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Thanks for voting in last week's Wrestler Wrankings poll!
It appears that the wave of fan intrigue that has live crowds eating out of the palm of Daniel Bryan's beard extends to the readership of the Wrestler Wrankings. 60% of you said that said that Bryan will win the Wrankings Championship, despite the fact that Alberto Del Rio holds a 4 (now 8) point advantage and that the Mexican aristocrat holds the World Heavyweight Championship while the object of Daniel Bryan's desire, the WWE Title, is held in abeyance at the behest of WWE corporate kingpin, Triple H.
One particularly girthy omission from the top of the poll results was Paul Wight, a.k.a. The Big Show. In fact, not one person chose Big Show as their eventual season champion. Meanwhile, such luminaries as Ryback's platonic pal, Paul Heyman, and 3MB frontman, Heath Slater, each picked up the support of a portion of the Wrankings readership.
And why should anyone vote for Big Show? He's bald, he rarely wrestles, his "ironclad" contract wasn't worth the motorized scooter it was composed on, and, despite possessing arguably the two most devastating finishing moves in the WWE in the WMD KO Punch and the Chokeslam, he only owns 8 total Wrankings points.
Worse yet, Big Show foolishly overplayed his hand as a locker room leader, running afoul of the mighty McMahons. And this, after a series of questionable business decisions and larger than life expenses have sapped his personal wealth and jeopardized the well being of his immediate family.
I'm not surprised, though. Big Show has always been a willing hired gun whose actions rarely back up his gargantuan potential. This is the guy who cut his teeth in the sport as part of the laughable Dungeon of Doom and futile Alliance to End Hulkamania. A wrestler who, rather than carry the banner of WCW alongside Lex Luger and Sting, decided to instead cash in on the nWo fad by joining them. And though that faction espoused a membership duration of "4-life" he eventually turned on them as well. He's had contentious relationships with tag team partners such as Chris Jericho and the Miz and been the hired henchman of the dastardly Mr. McMahon at the height of the Vince's feud with Stone Cold Steve Austin. Adding it all up, it's been a generally disappointing wrestling career with alternating periods of gigantic hubris and titanic ineptitude, despite possessing perhaps greater physical gifts than any professional grappler in history.
Big Show is in an enormously tough spot, and I harbor no ill will for Andre's progeny, but it's time he took a long look into an extremely large mirror, that he no doubt possesses, to take stock of his own actions. Only then can he take a massive step forward, out of the shadows of mediocrity and depression, and become a Giant, not only in stature, but in great deeds, as well.
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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 BONUS = 1.5X
SUMMERSLAM, SURVIVOR SERIES, ROYAL RUMBLE = 2X BONUS
WRESTLEMANIA = 3X BONUS
The WWE season begins on the day after WrestleMania 29 and culminates with WrestleMania 30. The wrestler who accumulates the most points over the course of the season, wins the coveted Wrankings Championship!
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Monday Night RAW -- 9/30/13
Main Event -- 10/2/13
SmackDown -- 10/4/13
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WRESTLER WRANKINGS, WEEK 26 *TOP TEN*
1. ALBERTO DEL RIO -- 75.5 points
2. Daniel Bryan -- 67.5 points
3. Randy Orton -- 64.5
4. Curtis Axel -- 57
5. Dolph Ziggler -- 38.5
6. Rob Van Dam -- 37.5
7. Kofi Kingston – 35
8. Ryback -- 34
9. Miz -- 33
10. Christian -- 32
notable:
T27. Big Show -- 8
Thanks for reading Cagesiders. We'll see you back here next week!