Last Year's Awards:
WINNER - DOLPH ZIGGLER
Technically, Dolph Ziggler became a World Champion in 2011, and that should make him ineligible for this award, but I have decided to overlook his championship reign since it essentially lasted only five minutes. Last year, I wrote that to make the leap to the main event, Dolph Ziggler needed to 1) Become more comfortable on the microphone and 2) Start developing his own heel persona instead of relying on Vickie Guerrero's heat. He has done both those things admirably. Through a combination of exaggerated cockiness, arrogant mannerisms and showing off his physical and athletic attributes, Dolph has evolved into a true, genuinely unlikable heel as opposed to a cool one whom you feel like cheering. He has also become remarkably at ease on the mic, and always comes across like a star in his promos. It is a great progression from the nervous, generic and stilted promos his was delivering a year or so ago. As for his in-ring work, he is arguably the best in-ring worker in WWE right now. He's got impeccable technique, great pacing and psychology and can sell like nobody else. He can also carry anyone to a good match (see Ryan, Mason) and is WWE's leading workhorse. This is evident from the fact that Dolph became the first man in more than fifteen years to wrestle two matches on the same night on consecutive pay-per-views. The last person to do it? Bret Hart.
1st RUNNER UP - WADE BARRETT
Wade Barrett should have become a World Champion in 2010 as part of the Nexus story arc. But much like WWE bungled that storyline, they also completely mismanaged Barrett as a character. Here is a performer with extraordinary presence and verbal skills, which make up for his somewhat limited wrestling style. Yet WWE never quite managed to find the right role for him apart from his spot-on casting as the leader of the rebel group. After the disintegration of the Nexus, Barrett was moved to Smackdown, where he floundered in the midcard. This included a disastrous stint in 'The Corre', one of the worst stables in memory. WWE seemed to realize the error of their ways towards the end of the year, and began positioning Barrett as a man with a higher agenda - a persona that perfectly suits him. As I write this Barrett is on his 'Barrett Barrage', an impressive winning streak, and being featured very strongly in a feud with Randy Orton. I suspect a Wrestlemania feud with The Undertaker and a World Championship could be in Wade Barrett's future in 2012.
2nd RUNNER UP - CODY RHODES
I oscillate in my views on Cody Rhodes. He is either hot or cold. Hit or miss. He is a very good wrestler, but tends to overact and go overboard with his facial expressions or promos. He also comes across as someone who is playing a character rather than extending his natural personality. However, there is no denying that he stands out, which is an achievement in WWE's current assembly-line environment of generic "WWE Superstars" who look and talk the same. At least Cody Rhodes is doing something different. He went from the "Dashing" narcissist persona to a tortued, masked "Phantom of the Opera" type character who believed himself to be disfigured, and did it quite convincingly. He brought back the classic WWE Intercontinental Championship, which was quite fitting in a way, because Cody Rhodes is somewhat of a throwback to the colourful wrestling personalities of the '80s and '90s. I was happy to see Cody shedding the mask and toning down the drama towards the end of the year. He is one of the best performers WWE has in the ring, and this combined with his unique persona makes him a prime candidate for a main event spot next year. I would hazard a guess that Cody wins a briefcase in July.
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