It's time, once again, to rank the WWF superstars. For the unintiated, 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. (3) The Rock- Six Time WWF Champion! That should be enough to top the list don'tcha think? Given that titles change hands more frequently then they did in the past, and given the Rock's young age, Rocky could easily be the WWF's answer to Ric Flair, in terms of Championship Title reigns, before his career is done.
2. (2) Triple H- Would have made the top of the list, with his pre-No Way Out work, and his victory over Austin, but... Six Time Champion! Can't argue with that. It will be interesting to see what they do with Triple H for Wrestlemania- pray that the terms "Three Way Dance" or "Triple Threat Match", stay out of Vince's mind. Kurt Angle's dance card is open, and there is this new guy they signed by the name of Michaels...
3. (4) Stone Cold Steve Austin- His match with Helmsley at No Way Out was apparently one of the better works the WWF has produced (I didn't get to see No Way Out), and they did the right thing by having Triple H win. But what I've enjoyed is Austin's restraint in the weeks leading up to the PPV and his gamesmanship with the Rock he has done since. Very intriguing, how is the WWF going to play this? Face vs. Face, or will someone turn Heel?
4. (1) Kurt Angle- I'm at an impasse here (look it up, folks). Angle lost his title, but has done fantastic work in the past month. His interview with Kevin Kelly was classic, he cut a great promo leading up to No Way Out, kicked out of a People's Elbow at the PPV, and I love his new attitude. But I still feel his loss deserves a drop. Last time, I felt he was #1 because his competition slipped, this time he's #4 because his competition rose, go figure. Good to see that he's still in the thick of things even after dropping the belt.
5. (5) Chris Jericho- It was kind of cool to see Jericho become the center of attention among all the second tier foes. This is a good treatment of him, showing how his mouth can get him in trouble and how his ability gets him out of it. I was a bit surprised that he kept the strap at No Way Out; with the likes of Angle and Triple H free for Wrestlemania, Y2J would be perfect for a feud with those top-tier guys. However, he has never walked out of Wrestlemania IC champ, last year he won the European Title, so maybe that's what's up.
6. (8) Lita- This was arguably the biggest month in Lita's career. First, she got her first chance on the mic when she called out Malenko on Smackdown!, then the kiss. To read my views on that whole situation go to my Lita Potpourri section. It was odd to see her left out of the PPV, but notice that she doesn't miss a TV show, no small feat given the roster's current size. Next stop: WWF Women's Title.
7. (6) Chris Benoit- The usual measuringstick for Benoit is his matches: he has fought the likes of Austin and Jericho since last time, always with his undenialable skill. His participation in the Jericho feud was unexpected, but good. But what has really impressed me is his simmering feud with Eddie Guerrero, nice work in those minuets for a guy who supposedly can't play a role.
8. (12) Raven- Let's take this time to genuflect on the Hardcore Title reign of Raven: it allowed him to rise the ranks of the WWF, his "ninja" accomplice (really, does wearing black make you a ninja?) caused intrigue, but in the end, Raven would generally get his ass handed to him until he could escape with a narrow victory (sometimes they didn't even bother with the victory). What really helped him rise, why he is ranked an unheard of #8, is his ability on the mic: this guy is funny! Who knew the ninja is Carmen Electra? While I'm sure he's not done with the Hardcore division, I wouldn't mind if he was. This guy belongs in the Intercontinental Championship hunt in a role that allows him to cut promos without the fear of being attacked for his belt. Oh yeah, one more thing, show us the ninja's identity already (Tori), I'm bored with this now!
9. (15) Stephanie McMahon-Helmsley- From the sounds of it, her match with Trish at No Way Out was pretty good, but the real reason she jumps 6 spots was her work on the next night's Raw is War. Her swerve on Trish was reminiscent of her swerve on Mick Foley a few months ago, both of which had me completely fooled. Others were involved, but Stephanie was what made each work so well. I'm not tricked by the WWF that often, but she's done it twice, she's that good. Plus, I loved her tough attitude towards Trish leading up to No Way Out.
10. (7) The Big Show- I'm glad to see that the Show has been taken out of the Heavyweight Title hunt (although he is still in the periphery). He doesn't really deserve to be tangling with the likes of the Rock or Kurt Angle, but maybe he will be after dominating the Hardcore division. Still, I can foresee a feud with Angle, perhaps even a Wrestlemania bout. What else do you do with a 7-2, 375 pound monster? His size alone gives him instant credibility.
11. (13) Vince McMahon- For months now I've been complaining that Vince has been coming off as dottering and weak. He must have been listening, because with his dumping of Trish the bastard is back. One note: his minuet with Linda and Trish was pretty awkward, performance-wise. Ol' Vince is great in this very ring, but without the crowd to play off of, in a quiet setting, his deficiences show. This is true of most wrestlers.
12. (14) Trish Stratus- It is good to see Trish really working to improve as a performer, it would be easy for her to get by on her looks. Instead, she and Stephanie put on a real show. Her willingness to look bad (really bad) on Raw is War is another plus. It will be interesting to see what her new angle will be, since it would be a waste to let her slip after building her character up.
13. (-) William Regal- Hooking up with McMahon is always a good sign for your career. The McMahon's are always highly visable, so Regal should factor in prominently with current storylines, which could be a boon going into Wrestlemania.
14. (-) Eddie Guerrero- The current treatment of Guerrero since his comeback from injury has been much better than his earlier Latino Heat stuff. He can still play the role of a fiery-tempered Latino, but this time he isn't playing a crude stereotype. Along with Jericho and Benoit, Guerrero is the type of guy who should be fighting for the IC Title: second-tier guys on the cusp of elite superstardom, not second-rate guys holding on to the bottom-rung (see: X-Pac).
15. (11) Rikishi- Although Rikishi is in a tag-team, you still see him get a steady dose of singles action. Why? Because Haku isn't a very interesting performer. No sense in dragging Rikishi down. However, the Phat Man must be punished (severely) for delivering a stink-face to Lita, and I mean real punishment, none of this falling 30 feet off of the top of a steel cage stuff.
16. (-) Molly Holly- Why she's still stuck with Crash Holly I'll never know. Two good matches with Lita last week, but here's an observation on female wrestling: while the likes of Molly and Lita can execute many moves, their matches feel choppy because they don't use the whole ring. They go from move to move without breaking it up with punches or Irish Whips to the ropes. In any case, Molly has been doing some good work of late, and hopefully she'll put an end to this whole "who's the ninja?" thing.
17. (-) X-Pac- X-Pac's back! The ensuing yawn was deafening. It is time to admit that this talentless bum rose to popularity by standing close to Triple H, not by his own doing. I'm sure there's some X-Pac fan out there who disagrees, if so, e-mail me and defend him (but be more specific than "X-Pac rules! Suck It!", okay?).
18. (-) Al Snow- Here's a caveat to my earlier comment about William Regal, big things could be in the cards for Regal and Wrestlemania, or he could feud with Al Snow. One thought on how both could be accomplished: Vince should make Regal Commissioner. That would upset Al, and ultimately lead to the return the one, true Commisioner, Mick Foley!
19. (18) "The One" Billy Gunn- Do I think Billy still deserves to be counted amongst the best of the WWF? No, but I was running out of guys and still had two spaces left. So "The One" hangs by a thread in the rankings. Hey, the guy was Hardcore Champion for a few seconds at No Way Out.
20. (-) Hermy- With Jerry Lawler out of the picture, one man is poised to rise to prominence in the ranks of WWF colour commentators. With his masterful performance as the Rock's bitch (including the now-classic finger-in-his-nose interview with the People's Champion) and his understated pre-No Way Out sit-down with then-champ Kurt Angle, Michael Cole's new Smackdown! partner must be the one and only, Hermy! (Or Tazz, I suppose).
1. (1) The Dudley Boyz- The Dudleyz remain on top in the highly competitive Tag Team Division with their win at No Way Out. They have been on top for awhile now, actually, which makes me wonder if I've been too deferential to the Tag Titles. Here's the way I see it: the top tag teams of the WWF are so close, I'll give the Dudleyz their time on top, because it will soon be someone else's turn.
2. (2) The Hardy Boyz- Maybe I'm making too much of this whole kiss incident (I have been known to see the world through Lita-coloured glasses), but I don't think so. Sure, the Hardys were left off the PPV, but since the kiss, Matt and Lita have gotten increased air-play and Jeff even got mic-time! Didn't even know the guy could speak (I figured that's what the hand signals were all about).
3. (6) Kane and The Undertaker- Last month I raved about Taker and Kane as a tag team. Now here's the problem with these two in the Tag Team division: since it is already established that these two are dominate singles performers, they have to be doubly dominant together. However, that hurts those who have made the Tag Team division what it is today (the Dudleyz, the Hardys and Edge and Christian). Still, they've had great success, just narrowly losing at No Way Out, and Kane's "Whaassup?!?" on Smackdown! was great.
4. (4) Edge and Christian- The Chair-men of the WWF had some great moments of late (I really thought they'd win heading into Wrestlemania) but with Edge missing some time due to injury, they might slip. Despite that, it was great to see Christian take a turn for the wicked on Smackdown! with his attack on Buh-Buh Ray. With Christian and Kurt Angle exhibiting new mean-streaks, who will be the weasels of the WWF?
5. (3) APA- First off, Bradshaw was pretty funny in his bits with the Kat. That's why this team works: they're tough S.O.B's who can also provide comic relief. There is always room for these two on a given episode. Quick question: what happened to Jackie?
6. (-) The Radicalz- With everyone healthy, the Radicalz are back on the rankings. But for how long? They did this whole jealousy breaking up the Radicalz thing before, this time Benoit and Guerrero are comfortable enough on the mic to make it work.
7. (8) Right To Censor- If it wasn't the Kat, who was Val's object of lust? It could be Trish's new angle, given their past, but Val is too small-time for a power-hungry Trish. It could be one of the former ho's, or maybe that's where Jackie is. It's probably one of the dozen or so women the WWF has under contract but has not been with the Federation yet. It just better not be no one. This could be too interesting to ignore.
8. (7) Rikishi and Haku- I think it's time for these two to continue (and end) their feud with Kane and Undertaker. Then it will be time for Rikishi get rid of Haku so Haku can fulfill his mid-card-of-Metal destiny.
9. (5) Kai en tai- How good was their gimmick? Among the lexicon of repeatable WWF phrases, "Indeed" ranks up their with "It Doesn't Matter" and "Just Bring It". These guys aren't done, despite dropping 4 spots, they just need a prolonged feud. Unfortunately, they may be physically unable to match-up with anyone for a prolonged feud.
10. (-) X-Pac and Justin Credible- Maybe X-Pac will be the guy to help bring along young talent in the Big Bossman mold. Here's a question though: do you think Justin Credible wants to be as "successful" as Albert or Bull Buchanen?
If you would like to subscribe and receive alerts to updated content, or send your comments about the site or the rankings, e-mail me. The best responses will be featured on the site.