The 2009 411 Year End Wrestling Awards (Part 1)

Posted by Michael Bauer on 01.04.2010

2010 is here, which means it is time for the 411 Wrestling Staff to look back at 2009 and reward the best and worst of the year! From breakout star of the year and rookie of the year to announcer of the year and even the year’s biggest disappointment, see who took home the awards in part one of the 411 Wrestling Year End Awards!

Welcome to the 411mania.com Year End Wrestling Awards. I am your host, Michael Bauer, here to bring you the best and worst from 2009! In a year that saw, and much, much more, our staff got together, voted, and wrote about all the craziness from this year! With that said, we have a several platefuls, so let's get to it!

We're going to use the same format as last year, but just in case some of you didn't see it, let's have some Fun With Bullet Points!

I will give you the category.

I will then list a couple of *Honorable Mentions*. These honorable mentions will be so that you can see some of the things the staff was voting for that didn't make it. It will in no way indicate 4th or 5th place, it will be completely random.

I will then give you the 3rd (bronze) and 2nd (silver) place winners (with a small line or two regarding the selection).

That will be followed by the winner (gold). The staff will then hit you with their thoughts on said winner.

Voting went as follows. Staff could vote for three places per category; 5 points awarded for 1st place vote, 3 points for 2nd place vote, 1 point for 3rd place vote.

Before anything else, let me thank everyone who voted and participated in this year's Awards. And in no order, here they are:

ARI Berenstein - ARI just finished a huge Column by Honor Finale for 2009 and is one of our Indy Wrestling Gurus.

Ryan Byers - Ryan has recapped everything from Impact to Raw to Japanese Wrestling.

Jeremy Thomas - Jeremy runs the 3 R's, the Wrestler of the Week, and Fact or Fiction. A true triple threat.

Aaron Hubbard - The Wrestling Bard reviews RoH on HDNet and just finished a look at the Top 50 Wrestlers of the Decade!

THE Larry Csonka - He is the Boss of 411 Wrestling and still takes time to give his take on PPV showings.

Rob McNew - Rob has the great task of doing live Raw reports for you every week, plus he gets in Superstars as well.

Stephen Randle - Randle runs the Wrestling New Experience and has the fun task of getting WWE Roundtables going every month.

Steve Cook - Steve makes the intersection between the weekends a bright spot every week with Cook's Corner.

Chad Nevett - He's always Mr. Downside when taking the Low Road against the High Road.

Len Archibald - Coming over from the Movie Zone, Len goes Around the World every week.

Matthew Sforcina - Tara's biggest fan has the grueling tasks and answering your questions every week in Ask411.

Owain J. Brimfield - Also from the Movie Zone, Owain goes Ten Deep in his search for the best of the best.

Samuel Berman - Former Buy or Sell Editor, Sam probably has forgotten more about Independent Wrestling than I know.

Scott Slimmer - Scott runs the Instant Access, full of quotes from people sitting in the front row through Final Battle's Main Event.

John Meehan - John is alwats pondering on what to say next on MeeThinks every Friday.

Kevin Ford - Kevin is a CHIKARA specialist, with plenty of reviews and contemplating.

Joseph F. Martinez - Martinez is the lucky one of us who now recaps the best TV every week in Smackdown.

Andy Clark - Clark gives us his take on the Shimmy.

Jasper Gerretsen - Jasper looks to the past and the present with That was Then, is This Too? in one of the hottest new articles this year.

Theo Fraser - Theo is from the Video Game zone, wrapping up Nintendophiles.

And of course, 411's ECW Recapper and Top 5 Editor, your host, Michael Bauer!


2009 411 YEAR END WRESTLING AWARDS! (Part 1)


ANNOUNCER OF THE YEAR


Honorable Mentions:
Todd Grisham (WWE) – 3 Points
Josh Matthews (WWE) – 1 Point
Mike Quackenbush (CHIKARA) – 6 Points

3rd Place: Tazz (TNA) - 15 points

2nd Place: Jim Ross (WWE) - 61 points

And your winner is...:



Matt Striker (WWE) - 63 points


Ryan Byers: In listening to several different interviews recently with individuals who have been behind the scenes and gotten some information on WWE's current hiring practices for announcers, a pattern emerges. The company generally does NOT want to hire any candidates who have preexisting knowledge of professional wrestling and are instead interested in picking up individuals with sportscasting experience in other arenas and with a certain "pretty boy" look that is favored by those in the WWE production hierarchy. This has resulted in names like Jonathan Coachman, Todd Grisham, and Mike Adamle gracing the fed's television in recent years, all of whom have met with various levels of disapproval from hardcore wrestling fans. Given that fact, it is no surprise that those same hardcore fans have fallen in love with Matt Striker. Striker was a man who almost managed to sneak past the "no prior wrestling knowledge" requirement for WWE announcers by virtue of the fact that he a) was already on the company's payroll and b) had the look that the company usually shoots for in its non-wrestling talent. The fact that the man was a bona fide fan of professional wrestling prior to becoming a WWE announcer is evident from the manner in which he calls the sport, not just because he can identify holds or give wrestlers' backstories, but also because he has obviously studied great announcers of the past like Paul Heyman, Bobby Heenan, and Jesse "The Body" Ventura, copying some of the best aspects of their schticks and bringing them into the twenty-first century. He may not be in quite the same league as those legendary performers, but, with Jim Ross on the sidelines, he is definitely the best that professional wrestling has had to offer in 2009.

Aaron Hubbard: What I love most about Matt Striker is that he isn't ashamed to play himself. He is a wrestling nerd and while he sometimes gets his facts mixed up (just like everyone), He at least puts effort into being the most informative commentator he can be. Striker loves wrestling and talks about psychology and moves as much as he does stories and angles. He also isn't afraid to mark out on commentary. When Shawn Michaels superkicked Triple H at Survivor Series, Striker was freaking out like all of us and was practically begging for a replay. When the replay showed, Striker was saying "Watch this!" in a way that sounded closer to a guy showing his friend some funny clip on Youtube than what a school teacher showing his students how gravity works. It is that quality that makes Striker a joy to listen to. Striker is a fan and he commentates like a fan, but he is also a wrestling expert and commentates like a wrestling expert. In short, he is the voice of the smart crowd, the voice of me. And for that, I will always be grateful to Striker.

Matthew Sforcina: This time last year, I discussed what made a good wrestling announcer, and spoke about how, in a field with a few candidates, Jim Ross had a stellar year. Sadly, this is not the case this year. With JR's medical problems (Get Well Soon JR, PLEASE), he wasn't really going to get this. And pretty much every other announcer was either merely adequate or really horrible (Just because you can do self-parody doesn't excuse anything Cole). Except one. There was one man who was always on, who knew his role, played it perfectly, and yet still threw in the awesome reference or fact that never detracted from the action, and instead helped it. One man showed that, no matter the circumstances, he could step up to the plate. The fact that when he's been part of 3 man booths the ‘established' guy tries so very hard to knock him down is proof really. Matt Striker is the Announcer of the Future. He's no Jim Ross, but he's the best we got.

Jeremy Thomas: Last year, Jim Ross deservedly won this award, but there was one man who was hot on his heels. Matt Striker lost out on 2008's Announcer of the Year award by a mere three votes, and this year J.R.'s unfortunate medical problems kept him out long enough for Striker to sweep in and take it. That's not to take anything away from Striker, who is very deserving of the award this year. Striker brings a dynamic long-since lost in the art of commentating to the field. He's an unrepentant heel commentator, but not a cartoonish one the way that lesser heel announcers have been. Striker can make even the most preposterous heel positions seem credible…look at the way he's stumped for Michelle McCool and Layla during their teasing of Mickie James. While Michael Cole and Jerry Lawler sound forced when they were laughing at Dennis Miller's jokes on the Slammy Awards version of Raw, Striker is buying into the heels in a believable way, and that makes viewers buy into them as the people we should be booing. Add into that the fact that Striker's love of the business comes out every time he opens his mouth and speaks about a wrestler competing in the ring. He has not only the knowledge and promo skills, but he has something you don't see as often in announcers these days…a sharp mind for what a commentator is supposed to bring to the table. His nicknames for the personalities on SmackDown and ECW have been top-notch; only Striker could make "The Preacher of Purity" sound good and not like a cheesy line. While Michael Cole mocks himself, Jerry Lawler has become a self-caricature, Todd Grisham does merely solid work, Josh Matthews & Byron Saxton are finding their ground and Mike Tenay and Taz are the same old, same old, Matt Striker has proven himself to be at the top of his game and the top of his particular profession in the industry. I have a feeling he may stay there for years to come, and will be hard to beat in the coming year.


ROOKIE OF THE YEAR


Honorable Mentions:
Ryota Hama (AJPW) – 6 Points

3rd Place: Eve Torres (WWE) - 12 points

2nd Place: RYOMA (Dragon Gate) - 16 points

And your winner is...:



Frightmare (CHIKARA) - 17 points


Ari Berenstein: Sure he's small, he's in a mask and he's a diminutive copy of an already established CHIKARA wrestler. Yet what makes Frightmare rookie of the year is just that he's taken all of those factors and turned them into the ultimate positive. He is a natural in the ring. The Osirian Portal were fast learners, but Fightmare's rapid development over the past year makes them seem like turtles crossing a highway! Not only does Frightmare have solid fundamentals in the ring, but he is pulling off complicated lucha sequences and dives with tremendous accuracy and form that there is no way he should be doing right now. One of the best measures for his being voted in rookie of the year is that it almost seems that he has been here all along in CHIKARA. He fits in that well with what they're doing in just his first year. His personality meshes with that of his mentor Hallowicked, who often has to control his over-enthusiasm. His act of running around the ring and "fightening" the crowd into cheering for him totally endears him to the crowd. So, not only is Frightmare a great wrestler in terms of all the technical qualities, he already has an emotional connection with the ticket-buying audience. I don't think you can ask for anything more out of a first-year wrestler.

Ryan Byers: For the second consecutive year, 411's Rookie of the Year Award, geared towards wrestlers who legitimately have less than eighteen months of in-ring experience, regardless of the size of the promotion for whom they are working, goes to a graduate of the CHIKARA Wrestle Factory. It's no surprise that the Wrestle Factory is developing a bit of a dynasty in this category, as their graduates almost always seem to be operating at a level much, much higher than their number of months or years in the industry would indicate. Frightmare is no exception. Though he hasn't wrestled the same volume of matches as a rookie wrestler in WWE developmental or the Japanese big leagues, the matches that he has had are almost uniformly better than those of anybody who Florida Championship Wrestling or the NJPW dojo have produced in the last few years. Frightmare doesn't look lost at all when in the ring with veteran wrestlers, either, as seen in the Incoherence vs. Masters of a Thousand Holds match at this year's King of Trios tournament or in the maestros versus students match of Mike Quackenbush & Jorge Rivera vs. Frightmare & Turbo held on night three of this year's Young Lions' Cup. CHIKARA has become a great place to watch young wrestlers develop and prepare to move up the ladder in professional wrestling, and the ascension of Frightmare over the course of 2009 has been a perfect way to continue that trend.

Kevin Ford: The large majority of CHIKARA's roster is made up of students that come from their school, the CHIKARA Wrestle Factory. Luckily for CHIKARA, their fans are some of the most supportive, patient, and forgiving fans you'll ever find in professional wrestling. When someone new debuts, the fans usually don't expect greatness immediately. It takes time for a wrestler to hone their craft and "find their spot" so to speak. Some CHIKARA wrestlers take time to cultivate: Create-A-Wrestler, Lince Dorado, and The Colony all have taken awhile. Some guys come in and rock CHIKARA right out of the gate: Frightmare is one of those people.

While CHIKARA is known for their guys being smaller than your average wrestler, Frightmare was smaller than the norm. He's very short and skinny but uses his size to his advantage. Frightmare wrestles the typical Lucha style most CHIKARA wrestlers are taught, but with his relative inexperience, he does it with such grace and precision that you'd think he'd been wrestling for years. You can tell how much confidence the company has in him by placing him in matches with Johnny Saint, Jorge "Skayde" Rivera, and CHIKARA veterans like F.I.S.T, Eddie Kingston, etc. Frightmare has won over the fans in tremendous ways, with some (including yours truly) thinking he was going to win the Young Lions Cup. He's certainly deserving. I believe that the fact that they trusted him to be a suitable replacement for Delirious as Hallowicked's tag team partner says a lot as well. Frightmare had a break-out year in 2009, and the sky is the limit for him in 2010.

Jasper Gerretsen: For the second year in a row, the Rookie of the Year award goes to a CHIKARA wrestler. This is no surprise, as, unlike most wrestling schools, Mike Quackenbush seems to have no problems with throwing his students right into the thick of things. As risky as that may sound, I have yet to see any of the CHIKARA Wrestle Factory students truly fail. Frightmare made his debut late in 2008 as the third member of the Incoherence stable, teaming up with Hallowicked, who was one of Quackenbush's first students, and Delirious, one of the most recognizable figures on the American independent scene. Despite the fact that he had no experience at all, he fit right in with the group and CHIKARA as a whole. At first glance he might just be a cheap copy of Hallowicked, but he still managed to establish himself as a distinct character. One of his biggest achievements in my opinion is that, despite the fact that he doesn't speak a word and wears a full face mask, he still shows more personality than 90% of all wrestlers with the same amount of experience. What's even more amazing is how he just flies through the ring like he has years of experience, putting together sequences like very few wrestlers can.


BREAKOUT STAR OF THE YEAR


Honorable Mentions:
Kenny Omega (PWG, ROH) – 4 Points
Matt Morgan (TNA) – 6 Points
Sheamus (WWE) – 16 Points
The Miz (WWE) – 17 Points
The Young Bucks (PWG, ROH, DG USA) – 13 Points


3rd Place: John Morrison (WWE) - 21 points

2nd Place: Davey Richards (ROH, FIP, DG USA) - 24 points

And your winner is...:



Kofi Kingston (WWE) - 37 points


Samuel Berman: This year, Kofi Kingston did what most mid-card performers aspire to do: separate themselves from the pack. With a late-year push, Kingston established himself as something more than just another guy on the treadmill, engaging in a feud with perennial heel Randy Orton that garnered serious heat from fans in multiple markets. In particular, Kingston's brawl with Orton at Madison Square Garden this Fall was one of the storyline highlights for WWE in the second half of the year, and legitimized Kingston as a soon-to-be main event player. Others have perhaps made more hay in less time, but Kingston's move from the quagmire of the mid-card towards the top of the bill is absolutely the definition of a breakout.

Aaron Hubbard: One of the bright spots of Wrestlemania this year was Kofi Kingston's performance in Money in the Bank, where he showed that he was one of the best high-fliers in wrestling. Kofi has spent most of the year putting on great matches, but it wasn't until this autumn that he truly showed what he was capable of. When he dropped the Jamaican accent and embraced his heritage from Ghana, Kofi was able to show people the charismatic speaker that he is unhampered. He delivered one of the best promos of the year as he covered Randy Orton's car in orange paint, and his feud with Orton has been a highlight on a RAW that has seems allergic to quality. Part of me hates giving this award to Kofi Kingston, because I think he is still in the process of breaking out and that 2010 will be even bigger for him. However, Kofi shattered the glass ceiling and that is worth commending.

John Meehan: Hard to believe that a scant year ago and Kofi Kingston was a mere main roster afterthought. Sure, he was in the midcard mix -- but the guy had just dropped the Intercontinental Championship, and was relegated to a sidekick role while tagging with CM Punk as one half of the one half of the (not a typo) WWE's two sets of tag team champions. Again, nothing to sneeze at (a guy like Primo could certainly do worse) -- but nothing to write home to Kingston -- err. Ghana -- about. But the WWE Universe soon learned that Kofi was just getting started. Flash forward half a calendar year later, and Kofi had stolen the show in a No Way Out Elimination Chamber AND in a WrestleMania a Money in the Bank Ladder Match, and the guy had managed to earn himself a United States Championship title reign along the way. Yet in true "breakout" performer fashion, the past six months of 2009 have been even kinder to the young upstart than the first half of the year, which has resulted in Kofi Kingston standing alone as the sole victor of a hard-fought Survivor Series team battle (over not one but TWO former World Champions. In sequence, no less). Throw in a starmaking arrival at Madison Square Garden and a burgeoning feud with The Legend Killer himself, and this onetime Jamaican Sensation has made a serious stamp on the landscape of professional wrestling throughout the past twelve months -- making him a clear-cut choice for breakout superstar of 2009.

Matthew Sforcina: You know, during Kofi's run with the US title, I was discussing wrestling with a friend, and he pointed out that Kofi's run was good for the simple fact that it was Wrestling Booking 101- Face has title, heels want it. I responded that that was true, but I still wanted Kofi to have some personality. Even just a promo where he welcomed the challenge, or talked about ‘Karma, Mon', or anything.

I got that. It needed him to lose the title and then lose his accent, and the personality began as Stone Cold, but it was there. And what do you know, the guy with the flashy moves who was over became the guy with the flashy moves and a personality who was OVER. Funny how that works. That said, now that Kofi has broken out, it remains to be seen in 2010 how they utilize him. A great Rumble showing? A final 2 appearance in the Elimination Chamber? MITB winner? Then, maybe, a cash in ala RVD? Or is Kofi back to being just another guy? Only time, and sadly the WWE, can tell.


COMEBACK WRESTLER OF THE YEAR


Honorable Mentions:
D-Lo Brown (ROH) – 2 Points
Mike Foley (TNA) – 6 Points
Rey Mysterio (WWE) – 9 Points
Tara (TNA) – 10 Points

3rd Place: Daffney (TNA) - 11 points

2nd Place: Jerry Lynn (ROH) - 21 points

And your winner is...:



Ricky "The Dragon" Steamboat (WWE) - 72 points


Ryan Byers: I can hear a few readers complaining about this selection already, mainly because Steamboat only had three matches that were televised in 2009, combined with a few non-wrestling segments. To those people, I offer a preemptive "Shut up." Regardless of the number of times that the Dragon actually showed up on our screens this year, the man proved after not wrestling an actual match for fifteen years that he still has it. The fact that a supposedly broken down old man came across as a better in-ring performer than the vast majority of the wrestlers on the current WWE roster and was treated by the company's live crowds as one of the biggest stars in the entire promotion is more than enough to qualify Steamer for this award. In addition to the top notch work that the former NWA Champion did in his feud with Chris Jericho, Steamboat also deserves major credit for the work that he has done in preparing the next generation of professional wrestlers to be stars, as he has worked several non-televised matches with the likes of Sheamus and Drew McIntyre and also had the opportunity to recently team with his own son on a card in Puerto Rico this past August. If anything, a longer in-ring comeback probably would have cheapened the specialness of what we saw out of the Dragon in 2009 and potentially shortened the time that he has to work with these younger stars, which is obviously more important than making the man into a full-time character on WWE television.

Steve Cook: You know, when I inducted the Dragon into the 411 Wrestling Hall of Fame in 2006, I figured my article would encompass all of his wrestling accomplishments. He had signed with WWE as a road agent in 2004, and seemed happy in that role with no need of returning to the squared circle. Besides, there was that whole back injury thing with the insurance settlement that only allowed him to have "confrontations" in indy promotions. Apparently that problem disappeared, as we got to see Ricky Steamboat in all his glory at WrestleMania, and again at Backlash in a stellar encounter with Chris Jericho, with a fun appearance on Raw in a 10 man tag team match the night after WrestleMania. Yeah, the hair was gray, and maybe Ricky wasn't as good as he once was. But as the country song says, he was as good once as he ever was. Steamer also made some house show appearances against Drew McIntyre and wrestled alongside his son in Puerto Rico, a teaming we may be seeing in WWE one of these days. Unlike many older wrestlers in 2009, Ricky Steamboat did not embarrass himself with his performances in or out of the ring.

Stephen Randle: I don't think there could have been a better, and simultaneously more unfortunate choice than Ricky Steamboat for this award. It is the best choice because, nearly two decades after he was forced to retire from in-ring competition, the ultimate babyface in pro wrestling was taunted back into a match by Chris Jericho at WrestleMania, as part of a team of WWE Legends, brought together because, let's face it, none of Roddy Piper, Jimmy Snuka, or Steamboat could be counted on to carry a ten-minute match on their own. Or so we thought. It turns out that the atmosphere, the electricity, and, from the look on his face, the pure joy at pulling on the boots again, lit a fire under The Dragon, who proceeded to wrestle like the man he'd been twenty years prior. He was crisp, smooth, and looked as if he hadn't missed a beat. WWE quickly followed up by first putting Steamboat in the "Mania MVP" match on Raw the night after, where he helped garner the victory for his team, but also giving him a one-on-one rematch with Jericho on PPV that, while not a ***** classic, showed that the Mania match had been no fluke, and that Steamboat could still go.

Sadly, it is also an unfortunate choice, because it reminded us that if it weren't for a seemingless harmless bump against the ring apron so many years ago, we could have had Ricky Steamboat wrestling MOTYC's for many, many years, instead of a quick three-match nostalgia tour. Still, at least we got that much, and the fans were given a chance to tell Ricky Steamboat exactly how great he is, one more time. For discovering, even just for a while, the wrestling Fountain of Youth, and turning all of us crusty old cynical fans into wide-eyed, gaping children again, for making 2009 the Year of the Dragon, the Comeback Wrestler of the Year can only go to Ricky "The Dragon" Steamboat.

Mathew Sforcina: This doesn't happen. You do not return to the ring, 15 years after you retire due to a back injury, to a crowd that mostly consists of people who probably don't remember you and of kids who weren't alive when you retired, and have the crowd eating out of your hand. You don't, but Ricky Steamboat does. Because while he's undoubtedly slower, he still gets the business, which is something WWE seems to be unable to build into their new guys since they shut OVW, honestly. Regardless, Ricky only had a few matches, and yet every time the fans were THERE, and he was on. Here's hoping for a Rumble appearance, and, who knows, maybe there's someone in the WWE who he has a past with whom he can feud with about being, I don't know, Straight Edge or something…


DISAPPOINTMENT OF THE YEAR
(had high hopes, but through booking or personal performance, he/they just didn't show up this year)


Honorable Mentions:
Donald Trump own Raw for 1 Week (WWE) – 3 Points
Orton vs. McMahons/HHH Feud (WWE) – 10 Points
Ring of Honor World Champion Jerry Lynn (ROH) – 4 Points
Taz debuts in TNA with no reaction (TNA) – 5 Points
TNA is still… well… TNA (TNA) – 12 Points

3rd Place: Smackdown Six dismantled by Injuries and Drugs (WWE) - 19 points

2nd Place: The Tag Team Titles get shafted from Wrestlemania… For Kid Rock! (WWE) - 21 points

And your winner is...:



The Overall Lackluster Wrestlemania XXV (WWE) - 28 points


Jasper Gerretsen: Is WrestleMania 25 the worst WrestleMania ever? To be honest, it's probably not even in the top 5. The reason that it won disappointment of the year, for me at least, is that it just didn't live up to the 25 part. It's the silver anniversary of the show that made Vince McMahon a billionare, but somehow they managed to put together a show that did barely anything at all to highlight this. The only part of the show that had any true historical significance was the handicap elimination match between Chris Jericho and Roddy Piper, Jimmy Snuka and Ricky Steamboat. The match itself was alright, although that was pretty much entirely thanks to Steamboat wrestling better than anyone had thought possible. The match between Shawn Michaels and The Undertaker was suitably epic, and the extreme rules match between Jeff and Matt Hardy was saved from mediocrity by a sick looking finish. Other than that there was simply nothing on the card that was worthy of WrestleMania, let alone the silver anniversary of WrestleMania.

Joseph F. Martinez: Before Wrestlemania 25, if you were going to ask me which major wrestling company would I feel most comfortable with booking a major show, it would have been the WWE. Ask me after April's extravaganza? I changed my mind. First of all, they pushed a match with fantastic potential to a pre-show "DVD exclusive." That wouldn't have been that much of a big deal if they didn't put on the extreme waste of time that was the Ms. Wrestlemania Battle Royal (with Kidd Rock performance that was cut from the DVD). The matches were almost all less than stellar and you've got to wonder about the position of the matches. Last year, it was pretty much agreed upon that Shawn Michaels and Ric Flair should have had the evening's final bout. People said the same about this year's Undertaker-Shawn Michaels matchup and the WWE messed up yet again. The match between Randy Orton and Triple H had a wonderful buildup but the match just paled in comparison to the Michaels-Taker epic. They billed this as the biggest Wrestlemania ever and it could possibly be the most disappointing Wrestlemania of all-time.

John Meehan: I once dated a girl who asked me "what's the big deal about WrestleMania?" Sure, she knew I was a lifelong wrestling fan, and thus was well aware that this annual super spectacle held a most prized and special place in my young hear. But she also noticed that this pseudosport also just so happened to offer up a good dozen or so pay-per-view offerings each year (not to mention upwards of six original hours of programming each week!), and thus she was hard-pressed to deduce just *what*, exactly, separated this one particular show -- this "WrestleMania" -- from the rest of the pack. While a diehard fan like yours truly would usually be able to shake their head and laugh at such a silly outsider's question, this year's WrestleMania actually gave me a moment's pause and left me wondering the very same question that this ex-flame had so famously asked me all those years ago: "just WHAT, exactly, was the big deal about WrestleMania 25?" Isn't this show supposed to be "The Grandaddy of Them All?" "The Showcase of the Immortals?" And "The Night Where the Lights Shine the Brightest?" I mean, sure, we had one hell of an encounter between the Dead Man and the Showstopper -- but aside from that, was there really anything to write home about? Edge, Show and Cena could easily have been more at home on a Monday Night RAW. The Money in the Bank ladder match was tame in comparison to last year's outing and so many before it. Kid Rock and a cavalcade of divas from yesteryear served as a painful reminder that pro wrestling really hasn't been all that popular since the heyday of "Bawitdaba." And Randy Orton vs. Triple H left the crowd underwhelmed, at best, and practically destroyed The Legend Killer's momentum in the process. Even for a guy like me who's usually as optimistic a fan as you're likely to find, there was just no denying it: WrestleMania 25 wasn't an out-and-out BAD show, mind you. But aside from that one match (and yes, it was one hell of a match), there really wasn't anything that made this show stand out from the crowd. "What's the big deal about WrestleMania," you ask? In 2009? Not much. And that in and of itself makes it the biggest onscreen disappointment of the year.

Jeremy Thomas: Maybe we should have seen the signs heading into April. WrestleMania had a lot of potential in the matches it was offering, but there little things that just didn't seem to make sense. Why were they trying to get the Miss WrestleMania battle royale to involve past divas so hard, but they could only get Joy Giovanni, Sunny, Torrie Wilson and Victoria? Why, despite the presence of some good talent like CM Punk, Christian, Shelton Benjamin and Kofi Kingston, were they putting so many less-than-agile men in Money in the Bank? For that matter, why the hell wasn't Christian defending his ECW Championship on the show? Why did they need a more soap-operatic than usual storyline to push the SmackDown World Title Match? Why call it "The twenty-fifth anniversary of WrestleMania" when the twenty-fifth WrestleMania is actually twenty-four years after the first? All these questions and more nagged at the edge of our subconscious, but we set those aside and prepped to watch the biggest show of the year…the grandest stage of them all. Was it a terrible show? I wouldn't go that far. But it wasn't exactly a good show, either. As much as Shawn Michaels vs. The Undertaker delivered and the battle of the Hardys wasn't bad, we had too much silly stuff, too many terrible decisions and too many matches that just felt lacking. The Money in the Bank match wasn't bad, but it was a letdown compared to previous years. The Miss WrestleMania Battle Royal was a waste of time that only served to bury the women's division for the sake of a comedy character. Rey Mysterio beating JBL in twenty-one seconds was a joke, and putting a Kid Rock concert on instead of the Tag Team Title Unification match? Just flat-out stupid. Then you had the main event which Randy Orton blamed on the inability to "go extreme." I blame it on bad chemistry, a poor layout of the match and sluggish ring work. 'Mania XXV wasn't terrible, and it certainly doesn't even hold a candle to XI as the worst 'Mania of all-time, but it was a very serious disappointment. WrestleMania XXV should have been so much more.


BEST INDY SHOW OF THE YEAR (NON-PPV)


Honorable Mentions:
CHIKARA Young Lions' Cup Night 3 (CHIKARA) – 6 Points
PWG DDT4 (PWG) – 5 Points
RoH Glory By Honor: The Final Countdown (ROH) – 5 Points

3rd Place: PWG Guerre Sans Fronteres (PWG) - 8 points

2nd Place: DDT Ryogoku Peter Pan (DDT) - 10 points

And your winner is...:



PWG Threemendous II (PWG) - 11 points


Ari Berenstein: What an incredible year for Pro Wrestling Guerilla, epitomized by the outstanding effort on this, their sixth anniversary show that took place on July 31st. While this show does not have my favorite match (Machine Guns vs. Young Bucks from Ninety-Nine) or what is likely the "best" match from the promotion this past year (Chris Hero vs. Bryan Danielson from Guerre Sans Frontiers), what it does have is an unbeatable line-up of terrific matches that add up to one of the best showcases of independent wrestling. We're talking about a show on the level of ROH's Manhattan Mayhem I from 2005, a show so packed with excellence that you can't even take a break to refill your soda without missing something terrific. I watched the show straight through, something I can rarely do with any wrestling DVD or show anymore. That's how enthusiastic I became about watching the shows. The opening six-man tag with Brandon Gatson, Jerome "LTP" Robinson and Johnny Goodtime verses The Cutler Brothers and Charles Mercury is a star-making performance for all six men. The effort they give in that match not only legitimizes them for the PWG crowd (and anyone who watches the show) for all future performances, but they are the ones who set the bar so incredibly high on the show for the other, more established independent wrestlers to try to reach. I'm willing to bet that match made everyone else backstage realize they were going to have to bust their ass on that night. Follow that up with more four-star matches filled with excellent wrestling and thrilling action like Alex Shelley vs. Scott Lost, Bryan Danielson vs. Chris Sabin, Roderick Strong vs. Davey Richards, Human Tornado & El Generico vs. The Young Bucks in a non-title match (that proves to be as dramatic as any tag title bout) and a main event of Chris Hero vs. Joey Ryan in an epic-Guerrilla Warfare battle for the PWG Heavyweight Title. Some may find the title match to be too long, but given the story of their rivalry in PWG coupled with Ryan wanting to do everything he can to prevent Hero from breaking the longevity record he set, the length and the kind of brutality you see in the later stages of the match certainly makes sense. Add it all together and the result is a show that is a must-see for any independent wrestling fan and really for any wrestling fan period. As I did when discussing 2008's independent show of the year, I am challenging any WWE (or TNA) fan to purchase and watch this show and not come away impressed.

Samuel Berman: In a year that saw Ring of Honor take a noticeable step backwards, Pro Wrestling Guerrilla (and CHIKARA for that matter) upped the ante with a series of excellent shows and matches, perhaps none more impressive than PWG's sixth anniversary event, Threemendous II. The event saw Chris Hero make his ninth defense of the PWG World Title (and marking a year of events holding that belt) in a spirited and violent encounter with former titleholder Joey Ryan. The Young Bucks experienced a rare loss in PWG competition, falling to the reunited Two Skinny Black Guys of El Generico & the Human Tornado. With undercard matches featuring the likes of "American Dragon" Bryan Danielson, Chuck Taylor, Roderick Strong, and singles appearances by the Motor City Machine Guns, PWG rang in its seventh year with an absolute bang, creating a must-see event for any Independent wrestling fan.

Theo Fraser: For the first time in quite a few years, ROH really didn't provide any cards that could be considered viable for Show of the Year contention. Threemendous II's closest rival would be PWG DDT4 2009, another excellent outing from the West Coast promotion that provided thrills from top to bottom. We start off with one of the funniest promos you'll have seen this year, featuring Colt Cabana trying to teach El Generico the art of giving a promo. It's all personal opinion, but I found it hilarious, and it set the tone perfectly for an event packed with brilliance. The opening six-man is nothing spectacular but the local guys certainly grab your attention and draw you into the show right from the word ‘go', Alex Shelley and Scott Lost then proceed to have a classic exhibition-style match, where psychology kinda goes out the window but the spots are a joy to watch. Sabin vs Danielson continues the goodness, presenting a very methodical encounter which kicks into top gear in the dramatic closing minutes. Cabana vs Taylor is the worst ‘wrestling' match on the card but it's so entertaining I can easily forgive it, with a ton of shenanigans based around Taylor's imaginary grenade attack. Next up is Davey Richards taking on Roderick Strong, and those names speak for themselves. I really wish it had gone a bit longer, but what we got was balls-to-the-wall action and you can't really complain about that! 2 Skinny Black Guys [Human Tornado and El Generico] vs The Young Bucks remains my favorite tag match of the year, with incredible action from start to finish. Everything is so crisp and these four men were at the top of their game that night. We finish up the show with a Guerrilla Warfare match between Chris Hero and Joey Ryan, which goes a little too long for my liking but was nonetheless a great main event. Hero's selling of the arm is a particular highlight along with some nasty looking bumps and a vicious array of elbows and superkicks. All in all, Threemendous II provided a terrific celebration of PWG's sixth year in business, marking the occasion in style with a fantastic card well worth going out of your way to see.


Be sure to check out Part 2 tomorrow, Part 3 on Wednesday, and Part 4 on Thursday!