin Pierre should rename the group the gold gang after their success this year. The East Coast star won the heavyweight title of Tennessee-based promotion Rated R Wrestling, adding it to his MPG Pride, XCW Jr. Heavyweight and Ring Wars Carolina TV titles. Pierre also snagged the Battleground Wrestling Tag Team titles and led Pink Gang 2.0 members James Anthony and Beauxx Bombshell to the RRW Tag titles. Always opportunistic, Pierre debuted for North Carolina upstart Hit Club Pro and challenged for the APW Jr. Heavyweight title as well.

126. Androide 787

Puerto Rico’s long history of pro wrestling has its own out star to highlight in Androide 787. The first out LGBTQ Jr. Heavyweight champion in World Wrestling Council history held the title for most of 2022, winning it for the second time in the process. Not content, Androide closed out the year by becoming a double champion, capturing the Espiritu Pro Wrestling championship. Better than titles, though, is Androide’s relationship with fellow out wrestler Eros, forming Puerto Rico’s queer pro wrestling power couple. Que rico.

125. Phoenix Kidd

The name implies myth — a being who rises from the ashes. Watching some of the battles Phoenix Kidd found themself in this year certainly produced ashes ripe for the masked bruiser to dust off. The Texas native jumped between two extremes of pro wrestling this year, entering both the Paradigm Pro Wrestling UWFI Rules Contender Series and Primos Pro Wrestling’s Slave To The Deathmatch tournament. “CruiserBrody” also shined and bled in multiple lucha and deathmatch promotions in Mexico. Phoenix Kidd survived Dr. Redacted in an Ambulance Deathmatch match at Loko Wrestling and captured the Amazing Pro Wrestling Unified Texas Heavyweight title, proving there is no quit in the masked figure.

124. Theo Ivory

Theo three belts has a nice ring to it. Theo Ivory thought the same as he reigned for a large chunk of the year under that name. Ivory added the One Division Pro Imperial World title and the World Wide Wrestling Alliance Tag team titles to his Tea Time championship. He also challenged for the Courage Pro and Fight The World Wrestling Tag Team titles. His rivalry with Hyena Hexx in 1DP represented a new benchmark for Ivory, putting his full array of skills on display in a breakout moment that should put other East Coast promotions on notice.

123. Zeke Mercer

Mercer made history as one of the first non-binary wrestlers to win a heavyweight title, and they followed that up with a true breakout year. They continued to rule over West Virginia promotion Real Shoot Wrestling, holding the RSW Heavyweight title throughout the year with defenses over Cowpoke Paul and David Lawless. Mercer debuted for Paradigm Pro Wrestling in its UWFI Rules division, defeating Weber Hatfield, before challenging MV Young for the Enjoy Wrestling title. Mercer impressed at Wrestle Queerdom against Eros Drifter, entered RYSE Wrestling’s Ryse Rumble and challenged for the World Domination Wrestling Association. Add on a brutal eight-person cage match in Victory Championship Wrestling and you have a damn solid year.

122. Diamante

Diamante was a constant presence on AEW Dark and AEW Dark: Elevation, notching victories over major independent names like Kayla Sparks, Queen Aminata and Mylo. Those victories led her to challenge Jade Cargill for the TBS championship on AEW Rampage and enter the AEW Women’s World Title Eliminator tournament later in the year. Outside of AEW, she reignited her hottest feud from last year, defeating Big Swole at Ultimate World of Wrestling. She also stood tall over Janai Kai in former Ring of Honor World champion Jonathan Gresham’s TERMINUS promotion.

121. Sassy Bear Clarence

2022 was a story of two tag teams for Sassy Bear Clarence. His tag team with Riley Thee N.B.F., Sass Central, picked up where they left off last year, challenging for tag team titles in Ultimate British Wrestling and WIN Wrestling and found victory at WAW’s Norwich Pride event. But the team imploded in Independent Wrestling Universe when Riley Thee N.B.F. turned on Clarence and started teaming with real-life partner Tyler Adams as The British IT Couple. Clarence recruited J.P.R. to battle the new team. He did find solo success as well, though, including earning a spot in a battle royal to name a challenger for the IWU NexGen title, which Riley held at the time. He also shined at PCW UK’s Pride of the Ring event.

120. Addy Starr

The Canadian queen of crazy lived up to that reputation. Addy Starr spent the early year building herself up as a title contender in multiple Canadian promotions before cashing them in. She reached the finals of the Cross Body Pro Wrestling Tag Title #1 Contender tournament with Krystal Moon before challenging Moon for the Crossfire Wrestling Women’s title twice. She challenged for the C4 Underground title and tried to reclaim her InterSpecies Wrestling Undisputed King of Crazy title in a LEGO deathmatch featuring Terra Calaway. Starr entered the no ring deathmatch world, defeating Tyler Colton in Timebomb Pro. If her hints about leaving the ring are true, Addy Starr turned in a quality year on her way out. Here’s hoping this isn’t the end of “The First Lady of LEGO.”

119. Mamba

El Imperio of lucha stable Las Shotas (which also includes trans luchadora Estrella Divina), Mamba’s place as one of the top exoticos in Mexico didn’t waver in 2022. She logged numerous trios victories with stablemates Jessy Ventura and La Diva Salvaje in AAA and multiple Mexican independent promotions, earning Las Shotas a shot at the EDM Trios titles. Mamba competed for the Copa TripleMania and the Copa Mas before reigniting a simmering feud with Pimpinela Escarlata. She also nabbed a notable victory in singles action, winning a triple threat match featuring burgeoning West Coast star Viva Van.

118. Sonya Deville

After more than a year away from in-ring competition, WWE’s resident Daddy returned to the ring full-time in 2022. After stirring the pot with Naomi, Sonya Deville ratcheted off multiple shots at WWE’s array of women’s titles. She battled Raw Women’s champion Bianca Belair in a No Disqualification match, wrestled Liv Morgan for the Smackdown Women’s title and teamed with Natalya in the WWE Women’s Tag Team title tournament. She even made a trip down to NXT to fight Alba Fyre, placing her on every major WWE program. She also is the leading LGBTQ advocate counted in WWE’s ranks, which is just another reason why she engenders so much love from fan communities.

117. The Whisper

Much like his name, The Whisper quietly turned in another quality year with his trademark athleticism and intriguing demeanor. He made his return to EFFY’s Big Gay Brunch in Dallas before popping on cards across the East Coast. He challenged for the Immortal Championship Wrestling Heavyweight title and entered the Northern Federation of Wrestling Championship tournament, which is still ongoing. He wowed in Invictus Pro’s Climb For Clout ladder match and dropped Jacob Tarasso through multiple doors in Dropkick Depression. Chalk that up as making good on his promise that 2022 would be “The Year of The Silence.”

116. Riley Thee N.B.F.

One year and a name change later, Riley Thee N.B.F. put in a stellar effort to build their name in the British wrestling scene. They challenged for multiple tag team titles alongside Sass Central partner Sassy Bear Clarence before finding singles success in Northhamptonshire-based promotion IWU. Already non-binary finery on their lonesome, they added more in the form of the IWU NexGen title. Riley also formed a tag team with their real-life partner Tyler Adams, dubbed The British IT Couple, mixing love and grapes in a beautiful way.

115. Sean Campbell

The youngest member of the Kill Or Be Killed crew upped the ante in 2022, throwing himself into challenge after challenge and cheating death every time. Campbell and Chris Crunk carried their feud in New South Pro Wrestling to an I Quit match that set him down a different path through the Southeast wrestling scene. He made multiple appearances on Uncharted Territory and wrestled for Tennessee promotions TWE Chattanooga and Southern Underground Pro before popping up on multiple GCW shows. Campbell showcased his grit on KOBK’s own branded shows, refusing to back down from heavy hitters AJ Gray and Masha Slamovich and showing defiance in the face of mortality.

114. Jeyla Jey

After years away from the U.S. and multiple Paris Is Bumping vignettes, “The Samoan Diva” Jeyla Jey finally made her American return in 2022—and made a statement in the process. After a superb entrance reveal, Jey showcased her power en route to victory at EFFY’s Big Gay Brunch 5 in Chicago. She also shined at Big Toko’s Kickback in California, but there were plenty of highlights for Jey back in Australia as well. She racked up victories in Future Wrestling Australia, Australia Wrestling Superstars and Suplex Pro Wrestling, earning a shot at Renee Michelle’s SHINE Nova title in August. Jeyla Jey feels poised for more both at home and abroad in the new year.

113. Carlos Romo

For the second year in a row, Carlos Romo reminded audiences on both sides of the Atlantic how talented he is between the ropes. In Europe, Romo starred in multiple Spanish promotions, entered the 2022 Passion Cup tournament in Hungary amid a state-led campaign against the LGBTQ community and turned in a stellar fight with Man Like DeReiss in Kamikaze Pro. Stateside, he hit major independent promotions, including Black Label Pro, GCW, ACTION Wrestling and Glory Pro. His match with IMPACT star Jai Vidal at EFFY’s Big Gay Brunch Dallas was technical bliss sealed with a kiss, and he capped off his U.S. run by challenging Storm Grayson for the Freelance Underground Independent title.

112. Sky De Lacrimosa

There is always the promise of either violence or gold (sometimes both!) when Sky de Lacrimosa comes through the curtain. A wrestler with a fondness for deathmatches, Sky took up residence as one of Metroplex Wrestling’s resident monsters, challenging for the MPX title and winning the MPX Tag Team titles. He held the Anarchy Championship Wrestling Hardcore title as well and fell just short of winning the WrestleRave Deathmatch title. He brought his hardcore nature to New Texas Pro Wrestling during WrestleMania weekend and challenged for the House of Texas Wrestling Tag titles in an Anarchy Rules match.

111. Donnie Janela/Donnie Primetime

No matter the name, Donnie Janela delivered this year. A staple of Alabama’s New South pro Wrestling, he found himself embroiled in a feud with Brayden Toon that culminated in a wheelchair match that spawned the return of Donnie Primetime. He challenged for the New South title at Southeast First, faced off with Joey Janela at GCW’s backyard show and fulfilled Mateo Valentine’s dream of going one-on-one at Palmhouse Pro. He made multiple appearances outside of the Southeast, most notably with New Texas Pro, Pro Wrestling Magic and New Wave Pro before throwing everyone for a loop by not retiring and beating former tag partner Cabana Man Dan in his retirement match in October. Rude.

Come back tomorrow for the next 30 2022 QWI 200 honorees.

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