The 2012 Year End Awards

2012 was a landmark year for professional wrestling.  We saw the end of an era, the rise of the next one, a few promotions make their IPPV debut and loads of incredible matches.  In 2011, I said that I fell in love with pro wrestling all over again.  In 2012, that love birthed a great obsession as I literally spent the entire calendar year glued to my TV/PC screen with a smile on my face thoroughly entertained with promotions like WWE, TNA, ROH, NJPW, ACW, ICW, Chikara, DGUSA, PWG and more.  The resulting choices were not easy, but I stand behind my decisions for the best of the year.  Check after the jump and see why 2012 was one of the best years to be a wrestling fan!

Here are the categories for outstanding achievement in 2012 and their explanations:

Wrestler of the year: Given to the top wrestler of the year.
Woman of the year: Given to the top female wrestler of the year.
Tag team of the year: Given to the team that accomplished the most.
Manager of the year: Given to the most useful manager.
Most entertaining wrestler of the year: Given to wrestler that made us smile the most.
In-ring performer of the year: Given to the most consistent wrestler in the ring.
Champion of the year: Given to the champion who had the year's most noteworthy title reign.
Most popular wrestler of the year: Given to the best babyface of the year.
Most hated wrestler of the year: Given to the best heel of the year.

Misc. Awards:

Moment of the year: Awarded to the most memorable moment of the year.
Match of the year: Awarded to the year's best match.
Feud of the year: Awarded to the year's best rivalry.
PPV of the year: Awarded to the year's must-see PPV.

Special Awards:

The Torrie Wilson award: Given to the sexiest woman of the year.
The Brock Lesnar next big thing award: Given to the wrestler who I think will make a big impact in the near future.

Wrestler Of The Year: CM Punk

Though many would say that 2011 was the year that Punk established himself as a main event superstar in the WWE, it wasn't until 2012 that Punk began to dominate the WWE landscape and leave no argument that he was indeed, the best in the world.  For starters he spent the entire year as champion and had remarkable runs as both a top heel and a top babyface in the WWE.  He also earned victories over top talent like John Cena, Mark Henry, Ryback, Daniel Bryan, Kane, Big Show, Chris Jericho and Dolph Ziggler.  Not to mention that he made the statement of the year when he stood tall over The Rock at the climax of the 1000th episode of Monday Night Raw.  All of the above accolades are a testament to the fact that Punk was "the man" in 2012.  And rightfully so, because no one did it better.

Runner Up: Kazuchika Okada

Woman Of The Year: AJ Lee

While AJ may not have had the greatest year of any woman from a in-ring perspective, she was certainly one the most talked about figures in all of pro wrestling.  She is undeniably, the WWE's breakout star and has made the largest impact of any woman in the sport since the heyday of Trish Stratus and Lita.  No other woman has been so prominently featured in main events and has had such a major impact on the title scene all the while earning a passionate cult following in a matter of a few months.  The diminutive diva has now more than likely set her sights on capturing her first Divas Championship and if her 2013 is anything like this past year, the sky is the limit.

 

Runner Up: Gail Kim

 

Tag Team Of The Year: Bad Influence

The two time TNA World Tag Team Champions (Christopher Daniels & Kazarian) put on some of the finest in ring performances of the year in their battles against AJ Styles & Kurt Angle and remained one of Impact Wrestling's most entertaining acts.   No other tandem better represented tag wrestling this year and even fewer duos were as successful.  In a company where shitty booking and bad angles run amuck, one of the few highlights came from a team that brought pure entertainment value on all fronts.  In the ring, on the mic, you name it, they were the year's best. 

Runner Up: Team Hell No

Manager Of The Year: Truth Martini

Martini is a true throwback to the classic heel managers of the 1980s who made talent (that had all the tools, but lacked mic skills) that much more entertaining without becoming the storyline himself.  The difference with Martini is that if he were not in the picture, you knew that the storylines wouldn't have worked as well.  And even though the House Of Truth fell apart in 2012 with the losses of Michael Elgin and Roderick Strong, Martini is still the man and he's still the best wrestling manager in the world right now.

 

Runner Up: Paul Heyman

 

Most Entertaining Wrestler Of The Year: Daniel Bryan

Daniel Bryan as the most entertaining wrestling personality of the year?  That statement itself would have earned a chuckle from most fans circa 2009, but in 2012 perhaps no other choice was easier than this one.  In or out of the ring, no other performer was as consistently brilliant as Bryan and his persona has become more interactive than anyone else in the sport.  The "Yes!" chant is the year's most over and undeniably fun catchphrase of the year and his partnership with Kane resulted in arguably, the most entertaining pairing the WWE has seen since The Rock & Sock Connection.  Win or lose it didn't matter, Daniel Bryan was must-see TV in 2012.

Runner Up: Archibald Peck

 

In-ring Performer Of The Year: Hiroshi Tanahashi

Tanahashi's incredible IWGP title run was filled with amazing performance after amazing performance in 2012 and in the ring he was easily, the best wrestler in the world.  With every major appearance, fans knew that the best match they'd see that month more than likely was going to feature Tanahashi leaving everything he had in the ring.  Whether it was against legendary opponents like Minoru Suzuki or breakout sensations like Kazuchika Okada, Tanahashi took his opponents to their absolute limits and made them all better in the process.  He was an act that was impossible to follow and he remains NJPW's gold standard.

Runner Up: Kazuchika Okada

Champion Of The Year: CM Punk

In the largest wrestling company in the world, CM Punk held the most prestigious title for the entire year.  That statement alone at least earns him a nomination.   He became the sixth longest reigning WWE Champion in history and THE longest reigning champion of the past 25 years.  Still, it would mean nothing if his reign did not feature any noteworthy performances.   Knowing this, Punk went out to the ring each night as if he still had something to prove.  He brought near five star matches out of nearly everyone he faced and had five of the ten best WWE matches this year.  He beat everyone there was to beat and ended the year as one of the single most dominant champions the WWE has ever seen. 

 

Runner Up: Hiroshi Tanahashi

Most Popular Wrestler Of The Year: Jeff Hardy

Jeff Hardy is a controversial choice for sure.  Many feel that he does not deserve the fans' admiration after years of unpredictable behavior and career letdowns.  I feel that the Jeff Hardy redemption story was one of the year's most compelling and he remains one of Impact Wrestling's most popular performers and the charismatic enigma always boasts some of the loudest reactions in the company.  His fans are the most passionate and loyal in the sport and they were finally rewarded with a Jeff Hardy they could be proud of in 2012.

 

Runner Up: John Cena

 

Most Hated Wrestler Of The Year: CM Punk

CM Punk began the year as one of the most popular wrestlers in the world.  However, he felt that he was under appreciated and chose to trade in the WWE Universe's support for the respect of his peers.   It was a move that no doubt produced results, but also a move that made Punk just as reviled as he was once loved.  Assaulting wrestlers, personalities and fans alike, Punk made no friends in 2012 and I doubt he really cares if we love him or not.  It's the kind of attitude that has made Punk famous, but it's also the kind of attitude that has made him one of the most hated men in the sport come year's end.

Runner Up: Bobby Roode

Moment Of The Year: Brock Lesnar Returns

The moment Lesnar walked through the curtain is an image most wrestling fans will never forget.  I think anyone who underrates the effectiveness of his initial return more than likely either spends too much time reading the dirt sheets or they are numb to awesomeness because it was one of the most shocking and truly "mark out" worthy moments in the history of Monday Night Raw.  The live audience nearly lost their shit the minute his music hit and even John Cena seemed taken aback by how surreal it was.  Sure, the events that followed have been hit or miss, but his return was a home run and it was easily, the most electric moment of the year.

Runner Up: DX Reunites at Raw 1000

 

Match Of The Year:: NJPW King Of Pro Wrestling: Minoru Suzuki vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi

In a year full of fantastic matches, it was this thriller back in October that trumped them all.  Hiroshi Tanahashi's brilliant title reign was the talk of NJPW, and it was this match that was the true highlight.  A very back-to-basics approach saw Suzuki work Tanahashi's arm while Tanahashi focused on Suzuki's leg that had been nearly torn off by a brutal Tanahashi dragon screw early in the match.  The next twenty plus minutes saw no nearfalls accompanied by some of the best selling I have ever seen.  If you watch any match from this past year, it should be this one.  It's a five star classic that truly represents what pro wrestling is all about. 

 

Runner Up:: Wrestlemania XXVIII: Triple H vs. The Undertaker

 

Feud Of The Year: Kazuchika Okada vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi

 

It's quite rare that a promotion lands a feud that builds organically and still has a big enough impact that you could damn well structure your whole entire PPV calendar around it.  That's exactly what Kazuchika Okada and Hiroshi Tanahashi's legendary feud has meant to the company.  In the midst of their greatest era, New Japan has struck gold with one of the most captivating rivalries this sport has ever seen.  This one had it all.  The drama, the workrate, the tension and that near impossible to manufacture "big fight feel" with each passing matchup.  It's a feud that cemented Tanahashi as the best big match performer in the world and made an absolute megastar out of Okada at the same damn time.  An unbelievable piece of work that captivated the entire landscape of pro wrestling in 2012.

 

Runner Up: Adam Pearce vs. Colt Cabana

 

 

Pay-Per-View Of The Year: WWE Extreme Rules

The John Cena/Brock Lesnar main event was a match of the year candidate and the same could be said about at least two other matches on the show.  No other card this year boasts the same level of greatness.  Daniel Bryan and Sheamus had an amazing 2 out of 3 falls match that is arguably, both men's best WWE matchup and CM Punk and Chris Jericho brought the drama in an awesome street fight that settled a very personal score.  The opening falls count anywhere battle between Randy Orton and Kane was also one of the most underrated matches of 2012.  The variety and overall booking of the entire event is unmatched.  Bar none it was the most satisfying wrestling event of the entire year.

Runner Up: NJPW King Of Pro Wrestling

 

The Torrie Wilson Award: Maria Kanellis

Perhaps no other woman in the entire world was as drool worthy as Maria Kanellis in 2012.  As the valet/arm candy to her real-life boyfriend Mike Bennett, she was the center of attention in pretty much every appearance she made this past year.  It didn't hurt that in each of those appearances should would arrive in a wide variety of barely there attire.  But to be honest, Kanellis could wear a paper bag and her fiery red hair, captivating stare and super fit body are all trademarks that would still make her irresistible. 

Runner Up: Miss Tessmacher

 

 

The Brock Lesnar Next Big Thing Award: Dean Ambrose

To be honest, EVERY member of The Shield is set to make a great impact, but my pick of the bunch still goes to Ambrose.  I do believe guys like Roman Reigns & Big E Langston will be big players and I have no doubt in my mind that they'll be main eventing PPVs in no time, but it's Dean that I think will be the kind of quality performer that Shawn Michaels, Chris Jericho, CM Punk and Edge were in their primes.  The kind of performer that may not have his name on the marquee match, but the one that left the crowd in awe and the kind that is most likely to win the "Wrestler Of The Year" award in the near future. 

Runner Up: Roman Reigns