FromTheSouth
You don't want it with me.
I am curious to see who had the best year in the American big two promotions.
I list the nominees as such:
1. Jeff Hardy. Jeff opened the year by co-main eventing Royal Rumble. He was intercontinental champion at the time, and along with Chris Jericho showed that the IC title is once again the first step to a title run. Jee main evented the last three PPV's of the year, capping it off by winning the WWE title for the first time. His story this year was timeless. He started as the guy who didn't belong. He was only in the main event because of a fluke win over HHH. He and HBK put on a classic match on RAW in January. He followed that up with two great matches against Jericho, a solid cage match against Umaga. This match really added to his legitimacy in that with Orton at ring side, escape was no option. The whisper in the wind off the top of the cage was an awesome sight. Not as awesome as the 30ft swanton. Those big spots were the tip of the ice berg from a man who has been making our jaws drop for over a decade.
2. Chris Jericho. In late 2007 he returned from hiatus, and was immediately involved in the title picture. After being screwed by JBL, his year started as a very popular face. He showed his aggressive style in a No DQ match against JBL, in the culmination of a very physical feud. After Jeff's suspension, Jericho gained his record 8th IC title reign. During this reign, he began a feud with HBK, that many people will call feud of the year. After HBK retired Ric Flair, Jericho began to stalk him with accusation ranging from being a bad friend to a dishonorable liar, to being a hypocrite. Hypocrisy would be a theme for Jericho as he morphed from funny cool Y2J, the savior, to the bitter confrontational Chris Jericho we see currently. This change was not all bad, as Jericho, a late entrant onto the championship scramble, after losing a non-sanctioned match earlier on in the night. He would weasel away a win, and would hold the title for a month, only to win it again a week later during an unexpected Raw title change. He got two good matches out of Batista, two great matches with both Hardy and Michaels, and the best feud in quite some time, also vs. Michaels. He ended the year by having a good PPV match against John Cena, losing the title.
3 Samoa Joe. Joe finally won the TNA world heavyweight title from Kurt Angle in a brilliant Six Sides of Steel match. Joe and Angle put on two superior PPV matches. Joe was also made leader of the Frontline, headlining TNA's first major stable war, a very interesting angle domination the show. He has been grouped with Angle, Nash, Sting, and Mick Foley this year. The rub from those three has made Joe one of the top American stars. Joe diverse ring style has really been allowed to shine this year. He has made great improveents in his power game, and his agility move set is very solid. No one in TNA can match his intensity in the ring. Perhaps the biggest sign of his improvement as an entertainer is the internet backlash. Once the darling of the smarks, Joe has fallen out of the top spot, which usually means that his performance in the ring and on the mic has reached that professional style that all the top guys have. Joe seems to have reurned to the Joe's gonna kill you days, which can only be good for his fan profile, and will bring him back into online favor.
4. Randy Orton. Thew age of Orton is truly upon us. Orton emerged this year as the the guy the WWE will be banking on to lead the new generation. While John Cena may be treated as the top younger guy now, the WWE has show it's commitment to Orton through his main event win at Wrestlemania. He has gone over HHH, Cena, and Hardy this year, and has not been part of one bad match. His status as the legend killer has evolved into his being the contender killer. CM Punk and Batista got in the way of his quest for the world title this year, and both paid serious consequences from the boot of Randy Orton. Although Orton missed time with an injury, his presence has shown above the rest of RAW while active. He is currently the leader of Legacy, a stable of second generation (or mroe) stars. The angle is currently developing, but is picking up major steam in recent weeks. The coordinated attacks are devastating, and other second generation stars as trying to join. We will see this year is Randy's mere presence can elevate others the way Stone Cold, HHH, Hulk Hogan, and other legends have had to make the company as strong as it is. I truly believe that this is the company Orton will be spoken about in, and is the current and future "best heel in the business."
5. Edge. Three words, Tables, Ladders, Chairs. His match against the Undertaker is a serious match of the year contender. And any superstar who goes over the Undertaker in a nondisputed finish for a championship is a bonafide star. Edge has been at this level for a while, but his work with his stable, La Familia, early and in the middle of the year, was classic heel skullduggery. His work as the heel to cool to boo, has given him a strange relationship with the fans. He is cheered, however all those related to him are booed out of the building. His presence elevated Chavo to the top of the midcard, Ryder and Hawkins, two guys who couldn't get out of tag team hell, became Tag Champs, and perhaps best of all, he made Vickie Guererro the most hated on screen character on WWE TV. His persona has made Batista a bigger star, and that's saying something, considering Batista's initial rub was from HHH and Flair. He had three title reigns during the year, recently succumbing to Jeff Hardy. This feud gets points for this year in that it has created great excitement for SD!'s 2009. The two men have been feuding voer gold for a decade now, and now it is for the biggest prize in the game.
6. AJ Styles. Besides a good tag title reign, 2008 was major singles title free for AJ. Besides that, hsi year is comparable to everyone else on the list. He broke free from Kurt Angle ond Christian and Tomko to become his own man. He has been consistently in the main event scene. His ability to play the aerial and amt game make him an instant draw and a good matchup for anyone in the business. AJ is thought by many to be the best in-ring performer in the game, and that ability led to classic confrontations with Kurt Angle. The relationship angle with Karen was very entertaining, and his role in the angle carried the promotion for much of the year. Not that his partner wasn't capable; Kurt ANgle is an incredible worker, but AJ shone above him all year, earning this spot on the list over Angle. AJ's transformation from nervous kid being taken advantage of to his own man has been subtle and well done. Weekly gains and losses have all shaped this character throughout the year making him well beyond watchable, and just short of legendary. He is the future of his company, and much like Orton, he solidified his spot through tremendous performance after tremendous performance.
I list the nominees as such:
1. Jeff Hardy. Jeff opened the year by co-main eventing Royal Rumble. He was intercontinental champion at the time, and along with Chris Jericho showed that the IC title is once again the first step to a title run. Jee main evented the last three PPV's of the year, capping it off by winning the WWE title for the first time. His story this year was timeless. He started as the guy who didn't belong. He was only in the main event because of a fluke win over HHH. He and HBK put on a classic match on RAW in January. He followed that up with two great matches against Jericho, a solid cage match against Umaga. This match really added to his legitimacy in that with Orton at ring side, escape was no option. The whisper in the wind off the top of the cage was an awesome sight. Not as awesome as the 30ft swanton. Those big spots were the tip of the ice berg from a man who has been making our jaws drop for over a decade.
2. Chris Jericho. In late 2007 he returned from hiatus, and was immediately involved in the title picture. After being screwed by JBL, his year started as a very popular face. He showed his aggressive style in a No DQ match against JBL, in the culmination of a very physical feud. After Jeff's suspension, Jericho gained his record 8th IC title reign. During this reign, he began a feud with HBK, that many people will call feud of the year. After HBK retired Ric Flair, Jericho began to stalk him with accusation ranging from being a bad friend to a dishonorable liar, to being a hypocrite. Hypocrisy would be a theme for Jericho as he morphed from funny cool Y2J, the savior, to the bitter confrontational Chris Jericho we see currently. This change was not all bad, as Jericho, a late entrant onto the championship scramble, after losing a non-sanctioned match earlier on in the night. He would weasel away a win, and would hold the title for a month, only to win it again a week later during an unexpected Raw title change. He got two good matches out of Batista, two great matches with both Hardy and Michaels, and the best feud in quite some time, also vs. Michaels. He ended the year by having a good PPV match against John Cena, losing the title.
3 Samoa Joe. Joe finally won the TNA world heavyweight title from Kurt Angle in a brilliant Six Sides of Steel match. Joe and Angle put on two superior PPV matches. Joe was also made leader of the Frontline, headlining TNA's first major stable war, a very interesting angle domination the show. He has been grouped with Angle, Nash, Sting, and Mick Foley this year. The rub from those three has made Joe one of the top American stars. Joe diverse ring style has really been allowed to shine this year. He has made great improveents in his power game, and his agility move set is very solid. No one in TNA can match his intensity in the ring. Perhaps the biggest sign of his improvement as an entertainer is the internet backlash. Once the darling of the smarks, Joe has fallen out of the top spot, which usually means that his performance in the ring and on the mic has reached that professional style that all the top guys have. Joe seems to have reurned to the Joe's gonna kill you days, which can only be good for his fan profile, and will bring him back into online favor.
4. Randy Orton. Thew age of Orton is truly upon us. Orton emerged this year as the the guy the WWE will be banking on to lead the new generation. While John Cena may be treated as the top younger guy now, the WWE has show it's commitment to Orton through his main event win at Wrestlemania. He has gone over HHH, Cena, and Hardy this year, and has not been part of one bad match. His status as the legend killer has evolved into his being the contender killer. CM Punk and Batista got in the way of his quest for the world title this year, and both paid serious consequences from the boot of Randy Orton. Although Orton missed time with an injury, his presence has shown above the rest of RAW while active. He is currently the leader of Legacy, a stable of second generation (or mroe) stars. The angle is currently developing, but is picking up major steam in recent weeks. The coordinated attacks are devastating, and other second generation stars as trying to join. We will see this year is Randy's mere presence can elevate others the way Stone Cold, HHH, Hulk Hogan, and other legends have had to make the company as strong as it is. I truly believe that this is the company Orton will be spoken about in, and is the current and future "best heel in the business."
5. Edge. Three words, Tables, Ladders, Chairs. His match against the Undertaker is a serious match of the year contender. And any superstar who goes over the Undertaker in a nondisputed finish for a championship is a bonafide star. Edge has been at this level for a while, but his work with his stable, La Familia, early and in the middle of the year, was classic heel skullduggery. His work as the heel to cool to boo, has given him a strange relationship with the fans. He is cheered, however all those related to him are booed out of the building. His presence elevated Chavo to the top of the midcard, Ryder and Hawkins, two guys who couldn't get out of tag team hell, became Tag Champs, and perhaps best of all, he made Vickie Guererro the most hated on screen character on WWE TV. His persona has made Batista a bigger star, and that's saying something, considering Batista's initial rub was from HHH and Flair. He had three title reigns during the year, recently succumbing to Jeff Hardy. This feud gets points for this year in that it has created great excitement for SD!'s 2009. The two men have been feuding voer gold for a decade now, and now it is for the biggest prize in the game.
6. AJ Styles. Besides a good tag title reign, 2008 was major singles title free for AJ. Besides that, hsi year is comparable to everyone else on the list. He broke free from Kurt Angle ond Christian and Tomko to become his own man. He has been consistently in the main event scene. His ability to play the aerial and amt game make him an instant draw and a good matchup for anyone in the business. AJ is thought by many to be the best in-ring performer in the game, and that ability led to classic confrontations with Kurt Angle. The relationship angle with Karen was very entertaining, and his role in the angle carried the promotion for much of the year. Not that his partner wasn't capable; Kurt ANgle is an incredible worker, but AJ shone above him all year, earning this spot on the list over Angle. AJ's transformation from nervous kid being taken advantage of to his own man has been subtle and well done. Weekly gains and losses have all shaped this character throughout the year making him well beyond watchable, and just short of legendary. He is the future of his company, and much like Orton, he solidified his spot through tremendous performance after tremendous performance.
