It's time, once again, to rank the WWF superstars. For the uninitiated, this is where yours truly decides who is tops in the WWF according to the criteria of ring ability, mic ability, pop, current storyline, and title situation. Feel free to respond, even to challenge my rulings. The previous ranking for each superstar is shown in parenthesis.
Random WWF thoughts: Here are thoughts that don't fit into the rankings format but I feel I must share anyway:
1. (4) Chris Jericho- The main reason I'm doing these rankings now is to give Chris Jericho his due. I was like most and did not even conceive of the possibility of Y2J beating both The Rock and Austin to become the first ever undisputed champion in wrestling history. But he did, and therefore deserves the number one spot. I figured if I waited until after the Rumble, I'd have no reason to give Jericho the number one spot, because I don't think he'll beat The Rock (although it's not impossible, it all depends on what the WWF has planned for Wrestlemania) and the number one spot will probably go to the winner of the Rumble. So this was my only chance to finally give Chris Jericho, one of my favourites, the all-important number one spot in the rankings. Of all the things he's accomplished of late, I'm sure this will be the sweetest for him.
2. (1) Stone Cold Steve Austin- If it wasn't so much fun to say, I'd be kind of annoyed with this whole "What?!?" thing, but I'm as guilty as the rest, I love doing it. Maybe not as often as all the yahoos on television, but, then again, if I was there live, I don't know if I wouldn't be doing it all the time too (ahhhh... herd mentality, gotta love it). I gotta say, I really don't want Austin to win his fourth Rumble, even though I think he really deserves to headline Wrestlemania. He can get there another way, just let someone else win for a change. Otherwise, let's rename the Pay Per View the Austin Rumble (or the Stone Cold Rumble, whichever sounds nicer).
3. (1) The Rock- I, like most of the world, think The Rock is going to beat Chris Jericho to become undisputed Heavyweight Champion and seven-time WWF Champ. It's too bad, because I think Jericho deserves more of a chance to shine. The problem is, how many times can Rocky lose to this guy and still be considered a threat? Still, it's not a given that The Rock will win (he could get screwed out of the title, there's no way he's losing clean). Here's why: if Austin doesn't win the Rumble, then he could challenge The Living Legend at No Way Out, reclaim his title (and gain the other), then head to Wrestlemania. This would work well story-wise because Jericho has been beaking off about The Rock and Austin. Where this would leave The Rock for Wrestlemania, I'm not sure (but I wouldn't be too surprised if he does not headline for the first time in four years).
4. (3) Kurt Angle- Kurt is my darkhorse pick to win the Rumble. There is really only three guys that have a chance at winning the thing, given the stakes, and he's one of them. That's not to say I think it would be a good idea, but I could see Angle headlining Wrestlemania. I don't think he's ready yet, and most of his heat and pop were used in the summer, but the WWF really likes this guy. Plus, he'd be a fresh face. Also, winning his first Royal Rumble is a very Kurt Angle thing to do, especially if the WWF is looking to do an untraditional one-on-one matchup for Wrestlemania X-Eight. In any case, look for Kurt to be there at the end, and I wouldn't be surprised if he's the guy that stays for most of the match (a la Kane last year or Ric Flair in 1992).
5. (-) Triple H- Hey, did you here? Triple H is back! Of course, I'm being sarcastic, but I do think the WWF may have over-hyped this return, even by WWF standards. I was as happy as the next guy to see The Game return, but now, given the lengthy hype, I'm kind of underwhelmed by his return. It will be better when he actually wrestles, hopefully he'll get a warm-up tommorow before the Rumble. At this point I've suggested Austin deserves to be at Wrestlemania, The Rock may not, and Angle is my dark horse pick for the Rumble, but I haven't made my official prediction. Here it is: I think Triple H will win the Royal Rumble. The WWF probably feels a debt to Helmsley, and he would really bring excitement to Wrestlemania, no matter who the opponent. Rock/Austin has been done to death at recent Wrestlemanias, Angle/Austin has been plain done to death, and I don't think Jericho has a chance in hell at headlining Wrestlemania. But people have been dying to see Austin vs. Triple H since the day after The Game was injured, and people are tired of seeing Austin win the Rumble.
6. (6) Vince McMahon- I'm sitting here, thinking hard, and I have to say, I have nothing original to say about Vince McMahon or why I decided to rank him sixth, except to say that I'm getting sick of seeing his mug all over my TV all the time. The problem was that there was too much time between Vengeance and the Rumble because of the holidays, so the WWF didn't want to start any meaningful feuds until the new year. Therefore, all the top guys were biding there time in meaningless matches and tag team affairs while Vince dominated with his oh-so-obvious developing feud with Flair. I'm sorry, I just can't get too excited about middle-aged men throwing down. But it was a vintange McMahon interview with Jim Ross, though.
7. (8) Ric Flair- It is good to see Flair back, however. I'm actually surprised how pleased I am seeing him in action, since I couldn't stand WCW once he returned. It's not that he's to blame (although as a booker, he does deserve some of the blame for the fortunes of WCW), it was just a horrible organization. Here, he gets a chance to shine and is helped by a big dose of nostalgia. On another note, is there anyone who thinks Flair won't kick McMahon's ass at the Rumble? You don't bring back a legend like Flair just to destroy him in his second PPV. Sure, McMahon's been handing it Flair in the past few weeks, but that is just to create the illusion the Vince is a credible threat. I don't buy it. Look for major creative changes to occur as a result of this match.
8. (5) The Undertaker- Taker took a nosedive in the Rankings, which isn't necessarily indicative of his performance. Before the New Year, he was probably the most interesting wrestler, with his destruction of RVD, The Hardy Boyz, Lita, and Tajiri. His use of the chair to damage Matt Hardy's throat was one of the more innovative uses of a chair I've seen in a long time. But then he was injured at the hands of The Big Show and could barely walk for a couple of weeks. It's too bad, his Hardcore work was really interesting. I'd be surprised if he does much at the Rumble, given the injury, but maybe he'll have time to set up his next feud (he's due to feud with Kane anytime now, those two have gone over a year without fighting, which is unusual for them).
9. (7) Rob Van Dam- RVD continues to slip as it seems almost every match of his is in a tag team of late. The WWF didn't really want to find anything for him to do (because of the Rumble), but still wanted to feature him in every show. So they threw him with The Rock, they threw him with Edge, but none of it meant anything. His inability to talk is becoming a problem as well. Ric Flair had to help him out during his title fight with Jericho, and then the following show he came out with a mic in his hands, finally RVD speaks to the crowd, only to drop it to attack Jericho. This flaw in his game is becoming too glaring to overlook, despite his in-ring brilliance.
10. (18) Booker T- How many times are they going to try and push this guy? They put him up against The Rock, no one cares (The Rock fer crissakes!), the Undertaker, no one cares. Then they give him Austin, and the best he can do is getting his ass beaten by a frozen pizza. Who's next? Triple H? Maybe this was just a way to re-introduce Booker at a time when programming was slow from a creative standpoint and he'll assume his proper mid-level status after the Rumble. Still, I've been waiting for the WWF to abandon their hopes for this guy for a while now, and like a cockroach, he keeps coming back.
11. (9) Edge- I think Edge has been excelling of late, yet he continues to drop. It's only because of the return of Triple H and Booker T's involvement with Austin, not any fault of his own. Edge is really standout talent, especially on the mic, and deserves better treatment. However, like everyone, he has mostly been doing tag matches since defeating Regal at Vengeance. I'd like to see Edge start feuding with Kurt Angle to see if he can hang in the top tier, and maybe that will develop in time for Wrestlemania. Until then, Regal will do (his injury really slowed down Edge's momentum).
12. (15) The Big Show- In trying to evaluate the performances over the past month, I've come to a conclusion: the past month kind of sucked. I think long layover hurt them creatively, and they just played to live crowds for the holidays. But seriously, did anything all that interesting happen since Chris Jericho won the titles and beat Austin the next night in a steel cage? I think one of the most interesting things to develop was when The Big Show came out and challenged The Undertaker and fought him for the Hardcore Title (a thought: I bet he was supposed to tap out to Taker, I bet Taker told him he was hurt and they ended the match as quickly as they could). When The Big Show is one of the highlights of a month plus, it hasn't been the best of times.
13. (-) Rikishi- I gotta say, I'm really not all that jazzed about Rikishi coming back. His whole "back that ass up" shtick is hackneyed and wore out any level of originality a long time ago. I have no interest in watching this guys matches. Still, he did fight some distinguished competition, such as Jericho and Angle, and was, unfortunatly, all over WWF TV, so I'm forced to rank his fat ass. Seriously, if I want to watch someone who has based their career on the look of their ass, I'll watch Stacy Keibler climb in and out of the ring, not this guy.
14. (14) Kane- Kane's match with Angle on RAW was decent. His Intercontinental Title fight with Edge was decent. His win over Lance Storm was decent. His loss to William Regal as a result of Regal using his brass knuckles was decent. Basically, all I can think to say of Kane's performances are that they are decent. Not bad, not great, just okay. But he continues to get his matches in, so he'll stay on the rankings. I'm surprised he and Big Show didn't beat the Dudley Boyz at Vengeance for the tag titles, but I guess they needed these two as fodder for the Royal Rumble.
15. (11) Test- Test is one of the few performers to have been building a storyline over the past month, too bad the storyline sucks. Yeah, we get it Test, you've got immunity. Oh, how clever, he's hitting on another women with a boyfriend. Maybe I'd be more interested in this whole Teflon Test angle if it felt like it was going anywhere. But like all angles, it has stalled so Test can be one of 30 guys in the Rumble. So now it seems like every match Test has is as predictable as... every match Test has ever had.
16. (12) Christian- Christian, the WWF's only fighting champion. Too bad no one cares about the European Championship. He has defended against Tazz, the Hurricane, and Rikishi before, like everyone else, getting mired in tag team bouts. Hopefully, after a forgettable performance in the Royal Rumble, Christian will be allowed to do something with that boring title. Maybe some serious heat can be built so that the European Title fight at Wrestlemania becomes a little more exciting than last year's Test versus Eddie Guerrero battle. Then again, it is the European Title I'm talking about here.
17. (-) Lance Storm- My ability to predict the WWF future astounds and frightens me. Oh sure, I was completely off base about Jericho winning the undisputed Championship, or the Dudleyz losing the tag titles to Kane and the Big Show, but I did say that "it shouldn't be too long to see the likes of Lance Storm and the Hurricane", last time. Since coming back, Storm has been able to mix it up with the big boys, fighting The Big Show, Kane, The Rock, Rikishi, Rob Van Dam, Edge and tagging with Kurt Angle, Christian, and Chris Jericho, all names above his on the list. Being involved with that caliber of opponent will always get you ranked.
18. (10) William Regal- Despite his dropping of eight spots in the Rankings, I still think Regal has a decent chance at beating Edge for the Intercontinental Championship at the Royal Rumble. The reason is simple: it's a return bout. Generally, when two guys face one another in consecutive PPVs, the guy who lost the first time will win the second time. It's almost a rule. Their are always exceptions, of course, and this could be one of them. Because the WWF needed thirty men for the Royal Rumble Match, they didn't set Edge up for a real opponent, so maybe they kept the feud with Regal open in hopes he'd come back from surgery to put Edge over one last time.
19. (13) Trish Stratus- I'm not exactly sure what will happen with Trish's Royal Rumble Women's Title Match with Jazz, and I'm not sure if I care. The WWF is trying to establish Trish as a legitimate fighter, not just a Bra and Panties, Gravy Bowl, Wet T-Shirt Contest fighter (I ask: what is wrong with those tried and true formats?), that's why they're rushing this feud with Jazz, who obviously isn't in the WWF for her non-wrestling assets (she doesn't really have any non-wrestling assets). From a creative standpoint, it would make more sense for Jazz to beat Trish this time, despite a good showing by Stratus, only for Trish to battle back to defeat Jazz at a later date (like No Way Out). Then again, the WWF has never shown that much patience with the Women's Division from a creative standpoint, so look for Trish (whom they obviously want as their champion) to win on Sunday.
20. (-) Jonathan Coachman- I know I've come down on the past month of WWF programming, but there is one guy I must recognise for his standout performances of late. From his skillful oratory on WWF Excess to his unparalleled rendition of Barry Manilow's Koka Cabana with The Rock, The Coach has been carrying the WWF like a brown paper lunch of late. He truly is the whole F'in show. (Okay, so I don't actually watch Excess, but it has Carlton er... Coachman, so how could it not be quality?)
1. (1) The Dudley Boyz- Sure they're not tag champs (right now), but does anyone think there is a better tag team out there right now then Bubba and D-Von? Hell, there hardly is a real tag team out there besides Bubba and D-Von. I think how it goes at WWF meetings is they set the agenda for the next PPV, the major themes, the title matches, the mid-card, and then they go "hey, who are the Dudleyz going to fight?". For the past little while, the solution has been "let's pair The Big Show or Spike up with someone a week before and they can beat them". (Once they paired The Big Show with Spike). This time they put a spin on that theme by giving The Dudleyz opponents the belts before the matchup to perhaps create some suspense. I don't think it worked.
2. (-) Tazz and Spike Dudley- That's not to say that Tazz and Spike don't have a chance to win on Sunday. If the WWF wanted to establish them as a real team, instead of hastily thrown together duo, then Tazz and Spike will remain champs. I don't think they will. Still, it's nice to see Tazz win something for a change.
3. (-) Billy and Chuck- Some may object to my ranking these two so high, but check out who's below, there is no real competition. Billy and Chuck, on the other hand, are a cohesive duo, with a storyline (that's kind of funny), and have four wins to their credit against The Big Show and Tajiri, the APA, Albert and Scotty 2 Hotty, and The Hurricane and Tajiri. So it makes sense that these two should be ranked before all those teams.
4. (4) Albert and Scotty 2 Hotty- So these two fall below the Ambiguously Gay Duo because they lost to them, but stay ahead the APA because their win over the Dudley Boyz with Tazz's help and their title shot which allowed Albert to kiss Stacy, and I think Scotty revealed her white panties, which is reason enough to reward these guys.
5. (5) APA- Meanwhile, the APA lost both of their matches, one against Billy and Chuck, and recently with Rikishi against Jericho, Christian, and Lance Storm. Bradshaw did score a victory against Matt Hardy and they did have a funny bit while playing cards with Matt. That and they're the fifth and only legitimate team in the WWF these days. Given the sad state of the division, I'm considering making this a top five tag team list.
6. (-) The Rock and Rob Van Dam- Like I said, most singles guys having been fighting in teams, and of those none were as frequent (or successful) as The Rock and RVD. The two fan favourites paired up three times and were successful all three times against (in order) Chris Jericho and The Undertaker, Kurt Angle and Lance Storm, and Chris Jericho and Test.
7. (-) Booker T and The Big Bossman- Everyone who missed The Big Bossman raise their hands (no voting for yourself Bossman). Everyone talks about how cutthroat and ruthless Vince McMahon is, but he sure has a soft spot for guys like Bossman, huh? How else could you explain the constant returns and pairings with top guys that guy gets (anyone remember his god-awful WWF Title feud with The Big Show?). Maybe these two will become a tag team, which would eliminate the number of boring matches in the WWF by one, since we'd only have to see Booker and Bossman in one match instead of two individual matches.
8. (-) Christian and Lance Storm- Does anyone else hope the WWF trys another grouping of Canadians against Americans? It seems like they might be going that way, with these two teaming up once to lose to Tazz and Spike and then teaming with Chris Jericho to beat the APA and Rikishi. Throw in Test (although we in Canada would like to forget that he's a native son), and you have a nice little Canadian clique there.
9. (-) Edge and Rob Van Dam- I'm going to speed this up, because I know few if anyone is still reading. Edge and RVD get the number nine ranking because they teamed up twice to lose to Kurt Angle and Chris Jericho and William Regal and Test, respectively. Fighting together twice is enough to get you ranked as a team these days.
10. (-) The Hurricane and Tajiri- Fighting together once is enough to get you ranked as a team these days, you don't even have to win! These two teamed up on Monday to lose to Billy and Chuck, but I ranked them for two reasons: one, I can see them staying as a team for awhile and two, I wanted to post pictures of these four.
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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.
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.
