WWE: The 15 Biggest Winners and Losers of 2011

In the aftermath of the Night of Champions pay-per-view, I thought that it would be a good time to go through the biggest winners and losers of 2011 so far.

Some of the Superstars in the WWE have gotten great pushes this year, some have completely changed their character and some have been left in the dust.

Here are the top 15 winners and losers for 2011, starting with the losers.

Losers

Losers!

Starting with No. 15...

15. Edge

I hate to say it, but Edge is unfortunately a loser in 2011.

He may have been World Heavyweight Champion for a few months, and he did win his match at WrestleMania, but none of that changes the fact that he was forced to retire.

It sucks that he had to, but that's the way it goes and it is definitely a major loss for him. 

14. Rey Mysterio

What can I say? Mysterio won his first WWE Championship and lost it two hours later. 

Ouch.

He also lost his match at WrestleMania to Cody Rhodes and was de-masked at Money in the Bank by Alberto Del Rio...not to mention that he has been knocked out of competition for several months.

Loser No. 14 for Mysterio.

13. Big Show & Kane

Kane and Big Show haven't done too much this year.

They spent some time as the tag team champions but then Big Show got run over by Del Rio's car; and even when he came back, he got "injured" by Mark Henry. Shortly after, Kane suffered the same fate as Show.

Neither of them have been on WWE programming in months, and that lands the both of them in the loser column.

12. Jack Swagger

Jack Swagger has been killed until recently.

There was a month or two where he straight up didn't win a single match. Maybe his new manager will up his status in the WWE for the rest of the year, but for now he remains a loser.

11. Vladimir Kozlov, Chris Masters, Gail Kim and Melina

Vladimir Kozlov, Chris Masters and Melina were released from the WWE and Gail Kim called it quits.

Getting fired isn't going to land you in the winner's column, that much is for certain.

10. Beth Phoenix

Sorry Beth, you've made the list of WWE losers in 2011.

Beth Phoenix looked like she was getting her push for the Divas Championship when she turned heel before SummerSlam, but she has now lost against Kelly Kelly in back-to-back pay-per-views.

Phoenix looks like she should be champion, but two losses in a row for the Divas Championship hurts.

9. David Otunga & Michael McGillicutty

These two have had it rough as of late.

They were looking good as a part of the New Nexus with CM Punk as their leader, and they even captured the tag team championship. But now, everything seems to be spinning out of control.

Their leader abandoned them (ending the New Nexus), they lost their championship, and then got beaten up by Jerry Lawler two weeks in a row.

I'm guessing this isn't the push either of them would like.

8. Dolph Ziggler

Some could argue that Dolph is a winner this year, especially since he just defended his United States Championship, but I consider him a loser thus far this year.

I think Ziggler should be a main-eventer, but ever since he left SmackDown after briefly holding the World Heavyweight Championship, Dolph has been left in the mid-card. 

He lost his WrestleMania match to Snookie, he's been punched out by Wolverine, and now his manager has two clients and no longer focusing on just him. Ziggler has so much potential, but as of right now, it is all going to waste.

7. Kharma

So much hype.

So much disappointment.

If Kharma had stuck around I'm sure that she would already be the Divas Champion, but for now we need to wait for her to come back and hopefully make up for lost time.

6. Sheamus

Many will put up an argument that Sheamus was not a loser this year, but I beg to differ.

It was a little more than a year ago that Sheamus was the WWE Champion, and the only title that he has held this year is the United States Championship.

I think that Sheamus is great and he deserves a lengthy World Heavyweight Championship run, but since coming to SmackDown, he has been overshadowed by Randy Orton, Christian and Mark Henry.

Maybe this feud with Christian will help him, but to this point, Sheamus has been a loser in 2011.

5. John Morrison

Tapped out to Alberto Del Rio in what, two minutes?

Morrison has been beat up by R-Truth, he was pinned in the United States Championship match at Night of Champions and, as of now, Morrison looks like the punching bag on RAW. 

This guy has a lot of potential and he keeps getting beaten up. No. 5 loser on the list.

4. The Anonymous RAW General Manager

When the anonymous RAW GM first came onto the show, it was a cool idea. Then it got old, then it got annoying, and then he completely disappeared.

There was a lot of potential for this guy or gal, but now that he/she has been lost in the shuffle on RAW, the idea behind the anonymous GM has failed and is on the brink of being forgotten all together.

3. Vince McMahon

The boss had his WWE Championship taken from him and then was fired the very next evening.

Step aside Mr. McMahon, Triple H has arrived!

And he has taken your job.

2. Wade Barrett

Remember when this guy owned John Cena? 

Wade Barrett was contending for the WWE Championship less than a year ago and he actually kept up with Cena in the ring.

But on the Super Smackdown show just a few weeks ago, he was beaten by Cena in about three minutes. Barrett has completely lost his luster and, after such a promising 2010 with Nexus, it looks like he could be left in the mid-card.

1. Alberto Del Rio

Two weeks ago, I would have had Alberto Del Rio as the No. 1 winner, but after Night of Champions, I consider him the No. 1 loser.

Yes, he won the Royal Rumble. Yes, he won Money in the Bank. And yes, he cashed in and won the WWE Championship. It would seem that his year has been great.

But, he then lost his title match at WrestleMania, he lost to Christian at Extreme Rules, and then he lost his WWE Championship to John Cena only a month after winning it for the first time.

He does have his rematch in a couple of weeks at Hell in a Cell, but it is unlikely that he will win it back. Del Rio has lost his steam in the WWE and it is getting harder and harder to take him seriously.

Sorry Alberto, but so far, it appears it is your destiny to be the No. 1 loser of 2011.

Winners

On to the winners of 2011...

15. Undertaker

We haven't seen the Undertaker too much this year, but he extended his unbeaten WrestleMania streak to 19-0 when he beat Triple H in one of the best matches of the year

That's definitely enough to land him on the winners list. 

14. Cody Rhodes

Cody Rhodes has had a pretty solid year.

He won his match against Rey Mysterio at WrestleMania and has even recently become the Intercontinental Champion. He claims that he is going to bring back the prestige of the championship, and it looks like he might just do it.

Rhodes is setting himself up for an eventual main-event push, and i its all due to the great 2011 he has had.

13. Sin Cara

Sin Cara is easily one of the most controversial characters in the WWE.

He is currently in the midst of a feud with himself and has gotten as big a push as anyone, despite the fact that he has made several in-ring mistakes.

He has won nearly all his matches and it would seem that his push as the future Rey Mysterio is going to continue. He may have his bad moments, but the WWE has made him a winner in 2011.

12. Daniel Bryan

The last month has been dreadful for Daniel Bryan.

I'm not sure that I could tell you the last time he won a match, but he still managed to pull off what is the biggest accomplishment of his career so far:

He won the Money in the Bank briefcase.

This one win means that Bryan will enter the main-event crowd at some point in 2012, and he will likely become World Heavyweight Champion as well.

11. AirBoom

The revival of the tag team championship could come from Kofi Kingston and Evan Bourne.

Their tag team, AirBoom, has been winning matches left and right, and they were even able to defeat the Miz and R-Truth at Night of Champions to retain their championship.

With the Miz and R-Truth out of the picture after their firing, these two will probably be champions for some time, and a lengthy title run could do great things for their futures in the WWE.

Go AirBoom. Winners.

10. The Rock

The Rock has made his return! 

He was the host of this year's WrestleMania, and then he got the main event of next year's WrestleMania against John Cena. For not doing so much, that's a pretty great year.

And let's face it: The Rock will never be a loser.

9. Randy Orton

It would be difficult to think that Randy Orton has not been a 2011 winner considering how he won the World Heavyweight Championship on his first show after being drafted to Smackdown. 

He then won in his feud against Christian, and as long as Orton is the the face of SmackDown, it is hard to think that he will be a loser anytime soon.

8. Triple H

Triple H may have lost to the Undertaker at WrestleMania in a classic matchup, but the Game was also given control of the WWE.

He won his comeback match against CM Punk at Night of Champions and he remains in control as COO. Triple H's stock is way up in the WWE.

7. Kelly Kelly

Kelly Kelly won her first Divas Championship title in June this year, and she has yet to relinquish her title.

At both of the last two pay-per-views, Kelly's title has been in serious threat from the No. 1 contender, Beth Phoenix, but Kelly has kept her championship on both occasions.

The old guy in the picture may not like Kelly, but she's been the divas winner of the year.

6. John Cena

Like Orton, Cena will never be a loser as long as he is a member of the WWE.

He is the face of the WWE and he has been the WWE Champion on three different occasions over the past few months.

And that is not to mention he got the main event of WrestleMania a year in advance, with the most electrifying man in sports entertainment.  

5. R-Truth

Ever since R-Truth had his heel-turn in April when he lost his No. 1 contender status to John Morrison, Truth has become one of the best heels in the WWE.

He has never been as popular as he is now, and he has become the funniest Superstar the WWE has to offer. He, without a doubt, receives the most improved award in the WWE for 2011.

Yes, he was fired this past Monday, but that really doesn't matter—he isn't going anywhere. And even if he misses a couple weeks of WWE programming, he is going to continue making an impact as a major heel.

4. Miz

The Miz proved just how legitimate he is this year.

He was the main event of WrestleMania and he won his match against John Cena. He held the WWE Championship all the way through April and he even had a decent feud with Alex Riley.

Now that he has taken sides with R-Truth in the conspiracy theory, his heat has risen yet again. He was fired with Truth this Monday but, like Truth, that doesn't matter at all. I think that it will only be good for them.

Maybe he doesn't win the tag team championship, but he doesn't really need that. This is a path where he can become even more dangerous in the WWE, which could lead to another World Championship when he gets re-signed.

3. Christian

A few months ago Christian was just Christian. Now, he is Christian, two-time World Heavyweight Champion.

Christian showed that he is a great all-time superstar this summer during his feud with Randy Orton, and his emerging feud with Sheamus looks promising to say the least.

Christian may not be in the title picture again anytime soon, but the push that he got in 2011 certainly made him one of 2011's biggest winners.

2. Mark Henry

The World's Strongest Man finally got his world title after 15 long years in the business.

Mark Henry seems to have finally reached his potential in the WWE, turning into one of the most threatening heels we have seen in quite some time. 

He has taken down Big Show, Kane, Sheamus and now Randy Orton in his quest for the World Heavyweight Championship. 

It has been a big year for the No. 2 winner on this list, but it still cannot compare to No. 1...

1. CM Punk

CM Punk.

I realize that there are a lot of people who think that Punk is overrated and over-hyped, but I am not one of those people. But, regardless, CM Punk has had a better 2011 than any other Superstar.

He formed New Nexus to start the year and followed that with his feud against Randy Orton which, though he lost, was an incredible feud where they put on some amazing matches.

Now he has changed his gimmick, theme song and overall presence in-ring and on the mic. He won the WWE Championship and ran out of the building with it, to Vince McMahon's despair. He then defended his title at SummerSlam which resulted in his feud with Triple H and Kevin Nash.

CM Punk has taken over the WWE in 2011 with both his in-ring ability and his ability on the mic. He has delivered some of he greatest promos in years, including the shoot back in early June.

There have been a lot of winners in the WWE this year, but Punk easily takes the cake with the No. 1 spot.

Thanks for reading and share your thoughts!