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411’s Wrestler of the Week 03.29.10: Week 52

March 29, 2010 | Posted by Jeremy Thomas

Welcome to Week 52, 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~!
Michael Bauer
1) Undertaker and Shawn Michaels (tie)
I had my doubts about this match, wondering if it could really top last year’s epic classic. In the end, I don’t think it did, but it definitely matched it. The Undertaker wins another WrestleMania main event and Shawn Michaels proved again that he is Mr. WrestleMania. Kudos to both men and thank you Shawn.

2) YAMATO: Sorry, but Cena’s Ump-teenth title reign means nothing to me, especially compared to YAMATO’s first Open the Dream Gate title win against Naruki Doi. Doi’s reign has been nothing short of amazing and YAMATO finally gets his time to shine.
3) Jack Swagger: The biggest surprise winner of WrestleMania has to be Swagger. But he now has a chance to be a main eventer.
4) Sheamus
5) John Cena

Aaron Hubbard
1) Shawn Michaels/The Undertaker (TIE)
An amazing main event for Wrestlemania that in my opinion, matched last year’s event; the wrestling was better and the story was just as good. The finish made me cry. Undertaker, thank you for your spectacular effort. Shawn, thank you for having one of the best careers ever. God bless you for everything.

2) Jack Swagger: Won the MITB to the shock of everyone, but I’m happy about it. This is the biggest win of his career easily, and I hope he makes the most of this.
3) YAMATO: Cena and Batista had a great match, Edge and Jericho had a great match. Jericho got a huge win out of the thing, and Cena became a nine-time world champion. But YAMATO won his first Open the Dream Gate Championship, beating the Ace of Dragon Gate, Naruki Doi to win it.
4) Chris Jericho
5) John Cena

Chad Nevett
1) The Undertaker / Shawn Michaels (tie)
The sequel that lived up to the original with an even bigger ending… both men put on one hell of a show.

2) YAMATO: Won the Open the Dream Gate title from Naurki Doi after Doi’s 449 day reign. That’s a huge accomplishment, the biggest of YAMATO’s career yet.
3) Jack Swagger: My pick to win Money in the Bank and even I’m surprised that he actually did it. He’s got a lot of potential and I hope that this is the beginning of great things. He was put over a lot of talented guys and deserves it.
4) Chris Jericho
5) John Cena

THE Larry Csonka
1) Undertaker and Shawn Michaels
Simply put they did it once again. The main event of the biggest stage of the year delivered big time, and they deserve all of the accolades they are getting for the match.

2) YAMOTO: YAMATO defeated Naruki Doi to win the Open the Dream Gate Title, which he held for over ONE YEAR. This is easily the biggest win for YAMATO since joining Dragon Gate.
3) Jack Swagger: Swagger is the surprise winner of Money in the Bank, and hopefully a renewed push.
4) Chris Jericho
5) John Cena

Samuel Berman
1) Shawn Michaels and The Undertaker (tie)
You measure greatness two ways, brilliance and longevity. Shawn Michaels and the Undertaker have exhibited both.

2) YAMATO: Won the Open the Dream Gate Championship from Naruki Doi
3) Jack Swagger: An unexpected Money in the Bank victory.
4) Chris Jericho
5) Tyler Black

Jasper Gerretsen
1) The Undertaker & Shawn Michaels
I know it probably seems odd to vote for someone who is (probably) retiring, but these two set the world on fire in the main event of the show that they both built their career on.

2) Chris Jericho: Did anyone expect Jericho to retain here? Sure, there were shenanigans, but in the end he beat the odds by retaining as a heel and against a Royal Rumble winner.
3) Jack Swagger: From doing absolutely nothing since being drafted to the red brand to holding a guaranteed title shot. Let’s hope he can make the most of it.
4) YAMATO
5) John Cena

ARI
1) Undertaker / Shawn Michaels
They did it again! A fitting dramatic and physical effort from both men–a well deserved farewell (for now) to Shawn Michaels and once again Undertaker reigns over Wrestlemania. I wish Jim Ross had called this match though, because as great as the match was, the commentary team didn’t do half the job he would have on the stick.

2) Chris Jericho: ASK HIM! He’ll tell you he’s “The Best Wrestler in the World at What I Do”…and tonight at ‘Mania 26, Jericho proved it by retaining the World Heavyweight Championship.
3) Jack Swagger: CALLED IT! “The All-American American” wins Money in the Bank and earns an opportunity to cash-in on a title match.
4) John Cena
5) Bret “Hitman” Hart

Ryan Byers
1) The Undertaker & Shawn Michaels
I have to break from conventional wisdom somewhat, because I don’t think that this year’s Mania match between Taker and HBK exceeded or even met the quality of last year’s. In my mind, it was a step or two below last year’s match. However, being a step or two below one of the most memorable matches of all time means that you’re still doing an AWESOME job, putting on the best match at Wrestlemania XXVI, and wrestling a match that people will remember for years.

2) YAMATO: Blah blah . . . Japan doesn’t matter . . . blah blah . . . shouldn’t vote for anybody but WWE wrestlers on Wrestlemania week . . . blah blah blah. I don’t care.
3) Chris Jericho: Maybe it’s just me, but I thought that Jericho had the best Wrestlemania performance of anybody not named Shawn Michaels or the Undertaker. The fact that he retained his championship when a lot of fans didn’t expect him to come anywhere close doesn’t hurt matters much either.
4) John Cena
5) Yoshi Tatsu

Jeremy Thomas
1) The Undertaker & Shawn Michaels
C’mon, really. Who the hell else is it going to be? These guys put on the best match so far this year, and the wrestling world is going to be hard-pressed to top it over the next nine months. The Dead Man’s streak extends to 18-0 and Shawn’s glorious career is over. Both men deserve kudos, and Shawn gets a heartfelt thank you for twenty-two years of fantastic entertainment. THAT was a WrestleMania main event.

2) Jack Swagger: Ari may have called this, but I sure as hell didn’t. Swagger pulled down the Money in the Bank briefcase and guaranteed himself a title shot at his leisure. I think he’ll be the first person to cash in and not win, but either way this is a huge boost for the All-American American’s career and he came away a big winner at ‘Mania.
3) Chris Jericho: I certainly didn’t see Jericho winning here, but win he did and in a very good match to boot. His issues with Edge may not be over, but Jericho’s on top of the world and rightfully so.
4) Yoshi Tatsu
5) John Cena


THE WINNERS~!

  • Special Mention…Yoshi Tatsu – 3 Votes
  • Fifth Place…John Cena – 8 Votes
  • Fourth Place…Chris Jericho – 20 Votes
  • Third Place…Jack Swagger – 27 Votes

    Jack Swagger wins the Money in the Bank and a guaranteed title shot.

  • Second Place…YAMATO – 28 Votes

    YAMATO defeats Naruki Doi for the Open the Dream Gate Title

  • Wrestler of the Week…The Undertaker & Shawn Michaels – 45 Votes

    The first-ever unanimous tie for first place comes from WrestleMania’s match of the night, where the Undertaker’s streak continued and Shawn Michaels’s career ended in a match for the ages!

    Year-End Standings~!

    There is some movement in the rankings, but of course the story is that we’ve reached the end of Year Five. It was close all the way up to a couple weeks ago between AJ Styles and CM Punk, but the Straight-Edge Superstar finally pulled away and stands alongside Ric Flair, Samoa Joe, John Cena and Chris Jericho as a Wrestler of the Year winner! Congratulations to Punk; the standings will reset next week and we’ll start Year Six.

    Let’s check out the Final Year-End Standings!

    1. CM Punk – 152 (SmackDown)

    2. AJ Styles – 129 (TNA)

    3. Rey Mysterio – 86 (SmackDown)

    4. Jeff Hardy – 85 (TNA)

    5. Chris Jericho – 77 (SmackDown)

    6. Edge – 74 (SmackDown)

    7. John Morrison – 70 (SmackDown)

    8. John Cena – 68 (RAW)

    9. Randy Orton – 59 (RAW)

    10. The Undertaker – 57 (SmackDown)

    11. Batista – 54 (SmackDown)

    12. Shawn Michaels – 53 (RAW)

    13. Kurt Angle – 52 (TNA)

    14. Eddie Edwards – 48 (ROH)

    15. Tyler Black – 46 (ROH)

    Davey Richards – 45 (ROH)

    Naruki Doi – 42 (Dragon Gate)

    Kofi Kingston – 37 (Raw)

    Sheamus – 36 (Raw)

    Christian – 35 (WWE)

    Samoa Joe – 34 (TNA)

    Ted DiBiase – 33 (RAW)

    Desmond Wolfe – 32 (TNA)

    The Miz – 31 (Raw)

    JTG – 27 (SmackDown)
    Daniel Bryan – 27 (NXT)
    Keiji Mutoh – 27 (AJPW)
    Masakatsu Funaki – 27 (AJPW)
    BxB Hulk – 27 (Dragon’s Gate)
    D’Angelo Dinero – 27 (TNA)
    Ryoto Hama – 27 (AJPW)

    Jerry Lynn – 24 (ROH)
    Sting – 24 (TNA)
    YAMATO – 24 (Dragon’s Gate)

    MsChif – 21 (SHIMMER)
    Nick Jackson – 21 (TNA)
    Matt Jackson – 21 (TNA)
    Daniels – 21 (TNA)
    Hulk Hogan – 21 (TNA)
    Naomichi Marufuji – 21 (NOAH)
    Jack Swagger – 21 (RAW)

    Austin Aries – 19 (ROH)
    Shinsuke Nakamura – 19 (NJPW)
    Bret Hart – 19 (RAW)

    Go Shiozaki – 18 (NOAH)
    Drew McIntyre – 18 (SmackDown)
    Tommy Dreamer – 18 (US Independent)
    The Big Show – 18 (RAW)

    Cody Rhodes – 16 (RAW)
    Mark Henry – 16 (RAW)
    Triple H – 16 (Raw)
    Hernandez – 16 (TNA)

    Mick Foley – 15 (TNA)
    Montel Vontavious Porter – 15 (RAW)
    Manabu Nakanishi – 15 (NOAH)
    Togi Makabe – 15 (NOAH)
    Dolph Ziggler – 15 (SmackDown)
    Bison Smith – 15 (NOAH)
    Takashia Sugiura – 15 (NOAH)
    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)
    Masato Yoshino – 12 (Dragon Gate)
    Hiroshi Tanahashi – 12 (New Japan)
    Shad – 12 (SmackDown)
    Zach Ryder – 12 (WWE)
    Shingo Takagi – 12 (Dragon Gate)
    Kenny Omega – 12 (ROH)
    CIMA – 12 (Dragon Gate)
    Gamma – 12 (Dragon Gate)
    Massive Q – 12 (AWF)
    Abyss – 12 (TNA)
    Claudio Castagnoli– 12 (ROH)
    Ares – 12 (US Independent)

    Soldier Ant – 10 (CHIKARA)
    Fire Ant – 10 (CHIKARA)
    Vince McMahon – 10 (WWE)

    Delirious – 9 (ROH)
    Masato Tanaka – 9 (ZERO1)
    Homicide – 9 (TNA)
    ODB – 9 (TNA)

    Ryouji Sai – 9 (ZERO1)
    Player Dos – 9 (CHIKARA)
    Mistico – 9 (CMLL)
    Bobby Lashley – 9 (TNA)
    Roderick Strong – 9 (ROH)
    Mickie James – 9 (SmackDown)
    Adam Pearce – 9 (US Independent)

    Yoshinobu Kanemura – 7 (NOAH)
    Karl Anderson – 7 (NJPW)
    Yoshi Tatsu – 7 (WWE)

    Matt Hardy – 6 (SmackDown)
    Chris Hero – 6 (US Independent)
    Satoshi Kojima – 6 (AJPW)
    Giant Bernard – 6 (NJPW)
    Serena – 6 (SmackDown)
    Ezekiel Jackson – 6 (SmackDown)
    Alex Shelley – 6 (TNA)
    Chris Sabin – 6 (TNA)

    Hamada – 5 (TNA)

    Dr. Wagner Jr. – 4 (AAA)
    Doug Williams – 4 (TNA)
    Ken Anderson – 4 (TNA)

    Evan Bourne – 3 (Raw)
    Tara – 3 (TNA)
    Booker T – 3 (TNA)
    Scott Steiner – 3 (US Independent)
    Tajiri – 3 (HUSTLE)
    Tyson Kidd – 3 (SmackDown)
    Eric Young – 3 (TNA)
    Eric Escobar – 3 (SmackDown)
    Brutus Magnus – 3 (TNA)
    Yujiro Takahashi – 3 (CMLL)
    Jun Kasai – 3 (Big Japan)
    Taiji Ishimori – 3 (NOAH)
    Ricky Marvin – 3 (NOAH)
    Velvet Sky – 3 (TNA)
    Madison Rayne – 3 (TNA)

    Ricky Steamboat– 2 (WWE)

    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)
    Kotaro Suzuki – 1 (NOAH)
    Brian Kendrick – 1 (TNA)
    Tiger Mask IV- 1 (NJPW)
    Shelton Benjamin – 1 (WWE)
    Kevin Steen – 1 (ROH)
    Awesome Kong – 1 (TNA)

  • Voting began 4.06.09
  • Year-End Rankings Key:

    WWE, Raw, SmackDown and NXT-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.

    Australian Contracted Wrestlers are represented in INDIGO.



    **PREVIOUS WINNERS**

    Year One Winner: Ric Flair


    Year Two Winner: Samoa Joe


    Year Three Winner: John Cena


    Year Four Winner: Chris Jericho


    Year Five Winner: CM Punk

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

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    Jeremy Thomas

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