JULY 1st STATE OF THE UNION: RANKINGS, RVDโ€™S ASCENSION, & THE FILIPINO PHENOM

Yo! We are officially six months into the chaos that is the WWF-Universe. The dust from the “Chicago Carnage” and the international tours has finally settled enough for the “Mafia” to release the official mid-year power rankings.

From the streets of Miami to the rings of Japan, the hierarchy of combat has never been more volatile. Here is your July 1st briefing.


[[ THE LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHT SEMI-FINALS: RVD ADVANCES ]]

Rob Van Dam def. Shawn Michaels (via Pinfall – June 19)

  • The Match: In what many are calling the “Technical Masterpiece of the Summer,” RVD managed to survive a Sweet Chin Music attempt and counter with a split-legged moonsault.

  • The Result: RVD officially punches his ticket to the next round. HBK looked stunned, but the respect was visible. RVD is now the #3 ranked Light Heavyweight in the world and climbing fast.

[[ THE GLOBAL INVASION: AGATOMโ€™S REDEMPTION ]]

Agatom def. “Changed Man” (via Pinfall – June 26 in Japan)

  • The Context: After a heartbreaking debut loss to the mysterious Golimar, the smallest fighter in the WWF (116 lbs) headed back to the East to find his rhythm.

  • The Fight: Agatom faced the Japanese masked daredevil and stuntman, “Changed Man.” The speed in this match was terrifying.

  • The Finish: The Filipino High Flyer proved that heart outweighs mass. He recovered from a high-risk dive to secure a pinfall in front of a stunned Tokyo crowd. Agatom is officially on the board!


[[ OFFICIAL MID-YEAR RANKINGS: JULY 1, 2000 ]]

POUND FOR POUND (PFP)

The top of the mountain belongs to the backyard legend, but the “Prince” and the “Greatest” are breathing down his neck.

Rank Name Record Score
#1 Kimbo Slice 3-0-0 8
#2 Prince Naseem Hamed 1-0-0 4
#3 Rickson Gracie 1-0-0 4
#4 The Rock 3-0-0 4
#5 Ted DiBiase 2-0-0 3

DIVISIONAL LEADERS

  • SUPER HEAVYWEIGHT: Butterbean (#1) holds the top spot after his June conquest, with Andre the Giant (#2) and Bob Sapp (#3) ready for the “Titan Clash.”

  • HEAVYWEIGHT: Kimbo Slice (#1) leads the pack. The Rock (#2) has moved up following his win over Neidhart, while Fedor (#9) and Couture (#10) have officially entered the top ten.

  • LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHT: Kimbo (#1) somehow dominates here too, but Shane McMahon (#2) and RVD (#3) are the real story. John Cena (The Prototype) sits at #8, looking for his breakout.

  • CRUISERWEIGHT: Prince Naseem (#1) and Rickson (#2) rule the technical ranks. Golimar holds #8, while the legend Gen rounds out the top 10 at #10.


[[ THE ANALYSTโ€™S DESK: JULY OUTLOOK ]]

Joe Rogan: “Kimbo Slice at #1 PFP with an 8 score is absolute insanity. ๐ŸฅŠ Heโ€™s dominant, but look at Rickson Gracie at #3. If Rickson gets Kimbo on the ground, that score won’t mean anything. Also, shoutout to Agatomโ€”116 pounds of pure lightning. That kid is ‘tight’!”

Jim Lampley: “BANG! The Rock is surging! โšก๏ธ After the Vader and Neidhart wins, heโ€™s the most active fighter on the list. But can we talk about Ted DiBiase at #5? Heโ€™s buying his way into the elite tier, and Savage is the only thing standing in his way!”


[[ THE THREAD: RANKING RAGE ]]

User: Xx_NWO_For_Life_xX

KIMBO #1!! ๐Ÿ‘Š 3-0 and a score of 8? That’s dominance. Iโ€™m glad to see RVD at #3 in Light Heavyweight. Beating HBK was no fluke. Heโ€™s going all the way to the gold.

  • Reply: Raw_Is_War_2000

    Agatom winning in Japan is the real feel-good story. ๐Ÿ‡ต๐Ÿ‡ญ The smallest guy in the room just silenced the “Changed Man.” I want to see him vs Rey Mysterio (#9 CW). Thatโ€™s a high-flyerโ€™s dream!

User: HadoukenKid

Ryu (#6 CW) and Ken (#5 CW) are ranked too low. Theyโ€™ve only had one match each! Wait until the “Titan Clash” is over and the Street Fighters start moving up the PFP ranks. ๐Ÿฏ๐Ÿ•ถ๏ธ

User: BeefSlammer69

BUTTERBEAN #1 SUPER HEAVY!! ๐Ÿฅฉ 3-0 is 3-0. I don’t care if he fought legends or grandpas, nobody has been able to stop him. SummerSlam is gonna be wild! ๐Ÿ‘Š๐Ÿ˜ค


[[ ADMIN_NEIL NOTE: Iโ€™m noticing a name missing from the Top 10 PFP… Triple H. After his recent interview, I expect heโ€™s going to go on a rampage to force his way into these rankings. Watch your backs! ]]

The Millennium Light Heavyweight Tournament

The Millennium Light Heavyweight Tournament is the battle for the New Undisputed Light Heavyweight. With the maximum limit of 220 lbs, 8 competitors chosen by the fighting community will compete for the first ever Undisputed Light Heavyweight Belt.

First round:

  • Prototype vs Mario
  • Kurt Angle vs R Truth
  • Bruce Willis vs Rob Van Dam
  • Steven Segal vs Shawn Micheals

Results:

The Prototype proves to be too big for the Italian Legend (who was supposed to represent Italy for the Intercontinental Tournament before Bruno Sammartino declared his return). The prototype might leave the Light Heavyweight division in later years as he was struggling to make the 220 pound weight limit.

The second fight was closer than expected. Betting favorite Kurt Angle was looking to have an early easy victory over the Rapper, but R Truth proves he’s more than just a street thug. Truth showed some legit pro wresting moves and almost made a comeback victory against the Olympic Gold medalist. Angle found a way to come back in the match though and managed a submission win.

Third match almost became an upset as action star Bruce Willis appears to be winning at start with relentless attacks. But RVD saw a little opening and never stopped since, making his way to the second round.

The last match of the round was sort of the same. Everybody thought Action Star Steven Segal was a joke, but he proved everyone he’s a legit martial artist showing not only offensive strikes but also showcasing his Akido prowess in countering multiple Sweet Chin Music attacks by Shawn Micheals. But the Akkido master ultimately fell short, as Micheal shows everyone why Pro Wrestlers are the favourites to win the Undisputed fighting belt.