2011 TURNBUCKLE STUFFing AWARDS

This year’s edition of the Turnbuckle STUFFing awards was surprising. They showcased the silly (favorite wrestler of the year), the exciting (match of the year), the sentimental (‘What a Sheamus), and sad (Hall of Fame) aspects of professional wrestling. This year, more than any other year, these awards show my own unique perspective on professional wrestling. I hope you enjoy!

NEWCOMER OF THE YEAR: MICHAEL COLE
Awarded to the wrestler who had the most impressive debut in the WWE or TNA.

Many fans were shocked when Michael Cole decided to make the jump from the announce table to the wrestling ring. And many more fans thought he would thoroughly embarrass himself when he decided to make his in ring debut at the grandest stage of all-Wrestlemania 27. Cole’s big mouth did a lot of trash talking in the weeks leading up to Wrestlemania. But he backed up his words by winning his Wrestlemania match against Jerry Lawler. Most Superstars hope to compete in just one Wrestlemania match in their career. (Cole’s opponent, Jerry Lawler, was competing in his very first Wrestlemania match, which is surprising considering his long and legendary career). And the wrestlers who do get to compete on the biggest stage in all of professional wrestling consider themselves lucky to come away with just one Wrestlemania win. Michael Cole not only made his debut at Wrestlemania, he got his first win in professional wrestling! Michael Cole followed up his impressive debut by gaining yet another high profile win in his very next Pay-Per-View match. Cole and his tag team partner Jack Swagger defeated Jerry Lawler and Jim Ross in a ‘Country Whipping Match’ at Extreme Rules. Two wins in his first two pay-per-view matches is something very few wrestlers can claim. Michael Cole has since retired from in ring action and resumed his role as an announcer. It is not clear if he will dust off the bright orange ring gear in the future. But his impressive in ring debut at Wrestlemania made him the clear choice for ‘Newcomer of the Year.”

2008 Winner: PRIMO COLON
2009 Winner: SHEAMUS
2010 Winner: DANIEL BRYAN

MOST IMPROVED WRESTLER OF THE YEAR: DOLPH ZIGGLER

Dolph Ziggler entered the WWE in 2006 as Nicky, a member of the Spirit Squad. The Spirit Squad had a short and mostly laughable career. It is hard to take seriously a group of male cheerleaders jumping up and down on a trampoline. When DX boxed up the Spirit Squad and shipped them off to ‘OVW’, most fans thought the members of the Spirit Squad would never be seen or heard from again. Nicky ditched the cheerleader gimmick and returned as Dolph Ziggler. And in 2011, Ziggler proved that he indeed had more to offer professional wrestling than a silly cheerleader gimmick. He found himself competing in a World Heavyweight Championship match at the WWE’s second biggest pay-per-view-the Royal Rumble. While he failed to gain the World title in that match, he did win the United States Championship at the Capitol Punishment Pay-Per-View on June 19. He was the year’s most dominate Champion, holding the title all the way until December 18. Nicky the cheerleader is now long forgotten and Dolph Ziggler, a main event wrestler and a dominate Champion is now how wrestling fans will see the most improved wrestler of 2011.

2008 Winner: CODY RHODES
2009 Winner: KOFI KINGSTON
2010 Winner: KANE

WOMAN OF THE YEAR: VICKIE GUERRERO

No woman had the impact on professional wrestling in 2011 like Vickie Guerrero. She used her influence as ‘Acting General Manager of Smackdown’ to manipulate the system and make Dolph Ziggler a World Heavyweight Champion. When the real General Manager returned to his job and got Edge an immediate rematch to reclaim the title, Vickie and Dolph Ziggler went to compete on Raw. While on Raw, Vickie Guerrero helped Dolph Ziggler win the United States Championship and hold onto it for 6 months. Guerrero always made sure that she was noticed with her trademark ‘EXCUSE ME!” catchphrase. But In 2011, she made sure she was noticed by the impact she made on what happened inside of the wrestling ring.

2008 Winner: BETH PHOENIX
2009 Winner: SANTINA MARELLA
2010 Winner: NATALYA NEIDHART

FEUD OF THE YEAR: RANDY ORTON VS. CM PUNK

This was a short lived feud. But what made this my favorite feud of the year was the fact that they acknowledged the history between these two wrestlers. In 2008 at the Unforgiven Pay-Per-View, Randy Orton and his faction know as The Legacy attacked and injured CM Punk. This caused Punk to vacate the WWE Championship and pull out of the Championship Scramble match that night. CM Punk decided that it was time to gain a measure of revenge against Orton by preventing him from winning the WWE Championship at the Royal Rumble. Punk and the Nexus continued to hound Orton up until their encounter at Wrestlemania, where the two men put together one of the best matches of the night. Professional wrestling often times ignores the history between it superstars. The fact that this feud had such a significant history behind it made it my favorite feud of the year.

2008 Winner: RANDY ORTON vs. ALMOST THE ENTIRE RAW ROSTER
2009 Winner: JOHN CENA vs. RANDY ORTON
2010 Winner: MOTOR CITY MACHINE GUNS VS. BEER MONEY, INC.

“LOVE TO HATE” WRESTLER OF THE YEAR: THE ROCK

The Rock shows up out of no where, having not wrestled a match in seven years, and has the nerve to criticize John Cena. Cena has been putting his body on the line day in and day out to entertain wrestling fans while the Rock has been making movies in the very controlled and safe environment of a Hollywood studio. The Rock is completely out of line to criticize John Cena. And what is the Rock’s big complaint against Cena? That he likes to wear bright colored clothes and has a fan base of kids. To quote The Miz, ‘REALLY?” That is your big criticism? Clothes and kids? The Rock has no right to criticize John Cena and there is no way that he deserves to be in the Main Event of Wrestlemania 28. The Rock needs to go back to Hollywood and leave the ring to guys like John Cena who truly want to be in there day in and day out because they love entertaining the fans.

2008 Winner: RANDY ORTON
2009 Winner: RANDY ORTON
2010 Winner: WADE BARRETT

FAVORITE WRESTLER OF THE YEAR: MICHAEL COLE

When I first decided to name Michael Cole my favorite wrestler of the year, I surprised myself. But the more I thought about it, the more it made sense. The one wrestler that made me want to watch professional wrestling week after week for a large portion of the year was one man: Michael Cole. Michael Cole’s antics were similar to the larger than life characters that populated the wrestling ring in the 80’s. He was over the top, completely ridiculous, and thoroughly entertaining. Michael Cole became irritated sitting next to the vastly overrated Jerry Lawler and began to openly speak his mind. CM Punk likes to pride himself on speaking whatever is on his mind, but Cole was doing so months before Punk’s famous promo on Raw. Cole provoked Lawler by claiming that the King was a disappointment to his dead mother and even brought Lawler’s son, Brian Christopher, to the ring to make Lawler face the fact that he was a failure as a father. I tuned in to Monday night Raw just to hear what Michael Cole would say next. Cole’s words became so biting that on the March 14 edition of Raw he debuted one of the funniest innovations professional wrestling has seen in a long time-The Cole Mine. The Cole Mine was a Plexiglas box surrounding Michael Cole’s announce position that would allow him to say anything he wanted and Jerry Lawler could not touch him. When Michael Cole made his wrestling debut at Wrestlemania 27, he continued to be over the top and entertaining by coming to the ring in a bright orange singlet. Michael Cole showed that he would stand behind his biting words, even if it meant embarrassing himself in matches such as ‘Country Whipping’ and ‘Kiss My Foot ’. When Lawler eventually won their feud (proving just how overrated Lawler is. A ‘real’ wresler should not have had a hard time winning a feud against an announcer), Cole turned his attention to Jim Ross and devised the ridiculous ‘Michael Cole Challenge’. Michael Cole was controversial, over the top, ridiculous, highly entertaining, and the reason I watched wrestling in 2011, making him my favorite wrester of the year.

2008 Winner: C.M. PUNK
2009 Winner: JOHN CENA
2010 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: JOHN CENA (WWE CHAMPION) VS. CM PUNK FOR THE WWE CHAMPIONSHIP (MONEY IN THE BANK)

There was enough ‘soap opera’ drama surrounding this match to make it one of the most important matches of 2011. C.M. Punk had just cut his famous promo where he blasted WWE politics. Punk’s contract was also set to expire at midnight on the day of the Money in the Bank Pay-Per-View. Punk had already said he was not going to sign a new WWE contract and threaten to win the title and leave the company with the WWE’s most prized title belt in his possession. Vince McMahon suspended Punk, making sure that the WWE Championship stayed with the company. John Cena, standing up for what is right like he always does, demanded that Punk be allowed to wrestle for the title. Vince McMahon agreed, but declared that Cena would be fired if he lost the match. On top of all of the storyline drama, the match was taking place in CM Punk’s hometown of Chicago. The fans in attendance were extremely loud in their support of their home town ‘antihero’.

But it takes a lot more than great storyline drama to make a great match. The story has to be told in the middle of the ring. On the night of July 17, John Cena and CM Punk delivered 30 minutes of exciting wrestling action. The match was back and forth. The match was pretty even until Vince McMahon and John Laurinaitis showed up to try to screw Punk out of a win. Cena, doing the right thing as usual, was yelling at Vince McMahon, telling him that Punk deserved to win or lose on his own. Punk took advantage of the distraction and got the win, leaving Chicago and the WWE as the WWE Champion.

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)
2010 Winner: THE UNDERTAKER VS. SHAWN MICHAELS (WREASTLEMANAI 27)-THE STREAK VS. CAREER

TAG TEAM OF THE YEAR: BEER MONEY, INC. (JAMES STORM and ROBERT ROODE)

TNA continues to be a hot bed for tag team wrestling, with one of their teams winning this award for the second year in a row. James Storm and Robert Roode won the TNA Tag Team Championship on January 9, 2011 and held the titles until August 9, 2011. This 212 day title run made Beer Money, Inc the longest reigning TNA Tag Team Champions in the history of the company. Sadly, it looks like Beer Money, Inc will not get a chance to regain their titles. On November 3, Roode beat Storm to become the TNA Heavyweight Champion after hitting his own tag team partner with a beer bottle. The beer bottle smashing against the head of James Storm also smashed the future of 2011’s tag team of the year.

2008 Winner: JOHN MORRISON & THE MIZ
2009 Winner: DX: TRIPLE H & SHAWN MICHAELS
2010 Winner: THE MOTOR CITY MACHINE GUNS (ALEX SHELLEY AND CHRIS SABIN)

WRESTLER OF THE YEAR: ALBERTO DEL RIO

Winner of the Royal Rumble. Money in the Bank winner. Two time WWE Champion. Those accomplishments would make for a remarkable career. But Alberto Del Rio did ALL of that in just one year. Clearly, it was not only Del Rio’s ‘Destiny’ to become the WWE Champion; he was also destined to be the ‘Wrestler of the Year’!

2008 Winner: C.M. PUNK
2009 Winner: JOHN CENA
2010 Winner: THE MIZ

“NOW THAT…THAT’S COOL” AWARD
This award is for my favorite moment of the year.

Hulk Hogan comes to the aid of Sting at Bound for Glory

I almost didn’t even know that the ‘coolest’ moment of 2011 even took place. I was all set to name The Miz’s big win at Wrestlemania, something that is unheard of for a bad guy’, as my favorite moment of the year. I had stopped watching TNA after that company spit in the face of their fans and disrespected the sport by allowing Jeff Hardy to compete at the Victory Road Pay-Per-View. Hardy was in no shape to wrestle and Sting took matters into his own hands and ended the match in a matter of seconds. Wrestling fans pay their hard earned money to support WWE and TNA, and they deserve a quality main event. TNA showed me that they have no respect for their fans when they went ahead with that match.

Just hours before I was about to post my ‘Turnbuckle Stuffing Awards’, I picked up a copy of Pro Wrestling Illustrated’s Year End Awards Issue. Brandy Hick, contributing writing for the magazine, picked Hulk Hogan’s rescue of Sting and corresponding standing ovation from the fans as her favorite moment of 2011. I could not agree more. The Hulkster will always have a special place in my heart, and I am sure that is true of most wrestling fans. To read about him coming to the aid of another all-time favorites of mine and then getting a five minute standing ovation from the fans in attendance made me smile. Hulk Hogan, no matter how long he tries to portray himself as a bad guy, will always have Hulk mania living inside of him. It was great to read that Hulkamania got to live again at Bound For Glory. When the Hulkster ‘fights for what’s right’, all is good in the world of wrestling. And that…that is cool!.

2008 Winner: JEFF HARDY WINS THE WWE CHAMPIONSHIP
2009 Winner: THE UNDERTAKER’S SUICIDE DIVE AT WRESTLEMANIA 25
2010 Winner: THE MIZ CASHES IN HIS MONEY IN THE BAK CONTRACT AND BECOMES THE WWE CHAMPION


The “What a Sheamus” Award: ADAM COPELAND RETIRES
This award is for an event that should never have happened.

I hate Edge. I will always hate Edge. He is a nasty, disgusting, dispicable character. His ‘Live Sex Celebration’ is one of the most disgusting things I have ever seen on Raw.

But Adam Copeland should not have had to retire in 2011. It was not his choice. Severe injuries forced Edge to quite wrestling. Ironically, those injuries that forced him to retire from wresting were caused while wrestling. Adam Copeland put his body on the line to entertain us wrestling fans. Edge and Christian revolutionized the ‘Tables, Ladders, and Chairs’ match. His feud with John Cena is one of the greatest feuds in the history of professional wrestling. His career has given wrestling fans many memories. But in doing so, he did irreversible harm to his own body.

No one should be forced to retire. Edge should still be wrestling. I should still be hating him. Instead, I will say “THANK YOU, ADAM COPLAND” for everything you put your body through to cause me to hate your character and, in the process, thoroughly entertaining me. You will be missed.

2009 Winner: Sheamus Defeating John Cena for the WWE Championship at the Tables, Ladders, and Chairs Pay-Per-View
2010 Winner: JACK SWAGGER WINNING THE WORLD HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP

And introducing the TURNBUCKLE STUFFing HALL of FAME
2011 INDUCTEE: RANDY “SAVAGE” POFFO
Recognizing the superstars that have made a significant impact on my enjoyment of professional wrestling.

I have been thinking about creating my own ‘Hall of Fame’ for quite some time now. With the sad passing of the “Macho Man’ Randy Savage, this seemed like an appropriate time to introduce this award.

I was never a fan of Randy Savage, the wrestler. Probably because he was such a great villain character and I never cheered for the bad guys in the 80’s. But he plays a significant role in some of my favorite memories as a wrestling fan. His Wrestlemania 3 match against Ricky Steamboat is one of my top ten all time favorite matches. And for a long time, it WAS my all-time favorite match. Wrestlemania 4, where Savage won a tournament to become the WWE Heavyweight Champion, is my favorite Wrestlemania. And the creation of the Mega Powers with Hulk Hogan and eventual breakup of the team is my all-time favorite storyline. Finally, I became a huge fan of Diamond Dallas Page as a direct result of DDP’s feud with Savage.

Randy Poffo sadly passed away on May 20, 2011. But he is very much alive in my memories. Because he holds such a prominent place in my favorite memories of professional wrestling, I can think of no other wrestler deserving of being the first entrant into my ‘Hall of Fame’.