Welcome to the First Annual ThunderStruck Awards! I’m only covering WWE for these, as the majority of my fanbase doesn’t seem to follow some of the other promotions.
Women’s Wrestler of the Year – Paige
JT: She’s beautiful, talented and entertaining. I for one can’t wait to see her go head to head with Charlotte on the main rosters. I hope WWE continues to use this truly gifted young lady on their shows.
Microphone Work of the Year – Bray Wyatt Runner Up: Dean Ambrose
JT: Even with his weird and questionable booking, Bray Wyatt has consistently been the best and most captivating on the mic in WWE. I don’t necessarily understand the logic of him randomly feuding from person to person with no real finish on his past rivalries, but WWE will book things however they see fit(hence this second feud between Swagger and Rusev after it was abandoned?). Bray is a master of the mic, and his runner up counter part in Ambrose is also a special talker.
Worst Feud of the Year: Stephanie McMahon vs Bellas
JT: Need I say more? I was bored throughout , and Stephanie’s character doesn’t interest me much. She’s bland and a bad actress.
Worst PPV of the Year: Battleground
JT: This was a filler card to go from Money in the Bank(which was also mainly a filler show) to Summerslam(A-show) with a typical Cena finish in the fatal four way main event. The only noteworthy moment on the card was the Usos vs the Wyatts(Harper and Rowan) in a really great tag team match that went almost twenty minutes. NOTHING else on the card is worth seeing.
Worst Match: Nikki Bella/AJ Lee SS
JT: Ripping off the start/finish of an old match is usually a fail, and this one was. It’s a slap in the face to AJ Lee’s talent for her to drop the title to a Bella. Thanks for making us not care about your product, WWE.
Refreshing Performer of the Year: Damien Mizdow, Runner Up: Stardust
JT: Damien Sandow embraced crappy roles all year and shined like a star whenever we saw him. His run with the Miz has been wildly entertaining and EVERYONE has bought in. Do more with this man, please!
Cody Rhodes has done a lot of different things in his WWE career, but his run as Stardust has been a lot of fun to watch. He brings a new element to his overall character with this silly/creepy gimmickm and it’s highly enjoyable. He’s funny, talented and makes you care about the match you’re watching.
Best Tag Team: The Usos
JT: If ROH and NJPW were involved in these awards, then reDRagon and the Young Bucks would slaughter the Usos. However, they’re not. The Usos have consistently given us great tag team wrestling matches at every turn in 2014, and it’s refreshing to see them doing so well after all the time they spent in the midcard scene without the belts. The Usos should be featured on a regular basis, and WWE got it right.
Next Big Thing Award: Seth Rollins
JT: It’s not Reigns and it’s not Ambrose. Ambrose is too one dimensional in his style at the moment. Rollins has all the pieces together and his mic skills continue to get better each week. He’s a very dislikeable heel and it’s perfect. I’m predicting he cashes in successfully on Roman Reigns in the closing moments of WrestleMania 31(or the Rock, if he snags Roman’s spot).
Turn of the Year: Seth Rollins
JT: Nobody saw it coming. It was a great turn that led to big things for each of the Shield members. I think where some people will disagree with me is where I call Seth Rollins the most talented member of the Shield group. Ambrose is great, but Rollins has more in ring ability than Ambrose and Reigns put together.
Burial of the Year: Big E. Langston(drops IC Title to Wade Barrett and then BURIED into nothingness after putting over Rusev)
JT: Big E. had everything he needed, and now he’s debuted again as part of the new day group. He’s been both a heel and a face, and the crowd seemed to like his in ring work. His matches were too short for us to enjoy, and he wasn’t given enough time on the mic. Hey Vince, that isn’t the audience not helping him get over. He got over. You just didn’t do more with him and obviously didn’t like what you were seeing. Too bad.
Improved Wrestler of the Year: Roman Reigns
JT: The dude is finding his charisma while he’s away, but his in ring performances just got better and better as 2014 went on. His match with Randy Orton at Summerslam was outstanding and I’m excited to see what he does with other top names one on one after he returns. I honestly didn’t care for Reigns when the Shield first appeared, but he’s busted his butt since debuting to become a better overall performer. Hard work can pay off, and Roman Reigns is proof of that!
Comeback of the Year: New Age Outlaws, Runner Up: Ryback
JT: It was a short run, but to me the Outlaws still had that “it” factor that so many superstars today are apparently lacking in. I liked seeing them wrestle, and I enjoyed their run with the belts. I’d put almost anyone in this category ahead of them, but we really haven’t had many comebacks that jump into my brain(Ryback aka Mr. Bland?). Truthfully, I want to recognize Ryback for his improvement in the ring; he’s become more enjoyable to watch and he’s got talent. I project him to be a big star or at least have a heavy push in 2015.
Announcer of the Year: Tom Phillips
JT: Phillips shined in NXT and now he’s shining on the main shows(Main Event and Smackdown). He’s basically a junior version of Michael Cole, but I like his style. Kudos for the keeper who got ranked ahead of Josh Matthews.
Underutilized Superstar of the Year: Cesaro
JT: Vince stated on the Steve Austin podcast that Cesaro is missing some bit of charisma that has stopped him from connecting with the WWE audience. Are you kidding me? Who told him to stop doing the swing? Was the swing not getting him over with the crowd? Were his matches not some of the best pure wrestling that we’ve had the privilege to see in the history of Monday Night Raw? I can recall matches with Dbry, Cena and Orton that were all outstanding, and then I can remember matches with Dolph Ziggler and Kofi Kingston in the past that have more than shown how awesome Cesaro is. He was flat our BURIED after losing at Money in the Bank, and Vince is full of it when he says Cesaro hasn’t connected. In this particular case, it’s the booking and not the wrestler at fault.
Organization of the Year: WWE
JT: I wanted to give this award to ROH, but the damn network was just too much to put it over the top. More often than not, I enjoyed the pay per view programming much more than the weekly television product in 2014. That’s not to say that the TV product was bad or anything, but it’s more of a testament to the quality wrestling that is delivered at each monthly special. Hell, one of my least favorite pay per views of the year was Money in the Bank and I attended it with my wife for our wedding anniversary. Beyond the pay per view programming, the network has become one of my best friends. Putting the two things together made for a great year in WWE, but the final piece was NXT. NXT is unique, fresh and more often than not, it’s better than the main roster shows each week. Kudos to WWE for being the versatile juggernaut that Vince aspires for.
Weekly Television Show of the Year: Ring of Honor Wrestling TV
JT: This one was very close with NXT, but ROH consistently gave us top notch wrestling without some of the foolishness that randomly pops up on the WWE developmental show. ROH proves that storytelling and feuds don’t require this detailed story to keep the audience interested. If the wrestling in the ring is done well and the story IN THE RING captivates the audience, isn’t that a win-win for a promoter when crazy ass stories aren’t necessary? Take a lesson, Mr. Out of Touch Crazy Bastard McMahon who we all love to love and hate.
Fan Favorite Moment of the Year: Daniel Bryan Occupy Raw, Runner Up: Sting at Survivor Series
JT: Hands down, this segment changed the direction WWE was headed in and really made some diehard fans very happy. Everything worked out how it should and nothing put a smile on my face in 2014 more than this segment.
Sting’s appearance was special(as was the elimination match). Occupy Raw was better for those us who were fuming about the Royal Rumble. Both have their definite merit for this award.
Biggest Blow to WWE: CM Punk walking out, Runner Up: Alberto Del Rio, 3rd Runner up Daniel Bryan(injury loss, not permanent)
JT: These were blows to WWE’s product. Punk is the biggest because he’s a fighter and he’s going to be a mega-star thanks to WWE not treating him like the Stone Cold caliber talent that he is in terms of popularity. Despite his accolades and his amazing performances, WWE failed to capitalize on their next BIG BIG THING.
Del Rio will continue to entertain us all over the world, and that’s awesome! Daniel Bryan will be back, and that’s great too(for WWE and us fans). For CM Punk, it’s the biggest blow for WWE because he will shine and Vince will realize what a massive mistake they were making all along.
Vince, you need to put your ego to the side like you claim to do and realize that CM Punk had more charisma in his pinky than you will ever possess. He wasn’t the proto-type size you look for, but he was Rock/Hogan/Austin quality in terms of charisma and stardom, and he was better in the ring than all three of them. You blew it in 2011 and continued to blow it for the last three years. Punk’s bad booking is one of the biggest reasons I’m ready to boycott most WWE shows. They’ll have me in the category of part time fan/viewer and I’m sure that doesn’t bother them a bit(given their love for part timers).
Rant over for that category. Moving on!
Surprise of the Year: Dolph Ziggler!
JT: Dolph won the IC Title at Summeslam in an average back and forth matchup with the Miz. THEN, he went on to show us what a true IC Champion is made of by defeating Cesaro in a two out of three falls match and ultimately winning the rivalry. Then came the Survivor Series. Dolph winning the match for team Cena was the second biggest moment in his career(his cash-in on Del RIo in 2013 was incredible with that Jersey crowd), and he was involved in the highly anticipated debut of Sting! It was unforgettable. He’s now lost the IC Title to Luke Harper, but those two are making each other look like stars whenever they step into the ring together. This is the best thing on WWE TV right now and the ONLY thing I’m really excited for on the TLC pay per view card.
Feud of the Year- Shield vs Evolution
JT: I would’ve gone with the Shield vs the Wyatts, but the two matches that came from the Shield/Evolution rivalry were excellent(Extreme Rules being a classic). Amazing matches from these six with a good mix of young and old, this was the best rivalry for me in WWE in the year 2014.
Pay Per View of the Year – WrestleMania XXX
JT: The show kicked off with the epic Daniel Bryan/Triple H encounter where we all witnessed a piece of history. Hunter put over Dbry clean, and it was awesome! The match was good, and Dbry carried the majority of it as I wanted. It was the perfect start to a cinderella story. The Outlaws got clocked by the Shield with undeniable dominance, and the 20 man battle royal had an exciting finish with Cesaro lifting the big man. Beyond that, I recall Cena beating Bray Wyatt in a very unique match, and then I remember the main event(which I will talk about on the next award). Now I have to go look up the rest of the card and see what I missed. Oh yeah, the Streak ended and blew us all away. It was perfect for me because I never saw it coming. We also had the awesome opening of Rock, Hogan and Austin to get the crowd excited. Then there was the divas, but even the 14 lady match wasn’t terrible. It was a great card overall with two matches carrying the momentum along with the crushing of the streak. It was one of the most epic nights in WWE history and will be forever remembered as one of the three best WrestleManias of all time.
Match of the Year – WM XXX Triple Threat Dbry vs Orton vs Batista
JT: This was as close to a five star match as you can get for me. Hunter and Stephanie’s involvement got the crowd really nervous, but all turned out right with the World when Daniel Bryan left New Orleans as the WWE World Heavyweight Championship. The match itself was well done from bell to bell, and I’d like to take a second and applaud Batista for his hard work and for tapping out to the yes lock. Amazing pro wrestling match and likely one that I’ll watch a dozen more times before WM 31.
Wrestler of the Year – Seth Rollins Runner Up: Randy Orton
I want to talk about the runner up first. In 2014, Randy Orton gave us THREE back to back to back quality pay per view performances that reminded us why the Viper is one of the top competitors in WWE. Orton elevated Reigns at Summerslam like a champ, and then he worked a great battle with Jericho at Night of Champions, and then he came through in the clutch with Cena inside the cell when NOBODY(including me) thought the match would be worth a hole in the ground. It was great, and Orton proved his worthiness as one of the elite in WWE. Aside from his memorable pay per view matches recently, Orton delivered at the Elimination Chamber and on the big stage of WrestleMania in my match of the year. Orton also delivered a nice match on Raw with Dolph Ziggler that comes to mind, and his promo work has gotten better and better in 2014. He’s been a star, and he’s only the runner up because someone else made a bigger splash…
Prior to the Money in the Bank ppv in June, Seth Rollins had wrestled 34 matches in 2014(mostly tag action with the Shield). Since winning the briefcase, Rollins has wrestled 90 matches(with the majority being one on one). Rollins has delivered against all of his opponents(Cena, Ambrose, Orton, Ziggler, etc.). His mic skills are getting better and better each week, and people enjoy hating him. Seth Rollins, as I stated earlier, is the next big thing for WWE. He’s got it all, and he already began proving that in 2014. He captained Team Authority at the Survivor Series and put on an incredible performance, and with his upcoming match against John Cena at TLC, there is no doubt in my mind that he is the most valuable performer in WWE for the year 2014.
Those are my first Annual ThunderStruck awards! Daniel Bryan topped two categories with his WrestleMania match and his occupy Raw segment, but Seth Rollins is the big winner with three individual trophies(turn, next big thing, and wrestler of the year). Some might complain that Rollins can’t be wrestler of the year and be next big thing, but he can for my awards. It’s not “superstar of the year” but “wrestler,” and that means Rollins was the best wrestler in all of WWE in 2014 and he’s also the next big star for WWE in 2015. It makes sense in my world.
Thoughts and comments? Share your own winners below!
Thanks for reading!
