The Stockwell Section Top Ten Series – The Stars of 2011

Welcome to The Stockwell Section Top Ten Series. This week I’ll be discussing who I thought were the Top Ten Stars of 2011. So let’s jump straight in.

 


 

Honourable Mention – Sheamus

Sheamus had a weak start to the year as he continued in his King of The Ring gimmick and things didn’t seem to get much better as the year progressed. If anything, the IrisGh star  seemed to be dwindling into obscurity somewhat as a heel on Raw. After a move to the blue brand and confronting the monster Mark Henry, Sheamus started to establish himself as a face and after a couple of strong feuds against Henry and Christian, finished the year strong. He  lacked clear direction towards the end of the year, as seen by his interactions with Hornswoggle and Jinder Mahal, but I have faith that Sheamus continue to thrive as a face in 2012.

Number 10 – The Miz

The Miz wasn’t as strong in 2011 as he was in 2010 but he still had a reasonably good year. He stood tall even when having to play second fiddle to Rock and Cena, he was one half of a duo that was easily the best tag team of this year and he proved he can be one of the most hated men in WWE. On top of that, Miz produced some great matches, with his Raw title defence against Morrison being amongst the years best. He also continued to produce the great promos his known for. On a side note, Miz’s Wrestlemania video package was amongst my favourite WWE vids of the year.

Number 9 – John Cena

Whether you love him or hate him, there’s no denying that Cena does have the right ingredients. He has cut some good promos this year as he usually does, with his scathing Rock rap being amongst the best and he has been involved in some great matches also (with his matches against Punk being arguably the best of the year). He was also the necessary ingredient in the rise of Truth and Punk this year so I have to give him props for that. Whilst we may not like the man who makes all the Little Jimmys happy, theres no denying that he still is one of the better talents on the roster.

Number 8 – Edge

Sadly, this will be the last year we see The Rated R Superstar in action. Whilst he only competed for the first few months of the year, Edge was thoroughly more enjoyable in those few months, then most of the roster was all year. His career was exceptional with too many highlights to count, and he finished his career in a similar exceptional manner, providing us with some of the years highlights. He truly is one of the best the wrestling world has ever seen.

Number 7 – R Truth

Wrestling truly is a unique source of entertainment. Sometimes, it can be way too serious and other times, the entertainment aspect can be taken too far and it demeans the serious aspect needed for the show to work (SEE: poop jokes). Its all about balance. In the case of R Truth, this sense of balance was undoubtedly on display this year. R Truth worked hard this year and put on some great performances as a heel, all the while, he was hysterical. Truth was without question, the funniest man in WWE in 2011 but it never devalued him as a threatening heel by any means, which is an incredibly rare quality to have in this industry.

Number 6 – Cody Rhodes

 Cody is only one of two men who appears in all three of my lists an there’s a reason for that – he is one of the most promising stars on the rosters and he is quite frankly, one of the better performers in the company today. His work with Mysterio was enjoyable, he then successfully developed his gimmick further and proved he can cut a mean promo and he topped off the year with some good showings against Orton and Booker. Additionally, Rhodes has had three different gimmicks this year: he started as the dashing one and then went into his masked phase and then to end the year, his gimmick has changed to that of a more normal competitor. Most other stars subjected to change this often would be harmed, but Cody has been able to take it in stride and show he can make anything work, which goes to show that this young star really does have the goods to do anything. On top of all that, he brought back the Classic White IC Belt, which in itself is reason enough for inclusion.

Number 5 – Mark Henry

Henry was one of the most dislikable guys in WWE this year and he performed in this role exceptionally well. Mark has never been a great in ring talent, but he made up for it this year with wonderful promos and match spots to cover his lack of ability. Whilst his matches were never exceptional, for the most part, they were enjoyable and at the very least, superior to his prior work. 2011 saw massive improvement in his work and Henry proved he can easily get to the top of the mountain and maintain his position.

Number 4 – Dolph Ziggler

Dolph is one of two stars who appear in all three of my lists, the other being the aforementioned Cody Rhodes. Ziggler has had a great year and is quickly developing into one of the best wrestling talents in the world today. I predicted 2011 would be a good year for the bleached star, it was – his been consistent in the ring and has really come into his own on the mic. Whilst he has lacked a big feud, Ziggler was capable enough to make whatever he had work and show how truly wonderful he is. He went through a period of performing twice at every PPV and Ziggler proved that he is one of a few stars capable of doing so. Overall, a fantastic year for the former cheerleader.

Number 3 – Randy Orton

Orton didn’t headline Mania this year, he lost the World Title to Mark Henry cleanly and for the latter half of the year, his sat in the upper mid card, but really, none of it matters and furthermore, it hasn’t harmed Orton at all. He started the year with a nice match with Miz at the rumble, then when feuding with Punk and produced some great matches, he then proceeded to feud with Christian in what was easily the best feud of the year, all the while producing match of the year contenders, and then he produced some more great moments with Dolph Ziggler, Cody Rhodes and most recently, Wade Barrett. Orton has quite simply been one of the most consistent performers in WWE this year and we can only assume that he doesn’t mind working with the younger stars, since there have been no reports to indicate otherwise – this alone earns my respect. For being consistent performer and being an assisting performer, Randy Orton is Number 3 and deservedly so.

Number 2 – Christian

Christian was quite frankly, the best heel of 2011. Even as a Christian fan, I have to admit that sometimes I found myself wanting Christian to get got and that’s a testament to the man himself because he played the cowardly heel perfectly. Even his work with Sheamus after that wonderful feud was incredibly entertaining to watch. All this came after the memorable night when he finally won the title which truly was something special.

Number 1 – CM Punk

2011 was a great year for many stars in the WWE, but none moreso then CM Punk. The straight edge star started the year strong when he took control of the fading stable that was Nexus With his tests of faith, he made the group watchable once again. After another memorable rumble performance (the second in a
row), Punk went onto feud with Randy Orton and gave us two of the better matches of this year. Punk would continue successfully until June 27th, the date which he delivered one the best promos in wrestling history. He followed that by defeating John Cena twice, being WWE Champion twice, putting on some excellent matches and delivering some of the best material of the year. His rise in popularity has surpassed that of Cena and he truly is the top dog in WWE today. We all knew it prior, but in 2011, CM Punk truly proved he is the best wrestler in the world today.

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