Monday, December 31, 2012

The Wrestling Blog Presents: The 2012 Bloggie Awards

Welcome to the 2012 Bloggie Awards, presented to the best in the wrestling industry for the last calendar year. Announced within are the winners of these awards, but before we begin, here's what the Bloggies are and aren't:
  • The Bloggies are NOT a measure of who drew money or drove business. Look to the Observer for that scope.
  • The Bloggies are NOT a measure of kayfabe accomplishment. Pro Wrestling Illustrated has that covered like a boss.
  • The Bloggies are NOT crowd-sourced or openly voted upon. They're chosen by me and me alone, so if anyone has a problem, take it up with me.
  • The Bloggies ARE a measure of who did the most to advance the ART of wrestling. Who told the best stories? Who talked with the silverest of tongues? Who wrestled the best matches? Who had the biggest emotional impact? These are the questions that these awards have set out to answer.
Now, without further ado...

Wrestler of the Year

And the nominees are:
  • Austin Aries
  • The Big Show
  • Daniel Bryan
  • Kevin Steen
  • Rachel Summerlyn
And the winner is... Daniel Bryan!
Photo Credit: WWE.com
I don't know if you agree with me, but wrestling was amazing in 2012. ON nearly every level in America, something good was happening in every company worth a damn. But of all those things, the best, absolutely positively most awesome thing that has happened was the rise of Daniel Bryan from "Internet" darling (as if the Internet is a hivemind that shares thoughts and desires) to perhaps the most popular wrestler in the biggest company in the world. Think about it. There's almost no division in how Bryan is received. The "Let's go Cena!" and "Cena sucks!" crowds both react positively to him. It wasn't through smoke and mirrors either.

Obviously, he was the mack daddy in the ring. We all knew that if he got the chance to hold court in main event-type PPV matches, he'd deliver. Extreme Rules, Over the Limit, and TLC were all examples of his magic in the ring. But out of the ring is where he busted through barriers, man. He not only was charismatic and engaging, the guy took otherwise unwatchable segments and made them work solely through his own actions or his interactions with guys like Kane. The other four candidates had great years, no doubt. Bryan, though, had an all-time year, and I will fight anyone who argues otherwise.

The Ricky Steamboat Award

And the nominees are:
  • ACH
  • Daniel Bryan
  • Dolph Ziggler
  • El Generico
  • Kyle Matthews
And the winner is... ACH!
Photo Credit: Texas Anarchy
This is the year the rest of the country, including myself, saw what everyone in Texas and St. Louis knew about this guy. Forget about companies that put him in bad situations like ROH or DGUSA. I'm talking about companies that used him in the right way, places like AIW, Beyond Wrestling, Chikara, Metro Pro, and of course, his home bases of ACW and St. Louis Anarchy. This guy wrestled epics against a gamut of opponents that included but weren't limited to Jeremy Wyatt, Gary Jay, TJ Perkins, Matthew Palmer, AR Fox, Jaykus Plisken, Rachel Summerlyn, Bolt Brady, Johnny Gargano, Mark Angelosetti, and Willie Mack. All of the results have been phenomenal according to a wide variety of observers. His first Iron man match against Fox, his second crack at Wyatt's Central States Title, and his defense in St. Louis of the ACW Title against Perkins are to me, a trilogy of matches unmatched in quality all year. Even against the backdrop of the other four challengers, ACH lapped the field.

Talker of the Year

And the nominees are:
  • Austin Aries
  • The Big Show
  • CM Punk
  • Damien Sandow
  • Daniel Bryan
And the winner is... Damien Sandow!
Photo Credit: WWE.com
This is somewhat of a neophyte pick, but really, Sandow has made smart sound sexy. There have been myriad wrestlers who have tried pulling off the dimestore words in wrestling promos. Many guys have sounded forced. Bob Backlund was entertaining, but in a goofy, almost ironic way. Sandow has combined the vocabulary with force and an understanding of how to make the big words sound in context of a wrestling environment. You're welcome.

Independent Wrestler of the Year

And the nominees are:
  • ACH
  • Jessicka Havok
  • Kevin Steen
  • Rachel Summerlyn
  • Tim Donst
And the winner is... Rachel Summerlyn!
Photo Credit: Leslie Lee III/DDS
Like I said in the nominees, no one wrestler meant more to their promotion than Summerlyn did to ACW. That's saying something, given how loaded their roster is, but she was a unifying factor for its underlying quality. A binder, so to speak. She was its ambassador, its ace, its mascot for lack of a better term, and finally, its Champion. She was the anchor of so many different memorable occurrences, including getting thrown off a goddamn balcony. That deserves an award in my mind.

Tag Team of the Year

And the nominees are:
  • 3.0 (Scott Parker and Shane Matthews)
  • Bad Influence (Christopher Daniels and Frankie Kazarian)
  • Super Smash Bros. (Player Uno and Stupefied)
  • Team Hell No (Daniel Bryan and Kane)
  • Young Bucks (Matt and Nick Jackson)
And the winners are... the Super Smash Bros.!
Photo & Video Sharing by SmugMug
Photo Credit: Scott Finkelstein

I imagine this is going to be the most controversial choice of them all. Sure, the Smash Bros. didn't salvage an awful angle like Bad Influence. They weren't a collective unit of quarter of WWE television like Team Hell No. However, for an entire calendar year, they were perhaps the best in-ring tag team for the best company for tag team wrestling in PWG, and they did the best with the limited chances they got in DGUSA/EVOLVE. It's hard to ignore the sheer amounts of tag insanity they got themselves into for an entire year, and that's why they get the nod from me.

Manager of the Year

And the nominees are:
  • Chris Trew
  • Machiko
  • Sidney Bakabella
  • Truth Martini
  • Veronica Ticklefeather
And the winner is... Veronica Ticklefeather!
Photo & Video Sharing by SmugMug
Photo Credit: Scott Finkelstein

She was a veritable manager of Champions in 2012. OF course, that's not why she won; remember, these aren't kayfabe awards. However, it's hard to argue that her antics didn't enhance her charges - Mark Angelosetti in Chikara and the Batiri in AIW - to the point where both became headline acts in either company. Her role in the Angelosetti/Archibald Peck story was the kind of textbook way of how a non-wrestler helps a wrestler attain emotional equity with the fans. That puts her over the top for me.

Group of the Year

And the nominees are:
  • Aces and Eights (Brother Devon, Doc, var.)
  • Delirious' Army (Delirious, Ophidian, the Batiri)
  • Nixon (Duke Schork, Bobby Beverly, Eric Ryan, Rickey Shane Page, Necro Butcher)
  • Spectral Envoy (UltraMantis Black, Frightmare, Hallowicked, Crossbones, Blind Rage)
  • The Submission Squad (Pierre Abernathy, Gary Jay, Evan Gelistico, Amanda Fox, Davey Vega [sometimes], Athena [sometimes])
And the winners are... The Submission Squad!
Photo Credit: Texas Anarchy
Man, the Submission Squad was everywhere in 2012. Even in Chikara, they were a major part of the company even though their biggest role was not showing up. They took different forms wherever they went. They were the most disjointed yet dynamic stable across wrestling over the year. And they were entertaining too. They were able to combine comedic with serious wrestling, and that's the kind of mix that gets you noticed, at least by me.

The New to Me Award

And the nominees are:
  • Fred Yehi
  • Mark Angel/Mark Angelosetti
  • Mat Fitchett
  • Saturyne
  • Veda Scott
And the winner is... Mark Angel/Mark Angelosetti!
Photo & Video Sharing by SmugMug
Photo Credit: Scott Finkelstein

This was a razor-thin decision for me between Angel and Scott. However, I thought Angel(osetti) had more of a baptism by fire in two companies and handled it with the smoothness of a 10 year veteran. It's uncanny how he was able to carry top level stories in both Beyond Wrestling and Chikara despite being so young, and his acumen in the ring is far beyond his years too. This guy is going to be special for years to come, because he's already special now.

Comedian of the Year

And the nominees are:
  • 3.0
  • Archibald Peck/Mysterious and Handsome Stranger
  • Chuck Taylor
  • Colt Cabana
  • Pierre Abernathy
And the winners are... 3.0!
Photo & Video Sharing by SmugMug
Photo Credit: Scott Finkelstein

These guys are just such a great comedy tandem. Matthews is the manic one, and Parker is the straight man, and they complement each other so perfectly that it's a comedic dynamo. This year, they took their act to the main event, winning the Campeonatos de Parejas and getting to team with guys like Eddie Kingston in atomicos. It worked too. It was the comic relief in the Oscar-bait feature length, pitch perfect for a company like Chikara. Keep the Red Bull coming!

Feud of the Year

And the nominees are:
  • Adam Cole vs. Kevin Steen (PWG)
  • Daniel Bryan vs. Kane (WWE)
  • Delirious' Army vs. the Spectral Envoy (Chikara)
  • Gekido vs. Mike Quackenbush and friends (Chikara)
  • James Storm vs. Robert Roode (Impact)
And the winner is... Daniel Bryan vs. Kane (WWE)!
Photo Credit: WWE.com
Yes, the endgame on this "feud" was a Championship-winning tag team and ROCK SOLID FRIENDSHIP, but you can't tell me that their anger management segments and rocky first act to their tag team wasn't a passive aggressive feud done with alarming efficacy. Sure, the climax on this feud wasn't a match, but a joining, but that doesn't mean their antagonism, that started out over AJ Lee in the summer if you remember, wasn't the most well-done of the year.

Announcer of the Year

And the nominees are:
  • Aaron McGuire(-Bauer)
  • Bryce Remsburg
  • Excalibur
  • Justin Bissonette
  • Kevin Steen
And the winner is... Bryce Remsburg!
Photo & Video Sharing by SmugMug
Photo Credit: Scott Finkelstein

Remsburg wrests this award back from the West Coast, despite the fact that he was very much relegated the opening matches of the Chikara cards he called. Obviously, he had to make some concessions, given that he's also the best referee in the biz as well (by a longshot). However, his expertise was recognized by people in higher influence than I, as he's now one of the voices of EVOLVE. In 2013, his goal is to simultaneously commentate AND ref a match. If this happens, he may have this award on lockdown again.

Moment of the Year

And the nominees are:
  • Daniel Bryan and Kane Hug It Out
  • Hallowicked Taps Mike Bennett to Win the King of Trios Tournament for the Spectral Envoy
  • Jessica James Lets Her Inner Lady Poison Out to Infect Rachel Summerlyn
  • Jigsaw Superkicks Mike Quackenbush, Siding with Gekido
  • Matthew Palmer Leaps from the Balcony at the Mohawk, Taking Rachel Summerlyn with Him
And the winner is... Matthew Palmer Leaps from the Balcony at the Mohawk, Taking Rachel Summerlyn with Him!
Photo Credit: Texas Anarchy
Seriously, in the wrong hands, this would have been gratuitous exploitation of THE MOMENT in wrestling. But in the hands of Matthew Palmer and Rachel Summerlyn, it was amazing. There was Summerlyn tossing Palmer from the balcony and thinking she had the match won, laughing to herself. And then Palmer got up, and she became paralyzed out of shock. When Palmer scaled the steps and took Summerlyn with him, it was the moment that encapsulated the beautiful insanity of ACW in 2012.

Social Media Award

And the nominees are:
  • The Batiri
  • Beyond Wrestling
  • Colt Cabana
  • Darin Childs
  • Wrestling Is...

And the winner is... Wrestling Is!

This might have been the most ambitious project of the year, but they hit it pitch-perfectly. Indie wrestling has needed an outlet to show that its wrestlers can show personality. Oftentimes, there's not enough time on the actual shows to do that, and not every promotion is as inclined towards YouTube to give time and bandwidth to its wrestlers. Wrestling Is provides at least potential to be a catchall. I mean, right now, it's mostly geared towards the Chikara/Wrestling Is ____ family of promotions, but if it at least inspires other companies to use it or to at least copy off the concept, then its influence will be measured in exponents.

Promotion of the Year

And the nominees are:
  • Absolute Intense Wrestling
  • Anarchy Championship Wrestling
  • Chikara Pro Wrestling
  • Pro Wrestling Guerrilla
  • World Wrestling Entertainment
And the winner is... Anarchy Championship Wrestling!
Photo Credit: Brandon Stroud
This was maybe the closest race of them all. I went with ACW though because they probably had the best mix of wrestling, storytelling, resolution, and progressivism this year. It's easy to give them the award just because they crowned Rachel Summerlyn as Champion, but that'd be lazy. However, with the myriad number of events, moments, and wrestlers associated with it gives the company the credibility to be able to be a leader in dragging wrestling kicking and screaming into the 21st century, they more than earned this award.