Wrestler Wrankings™: 2012-2013 Season, Week 23

Welcome to Wrestler Wrankings™, the trusted scorekeeper for the world's purest form of sport.

As any movie star, celebrity athlete, or high-profile, wrestling blog, sportswriting superstar will tell you, talent and hard work will only take you so far. A star must maintain constant focus and not be distracted by mundane business concerns. That's why proper representation is so important.

Never has this fact been more relevant than with Sheamus. Though obviously a wrestling dynamo, with the World Heavyweight Championship and a sizable Wrankings lead to his credit, he has nonetheless become the target of the legal machinations of one, Alberto Del Rio. While I certainly don't blame the "Mexican Aristocrat" for retaining the services of David Otunga in an effort to disrupt the seemingly indomitable Sheamus, what I don't approve of is the bogus nature of the charges.

Yes, Ricardo Rodriguez was brutally kicked in the skull by Sheamus and may suffer permanent hardship as a result, but lets not forget that this injury was predicated by a sneak attack by Del Rio and Rodriguez. This assault was not part of any sporting competition, but was instead perpetrated immediately after Sheamus had defeated Jack Swagger in a sanctioned match on Raw. This qualifies as nothing short of an assault and it is my belief that "The Great White" is well within his rights to defend himself.

Sheamus is a fighter, not a businessman. I believe that a good manager or other representative would have made short work of fending off these frivolous charges and the Brogue Kick would not have been banned this week on Smackdown. A litigious sort, such as Paul Heyman, would have been an ideal proxy in these dealings, although it seems he is more than occupied with the affairs of his new client, CM Punk.

For the sake of his lofty standing in the Wrankings, let's hope that Sheamus is able to find suitable representation in the near future. Perhaps a thawing of Paul Bearer is in order?

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OFFICIAL WRESTLER WRANKINGS™ FORMULA:

• ANY WIN = 2 POINTS
• US OR INTERCONTINENTAL TITLE BOUT = 1 POINT
• WWE OR WORLD HEAVYWEIGHT TITLE BOUT = 3 POINTS
• NON "BIG 4" PPV = x1.5 BONUS
• SUMMERSLAM, SURVIVOR SERIES, ROYAL RUMBLE = x2 BONUS
• WRESTLEMANIA = x3 BONUS

The wrestler with the highest score when the season culminates at WrestleMania 29 wins the coveted Wrankings Championship!

Now, without further delay, let's get to this week's scores:

Raw, 9/3/2012:

• Sheamus -- 2 points (win)
• Ryback -- 2 points (win)
• Alberto Del Rio -- 2 points (win)
• Dolph Ziggler -- 2 points (win)
• Antonio Cesaro -- 3 points (US title bout, win)
• Santino -- 1 point (US title bout, no win)
• Zack Ryder -- 2 points (win)

SmackDown, 9/7/2012:

• Sheamus -- 2 points (win)
• Randy Orton -- 2 points (win)
• Zack Ryder -- 2 points (win)
• Wade Barrett -- 2 points (win)

WEEK 23 WRANKINGS TOP TEN:

1. SHEAMUS -- 85
2. CM Punk -- 65
3. Ryback -- 59
4. Alberto Del Rio -- 54
5. John Cena -- 38
6. Daniel Bryan -- 37
7. Randy Orton -- 27.5
T8. Brodus Clay -- 26
T8. Christian -- 26
T10. Dolph Ziggler -- 25.5
T10. Santino -- 25.5

Thanks for reading Cageside Wrankers, we'll see you next week!