Well fellow F.A.Ns, 2011 has come and gone, and so has another great year in the WWE. A year that many could say was one of the best in a long time. The PG barrier was finally stifled a bit, superstars rose out of lower card obscurity, and the WWE saw its share of amazing and not so amazing moments and matches.
But what moments and superstars left the biggest lasting impressions? What superstars made you cheer? What matches made you jeer? And what moments will you never forget (whether that’s a good thing or not?). Well, that’s what we’re here to find out.
Since the WWE ‘s Slammy Awards left a bitter taste in the mouths of many people, we asked the posters of the Freakin’ Awesome Network forums just what they thought was award worthy this year. So, myself and fellow forum poster Excellence of Execution will break down what you the FANS thought was the best and worst of the WWE in 2011. So let’s get started.
BEST DIVA OF 2011
BETH PHOENIX
FSin: It took a while for the Glamazon to rise back into prominence this year. Being lost in the shuffle of the divas division following the tag tables match at TLC in 2010. Beth would have to bide her time as Eve Torres, Brie Bella, and Kelly Kelly would capture the Divas Championship. It would take almost 3 quarters of the year before she would have her chance to strike. On the August 1st edition of Monday Night Raw, Beth would win a number one contender’s match to earn a shot at Kelly’s Divas championship. She would then turn on the champion, and align with Natalya to form Pinup Strong. It would take several failed attempts, but at Hell in a Cell Beth would finally capture the Divas championship, and has managed to hold on to the championship up until now. Will 2012 continue to see success for the Glamazon? Only time will tell.
WORST DIVA OF 2011
KELLY KELLY
EOE: Wow. For Kelly Kelly to win this while Rosa Mendes is still emploted seems harsh, but I’m not going to lie here. Kelly hasn’t exactly endeared herself to the voters this year.
Kelly has been on the roster for many years now, which is a scary thought really. In that time, her wrestling hasn’t really improved all that much, but this was the year that WWE finally pulled the trigger and started pushing Kelly as the face of the entire division. After being voted into a title match against Brie Bella, Kelly won her first Divas Championship. During that reign, she would thrill crowds with such dazzling offence such as the dreaded bottom spanking, the powerful stinkfase (which she apparently learned off the wise old baboon from The Lion King, if a magazine interview is to be believed), and her deadly roll up of doom, a move that managed to fell Beth Phoenix in two consecutive PPV title matches. Phoenix finally got the better of her at Hell in a Cell, but Kelly is now Biding her time, waiting for her next turn in the title feud.
Kelly is seemingly everything WWE wants in a diva. Young, blonde, stacked out to there, with little to no independent thought. If she had the wrestling talent and charisma to justify her push, I don’t think Kelly would have won this. However, she doesn’t, so she did.
BEST TAG TEAM of 2011
AIR BOOM
EOE: WWE has been known in the last few years fir treating their tag team division with reckless abandon trying to find their next single stars. But what they don’t realise is that to make the next Bret Hart or Shawn Michaels, you have to build up The Hart Foundation and The Rockers first. The tag division has rarely been in this bad of a shape, but Air Boom, the team of Kofi Kingston and Evan Bourne, are a shining ray of hope.
With both men floating aimlessly in the midcard, they decided to combine their high-flying abilities and go for the tag team titles, getting them off David Otunga and Michael McGillicutty in their first attempt. Since that time, to their credit, they have tried to become a more traditional tag team, adopting a fan-chosen name (not mine though, I wanted Flight Club) as well as a tag team entrance theme and attempts at matching attire and double-team moves. Bourne’s wellness suspension threw a spanner in the works in November, but they seem to be back on track now heading into 2012.
Air Boom really shouldn’t be saddled with the responsibilty of trying to save the tag division. That’s up to WWE to do, by forming more dedicated teams and treating them as threats. But hopefully Kingston and Bourne can be at the forefront of a respectable tag division by this time next year, and not the latest of many, many broken up alliances.
WORST TAG TEAM OF 2011
DAVID OTUNGA AND MICHAEL MCGILLICUTTY
FSin: While Kofi and Bourne have shown signs of being the saving grace the tag division needed, the same really couldn’t be said about the previous Tag Team champions, the lackluster runoff of The New Nexus, David “A-List” Otunga and Michael “Not So Perfect” McGillicutty. The duo would capture the tag titles from The Big Show and Kane. Now with new champs, you would expect a sudden boom in the tag divison? Well, sadly that wasn’t the case. McGillOtunga would hold the belts for a forgettable four month title reign with barely any appearances on Monday Night Raw or Friday Night Smackdown. They were so forgettable that the WWE didn’t even bother to give them any final conflict with CM Punk. And thus the winds of change that was The Nexus ended like a weak fart.
After losing the belts, and being buried by Jerry the King Lawler on commentary, the two would silently break up. McGillicutty would vanish onto superstars obscurity, and hasn’t been seen since. David Otunga faired somewhat better. Donning a bow tie, and bragging about his Harvard law degree, Otunga has become the legal advisor to interim Raw general manager John Laurenaitis. Granted, he’s still a jobber, but at least he’s faired better than his former partner. Will it ever be the moment, starting then, at that very moment, at that moment, right then and there for Michael McGillicutty? I’m gonna say no on that.
PROMO OF 2011
CM PUNK’S PIPE BOMB
FSin: Never in anyone’s wildest imagination did anyone expect this. The June 27th edition of Monday Night Raw saw then WWE Champion John Cena face off against then rival R-Truth in a tables match. The champ almost had the match won until CM Punk, donning a Stone Cold Steve Austin t-shirt of all things, would cause a distraction that would see Truth spear Cena through a table. But that’s not the biggest part of this ending.
With microphone in hand, Punk would begin what has become one of the most talked about worked shoots of all time. With his contract expiring, and having nothing to lose, he would go off on everything from calling Cena as big a kiss ass as Hulk Hogan, how despite being the best in the ring, on the mic, and at commentary, he was barely promoted, even to the point of not being on the collector cups. And the coup de grace, saying that when Vince McMahon is dead, the company will still end up being taken over by his idiot daughter and doofus son-in-law. He would even get a quick shout out to Colt Cabana. Eventually, Punk’s microphone would be cut off as Raw came to a close.
It had been a long time since the WWE saw a promo that pushed buttons, and exposed the company’s flaws. While Punk had always been a top star in the company, this one promo was the moment that propelled him into the main event, to which he would see two WWE Championship reigns. It’s a promo that will never be forgotten and is deserving of this award.
NEWCOMER OF 2011
SIN CARA
EOE: Normally, a guy who has had a debut year like Sin Cara wouldn’t win this, but it has been a very quiet year for newcomers. Sin Cara is really the only one who has had anything resembling a half decent year.
After becoming a megastar in his native Mexico, Sin Cara was signed the the WWE earlier this year to great hype, with a press conference unveiling his new mask design. But ever since his debut appearance on Raw where he nearly messed up his complex trampoline entrance, he has been behind the 8-ball. His fast-paced wrestling styles hasn’t really meshed with the majority of the WWE roseter, and a few notable erroes, some his own, some his opponnents, haven’t helped his cause to the audience. That said he did have some good matches against Evan Bourne and Daniel Bryan, as well as a good showing in the Smackdown Money in the Bank match. Sin Cara however, would not endear himself to the powers that be, getting a wellness suspension in July (for which he was written out oat Money in the Bank thanks to a powerbomb through a ladder by Sheamus) that lefy many wondering whether that would be it for his WWE career then and there.
Concerns were raised even more when another man, FCW talent Hunico, donned the Sin Cara costume briefly, but the original would return and feud with his doppleganger over the later summer and into fall, winning the blowoff mask vs. mask match in Mexico. Sin Cara would unfortunately be sidelined the remainder of 2011 and a lot of 2012 after blowing out his knee at Survivor Series, leaving many to wonder whether or not his white tights, worn at Money in the Bank, were cursed. Hell, even his merchandise wasn’t immune to bad luck. A graphic design oversight led WWE to briefly advertise a shirt for sale with a design that looked very much like an erect penis.
Sin Cara has had a very rough 2011, but let it not be denied that if the man can get used to the WWE way of doing things, he could prove to be a valuable asset in years to come. For his sake, I hope he gets a chance to prove that.
SPOT OF 2011
RICARDO RODRIGUEZ TAKES A DIVE AT TLC
Gif made by FAN poster JeffreyC
FSin: In a year that saw incredible spots like John Morrison’s Spider-Man-esque save at the Royal Rumble, Sheamus’ power bomb to Sin Cara through a ladder, and Randy Orton hitting Christian with an RKO on steel steps, who’da thunk the winner would have been this?
At TLC, Ricardo Rodriguez, in an attempt to help his then incapacitated boss Alberto Del Rio, climbed a 20 foot ladder in an attempt to grab the WWE title. But that would prove most unwise, as CM Punk and The Miz would Push the ladder backwards, sending Ricardo falling out of the ring and through a waiting table. It really speaks to just how resilient Ricardo is. He has taken many a rough bump this year in defence of Del Rio, but it was his tumble at TLC that was clearly the most memorable. While I honestly don’t believe it should have won, you the FANs have spoken.
BEST COMMENTATOR OF 2011
JOSH MATTHEWS
FSin: Let’s be brutally honest. Never has the WWE’s announcing situation been as bad as it has been in the last few years. Michael Cole’s constant bitching has made the shows almost unbearable to listen to, Jerry Lawler continues to show how little he cares about the product, and Booker T, while entertaining, does tend to get annoying quick with his ramblings of ‘fave fives”, and “shucky ducky quack quack”. Thankfully, the WWE has managed to keep one straight man commentator who manages to act like he gives a damn about the product. But since they continue to fire and embarrass him on TV, Josh Matthews is close enough I guess.
What makes Josh a great commentator is that unlike the rest of them, he isn’t about putting himself over, nor is he trying to spout catchphrases, or act goofy. Josh manages to call the action, and show some emotion with what is going down in the ring. Josh continues to improve his commentary skills, and deserves more recognition than he gets. And clearly most of you feel the same way, which is why he’s more than deserving of the award for best commentator of 2011.
WORST COMMENTATOR OF 2011
MICHAEL COLE
FSin: No-brainer here. While other commentators can be pretty bad, no one person on WWE television right now is more deserving of a douche crown than our favorite former war correspondant.
Cole started 2011 the way he would go out. Supporting the heels, while actively burying the babyfaces. Most notably his favorite verbal punching bag, Daniel Bryan. Now, while he is a heel, that shouldn’t be a bad thing. A heel commentator is supposed to hate the good guys. The problem, and what is clearly driving people away is his constant complaining, and need to put himself over. This also wouldn’t be a problem if Cole was limited to just Raw and Pay Per View, but clearly that wasn’t the case as Cole also commentates for Smackdown, meaning there’s no escape. Well, unless you watch NXT and Superstars, but who really does?
The sad truth is that we are far from done with hearing Michael Cole’s constant douchery, and it only appears to be getting worse by the week. Come this point next year, I think a lot of people are going to get well acquainted with watching WWE programming with the TV on mute.
BEST ANGLE OF 2011
SUMMER OF PUNK 2011
EOE: I’ve never seen the original Summer of Punk angle from Ring of Honor, but apparently the WWE redux drew a lot of inspiration from it. From the moment CM Punk stated his intention to leave the WWE with the WWE championship, we knew we were in for something special.
First, we had the initial shoot. That set in motion months of compelling TV. From punk’s contract negotiation promo with Vince McMahon, to the Cena/Punk MITB match, to Punk actually walking out with the title, to Punk returning with “Cult of Personality” blasting out through the arena, it was a spark that wrestling seemed to have lacked for a long time. Once Triple H entered the scene as the new Chief Operating Officer, it did seem to regress somewhat, but punk still brought it, including a memorable confrontation with Triple H at San Diego’s ComicCon. It did seem appropriate that just as summer itself reached an end, the angle fizzled out with the arrival of Kevin Nash and Alberto Del Rio casing in Money in the Bank briefcase on Punk at Summerslam.
For a two month period, wrestling was on the cusp of something big. And while WWE never capitalised on it to its full potential, it did turn CM Punk from promising upper-midcarder to a fully-fledged main eventer. And that can never be a bad thing.
WORST ANGLE OF 2011
MICHAEL COLE VS. JERRY “THE KING” LAWLER
EOE: Commentator feuds. Has there ever been one in the history of wrestling that has been a box office draw? The Michael Cole/Jerry Lawler feud continued that “proud” tradition into 2011.
Things really kicked into gear when Lawler got a title shot for the Miz’s WWE Championship in a TLC match near the end of 2010. Miz, of course was one of Cole’s favorites so when the time came for the match to happen, Cole would end up costing Lalwer the title. Lawler would get another shot at elimination chamber, and while Cole didn’t get involved in that match, he revelled in the face that Lawler lost again. Over the next few months, Cole would continue to antagonise Lawler, mocking him over the recent death of his mother, bringing out his son, Grandmaster Sexay, to badmouth him, even declaring himself a knight. And Lawler couldn’t do a thing about it, since Cole had enlisted Jack Swagger as his trainer/backup and barricaded himsel in a private commentary booth dubbed The Cole Mine. Finally, after two PPV losses at Wrestlemania and Extreme Rules, Lawler finally got a measure of revenge when he defeated Michael Cole in a Kiss My Foot Match at Over the Limit. Even then, it wasn’t enough to shut Cole up once and for all, and they continue to niggle at each other to this day.
How this was considered a good idea by the people at Titan Towers is a real mystery to me, and to everyone who voted this feud to be the worst of the year. It benefited nobody, didn’t bring in a ratings boost, and the matches were bad. A worthy “winner” of this award.
SHOCKER OF 2011
DANIEL BRYAN: MR. MONEY IN THE BANK
FSin: 2011 saw massive shockers in the WWE. The Rock returned after a seven year absence, Edge was forced to retire, and old faces like Booker T and Kevin Nash returned to the company. So, who would have thought that the most shocking moment would be the rise of Daniel Bryan?
After what could be considered a modest run on Monday Night Raw that saw a United States Championship reign, Daniel Bryan would soon be drafted to Smackdown, to which was again a modest run, but nothing special. It led to matches with Sin Cara, and a notable feud with Cody Rhodes. But Bryan continued to stay completely lost in the midcard shuffle, and for the longest time, it seemed like there was no hope for the submission specialist to ever break further.
That is until Money in the Bank. The Smackdown MITB match featured several names that everyone expected to win, including Cody Rhodes, Sheamus, and most importantly Wade Barrett. Oh, and Heath Slater, but thankfully there was no hope in hell of him winning. The brutal match saw the ending with Bryan and Barrett battling for the briefcase. Before Barrett could attempt to hit a wasteland on Bryan off the ladder, Bryan would knock him off the ladder, and managed to capture the briefcase. Daniel Bryan now had the opportunity to finally free himself from the obscurity he had been suffering from, and finally make it into the main event scene like he deserved.
However, that wasn’t what happened either. Bryan would be the victim of an embarrassing losing streak that would last for several months, even causing him to fall into WWE Superstars territory for a while. With this losing streak came fear that Daniel Bryan would lose his title opportunity. It didn’t help matters that when Bryan cashed in on Mark Henry and won the the championship the first time, he was forced to relinquish the title due to Mark Henry not being medically cleared to compete. But thankfully, Bryan was given back his briefcase. Bryan wouldn’t wait too much longer, capitalising on The Big Show, would would be laid out by Mark Henry following their chairs match at TLC. Bryan would finish off 2011 as the World Heavyweight Champion, and has survived the past two weeks with the title in tow. Can he hold on to it for longer? Even if he’s to lose it on Friday, nobody will forget this shocker, and it earned your vote as Shocker of the Year.
BREAKOUT STAR OF 2011
ZACK RYDER
FSin: Admit it. This time last year, almost all of you weren’t expecting Zack Ryder to be anywhere near where he is right now, or even still be with the company. Ryder’s run in the WWE hadn’t exactly been showered with big opportunities, and major matches. After ECW closed up shop in 2010, Ryder was drafted to Monday Night Raw, and almost immediately trapped in Superstars limbo, losing on an almost weekly basis, and rarely ever appearing on the flagship show. It was almost a given that our favorite broski would never get a fair shot.
But despite the glass ceiling being so strong, it didn’t manage to break Ryder’s spirit. Zack would take his lower-card obscurity and capitalise on it. With a flip cam his dad got him for Christmas, Zack would come up with an idea. Make his own weekly youtube show. It would feature his friends and family, along with people in the WWE. It would mainly consist of skits, usually focusing on Zack lamenting over not being given a fair chance in the WWE. And thus Z! True Long Island Story was born. However, despite strong word of mouth, the web series still didn’t lead to an instant push for Ryder. He would still be trapped on Superstars for months, even being unfairly left off Raw when it was live in Long Island. ARE YOU SERIOUS BRO??
But things continued to build, the show continued to get a bigger audience, and most importantly to the WWE, Zack’s merchandise was proving to be a top seller for the company. And eventually, the WWE would begin to feature Ryder more and more on Monday Night Raw. Ryder would get an upset victory over US Champ Dolph Ziggler with the help of Hugh Jackman. This would begin a feud with Ziggler that would last for several months. Ryder would get victory after victory on Dolph, but never be able to get the job done when it came to winning the championship. Ryder would set up a petition for one more match, which would see massive support. Supposedly it was the most signed online petition in history (doubtful, but this is the WWE. They like to overblow things). It wouldn’t prove fruitful until John Cena would sacrifice his shot at the WWE title to help Zack get one more shot at the US title at TLC, where Zack would finally defeat Dolph Ziggler to earn his first major singles championship.
Like his character or not, everything Zack has got in 2011, his prominence in the product, his massive fan support, his US Title, he has earned all of it. Zack wouldn’t let the powers that be keep him down, and would try his damnedest to make himself a star. And it has worked tremendously. For all of that, he is more than deserving of the breakout star of the year award.
MOST IMPROVED SUPERSTAR OF 2011
DOLPH ZIGGLER
EOE: R-Truth got okie-doked by Lil’ Ziggy! Well, despite R-Truth having a breakout year just on the mic along, Ziggler has managed to improve to the point where he may just be the best all around talent in the company. And it is a testiment to that ability that he has managed to recover from a lopsided feud with Edge and a frankly bizarre World Heavyweight Championship reign that lasted all of five minuted to get to the point where he’s ready for another, more legitimate crack at the main event.
His wrestling was great even last year, with his Bragging Rights match against Daniel Bryan getting match of the year honors on WWE.Com, but it has only improved this year. Seriously, it is very hard to name a bad Dolph Ziggler match from 2011. But it is his mic skills that have really improved in 2011. With a slight tweak to his character, Ziggler has come into his own on the mic to the point where his manager Vickie Guerrero is now seen more as a hindrance to his future than a help.
It goes without say at this point that another, more substantial world title reign is the next step for Ziggler. As the man might tell you himself, the future’s so bright, he’s got to wear shades. #HEEL
BEST PPV OF 2011
MONEY IN THE BANK
EOE: Was there ever really any doubt? Well, TLC Looked like it would put in a late charge, but Money in the Bank was the clear winner, featuring many of 2011’s highlights.
The Money in the Bank ladder matches hardly ever fail to deliver a fun match. Daniel Bryan winning the Smackdown Briefcase proved to be a very pleasant surprise for a lot of people, while Alberto Del Rio continued his climb into the Raw main event scene by winning the red briefcase. Mark Henry and Big Show had a very hard-hitting match that was better than a lot of people expected it to be. The match between Kelly Kelly and Brie Bella was short and largely inoffensive, given their less than stellar in-ring ability. Randy Orton and Christian continued their series of great matches, with Captain Charisma taking advantage of the “title changes hands on DQ” stipulation and angering The Viper into a low blow, winning the World Heavyweight Championship in the process. And then you had John Cena vs. CM Punk for the WWE Championship. We already elaborated on the specifics earlier, so all that can be said now is that it was one of the most eagerly anticipated matches in WWE history, and would become one of the greatest matches in WWE history. And giving it all that extra little kick was the molten hot Allstate Arena, Chicago crowd.
The only WWE PPV I have bought on DVD this year, Money in the Bank 2011 is, in this writer’s opinion, one of the best PPVs since the E became the E, and clearly the majority of FAN voters feel that it is the bes PPV of the year.
WORST PPV OF 2011
CAPITOL PUNISHMENT
EOE: I’m surprised by this. Given the greater expectations for Wrestlemania 27 and how that turned out, I thought that would have won. Instead, we got a show that wasn’t necessarily that bad, just boring and meaningless in the grand scheme of things.
Held in the US capital, Washington DC, most of the matches on the Capitol Punishment card seemed to be rehashes of long time rivalries, like those of Evan Bourne and Jack Swagger, CM Punk and Rey Mysterio and Kofi Kingston and Dolph Ziggler, the latter resulting in Ziggler winning the United States Championship. Ezekiel Jackson won the Intercontinental Championship from Wade Barrett in a largely forgettable affair. Alberto Del Rio and Big Show had a match, memorable for little more than Mark Henry slamming Big Show through an announcer’s table. At the peak of his fan support, Alex Riley scored a win of his former mentor The Miz in an OK match. Christian failed in his bid to regain the World Heavyweight championship from Randy Orton thanks to a referee blunder, but the match was good. Finally, John Cena retained the WWE Championship over R-truth thanks to a bit of help from Lil’ Jimmy at ringside. But what might have dragged this show down into infami was the incessant use of Barack Obama impersonator Reggie Brown in lame backstage skits throughout the night. Presidential humor is not soething the WWE has ever excelled at, except for that one time Bill Clinton was a manager on Raw.
As it turns out, Capitol Punishment turned out to be an appropriate name for the PPV. For those who handed over their hard-earned cash to pay for this, it must have felt like a capital punishment.
RETURN OF 2011
THE ROCK
FSin: 2011 saw many familiar faces return to the product. Booker T would return, and affix himself to the commentary position. Kevin Nash would make a return, settling old scores with his former friend Triple H. But no other return this year was as big as the one seven years in the making.
On the February 7th edition of Raw, Mr. McMahon would make an announcement to the WWE Universe, stating that the next week would see the guest host of Wrestlemania 27 revealed. While there was much speculation, it was almost a given that it would be the long awaited return of the most electrifying man in all of entertainment. And on February 14th, after seven long years, the Rock had finally come back home to the WWE. His return was one well worth the wait, as the live crowd in Anaheim California showed their appreciation for the returning Rocky, who would go on to do an energetic promo as only The Rock can. Rock’s promo was so energetic, that the WWE didn’t even bother to censor most of the occurrences where Rock would say “Ass”, a word which had become taboo for a while thanks to the PG rating.
The Rock would appear intermittently throughout 2011, mostly via satellite, and with usually one major target. That of “Mr. Fruity Pebbles” John Cena. The heated feud had reached such a boiling point that the night after Wrestlemania 27, John Cena would challenge The Rock to a match at Wrestlemania 28 in Rock’s hometown of Miami, Florida. The feud continued its heavy build when The Rock and John Cena would actually team together at Survivor Series in Madison Square Garden against The Awesome Truth. The first match The Rock would compete in since Wrestlemania 20 no less.
With only a couple months until April 1st, it’s safe to say we will see The Rock again soon in a big capacity. And that he has his sights set to put boots to asses. Especially a big boot to the ass of John Cena.
SHOW OF 2011
MONDAY NIGHT RAW
EOE: Ah… Raw. Where would we be without you? Some weeks you’re great, some weeks you’re terrible, but I really can’t imagine life without following Raw every Monday through the live threads at the FAN forums.
Raw in 2011 has seen some amazing highs, and some horrific lows. For every CM Punk Pipebomb, there’d be a Jim Ross humiliation. For every wacky R-Truth rant, there’d be a lame John Cena joke. For every good match, like the Falls Count Anywhere match between The Miz and John Morrisonfor the WWE Championship or the Fatal 4-Way between Cody Rhodes, Daniel Bryan, Zack Ryder, and Dolph Ziggler, there’s a bad match, like the many sub 1-minute Diva matches there have been this year. It may be easy to simply say that you don’t watch it anymore after a particularly bad episode, but in reality, you never know when you might miss something awesome, so you pretty much have to keep watching, don’t you?
At this time of writing, we already have an exciting Raw looming with thy mystery “It Begins 2012” man, as well as a Punk Vs. Ziggler WWE Title Match. If they can keep up the standard, 2012 will be looking great.
BEST MATCH OF 2011
CM PUNK VS. JOHN CENA FOR THE WWE CHAMPIONSHIP: MONEY IN THE BANK
EOE: It could have very easily been another run of the mill title defence for perpetual WWE Champion John Cena. He’d dealt with CM Punk earlier in the year when he was leading The New Nexus, and it looked like Money in the Bank would see Cena be the one to boot Punk out the door. Oh, how we were wrong.
With many heated promos beforehand, the WWE Championship match at Money in the Bank was highly anticipated. Add in a parochial Chicago crowd that would not only be 100% behind their hometown boy Punk, but be against they always divisive Cena to an extent not seen since Wrestlemania 22 was held in the building 5 years earlier, and you have a recipe for a classic even before any blows were exchanged. Thankfully, Punk and Cena delivered. For over 30 minutes, Punk and Cena waged a war, with the Chicago crowd on the edge of their seats the entire time. And don’t let the “You Can’t Wrestle” chants directed at Cena fool you. The man can wrestle, and he wrestled very well. Just as the match was to reach an epic climax, Vince McMahon and John Laurinaitis would emerge, looking to ensure that Punk wouldn’t win thetitle. Just as Cena locked in the STF, McMahon ordered Laurenaitis to end the match in a call-back to the Montreal screwjob, only for Cena to release the hold and strike down Laurinaitis. The moralistic Cena wasn’t going to let Vince play that game. It would end up costing him the WWE Championship, as one final Go To Sleep put him down for 3. But as with all good thrillers, there was a final twist in the tail. McMahon would commandeer Jerry Lawler’s commentary headset, and order Alberto Del Rio down to ringside and cash in the Raw Money in the Bank he won earlier in the night as a final ditch bid to keep the title in the company. Punk however was one step ahead, kicking Del Rio in the head and escaping through the crowd with the bely, literally kissing WWE goodbye.
This match had the perfect blend of in-ring skill, emotion, psychology, heat and crowd reception, with an ending that left fans begging for the next instalment of the saga. And while the angle never again reached the lofty heights of the night, it was still awesome none the less. Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer deemed this match to be the first 5 tar WWE match since the very first Hell in a Cell match between Shawn Michaels and The Undertaker in 1997, but this match has been awarded a far more valuable accolade, FAN’s best match of 2011.
WORST MATCH OF 2011
MICHAEL COLE VS. JERRY “THE KING” LAWLER: WRESTLEMANIA 27
EOE: I feel so sorry for Jerry Lawler. For all of his accomplishments in wrestling, he had never wrestled at Wrestlemania until this year, where he finally got to do it. Unfortunately, it was in this abortion of a match.
What should have been Michael Cole receiving his karmic beatdown for all the trash talking and outright burial of the product, was actually the complete opposite. Cole, in a gaudy orange wrestling singlet with matching earmuffs, was actually on the offence for a large part of it, with the help of his trainer Jack Swagger. Lawler eventually turned it around, with the help of special referee Stone Cold Steve Austin (How the hell did he get dragged into this?), eventually made Cole tap out to an ankle lock. But oh no, shenanigans ahoy! The anonymous Raw General Manager would overturn the decision because of Austin’ s “biased officiating” awarding the win to Cole. An irate Austin would metaphorically shoot the messenger, giving a stunner to commentator Josh Matthews. Not to mention Booker T got stunnered as well. Meanwhile, Cole walked away with little more than a sore ankle.
Much like Bret Hart vs. Vince McMahon the previous year, the Lawler vs. Cole match was about ten times longer than it needed to be. However, unlike Hart V McMahon, which at least had a just and satisfying conclusion, this match had simply left a very sour taste in the mouths of WWE fans. Cole had no business being put over the way her did, and this match was one of the main reasons why Wrestlemania 27 was largely seen as a disappointment.
WORST SUPERSTAR OF 2011
MASON RYAN
FSin: When CM Punk usurped The Nexus from Wade Barrett, the one thing he told his recruits was to “have faith”. Apparently this faith was in a jacked up welsh superstar by the name of Mason Ryan, who would decimate John Cena. It’s too bad that nobody looked at Ryan’s debut as The New Nexus acquiring a new star, but more over the fact that the proof was in the doll/pudding. The WWE was already trying to replace Dave Batista. It didn’t help matters that Ryan looked almost exactly like a younger version of the Animal, only surprisingly less impressive in the ring, and even more roided up. Hell, even I thought that Batista had suddenly returned, only to be disappointed in the mediocrity that we would eventually get.
And to the shock of nobody, Ryan would be injured not long after his debut in the company, leaving him sidelined for several months until he returned around October, where the WWE actually tried to push him as a major babyface. However, just like before, the crowds couldn’t care less, and matches involving him were usually filled with “Batista’ chants. And just like before, Ryan was just stiff and generic in the ring, adding very little to his offence. After a forgettable feud with Dolph Ziggler, Ryan was shipped into Superstars purgatory like other former Nexus members, and it’s questionable if the WWE will ever actually try again to build Ryan as a star. But until then, he has clearly not earned the favor of the people, as you the FANs voted him as the worst superstar of 2011.
BEST SUPERSTAR OF 2011
CM PUNK
FSin: If you can think of one person who’s name was the most prominent in 2011, one person who started strong in the year, and emerged even stronger, that was easily the voice of the voiceless himself, CM Punk.
Punk started 2011 by kicking Wade Barrett to the curb, and claiming power to The Nexus. He would then work through a feud with John Cena, to which he would constantly upset Cena in one on one encounters. He then set his sights on Randy Orton, for whom he had unfinished business, stemming all the way back from when Orton and Legacy attacked punk before his championship scramble defense at Unforgiven 2008. However, Punk would be bested by The Viper at every turn, and it would seem that the push that Punk seemed to be building in the beginning of the year, was going to fizzle out as prior Punk pushes had before. But thank god we were all wrong. He would settle old business with Rey Mysterio for a couple more months, until he would finally set his goals higher.
He would win a chance at challenging John Cena for the WWE title at Money in the Bank, which coincidentally was being held in his home town of Chicago, Illinois. but Punk would add one major caveat to his title shot. His contract would expire at Midnight following the PPV, and he vowed to leave the WWE with championship in tow. After a meteoric feud that involved shoot promos, confrontations with Vince McMahon, and even a plea for the return of WWE ice cream bars, it all culminated in one of the greatest championship matches of all time, and Punk would emerge victorious. And he was as good as his word, he would leave the company with the title… for a week.
In Punk’s absence, Mr. McMahon had tried to replace him as champion by holding a throw-together title tournament, which Rey Mysterio would win, only to lose to John Cena later in the night. But just when Cena thought it was safe to be champ again, Punk would return, belt in tow, set to his classic indy theme of Living Colour’s “Cult of Personality”, and a promise that he was back to make the company fun again. This would lead to another solid match between Cena and Punk to determine an undisputed WWE champ, with a monkey in the middle in the new COO Triple H who served as guest referee. Punk would win, and celebrate as undisputed champ, until Kevin Nash would shock the world by running in and planting Punk with a jackknife powerbomb, which would then lead to Alberto Del Rio capitalizing and winning his first WWE title.
Punk would engage in a heated feud with Triple H, berating the COO and his wife. This would lead into a battle at Night of Champions, which was marred with an attack by Awesome Truth. At Vengeance, Triple H and Punk would unite to deal with Awesome Truth, but would end up proving unfruitful in that feud. But Punk bounced back in a big way, getting a title opportunity at Alberto Del Rio at Survivor Series, where CM Punk would capture the WWE Championship once again, and has managed to remain the champion up until this article’s date.
When you look at all he’s accomplished, and everything he’s encountered and done, it’s crystal clear that CM Punk has had a phenomenal year with the company. Finally shedding away that upper midcard stigma for the main event prominence he has always deserved. However, if there’s one thing that he hasn’t been able to accomplish this year, it’s the fact that there are still no frigging ice cream bars! Nevertheless, CM Punk is easily the most deserving person to be given the award of Best Superstar of the WWE in 2011.
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A big thank you to Excellence of Execution for his tremendous work on this article, and to everybody over at the Freakin’ Awesome Network forums who sent their PMs and votes. 2011 was indeed a great year for the company, and 2012 should hopefully be a blast as well.