To close out 2007, the Pulse Wrestling staff selected nominees in 19 categories that span all U.S.-based wrestling promotions and events that took place from December 16, 2006 through December 15, 2007. Thirty-three members of our staff chose from the five nominees in each category, and below are the results. Listed for each category are the Writers’ Pick, the corresponding Readers’ Pick (from a similar poll posted in our forums), and a paragraph (or so) on each category, written by various members of Pulse Wrestling’s staff. The five nominees for each award — including some new categories — are also listed in order, from winner to fifth place.
Enjoy!
– Mm
Best Male Wrestler
Writers’ Choice: Bryan Danielson
Readers’ Choice: Bryan Danielson
Ladies and Gentlemen, I present to you your Male Wrestler of the Year for the second year in a row, “American Dragon†Bryan Danielson. Coming into 2007, most didn’t expect him to become a 2-time winner of this award, considering he was rehabbing a major shoulder injury and was talking about being “burned outâ€. But Dragon came back and tore it up, whether it was in NOAH, ROH, PWG, or NWA. He put on classic matches, racked up some hardware (nothing compared to last year, but come on), and in just three months, put on a feud of the year contender with Takeshi Morishima. Danielson seemingly just can’t be stopped, no matter where he plys his trade.
Danielson made his return on April 1st, to Pro-Wrestling NOAH. There, he feuded with KENTA, and was very protected all year, in this tour and another in July. He returned to ROH after his first NOAH tour, and was immediately made the top guy, having the “PPV Era†built around him, main eventing the first two with two wins, and putting on classic matches. He went on to feud with Takeshi Morishima, a feud just a few months in and with no end in sight, yet it still is being considered among the best of the year. In PWG, he wasn’t pinned all year, and won the World Title in a Match of the Year contender in July, and held it for the rest of the year, defending it in SoCal, Germany, France, and England. He also dominated the NWA Tournament, making it to the finals before being injured, and has still not received his rematch after going undefeated in the tournament. He has put on great matches with everyone from Nigel McGuinness to El Generico to Necro Butcher, and is looking unstoppable going into 2008. We’ll see. – Jake Mulligan
Staff Voting Results
1 – Bryan Danielson (45%)
2 – John Cena (27%)
3 – C.M. Punk
4 – Nigel McGuinness
5 – Kurt Angle
Best Female Wrestler
Writers’ Choice: Sara Del Rey
Readers’ Choice: Awesome/Amazing Kong
Sara Del Rey has revolutionized women’s wrestling within the past year. The standards of the average American woman wrestler have officially been shattered. Her amazing streak of success began after she became the very first SHIMMER Champion, defeating Lacey in the finals of the 16-woman tournament. From there, she was brought into Ring of Honor and placed under the wing of Chris Hero and Larry Sweeney to further her success. She also appeared throughout other independent wrestling organizations like CHIKARA, CWR and IWZ. As one half of the Intergender Tag Team Champions of the Universe, her star will only shine brighter throughout 2008. – Jonathan Kirschner
Staff Voting Results
1 – Sara Del Rey (30%)
2 – Beth Phoenix (21%)
3 – Awesome/Amazing Kong
4 (tie) – Gail Kim
4 (tie) – Mickie James
Best Tag-Team
Writers’ Choice: Jay and Mark Briscoe
Readers’ Choice: Jay and Mark Briscoe
Among the Ring of Honor faithful, 2006 is remembered for the promotion’s feud with CZW and the title reign of Bryan Danielson. 2007 shall be remembered as the year of the Briscoe Brothers. Mark and Jay had proven how good they were in 2006 with tremendous bouts at Unified and Final Battle. In 2007, they showed that not only does tag team wrestling still live, but that it can still be in the Main Event.
Their feats in 2007 included winning the ROH Tag Titles twice, with one of those reigns being the longest in ROH history in terms of the number of title defences and the number of days that they held the belt. They wrestled for two tours in Pro Wrestling NOAH in Japan, winning the GHC Jr Heavyweight Tag Titles on their first NOAH show. They even held the FIP Tag Team Championships. They had two ROH Tag Title defences on one night in Osaka and they won over eight straight falls in 2/3 falls matches, besting two previous Tag Team Champions in the process.
In every match they proved that they are the one of the most energetic tag teams in wrestling today. Their trademark mix of hard hitting offense, high flying moves, breakneck pace and frantic double teams has led them to put on some of the best tag team matches this year. When you watch a Briscoes match you will see innovative double teams and frantic finishing stretches that really build up the tension. You will see two brothers go out there, take whatever their opponents have got, and give it back five fold. They are two crazy Red neck brothers who would die for each other and do whatever they could to hold the title belts. They were arguably the most entertaining tag team in 2007.
On top of it all, they fought almost every tag team that ROH had. They fought in the craziest feud of the year against Kevin Steen and El Generico, a feud stemming from a missed title shot. The teams took each other to hell and back, using 2/3 falls matches, Street Fights, Cage matches, and Lights Out matches, before ending it with ROH’s 1st (and only) Ladder War. No other team would dream of fighting each other after losing the Titles, just to toughen themselves up for the rematch.
If you are a fan of modern tag team wrestling, of non-stop action and high spots galore, then you will love the Briscoes, especially their match against the Motor City Machineguns. If you prefer good stories then watch their series of matches against Shingo, where Shingo’s tenacity makes him almost unbeatable. For hardcore brawls and high risk matches, look to their feuds Steen and Generico and the Age of the Fall. Sure, they may not use the established “hot tag” formula in their matches, dominate “too much for a face team” or forget to sell something five seconds after it happened; but they have put on some of the most enjoyable and entertaining matches this year. That is because the Briscoes are the epitome of fast paced, high work rate wrestling. They have flaws, as all wrestlers have, but when they improve in these areas, they could be the best tag team the world has ever seen. – Mark Buckeldee
Staff Voting Results
1 – Jay & Mark Briscoe (43%)
2 – Motor/Murder City Machineguns (Alex Shelley & Chris Sabin) (31%)
3 – Kevin Steen & El Generico
4 (tie) – Redneck Wrecking Crew (Lance Cade & Trevor Murdoch)
4 (tie) – Brian Kendrick & Paul London
Best Announcer or Interviewer
Writers’ Choice: John Bradshaw Layfield
Readers’ Choice: John Bradshaw Layfield
He is good in the ring, but he is gold on the mic. John Bradshaw Layfield has proven that he is more worthy at the desk than he was winning championships. Love him or hate him, he put over superstars that could never get over on their own. Calling Gregory Helms the longest reigning Cruiserweight Championship might have not impressed the suits in the main office, but it did its job and it elevated Helms as a regular entertainer on Smackdown before his unfortunate injury. It didn’t matter whether you were a heel or a face, having a man like JBL talk good about you to the millions watching the program made a lot of young stars on that brand.
Take a look at MVP, for example, When MVP debuted, he was billed as the highest paid superstar in SmackDown history. When JBL called his matches, MVP benefitted from being put over by the “Wrestling God.” MVP’s stock continued to rise and now he’s a threat to the main event scene. JBL has that touch that makes stars and he isn’t as annoying as Jerry Lawler on color talking about puppies or the like.
Who could ever forget No Way Out this past February? Those that watched probably cringed at the fact that Michael Cole was obivously sick and shouldn’t had commentated that night. JBL stepped it up and he called the main event by himself. This was a feat not seen on a regular basis, I mean, who remembers Joey Styles calling an entire Pay-Per-View by himself? It is extremely hard doing play-by-play and acting on color at the same time, but that is what makes JBL simply great, and deserving of this award for the second-year running.
The end of the run on color for JBL has come, and he is back in the ring, proving to others that his transformation from “drunken redneck” Bradshaw to “Rich Bastard” John Bradshaw Layfield is by far one of the best events the wrestling world has ever seen. When JBL hangs his boots back up for the last time, it is great to know that he will always have a position waiting for him at the commentary booth, because he is…A COMMENTATING GOD! – Paul Marshall
Staff Voting Results
1 – John Bradshaw Layfield (87%)
2 – Jeremy Borash (6%)
3 (tie) – Jim Ross
3 (tie) – Joey Styles
5 – Jerry Lawler
Best Manager or Authority Figure
Writers’ Choice: Larry Sweeney
Readers’ Choice: William Regal
Magnificent, exciting, annoying, the man we all love to hate and hate to love: Larry Sweeney. Limiting Larry Sweeney to one word is difficult when he expresses such emotion as the manager of Sweet N’ Sour Inc. in Ring of Honor and for the Kings of Wrestling in Chikara. With his smarmy remarks toward his client’s opponent, some would call him the Bobby Heenan of our time. But that’s not the only thing Sweeney does well, oh no.
He has the ability (being a wrestler himself) to get in the ring when the referee isn’t looking and clobber the opponent. As a manager and a member of the Kings of Wrestling, he was at ringside assisting partners like Chris Hero and Mitch Ryder to rise to the top in Chikara. At Rey de Voladores he helped Chris Hero win the match by distracting special guest referee Mike Quackenbush, giving Hero just enough time to pull off a low blow.
In Ring of Honor, Larry Sweeney was introduced as Chris Hero’s agent. His claim was “We’ll be there when we get our share!†The duo quickly evolved into a trio when Tank Toland was brought in as Chris Hero’s personal trainer. Soon, Sara Del Ray, Matt Sydal and even Bobby Dempsey would be known as part of Sweet N’ Sour Inc., and within weeks of joining the stable, Sweeney got Sydal a job for World Wrestling Entertainment. Given time, Sweeney, Toland, Hero and Del Ray will be sitting on top of a mountain with gold in their hands, rolling in money, with Dempsey only making it halfway up the mountain. – Jonathan Kirschner
Staff Voting Results
1 – Larry Sweeney (45%)
2 – William Regal (39%)
3 – Jim Cornette
4 – Armando Alejandro Estrada
5 – Theodore Long
Breakout Star of the Year
Writers’ Choice: Montel Vontavious Porter
Readers’ Choice: Montel Vontavious Porter
To break out means to emerge from confinement or restraint. In WWE-land, confinement or restraint means being lost in the shuffle or buried in the mid-card. One man who wasn’t lost in the shuffle during the year 2007 was the current WWE United States Champion Montel Vontavious Porter. In fact, Porter earned a spot on every WWE pay per view this year, whether it be in a match or some sort of other in-ring appearance.
His initial appearances in late 2006 looked dreadful and seemed to be another failed gimmick that would fall to the wayside within months. But his one-note gimmick, and the performer himself, grew leaps and bounds throughout the year. After his “baptism by fire†with Kane and his “on-the-job training†with Chris Benoit, Porter emerged as a budding young superstar that WWE will be able to call upon for years to come. He came out of his series with Benoit as United States Champion and has made the saga surrounding that Championship as entertaining as it’s been since its re-inception.
Porter has shown that he can more than hold his end of the bargain when it comes to in-ring action and is more than capable on the promo side of things. Whereas other WWE “can’t miss†prospects have failed, stalled or just weren’t “well,†MVP shined through. He has become a cornerstone of the constantly ailing SmackDown! brand, which means he should promptly be drafted to RAW at the next available opportunity. If he continues on the path he is now, barring injuries and other outside factors, MVP will continue to break through the rank and file of World Wrestling Entertainment and become a top-level main event talent. – Mark Allen
Staff Voting Results
1 – Montel Vontavious Porter (42%)
2 – Frankie Kazarian/Kaz (27%)
3 – Umaga
4 – Nigel McGuinness
5 – Johnny Nitro/John Morrison
Best Wrestling Move
Writers’ Choice: C.M. Punk’s Go 2 Sleep
Readers’ Choice: C.M. Punk’s Go 2 Sleep
Go 2 Sleep, or GTS, the same move made famous by KENTA, has won many matches for C.M. Punk in 2007. If you take a look at the other moves that made the cut this year, all of them have the ability to do what they are expected to do — and that is to finish a match. The uniqueness of the GTS is two-fold. You take and lift your opponent up over your head and you drop him face first, but you extend your knee up to meet your unsuspecting opponent’s face. The first part of the move is easy to counter, but once you go down, you can’t avoid it any longer…BAM! Go 2 Sleep! Punk’s signature submission move, the Anaconda Vice, took second place in the staff voting last year, and this year, the man who saved the ECW Championship from the taint left after the forgettable McMahon/Lashley saga was rewarded for adding an impact move to his arsenal that really looks dangerous. – Paul Marshall
Staff Voting Results
1 – C.M. Punk – Go 2 Sleep (68%)
2 (tie) – Randy Orton – RKO (12%)
2 (tie) – Kevin Steen – Package Piledriver (12%)
4 – Carlito – Backstabber
5 – Chris Jericho – Codebreaker
Best Gimmick
Writers’ Choice: Jimmy Jacobs, Do it for the Age of the Fall (ROH)
Readers’ Choice: Santino Marella, Opening up a Can of-a Ass-Whip (RAW)
In late July, flyers started showing up in ROH bathrooms, advertising abusedsociety.com. From there, creepy viral Web sites, blog entries, stolen Briscoes pictures and the like started popping up around the ‘Net, the most ‘infamous’ being “Project161.com” which caused quite an online stir before being linked to ROH’s 161st Show, the Man Up PPV. The Briscoes were clearly the target of the campaign, but who were the assailants?
At the Man Up PPV taping, following the ladder match, Jimmy Jacobs and Tyler Black entered the ring through the crowd to chants of “DIFH!â€, that is until the Necro Butcher, fists wrapped in barbed wire, came in through the opposite side of the crowd, and the three men hung Jay Briscoe from the cable that had been holding up the tag titles. Standing beneath Briscoe, they bathed in his blood, and the Age of the Fall was born.
The gimmick is a natural progression for this year’s Best Gimmick winner, Jimmy Jacobs. He has gone from being controlled by Lacey, to controlling Lacey, to now controlling a stable and the tag titles. His promos are unique, well done, and speak to ROH’s predominantly young audience. When the screams hit the speakers, the crowd is split, and with Jacob’s “love it or hate it†cult leader gimmick, I imagine it will stay that way. Based off of this category’s voting results, more and more people are shifting to the “love it†side of the street. Sorry, Santino. – Jake Mulligan
Staff Voting Results
1 – Jimmy Jacobs, Do it for the Age of the Fall (39%)
2 – Santino Marella, Opening up a Can of-a Ass-Whip (33%)
3 – Randy Orton, Legend Concussor
4 (tie) – The Undertaker, Deadman Walking
4 (tie) – Hornswoggle, Lucky Bastard
Storyline of the Year
Writers’ Choice: MVP/Matt Hardy – I’m Better Than You (Smackdown)
Readers’ Choice: MVP/Matt Hardy – I’m Better Than You (Smackdown)
In the face of the ROH zeitgeist and bigger names being nominated in this category (not to mention all those title belts in the TNA entry; I’m kind of disappointed that the Knockouts belt wasn’t in existence by then, just so Kurt Angle could have won it, too), it’s hard to believe that a feud between two mid carders on Smackdown! could win best storyline of the year. Especially when you consider that the set up, with Matt Hardy playing the blue collar man of the people taking on the flashy, braggadocious heel champion MVP is pretty clichéd on its own. It’s a pairing that’s probably been around as long as the business (and certainly since the days of Flair vs. Rhodes). Throw in the fact that they became the latest foes to become “wacky mismatched tag team partners,” a more modern but still pretty hoary trope, and the whole thing looks like they fed a couple of names in to a Random Feud Generator to see what would happen… and yet, the whole thing really was a case of the whole being better than the sum of its parts, for a number of reasons.
The most obvious one would deal with why any story idea becomes a cliché; because it works. Like any kind of genre writing, the WWE’s patented Sports Entertainment runs on formula. As much as pretty much anyone who reads or contributes to this site may roll their eyes when they see these things coming for the 1,000th time, we all have to admit that they can still be extremely entertaining when done well, and that’s what this feud was. Hardy and Porter played their roles to perfection.
While Porter only came in to his own in the ring over the spring after his feud with Chris Benoit, he was always good on the mic, so his contributions to the backstage portions of the feud — which made up the bulk of it — shouldn’t be much of a surprise. Even in the sea of cocky, arrogant young heels that is the WWE, Porter’s been able to stand apart from the crowd by mixing the “I love me sum ME†posturing of superstar athletes like Terrell Owens with tried and true attributes of the heel that the crowd loves to hate. He never passed up an opportunity to take the easy way out, put himself over, or take all the credit for himself when Hardy did all the hard work during their tag title run, all sure-fire ways to put heat on himself. Given the killer instinct he showed in the beatdown that created the kayfabe reason for Hardy to be on the shelf after his appendicitis, we may look back on this feud in the years to come as the one that prepared him for a run in the main event.
Beyond serving as the perfect contrast to Porter’s character with his everyman appeal, Hardy was able to bring more personality to the table than he has since his days as the Sensei of Mattitude. From his glee at the ways in which Porter would get his comeuppance (from eating a Stone Cold Stunner to taking a haymaker from Evander Holyfield, his surrogate in a boxing match), to the way he got in some good verbal shots during Porter’s “one year anniversary celebration,†Hardy was able to give as good as he got without exposing his limitations on the stick. If nothing else, it helped to erase the memories of his less than inspiring attempts at intensity during his feud with Edge and Lita, which is no mean feat.
Keeping all that in mind, however, the best part of the whole thing was the pacing. Following Porter’s victory in their title match at the Great American Bash, he refused to defend the belt against Hardy again. In response, Hardy challenged Porter to a series of contests to prove who the better man was, just to prove that he deserved another shot. Over the weeks, we had everything from arm wrestling contests to chess matches, with Hardy looking like the better man despite MVP doing everything in his power to keep from acknowledging it. Porter was great, using everything from typical cheap heel tactics like knocking the chess pieces off the board, to backing out of their boxing match at Saturday Night’s Main Event at MSG due to a legitimate heart condition (which is how Holyfield came in to the picture).
Their tag title run deserves a mention too, so I might as well jam it in here. While it didn’t improve the division by putting over any of its less-established teams, it did continue the one-upmanship beautifully, what with MVP trying to make nice with his rival while still putting himself over at every opportunity (going so far as to name himself captain and get a C monogrammed on his trademark “Power Rangersâ€-esque singlet). It also led to an excellent match with Finlay and Rey Mysterio on Smackdown!, which is apropos of nothing except that I really liked that match and wanted to mention it. If nothing else, Porter and Hardy were a step up from the team that had the straps before they did, Deuce and Domino, and their dropping the belts to The Miz and John Morrison got the latter two out of C.M. Punk’s hair while leading to 2008’s first shockingly good feud, Mizorrison vs. Moore Wang. Yes, I’m both giving Hardy and Porter credit for a feud they have nothing to do with and trying to give the Jimmy Yang and Shannon Moore team a dick joke for a name.
The whole thing went at a nice, slow burn pace, which gives it a lot in common with another surprisingly compelling storyline from recent memory, the one between Trish Stratus and Mickie James. Sure, it lacked all of that storyline’s girl on girl action, but they were both able to look fresh as compared to the rest of the card because it took time to build to a conclusion instead of just throwing its two competitors together in a series of matches. Admittedly, part of the reason behind that had to be the fact that injuries kept them from having one on one matches through the Fall. Keeping that in mind, the pacing of the feud helped build anticipation for the blow off match without subjecting it to the kind of overkill that plagues so many other feuds (how many times did we see a permutation of HHH vs. Umaga over the course of three months, for instance?). The whole thing had a very old school feel, which can’t be a coincidence on a show where Michael Hayes is booking.
Or, for the abridged version, this storyline is “sports entertainment” done right (between ROH’s product being a reaction against SE and the majority of WWE and TNA’s booking not exactly serving as a good argument FOR it, it’s easy to be down on the whole philosophy). This storyline shows that you can combine all of the backstage elements the phrase embodies and still serve the ultimate purpose that any wrestling storyline should: create a match fans want to see. Admittedly, we have yet to see the blowoff match, but given how well executed the rest of the storyline has been, I have hopes that we’ll see it in the near future. Unless Vince Russo gets hired to run Smackdown, booking Matt to turn on his brother at the Royal Rumble and WWE forgets about the whole thing, MVP vs. Matt Hardy, once and for all certainly seems like a WrestleMania moment to me. – Brad Curran
Staff Voting Results
1 – MVP/Matt Hardy – I’m Better Than You (36%)
2 – Jimmy Jacobs – Age of the Fall (30%)
3 – Chris Jericho – SAVE_US.Y2J
4 (tie) – Kurt Angle/Samoa Joe – Winner Takes All
4 (tie) – Mr. McMahon – Limogate
Best In-Ring Feud
Writers’ Choice: The Briscoes vs. Kevin Steen & El Generico (ROH)
Readers’ Choice: Montel Vontavious Porter vs. Matt Hardy (Smackdown)
The Briscoes vs. Steen & Generico feud was wrestling simplicity. It did not involve necrophilia, midgets, monkeys, giant Indian gentlemen, or anything of that nature. It was two teams that wanted to prove who was better. The most remarkable thing about this feud is the simple fact that in February on the eve of the “Fifth Year Festival: Philly†Kevin Steen and El Generico were not even members of the roster. Flash forward eight months and they headlined a breathtaking ladder war against the focal point of the promotion for 2007: The Briscoes.
No one could have predicted at the beginning of 2007 that a rivalry like this would be the best of the year. Smart money last January was on Joe vs. NOAH or maybe something set up by Danielson’s impending return. No one thought that a chubby loudmouth and generic luchadore who had floundered, in the eyes of many, in their chance to be in ROH could possibly be presenting state of the art matches built on the foundation of simplicity.
The feud started with a match that everyone figured would be a squash, the aforementioned “Fifth Year Festival: Philly†bout. Instead fans were treated to an amazing display of balls out tag team wrestling, and the first team to really compliment the Briscoes’ style in such an awesome way. The match turned into a rematch, and the rematch into a rivalry, and the rivalry into a feud the way some of the greatest feuds of all time happen. The apex for me was not the Ladder War, but early on shortly after Jay and Mark Briscoe captured the Tag Titles. At the show “Fighting Spirit,†Mark was on the shelf with a concussion and Erick Stevens was chosen as a replacement. Mr. Choo Choo was taken out by the No Remorse Corps, and Jay was left to fend for himself. Mark, clad in street clothes, jumped the guard rail climbed on the apron and begged for the hot tag. When it happened the place erupted, which ranks up as one of the best moments in ROH of the year. The Briscoes lost that one, but went on to have several classic matches and moments in later shows.
Steen and Generico attacked the Briscoes in one of the best pull apart brawls in recent memory at the first Pay Per View “Respect is Earned.†They had a brawl at “Driven,” a classic street fight in Boston, a pair of singles brawls, and then what everyone thought would be the culmination of the feud: a two-out-of-three falls match at “Manhattan Mayhem II.†When the Briscoes won the match in two straight falls everyone thought that would be it. Steen would not be denied and challenged the Briscoes to the now banned “Ladder War†that proved to be the capstone for the feud.
My only complaint about the feud is that it was a little bit one-sided. Looking at pure win/loss records. the Briscoes dominated. The brilliance was Steen’s cocky “Never say die!†attitude juxtaposed with El Generico’s underdog “Never say die!†persona. Despite their losses they always seemed ready to take that next step and get that next win. The feud drew in fans and got people talking, and ultimately it is that aspect of the feud that puts it at the top of the writers’ list. – Big Andy Mac
Staff Voting Results
1 – The Briscoes vs. Kevin Steen & El Generico (33%)
2 – John Cena vs. Shawn Michaels (24%)
3 (tie) – Batista vs. The Undertaker
3 (tie) – Montel Vontavious Porter vs. Matt Hardy
5 – Bryan Danielson vs. Takeshi Morishima
WWE Match of the Year
Writers’ Choice: John Cena vs. Umaga, Last Man Standing Match (Royal Rumble, January 28)
Readers’ Choice: John Cena vs. Shawn Michaels (RAW, April 23)
Picking the best WWE Match of the Year is kinda like picking the prettiest girl at prom if your prom was held in a burn unit. Yes, I’m the “WWE Guy,†but even I’ll admit that there were slim pickings throughout the year. The reason is clearly not because of the immense amount of talent on the roster (what with the fact that they’ve got indie darlings C.M. Punk, Paul London, Jamie Noble and Jimmy Yang on the roster) but because WWE is less concerned with putting on matches that ‘Net fans would drool over and more concerned with entertaining the tens of thousands of people who pack their arenas. With that said, through the muck and the mire we at Pulse Wrestling managed to pull out the best of 2007.
Of course the list included the obligatory WrestleMania main events, though they failed to capture the top spot. Batista/Taker was clearly not a deserving winner because while it was a great Batista match and a great Undertaker match, it clearly fell short of the best WWE match. HBK/Cena at WrestleMania was a solid main event, but it wasn’t going to generate too many votes because Cena went over. HBK/Cena on RAW was clearly the better match, and ‘Net fans could rest easily knowing that Shawn Michaels went over in the end. The four-way ladder match from Armageddon last year generated a few votes, however that may be due to the fact that there are some sadists who enjoyed seeing Joey Mercury get his fact smashed in. Once the dust had settled and the smoke had cleared, one match stood up as the grand champion.
The WWE Match of the Year for 2007 comes from the Royal Rumble and it featured John Cena and Umaga in a Last Man Standing match. Yes, you read that correctly. John Cena was in your MOTY. And it wasn’t against Shawn Michaels. It was against a former member of Three Minute Warning. Why was this chosen as the top of 2007? First I think this is due to the fact that a lot of people underestimate John Cena in the ring. No, he’s not going to be mistaken for – wow, I was going to say Benoit and now I feel uncomfortable – let’s just say Dynamite Kid, but John Cena is a serviceable wrestler who can hang with the big boys. He didn’t embarrass himself in the ring with Shawn Michaels or Triple H and he’s kept the fans in the matches even when they’d rather boo him than follow the storyline. At the Royal Rumble, John was going in there with a relatively unproven main eventer in a gimmick match that has been pretty overdone. Most people expected Umaga to win the title, especially considering the fact that Umaga then wasn’t losing often if at all.
The match itself was a bit old ECW and a bit of the also underrated JBL/Cena title match from Mania a few years back. Both guys took pretty impressive bumps, with Umaga making Cena’s weak offense look not only credible but threatening. The guys freely used the steel ringsteps, with Cena at one point taking a pretty serious looking bump on them. There were multiple near falls, including Umaga’s belly-flop through the announce table. Cena wore yet another impressive crimson mask, though when he blades he tends to do that odd shivering thing that makes him look like he was possessed by Papa Shango. The finish of the match was one of the most memorable of 2007, and could have been gimmicky if not for the excellent sell-job by Umaga. In the end, John Cena used the ring ropes to literally choke Umaga into unconsciousness, and set a jumping-off point for what could have been a vicious character turn. Did it happen? Nope. The match was a squandered opportunity because Umaga would stay far from the main event title picture after the loss and Cena went from potential psycho back to family-friendly babyface. It was a good choice for Match of the Year, but maybe it could have been listed as Missed Opportunity of the Year as well. – Andy Wheeler
Staff Voting Results
1 – John Cena vs. Umaga, Last Man Standing Match (Royal Rumble, January 28) (53%)
2 – John Cena vs. Shawn Michaels (RAW, April 23) (28%)
3 – John Cena vs. Shawn Michaels (WrestleMania 23, April 1)
4 – Brian Kendrick & Paul London vs. MNM vs. William Regal & Dave Taylor vs. Matt & Jeff Hardy, Ladder Match (Armageddon, December 17, 2006)
5 – Batista vs. The Undertaker, Last Man Standing Match (Backlash, April 29)
TNA Match of the Year
Writers’ Choice: Samoa Joe vs. Christian Cage (Destination X, March 11)
Readers’ Choice: Samoa Joe vs. Kurt Angle, Iron Man Match (Final Resolution, January 14)
I want you all to picture something completely inevitable; some of you will think of death or taxes, others will think the coming of night and day, and others more will have some quasi-humorous statement to go along with my request. Think about the changing seasons, or how we all have no choice but to succumb to the icy, cold hands of old age and then, naturally, death.
That was how inevitable it seemed that Joe would annihilate Cage in their world title match and reclaim his rightful place at the top of the TNA throne. He was to be THE homemade TNA star (even though he brought much of his fanbase from ROH) that could be the face of the company, and this was his moment, THE moment.
Everything seemed to set the table for it: for only the second time — the first being what was billed as a pretty huge match vs. Jushin Liger — Samoa Joe brought out fire dancers to get the crowd energized, making the event seem more like a coronation than a wrestling match. The crowd chanted as their great warrior entered the arena, and booed viciously as his unwilling victim found himself carefully shuffling out to his own booming entrance music. As the match went on, devastating move after devastating move crushed the Champion, who seemed more like a challenger than anything else. The fans in the audience were simply counting down Christian Cage’s own personal doomsday clock, awaiting that amazing moment when they would be able to raise their hands triumphantly for their new Samoan Warrior-King.
And then…it was over.
Christian Cage, master sneak-thief and manipulator, somehow defeated the seemingly unstoppable conqueror using one of the oldest tricks known to heeldom: the utilization of the ropes. With that, the audience in the Impact Zone, and watching at home on Pay Per View, let out a collective cry of shock and amazement, whether it was lamenting the nearly impossible defeat of Joe or celebrating the awesome heeldom that was Christian Cage’s antics. For managing to draw in the attention of everyone and completely swerve the entire wrestling world, this simply has to be the top choice for TNA Match of the Year.
As for the choice of you, the readers? Well, you have two awesome guys, and you put them into a match where they have a half-hour to be awesome. What’s the result? An awesome match. Not much else to say there. You have two guys with great submissions, fantastic suplexes, and super-stiff arsenals beat the tar out of each other for thirty minutes? Good way to spend your tv time, I’d say. A fine choice and, as you can see, our number two, albeit tied with the Chris Harris/James Storm Texas Death Match, which I liked, but not as much as their TV outing during the King of the Mountain Qualifier.
Still, Joe/Cage is my personal top choice, as if you couldn’t tell from the massive writeup I just gave it. So, forgive me if I mentally relive the awesomeness of that match. Ah, yes…good times. – Ivan Rushfield
Staff Voting Results
1 – Samoa Joe vs. Christian Cage (Destination X, March 11) (40%)
2 (tie) – Samoa Joe vs. Kurt Angle, Iron Man Match (Final Resolution, January 14) (20%)
2 (tie) – Chris Harris vs. James Storm, Texas Death Match (Sacrifice, May 13) (20%)
4 (tie) – Christian Cage vs. Kaz, Ladder Match (Genesis, November 11)
4 (tie) – Latin American Xchange vs. XXX, Ultimate X Match (Bound For Glory, October 14)
ROH Match of the Year
Writers’ Choice: Bryan Danielson vs. Takeshi Morishima (Manhattan Mayhem II, August 25)
Readers’ Choice: Bryan Danielson vs. Nigel McGuinness (Driven, June 23 / September 21)
Bryan Danielson had been on quite the winning streak coming up to 8/25’s Manhattan Mayhem II. Walking up to his next match against Takeshi Morishima he had beaten international wrestling stars like PAC and Mike Quackenbush and WWE Employee Matt Sydal. Sure that’s impressive, but it’s nothing compared to the massive winning streak Morishima had symbolically displayed by way of Ring of Honor’s World Title. The fact of the matter is that Bryan Danielson wanted that title too much to see Morishima disrespecting the Ring of Honor name by carrying around the belt clenched between his teeth. Danielson had to adapt his strategies into being a lot more elusive and careful because of the size difference of his last few opponents and Morishima.
When the two stepped in the ring, we could feel the electricity flow through the air. You had Danielson’s most loyal fans chanting for him to kick Morishima’s head in, and Morishima’s faithful chanting on their foreign hero. Immediate disrespect was shown by Morishima after he refused to shake Danielson’s extended hand, thus breaking the “Code of Honorâ€. You could tell after the opening bell that Danielson’s style would change right off the bat, leaving behind the collar and elbow tie up, and adding the elements of Mixed Martial Arts-like strikes. Though this strategy was working, Danielson still couldn’t escape Morishima’s overwhelming power as he was trapped in the corner, becoming victim to numerous closed fist strikes (one of which popped Danielson right in the eye causing him to go blind for six weeks).
Battling past that, the fight spilled to the outside of the ring and even into the crowd. Danielson had the momentum on his side as near everyone in attendance was rooting for him to win the Ring of Honor belt. Kicks to the leg, side armbars and various leg locks are just a few things Danielson used to break the big man down. Danielson stomped Morishima’s head in, and gave him the Cattle Mutilation, but to no avail. After reversing Danielson’s top rope suplex, Morishima had the match pretty much in the bag. A lariat and one Backdrop Driver later, Morishima nabbed the win securing his spot as Ring of Honor World Champion. – Jonathan Kirschner
Staff Voting Results
1 – Bryan Danielson vs. Takeshi Morishima (Manhattan Mayhem II, August 25) (40%)
2 – Bryan Danielson vs. Nigel McGuinness (Driven, June 23 / September 21) (29%)
3 – The Briscoes vs. Motor City Machine Guns (Good Times, Great Memories, April 28)
4 (tie) – Jimmy Jacobs vs. BJ Whitmer (Supercard of Honour II, March 31)
4 (tie) – The Briscoes vs. Kevin Steen & El Generico (Death Before Dishonor V, Night 1, August 10)
Worst Match of the Year
Writers’ Choice: The Great Khali vs. Batista vs. Kane, Triple Threat Match (WWE Great American Bash, July 22)
Readers’ Choice: Kelly Kelly vs. Layla (ECW, November 26)
Bowling shoe ugly is the term Jim Ross uses when the matches are going to suck. That expression is perfect because it basically means that you know what you’re getting before the bell even rings. None of the matches listed on here were expected to be mat classics, however the winner was probably the most surprising nominee. Of course you’re going to get that stupid America’s Most Wanted blindfold match because blindfold matches are supposed to suck. Hell, most TNA gimmick matches are supposed to suck. It’s part of their charm (and by charm I mean ability to charge fans for PPVs and never deliver). VKM versus the Heartbreakers was another TNA pearl, as we got a broken down team past their prime against a team fired from the WWE for unprofessional conduct on Byte This. Seriously? I don’t even want to talk about this match because I don’t want to waste my time.
That leaves the three WWE matches. First up is Layla versus Kelly Kelly, a.k.a the match where Kelly blows her cartwheel. I give this match a mulligan because Kelly has been working hard and she clearly wasn’t ready to go at that point. Maybe if she’s dedicated she could be the next Maria. I know it sounds like I’m copping out on this, but I’d rather give a pass to someone who’s trying to be good… you know, unlike TNA. Khali/Hornswoggle from Survivor Series is next, and this was a “match†I saw in person. First up, this match got a pop from the fans that I still cannot fathom. On the plus side, this thing was unbelievably short. On the negative side, this match happened. It was actually built up pretty well, with Shane coming out to introduce Vince who tried his best to hype up the crowd. Unfortunately, the crowd was more concerned with Shaq in the crowd, chanting for a Shaq/Khali confrontation. This crazy idea distracted the audience from what we paid to see; a giant man attack a midget! We got to see Khali slap Hornswoggle and the Finlay do the confusing run-in. I say confusing because Finlay was just a heel in the prior match and because he and Hornswoggle have had no interaction in months. No one knew what the hell was going on, and I don’t think that this even qualifies as a match. It was more of a Sports Entertainment segment.
That leaves Khali/Kane/Batista as the “winner†of this category. This match was from the always awful Great American Bash, a PPV known for being cursed. This year was no different, as the intended Kane/Edge main event was scrapped due to Edge’s unexpected injury. Left without a champion, the WWE scrambled and threw the belt on Khali, which set up this triple threat match. I will say this, the match wasn’t THAT awful. When Kane and Batista were in the ring, the match was decent. Why? Because Kane and Batista know how to work matches. Khali is the giant albatross around their necks, but he was watchable in the Punjabi Prison match. Sure, this match wins worst match of the year because it’s a hell of a lot easier to just hate the Khali match then to look at more deserving candidates. Don’t get me wrong, this match wasn’t good, but it wasn’t the unholy demonspawn of Dog Kennel from Hell and Judy Bagwell on a Pole. – Andy Wheeler
Staff Voting Results
1 – The Great Khali vs. Batista vs. Kane, Triple Threat Match (WWE Great American Bash, July 22) (42%)
2 – Kelly Kelly vs. Layla (ECW, November 26) (33%)
3 (tie) – Chris Harris vs. James Storm, Six Sides of Steel Blindfold Match (TNA Lockdown, April 15)
3 (tie) – Voodoo Kin Mafia vs. The Heartbreakers (TNA Destination X, March 11)
5 – The Great Khali vs. Hornswoggle (WWE Survivor Series, November 18)
Missed Opportunity of the Year
Writers’ Choice: TNA
Readers’ Choice: Samoa Joe’s World Title
Look up ‘foregone conclusion’ in the dictionary and you’ll see TNA winning this Missed Opportunity of the Year award. Look up ‘TNA’ in the dictionary and you’ll see a crayon drawing of a retarded chimpanzee masturbating. Look at a dictionary and you’ll find it is much less interesting in real life. I’m babbling now. The point is that none of the other nominated cock-ups came close to matching the repeated and emphatic squandering of potential that plagued TNA in 2007. The WWE Cruiserweight Division doesn’t even exist now, which makes it as little of a missed opportunity as the WWE Hardcore Division, and nobody with any realistic notions could have retained any expectations for it over the past decade anyway. Wrestling Society X was only as futile and pointless as any other given MTV show. The storyline about Vince McMahon’s illegitimate son was not so much a missed opportunity as a fortunate realisation by WWE that it would be short-sighted of them to reward Ken Kennedy for being a tool by giving him such a major boost up the card – and, besides, at least Hornswoggle’s involvement gets Finlay more important air-time. Then there was the “Samoa Joe didn’t get a world title reign” option, which actually took 21% of the vote and even won the category in the readers’ poll. Presumably these readers feel that there is absolutely nothing wrong with TNA other than Joe not holding the top singles title. Presumably they enjoy the mockery that is being made of the X Division, the incessant skits involving Kurt and Karen Angle, the failure to equate Angle’s comedic skills with his spot as a dominant heel champion, the nonsensical booking, the utter tripe trotted out week after week on Impact, the Impact Zone fans with a collective IQ the equivalent size of a walnut, the neutering of talent like A.J. Styles in favour of outdated drudgery of Kevin Nash, the inconceivable insensitivity of Pacman Jones, the wasteful nature of every Abyss and Abyss-related match, the static TV ratings, the self-destructive PPV buyrates, the low-drawing or flat-out cancelled house shows, the refusal to turn to great creative minds like Jim Cornette and Raven in preference for Vince Russo and Dutch Mantel, the deliberate ignorance being displayed towards drug testing, the way that general wellness is overlooked in favour of needless head-shots, the Voodoo Kin Mafia in general… Presumably we have fewer intelligent readers with discerning tastes than even I thought.
If you were anything like me, you won’t have many memories of what actually happened in TNA’s main shows in 2007. Here’s a brief recap:
Final Resolution ended with Christian Cage taking the NWA World Heavyweight Title but was remembered, such as it was, for Kurt Angle beating Samoa Joe in an excellent thirty-minute iron-man match (there are no capitals for iron man matches that last less than an hour). Elsewhere, Chris Sabin nabbed the X Division title and Alex Shelley defeated Austin Starr to win the right to swallow Kevin Nash’s manhood first. Against All Odds included a match between Christy Hemme and Big Fat Oily Guy… and a match between Lance Hoyt and the former KISS Demon. Destination X included an Elevation X match that was too high-risk to be worth any sort of risk at all, the debut and farewell of the Heartbreakers, Bob Backlund getting Austin Starr’s heat, an utterly putrid Abyss/Sting ‘Last Rites’ match that somehow was inoffensive to born-again Christian Steve Borden… but it did feature an excellent main event in which Christian Cage retained the title against Samoa Joe. Lockdown… oh, Lockdown… electrified cage gimmicks, shoddy blindfold gimmicks… sigh… Sacrifice saw Angle become the first TNA World Champion (or maybe not, the lineage is not all that clear and nobody cares enough to reach a consensus), whilst James Storm and former TNA employee Chris Harris had an excellent Death Match with one another. Slammiversary definitely saw Angle become the first TNA World Champion (or maybe not, maybe it was, uh, himself), whilst Backlund went over Shelley, Basham & Damaja did themselves no favours with a piss-poor performance, Sting brought his lacklustre feud with forgotten man Christopher Daniels to a limp close, yet Jay Lethal finally got some golden machismo going on after taking the X Division strap from Sabin. Victory Road came next and, since Joe had senselessly squashed Lethal to take the X Division Title, his homoerotic competitive rivalry with Angle wound up involving Team 3D and all the available TNA titles… precious few cared. Hard Justice saw the same main event, only without the Non-DudleyZ and the addition of a made-up replica title from Japan, whilst Test got a spot on the semi-main event. No Surrender was next and with it came the Pacman Jones & Ron Killings tag title victory over Sting & Angle… oh, and a main event that also involved Angle. Gotta have Angle. Bound For Glory was basically a good show and marked the debut of the poorly-named Knockouts Title. Genesis brought us Nash in the main event spot, which is a valuable life lesson for one and all. Finally, there was Turning Point, complete with more Nash, no Hall, angry Joe and a Feast or Fired gimmick match that self-destructed almost immediately afterwards by pretending that Daniels was fired when Senshi legitimately quit.
In amongst the moronic spread are a few nuggets of gold, since TNA has enough pure talent on its roster that it simply can’t help but churn out some good-to-great matches on PPV when people get enough time to actually create a compelling bout. If more people saw the PPVs then more would be prepared to continue purchasing them on a regular basis, more wrestling fans would be convinced to follow suit via word-of-mouth, the company would generate more income, and the process would have a knock-on benefit for house show attendance and merchandise sales. The problem is that most people will only buy the PPVs if the TV shows in the interim are good enough to convince them to do so. Impact fails in this regard, which essentially means it fails in general. Put it this way – an estimated 70,000 bought Final Resolution in January 2007, yet only 30,000 were buying the PPVs by the end of the year. Taking the median of 50,000 buys, this means that of the steady 1.5 million viewers that Impact gets, only 4% at best are being convinced that TNA is worth spending money on. Not only is this a low percentage – and almost certainly an overly generous one – it is one that has been in freefall for the past twelve months, with no signs of turning around. Impact’s ratings have found a solid base but there is no sign of it increasing – and, trust me, defeating a rescheduled episode of ECW in the ratings, one time, is nothing to brag about.
The decision facing TNA in 2008 is whether or not they are content to be an unofficial fourth-brand of WWE or if they want to truly be the new face of professional wrestling. WWE’s fanbase already gets to see WWE-sanctioned and sanitized product three times a week, all with higher production values and more star power than TNA can match. Trying to claim more of that demographic, or of the wrestling fans of yesteryear that have no interest in watching modern WWE, or of newer wrestling fans on the look-out for something different, by offering up little more than rehashed Crash TV booking, short and ineffective free TV matches, or storylines that are nonsensical (Abyss/Mitchell), self-defeating (A.J. Styles), repetitive (any number of distrustful tag partners or disgruntled valets) or all of the above (Black Reign), is simply not good enough. Add on the fact that the roster contains such exceptional talents as Angle, Christian, Shelley, Kazarian, Homicide, A.J., Daniels Curry Man, Sabin, Lethal and, yes, even Joe, and this becomes inexcusable. Let’s hope they get things back on track sooner rather than later.
Or maybe Awesome Kong is really Abyss’ sister, except she died of a heart attack whilst being raped by a Martian babysitter and he f*cked her brains out and they fell into the freezer and were preserved but congealed with some frozen chicken and then Kong was an incompetent police officer investigating the crime scene and she cooked and ate the chicken and ingesting the brain led to it overriding her brain and the personalities fused and she went to get vengeance on the babysitter and wound up in a gladiator cage-tournament of death on Mars and she fought her way out and lost both her personalities and now Abyss has to bring his sister’s one out again and not the other one, because that one will arrest him for having shot his father three times in the back of the head without killing him and that officer is actually Sharmell’s cousin and once gave Hugh Grant a blow-job and THUMBTACKS. – Iain Burnside
Staff Voting Results
1 – TNA (51%)
2 (tie) – Samoa Joe’s World Title (21%)
2 (tie) – Vince McMahon’s Son (21%)
4 (tie) – Wrestling Society X
4 (tie) – WWE Cruiserweight Division
Most Improved Wrestler
Writers’ Choice: Montel Vontavious Porter
Readers’ Choice: Montel Vontavious Porter
Who would had thought that MVP would be the Most Improved Wrestler in 2007? Given the other candidates, I was surprised. He was also involved in the best feud in 2007 and that feud will continue into the first half of 2008, guaranteed. In 2006, you probably remember MVP being signed as the hottest free agent in SmackDown history. He never proved himself until this year when he was in great matches with the late Chris Benoit. Without that feud over the US Championship, MVP would most likely be an afterthought. His in-ring work has improved greatly and he seems to be on the way to new levels. He has the opportunity to become a future World Champion and I, for one, like his attitude and his mic work. Some people can only get one or the other to work for them, but MVP is truly half man, half amazing. – Paul Marshall
Staff Voting Results
1 – Montel Vontavious Porter (39%)
2 – John Cena (21%)
3 – Candice Michelle
4 – Claudio Castagnoli
5 – Travis Tomko
Comeback of the Year
Writers’ Choice: Chris Jericho
Readers’ Choice: Chris Jericho
After the events of the Chris Benoit tragedy in late June 2007 fans of professional wrestling hoped for any sort of positive story or goodwill to come out of this industry. So in the early fall when code-looking images began appearing on WWE television the fans stood up and took notice. Immediately fans hit the forums and news boards to throw in their theory on what the mysterious code meant. And right away the first name on the majority’s lips was Chris Jericho. Hardcore fans dissected the code as the weeks went on and the clues pointed more and more to Jericho. His subsequent book tour coincided with WWE tour dates and Jericho himself hit the wrestling radio circuit, slyly promoting his book and adding fuel to the rumor-filled fire.
Weeks went by and anticipation built. No Mercy and Survivor Series came and went with no Jericho, but the night after Survivor Series, November 19, 2007, was the night wrestling fans waited for. As RAW came to a close, viewers saw an oustretched arm clothesline a young runner. When the music hit and Jericho finally emerged after a two-year hiatus from WWE TV it was what wrestling fans had been waiting and hoping for. Unfortunately after a couple of short weeks Jericho seems to have become “just another guy;†but for all the hype and build-up that went into his eventual return he truly deserves this nod. His goal was to “save us,†and I think he has at least saved us from bad publicity, at least for a little while. – Mark Allen
Staff Voting Results
1 – Chris Jericho (40%)
2 – Bryan Danielson (31%)
3 – Shawn Michaels
4 – Austin Aries
5 – Triple H
Best Big Event
Writers’ Choice: WWE WrestleMania 23 (April 1)
Readers’ Choice: WWE WrestleMania 23 (April 1)
WrestleMania 23 was a truly bombastic event, a card harkening back to the mid-80’s and late-90’s, when wrestling was part of the cultural fabric. Nevermind that the wrestling industry is nowhere near the heights it occupied during those peaks of the popularity cycle; for one glorious night, we felt like we were experiencing the enormity of Andre The Giant vs. Hulk Hogan all over again, or even the bitter rivalry of Steve Austin and The Rock going to another level. The difference, of course, is that we weren’t seeing either of those classic battles; instead, we were seeing Vince McMahon vs. Donald Trump in a Hair vs. Hair match to determine who the greatest billionaire on the planet is.
We were treated to the thrilling conclusion of an epic storyline between Shawn Michaels and WWE Champion John Cena that rivals anything the company has done in the past five years. The Undertaker and Batista climbed into the ring and defied all critics’ expectations in putting on a show-stealer of a match. The Money In The Bank gimmick delivered again, with Mr. Kennedy beginning a push to the top that he would manage to screw up in the most arrogant of ways.
Match quality is never an issue with WrestleMania; everyone is in the best shape they’ll be in all year, and every single person on the card seemingly buys into the Mania mystique and works harder than they will all year, so you’re almost guaranteed great matches.
The real draw of Mania, however, is the spectacle of it all, and at no other point in history was that more apparent than this year. McMahon vs. Trump won’t go down in history alongside the other great main events I mentioned above, but it was every bit the pure spectacle that every other Mania has been, and that’s why it’s our choice for show of the year. – Jeremy Botter
Staff Voting Results
1 – WWE WrestleMania 23 (April 1) (42%)
2 – ROH Driven PPV (September 21) (24%)
3 – ROH Man Up PPV (November 30)
4 – WWE Backlash (April 29)
5 – TNA Bound For Glory (October 14)
Best Promotion
Writers’ Choice: Ring of Honor
Readers’ Choice: Ring of Honor
Fast leaving behind their little-company-that-could roots, the Promotion of the Year this year should surprise no one. Ring of Honor has gone from a northeast indy that put on some great matches to national and worldwide exposure. In a year where TNA couldn’t get out of its own way and WWE was beset by injuries and scandal, ROH was improving by leaps and bounds, becoming the highlight of the North American wrestling scene.
Ring of Honor began the year with a six-show extravaganza to celebrate their fifth year. These shows all did amazing attendance, and while they marked the end of Samoa Joe in ROH, they also marked the arrival of Takeshi Morishima, who would win the ROH World Title, defending it here and in Japan, increasing the belt’s prestige. Further, these shows also marked ROH’s second foray to England where they again put on stellar shows in front of packed houses. Ring of Honor followed this up with two Wrestlemania weekend shows where Dragon Gate talent was center stage, proving ROH is indeed the premier promotion for international talent.
Spring saw the loss of Colt Cabana, Chris Daniels, Homicide and, for a short while, Austin Aries. This was offset by the arrival of new talent like Kevin Steen, El Generico, Mike Quackenbush, Ruckus, Jigsaw, and more. None of this, though, was the truly big news. That came in the form of ROH announcing that it would be doing national Pay Per Views every other month. With this exposure came contracts for the talent which included, in a first for a wrestling promotion, health insurance!
The PPVs were an instant success. They featured international talent like KENTA, Marufuji and of course Morishima in long, developed matches, while teams like the Briscoes and the NRC tore up the undercard at a pace that would make the TNA X Division blush. During this period, Bryan Danielson returned and cemented himself as the best in the world inside the ring.
The Summer featured yet another country invaded by ROH, this time Japan. Ring of Honor headed to Tokyo with the help of NOAH and Osaka with the help of Dragon Gate. Both shows were successes, with Tokyo featuring three matches that generated a legitimate buzz and the Osaka show joining together Marufuji, CIMA and Danielson in a great moment. Summer also, naturally, featured more great shows and sellouts.
The Fall was dedicated to the spread of faction warfare, particularly with the debut of the Age of the Fall, the edgy gimmick that set the Internet abuzz with discussion (see above). On the business front, besides their most successful Pay Per View to date, “Man Up,†there is also the expansion westward, with shows in Las Vegas and California. The year ended with another PPV taping and back-to-back sellouts of the Manhattan Center.
ROH accomplished nearly everything this year, from further international expansion and traveling westward to obtaining Pay Per View. Putting the belt on an invading talent and running with the Age of the Fall, they easily had the most creative and intriguing booking while the other national promotions kept with their established M.O. Due to their incredible growth as a promotion, ROH isn’t only the best choice for this award, they are the only choice. – Pulse Glazer
Staff Voting Results
1 – Ring of Honor (58%)
2 – RAW (35%)
3 – Chikara Pro
4 (tie) – Smackdown
4 (tie) – ECW
