The Chris Irvine Award - Best Catchphrase of 2010

This award honours the catchiest line of the year by any performer - one that the audience either craved to hear repeatedly, or one that caused them to groan in frustration with every uttering. The award is named after Chris Jericho (Chris Irvine), who had as good a knack as any performer for creating memorable catchphrases.

WINNER - MICHAEL COLE: "AND I QUOTE"

The officious and self-important manner in which Cole announced the anonymous General Manager's instructions was pure gold. Its a great catchphrase because its short, to the point and annoying. The best catchphrases are those that you can use in real life to annoy people. "And I Quote" fits that description perfectly. It is incidentally also the Slammy Award winner for "Line of the Year".

1st RUNNER UP - THE MIZ: "BECAUSE I'M THE MIZ AND I'M AWESOME"

He is The Miz, and he is awesome. Catchphrases don't get more straightforward than that. Its a perfect line for The Miz because it summarizes his loudmouth, megaalomanic character, and it makes you want to see him get punched in the mouth. Its also a phrase that can be easily ridiculed through negation ("You're The Miz, and You're Awful"), which plays nicely into the hands of fans and babyfaces.

2nd RUNNER UP - ALBERTO DEL RIO: "MY NAME IS ALBERTO DEL RIO. BUT YOU ALREADY KNOW THAT."

This is a fantastic line. It just may be the best possible way anyone can introduce and brag about themselves at the same time. Its a prime example of using a catchphrase to enhance a character. What's great is that Alberto continues to use the line to gain heat. Mark this one down, and use it the next time you meet someone new. It will be classic.

The Jim Ross Award - Best Announcer of 2010

This award honours the wrestling announcer who has best enhanced the viewing experience either through play-by-play or colour commentary. The award is named after possibly the greatest play-by-play wrestling announcer in history - Jim Ross.

WINNER - MICHAEL COLE

2010 was the year that Michael Cole unofficially took over from Jim Ross as the "Voice of the WWE". Cole has never been popular with fans, and last year WWE finally decided to make the most of the situation. Cole started making attacking, derogatory remarks about Daniel Bryan on NXT, berating him as "small-time" and a "darling of the Internet nerds". He also expressed adulation for The Miz. It was apparent that Cole as a heel had some appeal, because the caustic persona spilled over into RAW, and later into Smackdown. Cole's play-by-play has been solid but never spectacular, but the introduction of the abrasive heel element has transformed him from just another announcer to a wildly entertaining and viable character, to the extent that Cole even interfered in a WWE Title match on behalf of The Miz. Michael Cole has truly emerged in 2010 (cue the coming out jokes), and wins my vote for Best Announcer.

1st RUNNER UP - CM PUNK

How good does someone have to be to claim the runner-up spot having spent approximately two months in the announcer's chair? It seems CM Punk cannot go wrong anytime there's a microphone near his lips. Punk injured his hip, but WWE Creative had to keep him on television, due to which he was temporarily added to the Raw Announce Team. Punk's sarcastic and cutting commentary was peppered with sly references and inside jokes, and was a treat to hear. Vince McMahon was supposedly such a huge fan of Punk's edgy commentary that he toyed briefly with the idea of retiring him from the ring.

2nd RUNNER UP - MATT STRIKER

In his early days of announcing, Matt Striker was celebrated for his intelligent and eloquent commentary, besides his obvious passion and deep knowledge about the business. He still has all those things, but at times he's too eloquent, and shows off too much knowledge for some people's taste. I am personally a big fan of Striker as an announcer. It was however reported on the Internet that Cole and Lawler do not like working with him as he comes off as elitist. Cole even took off his headset to yell at Striker for talking too much during Survivor Series. Later that very night, Striker flubbed the call for the main event, happily exclaiming "Cena is free!", when Cena was in fact fired. There was a strong rumour that Josh Matthews would be replacing Striker at pay-per-views, but thankfully that didn't happen at TLC. I hope Striker manages to get on the right side of the right people in 2011, because he is a hell of an announcer, with potential to be the best.

The Dwayne Johnson Award - Most Charismatic Wrestler of 2010

This award honours the performers who have that intangible "It factor"- a magnetism that draws the camera's attention, as well as ratings and tickets. These performers need not be accomplished in the ring, but have swagger, flair and pizazz, and are electric with live crowds, thus enhancing the viewing atmosphere for the television audience as well. Named after The Rock (Dwayne Johnson), who is perhaps the most charismatic wrestler to have electrified a live crowd (and the millions and millions watching at home)

WINNER - THE MIZ

Nobody in 2010 showed more personality than Mike Mizanin. The loudmouth flaunting the aegis of his huge tag team partner (in his pairing with Big Show), the cocky United States Champion claiming to be better than everyone else, the condescending and brash NXT Pro, the sly and taunting Money in the Bank Holder, the egomaniac soaking up the adulation of his lackey (Alex Riley) and the vindicated, defiant and still arrogant WWE Champion - The Miz played a superstar symphony in 2010. And he did with a confidence, style and charisma that no one else could equal. He's The Miz and he's awesome.

1st RUNNER UP - MR. ANDERSON

Anderson shifted ends of the spectrum, going from heel to face in the middle of the year. It was a different frequency, but it did not diminish the amplitude of his charisma. A true sign of the "It" factor is the ability to control the crowd, and this is something Anderson did better than maybe everyone else in 2010. Constantly playing off the Impact Zone crowd, he used his silver microphone like a conductor with a baton.

2nd RUNNER UP - JOHN CENA

John Cena will be a constant top three in this category throughout his career. He has been deservedly named "Most Charismatic Wrestler" by the Wrestling Observer Newsletter four years in a row. When the announcers harp about how "No one evokes as much emotion from the WWE Universe as John Cena", they are telling the truth. In 2010, his aura did not lessen, its simply that Miz and Anderson stood out more, in my opinion at least.

The Vince Russo Award - Worst Wrestling Show of 2010

To be awarded to the least entertaining wrestling program on television. Named after Vince Russo, a booker notorious for illogical and complex storylines- the former head writer for WCW Nitro and currently working for TNA Wrestling.

WINNER - WWE SUPERSTARS

Ok, I admit I'm stretching it a little with this award. None of these shows are bad, let's call them the least entertaining. Why does Superstars take the prize? Because its a one-hour show that features midcard talent who cannot be accommodated into Raw or Smackdown telecasts each week due to time constraints. Moreover, Superstars features only wrestling, with no storylines, stipulations or championships. A manic fan like myself follows it, but why would the average fan? I'd like to see WWE convert Superstars to a tournament format, with a winner every month getting an Intercontinental or US Championship Shot. Anything to make the show not seem pointless.

1st RUNNER UP - WWE ECW

I never hated WWE's version of ECW, although I agree that they should have gone with a different name. ECW was replaced by NXT early in the year, which was a good thing, because I never liked the idea of having a World Championship Level belt which was considered inferior by default. ECW was on its last legs in 2010, and the call to take it off the air was the right one.

2nd RUNNER UP - WWE NXT

This was a win as a concept, but the execution has been very hit and miss. Season 1 was good. Season 2 was forgettable. Season 3 was so bad that WWE called damage control and decided to turn the whole thing into a joke. Season 4 has shown some promise. Tough Enough is being revived in 2011, so it will be interesting to see how far this faltering concept survives into the year.

The Brock Lesnar Award - Most Promising Wrestler for 2011

This award honours the performers who, through their performance in the year, have brought themselves to the cusp of main-event level, and are expected to break through to the next level in the coming year. Named after Brock Lesnar, who was famously touted as "The Next Big Thing"

WINNER- ALBERTO DEL RIO

It would be a big surprise if Alberto Del Rio doesn't become a World Champion in 2011. He has everything you'd want in a main event heel: a good look, great facial expressions, above average mic skills, screen presence and solid to very good in-ring ability. And his own ring announcer, of course. The fans already hate him too. Champion in waiting.

1st RUNNER UP - DOLPH ZIGGLER

Dolph Ziggler is one of the best technical wrestlers in the business today, but he has still taken great strides in 2010 in terms of ring psychology and storytelling. The thing that has boosted his status the most though, is heat magnet Vickie Guerrero. Pairing Dolph with Vickie was a great decision, and has given Dolph the boost he needed to start distancing himself from the midcard. What he now needs to do is start adding more of his own personality into the pairing, and work a little on his promos. Will he be able to take the leap in 2011? I sure hope so.

2nd RUNNER UP - JOHN MORRISON

Its sad that someone as outrageously talented as John Morrison is perennially on the "Promising" list, but that's the way it is. If he learns to talk even half as well as he wrestles, he will be surrounded by gold for the rest of his career. Still, Morrison's star is brighter than it has ever been, and I'm optimistic that this will finally be his year. I think he should seriously look to Chris Jericho for advice. Jericho, in his early WCW days, had the same reputation of being an extremely talented wrestler who was held back by his poor mic skills. Look how that turned out.

The Richard Fliehr Award - Best Promo of 2010

This award honours the best on-air monologue/speech (promo in wrestling slang) delivered by a wrestler in the year. The award is named after Ric Flair (Richard Fleihr) whose charismatic, intense promos are still a benchmark for the verbally gifted.

WINNER - CM PUNK -"HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU" (WWE SMACKDOWN, 12 MARCH 2010)

It pains me to bump Shawn Michaels to 2nd place, but I dare anyone who saw CM Punk delivering this promo to disagree. One of my favourite WWE moments of the year, maybe till date, saw Punk tormenting Rey Mysterio's little daughter on her birthday, with graphic details on what he was going to do to her father. He ended by singing "Happy Birthday". Punk was brilliant throughout the year on the mic, here he was at his unreal, mesmerizing, creepy best.

1st RUNNER UP - SHAWN MICHAELS - "THE HEARTBREAK KID HAS LEFT THE BUILDING" (WWE RAW, 29 MARCH 2010)

This may not technically be a promo, since Michaels wasn't in-character. But this is wrestling, where its harder than other fields to separate the person from the character. So I include it. Michaels' career has been an incredible graph of escalating perfection, and his last night in a WWE Ring was no outlier to the trend. The Heartbreak Kid spoke from the heart, chose his words to perfection, and I can't think of a single thing he could have said better. It was a beautiful speech, amplified by emotion and nostalgia. A fitting last memory of maybe the greatest professional wrestler ever.

2nd RUNNER UP - JOHN CENA - "MOM, I'M COMING HOME" (WWE RAW. 22 NOVEMBER 2010)

From an actual farewell to a fake one, although guess what- if you didn't know which was which you'd find it very difficult to guess, thanks to a fantastic performance by John Cena. WWE may have cheated us big time on the "Cena Gets Fired" storyline, but Cena did an outstanding job here of making it look like he really was leaving the company. Mentioning production personnel by name, hugging the heel Michael Cole, leading the crowd in a nostalgia chant, and even somehow managing to legitimately cry on cue when talking about going home to his family. I have no idea if it was skill by Cena or just lucky coincidence, but it was a great promo nonetheless.

The Henry/Young Award - The Most Absurd/Unintentionally Funny Wrestling Moment of 2010

Pro wrestling, due to its very nature, abounds with some very silly and sometimes unbelievably stupid moments. This award honours the absurd moment that stood out the most in the year. It is named after a notorious storyline involving an eighty-something Mae Young being impregnated by Mark Henry- which culminated in a shocking twist ending: Young giving birth to a hand. I am not kidding.

WINNER - HULK HOGAN'S HALL OF FAME RING GIVES ABYSS MAGICAL POWERS

One ring to rule them all, one ring to find them;

one ring to bring them all, and in TNA, totally screw things up.

The 1st and 2nd runners up for this award made it due to some extremely dumb, but unintentional goofs by WWE. Trust TNA to trump them with planned absurdity. Nothing in the year could surpass the storyline of Hulk Hogan's Hall of Fame Ring turning Abyss from a frightened, insecure man-child to a supernatural monster. Apart from how astoundingly ridiculous that sounds, consider this: TNA's central storyline for a couple of months revolved not around one of their six championship belts, but a Hall of Fame ring issued by their rival company. Hulk Hogan actually said on TNA television that the WWE Hall of Fame Ring was his proudest possession. Isn't it amazing that TNA is nowhere close to competing with WWE despite such radical business strategy?

1st RUNNER UP- MARK HENRY OUTRUNS THE NEXUS WHEN HE'S SUPPOSED TO BE CHASING THEM

The key word here is runner up. Nexus attack Mark Henry during match. Mark Henry angry. Mark Henry chase Nexus. Nexus flee. Mark Henry chase. Mark Henry run fast. Mark Henry run very fast. Mark Henry run so fast he overtake Nexus. Mark Henry keep running. Mark Henry run. Mark Henry run very fast. Well, at least it bagged him an audition for Forrest Gump 2.

2nd RUNNER UP- ALEX RILEY REPEATEDLY ATTACKS HIS OWN TEAMMATE PERCY WATSON DURING BRAWL

The stage: NXT Season 2 Finale. The scene: Final wind-down segment in the ring degenerates into climactic, out-of-control brawl between the Season 2 Rookies and their Pros. Punches are thrown, kicks are landed, non-wrestling gear is ripped, irish whips are made, slams are given, mudholes are stomped dry and announcers go wild as mayhem breaks. Camera awkwardly reveals Alex Riley (Rookie) beating on Percy Watson (Rookie) with furious venom, with Watson just looking confused. Oops.

The Smith/Billington Award - Best Tag Team of 2010

Named after Davey Boy Smith and The Dynamite Kid (Thomas Billington), who together formed one of the most famous tag teams in wrestling - The British Bulldogs.

WINNER- THE MOTOR CITY MACHINE GUNS: ALEX SHELLEY AND CHRIS SABIN

I have heard that ROH has some very good tag teams, but since I only watch WWE and TNA, there's no way I could pick any team other than MCMG. Two outstanding wrestlers, combining to form an outstanding tag team. Their breakneck workrate and their long, well-deserved run with the TNA Tag Titles gives them this honour. When TNA touts them as the "Best Tag Team in the World", for once they are not stretching it.

1st RUNNER UP - BEER MONEY INC.: ROBERT ROODE AND JAMES STORM

If MCMG have been Spiderman-like, Beer Money were their Green Goblins. Robert Roode and James Storm are not high-flying athletes like Sabin and Shelley, but they kept up with them every step of the way during their brilliant five-match feud. They also score extra points for their classic, old-school heel mannerisms.

2nd RUNNER UP - GENERATION ME: MAX BUCK AND JEREMY BUCK

That makes it a clean sweep for TNA. These two ROH recruits have not yet created well-defined personnas for themselves, but when they do, their in-ring abilities will not be holding them back. A very talented and athletic young duo.

The Paul Wight Award - Most Improved Performer of 2010

Disclaimer: Owing to the fact that I am once again overloaded with work, these posts will be much shorter. I will just write the winners and a line or two about each of them. Moving on....

This award honours the performer who stepped up his game the most from the previous year. Named after the Big Show (Paul Wight) who through hard work, became a much better performer than he needed to be at his size.

WINNER- SHEAMUS: From the guy who was being mauled on the Internet for having won the WWE Title because he was "Triple H's gym partner", to one of the most consistent performers in wrestling today. Some great matches, a lot of very good ones, and never a bad one. His promos and acting have been solid as well. The Celtic Warrior has earned his colours. (Inappropriate metaphor?)

1st RUNNER UP- THE MIZ: He has improved at an exponential rate over the last three years. This was undoubtedly his breakout year. 2-time Tag Champ, 2-time US Champ, Money in the Bank Winner and reigning WWE Champion, 2010 will go down as the year of Mike Mizanin. His promos have evolved from entertaining to outstanding, and this year he took his in-ring action up from passable to very, very solid. He can hang with the best of them now.

2nd RUNNER UP- MADISON RAYNE: From being the third wheel of The Beautiful People, to being 2-time Knockouts Champion in a division that contains some of the best female wrestlers in North America. What did it take? Greatly improved wrestling, a more natural promo style and a lot of hard work. Madison Rayne was arguably TNA's most consistent female performer in 2010, and certainly their most improved.

The Scott Hall Award - Most Embarrassing Wrestling Personality of 2010

This award recognizes the person whose behaviour caused fans of wrestling to feel the most shame. It may be awarded to someone who has brought disrepute to the business through his/her actions, or just someone who has acted like a complete idiot.It is named after Scott Hall, who has had a stellar Wall of Shame career.

WINNER - BUBBA THE LOVE SPONGE

When somebody decides to call themselves a "love sponge", it should be a somewhat safe bet that a Nobel Prize is not in their foreseeable future. However, the sheer magnificence of the stupidity shown by the gentleman in question has been dazzling. In a fair world, the Bubba the Love Sponges (real name Todd Clem) of the world shouldn't even be visible on the radar long enough to merit such recognition, but the fair world ended for TNA when Hulk Hogan and Eric Bischoff came in. Hogan wasted no time signing on his cronies, Bubba being amongst the foremost. Bubba, who hosted a radio show had a reputation for being a "Shock jock", but the TNA job was the publicity balloon to his hot air. His crowning glory came, when, shortly after the Haiti earthquake, he eloquently wrote "F*** Haiti" on his Twitter account, voicing opposition to America's relief efforts. He did not, however, take into account the 400-pound woman in the TNA locker room who, coincidentally, had been working night and day to raise money for Haiti. The said woman (Awesome Kong) beat the sponge out of poor Bubba backstage at an Impact taping. He of course, later claimed he had the situation under control, and had a long conversation with Hogan on his radio show about all the wrestling holds he had been considering to take her down. He then issued a "Real men own up and say sorry" apology on Twitter. The classiest apology, though, he saved for a live radio conversation with Awesome Kong itself, in which he commendably called her "A dumb black b***ch, a big fake black b***ch, and nobly offered to sucker punch her till she stopped breathing, like the other ni***rs in Haiti." Showing a surprise stroke of initiative, he challenged her to a fight, helpfully suggesting that the proceeds could be donated....wait for it....to Haiti. Impressive. Mr. Sponge was thankfully fired from TNA after the incident, with Dixie Carter telling him she strongly condemned anything slightly racist. True to his sweet innocent nature, Bubba seemed surprised that "black" was considered racist. Your winner, ladies and gentlemen.

1st RUNNER UP - MATT (MATTHEW?) HARDY

Matt Hardy has done it at last. He has finally managed to come out of the shadow of his younger brother, and in style too. His brother has traditionally been near the top of the charts for embarrassing behaviour, but this was Matt's breakout year, that saw him obliterate nearly all competition when it came to sheer dumbness. Much like 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008 and 2009, Matt started the New Year by promising to make "2010 the Year of Matt Hardy". Much like 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008 and 2009, Matt lied. He spent three-quarters of the year languishing in the midcard as always. But we still liked and respected him. It would seem that sometime around September, Matt discovered his brother's secret stash, because he started acting a little funny. And not in a stand-up comedy kind of way. The news online was that Hardy had been sent home from the WWE's UK Tour for "being unfit to perform". In the ensuing weeks, it became apparent Matt was frustrated with life up North, and was desperately (emphasize that, desperately) trying to get himself fired. He began posting attention-seeking, pity-seeking Tweets that promoted himself for not being attention-seeking and pity-seeking. He also openly voiced frustration with his position in the company. Several times he claimed "Something exciting was going to happen, because I have WWE right where I want them!" I'm pretty sure there were smileys and exclamation marks in there too. Of course, Vince, old devil, responded by joyfully taking him off TV and just not firing him. That's when things got really entertaining. Matt opened separate Twitter and Youtube accounts under the name "Matthew". Apparently, Matthew was the edgy, split personality twin of Matt. He posted a video on his Youtube channel, delivering a sermon about Dissociative Identity Disorder, that coincidentally sounded a lot like the Wikipedia page of the same name. Matt lamented how he "couldn't control Matthew", and the two had memorable, back and forth discussions on Twitter. But it must be admitted, Matthew was edgy. He posted some shockingly disturbing videos online showing him - be warned, if you are sensitive to graphic material read no further - eating grapes. Yes. Grapes. Nothing says psycho like fleshy fruit. There were also videos with him handling guns, where he was hunting for "freedom". Clever chap our Matthew. WWE finally took pity on the poor child and released him in October. Matt (in a shocking twist, he revealed Matthew had been a ruse all along!) jubilantly declared that it was the beginning. (translated as the end) When we last heard from him, he was promising to change the pro wrestling industry forever. Oh, and yes, he has vowed to make 2011 the Year of Matt Hardy.

2nd RUNNER UP - SCOTT HALL

What do you know? He managed to live up to his standards yet again. Part of the large crop of young, exciting talent brought to TNA by Hogan in January, the 52-year-old Hall showed up with Sean Waltman on Impact in street clothes and tennis shoes, shaking, mumbling, and flicking toothpicks at the camera. And to think WWE tried to counter such golden television by that silly Hart/Michales reunion. Hall reportedly realized how bad he looked, and refused to wrestle at Genesis citing a groin injury. (If he had wrestled, he would have induced a groan injury). Of course, he made up for his limitations in the ring by promoting the company during his online show "Last Call With Scott Hall." In one episode, he gestured to the house around him, saying "Look at the house, its bigger than TNA!" A true company guy. He chose to take his annual arrest for disorderly conduct in May. Hall was arguing with patrons in a bar, when the bartender decided he'd had enough, and lined up a car to take him home. Hall merrily punched a window out of the car and pushed two women in the parking lot. Now that's what you call an all-round performer. The police were called, and Hall improvised, adding "resisting an officer" to the traditional disorderly conduct (incorporating new techniques is a Hallmark of a true master. Get it? Hallmark? ) when he told the officer "I ain't going down for this s**t." (He did). He then memorably listed his occupation as "unemployed" in the police report. Inconveniently, he was supposed to wrestle at TNA Sacrifice the following day for the Tag Team Championships. Having got out on bail, our resilient hero went to Sacrifice and won the Tag Team Championships. Somehow, in the excitement, he must have forgotten to tell someone he had been arrested, but that minor glitch was taken care of when TNA Management found out...online. Remember the "unemployed" status in the report? Turns out Hall, in addition to his already amazing collection of talents, could also see the future.