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http://www.lopforums.com/showthread.php/5613-LOP-s-Bi-Weekly-WWE-Wrestler-Rankings-Let-Your-Voice-Be-Heard?p=311334#post311334 -------------------------- Ladies and gentlemen of the wide world of the main page, welcome to the Wrestling Press Sweet Sixteen! I’m your bi-monthly host, the humble mizfan. Over the past few weeks we’ve been diligently polling the loyal posters in the forums and various wrestling media outlets, and now I’m here to break down all of that information and tell you (and hopefully McMahon and company, if all goes as planned) what’s hot with the educated fans in the world of WWE. Hold onto your hats, because here we go! #16 – Beth Phoenix & Natalya, “The Divas of Doom” Considering a lot of these votes were garnered from our industrious internet fans, it’s a wonder these two aren’t higher. This pairing is an IWC wet dream, and they seem poised to steamroll the flimsier divas at any moment. Of course, the fact that they have yet to actually take down anyone important might have hurt them in the rankings. These girls are a very exciting concept, but after Beth was turned away by Kelly Kelly at Summerslam they may have lost some of their original steam. Beth is getting another shot at the butterfly belt at Night of Champions, of course, so perhaps their day is coming after all. It’s not hard to see why these girls are a potential draw, either. In a division that has long been plagued by the stigma of favoring “models” over in ring performers, these two girls offer a refreshing in ring product. And, in case you haven’t checked recently, they don’t look too shabby either. #15 - Kelly Kelly Another diva? This is the most attention this division has gotten since Trish Stratus retired. As the reigning diva’s champion who defeated the much lauded Beth Phoenix at Summerslam, it’s no surprise that she inches ahead of all her female comrades in these rankings. Kelly Kelly has been accused of being as much of a “Barbie” as her real name implies, but it’s a jaded fan indeed who won’t admit that her Summerslam encounter was surprisingly good. She seems to have reached the point where, with the right partner, she can really hold her own in the ring, as well as being one of the prettiest ladies in the business (hell, perhaps the world). There is some question as to whether she can hold her own once again come Night of Champions though, so we shall see if her somewhat improbable success continues. Let’s face it, when you’ve got looks like Kelly Kelly you don’t need a lot of talent to get ahead in life. That’s why you’ve got to give this girl some credit, seeing as she has improved remarkably over the last few years. She’ll never be the female Daniel Bryan, but she’s getting to the point where she can please both the casual and the diehard fans, and that my friends is a hard thing to do indeed. #14 Wade Barrett Wow, it’s been a hell of a year for this Brit eh? This time last year he would have been hovering in the top 5 without a doubt, and it’s been a long, bumpy road down the rankings. Sort of like falling down several flights of stairs (or having 47 chairs dropped on your head… wait…). In fact, if he hadn’t gotten an impressive win over Mister Money in the Bank Daniel Bryan at Sumemrslam, it’s debatable whether he would have actually been ranked at all. In the past few months Wade Barrett has lost his stable, he’s lost his midcard title, and he’s finally finished losing most of his credibility. Will defeating DB be the start of gaining it all back? From the looks of things… no. But he’s on a short term roll at least, and it was enough to get him on the radar. Wade Barrett is a guy many people thought would go places fast, and even though his road has proved bumpier than anticipated he’s still got a lot of potential. He’s proved himself a strong midcard addition to Smackdown even in frequent defeat, and he always seems to be hovering on the edge of a major push. Fans are often accused of having a short memory, but I think you’d be hard pressed to find a fan that doesn’t remember the original Nexus invasion. Barrett’s day is still coming, and it may be coming soon. #13 Evan Bourne & Kofi Kingston, “Air Boom” Remember tag team wrestling? Now everyone else does to! It’s rumored that the whole tag division is on the verge of revival, and the clearest indication of this is none other than the high flying pairing of Kingston and Bourne. As a pair of talented guys who have been a bit lost in the singles division, holding the tag belts has been the perfect move for them so far. Anything to get it off McGillitunga, right? Little Evan is probably one of the very best wrestlers in the company, whether he’s in the air or on the mat, but he lacks that vital charisma to propel him to singles success. Kofi, on the other hand, isn’t as crisp in the ring, but has proven that he knows how to get a crowd excited. These two guys compliment each other very well, and as long as nobody asks them to cut a long promo they’re going to do very well as the centerpiece of a (hopefully) budding tag division. They’re going to need some challengers though. #12 – Dolph Ziggler He’s perfection, right? Well, that’s the song anyway. As the United States Champion and a fixture of the midcard, bordering on the main event, Dolph is an extremely dependable talent. Thanks to his constant companion Vickie Guerrero, he’s also accompanied by a fair amount of heat wherever he goes. So why doesn’t he crack the top 10? Simple question, simple answer: he’s been doing nothing for months. As so often happens in the WWE midcard, the talents of Mister Ziggler go largely unnoticed for the time being. You’d think he’d have a story, an angle, or even a consistent challenger for his title, right? Fortunately, it seems as though he may be getting just that. There’s drama brewing in this fresh love triangle, with Swagger sticking his nose into the business of Vickie and Dolph’s on-again off-again relationship. Add Alex Riley to the mix, and we may just be seeing the prelude to a new phase in Ziggler’s career. Will it be the long anticipated split with Vickie? Only time will tell, but Ziggler is (as always) a name to watch. And MAN can that boy go in the ring! #11 – R Truth I’m sure he would claim that being kept out of the top 10 is all part of a C-O-N-spiracy, but y’all should be booing yoselves anyway. It’s been widely agreed that Truth’s major change in demeanor has been a rousing success (or at least better than what he was doing before), and while it hasn’t translated to a long term main event push it has put him in a much better position on the card than he’s been in the whole of his WWE career. With strong comedic promo work and a budding relationship with the Miz, Truth’s career has been totally revived and he seems ready to show what he can do. In a midcard scene that can look bland and generic to a jaded viewer, R Truth is a breath of fresh air. His talk of spiders and little Jimmys may be more silly than threatening, but he’s done a great job of giving off a truly unbalanced vibe that seems as though it could turn serious at any moment. For the first time ever, WWE might make some money off Ron Killings if they know what to do with him. #10 – The Miz As a former (and future) WWE champion, it’s no surprise that The Miz is the HBK to Truth’s Jannetty in their budding tag team endeavor, and their team is loose enough that they are doing a good job of maintaining separate identities, at least so far. The Miz carries the brunt of the heat gathering for the new team, with Truth mainly handling the comedy, and as always he does it masterfully. The Miz hasn’t had much to do since being sacrificed to feed Cena at Over the Limit, and this is a nice change of pace to doing the job to Alex Riley. What, you think this is biased coming from a guy named mizfan? Well, there’s a reason I’m so fixated, dear readers. The Miz is a guy who came into the WWE sucking, but he buckled down, did the work, and now he’s got the chops of a veteran with twice the years in the business. His promos are excellent, and his in ring product isn’t flashy but it’s very effective. He’s an all around extremely solid performer, and when this tag team runs its course you can bank on the fact that Miz will be back in the title hunt, full time. WWE has got a star here, and they know it. #9 – Daniel Bryan While it seems like he mostly gets pinned lately, it bears remembering that Daniel Bryan is the holder of that little blue lunchbox that says he gets to wrestle the world champion down the line. That, and he kicks absolute ass in the ring. While he seems to be in constant danger of being depushed, WWE has at least done a good job of making him looking strong in defeat every time, and he continues to impress each time he’s featured. With a large internet following, he’ll never be lacking for love in a largely online poll like this one. Daniel Bryan is so established with the diehard fans that it’s ridiculous. He’s heralded by many as the next coming of Shawn Michaels, or at least of the not-to-be-mentioned Chris Benoit. He’s young, he’s talented, and he’s got a fanbase that would follow him anywhere. WWE doesn’t seem to interested in pushing him to the moon at the moment, but the fact that they handed him the MITB briefcase speaks volumes. They know that they have something potentially great here, and they are slowly showing they are willing to invest in this unorthodox performer. Here’s hoping they continue the slow burn all the way to the top (and give him a win on TV, for god’s sake). #8 – Cody Rhodes As the relatively new Intercontinental Champion, Cody Rhodes must be secretly thrilled to be wearing singles gold for the first time. He was never much to look at as part of Legacy, with most of the attention going to the tension between Orton and Ted Jr (which never paid off, I might add, on account of Ted Jr being 10 kinds of suck). As we all must know, as soon as he got back on his own his career suddenly exploded. From Dashing to Disfigured, Cody has been one of the most dynamic character’s in the company, and winning the 2nd oldest title in the company is a big step in the right direction. Here’s another guy WWE is doing a great job with, letting him build up slowly instead of frantically shoving him into the main event the moment he shows any sort of ability. Cody’s a solid hand in the ring, but there’s no doubt that his main draw is the fascinating character he manages to create. It’s a callback to the days of more colorful gimmicks, and it’s a welcome one in the current scene of somewhat generic performers. Cody Rhodes continues to evolve in every way, and holding the IC belt may be just the way to truly break out, like his former mentor Randy Orton before him. #7 – Sheamus It’s a shameful thing… that it’s taken so long for Sheamus to get his momentum back. At the end of 2009 he came out of nowhere and took the WWE by storm, but after wearing a silly crown and getting murderized a few times Sheamus looked like he was just a flash in the pan. Not so! Smackdown saves another career, because as soon as “the Great White” showed up on the blue brand he was able to completely revitalize his career. A timely face turn and some excellent performances have really put Sheamus back on the map. He’s now hovering just a breath away from the main event again, thanks to some titanic clashes with Mark Henry, and now a ready made feud with Christian could be just the thing to propel him back to the very top. Sheamus is bordering on the total package right now in the ‘E. He’s getting great reactions, he’s putting on very solid in ring performances, and he’s improving on the mic every week. If he didn’t look so damn weird, he’d be a strong contender for the new face of the whole company. And if he keeps going on this crazy roll? He might be anyway. He’s not going to supplant Cena, but I think we’ll be seeing this guy in the main event for a long, long time. #6 – Christian I’m sure the Christian fanboys will be horrified to find him in sixth place, but he’s actually in a fantastic place right now. Even though he came off on the losing end of most of his encounters with the Viper, there’s hardly any other star on Smackdown that can touch Christian right now. With two world championship reigns under his belt (albeit short ones), Christian has been firmly established in the main event for a long time, probably the rest of his career. It seems he’s finally run out of matches for the title for now, but he’s moved smoothly into a promising feud with Sheamus, which can only do good things for both men. Christian is another guy who’s going to be followed by his fanbase wherever he goes. Edge’s former brother may have had poor success in title matches, but he’s been almost unstoppable in all of his other matches. This fact may have been overlooked by the conspiracy theorists, but it isn’t lost on the casual fan. They see Christian take Randy Orton to the absolute limit again and again, and they know this is a serious contender. Christian may never be the go to man for the championship, but there can be little doubt that he’s ready to step up at any time and fill in the gaps. Expect more reigns from this guy at some point, though I wouldn’t advise you look for any really long, dominant ones. #5 – Mark Henry If there was ever a man on a tear, it’s this man. He’s crushed more careers in the past few months than Triple H circa 2003 (ha), and he may be ready to bulldoze his way right to the world title in a few short days. Mark Henry is on a kick like none other, and it’s a pleasant surprise to see this man rewarded after improving his game massively over the past few years. Seriously though, since coming to Smackdown Mark Henry has redefined the term “monster”, and it’s going to take some serious effort for Orton not to get crushed under the weight (both figuratively and literally) of Mark Henry’s giant push. Mark Henry is a guy that has mostly put people to sleep over the years, but he’s living proof that hard work pays off. I don’t know what prompted this change in attitude, but with his career possibly not lasting much longer he’s really upped his game. His booking has been just beautiful as well, not to mention his clever adlibbing as he breaks people’s bones. Mark Henry is on this push of a lifetime, and it’s going to be a hard sell not to ride it all the way to that title belt. #4 – Alberto Del Rio WWE Champion comes in fourth? Well WWE, maybe that should tell you a thing or two. Alberto Del Rio is a character that never quite seems to live up to his hype. They say his promos are good, but he always seems to say the same thing. They say his matches are good, but he seems to spend most of his time these days trying to sneak attack people and failing miserably. I’m not sure I can count on one hand the number of times he’s tried to jump Cena, only to get his ass beat. But hell, he is the WWE champion (it was his destiny, after all) and that’s got to count for something! ADR is hailed as the answer to Mysterio’s health issues in terms of Latino drawing power. I’m not sure I see it yet, but he’s far from bad. He’s got some booking issues but it’s clear he’s a very solid talent, and the votes reflect that. Ideally he’ll be able to break out of the shadow of CM Punk and John Cena and establish himself better in the main event, and a win over Cena at Night of Champions could mean just that. Plus, check that ring announcer! Roberto Rodriguez FTW. #3 – John Cena Surprising to see the face of the company falling to third place, but then again he hasn’t had the best of times recently. Losing two PPV matches in a row (losing the WWE championship both times, ironically) and left without the belt for the first time in a while, Cena no longer quite seems like the star of his own show anymore. Cena is perhaps performing better now than he ever has, but part of that is attributable to the fact that he’s showing a little vulnerability. Dropping to #3 isn’t really a bad thing for Cena, without being the undisputed #1 week after week gives him a lot more breathing room to grow as a character. And come on, John Cena really is THE face of the company. His merchandise still sells like crazy, the children love him, and carries the show on his broad shoulders. Whole crowds turn red wearing his stuff, and when he has a new shirt they’ll turn that color too. Cena is the biggest moneymaker in the business, and he’s never going to be far from the top until that changes. #2 – Randy Orton He hear’s voices in his head, and apparently they give him good advice. Amid accusations of “Super Cena” it sometimes goes unnoticed that Randy Orton wins damn near every match he’s in. In terms of in ring stats I don’t think there’s anyone even close to as dominant as the Viper is. He’s been RKOing Christian (and everyone else) left and right all year long, and he may be even more unstoppable than Mark Henry. Orton is the answer to Cena, and while he’ll never supplant him as the face of the company he’s going to be hard to topple as the #2 guy. He’s one of the few guys left over from the main events of the past 5 years, and by virtue of that is “over like rover” as they say. Plus, Orton doesn’t pander to the kiddies, so he doesn’t suffer from those damn dueling chants like Cena does. Orton may have a death grip on the WHC for a long time, and if he can get past Mark Henry this Sunday he’s going to be almost impossible to take down. #1 – CM Punk But, OVERWHELMING you the people have chosen your champion, and he’s a damn good one. Since he started dropping “pipe bombs” CM Punk has been on top of the world, and even if his story has become a little overly complex as of late there’s still no doubt that excitement runs high every time he shows up. He’s got a blockbuster match coming on Sunday with Triple H, and it’s going to tell us a lot about his short term future. Whether he will continue with his corporate entanglements or go back to the title hunt afterwards remains to be seen, but either way he’s going to remain must-see TV for quite a while here. And, though his short term future may be in question, is there any doubt that WWE is set on keeping this guy not only around, bur relevant? WWE has reportedly worked hard to keep him on the roster after his near-departure a few months ago, and with the excitement he has generated it’s hard to imagine him falling right back down the ladder… again. Of course, stranger things have happened, but I choose the path of optimism. I don’t know if Punk is going to revolutionize wrestling completely or usher in a new Era, but I do think he’s going to stay in the main event for a long time. And I, for one, think it’s going to be damn entertaining. So there you have it, loyal readers. This edition of the Wrestling Press Sweet Sixteen is complete, and not a moment too soon! So once you’re done reading, feel free to sit back, relax, and mull things over as you watch Raw, Smackdown, Night of Champions, or whatever’s next on the docket. Definitely feel free to leave thoughts, comments, disagreements, death threats, and so on and so forth, and we hope you’ll show up to vote next time if you didn’t this time. Until next time, mizfan out! ---------------------------- Voting for the next poll is open from now until next Monday night at 11:59PM EST. You can leave your votes in the facebook feedback, email us, or log onto LOP Forums and go to the following link http://www.lopforums.com/showthread.php/5613-LOP-s-Bi-Weekly-WWE-Wrestler-Rankings-Let-Your-Voice-Be-Heard?p=311334#post311334
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