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Submitted by Hustle on Monday, November 17, 2008 at 9:18 AM EST
 Good lookin out for the graphics work, Noc "If you call me and I'm not around, I'm probably puttin my grind down.." I may not always answer when you get at me, but best believe it's because I'm puttin in work. Masta Ace delivers today's intro line. Hot damn, welcome back to The HIPE, people. I'm your HIPEmaster yet again, and my name is Hustle. You may have heard of me. I know what you're here for, and I don't want to delay you any longer, so, uh, I think it's about that time. Shall I proceed? (Yes, indeed.) Less dew eet!! Once again, I'm about to take a look back at the week that was in the world of WWE, TNA, and RoH. I'll go over the results of the various shows during the week, and then rank the wrestlers that had better weeks than anyone else. Just like last week, this isn't a list based on who is the best, most popular, or who I happen to like the most. This is nothing but who had the best week, all bias aside. Without any further adieu, ladies and gentlemen.. The HIPE 25~! 1. Chris Jericho Who: WWE World Heavyweight Champion What: Defeated Shawn Michaels in a Last Man Standing match on Raw Why: He holds the #1 belt on the #1 show for the #1 promotion in the world. I don't see why it would be too difficult to figure out that he's right at the top of this list. His match with Michaels wasn't as good as most of their other matches against each other, but it was still a solid match, and it got another victory for Jericho. He has a title defense coming up against John Cena at the Survivor Series, so it'll be incredibly interesting to see where he comes in on next week's list. Last Week: #1 2. Matt Hardy Who: ECW World Champion What: Defeated Finlay on ECW.. defeated Shelton Benjamin on Smackdown Why: He took part in the two best wrestling matches of the week, winning them both. He's on a roll with his recent in-ring work, and his strong push continues on. I don't see him falling in these rankings for a little while, and you shouldn't expect it, either. Last Week: #2.9 2.9 Jeff Hardy Who: One of the top names on Smackdown What: Cut the best promo of his life.. attacked Vladimir Kozlov during Kozlov's contract signing with Triple H.. defeated The Undertaker in an Extreme Rules match, all on Smackdown Why: That's a pretty eventful week right there. I damn near wanted to give him the top spot here for his promo alone. Getting a pinfall victory over The Undertaker, albeit a not-so-clean one, is something that just doesn't happen very often, especially on TV, so Jeff jumped up big-time for that. Last Week: #15 4. William Regal Who: WWE Intercontinental Champion What: Defeated Santino Marella on Raw to become the new champ Why: It was such a good week for the top of this list that Regal won the IC Title and didn't even jump up a spot from last week's rankings. His victory was a surprise to a lot of people, but hopefully (wishful thinking, perhaps) he can bring some respect back to the title that was once just as respected as the World Title, if not even more respected. He's definitely got the skills to make that happen. Last Week: #4 5. Rey Mysterio Who: One of the top names on Raw What: Defeated Kane in a No Disqualifications match on Raw Why: The long-running feud (perhaps a bit too long-running) appears to be winding down, and Rey Rey picks up another victory over the "Big Red Monster". It's not a surprise to see Rey come out on top of the feud, but it's a bit of a surprise that he has shown the ability to brawl a bit more than he has ever really gotten to while employed in Titan Land. Like it or not, he may go back to being a World Title contender after completely moving away from Kane. Last Week: Not Ranked 6. Sting Who: TNA World Heavyweight Champion, and a member of the Main Event Mafia What: Defeated Jay Lethal on Impact Why: Sure, he got the same exact promo that he's been cutting for months now, but he then went on to defend his title against one of the top young talents in TNA, so he gets moved up a few notches on the list. Strangely enough, he was absent when the MEM went on to attack Christian Cage to end the show, but that could've placed him in the Top 5 had he been there. Last Week: #12 7. Eric Young Who: TNA X-Division Champion What: Defeated Sheik Abdul Bashir on Impact to become the new champ Why: The biggest victory of his career to date, it came out of nowhere and won him the X-Division belt in the process. Sure, the win was as dirty as becoming Blood Sisters with Amy Winehouse, but damn, I would've never imagined having Eric F'N Young make these rankings, let alone this high on the list. Wow. Last Week: NR 8. Awesome Kong Who: TNA Knockouts Champion What: Teamed with Rhaka Khan to defeat Taylor Wilde & Roxxi on Impact Why: She's back to looking dominant again, which is a scary thought. TNA had better watch out, though, as they're going to end up squashing all of her potential opponents, leaving her to feud with people who look like they aren't anywhere near her level. Last Week: #9 9. Scott Steiner Who: A member of TNA's Main Event Mafia What: Defeated Rhino on Impact Why: He's looked pretty impressive since returning from injury, and being a part of the MEM obviously means that his push will only continue on. His match with Rhino was a lot better than it had any business being, in my opinion. Now, Scotty just needs to work on staying healthy. Last Week: #13 10. Beth Phoenix Who: WWE Women's Champion What: Defeated Mickie James on Raw Why: She defeated arguably her top contender on Raw, and she did it rather easily. She's carrying the Women's Division on her back, and has been for a while now. Fuck the bullshit, I'd pay good money to see her face Awesome Kong. That would be an epic match, regardless of what some of the haters might have to say. Last Week: NR 11. Batista Who: One of the top names on Raw What: Defeated Cody Rhodes on Raw Why: His Raw didn't start off well, as he was denied an immediate rematch against Chris Jericho for the World Heavyweight Title, but he did go on to beat Cody Rhodes, while overcoming interference from Manu at the same time. Manu ended up getting his after the match. Batista will end up with the first title shot after Survivor Series, I'm sure, and I'm almost sure that I know who he'll be facing and why he'll be facing that person. We shall see. Last Week: NR 12. John Morrison Who: One of the top names on ECW What: Teamed with The Miz & Jack Swagger to defeat Cryme Tyme & Tommy Dreamer on ECW Why: In a decent little 6-man tag, Morrison came out with the pin on Dreamer, and looking good in doing so. The feud between MorriMiz & Cryme Tyme seems to have stop-and-go momentum, but Morrison keeps shining (and so do his abs, on occasion) throughout. Last Week: NR 13. Mike Knox Who: Brand new member of the Raw roster What: Made his Raw debut, defeating D'Lo Brown Why: He looked impressive in beating D'Lo during his Raw debut, after looking very impressive for several weeks as a member of the ECW roster. I really do think he's got some decently big things ahead of him now that he's been moved over to the "A" show. Say it with me, folks.. we.. shall.. see. Last Week: NR 14. Jack Swagger Who: One of the top young names on ECW What: Teamed with The Miz & John Morrison to defeat Cryme Tyme & Tommy Dreamer on ECW Why: While John Morrison got the pin in the match, I think Swagger came out looking the best. He had some fun in-ring moments with Shad Gaspard, in what would be a decent little match all on its own. Some people still may not see it, but Swagger's a definite contender for the ECW Title in the early part of 2009. Last Week: NR 15. Michelle McCool Who: WWE Divas Champion What: Defeated Maria on Smackdown Why: In only her 4th (I believe) title defense since winning the title all the way back in the Gerald Ford administration, McCool beat Maria in less than two minutes in what was, more or less, a glorified squash match. I don't know what point that really served after the company has been building towards this match for the last few weeks, but that's a different story for a different column. She'll probably be holding the title for a while, or until The Undertaker finds some better snatch, whichever comes first. Last Week: NR 16. Robert Roode Who: One half of Beer Money Inc, the TNA Tag Team Champions What: Teamed with James Storm to beat Samoa Joe & AJ Styles by DQ on Impact Why: I think Roode came out of the tag title match looking really good. The match itself ended with a fucking ridiculous finish, like almost all of Beer Money Inc's matches do, but Roode came out looking like a stud (no homo). He got to shine against two of the biggest names in the entire company. He has a lot of potential in his future, as long as the company doesn't ruin it along the line somewhere. Sorry about your damn luck, I guess, Robert. Last Week: NR 17. James Storm Who: One half of Beer Money Inc, the TNA Tag Team Champions What: Teamed with Robert Roode to beat Samoa Joe & AJ Styles by DQ on Impact Why: Roode wasn't the only one who came out of the match looking good, as tag team specialist Storm got in a lot of offense, as well. Honestly, Beer Money didn't impress me much in the beginning of their time as a team, but they've been growing on me recently, and Storm is the main reason behind that. He just works really well in the tag team world. Too bad his best tag partner left TNA, got fat, and looked like shit in ECW. Last Week: NR 18. The Brian Kendrick Who: One of the top young names on Smackdown What: Defeated Carlito on Smackdown Why: Although I wasn't as impressed with his performance as I usually am when I watch him wrestle, he did get a pinfall victory (again, though, a not-so-clean one) over one half of the WWE Tag Team Champions, which gets him on the list. He & Big Zeke Jackson look to be the next contenders for those tag titles, so.. wait for it.. wait for it.. we shall see. Last Week: NR 19. Kung Fu-Naki Who: Smackdown Numbah One Announsah What: Defeated MVP on Smackdown Why: The guy only gets a handful of televised matches per year, and he loses most of those, so it's newsworthy when he does win something. It's just a shame that MVP's burial had to be a part of Funaki's big win. No offense to the guy, but I really hope I don't continue seeing him on this list every week. Last Week: NR 20. The Miz Who: One of the top young names on ECW What: Teamed with John Morrison & Jack Swagger to defeat Cryme Tyme & Tommy Dreamer on ECW Why: He didn't look as impressive as either of his partners in the 6-man match, but he was still a part of the winning team, which helps him out in this slow week. I give Miz a lot of credit for improving over the last several months, both in the ring and on the mic. It's not a shock these days to see him outperform John Morrison, who is supposed to be the star of the team. Maybe Miz won't be Marty Jannetty to Morrison's Shawn Michaels, after all. Last Week: NR 21. Tyler Black Who: One of the top young names in Ring Of Honor What: Was booked in a match against Samoa Joe at the 11/22 RoH show Why: In a true sign of how slow this past week has been, Tyler makes the cut without being involved in a match all week long. Once it was announced that Samoa Joe would be returning to RoH for a one-night only thing, Tyler stepped up and demanded he be named as Joe's opponent. His wish was granted, and now we have the match signed for this Saturday night in Chicago. He has a real chance to open people's eyes there, although you're really far behind if your eyes haven't already been opened by the guy. For the millionth (a milli a milli a milli a milli) time, he really is the future of pro wrestling. I'm excited as hell for his match with Joe. Last Week: NR 22. Mark Henry Who: One of the top names on ECW What: Defeated Oliver Biney on ECW Why: He got to squash a local "enhancement talent" in the UK, but that was it for him this week. He'll continue to remain right at the top of the list of contenders for Matt Hardy's ECW Title, and that's understandable, but this just wasn't a big showcase week for the guy. Overseas shows usually give us slow weeks, and this was no different. Last Week: NR 23. Finlay Who: One of the top names on ECW What: Lost to Matt Hardy on ECW Why: Even in defeat, Finlay put on his usual solid performance in what was probably the best match of the entire week. At this stage of his lengthy career, he may be better than ever, in-ring wise, and he's truly able to put on good matches with people of all sizes, abilities, and careers. Last Week: #11 24. Shelton Benjamin Who: WWE United States Champion What: Lost to Matt Hardy on Smackdown Why: Like Finlay, Shelton looked really good in a loss to Matt Hardy. As I've mentioned a few times in the past, Shelton looks to be slowly moving his way up to being somewhat of a legit main event contender within the company. His in-ring work has improved in 2008, and he's holding his own in all of the big matches that he's been in. Before too long, I'll be reliving my very first LoP main page column and coming up with my "Wolves" for 2009 (go back and read my first column if you're not aware of what I mean by "Wolves"), and I think Shelton will rank very high on that list. Last Week: #7 25. Rhaka Khan Who: The biggest man in the entire TNA Knockouts division (alright, the only man in the division) What: Teamed with Awesome Kong to defeat Taylor Wilde & Roxxi Why: I don't think I've ever been impressed by anything about Rhaka Khan, other than the size of his adam's apple, but teaming up with Awesome Kong can only help someone's career. You'd damn sure rather be on Kong's side than having to be against her, that's for sure. Damn, this really was a slow week. Last Week: NR Last week, I looked at my Top 5 teams in college football, as well as my Top 5 Heisman Trophy candidates, and it was well-received, so I'm bringing it back again this week. In a bit of a theme here in today's column, it was a slow week, but eventful nonetheless. Let's take a look at my team rankings first: 1. Texas Tech - They had a bye week, but they're preparing for their fourth consecutive "Biggest Game In School History", this time having to travel to face the Oklahoma Sooners in a game where the winner will probably be whichever team has the ball last. The final score could resemble a college basketball game than a college football game, with two insanely high-powered offenses going at it. It's gonna be fun. 2. Alabama - Although the score indicated an easy victory, I wasn't impressed by Alabama's offense yet again. Their defense had an easy time with an absolutely atrocious Mississippi State offense, but that's where the team's impressive work ended. They have a bye week coming up this week, followed by a game against another bad offense in Auburn, but if their offense hasn't improved by the SEC Championship Game, they won't stand a chance in hell at beating Florida. 2.9 Florida - They continue to impress the hell out of me. Their offense is, quite possibly, the fastest overall unit I've ever seen in college football. It seems like even their offensive lineman can run 4.4 40s. However, what is really making the Gators scary this year is their defense. Through 10 games, they've only given up 13 touchdowns, and have given up 10 or fewer points 7 times. The Citadel travels to The Swamp this weekend in a game that could see Florida hang 40+ points on the board before halftime. 4. Texas - It was business as usual for the Longhorns in a victory over Kansas. The offense looks sharp, and the defense pressures the QB and forces turnovers. They continue to hold out hope that they'll earn a berth in the Big 12 Championship Game, which will really go a long way in their quest for a National Title, as that game (along with the SEC Championship Game) is, essentially, a de facto National Championship semi-final. 5. Utah - Sure, they aren't facing the stiffest of competition week in and week out, but the Utes are doing everything being asked of them, and they just keep on winning. Their final regular season game is coming up, and it happens to be their biggest rivals coming into town, as BYU travels the short trip from Provo to Salt Lake City for the "Holy War". If Utah wins, they'll crash the BCS party and face one of the top teams in the country in their bowl game, so you know BYU would love nothing more than to ruin that for them. It's gonna be fun. Now, the Heisman Trophy candidates: 1. Graham Harrell (QB, Texas Tech) - 72% pass completion rate.. 4,077 passing yards.. 36 touchdowns and only 5 interceptions.. 6 rushing touchdowns 2. Colt McCoy (QB, Texas) - 77% pass completion rate.. 3,134 passing yards.. 30 touchdowns and only 7 interceptions.. 527 rushing yards (leads the team).. 8 rushing touchdowns 2.9 Michael Crabtree (WR, Texas Tech) - 78 receptions.. 1,010 receiving yards.. 18 touchdowns 4. Sam Bradford (QB, Oklahoma) - 68% pass completion rate.. 3,406 passing yards.. 38 touchdowns and only 6 interceptions.. 4 rushing touchdowns 5. Shonn Greene (RB, Iowa) - 1,585 rushing yards.. averaging 6 yards per carry.. 15 touchdowns Click Here For The HIPE & HIPRN Archives What Hustle Is Listening To Right Now: "Coka Moschiach" by Raekwon & Ill Bill.. "Lose Your Life" by Alchemist, Jadakiss, Snoop Dogg, & Pusha-T.. "Attitude Problem" by Swizz Beatz, Cassidy, & Tha Dogg Pound.. "Let Me In" by Ya Boy.. "A Milli" by Cyssero And there you have it, gotdamnit. Yet another column is wrapped up, packaged, and has been shipped out for the masses. I'm cooking up so much product that my hands are blistering. Believe The HIPE. It's real. Speaking of real, it's a real shame that my two graphics gurus haven't stepped up with my banners yet (HINT HINT). I'm just saying. Anyway, I'll be back tomorrow.. same Hustle time, same Hustle page.. with yet another banger. I don't know what it'll be yet, but I'll figure it out by the time that I need to get down with the get down. Until then, from ya mama's crib, I bid you farewell. Aloha and Mahalo Nui Loa. "I'm exceedin expectations, you barely meeting quota.. I give it to em straight, you cut it with baking soda.." Hustle HIPRNFeedback@gmail.com 
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