11. Rikishi- Who knew Headshrinker Fatu would ever be so big? (Well, his wasteline was always big- but that's not what I'm referring to). I figure Vince brought him back for comic relief in the Mark Henry mold, but the fans loved his fat-ass dancing shtick and the-artist-formerly-known- as-Phatu took flight. His stock rose considerably, as Phatu became a main-event jobber. Eventually, the gimmick faded, even though Rikishi won the Intercontental Title and had one of the most brutal PPV matches of the year against Val Venis. But something surprising happened: instead of dumping Rikishi to the valley of mid-carders, he was raised again to top status- this time as a heel. At the time I felt Rikishi's involvement in the Austin affair felt forced (it was), but the bad attitude is working.
12. The Big Show- Remember him? Yes, he's been gone for awhile, but when he was around, Paul Wight was always in the title picture. Much of that has do with his size, the rest has to do with promises made when he was lured away from the WCW. But nonetheless, he did have in-ring ability (from a power standpoint) and he did have a personality (his appearance on the Rock's SNL showed that). But he could never put it together, so while he did main event Wrestlemania, and did hold the WWF Title for the first 3 days of the year 2000. The Big Show never took off. Hopefully, when he comes back he'll have gotten it together.
13. Kane- Much like Show, Kane size demands that he be among the top. He also has an impressive repertoire for a big man. But he is always held back by his complete lack of charisma. It is always up to his opponent, or partner, or J.R. and the King to generate this guy's heat. A main-event jobber: always there when a big guy needs a fight.
14. Eddie Guerrero- I'll admit I didn't think much of Guerrero when he first came to the WWF. He never really had anything going over in WCW (not that I had been watching by the time he left). But when he got injured right away upon arriving and they still gave him air-time, I figured they had big plans for Guerrero. European and Intercontinental Title reigns later, it seems I was right. Eddie showed the ability to work the mic and play a character (even if that character was an offensive stereotype) and that he was rewarded with having Chyna as a sidekick. It is now up to Eddie to prove his Latino Heat can last now that Mamacita has left him.
15. Lita- If you've read any of my monthly reviews, then you know that I love Lita. I do, I can't help it. I'm old enough to know better, but given the pop she's been getting, it seems I'm not the only one. Lita started off slow, abandoning Papi Chulo (or whatever they're calling him) and serving as eye-candy for the Hardyz. But lately she's been a bigger star than most of the guys above her on this list. 2001 could be Lita's year if she can improve her mic ability- which she looks well on her way at doing. She doesn't need to be great on the mic, just competant. Look at Chyna, and she's not half the wrestler Lita is.
16. Stone Cold Steve Austin- Some might think that #16 is a little low for arguably the most popular man in wrestling, but like I stated in the intro: longevity counts. And until recently, the only time Austin was around was to give an interview and to help the Rock win the Title. Since his comeback, Austin has looked like a man with a new lease on life, which is surprising, since I was one of the many that figured he should call it a career. So I don't want to hear any complaints about how low Austin is on this list, think of it this way: who else do you know that could make the rankings despite only being around 2 out of 12 months?
17. Val Venis- I can never get a handle on this guy. It seems that he should have achieved more, but at the same time, I don't feel like he's been robbed. He has the in-ring ability, mic ability, can portray a character, but for some reason he just can't get over. Sure, he'll be around the second-tier, he held both the European and Intercontinental Titles this year, but nobody misses him when he's not around. Maybe he's comfortable with his status.
18. "The Lethal Weapon" Steve Blackman- When I think about where he spent most of his early career, I'm baffled Blackman has made any of my lists, much less the year-end one. This guy was straight-up boring. So boring they built his character around it. But they found his niche, in the struggling Hardcore division, and he took off. "Took off" is a relative term of course, but people have actually started to cheer when Blackman comes out. The Best Hardcore Champion ever? Why not, have there been many "great" Hardcore Champions anyway?
19. X-Pac- I'll admit it right here and now, I don't like this guy. He has very little mic ability, obviously no power, and not a very big ring repertoire. So why do people love him? Because he has "tremendous heart"? I don't get it, and I probably never will, but Pac always gets face time. In fact, if it wasn't for his recent injury and his time spent in the tag-team division, X-Pac would probably have ranked higher (God knows why).
20. Crash Holly- He brought some interest to the sagging Hardcore Title with his 24/7 bit, he hung with the APA, he won the European Titles and fought for the Tag Team, Light Heavyweight and WWF Championships, he was given a hot valet. I don't know why Crash got so much face time this year but he did. Maybe the kids like him. You could say that all that stuff was mid-card/Heat type stuff, but look around, #20 is for mid-card/Heat type wrestlers.