BY MICHAEL GOODPASTER
(FOUR) JOHNNY GARGANO
Johnny Gargano is one of those guys who once he gets to the WWE will be ready to take over the world. I’m a typical jaded fan. I appreciate bad guys more than good guys. It’s rare that I’ll join the arena crowd in cheering for someone. One guy that’s making being a “face” cool to me is Johnny Gargano. I am a huge fan of Dragon Gate USA and Evolve and he’s a big reason why. He spent most of the year as the poster boy for the company. He’s really grown and developed over the years. There are guys on the indie scene that have more attention or acclaim than Gargano, but to me he has the most upswing and universal appeal. He’s cool enough for anyone to like, but he also has that charm that could make millions of little kids go ape shit. I am a fan of a lot of indie guys, most of the Evolve roster in reality, but Gargano has kicked ass in 2012 and I see no reason he won’t blow up even more in 2013.
(THREE) DOLPH ZIGGLER
Dolph Ziggler has had the mixed bag of being Money In The Bank for most of the year. For some reason it seems that the WWE likes to use the Money in The Bank guy to get others over and make others look better while knocking the person down a few (dozen) pegs. Daniel Bryan went on a losing streak as well. He can go out there and put on impressive performances in the meantime, but he just keeps losing to everyone when it counts. It’s lazy because once he does cash in and win or lose the fan is automatically supposed to accept it. This is not Ziggler’s fault. If he went into these matches and put out shitty performances it would be one thing, but he’s still going the distance with it. I’m sure this is not going unnoticed. He’s going to have a HUGE break out very soon.
(TWO) AUSTIN ARIES
Austin Aries has kept TNA afloat for a lot of fans. TNA is still a generic WCW-lite and is still giving us shitty show after shitty show. I’ll watch Impact and the occasional Pay Per View because I enjoy wrestling and want to see good stuff. Sadly, TNA just never connects with me. They have a few really talented people who can make a match or a moment interesting, but it’s never enough to want to watch the actual product. Austin Aries is the reason to watch the TNA product. His charisma, his skills, and his rise to prominence is something that should be seen and appreciated. The problem and worry now is that he’s going to be stuck fighting the same old WWE/WCW/ECW rejects every week because you KNOW they’re not going to give too much room at the top for actual fresh talent.
(ONE) DANIEL BRYAN
Many would wonder if Daniel Bryan is even supposed to be in WWE today. At the start of 2012 he was Champion, but that whole “sixteen seconds” thing at Wrestlemania should have buried him. Instead the whole “Yes! Yes! Yes!” chant took off huge. This popularity took him into a solid feud with CM Punk and the AJ storyline. Again you’d think he’d be done with as they put him in a team with Kane. The crowd loved it. I think the WWE is learning that the fans just enjoy the hell out of this guy. He is a great wrestler and his personality and charisma is really taking shape. He needs another run at the top to add more credibility to his stature, but in the meantime it’s fun to see him take whatever circumstance or odd story he’s faced with and turning it into something awesome and great. That’s how great this guy is. No matter how bad the WWE can get or how lame the stories can be, Daniel Bryan is the king.
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