Summerslam Fantasy Season Wrap-up: Ryback feeds, Bryan fails.

Posted by: choke Aug 22, 2012 | 1810 views | 1 comments

A wrap-up of the Fantasy Wrestling season that just ended. Who were the top pleasant surprises and biggest disappointments?

Just a note that this is merely a wrap-up of the season that ended this past Sunday. A preview of the next season will be posted soon!

Biggest Pleasant Surprises - These are the guys that probably didn't go extremely high in drafts, or maybe weren't even drafted at all but turned into monstrous point getters.

1. Ryback - Ryback has to be on top here. In my two early drafts from the season he was taken in the 4th and 5th round respectively and with the help of his undefeated streak and in particular all the handicap stipulation matches he won, he ultimately ended up being the #2 point getter all season. Incredible for someone who has only beaten 3 or 4 superstars and had no belts (and also mind-numbingly annoying for anyone like me who didn't have them on their team). It will be interesting to see how popular of a pick he is next season as you'd have to think he'll eventually face stiffer competition and eventually lose a match or two, and the handicap matches will eventually stop...

2. Christian - Out injured at the start of the season, Christian was picked up in the 7th and 8th rounds of my respective leagues as no one was sure when he was returning or what kind of impact he'd have when he did. Less than a month later he made his triumphant return winning the battle royale at Over the Limit and the IC title shortly thereafter. Christian ended up the 5th highest point earner of the season. Next season doesn't look nearly as promising for him as he's since lost the belt and been on a losing streak. Personally I want a return of the "ONE. MORE. MATCH" Christian.

3. AJ Lee - Having barely wrestled at the start of the season and barely a force to be reckoned with, AJ eventually found herself in the biggest storyline of the season in WWE and racked up several bonus points and even some pinfalls for extra measure. I thought for sure she'd have the Divas belt before the season ended and if you told me she would never even compete for it, I would have told you not to draft her. Somehow she still ended up with 229 points for the 11th spot on the highest points list. I still like her to be given a chance at the Divas belt and consider her a strong pick for any future seasons. With her current role as Raw GM it's a bit of a risk for a very high pick next season however. WE. NEED. SHORTS. WE. NEED. SHORTS

Biggest disappointments - You had visions of championship belts and massive stipulation match victories and instead got drawn out mid-card action, injuries and suspensions instead.

1. Randy Orton - A respectable 1st or 2nd round pick by most when the season began, Orton's stock quickly dropped at the end of the first month of the season by being suspended for Performance Enhancing Drugs (and not the kind Kelly Kelly appreciates) It soon became a "should I or shouldn't I drop?" question for anyone who had them on their team. A very telling tale is that Ricardo Rodriguez ultimately gained more fantasy points than Orton. I'm a betting man and I don't think I would have taken that at 50/1 odds before the season started. Okay I would have, but I'm an idiot.

2. Daniel Bryan - With his popularity SOARING weeks after his Wrestlemania loss to Sheamus along with the start of the red-hot AJ Lee/CM Punk storyline they were developing, I truly thought it was a lock Bryan would win the WWE Championship from Punk, or possibly even be thrown back in against Sheamus. Instead he came up short each and every time he had a chance (and it felt as though he had 10+), and ended up thrown into meaningless feuds with Kane alone. I still think WWE dropped the ball on this, but easy for me to say as I had Bryan on nearly every Fantasy League I had. He still turned in an impressive overall performance with 322 points and 6th overall, but I thought he was a near guarantee for top 3 early.

3. All of the Divas not named AJ - Layla barely defended her title, and interest just seemed at an all-time low for Divas action throughout the entire season. Telling stat: Heath Slater earned more points than Kelly Kelly.

4. Antonio Cesaro - Another I was very high on, and was convinced he would dominate Smackdown week in and week out and win a belt before the season ended. Well I was half right at least! Cesaro would mysteriously disappear from television for weeks on end, though when he would appear he almost was sure to win. The season culminated with him frustratingly getting the title match against Santino he deserved, but it happened on the freeview of the PPV and didn't earn him any points. One should expect he would be a top tier pick for next season.

Who did I miss? Comment below, and again be on the lookout for the next season preview!