wrestling / Columns

411’s Wrestler of the Week 01.24.11: Week 43

January 24, 2011 | Posted by Larry Csonka

Welcome to Week 41, Year SIX, 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 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

If you are wondering how some of the writers decide who to vote for, please check out our Wrestler of the Week Supplemental Column!

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 at WrestleMania. This will be posted every Monday. Let’s see who wins this week…

THIS COLUMN WILL CONTAIN ROH ON HDNET SPOILERS!

Larry Csonka
1) Mike Bennett
I know that this will be fodder for the usual WOTW commenter jokes, but Mike Bennett had a great week. At the final ROH on HDNet tapings, Bennett won the Top Prospect tournament, defeating Adam Cole, Andy Ridge, and Kyle O’Reilly over the weekend to do so. It has been rumored that ROH has plans for this young man, and by winning this tournament; I would say that this is the case. This was a hell of a weekend for Mr. Bennett.

2) Ryusuke Taguchi: Over the weekend, Ryusuke Taguchi defeated Mascara Dorada at Korakuen Hall in Tokyo to win the CMLL welterweight title.
3) John Morrison: Defeated US Champion Daniel Bryan in a non-title match on Raw.
4) Prince DeVitt
5) Christopher Daniels

Michael Bauer
1) Prince DeVitt & Rysuke Taguchi
Of all the title changes and good matches, I’ll take these two winning back the IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Tag championship back from the very popular Ibushi and Omega.

2) Christopher Daniels: Two successful defenses of the RoH World TV Title for the Fallen Angel.
3) “The Prodigy” Mike Bennett: Won RoH’s two night Top Prospect Tournament.
4) Justin Gabriel
5) Kenny King

Michael Ornelas
1) Dolph Ziggler
Proved he can hang with Randy Orton and looks like he’s making the most of his main event push heading into the Rumble. I know he lost the match, but he continues to grow as a performer every week, and I’m fast taking notice.

2) Daniel Bryan & John Morrison: Put on what I considered to be the best match of the week. And while Bryan lost, he made up for it by having his alleged virginity being feuded over by the Bellas and for his job on NXT this past week (the matching game with Bateman was hilarious, and they picked up a tag team victory). Morrison meanwhile continues to climb the card and is a likely candidate to win the Rumble or at least do really well.
3) Prince DeVitt & Rysuke Taguchi: Took the IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Tag championship back from Ibushi and Omega this past weekend.
4) Justin Gabriel
5) Mike Bennett

Chad Nevett
1) Dolph Ziggler
He looked like he belonged in his match again Randy Orton, like he was at that main event level for the first time, and, then, on Smackdown, delivered great commentary and finished the show standing over the World Heavyweight Champion.

2) Christopher Daniels: He defended the ROH TV Title twice this week.
3) Matt Morgan: Did you beat “The Freak” Rob Terry in under ten seconds? No? Then shut up!
4) Justin Gabriel
5) Mike Bennett

Ryan Byers
1) CM Punk
Long-time readers of this column will be able to tell you that one of the things I really put stock in while voting is career advancement, i.e. which wrestler is now seen on a different level by fans and/or promoters as a result of his performance. This week, I don’t think anybody raised his stock in that regard more than CM Punk. Yes, Punk was already a multi-time champion in WWE, but it always seemed that he was still a level or two below true main eventers like Randy Orton, the Undertaker, or Triple H. However, this past week on Monday Night Raw, Punk had a very strong match against John Cena in which the Punker was allowed to wrestle like an actual threat to Cena, somebody on the level of the biggest wrestler going today. With the right follow-through, that is true elevation, and that’s why I have to call CM Punk the Wrestler of the Week.

2) Rysuke Taguchi: It’s a rare accomplishment indeed for one wrestler to win two separate championships belonging to two major promotions in the same week. However, that is exactly what Rysuke Taguchi of New Japan Pro Wrestling has done in the past seven days. NJPW co-promoted two shows in Japan this week with Mexico’s CMLL company. On the first of those shows, Taguchi pinned CMLL wrestler Mascara Dorado to win the CMLL World Welterweight Title. On the second, Taguchi and regular tag team partner Prince Devitt regained the IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Tag Team Titles by beating DDT’s Kota Ibushi & Kenny Omega. If that’s not a full week for Taguchi, I don’t know what is.
3) Mike Bennett: With its TV show being canceled, Ring of Honor made the smart move of using its last few episodes to build up some new stars. One of those stars in Mike Bennett, who won the single elimination Top Prospect tournament that will air over the last several weeks of ROH on HDNet. It remains to be seen whether Bennett will truly sink or swim when put into the promotion’s top mix, but he’s on a good path now.
4) Eddie Kingston
5) Hierachon

James Cooke
1) Justin Gabriel
Justin Gabriel ended Smackdown by pinning the World Heavyweight Champion Edge in what was a competitive match. With Wade Barrett’s newest group The Corre having a bigger emphasis on the other members, Justin Gabriel’s stock has never been higher.

2) CM Punk: CM Punk main evented Raw by going toe-to-toe with John Cena. The straight-edge superstar measured up very well to Cena, and looked to be his equal. The victory may have been a cheap one, but the sacrificial look and feel to it fit the bill nicely, and introduced the new Nexus’s new member.
3) The Miz: He didn’t compete in any actual match this week, but The Miz regained his ruthless attitude this week by aggressively beating Randy Orton down to the point that he could truly proclaim to be AWESOME!
4) Dolph Ziggler
5) Alberto Del Rio

Andy Critchell
1) Mason Ryan
As far as impact on a career, no one had a bigger week than Mason Ryan. He basically came out of nowhere to join the top heel stable on the biggest show in wrestling. If you are going to make your debut, that’s the way to do it. Word is that he’s pretty green and was fast tracked due to his more than passing resemblance to Dave Batista. World also is that he’s got a great attitude and realizes that he got a lot to learn. So basically being in a stable will help disguise his flaws (i.e. lack of experience) and accentuate the positive (i.e. looking like a total bad ass.) Not a bad way to start things off at all.

2) Dolph Ziggler: Yes, he lost, but that doesn’t really matter because everyone loses to Orton. But not everyone is portrayed as being close to Orton’s level and that’s exactly what happened on Raw. For the first time in his career, Ziggler was treated as a main event level guy, not just some midcard act elevated only to do the job and then drop back down the card. Instead, Ziggler accounted for himself very well and made the most of the offense Orton gave him. This match was set up to help change people’s perception of Ziggler and give him a chance to be taken seriously heading into the Royal Rumble. I think it worked.
3) Justin Gabriel: Another young, up and coming guy with a big win; Gabriel scored a big victory not only for himself but for his stable by beating Edge on Smackdown. While the match with Edge didn’t completely click, Gabriel did enough to turn some heads and more importantly was able to hit his impressive finisher. He also got to do a little bit of mic work and it came off as pretty natural and not forced. Most people saw him and Barrett as the guys that would eventually be the breakout stars of the original Nexus and this win over Edge was just another step in that direction.
4) Chris Masters
5) CM Punk/Kurt Angle

Jeremy Thomas
1) Dolph Ziggler
Dolph Ziggler is certainly making the most of his shot at the World Title. I don’t think a lot of people give him more than a snowball’s chance in a furnace in terms of actually winning the belt, but in the meantime he’s taken the ball and he’s run with it to show the WWE brass that he’s a guy who can eventually get that run. He did that by putting on a very good match with Orton on Raw, followed by a strong showing on SmackDown in terms of getting one up on Edge. Good stuff from the guy who many (myself included) had initially written off as the guy who was “Hi, I’m Dolph Ziggler” for MONTHS.

2) Justin Gabriel & Mason Ryan (tie): Gabriel had what was the biggest win of the week when he beat Edge on Smackdown. Sure, it was a dirty win, but it was another example of a singles win that Gabriel now holds against a legitimate WWE main eventer, and it once again shows that the company is high on him. Meanwhile, make all the Batistwo jokes you want (admittedly, they’re funny and true), but Mason Ryan had a remarkably high-profile debut as he was inserted into the biggest angle currently going on Raw. He may sputter out or he may not, but it’s definitely huge for him and earns him the co-Number Two spot.
3) John Morrison: Morrison won the best match of the week that I saw, beating Daniel Bryan in one hell of a contest. Morrison may have lost his World Title match at the Pay-Per-View this month but he’s lost none of his momentum and that’s good to see.
4) Mike Bennett
5) Beer Money

Greg DeMarco
1) Justin Gabriel
Gabriel got the biggest win of his career this week, pinning Edge to close out Smackdown. Gabriel has tons of potential, and has plenty of time to further develop his promo skills. If he does that, we could be looking at a future main event superstar for the WWE.

2) Dolph Ziggler: Ziggler is in a great position on Smackdown, in a world title feud with Edge and still paired with Vickie. He had a great second half of 2010, and 2011 is looking bright for Ziggler.
3) John Morrison: Was on the winning end of a great match with Daniel Bryan.
4) Mason Ryan
5) CM Punk

THE WINNERS~!

Special Mention…CM Punk & Mason Ryan – 11 Votes

Fifth Place…John Morrison – 13 Votes

Fourth Place…Mike Bennett – 15 Votes

Third Place…Rysuke Taguchi – 18 Votes

Title victories in Japan this weekend get him into the top 3!.

Second Place…Justin Gabriel – 23 Votes

Scores a huge victory, defeating Edge on Smackdown.

Wrestler of the Week…Dolph Ziggler – 24 Votes

Continues his rise on the roster, appearing on both shows, and heading towards the Rumble for a world title match.

Year-End Standings~!
Dolph Ziggler climbs into the top, John Morrison secures his spot in the top 15, and CM Punk is now knocking on the door of the top 15! There’s NINE weeks left to go, and anything could still happen at the top of the list!

Let’s check out the Year-End Standings!

1. Daniel Bryan – 104 (Raw)

2. Wade Barrett – 102 (Smackdown)

3. Randy Orton – 87 (Raw)

4. The Miz – 78 (Raw)
4. Chris Sabin– 78 (TNA)
4. Alex Shelley – 78 (TNA)

7. Edge – 75 (Smackdown)

8. Dolph Ziggler – 67 (Smackdown)

9. Jack Swagger – 61 (SmackDown)

10. Rob Van Dam – 55 (TNA)
10. John Morrison – 55 (Raw)

12. Kane – 50 (SmackDown)

13. Rey Mysterio – 46 (Smackdown)

14. “DASHING” Cody Rhodes – 45 (Smackdown)

15. Claudio Castagnoli – 43 (ROH)

CM Punk – 40 (Raw)

Jeff Hardy – 39 (TNA)
Masato Yoshino – 39 (Dragon Gate)
AJ Styles – 39 (TNA)

Kurt Angle – 38 (TNA)

John Cena – 36 (Raw)

Satoshia Kojima – 35 (All Japan)

Evan Bourne – 34 (Raw) {INJURED}

Christopher Daniels – 31 (ROH)
KING Sheamus – 31 (Raw)

Justin Gabriel – 28 (Raw)
Robert Roode – 28 (TNA)

Madison Eagles – 27 (SHIMMER)
Kaval – 27 (US Independent)
Kofi Kingston – 27 (Smackdown)

Douglas Williams – 26 (TNA)

Mr. Anderson – 25 (TNA)

Tyson Kidd – 24 (Raw)
DH Smith – 24 (Raw)

James Storm – 22 (TNA)

El Generico – 21 (ROH)
Roderick Strong – 21 (ROH)
Davey Richards – 21 (ROH)

Jay Lethal – 18 (TNA)

Drew McIntyre – 17 (SmackDown)
Alberto Del Rio – 17 (Smackdown)

Togi Makabe – 16 (AJPW)
Tyler Black – 16 (WWE)

Shawn Michaels – 15 (WWE)
Santino Marella – 15 (Raw)
Eddie Edwards – 15 (ROH)
Kaz Hayashi– 15 (AJPW)
Joey Ryan – 15 (US Independent)
Frightmare – 15 (US Independent)
R-Truth – 15 (Raw)

Natalya – 13 (Raw)

Minoru Tanaka – 12 (AJPW)
David Otunga – 12 (Raw)
Chris Hero – 12 (ROH)
Eddie Kingston – 12 (US Independent)
Mike Quackenbush – 12 (US Independent)
Jigsaw – 12 (US Independent)
Ares – 12 (US Independent)
Tursas – 12 (US Independent)
Paul London – 12 (US Independent)
Desmond Wolfe – 12 (TNA)
Matt Hardy – 12 (US Independent)
Chris Jericho – 12 (US Independent)
Minoru Suzuki – 12 (AJPW)

Prince Devitt – 10 (NJPW)
Kazarian – 10 (TNA)
Takashi Sugiura – 10 (Dragon Gate)

Rysuke Taguchi – 9 (NJPW)
Hiroshi Tanahashi – 9 (NJPW)
Tigers Mask – 9 (Dragon Gate)
Naruki Doi – 9 (Dragon Gate)
Jimmy Yang – 9 (All Japan)
YAMATO – 9 (Dragon Gate)
Mickie James – 9 (TNA)
Robbie E. – 9 (TNA)
Samoa Joe – 9 (TNA)
Dr. Wagner Jr. – 9 (AAA)

Heath Slater – 7 (Raw)

Mike Bennett- 6 (ROH)
Kory Chavis – 6 (US Independent)
Jon Davis – 6 (US Independent)
MVP – 6 (Smackdown)
Bret Hart – 6 (Raw)
Hamada – 6 (Japan)
Taylor Wilde – 6 (TNA)
Nick Jackson – 6 (TNA)
Matt Jackson – 6 (TNA)
Jado – 6 (NJPW)
Gedo – 6 (NJPW)
Bison Smith – 6 (NOAH)
Keith Walker – 6 (NOAH)
Vladimir Kozlov – 3 (Raw)

The Undertaker – 4 (Smackdown) {SENT TO HELL}

Jerry The King Lawler – 3 (Raw)
Matt Morgan – 3 (TNA)
Tara – 3 (TNA)
Mick Foley – 3 (TNA)
Kotaro Suzuki – 3 (NOAH)
Manami Toyota – 3 (Japan)
Suwama – 3 (AJPW)
AJ Lee – 3 (NXT)
The Big Show – 3 (Smackdown)
Skip Sheffield – 3 (Raw)
Michael McGillicutty – 3 (Raw)
Percy Watson – 3 (NXT)
Willie Richardson – 3 (US Independent)
Marshe Rocket – 3 (US Independent)
Acid Jaz – 3 (US Independent)
Jon Moxley – 3 (US Independent)
Don Fuji – 3 (Dragon Gate)
Masaaki Mochizuki – 3 (Dragon Gate)

Mason Ryan – 1 (Raw)
Awesome Kong – 1 (US Independent)
El Hijo de Dr. Wagner Jr. – 1 (CMLL)
Charly Manson – 1 (CMLL)
Abyss – 1 (TNA)
Kevin Steen – 1 (ROH)
Tasha Simone – 1 (US Independent)
Batista – 1 (US Independent)
Shelton Benjamin – 1 (US Independent)
Serena– 1 (US Independent)
Chuck Taylor – 1 (US Independent)
Melina – 1 (Raw)
Kaitlyn – 1 (SmackDown)
Beth Phoenix – 1 (SmackDown)
Ted DiBiase – 1 (Raw)
Christian – 1 (Smackdown)
Shingo Takagi – 1 (Dragon Gate)
BxB Hulk – 1 (Dragon Gate)
Masaaki Mochizuki – 1 (Dragon Gate)
Giant Bernard – 1 (NJPW)
Karl Anderson – 1 (NJPW)
Akebono – 1 (AJPW)
Taiyo Kea – 1 (AJPW)
PAC – 1 (Dragon Gate)
Ricochet – 1 (Dragon Gate)