411’s Wrestler of the Week 11.30.09: Week 35

Posted by Jeremy Thomas on 11.30.2009

Sheamus, Batista, Bobby Lashley and Shelton Benjamin become Number One contenders to their respective titles, Dragon's Gate USA crowns their first champion, Hulk Hogan defeats a former Year-End winner three times in a week 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 35, 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~!
Michael Bauer
1) BxB Hulk
I would have sworn that at least 1 American would have made the finals, but Gabe pulled a fast one. Despite that, BxB Hulk is the first champion of Dragon Gate USA, beating Brian Kendrick in the first round, then beating CIMA, Gran Akuma, and Yamato in the finals to win the Open the Freedom Gate Championship.

2) John Cena / CM Punk: Their match on Raw was the best this week. And in great promo work by both men and Punk beating Hardy, they get the tie.
3) Sheamus: Let it be known, I can not get behind this push. That said, somebody had to be #3.
4) Bobby Lashley
5) Shelton Benjamin


ARI
1) John Cena & CM Punk (tie)
The best televised match of the week--and one that quickly became a personal favorite of mine. Maybe this should have been saved for a Wrestlemania or Summerslam, but both men pulled out some special reverses and moves that made it seem like that kind of show. Punk also cut a great promo on Smackdown, defeated Matt Hardy and also brought in Luke Gallows as his stooge. Even though he lost to Cena, not too shabby a week for our Straight-Edge Hero.

2) Sheamus: The man has the rocket strapped to the moon and not only did he wipe the mat with Finlay, he won the battle royal on Raw to win the title shot against Cena at TLC AND he wiped out Cena at the end of the show. That's a hell of a rocket.
3) Hulk Hogan: Regardless of the quality of the matches, he did defeat Ric Flair three times this week--and that's very remarkable.
4) BxB Hulk
5) Naruki Doi & Masato Yossino


Robert S. Leighty Jr

1) Sheamus
Who saw this one coming? People bitched they wanted someone new in the title scene after months of Orton/Cena/HHH, and on RAW they gave it to us. Sheamus wins the battle royal, and then puts Cena through a table to end the show. Sure, he seems to be just a sacrificial lamb, but lets see if the kid can make the most of it.

2) Bobby Lashley: Strong showing on Impact as he wins a 1 night Tournament to get a future shot at the TNA World Title. Best part was that all 3 matches were pretty decent and showcased Lashley in a strong way.
3) Shelton Benjamin: This has been #1 contender's week as Shelton gets himself a shot at Christian's ECW Title. I give Shelton over Big Dave (who also won a #1 contender's match) because he hasn't had a title shot in a while, and Shelton/Christian ladder match excites me more than Dave/Taker.
4) Batista
5) Robert Roode


Ryan Byers
1) Sheamus
I have been saying for months now that WWE needs to get over their misplaced reservations about turning new wrestlers into stars over night, because their top mix right now is so stale that it's not even funny. It looks like somebody in a position of power finally agreed with me, because this week we saw the beginning of a championship-level push for the Gaelic warrior Sheamus. If a guy going from the Raw mid-card into a feud with the biggest star in professional wrestling today in the matter of a couple of hours doesn't make him wrestler of the week, I don't know what does.

2) Hulk Hogan - The Hulkster managed to beat the legendary "Nature Boy" Ric Flair three times within our voting period, which, at least in kayfabe terms, is a heck of an accomplishment regardless of the circumstances. Now let's just see whether the Hulkamania promotion was profitable enough for a second tour.
3) Matt Cross - Reports from the Hulkamania shows consistently said that the best match on the card was Matt Cross vs. Shannon Moore. That could mean big things for Cross' career, as he's suddenly gone from indy guy to somebody who is on Hogan and Bischoff's radar . . . and being on the radar of those two men usually means big things for one's career.
4) Satoshi Kojima & Zodiac
5) Shuji Ishikawa


Larry Csonka
1) BxB Hulk
BxB Hulk defeated Brian Kendrick to advance to the finals, where he then defeated Gran Akuma, Cima and Yamato in an elimination match to win the first ever Open the Freedom Gate Championship.

2) Sheamus: The people asked for new main eventers and they got it. Sheamus won the chance to face John Cena at the TLC PPV, and while he may not have been the first choice of many, he is fresh blood in the main event and the fact that he won the chance was huge for his career.
3) Bobby Lashley: Bobby Lashley defeated Abyss, Desmond Wolfe and Robert Roode in one night to earn himself a TNA World Title shot.
4) Shelton Benjamin
5) Hulk Hogan


Samuel Berman
1) BxB Hulk
Won DGUSA's first Open the Freedom Gate Championship.

2) Sheamus: Made an impact in earning the #1 contendership to John Cena's belt.
3) YAMATO: Defeated a white-hot Davey Richards to advance to the Open the Freedom Gate Tournament Finals.
4) Naruki Doi & Masato Yoshino
5) Shuji Ishikawa and Matt Cross (tie)


Chad Nevett
1) Bobby Lashley
Earned a shot at the TNA World Championship by defeating Abyss, Desmond Wolfe, and Robert Roode in a one-night tournament on "Impact" to finally prove he may be a force within TNA after a lot of hype and little results. All three matches were good, particularly his final one against Roode.

2) BxB Hulk: Another tournament winner to become the first Open the Freedom Gate Champion.
3) Sheamus: And yet another tournment (of sorts) winner that results in a WWE title shot against John Cena.
4) Hulk Hogan
5) Shelton Benjamin


Jasper Gerretsen
1) BxB Hulk
BxB Hulk outlasted three other men, including former face of the company CIMA, to become Dragon Gate USA's first Open the Freedom Gate champion, also beating Brian Kendrick in the qualifying match.

2) Sheamus: The Celtic Warrior rose from TV debut to title shot in a matter of weeks, securing his shot against John Cena at Tables, Ladders and Chairs
3) Bobby Lashley: The Boss came out on top in an eight man tournament and will be AJ Styles' next challenger.
4) Matt Cross
5) Naruki Doi & Masato Yoshino


Aaron Hubbard
1) BXB Hulk
There is only one first champion of a promotion. I'm not sure BXB Hulk is who I would have picked as the first Open the Freedom Gate Champion, but he has done it. He also happens to be the champion of arguably the hottest and best indy fed in the United States.

2) Sheamus: Had a huge boost to his career recently, going from ECW jobber squasher to flavor of the month title challenger to John Cena on RAW in a very short span. I do say he is flavor of the month, for now.
3) Bobby Lashley: Earned a title shot against AJ Styles in a tournament on Impact.
4) YAMATO
5) Naruki Doi & Masato Yoshino


Jeremy Thomas
1) Sheamus
We have a new contender to John Cena's WWE Heavyweight Championship, and it's someone new! I gotta give huge props to Sheamus for this and while I can understand why some people are down on the idea--I have reservations about what might be two throwaway title matches on consecutive Pay-Per-Views--this is clearly the Celtic Warrior's week.

2) Bobby Lashley: Much like Sheamus, Lashley fought his way through a single night to become get a shot at his promotion's World Champion. While Lashley's feat may not be quite as huge of a career advancement (it's certainly less shocking), it's still a good sign for Lashley's TNA future.
3) CM Punk/: Tough call here between Punk and John Cena. Cena won their match and delivered a nice little promo to Sheamus, but then got his ass handed to him. Meanwhile, Punk lost the match against Cena but came back strong with a good promo, a new sidekick and a brutalizing of Matt Hardy. That gives the Straight-Edge Superstar just the slightest edge.
4) Hulk Hogan/John Cena
5) Shelton Benjamin

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THE WINNERS~!

Special Mention…Shelton Benjamin - 8 Votes

Fifth Place…John Cena - 11 Votes

Fourth Place…Hulk Hogan & CM Punk - 12 Votes

Third Place…Bobby Lashley - 24 Votes

Lashley wins a shot at the TNA World Title after a strong performance in iMpact's tournament.

Second Place…BxB Hulk - 31 Votes

DG-USA has its inaugural champion, and it's BxB Hulk which is a huge boost to his career.

Wrestler of the Week…Sheamus - 41 Votes

In a week of new champions and new number one contenders, Sheamus rises above the pack by going from mid-card jobber squashing to become the #1 Contender to Raw's World Title...that's enough to earn him Wrestler of the Week!


Year-End Standings~!

BxB Hulk, Shelton Benjamin and Bobby Lashley all debut on the Year-End Standings this week, while Hulk Hogan and Sheamus leap up toward the Top 15. Within that top fifteen rankings, Cena gains some ground on the Undertaker to move solely into ninth place...and after several weeks of no-showing, CM Punk returns and adds a few points to his pack-leading total. He's over forty points away from his closest active wrestler; can anyone catch him in time?

Let's check out the Year-End Standings!

1. CM Punk – 113 (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 – 45 (RAW)

10. 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)

Sheamus – 22 (Raw)

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

Austin Aries – 19 (ROH)

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

Pinky Sanchez - 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)
BxB Hulk - 12 (Dragon's Gate)

Shinsuke Nakamura - 12 (NJPW)
Kenny Omega - 12 (US Independent)

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

Delirious - 9 (ROH)
Jack Swagger – 9 (RAW)
Masato Tanaka - 9 (ZERO1)
Homicide – 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)
Bobby Lashley – 9 (TNA)

Roderick Strong - 9 (ROH)

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)
Shelton Benjamin – 1 (ECW)

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 – 62 Points (Only 27 voting weeks)


Year Two Winner: Samoa Joe - 122 Points


Year Three Winner: John Cena - 123 Points


Year Four Winner: Chris Jericho - 138 Points

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