411’s Wrestler of the Week 03.10.08: Week 49

Posted by Larry Csonka on 03.10.2008

Kong retains, Cena runs Raw, Joe runs wild and Chavo retains! But who had the goods to take home the WOTW award? Come on into find out!



Welcome to Week 49, 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!

ARI
1) John Cena
The featured performer on this past week's edition of Raw. He was given "control" of the booking and set up a match against Ken Kennedy wherein he defeated the man with the STFU. Cena was also effective and very cogent on guest commentary during the main event. Cena may have a second career after the whole wrestling deal.

2) Samoa Joe: He lost a first blood match in a fluk-y way on Impact, but he had the win before the ref stopped it. So Joe redeems himself by choking out Tomko in the main event of Destination X and heads into Lockdown to fight Kurt Angle for the TNA title.
3) Rhino/James Storm: For surviving the Elevation X stipulation match with their lives intact. Seriously, this match should never see the light of day again.
4) Human Tornado / Jack Evans
5) Eddie Kingston


Christi Csonka
1) Awesome Kong
Not only does Kong continue to rule women's wrestling, but she again was part of the best match in the show. I love the TNA Women's division and they haven't disappointed me on PPV yet.

2) Samoa Joe: Joe is supposed to kill bitches, Joe killed bitches tonight and that made me happy.
3) Rhino/James Storm: These guys are insane. I don't care that I hated the entire match, they get respect from me for just getting up there.
4) Black Machismo
5) Chavo Guerrero


Matt Short
1) Samoa Joe
Picked up the tap out win at the Destination X main this Sunday over Tomko. The week seems kind of light, but this is pretty good in my book.

2) Rhino/James Storm: Rhino won the Elevation X match, but I'll give credit to Storm for taking the bump. Considering the fact that neither of these guys were mentioned in the advertisements for the PPV yet put their lives on the line without getting any added fame for it, they deserve it.
3) Naoki Tanisaki: Made a surprise return to Dragon Gate this past week and got his way onto the next DG PPV.
4) John Cena
5) Black Machismo


Samuel Berman
1) Human Tornado
Though Jack Evans' return to the ring this soon after being injured was probably ill-advised, Tornado was still able to defeat the high-flyer to retain his PWG World Title. Tornado remains the hottest property in Pro Wrestling Guerrilla and seems hell-bent on making his second run at the top a success.

2) Samoa Joe: Wow, TNA finally booked Joe correctly. That sound you hear is the sweet tones of it being TWO FUCKING YEARS TOO LATE!
3) Shingo Takagi: Was the last man standing in a big elimination match with the MO'z and then stood on the winning end of an 8-Man Tag the next night.
4) Hiroshi Tanahashi
5) Eddie Kingston


Ryan Byers
1) Amazing Kong
Call me out on my over-the-top SHIMMER love if you must, but I have to give Kong the top spot given that she retained her championship on TNA's latest pay per view in a match that the vast majority of critics are calling one of the most entertaining - if not THE most entertaining - on the card. Being the best performer on a show that also features names like Kurt Angle, AJ Styles, Samoa Joe, and Christian is a hell of an accomplishment, and I don't think it should go unrecognized.

2) Human Tornado - PWG has really fallen off my radar lately, but this was a surprisingly boring week, so I'll give his title retention some credit.
3) Samoa Joe - I don't think his win is all that important in the grand scheme of things, but, again, it's a slow week.
4) Naoki Tanisaki
5) Shingo Takagi


Bayani Domingo
1) Human Tornado
Not only did Tornado retain his belt against Jack Evans, but he helped Eddie Kingston score a big win over Necro Butcher, and his crew is absolutely dominating PWG. Looks like this title reign is going to last for a while.

2) Samoa Joe: Got his win back over Tomko and has momentum going into his one-on-one title match at the next PPV.
3) Amazing Kong: Domination. That's really all there is to say.
4) SHINGO
5) Eddie Kingston


JT
1) Samoa Joe
finally... Finally... FINALLY TNA actually let him be the man. Hopefully it will equate to a win at Lockdown, but for now, we'll take the pin on Tomko.

2) John Cena: He ran shit this week, period. Had complete control of RAW, made it pretty interesting, as he booked himself in a match against Kennedy (which he won in strong fashion) and also took over some commentary duties.
3) Amazing Kong: That match OWNED. As my friend Larry mentioned to me and I mentioned back, "THESE WOMEN CAN MAIN EVENT". It was the 3rd match on the card. Yippy. Either way, all three women owned that match and almost owned the PPV, so I'll give it to Kong for winning.
4) Human Tornado
5) Black Machismo (minus the outside bullshit)


Michael Bauer
1) Chavo Guerrero
God what an ugly ass PPV, so the best option is Chavo Guerrero. The man cleanly beat CM Punk to retain the ECW Title in the best match between the two in their long and drawn out series. Hopefully both men can move on from this and start new programs.

2) Human Tornado - Very sound PWG Title retention as his stock keeps going up.
3) Samoa Joe - Two years too late, but what can he do?
4) Awesome Kong
5) Colin Delaney


MEEHAN
1) KONG
Retained in spectacular fashion at the TNA pay-per-view, and proved without question why her segments continue to be the highest-rated in the entire promotion. Gail and ODB did their parts too, granted -- but in the end, there can only be one WOTW... and that honor belongs solely to the competitor who walked out with the gold: KONG!

2) Chavo Guerrero - Though he's never likely to headline a PPV, the guy is busting his ass on a weekly basis and delivering some quality, old-school feud greatness against ECW's only credible challenger (Draft Lotto much?) in CM Punk.
3) Samoa Joe -- would have rated higher, but got bitched out by Tomko with a cheap loss on iMPACT!
4) Black Machismo
5) John Cena


Larry Csonka
1) Awesome Kong
The TNA ladies step onto PPV and again not only do they deliver, but they have the best match on the card. This just furthers my argument that at some point that they need to get the main event. A great match and Kong is the perfect dominant champion right now.

2) Samoa Joe: This is supposedly the beginning of the Samoa Joe "MEGA-PUSH." I don't know about that, but he looked awesome closing out the show. Let's hope for the best.
3) LAX: LAX got to be LAX at the PPV and I hope it stays that way.
4) Storm/Rhino
5) Naoki Tanisaki

THE WINNERS!

Special Mention…Chavo Guerrero - 10 Votes

Fifth Place…Rhino and James Storm - 12 Votes

Fourth Place… John Cena - 17 Votes

Third Place… The Human Tornado - 22 Votes

Human Tornado retains the PWG title and his "crew" rolls on as they are dominating the promotion.

Second Place… Awesome Kong - 28 Votes

Kong was not only part of a great PPV match but she continued to dominate the Division with a win over Salinas Thursday and Sunday over ODB and Gail Kim. There may be no stopping her.

Wrestler of the Week… Samoa Joe - 39 Votes

While he lost in Impact due to a trickle of blood, Joe made a statement at Destination X by making Tomko tap and basically running wild over the Angle Alliance..

Yearend Standings~!

We have 3-weeks left as we build towards WrestleMania and the end of the voting year. Samoa Joe was the week's big winner and gains some ground on John Cena, who also got some love this week. Awesome Kong's second place finish raiser her stock and she is just on the outside of the top 15. Human Tornado, James Storm and Chavo Guerrero see small moves, while Rhino debuts late in the year. 3-weeks left…it isn't over, but John Cena has a solid lead.


-The top 15 spots are marked

1. John Cena – 123 (Raw)

2. Samoa Joe – 105 (TNA)

3. Jeff Hardy – 95 (Raw)

4. Kurt Angle – 92 (TNA)

5. CM Punk – 85 (ECW)

6. Matt Hardy – 66 (Smackdown) {INJURED}

7. Edge – 65 (Smackdown)

8. Randy Orton – 61 (Raw)

9. Mark Briscoe – 55 (ROH)
9. Jay Briscoe – 55 (ROH)

11. Batista – 51 (Smackdown)

12. MVP – 47 (Smackdown)

13. Shawn Michaels – 46 (Raw)

14. Nigel McGuinness – 45 (ROH)

15. Jimmy Jacobs – 41 (ROH)


Awesome Kong – 39 (TNA)
Takeshi Morishima – 39 (ROH/NOAH)
CIMA – 39 (Dragon Gate)

Claudio Castagnoli – 38 (ROH)

HHH – 37 (Raw)

Black Machismo – 36 (TNA)

Bobby Lashley – 35 (US Independent)

Kevin Steen – 32 (US Independent)
Chuck Taylor – 32 (US Independent)

Tomko – 29 (TNA)

Kaz – 28 (TNA)
John Morrison – 28 (ECW)
El Generico – 28 (US Independent)

Christian Cage– 27 (TNA)

Erick Stevens – 26 (ROH)

Umaga – 25 (Raw)
Bryan Danielson – 25 (ROH)

Giant Bernard – 24 (New Japan)
Keni'chiro Arai – 24 (Dragon Gate)
Ryusuke Taguchi – 24 (New Japan)
Chris Hero – 24 (US Independent)
The Great Khali – 24 (Smackdown)

Ric Flair – 23 (Smackdown)

Austin Aries – 22 (ROH)

Sting– 21 (TNA)
Hiroshi Tanahashi – 21 (New Japan)
Lince Dorado – 21 (US Independent)

Masato Yoshino – 20 (Dragon Gate)

Mike Quackenbush – 19 (US Independent)
Chris Sabin – 19 (TNA)

Shinsuke Nakamura – 18 (New Japan)
James Storm – 18 (TNA)
Brother Ray – 18 (TNA)
Brother Devon – 18 (TNA)
Sara Del Ray – 18 (US Independent)
Vince McMahon – 18 (WWE)

Gail Kim– 16 (TNA)
Ken Kennedy – 16 (Raw)
Eddie Kingston – 16 (US Independent)

Averno - 15 (CMLL)
Mephisto - 15 (CMLL)
Kenta Kobashi – 15 (NOAH)
Masato Tanaka – 15 (ZERO-ONE MAX)
Christopher Daniels/Curry Man – 15 (TNA)
Alex Shelley – 15 (TNA)
Chris Jericho– 15 (Raw)
Lance Cade – 15 (Raw)
Trevor Murdoch – 15 (Raw)
Santino Marella – 15 (Raw)
PAC – 15 (Independent)
Davey Richards – 15 (ROH)
Rocky Romero – 15 (ROH)
Human Tornado – 15 (US Independent)

Tyler Black – 14 (ROH)
Naruki Doi – 14 (Dragon Gate)

Ricky Banderas a.k.a. Judas Mesias – 13 (AAA)
Chavo Guerrero – 13 (ECW)

Elijah Burke – 12 (ECW)
The Big Show – 12 (Smackdown)
The Undertaker – 12 (Smackdown)
Deuce – 12 (Smackdown)
Domino – 12 (Smackdown)
Chris Harris – 12 (WWE)
Gamma – 12 (Dragon Gate)
Taku Iwasa – 12 (Dragon Gate)
Dick Togo – 12 (New Japan)
Adam Pearce – 12 (US Independent)
Roderick Strong– 12 (ROH/FIP)
Incognito – 12 (Mexico)
El Pantera – 12 (Mexico)

Abyss – 10 (TNA)

Dory Funk Jr. – 9 (Independent)
Low Ki – 9 (US Independent)
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)
BxB Hulk – 9 (Dragon Gate)
SHINGO – 9 (Dragon Gate)
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)

The Miz – 8 (ECW)

Scott Steiner– 7 (TNA)
Necro Butcher – 7 (US Independent)
Finlay – 7 (Smackdown)
Paul London – 7 (Raw)
Brian Kendrick – 7 (Raw)

Hornswoggle – 6 (Smackdown)
Rey Mysterio – 6 (Smackdown)
Carlito – 6 (Raw)
Johnny Devine– 6 (TNA)
Booker T– 6 (TNA)
Kensuke Sasaki – 6 (All Japan)
Milano Collection AT – 6 (New Japan)
Scott Hall – 6 (Independent)
Super Dragon – 6 (Independent)
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)
Togi Makabe – 4 (New Japan)

Rhino – 3 (TNA)
Eric Young – 3 (TNA)
Big Daddy V – 3 (ECW)
Jimmy Yang Wang – 3 (Smackdown)
Shannon Moore – 3 (Smackdown)
Beth Phoenix – 3 (Raw)
Charlie Haas – 3 (Raw)
William Regal – 3 (Raw)
Mistico – 3 (CMLL)
Atlantis – 3 (CMLL)
Tiger Mask IV – 3 (New Japan)

KENTA – 2 (NOAH)

Jeff Jarrett – 1 (TNA)
Super Crazy – 1 (Raw)
JBL – 1 (Raw)
Hardcore Holly– 1 (Raw)
Cody Rhodes – 1 (Raw)
Colt Cabana – 1 (WWE)
Dragon Kid – 1 (Dragon Gate)
Taiji Ishimori – 1 (NOAH)
Minoru – 1 (New Japan)
Toru Yano– 1 (New Japan)
Prince Devitt – 1 (New Japan)
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.