Top Ten Cases: WWE 2010 Year-End Awards - Superstar Most Likely to Win His First World Championship in 2011

Realizing that I offered 10 categories for you to vote on for my Year-End Awards, I thought instead of revealing the results in one exceptionally long post, I'd draw it out over 10 days in the latest edition of Top Ten Cases. Today, I reveal my pick (and your vote) for the Superstar Most Likely to win his First World Championship in 2011.

My Pick: Alberto Del Rio
I have to admit that I cheated a bit here. While almost all of these entries were written before the fact (some shortly after the New Year), this one was written “live,” giving me the foresight of how each person on the list is being treated in 2011. And based on what I’ve seen so far, I have to lean towards Alberto Del Rio. While his push wasn’t quite as much in the spotlight as Barrett’s, it wasn’t any less strong. Sure, his PPV appearances were somewhat sporadic, and he typically wasn’t in the main event, but he also didn’t really suffer the speed bumps that Barrett experienced. When he was thrown into a big money match, he typically won. I said this about Kofi Kingston last year and was dead wrong, so who knows, but it just seems like Del Rio’s push is a little more restrained because they have bigger plans for him.

Granted, Barrett’s push is nothing to sneeze at. But for the foreseeable future, his story arc just doesn’t seem to involve the World Championship. He’s currently feuding with the Big Show, with a peripheral feud with Nexus. From there, rumors indicate he’ll be wrestling Undertaker if he’s healthy enough. None of those paths, which could conceivably take him into the summer, leads him directly to a World Championship. Admittedly, Del Rio’s direction isn’t immediately clear either. I honestly don’t know what they have planned for him, but I can tell you this: There are two possibilities I can easily see – a Money in the Bank spot (which he would almost certainly win), and a World title match with Edge.

At this rate, I fully expect both Barrett and Del Rio to hold the gold by the end of 2011. But with both of them currently on the same brand, right now Del Rio seems to be on a more direct path. Obviously, that can change at the drop of a dime, but for now, I’m backing Del Rio.

What you said – Wade Barrett
Barrett won here, but by a very slim margin. Del Rio was just one vote short. I was a bit surprised that they dominated so greatly, though. Not a single vote for John Morrison, who has been pushed VERY strong thus far (and even near the end of 2010). No love for Ziggler, Bryan, or Kingston, either. Having said that, I do believe that Wade Barrett was the smart money as we approached the end of the year. As seen in my prior post, Barrett had a phenomenal rookie year, and even though things have slowed down for him a bit, he’s undeniably still a high priority for the powers that be. And while he doesn’t necessarily win every big match, he’s highly, highly protected and almost always immediately gets his heat back. Barring some unforeseen incident, I’d be shocked if Barrett doesn’t win the title before the end of 2011. I’m just not sure he’s going to beat Del Rio to the finish line.


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