wrestling / Columns
411’s Wrestler of the Week 04.07.08: Week 1
Welcome to Week 1, Year-FOUR, of 411’s Wrestler of the Week. A quick overview to kick things off as we have some new rules for year four…
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!
Jeremy Thomas
1) Ric Flair
All those people who said last week would be Ric’s last week in WOTW are hereby proven wrong. Somehow, Flair’s send-off on RAW managed to be even more emotional then his match with Michaels at Wrestlemania. A fitting send-off on what is most definitely the early winner for Wrestling Moment of the Year.
2) Kane: Kane’s first week as ECW Champion was quite the successful one, with a tag-team win to main event ECW against his Vengeance opponent Chavo, and then a draw on SmackDown versus the permanent shadow that looms over him, the Undertaker. He’s been ECW Champion for only a week, and already Kane’s looking better then any champion since Lashley has looked.
3) Matt Hardy: Matt came back in a big way at Wrestlemania, and then followed-up by looking strong against WWE Champion Randy Orton on RAW–in a nice tip of the hat to continuity, no less. He followed that up with a big win against his archrival MVP on SmackDown. Matt looks poised for big things, and unlike his brother, is very unlikely to screw it up.
4) Sting
5) Matt Morgan
Theo Fraser
1) Ric Flair
We all thought last week would see his final appearance here in the annals of 411’s Wrestler of the Week, but with such an awesome segment dedicated to the man himself capping off a great edition of Raw this past Monday, I fail to see how I could justifiably vote for anyone else. It’s a sentiment that has been made a thousand times in the past few days, but proper sendoffs in the wrestling business are not a regular occurrence. Fortunately, Vince McMahon and co. saw sense to pay tribute to the man that paved the way for countless future stars, and we were rewarded with a fantastic, emotional farewell to one of the greatest in the business.
2) CM Punk/Chris Jericho: Great match this past week on Raw. I’d love to see a proper feud between them down the line. Some question the booking of Punk losing 24 hours after his Money in the Bank win, and I’ll agree that it was an odd choice, but I was just happy to see these two lock up and deliver the goods.
3) Batista: Loved his promo with HBK this past Friday night on Smackdown. The emotion was there and it was probably Batista’s best promo to date.
4) Matt Hardy
5) Santino Marella
Stuart James
1) Randy Orton
I’d love to vote for Ric Flair, but Randy Orton deserves it this week. Coming off a simply shocking win at Wrestlemania (which in no way influences this vote), he goes out and wins relatively cleanly against a returning Matt Hardy, and further develops into an unstoppable monster heel. He made Matt Hardy look strong, nobody was hurt, and delivered an amazing promo on Raw. Great stuff.
2) Matt Hardy: Yes, he lost to Randy Orton but he looked really strong. I don’t believe he was buried like many have said, but rather that he just got caught, like Jeff Hardy was at the Rumble. He looked like a real main event player against Orton and then beat MVP in a non-title match. The MVP feud is already built well, and look for MVP to get revenge next week. This feud must continue.
3) Ric Flair: Now I’m voting for him. It was a very emotional segment, one I think I’ll remember for the rest of my wrestling life. The reason he wasn’t higher was because Orton got the biggest victory of the week, and Matt Hardy has instantly grabbed a lot of attention again, as any good return should. But Flair getting the vote from me shows how great a segment it really was, and once more: Thank You Ric!
4) Chris Jericho
5) Sting
Ryan Merholz
1) Randal K. Orton
How do you cap off the biggest shocker win of the year? By pissing off the fans with fake entrance music, cutting an awesome promo, and pinning a returning Matt Hardy. Monday night was Randy’s night to remind everyone that Wrestlemania wasn’t a fluke and, like it or not, he’s here to stay.
2) Matt Hardy: Great to see the better Hardy back in the ring finally this week. On Monday he had a competitive match with Orton and followed that up with a win over MVP in a non-title match on Smackdown! I really missed Matt and I’m glad he’s back and looking so good from the get-go.
3) Ric Flair: 24 hours after seeing his final match, the ‘E gives Flair an incredible final goodbye on Raw. Sunday was all about the fans paying their respects to Flair, but this was all about the industry itself. I personally thought this whole segment oozed awesomeness and especially love the fact that Edge is possibly the biggest mark ever. Between Flair’s opening promo, the Horseman reunion, and the final scene of the entire company standing and cheering for Ric Flair, this was a great last time to see the ‘Naitch.
4) Kane
5) Batista
Christi Csonka
1) Ric Flair
Even though I am not the biggest Ric Flair fan, again this was awesome and even I was close to crying. A classy ending for his career made possible by WWE.
2) Chris Jericho – Defeated the MITB winner CM Punk on Raw and is still the IC Champion.
3) Matt Hardy – While he lost to Randy Orton on Raw, he scored a big win on MVP on Smackdown. Good job Matt Hotty.
4) Matt Morgan
5) Batista/HBK
Andy Critchell
1) Ric Flair
Ric delivered a fantastic final promo and was the inspiration for probably the best and most significant moment in the history of televised pro wrestling. It was a moment that I don’t can ever be topped.
2) CM Punk – I have to give credit where credit is due and say that Punk has done pretty well for himself post-Mania. He managed to look good in defeat in a really nice little match with Jericho on Monday and looked even better in victory in a nice tag match with Kane on Tuesday. WWE is looking to strap a rocket on to his back and very early on it looks like he is ready to rise to the occasion and prove doubters like myself wrong.
3) Matt Morgan – Morgan provided a really good moment for TNA this week by revealing himself to be the 5th member of Team Cage at the end of Impact. Morgan got a great response from the crowd and even though that isn’t necessarily difficult in the Impact Zone, I do feel that it was pretty genuine and that people are excited to see what he can do in TNA as he showed glimpses of real promise during his WWE run.
4) Randy Orton
5) Kane
Michael Bauer
1) Ric Flair
One last promo… one last WOOOOOOOOOOO!… one last chance to say Thank You to the greatest of all time.
2) Shingo Takagi and BxB Hulk – Looking nearly unstoppable in Japan right now. I would have included Cyber Kong, but he was replaced for Day 1.
3) Joe Doering – Doing some dominating in the Champion’s Carnival with clean wins over Japanese talent.
4) Roderick Strong
5) Taku Iwasa & Keni’chiro Arai
JT
1) Ric Flair
How can I not go with Flair here? He capped off “Ric Flair Retires” weekend with one of his best promos ever followed by being honored in a way that was not only truly befitting to Ric Flair standards, but easily and instantly became the greatest thing I have ever seen live.
2) Randy Orton: Cut one of his better promos ever on RAW to assert the fact that HE is the champion and inform us that we have entered the Age of Orton (the “Expecting…someone else?” line was classic), then had himself a good match, picking up a clean victory over a returning Matt Hardy.
3) Matt Hardy: Returned this week and had a strong showing against the WWE Champion on Monday, then finished off the week with a clean win on the United States Champion, re-igniting his feud with MVP.
4) Kane/CM Punk
5) Batista
Scott Slimmer
1) Ric Flair
Ric Flair gets my first place vote for stylin’ and profilin’ his way into retirement on Raw. This week’s episode of Raw was focused squarely on the Naitch, and Ric Flair’s Retirement Ceremony will easily go down as one of the most memorable moments in Raw history… and WWE history… and professional wrestling history. The truth is that all too frequently we don’t get the chance to say “good-bye” the way that we wish we could. That’s true with our friends, it’s true with our family, and it’s often times true in the world of professional wrestling. But this week the fans and the industry got the chance to give Ric Flair the “good-bye” that he so richly deserved, and in the process we were able to find some closure to one of the most emotional weekends this industry will ever know. Oh, and if Naitch styles and profiles his way to glory this Tuesday on CBS’ Secret Talents of the Stars, then you better bet that he’ll earn himself a spot on my WOTW list next week as well.
2) Matt Hardy: Matt Hardy gets my second place vote for taking WWE Champion Randy Orton to his limit on Raw before defeating United States Champion MVP on Smackdown. Matt Hardy has returned in a big way, and I would be shocked if we didn’t see him wearing gold within the next month.
3) Shawn Michaels / Batista: Shawn Michaels and Batista get my third place vote for planting the seeds of what could be a great feud. The emotional foundation of this feud obviously has strong non-kayfabe roots, and it is that emotion that made their passing glances on Raw and the ensuing confrontation on Smackdown feel so intense.
4) Randy Orton
5) Chris Jericho
Robert S. Leighty Jr
1) Ric Flair
Monday was the most emotional moment I have experienced in wrestling (that didn’t involve a tragedy), and that alone is enough to give Flair the nod as wrestler of the week. His speech was great, and all that followed was perfect. Some may say it would have been better had Sting and a few others been there, but with what they had to work with, it was perfect. Flair goes out in style, and goes out with another wrestler of the week award.
2) Randy Orton: Did you know that it was the Age of Orton? All kidding aside, Orton did enough this week on RAW to claim the #2 spot. He bowed up to the challenge of JBL, and ran through a hell bent on revenge Matt Hardy. Good week for Young Randall, as he continues to look stronger as the WWE Champion.
3) Matt Hardy: Hardy got a huge response to shocking appearance on RAW, and looked good against the WWE Champion. He capped off the week by getting one back against the US Champion on SmackDown. Hardy has returned in a big way, and hopefully he will get the push that his brother threw away.
4) Chris Jericho
5) CM Punk
ARI
1) Ric Flair
The classiest moment in WWE history wouldn’t have been possible without Ric Flair. He was what was causing all of this.
2) Big Show: Even after a losing effort at Wrestlemania, Big Show proves he is better than ever with a tremendous promo on Monday and a face off against Great Khali where he stared him down and sent him packing. On Tuesday he slaughtered Colin Delaney in an entertaining segment and on Smackdown developed more of the oncoming feud with Khali. Show IS as Ric Flair said he is, one of the best big men in the business today. I actually am psyched to see him appear these days, as opposed to the apathy I felt for him just a few years ago.
3) Matt Hardy: Well, if they had just gone with this character reinvigoration back in 2005…anyway Matt got a ton of attention this week, had a fantastic match against Randy Orton and got back to Smackdown to fight MVP and win his match.
4) Kane
5) Cryme Time
Andy Clark
1) Ric Flair
So I guess I spoke too soon when I said I would never be able to vote for him again. While the credit should possibly go to Triple H for being a great emcee for the whole thing, the event wouldn’t have happened without Naitch. One last time, “Thank you, Flair.”
2) Shawn Michaels & Batista- In an offshoot of the Flair storyline this is the thing in wrestling that has me the most interested. Batista has been playing his role brilliantly and I’ll be very curious as to what road WWE decides to take here.
3) Matt Hardy- Matt Hardy looked great against the recently WrestleMania winning Randy Orton and got a big win over MVP on SmackDown.
4) Joe Doering
5) Larry Sweeney
MEEHAN
1) Ric Flair
Seriously, this one isn’t even close. The guy got every single performer on a WWE roster to come out and show him some love. Was there ever really a doubt that the 411 staff would do the same?
2) Shawn Michaels & Batista – I am LOVING this spin-off feud. Shawn is secretly gloating, while Big Dave is grasping at straws. Awesome work from all involved thus far.
3) Matt Hardy – Back in a big way, even if his first match back was a loss.
4) Cryme Tyme
5) Randy Orton
Matt Short
1) Ric Flair
One last hurrah on Raw. Thinking of all the guys who have retired over the years, who’s gotten a send off like that? We’ll miss you Nature Boy.
2) HBK/Batista: We’ll just have to see where this goes, but the start of this feud has me interested.
3) Joe Doering: The young gaijin had an impressive showing in his first two matches of the All Japan Champion’s Carnival this weekend. With wins over Minoru Suzuki and Osamu Nishimura Doering is actually leading his block, over Triple Crown Champion Kensuke Sasaki.
4) Taku Iwasa & Kenichiro Arai
5) Matt Hardy
Samuel Berman
1) Ric Flair
“The Nature Boy” said farewell in quite possibly the best segment ever broadcast on WWE television. Perhaps the most telling part of the whole affair was that one of the first members of the roster through the curtain was the ultra-heel Edge. To see the genuine emotion from not only Flair himself, but so many of his longtime friends and rivals, helps to paint the picture of a man who truly transcends professional wrestling. Goodbye Ric. Thank you for so many incredible memories.
2) Taku Iwasa & Keni’chiro Arai: A successful defense of the Open the Twin Gate Championships gets the second slot in an otherwise quiet week.
3) Roderick Strong: Earns a shot at PWG World Champion Human Tornado with a main event win over Chris Hero.
4) Joe Doering
5) Matt Hardy and Randy Orton (tie)
Bayani Domingo
1) Randy Orton
After getting bitched out by JBL, Randall put the boots to Matt Hardy and beat the IWC darling and sent him back to the SD mid-card
2) Roderick Strong: Part of the best match I saw all week and got a big win over the hottest act in PWG by pinning Chris Hero and hopefully earning a title shot vs. Human Tornado as a result.
3) Joe Doering: Taking Block B by storm in the Champion’s Carnival in Japan. Go Gaijin!!
4) Taku Iwasa & Kenichiro Arai
5) Hello Kitty
Larry Csonka
1) Ric Flair
One more time, Ric Flair…
2) Joe Doering – Young Joe Doering is on fire this week. The biggest Champion Carnival tournament in years, Joe Doernig scoring a big upset over Minoru Suzuki and then a win over Osamu Nishimura to take a commanding lead in Block B. Rock on young man!
3) Batista/Shawn Michaels – Batista and Shawn Michaels are the follow up to HBK vs. Flair, and thus far I like it. BIG DAVE DOES NOT APPROVE!
4) Matt Morgan
5) Chris Jericho
THE WINNERS!
Randy Orton played with the minds of the fans when he entered the show last week and also scored a victory over Matt Hardy. The WWE champion is on a roll.
While Matt Hardy did lose to the WWE champion on Raw, he did defeat the US Champion on Smackdown. Could Hardy finally be headed towards singles gold?
The Nature Boy goes out in style on Raw, and the 411 staff sends him out in style from the Wrestler of the Week Column. Thank you Ric.
Yearend Standings~!
Year Four is underway and the post WrestleMania run has begun. WWE cleaned up in the voting this week and have started off the year hot.
Ric Flair – 15 (WWE) {Retired}
Matt Hardy – 12 (Smackdown)
Randy Orton – 9 (RAW)
Batista – 6 (Smackdown)
Shawn Michaels – 3 (RAW)
Joe Doering – 1 (All Japan)
WWE, Raw, ECW and Smackdown Contracted Wrestlers are represented in BLUE.
TNA Contracted Wrestlers are represented in GREEN.
ROH Contracted Wrestlers are represented in RED.
US Independent Wrestlers are represented in MAROON.
Japanese Contracted Wrestlers are represented in BLACK.
Mexican Contracted Wrestlers are represented in MAGENTA.
PREVIOUS WINNERSYear One Winner: Ric Flair |
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