Since WWE has The Slammy Awards, and since last night's awards show was a crushing disappointment, I figured I'd do my own version. So this is the first-ever Kick-Out!! Awards, or the Kick-Outies!! if you'd prefer! I also promise my awards will feature 100% less Big Dick Johnson. Alright, with 2009 coming to a close, let's take a look at the best of this interesting year.
TV Match of the Year
When you think Match of the Year, usually the mind jumps to WrestleMania or other big PPV events, but TV doesn't get nearly enough love. The very nature of the weekly show often prevents us from seeing amazing matches on a regular basis, but in a year that was hit-or-miss in entertainment, it was also one of the best for quality wrestling on free TV.
Here are the nominees:
-Evan Bourne vs. John Morrison - ECW, April 14
-Christian vs. Chris Jericho - ECW, October 20
-The Undertaker vs. Chris Jericho - Smackdown, November 13
-Tyler Black vs. Bryan Danielson 3 - ROH on HDNet, July 25
-John Morrison vs. Rey Mysterio - Smackdown, September 4
And the TV Match of the Year is... John Morrison vs. Rey Mysterio!
It was a really tough decision between this match and Undertaker vs. Jericho, and while that match was certainly an epic encounter between two future Hall of Famers, I honestly think that Morrison vs. Mysterio eclipsed it. Such an awesome match, and well worth the $0 I paid to see it.
WTF?! Moment of the Year
In a business known for shocking twists and turns, 2009 may not have been full of surprises, but there were a few big ones that turned the industry on its head.
Here are the nominees:
-Christian returns to WWE and takes ECW by storm
-Hulk Hogan signs with TNA Wrestling
-At age 45, Jerry Lynn captures the Ring of Honor World Title
-Mr. Kennedy released
-Sheamus wins the WWE Championship
And the WTF?! Moment of the Year is... Sheamus wins the WWE Championship!
If I would've posted this on Saturday, Mr. Kennedy's out-of-nowhere release from World Wrestling Entertainment likely would be the biggest shock of the year, but at TLC, SHEAMUS won the richest prize in the game, just a few months after his debut. I'm still at a loss for words over the whole thing.
PPV of the Year
PPVs this year have either been really really good or really really bad and rarely in the middle, but there were a few gems,
Here are the nominees:
-WrestleMania 25
-Bragging Rights
-SummerSlam
-Extreme Rules
-Judgment Day
And the PPV of the Year is... WWE Bragging Rights!
As much as I enjoyed WrestleMania 25, I'm aware that it was a very polarizing PPV, people either loved it or they hated it, but Bragging Rights was flat-out awesome. Coming off the worst PPV of the year, Hell in a Cell, Bragging Rights seemed like a glorified commercial for the new WWE video game, but somehow everything just came together and worked. The Miz stuns everyone in the opening contest by defeating his former partner, the Divas bring their A-game and prove they can wrestle in a six-woman tag, a fun Fatal Four-Way for the World Heavyweight Title featuring Batista's heel turn, the awesome 14-man Raw vs. Smackdown tag match that proved SD is the best show in WWE, and John Cena vs. Randy Orton in a 60-minute Iron Man Match, which was easily their best match in their LONG rivalry. The right people went over in every match, the action was exciting and everything just clicked to create the best PPV of the year.
Feud of the Year
In 2008, we got awesome feuds like Chris Jericho vs. Shawn Michaels and Edge vs. The Undertaker, can 2009 live up to that?
Here are the nominees:
-DX vs. Legacy
-Christian vs. Jack Swagger
-John Cena vs. Randy Orton
-CM Punk vs. Jeff Hardy
-The Miz vs. John Cena
-Rey Mysterio vs. Chris Jericho
-Kofi Kingston vs. Randy Orton
And the Feud of the Year is... CM Punk vs. Jeff Hardy!
It was a great year for feuds, DX brought the best out of Legacy, Jack Swagger welcomed Christian back to WWE in style, The Miz became awesome by mocking John Cena (although it came back to bite him in the ass), Rey Mysterio & Chris Jericho tore the freakin' house down, and Kofi Kingston became a top-tier player with Randy Orton. But as great as those feuds are/were, CM Punk vs. Jeff Hardy may be one of the greatest rivalries in the history of the industry. Playing off reality, simultaneously elevating both men into the upper-echelon of WWE, and producing unforgettable matches, Punk vs. Hardy is undoubtedly the feud of 2009.
Finisher of the Year
Everyone needs a cool finisher, it can be the one thing that instantly sets a new wrestler apart from the pack or refreshes a stale moveset.
Here are the nominees:
-Drew McIntyre's Double-underhook DDT
-The Hart Dynasty's Hart Attack
-Luke Gallows' Gallows Pole
-Zack Ryder's Zack Attack
-John Morrison's Starship Pain
And the Finisher of the Year is... Drew McIntyre's Double-underhook DDT!
It's simple, effective and looks absolutely devastating, now all it needs is a cool name... and no, "Scot Drop" is not a cool name.
Feel Good Moment of the Year
Far too often, the wrestling business is far too concerned with what's the coolest or who's the most badass, but we often forget the ability of wrestling to put a smile on our faces.
Here are the nominees:
-Ricky "The Dragon" Steamboat returns to the ring
-Bob Barker kicks ass as the guest host of Monday Night Raw
-Jeff Hardy's farewell to his fans
-Stone Cold Steve Austin inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame
And the Feel Good Moment of the Year is... Ricky Steamboat's return to the ring!
Fifteen years had gone by since the last time Ricky "The Dragon" Steamboat laced up a pair of boots and competed in a professional wrestling match, but when he stepped back into the ring at WrestleMania 25, it was like he never left. In fact, he was so impressive, he went on to have two more matches, a big tag team contest on Raw (where he stole the show again) and then an amazing one-on-one contest with Chris Jericho at Backlash. I think Steamboat's mini-return can best be summed up this year with one sentence, "You still got it!"
NASTY! Moment of the Year
If you're a regular reader of the site, you know one of my favorite words to describe a sick bump is "NASTY!" and there were plenty of moments worthy of that description in 2009.
Here are the nominees:
-Randy Orton literally tortures John Cena with a Singapore Cane
-Alicia Fox lands squarely on her head after a Mickie James DDT
-Sheamus ends Jamie Noble's career
-Chris Jericho makes Ric Flair bleed like a horror movie victim
-Cody Rhodes' Cross Rhodes finisher
And the NASTY! Moment of the Year is... Mickie's DDT to Alicia Fox!
I could type up a description, but I think this will say more than I can:
I have to go vomit now.
Breakthrough Star of the Year
Not necessarily looking for a rookie of the year like WWE did with this award, I'm looking for a guy that broke out and became a major player in 2009, doesn't matter if it was his first year or his tenth.
Here are the nominees:
-The Miz
-Kofi Kingston
-Sheamus
-Desmond Wolfe
-John Morrison
And the Breakthrough Star of the Year is... Kofi Kingston!
Sheamus seems like the obvious answer since he won the WWE Title, but the win was controversial and it remains to be seen where Sheamus will go from here. Kofi Kingston, on the other hand, has been solidified as the next big thing and if 2010 isn't his year, WWE's doing something wrong.
Tag Team of the Year
Tag team wrestling was resurrected in this year, as a fan of the style, here's hoping it's not just a fad.
Here are the nominees:
-JeriShow
-The American Wolves
-D-Generation X
-Beer Money Inc.
-Legacy
And the Tag Team of the Year is... JeriShow!
C'mon, is this one even a contest? The only team that could've possibly been better than JeriShow in 2009 would be if Edge hadn't gotten injured and continued to team with Jericho instead of Big Show. But even that would be debatable, as awesome as Edge is, Big Show & Jericho have fantastic chemistry and I hope we haven't seen the end of this dynamic duo.
Match of the Year
2009 wasn't the best year for wrestling from an entertainment standpoint, but there's no denying that this was a fantastic year for in-ring action.
Here are the nominees:
-Shawn Michaels vs. The Undertaker - WrestleMania 25
-Edge vs. John Cena - Backlash
-Jeff Hardy vs. Edge - Extreme Rules
-Rey Mysterio vs. Chris Jericho - The Bash
-CM Punk vs. Jeff Hardy - SummerSlam
-John Cena vs. Triple H vs. Shawn Michaels - Survivor Series
And the 2009 Match of the Year is... Shawn Michaels vs. The Undertaker!
No surprise here, I think we knew on April 5 that this match would wind up being the Match of the Year. Match of the Year without question, perhaps the Match of the Decade? Or how about the greatest match in WrestleMania history? What more can I say about this match that hasn't already been said? Without this match, Mysterio vs. Jericho at The Bash definitely would be the 2009 Match of the Year, but it unfortunately had to go up against one of the greatest matches that I've ever had the privilege of watching.
Superstar of the Year
You know what this one means, here are the nominees:
-Jeff Hardy
-CM Punk
-Chris Jericho
-Rey Mysterio
-Christian
And the 2009 Superstar of the Year is... CM PUNK!
This was easily the toughest decision to make because you can make an argument for any of these guys: Jeff Hardy capped off a 15 year journey, Rey Mysterio was the in-ring worker of the year, Christian had one of the greatest return years in WWE history, and Chris Jericho continued to prove why he's the best in the world... so why didn't Jericho win? Simple answer, Jericho spent most of his year in a tag team, while CM Punk basically carried Smackdown on his back throughout the summer. Punk entered 2009 as Intercontinental Champion, went onto become the only man to ever win back-to-back Money in the Bank Ladder Matches, was drafted to Smackdown where he has had countless awesome matches against guys like Edge, John Morrison, Rey Mysterio, the late, great Umaga and many others.
At Extreme Rules, Punk cashed in his MITB to become World Heavyweight Champion, regained the title in a Match of the Year contender TLC Match at SummerSlam, retired Jeff Hardy, and became the first person to ever make The Undertaker "submit" (hahaha). And of course, you can't forget his awesome heel turn, which has allowed Punk to deliver the greatest promos of the year and become one of the most hated villains in the industry. So congratulations CM Punk, you're not only the first-ever Kick-Out!! Wrestling Superstar of the Year, you're also the first and only STRAIGHT-EDGE Superstar of the Year! That does mean he's better than you.
So, what do you think? Agree? Disagree? I want to know your picks for the best of 2009, so feel free to leave your own picks in the comments section!
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