411’s Wrestler of the Week 12.19.11: Year Seven, Week 38

Posted by Larry Csonka on 12.19.2011

Daniel Bryan won the World Title, Zack Ryder won the US Title, Bobby Roode retained the TNA World Title and more! Check out 411's Wrestler of the Week for all the details and for an updated look at the Year-End standings!



Welcome to Week 38, Year SEVEN, 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 around WrestleMania. This will be posted every Monday. Let's see who wins this week…

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Larry Csonka
1) Daniel Bryan
Daniel Bryan cashed in his Money in the bank briefcase and is FINALLY a world champion in WWE. It is a long time coming, and well deserved.

2) Zack Ryder: Is finally YOUR WWE US Champion! What else is there to say? Oh yeah. Woo WOO woo, you know it bro!
3) CM Punk: Retained the WWE Title in a very good TLC match.
4) Bobby Roode
5) El Mesias


Ryan Byers
1) Daniel Bryan
Bryan Danielson is the WWE World Heavyweight Champion. That is a sentence that I never in a million years thought that I would be able to type, unless it was part of some sort of sick, nerdy fan fiction.

2) Hiroshi Tanahashi: Though he was the frontrunner to win, Tanahashi was named MVP of all of Japanese wrestling this week by Tokyo Sports, one of the biggest sporting publications in his home country.
3) El Mesias: Went through two TNA wrestlers this weekend to become the number one contender to the AAA Mega Championship, currently held by Jeff Jarrett.
4) Abdullah Kobayashi
5) Daisuke Sekimoto & Yuji Okabayashi


Jeremy Thomas
1) Daniel Bryan
D-Bry cashed in and is officially YOUR World Heavyweight Champion. Do I really need a further justification?

2) Zack Ryder: In a win that's a long time coming, Zack beat Dolph Ziggler to win his first singles gold in WWE.
3) Kane: Made his return under the mask again and choke slammed John Cena so hard, he wasn't even at TLC.
4) CM Punk/Bobby Roode (tie)
5) Cody Rhodes


TJ Hawke
1) Daniel Bryan
Won the World Title. The booking of Bryan has been puzzling since he won a briefcase, but this still seems like a big deal (for the moment).

2) CM Punk: Survived The Miz and Del Rio in a TLC match that was said to be quite great.
3) Zack Ryder: Won the US Title. Good for him.
4) Kane
5) Cody Rhodes


Robert S. Leighty Jr
1) Daniel Bryan
We were teased a few weeks ago, but at TLC we finally got Bryan cashing in the briefcase and defeating Big Show to win the World Title. People are already setting over/unders on if he will make it to the New Year with the title, but no matter what, he won a World Title in the WWE.

2) The Big Show: He did win the World Title, and still counts for a lot in my voting book. Sure he lost it just seconds later, but he ended the reign of Henry.
3) Zack Ryder: He finally captures the US Title in what was a feel good moment at the PPV. Now let's see what he can do as he is another step higher on the ladder.
4) CM Punk
5) Kane


Colin Rinehart
1) Daniel Bryan
Umm, do I really need to say it? Okay, he won the World Heavyweight title. That's right, Bryan Danielson, the guy all the cynics thought could not make it to the big show, is now your WWE World Heavyweight champion. Let that sink in and savor that shit.

2)Zack Ryder: Ryder completed the first step in transitioning to a legit star and not just a comedy worker by winning the US title this Sunday, and he did so in a fun match that the crowd went crazy for.
3)Cody Rhodes
4)CM Punk
5)Big Show


Greg DeMarco
1) Daniel Bryan
Daniel Bryan took home the World Heavyweight Championship at WWE TLC on Sunday night. Many have criticized DB's booking, but what can't be ignored is that he's a world champion in the biggest wrestling company in the world. DAT MY BOY DEE BRYAN!

2) Zack Ryder: Zack Ryder captured the United States Championship at WWE TLC, the first of two title wins that was expertly booked by the company. Ryder deserves every bit of success thrown his way.
3) Robert Bobby Roode: Bobby Roode continues to excel despite the surrounding environment in TNA.
4) Cody Rhodes
5) CM Punk


Steve Cook
1) Daniel Bryan
Sure, there's a good chance he won't have a great title reign. Maybe he loses it on Tuesday like Christian did. Maybe he gets jobbed out his whole reign like Rey Mysterio did. I'm not going to bother worrying myself with these things until they happen, instead I'll congratulate Bryan for having had a wonderful career that continues to reach new heights.

2) Zack Ryder: Your new United States Champion, and Trending Superstar of the Year. 2011 has been an incredible ride for the Woo Woo Woo Kid.
3) Kane: The return of Kane did a lot to make people forget that the Slammys was a rather dull show for the most part.
4) Big Show
5) Cody Rhodes


Andy Critchell
1) DAT BOY DEE BRY!
I think it is pretty clear that winning the World Heavyweight Championship is the biggest thing to ever happen in the career of Daniel Bryan. It is pretty amazing actually and I hope it leads to even more success and opportunities for many of the young stars of WWE. He also got a win at Tribute to the Troops.

2) Zack Ryder: Winning the US Title off of Dolph Ziggler is a pretty big feather in the cap of Ryder. This is the first singles title for Ryder and I believe it is also a sign that we'll soon be seeing Ziggler move up the card so excitement all around. Ryder also won a Slammy, won at Tribute to the Troops, and successfully teamed with Randy Orton on Smackdown.
3) Triple H/Kevin Nash: Most people expected their ladder match to be horrible but it actually came off as damn entertaining. Both guys worked extremely hard and delivered way beyond most people's expectations.
4) Epico and Primo
5) CM Punk

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THE WINNERS~!

Special Mention…Bobby Roode & The Big Show - 7 Votes

Fifth Place…Cody Rhodes - 8 Votes

Fourth Place…Kane - 9 Votes

Third Place…CM Punk - 14 Votes

Retained the WWE Title in a TLC match on Sunday.

Second Place…Zack Ryder - 30 Votes

Finally won the US Title at the TLC PPV!

Wrestler of the Week…Daniel Bryan - 45 Votes

Cashed in his MITB and won the World Title at the TLC PPV!


Year-End Standings~!
And here are the rankings after week THIRTY-EIGHT! CM Punk adds to his lead while Daniel Bryan solidifies his spot in the overall top 10. Cody Rhodes takes control of the 15th spot and Kane made his debut on the big list. Here are the updated standings…

1. CM Punk (WWE) - 117

2. Mark Henry (WWE) - 89

3. Randy Orton (WWE) - 87

4. Bobby Roode (TNA) - 80

5. Alberto Del Rio (WWE) – 74

6. Christian (WWE) – 69
6. R-Truth (WWE) – 69

8. Daniel Bryan (WWE) - 66

9. John Cena (WWE) - 51

10. Austin Aries (TNA) - 47

11. Hiroshi Tanahashi (NJPW) - 43

12. Kurt Angle (TNA) - 41

13. Sheamus (WWE) - 39

14. The Miz (WWE) - 40

15. Cody Rhodes (WWE) - 36


El Generico (ROH) - 33
Gail Kim (TNA) - 33

Davey Richards (ROH) - 31

Zack Ryder (WWE) - 30
Kevin Steen (US Independent) - 30
Johnny Gargano (US Independent) - 30

Sara Del Rey (US Independent) - 28

Sin Cara (WWE) – 27 {INJURED}

Rey Mysterio (WWE) – 26 {INJURED}

Sting (TNA) - 25

Gunner (TNA) - 24
Giant Bernard (NJPW) - 24
Kota Ibushi (DDT) - 24

MVP (NJPW) - 21

Takashi Sugiura (NOAH) - 19

James Storm (TNA) - 18
Go Shiozaki (NOAH) - 18

Dolph Ziggler (WWE) - 17

HHH (WWE) – 16
Brian Kendrick (TNA) - 16
Wade Barrett (WWE) - 16

Eddie Kingston (US Independent) - 15
Super Dragon (US Independent) - 15
Tadasuke (OSAKA Pro) - 15
Mr. Anderson (TNA) - 15
Antonio Cesaro {Claudio Castignoli} (WWE) - 15
Yuji Nagata (NJPW) - 15
Edge (RETIRED) - 15
Kofi Kingston (WWE) - 15
The Rock (WWE) - 15

Prince Devitt (NJPW) - 12
Mickie James (TNA) - 12
Velvet Sky (TNA) - 12
Karl Anderson (NJPW) - 12
Winter (TNA) - 12
Cheerleader Melissa (US Independent) - 12
Nick Jackson (US Independent) - 12
Matt Jackson (US Independent) - 12
Undertaker (WWE) - 12
Kenny King (ROH) - 12
Rhett Titus (ROH) - 12

AJ Styles (TNA) – 10
Kharma (WWE) – 10 {PREGNANT}
The Big Show (WWE) – 10

Minoru Suzuki (NJPW) - 9
Lance Archer (NJPW) - 9
Katsuhiko Nakajima (NOAH) - 9
Hunico (WWE) – 9
Alex Riley (WWE) - 9
Angel De Oro (CMLL) - 9
BxB Hulk (Dragon Gate) - 9
Abyss (TNA) - 9
Charlie Haas (ROH) - 9
Shelton Benjamin (ROH) - 9
Evan Bourne (WWE) - 9
Chuck Taylor (US Independent) - 9
Mike Quackenbush (US Independent) - 9

The Sheik (US Independent) - 7
Jeff Jarrett (TNA) - 7

Kane (WWE) - 6
Madison Rayne (TNA) - 6
Jun Akiyama (NOAH) - 6
PAC (Dragon Gate) - 6
Eric Young (TNA) - 6
Ezekiel Jackson (WWE) - 6
Escorpion (CMLL) - 6
Low Ki (US Independent) - 6

Beth Phoenix (WWE) - 4

Michael Elgin (ROH) - 3
Bully Ray (TNA) - 3
Fire Ant (US Independent) - 3
Green Ant (US Independent) - 3
Soldier Ant (US Independent) - 3
Tyson Kidd (WWE) - 3
Kelly Kelly (WWE) - 3
Hirooki Goto (NJPW) - 3
Masato Tanaka (ZERO1) - 3
Rocky Romero (US Independent) - 3
Fit Finlay (Independent) - 3

Crimson (TNA) - 2

Eddie Edwards (ROH) - 1
David Otunga (WWE) - 1
Michael McGuillicutty (WWE) - 1
Kazarian (TNA) - 1
Christopher Daniels (TNA) - 1
Hernandez (TNA) - 1
Anarquia (TNA) - 1
Ultimo Guerrero (CMLL) - 1
Shinsuke Nakamura (NJPW) - 1
Mohammed Yone (NOAH) - 1
Dick Togo (RETIRED) - 1
Daisuke Sekimoto (All Japan) - 1
Volador (CMLL) - 1
Starbuck (International Talent) - 1

Voting began 4.04.11

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.

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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


Year Five Winner: CM Punk


Year Six Winner: The Miz

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