The annual PWI 500, Pro Wrestling Illustrated’s ranking of the top 500 pro wrestlers worldwide, hit digital newsstands Tuesday with another large collection of out LGBTQ pro wrestlers counted among its ranks.
Overall, 29 out LGBTQ pro wrestlers made the list, headlined by former MLW and ACTION Wrestling world champion Alex Kane for the second consecutive year.
Kane came in at No. 25, matching historic world champion AC Mack for the highest ranking by an out LGBTQ pro wrestler in the PWI 500’s 34-year history.
Joining Kane in the top 100 were former two-time TNA X-Division champion “Speedball” Mike Bailey (34) and NWA Unified TV champion Max The Impaler (54).
Get off the sidelines and into the game
Our weekly newsletter is packed with everything from locker room chatter to pressing LGBTQ sports issues.
Max’s ranking is of special note as they are now the first out nonbinary, transmasculine pro wrestler to ever crack the top 100. They also stand as the highest-ranked out trans nonbinary wrestler in PWI 500 history.
“Max continues to make history and do what many said could never happen,” Max said via X, formerly known as Twitter. “Max will make their own way.”
Other non-cisgender wrestlers that made the list this year were HOODSLAM and GCW icon Dark Sheik (325), Enjoy Wrestling champion Sonny Kiss (372) and Naptown All-Pro Tag Team champion Noah Veil (490).
In addition to Kane, Bailey and Max, four additional out wrestlers made the top half of the count, including BUSSY mates EFFY (122) and Allie Katch (245), MLW star AKIRA (138) and Aussie international standout Charli Evans (222).
The 2024 edition also saw a number of out wrestlers debut or return to the list, including Mad Dog Connelly (350), Billy Dixon (428), Aaron Rourke (432), Vipress (462), Logan Knight (464), Amira (470) and Anton Voorhees (484).
Check out the full list of ranked out LGBTQ pro wrestlers below:
Alex Kane (25)
“Speedball” Mike Bailey (34)
Max The Impaler (54)
EFFY (122)
AKIRA (138)
Charli Evans (222)
Allie Katch (245)
Jordan Blade (270)
Malcolm Monroe III (310)
Dark Sheik (325)
Mad Dog Connelly (350)
Devon Monroe (359)
Mylo (361)
Sonny Kiss (372)
Rico Gonzalez (382)
Sawyer Wreck (400)
Robb Radke (417)
O’Shay Edwards (418)
MV Young (426)
Billy Dixon (428)
Aaron Rourke (432)
Sandra Moone (433)
Ashton Starr (444)
Killian McMurphy (449)
Vipress (462)
Logan Knight (464)
Amira (470)
Anton Voorhees (484)
Noah Veil (490)
