Prognostications from the Buckle
ROYAL RUMBLE PREDICTIONS
WWE DIVAS CHAMPIONSHIP
Natalya Neidhart (CHAMPION) vs. Lay-Cool (Layla & Michelle McCool)
Natalya has been a great Diva’s Champion. But I think her reign comes to an end. The WWE needs strong promo people going into Wrestlemania season. Nattie is weak on the mic and Lay-Cool is highly entertaining. Plus, either Layla or Miichelle McCool will get tired of sharing the spotlight, and a feud between the two of them would be fun to watch.
Winners and NEW WWE DIVA’S CO-CHAMPIONS: LAY-COOL
WORLD HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP
Edge (CHAMPION) vs. Dolph Ziggler
Ziggler’s girlfriend, Vickie Guerrero, tried to ensure that her boytoy would win the Championship by banning Edge’s spear. But she forgot that Edge is the ‘ultimate opportunist’. Edge will find a way to win.
Winner and STILL WWE WORLD HEAVYWEIGH CHAMPION: Edge
WWE CHAMPIONSHIP
The Miz (CHAMPION) vs. Randy Orton
Randy Orton should win easily. He is a much better wrestler that The Miz. But The Miz is crafty and always seems to find a way to win. However, I would not be surprised to see The Miz use a disqualification or a count out to hold onto the belt. So I am going to pick Orton to win but for The Miz to retain. I do see The Miz holding onto the belt going into Wrestlemania. He would bring a lot of publicity to ‘Mania, especially from MTV and E!.
Winner: Randy Orton (The Miz retains the WWE Championship)
40 MAN ROYAL RUMBLE MATCH
For the first time ever, there will be 40 participants in this year’s Rumble. That should ensure a lot of twists and turns during the course of the match. It should also enable a surprise entrant to win. The ‘surprise comeback’ has been done too many times (Cena, Edge). So the winner WILL NOT be a returning Triple H.
There really are no compelling stories involving the WWE Championship or the World Heavyweight Championship. So this makes it difficult to predict a winner. However, there is one storyline that has not yet been resolved. And that is The Miz’s feud with Jerry Lawler. Lawler received a terrible beat down at the hands of The Miz. Lawler could easily interject himself in the WWE Championship match. But I am thinking outside of the box here. I believe that the best way for Lawler to get his revenge against The Miz is to enter the Rumble, win it, and go on to face The Miz at Wrestlemania.
Winner of the first ever 40 MAN ROYAL RUMBLE: Jerry “The King” Lawler
Bonus pick:
Jelly Bean’s Prognostication:
I asked my three year old daughter who was going to win the Royal Rumble. I was looking at T-Shirts on WWEShop when I asked the question. She pinted to a C.M. Punk T-Shirt and said ‘That guy is going to win.’
Jelly Bean’s pick to win the Royal Rumble: C.M. Punk
Enjoy the Royal Rumble!
Sunday, January 30, 2011
Monday, January 24, 2011
2010 Turnbuckle STUFFing Awards
NEWCOMER OF THE YEAR: DANIEL BRYAN
Awarded to the wrestler who had the most impressive debut in the WWE or TNA.
Daniel Bryan, aka Brian Danielson Turnbuckle STUFFing
, had made a name for himself on the independent scene. Bryan’s career in the Ring of Honor promotion, including a 15 month reign as their World Champion, has led many fans to label him as the ‘greatest wrestler in the world’. Bryan was even included in Filsinger Games Legends of Wrestling game before his debut in the WWE. But the question remained: Could Bryan translate his impressive career on the independent circuit to the WWE. Bryan proved that he could indeed make it in the spotlight of a major promotion when he won the U.S. Championship at the ‘Night of Champions Pay-Per-View’.
2008 Winner: PRIMO COLON
2009 Winner: SHEAMUS
MOST IMPROVED WRESTLER OF THE YEAR: KANE
It is hard call someone who has been wrestling in the WWE for thirteen years the most improved wrestler of 2010. But Kane always had two black marks on his impressive career. One being the fact that he always came up short in his on again/off again fed with his brother The Undertaker. And the other being a very embarrassing one day reign as the WWE Champion. But in 2010, Kane erased both of those blemishes on his career. On July 28, Kane won a contract to face the World Champion at any time of his choosing at the ‘Money in the Bank Pay-Per-View’. He cashed in the opportunity the same night and defeated Jack Swagger to become the Champion. Kane proved he was indeed a worthy Champion by holding onto the title for most of the remainder of 2010. The bulk of Kane’s title defenses were against The Undertaker, an opponent that Kane had previously had a hard time defeating. But Kane not only won his feud with The Undertaker, he dominated his brother. Kane defeated The Undertaker in a No Holds Barred match at ‘Night of Champions’, in a Hell in a Cell match at the ‘Hell in a Cell Pay-Per-View’, and in a Buried Alive match at ‘Bragging Rights’. The Undertaker has not been seen since he was ‘Buried Alive’. By finally getting the upper hand against his brother and proving that he was a legitimate World Champion, Kane went from being a superstar to a legitimate Legend!
2008 Winner: CODY RHODES
2009 Winner: KOFI KINGSTON
WOMAN OF THE YEAR: NATALYA NEIDHART
Neidhart had a great year as both a manager and a wrestler. On April 26, Nattie led Tyson Kidd and David Hart Smith to the Unified Tag Team Championship. She helped the Hart Dynasty defend the tag team championship in a feud with the Usos by getting involved and neutralizing the Usos’ manager, Tamina. When the Hart Dynasty lost their tag team Championship at ‘Night of Champions’ in September, Kidd and Smith split up. This let Neidhart focus on her career as a wrestler. She was impressive in the ring and won the Diva’s Championship at ‘Survivor Series’.
2008 Winner: BETH PHOENIX
2009 Winner: SANTINA MARELLA
FEUD OF THE YEAR: MOTOR CITY MACHINEGUNS vs. BEER MONEY, INC.
This feud was not about a grab for power or personal vendettas. It was about two of the best tag teams in the business today wrestling to show who the better team was. The highlight of this feud was a best of five series for the TNA World Tag Team Championship. And as a treat to the fans, these matches were contested not on Pay-Per-Views, but on the weekly broadcast of Impact! Beer Money won the first two matches, a ladder match and a street fight. The Guns came back and won the next two encounters, a steel cage match and an Ultimate X match. The fifth and final match saw the Machine Guns win a thrilling two out of three falls match to retain the TNA World Tag Team Championship. Any one of these five matches could have won Match of the Year. 2 great tag teams + 5 great matches=1 GREAT FEUD!
2008 Winner: RANDY ORTON vs. ALMOST THE ENTIRE RAW ROSTER
2009 Winner: JOHN CENA vs. RANDY ORTON
“LOVE TO HATE” WRESTLER OF THE YEAR: WADE BARRETT
Wade Barrett was an unknown wrestler who won a wrestling show, NXT, which hardly anyone watched. He should have faded into obscurity like NXT Season 2 winner, Kaval. But Barrett put together a band of thugs comprised of his fellow NXT Season 1 contestants. They became known as The Nexus. The Nexus debuted on the June 7 edition of Raw and terrorized Raw for the remainder of the year. Wade Barrett used the Nexus to bully himself into the main event picture, a spot that he did not earn on his own. There is NOTHING worse than a bully getting what he does not deserve.
2008 Winner: RANDY ORTON
2009 Winner: RANDY ORTON
FAVORITE WRESTLER OF THE YEAR: JOHN CENA
For unexplained reasons, the entire Raw roster sat back and watched a group of unproven rookies take over and dominate their brand. Everyone, that is, except John Cena. Cena has proven time and again that he will always stand up for what is right, no matter what the odds are against him. John Cena was not gong to let a group of bullies take over Raw, no matter how many beat downs he endured at the hands of The Nexus. Cena’s desire to do the right thing and to stand up to bullies even cost him his job when he refused to award Wade Barrett the WWE Championship in a match that Cena acted as the special guest referee at ‘Survivor Series’. Cena, who had previously been forced to join Nexus, could have been “freed” if Barret won the title or ‘fired” if Randy Orton retained. Orton won the match and Cena was fired from the WWE. Standing up to the Nexus, no matter the cost to him physically or professionally, made John Cena my favorite wrestler for the second year in a row.
2008 Winner: C.M. PUNK
2009 Winner: JOHN CENA
PAY-PER-VIEW OF THE YEAR
(This award has been retired)
2008 Winner: UNFORGIVEN
2009 Winner: WRESTLEMANIA 25
MATCH OF THE YEAR: THE UNDERTAKER VS. SHAWN MICHAELS (Wrestlemania 26)-THE STREAK VS. CAREER
When it was announced that The Undertaker and Shawn Michaels would have a rematch at Wrestlemania 26, there was a little bit of disappointment from wrestling fans. Their Wrestlemania 25 match won this award last year and could easily be considered the greatest Wrestlemania match of all-time. How could these two aging and injury riddled veterans possibly top that performance. The answer lied in raising the stakes. The Undertaker would put his Wrestlemania winning streak on the line against the career of Shawn Michaels. This match carried so much importance that it was the Main Event of Wrestlemania 26. The WWE Championship Match and the World Heavyweight Championship match were contested before Michaels and The Undertaker took center stage. The two veterans pulled no punches. They showed the entire WWE roster what it means to wrestle in the main event of Wrestlemania. It looked like the Streak was finally going to come to an end when Shawn Michaels hit a moonsault onto The Undertaker’s legs as he was lying on the announce table. Taker injured his left knee early in the match and Michaels took advantage of this rare chink in the deadman’s armor. But by the time both combatants crawled back into the ring, The Undertaker was able to recover enough to avoid being pinned. The Undertaker nailed Shawn Michaels with a devastating tombstone piledriver. Michaels remarkably kicked out. The Undertaker stood over his battered opponent, reluctant to administer any more punishment to his battered and bruised opponent. The Undertaker yelled “Stay Down” to the Showstopper. Michaels used The Undertaker’s body for support and climbed to his feet. He then slapped The Undertaker in the face. This enraged The Undertaker and he hit Michaels with yet another tombstone piledriver. This time Michaels could not kick out. At 23:59 the epic battle and Shawn Michaels legendary career ended. Recognizing the significance of ending the career of Shawn Michaels and out of respect for a man that gave his all in the match, The Undertaker helped Michaels get to his feet. The two wrestlers shook hands and hugged in the center of the ring. The sight of two Legends of the ring embracing, exhausted after giving their all with so much riding on the match, is an image that will go down in wrestling history.
2008 Winner: Triple Threat Match for the WWE Championship: Edge (CHAMPION) vs. Triple H vs. Jeff Hardy (Armageddon 2008 Pay-Per-View)
2009 Winner: THE UNDERTAKER VS. SHAWN MICHAELS (WRESTLEMANIA 26)
TAG TEAM OF THE YEAR: THE MOTOR CITY MACHINE GUNS (ALEX SHELLEY & CHRIS SABIN)
TNA has arguable the best tag team wrestling in the sport. And The Motor City Machine Guns proved that they were the best of the best! On July 11, Shelley and Sabin defeated Beer Money, Inc. to win the vacant TNA World Tag Team Championship. And they won an amazing best of five series against Beer Money, Inc (see Feud of the Year) to retain the titles. The Machine Guns held onto the Tag Team Championship for the remainder of the year, defending it against Generation Me and the legendary Team 3D.
2008 Winner: JOHN MORRISON & THE MIZ
2009 Winner: DX: TRIPLE H & SHAWN MICHAELS
WRESTLER OF THE YEAR: THE MIZ
The Miz had a year that most wrestlers can only dream of. 2010 was filled with Championship gold. The Miz entered 2010 as the United States Champion. He also formed a tag team with the Big Show. ShoMiz won the Unified Tag Team Championship on the February 8 episode of Raw. ShoMiz had the honor of kicking off Wrestlemania 26 by successfully defending the Tag Team Championship against R-Truth and John Morrison. The Miz and Big Show lost the Unified Tag Team Championship on April 26. The Miz lost the U.S. Championship on May 17 but regained it on the June 14 episode of Raw. The list of The Miz’s accomplishments in 2010 continued on as he won the Money in the Bank contract at the ‘Money in the Bank Pay-Per-View’ on July 18. He held onto the United States Championship until September, losing it to Daniel Bryan (see newcomer of the year). Those Championship runs would be enough to earn the Miz the Wrestler of the Year honors. But he won the ultimate prize in professional wrestling when, on November 22, The Miz cashed in his money in the bank contract and defeated Randy Orton to become the WWE Champion. Being the United States Champion, one half of the Unified Tag Team Champions, and the WWE Champion in won year clearly made The Miz the best wrestler of the year. In 2010, the Miz was ‘AWESOME!”
2008 Winner: C.M. PUNK
2009 Winner: JOHN CENA
“NOW THAT…THAT’S COOL” AWARD
This award is for my favorite moment of the year.
The Miz cashing in his Money in the Bank Contract on the November 22 episode of Raw
When the Miz came to the ring on the November 22 episode of Raw, it was one of the most exciting moments for me as a wrestling fan.. I followed The Miz’s wrestling career from the very beginning. Before he even debut in the WWE, I saw The Miz compete in a dark match before an episode of Raw in Cleveland. He was from Cleveland, so I cheered for him. I watched him go from being kind of a ‘goofy’ character to someone who worked hard to be taken seriously as a professional wrestler. I remember being at the Unforgiven Pay-Per-View in Cleveland back in 2008. The Miz competed for the ECW Championship in the inaugural ‘Championship Scramble’ match. When he came to the ring, I remember leaning over to my wife and saying “We have to cheer for him. He may be a goof, but he’s OUR goof!” Then, on November 22, that ‘goof from Cleveland’ who I watched wrestle in a dark match to prove that he should be given a chance to compete in the WWE was now getting an opportunity to win the WWE Championship. I was literally on the edge of my couch rooting for The Miz. When The Miz hit the ‘skull crushing finale’ on Randy Orton, I was the happiest I have been as a wresting fan in a long time. To root for a wrestler from dark matches to a WWE Championship match was a fun and exciting ride for me as a wrestling fan!
But that is only half of the story. The Miz is a great example of never giving up on your dream. By all accounts, The Miz was the laughing stock of the WWE locker room. He was seen as a reality show has-been just trying to keep alive his fifteen minutes of fame. He was kicked out of the locker room for six months because he ate a piece of chicken over one of the wrestler’s bags. He had to find a place to shower, change, and use the restroom. JBL admits to hazing The Miz. But the Miz refused to quit. He worked on his mic skills. He worked on his ring skills. And now he is the WWE Champion. The Miz’ rise to the top, despite disrespect from his peers, and his determination to succeed encourage me to work even harder on my goals.
2008 Winner: JEFF HARDY WINS THE WWE CHAMPIONSHIP
2009 Winner: THE UNDERTAKER’S SUICIDE DIVE AT WRESTLEMANIA 25
The “What a Sheamus” Award: JACK SWAGGER WINNING THE WORLD HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP
This award is for an event that should never have happened.
2010 was filled with many events that were strong contenders for this award: a group of unproven rookies (Nexus) taking over Raw while a locker room full of veterans sat back and did nothing, TNA turning the one guy (Jeff Hardy) that cold have made the company more popular into a bad guy, TNA turning the second guy (Hulk Hogan) that could have made their company more popular into a bad guy, the long drawn out anonymous Raw General manager storyline, seeing Big Show in his underwear in ‘Knucklehead’ (I needed to poke my right eye out after seeing that!), Orlando Jordan ( just CREEPY!), seeing Ric Flair get stripped to his underwear on Impact! (I needed to poke out my left eye after seeing that!), and TNA having an a@#hole as their Champion. But the one event that really should not have happened was Jack Swagger winning the World Heavyweight Championship on March 30. Does anyone even remember that Swagger won the Championship? Do you remember who he beat to win the Championship? Do you remember who defeated Swagger for the title? Can anyone name a wrestler who Swagger defended the title against? Jack Swagger is perhaps the least memorable Champion in the history of the World Heavyweight Championship. “What a Shaemus!”
2009 Winner: Sheamus Defeating John Cena for the WWE Championship at the Tables, Ladders, and Chairs Pay-Per-View
These are my thoughts on the year in wrestling 2010. Please let me know your thoughts and who you would have picked to win these categories.
Awarded to the wrestler who had the most impressive debut in the WWE or TNA.
Daniel Bryan, aka Brian Danielson Turnbuckle STUFFing
, had made a name for himself on the independent scene. Bryan’s career in the Ring of Honor promotion, including a 15 month reign as their World Champion, has led many fans to label him as the ‘greatest wrestler in the world’. Bryan was even included in Filsinger Games Legends of Wrestling game before his debut in the WWE. But the question remained: Could Bryan translate his impressive career on the independent circuit to the WWE. Bryan proved that he could indeed make it in the spotlight of a major promotion when he won the U.S. Championship at the ‘Night of Champions Pay-Per-View’.
2008 Winner: PRIMO COLON
2009 Winner: SHEAMUS
MOST IMPROVED WRESTLER OF THE YEAR: KANE
It is hard call someone who has been wrestling in the WWE for thirteen years the most improved wrestler of 2010. But Kane always had two black marks on his impressive career. One being the fact that he always came up short in his on again/off again fed with his brother The Undertaker. And the other being a very embarrassing one day reign as the WWE Champion. But in 2010, Kane erased both of those blemishes on his career. On July 28, Kane won a contract to face the World Champion at any time of his choosing at the ‘Money in the Bank Pay-Per-View’. He cashed in the opportunity the same night and defeated Jack Swagger to become the Champion. Kane proved he was indeed a worthy Champion by holding onto the title for most of the remainder of 2010. The bulk of Kane’s title defenses were against The Undertaker, an opponent that Kane had previously had a hard time defeating. But Kane not only won his feud with The Undertaker, he dominated his brother. Kane defeated The Undertaker in a No Holds Barred match at ‘Night of Champions’, in a Hell in a Cell match at the ‘Hell in a Cell Pay-Per-View’, and in a Buried Alive match at ‘Bragging Rights’. The Undertaker has not been seen since he was ‘Buried Alive’. By finally getting the upper hand against his brother and proving that he was a legitimate World Champion, Kane went from being a superstar to a legitimate Legend!
2008 Winner: CODY RHODES
2009 Winner: KOFI KINGSTON
WOMAN OF THE YEAR: NATALYA NEIDHART
Neidhart had a great year as both a manager and a wrestler. On April 26, Nattie led Tyson Kidd and David Hart Smith to the Unified Tag Team Championship. She helped the Hart Dynasty defend the tag team championship in a feud with the Usos by getting involved and neutralizing the Usos’ manager, Tamina. When the Hart Dynasty lost their tag team Championship at ‘Night of Champions’ in September, Kidd and Smith split up. This let Neidhart focus on her career as a wrestler. She was impressive in the ring and won the Diva’s Championship at ‘Survivor Series’.
2008 Winner: BETH PHOENIX
2009 Winner: SANTINA MARELLA
FEUD OF THE YEAR: MOTOR CITY MACHINEGUNS vs. BEER MONEY, INC.
This feud was not about a grab for power or personal vendettas. It was about two of the best tag teams in the business today wrestling to show who the better team was. The highlight of this feud was a best of five series for the TNA World Tag Team Championship. And as a treat to the fans, these matches were contested not on Pay-Per-Views, but on the weekly broadcast of Impact! Beer Money won the first two matches, a ladder match and a street fight. The Guns came back and won the next two encounters, a steel cage match and an Ultimate X match. The fifth and final match saw the Machine Guns win a thrilling two out of three falls match to retain the TNA World Tag Team Championship. Any one of these five matches could have won Match of the Year. 2 great tag teams + 5 great matches=1 GREAT FEUD!
2008 Winner: RANDY ORTON vs. ALMOST THE ENTIRE RAW ROSTER
2009 Winner: JOHN CENA vs. RANDY ORTON
“LOVE TO HATE” WRESTLER OF THE YEAR: WADE BARRETT
Wade Barrett was an unknown wrestler who won a wrestling show, NXT, which hardly anyone watched. He should have faded into obscurity like NXT Season 2 winner, Kaval. But Barrett put together a band of thugs comprised of his fellow NXT Season 1 contestants. They became known as The Nexus. The Nexus debuted on the June 7 edition of Raw and terrorized Raw for the remainder of the year. Wade Barrett used the Nexus to bully himself into the main event picture, a spot that he did not earn on his own. There is NOTHING worse than a bully getting what he does not deserve.
2008 Winner: RANDY ORTON
2009 Winner: RANDY ORTON
FAVORITE WRESTLER OF THE YEAR: JOHN CENA
For unexplained reasons, the entire Raw roster sat back and watched a group of unproven rookies take over and dominate their brand. Everyone, that is, except John Cena. Cena has proven time and again that he will always stand up for what is right, no matter what the odds are against him. John Cena was not gong to let a group of bullies take over Raw, no matter how many beat downs he endured at the hands of The Nexus. Cena’s desire to do the right thing and to stand up to bullies even cost him his job when he refused to award Wade Barrett the WWE Championship in a match that Cena acted as the special guest referee at ‘Survivor Series’. Cena, who had previously been forced to join Nexus, could have been “freed” if Barret won the title or ‘fired” if Randy Orton retained. Orton won the match and Cena was fired from the WWE. Standing up to the Nexus, no matter the cost to him physically or professionally, made John Cena my favorite wrestler for the second year in a row.
2008 Winner: C.M. PUNK
2009 Winner: JOHN CENA
PAY-PER-VIEW OF THE YEAR
(This award has been retired)
2008 Winner: UNFORGIVEN
2009 Winner: WRESTLEMANIA 25
MATCH OF THE YEAR: THE UNDERTAKER VS. SHAWN MICHAELS (Wrestlemania 26)-THE STREAK VS. CAREER
When it was announced that The Undertaker and Shawn Michaels would have a rematch at Wrestlemania 26, there was a little bit of disappointment from wrestling fans. Their Wrestlemania 25 match won this award last year and could easily be considered the greatest Wrestlemania match of all-time. How could these two aging and injury riddled veterans possibly top that performance. The answer lied in raising the stakes. The Undertaker would put his Wrestlemania winning streak on the line against the career of Shawn Michaels. This match carried so much importance that it was the Main Event of Wrestlemania 26. The WWE Championship Match and the World Heavyweight Championship match were contested before Michaels and The Undertaker took center stage. The two veterans pulled no punches. They showed the entire WWE roster what it means to wrestle in the main event of Wrestlemania. It looked like the Streak was finally going to come to an end when Shawn Michaels hit a moonsault onto The Undertaker’s legs as he was lying on the announce table. Taker injured his left knee early in the match and Michaels took advantage of this rare chink in the deadman’s armor. But by the time both combatants crawled back into the ring, The Undertaker was able to recover enough to avoid being pinned. The Undertaker nailed Shawn Michaels with a devastating tombstone piledriver. Michaels remarkably kicked out. The Undertaker stood over his battered opponent, reluctant to administer any more punishment to his battered and bruised opponent. The Undertaker yelled “Stay Down” to the Showstopper. Michaels used The Undertaker’s body for support and climbed to his feet. He then slapped The Undertaker in the face. This enraged The Undertaker and he hit Michaels with yet another tombstone piledriver. This time Michaels could not kick out. At 23:59 the epic battle and Shawn Michaels legendary career ended. Recognizing the significance of ending the career of Shawn Michaels and out of respect for a man that gave his all in the match, The Undertaker helped Michaels get to his feet. The two wrestlers shook hands and hugged in the center of the ring. The sight of two Legends of the ring embracing, exhausted after giving their all with so much riding on the match, is an image that will go down in wrestling history.
2008 Winner: Triple Threat Match for the WWE Championship: Edge (CHAMPION) vs. Triple H vs. Jeff Hardy (Armageddon 2008 Pay-Per-View)
2009 Winner: THE UNDERTAKER VS. SHAWN MICHAELS (WRESTLEMANIA 26)
TAG TEAM OF THE YEAR: THE MOTOR CITY MACHINE GUNS (ALEX SHELLEY & CHRIS SABIN)
TNA has arguable the best tag team wrestling in the sport. And The Motor City Machine Guns proved that they were the best of the best! On July 11, Shelley and Sabin defeated Beer Money, Inc. to win the vacant TNA World Tag Team Championship. And they won an amazing best of five series against Beer Money, Inc (see Feud of the Year) to retain the titles. The Machine Guns held onto the Tag Team Championship for the remainder of the year, defending it against Generation Me and the legendary Team 3D.
2008 Winner: JOHN MORRISON & THE MIZ
2009 Winner: DX: TRIPLE H & SHAWN MICHAELS
WRESTLER OF THE YEAR: THE MIZ
The Miz had a year that most wrestlers can only dream of. 2010 was filled with Championship gold. The Miz entered 2010 as the United States Champion. He also formed a tag team with the Big Show. ShoMiz won the Unified Tag Team Championship on the February 8 episode of Raw. ShoMiz had the honor of kicking off Wrestlemania 26 by successfully defending the Tag Team Championship against R-Truth and John Morrison. The Miz and Big Show lost the Unified Tag Team Championship on April 26. The Miz lost the U.S. Championship on May 17 but regained it on the June 14 episode of Raw. The list of The Miz’s accomplishments in 2010 continued on as he won the Money in the Bank contract at the ‘Money in the Bank Pay-Per-View’ on July 18. He held onto the United States Championship until September, losing it to Daniel Bryan (see newcomer of the year). Those Championship runs would be enough to earn the Miz the Wrestler of the Year honors. But he won the ultimate prize in professional wrestling when, on November 22, The Miz cashed in his money in the bank contract and defeated Randy Orton to become the WWE Champion. Being the United States Champion, one half of the Unified Tag Team Champions, and the WWE Champion in won year clearly made The Miz the best wrestler of the year. In 2010, the Miz was ‘AWESOME!”
2008 Winner: C.M. PUNK
2009 Winner: JOHN CENA
“NOW THAT…THAT’S COOL” AWARD
This award is for my favorite moment of the year.
The Miz cashing in his Money in the Bank Contract on the November 22 episode of Raw
When the Miz came to the ring on the November 22 episode of Raw, it was one of the most exciting moments for me as a wrestling fan.. I followed The Miz’s wrestling career from the very beginning. Before he even debut in the WWE, I saw The Miz compete in a dark match before an episode of Raw in Cleveland. He was from Cleveland, so I cheered for him. I watched him go from being kind of a ‘goofy’ character to someone who worked hard to be taken seriously as a professional wrestler. I remember being at the Unforgiven Pay-Per-View in Cleveland back in 2008. The Miz competed for the ECW Championship in the inaugural ‘Championship Scramble’ match. When he came to the ring, I remember leaning over to my wife and saying “We have to cheer for him. He may be a goof, but he’s OUR goof!” Then, on November 22, that ‘goof from Cleveland’ who I watched wrestle in a dark match to prove that he should be given a chance to compete in the WWE was now getting an opportunity to win the WWE Championship. I was literally on the edge of my couch rooting for The Miz. When The Miz hit the ‘skull crushing finale’ on Randy Orton, I was the happiest I have been as a wresting fan in a long time. To root for a wrestler from dark matches to a WWE Championship match was a fun and exciting ride for me as a wrestling fan!
But that is only half of the story. The Miz is a great example of never giving up on your dream. By all accounts, The Miz was the laughing stock of the WWE locker room. He was seen as a reality show has-been just trying to keep alive his fifteen minutes of fame. He was kicked out of the locker room for six months because he ate a piece of chicken over one of the wrestler’s bags. He had to find a place to shower, change, and use the restroom. JBL admits to hazing The Miz. But the Miz refused to quit. He worked on his mic skills. He worked on his ring skills. And now he is the WWE Champion. The Miz’ rise to the top, despite disrespect from his peers, and his determination to succeed encourage me to work even harder on my goals.
2008 Winner: JEFF HARDY WINS THE WWE CHAMPIONSHIP
2009 Winner: THE UNDERTAKER’S SUICIDE DIVE AT WRESTLEMANIA 25
The “What a Sheamus” Award: JACK SWAGGER WINNING THE WORLD HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP
This award is for an event that should never have happened.
2010 was filled with many events that were strong contenders for this award: a group of unproven rookies (Nexus) taking over Raw while a locker room full of veterans sat back and did nothing, TNA turning the one guy (Jeff Hardy) that cold have made the company more popular into a bad guy, TNA turning the second guy (Hulk Hogan) that could have made their company more popular into a bad guy, the long drawn out anonymous Raw General manager storyline, seeing Big Show in his underwear in ‘Knucklehead’ (I needed to poke my right eye out after seeing that!), Orlando Jordan ( just CREEPY!), seeing Ric Flair get stripped to his underwear on Impact! (I needed to poke out my left eye after seeing that!), and TNA having an a@#hole as their Champion. But the one event that really should not have happened was Jack Swagger winning the World Heavyweight Championship on March 30. Does anyone even remember that Swagger won the Championship? Do you remember who he beat to win the Championship? Do you remember who defeated Swagger for the title? Can anyone name a wrestler who Swagger defended the title against? Jack Swagger is perhaps the least memorable Champion in the history of the World Heavyweight Championship. “What a Shaemus!”
2009 Winner: Sheamus Defeating John Cena for the WWE Championship at the Tables, Ladders, and Chairs Pay-Per-View
These are my thoughts on the year in wrestling 2010. Please let me know your thoughts and who you would have picked to win these categories.
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