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The Oklafan 2022 Mid-Year Report

Posted: Jul 8th 2022 By: Oklafan Staff

2022 is over halfway done and we at Oklafan.com are pleased to release The Mid-Year Report. In this report, we'll look at the top 20 wrestlers of 2021 (as listed in the Oklafan Top 50) and see where they stand today, what they've accomplished and where they might be going. With a little less than 6 months left before the end of the year, some performers might need that extra motivation to kick things into gear. So, without further ado, let's get to it:

1. Drake Gallows. Drake captured the CPW Tag Team Title with Fester Cluck (Not sure how thrilled he was about that) and regained the RDW title, so his status when it comes to holding multiple titles is intact. But after last year's efforts to exceed 100 matches in Oklahoma, Drake reportedly has a new goal this year: fewer than 10. He's only competed 3 times this year, taking the entirety of the first quarter of 2022 off. If this is his plan, then he may become one of the very few to be ranked #1 and then not ranked at all the following year.

Current rating: Unranked

2. Tommy Dean

Tommy regained the CPW Title in June. But he turned his back on the fans in order to accomplish that. In fact, it seems like Tommy has abandoned the fans everywhere he has gone in Oklahoma. And now Tommy seems to believe that the best thing he can do is surround himself with people who can run intererence for him. Is that how a champion acts? Tommy has 13 matches so far this year, which is less than he had at this point last year. All of these factors don't exactly scream "Champion" to most of us. And they certainly don't scream "top wrestler" Tommy has never dropped out of the top 10 since he began competing in Oklahoma, but at this pace, it looks like he will be.

Current rating: unranked

3. Revan. Now known as Ricky Wingrave, Revan really seemed to come into his own last year. His tag team with Drake Gallows was highly successful and he added singles gold to his resume as well. Much like Drake, Ricky was not an active in-ring competitor for the first quarter of 2022, instead focusing on the management aspects of UWO. But even though he is not a champion in multiple companies, he seems to still have the drive to competitve and looks to settle a score with the mouthy Red James at the end of July. Let's see if he keeps this up.

Current rating: 47

4. Father Padge. The spiritual leader of the Entitled had a falling out with his father, C.M. Burnham and has spent the first half of 2022 without champonship gold. While still a strong active competitor in EPW, Padge has only periodically shown up in other places. He seems directionless and adrift and if the rumours are true that Guy Sterling has retired, then the Entitled may be in worse shape then originally envisioned. It certainly seems like the time has come for Padge to rekindle some sort of fire under him or he won't be quite a high....in the ratings....as he was before.

Current rating: 21'

5. Double D. D is another competitor who once was seen in multiple places around Oklahoma but has now decided to make himself a CPW exclusive. He lost the 918 Title to Mascara Purpura in June after holding it for the entirety of the first half of 2022 and there are plenty of questions regarding what his plans are. Obviously it seems like a rematch for that title is probably at hand, but if he is not successful in regaining that, then what? D has never been one to favour tag team wrestling and with Tommy Dean as CPW Champion, surrounded by his associates, it looks to be difficult for him to target that belt. Again, something needs to change for D if he is to continue to bring home a top tier ranking in this state at the end of the year.

Current rating: 17

6. Warren Powers. The man now known as Logan Knight remains at the forefront of The Entitled. As the EPW All-American Champion, his is the only championship in that stable at this time. But much like Tommy Dean, Knight has decided to utilise much of the rest of The Entitled to surround him and protect him from losing that belt that he had to chase Striker almost 6 months for. Knight seemed on the verge of breaking out and making a bigger star of himself in this state, but now appears content to remain in the Oklahoma City area. No matter how much of a "Spotlight" he may think he is, being a big fish in a small pond will not get him anywhere. Certainly not into the top 20 of this list.

Current rating: 35

7. Sam Stackhouse. There is probably no bigger success story in Oklahoma wrestling in recent times than Sam Stackhouse. After becoming a viral sensation a few years ago, he has been in high demand and can be seen on Game Changer Wrestling events in the area as well as many of the Texas area independent federations. And somehow, he still finds time for Oklahoma wrestling. That said, he is not as focused as he has been in the past on typical wrestling goals. The closest he came to a championship opportunity was when the fans picked him to challenge for the WFC Prime Title and WFC Director of Operations Richard Pierce changed things up at the last moment, putting Dutch Hagen in his place. Rumour has it that Sam has some more opportunities lined up that will keep him from being in Oklahoma full time, but he hopes to try to stick around at least once a month. Sadly, that might not be enough to keep him on the ratings, but really, his overall success is much more important than that.

Current ranting: unranked

8. Brawler Morrison. The "Fight God" has been in hot pursuit of Derek James and the UWO Title that James took from him at the last event of 2021. He returned to action in CPW after a couple of months away and also seems to have found a home in EPW. What Morrison needs to regain is his killer attitude. He made it to the finals of the 2022 Crisstopher Crow Memorial Tournament, but was not able to defeat Striker at the end. He is not in contention for any titles in CPW. And now, he has been distracted from regaining the UWO title due to a personal issue with Mitch Onyx. Hopefully Morrison can get back on track and bring more gold home to regain his elite status.

Current ranking: 28

9. Thrash. A big success story for 2022 is "The Metal Monster". Despite not being successful in regaining the WFC Tag Team Titles, despite multiple attempts, Thrash proved himself to be a major player in the WFC field, most recently winning the 2022 Freedom Ring Rumble, which earns him a WFC Title opportunity at the anniversary show. Thrash also dominated the tag team division in CPW with Killbane until losing the CPW Tag Team titles to Drake Gallows and Fester Cluck. A big imposing figure no matter where he is, Thrash is hoping that this year will be the year that people recognise just how good he is in that ring. And maybe he can capture his first Heavyweight Championship as well.

Current ranking: 6

10. Derek James. Derek captured the UWO Title in the last event of 2021, revealing an unexpected alliance with Tuck Davion. But since that time, he has been very reluctant to defend it, refusing to give Brawler Morrison his rematch and relying on Tuck to retain the title even against nationally recognised talent like Jake Crist. James also became the first AWE Lion Heart Champion when that company rebranded from BPW, but lost that to Brandon Groom. Like many others, Derek seems kind of directionless at the moment, running to hide with his title and not making the same level of committment to Oklahoma wrestling he once did. As a result, he falls just short of making the list at this current time.

Current ranking: unrated

11. Malachi. Malachi has been raking in the gold this year. He and Maniac Mike regained the EPW Tag Team Titles and won the AIWF Tag Team Titles in the same match. He also won the EPW International Title from Mascara La Parka, claiming his first singles title. While it's good to see the Psychotic Messengers back on the tag team scene in EPW, it seemed like Malachi was about to really propel himself into singles competition. Holding two tag team titles simultaneously is no small feat, though. Let's see how long he can continue to do that.

Current ranking: 14

12. Tino Valentino

The "Love Machine" had some mixed success at the beginning of 2022. He remains the NCWO Oklahoma Champion, even making a successful defence of that title at the IWW event at the OKC Pop Con at the end of June. But Tino has only made 3 appearances in Oklahoma this year. And even his standing as a champion can't help him make the elite list. You have to show up to be seen and that's just not happening with Tino these days. Hopefully things will improve in the latter half of 2022.

Current ranking: unrated

13. Luke Langley. The WFC Champion continues to do what it takes to get the job done. Facing off against competitors of all shapes and sizes since winning the WFC Title, Langley takes each mission head-on. And Langley also makes time for some missions in CPW. Langley even made it onto the AEW screens twice in 2022. But his primary focus has been the WFC Title and his devotion to that has made him a strong dominant champion. With the looming challenge of Thrash at the WFC anniversary show in October, Langley will have to be even more prepared than he has been in recent months. But if he remains as successful as he has recently, keeping the WFC Title AND making the top 10 section of this list are both within his grasp.

Current ranking: 8

14. Dan Webber. The shining star of Oklahoma wrestling in 2022 so far has to be Dan Webber. Once thought of just as a tag team competitor in WAH, Webber ventured out to WFC and CPW and found success in both of those areas. And even in WAH, he moved from tag team success to singles success, capturing the WAH Title on two occasions. He even made it to the finals of the 2022 Ryder Herring Memorial Cup Tournament in WFC, something few young talents can say. Webber still hasn't completed 2 years in this business, but barring significant injury, he seems the nearest to a "sure thing" that this state has at this point. Strong, athletic and hungry to learn, no one else seems better suited to represent Oklahoma wrestling like him.

Current ranking 1

15. Malik Mayfield. Overwhelmed with charisma, Mayfield and his tag team partner Luke Richmond are tag team champions in both ASP and NCWO. But Malik showed a different side of himself in ASP at their last event, betraying his former partner Maui Mike and aligning with the ASP Champion Jerome Daniel Griffey. There's no denying his charisma and his ability, but with neither ASP or NCWO running monthly events, Mayfield hasn't had as much of an opportunity to showcase those talents to the Oklahoma fan base. It would benefit him to get out there more often and connect with that audience if he wants to be seen on a larger scale.

Current ranking: 18

16. Mr. Nasty. The man with the gold. WCR Tag Team Champion. ASP Mid-American and 5-Star Champion. XDWF Gen X Champion. Nasty continues to thrill the crowds wherever he goes. Whether it's the popular Creole Soul or the trash-talking Creole pimp, Nasty knows how to make an impact, especially with his pimp hand. He remains active across the state and somehow finds time to make his way down to Texas as well. The demands of being a champion in as many places as Nasty is is daunting, but he seems up to that challenge. Perhaps the goal for this year is to find a mountain that he has not conqured (EPW? UWO?) and put his eyes on their prize so he can show them that it's Mr. Nasty time.

Current ranking: 20

17. Luke Richmond. Take many of the things I said about Malik Mayfield, but subtract the charisma. Richmond is not the performer, he's the workhorse. He is willing to get in that ring and fight you. And after struggling with some identity issues, Richmond has embraced his amateur wrestling roots. Like Mayfield, Richmond would benefit from more frequent in-ring appearances, but he also remains an unproven singles competitor. Obviously the requirements of tag team championship competition remain at the forefront, but maybe Richmond can take another step forward into singles gold in the near future.

Current ranking: 25

18. Tim Rockwell. The demands of being a company owner are never ending, but Rockwell somehow managed to run WFC AND chase the WFC Tag Team Titles for most of 2022. He was not successful in that and now finds himself confronted with the combined forces of the Caballero Cartel and the reunited London Calling threatening a hostile takeover of his company. Titles be damned, WFC is the important thing and I suspect we will see a significant shift in Rockwell in the 2nd half of 2022. Rockwell's laser-focus on the WFC Tag Team Titles has also taken him away from competing in multiple federations as he did in 2021. He is WFC exclusive and it looks like that will remain the case for the rest of the year.

Current ranking: 29

19. Jermaine Johnson. Sadly, Jermaine passed away earlier in 2022 from congestive heart failure. At the time of his death, he was 1/2 of the BCW and ASP Tag Team Champions. Jermaine leaves behind a legacy of incredible creativity in the ring and behind the scenes no matter where he went. It was great to see him rise back to the top one more time before he was taken from us.

Current ranking: unrated

20. Maui Mike. Mike recaptured the ASP Livestream Title in May, but spent most of 2022 competing in CPW. While he never caputured any championships there, he was seen as a popular competitor and supported by their fanbase. Mike went to social media last month and announced that for the time being, he will be stepping away from the ring. Hopefully this is not a permanent retirement, but just a recharging period in the sun, leading to his return at a later date.

Current ranking: unrated