2009 awards
I didn't get these posted as promptly as I intended, but here they are – my selections for the best of 2009 in eight categories. I welcome your comments and encourage you to send along your picks.
WRESTLER OF THE YEAR: RANDY ORTON
Looking at Orton’s accomplishments in 2009, it’s easy to see why he is the Wrestler of the Year. He won the WWE title three times and held it longer than anyone during the calendar year, main-evented WrestleMania XXV, wrestled in world title matches on 10 pay-per-views and won the Royal Rumble. But beyond his impressive resume, Orton deserves this honor because he consistently delivered outstanding performances (even when the booking at times didn’t do him any favors), both in the ring and on the microphone. Orton didn’t just play a heel character; he became the character. From his facial expressions, to his body language to the way he walked and talked, Orton was “The Viper.” He spent most of the year feuding with two guys he had wrestled numerous times in the past – John Cena and Triple H, but even though the match-ups were rehashes of past programs, Orton still shined. In his feud with Triple H, Orton was involved in two of the most dramatic moments of the year – slapping Vince McMahon and kicking him hard in the head, and attacking Stephanie McMahon and kissing her in front of a handcuffed Triple H while she was unconscious. Orton and Cena engaged in intense, drama-filled matches on three consecutive pay-per-views – an I Quit match, Hell in a Cell match and 60-minute Iron Man match. Orton also used his star power to give a rub to up-and-coming stars Kofi Kingston, Ted DiBiase Jr. and Cody Rhodes.
MATCH OF THE YEAR: THE UNDERTAKER VS. SHAWN MICHAELS (WrestleMania XXV, April 5, Houston, Texas)
The showdown between the man who is undefeated at WrestleMania and the man known as Mr. WrestleMania for his showing-stealing performances at the event more than lived up to the hype. The 44-year-old Undertaker and 43-year-old Michaels delivered a match for the ages in what perhaps was the greatest contest in WrestleMania history. Even though the majority of fans and observers were pretty certain going into the match that The Undertaker would win, the two savvy veterans took the audience on a roller-coaster ride and succeeded in making the unthinkable – Undertaker losing for the first time at WrestleMania – seem possible after all. The match featured non-stop action, strong ring psychology, thrilling false finishes and a near-tragic over-the-top-rope dive by The Undertaker. In the end The Undertaker’s undefeated record at WrestleMania grew – he pinned Michaels at approximately the 31-minute mark to improve to 17-0 – and so did Michaels’ reputation as Mr. WrestleMania and The Showstopper.
FEUD OF THE YEAR: CM PUNK VS. JEFF HARDY
What began as “just business” gradually evolved into the most personal and entertaining program of the year. It all started when Punk cashed in his Money in the Bank contract at the Extreme Rules pay-per-view in June. Minutes after Hardy had defeated Edge for the world heavyweight title in a brutal ladder match, Punk came out and made quick work of the exhausted Hardy to take the title from him. At first, Punk, who up to this point had been a babyface, stressed that what he did was within the rules of the Money in the Bank concept and that he had no ill will toward Hardy. Neither Hardy nor the fans bought it, and over time, Punk morphed from an ambiguous character into a self-righteous, duplicitous heel. The contrast in Punk and Hardy’s respective lifestyles became the focal point of their feud. Punk put a preachy, “I’m better than you” spin on his Straightedge philosophy, as he repeatedly cut strong promos that referenced Hardy’s real-life issues with drugs. Hardy went on to regain the world heavyweight title from Punk, only to lose it back to him in a TLC match at SummerSlam that was among the best matches of the year. The feud came to a dramatic conclusion when Punk defeated Hardy in a loser-leaves-WWE steel cage match on Smackdown.
TAG TEAM OF THE YEAR: BEER MONEY
Robert Roode and James Storm may ultimately end up making an impact as singles wrestlers, but as a unit last year, they had few peers. Beer Money possessed all the qualities of a great tag team – chemistry, in-ring ability and an entertaining gimmick. The fans in TNA took notice, as Beer Money always got great reactions from the crowds at live events regardless of whether they were babyfaces or heels. Beer Money had two reigns as TNA world tag team champions in 2009 and were consistently in the title picture. The highlight of their year was a feud with Team 3D that led to Roode and Storm turning babyface. A Philadelphia Streetfight between the two teams was the show-stealer at the Lockdown pay-per-view in April. Beer Money also had pay-per-view programs with The British Invasion, The Main Event Mafia (Booker T. and Scott Steiner) and Lethal Consequences.
WOMAN OF THE YEAR: MELINA
Several women had their moments in 2009, but no one was as consistent throughout the year as Melina, who has come a long way since her days as eye candy for MNM. She is one of the more athletic women in WWE and perhaps possesses the best move set. Melina won both the Divas and WWE women’s titles last year, with her two reigns totaling more than seven months; no woman in WWE or TNA spent more time as a singles champion. Melina and Michelle McCool had one of the better women’s pay-per-view matches of the year at Night of Champions in July.
NON-WRESTLING PERFORMER OF THE YEAR: JEREMY BORASH
Not since “Mean” Gene Okerlund’s heyday in the WWF in the 1980s has there been a backstage interviewer as fun to watch as Borash. Actually, the term “backstage interviewer” doesn’t do Borash’s role in TNA justice. In addition to conducting interviews with TNA talent – as well as handling ring-announcing duties for big main events – Borash played the on-screen role of TNA wrestler/authority figure Mick Foley’s sidekick. Known as the Tweet and Tweak Connection, Borash and Foley had great comedic chemistry, and their scenes together on Impact helped move story lines along in entertaining fashion.
MOST IMPROVED WRESTLER OF THE YEAR: THE MIZ
When tag team partners The Miz and John Morrison were forced to go their separate ways thanks to the WWE Draft in April, big things were predicted for Morrison; for Miz, not so much. Morrison did indeed go on to distinguish himself on Smackdown, but Miz – to the surprise of many – did the same thing on Raw. In two years, the former “Real World” star has gone from total joke, to solid tag team wrestler, to heat-getting singles heel. Miz improved every facet of his game in 2009 – his in-ring ability, mic skills and even his look. He began to stand out on Raw by launching weekly verbal tirades against WWE’s biggest star, John Cena. That led to a match between Miz and Cena at The Bash pay-per-view in June. Miz went on to win the U.S. title from Kofi Kingston in October, and he also scored several victories over his old partner, Morrison.
NEWCOMER OF THE YEAR (awarded to the wrestler who made the biggest impact in his or her national debut): DESMOND WOLFE
Those who follow Ring of Honor knew it was just a matter of time before Nigel McGuinness left that promotion for one of the two major U.S.-based companies. McGuinness, who made his pro wrestling debut more than 10 years ago, initially agreed to a deal with WWE in September, but it fell through due to an issue with his physical. A month later, he signed with TNA and was renamed Desmond Wolfe. To say he made an immediate impression would be an understatement. In his debut on Impact, Wolfe attacked TNA’s top star, Kurt Angle, and he also got the better of Angle in subsequent encounters on TV. He and Angle then took their feud to pay-per-view, where they had fantastic matches at Turning Point in November and Final Resolution in December.
PAST AWARDS WINNERS
WRESTLER OF THE YEAR
2008: Shawn Michaels
2007: John Cena
MATCH OF THE YEAR
2008: Shawn Michaels vs. Ric Flair (WrestleMania XXIV, March 30, Orlando, Fla.)
2007: Shawn Michaels vs. John Cena (Raw, April 23, London)
FEUD OF THE YEAR
2008: Chris Jericho vs. Shawn Michaels
2007: Batista vs. The Undertaker
TAG TEAM OF THE YEAR
2008: John Morrison and The Miz
2007: Team 3-D
WOMAN OF THE YEAR
2008: Awesome Kong
2007: Gail Kim
NON-WRESTLING PERFORMER OF THE YEAR
2008: Vickie Guerrero
2007: Jim Cornette
MOST IMPROVED WRESTLER OF THE YEAR
2008: Kelly Kelly
2007: MVP
NEWCOMER OF THE YEAR
2008: Evan Bourne
2007: Santino Marella
For more details on the 2008 awards, click here
For more details on the 2007 awards, click here
Comments
Kevin, I think almost all of your picks are dead on. Desomond Wolfe, The Miz, and Jeremy Borash were especially pretty inspired I thought. Good Job! I would think about Wrestler of the Year. I just dont see Randy orton. I dont care about wins and losses, since this is a worked sport, and instead I care about the "impact" the wrestler had. My wrestler of the year would be Jericho. He constantly appeared on both shows, and brought the goods every night in the ring, and in a million backstage segments, interacting with Big Show, EVERY Raw guest host, and Teddy long. I would also give Show & Jericho tag team of the year. Plus, I just didnt find Orton compelling at all this year.
RESPONSE FROM KE: Just to clarify how I make the Wrestler of the Year pick, I don't really care about wins and losses either. I based it on a combination of overall performance and impact. To truly make an impact, you have to be in a money-drawing position, which Orton was, while Jericho was stuck in the upper mid-card for most of the year. I mentioned that Orton won the Rumble because it illustrates the impact that he made, as only top-level guys get to win it. Same thing with his three reigns as champion. You'll notice that I said that he wrestled in 10 PPV title matches incuding a strong three-match series against Cena, but I did not mention how many of those matches he won, because it important. I'm not trying to change your opinion of Orton; just wanted to explain how I arrived at the pick.
Posted by: Nick Rini | January 27, 2010 9:36 PM
I actually agree with your choices Kev.
Hard pick for most improved, I think I would have picked Morrison BUT I am guessing he was in the running for you too, but let down by his mic sklls
P.S. Nice new pic
Posted by: Keir | January 27, 2010 9:41 PM
As usual, great picks! I'm glad you finally gave TNA a rub when it comes to awards instead of solely focusing on WWE.
Some suggestions for a few more awards I'd be interested in reading your opinion about:
- PPV of the year
- Show of the year (Raw, Smackdown, ECW, or iMPACT)
-Surprise of the year
- Best entrance (I guess it's not for the year...but still could make for a good debate)
-Worst wrestler of the year
What do you think?
Posted by: MitZi | January 27, 2010 10:04 PM
Kev, totally agree w/ the Orton pick.
Btw... What's up with the new pic at the top of the blog... New hair color?
RESPONSE FROM KE: I get my hair bleached every couple months. This pic was taken when it was growing out and the roots were starting to show. You should see it when its full-on Scott Steiner/Mr. Kennedy.
Posted by: Will D | January 27, 2010 10:08 PM
Hard to disagree with your selections.
The new picture on your blog doesn't even look like you're the same person! It is much better.
Posted by: Mike in AZ | January 27, 2010 10:26 PM
Wait a second...A few months ago weren't you questioning Bret Hart's statement that Melina was the best female wrestler he'd seen?
“I think Melina is really creative and imaginative,” Hart said. “She’s an innovator and she comes up with some great matches. I love watching her wrestle. In a lot of ways, I think she’s the best wrestler in the world right now.”
Wow. Is she even the best female wrestler in the world? Or even in WWE? I think the key thing he said is that he “loves to watch her wrestle.” Anyone who read Hart’s book knows that he fancies himself as quite the ladies man. Sounds like he has targeted Melina as his next conquest.
Did she win you over with her work in December?
Original post....
http://weblogs.baltimoresun.com/sports/wrestling/blog/2009/11/bret_hart_said_what.html
RESPONSE FROM KE: I never thought Melina was bad; I just think it's ridiculous to say she is the greatest wrestler in the world. I still don't know if she is even the best wrestler in WWE. I coulld make the case that Mickie James, Beth Phoenix, Gail Kim (before she seemingly lost her confidence) and maybe even Michelle McCool are just as good or better. However, this is about who had the best year. James and Phoenix did not do anything special, and no one cares about McCool. Maryse plays her character very well, but she missed four months due to injury, her in-ring work is only average and she wrestled on just one PPV. In TNA, Angelina Love was a candidate, but she was released in September. Tara had a good seven months in TNA, but that isn't enough. And Awesome Kong and ODB didn't really stand out enough last year.So that leaves Melina. And just because I said she possibly has the best move set of all the WWE women, that doesn't mean that she always executes them well.
Hopefully this shows people that I have no bias when I make these picks. Is Melina my personal favorite? No, but I can't deny that she was the most deserving.
Posted by: Phoenix | January 27, 2010 10:30 PM
WRESTLER OF THE YEAR
Davey Richards: No man in any company delivered as consistently great performances, night in and night out, as Richards did. My top ten MOTY list contains six Richards matches. No man carried a company like he did in 2009.
MATCH OF THE YEAR
Davey Richards and Eddie Edwards vs. Bryan Danielson and Tyler Black - 4/18, ROH in Toronto. A 45 minute classic that featured absolutely perfect psychology and selling to go along with magnificent drama. Even knowing the outcome beforehand, I still winced when the heels worked over Danielson's leg, and implored Richards to tap when Danielson had him caught in his signature Cattle Mutilation hold.
FEUD OF THE YEAR
CM Punk vs. Jeff Hardy: Even though their much-hyped TLC match at SummerSlam fell extremely flat in my opinion, Punk's character development throughout this feud was incredible and made me want to watch something involving Jeff Hardy. Their Smackdown cage match was my #2 WWE MOTY (after the obvious), and easily my favorite moment in WWE all year was Punk coming out to Hardy's music, in his face paint, and doing Hardy's trademark poses, as the fans changed rapidly from a massive pop to an even louder boo.
TAG TEAM OF THE YEAR
The American Wolves (Davey Richards and Eddie Edwards): Davey was hands down the WOTY. Edwards was his tag team partner. Together, they carried Ring of Honor through arguably its worst year to date, having standout matches with nearly everyone they wrestled.
WOMAN OF THE YEAR
I don't know. Alissa Flash?
NON-WRESTLING PERFORMER OF THE YEAR
Excalibur: The best commentator in the business. Even the one bad show Pro Wrestling Guerrilla had in 2009 was worth buying simply for his commentary. He is (probably) the brain of the best wrestling company in the world, and the mouth of it as well. This is a no-brainer.
MOST IMPROVED WRESTLER OF THE YEAR
The Miz: In the summer, when Raw was bordering on the worst it had ever been, the one thing saving it was the Miz calling out John Cena. How he went from the guy who used to annoy people on Smackdown to the best thing about Raw is unbelievable.
NEWCOMER OF THE YEAR
Desmond Wolfe: I count him as a newcomer because... wait, no, I've been watching him since 2004. Let me try again.
Frightmare: He's like Evan Bourne, if Evan Bourne wore a mask and was about ten times better than he is (and did a moonsault double knee drop instead of a Shooting Star Press).
Posted by: Joe | January 27, 2010 11:13 PM
The 2010 Tag Team of the Year:
Sheamus and Conan O'Brien, The Scottish Terriors!!
Posted by: Bob Kordecki | January 27, 2010 11:55 PM
I don't know how you picked Melina as female wrestler of the year Kevin as the amount of moves she botches is incredible. There are about 3 TNA knockouts I would pick ahead of her. Awesome Kong, Tara even though she was not there all year and Velvet Skye would be well ahead of Melina in my opinion. As much as I hate the Mitz you are on the money there. I would have had Rey, John Morrison as match of the year but I can't argue with HBK, Taker neither. The rest of your picks are spot on.
RESPONSE FROM KE: No doubt Melina botches some moves, but, again, I still think she overall had the best year, not that she's the most talented. I really like Kong and Tara but I just didn't think they had outstanding years. Sky I completely disagree with. I'm a big fan of hers, but her best move is enterting the ring. It all goes downhill after that.
Posted by: Seamus | January 28, 2010 12:06 AM
New Category:
DUMBEST BOOKING DECISION OF THE YEAR (AND POOSIBLY OF ALL TIME):
Put the belt on Sheamus
Prediction of 2010 new category:
DUMBEST BUSINESS DECISION OF THE YEAR:
Bring Hulk Hogan and Bubba the Love Sponge to TNA
Posted by: rob | January 28, 2010 12:27 AM
Wrestler - Randy Orton/John Morrison (Tie, for different reasons. Orton is the total package, Morrison is the best in-ring performer in the game.)
Match - Shawn-Undertaker (There is simply no argument.)
Feud - Since no feuds really stand out for me (Punk-Hardy was the best, but very short-lived), I'm going to go another route and say Jericho v. the WWE Universe. There wasn't a more consistently entertaining "program" which lasted the entire year.
Tag team - I'm going to incur the wrath of Eck here, but I'm going with Cryme Tyme. Hate their gimmick, love their work in the squared circle.
Woman - Melina (I'm her biggest mark, after all.) She's the best combination of in-ring ability and personality/charisma out there.
Non-wrester - Kevin Eck (Trying to make up for that Cryme Tyme pick. haha)
Improved - It's hard to go against the Miz. Matt Morgan has also upped his game.
Newcomer - Hamada for the women, Yoshi Tatsu for the men. I think I'm the only one who just isn't that impressed with Desmond Wolfe. Maybe I just need to see more of him.
Posted by: Michael in Virginia | January 28, 2010 12:45 AM
Nice pics Kev, agree with them all except one. Tag team of the year....how can it be anyone BUT JeriShow? They were prominently featured on both top brands of WWE (the top promotion) and were dominant, not to mention (mainly due to Jericho) wildly entertaining. Beer Money is ok and all....but I don't even think there was a contest when it came to Tag Team of the year. It's JeriShow, MILES of daylight, then all the rest of the teams.
RESPONSE FROM KE: It was between Beer Money and Jericho/Big Show, but I went with Beer Money because of the reasons stated in the post, plus they were a team all year, while Jericho and Show were two singles wrestlers thrown together for six months. Also, Beer Money often had the best match at house shows (according to fan reports), and I don't think Jericho/Show vs. Cryme Tyme or MVP/Henry were off the charts.
Posted by: Jason | January 28, 2010 2:05 AM
Good thoughts once again thanks! I have a suggestion for you. Will you rate the 25 editions of WM for us from the worst( least good) to the best Wrestlemania ever. Some of us have not had a chance to watch all of them but I'd be interested to see your ratings of WM over the years. You could also do the best and biggest WM moments in some form of rating. I'd been keen to see that.. Thanks for your insight that you share week in week out. Can we expect anything along those lines this year?
RESPONSE FROM KE: Don't want to commit to anything like that yet. However I did do a list of my top WrestleMania moments a couple years ago. Keep in the mind that the list refelected my personal opinion and was not a definitive list of top moments.
http://weblogs.baltimoresun.com/sports/wrestling/blog/top_20_wrestlemania_moments/
Posted by: Thom | January 28, 2010 2:52 AM
I´m still surprised about the Miz everytime I see him in the ring or on the mic at how good he became. I really hope WWE will push him into the mainevent this year.
I don´t watch TNA but I would have had a hard time picking a tag-team from the WWE as the best of the year. Maybe Jeri-Show but that didn´t last long enough.
Btw, nice pic.
Posted by: XDreamItchy | January 28, 2010 4:01 AM
I agree with all of the picks ...may try adding under used wrestler of the year...You would have so many people to choose from my pick would be Shelton Benjamin
Posted by: Wyman | January 28, 2010 10:11 AM
I totally agree about the Miz. He has the mic skills of Jericho now, which is a big compliment to him.
I like all your picks, except the tag team spot i would put a nod to Jericho and Show.
Posted by: bill blanchard | January 28, 2010 10:17 AM
Eck,
Your new picture is less inviting than the previous one. Before it was like, "hey, come read my take on wrestling." Now, it's more like, "Here's my take on wrestling, deal with it, sucka."
Where's the old Eck?
Posted by: Adam | January 28, 2010 10:29 AM
Nice picks Kevin! Always a good read.
I'm amazed that you can write so much, while keeping your prose insightful and your facts straight, in such a timely manner. Thanks for all the interesting/entertianing posts!
Wrestling Reporter/Blogger of the Year: Kevin Eck
RESPONSE FROM KE: Appreciate the kind words.
Posted by: Curtis | January 28, 2010 11:47 AM
I'm glad to see you acknowledge Melina's talent, hard work and achievements over the past year.
Posted by: Aaron Goldstein | January 28, 2010 11:57 AM
In reply to Joe:
I think the awards go to the best candidates on the biggest stage. Maybe Kevin should narrow his opening focus to "best WWE and TNA," but I don't think you can say Davey Richards had a bigger impact on professional wrestling in 2009 than Randy Orton, Chris Jericho or CM Punk.
I personally have no access to watching ROH, and I would bet the majority of wrestling fans have little access to the company.
And Pro Wrestling Guerrilla? Nope.
(I am familiar with ROH and PWG, but it's sort of like saying a baseball player winning the AA MVP made a bigger impact than the MLB MVP.)
Of course, you could argue than TNA is no better than AAA...Or maybe a seniors tour...but it's at least accessible to most who have cable.
Posted by: Seth Roy | January 28, 2010 12:02 PM
My only gripe is that you gave HBK 2008 Wrestler of the Year. 2008 was unquestionably the year of Jericho. Orton deserves the award this year just because of the crap they put him through on a regular basis, while he was still able to retain heat. Jericho and Punk are easily the next two because the childish WWE booking means heels have to lose 9 out of 10 times.. but they still are the main reasons to watch the show.
Posted by: Jon | January 28, 2010 1:26 PM
boy it is amazing how your marking for Shawn never ends the last 3 years you have him in match of the year and right now i will give you the oppertunity to Make DX your tag team of the year after all they are the Champions and they did win them last year. as far as woman of the year I would have to Angelina Love when she broke at the beginning of the year as a real force in TNA and not just anothe rgroup you see how far TBP has fallen since she left compared to MNM who 1 & M and the former N is doing good take away from injuries for that matte rI would also recommend Angelina for most improved wrestler as she went from tag team instigater to 2x knockout champion. the rest of your picks are fine wrestler of the year is tough because it could have went to alot of people with C M Punk & Chris Jericho right up their along with Cena & Angle but I know you count TNA as ther minor leagues so no one from that orginazation counts but you should be more consistant in your criteria though because if you use the criteria you used this year vs your thinking last year you would not have given it to your boy last year.
RESPONSE FROM KE: The criteria is the same every year. I wrote a whole post on why Michaels won last year.
http://weblogs.baltimoresun.com/sports/wrestling/blog/2009/01/about_the_2008_awards_and_shawn_michaels.html
Posted by: frank from dundalk | January 28, 2010 3:18 PM
Is it true Borash has been taken off TV? If so, TNA made a huge mistake.
Posted by: Deetz | January 28, 2010 4:17 PM
WRESTLER OF THE YEAR: CM PUNK
Punk began the year for me as an undeserving main eventer with 1 fluke transitional champion reign under his belt (just to take the belt back to Smackdown IMO!) He remained as a barely-over babyface and when he picked up the MITB briefcase at WM25 I did groan; considering Kofi Kingston, Shelton Benjamin and MVP were all in the match and more deserving of a push than Punk. However since his epic fued with Jeff Hardy, following a decent run as a fully-fledged tweener, he has become more deserving of main event status than ever. Currently the best heel on the mic in the WWE
MATCH OF THE YEAR: EDGE VS JOHN CENA (Last Man Standing - Backlash 2009) Normally a match that can become annoying with never ending and pointless failed 10-counts, however it delivered in the best way. Cena's Attitude Adjustment into the crowd was a quality spot as well as being chokeslammed into a spotlight by The Big Show. A great way to end a brilliant rivalry, one of the best in recent years.
Note to KE - I would agree with your pick of Undertaker vs HBK, but I seeing as the Undertaker never loses lately, regardless if its Wrestlemania or not, it is a let-down. At least it made WM25 much greater than it was!
FEUD OF THE YEAR: CHRIS JERICHO VS REY MYSTERIO (Summer)
With Jericho's quality promo's and obsession with Mysterio's mask could have been enough for this fued, but the fact that it was impossible for these 2 to have a bad match made it even more exciting. Sad to see it wasn't higher profile, as it could have easily been a World Title calibre rivalry. The IC title was shown a bit of prestige for once, which can't be knocked.
TAG TEAM OF THE YEAR: JERI-SHOW
Gave the Tag Titles some much needed crediblity, showing there is call for the tag team division and for it to be at a high level. Appearing each week on both flagship shows (and a rare ECW appearance for Jericho) kept Jericho on our screens which he was always deserving of, and Big Show and something important to do as he can get lost in the shuffle at times. While they never had any threatening opponents or "classic" matches I was unhappy to see them lose the titles to DX, who clearly aren't bothered about Smackdown, burying the show and the point of the Unified titles in the first place.
WOMAN OF THE YEAR: MARYSE
See pinfalls, enough said.
NON-WRESTLING PERFORMER OF THE YEAR: VINCE MCMAHON
Pefected the art of the promo, knows when to step back off screen and when to stand out and bring the heat. Can turn a crowd in a matter of words from bowing down to booing. If anything he still has to endure WHAT?! chants when he speaks, which is more admirable than any other trait!
MOST IMPROVED WRESTLER OF THE YEAR: THE MIZ
Can't disagree with your points. Currently one of the only reasons to watch Raw, and someone who I hope reaches Main Event status one dya.
NEWCOMER OF THE YEAR: DREW MCINTYRE
Came in with legit heat and "personal backing" from the Chairman, McIntrye took the IC title off John Morrison clean and might be an outside shout for the Royal Rumble, if not MITB. His promos are decent and his in-ring ability combines the "IT" factor required to make it
No, I don't watch TNA haha
Posted by: Andy | January 28, 2010 5:06 PM
Kevin, I wanna know what you think about my ideas in the previous post...have you seen it?
RESPONSE FROM KE: Not panning to add any awards at this point. Good suggestions, though.
Posted by: MitZi | January 28, 2010 5:38 PM
Even with the September release due to visa problems, I still think Angelina Love was the top female wrestler. The Beautiful People story lines were the best booked and executed in all of TNA and would have been top 5 in WWE. Also, Love's charisma and how much she elevated Rayne and Sky were second to none. Just look at how bad TBP have sucked since losing her.
Posted by: Don | January 28, 2010 7:10 PM
lol, I agree with Adam about your new pic being "less inviting". It's like Eck has turned heel! :)
Posted by: Jason | January 28, 2010 7:26 PM
Kev,
What are your thoughts on the wrestling observer newsletter awards for 2009.
Especially on Triple H getting 'Most Over Rated' and Jericho winning the 'Lou thez wrestler of the year' two years running?
RESPONSE FROM KE: I get the print version in the mail, not the web version. I'll probably comment when I have a chance to look at it in its entirety.
Posted by: Lee | January 29, 2010 9:39 AM
Kev I know i commented on it last year and probably will comment on it for the next 20.
Posted by: frank from dundalk | January 29, 2010 3:12 PM