Posted in: Hustle Is Posting Right Now Believe The HIPE - Day 7 - Hustle's Power 25 By Hustle Jan 7, 2012 - 11:00:33 PM

1. Day 1 - 2011 #BlackTwitter Hussy Awards Breakdown

2. Day 2 - Raw Running Diary?

2.7 Day 2.7 - The Next Big Thing. Again?

4. Day 4 - Ring Of.. Who cares?

5. Day 5 - Impact Running Diary

6. Day 6 - Smackdown Running Diary

7. Day 7 - Power 25 Rankings

1. Day 1
"Hand out the awards.."





Writer's Note: I have a statement and then two warnings to make here. Let's start with the statement..

- I'm back.

- This is going to be a very long read.

- If you've already listened to the 2011 #BlackTwitter Hussy Awards podcast, a lot of this column is going to be redundant. Just know that the column isn't aimed for that particular part of my readership. This is for the numerous requests I received to turn the podcast into an actual column, for one reason or another.

Alright, let's get on with it, and we'll see if I can keep this under the 10,000-word mark.


As I was going through the votes from ReaderLand, I didn't find a whole lot of major surprises with anything. A lot of people I talked to, including some of the Lords Of Podcast Roundtable guys, expected Matt Hardy to receive more votes in every category he was nominated in, and to basically walk away with each award, but I figured that enough time had passed since Matt was in the news on a near-daily basis that it would allow more current names to step in and get some votes. Had the voting been held a few months ago, we would have seen Matt win multiple awards in huge landslides. There's no doubt in my mind about that. I'm going to take this time to go through each category, look at the winner and the top nominees (narrowed down from the longer, original list of nominees), and discuss my thoughts on everything. Let's go in chronological order from the show itself..


Award: #TheThirst
Description: Given to the personality/personalities that displayed the strongest desire for attention on the year, to the point that they were "thirsty" for it.
Top Nominees: Chavo Guerrero, for his continued unprovoked attacks towards John Cena on Twitter.. WWE, for their obsession with Twitter and trying to "trend".. Zack Ryder, for all of his YouTube videos and strategies to get people (fans & WWE management alike) to notice him.. Shane Helms, for always finding a way to start arguments on Twitter whenever anything happened to a Hardy brother, as well as for his own transgressions.. Matt Hardy, for pretty much everything he did in 2011
Winner: Matt Hardy
Analysis: First things first, because I had some people asking/complaining about it during the voting process, I wasn't including Zack Ryder here in a negative way. Yes, it's usually a negative thing, but it wasn't a shot at the guy in this instance. Whether you love him or you hate him, one thing can't be denied.. Zack Ryder did everything short of going door-to-door across the planet and screaming out "LOOK AT ME!!!!!" to get attention. This isn't a discussion of whether or not it worked, or whether he deserves success because of it, etc. It's merely pointing out that he was "thirsty" for attention in 2011, so calm down, Zack Pack, and put your hair gel down for a minute.

Matt Hardy wins. It wasn't a landslide, as I mentioned earlier, but he won, and really, that shouldn't come as a surprise to anyone. While Zack Ryder and WWE were trying to get attention to further their own "brand", Matt Hardy never really made it clear what he was trying to gain by pretending that his house was haunted.. or by getting into drunken shenaniganery involving his brother, his girlfriend and a stun gun (if that doesn't sound like an odd porno, I don't know what does).. or by posting a suicide note online that he would later say wasn't a suicide note at all.. etc, etc, etc. All he did was lose this year, whether it was respect, fans, brain cells, or opportunities in the wrestling business. I'll say it again.. I've said all types of terrible things about Matt Hardy in the past, but it just isn't as fun anymore, because he's doing so much to harm himself, his name, and his legacy all on his own. I still don't want to see him on my television every week, but I hope he finds the things in life that he needs to get his situation squared away for himself, his family and his friends.


Award: #WhoHurtYou
Description: Given to the personality/personalities that have displayed suspect levels of bitch in them, to the point where you wonder who has hurt them to such an extreme.
Top Nominees: Matt Hardy, for pretty much everything he did in 2011.. Chavo Guerrero, once again for his continued unprovoked attacks towards John Cena on Twitter.. Chyna, for her constant complaints that neither WWE or TNA wants her back.. Gail Kim, for her attitude at the end of her WWE tenure, and then her anti-WWE stance once she left the company.. Ultimate Warrior & Hulk Hogan, for their smear campaigns against each other, including accusations of homosexuality and infidelity
Winner: Matt Hardy
Analysis: Yes, it's another award for Matt, but this was an even closer race than the previous award, and really came down to the very end, with multiple people in the running. In the end, though, everyone else seemed to have relatively easy-to-see "targets". John Cena clearly hurt Chavo Guerrero in some way. WWE and TNA clearly hurt Chyna. WWE, in one fashion or another, clearly hurt Gail Kim. Ultimate Warrior and Hulk Hogan clearly hurt each other. Matt Hardy, on the other hand.. well, we're all still trying to figure out what the hell happened to him. Maybe it was some sort of issue he dealt with as a child. Maybe it was someone in WWE. Maybe it was WWE itself. Maybe it was TNA. Who knows? None of us do, and that's why we're all wondering.. hey, Matt.. #WhoHurtYou?


Award: #Swag
Description: Given to the wrestler that has made the biggest improvement on their situation/position in a year's time.
Top Nominees: Eddie Edwards.. Zack Ryder.. Mark Henry.. CM Punk.. Bobby Roode
Winner: Mark Henry
Analysis: Going into the voting, I expected this to be one of the biggest voting landslides of the entire show. Mark Henry went from being a veteran than most wrestling fans (especially those in the IWC) didn't care about to being a World Champion and one of the best-booked heels that the pro wrestling world has seen in years. Not only was it quite the jump, it pretty much came out of nowhere, and nobody saw it coming. Not even the people like me, who have been praising Henry's work for years. I underestimated the fan bases of the other nominees, though. Henry won, obviously, but it was a whole lot closer than I thought. Zack Ryder had a very strong showing here. So did CM Punk. So did Bobby Roode. All of them were actually leading the voting at one point or another.

To be honest, I didn't think Punk would be that strong a contender for this award. It was my fault, really. I didn't look at him from the true-blue description of the award, like I should have, and instead, I figured that, because he had been a main eventer and a champion in the past, it wasn't a huge deal that he reached the heights he reached in 2011. Again, that's completely my fault. By definition, he was a perfect candidate for this award. Coming into the year, he was running in place as the leader of The Nexus (or, nXtWo, as I liked to call them), and nothing was really happening for him. He went on to become the biggest deal in all of wrestling, ushering in a possible new era (dubbed the "Reality Era") in a business that was in dire need of a change.

When all was said and done, though, I do feel the right person won. There's no denying the meteoric rise that Mark Henry was on this year. Even though his booking cooled off, and then he suffered through an injury that forced the company to take the World Title off of him, his main event run (which isn't over, mind you) is something that won't soon be forgotten.


Award: #TheStruggle
Description: Opposite of #Swag. Given to the wrestler that has had the biggest decline on their situation/position in a year's time.
Top Nominees: Drew McIntyre.. The Undertaker.. Jeff Hardy.. Matt Hardy.. The Miz
Winner: Drew McIntyre
Analysis: This one was interesting, to me, because there are a couple of "not-so-obvious" choices thrown in. Originally, The Undertaker wasn't included in the list of nominees, but after the planning session with the LoPR guys, we decided, as a group, to include him. It was strictly for kayfabe reasons, but he did have a big 2010, which was then followed by a 2011 where he only participated in a single match. That's it. Nothing more. That's a pretty big decline, I'd say.

While Drew McIntyre won the award, even having him as a nominee came out of nowhere to a lot of people, who weren't even thinking about him. Even the man who presented the award on the podcast, CoLD, strongly disagreed with McIntyre winning. Personally, I saw everyone forgetting to include McIntyre was proof that he deserved to win the award. It seems like decades ago at this point, but don't forget that McIntyre came into 2011 with some momentum, and was one of the participants in Smackdown's Elimination Chamber match in February. Not only that, but most agreed that he was actually the shining star of the match, which they saw as a sign of big things to come for his career. He went from that to not even having the chance to be a jobber on Superstars, which wasn't even a televised show, only a few short months later. Moving up and down the card is a normal process for wrestlers, and especially the younger ones, but to see such a drop is pretty rare. Making it even worse is the fact that he was "punished" for things that didn't even have to do with what takes place in the ring (his relationship with former WWE Diva, Tiffany, and their trials and tribulations together). Helluva year for Drew Mac. One that he would like to forget, though.


Award: #Eek
Description: Given to the female that continued to receive big pushes from her company, even though nobody seemed to care about her. "Eek" is a word of endearment assigned to only the lowest form of heauxs.
Top Nominees: The Bella Twins.. Eve.. Kelly Kelly.. Madison Rayne.. Gail Kim
Winner: Eve
Analysis: A lot of people seemed to be of the thinking that Kelly Kelly would win this award, but when you really stop and think about it, Kelly continues to get strong reactions (for a Diva, anyway) from the WWE Universe. She's still one of the worst rope-runners that wrestling has ever seen, more concerned with being girly and prissy than actually doing her job correctly, but at least she gets a reaction. Eve can't say that. Eve continues to get pushed, despite the fact that she doesn't get much of a reaction from the WWE Universe at all. In fact, recent reports state that Zack Ryder was placed in a storyline with Eve as something of a "punishment" for being involved in televised segments that didn't draw the ratings the company would have liked to see. Whether that story is true or not isn't the point. The fact that it was even a story at all is hilarious, and speaks volumes about the lack of fuck that people give about Eve and anything she does.

A (Dis)Honorable Mention has to go out to Gail Kim, simply because she made her return to TNA to near crickets. It was one of the saddest and funniest things I've seen this year, all at the same time. The TNA fans, who notoriously cheer for just about anyone and anything, were deathly silent upon her return to the company, and the fact that her next appearance featured one of the worst promos wrestling has seen in years certainly didn't help her cause at all. Even with all of that, TNA still felt the need to make her one-half of the Knockouts Tag Team Champions two weeks (in real time, not in "taped" time) after her debut, and the Knockouts Champion ten days (again, real time, not "taped" time) after that. Good ol' TNA. Gotta love em.


Award: #Cryin
Description: Given to the best promo or segment of the year, whether it's in-ring or backstage. Named because it's usually something that was so funny, it left you cryin from laughing so hard, but it isn't necessarily always for funny moments.
Top Nominees: The Rock, for his promo on the night of his return before WrestleMania 27.. Sheamus & Beaker, for their interaction backstage during the episode of Raw hosted by The Muppets.. CM Punk, for his original "shoot" promo that kick started the second "Summer Of Punk".. John Cena, for his return to his character's roots and freestyling on The Rock.. Triple H & R-Truth, for their interaction on Raw where Triple H mocked Truth by talking to an invisible person, only to have Truth point out that nobody was there
Winner: CM Punk
Analysis: I would have given the award to Sheamus and Beaker, personally. The segment was a few years in the making, and was something that the company absolutely had to make some sort of mention of, and when they did, it was well worth the wait. It was an incredibly entertaining moment during an incredibly entertaining episode of Raw, which stood out during a terrible stretch for the show. I wasn't the one picking the winners, though.

Punk winning this is a fair choice, either way. His promo did set the wrestling world on fire, no matter how much of it was a shoot, a work, or a worked shoot. It still got everyone talking again, and as I mentioned earlier, it helped to usher in a brand new era in wrestling. An era that continues to be crafted to this day and looks to be carrying World Wrestling Entertainment into 2012. None of that would be possible without CM Punk. Without Punk's "Stone Cold" Steve Austin shirt. Without Punk making Indian-style sitting cool again. Without Punk breaking the fourth wall. Without Punk being a "Paul Heyman Guy". Without Punk name-dropping New Japan Pro Wrestling and Ring Of Honor. Without Punk giving a shout-out to Colt Cabana. His promo changed the game, going beyond something that was merely "funny" or "cool".


Award: #Fade
Description: Given to the personality/personalities that you want to disappear from television. No more wrestling. No more promos. Nothing at all. To hand someone a "fade" is like knocking them out or at least dealing with them and their bullshit.
Top Nominees: Twitter.. Booker T.. Ric Flair.. Michael Cole.. John Laurinaitis
Winner: John Laurinaitis
Analysis: Nothing I can type here is going to equal out to the fact that John Laurinaitis himself appeared on the podcast, unannounced, to accept his award. That was something special.

Interesting to note that there wasn't an active wrestler in the list of final nominees. Remember that this took place before Booker T actually returned to the ring, and that Ric Flair only wrestled twice in 2011 (once at Lockdown in April and once on Impact in September).

Also interesting is that, if I were to hold voting for this award again right now, I don't think the outcome would be the same. Sure, Laurinaitis is still despised by a lot of people, but in recent weeks, his character has shifted a bit, to the point where he goes out of his way to actually be funny as he tries to convince people that he isn't "boring" as some would say he is. Because of that change, I'm seeing a lot of people change their opinions of Laurinaitis, from "get him the fuck off television" to "alright, let's give him a chance". Who knows where his character is headed from here, but it's pretty clear that he isn't as disliked today as he was a month ago, that's for sure.


Award: #FadeGod
Description: An honorary award, given to UFC Middleweight Champion, Anderson Silva, for his career of handing fades out, left and right, no matter who the opponent was.
Top Nominees: Anderson Silva
Winner: Anderson Silva, of course.
Analysis: I've written about Anderson Silva on multiple occasions in the last few years, so I don't really need to get in-depth on the subject again, but there's good reason why GLOW and I have christened Silva the "Fade God". His career has been nothing short of amazing. He hasn't lost a fight in six years, and that loss was by disqualification for using an illegal kick at an event here in Hawaii. His last legit loss was seven years ago (almost to this exact day). Seven years without being knocked out, submitted, or being out-pointed. That just isn't supposed to happen in the world of Mixed Martial Arts, but he has made it so, and realistically, could go the rest of his career (at almost 37, that might not be too much longer) without losing. He deserved an award, but not just any award. An honorary award that is named after him, and it will be handed out to some special soul on a yearly basis for their contribution to the world of fades.


Award: #GetHimTheFuckOuttaHere
Description: While the #Fade award is for someone you merely want removed from television, this one runs a little deeper and is given to the personality/personalities that you want removed from life itself.
Top Nominees: Hulk Hogan.. John Laurinaitis.. Matt Hardy.. Eric Bischoff.. Michael Cole
Winner: Michael Cole
Analysis: It was a really bad (good?) year for non-active wrestling personalities and their bitchassness, apparently. The winner here is absolutely no surprise to me, and it shouldn't be a surprise to any of you. I've wished immense pain and suffering on Michael Cole at least two dozen times in my columns alone, and that's not even counting the times I wished death on the guy. He's that annoying.

I know what some of you are thinking.. he's a great heel for getting me to feel that way about him, blah blah blah. No. No, he isn't a "great heel". Dolph Ziggler is a "great heel". Mark Henry is a "great heel". Vickie Guerrero is a "great heel". I wish no physical harm on any of them. In fact, I enjoyed spending Christmas with them, drinking hot chocolate by the fireplace as we all exchanged presents (thanks for the Lego Star Wars set, by the way, Mizark). Michael Cole is killing the WWE product, and is doing so every Monday night, every Friday night, and for one Sunday a month. That's not a "great heel". That's running the idea of a "heel commentator" into the ground, going well beyond the point of good taste. Gone are the days of classic heel commentators like Bobby "The Brain" Heenan and Jesse "The Body" Ventura, who would make fun of the face wrestlers, sure, but in sly ways, and not by burying them. Heenan's long-time kayfabe nemesis was Hulk Hogan, and Brain would always tell the world that the "goody-goody" Hogan wasn't as he seemed, and was, in reality, a dastardly individual who was only out for himself. He always made sure to build Hogan up, though. He always made sure to make listeners remember that he was Hulk Fucking Hogan, and was the top guy in the business. He always wanted Hogan to lose and for Hulkamania to die, but with each opponent that would fall by the wayside by Hogan's hands, it only made Hogan's mystique grow. Heenan and Ventura weren't calling wrestlers "nerds" or "losers" 738 times in every segment. They helped to build everyone up, both heel and face, making every match seem bigger and more important. Not only does Cole bury damn near all of the face workers, but his obnoxious, over-the-top love for various heel workers makes them unappealing, simply for the fact that we all know their presence on our televisions/monitors means more yelling and screaming from Cole.

I hope and pray that the recent reports of WWE management having a private meeting recently about how Cole's announcing is possibly a reason for various people not having the type of crowd reaction that the company would prefer. Right, wrong, or indifferent, that's a step towards making WWE programming tolerable on the ears again, and from that point, the overall improvement of the product can (hopefully) begin.

For now, though, it's still #FuckYouMichaelCole, all day, err'day.


Award: #Nah
Description: Given to the personality/personalities that made the most outlandish claim of the year, to the point where the only logical response one can make is simply.. #Nah.
Top Nominees: Kevin Kelly, for his claim that Davey Richards is the "Best In The World".. The Rock, for saying he'll "never leave again".. Chavo Guerrero, for claiming that he can defeat John Cena in "any sport".. TNA, for their "Wrestling Matters" campaign.. Triple H, for saying that UFC needs to "evolve"
Winner: TNA
Analysis: I think every single one of the final nominees had a strong case in their favor, but TNA ended up running away with this one. I will acknowledge that Impact has had some solid episodes in the last few months, and on a week-by-week basis, Impact is usually more entertaining than Raw is these days. However, that doesn't change the major hoopla over TNA going from being referred to as "TNA" to being referred to as "Impact Wrestling", and then implementing the "Wrestling Matters" tag, taking shots at WWE in the process. Did they prove that wrestling does, indeed, "matter"? No. In fact, other than a new banner and set graphics, it was the exact same TNA we had seen up until that point. Then, of course, came the infamous episode of Impact that featured a whopping total of seven minutes of in-ring action. That would be bad if it were a 30-minute show. The fact that it was a 120-minute show makes that downright awful, and showed that wrestling didn't "matter" to TNA at all. Even now, with their improved product, they still fall victim to the random episode that features something along the lines of promo, segment, commercial, segment, commercial, segment, promo, commercial. We'll just have to wait and see what 2012 has in store for Impact, but they had to win the award here, in my opinion.


Award: #Zzzzz
Description: Given to the personality/personalities that is supposed to be saying profound, but in actuality, the audience is being bored to sleep.
Top Nominees: Sting, for his "Joker" rip-offs.. Alberto Del Rrrrrio, for his "Destiny" promos.. Kevin Nash, for any promo he's cut since he returned to WWE.. Cody Rhodes, for his "hideously disfigured" or "paper bag" promos.. Hulk Hogan & Eric Bischoff, for their "Network" promos
Winner: Alberto Del Rrrrrio
Analysis: This was yet another category that had plenty of strong nominees, and I wouldn't have been surprised if any of them won the award. If we're talking about the "worst" promos of that particular bunch of nominees, the winner would/should be Kevin Nash. As I've mentioned in my Running Diaries on multiple occasions, he hasn't cut one solid promo since returning, and often flubs at least one line in each promo. It would be bad if anyone did that, but when it's one of the most charismatic and best "talkers" of the last 20 years, it's an even bigger shame. However, even with the low level of quality Nash has been delivering, he's only cut a handful of promos all year.

Cody Rhodes is a special case, really. While his promos did get especially repetitive and boring after a while, they were entertaining for a while, and actually made his character very entertaining and worth watching. He deserves to be ridiculed for cutting the same exact promo for the last couple months, but at the same time, he also deserves all the credit in the world for those promos during the first couple months. I'm also glad that he's changed things up a bit recently, and is able to keep things moving in the right direction without a dramatic character change.

Del Rrrrrio, unlike Nash, has been cutting promos all year long, on a very regular basis. Del Rrrrrio, unlike Rhodes, never had entertaining promos, and hasn't switched his style up at all. It's just been "Destiny", "Destiny", "Destiny".. all year long. It was his "Destiny" to win the WWE Title. Then he won it. It was his "Destiny" to remain the WWE Champion. Then he lost it. It was his "Destiny" to win the WWE Title back. Then he won it back. It was his "Destiny" to remain the WWE Champion. Then he lost it again. It's a vicious, never-ending cycle of madness that needs to stop, and it needs to stop soon. It's just too bad it isn't his "Destiny" to cut an entertaining promo. Ricardo Sandusky is usually more entertaining during ADR's promos, and he's usually just standing in the background and making various faces. That's a bad sign for ADR.


Award: #NobodyCaresB
Description: Given to the storyline that nobody cares about at all. We didn't care when it started, and we don't care enough to see it end. We just don't care.
Top Nominees: Teddy Long & Aksana, for their "romance".. The Anonymous Raw General Manager, for being this era's "Who drove the white Hummer?".. Vince McMahon, Triple H, Kevin Nash, CM Punk & John Laurinaitis, for the clusterfuck of a storyline involving WWE's day-to-day operations.. Michael Cole, Jerry Lawler & Jim Ross, for their "We're commentators, but watch us yell at each other, wrestle each other, and have rap battles against each other" storyline.. Hulk Hogan & Eric Bischoff VS The Network, for being the least liked of all the 1.9 million variations of that exact storyline we've seen through the years
Winner: Michael Cole, Jerry Lawler, & Jim Ross
Analysis: This was coming down to the commentators storyline and the COO storyline. There wasn't any way around that. It was just a matter of which of the two would end up with the most votes. The COO storyline is far more convoluted and nonsensical, that's for sure, but at the same time, it's only involved in a certain amount of segments every week, while the commentators bicker and argue like an old married couple for pretty much two hours on every single show.

Personally, I would have went with the COO storyline here. Obviously, the commentator storyline is annoying. I think I've made my opinions on Michael Cole pretty clear by now. However, as annoying as the storyline was, it didn't have the entire direction of the company based on it. Every storyline that was going on at the time had to do with the COO storyline in some way, and when a storyline didn't have anything to do with it, that's when the commentary team would just ignore the matches and discuss the COO storyline, anyway. It was everywhere we looked/listened, and not a single second of it made any sense at all. Then you add in the fact that some of the main people in the storyline are/were people that live audiences didn't care about whatsoever, and you pretty much have the worst-case scenario when it comes to something like this. The WWE writers backed themselves into a corner, and they couldn't get out of it, but the worst part about it.. above all else.. is that it isn't over yet. John Laurinaitis is still the "interim" General Manager. Triple H is still the COO, and now that his feud with Kevin Nash is apparently over, he can get back to focusing on actually being the COO again. Even though we haven't seen him recently, let's not forget about Vince McMahon. He could still pop up at any time. Yes, ladies and gentlemen, things could actually get worse in this storyline, so.. uh.. stay tuned? Or something.


Award: #CheckYaDM
Description: Given to the female personality that you would actually want to wife up, and not just cannonball the fiddle cove (ooh la la) with the pork steeple.
Top Nominees: Layla.. Brooke Tessmacher.. Vickie Guerrero.. AJ Lee.. Kaitlyn
Winner: Layla
Analysis: I'm actually surprised Brooke Tessmacher received as many votes as she did here, to be quite honest. Usually, when I see people discussing her on the internet, it's for her ass and all of the dirty, dirty things that people would do to her. Of course, that doesn't really fit in with what this particular award was for, but I guess people just want to make sure they wife her up so her ass would be theirs and theirs alone.

As soon as she was included in the list of original nominees, I think most everyone expected Layla to win this. I even got a whole bunch of comments from people that voted for someone else, saying that it didn't matter who they voted for, since Layla was going to win, anyway. I will say this, though.. I'm really happy that AJ Lee did so well in the voting. In fact, it was really close, with AJ actually winning on two different occasions during the final 24 hours of voting. When I first started mentioning her in my columns, I wasn't seeing a whole lot of people that felt the same way about her that I do, but I'm certainly seeing it more and more these days. She's amazing. However, as amazing as she is..

She's no Layla. Nobody is. Not now, not then, not ever.


Award: #!!!
Description: Given to the Match Of The Year, named because it was a match that went beyond all words, to the point where the only thing you could use to describe it was "!!!".
Top Nominees: Smackdown Elimination Chamber (WWE's Elimination Chamber).. The Undertaker VS Triple H (WWE's WrestleMania 27).. Austin Aries VS Zema Ion VS Low Ki VS Jack Evans (TNA's Destination X).. John Cena VS CM Punk (WWE's Money In The Bank).. The Briscoes VS All Night Express (RoH's Honor Takes Center Stage, Day Two)
Winner: John Cena VS CM Punk
Analysis: I guess this says a lot about what an overall atmosphere and a crowd reaction can do for a match, because as far as actual match quality is concerned, that Money In The Bank match wasn't the best of the entire year. Hell, it wasn't even the best John Cena VS CM Punk match of the year, in my opinion, with their match at SummerSlam having those honors. As an overall package, though.. wow.. that Money In The Bank match was epic, and something that will go down in history. It's the only match I gave a full five-star rating to all year long (obviously, I grade on atmosphere, as well). It was the perfect storm, really. Two workers that know how to do just that.. work. An electric atmosphere, both for the hometown hero, as well as the "villain". The fact that the storyline was grabbing people's attention. Throw in the "will he or won't he" discussion about CM Punk leaving the company, and you have something that was just a magnificent piece of wrestling.

I don't think I've seen anything like the fan reaction to the match between The Undertaker and Triple H. Not with a major promotion match, anyway. If you read any of the reviews for WrestleMania immediately after the event this year, you would have seen some seriously mixed reviews. When it comes to matches that are in the "Match Of The Year" discussion, pretty much everyone that watched said matches can agree on the quality. Sure, some might think matches are better than others do.. not everyone has given Cena/Punk from Money In The Bank five stars, after all.. but they can still agree on the matches being really good, unless they have a personal bias towards one or more of the performers involved in the match, or even in the match style itself (not a fan of a violent brawl, etc). Not with this match. Some will tell you it was a fantastic brawl. Some will tell you it was nothing but two old men taking long breaks and doing nothing in between throwing punches. Some will tell you they couldn't even get to the end of the match because they were so bored. It's why we have such a mixed reaction about a potential match between Taker and Trips at WrestleMania 28.

It was nice to see some of the "smaller" matches receive love, including several write-in votes for various indy matches, but damn.. Cena.. Punk.. Chicago.. that's just too much to overcome if you want Match Of The Year for 2011.


Award: #Craftmaster
Description: Given to the Wrestler Of The Year, who is the master of his craft. Clever, innit?
Top Nominees: Christian.. CM Punk.. Randy Orton.. Dolph Ziggler.. Cody Rhodes
Winner: CM Punk
Analysis: This is another award that might have a different result if I were to hold voting right now, instead of the original voting period. Not that CM Punk is having an awful in-ring stretch recently or anything, but Dolph Ziggler continues to win people over on a weekly basis, and I really do think he'd win this if voting were open here. He's had such a solid 2011, from beginning to end, and has built himself up to the point where he is now the Royal Rumble favorite in the eyes of many. CM Punk VS Dolph Ziggler at WrestleMania 28? Could happen. That would be a whole lot of fun.

I was actually a little disappointed with how WWE-centric the voting for this category was. Don't get me wrong.. I didn't think there was a chance in hell that a non-WWE worker would win this award, or even come remotely close to doing so, but this was really centered around WWE guys. No love for anyone from TNA. No love for any of the indy workers. Eh.. it is what it is. I have no control over the results of things.


I want to thank each and every one of you that voted for the Hussies, no matter who you voted for. I continue to be humbled by the support that you continue to show me, even as we approach my four-year anniversary here on the LoP main page. Now, with 2012, and with my return to daily columns, let's look to make this new year the Year Of The Hus. Keep on riding that HIPE Train, ladies and gentlemen.

2. Day 2
"That just happened.."





9:01pm: Yeahhh!

9:03pm: Whooo!

9:09pm: Come on, baybay!

9:13pm: *runs a lap around my bed*

9:16pm: Whooo!

9:22pm: *slaps hands with my roommates*

9:25pm: *smiles and stands there, doing nothing*

9:30pm: Yeahhh!

9:34pm: Come on!

9:41pm: *runs two laps around my bed*

9:43pm: *runs to the neighbor's place*

9:44pm: *knocks on their door*

9:45pm: Yeahhh!

9:45pm: *slaps hands with neighbors after the door is opened, and then runs back to my place*

9:50pm: Come on, baybay!

9:56pm: Whooo!

10:00pm: Yeahhh!

10:08pm: *smiles and stands there, doing nothing*

10:09pm: Whooo!

10:13pm: *runs a lap around my bed*

10:16pm: *runs into the bathroom*

10:17pm: *hops into bathtub*

10:17pm: *hops back out*

10:17pm: Yeahhh!

10:24pm: Whooo!

10:27pm: Come on!

10:29pm: *runs a lap around my bed*

10:31pm: Whooo!

10:33pm: *calls friend on phone*

10:33pm: *yells "Yeahhh!" when he answers*

10:33pm: *hangs up*

10:36pm: *smiles and stands there, doing nothing*

10:40pm: Come on!

10:42pm: Whooo!

10:47pm: Yeahhh!

10:50pm: *sips a soda*

10:51pm: Come on!

10:54pm: *finally realizes there wasn't any soda in that can*

10:54pm: *wonders what the hell was in that can*

10:55pm: Whooo!

10:58pm: Come on, baybay!

11:00pm: *randomly points at my roommates, expecting them to make noise*

11:00pm: *they don't*

11:00pm: Whooo!

2.7 Day 2.7
"I came to bring the pain.."





The world of Mixed Martial Arts was rocked last week when Brock Lesnar suddenly retired after losing to Alistair Overeem in the main event of the UFC 141 pay-per-view. While it was technically "unofficial", the winner of the fight was to be next in line for a shot at the UFC Heavyweight Title, currently held by Junior dos Santos. Brock, however, said that his decision to retire wasn't based on the loss to Overeem, and that he would have retired after the fight with dos Santos, win or lose. Personally, I don't really believe that, but hey, it is what it is.

The speculation about Brock's future is already underway. When he announced his retirement, everyone was trying to figure out who the "It Begins" videos on WWE programming were for, so naturally, the first thing that came to mind was that Brock either took a dive at UFC 141 or there was a pre-existing deal between WWE and UFC (especially with news that Vince McMahon and UFC President Dana White have had meetings at WWE Headquarters, as well as Lesnar's appearance in the WWE '12 video game) in place. The question against that line of thinking is to wonder why Lesnar would take a dive in his fight, but there was even an "explanation" for that.. Brock couldn't show up on Raw as the person behind "It Begins" if he had a broken nose, two black eyes, a split lip and a broken cheekbone, could he? Nope. That wouldn't look very good at all. Therefore, going down after a shot to the midsection and then covering up until the referee called the fight "made sense" and "fit the idea".

Of course, since UFC 141, Raw has come and gone, and it would appear as though someone else (Chris Jericho, of course) is behind the "It Begins" videos. Is that the end of the Brock Lesnar speculation? Of course not. I've already talked to a few people that originally thought Lesnar would be debuting on Raw this week, and they still believe he's on his way. They feel Jericho's return was a bit of a "red herring", especially with the way it all went down, with Jericho not saying anything and essentially wasting ten minutes of television time. This way, Brock gets some extra time to recover from the Overeem fight, and there's still more than enough time to get him involved in storylines before WrestleMania, which is still about three months away.

Does anyone buy that? Anyone at all?

I'll admit to this much.. Brock Lesnar most certainly fits the "theme" of the videos more than Chris Jericho does. Brock is more capable of bringing the type of destruction and end-of-the-world-ness to wrestling than Chris Jericho could, and on top of that, Brock's wife, the Diva formerly known as Sable, would fit in as the "she" part of the videos. There's absolutely no denying that, but that doesn't mean Brock Lesnar is, or ever was, the man scheduled to be behind the videos.

I'd love to see Brock make a return to the world of wrestling. I've been a fan of his ever since he was in Ohio Valley Wrestling, before he ever made his WWF debut, and he has remained one of my favorite athletes on the planet to this very day. I'd like to see him continue fighting for UFC, but if he has to retire, it would be fun to see him wrestling again, even if it's just a brief stint before he heads off to his farm in Minnesota to do.. farm-type things and raise his children. If he does return to wrestling, it would be for a WrestleMania match or maybe, just maybe a match at SummerSlam, but I can't picture it being for much else. I don't think he comes back for that type of travel, that would have him appearing on random episodes of Raw and/or Smackdown in the coming months. Not when the company's hectic travel schedule is one of the main reasons he left wrestling in the first place.

Obviously, Vince McMahon would love to see Brock make a return to the world of wrestling, as well. Brock is one of the few former wrestlers on the planet right now that could make a return and grab the attention of marks and smarks alike, as well as grab mainstream attention from the ESPNs and Sports Illustrateds of the world. That's the type of thing Vince has always tried to get for his company, especially during this time of year. He'd probably sell both of his kidneys to get something like that. It would take some of the sting off of the falling ratings and sagging pay-per-view buyrates. Ouch. Too soon?

Perhaps it's just the bias I have as a Lesnar fan, but I actually believe him when he says it's time to retire. He's going to be 35 this year. His wife is going to be 45 this year. His stepdaughter is going to be 14 this year. His two sons are going to be three and two this year, respectively. He's a laid-back guy that enjoys the farm life. I think he'll fade away into relative obscurity, perhaps only making an appearance at some point down the road if he gets inducted into the WWE Hall Of Fame. I know, I know.. some people think that's a long shot, but it could happen. Sure, he was only with the company for two years, but in that span, he won the WWE Title on three different occasions, and he also won King Of The Ring, as well as the Royal Rumble. That's quite the two-year span, which saw him accomplish more in that time than most wrestlers accomplish in ten-plus years.

If he does return, and it isn't for a big-money WrestleMania match with The Undertaker, WWE has failed in a major way. I know I've said that in a column before, but my thoughts on the matter remain the same. Perhaps a match with John Cena could work, but otherwise, it has to be Taker. Brock Lesnar VS CM Punk.. Brock Lesnar VS Chris Jericho.. Brock Lesnar VS Randy Orton.. Brock Lesnar VS Mark Henry.. Brock Lesnar VS Daniel Bryan.. there are plenty of options out there, and some of them would actually be good matches, but they just aren't the blockbusters that Brock Lesnar VS The Undertaker at WrestleMania would be. They've faced each other on pay-per-view three times in the past, but never at WrestleMania, and on top of that, those matches were about a decade ago. The Undertaker's WrestleMania streak has gone from something cool to something epic and out-of-this-world in that span. Again, if Brock doesn't return to face Taker at WrestleMania, whether it's WrestleMania 28 or WrestleMania 29, there's almost no point, in my opinion.

What do you think, ReaderLand? Do you want to see Brock Lesnar return to wrestling? If so, when do you think he'll be back, how long do you think he'll be back for, and who do you think he'll face? Holla at ya boy and let me know what's on your mind.

4. Day 4
"Fading away.."





If you follow me on Twitter, you might have seen me retweet a column along these lines earlier today (full credit to Tom Breihan). It's something that I've been wanting to discuss for a few months now, but haven't really found the right opportunity to do so. Now's as good a time as any, I suppose.

What I'm about to say is something that might be a surprise to a lot of you if you've read my columns from the beginning, and if you've known me for a few years. It's unfortunate that I have to say it. I don't want to say it, but it's the truth, and it needs to be said. Here goes..

I can't stand Ring Of Honor.

No, you don't get it. I really can't stand Ring Of Honor.

What that company has become is a ridiculous caricature of everything that is wrong with the independent wrestling scene these days. If you talk about indy wrestling with people who don't watch indy wrestling, they generally picture "vanilla midgets", wrestlers with no personality, matches that feature 800 attempts at finishers with both guys kicking out of every single one of them, etc.

That's what Ring Of Honor is these days. A whole bunch of bland workers with small statures and no mic skills, and sure enough, far too many of the matches feature Worker #1 hitting Worker #2 with 64 different finishers, and Worker #2 hitting Worker #1 with 71 different finishers of his own, before some super-duper finisher is what ends the match.

World Wrestling Entertainment has had matches of that style before. They've had a lot, actually. However, you'll get no more than one of them for every pay-per-view, and even that is a lot. They usually save those types of matches for the WrestleManias or SummerSlams of the calendar year, or when something else is epic (Money In The Bank, for example, with John Cena and CM Punk breaking out/kicking out of each others finishers). With RoH, you get those types of matches on every show, and you get multiple matches of that style on every show.

Who's to blame? These guys..

5. Day 5
"Make an impact.."





7:55pm: There wasn't a topic that really jumped out at me for tonight's column, so I figured I would take it old school a bit and do something I haven't done in a long time. A Running Diary for Impact. I was the first LoP'er to do it, after all.[/Hipster]

8:00pm: Thank you, DVR.

8:01pm: We're starting things off with Sting, who is the man running things in TNA right now. For those who have been asking me.. no, he isn't still rocking Joker face paint. In fact, he isn't rocking face paint at all. He's more Steve Borden than Sting right now.

8:03pm: Sting brings the #1 Contender for the TNA World Title, Jeff Hardy, out to the ring. Hardy is rocking a half-face worth of paint, while the other half of his face remains as close to something "normal" that Jeff Hardy can possibly obtain.

8:05pm: Just as Sting says that he endorses Hardy, we're joined by the current TNA World Champion, Bobby Roode, who is flanked by Kurt Angle and Bully Ray. I haven't been able to say this in a while, but.. *ahem*.. clusterfuck!

8:06pm: I don't care what anyone says.. I really like the design of the TNA World Title. It's simple as hell, but it looks like a million bucks, in my opinion.

6. Day 6
"The process of turning.."





8:00pm: Thank you, DVR. It feels strange doing three Running Diaries in a single week. It's been a long time since I've done that. Don't expect it to become a regular thing, though.

8:00pm: We get started with a video package of the feud between Randy Orton and Wade Bar-ruh, specifically their Falls Count Anywhere match from last week. Because I didn't write a RD for that show, I'll say it now.. WWE fucked up with their camera shot. The cameras are doing everything in their power to follow the action.. until both men reach the stairs, when the cameraman is staying tucked away in the fire exit, with only the tiny window in the door making things visible. Only when Orton has been sent out of camera view does the cameraman open the door and head towards the stairs? Look, I get that they needed to give Orton time to get to the bottom of the stairs and all, but it looked incredibly stupid and took away from any realism that the fight may have had.[/end rant]

8:04pm: In-ring action to get things officially kicked off this week? Sounds like a plan. Our first match is Cody Rhodes defending the Intercontinental Title against Booker T. This is their "rubber match", with both men having picked up a victory over the other. Can Booker really come out of this as the new Intercontinental Champion? That would make for some interesting booking, at least. Interesting, not necessarily good or bad. Interesting.

8:08pm: Kind of a quiet crowd here so far.

8:09pm: I'm trying to figure out why Booker T, at a ripe 83 years of age, has a better hairline than LeBron James, who looks more and more like a taller, thinner Carl Winslow by the day.

8:12pm: Forget what I said earlier.. this crowd is dead. Even when Booker goes on offense, there's barely any reaction. Ouch.

8:14pm: Not that I was expecting him to be terrible or anything, but Booker's been much better in the ring during this recent run than I thought he'd be. Kudos to him.

8:14pm: Very nice, believable nearfall there, with Cody kicking out of a Scissor Kick.

8:15pm: Cody picks up the win, after Booker missed what seemed like his 24th Scissor Kick attempt of the match. I hope this feud is over now, and Cody can move on to actually trying to make the Intercontinental Title relevant again, or that he can at least drop the title to someone that will.

8:17pm: Booker is in the ring, looking emotional, and thanking the fans after they give him a round of applause. That would indicate, to me, at least, that he isn't wrestling anymore.

8:19pm: A backstage segment with Cody and his brother, the artist formerly known as Goldust, hints at a match between the two coming down the road. There goes making the title relevant again.

8:20pm: Zack Ryder is shown with Teddy Long in Teddy's office, and it sounds like Zack is no longer going to be Teddy's assistant. Zack says he has a suitable replacement for him.. and in walks Santino, who also joins Drew McIntyre. Teddy decides to book a match for later tonight.. Santino VS Drew McIntyre. If Santino wins, he becomes Teddy's new assistant. If Drew wins, Teddy will consider not firing him. Well, that hardly seems fair.

8:23pm: Daniel Bryan overhears AJ and Alicia Fox talking backstage, and he steps in to remind Alicia, who is concerned about Bryan's match with Big Show tonight, that he has already beaten Big Show once. He then asks AJ why she's even friends with Alicia. Hmm.. that wasn't face activity, Daniel. Could the rumors of a heel turn for D-Bryan be true?

8:25pm: Oh, lawdamercy.. it's an Over-The-Top Challenge, with Hornswoggle taking on Heath Slater. Make it stop.

8:26pm: Hornswoggle is beating Slater's ass. Well, actually, he's biting it, but it's in the middle of a beating.

8:27pm: ..and Hornswoggle wins. Alright, just release Slater already. Please? He's worthless, anyway, regardless of the result here.

8:27pm: Slater attacks Horny after the match, which brings out Justin Gabriel to make the save. Gabriel has been jobbing in dark matches recently, and even he can step in and kick Slater's ass. The bottom line here, though, is that Slater sucks and that Hornswoggle should just remain a character, not an in-ring performer.

8:29pm: The action continues fast and furious tonight, as Ted DiBiase is out for our next match.

8:30pm: His opponent is Racial Stereotype #1, Hunico, who is accompanied to the ring by Racial Stereotype #2, Camacho. At least Hunico is an actual Mexican. Camacho, for those who are unaware, is the son of former WWF and WCW worker, Haku. That means he's Tongan, and they have him playing a Mexican on television, complete with ridiculous cartoonish accent. Oy vey.

8:34pm: Hunico wins. I'm pretty sure I heard someone's cell phone vibrating during the match. That's how little the crowd cared.

8:35pm: Wade Bar-ruh is now making his way to the ring for the next segment, which is apparently a promo to give us an update on Randy Orton's medical condition.

8:36pm: We get to see the footage of the cameraman looking like an idiot again first. Hooray.

8:38pm: Bar-ruh's update on Orton.. "he's finished". Oh noes~!

8:39pm: It's a shameful thing, Lobster Head! Too many limes! Too many limes! You already have all of this tea and all of these crumpets, so why did you think we would need all of these limes, as well?!? I'm utterly gobsmacked that you haven't learned your lesson yet, but even more so that I continue to give you my MasterCard every single week! Please stop with all of the limes! I DRIVE A DODGE STRATUS!

8:40pm: Sheamus compares Bar-ruh to his uncle, who was kicked in the head by a mule when he was eight years old. That isn't nice.

8:41pm: Speaking of not being nice.. fuck you, WWE, for making us now have to sit through another segment involving Jinder Mahal. Sheamus and Wade Bar-ruh? That's perfectly fine. Jinder Mahal, all by himself, makes that pairing worthless, though.

8:43pm: A two-on-one attack doesn't work out for a while, as Sheamus beats both men down, but eventually, Bar-ruh steps up and gets the advantage. After Sheamus is already down and out, Jinder locks him in the Camel Clutch to zero crowd reaction. I say this with no hyperbole at all, but Jinder Mahal is one of the worst wrestling talents the world has seen in years. He's absolutely awful in every single way. It literally pains me whenever he's on my television screen.

8:46pm: Santino is power walking his way around the ring, and that means it's time for his match with Drew McIntyre. It's a weird feeling to have Drew wrestling on television so often these days.

8:47pm: They cut down Drew's entrance?!? Fuck that nonsense, WWE. Play the song from the beginning, you bastards.

8:49pm: Yet another match featuring next to no crowd reaction. Of course, that's what happens when the company hasn't given the WWE Universe a reason to care about 80% of the roster, and that number might be a bit low.

8:50pm: Santino wins. He's the new assistant to Teddy Long, and Michael Cole chimes in to say that Smackdown is going to go "the way of WCW" with Teddy and Santino in charge. Smackdown's going to be owned by Vince McMahon?!? What?!? NOOOOO!

8:53pm: Backstage, Teddy tells Drew that tonight's loss was "strike two", and then says that if he gets "strike three" next week, he "might" be fired. What the hell is the point of the storyline if he "might" be fired?

8:54pm: No more promos in Spanish for Rosa Mendes, WWE. She's terrible at speaking the language. It's her half-breed roots, clearly. Just let her stand there and look sexy as hell.

8:55pm: Our next match is Kofi Kingston & Evan Bourne VS Epico & Primo. Apparently it's a non-title match. This could be fun, but I doubt it gets more than five minutes.

8:56pm: Anyone want to take a wild guess as to what the crowd reaction is so far? Little Rock, Arkansas = the home of zero fucks.

8:58pm: In tag matches, when a face is about to make a hot tag, and a member of the heel team is running across the ring to try and stop him, why does the heel stop in his tracks when the hot tag is made, allowing for the new face to step in and beat his ass? Why not just keep running and punch the face right in the mush? It's just another one of those small details that looks stupid and unrealistic.

8:59pm: Evan Bourne misses Air Bourne, allowing for Epico & Primo to pick up the victory. Sure enough, the match didn't get five minutes to work with, but it was at least fun while it lasted. Let's see if it goes anywhere, though.

9:01pm: Daniel Bryan steps in during a Big Show backstage interview, after Show refers to Bryan as a "good" wrestler. Bryan then talks about how Show had the shortest World Title reign in history, and that if he had Show's natural size and strength, it certainly wouldn't have taken him nine years between title victories. They really are going forward with a heel turn, aren't they? Jeez.

9:02pm: Natalya, with the jobber entrance, is in the ring for our next match. No Beth Phoenix, who is apparently still at home recovering from the injuries and facial bruising that Alicia Fox gave her a few weeks back.

9:03pm: Tamina comes out to be Natalya's opponent. Nice video packages for the fathers of both Natalya and Tamina, Jim "The Anvil" Neidhart and "Superfly" Jimmy Snuka, respectively.

9:04pm: I'm starting to wonder if the arena is actually full of people, or if it's just lifelike mannequins in the seats. Yet another match with no crowd response.

9:05pm: Tamina wins. Well, at least Natalya didn't lose by roll-up, and at least she lost to someone that is an actual threat, but damn, she's fallen so far down the proverbial totem pole it's ridiculous.

9:07pm: It's main event time.. Daniel Bryan defending the World Title against Big Show, but first, Mark Henry makes his way out to join Michael Cole and Josh Matthews on commentary.

9:08pm: Mizark gets in an argument with a fan at ringside, and tells the fan to hop over the guardrail, where he threatens to beat the brakes off of the fan. I laughed.

9:10pm: LMAO @ Mark Henry yelling at Michael Cole on commentary, questioning the relevancy of Cole asking him who would win in a match between Daniel Bryan and Hornswoggle. Mizark, you continue to be the fucking man.

9:13pm: Henry's commentary is hilarious. "What y'all jumping for?!?" at Cole and Matthews after Show was sent hurdling towards the announce table.

9:13pm: "If you say one more word, I'ma slap the taste out your mouth. You hear me?" - Mark Henry, to Michael Cole. This is epic.

9:15pm: This match has been going well so far. Booked the way it should be.. Show using his size and power advantage, and Bryan using his speed, strikes and submissions to try and keep the giant off-guard.

9:16pm: Very nice spot with Bryan locking a Guillotine Choke on Show, who powers out, but Bryan reverses that into a LeBell Lock, which Show also powers out of.

9:17pm: Daniel Bryan, who is bleeding from the mouth, gets out of the ring and into Mark Henry's face. Henry shoves him down, which draws a disqualification. Bryan celebrates that news, as Show stands in the ring, frustrated as all hell.

9:18pm: lol @ Bryan's over-the-top happiness and celebration as if he just defeated the entire WWE roster in a gauntlet match for sole ownership of Apple and Microsoft. Heel shit. This could end up being interesting.


#ThankYouStringerBell: Cody Rhodes VS Booker T.. AJ Lee, who should always be thanked for being cute, no matter what she does on the show.. Air Boom VS Epico & Primo was a jam-packed four-minute match.. Daniel Bryan VS Big Show.. Mark Henry's commentary during the Daniel Bryan VS Big Show match

#FuckYouSavinoBratton: Cody Rhodes apparently going from feuding with Booker T to feuding with Dustin Runnels/Goldust.. Hornswoggle wrestling again.. Jinder Mahal still being alive

Grade: B-

7. Day 7
"Try to get top rank.."





When WWE.com started doing their Power 25 rankings, I thought it would be a good idea to do my own version, only opening it up to include anyone in wrestling, and not just WWE workers. I did it for a while, but stopped for no particular reason. After I stopped, Super Chrisss picked the ball up and started doing his own version of the Power 25. Now that Chrisss has stopped doing it on a regular basis, it's time for me to bring it back. My look at the week that was in the world of wrestling. Here goes nothing..


25. Gabe Sapolsky - In a brilliant piece of marketing, he stepped in to offer a time & place for Kevin Nash and The Ultimate Warrior to have their shoot fight during WrestleMania weekend if they can agree to it - Kevin Nash and The Ultimate Warrior are having a back-and-forth hissy fit with each other, all starting when Warrior called Nash a "dickhead" on Twitter in response to a fan question about Nash and his gray-and-then-brown-again hair. Nash then turned around and challenged Warrior to a legit MMA-style shoot fight in Miami during WrestleMania weekend. Since then, they've both gone back-and-forth, with nothing really getting accomplished, but Gabe Sapolsky, former booker for Ring Of Honor and current Vice President of Dragon Gate USA (as well as President of EVOLVE), saw the possible money signs, being the Jew that he is, and said that DGUSA would host their fight if necessary. DGUSA will be in town for some WrestleMania weekend shows, anyway, so it's worth a shot to put it out there, in my opinion. Sure, the fight probably won't happen, and even if it does, probably not on a DGUSA card, but it certainly couldn't hurt to try, and it even gave the company some free publicity in the process.

24. Tamina - Pinfall victory over Natalya on Smackdown.. Being "recruited" by Vickie Guerrero to join her stable - I still have no idea what the WWE writers want to do with their Divas division, but for the time being, it's nice to see a good in-ring Diva being pushed.. even if it's at the expense of another good in-ring Diva. That's two weeks in a row that Tamina has looked strong against Natalya (with the previous week being a turn after teaming with Natalya during a tag match), but now, it remains to be seen if it will lead to a feud with Divas Champion Beth Phoenix. Beth needs it, after having to carry Kelly Kelly, Eve and Alicia Fox for months now.

23. AJ Lee - Because she's frickin cute - Seriously. That's the only reason I included her here. She didn't exactly accomplish a whole lot this week, but that's just how frickin cute she is.. she doesn't have to accomplish anything for me to take notice of her. Expect her and Layla to be involved in these rankings for months to come, no matter what happens.

22. CM Punk - Countout loss to Dolph Ziggler.. At least he's still the WWE Champion - He had himself a good, albeit slightly disappointing compared to what it could have been, match with Dolph, but he did lose. Sure, it was due to some shenaniganery and chicanery, but it was a loss nonetheless. There was a growing group of fans that were actually predicting a title change, though, so I guess Punk has that working in his favor. He also gets to go into one of the company's biggest pay-per-view events of the year as the WWE Champion, and that's enough to get a few points, as well.

21. Bully Ray - Continues to entertain with his "cocky chickenshit heel" gimmick - Back when Bully Ray was first elevated to the main event scene, following the personal problems that Jeff Hardy had at Victory Road, I wrote a column praising TNA's move. People immediately questioned placing a life-long tag team wrestler into the main event as a singles worker, basically overnight, but I pointed out how Ray was over enough to deserve such a position with the company, and had the mic skills and brawling ability to be able to succeed in that spot. I wasn't calling for him to be given a year-long TNA World Title reign or anything, but I had no problem with him being elevated like that. Here we are, almost ten months later, and I'm seeing more and more people on the so-called "Bully Bandwagon". Again, not necessarily to the point where they're requesting multiple World Title reigns for the guy. They just find themselves able to appreciate him more than they originally thought they would. His character has changed just a bit, going from regular "angry veteran" heel to that "cocky chickenshit" heel I mentioned earlier, always talking shit in the background or hiding behind other people. I still don't know if he'll ever win the World Title, or even receive a legit shot at the title on a pay-per-view, but he's entertaining the hell out of me, and that's all I can ask for right now.

20. John Laurinaitis - Has actually become entertaining with a bit of a character tweak - Hey, remember when I hated John Laurinaitis and every little thing about him? Seems like so long ago. It's almost like WWE read the complaints that people had about Laurinaitis, and tweaked his character just enough to make him entertaining. He's really trying to live up to that "Mr Excitement" name these days, cracking jokes and smiling all the time. It's such a subtle tweak, but it really has done him wonders, and now, we all sit back and wait to see if he actually gets back into the ring, as the current storyline with CM Punk indicates.

19. London, England - Got the news that they'll be hosting an episode of Impact at the end of the month - I know some of you will scoff at this, and that's fine, but it's a big deal. TNA has never had an episode of Impact outside of the United States, and while it's kind of funny that they completely bypassed Canada to take the show overseas, it's something to look forward to for TNA fans, both in the United Kingdom and elsewhere. TNA likes to try and have big things happen during the Impact tapings when they travel, and having the show that far from "home" might mean that even bigger things could be in store. We shall see.

18. The Bella Twins - Pinfall victory over Kelly Kelly & Eve on Raw.. Storyline with John Laurinaitis means they'll continue to get nice time on television every week - That isn't exactly a good thing, I know, but these rankings aren't about playing favorites. No matter what my personal opinion of The Bellas is, I can't deny that they picked up a big win on Raw, over the two top face Divas in the company. Divas that, despite their shortcomings in the ring, have looked "unstoppable" at various points throughout the last year or so. Will it lead to anything? Probably not. The company can only focus on one Divas storyline at a time, after all, but a win is a win.

17. Jesse Sorensen - Pinfall victory (along with Zema Ion) over Austin Aries & Kid Kash on Impact - I'm going to keep bringing up the fact that he's one of my top choices for 2012's Breakout Star, especially if he keeps winning and getting involved with the X-Division Champion like this. He's a young, exciting in-ring performer, and he has the "look" that wrestling companies enjoy when it comes to faces that they can push. He came out of the tag match on Impact as the shining star, and by pinning the champion (Aries), he now has plenty of momentum heading into the four-way X-Division Title match at Genesis (involving the same four guys from the tag match). Of course, as the "white bread babyface", the rule is that the smarks will immediately turn on him if he wins the title, but that's a different conversation for a different day.

16. Zack Ryder - Participated in a pinfall victory (along with John Cena) over Jack Swagger to close out an elimination tag match on Raw - Alright, so he didn't get the pin that ended the match, and didn't eliminate anyone at all, but he was still victorious, and still remains involved in a storyline with John Cena at the top of the Raw card, even ahead of CM Punk and the WWE Title feud. Say what you will about Ryder, his in-ring skills, his gimmick, or his fans, but that's nothing but good news for him, even through reports of him being singled out for ratings problems and being de-pushed as some sort of punishment for it.

15. Hunico - Pinfall victory over Ted DiBiase on Smackdown - Ahh, the good old roller coaster that is the WWE midcard scene. Random Midcard Wrestler A can win a match, lose his next four matches, win his next five matches, lose his next two matches, etc, with no rhyme or reason. That's just how things work. Right now, Hunico looks to be in line for some sort of push, even though live audiences don't seem to care much about him (as I've said on numerous occasions, though, that's more WWE's fault than anyone else's fault). That could all change in the coming weeks, and chances are, it probably will, but he's on a winning streak now, at least. Maybe.. just maybe.. with extra time devoted to him on television, fans will begin to care more. Maybe.

14. Cody Rhodes - Pinfall loss to Daniel Bryan on Raw, although he pushed Bryan to his limit.. Pinfall victory over Booker T on Smackdown (defended the Intercontinental Title) - He remains on the verge of officially reaching the main event scene, but, to argue that point, people have been saying that about him since early 2010. Honestly, though, he's as close to the top as he's ever been at this point. If the company would actually allow him to defend the Intercontinental Title more than once every two months, perhaps he could help to elevate the prestige of the title to where it should be. If not, let him drop the title to someone that will, freeing Cody to actually move on to the main event finally. It's really not that difficult. As it stands, he's still able to step in the ring with the current World Champion and take him to the very brink. The future remains bright for him.

13. Fans of wrestling & porn - Got the news that we're getting an official porn parody of the wrestling world - We got something close to it with the Hogan Knows Best porn parody that came out last year, including someone portraying Hulk Hogan himself, but that wasn't a porn about wrestling. The upcoming one, starring Chyna (the only downfall to this, of course), will reportedly be about wrestling itself, and will feature numerous wrestling stars parodied, including Stephanie McMahon (which excites me beyond words). Sure, it's not exactly fantastic to know that Chyna will be in the movie, but come on.. it only makes sense to have her involved if you're going to do a wrestling porn parody, and I think it will be worth having her in the movie to see some of the pure, unadulterated clusterfuckery (pun only partially intended) that ends up being the other characters. People have been waiting to see something like this happen for years now, and apparently, we're only two months away from it finally taking place. Awesome.

12. R-Truth - Beat The Miz down on Raw again - There are still people out there that are debating on whether Truth is a face or not, with folks saying that he's beating up a heel, but that he's doing it in a very heel-like fashion. No matter what your side of that argument is, one thing is certain.. Truth looks a whole lot stronger than The Miz does these days. Even with his recent push, he was still looking like a crazy character that just wasn't that bright, but now he's even outsmarting Miz, which is probably the thing that stands out the most to me. This seems to be a trend, but it's worth saying again.. it remains to be seen if this will lead to anything involving a main event push, but it's something to keep an eye on. If it leads to Truth actually beating Miz in a match, and not just attacking him at random points during Raw, look for him to rank even higher in future editions of this list.

11. TNA Marks - They can continue to say that Impact is better than Raw on a weekly basis, and have it be true this time, not just blind homerism - That needed to be said. From the time Impact started airing, the TNA marks have continued to tell anyone who would listen that Impact was the best wrestling show on television, and that TNA was the best wrestling promotion on the planet. It didn't matter what TNA was doing, and it didn't matter what WWE was doing.. those people continued to shout from the mountaintops that TNA was amazing. I certainly didn't agree with that, but in the last few months, things have changed. It isn't even really that Impact has improved, because for the most part, they haven't. It's more that Raw has been so bad on a regular basis that it has made Impact look good. An "alright" episode of Impact is easier to sit through than a "bad" episode of Raw. I really hate what Raw has become. Making it even worse is that this is the time of year where WWE booking always improves. They put all of their hard work and effort into the Road To WrestleMania, giving everyone hope for the rest of the year, but as soon as WrestleMania is over, things generally fall into the toilet. No matter how many years it happens, we all continue to fall for it. Until that officially begins, though, congratulations, TNA fans. This is yet another prime opportunity for your company to capitalize on disgruntled WWE fans looking for an alternative. We want it to happen. We need it to happen. Make it happen, TNA.

10. Gail Kim - Pinfall victory (along with Madison Rayne) over Mickie James & Traci Brooks on Impact (defended the TNA Knockouts Tag Team Titles) - This is another opportunity to point out that the rankings aren't about me playing favorites. They're about me looking back at the week that was, and pointing out who had the best week. Despite everything I've said about Gail in recent months, all she's done is win. On television and pay-per-view, she's undefeated since returning to TNA in October, including winning the TNA Knockouts Title and winning the TNA Knockouts Tag Team Titles along with Madison Rayne. More winning, more pushes, more television time.. I can't argue that. She'll be defending the Knockouts Title against Mickie James at Genesis, so she might actually move even further up this list for the next edition, but at the same time, she could come tumbling down. Interesting match for her, to say the least.

9. John Cena - Pinfall victory (along with Zack Ryder) over Jack Swagger to close out an elimination tag match on Raw - When you're at the status of someone like John Cena, it doesn't take much for you to get high rankings on lists like this. As I've said, he continues to be "the man" on Raw, even though he isn't the WWE Champion, and he continues to win. Honestly, he would be ranked even higher if we knew just what the hell was going on with his current feud with KAAAAANNNNNEEEEE. I even debated putting Cena in the top spot here, just to test the reactions of everyone, but I just couldn't justify it. Not yet, anyway.

8. Epico & Primo - Pinfall victory over Kofi Kingston & Evan Bourne (non-title match).. Earned themselves a WWE Tag Team Title match at some point - We've seen challengers win non-title matches, earn title matches, and then go on to lose those titles matches. We've seen that a lot, as a matter of fact. This is one of those scenarios where most people wouldn't be surprised if we saw that happen again. Yes, Epico & Primo have won a non-title match, presumably making them the next-in-line for a shot at the titles, but there are still a lot of fans who don't even know who they are. They aren't quite ready to be the champions just yet, but there is time for that to change. It's all up to the WWE Creative Team, of course. That's the future, though. The present has them on a roll, and I must reward them for it.

7. Jeff Hardy - Has worked hard to place himself back in the position to be on top of the TNA world once again - A lot of people thought his wrestling career was over after Victory Road. A lot of people thought his time as a free man was over when he had all of those legal issues to deal with. With all that said, here we are, and Jeff could be mere hours away from becoming the TNA World Champion for the third time. We've all had our fair share of Jeff Hardy slander through the years, but I have to give him credit for keeping his nose clean, both literally and figuratively, in recent months. Even if he doesn't win the title at Genesis, he's come a long way. Now, it's up to him to make sure that continues.

6. Mark Henry - Provided some incredibly entertaining commentary on Smackdown - That's really all he needed to do. He's still nursing a legit groin injury, and winning management over by refusing to take time off, but his commentary during the main event on Smackdown was a piece of pure art. He remained a heel, but on top of that, he yelled at Michael Cole, which automatically wins him points from me. The best part about his commentary was that he was able to be a heel, but still found ways to say positive things about both Daniel Bryan and Big Show. It's amazing how that works, isn't it? A heel on commentary that can remain true to his character, but not completely bury people left and right? It's a crazy enough idea that it just might work. Maybe the company should make all of their heel announcers follow Mizark's lead. Maybe that would help 90% of the roster get over with live audiences all across the globe. Nah.. that couldn't be it.

5. Samoa Joe & Magnus - Pinfall victory over AJ Styles & Kazarian on Impact.. Earned themselves a TNA Tag Team Title match at Genesis - Sure, I'd much rather see Samoa Joe pushed as a monster singles worker like before, but to say this current push is better than what TNA has given him in the last couple of years would be an understatement of mammoth proportions. I guess this is one of those situations where beggars can't really be choosers. He's being pushed, and that's what matters. Hell, look at the push Magnus is getting. Sure, Joe was jobbing out, but at least he was still on Impact regularly and wrestling on pay-per-view. Magnus wasn't even doing that, and is now in line to be a champion. As I said in my Impact Running Diary, it's pretty crazy to see the tag chemistry that these two have, despite having no experience as a team before the current tournament. The match at Genesis is something interesting, because a lot of people seem to think that Joe & Magnus will win, using the line of thinking that Matt Morgan is being pushed more as a singles worker in TNA's Indian off-shoot, Ring Ka King, so having him and Crimson drop the TNA Tag Team Titles here frees Morgan up to spend more time in India and doing work there. That's a valid point. I like it.

4. Wade Bar-ruh - Pinfall victory over Santino on Raw.. Helped participate to beat Sheamus down on Smackdown - It was only Santino, I know, but the "Bar-ruh Bar-rage" continues, with Wade coming closer and closer to becoming a World Champion for the first time. Obviously, the key there is to see what happens when Randy Orton returns from his injury, but Bar-ruh looks like a beast right now, and he's stepping up very nicely in his role as one of Smackdown's top heels. He's even getting to beat Sheamus down, which is saying a lot, because it doesn't seem like Sheamus has been beaten in months. I just did some research, and I found out that Wade used to be a bareknuckle fighter. That's a pretty cool tidbit. You'd think someone in WWE would want to share that information with the world, in an attempt to help get him over, but hey, what do I know?

2.8259 Chris Jericho - Made his much talked-about return to wrestling on Raw - I've made my opinion about his return perfectly clear, both in the written (typed) form and the spoken form on the latest Lords Of Podcast Roundtable episodes, but everyone is still discussing the return, five whole days later, and that probably isn't going to change at any time soon. To do all of that without (officially) saying a word.. that's enough to be ranked high here, I would say. I'm going to go ahead and assume that he'll continue to be ranked quite high in future editions, based on the buzz alone, even before he actually starts wrestling again.

2. Dolph Ziggler - Countout victory over CM Punk on Raw.. Earned himself a WWE Title match against Punk at the Royal Rumble - He continues to be on fire. Absolutely, positively on fire. His character is on fire. His matches are on fire. His promos are on fire. He's on quite the roll, even after dropping the United States Title, and now has himself a WWE Title match at the Royal Rumble, with the odds in his favor now that John Laurinaitis is going to be the Special Guest Referee for the match. That means there's a very good possibility that Dolph could head into WrestleMania as the top name in the wrestling business (kayfabe, of course). It's a very intriguing time for Dolph, but I have no doubt that he'll be able to manage and continue performing well.

1. Daniel Bryan - Pinfall victory over Cody Rhodes on Raw.. Disqualification victory over Big Show on Smackdown.. The wheels are in motion for what could be a very interesting heel turn - He pinned the Intercontinental Champion, and then went on to (technically) successfully defend his World Title later in the week. That alone should be enough for the top spot, no matter who it is, but making it even better is the fact that Bryan is clearly in the middle of some sort of character tweak that may or may not turn into a full-blown heel turn. It's an added layer to his character, and in the opinion of many, it's a much needed layer. All bias aside, he's the perfect type of worker to fit the type of heel that he's apparently turning into. He's undersized, and he isn't the most impressive physical specimen (pause), but at the same time, he's dangerous enough and confident enough in his own abilities that he won't have to back down completely, even when facing off with someone who is more than twice his size. He can still try to win matches with underhanded tactics, but he isn't afraid to go toe-to-toe with bigger opponents. That reminds me an awful lot of Shawn Michaels, which is fitting, considering it was Michaels who gave Bryan his break in the wrestling business, and who WWE continues to tell people was Bryan's first trainer. Very interesting times for Daniel Bryan. Very interesting times, indeed.





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