 |
| An epic WWE feud Photo Credit: WWE.com |
Let's get on to the next group of nominees, shall we?
The New to Me Award - For the best rookie or heretofore new wrestler to major promotions known to me in the last year or so.
Prior Winners:
2009 – Sheamus
2010 – Wade Barrett
2011 – Mia Yim
2012 – Mark Angel/Angelosetti
And the nominees are:
Andrew Everett - He began the year as a wrestling soccer goat, but masked or not, he tore up the indies this year after toiling in relative obscurity. Chikara, CZW, Gabe-Land, and AIW all got a taste of what he could do, and in turn, he helped heap attention on his home territory in North Carolina.
Biff Busick - Busick went from being a guy with a little bit of buzz at the beginning of the year to being one of the surest things on any card he was booked on. I don't think it a coincidence that his feud with Eddie Edwards came about the same time Beyond Wrestling was going on a bigger schedule. Plus, as Frank O'Rourke, he became as much of a stalwart for the Wrestlings Are as anyone else.
Enzo Amore - When I first heard that WWE had given a dude a loud mouth New Yorker gimmick, I was a bit hesitant to accept it, but then I saw Amore chew up scenery with his speed-addled and insanely charming promo style. The man was money in any segment he was in, and his wrestling is surprisingly not far behind his mic skills.
Estonian Thunder Frog - The first time I ever saw him at National Pro Wrestling Day was one of the happiest days in my wrestling fan life. Even though he's only technically wrestled for main company once, he is probably the most Chikara wrestler ever. In his first year as a character, the Frog had good matches, a money gimmick with the hammer, and even some story work against the Polar Baron's Union.
Tyler Breeze - A dude who takes selfies all the time? Even in today's society, where something like that could come off as trite, Breeze made it work. He threw himself so much into character that he made it work past superficial trappings. Breeze is easily one of NXT's best characters, let alone new characters.
Feud of the Year - For the rivalry between two or more wrestlers or groups of wrestlers that best exemplified storytelling or match quality
Prior Winners:
2009 – CM Punk vs. Jeff Hardy
2010 – Kevin Steen (and Steve Corino) vs. El Generico (and Colt Cabana)
2011 – CM Punk vs. John Cena
2012 – Daniel Bryan vs. Kane
And the nominees are:
Amasis vs. Ophidian - The build for the Implosion of the Osirian Portal was a lot longer the payoff portion of it was, but that six months between Under the Hood and Aniversario was hot. Having an epic blowoff match helped tons.
Antonio Cesaro vs. Sami Zayn - This match was based mostly on three incredible wrestling matches on TV. The setup was simple; Cesaro demanded better competition, and Zayn provided it. And he provided it again. And then he provided it in a best two-out-of-three falls match. Cesaro won the feud, but Zayn was minted as a bona fide star in the process.
Biff Busick vs. Eddie Edwards - Most feuds are based in personal issues, but Busick and Edwards engaged in what most would probably call "rivalry." No hate was developed between the two, but the matches kept escalating and escalating, creating the most unique feud in years.
Daniel Bryan vs. Randy Orton - Even with their tepid story run between SummerSlam and Hell in a Cell, Bryan and Orton still brought the heat in the ring. Where this feud shone best for me was in the summer time, when Bryan, Orton, and Kane were still embroiled in a feud with The Shield. Their dissension provided great subtext to the main story and again generated some spiffy matches.
The Rhodes Boys vs. The Shield - WWE anomalously put together a concise, two-month story with some of the best of their characters and saved the fall months when the WWE Championship scene was floundering. The Rhodes family's struggle and redemption was one of the best heroic arcs of the last few years, and The Shield was the perfect foil group for them.