411’s Wrestler of the Week 7.09.07: Week 14
Posted by Larry Csonka on 07.09.2007
Umaga and Taguchi both win gold while Matt Hardy makes a case for WWE’s real MVP. 3D retained the titles and are onto Victory Road, Lashley beat the clock and Flair chopped a midget! Who had enough behind themselves to take the 411 WOTW? Come on into see!
Welcome to Week 14 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!
Daniel Wilcox
1) Matt Hardy
In a week where not much happened on TV, I have to go with the wrestler who entertained me the most this week and that was Matt Hardy. Hardy continued his role of amazing performances on SmackDown with a non0title win over United States Champion MVP in what was easily the match of the week from what I saw. Hopefully Matt is no in line for a US title shot and a feud with Porter which would lead to more great matches.
2) CM Punk/Johnny Nitro - The ECW Champion and his future challenger continue to make ECW watchable with great matches on ECW on Sci-Fi. It's obvious that the show is being built around them and it's good to see them taking the ball and running with it.
3) Umaga - The Samoan Bulldozer beat Santino Marella to become a 2-time Intercontinental Champion on Raw.
4) Bobby Lashley
5) Kane
Matt Adamson
1) Ryusuke Taguchi
I have been waiting for something like this to happen. Consider it a changing of the guard in New Japan or something to that effect. Taguchi pulled off the huge win to defeat Minoru and win the IWGP Jr. Heavyweight title, a title that seems like a magnet to the older generation of Jr. Stars. I'm looking forward to Taguchi vs. Milano Collection AT that's for sure.
2) Matt Hardy - It seems as though this guy is getting that push we've all been anticipating. He manages to make the WOTW more often that most and he deserves if for working so hard for so little for so long.
3) Super Crazy - This guy deserves a world title shot now. I hate how this beat the clock thing worked. Basically it killed my enjoyment of that entire show. Super Crazy for WWE Champ in 2007!
4) Umaga
5) Yugi Nagata
Mathew Sforcina
1) Umaga
Yes, he won the IC title. Sure, it was a squash win. But I appreciated the whole "Italian TV takes WWE off air, so we squash the Italian guy" joke. It's meaningless, petty and spiteful, and thus in the best traditions of Wrestling Ribs. Bravo.
2) Ryusuke Taguchi- Again, with most Japanese/Mexican/Indy stuff, I rely on 411's crack staff. His title win is very important, apparently.
3) Matt Hardy- Matt Hardy, Main Eventer. That's both so right and so wrong.
4) CM Punk/Johnny Nitro
5) Super "Where's His Title Shot?" Crazy
Andy Clark
1) Bobby Lashley
Beat the clock (at least amongst those that counted) and delivered not one, but two, wicked looking spears.
2) Team 3D- Qualified for the Match of Champions by winning a great Triple Threat Match against LAX and the super-team of AJ Styles & Christopher Daniels.
3) Kurt Angle- It may have only been a promo, but damn, it's good to have the Kurt Angle of old back. THAT is how you book Kurt Angle, TNA.
4) Umaga
5) Finlay
Matt Short
1) Umaga
I am genuinely happy that Umaga is IC champion again. So much so that he gets the top spot for me. I love Umaga and I hope that he actually gets to defend his title this time around.
2) Ryusuke Taguchi- Won the IWGP Jr. Heavyweight title. Pretty awesome to see a younger guy break through like this in Japan.
3) Team 3D- Came out on top in a great tag team title defense on Impact and move onto the Match of Champions
4) Matt Hardy
5) Super Crazy your RIGHTFUL #1 Contender
Ryan Byers
1) The Dudley Boys
With not much of note happening this week, I'll go ahead and give the top spot to the two people who I saw work the hardest. Bubba Ray and D-Von have been knocked a lot on the 'net lately for being stale and getting fat. (I should know, I've been doing a lot of that knocking.) However, whenever they need to step up and deliver in the ring, they go all out in order to prove why they're one of the top tag teams in wrestling today. This week's match on Imapct was no exception, as they fit right in with much smaller and more agile opponents and looked better than they had in quite some time.
2) Fit Finlay - Wrestled a fun as hell TV match against Ric Flair on Smackdown and came out on top in the first singles meeting of the two men.
3) Ric Flair - Flair chopped a leprechaun who was charging at him full speed. I have a personal rule that anybody who does this automatically gets number three on my WOTW ballot. I never thought I'd actually have to apply it.
4) Gail Kim
5) Shelton Benjamin
Michael Bauer
1) Bobby Lashley
Yes, he won the Beat the Clock Challenge in the fastest time. But what really did it for me was the way he just blew himself up by spearing the living hell out of John Cena to close off Raw. I honestly think Lashley is the guy to take the belt off Cena and this Monday's Raw helped to solidify that.
2) Team 3D - Nice title defense, great promo time with Angle, overall good week.
3) Ryusuke Taguchi/Umaga - Winning the IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Title is a big deal, but Umaga's title win was much needed. They both deserve the #3 spot for me.
4) Matt Hardy
5) Finlay
SAT
1) Umaga
Umaga gets the top slot by winning the Intercontinental Title for the second time against Santino Marella
2) Matt Hardy - Matt Hardy gets the second slot for his non title win against the United States Champions
3) Team 3D - Team 3D gets the third slot for qualifying for the Match of Champions by successfully defending the titles against LAX and AJ Styles & Christopher Daniels.
4) Ryusuke Taguchi
5) Bobby Lashley
Ryan Mancuso
1) Ryusuke Taguchi [New Japan]
Broke the Kanemoto/Tiger/Minoru pattern of IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Title dominance. He took away the only title CTU had left with their breakup looming. He also made the Samurai Gym into a legit force in the New Japan Jr. Heavyweight Division.
2) Dr. Wagner Jr. [CMLL]: El Galeno Del Mal is back! Wagner returned to the rudo side for the first time in over 2 years and looked like he never left. He helped Ultimo Guerrero & Euforia to victory when he gave Mistico the Wagner Driver for the win. Mistico had to be stretchered out from the move. Now, he & Ultimo Guerrero are challenge Mistico & Negro Casas for the CMLL Tag Titles this Friday. Whether the rudo return is just to face Mistico or a full time thing is yet to be determined. Wagner deserved the high spot in my list for returning home in a high profile manner.
3) Umaga [RAW]: Gets a spot for winning the IC Title, but not a high one for beating a lame duck champion. Would have gotten higher if the ref hadn't DQ'ed him at the last PPV.
4) Ric Flair/Finlay [SD!]
5) Super Crazy [RAW]
Scott Slimmer
1) Matt Hardy
Matt Hardy gets my first place vote for defeating MVP in the best match of the week. Anybody else remember two years ago when Matt kept talking about that five chapter epic between him and Edge even though the rest of us only counted four matches? Anybody else eventually decide that chapter five had about as much chance of materializing as Guns N' Roses' Chinese Democracy? Well don't look now, but Matt Hardy might just be on a collision course with Edge… and the World Heavyweight Championship… at SummerSlam.
2) Umaga – Umaga gets my second place vote for defeating Santino Marella to win the Intercontinental Championship on Raw. And then there are those rumors I've been hearing about WWE finally locating his long lost brother Joemaga…
3) Team 3D – Team 3D get my third place vote for defeating LAX and AJ Styles & Christopher Daniels to retain the TNA World Tag Team Championships on Impact. They put on a great performance and earned themselves a spot in the main event of Victory Road, but I'd be lying if I said I wasn't pulling for Angle & Joe vs. Styles & Daniels...
4) Bobby Lashley
5) Ryusuke Taguchi
JT~!
1) Bobby Lashley - Man, in a week where a ton of shit took place, and there are about 37 guys who should get credit, I'll just go ahead and give Lashley props for winning a shot at the biggest title of the biggest promotion in existence.
2) Ryusuke Taguchi - See what Sforcina said. I didn't see it, but the people who know about these things say it is a pretty big deal.
3) Team 3D/Angle - Defended the titles and put on a great promo. Excellent combo.
4) Umaga
5) Super Crazy
Mike Minoti
1) Matt Hardy - Once again, Matt was the winner of the best match I saw on TV this week. Plus, his win against MVP will probably lead to a US title shot, possibly as soon as the Great American Bash. I wouldn't be too suprised if he won it, too.
2) Umaga - Won the IC belt. I just hope he defends it this time.
3) Team 3D - Had a strong title defense on iMPACT, which also secured their spot in the Victory Road main event.
4) Ryusuke Taguchi
5) Lashley
Larry Csonka
1) Ryusuke Taguchi and Umaga
The big title winners of the week will share the top spot from me. As Matt Adamson stated, Taguchi pulled off the huge win to defeat Minoru and win the IWGP Jr. Heavyweight title, a title that seems like a magnet to the older generation of Jr. stars. This makes the win all the more important and I have to appreciate that. Umaga killed off Santino, and voting him in first is my way of thanking him. So long Santino!
2) Team 3D – 3D worked very hard this week and were not only part of another great Impact match, but cemented themselves in the main event of Victory Road. This was a very good week for them to be sure.
3) Matt Hardy – The true "MVP" of Smackdown? Hard to argue with the year he's having.
4) Dos Caras Jr. (Ended the near 3-year CMLL Heavyweight Title run of Universo 2000)
5) Dr. Wagner
THE WINNERS!
Special Mention…Super Crazy - 9 Votes
Fifth Place…Lashley - 20 Votes
Fourth Place…Team 3D (Devon and Ray) - 32 Votes
Third Place…Matt Hardy - 33 Votes
Matt Hardy is sending out notice, he is the REAL MVP of the promotion.
Second Place…Ryusuke Taguchi - 35 Votes
Taguchi wins the IWGP Jr. Heavyweight title and that earns him a 2nd place finish and a debut here in the WOTW year End Standing.
Wrestler of the Week…Umaga - 43 Votes
The Samoan Bulldozer gets back on track this week by regaining his IC Title from Santino. We're not sure where the big man is going from here, but the last few weeks have been good for him, and the sky is the limit..
Year-End Standings~!
It was a tight voting week, and any points rewarded were truly earned. Matt Hardy and Bobby Lashley both make solid moves in the top five, while Team 3D make sit into the top 10. Taguchi and Umaga both win gold and debut on the list and the field is more wide open than before!
-The top 10 spots are marked
1. John Cena – 50 (Raw)
2.Kurt Angle – 45 (TNA)
3. Matt Hardy – 42 (Smackdown)
4. Edge – 38 (Smackdown)
5. Bobby Lashley – 35 (Raw)
6.MVP – 31 (Smackdown)
7.Samoa Joe – 27 (TNA)
7.CM Punk – 27 (ECW)
9. Brother Ray – 18 (TNA)
9. Brother Devon – 18 (TNA)
9. Sara Del Ray – 18 (US Independent)
9. Vince McMahon – 18 (WWE)
