DaveyBoy's Wrestling Menu - 2004 Rookie Rankings + 2002/03 Rookie Retrospectives
Submitted by DaveyBoy on Wednesday, November 24, 2004 at 3:59 AM EST






THE WRESTLING MENU #109

Welcome one and all to the 109th edition of The Wrestling Menu, the column that is sure to satisfy your taste buds when it comes to discussing all things wrestling.

Today I present my annual November staple; The Rookie Rankings. I've decided to use up this whole column on the topic, as I actually enjoy going back and taking a look at my rankings for previous years. This year's rookie rankings will be in the 'Dessert' section of this column, while a look back at 2002 & 2003 will take up the 'Appetizers' & 'Main' sections of this column.

With regards to the previous 2 years, I will not repeat my comments on the wrestlers' strengths & weaknesses. I will provide links to the original columns for you to have a look at them if you like. I will only briefly comment on where the wrestlers are currently at in their development & how correct my predictions have turned out.

Please remember that with my original rankings (including this years), I am mainly looking to the future. That is, who is going to make the most impact in the long-term. Obviously, short-term success is also important, but I always like to look long range with these types of things.

On with the show.....


APPETIZERS

2002 Rookie Rankings Revisited

Link to original column written November 13, 2002: http://www.lordsofpain.net/news/2002_/articles/1037182419.php

8: RICO: Recently cut by the WWE, I harshly rated Rico the weakest of an excellent crop of rookies in 2002. One of those reasons was his age & I think, as talented as he may have been, his age still may have had something to do with his recent release.

7: CHRISTOPHER NOWINSKI: Career has been cut short by concussion problems & he is currently doing promotional type work for the WWE. Hard to judge this ranking because of the serious injury.

6: MAVEN: Has received on-again/off-again pushes over a 3 year period. That's probably not a good sign. Needs to turn heel as soon as possible. I still believe his improvement factor is fairly high.

5: ROSEY & JAMAL: Ranked as a tag-team. I made an original note that either one wouldn't have ranked as high as singles competitors. With Jamal being released for disciplinary reasons, the ranking was almost immediately thrown out the window. I thought they were a potential 5+ year team to begin with.

4: DAVE BATISTA: Has shown continual improvement over his 2 years on the main roster. There is no doubt that being in a stable such as Evolution has helped significantly. Always had the look & intensity, but has improved both in & out of the ring.

3: JOHN CENA: Confidence & ability on the microphone was always going to hold him in good shape. Wrestling improved in first year, but has been fairly stagnant since. Still should main event some time next year. Would have been the #1 rookie in most years.

2: RANDY ORTON: Most dubious & controversial ranking at the time, as many didn't have him ranked above Cena & Batista due to the rather stale beginning to his WWE career. The push was always going to come though as he is so young & a 3rd generation wrestler. Make no mistake about it, Orton has improved both in & out of the ring & will be main eventing for many years to come.

1: BROCK LESNAR: Safe pick for the year. Still might turn out to be #1 if NFL career does not pick up next year. Was continuing to improve both in & out of the ring when he decided to take a punt on the NFL.

I thought I did excellently on the 2002 batch of rookies. Some of my rankings (Rico at 8 & Orton at 2) were heavily disagreed with, by many at the time. But I was looking long-term & feel that to a large degree, I have been proven correct. Rico has been the only one legitimately cut (not for disciplinary reasons), thus I believe his 8th ranking held true to form, to some extent. Meanwhile, Orton has surpassed Cena, in my opinion.


MAIN

2003 Rookie Rankings Revisited

Link to original column written November 19, 2003: http://www.lordsofpain.net/news/2003_/articles/1069277315.php

Please note that Mark Jindrak & Akio were not included on the below list as I had previously seen both competitors at the highest standard on WCW Nitro.

16. RODNEY MACK: Recently cut & I am not at all surprised. Both in & out of the ring, I was not a fan. I still find it hard to understand why he was promoted to the main roster in the first place.

15. ZACH GOWEN: Again, unsurprisingly cut not long after his debut. A little bit of a shame, but you could see that he was becoming stale pretty quickly, especially with the way the WWE booked him. I really thought they would find another role for him though.

14. JOHN HEIDENREICH: Always dangerous ranking a rookie big guy this low, because you know that the WWE are going to give him every opportunity to prove himself. Original push failed dismally. This push may as well. Looked terrible in the ring, up until his decent Survivor Series match with The Undertaker. 32 years of age, so I wonder why the WWE are persisting with him.

13. DANNY BASHAM: I was never high on the former Damaja, as he seemed to take a backseat to Doug consistently. I must admit that he did improve during the tag title run that the Bashams had. Still can't see too much of a future for him though.

12. ROB CONWAY: Has impressed me a little over the past year, especially with what he has been handed. Still a little to average for my liking & at 30 years of age, probably won't improve a great deal. He does have flexibility though, so he could be an important addition of depth over the next few years. Will never get beyond midcard though.

11. SYLVAN GRENIER: Could have been ranked as low as 15th & many readers thought he should have been. Has not improved his average wrestling skills very much at all. But you just knew his look & gimmick were going to get him somewhere. But for how much longer though?

10. NATHAN JONES: Yeah yeah, laugh at me if you want. I still feel Jones had a pretty good upside & I'm not just saying that because he is a fellow Aussie. I actually ranked him lower than what I felt he deserved, because I doubted he could handle the pressures of the WWE. I never thought I would be proven correct so quickly though!!!

9. ORLANDO JORDAN: Has been a little disappointing in my opinion. Was given a decent angle as JBL's chief of staff & doesn't look to have significantly improved his in or out of ring work. Still could improve, but my doubt grows with each week that he doesn't. His look & ok wrestling ability can only get him so far.

8. PAUL LONDON:I have always been a huge fan of London & this rather low ranking was more the safe option than anything else. I've seen the WWE crucify talented cruiserweights too many times before!!! Only has been pushed over the past 3 months & I've really liked what I have seen. Has adapted his style well, without throwing away that cruiserweight touch. Hopefully, his improvement & push is continued. Age, work ethic & motivation will hopefully pay off.

7. BRIAN 'SPANKY' KENDRICK: Extremely similar in many aspects to London. Probably didn't work as hard though, and this may have partially resulted in him walking out of the WWE fairly quickly. It was a shock though, especially considering that he was trained by Shawn Michaels. Would he be getting London's push if he was still there?

6. SHELTON BENJAMIN: Improved significantly due to a good push by the WWE. Probably is higher on the card than anyone else on this list right now. Has proven his in-ring skills are very good, if not perfect. Still struggles a little on the microphone, although he has improved a little. Unsure as to where he is heading in the future, apart from being a solid upper midcarder. Although, his Survivor Series match against Christian may suggest that he could even go further.

5. GARRISON CADE: The wrestler I found the hardest to decide on for a ranking. I had him ranked as low as 10th at one stage. Gives the impression of being a little bland, but at 24 years of age, still has time to overcome this. Haven't seen him wrestle for a while, so is a little unknown in the ring. Needs a quality gimmick to help him over this trough he is currently in. I think the WWE still have hopes for him, and not releasing him over the past month may prove this.

4. DOUG BASHAM: I stand by this ranking & am very disappointed that the WWE have not let him show his talent both in & out of the ring. I'm convinced the talent is there. A quality heel both in the ring & on the microphone who is being completely wasted. Hopefully, a Basham Brothers split is on it's way.

3. RENE DUPREE: Many readers did not agree with my high ranking of Dupree, but his room for improvement was always going to be unlimited. Young & has a good look. Wrestling & microphone ability have steadily improved. Needs to improve his consistency, but that will come with age. Every now & then, he shows me that he can be a genuine future main eventer. I think he could drop the French gimmick if needed.

2. MATT MORGAN: Ranking Morgan this high was certainly a huge risk & more on gut feeling than anything else. I still stand by it to some degree as well. Fantastic look, intensity & work ethic. Pushed too soon by the WWE & I can only hope they are more careful next time. And there should be a next time.

1. CHARLIE HAAS: Last year's comment: "Possibly has less chance of becoming a main eventer than about 3 rookies ranked below him. But he is the most well-rounded professional wrestler on this list". I still feel that is the case. However, I have been fairly disappointed with the lack of a push from the WWE. Used correctly on only a handful of occasions. I must say that he probably hasn't been as good as a face as I thought he would be & an eventual heel turn may be required. Still can keep up with the best of opponents, and carry the worst opponent, in my opinion.

Ok, so I was nowhere near as successful with my 2003 rankings, as compared to the 2002 batch. In fact, there is an argument to say that I really botched these rankings up. However, it was always going to be harder with 16 rookies in the one year. I still stand by some of my more riskier rankings to some extent though. Keeping in mind that I would still be looking at future prospects, if I had to rank the top 6 now, it would probably be: Dupree at 1, Benjamin at 2, Haas at 3, Morgan at 4, London at 5 & Doug Basham at 6.


DESSERT

2004 Rookie Rankings

Funnily enough, there is a misconception that there have been almost as many rookies debut this year, as compared to 2003. But there actually has only been half as many. It should be noted here though, that I have not included recent debutants in Simon Dean, Jesus & Mohammed Hassan. Neither of these guys have been on television long enough for me to draw a proper conclusion.

Also please note that while I did not include Akio & Jindrak last year, I have included Luther Reigns this year. I never saw him appear as Horshu on WCW Nitro, so therefore I cannot define him as having competed at the top level previously.

I must say that I thought there were actually more rookies this year, so I hope I haven't missed anyone. Anyway, here goes nothing.....

8. RYAN SAKODA: Many will say that this was an easy decision seeing as though he has already been cut. However, I promise that I would have ranked Sakoda last anyway. Just did not have the look required to succeed in the WWE. Hard to tell what his strengths were in the ring as well. A bit puzzling as to why he was hired in the first place, to be honest.

7. MORDECAI: Quickly relegated back down to OVW, the former 'Seven' had no more than 3 months on the main WWE roster. Given a difficult gimmick to work with, but seemed to work hard at it & pull it off sufficiently. I was actually starting to get used to his in-ring work just as he was pulled off television. Seems a little innovative in the ring. Strange body shape & it seemed to transcend into his wrestling style; An interesting combination of strength & innovation. Once more, pushed too fast upon debut. Hard to tell how flexible he is to different roles & also difficult to rate his charisma & microphone skills. I think he definitely showed enough to see him back in the form of a new gimmick, but too risky to rate higher than anyone but Sakoda.

6. KENZO SUZUKI: I have been an anti-fan of Suzuki since day one. I sort of have mellowed on that opinion lately, but writing this column made me ask myself why. The answer: His singing has amused me lately. But how long can he hang his hat on that? Not very long. Decent size & look, but very ordinary in the ring. Very sloppy at times & his offense is very weak. Obviously has some charisma through his singing, but his intensity on the microphone is average. This may sound bad, but being a foreigner probably got him a job with the WWE in the first place, and will probably keep him there through next year. But that's about it. Tajiri, he ain't!!!

5. TYSON TOMKO: Good look & probably has the ability to put on more muscle if needed. Has played the bodyguard role for Christian pretty well so far. Doesn't look great in the ring, but it's been hard to tell so far. Hopefully that debacle of an impromptu ppv match against Stevie Richards was not the extent of his in-ring talents. Charisma & microphone work also looks ordinary, but may improve. Ranking him above Suzuki is a bit of a risk, but don't be surprised to see the WWE bring along him slowly but surely, a'la Batista.

4. GENE SNITSKY: The best of the rest. A long way behind #3. When Snitsky debuted, it looked as if the unknown jobber was only going to last 1 appearance. Yet, he is still around & has a pay-per-view victory to his name. Does this suggest that he is better than we think? Probably not a great deal more, but he has done reasonably well considering the responsibility he was given. Pretty much a prototypical big man, although not the worst I've seen. Nowhere near the perfect look, but could serve a purpose. Strong & should learn how to use it better with greater experience. Still hard to expect him to be around for years to come.

3. NICK 'EUGENE' DINSMORE: Given the most difficult of gimmicks on debut. To state that he has portrayed it successfully is a huge understatement. Dinsmore should be given a medal for pulling this one off. Has obviously shown great charisma in doing so & I suppose he has proven that he has excellent microphone skills to boot. Inside the ring, Dinsmore has shown he is a good technical wrestler & has a good ability to connect with the crowd. But I'm unsure if his wrestling skills would successfully adapt if his gimmick or persona changed. It's really so hard to tell. Not exactly perfect body shape & look. The other question mark is whether or not he will have this gimmick his whole career. If so, it obviously restricts his future chances of advancing up the card.

2. LUTHER REIGNS: Experience with lesser WCW shows comes out in the ring. Seems confident in what he is doing, both in the ring & on the microphone. Not young, so room for improvement is marginal. However, I do believe that he has already been a decent addition to the SmackDown roster. He is not terrible in the ring & does have a little variation to the usual big man repertoire. Performs quite often for a stereotypical bodyguard type. Height, body shape & look are a positive. Probably could play a face, but I'm unsure how successful he would be. Just needs to be booked logically.

1. CARLITO CARIBBEAN COOL: Second generation wrestler who undoubtedly has the most room for improvement in this batch. Still young, but is already good on the microphone & in the ring. Some may not like his microphone work, but please consider the character he has been given. The bottom line is his poise & confidence are exceptional. Looks solid, without being spectacular in the ring, but there is plenty of time for improvement. Plus, you get the feeling that the WWE have basically trained him up as concentrating on telling a story in the ring, more than anything else. Look is excellent, while his height & body shape are sufficient. Will he ever main event? It's too early to call right now. It is a possibility down the track though.

Ok, so there are my top 8 rookies of 2004. To say that the top 3 stood out from the rest is an understatement. I would not be all that surprised if rookies 4 through 8 are not on the WWE roster in 2 years time. Because of this, it was actually a little difficult to rank those 5 wrestlers. I wouldn't argue with any mix, although Sakoda probably deserves to be ranked last. The top 3 were a lot easier to rank, in my opinion.


So that's it for edition #109 of 'The Wrestling Menu'. I would be extremely interested to find out what you thought of my rookie retrospectives & 2004 Rookie Rankings. You might want to rank them all yourself, if you like. Or just tell me which of my rankings or updates you most disagree with. I might even include some of that feedback in my next column. At the very least, you know that I will reply to all feedback. My e-mail address is DaveyBoy123@bigpond.com

I have to be honest & state that it is doubtful that I will have a column up next Wednesday. Work has been killing me lately, plus it's starting to heat up down under. At worst, my next column will be posted on the 8th of December. In that column, I hope to include some feedback about my Rookie Rankings, my Armageddon predictions & who knows what else. Look out for the column same Wednesday time & same LOP channel. Until then, this is DaveyBoy signing off & asking you to remember that dinner is best served in 3 courses.












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