Yes, the Power 23 had run its course, and with a whimper it shall fade into obscurity - much like Daniel Bryan will when he inevitably drops the world title to Big Show on Smackdown next week. Indeed, the Super 20 will be more compact, more daring and slicker in presentation than its predecessor.
And so, without further adieu, I unveil to you - my legions of adoring fans - the brand new Wrestling Super 20.
| 20 new |  | MagnusSamoa Joe narrowly misses out on the Super 20 this week, but his new tag team partner makes it in for the first time in the storied history of the Super 20. Magnus is on the rise at the moment and could be in line to become the new #2 English wrestler after Wade Barrett. Undoubtedly this pair will win the wild-card tag team tournament and face the boring Morgan/Crimson team for the belts at Genesis. What made Magnus pip Joe for this spot was simply throwing ODB into the turnbuckle hard and sending her crashing to the outside... Hilarious. |
| 19 -14 |  | Kurt Angle Down 14 from last week, but still hanging on in the Super 20. While his bar room brawl skit last week was fantastic and some of the best writing on Impact for a long time, inevitably Angle had to fall this week. Still, he had a good showing and seems to be re-developing a more sinister version of his goofy comedy heel persona that he had in WWE. Definitely one of the best in TNA right now, and still of course one of the best wrestlers in the world. His match with RVD was good, but when is Angle ever bad? For Angle to make his way back up the charts though, we need more of this:  |
| 18 -9 |  | Mark Henry Plummeting down 9 places to 18th, Mark Henry still should be commended for making the list this week as he has had virtually nothing to work with due to his thigh injury. His sheer presence on Raw and Smackdown alone is enough to get the self-proclaimed silverback. Note to the fans as well - the "sexual chocolate" chant was funny once but it doesn't mean we have to hear it every week... Idiots. |
| 17 -9 |  | Dolph Ziggler He may have gained the #1 contendership to the WWE title, but this wasn't exactly Dolph's greatest week. The real star of the show in the main event of Raw was a man we will come to later. Expecting to see Ziggler rise up next week if he (hopefully) wins the title from Punk. |
| 16 n/c |  | Booker T A great match with Cody Rhodes on Raw and a brilliant follow-up promo on Smackdown from the "semi-literate buffoon". His banter with Cole and Matthews was hilarious as usual too. |
| 15 -3 |  | Bully RayThe Bully is playing a quiet role on Impact at the moment, and even though we've heard it before , calling out one of his rivals as a "bully" is one of the best mark-out moments in wrestling today. A feud with Abyss doesn't interest me, but their hardcore match at Genesis should be good as long as it doesn't go beyond that. |
| 14 new |  | Heath SlaterI watched NXT this week, which is a rare occurence and saw what was probably the best match of the week - Heath Slater vs. Justin Gabriel. Gabriel is a favourite of mine who just missed out on the Super 20 this week, but Slater gets in here for his two great promos - first on NXT and then again on Smackdown. He could be an awesome heel if given more time on the main shows. That hair.. |
| 13 new |  | Alberto Del RioRolling out on a golden wheelchair as Cole talked about it's "gold plates" as if it was one of his prized cars. Del Rio should milk this injury while he is out as it is giving him great character development - he looks hilarious in the wheelchair. Ricardo Rodriguez in a neck brace with a hole for the bow-tie was also a subtle touch of genius. |
| 12 -5 |  | Big ShowBig Show has become one of the better actors in WWE - most likely due to his acting training for his film. The giant is also improving his in-ring work a lot and seems more agile than he was a couple of years ago. It will be a crying shame if he doesn't take the strap from Daniel Bryan at next week's Smackdown, as the little man's title run has already run its course. |
| 11 -7 |  | KaneWith his promo this week, Kane's re-found mystique and aura dissapeared and he was simply bald Kane wearing a mask. But it was a great promo nontheless and he still remains one of the best things in WWE right now. He falls, however, as the real star of this angle is John Cena, who is becoming the most intriguing character in wrestling right now because of Roddy Piper and now Kane telling him to "embrace the hate". The lead up to WrestleMania should be a slow and interesting one. |
| 10 -9 |  | Michael ColeWhile Michael Cole wasn't as over the top as he was last week, he was still quietly brilliant in his role in a way only the most ardent Cole Miners could have picked up. Little comedic gems here and there spiced up his usual, top class commentary. His chemistry with Booker T and Josh Matthews is brilliant and he still manages to make Raw good every week despite the black hole of negativity that sits next to him, Jerry Lawler. |
| 9 +12 |  | StingThe "general menace" was my choice for funniest wrestler of the week in TNA, which is a proud accomplishment for any wrestler. He looks even funnier in normal street clothes and no facepaint when he is doing his Insane Icon gimmick - screaming in Madison Rayne's face mimmicking her voice was a highlight, as is the random, camp, gay voice he phases in and out of every now and then. "Ta-ta for now" is once again the best catch-phrase of the week. |
| 8 -5 |  | David OtungaWe didn't see much coffee flask or bow-tie this week - but we did get to see another glimpse into the brilliant developing David Otunga character - his ring entrance. I have seen it before of course, but not realised its genius until now. Walking out with his hands behind his back and his straight Harvard lawyer face to the great "All About The Power" theme tune is brilliant. His two matches with Big Show were good and those writing him off as a "bad worker" are merely miserable Daniel Bryan fans who think every wrestler has to be a technically proficient suplex-master. They don't, you idiots. |
| 7 new |  | Hunico The new bike entrance - need I say more?  I will say a little more though. Hunico has to be one of my favourite cruiserweight wrestlers right now. Some people think I'm opposed to smaller wrestlers because I don't like Daniel Bryan. That isn't true at all - I hate Daniel Bryan because he's boring, his matches are one-dimensional (don't give a damn about his ROH work, so don't come spouting that crap to me) and he has no place being near the main event in WWE. Hunico however, is unique, has bags of charisma and a great gimmick. Definitely a future U.S. champion, at the very least. |
| 6 +7 |  | John CenaJohn Cena is having the most interesting run in his career right now, and it is all in the subtleties. When the ostentatious "Rise Above Hate" t-shirt came out, it was a subtle clue of what was to come with his character. We are seeing it play out slowly each week on Raw now and new layers are being added to the John Cena character in the lead up to his big WrestleMania main event with The Rock. This week he did not have to do much, except stand there while Kane cut his great promo on him. Cena's acting was brilliant here. |
| 5 +1 |  | Cody RhodesFave five time! Though he lost to Booker T on Raw, Cody's star rose further this week with yet another show-opening promo that proves the WWE have faith in him to be the next big breakout star. When the dust settles and Punk and Bryan fade back into obscurity, Rhodes will emerge as one of the next top tier main eventers. I never wanted to see Cody vs. Goldust at 'Mania but I wouldn't be opposed to it now after seeing their great interaction on Smackdown. Dustin being without make-up helped, but Cody carried most of the promo with his masterful microphone work. |
| 4 new |  | GunnerGunner's DDT onto the exposed concrete is my biggest mark out moment in wrestling right now. A "new entry" as he wasn't on Impact last week, the mystique only increased as the audience salivated at the prospect of yet another assault. This weeks victim, Douglas Williams. While I have enjoyed Williams' work in the past, I had no qualms in him being buried to further Gunner's career. At this rate he will be world champ' within the next 6 months. |
| 3 +8 |  | Wade BarrettWade Barrett and Randy Orton are having the best grudge matches in WWE right now and together they have both moved up slowly but surely within the prestigious Super 20 ranking system. Just behind Orton, despite the ending of Smackdown, Barrett is on the best roll of his career since his Nexus days. Surely a hot pick for Royal Rumble winner at this stage? A Barrett-Orton fight for the World Title at 'Mania would be the ideal match right now. |
| 2 +8 |  | Randy OrtonSimply the best in-ring worker in the world right now and his feud with Wade Barrett has helped elevate yet another superstar on Smackdown after the apex predator worked wonders with Sheamus, Mark Henry, Christian, Cody Rhodes and others. The ending to the Barrett-Orton match, with Orton being thrown down the stairs, was the type of thing we haven't seen in WWE for a while - and it was a welcome return. As stated above, Orton-Barrett for the World Title is the logical choice for WrestleMania now and hopefully that is what WWE goes with (and not Daniel Bryan.. obviously not) |
| 1 +1 |  | John LaurinaitisMr. Excitement hits the #1 spot at the top the first ever Super 20 rankings for week 1 in December 2012. A memorable week for Laurinaitis this week, as he once again owned CM Punk verbally in their opening promo for Raw. Coming out wearing Punk's t-shirt to his theme tune was gold, as was his over-the-top-referee-style "Get outta here!" to Vicki Guerrero, as he purposely distracted the referee in Punk's match with Dolph Ziggler. Aside from the 2nd January reveal, Laurinaitis is the main reason to tune into Raw every week at the moment and long may that continue. At one time I wanted Cole to come off commentary and become the permanent general manager of Raw to bring such gold to TV as we get now. Thankfully John Laurinaitis has come into our world, so now we get the double pleasure of both Laurinaitis and Cole to look forward to on Raw. With such talent on the roster, is this becoming one of the greatest eras in WWE history? |
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