68 Biggest Wrestling Stars of 2011

It all starts at the top: the champions, the contenders and those who have given us what we paid for.

It comes from plot lines, subplots and surprises.

And there is never a dull moment.

Wrestling did the unthinkable this year and provided moments of great feats and great depression.

And in between, there were some pretty good entertainers and matches.

You cannot compare the work of the WWE and TNA as a whole because of size, marketing and promotion. But what you can do is rank, list and debate who the best were over the course of 12 months. That does not mean just wrestlers, but superstars who gave their all to promote themselves and the business they love.

This is a list of the best superstars from TNA and WWE. Admittedly, I do not get to see ROH and I am not as familiar with the program, so those wrestlers are left off this list.

Now comes the fun part. After looking at this list, please feel free to debate the rankings. Everything on here is subjective and while you may think Big Show should be ranked higher or lower and Mr. Anderson should be ranked outside the top 68, it all makes for an interesting debate.

I did not put a true ranking on these superstars. That is like counting grains of sand. We all can make the point CM Punk was the wrestler of the year. They are, however, in alphabetical order.

So, let's get on with the show.

Abyss

There is no telling what will happen with this guy in 2012.

Abyss has been a member of Immortal and the whipping post for its members in light of bad decisions in matches and outside-the-ring activities.

He now seems poised for another run as a face.

We shall see how long that lasts.

Mr. Anderson

He is a former World champion and a pretty decent face for now.

An alliance with Anderson and Jeff Hardy could prove to be part of a new stable if AJ Styles and maybe The Pope are involved.

Anderson tries so hard to be Steve Austin. When he tries to be himself, the gimmick works.

Kurt Angle

Some will say this is too high for the former TNA World champion.

I disagree.

He feuded with Immortal, then joined them. He wrestled Sting, and battled the likes of Bobby Roode and now James Storm.

And that is only within the last six months.

He also clashed with Jeff Jarrett and was involved in major storylines all year within TNA. That is the reason he is the best in the company by a slim margin.

Austin Aries

He has charisma, stamina and the look of a champion.

I think he is a little Randy Savage, a little Jericho and a little Ric Flair.

But he will never be that good.

But he is good enough to lead the X-Division in TNA and could challenge for more gold in 2012.

Wade Barrett

He had a monster start in the WWE and then tailed off.

Now, he is a superstar and could be the lead heel of SmackDown for years to come.

A brawler who can wrestle and use the mic well. He will be the villain in everyone's mystery novel.

The Bella Twins

For two divas that made a lot of noise the first half of the year, they certainly tailed off.

The creative team needs to find them new material.

They are too good to be left to twist in the wind.

Big Show

He had his moments and now he is in the main event.

His battle with Mark Henry is good for the company, but at the same time, it is hurting those who are trying to rise above.

Sheamus, Wade Barrett and others cannot hold gold if he is still in the title picture.

And what happens now with Kane reinventing himself?

Eric Bischoff

The most diabolical man in wrestling.

He feuded with Fortune, had Hulk Hogan turn his back on him and now he is beating the hell out his own son with Ric Flair at his side.

Stop the insanity!

Daniel Bryan

Turn heel already, please!

There is so much vanilla in him, I swear he was a dessert cake.

Bryan has had the MITB contract and now he is trying to find his way to the top of SmackDown.

Just turn heel and help your cause.

Sin Cara

He hurt himself at Survivor Series, which set him back again.

If this guy ever gets it together, he could be the best of the bunch of cruiserweights.

We all will have to take a wait-and-see approach with him.

Dixie Carter

So much has been made about her and the company and where it would be under different ownership.

Carter at times seems so overwhelmed. She needs to allow those who really know what they are doing to run the business.

The Hogan/Bischoff/Carter storyline was one of the better ones this year in wrestling.

John Cena

You knew he would not be far from the top of this list.

Cena is still a crowd favorite and now that the promo work for WrestleMania XXVIII is getting ramped up, there will be more opportunities to turn heel, change his demeanor and give the fans what they really want: an opportunity to chant, "Cena Sucks."

Besides Punk, he really is the most charismatic wrestler to come through the WWE ranks since the man he faces at WrestleMania XXVIII came through, The Rock.

Christian

He finally won the World title on SmackDown.

Christian is one of the most underrated superstars in the business and his mic skills are pretty sharp.

If not for injury, he would have helped the "conspiracy" angle along to its pinnacle.

I only wish he could have feuded with Edge before he retired.

Michael Cole

The heel announcer lives.

He is more vile than most and he plays the part so well.

His feud with Jerry Lawler and Jim Ross have put him in rare territory in terms of the character he plays.

Maybe creative should ease up a bit.

Crimson

He has "The Streak" still in tact.

Maybe the streak is not as important now that he is a tag team champion with Matt Morgan. But the rookie is awesome and has the look of a future champion.

Does he turn heel? If he did, it would set the TNA world on fire!

He is the future of this company.

Alberto Del Rio

The Mexican Aristocrat finally won his WWE title.

If he is not in the title picture, there really is not a place for this character.

While he is great in the ring, he is rather dull and boring outside the ring.

But when you win and are dominant like he has been since MITB, he gets a top-10 ranking.

Eve

Pretty girl but not a lot of talent.

She is in the main storyline in the Divas division because of a lack of competition.

If Kelly Kelly stays in WWE will she feud with her best friend?

Things could get interesting.

Alicia Fox

Now that she is joined by Eve and Kelly Kelly, it will be interesting to see if she gets a real push for Divas gold.

Fox may be the most talented of any of the female superstars in the WWE.

Will creative take advantage of it?

Vickie Guerrero

Excuse me!

She is loud, obnoxious and full of herself. But if you look at what has taken place in the WWE, she is a decent manager and has brought back some of the old-school swagger to the role.

She could add to her stable in 2012.

Gunner

He had a good run going with wins over Sting and Mr. Anderson and then started to assert himself within Immortal.

Then, it vanished.

Phil Shatter needs a better gimmick than the enforcer of Immortal. He is too talented.

Jeff Hardy

OK, there are two schools on him.

One feels he should be locked up and thrown to the wolves. The other is the one that feels he should be given another chance. I personally feel he is good for business. He is still charismatic and the fans love him.

He will be getting a title shot and probably gold around his waist in TNA after the first of the year. The jury may still be out on him, but let's see what he does.

Mark Henry

While he has recently taken his lumps against Big Show, Henry has been the villain everyone has waited for.

Size, strength and raw power have helped him rise to the top of the SmackDown brand, making short work of the likes of Sheamus, Randy Orton, Big Show and Kane.

How the return of Big Show and Kane change the dynamic of the brand and the company will speak volumes about whether Henry is a long-time and formidable champion.

Hulk Hogan

The Immortal One himself.

We all waited for the big clash with Sting and we got about 15 minutes of awfulness.

Now that he is behind the scenes, he is still causing issues.

Hopefully, we will not see his mug anymore on the screen, but maybe he can finally help the company crawl out of the hole it's in.

Mickie James

Maybe one of the more underrated wrestlers in TNA.

James has been a multiple winner of the TNA Knockouts Title and has been in the thick of title contention for many months.

Right now, she is the top contender for Gail Kim's title.

Jeff and Karen Jarrett

Dr. Jekyll and Mrs. Hyde.

They are the most annoying couple in wrestling, more so that Jimmy Garvin and Precious ever were.

Jarrett can still wrestle and Karen just adds fuel to burning fires all over TNA. As Knockouts VP she is in the middle of everything.

Is she would just shut up, we could stand her more.

Samoa Joe

He is at his best when he is beating the hell out of people.

Joe is the heel everyone hates in TNA much like Mark Henry on SmackDown.

Joe needs a title angle, but right now there are none for him, unless he gets a tag team partner, which may make sense (Abyss?).

Kane

The Big Red Machine is the man on the mission.

How will his return affect TLC? How does he fare with Big Show?

What is his role in the company?

Questions we all want answered.

Kelly Kelly

OK, I am becoming a fan.

She is pretty, her wrestling is getting better and she has become the John Cena of the women's division.

She may not be in the division for long if outside interest keeps calling, but we shall see what happens.

Brian Kendrick

He has to be the goofiest wrestler I have ever seen.

A good in-ring performer, but I do not like his voice and his mic skills.

And he needs a good feud to work with.

That is not happening in TNA any time soon.

Gail Kim

Gail Kim has gone from TNA to WWE back to TNA and has enjoyed continued success.

As the current Knockouts champion, she seems right at home as a heel in Karen Jarrett's stable.

Will there be a face turn or maybe a good feud with Tara or Mickie James?

Kofi Kingston and Evan Bourne

He held the WWE US Championship and had a great run with a feud against Dolph Ziggler.

Now he is the unified tag team champion with Evan Bourne.

Does Kingston remain a tag team partner, or does he go after singles gold again?

John Laurinaitis

"My name is John." Oh, we don't care.

Laurinaitis makes the "Stooges" Pat Patterson and Gerald Brisco look like Rocky and Bullwinkle.

He is so poor on the mic, so stoic and just plain boring. But he is involved in the best angle the WWE has to offer right now.

What does that say about the company?

Jerry Lawler

He is still a good part of the WWE.

Whether he is in the ring or on the mic, everyone loves Jerry. Well, everyone except for Michael Cole and David Otunga.

When he gets in the ring, the fans still love him like he was back in Memphis.

Teddy Long

Listen here, player.

He is getting old as the SmackDown GM. He needs a new role or to be sent packing.

He was a manager and a referee in his younger days. WWE needs to find another slot for him.

Vince McMahon

Love him, hate him are just plain do not have an opinion, Vince McMahon is the baddest man on the planet.

Even behind the scenes, his inner working is what sets WWE apart from everyone else.

And now that he is off-screen, we want to see him more and more.

Mexican America

I still hate their gimmick.

Thugs who are so over the top and they are not technically sound.

Hernandez could be a top-10 wrestler. Instead he is a goof.

Arnarchia is not that talented and should go to OVW.

I would love to see Sarita and Rosita in the tag team division again.

The Miz

While John Cena was out winning more titles, The Miz moved up the ranks to become a main-event star.

Quick on the mic, always a good performer in the ring and now the mean streak is proving him one of the better heels in the business.

There will be more titles in Miz's future. It will be great to see what happens between him and CM Punk as well as when R-Truth returns to the WWE.

Makes for great television in the coming year.

Matt Morgan

As long as he is around, there will always be hope for the big man.

He is the robot TNA needs to provide a glimmer of an opportunity for the face that never gets to the top of the mountain.

Maybe he reaches the summit in 2012.

Rey Mysterio

When he won the WWE title for a second, he was the most popular champion in the WWE.

Mysterio is so good for this company and provides so many great opportunities and angles.

When he returns to the ring, hopefully he feuds with Hunico.

Kevin Nash

Who knew he would be such an "important" part of the WWE without really breaking a sweat?

Although he made little work of Santino Marella, he really has not shown if he can wrestle.

He and Triple H will tear each other limb for limb at TLC.

But then what happens?

Natalya

She has the potential to be the best women's wrestler in the business.

The angle she is in hurts her talent level. She needs to turn face and challenge Beth Phoenix. She could be the future of the women's division if creative realized what a gold mine they have in her ability.

Randy Orton

He hears voices in his head.

They tell him he is pretty damn good.

Orton ruled SmackDown like it was his own private island until the last quarter of the year. Then he did something I thought he would never do: He sold for Christian and Mark Henry.

Maybe the enigma is learned and growing up.

His feud with Wade Barrett has proven to be a stellar stalemate so far and should continue through the new year.

Beth Phoenix

The "Glamazon" should get more credit for her angle.

Powerful and gorgeous, she controls the Divas division of the WWE. Whether it is Kelly Kelly, Eve or Alicia Fox, there is bound to be trouble when they get in the ring with the current Divas champion.

The Pope

I know there are mixed feelings about him, but The Pope is one of the most underrated wrestlers in the business.

He is wasted talent. He could go to ROH and be a star. New Japan would love him.

But right now, he is mired in mid-level status and the angle with Devon just does not work.

CM Punk

No one means more to their company than Phil Brooks.

He is the most popular wrestler in the business today. A combination of Steve Austin, Roddy Piper and John Wayne with a little Jackie Chan mixed in.

Punk has become this generation's "People's Champion" and while he holds the most coveted title in the business, he will continue to rise to that plateau.

Bully Ray

He became one hell of a great singles performer.

Once thought to be a tag team wrestler only, Ray worked on his game, sharpened his mic skills and became the enforcer he was born to be.

And in time, the man with the mismatched attire could be a World champion.

R-Truth

I personally think if he comes back from suspension and Miz has the WWE title, it is ON!

R-Truth has grown quite a bit in the past 12 months. He is better on the mic and has been given the push he needs to succeed.

He was once the NWA World title holder. Could he hold WWE gold as well?

Cody Rhodes

He is steadily moving toward superstardom.

Rhodes is getting better on the mic, has shown he can wrestle with the best in the business and is now feuding with wrestling legend Booker T.

Once he reaches his goal of winning the World title, he can be considered one of the greats of this decade.

Bobby Roode

He developed from a tag team champion into a World champion.

Maybe no one in wrestling had such a rise in the ranks in one year as Roode.

The work on the mic and the work in the ring really paid off for the superstar and now, as the face of the company, he has an opportunity to become an even bigger star.

Once everything is settled, it will be Roode and James Storm leading the way for Impact Wrestling in 2012.

Zack Ryder

He built his reputation off the Internet.

Now he is starting to back it up.

If there is someone to keep your eye on next year, it should be Ryder, who could become United States champion and maybe WWE champion at some point.

Sheamus

The face turn caught us off guard, but in honesty, no one else was ripe to pull it off.

Sheamus is now one of the most popular characters in the WWE. He needs a real feud to keep him going. Chasing the US or Intercontinental titles could be the key to a successful 2012 and another World title run.

Velvet Sky

My girlfriend has taken quite a tumble.

She fought to pursue the championship, then lost it a week later and now is an afterthought.

What is creative thinking? She is pretty and can wrestle. And she deserves more than she is getting in TNA.

Sting

The Joker or General Menace. Take your pick.

Sting played a huge role in the fate of TNA this year. And as the "general manager" now in TNA, he figures to have a huge say in who is World champion and who is left in the cold.

James Storm

The former World champion in TNA has stepped up his game.

Personally, I have come to think he is a better worker than Bobby Roode. But Storm is not far from the top of the mountain in TNA.

And the feud he is in right now with Kurt Angle proves he can be just as adept at winning singles gold as tag team titles.

He should move up this list in 2012.

AJ Styles

He does it year after year after year.

He brings it and gives the fans what they want.

This was a tough year for Styles. He was not a champion in TNA and was on the outs with TNA management.

Now, he is in the thick of the title picture with a feud against former Fortune member Bobby Roode.

Jack Swagger

I cannot stand him.

He is a good athlete, but he has become a jobber. He is a member of Vickie Guerrero's stable, but I thought he would feud with Dolph Ziggler.

That never materialized.

Brooker Tessmacher and Tara

Will they remain a tag team? Will Tara go for gold?

Will Brooke get better in the ring? Will she remain just eye candy?

When they lost the Knockouts tag titles, they left questions about their futures in TNA on the mat.

Triple H

The Game made a return to the ring against Undertaker at WrestleMania XXVII, fought CM Punk and now is in a feud with Kevin Nash.

This "Sledgehammer" match may be the best match of TLC or the worst.

There will be no "in between."

Winter

What a great addition to the Knockouts list on TNA.

Winter is a good performer with eyes that could cut right through you.

She has a way of getting under everyone's skin and that will prove to be important in the months to come while fighting for the Knockouts title.

Eric Young

This is a reluctant position.

Young is a good wrestler and a charismatic performer. But the outside-the-ring antics need to stop in order for him to be even better.

Dolph Ziggler

Ziggler held the World title for a New York minute and has held the United States title in a long championship reign.

Ziggler has proven lately to be a great opponent for CM Punk, as the two have battled in two tremendous matches as of late.

Hopefully, Ziggler will taste World gold again.