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.

The John Layfield Award - Best Gimmick Change of 2010

This award recognizes the change to a wrestler's on-air character (gimmick) that best resulted in improved performance. The award is named after John Layfield, whose change in gimmick from a cigar-smoking, beer-drinking, poker-playing bar brawler for hire (Bradshaw) to that of a rich, conservative businessman (JBL) resulted in a tremendous turnaround for his career; leading to a main event push and even a WWE Championship victory.

WINNER - CODY RHODES: 2nd GENERATION WRESTLER TO NARCISSISTIC GROOMING EXPERT

A week after Cody Rhodes was drafted to Smackdown, a poll conveniently appeared on WWE.com. The poll claimed that the WWE Divas had voted Cody Rhodes the most handsome Superstar in the WWE (For those wondering, Cena, Orton, Jericho and MVP rounded out the Top 5). Whether the survey was legitimate or not, WWE seized on the opportunity. That very week, Rhodes was bragging about the result on Smackdown, and he demanded that he be referred to as "Dashing" Cody Rhodes from that point on. Throughout the rest of the year, he continued to appear in sporadic backstage segments in which he gave the WWE Universe grooming tips (ranging from teeth to nose hair), so that he could bring us all "One step closer...to dashing!" Its the sort of silly wrestling gimmick that would fail 8 times out of 10, but Cody is talented enough to make it work. I enjoyed his performances, and he has cleverly used the "dashing" persona to tell a story in almost all his matches (pausing to stare into mirrors; throwing a fit when he gets hit in the face). I give him the win in this category. I just hope he realizes that he has to colour the campy narcissism of his character with some moments of seriousness and intensity. He currently feels like someone who's playing a part rather than someone who actually believes what he is saying (like Punk or Jericho make you feel). If he can incorporate that into his gimmick next year, he will be one step closer...to the main event.

1st RUNNER UP- ABYSS: INSECURE NEUROTIC MAN-CHILD TO PSYCHOTIC VIOLENT MONSTER

I actually feel like a less intelligent person for having written that ludicrous sentence. As over-the-top as Abyss sometimes goes with his current "monster" persona, it is still infinitely better than the monstrous manner in which he started 2010: fresh off "therapy" sessions with Dr. Stevie, groveling like a starstruck child in front of Hulk Hogan, panicking when things started to go wrong, and who can forget - gaining magic powers of strength and invincibility when presented with Hogan's WWE Hall of Fame Ring. Only in TNA. When Abyss turned heel following Slammiversary VIII, it was a huge relief. He added enough intensity into his promos to make him interesting again. Also, you have to admit his new attire (pictured) is great, even though it makes him look like something out of M. Night Shyamalan's The Village.

2nd RUNNER UP - JEFF JARRETT: SYMPATHETIC FOUNDER OF TNA TO MIXED MARTIAL ARTS WANNABE

This is a gimmick change that came very late in the year, and I even doubt it will last very long, but I couldn't resist throwing it in. When Jarrett turned heel and joined Immortal, he began a feud with Samoa Joe that saw a submission match between the two signed for Final Resolution. In the weeks leading up to the event, Jarrett began claiming that he was an MMA expert, demonstrating holds on local wrestlers and featuring in vignettes that saw him teaching karate to children. He then started the weekly "Double J MMA Challenge" where he offered $100,000 to anyone from the crowd who could beat him in an MMA match. These segments have been among the most entertaining on TNA television, and Jarrett has alternated his character very well between silly and serious, which is essential for the sort of role he is playing. For that, Jarrett gets my vote.

The Howard Finkel Award - Best Major Show of 2010

This award recognizes the best pay-per-view event or major show of the year, discounting weekly TV programming. The award is named after Howard Finkel, who came up with the name "Wrestlemania", the most biggest wrestling event in the world.

WINNER - WRESTLEMANIA XXVI

There would be something dangerously wrong with WWE if this weren't the top show of the year. While this may not rank very high on the all-time list of Wrestlemanias, it was a very good card that just about delivered. There were some disappointments - an underwhelming opener between Shomiz and Morrison/Truth, the messy Money in the Bank, the awful Hart-McMahon match and a dull Triple H-Sheamus encounter; however these were redeemed by two very strong world championship matches (Cena vs. Batista and Edge vs. Jericho). The real story of this Wrestlemania, though, was the fantastic main event- the Streak vs. Career match between The Undertaker and Shawn Michaels that, impossibly, managed to live up to the hype, and gave us what will be one of the most enduring Wrestlemania moments - the retirement of Mr. Wrestlemania himself.

1st RUNNER UP - TLC: TABLES, LADDERS & CHAIRS

This was the last PPV of the year for WWE, and they could hardly have done a better job in closing out the year. I'm not a big fan of the concept of having stipulation-themed pay-per-views as I think it dilutes the value of the gimmick matches. However one advantage of having a lot of similar matches on a card is that it leads to more careful booking and planning in order to make each match stand out. This was definitely the case with TLC- the finishes to each match were almost faultlessly booked, and it was evident WWE put a lot of thought into them. The in-ring action was also stellar- we got four very good matches: The IC Title Ladder match (Kingston vs. Swagger vs. Ziggler), the Tables matches (Natalya/Phoenix vs. Laycool and Orton vs. Miz for the WWE Title) and the TLC World Heavyweight Title match (Edge vs. Mysterio vs. Del Rio vs. Kane). Not to forget, a Match of the Year candidate- the #1 Contender's Ladder Match between John Morrison and Sheamus, which may yet prove to be Morrison's breakout performance. The only thing WWE got wrong was the main event (Cena vs. Barrett in a Chairs Match) which was a somewhat anti-climactic end to a fantastic all-round show.

2nd RUNNER UP - MONEY IN THE BANK

WWE decided to cash in (accidental pun) on the popular "Money in the Bank" ladder match concept from Wrestlemania, by giving it a whole pay-per-view. The company made up for the poor MITB match at Wrestlemania XXVI by delivering a tremendous show here. Both the RAW and Smackdown MITB matches were outstanding, even if the results were somewhat predictable. (The Miz and Kane emerged the respective winners). The two ladder matches were also punctuated by two very good world championship matches: John Cena vs. Sheamus inside a Steel Cage and Jack Swagger vs. Rey Mysterio. The latter ended with a nice bit of drama as Mysterio won, only to have Kane come out and successfully cash in the title shot he had won that very night. Overall one of the better pay-per-views of the year, with nice action and storytelling.

The Richard Blood Award - Best Babyface of 2010

This award recognizes the performers who have played the role of the hero or the good guy - the babyface, in wrestling parlance - the best, and have caused audiences to connect with them in this capacity. This award is named after Ricky Steamboat (Richard Blood), who wrestled his whole career as a face.

WINNER- JOHN CENA

Though many viewers, notably males above the age of 18 (myself included), find Cena's pure white, over-cheerful and sanitized superhero act annoying at times, the facts must be faced. No other babyface in world wrestling has the kind of connection that John Cena has with the crowd. Children and women in particular love him. The man is a merchandise-selling machine. The only wrestler who has earned more money for WWE through merchandise sales is Stone Cold Steve Austin. How valuable is such a performer? Consider this: WWE was so afraid of alienating fans and losing sales that they didn't even keep Cena off television for a single week after he was "fired" in the Nexus storyline. But to understand why Cena is worthy of this award, go on Youtube and view the insane reactions of children (and some adults) when he was forced to join the Nexus, and later during the firing angle. Case closed.

1st RUNNER UP - RANDY ORTON

Last year, it was hard to imagine that anyone could play a heel better than Randy Orton. This year, his character was essentially the same, and yet here is, inches away from ousting John Cena as the company's top face. What happened? Orton was so good at being bad that the fans desperately wanted to cheer him. WWE wisely decided to swim with the tide and turned him face in rivalries with Sheamus and Orton's own stable, Legacy. "The Viper" became intensely popular with the crowd, receiving reactions that rivaled and sometimes even dwarfed Cena's. At one point it seemed Orton had surpassed Cena in the pecking order, but Cena has regained some prominence in the later part of the year with the Barrett feud. Still, Orton embodies the modern babyface - the antihero who doesn't play to the crowd - better than anyone. Besides, nothing is close to being as awesome as the RKO.

2nd RUNNER UP - MR. ANDERSON

Much like Orton, Anderson's transformation into a babyface was dictated by the audience. In fact, the Impact Zone crowd loved his villainous rants so much that they proudly chanted "We're all assholes" after Anderson used the term to describe them. How could they not turn him after that? With his fantastic and unique style on his fantastic and unique microphone, Anderson is a riot to watch, and will continue to enthrall viewers. Anderson is one of the edgier babyfaces we have seen, and his success is further proof that the traditional see-no-evil type of hero is on his way out in today's wrestling scape.

The Bret Hart Award - Best In-Ring Performer

This award discounts the entertainment aspect of sports entertainment, and recognizes the performer who displayed the best in-ring work. The winner of this award is someone who had the best workrate- someone who consistently delivered the best matches, and could be relied on to have a good match with just about anybody. Named after Bret "The Hitman" Hart, one of the best ever within the squared circle.

WINNER - JACK SWAGGER

Its hard to believe the person I'm naming best in-ring performer was jobbing to Santino Marella a couple of weeks before Wrestlemania. Swagger spent the first quarter of 2010 in lower midcard pugatory, but the biggest pay-per-view of the year was the flash point. Out of the blue, Swagger won the Money in the Bank Match, and they had him cash it in successfully less than a week later. It was an abrupt but overdue elevation for the All-American American, and since he cashed in for the World Heavyweight Title on Smackdown, he was moved to the Blue Show. The change of scenery worked wonders. Swagger has had a stellar year in the ring since Wrestlemania, putting on great matches with Chris Jericho, Edge, Rey Mysterio, MVP, Kaval, Kofi Kingston and a one-off with Randy Orton. He even got very decent matches out of the Big Show during their program together. He was wasted a little bit towards the later part of the year, but I believe he has been the most consistent performer in the ring. I hope to see him around the main event in 2011.

1st RUNNER UP - REY MYSTERIO

One of the all-time greats, 2010 was a good year for Rey Mysterio, one that saw wrestling's biggest little guy winning his second World Championship. His rivalries against CM Punk, Jack Swagger, Kane and Alberto Del Rio produced some very good matches, but that's not the only reason why Mysterio is rated really highly. What makes him special is that rare gift to work against even the biggest opponents, and produce matches that are both exciting and not completely unbelievable. He is one of the best at selling an opponent's offense and making it look real, while at the same time knowing how to use his own 'underdog' style of offense so that it doesn't look completely ridiculous. For someone whose talents are so dazzling and obvious, Mysterio is one of the most subtle performers on the roster, and indeed in the world. Remember the last time a crowd wasn't into a Mysterio match?

2nd RUNNER UP- DANIEL BRYAN

One of the best things to happen in WWE all year is the slow resurgence of independent wrestlers. With signings from Ring of Honour like Low Ki and Tyler Black, WWE is looking beyond its own developmental territories for young talent. At the forefront of the indy movement is Daniel Bryan. As Bryan Danielson, he has become popular on the Internet over the last few years as "The Best Wrestler in the World." He was hired by WWE last year, and finally made his TV debut as part of NXT Season One. Since this is an award for In-ring performance, I will not go into the pairing with the Miz, the Invasion, the tie-choking, or the release and re-hire. Bryan was the best Rookie skill-wise by miles on NXT, and after becoming a RAW Superstar, he has consistently delivered the best matches for the Red Brand. With WWE's toned down style, we will not get to see the full, awe-inspiring range of Bryan's talent (Youtube Bryan Danielson for that), but he gets my nod for 2nd Runner Up for the great matches he put on throughout NXT, and later his US Championship matches with The Miz, John Morrison, Ted Dibiase and Dolph Ziggler. I would not at all be surprised to see him win this next year.

The Fliehr/Lunde/Rogowski/Blanchard Award - Best Stable of 2010

WINNER - THE NEXUS

Almost every member of the Internet Wrestling Community loves to lament about how WWE bungled the potential of the storyline, but we have to admit, none of us even saw it coming. There can be little argument that the group of rookies who "invaded" Raw six months ago gave us our most compelling stable of the year. After the memorable debut night that saw them batter everything and everyone in sight, they went on to a hugely engrossing hostile takeover/invasion storyline that climaxed in the main event of Summerslam. The Nexus was a stroke of inspiration by WWE, and they ended up creating 8 potential stars in one shot, while giving us our most unpredictable storyline in months and months. The group has been kept fresh since then with several additions and deletions, and has ridden high on the fantastic presence and verbal skills of its leader, Wade Barrett, aided by clever booking by WWE. A long feud with John Cena looks apparent.

1st RUNNER UP - THE STRAIGHT EDGE SOCIETY
The release of Serena and the injury to Joey Mercury meant a premature end to what was the hottest ensemble act in wrestling before the Nexus came on the scene. If the SES hadn't folded so early, they might have even won this award. Nobody is better than CM Punk at drawing heat from live crowds, and the addition of three brainwashed, machine-like disciples to his gimmick was a brilliant touch. The Straight Edge Pledge segments were the most electric week in and week out while they lasted. The SES produced some epic promos and moments, the most memorable being Punk singing "Happy Birthday" to Rey Mysterio's daughter, one of the best heel performances ever.

2nd RUNNER UP - THE IMMORTAL/FORTUNE ALLIANCE

They more or less win this award by default, as their only competition was the pointless Ev2.0 and the obsolete Beautiful People. The alliance between Hulk Hogan and Eric Bischoff's Immortal, and Ric Flair's Fortune has produced some fun moments though. This is a stable that is still in its infancy, and will be one to watch in 2011. My main criticism of this group,

though, is its size. There are so many people in this Alliance that I couldn't even find one photo containing them all. It's members currently include Hulk Hogan, Eric Bischoff, Ric Flair, AJ Styles, Jeff Jarrett, Kazarian, James Storm, Robert Roode, Abyss, Rob Terry and Jeff Hardy. They recently dropped Matt Morgan and Doug Williams, but that's still eleven people. I can't even figure out if I've left someone out. I understand that TNA has to accomodate their large roster into two hours of television time, which does lead to some cramming. But it makes for messy viewing sometimes. Nevertheless, most members are quite talented, so while the quantity may be overwhelming, it comes with quality as well. A bit of trimming next year, or just more structured booking, and we could have a top-notch stable.

This award represents the group of wrestlers or "stable" who have performed best in the year. The award is named after perhaps the most celebrated stable in history, The Four Horsemen, which comprised Ric Flair (Richard Fliehr), Arn Anderson (Martin Lunde), Ole Anderson (Alan Rogowski) and Tully Blanchard.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Four_Horsemen_(professional_wrestling)

Coming Soon - The 2010 Gorilla Awards

Granted, It has been seven months since the last post. And the zero followers of this blog have been frantically flooding my Inbox with pleas for my comeback. So I have decided to yield.

Coming soon, The 2010 Gorilla Awards, honouring the best and worst, the highs and lows, the peaks and valleys, the Jerichos and Khalis of the wrestling world (should I say Universe?) in 2010.

The categories, in alphabetical order are:

1. The Austin/McMahon Award – Best Feud

2. The Benoit/Guerrero Award – Best Moment

3. The Bret Hart Award – Best In-Ring Performer

4. The Brock Lesnar Award – Most Promising Wrestler

5. The Chris Benoit Award – Best Technical Wrestler

6. The Chris Irvine Award - Best Catchphrase

7. The Curt Hennig Award – Most Underrated

8. The Dalip Rana Award - Worst Wrestler

9. The Dwayne Johnson Award – Most Charismatic

10. The Eddie Guerrero Award – Retired/Injured/Late Wrestler who was Missed the Most

11. The Fliehr/Lunde/Rogowski/Blanchard Award - Best Stable

12. The Fred Ottman Award - Worst Gimmick

13. The Hart/Austin Award – Best Match

14. The Hector Guerrero Award - Biggest Letdown

15. The Henry/Young Award – Most Absurd/Unintentionally Funny Moment

16. The Howard Finkel Award - Best Major Show

17. The Jacobs/Levesque Award - Worst Feud

18. The Jim Ross Award – Best Announcer

19. The John Layfield Award – Best Gimmick Change

20. The Katie Vick Award – Storyline in Poorest Taste

21. The Keiichi Yamada Award - Best Wrestling Maneuver

22. The Kurt Angle Award – Best Debut Performer

23. The Mark Calaway Award - Best Gimmick

24. The Matt Cappotelli Award – Most Inspirational Wrestling Personality

25. The McMahon/Hart Award – Off-screen Story of the Year

26. The Michael Hickenbottom Award – Best All-round Wrestler

27. The Mick Foley Award - Best Spot

28. The Mike Adamle Award – Worst Announcer

29. The Morasca/Sullivan Award - Worst Match

30. The Oscar Gutierrez Award – Best High-Flier

31. The Patricia Stratigias Award - Best Female Wrestler

32. The Paul Heyman Award - Best Wrestling Show

33. The Paul Wight Award- Most Improved Wrestler

34. The Phil Brooks Award – Best Face/Heel Turn

35. The Richard Blood Award - Best Babyface

36. The Richard Fliehr Award - Best Promo

37. The Roderick Toombs Award – Best Performer on the Microphone

38. The Scott Hall Award - Most Embarrassing Wrestling Personality

39. The Smith/Billington Award – Best Tag Team

40. The Steve Austin Award – Biggest Star

41. The Ted Dibiase Award - Best Heel

42. The Terry Bollea Award – Most Overrated

43. The Vince McMahon Award – Best Non-Wrestling Performer

44. The Vince Russo Award - Worst Wrestling Show

A little excessive, you think? Well, Michaels quit at 44. So will I.