Super 20 - Week 10, 2012

The Rock returned to Raw last Monday, how did he effect the rankings for the past week? Is Ring Ka King still popping numbers on the Super 20? Will Calfzilla make it 10 weeks in a row on the charts? Read on..

20 -18 5w		Triple H Trips wasn't featured on Raw this week, but for an epic video package about his match with Undertaker last year - however a video that surfaced online of him pedigreeing The Miz during an ad break on Raw helps him remain on the prestigious Super 20 for a 5th consecutive week.
19 -7 2w		Sting It's showtime!
18 new		Jazzy Lahoria This is one guy I've been wanting to put in here for a while, but I have been waiting for him to do something worthwhile to get in here. An eccentric character with a theme befitting of his name, Jazzy Lahoria is just one of the best of the Indian acts on Ring Ka King so far. He sold his chair shot from Jeff Jarrett like a pro and bladed, despite seemingly having no wrestling background. He showed charisma in his segment where Jarrett was trying to force him to sign the contract to hand over Ring Ka King. Never have a clue what he is saying, but that doesn't matter.
17 -11 2w		Tyson Kidd Tyson continues to be one of my favourite in-ring workers each week and a pretty good match with Michael McGillicutty on NXT helped him stay in the S20 for a second week.
16 new		Big Show A really good match with Mark Henry and a typical Big Show promo against Cody Rhodes sees the Giant re-enter this distinguished ranking system.
15 +3 2w		Sheamus Sheamus continues on his path of destruction towards WrestleMania. Now with Orton locked in a feud with Kane, it seems certain he will go one on one with Daniel Bryan for the World Heavyweight Title at WrestleMania now. He cut an alright babyface promo about how he hates bullies on Smackdown then had a good match with Ziggler to follow up. Now is the time to start creating tension between Sheamus and Bryan, however.
14 new		Cody Rhodes Cody is back on the list for his promo against Big Show (we haven't seen a long Cody Rhodes promo for a while) and his "embarrassing moments" videos. A match between the two for the Intercontinental Title at WrestleMania should be fun with an intriguiding build-up between the two.
13 new		The Rock As poor as The Rock was on Raw this week, he deserves his spot on the list just for the attention he grabs when he turns up. John Cena completely destroyed him in a fraction of the time it took Rock to try and make stupid catch-phrases trend on Twitter, but more on him later...
12 new		Deadly Danda Like Jazzy Lahoria, Deadly Danda is a guy I've been waiting to put in the list - and this week he finally gave me that oppurtunity to do so by turning heel. An awesome, Russo-esque swerve that nobody saw coming. One thing Ring Ka King can do that nobody else is doing is keep viewers coming back each week with tantalising cliffhangers.
11 -1 4w		Scott Steiner Everything Big Poppa Pump does just makes me laugh, especially so on Ring Ka King where everything seems even more absurd. The dichotomy between Steiner and the rest of the Indian wrestlers and fans is hilarious.
10 +9 2w		Johnny Curtis Wanna get weird? I have no idea why Johnny Curtis is not on the main roster. After the addition of the toothpick last week, Curtis started rubbing body lotion on himself while providing guest commentary during Kaitlyn vs. Maxine. How is that not enough to gain a call up to Raw or Smackdown?
9 +6 2w		Eve The Hoeski is the most over diva in WWE right now. Her new attitude and demeanor makes me laugh and it's about time that WWE divas got storylines and characters of their own. Even Natalya farts now.
8 -1 4w		David Otunga Otunga is quietly building himself up a streak on the Super 20, coming in for a fourth week in a row now. His pairing with Laurinaitis is just gold right now and almost everything he says elicits laughter. Great writing with great delivery. I'd love to see more matches with him as well after he dominated Ezekiel Jackson last week.
7 +2 10w		Bully Ray What more can I say about Calfzilla that I haven't already said? 10 weeks and still going strong, Bully Ray still continues to grab your attention even when Impact is in a dull period (no Vince Russo). Funniest moment of the week in all of wrestling when Bully Ray told that old catering woman "You get uglier every time I see you" - I'm laughing even typing it.
6 -1 2w		Magnus Congratulations to Magnus for his first ever World Heavyweight Title win, and just because its the Ring Ka King title doesn't detract from the moment.  Magnus. or Sir Brutus Magnus as he is known in India, is a shining beacon of hope for the future of wrasslin'
5 new		Chris Jericho Jericho is back and after 8 weeks or so of terrible, unfocused build-up, we finally get to the meat of the Jericho-Punk feud with an awesome show-opening promo between the two. But despite how great Jericho was in this..
4 +4 2w		CM Punk ..CM Punk edged him slightly with his performance. They turned a dull feud into an epic one in the space of 20 minutes. Great line from Punk: "While I was swimming with sharks, you were dancing with stars". As an aside - no more CM Punk-Bryan matches please. They started off good, but with each one it gets worse and worse.
3 +1 3w		John Laurinaitis Mr. Excitement is always going to find himself round about this place if he carries on just doing what he does. Booking Kane vs. Aksana for next week's Smackdown was priceless..
2 new		Jeff Jarrett The Boss has finally arrived in Ring Ka King and he was even better and funnier than I expected. Jarrett has been sorely missed in TNA and it was great to see him back on top, doing what he does best - being a cowardly, bullying heel.
1 n/c 3w		John Cena Despite Rock lambasting him for 20 minutes and having the ability to draw the most stupid and obnoxious chants out of the audience whenever he wants, Cena still came out on top in the war of words last Monday. Fruity Pebbles, Missing Balls and Kung Pao Bitch (whatever that means) all fell dramatically when Cena pointed out Rocky's "tattoo" on his wrist. I don't know if this beef is a shoot or a work, but I am enjoying it either way. And congrats to Cena for being the first person to win consecutive #1 spots at the top of this esteemed ranking system.

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Super 20 - Week 8, 2012

And so Sting exits the Super 20 for the first time, just about, leaving only one man who has been featured every week since the inception of the list. Read on to find out who... (Obvious if you read every week - which you should!)

20 new		Mark Henry Henry barely has to do anything for me to put him in the Super 20. A good backstage segment on Smackdown with a promo at Elimination Chamber and here he is in the countdown again, without even wrestling a match.
19 new		The Miz I sat cheering for The Miz when it came down to him and CM Punk at the PPV, and for the first time in a while The Miz felt like a legit main eventer again. He really needs to be pushed back up the card. I really wanted a feud between him and Punk going in to WrestleMania, but it seems like it will be Punk-Jericho.
18 new		Wade Barrett Barrett was the workhorse in the Smackdown elimination chamber match and put on a good show. I like his knees to the face move while his opponents are caught in the ropes - it's like the heel version of Sheamus' 'Irish Hand Grenade' (as Booker T called it)
17 new		R-Truth Truth is here simply for his part in the "debate" on Raw. "When I get elected, I will draft Hornswoggle and a box of spiders.."
16 new		Christian It was awesome to see Christian back and in one of the best comedy promos in a long time, along with Mr. Excitement and..
15 new		Alberto Del Rio Berto! I knew Christian was due to be at the PPV, but Del Rio was a legit surprise. It was great to see him and Christian back. I am hoping there is going to be a 4 vs 4 match at WrestleMania, representing Team Laurinaitis and Team Teddy.
14 +3 7w		James Storm Storm is right on you know who's (no spoilers!) tail, with 7 weeks on the Super 20 now. His match with you know who (oops, I spoiled it..) this week was stellar, and you don't get many better matches on free TV. It is awesome for him to finally get a one on one shot with Roode for the title, and the angle building up to Lockdown should be great.
13 -9 3w		Daniel Bryan I really hated Daniel Bryan after he made Santino Marella tap at Elimination Chamber, and for that he deserves praise for how good he is as a heel. A decent promo on Smackdown and a good match with Sheamus also helps him stay on the Super 20 this week. His facial expressions are getting better every week.
12 new		Big Show I'm not sure why, but Big Show is just entertaining to me these days. Tearing up Teddy Long's office on Smackdown was hilarious and his spot breaking in to Daniel Bryan's pod in the Elimination Chamber match was great too - I really wanted to see him beat the shit out of him.
11 n/c 2w		Sonjay Dutt I can't believe how good this Sonjay Dutt guy is. TNA really need to sign him up to their roster as part of the X Division or something, he has bucketloads of personality and he can go in the ring.
10 -9 2w		Scott Steiner He falls down from the #1 spot last week, but Steiner was still hilarious this week - and even a little more surreal than usual. Trying to bribe Isaiah Cash to join his faction by putting a bowl of fruit in his lap? So funny.
9 new		Shawn Michaels HBK is awesome and I hope one day he comes back as a full time on-screen personality, perhaps reviving his commissioner role from the late-nineties. His promo with Triple H was one of the best I've seen in a while. Those two bring the best out of each other.
8 +2 3w		Robert Roode Roode is getting into full swing as a heel now and starting to get really big heat. His match with Jeff Hardy for the title on Impact was great, as was his opening promo in which he insisted the crowds boos were chants of "Roooode" - hilarious
7 +5 2w		David Otunga
6 +3 2w		Jwala So I asked someone to translate what Jwala's beef is with Jazzy Lahoria, and it appears as though he's pissed that he wasn't in the World Title tournament. I have to say I agree with him. Loved him beating the crap out of that pot-bellied little fat guy on Saturday's episode and a budding  feud with Deadly Danda is an awesome prospect.
5 new		John Laurinaitis Big Johnny is back and he's back with a bang as he lands straight into the Fave Five. He is the funniest guy in wrestling right now and every word out of his mouth makes me laugh. Him and David Otunga make a brilliant duo and here's hoping his expert legal counsel gets him the job taking over Smackdown.
4 new		John Cena A big week for Cena. He "embraced the hate" by sharing a kiss with Eve, then rose above it by beating Kane in a pretty good match at Elimination Chamber and still got the time to show some FCW rookies how to lift weights in his private gym. What a great guy.
3 -1 8w		Bully Ray Calveszilla, the only remaining star in the Super 20 who has been featured every single weeks since its inception - an incredible 8 weeks. And here he is, in the Fave Five yet again, moving down only 1 spot (and still TNA's undisputed #1). I  rarely get excited for the prospect of a wrestler vs. celebrity feud, especially when it's a celebrity I don't know - but I can't wait to see the follow up to Bully Ray and American Footballer Brandon Jacobs. A great match with James Storm and The Bully keeps evolving in his matches, this week ripping Storms boot off. The best heel in the business right now.
2 +3 3w		Triple H Triple H cut one of the best promos I've seen in a very long time on Raw. Calling The Undertaker a "brand" and refusing to take up his rematch offer was great writing and with awesome delivery from Triple H.  His feud with Undertaker is shaping up to be an epic for the ages.
1 new		Santino Marella Who would ever think Santino Marella would get the #1 spot in his current stage of his career? But this was a special week for Santino Marella and probably the highlight of his career so far. After winning a battle royale to enter the Elimination Chamber, he was the man of the night at the PPV and earnt every penny of his main event paycheque, keeping the fans (and me) on the edge of their seat to the very end. When he hit the cobra on Daniel Bryan, we were all sure he had won the big one and how we all cried when Bryan made him tap, after fighting so hard. He took us on an emotional rollercoaster from start to finish. Everyone was unconvined with Santino being Orton's replacement when Orton suffered a concussion this week, but I would argue the match was even better than it would have been as a result.

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Royal Rumble Picks

With the Royal Rumble coming up in a weeks time, it's that time of year when all wrestling fans start dipping into their piggy banks and heading down to the bookies to put money on who they think will win the Royal Rumble.  Let us take a look at the favourites and I will make my final pick at the end.

Sheamus

A popular pick for many, Sheamus appears to be one of the frontrunners to win the Rumble this year.  Having largely floundered around Smackdown, squashing everything in his way, Sheamus has had no notable feud and barely challenged for the World Heavyweight Title since he has been drafted to Smackdown - something everybody expected from him this year. The former two-time WWE champion seems to be a main event star of the future for WWE, but I don't think they're going to give him a 'Mania title match just yet.

Wade Barrett

Like Sheamus, Barrett has been mostly directionless since he was drafted to Smackdown - that was until his rivalry with Randy Orton. Appearing regularly on both Raw and Smackdown every week as of late, Barrett seems like he is in the favour of the higher-ups in WWE at the moment and after coming off strong in his feud with Randy Orton, there is a case to be made that he will be the winner of the Royal Rumble this year.  However, like Sheamus, I don't think Barrett will be involved in the title match at WrestleMania this year - my prediction is that Sheamus will fight Wade Barrett in a grudge match at the biggest PPV of the year.

Randy Orton

The hometown hero is surely the odds on favourite to win, right? Don't expect it.  Randy Orton is already a Royal Rumble winner, having won the match in 2009, and though we have seen others win the Rumble two or even three times in the past, Orton doesn't need this win to elevate his career any further right now. Of course, if you think back to the draft, you could believe promises could have been made to Orton that he would be in one of the main events of WrestleMania the followng year. Despite being the company's second biggest draw, Orton was coming off the back of a second WrestleMania in a row in were he fought a mid-card match and then had the slap in the face of being drafted to the B-show, Smackdown.  I still think Orton will be in a World Title match at WrestleMania, but I believe he will be going in as champion - perhaps against..

Cody Rhodes

...the Intercontinental champion, Cody Rhodes. But is Cody Rhodes a serious pick to win the Royal Rumble? It seems as though a feud with Goldust is on the cards at the moment, and though his elder brother wanted to have that match at WrestleMania, it could easily be over and done with by Elimination Chamber. Royal Rumble winners tend to have filler matches at Elimination Chamber PPV between the Rumble and WrestleMania to give them heat going into their big match, such as Alberto Del Rio last year beating Kofi Kingston.  While Cody Rhodes is on the brink of becoming a bonafide main eventer in WWE, he is definitely a dark horse for the Royal Rumble.  Though the theme tune of the PPV is indeed "Dark Horses" - perhaps a subtle clue?

Undertaker

If the gong were to chime after a countdown during the Royal Rumble match, nobody would see it coming and the WWE fans would go crazy.  It is around this time every year that Undertaker makes his bombastic return to the WWE for his annual WrestleMania match and doing it at the Rumble would be a huge shocker. The Rumble is always full of surprises and this would be a big one - but Undertaker winning the Rumble? While there is a possibility he could return, I can't see him winning the thing as he doesn't need to be fighting for a title at WrestleMania..

Chris Jericho

..and neither does the recently returned Chris Jericho.  Nobody can truly predict what is going to happen with Y2J, but one popular theory is that he will win the Rumble and face CM Punk at WrestleMania for the WWE title, putting over Punk in the process and elevating him to being a true main eventer. While that would make for a great feud, I think WWE has different plans for Jericho. Though the mystery videos haven't been mentioned since his return as of yet, the WWE wouldn't go to all the trouble of making those clips if they did not have any meaning. I think there is a stronger possibility that Jericho will go on to face Undertaker at WrestleMania, rather than CM Punk - the January 2nd videos seemed to imply a feud with 'Taker more than Punk, with many being fooled into believing it could even be videos promoting the return of Undertaker.

Alberto Del Rio

Amongst the WWE fans, all the above mentioned names are being thrown around as possibilities to win the Royal Rumble this year, but Alberto Del Rio, last year's winner, is one name that is hardly getting a mention. Though he has only been off TV for a couple of weeks, it's almost as if he has been away forever, with everybody seeming to have forgotten that he even exists. Though out with an injury, reports indicated he would be back around the time of the Royal Rumble and so it is likely he will be making his return as a surprise entrant. Will he go on to win it for the second year in a row, though? It is likely CM Punk will be headlining the WWE title match at WrestleMania this year, as Raw's top babyface behind John Cena and I can't imagine the Del Rio-Punk feud that ended a month or so ago reigniting already.

John Cena

John Cena would be a shocking and dramatic pick to win the Royal Rumble and one that would piss many fans off, as Cena is already booked to face The Rock in the main event of WrestleMania. Why would he win the Royal Rumble? Say he wins the Rumble and uses his shot as a means of facing CM Punk for the WWE title before WrestleMania, as to defend the gold against Rock in their super main event. Cena did allude to facing Rock for the WWE title just under a year ago, after WrestleMania, but rarely since then has it been mentioned as a possibility. The popular thinking is that the Cena-Rock match does not need the WWE title for it to be any bigger, but it is also a known fact that Vince McMahon prefers for the final match of the night to be a WWE title match - as nothing should be bigger than the WWE title. It is an outside chance, but not completely impossible.

Dolph Ziggler, Daniel Bryan, Mark Henry, Big Show or CM Punk

It almost went unnoticed, but recently WWE announced that competitors involved in title matches this year will be eligible for participation in the Royal Rumble event. This leaves a whole host of big name main eventers that could be involved in the match. Daniel Bryan or CM Punk could even lose their titles and then go on to win the Rumble that very night, booking themselves into a main event at the Rumble. While this is a chance, I'd guess that WWE are only doing this to bring more star power to the Rumble, than to throw any spanners into the works.

My Pick - The Miz

Since Survivor Series I have believed that The Miz would face CM Punk at WrestleMania for the WWE title, after headlining arguably the second biggest PPV of 2011 against The Rock, as well as headlining WrestleMania earlier in the year.  I just did not know exactly how they would get to that point, but now I'm pretty confident in my assumption that The Miz is going to win the Royal Rumble and go on to face (and beat) CM Punk for the WWE title at WrestleMania 28.

WWE would not invest so much time and effort into The Miz over the course of 2011 if they didn't have a big match planned for him at WrestleMania.  Of course, a match with R-Truth is a possibility at this point, but I believe that WWE has much grander plans than that for the Awesome One.  Like I said in my WrestleMania article, I think Miz and Punk could pull of a show-stealing match at 'Mania.  Both are good workers and great on the mic and we have yet to see any real feud between the two except for the light, inconsequential feud going into TLC.

One other reason is that The Miz has had barely any screen time as of late. Surely that means he won't be winning this year then? To me, it's a red herring from WWE - the Rumble is always full of surprises, and this year I think The Miz will be the surprise pick to win.