411’s Wrestler of the Week 11.23.09: Week 34

Posted by Jeremy Thomas on 11.23.2009

Kofi Kingston's mega-push continues on Raw and at Survivor Series, John Cena and the Undertaker retain their titles, Kenny Omega wins the Battle of Los Angeles and more! 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 34, 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…

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The Voting~!
Aaron Hubbard
1) Kofi Kingston
The Man from Ghana had a huge breakout week, brawling with Orton in The Garden, and then becoming the sole survivor for his team at Survivor Series, overcoming the odds and beating both CM Punk and Randy Orton by himself in the process. One can only pray that Kofi's momentum keeps going because he is red-hot right now. He may not be World Champion (yet), but everybody is going to be talking about Kofi.

2) Kenny Omega: Won the 2009 Battle of Los Angeles and became PWG Champion in the process. While a bunch of smart-alecs in the comments section will be quick to call Kenny an "indy nobody", that's a heck of a lot more than he was at the beginning of the year, when he was just a "nobody".
3) The Undertaker/John Cena: Started the week by beating DX and Jeri-Show in a triple-threat on RAW. Then retained their titles in Triple Threat Matches against those duos. Also sowed the seeds for a possible Wrestlemania showdown when Taker Tombstoned Cena. Pretty good week.
4) Sheamus
5) The Young Bucks


Robert S. Leighty Jr
1) Kofi Kingston
Good week for Kingston as his push up the card continues. He has a memorable brawl on RAW in MSG where he gets the visual win by putting Orton through a table. Then he caps off the week by being the sole survivor in his team's match against Team Orton.

2) The Undertaker: Successfully defends the World Title against the Tag Champs at Survivor Series. He was also part of the winning team on RAW and gets the nod over his partner, Cena, due to tombstone.
3) John Cena: Successfully defends the WWE Title against DX in a good Main Event. He was also part of the winning team on RAW. On a personal note it was nice having a WWE PPV without either the World or WWE title changing hands.
4) Batista
5) The Miz


Andy Critchell
1) Kofi Kingston
A total star making performance in one of the "Big 4" PPVs. He has been on fire for a while and if he keeps this up I could easily see him winning the Royal Rumble and main eventing Wrestlemania.

2) John Cena: I know people are tired of seeing Cena in main events but the guy just stright up brings it. Tonight was no different and while all three men in the championship match were great, Cena was the winner so he gets the nod.
3) THE MIZ, Drew McIntyre, Sheamus: Speaking of star making performances, these guys came off like true stars at the PPV. Not only did they all look great in their match but the promo they cut later on was fantastic and really drove hom that they are all part of the very bright future in WWE. I know that there were two other guys on Team THE MIZ but these three are the ones that really stood out.
4) HBK
5) Triple H


THE Larry Csonka
1) Kofi Kingston
From the great brawl with Orton in Madison Square Garden to what COULD be a career making performance at the Survivor Series, Kofi Kingston had the best week in wrestling. I am not as excited as some as we all know that both WWE and TNA often look to elevate someone with a great performance like this, only to pull back and ruin the momentum. I hope that is not the case here, because they have done very well with Kofi as of late.

2) Kenny Omega: Kenny Omega won the 2009 PWG Battle of Los Angeles tournament, and also the PWG Title by doing so. Omega defeated Kevin Steen, Scott Lost and Roderick Strong to win the tournament, and while the first half of 2009 was nothing to write home about, thus far, the second has been good and this really rises his stock.
3) Bison Smith: Pinned GHC Heavyweight Champion Go Shiozaki in a tag team match on the 19th, and then pinned Sugiura, the next challenger for the GHC Heavyweight. Smith likely has positioned himself for a title shot in early 2010 due to these wins.
4) John Cena and The Undertaker
5) Hamada


Chad Nevett
1) Kofi Kingston
First, he went toe-to-toe with Randy Orton on Raw, gaining the upper-hand in a brawl, and leaving the former world champ in the wreckage of a broken table. Then, he delivered a fantastic match-inside-a-match with CM Punk at Survivor Series, managing to defeat the former world champ and, immediately, take out Orton again to be the sole survivor for his team.

2) Kenny Omega: Won the PWG Battle of Los Angeles tournament and the title in the process. A lot of the best indy wrestlers in North America were involved, so managing to win the tournament and belt is no small feat.
3) John Cena: Retained the WWE Championship against Triple H and Shawn Michaels at Survivor Series in a rather good triple threat match after scoring the pinfall on Trips in a triple threat tag match on Raw.
4) Undertaker
5) Sheamus / Drew McIntyre (tie)


ARI
1) Kofi Kingston
Everyone else has pretty much nailed what made this week a star-cementing one for Kofi. Getting one over on Randy Orton in the hallowed halls of MSG is no joke, but the Survivor Series comeback and pinning of both Punk and Orton pretty much caps it.

2) John Cena / Undertaker (tie): Both WWE major champions retain their belts at Survivor Series, each against two competitors apiece in triple threat matches. Given the rapidity of title changes these days, a title defense in WWE should be considered highly in ranking for WotW.
3) Kenny Omega: Won the two night PWG Battle of Los Angeles 2009 and in the process became PWG Heavyweight Champion--that's a heck of a job there Kenny. Throw in his excellent showing last week in ROH against Austin Aries and you can see why Omega is earning the positive reviews about him this year.
4) Sheamus
5) Daniels


Ryan Byers

So, did I miss anything last week?

1) Kofi Kingston
Everybody's voting for Kofi this week, and I can't say that I blame them. Even if the Survivor Series didn't take place and the only thing he did was take out Randy Orton at MSG, I probably still would have put Kingston on the top of my list. However, the fact that he had such a memorable Raw moment in winning a brawl with Orton AND went on to pin two former World Heavyweight Champions within ten seconds at the Survivor Series makes the Ghanaian grappler a no-brainer for my first place pick.

2) Hulk Hogan & Ric Flair (tie) - I don't think that Hogan and Flair are getting quite enough credit for what they did this week. I'm sure that their match in the main event of the opening night of the Hulkamania tour wasn't all that great, but I'm not voting for them because of that. I'm voting for them because the angle that they shot earlier this week to set up that match got more positive mainstream media attention in Australia and on the internet and generated more interest in the match than just about anything that WWE and TNA have managed to do in the last five years. Hogan and Flair got people talking with a very old school angle, and they got people talking in GOOD way, which just goes to show why they're masters of their craft.
3) Bison Smith - The GHC Heavyweight Title will be contested in December in a match between champion Go Shiozaki and challenger Takashi Sugiura. It was Smith that made an impact in the GHC Title hunt this week, though, as he managed to pin both Go and Sugiura in tag team competition. This in all likelihood will give the big American a GHC shot of his own in the near future.
4) Kenny Omega
5) Tim Donst


Shawn S. Lealos
1) Kofi Kingston
THIS is how you make a star. The brawl between Kofi and Orton on RAW was epic. This is how Kofi needs to act if he wants to be taken seriously and that beating was amazing. The Madison Square Garden Crowd ate it up and went nuts when he dropped that big leg. Then he turns around at Survivor Series and not only pins Orton but also pins CM Punk, giving him back-to-back pins of former World Champions. This guys should be HUGE unless he gets the MVP de-push.

2) Christopher Daniels and Desmond Wolfe: As a tag team they beat the TNA World Champion and one of the greatest wrestlers working today in A.J. and Angle. The fact it was Daniels who picked up the pin makes this win even more important leading to his upcoming World Championship opportunity. TNA is booking this shit perfectly.
3) Kenny Omega: Won the PWG belt by beating Roderick Strong, which is a pretty big deal
4) Undertaker
5) John Cena


Samuel Berman
1) Kenny Omega
Won PWG's Battle of Los Angeles and with it the vacant PWG World Title.

2) Fire Ant & Soldier Ant: Retained the CHIKARA Campeonatos de Parejas over former champions Amasis & Ophidian.
3) Kofi Kingston: Took a huge step forward with a beatdown of Randy Orton in Madison Square Garden and a Pay-Per-View win.
4) Bison Smith
5) Davey Richards and Tim Donst (tie)


Michael Bauer
1) Kofi Kingston
There is no denying that Kofi is the solid leader for the next big face on Raw. The brawl with Orton was absolutely perfect, even with miscues. He then ends as the sole survivor, pinning Punk and Orton to end it.

2) Kenny Omega: Beats Steen first and Roderick Strong last, four matches overall to win the 2009 Battle of Los Angeles and the PWG World Title.
3) Bison Smith: Pinned both the GHC Heavyweight Champion and the #1 contender is seperate tag matches to set himself up for a shot.
4) John Cena
5) Daniels and Batista (tie)


Jasper Gerretsen
1) Kofi Kingston
He not only outlasted a stacked team of former champions to become the sole survivor in his match, but also pinned Randy Orton to do so.

2) Kenny Omega: Young Kenny Omega swept the Battle of Los Angeles tournament, claiming the PWG world heavyweight championship.
3) Pinky Sanchez: Finished off the CHIKARA season finale by revealing himself to be one of the biggest traitors in company history, instantly becoming part of the new top heel stable.
4) Bison Smith
5) Drew McIntyre and Sheamus (tie)


Jeremy Thomas
1) Kofi Kingston
This is really a no-brainer pick this week. Not only did he have a star-making brawl against Randy Orton, but he pinned two World Champions in six seconds on one of the 'E's biggest Pay-Per-Views of the year. Kofi's a man on fire, and while I think the 'E will scale it back soon enough, for now he's on top of the world.

2) John Cena: Of the two title retentions, Cena did it in the better match, and thus he gets the nod.
3) The Undertaker: The Dead Man continues to defy the odds and remains champion over Chris Jericho and the Big Show.
4) Sheamus & Drew McIntyre (tie)
5) Kenny Omega

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THE WINNERS~!

Special Mention…Sheamus - 11 Votes

Fifth Place…Bison Smith - 13 Votes

Fourth Place…The Undertaker - 20 Votes

Third Place…John Cena - 26 Votes

Cena survives D-Generation X and retains the WWE Heavyweight Title in an excellent match.

Second Place…Kenny Omega - 34 Votes

Omega wins the PWG Championship and the Battle of Los Angeles to further increase his stock on the indy circuit.

Wrestler of the Week…Kofi Kingston - 58 Votes

A great brawl on Raw and a strong showing at Survivor Series means that Kofi's push continues, and it pushes him to the top of the Wrestler of the Week voting this week!


Year-End Standings~!

John Cena and the Undertaker move into the Top 10, tying for ninth place while Kofi Kingston continues his meteoric rise through the charts to nip at Cena and Taker's heels at eleventh place! Kenny Omega makes his debut, while Bison Smith and Sheamus start climping up the charts. There's still almost 20 weeks to go so of course anything can happen...and probably will!

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. AJ Styles – 60 (TNA)

5. Rey Mysterio – 55 (SmackDown)
5. Chris Jericho – 55 (SmackDown)

7. Randy Orton – 52 (RAW)

8. Edge – 49 (SmackDown) {INJURED}

9. John Cena – 42 (RAW)
9. The Undertaker – 42 (SmackDown)

11. Kofi Kingston – 36 (Raw)

12. Samoa Joe – 34 (TNA)

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

15. Ted DiBiase – 32 (RAW)
15. Desmond Wolfe – 32 (TNA)

Tyler Black – 31 (ROH)

Batista – 30 (SmackDown)

Christian – 29 (ECW)

Kurt Angle – 28 (TNA)

Naruki Doi - 27 (Dragon Gate)
JTG – 27 (SmackDown)
Brian Danielson – 27 (WWE)

Jerry Lynn – 24 (ROH)

Mitsuharu Misawa - 21 (NOAH) {DECEASED}
MsChif - 21 (SHIMMER)

Austin Aries – 19 (ROH)

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

Cody Rhodes – 16 (RAW)
Mark Henry – 16 (RAW)
Shawn Michaels – 16 (RAW)

The Miz – 16 (Raw)

Mick Foley – 15 (TNA)
Montel Vontavious Porter – 15 (RAW)
Manabu Nakanishi - 15 (NOAH)
Togi Makabe - 15 (NOAH)
Hernandez – 15 (TNA)
Dolph Ziggler – 15 (SmackDown)
Bison Smith - 15 (NOAH)

Carpenter Ant - 12 (CHIKARA)
Minoru Suzuki - 12 (All Japan)
Brother Devon – 12 (TNA)
Brother Ray – 12 (TNA)
The Amazing Red – 12 (TNA)
Bison Smith - 15 (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)
Hulk Hogan – 12 (TNA)
Shinsuke Nakamura - 12 (NJPW)
Kenny Omega - 12 (ROH)

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

Delirious - 9 (ROH)
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)

Roderick Strong - 9 (ROH)

Sheamus – 7 (Raw)

Matt Hardy – 6 (SmackDown)
Chris Hero - 6 (US Independent)
Satoshi Kojima - 6 (AJPW)
Yoshinobu Kanemura - 6 (NOAH)
Giant Bernard - 6 (NJPW)
Karl Anderson - 6 (NJPW)

Dr. Wagner Jr. - 4 (AAA)

Evan Bourne – 3 (Raw)
Ken Anderson - 3 (US Independent)
Tara – 3 (TNA)
Booker T – 3 (TNA)
Alex Shelley – 3 (TNA)
Chris Sabin – 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)
Tiger Mask IV- 1 (NJPW)

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.

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**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!