The Best Of The Rest 11.27.08: Volume 67 – What I’m thankful for…

Hello all and welcome back to “The Best Of The Rest!” Hope all is well with everyone. Who else is fuckin’ ready for the holiday season? I sure as shit am, all these finals and extra school work are killing me. No one told me college would involve this much reading. But back to the original point; the holiday season is upon us and first on the list is Thanksgiving. It’s that time of year where we give thanks for the things we have, and since this is a wrestling column I figured I’d tie the two together. So he is a list of the some of the things in wrestling that I am thankful for… LET’S GET DOWN TO IT!!!

Randy Orton
Anyone surprised? Really? OF COURSE I’m thankful for Randy Orton. Now, don’t believe the hate; Randy Orton is the cream of the crop in professional wrestling today. He certainly is one of the best that the E’s “next generation” has to offer. I know the E really has some shining points right now, but I can honestly say that the main reason I tune in on Monday nights is this man. Randy Orton has been the shot in the arm that wrestling has needed in some time. Love ’em or hate ’em you can’t deny that he’s one of the best natural heels today has to offer. He’s really in a good spot for the E, his “don’t care about anyone but myself” character can feud with a heel or a face easily and that’s kind of what he has been doing. I hope his injuries are all healed up and he has his head on straight because right now he’s definitely heading in the right direction. I’m thankful to be living in the Age of Orton.

Sting
I’m very thankful to still have Sting around. He is one of the few great veterans left in wrestling. The line between “the guy who still has it” and “the guy that needs to hang it up” is often confused in wrestling, and while Sting may not be able to do some of the things he used to he still certainly “has it.” Now we can’t control the booking in TNA, they way Sting is used, the people he goes over, etc. but what we’ve seen with Sting is that when given the task he will willingly put anybody over. He has done everything he possibly can to help TNA. No matter where he is wrestling I’m just glad to still be able to see this guy perform. The end to his career is near and I think he is aware of it, and I’ll be sad to see him go. But for now, I’m thankful to still be able to see one of the greatest professional wrestlers of all time.

Chris Jericho
I’m thankful for Chris Jericho returning for the right reasons. At this stage in his career Jeri realizes that it’s never too late to continue improving. I don’t mean to knock on them but certain wrestlers like Shawn Michaels and Triple H has always seem to stick to the same formula. Everything I thought Jeri was going to bring to the table in his return wasn’t brought because he completely changed up his formula. Yeah he sputtered around for a bit as a face but once he made his heel turn he pretty much reinvented himself. His feud against HBK and his eventual title win were proof of it. The way he handled his promos, the way he handled himself in the ring, the way he physically presented himself had all changed. Chris Jericho may have put on better individual performances in the past but the Chris Jericho we saw in 2008 is the best Chris Jericho there ever has been. He completely changed up his form and then perfected it. Chris’ return to wrestling not only improved his game even more, but cemented his spot as one of the best ever.

Independent Wrestling
Oh dear Christ am I thankful for independent professional wrestling. Indy wrestling has always been there for me and the great part about independent wrestling is that it will always be there for me. We don’t know how long TNA is going to be kicking, and maybe is a far distant future the E may burn out, but you will always be able to find an independent wrestling show somewhere. Be it ROH in New York City in front of a packed crowd, MWF in Toledo, Ohio in front of 15 people in a parking lot, XCW in Pilot Point, Texas in front of 50 people in an old garage, you will be able to find a show somewhere. The product and style differ greatly from town to town but what doesn’t change is the overall fun of an independent show. They come in many different shapes and sizes but indy promotion and indy wrestlers are something that I am very thankful for.

Lastly, I am thankful for…

Michelle McCool
Do I really need to explain this one?

WAR HEEL HOOK!!!

Well, that’s all for me this week.

Remember feedback, as always, is welcome at [email protected] or directly below. Tell me, what in wrestling are you thankful for?

Have a great Thanksgiving and I’ll see you back here next time.

*This Week’s YouTube Sendoff*

Take Care

-Alex