411’s Wrestler of the Week 4.09.07: Week 1
Posted by Larry Csonka on 04.09.2007
411’s Wrestler of the Week starts off year three with a new format and the first winner of the year!
Welcome to Week 1, Year-Three, of 411's Wrestler of the Week. A quick overview to kick things off as we have some new rules for year three…
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
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!
Andy Clark
1) Matt and Jeff Hardy
The Hardy's came off an entertaining role in the MITB Ladder Match at Mania and capitalized on the dissension between Cena & HBK the next night on Raw. They have won tag team gold for the first time since 2001. Jeff also had a good match with Mr. Kennedy on SmackDown and Matt got an upset win over King Booker, possibly helping to split up the royal couple.
2) Elijah Burke- While the entire New Breed got the win in the Extreme Rules Match on Tuesday, Elijah Burke is the one coming out looking like a star. Plus that Elijah Express through the table looked SICK.
3) Rhino- Got a victory of Tomko in an 8 Mile Street Fight on Impact, giving Team Angle a bit of momentum.
4) The Undertaker
5) Takao Omori
Daniel Wilcox
1) Brian Kendrick and Paul London
I'm sure the New Breed and The Hardyz will get plenty of love this week so I won't use my one tie on those guys because L&K also had a great week. They had (in my opinion) the best match on TV this week and came out victorious against the impressive Gregory Helms and Chavo Guerrero in a match that got great TV Time. SmackDown's even promoting the Tag Title match next week between the champs and Deuce and Domino. When was the last time a tag title was promoted a week before it takes place not on PPV? Here's hoping London and Kendrick also get some PPV time now all shows are tri-brand.
2) Shawn Michaels - HBK turned on his tag partner John Cena on Raw as well as delivering not one, but two great promos that got me looking forward to the Cena/HBK rematch or even the Fatal 4 Way which I hope they're going to do.
3) Elijah Burke - The star of the New Breed who got a huge win Tuesday night in a great Extreme Rules Match over the Originals.
4) Bobby Lashley
5) Rhino
Arnold Furious
1) PAC
The Man That Gravity Forgot has been swiftly making a reputation for himself over in the UK and this weekend started his campaign to break America with PWG. Not only that but on 1PW's Resurrection show he beat Juventud Guerrera in what has to be the biggest win of his career. The best British prospect since Doug Williams is getting his chance to shine and he's taking it. Hey, I booked this guy on a show last year. I feel mint. BOOM!
2) Ulf Hermann. On the same 1PW show Ulf retained his 1PW title by beating Iceman in an I Quit match.
3) KENTA. Any excuse to vote for KENTA is good for me. He beat Ted DiBiase's son in NOAH this week.
4) Matt Hardy
5) Paul London and Brian Kendrick
Matt Adamson
1) Togi Makabe
For my money his win against Shinsuke Nakamura in the Chain Death match for New Japan on Saturday Night was the biggest win of the weekend. This feud is hotter than anything going on in the WWE right now, enough so that New Japan enters the unusual territory of gimmick matches. The match went nearly twenty minutes and Makabe won in the end surprising me for one.
2) Sara Del Ray - Two important wins in SHIMMER this weekend including the main event put Sara in the #2 spot this week and she deserves it.
3) CIMA - His trio retains the Dragon Gate Triangle Gate title, CIMA got the pin in that match, which was good enough to garner an almost immediate rematch for Monday.
4) Matt and Jeff Hardy
5) Elijah Burke
JT~!
1) Matt Hardy
While he and Jeff both had impressive showings in the MITB match at WrestleMania 23, AND managed to let the tension between HBK and Cena equate to them once again capturing tag team gold, I have to go with the SmackDown tie-breaker. Jeff lost to the man on FIRE right now in Kennedy, while Matt Hardy - fan favorite Matt Hardy - got a win over King Booker which I don't think anyone saw coming. In retrospect due to storylines, it makes more sense now, but it sure didn't on Tuesday night. For that, I will give it to him.
2) Kendrick / London - As Wilcox said, probably the best match on WWE television this week, re-ignited interest in the fact that YES! WE DO HAVE A TAG TITLE ON SD! (through Deuce and Domino), and got a victory over the current and former Cruiserweight champions.
3) El Generico - Pac might have pulled out the holy shit moment of the evening, but when you're dealing with what is potentially a MOTY candidate, I have to go with the guy who actually won it.
4) Shawn Michaels
5) Sara Del Ray
Mike Minotti
1) Matt Hardy
New World Tag Team Champion, and got the win against King Booker on Smackdown. This is all coming hot off a good performance at WrestleMania. Hopefully after this latest tag title reign the WWE can finally turn the Hardyz into consistent main event players. Usually not enough to make a person a WotW, but it's been a pretty quite week on the big shows.
2) Jeff Hardy - Also a new World Tag Team champion, but lost his match on SmackDown against Mr. Kennedy.
3) El Generico - A lot of people are talking about the El Generico/Pac match as an early match of the year candidate. A big thumbs up to the man who won it.
4) PAC
5) Lashley
Rob Halden
1) Bobby Lashley
I'm not sure what shows the rest of ya'll were watching this week, but Bobby Lashley took the ECW title to the main event of Raw and beat two guys at once
2) Matt Hardy - A title and a win?!?! Someone pinch Matt Hardy, he thinks he's dreaming. Also the guy he beat was King Booker, not just anyone.
3) The Miz - You wanna talk big win? How about Chris Benoit.
4) Elijah Burke
5) The Undertaker
VINZ
1) Matt Hardy
After a great performance in MITB III, Matt teamed up with brother Jeff to once again capture tag team gold the following night on RAW, then went on to beat former World Heavyweight Champion and top tier heel King Booker on SmackDown!. Whether any of this actually means anything remains to be seen, but it is certainly a far cry from being stuck in limbo with Gregory Helms.
2) Elijah Burke - Never in a million years would I have believed that Elijah F'N Burke could be hard-f'n-core. On ECW, he proved me wrong.
3) The Undertaker - Fresh off his big WrestleMania victory, 'Taker continues to dominate by sidelining Booker with a vicious Tombstone.
4) Rhino
5) Mr. Kennedy
B-RAD
1) Matt Hardy
He looked good in the Money In The Bank Ladder Match at WrestleMania, became the first ever Smackdown wrestler to win RAW's WWE World Tag Team Championship along with his brother Jeff and making them six time WWE World Tag Team Champion, and he knocked off King Booker this week on Smackdown. Version 1, you are indeed my Wrestler of the Week.
2) Brian Kendrick and Paul London- They had the match of the week with Chavo Guerrero and Gregory Helms and have I mentioned.....DOUBLE SLICE BREAD #2 POWER BOMB?!?!
3) Jeff Hardy -I would of put the Hardy Boyz at #1 but Jeff's loss to Mr. Kennedy separates him from his brother.
4) Elijah Burke
5) Bobby Lashley
SAT
1) Matt Hardy
He wins the tag titles with his brother Jeff on RAW in a battle royal and then he beats King Booker on SmackDown.
2) Bobby Lashley - He continues his amazing run by beating Umaga and Estrada in the main event on RAW.
3) The Undertaker - He makes a statement by putting King Booker on the shelf.
4) El Generico
5) Jeff Hardy
Jeff Small
1) Matt Hardy
I certainly find it quite ironic to see Matt Hardy top so many people's 1st WOTW considering it's common knowledge to believe that he will never get that main event push in the WWE. Regardless of whether he has a push coming to him, he had a super week starting off with capturing the World Tag Titles on Raw and then beating King Booker cleanly in the semi-main event of Smackdown. Whether he will be on the top of the WOTW again is anyone's guess but you can't top him this week.
2) Paul London and Brian Kendrick - There's no way we can separate these two so I won't even try. London and Kendrick had a great match on Smackdown, which made me a happy camper considering I was watching the show with two people who never watch wrestling. Now while they did not seem to care much for the rest of the program, for the 10 minutes or so of the tag match, their eyes were glued to the screen. Plus, there's no way you can beat out a Super Powerbomb/Sliced Bread #2 combo.
3) Elijah Burke - You know it almost seems like the entire New Breed/Originals feud is to push Elijah to the top. Not that there's anything wrong with that.
4) El Generico
5) Yugi Nagata
Samuel Berman
1) Colt Cabana
In a week without a ton of noteworthy stuff, the fact that ROH's crown prince of comedy has parlayed his style and charisma into a WWE developmental deal puts him right at the top of my list. I'm not the first to say it, but make no mistake that I'm on record for Colt having an INCREDIBLY bright future ahead of him in WWE and that a reunion with fellow former Second City Saint CM Punk will draw tons of money for the boys in Stamford. Punk & Cabana's serious-jokester dynamic will someday be the highlight of whatever program they're on. Here's hoping it's RAW.
2) Matt Hardy - Won the tag belts, beat Booker. Solid enough week for the guy who'll "never make it past the mid-card".
3) Brian Kendrick & Paul London - SmackDown! tag champs are still reigning and still stealing the show.
4) El Generico
5) PAC
Mathew Sforcina
1) Matt Hardy
So many choices. But winning the tag titles and pinning Booker are good enough for my #1 spot this week, at least until I work out how I want to judge this now that we have all these new fangled options.
2) Togi Makabe- Ending a blood feud with a win? Good enough for me!
3) Sara Del Ray- 2 Wins = #3~!
4) Colt Cabana
5) The Miz
ARI
1) Matt and Jeff Hardy
New WWE tag team champions on Raw, although the win wasn't as completely clean as it should have been (yet another title HBK has not had the stones to drop legitimately). Still, it was the capper on a career revitalization of BOTH Matt and Jeff Hardy. While Matt's return to the WWE could hardly be considered the easiest of roads to travel, Matt has come back big time these last few months. Actually the capper for Matt was a big win over Booker T and for Jeff, his being featured as the only man on the cover of the WWE Ladder Match DVD. High honors for The Hardy's and certainly deserving of the first WOTW for the new year.
2) Colt Cabana - a huge signing to the WWE, finally putting all the Second City Saints under the WWE umbrella. The question was always asked why Colt hadn't yet been signed to the WWE, and now he has.
3) Amazing Kong - Two huge wins against the great MsChif and the equally great Daizee Haze in SHIMMER DVD tapings this weekend. Amazing Kong is the women's equivalent to Samoa Joe in that she will kick your ass and make you pay attention.
4) Elijah Burke
5) Lashley
Mike Bauer
1) Matt and Jeff Hardy
Well, the week after WrestleMania was not as big of a disappointment for the Hardy brothers. First, they show up on Raw and win the Tag Team Titles for the 6th time in a crazy opening set of matches. On Smackdown, Matt Hardy pulls off a huge upset over Booker T and Jeff Hardy had a descent showing despite losing. It's enough for me.
2) Elijah Burke - The Elijah Express rolls on in the best hardcore match since Foley vs. Edge.
3) Sara Del Ray - She had wins in the main event of both Shimmer tapings and they were good matches.
4) London and Kendrick
5) Shawn Michaels
Larry Csonka
1) Togi Makabe
New Japan goes into some uncharted territory as they take the feud between Makabe and Nakamura to the next level with the gimmick match of the "Chain Death Match." This is big news, and it makes sense with the feud being so hot right now. Add to that the fact that Makabe winning is pretty surprising, and
2) Rhino – Rhino gets a big win this week on Impact, continuing his new found winning ways and proving his importance.
3) Sara Del Ray – Miss Del Ray had some impressive outings at the latest SHIMMER DVD tapings, and gets some love from me this week.
4) Matt Hardy
5) Elijah Burke
THE WINNERS!
Special Mention…El Generico - 12 Votes
Fifth Place…Bobby Lashley, Togi Makabe and Sara Del Ray - 14 Votes
Fourth Place…Brian Kendrick and Paul London - 23 Votes
Third Place…Jeff Hardy - 25 Votes
The younger of the Hardy brothers snags the third place spot this week due to winning the tag titles on Raw. Had he faired better in singles action, he may have challenged for the top spot.
Second Place…Elijah Burke - 26 Votes
The leader of the New Breed of ECW stars gets a big second place finish this week, as he rode the Elijah Express over Sabu for the big win this week.
Wrestler of the Week…Matt Hardy - 64 Votes
The elder of the Hardy Boys is all grown up and with his tag title win, as well as his win over King Booker he runs away with the 1st WOTW for the new year!
Year-End Standings~!
We start off year three with a new format, a wide variety of wrestlers nominated and a very unlikely winner. While it will take a while for the overall standing to take real shape, early on the Hardy's prove that they want to contend in 2007 with great showings. Lashley picks up where he left off with a decent showing and young Elijah Burke storms onto the scene as well. Next week should prove interesting as we have all of the regular shows, ROH has a double shot weekend and TNA Lockdown is also on tap. Stay tuned!
Matt Hardy – 15 (Smackdown)
Elijah Burke – 12 (ECW)
Jeff Hardy – 9 (Raw)
Paul London – 6 (Smackdown) Brian Kendrick – 6 (Smackdown)
Bobby Lashley – 3 (ECW) Togi Makabe – 3 (New Japan) Sara Del Ray – 3 (US Independent)
El Generico – 1 (US Independent)
Voting began 4.09.07
Year-End Rankings Key:
Raw and Smackdown Wrestlers are represented in BLUE.
ECW Wrestlers are represented in GREEN.
TNA wrestlers are represented in RED.
ROH/FIP Wrestlers are represented in MAROON.
US Independent Wrestlers are represented in ORANGE
