The 2012 Year End Awards Nominees Are In!

No AJ, you can't earn any nominations looking at me that way....I mean, you don't seriously think.....Oh alright!

 

Check after the jump to reveal the full list of nominees for the best of 2012!

Note: Any previous awards that do not make an appearance here have been discontinued.

Wrestler Of The Year

 

 

Last Year's Winner: Mark Henry

And the nominees are:

 

 

CM Punk - Punk spent the entire calendar year as WWE Champion and had a slew of incredible matches all the while keeping good on his promise to make the WWE interesting again.

 

Austin Aries - Aries's groundbreaking title quest came to an abrupt end at Bound For Glory, but he remained TNA's most valuable asset.

 

Kazuchika Okada - Okada was the breakout star of the year with his shocking title win that began with a huge victory over NJPW's Ace Hiroshi Tanahashi.  Even though his run only lasted four months, his star continued to shine brighter than nearly every other major performer.

 

Daniel Bryan - Even though he lost his world title, Bryan became arguably, the most over act in the WWE.  He is still one of the best wrestlers alive and made it a point to take every opponent he wrestled to their absolute limits.

 

Hiroshi Tanahashi - IWGP champ Tanahashi was the single best wrestler in the world for most of 2012 and no other performer was anywhere near as consistent.

 

 

 

 

 

Woman Of The Year

 

 

Last Year's Winner: Beth Phoenix

 

 

And the nominees are:

 

 

Eve Torres - The WWE Divas Champion had the best year of her career with her third title run being one of the best in recent memory.

 

AJ Lee - AJ became the centerpiece of most of the WWE's major storylines and even spent half of the year as the General Manager of Monday Night Raw.  She has become one of the WWE's most popular acts.

 

Gail Kim - Kim took the top spot in the 2012 PWI Female 50 and she is still one of the most dominant women in the sport today capturing all of TNA's major women's titles.

 

Jessicka Havok - Havok's two impressive runs as WSU champion do not go unnoticed and she is still one of the best female workers alive.

 

Rachel Summerlyn - Summerlyn took no prisoners in 2012.  Male or female.  She dominated the independent scene and captured the ACW Championship by winning the company's annual Lonestar Classic. 

 

 

 

 

 

Tag Team Of The Year

 

Last Year's Winner: Bad Intentions

 

 

And the nominees are:

 

 

The Young Bucks - The high flying tandem still remain one of the most impressive duos on the independent circuit and were my single favorite thing about Chikara this year.

 

Christopher Daniels and Kazarian - TNA's top team may not be on anyone's list of the most consistent of all time, but they can still produce in big time PPV matchups. 

 

Team Hell No - Daniel Bryan and Kane have both become everyone's favorite odd couple with their hilarious banter and natural chemistry.  Whether they want to admit it or not, THEY are the best team in the WWE right now.

 

Super Smash Bros. - The indie standouts turned in some of the best in-ring performances of the year and their matches in PWG took fans to new levels of excitement.

 

Ten-Koji - The veteran team of Hiroyoshi Tenzan and Satoshi Kojima finished 4-2 in this year's world tag league and captured their 4th IWGP tag titles in one of their most successful years to date.

 

 

 

 

 

Manager Of The Year

 

 

Last Year's Winner: Ricardo Rodriguez

 

 

And the nominees are:

 

 

Ricardo Rodriguez - Last year's winner still best represents the kind of loyalty you want in a manager, often being willing to risk pain and injury to insure a victory for Alberto Del Rio.

 

Truth Martini - ROH's top manager is a true throwback to the golden age of colorful non-wrestling personalities and he is perhaps, the best manager in the world today.

 

Paul Heyman - Heyman retracted his sometimes overbearing persona to help support WWE Champion CM Punk and provided an irreplaceable mouthpiece for the returning Brock Lesnar.

 

Vickie Guerrero - Even though she may have overstayed her welcome as the manger and consultant to Dolph Ziggler, Guerrero was still a vital component in his most successful year to date.

 

Gedo - Kazuchika Okada's unbelievable ascent to one of NJPW's most prominent attractions is unprecedented.  Much of that success is owed to his super charismatic manager & mouthpiece, Gedo.

 

 

 

 

 

Most Entertaining Wrestler Of The Year

 

 

Last Year's Winner: R-Truth

 

 

And the nominees are:

 

 

The Rock - Love him or hate him, The Rock's comedic timing is second to none and he continues to bring the humor every time he makes an appearance.

 

Colt Cabana - Cabana continues to be the poster boy for having a good time.  He's always in touch with what the audience wants and always delivers the laughs.

 

Daniel Bryan - Bryan has been the most hilarious part of nearly every event the WWE has produced over the past year.  He is a big hit with audiences and has the most interactive persona in the biz.

 

Kane - Kane's one of the more underrated wrestlers in terms of entertainment value, but he has been on the money ever since forming Team Hell No with D-Bry a few months ago. 

 

Archibald Peck - Peck has the best facial expressions in all of wrestling and the ridiculousness of his entire persona is only matched by his brilliance and ability to make anything work.

 

 

 

 

 

In-ring Performer Of The Year

 

 

Last Year's Winner: CM Punk

 

 

And the nominees are:

 

 

Hiroshi Tanahashi - Tanahashi had one of the most unbelievable streaks of classic matches in the history of pro wrestling culminating with his five star classic against Minoru Suzuki in October.  You're guaranteed a great match every time he makes an appearance.

 

CM Punk - Punk's record breaking title reign would mean nothing if he could not back it up in the ring.  Thankfully, he was arguably, the most consistent in-ring WWE Champion since the heyday of Bret Hart.

 

Daniel Bryan - The real best in the world turned in some of the year's finest matches against a wide variety of opponents, most of whom can now claim they had their best with Bryan.  Just ask Sheamus.

 

Kazuchika Okada - Okada has had a banner year and he continues to be one of NJPW's most reliable show stealers and all around consistent main event talent. 

 

Michael Elgin - Elgin put on two near five star matches this year and while he isn't the most consistent of the men on this list, he always steps up to the plate in big time match-ups.

 

 

 

 

 

Champion Of The Year

 

 

Last Year's Winner: Mark Henry

 

 

And the nominees are:

 

 

Hiroshi Tanahashi - Need anything more be said about how brilliant Tanahashi has been in 2012?  He is the best main event wrestler in the world.  Period.

 

CM Punk - Punk began the year as champ and ended the year as champ.  His 390+ day run at the top is the longest the WWE has seen in decades.

 

Bobby Roode - Roode is the greatest champion in TNA history and the fact that Austin Aries' title win over Roode propelled him even further into superstar status, is a testament to Roode's true worth as champ.

 

Kevin Steen - Despite all of his doubters, Steen has turned into a fantastic ROH world champion.  He has brought more intrigue to the title than anyone else over the past few years.

 

Big Show - Though relatively early in his reign, Show has already proven to be a better and more noteworthy champion than the man he beat for the title, Sheamus.  He's the Mark Henry of 2012.

 

 

 

 

 

Most Popular Wrestler Of The Year

 

 

Last Year's Winner: CM Punk

 

 

And the nominees are:

 

 

Ryback - Ryback's ascension to main event status has been met with some of the loudest fan reactions aside from John Cena.  He's the WWE's breakout star and he looks primed for an even bigger 2013.

 

Daniel Bryan - Bryan's "Yes!" chant is more popular with live audiences than nearly every other catchphrase before it.  He has morphed into an even bigger megastar than anyone believed he could become.

 

CM Punk - Despite his heelish behavior over the last half of the year, Punk remains one of the WWE's most popular and must-see acts.

 

John Cena - Sure Cena may have had the worst year of his career, but he is still the WWE's poster boy and still garners massive ovations.

 

Jeff Hardy - Jeff's road to redemption was capped off in one of his biggest victories at Bound For Glory.  Despite his past irresponsibility and unpredictable behavior, he fans were right behind him every step of the way.

 

 

 

 

 

Most Hated Wrestler Of The Year

 

 

Last Year's Winner: Mark Henry

 

 

And the nominees are:

 

 

Bobby Roode - Roode's arrogance may have propelled him to championship glory, but it hasn't earned him any new supporters.

 

CM Punk - Punk was both one of the most popular and most hated men in the sport for equal parts of the year with his heel run being perhaps his best work in 2012.

 

Damien Sandow - Sandow's "better than you" attitude and tendency to insult the character of the WWE Universe has made him one of the most hated men in the wrestling world.

 

Big Show - Show's ironclad contract saw him lay waste to anything that moved for most of 2012.  He traded in fan support and T-shirt sales for a chance at dominance and championship gold.

 

Chris Jericho - Jericho's assault on CM Punk and the unnecessary involvement of his family are both trademarks as to why he is one of the best heels of this era.

 

 

 

 

 

Moment Of The Year

 

 

Last Year's Winner: CM Punk's "pipe bomb" promo

 

 

And the nominees are:

 

 

CM Punk attacks The Rock - At the 1000th episode of Monday Night Raw, the WWE hit us with an ending twist that we could have never seen coming.

 

Daniel Bryan and Kane in anger management - These segments were some of the best television the WWE has produced in over a decade. 

 

DX reunites at Raw 1000 - In a night full of mark out moments, it was this one that ended up being the most memorable.

 

Brock Lesnar returns - In what was the shocker of the year, Brock Lesnar made his triumphant return to the WWE and was greeted by one of the loudest ovations ever.

 

Undertaker, HBK and Triple H embrace - Three of the most beloved legends in WWE history shared this unforgettable moment with all of us and it was one no one will ever forget.

 

 

 

 

 

Match Of The Year

 

 

Last Year's Winner:: WWE MITB: John Cena vs. CM Punk

 

 

And the nominees are:

 

 

WWE Night Of Champions 2012:: John Cena vs. CM Punk - In the fourth battle in the Punk/Cena war, both men finally were able to match the brilliance of their first clash last year in what was arguably, their finest work together.

 

WWE Wrestlemania XXVIII:: Triple H vs. The Undertaker - With special referee Shawn Michaels bringing additional drama, these two titans battled in what may go down as the most important match of The Phenom's famed streak.

 

NJPW King Of Pro Wrestling:: Minoru Suzuki vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi - The best match in the laundry list of spectacular matches Tanahashi had in 2012 may go down as the best and most dramatic in NJPW's history.

 

ROH Glory By Honor XI:: Kevin Steen vs. Michael Elgin - One of the best ROH matches of the decade took place at one of the best ROH PPV events in years.  Elgin has continued to prove that he's one of the best main event performers in the world and Steen silenced his critics with this noteworthy performance.

 

WWE TLC 2012:: The Sheild vs. Ryback and Team Hell No - A star making performance by The Sheild cemented them as wrestling's "ones to watch" in the coming months.  Unbelievable spots and sheer brutality accompanied by one of the hottest crowds of the year.

 

 

 

 

 

Feud Of The Year

 

 

Last Year's Winner: Randy Orton vs. Christian

 

 

And the nominees are:

 

 

CM Punk vs. Daniel Bryan - Though their feud may not have had the most drama, it resulted in some of the best matches of the year.  A rivalry born out of pure competition to determine who was the true best in the world.

 

James Storm vs. Bobby Roode - Perhaps the greatest feud in TNA history reached it's epic climax at Bound For Glory and after over a year of frustration and some very good matches, James Storm was finally able to defeat his bitter rival and former tag team partner.

 

Adam Pearce vs. Colt Cabana - The best feud on the indy scene has resulted in perhaps the best work of both men's careers.  The "Seven Levels Of Hate" series between the two was insane and resulted in some of the best matches of 2012.

 

Brock Lesnar vs. Triple H - One of the most hyped feuds of the year saw these two icons headline the WWE's second biggest event and even though the match fell a little short of expectations, it was still one hell of a thrill ride getting there.

 

Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Kazuchika Okada - The best series of matches in all of 2012 took place in New Japan's best rivalry of the decade thus far.  Breakout star Okada took NJPW Ace Tanahashi to his physical limits in the best in-ring rivalry of any promotion this year.

 

 

 

Pay-Per-View Of The Year

 

 

Last Year's Winner: WWE Money In The bank

 

 

And the nominees are:

 

 

WWE Extreme Rules - The WWE's best PPV since last year's winner Money in The Bank saw Jericho/Punk settle a very personal battle, Bryan/Sheamus deliver a classic 2/3 falls match and Lesnar/Cena engage in one of the most brutal wars in WWE history.

 

TNA Destination X - TNA's best outing this year was again the event that is centered around the company's smaller and arguably, more talented group of wrestlers.  The Aries/Roode main event was TNA's Match Of The Year, Joe/Angle was a great throwback and the X Division tournament gave of us some of the most exciting matches of the year.

 

ROH Glory By Honor XI - Elgin/Steen was worthy of all the hype surrounding it, Bennett/Mondo was surprisingly awesome and Lethal/Richards saw Jay Lethal break out of his shell to become the hidden gem of ROH.

 

NJPW King Of Pro Wrestling - The year's best main event took place on the most well-balanced card of the year.  This event had it all and there was a "big time feel" that spanned the entire show.  Tanahashi/Suzuki is a match you absolutely must seek out.

 

WWE Wrestlemania XXVIII - It won't go down as the greatest Wrestlemania ever, but Rock/Cena was the biggest match of the year, HHH/Undertaker was one of the most emotional battles in mania history and Punk/Jericho was the kind of mat classic that made Wrestlemania into the WWE's marquee event.

 

 

 

 

 

The Torrie Wilson Award

 

 

Last Year's Winner: Velvet Sky

 

 

And the nominees are:

 

 

Velvet Sky - The inaugural winner is the heir apparent to the Torrie Wilson throne and though she had a lackluster 2012, one can not deny that she is still one of the sexiest women alive. 

 

Kelly Kelly - One of the most beautiful women in WWE history made her exit this year, but we're sure the Maxim cover girl will find other ways to fulfill men's fantasies.

 

Miss Tessmacher - TNA's resident sexpot may have morphed into one of the most accomplished women of the year, but it didn't stop her from bringing the sexy wherever she went.  It doesn't hurt that she has the best rear end in the biz.

 

AJ Lee - Everyone's favorite geek goddess is one of the most desired women in the world thanks to her ability to remain just as sexy as every other diva without even trying.  Her appeal comes from her "one of the boys" persona and undeniable charm.

 

Maria Kanellis - Kanellis may be the sole reason fans love to hate Mike Bennett so much.  It's hard to like a guy who has one of the most desirable women in wrestling as his arm candy.

 

 

 

 

 

The Brock Lesnar Next Big Thing Award

 

 

Last Year's Winner: Cody Rhodes

 

 

And the nominees are:

 

 

Big E Langston - The NXT standout has all the tools to become one of the top stars in the WWE.  Size, strength, charisma and a catchphrase that's sure to help him become a top merchandise mover.

 

Michael Elgin - Elgin is ROH's breakout star and he is leagues ahead of a lot of established talent in terms of ability.  His unmatched raw power makes him a unique prospect.

 

Dean Ambrose - Perhaps the most guaranteed for success out of the bunch, Ambrose is a natural villain and is sure to become one of the top heels in the business.

 

Roman Reigns - Reigns has the same quiet charisma that made Dave Batista a household name.  He's a sure bet to make big money as a main event powerhouse.

 

Mike Bennett - Bennett is sure to make an appearance on a major stage in the near future.  He's the kind of talent you could build a company around and has grown into a very credible performer.