Here are the highlights from January 2012:
*NOTE: All WWE related photos courtesy of WWE.com
Primary awards
Superstar of the Month: Daniel Bryan
Though many have been doubting Bryan's credibility as champion, no one can deny his success over the past month. Yes it's true that most of his victories were through pure luck, but he still managed to successfully defend his title against The Big Show and Mark Henry on multiple occasions. He even gained a victory over the number one competitor in the WWE, CM Punk (even though you could again argue about how he won). Regardless of what everyone thinks, Bryan has become the MVP of the blue brand and has delivered consistent performances against some of the toughest competition in the sport.
Match of the Month:: WWE Raw 1/30/2012: Champion vs. Champion: WWE Champion CM Punk vs. World Heavyweight Champion Daniel Bryan
If you are a fan of ROH (like me), then this is not something you have never seen before. Then again, these two have never competed against each other on such a large scale. However you want to look at it, this match was fucking awesome. CM Punk and Daniel Bryan put on an unbelievable ROH style clinic on the last Raw of the month. This match symbolized much more then two champions battling it out for personal pride and bragging rights. This match was a symbol of everything that is right with the current WWE. The minute this instant classic was announced, I knew we were in for something special. Tons of kicks, knife edge chops and European uppercuts later, I realized I was witnessing the match of the month. You can argue that we did not get a true victor in this contest, but if you ask anyone in the audience, I'm sure they'll tell you they all felt like winners.
Match Rating: ****
Moment of the Month: CM Punk hits John Laurinaitis with the GTS
Throughout January, Johnny Ace has teased his intentions to screw the WWE Champion. He claimed to be a 'fan' on CM Punk, but with that sly smile, came interior motives. He put Punk through gauntlet matches, gave him unexpected opponents who he had not prepared for, and worst of all, he tried several times to interfere in Punk's matches. After two months of torture, Punk had had enough. With fire in his eyes, he buried the GM with a scathing promo then proceeded to hit the GTS heard around the world. The crowd went into a frenzy but I'm sure no one enjoyed this moment more then CM Punk himself.
Surprise of the Month: Chris Jericho returns.....sort of
When those creepy 1/2/2012 promos aired during the final months of 2011, there was one man we all wanted to be behind them. Little did we know he had no intention of explaining his reasons for returning. Chris Jericho has kept us all on the edge of our seats with his head scratching antics and limited ring work. Things got even more confusing at the 2012 Royal Rumble, where after promising "the end of the world", Jericho was eliminated by Sheamus and we were left with even more questions. He ended the month with an attack on WWE Champion CM Punk, potentially starting the feud of the year.
Top Ten WWE Superstars
*(The number in parenthesis is the superstar's rank in the last month's list.)
- CM Punk (1) WWE Champion: Punk continues to prove that his claim of being 'the best wrestler in the world', may very well be a fact. He delivered in two awesome matches against Dolph Ziggler at the Royal Rumble and Daniel Bryan on Raw, put the GM back in his place, and continues to shine as the WWE's top star.
- Daniel Bryan (9) World Heavyweight Champion: Daniel Bryan became a preachy douche who over celebrates most of his wins. Still, he has been on an amazing streak defeating The Big Show, Mark Henry, Kofi Kingston, IC Champion Cody Rhodes and even gaining a technical victory over CM Punk in January.
- Dolph Ziggler (-): Dolph bounced back from his US title loss in December by becoming the number one contender for the WWE Championship in January (beating Punk a handful of times along the way). He remains the WWE's top in-ring performer even though he came up short at the Royal Rumble.
- Cody Rhodes (4) Intercontinental Champion: Rhodes kicked off the new year with another big win in a title defense against Booker T. He would go on to squash former rival Ezekiel Jackson, defeat Justin Gabriel in two competitive matches, and continue to impress as the longest reigning champion in the WWE.
- Sheamus (-) 2012 Royal Rumble Winner: After wasting his time on the better half of a feud with Jinder Mahal and Wade Barrett, Sheamus regained his spot atop the WWE roster with his 2012 Royal Rumble victory.
- Kane (-): The Big Red Machine paved a path of destruction throughout January on WWE Raw. He put the brakes on the massive momentum of Zack Ryder, horrified audiences, and currently has the upper hand in his feud with John Cena.
- Brodus Clay (-): Since his return in January, Clay has yet to be pinned or submitted. In one month, he has earned a string of clean victories over JTG, Drew McIntyre, Tyson Kidd, Curt Hawkins and Alex Riley. Still, he needs to prove himself against better quality competition and become a title contender before he earns a higher spot in the rankings.
- Primo and Epico (-) Unified Tag Team Champions: With their lovely manager Rosa at their side, the Latin sensations nabbed their first tag title in January. Since this victory, they have been on an impressive win streak.
- John Cena (10): Cena's battles with Kane have kept him out of the title scene, but the rivalry has added some much needed dimension to his character. I have a feeling his new found mean streak will only get worse, making him the most dangerous competitor in the WWE once his feud with Kane is over.
- Chris Jericho (-): Even without competing much, Jericho has a ton of momentum. He managed to be the last superstar eliminated from the Royal Rumble and has kept the WWE Universe on the edge of their seats throughout January. Also, his assault on CM Punk on the final Raw of the month, put him in prime position to become a top contender for the WWE Championship.
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