wrestling / Columns
The Contentious Ten 12.19.11: Top 10 Overachievers of 2011
Hello, and welcome to The Contentious Ten! My name is Nick Bazar, and I thank you for clicking.
Last week we discussed the underachievers of 2011, this week we take a look at the positive side of that with the top overachievers of 2011. Simply put, this is a list of wrestlers who accomplished more in 2011 than most thought they would have. Wrestlers who advanced their careers and are in a better place now than they were at the end of 2010. And so, the Top Ten Overachievers of 2011…
R-Truthsize=6>
Before this year, R-Truth was probably one of my least favorite wrestlers in the WWE. His matches bored me, his character was completely stale and whatever promo work he did was always uninspired. Remarkably, that all changed following his very successful heel turn earlier this year. After that first bugged-eyed promo on the entrance stage, I was hooked. If you followed his TNA career, you knew that Truth was at his best as a heel. The same has proven true for his WWE career. He has such a way with playing to a crowd and messing around with them that you can’t help but smile whenever he’s on the screen. The turn was so successful that it even got him a one-on-one PPV main event match against John Cena for the WWE Championship. That entire run was a breath of fresh air in the main event title picture. Following that, Truth continued to provide entertaining television on a weekly basis, leading him to another PPV main event at Survivor Series.
James Stormsize=6>
Following two very successful runs with two different tag teams in TNA, James Storm seems to finally be set for a strong singles run after a big 2011. Storm started the year off strong, defeating the Motor City Machine Guns to win the TNA World Tag Team Championship as part of Beer Money. The team would go on to hold the championship for a record-setting amount of time before finally dropping them to the team of Mexican America. In the middle of that, Storm was also heavily involved in the Bound For Glory Series, finishing up in the top four. While he didn’t win the series, his memorable moment would come a couple months later when he defeated TNA World Heavyweight Champion Kurt Angle to win the big one for the first time. In the process, he managed to develop a relatable “everyman” type character that drinks beer and loves a good time. He’s very comfortable in that role, and it has led him to cut the type of believable promos that build a strong fan base. In other words, 2011 laid a solid foundation for Storm’s singles character to gain success off of in the near future.
Dolph Zigglersize=6>
Dolph Ziggler has come a very long way since 2005. He’s overcome numerous gimmicks that were destined to fail and finally found his comfort zone this year. The Ziggler we see now at the end of 2011 is the most confident and most well-rounded version of him we have ever seen. His promos improved tremendously, his fantastic in-ring work was spotlighted more than ever before and his overall wrestling persona was solidly defined as a character all fans can love to boo. That’s not even mentioning the fact that Ziggler won the World Heavyweight Championship this year. While the reign was one of the shortest in the history of the WWE, I really feel like he did more than enough after that to justify a lengthy World Championship run in 2012. Whether it was by constantly having one of the best matches on any show he was on or beginning to show signs that he is able to stand on his own without Vickie Guerrero, Ziggler was one of those wrestlers who elevated his game this year. 2011 was Ziggler’s best year to date, and I foresee an even better 2012 for the former Spirit Squad member.
Cody Rhodessize=6>
Speaking of wrestlers who improved on all aspects of their game in 2011, we move to Cody Rhodes. At the end of 2010, Rhodes was just another mid-card guy who, to be honest, I didn’t expect much from in 2011. He was doing the best he could with his “Dashing” gimmick, but it wasn’t the type of character that screamed “main event level.” To his credit, he slowly evolved the character with a distinct promo style and more than acceptable performances in the ring. By the Fall, gone was the over-the-top, gimmicky “Dashing” persona, and in its place was a more realistic and credible character. More importantly, it was a character that actually showed some main event potential. Not only that, but he had some significant career moments as well, such as defeating Rey Mysterio at Wrestlemania and winning the Intercontinental Championship. I think it’s safe to say that he is in a much better place now than he was this time last year. It has been a year of transformation for Rhodes, and fortunately, that transformation only helped the rising star.
Bobby Roodesize=6>
Bobby Roode has gone through an eerily similar TNA career path as his former partner, James Storm. He went from being a part of a successful tag team with Team Canada, to an underwhelming singles run as Robert Roode and back to a successful tag team run with Beer Money. Now, at the end of 2011, he is in the middle of another singles run, and luckily for him, it has gone much better than the first time around. For starters, he won the Bound For Glory Series and main evented TNA’s biggest PPV of the year against Kurt Angle. In a move that upset many TNA fans, he didn’t walk away as the TNA World Heavyweight Champion that night. However, his time would come a few weeks later when he turned heel on James Storm and won the championship. No matter how convoluted his path to the World Championship was, he is there now and has done a great job as one of the main faces of the organization. He looks like a champion and he carries himself like a champion. We’ll see how long they ride this out, but Roode definitely did more this year than I expected him to.
Christiansize=6>
After years of never capitalizing on Christian’s main event level potential, it seemed as if his career credentials would never include the title of World Heavyweight Champion. Awesomely, 2011 proved to be the year where Christian’s constant hard work over the last 15 or so years finally paid off. One month after Wrestlemania, Christian was finally crowned a World Champion, defeating Alberto Del Rio in a Ladder match at Extreme Rules. It provided one of the best feel-good moments of the year as Peeps around the world watched their guy hoist the big gold belt above his head. The celebration was short-lived, as Christian would lose the championship less than a week later to Randy Orton. There was a silver lining though, as the loss would trigger a chain of events that led to Christian turning heel once again- a spot where he has always been at his best. It also led to yet another run with the World Heavyweight Championship. While he was injured and out of action for the last few months of 2011, it doesn’t erase the fact that he accomplished much more than anyone thought he would have.
CM Punksize=6>
CM Punk is one of 2011’s biggest overachievers because he did something that I was never 100% sure would happen: he solidified his main event spot. While he had been champion before, he was never treated as one of the top tier guys in the company. For all the talent he had, it always felt as if he would go down in history as merely a very reliable upper-mid carder. Then came “the promo.” A month before his contract was set to expire, he delivered the most memorable promo of the year in which he let out his frustrations on all the injustices he had to deal with over the past six years. It was heartfelt, and you believed everything he was saying because he said it with such conviction. It was the kind of promo that forced all wrestling fans to care about him. It got him noticed more than anything else he had done in the past, and that’s saying something. What followed was an instant classic against John Cena at Money in the Bank and a couple of WWE Championships to add to his resume. At the end of 2011, his level of fan support is at an all time high and his in-ring work is as good, if not better, than ever before.
Bully Raysize=6>
What an amazing and unexpected year Bully Ray has had. You wouldn’t think that a performer would have a “breakout” year this late in their career, but really, that’s what 2011 has been for Ray. Fans are seeing him in a completely different light- they are buying him as a singles star. Not only that, but many see him as the best heel in the business right now. That’s quite the accomplishment for a guy who was a perennial tag teamer for his entire career. Remember a few years ago when TNA put Team 3D in the main event of a PPV for the TNA World Heavyweight Championship? Having Ray in a PPV main event for the biggest singles championship in the company felt completely out of place. Now, I feel disappointed that he hasn’t been given a shot at the title. He’s gotten himself into the best shape of his career; he has had consistently entertaining singles matches all year long with opponents varying from Brother Devon to AJ Styles to Mr. Anderson; and he has been absolute gold on the microphone every time out. His singles run has been a joy to watch develop, and that’s something I never thought I’d say.
Mark Henrysize=6>
Honestly, who saw this coming? After 15 years of winning nothing more than a now defunct ECW Championship, who would have thought that Mark Henry would become one of the most dominating World Heavyweight Champions the WWE has had in years? That’s exactly what 2011 brought Henry. When you consider that for years he was neutered as a smiling, bumbling babyface who was drowning in pointless tag teams with MVP and Evan Bourne, you have to see his ascension to the main event as one of the most surprising events of the year. And he’s proven that he belongs. You can tell that he’s appreciative of the opportunity as he’s been on point with everything he’s done for the past six months. I’ll put it this way- I’ve never been as entertained and drawn in by Henry’s character as I’ve been for the second half of 2011. The build behind his monster heel persona was as enjoyable to watch as Brother Ray’s transformation into Bully Ray. The difference is that with Henry, the build was fully realized with a World Heavyweight Championship reign. I’ll say it here, Henry deserves this just as much as Christian deserved his championship run.
Zack Rydersize=6>
Zack Ryder has defined the term “overachiever” this year, and I don’t see how the top spot on this list could go to anyone but him. Sure, he hasn’t won the WWE or World Heavyweight Championship, but he did- against all odds- make himself relevant. Most impressively, he made himself relevant completely on his own. In a world where too many people are waiting for free handouts, Ryder put all his efforts behind his one true passion in life and made something happen. That’s commendable not only in the wrestling world, but in life in general. You can dislike his character, you can question his wrestling ability, but you have to respect the drive and commitment to success Ryder has displayed his year. He went from being lucky to be featured on Superstars, to having a comfortable spot on the Raw lineup. I’m writing this before the TLC PPV, but if he ends up winning the United States Championship, it would be the perfect end to one of the most unique rises up the card of all time. Even if he doesn’t, he has still accomplished enough on his own to take the number one spot as the biggest overachiever of 2011.
