411’s Wrestler of the Week 12.17.07: Week 37

Posted by Larry Csonka on 12.17.2007

Jeff Hardy gets a career win, Edge wins the World Title and Finlay defeats the giant! But who was able to take the top spot and take home the 411 WOTW Award? CLICK!



Welcome to Week 37, 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!

Christi Csonka
1) Jeff Hardy
While he's not my favorite Hardy, he got the big win over daddy's little boy in a really good match.

2) Edge: He won the main event and the title. I liked that match, and he deserves this spot.
3) Finlay: That's one tough Irishman, plus he beat the worthless giant and danced with the leprechaun!
4) Shawn Michaels
5) Christian Cage


Ryan Byers
1) Edge
I'm not one of these guys who feels that he MUST put a wrestler at number one if he wins a World Title, but the fact of the matter is that Edge's victory was the single biggest accomplishment of any competitor this week. That's especially true given that many commentators believe that we're headed to an Undertaker vs. Edge Wrestlemania main event, in which case this match is the beginning of what could be a career-defining feud for the Rated R Superstar.

2) Jeff Hardy - If I thought that Hardy's win was the beginning of a prolonged push for the guy, I'd put him at number one. However, I have a feeling that Hardy vs. Orton at the Royal Rumble will be the modern day equivalent of Bob Holly vs. Brock Lesnar.
3) Jillian Hall - This is a bit of an unorthodox choice, but hear me out. First of all, in an evening full of entertaining performances on the fifteenth anniversary Raw, I feel that Hall was perhaps the most entertaining character on the show. Furthermore, her iTunes exclusive Christmas EP is apparently selling like gangbusters. Because of this, she's probably raking in tons of cash in merchandise bonuses and guaranteeing herself an extended career in WWE since her character is generating revenue for them in a unique way. I'd call that a hell of a week, even if Hall didn't wrestle a match.
4) Fit Finlay
5) Ted DiBiase


ARI
1) Edge
He won the World Heavyweight Championship and he did it like a heel should do it--he was sneaky, mischievous and opportunistic. Edge now is in play as one of the more important pieces of the puzzle heading into the New Year and Wrestlemania 24.

2) Jeff Hardy: My intuition was that Hardy was going to win here and I'm glad that the better angels of HHH's nature went along with that as well. Hardy has been very good to great in his comeback the last two years (aside from one or two blips in behavior). I absolutely believe that if WWE got behind him on a long-term basis that he could break out as a viable main event talent, even a WWE champion, during 2008. Right now I think this will just be a one shot against Orton for Rumble, but the bottom line is that for the next month he will be the top babyface challenger and that counts for a lot.
3) Hornswoggle: Laugh if you want but I believe that he may be one of the more in-depth characters in the WWE right now. He really does draw out a large amount of sympathy especially in his interactions with his "dad" and when he is forced to fight against Great Khali.
4) Rob Van Dam
5) Ted Dibiase


Sat
1) Edge
Edge gets the top slot for defeating the Undertaker and Batista and in the process regaining the world title.

2) Jeff Hardy: Jeff Hardy gets the second slot for defeating Triple H and becoming the number one contender for the WWE Title at the Royal Rumble
3) Shawn Michaels: Shawn Michaels gets the third slot for defeating Mr. Kennedy
4) Big Daddy V
5) Triple H


Matt Adamson
1) Edge
Alright, Edge is awesome and winning the World Title is cool. It is also a sign of what could be Edge's career peak just starting to roll around. This might possibly be looked back as a defining moment in the career of Edge, who should very well be considered one of, if not the greatest of this time. I should add that the finish to this match was BRILLIANT!

2) Jeff Hardy - That was a great match, thanks Jeff and HHH. My faith in RAW was redeemed.
3) HHH - See above, the only problem is that he lost.
4) Mickie James
5) MVP


Matt Short
1) Edge
Everyone loves a heel and I love the way Edge won the World Title match this Sunday. He is the biggest dick in the world right now after his heel shenanigans and looks to be set up for a massive push that will hopefully conclude with a showdown with The Undertaker at Wrestlemania.

2) Jeff Hardy: Won his big singles encounter with Triple H, pinning The Game clean. Jeff not only gets the biggest singles win of his career, that puts him into the upper end of the card but he gets a shot at Randy Orton at the Royal Rumble.
3) Hardcore Holly & Cody Rhodes: I really almost forgot about this. Gotta give some credit to the two for winning the Tag Team belts on Monday as Rhodes gets his first taste of gold in the WWE.
4) Rob Van Dan
5) Ted DiBiase


Scott Slimmer
1) Edge
Edge gets my first place vote for successfully creating the first two viable human clones. Yeah, sure, it's all well and good that he also won the World Heavyweight Championship, but that accomplishment pales in comparison to the fact that Edge has damn near guaranteed himself a Nobel Prize in Medicine. And the best part? Now Edge can screw Vickie Guerrero, Lita, AND Matt Hardy, all at the same time…

2) Jeff Hardy: Jeff Hardy gets my second place vote for defeating Triple H and becoming the Number One Contender for the WWE Championship. Regardless of whether he wins or loses, Jeff's title match at the Royal Rumble could be his first real chance to establish himself as a legitimate main eventer.
3) Rob Van Dam: Rob Van Dam gets my third place vote for, well, making me mark out like a little girl. Sometimes there's nothing better about being a wrestling fan than jumping off your couch and screaming like you've lost your mind.
4) Shawn Michaels / Mr. Kennedy
5) Chris Jericho


Jeff Small
1) Edge
As much as I am disappointed that Taker did not win the title, Edge does deserve to be one of the top players heading into Wrestlemania. Edge used another dastardly scheme (the old double switcheroo)to get the upper hand on both Batista and the Undertaker. Like a good heel should!

2) Jeff Hardy - Thank God Jeff won this match. Since this storyline began, the payoff had to be a Jeff Hardy title shot and I'm glad it finally happened. Jeff and Triple H had a fine match, which saw Jeff beat HHH clean. Considering HHH only lets few people get clean wins on him (the last one I can remember was Orton at No Mercy), this should go a long way of propelling Jeff to the top of the card.
3) Vince McMahon - Vince was truly the star of the Raw XV anniversary. Hate him as much as you want but it was very satisfying to watch him get humiliated for all of three hours.
4) Rob Van Dam
5) SUNNY~


Andy Clark
1) Edge
The man not only won a World Title, but he looks to be WrestleMania bound with said title and he managed to spawn two more of himself to get the job done. Take that John Morrison!

2) Chris Jericho- Proved that he still has something left in there. He may not have won the WWE Title but he had one hell of a match with Orton and left many of the doubters (myself included) scratching their heads.
3) Ted DiBiase- Won a grueling Battle Royal at Raw XV. HAHAHAHAHA!
4) Beth Phoenix
5) Finlay


Mike Minotti
1) Edge
Won the WHC at Armageddon. Hey, Edge is now a four time World Champion. That's just as many as HBK. You know, I really hope we get that 5th Shawn Michaels title run eventually.

2) Jeff Hardy: A big win against Triple H will give Jeff a WWE title shot at the Royal Rumble. Probably the biggest win in Jeff's career thus far.
3) Shawn Michaels: After a bit of losing streak in his feud against Orton, HBK showed Mr. Kennedy that his spot isn't up for grabs just yet.
4) Finlay
5) Chris Jericho


Bayani Domingo
1) Edge
Yeah, so...that was a new one. I guess this means the Victory Party included an all Edge Gangbang on Vicki Guerrero? Something is so...so very wrong with that. But he did beat Smackdown's two biggest stars right?

2) Jeff Hardy: I saw it coming, but it was still a surprise. I called a DQ or a flash pin and HHH didn't even need to give him a beat down post match either. I guess HHH is getting soft in his old age.
3) Hardcore Rhodes: I have no real good nickname for these guys yet. Although the "Hardcore American Dreams" sound kind of catchy.
4) Big Daddy V
5) Black Machismo


Michael Bauer
1) Jeff Hardy
Yes, yes, I know, Edge won the World Title with a No DQ stip that was never announced and the shenanigans of three Edges. But I have always given preference to CLEAN victories, kinda like what Jeff Hardy did against Triple H. That was without a doubt the biggest victory of Jeff's career and now he is getting a title shot at the Royal Rumble, one of the WWE's big four events. Jeff has been a major roll and it is about time he gets rewarded for it.

2) Edge - Well, he still won a World Title, his fourth actually.
3) Shawn Michaels - Wins on a PPV in the MOTN, yep, typical Shawn.
4) Hardcore Holly / Cody Rhodes
5) Trish Stratus and Lita


TG Corke
1) Edge
While most everyone predicted he would win the World title, which could have taken away from the impact slightly, the way they went about it with the crazy three Edges thing was certainly a bit of a surprise. Although I'm not one of these dorks who complains about 'unannounced no DQs in three-ways', because there is absolutely NO conceivable way OF ending a three-way with a DQ, it could have been congested but to be honest it's Edge so it's not like he was ever going to win cleanly. Anyway, a World title win is what it is, and he's an easy victor this week.

2) Jeff Hardy: I thought he'd win and I'm glad he has, as it may mean Orton's taking the title into Wrestlemania. Either way, massive win for him.
3) Finlay: Defeated Khali, as anticipated. Well done, that Finlay.
4) Rob Van Dam
5) Ted DiBiase


Larry Csonka
1) Edge
EDGE, Edge and Edge worked together to TRICK Batista and Taker, and this lead to Edge regaining the title and beginning his reign on Smackdown with his woman Vicky.

2) Jeff Hardy: A huge win over HHH sends you Jeffery to the title match at the Royal Rumble. It was a hell of a match as well.
3) Christian Cage: Cage continues to bust his ass and cut good promos week in and out.
4) Finlay
5) HBK

THE WINNERS!

Special Mention…Hardcore Holly and Cody Rhodes - 8 Votes

Fifth Place…RVD - 10 Votes

Fourth Place…Finlay - 13 Votes

Third Place…HBK - 14 Votes

HBK got the win over Kennedy and put the young buck in his place.

Second Place…Jeff Hardy - 54 Votes

Jeff Hardy gets a career win over HHH and now heads towards a title shot.

Wrestler of the Week…Edge - 68 Votes

Edge wins the world title and now wins the WOTW award. He is now dominating the brand and is rolling since returning from the injury.

Year-End Standings~!

With their impressive weeks, Edge and Jeff Hardy are the big movers. Hardy moves into the top 15 with his second place finish, while Edge jumps up into 5th place. There are 15-weeks left and the road to WrestleMania is about to begin. ROH and TNA will be kicking things up and so will the other promotions. There is still plenty of time for the rankings to be changed and for things to get shaken up. You'll have to stay tuned and see what happens!


-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) {INJURED}

5. Edge – 65 (Smackdown)

6. CM Punk – 61 (ECW)

7. Randy Orton – 55 (Raw)
7. Mark Briscoe – 55 (ROH)
7. Jay Briscoe – 55 (ROH)

10. Batista – 51 (Smackdown)

11. MVP – 47 (Smackdown)

12. Shawn Michaels – 45 (Raw)

13. Claudio Castagnoli – 37 (ROH)

14. Nigel McGuinness – 36 (ROH)

15. Jeff Hardy – 35 (Raw)
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 (Raw)
Takeshi Morishima – 24 (ROH/NOAH)
Chris Hero – 24 (US Independent)

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)
Finlay – 7 (WWE)
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)
Rob Van Dam – 4 (US Independent)
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)
Hardcore Holly– 1 (Raw)
Cody Rhodes – 1 (Raw)
Colt Cabana – 1 (WWE)
Dragon Kid – 1 (Dragon Gate)
Taiji Ishimori – 1 (NOAH)
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.