JC's Take: WWE Awards 2010

JC's Take: WWE Awards 2010

Hello everyone! Next Monday on RAW, the WWE will present their 2010 Slammy Awards. Of course these will be from the eyes of WWE Writers, but the awards I'll be handing out today will be from my perspective. So lets get right too it!

DIVA OF THE YEAR

LAYCOOL: Layla & Michelle McCool

I know technically this award should only go to one diva, but whatever Laycool does they do together. When they won the Divas Title they became co-champions, so when they win this award they will be co-winners. There is no doubting that these two have been the top females in the company the entire year. The main reason for that is because all of the other top female acts in the company are either gone or were injured half the year. Mickie James was released, Melina didn't come back til halfway through the year, and Beth Phoenix was injured from May-November. Natalya is the champ now but she hasn't done enough to earn this award. Laycool is one of the most over acts the women's division in quite some time. People don't like them. Sure you could say they are a rip off of TNA's Beautiful People, but they are holding their own and doing the best they can to keep the women's division entertaining.

BREAKOUT STAR OF THE YEAR

THE MIZ

Runner's Up: Wade Barrett, Daniel Bryan

If I did these awards last month, this award would have gone to Wade Barrett. Barrett has become one of the company's top stars over the last few months, but he hasn't gotten to the place The Miz is at, and that's the very top. The Miz finally broke through two weeks and cashed in his Money in the Bank Contract, winning the WWE Championship from Randy Orton. Miz has improved so much since his debut in the company years ago. Miz is the best example of how working hard and never giving up can pay off in the end. Miz's promo work is some of the best in the company. He has still yet to have that true star performing match, but his match quality is also better. Miz is one of the company's top future stars and he will no doubt be one of the guys to lead the company in to 2011. Miz has been one of the most entertaining acts in the company this year. The crowd loves to hate him because he is so cocky and arrogant. The Miz has a bright future ahead of him.

SHOCKING MOMENT OF THE YEAR

NEXUS ATTACKS JOHN CENA & INVADES WWE

Runner's Up: Bret Hart's Return, Shawn Michaels Retires

The two runner's up seem like they also deserve credit, but people saw those coming from a mile away. Once the stipulation of HBK/Taker was announced, word started leaking that HBK might actually be done. When Bret Hart was announced to return, people started talking about it happening weeks beforehand. But NOBODY saw this attack by the Nexus coming. I remember watching this when it happened, and actually leaning forward because I was so intrigued in what was happening. It gave a spark to WWE programming which at the time was very much needed. The Nexus storyline remained the hot topic of the summer and continues to be the top program in the WWE. Sure, the storyline seems like it is fading fast. They've been getting dominated by John Cena lately and have lost a ton of heat because they have yet to breakthrough to the very top. But there is no questioning that this storyline has lead to the development of Wade Barrett as a futue top star of the company, and the future also looks good for Justin Gabriel and Heath Slater. This moment definitely got all of the WWE fans talking and lead to an interesting summer of WWE programming.

FEUD OF THE YEAR

NEXUS VS JOHN CENA

Runner's Up: Batista vs John Cena, HBK vs Undertaker, Rey Mysterio vs C.M. Punk

This was a tough one for me to pick. No feud really stood out to me. Batista/Cena was great because it showed us a side of Batista that we have never seen before. HBK/Taker was a nice short program, but by the end it was all about HBK's career rather than both men. Mysterio/Punk gave us some good matches but also became a little too corny at the end. The Nexus/Cena storyline is something that the WWE has kept with now since June. Sure there have been times when it seems like the storyline is beginning to die, but it seems like the WWE refuses to give up on the Nexus. The Nexus got people talking about the company. It is also a nice program because it has kept Cena away from the title picture for a good amount of time now, which will make his next title win seem that much bigger. The month Cena was also forced to join Nexus gave us some interesting TV. Seeing John Cena being forced to listen and take orders from someone else was refreshing. It also gave us a glimpse into the promising future Wade Barrett has in the company. This storyline has been the biggest part of WWE TV in recent months and with it ending RAW Monday instead of the WWE Title program, it doesn't seem like it is ending anytime soon.

MATCH OF THE YEAR

UNDERTAKER VS SHAWN MICHAELS: WRESTLEMANIA 26

Runner's Up: Royal Rumble Match, Smackdown MITB Ladder Match, Cena vs Batista WM 26

There's no doubt what the best match of the year was. Undertaker and Shawn Michaels told a great story in the ring at Wrestlemania for the second year in a row. At times you actually thought in the back of your head that Undertaker might be defeated. Shawn Michaels is one of the best wrestlers ever to step foot in the ring, and Undertaker is up there as well. They played out every spot, every move well. Shawn Michaels flip onto the table was great, all of the near falls were great as well. There was also great match psychology. Shawn continuously worked on Undertaker's legs during the match. You couldn't ask for anything else in a match. Their match at Wrestlemania 25 was probably a slightly better technical match, but this one was much more dramatic. I can't say enough about how this match told such a great story. It was also bittersweet in the end because you knew that it was the last match in HBK's career, and we may never see another performer like him ever again. A great match from two of the all-time greats in the business.

DISAPPOINTMENT OF THE YEAR

JACK SWAGGER'S WORLD TITLE RUN

Runner's Up: Bret Hart vs Vince McMahon WM 26, John Cena "Fired" Storyline

When Jack Swagger won the Money in the Bank Ladder Match at Wrestlemania, it came as a complete shock to everyone. I don't know if anybody saw it coming. Then later in the week on Smackdown, he cashed in his MITB contract and became the new World Heavyweight Champion. Most saw this as a chance for the WWE to build a new future superstar in the company. But instead, Swagger's Title run had to be considered the biggest disappointment of the year. He was booked way too often as a weak and undeserving champion. Very few times during his title reign he looked like he didn't belong in the spot. After he lost his title, he was immediately shoved back down into the mid-card scene on Smackdown. A once promising future for Jack Swagger now looks bleak again. There is still some hope for him, but it is going away. His Soaring Eagle Mascot was just stupid. Swagger can't be built as a comedy act. If you want people to take him seriously, then you need to build him back-up as a serious threat to the World Title. I think Swagger can build his way back up, but it's all in the hands of the WWE writers now.

WRESTLER OF THE YEAR

RANDY ORTON

Runner's Up: Chris Jericho, John Cena, Edge

This one was tough. There was really no stand out performer in the WWE this year. Cena was the same Cena he has been the last couple years. Edge bounced from face to heel, then back to face that it was tough for him to establish a consistent character for the whole year. Chris Jericho was at his best again, but I think his 2009 was so good that it was too tough for him to repeat in 2010. This left me with Randy Orton. Orton has been one of the most over wrestlers in the company all year. The reactions he received, especially earlier in the year were outstanding. He was suppose to be a heel, but the crowd wanted to get behind him. In his match at the Royal Rumble against Sheamus, it was suppose to be heel vs heel. But the with the response Orton was receiving, you wouldn't know it. The same could be said at Wrestlemania in his match against Legacy. People wanted to see the badass authority figure that didn't listen to anyone, yet wasn't the normal sympathetic babyface we've come to see over the years. Orton's push was tapered a bit during the summer when Nexus arrived, but he worked his way back to the top, and finally won the WWE Title at Night of Champions. Orton continues to be one of the top acts in the company. His matches may not be the best night in and night out, but there is no denying the reaction he has been getting throughout the year. That is why Orton is getting this award.

That's all for today. NFL Picks tomorrow!

Until next time,

Justin C