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411’s Wrestler of the Week 11.03.08: Week 31
Welcome to Week 31, Year-FOUR, of 411’s Wrestler of the Week. A quick overview to kick things off as we have some new rules for year four…
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…
The Voting~!
Robert Leighty Jr.
1) Punk and Kofi: The only title change of the week makes my choice pretty damn easy. This was a solid match, and was a good moment for Kofi and Punk. Sure the tag titles aren’t what they once were, but Gold is Gold and it continues the Punk vs. the 2nd/3rd Generation Stars feud going.
2) Miz and Morrison: These two had a strong as they build to their match with DX on RAW. The Dirt Sheet was pretty good and paid off what Hunter and Shawn have done to others in the past. They also got a non-title win over the champs on SmackDown. Not let’s just hope they don’t get buried Monday Night.
3) Scott Steiner: This was a slow week and while Steiner didn’t win any titles or matches, he did make an Impact (see what I did there) with his return on Thursday. Naturally, he joined the Main Event Mafia and it will be interesting to where who they pair him with from the younger generation. Perhaps Petey.
4) Rey Mysterio
5) Jack Swagger
Andy Clark
1) Low Ki
Among all the big Indy wrestling tournaments out there (Super Eight, Jeff Peterson, Survival of the Fittest, Best of the Best, TPI), PWG’s Battle of Los Angeles proves to be a cut above the rest. This year’s winner is Low Ki, and he even defeated the PWG Champion Chris Hero to get the big win. Now that he cannot call either ROH or TNA home, Low Ki may become a major force in PWG.
2) CM Punk & Kofi Kingston: These two won the World Tag Team Titles from Ted DiBiase & Cody Rhodes in one hell of a free TV match, proving to the fans that they should have won the vote at Cyber Sunday.
3) Rey Mysterio & Evan Bourne (tie): Mysterio and Evan tore the house down on Raw, giving Bourne one last rub before his unfortunate injury on ECW.
4) Scott Steiner
5) Jack Swagger
Christi Csonka
1) Low Ki
Low Ki scores a huge win in the BoLA tournament this weekend. I am personally hoping that he returns to TNA, since he has been mentioned so much lately.
2) Evan Bourne: Evan had a great last two weeks, unfortunately he won’t be seen for a while. That is a shame, because he was a very bright spot of the WWE product for me.
3) CM Punk and Kofi Kingston: New tag team champions and guys I like, they deserve some love as well.
4) John Morrison and the Miz
5) Scott Steiner
Samuel Berman
1) Low Ki
I just got in from a concert and I’m barely conscious, so I’m keeping this brief. He won Pro Wrestling Guerrilla’s Battle of Los Angeles. Done and done.
2) CM Punk & Kofi Kingston: Won RAW’s tag belts in a surprisingly excellent match.
3) Chris Hero: PWG’s World Champion is the BOLA runner-up.
4) Rey Mysterio
5) Kenny Omega
Jeremy Thomas
1) CM Punk & Kofi Kingston
Punk and Kofi won the tag titles on Raw in a great little match that’s capped off a fun little mini-feud, one that is hopefully leading to an Orton/Punk feud that will rock the kasbah. Several people think this is a step down for Punk; I think it’s a step in the right direction. And Kofi and Punk work so well together, it’s nice to see their tag team is going to continue for at least a little longer.
2) Low Ki: The Battle of Los Angeles is a huge thing, even if K-Money will gripe about how unimportant it is and how we’re all tools for voting for it. You stick with that gimmick, Money Man, and we’ll vote the way we see it. Congratulations to Low Ki for beating PWG World Champion Chris Hero in the finals to win the whole thing.
3) The Miz/John Morrison: It’s not all that often I use the tag team AND the tie clause for wrestler of the week, but here you have it. MnM 2.0 got significant face time on every WWE program this week, and capped it off by beating the Tag Team Champions in a pretty decent non-title match on SmackDown. If they somehow manage to convince the booking team to put them over D-X this week they’ll be shoo-ins for the top spot next week.
4) Scott Steiner
5) Rey Mysterio
Bayani Domingo
1) Low Ki
I was at both nights of the Battle of Los Angeles and it was possibly the best tournament they have had to date. Low Ki takes the top spot after outlasting a field of 17 other men and in particular was able to defeat Roderick Strong, Masato Yoshino, and Nigel McGuinness, before winning in the finals against Chris Hero in what is probably one of the top candidates for PWG’s Match of The Year and easily the Match of the Tournament. For those who don’t care about “Indy wrestling”, then buy this DVD, hell, bootleg it if you have to and watch the finals of this tournament…the bottom two ropes broke the match before, both men had wrestled two matches prior and were tired and beaten, but the intensity and brutality of this match were amazing. These two men weren’t just wrestlers tonight, they were warriors.
2) Chris Hero: I’ll get flack for being an “Indy Mark”, but without a doubt Chris Hero was one of the, if not the, MVPs of this tournament after having a decent match against Necro Butcher on Night 1, he absolutely outdid himself by having fantastic matches against Scott Lost, Bryan Danielson, and then barely losing to Low Ki in the tournament finals. Hero has now set himself up for one fantastic feud over his PWG Championship.
3) CM Punk and Kofi Kingston: These guys would have been ranked higher, but considering one was a World Heavyweight Champion and the other the IC Champion, this title is a bit of a step down. Still, at least they got some gold.
4) Rey Mysterio
5) Scott Steiner
Jarrod Westerfeld
1) Low Ki
His time back from his early year knee injury has certainly been one that shows no signs of slow down, and this week Low Ki ends up winning the biggest tournament of the current day Indy scene in PWG’s Battle of Los Angeles, with the biggest win coming in the finals over current PWG Champion Chris Hero. I think that is just as good as a title win all things considered.
2) CM Punk and Kofi Kingston: They win the stagnate Raw brand tag titles off of a team that has been losing credibility since their debut; this is a step backwards for Punk but a step…somewhere for Kofi after dropping the IC title to Santino Marella. Regardless, this was their week considering a title win, regardless of how worthless it is, is still a pretty notable thing on some resumes.
3) AJ Styles: Picked up a pin fall over the current TNA Legends champion, Booker T, in tag team action on Impact and looked damned impressive doing it.
4) Rey Mysterio
5) Chris Hero
Michael Bauer
1) Low Ki
The PWG’s Battle of Los Angeles is indeed the biggest tournament in wrestling today. Low Ki’s win cements him as one of the tope Indy Wrestlers behind American Dragon and Nigel McGuinness and makes him the biggest name in PWG. Even on a not so slow week that would be enough.
2) Chris Hero: From everything Bayani said (and considering he was there), he is equally deserving of a top spot.
3) CM Punk and Kofi Kingston: The WWE Tag Titles mean jack and shit, but it’s a slow week.
4) Evan Bourne/Rey Mysterio
5) Chavo Guerrero
Matt Short
1) Low Ki
Won PWG’s BoLA this weekend over a very impressive field. I do believe he’s now won every major US independent tournament there is to win (Super 8, TPI, BoLA). 2008 has been a good year for Low Ki since he left TNA.
2) CM Punk & Kofi Kingston: The tag titles might not mean much, but the match this past week between Punk & Kingston and Simply Priceless was a really well done tag bout. The title change and match quality are good enough for second place.
3) The Miz/John Morrison: They might end up getting buried on Raw, but they were both nothing short of awesome this week. They defeated The Colons on Smackdown and all the while have been selling the hell out of their tag match with DX in some truly great promos.
4) Chris Hero
5) Chavo Guerrero
ARI
1) Low Ki
2008 Battle of Los Angeles champion, as predicted. Good on him, good on me, good on PWG.
2) Kofi Kingston & CM Punk: New WWE Tag Team Champions and a fantastic finish to cap off the match. Good on them, good on me, good on WWE.
3) Scott Steiner: Returned to TNA, placed in the Main Event Mafia and right back in the main event scene. Good on him, good on me, good on TNA.
4) Evan Bourne
5) Santino Marella
Andy Critchell
1) Low-Ki – The winner of the Battle of Los Angeles tourney definitely deserves the top spot this week as BoLA is a very prestigious Indy tournament and a great thing to have on your resume. Plus he won the final over someone as talented and popular as Chris Hero, so well done.
2) Punk & Kofi – They took the titles off of Simply Priceless, likely sending them back down to palookaville. We’ll see how this goes but for right now it’s a notable accomplishment.
3) Miz & MORRISON – These guys appeared on all thee WWE shows last week, including a HIGH-larious live Dirt Sheet on ECW and a big win over Primo and Carlito on Smackdown. These guys are the best tag team going right now, bar none and the more we get of them, the better.
4) Big Dave Batista
5) Evan Bourne
Daniel Wilcox
1) CM Punk and Kofi Kingston
The tag titles on Raw are actually the second most valuable prize on Raw right now, and Punk and Kofi won them this week in a very good match. Punk may be better off in this position than as World Champ, for now.
2) Low Ki: No one can deny the importance of the Battle of Los Angeles; Low Ki deserves this slot for picking up the big win in the final over Hero and for his part in what sounds like a great match.
3) Miz and Morrison: They’ve got a ton of exposure this week, and entertained on all three shows. The win against Primo and Carlito may suggest that they’re on their way back to the top of the tag team mountain too.
4) Scott Steiner
5) Mike Adamle
JT
1) Low Ki
Won the 2008 Battle of Los Angeles against Chris Hero in what is described as easily being the match of the tournament (and if Bayani has anything to say about it, match of the year for PWG) after victories against the likes of Nigel McGuiness and others.
2) CM Kingston: Won the World Tag Team Championship(s) from Cody Rhodes and Ted DiBiase Jr., ending what was almost a four months to the day title reign.
3) Scott Steiner: Returned to TNA and immediately made an impa- …er… contribution.
4) Rey Mysterio
5) Chris Hero
Larry Csonka
1) Low Ki
Low Ki continues to make 2008 a good year as he captures the 2008 BoLA Title. The field was an impressive one this year, which makes the win even better for Ki.
2) Scott Steiner: Scott Steiner makes his return to TNA this week, and does so in grand fashion as he becomes the 5th member of the Main Event Mafia. Steiner is a perfect fit for the group, and I look forward to seeing him back. As I have said numerous times, his TNA run has been good to great at times, and I am a fan.
3) CM Punk and Kofi Kingston: New Tag Team Champions, good enough for 3rd.
4) AJ Styles
5) The Miz and Morrison
THE WINNERS~!
Big Papa Pump is your hook up!
CM Punk and Kofi Kingston capture the World Tag Team Title to claim second place this week.
Low Ki survives two day and four opponents to win the 2008 BoLA Tournament!
Yearend Standings~!
Low Ki and Kofi Kingston make big jumps this week and get into the top 15 overall for the year, while CM Punk gets into the top 10. Evan Bourne goes out in glory to help keep in the top 15, while Scott Steiner makes his debut on the big list.
Let’s check out the Yearend Standings!
1. Chris Jericho – 98 (RAW)
2. Batista – 74 (Raw)
3. Edge – 64 (Smackdown) {Sent to Hell}
4. Matt Hardy – 55 (ECW)
5. Shawn Michaels – 51 (RAW)
6. HHH – 48 (Smackdown)
7. Samoa Joe – 48 (TNA)
8. AJ Styles – 42 (TNA)
9. The Undertaker – 36 (Smackdown)
9. CM Punk – 36 (Raw)
11. Masato Yoshino – 33 (Dragon Gate)
12. Naruki Doi – 30 (Dragon Gate)
12. Sting – 30 (TNA)
12. Evan Bourne – 30 (ECW) {Injured}
15. Low Ki – 27 (US Independent)
15. Lance Cade – 27 (US Independent)
15. Kofi Kingston – 27 (RAW)
William Regal – 25 (RAW)
KENTA – 25 (NOAH)
James Storm – 24 (TNA)
Robert Roode – 24 (TNA)
Suwama – 24 (All Japan)
Jimmy Jacobs – 24 (ROH)
Alex Shelley – 21 (TNA)
Keiji Mutoh – 21 (All Japan)
John Morrison – 21 (ECW)
The Miz – 21 (ECW)
Jeff Jarrett – 19 (TNA)
Nigel McGuinness – 20 (ROH)
Bryan Danielson – 19 (ROH)
John Cena – 19 (RAW) {Injured}
Kaz – 18 (TNA) {“Retired”}
Chris Sabin – 18 (TNA)
Taylor Wilde – 15 (TNA)
Homicide – 15 (TNA)
Hernandez – 15 (TNA)
Petey Williams – 15 (TNA)
Mick Foley – 15 (TNA)
Ric Flair – 15 (US Independent)
Shelton Benjamin – 15 (Smackdown)
Mickie James – 15 (RAW)
Yuji Nagata– 15 (New Japan)
Bison Smith – 15 (NOAH)
Akitoshi Saito – 15 (NOAH)
Kevin Steen – 15 (ROH)
El Generico – 15 (ROH)
Tyler Black – 13 (ROH)
Brent Albright – 13 (ROH)
Chris Hero – 13 (US Independent)
Kurt Angle – 13 (TNA)
THE Brian Kendrick – 13 (Smackdown)
Sheik Abdul Bashir – 12 (TNA)
Jeff Hardy – 12 (Smackdown)
The Big Show – 12 (Smackdown)
The Great Khali – 12 (Smackdown)
Jay Briscoe – 12 (ROH)
Mark Briscoe – 12 (ROH)
Roderick Strong – 12 (ROH)
MsChif – 12 (US Independent)
Jack Evans – 12 (US Independent)
Taiji Ishimori – 12 (NOAH)
Randy Orton – 10 (RAW)
Mark Henry – 10 (ECW)
Scott Steiner – 9 (TNA)
Ashley Lane – 9 (US Independent)
Nevaeh – 9 (US Independent)
Chuck Taylor – 9 (US Independent)
Volador Jr. – 9 (Mexico)
Mistico – 9 (Mexico)
Hector Garza – 9 (Mexico)
Go Shiozaki – 9 (NOAH)
Kensuke Sasaki – 9 (NOAH)
Shingo Takagi – 9 (Dragon Gate)
Michelle McCool – 9 (Smackdown)
Drake Younger – 9 (US Independent)
Awesome Kong – 7 (TNA)
Masato Tanaka – 6 (Zero One Max)
Tiger Mask IV – 6 (NOAH)
Wataru Inoue – 6 (New Japan)
Rey Mysterio – 6 (RAW)
Mr. Kennedy – 6 (Smackdown) {Injured}
Incognito – 6 (Mexico)
Erick Stevens – 6 (ROH)
Villano V – 3 (Mexico)
Blue Demon Jr. – 3 (Mexico)
Claudio Castagnoli – 3 (ROH)
Hiroshi Tenzan –3 (New Japan)
Hirooki Goto –3 (New Japan)
Ryuji Hijikata –3 (All Japan)
Ophidian – 3 (US Independent)
Amasis – 3 (US Independent)
Fire Ant – 3 (US Independent)
Player Uno – 3 (US Independent)
Player Dos – 3 (US Independent)
Beth Phoenix – 3 (RAW)
JBL – 3 (RAW)
Carlito Colon – 3 (Smackdown)
Primo Colon – 3 (Smackdown)
Naomichi Marufuji – 2 (NOAH)
Vladimir Kozlov – 1 (Smackdown)
Ted DiBiase – 1 (RAW)
Cody Rhodes – 1 (RAW)
Sonjay Dutt – 1 (TNA)
Mike Quackenbush – 1 (US Independent)
Nick Jackson – 1 (US Independent)
Matt Jackson – 1 (US Independent)
Scotty II Hotty – 1 (US Independent)
Joe Doering – 1 (All Japan)
Anthony W. Mori – 1 (Dragon Gate)
GAMMA – 1 (Dragon Gate)
Taiyo Kea – 1 (All Japan)
Minoru Suzuki – 1 (All Japan)
Yoshinobu Kanemaru – 1 (NOAH)
Kotaro Suzuki – 1 (NOAH)
Zack Ryder – 1 (Smackdown)
Curt Hawkins – 1 (Smackdown)
WWE, Raw, ECW and Smackdown 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 Contracted Wrestlers are represented in MAGENTA.
**PREVIOUS WINNERS**  Year One Winner: Ric Flair
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