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Submitted by Hustle on Wednesday, November 19, 2008 at 11:20 AM EST
 Good lookin out for the graphics work, Noc "I work so hard, I think I deserve a trophy.." Yung Ralph brings us today's intro line. Whether you like me or you don't like me, it's irrelevant, and I stay on my grind. To those that ride with me, I appreciate the support. To those that choose not to ride, it amazes me that you're even still reading my column (you must be, because you always know what I'm talking about), which does nothing but help me, anyway. Thanks. Welcome back to The HIPE, ladies and gentlemen. I'm the man that everyone loves to talk about.. ya boy, Hustle, right back in the building once again. I don't feel like wasting any more of your reading abilities, so, uh, I think it's about that time. Shall I proceed? (Yes, indeed.) Less dew eet!! For those of you who have been reading my columns since the very beginning of my run on the LoP main page, you'll remember that I had a section in my first MP column that I called "Wolves". In that section, I gave my list of the Top 10 people in wrestling that could/should be the hungriest for success in the 2008 calendar year. Just for fun, let's go back and take a look at who I picked, and some things I said about each person (I'll be listing bits and pieces of what I said, instead of just copying & pasting each one), followed by the final verdict with less than a month-and-a-half left in 2008: 10. Samoa Joe They had him on a nice little undefeated streak to start things off, and that's all fine and dandy, but since they had Kurt Angle break the streak (don't get me started on that one), he's been bounced around like a basketball at Rucker Park. There was a long stretch of time where he may have set a record for "singles wrestler competing in the most consecutive pay-per-views without being in a singles match". Tag match, Triple Threat, Four Way Dance, 29-Man Reverse Chamber Barbed Wire Maggot French Fry Match, and so on. Even more sickening was the fact that he basically blended into the background with damn near every match.. he wasn't winning them, but he wasn't the one getting pinned or submitting, either. He was just.. there. He needs a strong 2008 to prevent from being "forgotten" by people. He seems to be having less and less "great" matches as time goes by, and even most of his biggest fans will tell you that he doesn't seem to be the same wrestler that he was as recent as 2006. Verdict: Well, even though he finally won the TNA World Title in April, he's had a lot of the same treatment as what I wrote about. His title reign lasted for a shade over six months, but it was a mess with the way it was booked, as TNA appeared to have waited to long to pull the trigger on giving Joe the belt. He was still out there doing the damn thing, but for one reason or another, the fans were very slowly starting to lose steam in their excitement for the guy. While he's far from being "forgotten", he hasn't had as great of a 2008 as I would've hoped for the guy, especially being as big of a fan as I am of his work. 9. Erick Stevens He seems to be the latest "it" guy in RoH, recently being booked to beat Austin Aries and Bryan Danielson on consecutive nights, only 2 weeks after beating Roderick Strong for the FIP (Full Impact Pro, RoH's "sister promotion" in Florida) World Heavyweight Title. He needs to capitalize on his good start to 2008 and continue improving and continue building his momentum, possibly turning himself into a legit contender for the RoH World Heavyweight Title. Right now, I just don't see him being at that level yet, and from talking to several other RoH fans, they don't quite buy it, either. With another couple solid months, that should definitely change. Verdict: Well, I was right about him not quite being at the main event level in RoH. His momentum seemed to continue rising after I posted my column, and his feud with Roderick Strong was absolutely epic and was filled with memorable brawls (especially the one at RoH's Supercard Of Honor 3 show during WrestleMania weekend). It just never seemed to jump up from there, though. He was involved with Strong through the summer, before moving on and losing the FIP Heavyweight Title to Go Shiozaki in late-August. Since then, he seems to be stuck in the mud, and he doesn't appear to be moving. Maybe having his mohawk shaved at SOH3 really did drain him of his "mojo"? 8. Chris Jericho Sorry, Y2J fans, but his return hasn't been anywhere near what you all hoped and prayed for during the "Save_Us" days. I was happy to see a "darker", more violent Jericho come out against JBL, getting himself disqualified. I'm not saying that I want him to lead the 2008 Ministry Of Darkness and have him try to embalm people or anything, but adding a little roughness to his character is a nice development. He's a lot easier to take seriously as a contender when he's not so.. so.. "meh". Hopefully, he can move on from his JBL feud sometime after WrestleMania and ascend to bigger things on the Raw roster. Verdict: To say that he did "ascend to bigger things on the Raw roster" would be an amazingly big understatement. He went on to exceed anything I could've ever expected from him, as his heel work this year has been simply fantastic. Having two World Title reigns isn't all that shabby, either. I'm glad that I got to see the "darker" side of Jericho that I wanted to see, as I felt he had more mileage in that sort of character than he would've had should he have stayed as a face. 7. Umaga I'm sorry, but I'd absolutely LOVE to see a program with Umaga and The Undertaker, and I think it'll happen as Taker seems to feud with every single "monster" that ever steps foot in the company. I just think he needs to be careful, or else he'll wind up as a mere afterthought and get lost in the shuffle. Verdict: Well, he was already in the middle of getting lost in the shuffle before he got injured in August, but if you believe the news and rumors that you hear on the internet, the Umaga/Taker feud is on deck after Taker is finally through with Big Show. I think that one could be really fun, especially with The Undertaker seeming more motivated with his in-ring work this year. As I often say.. we shall see. 6. Tomko However, since he left WWE in Spring 2006, he's had time to hone his skills in Japan, competing for New Japan Pro Wrestling, and here in America, reuniting with Christian in TNA. His time in Japan, especially, helped him out tremendously. Watching him now compared to 2 years ago, you'd think it was a 10-year difference. He's wrestling with more confidence now, has improved on the mic, and is getting over with the crowd (although the Bird Flu could probably get over with the live TNA audience). His tag team with AJ Styles has been fun to watch since they began teaming up, as the "big man and little man" combination is a tried-and-true pro wrestling story. They've played well off of each other, but more importantly, Tomko has done well on his own, possibly setting himself up for a main event run in TNA. I hope that he can continue working on the vast improvements he's made in the last few months and place himself on the same level as Christian, Kurt Angle, Samoa Joe, etc, in TNA. Verdict: Well, at least I enjoyed some of his work with TNA before his career stalled out and he left the company. With the improvements that he made, he'll be a good addition to any company's roster, whether he returns to TNA full-time, heads back to WWE, stays in Japan, etc. Whatever he does, I wish him luck. 5. Shelton Benjamin There isn't anybody in WWE, period, with the blend of speed and athleticism that Shelton has. As evidenced by his appearances in Money In The Bank matches, he's as close to a "Human Highlight Reel" as there is right now. However, as evidenced by damn near everything else he's done, speed and nice "hops" does not a great wrestler make. Whether its a person to be his "mouthpiece" or some sort of faction to be a part of, Shelton needs something where he can just focus on his in-ring work and not have to fuck it all up by talking like a computer program from 1986. To me, it's obvious that someone in the company, whether it's Vince McMahon himself or someone on the writing team, wants Shelton to succeed. They keep trying to push him and give him shots at becoming some sort of breakout star. Would it really shock anybody if he wound up in RoH or TNA by this time in 2009? It wouldn't shock me whatsoever. Verdict: First and foremost, things change with time, and it would shock me if Shelton was in RoH or TNA by February 2009. The company has put too much into his most recent push for them to just turn around and kick him to the curb. He's continuously impressing people during his matches, and he has been rewarded by semi-main event pushes, and a spot in a PPV main event. I still say that, with a mouthpiece, he could have a WWE Title reign in his future. Hell, even without the mouthpiece, he could have a WWE Title reign in his future if he keeps improving the way he has. 4. MVP He appears that he's being groomed for future greatness with WWE, and I couldn't argue that even if I wanted to. He's indirectly suffering from Matt Hardy's recent injury problems, as their program could've been red hot by this point. The "feel-good" part of that storyline will obviously have Matt go over MVP and win the United States Title, but from there, MVP fully deserves a shot at the main event on Smackdown. Even if its a "test-run" and not a full-blown ride at the top, he deserves SOMETHING. He's got everything you look for in a big-time wrestler, and he seems to be on the verge of a Rock-like run, when Rocky Maivia became The Rock and ascended rapidly towards the top and eventually became WWF Champion. Count on it, folks. Verdict: Fuckin fuck.. let's just move on before I throw a fit. Damnit. 3. 2. TNA "Knockouts" Division I don't know if it says more positively about the Knockouts or negatively about the rest of the TNA roster and storylines, but the feud between Gail Kim and Amazing Kong (not featured on the pictured DVD, for multiple reasons) was probably my favorite TNA feud of the entire year. They put on some REALLY entertaining matches, being given more time to work with than your typical WWE women's match. While she's obviously not a Stacy Keibler or a Mickie James in the looks department, Amazing Kong is absolutely perfect at what she does and with the role she plays. With Gail Kim, they make the ideal "anchors" to the Knockouts division, and here's to hoping they use 2008 as their springboard to continue outshining their male counterparts. Verdict: I didn't even notice it until after I had already posted the column, but I referred to Awesome Kong as "Amazing Kong" (her pre-TNA name) in the column. I guess I was still working out the main page jitters. Anyway, the Knockouts continued to impress throughout the year, with Taylor Wilde coming out of nowhere to become a force in the division, as well as the emergence of The Beautiful People and the face run of Roxxi. That's not even mentioning the sheer spectacularness (yup.. spectacularness) of Awesome Kong. I don't see the Knockout division going away any time soon. 1. Jeff Hardy Those who know me know that, months ago, I was championing the "Jeff Hardy For Main Event" cause, and there were a lot of people that laughed at the idea. Yes, Jeff was over with fans, but he didn't have great mic skills and there was too much of a concern that he couldn't have good matches that didn't involve any combination of tables, ladders, and/or chairs. Then, something clicked, whether it was with Jeff himself or with whoever was writing the promos.. he seemed to have a focus on the mic that he never had before, and he was working with the biggest names in the company without being outshined, even though it didn't always require a Swanton off of a ladder to get it done. Now, instead of having it be his only attack plan, they've switched the "hardcore" part of Jeff Hardy's wrestling as the "elephant in the room".. something that his opponents can't overlook because its RIGHT THERE, even if he doesn't have to use it 100% of the time now. With MVP, I mentioned how he may require a "try-out" run as a main event player. That happens to be exactly what Jeff just went through. He was given a test by the company to see if he could handle it.. give him a shot at the title, and while he won't win it, see how he steps up and see if the fans believe him in that role. He proved himself against people like Umaga, Triple H, and obviously, against WWE Champion Randy Orton. The fans obviously bought him as a big-time player, as he seemed to get more over as the weeks went on. He past every test with flying colors (perfect choice of words for Jeff Hardy, no?). Now, with John Cena's return to the company, and with the company's (rumored) plans to have some combination of Cena/Orton/Triple H main event WrestleMania, Jeff needs to make sure he doesn't fall back and become lazy and unfocused again. People are crazy if they think Jeff will get pushed back to permanent midcard status now. Crazy, I tell you. A John Cena VS Jeff Hardy program is total and absolute MONEY for WWE, and they're in the perfect position to pull the trigger on that piece of goodness for SummerSlam, or somewhere around that time frame. Jeff will win the WWE Title before your calendars hit 2009, people. You heard it here first. Verdict: I'm running out of time to be correct on that final prediction, that's for damn sure. With another suspension on his record, as well as a long, drawn-out push towards the WWE Title, 2008 has been an eventful year for Jeff. He's still improving in all aspects, though, which is good. His recent work on Smackdown has been some of his best work of his career. Insane Jeff Hardy = winner. That was my look back at who I thought 2008's "Wolves" would be. Now, please join me as I look ahead and pick my Top 10 "Wolves" for 2009. My criteria for making this list varies, really.. I actually have to like the wrestler (or at least have some sort of vision for their future), and I have to feel that the wrestler is actually ready for making any sort of a jump that I feel they need to make. Let's start it off with #10..  10. John Cena He might be a bit of a strange pick to some people, considering the success level he's already achieved in his time with WWE. However, he's coming off of a 2008 that was bittersweet, at best, and he's got a lot of time to make up for after being out for about three months with a neck injury. In case you've been living under a rock which was placed under another rock, he makes his return to in-ring action this Sunday night at the Survivor Series. I fully expect him to be ready to rock-n-roll right off the bat, but from there, he needs to work on staying healthy so that it doesn't derail his pushes and his momentum. If the long-rumored heel turn takes place in 2009, except that hunger of his to intensify. I would think he'd have a lot of pent up frustration to take out on people if he does join the darkside.  9. The Brian Kendrick He came out of nowhere to end up with the most success he's had in his WWE career so far, and he needs to prove to people that he does, in fact, belong in the conversation of the top names on the Smackdown brand. I've seen the word "fluke" tossed around when people have discussed Kendrick in the last month or so. "One-hit wonder" and "flash in the pan" are also being used, fairly or not. I don't expect him to be immediately placed right back into the main event scene, but he's a legitimate contender for the United States Title, and he's also a contender for the WWE Tag Team Titles (with Ezekiel Jackson, of course). It should be interesting to see how serious the company decides to push him, as they could very easily just drop things altogether, leaving him stuck in opening match hell once more, or even worse.. dark match duty.  8. Jack Swagger I know that not everyone sees the things in Swagger's future that I see for the guy, but I really do think he's in line for a big push (for ECW standards) in 2009. Working with Tommy "Stop Calling Me Enhancement Talent" Dreamer can only help him improve, as he can work with a veteran name that won't lose any momentum himself should Swagger beat him. Swagger still appears to be really raw on the mic, but with more time to actually cut promos, that should be a problem that just goes away before too long. I'm thinking that he'll get fully pushed as a contender to the ECW Title sometime right after WrestleMania 25 and into the summer.  7. The Miz & John Morrison I wasn't originally going to list these guys here as a team, but after thinking about for a while, it just made sense that I do. Morrison has had singles success during his WWE tenure, and I'd be a fool to say he couldn't have singles success again, but damn, these guys are just working so well together at the moment. Getting to work with the likes of Triple H, Shawn Michaels, Rey Mysterio, and Jeff Hardy in recent weeks shows the confidence the company has in pushing them. They're, without question, the best tag team in the entire WWE right now. I think they both have singles pushes coming their way in 2009, but for the time being, I think focusing on the tag team is definitely the smartest idea. They feed so well off of each other, and it would almost be a shame to break that up just yet.  6. Chris Hero There was a time when it seemed that Hero was a "can't miss" choice for RoH World Champion. There was also a time when Hero seemed to job every week for a several month period. With the company going through some changes with the writing and booking team, it'll be interesting to see which side Hero goes to now. He's got all the talent in the world, and when he's "on", he's one of the best around. I don't know about him being an RoH World Champion anytime soon, but I can definitely see him working his way back up the ladder once again and becoming a legitimate contender for said title before the summer rolls around.  5. Melina Another name that has a lot to prove upon their return to the ring from a lengthy hiatus due to injury. With the company showing more interest in the Divas, Melina isn't returning to a slow women's division, but instead, one (on Raw) that is pretty much stacked from top to bottom. Picking up her feud with Beth Phoenix where it left off, pre-injury, is very important for her, and she needs to show that she's ready to handle the quickened pace of the division. I think she can, and for my sake, I hope I'm right, as I just love seeing her every week. Damn, I love that picture of her.  4. Mr Kennedy No, I'm not his biggest fan or anything, but he's got a really big year ahead of him. He's probably on one of his final chances this time, and if he doesn't step his game up, he may have lost his opportunity for good. If that isn't enough motivation to stay as hungry as you possibly can, I have no idea what is. Kennedy fans, you'd better hope he can stay healthy, keep his mouth shut in radio/online interviews, and just cross his fingers for good luck. At this point in time, he might just need it. 3.  2. Christian Cage His upcoming decision on whether to return to WWE or re-sign with TNA is a ridiculously huge one, and one that could affect the rest of his career in a positive or a negative way. If he stays with TNA, he'll be leaving a lot of money on the negotiating table, but he'll be less likely to be relegated to "midcard4life" status. If he returns to WWE, he'll be doing his family a favor with financial stability, but he'll be rolling the dice on how they use his character. Personally, I think his time in TNA has upped his profile a lot, and that if he does return to WWE, he'll be an upper-midcard/main event level guy because of it. That, and the money, is why I'm leaning towards him heading "home", probably to Smackdown to work a program with Edge in one way, shape, or form.  1. Jeff Hardy Yes, he tops this list for the second year in a row. Why? Well, he's still got a lot to prove to people, even with all of the improvements that he's been making recently. Some people don't think he should ever be any sort of world champion because he hasn't shown that he's able to be trusted completely just yet. They mention his drug suspensions as "evidence" to prove their point, and while that's a valid argument that can be made, I can counter with the fact that they'll never know for sure if they can trust him or not unless they actually go through with it and give him a chance to run with the ball. I love the direction that his character is heading in recently, and I think it can actually be effective in making him a heel if the company decides to head in that direction. Basically, Jeff just needs to avoid trouble, and he'll be just fine. Click Here For The HIPE & HIPRN Archives What Hustle Is Listening To Right Now: "Is This Love" by Bob Marley.. "Three Little Birds" by Bob Marley.. "Redemption Song" by Bob Marley.. "Waiting In Vain" by Bob Marley.. "Welcome To Jamrock" by Damian Marley Writer's Note: romey, my thoughts and condolences are with you and your family in this tough time. I appreciate you contacting me and giving me the update on what's going on. Again, if for whatever reason, you need anything from me, just let me know. Keep your head up, bro. Damn, I really need to stop letting myself get so easily distracted when I get to writing these columns. Having them finally get wrapped up at 6:30am isn't good for my sanity. Either way, though.. another one is now wrapped, packaged, and shipped out for the masses. I supply the fiends. Believe The HIPE. It's real. I'll be back tomorrow.. same Hustle time, same Hustle page.. with yet another banger. As of right now, I'm leaning towards another edition of "Ask Hustle", but we'll see. Until then, from a few feet away from my bed, 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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