2009 WrestleView Mid-Year Awards (Presented by the WV Faculty)
Written By: Anthony J. Valvo
Mid-Year Awards Provided By: The WrestleView.com Faculty
The 2009 WV Faculty Mid-Year Awards (Part 3)
Greeting to all once again students! I hope you enjoyed the first two parts of this mid-year column and I hope you continue to enjoy the next three as well.
In this column, the WrestleView Faculty (which consists of the best columnists professional wrestling has to offer) picked what they believed was the best (and worst) of 2009 so far. Their answers will be posted below. Just like Part 2 of the Mid-Year Awards, today we will only answer four of the twenty one questions that I asked the WrestleView Faculty. Each answer is his and his alone. There are no consensus voting, no arguments, none of that. It is just for the students of WrestleView. Once again class, if you do have your picks for the best (and worst) of 2009, you can e-mail me your picks at mistervwv@yahoo.com. Any feedback is much deserved.
Now, I just need to review what we covered so far this week. Here are the questions The Faculty answered on Monday…
Best Newcomer
Best Weekly TV Show
Best TV Match of 2009 (a match that occurred on a weekly TV show)
Best Gimmick
Worst Gimmick
You can find The Faculty’s Answers for these categories under Part 1 of the Mid-Year Awards (click here).
Now, here are the questions that The Faculty answered yesterday…
Most Underrated Wrestler
Most Overrated Wrestler
Best Finisher
Worst Match of the Year
You can find those answers under Part 2 of the Mid-Year Awards (click here).
Today, The Faculty took their valuable time to provide you with the answers to the following questions:
Best Wrestler on the Mic
Best TV Announcer
Best PPV of 2009
Best PPV Match of 2009
So sit back and enjoy what we believed are the best when I sent out these questions to The WrestleView Faculty.
Those professors that provided answers to the questionnaire are:
* David Stephens (That’s A Wrap! and ECW recapper)
* Josh Boutwell (Viva La Raza! TNA/ROH recapper)
* Jose Marrero (Wrestling Rumblings)
* Anthony Valvo (From the Desk of Mr. V)
* Matt O?Brien (Notes From the Nosebleeds)
* Phil Chroniger (On Second Thought?)
* Josh Piedra (The Shoot)
* Doug Lackey (Reality From Ringside)
* Chris Kelly (Ex-TNA Epics recapper and fill in columnist)
* Sean Hurley (The Sharpshooter)
* Mike Tedesco (WWE Superstars and Smackdown recapper)
And now…time for Part 3 of the 2009 Mid-Year Awards!
Question #10
Which wrestler was the best on the mic in 2009?
David S. – THUMBTACK JACK (INDY FEDS, most notably CZW) – 99% of the people reading this won’t have a clue who I’m talking about but the 1% that know of this young German Hardcore wrestler will appreciate his unique style. I’ll never forget him telling us he was going to throw Danny Havoc’s wife in the oven and eat her, good times.
Josh B. – CHRIS JERICHO (WWE Smackdown). Jericho has been just incredible on the microphone whether he’s feuding with HBK or Rey Mysterio or John Cena.
Jose M. – RANDY ORTON (WWE).
Anthony V. – CHRIS JERICHO (WWE). He is supposed to be a heel. When he is talking on the mic, he plays the part exemplary. I think if you have fans (I know of two occasions) trying to attack you while you speak, you have done your job as a mega-heel.
Matt O. – CHRIS JERICHO (WWE).
Phil C. – RANDY ORTON (WWE).
Josh P. – There are a lot of people good on the microphone from John Cena to Triple H to CM Punk to Kevin Nash, but I’m going to go for my aforementioned pick once again and say AUSTIN ARIES (ROH). Aries’ mic work this year has been phenomenal and he has been able to breathe new life into his character because of it. Just because Aries is in a small time company like ROH doesn’t mean he can’t hang with the big boys of wrestling. Aries mic work always shines and has caught my attention more than any other this year so far.
Doug L. – CHRIS JERICHO (WWE). If you can walk from a merchandise stand to the ring before your match with the opponent you are degrading, all while maintaining your composure and garnering the negative crowd reaction? then there is no question who wins this conversation.
Chris K. – (TIE) Both CM PUNK (WWE) and John Cena (WWE) have been gold on the mic.
Sean H. – CHRIS JERICHO (WWE).
Mike T. – CHRIS JERICHO (WWE). As if there was any doubt!
Question #11
Who has been the best TV announcer so far in 2009?
David S. – MATT STRIKER (WWE). – Such a breath of fresh and enthusiastic air
Josh B. – MATT STRIKER (WWE – ECW). Great knowledge for the sport and not too corny.
Jose M. – JIM ROSS (WWE).
Anthony V. – JIM ROSS (WWE). I know some of you students are doing a double take and though I would go with a fellow teacher. Though Striker and Prazak have been good, Jim Ross to me was the most consistent of the three. It may change after 2009 passes, but for now it is Ross.
Matt O. – JIM ROSS (WWE).
Phil C. – MATT STRIKER (WWE).
Josh P. – If I say Michael Cole or Mike Hogewood, I’m sure I’ll be fired instantly. Dave Prazak sounds bored when he calls matches these days, The King is, well, the King, JR is JR, but one man has hit his stride this year and I think Mr. V will be elated when he sees my pick… and that would be WWE’s favorite teacher MATT STRIKER (WWE). **Mr. V Note: I am elated! I am actually happy that many of the Faculty’s members picked Striker :)**
Doug L. – MATT STRIKER (ECW – WWE). While it is difficult for me at times to hear his political references and laugh with them, he is the closest announcing talent we have to the greatest of all time? Bobby ?The Brain? Heenan.
Chris K. – MATT STRIKER (WWE).
Sean H. – JIM ROSS (WWE). Matt Striker comes a close second though.
Mike T. – JIM ROSS (WWE), who makes the best beef jerky I’ve ever tasted. Championship flavor is the way to go.
Question #12
What has been the best PPV so far in 2009?
David S. – N/A.
Josh B. – TNA SLAMMIVERSARY 7. Top to bottom very good show that including 2 awesome KOTM Ladder Matches, Tara vs. Angelina I, a brutal Mixed Monsters Ball Tag, and a great Tag Titles showdown.
Jose M. – NO WAY OUT (WWE).
Anthony V. – BACKLASH (WWE). Out of all the shows so far in 2009, this show was the most consistent. I think those who bought the PPV went to sleep very happy about the fact that it was money well spent.
Matt O. – BACKLASH (WWE).
Phil C. – BACKLASH (WWE).
Josh P. – ROH always puts on a great wrestling PPV, TNA always……. uhm… WWE gets the honor this time around with WWE BACKLASH (WWE). While one could say Judgment Day was better, I think Backlash had more oomph to it and it really set things in motion for what we have so far this year!
Doug L. – EXTREME RULES 2009 (WWE). I was going to vote ?Backlash 2009? but I did not watch it so I cannot justify that. However, with Jericho-Rey in a No Holds Barred for the IC Title, a great ladder match for the World Title between Jeff Hardy and Edge, all to end with CM Punk cashing in MITB, Extreme Rules wins my vote.
Chris K. – EXTREME RULES (WWE).
Sean H. – WRESTLEMANIA 25 (WWE).
Mike T. – BACKLASH (WWE). That was a tremendous PPV.
Question #13
What was the best PPV match of 2009?
David S. – Randy “The Ram” Robison v. Ayatollah (FROM ?THE WRESTLER?) This counts as Pay Per View, because I had to pay to watch it.
Josh B. – UNDERTAKER VS. SHAWN MICHAELS (Wrestlemania – WWE). An incredible match from start to finish that really has to be seen for the 2 people in the world that haven’t seen it already.
Jose M. – UNDERTAKER VS. SHAWN MICHAELS at Wrestlemania (WWE).
Anthony V. – UNDERTAKER VS. SHAWN MICHAELS AT WM XXV (WWE). If one wants to become a wrestler, watch this match. In my opinion, both took a year off their lives after this match-up. It told a great story out of the ring and it was perfect in the ring. I may go as far as saying it was the best match I ever seen!
Matt O. – UNDERTAKER VS. SHAWN MICHAELS (WM XXV – WWE).
Phil C. – UNDERTAKER VS. HBK, Wrestlemania 25 (WWE).
Josh P. – I’m sure that this is going to get the popular vote, but UNDERTAKER VS. SHAWN MICHEALS from Wrestlemania 25 (WWE) was hands down, the match of the year on PPV. Despite the extensive list of false finishes, the match was the most talked about and most memorable of any wrestling match this year. I will even do a bold prediction and say that this will still be the answer in January when we do the 2009 match of the year.
Doug L. – UNDERTAKER VS. HBK (Wrestlemania 25 – WWE). There is no debate.
Chris K. – HBK VS. UNDERTAKER at Wrestlemania 25 (WWE).
Sean H. – HBK VS. UNDERTAKER – WRESTLEMANIA 25 (WWE).
Mike T. – UNDERTAKER VS. SHAWN MICHAELS AT WRESTLEMANIA (WWE).
That wraps up Part 3 of our Mid-Year Awards column. Once again if you thought there was someone that we should have put into consideration in our column or if you prefer to comment, e-mail me at mistervwv@yahoo.com. So, on behalf of The WrestleView Faculty I am Anthony J. Valvo (Your resident WrestleView teacher) saying have a good day. Until Part 4 (or my column which will be out tomorrow sometime), you are officially…DISMISSED!
Once again, The Faculty thanks you for reading today, see you tomorrow!
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