December and January are quite possibly my two favorite months in the year – at least, they have been since my move to Australia from England several years ago. In the midst of these summer months – I get to enjoy the pleasures of Christmas, New Years and of course, the Music Festivals that come with the wonderful heat. However, I have grown quite fond of these months for another reason too – the lists.
I’ll admit, I’m a bit of a sucker for an end of year list – maybe it’s because I’m a Virgo. Anyhoo, whether it is a list detailing the year’s best films, best albums or best wrestling matches – I love a good old read of them. So I thought, why not tap into my Virgo nature and create some lists of my own – as it is summer (in Australia at least), I thought I could create a list of something hot – namely the hottest women in wrestling – get it?
Anyhoo, that will have to wait another week because seriously, trying to think who I believe are the hottest women in wrestling is bloody hard. Plus, something WWE released this week intrigued me and luckily it ties in with the idea of my list series.
For those of you who haven’t seen it yet, WWE have recently released a list on their list of 11 stars they think are going to shine in 2011. Interestingly, Wade Barrett and John Morrison weren’t included so I can only assume that WWE consider that these men have ‘made it’. In my eyes however, they haven’t – they’re still yet to rise to the top of the company so they still technically have big things ahead – I mean, it just makes sense.
Topping off the list was the expected stars of Cody Rhodes, Dolph Ziggler, Daniel Bryan and at the number one spot, Alberto Del Rio – I can understand each of these men being high on such a list as WWE really seems to be backing them at the moment – plus, they’re all producing some wonderful work. The list was rounded off by stars who aren’t that wonderful – yet the WWE continue to shove them down our throats – namely, Big Zeke, David Otunga and Drew McIntyre. Then there were some interesting choices…
Tyson Kidd was an interesting pick and someone I thought was surely on the express train to the future endeavors list, but his inclusion suggests maybe there is some hope for the young star. Tamina was another odd pick that I did not expect and may be that suggests the company like her – although, I have to wonder whether any future success will come because of her story with Santino. The third and most curious pick was Skip Sheffield who came in at Number 5 – this was the one that caught me by surprise. I remember when Nexus debuted, the company seemed keen on Skip but for such a green star to be injured and then be named as a star to watch in the coming year, it means he has done something right. The final name was Alex Riley, not surprisingly who came in at Number 8.
Anyway, let’s officially begin the Stockwell Section Top Ten Series – this opening week I will be counting down the stars I believe will shine in 2011. Let us begin…..
HONORABLE MENTION – AWESOME KONG
Kong could be a very dominant future WWE DIVA’S CHAMPION and she could be the right lady to reinvigorate the division but this all depends on whether WWE decide to bury her because of her TNA ties. Regardless, I think she’s set to do battle with all the top divas WWE have to offer and that in itself is worth an honorable mention.
NUMBER 10 – SKIP SHEFFIELD
OK, my inclusion of Skip is simply based on the fact that WWE included him on their list which to me, says a lot. As mentioned, Skip must be doing something correct to be in such high regard so I can expect him to return, cut off his ties to Nexus and then progress further as a dominant behemoth. 2012 could be a bigger year for the star but regardless, I think we’ll be seeing him a fair bit in 2011.
NUMBER 9 – TED DiBIASE
Once Legacy disbanded, everyone expected DiBiase to be the star to rise, but the young star has fallen from grace quite sadly and his former partner Rhodes has cemented himself as a future champion instead. However, I foresee Ted being drafted to Smackdown later in the year to hone his craft much like Cody has done and I think the second half of 2011 could prove the turning point in DiBiase’s career. Also, just putting it out there – wouldn’t it be nice to see DiBiase (and Maryse of course) interacting with Alberto Del Rio? I just can’t help but think it’d be a nice partnership which will benefit both men.
NUMBER 8 – DAVID OTUNGA
WWE seem very keen to push Otunga and as we all know, he has the ties that WWE will want to benefit from. He needs to improve significantly in the ring and some more matches under his belt in 2011 will undoubtedly help. The thing is, Otunga is still involved in the biggest storyline in the company at the moment so that’s a bonus and I have no doubt, he’ll be placed into something notable once Nexus disbands, or if they disband – I wouldn’t be surprised to see them continue for the most of 2011. He’ll likely get a title around his waist at one point with help from his cohorts.
NUMBER 7 – EZEKIEL JACKSON
Much like Otunga, WWE seem keen to push Big Zeke but unfortunately for the star, he didn’t seem to fit in when returning to Raw. I think a move to Smackdown was a great choice and I expect the star to dominate in 2011, have a reasonable feud with Rey Mysterio (because, let’s face it, all the big monsters beat up on Rey), I also expect a rerun of his Christian feud at some point and I wouldn’t be surprised to see him get a title shot sometime in 2011. I doubt Zeke will be champion though, if ever – but he’ll be a good monster to have around for a while – much like Umaga.
NUMBER 6 – CODY RHODES
Cody has been wonderful as of late and I truly believe he’ll continue to work his narcissistic magic in 2011 with some strong feuds and a lower tier title reign. As previously mentioned, I expect the young star to be transferred to Raw at one point and have some strong feuds with Bryan and Morrison. With that in mind, Cody is my pick for the Number 5 Spot.
NUMBER 5 – DANIEL BRYAN
I think we’ll see Bryan hold the US TITLE for the better part of 2011 and I reckon he’ll be contending for it all other times. I reckon we shall see some fantastic feuds in the coming year, courtesy of this man but I fear he may have to wait some time before being given the nod – I’ve said it before and I’ll repeat myself, Bryan should take notes from Chris Beniot – continue to show the world how great you are and eventually, your time will come – 2013 maybe?
NUMBER 4 – JOHN MORRISON
I do not, nor have I ever considered the ECW TITLE as a top title in WWE so therefore Morrison is yet to rise to the top and win the Championship in WWE, he merely had a lesser belt – similar to the US TITLE. With that in mind I find it somewhat bewildering that WWE wouldn’t include him on their list – because he is sure to continue rising up through the ranks in 2011 – starting nicely with a WWE TITLE shot on Raw. Morrison has been great to watch on Raw as of late and he seems to really be getting the backing he needs to succeed, but unless we see a heel turn, I can’t envision him winning the title in 2011 – I believe we’ll see a rise in his popularity which will lead to a title win in 2012 – whilst I expect Morrison to have a big year, I expect 2011 to be a Jeff Hardy year for the young star, meaning he’ll just have to wait until WWE are ready – which I reckon will be sometime after Wrestlemania in 2012.
NUMBER 3 – WADE BARRETT
Barrett (like Morrison) is yet to rise to the top and like I said, it is somewhat bewildering that WWE wouldn’t include him on their list. However, the star has proven he can cut it in with the big boys and produced some great work with Cena over 2010 so I expect him to continue in 2011. Rumours are that Barrett could be facing Taker at Wrestlemania and if the rumours are true, the fact that he is considered for such a match shows how much he is over with the WWE big wigs. I’m unsure if WWE will pull the plug and make him champion in 2011 but I can be sure that he is going to be involved in some big things regardless.
NUMBER 2 – ALBERTO DEL RIO
Of all the young stars in the company at the moment, Alberto is the only star who seems certain to win the top prize in 2011 and in the world of wrestling, you cannot get any bigger then being champion. Plus he seems destined to have what should be wonderful feuds with Edge and Christian. 2011 will be his year, much like 2010 was for Miz and to be honest, I’m excited at the prospect of seeing this young star shine. By the end of 2011, I expect Alberto to have a title reign to his name.
NUMBER 1 – DOLPH ZIGGLER
I believe we’ll see more of Dolph this year and I wouldn’t at all be surprised to see the young man rise to the top of the company. The later half of 2010 panned out well for the bleached blonde star and I think it’ll act as a precursor to a big 2011. WWE just need to pull the plug and run with it. I plan on ending this Series with a list counting down the likely stars to win the Rumble this year and here’s a sneak peak – Ziggler is my bet. I won’t go into detail yet as to why but I’m predicting Ziggler to win the Rumble and go onto Wrestlemania to face Edge which will be quite interesting with Vickie involved me thinks. The Dolph and Vickie Storyline is starting to run its course so why not finish it off with a bang with the star Vickie previously dated. It just makes sense. In top of that, I predict Ziggler to win against Edge and become Champion. Of course this all depends on whether my predictions come true but to win the Rumble, Headline Wrestlemania and Become Champion – I’d say that’s pretty damn big.
So there you have it. The stars I believe will shine in 2011. The Top Ten Series continues next week and as mentioned, I’ll be counting down who I think are the hottest women in wrestling.
Until NXT Time…..
