American top 30

Bounty Hunter · 18-11-2010 4:57pm #1

*100% inspired by thebostoncrab and the Irish top 30*

So how about a boards top 30 wrestlers working in America today. Sheamus, Kurt Angle, Bryan Danielson, Chris Masters etc all included.

You individually decide what qualifies someone as being the best and choose a top 10 accordingly.

I will set a date by which lists have to be submitted, either here or via PM and soon after that date i will announce most likely in groups the list of wrestlers you picked and in what order, obviously highlithing who you voted no.1 etc

what do you think?

CMpunked · 18-11-2010 5:25pm

Over the last 12 months or in general ever?

Bounty Hunter · 18-11-2010 5:28pm

CMpunked wrote: »

Over the last 12 months or in general ever?

I guess it would be best to stick to over the last 12 months sticking to a similar structure as the irish one. Therefore obviously the amount of time out of action could count against HBK or someone for example

CMpunked · 18-11-2010 5:31pm

Bounty Hunter wrote: »

I guess it would be best to stick to over the last 12 months sticking to a similar structure as the irish one. Therefore obviously the amount of time out of action could count against HBK or someone for example

Yeah thats what i was thinking.

So they would have had to be active for at least the majority of the year?
Which could rule HHH out?

Bounty Hunter · 18-11-2010 5:36pm

CMpunked wrote: »

Yeah thats what i was thinking.

So they would have had to be active for at least the majority of the year?
Which could rule HHH out?

guess so unless a voter thought he was good enough to make a top 10 for the year in just the small amount of time he was about. I dont

Charisteas · 18-11-2010 6:28pm

Sounds good to me, but I only watch WWE and TNA, so all these amazing wrestlers that I read about in ROH will sadly by omitted from my list.

Bounty Hunter · 18-11-2010 6:48pm

Charisteas wrote: »

Sounds good to me, but I only watch WWE and TNA, so all these amazing wrestlers that I read about in ROH will sadly by omitted from my list.

Id imagine many will be in the same boat and this might therefore give a more honest portrayl of what the masses think are the best wrestlers of the past year. Will be interesting to see how high ROH/Indie wrestlers place considering the amount of people voting for them may be smaller, more of an achievement perhaps if they are highly rated in the list

chordtype · 19-11-2010 12:34am

Great idea. It's time to get the thinking cap on.

Bounty Hunter · 22-11-2010 11:31am

Okay, ill say 2 weeks as of now! post your votes here (i'm happy as im lazy and could end up having a huge amount of PMs as a result but it could take away from the reveal) or if you want to keep your vote private, PM me your 10 before Dec 6th.

Dependant on the amount of different votes too I obviously may change it from a top 30 to a top 25/50 etc

Ive already recieved a few votes including some explanation (gave me a nice lil read) for votes, this isnt needed but can be added if you want. Most likely when all votes are in you can defend your votes if you want anyway.

So who are your top 10 wrestlers working in america for the past year?

gimmick · 23-11-2010 11:14am

Do tag teams count as seperate or as one?

Bounty Hunter · 23-11-2010 11:51am

gimmick wrote: »

Do tag teams count as seperate or as one?

Seperate. It will be an individual top 30 but if anyone submits a tag team as a single placing then ill probably count that as a tie for that position for both men when it comes to ranking them, that way i guess we are covered if people want to vote the other way and avoid any spoiled ballots. guessing the MCMG may be in your thoughts

gimmick · 23-11-2010 12:09pm

Yes, the very same. They have been putting on incredible matches for all of 2010.

thebostoncrab · 23-11-2010 1:46pm

Keeping my votes secret until the final list

Charisteas · 23-11-2010 2:47pm

My top 30 wrestlers 2010 (No slagging please!)

1. Wade Barrett - Breakout star of 2010. Sheer quality in every department.
2. John Cena - Consistently good matches, involved in good angles.
3. Undertaker - Great WM match and enjoyed his matches with Kane.
4. Nexus - What an invasion, 2010 will be remembered as the year of Nexus
5. RVD - Loved his reign as TNA champ, great matches too
6. Kane - Loved his feud with Undertaker, great promos
7. Kurt Angle - Wrestling his way up the top 10 TNA rankings was awesome
8. Jeff Hardy - Loving his heel turn, but enjoyed his face run too.
9. Chris Jericho - Excellent
10. Alberto Del Rio - Another breakout star this year, great wrestler and talker.
11. Dolph Ziggler - Consistently great matches, works well as IC champ and with Vickie
12. Sheamus - A great first 8 months of the year, great feud with HHH
13. Shawn Michaels - Legend, if only for 4 months this year.
14. Mr Anderson - Liked his push, his matches, his promos, all round excellent guy.
15. Abyss - Really like this guy, was good as face and heel this year.
16. Motor City Machine Guns - Great matches
17. Ric Flair - Great promos, a couple of good rare matches, still ace in my book
18. John Morrison - Surely on the brink of main event level for 2011
19. Beer Money - Great matches, work well in Fortune.
20. AJ Styles - Prefer him babyface, but that doesn't affect his amazing matches.
21. Dashing Cody Rhodes - Liked him with DeBiase, helped my grooming ability.
22. Daniel Bryan - Internet sensation of the year, good feud with Cole
23. HHH - Great feud with Sheamus, shame he's been gone for half the year.
24. Team 3D - Best Tag-Team ever, still a joy to watch them in 2010.
25. Jay Lethal - Consistently good all year, great feud with Flair
26. Edge - Heel on Raw then face on Smackdown, changed when he got a bit stale
27. Randy Orton - Good matches but should be a heel
28. Rey Mysterio - Still love his high flying
29. EV 2.0 - Still legends in my book
30. The Miz - Great on the mic, could be ready to step up to main event level next year.

With the exception of Wade Barrett who is main event level, i've selected Nexus as one pick, purely because of the impact they made on the WWE this year, and the collective unit is worth more than the sum of all parts, or however that expression goes. But if you want to include Barrett and Nexus as one pick, then add it as number 1 and i will just have 29 picks.

Same story with EV2, as they all joined TNA the same time, and had their own PPV, but you can just add Tommy Dreamer if you want, as he's the leader.

Bounty Hunter · 23-11-2010 3:06pm

Charisteas wrote: »

My top 30 wrestlers 2010 (No slagging please!)

1. Wade Barrett - Breakout star of 2010. Sheer quality in every department.
2. John Cena - Consistently good matches, involved in good angles.
3. Undertaker - Great WM match and enjoyed his matches with Kane.
4. Nexus - What an invasion, 2010 will be remembered as the year of Nexus
5. RVD - Loved his reign as TNA champ, great matches too
6. Kane - Loved his feud with Undertaker, great promos
7. Kurt Angle - Wrestling his way up the top 10 TNA rankings was awesome
8. Jeff Hardy - Loving his heel turn, but enjoyed his face run too.
9. Chris Jericho - Excellent
10. Alberto Del Rio - Another breakout star this year, great wrestler and talker.
11. Dolph Ziggler - Consistently great matches, works well as IC champ and with Vickie
12. Sheamus - A great first 8 months of the year, great feud with HHH
13. Shawn Michaels - Legend, if only for 4 months this year.
14. Mr Anderson - Liked his push, his matches, his promos, all round excellent guy.
15. Abyss - Really like this guy, was good as face and heel this year.
16. Motor City Machine Guns - Great matches
17. Ric Flair - Great promos, a couple of good rare matches, still ace in my book
18. John Morrison - Surely on the brink of main event level for 2011
19. Beer Money - Great matches, work well in Fortune.
20. AJ Styles - Prefer him babyface, but that doesn't affect his amazing matches.
21. Dashing Cody Rhodes - Liked him with DeBiase, helped my grooming ability.
22. Daniel Bryan - Internet sensation of the year, good feud with Cole
23. HHH - Great feud with Sheamus, shame he's been gone for half the year.
24. Team 3D - Best Tag-Team ever, still a joy to watch them in 2010.
25. Jay Lethal - Consistently good all year, great feud with Flair
26. Edge - Heel on Raw then face on Smackdown, changed when he got a bit stale
27. Randy Orton - Good matches but should be a heel
28. Rey Mysterio - Still love his high flying
29. EV 2.0 - Still legends in my book
30. The Miz - Great on the mic, could be ready to step up to main event level next year.

With the exception of Wade Barrett who is main event level, i've selected Nexus as one pick, purely because of the impact they made on the WWE this year, and the collective unit is worth more than the sum of all parts, or however that expression goes. But if you want to include Barrett and Nexus as one pick, then add it as number 1 and i will just have 29 picks.

Same story with EV2, as they all joined TNA the same time, and had their own PPV, but you can just add Tommy Dreamer if you want, as he's the leader.

only need your top 10 (im sure there will be enough voters with slighly different top 10s to ensure a top 30) but your list makes for a good read and ill add those votes now to the others already submitted.

You have also kicked off the discussion as people can now voice who they would have higher/lower etc while making their own lists.

Riddle101 · 24-11-2010 12:13pm

(1)Nexus- Basically the best storyline of the year, although the departure of many of the orignals was a bit of a let down as they jsut ain't the same anymore, but atleast they were better booked then Legacy and Straight-Edge Society

(2)Wade Barrett- As said before breakout star of the year, as well as the focal points of Nexus. Plays the role of heel very well as has great mic skills and presence in the ring. Athough i'm kind've iffy about his wrestling ability

(3)Chris Jericho- The man was the best thing going in WWE for a long time this year. Truly amazing

(4)Mr Anderson- Since his debut the guy has been on fire, albeit a tad bit remincient of Steve Austin's character but he get's by on his own skills

(5)Shawn Micheals- Despite being only around for a short times this year, I think it's enough to rank him here. His match at Wresltmania as well as the build up to the match was done perfectly

(6)Matt Morgan- I've really been enjoying Matt's work over the last year. His mic skills and size really give him a lot of potential to make him the next Goldberg if booked right, and I like the fact that he's been pushed now. I just wish he'd stop being booked as a jobber

(7)Sheamus- The first 8 months of his debut are enough to put him here, becoming a two time world champion, his fued with Triple H. As well as his matches with Christian, John Morrison, Daniel Bryan and Triple H have really upped his status in my book

(8)The Miz- Very consistant this year, although I have mixed feeling about the guy, I still think he deserves a mention

(9)Kurt Angle-His matches, as well as the fueds he's been in this year have all been good. The storyline he's in now is still in question but I think he's been pretty consistant this year

(10)Batista- I loved his heel run this year

Just for the hell of it, i'll add my other 20 as well

(11)John Cena- Very consistanct this year, and despite my personal feeling towards the guy I think he deserves a spot on the top 10

(12)Undertaker- Great match at Wresltmania, and i liked his fued with Kane, although his absence this year has brought him down a little bit

(13)Dolph Ziggler- Has really impressed me this year, best Intercontental Champion in a while IMO, and has had some pretty good matches. Deffo think he would work well as a face

(14)The Pope- I think he has been one of the stand outs this year in TNA. Next to Anderson and Morgan, Pope is really impressing me

(15)Ric Flair- I think he's one of the best things going in TNA. He's still got it

(16)Jay Lethal- Has been pretty impressive this year and his fued with Ric Flair has raised his popularity

(17)Daniel Bryan- His matches and fued with The Miz have all been good, happy to see he returned to WWE after the mishap with the tie

(18)Dashing Cody Rhodes- Unlike Dibiase who's basically a copy of his father, Cody has branched out and is making a name for himself and not to be compared to his his father or step brother

(19)CM Punk- He plays a heel very well, and has also been pretty consistant. Again, not really a fan myself but I think he deserves to be on the list

(20)Jeff Hardy- I like his heel run thus far. A lot of people will criticise him but I think he's still one of the more watchable guys on TNA

(21)Aj Styles- I wish I could put him a little higher tbh, he's been consistant all year long, having great matches and a like his heel run despite the critism he recieves

(22)Edge- I think he's dropped a little this year, but that might be because Raw was overpacked with so much main event talent that he got a little tied up

(23)Motor City Machine Guns- Their matches as well as their fueds have been great this year. Thank good TNA cares about tag wrestling, as opposed to WWE

(23)Alberto Del Rio- Had a good debut and has been pretty good, but despite the praise he get's I st4ll think he needs to do a little more before I can rate him a little higher

(25)Beer Money- Always impressive, always consistant. i enjoy their work, and like their work with Fortune, as well as their matches with MCMG

(26)Sting- I liked the storyline he's been involved with, and I kind've had an idea about why Sting was acting the way he was. I just hope he returns to finish the story out

(27)Kane- What can I say, I'm showing favortism here, but I still think Kane deserves a spot. His promos, as well as work this year have been good. His ring work is averge but i'm not going to begrude him because he's getting on in years

(28)Abyss- Some people don't like him, but I do. I think his work this year has been pretty good, and at least he's been booked better then last year. Also I think him building the Fortune storyline was pretty well done

(29)Kofi Kingston- I think he deserves a spot. Although he hans't managed to get back his momentum that he had last year, i think he's still doing well enough

(30)Team 3D- I love these guys, and I think all those championship reigns trully show us just how great they are/were

Bubs101 · 24-11-2010 12:15pm

1. Scott Steiner
2. Christian
3. Chet Lemon
4. Micheal Cole
5. The Miz
6. Batista ( He was awesome with that hat)
7. John Cena.
8. Goldust
9. Batista
10. Seamus

Bounty Hunter · 24-11-2010 12:28pm

top 30s are welcome and may be used (11-30) if i need to seperate people on the same points later but as said you only need a top 10. You can also PM me if you want your votes secret, some have already done so though so no matter what the result wont be sure until i reveal the top 30 including those votes even if someone looks be a big vote winner from this thread.

Batista so good Bubs voted for him twice!

Bubs101 · 24-11-2010 12:49pm

One vote is for Batista with a hat on and the other vote is for Batista without a hat. I explained it

chordtype · 24-11-2010 2:56pm

1) Daniel Bryan/Bryan Danielson
2) Chris Hero
3) Kurt Angle
4) John Cena
5) Davey Richards
6) Roderick Strong
7) Tyler Black
8) Claudio Castagnoli
9) Chris Sabin
10)Alex Shelly

I might do a small writeup for each guy at a later date.

Bounty Hunter · 24-11-2010 3:21pm

there have already been more than 30 different wrestlers voted on so this will atleast be a top 30, might be bigger depending on the responses

Mr.Nice Guy · 25-11-2010 12:24am

1) Kurt Angle - Has put in several MOTY performances and with Michaels now gone he is the best wrestler in the States for me.

2) John Cena - Still gets criticised but he had very good matches with Batista and Wade Barrett this year among others and has been involved in the biggest storyline of the year.

3) Rey Mysterio - Had a great feud with Punk this year and got good matches out of the likes of Swagger and Del Rio, the latter who he made look like a star. Generally delivers on the big stage.

4) Chris Jericho - I don't think he has been utilised particularly well, he mainly put over guys this year, but he did this well with good matches and was entertaining as usual.

5) MCMG - Don't think there's any doubt they are the best team in America right now, if not the world.

6) Daniel Bryan - Has done well to overcome poor booking and Cole's heel antics to produce a string of strong PPV performances.

7) Sheamus - Has been very solid throughout the year and had a decent title run. Now seems like someone the company has increasing faith in.

8) Randy Orton - Would be higher if not for the fact he lost a bit of momentum as a champion. Before he got the title he had some strong matches and good presence.

9) Wade Barrett - The breakout star of 2010 who has been terrific on the mic. His match with Orton at SS wasn't great and suggests he has stuff to learn but he is the real deal.

10) Evan Bourne - I suspect many will forget Bourne due to him being injured but before his lay-off he was one of the strongest performers in the company and for a brief period looked set for a decent push. Hopefully he will get it eventually.

11) John Morrison - He's had some great matches this year and the company seem to be behind him.

12) CM Punk - Had a great feud with Rey and was excellent as a heel.

13) Edge - Not been the best year for Edge but was strong at the start of 2010.

14) Jeff Hardy - When not on Pluto he was performing some great matches with the likes of Van Dam and Angle.

15) Beer Money - Really enjoyed their feud with MCMG.

16) Undertaker - Had a good start to the year and a great Mania match again with Michaels. Seems to be feeling the effects of injuries now though and I haven't liked the feud with Kane.

17) Alberto Del Rio - A classic example of how to make a star. Build them strongly, debut them strongly, and strongly protect the wrestler afterwards. Del Rio has been pushed well and has responded well. Close to being breakout star of the year.

18) Dolph Ziggler - I think he's flown under the radar a bit but he's had some top performances in the ring and seems to be getting better on the mic.

19) Jack Swagger - Had some good matches and was pushed well initially but his reign was too soon for him and he's struggled since.

20) Ken Anderson - Not a fan of the 'assholes' stuff but he's had some good matches and connects with the audience.

21) The Miz - Not a fan and haven't been blown away by any of his matches but he has been pushed well and is accepted by many as a star.

22) AJ Styles - I think he's utterly unsuited to be a heel and feel a change of direction is needed for him. He is still a phenomenal wrestler.

23) Batista - Only one feud of note but it was a great feud and rejuvenated Batista. I'm sure if he was still around he'd be much higher.

24) Triple H - Like Batista, just one feud of note but it was solid. He is still capable of contributing to wrestling if he uses himself properly.

25) GenMe - These guys have been great whenever I've seen them.

26) RVD - Been a bit below-par in a few matches I've seen but he's had some good matches also. Expected better though.

27) Kofi Kingston - Has been lost in the shuffle but he has good ability.

28) Kaval - Like Kofi, I think he could be used better. Doesn't disappoint.

29) Jay Lethal - Entertained me with his feud with Flair. I feel he could be utilised better.

30) Santino - Not here for his wrestling ability, though it's comical (splits, cobra etc.) but I feel he merits a mention for being so entertaining.

flahavaj · 25-11-2010 12:48am

Mr.Nice Guy wrote: »

6) Daniel Bryan - Has done well to overcome poor booking and Cole's heel antics to produce a string of strong PPV performances.

If you had told me MNG would post this 2-3 yers ago I'd have laughed in your face.:pac:

rossie1977 · 25-11-2010 2:54am

are we going by overall or just workrate??

if overall then (i haven't watched much of anything but wwe and tna in 2010 i will admit), i didn't include anyone who is retired or have been inactive for 3-6 months

1. wade barrett, most interesting wrestler in north america in 2010 for me. still has to prove himself in-ring but he is a superheel already, his promo on raw a few weeks where he called out cena was just fantastic stuff altogether

2. daniel bryan, best worker in the company now that hbk has left, even bryans biggest fans have been surprised at how good some of his promos have been in wwe. his promo where he attacked cole on nxt was for me one if not the best of the year and the bit doing the obstacle course had me loling, all his matches on ppv so far have been top class and going by how over he was on sunday night in miami in person (especially with the kids in the audience) a bright future awaits

3. the miz, if you told me 18 months ago that i would have this guy this high i would have laughed, however he has been great, really strong on the mic and very under-rated in the ring, has put over danielson big time to boot so not only he is getting himself over he is helping other talent at the same time. all the tools are there for him to be a big name face down the line

4. john cena, great feud with batista despite the critics thinking their matches would stink, put over sheamus again, one of the main reasons nexus have gotten over as much as they have, even got fans interested in ortons match at survivor series past the initial entrance and rko pops :eek:

5. alex shelly, if vince was to pick up anybody in tna it should be this guy, good in the ring and funny as hell on the mic. i cannot ever see tna pushing him in the mainevent singles though and thats a pity given that he is far better on the mic than aj will ever be

6. cm punk, in ring wise punk hasn't been anything to write home about in 2010, in fact some of his matches have disappointed after coming off a good 2009 where he had some great matches with the likes of jeff hardy, on the mic though he has excelled this year, from his speil at the royal rumble to destroying rey in front of his family to last monday night, punk has brought the lols, he is no longer the one-dimensional "straight-edge" character that most thought would hamper him

7. alberto del rio, outside of barrett del rio has been the best newcomer, has tons of charisma, great character, has the look of a star, his suvivor series cameo was funny, with rey there for the next while, not convinced wwe will continue his push though

8. ric flair, still has it, if not in-ring wise certainly in other departments, free of the shackles of stephs horrible writing team flair has shown why he is one of the greatest mic workers in history down in tna, really enjoyed his feud with jay lethal too, ran into him in orlando last monday, hard to believe he is 62 years old, still built like a brickhouse, looks like he could kick your ass for real

9. mr ken.........anderson, have to say i thought he was done in 2007 to be honest, while not exactly totally re-inventing himself he has found a new lease of life in tna, got a great pop last tuesday night on his return, has stayed injury free (for the most part

) which has helped, has had some decent matches and has been more impressive in tna than jeff hardy or rvd imo

10.layla, well its a double act and most call them a beautiful people rip-off but mccool and especially layla have entertained me this year more than any other female either in tna or wwe, while bp have stalled somewhat as madison rayne starts to outshine both love and sky, laycool have for the most part improved, yes they have been controversial, yes they have been annoying sometimes but for a girl i didn't care about this time 18 months its been her best ever year in the business and she deserves a top 10 spot imo

Bounty Hunter · 25-11-2010 11:10am

rossie1977 wrote: »

are we going by overall or just workrate??

if overall then (i haven't watched much of anything but wwe and tna in 2010 i will admit), i didn't include anyone who is retired or have been inactive for 3-6 months

you decide, think the easiest way is for each person to decide their own criteria for what is the best 10 wrestlers for the past year then we will have an overall best but if for you workrate is the most important thing then vote that way.

Flash92 · 25-11-2010 1:24pm

1.) Wade Barrett
The breakout star of 2010 without question. Has come out of nowhere really, and is already a credible main event star, with tons of charisma, talent, and potential. He's essentially been the focus of the company for the last few months with some great promos and storylines. Got a great future ahead of him.

2.) John Cena
Good year for Cena in which I think he may have answered some of his critics. Great matches earlier in the year, strong storylines with Sheamus and Barrett, putting over two of the companies brightest young stars. Interesting storylines, good matches.

3.) Sheamus
Huge year for Sheamus, two title runs at such an early stage in his career. Can't wait to see what the future holds for him.

4.) Kurt Angle
Hard not to love the man, still going so well and had another great year. Him taking a step back and wrestling his way through the whole contender list for the TNA title was great, gave us a few fresh matches.

5.) Motor City Machine Guns
Proved themselves as the best tag team around, great team. Great feud with Beer Money.

6.) The Miz
Love him or hate him, he's rising to the top. He's been improving and continues to do so, and is another with a bright future ahead of him. Bryan feud was interesting, and at the very start of the year/very end of 09? I remember loving one of his promos with MVP. Strong year though, solidifying himself as a big player.

7.) Daniel Bryan
The argument of will Danielson make it in the WWE or would he fail. Introduced through NXT, his development and his beginning was perfect really, as he developed a character that fans warmed to. Good in the ring, but interesting outside too as he made a successful transition from the Indies to the WWE.

8.) Mr. Anderson
Honestly thought he was going to be one of the those "could of been" cases. But no, he's come back and had a strong year in TNA, putting on some great matches and is looking solid and happy having found his way. Also like said, injury free. :O lol.

9.) John Morrison
Some great matches this year, seems like the management has faith in him. Surely only a matter of time until he begins to enter the main event scene.

10.) Alberto Del Rio
Another breakout. Filled with charisma and talent, he's got the look and he's got a strong enough character to have a huge future in the WWE. Only a matter of time until he hits the big time too I think.

Mainly focused around WWE, I don't get to watch TNA that much anymore let alone any other wrestling. Honourable mentions to CM Punk, Randy Orton and Jeff Hardy. A lot of that list could be mixed around positions wise, but as a general top 10 I think I'm happy enough.

jaykhunter · 25-11-2010 9:04pm

I've been picking and choosing watching ROH shows this year so almost all of my picks are from WWE and TNA.

#1 Kurt Angle : MOTY contenders throughout the year -- vs AJ (Jan 4th iMPACT), Mr. Anderson (Lockdown), Kaz (Slammiversary), Hardy (iMPACTs and No Surrender) this one's a no-brainer. Excellent on the mic and in the ring, as always. Another stellar year for the Olympic Gold Medallist.

#2 Daniel Bryan : the star of NXT S1 with his feud with Michael Cole (with electric promos), had great matches with Chris Jericho (NXT), Batista (RAW), Miz/Morrison (HiaC) and Ziggler (Bragging Rights), this guy has consistently great matches. Was jobbed out for most of the year, though. Since his US title run he's been booked much better. Can't keep great talent down. Extremely fresh and exciting (and technical) wrestling makes him my favourite in-ring performer this year.

#3 Chris Jericho : Even though he was lumbered with a losing streak and had a lacklustre feud with Edge, he does the absolute best with what he is given. He went to RAW where he was a highlight of the show. His consistently entertaining promos on RAW and NXT with numerous new catchphrases ('you are a stupid man', 'ask him!', 'i am the best in the world at what I do' etc etc). Had entertaining matches with the Hart Dynasty, Evan Bourne (Fatal-4-Way), dissented on Cena's SummerSlam team, John Morrison, and Kofi methinks. Great to see him get another title reign this year.

#4 Wade Barrett : #1 heel in the company and storyline of the year. Made even more impressive that he's a rookie that only came onto WWE's C-show (NXT) in February. Although his in-ring isn't anything terrific, he can still be lead to a decent match. Fantastic on the mic (only 2nd to Chris Jericho this year IMO), looks and acts the part of a main-event talent and sure-fire future WWE champion.

#5 Davey Richards : Extremely consistent, hard working, stiff technical wrestler; 2010's Benoit/Dynamite Kid. Fantastic to watch. Very solid in the American Wolves, had great matches with Tyler Black, Eddie Edwards and Roderick Strong. Not great on the mic, though. Hope to see him get farther in the NJPW Best of the Super Jr's 2011 tournament

More stellar matches in 2009 imo.

#6 MotorCity Machine Guns : The vastly underrated Best tag team in the world finally got a push this year, even if it is stop-start. Excellent matches in the Best of 5 Tag Series with Beer Money, and also a few PPV performances vs. Generation Me.

#7 Rey Mysterio : Despite being practically injured all year, Mysterio's pulled out some of his best performances of his WWE career. He's still super-smooth. Following his hugely enjoyable feud with CM Punk from WM to Extreme Rules, Rey won the World title and feuded with Swagger, dropping the belt to Kane, and has had an entertaining feud putting over Alberto Del Rio. Great year for the 'littlest big man'.

#8 The Miz : Had a few stellar promos this year, and is decent in the ring, has been protected quite well this year. Been a RAW-main stay as the MITB winner. The last few months have been leaner for A+ segments but that'll change as the new/current WWE champion.

#9 Dolph Ziggler : Surprise entrant but his performance must be merited! Great run of matches vs Mysterio and Morrison (last year) Kofi, MVP, Bryan and now Kaval -- he's been in solid matches all year. He's learning from the best non-main-eventers at his disposal. Paired with Vickie Guerrero to get him more heat. He needs to work on his promos and tweak his character a bit, it still feels very expendable mid-card.

#10 Beer Money : Despite being bounced around with feuds with Hernandez, Jarrett, The Band and now EV2; Beer Money always make the match better. Had some great matches with Hardy/RVD/Anderson and the best-of-5 series with MMG was a great showcasing for both teams. Still solid gimmick and promo-wise.

========================================================

Honourable mentions :

Generation Me : Some great matches in the ring but have been quiet promo-wise, making it hard for them to get noticed on the list. They still look like 12 year olds with their "Hardy Boyz starter kits" and show little ring-psychology. Although their heel turn is much better than I would've thought.

CM Punk : His year started off great inducting people into the SES, and his feud with Rey was great. But then it fell apart, the SES disbanded and he was lumbered with facing the Big Show. Then he moved to RAW where he showed some promise but is sidelined with a hip injury. A bright start but a disappointing 2nd half.

Del Rio : A future world champion. He looks, acts, cuts promos and has been booked like a big deal. The "Mexican JBL" will no doubt have huge things in his future. His promos are fresh but I haven't seen enough of his in-ring performances yet. He only debuted on SD! on AUGUST 20 so it's simply not enough time. 2011 should be great for Alberto del Rio.

Names like Hardy, Morrison, Bourne, Anderson have had too many stop-starts and average matches/promos for me to include them. Despite caring about John Cena for the first time in years, I attribute all of that to Wade Barrett and the Nexus. The angle has been great because Cena's stopped doing his usual Cena mannerisms and senseless promos. Swagger had a run of some enjoyable matches but has fallen of the face of the earth before and after his title reign. Dashing Cody Rhodes - great new gimmick, but hasn't had any stellar matches. Next year, Cody.

AJ Styles : Being lumbered in a Ric Flair halloween outfit has really hurt AJ Styles. His matches with Lethal, Pope, Kaz, RVD and Hardy have all been good, but a bit disappointing (i blame his opponents). Doing EV2 is a huge waste of his talent. Badly misused this year.

Speaking of AJ Styles, Justin Gabriel has had a solid but quiet year. As a member of Nexus he sort of blends in with the rest, but is a great athlete and is learning in the ring. Imagine a green AJ Styles. His promos are nothing special, we've yet to see how far his true potential can actually reach. He's one of my boys, I see world champion in his future a few years down the line as a big-time babyface.

Tyler black has had some great matches but I'm just not sold on his character. Can't stand him on the mic. Technically great but I don't care. I just can't get on the bandwagon.

Promo-wise, Flair has been gold for most of this year. A fantastic talker and worthy of his air-time.

Sheamus : Decent in-ring and on the mic, but not a must-watch wrestler for me (I do watch but that's because he's irish)

Bounty Hunter · 26-11-2010 1:19pm

40 different people have already recieved votes now as an early group of leaders is emreging but there are another ten days for on thread or via pm voting.

flahavaj · 26-11-2010 1:34pm

10. Evan Bourne - Criminally underused and the most graceful highflyer in the business

9. Chris Jericho - One of the few bright lights in WE there for a while

8. Chris Hero - Has been on a new level on the indoes this year, in the shape of his life and more charisma in his little finger than most of the WWE roster

7. Generation Me - Sensational tag team that again should be used better by TNA. They were out of this world for during their run in PWG and will be unbelieveable in a few years.

6. MCMG - Best tag team around and are finally getting used well by TNA. the masters of fluid double team manouevers, they have great charisma as well, especially Shelley.

5. CM Punk - Best character in wrestling.

4. Davey Richards - King of the Indies undisputedly now, he's just a monster of a wrestler.

3. Rey Mysterio - Criminally underrated by pretty much everyone, he remains one of the best workers in the world despite being almost crippled. Such a clever worker, he hides his limitations brilliantly and has been spot on all year. Greatest cruiserweight in history and one of the all time greats.

2. Alberto del Rio - A revelation and the best thing by miles in WWE. Good worker with brilliant charisma he will be champion of the world in 2011.

1. Daniel Bryan - The best in the business, has carved a nice little niche of having the best match on the card on every PPV. Delighted to see the wider audience appreciate what many of us already knew about him. No one deserves his success more. Has brought credibility back to the US title.

Rjd2 · 26-11-2010 5:47pm

1... Chris Masters.

Is he the greatest of all time? After this year, hard to disagree really. I am planning to do a top 40 Masters matches this year, should be good.

2...John Cena

Made the Nexus and put over Wade hard as he could. Folks anyone who thinks Hunter would have done the same, you are bonkers....:pac:

Lots of good PPV matches this year as well.

3... Daniel Bryan

Probably the most reliable worker on the E roster who got to showcase his class at the last PPV'S.

4.... Wade Barrett

Green as hell in the ring but has been immense in the Nexus angle.

5 Ric Flair

Still awesome, his promo on Lethal this year was immense.

6.... Rey Mysterio

His booking was very Superman esque this year but was his usual solid self in the ring. Got a good match out of the dreadful Kane which is a huge accomplishment these days and his matches with Punk were great. He also had some great matches with the likes oF Del Rio, Swagger, Drew and Cody.

7... CM Punk

Not as good as last year but he was money with the preacher gimmick earlier this year and just for his promo on Rey's daughter and his Royal Rumble performance deserves to be in this.

8.. The Miz

Been wonderful all year, deserves to finish the year as champ.

9.. Batista

His heel run was epic. Shame he left really.

10... Sheamus

May not be riding as high as he was this time last year, nonetheless he is still in a solid uppercard position. Ring work has improved and his promo's are great. The face turn whenever it happens may work , guy has a lot of charisma.

11... Del Rio

The totally useless Kane has nearly made SD unwatchable, but Del Rio has been one of the reasons not to totally give up on the show. Great facial expressions, excellent on the mic. good worker and unless he does something awful behind the scenes, should be World Champ sooner rather than later.

12... Lethal

Don't watch much TNA these days, but when I did always impressed by how good he works as a face.

13 Ziggler

Awesome worker who probably takes to many insane bumps, nonetheless his body not mine!

14... Jericho

Was his usual excellent self before he left. Had the misfortune of working with Edge when he was struggling, but still performed an admirable carry job at Mania.

15... Brian Cowen

Not technically a wrestler but nobody drew as much heat as he did on this board.

16... Chris Masters

Smart

17.... Chris Masters

Sexy

18... Chris Masters

Powerful

19.. Randy Orton

For having Chris Masters rehired.

20... Layla

The star of Laycool, to sexy not to be included!

Bounty Hunter · 30-11-2010 12:56pm

less than a week left as it stands to vote on this

American top 30

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