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Topic subjectESPN jumps in with weekly power rankings
Topic URLhttp://board.okayplayer.com/okp.php?az=show_topic&forum=8&topic_id=2093797&mesg_id=2118042
2118042, ESPN jumps in with weekly power rankings
Posted by wallysmith, Wed Jan-23-13 12:22 PM
Not too shabby

http://espn.go.com/blog/playbook/fandom/post/_/id/17230/wwe-power-rankings-cena-rock-fall-off

WWE Power Rankings: Cena, Rock fall off
January, 22, 2013
By Jon Robinson | ESPN.com


Everyone likes to call WrestleMania the Super Bowl of sports entertainment, but for my money, nothing beats the Royal Rumble. Throughout the years, the Royal Rumble match has boasted everything from tag-team partners fighting each other, to former champions making their triumphant returns, to legends we never thought we’d see again running down to the ring for one last pop. From John Morrison’s amazing parkour moves to avoid elimination to Kofi Kingston’s ability to walk on his hands so his feet wouldn’t hit the floor, the match embodies the fun, surprise and athleticism that draw millions of people to tune into WWE on a weekly basis.

But the pay-per-view’s importance also has grown throughout the years, as it also helps set up the storylines for the next few months leading into Mania, and it’s in these storylines where WWE really has the opportunity to build back some of the audience it lost since the Attitude Era. Here’s the thing: With WrestleMania only a few months away, WWE promises to feature returning/part-time stars like The Rock, Brock Lesnar, The Undertaker, and Triple H in prominent roles for its biggest moneymaking event of the year.

My idea: Have them all lose. That’s right, have the Royal Rumble set up a series of matches and feuds that are fresh, and pay it off with the biggest passing of the torch Wrestlemania we’ve ever seen.

That’s right, forget the rumored return matches of The Rock vs. John Cena, Triple H vs. Brock Lesnar, and CM Punk vs. The Undertaker. We’ve seen it all before. Give us something that launches a new era, not make us wish we were back in the days of Austin and Attitude.

Allow me to play fantasy booker for a moment. If I’m writing the show at the Royal Rumble, The Shield runs down to the ring during The Rock/CM Punk match, when all of a sudden Brock Lesnar’s music hits. CM Punk looks to Paul Heyman, who tries to control Lesnar, but instead, Lesnar beats the hell out of the Shield, distracting Punk and helping The Rock win the WWE title. This sets up CM Punk vs. Brock Lesnar at Wrestlemania, to go along with The Rock vs. the 2013 Royal Rumble winner, Daniel Bryan. Imagine the promos we’d have leading up to the Bryan/Rock match. The crowd response these two would generate going back and forth would be completely off the charts.

Then, also at the Rumble, it’s time for Dolph Ziggler to cash in his Money in the Bank briefcase, win the world title, then call out Triple H, the man who he says has been holding him down for years. Cue the clips of Triple H and Shawn Michaels sending Ziggler and the rest of the Spirit Squad back to development, and you have a match with both an incredible backstory and heat.

As for The Undertaker, that’s easy. The Dead Man vs. John Cena in a match where Cena goes so overboard trying to end the streak, it pushes him into complete madman mode (I can see all of the kids crying already), launching him into full-blown heel status.

Throw in a heel-turned Randy Orton vs. Ryback, Sheamus vs. Antonio Cesaro, Alberto Del Rio vs. Christian in a role reversal of their previous feud, and Money in the Bank featuring The Shield, Kofi Kingston, Big Show, Wade Barrett, and The Miz (with Dean Ambrose winning), and you have a WrestleMania that has the potential to showcase this new generation of stars unlike any WrestleMania before it.

Will it happen? Probably not, but hey, a guy can dream.


WWE Power Rankings: Jan. 22, 2013
Rank
(Prv) Wrestler Comment
1
(1) CM Punk
So many people think it's a foregone conclusion that Punk is dropping the title to The Rock this Sunday, but I'm starting to think Punk might just pull it out after all. Love witnessing the tension anytime Punk, Heyman, and Vince McMahon share the screen.
2
(3) Dolph Ziggler
Ziggler wins Raw's Beat the Clock challenge, but instead of earning the No. 30 spot in the Royal Rumble, he gets either No. 1 or No. 2 thanks to the dastardly Vickie Guerrero. Rey Mysterio currently holds the WWE record for longest time spent in a Rumble match (1:02:12), but I think Ziggler breaks that record on Sunday, making it at least to the final four.
3
(9) The Shield
Dean Ambrose
Roman Reigns
Seth Rollins
Cool video promo followed by a vicious beatdown of The Rock. Even with the 3-on-1 advantage, when you leave a legend like Rock spitting up blood in the middle of the ring, you're making sure everyone in the building leaves talking about you.
4
(4) Alberto Del Rio
It's not just Alberto Del Rio's new attitude that has me excited about his future, but his new moveset. Gone are the slow-paced matches focused on arm bars (snore!) in favor of a more high-flying and hard-hitting array of maneuvers that even had the Giants' Sergio Romo on his feet.
5
(2) The Rock
If I had to smell what The Rock was cooking this week, I'd say it was leftovers. Rock brought the intensity, but it was nothing we haven't seen or heard before. Major props to Rock for helping build up The Shield and making their attack look as brutal as possible.
6
(NR) Sheamus
I really enjoyed the slobberknocking nature of the Sheamus/Wade Barrett match. Hope to see the interaction between Ziggler and Sheamus toward end of the segment carry over into a serious feud once Ziggler cashes in his Money in the Bank contract.
7
(6) Ryback
Exploding with intensity, Ryback has the crowd eating out of the palm of his hand. Unfortunately, he seems to be a man without a storyline now that CM Punk is feuding with The Rock.
8
(NR) Team Hell No
Kane
Daniel Bryan
They're one of my favorite tag teams of the past decade thanks to their combination of personality and ring presence, even if I think it's time to break them up and let Daniel Bryan make his way to the main event.
9
(NR) Randy Orton
Orton's a classic heel who's been stuck spinning his wheels as a face for far too long. He's such a natural "bad guy;" I can't wait until he's back to his sinister ways. In the meantime, he put up a great match against Antonio Cesaro on Raw. Talk about a feud I'd love to see heat up.
10
(5) John Cena
This man used to be money on the mike, but his promo on Raw was seriously one of the most ridiculous, time-wasting experiences I've sat through in years. Curious to know whether his writers are really this out of touch, or if Cena actually thinks he's being funny.