- Tonight's Hosts -
Mike Paden, Tony Mango,
Stephen Wago, Drew White
Mike Paden, Tony Mango,
Stephen Wago, Drew White
- Follow the MPR Raw Post Show -
All photos courtesy of WWE.com
- Follow the MPR Raw Post Show -
- Tonight's Hosts -
Mike Paden, Tony Mango,
Stephen Wago, Drew White
Mike Paden, Tony Mango,
Stephen Wago, Drew White
- Follow the MPR Raw Post Show -
All photos courtesy of WWE.com
- Tonight's Hosts -
Mike Paden, Tony Mango,
Stephen Wago, Drew White
Mike Paden, Tony Mango,
Stephen Wago, Drew White
- Follow the MPR Raw Post Show -
All photos courtesy of WWE.com
This week's episode of WWE Friday Night SmackDown was taped on December 30, 2014 at the Norfolk Scope Arena in Norfolk, Virginia. The following are spoilers for the results of what transpired during the show:
Bray Wyatt defeated Erick Rowan
Big Show defeated Ryback via count out
The Masters of the WWE Universe (Tyson Kidd and Cesaro) defeated Los Matadores
Dean Ambrose attacks Curtis Axel before the bell rings
The Ascension defeated local jobbers
The Usos and R-Truth defeated Goldust, Stardust and Adam Rose
Roman Reigns vs. Rusev ends in a no-contest after interference from Big Show
WHAT DO YOU THINK OF THIS WEEK'S EPISODE OF SMACKDOWN?
TELL US YOUR THOUGHTS IN THE COMMENTS BELOW!
This week's episode of WWE Main Event was broadcast on December 30, 2014 and is coming to you from the Norfolk Scope Arena in Norfolk, Virginia. The following are the results of what transpired during the show:
Adam Rose is the special guest of The Cutting Edge Peep Show. He seems to have lost the Rosebuds and the entire Exotic Express as supporters.
Charlotte defeated Sasha Banks
Titus O'Neil defeated Justin Gabriel
The Usos defeated Goldust and Stardust
WHAT DO YOU THINK OF THIS WEEK'S EPISODE OF MAIN EVENT?
TELL US YOUR THOUGHTS IN THE COMMENTS BELOW!
This week's episode of WWE Superstars was taped on December 29, 2014 before Monday Night Raw at the Verizon Center in Washington, DC. The following are spoilers for the results of what transpired during the show:
Erick Rowan defeated Tyson Kidd
Fandango defeated R-Truth
WHAT DO YOU THINK OF THIS WEEK'S EPISODE OF SUPERSTARS?
TELL US YOUR THOUGHTS IN THE COMMENTS BELOW!
The show begins with Edge and Christian making their way to the ring. Edge schedules a match between Rollins and Roman Reigns, and Christian schedules a match between Rusev and Ziggler. They then announce that Daniel Bryan will appear later to address the WWE Universe. Brock Lesnar's music hits and he comes to the ring with Paul Heyman. Heyman gets on the mix and asks why 2 injured and retired athletes would come to the ring while Lesnar was Champion. Heyman begins to talk smack on John Cena. Cena comes to the ring. Cena says that his New Year's revolution in to take the belt from Lesnar. Cena then says that he has a gift for Heyman. He grabs Heyman and Lesnar attacks. Cena gets him in position for thew AA but Lesnar slithers out. Lesnar retreats.
*Commercial Break*
MATCH: Dolph Ziggler vs. Rusev
Rusev backs Ziggler into the corner and pounds him with legs and shoulders/ Ziggler fights back but is caught with a back elbow. Rusev then drops a series of elbows on Ziggler. Ziggler applies a sleeper hold. Ziggler breaks the hold and hits a dropkick followed by a DDT for a 2 count.
*Commercial Break*
The show returns with rusev in control. Rusev wrestles Ziggler to the mat. Ziggler is sent to the outside. He counters Rusev and goes for a crossbody off the top. Rusev counters but Ziggler hits a dropkick from the middle rope. Ziggler hits a Fameasser for a 2 count. Ziggler goes for a superkick but Rusev counters. Ziggler ducks a blow and hits the superkick for 2. Rusev takes down Ziggler by the knee and drives him into the ring post. Rusev pounds Ziggler in the corner. The ref reaches the five count and calls for the bell.
WINNER: Ziggler via Disqualification
After the match, Rusev attacks Ziggler. Ryback makes the save.
*Commercial Break*
Ryback cuts a promo about his climb to the main roster of WWE.
*Commercial Break*
MATCH: Nikki Bella vs. Natalya
Nikki rolls up Natalya for the 3.
WINNER: Nikki via Pinfall
Miz and Sandow cut a promo. Naomi comes and thanks Miz for helping her out.
*Commercial Break*
MATCH: The Usos vs. The Miz and Damien Mizdow
Uso drives Miz to the corner. Miz gains the advantage and stomps Uso to the mat. Uso hits a scoop slam for a 2 count. Miz fights back and drops Usp with a shoulder. Usp fights back and tags in the other Uso. Uso hits a forearm for a 2 count. Miz fights back with a jawbreaker, Uso quickly recovers. He hits an uppercut on Miz and applies an armbar. Other Uso is tagged in and covers Miz for 2. Miz is clotheslined over the the to. Uso goes for a plancha over the top but is stopped by Miz with a boot for 2.
*Commercial Break*
The show returns with Miz in control. He teases a tag to Sandow. Uso fights back and tags in other Uso. Uso hits a Samoan drop followed by a roll up for a 2 count. Uso hits a heel kick and sends Miz out of the ring. Uso dives over the top rope and takes out Miz. Back in the ring, Miz fights back for a 2 count. Miz goes to work on the leg of Usp. Uso fights back with a kick for a 2 count. Miz counters and applies the figure 4. Uso gets to the rope and breaks the hold. Uso applies the half crab but it is broken up by Sandow. Usos fight back. Uso hits a Samoan Splash from the top but Miz gets his knees up. Miz hits his finisher but the count is broken by other Uso. The Usos double team Miz and hit the splash for a 3 count.
WINNERS: The Usos via Pinfall
*Commercial Break*
MATCH: Bad News Barrett vs. Cesaro
Cesaro and Barrett go back and forth. Barrett goes for a pumpehandle slam. Cesaro catches him and sends him for the swing. Cesaro applies the Boston Crab. Barrett breaks out and hits the Bull Hammer for the 3 count.
WINNER: Bad News Barrett via Pinfall
Bray Wyatt cuts a promo.
*Commercial Break*
MATCH: Jack Swagger vs. Luke Harper
The match begins with Harper driving Swagger to the corner. Swagger fights back . Harper quickly regains the advantage. Harper hits a European clothesline right into a chinlock. Harper hits a dropkick for a 2 count. Harper hits a gator roll. The action pours out of the ring and Swagger hits a clothesline.
The show returns with Harper in control. Harper hits a clothesline for 2. Harper slingshots Swagger's neck into the bottom rope. They get back in the ring and Harper hits the gator roll for into a headlock. Swagger hits the big boot followed by a clothesline. Swagger hits a big slam for a 2 count. Harper goes for a piledriver but Swagger counters with patriot lock. Harper fights out but quickly finds himself in the Patriot Lock again. Harper fights out and hits a big clohtesline for 3.
WINNER: Harper via Pinfall
*Commercial Break*
Before the match, Big Show makes his way to the commentary booth.
MATCH: Seth Rollins vs. Roman Reigns
Reigns hits a nice shoulder block. Rollins rolls out of the ring. Rollins fights back but is stopped by a backhander from the ropes. Reigns applies a wristlock. He controls Rollins until Rollins fights back. He throws Rollins to the mat and stomps him. Rollins applies a chinlock. Reigns fights back and displays his brute strength with a big slam. Reigns throws Rollins out of the ring and hits the dropkick from the outside. Reigns is distracted and Rollins gains the advantage.
*Commercial Break*
The show returns with Rollins still in control. Rollin goes for a suplex but Rollins Counters and takes Reigns down by the legs. Rollins catches Reigns in a chinlock. Reigns fights back but gets planted on the middle turnbuckle. Reigns fights back but Reigns counters with a tilt-a-whirl slam. Both men gets to their feet. Reigns hits a clothesline and throws Rollins to the corner. Reigns plants Rollins for 2. Reigns drops Rollins but Rollins hits an Enziguri for 2. Rollins hits another kick to face for 2. Rollins is planted by Reigns. Big Show interferes and slams Reigns through the announce table.
WINNER: Reigns via DQ
*Commercial Break*
Daniel Bryan makes his way to the ring. He gets on the mic and talks about his career up until this point. He says that despite his recent injuries, his career in not over and that he will participate in the Royal Rumble.
*Commercial Break*
The Ascension make their way to the ring for their debut against Miz and Mizdow.
MATCH: The Ascension vs. The Miz and Damien Mizdow
Miz quickly tags in Mizdow. Konnor stomps him and tags in Viktor. They double team Mizdow for a 2. Miz fights back but is stopped by Viktor. The Ascension hit The Fall of Man for a 3 count.
WINNERS: Ascension via Pinfall
*Commercial Break*
Edge and Christian come to the ring for the first ever Cutting Edge Peep Show. Rollins comes out as their first guest. He asks who had a better than he. Edge and Christian shut him down. Rollins calls out the Big Show. Rollins calls out Cena. Cena doesn't come and Rollins hits Christian with the MITB briefcase. Rollins threatens to break Edge's neck with a curbstomp unless Cena reinstates the Authority. Cena comes out. Rollins holds Edge hostage. Cena concedes. Cena saves Edge but gets beaten up by Rollins and Big Show.
KEEP REFRESHING FOR UPDATES & LEAVE YOUR COMMENTS BELOW!
Don't forget to call in to the live Raw Post Show on Mega Powers Radio immediately following tonight's episode and listen to the Smark Out Moment team's opinions on what transpired!
Welcome to another edition of Power Rankings from Smark Out Moment!
Each week, we will break down the current roster and examine who has gone up the WWE hierarchy and who has unfortunately taken a step down the ladder. Factoring in things such as wins and losses, suspensions, injuries, making a name for one's self, being humiliated, and more, who is at the top of the food chain and who needs to make up some ground next week?
25. Jack Swagger
A decidedly poor week for the Real American, who has gone from being his country’s hope against Rusev to jobbing at the flick of a switch. On RAW he lost to Fandango in quick fashion, never a good start to your week. This was followed with a much better performance on Main Event against former Intercontinental Champion Luke Harper, but the same result of a defeat.
24. Gold/Stardust
Another bad week passes for the Golden brothers, and when you’re losing to a dwarf in a bull costume, you know things aren’t going your way. On RAW they were on the worse end of a match against Los Matadores and El Torito. Then, on Main Event, Stardust was on his own against Big E of the New Day, but once again couldn’t get a positive result heading into the New Year.
23. Kane
It’s a massive drop for Kane this week after being on top in the previous Power Rankings. Only competing in one match this week, he fell to rival Ryback on SmackDown without much hassle. However, he did get some measure of revenge by chokeslamming the Big Guy post-match, leaving him open to an assault from Rusev.
22. Big Show
The Big Show came off second best in a pair of encounters with Roman Reigns this week. On RAW, the World’s Largest Athlete allowed himself to be counted out against the former Shield member after being punched to ringside. And SmackDown didn’t reap any better results, as he teamed with Seth Rollins in defeat to the pairing of Reigns and Dolph Ziggler.
21. Rusev
The United States Champion did the unthinkable this week and actually competed in a match, but that doesn’t benefit his ranking a great deal. On RAW, Rusev and Lana were guests on Piper’s Pit, and were chased off by Ryback. On SmackDown, he got revenge on the Big Guy by locking him in the Accolade after his match with Kane, but was then ordered by Hulk Hogan to face Dean Ambrose with his title on the line. Rusev lost the match, but thankfully for him it was by disqualification when Bray Wyatt interfered, protecting his title reign.
20. R-Truth
R-Truth made a triumphant return to television on RAW, getting a victory over Adam Rose that caused the leader of the Exotic Express to finally snap. However, Truth was not as fortunate in the rematch, as he suffered defeat to Rose on SmackDown.
19. Brie Bella
Brie Bella competed in a pair of matches this week with a mixed record. Still receiving a number of babyface pops despite being a heel alongside her sister Nikki, she fell to Natalya on RAW in a short match. She stepped up her game on Main Event though, defeating Summer Rae on Main Event following a missile dropkick.
18. Los Matadores
Los Matadores once again return to the rankings after a long absence, helped by a victory on RAW against Gold/Stardust alongside their faithful mascot El Torito. However, this momentum could not benefit them heading into Main Event, as without the ½ man advantage they couldn’t overcome Cesaro and Tyson Kidd.
17. Seth Rollins
Since the Authority was forced out of power, Rollins’ win-loss record has taken a catastrophic downturn. On RAW, he fell to long-term rival John Cena in the night’ opening match, despite attempted interference by his security team. Then on SmackDown’s main event, he and the Big Show went head-to-head with two of Rollins’ other major foes Roman Reigns and Dolph Ziggler, and again this ended with a defeat.
16. Cesaro & Tyson Kidd
All teams have to start somewhere, and the pairing of the under-valued Cesaro & Tyson Kidd finally got their first official victory as a tandem on Main Event. In a performance that accentuated their in-ring talents, they bested Los Matadores.
15. Adam Rose
This was the week where for one creature the Exotic Express derailed. Following a defeat on RAW to R-Truth, Adam Rose finally broke ties with the Bunny, slamming him hard into the steel steps for good measure. With this new aggressive attitude in full flow on SmackDown, Rose paid back Truth with a victory.
14. Alicia Fox
Alicia Fox endured a mixed week, but it started off with a festive victory in the Santa’s Little Helper tag team match. Fox herself scored the pinfall over Cameron for her team that included Naomi and Emma. But, things took a turn for the worse when she took on former partner Naomi on SmackDown. In a solid match between two of the most athletic women on the roster, Fox suffered defeat due to a split-legged moonsault.
13. The New Day
The New Day continue their winning ways on Main Event this week, with their powerhouse Big E carrying the burden for them. On Main Event, he took on Stardust to continue the feud between the buoyant newcomers and the grouchy golden brothers, and pulled out the victory with a Big Ending.
12. Fandango
The dancing superstar stopped being Roman Reigns’ chew toy this week on television, and even managed to return to winning ways. The ‘New and Improved’ Fandango defeated Jack Swagger on RAW with his flying leg drop from the top rope, as he and Rosa Mendes celebrated victory.
11. Ryback
The Big Guy didn’t make a big splash this week. Ryback looked to get some vengeance on US Champion Rusev on RAW, only for the Bulgarian to run for the hills. But, this situation was somewhat reversed on SmackDown, as although Ryback defeated Kane, he suffered a post-match attack by both the Corporate Demon and Rusev. Ending his night locked in the Accolade was not exactly ideal.
10. The Usos
The Usos were split into singles action this week opposite the Miz, with one brother coming up good and the other tasting defeat. Jey Uso was the losing member on RAW as the A-Lister grabbed a handful of tights in the pin. But, things improved in the match between Jimmy Uso and the Miz, as the husband of Naomi too great pleasure in inflicting defeat on his wife’s suitor.
9. The Miz & Damien Mizdow
The Tag Team Champions were only in singles action this week, as the Miz carried the burden whilst Damien Mizdow entertained at ringside. Miz scored the victory over Jey Uso on RAW with a cheap roll-up. But, when placed opposite his desired ‘protégé’ Naomi’s husband Jimmy Uso, he couldn’t repeat the feat as he was splashed into a loss.
8. Natalya
Natalya placed herself definitively into the reckoning for the Divas Championship on RAW. In a short match with Brie Bella, Natalya followed up last week’s tag team victory with a small package pinfall. Then, she immediately knocked Nikki Bella off the apron, hoisting her Divas Championship aloft in a clear signal that she is ready to capture the butterfly belt once again.
7. Luke Harper
The former Intercontinental Champion was given an opportunity to reclaim the belt on RAW, but came up short in his efforts. Despite a pre-match assault and a fantastic match between the pair, Luke Harper once again was unable to put away Ziggler for a three-count. However, he was able to score a victory on Main Event against Jack Swagger after another strong performance. Harper continues to be the Wyatt Family’s standout performer.
6. Dean Ambrose
The Lunatic Fringe continued to produce performances that get the crowd on their feet, but his results proved less than ideal. On RAW Dean Ambrose and Bray Wyatt took the festive season in an entirely different direction in a Miracle of 34th Street Fight, where every Christmas-themed object was employed to good effect. But Ambrose fell to Wyatt after becoming very familiar with a Singapore Candy-Cane. This led to SmackDown where Ambrose looked to become US Champion against Rusev, but Wyatt once again proved a thorn in his side, handing Ambrose a victory but only by disqualification.
5. John Cena
On a night where Hulk Hogan was in control, it was undoubted that John Cena would play a pivotal role. In the first match of RAW, Cena was placed against his long-time enemy Seth Rollins, with J&J Security lurking at ringside. After connecting with a double AA on both Jamie Noble and Joey Mercury, he then hit one on Rollins himself to earn the first win of the week.
4. Naomi
Naomi continues her fine vein of form that will almost certainly place her in contention for the Divas Championship in the near future. On RAW she was on the winning side of the Santa’s Little Helper tag, Naomi with Alicia Fox and Emma defeating Paige, Summer Rae and Cameron. Then on SmackDown she was placed opposite Fox in singles match, and in a battle that demonstrated both of their talents, Naomi came out on top, the Miz applauding on from backstage.
3. Bray Wyatt
The Eater of Worlds took to the festive occasion with gusto, but had a warped vision of the spirit of the season. The only thing Bray Wyatt was gifting was a number of beatings for Dean Ambrose. In a street fight on RAW, the two unstable rivals had a brutal match with plenty of spots, winning after slamming Ambrose’s eye into a cane. Then on SmackDown, he demonstrated that wasn’t the conclusion of their feud as he interfered in Ambrose’s US Championship match with Rusev.
2. Roman Reigns
Roman Reigns has returned on fire, taking on all comers on his road to the Royal Rumble. He took on the Big Show on RAW, the Giant having made no secrets about his desire to take Reigns out. He couldn’t manage that on Monday though, as Reigns punched Show to ringside to earn a victory by count-out. Then on SmackDown, he teamed with Dolph Ziggler to defeat Big Show and former Shield partner Seth Rollins, hitting the decisive Spear on the turncoat Rollins.
1. Dolph Ziggler
Whilst some may accuse me of being the President of the Dolph Ziggler fan club, there is no denying the rich vein of form he is in. Ziggler defended his Intercontinental Championship on RAW against the man he won the title from at TLC, Luke Harper. Despite being assaulted before the match, Ziggler’s heart and will to win overcame the power of Harper to retain his title. This was followed with a main event victory on SmackDown, as he was paired with fellow Royal Rumble favorite Roman Reigns to defeat Seth Rollins and Big Show.
Do you think anyone should be listed differently?
What can these Superstars do to get back up at the #1 spot?
Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!
In this festive holiday week, Natalya sets her eyes on the Divas Championship, Naomi maintains her fine form, and Charlotte faces Sasha Banks on a Christmas Day edition of NXT.
RAW
WWE this week was all about the festive spirit in the week of Christmas. However, there was little love shared in the first Divas match of the night between Natalya and Brie Bella. Last week in tag team action, the Queen of Harts alongside Alicia Fox defeated both Bella Twins. However, the most contentious moment was when her husband Tyson Kidd looked to be checking on the condition of Divas Champion Nikki Bella, rather than celebrating with his wife. Tonight, Natalya looks to continue her supremacy over the sisters in singles action.
The match was pretty much dominated by Brie from the moment a brief lapse by Natalya on the second rope had her slammed hard to the mat. For the rest of the match Brie was in control, showing a great deal of heel character in the process. She carried herself well and even blew a kiss to Kidd at ringside to mock him. However, Natalya fought back towards the end and seemed to have Brie in position for the Sharpshooter, only for it to be countered into a small package, which the Canadian then reversed for the victory.
Post-match she knocked Nikki Bella off the apron when she attempted to get involved, and Natalya hoisted the Divas Championship high above her head. It seems the Fearless Nikki has a new challenger on the horizon, and Natalya will be desperate to hold the title for the first time since Royal Rumble 2011.
The second divas bout of the evening was far more in keeping in the festive atmosphere, as it was a Santa-inspired six-diva tag team match. On one side was Alicia Fox, Naomi and Emma, and facing them were Paige, Summer Rae and Cameron. This was hardly likely to be a wrestling clinic, but elements of the short match were well-orchestrated. Cameron in particular demonstrated some improvement, until of course she fell over too quickly in response to a heel kick by Naomi. Yet, this match wasn’t a total train wreck, which is a good thing.
The crowd were particularly behind Paige, who despite being the epitome of a heel often gets the best reactions of anybody on the divas roster. Emma was her kooky self to inject a little humor, and Naomi was once again impressive with her athleticism and range of offense. The spot where she flipped over the top rope onto the apron was particularly well done. In the end, Alicia Fox blocked an attempted roll-up by Cameron (something that may send shockwaves through the division as few others have figured out how) and connect with her leg-drop bulldog to score the victory for her team.
Main Event
Main Event witnessed a rare heel vs. heel divas match, as Brie Bella looked to avenge her previous loss to Natalya against Summer Rae. A perhaps surprising aspect of this match was how much the crowd got behind Brie despite her recent change of heart, suggesting that the crowd still perceive her as a babyface. Unfortunately, that was the most interesting aspect of a match that really didn’t perform from a technical standpoint. Brie was okay, not great in terms of the realism of some of her kicks and clotheslines, and Summer continues her decline in terms of in-ring performances with some shoddy selling.
It seemed a little disjointed, but the crowd still kept cheering for Brie throughout. Maybe turning her heel was a mistake that will soon have to be remedied, as the audience in this match arguably got behind her more than they have recently for AJ Lee. Brie picked up the action towards the end with some jumping clotheslines and her running knee to the face of Summer. One missile dropkick from the second rope later and she was celebrating a victory with her sister Nikki.
NXT
NXT was broadcast on Christmas Day, and was for the most part a look back at the best matches and moments from the past twelve months. It was a good way to encapsulate how much the brand has grown in the last year into one of the most compelling wrestling shows available. But, there was one match on the card, and if previous bouts were anything to go by, would be a real Christmas cracker. Charlotte would defend her Women’s Championship once more against Sasha Banks. And to add a little more intrigue, both Becky Lynch and the Nature Boy Ric Flair would be at ringside.
After their amazing match at R Evolution, it would be difficult for the pair to better on that performance this week, but they showed little fear in that regard. Both Charlotte and Sasha are quickly mastering the art of storytelling, and making all their actions count. They both started with fists flying, Charlotte using her height and power advantage to focus an attack on the leg of Banks, until she was pulled into the ring post when attempting some more damage.
Banks was in control when the action returned from commercial, repeatedly beating on her former BFF cohort. She mocked Ric Flair at ringside whilst being in complete command of his daughter, the championship precariously in the balance. As soon as Charlotte battled back though, the match picked up a gear and these two traded a number of high impact moves. Charlotte landed her swinging neckbreaker, and then Banks replied with one of her own. Banks locked the champ in the excruciating Bank Statement, and Charlotte barely clasped the ropes. A Superplex nearly had the title change hands as well, but eventually Charlotte was able to lock in the Figure Four Leg Lock with an added bridge for maximum discomfort, forcing Banks to tap out.
Whilst due to the less times and fewer spots, this match wasn’t quite the clinic they put on two weeks ago. But, don’t let that take anything away from what was still a very good match between these amazing competitors. Banks in particular is as polished a female professional as any diva in WWE’s history, and despite Charlotte’s lack of experience she has grown leaps and bounds. Any mistakes they make are merely little kinks that in no way hinder their excellent matches. This could be the divas feud of the next five years if handled correctly.
SmackDown
Our final stop this week is typically on SmackDown, and after a heel vs. heel match on Main Event, it is a pair of faces that end the week, although Alicia Fox’s affiliation seems to shift one week to the next. She took on Naomi, who is simultaneously chasing the Divas title and trying to deter the attentions of the Miz from disrupting her marriage to Jimmy Uso. This match proved to be worthy of two of the most athletic women on the roster, as they produced a very good contest to leave the week on a high.
The action was back and forth, neither diva getting the advantage for an extended period of time. Alicia Fox produced a number of her signature moves, including her impressive Tilt-the-World Backbreaker and Northern Lights Suplex, which arguably Naomi no-sold too much. But, outside of that criticism, the former Funkydactyl looked strong with her athletic offense, with high kicks and hurricanranas. By the end, Naomi had worn down Fox to the point she could connect with a Split-Legged Moonsault for the victory, much to the joy of the Miz watching at ringside. A pleasant second half of the week with two solid divas matches brought the weekend on a high note.
Happy Holidays to everyone from Smark Out Moment, and may the New Year bring even more exciting women’s matches to admire.
So there you have it, the breakdown for the week in women's wrestling. What were some of your favorite and least favorite moments from these women? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!
The WWE may have their Slammy Awards, but here at Smark Out Moment we like to take an even closer look at what happened throughout the year and award not just the best, but also point out the worst.
I present to you the fifth annual Smark Out Moment Awards, aka The Smarkies!
Keeping with the tradition of adding awards, we have now given you the option of picking your "worst" choices for each category of the Smack Talk awards section. Make sure you let us know in the comments what your choices are for the best and the worst of each award in the Technical Awards, Writing Awards and Performer Awards sections.
[TECHNICAL AWARDS]
ENTRANCE
[BEST]: Bray Wyatt
Although The Undertaker is the lifetime achievement winner of this category, it would be boring if I just went with him again, so the next best option is Bray Wyatt. The lantern switch from a real one to a fake one is a bit silly, but his theme is awesome, the lighting is great, "we're here" was fun when he did that, and you could see that it set him apart from everyone else.
[WORST]: Cesaro
This was tough, as I really, really hated Harper and Rowan's theme that started with the kids singing. That never felt like it worked well with them and I can't stand the generic rock song that was too disjointed in comparison to the cell phones. That works for Bray Wyatt, but not for that setup. However, I can't ignore Cesaro's god awful sirens. This theme song does not fit him whatsoever and he doesn't even do anything during his entrance to distract you from this. He's changed his entrance attire multiple times and nothing ever seems to fit. He still does that arm pump gun thing but it doesn't match up with anything, so that looks awkward. Come on, guys....give Cesaro something to work with. And come on, Cesaro....stop giving them reasons to doubt you.
SIGNATURE MANEUVER
[BEST]: Paige's PTO
Although I think it would be much more devastating in its appearance if it were done by someone bigger, Paige's PTO submission hold looks like it would legitimately hurt like a son of a bitch. I almost gave this to the Superman Punch that Roman Reigns does, but what gives the PTO the edge is how much more it "wow"ed me the first time I saw it.
[WORST]: Curtis Axel's AxeHole
This is still such a lame move, which is why I keep putting it in this category. It looks like a transitional thing someone would do during the boring stretch of a match, not a finisher.
SPOT VS BOTCH
[BEST]: WeeLC Match (Extreme Rules)
This was just one awesome spot after another, so grouped together, it has to win in my book. I need to give credit where it's due, considering how I went into it expecting it to be terrible. The freaking match ends in a West Coast Pop through a table, which alone is better than almost anything Hornswoggle's been involved with in the entirety of his career. So many good spots in this match. It's just fun as hell to watch. Honorable mention to Kofi Kingston's Royal Rumble and WrestleMania spots as well as the Cody Rhodes moonsault.
[WORST]: Batista rips his pants
When you come back to the company and you're supposed to be the hottest ticket, but the fans don't want to see you as the top draw, you earn their cheers by being awesome, not by tearing a hole in your ass. Mistakes happen and I'm sure I'd be embarrassed as hell if that were me, but it was hilarious to see someone that was failing to get over end up making themselves look even sillier.
DUE CREDIT
[MOST UNDERRATED]: Cody Rhodes
This almost went to Dolph Ziggler, but they've been pushing him recently, so they seem to understand how valuable he is. It also almost went to Fandango, who has spent most of the year jobbing or missing in action. But Cody Rhodes is a guy that is SO much better than WWE is willing to admit to the audience. He's proven time and time again that he can adapt to various types of characters and for a while there, he was getting over as a babyface. WWE missed the opportunity to have him become a solid upper midcard babyface. Cody deserves that spot and he deserves to be groomed for a future main event role.
[MOST OVERRATED]: Rusev
Is he awful? No. But there is nothing so special of Rusev to justify giving him such a big role. The character has been done before (and better), his ring and mic work are just okay, and yet, he's booked as one of the most important people on the roster. He is a true example of WWE pushing someone because they want to push him, not because he's earned a spot at the top. Maybe he'll reach that level some day, but right now, he's being placed in a level he doesn't belong. Good midcarder? Sure. I'm even okay with him being the United States champion. But when he's viewed as a top asset and hasn't had a single awesome match with anybody that I can remember really enjoying instead of just being okay with watching, something is wrong.
IMPROVEMENT IN A SUPERSTAR
[MOST IMPROVED]: Seth Rollins
Rollins was the weak link in The Shield in my opinion for 2013 and I expected him to end up as a midcarder at some point by the end of 2014, but he's proven himself a damn good performer in the ring, solid on the mic, and definitely worthy of the spot he's in.
[LEAST IMPROVED]: Undertaker
When you only have one match per year, it has to deliver. This time around, the build sucked, the match was sloppy and he ended up losing.
FUTURE ENDEAVORS
choose between the names listed here
[HAPPY TO SEE RELEASED]: Sin Cara
WWE cut a lot of fat by getting rid of people like JTG that were totally unnecessary, but the smartest decision they've made this year was getting rid of Luis Ignacio Urive Alvirde—the first Sin Cara. They tossed away someone who botched all the time and was apparently problematic in multiple ways backstage and replaced him with a better worker who is more trustworthy, while being able to keep the same character that they had invested time and money in. Smart decision indeed. Now, Hunico, aka Sin Cara Negro, is a tag team champion on NXT while Sin Cara Azul is on his third name that I can't even begin to spell correctly. Myzytezyesiz? Mr. Mxyzptlk? Sierra Mysterion?
[UNHAPPY TO SEE RELEASED]: Justin Roberts
There were actually a couple people I was sad to see go this year. Josh Mathews is better than TNA, in my book, and so is Brodus Clay. CM Punk, of course, ended up being a disappointment. But seeing as how we have no solid ring announcers in the company today (I'm not a fan of Lilian Garcia), it sucks that Justin Roberts was let go.
RING SKILLS
[BEST]: Dolph Ziggler
I've been saying for years that Dolph Ziggler is the best performer in the ring now that Shawn Michaels is no longer wrestling and that includes when Daniel Bryan is an active member of the roster. The guy can't seem to have a bad match with anybody unless WWE books him into a corner. There's a reason he's called The Show Off—because he can back that claim up.
[WORST]: Khali
You're lucky you had that WeeLC Match, Hornswoggle, or you would be the winner. But hey, let's give it to the old standard bearer of this award, the guy who can barely walk let alone wrestle!
MIC SKILLS
[BEST]: Triple H
Almost every Triple H promo this year was a great representation of his character. He even was able to have some killer jokes along the way, despite being a heel, like his quip about his friend "Mark".
[WORST]: Khali
After all these years, I still can't understand almost anything he's saying.
TITLE REIGN
choose between the names listed here
[BEST]: The Usos
The Usos were the backbone of the tag team division this year and almost single-handedly (double-handedly?) kept it going. If it weren't for their title reign, the division would have crumbled. They had great matches with every team that they were put in the ring with when defending their titles and they're continuing to have extremely well-rounded performances even without the belts.
[WORST]: Sheamus
Brock Lesnar is having a real piece of shit title reign that could have been amazing, but has become a footnote. However...think back on how useless Sheamus was as the United States champion. He won it from Dean Ambrose in a situation where people felt that the title hadn't been defended frequently enough and then proceeded to not defend the title all that much. Even when he did, it was in mediocre matches as part of feuds that were sloppily put together and rushed for the sake of getting Sheamus on the card more than anything else. The best thing he did in his entire run with the belt was drop it to Rusev, and I don't even like Rusev!
MATCH OF THE YEAR
[BEST]: The Shield vs. The Wyatt Family (Elimination Chamber)
This was just an awesome, awesome match. At the time, The Shield weren't really babyfaces and it still worked. The crowd is red hot the entire time, the Wyatt Family hadn't started to suck yet, and it has a great mix of styles. The first match that I had written down as a candidate for this, by the way, was John Cena vs Cesaro from Raw 2/17/2014, for those who are interested in stats like that.
[WORST]: Hornswoggle vs El Torito (SmackDown 4-18-2014)
This match features a Bronco Buster, a gore to Hornswoggle's ass, and more. I could have gone with a wide variety of Divas matches like AJ Lee and Cameron from Elimination Chamber and they would be just as bad as this, but I figured that's the easy way out and I kind of wanted to showcase one of the reasons why SmackDown is so pointless to watch.
[WRITING AWARDS]
CATCH PHRASE OR SLOGAN
[BEST]: "Yes!"
Once again, this just cannot be beaten. It's simplicity is part of the reason that it has been able to catch on so easily, but it's also proven that it has true staying power.
[WORST]: Paige shrieking
I would give this to Adam Rose's sayings, but they aren't so bad. The problem lies with him. On the other hand, I fucking haaaaaaaaate it when Paige shrieks. I see nothing positive about it. It's ear-grating and annoying and it doesn't make me think that she's crazy or dangerous or fun or anything. It just reminds me of when Vicki Guerrero would scream in her own annoying way or how every babyface Diva feels the need to yell out "come oooon!" at some point in their match. So dumb.
GIMMICK
[BEST]: Bo Dallas
Bo's gimmick is so ridiculous that I just had to love it. "All you have to do is Bolieve" is such a perfect, moronic catch phrase. The idea that he beats people and then gives them pep talks made me laugh so hard.
[WORST]: Emma dancing
Why does she do it? They don't make her character seem like she's a brainless twit, so why does she appear to have brain damage when walking to the ring?
HEEL OR FACE TURN
choose between the names listed here
[BEST]: Seth Rollins
I loved when Jack Swagger turned babyface to go against Rusev, but let's face it, nothing compares to Rollins turning on The Shield.
[WORST]: Christian
To be perfectly honest, the main reason that I chose this is because I had it down in my notes and I completely don't even remember it happening. It must have been that uneventful that I can remember pretty much everybody else's turns except for Christian's.
COMEBACK
choose between: Rikishi & Too Cool (Old School Raw), Kevin Nash (Royal Rumble), Hulk Hogan's Raw appearances, Hall of Fame, Hulk Hogan/The Rock/Steve Austin (WrestleMania), Ric Flair (Raw), Legends House, Mick Foley (Raw before Hell in a Cell), or any others that I may have forgotten to put on this list
[BEST]: Hulk Hogan & Steve Austin & The Rock @ WrestleMania
This was AWESOME at the time the pay-per-view was live. I completely marked out. We had a funny promo with the Silverdome and arguably the three most popular wrestlers ever all in the ring together.
[WORST]: Hulk Hogan Network Plugs
Every time Hogan came out after WrestleMania, it was a bore, brother. He cut the same exact promo about the network to the point where I bet they literally have a script with only a few blanks written in where he replaces it with Susan G. Komen or the next pay-per-view, jack. Whatcha gonna do when laziness and repetitive promos run wild on you?
IMPROVEMENT IN A DIVISION
choose between: Legends, Main Event, Upper Midcard, Midcard, Tag Team, Divas, Jobber, Developmental
[MOST]: Upper Midcard
The destruction of the World Heavyweight Championship forced people to be demoted. As such, the upper midcard scene became filled with more superstars that are very talented instead of some midcarders that are just being placed in some higher profile spots than they're able to handle.
[LEAST]: Jobber
This may be a good thing, but WWE got rid of a lot of their jobbers this year. Now, we're pretty much down to only a handful like Heath Slater. This should correct itself in 2015, but hopefully not at the expense of anybody who deserves to be higher up on the card.
SHOCKING MOMENTS
[MOST]: Undertaker's streak ends
I had absolutely no reservations that Brock Lesnar would end up losing, so I was completely stunned when Undertaker was the one being pinned. I don't even think I need to elaborate on just how shocking this was.
[LEAST]: Damn near every single DQ finish on Raw
We've become so conditioned to expect matches to end with a disqualification from some sort of interference that it's no longer a shock when someone screws up a match. In fact, I'd go so far as to say I'm surprised when a main event on Raw ends without someone trying to interfere. Knowing that someone will come out to mess up the match each and every week is one of the reasons why I very rarely pay attention to the main event anymore, which is a shame, as that should be the thing that I'm most excited about.
SMARK OUT MOMENTS
What was the overall coolest moment that made you happy as a fan and which was the lowest of the low that made you ashamed of WWE?
[BEST]: Daniel Bryan Occupy Raw 3/10/2014
Honorable mention for something stupid goes to Triple H making a Teddy Long match on the 9/5/2014 edition of SmackDown. But in all seriousness, the moment above all that I think made me get butterflies was the Occupy Raw segment on the 3/10/2014 edition of Raw. That really felt like something special that I wasn't expecting to see.
[WORST]: Batista wins Royal Rumble
WWE wanted this to be a big deal with the fans embracing it and really getting behind Batista going into WrestleMania, but it bombed terribly. That's not what the audience wanted and WWE's decision makers were just too stubborn to go against their own preferences. Thankfully, they came to their senses and were forced to back-peddle and do what everyone wanted to begin with, but it still is a shame that Batista gets a second Royal Rumble victory. He might have deserved the first one, but he certainly didn't deserve this year's win.
STORYLINE
[BEST]: The Oppression of The Authority
Whether it was The Yes Movement, The Shield, Team Cena or anything in between, The Authority was the mainstay best storyline of the year, bar none. Absolutely nothing comes close to touching it, in my opinion save for possibly Rusev's anti-American propaganda, but that's still a far, far distant second.
[WORST]: Alberto Del Rio vs Batista
You know that babyface that nobody is cheering for, because they don't want to see him main event WrestleMania? Do you also know that heel that nobody has really given a shit about for a long time but WWE refused to believe wasn't a big star? How about we just sort of have them feud with each other? It's not like we have to put any effort into a story like that if we know that it is going to suck no matter what. That's how you get home early on a work night. Now let's talk about rehashing that "Santino is infatuated with a Diva" storyline with this Emma chick. Also, we don't have to put any effort into Brock vs Taker, right? Cause I'm tired after trying to block out all of these 'yes' chants that I keep hearing.
TV SHOW OR WEB PROGRAM
choose between: 30 Second Fury, 5 Things, Afterburn, Backstage Fallout, Behind the Match, Best of Raw, Best of SmackDown, Beyond the Ring, Bottom Line, Experience, Free for All, Friday Night SmackDown, JBL & Cole Show, Legends House, Main Event, Monday Night Raw, NXT, Outside the Ring, Raw Backstage Pass, Raw Pre-Show, Rivalries, Slam City, SmackDown Backstage Pass, SmackDown Pre-Show, Superstars, The Monday Night War, This Week, Top 10, Total Divas, WrestleMania Rewind, WWE Cheap Pops, WWE Countdown, WWE in 5, WWE Inbox, WWE Insider, WWE Warehouse
[BEST]: NXT
Raw tends to drag, SmackDown and Main Event and Superstars are utterly pointless to watch, Total Divas has become far too scripted and stereotypical to be worth a damn and the majority of the other programming is made up of documentaries and recaps, so that's nothing special. NXT, on the other hand, is almost always a quality hour of television with some great matches and some interesting storylines and characters.
[WORST]: (tie) WWE Insider + Slam City
WWE Insider was a piss poor attempt at adding yet another no-budget show into the lineup and they sure as hell stumbled out of the gate by starting off with mundane stuff like Natalya talking about shoes. As far as Slam City goes....ugh. Just...ugh. You got rid of Cheap Pops and kept this garbage?
PAY-PER-VIEW OR SPECIAL EVENT
choose between: Battleground, Elimination Chamber, Extreme Rules, Hall of Fame, Hell in a Cell, Money in the Bank, Night of Champions, NXT Arrival, NXT Takeover, NXT Takeover: Fatal 4-Way, NXT Takeover: R Evolution, Payback, Royal Rumble, Slammy Awards, SummerSlam, Survivor Series, TLC, Tribute to the Troops, WrestleMania
[BEST]: (tie) WrestleMania XXX + NXT TakeOver: R Evolution
I enjoyed quite a bit from WrestleMania and even though some of the matches were just okay or 'meh' and I think WWE dropped the ball and made the Streak's conquest pointless over the past year, it's still easily the most memorable event of 2014. Then again, I was thoroughly impressed with R Evolution and I think it's justified as to why people made such a big deal about it afterward. Those guys deserve a lot of credit and I just can't ignore them in this category.
[WORST]: Night of Champions
Looking back, I don't seem to have much positive to say about this event.
[PERFORMER AWARDS]
NEWCOMER
choose between: Alexander Rusev, Emma, Lana, Paige, Bo Dallas, Adam Rose, The Bunny + new NXT roster arrivals
[BEST]: Kevin Owens
He's had one match and I'm already more impressed by him than people like Rusev.
[WORST]: Adam Rose
Fat lot of good this guy's done, right? He couldn't get over as a babyface and he can't get over as a heel. He's crap on the mic, not anything special in the ring, and he's on the fast track to being a total jobber and then being released in 2015.
DIVA
choose between: AJ Lee, Aksana, Alexa Bliss, Alicia Fox, Bayley, Becky Lynch, Brie Bella, Cameron, Carmella, Charlotte, Devin Taylor, Eden Rhodes, Emma, Eva Marie, JoJo Offerman, Kaitlyn, Kendall Skye, Lana, Layla El, Naomi, Natalya, Nikki Bella, Paige, Rosa Mendes, Sasha Banks, Summer Rae, Tamina Snuka, Veronica Lane, Vickie Guerrero
[BEST]: AJ Lee
AJ Lee is not only one of the most attractive women that stepped foot in WWE in 2014, but she's also the best all-around performer in the Divas division. She can cut a better promo and put on a better match than anybody in my opinion.
[WORST]: Rosa Mendes
All this time in the company and she still can't wrestle one bit. At least with some of the younger Divas that aren't great in the ring like Eva Marie, they're still learning, so that's an excuse. There's no excuse for Rosa. She's been on the main roster longer than a good portion of the women in the company and she is the worst wrestler of the bunch.
TAG TEAM
choose between: 3MB, The Ascension, Big Show & Mark Henry (Big & Strong), Damian Mizdow & The Miz, Evolution, Goldust & Cody Rhodes (Brotherhood), Goldust & Stardust, J & J Security, Jason Jordon & Tye Dillinger, Kalisto & El Local, The Legionnaires, Los Matadores, Lucha Dragons, The Mechanics, New Age Outlaws, The New Day, The Prime Time Players, The Real Americans, RybAxel, The Shield, Slater Gator, The Usos, The Vaudevillains, Wesley Blake & Buddy Murphy, The Wyatt Family, Xavier Woods & R-Truth
[BEST]: The Usos
As stated above in the Best Title Reign category, The Usos were the backbone of the entire tag team division for 2014 and I've enjoyed seeing them not only in their pay-per-view title defenses, but as regular performers on Monday Night Raw. They've stepped up their game considerably and I'm a big fan of them as a duo now, when I previously thought that they were just okay.
[WORST]: Xavier Woods & R-Truth
These two were useless. I like them, so it's a shame that I have to say that, but what did they accomplish? Their whole run together was odd. They feuded with Tons of Funk over their theme song, which resulted in both teams splitting up and nobody using the song except Naomi. Awesome. Glad to see that we wasted time on that and all we got out of it was Jason Albert on commentary and Brodus Clay in TNA. Woods and Truth are one of the few tag teams of this year to have really done nothing of value.
MANAGER OR VALET
choose between: El Torito, Funkadactyls, Hornswoggle, Lana, Layla, Paul Heyman, Summer Rae, Xavier Woods, Zeb Colter
[BEST]: Paul Heyman
Zeb Colter is great, Lana is assuredly going to get some votes, but for my money, Paul Heyman is the man to beat in this category. He's got so much weight on his shoulders to keep the Brock Lesnar money train going, considering how Lesnar never appears to hold up his end of the bargain.
[WORST]: Layla
At least El Torito and Hornswoggle tried new things. Layla was thrust into Summer Rae's role and didn't do anywhere near as good of a job at it. She looked so out of place and it was very awkward.
SUPPORTING/GUEST CHARACTER
choose between: Booker T, Brad Maddox, John Bradshaw Layfield, Stephanie McMahon, Teddy Long, Triple H, Vickie Guerrero, Vince McMahon, the little kid on the Toys R Us commercial (4/14/2014), Wyatt Family children singers (Raw 4/28/2014), Adam Rose's Exotic Express, Micro Cole & Jerry The King Smaller & JB Elf/ WeeBL, Dimitri Vodkaberger (Raw 6/2/2014), Megan Miller (Daniel Bryan's physical therapist from Raw 8/11/2014), Miz's makeup artist (Raw 9/1/2014), Bo Dallas Americans that Jack Swagger let down (Richie, Angelo, Jennifer, Raw 9/1/2014), Army soldier Rusev attacks (Raw 10/20/2014), Rusev's mute victory celebrate comrades (Raw 11/10/2014), Kane's concessions manager (Raw 11/24/2014), Anonymous Raw General Manager (Raw 11/24/2014) + any that I might be missing
[BEST]: Stephanie McMahon
Stephanie is 50% of the equation when thinking about why The Authority works so well. Triple H is the other half and the two piggyback off each other in the perfect way. Steph helped get countless angles over, whether it was against someone like Daniel Bryan or even Brie Bella.
[WORST]: Megan Miller
If I were to ignore celebrities like Florida Georgia Line and Hoda, I'd have to give this to the character of Daniel Bryan's physical therapist Megan Miller from the August 11th edition of Monday Night Raw. This concept of Bryan cheating on Brie Bella went over like a lead balloon and I'm very glad WWE didn't dwell on it much longer.
* Side Note: Since it's become somewhat of a tradition for me to berate a child in this category, I'd like to point out how there were two potential losers for this year—the kid in the K-Mart commercials and the Wyatt Family children singers. Stupid kids.
BROADCASTER
choose between: Alex Riley, Ashley Roberts, Byron Saxton, Carlos Cabrera, Jason Albert, JBL, Jerry Lawler, Jerry Soto, Josh Mathews, Kyle Edwards (Arda Ocal), Marcelo Rodriguez, Michael Cole, Renee Young, Ricardo Rodriguez, Rich Brennan, Scott Stanford, Tom Phillips, William Regal
[BEST]: John Bradshaw Layfield
JBL isn't perfect, but he's the most consistently entertaining person of the bunch. Most of the others are just too bland to stand out or they've got something that annoys me about them.
[WORST]: Jerry "The King" Lawler
I hate the idea that I'm giving this spot to The King instead of someone easily replaceable like Jason Albert or Rich Brennan or Byron Saxton, but Lawler has just been phoning it in beyond a tolerable level this year. He literally seems to do nothing but repeat what's been said earlier, but in his mind-numbingly fake "excited voice". Half the time when he does that, he isn't even repeating something that needs to be repeated. Jerry used to be amazing on the commentary team with Jim Ross but he's become as useless as the senile old man at a family's holiday dinner table that just makes a lot of noise but nobody should waste their time listening to, as none of it is going to be interesting to hear.
ANNOUNCER
choose between: Devin Taylor, Eden Rhodes, JoJo Offerman, Justin Roberts, Kendall Skye, Lilian Garcia, Tony Chimel
[BEST]: Justin Roberts
He was the best thing after The Fink and it sucks that he's gone.
[WORST]: (tie) Kendall Skye / Devin Taylor / Eden Rhodes / JoJo Offerman
I honestly can't really tell the difference between any of them. They're all really bland and tend to enunciate things the same way—in a bit more of a shriek than I personally like.
HEEL
choose between: Bad News Barrett, Bo Dallas, Bray Wyatt, Brock Lesnar, Cesaro, Curtis Axel, Damien Mizdow, Dean Ambrose, Erick Rowan, Fandango, Goldust, Heath Slater, Hornswoggle, Jack Swagger, Kane, Luke Harper, Mark Henry, The Miz, Randy Orton, Roman Reigns, Rusev, Ryback, Seth Rollins, Stardust, Titus O'Neil, Triple H, Tyson Kidd + released talent + NXT roster heels
[BEST]: Triple H
He sells The Authority. There's no doubt in your mind that he believes a lot of what he says and on top of that, he looks intimidating enough to pull off his threats. When he says he's going to destroy you, you believe that he'll make good on that promise, and when he's not trying to be the tough guy but more of the corrupt corporate asshole, well, he's got that down pat as well.
[WORST]: Curtis Axel
There have been plenty of subpar heels this year that were jobbers and such, but they all offered something to the table. Someone like Heath Slater is supposed to be laughed at. Curtis Axel just sucked and wasn't able to get the job done.
BABYFACE
choose between: Adam Rose, Big E, Big Show, The Bunny, Chris Jericho, Daniel Bryan, Darren Young, Dean Ambrose, Diego, Dolph Ziggler, El Torito, Erick Rowan, Fernando, Goldust, Great Khali, Hornswoggle, Jack Swagger, Jey Uso, Jimmy Uso, John Cena, Justin Gabriel, Kofi Kingston, Mark Henry, R-Truth, Rob Van Dam, Roman Reigns, Ryback, Seth Rollins, Sheamus, Sin Cara, Stardust, The Undertaker, Xavier Woods, Zack Ryder + released talent + NXT roster babyfaces
[BEST]: Daniel Bryan
Credit to Dean Ambrose for almost winning this award, but I can't go against Daniel Bryan. Despite not being there for a good amount of the year, he is still above and beyond the best babyface performer from 2014. The response from the crowd alone is an indicator of this. At the beginning of the year, he was a hotter ticket than anybody has been in WWE in a very, very long time. He shouldn't be punished and not given this distinction just because he hasn't been wrestling as often, especially when you consider how over he still is with the crowd when he does make his appearances.
[WORST]: Adam Rose
Don't get me wrong, Sheamus and Batista sucked as babyfaces...hard. But Adam Rose is an entirely different level of bad when it comes to being someone that the fans should cheer. His entire gimmick was based off the idea that he's a likable guy that people want to be around and party with, but in an entire arena filled with people, the only ones that seemed into him even marginally were the dead-eyed members of the Exotic Express. Rosita and Tessa Blanchard make hot Rosebuds, but nobody ever looked genuinely happy to be around Adam Rose. They all have this soulless and drained autopilot thing going on where they're smiling in such a fake way that it comes off even more depressing than if Rose had just came to the ring alone. Sure, his theme was catchy for a couple weeks, but that only gets you so far. Rose's value to the babyface concept is the equivalent of the type of person that claims that they are hilarious, but nobody laughs at anything they say.
SUPERSTAR OF THE YEAR
choose between every superstar that was on the roster at some point in 2014, including those who have been released
[BEST]: Seth Rollins
Seth Rollins has been the most consistently top-notch performer this entire year. He was instrumental in the success of the angles that The Shield were a part of at the beginning of the year when he was a babyface, he had the best turn of the year against Reigns and Ambrose, followed it up with a Money in the Bank win (as well as a generally impressive pay-per-view record overall), and he had a potential feuds of the year with Dean Ambrose. Rollins is the workhorse that made The Authority a living, breathing entity. Without him, it would have floundered under Randy Orton and Kane. Everybody else on the roster that had amazing moments ended up absent for too long to justify having them in this category, such as Daniel Bryan, Roman Reigns or Brock Lesnar. They went super boiling hot, then went away, but Rollins stayed sizzling comfortably for twelve straight months and you survive more on the constant smaller meals throughout the year than you do if you limit yourself to only the big feasts that are sparingly offered. I may or may not have been hungry when I wrote this analogy, but then again, we all know that 'hungry' is one of the Rollins attributes, so it works.
[WORST]: Adam Rose
As bad as Khali is....and he is really, really bad....he pretty much stayed off on the sidelines this year. That made him less offensive. But can you name anything positive that Adam Rose has done, for the most part? He hasn't had a single great match and his promo skills are in the toilet. He doesn't resonate with the crowd as a babyface or a heel. His theme song was catchy but got tiresome fast. And why don't I see Rosita as the bee anymore? WTF? She's hot!
[SMACK TALK AWARDS]
Vote for your best/worst choices by filling out this poll!
"DID YOU KNOW?" JOKE OF THE YEAR
[MY CHOICES FOR BEST]:
Episode #113. Raw might go Old School once a year, but Undertaker holds the record for most times “going Old School” - every match.
Episode #115. Isaac Yankem was supposed to do this Did You Know, but he said he wanted to reschedule for another time. Source: If you want to introduce him, "It's gotta be Kane!"
Episode #121. Hulk Hogan's big announcement next week is that Mr. America was him all along.
Episode #122. Next week, Hulk Hogan will announce a special JTG Memorial match to feature all of the wrestlers with dead careers. Source: We're bringing it, bringing it. Whatcha gonna do, when Hulkamania…
Episode #127. WWE Legends House hasn’t aired yet and it’s already better than TNA’s Legends Title. However, that’s not much of a compliment
Episode #135. Smark Out Moment & Fanboys Anonymous had their own spring cleaning in April and do not wish any of them well in their future endeavors.
Episode #136. Mega Powers Radio celebrated its one-year anniversary and Miss Elizabeth has still yet to cause any friction.
Episode #138. Now that Seth Rollins has some money in the bank, maybe he can afford to not be homeless anymore.
Episode #139. The average Real American eats 137.9 pounds of Rusev each year.
Episode #145. Glacier would do the ALS ice bucket challenge for charity, but he's apparently too cool for that.
Episode #148. TNA has recently met with silent investors for a minority stake in the company. All investors have remained silent.
Episode #150. The lyrics of Brie Bella’s new theme are actually a recipe for a really ripping lentil soup.
Episode #152. This week's Did You Know was shipped via United Airlines so instead of being here on this video, it has been sent to Canada.
Episode #153. TNA has been competing in a Contract on a Pole match for a TV deal, but in true TNA fashion, they’ve reversed the match’s gimmick.
[MY CHOICES FOR WORST]:
Episode #117. CM Punk left WWE because his ice cream bars finally melted.
Episode #123. I'm actually Cranky Vince.
Episode #124. WrestleMania is next week. Sure doesn't feel like it, right? Source: Mike Paden
Episode #137. Weird Al Yankovic is the Phantom of the Opera, according to Jerry Lawler
Episode #140. "I'll be heading to #WWEBattleground to present the new IC-Champ with his title. My money's on @HeathSlaterOMRB. #BringBackTheCorre". - @WadeBarrett — See? He endorses Hearsay Heath Slater.
Episode #143. n/a (live episode)
Episode #144. Since it costs money to sing Happy Birthday on the air, WWE had to fire Alberto Del Rio just to celebrate Hulk Hogan.
Episode #149. Following Monday Night Raw’s example, next week’s Smack Talk episode will be main-evented by the Rest Hold commercial break.
Episode #156. I can cut a Luke Harper promo, too. *picture of eyes*
OUTRO OF THE YEAR
click here for a video smash-cut of all of the outros from 2014
[MY CHOICES FOR BEST]:
Episode #132. "Outro of Domination" (Nation of Domination) by Tony Mango
Episode #133. "I'm A Boliever" by Mike Paden
Episode #137. Vacant by Tony Mango
Episode #140. "Kung Fu Kenta" (Kung Fu Naki) by Mike Paden
Episode #145. "Next Big Outro" (Brock Lesnar) by Mike Paden
Episode #162. "O' Outro Tree" by Tony Mango
[MY CHOICES FOR WORST]:
Episode #123. n/a (live Road Trip to WrestleMania episode)
Episode #139. "Bo Yo Outro" (Bo Burnham) by Drew Crew
Episode #143. n/a (live Summer Block Party episode)
Episode #154. "Not Jeff's Theme" (Al & Moo's Theme from Doug) by Miguel Leon
Episode #157. n/a (live Fallout Fest episode)
SEGMENT OF THE YEAR
[MY CHOICES FOR BEST]:
2013 Smarkies Awards
Call the Spot on the Card
IWC Outreach: Monthly Mailbag Q&A Inbox
[MY CHOICES FOR WORST]:
Outside Interference: What's on What Culture?
RECURRING JOKE OF THE YEAR
[MY CHOICES FOR BEST]:
"I don't get high, I AM high!"
"Not-Jeff" is John's name.
"Want me to shine yo shoes, Mr. Mango?
Big Show's gun
Captain Lou Al Bono (Do you remember when Captain Lou Albano was on the Super Mario Bros show?)
Drew White's "Mr. Kotter / Mr. Carter" John Travolta voice
Ricky "The Steam" Boat
ROYGHT ROYGHT ROYGHT - Triple H's impression of Bad News Barrett
Rusev is a potato
Shaun Walker – "Ya'know what I'm sayin'?"
Song – Los Matadores "just got my dick sucked" theme
Tugger "The Tuboat" Boat / Tugger "The Tug" Boat-Boat
[MY CHOICES FOR WORST]:
Bobcore Holly
CO-HOST OF THE YEAR
* As ringmaster of this circus, I abstained from voting in this category
START MAKING UP YOUR LISTS NOW AND LET US KNOW YOUR CHOICES IN THE COMMENTS BELOW!
Each week, we break down the world of professional wrestling and examine two of the polar opposite ends of the spectrum: one thing that was by far the worst thing (Cheap Heat) and the best thing (Cheap Pop) to happen over the past 7 days in sports entertainment. So, what went down this week that we loved and hated about the business?
CHEAP POP OF THE WEEK:
STEAMING AHEAD
Is Dolph Ziggler the new Ricky "The Dragon" Steamboat? Aesthetically, no. However, bear with me on this one.
Monday Night Raw saw Ziggler and Luke Harper clash once again. Question: why do Ziggler matches run (for the most part) on the undercard or midcard of the show?
Granted, he is the Intercontinental champion; a belt which heralds the wearer to being champion of the midcard, but the sheer quality of his matches are main event worthy time and time again. Luke Harper is no slouch either. These two compliment each other well.
Harper is a powerhouse, a rough house brawler—he hits stiff and solid and puts up a damn good fight. Then, we have Ziggler—a man who can sell like nobody's business, a good all-rounder in mat skills, and one who positively sweats charisma.
People believe in him because he believes in himself. Even in WWE sanctioned interviews, he holds little back. He admits to having a chip on his shoulder and the frustration in his eyes and voice is evident. Anyone who has been held back but refuses to give up can relate.
He knows what he is worth, and is forever excelling to prove it.
So, back to the original question: is he the new Steamboat? Think about it. Everyone knows one of the best matches at WrestleMania III was not the main event with Hulk Hogan and André the Giant. Sure, from a ticket and marketing standpoint it was, but on a technical level, this belongs to the Intercontinental title match between Steamboat and Randy Savage.
It is for this reason the parallels can begin to be drawn. Seemingly, it matters little where you place a Ziggler match; he does as his catchphrase says—steals the show.
As illustrated once again on Monday Night Raw, he is one of the best champions in a long time. Wherever they place him, he still delivers main event material, but for his sake and self-worth, I hope WWE will eventually place him where he deserves to go.
CHEAP HEAT OF THE WEEK:
WHAT'S UP DOC?
On last week's Monday Night Raw, we saw the continuation of Adam Rose taking out his stresses on Chief Lieutenant Rosebud, The Bunny.
This bizarre tandem has endured for two reasons; the first being, they are a bit of silly fun, but also, for the sheer absurdity of The Bunny being a damn fine wrestler. I have to confess to enjoying seeing these two do the odd tag-team, but I am not convinced WWE is sure where they are going with the story here.
When Rose first attacked The Bunny a few months back, one would have thought it was the start of a heel-turn, surely. Well, yes and no.
Initially, he appeared to patch things up with The Bunny, but then quickly degenerated into his PETA-worrying antics time and time again.
Outside attacking The Bunny, he has hardly changed; maybe he is a little angrier than before, a little more aggressive, but unlike "party time" — not all the time. He appears stuck as some heel/face hybrid.
People do not want to hate Rose; he still attracts a certain level of respect for his NXT days as Leo Kruger (a gimmick many would like him to have still). But as Rose, he is still a fluid wrestler, his antics and demur are amusing, and he has a highly infectious entrance.
Believe it or not, Raymond Leppan (Rose) has actually been wrestling for nearly twenty years, having debuted at just sixteen-years old. He deserves a little more thought with his WWE development, and I am not convinced this bunny bashing has a long-term plan. It feels booked on a show-by-show basis, but with no real end goal thought out.
Let's hope it does not end up a lemon.
So there you have it, my two choices for the week. What do YOU think are the Cheap Pop and Cheap Heat this week in professional wrestling? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!
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