Above: Alex's wrestler of 2011 - Eddie Edwards
OK so here are my choices for the 2011 end of year awards in wrestling. As always these are my views and are simply here to give my opinion on the year in wrestling.
So we kick off with Wrestler of the year, which is as always a hotly debatable topic with many men and women throwing their hat into the ring. As regards an overall choice, taking into account the entire year, I will give this accolade to Eddie Edwards. I would say Eddie deserves this, because over the 12 months, he has consistently put on mind blowing, jaw dropping matches, where by he has improved his skills and helped ROH rise as a company. His matches against Davey Richards have become that of legend and because of that I award this prestigious honour to him.
Tag Team of the year is another hotly debatable topic. Around the world, there have been many teams vying for the spotlight, and putting on high octane jaw dropping matches. While many could win this category, I will award it to the team who for me, have done the most inside and outside the ring this year. And that is Jay & Mark, The Briscoe Brothers. Whether its in the ROH ring, or on Youtube, running their mouths about topics, they have had one hell of a year. Showing the grit and determination they have used throughout their careers, the Briscoes have made 2011 their own with 5 star matches and stand out displays. For me, they are untouchable in this category.
Now onto Match Of The Year. As far as match quality goes, this match wasn’t an absolute classic, but at Money In The Bank 2011, John Cena & CM Punk had a match which was built on weeks of solid work by the WWE team, making it into one of the most talked about matches of 2011, and therefore it is more than deserving of this award.
Commentator of the year, is a category which is populated by some of the most entertaining personalities within professional wrestling, and well sadly Michael cole too. But as commentators go, I would love to say that Nigel McGuiness within ROH has been my favourite of this year. Although he may not have made hundreds of appearances, he has made a solid and entertaining start to his commentary career, and made the new style of ROH into his own. I cant wait for more Nigel in 2012.
Mark Out Moment, lets be honest, there can only really be 2 moments in the running here. 1 was the return of the legend that is Super Dragon, coming home to PWG to help Kevin Steen fight The Young Bucks, in what was a simply phenomenal return. The other, was a jaw dropper. The Rock returned to the WWE to what for me was the single greatest crowd reaction for one superstar, possibly of all time. He returned to feud with John Cena, the alpha male of the WWE, which will culminate as the main event of Wrestlemania 28 in Miami come 2012. For me, The Rock returning made me once again discover the true wrestling fan within me, and that’s why its my mark out moment of 2011.
Show Of The Year for me is really a 2 horse race, between the PWG show DDT4 2011, and TNA Wrestling’s Destination X. For TNA, 2011 wasn’t the best year, but in a forgettable year, Destination X made us all realise why we first fell in love with the brand of wrestling TNA was putting out. The showcase of the X division, with stars like Low Ki, Jack Evans, Zema Ion & Austin Aries helping the PPV go off with a bang. With stellar matches, it was without doubt one of my most enjoyable PPV's of the year. PWG DDT4 was without doubt the clear winner for 2011 though. It was easily the best card of the year, with some of the highest class matches you will ever see. For a wrestling show, not backed by a major financial backer, it was simply stunning entertainment, with a plethora of Independent stars putting on the best show they could. Names like the Kings Of Wrestling, American Wolves, Nightmare Violence Connection & and my tag team of the year Mark & Jay Briscoe meant it was without doubt the best show of the year. Watch it, Love It, and Live It. Experience PWG with all its glory as soon as possible.
2011 - Final Review - Was 2011 a year for wrestling, you're damn right it was. Maybe the larger promotions, your WWE’s and TNA’s didn’t make the most of the year, but by god, the Independent and upcoming companies like PWG & ROH, put on some of the best matches you will possibly witness in your lifetime. I gladly welcome 2012, as a year which will see more high quality matches, the WM28 match of Cena & The Rock, TNA might actually make an “IMPACT!” and ROH might finally gain the acclaim it so richly deserves.
But its been a good year people, good luck to you all in 2012
Any comments, hit me up on twitter @WholeKirknShow
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