Welcome to another edition of the HONOR ROLL. Every year during my "Year End Awards" I give out roughly 15 awards. Of those awards, "the big four" are the Wrestler, Woman, Tag Team & Match of the year. The winners of these awards were generally the most awesome performers of the year and with hundreds of prominent wrestlers worldwide, it's a true honor to be able to snag one of the four. This section of the blog will be dedicated to the winners for every year dating all the way back to 1990 (roughly the time I first began watching wrestling)! Every week I will add another year's winners until the database is up to date. This is just a fun series that will give you an idea of what the best of the best was in any year you may have missed. Any current and/or future winners will also be added to the honor roll and join the most prestigious group in all of blogging!
This week, we're announcing the class of 2005!
Wrestler Of The Year: Samoa Joe
Though it may seem hard to believe for those unfamiliar with Joe's earlier work, at one point he was the hottest commodity in all of pro wrestling. Whether it was through his work in Ring Of Honor or TNA Wrestling, absolutely everything he touched in 2005 turned to gold. He began the year fresh off the longest ROH World title reign in company history and he would add to his legacy by capturing ROH's pure title as well. His biggest contribution to the company though would come in an amazing five star match with puro legend Kenta Kobashi in October. Keep in mind that in the midst of all this, he was simultaneously running rampant through TNA's X Division, defeating nearly every major star the company had at the time in the process. He would remain undefeated in the promotion for over a year before finally losing to a debuting Kurt Angle.
Runner Up: Batista
Woman Of The Year: Trish Stratus
On January 9, 2005, Trish Stratus would capture her sixth WWE Women's Championship after defeating her career rival Lita at New Year's Revolution. She would then spend the remainder of the year as champ and become the longest reigning Women's Champion in nearly twenty years (her reign lasted over 440 days). Many would say that Stratus' run from 2002-2006 was the best the WWE's women's division has ever seen and she is often cited as being the greatest WWE Diva of all time. Both arguments can mostly be evidenced by her run as champion here. She was not only the face of the division, but rather the blueprint for every diva that followed.
Runner Up: Melina Perez
Tag Team Of The Year: MNM
Along with their exotic valet Melina, Johnny Nitro & Joey Mercury made their memorable debut in 05 as a pair of Hollywood socialites complete with a red carpet ring entrance. Their flamboyance and confidence quickly established them as one of the most unique and sought after teams in the entire world. They even managed to defeat the iconic pairing of Rey Mysterio & Eddie Guerrero for the WWE Tag Team Championship in their first ever match on Smackdown. After a short reign, they would lose the titles to the Legion Of Doom 2005 (Heidenreich & Road Warrior Animal) before winning the belts for a second time come year's end.
Runner Up: America's Most Wanted
Match Of The Year:: TNA Unbreakable: AJ Styles vs. Samoa Joe vs. Christopher Daniels
Since TNA's creation in 2002 both AJ Styles and Christopher Daniels had been cornerstones of the promotions wildly popular X-Dvision. And until Samoa Joe's arrival in 2005, both men were also two of the most exciting performers the company had seen to date. Their rivalry is the most storied in TNA history and with the undefeated Samoan Submission Machine now thrown into the mix, the three would capture lightening in a bottle and create an all-time masterpiece. At the time, no one had ever seen anything like it. Innovation, fearlessness and athleticism would define what is now known as one of the most famous and most influential matches ever. It's an amazing match filled with jaw dropping moments that may never again be witnessed.
Runner Up:: WWE Wrestlemania XXI: Kurt Angle vs. Shawn Michaels
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