Thoughts From The Top Rope 06.25.08: Mid-Year Awards

Posted by Daniel Wilcox on 06.25.2008

Half way through the calender year, we look back at the best storylines, matches, moments, promos, pay-per-views, and performers of 2008 so far.

Welcome to another fun-filled, action-packed edition of Thoughts From The Top Rope! I write this column as a very disgruntled wrestling fan, based on the conclusion of Monday Night's Raw. Let's delve into some Thoughts:

• The 3-hour Raw broadcast was very good; there were some great moments and a couple of really good matches. This year's Draft is already a success I feel, as management has shown that they are willing to make big changes in order to improve the product.
  
  
• But the conclusion left a ridiculously sour taste in my mouth. I've got no problem admitting that I am a bit of a WWE mark and I try to defend whenever I feel that I can, but this latest McMahon fiasco has me pissed off. It's going take up a bunch of TV time and ultimately do no good for the brand. As good as his character was at one point, no one gives a shit about the Mr. McMahon character anymore, and he can't be used to make stars like he was. Fuck this angle and fuck Vince McMahon.
  
  
• Jim Ross deserves better treatment than what he got Monday night. While I think Ross would be in the wrong if he flat out refused to work SmackDown, the least the guy deserved is to be informed of the change beforehand. The guy has given them years and years of loyal service and worked his ass off regardless of how he has been treated. Management had to know JR would be upset, so they way I see it, they obviously just disregarded the feelings of a long-time loyal employee.
  
  
• While I can't see me giving up on the shows any time soon, I am losing faith in the booking. It's commonplace for members of the IWC to get laughed at for thinking that they could book a more compelling show than the one the "professionals" put out, but I honestly think there are plenty of people who write for and read this site that could do a better job.
  
  
• But hey, they got the ratings they were looking for, so good for them. I just hope they bomb next week to show Vince that people don't want his car crash angles on the show.
  
  
• The show irritated me so much that I wasn't in the mood to cover all that feedback I've been promising to do, but no worries, I'll throw that up in a blog post later this week and link it next week; it's probably not relevant enough now to make a column out of, just like Vince trying to kill himself on TV isn't relevant to anything.

The first 6-months of 2008 seem to have flown by so quickly. Already this year, we've seen numerous candidates for many of 411's annual Year-End Awards. In the ring, the likes of Kurt Angle, Shawn Michaels, Samoa Joe, Undertaker, Edge, AJ Styles, Randy Orton, Jeff Hardy, Christian Cage, John Cena and Triple H have had numerous top-notch matches. On the microphone, many promos have made for great television, the likes of Ric Flair, Shawn Michaels, Chris Jericho, Randy Orton and Batista impressing me the most. But at this point, I think it's very difficult to decipher the best of the best in several categories. Just when an awesome angle seems to be developing or a wrestler begins to break out as the best of the year, something goes wrong; case in point, Jeff Hardy's suspension pretty much rendered the three months of fantastic work he'd put in useless. In some cases, the big name players just haven't stepped up this year. John Cena returned in amazing fashion at Royal Rumble, but until the last couple of weeks, he hasn't been as fun to watch as last year, particularly in the ring, and a lot of that has to do with the way he's been booked.

And yet, I've managed to come up with some Mid-Year Awards in six categories, even though many of the decisions I made were close ones, particularly the Wrestler of the (mid)Year award. And I think it is worth noting that a lot of things in 2008 so far have been damn entertaining, particularly the quality of pay-per-views put on by both WWE and TNA. I don't think we've had a bad pay-per-view this year, and WWE hasn't had a bad pay-per-view since Unforgiven last year. On TV, we've seen some fantastic matches, promos, segments and mark-out moments, including Ric Flair's farewell, the AJ Styles beatdown, Jeff Hardy's high-flying antics and a brilliant Highlight Reel segment a few weeks back.

Of course, there's been some bad stuff too; Vince's Million Dollar Mania is still a massive flop (except for the winners, I guess) and TNA still manages to produce some awful skits, including most things Shark Boy. And for every great TV match like Hardy/Michaels, there's a Khali/Big Show confrontation waiting right around the corner. Still, we can't have it all, and I'm here to honor the good stuff.

So without further ado (except this bit), I present to you, my Mid-Year Awards in the categories of Best Match, Best Performer, Best Promo, Best Pay-Per-View, Best Storyline and Best Moment.

Best Moment

Honorable Mentions: Jeff Hardy's Giant Swanton (1/7/08), Matt Hardy Returns (3/30/08)

3. Floyd Mayweather and The Big Show (2/17/08): Regardless of what you think of the resulting rivalry and showdown at WrestleMania 24, this segment was wonderful stuff and in most years, would probably place higher. The segment began with Big Show making a somewhat surprising return following the conclusion of the Rey Mysterio/Edge World Championship match. Show cut a promo putting over how good it is to be back, how he'd lost wait and how he was feeling good. Then he picks on Mysterio. Mysterio, already injured, was on the floor receiving treatment when Show got in his face and threw him in the ring. Sat ringside was Floyd Mayweather, boxing superstar. Show used Mysterio as bait to lure Floyd into the ring and Floyd, flanked by posse, hopped the rail and hit the ring, and suddenly the crowd went ballistic. They squared up to each other, Show shoved Mayweather then got on his knees and Floyd hit a combo of punches that bloodied and broke Show's nose. By this point the fans are rabid, and Mayweather hightails in, with Show in pursuit. In the chase, posse members, security and fans got knocked sideways but Floyd got away.

This segment was virtually flawless, from the Show picking on Mysterio to the face-off to the punches. The execution was superb and I almost felt real with the way Mayweather's men were trying hold him back and the way they left the ring following the shots. Brining out Shane McMahon to hold Show back was a nice touch to add to the realism. The crowd was ridiculously hot for this, as they obviously bought into the segment and were excited to see what would unfold. As far as I'm concerned, this was one of those segments that will be remembered for a very long time and I have no doubt that it will be replayed in WWE for a long time, and justifiably. You could say that the aftermath bombed due to Mayweather's promos or the Mania match which some didn't like, but there is no denying that this was a tremendous segment that made a show memorable and exciting.

2. John Cena Returns (1/27/08): This was one an absolute shocker and I've got no problem seeing this was one of the most exciting moments in wrestling history. Never before do I remember actively jumping out of my seat when a wrestler's music hits like I did when John Cena returned at Royal Rumble. The execution of this was perfect. Everyone thought that Triple H was a lock to win the Royal Rumble and go on to face Randy Orton at WrestleMania for the WWE Championship. Triple H enters at number 29, does some house cleaning and is immediately the new favourite. Number 30 hits, and it's John fucking Cena, and the roof blows off Madison Square Garden. Regardless of your opinion of John Cena, you cannot deny that this was a ridiculously well planned and well executed returned and there was genuine excitement for the moment. Triple H's expression was terrific and really capped the moment off. This was a Rumble that saw Jimmy Snuka and Roddy Piper brawling, and yet that incredible moment was topped off by this.

1. Ric Flair's Farewell (3/31/08): Make no bones about it, this was probably the single greatest moment in Raw history, and probably tops Benoit and Guerrero closing out WrestleMania XX as the most emotional moment ever to occur on a pro wrestling. I can't wait to get Ric's new DVD just for this segment. The next time someone asks me why I love wrestling, I'll try and show them this moment, even though they still may not get it. Ric Flair is the greatest professional wrestler to have ever lived and the fact that WWE managed to give him a fitting send-off speaks volumes of the quality of this segment. The legends they got in – the Horseman, Harley Race, Rick Steamboat – made this all the more special, and it was great to see the likes of Dean Malenko, Chris Jericho et al share their moment with Ric. This is that rare moment where you remember every single little aspect, from Flair telling Triple H to get off of his knees because his was embarrassed to the order in which the Superstars lined-up to chant "thank you, Ric." This was pure magic, and thank you, Ric.

Best Storyline

Honorable Mentions: Christian Cage vs. Tomko, The Rise of The Beautiful People, The Ric Flair Retirement Tour, King Regal.

3. The AJ Styles/Karen/Kurt Angle Love Triangle: This one might get a little negative feedback, but I have actually enjoyed it. Some of the AJ/Karen skits early on were fun, and in the last six weeks or so, they have really stepped up the pace with this one. AJ Styles is a natural face; he is simply too exciting to watch for people to be able to boo the guy, and thankfully this program has turned AJ a face again, and the second biggest face in the company at that. The beatdown angle they did a few weeks ago and was terrifically done and TNA deserve a lot of credit for it. This has already produced one really great match and I expect more in the future. How this angle pans out in the next couple of weeks will make or break where it stands come the Year-End Awards.

2. The Rise of La Familia: I think that this is another angle that most people will not like to see include here. When this started, I was thoroughly against it. Vickie was a horrible TV personality and could do no right with a microphone in her hand. And Edge doesn't need a stable like this to stay over. But I think that that is a big part of what makes it work; Edge is slimly, cheap S.O.B. and Vickie is almost unbearable to listen to. Her heel heat has gone through the roof ever since she stripped Taker of the title, and what we are left with is a dominant force, all set up for a big name face to come along and pick them off and make the crowd go nuts. Of course, that face might just be Triple H now, which will probably piss a lot of people off, but for now, this angle has produced some of the best TV we've seen in a long time, and there's an outside chance that it will be MVP who rises up and dethrones Edge.

1. The Shawn Michaels Saga: This entire angle has been pretty much flawless. I call it the Shawn Michaels Saga as opposed to something like the HBK/Jericho/Batista angle because the entire storyline has been based around the questioning of Shawn Michaels' morals by various Superstars, and I think that it has made for captivating TV both inside and outside of the ring. The promo work has been brilliant, particularly from Chris Jericho, and we've seen several memorable moments. Most importantly, they've kept us guessing the entire time. We never knew for certain who was going to turn on who and when, and even now there are numerous ways this could go; imagine if Ric Flair tried to save Shawn from a Y2J/Cade beatdown only for Shawn to super kick Flair, and say they've been right all along about Shawn, and now's he done hiding his true colors. This has been captivating TV and the best part of Raw for many, many weeks, and long may it continue.

Best Pay-Per-View

Honorable Mentions: WWE Royal Rumble, WWE No Way Out, TNA Against All Odds, TNA Slammiversary.

3. WWE One Night Stand: The one night of the year when WWE goes Extreme might be remembered for two things: the night Randy Orton broke his collar bone and the night Undertaker was banished from WWE. The former is a moment that put a premature end to a potentially great match and the latter capped off an amazing TLC match featuring Taker and Edge battling for the World Championship. The show has a lot going for it in that there was nothing bad on the card,; Batista and Shawn Michaels had a great stretcher match (a rarity) and Umaga and Jeff Hardy had a really fun opener too. I can see no reason to really hate on this show other than the cut-short Last Man Standing match.

2. TNA Lockdown: This pay-per-view event will really be remembered for the night when Samoa Joe finally captured the TNA World Championship, and rightfully so. He and Kurt Angle had a fantastic bout inside the six sides of steel and it was arguably the best that the pair have ever had together in front of the cameras. The show was capped off with the memorable moment of Joe winning, and that alone really gets this show a thumbs up. But elsewhere, there was plenty of goodness. The guys of the X Division providing a great high-flying contest and the Lethal Lockdown match was a fantastic brawl and contained the now obligatory memorable spot on/from the top of the cage.

1. WWE WrestleMania 24: WrestleMania is always a certainty to be contending for pay-per-view of the year and this year is no different, as Mania 24 had everything you'd require from a Mania event; glitz, glamour, substance, memorable moments and great matches. The most memorable moment was of course Ric Flair's last match, an emotion-filled classic with HBK. Other great matches include Undertaker and Edge tearing shit up in the main event, a war fought over the World Heavyweight Championship, and the Money in the Bank ladder match that featured some insane spots including John Morrison hitting a moonsault to the floor whilst holding a ladder. OK, he missed it, but it looked amazing nonetheless. There wasn't a bad match on the card save for the Divas stuff, but this was WrestleMania and it delivered big time.

Best Promo

Honorable Mentions: Cena and Triple H tear into each other, Chris Jericho: "I'm coming for a fight", Shawn Michaels: "There's blood on my hands".

3. Orton and The Game Face Off: This gets a spot for the pure intensity that these two showed. Triple H really put over Orton despite the way he'd been booked as a pussy, and Orton brought bags of intensity to the table here, doing a good job of bringing up The Game's past to make his point. They really played off of their history nicely, and they got really into it and did the clich?d threats heading in to a Last Man Standing match, but the delivery made it really great stuff. Triple H often phones in his promos but this was some of his best work in recent memory.

2. The Story of Old Yella: This was right before WrestleMania and these two legend's classic match. Michaels didn't want to face Flair at Mania but had pretty much been forced into doing it and wasn't happy about it, but he assures Flair he'll bring everything at Mania. It gets really good when Flair screams "shut up!" because he has had enough of the pleasantries. Then Shawn cuts into Flair and compares him to Old Yella, saying he will put Flair out of his misery at Mania. This was simply two great promo guys putting a ton of emotion into putting over their story; great stuff from both men.

1. Chris Jericho Turns On Shawn Michaels: I debated for a long time whether or not this deserved a spot over "Old Yella" and I finally decided that brawl and beatdown after the match really puts this over the top. As I said early, all the promo work during this angle was top-notch stuff and this is really no different. Jericho was absolutely right in his argument, but his delivery and smarminess mean that he is the heel, and he really is one of the best at having the crowd in the palm of his hand. This entire segment was just great stuff and a moment that will be replayed numerous times in the coming months, as it should be.

Best Match

Honorable Mentions: Lethal Lockdown (Lockdown), Shawn Michaels vs. Chris Jericho (Judgment Day), Edge vs. Undertaker (WrestleMania 24), Kurt Angle vs. Christian Cage (Against All Odds).

3. World Championship, TLC - Edge vs. Undertaker (One Night Stand): It's amazing to think that Taker, at his age, is willing to endure the shit he endured in this match. This was always going to be a keeper and they did not disappoint. You can argue all you want that the spots were contrived, but you know from the second they set the tables up that someone is going to go through them, but I feel they still managed to set up a decent number of false finishes. This was great stuff all round and had some ridiculous bumps taken by both participants as well as Edge's cronies, and some of the chair shots Taker took were cringe worthy – a good job by both men to put a nice finishing touch on their feud, for now.

2. TNA Championship – Samoa Joe vs. Kurt Angle (Lockdown): There are two trains of thought on this match; one, that they tried something new and it didn't translate well to the audience and two, that they tried something new and it came off brilliantly. I'm in the latter camp, as I loved this match from start to finish. There are few in the business who could pull this off as well as Joe and Angle did so major kudos to them for that. The match had a great ending and a memorable moment in Joe finally capturing the gold, so it's nice that it had a fantastic match to live up to the moment.

1. Shawn Michaels vs. Ric Flair (WrestleMania 24): What is there to be said about this match that I haven't covered already? It's arguably the greatest story ever told inside the wrestling ring, a story of inner-grief, guilt, pity, and love, and that's just on Shawn's side. This was one of Ric's best matches in years on in-ring work alone, but the story telling is awesome. Sure, Shawn barely connected with a moonsault spot, and they weren't working at a phenomenal pace, but they told a story and told it perfectly. This was ***** stuff and it'll take some match to beat it come year's end.

Best Performer

Honorable Mentions: Randy Orton, Samoa Joe, The Undertaker

3. Edge: Edge has been great so far this year, and one of the most enjoyable guys to watch. His promo work has been great at drawing in immense amount of heat, and his matches have been top notch; the series with Undertaker was phenomenal and has produced some of the best matches of the year. Edge has done a great job of making SmackDown his show this year, and for that he gets the number three slot.

2. Shawn Michaels: As always, HBK continues to bring the goods on a criminally consistent basis. Everything he has done this year has been of the highest standard, from his Rumble performance, to his free TV matches with Kennedy and Jeff Hardy, to his promo work alongside Flair, Jericho and Batista, to his great pay-per-view matches with the same group of people. Michaels is constantly one of the best in the business and this looks to be another great year for him.

1. Kurt Angle: This one came as a surprise to me, but having gone back and reviewed his pay-per-view matches, I'm fully behind backing Kurt Angle as the best of the year so far. He's had several terrific matches on pay-per-view including a couple against Christian Cage, the aforementioned match with Samoa Joe and most recently a fantastic battle with AJ Styles, a feat which he accomplished with a severe injury. Angle is still the man in the ring and deserves this spot, I feel. I do think he'll have to perform near miracles to keep the pace up however, but for now, his in-ring work alone is worth the top spot.

And we are done for today. I know, I know, I promised the TNA vs. WWE stuff would be back today and I apologize, but it's not ready; I'm still recovering from post-exam fever and have barely had a moment to my self in the last few days, but I guarantee it'll be back next week. Honest. And to make up for it...


Remember to check out all the other columns around the zone, and when you're done with that, head over to the music zone for the Great Rock News Report. And keep an eye out for me in tomorrow's news report, because Small's neglecting his readers again.