Wrestling: The Kayfabe Countdown - 04/21

#1 Sheamus [--] (22-8-1)
The unlikely alliance of Sheamus & Randy Orton rolls along, keeping both at the top with no convincing signs of that much rumoured Orton heel turn. In one of the stranger twists for 2013, it appears as if Smackdown was booked by reusing a call sheet from January, with a few minor adjustments. This time Orton & Sheamus were on the losing end of a Big Show tag team, which included Mark Henry instead of the almost irrelevant Antonio Cesaro [who teamed with show during the week of 01/06/2013].

There were plenty of other similarities, but I'll let you look those up for yourself, to enjoy the same shock I had. Instead, lets just ponder the disappointment of a world where the second most storied tag team of the year doesn't appear to be in line for a Tag Team Championship. Their chemistry has never struck me as anything more than a card filler, even though some so-called experts have pegged Sheamus & Orton's claim to a title shot without the aid of the stats. With the benefit of stats, I have to say I wish there was more to it. It just doesn't seem right that an opportunity like this should be overlooked. That's World Wrestling Entertainment, folks.

#2 [--] Randy Orton (22-9-1)
#3 [--] Alberto Del Rio (21-3-1)
#4 [--] Kane (17-9-0) [Tag Team Champion]
#5 [--] Bryan Danielson (17-10-0) [Tag Team Champion]
#6 [--] Jack Swagger (15-3-1)
#7 [+1] Mark Henry (14-3-0)
#8 [-1] Ryback (14-5-0)
#9 [--] Big Show (13-12-1)
#10 [RE] Wade Barrett (12-14-1) [Intercontinental Champion]

#1 [--] Kane & Bryan Danielson (12-3-0) [Tag Team Champions]
#2 [--] Sheamus & Randy Orton (9-2-0)
#3 [--] Dean Ambrose & Roman Reigns (5-0-0)
#4 [--] Dean Ambrose & Seth Rollins (5-0-0)
#5 [--] Roman Reigns & Seth Rollins (5-0-0)
#6 [--] Brodus Clay & Tensai (5-2-1)
#7 [RE] Cody Rhodes & Damien Sandow (4-6-1)
#8 [-1] Sheamus & Big Show (3-1-0)
#9 [-1] Randy Orton & Big Show (3-1-0)
#10 [-1] Brie Bella & Nikki Bella (3-1-0)

Superstar Spotlight:
#29 Kofi Kingston (4-14-0)
[United States Champion]
Say what?!? The utter deconstruction of Antonio Cesaro continues as the United States Championship changes hands in one of the worst possible ways conceivable. I'll grant that time was lending itself to a title change, but for Kofi Kingston to come out of nowhere on the back of a dozen jobber squashes and a one match build? You've really got to wonder what the hell these clowns are thinking, sometimes.

For my money, the guy to take the strap was Ryback. The once rising star has been completely obliterated by what I would call mismanagement. He was tracking wonderfully on the Goldberg plan for making a superstar, making in roads by progressing from no-name local jobbers, to bottom tier WWE talent. That gradual curve should've continued and the US Championship was the logical first port of call. Instead, he was prematurely pushed into a program of rock-and-hard-place against a CM Punk sitting neatly in a WWE Championship run. It was all downhill from there.

A US title win would've been the perfect way for Ryback to get back on track -- doing away with a competitive Cesaro, before stomping his way past other second tier challengers. It would've been good for the strap, good for Cesaro, and best for Ryback. Instead, we're booked into what has the potential to be yet another forgettable title reign, meandering its way through irrelevance. God bless Kofi Kingston, whose work is dependable, and quality of character is worthy of rewards. Rewards much better and more legitimate than this. A bitter pill in a month that's given us equally sickening results for the IC Championship (including a pointless 24 hour Wrestlemania reign by The Miz, of all people), and the ever-despicable hardcore 24/7 diminishment of the MITB World Championship contract. A sorry state of affairs for championship credibility. Here's hoping something good comes of it.

The Kayfabe Countdown is based on the cumulative tally of wrestler win/loss records. Tallied results only include matches broadcast during WWE 2013 programming. At present, this includes RAW (Mondays), Main Event (Wednesdays), Smackdown (Friday), and monthly Pay-Per-View events.

Wrestling: The Kayfabe Countdown - 12/26

#1 Kofi Kingston [--] (42-23-2)
(WWE: Smackdown)
Big Show is finishing the year with a light load, giving Kofi Kingston clearance to finish 2010 as the number one wrestler in WWE and TNA. With only a single, brief Intercontinental title reign to his name this year, it's somewhat surprising that [Kofi] has maintained such a steady flow of success. I struggle to see him in an active main event picture in the near future, both in small part due to his style and stature, and also the abbreviated near-miss of his feud with Randy Orton. After a string of tag team matches that involved Big Show in Smackdown teams, and as a pairing, I could see how they might find some Tag Team Championship success in the new year.

As with last week, I'm compelled to mention a Money in the Bank action figure commercial I saw during morning cartoons, which seems to suggest there's some consideration for Kofi Kingston within the PG market. Perhaps in 2011 he will return to RAW, where that demographic is served, regardless of viewership. As much as I think he has a home on Smackdown, I'm just not sure I see a great benefit for the blue brand, or Kofi himself. Especially not after so many shots at the IC belt were missed out on. You never know, though.

#2 [--] The Big Show (40-15-2) (WWE)
#3 [--] Randy Orton (34-19-6) (WWE)
#4 [--] Rey Mysterio (32-16-5) (WWE)
#5 [+2] Drew McIntyre (31-31-4) (WWE)
#6 [-1] Cody Rhodes (30-20-2) (WWE)
#7 [-1] The Miz (30-31-5) (WWE) [WWE Champion]
#8 [+2] John Cena (28-22-6) (WWE)
#9 [-1] AJ Styles (27-12-7) (TNA)
#10 [-1] Dolph Ziggler (27-30-3) (WWE) [Intercontinental Champion]

#1 [--] Robert Roode & James Storm (16-17-3) (TNA)
#2 [--] Tyson Kidd & DH Smith (16-18-0) (WWE)
#3 [--] Alex Shelley & Chris Sabin (15-10-2) (TNA) [Tag Team Champions]
#4 [--] Santino Marella & Vladimir Kozlov (13-3-0) (WWE) [Tag Team Champions]
#5 [--] Layla & Michelle McCool (12-16-0) (WWE)
#6 [--] Drew McIntyre & Cody Rhodes (9-5-0) (WWE)
#7 [--] Shannon Moore & Jesse Neal (9-7-0) (TNA)
#8 [--] Justin Gabriel & Heath Slater (8-4-0) (WWE)
#9 [--] Brie Bella & Nikki Bella (8-4-0) (WWE)
#10 [--] Big Show & The Miz (7-4-1) (WWE)

Superstar Spotlight:
#45 Douglas Williams (15-16-2) (TNA)
The current reigning TNA Television Champion will put AJ Styles (#9) to the test on January 9th when they meet at TNA: Genesis. The match will determine Styles' future with the Fortune and Immortal stables, resulting in his ejection should he fail to bring the belt back to Ric Flair's golden team. The pair fought to a 1-1 draw in an Iron Match on the most recent edition of Impact!, one of several matches that Williams has been a part of in a strong December for the TNA brand.

The former British Invasion figurehead has done his dash with the X-Division and TV belts in 2010, earning the respect and adoration of peers and commentators throughout the industry. Some might regard his current feud with TNA posterboy, AJ Styles, as part of an on-going step-down for the former World Heavyweight champion, but I'm much more inclined to think of it as an interesting step up for Douglas Williams. In the youth oriented, polished market of WWE, it would be difficult to envision a World Champion Douglas Williams, but with TNA's roots still showing hints of their previous catch as catch can credentials, 2011 might yet hold new heights for a wrestler with an interesting character presence, and unique in-ring style.

The greatest doubt cast over Williams' most immediate prospects are the belt he currently holds, and the potential clash of styles with current World champion, Jeff Hardy (#22), who might not compliment the Brit as much as other wrestlers. Then again, with Hardy's penchant for highflying daring, Williams would still be in his kayfabe element, challenging with healthy disdain for the acrobatic antics of TNA's trademark X-Division bent. Given the champs' recent troubles, however, it seems reasonable to expect a change in the ranks at some point, and if December is any indication of TNA's intent to cross the line into 2011, perhaps the once glorious tone of sports oriented competition will return, and the top ranks will be populated with original and interesting names and styles.

Special Note: 2010's wrestling calendar will end cleanly on December 31st, with the final episode of WWE Smackdown for the year. This will presumably include a full week's worth of WWE RAW, WWE Superstars, and TNA Impact!, before the final Kayfabe Countdown.

The Kayfabe Countdown is based on the cumulative tally of wrestler win/loss records, based on televised matches from WWE and TNA 2010 broadcasts. At present, they includes TNA: Impact!, WWE: RAW, WWE: Superstars, WWE: Smackdown, and monthly Pay-Per-View events.

Wrestling: The Kayfabe Countdown - 12/19

#1 Kofi Kingston [--] (42-23-2)
(WWE: Smackdown)
With only one more week of competition left in 2010, it seems all but guaranteed that Kofi Kingston will go down in history as the first counted #1 wrestler in the Kayfabe Countdown. Of all the wrestlers competing in WWE and TNA in 2010, Kofi has not immediately emerged as the most memorable or accomplished, but his impressive win/loss victory and steady contention for the Intercontinental title on Smackdown suggests the company is at least invested in his markettable brand.

Kofi experienced some near misses with the main event, gaining a short-lived burst of heat early in the year during encounters with Randy Orton (#3), but the moment that perhaps left it's biggest impression on me came from a commercial. While the results of toy battles might matter even less than the average win/loss; for a character of [Kofi's] relative insignifcance to star in a Money in the Bank playset commercial, victorious in action figure form, surely means quite a lot in an era defined by it's toybranded PG perspective.

#2 [--] The Big Show (40-15-2) (WWE)
#3 [+1] Randy Orton (32-19-6) (WWE)
#4 [-1] Rey Mysterio (31-16-5) (WWE)
#5 [+1] Cody Rhodes (30-20-2) (WWE)
#6 [+2] The Miz (30-29-5) (WWE) [WWE Champion]
#7 [-2] Drew McIntyre (30-31-4) (WWE)
#8 [-1] AJ Styles (27-12-6) (TNA)
#9 [--] Dolph Ziggler (27-28-3) (WWE) [Intercontinental Champion]
#10 [RE] John Cena (26-22-6) (WWE)

#1 [--] Robert Roode & James Storm (16-16-3) (TNA)
#2 [--] Tyson Kidd & DH Smith (16-18-0) (WWE)
#3 [--] Alex Shelley & Chris Sabin (14-10-2) (TNA) [Tag Team Champions]
#4 [+1] Santino Marella & Vladimir Kozlov (13-3-0) (WWE) [Tag Team Champions]
#5 [-1] Layla & Michelle McCool (12-15-0) (WWE)
#6 [--] Drew McIntyre & Cody Rhodes (9-5-0) (WWE)
#7 [--] Shannon Moore & Jesse Neal (9-7-0) (TNA)
#8 [--] Justin Gabriel & Heath Slater (8-4-0) (WWE)
#9 [--] Brie Bella & Nikki Bella (8-4-0) (WWE)
#10 [--] Big Show & The Miz (7-4-1) (WWE)

Superstar Spotlight:
#58 Alberto Del Rio (12-7-3) (WWE)
2010 has been good to Smackdown's swanky Spanish superstar, Alberto Del Rio. His heated rivalry with Rey Mysterio transformed into a championship possibility, but alas, the TLC Pay-Per-View did not cap off an incredible year for the former mascarado. In what many consider to be his signature match -- Edge (#11) emerged victorious from the titular stipulation, defeating Del Rio, the now former-champion Kane (#15), and Rey Mysterio (#4), a trio providing good company in their mutual defeat.

In '09 I eagerly anticipated the arrival of Dos Caras Jr at almost every imaginable turn, seeing entry points where there were none. Relishing the possibility of a second masked luchadore within the wrestling giant's ranks was a naive hope, but one sponsored by early reports that suggested the Mexican legacy star would not be asked to remove his mask in a deal with WWE. It remains a somewhat sour point, for me, that the traditions of the mask were not honored by WWE, who could probably use a healthy injection of conceptual and stylistic diversity, but the results have done well to ease my disappointment. Alberto Del Rio may be a very different character to the man of 'two faces', but he's been no less an injection of life and intrigue into the Smackdown roster.

I would have liked to have seen Del Rio begin 2011 as the World Heavyweight Champion, but ultimately respect that he will have longer to earn that reward and further his WWE career with solid feuds, and enjoyable matches. It's the kind of seasoning that multi-title winner, Edge, has lacked in his rapidfire championship reigns over a few short years, and is similarly absent from the majority of WWE's recently elevated stars. Del Rio was only called up from development in FCW in June of 2010, so it could fairly be said that his successes against Rey Mysterio are an achievement already. Christian (#24), his would-be opponent before a pectoral tear, now waits in the wings of 2011, along with Edge and the other headlining stars of the blue brand.

Special Note: Countdown includes results from the WWE: Tables, Ladders, Chairs pay-per-view event, where Edge (#11) defeated Kane (#14) to become the WWE World Heavyweight champion for the sixth time. Combined with WWE Championship victories, it is Edge's tenth reign as a world class champion. Christmas also saw the disappointing release of Kaval (#93) from WWE; formerly known as Low-Ki, a two-time TNA X-Division champion and the first ROH World Heavyweight champion.

The Kayfabe Countdown is based on the cumulative tally of wrestler win/loss records, based on televised matches from WWE and TNA 2010 broadcasts. At present, they includes TNA: Impact!, WWE: RAW, WWE: Superstars, WWE: Smackdown, and monthly Pay-Per-View events.

Wrestling: The Kayfabe Countdown - 12/12

#1 Kofi Kingston [+1] (40-22-2)
(WWE: Smackdown)
After eleven weekly Countdowns at the top of the rankings, Big Show has been toppled! It's the first time, since the Countdown went weekly in September, that Big Show hasn't reigned over the rest of the list. He spent this week's Smackdown out of the ring, while a DQ win over Dolph Ziggler in an Intercontinental title match bumped Kofi Kingston back into the top spot he occupied earlier in the year.

As evidenced by his win/loss rate, Kofi Kingston has enjoyed some measure of success throughout the year, but after the rub from Randy Orton seemed to be aborted, Kingston struggled to gain lasting recognition. His reign as IC champion this year was both brief and forgettable, like many of his feuds. A second run at the belt against Ziggler looks likely to end his year, but the odds of the belt being around his waist are even, at best. His shot at reigning as year-end Kayfabe Countdown #1, however, might be a little bit better if Big Show's workrate of the last two weeks is any measure.

#2 [-1] The Big Show (39-15-2) (WWE)
#3 [--] Rey Mysterio (31-13-4) (WWE)
#4 [--] Randy Orton (31-18-6) (WWE)
#5 [--] Drew McIntyre (29-31-4) (WWE)
#6 [--] Cody Rhodes (28-20-2) (WWE)
#7 [--] AJ Styles (27-12-6) (TNA)
#8 [--] The Miz (27-29-4) (WWE) [WWE Champion]
#9 [--] Dolph Ziggler (26-26-3) (WWE) [Intercontinental Champion]
#10 [--] R-Truth (25-22-4) (WWE)

#1 [--] Robert Roode & James Storm (16-16-3) (TNA)
#2 [--] Tyson Kidd & DH Smith (16-18-0) (WWE)
#3 [--] Alex Shelley & Chris Sabin (14-10-2) (TNA) [Tag Team Champions]
#4 [--] Layla & Michelle McCool (12-14-0) (WWE)
#5 [--] Santino Marella & Vladimir Kozlov (11-3-0) (WWE) [Tag Team Champions]
#6 [--] Drew McIntyre & Cody Rhodes (9-5-0) (WWE)
#7 [+2] Shannon Moore & Jesse Neal (9-7-0) (TNA)
#8 [-1] Justin Gabriel & Heath Slater (8-2-0) (WWE)
#9 [-1] Brie Bella & Nikki Bella (8-4-0) (WWE)
#10 [--] Big Show & The Miz (7-4-1) (WWE)

Superstar Spotlight:
#193 Xavier Woods (0-2-0) (FCW)
Better known as Consequences Creed to NWA: Anarchy and TNA fans; FCW's Xavier Woods is a star already occurred. His time with Total Non-Stop Action produced memorable matches in the X-Division, including a 2008 feud with Petey Williams, and led to his eventual reign as Tag Team Champion with Lethal Consequences partner, "Black Machismo" Jay Lethal (#73). Unfortunately, like the six-sided ring he graced, Creed was a casualty of the Hogan/Bischoff regime that took over TNA at the beginning of 2010, and released him after only two matches.

In a twist of the expected, TNA's loss may be WWE's gain. The global wrestling phenomenon has used FCW extensively as a development territory, sourcing talent for their core roster, as well as the pseudo-reality competition, NXT. FCW stars have risen to incredible heights, with Wade Barrett (#21), Bryan Danielson (#39), Alberto Del Rio (#56), and former TNA X-Division Champion and NXT Season 2 Winner, Kaval (#103), all graduating through the Florida development system on top of their previous accolades.

It's difficult not to want for and imagine the possibilities of Creed's rise to the WWE roster, either through NXT, where he would make a fitting pupil for mentor R-Truth (#10) [ie; Truth or Consequences], or as a singles competitor introduced cold. His gimmick, a red, white and blue reference to Apollo Creed of the Rocky series of films, shouldn't distract from the legitimate talent of a wrestler who is both charismatic, and also skilled in the finer art of wrestling. A man who just recently held the FCW Tag Team Championship with Wes Briscoe, and could certainly add some much needed flavour to WWE's version of the same.

Special Note: On the December 6 episode of RAW, Santino Marella (#37) and Vladimir Kozlov (#35) defeated champions, Justin Gabriel (#22) and Heath Slater (#27), in a four way Tag Team Championship match also featuring Mark Henry (#61) and Yoshi Tatsu (#45), and The Usos (#13).

The Kayfabe Countdown is based on the cumulative tally of wrestler win/loss records, based on televised matches from WWE and TNA 2010 broadcasts. At present, they includes TNA: Impact!, WWE: RAW, WWE: Superstars, WWE: Smackdown, and monthly Pay-Per-View events.