What is YOUR top 5 wrestlers of 2007? Explain why!

[Josh DELUXE]

I know it's early but I am wondering what everyone thinks are the top 5 wrestlers of 2007? Who did you mark out for the most this past year? EXPLAIN YOUR CHOICES!

I'll get things started...

1. Necro Butcher: The dude just GETS wrestling. He is everything that is good and right with professional wrestling. Just a demented outcast hick who likes beating the crap out of people.

2. John Cena: Has put on the best overall matches with EVERYONE this year it seems. Umaga, Shawn Michales, Orton, Khali, you name it, he has put on a hell of a show with all of them. He knows how to put together a match better than arguably anyone else in the wrestling world. It's not the number ofmoves you use, it's how you use them. Anyone who still thinks he is bad REALLY needs to wake up and understand just how great he is.

3. Santino Marella: There was a period this year where he was the MAIN reason to watch RAW. He is not the best wrestler in the world. Far from it in fact. But the dude oozes entertainment.

4. Big Daddy V: Taking off the baggy body suit and wearing just suspenders REALLY makes you realize just how BIG he is. Just an awesome and scary big man who kills people and eats them for dinner afterwards. I see him coming to the ring and I'm like "Oh man, someone is going to get crushed". Just awesome.

5. Kevin Nash: I don't care what year it is, he's in my top 5. He just seems like a chill dude you want to kick back and have a brew with. One of the very few bright spots over the past year in TNA.


Honorable mentions: Jillian Hall, Jack Evans, Chris Hero, and Undertaker

[The Line]

1. Bryan Danielson
Once again, brings his A+ game, even after being out for half the year.

2.Claudio Castagnoli
His non-existent tenure with WWE obviously didn't go as planned, but he didn't that stop him from having a break out year.

3. Austin Aries
Another guy who faced a little adversity, but didn't let it stop him from having an awesome year.

4. CM Punk
My lone WWE pick. Had some fab matches on ECW(Especially with John Morrison)

5. Takeshi Morishima
Went from having the majority of the ROH fan-base (unjustly) dislike him to loving him in less than two months. Not because of personality, but because the guy can get it done.

[Timmy8271]

1: Eddie Kingston: He's just the man on the mic and makes me want to watch Indy wrestling.

2. Gran Apache: The Feud with Billy Boy is my feud of the year. He can make almost anybody look good.

3. John Cena: Basically what Josh said

4. Fabi Apache: The best women's wrestler in the world. She makes Sara Del Ray look like Kelly Kelly.

5. Candice Michelle: Enough said.

[mcmahonfan85]

1 & 2) The Briscoes – made tag team wrestling arguably the main focus in a promotion


3) Claudio Castagnoli – reclaimed (well, re-embraced) his spot as one of the most beloved faces


4) Chris Hero (along with the rest of Sweet & Sour Inc, excluding Bobby Dempsey of course) – despite the shenanigans of Nigel McGuinness, and the gross incompetence of one Todd Sinclair, Hero dug deep and managed to defeated that limy scumbag in his own type of match at Death before Dishonor V: Night Two. he's also one of the most entertaining wrestlers going today


5) Bryan Danielson – (if i may steal a line from Low Ki) Danielson once again proved that it is not the size of the fighter, but the size of the fight he will bring

[Hensley]

The Briscoes - is there anything these two CAN'T do?!

Claudio - to be frank, he just continues to entertain the hell out of me!

Nigel - finally get the recognition he deserves, no matter how short it might last!

Morishima - I wasn't for his reign initially, but I'll admit he kinda grew on me!

WSX Roster - they all put together one helluva show!

[The Line]

dammit. I forgot the Briscoes. And Jimmy Jacobs. And Chris Hero. Dammit. I need a top 10!

[Bocuma]

I'm debating in my own head where to place people, but I know my number one pick is without a doubt Claudio. He just totally blew me away with what he can do in the ring, and I'm glad everyone else noticed him as much as I did, because he had one hell of a year.

[SSP]

If we are including WWE guys:

1: Edge
The man is an amazing character and probably the best heel in all of wrestling. The guy is great.

2: Christian
Ironic, isn't it? But seriously the man has been the highlight of TNA for me always cutting great promos and putting on fantastic matches with Samoa Joe and Kazarian.

3: Mike Quackenbush
The man has had one hell of a year. He has been awesome in Chikara, had an amazing run at TPI despite a concussion, and had great showcase matches in ROH.

4: Matt Hardy
Why this man isn't a main eventer yet, I'll never know (OK....mic skills). But he has stolen the show with his matches on SD and PPV and has had one of the best feuds of the year with MVP.

5: Chris Hero
This has been his best year yet. He has perfected his character to a tee. Can be hilarious and silly in one match, and yet deathly serious in another. chris is, in fact, awesome.

Honorable mentions:
Jeff Hardy, John Cena, Samoa Joe, The Briscoes, CM Punk, Claudio Castagnoli, Austin Aries, Tim Donst,

and Motorcity Machine Guns/Murder City Machineguns/Panic! in Detroit/Team Delicious/78 Delta.

[MolotovMocktail]

1) Chris Jericho: After the awful year that was 2007, someone with those little things called talent and charisma returns to a company that desparately needs him. He is a refreshing alternative to Cena after the year of terror.

2) CM Punk: He naturally slid into the role as ECW champion after the steroid scandal, kept his head on straight, and of the 3 brands, has been consistently the best in-ring performer among the champions.

3) AJ Styles: His ring skills were always there. Turning heel finally gave him the personality to become a major star.

4) Christian Cage: The other major ingredient that made the Christian Coalition an awesome faction. Tomko also deserves special recognition as the straight man, but Christian finally found his calling in TNA after some rather bland times.

5) Matt Hardy: His feud/alliance with MVP was consistently the one thing on Smackdown that I found entertaining.

[Panda Bear]

1.
If there ever was a definition of a "Hero", Quack would be It. He put on great matchs all year, won the TPI and exited 2007 with a hell of a lot of belts.

2.
He was dominte in IWA-MS and Chikara, he continued to own Ricochet, and he had dream matchs with the likes of Delirious, Nate Webb, Jimmy Jacobs, Human Tornado and many others

3.
Owned everyone, captured the tag titles twice, an put on great matchs, show after show.

4. Finally got the ROH title, put on good matchs and that lariat, wow.

5.
Two words: Intense Promos

[KEJB]

1. Hiroshi Tanahashi
2. Daisuke Sekimoto
3. John Cena
4. Christian Cage
5. Yuji Nagata

[THRJamesAngelo]

1. Briscoes - I forgot who on here said it and I apologize, but they are the tag team equal to what Samoa Joe was as a singles wrestler in ROH

2. Jeff Hardy - Almost every week he always manages to have the best match on RAW. To top off a good year, he defeats HHH clean.

3. AJ Styles - His humorous personality, mixed with his already incredible skills makes him my favorite TNA wrestler.

4. Santino Marella - "JR will not reach a state of orgasm", "Look at me, Im Jerry Stupid Lawler", "DAMN-A"

5. Nigel McGuinness - Finally reached the big one. Always had great matches every show.

[Dragonfly]

1) Christian Cage - One of the best all-around "entertainers" in North American wrestling today, bar none.

2) Dennis Gregory - Randy Orton and Kurt Angle would kill for the kind of heel heat he gets. I haven't seen anything like it in years. He would have been number one if he worked more places than IWC in Pittsburgh.

3) Briscoes - The whole world found out what ROH fans already knew, thanks to their exposure on pay-per-view.

4) Santino Marella - For a time, he was the only reason that I would watch Raw. And if you don't agree, well... just don't make me open up that can of ass whip.

5) Eric Xtasy - He's another "unknown" who should get a look at from some of the other "mainstream" companies. For those unfamiliar with him, think "Danshoku Dino" (from DDT) only with Hard Gay's mic skills and comedic timing. He is the only non-Japanese man that I've seen to make the "wacky gay man" character not only work, but actually get over.

[Citizen Snips]

Hmmm....this is in no real order.....

-Bryan Danielson. Finally saw an ROH show this year. Been hearing about the guy for a couple years, he definitely lived up to all his hype.

-Ted DiBiase. Hey, the guy's been retired for 14 years, comes out and wins a battle royal without breaking a sweat. Impressive.

-John Morrison. If they really give him a good push, let him shine in the ring, and take the character WAY out there, he could be quite the big-time player next year.

-Jeff Hardy. Got back to the top by earning it. Way over with the crowd and puts on a damn fine match every week.

-Stevie Richards. He showed us. We saw.

Honorable mentions: Santino Marella (I can't remember a single match of his, but the man's comedy gold) and Balls Mahoney (Balls is still in WWE. Who saw that coming?)

[Brother Ike: Thread Killer]

1) Kenta Kobashi- I know he's only had one match this year but still, coming back from cancer and putting on the performace he did just goes to show you how great the man really is.

2) Bryan Danielson- Another year, another collection of awesome moty canidates from American Dragon

3) Takeshi Morishima- For going from virtually unknown to having one of the best world title reigns in ROH history

4) John Cena- Like him or not, no one gets a crowd riled up like john Cena. He had some great matches this year with Umaga, HBK, Orton, and Lashley.

5) Matt Classic- Although his return was breif, 2007 will be rememberd as the year of The master of the back body drop. Just think of the Knowledge he learned from Abe lincoln and Frank Gotch that he passed down to the young faces of WSX

6) The Briscoes- Although there style is sometimes too dangerous for me, you cant doubt the impact they made in ROH and making the tag titles a big as a draw as the world title.

7) The Motor City Machine Guns- Pretty much the most over act in TNA this year and had imo the best tag match of 2007 with the Briscoes

8) Claudio Castagnoli- He's awesome, what else can i say?

9) "sweet and sour" Larry Sweeny- Although he is mostly known as a manager, theres no bum out there that can match him on Promos. The fact he is not in WWE or TNA right now is beyond ludacris

10) Shawn Micheals- Headlining Wrestlemania and going an hour with with john cena at his age and with his injurys are no laughing matter

[Turd Ferguson]

doubleh1530 said:

The Briscoes - is there anything these two CAN'T do?!

Speak english.

[Reverend BTY]

Shawn Michaels- Despite his drop off, he has had good matches with pretty much everyone he was against. From Cena to Kennedy to Great Khali. He's the best hand in the WWE today.

Austin Aries- He has had good matches all year. The reaction he got at Driven was truly great. What Jericho should have gotten IMO.

John Cena- Seriously people, he's not bad. He had matches from acceptable to damn good throughout the year. His injury has him lower on my list. Although, it could rejuvinate general interest in him though.

Santino Marella- One of the main reasons to watch RAW.

The Hardys- Tied at 5th place, they have had a good feuds and been solid hands all year.

[invaderdave]

1. Takeshi Morishima. I defy you to find a wrestler that's made as much impact as Morishima this year. The guy has a battle that shakes the earth with Samoa Joe one day, and beats Homicide for the belt the next day. One of the few puro stars that I think could go to either of the televised companies, and neither would end up changing anything. Then again, I tend to be wrong on those things. I'm rambling. Morishima for Wrestler of the Year.

2. CM Punk. Hey, it took him a while, and I'm not entirely sure why it was such a bitch to knock John Morrison down for three seconds, but damned if I didn't cheer when Punk finally won the big gold (and green, red, and blue) belt.

3. Chris Hero. If Claudio had his break out babyface year, then this is the year that Hero upped the ante on being a heel. Sweet n' Sour Inc. is the best stable a guy could ask for, and has the best non-Pete and Pete based theme song in wrestling right now. CHRIS IS AWE-SOME!

4. Claudio Castagnoli. Who'd have thought I'd rank Hero in front of Claudio? Oh well, the Most Money Making Man in wrestling still has a spot in my heart as the greatest incredibly tall man in wrestling today.

5. Chuck Taylor. In my mind THE break out wrestler of the year, and I don't think you're going to find a better promo from anyone else. I look forward to much more from this young shoe, er...wrestler.

[Styx Cover Band]

1. Chuck Taylor - Like stated in a post above, probably THE breakout wrestler of 2007. He held the IWA-MS title for one year, had a huge feud with Low Ki and against small children, great in chikara and won YLC and is one of the most entertaining wrestlers in the indies today. And he is now packing imaginary grenades and rocket launchers

2. Drake Younger - In the hardcore/deathmatch style he has gone from a virtual unknown at KOTDM '06 to one of the top three Deathmatches workers in the US in just over a year and a half. He won TOD this year, and became Ian Rotten's DM pro toge (<--- needs to tone it down though)

3. Brain Damage - He returned to wrestling after a few months off and (outside of Necro and Toby who don't do that many DM's anymore) is probably the best DM worker in the US right now. When Brain Damage is on the card you know someone is going to get the crap kicked out of them. His wars against Necro in IWA-EC were brutal, had a great match against Low Ki in IWA-DS, He (and drake) seemed to carry CZW for several shows. He and Necro had one of the best DM's ever at MOP this year, and he and Deranged won this years DDT

4. Briscoes - they have been mentioned several times above and all I can add is if they are on a ROH show you will see at least a 4 star match from them

5. Hero - Best heel on the indies in the best stable in the indies. His two matches with Eddie Kingston (one in CZW the other in IWA-MS) are really good as well

[eDemento2099]

I'll list the 5 wrestlers who impressed me most in 2007, but I will list them in NO PARTICULAR ORDER:

1) Shawn Michaels - He's one of WWE's very few redeeming aspects. Despite being past his prime, and being involved in an uber-contrived DX Reunion, HBK is still "the show stopper" when it comes to in-ring athleticism.

2) Eddie Kingston - His wrestling skills have improved quite a bit over the years, despite the fact that he was out of action with an injury after CZW's Cage of Death 8. He cuts some of the best promos in the business today. It's a real shame that Zandig lost his cool and 'fired' Kingston from CZW, because that was CZW's loss more than it was Kingston's.

3) Drake Younger - One of the best young athletes in the business. He took some insane risks to get to the top, and unfortunately, a few of those risks left his body injured. Here's hoping Younger keeps wrestling well, but is more careful about deathmatches.

4) Danny Havoc - An impressive high-flyer whose deathmatches are about athleticism and innovative spots rather than sick bumps. His laid-back attitude reminds me of RVD.

5) Necro Butcher - Of all the matches he's done this year, none of them have been deathmatches (with the exception of those at Tournament of Death 6). His straight-up traditional wrestling matches are very nice, and you've got to give props to a guy who jobs and helps to get newer talent over. He's charismatic, and probably the best brawler I've ever seen (Brain Damage was almost mentioned for the same reasons as Necro, except that he focused 2007 on deathmatches, which I'd like to see him move away from).

HONORABLE MENTION: Ken Kennedy - Didn't cite him because he was out of action with an injury, and then for his steroid use. I think Kennedy's still an impressive athlete, but I think less of him as a person for having taken steroids and for blatantly steroid use in wrestling in the aftermath of the Benoit massacre.