411’s Wrestler of the Week 02.11.08: Week 45

Welcome to Week 45, 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!

Ryan Byers
1) Jay Lethal
The last time that TNA did something to elevate Jay Lethal, they completely blew it off after the match, as he was treated like a joke literally minutes after he cleanly pinned Kurt Angle. Well, the promotion did a lot to make that up to young Mr. Lethal tonight, as he was made to look like an absolute world beater in this evening’s six man tag, which featured him teaming up with the Murder City Machine Guns against the Dudley Boys and Johnny Devine. Lethal was basically allowed to win that contest on his own, both pinning Devine AND laying out Bubba Dudley after the bell. It’s performances and angles like this, which make stars, given the appropriate follow-up. Lethal did is part to make that star tonight, and now the ball is firmly in TNA’s court.

2) Taku Iwasa & Keni’chiro Arai – Speaking of upsets, here’s a pretty big one. The young Dragon Gate team managed to lift the promotion’s tag titles off of Naruki Doi and Masato Yoshino, who until recently held not one, not two, but three sets of belts.
3) Larry Zbyszko – Believe it or not, Larry Zbyszko once again became AWA Champion this week in a wacky indy angle that saw him lodge a complaint with the promotion about how he never actually lost the title way back in the 1980’s. I love this storyline, because it implies that Zbyszko has had an issue with the title being taken away from him for OVER TWENTY-FIVE YEARS now but just now finally got around to doing something about it. He may be a wrestler notorious for his stalling, but that’s ridiculous.
4) Scott Steiner
5) Sea M. Punk (Get it? Because he threw his opponent in to the sea this week!)

Andy Clark
1) “Black Machismo” Jay Lethal
Despite my best wishes Lethal saved the X-Division and won his title back, while also helping Team 3D live a healthier lifestyle. He is now a two time X-Division Champion and hopefully he will have a better run the second time around.

2) Taku Iwasa & Kenichiro Arai- Upset one of the hottest teams in the world Masato Yoshino & Naruki Doi to win the Open the Twin Gate Titles.
3) Jeff Hardy- Looked great in the ring with Shawn Michaels and Chris Jericho and got the big win in the six man tag team match on Raw.
4) Kurt Angle
5) CM Punk

Jeff Small
1) Jay Lethal
This isn’t the first time I (along with many) have voted Lethal as WotW. The last time he got the nod, he defeated Kurt Angle during the Kurt Angle Show PPV cleanly and it looked like TNA had big plans for him. Such wasn’t the case and the same happened with Kazarian. Tonight, once again, Lethal was made to be a superstar by defeating both Team 3D and Johnny Devine by himself. I hope TNA finally decides to do something with him because I don’t know if I can justify giving him another #1 spot in four months.

2) Taku Iwasa & Kenichiro Arai – With the WWE having a quite week, allow me to give the #2 spot to the biggest upset of the week.
3) CM Punk – Coming off the fun Marachi Punk segment, Punk, once again, looked strong by soundly defeating Chavo Guerrero in a Gulf of Mexico match. Punk seems set on winning his title back at No Way Out to head into WrestleMania as champion.
4) Abyss
5) Jeff Hardy

ARI
1) Jeff Hardy
In one of the slowest and weakest wrestling weeks of the year thus far, Hardy was the one amongst HBK and Y2J to earn the pinfall in the six-man tag on Raw. That’s the beginning of a return to building Hardy as a main eventer and that’s all it takes for me to give him the nod for this week.

2) Jay Lethal: Look, from what I’m reading this TNA Against All Odds PPV was terrible in every possible way except for Jay Lethal saving the show. Once again Lethal makes the most of his opportunities and shows why even though he’s young he could be one of the new generation stars in professional wrestling. Its a damned shame TNA has wasted their chances before with Lethal and will likely do so again this time around.
3) CM Punk: GO 2 Sleep into the sea… THE SEA! The freaking SEA! Good enough on its own merits for third place in my book.
4) Taku Iwasa & Kenchiro Arai
5) Abstain

Samuel Berman
1) Taku Iwasa & Keni’chiro Arai
Though Iwasa & Arai are the big winners with their upset of Naruki Doi & Masato Yoshino for the Open the Twin Gate Titles, the bigger story long-term might turn out to be the possible split of Doi & Yoshino after the match. All of this is coming to a head with a big elimination match looming between the MO’z and New Hazard, but for now the spotlight belongs (deservedly) on AraIwa rather than with Speed Muscle.

2) Jeff Hardy: Continues to look like a legitimate contender amid a crowded field on RAW.
3) Jay Lethal: I’m always happy to see an ROH alum get a big win, and Lethal saving the X-Division certainly qualifies.
4) CM Punk
5) Tomko

Matt Short
1) Jay Lethal
As far as richly deserved wins go, Lethal could not do better than against Team 3D and Johnny Devine at Against All Odds. I hope that this will lead to an attempt to finally revive the X-Division, but even if it doesn’t let’s at least give Lethal this moment to shine.

2) Taku Iwasa & Kenichiro Arai: The Tozawa-juku stable in Dragon Gate rarely has anything to be proud of, what with their namesake being an almost abject failure and all of the group having had their pants stolen a couple of months ago. Since Iwasa returned from a broken arm they’ve recovered quite a bit of ground thanks to the AraIwa tandem and have at last captured the Open the Twin Gate belts from Naruki Doi & Masato Yoshino. This win seems to have sent the Muscle Outlaw’z stable reeling as two of their best are now squabbling while they have a massive elimination match against New Hazard to look forward to. I’ve got to give this team credit because they’ve worked damn hard to get to this point and with any luck should settle into a nice reign as champions.
3) CM Punk: It’s not every day you get a win over the ECW Champion via kicking him into the sea.
4) Jeff Hardy
5) Kurt Angle

Bayani Domingo
1) Black Machismo
Saves the X-Division AND regains the title. Not bad, now if he can only escape the “feud that never ends”.

2) Iwasa & Arai: Finally take the Open The Twin Gate titles off Speed Muscle. Hopefully this is the first of good things for these two and maybe JUST maybe we’ll see them in the US sooner than later. If not RoH then PWG.
3) Scott Steiner: Well he IS a double #1 contender after all.
4) CM Punk
5) Awesome Kong

Mike Campbell
1) Jay Lethal
He regained his title and saved the X-Division, he once again looks like The Man. Let’s hope TNA doesn’t screw it up again.

2) Kenichiro Arai and Taku Iwasa: Won the Open the Twin Gate, and avenged their loss of the IJ Tag Titles. Let’s hope this is the start of something good.
3) Randy Orton: He RKO’d Cena on Monday night, since when has this guy been allowed to actually look effective?
4) Jeff Hardy
5) CM Punk

Mathew Sforcina
1) Jay Lethal
Congrats. Now get him a fricking Elizabeth already.

2) Kenichiro Arai and Taku Iwasa- SWEET! A Dragon’s Gate Title Holder’s coming to my fed!
3) Scott Steiner- Screw the title shots, he’s got a freak again. That’s why he gets this spot.
4) CM Punk
5) Awesome Kong

Michael Bauer
1) Jay Lethal
Last time Jay Lethal got a big win, they screwed him over big time by taking loss after loss and pissing of Kurt Angle. This time, lightning better not strike twice. Great win for Lethal in one of only two decent matches on the card.

2) Kurt Angle – Like it or not, he retained with the 10 million shenanigans I wrote out. But the match was possibly the best so far this year.
3) CM Punk – Don’t know if the title is coming back, but Punk continues the hot streak.
4) Kenichiro Arai and Taku Iwasa
5) Jeff Hardy

Andy Critchell
1) Jeff Hardy
After his defeat at the Royal Rumble many were worried that Jeff would be shunted down the card post haste but instead he got back on the right track on Monday by getting the pin in the six-man tag on Raw and looked damn good doing it. Jeff is still as hot as ever and looks to be rolling heading into this Sunday’s PPV.

2) Jay Lethal – Normally I would give a new title winner the #1 spot but the X-Division Title isn’t really worth that much these days and it’s not like Johnny Devine had any heat on him at all. That being said, he was the main force in what many think was the best match on an otherwise lackluster PPV and despite what I think about his wrestling Jay’s effort really should and must be recognized.
3) CM Punk – Yet another guy I don’t really care for but he really did have a good week. His match with Chavo was kind of weird in set up but the execution was well done. Punk looked like a legitimate contender once again and like a guy you could expect good things out of.
4) Angle
5) Kong

Larry Csonka
1) Black Machismo Jay Lethal
The kid put on a really special performance at Against All Odds, a star making performance. Follow up will be crucial, but for the time being, he rules the world.

2) Taku Iwasa and Kenichiro Arai: They defeated Naruki Doi and Masato Yoshino to win the Open the Twin Gate belts in what is considered a huge upset. Easily enough for the #2 spot.
3) Kurt Angle and Christian Cage: Cage got a win over Mesias this week on Impact, and Angle defended the title against Cage in another great match at Against All Odds.
4) Scott Steiner
5) CM Punk

THE WINNERS!