wrestling / Columns

411’s Wrestler of The Week: Hardy Battles Havoc

July 13, 2016 | Posted by Larry Csonka
Broken Matt hardy Image Credit: Impact Wrestling

Welcome to YEAR TWELVE, WEEK FOURTEEN of 411’s Wrestler of the Week. A quick overview of the rules to kick things off for us as a reminder…

Each writer chooses FIVE wrestlers (although ties and tag teams are allowed, and more on a special occasion) from any promotion and each wrestler gets a point total attached to that ranking. It looks a little like this…

1st – 5
2nd – 4
3rd – 3
4th – 2
5th – 1

Then we tally up the votes and the official 411 Wrestler of the Week is crowned. But wait, there’s more! Each week the top SIX vote getters get a points value for their ranking which looks something like this…

1st – 15
2nd – 12
3rd – 9
4th – 6
5th – 3
6th – 1

…and they go towards the 411 Wrestler of the Year award to be announced each year around WrestleMania. This will be posted every Tuesday (the voting week runs Monday through Sunday). Let’s see who wins this week…

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Voting period: JULY 4 – JULY 10

Larry Csonka
1) Broken Matt Hardy:
Some people loved it, some thought it was the death of the wrestling business, but the facts are simple; TNA’s Final Deletion got them more buzz and attention than they have had in more than 18-months. Broken Matt Hardy won the match, which is largely being credited to him from a creative standpoint, and that deserves some accolades. Who knows if it will have a lasting effect or turn the company around, but they succeeded, if for only one week.

2) Eddie Edwards: Won an Ultimate X match to win the TNA X-Division title, and then delivered in a great promo segment with Lashley, setting up their title vs. title (for real, the titles are on the line) match at the Destination X Impact.
3) Zack Ryder: Won the big tag match on Raw (YAY USA) and then beat Sheamus on Smackdown.
4) The Revival
5) Son of Havoc

Kevin Pantoja
1) The Revival:
The best match of the week was easily the 2 out of 3 falls NXT Tag Team Title main event. The Revival and American Alpha are two of the best tag teams in the world and they have showed why this year. After a really good match at TakeOver: Dallas, they bested it with an awesome one at TakeOver: The End, trading the titles. This week, they finished off their series with a tie breaking two out of three falls match. The Revival won and remained the champions in what was the second best match of the trilogy. I love how, in a world where everyone is talking about wrestling evolving and getting with the times, two tag teams went out and had excellent matches by going 80’s tag style

2) Broken Matt Hardy: There was no reason for the Final Deletion to entertain us the way it did. Matt Hardy and Jeff Hardy are two guys that are WAY past their primes and two guys that I’m not interested in seeing in high profile matches or returning to the WWE. However, what they did this week was all kinds of awesome. This storyline was so incredibly over the top and TNA did the right thing with it. They realized that for it to work, you had to go all the way. This was one of the most ridiculous things I’ve ever seen and I was massively entertained by every second. Matt’s win wasn’t even why I really put him here. His delivery on each line, facial expression and mannerism was spot on. Give me the Final Deletion over food fights and shit like the ROH Global Wars ending every day of the week.
3) Son of Havoc: Ultima Lucha Dos began this week and the first installment focused on Dario Cueto’s “4 A Unique Opportunity” Tournament. While the best match of the evening saw Cage and the Mack in a Falls Count Anywhere rematch from the original Ultima Lucha, Son of Havoc was the star of the night. He beat and bloodied Texano in a Boyle Heights Bar Fight to advance to a finals against the Mack. The match with the Mack was short and disappointing but Havoc pulled out the win to win the tournament. It was a defining moment for a guy that lost a ton of singles matches early on before finding his place in Trios matches. Dario’s opportunity was a choice between $250,000 or a Lucha Underground Title shot at Ultima Lucha Tres. Havoc picked the latter but then lost the opportunity when he lost to the debuting Dr. Wagner Jr. Still, it was a strong showing for Havoc.
4) American Alpha
5) The Mack

Mike Hammerlock
1) Son of Havoc:
Normally outstanding ringwork wins my WOTY vote. Son of Havoc was perfectly fine in the ring for the kickoff of Ultima Lucha Dos, though far from outstanding. Yet the story around his night was so good I had to put him at the top of my list. He’s a jobber who became a fan favorite and he just had the main event at Ultima Lucha Tres ripped from his grasp. Season three of Lucha Underground is going to be all about Son of Havoc righting that wrong. Dr. Wagner Jr. (and I was totally marking out for his surprise entry – now gimme some Silver King too) has a major comeuppance headed his way. Also, Dario Cueto was on fire the whole night. Kind of brilliant that we love the bad guy. Anyway, every LU fan is fully on Team Son of Havoc after last week.

2) The Mack: Best screwy finish I’ve seen in years. What Mack and Cage gave us was mayhem. Because the wrestlers embraced it so much, it brought in the crowd and the viewers at home. They kept looking to one-up each other. It became the story of the match, which is why the beer spit on Mack’s sit-out stunner was perfect. He just did it because he knew it would look badass. Later that puddle of beer caused Cage to slip, giving Mack the victory. Chaos won the day. I prefer clean finishes, but that made sense. They had ripped up their environment enough that it became unpredictable. Can’t wait for Cage-Mack III, because you know we’re getting trilogy.
3) Broken Matt Hardy: I thought the Final Deletion was a blast. Don’t know if it was strictly wrestling, but it was crazy … and I like crazy. Broken Matt Hardy is the best thing TNA has done post-Spike Network. He’s beyond category at this moment. The trick now is to bring the evil madman into the arena while still retaining that B-movie gonzo vibe.
4) Seth Rollins
5) The Revival

Jack McGee
1) Broken Matt Hardy:
Deleted brother Nero, got TNA some buzz and helped them get their highest rating in more than a year. You have to give the devil his due; for at least one week, it worked.

2) Eddie Edwards: Your new X-Division Champion, and will battle Lashley for the TNA title.
3) The Revival: No flips, just fists and still dominating NXT.
4) Son of Havoc
5) The Mack

Wyatt Beougher
1) Broken Matt Hardy:
Whether you loved Final Deletion or hated it, if you were a wrestling fan over the past week, you were talking about the Final Deletion match between the Hardy brothers from last week’s Impact broadcast. It delivered Impact’s highest ratings in quite some time and generated some huge views when the “Director’s Cut” was posted online. I had originally intended for both Hardys to share this spot, but I didn’t want to risk drawing Matt’s ire towards 411, so I wisely deleted Brother Nero.

2) Dean Ambrose: In a relatively slow week, Ambrose beating Intercontinental Champion the Miz in a match where neither man’s title was on the line was good enough for second billing this week.
3) The Mack: I love it every time the Mack and Cage lock up, and last week’s iteration on Ultima Lucha Dos was no exception. Mack picked up a measure of revenge for Cage beating him at last year’s Ultima Lucha.
4) Eddie Edwards
5) Seth Rollins

Rob Stewart
1) Broken Matt Hardy and Brother Nero:
I mean… it’s got to be, right? Matt won the match, but both guys deserve credit for taking part in the most talked-about match of the week. Count me among the story’s supporters; I certainly don’t want ALL my wrestling to be this, but for what it was as an extreme outlier… I got a big kick out of it. It was whacky and weird and controversial and stupid (in a good way). Props to the Hardy’s for getting me to pay attention.

2) Son of Havoc: Sure, he got screwed. Sure, he did not get the Unique Opportunity. But along the way, he won two entertaining stipulation matches against Texano and Da Mack. The Unique Opportunity accomplished so much in terms of Lucha Underground storytelling: it furthered Dario Cueto as just an absolute jerk; it furthered Son of Havoc as a sympathetic underdog; it introduced Dr. Wagner Jr. to LU. Good first night of Ultima Lucha.
3) Zack Ryder: Well, well, well. Look who had himself a big week! He was the most prominent fixture of the winning team in the Raw patriotic main event, and he followed that up with a pinfall victory over Sheamus on Smackdown. Don’t get too excited about it because WWE loves teasing usefulness for Ryder every so often, but still… good month.
4) Eddie Edwards
5) Dr. Wagner Jr

Mitch Nickelson
1) Matt Hardy:
Final Deletion was such a spectacle and for me that was a very good thing. The crazy Matt Hardy vowed to delete his brother, which apparently is a process that involves Roman candles and a dilapidated boat. The whole match was a ton of fun and drew an enormous amount of interest to TNA. Kudos to the Hardy’s for doing something truly unique and for also popping the rating for Impact. I’m not sure a sequel could ever live up to the first encounter but I am crossing my fingers that Matt is already brainstorming for Final Deletion 2.

2) Son of Havoc: Lucha Underground kicked off the first night of Ultima Lucha Dos by holding a Unique Opportunity Tournament. Son of Havoc won it all, first defeating Texano in a fantastic Boyle Heights Bar Fight. He also defeated The Mack in the finals, earning himself the option at either a Lucha Underground Championship Match or $250,000. I can respect the competitive spirit of Havoc for taking the title shot but Dario Cueto swerved him by making him fight another match against Dr. Wagner, Jr., which he then lost. You should’ve taken that cash, Havoc.
3) The Mack: Even though he lost in the finals of the Unique Opportunity Tournament to Son of Havoc, The Mack had one amazing contest with Cage earlier in the night. He also performed a sick Frog Splash off of a high perch in The Temple onto Cage through a table. The ending came when Cage slipped on some beer while trying to Curb Stomp Mack’s head onto a cinderblock, giving Mack the opportunity to roll his opponent up for the pin in this Falls Count Anywhere Match. Him and Cage always have great matches together so it was wise to put them in the opener of Ultima Lucha Dos.
4) Jeff Hardy
5) Zack Ryder

Dylan Diot
1) Matt Hardy:
Matt Hardy survived the FINAL DELETION, defeated Jeff Hardy in one of the most unique matches in the history of TNA. This was the brainchild of Matt Hardy, and whether you loved or hated the match, it the most buzz worthy match in wrestling this week and one of the most talked about segments in TNA in years. For the attention it got, Matt deserved the #1 spot this week.

2) Eddie Edwards: Eddie Edwards regained the X-Division title in an Ultimate X match and cashed in the title for a TNA Title shot against Bobby Lashley at Destination X. Edwards is now heading into the biggest match since he signed with TNA and it’ll be exciting to see if he can pull off the upset and capture TNA’s Triple Crown.
3) Zack Ryder: A surprisingly great week for Zack Ryder, as he was one of the lone survivor of the USA vs. the World match on Raw and pulled off an upset over Sheamus on Smackdown to earn a US Title shot against Rusev.
4) The Revival
5) Seth Rollins

THE WINNERS~!
* Special Mention…Zack Ryder – 10 Votes

* Fifth Place…The Mack -12 Votes

* Fourth Place…The Revival – 13 Votes

* Third Place…Eddie Edwards – 16 Votes

Your NEW X-Division champion!

* Second Place…Son of Havoc – 19 Votes

Had a great run in Dario Cueto’s 4 A Unique Opportunity Tournament last week at Ultima Lucha Dos.

* And 411’s Wrestler of the Week is…
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Broken Matt hardy – 37 Votes

He deleted brother Nero on the Hardy family battleground, even if that dilapidated boat almost ruined it….

The Standings
Here are the standings after week FOURTEEN

* Prince Puma/Ricochet – 54pts

* AJ Styles – 46pts

* Dragon Azteca Jr. – 36pts

* The Monster Matanza Cueto – 33pts
* Will Ospreay – 33pts

* Rey Mysterio Jr. – 30pts

* Johnny Mundo – 27pts
* Dean Ambrose – 27pts

* Lashley – 24pts
* Cage – 24 pts
* Roman Reigns – 24pts
* Tetsuya Naito – 24pts
* Jack Evans – 24pts
* PJ Black – 24 pts

* Samoa Joe – 21pts
* Sexy Star – 21pts

* The Miz – 16pts

* Jay Lethal – 15pts
* Seth Rollins – 15pts
* Broken Matt Hardy – 15pts
* Dash – 15pts
* Dawson – 15pts

* Son of Havoc – 12pts
* Michael Elgin -12pts
* Kevin Owens – 12pts
* Bobby Fish – 12pts
* Daniels – 12pts
* Kazarian – 12pts
* Mike Bennett – 12pts
* Eddie Edwards – 12pts

* Kyle O’Reilly – 9pts
* SANADA – 9pts
* KUSHIDA – 9pts
* Kazuchika Okada – 9pts
* Katsuyori Shibata – 9pts

* Rusev – 7pts

* Ethan Carter III – 6pts
* Fenix – 6pts
* Pentagon Jr – 6pts
* Mariposa – 6pts
* Yuji Nagata – 6pts

* Aerostar – 3pts
* The Mack – 3pts
* Cesaro – 3pts
* Dana Brooke – 3pts
* Xavier Woods – 3pts
* Kofi Kingston – 3pts
* Big E – 3pts
* Evie – 3pts
* Heidi Lovelace – 3pts
* Matt Sydal – 2pts

* Chavo Guerrero – 1pt
* Jeff Hardy – 1pt
* Abyss – 1pt
* Crazy Steve – 1pt
* Zack Ryder – 1pt
* Sami Zayn – 1pt
* Big Cass – 1pt
* Enzo Amore – 1pt
* Karl Anderson – 1pt
* Doc Gallows – 1pt
* Rocky Romero – 1pt
* Trent Barreta – 1pt
* Timothy Thatcher – 1pt
* Jay Briscoe – 1pt
* Mark Briscoe – 1pt
* Satoshi Kojima – 1pt


* Voting began the week of April 4th, 2016

* Year-End Rankings Key:

WWE Contracted Wrestlers are represented in BLUE.
TNA Contracted Wrestlers are represented in GREEN.
ROH Contracted Wrestlers are represented in RED.
US Independent Wrestlers are represented in MAROON.
Japanese Contracted Wrestlers are represented in BLACK.
Mexican/Lucha Underground Contracted Wrestlers are represented in MAGENTA.
Other International Wrestlers are represented in INDIGO.


**PREVIOUS WINNERS**
Year One Winner: Ric Flair (2005-2006) (Shortened year, starting September 2005)
Year Two Winner: Samoa Joe (2006-2007)
Year Three Winner: John Cena (2007-2008)
Year Four Winner: Chris Jericho (2008-2009)
Year Five Winner: CM Punk (2009-2010)
Year Six Winner: The Miz (2010-2011)
Year Seven Winner: CM Punk (2011-2012)
Year Eight Winner: CM Punk (2012-2013)
Year Nine Winner: Daniel Bryan (2013-2014)
Year Ten Winner: Seth Rollins (2014-2015)

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Year Eleven Winners: The New Day (2015-2016)