Power Rankings - 2019 So Far...

Power Rankings

2019 So Far...

   This is my Power Rankings for the year in wrestling so far. I will be ranking wrestlers in terms of their achievement within the world of wrestling inside and outside of the ring.

1. Kazuchika Okada

   Another year of excellence from the ace of New Japan. 2019 saw Okada win the New Japan Cup, win back the IWGP Heavyweight Title and put together a string of masterful performances in the G1 29.

   Okada is currently the most valuable commodity in professional wrestling. A dynastorial champion who elevates whoever gets in the ring with him. Okada is already the greatest IWGP Champion of all time and he is only 31. He is definitely one of the top three wrestlers in the world and he will get better. Another ten years of brilliance is probable.

   His matches with Ospreay, Suzuki and SANADA have been highlights of the year as he rebuilt his Rainmaker character, short trunks and all.

2. Becky Lynch

   She has, inarguably, cooled off in recent months but on the strength of her Royal Rumble win and the defeat of Ronda Rousey at Wrestlemania as well as the evolution of her 'The Man' persona she is undeniable one of the very hottest commodities in the business.

   Her promos are polished and yet organic. She connects with the fans yet is face of the biggest company in the wrestling world. Becky Lynch has used 2019 to become one of the most recognisable names in wrestling.

   When handles correctly she is part of scorching hot feuds and creates a big match feel. Her feud with Rousey was the perfect example of this and her upcoming feud with Sasha Banks is in the same vein.

3. Chris Jericho

   Chris Jericho is 48 years old yet has possible had the biggest year in his wrestling career. He has been the IWGP Intercontinental Champion, challenged for the IWGP Heavyweight Title and has become the first ever AEW World Champion.

   He is a promo machine and has been 'don't take your eyes off him' good in feuds. His work with Adam Page, Tetsuya Naito and Kenny Omega has been compelling.

   He is now going to be the centre piece for the television debut of AEW on TNT. He will get significant mic-time and will be feuding with the biggest and most skilled performers in AEW. He has proven that he can draw interest and create brilliance with relative ease.

4. Tessa Blanchard

   An Impact Wrestling star yet on the most compelling and now influential performers in the world. Callis and D'Amore deserve a huge amount of credit for how they have booked her however her talent is shining through in a big way!

   Her intergender matches are pulling up trees in the wrestling world. She has an incredible look, a believable style and a compelling ability to sell. It's inconceivable that Impact can hold onto her for much longer despite the incredible job they have done to elevate her.

   It could be argued that she is the next stage of the woman's evolution within wrestling, that it is in fact her that is the heir to the four horsewomen. If AEW can get hold of her it could be next level for all parties. She is poised to take the work of Becky Lynch to the next level.

5. Kota Ibushi

   An incredibly gifted performer and perennially cited to be a breakout star. However Kota Ibushi is 37 years old. That's six years older than Okada.

   2019 has been different though. Ibushi has signed a lifetime contract with New Japan after years of flitting from company to company. This has seen New Japan become comfortable with investing in Ibushi. 20189 say Ibushi win the G1 29 and he is scheduled to face Okada at Wrestle Kingdom.

   Incredible in the ring, uber popular with Japanese and Western fans and star-like looks Kota Ibushi is about to fulfill his monstrous potential.

6. Jon Moxley

   What a year it has been for Jon Moxley. From leaving WWE to cryptic messages to resurfacing as Jon Moxley to AEW to NJPW to the G1 and the incredible podcast tell alls. Jon Moxley has gone from struggling as Dean Ambrose to storming AEW and NJPW as Jon Moxley.

   His self promotion, the way he has conducted himself and his sheer talent in the ring has enabled him to power back to prominence in the wrestling world. He is now a star in Japan and is poised to be a major player in AEW.

   His promo work in AEW has proven him an intelligent man who understands the business and what fans want but iti has been his work in Japan that has really stood out. His G1 run was incredible. He mixed it up with a variety of styles and worked the incredibly difficult New Japan with aplomb.

7. Cody Rhodes

   Cody is an interesting wrestler. Often maligned as not up to the standard of the other wrestlers that are pushing the business into the future yet he is a compelling worker and a magnetic personality.

   He has had incredible matches against Shawn Spears and Dustin Rhodes so far this year. He is a masterful promo and a genius businessman. He is the face of AEW and possible the most over babyface in the fledgling company.

   His ability to build up a match giving each a big match feel is invaluable. He is not in the top bracket in terms of wrestling technical ability but his charisma and creative skills are very special.

8. Seth Rollins

   It has been an interesting year for Seth Rollins. Elevated in difficult circumstances, Rollins has been the mainstay of the main event scene on Raw for a year now. He is the number one babyface but is a somewhat controversial character.

   Incredibly skilled in the ring yet he struggles to remain over with the fans. A questionable Twitter game and some poor character work has made life difficult for him however he has had some superb moments this year.

   His victory against Lesnar at Summerslam was an incredible performance and has rehabilitated his character. He is now one of the most valuable commodities in the business.

9. Will Ospreay

   Considered one of the best, of not the best wrestler in the world. This year Will Ospreay won the BOSJ, the IWGP Junior Heavyweight title and competed in the G1 as a junior heavyweight.

   Ospreay has moved to Japan and is becoming a major player in New Japan. Apparently he is considered the heir to Kenny Omega. He has put on a succession of terrific matches this year against Eagles, Takagi, Ibushi and Okada.

   With an ever evolving moveset and a unique charisma at 26 years old, the world is in Will Ospreay's hands.

10. Johnny Gargano

   The injury to Tommaso Ciampa was gutting for NXT fans who had watched their epic feud. However the somewhat impromptu match with Adam Cole was an incredible spectacle.

   Four five star matches as a WWE wrestler is something to take notice of. Gargano is an incredible worker and is almost guaranteed to have the best match on the card.

   He is in an interesting position. He is almost the next Brian Danielson yet he is already signed by WWE. Yet if he did decide to go elsewhere he would hit the top of the card instantly.

Honourable Mentions

• Kenny Omega - The best wrestler in the world and AEW EVP is building a compelling story in the fledgling promotion.
• The Young Bucks - The Jackson brothers are at the forefront of a tag team dynasty.
• The Undisputed Era - This quartet will be at the front of NXT as it takes on AEW in the 'Wednesday Night War'.
• MJF - A truly special promo. He has so very much potential as a heel in AEW.
• Sasha Banks - The possible resurgence of Sasha Banks coupled with her wrestling ability is potentially very special.
• Io Shirai - Wrestling ability as it has always been, top tier, however her character work has taken the wrestling world by storm.

Booking NXT - #1 TakeOver: Cardiff

Booking NXT

TakeOver: Cardiff

Travis Banks vs Noam Dar

   Travis Banks must win here. He has not hit the heights in NXT UK like many would have thought. Noam Dar is a class heel act but he doesn't need the win here. NXT UK could do with a secondary title for guys like Banks and Dar. WALTER will have the NXT UK title for quite some time and I would venture that Ilja Dragunov will be the man to take it from him. Neither Dar nor Banks are ready to move up yet. They need something else to do!

Dave Mastiff vs Joe Coffey

   NXT UK positioned Joe Coffey as a big deal early on but there is not much to be gained here if he goes over Mastiff. Mastiff should win here and go on to battle WALTER in the future. Coffey's path is unclear. A feud with Banks could be next. 

   Expect this to be an entertaining thrill-ride. A barn-burning bruising pallet cleanser that will be a little different from the rest of the card.

Zack Gibson and James Drake vs. Mark Andrews and Flash Morgan Webster vs. Gallus (Mark Coffey and Wolfgang)

   Gibson and Drake have been champions for quite some time now and it must be time for a change soon. However such a long title run should come to an end in a one on one confrontation within a hot feud. This match just isn't the right way to go for such a title change.

   Neither team feel particularly fitting to take the titles from the Grizzled Young Veterans however I can't really see who will.

WALTER vs Tyler Bate

   Tyler Bate should be the man to take the title from WALTER. However now is not the time for it to happen. WALTER's title reign has not taken off yet. He needs to be a dominating champion with a long reign. Bate would be perfect to take him down as we have seen from their interactions over the last few weeks, the dynamic is terrific.

   The time isn't now and that means it probably won't come for Bate. However a Gargano-esque run on NXT would work wonderfully for him. WALTER should have a dominant run then move to the main roster. He would benefit from winner here, without the help of Imperium.

Toni Storm vs Kay Lee Ray

   Toni Storm wins. It's not time to move on yet and Kay Lee Ray doesn't seem to be the person to take the title from her. Toni Storm needs to keep the title until she comes up against Piper Niven. It makes no sense not to explore that potential feud. Jazzy Gabbert is another exciting potential feud.

   Kay Lee Ray's future is less certain. She doesn't have an obvious route forward after Storm if she doesn't win here. Moving on to NXT proper may be the only smart choice. Toni Storm on the other hand has a limitless ceiling.

Booking WWE with Intelligence - #1 King of the Ring 2019

Booking WWE with Intelligence

#1 King of the Ring 2019

Story of the First Round

• Corbin mocks Ricochet’s size and throws him around. Ricochet has the last laugh defeating him with a string of typically-Ricochet impressive moves to take the win.
• Cesaro and Owens competitive match is decided via the interference of Shane McMahon. Cesaro looks smug but was highly impressive throughout.
• Ali finally gets his revenge on Joe for injuring him earlier this year. Joe looks monstrous but Ali’s resilience and arrayof brilliance triumphs.
• Gable cuts a fiery promo pre-match stating this is his tournament and he will climb the mountainous McIntyre. McIntyre struggles to deal with Gable’s wrestling brilliance taking many suplexes but also dishes out lots of punishment to Gable. Gable ducks a Claymore and hits a German catching McIntyre mid-Claymore to set up his victory.
• The Miz defeats Elias despite an attempted Shane McMahon distraction.
• Zayn steals one from a very game Andrade who dominated the majority of the match. Zayn flees from an irate McIntyre after the match.
• Murphy attacks Apollo pre-match then absolutely decimates a resolute Apollo during the match. Murphy looks viscous nonetheless.
• Cedric defeats Benjamin in an athletic match. Benjamin snaps and batters Cedric post-match

Quarter Finals

• Ricochet and Cesaro put on an athletic spectacle. Cesaro attempts of cheat mid match but Ricochet evades the attempted use of an exposed turnbuckle. Cesaro wins clean at the end. He then refuses Ricochet’s offer of a handshake post-match but certainly considers it.
• Ali and Gable shake hands at the start. This is a frenetic, high paced match. Aerial assault versus hard hitting suplexes. Gable bests Ali in a long match where both men come out looking better than they went in.
• The Miz again triumphs despite interference, this time from Elias. Miz hits the Skull Crushing Finale after ducking a guitar shot cusing it to hit Zayn instead.
• Murphy and Alexander clash for the first time since 205 Live. Before the match their 205 rivalry is recapped in a video package. Competitive match where Cedric shows off his range of impressive moves and Murphy continues to brutally take apart his opponents. Murphy puts away a resolute opponent.

Semi Finals

• Two wrestling machines clash. In an epic match Cesaro proves just a little too strong for Gable. An incredible back and forth match that sees Gable almost triumph on numerous occasions. Cesaro eventually wins hitting a string of Gotch piledrives to extinguish Gable’s hopes. Cesaro helps Gable from the mat at the end before swiftly exiting.
• Murphy absolutely destroys the Miz. Heavy knee strikes from the moment the bell sounds. The Miz only lands a couple of punches in the entire match. Murphy dominates with viscous strikes, speed and heavy offense.

Final

• Murphy hits Cesaro with a running V-Trigger from behind during his entrance with a huge run up down the entrance ramp. Cesaro is tended to be doctors but insists on competing.
• Murphy dominates early, hitting aerial moves and strong grapples. He keeps trying for the knee again but Cesaro manages to avoid each time. Cesaro eventually mounts a comeback; uppercutting and suplexing Murphy around the ring.
• Murphy manages to hit the knee again, taking all the wind out of Cesaro’s sails and resumes dishing out the punishment.
• Cesaro has to mount another comeback initiated by a springboard corkscrew uppercut. The comes from Cesaro ducking another knee attempt rebounding to hit a massive flying uppercut, followed by a Gotch before forcing Murphy to tap to the Sharpshooter.
• Murphy looks like a killer and Cesaro is now a born-again babyface and celebrates in the crowd as he once did.