411s Wrestler of the Week 12.03.07: Week 35
Posted by Larry Csonka on 12.03.2007
Joe shoots on TNA and wins the main event of Turning Point, Kobashi returns after defeating cancer and Averno won gold in Mexico! But who was able to take the top spot and take home the 411 WOTW Award? CLICK!
Welcome to Week 35, 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!
Ryan Byers
1) Kenta Kobashi
What Kobashi did this week transcends any "worked" accomplishment in professional wrestling. It transcends title wins, title defenses, grudge matches, and great in-ring performances. This man was diagnosed with cancer halfway through 2006 and immediately left the sport to focus on his recovery. Almost eighteen months later, it was announced that he was going to attempt to return to the ring on December 2, 2007. Some fans couldn't believe the news. Others were cynical and figured that the "old man" would come back as a shell of his former self. However, the Kobashi return went down this weekend, and it was PHENOMENAL. Even if the match was completely flat and the crowd silent, I probably would have put Kobashi in the number one spot this week simply because triumphing over a life-threatening disease to return to competition as a professional athlete is a huge accomplishment. We got more than simply a return though. Kobashi proved to everybody that he was not a shell of anything. The match that he put on was great, and it was aided by an atmosphere that will allow it to go down as one of the single most memorable moments in pro wrestling history, with fans cheering wildly and announcers openly weeping. Thank you, Kenta Kobashi. Thank you for being ten times the man that most of us will ever be.
2) Averno - Defeated CMLL's top star Mistico for the NWA Middleweight Title, which was his third straight victory over his rival.
3) Jimmy Jacobs - "Unscripted" or not, a win over Bryan Danielson in ROH is nothing to sneeze at.
4) Gail Kim / The Amazing Kong
5) TJ Wilson
Scott Slimmer
1) Kenta Kobashi
Kenta Kobashi gets my first place vote for returning to the ring and proving that he is still one of the greatest wrestlers in the world. I don't follow puro. I've never seen Kobashi wrestle. And so maybe I can't really understand just how important it is to see him come back. But I remember the way I felt when Shawn Michaels returned to the ring at SummerSlam 2002. I remember what it was like to see HBK, well, be HBK, four years after I had made peace with the fact that I would never see him wrestle again. It's still my all-time favorite wrestling match. And if the way I felt five years ago about Shawn Michaels is in any way similar to the way Kenta Kobashi's fans feel about him today, then he's easily my choice for WOTW.
2) Samoa Joe: Samoa Joe gets my second place vote for taking a live mic on a pay-per-view and proving that there might yet be hope for TNA. Joe said what every "wrestling" fan had been thinking, re-established himself as the heart and soul of TNA, and in a few short minutes undid a sizable chunk of the damage that TNA had done to him over the course of the last year.
3) Ric Flair: Ric Flair gets my third place vote for returning to the WWE, embarking on what is reportedly the last storyline of his career, and defeating WWE Champion Randy Orton in the main event of Raw. The Nature Boy has done almost everything there is to do in this industry better than anyone else ever has; now it looks like he just may find a way to add the best retirement ever to that list.
4) Jimmy Jacobs
5) Paul London / Charlie Haas
ARI
1) Kenta Kobashi
Yeah, what everyone else said already. He kicked cancer's ass and had a tremendous return. This is why I love wrestling-it might not mean anything to people who don't follow the business, but it is something emotional and dramatic to see Kobashi return to action.
2) Ric Flair: Every time he returned to action over the last several years it could have been his last ride and gone into the sunset. Now this pretty much is it, but at least he'll get the storyline to match it. The Nature Boy remains one of the most important wrestlers of all time, and when he rises to the occasion like he did this week, it must be noted. Flair returned, defeated the WWE champion and is heading into the last ride and into the sunset of his career. A tip of the hat to you 'Natch.
3) Chris Jericho / Santino Marella: For an entertaining segment and a return match for Y2J.
4) Averno
5) Jimmy Jacobs
Andy Clark
1) Kenta Kobashi
I think everyone else has said it more eloquently than I, but Kobashi managed to come back from cancer and compete in the sport we all love. It's rare that there are feel good stories in wrestling and this is one.
2) Ric Flair: He may not have looked like the Flair of old in the ring on Monday, but even at his age he is one of the most compelling and beloved figures in this industry.
3) Jimmy Jacobs- Jimmy Jacobs got a HUGE win over Bryan Danielson in seemingly the only noteworthy event of the ROH shows.
4) Gail Kim & Awesome Kong
5) Eric Young
Matt Short
1) Kenta Kobashi
Gave cancer a lariat and the Burning Hammer and made a glorious return to the wrestling ring. I don't think I have anything else to say except congratulations to this bad-ass new god.
2) Ric Flair: Another returning legend, Flair entered into the final stage of his in-ring career by kicking off his retirement tour with a win over WWE Champion Randy Orton.
3) Jimmy Jacobs: ROH went unscripted this Saturday and as a result Jacobs faced off with Bryan Danielson. He pulled off what has to be considered a huge upset for the guy as he went over Danielson.
4) Averno
5) Shuhei Taniguchi
Bayani Domingo
1) Samoa Joe
I am so thoroughly confused by what I'm reading about the PPV. I almost expect this to be a preview to the April 1st show. If this isn't the start of a big new angle TNA than this is the biggest tease since my high school prom date.
2) Kenta Kobashi: No selling cancer. Or is it ... Fighting Spirit!!
3) Jimmy Jacobs: He beat Danielson. What the??
4) Averno
5) Ric Flair
Christi Csonka
1) Gail Kim/Awesome Kong
This was fabulous. I so cannot wait for more from these two. Kong is the best thing in TNA today.
2) Samoa Joe: I loved that promo. I often don't get too involved with what the kids call a "shoot" promo, but this was great.
3) Averno: He won gold over the former golden boy in Mexico.
4) Eric Young
5) Kenta Kobashi
Samuel Berman
1) Kenta Kobashi
What's been said before goes for me as well. What Kobashi achieved this week by simply stepping foot in a wrestling ring far transcends worked wins-and-losses. Regardless of the in-ring outcome, wrestling as a whole is better off with a healed and healthy Kenta Kobashi back in Pro Wrestling NOAH.
2) Jimmy Jacobs: Earns an unlikely, but well-deserved singles victory over ROH ace "American Dragon" Bryan Danielson.
3) Samoa Joe: Actually made me care about something on a TNA Pay-Per-View, which in a lot of weeks would earn him the top spot on shock value alone.
4) Jay & Mark Briscoe
5) Austin Aries
Brad Garoon
1) Kenta Kobashi: All of the rest of you who didn't put him #1 are fools. The man kicked cancer's ass and now after saving himself from death he'll hopefully save the rest of us from Misawa's title reign.
2) Samoa Joe: What a promo.
3) Jimmy Jacobs: It may have cost Jack Evans a concussion but Jacobs owes a big debt of thanks to that car crash (I feel comfortable saying that since everyone turned out to mostly be alright). He put Danielson down with his scary new finisher off the top rope and made me proud.
4) Awesome Kong
5) Eric Young
JT~!
1) Kenta Kobashi
No sold Cancer!
2) Ric Flair: No sold retiring, quitting, or being fired!
3) Jimmy Jacobs: No sold Bryan Danielson being the shit!
4) Samoa Joe
5) Eric Young
Chris Lansdell
1) Kobashi Kenta
How could it be anyone else? One of the greatest ring generals of all time beats cancer to give us one final run. After all this man has put his body through to entertain us as fans, he goes a step further. Inspirational.
2) Jimmy Jacobs: I wanted to give this spot to Flair, but he needed help to beat Orton. Jacobs beat a man widely considered the best technical wrestler in North America, CLEAN. Hopefully this is the start of a well-deserved main event push for Jimmy.
3) Ric Flair: Came back with a great angle, cut a strong promo, and will get standing ovations everywhere until he loses to Sting at Wrestlemania.
4) Samoa Joe
5) Averno
TG Corke
1) Eric Young
Well we all know Kobashi's strolling to post-illness victory this week, and rightly so. Therefore, my vote will go to one of wrestling's consummate underdogs, TNA's very own 'Showtime'. He walked into Turning Point expected to put James Storm over, but came out with the victory. Then, due to Scott Hall being a jerk (probably. Though we'll all feel awfully guilty if he's dead within a week), Eric Young was given a shot in the main event tag team match, got some offence and was on the winning side when the dust settled. So, to reiterate, Eric Young was undoubtedly going to finish the night at 0-1, but instead went 2-0 and got a nice cheque out of the deal. Add to that the promo Samoa Joe cut that made Eric sound like a deity in a room full of heroes, and I'd rate this as a pretty good night for the young man from Florence, Canada.
2) Ric Flair: A pinfall victory over the WWE Champion is what it is, along with a new and intriguing angle set up for months to come.
3) Samoa Joe: He either had the balls to take a stand, or he was handpicked by TNA to do so. Either way, he's officially 'back'.
4) Kenta Kobashi
5) Mister Kennedy
Michael Bauer
1) Kenta Kobashi
Just read what everyone else said. Everyone called it a miracle when Shawn Michaels came back after a four year hiatus due to his back injury. Well, what Kenta Kobashi did is a true miracle.
2) Samoa Joe: Joe just re-established himself as the top dog in TNA with a pinfall in the main event, but a speech that was damn needed.
3) Jimmy Jacobs: He pinned Bryant Danielson cleanly. "Unscripted" or not, that is huge.
4) Ric Flair
5) Eric Young
SAT
1) Kenta Kobashi
Kenta Kobashi gets the top slot for returning from cancer. Not much else to say here really.
2) Samoa Joe: Samoa Joe gets the second slot for his promo before the main event at Turning Point and for the pinfall on Tomko.
3) Ric Flair: Ric Flair gets the third slot for his return promo and ensuing win over the WWE Champion Randy Orton.
4) Jimmy Jacobs
5) Eric Young
Larry Csonka
1) Samoa Joe
While I am not a huge fan of shoot promos, I think this one worked for the fact that people are talking and seem to care about Joe. He delivered it well, and it could lead to something good, but we'll have to see.
2) Kenta Kobashi: FIGHTING SPIRIT > Cancer.
3) Averno: Wins gold over the former golden boy in Mexico, rock on Averno.
4) Awesome Kong
5) Eric Young/Jimmy Jacobs
THE WINNERS!
Special Mention Gail Kim - 9 Votes
Fifth Place Eric Young and Amazing Kong - 13 Votes
Fourth Place Averno - 16 Votes
Third Place Jimmy Jacobs and Ric Flair - 35 Votes
Jacobs gets a huge win over Bryan Danielson this weekend in ROH, and huge career win for him as far as ROH goes. Ric Flair makes his return this week and got a victory over Randy Orton. It win or out for Flair, and for now he is in.
Second Place Samoa Joe - 38 Votes
Joe cuts his big shoot promo after Scott Hall didn't show up, and also takes the win in the main event. A good week for Joe.
Wrestler of the Week Kenta Kobashi - 64 Votes
Kenta Kobashi returned to the ring after a long battle with Cancer. While he didn't win in his return, he looked great in the ring and physically, and proved that he can defeat about anything.
Year-End Standings~!
Samoa Joe overtakes the injured Cena this week, and now has a commanding lead for now. Kobashi debuts as well as Averno this week, and adds some more International spice to the rankings. Flair debuts, and if he can start racking up big wins, he could actually climb the rankings rather quickly. Jacobs adds to an impressive year with the huge win over Bryan Danielson and is just on the outside of the top 15.
-The top 15 spots are marked
1. Samoa Joe 87 (TNA)
2. John Cena 78 (Raw) {INJURED}
3. Kurt Angle 72 (TNA)
4. Matt Hardy 66 (Smackdown)
5. CM Punk 61 (ECW)
6. Randy Orton 55 (Raw)
6. Mark Briscoe 55 (ROH)
6. Jay Briscoe 55 (ROH)
