411’s Wrestler of the Week 06.02.08: Week 9

Posted by Larry Csonka on 06.02.2008

Edge wins big, Batista takes out HBK, The Big Show is a monster again, Scotty II Hotty makes a big impact at the weekend FIP shows and the Undertaker is banished. But who had the goods to take home the WOTW award? Check out the latest edition of 411's Wrestler of the Week for all the details!



Welcome to Week 9, 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!
Andy Clark
1) Undertaker
OK, award me mark points, but since I have no idea when (or if) he's coming back and they did such a great job of putting the match over that I'm giving Taker the "end of career" love that I gave Ric Flair. Sure, he'll probably be back but he busted his ass in that match and took more bumps (and some awful unprotected chair shots) then a guy of his age and stature needed too. This is one of those rare weeks where the guy that lost his title match is getting the props. Suck on it, comment guys.

2) Edge- Edge won the World Heavyweight Title in a great main event, "ending" the career of Undertaker. Plus he had a fun Cutting Edge on Friday. All in all a pretty good week.
3) Batista- Finally have Shawn Michaels the ass kicking he's needed for the last three months. "I DON'T love you and I'm NOT sorry."
4) Big Show
5) Randy Orton


Jeff Small
1) Undertaker
The Undertaker came off looking pretty invincible tonight fending off La Familia before succumbing to a vicious fall. Throw in the fact that La-Z-Boy would never hire him due to his lack of selling chairs and he was at the top of his game. While I do not think this is the last time we see the Undertaker in action, if it is, it's a fitting way to go out.

2) Edge - Retired our #1 wrestler of the week. Plus he won the World Heavyweight Title! Not too shabby for someone who has been booked very weak against the Undertaker since February.
3) Batista - Gave HBK quite a lashing in their Stretcher Match. The "I don't love you and I'm not sorry" line was epic too.
4) Big Show
5) Randy Orton


Ryan Byers
1) Edge
Even with a WWE pay per view on Sunday, this was a fairly uninspiring week in terms of wrestlers accomplishing anything that I feel makes them strong WOTW candidates. In that case, I may as well give top honors to Edge, since he had probably the biggest kayfabe accomplishment of the week, i.e. winning the main event of One Night Stand and supposedly "ending the Undertaker's career." Of course, I know the Deadman will be back in less than a month. You know the Deadman will be back in less than a month. That diminishes Edge's accomplishment significantly, but he's still probably the best we can do this phenomenally weak voting cycle.

2) mc KZ - He may be the low man on the totem pole in Dragon Gate's newly formed WORLD-1 stable, but the fact that he's in a unit at all signifies the final step in KZ's growth from NEX young boy to full-fledged DG roster member. Good for him.
3) Scotty II Hotty - Scotty was victorious in back-to-back main events in FIP. Hey, if he were an ROH regular, that would be enough to at least get him a vote from Berman. Let's not create a double standard in which ex-WWE comedy guys don't get some love for doing the same things that No Remorse Corps members get votes for.
4) Nick & Matt Jackson
5) Melina Perez & Beth Phoenix


Michael Bauer
1) Edge
The TLC match is Edge's specialty and we saw why once again here. Yes, he needed the Edge-heads, Chavo, and Bam to distract the Undertaker, but in the end, it was Edge pushing the Taker threw the tower of tables and getting the title while all of his help had been disposed of. Bottom line: He's the champ of Smackdown again and The Undertaker is no more.

2) Batista: Great match with HBK that saw Big Dave getting his big win.
3) HHH: Would have been #2 if the match was not need to be ended like that.
4) Big Show
5) Melina/Beth Pheonix


Matt Short
1) Edge
Won a great TLC match and captured the World Heavyweight Championship again. He's on top of the heap on Smackdown now having eliminated his chief rival the Undertaker. "Permanently."

2) Batista: Bested Shawn Michaels in a dramatic stretcher match. Love the ending line to the match by the way.
3) Jimmy Rave: I'm one of the biggest Jimmy Rave detractors out there, but even I'm impressed that he not only won his opening match in the New Japan Best of Super Juniors but he did it against AKIRA, a superstar in New Japan.
4) Randy Orton
5) Big Show


Robert S. Leighty Jr
1) Edge
He wins his fifth World Title and "banishes" the Undertaker from the WWE all in 1 night. That is a lock for Wrestler of the Week in my book.

2) Batista: The match wasn't as good as I hoped, but Big Dave went over strong. He also looks like a bad ass now after killing Shawn dead. I also appreciated the "I don't love you, and I'm not sorry."
3) The Undertaker: It's a slow week, and figured he deserved a nod for taking those bumps on TLC. Still kind of shocked he took the bump through the 4 tables.
4) The Big Show
5) Randy Orton


Jerome Cusson
1) Edge
He FINALLY gets to beat 'Taker. I know it was pretty much his signature match, but at least he gets his long-deserved world title. Winning such a prominent world title equals the number one spot on this list if you ask me. So we have a fairly easy decision.

2) Undertaker: His career is not actually over, but he certainly worked his ass off yet again in a losing effort.
3) Beth Phoenix/Melina: This was one of the most impressive efforts I've seen from the women in quite some time. I knew how much better Melina had gotten, but to see her perform this well shocked me. We all knew Beth was winning, but props to the girls for managing to steal the show and prove the WWE might have just as good a women's division as TNA.
4) Scotty 2 Hotty
5) Batista


JT
1) The Undertaker
With his status unknown at this point combined with the "sendoff" that the WWE gave him (kayfabe or not), I too am have to go with the Undertaker. Just in case a sendoff for another Taker hiatus wasn't enough, he also happened to fall off a ladder through a double stack of tables after receiving 27 direct chair shots. Throw in the fact that he basically had to overcome Edge, Chavo, Bam Neely & the Edge guys, and he still ALMOST won the match. To me that is far more impressive.

2) Batista: DOMINATED Shawn Michaels, furthered the HBK/Dave/Jericho angle, and got the pin in tag action on SmackDown.
3) Edge: Yeah, he won the World Heavyweight Championship, but it was how. You have heard me say before that I think Vickie and Co. hurt Edge in a major way. In no way is he anyway near as credible a threat in my eyes as he was at the height of his solo heel act. Yippee, he's the champ; just took four other guys to do it.
4) Big Show
5) Randy Orton


ARI
1) Edge and the Undertaker
main event the WWE pay per view and have a great match that lives up to high expectations for a TLC match. It's been a while since WWE went out and put on just a wild and out there main event attraction with tons of bumps, chair shots and the big 4-table break and this one was well done and great.

2) HHH: Retains the WWE title to come full circle on the HHH vs. Orton saga.
3) Randy Orton: Gives it his all in the title match, has a cool spot with the DDT on the table and manages to gut through the likely broken collarbone to finish his match.
4) Scotty II Hotty
5) Jerry Lynn


Jarrod Westerfeld
1) Edge & Undertaker
All the cool kids are voting for them, so I'm going to as well. Edge wins back a World Title that he probably shouldn't have lost, as it now appears that Undertaker's Mania streak was protected for the sake of appeasing fans, and Undertaker goes and shows us all that old people really are more useful than being that rotting piece in the corner of a nursing home. Seriously, Taker goes and does some over the top things, and Edge gets a big title win – I can't separate the two accomplishments, as Edge's title win comes with some controversy, and Undertaker can't win the award as he came off a losing effort.

2) Batista: Gets back a win over Shawn, and delivers unto us all the anti-moment to counter the popular Mania feeling. Don't you feel all warm and fuzzy now?
3) Randy Orton: God this week is so light, but I'm going with the more popular votes, again. What more do you want? Apparently Orton may be injured thanks to his match, and will probably be out of the picture for a while, but still finished out his bout? That's gutsy, and earns him some kudo points. Oh, and only because, apparently, Gina Carano doesn't qualify as a wrestler…how does that work out?
4) Scotty II Hotty
5) Nick & Matt Jackson (Tag Team)


Samuel Berman
1) Ryo Saito & Susumu Yokosuka
The duo successfully retained their Open the Twin Gate Championships against stablemates Dragon Kid & PAC, showing that despite all of the press for the newly formed Real Hazard and WORLD-1 stables, Typhoon is still a force to be reckoned with. Saito & Yokosuka have actually developed into one of the more consistent teams worldwide lately, and are helping Typhoon to stay afloat while CIMA is on the shelf.

2) Scott Taylor and Roderick Strong (tie): A pair of FIP main event victories makes for an impressive week (and FIP debut) for the former WWF star, while Strong holds onto his FIP World Heavyweight Title in a Three Way Dance against former partner Austin Aries and ECW legend Jerry Lynn. (NOTE: Byers, you're absolutely right, it would be wrong for me to discriminate in this case.)
3) Nick & Matt Jackson: The PWG stars are making the most of their first Dragon Gate tour, racking up a surprising number of wins over veteran teams.
4) Jimmy Rave
5) Edge


Chris Lasdell
1) Edge
Slim week. My personal philosophy is that title win beats title retention, and with no other title wins, this is the easiest pick of the bunch. The match was great, despite all the outside help, and he "ended the career" of the Undertaker in the process.

2) Beth Phoenix/Melina: Finally, a woman's match gets some good time on pay per view, and they showed what they can do with it. I didn't see the match until about 10 minutes ago, but if I had my Instant Analysis (which can be seen today, RIGHT HERE, on 411mania.com!!!) of the PPV would have been a lot more favorable. See, it's not just the TNA women who can wrestle...they just got the time to show it.
3) Big Show: He made me laugh and kick the asses of 4 other guys. In a week where not even a relevant INDY title changed hands, that's good enough.
4) Batista
5) Scotty 2 Hotty



Ryan Merholz
1) Edge/The Undertaker
Put on an amazing TLC match at One Night Stand which more than made up for a cut-short WWE Title match. These guys have been having the feud of the year and their match at ONS was no exception to the trend. Sick bumps, intense drama, and stellar action = awesome feud culmination.

2) Batista: Demolished HBK and left him lying on a stretcher. This was a definitive win for Big Dave, who has largely been floundering since ending his feud with The Undertaker prior to Wrestlemania. Oh, and he doesn't love you.
3) The Big Show: Went berserk and destroyed a bunch of former champions on his way to a #1 contendership. Big Show has been on a tear since returning to WWE prior to Wrestlemania and he continued to dominate at ONS.
4) Beth Phoenix
5) Randy Orton


Daniel Wilcox
1) Edge/Undertaker
Usually Edge would get the lone vote for number one this week, but the fact that Taker took some of the bumps that he did means we've got a tie. Edge regain the World Championship and for now, ended the career of the Undertaker; not a bad night's work.

2) Big Show: Show was awesome at One Night Stand and is on his way to a ECW Championship match with Kane.
3) Triple H: Retained the WWE Championship against Randy Orton, albeit in dubious circumstances.
4) Batista
5) Jeff Hardy


Stuart James
1) Edge & Undertaker
Gotta give them props. Awesome main event. It was pretty much everything I hoped it would be and more, and Taker even took the four tables bump that Bubba Dudley made oh-so famous. Great main event, and an ending which adds so much intrigue, especially with the draft coming up.

2) Dave Batista: Oh yeah, I liked this! Batista went out there and killed Shawn Michaels for our viewing pleasure in an awesome way, as this angle continues to build in favorable directions.
3) Big Show: Big Show proved last night: it doesn't matter how many guys have Singapore Canes - when you're 7 foot tall, he's just going to sit on you all.
4) Beth Phoenix
5) HHH


SAT
1) Edge/Undertaker
Edge gets the top slot for winning the World Heavyweight Title in a TLC Match and ending the Undertaker's career and I also have to give the Undertaker props for almost winning this match with everything stacked against him.

2) Batista: Batista gets the second slot for winning the stretcher match against Shawn Michaels.
3) Big Show: Big Show gets the third slot for winning the number one contender ship match against four other world champions.
4) Triple H
5) Randy Orton


Andy Critchell
1) Edge
Retired the Undertaker (at least for now) and bumped his ass off the whole time. Add another WHT reign to the Rated R Superstar as he builds one hell of a resume.

2. Beth Phoenix - There was no title on the line, this was all about establishing Beth as THE dominant diva in WWE. Mission accomplished. Her submission hold on Melina to end the match was one of the sickest things I have seen in a long time.
3. Batista – Few times has someone beat up HBK as completely as Big Dave did on Sunday. It seems like booking is behind him once again and now that Taker is "retired" maybe he's in line for another program with Edge or maybe he continues on with HBK and Y2J. In either case, Big Dave is going to be featured quite a bit.
4. Big Show
5. Mike Adamle


Larry Csonka
1) Edge
He defeated the Undertaker (with a little help from his friends) and by doing that won the world title and BANISHED the Undertaker from the WWE. That's a good week.

2) The Undertaker: The man put in an awesome performance this weekend at One Night Stand, and deserves some respect for that.
3) Christian Cage, Rhino and The Big Show: Both qualified for the KOTM match, which seems to have gone largely forgotten. Also Show earns himself an ECW title shot after a dominating performance.
4) Batista
5) Beth Phoenix

THE WINNERS!

Special Mention…Randy Orton and Scotty II Hotty - 14 Votes

Fifth Place…Beth Phoenix - 18 Votes

Fourth Place…The Big Show - 32 Votes

Third Place…Batista - 48 Votes

The domination of Shawn Michaels gets Batista some love from the voters this week.

Second Place…The Undertaker - 56 Votes

The Undertaker gets a lot of respect from the panel as he took flight and went through four tables after fighting off the RMY. Unfortunately it was in a losing battle as he is now BANISHED from WWE.

Wrestler of the Week…Edge - 82 Votes

Edge banished the Undertaker, won the main event of One Night Stand and went home with the World Title. All in a night's work.


Yearend Standings~!
The guys from the WWE dominated the list this week. Batista vaulted over Matt Hardy and took over the top spot, while we had a ton of debuts. Stay tuned for June here at WOTW, because with two more PPV's and the upcoming draft, this list could drastically change in four-weeks.


Batista – 33 (Smackdown)

Matt Hardy – 30 (Smackdown)

Suwama – 24 (All Japan)
King William Regal – 24 (RAW) {Suspended}

Samoa Joe – 21 (TNA)

Homicide – 15 (TNA)
Hernandez – 15 (TNA)
Ric Flair – 15 (WWE) {RETIRED}
Edge – 15 (Smackdown)
Shawn Michaels – 15 (RAW)
Mickie James – 15 (RAW)
HHH – 15 (RAW)
John Morrison – 15 (ECW)
The Miz – 15 (ECW)
Bison Smith – 15 (NOAH)
Akitoshi Saito – 15 (NOAH)

Kaz – 12 (TNA)
The Undertaker – 12 (WWE) {"RETIRED"}
Jimmy Jacobs – 12 (ROH)
Jay Briscoe – 12 (ROH)
Mark Briscoe – 12 (ROH) {INJURED}
Roderick Strong – 12 (ROH)
Jack Evans – 12 (US Independent)

Nigel McGuinness – 10 (ROH)
Randy Orton – 10 (RAW) {INJURED}

Petey Williams – 9 (TNA)
Chuck Taylor – 9 (US Independent)
Mistico – 9 (Mexico)
Hector Garza – 9 (Mexico)

Kurt Angle – 7 (TNA)
Chris Jericho – 7 (RAW)

Keiji Muto – 6 (All Japan)
Mr. Kennedy – 6 (RAW)
The Big Show – 6 (Smackdown)
MsChif – 6 (US Independent)
Incognito – 6 (Mexico)

Bryan Danielson – 3 (ROH)
Ryuji Hijikata –3 (All Japan)
Jeff Hardy – 3 (RAW)
Beth Phoenix – 3 (RAW)
AJ Styles – 3 (TNA)

Brent Albright – 1 (ROH)
Awesome Kong – 1 (TNA)
Mike Quackenbush – 1 (US Independent)
Scotty II Hotty – 1 (US Independent)
Joe Doering – 1 (All Japan)
Anthony W. Mori - 1 (Dragon Gate)
GAMMA - 1 (Dragon Gate)

Voting began 4.07.08

Year-End Rankings Key:

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.

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PREVIOUS WINNERS

Year One Winner: Ric Flair
Year Two Winner: Samoa Joe
Year Three Winner: John Cena