Best Wrestler of the Year
- Thread starter Mr. TM
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Cena's Little Helper
Mid-Card Championship Winner
Being the puro mark that I am, I'm going with Shinsuke Nakamura, NJPW's current IWGP Heavyweight champion. Hiroshi Tanahashi is undoubtedly NJPW's ace, but, I don't think he'd nearly be as big as he is without Nakamura acting as his foil. This guy has everything going for him: great heel charisma, great physique, and extreme grace, speed, and mobility (also, he's Orton's age, but 10 times the wrestler...that's amazingly impressive for someone so young).
Although Nakamura's my choice, if I could vote for two people, I'd also vote for AJ Styles. Hopefully, people use good sense and realize that, for American wrestling, this has been the year of Styles.
Although Nakamura's my choice, if I could vote for two people, I'd also vote for AJ Styles. Hopefully, people use good sense and realize that, for American wrestling, this has been the year of Styles.
Out of all those great great wrestlers, I gotta go with the wrestler of the year last year, Chris Jericho. IMO only one guy has been consistently great this year, and that is Jericho. His matches with Rey Mysterio this year were incredible, his promo work has just gotten better and better, and he always makes me laugh, and more importantly he and Big Show has brought some form of credibility back to the Tag Team division. Now how much credibility, and what kind it is doesn't really matter because the simple fact is that before this year, when was the last time we saw the Tag Team titles defended on PPV? It had to have been a couple of months, but as soon as Jericho and Show got the belts, all of a sudden we had Cryme Tyme on PPV wrestling for the titles. Let me say that again: WE HAD CRYME TYME ON PPV!? That alone is enough to give my vote to Jericho, but then we also had The Legacy, and this Sunday against DX. Chris Jericho was the wrestler of the year last year, and IMO nobody did anything to knock that crown off his head. Chris Jericho is absolutely still the Wrestler of the Year.
psykohurricane
Championship Contender
For me personally, out of all the nominees in this category, i've got to go with C.M. Punk. Look at Punk's accomplishments this year. He began the year as I.C. champion, he won the money in the bank ladder match for the second time at wrestlemania and then won the world heavyweight championship 2 time over the summer. His program with Jeff Hardy was one of the best thing the WWE did in the last year and he's one of the best Heel the company has right now. The addition of Luke Gallows and the new look that Punk has just help him his characters going strong. This was Punk's year and out of every nominees in this category, he'S the only one that still entertains me.
burnout4200
Pre-Show Stalwart
I'm not a fan and I'm getting sick of him but even I gotta admit this was the year of Orton. He's consistently been the top dog even when Cena and Triple H stepped away from the main event. His feud with Triple H lasted half a year and it doesn't get the respect it deserves just because they've both been at the top of the card too long. I wish I could vote for someone else but I can't if I want to be honest. Jericho has done alot of good for the company but he hasn't been the stand out star that Orton has been.
My vote is going too AJ Styles, he has been incredible this year, after a rocky start too the year he became the first ever grandslam champion by defeating Booker T for the legends title which led to a series of good matches. Later on in the year he had a great best of three match up with Matt Morgan then after being part of the fatal four way at No Surrender he won the TNA world title and has been having a pretty good reign and had good matches with the likes of Kurt Angle, Sting and the amazing triple threat featuring Samoa Joe and Christopher Daniels. Speaking of Daniels, Styles has made him look like a real threat too his title and made me look even more forward to there match at Final Resolution.
Rey Mysterio would of been my second choice as his matches have been good all year round from the Elimination Chamber too the matches with Jericho too the matches with Ziggler and the awesome match with John Morrison on Smackdown which should be a contender for match of the year.
Rey Mysterio would of been my second choice as his matches have been good all year round from the Elimination Chamber too the matches with Jericho too the matches with Ziggler and the awesome match with John Morrison on Smackdown which should be a contender for match of the year.
Little Jerry Lawler
Sigmund Freud On Ritalin And Roids
To me this comes down to either C.M. Punk or Rey Mysterio. While Punk did a good job, I will have to give the nod to Rey Mysterio because he has a better and more consistent year than Punk. Punk was really good to me from June to September and everything else he did was okay but not great.
Mysterio was the star of the Elimination Chamber in February, put on a great match with Edge near Wrestlemania, had the feud of the year with Jericho during the summer, a good title match with Morrison in September, and is in a good feud with Batista now. I just feel that Mysterio has done more throughout the year than any of the candidates, even though he didn't win a world title.
Mysterio was the star of the Elimination Chamber in February, put on a great match with Edge near Wrestlemania, had the feud of the year with Jericho during the summer, a good title match with Morrison in September, and is in a good feud with Batista now. I just feel that Mysterio has done more throughout the year than any of the candidates, even though he didn't win a world title.
Its gotta be CM Punk this year. Before 2009, he was the "face of the midcard". Creative tried to give him a title reign in 2008, but he wasnt ready. Then came edge's injury, and wwe shat their pants. They turned Punk from a tweener type character to a full fledged heel, and he never looked back. He put on some great matches, for example a couple weeks ago on raw v Cena, or the TLC match at summerslam w/ Jeff. The whole Hardy storyline is the best angle of the year by leaps and bounds, all in all he turned himself into a true main eventer, and one of the top heels in the company, I cant wait to see what he does in 2010, Orton runner up IMO
I can't lie, AJ Styles has had a superb year. No, sorry. That should read, "I can't lie, AJ Styles hasn't had a superb year". I love AJ Styles - ask anyone. I campaigned long and hard (well, I made a thread or two) for him to become world heavyweight champion. Now that he is, it's, well, kind of underwhelming. His reign has shown signs of improving dramatically - though not to the extent to stop me typing this and go and watch iMPACT!, which is on right now - but I can't give him best wrestler of the year on the basis of that.
No, like I've already said, my vote goes to Punk. My vote is going to Punk for a whole lot of awards. This is the year that turned me into a full blown Punk mark. Before I was cynical and held a position not dissimilar to Slyfox or Will on Punk - he's got some potential but I don't see anything special. I was enraged when he won the Money in the Bank; I'd wanted Christian to win.
Punk made me a believer though. He captured the belt in a manner that wasn't that unexpected, but held genuine significance. He didn't rain on Jeff Hardy's parade, he pissed on it from a great height. His slow burn heel turn was done, well, not beautifully, but better than most things. The feud with Hardy just got better and better from that point. Punk cut some frankly awesome promos and had what I thought was match of the year with the TLC match at SummerSlam.
My runner up is therefore Jeff Hardy. Surprised?
No, like I've already said, my vote goes to Punk. My vote is going to Punk for a whole lot of awards. This is the year that turned me into a full blown Punk mark. Before I was cynical and held a position not dissimilar to Slyfox or Will on Punk - he's got some potential but I don't see anything special. I was enraged when he won the Money in the Bank; I'd wanted Christian to win.
Punk made me a believer though. He captured the belt in a manner that wasn't that unexpected, but held genuine significance. He didn't rain on Jeff Hardy's parade, he pissed on it from a great height. His slow burn heel turn was done, well, not beautifully, but better than most things. The feud with Hardy just got better and better from that point. Punk cut some frankly awesome promos and had what I thought was match of the year with the TLC match at SummerSlam.
My runner up is therefore Jeff Hardy. Surprised?
Hmm...Difficult choice, actually. Well, in spite of the guy's personal issues, and there are plenty of those, my vote is going to go to Kurt Angle. The guy continually busted his ass on a regular basis, in the main event of TNA. His reign with the TNA Title helped bring some interest back into a belt that, at first, had seemed to become less important under the reigns of Mick Foley and Sting. Every match Kurt competes in has an added feel of animosity towards it, and that added tension that makes matches so great. He legitimately brought Matt Morgan into the main event scene, and made a terrific leader for the Main Event Mafia. His work with Sting was something I always enjoyed, and his current work with Desmond Wolfe only proves to me that Kurt is the go to guy, for anything TNA needs done. He's the best worker in the business right now, and is the complete package. I'd be more tempted to vote in AJ if his promos weren't weak, but Angle has him beat on all merits of that. Simply put, Kurt is currently hitting on all cylinders for what's needed of a Wrestler of the Year candidate. He has almost no fault into his style of professional wrestling, aside from the fact you worry he's going to have a heart attack in the ring.
Anyway, while AJ is the franchise of TNA, Kurt Angle is the cornerstone, to build everything off of. He's built TNA to pretty much the point that it's at right now. So I have to go with Kurt Angle on this one.
Anyway, while AJ is the franchise of TNA, Kurt Angle is the cornerstone, to build everything off of. He's built TNA to pretty much the point that it's at right now. So I have to go with Kurt Angle on this one.
With minimal results. I'm a mahusive Kurt Angle fan. I even advocated him getting this award back in 2007. However, I just can't agree with voting for Kurt this year.
I had similar disinterest in the belt when it was on all three. Actually, I was minimally interested when Foley had the belt. At least that had "What the fuck?" value.
What even happened to that stable. One week it was dominating TNA, the next it had just kind of fizzled out. Maybe I blinked. Or blunk... Which is it again?
Good matches, but not on par with the stuff he produced in the WWE. Although his matches with Jeff Jarrett were getting there.
AJ's only slightly drier as a face than Kurt currently is. Prince AJ was, pardon me, phenomenal. At least AJ has that funny little Georgia accent going for him. Kurt's been consistently producing good promos for ten years. It gets old.
He seems in better shape lately.
What are we, nearly at a 1.3 now? That's at least a .2 increase since Angle joined three years ago.
Ok, let's discuss why.
Yes, but the point is that he made the belt
again. Now, instead of people just sort of meandering, the belt actually had some desire to it. It seemed as though everyone wanted to be champion, and knock Kurt off the mountain (pardon my use of puns, as well). The strength of AJ's reign is coming from three factors; his admittedly terrific matches, the story behind Daniels/AJ, and the newfound purpose of the the TNA Title. Started by Kurt Angle.
Kinda went on for a while, I thought. And to answer your question, it is blinked. Don't worry, you're good.
We can do smile faces all day, if we wanted. Anyway, it was the most enjoyable Sting had been in months. Again, he made Sting, and the TNA Title, important again.
Again, Angle in WWE was sublime. There's no repeating that. And I'll still take Angle in WWE over Styles in TNA. My preference
True, but since we're going by the process of the year, I get to use Angle as a heel, because he was just that save a couple days. And him as a heel is fantastic
He really does, doesn't he?
TNA would still be doing 1.3s with Hogan as champion.
Of course, that'll never happen...
I'm surprised how many votes are going to CM Punk. Indeed, Punk has had a great year, but I'm sticking with the guy who is the best at what he does, and that is Chris Jericho.
In terms of titles won, this has not been a standout year for Jericho, a man who has had numerous great WWE Title runs. However, he has held two other titles, the Intercontinental Title and the Tag Titles. While his IC run was short lived, it was certainly memorable for his unmasking angle with Rey Mysterio. His tag run has been very long lived, and has possibly elevated him to being the most hated man in the WWE. Not only did he win both these titles, but he has made us care about two belts that for the past few years were very overlooked by the fans.
Jericho's IC title feud with Rey Mysterio is much more important than his actual reign as champ, which lasted less than a month. Mysterio won the belt in less than memorable fashion at Wrestlemania, where he pinned JBL in a match that consisted of Mysterio being pummeled before the bell rang, then hitting a 619 and pinning JBL in 21 seconds. After finishing his feud with the legends (a topic I'll get to later), Jericho continued his holier-than thou persona and began attacking Mysterio for hiding behind a mask. After losing to Mysterio at Judgment Day, Jericho managed to take Mysterio's belt, and his mask at Extreme Rules. At The (Great American) Bash Jericho and Mysterio faced off in a Belt vs. Mask match, where if Mysterio lost, he'd have to unmask. Mysterio won by tricking Jericho by wearing two masks. Jericho wasn't done for the night, however, as he would later come out with Edge to win the tag titles by defeating the current champs, the Colons, and Legacy.
Now why was his IC title feud so important? Because each and every match Jericho and Mysterio put on was enjoyable. Some were even match of the year candidates. In this short time he feuded for this belt, he accomplished two huge things. First, he made us care about the IC belt, something Mysterio was unable to accomplish on his own or with JBL. Secondly, and more importantly, he elevated Mystrio's game. I was just one of many people who had grown bored with Mystrio constantly being in David vs. Goliath feuds that consisted of matches that were made of spots. Jericho and Mysterio put on great matches that made me care about Mysterio, and I literally was afraid the Mysterio might be unmasked. Whenever a wrestler brings out that level of emotion, you know they're doing something right.
Jericho's run with the belt has not been as important as his IC feud, and therefore I won't take as much time discussing it. He got thrown into the title match with Edge right before it started, and they pulled out a win. Edge got hurt a few weeks later, and Jericho revealed his new partner to be The Big Show. While many might argue that this killed the future of the tag division (it is fairly inconceivable that a team like Cryme Tyme or Legacy will be able to dethrone Jerishow), Jericho took over Edge's place as the most hated man in the WWE. When he came out and told the audience that Edge was weak and unreliable, they booed the hell out of him. Had anyone else come out and trash talked Edge, they would have been cheered for slamming the biggest heel, but Jericho got showered with boos.
Finally, Jericho can also be remembered for his Legends feud that started during the build up to Wrestlemania and ended at Backlash. In this feud he would harass and embarrass legends such as Jimmy Snuka, Roddy Piper, and Ric Flair. He would go on to face Snuka, Piper, and a surprisingly skilled Ricky Steamboat. He was victorious over these three and then beat up Ric Flair following the match, only to be punched in the face by Mickey Rourke. Jericho then put on a great match with The Dragon at Backlash, which Jericho once again won. While this feud did not have the long term implications his other two feuds did, he certainly made the best out of what could have been a disastrous situation, though Steamboat can also be given some of the credit. Snuka and Piper had nothing in their Wrestlemania match, and it still managed to be one of the best matches of the night because of Jericho and Steamboat. I don't believe anyone else could have pulled that match out like Jericho.
This was quite a busy year for Jericho, who I do believe is the best at what he does. I don't think it will be very long before we see him back in the WHC picture on Smackdown, and I truly look forward to seeing who is his next victim.
In terms of titles won, this has not been a standout year for Jericho, a man who has had numerous great WWE Title runs. However, he has held two other titles, the Intercontinental Title and the Tag Titles. While his IC run was short lived, it was certainly memorable for his unmasking angle with Rey Mysterio. His tag run has been very long lived, and has possibly elevated him to being the most hated man in the WWE. Not only did he win both these titles, but he has made us care about two belts that for the past few years were very overlooked by the fans.
Jericho's IC title feud with Rey Mysterio is much more important than his actual reign as champ, which lasted less than a month. Mysterio won the belt in less than memorable fashion at Wrestlemania, where he pinned JBL in a match that consisted of Mysterio being pummeled before the bell rang, then hitting a 619 and pinning JBL in 21 seconds. After finishing his feud with the legends (a topic I'll get to later), Jericho continued his holier-than thou persona and began attacking Mysterio for hiding behind a mask. After losing to Mysterio at Judgment Day, Jericho managed to take Mysterio's belt, and his mask at Extreme Rules. At The (Great American) Bash Jericho and Mysterio faced off in a Belt vs. Mask match, where if Mysterio lost, he'd have to unmask. Mysterio won by tricking Jericho by wearing two masks. Jericho wasn't done for the night, however, as he would later come out with Edge to win the tag titles by defeating the current champs, the Colons, and Legacy.
Now why was his IC title feud so important? Because each and every match Jericho and Mysterio put on was enjoyable. Some were even match of the year candidates. In this short time he feuded for this belt, he accomplished two huge things. First, he made us care about the IC belt, something Mysterio was unable to accomplish on his own or with JBL. Secondly, and more importantly, he elevated Mystrio's game. I was just one of many people who had grown bored with Mystrio constantly being in David vs. Goliath feuds that consisted of matches that were made of spots. Jericho and Mysterio put on great matches that made me care about Mysterio, and I literally was afraid the Mysterio might be unmasked. Whenever a wrestler brings out that level of emotion, you know they're doing something right.
Jericho's run with the belt has not been as important as his IC feud, and therefore I won't take as much time discussing it. He got thrown into the title match with Edge right before it started, and they pulled out a win. Edge got hurt a few weeks later, and Jericho revealed his new partner to be The Big Show. While many might argue that this killed the future of the tag division (it is fairly inconceivable that a team like Cryme Tyme or Legacy will be able to dethrone Jerishow), Jericho took over Edge's place as the most hated man in the WWE. When he came out and told the audience that Edge was weak and unreliable, they booed the hell out of him. Had anyone else come out and trash talked Edge, they would have been cheered for slamming the biggest heel, but Jericho got showered with boos.
Finally, Jericho can also be remembered for his Legends feud that started during the build up to Wrestlemania and ended at Backlash. In this feud he would harass and embarrass legends such as Jimmy Snuka, Roddy Piper, and Ric Flair. He would go on to face Snuka, Piper, and a surprisingly skilled Ricky Steamboat. He was victorious over these three and then beat up Ric Flair following the match, only to be punched in the face by Mickey Rourke. Jericho then put on a great match with The Dragon at Backlash, which Jericho once again won. While this feud did not have the long term implications his other two feuds did, he certainly made the best out of what could have been a disastrous situation, though Steamboat can also be given some of the credit. Snuka and Piper had nothing in their Wrestlemania match, and it still managed to be one of the best matches of the night because of Jericho and Steamboat. I don't believe anyone else could have pulled that match out like Jericho.
This was quite a busy year for Jericho, who I do believe is the best at what he does. I don't think it will be very long before we see him back in the WHC picture on Smackdown, and I truly look forward to seeing who is his next victim.
CM Punk, no doubt. People absolutely hated the fact that he won the Money in the Bank match this year, thinking that it would be a piss poor readventure to 2008 and the complete mishandling of Punk as champion during that run.
However, Punk made the transition to Tweener to out right heel (which is a damnation against the WWE, because CM Punk is probably the best actual face in the company given the platform on which he performs.)
Punk made Jeff Hardy interesting after Jeff Hardy had one of the worst feuds I have ever watched with his brother Matt. Punk also looked damn good against the Undertaker before the Ole' WWE Political Machine saw fit to knock him back down a peg.
However, Punk made the transition to Tweener to out right heel (which is a damnation against the WWE, because CM Punk is probably the best actual face in the company given the platform on which he performs.)
Punk made Jeff Hardy interesting after Jeff Hardy had one of the worst feuds I have ever watched with his brother Matt. Punk also looked damn good against the Undertaker before the Ole' WWE Political Machine saw fit to knock him back down a peg.
Kurt's such an obvious and oft returned to choice for world champion that putting the belt on him has about as much meaning as putting it on a hat rack. The fact that he's really the only legitimate superstar in the company is both a gift and a curse. Sure, he's the company's figurehead but it's not as if the company had much choice. It'll be interesting to see what happens when his competition is an aged Hulk Hogan and not simply an aged Sting, an aged Mick Foley and an aged Jeff Jarrett.
I'd argue that the belt doesn't have much purpose. Belts have been criticised for being mere props before, but in the TNA Title's case it's actually true. What little purpose the title does have I would argue that AJ put into it.
Comparatively important. Sting's been a tired husk of his former self ever since he joined TNA. Any match that he looks at all decent in makes his opponent look good.
Well yeah.
I concur. It's the TNA effect.
As it is, I think this year of Angle in TNA has been the clearest example yet that he's a big fish in a little pond.
This award has to go to CM Punk. He started this year as the face Punk and he became the only person to win the money in the bank twice in a row. He then had some good matches with Kane and Umaga and then he cashed in his contract to have one of the greatest heel turns of all time. He rained on Hardy's parade and became the preachy heel we see today.
He had a great feud with Hardy, one of the best I've seen in a long time. He produced some great matches with Hardy accompanied by great promos. Even after Hardy left he still brought it to the table. He was lost for a while after he lost the title but has come back bringing R Truth and Festus to a new level. With his new partnership with Festus he's going to end the year just as good.
He had a great feud with Hardy, one of the best I've seen in a long time. He produced some great matches with Hardy accompanied by great promos. Even after Hardy left he still brought it to the table. He was lost for a while after he lost the title but has come back bringing R Truth and Festus to a new level. With his new partnership with Festus he's going to end the year just as good.
Jack-Hammer
YOU WILL RESPECT MY AUTHORITAH!!!!
Pretty tough choice. When I look over the course of the year, I don't think any wrestler has made more of an impression and stepped his game up in every measurable way anymore than CM Punk has. I always thought Punk had potential and could do some pretty entertaining things if given a chance. Well, he was given a chance and it really paid off.
Punk has been in some great matches this year, some great feuds and has cut some of, if not the very best promos this year. While I think that the WWE has missed a few opportunities to get Punk even more over than he is, Punk has shown that he can really be a main event caliber wrestler this year.
Punk has been in some great matches this year, some great feuds and has cut some of, if not the very best promos this year. While I think that the WWE has missed a few opportunities to get Punk even more over than he is, Punk has shown that he can really be a main event caliber wrestler this year.
In my mind, this award comes down to four individuals: Randy Orton, CM Punk, A.J. Styles, and Jeff Hardy. All four of the individuals are deserving of this award. Let's take a look at their year's to determine which one should be Best Wrestler of the Year.
Orton started out the year with a bang by winning the 2009 Royal Rumble. He would go on the challenge Triple H for the WWE Championship at Wrestlemania 25. Despite the fact that Orton lost the match at Wrestlemania, he developed a long running feud with both Triple H and Batista. He would claim his third WWE Championship in an unusual fashion, by pinning Triple H in a six man tag match at Backlash. Orton would lose the title to Batista in a Steel Cage Match at Extreme Rules, but Batista would be injured and the title would go right back around his waist, winning a Fatal Four Way match on Raw against Triple H, Big Show, and John Cena. He would hold the title almost three months after that before he embroiled himself in a nice feud with John Cena, where the two traded the belt twice. At the end of the year, his production has dropped off, but I enjoy the feud with Kofi Kingston because it gives Orton a nice heated non-title feud on the year.
CM Punk's year started out with an Intercontinental Title feud against William Regal, which ended with Punk winning the championship and becoming the 19th Triple Crown winner in surprisingly fast fashion. After dropping the title to JBL, Punk would go to Wrestlemania and become the only wrestler to win back-to-back Money in the Bank matches. He would leave Raw for Smackdown via the draft and go into a feud with the late Umaga. Those two traded blows before the feud ended at Extreme Rules, as Punk won in a "Samoan Strap Match". Just before the pay per view ended, Punk would cash in his "Money in the Bank" contract on Jeff Hardy after his brutal ladder match against Edge. The result would be Punk winning his second consecutive World Heavyweight Championship on a Money in the Bank cash in. The move would lead to Punk's heel turn and a great feud with Hardy. The two fought in the pay per views to following, including the incredible TLC match that the two had at SummerSlam. In the end, Punk would defeat Hardy in a match where the loser had to leave WWE. Then the Undertaker feud began, as he reappeared in the WWE after the TLC Match at SummerSlam and assaulted Punk. The two fought in a re-work of the Montreal Screwjob at Breaking Point. Punk would lose the championship to Undertaker at Hell in a Cell after Punk ended up in the "doghouse" with WWE Management. The rest of the year has seen a tremendous downfall, as Punk has continued to work his "straightedge" gimmick further. He has since feuded with R-Truth and aligned himself with Luke Gallows, aka Festus.
On to Jeff Hardy now. He started out the year in his first reign as the WWE Champion, but had to deal with brutal attacks at the hands of a mystery man. Hardy would only hold the belt a short amount of time, as he would lose to Edge at the Royal Rumble and we would find out Matt Hardy was the man behind the attacks. The two fought to a feud all the way to Wrestlemania in an Extreme Rules match that somewhat disappointed. Hardy vs. Hardy continued in matches on Smackdown and finally finished at Backlash, when Jeff defeated Matt in an "I Quit" match. Hardy would instantly go into a feud with Edge and the two fought in one of the year's best matches, a ladder match. The ending saw Hardy pull Edge through the rungs of the latter and climb his way to the top and win his first World Heavyweight Championship and second world championship reign overall. However, CM Punk would cash in his "Money in the Bank" contract on Hardy and win the title. The two fought in a brutal feud that saw Punk retain at the Bash, Hardy win at Night of Champions and finally another instant classic from Hardy on the year; a TLC match at SummerSlam between Punk and Hardy. Punk would win the championship after knocking Hardy off the ladder. The two would fight one final time on Smackdown in a Cage Match, where the loser left the WWE. Punk would escape the Cage and let Hardy kayfably leave after his contract expired. Will we see Jeff Hardy again? I would think so, but nothing is certain. I would love to see a Punk/Hardy feud at Wrestlemania, with him returning at the Royal Rumble, but I doubt that happens.
Finally, we have A.J. Styles. He would start out the year feuding with Kurt Angle. He would move from that feud after getting kayfabe injured and go into a feud with then Legends Champion Booker T. At March's Destination X, Styles would win the Legend's Championship and become the only man to win the TNA Grand Slam Championship. Styles would defend his championship at the Sacrifice pay per view, after Jenna Morasca threw in the towel for Booker during an "I Quit" match. Styles would go on to compete in the TNA World Heavyweight Championship match at Slammiversary Seven, but failed after Samoa Joe turned heel and helped Angle win the belt. Styles would lose his Legend's Championship to Kevin Nash (in a horrible match) at Victory Road. His bid for a claim at the TNA Championship would be denied by Matt Morgan, who defeated him in a Best of Three series to advance to a triple threat match at Hard Justice. Styles kayfabe retired, but Sting talked him back into wrestling. At the No Surrender pay per view, Styles would win a five way match against Angle (then champion), Matt Morgan, Sting, and Hernandez to win his first ever TNA Heavyweight Championship and became a four-time World Heavyweight Champion in the process. Styles first title defense was against Sting at Bound for Glory IV, which was billed as possibly Sting's final match. Styles would come out victorious in a match that somewhat disappointed. Styles second defense was a remake of the very popular "Unbreakable 2005" match between himself, Samoa Joe, and Daniels. He would retain, but wasn't finished with Daniels. Styles will defend his championship this Sunday against Daniels.
After looking at these resumes, it is hard to give one wrestler the award because these four have done well. However, I give my vote to Randy Orton. The guy finally got the chance to have a year to himself and he delivered. "The Viper" delivered in getting heat in his feuds with Triple H by kissing wife. He continued to make the punt an effective tool that knocks out opponents. He put out Triple H and Batista (although through storyline), which helped his bad guy cred. He also added Royal Rumble winner to his resume, which helps make him legitimate. The formation of Legacy also made him "Triple H-esk" or "Ric Flair-esk" in the fact that he had his own stable of goons to lead. His feud with Cena was very memorable and brutal with the trading of titles. He is still delivering even now in his feud with Kofi Kingston.
I would give a close second to CM Punk. He is the fastest man to a Triple Crown Championship, taking seven months to win the World Heavyweight, Intercontinental, and World Tag Team Championships. His feud with Jeff Hardy will be the most remembered thing for Punk this year. The reason I gave the nod to Orton because Orton has delivered all year, where as Punk has had some down moments (feud with Umaga and here recently with R-Truth). I know a lot of that is poor booking of the wrestler, but I still would make the argument that Orton is just a tad bit better this year than Punk.
Orton started out the year with a bang by winning the 2009 Royal Rumble. He would go on the challenge Triple H for the WWE Championship at Wrestlemania 25. Despite the fact that Orton lost the match at Wrestlemania, he developed a long running feud with both Triple H and Batista. He would claim his third WWE Championship in an unusual fashion, by pinning Triple H in a six man tag match at Backlash. Orton would lose the title to Batista in a Steel Cage Match at Extreme Rules, but Batista would be injured and the title would go right back around his waist, winning a Fatal Four Way match on Raw against Triple H, Big Show, and John Cena. He would hold the title almost three months after that before he embroiled himself in a nice feud with John Cena, where the two traded the belt twice. At the end of the year, his production has dropped off, but I enjoy the feud with Kofi Kingston because it gives Orton a nice heated non-title feud on the year.
CM Punk's year started out with an Intercontinental Title feud against William Regal, which ended with Punk winning the championship and becoming the 19th Triple Crown winner in surprisingly fast fashion. After dropping the title to JBL, Punk would go to Wrestlemania and become the only wrestler to win back-to-back Money in the Bank matches. He would leave Raw for Smackdown via the draft and go into a feud with the late Umaga. Those two traded blows before the feud ended at Extreme Rules, as Punk won in a "Samoan Strap Match". Just before the pay per view ended, Punk would cash in his "Money in the Bank" contract on Jeff Hardy after his brutal ladder match against Edge. The result would be Punk winning his second consecutive World Heavyweight Championship on a Money in the Bank cash in. The move would lead to Punk's heel turn and a great feud with Hardy. The two fought in the pay per views to following, including the incredible TLC match that the two had at SummerSlam. In the end, Punk would defeat Hardy in a match where the loser had to leave WWE. Then the Undertaker feud began, as he reappeared in the WWE after the TLC Match at SummerSlam and assaulted Punk. The two fought in a re-work of the Montreal Screwjob at Breaking Point. Punk would lose the championship to Undertaker at Hell in a Cell after Punk ended up in the "doghouse" with WWE Management. The rest of the year has seen a tremendous downfall, as Punk has continued to work his "straightedge" gimmick further. He has since feuded with R-Truth and aligned himself with Luke Gallows, aka Festus.
On to Jeff Hardy now. He started out the year in his first reign as the WWE Champion, but had to deal with brutal attacks at the hands of a mystery man. Hardy would only hold the belt a short amount of time, as he would lose to Edge at the Royal Rumble and we would find out Matt Hardy was the man behind the attacks. The two fought to a feud all the way to Wrestlemania in an Extreme Rules match that somewhat disappointed. Hardy vs. Hardy continued in matches on Smackdown and finally finished at Backlash, when Jeff defeated Matt in an "I Quit" match. Hardy would instantly go into a feud with Edge and the two fought in one of the year's best matches, a ladder match. The ending saw Hardy pull Edge through the rungs of the latter and climb his way to the top and win his first World Heavyweight Championship and second world championship reign overall. However, CM Punk would cash in his "Money in the Bank" contract on Hardy and win the title. The two fought in a brutal feud that saw Punk retain at the Bash, Hardy win at Night of Champions and finally another instant classic from Hardy on the year; a TLC match at SummerSlam between Punk and Hardy. Punk would win the championship after knocking Hardy off the ladder. The two would fight one final time on Smackdown in a Cage Match, where the loser left the WWE. Punk would escape the Cage and let Hardy kayfably leave after his contract expired. Will we see Jeff Hardy again? I would think so, but nothing is certain. I would love to see a Punk/Hardy feud at Wrestlemania, with him returning at the Royal Rumble, but I doubt that happens.
Finally, we have A.J. Styles. He would start out the year feuding with Kurt Angle. He would move from that feud after getting kayfabe injured and go into a feud with then Legends Champion Booker T. At March's Destination X, Styles would win the Legend's Championship and become the only man to win the TNA Grand Slam Championship. Styles would defend his championship at the Sacrifice pay per view, after Jenna Morasca threw in the towel for Booker during an "I Quit" match. Styles would go on to compete in the TNA World Heavyweight Championship match at Slammiversary Seven, but failed after Samoa Joe turned heel and helped Angle win the belt. Styles would lose his Legend's Championship to Kevin Nash (in a horrible match) at Victory Road. His bid for a claim at the TNA Championship would be denied by Matt Morgan, who defeated him in a Best of Three series to advance to a triple threat match at Hard Justice. Styles kayfabe retired, but Sting talked him back into wrestling. At the No Surrender pay per view, Styles would win a five way match against Angle (then champion), Matt Morgan, Sting, and Hernandez to win his first ever TNA Heavyweight Championship and became a four-time World Heavyweight Champion in the process. Styles first title defense was against Sting at Bound for Glory IV, which was billed as possibly Sting's final match. Styles would come out victorious in a match that somewhat disappointed. Styles second defense was a remake of the very popular "Unbreakable 2005" match between himself, Samoa Joe, and Daniels. He would retain, but wasn't finished with Daniels. Styles will defend his championship this Sunday against Daniels.
After looking at these resumes, it is hard to give one wrestler the award because these four have done well. However, I give my vote to Randy Orton. The guy finally got the chance to have a year to himself and he delivered. "The Viper" delivered in getting heat in his feuds with Triple H by kissing wife. He continued to make the punt an effective tool that knocks out opponents. He put out Triple H and Batista (although through storyline), which helped his bad guy cred. He also added Royal Rumble winner to his resume, which helps make him legitimate. The formation of Legacy also made him "Triple H-esk" or "Ric Flair-esk" in the fact that he had his own stable of goons to lead. His feud with Cena was very memorable and brutal with the trading of titles. He is still delivering even now in his feud with Kofi Kingston.
I would give a close second to CM Punk. He is the fastest man to a Triple Crown Championship, taking seven months to win the World Heavyweight, Intercontinental, and World Tag Team Championships. His feud with Jeff Hardy will be the most remembered thing for Punk this year. The reason I gave the nod to Orton because Orton has delivered all year, where as Punk has had some down moments (feud with Umaga and here recently with R-Truth). I know a lot of that is poor booking of the wrestler, but I still would make the argument that Orton is just a tad bit better this year than Punk.
How Mysterio isn't winning this I will never know? He put on some of the best matches the WWE seen all year. His work in the elimination chamber was top notch. The showdown with Edge was great, his Ziggler feud was good and I thought there match at SS was good too. His Morrison match was a great PPV match. So it was an exceptional TV match. Also his Jericho feud was the best feud all year, plus he had like four great matches out of that feud, one at Extreme Rules, The Bash, Judgement Day, and didnt he have that good match at the 3hr show with Jericho? He has been the most consistent wrestler all year, from feuds to matches. He should win this award.
Blue Chipper
Shapeshifting Humanoid
I'm going with Randy Orton. He was tearing it up all year. He is likely the number one heel, and, as so, receives heel heat that's second to none. He was involved in numerous storylines that he played a big part in making entertaining. His feud with Triple H was great, largely due to Orton's heel character; he made the feud personal. Every storyline he's been involved with has been fairly interesting, and he deserves a lot of the credit. His in-ring work has been good as well, though some will say it's boring because he knows how to play a heel. Randy Orton's my vote.
I voted for John Cena. Yes, I'm a Cena mark, but he has been involved with good feuds all year and also remained in the world title scene for most of the year. Some may disagree because of the long feud with Big Show that got a little boring, or when he kept switching back and forth with Orton as WWE Champion.... but take away those two things and Cena has had a really great 2009 because of things like his victory at Wrestlemania, the Iron Man match, great promos on Raw every week this year, and he simply was entertaining all year. I can't say the same about some of the other choices in this poll because most of them had severe low points this year and Cena didn't. He wins "best wrestler of the year" for me because of that.
ÐаÑбоÑа
doesn't know REAL wrestling...
Over the whole year, I think that there is only one winner of the Wrestler of the Year award. Others have shown sparks or extended periods of brilliance - CM Punk, Jeff Hardy, AJ Styles, Randy Orton - but only one has been ever-present at the top level on the mic and in the ring.
Chris Jericho.
The WWE's resident trouble-shooter. Carrying on from last years epic feud with HBK, he has helped reinvigorate the IC title with Rey Mysterio, the Tag Titles with Show and an Old School contest with Ricky Steamboat
Chris Jericho.
The WWE's resident trouble-shooter. Carrying on from last years epic feud with HBK, he has helped reinvigorate the IC title with Rey Mysterio, the Tag Titles with Show and an Old School contest with Ricky Steamboat
Chris Jericho might have put on weight but he's still one of my favourite wrestlers, even if he isn't all that good. I mean, his gimmick of being a sophisticated wordsmith would be somewhat more believable if he was, well, a sophisticated wordsmith. He had some pretty good matches with Rey Mysterio, even if we were all thinking how much better it would have been ten years ago. And yeah, his work with the Big Show was not as mediocre as everything else to do with tag teams this year, so he definitely deserves tag team of the year.
Extra points for striking a woman and homophobic comments.
Extra points for striking a woman and homophobic comments.
I went with Randy Orton.
Randy Orton had sucess, entertainment value, great matches, and even helped create superstars.
A) In terms of sucess, this superstar was superb this year. He held the WWE title 3 diffrent times this year alone. From April, into October was the reign of Orton.
B) The Entertainment Value Randy Orton provided this year, in his feud with the McMahons, John Cena, and now Kofi Kingston has been outstanding. During WWE's stale times I still turned on my television in order to see Randy Orton perform one more night.
C) Randy Orton had many, many great matches over the past year. While many of them seemed to be overshadowed by silly IWC fans attempting to bash Triple H as per usual, he and Triple H put on some of the best matches all year. He and John Cena put on some VERY good matches. Now, he and Kofi are putting on some of the best matches we've seen to date.
D) Orton created more superstars, than any other superstar on the roster did. Kofi Kingston, Ted DiBiase, and Cody Rhodes all owe much of their current sucess to Randy Orton. Orton isn't simply hogging the Main Event scene, hes willing to help bring up upper midcard guys, and put them over into greatness. I get the feeling we're about to have a Jeff Hardy type effect with Kofi Kingston, and that alone will be all worth what Randy Orton is doing for this young mans career.
VOTE:
Randy Orton
Randy Orton had sucess, entertainment value, great matches, and even helped create superstars.
A) In terms of sucess, this superstar was superb this year. He held the WWE title 3 diffrent times this year alone. From April, into October was the reign of Orton.
B) The Entertainment Value Randy Orton provided this year, in his feud with the McMahons, John Cena, and now Kofi Kingston has been outstanding. During WWE's stale times I still turned on my television in order to see Randy Orton perform one more night.
C) Randy Orton had many, many great matches over the past year. While many of them seemed to be overshadowed by silly IWC fans attempting to bash Triple H as per usual, he and Triple H put on some of the best matches all year. He and John Cena put on some VERY good matches. Now, he and Kofi are putting on some of the best matches we've seen to date.
D) Orton created more superstars, than any other superstar on the roster did. Kofi Kingston, Ted DiBiase, and Cody Rhodes all owe much of their current sucess to Randy Orton. Orton isn't simply hogging the Main Event scene, hes willing to help bring up upper midcard guys, and put them over into greatness. I get the feeling we're about to have a Jeff Hardy type effect with Kofi Kingston, and that alone will be all worth what Randy Orton is doing for this young mans career.
VOTE:
Randy Orton
- Status