Monday, December 10, 2012

Bloggie Award Nomination Announcements: Social Media, Comedian, Announcer

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The Batiri, shown here with Ophidian, are up for the Social Media Award
Photo Credit: Scott Finkelstein

The calendar year 2012 is coming to a close, so you know what that means. The Mayan Apocalypse, as initiated by The Batiri, is upon us! It's time for The Wrestling Blog's Year End BLOWOUT! This year, I'm going to start by doing the Bloggie Award nomination announcements piecemeal, in a slow release if you will. Right now, I'm going to announce the first three categories of this year's slate. Without further ado:

Social Media Award - For the excellence of using social media and the Internet to advertise, interact with fans, or otherwise entertain.

Prior Winners:
2011 - Zack Ryder

And the nominees are:
The Batiri - They are among the most interactive wrestlers on Twitter, promising the end of the world and sending out mystery bags of varying providence. Their inclusion on this year's nominee roll is mainly due to taking their feud with Sara del Rey to the next level in posting her "personal information" on the Chikara 101 message board. Yeah, it wasn't her real info, but really, that would have been dumb. It's kayfabe, people.

Beyond Wrestling - Beyond Wrestling is always looking for ways to interact with the fans. Whether it's releasing free matches, giving wrestlers shots at the behest of their fans, or asking questions geared for replies and discussion, they are trying to put their fingers on the pulse of their fans, and I think they're doing a good job of it.

Colt Cabana - The Art of Wrestling, as a podcast, is one of the finest innovations in the wrestling world. Cabana has carved out a great niche for himself, a media empire that was totally self-made. Some of his other ventures have been hit-or-miss, but there is no doubt that he gets what it means to be an entertainer outside when he's booked for events.

Darin Childs - A wrestling promoter who actually has time for his fans is kind of an oddity. Childs not only fields questions on Twitter and posts plentiful pictures, but he's one of the two or three people who still actually use Formspring to answer questions. He might say a few things that would piss you off, but hey, who doesn't?

Wrestling Is... - This is one of the best ideas that anyone ever had. Indie wrestling is accused of being all wrestling, no personality. It's a stupid charge to levy against it because who cares if it's all wrestling - it's wrestling! But Wrestling Is... has come along and given wrestlers outside of WWE/TNA to get together and show their creative chops in ways that they may not be able to do on shows.

Comedian of the Year - For the wrestler/act that has done their best to make people laugh and master the art of wrestling comedy.

Prior Winners:
2009 - Santino Marella
2010 - Santino Marella
2011 - Colt Cabana

And the nominees are:
3.0 (Shane Matthews and Scott Parker) - In a company - Chikara - where comedic wrestling is the standard, these crazy Canucks actually are able to excel at it above and beyond even the best of their peers at times. Parker actually plays a good straight man to Matthews' manic, Red Bull-fueled intensity, but without that grounding, maybe Matthews doesn't stand out as much. They belong here as a team.

Archibald Peck/Mysterious and Handsome Stranger - Marchie Archie spent a lot of the year wallowing in pathos, either losing his gal pal Veronica Ticklefeather to the devious Mark Angelosetti or watching his avian companion Sapphire get stomped into oblivion. However, that pathos has served as a rock for his comedic abilities and amplified them even more.

Chuck Taylor - Taylor has pretty much mastered wrestling serious matches in a comedic fashion. To the untrained eye, he's a "bad" serious wrestler who plays fast and loose with kayfabe. However, he's a fine pro wrestler who plays the absurdity of being in that industry and uses it as a trope in his matches like he would a wristlock or selling a body part.

Colt Cabana - Last year's winner continues this year as being the most overt clown in this grand rodeo. While he spent such a portion of the year showing he could still do serious feuding with Adam Pearce, his time in Chikara and on his Wrestling Road Diaries tour has shown he's still got a legit claim to the King of Comedy throne.

Pierre Abernathy - Abernathy is a dynamo when it comes to the lighter-hearted fare found in the wrestling ring. He's big yet gangly, a paradox adds to his charm. While his snot-play is a bit off-putting, he easily is able to win me back with his "moonsault" or his corner dick flick. He also does a mean Hulk Hogan impersonation if you ask me.

Announcer of the Year - For the announcer who best was able to convey the action in the ring with clarity, charm, and bemusement

Prior Winners:
2009 - Matt Striker
2010 - Bryce Remsburg
2011 - Excalibur

And the nominees are:
Aaron McGuire (-Bauer) - The omnipresent color commentator for Absolute Intense Wrestling takes heeling to a whole new level. It may be getting more and more passe to be in the bag for the bad guys, but McGuire does, does it well, and does it with quips that would make Bobby Heenan proud.

Bryce Remsburg - Remsburg, in addition to being the best referee in wrestling, hands-down, is also among its best announcers because he brings a boyish innocence to the role. He's knowledgeable, but he's also still a fan who gets caught up in the moment. He always has a sense for that moment as well, which adds to what he brings to the table. It's no wonder why more and more companies want him in their booths.

Excalibur - He won last year, and he could win this year for the same reasons. He's both informative and hilarious. Sure, a lot of the hilarity comes from teaming with the unhinged Kevin Steen, but it's not a lock that anyone could work with him. He has his own one-liners as well, and his immersion in PWG history is an asset for people who are just getting into the company for the first time.

Justin Bissonnette - He's the rock inside the ACW broadcast booth, a constant who has to mesh with sometimes twelve different partners a night. From the relative straightman (woman?) stylings of Rachel Summerlyn to the off the wall craziness of Pierre Abernathy, Biss not only complements them, but at times fits in with what they bring to the booth. He's a chameleon, but it's a good trait to have with multiple broadcast partners.

Kevin Steen - Steen has replaced Chris Hero as Excalibur's top broadcast partner, and it's easy to see why. His absurd shock comedy works extremely well in the bombastic and exaggerated environs of PWG. He sounds like a guy who could do this for a living after he retires from being a wrestler.