We’re bringing you our very own top 100 wrestlers of 2008 here at iFight365.com and we’re closing in on revealing who we chose as our top wrestler of last year.

The concept was simple. Six of our very best writers sat down and discussed names to be put on a preliminary list for the Top 100 Wrestlers of the Year. That preliminary list totalled to around 145 names, stretching from wrestlers in the WWE to TNA to PWG. Those six writers then drew up their own personal Top 100 and from here, the scores of each wrestler were tallied based on their placement in each writers list. It was as simple as that.

If you’ve missed earlier pieces, you can find them below:

- Click here to read who we voted in places 91-100
- Click here to read who we voted in places 81-90
- Click here to read who we voted in places 71-80
- Click here to read who we voted in places 61-70
- Click here to read who we voted in places 51-60
- Click here to read who we voted in places 41-50
- Click here to read who we voted in places 31-40
- Click here to read who we voted in places 11-30
- Click here to read who we voted in places 6-10
- #5: Nigel McGuinness
- #4: Bryan Danielson
- #3: Chris Jericho

In this edition we’re revealing who we voted at #2. 2008 was a great year for this wrestling legend. From an emotional and memorable role at WrestleMania 24 to a great feud throughout the summer with Chris Jericho, ‘HBK’ Shawn Michaels showed why he can still be the ‘Showstopper’…

Mark Bright: Still an incredible performer. In the ring, while Bryan Danielson may be athletically better and work a more “modern” style, at his best I’d still want to watch Shawn above him. If you think great wrestling matches are about emotion and drama and taking you on a rollercoaster journey, HBK is untouchable. Shit, him standing in the ring with JBL last week doing nothing was more compelling than any bunch of spectacular high spot near fall 2.999999 count stuff could ever hope to be.

His selling, both through taking bumps and through his facial expressions, is unmatched. His promos this year have been the best of his career by far, particularly his conflicting emotions over whether to face Ric Flair in his retirement match. He can get sympathy, can put across hatred for an opponent, all his stuff gets over, and he makes anyone he’s working with better. What more can you ask for?

Michael Campbell: The best word for Shawn this year is undoubtedly “consistent”. More so than anyone else, he was able to carry the Raw brand, when talent fell to injury (Jericho too- though he was booked as an ineffectual baby face for several months). Teased the long-awaited WM 25 match with Taker at the Rumble as these two stole the show. Also put over Jeff Hardy in an amazing match on Raw. Feud with Flair yielded amazing promo work, and an emotional classic at Mania, that’s one of my favourite moments in wrestling. Subsequent storyline with Batista and Jericho was excellent, leading to the best feud of the year, with the Canadian.

Didn’t compete at Summerslam, but his segment that saw his wife get punched was the evening’s highlight. Battled Jericho throughout the autumn (including a ladder match that was amongst the best that gimmick has ever produced).Now in a “skint” gimmick with JBL, looks set to clash with his employer at WM. It’s the sort of storyline that’s completely and utterly ridiculous (Shawn is a multi-millionaire), but it’s absorbing because HBK is so compelling in the role. There are still many roles for this guy to slot into, and a feud with CM Punk could be especially rewarding. 2009 may be his last year of full-time working, as he’s apparently expressing a desire to retire at WM 26 (possibly a double-retirement with Taker?)

Dan Short: With guys dropping left and right, the Heartbreak Kid becomes the ultimate go-to man for WWE – even at the expense of him needing a serious break. Because if there’s any one who can light it up when it is absolutely vital, it’s Shawn. An awesome story leading into his WrestleMania showdown with Ric Flair and then an incredible feud with Chris Jericho, Shawn continues to be the most reliable man in the WWE locker room. And to think, it was a decade ago that he had to retire because of a really bad back injury. Shawn has truly become one of the most incredible performers in wrestling and continues to consistently overcome the odds to give the fans a show they would never forget. There’s no question that his place in history has been secured.

Phil Lowe: He’s getting older, his hair is going and he’s in need of some time off. But Shawn Michaels remains awesome and he remains one of the reasons I enjoy watching wrestling so much. The WrestleMania match with Ric Flair was a classic and packed full of emotion, while the storyline with Chris Jericho and Batista was fantastic. The fact that HBK has turned a storyline with JBL which defies logic for so many reasons into must-see TV says a heck of a lot about him. Even a couple of months ago, if you had suggested HBK vs. JBL at WrestleMania was going to happen, I’d be laughing at you and also gutted at the prospect of such a match. But while I’m one of those who would love to see Michaels face ‘Taker in Texas, I’ll quite happily put that on hold for another year.

Martin Smith: One of the best wrestlers of all time. He continues to shine in the ring, despite in need of a much earned break. His storylines with Ric Flair and Chris Jericho stand out more than anything this year. I think it’s impossible to tell where the WWE would be without Michaels, but it’s clear that a number of their headliners would suffer in the long run. Michaels has been carrying half of the roster for the past number of years and he could hang up his boots now in the knowledge that he will be a WWE Hall of Famer – and possibly the greatest wrestler to walk the planet.

James Mustoe: My pick for number one, Michaels has had a career year, which is incredibly impressive, given the length of his tenure in the business. Michaels started the voting period giving Mr. Kennedy probably his best series of matches yet, including a criminally underrated effort at Armageddon, and then gave strong performances in the main matches at Royal Rumble and No Way Out respectively, as well as an early match of the year candidate with Jeff Hardy on RAW. Where his brilliance really kicked in though, was in the build up to WrestleMania XXIV, where his feud with Ric Flair stole the show with a blow away match that was a masterpiece in every way that matters in wrestling.

Post WrestleMania, this feud segued into a new collision with Batista that produced Big Dave’s best matches of the year, and this in turn, moved into the Jericho/Michaels feud, which is the best single series that the WWE has produced this decade. Spanning multiple PPV’s, this feud was notable for not only having produced good and very different matches (Face vs. Face at Judgement Day, Psychology specific brawl at the Great American Bash, old fashioned brawl at Unforgiven, and Ladder Match at No Mercy), but also provided the best angles of the year, with the one involving Michael’s wife in particular being an awesome effort.