DaveyBoy's Wrestling Menu #150 - 2005 Rookie Rankings + 2002-04 Rookie Retrospectives
Submitted by DaveyBoy on Wednesday, November 23, 2005 at 2:37 AM EST






THE WRESTLING MENU #150

Welcome one and all to the 150th edition of The Wrestling Menu, the column that is sure to satisfy your taste buds when it comes to discussing all things wrestling.

I suppose column #150 is one hell of a milestone to get to. I wish I had something special for you all, but I can't say that I have anything too much out of the ordinary. Although, I suppose a column topic that only occurs once a year is pretty special.

It's been 10 days since the passing of Eddie Guerrero now. It's been hard to move on, but we must. Remember that this coming Friday the 25th, I will have my poll results for my 'favorite Eddie moment' poll. Hopefully, that will bring back lots of great memories. I know that compiling those votes has done so for me. The polls are still open, so if you have yet to vote, please don't hesitate & email me with your favorite Eddie moment immediately.

There has been some other good news for me of late. Firstly, my column #147 from 2 weeks ago had over 10,000 hits, which is an amazing tally & one that I am very much not used to. Thanks to all my readers for helping me achieve that. Secondly, on the sports front; After over 30 years, the Australian soccer team has finally qualified for the World Cup next June. Man, did that stop the nation last Wednesday night. Talk about edge of the seat stuff!

Anyways, 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. There will be no 'Dessert' section of the column today, but fear not, I still will have 3 sections. My 'Appetizers' section will only list my 2002 & 2003 rankings. While the 'Entree' section will list & comment on the development of last years rookies & how my predictions have turned out thus far. For those interested, I will also provide links to the original columns for you to have a look at my more detailed comments of the time.

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 medium to long-term. Obviously, short-term success is also important, but I always like to look long range with these types of things. Yes, what they have done this year counts, but not so much over where I think they will be in 3-5 YEARS TIME. Obviously, the ability to possibly main event in the future is considered as well.

Enough with the chit-chat, let's get into this bad boy.....


APPETIZERS

2002 & 2003 Rookie Rankings Revisited

2002

8: Rico
7: Christopher Nowinski
6: Maven
5: Rosey & Jamal
4: Dave Batista
3: John Cena
2: Randy Orton
1: Brock Lesnar

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


2003

16. Rodney Mack
15. Zach Gowen
14. John Heidenreich
13. Danny Basham
12. Rob Conway
11. Sylvain Grenier
10. Nathan Jones
9. Orlando Jordan
8. Paul London
7. Brian 'Spanky' Kendrick
6. Shelton Benjamin
5. Lance 'Garrison' Cade
4. Doug Basham
3. Rene Dupree
2. Matt Morgan
1. Charlie Haas

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


ENTREE

2004 Rookie Rankings Revisited

As mentioned earlier, I will be listing my rookie rankings from last year & commenting on where the wrestlers are currently at in their development & how correct my predictions have turned out.

8. RYAN SAKODA: Had already been cut at the time of my column, so this one was a no-brainer. I do not expect him to ever reappear in the WWE again.

7. MORDECAI: Kevin Fertig had no more than 3 months on the main WWE roster. Given a difficult gimmick to work with & pushed way too fast on debut. I felt sorry for him actually & thought that we may have seen him in another gimmick by now, as he seemed to have a decent work ethic & be quite innovative in the ring. I am unsure where he is currently wrestling, but he was released by the WWE in early July.

6. KENZO SUZUKI: At the time of last year's column, it was arguable that he was getting a bigger push than the 2 ranked above him. But I was not a fan of his mediocre talents inside the ring & ended up ranking him this low. It seems I was spot on, as he was one of the many wrestlers released from their contract in July of this year. Unsure why he was brought in to begin with & I still laugh at the initial push that was rumored to go his way.

5. TYSON TOMKO: Tomko is very much in limbo at present. I do feel that the WWE have rightfully been very cautious with him in the way they have slowly brought him along. I also feel that they were correct in not releasing him in July. But since then, Tomko's improvement has been marginal & I just can't see him being on the WWE roster at the end of 2006. Hasn't improved in the ring, while he hasn't had a chance to show any charisma (if it exists) since Christian was drafted to SmackDown.

4. GENE SNITSKY: The rookie that literally came from nowhere in 2004 has deserved to retain his spot on the WWE roster since debuting. He hasn't actually improved in leaps & bounds, but did seem to use his experience a little better this year. A handy asset for the WWE, as he is a big man who can be used to elevate opponents and/or in a midcard feud. Still hard to see him ever climbing much higher up the card, but he could stick around for another couple of years. Decent in the ring & will rely heavily on good booking.

3. NICK 'EUGENE' DINSMORE: Given the most difficult of gimmicks on debut, it is an understatement to say that Dinsmore has portrayed it successfully. And despite not being as popular in 2005 as he was last year, it really hasn't been because of his skills. The character has simply lost some of that freshness & appeal since debuting. I am at a loss as to what to do with Dinsmore & the Eugene character, but something will have to be done some time during 2006. While not having the perfect look, Dinsmore can wrestle & does have charisma, so I do believe he will be useful to the WWE in one way or another. Let's hope that this latest personal setback of his is only a minor speed-bump.

2. LUTHER REIGNS: Basically quit professional wrestling early this year. I felt it was a bit of a shame as he had the confidence, look, size & skill to stick around in the WWE for quite a few years. I don't regret this high rating & believe it was simply a case of the heavy WWE schedule catching up with Luther.

1. CARLITO CARIBBEAN COOL: Clearly the top pick last year (despite a few readers feeling Eugene deserved the top spot) & it's been proven without a shadow of a doubt this year. Still young & still improving, the WWE have shown tremendous faith in Carlito by giving him US & InterContinental Title reigns already. His poise, confidence & maturity continue to shine through, while his work ethic looks strong due to gradual improvement in the ring. I'm still unsure whether he will ever hold a major title, but it's definitely not out of the question. Shows signs that he should be able to successfully portray a face in the future.


Well, I think I would call that a return to form after getting it a little wrong with the big batch of rookies in 2003. In all honesty, it wasn't all that difficult with the batch of only 8 last year, but of the 3 questionable rankings (Suzuki as low as 6, Reigns as high as 2 & Carlito over Eugene), I feel I got 2 of them correct. The WWE better do something with Dinsmore next year, or there is half a chance that the only one of these 8 to lace up the boots in 2007 (in 14 months time) will be Carlito.

Link to original column written November 24, 2004: http://www.lordsofpain.net/news/2004_/articles/1101286756.php


MAIN - 2005 Rookie Rankings

Oh oh, this year's batch of rookies is very similar to that of 2003. There are a lot of them (almost double the amount of the previous year once more), and they are a fairly even bunch with the top 5 or 6 all contending for the #1 position, but a fair way clear of the rest. Oh well, let's hope I have more success with my predictions this year, than that of 2 years.

Please note that I have not ranked The Boogeyman, Nick Nemeth, Johnny Parisi, Chad Dick & James Dick, as they have not been on television long enough for me to draw a proper conclusion on them. Meanwhile I don't define WWE debutants such as Super Crazy, Juventud Guerrera, Psichosis or Simon Dean as rookies, due to the fact that they have performed at the highest level before. I know there is an argument to then discount Joey Mercury as well, but I don't believe his ECW run was as long or as distinguished as some of the aforementioned names.

Before I begin, I once more reiterate that these ratings are based on my opinions of who is going to make the most impact in the medium to long-term, and not just who has been most successful in 2005.

14. JESUS AGUILERA: Probably shows that this is a decent year for rookies with Jesus being ranked last. Debuted late in 2004 as Carlito's bodyguard. That was a good idea, as he could be slowly brought along similarly to Batista & Tomko. Only had a few matches in the ring & looked ordinary. But there seemed to be room for improvement and he has a good size & look about him, although nothing stood out. I saw him recently at a live show & his wrestling skills still looked extremely suspect. Furthermore, has never showed me much charisma of sorts, although he never had much opportunity to. Appears to be injury prone & has already been released by the WWE. An outside possibility to return, but I couldn't see much point to it.

13. DANIEL PUDER: Latest 'Tough Enough' winner from late 2004, but already released by the WWE. I'll go on record as saying that was a mistake & he should have been given more of a chance to see if he could make it. Ultimate fighting background provided some variation & he had a decent look about him. Charisma was a question mark, but Puder proved he was popular throughout the competition. Also proved (to some extent) that he could play a cocky heel character with a couple of backstage segments on SmackDown earlier this year. I can't help but feel that there was more to the story of his release than we know, so I'm guessing we will never see him in the WWE again.

12. MUHAMMAD HASSAN (MARK COPANI): Yes, I will go on record as stating that I would have ranked him in the top 3 (if not #1) had he not been released from the WWE. Or more importantly, not (reportedly) stated that he is looking for another career after quitting wrestling! I may be in the minority here, but I actually thought that Copani did show enough in the ring to suggest he could improve. He wasn't nearly as bad as what some fans suggest. On the microphone, he was terrific in showing great poise & confidence after being given a difficult gimmick. Nice size & look with good charisma. The thing that irks me is that there was a possibility that he could have been repackaged in the future. Yet, he was released & demeaned by Vince McMahon. I don't feel he deserved that.

11. MATT STRIKER: I almost did not include Striker in these rankings, as I would like to see more of him before fully commenting. Most of his work has been either shown on 'Heat' or WWE.com. Decent back-story with the teaching scandal of earlier this year, but I'm unsure how far that will get him. Seems to be solid, if unspectacular in the ring. Also seems to have a decent charisma about him. But I don't feel his size, look & style will get him over in the medium to long term with the WWE. May stick around longer than I expect, but without much success. Reported backstage problems definitely won't help.

10. TREVOR MURDOCH: Well, it's fair to say that his look is interesting. I still wonder if he walks around with that look on his face all day! Has his fans, but I can't rank him too high. Seems to have been transported out of the 1970's with his body shape, look & wrestling style. In all honesty, he isn't all that good in the ring. But he does have a character which could possibly stick around & be useful for a few years. Hard to tell if he has any great individual charisma, but looks as if it's of the (strange) type that fits his gimmick/character well.

9. KHOSROW (SHAWN) DAIVARI: Risky ranking him this low, especially after recently returning & being placed as a sidenote in a main-event feud. But I'm going to take a chance. Debuted as Muhammad Hassan's manager & immensely helped him draw good heel heat. That's definitely one of Daivari's strengths & is the main reason why the WWE are so high on him. Hasn't had the opportunity to wrestle much, but is actually quite good. But he is more of a cruiserweight & you know how much time that division gets on WWE programming. Super small (look at him next to Cena, who isn't very tall) & with only an ok look. Like Striker, he could stick around for a few years, but I just can't see him having too much success.

8. ROMEO: One half of The Heart-Throbs tag-team, John 'Romeo' Roselli seems to have the attractiveness that can always be used somehow by the WWE. Short in stature, but with a good body shape & look. Nothing sensational in the ring, but seems to have good basics & wrestles the WWE style well. He isn't a traditional cruiserweight by any means, but can definitely pick up the pace when required. Charisma is hard to gauge with such a stupid gimmick... Seems to lack in that department when compared to partner Antonio, but does what he has to. Room for improvement is there, so Romeo's future will depend on his work ethic. Rumors of backstage problems won't help.

7. ANTONIO: I originally had Antonio (aka Thomas Matera) ranked above Mercury in 6th position, but there is a doubt lingering in the back of my mind that he (& his tag-team partner) may never ditch the silly gimmick they have been given on debut. Antonio is a similar height to Romeo, but is quite a bit stockier. He probably isn't quite as good in the ring, but he is still more than sufficient. Could have some future, as I can see he has some charisma & microphone skills. He also has strange facials that may (for some reason) come in handy down the track. I know that sounds silly, but it's the type of thing that Vince McMahon looks for.

6. JOEY MERCURY: The former Joey Matthews has done a terrific job in carrying out the persona that he has been given by the WWE. I initially had my doubts if he was the correct person to be Nitro's tag-team partner in this gimmick, but Mercury has very much removed those doubts now. An under-rated wrestler, he is actually quite flexible when it comes to his wrestling style. But he has really knuckled down & wrestled the style that has been asked of him. That will only do him good whenever MnM are no longer a team. Quite small in stature, so I doubt he could ever become more than a singles midcarder. But his adaptability could serve the WWE very well for many years to come.

5. PAUL BURCHILL: I don't have too much doubt in stating that Burchill is actually the best wrestler of this year's rookies. This guy can get it done in the ring in almost any way. 2 weeks ago on Velocity, I saw him pull out a standing moonsault press, which is quite an accomplishment for a man of his size & stature. Former LOP Columnist J-Train also stated in his final column, that he has even more tricks up his sleeve. I personally can't wait to see them, if he is allowed to ever unleash them. If he is too stocky, it doesn't show out as yet, as his speed & flexibility are top-notch. He had absolutely no problems keeping up with London & Spanky. But doubts linger that he may get typecast as the stereotypical overseas wrestler. His English accent won't help that & there is no point trying to hide it now. Burchill could easily end up being the best of this rookie class. Then again, he may not last 2 years in the WWE. Personally, I will be cheering for him all the way.

4. JOHNNY NITRO: Some may be surprised by this comment, but like the other 4 wrestlers in the top 5, I seriously considered ranking Nitro as the #1 rookie in 2005. Has a great look that the WWE usually like. Has a decent stature, although I fear that the lack of an extra few inches may count against him in the long run, when his push finally does come. And I do believe that it will come. Charisma & microphone ability is ok & improving by the month. More importantly, his work in the ring is also improving. Nitro has consistently added on to his repertoire. Mercury is showing him some cruiserweight moves, while the nature of his team requires him to pull out some stronger type moves every now & then. Furthermore, some may have noticed that he has added 1 or 2 gimmicky moves as of late. Watch out for them, as they haven't hurt The Rock, John Cena or Scotty 2 Hotty. With continual improvement & a good work ethic, Johnny Nitro may make the 'Tough Enough' curse a thing of the past!

3. CHRIS MASTERS: Has to be considered for the #1 spot purely on the way the WWE have pushed him this year. You can tell that they believe he has a future. I have my doubts though & there are enough of them to keep him from my #1 spot. Has the size, body shape & look that the WWE absolutely love. He is also very young, so he has a lot of time to improve, which is a major positive. But there are a few things to improve... Firstly, he has suspect microphone ability. His cocky attitude is good, but he is unclear & tends to stumble over his words. He is also quite raw in the ring & this much of a push may hurt him in the long run. His wrestling style isn't extremely entertaining, although it's one that the WWE prefers. I just worry about his crispness at times. He injured Stevie Richards on debut & almost took Brian Kendrick's head off a couple of weeks ago. Finally, of the top 8 rookies this year, he is the one that may most struggle with a turn. I just can't see him successfully pulling off a face turn right now, and to last long-term in the WWE, you have to be a polished heel & face (unless you're Rey Mysterio).

2. BOBBY LASHLEY: Talk about some unknowns! Could have easily been ranked #5, but is unlucky not to be #1. Lashley is huge & has the physique of a power-lifter. Has a good look to boot, although there are doubts that his charisma can match that physique. His microphone ability is also completely unknown. But I'm skipping on all that & saying that his career will be effected predominantly by 1 factor; Whether he can successfully integrate his amateur wrestling skills into his repertoire. So far, I have seen nothing but a few throws & suplexes. I'm certain that the WWE have asked him to wrestle like he is for the time being. But as the matches get longer, other moves will have to be worked in. Right now, I'll be honest & state that I have my doubts. His robotic-like movement around the ring worries me. It's not the way a natural professional wrestler moves. But has the look & strength to suggest the WWE will give him every chance to continue to improve. If he can, Lashley is undoubtedly World HeavyWeight Champion material.

1. KEN KENNEDY: The man formerly known as Ken Anderson gets my #1 spot this year. But believe me when I say that it wasn't an easy decision & I do have some question marks on Mr Kennedy. Let's get rid of the obvious first; His mic schtick gimmick has caught on perfectly. But there would have to be doubts on how long it will last before it gets old. The positive thing about this though is that for a rookie to pull this gimmick off, it means that he undoubtedly has charisma & microphone ability which can be adapted throughout his career. Has a decent look about him too. He has good facials. He acts cocky well & 2 weeks ago proved that he can also act angry well. Kennedy has more than a decent body shape & has the size which is actually quite flexible when you talk about the types of opponents he can wrestle against. Wrestling skills are questionable, although I feel that they are more than sufficient, especially against better opponents. I don't think he is super young, so the room for improvement factor is questionable. But working against the likes of Benoit & Rey will help him immensely over the next year or so. He also has a superb finisher which will at least help him in the short-term & can never be under-estimated.


Ok, so there are the 14 rookies of 2005 ranked. It's always an enjoyable challenge to do these rankings, and this year's batch was no exception. I do think that the top 5 stood out from the rest this year, but they really could have been ranked in any order. The promising thing about this years rookies is that I feel that there is a good chance that 8-10 of them will still be on the WWE roster in 2 -3 years time. The same could not have been said of the rookies over the last 2 years. Let's hope I'm correct, because these guys are the future of the WWE. At the end of the day, I feel that the top 3 are the wrestlers that are most likely to be holding a major title some time during their career. That's why I ranked them that way & I simply ended up choosing the rookie with the least question marks as #1.


So that's it for edition #148 of 'The Wrestling Menu'. I would be extremely interested to find out what you thought of my rookie retrospectives & 2005 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

Or alternately, if you are an LOPForums member, you may also leave feedback by clicking on the following link: http://www.lopforums.com/showthread.php?t=4889

Please remember that I have another extra edition of 'The Wrestling Menu' this Friday the 25th. In it, I will have my 'favorite Eddie moment' poll results, my predictions for the upcoming Survivor Series pay-per-view & most probably a Raw review. So look out for that column on Friday. Until then, this is DaveyBoy signing off & asking you to remember that dinner is best served in 3 courses.











*NEW GALLERY* Stacy Keibler Looking Hot as Ever with Her New Boyfriend!

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