The Triple Threat 12.28.08: The 121st Edition – Year End Awards

Wrestler of the Year

David Martell: Hands down it is Chris Jericho. He promised us last year that he would save us and that actually came true. With a complete character change into super heel, he has been amazing. He has cut countless promos that have been absolutely excellent, his matches have been the best all around this year, and he even changed his own wrestling attire to complete his character. To me this is really the first time the WWE has used Jericho to his full potential. Jericho was winning almost all his matches and looked incredibly strong in most of them. He would always win when it mattered and when the odds were against him. The worst thing to happen to Jericho this year is the fact that Cena returned. It seemed like they just dropped him like he was nothing once Cena came back from his injury. I absolutely hate how Jericho tapped instantly at Armageddon. With that said, this was the year of Jericho and damn it was good.

Alex Mattis: Hands down Chris Jericho, there is no competition in this category as far as I’m concerned. Y2J made his return to wrestling just before the year of 2008 and his comeback has been an absolute success. He has won the title twice this year, put on several MOTY candidates, and delivered what I feel are the hands down best promos of the year. No one in wrestling had a better, or more successful, year than Chris Jericho had. I can’t to see what ’09 will bring for Y2J.

Zach Brown: This is a tough category because this is a breakout year for several wrestlers. Part of me wishes I could give this award to one of my favorite wrestlers, Randy Orton, because it’s been a phenomenal year for him. The man is just a certified bad ass. How could I not consider him? He retained at Wrestlemania when hardly anyone thought he would, he’s just now starting The Legacy, and his in-ring and promo work have all been top notch. But the fact of the matter is, Randy spent a good portion of the year on the injured list, so he’s out of the running in my book. Another person I wanted to give it to is CM Punk. He won the Money in the Bank, pinned Edge for the Heavyweight Title, and won the World Tag Team championship as well. All he needs is the Intercontinental Title in order to win a Triple Crown! But Punk doesn’t deserve it overall because his title run was poorly booked and he looked weak going up against guys like Batista. So unfortunately, I can’t really give him the nod either. When you get right down to it, Chris Jericho is my pick for Wrestler of the Year. Lets start with his return to wrestling in 2007. He was face back then, and even I have to admit, he wasn’t as over as I had hoped. Chris freaking Jericho had finally returned to WWE and the fans just weren’t behind him. I was in shock. If Chris Jericho returning doesn’t get people pumped, then what does these days? John Cena? Chris knew he had to reinvent himself, and he went above and beyond in that respect. He stopped wearing the classic pants, he dropped the Y2J gimmick and became a monster heel, and he cut some of the best promos I’ve heard in years. Sure, he won the title in a weird way, but it was shocking, and it definitely fit with his character. Even though his title reign was interrupted by both Batista and Cena, it gave us some great opportunities. When Jericho won back the title from Batista in that cage match on Raw, I literally jumped out of my seat in excitement. As a wrestling fan, I haven’t done that in a long time, and that match kind of renewed my faith in professional wrestling. Right now, Chris Jericho is the total package, ‘nuff said.

Match of the Year

Alex Mattis: There were many good matches this year but I personally didn’t see a match this year that was better pulled off than Samoa Joe Vs. Kurt Angle at LockDown. Y2J-HBK ladder match was close but this match was amazing. Many people thought it was going to fail due to the idea MMA-like action when in reality it worked out great. This match told a great story and truly used the cage for what it was meant for. While we had several MOTY candidates this year, this match was the pulled off head and shoulders above the rest.

Zach Brown: Again, this has been a great year for wrestling and there are several MOTY candidates in my eyes. Edge and Taker definitely deserve honorable mentions for their great match at Wrestlemania 24 and their Hell in a Cell at Summerslam. Those were absolutely great matches. Money in the Bank was pretty solid this year as well, but when you get right down to it, it’s just a spot fest. A guilty pleasure, but a spot fest nonetheless. It’s hard not giving those three matches the top spot, but all in all, I have to go with Shawn Michaels vs. Ric Flair at Wrestlemania 24. This was an instant classic and the best example this year of a match that tells a story. I’ll be the first to admit that I wasn’t too high on Ric Flair towards the end of his career. I used to think he was out of shape, past his prime, and should have retired years ago. By the time this match was over, I wanted Ric Flair to stay in WWE for another two years because he put on such a great match and gave it his all. There aren’t many matches that can put you on the edge of your seat and make you shed a few tears all in a scope of 10 minutes, but this match does just that. That’s why it’s my Match of the Year.

Feud of the Year

David Martell: HBK vs. Jericho is obviously the feud of the year. The was the feud that basically turned Jericho into a super heel. The raw emotion that was in this storyline was phenomenal. HBK lied and no one believed Jericho. Jericho was proving that it doesn’t matter what their “hero” did, they will always side with him. Jericho was the honest man yet everyone booed him. The string of matches these guys had from the unsanctioned match to the ladder match were all great. The fact that Jericho actually punched HBK’s wife on television was amazing. Even though I am sure he didn’t mean to hit her, the fact that she had a swollen lip just added so much more emotion to the storyline all together. This was probably the best feud in years because lets face it, wrestling hasn’t been as good as it use to be. 2008 was a pretty decent year in my book and this storyline was the best of 2008.

Alex Mattis: Eh, there were no feuds that stuck out to me this year. The closest ones would be Y2J-HBK or Y2J-Cena due to the promos that Jericho cut during them, but Cena and HBK didn’t pull their roles off well during the feuds and it take two men to build a successful feud. Maybe the AOTF Vs. The World or Nigel Vs. Danielson… but for the most part no feuds in wrestling really stuck out this year.

Zach Brown: Are there any other feuds up for this other than HBK vs. Jericho? What else should we honestly talk about? Kane vs. Rey? Cena vs. Batista? MVP vs WWE’s creative team? Everything else just looks tired when compared to this feud. The only other feuds that are almost worth talking about are Angle vs. Jarrett, Sting vs. AJ Styles, and HHH vs. Jeff Hardy. But even those aren’t all that great compared to HBK vs. Jericho. I honestly think this is the best feud WWE has had in the last 2 to 3 years. From HBK’s great acting, to Jericho’s transformation, almost everything was flawless. The matches they had were great, Jericho was cutting some of the best promos of his career, HBK’s acting was so good that I thought he really was going to cry, and his wife got a fat lip. What’s not to love? The only bad thing about this feud is that, unfortunately, it ended. There are still great feuds happening in wrestling today, and this was 2008’s best example of that.

Rookie of the Year

David Martell: Although he is currently injured, Even Bourne is my rookie of the year. This guyed proved once again that ECW can get young stars over. This guy got over so fast it only took a few months till he ended up on RAW every week. He does one of the most beautiful shooting star presses that I have ever seen and I couldn’t be happier that the WWE actually lets him use a lot of his moves. I think the best match he had was the one against Rey Mysterio on RAW. It played off well because it was a rookie vs. a veteran and although Bourne lost, he looked amazing. I am sure this was going somewhere but we all know what happened. I can almost guarantee that he is going to end up in the MITB ladder match at Wrestlemania. That match was made for this guy! I also want to talk about Jack Swagger here. Although he isn’t my rookie of the year, he has had a great year. The first time I saw him I thought he had a terrible gimmick and that he was boring in the ring. The more I watched this guy the more I saw him transform into a damn good wrestler. He is still very green but it seems that he only gets better with every match. He had an excellent hardcore match with Dreamer this year and I am hoping that he will fight Matt Hardy for the ECW Title at the Royal Rumble.

Alex Mattis: Gotta give this one to Evan Bourne. Obviously he isn’t a newcomer to the game of professional wrestling but this was his rookie year under the bright lights of the E. Sydal made the absolute best of the chance he had and he was got over in record timing. He did his thing in the ring, got the fans behind him, and now he is out on the shelf and the fans can’t wait to see him back. Bourne definitely the “newcomer” of the year who made the most impact.

Zach Brown: There were a lot of notable rookies this year. One important person to mention is Kofi Kingston. Now technically, Kofi debuted in 2007, but I think he is worth mentioning because this was such a breakout year for Kofi. He won the Intercontinental Championship, he won the Tag Titles with CM Punk, he’s over like none other, and he does all kinds of free style moves in the ring, and he makes it work. Other notable rookies are Primo Colon, Vladimir Koslov, and Jack Swagger. Too bad I don’t like any of them. The real rookie of the year is, without question, Evan Bourne. Matt Sydal was already a great high flyer on the indy circuit, so it’s refreshing to see him transition to WWE without anything lost in translation. But Bourne was pure awesomeness this year. I saw ads for ECW where all they would do is push this kid. Granted, I’ve seen similar ads nowadays that only advertise Jack Swagger, but I think that if Bourne weren’t injured, he’d still be stealing the spotlight. But honestly, the guy just does amazing things in the ring. I don’t know who’s idea it was to pair him with Rey Mysterio, but it was an absolutely terrible idea because he really does make Rey look like shit when they wrestle right next to each other. Evan Bourne debuted in 2008 and he was already one of the most exciting people to watch in WWE after only a few months. And then he got injured. What an absolute derailment. I just hope Bourne gets healthy in time for the Money in the Bank. Because if you thought Shelton Benjamin does crazy things for MITB, I can only imagine what Bourne will do.

Best Moment of the Year

David Martell: This is one of the more obvious choices but CM Punk cashing in the MITB on RAW and winning the World Title was just too good to be true. Me and my friends were just marking out when that happened and it was truly a great moment. Punk definitely had a great year. Although it seems like they have brought him down a notch since losing the title, I have a feeling that they are waiting for the right time to give him the belt again. He has also won the tag titles this year and it seems that he will also get a shot at the Intercontinental title soon. I think the WWE is just adding titles to him to make him look like a more prestigious champion down the road. I wouldn’t be surprised it CM Punk wins the title again next year.

Alex Mattis: I don’t think this year gave us too many memorable moments in professional wrestling aside from what I’m about to talk about. Ric Flair’s retirement was obliviously the story of the year in wrestling and his exit was done very well. His farewell match against HBK was a tremendous match that really let Flair go out on top, but the ending of that match wasn’t the moment that stuck out to me. It was Ric Flair’s Hall Of Fame induction speech. It was so emotional, so moving, and seemed so genuine. It is definitely the moment that stuck out to me in 2008.

Zach Brown: Best moment of the year is tough. I would put John Cena coming out as Royal Rumble entrant No. 30, because it was the best moment of the year…for about 3 seconds…then it was followed by the worst moment of the year when I realized what it meant for the Royal Rumble. Other shockers are things like Jericho winning the title in CM Punk’s place, Jericho beating Batista in the cage match, Edge winning the title with his Mike Knox beard, and Jeff Hardy finally winning the title. Also, Snitsky got fired! But all in all, I have to go with something that happened very early in the year, and something that is easily forgotten about in context with all the shockers this year. And that’s Randy Orton retaining at Wrestlemania. I think the prediction polls on Wrestlemania night were only 11% for Orton if I remember correctly. Naturally, I wanted Orton to win, but I was preparing myself for utter disappointment. Orton had been a great champ, but I was ready to concede defeat to Cena or HHH. Thankfully, Orton kicked HHH’s head into the third row, and covered Cena for the win. Who honestly saw that coming? I wish the match had been a little longer, and I wish that Orton didn’t lose the title at Backlash, but I got what I wanted, and it was a shocker to say the least. The best part was when Orton came out the next night on Raw and said “Expecting someone else?”Greatness.

Tag Team of the Year

David Martell: It is Miz and Morrison for me. They are the kings of getting their asses kick and winning the match in the end. They are completely genius for a heel tag team. Although some of their promos are god awful, mainly because they cant say what they really want to say, I always get a good laugh. Their entrance is just amazing. Morrison has a great future ahead of him and although I think he is apart of a great tag team, I look forward to the day that he is on his own in singles competition. The only problem that Miz and Morrison have, is the fact that there is no tag division what so ever. I think they have feuded with everyone possible and it is sad. I wish the WWE would invest more in the tag division and give these guys something else to work with.

Alex Mattis: Still The Briscoes, no tag team in wrestling right now can touch them. They have been the best tag team in wrestling for years and it seems like that’s not going to change for awhile. They constantly are improving and constantly putting on amazing matches. It is a true shame that they are not seen every week on a bigger stage. While promising teams like Priceless and Beer Money Inc. came along this year; the Briscoes are still the best around.

Zach Brown: For Tag Team of the Year, I hate to make it a trend to agree with the Slammy awards, but I have to go with Miz and Morrison as well. These guys are experts at getting their ass kicked. It’s like WWE just thinks, “DX needs to look strong for the 800th episode of Raw. Lets throw in Miz and Morrison.” Or, “Kofi and Punk need to look strong against someone, but lose at the last second. Lets throw in Miz and Morrison.” Honestly, these guys get their ass kicked well. You know why? Because they are also good wrestlers. If you aren’t on the Miz and Morrison train yet, you should try and realize the whole “intentionally looking terrible in order to play a better heel” aspect. They don’t get to look good often, but when these guys do get to show off their talent, they really are great in the ring. Combine that with the fact that they are great heels, and genuinely funny, you have a winning combination for a tag team. They might not be much without each other, but for right now, I can’t get enough of them.

Biggest Disappointment of the Year

David Martell: TNA is the biggest disappointment. I have tried to watch Impact so many times and I can never finish an episode. The show is just god awful. The wrestling looks highly scripted ( the 23 or so minutes of wrestling we actually get), some of the wrestlers are in terrible gimmicks and they have storylines that no one can invest in. Recently they have gotten better with some of these things but its not helping out that much. I am so happy that Curry Man is gone and that Super Eric is now just Eric. Curry man was just a joke that they made into a long term gimmick and it was just sad. Everyone knows that the Fallen Angel gimmick is great and they should of kept it that way. The MEM storyline is a bit interesting but I doubt it will get anywhere. To me it just seems like a bunch of older wrestlers who are afraid to pass the torch to the younger guys. For those of you who loved WCW, here it is! TNA seriously needs to get their shit together.

Alex Mattis: We’ve got a tie here. First off, we have CM Punk’s title reign. When he was first given the title I viewed it as a chance for change and a fresh start. Well it turned out to be just more of the same. It was a cool moment to see him capture title but his reign was somewhat of a joke. Second we have TNA. At one point I said proudly that TNA was better than the E, and it truly was, but now it just comes off as WCW-lite. This past year was the worst, product wise, that TNA has ever had. For a company that has so much potential they are really letting me down.

Zach Brown: Biggest disappointment of the year is a whole bunch of fun because there are just so many possibilities! How about Kane vs. Rey? It went absolutely nowhere! Everyone thought that Rey would put back on the mask, or maybe Rey would wear a Kane mask, or maybe Rey would come out SOMEHOW changed or scarred, but no, it went nowhere. Or maybe WWE’s failure to start The Legacy out strong? I look forward to where The Legacy is going, but successful stables never have this hard a time in the beginning. It’s frustrating to say the least. Or how about the endless string of unnecessary releases? Elijah Burke and Lance Cade should still have jobs in WWE in my honest opinion. Also, HHH didn’t tear a quad yet, and that sucks. Kidding. But overall, my pick for Biggest Disappointment of 2008 is Christopher Daniels staying in the Curry Man gimmick for almost an entire year instead of using his Fallen Angel gimmick. Christopher Daniels is one of the best wrestlers that TNA or the indy circuit has ever seen. The man puts on great matches, he cuts fantastic promos, and he can do a perfect moonsault. So how does TNA repay him? They take a gimmick that he only does very sparingly on the indies and turns it into his full time thing for nearly a year. Now I know that Curry Man is funny. He takes off one hat and has a tiny hat underneath that. That’s hilarious. I get it. Make Chris do the gimmick for a month or so, and it would be great. But a year? That’s ludicrous. It should never have happened. And while Curry Man was farting around and making absolutely no progress, The Fallen Angel could have been the leader of the TNA Frontline the entire time. Why do you think TNA has been in the crapper this year? Because they don’t utilize some of their best talents. And the Curry Man debacle was the best example of that.

Overrated Wrestler of the Year

David Martell: Some of yall might be mad at this but I think John Cena is the most overrated wrestler this year. What has he done to earn a title? There have been several other guys in that locker room that deserve that belt more than he does. The time he was away from the title scene we got champions like Jericho and CM Punk. We also had a terrible 8 day reign by Batista. I like him when he’s not with the belt, is that to much to ask for? I am not going to go off on to much of a tangent here but I think John Cena is the most overrated wrestler in the business.

Alex Mattis: Batista. No question. He is the only E main eventer out there who literally offers nothing. He bring nothing new to the table, he is uber-predictable, and what annoys me the most of all is his unwillingness to get physical. If you don’t know what I’m talking about, watch him closely the next time he wrestles. He is a fuckin’ pro wrestler and he never wants to mix it up and turn the match into a game of physicality and actually wrestle or “jock for position” and what not. Batista would be a much better ballerina or maybe he should just stick to bodybuilding because for the time being he is the most overrated wrestler in the world.

Zach Brown: Again, what a fun topic. I could write for days on several wrestlers that are just downright overrated or terrible. Lets start with some obvious honorable mentions, shall we? Ricky Ortiz. He sucks ass, but I don’t know if he’s necessarily overrated because I don’t think anyone “rates” this guy in the first place. WWE just shoves him down our throats and that’s why he made my list. Speaking of WWE shoving a wrestler down my throat, hello John Cena! I’m sure you’ve heard it time and time again, so I won’t make that big a deal out of it. But yeah, he’s really not all that great. He pulls out all the stops for Pay Per Views, but when it comes time for a Raw main event, it’s the good ‘ol 5 moves of doom every time. Don’t believe me? Just go watch his match with “Glamarella” this past Raw. That’s all that match is. There are others who come to mind such as HHH and Rey Mysterio, but I have to end up going with Batista. When he was traded to Raw for the draft, I was excited because it made him instantly fresh in my eyes; especially since his Smackdown run was growing excruciatingly stale. After about two months, I realized it was just the same ‘ol Dave. People were really into Cena vs. Batista, but I was just not into the match at all. And when people were talking about Cena vs. Batista for the main event at Wrestlemania, I could care less how many tickets it would sell, it made me want to vomit. I’m just completely over Batista. His matches are just “Miss a spear and hit the turn buckle, brawl, spinebuster, brawl a little more, either hit a spear or a Batista bomb, cover for the pin. By the way, I gassed after I missed that first spear.” Oh, and the man can’t cut a promo to save his life. I wish him a speedy recovery from his pulled hamstring, but come on Dave! Get off the juice! So much for “Wellness,” huh WWE? You can’t look at Batista and tell me that his body is natural. It’s such a farce. I seriously hope that Batista gets some sort of repackaging to his character because he’s just boring nowadays, and switching brands or coming back from injury shouldn’t be the only things that make Batista fresh again.