411’s Wrestler of The Week: TJ Perkins Battles Killshot

Welcome to YEAR TWELVE, WEEK 24 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…

Voting period: SEPTEMBER 12 – SEPTEMBER 18

Larry Csonka
1) TJ Perkins:
TJ Perkins defeated Kota Ibushi (awesome match) in the semifinals and then Gran Metalik (another awesome match) to not only win the first ever WWE Cruiserweight Classic, but to also become the new WWE Cruiserweight Champion. There was no other choice for the top spot this week for me.

2) BUSHI: Defeated KUSHIDA at the NJPW DESTRUCTION in Tokyo event to win the IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Championship.
3) Killshot: Defeated Marty the Moth in the first great match of Lucha Underground season three.
4) Gran Metalik
5) Katsuyori Shibata

Kevin Pantoja
1) TJ Perkins:
Another week with a totally easy choice. TJ Perkins became a household name and a major star this week. When the Cruiserweight Classic names were announced, he wasn’t one of the favorites. He wasn’t a massive name like Kota Ibushi or Zack Sabre Jr., nor was he under contract like Johnny Gargano or Rich Swann. However, Perkins beat both Gargano and Swann in previous rounds, before beating Ibushi a MOTY candidate in the Semi-Finals this week. Seriously, I don’t give the full five out, but I did there. Perkins then went out and had another great match that night, beating Gran Metalik in the tournament finals. Not only did he win the CWC, he was awarded the new Cruiserweight Championship. Perkins now goes to Raw as a champion.

2) Killshot: On a Wednesday full of great matches, Killshot went a bit overlooked. He’s long been one of the more underused guys in Lucha Underground. Killshot finally got a chance to main event and he delivered. In the first Weapons of Mass Destruction match, Killshot defeated his rival Marty Martinez. Marty deserves credit too, but I’m going with the guy who won. This was a brutal war that didn’t feel out of place with the stuff we’re used to in the Temple. It was a top three match in a loaded week and showed that Killshot can be a major player in Lucha Underground.
3) Gran Metalik: I enjoyed him as Mascara Dorada in NJPW, but his run during the CWC has made me a big fan of Gran Metalik. Once again, they used him to open up the episode and he produced. Metalik bested Zack Sabre Jr. in a match of two guys with different styles. Despite this, it was the best match for either guy in the tournament up to that point. Metalik pulled off the relative upset to advance to the finals and meet TJ Perkins. That finals contest again proved to be a really great match and though Metalik lost, he deserves a ton of credit for his performances.
4) BUSHI
5) Katsuyori Shibata

Mike Hammerlock
1) TJ Perkins:
Until the CWC I did not realize TJ Perkins is amazing. His speed in the ring, his ability to transition between moves, the way he’s blended every wrestling style on the planet into a cohesive whole – and then he does all that with an outrageous dose of in-ring charisma. Honestly, how did TNA not let him do with the X-Division what the WWE just let him do with the Cruiserweight Division? It’s like they made him work with handcuffs on his whole time there. Huge credit to the WWE for giving him the platform and freedom to show off his full skill set.

2) Killshot: Holy hell that was a bloody match he had with Marty the Moth. Marty went off like a crimson geyser. The double foot stomp driver off the ladder through the table to finish the match was outstanding. I’m consistently impressed with how Lucha Underground delivers stellar mid-card feuds. Can’t wait to see what Killshot does next?
3) Gran Metalik: Lost the finale of the CWC to TJ Perkins, but beat Zack Sabre Jr. in a great semifinal to get there. One of the best things about the CWC is it made multiple guys look like stars. Giving him the nod over Katsuyori Shibata, who defended his IWGP NEVER Openweight Championship against Bobby Fish, and Hallowicked, who retained his Chikara Grand Championship over Drew Gulak – both in excellent matches.
4) Katsuyori Shibata
5) Hallowicked

Mike Chin
1) TJ Perkins:
The WWE Cruiserweight Classic winner capped a great run in a great tournament by winning the whole thing and punching his ticket to start his run on Raw atop the Cruiserweight division.

2) Killshot: Killshot won an epic Weapons of Mass Destruction Match over Marty The Moth Martinez on Lucha Underground to pay off their ongoing issue and perhaps push Killshot up a notch on the LU roster.
3) BUSHI: BUSHI beat KOSHIDA to become the new IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Champ.
4) John Cena
5) Kevin Owens

Rob Stewart
1) TJ Perkins:
Well… I didn’t see THAT coming. Perkins dabbed his way to not only victory in the inaugural Cruiserweight Classic, but he was crowned the first Cruiserweight Champion of Raw’s modern cruiserweight era. When the brackets were initially announced, did anyone have him picked to win? Heck, did anyone have him getting out of the second round? But here he is, and he absolutely deserves it. He put on a slew of great matches, and he beat favorites like Johnny Gargano, Kota Ibushi, and Gran Metalik along the way.

2) BUSHI: BUSHI defeated KUSHIDA at NJPW Destruction to claim the IWGP Junior Heavyweight title in the show’s main event.
3) Killshot: Killshot culminated his feud with Marty The Moth in this past week’s episode of Lucha Underground, defeating the thorn in his side in a Weapons of Mass Destruction match. This is the kind of victory Killshot has needed to further his character, so I am curious to see how LU uses him going forward.
4) Gran Metalik
5) Katsuyori Shibata

Dylan Diot
1) T.J. Perkins:
T.J. Perkins was the talk of the wrestling world this week and for good reason. He put on two incredible performances at the CWC Finals, beating Kota Ibushi and Gran Matalek to win the tournament and become the new WWE Cruiserweight Championship. It was probably the career highlight of Perkins’ career and he earned the position of the first face of the new division.

2) BUSHI: BUSHI pulled off a shocking victory at Destruction in Tokyo, beating KUSHIDA to win the IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Championship. BUSHI out of nowhere ended the long reign of KUSHIDA and gave the Los Ingobernobles group their first title of the week with Tetsuya Naito potentially adding more gold to the unit in the coming days.
3) Katsuyori Shibata: Despite a serious back injury, Shibata successfully defended the NEVER Openweight Championship at Destruction in Tokyo against Bobby Fish in awesome match and hopefully he can now take time to heal up heading to a future showdown with Fish’s partner Kyle O’Reilly.
4) Kevin Owens
5) Karl Anderson and Doc Gallows

THE WINNERS~!
* Special Mention…Kevin Owens – 3 Votes

* Fifth Place…Katsuyori Shibata – 8 Votes

* Fourth Place…Gran Metalik – 10 Votes

* Third Place…BUSHI – 17 Votes

Your new IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Champion!

* Second Place…Killshot – 18 Votes

Won an awesome main event on Lucha Underground.

* And 411’s Wrestler of the Week is…

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TJ Perkins – 30 Votes

Your Cruiserweight Classic winner and new WWE Cruiserweight Champion!

The Standings
Here are the standings after week 24…

* AJ Styles – 74pts

* Prince Puma/Ricochet – 54pts

* Lashley – 45pts

* Dean Ambrose – 42pts

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

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

* Tetsuya Naito – 30pts
* Finn Balor – 30pts

* Johnny Mundo – 28pts
* Kevin Owens – 28pts

* TJ Perkins – 27pts

* Cage – 24 pts
* Roman Reigns – 24pts
* 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

* Rusev – 7pts
* Gran Metalik – 7pts

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

* Chavo Guerrero – 1pt
* Abyss – 1pt
* Crazy Steve – 1pt
* Charlotte – 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
* Satoshi Kojima – 1pt
* Hiroyoshi Tenzan – 1pt
* Taiji Ishimori – 1pt
* Hiroshi Tanahashi – 1pt

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* 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.

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**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)