In this special combo blog, I give out my "Best of" awards for the WWE. Since RAW is doing Christmas in Iraq, I figured I would keep the tradition from last year of giving out the awards. I went back and gathered the categories of the awards. The winners are the ones I chose after much deliberation. So, here are the Best of WWE Awards!!!
Biggest Non-Wrestling Impact: The Benoit Family Tragedy
This no doubt struck every wrestling fan in many different ways. I wanted to get it out of the way before I went any further. This opened up Pandora's Box of emotions throughout the week after it happened as well as the months following the gruesome tragedy. I remember writing a tribute blog before I found out the details of what actually went on. It was one of the hardest things I've ever done before. I was a big fan of Chris Benoit, the wrestler. I never thought someone like that could commit those heinous acts. Then again, the more I grow up as a person, the more people surprise me. I had watched Benoit wrestle a couple of weeks before all of that happened and nothing seemed wrong. But, this was one of those times the old expression, "you can't judge a book by it's cover" came into play. The product had to be shifted around right after. The next night on ECW, it was more about being entertained than telling a story. It struck us all and the effects will continue to be felt in the coming months and years.
Worst Feud of the Year: The Great Khali vs. John Cena
We all know that The Great Khali is one of the worst wrestlers to ever grace the squared circle. There's no denying that many female wrestlers are better than him. John Cena was extremely limited throughout his one year plus reign. He drew major criticism from most all fans that knew what actual wrestling was. Most of Cena's fan base was women and children, kind of like Hulk Hogan. Putting these two together was a recipe for disaster. The feud was used to get Cena over as a "giant killer." Let's face it, David is the only one that will ever slay Goliath. I was happy to see this feud end and yes, I was hoping Khali would win the belt, which he later did. Cena no doubt brought a lot of charisma and excitement to the show. I hope when he come back, they'll expand his move set some. As for Khali, if he's still employed this time next year, I'll give away my Undisputed Championship belt.
Best Feud of the Year: The Undertaker vs. Batista
Going into this and being a big Undertaker fan, I didn't want to see Batista go over in this. After seeing his work since he had come back in the summer of 2006, I was very nervous to see what he could bring to the table. It all started with 'Taker winning a classic Royal Rumble match. They had a decent tag match at No Way Out. Their Wrestlemania match stole the show because I didn't think Batista could deliver. They delivered a memorable match. Their feud continued until Undertaker tore his bicep and had to drop the title to Edge. Undertaker made his return a few months ago and wasted no time getting back into the mix. They had one of the best Hell in a Cell matches in the last few years. They threw Edge into the mix and it didn't lose any fuel. This was a classic feud and I really enjoyed it.
Comeback of the Year: Chris Jericho
Did you really think it would be anybody else? I went back and watched all of the "SAVE_US" videos and I must admit they were great. I'm always intrigued by things that make you think and read between the lines. The return videos leading up to Jericho's 2nd Coming made me think. Now, I didn't sit around and analyze all of the videos that were put on YouTube by people who have no life. I read a few things and could really figure out things on my own. Jericho's return was flat out perfect. If it had been me, I wouldn't have shown his whole body after he clotheslined fellow blogger, Jon, who was the torch runner. It didn't take too much away from his return but the live crowd could have been a little hotter. I think some of them were trying to figure out who had come to SAVE_US. Back to the videos, they were great. I'm all for stuff that's hard to figure out and has codes and stuff. What's crazy is they fired the guy that came up with the idea. Jericho made his return and we were all in for an exciting ride. I think his first few weeks weren't that great and it will take some time for the fans to warm back up to Y2J. Nevertheless, RAW will never….EVER BE THE SAME AGAIN!
Breakout Star of the Year: Montel Vontavious Porter
Last year's Breakout Star was Johnny Nitro, ala John Morrison. He went on to win the ECW Championship and become a star in his own right. I thought of considering CM Punk as the Breakout Star of the Year but he's over as over as you can be. At the start of 2007, if you would have told me MVP would be where he is today, I would have laughed in your face. At the time, MVP hadn't done anything too special except his feud with Kane. He honed his skills with an unmentionable wrestler and rose to the top. He gained the United States Championship has carried the belt well. I'm expecting a World Heavyweight Championship shot but probably not a reign. I think he'll gain some more experience and continue his rise to the top. I could see him within a year or two mixing it up with the main guys. I wish he would feud with Undertaker or another veteran as the cocky rookie. I'm interested in seeing what MVP will bring to the table in the future.
Star to Watch: Cody Rhodes
Last year's Star to Watch was Cryme Tyme and they ended up getting fired. I hope the same doesn't happen for Cody Rhodes. I think Cody needs some grooming before he's thrust onto the main stage. I liked the feud with Hardcore Holly but most people didn't. Cody still has some work to do to get over with the fans. Most of his work in OVW was flawless. Cody ended 2007 by winning the World Tag Team Championships with Hardcore Holly on RAW's 15th Anniversary. The only thing is they didn't build the match up enough for people to care. In a perfect world, people would have popped big and it would have been very emotional. This was especially true with the American Dream Dusty Rhodes at ring side, seeing his son win his first title. I think Holly & Rhodes will eventually split up and an IC title is in Cody's future.
Diva of the Year: Melina
There's nobody that really has stood out throughout the year except Melina. Candice made her presence known but didn't get over with the fans as quite as well as Melina. Melina was a good heel and really got people to hate her. I think she should get a little more mic time like all of the good Divas. One thing that the Divas can't do that the guys can is get over without talking. Oh yeah, there's that entrance she does that's pretty hot. Beth Phoenix came on at the end of the year but it wasn't enough to take down Melina.
Tag Team of the Year: London & Kendrick
This one was a tough one to call, since the tag division is off & on. Cade & Murdoch were in the running but after their burials, it was hard to give the award to them. They got buried by John Cena and Triple H in handicap matches. Later on, they were destroyed by Batista and The Undertaker. It's kind of hard to have a tag division when most of the teams are used to get singles guys over. Moving on, London & Kendrick won the titles last year and carried them well into 2007. It's only a matter of time before London & Kendrick make their presence known on the RAW brand. They deserve a push regardless of what Vince thinks of London. I could watch these guys and the Hardys for a few years but that won't happen. I hope they get the RAW belts soon and reestablish them like they did on Smackdown. Without a good tag feud, there's no sense in having the belts. I think if London & Kendrick feuded with the teams on RAW, they could easily build the belts back up.
Worst Superstar of the Year: Big Daddy V & The Great Khali
Think about it. If these two teamed up, they could be the worst tag team in history, next to the team of 3 Count from WCW. Wait, those guys could actually wrestle so that would take them out of the question. First, Big Daddy V, as I've said before, has more rolls than your neighborhood bakery. He used to be a decent wrestler but now, it's some sloppy wrestling. I can't really get excited when I see him because I'm preoccupied with the jelly flopping around and it's really distracting. Khali got a reign as World Heavyweight Champion. I can't believe I said that and witnessed it. The worst wrestler ever got a run with the title. Yes, I realize there was no other main event star to put the belt on, but, hello! KANE! Kane would have been a perfect choice to have a champion. Moving back to Khali, until he's released or improves his skills, adding The Claw isn't improvement, he'll always be in the running for this award. They paired Mark Henry with Big Daddy V towards the end of the year and he isn't much better than these other two. I used to like big wrestlers but those could actually wrestle, i.e. Kane, Undertaker. They really need to fire these guys as soon as possible.
Superstar of the Year: Hornswoggle
Yes, you read that correctly. Hornswoggle is the Superstar of the Year for many reasons. Ever since his debut, he's been a fan favorite, regardless of what was going on. He got involved in the Money in the Bank match at Wrestlemania and sold his stuff well. Horny went on and got a small push and became the Cruiserweight Champion. His push continued to where he was announced as Mr. McMahon's illegitimate child. Horny then went on a tear and made impressions on everybody. Off all of the Superstars on the roster, Horny's work has been the best. Whether he was selling moves, cutting a "promo," or just the facial expressions he used during segments, he always performed. You guys think I'm kidding but think about it. Out of the entire roster, when it comes to matches, promos, moves, facial expressions, acting, etc Hornswoggle pulls it off the best. I'll never forget the announcement of him being Vince's kid, the acting and dancing he did was priceless. After the announcement, he's gone on a tear. He's had some of the funniest skits on RAW. It got to where each week, besides the usual show, I was looking forward to the weekly Hornswoggle segment. There hasn't been any other Superstar that's made it through the whole year that's delivered like Horny has.
Brand of the Year: RAW
One of the few reasons RAW got this was because of the returns of Chris Jericho and Shawn Michaels, as well as the additions of Kennedy, Lashley, and London & Kendrick. Randy Orton got the title finally from Cena but has been slowly built as a monster heel. He's on his way if they'll just let him do other gruesome things to his opponent, like maybe handcuffing them to the ropes and beating the every living crap out of them. That little kick to the head doesn't seem very effective. Overall, RAW is decent but if Smackdown keeps on the right track, regardless of what the ratings say, they'll kick RAW's ass. When I can, I check out Smackdown. I would rather see the Edge-Batista-Undertaker feud than any that have been on RAW during the year. Vince will always make sure RAW is on top of Smackdown, regardless of how good each show's product is.
General Manager of the Year: Teddy Long
Even with Vickie Guerrero taking over for a little while, Teddy Long once again is the General Manager of the Year. It might be because he's a face but Long interacts with the crowd a lot better than Regal or Estrada. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy Silly Willy Regal and his mispronunciation of names and other things. Estrada was seen on ECW a few times but it's been a while since he was on last. Teddy Long was good during the house show I attended in June. I don't know about the other GM's but Long is great with getting a crowd going. I know he doesn't have any direct influence on the storylines but he plays his role very well. Holla, holla, holla!
Worst PPV of the Year: Vengeance: Night of Champions
Many people's gripe about this PPV is the lack of title changes. I loved the concept and even the concept of an "all extreme rules matches" PPV, like One Night Stand. I also like the idea of an "all cage match" PPV, like TNA's Lockdown. This one had every championship on the line. They could have made it better by having one or two title changes. I believe this was before the Benoit stuff. However, I loved seeing the former champions come out and do stuff. That was great. But, having a title change here & there would have been great. One thing I would like to add would be former champions being special guest referees. They could also expand the matches and have a Triple Threat, a Fatal 4-Way, or even an elimination match. But, since none of the titles changed hands and the matches weren't that great, this one got the honor of being the worst PPV in my opinion.
Best PPV of the Year: Survivor Series
Survivor Series delivered. Most every match was good and even the Hornswoggle-Khali deal was decent. The ECW title match was pretty good. The tag title match wasn't that great because nobody cared about a team that was buried just days before and a team that hasn't been on TV much. The Divas match was alright, mainly because of Melina's busted entrance and Mickie's kiss. The traditional Survivor Series elimination match was ok but the eliminations came too quickly. They could have been strung out a little bit more. The WWE Championship match was a good technical wrestling match. I really enjoyed it and the psychology behind it was good. The Hell in a Cell title match was damn good. I think it was the best one since the infamous King of the Ring HIAC between Undertaker and Mankind. To cap it all off, Edge returned and shocked everybody, even though his return was screwed up later on. Survivor Series rocked and if you haven't checked it out, I recommend you should.
Bloodiest Match of the Year: Batista vs. Undertaker – Survivor Series Hell in a Cell
Right off of Survivor Series being the best PPV of the year, the Bloodiest Match of the Year had to be the Hell in a Cell match. I remember watching it and seeing all of the blood going everywhere. It was a very gruesome match and to put an exclamation mark on it, Edge flat out destroyed Undertaker with the One-man con-chair-to. If this had been a TNA match, they would have pulled out the tacks for the millionth time and then the broken glass. In my honest opinion, I think they should have pulled out some trash cans, maybe a Singapore Cane, a Stop sign, and any other kind of weapon. This was a brutal match and I hope you guys will check it out.
Match of the Year: Batista vs. The Undertaker – Backlash
I debated on this award for a while. I tried to think of all of the matches in 2007 that "tore the house down" and this match was the one that stood out the most. I'm never big on "screwing" the fans out of a finish but this one was great. It was an epic Last Man Standing match that even included some steel towers falling and some explosions. After this PPV, this one was talked about for weeks. I couldn't believe what I had seen that night back in April. Batista and Undertaker delivered in every match they had. During this feud, we saw the return of the old Batista that actually hit moves and was in sync with his opponent. This match was great and I encourage you to check it out.
Like last year, I figured I would include some stuff I would like to see.
Things for 2008:Jeff Hardy becomes WWE Champion
Mr. Kennedy gets a title shot
The tag divisions are actually pushed
The Cruiserweight division & title is moved to ECW
Big Daddy V, The Great Khali, Mark Henry, & Kane take part in a Fatal 4-way where the 3 losers get fired.
The WWE Draft actually shakes things up instead of a few significant moves
Vince stops dominating TV (I wished for this last year and it didn’t change)
Mickie breaks up with Kenny and gives me a call (Hey, I can dream can’t I)
This will be the last blog of the year 2007. With the holidays coming up, I'll be on vacation. I will be checking in from time to time to make sure everything is civil on the comment board. I hope 2008 will be a great year in wrestling and in every reader's life as well. I'm looking forward to 2008 already. I want to wish everybody a Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukah, Happy Kwanza, and a Happy New Year! I'll be back with RAW is Blogged on January 7th. Until then, everybody be safe and that's the bottom line because I said so!
Wrestling AutismRAW – LIVE! – Mondays at 9PM on USAECW – Tuesdays at 10PM on SciFiFriday Night Smackdown – Fridays at 8PM on the CWRoyal Rumble – January 27 – 8PM – Only on PPV!
