CB’s World Year-End Wrestling Special: WWE and TNA BEST of 2012
With all of the negativity going on in the world lately — and my heart sunk just like everybody else’s when I received word of the senseless and horrific shootings in Newtown, CT earlier this week — I have decided to cut my year-end wrestling special in half this time around and bring you the BEST of 2012 without rehashing all of the old criticisms of both products that have been more than covered around here anyway.
So, with that said, here we go!
2012’s BEST:
1. Best Raw Performance: Team Hell No (Daniel Bryan and Kane)
I was going back and forth as to whether or not I wanted to give WWE Champion CM Punk the nod for Best Raw Performance for the second straight year, but then I realized something: As much as I appreciate Punk and all he brings to the WWE, 2012 just would not have been as entertaining or FUN without Team Hell No. Daniel Bryan and Kane went from two individuals who were immersed in AJ Lee’s Love Rectangle saga and emerged as one of the most unlikely tag teams to ever hit the WWE. From Bryan’s YES! / NO! chants to the hilarious Anger Management classes with Dr. Shelby to being the catalysts for the revitalization of WWE’s tag team division, it’s been a banner year for both Kane and Mah Boy D-Bry right there.
In somewhat of a down year for wrestling, Team Hell No made everything a little more watchable and entertaining whenever they were on screen … and that is why I have given them this award for Best Raw Performance.
Oh, and then there’s this, which helped kick-start everything for everyone involved:
2. Best WWE TV Tabloid / Guilty Pleasure Moment: AJ Lee Kisses Kane on Monday Night Raw, 6/11/12
Moving on, here’s the biggest award of this year-end column, and I’m sure it’ll come as no surprise to most of you:
3. Match of the Year: Triple H vs. The Undertaker, WrestleMania 28
Of course, I’ve already made my feelings known about this match several times, but for this year-end review, I give to you my thoughts I posted right after WrestleMania, along with a video of the full match below:
Last night, I really hope it was the “End Of An Era” at WWE WrestleMania 28. That’s what the slogan said for the Hell In A Cell match between The Undertaker and Triple H — with Shawn Michaels as the special guest referee, of course — and that’s what the end result of this four chapter story should be.
As I said in the comments section of Scott Keith’s Smark Rant for WWE WrestleMania XXVIII, I am not very well-versed in star ratings, and it’s never really been my thing. However, as soon as Taker-HHH ended I thought to myself, *****. Glad to see I wasn’t completely off on that assessment and that Scott (and many others) viewed this the same way that I did.
In a word, Triple H vs. The Undertaker was the perfect match for what it was — an all-out brawl to close the book on it all — with the perfect referee who was just as emotionally invested (and psychologically scarred) as the two men who were fighting … and the perfect ending both inside the ring and afterwards.
With everything that happened in the ring and as satisfied as I was with both the journey and the outcome, I have two favorite moments that have stuck with me overnight just as much as the rest of it:
1. Shawn Michaels and The Undertaker exchanging some words meant only for each other’s ears only, as Triple H lay fallen. It was as if we all reminded them of just how significant this whole story has been, and now that it was over they could express a rare private moment in the middle of that ring on the biggest stage of them all, at the end of their journey. What they said was purposefully inaudible to the rest of us, as if they knew that this would be the last time they would ever be in that position, and they finally had a chance to soak it all in together;
and 2. HBK and Taker picking up a beaten and barely conscious Triple H, escorting him towards the exit, towards THEIR exit. And low and behold, just before they left us, just before they faded out from our view one last time, all three of them embraced, sharing more words that they should / will never reveal to the rest of the world.
Last night, I saw the best end to the best story I’ve ever seen in pro wrestling. In my humble opinion, it was not just a five star match, but a five star finish as well.
It was a five star finish that I hope leads straight to The Undertaker’s retirement from pro wrestling with a perfect 20-0 record at WrestleMania and an immediate announcement tonight on Raw that he will be the first inductee into the 2013 WWE Hall of Fame.
As for Triple H, he, too, has nothing left to prove inside the ring, and he can now go back to his corporate role both on screen (if he wants) and behind the scenes. But like The Undertaker and Shawn Michaels, I think that HHH should never wrestle again.
I know that this is likely unrealistic for a variety of reasons, but no matter where all three men go from here, I will always remember their incredible WrestleMania story as fondly as I do right now.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MeUcD-EsEKQ
That’s all from me — CB.
4. Best WWE Video Package: Brock Lesnar is an Ass-Kicker
When Brock Lesnar returned to WWE, everyone had BIG EXPECTATIONS that just did not come to fruition. Despite the overall bad booking surrounding Brock’s comeback, however, no one can take away the absolute awesomeness of Lesnar’s “I’m an Asskicker” video package from April 2012 that was produced to promote the Lesnar-Cena match at WWE Extreme Rules:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OshyS1dLCFY
5. Best SmackDown! Performance: Alberto Del Rio
Simply put, Alberto Del Rio has simply been a revelation in 2012. He has wrestled tons of matches over on SmackDown!, and I have stopped fast forwarding anything involving Del Rio in the ring when I watch the blue show on my DVR.
Sheamus has obviously been marketed as THE FACE of SmackDown! by WWE, but Del Rio has just shined as one of the most credible heels in the entire company. I also LOVE that Del Rio is less cowardly than many of the other heels and the Cross Arm Breaker submission move is a thing of beauty to behold.
For those reasons, I give Alberto Del Rio the nod for Best SmackDown! Performance of 2012. Here’s a clip of one of Alberto’s most impressive feats of the year, when he made Randy Orton tap out:
Alberto Del Rio vs. Randy Orton, WWE SmackDown 8/24/12:
6. Best WWE Achievement: CM Punk Becomes The Longest-Reigning WWE Champion in the past 25 Years
No matter what you think of CM Punk’s forced heel turn, no one can take away CM Punk’s AMAZING accomplishment of being the longest-reigning WWE Champion over the past 25 years.
One of my favorite moments in recent memory is when Punk bragged about his achievements on Raw and even threw out the date he would surpass Bruno Sammartino, July 25, 2018:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sQZ1Q3LYbko
Just outstanding stuff right there, no doubt about it.
7. Best TNA Performance: Austin Aries
Austin Aries had a GREAT 2012 for TNA that climaxed when he won the TNA World Heavyweight Title from Bobby Roode at TNA’s Best PPV offering of the year: Destination X 2012.
Austin Aries vs. Bobby Roode, Part 1: Destination X 2012 (7/8/12)
Austin Aries vs. Bobby Roode, Part 2: Destination X 2012 (7/8/12)
This leads me to…
8. Best TNA Promo: Austin Aries Three Words for Bobby Roode, TNA Impact Wrestling LIVE (7/12/12)
Now, if we can get back to more stories like this in 2013 for TNA and less reality TV / Sons of Anarchy knockoffs, that would be great.
9. Best Use of a Legend: Vader squashes Heath Slater
This one speaks for itself, and I still love every second of it:
10. Best Breakout Star of 2012: Antonio Cesaro
For my money, Antonio Cesaro is the Best Breakout Star of 2012. Cesaro has really shown off his strength in the ring, and every time he wrestles I find another one or two things I like about his wrestling style and ability.
This was proven once again just this past week on Monday Night Raw, when Cesaro took on Kofi Kingston in a very solid match:
Antonio Cesaro vs. Kofi Kingston, Monday Night Raw, 12/10/12:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AyRT__fgJT0
That catch in mid-air followed by the backbreaker was just awesome, and I am looking forward to seeing more of Antonio Cesaro in 2013.
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BONUS YEAR-END REVIEWS!
See below for previous installments of CB’s previous Year-End Wrestling Specials:
Best Performances:
Raw: CM Punk
SmackDown!: Cody Rhodes
TNA: Robert Roode
Worst Performances:
Raw: John Laurinaitis and Michael Cole
SmackDown!: Michael Cole, Booker T and Josh Matthews
TNA: Winter and Angelina Love
Best Performances:
Raw: Shawn Michaels and Wade Barrett
SmackDown!: Alberto Del Rio and Rey Mysterio
TNA: Motor City Machineguns and Beer Money
NXT: Alex Riley
Worst Performances:
Raw: The Anonymous GM and Michael Cole
SmackDown!: Hornswoggle
TNA: Orlando Jordan and Rob Terry
NXT: Aksana and Titus O’Neil
Best Performances:
Raw: Edge and John Cena
SmackDown!: JBL on color commentary
ECW: Big Show
TNA: Samoa Joe and Kurt Angle
Worst Performances:
Raw: Kevin Federline
SmackDown!: Vickie Guerrero
ECW: RVD
TNA: Larry Zbyszko and Kevin Nash
Best Performances:
Raw: Chris Benoit
SmackDown!: Eddie Guerrero
Worst Performances:
Raw: Maven
SmackDown!: JBL
Best Performances:
Raw: Shawn Michaels
SmackDown!: Chris Benoit
Worst Performances:
Raw: Maven
SmackDown!: Roddy Piper and Mr. America
Best Performances:
Raw: Booker T and Goldust
SmackDown!: Brock Lesnar and Paul Heyman
Worst Performances:
Raw: Eric Bischoff
SmackDown!: Al Wilson and Dawn Marie
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That’s all from me — see you next year and HAPPY HOLIDAYS! —
CB
What are YOUR best WWE and TNA matches, moments and performers of 2012? How did you feel about this year in wrestling and what would be your own picks for the categories outlined above? Feel free to sound off in the comments section below!
Also, don’t forget to VOTE and COMMENT on Mike Gojira’s year-end awards right here in the comments section of his latest edition of The Stomping Ground.
