I don’t know what the schedules look like in your neck of the woods, but where I live, the school year has been wrapping up all over the place. Every weekend, there are graduation parties in any neighborhood you visit.
When I think back to my days of being in school, and I think about the end of the year, one thing immediately comes to my mind…
The yearbook.
Looking at pictures, writing notes to your friends, shooting your shot with a crush by leaving your phone number in a message… it was a serious highlight, from the time I was a little kid all the way through my senior year in high school.
One of my favorite parts of the yearbook was always the Superlatives section. You know the one. Your school’s yearbook staff either used the tried-and-true “awards” like Most Popular, Cutest Couple, Most Likely To Succeed, etc, or they went with more unique choices like Most Likely To Become President, Most Likely To Never Leave The State, etc. The staff would then pick students to “win” those “awards.”
In my schools, we never knew what the categories would be, nor did we know who would be winning anything. That’s what made it fun, I suppose.
In honor of the end of the school year, graduations and yearbooks, I’ve decided to combine the worlds of pro wrestling and yearbook superlatives here in one column.
I’m going to take a bunch of popular superlative categories, and I’ll be giving those out to various members of the WWE, AEW, and NXT rosters.
Simple enough. Let’s rock and roll, in no particular order.
Most Talkative: This one goes to MJF, without a doubt. He’s one of the rare wrestlers that could have a 15-minute promo every week and find ways to make it exciting and worth checking out time and time again. If he wants to be funny, he excels at it. If he wants to be serious, he excels at it. If he wants to be emotional, he excels at it. There aren’t many in the current era you can say this about, but his mic skills could’ve helped to make him a success in just about any other wrestling era you can think of. That’s a special level of talent.
Drama King/Queen: I think this one is pretty obvious, too. Some of the drama this person is involved with is their fault, and other drama isn’t, but drama is the common denominator. CM Punk, this award is for you. People are still upset with him, kayfabe and otherwise, for leaving WWE in 2014. They’re still upset with him for the way he handled his anger and frustration while in AEW. They’re still upset with him for the way his friendship with Colt Cabana fell apart. No matter what he says or does, he’s probably pissing someone off. Again, some of that is his own doing, and he’d be the first to admit that, but it isn’t all his fault.
Class Clown: Is anyone more worthy of this than R-Truth? I don’t think so. If you’ve watched Ron Killings for his entire career, you’ve definitely seen him do some serious work, but almost all of it took place outside of WWE. Not only has he been working a heavily comedic style for a decade-and-a-half, but he has been doing it arguably better than anyone in the history of the business. Not only does he crack wrestling fans up, but he has constantly been able to crack up his co-workers, making them break character on-air. He’s so good at his job that it directly led to one of his most famous segments. Backstage, during an episode of Raw in 2020, Paul Heyman told Truth that a bet was going around backstage on whether or not Truth could make Brock Lesnar break character. Less than 30 minutes later, not only was Truth able to make Brock laugh, but he did so twice.
Most Likely To Succeed: Of course, this implies success in the future, but I decided to make one tweak to the category by making it for someone who hasn’t necessarily had success yet. For example, people like Cody Rhodes and Jon Moxley are guaranteed to have great success for as long as their careers last, but they’ve also had tremendous success to this point, so they don’t qualify here. After narrowing it down, I’ve decided to go with someone who appears to have a ton of hype behind them, and who has already won over the fans they’ve performed in front of. Even before this person has reached the legal drinking age of 21 in the United States, they have already started receiving “future World Champion” discussions from fans all over the world. Let’s give this one to Je’Von Evans. He’s still brand new to NXT television, but he has already gotten a “rub” with some of the top names in NXT, and his jaw-dropping athleticism and unique promo style have made him “must-see TV,” as the saying goes.
Cutest Couple: Seth Rollins & Becky Lynch. I recently listened to the audiobook of Becky’s autobiography, which was narrated by Becky herself. If there’s one thing I could take away after hearing it, it would be that Rebecca Quin, the human being, is truly in love with Colby Lopez, the human being. You can hear it in her voice when she’s speaking about him, the person he is, the friend/boyfriend/husband he is, the father he is, and the wrestler he is. It’s adorable, and the same can be said for their social media pictures, usually including their lovely daughter, Roux. Just a ton of wholesome content, all around.
Teacher’s Pet: If you have a job, or have ever had a job, one of the key things you probably hoped for when you first got it was that you would have a boss that was someone awesome to work for. That’s cool and all, but when it comes to Tony Schiavone, you would think that Tony Khan saved the entire Schiavone family from a house fire, and then donated an organ to every one of them, before finally making all of them the sole heirs to the Khan family fortune. It seems like we can barely go through a few minutes of Schiavone on commentary without him mentioning TK, one of TK’s decisions, wondering what TK is going to do about something, or just passing along a message from TK himself. Bro… you already have the job. Relax.
Most Improved: It’s great to see wrestlers improve over time. Sometimes, it’s from bad to decent. Other times, it’s from good to great. Whatever it is, you can actually see them getting better in real time. That’s what I’ve seen from The Gunns. In the earlier parts of their AEW run, their characters were far too over-the-top, even for the pro wrestling business, and they were just… there… as the sons of Billy Gunn. Since their alignment with “Switchblade” Jay White and Juice Robinson, though, things seem to be clicking for them. Their in-ring work has gotten better, as they continue to have matches and feuds with higher caliber opponents. Their promos and character work are still over-the-top, but they have reined it in quite a bit. Perhaps that has to do with standing next to Robinson, who is about as over-the-top as it gets today, but my point remains. The Gunns are still the butt (no pun intended) of some jokes, sure, but they have more than proven themselves to be one of the best tag teams in AEW, and are no longer simply Billy Gunn’s progeny.
Best Dressed: Obviously, this might depend on your own personal opinion of what style and fashion is. Some people think an expensive suit on a man is great fashion, while others think that’s excessive. Same goes for something like a pantsuit on a woman. Personally, I would never say I know enough about fashion, what’s “in” or what’s “out” when it comes to clothing. What I do know, however, is that Cody Rhodes looks impeccably dressed whenever I see him these days. It has almost become a running gag at this point that the only articles of clothing he owns today are fancy suits and his wrestling gear, because it seems like you never see him in anything else. So smooth.
Most Popular: Hey, while he’s the topic of discussion, let’s go ahead and give this one to Cody Rhodes, too, shall we? This isn’t about who can wrestle, who can’t wrestle, who is being pushed, who isn’t being pushed, and so forth. It’s an easy equation to figure out. What is, statistically, the biggest wrestling promotion on the planet? WWE. Who is the “top” talent in said biggest wrestling promotion on the planet? Cody. Who gets the biggest crowd reactions, week in and week out, in said biggest wrestling promotion on the planet? Cody. Who completely dominates the charts when it comes to merchandise sales in said biggest wrestling promotion on the planet? Cody. These are stats, not up for debate. Cody is one of the most popular babyface performers that WWE has seen in years.
Best Bromance: I had to narrow this down to what is available to witness on-screen, as I don’t follow very many wrestlers on social media or any other ways I can see friendships grow outside of the wrestling ring. When it comes to on-screen bromances, I’m currently the most entertained by the one between The Young Bucks & Kazuchika Okada. Specifically those three, as I don’t care about anything Jack Perry says or does. The Brothers Jackson have really leaned in and played their current roles to perfection, playing up a lot of things that people have been saying and assuming about their backstage roles. Bringing Okada in to join them in The Elite has been entertaining every step of the way, especially with allowing Okada to show a ton of personality. His final stretch with New Japan seemed like he was growing increasingly bored. I still can’t help but laugh when I see or hear “Is this a dream?!?” thanks to him. Their chemistry together has been great. Now, if only they could get the fuck away from Jack Perry.
Most Athletic: We’re in an incredible time in pro wrestling, like we are in every sport across the board. The athletes we’re getting to watch today are so much bigger, faster, stronger, and more athletic than the athletes of any other time in history. Realistically, there are probably a dozen people you could put in this spot, and it would be tough to argue their inclusion. I’m going to go with Montez Ford, though. If you’ve ever seen him hit a Frog Splash or a dive to the outside of the ring, and so on, you’d understand why. He is able to hit incredible heights, and he makes it look so easy in doing so. He has a knack for taking your breath away with the things that he’s capable of performing in the ring.
Biggest Celebrity Look-Alike: While there are certainly other pairings that could fit here, I’m going to go with an easy one that has been floating around for at least four or five years now. People started comparing this wrestler to a famous actress when said wrestler changed her look up on television, and the comparisons haven’t stopped since. Liv Morgan & Margot Robbie get the nod here. We’ve seen Liv dress up as Margot’s portrayal of Harley Quinn for Halloween, and we’ve also seen the two of them have fun together at the premiere for the Barbie movie, where Liv again dressed up like the character. When you look that much like the source material, I guess it’s not difficult to dress up as someone else. You pretty much look like that person when you open your eyes in the morning.
Best Hair: For this one, I decided to go with someone who doesn’t necessarily have the most eye-catching hair compared to other wrestlers you might see. Instead, this person has been able to switch their hairstyles up at events… some minor changes, and other times, much bigger changes… but always looks incredible. If you’ve read my columns in the past, you know I’m referring to Rhea Ripley. It seems like she has a different look at every WWE pay-per-view, and sometimes, even from week-to-week on television, but they all work for her. It isn’t even about saying “she’s hot” or comparing how attractive she is to other women in wrestling. I’m literally just talking about her hair (and makeup, if we’re being honest) right now. Think of the woman in wrestling who you feel is the most attractive in the sport today. I can just about guarantee you that the woman you just thought about has had at least one time on television or pay-per-view where you saw her hair and/or makeup and weren’t a fan of the way it looked. Not just women of wrestling, either. Women in your school, at your place of employment, in your life, at the grocery store, whatever. I don’t know if it’s Rhea specifically making these calls, or if it’s a person/team that she has in charge of these things, but no matter what, we’re talking about being undefeated. Now, I will move on, because I have typed entirely too much about someone’s hair.
Best Clique: I think a lot of you would immediately jump to The Judgment Day here. Initially, that’s where my brain went. The more I thought about it, though, I had to choose the Blackpool Combat Club. I’m a big fan of Damian Priest, Rhea Ripley, Finn Balor, Dominik Mysterio, and even JD McDonagh. The group has had a bunch of on-screen success, and have been involved in some memorable moments. However, they don’t hold a candle to BCC when it comes to win/loss success. Jon Moxley and Bryan Danielson almost never lose, outside of Danielson in World Title matches. Claudio has lost three times on AEW programming in 2024, and those three matches came against “Hangman” Adam Page, Will Ospreay, and Swerve Strickland. Wheeler Yuta is a bit of an exception, and even he was on a hot streak before he got injured. With the group’s overall success, big moments, and fun feuds, I think BCC is the clear pick.
Best All-Around: Here’s another one that won’t exactly be a shocker if you’ve been reading my columns, as I’ve praised this person as the best wrestler on the planet for a while now. In my year-end awards columns, this person has won my #Craftmaster award for Wrestler Of The Year in 2022 and 2023. Of course, I’m talking about Will Ospreay. In the ring, you can pretty much assign a pay-per-view or big event match of his four stars from the opening bell, and then add/subtract from there. On the mic, he gets a lot of shit from certain fans because he says “bruv” a lot or because he tends to speak really fast sometimes. Personally, I think he’s a much better talker than he tends to be given credit for. Yes, he says “bruv” a lot. So do a lot of people where he comes from. Yes, he speaks faster than the average person does. It helps with his passion, though. Is he going to be confused with some of the sport’s all-time best promo people? No, but that’s fine. What he brings to the table in his promos, mixed with his otherworldly in-ring skills, make him the best overall performer in the business today.
Now, this is the part where I turn things over to you again. Using some/all of my superlative categories, who would YOU hand them out to, if someone different than my choices? You can use whatever pool of wrestlers you want… WWE, NXT, and AEW like I did, or open it up to whatever companies you enjoy… but let’s have some fun with it, shall we?. As always, feel free to hit me up in the comments section below, or on Twitter (@HustleTheSavage), and let me know what’s on your mind.
Now, let’s change directions and look at my Weekly Power Rankings, before closing things out with the list of songs I was listening to as I put this column together.
Weekly Power Rankings
FTR vs Claudio Castagnoli & Wheeler Yuta: BCC are already one of the most powerful groups in all of pro wrestling. If Wheeler Yuta is also going to start being pushed and treated like a big deal, watch the fuck out. That’s almost too much power.
Oba Femi vs Joe Coffey vs Wes Lee: At this point, I think Oba Femi is my favorite wrestler in the world. If he’s involved in a match or a promo, my eyes and ears perk up, and I pay very close attention. He is a walking, talking, highlight reel, and it came out of nowhere. He’s going to be a World Champion on the main roster sooner than later.
Swerve Strickland vs Roderick Strong: These are precisely the types of matches that Swerve needs to be having as he builds his AEW World Title reign up. Nobody expected Roddy to win the match, but he still presents a very tough hurdle for the champion to clear unscathed.
Roxanne Perez vs Jordynne Grace: It was a match that, realistically, neither woman should lose. Giving Jordynne the “out” of distractions leading to her loss makes sense. It doesn’t make her look “weak” and it leaves the door open for a potential rematch with Roxanne at some point down the road. I’m all for it.
MJF: With one promo, the returning MJF set up a seemingly endless amount of big matches and feuds for down the road. Then, after all that, we got Rush to arrive and set up MJF’s next big match/feud. Lots to take away from one single promo.
Potentially Getting Ricochet vs Will Ospreay Again: News broke that Ricochet’s WWE contract expires this summer, and that he has already informed the company he plans to leave. Even before it was reported that he was “likely” heading to AEW, many people had already started to fantasy book another match between him and Will Ospreay. If you remember, they had a match in the 2016 Battle Of The Super Juniors tournament that absolutely broke the internet. Some fans loved it because it was as fast-paced and athletic a match as you’re ever going to see. Others hated it because it resembled a dance competition more than a wrestling match. Either way, you had a strong opinion of it if you watched it. Now, eight years later, we could get to see them square off again. Both men are in better positions now than they were in 2016, and they’re both better in-ring performers, as well. Get ready, folks.
Sheamus vs Ludwig Kaiser: If Sheamus can’t get the shit beaten out of him by Gunther or Drew McIntyre, it seems like he’ll be more than glad to get the shit beaten out of him by Ludwig Kaiser. Oh, and he’ll also be more than glad to beat the shit out of Ludwig Kaiser, as well, so there’s that.
Alpha Academy: Every week, one of the highlights of every episode of Raw continues to be the drama within the Alpha Academy. Chad Gable continues to do a great job of being a very dislikable dickhead of a heel, which only helps Akira Tozawa, Maxxine Dupri, and especially Otis get stronger reactions. Live crowds are dying for Otis to finally snap and destroy Gable.
Mina Shirakawa: You saw her on Dynamite. You know why she’s here.
Blackpool Combat Club vs Magnus, Volador Jr, Rugido & Esfinge: The Blackpool Combat Club continue on their quest to fight every luchador on the planet. Next up, Bryan Danielson and Claudio Castagnoli travel to Oaxaca to face Nacho and Esqueleto.
Mina Shirakawa vs Serena Deeb: The outcome was never in doubt, but Shirakawa needed this to show those unfamiliar with her work what she can do. Deeb remains one of the best women in the wrestling business, so she was able to make her opponent look even better.
Orange Cassidy vs Kyle O’Reilly vs Jay Lethal vs Rey Fenix: With a shot at Will Ospreay and the AEW International Title on the line, all four men worked hard here. Fenix was the right choice to win. He hasn’t shared a ring with Ospreay in nearly three years, and hasn’t shared a ring with Ospreay in singles competition in five years. They’re going to tear it up.
Kelani Jordan: She’s the very first NXT Women’s North American Champion. No matter what happens to her from here on, nobody can ever take that away from her. She gets more and more popular with NXT crowds all the time, and her future appears to be very bright.
Mark Briscoe vs Brian Cage: The current RoH World Champion is going to be competing for the AEW TNT Title at Forbidden Door, and it’s still a big step up. That says a lot about the way RoH is used and viewed these days.
Nathan Frazer & Axiom vs Luke Gallows & Karl Anderson: A fun clash of styles. Those types of matches often end up being pretty good. This was no different. Sometimes, that’s all you need.
Orange Cassidy vs Kyle O’Reilly: I might be wrong by one or two, but O’Reilly is now 0-207 since returning from his career-threatening injury. Just something to think about.
Rey Mysterio vs Damian Priest: When Damian Priest was a young wrestling fan, do you think he had dreams of being a World Champion in WWE? Do you think he had dreams of being a World Champion in WWE AND facing Rey Mysterio in 2024? I would assume he had plenty of dreams about the former, but that latter scenario was too unbelievable to even dream about back then. Here we are, though, and Rey is still going strong, all these years later. It’s insane.
Kevin Owens & The Street Profits vs The Bloodline: Kevin Owens and The Bloodline are destined to feud with each other until the end of time. I hope you’re prepared for it.
Dustin Rhodes vs Johnny TV: This is worth pointing out once again… Dustin Rhodes just celebrated his 55th birthday, and he’s still putting in some of the best and most consistent in-ring work of his entire career. That blows my mind.
Tony D’Angelo vs Damon Kemp: Ahh, the “other” Steveson brother. He really seems to have picked up pro wrestling better, or at least has more dedication to it, than his brother. That could be to NXT and WWE’s benefit.
This Week’s Playlist: “Burning” by Tems… “The Man He Sees In Me” by Luke Combs… “Heartache” by From Ashes To New… “Nightmare” by From Ashes To New… “Alive” by Alleviate… “Forever In The Dark” by Soulbound… “Hood Gone Love It” by Jay Rock & Kendrick Lamar… “All My Life (In The Ghetto)” by Jay Rock, will.i.am & Lil Wayne… “MILLION DOLLAR BABY” by Tommy Richman… “fukumean” by Gunna… “The Boys Of Summer” by Don Henley… “Country Grammar (Hot Shit)” by Nelly… “Ride Wit Me” by Nelly & City Spud… “E.I.” by Nelly… “Tho Dem Wraps” by Nelly… “Batter Up” by Nelly, Murphy Lee & Ali… “Luven Me” by Nelly… “Still Loving You” by Scorpions… “Hold The Line” by Toto… “Welcome Home” by Coheed and Cambria… “The Middle” by Jimmy Eat World… “Brain Stew” by Green Day… “First Date” by blink-182… “Ditty” by Paperboy… “Love U 4 Life” by Jodeci