411’s Wrestlers of the Week 02.06.06: Week 19
Posted by Larry Csonka on 02.06.2006
A mostly uneventful week in wrestling makes for a really interesting week in voting; and the standings undergo another shake up!
Welcome to week 19 of 411's Wrestler of the Week. A quick overview for those who don't know the score…
Each writer chooses three wrestlers from any promotion and each wrestler gets a vote attached to that ranking. It looks a little like this…
1st – 5
2nd – 3
3rd – 1
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 five vote getters get a points value for their ranking which looks something like this…
1st – 15
2nd – 10
3rd – 5
4th – 3
5th – 1
...and they go towards the 411 Wrestler of the Year award to be announced each year at WrestleMania. So this week is the first instalment to be posted every Monday. Let's see who wins this week…
Mathew Sforcina
1) HHH
Well someone has to end this Eddie worship. Might as well be a guy we already hate.
2) Fit Finlay
3) Aries, Shelley and Strong
Ari
1) Chris Sabin
Sabin is on a HUGE roll in the ring right now, including his win this past week on Impact. He's looked exceedingly sharp and smooth in the ring; his moves always have snap in them (his DDT and Liger Bomb for example). The crowd has really responded to the team of Sabin and Dutt, Sabin in particular. (SPOILER ALERT!) They have a good chance of pulling the upset for the tag titles at Against All Odds (/SPOILER ALERT!) but even if not, I'd say Sabin has the greatest chance OUTSIDE of AJ or Daniels to take out Samoa Joe for the X-Division title. Believe it.
2) John Cena
3) Austin Aries
JD Dunn
1) Vince McMahon
Easily the biggest newsmaker of the week on both his show and in real life. He and Shane attacking Shawn should set up an interesting match at 'Mania if it's Simba vs. HBK, and I think we all want to see the testimony if his groping incident comes to trial.
2) John Cena
3) Chris Sabin
Andy Clark
1) Eric Young
I was pretty unimpressed with the wrestling this week, but Eric Young on Impact was just golden.
2) Shane McMahon
3) HHH
Steve Sullivan
1) HHH
I never thought the day would come that I would vote Triple H as wrestler of the week. But this week in wrestling was pretty unimpressive and he's the only person who delivered any kind of decent promo along with a victory.
2) Chris Sabin
3) Vince McMahon
Bayani Domingo
1) Fit Finlay
Book Finlay, Benoit, and Regal in "All Stiffness Counts" 3-way right friggin' now!!
2) Aries, Shelley and Strong
3) The Big Show/Kane
Stephen Randle
1) John Cena
Was there even any wrestling worth talking about this week? For the life of me I can't remember. Guess we'll give it to the old standby, since he did have the match of the night on Raw, and it was actually a better one than the Rumble match.
2) Edge
3) Aries, Shelley and Strong
Scott Slimmer
1) Randy Orton
One week ago we all thought that Rey Mysterio would be headlining WrestleMania 22, but young Master Orton seems to have a different plan. This week he challenged Mysterio to a match for Mysterio's title shot and then pinned Mysterio in a tag team match. Oh yeah, he also cut a slightly controversial promo along the way. Was it a classy move? No. Was it smart move? Maybe not. Did it get people talking? You bet it did, and I think that may have been the point.
2) John Cena
3) Fit Finlay
Jeff Small
1) Mickie James
No one impressed me more this week than my favourite lesbian on Raw. Hell, she out pyscho'd the old Victoria with a very enjoyable segment. Outside of Trish and Stephanie, no other woman on the roster would have been able to draw legitimate heel heat with a promo. The use of the Spirit Squad was also a very nice touch. The Trish/Mickie feud is the best thing on Raw at this moment and if segments like these can continue, we shall have a hell of a build until WrestleMania.
2) Edge
3) MNM
Scott Rutherford
1) HHH
One night after an hour long performance in the Royal Rumble he puts on a great 18 minute match with Chavo. HHH is the most interesting RAW performer at the moment and it's going to be interesting in itself to see what road they take to his involvement at WM.
2) Randy Orton
3) Kurt Angle
Ryan Byers
1) Chris Sabin
Go back and re-read what Ari said. I couldn't agree more.
2) Mickie James
3) The Undertaker
JT
1) HHH
Cut a promo, won a match, and oh yeah - apparently took part in orchestrated one of the worst booking decisions of the year; all so he can main-event WrestleMania. I'm not so sure it's that cut and dry, but the fact is it was among the biggest news this week.
2) Chris Sabin
3) Mickie James
Steve Cook
1) Austin Aries
Pimpin Aries is so cool in a really weird kinda way. I know the hardcore fans are all like "OMG, WTF are they doing to Aries?", but I like the fact that guys like him and Alex Shelley are changing their look to stand out more in TNA. What TNA needs is not random guys in black trunks and black boots, but guys with personalities and characters to add to their tremendous wrestling skills. Aries is getting there, now Roderick Strong just needs to find something kooky to make all his own. And I'm all for more Aries/Strong tag team matches in TNA, ROH, or any other promotion, cause they're pretty darn good together.
2) John Cena
3) Chris Sabin
Larry Csonka
1) Chris Sabin
I shall agree with the good Mr. Ari as well. Chris Sabin is on a great roll right now. Sabin is possibly the most under utilized member of the TNA roster. He just seemed to have been lost in the shuffle, especially since the arrival of Samoa Joe and some others. The fact is though that he HAS consistently put on good matches, and is always giving 100% effort. His new team with Sonjay Dutt is going extremely well and I have really enjoyed it. If they can continue to push Sabin this way, and rebuild his credibility (and getting a win over Petey helps as Petey has been dominant over Sabin for the better part of a year) he could create interest for a rematch with Joe (their first match up was an excellent **** affair) and I could see him possibly able to sneak that title away from him. Hail Sabin~!
2) HHH
3) Aries, Shelley and Strong
THE WINNERS
Special Mention…Austin Aries - 11 Votes
Austin Aries and his "Superstar Billy Graham" like outfit earn a mention this week. He and Roderick Strong teamed up in the TNA tag Tourney and won a big match to make the next round. They are looking for respect and a tag title shot. Aries has assumed the leadership role and is gaining more respect from the panel.
Third Place…John Cena - 17 Votes
The champ is back again this week. He kept the title via DQ against Edge this week, and doesn't look to give it up anytime soon.
Second Place…Chris Sabin - 23 Votes
Chris Sabin returns to the list after a long absence. He has struggled to gain a position on importance in TNA and his tag team with Sonjay Dutt is doing just that. They also got a win in the tournament on Impact, and Sabin's strong work is getting more attention from the panel.
Wrestlers of the Week…HHH - 24 Votes
The Game finally climbs to the top for the week. He got a lot of love from the panel for his promo and great match and win this week.
Year End Standings
Some shake up this week in the standings. HHH makes a big leap into contention for the year-end award with his win. John Cena's 3rd place finish allows him to gain more ground on Ric Flair, who was very quiet this week. Aries and Sabin gain a little bit of ground as the overall list gets a makeover.
