Superstar of the Year

[The Man of Steel]

So the 2014 Slammy Award Winners have been announced.

The one that caught many by surprise was Superstar of the Year, Roman Reigns.

Some feel he dosent deserve it and was handed it by WWE. Then again, it was allegedly voted by the fans so, what can you do?

Do you agree with the winner? If not, who do you think should have won?

My choice; Brock Lesnar.

Ends the Streak and DOMINATES John Cena in the main event of SummerSlam, capturing the WWE World Heavyweight Championship.

Sure, he is part time but what a 2014.

 

[DontshowfearBunny]

I just dont buy it. Reigns has been out since September. Lets face it, we've all seen and heard about the extraordinary lengths WWE will go to just to make him look strong. You would think for someone who supposedly has the "it" factor, they wouldnt be so freaking nervous and paranoid about someone possibly outshining him. Reigns isnt going to reach for the brass ring, it is going to be handed to him.

 

[MartialHorror]

I didn't really like any of the choices, although I have to concede that they were the only options. Reigns MIGHT deserve it though the most as he had the most consistent career of 2014.

I don't like the idea of Lesnar getting it because of his part time schedule. I see the op's reasoning, but to me, Lesnar can't capitalize on this gifted heat because he's not around enough. Case in point, he's hated for beating the Undertaker, but then he's gone so long that the fans start to miss him. When he returned, he actually got cheers over babyface Cena.

Daniel Bryan would deserve it if his injury didn't stop him. That sucked. Ambrose, Rollins and Wyatt have been booked so poorly that even though they've all had their high moments, I feel WWE is hurting all three men at the moment. Reigns might be the least talented of all these people and I feel WWE has forced him down our throats, but he stayed on the top for the longest.

 

[Fire Marshall Bill]

Wrestling is scripted? The hell you say!

Personally I think this is proof the voting can be rigged, but I see no real problem with it. WWE is simply trying to keep Reigns in relevant and in the public eye. They've been doing the same thing with DB and I see few people bitching about that because it's DB. The main gripe I hear about that is them doing it with the Brie Bella storyline.

Frankly, if it were me, my choice would've been DB. His story up through and past WM was so huge that nothing this year beats it. However, if not, the only thing close would be the Shield. I'd have had a hard time picking between Rollins and Reigns. If it truly is a fan vote though, would you really think they'd pick a heel?

 

[kingofkings1]

I can't believe that... This year was Daniel Bryan's year because of what he did at wrestlemania 30 and before wm30. He was injured but u can't count him out.

 

[snazzy]

I don't really see the issue.

He broke records at the Royal Rumble, being one of the last two left.
He had an incredible match against the Wyatts as part of the Shield at EC.
He was part of the winning team at Wrestlemania.
He was in a MOTY nominee and pinned Batista at Extreme Rules.
He had another great match with the Shield at Payback where he pinned both Batista and Triple H (not many can say that).
He was in the main event at MITB and Battleground which were WWE World Heavyweight Championship matches.
He pinned Orton to win at Summerslam (another big feather in the cap).
He pinned Seth Rollins cleanly (at that time, Rollins was on a roll (no pun intended)).
We assume he would have gone on to pin Rollins at NOC.

When you look at that, the opponents he pinned, coupled with the fact they were all clean pins, I do not see another Superstar of the Year nominee who was as consistent (booking wise) as Reigns. He missed two months of action due to injury. How many did Bryan miss? Sure the storyline was perhaps more engaging but nowhere near as consistent over the year as Reigns. Put simply in terms of booking, he is untouchable compared to the other nominees. Now if you're factoring in charisma into the superstar of the year you may have a point but regardless I have no bones to pick about this award and fully believe many casual fans would have voted for him. Large sections of the IWC simply do not like handpicked favourites. The majority like to choose their own (ego? who knows).

 

[Jack-Hammer]

Honestly, I just don't see it because apart from his time in The Shield, Roman Reigns hasn't really done squat. Most of those on the list have, in my opinion, had a more productive year than Reigns has as a singles wrestler.

Daniel Bryan - Even though he's been out for half a year, the first half of 2014 was more spectacular than anything Reigns has done by far. Bryan's night at WrestleMania XXX alone was bigger than Reigns' entire career thus far.

John Cena - Well...I mean it's John Cena. Cena won his 15th World Championship this year, had feuds with The Authority & Brock Lesnar and he's currently in line to face Lesnar again.

Brock Lesnar - Lesnar ending the streak in and of itself was a huge deal. It was genuinely the biggest surprise of the year, one of the biggest surprises in many years in fact, and Lesnar handed John Cena the most lopsided loss of his entire career to win the WWE World Heavyweight Championship.

Seth Rollins - Rollins has been a centerpiece for the main event storylines for the past few months, he became The Authority's new golden boy, he captured the Money in the Bank briefcase that all but guarantees that he'll be champion.

I don't buy into it, quite frankly. I don't know if all the Slammy Awards were fixed, but I believe this one was. Reigns hasn't had the sort of accomplishments as the four guys I mentioned and I don't believe he has the legit popularity at this point to legitimately beat out Cena or Bryan. I think it's all the beginning of the hype machine for Reigns eventually taking on Lesnar.

 

[Rayne]

Of course these awards are fixed. It's not a real awards show, like the Posters Tournament, but a fake awards show, like the Oscars. As short of an attention span as the professional wrestling collective consciousness has, there's no freakin' way a majority of voters chose him over another candidate who's been doing something for the past three months.

So, Roman Reigns is coming back, real soon. They'll probably hold off his re-introduction until the Royal Rumble, but this will keep his name in people's minds while they wait for that.

 

[Navi]

I don't buy into it, quite frankly. I don't know if all the Slammy Awards were fixed, but I believe this one was. Reigns hasn't had the sort of accomplishments as the four guys I mentioned and I don't believe he has the legit popularity at this point to legitimately beat out Cena or Bryan. I think it's all the beginning of the hype machine for Reigns eventually taking on Lesnar.

This.

I'm a fan of Roman Reigns but I don't think he deserved to win this award this year anyway. He's done nothing really of note.

Yes he was part of the Shield, but he was one of three. The other two Ambrose/Rollins went on to have one of the best feuds of the year. Rollins is the number one heel in the company right now, and Ambrose is crazy over, and he got there by himself. I can't believe that with Reigns being out for the last few months, he is still more popular than Ambrose. Anything he did as a member of the Shield should also reflect on the other's as well.

Lesnar I couldn't really see winning. Yes he broke the streak and all but beat the tar out of Cena, but he's been around so little that giving him the award would have been a joke. Four matches in a year no matter what they are shouldn't mean you're Superstar of the Year.

This should have been Daniel Bryan's award to lose. He had a fantastic year and owed the first half of it. His injury is what has cost him but I still can't believe Reigns is more popular than he is. The pop that Bryan got a couple of weeks ago when he hosted RAW compared to the pop Reigns got last night was quite telling. If this was a vote based on fan votes alone, there is no way Roman Reigns should have won.

 

[Mustang Sally]

I'm a fan of Roman Reigns but I don't think he deserved to win this award this year anyway. He's done nothing really of note.

I have mixed feelings about it. While he's been gone a large portion of the year, it seems the WWE machine based this award on what Reigns was scheduled to do in '14..... and had his health allowed it, I think he would have been a hands-down choice for the honor. I believe the plans the company had for him were so enormous that the award would have been a given....and the thing is, he already would have accomplished a lot of it had he been around, surely leading to his winning the title from Brock at WM31.

I can just imagine the disappointment and consternation on the part of WWE management when the extent of his injuries became known. The fact he was given the award despite his absence could be an indication they plan to follow through with plans in April despite the lengthy absence.

Personally, I think the MVP should have gone to Brock Lesnar, despite my agreeing with many of you that his part-time status dulls enthusiasm for this choice.

Fact is, of the available candidates, Brock, Daniel and Reigns were all part-timers for one reason or another, making the category less important.....but what Brock accomplished in his abbreviated association with WWE in '14 is incredible. Ending pro wrestling's greatest streak and beating the living hell out of it's #1 man? IMO, no one else in sports entertainment did anything that could measure up to either one of those things. For one man to do both is overwhelming.

Finally, of course the voting is fixed. Do you think WWE is going to take a chance of having the fans pick the "wrong" performer? Management probably determined that Roman Reigns was going to win this award even before he got injured.....and saw no reason to upset the applecart.

And so it goes......

 

[The Samoan Heritage]

I don't really see the issue.

He broke records at the Royal Rumble, being one of the last two left.
He had an incredible match against the Wyatts as part of the Shield at EC.
He was part of the winning team at Wrestlemania.
He was in a MOTY nominee and pinned Batista at Extreme Rules.
He had another great match with the Shield at Payback where he pinned both Batista and Triple H (not many can say that).
He was in the main event at MITB and Battleground which were WWE World Heavyweight Championship matches.
He pinned Orton to win at Summerslam (another big feather in the cap).
He pinned Seth Rollins cleanly (at that time, Rollins was on a roll (no pun intended)).
We assume he would have gone on to pin Rollins at NOC.

I haven't watched Raw yet, but when I heard that Reigns won SOTY I was surprised. People can argue that Bryan and Lesnar wasn't there the full year, but you can't deny no one accomplished as much as they did this year. I think Reigns was the right choice,(by the fans or wwe) since Lesnar and Bryan wasn't there atleast 2/3rds of the year. Then Ambrose and Wyatt didn't accomplish much this year, except getting nominated for match of the year. And rollins, though he has been the co focal point with the authority all year, he didn't get the type of huge victo:ries (most of Rollins victories were over mid/upper mid carders) that Reigns has gotten this year.

 

[L@RISANO]

Obviously, this award was fixed. There is absolutely no question about that.


However, this was obviously done as a way to bring back Roman Reigns as he is nearing full fitness and an in-ring comeback.
Also, as mentioned above, IF they want him to face Brock Lesnar, they need to hype his credentials up as much as possible, and this was a great way to start.


I didn't expect the award to reflect the actual votes at all, in any case, as it would only make sense to give it to someone for whom some benefit can be derived, as such, my money was on Lesnar, Rollins or Cena.

However, on further analysis, what would either of those 3 guys gain from winning a slammy?
Seth Rollins won some others, and given he already has MitB and is in the No.1 contendership match at TLC.
Brock Lesnar already has the title, and wasn't even there anyways.
John Cena is John Cena.

Daniel Bryan is injured and doesn't seem to be quite ready to make a comeback, thus it leaves us with ONE candidate who it makes sense to give and such an award would be of immediate benefit going forward.


Seems a pretty simple explanation when you look at it.
Whether it proves to be popular is another matter altogether given the kind of strong booking and push Roman Reigns is obviously set to resume getting when he makes a full return, is another question altogether...

 

[GooN3rs4LIFE]

Roman reigns is who I voted for, mainly because he has broke a record and has been consistently around the top of the roster.

Obviously Brock lesnar has had a brilliant year beating the streak, destroying cena, winning the title and I think he has won every match this year. The problem is he is part timer and doesn't need it, however Roman reigns can use it to prove how good he is.

I am just so glad DB did not win it, he is too boring and I just don't like watching him. He won the championship at wrestlemania but didn't deserve to get the championship shot anyway which was dreadful. He lost to bray wyatt who hadn't been in WWE that long and only just beat triple H in a boring match.

TBQH I am just very glad Roman Reigns won the superstar of the year!

 

[stonecoldstunner]

Voted on by the fans? ARE YOU SERIOUS BRO?!?!

All Reigns did was throw a bunch of people out of the rumble...BFD

Brock ended THE STREAK and is The Champ...Even Ambrose is much more deserving. Bray Wyatt/Wyatt Family makes a much bigger impact.

>Then again, it was allegedly voted by the fans so, what can you do?<

 

[DCLXVI]

Definitely fixed if Roman Reigns won. He had a forced push after The Shield disbanded and a couple hot months (the crowd started to wane on him fast) then got hurt, sent to acting classes, and did a couple highly scripted promos via satellite. This is probably foreshadowing for 2014.

My vote would go to Lesnar - part time or not. He broke the streak, doesn't even have to appear and holds the title and no one is really even a credible threat to him. Cena is a workhorse but what else is new.

Daniel Bryan would have been great but he's been gone for a while now, he has no foreseeable storylines, and the Kane angle with Brie Bella was probably one of the worst things of the year to me... that's including The Bunny or Nikki's in-ring promos with Brie. Talk about suspension of belief... he knocks Kane out and drives him that far to the ring with a fork lift? and those dreadful fake screams...

 

[The Mattitude Era]

I'm also having trouble with believing that Reigns won the vote. With guys like Bryan and Cena (and Ambrose too? I can't remember if he was in there), I don't buy it that Reigns got more votes than them. That's not a knock on Reigns, but considering he's been out for a few months, and his post-injury popularity hasn't been close to Bryan's, I just don't think he got the votes. Add on top of the fact that he has not had the "Superstar of the Year" kind of year. Yeah, he's done great, and he has a great future, but I just don't think he should have or did win.

 

[steven87gill]

The Slammy's are what they are; a largely meaningless presentation WWE can utilize when it plays into their interests. Bryan's win was largely ignored by the company pretty much straight away, but you can bet the house on WWE bringing up Reigns SOTY award for weeks and months to come, in all the segments remotely related to him.

It's a hilarious outcome, I can't deny, but just see & accept it for what it is - a clever piece of marketing.

On a positive note, we can all sit back and observe as WWE over push another golden-boy into fan apathy. Over-compensation, such as this, will build until resentment spills over.

Hey, If WWE are OK with carrying on the routine of a vocal percentage of the audience resenting their top attraction for the next ten years, then fair play to them.

If however they're not, then they might want to consider scaling back just a bit. Reigns can be *the man*, however, forcing their hand will hurt nearly as much as it helps.

 

[capnwillie]

Yeah... I call BS on that award as well as match of the year. Every other award seemed pretty accurate based on fan reactions over the past year. Those two, no way. Team
Cena vs. Team Authority was in no way match of the year, even if you count Sting's involvement and Dolph being the sole survivor. I'm sorry, but there is no way a Survivor Series match is match of the year and especially not when Big Show is a competitor. I was watching with friends and every single one of us chose Bryan/Batista/Orton at Mania. It was the best out of all four choices by far... not even close. Even the crowd reaction was more of a "What?" than a "Yeah!"

As for Roman Reigns, that's fishy as all hell considering the other names on the ballot. Lesnar broke the streak and smeared John Cena across the mat in the most lopsided loss of Cena's career. Daniel Bryan won the title at Mania after a year of fighting against insurmountable odds. Rollins and Ambrose have been stepping up and working their asses off and getting reactions... but Not-Quite-The Rock (or The Rock Lite, if you prefer. Maybe Diet The Rock?) wins superstar of the year and he hasn't been on TV for a few months except for the occasional wooden-as-hell via satellite interview? BALLS! 100% poppycock. I wouldn't buy it if you were giving it away. The lukewarm and delayed "welcome back" chant really drove the point home.

I really don't get why WWE is so high on strapping the rocket on Reigns, and I'd hoped they'd cool it off a little because of his hernia. Ambrose and Rollins have already shown far more upside and real big match/big moment potential. Reigns is just kind of boring in comparison. His attempts at creating catch phrases are cliche and forced and his delivery is about as natural as a silicone boob. He's -okay- in the ring. In my opinion, it would be better to put his big push on hold.

 

[LuckyLouie]

This feels more of a unintentional slap in the face of DB. Since he was going to be the new #2 in the company. He had a great year and made himself a huge star in that year.
It should have been his in theory.
Roman didn't really do anything to deserve it on his own. The Rumble match eliminations were kinda lame. Plus he had help on some of them from Seth and Dean lol.
He was never a person to keep the match going, just close it with a bang. While still improving, he has mile to go before catching up to Seth and Dean.
His Via Satellite promo on RAW made me cringe, and I went to work the next day making fun on it to my co workers. ( " I'm gonna cock this here first and make it rain in that bitch !" ..... *Look into camera dramatically* )
It seemed this was done to keep him highlighted as a higher up wrestler then he really is. But good luck to him and I hope he proves me wrong.

 

[The Mattitude Era]

Yeah... I call BS on that award as well as match of the year. Every other award seemed pretty accurate based on fan reactions over the past year. Those two, no way. Team
Cena vs. Team Authority was in no way match of the year, even if you count Sting's involvement and Dolph being the sole survivor. I'm sorry, but there is no way a Survivor Series match is match of the year and especially not when Big Show is a competitor. I was watching with friends and every single one of us chose Bryan/Batista/Orton at Mania. It was the best out of all four choices by far... not even close. Even the crowd reaction was more of a "What?" than a "Yeah!"

As for Roman Reigns, that's fishy as all hell considering the other names on the ballot. Lesnar broke the streak and smeared John Cena across the mat in the most lopsided loss of Cena's career. Daniel Bryan won the title at Mania after a year of fighting against insurmountable odds. Rollins and Ambrose have been stepping up and working their asses off and getting reactions... but Not-Quite-The Rock (or The Rock Lite, if you prefer. Maybe Diet The Rock?) wins superstar of the year and he hasn't been on TV for a few months except for the occasional wooden-as-hell via satellite interview? BALLS! 100% poppycock. I wouldn't buy it if you were giving it away. The lukewarm and delayed "welcome back" chant really drove the point home.

I really don't get why WWE is so high on strapping the rocket on Reigns, and I'd hoped they'd cool it off a little because of his hernia. Ambrose and Rollins have already shown far more upside and real big match/big moment potential. Reigns is just kind of boring in comparison. His attempts at creating catch phrases are cliche and forced and his delivery is about as natural as a silicone boob. He's -okay- in the ring. In my opinion, it would be better to put his big push on hold.

It's actually funny because I would have voted for the Team Cena vs. Team Authority match for Match of the Year. I thought that match had everything. My personal match of the year would have been Shield vs. Wyatts at EC, but that wasn't nominated. I agree with you on pretty much everything else though. I don't dislike Reigns, on the contrary, I actually really like him, but I'm worried that his WWE-machine push may be too hasty and come off as too forced and will turn off fans.

 

[Double S]

Thinking it over I don't know who should have won,

Lesnar: had 2 massive moments streak and destroying cena, but literally nothing else, so wouldn't vote him

Bryan: occupy raw was a big moment, wrestle mania he owned, but can 4 months make him the best all year

Cena: same old... But strongest case maybe? Not his best year but at the top as always

Reigns/ambrose/Rollins, I'll lump into one as the shield had 2 of the best matches vs wyatts and evolution and since then have taken it in turns being a focus guy, again not sure this is good enough to be the man though

So really based on body of work you've got a lot of half years! Not great!!

 

[Zycho32]

Bullet Point Observations:

-People have said, and rightfully so, that the Slammys are typically worthless in the long run, more for supposed 'merit', never meant to be part of a big push, and certainly rarely meant to matter(outside of HBK calling out Taker for a WM Rematch, I can't think of another Slammy moment even worth a puddle of piss). Therefore, Roman winning Superstar of the Year is little more than irrelevant window-dressing. It is true, but the fact this award has been given just before Roman is set to return from injury places the event in a kind of glaring spotlight- as if the award is meant to resume or start anew his Main Event push.

-Roman's injury robbed any and all argument for this award. Had he been fully healthy, one could squint and sorta see the logic behind the decision, especially if destroying Rollins and being the one to lay waste to Team Authority were added on to his list of accomplishments. Imagine him in Ziggler's spot.

-The truth is, I personally don't hate Roman or the push he's getting. I understand the implications behind what the endgame is for their next big face. What I loathe, is the supremely lazy and uninspiring levels Creative has demonstrated in blatant view. I can believe this was their intent virtually all along- if only because Roman's getting the 'Cena' treatment at all costs- and their unwillingness to switch things up when they are this obviously in need of a change is a disturbing exposure of said laziness.

-That said, I don't forsee Roman's popularity to take a dive. He's still a face, he's still way up there in importance, and there won't be enough flak about the Slammy award. Of course, a couple more uninspiring performances in the ring and on the mic will start to change that. But this story will be a straight shot and unfortunately said storytelling is being done by a total hack. Or the lady who wrote the Twilight series.

-And just to stave off the question in my mad-man brains, here's what I would have done; I'd give the award to Lesnar, I'd have Paul Heyman come out to claim it in his Client's name, and go into his spiel about what Brock has done and how nobody's going to stand a chance, etc... then Roman invades the podium, grabs Hayman by his necktie, and proclaims that- in summary- he'll be coming after he wins the Royal Rumble, and Brock is in for a war he just cannot win, BALEEDAT. This set's up Roman's mission at the Royal Rumble AND it gives you the seeds of an eventual feud between RR and WM between Roman and John Cena- who is essentially disregarded in that promo. A disrespected Cena can square off against Roman on the mic several times before RR- retaining against Rollins in TLC- before failing to pry the belt from Lesnar's hands. With Cena's failure and Roman's victory, the road to WM is set, except Cena has no choice but to set his sights on Roman and take that Main Event spot from him. Ergo, you have your Main Event for Fast Lane, and with Cena's utterly mixed reaction, that might be the best chance you have of totally jumpstarting Roman's push in the eyes of the fans.

-Of course, they would still work that plot in Fast Lane after RR, it just won't have the set-up needed to make it feel remarkable.