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| One of the moments as to why I still love WWE Photo Credit: WWE.com |
We all know the love affair I've had with Chikara, and since that's been well-documented, I'm going to give you my favorite WWE moments from the last year, the ones that have made me mark out the most, because the WWE has had a good run since 1/4/10.
- 1/4/10, Bret Hart opens up RAW, returning to WWE after several years away in the wake of the Montreal Screwjob. He gets a surprise visit from his former, bitter rival Shawn Michaels, and the two reconcile, causing me to tear up just a little bit at the historic embrace the two shared at the end of the promo.
- 1/11, The Miz is shown in the back, holding his United States Championship. He goes onto cut the promo of his life, recounting how he was bullied in the locker room, even at one point was banned over spilling chicken crumbs into a veteran's bag. The depth and passion in this promo cemented Miz's standing in several fans' minds, and probably served as his launching point towards the WWE Championship. It certainly held me rapt, but Miz won me over a long time ago. This was only validation.
- 2/23, WWE NXT goes on the air for the first time, led off by Daniel Bryan, the rechristened Bryan Danielson, cutting a promo where he ended by telling people that they'd tap to his submission technique or else he'd snap their limbs. From that moment, Bryan would bely the talking point from management that he had no charisma, as he showed more in that one segment than management favorite David Otunga did his entire run. Later on, he would wrestle Chris Jericho in a shortish match where he'd outclass the World Champion in terms of effort, even if he was booked to do the job.
- 3/1, John Cena is in the ring, but he's interrupted by a leather-clad, big-sunglass wearing Batista. The two go back and forth, with Batista accusing Cena of stealing his thunder by kissing fat chicks and babies. It was the perfect showdown between the two biggest post-Attitude Era stars, and it set the stage for their WrestleMania showdown.
- 3/28, WrestleMania, the end of an era. Shawn Michaels kicked out of one Tombstone piledriver, but he couldn't withstand a second, leaping one. Undertaker secured his streak, and Michaels' career was over. The next night, he cut a heartfelt promo thanking the fans for a wonderful career. Even as I was never the biggest HBK fan, he won me over with those two nights.
- 5/31, Evan Bourne was destroyed in a seemingly throwaway segment by Edge in a fit of spite. Cena came to his aid, and later, it set up a tag match, Cena and Bourne taking on Sheamus and Edge. What followed was amazing in how perfectly one guy, one talented yet diminutive guy, could get over as a main eventer in one night. When Cena looked to have Sheamus finished, it felt like it was going to be the same ol', same ol', but then he tagged in Bourne, and he hit the AirBourne for the win. Even though it was never followed up on, at the time, it was an epic moment.
- 6/7, The Nexus debuted, destroyed everyone in their paths, got Bryan fired and established that the WWE still had the touch to put an epic swerve on the docket.
- 7/12, Randy Orton pulled off the most improbable AirBourne counter ever, as he nailed Bourne with an RKO on the bottom descent off the shooting star press. Even to this day, I have no idea how he pulled that shit off.
- 7/18, The Miz grabbed the Money in the Bank briefcase in the RAW match at the titular PPV. I marked out like I was 12. For The Miz. Haters gon' hate.
- 9/24, Paul Bearer returned to WWE. Your argument at that time was irrelevant.
- 11/16, Old School RAW rocked my face all night long, from the beginning with the old school beginning all the way through Rowdy Roddy Piper selling the shit out of Survivor Series.
- 11/22, Cena started violating the terms of his firing by costing Wade Barrett his WWE Championship match against Orton. There was an eerie calm after Orton, bruised from the match and getting jumped by Nexus beforehand, but before Miz's music hit on the PA. It looked as if Orton might have retained, but once Miz hit the Skull-Crushing Finale, reality had sunken in. Miz was the WWE Champion, a title he still holds right now. And I couldn't have been happier.
- 1/23/11, Alberto del Rio was celebrating an apparent Rumble win. That was, until an uneliminated Santino Marella snuck up behind him. Even if I thought del Rio winning was the right call, I was right there with the thousands of fans in Boston that night, exploding at the prospect of Santino winning the Rumble. He cocked his Cobra, hit it, and all of us in my living room marked out like nothing else at him doing his invisible trombone celebration. Of course, del Rio won the Rumble, but nothing will take that moment away from us.
- 2/14, The Rock says he's back home, and there's nothing you can do about it.
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!
