... Although the belt was recovered, the amount of media blitz and Jericho's new "Little bit of Bubbly" catch phrase brought untold amounts of attention and news to AEW ....
Chris Jericho
For months, Chris Jericho has wanted to be thanked for the existence of All Elite Wrestling and this past week on AEW Dynamite, FITE viewers stood witness as all the members of The Inner Circle took their time to gift, thank and exude the greatness of Le Champion. Add in Jericho's "Lil' Bit of The Bubbly" wine moving over 10,000 bottles and Jericho turning back the challenge of the only person to pin him thus far in AEW history, Scorpio Sky and you've got a pretty perfect week for Chris Jericho. Thus, how could anyone but Jericho top the FITE rankings? That's a great question, but one that will go unanswered this week and perhaps, the foreseeable future, but it may be….
Adam Cole
The WWE NXT Champion has been the busiest and most successful WWE talent in recent weeks, appearing on Raw, Smackdown and NXT regularly leading into the 2019 Survivor Series PPV. With NXT's dominant victory at that event, Adam Cole's impressive title defense against Pete Dunne has to be recognized, as does his recent performances against Seth Rollins, Daniel Bryan and more. If there was ever a case of throwing someone in the deep end of the pool and watching him develop into an Olympic swimmer before your eyes, it's Adam Cole. The sky isn't the limit for Cole – nothing is BAY BAY.
Bray Wyatt
Perhaps not since the rise of The Undertaker back in November 1991, have we seen a fearsome character so captivate the WWE audience as The Fiend Bray Wyatt has been able to accomplish. No matter the foe and no matter their strategy, all have fallen to the seemingly indestructible Fiend, who has enjoyed the most successful reboot of a WWE persona in the history of the promotion. After turning back the challenge of Daniel Bryan at Survivor Series and unleashing his own twisted take on the Universal Championship, it remains to be seen who will be willing to dive down into the muck and attempt to take down Wyatt – who has finally unleashed his full potential.
Rey Mysterio
There are times in professional wrestling where the hero just needs to win, to inspire the fans, to create a buzz, to bring joy to the world. If there's ever been an underdog who has always had the knack for doing so at just the right moment, it's been Rey Mysterio. This past week, Mysterio shocked the world with his attempts to destroy Brock Lesnar at Survivor Series and then rebounding from that loss by defeating AJ Styles to become the new WWE United States Champion. It was a return to form for the lucha legend and an emotional moment for all who watched. Rey Mysterio has made a career out of making one believe the impossible and once again, he has accomplished that task as only a true hero can accomplish.
Sami Callihan
If there is the opposite side of the coin from someone like Rey Mysterio in today's professional wrestling, its Impact Wrestling Champion Sami Callihan. Brawling, spitting, and wrecking his way around the country, there is very little, if any, redeeming values surrounding Callihan's reputation. Now fully entrenched as the centerpiece of Impact Wrestling, Callihan looks forward to the Hard to Kill event here on FITE, where he'll face Tessa Blanchard in a Slammiversary rematch, but before he can get there, Callihan has his hands full with Ken Shamrock and with keeping OVE's resident monster, Madman Fulton, under control. Callihan always wanted to be the biggest star in professional wrestling. Well, heavy wears the crown, even if the king has respect for no one and nothing.
Jon Moxley
The former Dean Ambrose has walked through fire and barbed wire and emerged bloody but unbeaten, leaving Kenny Omega defeated at AEW Full Gear. The controversial death match has resulted in countless ripple effects and perhaps even legal turmoil, but if there's one person who could care less, it's Jon Moxley. He's promised a paradigm shift and has quickly accomplished that. This week, international FITE viewers will see Moxley once against go to war against the unorthodox, gritty Joey Janela….and from there, perhaps not even AEW Champion Chris Jericho himself is safe.
The Kabuki Warriors
Asuka and Kairi Sane, the Kabuki Warriors, have slowly but surely brought back the prestige and hope to the WWE Women's Tag Team Championship picture. After several miscues from WWE's creative strategy, The Kabuki Warriors have made the title belts and the chase for those championships worth watching, fending off some of the biggest names in WWE in the process. At Starrcade over the weekend, they defeated six of the top female competitors in the world in one match and Asuka has haunted Charlotte Flair with her deadly green mist. By playing off of some of the oldest tropes for villainous Japanese talents and hitting the ring with all out athletic, aggressive action, The Kabuki Warriors have not only reinvigorated themselves, but WWE's women's division at the same time.
Alberto El Patron
The former WWE Champion has stood atop many mountaintops, but traditionally in the realm of professional wrestling. So, why, at the age of 42, is el Patron choosing to push himself by entering the world of Mixed Martial Arts one more time, facing former UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Tito Ortiz? El Patron wants to leave a legacy beyond pro wrestling, he wants to assist Combate Americas and he wants to show the world that in one night, with one victory, he can shock everyone watching on FITE. El Patron has never been one to turn away from a fight, but even if you believe he's the underdog here, creating the moment and building buzz for yourself is a big part of the pro wrestling game – and in that regard, he's successful without throwing the first punch.
Rob Van Dam
It's been several weeks since Rob Van Dam shocked FITE viewers by turning on old ECW cohort Rhino at Impact Wrestling's Bound for Glory. Van Dam has promised to finally address his actions, which have not caught the attention of the wrestling world, but also the ire of Tommy Dreamer, Brian Cage and Rhino, among others. As Impact Wrestling prepares for Hard to Kill, RVD made the hard target everyone is coming for. Does Van Dam even care? Is he too preoccupied with Katie Forbes? All will be revealed in the weeks to come.
Marty Scurll
With all eyes on the Villain as his existing Ring of Honor contract expires, there's been untold levels of speculation about his future. Will he join his Elite brethren in All Elite Wrestling? Will he continue to lead Villain Enterprises within ROH? Could a jump to WWE NXT be in his future? Only Scurll knows for sure and per usual, he's playing coy publicly. We know that Scurll has declared that he and Flip Gordon will be facing Flamita and Bandido at ROH's Final Battle in Baltimore. Will that be Scurll's swansong? FITE will provide the answers live, when Final Battle broadcasts on Friday December 13th.
By: Mike Johnson
Every week here at FITE, we feature the Top Ten ranked personalities in the world of professional wrestling. Unlike other combat sports, pro wrestling cannot be measured in just wins and losses, especially when the drama and excitement of the genre is specifically based around not just the physical performance, but the excitement level created by its combatants. Thus, our top ten measures the most newsworthy performers in the business, who's momentum drives not just their own career paths but the promotions they compete for.
Mike Johnson is the lead reporter for PWInsider.com and has been writing about professional wrestling since 1996. He can be found on Twitter @MikePWInsider and MikeJohnsonWrites.com.
