Welcome to Part 5 of the 411Mania.com 2011 Year End Wrestling Awards. If you haven’t already, be sure to check out Part 1, Part 2, Part 3 and Part 4!

REVIEW: Before we get to it, let’s take a look at the winners we’ve already announced to this point:

Announcer of the Year: Jim Ross

Worst Announcer of the Year: Michael Cole

Overall Rookie of the Year: Obariyon

Major Fed Rookie of the Year: Tony Nese

Breakout of the Year: Mark Henry

Comeback Wrestler of the Year: The Rock

Disappointment of the Year: C.M.Punks Post Money In The Bank Return

Best Indy Show of the Year (non-PPV) : PWG DDT4

Free TV Match of the Year: RAW 4 Jan ‘10 Falls Count Anywhere: The Miz vs. John Morrison – 21 Votes

Story/Surprise of the Year: The Rock Returns

Worst Story/Surprise of the Year: The Death Of Randy Savage

Feud/Storyline of the Year: The Summer Of Punk

Worst Feud/Storyline of the Year: Michael Cole vs. Jerry Lawler

Worst Fed of the Year: TNA

Worst Promo of the Year: The Michael Cole Challenge

Worst Pay-Per-View of the Year: TNA – Victory Road

Worst Match of the Year:> Sting vs. Jeff Hardy – Victory Road

Worst Manager of the Year: Cookie

Worst Tag Team of the Year: David Otunga & Michael McGillicutty

Worst Women’s Wrestler of the Year: Kelly Kelly

Best Fed Of The Year: CHIKIARA

Promo Of The Year: C.M. Punk –”I Don’t Hate You John…”

PPV OF The Year: WWE – Money In The Bank

Match Of The Year: John Cena vs. C.M. Punk – Money In The Bank

Let’s now have a look at who took home the big ones…

411MANIA’S WRESTLING YEAR END AWARDS 2011!
Part Five

WINNER: Vicki Guerrero – 55 Votes
1st RUNNER-UP: Richardo Rodriguez – 18 Votes
2nd RUNNER-UP: Jakob Hammermeier – 9 Votessize=+1>

ARI BERENSTEINsize=+2>
It is a statement of the obvious that the manager role in WWE had been dead and buried, but Vickie Guerrero and Ricardo Rodriguez have revitalized what it means to be either a manager or a non-wrestling personality attached to a superstar wrestling performer. Guerrero is just a huge heat machine and for all the right reasons—she gets people to boo her and her men and support the good guy that’s wrestling her clients. Heck, she’s even managed to galvanize an entire crowd to cheer for John Cena…and that’s no small feat in 2011. She is a fabulous villain, but that is couched in her spokesperson role for her clients. Vickie is seen doing the things an old school manager was known for doing—putting attention on their wrestlers by constantly praising them to the public, negotiating with the General Managers of WWE’s brands Raw and Smackdown for more matches and title opportunities and helping out their clients while at ringside (sometimes while the referee isn’t looking). Guerrero even began to establish a mini-stable of wrestlers in Dolph Ziggler and Jack Swagger…and while there have been mixed results in the W-L column, Vickie has managed to carry herself extremely well…and make it seem like she is the legitimate business manager for these men. Let’s give appropriate kudos to Vickie for a successful year.

RYAN BYERSsize=+2>It seems like every year that I write about the winner of this category, I have to say something about the fact that the manager in professional wrestling is a dying role. As a result, you could almost make an argument that Vickie Guerrero is winning this category be default, because she is almost literally the only manager left in the major league promotions of the sport. However, it would be selling Vickie short to say that she only won this award because she’s the only major candidate. The fact of the matter is that, over her years with WWE, she has evolved into a woman who was only tangentially connected to the wrestling industry because it’s how her husband made his living to a woman who actually has an integral role in the wrestling industry and has mastered some of its hardest-to-learn tricks. Granted, she’s not a manager of old like Freddie Blassie, the Grand Wizard, or Lou Albano, who were essentially the WWWF’s top heels and probably drew more money than the in-ring performers that they managed. However, she’s still one of the most over heels on the entire WWE roster (moreso than the guys she manages), and she’s in that position because she has put on performances that justify it. So, kudos to Vickie Guerrero, and here’s to hoping that she’s able to keep her act up for years to come.

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This really wasn’t much of a challenge, since managers are not as commonplace as they should be these days. Ricardo, somehow, ended up in second place even though he is officially listed as an announcer although he helps Del Rio just as often as if he was a manager. I don’t know the third nominee, but I do know Vickie Guerrero has done a good job as the evil cougar managing Jack Swagger and Dolph Ziggler. Vickie is able to really get the crowd to hate her and her protégés, which is exactly what Swagger needs right now, and Dolph is good enough to get heat himself but honestly not as good as he seems to think he is in the ring. Vickie was able to help him get to the US title and face off with main eventers and world/WWE champions so she was doing something right in 2011!

++++

WINNER: The Briscoe Brothers – 24 Votes*
1st RUNNER-UP: The Young Bucks – 24 Votes
2nd RUNNER-UP: Bad Intentions – 14 Votessize=+1>
*All VOTING TIE BREAKS WERE DONE BY WHO GARNERED THE MOST 1ST PLACE VOTES. IN THIS CASE THE BRISCOES WON 4-3

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Tag team wrestling is not dead, you just have to know where to look. The Briscoe Brothers have been tearing it up in ROH since 2003 (as a team; they feuded against each other in 2002), and their act has never seemed so fresh and entertaining as they have in 2011. After an inspired heel turn in March, The Briscoes re-started their feud with the All Night Express, and that ended up being one of the best in-ring rivalries of any promotion in 2011. The Briscoes also won the CZW Tag titles this year, and they made notable appearances in PWG and Resistance Pro.

The Young Bucks had an outstanding 2011, and they were actually my pick for best tag team of the year. They had excellent matches all year in PWG, and once they were free from TNA, they contributed greatly to other promotions like ROH and Chikara. Bad Intentions (Karl Anderson and Giant Bernard) continued their excellent tag run by holding onto the IWGP Heavyweight Tag Titles throughout the year and they won the GHC Tag Titles as well.

WES KIRKsize=+2>
Not being a gigantic fan of indy wrestling, I wasn’t too familiar with the first and third place winners but I do know the Young Bucks when they were in TNA as Generation Me. I have to say that they definitely were skilled and put on some excellent matches and entertaining spots, but apparently their backstage attitudes didn’t do too much for the workers. The Briscoes I have seen some work from and they can not only talk but wrestle, which is the trademark of a truly great tag team. Several of their finishing maneuvers and double teams are risky and dangerous but very rewarding and fun to watch, and I do hope they find their way to one of the big two soon so all of us can enjoy them!

ARI BERENSTEINsize=+2>
The Briscoe Brothers may have just cut a promo about how they were not signed to WWE because they were not “cosmetically pleasing” enough, but that doesn’t mean one damned thing in terms of what makes a great tag team. As far as 2011 goes, The Briscoe Brothers were the best tag team of the year and they worked hard to earn it. The Briscoes entered 2011 with some of the fans beginning to turn their backs on them, booing them at ROH events. They were able to take those boos and make a terrific heel run out of it, centered on a five-month blood feud with The All-Night Express of Kenny King and Rhett Titus, who the fans were beginning to support for their efforts and improvements in the ring. The Briscoes had great tag team brawls, bled buckets for the cause of building the grudge feud and when it came time, put over their opponents and still managed to look strong. The Briscoes were so rejuvenated on promos and in the ring that their actions actually managed to return the fans to their side. Speaking of those promos, the likes of the “Day One” video and their discussion about their hatred for Wrestling’s Greatest Tag Team cemented the fact that these guys can talk. Sure, they used expletives freely, but the ideas and arguments behind the curse words spoke louder and clearer. By the end of the year, it was just so damned difficult not to be entertained by The Briscoes that they were being cheered in favor of Charlie Haas and Shelton Benjamin on their way to winning their record-setting seventh title win in the promotion. The Briscoes have the talent, the charisma and the in-ring ability to get the job done…and those qualities took them all the way back to the top in ROH this year.

++++

WINNER: Sara Del Rey – 45 Votes
1st RUNNER-UP: Madison Eagle – 16 Votes
2nd RUNNER-UP: Beth Phoenix – 14 Votessize=+1>

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Sara Del Rey has been wrestling since 2001 and, as a result of early SHIMMER matches with Mercedes Martinez, has been considered one of the top American women in the game since 2005. In that regard, it’s a little bit surprising that 411 has been doing its Year End Awards for wrestling since 2005 and, in that time, Del Rey has only been named Women’s Wrestler of the Year once before, which occurred just last year. It’s also somewhat surprising that, despite being considered a top female wrestler since 2005, wearing the SHIMMER Title, competing in Ring of Honor, and taking trips to both Japan and Mexico, that there are still things for SDR to accomplish outside of WWE and TNA which would allow her to once again be considered the top female in the sport. However, she absolutely did find some things to accomplish which again make her deserving of this award. The bulk of Del Rey’s impressive strides in 2011 have been not in SHIMMER or some joshi promotion but have rather come in 411 Wrestling’s promotion of the year, CHIKARA. Sara has long been billed as that company’s “resident femme fatale,” but, in 2011, she’s moved beyond being the lady who wrestles in and usually wins the token women’s match on the card. She’s become a full-blown member of what would otherwise be referred to as the “male” roster of the promotion, including receiving shots at the company’s tag team titles, coming very close to winning the tournament to crown the first-ever CHIKARA singles champion, and outlasting the vast majority of the big names in the company to take home the victory in the annual torneo cibernetico elimination match. Of course, that’s not to say that she hasn’t also kept up her reputation as one of the best competitors in women’s wrestling. CHIKARA brought in a steady stream of female competition for her, including Kana on the promotion’s “southern swing” of shows, and the trio of Aja Kong, Tsubasa Kuragaki, and Ayako Hamada at the year-end JoshiMania events. Del Rey continued to compete in her old stomping grounds of SHIMMER as well this year, putting on acclaimed matches with Christian Von Eerie, Yumi Ohka, and Jessica James. She even made her most recent trip to Japan, competing for the newly formed REINA promotion that will no doubt allow SDR to continue to develop her legacy overseas. In recent interviews, Sara has stated her intention to make her way into WWE, and hopefully that mission is accomplished at some point in 2012.

WES KIRKsize=+2>
Beth Phoenix might actually be getting this award more out of pity from the voters than anything as she’s been made to look like Kelly Kelly and Alicia Fox’s bitch this year more than anything. Madison Eagles is overrated, but Sara Del Ray deserves all the cheers she can get. I have been a proponent of signing the cute and talented Del Ray to TNA as soon as possible and the fact even the anti-TNA crew recognize her talent tells me that maybe sooner rather than later we’ll see Sara competing in the Impact Zone.

JEREMY THOMASsize=+2>
Flat-out no other choice this year. While WWE’s Butterfly division got sidelined by Kharma’s joyous surprise and thus entered a holding pattern until her still-pending return and TNA’s Knockout Division couldn’t figure out what the hell it wanted to be, the independent scene continued to offer the best women’s wrestling out there. And of all the women competing on the indy scene, no one had a year like Sara Del Ray. I maintain that WWE is missing a huge boat with Del Ray who, if pushed right, could be the next Chyna (without the train wreckiness). She’s proving on a regular basis that she can hang with the guys and she remains dominant in the woman’s scene. Beth Phoenix is doing the most with what she’s been given, but you can’t take nothing and ride it to the top. I love Madison Eagles who is an incredibly talented wrestler (and FAR from unattractive, by the way) but she didn’t get even close to what Del Ray accomplished in 2011. This award belongs to her without a doubt and here’s hoping for even better and better things in 2011.

ARI BERENSTEINsize=+2>
Over the years, Sara Del Rey has been positioned as the “tough woman” in whatever independent professional wrestling promotion she had worked for. This year, Del Rey reaffirmed that position and earned the right to be called the Women’s Wrestler of 2011. She proved to be the best wrestler in the ring through a slew of excellent matches, notably in CHIKARA, Ring of Honor and SHIMMER. Del Ray’s work in CHIKARA is what sealed the deal for me-as that promotion’s rules allow for inter-gender competition and Del Ray absolute shined in that context. Her participation in the “12 Large” championship tournament provided for an exciting story—to see just how far she could go in the field. Del Rey’s matches against Claudio Castagnoli, Mike Quackenbush and Icarus told the story of someone who could match wits against the best wrestlers and win regardless of gender, because she was that tough and that skilled. The matches were entertaining and fun to boot. Del Ray’s great year in CHIKARA was summed up by her being able to face-off against some of Japan’s great female wrestlers, both current and legend, at their Joshimania events. Her victories against Kana (at a CHIKARA event in Tennessee), Aja Kong and Ayako Hamada were definitive exclamation marks on her fantastic 2011.

Del Ray’s Ring of Honor resume was very solid as well…as despite the lack of focus on women in that company, she did well in the time given at Ninth Anniversary Show against MsChif (though it was a crime the match wasn’t given more time). She also had a very good and quality showcase match at the annual Wrestlemania weekend shows in Atlanta, teaming up with Sereena Deeb to face the great young Joshi wrestlers Ayumi Kurihara and Hiroyo Matsumoto. Del Ray also won out on her 2011 SHIMMER run, with very good matches against the likes of Christina Von Eerie and Jessica James. All told, Del Ray leaves 2011 having amassed an excellent body of work—great wrestling matches from a great wrestler. Quick honorable mentions for Madison Eagles, who was AWESOME as SHIMMER Women’s Champion both this year and last. She was an amazingly effective heel in that company, but also worked face for her several appearances in CHIKARA and showed greatness on both sides of the equation. Hopefully her recent injury does not spell the end of her wrestling career as a whole, because she definitely has hit new peaks in the ring and it would be unfortunate for it to come to an end now. Beth Phoenix was a great heel in WWE as well and tried to do the best she could in the face of bad booking and short match times—a bad-ass wrestler losing so many times when it was unneeded was a very unfortunate situation. That she placed so high speaks volumes of her ability to rise above those issues.

++++

WINNER: C.M. Punk – 55 Votes
1st RUNNER-UP: Randy Orton – 17 Votes
2nd RUNNER-UP: Christian – 13 Votessize=+1>

ARI BERENSTEINsize=+2>
Looking back, it wasn’t just “The Summer of Punk”, it was The Year of Punk. Right from the beginning, Punk made great promos and put on compelling matches. He got the best of John Cena in their early matches on Monday Night Raw and that continued throughout the year. It is remarkable that Punk was able to win a majority of his matches against Cena, who is still the top name in the promotion. Punk also had the second-best match at Wrestlemania against Randy Orton (though he and “The New Nexus” were handily disassembled by Orton). He was in limbo up until the kick-off the summer angle with Cena and his “departure” from WWE, but the WWE revolved around CM Punk from that point until the Kevin Nash powerbomb blunder. His shoot promos and the intrigue surrounding his telling truth-to-power while seemingly on his way out of the company caught the attention of mainstream press and captured the imagination of WWE fans. WWE did not fully capitalize on the momentum Punk had generated with those series of promos, but it’s difficult to blame that on Punk in this day-and-age of WWE speedily rushing through angles and mismanaging opportune moments. Though The Summer of Punk did not take as far as beginning a new wave of mainstream popularity for WWE (and again, maybe nothing can generate that kind of traction right now), it did cement Punk as a top-tier main-event player and someone WWE could put their trust in to deliver—and boy did he deliver, with some amazing promo work that best used his sharp tongue to carve through the likes of Cena, Vince McMahon, Alberto Del Rio and John Laurenitis. It is true that Punk lost four Pay Per View matches in a row in the fall, but he survived those losses and still retained his popularity with the established fan base, almost as if he were a Teflon Man. Punk closed out the year strongly by winning the WWE Title at Survivor Series and still keeping his position as a top guy at the end of the year. This was a successful year and Punk did by using a promo style and personality that is very close to the chest and combining that with an inspiring reprise of a successful angle that had work during his time in Ring of Honor. He brought that story to the masses and not only did his hometown crowd respond, but so did the rest of the WWE audience. It is all about “The Cult of Personality” with Punk—and fans were swayed this year to recognize that about him.

TONY ACEROsize=+2>
While my pick was Randy Orton, it wasn’t without much debate. CM Punk, Dolph Ziggler, Christian, Orton, they were on fire this year. Punk gets the nod by virtue of his mixed bag of talents. Whether in the ring against Cena or on the mic, he is the best all around wrestler who took the world by storm. What I like about Punk, personally, is the fact that he makes what’s happening in the ring seem real. His kicks are never held back and he’s got a deep enough list of moves to fully entice the viewer. Nothing ever looks half assed and this invests you in the match. Sure, he’s got his signature moves, but he also has a deep well of talent that makes him anything but one note. Aside from his in ring work, his character is just top notch. While, personally, I’ve grown tired of the inside comments and would much rather hear his off the cuff remarks, there is still so much more to do with a guy like him. Now, as I said before, Randy Orton was my choice. He has shown so much growth in 2011 that it’s completely commendable. I mean, this was the same guy that reportedly crapped in a chick’s bag, right? Well, that guy seems to have disappeared and I would like to think that this is due to the marriage and child that he recently got into. Whatever the reasoning, Randy Orton has been top notch in the ring, and I can watch any one of his matches and be entertained.

JEREMY THOMASsize=+2>
No other full-time wrestler generated the buzz that CM Punk did in 2011. It’s as simple as that. Sure, the Rock had everyone talking but you can’t call someone who made a few appearances as wrestled in one match a Wrestler of the Year. Randy Orton had the best year of his career and probably did the best work of anyone in the ring in 2011; I will give the Legend Killer all the credit in the world for elevating talent en masse and putting on great matches with literally everyone he stepped into the ring with. Meanwhile Christian broke into the main event scene at last in WWE and while his time with the World Title was short, he definitely had to have earned the respect of the guys in charge of the book and I don’t doubt he’ll have another run at the top. However, with all due respect to those two there’s a reason why all those great Orton vs. Christian matches from the summer are largely forgotten and that’s because they played second-fiddle to CM Punk’s awesome run both as a heel and a face this year. I know some people are very disappointed with his Punk’s summer fizzled out and I agree to some level, but I don’t think that they completely botched him and he transitioned very nicely into a face. He had the match of the year, another one I agree with, with John Cena at Money in the Bank and delivered exceptional, highly buzzed promo after promo. There are so many great moments I can’t just pick one…from the first shoot interview and his match with Cena to the ice cream bars, the look of pure and unbridled joy as he got the chance to do commentary on the otherwise problematic “Walkout” Raw, all the way through his feud Alberto Del Rio and Miz to end the year and his taking the ring at the beginning of Raw post-TLC to bring Zack Ryder and Daniel Bryan down to the ring and give us another surreal moment. Throughout it all, Punk was the man and he’s YOUR Wrestler of the Year.

WES KIRKsize=+2>
The top award in wrestling and for some reason only sports entertainers are listed? While I would disagree with the #2 choice in favor of Robert Roode, I’ll say this about the three guys picked. Christian is one of those guys Vince took for granted and did nothing with until after he broke out in TNA and became world champion, coming back to the WWE and this year really came into his own with his first world championship in the WWE. Christian could put on an entertaining match with a broomstick and works his heart out for the fans. Randy Orton has improved from the more slow and boring style he’s usually known for although he still has a way to go, but he was involved in some excellent matches and he seems more comfortable playing the badass face instead of a generic face or an arrogant self-centered heel. This whole “disturbed predator” role he’s playing feels natural for the guy and he’s working it well. CM Punk, however, is just absolutely head and shoulders above the WWE homegrown guys! This guy can wrestle, he can talk, he can commentate, he can ring announce, and he can voice our concerns about the future of the ice cream industry as well! I’m very happy to see Punk succeed this year and do so well, although I just hope early 2012 doesn’t ruin him in favor of the homegrown guys. Without a doubt, this year was the Year of Punk and I hope 2012 will follow suit!

RYAN BYERSsize=+2>
CM Punk proclaims himself to be the “Best in the World.” Is he? The answer to that question depends on what your criteria for “Best in the World” are. However, regardless of whether you think he’s the best in the world from a talent standpoint, it’s hard to argue that CM Punk had the best year in the world in terms of becoming a major star. 2011 started off a little bit rocky for Punk. He began the year as the leader of the New Nexus and embarked upon a feud with Randy Orton that, even though it produced some good matches, made it feel as though both men were just treading water and saw Punk lose every major battle in the series. By the time May’s Over the Limit pay per view rolled around, Punk was stuck in an inconsequential tag team title match with Mason Ryan, losing to Kane and the Big Show. (All so that our Worst Tag Team of the Year, David Otunga and Michael McGillicutty, could later win the belts.) However, in late May and June, things started to turn around. The Second City Saint went on a bit of a winning streak, picking up a series of victories on Monday Night Raw culminating in a win over Rey Misterio at June’s Capitol Punishment. Then, one promo changed everything. You know the one that I’m talking about. Literally overnight, Punk became the most talked about act in all of professional wrestling and had a pay per view main event with John Cena at Money in the Bank that, when all of the numbers are finally in, will probably come close to matching the in-ring return of the Rock in terms of the number of buys that it drew. The former ROH headliner walked out of that show as the WWE Champion, and, though it wasn’t his first time with a major title in the company, this win more than any other felt like it was the one that made him into a major star in the WWE pantheon. Yes, some individuals – including myself – have been critical of the way that Punk’s storylines have been booked since he returned to the company after Money in the Bank, and I think it’s hard to argue that he’s had a perfect run since that time. However, the man has still consistently been treated like one of the very top guys in WWE since that evening, including being allowed to go toe-to-toe with Kevin Nash on the microphone and getting a match with Triple H in the latter’s long-awaited in-ring return. 2011 was a true coming out party for Chicago’s favorite wrestling son, and, by all accounts, 2012 may be even bigger.

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