Post by 'The Indestructible' Ichabod on Jan 6, 2017 1:11:20 GMT -5
Happy 2017!
Looking back over the last year, who were the strongest, most entertaining, most influential, most successful superstars? Any company, any level of prestige, who did you mark out for?
(note: some spots are taken up by groups/teams simply because I don't feel like they'd have been as over for me apart)
Here's my list:
21. Finn Balor: I struggled with him not making the list, simply because his super-hyped main roster debut was cut short so suddenly and we were robbed of half a year, but taking into account his NXT body of work before being called up, Balor is incredible. He's a tiny guy who can hang with guys four times his size. He's super exciting to watch, and he's got a character that should be silly, but is pulled off really well. I'm excited for a long run from Balor in 2017.
20. Brian Kendrick: I don't think he's quite there yet, but Kendrick has a huge amount of potential. I'm note sure he really fits in with the rest of the cruiserweights, but I do enjoy his anti-cruiserweight character in that division. I would like to see him transend the division later and move on to maybe the IC division.
19. Gran Metalik: This guy is worlds beyond Sin Cara and Kalisto. Collectively, I think he gave me the most Holy Shit moments during CWC.
18. Rusev: I can be a man and admit I was wrong about Rusev when I first saw him perform. I thought he was ridiculous and silly, but I was right about that, actually. I really like how they make him look like a powerful beast, and he's actually really funny. My bae, my spirt animal, Ru-Ru.
17. Bobby Roode: GLORIOUS!!! You can't help but get excited when you hear it. When it comes to a charismatic guy who bleeds entertainment, you'd be hard pressed to match Roode's impact. He's fantastic in the ring, he exudes an aura that he's got the biggest ego and can back it up, and he even sells well. I want to see Roode on the main roster soon.
16. Heath Slater/Rhyno: The Cinderella story of the year. I loved the way he challenged any and everyone to prove he deserved a contract mid-year, and his interruption of Brock Lesnar was one of my favorite moments of the entire year. And when it seemed like his last chance was on the table, Rhyno stepped up to save the day. They've been explosive and an excellent cohesive team, and I was sad to see them lose the tag team championships.
15: Sasha Banks: ~sigh~ Sasha deserves to be on the list for keeping up with Charlotte. The feud had a hot potato feel to it, with the title switching hands twice a month it seemed, and Sasha is very talented, there's a lot of potential there, but I can't put her higher just because she's going to wind up killing herself if she doesn't learn how to take a fall properly. She's damn interesting to watch in that you're always expecting her to break something. I can see why she's taken on a bit of Foley-protege persona lately.
14. Alexa Bliss: After Becky Lynch turned out to be kind of a letdown as the top female on Smackdown, Bliss saved the day. This girl is like four feet tall and moves like an experienced cruiserweight when she gets her feet under her. She's far more entertaining and talented than any other woman wrestler on Smackdown, and I love how seriously she takes herself, it feels real, not like a character, and so it sells well.
13. Samoa Joe: For me, Joe is what Brock could be if he could actually wrestle for more than five minutes and didn't need a mouthpiece to be sold as interesting. Not much else to say.
12. Baron Corbin: Of all the newer talent who joined the main roster in 2016, I see the sharpest and fastest rise from Corbin. He's fantastic in the ring, a legit threat whenever he stops screwing around with Calisto... I really think he is one of the most deserving of the push we keep getting teased with him. Corbin is going to be huge if he's handled correctly. Fingers crossed. PS end of days is an awesome fucking move.
11. The New Day: You can't dispute the year the longest-reigning tag team champions in history had. Super entertaining, funny as hell, kings of merch, and if it weren't for the gimmick wearing a little thin about two thirds of the way through the year, they might have cracked the top ten. For what it's worth, Xavier Woods is my favorite of the three.
10. Cedric Alexander: In my personal opinion, the best cruiserweight performer from the CWC. He was my pick from the start, and the most entertaining to watch in a slew of super entertaining performers. Good cruiserweight is the best form of wrestling in my opinion, and I was hyped for CWC and the incorporation of the division into Raw (even if that flopped). I hope to see more of Alexander in 2017 in the title race.
9. Seth Rollins: I've never been a fan of anyone in the Shield, but Rollins is a joy to watch in the ring, a helluva performer in any match. Forget that he injures everyone he lays hands on. When he made his return I actually got excited, and his inevitable face-turn, his reaction to being screwed over by HHH, and his temporary realliance with the Shield all got good reactions from me. Let's hope 2017 gives him a Universal Championship run.
8. Broken Matt Hardy: Love him or hate him, whether you think it's nonsense or brilliance, Matt Hardy has changed something. He's the single most notable thing in a tumultuous year for TNA, and he managed to get over a gimmick that by all rights should never had made an impression. Matt Hardy was a joke for years, playing second fiddle to Jeff's daredevil antics, and now he's owning it.
7. Travis Roberts: From Infinity to Horizons, Travis Roberts did exactly what he set out to do, and I'm not talking about his record-breaking World Title reign. Because of his dominance, he set the bar so high that we all had to rise to the occasion. This year has seen the longest series of closest world title matches since we opened, if memory serves, and that's because to go against Roberts is to be forced to bring your A-game like never before just to stand in the ring with him. Rob promised to contribute to raising the level of competition in UGWC, and he certainly has done that.
6. Cesaro/Sheamus: Of the two, Cesaro is insanely good. His draft night shoot, and his explosive style, were highlights for me. Cesaro really made fans question if he was on his way out, but by the end of the year really cemented a successful run, largely due to the best of seven followed by tag team challenges with Sheamus. On his own, he wasn't quite there, but I think Foley was right about the stroke of genius it was putting them together.
5. Shinsuke Nakamura: A debut to rival AJ Styles', Nakamura has never disappointed. I'm not as knowledgable about NXT, but when I do catch an episode, Nakamura is the highlight every single time. His unorthodox style is so sloppy, but so entertaining, and his shit looks like it really fucking hurts. I love watching this guy.
4. Charlotte: At the beginning of the year, I had absolutely no interest in Charlotte. I thought she was boring and whiney. Over the year, she has really made a believer out of me. Her feud with Sasha will go down as one of my favorites in history, and Charlotte made huge strides in putting the women's division bar higher than it's ever been... I daresay better than Trish vs Lita.
3. The Miz: His constant shoot work, pulling off the 'heels make valid points' schtick, and his ability to easily throw any and every superstar under the bus is incredible. For me, he's the best thing on the microphone in WWE, and one of the best IC champions of all time.
2. Chris Jericho/Kevin Owens: I'm a big fan of KO, but without Jericho, I'm not fully sure he would have gone over as much as he has this year. KO's Universal reign is a huge success, but for me, he was more impressive in 2015. Adding Jericho's ability to get any inane thing over to the mix made them the most entertaining thing to watch on either show.
1. AJ Styles: One of the most anticipated WWE debuts I've ever seen, and he's lived up to every moment. Styles is the future of WWE, and for me he's the next era's Cena/Rock/Austin.
Honorable Mentions:
Rich Swann
American Alpha
Kota Ibushi
Scott Dawson/Dash Wilder
Rogan MacLean
Carmella
Looking back over the last year, who were the strongest, most entertaining, most influential, most successful superstars? Any company, any level of prestige, who did you mark out for?
(note: some spots are taken up by groups/teams simply because I don't feel like they'd have been as over for me apart)
Here's my list:
21. Finn Balor: I struggled with him not making the list, simply because his super-hyped main roster debut was cut short so suddenly and we were robbed of half a year, but taking into account his NXT body of work before being called up, Balor is incredible. He's a tiny guy who can hang with guys four times his size. He's super exciting to watch, and he's got a character that should be silly, but is pulled off really well. I'm excited for a long run from Balor in 2017.
20. Brian Kendrick: I don't think he's quite there yet, but Kendrick has a huge amount of potential. I'm note sure he really fits in with the rest of the cruiserweights, but I do enjoy his anti-cruiserweight character in that division. I would like to see him transend the division later and move on to maybe the IC division.
19. Gran Metalik: This guy is worlds beyond Sin Cara and Kalisto. Collectively, I think he gave me the most Holy Shit moments during CWC.
18. Rusev: I can be a man and admit I was wrong about Rusev when I first saw him perform. I thought he was ridiculous and silly, but I was right about that, actually. I really like how they make him look like a powerful beast, and he's actually really funny. My bae, my spirt animal, Ru-Ru.
17. Bobby Roode: GLORIOUS!!! You can't help but get excited when you hear it. When it comes to a charismatic guy who bleeds entertainment, you'd be hard pressed to match Roode's impact. He's fantastic in the ring, he exudes an aura that he's got the biggest ego and can back it up, and he even sells well. I want to see Roode on the main roster soon.
16. Heath Slater/Rhyno: The Cinderella story of the year. I loved the way he challenged any and everyone to prove he deserved a contract mid-year, and his interruption of Brock Lesnar was one of my favorite moments of the entire year. And when it seemed like his last chance was on the table, Rhyno stepped up to save the day. They've been explosive and an excellent cohesive team, and I was sad to see them lose the tag team championships.
15: Sasha Banks: ~sigh~ Sasha deserves to be on the list for keeping up with Charlotte. The feud had a hot potato feel to it, with the title switching hands twice a month it seemed, and Sasha is very talented, there's a lot of potential there, but I can't put her higher just because she's going to wind up killing herself if she doesn't learn how to take a fall properly. She's damn interesting to watch in that you're always expecting her to break something. I can see why she's taken on a bit of Foley-protege persona lately.
14. Alexa Bliss: After Becky Lynch turned out to be kind of a letdown as the top female on Smackdown, Bliss saved the day. This girl is like four feet tall and moves like an experienced cruiserweight when she gets her feet under her. She's far more entertaining and talented than any other woman wrestler on Smackdown, and I love how seriously she takes herself, it feels real, not like a character, and so it sells well.
13. Samoa Joe: For me, Joe is what Brock could be if he could actually wrestle for more than five minutes and didn't need a mouthpiece to be sold as interesting. Not much else to say.
12. Baron Corbin: Of all the newer talent who joined the main roster in 2016, I see the sharpest and fastest rise from Corbin. He's fantastic in the ring, a legit threat whenever he stops screwing around with Calisto... I really think he is one of the most deserving of the push we keep getting teased with him. Corbin is going to be huge if he's handled correctly. Fingers crossed. PS end of days is an awesome fucking move.
11. The New Day: You can't dispute the year the longest-reigning tag team champions in history had. Super entertaining, funny as hell, kings of merch, and if it weren't for the gimmick wearing a little thin about two thirds of the way through the year, they might have cracked the top ten. For what it's worth, Xavier Woods is my favorite of the three.
10. Cedric Alexander: In my personal opinion, the best cruiserweight performer from the CWC. He was my pick from the start, and the most entertaining to watch in a slew of super entertaining performers. Good cruiserweight is the best form of wrestling in my opinion, and I was hyped for CWC and the incorporation of the division into Raw (even if that flopped). I hope to see more of Alexander in 2017 in the title race.
9. Seth Rollins: I've never been a fan of anyone in the Shield, but Rollins is a joy to watch in the ring, a helluva performer in any match. Forget that he injures everyone he lays hands on. When he made his return I actually got excited, and his inevitable face-turn, his reaction to being screwed over by HHH, and his temporary realliance with the Shield all got good reactions from me. Let's hope 2017 gives him a Universal Championship run.
8. Broken Matt Hardy: Love him or hate him, whether you think it's nonsense or brilliance, Matt Hardy has changed something. He's the single most notable thing in a tumultuous year for TNA, and he managed to get over a gimmick that by all rights should never had made an impression. Matt Hardy was a joke for years, playing second fiddle to Jeff's daredevil antics, and now he's owning it.
7. Travis Roberts: From Infinity to Horizons, Travis Roberts did exactly what he set out to do, and I'm not talking about his record-breaking World Title reign. Because of his dominance, he set the bar so high that we all had to rise to the occasion. This year has seen the longest series of closest world title matches since we opened, if memory serves, and that's because to go against Roberts is to be forced to bring your A-game like never before just to stand in the ring with him. Rob promised to contribute to raising the level of competition in UGWC, and he certainly has done that.
6. Cesaro/Sheamus: Of the two, Cesaro is insanely good. His draft night shoot, and his explosive style, were highlights for me. Cesaro really made fans question if he was on his way out, but by the end of the year really cemented a successful run, largely due to the best of seven followed by tag team challenges with Sheamus. On his own, he wasn't quite there, but I think Foley was right about the stroke of genius it was putting them together.
5. Shinsuke Nakamura: A debut to rival AJ Styles', Nakamura has never disappointed. I'm not as knowledgable about NXT, but when I do catch an episode, Nakamura is the highlight every single time. His unorthodox style is so sloppy, but so entertaining, and his shit looks like it really fucking hurts. I love watching this guy.
4. Charlotte: At the beginning of the year, I had absolutely no interest in Charlotte. I thought she was boring and whiney. Over the year, she has really made a believer out of me. Her feud with Sasha will go down as one of my favorites in history, and Charlotte made huge strides in putting the women's division bar higher than it's ever been... I daresay better than Trish vs Lita.
3. The Miz: His constant shoot work, pulling off the 'heels make valid points' schtick, and his ability to easily throw any and every superstar under the bus is incredible. For me, he's the best thing on the microphone in WWE, and one of the best IC champions of all time.
2. Chris Jericho/Kevin Owens: I'm a big fan of KO, but without Jericho, I'm not fully sure he would have gone over as much as he has this year. KO's Universal reign is a huge success, but for me, he was more impressive in 2015. Adding Jericho's ability to get any inane thing over to the mix made them the most entertaining thing to watch on either show.
1. AJ Styles: One of the most anticipated WWE debuts I've ever seen, and he's lived up to every moment. Styles is the future of WWE, and for me he's the next era's Cena/Rock/Austin.
Honorable Mentions:
Rich Swann
American Alpha
Kota Ibushi
Scott Dawson/Dash Wilder
Rogan MacLean
Carmella
