wrestling / Columns

411’s Wrestler of the Week 12.29.08: Week 39

December 29, 2008 | Posted by Jeremy Thomas

Welcome to Week 39, Year FOUR of 411’s Wrestler of the Week. A quick overview to kick things off…

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

If you are wondering how some of the writers decide who to vote for, please check out our Wrestler of the Week Supplemental Column!

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) Trish Stratus
I had a lot to choose from this week, but I’ve got to go with Trish making a one time only (maybe) return to the ring on Raw. Trish looked better than ever and provided a really great Raw moment, an awesome Christmas gift to the WWE fans.

2) Bryan Danielson: At long last the American Dragon put down the beast that was Takeshi Morishima as he bested him in a brutal Fight Without Honor at ROH’s Final Battle. This match has been a long time coming and the so-called “Best Wrestler in the World” ended 2008 with a bang.
3) Randy Orton: There were quite a few impressive performances on Raw this week, but I have to give special props to Orton. Orton’s promo was one of the better ones he has given, and the delivery of his “Christmas came early line” was perfect and truly epitomized how far Randy Orton has grown. RKO is poised to make 2009 a big year.
4) Ultimo Guerrero & Naruki Doi (tie)
5) Austin Aries

Michael Bauer
1) Bryan Danielson
This was insanely close. In the end though, I have to take the match that I witnessed first hand over a match I needed to wait for video on. Bryan Danielson defeated Morishima is a BRUTAL battle, which saw some of the hardest chain shots ever, to finally get his win over the former GHC World Champion. Oh yeah, he also beat Jerry Lynn in their first ever contest.

2) Naruki Doi: There is no denying that beating your former tag partner for the Open the Dream Gate deserves some love.
3) Chris Jericho: Of all the Race to the Rumble winners, Jericho was the most impressive.
4) Shelton Benjamin
5) Austin Aries

Christi Csonka
1) Chris Sabin
I like the Motor City Machineguns, I love their current angle and the recent work of Sabin in and out of the ring has been great. He’ll likely get overlooked, again this week, but I will show him some love here.

2) Chris Jericho: Chris Jericho had a very good match with CM Punk this week, and is now one step closer to a title shot against Cena at the Royal Rumble.
3) Ultimo Guerrero: Winning CMLL gold is good enough to make my top three.
4) Naruki Doi
5) Maryse

Larry Csonka
1) Naruki Doi
Much like Kurt Angle, Naruki Doi has had a very good 2008, but is just being overlooked for other, more popular names. Naruki Doi completes the year by defeating his former tag team partner to win the Open the Dream Gate Title. Not a bad way to close out the year, not a bad way at all.

2) Ultimo Guerrero: Ultimo Guerrero became the 15th CMLL Heavyweight Champion this past Monday, defeating Dos Caras Jr. I guess this means Dos Caras Jr. IS headed to WWE. Maybe…possibly.
3) Bryan Danielson: Bryan Danielson not only took a win this weekend over Jerry Lynn, but he finally got revenge on Morishima, with a win many thought wouldn’t come. That’s a sexy weekend right there.
4) Chris Sabin
5) Maryse

Robert S. Leighty Jr.
1) Trish Stratus
The moment she came out on RAW she was getting vote, unless a World Title changed hands. It was great to see her in a ring again, and I would gladly pay to see Trish vs Phoenix on a PPV.

2) Chris Jericho: Best match of the week with Punk and has another chance to get a title shot.
3) Chris Sabin: Another strong week and I appreciate TNA finding something for him (and Shelley).
4) Bryan Danielson
5) CM Punk

Matt Short
1) Naruki Doi
Doi has had a pretty eventful 2008. He started up World-1, traveled to TNA for the World X Cup, had one great match after another, and finally won King of Gate. He capped off his great year with a huge win over Shingo Takagi for the Open the Dream Gate.

2) Ultimo Guerrero: Became the 15th CMLL Heavyweight Champion this past week, unseating Dos Caras Jr. Yet another participant in this year’s X-Cup claims his respective company’s main title.
3) Bryan Danielson: Won a show stealing match against Takeshi Morishima at ROH’s final show of the year. Beating Jerry Lynn in the previous night just adds to that.
4) Ippei Ota
5) Chris Jericho

Jarrod Westerfeld
1) Naruki Doi
For my money’s worth, while Ultimo Guerrero’s title win is big, unfortunately for him the company is in turmoil and thus takes something away from it. Doi’s title win, on the other hand, was big and eventful and it came at a time when he was red hot after taking down a tournament victory to become the number one contender to the Open the Dream Gate Title. Doi now becomes the tenth champion in Dragon Gate’s history and ends the year on a very high note.

2) Bryan Danielson – Two big wins over the weekend for Danielson draw my consideration for the second place nomination. The first win was over Jerry Lynn and only gave Danielson momentum heading into his New York encounter with his biggest rival and threat, Takeshi Morishima. The second win of the weekend came over the former dominating ROH World Champion and former GHC World Heavyweight Champion, and the one man that Danielson couldn’t beat no matter what he tried. The monkey is officially off of Bryan’s back.
3) Ultimo Guerrero – Goes on to become the 15th CMLL World Heavyweight Champion after defeating Dos Caras Jr. Guerrero now proves that he is truly one of the better wrestlers out of Mexico to not be a lightweight flyer, or be signed to the AAA promotion.
4) Chris Sabin
5) Trish Stratus

ARI
1) Bryan Danielson
Some of the best things that happened this weekend involved Bryan Danielson: a face vs. face match against Lynn and finally a win against his rival from Japan in Takeshi Morishima. Jumping into the crowd while “The Final Countdown” played was one of the most enjoyable moments I’ve had attending an ROH show. Not to mention the visual of a bloody Danielson getting destroyed only to come back and use his elbows while wrapped in a chain (!) was something I’ve never seen before.

2) Nigel McGuinness: McGuinness wins a tough match against Marufuji and by winning achieves a full calendar year (Jan 1 to Dec 31) as a champion but also stretches his title run to the fifteen month mark, second place in ROH history behind only Samoa Joe.
3) Trish Stratus: An awesome surprise to see Stratus come back and actually wrestle. I had forgotten about the rumors of her returning for a one-off match and didn’t connect Raw being in Toronto to this until way after she appeared on screen. Speaking of some who deserves the “you still got it chant”…she’s still got it in spades! I’d love to have her back on the regular roster, but it was awesome just to see her come back even this once.
4) Naomichi Marufuji
5) Naruki Doi

Samuel Berman
1) Bryan Danielson
The Danielson vs. Morishima feud, even with the nearly year-long layoff, is one of the best issues in all of wrestling in recent memory. Their Fight Without Honor provides a fitting end to the rivalry-turned-blood feud with Ring of Honor’s ace putting down the former ROH and NOAH champion once and for all.

2) Naruki Doi: Unexpectedly ends 2008 by winning the Open the Dream Gate Championship from Shingo.
3) Nigel McGuinness: Becomes only the third man to pin Naomichi Marufuji in ROH, defending the ROH World Title along the way.
4) Ultimo Guerrero
5) YAMATO and Ippei Ota

Andy Critchell
1. Maryse – I guess everyone else forgot but a new champion was crowned last week. The Divas Championship may be new and it may not be respected but it’s still a WWE title and that means something. The fact that she took it off of the first and only Divas Champion makes it even more significant. Maryse has really found her niche as far as being the stuck up girl you love to hate and it’s good to see her recognized as such with the belt.

2. Trish Stratus – Trish the dish made her big WWE return in her hometown and she looked fantastic. Trish was as over as ever and even though it was a one-off, it was still a great moment and one of the best returns in years.
3. Bryan Danielson – American Dragon notched two wins over the weekend, both in main event matches and both in style.
4. Shelton Benjamin
5. Chris Jericho

Daniel Wilcox
1. Maryse – I have to agree with Critchell here; Maryse deserves some love. If this title changed happened a few weeks ago, lots of people would be pissed, but it just goes to show how well Maryse has come in developing her character that people were ecstatic with the title changing hands. If Maryse can work to improve her in-ring skills, she can become one of the top Divas in the business, as she’s loaded with charisma and looks.

2. Chris Jericho – Not only did The Artist Formerly Known as Y2J advance in the Race to the Rumble, he did it in grand style, beating CM Punk in one hell of a match up on Raw this week.
3. Trish Stratus – A successful return, no signs of ring rust and a big win in the main event of Raw. It’s just a shame it’s only a one-time deal, for now.
4. Bryan Danielson
5. Naruki Doi

Jeremy Thomas
1) Trish Stratus
In a somewhat slow week, I have to give the Wrestler of the Week to our favorite Canadian girl, who showed up on Raw, got an insanely big crowd reaction, and proceeded to wrestle her first match in a long time alongside John Cena against Glamarella. Trish looked hotter then ever and showed she’s still got what it takes; I echo many 411 commenters when I say “Screw RVD, sign Trish!”

2) Bryan Danielson: Everyone else has said it; Danielson had two huge wins at the ROH shows this weekend to top off a killer year. Kudos to the American Dragon for having an amazing week.
3) Chris Jericho: Jericho had the top free television match without a doubt this week, beating CM Punk in one hell of a match to advance in the Race to the Rumble. Brilliant work by both men; Jericho’s win gives him the edge.
4) Maryse
5) Chris Sabin/CM Punk

THE WINNERS~!

Special Mention…Maryse – 14 Votes

Fifth Place…Ultimo Guerrero – 18 Votes

Fourth Place…Chris Jericho – 20 Votes

Third Place…Trish Stratus – 26 Votes

Trish shocks everyone by returning to the ring for one night and helping John Cena beat Santino Marella and Beth Pheonix, which is enough for third place.

Second Place…Naruki Doi – 29 Votes

Doi ends a banner year for him by winning the top title in Dragon Gate.

Wrestler of the Week…Bryan Danielson – 40 Votes

Two huge wins at ROH’s weekend shows, including one over long-time rival Morishima, propels the American Dragon to the top of the list this week.

Year-End Standings~!

A few big moves this week, as Bryan Danielson makes a huge leap that finds him just outside the top 15; meanwhile, Naruki Doi has made it all the way to #6 and is only six points out of the top five! Chris Jericho builds on his lead over Edge, and is getting harder to catch with each passing week while Trish Stratus, Maryse and Ultimo Guerrero all make their debuts on the list!

Let’s check out the Year-End Standings!

1. Chris Jericho – 128 (RAW)

2. The Now-Unbearded Menace Edge – 85 (Smackdown)

3. Batista – 74 (Raw)

4. Matt Hardy – 61 (ECW)

5. HHH – 60 (Smackdown)

6. Samoa Joe – 54 (TNA)
6. Naruki Doi – 54 (Dragon Gate)

8. Shawn Michaels – 52 (RAW)

9. Jeff Hardy – 49 (Smackdown)

10. The Undertaker – 48 (Smackdown)

11. John Cena – 46 (RAW)

12. CM Punk – 45 (Raw)

13. AJ Styles – 42 (TNA)
13. Sting – 42 (TNA)

15. Nigel McGuinness – 41 (ROH)

William Regal – 34 (RAW)
Bryan Danielson – 34 (ROH)

Masato Yoshino – 33 (Dragon Gate)
John Morrison – 33 (ECW)
The Miz – 33 (ECW)

Evan Bourne – 30 (ECW) {Injured}

Tyler Black – 28 (ROH)

Low Ki – 27 (US Independent)
Lance Cade – 27 (US Independent)
Kofi Kingston – 27 (RAW)
Keiji Mutoh – 27 (All Japan)

Kurt Angle – 26 (TNA)

KENTA – 25 (NOAH)
James Storm – 25 (TNA)
Robert Roode – 25 (TNA)

Suwama – 24 (All Japan)
Jimmy Jacobs – 24 (ROH)
Rhino – 24 (TNA)

Randy Orton – 23 (RAW)

Alex Shelley – 21 (TNA)
Kevin Steen – 21 (ROH)
El Generico – 21 (ROH)

Jeff Jarrett – 20 (TNA)

Kaz – 18 (TNA) {“Retired”}
Chris Sabin – 18 (TNA)

Taylor Wilde – 15 (TNA)
Homicide – 15 (TNA)
Hernandez – 15 (TNA)
Petey Williams – 15 (TNA)
Mick Foley – 15 (TNA)
Ric Flair – 15 (US Independent)
Shelton Benjamin – 15 (Smackdown)
Mickie James – 15 (RAW)
Yuji Nagata– 15 (New Japan)
Bison Smith – 15 (NOAH)
Akitoshi Saito – 15 (NOAH)
Erick Stevens – 15 (ROH)
Roderick Strong – 15 (ROH)

Brent Albright – 13 (ROH)
Chris Hero – 13 (US Independent)
THE Brian Kendrick – 13 (Smackdown)

Sheik Abdul Bashir – 12 (TNA)
The Big Show – 12 (Smackdown)
The Great Khali – 12 (Smackdown)
Jay Briscoe – 12 (ROH)
Mark Briscoe – 12 (ROH)
Jimmy Olsen – 12 (US Independent)
MsChif – 12 (US Independent)
Jack Evans – 12 (US Independent)
Taiji Ishimori – 12 (NOAH)

Mark Henry – 10 (ECW)

Scott Steiner – 9 (TNA)
Ashley Lane – 9 (US Independent)
Nevaeh – 9 (US Independent)
Chuck Taylor – 9 (US Independent)
Volador Jr. – 9 (Mexico)
Mistico – 9 (Mexico)
Hector Garza – 9 (Mexico)
Go Shiozaki – 9 (NOAH)
Kensuke Sasaki – 9 (NOAH)
Shingo Takagi – 9 (Dragon Gate)
Michelle McCool – 9 (Smackdown)
Drake Younger – 9 (US Independent)
Eric Young – 9 (TNA)
Trish Stratus – 9 (US Independent)

Awesome Kong – 7 (TNA)

Brother Ray – 6 (TNA)
Brother Devon – 6 (TNA)
Masato Tanaka – 6 (Zero One Max)
Tiger Mask IV – 6 (NOAH)
Wataru Inoue – 6 (New Japan)
Rey Mysterio – 6 (RAW)
Mr. Kennedy – 6 (Smackdown)
Incognito – 6 (Mexico)

Villano V – 3 (Mexico)
Blue Demon Jr. – 3 (Mexico)
Claudio Castagnoli – 3 (ROH)
Hiroshi Tenzan –3 (New Japan)
Hirooki Goto –3 (New Japan)
Ryuji Hijikata –3 (All Japan)
Ophidian – 3 (US Independent)
Amasis – 3 (US Independent)
Fire Ant – 3 (US Independent)
Player Uno – 3 (US Independent)
Player Dos – 3 (US Independent)
Beth Phoenix – 3 (RAW)
JBL – 3 (RAW)
Carlito Colon – 3 (Smackdown)
Primo Colon – 3 (Smackdown)
Ultimao Guerrero – 3 (Mexico)

Naomichi Marufuji – 2 (NOAH)

Jack Swagger – 1 (ECW)
Vladimir Kozlov – 1 (Smackdown)
Ted DiBiase – 1 (RAW)
Cody Rhodes – 1 (RAW)
Sonjay Dutt – 1 (TNA)
Mike Quackenbush – 1 (US Independent)
Nick Jackson – 1 (US Independent)
Matt Jackson – 1 (US Independent)
Scotty II Hotty – 1 (US Independent)
Joe Doering – 1 (All Japan)
Jun Akiyama– 1 (NOAH)
Anthony W. Mori – 1 (Dragon Gate)
GAMMA – 1 (Dragon Gate)
Taiyo Kea – 1 (All Japan)
Minoru Suzuki – 1 (All Japan)
Yoshinobu Kanemaru – 1 (NOAH)
Kotaro Suzuki – 1 (NOAH)
Zack Ryder – 1 (Smackdown)
Curt Hawkins – 1 (Smackdown)
Maryse – 1 (Smackdown)