wrestling / Columns

411’s Wrestler of The Week: Reigns Battles Naito

September 28, 2016 | Posted by Larry Csonka
Image Credit: WWE

Welcome to YEAR TWELVE, WEEK 25 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: SEPTEMBER 19 – SEPTEMBER 25

Larry Csonka
1) Tetsuya Naito:
Tetsuya Naito defeated Michael Elgin at the Destruction in Kobe event to win the IWGP IC Title. This was a high quality and emotionally driven match that would have been at home as the main event of any major show this year.

2) Dean Ambrose: Dean Ambrose pinned John Cena clean on Smackdown, if that’s not worthy of a top three finish I don’t know what is.
3) Satoshi Kojima, David Finlay & Ricochet: Won the NEVER Openweight Six-Man titles in a great match with The Bucks and Adam Cole… BAY BAY!
4) Roman Reigns
5) Kevin Owens

Mike Chin
1) Roman Reigns:
Reigns picked up the win in a steel cage main event against the reigning Universal Champion, and followed it by beating Rusev for the US Championship in a solid outing at Clash of Champions.

2) Tetsuya Naito: Naito beat Michael Elgin in a strong match at the Destruction in Kobe show to win the IWGP IC title.
3) Kevin Owens: While the match didn’t exactly light the world on fire, Owens beat Seth Rollins to successfully defend the Universal Championship at Clash of Champions and shore up his status as a main eventer for the time being.
4) Cesaro and Sheamus
5) Dean Ambrose

Rob Stewart
1) Roman Reigns:
I know, I know… a week THIS jam-packed where I could throw a dart and hit a deserving candidate, and I’m picking Roman? But hey… dude had a good week that started on the 9/19 edition of Raw where he defeated the current Universal champion in a steel cage non-title match. He followed that up by winning the United States title from Rusev at Clash of Champions, even overcoming Lana’s efforts to save her man. Those are two substantial wins of quality, so… yeah, it’s going to be Roman for me.

2) The Monster Matanza Cueto: It was just a title defense, and there were a lot of those this week, but the Dial of Doom gimmick really is making Matanza out to be an even bigger force of nature than he already was. Now he’s taking on guys he can’t even possibly prepare for, and he’s still crushing them. The Mack is maybe not the absolute crème of LU, but he’s still a popular and competitive figure, and the reigning LU champ handled him to again retain his championship. At this point, whoever it is that beats Matanza, it is going to be a big damn deal
3) Tetsuya Naito: At Destruction in Kobe, Naito won a friggin’ half-an-hour+ match against Michael Elgin to earn his first IWGP Intercontinental title reign. As an aside… there are too many deserving candidates this week, so I apologize for the dozen or so that I already feel I left out.
4) Dean Ambrose
5) TJ Perkins

Jack McGee
1) Dean Ambrose:
It doesn’t happen all that often, but Dean Ambrose defeated John Cena clean as a sheet on Smackdown, setting up his rematch with AJ Styles for the WWE Title.

2) Roman Reigns: The new WWE US Champion.
3) Tetsuya Naito: The new IWGP IC Champion.
4) Satoshi Kojima, David Finlay & Ricochet
5) TJ Perkins

Kevin Pantoja
1) Tetsuya Naito:
There were a lot of shows this week, but Tetsuya Naito is a clear-cut winner here. His match against Michael Elgin at Destruction in Kobe was the best of the week and another feather in the cap of the guy that I think makes the best argument against AJ Styles for wrestler of the year. Naito’s win earned him his first ever IWGP Intercontinental Title. That would be enough to put him first but the win was more than that. It made Naito the first Grand Slam winner in NJPW. He has held the IWGP Tag Team, Heavyweight, Intercontinental and NEVER Openweight Championships, to go along with G1 Climax and New Japan Cup victories. Naito is easily the MVP of NJPW this year and this proved it again.

2) Roman Reigns: Reigns has been very good in the ring over the past two years but his character is just so bad and unlikable that I and many others just can’t get behind him. This week, he didn’t put on some of his best matches but he did rack up two major wins. First, in the main event of Raw, he defeated the WWE Universal Champion Kevin Owens in a Steel Cage match. Then, at Clash of Champions, he bested Rusev to win his first WWE United States Championship. Though it is a midcard title, Reigns is still seen as one of, if not the top guy on Raw and his run as champion will most likely see the title be held in higher regard.
3) The New Day: I like the New Day. I really do. I disagree with the decision to have them retain at Clash of Champions though. It’s about time Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson become champions. Either way though, the New Day retained their Tag Team Titles at the PPV in the best match they’ve had against Gallows and Anderson so far. The win marks a milestone for the team as they surpassed 399 days as champions and crossed into the 400 day section. It’s nearly uncharted territory as they join only Demolition as 400+ day champions.
4) Kevin Owens
5) TJ Perkins

Mike Hammerlock
1) Charlotte:
I thought the women stole the show at Clash of Champions. In particular I thought Charlotte had her best night ever in the WWE. Rather than do the typical heel champ routine of playing her two opponents off of each other, she went hard after both of them and controlled much of the match. She made it into a bruising, fast-paced match and performed at an A level from start to finish. I’ve been critical of Charlotte’s WWE work, but she deserves heaps of praise for her Clash victory.

2) Tetsuya Naito: Heeled his way to an IWGP Intercontinental Championship win at Destruction in Kobe. I like that he’s good enough that he doesn’t have to cheat, it’s just that he wants to cheat. That’s a critical difference when you’re talking about a truly great heel. Becoming the first Grand Slam winner in New Japan also ensconces him at the elite level in that promotion.
3) Satoshi Kojima, David Finlay and Ricochet: If you’re the sort of person who likes all-out action in a wrestling match, the new NEVER 6-Man Tag champions delivered it. Real misfit team. You’ve got the old warrior in Kojima, the raw kid in Finlay and the human highlight reel in Ricochet. Ricochet and Kojima essentially retained their previous titles here after losing their partner Matt Sydal. Should be noted Ricochet has become an international trios ringer. He’s won titles in New Japan, Lucha Underground and Dragon Gate. Can a AAA Trios Title and a Chikara King of Trios be far behind?
4) Roman Reigns
5) The Miz

Arnold Furious
1) Mark Haskins:
This may be slightly biased based on personal experience but Haskins won the PROGRESS title this weekend on the biggest show PROGRESS have ever put on in front of 2400 fans, which is a fucking lot for a UK Indie with only two imports on the show, and he fully deserves the acclaim. He’s a lovely chap. If memory serves correct, which it probably doesn’t because I was slightly drunk in a post-show celebration of wrestling excellence, I’m pretty sure I hugged him at least twice at the pub afterwards. Haskins recently won the SMASH title, which was a fantastic match against Johnny Gargano and there’s a feeling he’s taken over the mantle of one of the top Indie guys with WWE hoovering up so many talents. I wish him all the best. He deserves every success he gets. Worcestershire represent!

2) Trent Seven & Pete Dunne: Again this is a PROGRESS Brixton award to my favorite tag team, who captured PROGRESS tag gold over the weekend. British Strong Style have taken the UK scene by storm and if their first title match is anything to go by they’ll be a force to be reckoned with, based on the strength of their opponents: The London Riots.
3) Tetsuya Naito: Captured the IWGP IC title over the weekend and perhaps more importantly puts himself in line for potentially main eventing the Tokyo Dome Show, reclaiming the spot that was taken from him as a babyface. He had to turn bad to get the crowd to love him. He is Ingobernable.
4) Charlotte
5) Sheamus and Cesaro

Dylan Diot
1) Roman Reigns:
This was a great week for Roman Reigns. On Raw he defeated WWE Universal Champion Kevin Owens in a cage match and then at Clash of Champions he defeated Rusev to become the NEW WWE US Champion. Reigns finally has gold around his waist and he keeps himself in the mix at the top of Raw.

2) Tetsuya Naito: Tetsuya Naito defeated Michael Elgin at Destruction in Kobe to become the NEW IWGP Intercontinental Champion. He picks up his second major championship this year and may be the guy to finally fill the void of Shinsuke Nakamura to bring the IC Championship back to the level that is almost equal to the IWGP Championship.
3) Kevin Owens: Mixed results this week for Kevin Owens but with the help of Chris Jericho he defeated Seth Rollins at Clash of Champions to retain the WWE Universal Championship in his first PPV Main Event.
4) Satoshi Kojima, Ricochet & David Finlay
5) Charlotte

THE WINNERS~!
* Special Mention…Charlotte – 8 Votes

* Fifth Place…Kevin Owens – 9 Votes

* Fourth Place…Satoshi Kojima, David Finlay & Ricochet – 10 Votes

* Third Place…Dean Ambrose – 12 Votes

defeated John Cena clean on Smackdown.

* Second Place…Roman Reigns – 27Votes

Your NEW WWE US Champion!

* And 411’s Wrestler of the Week is…

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Tetsuya Naito – 31 Votes

Your NEW IWGP IC Champion!

The Standings
Here are the standings after week 25

* AJ Styles – 74pts

* Prince Puma/Ricochet – 60pts

* Dean Ambrose – 51pts

* Lashley – 45pts
* Tetsuya Naito – 45pts

* Roman Reigns – 36pts
* Rey Mysterio Jr. – 36pts
* Dragon Azteca Jr. – 36pts

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

* Kevin Owens – 31pts

* Finn Balor – 30pts

* Johnny Mundo – 28pts

* TJ Perkins – 27pts

* Cage – 24 pts
* Jack Evans – 24pts
* PJ Black – 24 pts

* Jay Lethal – 21pts
* Samoa Joe – 21pts

* The Miz – 20pts

* Dash – 18pts
* Dawson – 18pts

* Kota Ibushi – 16pts
* Broken Matt Hardy – 16pts

* Kenny Omega – 15pts
* Seth Rollins – 15pts
* Drew Galloway – 15pts
* Johnny Gargano – 15pts
* KUSHIDA – 15pts
* Aerostar – 15pts

* Sami Zayn – 13pts

* Shinsuke Nakamura – 12pts
* Becky Lynch – 12pts
* Sasha Banks – 12pts
* Killshot – 12pts
* Son of Havoc – 12pts
* Michael Elgin -12pts
* Bobby Fish – 12pts
* Daniels – 12pts
* Kazarian – 12pts
* Mike Bennett – 12pts
* Eddie Edwards – 12pts
* Tomohiro Ishii – 12pts
* Marty Scurll – 12pts
* Katsuyori Shibata – 12pts

* Dolph Ziggler – 10pts
* Kazuchika Okada – 10pts

* Adam Cole – 9pts
* Tommaso Ciampa – 9pts
* Heath Slater – 9pts
* Rhyno – 9pts
* Mil Muertes – 9pts
* Drago – 9pts
* Kyle O’Reilly – 9pts
* SANADA – 9pts
* Zack Sabre Jr – 9pts
* Ethan Carter III – 9pts
* Meiko Satomura – 9pts
* DASH Chisako – 9pts
* Cassandra Miyagi – 9pts
* BUSHI – 9pts

* Satoshi Kojima – 7pts
* Rusev – 7pts
* Gran Metalik – 7pts

* Fenix – 6pts
* Pentagon Jr – 6pts
* Mariposa – 6pts
* Yuji Nagata – 6pts
* Takashi Sugiura – 6pts
* Matt Riddle – 6pts
* David Finlay – 6pts

* Bayley – 4pts
* Brother Nero – 4pts

* The Mack – 3pts
* Cesaro – 3pts
* Dana Brooke – 3pts
* Xavier Woods – 3pts
* Kofi Kingston – 3pts
* Big E – 3pts
* Evie – 3pts
* Heidi Lovelace – 3pts
* Dustin (Chuck Taylor) – 3pts
* Cedric Alexander – 3pts
* YAMATO – 3pts
* James Storm – 3pts

* Matt Sydal – 2pts
* Charlotte – 2pts

* Chavo Guerrero – 1pt
* Abyss – 1pt
* Crazy Steve – 1pt
* Zack Ryder – 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
* ACH – 1pt
* Hiroyoshi Tenzan – 1pt
* Taiji Ishimori – 1pt
* Hiroshi Tanahashi – 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)

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