January 1996 - Wrestling Power Rankings

Vader's WWF debut did not disappoint.

Listen to our January 1996 WWF show, reviewing the WWF Royal Rumble and the debut of Vader.

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10. Ric Flair – while he may have lost his title to Savage, Flair played a significant role for WCW in January, facing Hulk Hogan twice on Nitro, along with Savage, and main eventing the Clash Of The Champions. While there were signs of age across the top end of the WCW roster – Flair still had it.

9. Hunter Hearst Helmsley – in a month where he was reportedly being pivoted into a Ric Flair like character, Hunter Hearst Helmsley entered the Royal Rumble at #1 after being screwed in a perplexing pre-show angle that saw the match decision overturned by video replay. Still, lasting 48 minutes in the Rumble is no mean feat.

8. "Dancing"/"Studley"/"Super" Stevie Richards – he may be a clueless putz, but he's a clueless putz who kissed Missy Hyatt. He also is a brilliant character, funny, entertaining and with great timing. He also is capable of taking part in excellent matches (as seen by his outing against Sabu) and has the best superkick in wrestling – just ask Francine...

7. Konnan – tried his best against Sandman – and did a decent job at mat wrestling him at the start. Not even he could save the second half of the match and the awful finish. But his match against Psicosis was the best match at the Clash Of the Champions. That "key lock" figure four too... looks excellent.

6. Brian Pillman – Sometimes good, sometimes bad – but this new edition of Brian Pillman was always compelling. Whether it was flicking the middle finger at a fan, or causing Bobby Heenan to say "What the fuck are you doing?" Live on television – Pillman was becoming a hot commodity, even if his in ring work was suffering.

5. Raven – ECW's most compelling act just became the ECW (World... ish) Heavyweight Champion. The match against Sandman was about what you'd expect, but Raven had been too good for too long not to get the belt.

4. Francine – whatever ECW are paying her, it isn't enough. The Eliminators hitting their total elimination finish on her bought one of the few reactions we rarely see in ECW: silence and awe. That and eating a Richards superkick puts Francine high up this months list.

3. Randy Savage – Elizabeth is back, and Randy has his title back too. The three week hiatus without the belt seems bizarre, as does whatever plans WCW has for the belt going forward – but the Macho Man is back on top!

2. Shawn Michaels – back to back Rumble's and you can hardly complain. Super over, great performer and the champion in waiting.

1. Vader - It's time it's... Vader time. Video package: awesome. Rumble appearance: awesome (if a little short). Angle on Raw awesome – best Raw segment in well over a year. More of this, please.