411’s Wrestler of the Week 4.30.07: Week 4
Posted by Larry Csonka on 04.30.2007
HBK and Cena had an EPIC, Taker Retains, Mushiking Terry gets gold and Vince is the ECW champion! But who took home the coveted 411 WOTW award?
Welcome to Week 4, 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!
Mike Bauer
1) Shawn Michaels
Frankly, John Cena winning his match was good, but Shawn Michaels won an epic televised match which has to be without a doubt the best television match since Michaels vs. Shelton Benjamin nearly two years ago, in not longer. That, regardless of the result at Backlash is enough to earn the #1 from me. As a side note: Any other week, Colt would be #1 for an emotional farewell from the Ring of Honor. I'm glad I got my #1 vote for him two weeks ago.
2) Nigel McGuiness - Wins the King of Europe tournament, which included victories over Doug Williams and Rhyno.
3) The Briscoe Brothers - Sam can back this up. That match was insane from everything I read.
4) John Cena
5) Colt Cabana
ARI
1) Shawn Michaels
How can the week not belong to Shawn Michaels and John Cena? First, Michaels and Cena had one of the better television matches in Raw history. They put a ton of effort and hard work into what turned out to be a fifty-five plus minute (including commercial time) affair. It was well paced and it had a ton of actual, honest to goodness wrestling. The match built up from move to move until a climactic finish. Cena's exasperation that HBK wouldn't stay down and the fact that it took two superkicks to finish Cena sold just how tough tit was to win this match. Then Cena and Michaels go out and have what in the early reviews has been said to be another tremendous match in the Fatal Four Way title bout at Backlash. With Michaels being the last one standing and a near unconscious John Cena actually falling on top of Orton for the win, there is still a lot left to be resolved between these two...and thank goodness for that.
2) John Cena: See above.
3) Takeshi Morishima/Mark and Jay Briscoe: The big man from Japan and current ROH World champion adds two more strong defenses to his title run. Reports have his matches with Austin Aries and SHINGO to be top notch and impressive. An insane, show-stealing performance from The Briscoes, Alex Shelley and Chris Sabin in what is being hailed as one of the best tag matches of the year, at least in ROH but probably in all of the industry. The Briscoe Brothers are on fire in 2007 and the Motor City Machine Guns are not too far behind.
4) Nigel McGuinness
5) Colt Cabana
Scott Slimmer
1) Shawn Michaels
Sure, he's the Icon. Sure, he's the Main Event. Sure, he's the Show Stoppa. But this week, Shawn Michaels damn near did the impossible when he stole the show… six days before the show even started. Michaels put on an absolutely amazing performance as he defeated John Cena in their epic match on Raw. That match will almost certainly be in contention for Match of the Year eight months from now, and it would have been astounding if any of the matches at Backlash had surpassed the level set on Raw. There were some rather entertaining matches on the pay-per-view, but as far as I'm concerned none of them were nearly as flat-out awe-inspiring as what we saw on Raw. You expect to see great matches on a pay-per-view… or at least you hope you do. But every once in a great long while a true mat classic shows up where you least expect it. This week Shawn Michaels gets my vote for WOTW for winning one of the best matches you never expected to see.
2) John Cena – John Cena gets my second place vote for putting on one of the greatest matches in the history of Raw and then, later in the week, losing consciousness on top of Randy Orton's limp body. Some guys have all the luck.
3) Lance Cade & Trevor Murdoch – Lance Cade & Trevor Murdoch get my third place vote for having their best match to date against the Hardy Boyz at Backlash. I've watched Cade & Murdoch pay their dues on Heat for almost two years, but even I was impressed by how well they performed when the lights were shining bright.
4) Eric Young
5) Nigel McGuinness
Bayani Domingo
1) John Cena
I feel sooooo dirty just writing that, but the man has managed to go from IWC pariah to legitimate "Most Improved Wrestler" candidate in a matter of months thanks to his recent string of good matches. He also retains the EXACT way I predicted in the roundtable. Extra points for making me look like a genius Hulk Cena.
2) Nigel McGuinness - Looks like an awesome tournament with an amazing array of talent. Nigel beat some amazing talent from ex-TNA champ, the best high flyer in the world, RoH young blood, and a legendary English Indy talent. All Hail King Nigel!!
3) Briscoe Brothers - They beat 4 teams in a matter of 2 matches, one of which is one of the best damn teams you've never head of. Stay tuned TNA fans.
4) HBK
5) Colt Cabana
JT~!
1) Shawn Michaels
First, he wins in an "hour long" epic over the champ John Cena on Monday night. THEN, heads on down to the ATL for Backlash, and - despite who won - WON the Fatal Four Way. He has had a fantastic week, and has set himself up perfectly to get a legitimate WM rematch for the title at the next available PPV.
2) John Cena - Won. Period.
3) Nigel McGuiness - You cannot do much better on the non-American, not-nearly-as-followed international market. He went out and went through four rounds to win the King Of Europe tournament
4) Mushiking Terry
5) Briscoe Brothers
SAT
1) Shawn Michaels
HBK gets the top slot for his win against John Cena on RAW and then HBK has a great showing at Backlash by superkicking John Cena to the victory.
2) Nigel McGuinness - He wins the King of Europe Tournament
3) John Cena - He is involved in the amazing match on RAW and he manages to retain the title against three other competitors in the main event of Backlash
4) Colt Cabana
5) Vince McMahon
Mathew Sforcina
1) HBK and John Cena
They were tied this week, one winning the epic near hour-long match, the other winning where it actually counted. I really can't decide which I want to give it to, so they both get it.
2) Nigel McGuinness- Everything needs to start somewhere. And having a guy like Nigel starts it off is always a good sign.
3) Colt Cabana- This may or may not be goodbye to the Colt we knew. It'll be an interesting ride
4) Eric Young
5) Takeshi Morishima
Ryan Byers
1) Shawn Michaels
Nobody else belongs on the top of this list. Period. The jury is still out, but I wouldn't be surprised if a year from now everybody is talking about this past Monday's Raw main event as the greatest match in the history of the show. Though it does take two to tango and Cena more than held up his end of the bargain, I think we all know that Shawn is the one truly responsible for making that bout as great as it was. Top that off with a second awesome performance in the main event of the Backlash pay per view, and I can't imagine a wrestling fan alive who isn't glad that HBK defied his doctors' orders and came back after a back injury that should have done him in nine years ago. Given that there appears to be at least one more HBK/John Cena pay per view main event coming up, Michaels hasn't just owned this week. He may wind up owning the entire first half of 2007.
2) John Cena - Like I said earlier, it takes two to tango. (Or four in the case of Sunday's match.)
3) The Minnesota Home Wrecking Crew - In addition to having the greatest tag team name ever, Lacey and Rain made big waves in the world of women's wrestling this week, ending the inter-promotional undefeated streak of Sara Del Ray and Allison Danger, the Dangerous Angels.
4) Mushking Terry
5) Nigel McGuinness
Andy Clark
1) Vince McMahon
World Title wins always get priority in my voting. If they happen to (hopefully) piss of old school ECW fans that's just a bonus. Vinnie Mac is the new ECW World Champion; how long he holds it is up in the air, but I would doubt it's long. Still, Vince McMahon has now held more World Titles then Andre the Giant, Eddie Guerrero, and Ultimate Warrior.
2) John Cena & Shawn Michaels- These two men put on what I very well may consider my MOTY at the moment (I need to let it simmer a while). Cena also won a great Fatal Four-Way Match at Backlash, but Michaels was instrumental in that win so I'll give them the tie.
3) Nigel McGuinness- Won the inaugural King of Europe tourney. I gave the #3 spot to the winner of the Battle of Los Angeles tournament and this had a comparably impressive lineup.
4) Chris Benoit
5) CM Punk
Mike Minoti
1) Shawn Michaels
He may have lost at Backlash, but he was the man most responsible for the match's conclusion. Needless to say, his feud with Cena will continue. Besides, he won the epic 55-minute match on Raw against Cena.
2) Vince McMahon - Come on guys, he is a new world champion, and for most people (myself included) it was a heck of a surprise.
3) Nigel McGuiness - Won the huge King of Europe Tournament.
4) John Cena
5) Chris Benoit
Matt Short
1) John Cena/Shawn Michaels
They had easily the match of the week on Monday. Then turned in a great performance in the 4 way at Backlash, with HBK being responsible for Cena getting the win. They're far from done in their feud. They get number one for delivering the goods all week.
2) Nigel McGuiness - Won the King of Europe out of pretty stacked line up. And I love a good tournament.
3) Mushiking Terry - Won the GHC Jr. Heavyweight title at NOAH's 4/28 Budokan show. It's a nice nod to Kotaro Suzuki and his dedication to a gimmick for a kids show about beetle fighting.
4) Chris Benoit
5) Vince McMahon
Matt Adamson
1) HBK/Cena
It isn't very often these days that a match goes almost an hour anywhere, but this bad boy cam to us from the heavens on free TV. What a great way to start the wrestling week. Too bad this wasn't a title match, would've made my wrestling year if that had been the case. Both of these guys gave their all and we were rewarded with a tremendous match.
2) Nigel McGuiness - The first ever King of Europe. Well, as far as professional wrestling is concerned.
3) Mushiking Terry - I was completely shocked that Terry got the GHC Jr. Heavyweight Title at the Budokan Hall show. Too bad he's stuck at #3 because this week was full of awesome wrestling.
4) Colt Cabana
5) Takeshi Morishima
B-RAD
1) Vince McMahon
Who would of thought that Vince McMahon would be in the running for Wrestler of the Week honors in 2007? Vince McMahon shocked the world at Backlash and is now the ECW Champion and became the oldest ECW Champion in history.
2) John Cena and Shawn Michaels: Both these men busted their asses this week on both RAW and Backlash. Since they were both impressive and exchanged wins, I could not separate them.
3) Nigel McGuiness- I'm not going to lie, I only get to see WWE and TNA so I really don't know who he is too much although I've heard of him. He wins the impressive King of Europe tournament so he gets my #3 spot.
4) Chris Benoit
5) CM Punk
Samuel Berman
1) Jay & Mark Briscoe/Alex Shelley & Chris Sabin
I want to start by saying that I was centimeters away from voting CM Punk in the #1 slot just out of spite. That aside, I'm allowed a tie of tag teams if they 'put on a terrific match', and that's exactly what these four did on Saturday night in Chicago Ridge. As far as I'm concerned, this is the match of the year so far. I was at 10 straight hours of live pro wrestling on Saturday and this match was the second-to-last one that I saw, and even after a whole day featuring matches of every type imaginable, this match absolutely took my breath away. This was so good that I almost don't want to see a rematch because there's almost no way for these four to top themselves. This match defined 'worth the price of admission' and is a must-see for anyone who takes their year-end award voting seriously.
2) "Classic" Colt Cabana - Leaves ROH with a win, a surprisingly rare feat.
3) Takeshi Morishima - Two successful ROH World Title defenses including one over former champion Austin Aries.
4) HBK
5) CM Punk
Andy Critchell
1) HBK
He puts on an incredible Raw main event and raised everyone's game in the Backlash match. He has really reached his golden age and in my mind can do no wrong. No amount of praise, prose, or soliloquy can encompass what he means to wrestling right now.
2) John Cena - Like him or hate him, Cena is at the point where just about every title match he is in feels like an epic encounter, or at the very least something that you must see. He always gets a reaction and has really stepped up his game in his feud with HBK and showed a lot more technical prowess than he has ever been given credit for.
3) Vincent Kennedy McMahon – New ECW champ. Three words I never thought I would say in regards to Vinnie Mac. I have no idea where this is going but damn if it isn't going to be entertaining.
4) Nigel McGuiness
5) CM Punk
Larry Csonka
1) HBK and John Cena
They put on an awesome match this Monday and then followed it up in a tremendous effort Sunday in the 4-way, they deserve it no doubt about it.
2) Nigel McGuiness – Wins the King of Europe Cup, and had a big win over Rhino while doing so.
3) The Undertaker – Defended the title, well, didn't lose it in a great Last Man Standing match.
4) Batista
5) Mushiking Terry
THE WINNERS!
Special Mention…Colt Cabana - 14 Votes
Fifth Place…Mark and Jay Briscoe - 15 Votes
Fourth Place…Vince McMahon - 19 Votes
Third Place…Nigel McGuiness - 47 Votes
Nigel snags 3rd place by winning the King of Europe Cup this past weekend.
Second Place…John Cena - 61 Votes
The champ is still the champ. He had one hell of a 56-minute match with HBK this past Monday and then retained his title over Edge, Orton and HBK at Backlash.
Wrestler of the Week…HBK - 72 Votes
Cena may still be the champ, but HBK was an important part in TWO excellent matches this week. The man still has it and is proving it in a big way.
Year-End Standings~!
We have some new faces on the list a John Cena pulls away from the pack and stands alone in first place. HBK finally debuts for the year with a first place victory while Nigel debuts and is right in the thick of things. Here's how things stand after week four!
Nigel McGuiness – 9 (ROH) Jeff Hardy – 9 (Raw) Yugi Nagata – 9 (New Japan)
Paul London – 7 (Smackdown) Brian Kendrick – 7 (Smackdown)
Vince McMahon – 9 (WWE) CM Punk – 6 (ECW) Abyss– 6 (TNA)
Sting– 3 (TNA) Christopher Daniels – 3 (TNA) Mark Briscoe – 3 (ROH) Jay Briscoe – 3 (ROH) Bobby Lashley – 3 (ECW) Togi Makabe – 3 (New Japan) Sara Del Ray – 3 (US Independent)
Jeff Jarrett– 1 (TNA) Colt Cabana – 1 (WWE) El Generico – 1 (US Independent) Chuck Taylor – 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
