Top 40 Most Popular Current Superstars Countdown!

[Arturo Classico]

Man I hope Santino is number 1!

[Above Average]

12th with 316 points...





Randy Orton

Randal "Randy" Keith Orton (born on April 1, 1980) is an American professional wrestler currently signed to World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) wrestling on its RAW brand, where he is the reigning WWE Champion. Orton is a third-generation professional wrestler; his grandfather, Bob Orton, Sr., father, "Cowboy" Bob Orton, and uncle, Barry O, were all professional wrestlers.

Orton is a three-time world champion: a two-time WWE Champion and a one-time World Heavyweight Champion. He has the distinction of being the youngest World Heavyweight Champion in the company's history, and has achieved considerable success as an Intercontinental Champion and World Tag Team Champion. He is nicknamed the Legend Killer, as a part of his gimmick of intentionally attacking star and legendary wrestlers—especially outside the confines of a match.

Randy Orton was born in Knoxville, Tennessee on April 1, 1980. Son to Elaine and "Cowboy" Bob Orton, he is the oldest of two siblings. Knowing from experience the hardships of life as a professional wrestler, Orton's parents tried to convince him to stay away from wrestling; his father warned that life in the ring meant a life on the road, away from family. He still agreed to try other venues first. After graduating from Hazelwood Central High School in 1998 (where he was an amateur wrestler), Orton enlisted with the United States Marine Corps. He was dishonorably discharged about a year later, after going AWOL on two separate occasions, and disobeying an order from a commanding officer. Under the Uniform Code of Military Justice, Private First Class Orton was tried and convicted under a special court-martial, and was put into a military prison for thirty-eight days.

Orton made his professional wrestling debut in 2000 with the MMWA-SICW in St. Louis, Missouri, an organization that was an off-shoot of the old St. Louis Wrestling Club headed by Sam Muchnick between 1950 and 1983. There, he was trained by such wrestlers as Ron Powers, Gary Jackson, Mark Bland, Jeremy Lightfoot, Phil E. Blunt and promoter Tony Costa as well as his father, Cowboy Bob Orton. During this time, Orton also refereed a few matches with World Organized Wrestling, a promotion where his uncle Barry O worked.


World Wrestling Entertainment

2001
Orton signed a deal with World Wrestling Entertainment and was sent to Ohio Valley Wrestling (OVW) in Louisville, Kentucky, where he rose quickly through their ranks by becoming OVW Hardcore Champion on two occasions in 2001.


2002
Orton made his WWE television debut on Smackdown on April 25, 2002 as a face. Gifted with strong wrestling skills, tall stature, and a knack for cutting promos on the microphone, Orton was quickly pushed as a main eventer. However, his persona as a face did not go over with the fans, keeping him from the World Heavyweight Championship scene. Overcoming odds as an underdog, using clean tactics and avoiding negative taunts was considered bland for Orton, gaining few fans. The WWE creative team decided that a gimmick change would be to his benefit, and they slowly transitioned him into a narcissistic, self-centered, and highly-disrespectful heel.

Luckily, Randy Orton was drafted to RAW, where he again received a large push as a babyface, with the advantage of a larger audience and potential fanbase. Within weeks of his debut to the new brand, a shoulder injury left Randy sidelined for months. Orton announced his shoulder injury to the crowds, informing them that he would be gone; they waving him goodbye, hoping for the unexciting star to leave. This "crowd turn" began his transformation into a self-serving, disrespectful heel; while sidelined on injury, he still appeared in his own "Randy News Network" segment, a weekly vignette featuring him talking at length on his condition. The show interrupted more interesting segments of RAW programming, gaining hatred from fans.


2003
After his injury healed, Orton joined the stable of Ric Flair, World Heavyweight Champion Triple H (also known as The Game), and relative newcomer, Dave Batista, creating a group known as Evolution. Seen as a link between Wrestling's Past (Ric Flair), Present (Triple H), and Future (Orton and Batista), the stable gained power over much of the roster, acquiring championship gold in 2003. Orton gained his first title with Evolution, and his success began an uneasy relationship with Triple H, who saw Orton as a threat to his dominance.

Randy Orton began as an underling to Triple H, used primarily to help during his title defenses. He often resorted to dirty tricks and illegal maneuvers, which, alongside Triple H and Ric Flair, two notable heels, made Orton a stronger heel than before. In 2003, Orton spent much of his time helping Triple H overcome challenges from Scott Steiner, Goldberg, and Kevin Nash, former World Championship Wrestling (WCW) superstars who were vying with The Game for the World Heavyweight Championship.

Orton's position alongside Triple H made him a main-eventer, gaining fans and visibility in high-profile matches. He joined Triple H in a six-man Elimination Chamber match for the World Heavyweight Championship at SummerSlam 2003, involved primarily to secure Triple H's title defense. During the match, Orton displayed great wrestling ability, demonstrating himself as main-event material apart from Triple H.

Afterwards, Randy Orton proclaimed himself "The Legend Killer", a young upstart so talented, that he touted himself as the future of wrestling entertainment. He embarked on numerous feuds with "legendary" wrestlers, gaining infamy for his blatant disrespect of many older, well-regarded names in wrestling history. Most famously, he spit in the face of Harley Race on the April 26, 2004 edition of RAW. At Unforgiven 2003 on September 21, Orton defeated Shawn Michaels in the first of many high profile matches billed as "Legend vs. Legend Killer", with the help of his stablemate and mentor Ric Flair. After the match, Orton was interviewed by WWE.com and stated, "I may be the Legend Killer, but as far as I'm concerned, there's no killing the legend of Shawn Michaels."

During this time, Orton began using what would become his signature finisher, the "RKO", named after his initials. Orton soon defeated Rob Van Dam for the WWE Intercontinental Championship at Armageddon 2003 on December 14. This was significant for two reasons: all of the major titles on RAW were now within Evolution's grasp, and with this win, Orton started the longest Intercontinental title reign in seven years, holding the title for seven months.


2004

Orton continued to establish himself as a Legend Killer throughout 2004, challenging the semi-retired wrestler Mick Foley. Famed for his hardcore matches and an ability to handle excruciating pain, Foley offered Randy a hardcore Legend vs. Legend Killer match if Orton would put his Intercontinental Championship on the line. In a bloody match involving thumbtacks and barbed wire, Orton defeated Mick Foley. Orton has quoted that this one of this favorite matches.

In July, at Vengeance 2004, Edge defeated Orton to win the Intercontinental Championship, ending Orton's seven month title reign. Even after the loss of his Intercontinental Championship, Orton continued to rise in ranks within WWE, entering the World Heavyweight Championship scene. Defeating the leading contenders, Orton felt himself an able adversary for his old mentor, Triple H. Beating "The Game" marked a "rite of manhood" for Orton, as a Championship win would establish himself as a dominant member of Evolution and one of "wrestling's futures". After becoming the #1 contender on July 26, he gained heat with the fans as a potential champion. A month later, Orton's dream came true when he defeated Chris Benoit for the championship. To boost his ego even further, Orton now had the added distinction of being the youngest World Heavyweight Champion in wrestling history (age 24). Benoit congratulated Orton after the match, shaking his hand for showing the ability to "be a man".

The following night, Evolution threw Orton a mock celebration, only to reveal that they were not pleased with his new victory. While Batista had Orton propped on his shoulders in elation, Triple H gave him a pleased thumbs up; he abruptly changed it to a thumbs-down, and Batista dropped Orton to the mat. Ric Flair and Batista brutally beat him in the ring as Triple H revealed his jealousy for Orton's title. He offered an ultimatum to the young champion to hand over the championship; Orton refused, spitting in Triple H's face and hitting him with the title belt.

Randy Orton's break-up with Evolution began a face turn and he continued to feud with his former stablemates. After a month of this feuding, Orton finally lost his championship at Unforgiven 2004. Seeking revenge, Orton lashed out at Evolution members, catching them by surprise during a show by giving them a large cake as a make-up gift, which he came out of, beating and humiliating the group. After this, Orton experienced another push, becoming General Manager of RAW for a week following a match stipulation at the 2004 Survivor Series. He continued to feud with Triple H, using his authority to place his opponents at severe disadvantages during title defenses.

Orton continued to receive a strong push despite weakening fan reaction to his status as a face. Still feuding with Triple H, Orton was granted another chance at the championship in January 2005. He lost a six-man championship Elimination Chamber match to Triple H on January 9, 2005, and then beat Batista on January 10, 2005, for a rematch. During the match, Triple H interfered, accidentally hitting Batista with a steel chair, which started a successful face turn for Batista. On January 30, 2005, Orton again attempted to regain the title from Triple H but was unsuccessful, effectively removing him from the Heavyweight Championship scene.

In the book, World Wrestling Insanity, Orton's quick push to champion followed by tremendous losses to Triple H between August 2004 and January 2005 is described as a huge setback to his career. Orton's booking is also heavily criticized because his character was built on trampling the competition and beating legends, and yet, when he won the championship, he lost it after only a month. The author also feels that Orton was given poor rematches, including an Elimination Chamber match where he lost decisively to Triple H. Afterwards, Orton's #1 contender's match with Batista was won by interference from Triple H, significantly devaluing the win.


2005

Afterwards, Batista was given a strong push, dethroning Triple H from his Championship reign while Randy Orton was marginalized. He began an onscreen relationship with Stacy Keibler and briefly feuded with Christian, storylines far from the championship scene. Orton's career had slumped, and he was nearing midcard status until the legendary "Superstar" Billy Graham made a rare appearance on February 28, advising Orton to "go where no wrestler [had] gone before". By coincidence, Orton then produced a copy of SmackDown! magazine, which featured The Undertaker on the cover.

Heeding Graham's advice, Orton claimed that he would set himself apart from all other wrestlers by ending The Undertaker's undefeated streak at WrestleMania. Throughout March 2005, Randy Orton taunted Undertaker, claiming he was unafraid of the eerie Deadman. However, during Orton's promos insulting his opponent, he would immediately whimper and run for cover when signs of The Undertaker's appearance were near (lightning, darkness, smoke). Orton gained heel heat through underhanded attacks, building suspense to his long-awaited match with The Undertaker at WrestleMania. He delivered an RKO to his unsuspecting on-screen girlfriend, Stacy Keibler, knocking her unconscious. This demonstrated intensity and unpredictability in Orton, and cemented his heel status. When "legend" wrestler Jake Roberts advised Orton not to underestimate The Undertaker, Orton RKOed him too. In the weeks leading up to WrestleMania, he became more defiant and unafraid of the Deadman, taunting and assaulting him in the ring following distractions from his father. At WrestleMania 21, however, the heavily-hyped match was unsuccessful for Orton, as he lost despite his father's interference.

The following night on RAW, Orton faced Batista, who had become World Heavyweight Champion. Orton stated on-screen that the match had aggravated a shoulder injury begun by The Undertaker, when in fact he was suffering from the third genuine shoulder injury of his career, putting him out for six months. While sidelined, Orton appeared on RAW, declaring his intentions to gain revenge on Batista and take his title belt. Orton also claimed that he was ineligible for the WWE Draft Lottery because of his injury, but was told by a ceremonious Vince McMahon that night that he was indeed a candidate for the draft, leaving a possibility of a return to SmackDown!.

Orton returned to WWE programming on the SmackDown! brand on June 16, announcing that he was the second SmackDown! pick in the 2005 draft lottery. He rekindled his feud with The Undertaker, defeating him at SummerSlam 2005 following a distraction from his father. After SummerSlam, an overconfident Orton announced that he was opening a retirement fund for The Undertaker, holding an over-sized check for him in the ring. However, The Undertaker made his return by setting the check ablaze with a mysterious bolt of lightning.

Randy Orton and The Undertaker feuded intensely from August to November, taunting each other in eerie pay-per-view specialty matches, featuring coffins, caskets, and druids. At No Mercy 2005, Orton and his father defeated The Undertaker in a casket match by double-teaming and using illegal weapons. In November, they battled even more fiercely, hoping to finally settle the score between the veteran legend and the supposed Legend Killer. On an episode of SmackDown!, Orton placed The Undertaker in the trunk of Eddie Guerrero's lowrider, reversing the car into the stage, creating a "deadly explosion".

The feud was finally settled with a high-stakes match at Armageddon 2005. The Undertaker lured Randy Orton to a match at this pay-per-view event, offering to place his retirement at stake. On December 16, The Undertaker entered the ring to deliver a promo, while one of his druids appeared to be standing in the ring. Confused, The Undertaker was RKOed in a surprise attack by Orton. The druid revealed himself to be Orton's father, giving Randy The Undertaker's urn (which, according to storyline, allowed whoever held it to control The Undertaker) and the possibility of a special advantage over The Deadman at Armageddon. The Undertaker, however, overcame the odds and beat both Randy and Bob Orton in a Hell in a Cell match which ended their nine-month-long feud with The Undertaker as the outright victor.


2006

Following Armageddon, Orton stayed off-air for two weeks, coming back to engage in a lower card feud with Booker T and Chris Benoit. Orton agreed to help the injured Booker in a "best of seven" series with Chris Benoit for the WWE United States Championship. Although Booker had won three matches previously and needed only one more win, Orton lost the first two due to botched interference. In the deciding match with Benoit, Orton won with illegal help from Booker T, making him Champion. In the following weeks, Orton squared off separately with Benoit and his accomplice Orlando Jordan, settling hostilities with them from his "best of seven" matches. Orton defeated Jordan with the aid of Booker T, but lost to Benoit in a no holds barred match.

Orton entered the 2006 Royal Rumble at number thirty and was eliminated by the second entrant, Rey Mysterio. Because Mysterio had won a title shot through his Royal Rumble victory, Orton urged him to put it at stake in a match at No Way Out 2006. In the weeks preceding No Way Out, Orton made disparaging remarks about Eddie Guerrero, Mysterio's friend, in an attempt to gain heel heat. However, as Eddie's death had occurred only months previously, many fans felt the comments were unwarranted and highly distasteful. Orton won at No Way Out, earning Mysterio's title shot for the World Heavyweight Championship at WrestleMania 22. However, in consideration of Mysterio's spirit, enthusiasm, and athleticism, General Manager Theodore Long re-added Mysterio to the WrestleMania 22 title match, making it a triple threat between Randy Orton, Rey Mysterio, and then-champion, Kurt Angle. As a heel, Orton protested the extra competition but was told to accept it or lose his own title shot. On April 2, 2006, at WrestleMania 22, Orton was pinned by Mysterio, making Rey the World Heavyweight Champion.

On April 4, 2006, WWE stated that Orton had been suspended for sixty days for "unprofessional conduct." In a vague interview, Randy Orton stated, "my conduct was unbecoming of a champion, which is what I will be again when I return". To cover for the suspension, a faked injury was devised, where Kurt Angle broke Orton's ankle during a grudge match. In July, Orton said his suspension resulted from smoking marijuana backstage. While suspended, Orton spent four weeks at an anger management clinic.

Orton returned from his suspension in June, exacting revenge on Kurt Angle for injuring (in kayfabe) his ankle. According to storyline, Angle was still bitter with Orton because of his performance at WrestleMania 22, where his pinfall caused the loss of Angle's Championship. The two faced off at One Night Stand, where Angle won, but had a rematch at Vengeance, where Orton won.

Throughout July 2006, Orton feuded with "the legendary, the immortal" Hulk Hogan, cutting humorous promos insulting the aging Hulkster. He also flirted with Hogan's 18-year-old daughter Brooke. Through tricky maneuvers, Orton evaded many attacks from Hogan, in a similar fashion to his feud with The Undertaker. At SummerSlam 2006, Orton faced Hogan in a Legend vs. Legend Killer match, a match cleanly won by Hulk Hogan.

Following the sabotage of Edge's title opportunities by the newly-formed D-Generation X (Triple H and Shawn Michaels), Edge approached Orton, asking him to join forces in defeating the dominant tag team. Orton, whose Championship reign had been severely cut short by Triple H in 2004, reluctantly agreed, forming the tag team Rated-RKO. The two became the first to finally defeat DX, and quickly dominated RAW's lackluster tag team division to become champions.


2007

In 2007, Rated-RKO continued their feud with DX. They viciously beat Ric Flair with steel chairs to enrage DX. At New Year's Revolution, Rated-RKO faced DX in a title defense, but the match was declared a No-Contest when Triple H suffered a legitimate injury during the match.

With Triple H out of action, Rated-RKO continued to feud with remaining DX member Shawn Michaels. Michaels teamed with John Cena, defeating Rated-RKO for the championships on January 29.

The two suffered a series of frustrating losses to Cena and Michaels in the following months, building hatred towards one another. Worsening matters, they became rivals in their goals of achieving the WWE Championship, forcing them to join forces as well as backstab each other. Neither Edge nor Orton won the Championship, and they lost their claims as #1 contenders after a failed match with Cena at Backlash. Blaming each other for their losses, Orton and Edge seemed to be set for a feud, but Edge's move to Smackdown abruptly ended their potential feud.

In comparison to his former partner, who had gone on to win a match against Mr. Kennedy for Money in the Bank and achieved Championship gold, Orton lingered on Raw as a struggling singles star. He continued his Legend Killer persona, attacking Shawn Michaels viciously with a more powerful moveset than seen before. Using frequent attacks to the head (including an elevated DDT and a running punt to the face), Orton beat Michaels senseless at Judgment Day 2007. When the wounded and concussed Michaels collapsed in the ring, the referee was forced to stop the match and award Orton the victory. Michaels was then taken out of the arena on a stretcher.

After Orton had "killed the legend" of Shawn Michaels, he began to feud with ECW's Rob Van Dam. During a match between the two on RAW, Orton concussed Van Dam in a similar fashion to Michaels, executing an RKO. At One Night Stand 2007 Orton lost a Stretcher match to Rob Van Dam, when he rolled Orton over the line. However, Orton got his revenge. After the match was officially over, Orton viciously attacked Van Dam ending in a running kick to the head and an elevated DDT onto the concrete floor. Van Dam suffered a concussion (legit) as a result of the attacks. The next night on RAW Orton continued his rampage by "taking out" Ric Flair with the same tactics he employed against Shawn Michaels and Rob Van Dam.

On the July 2 edition of RAW, Orton was involved in an altercation with Dusty Rhodes and his son Cody, showing disrespect to Rhodes, another "Legend", by slapping him across the face. This ignited a short feud between Rhodes and Orton which culminated at The Great American Bash. There, Orton defeated Rhodes in a Texas Bullrope match by slamming him with a cowbell. After the match, Orton had his sights on delivering a running kick to Rhodes, but was interrupted by Cody.

The following night on RAW, Orton defeated Cody, who had challenged him to a match. At the end of the match, Orton had Cody set up for a kick, until Dusty Rhodes made the save. But, instead, Rhodes fell victim to Orton, who went onto deliver the kick. Rhodes was then carried out of the arena on a stretcher. Later that night, Orton was announced as the #1 contender for John Cena's WWE Championship. The next week, Orton had a match with Sgt. Slaughter; he went onto continue his attacks and sent him to the hospital. Weeks before SummerSlam, Orton would sneak attack WWE Champion John Cena, by delivering RKO after RKO. Orton was unsuccessful at SummerSlam 2007, losing a WWE Championship title match to Cena who pinned Orton after executing an F-U.

The following night on RAW, Orton demanded a rematch for the WWE championship, but was declined by RAW General Manager William Regal. Orton then went to take his demands to Mr. McMahon, who also refused to give Orton a rematch unless he proved himself. With that he went and interfered in Cena's match that night by assaulting Cena and having him in place for the running kick, but instead on delivering the kick, he went and assaulted Cena's father, who was at ringside, and delivered the devastating kick to his head. Orton was granted his title rematch against Cena at Unforgiven, where he won his match by disqualification when Cena was disqualified for refusing to stop punching Orton in the corner. Cena retained the WWE Championship because a title cannot change hands by DQ. After the match, Mr. Cena, who was again at ringside, punted Orton in the head.

At No Mercy, Orton was awarded the WWE Championship by Mr. McMahon after John Cena relinquished the title due to an injury the previous week. He then lost the title to Triple H in the opening match of the show, the third shortest reign in WWE history. Later in the night, Orton enacted his rematch clause in a Last Man Standing match, and defeated Triple H to regain the WWE Championship, becoming a two-time WWE Champion in one night.

[Above Average]

#11 with 343 points...





Finlay

David Edward "Dave" Finlay, Sr. (born October 20, 1958) is a professional wrestler and road agent from Belfast, Northern Ireland. He is currently wrestling on the SmackDown! brand of World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) under the ring name Finlay. In WCW he became a 1 time WCW Television Champion and in WWE he became a 1 time United States Champion.

Finlay began his wrestling career in Carrickfergus, Northern Ireland, before moving over to Britain in 1978. While in England, Finlay wrestled for various companies under the Joint Promotions banner. Finlay defeated Alan Kilby on June 9, 1982 to win his first title, the Joint Promotions British Heavy Middleweight title. The belt was traded back and forth with various opponents over the rest of the year, but in early 1983, Finlay lost it for the last time. He then won a tournament to crown a new British Light Heavyweight champion, a vacant belt at the time, defeating British Legend Ringo Rigby in the finals.

Finlay soon lost that belt, but gained another, beating Marty Jones to win the "World Mid-Heavyweight title" which he traded back and forth with Jones for over two years losing it a final time to Jones via disqualification. Later, Finlay once again defeated Marty Jones en route to winning Joint Promotions' British Light Heavyweight title. He won a major British title; All-Star's British Heavyweight Championship. Finlay often competed on ITV's World of Sport programme as David "Fit" Finlay.

During this time, Finlay also began to wrestle in Germany and Austria for one of the biggest companies in Europe, the Catch Wrestling Association. While holding the All-Star title, he teamed with his old foe Marty Jones to win the CWA tag titles from Tony St. Clair (the man from whom he won the All-Star title) and his partner, Miles Zrno. After losing the All-Star title to Dave Taylor, Finlay began to focus more on CWA, winning many of their titles.


World Championship Wrestling
Before his current run in WWE, Finlay was best known in the United States for his run in WCW from 1995–2000, first as The Belfast Bruiser; a nickname he had previously used while in the UK, and later as "Fit" Finley. His momentum began during a feud with Lord Steven Regal in 1996, including an infamous parking lot brawl on WCW Monday Nitro during which Finlay got glass in his eye, leading to him wrestling with an eye-patch for several months. In 1998, he won the WCW World Television Championship and feuded with the likes of Chris Benoit and Booker T. Before long, he was a well established midcarder with his newly modified name, both in spelling and pronunciation, Fit Finlay.Also Finlay feud with Alex Wright over the fact Alex was mad at Finlay for ending Alex Wright's dad Steve Wright wrestling career and the feud led to Halloween Havoc where Finlay lost to Wright.

Near the end of his WCW run, he won the "Hardcore Junkyard Invitational" at Bash at the Beach, winning a "hardcore trophy". However, he legitimately suffered a badly lacerated nerve in his leg during a hardcore match at a house show in Jackson, MS, in July 1999, which nearly cost him use of the leg. As he was wrestling Brian Knobbs, he was thrown into a table in the corner of the ring, causing it to shatter and the shards to cut his leg. He managed to regain use of the limb and came back later in the year, but by that point, all momentum he had from the Junkyard Invitational win was lost. In 2000, Finlay formed a trio of "Hardcore Soldiers" with Brian Knobbs and Al Green. They feuded with Vampiro, including a match between Finlay and Vampiro at WCW Uncensored 2000, which marked Finlay’s last appearance on a WCW pay-per-view. His final match in WCW was at a German house show in November of 2000, losing to Norman Smiley in a hardcore match.


World Wrestling Entertainment
Finlay began work on a comeback in 2004, even wrestling in a match against Jamie Noble at a house show in Glasgow, Scotland, and promos began airing for his impending in-ring return in December 2005. His gimmick is that of a proud native Irishman who loves to fight. His first televised WWE match was on the January 20, 2006 airing of SmackDown! against Matt Hardy, which ended in a disqualification loss for Finlay. After the match, Finlay dragged Hardy to the steel ring steps and smashed Hardy's face into them with his boot, quickly establishing himself as a heel. This helped to give him the nickname, "The Fighting Irish Bastard".

Finlay continued to establish himself on the SmackDown! roster. During February and March 2006, Finlay was involved in an intense feud with Bobby Lashley which began when Finlay cost Lashley his unbeaten streak by interfering in Lashley's match with JBL at No Way Out. This feud would see the pair brawl on many occasions, including a parking lot segment in which Lashley tried to overturn a car onto Finlay. Later, the pair competed in a Money in the Bank qualifier Lumberjack Match that Finlay won. During this time, Finlay began to wield a shillelagh as a weapon.

On April 2, 2006 Finlay competed in his first WrestleMania, WrestleMania 22. He faced five other WWE Superstars, from both the RAW and SmackDown! brands in a Money in the Bank ladder match. This match was eventually won by then RAW superstar and former ECW superstar Rob Van Dam.

Finlay next entered into the King of the Ring tournament on Smackdown!, defeating his first round opponent Chris Benoit before being beaten by his rival Lashley, who advanced to the finals at WWE Judgment Day 2006. Finlay lost to Chris Benoit at WWE Judgment Day 2006. Finlay helped the other finalist, Booker T, to defeat Lashley in the King of the Ring final.

Beginning on the May 26 episode of SmackDown!, Finlay was joined by The Little Bastard character Hornswoggle who came out from under the ring to attack Finlay's opponents. Finlay joined forces with William Regal as loyal subjects of the newly renamed King Booker and his Court. Both men were later "knighted" by the King, and Finlay used the name Sir Finlay.

During his time as part of the court, Finlay picked up a win against World Champion Rey Mysterio in a non-title match before defeating the court's main foe Bobby Lashley to take Lashley's WWE United States Championship. Finlay defended the championship on several occasions, often with help from Little Bastard, and even defended it against fellow court member William Regal at The Great American Bash before losing the title to Mr. Kennedy on the September 1, 2006 edition of SmackDown! in a triple threat match that also involved Bobby Lashley.

After the title loss, Finlay continued to attack and wrestle threats to court leader King Booker and his newly won World Heavyweight Championship; including Lashley and Batista. Finlay defeated King Booker in a non-title singles match and losing in a four way match at No Mercy 2006 for the title. After leaving the court Finlay continued to feud with Batista. On the November 10, 2006 edition of SmackDown he returned to fight Batista in a singles match which he lost after Batista pinned him after a Spinebuster.

At Armageddon, Finlay and King Booker faced Batista and his partner, the WWE Champion John Cena from RAW, but were defeated.

At Royal Rumble 2007, Finlay participated in his first Royal Rumble match. He drew number 2 and started out against the number one entry, Ric Flair. He was eliminated 12th by Shawn Michaels. Shortly after the Royal Rumble, Finlay began a feud with The Boogeyman. At WWE No Way Out he competed in a tag team match with Little Bastard going against The Boogeyman and The Little Boogeyman. The match was won by Finlay and Little Bastard (the latter has since been renamed Hornswoggle).

Finlay earned a place in the Money in the Bank ladder match at WrestleMania 23 by beating Chris Benoit and Montel Vontavious Porter in a Triple Threat qualifier. However at WrestleMania the match was won by Mr. Kennedy. Following this, he would feud with Mr. Kennedy after Kennedy performed his finisher on Hornswoggle during the Money in the Bank match, and Jamie Noble for assaulting Hornswoggle after he won the Cruiserweight championship. However, Finlay's feud would quickly redirect to Kane, after Kane assaulted Finlay for spilling coffee on him, with both men interfering in each other's matches, and involving themselves with Batista and The Great Khali's matches. At Saturday Night's Main Event he and The Great Khali lost to Batista & Kane in a tag team match. He lost against Kane at SummerSlam. Finlay defeated Kane in a Belfast Street Fight rematch a few weeks later.

Finlay and Hornswoggle went their separate ways as soon as Hornswoggle was stripped from the Cruiserweight Championship thus making a full face turn and drafting to RAW.

[Above Average]

So ladies and gents, predictions for the top 10?

[Allison Reynolds]

aboveaverage said:

So ladies and gents, predictions for the top 10?

I predict Santino #1.
MVP and CM Punk round out the top 3.

[clifford]

HBK, Matt Hardy and Kennedy will be there

[kitsunestar]

#1 : SNIIIIIIITSSSSSSKYYYYYYY

[ChitownKnight]

Im pretty surprised that Orton and John Morrison got more votes than Cena and HHH

[Deleted]

i find it sad that HHH wasnt even in the top 10

[Jeff]

Can we have a recap so I dont need to read through all this?

[Big L]

gshton said:

Can we have a recap so I dont need to read through all this?

yea i with u on that one

[Above Average]

The recap is on the first post. A list of the rankings so far.

[Above Average]

#10 with 348 points:





William Regal

Darren Kenneth Matthews (born May 10, 1968) better known by his ring name William Regal, is an English professional wrestler. He is currently working for World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) where he serves as the General Manager on the RAW brand.

Early career
The left-handed Matthews made his ring debut wrestling in carnivals and on the North Pier of Blackpool at the age of fifteen. He wrestled professionally all over England, where he regularly teamed with Robbie Brookside, before going to the United States in 1992. He wrestled his first few matches under the name Roy Regal before settling on the name Steve Regal, a name he saw in an American wrestling magazine (in use by "Mr. Electricity" Steve Regal).


World Championship Wrestling (1993-1998)
Matthews started in WCW as Steve Regal, beginning as a face. He was turned into the heel Lord Steven Regal in 1993, claiming descent from William the Conqueror. At times arrogantly charming in this persona, one of his memorable statements to a post-match interviewer was, "Do you know what my New Year's resolution is going to be? To wake up a half an hour earlier so I can hate you more," he smirked.

Bill Dundee served as his manager under the name Sir William, and he won the Television Title four times. He teamed up with fellow aristocrat Jean-Paul Levesque, later known as Triple H, but after Levesque left WCW, he was replaced by Alabama-born Bobby Eaton. Regal formed the team The Blue Bloods and had some hilarious vignettes where he tried to teach Eaton the finer points of dining and the proper usage of the Queen's English. He renamed him "Earl" Robert Eaton and soon added "Squire" David Taylor, as well. They came close to winning the WCW Tag Team Titles, but never did. Among his feuds in WCW were Ricky Steamboat, Johnny B. Badd, Ultimo Dragon, The Belfast Bruiser,Sting,Prince Iaukea, and the team of Dick Slater and Bunkhouse Buck. During his stint in WCW Regal faced Living Legend Antonio Inoki in what was a short but memorable match at the Clash of the Champions August, 24 1994. Regal also had a match with Shinya Hashimoto for the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship during his stint in WCW. In short Regal was able to gain a wealth of international experience while in WCW.


World Wrestling Federation (1998-1999)
Regal's initial appearance in the WWF was on the June 29, 1998 edition of RAW is WAR, in which he defeated Droz via submission with the Regal Stretch. Regal had no particular gimmick in this showing, and he would not be seen on WWF television again until he returned that fall with a "Real Man's Man" builder/lumberjack style looking gimmick that was based on the image of The Brawny Man. Vignettes for the character showed him doing "manly" things like chopping wood, shaving with a plain razor, and squeezing his own orange juice. He debuted in October 1998. He faced X-Pac in the opening round of the tournament for the vacant WWF Championship at the 1998 Survivor Series. The match ended in a double countout, eliminating both men from the tournament.

Regal checked into rehab in January 1999 and was released from the WWF in April.


World Championship Wrestling (1999)
After checking out of rehab, Regal was invited back into the wrestling world, making a somewhat brief return to WCW. Lord Steven Regal's official PPV Return took place at the Bash at the Beach '99 where he was one of many participants in the first ever Hardcore Invitational. WCW Nitro July 12, 1999, Steven Regal w/Fit Finlay and David Taylor went against Billy Kidman. The fan's acted as if Regal never left and right at the bell began chanting USA! USA!. Despite outside help from Finlay and Taylor, Regal was unable to pick up the win. WCW Thunder July 14, 1999 Steve Regal, Fit Finlay and Dave Taylor vs. B.A., Chase Tatum and Swoll (w/4x4). During this time Finlay was forced to stay out of action due to nerve damage in his leg sustained while wrestling in a hardcore match. WCW Nitro July 26, 1999 Lord Steven Regal vs Mikey Whipwreck. Jimmy Hart's First Family came out to challenge the Blue Bloods at Road Wild for the Hardcore Trophy thus causing Regal to lose to Whipwreck. Nothing really came of this challenge as neither the First Family or the Blue Bloods were even featured at the PPV Road Wild. WCW Saturday Night August 14, 1999 Barry Darsow and Bobby Eaton vs. Dave Taylor and Steven Regal. Taylor hit a suplex, but Darsow grabed him and applied the Barely Legal hold. Regal hit Darsow with the Union Jack, then applied the Regal Stretch for the win. WCW Nitro August 16, 1999 Regal w/Dave Taylor scheduled to go against Scotty Riggs. Regal became a victim of the ill fated Sid Vicious Push. WCW Thuner August 19, 1999 Bobby Blaze, Adrian Byrd and Dave Burkhead vs. Steve Regal, David Taylor and Chris Adams. This was a six-man tag. The Blue Bloods vacated the ring before Sid Vicious yet again attempted to powerbomb everyone in sight. Bobby Blaze, Adrian Byrd and Dave Burkhead won via DQ. Similar to his former run, much of Regal's performance took place in tag team bouts. He continued his role as a rulebreaking heel and had small feuds with teams such as the Filthy Animals. However, as WCW continued to lose the ratings war with WWF, Regal was again released in February 2000.


World Wrestling Federation/Entertainment (2000-Present)
Regal was once again hired by the WWF and sent to Memphis Championship Wrestling for a short time. After a memorable bout with Chris Benoit at the Third Annual Brian Pillman Memorial Show, he was promoted to the full roster and re-debuted on the September 18, 2000 episode of Raw is War as Steven William Regal (soon shortened to William Regal), a stereotypical British snob. As a heel, Regal had much more success, winning the WWF European Championship. He later became the (on-screen) commissioner and self-proclaimed "Goodwill Ambassador" of the WWF and was given a comedy sidekick/man-servant in Tajiri.

In an interview with WWF Magazine, Regal expressed affectionate feelings toward the WWF, citing the organization's support and patience during his time in and out of rehab, which had helped lead to the current reunion and pleasant relationship.

During the WCW/ECW Alliance storyline, Regal turned heel on his fellow WWF wrestlers by costing Kurt Angle (then a babyface) the WWF Title and joining the WCW Alliance. He was fired as commissioner by Linda McMahon, but Shane McMahon, who was the then heel owner of WCW, hired him as the Alliance Commissioner. After the Alliance was defeated at the Survivor Series 2001, Regal was forced to become the first member of Vince McMahon's "Kiss My Ass" club by kissing McMahon's buttocks (literally) so he could keep his job.

2002 was an eventful year for Regal. After an absence due to surgery on his nose, Regal returned and feuded with Edge, winning the WWE Intercontinental Championship in the process. Regal would go on to lose the Intercontinental Title to Rob Van Dam, win the European Title for a third time, and briefly hold the WWE Hardcore Championship.


RAW
In mid-2002 the World Wrestling Federation was renamed World Wrestling Entertainment, and the roster was divided into two "brands". During this time he was drafted to the RAW brand by Ric Flair. There, he began using a set of brass knuckles to win matches and formed an alliance with Molly Holly before joining The Un-Americans, an anti-American heel stable consisting of Canadian wrestlers Lance Storm, Christian and Test.

On the September 30, 2002 episode of RAW, every member of The Un-Americans lost their matches, causing the group to separate later in the night and splinter into separate groups. Regal began teaming with Lance Storm, Christian formed a team with Chris Jericho, and Test branched off into single competition. Storm and Regal would go on to win the World Tag Team Championship but Regal would later have to give up his title due to a heart condition (initially thought to be a stomach virus contracted on a recent WWE tour of India).

Upon Regal's return, Eugene (the "mentally challenged" nephew of RAW General Manager Eric Bischoff) was placed in the care of Regal during his return to WWE. He became friends with Eugene, turning him face in the process. Regal was ordered by Bischoff to make Eugene lose so that he'd leave the WWE, but Regal's friendship with Eugene caused him to try only half-heartedly to cost Eugene his match with Robert Conway. Despite this, Bischoff put Regal back on the active roster. Regal would then team with Eugene and they would go on to win the World Tag Team Championship from La Résistance on the November 15, 2004 edition of RAW. Later, Eugene injured himself at New Year's Revolution after botching a dropkick.

This would ultimately cost them the World Tag Team Championship, as Regal unsuccessfully attempted to defend the titles with announcer Jonathan Coachman as his tag team partner. The pair wrestled against La Résistance and went on to lose the match at a RAW brand house show, crowning La Résistance with their third reign.

On February 4, 2005, Regal and old ally Tajiri defeated La Résistance to win the World Tag Team Championship on an episode of RAW, broadcast live from Tajiri's home country of Japan. La Résistance repeatedly attempted to regain the gold (mainly on Sunday Night Heat) from Regal and Tajiri in many different matches, but just fell short during each one. During the "last shot" for Regal and Tajiri's gold, La Résistance thought they had won back the titles, only to have the decision reversed by referee Mike Chioda due to La Résistance not pinning the legal man. After winning this match Regal issued an open challenge to any tag team in the world to come after their belts. On the following episode of RAW, Regal and Tajiri successfully defended the belts against the debuting Romeo and Antonio, known collectively as "The Heart Throbs."

On May 1, 2005, at Backlash, Regal & Tajiri participated in a "Tag Team Turmoil" match in which four teams competed for the World tag team titles. Regal & Tajiri were eliminated by La Résistance who, in turn, were eliminated by Hurricane and Rosey, who became the new champions.

Shortly before the ECW One Night Stand 2005 PPV, Regal announced that he was joining Eric Bischoff's anti-ECW faction to invade the PPV, and told Tajiri he had to make a choice-- to join with Regal or join with ECW. Tajiri responded by chanting, "EC-Dub! EC-Dub!" Regal did indeed invade the ECW PPV, along with many other WWE performers (he was the only one of the invaders that was a face.)


SmackDown!
On June 30, 2005, Regal was sent to SmackDown! in an 11-person trade as part of the draft, leaving his tag team partner Eugene behind.

Regal's first match on SmackDown! was scheduled for July 7, 2005 against Matt Morgan, in what was to be Morgan's final WWE match. It was interrupted before Regal was even able to enter the ring by The Mexicools. His first actual match as part of the SmackDown! roster was a loss to Chris Benoit in a lengthy chain wrestling match on the July 16, 2005 episode of WWE Velocity. He managed to trap Benoit in the Regal Stretch but Benoit got to the ropes. Regal eventually submitted to the Crippler Crossface. His autobiography Walking a Golden Mile came out in July 2005.

On August 4, 2005, Regal was supposed to go one on one with Scotty 2 Hotty, but the Mexicools came in and attacked both men. Two weeks later Regal and Scotty 2 Hotty teamed up on SmackDown! in a tag team match against Psicosis and Super Crazy with Juventud in their corner. In the middle of the match Regal turned heel once more by betraying Scotty by refusing to tag him plus walking out of the ring with a smirk on his face, allowing the Mexicools to pick up the win. On Velocity, Regal cut a promo telling the crowd that he had returned to his former self, referring to himself as a "scoundrel" and a "rogue", this promo ended when Scotty ran to the ring and attacked Regal.

On the episode of WWE Velocity which aired on August 27, 2005, a match between William Regal and Scotty 2 Hotty was cut short when another Englishman, the debuting Paul Burchill, interrupted the match to aid his countryman in attacking Scotty. Regal went on to take Burchill under his wing and tag with him on the hunt for the WWE Tag Team Championship but the teams biggest exposure was a loss in a handicap match against Bobby Lashley at Armageddon.

On the February 3 edition of SmackDown!, Regal and Burchill told SmackDown! "network representative" Palmer Canon that they no longer wanted to be a tag team so they could go their separate ways. During this discussion Burchill informed Canon that his family heritage traces back to the pirate Blackbeard, and that he wanted to do a pirate gimmick on SmackDown!.

Burchill with his babyface persona would start a rivalry with former team mate Regal who would weekly try to convince Burchill to return to his ruthless ways. William Regal would face Burchill (having his first match as a pirate) on the March 10th edition of SmackDown!, during his entrance Burchill would stand on a platform located at the far end of the entrance way and then swing down to the entrance floor on a rope. As he made his way down to the ring he threw beads to the crowd and pulled out his sword as William Regal looked on in disbelief. Burchill defeated William Regal using his Walking the Plank move.

Burchill would once again defeat William Regal in a singles match on the April 7, 2006 Friday Night SmackDown!. However, this match saw a stipulation that would see Regal have to dress like a "buxom wench" if he lost the match. Lady Regal, as SmackDown! announcers would jokingly refer to him, would have no choice but to dress up like a woman until Burchill lost a match. This stipulation would soon end after Burchill abandoned Regal (who had since been made to wear various outfits) in a tag match that saw Regal (and Burchill) be defeated by the Gymini tag team.

Regal would continue to wrestle in a lower mid-card status, the highlight of which saw Regal turn face for one night only as he faced the then-reigning United States Champion, JBL in a losing effort while in his home country of England, which JBL was happily bashing. Immediately after Booker T became King Booker, Regal joined King Booker's Court, playing the role of a town crier to the 2006 King of the Ring. As a member of King Booker's Court, Regal would help Booker in his feud against Bobby Lashley, and would occasionally team up with fellow Court member Finlay in tag team matches. However, during this time, Regal would also feud with Finlay often over Finlay's WWE United States Championship. Regal was knighted by King Booker, and changed his ring name to Sir William Regal.

At No Mercy 2006, Regal lost to a returning Chris Benoit in a match. Afterwards, Regal turned his back on the King's Court when he leveled King Booker with a left hand to the face after Booker slapped him and called him useless. During this show, Regal was involved in a backstage segment with Vito in which he accidentally exposed his penis for a brief second. WWE.com would issue an apology for the incident after the show.

On the October 20 episode of Friday Night Smackdown!, Regal stated that while he had once been one of the world's greatest wrestlers, he had become a doormat for other Smackdown superstars, mentioning his being dressed as a buxom wench for a pirate, the afformentioned locker room incident with Vito, and being knighted by a false king as examples. After announcing he was finished being a whipping boy, he introduced his old tag team partner Dave Taylor, and the two went on to easily defeat the team of Scotty 2 Hotty and Funaki. Though the pair reformed their previous tag team, Regal and Taylor would not reuse the Blue Bloods gimmick instead portraying themselves as sadistic fighters. However, the team was quickly put into jeopardy in their second match together when Taylor suffered a torn meniscus in his left knee leaving him injured. Taylor took a more relaxed role for a couple of weeks as a corner man for Regal and only wrestled a few short house shows matches.

However, Dave Taylor would quickly heal from his injury and the pair went on to feud with WWE Tag Team Champions Paul London and Brian Kendrick. After defeating London and Kendrick on several occasions, at Armageddon 2006, they would go into a Tag Team match which would turn out as 4-way ladder match adding Johnny Nitro and Joey Mercury and the Hardy Boyz, with London and Kendrick coming out on top.

After Wrestlemania 23, Regal and Taylor began a feud with Kane when after a match between Kane and Dave Taylor, Taylor and Regal attacked Kane. Kane was soon joined by the Boogeyman as his tag team partner for this feud. On the May 25 edition of Smackdown!, Regal and Taylor competed in a number 1 contenders match for the WWE Tag Team Championship against Brian Kendrick and Paul London which they lost when Deuce 'N Domino interfered, making both competitors the number 1 contenders. This would lead to a triple threat match the next week on Smackdown!, where Deuce 'N Domino would retain the titles.


Return to RAW
On June 17, Regal was drafted to the RAW brand during the Supplemental Draft, ending his tag team with Dave Taylor and re-debuted the next night.


On July 2, Regal served as Interim General Manager of RAW, filling in for Jonathan Coachman. While GM, Regal introduced the Beat the Clock Sprint to Raw. The Sprint was used to determine who would go on to challenge John Cena for the WWE Championship at the 2007 Great American Bash.

On the August 6 edition of RAW, Regal became the new General Manager on the RAW brand after winning an over the top rope battle royal featuring other participants from the RAW roster.

When Regal became general manager he began incorporating game shows into RAW. Later that night, he hosted WWE Dating Game, a parody of The Dating Game, which Maria was the bachelorette and Ron Simmons, Hacksaw Jim Duggan, and Santino Marella were the contestants, which Simmons won. The next week he held WWE Idol, a parody of ' American Idol, and was a judge along with Maria and Mick Foley. The contestants were Jillian Hall, Nikolai Volkoff (With The Iron Sheik), Lilian Garcia, Marella and Simmons, which was won by Simmons also.

On the September 3rd edition of RAW', Regal was beaten by WWE Champion John Cena in retaliation for rewarding Randy Orton with a WWE title shot after Orton had kicked John Cena's father in the head the previous week. Regal was missing from Raw programming for one month due to this attack, (kayfabe), but in reality, he was suspended for one month due to violating WWE's Wellness Policy. He made his return as General Manager on the October 1 edition of RAW

[Above Average]

#9 with 357 points:





Jeff Hardy

Jeffrey Nero "Jeff" Hardy (born August 31, 1977) is an American professional wrestler currently wrestling on the RAW brand of World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE), where he is the reigning Intercontinental Champion.

He is also a former six-time World Tag Team Champion and one time WCW Tag Team Champion with his older brother and fellow wrestler Matt Hardy where they were known as The Hardy Boyz/The Hardys.

Apart from his success as a tag team wrestler, Jeff has also won numerous singles championships. He is a former WWF/E Hardcore, European and Light Heavyweight champion.

Jeff Hardy cites Sting, The Ultimate Warrior, and Shawn Michaels as his childhood inspirations to wrestle. Jeff had been on WWF TV as a jobber as early as age 16. His first WWF match, against The 1-2-3 Kid, came on May 25, 1994 in Erie, Pennsylvania and aired on the June 25 edition of Superstars. He wrestled as a jobber occasionally as late as 1997 before beginning his first major run in 1998. Jeff, along with Matt and friends, started their own federation, the TWF (Trampoline Wrestling Federation) and mimicked the moves they saw on TV. Later on, the federation went under several different names, eventually being integrated into a county fair in North Carolina, U.S.. Jeff, Matt, and friends then began to work for other independent companies. They drove all over the East Coast of the United States, working for companies such as ACW and other small promotions.

Before arriving in the World Wrestling Federation, Matt had formed his own wrestling promotion, OMEGA (Organization of Modern Extreme Grappling Arts) with Thomas Simpson. The promotion was a more successful version of the original TWF and included such talent as Matt, Jeff, Shannon Moore, Gregory Helms, Joey Matthews, Caprice Coleman, and many others. In OMEGA, Matt and Jeff each had several different characters. Jeff portrayed such characters as Will O' the Wisp, Iceman, Mean Jimmy Jack Tomkins, Wolverine, and The Masked Mountain. While there, Jeff held many championships including the Heavyweight, New Frontier, and Tag Team Championship with Matt. The promotion folded in April 1998 when they signed contracts with the WWF.


World Wrestling Federation

The Hardy Boyz (1998-2002)
The Hardy brothers eventually caught the eyes of the World Wrestling Federation. After being signed to a contract in 1998, they were trained by Dory Funk, Jr. in his Funkin' Dojo with other notable wrestlers such as Kurt Angle, Christian, Test, and A-Train. When the team was finally brought up to WWF TV, after months of 'jobbing' and house events, they formed the acrobatic tag team called The Hardy Boyz. During this time, they were managed by Michael Hayes. In 1999, they feuded with Edge and Christian and had a short stint in the stable The New Brood. On October 17 at No Mercy 1999, Matt and Jeff won the managerial services of Terri Runnels in the finals of the Terri Invitational Tournament in the WWF's first ever tag team ladder match against Edge and Christian.

The team of Matt and Jeff won the WWE Tag Team Championship on six occasions, ensuring they would be known as one of the most successful tag teams in WWE history. In 2000, Matt and Jeff found a new manager in their real-life friend Lita. Together, the three became known as "Team Xtreme".

Jeff would gain attention for his high risk stunts in the TLC matches in the year 2000 and 2001 (the Hardy Boyz) and 2002 (Jeff Hardy and Rob Van Dam) and made a name for himself as one of the most seemingly reckless and unorthodox WWF performers of his time. In 2001, Jeff would also hold the WWF Intercontinental (defeating Triple H), Light Heavyweight (defeating Jerry Lynn) and Hardcore Championships (defeating Mike Awesome for his first and Rob Van Dam for his second).

In early April of 2002 the Hardy Boyz began a feud with Brock Lesnar after Lesnar gave Matt an F-5 on the steel entrance ramp, which led to an angered Jeff seeking revenge on Lesnar. At Backlash 2002 Jeff faced-off against Lesnar in his first televised match. Lesnar dominated Hardy and won the match by knockout. Lesnar and the Hardys would continue to feud over the next few weeks, with the Hardys coming victorious only once by disqualification. At Judgment Day 2002, Lesnar gained the upper hand on the Hardy Boyz before tagging, his partner, Heyman in to claim the win for the team.


Singles competition (2002-2003)
After years in the tag team division, Jeff stepped up and took on The Undertaker in a Ladder match for the Undisputed Championship. Jeff came up short, but earned the Undertaker's respect. Jeff competed for singles titles on several occasions, but was unsuccessful. Finally, the Hardy Boyz split apart, as Jeff continued to pursue his singles ambitions on RAW and Matt was drafted to SmackDown!.

In January 2003, he had a brief heel turn that began after he attacked Rob Van Dam and Shawn Michaels. It ended a month later when he saved Stacy Kiebler from an attack by Christian. In February, he had a brief program with Shawn Michaels, which saw the two team up. Then Hardy hooked up with Trish Stratus after saving her from Steven Richards and Victoria in March. Hardy and Stratus had a brief on-screen (kayfabe) relationship that saw the duo talking backstage, kissing, and teaming together in matches. In his last match before being released, Jeff was defeated by The Rock. Jeff was released from WWE on April 22, 2003. The reasons given for the release were Jeff's erratic behavior, drug use, refusal to go to rehab, deteriorating ring performance, as well as constant tardiness and no-showing events. Hardy also cites "burn out" and the need for time off as reasons for leaving WWE.


Time off and independent circuit (2003)
After leaving the WWF/E, Hardy took a whole year off of wrestling to concentrate on motocross and finish his motocross track.

Jeff then returned to wrestling and performed with the Ring of Honor promotion. Jeff first appeared at ROH's 2003 show, Death Before Dishonor, under his "Will O' the Wisp" gimmick, wearing a mask and trench coat. Jeff was quickly unmasked and lost his jacket, wearing attire similar to that he wore in WWE. Jeff was booed and heckled before, during, and after the match by the ROH audience, who chanted "We want Matt!" and "You were fired!" during his match with Joey Matthews and Krazy K, which Jeff won.


Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (2004-2006)
Hardy debuted in Total Nonstop Action Wrestling on June 23, 2004 at the TNA weekly pay-per-view #100, the Second Anniversary Show, in a match against TNA X Division Champion A.J. Styles, for the title. He also debuted his new entrance theme "Modest," a song performed by Hardy himself, and his new nickname The Charismatic Enigma. The match ended in a no-contest when Kid Kash and Dallas interfered. Hardy returned to TNA on July 21 and was awarded a shot at the NWA World Heavyweight Championship. Hardy challenged for the title on September 8, losing to NWA World Heavyweight Champion Jeff Jarrett.

Hardy teamed with A.J. Styles and Ron Killings throughout mid-2004. In October 2004, he won a tournament, earning a shot at the NWA World Heavyweight Championship on November 7 at Victory Road 2004. Hardy was defeated by Jarrett once again in a ladder match at Victory Road following interference from Kevin Nash and Scott Hall. One month later at Turning Point 2004, Hardy, Styles and Randy Savage defeated Jarrett, Hall and Nash (collectively known as the Kings of Wrestling). Hardy went on to defeat Hall in a single match, substituting for Hector Garza at Final Resolution 2005 on January 16.

At Against All Odds 2005 in February 2005, Hardy lost to Abyss in a "Full Metal Mayhem" match for the number one contendership to the NWA World Heavyweight Championship. However, defeated Abyss in a Falls Count Anywhere match at Destination X 2005 in March. Hardy then went on to feud with Raven, with Hardy defeating Raven in a steel cage match at Lockdown 2005 in April. Hardy was suspended from TNA after no-showing his "Clockwork Orange House of Fun" rematch with Raven at Hard Justice 2005 on May 15, allegedly due to travel difficulties. Hardy's suspension was lifted on August 5, when Hardy returned at Sacrifice 2005 approximately a week later, attacking Jeff Jarrett. He wrestled his first TNA match in four months at Unbreakable on September 11, losing to Bobby Roode following interference from Jarrett.

Throughout October 2005, Hardy became embroiled in a feud with Abyss, Rhino and Sabu. The four way feud culminated in a Monster's Ball match at Bound for Glory 2005 on October 23, which Rhino won. In the course of the match, Hardy delivered a Swanton Bomb to Abyss from a height of approximately seventeen feet (5.18 meters). Later that night, Hardy competed in a ten-man battle royal for the number one contendership to the NWA World Heavyweight Championship, which Rhino also won. At Genesis 2005 in November, Hardy lost to Monty Brown in another number one contender match.

Hardy was scheduled to wrestle on the pre-show of Turning Point in December 2005, but once again no-showed the event, again citing traveling problems. Hardy was suspended as a result and did not appear in TNA again. In March, April, and May 2006, Hardy appeared on several house shows promoted by TNA in conjunction with Dave Hebner and the United Wrestling Federation.


World Wrestling Entertainment (2006-present)
On August 4, 2006, WWE announced that Hardy had re-signed with the company. In the following weeks, Jeff Hardy vignettes aired hyping his return on the August 21 episode of RAW. On the day of his return, Hardy defeated then-WWE Champion Edge by disqualification when Lita pulled Edge out of the ring. After failing to capture the Intercontinental Championship from Johnny Nitro over the next few weeks, including at Unforgiven 2006, Hardy finally defeated Nitro to win his second Intercontinental Championship on the October 2 edition of RAW. On the November 6 episode of RAW, Hardy lost the Intercontinental Championship back to Johnny Nitro, after Nitro hit him with the Intercontinental Championship title belt. Just a week after he lost the title to Nitro, Hardy regained it on the November 13 edition of RAW, with a crucifix pin. This marked Hardy's third reign as Intercontinental Champion.


The Hardys reunion

On the November 21 episode of ECW Jeff teamed with his brother Matt for the first time in almost five years to defeat the Full Blooded Italians. At Survivor Series 2006, Matt and Jeff were a part of Team DX, which gained the victory over Team Rated-RKO with a sweep. Jeff and Matt then received their first opportunity since Jeff's return to win a tag team championship. They competed in a 4-team Ladder match for the WWE Tag-Team Championship at Armageddon 2006, but they came up short in their attempt. However, in the course of the match, Jeff and Matt inadvertently legitimately injured Joey Mercury's face.

With Jeff Hardy still feuding with Johnny Nitro and MNM into 2007, Jeff was challenged once again by Johnny Nitro at New Year's Revolution 2007 in a Steel Cage Match for the Intercontinental Championship. Hardy once again defeated Nitro. Jeff teamed with his brother Matt to defeat MNM at both the Royal Rumble 2007 and No Way Out 2007. The next night on RAW, Hardy was defeated for the Intercontinental title by Umaga. In April 2007, Jeff competed in the Money in the Bank ladder match at WrestleMania 23. During the match, Matt Hardy threw Edge onto a ladder and encouraged Jeff, who was close to the winning briefcase, to finish him off. Jeff then leaped off the ladder nearly 20 feet, drove Edge through the ladder with a leg drop, kayfabe injuring both Edge and himself. The two were unable to continue the match and were removed from ringside on stretchers.

The next night on RAW, the Hardys competed in a 10-team battle royal for the World Tag Team Championship. They won the titles after eliminating Lance Cade and Trevor Murdoch. They then began a feud with Cade and Murdoch, with the Hardys retaining their World Tag Team Championships in their first title defense against them at Backlash 2007 and again at Judgment Day 2007. However, Cade and Murdoch, defeated the Hardys on RAW on June 4 to win the titles. The Hardys earned a rematch at Vengeance but were defeated.


Singles competition
In the midst of feuding with Umaga, who defeated Jeff at The Great American Bash to retain the Intercontinental title in late July, Hardy was abruptly taken off WWE programming. However, Hardy posted on his own website and in the forums of TheHardyShow.com that it was time off to heal, stemming from a bad fall taken in a match against Mr. Kennedy on the July 23 edition of RAW. He made his return on the August 27 edition of RAW against Mr. Kennedy and winning by DQ after Umaga interfered. The following week, on the September 3 edition of RAW, Jeff successfully captured his 4th WWE Intercontinental Championship by defeating Umaga for the title. Jeff began a feud with Shelton Benjamin which was shortlived.

[Above Average]

#8 with 424 points...





Santino Marella

Anthony John Carelli (born March 6, 1974) is an American professional wrestler better known by his ring names, Boris Alexiev and currently, Santino Marella. He is currently signed to World Wrestling Entertainment wrestling on the RAW brand.

Before Wrestling
Although it is true that he hails from New York, Carelli actually comes from the small town of Penetanguishene, Ontario, Canada which is located two hours north of Toronto. Carelli has practiced Judo at Shin Bu Kan, competitively since his youth, winning several tournaments. In 1994 he captured the Canadian Men's Under-21 Championship. He also wrestled for Concordia University in Montreal taking fifth in the nation and rookie of the year in 1994. He also had been an MMA fighter in Japan for several years before signing a WWE developmental contract in 2006.


World Wrestling Entertainment

Ohio Valley Wrestling
In July 2005, while working under the name Johnny Geo Basco, Carelli was sitting in the audience with his daughter at an Ohio Valley Wrestling (OVW) show. He did not show fear during an angle featuring The Boogeyman, but instead laughed. Carelli was not a part of the show in any way -- When called back stage he was reportedly yelled at and slapped multiple times by OVW part-owner and booker Jim Cornette. Cornette was removed from his position as booker in OVW by World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE).

Paul Heyman was appointed OVW booker to replace Cornette and renamed Carelli Boris Alexiev, giving him a Russian shoot fighter gimmick. Carelli made his debut under the new name on April 12, 2006 along with his manager and "comrade", Mr. Strongko. He began dominating opponents with stiff strikes and submission style wrestling, and defeated a wrestler named Dewey in 10 seconds. He signed a developmental deal with WWE on August 11, 2006, and continued working in OVW.

On January 24, 2007, Carelli won the OVW Television Championship, defeating Bad Kompany (Mike Kruel and Shawn Osbourne) who were holding the title simultaneously. Kruel regained the title on February 7, but lost to Carelli once again on March 14. Carelli's second reign ended on March 17, 2007 when he lost to Shawn Spears.


RAW

Carrelli made his WWE debut on the April 16, 2007 edition of WWE RAW in Milan, Italy as a fan named Santino Marella. At the beginning of the show he was chosen from the crowd by Vince McMahon to wrestle Umaga for his WWE Intercontinental Championship after no wrestler answered an open challenge. Carrelli was fighting well on his own until Mr. McMahon stopped the match and made it a No Holds Barred match. The "Milan miracle" then occurred as Carelli defeated Umaga with assistance from Bobby Lashley. The next day WWE.com posted a profile on Marella which claimed that he was an Italian national who had moved to Canada as a child and returned to his native country a few times each year to visit his family. It went on to claim that he later moved to the U.S. to begin training with the goal of breaking into professional wrestling, and ultimately WWE.


Shortly after winning the Intercontinental title, Marella started a feud with Chris Masters. In Marella's first Intercontinental Championship defense on May 7, 2007, he would defeat Masters via a cradle roll-up to retain his title. In their next encounter, he would defeat Masters once more in a similar manner. Marella experienced his first defeat on the June 11, 2007 edition of RAW featuring the Draft via Playmaker by United States Champion Montel Vontavious Porter in a Champion vs. Champion Match. At Vengeance 2007, Santino defeated Umaga by disqualification in less than three minutes, thus retaining his title; he did not get much offense in and was destroyed after the match. On July 2, 2007, Santino lost the WWE Intercontinental Championship to Umaga on RAW in a squash match and lost his rematch on the July 9, 2007 edition of RAW.

Marella began a heel turn, as the possessive and jealous (self-proclaimed) boyfriend of WWE Diva Maria. Over several weeks Marella appeared in a series of segments, often in the form of mini "game shows" hosted by Raw General Manager William Regal. During this time Marella showed anger with Maria winning a date with Ron Simmons, and became very outspoken, often insulting his fellow WWE Superstars. These segments would inevitably end with Marella being chased away or attacked by Ron Simmons or The Sandman. By this point, Marella had fully turned heel, even assisting Randy Orton in beating down and handcuffing John Cena to the ring during the September 17, 2007 edition of RAW. Marella has recently been engaging in segments on RAW where he talks about Stone Cold's new DVD The Condemned, saying that it is terrible.

[The OP]

Man, at this point I really don't know who to expect to see on this list from here on in.

[Above Average]

#7 with 461 points:





Matt Hardy

Matthew Moore "Matt" Hardy (born September 23, 1974) is an American professional wrestler, currently working for World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) on their SmackDown! brand, where he is one half of the WWE Tag Team Champions along with his onscreen rival, Montel Vontavious Porter.

He is also a former six-time World Tag Team Champion and one time WCW Tag Team Champion with his younger brother and fellow wrestler Jeff Hardy where they were known as The Hardy Boyz.

Apart from his success as a tag team wrestler, Matt has also won numerous singles championships. He is a former WWF/E Hardcore, European and Cruiserweight champion.

Besides their WWE career, the Hardy’s started their own wrestling organization, Organization of Modern Extreme Grappling Arts (OMEGA). While there, Matt held many championships including the Heavyweight and Tag Team Championship with Jeff. The promotion folded in April 1998 when they signed contracts with WWE.

Before his WWF debut with his brother Jeff, Matt was trained by former wrestler Dory Funk Jr.. Before signing with the WWF, Matt and Jeff created their own wrestling promotion, OMEGA Wrestling, in which Matt competed under the name High Voltage. Shortly after Matt Hardy sent in a tape for the WCW Amateur Challenge using the ring name High Voltage, a WCW tag team began to use the name, causing Hardy to change his name to Surge. A few years later, it was revealed to him by Chris Kanyon that the tape had been kept in the WCW Power Plant, watched multiple times, and that the name High Voltage was blatantly stolen from it.

The Hardys also wrestled for several other North Carolina based wrestling organizations and adapted a number of alter-egos. As The Wolverine, Matt captured the NEWA Championship in May 1994. As High Voltage, he teamed with Venom to claim the NFWA Tag Team titles in March 1995. A month later, High Voltage defeated the Willow for the NFWA Championship.


World Wrestling Federation / Entertainment

The Hardy Boyz (1998-2001)
It was not until 1998 that the brothers were given a full-time WWF contract. The Hardy Boyz used a cruiserweight, fast-paced high flying style in their matches, often leaping from great heights to do damage to their opponents (and themselves in the process). Although Jeff was better known for his extreme moves, Matt was a prodigious high-flier himself. In 1999, the duo feuded with Edge and Christian and spent a short time in the stable The New Brood. After breaking away from Gangrel, Matt and Jeff were briefly managed by Terri Runnels. Subsequently, their Tables, Ladders, and Chairs matches with Edge, Christian, and the Dudley Boyz made them extremely popular and propelled them to six reigns as the WWF Tag Team Champions.


Singles career (2001-2005)

In 2001, after Jeff Hardy's Intercontinental Championship run, Matt Hardy was given a singles championship push. Matt won the European Championship on SmackDown! two weeks before Backlash 2001. He would become the second-longest reigning European Champion in history, and the longest-reigning American-born European Champion.

Throughout the year, the Hardyz would continue as a tag team, winning the WWF Tag Team Titles once again and the WCW Tag Team Titles during the The Invasion. By the end of the year, the Hardy Boyz were kayfabe having trouble getting along.

At the beginning of 2002, it seemed Team Xtreme had patched things up. However, after the Brand Extension, Matt Hardy was relegated to HEAT while Jeff Hardy wrestled on the main show, RAW. On the August 12, 2002 episode of RAW, Matt turned against Jeff (Matt was frustrated for not receiving a number 1 contender shot against RVD), during Jeff's match against Rob Van Dam. A short time later, Matt joined the SmackDown! roster. On the October 3, 2002 edition of the show, Matt used outside interference from Brock Lesnar to defeat The Undertaker. He would also go on to defeat the Undertaker in several occasions (although it mostly consisted of disqualifications or count outs).


Having now dubbed himself Matt Hardy - Version 1, and with his MF'er (Mattitude Follower) Shannon Moore in his corner, 2003 began with Matt frantically trying to lose weight to get under the 220 lb. weight limit to compete for the WWE Cruiserweight Championship. After just barely making weight, Matt defeated Billy Kidman at No Way Out 2003 to claim the Cruiserweight Title. At WrestleMania XIX, he successfully defended it against Rey Mysterio. The Mattitude stable then expanded to include Crash Holly as Shannon Moore's "Moore-on" (follower). He later disbanded the stable and returned to RAW in order to be able to travel and work with then his girlfriend Lita, who just returned from an injury. He kayfabe turned on Lita on his first night back after teasing a proposal to her. Matt Hardy spent little time on RAW and later turned face by engaging in a rivalry with then heel, Kane. Lita was also involved in the storyline, and Matt Hardy took time off after a chokeslam from Kane off the stage during Lita and Kane's wedding.

Hardy and Lita were an off-screen couple for six years and used to share a home in North Carolina. However, reports of Lita's pictures being removed from Hardy's website caused much speculation. Their relationship came to an end in late February 2005 (according to Matt's official website) due to Lita's affair with fellow WWE wrestler Edge.


Release and independents (2005)
Along with his friend Rhyno, Matt Hardy was released by WWE on April 11, 2005. Edge and Lita received jeers from the crowds at WWE events, sometimes resulting in chants, "You screwed Matt," and, "We want Matt." Paul Heyman, in a shoot promo, mocked Edge for his actions at One Night Stand 2005. Lita, for the first time in over five years, turned heel as a result of the affair becoming public knowledge.

Matt Hardy released two character promotional vignettes, that he was planning to use before he was offered a new contract by WWE. Hardy called himself The Angelic Diablo with the tagline "the scar will become a symbol" in reference to the way in which he has been treated by Lita and WWE.

On the June 20, 2005 edition of RAW, during the storyline wedding of Edge and Lita, Matt Hardy's entrance music and video were played when the priest asked if anyone had a reason why Edge and Lita should not be wed. On the July 11, 2005 episode of RAW, Matt Hardy made his return, attacking Edge as he made his way to the ring. On the July 13 edition of WWE's webcast Byte This!, which featured Lita as its guest, one of the callers was Matt himself. The two engaged in a huge argument which led to Lita walking off the set.

Matt appeared at a scheduled Ring of Honor (ROH) event on July 16, 2005 in Woodbridge, Connecticut where he defeated Christopher Daniels via submission. Hardy also cut a brief promo where he continued in full 'worked shoot' mode, attacking WWE and John Laurinaitis. Following his official return to WWE, Hardy was met with a backlash that saw him get booed out of the arena at another ROH event following a match with Homicide, which Hardy won. The next day at his final ROH appearance, he lost to Roderick Strong.


Return to WWE

2005-2006
On July 11, 2005 (the day that his no-compete clause expired), Hardy posted on thematthardy.com that he was finally "free", that wrestling fans had not seen the last of him, and that he had a surprise for the fans who had supported him. That night on RAW, Hardy attacked Edge backstage and again later during Edge's match with Kane, leaving the commentators speechless. Before being escorted out of the building by security, Hardy stated that Edge and Lita would pay for their actions, and told fans that they could see him at Ring Of Honor. Hardy also called out Johnny Ace as he made his way out. This caused an uproar amongst fans, who were confused and wondered if the whole thing was a work or a shoot. Similar occurrences repeated during the following two weeks.

On the August 1, 2005 edition of RAW, Vince McMahon officially announced Hardy's return to WWE, adding that Hardy would face Edge at SummerSlam 2005. Hardy made his in-ring return, defeating Snitsky on the August 8, 2005 RAW. Seconds after the victory, Matt was attacked by Edge, and as he was being carried backstage, Matt counterattacked Edge in the locker room. On August 21 at SummerSlam, their match came to a premature end when Edge dropped Hardy onto the top of a ring post, causing him to bleed heavily. The referee ended the match on the grounds that Hardy could not continue, and Edge was declared the winner. After SummerSlam, the two continued fighting on RAW, including a Street Fight that resulted in Matt performing a Side Effect on Edge off the entrance stage and into electrical equipment below. At Unforgiven 2005 Edge faced Matt Hardy in a steel cage match. Hardy, despite Lita's interference, won the match with a leg-drop off the top of the cage.

Hardy and Edge faced each other at WWE Homecoming in a Loser Leaves RAW ladder match. Edge's briefcase holding the contract for his WWE World title shot was suspended above the ring. The winner of the match received the contract and the loser was forced to leave RAW. After a contentious match, Edge tied Matt's arms in the ropes, and Lita trapped Hardy in a crucifix hold, leaving Matt only able to watch Edge win. When the match ended, Edge and Lita gloated over the victory, but Matt took it in stride and left the arena. With his defeat at the hands of Edge, Hardy was moved to SmackDown! where he re-debuted with a win over Simon Dean on October 21, 2005, in Reno, Nevada.

Matt was among five SmackDown! wrestlers - along with Christian, JBL, Rey Mysterio, and Hardcore Holly — to be voted on by fans to compete at Taboo Tuesday 2005 against Edge and Chris Masters. Hardy led the voting with 31% overall, and along with Rey Mysterio (29%), defeated Chris Masters and Snitsky, who filled in for Edge when he legitimately suffered a torn pectoral muscle [8] (which was kayfabed to Edge "not caring" about Hardy or Mysterio, the fans, or the RAW brand).


Back on SmackDown! Hardy started a program with MNM (Johnny Nitro and Joey Mercury) and their manager Melina when Melina approached Hardy, seemingly wanting Hardy to join with her team. Hardy refused the offer, which led to him facing the then tag team on several occasions with a variety of partners. One of his partners, The Road Warrior, brutally attacked him after they were defeated - sick of "pulling all the weight in tag teams". The Road Warrior and Hardy feuded for a while after this, with Hardy picking up several wins over the veteran, including a qualifying match for the Money in the Bank ladder match at WrestleMania 22, which Hardy came up short and lost to Rob Van Dam

Hardy next competed in the SmackDown! King of the Ring 2006 tournament, losing to eventual winner Booker T in the opening round thanks to a low blow and distraction from Sharmell. Matt Hardy also became the first man to defeat Mr. Kennedy. On July 25, after the SmackDown! taping, Hardy was taken out of action after doctors found the remnants of the staph infection that had plagued him the previous year. He was sidelined until August 25 while he healed.

Hardy made a surprise appearance backstage at Unforgiven 2006 after Jeff's match against Johnny Nitro. Lita joined the two in the segment, making this the first time the three had been seen together on WWE television since February 2003. Matt Hardy then began a rivalry against Gregory Helms not too much later which saw both winning over each other time and time again. Then at No Mercy, in both of their hometowns of Cameron, North Carolina, Matt Hardy would beat Helms to gather a big win raising his singles career. The two would meet again once more later at Survivor Series.


The Hardys reunion

On the November 21, 2006 episode of ECW on Sci Fi, Matt and Jeff competed in a match together for the first time in almost five years. They had their old titantron video and entrance music, and defeated the Full Blooded Italians. At Survivor Series 2006, the Hardy Boyz were matched to go with CM Punk as part of Team DX vs Team Rated-RKO (which included Edge, Randy Orton, Johhny Nitro w/ Melina, Mike Knox and Gregory Helms) in a traditional co-captains match. Team DX won by case of a shut out, last eliminating Orton for the win. At December to Dismember 2006, the Hardy Boyz issued an open challenge to any tag team who wanted to face them. MNM answered their challenge by reuniting at December to Dismember, but ultimately lost to the Hardy Boyz. At Armageddon 2006, Matt & Jeff competed against Paul London and Brian Kendrick, MNM, and Dave Taylor and William Regal in a fatal-four-way Ladder Match but lost. Subsequently, he and Jeff feuded with Joey Mercury and Johnny Nitro after the legit incident where they injured Mercury's face at Armageddon 2006.[9] It became a bitter long term rivalry. At the 2007 Royal Rumble Matt & Jeff defeated MNM. Mercury and Matt would continue to feud throughout February. The feud ended in March when Mercury was released from WWE [10]. However, before Mercury's release, Matt defeated him to earn a spot in the Money in the Bank ladder match at WrestleMania 23, which was ultimately won by Mr. Kennedy.

The next night on RAW, the Hardys competed in a 10-team battle royal for the World Tag Team Championship. They won the titles for the sixth time after last eliminating Lance Cade and Trevor Murdoch. After briefly feuding with Lance Cade and Trevor Murdoch, the Hardys retained their World Tag Team Championships in their first title defense at Backlash 2007. After Cade and Murdoch were defeated at Backlash, they started showing the Hardys respect. On the June 4 episode of RAW, The Hardys lost their titles to Cade and Murdoch, after Murdoch pushed Jeff's foot off the bottom rope during Cade's pinfall, causing the three count to continue.


Singles competition
On the July 6 edition of SmackDown!, Matt Hardy won a non-title match against Montel Vontavious Porter (MVP), which resulted in a feud between the two. Hardy was unable to defeat MVP at The Great American Bash for the WWE United States Championship. MVP then claimed that he was "better than Hardy at everything", which led to a series of contests between Hardy and MVP, such as a basketball game, an arm wrestling contest, and a chess match which MVP "sneezed" on and ruined when Matt put him in check. MVP challenged Hardy to a boxing match at Saturday Night's Main Event, however MVP was legitimately diagnosed with the heart condition Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome. Since MVP was unable to compete, Hardy faced his replacement, former world champion boxer, Evander Holyfield. The match ended in a no-contest after MVP entered the ring to verbally abuse Holyfield, who then knocked him out. MVP also challenged Matt to a beer drinking contest at SummerSlam, but as revenge for what happened at SNME, Hardy substituted Stone Cold Steve Austin who simply stunned MVP then kept drinking.

After a segment involving MVP inadvertently choosing Hardy as his tag-team partner, Theodore Long promptly set up a match against Deuce 'N Domino for the WWE Tag Team Championship which the duo were able to win, therefore setting up Matt's first reign as WWE Tag Team Champion. It is the first time Hardy has held a Tag Team championship with someone other than his younger brother Jeff. Hardy and MVP retained the titles at the Unforgiven PPV in a rematch against former champions Deuce 'N Domino.

Matt was scheduled to face MVP at Cyber Sunday, but due to a head injury sustained on the previous episode of SmackDown!, he was not medically cleared to compete.

[Above Average]

#6 with 462 points:





Mr. Kennedy

Kenneth Anderson (born March 6, 1976) better known by his ring name Mr. Kennedy, is an American professional wrestler currently performing for World Wrestling Entertainment on the RAW brand.

After serving in the United States Army, Anderson was trained by All-Star Championship Wrestling owners Eric Hammers & Mike Krause. He was invited to appear on WWE Jakked, WWE Velocity, and WWE Sunday Night Heat in a try-out basis as an independent jobber several times from 2001 to 2004. Anderson also made some appearances on TNA Xplosion and was initially approached for a contract at Total Nonstop Action Wrestling by Jeff Jarrett but communications broke down. Anderson also competed in the 2002 and 2003 Ted Petty Invitational tournaments (the first one then known as the Sweet Science Sixteen tournament) but didn't come past the first round in either of them. In February 2005, Anderson signed a developmental contract with WWE.


World Wrestling Entertainment

2005
Upon signing with WWE, Anderson was sent to the Ohio Valley Wrestling (OVW) farm league. After six months he was called up to work on Velocity. Before his first SmackDown! match, a victory over Funaki, he showed himself to be a cocky and arrogant wrestler with not only his mannerisms but by taking a microphone and performing his own ring announcement. He referred to himself as "Mr. Anderson" for this match. A few weeks later, to avoid comparisons with the more famous Anderson family, he changed his name to "Ken Kennedy", or "Mr. Kennedy" to himself. This idea was initially suggested by Paul Heyman and was chosen as his name because it is Vince McMahon's middle name.

Kennedy made his SmackDown! debut on August 25, 2005, once again defeating Funaki. Kennedy also created an ongoing "mini-feud" with SmackDown! ring announcer, Tony Chimel. The feud is based on Kennedy believing that Chimel's announcing is not done well enough or with sufficient respect, and thus he must either perform his own introductions or force Chimel to introduce him again. Kennedy's self-ring introductions before the match became one of his trademarks. While working on Velocity and SmackDown!, he was also still working in OVW. Kennedy made his pay-per-view debut at SmackDown!'s No Mercy, defeating Hardcore Holly and injuring Holly's ribs during the match.


On the November 11 edition of SmackDown!, Kennedy faced Eddie Guerrero for a spot on SmackDown's Survivor Series team. He lost the match when Guerrero tossed him a steel chair and played possum, a move which Guerrero had made famous. The groggy referee turned around and saw Guerrero on the ground with Kennedy holding the chair, and consequently disqualified Kennedy, awarding the place on Team SmackDown! to Guerrero. This was Kennedy's first loss. In retaliation, Kennedy struck Guerrero over the head with the chair after the match. This ended up being Guerrero's final televised match, as he died on November 13 in his hotel room in Minneapolis, Minnesota, where a supershow taping of both RAW and SmackDown! was to be held. In interviews about the incident, Kennedy has stated that he considers this an "unfortunate honor".

In December 2005, Kennedy participated in WWE's "overseas" tour. On the second day in Italy, Kennedy suffered a serious latissimus dorsi tear. He attempted to work through the injury, but was said to have been hurting so bad that he couldn’t even put his hand in his pocket to get his wallet at a restaurant. Seeing a doctor he was informed that he'd suffered a complete tear, compared to Batista's partial tear from earlier in the year. He was told that he would not be able to work through it, even with a somewhat lighter schedule, but would instead need surgery. The December 6 surgery was a success but Kennedy was still forced out of the ring for nearly six months while he rehabilitated the injury.


2006
Though he couldn't wrestle, Kennedy still returned to SmackDown! on January 6, 2006. This time, it was as a color commentator for a Cruiserweight Title match. He continued to make appearances on SmackDown! and Velocity throughout January and February, making his ring announcement and commentating specific matches as a representative of The Network. He even made an appearance on the January 11 edition of Byte This! with Todd Grisham to maintain visibility.

At the OVW tapings on May 10, Kennedy returned to in-ring action facing the OVW Heavyweight Champion, CM Punk, in a title match that Kennedy was unable to win. Kennedy made his return to SmackDown! on June 9 with a victory over Scotty 2 Hotty after using the Kenton Bomb.

Kennedy lost by pinfall, ending his streak of never being defeated by pin or submission, on the July 14 edition of SmackDown!, when he was rolled up by Matt Hardy.

On the July 21 edition of SmackDown!, Batista put out an open challenge to replace his opponent Mark Henry, who had been injured, at The Great American Bash on July 23 for the Number 1 Contender spot. Kennedy accepted the challenge and went on to win the match by disqualification. However, he suffered a severe injury during the match after being thrown headfirst into the steel steps, resulting in an exposed cranium laceration which required 20 stitches to close. He then entered into a short feud with Batista, defeating him by count out in their second match, but losing via pinfall in the third.

Kennedy also helped Shane and Vince McMahon in their feud with D-Generation X, appearing at both SummerSlam and the August 28 edition of RAW along with Finlay and William Regal from the SmackDown! and RAW rosters, to attack DX.

On the September 1 edition of SmackDown!, Kennedy defeated Finlay and Bobby Lashley in a Triple Threat match to win the WWE United States Championship, his first title reign in WWE. On the September 8 edition of SmackDown!, Kennedy announced that he wanted to move over to RAW, as SmackDown didn't interest him anymore because he had already defeated every top performer on the roster. This led to SmackDown! general manager Theodore Long making a match between Kennedy and The Undertaker (who Kennedy had never faced) to be held at No Mercy. Kennedy went on to win the match by disqualification.

On the October 13 edition of SmackDown!, Kennedy, now with a win over The Undertaker in the books, again stated his desire to move to RAW. Again, Long put him against an opponent who he had never faced - this time Chris Benoit - with Kennedy's title on the line. Long said that, if Kennedy were to defeat Benoit, he would be given his release and be allowed to go to RAW. Kennedy lost the United States Championship to Benoit after a distraction from The Undertaker, who was standing in the entrance. Kennedy tapped out to the Crippler Crossface, marking his first submission loss. Late in 2006, Kennedy joined forces with Montel Vontavious Porter in matches against the Brothers of Destruction (Undertaker and Kane) in various combinations. On the November 3 edition of SmackDown!, Kennedy and MVP lost to the Brothers of Destruction. They first got counted out, and Theodore Long restarted the match with no countouts. Then they disqualified themselves with a low blow by Kennedy, and Long restarted the match again with no countouts and no disqualifications.

Kennedy and MVP continued to feud with the brothers, with MVP feuding with Kane while Kennedy challenged The Undertaker to a match at Survivor Series, which was later announced as a First blood match. Kennedy won that match after MVP turned on him and aimed for his head with a steel chair, but missed and hit The Undertaker instead, busting him open. After the match, the Undertaker viciously attacked Kennedy, forcing him to bleed. The Undertaker finally got his revenge at Armageddon, when he defeated Kennedy in a Last Ride match.


2007
After a brief hiatus, Kennedy returned to SmackDown! on January 5, 2007 and defeated Chris Benoit in a "Beat the Clock" match, with the overall prize being a shot at Batista's World Heavyweight Championship at the upcoming Royal Rumble. After he prevented the Undertaker from beating his time, Kennedy's time of 5:07 ended up being the fastest. At the Royal Rumble, he had Batista pinned for a three count while the referee was out of position but ended up losing the match anyway, as well as a subsequent rematch. From there, Kennedy began a short feud with ECW Champion Bobby Lashley, leading to a match at No Way Out which Kennedy won by disqualification, preventing him from becoming champion. Kennedy challenged Lashley unsuccessfully on ECW and SmackDown! as well.

Kennedy went on to earn himself a spot in the 2007 Money in the Bank ladder match by defeating Sabu in an Extreme Rules match. At WrestleMania 23, Kennedy won the Money in the Bank ladder match, giving him the right to challenge any World Champion in WWE at any date up until WrestleMania 24. During the match, Kennedy was nearly thwarted from getting the briefcase by Finlay's on-screen close friend, Hornswoggle. Kennedy announced on the April 30 edition of Raw that he would be cashing in his Money in the Bank championship opportunity at WrestleMania 24. However, on the May 7 edition of RAW, Mr. Kennedy lost his Money in the Bank opportunity to Edge, losing mere moments after a blow to the head from a monitor before the match began. Mr. Kennedy never got the chance to win the briefcase back, however, as Edge cashed the briefcase in to win the World Heavyweight Championship from the Undertaker on SmackDown! the next day.

Because of the injury Kennedy sustained at the hands of Edge, it was believed that his right triceps muscle tore off of the bone and he would be out for a minimum of 5-7 months. WWE.com reported that Mr. Kennedy was so distraught over another injury combined with losing his Money in the Bank shot that he would never wrestle again. WWE.com then reported that the injury was not as serious as once predicted; the triceps tendon did not tear off the bone but was, in fact, a massive hematoma.

On the June 11 edition of RAW, Mr. Kennedy was drafted from SmackDown! to RAW as part of the WWE Draft. On the July 30 edition of RAW, Kennedy not only defeated Bobby Lashley, but seemingly injured him in the process. On August 20, Carlito hosted his interviewing segment, Carlito's Cabana, when Carlito challenged his special guest, Umaga for his Intercontinental Championship at SummerSlam. However, Mr. Kennedy came out and said he deserved a match with Umaga because he did what Umaga couldn't do, defeat Bobby Lashley and put him out of action. William Regal, RAW's General Manager, came out and and booked Kennedy vs. Carlito for later in the night, in which the winner would face Umaga at SummerSlam. After the match ended in a draw, Regal ordered that there would be a triple threat match at SummerSlam between the three men for the Intercontinental Championship; at the event, Umaga retained the title.

On the September 10 edition of RAW, Mr. McMahon revealed that Kennedy had been (kayfabe) suspended for impersonating a McMahon. Originally, Mr. Kennedy was set to be Mr. McMahon's son (coinciding with RAW being in Green Bay, Wisconsin on that day); however, Mr. Kennedy was one of the 11 Superstars implicated in the steroid scandal and therefore suspended for 30 days in accordance with WWE's Wellness Policy. The storyline was modified to use Hornswoggle, another Wisconsin native, instead.

Mr. Kennedy returned back on the October 1st edition of RAW after his suspension facing John Cena in a losing effort in the main event. During the match, Cena suffered an injury: a complete tear of his right pectoral tendon.

...

Kennedy!

[Above Average]

Top 5 predictions ladies and gentlemen?

[The OP]

Undertaker, CM Punk, MVP...I don't know.