2011 Wrestleview Mid-Year Awards
July 9, 2011
Written by: Anthony J. Valvo of Wrestleview.com
Selections by: Wrestleview Staff
Introduction
Hello everyone. Welcome to the Mid-Year Awards for 2011.
Last year, I was extremely busy and did not get the article up until August of 2010. This year, since we all are familiar with each other around the Wrestleview community I thought I can get this piece done in early-July. There was a lot that went on from January – June of 2011 and we picked who we thought were there best and worst so far in 2011.
We have 17 categories and I decided to make it one large article again rather than space it out.
Here are the Wrestleview Staff Members that took part of this piece. I thank each one of them for taking part of this.
Mike Tedesco (WWE Smackdown recapper, Wrestleview reporter)
Gregory “Grash” Walek (WWE NXT recapper)
Josh Boutwell (Impact Wrestling recapper/”Viva La Raza” columnist)
Anthony Valvo (“From the Desk of Mr. V” columnist, Co-Host of The Teacher’s Lounge)
Evan O’Brien (Co-Host of the Wrestleview International Desk)
Andrew Hayman (WWE Superstars recapper)
Greg McNeish (Wrestleview Radio Network host)
Darragh O’Connor (Co-Host of the Wrestleview International Desk)
Ryan Rivera (Ex-ROH on HDNet recapper)
David Stephens (WWE Monday Night Raw reacapper/”That’s a Wrap” columnist/Co-Host of The Teacher’s Lounge)
Jose Marrero (“Wrestling Rumblings” columnist, FYB Radio Host)
Matt O’Brien (“Notes from the Nosebleeds” columnist, writes Wrestleview poll questions)
Adam Martin (Wrestleview Editor-in-Chief/Wrestleview Radio, Friday Fishbowl and Conference Call Host)
I thought this year I would go with the Worst of first, since I always like to leave my writings on a positive note. So, here are our choices for some of the Worst in professional wrestling so far in 2011.
*** The Worst of the Half-Year ***
Worst Gimmick
Mike T. – The Corre.
Greg W. – Kofi Kingston.
Josh B. – Orlando Jordan.
Anthony V. – Miss Tessmacher. I know some like it, but I just don’t get what she is doing.
Evan O. – Dolph Ziggler’s short lived “new attitude”.
Andrew H. – N/A.
Greg M. – Welshtista (Mason Ryan).
Darragh O. – John Cena.
Ryan R. – The whole Winter and Angelina Love storyline.
Dave S. – Sin Cara’s Lighting. His gold and blue lighting looks more like a Cub Scout banquet than the setting for an exciting and flashy luchador.
Jose M. – Immortal
Matt O. – Mr. Anderson.
Adam M. – Jinder Mahal: Just an awful storyline to bring this guy in with.
Worst Commentator
Mike T. – Michael Cole. Mike Tenay is a close second.
Greg W. – Taz.
Josh B. – Booker T.
Anthony V. – Michael Cole. It is a real close race for the worst. Booker, Tenay, and Taz all can win this.
Evan O. – Michael Cole (over the top).
Andrew H. – Booker T. I love him as a wrestler, but Booker on commentary makes me want to scissor kick the headset right off his head.
Greg M. – Taz.
Darragh O. – Jerry Lawler.
Ryan R. – Michael Cole.
Dave S. – Booker T. Every other sentence is about himself. The sentences in between are bizarre ramblings and slurred words. How he is still at the booth is a mystery to me.
Jose M. – Mike Tenay.
Matt O. – N/A.
Adam M. – Taz: Don’t get me wrong, I may laugh during his commentary, but it is more distracting than helpful.
Worst PPV
Mike T. – WrestleMania XXVII. This show fell short in so many ways.
Greg W. – TNA Slammiversary.
Josh B. – WWE Over the Limit.
Anthony V. – TNA Victory Road. If I can trim my toenails faster than a main event match, that is a problem.
Evan O. – TNA Victory Road, for the Sting/Jeff Hardy atrocity.
Andrew H. – WWE Royal Rumble. The actual Royal Rumble this year didn’t do it for me and the other matches I didn’t really care about.
Greg M. – TNA Lockdown.
Darragh O. – TNA Victory Road 2011.
Ryan R. – TNA Victory Road.
Dave S. – WreslteMania. Sure TNA had some that were worse, but for all of its hype (and being the one event that even the casual fan checks out) it was a huge disappointment.
Jose M. – Urban Wrestling Federation’s debut PPV.
Matt O. – TNA Victory Road.
Adam M. – Victory Road: This PPV featured an embarrassing opener between Dreamer/Ray, a so-so Knockouts tag, a ridiculous finish to Hernandez/Morgan, another gymnastics display with an Ultimate X match, a fairly solid tag match between Beer Money/Ink Inc., an extremely bland Matt Hardy/AJ Styles match, more embarrassing displays of attempts at pro wrestling between Anderson/RVD and easily the worst PPV main event of the year so far between Sting and Jeff Hardy.
Most Overrated
Mike T. – John Cena.
Greg W. – Samoa Joe.
Josh B. – John Cena.
Anthony V. – Mr. Anderson. I am sorry, I just can’t picture him holding the World Title of any promotion.
Evan O. – Justin Gabriel.
Andrew H. – John Morrison. Average on the mic and I really only see him as a one trick pony.
Greg M. – The Rock.
Darragh O. – WWE WrestleMania 2011.
Ryan R. – John Cena.
Dave S. – Tie between Matt Morgan and Abyss. In the eyes of TNA they are the future of this industry. In my eyes they are lackluster talents that don’t bring substantial money to the table.
Jose M. – Sting.
Matt O. – Kurt Angle.
Adam M. – Mr. Anderson: I don’t get it. “Attitude Era” fans love this guy for his sarcastic wit. I find it to be incredibly annoying and not entertaining whatsoever. Don’t get me wrong, the guy has charisma. He just chooses to show it in the goofiest way possible that is not helpful to his career.
Worst Women’s Wrestler of the Half-Year
Mike T. – Melina. That girl cannot wrestle out of a paper bag.
Greg W. – Kharma.
Josh B. – Eve Torres.
Anthony V. – Melina. She went from being one of the best to pretending to be one of the best.
Evan O. – Alicia Fox.
Andrew H. – Alicia Fox.
Greg M. – Mickie James.
Darragh O. – Alicia Fox.
Ryan R. – The Bellas.
Dave S. – Alicia Fox. Solid mic skills, enrapturing in-ring talent, and sweltering beauty are the calling cards for a great female talent. Fox has none of these.
Jose M. – Too many to count.
Matt O. – N/A.
Adam M. – Angelina Love: She needs to eat a sandwich and TNA needed to drop this “zombie trance” storyline yesterday.
Worst Wrestler of the Half-Year
Mike T. – Ezekiel Jackson.
Greg W. – The Undertaker.
Josh B. – The Great Khali.
Anthony V. – David Otunga. He can’t even do the basics right.
Evan O. – Michael McGillicutty.
Andrew H. – Jinder Mahal. I really don’t like him at all.
Greg M. – Kurt Angle.
Darragh O. – David Otunga.
Ryan R. – Yoshi Tatsu.
Dave S. – Jeff Hardy. If you enter the ring so drugged out that your opponent has to LITERALLY carry you, you are not just the worst wrestler of the year – you should immediately be released from the company.
Jose M. – The Great Khali.
Matt O. – Mr. Anderson.
Adam M. – Jeff Hardy: Between battling demons outside of the ring and an attempt at a heel turn that the fans just didn’t want to accept, the tail end of 2010 and the early part of 2011 will go down as another low point for Hardy in TNA.
Now that we got rid of what was bad, let’s focus on the excellence of professional wrestling.
*** The Best of the Half-Year ***
Best Gimmick
Mike T. – Little Jimmy.
Greg W. – Cody Rhodes.
Josh B. – Abyss’ “Art of War” Gimmick.
Anthony V. – The Miz. He declares himself awesome and he forces the viewer to believe it.
Evan O. – R-Truth, the man has reinvented himself in the best way possible from the serious to the downright insane. R-Truth’s new character is exactly the boost that he needed.
Andrew H. – R-Truth, the Little Jimmys, and conspiracies. I never liked R-Truth until he turned heel but now as a heel I really enjoy his segments and I think he has benefitted so much from this heel turn.
Greg M. – R-Truth.
Darragh O. – CM Punk.
Ryan R. – R-Truth, the little Jimmy stunt is pure genius.
Dave S. – R-Truth & Little Jimmy. What he lacks in mat psychology he more than makes up for with microphone psychosis.
Jose M. – The Undertaker.
Matt O. – Michael Cole.
Adam M. – Zack Ryder: Easily one of the most entertaining people in WWE right now.
Best TV Show
Mike T. – Friday Night Smackdown.
Greg W. – Monday Night Raw.
Josh B. – TNA Impact Wrestling.
Anthony V. – Monday Night Raw. Smackdown is a close second, but the stories are more compelling on the “Red Brand”.
Evan O. – Monday Night Raw.
Andrew H. – Friday Night Smackdown. Week in and week out I think it has been more consistent than any other show.
Greg M. – Monday Night Raw.
Darragh O. – Friday Night Smackdown.
Ryan R. – Monday Night Raw.
Dave S. – Monday Night Raw obviously.
Jose M. – Monday Night Raw.
Matt O. – Friday Night Smackdown.
Adam M. – Monday Night Raw: #IWantEntertainment.
Best Commentator
Mike T. – Jerry Lawler.
Greg W. – Josh Mathews.
Josh B. – Kevin Kelly (ROH).
Anthony V. – Josh Mathews. It is not even close in my opinion. I could go with Pittsburgh’s own Jack Korpela, but I can’t be too biased.
Evan O. – Josh Mathews.
Andrew H. – Josh Mathews. He has improved so much in recent years.
Greg M. – Booker T.
Darragh O. – CM Punk.
Ryan R. – Jerry Lawler.
Dave S. – Jim Ross. He commentated just enough to make the cut this year.
Jose M. – Josh Mathews.
Matt O. – Josh Mathews.
Adam M. – Josh Mathews: Really enjoyed his role on Raw, fits in great over on Smackdown, isn’t distracting.
Best PPV
Mike T. – WWE Elimination Chamber.
Greg W. – WWE Royal Rumble.
Josh B. – ROH Best in the World.
Anthony V. – WWE Extreme Rules. I usually go with WrestleMania, but this year’s was lackluster.
Evan O. – WWE Extreme Rules 2011
Andrew H. – WWE Extreme Rules.
Greg M. – WWE Royal Rumble.
Darragh O. – WWE Extreme Rules.
Ryan R. – ROH Honor Takes Center Stage.
Dave S. – WWE Royal Rumble. An all around solid event that featured Alberto Del Rio complete step one of his journey, plus a couple neat surprises.
Jose M. – ROH Honor Takes Center Stage Night One.
Matt O. – WWE Elimination Chamber.
Adam M. – WWE Royal Rumble: Between the Nash/Booker surprises and the two fun world title matches, this was a really great PPV.
Most Underrated
Mike T. – Sheamus. They haven’t had him reaching his potential in quite some time.
Greg W. – A-Ry (Alex Riley).
Josh B. – Kazarian.
Anthony V. – Chris Masters. The guy can flat out wrestle, but rarely sniffs a program on television.
Evan O. – Chris Masters. After watching his matches on Superstars, especially the one he had against Drew McIntyre, proved to me while he may not be deserving of a main event slot or even a midcard title but is definitely deserving of consistent weekly television time.
Andrew H. – Chris Masters. He has improved in leaps and bounds since returning. I hope he gets elevated shortly.
Greg M. – Crimson.
Darragh O. – CM Punk.
Ryan R. – Zack Ryder.
Dave S. – John Cena (just kidding). It’s Justin Gabriel. They need to separate him from Slater and glam him up again. He needs to regain his FCW luster.
Jose M. – Christian.
Matt O. – Maryse.
Adam M. – Dolph Ziggler: Continues to improve every time I see him, future big time player for WWE.
Best on the Microphone
Mike T. – CM Punk.
Greg W. – CM Punk.
Josh B. – CM Punk.
Anthony V. – CM Punk. It was neck and neck between him and The Miz, but the past few weeks made it simple.
Evan O. – CM Punk. Need I say more? The man is a master of changing tone exactly when the content of his promos change not to mention a fantastic character actor.
Andrew H. – CM Punk. It was close between him and three others but his promo on Raw on June 27th swayed me.
Greg M. – Wade Barrett.
Darragh O. – CM Punk.
Ryan R. – CM Punk.
Dave S. – CM Punk. Not just because of his worked shoot, but because he is consistently at the top of his game. Sitting down is a nice touch.
Jose M. – The Rock.
Matt O. – John Cena.
Adam M. – CM Punk: Never seems forced in his delivery and always consistent.
Most Improved
Mike T. – R-Truth.
Greg W. – R-Truth.
Josh B. – Gunner.
Anthony V. – Drew McIntyre. I think he is still going strong and showing a better presence in the ring.
Evan O. – Evan Bourne. He’s learned to focus on strikes and selling more than flips and spectacular moves that go nowhere.
Andrew H. – Alex Riley. He went from being a jobbing lackey to beating a former WWE champion and mentor.
Greg M. – Wade Barrett.
Darragh O. – Cody Rhodes.
Ryan R. – Mark Henry.
Dave S. – R-Truth. He was really faltering last year with “Get Crunk” but he has had a psychological rebirth with Little Jimmy.
Jose M. – Eddie Edwards.
Matt O. – Kelly Kelly.
Adam M. – R-Truth: I can’t imagine anyone else taking this spot in 2011, incredibly entertaining year so far for this guy.
Feud of the Half-Year
Mike T. – John Cena vs. CM Punk
Greg W. – Del Rio/Edge/Christian
Josh B. – AJ Styles vs. Bully Ray
Anthony V. – Bully Ray vs. AJ Styles. I may get the boo birds, but this was a very good, long-running feud.
Evan O. – Christian vs. Randy Orton. It had a pretty good series of matches thus far good premise behind the feud also.
Andrew H. – CM Punk vs. Randy Orton. I really enjoyed all of their matches that the two put on.
Greg M. – Christian vs. Orton.
Darragh O. – CM Punk vs. Randy Orton.
Ryan R. – Jeff Jarrett vs. Kurt Angle.
Dave S. – John Cena vs. The Rock. Not a single punch thrown in this feud, yet it produced the most widely discussed promos of the year. Plus, Cena rapped again.
Jose M. – Rock vs. John Cena.
Matt O. – The Miz vs. Jerry Lawler.
Adam M. – Alberto Del Rio vs. Big Show: Between the backstage story and the in-ring work, these guys have great chemistry.
Women’s Wrestler of the Half-Year
Mike T. – I literally cannot think of one. They’re all so similar it is hard to say who the best is and who isn’t.
Greg W. – Vickie Guerrero.
Josh B. – Madison Rayne.
Anthony V. – Sara Del Rey. She rarely misses anything and if she does it is because her opposition is afraid to get hit by one of her strikes.
Evan O. – Layla. The woman is flat-out awesome in every conceivable.
Andrew H. – Kelly Kelly. No real competition here, if Kharma didn’t get pregnant it more than likely would have been her.
Greg M. – Layla.
Darragh O. – Eve Torres.
Ryan R. – Mickie James.
Dave S. – Kelly Kelly. This year she was finally drafted home to me on Raw, made the Maxim Hot 100 list, and became WWE Divas Champion; not a bad year thus far for the blonde vixen.
Jose M. – Mercedes Martinez.
Matt O. – Madison Rayne.
Adam M. – Eve Torres: Has dramatically improved since her start with WWE.
Tag Team of the Half-Year
Mike T. – Beer Money.
Greg W. – Kings of Wrestling.
Josh B. – Beer Money, Inc.
Anthony V. – The Kings of Wrestling. It’s not by much, as I considered Wrestling’s Greatest Tag Team and Beer Money. On the WWE side, keep an eye on The Usos.
Evan O. – Santino and Vladimir Kozlov (even though I regret not having checked out The Kings of Wrestling).
Andrew H. – The Usos. They are a lot better than what people give them credit for.
Greg M. – Koztino (Vladimir Kozlov and Santino Marella).
Darragh O. – Santino and Kozlov.
Ryan R. – Beer Money, Inc.
Dave S. – The Osirian Portal. The only tag team to get mainstream exposure this year with the viral “Most Illegal Wrestling Move Ever”.
Jose M. – World’s Greatest Tag Team.
Matt O. – The Kings of Wrestling.
Adam M. – Kings of Wrestling: Bring the “big fight” atmosphere for ROH, could benefit even more with a run in WWE.
Wrestler of the Half-Year
Mike T. – Randy Orton is doing some of the best work of his career.
Greg W. – The Miz.
Josh B. – Rey Mysterio, Jr.
Anthony V. – Rey Mysterio. There has not been anyone who really stood out as a wrestler so far. However, if one has a bad match with Mysterio then one should find a new line of work.
Evan O. – The Miz.
Andrew H. – CM Punk. When you look at the year in full Punk has been in all fantastic storylines and matches and always cuts the best promos.
Greg M. – CM Punk.
Darragh O. – CM Punk.
Ryan R. – Alberto Del Rio.
Dave S. – CM Punk. Mic skills alone made him a strong contender, but it is the little things that push him over the top. From facial expressions to Macho Man themed tights, Punk never ceases to impress.
Jose M. – John Cena.
Matt O. – The Miz.
Adam M. – The Miz: Without a doubt the most improved guy to come out of WWE in the last two years, his in-ring skills alone shows how hard he worked to get better – not to mention his strong mic skills.
Conclusion
Well, those are our selections for the best and worst of the first half of 2011. I want to once again thank the Wrestleview staff for taking part of the voting. Now, it is time for the READERS’ to provide their choices. Sometime during the week, I will create a ballot that consists of the names that were in this article. There will also be an “other” option so if you don’t agree with the ballot that is perfectly fine.
When the readers complete their ballots, they can send it two ways.
1) E-Mail: mistervwv@hotmail.com
2) Drop a message in my inbox on Facebook. I am Anthony J. Valvo in the Pittsburgh Network
Sometime soon, I will send Adam a ballot of the Middle Year Awards for the Wrestleview Readers. It will be much shorter than this so if you want to wait, it is perfectly fine. Look for the ballot as early as this weekend.
Thanks for reading everyone and have fun with the ballot. You will have two weeks to complete this and I will have a “Readers’ Choice” Awards segment that will feature the results of your choices.
So, get to it! This teacher has completed his assignment. Now it is your turn. Until the Results come out, you are…DISMISSED!!
Thanks for reading our choices. Again, look for the ballot in the near future.