15. BOOKER T (-)

Titles Held: WCW Championship, 2X (140 days, including time between promotions), U.S. Title (128 days, including time between promotions), WWF Tag Team Titles (with Test) (12 days), WCW Tag Team Titles (with Test) (14 days). PPVs main-evented: 4 (Team WWF vs. Team WCW/ECW, Invasion; vs. The Rock for WCW Championship, Summerslam; Handicap Match with Shane McMahon vs. The Rock for WCW Championship, Unforgiven; Winner Takes All Match, Survivor Series). Top Ten Finishes: 5. Highest Ranking in 2001: 5.

First off, I should clarify Booker T's stats as well as my policy on former WCW performers. His WCW Title and U.S. Title stats represent the time he was standing champion from the time he lost the title in the WWF (or in the case of the U.S. Title, ceded the title) to the time he last won it in the former WCW. Any title reigns he may have had before that in the old WCW are meaningless to me and nothing he, or anyone else, achieved before they got to the WWF mean a thing in the rankings. So his stats are a bit deceiving, as he wasn't actually performing for much of the time he was WCW and U.S. Champion. Now going on just what Booker T achieved from the time he ran in on Stone Cold Steve Austin's title defence with Chris Benoit and Chris Jericho at the King of the Ring, rightly or wrongly, Booker had a pretty good year. He was able to main event 4 of the 6 PPVs that he was around for (and was a factor in a fifth, when he interfered in Jericho's title matches at Invasion while still unemployed according to storylines), he challenged the likes of The Rock, Stone Cold, The Undertaker and Kurt Angle, and was the standard-bearer for the WCW. The problem is that the WCW didn't do very well, so if Book was the standard-bearer, then the standard wasn't very high. The WWF had to keep readjusting its plans for the WCW because its performers were not up to snuff, and Booker deserves at least a share of the blame. Fans didn't get into the WCW (or Booker T) as faces, so they went heel. ECW was added when that didn't take flight, and then Austin was added when Booker T could not handle being the top heel. Later, Booker was buried under Austin and RVD in the scheme of things in the Alliance. No performer had as much handed to him in 2001, and the results were mixed to say the least.

14. LITA (15)

PPVs main-evented: 0. Top Ten Finishes: 4. Highest Ranking in 2001: 6.

This ranking may seem a little high, but one must remember two things: one, for most of the year few performers in the WWF got more pop than Lita, and two, I used to be in love with her (thankfully, I've recovered from that little obsession. But if you want to read about it, go to the Lita section of this website by clicking here). Because of the temporary insanity that led me to fall for someone on TV and write a web page about it, Lita's rankings statistics are a bit inflated. She and Tazz are the only wrestlers on this list to not have held a title at any point for the year, but to be fair, Lita only qualifies for one title, and it wasn't defended for most of 2001. What she was able to do (besides seduce me, and about a million or so other fans) was fight Dean Malenko for the Light Heavyweight Title (only an accomplishment because she's a woman, otherwise fighting Dean Malenko is a detriment to one's career), challenge Chyna for the Women's Title at Judgment Day, performed in two other PPVs (one with Trish Stratus against Stacy Keibler and Torrie Wilson at Invasion, and the other in six-way, four corners match for the Women's Title at Survivor Series), had her own video produced by the WWF, and received cross-over media attention in Rolling Stone and TV Guide. All in all, a pretty productive year in a male dominated business, don't you think?

13. TEST (-)

Titles Held: Intercontinental Championship (13 days), Hardcore Title (13 days), European Championship (69 days), WWF Tag Team Titles (with Booker T) (12 days), WCW Tag Team Titles (with Booker T) (14 days). PPVs main-evented: 1 (Royal Rumble Match, Royal Rumble) Top Ten Finishes: 0. Highest Ranking in 2001: 11.

I know it is a little tough to swallow, Test as the thirteenth best wrestler of 2001. Let me clearly state, before anyone thinks I've lost my mind, that I do not think Test is a better performer than some of those below him like Booker T, RVD, Edge, Tajiri, or even Christian (who did not make the rankings). One could say that this is an attendance ranking. All those that I just mentioned that fell below Test did not perform as soloists for the WWF for the entire year, while Test did. So while Test may have never cracked the top 10, unlike those mentioned, he did hang around the rankings long enough and often enough to beat them out. When the year began, Test was being touted as an up-and-comer after being abandoned by his former T&A partners Albert and Trish Stratus. Then he defeated William Regal (who was injured at the time) for the European Championship, which gave him a match at Wrestlemania X-Seven (which he lost to Eddie Guerrero). Later, he worked his way into WCW storyline due to his friendship with Shane McMahon, which led to consistant air-time and the Hardcore Title when Shane brought out Stacy Keibler to distract then-champion Rhyno during his match with Test. Once the Invasion began, many WWF stars were hurt by the WWF's need to focus on Alliance stars, but perhaps no one benefitted more than Test, who switched sides. Desperate for legitimate threats within the Alliance, suddenly Test was thrusted into the spotlight, winning tag-titles with Booker T, crafting a surprisingly good unification match with Edge, and winning Immunity at the Survivor Series. I'm not sure if Test deserved the push he got, or was just in the right place at the right time, but regardless he was around enough to rank thirteenth.

12. WILLIAM REGAL (-)

Titles Held: European Championship (22 days), WWF Commissioner, Alliance Commissioner. PPVs main-evented: 1 (Royal Rumble Match, Royal Rumble). Top Ten Finishes: 4. Highest Ranking in 2001: 9.

I've been really impressed what William Regal has been able to do since he made his return to the WWF late in 2000, and the only thing that I think kept him from the Top Ten was injuries. He was establishing himself as a heel and the European Champion when injuries forced him to drop rather unceremoniously to Test. The WWF recognised his value and had Regal step in as the Commissioner after a brief feud with Al Snow for the position. The fit was perfect for Regal, a solid in-ring competitor whose skills are often over-shadowed by more dynamic performers like Chris Jericho (who Regal faced at Wrestlemania for the Intercontinental Championship), The Rock, or Rob Van Dam. What Regal really excels at is speaking; whether on the mic or backstage, Regal seems completely comfortable delivering his lines, and his role as commissioner afforded him plenty of opportunity to speak. Almost too many opportunities. For awhile, when Regal was commissioner and Vince had toned down his profile, Regal too often dominated broadcasts with his commissionary duties mixed with his wrestling matches. So, Regal performed in the ring less and instead was used to put over other wrestlers, most notably Tajiri. As the year ended, Regal helped Stone Cold Steve Austin regain his WWF title from Kurt Angle in a shocking heel turn to the Alliance. He seemed poised to be one of the top players in a talent-starved Alliance, until... you guessed it, injuries. He toughed it out to battle Tajiri at Survivor Series and challenge Edge for the Intercontinental Title at Invasion (which he lost, possibly because of impending nasal surgery), proving Regal still has a top place in the WWF, if he can only stay healthy.

11. KANE (13)

Titles Held: Intercontinental Championship (37 days), Hardcore Title (15 days), WWF Tag Team Titles (with Undertaker), 2X (49 days), WCW Tag Team Titles (with Undertaker) (79 days). PPVs main-evented: 4 (Royal Rumble Match, Royal Rumble; All Titles on the Line with the Undertaker vs. Triple H and Austin, Backlash; Team WWF vs. Team WCW/ECW, Invasion; Winner Takes All Match, Survivor Series). Top Ten Finishes: 7. Highest Ranking in 2001: 4.

The injuries to top stars like Triple H and Chris Benoit (as well as nagging injuries to Stone Cold Steve Austin) and the absence of The Rock to shoot The Scorpion King hurt most in the WWF this year, as ratings dipped and the WWF creative team constantly scrambled to come up with new ideas to guide them through the year. But if anyone benefitted from these extended absences, it was Kane. I've said it before, Kane is a main event jobber, always there when a big guy needs a fight. With the absence of The Rock, Triple H, and Chris Benoit, plenty of big guys needed fights, so Kane got to tussle with the likes of Triple H (whom he beat for the Intercontinental Title at Judgment Day) and Kurt Angle, and represented the WWF in two PPVs (Invasion and Survivor Series) when top stars were compiled. He really didn't do anything new this year (besides tag team a lot more often, with his brother The Undertaker, The Big Show, and even Spike Dudley) to merit a two point jump in the rankings, what he did do is stay healthy. Oh yeah, and with his Intercontinental victory and his Hardcore Title victory at Wrestlemania, Kane became only the second Grand Slam Champion in WWF history (Shawn Michaels was the first, Kurt Angle, Chris Jericho, Christian, Test, and Jeff Hardy would all perform the feat later in the year, revealing it to be less of an accomplishment than it was when HBK did it).

For more WWF content on this site, click on any of the following:

THE YEAR 2000- YEAR IN REVIEW- See how the superstars of the WWF stacked up using my rankings system for the entire year 2000. Who was number 1, The Rock or Triple H? Who were the top tag teams? Also, the title pictures for each belt from the WWF Championship all the way down to the Light Heavyweight Title, with my own commentary on each reign.

LITA- ONE MAN'S OBSESSION- I admit, I am in love with Lita. I also admit that this behaviour has become a bit of an obsession. See pictures of the Team Extreme Diva, biographical info and random career facts, while I attempt to come to terms with the fact that I am in love with someone I see on TV.

PREVIOUS RANKINGS- Ranking archives dating back to November 2000. Missed a posting? Want to track my biases? Find all past information here.

READER RESPONSES- Got an opinion? Share it with me by e-mailing me, and see your opinion posted, along with my response, here.

SITE AWARDS- Here I list the multitude of awards (who knows? Maybe one day there will be a multitude of awards) that WWF Rankings has received.