Super 20 - Week 6, 2012

A strong week for wrestling matches on TV, with Raw, Smackdown and Impact all putting on good shows. Will Titus O'Neil break the Super 20 for the third week in a row? And yeah, Jericho has dropped off it for now.. what a failure of a return that has been so far.

20 new		Hulk Hogan Youuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu!
19 -5 2w		Aksana An early nominee for best entrance of the year and her sexual innuendo jokes with Teddy Long keep getting funnier.
18 -6 2w		Santino Marella The former master of the Honk-O-Meter is on form as of late and finds himself in the Super 20 for a second week running. If he keeps walking into Natalya's farts he will surely have a regular place here.
17 -11 6w		John Cena I can't tell if Cena had "embraced the hate" or not this week, as he was his usual playful self even when beating Kane up around the ring. Still intrigued as to where this is going though, and the new hype videos for Cena and Rock have me excited for WrestleMania.
16 new		Austin Aries A Double carries himself better than anyone else in the X Division and it's hard not to cheer for him when he keeps beating all the vanilla midgets cleanly. A man amongst boys. When CM Punk calls himself the "best in the world" it's a bit of a stretch, but Aries calling himself "the greatest man that ever lived" .. I can enjoy that.
15 -12 6w		Cody Rhodes A good short match with Sheamus on Smackdown this week, preceded by a decent promo promising to win the World Heavyweight Title at Elimination Chamber. I would love that to be the case, but I doubt it's going to happen. Still, Cody should be line for a singles match at WrestleMania. One of the few left remaining who has been on the Super 20 chart every week since its inception.
14 -3 3w		Titus O'Neil Make it a win! Heel Titus breaks the Super 20 for a 3rd week in a row. This is vintage heel stuff, the new suit, calling the fans idiots for no reason, fluffing promos. If the internet got Zack Ryder on TV we should be able to get Titus on too. #TITUS4RAW Owh owh owh! (Titus's bark/seal noise)
13 -4 6w		Sting The Stinger keeps up with the likes of Cena and Cody Rhodes by staying on the Super 20 for a 6th consecutive week. He just stands out as a total star compared to everyone on Impact at the moment. The black cricket back was a funny touch. Can't wait to see him in action next week.
12 new		Robert Roode I'm slowly starting to turn around on Robert Roode, who's heel turn I hated at first. Of course, Bully Ray is playing a big part in getting him over, but to Roode's credit he had a great match with ex-tag partner James Storm this week. I still don't know what his finisher is though, which is a problem.
11 -10 3w		Sheamus I guess Sheamus will just be biding his time until after Elimination Chamber now by picknig up wins on every show until he announces who he will be facing. I'm hoping he goes after the WWE title just for the swerve.
10 +8 6w		Mark Henry One of the few wrestlers who is tied for 6 weeks on the Super 20 chart, Mark Henry will unfortunately not be with us next week after his kayfabe suspension. His exiting promo was typical Henry though. He is one of the best in the business on the microphone right now. Hopefully he is back in time for WrestleMania for a big main event match.
9 new		Heath Slater Slater cut the promo of the week this week on NXT (2 NXT entrants in one week!), in where he replayed a clip of him finally winning a match over and over again til it reached Family Guy levels of surrealism. It was downright hilarious. His promo work is just great too, he has a cocky, self-assured confidence that doesn't overstep the mark. I'd love to see Slater called up full time to Smackdown if he keeps cutting promos like this.
8 new		Undertaker When you see Undertaker's entrance week after week it becomes unbearable, but coming back for one match a year at WrestleMania makes it cool when it happens. Shame he was wearing a stupid wig.
7 new		Triple H The staredown with Triple H and Undertaker was epic, a level of stardom that can only be achieved after two decades or so in the business. Two old-timers squaring off for perhaps the last time in their careers. Shades of Metal Gear Solid 4, westerns and everything else cool as fuck. I didn't like their match last year, but I'm still excited to see what happens with this angle.
6 new		Daniel Bryan Whoever thought we would see the day that Daniel Bryan debuted in the Super 20? Not I, that's for sure, but Bryan has proven his doubted wrong in recent weeks - upping his promo game, acting skills and showing a new star power that was lacking in the past. His heel turn has done wonders for him, much like Christian's did last year. The subtle face he pulled at Big Show when he was holding AJ was almost an Orton-level of great facial acting. All that said, his match with CM Punk was also brilliant and perhaps my favourite Bryan match since he faced Dolph Ziggler at Bragging Rights 2010.
5 +3 6w		John Laurinaitis Like Michael Cole this time last year, John Laurinaitis is pure comedy gold at the moment. Putting chap-stick on and puckering up his lips to join the "kiss my ass club" was hysterical, laugh out loud funny. He is the star of Raw.
4 new		Wade Barrett Despite debuting one of the worst wrestling themes I've ever heard which sounds like it was tailored more for Trent Baretta or someone, Wade Barrett put on a good, long main event match with Randy Orton on Smackdown. He looked like a star on Raw when he was being interviewed in the VIP suited by Josh Matthews and could well go on to win the title at Elimination Chamber.
3 new		Randy Orton Like weeks past, Barrett and Orton have helped each other rise to the top of this prestigious ranking system by putting on another great match in their series. Seemingly the finale to the feud, Orton and Barrett will be top contenders to take the belt away from Daniel Bryan at Elimination Chamber in a couple of weeks. A decent match with Dolph Ziggler on Raw also sees Randy Orton re-enter the Super 20 after injury.
2 +2 6w		Bully Ray The Bully is becoming a constant fixture at the top of the Super 20 and while I often praise his promo work here, I have to give credit for his work in the ring this week. His match with James Storm was fantastic and Bully plays the role of the heel better than anyone in the ring. The spot where he spits in the air and catches it in his mouth is hilarious and it's unique little things like that which have made him one of the most valuable assets in wrestling today - who would have thought that ten years ago when he was Bubba Ray with the stutter and the glasses?
1 +19 5w		James Storm The Cowboy picks up his first #1 spot in the Super 20 this week after two fantastic matches on the London Impact. Storm is simply the best babyface in wrestling right now and is universally loved by all different types of fans - a rare feat in today's wrestling world. His match with Robert Roode was great and promises for a great feud down the line, but his match with Bully Ray was one of the best matches of the year so far. The London crowd loved the Cowboy and hopefully his popularity will see him raise to the top of Impact Wrestling and capture a second World Heavyweight Title.

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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.

Super 20 - 2012, Week 4

Super 20 - the top 20 wrestlers this week in wrestling.

Week 4 of 2012

A revolutionary week this week, as 11 newcomers make it into the chart, some returning faces, a couple of brand new stars and the very first ever NXT entries.  Read on to find out...

20 new		Titus O'Neil After a decent match with Darren Young, Titus O'Neil cut a hilarious and random heel swerve promo for seemingly no reason.  The first ever NXT entry onto the prestigious Super 20.
19 new		Mickie James A great match with Madison Rayne this week on Impact, TNA knockouts keep showing the WWE barbie dolls how it's done.  Mickie James is probably the best female in-ring worker around, an underrated talent.
18 new		Jack Swagger That two minutes of Swagger beating the crap out of Zack Ryder and then pinning him to steal the U.S. title was one of the most satisfying things on Raw as of late.  About time that farsical run came to an end.  The U.S. title suits Swagger perfectly.
17 new		Vickie Guerrero If you didn't see Vickie Guerrero daning on this week's episode of Smackdown make sure you find it on Youtube. She's had some funny moments in her career, but this was amongst the best of them. She also played her part well on Raw in the opening promo, laughing in Mick Foley's face as Laurinaitis told him he couldn't be in the Rumble.
16 -13		Gunner A big win over AJ Styles for Gunner this week on Impact, but unfortunately no DDT to the concrete.
15 +2		Cody Rhodes After posting my Top 5 Hornswoggle moments article this week, I got a kick out of Cody Rhodes going after the little troll and beating on him until Justin Gabriel made the save. They had a decent five minute match, Cody showing how talented he is in the ring as always.
14 -10		Chris Jericho Jericho falls down 10 places, but his performance on Raw was still gold, walking out in the middle of the tag team match after hyping up the crowd. Still no idea where this is all leading to, it's keeping us all glued to find out week after week - great writing
13 new		Eric Young EY was hilarious as usual and his "match" with Angelina Love. He keeps finding news ways to make his grapple spot funny, even though we've all seen it 100 times already. His chemistry with ODB is amazing, they should become a legit tag team.
12 +3		Sting The boss of Impact was great in his role as GM, as he has been every week the last couple of months. A feud with Bully Ray could make for some great matches and promos.
11 +3		Mark Henry The WSM running down Teddy Long and his Vegas wheel on Smackdown was priceless. His match with Bryan wasn't so good, but that was down to bad booking more than anything. Desperate to see Henry take the gold against Bryan and Big Show at the Rumble - he deserves to main event WrestleMania.
10 new		R-Truth As I go through the list it feels like there were lots of great comedy segments in wrestling this week.  Truth's photoshop slideshow at Disneyland was brilliant, and the "I'm not even sure if that's PG" line was hysterical. I though R-Truth as a babyface might be terrible but it's actually turning out better than him as a heel.
9 new		Garrett Bischoff The training video of Garrett Bischoff on Impact this week was hilarious and epic, channelling the spirit of Rocky Balboa and Tony Montana with a cheesy 80's movie style montage. Just who is Bischoff's trainer?
8 new		Sheamus Sheamus and Wade Barrett put on a spectacle of a match on Smackdown this week and one of the best TV matches in a while, with their tables match. Less leprchaun and Irish comedy and more intensity like this from Sheamus and he will find a regular spot in the illustrious Super 20.
7 new		Wade Barrett Barrett just about gets the nod over Sheamus, but he had the benefit of enjoying the previously mentioned promo with R-Truth to get him there. The win over the Irish fella helps too. He seems like one of the odds on favourites to win the Royal Rumble in a few weeks.
6 new		Dolph Ziggler Mr. Ziggles has truly arrived. His promo destroying Mick Foley was incredible and for the first time ever Ziggler felt like a bonafide main eventer, with the mic skills to match his stellar in-ring work.
5 +13		John Cena Cena showed a side of him we haven't seen for a long time this week on Raw, physically decimating Jack Swagger in revenge for his assault and title win over Zack Ryder earlier in the night. He looked great as the pissed off tough guy and even showed heelish tendencies in his assault, Swagger coming off as kind of sympathetic. The Rise Above Hate angle continues, but where will it lead to?
4 -2		James Storm It's stupid that James Storm had to fight another #1 contendership match this week - this time against Jeff Hardy - but nevertheless Storm looked like a legit main event star on the mic and in the ring. He has it all to be the lead face of TNA and take them to next level, I believe - as I wrote in this article.
3 -2		Bully Ray If Storm is the top face in TNA right now, then Bully Ray is the top heel. A fantastic backstage segment with Sting showed off a great chemistry with the Insane Icon and the post-main event beatdown on Storm and Hardy with his trademark chain was a mark-out moment. After a feud with Sting, Bully deserves a PPV world title match sometime in the next few months.
2 new		Michael Cole Any Cole Miners out there who didn't watch this weeks episode of NXT: Redemption - go and watch it. Cole was good on Smackdown and heeled it up to his usual high standards, but on NXT he gave a blistering performance. He destroyed everyone and everything associated with the show, all in typical Cole fashion and turned what would have been a terrible, unwatchable wedding angle between Johnny Curtis and Maxine into a work of art with the gift of his voice. Vintage.
1 +11		John Laurinaitis John Laurinaitis becomes the first ever star to win the historic Super 20 for a second time, after a blistering performance on Raw. If the Ziggler-Punk title match at the Rumble had no heat going into it, that all changed after Laurinaitis completely sold the match with his brilliant promo work. Credit has to be given to Punk for his promo against Laurinaitis also, and he narrowly misses out on the top 20 this week - but Laurinaitis was on another level with his end promo, finally snapping after weeks of back-and-forth with CM Punk. His mannerisms when he finally snapped were amazing and I had flashes of early Vince Mcmahon, fixing the tie and wiping down his suit. Decking Foley with the microphone was a touch of class to finish the show. If CM Punk can keep his game up, this feud could be the next Austin-McMahon - and hopefully they will have some matches down the line.