411’s Wrestler of the Week 12.10.07: Week 36

Posted by Larry Csonka on 12.10.2007

Gamma wins the King of Gate Tournament, Claudio Castagnoli beats Chris Hero and Keiji Muto & Joe Doering won the All Japan Real League! But who was able to take the top spot and take home the 411 WOTW Award? CLICK!



Welcome to Week 36, 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!

Samuel Berman
1) Eddie Kingston
The Last of a Dying Breed walks out of IWA Mid-South's final show of the year as the Heavyweight Champion, outlasting arch-rival Chris Hero as well as former champion Chuck Taylor and defending title-holder "Lighting" Mike Quackenbush in a four-way elimination matchup. This would seem to be a pretty nice bookend to a breakout year from Kingston, who just got done winning a year-long feud with Hallowicked in CHIKARA a couple of weeks ago. Getting another win over Hero isn't bad either.

2) Claudio Castagnoli: Picks up the (slightly delayed) win over former partner and stablemate Chris Hero on CHIKARA's real season finale.
3) Chuck Taylor: Didn't win it all, but did end up with the IWA Mid-South Light Heavyweight Championship when all was said and done.
4) Gamma
5) Keiji Muto & Joe Doering


Brad Garoon
1) Gamma
Won the King of Gate Tournament, which is good enough for number 1 from me.

2) Dragon Kid: Defeated the man who put him out of the tournament on the same night. That's #2 for you.
3) Keiji Muto & Joe Doering: I'm not much into AJPW anymore, but the Real World Tag League win is enough for #3.
4) Claudio Castagnoli
5) Eddie Kingston


Michael Bauer
1) Eddie Kingston / Chuck Taylor
It's tough to pick one over the other for this one, because what they did happened in the same match. Eddie becomes the new IWA-MS Champion to end 2007, beating Hero, Quack, and Taylor. But Taylor should get consideration, because he did win the Light Heavyweight Championship by pinning Quackenbush, who is easily the breakout of the year in the Indies. Great weekend for both of them.

2) Robert Roode: Call me crazy, but nobody had a major push into the main event scene like he did this week.
3) Michael Hayes: Best promo of the week by far!
4) Claudio Castagnoli
5) Keiji Muto & Joe Doering


Matt Short
1) Eddie Kingston: The King of Diamonds captures the IWA-MS Heavyweight title from Mike Quackenbush this weekend in a four way that also involved Chuck Taylor and Chris Hero. A good feather in Kingston's hat.

2) Gamma: Gamma wins Dragon Gate's King of Gate this weekend. His cheating ways got him all the way through the finals and have thus turned him into the biggest asshole in DG at the moment. I salute this heel with second place.
3) Dragon Kid: Beat Gamma immediately after his tournament win, getting revenge for the dastardly way he won King of Gate. Kid looks like he could make a run for the Dream Gate title now.
4) Chuck Taylor
5) Keiji Mutoh & Joe Doering


Ryan Byers
1) Keiji Muto & Joe Doering
All Japan Pro Wrestling has definitely seen better days, but I can't give the guys who won a prestigious tournament that has gone on since the 1970's anything less than number one. On top of that, these men didn't simply just win a tournament. Muto and Doering outlasted an absolutely stacked lineup of competitors to take home the top honors in the league, as the group included Kensuke Saski, Toshiaki Kawada, Satoshi Kojima, Osamu Nishimura, Taiyo Kea, and Abdullah the Butcher.

2) Gamma - You don't see many single elimination tournaments in Japan, but Dragon Gate recently held one, and it saw Gamma go through Anthony W. Mori, BxB Hulk, Dragon Kid, and CIMA all in the same seven day period to claim top honors. Though some of his tactics may have been suspect, his name is still going down as the King of Gate winner.
3) Claudio Castagnoli - Finally got the monkey that is Chris Hero off of his back . . . at least in the CHIKARA universe. He may still have to screw around with him a bit in ROH.
4) Matt Sydal
5) Eddie Kingston


Andy Clark
1) Keiji Muthoh & Joe Doering
Won the Real World Tag League in All Japan and Joe Doering continues his string of upsets.

2) Gamma: Won the King of the Gate Tournament in Dragon Gate. I love tournaments, I love Dragon Gate. The end.
3) Jeff Hardy: Surprised us all by not only having a decent match with Snitsky but by actually retaining the Intercontinental Title.
4) Claudio Castagnoli
5) Matt Sydal


ARI
1) Eddie Kingston
I'm a bit upset that Quackenbush lost the IWA:MS Heavyweight title so fast after winning it through the TPI, but I guess if its going to go to anyone, Kingston deserves a shot as champ. Its unfortunate that IWA:MS is going on a three to four month sabbatical because Kingston is really ready to break through to the next level on the independent wrestling landscape, and this could have been a bigger deal for him and for the company if he were immediately to defend that title. Still, props to Eddie Kingston for finishing the year in grand style.

2) Chuck Taylor: The IWA:MS wunderkind does it again, winning more gold in a company that he has been dominating for the last year and a half.
3) Senshi: For having the balls to stick up for himself and take TNA up on its offer to release dissatisfied wrestlers. All of the rumors of TNA wrestlers being unhappy and only one person takes them up on the offer to leave? At least Senshi had the guts to tell it like it is and not within the confines of a supposed "shoot" interview.
4) Michael Hayes
5) Claudio Castagnoli


SAT
1) Eddie Kingston
Eddie Kingston gets the top slot for winning the IWA Mid-South Heavyweight Title.

2) Gamma: Gamma gets the second slot for winning the King of the Gate Tournament in Dragon Gate
3) Chuck Taylor: Chuck Taylor gets the third slot for winning the IWA Mid-South Light Heavyweight Title
4) Keiji Muto & Joe Doering
5) Michael Hayes


Bayani Domingo
1) Gamma
Won the King of Gate Tourney and should be next in line to challenge CIMA for the Open the Dream Gate belt. Sure he cheated and...cheated...then cheated some more but. He's a heel. What do you expect?

2) Eddie Kingston: The King of Diamonds made off with the IWA:MS Heavyweight Title. Enjoy it while it lasts Kingston. Both the title AND the company.
3) Keiji Muto & Joe Doering: Welcome to the international WotW voting. Winning the Real World Tag League Tourney is enough to make the top 3 this week.
4) Matt Sydal
5) Claudio Castagnoli


Larry Csonka
1) Keiji Muto & Joe Doering
Winning the Real World Tag League tournament is a definite way to snag the top spot from me. Doering has been having a good run in Japan and they obviously see something in him.

2) GAMMA: He won the King of Gate Tourney and was a super heel. I can respect that.
3) Claudio Castagnoli
4) Eddie Kingston
5) Matt Sydal/Dragon Kid

THE WINNERS!

Special Mention…Dragon Kid - 8 Votes

Fifth Place…Chuck Taylor - 17 Votes

Fourth Place… Claudio Castagnoli - 18 Votes

Third Place…Keiji Muto & Joe Doering - 26 Votes

Muto and Doering win the Real World Tag League tournament and lock up a third place finish this week.

Second Place…Gamma - 32 Votes

A big win in the King of Gate Tourney and his super heel act gives him the second spot.

Wrestler of the Week…Eddie Kingston - 33 Votes

The King of Diamonds won the IWA:MS Heavyweight Title and escapes with the close victory this week.

Year-End Standings~!

There were no major shows in WWE, TNA or even ROH, which allowed for many others to get a chance on the list. Eddie Kingston makes his debut with his first win, Gamma wins big and debuts and so do Keiji Muto & Joe Doering. Claudio Castagnoli does well and sneaks into the top 15. With 16-weeks left in the voting, almost anything can happen.


-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)

9. Batista – 51 (Smackdown)

10. Edge – 50 (Smackdown)

11. MVP – 47 (Smackdown)

12. Claudio Castagnoli – 37 (ROH)

13. Shawn Michaels – 36 (Raw)
13. Nigel McGuinness – 36 (ROH)

15. Bobby Lashley – 35 (Raw) {INJURED}


CIMA – 33 (Dragon Gate)

Chuck Taylor – 32 (US Independent)

El Generico – 28 (US Independent)

Jimmy Jacobs – 26 (ROH)

Giant Bernard – 24 (New Japan)
The Great Khali – 24 (Smackdown)
Takeshi Morishima – 24 (ROH/NOAH)
Chris Hero – 24 (US Independent)

Jeff Hardy – 23 (Raw)

John Morrison – 22 (ECW)
Austin Aries – 22 (ROH)

Sting– 21 (TNA)
Black Machismo – 21 (TNA)
Hiroshi Tanahashi – 21 (New Japan)
HHH – 21 (Raw)

Mike Quackenbush – 19 (US Independent)

Bryan Danielson – 18 (ROH)
Brother Ray – 18 (TNA)
Brother Devon – 18 (TNA)
Kevin Steen – 18 (US Independent)
Sara Del Ray – 18 (US Independent)
Vince McMahon – 18 (WWE)

Umaga – 16 (Raw)
Ken Kennedy – 16 (Raw)
Chris Sabin – 16 (TNA)
Kaz – 16 (TNA)

Kenta Kobashi – 15 (NOAH)
Masato Tanaka – 15 (ZERO-ONE MAX)
Christopher Daniels – 15 (TNA)
James Storm – 15 (TNA)
Chris Jericho– 15 (Raw)
Lance Cade – 15 (Raw)
Trevor Murdoch – 15 (Raw)
Santino Marella – 15 (Raw)
Eddie Kingston – 15 (US Independent)

Tomko – 14 (TNA/New Japan)

Ricky Banderas a.k.a. Judas Mesias – 13 (AAA/TNA)
Naruki Doi – 13 (Dragon Gate)
Masato Yoshino – 13 (Dragon Gate)

Alex Shelley – 12 (TNA)
Elijah Burke – 12 (ECW)
Deuce – 12 (Smackdown)
Domino – 12 (Smackdown)
Chris Harris – 12 (TNA)
Gamma – 12 (Dragon Gate)
Taku Iwasa – 12 (Dragon Gate)
Keni'chiro Arai – 12 (Dragon Gate)
Ryusuke Taguchi – 12 (New Japan)
Dick Togo – 12 (New Japan)
PAC – 12 (Independent)
Adam Pearce – 12 (US Independent)
Roderick Strong– 12 (ROH/FIP)

Abyss – 10 (TNA)

Ric Flair – 9 (Raw)
Vito Thomaselli – 9 (US Independent)
Sal Thomaselli – 9 (US Independent)
Icarus – 9 (US Independent)
Gran Akuma – 9 (US Independent)
Kenny King – 9 (US Independent)
Jason Blade – 9 (US Independent)
Lince Dorado – 9 (US Independent)
TAKA Michinoku – 9 (New Japan)
Yugi Nagata – 9 (New Japan)
D LO Brown- 9 (NOAH)
Bull Buchanan - 9 (NOAH)
Naomichi Marufuji - 9 (NOAH)
Mitsuharu Misawa – 9 (NOAH)
Keiji Muto – 9 (All Japan)
Joe Doering– 9 (All Japan)
Blue Panther – 9 (CMLL)

Necro Butcher – 7 (US Independent)
Paul London – 7 (Raw)
Brian Kendrick – 7 (Raw)
Gail Kim– 7 (TNA)

Hornswoggle – 6 (Smackdown)
Rey Mysterio – 6 (Smackdown)
Carlito – 6 (Raw)
Booker T– 6 (TNA)
Christian Cage– 6 (TNA)
Scott Steiner– 6 (TNA)
Kensuke Sasaki – 6 (All Japan)
Milano Collection AT – 6 (Japan)
Scott Hall – 6 (Independent)
Super Dragon – 6 (Independent)
Davey Richards – 6 (ROH)
Ultimo Guerrero – 6 (CMLL)
Averno – 6 (CMLL)

Shelton Benjamin– 4 (ECW)
AJ Styles– 4 (TNA)
Delirious – 4 (ROH)
Hallowicked – 4 (US Independent)

Amazing Kong – 3 (TNA)
Eric Young – 3 (TNA)
Big Daddy V – 3 (ECW)
Beth Phoenix – 3 (Raw)
Charlie Haas – 3 (Raw)
William Regal – 3 (Raw)
Mistico – 3 (CMLL)
Atlantis – 3 (CMLL)
Togi Makabe – 3 (New Japan)
Tiger Mask IV – 3 (New Japan)

KENTA – 2 (NOAH)
The Miz – 2 (ECW)

Jeff Jarrett – 1 (TNA)
Super Crazy – 1 (Raw)
Colt Cabana – 1 (WWE)
Finlay – 1 (WWE)
Dragon Kid – 1 (Dragon Gate)
Taiji Ishimori – 1 (NOAH)
Rob Van Dam – 1 (US Independent)
Andrew Martin – 1 (US Independent)
Sherri Martel – 1 {Deceased}

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

Japanese wrestlers are represented in BLACK.

Mexican Wrestlers are represented in MAGENTA.