WWE Best of the Month: December 2011

Here are the highlights from December 2011:


*NOTE: All WWE related photos courtesy of WWE.com



Primary awards:






Superstar of the Month: CM Punk

Punk capped off his already tremendous year in grand fashion.  He stood up against the GM, delivered the best match of the night consistently as Champion and took his place as the WWE's top star by the year's end.  Not bad for a guy who was primarily an afterthought at the beginning of the year. 










Match of the Month:: TLC 2011: WWE Championship Ladder match: CM Punk(c) vs. The Miz vs. Alberto Del Rio

Even the annoying heel work by The Miz could not ruin this classic.  This match solidified Punk's status as the WWE's number one act.  In a John Cena-less PPV, the pressure was on his shoulders to deliver and he exceeded all expectations.  Alberto Del Rio was masterful in this match as well.  Some innovative ideas, solid action and amazing storytelling make this the best match that December had to offer.

Match Rating: ****1/4

Moment of the Month: IWC darlings shine on Raw

It was a sight many jaded marks thought they would never see, the three most beloved IWC superstars standing tall as champions at the start of Monday Night Raw.  It was a moment we all cherished because we know that moments like these do not come very often.  The whole landscape of the company has changed for the better since this event, but I will always remember this as the beginning of a new era.










Surprise of the Month: The return of Kane

The final month of Raw provided some intriguing segments but none as awesome as the return of The Big Red Machine.  I got chills at the second coming of the Kane I was a big fan of in the late 90s.  For years he has felt like a shell of his former self until the December 12 edition of Raw.  After John Cena and Mark Henry tore down the house with their back and forth match, Kane arrived and delivered a thunderous choke slam to Cena and kicked off what has been the best storyline in the WWE as of late.










Top Ten WWE Superstars

1. CM Punk WWE Champion: The Straight edge superstar solidified his position as the WWE's top star with his MVP performance at TLC.
2. Alberto Del Rio: The number one contender for CM Punk's WWE Championship gave admirable performances against the champ in his matches on Raw and at the TLC PPV.
3. Mark Henry World Heavyweight Champion: The World's Strongest Champion battled through injuries and continued his dominant reign until it was cut short by The Big Show.
4. Cody Rhodes Intercontinental Champion: Rhodes restored the prestige of the IC title with his impressive victory over Booker T.  He is poised to become a major star heading into 2012.
5. The Miz: The awesome one found his focus and fought his way back to the top of the Raw scene in December.
6. Zack Ryder United States Champion: The broski overcame the odds by finally capturing the US title that has eluded him for the better half of the year.
7. The Big Show: The giant finally got the upper hand in his feud with Mark Henry, ending his World Championship reign. 
8. Randy Orton: Put Wade Barrett through a table, putting the Barrett Barrage on hold.....for now.
9. Daniel Bryan Mr. Money In The Bank: Was on the losing end of a feud with Mark Henry for most of the month, but ended it on a high note by cashing in his contract and capturing his first World title.
10. John Cena: The champ's value is still very high, but the WWE proved they can survive without him at TLC.