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If you've been a regular reader of this column for the past year or three, you know it's been obvious for some time now that Rusev would be walking away with the 2014-15 Wrestler Wrankings Season Championship. Despite the 11th hour anti-heroics of Seth Rollins, Rusev's victory was assured long before the sun set on Levi's Stadium.
If this is your first time reading Wrestler Wrankings, let me brief you on the format. In an effort to discover who is the best wrestler for a given WWE season, we score all the matches that take place on RAW, Main Event, Smackdown, and Pay Per View shows. Two points for a win, with bonuses for title matches and PPV appearances. The WWE season spans from the day after Wrestlemania through the following year's Wrestlemania event. The wrestler with the most points at the end of the season is the winner!
Before we get to the final Wrestler Wrankings of the season, we still have to tally the results from this weekend. After that, I'll provide the final results along with some priceless commentary from your truly. Enjoy!
Wrestlemania 31 -- 3/29/15 (3x bonus included)
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In Memoriam (wrestlers who scored 0 points this season, after scoring at least 1 point last year)
Brodus Clay, Christian, CM Punk, Darren Young, Paul Heyman, Ricardo Rodriguez, Rey Mysterio, Tensai
Hollywood Sez: What a vast and varied collection of misfits! From all time legends like CM Punk and Mysterio, to one-off manager combatants like Ricardo and Heyman, this group has it all! The name that sticks out amongst the retirees and mutineers, is Darren Young. This is a talented and marketable wrestler who hasn't won a single match on TV all season. What the heck is wrong with this guy?
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2014-15 WRESTLER WRANKINGS, FINAL STANDINGS
T51. Fernando, Justin Gabriel -- 1
50. Hornswoggle -- 2
49. Xavier Woods -- 2.5
48. Great Khali -- 3.5
47. Santino Marella -- 5
T45. Triple H, Undertaker -- 6
Hollywood Sez: "The End of an Era" it wasn't. Both of these guys are still going strong, each picking up a huge win at Wrestlemania. The will to compete on a full-time basis may be gone, but the ruthless lethality both men exhibit when they do compete cannot be extinguished.
44. Zack Ryder -- 6.5
Hollywood Sez: The best is yet to come for this starcrossed superstar.
43. Batista -- 7
Hollywood Sez: What a shame that Batista's 2014 run with WWE was cut short by massive mainstream success. Let's hope things turn around for "The Animal" in 2015.
T41. Damien Sandow, Heath Slater -- 7.5
Hollywood Sez: Two of WWE's most entertaining acts, these guys are likely competitors for many of the same opportunities. That kind of friction could lead to a feud. A Misdow/Slater feud could result is big dollars and big fun for all involved!
40. Diego -- 8.5
39. Mark Henry -- 9
Hollywood Sez: Remember when "The World's Strongest Man" re-signed a new guaranteed contract with WWE a little while back? Apparently Mark Henry does. Not much urgency here.
38. Titus O'neil -- 9.5
T36. Stardust, Jey Uso -- 11
Hollywood Sez: Stardust is an absolute stud when he is right. Unfortunately, he's got a black hole between his ears.
T33. Curtis Axel, Sin Cara, Kofi Kingston -- 12.5
Hollywood Sez: Hand to God, these are three of the most skilled straight-up wrestlers in the game today. Sin Cara and Kingston are both ensconced in the tag team ranks, while Axel is stuck in the quagmire of acute delusion. That said, you gotta believe before you can be, so I'd expect to see Axel rise in next year's Wrankings!
T29. Jimmy Uso, Chris Jericho, Goldust, Erick Rowan -- 15
T27. Tyson Kidd, El Torito -- 16
26. R-Truth -- 19.5
Hollywood Sez: R-Truth rarely wrestles and even more rarely wins. Yet his performance in the weeks leading up to his Intercontinental Championship opportunity at Wrestlemania prove that Truth can absolutely still go.
25. Alberto Del Rio -- 21
24. Luke Harper -- 22
23. Rob Van Dam -- 25.5
22. Kane -- 26.5
21. Big Show -- 28
Hollywood Sez: Big Show and Kane know where their respective breads are buttered, yet they each remain dominant forces in the ring. One can only speculate as to the point totals this duo could rack up if they focused solely on their in-ring careers. But that wouldn't be best for business!
T19. Randy Orton, Fandango -- 29
Hollywood Sez: Talk about different paths leading to the same place! Orton is a legend in his own time, a world Champion many times over, and the likely #1 Contender to Seth Rollins' WWE World Heavyweight Championship. Fandango is an unbelieveably good dancer. Either way, both men ended up with the same point total. I definitely know which man I'd rather not meet in a dark alley. Unless, that alley is equipped with a parquet-floor and a strobe light!
18. Miz -- 31
17. Brock Lesnar -- 33.5
T15. Jack Swagger, Big E -- 34
14. Adam Rose -- 36
13. Daniel Bryan -- 38.5
Hollywood Sez: The Flyin' Goat's stack of dimes is the only thing standing between him and WWE title contender status. A lengthy and successful run with the IC strap will go a long way toward erasing his shaky medical record. Still, every wrestler in the world will be angling for that neck. Keep your hooves crossed!
12. Ryback -- 45.5
Hollywood Sez: Ryback is a unique athlete. He can seemingly defeat or succumb to any given opponent on any given night. If he puts it all together, he is competition for Brock Lesnar as biggest force of nature in WWE. There's a reason Paul Heyman was so interested in representing him. There's also a reason that Heyman so uncerimoniously dropped Ryback from his roster as well.
11. Bo Dallas -- 50.5
10. Bray Wyatt -- 51.5
Hollywood Sez: Another instance of different routes to a similar result. Bo was unstoppable all summer, while Wyatt smoldered slowly all season. Dallas hasn't been the same since he suffered his first loss. Wyatt will need to bounce back from the beating he took from The Undertaker. Some would consider it a privilege to lose to 'Taker at Wrestlemania, but try telling that to Bray's sore and sorry corpse right now!
9. Bad News Barrett -- 56.5
Hollywood Sez: Bad News was leading the Wrankings before his season was derailed by injury. the roster looks a lot deeper now than it did a year ago. I doubt that poor Wade will hit that kind of stride again. I'm selling big on him.
8. Cesaro -- 64
7. Sheamus -- 65
Hollywood Sez: Now here are two guys with a serious future. Sheamus has a new look and a new attitude. Cesaro would do well to follow suit. If either of these guys get untracked, they could be serious Wrankings contenders next year.
6. Dean Ambrose -- 67.5
Hollywood Sez: The bridesmaid of The Shield, Ambrose seemed like a world-beater just a few months back. Now the denim-clad renegade is without title, without friends, and without direction. If he could find all his marbles, he could make a run at Rollins' title, but Ted Dibiase could go broke betting on those kind of odds.
5. Roman Reigns -- 79
Hollywood Sez: Reigns may be enjoying newfound respect from the WWE Universe after his heroic display of endurance at Wrestlemania, but Wrankings readers already knew the former Shield powerhouse was having an unbelievable season. And let's not forget that he wasn't an active singles competitor until Seth Rollins betrayed him in June! By any measure, Roman is one of the best wrestlers in the world today. Unlike Rollins, he still has something to prove. This is a recipe for Wrankings dominance in 2015-16. Believe that!
4. John Cena -- 80
3. Dolph Ziggler -- 96
2. Seth Rollins -- 99
Hollywood Sez: Wow, just... wow. Seth Rollins proved his savvy with his stunning WWE Championship win at Wrestlemania. His status in the Wrankings next season will be bouyed by his WWE Championship defense bonuses. Yet, I feel that Rollins will have to spend a good part of the year hiding from Reigns and Lesnar, only the two most fearsome monsters in all of WWE. The Architect's dreams have come true. Let's see if he can survive them!
1. Rusev -- 122.5
Hollywood Sez: Aside from coming within a whisker of defeating John Cena at Wrestlemania (an achievement in itself!) Rusev pitched a perfect season. No losses to speak of, a ton of reps on all three shows, and wins on big PPVs against top competition. In addition, he was able to cozy up to The Authority at Survivor Series without officially joining their ranks. Therefore, he avoided the wrath of terrors, such as Randy Orton and Sting, but he still enjoys preferential treatment from the bosses.
Simply put, Rusev is "The Man" and is primed for a long and fruitful career in WWE. Long may he reign!
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From the bottom of my heart, I thank you for your attention and support the last three years. Let's do it again!