411’s Wrestler of the Week 10.19.09: Week 29

Posted by Jasper Gerretsen on 10.19.2009

Bound for Glory is in the books, rookies have a great week in WWE, CHIKARA holds its annual Cibernetico tournament and NOAH kicks off its first Junior Heavyweight League. Check out the latest edition of 411's Wrestler of the Week for all the details and for an updated look at the Year-End standings!



Welcome to Week 29, Year FIVE, 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…

---

The Voting~!

ARI
1) AJ Styles & Kurt Angle (tie)
Styles and Angle had the kind of memorable wrestling match I know they're capable of, but rarely get to see given the style of booking and pacing of any particular episode of iMPACT. Yet here they were, given twenty minutes, COMMERCIAL-FREE, and they both did what they do best, which is go out there and tell an excellent story in the ring. Guess what? It resulted in the best match of the week aside from Chris Hero vs. KENTA from ROH on HDNet (which doesn't get considered for this week under our rules system, but rather the week it was taped). Then AJ Styles main events what TNA considers its "Wrestlemania" of Pay Per Views, shined through and won. Kurt Angle continued his excellent in-ring roll with an match against Matt Morgan where the crowd got behind Angle and yet both were able to seem like stars.

2) Abyss: Promised violence, pain and atrocity during his match against Mick Foley, and provided it in spades. I can't fathom the mind frame of these guys for putting their body through all that hell, but they did it and did it very well. It deserves a badge of courage, but since I don't have one of those, recognition in the top five will have to do.
3) Mick Foley: He had one more great hardcore match in his body and this one against Abyss was it. Thanks Mick, for finding it in you to do this kind of stuff.
4) Matt Morgan
5) Amazing Red


Jeremy Thomas
1) AJ Styles
The passing of the torch has been done. AJ Styles defended the TNA World Championship at Bound for Glory--the first person in the history of the five-year event to walk in AND out as World Champion--against Sting in what very well may be the icon's last match. This was a huge win for AJ and solidifies his legacy as one of the best in TNA's history.

2) The British Invasion (Brutus Magnus & Doug Williams): The British Invasion may have lost the IWGP Tag Team Titles in Full Metal Mayhem, but they traded them in for the TNA World Tag Team Titles. This says a lot about what TNA thinks of these guys and I think they deserve some recognition for that.
3) Eric Escobar: SmackDown's newest roster member had his first WWE Televised match, and beat Matt Hardy to earn a spot in the Main Event at Bragging Rights. In his FIRST MATCH. I may not be high on him right now, but that deserves a lot of attention.
4) Amazing Red & Eric Young (tie)
5) Carpenter Ant

Ryan Byers
1) Eric Escobar
A month ago, nobody outside of a handful of wrestling fans in Orlando and an even smaller handful of people who follow wrestling very closely through the internet knew who Eric Escobar was. It was obvious that WWE had big plans for the guy, as they immediately paired him with Vickie Guerrero, one of the world's biggest heat magnets. Then, in one night, Escobar not only managed to beat a major fan favorite in the form of Matt Hardy, but he also managed to earn a spot in one of the main events for a WWE pay per view. Granted, it's a main event that features numerous wrestlers who would not normally be competing in a main event, but it's still a quicker shot up the card than anybody else in pro wrestling is receiving these days.

2) Carpenter Ant: CHIKARA normally has major, major plans for the man who wins its annual Torneo Cibernetico tournament, and this year that honor went to relative newcomer Carpenter Ant. There have been some questions about the loyalties of this member of the Colony throughout his time in the promotion, and this victory, including eliminating partner Soldier Ant in the final fall, should put that angle at the forefront of the company in the final month of its season.
3) Delirious: In his first week with Pro Wrestling NOAH, Delirious pinned the promotion's junior heavyweight ace KENTA clean in the middle of the ring. That's a huge vote of confidence in the demented wrestler, who may well be a force to be reckoned with in NOAH's ongoing junior heavyweight league tournament.
4) Yujiro Takahashi
5) Cody Rhodes & Ted DiBiase (tie)

Shawn S. Lealos
1) A.J. Styles
This is why TNA is improving every week. The WWE puts a belt on a young talent and then makes them look stupid and unworthy of holding the title and then people don't respect the champion. In the first defense after winning the belt, A.J. pins a legend cleanly. No screwy finish. No accidental ref bump. No "lucky" pin. A.J. Styles pinned Sting and is the wrestler of the week. Next month, A.J. vs. Angle will be even better.

2) Eric Young: I called this. EY is proving to be a great chicken shit bad guy and is the perfect leader of The World Elite. People who bitch about him, calling him a comedy act not worth holding a title has not watched TNA in a long time. EY screwed Kevin Nash and Hernandez in the same match and is YOUR Legends Champion
3) Ted DiBiase: Both Ted and Cody got big wins this week but it was DiBiase that pinned the Champion, so he gets this spot.
4) TIE: Amazing Red/Chris Daniels
5) The British Invasion

Andy Clark
1) AJ Styles
The Phenomenal One retains the TNA World Heavyweight Title at TNA's biggest show of the year and ends Sting's BFG undefeated streak, and possibly his career, in the process.

2) Amazing Red & Daniels (tie): Amazing Red won the best match at Bound for Glory and retained the X-Division Title but Daniels damn near killed himself to give the match a big moment.
3) Brutus Magnus & Doug Williams: Sure Team 3D walked away with the other belts, but the British Invasion duo walked away with the important set of tag titles.
4) Eric Escobar
5) Carpenter Ant

Larry Csonka
1) AJ Styles
AJ Styles had a hell of a week. On Impact, he had one of the best matches of the year on free TV with Kurt Angle, and he then followed it up with a good Bound For Glory match with Sting, where he kept the title. AJ is finally being pushed the way many have asked for, and keeps delivering as we know he can. This was a great week for the champ.

2) The British Invasion (Brutus Magnus & Doug Williams): The British Invasion may have lost the IWGP tag team titles, but they did walk out of Bound For Glory with the TNA tag team titles. I like the British Invasion, and I feel that they can do well with the tag straps that will stay with the company.
3) Team 3D (Ray and Devon): Team 3D added to their tag team legacy with another tag team title victory at Bound For Glory.
4) Kurt Angle
5) Eric Young

Samuel Berman
1) Carpenter Ant
Won CHIKARA's annual Torneo Cibernetico, last eliminating Colony stablemate Soldier Ant.

2) Amazing Red: Retained the X-Division Title in Ultimate X.
3) Delirious: Pinned KENTA in NOAH's Jr. Heavyweight League Tournament.
4) AJ Styles and Eric Young (tie)
5) Fire Ant & Soldier Ant

Michael Bauer
1) AJ Styles
Let's see, going to a time limit draw with Kurt Angle might not be the best way to start a week, but beating Sting on PPV to retain the TNA World Title is the best way to end it. Two great matches overall from the TNA Original.

2) Delirious: Your first week in Japan and you get to pin KENTA clean? That's seriously crazy.
3) Eric Young: While the TNA Legends Title is a joke, I'll give credit for winning it.
4) Carpenter Ant
5) Amazing Red / Kurt Angle (tie)

Jasper Gerretsen
1) AJ Styles
AJ Styles became the first man to break TNA's tradition of Sting winning the title at Bound for Glory, and did so without some sort of cheap swerve.

2) Carpenter Ant: Over in CHIKARA, rookie Carpenter Ant won the company's biggest annual singles tournament, outlasting fifteen other men.
3) Delirious & Yujiro Takahashi (tie): Both men scored big wins in their foreign excursions, Yujiro claiming his opponent's hair and Delirious pinning one of the top junior heavyweights in Japan.
4) Eric Escobar
5) Ted DiBiase

---

THE WINNERS~!

Special Mention… Ted DiBiase - 5 Votes

Fifth Place… Christopher Daniels - 6 Votes

Fourth Place… Amazing Red, Eric Escobar, Eric Young and the British Invasion - 12 Votes

Third Place… Delirious - 14 Votes

ROH head trainer Delirious heads over to Japan and immediately scores a huge upset over top junior heavyweight KENTA in a tournament where everybody expected him to be the comedy jobber.

Second Place… Carpenter Ant - 17 Votes

CHIKARA rookie Carpenter Ant secures a huge win by winning the Torneo Cibernetico, CHIKARA's biggest annual singles tournament, by last eliminating Colony stablemate Soldier Ant.

Wrestler of the Week… AJ Styles - 37 Votes

The Phenomenal one secures this week's top spot by wrestling Kurt Angle to a time limit draw, then ending Sting's streak of title victories at Bound for Glory.


Year-End Standings~!

AJ Styles springboards into the top ten, right at the heels of Jericho, forming another threat to the dominance of the SmackDown six so far. Carpenter Ant makes his list debut thanks to his big Torneo Cibernetico win, overtaking fellow Colony members Fire Ant and Soldier Ant. Delirious makes his debut on the list thanks to a big win over KENTA, proving he's more than just a comedy act on his inaugural tour of Pro Wrestling NOAH. Amazing Red climbs thanks to his Ultimate X win, and Eric Young (new Legends Champion), The British Invasion (new TNA Tag Team Champions) and Eric Escobar (qualified for the main event at Bragging Rights) all make their debut through the four way tie for fourth place. Daniels' fifth place comes thanks to a strong performance in Ultimate X, and Ted DiBiase is now the sole #11 by a single point after pinning the WWE champion.

Let's check out the Year-End Standings!

1. CM Punk – 107 (SmackDown)

2. Jeff Hardy – 85 (US Independent)

3. John Morrison – 70 (SmackDown)

4. Rey Mysterio – 55 (SmackDown)

5. Edge – 49 (SmackDown) {INJURED}

6. Chris Jericho – 46 (SmackDown)

7. AJ Styles – 45 (TNA)

8. Randy Orton – 43 (RAW)

9. Davey Richards – 33 (ROH)
9. Eddie Edwards – 33 (ROH)

11. Ted DiBiase – 32 (RAW)

12. Tyler Black – 31 (ROH)

13. The Undertaker – 30 (SmackDown)

14. Christian – 28 (ECW)

15. Naruki Doi - 27 (Dragon Gate)
15. JTG – 27 (SmackDown)
15. Batista – 27 (SmackDown)
15. Bryan Danielson – 27 (WWE)

Jerry Lynn – 24 (ROH)

Kurt Angle – 22 (TNA)
Samoa Joe – 22 (TNA)

Mitsuharu Misawa - 21 (NOAH) {DECEASED}
John Cena – 21 (RAW)

Sting – 18 (TNA)
Go Shiozaki - 18 (NOAH)

Cody Rhodes – 16 (RAW)
Mark Henry – 16 (RAW)
Shawn Michaels – 16 (RAW)
Austin Aries – 16 (ROH)

Mick Foley – 15 (TNA)
Montel Vontavious Porter – 15 (RAW)
Manabu Nakanishi - 15 (NOAH)
Togi Makabe - 15 (NOAH)
Hernandez – 15 (TNA)
Dolph Ziggler – 15 (SmackDown)
Mitsuharu Misawa - 15 (NJPW)
The Miz – 15 (Raw)

Carpenter Ant - 12 (CHIKARA)
Minoru Suzuki - 12 (All Japan)
Brother Devon – 12 (TNA)
Brother Ray – 12 (TNA)
The Amazing Red – 12 (TNA)
Bison Smith - 12 (NOAH)
Tommy Dreamer – 12 (ECW)
Hiroshi Tanahashi - 12 (New Japan)
Shad – 12 (SmackDown)
Zach Ryder – 12 (ECW)
Shingo Takagi - 12 (Dragon Gate)
YAMATO - 12 (Dragon's Gate)

Soldier Ant - 10 (CHIKARA)
Fire Ant - 10 (CHIKARA)

Delirious - 9 (ROH)
MsChif - 9 (SHIMMER)
Jack Swagger – 9 (RAW)
Masato Tanaka - 9 (ZERO1)
Homcide – 9 (TNA)
Nick Jackson - 9 (US Independent)
Matt Jackson - 9 (US Independent)
Ryouji Sai - 9 (ZERO1)
Player Dos - 9 (CHIKARA)
Mistico - 9 (CMLL)
The Big Show – 9 (RAW)
Daniels – 9 (TNA)

Nigel McGuinness – 7 (WWE)

Matt Hardy – 6 (SmackDown)
Chris Hero - 6 (US Independent)
Satoshi Kojima - 6 (AJPW)
Kofi Kingston – 6 (Raw)

Dr. Wagner Jr. - 4 (AAA)

Evan Bourne – 3 (Raw)
Ken Anderson - 3 (US Independent)
Tara – 3 (TNA)
Booker T – 3 (TNA)
Scott Steiner – 3 (TNA)
Tajiri - 3 (HUSTLE)
Tyson Kidd – 3 (SmackDown)
Hamada – 3 (TNA)
Eric Young – 3 (TNA)
Eric Escobar – 3 (SmackDown)
Doug Williams – 3 (TNA)
Brutus Magnus – 3 (TNA)
Yujiro Takahashi - 3 (CMLL)

Ricky Steamboat– 2 (WWE)
Triple H – 2 (Raw)

Portia Perez - 1 (SHIMMER)
Nicole Mathews - 1 (SHIMMER)
Ryo Saito - 1 (Dragon Gate)
Genki Horiguchi - 1 (Dragon Gate)
Michelle McCool – 1 (SmackDown)
Atsushi Aoki - 1 (NOAH)
Kota Ibushi - 1 (NOAH)
Seth Green - 1 (US Independent)
Yoshinobu Kanemaru - 1 (NOAH)
Kotaro Suzuki - 1 (NOAH)
Vince McMahon – 1 (WWE)
Brian Kendrick - 1 (US Independent)

Voting began 4.06.09

Year-End Rankings Key:

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


Year Two Winner: Samoa Joe


Year Three Winner: John Cena


Year Four Winner: Chris Jericho

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