Indy Power Rankings for the Week of December 8th, 2014

Indy Power Rankings for the Week of December 8th, 2014

 

1. “Bad Bones” John Klinger (@TheGermanPsycho) - On a week where ROH (perhaps the biggest independent in the U.S. by our standards…for the rest of 2014 at least) has their biggest show of 2014, it’s tough to take the top spot over the winner of the main event and ROH World Champion. That’s exactly what “Bad Bones” did as “The German Psycho” ran through the competition with 4 wins and no losses in Europe. The wXw Shotgun Champion defeated Chris Masters on 12/5 to retain the title, then defeated Brian Myers on 12/6 to retain again, then defeated Martin Stone on 12/6 at IPW:UK to win the IPW:UK World Championship, then defeated last week’s #1 Uhaa Nation on 12/7 to go 4-0 for the week. With 7 straight wins, it was almost impossible to deny “The Best in Europe” from the top spot this week. That being said, it wasn’t a straight sweep of the voters as there was a huge debate as to who should be #1.
 

2. Jay Briscoe (@jaybriscoe84) - The ROH World Champion defeated Adam Cole at Final Battle in a Fight Without Honor and many felt that was the win that would return him to the #1 spot for the first time in 2014. It was a spot that he had finally gotten to in 2013 before he was sidelined with the well-documented injury that kept him out for a few months. It wasn’t to be, unfortunately. Maybe it was due to his tag team losses in the UK last week. Maybe it was the fact that he had just ONE match as opposed to four like some of the other vote-getters, but regardless, a #2 ranking is nothing to sneeze at. Jay has been tearing it up in singles competition as of late, winning 8 straight matches in singles. Unfortunately for him, it was some of his tag losses that may have ultimately cost him the #1 spot. Not known for a lot of matches outside of ROH, it’s unlikely he’ll reach the #1 spot before the end of the year, but again, this ranking will definitely help his standing in the IPR 100 like Bad Bones before him.

3. Kongo Kong/Osyris (@RealKongoKong) - There is absolutely no questioning the fact that 2014 has been perhaps best dubbed, “The Rise of Kong” as Da Juggernaut or Da Monsta (if you prefer) has been dominating in singles competition throughout the year. The IWA Mid-South World Champion wins no matter where he’s wrestling and you didn’t need to look much further than this past week to see proof. He defeated Shane Mercer on 12/4 to retain the title, then defeated Officer Rod Street (as Osyris) at RCW on 12/5, then wrapped up the weekend by defeating Lightning Bolt Johnson in a last man standing match at FWF on 12/6 to go 3-0 for the week. He has won 9 out of his last 12 matches, overall, and shows no signs of slowing down. Next up: another title defense in a 3 Way vs. Shane Mercer and John Wayne Murdoch on 12/11 at IWA Mid-South.
 

4. Drew Galloway (@TheDrewMcIntyre) - Many questioned how Drew Galloway would fare on the indies after he was released from the WWE. The EVOLVE Champion has answered that question emphatically by having a FANTASTIC 2014…and there’s still a few weeks to go. The ICW UK Champion defeated Big Damo O’Connor on 12/5 at BCW, then defeated Kid Fite by DQ at BCW on 12/6, then beat Kid Fite on 12/7 to retain the ICW Championship. It’s a  3-0 week for the former WWE superstar and current indy sensation. With the 2014 IPR 100 approaching, all eyes are on the year-end list, but if Drew Galloway has done this much in a short 2014 (for him)….what will 2015 be like?
 

5. Joey Janela (@JANELABABY) - #1 just two weeks ago and #5 this week. Not too shabby for this independent star on the rise. He is 6-0 the last 3 weeks (he was off last week) with tremendous victories over the last week after he won an 8 Man Tag at CZW Dojo Wars, then beat Eric Corvis at SOW on 12/5, then defeated Necro Butcher at OPW on 12/6 to go 3-0 on the weekend. Pretty impressive stuff from a guy who had certainly been making waves, but had not yet broken through The Top 10 until 2 weeks ago. Now he’s REALLY making some headway and trying to climb higher in the IPR 100. Make sure to catch him on 12/29 on the First Night of the IPR 100 Reveal! Show starts at 9 PM EST and runs until 11 PM.
 

6. Jake Crist - 1/2 (or 1/3) of OI4K continues to dominate in singles AND tag team action as he once again gets ranked this week after dominating both Rockstar Pro and PDW this past week. The Rockstar Pro Champion defeated Jake Omen to retain the title on 12/3, then beat Dave Crist and Ron Mathis in a triple threat at Rockstar Pro to retain the title again on 12/5, then teamed with Dave Crist to retain the PDW Tag titles against The Game Of Death (Aaron Williams & Alex Colon) on 12/6 to go 3-0 for the week and sweep the week once again. The former #1 in both singles and tags has been a surprising highlight of 2014. Make sure you catch him on the Tag Team Top 50 Reveal on 12/30 at 3 PM EST (running until 5 PM).

7. Uhaa Nation (@UhaaNation) - Last week’s #1 drops a few spots after a loss, but still had a very impressive weekend. The PCW Champion won a four-way dance against The Rotation (Karsten Beck & Kim Ray) in wXw on 12/5, then defeated Tomasso Ciampa in wXw on 12/6, then defeated Rob Lynch at IPW:UK on 12/6, then lost to “Bad Bones” John Klinger at IPW:UK on 12/7 to go 3-1 for the week. He has won 9 of his last 11 matches. After having great success in early 2014, he disappeared from the Top 10 for several months, but if these last 2 weeks are any indication, he’s going to be a permanent fixture for the rest of 2014. Not to mention the fact that he’s going to increase his stock in the IPR 100. Where will he end up? Make sure you tune into the IPR 100 Reveal Shows on 12/29, 12/30, and 12/31 to find out!
 

8. Wavell Starr - It’s the first ranking for someone who had a fantastic weekend. Actually, it was perfect. He was a participant in the HIW Kings Challenge Lethal Lottery tournament, where he teamed with Robbie Gamble to beat Ethan Hawks & Jacob Creed in the first round, Bobby Sharp & Brett Morgan in the second round, Cannonball Kelly & Alexander Prime in the third round and then beat Gamble in the final, all on 12/5 to win the Kings Challenge and become new HIW Central Canadian Heavyweight Champion. He was 4-0 for the week, proving that no matter the body of work throughout the year, a big weekend can sneak someone into the Top 10. Congrats to Wavell on his first ranking!
 

9. Ace Romero - Another first-timer in the Top 10 gets in after finding success at CZW Dojo Wars and IWE last week. After a win at CZW Dojo Wars on 12/3, he then defeated Scotty Vegas in a Lobster Buoy Ladder Match at IWE on 12/5 and then teamed with “Da HEY Man” Eric Johnson to beat The Leatherheads at IWE on 12/6 to go 3-0 for the week. Great week and honestly, he would have been even higher in the Top 10 if he had just a bit of fan support in the online voting competition. Further proof of how important the fan vote can be.
 

10. Dru Skillz (@DruSkillz) - After becoming a 2-Time People’s Champion last week, did the Heroes and Legends Champion rest on his laurels? Hard to say, but he did come in 2nd this week in the online voting competition, which along with his win vs. 1/2 of WAR Tag Champs Sonny Scarboni on 12/6 at WAR, helped him get ranked for the 2nd straight week. With a record of 5-0 the last three weeks, 1/2 of the Soul Shooters has been solid in both singles and tag team competition throughout 2014. Will it be enough to make the 2014 IPR 100? Make sure you tune into the IPR 100 Reveal Shows on 12/29, 12/30, and 12/31 to find out before anyone else!
 

People’s Champion: Jeremiah -“The Ginger Juggernaut” surprised a lot of people after he went 2-0 at Rockstar Pro and then racked up 50 votes to win the online voting competition. That’s the beauty of the online voting competition every week…new faces…new blood…and a chance to get a bit of exposure. Great job, Rockstar Nation!
 

Others receiving votes/just missing out:

Michael Elgin
Tylor Sundae
El Patron Alberto
Heidi Lovelace
LuFisto
Russ Jones
Big Daddy Walter
Jay Lethal
Mike Hart
Axel Tischer
Chris Brookes
Bradzilla
Roy Wilkins
Mexx
Kenny Williams
Chris Lea
Roderick Strong
Ryan Smile
Rampage Brown
Brute VanSlyke
Douglas Williams
El Charisma
Demolition Davies
Michael Hayes
Eddie Kingston
Matt Cage
Johnny Miyagi
Chase Owens
Andrew Palace
Ariya Daivari
Aaron Morrison
Moose
Ron Mathis
Reed Bentley
Eric Johnson
Cam Zagami
AJ Cruise
Donnie Primetime

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