wrestling / Columns

411’s Wrestler of the Week: Is Ziggler #1?

November 18, 2014 | Posted by Larry Csonka

Welcome to YEAR TEN, WEEK 32 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) 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…

Larry Csonka
1) Rich Swann:
Over the last week, the WWNLive family (DGUSA, EVOLVE, SHINE, FIP) have been running a series of four shows in China, which apparently were very well attended and were very popular with the locals. This was a huge accomplishment for the company, and these shows weren’t just live event, we had title changes. Rich Swann defeated Trent Baretta to win the FIP Heavyweight Championship on the third show of the tour, a win that most are citing as the first professional wrestling title change in China.

2) Johnny Gargano: Johnny Gargano defeated Ricochet to become the DGUSA Open the Freedom Gate Champion for a second time. Gargano has been the guy for the WWNLive family, and is once again the top dog for them. For many, some of the luster is off of the title change because the feeling is that it was only done due to Ricochet’s commitments to Lucha Underground, but they did it in front of the company’s biggest crowd ever and took advantage of the venue they had, so I don’t have a big issue with it.
3) Mia Yim: Again, this title change had something to do with Ivelisse now working for Lucha Underground, but again this was also done at the right time. Yim has been a fantastic performer, constantly improving and I have constantly been surprised that she hasn’t been signed by a bigger company. This is the biggest singles accomplishment of her career, and likely a moment that she’ll never forget.
4) James Storm and Abyss
5) Ryback

Kevin Pantoja
1) Dolph Ziggler:
Not many huge victories came out of this week, but Dolph gets to be here for winning arguably the best match of the week. His match on Smackdown against Cesaro and Tyson Kidd is a strong candidate for TV match of the year. The performance by all three guys should be commended, but with Dolph winning, he gets the most praise.

2) Tyson Kidd – Another competitor in the amazing Smackdown Intercontinental Title Triple Threat match, Tyson eliminated Cesaro. He only won on Raw, beat Sami Zayn on Main Event and was part of a great tag team match on NXT. Tyson continues to be one of the best things going in the entire WWE.
3) Adrian Neville – Along with the Triple Threat, the NXT Title match from this past Thursday, that a certain writer here reviewed, is up for TV match of the year. He is slowly stepping into a more heelish role and is playing it perfectly. The match was outstanding and Neville has had a fantastic run as NXT Champion.
4) Finn Balor
5) Johnny Gargano

@JustinWatry
1) Dolph Ziggler:
Sure, why not? Playing second fiddle to John Cena at Survivor Series is as good as it gets in 2014, with Daniel Bryan and Roman Reigns being hurt. Oh, and that WWE World Champion Brock Lesnar guy. Remember him? Dolph Ziggler may have ended RAW beaten up backstage, but his IC Title match on Smackdown MORE than made up for it. If you have not seen his triple threat elimination title defense against Tyson Kidd and Cesar, go do it now!

2) Ryback: Ended Smackdown with a face to face staredown with Triple H. Plus, the entire episode of RAW was built around Ryback facing John Cena in the main event. On that note, I did find it funny and likely intentional that WWE had Ryback “turn” heel in the opening segment only to “turn” back later on. Felt like a big middle finger to those folks who just HAD to read the spoilers (not me) and then the company laughing at the freakout over Ryback joining The Authority…only he never did. So funny. Whether that was the point or not of the taped show, I enjoyed it.
3) Tyson Kidd: Seth Rollins, Dean Ambrose, Bray Wyatt, and a few others deserve a mention. However, I am going with Alberto Del Rio, Adrian Neville, and Tyson Kidd for my final three spots. Kidd won a match on RAW and then wrestled in a GREAT match for the Blue Brand. Not too shabby. Again, if you have not seen the three way IC Championship bout from last week, watch it NOW!
4) Adrian Neville
5) Alberto Del Rio

Ryan Byers
1) The Ryback:
I don’t know why the powers that be in WWE decided to pluck Ryback out of his jobber tag team and suddenly, without explanation, turn him back into the one-man wrecking crew that he was two years ago, but here we are. Crowds seem to be buying into it and Mr. Back is more than holding up his end of the bargain as a performer. After ten years in the WWE system, it seems that the Big Guy is finally going to break through as a legitimate main eventer.

2) Johnny Gargano: The World Wrestling Network/EVOLVE/FIP/DGUSA has been running a series of shows in China this week, reportedly drawing crowds of over 10,000 in some instances. Gargano is being booked as the focal point of these shows, including regaining the Open the Freedom Gate Title on one of them. These cards are historically significant, as it’s the first modern effort to bring live pro wrestling to mainland China that I know of.
3) Dory Funk, Jr.: Funk laced up the boots and wrestled at the age of 73 this weekend as a special guest on the first night of All Japan Pro Wrestling’s annual Real World Tag League tournament. This was significant because Dory and his brother Terry were the winners of the fist installment of this tournament all the way back in 1977.
4) The Young Bucks
5) Alberto Del Rio

Greg DeMarco
1) Dolph Ziggler:
Dolph Ziggler is experiencing a career resurgence thanks to the Survivor Series build, and seems to be nearing a Daniel Bryan level of treatment from The Authority. This past Friday he turned in yet another amazing performance in the week’s most talked about match, a successful Intercontinental Championship defense against Tyson Kidd & Cesaro.

2) Johnny Gargano: Gargano regained the Open The Freedom Gate Championship, and did so in front of the largest crowd ever to witness a show from an American independent, with over 10,000 in attendance. This is Gargano’s second run with the championship, solidifying him as Dragon Gate USA’s most important star since it’s inception–where he competed in a pre-show elimination match.
3) Ryback: The Big Guy was the focus of Monday’s Raw, pledging allegiance to no one and continuing to show the wrestling world that he’s back and, this time, he’s for real.
4) Tyson Kidd
5) Cesaro

Mike Chin
1) Ryback:
Two years ago it may have seemed reasonable; one year ago it would have been out of the question, but in this past Monday’s build to Survivor Series, Ryback was the star, at the center of the which-team-will-he-join drama, and even creating some intrigue when he superficially crossed both teams.

2) Dolph Ziggler: His days as a top tier face may be numbered, but Dolph Ziggler is making the most of his Survivor Series run–shining in the spotlight and turning in good to great in-ring performances week in and week out.
3) Adrian Neville: Adrian Neville retained the NXT strap in a superb bout against Sami Zayn this week.
4) Johnny Gargano
5) Luke Harper

Arnold Furious
1) Johnny Gargano:
It looked as if Ricochet was going to be the big star of the WWN Chinese events. He successfully defended the Open the Freedom Gate belt twice, against Chuck Taylor and AR Fox before Gargano’s victory on Day 4. It’s Gargano’s second time around as champion and last time he held the belt for a record setting 873 days.

2) Joe Doering & Suwama: It’s been a quiet week in Japan but AJPW did kick-start their Real World Tag League and the opening night had one result that stood out. Doering & Suwama, known collectively (with Aoki & Sato) as Evolution, bested Jun Akiyama & Takao Omori in less than 7 minutes. It reflects the faith shown by the new management, headed up by Akiyama, that they’re allowed such a convincing victory. Omori was Triple Crown champion just a few months back and Akiyama is the boss.
3) Rich Swann: Another big winner of the Chinese tour was Rich Swann. Ricochet’s tag team partner captured the FIP title from Trent Barreta. Not only that but he even defended the title on the last night of the tour by beating AR Fox.
4) Ricochet
5) Shuji Ishikawa

Mike Hammerlock
1) Dolph Ziggler:
If it weren’t for the Ziggler win over Tyson Kidd and Cesaro, this would have been a completely disposable week from the WWE, at least in terms of wrestling. Exposing Ryback’s shortcomings – he either crushes or lays around until he crushes – did not make for compelling in-ring action. Fortunately Ziggler came to the rescue. If only I had some faith Dolph’s story was heading somewhere. On a side note, shouldn’t Team Cena (with four former world champions, three still in their primes) be heavy favorites over Team Authority (with two former world champions, both on the wrong side of 40)? Exactly what odds are the good guys supposedly overcoming here?

2) Johnny Garano: He’s back in the saddle again. Gargano went through a few months in the middle of the year where he literally couldn’t win a match. He turned it around at PWG’s Battle of Los Angeles, making the finals (where he lost to Ricochet). He won matches on all four nights of the WWN tour through China, beating Biff Busick, Jody Kristofferson and Chuck Taylor before reclaiming the main Dragon Gate USA belt against Ricochet in front of a crowd of 10,000+. Got a feeling the Chinese market is about to get heavily into play.
3) Fenix: Introduced himself to the USA in style on Lucha Underground: massive suicide dive, walking the ropes like a cat, reverse hurricanrana. Yes, the choreography in lucha libre is a little obvious and it can be a spotfest, but Fenix, Pentagon Jr. and Drago gave uninitiated fans a nice sampler plate of moves to feast on. Psychology can come later. Got a lower vote for the Devastation Corporation guys, who have been carving their way through Chikara this year. Got two big wins this weekend and are now in line to face Campeonatos de Parejas champs the Throwbacks at Chikara’s season finale.
4) Ricochet
5) Devastation Corporation (Max Smashmaster and Blaster McMassive)

Jack McGee
1) Johnny Gargano:
Johnny Gargano defeated Ricochet to become the DGUSA Open the Freedom Gate Champion for a second time. Gargano cements his legacy in the DGUSA universe as the company’s go to guy, and now looks to beat out his first run with the title, which was approximately 8,000 days long. (Ok, it was approximately 800).

2) Fenix: In the main event of this week’s show, Fenix Jr. defeated Pentagón Jr. and Drago in a damn good match. Fenix not only one, but also came off like a big time star to a new audience. Lucha Underground is the best wrestling show on TV right now, and is not only a joy to watch, but the show flies by.
3) Rich Swann: Defeated Trent Baretta to win the FIP Title in what they say is the first pro wrestling title change in China. A major accomplishment and a fun fact for wrestling trivia down the line.
4) James Storm and Abyss
5) Dolph Ziggler

Alex Crowder
1) Ryback:
This week was mostly uneventful in wrestling, but Ryback got a lot of focus on Raw. Raw seemed to be entirely focused on Ryback and his decision. The crowd loves Ryback again, and they haven’t messed it up yet! Ryback may not have the prettiest matches, but the crowd cares about him again (that’s a big surprise to me). Even I care about Ryback again! WWE is booking him well so far, and Ryback deserves credit for making the most of it.

2) Dolph Ziggler: I cannot say that his Raw was anything spectacular, but he made up for it with his Smackdown effort. The triple threat match on Smackdown was awesome, and Dolph if anything is at least being featured. That’s more than I can say for others.
3) Johnny Gargano: He regains the Open Freedom Gate Championship, winning it for the second time. I don’t have a lot of knowledge on Dragon Gate but he’s fun to watch if nothing else.
4) Tyson Kidd
5) Fenix

THE WINNERS~!
* Special Mention…Fenix – 7 Votes

* Fifth Place…Adrian Neville – 8 Votes

* Fourth Place…Rich Swann and Tyson Kidd – 11 Votes

* Third Place…Ryback – 23 Votes

Was the focus of WWE TV last week, and could be an important part of the Survivor Series main event.

* Second Place…Dolph Ziggler – 28 Votes

Defeated Tyson Kidd and Cesaro in a tremendous match on Smackdown last week.

* And 411’s Wrestler of the Week is…
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Johnny Gargano – 32 Votes

Closed out the successful WWNLive tour of China by winning the DGUSA Open the Freedom Gate for the second time.

The Standings~!
Here are the standings after week thirty-two…

1. Seth Rollins – 132pts.

2. Dean Ambrose – 94pts.

3. AJ Styles – 74pts.

4. Roman Reigns – 71pts.

5. Bobby Lashley – 60pts.
5. John Cena – 60pts.

7. Eric Young – 58pts.

8. Rusev – 52pts.

9. Dolph Ziggler – 47 pts.

10. Kazuchika Okada – 45pts

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Brock Lesnar – 43pts.

Kyle O’Reilly – 33pts.

Ricochet – 27pts
Hiroshi Tanahashi – 27pts

Davey Richards – 25pts.
Eddie Edwards – 25pts.

Bobby Fish – 24pts.
Jey Uso – 24pts.
Jimmy Uso – 24pts.
Hideo Itami – 24pts.
Adrian Neville – 24pts.

Bobby Roode – 21pts.
Bad News Barrett – 21pts.

BxB Hulk – 19pts
Randy Orton – 19pts.
Bray Wyatt – 19pts

Charlotte – 18pts.
Cesaro – 18pts.
Adam Cole – 18pts.

AJ Lee – 16pts.
Batista – 16pts.

Atlantis – 15pts.
Paige – 15pts.
YAMATO – 15pts
Takao Omori – 15pts
Sheamus – 15pts.
Johnny Gargano – 15pts.

Samoa Joe – 14pts.

Bully Ray – 13pts.

Ryback – 12pts.
The Rock – 12pts.
Icarus – 12pts.
Daniel Bryan – 12pts.
Chris Jericho – 12pts.
Michael Elgin – 12pts.
Jay Briscoe – 12pts.
Austin Aries – 12pts.

Stardust (Cody Rhodes) – 11pts.

KUSHIDA – 10pts.

Johnny Mundo – 9pts.
Havok – 9pts.
Ultimo Guerrero – 9pts.
Luke Harper – 9pts.
Triple H – 9pts.
Yujiro Takahashi – 9pts
Masayuki Kono – 9pts
Minoru Suzuki – 9pts
Tyson Kidd – 9pts.

Goldust – 8pts.

Alicia Fox – 7pts.
Devon – 7pts.

Shelton Benjamin – 6pts.
Gail Kim – 6pts.
Suwama – 6pts.
Bad Luck Fale – 6pts
Biff Busick – 6pts.
Erick Rowan – 6pts.
Stephanie McMahon – 6pts.
Kalisto – 6pts.
Rich Swann – 6pts.

Tomohiro Ishii – 4pts
Jeff Hardy – 4pts.

Kenny Omega – 3pts.
Joe Doering – 3pts.
T-Hawk – 3pts.
EITA – 3pts.
Mark Henry – 3pts.
Tyler Breeze – 3pts.
Adam Rose – 3pts.
Jack Swagger – 3pts.
Sin Cara – 3pts.

Naomichi Marufuji – 2pt
Dasher Hatfield – 2pts.
Mr. Touchdown – 2pts.

Matt Hardy Hardy – 1pt
The Miz – 1pt
Kane – 1pt
Brie Bella – 1pt
Uhaa Nation – 1pt
Kota Ibushi – 1pt
Sanada – 1pt
Bram – 1pt
Alex Shelley – 1pt
Isami Kodaka – 1pt
Kazuyuki Fujita – 1pt
Vickie Guerrero – 1pt
Drew Galloway – 1pt
Caleb Konley – 1pt
Jimmy Susumu – 1pt
Jimmy Kagetora – 1pt
Fenix – 1pt