Wrestler of the Year
AND THE NOMINEES ARE: Daniel Bryan, John Cena, Kane, The Miz and Sheamus
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| Photo Credit: WWE.com |
2010 Winner: The Miz
All five candidates had their moments, but Miz takes the honors here because he has arguably been the WWE's most charismatic and over performers all year long. Like John Cena, he's elicited mixed reactions from crowds everywhere. Unlike Cena, he's pushed as a heel, so the face reactions he gets are just due to his awesomeness. Where did this campaign start in earnest? It had to have been the infamous Chicken Crumbs promo, where he just threw down and told every other wrestler in the world "It's fucking on like Donkey Kong, bitches". He was great out of the ring, he was good-to-great in the ring. He made Daniel Bryan look like a million bucks, and as a reward, he was crowned WWE Champion, an honor that he has taken and run with. Yes, Sheamus cut some blistering promos all summer long. So did Kane. Bryan was maybe the most buzzworthy wrestler in the business. John Cena had the spotlight on him and again carried himself with pride. However, Miz epitomized the word "awesome". So rare it is to find a guy whose catchphrase is the utter truth, but he is The Miz, and he is… AAAAAAAWEESOMMMMMME!!
Worker of the Year
AND THE NOMINEES ARE: Daniel Bryan/Bryan Danielson, CM Punk, Kaval, Chris Masters and Kevin Steen
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| Photo Credit: WWE.com |
2010 Winner: Daniel Bryan/Bryan Danielson
Y'all forgot about Bryan Danielson, didn't you? Aside from a tilt with Kaval on FCW TV that went viral, there was nary a word to be spoken about Daniel Bryan the worker for the first couple of months. Then he appeared on NXT, and it was his character work that got more play. Yeah, there was that much-talked-about match against Chris Jericho on the first episode of that, but it was a little overrated. However, once he got on the indie scene, he started to rev up. Chikara, EVOLVE, DGUSA, PWG and a few other random feds saw his awesomeness first before going back to the WWE, where he cemented his resume. There was that match with The Miz, which was my personal WWE match of the year. Then the series with Dolph Ziggler, matches with Jack Swagger, Ted DiBiase, Sheamus, William Regal… hell, any match where he wasn't squashed, he shone through. Bryan Danielson or Daniel Bryan, whatever you want to call him, was the truth in 2010. Many were close to him, but in my opinion, no one was his equal. No one.
Talker of the Year
AND THE NOMINEES ARE: Wade Barrett, Kane, The Miz, MVP and Sheamus
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| Photo Credit: WWE.com |
Again, it started with the aforementioned "Chicken Crumbs" promo, which was the highlight of the year, and maybe the best promo in WWE in a long time. However, it was every week that Miz was coming out and cutting brilliant promos, getting crowds riled up and wanting his blood. Wade Barrett, especially with his "Winds of Change" promo, and Kane with his promo work week in and out, were strong contenders here, but Miz wins here.
Woman of the Year
AND THE NOMINEES ARE: Sara del Rey, Madison Eagles, Daizee Haze, Nattie Neidhart and Madison Rayne
2010 Winner: Sara del Rey
Death Rey was all over the scene in 2010, and no matter where she went, she was lights-out awesome. She wrestled women and men in Chikara. She seconded the Tag Champs and looked to be the centerpiece of the revamped Women of Honor in ROH. She tore up JAPW and SHIMMER. Yeah, there were women in WWE and TNA that had more exposure, but in an environment where women are treated like actual wrestlers and not eye candy, del Rey stood taller than her peers.
Indie Wrestler of the Year
AND THE NOMINEES ARE: Claudio Castagnoli, Chris Hero, Davey Richards, Kevin Steen and Roderick Strong
2010 Winner: Claudio Castagnoli
Yeah, Kevin Steen had maybe the best fed-year out of all the candidates with his 2010 in ROH, but he was in PWG sporadically at best and had few other feds where he was making an impact. Claudio though? He was everywhere in 2010. He was a leader of a major heel faction in Chikara. His tag team with Chris Hero in ROH was a focus all year long and has held the Tag Team Championships there for almost the whole year. He had some nice matches in EVOLVE and toured other feds around the country like 2CW and NWA Hollywood among others. And the coup de grace? He won his first American-based World Championship in PWG. Claudio's award here is based on quality AND quantity.
Tag Team of the Year
AND THE NOMINEES ARE: Canadian Ninjas, Kings of Wrestling, Motor City Machine Guns, ¡Peligro Abejas! and Young Bucks/Generation Me
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| Photo Credit: TNAWrestling.com |
The Guns had to be the obvious choice here. They were boss on the indie scene, but the big reason for them winning the award here was their work in TNA. For a few months, they, along with Beer Money and Generation Me, were the only reason to tune into Impact. They had great matches with anyone they were put in the ring with, and for that, they get this award by kind of a landslide.
Stable of the Year
AND THE NOMINEES ARE: Bruderschaft des Kreuzes, The Colony, Immortal, Nexus and World-1
2010 Winners: Bruderschaft des Kreuzes (Ares, Claudio Castagnoli, Sara del Rey, Delirious, Tim Donst, Lince Dorado, Jakob Hammermeir, Daizee Haze, Derek Sabato, Pinkie Sanchez, Tursas and Dieter von Stiegerwalt)
The BDK dominated the action in Chikara with their story, and it was a well-told one beginning to end. They played the role of cocky dominators early, and when it came time for the tide to turn, they were still game.
Breakout Wrestler of the Year
AND THE NOMINEES ARE: Wade Barrett, Adam Cole, Alberto del Rio, Chris Dickinson and Percy Watson
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| Photo Credit: WWE.com |
2010 Winner: Wade Barrett
It was tough to choose between the man hilariously referred to as RED BELLY by the Great Khali and Alberto del Rio, but I think Barrett gets the nod slightly as he's been more high profile for a longer time than del Rio has. Barrett, while still green in the ring, has held up his end as a character. He cut some wicked awesome promos, starting with his "Winds of Change" number during NXT and never looked back. He carried himself well as leader of Nexus.
Face of the Year
AND THE NOMINEES ARE: Daniel Bryan, John Cena, The Colony, El Generico and Rey Mysterio
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| Photo Credit: WWE.com |
2010 Winner: Daniel Bryan
Daniel Bryan embodied the plucky underdog all year long when he was in WWE. In the indies? Maybe not so much, but he spent most of the year in the bigs, so that's where the mark was made. Yeah, he struck Michael Cole, which regardless of how heelish he was is not exactly noble, but then again, Cole provoked him. There were far worse role model types in the WWE to emulate in 2010 than Bryan.
Heel of the Year
AND THE NOMINEES ARE: Wade Barrett, RJ Brewer, Canadian Ninjas, Kane and Kevin Steen
2010 Winner: Kevin Steen
The guy redefined psychotic within the confines of a wrestling ring. He brained El Generico at as many turns as possible with chairs. He ripped his mask off in an attempt at humiliating his former tag partner. He broke out as many sadistic techniques in matches as humanly possible. He announced his own matches against enhancement talent. Hell, he even had a t-shirt made depicting what he wanted to do to Generico during the year (for the uninitiated, it was a shirt with Generico's decapitated head on a steel chair). Steen was one of the scariest mofos in wrestling this past year, and for that, I salute him.
Comedian of the Year
AND THE NOMINEES ARE: Colt Cabana/Matt Classic, Vladimir Kozlov, LuFisto, Santino Marella and Joey Ryan
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| Photo Credit: WWE.com |
The first two-time Bloggie winner in the same category, Santino gets the award again because, c'mon, the guy is pretty money. I think what sealed it for me this year was the tea party segment with Sheamus. How Santino could keep a straight face dressed up like that, or more specifically with Kozlov standing next to him dressed like that, I have no idea, but his delivery was almost perfect there.
Guest of the Year
AND THE NOMINEES ARE: Rowdy Roddy Piper, Daisuke Sekimoto, William Shatner, Sgt. Slaughter and Manami Toyota
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| Photo Credit: WWE.com |
Piper's appearance at the Old School RAW may have been one of the only serious ones, and it was used to great effect, as he did more to sell the Survivor Series PPV Cena, Barrett or Randy Orton did leading into it. His promo was among the best of the year, but c'mon, did you expect any different from Hot Rod? I didn't, but even if it was expected, that doesn't mean it was any less awesome.
Feud of the Year
AND THE NOMINEES ARE: BDK vs. Chikara, Daniel Bryan vs. The Miz/Michael Cole, John Cena vs. The Nexus, CM Punk vs. Rey Mysterio and El Generico and Colt Cabana vs. Kevin Steen and Steve Corino
2010 Winner: El Generico and Colt Cabana vs. Kevin Steen and Steve Corino
The matches were off the charts violent and superheated. There was nuance. The build, both at live shows and on the Internet, was superbly done. Three out of the four men developed sides to their characters that weren't seen a whole lot before, and the one who played up a character that was familiar to him played it to a tee. This feud carried ROH in 2010, and the ultimate blowoff, with Generico defeating Steen at Final Battle, deserved the main event spot that it got.
Announcer of the Year
AND THE NOMINEES ARE: Michael Cole, Excalibur, Lenny Leonard, Bryce Remsburg and UltraMantis Black
2010 Winner: Bryce Remsburg
This was a tough field to call. Michael Cole's work in 2010 was vastly improved, but he sacrificed getting the product over for entertainment value, and really, it should never be about the announcer. Conversely, Chikara's Commentation Station does an incredible job getting the matches over. Whether it's Mike Quackenbush's expertise at analyzing wrestling or UltraMantis Black's macabre over-the-top commentary, it's sure to please. However, the glue to that station is one Bryce Remsburg, who lends his voice whenever he's not needed in the ring, and I have to say, he does a damn fine job. It's about time for him to get recognized for more than his fair refereeing or his boyish good looks.
Moment of the Year
AND THE NOMINEES ARE: The Colony Defeats the BDK at King of Trios Night 2, Daniel Bryan Returns at WWE SummerSlam, El Generico Is Unmasked Against His Will, The Nexus Debuts on RAW, Shawn Michaels and Bret Hart Embrace
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| Photo Credit: WWE.com |
2010 Winner: The Nexus Debuts on RAW
The only reason why the finish to the Night 2 main event to King of Trios didn't win because, while it was the first big win against the BDK by a Chikara team, it was erased by the main event the next night. Some might say the Nexus angle may not have lived up to its potential, but I don't think it was a failure. I mean, the good guy won in the end, and while the stable itself may live on, the main focus isn't going to drag on forever like the nWo did. Plus, you can't deny that the first time Nexus appeared as Nexus was absolutely chilling and spine-tingling. I mean, the rookies coming out of the crowd, beating up John Cena and CM Punk AND Luke Gallows AND Serena before going onto everyone at ringside. The final, memorable scene of them tearing down the ring while standing over a fallen Cena was as poignant as you could get for pro wrestling.
Promotion/Brand of the Year
AND THE NOMINEES ARE: Chikara Pro Wrestling, Friday Night Smackdown, Monday Night RAW, Pro Wrestling Guerilla and SHIMMER Women Athletes
2010 Winner: Chikara Pro Wrestling
This was hard in that all five candidates had good years. For all the haters that like to lump the WWE in with their railing against shitty wrestling, both major brands had great years. RAW was good more weeks than it was bad, and Smackdown at least always had great wrestling. SHIMMER promoted women well, and PWG was great as always. But why did Chikara win this year? Last year, I gave the award to ECW because they produced great every week rather than twice a month, but at the same time, it's still very hard to produce at a high level, no matter how frequent the shows are. Every time Chikara produced a show, it was top-quality, high-level awesomeness. Who cares if they didn't do it every week? The way they were going, they could have produced at that level twice a day. Quack and his crew deserve all the credit in the world for what they've done this year, and I really mean it when I say Chikara in 2010 was my favorite fed ever to date. Good work, fellas.
del Rey, Castagnoli, BDK, Steen, Feud of the Year, BRYCE~! and Chikara Photo Credits: Scott Finkelstein - Please visit his site to view the plentiful amounts of pictures he's taken for DGUSA, ROH and other indie feds: Get Lost Photography
Remember you can contact TH and ask him questions about wrestling, life or anything else. Please refer to this post for contact information. He always takes questions!
I would give an honorary nod to Batista for heel of the "partial" year, because from January - April, he was spot-on in his tweaked heel persona.
ReplyDeleteGreat job!
ReplyDeleteLoved reading the blog throughout 2010 :)