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| All Shield Everything Photo Credit: WWE.com |
Group of the Year - For the group, stable, or cadre of wrestlers who best exemplified teamwork, continuity, and entertainment value.
Prior Winners:
2009 – Team FIST (Chuck Taylor, Gran Akuma, Icarus)
2010 – Bruderschaft des Kreuzes (Claudio Castagnoli, Ares, Tursas, Sara del Rey, Daizee Haze, Tim Donst, Jakob Hammermeier, Lince Dorado, Pinkie Sanchez, Dieter von Stiegerwalt)
2011 – Not Given
2012 – The Submission Squad (Davey Vega, Evan Gelistico, Gary Jay, Pierre Abernathy)
And the nominees are…
The Business (Angel Blue, Chris Trew, Jojo Bravo, Ricky Romida, Thomas Shire) – Chris Trew's band of merry misfits reigned terror over the tag team division in Anarchy Championship Wrestling and made Jack Jameson's life a living hell. Through evil tactics and downright tomfoolery, the group has been a staple in the current gang war landscape of the landmark Texas promotion.
Mount Rushmore (Adam Cole, Kevin Steen, Matt Jackson, Nick Jackson) – In a promotion that usually doesn't have stables, a super cartel of baddies running shit is a big deal. Their reign of terror may be still somewhat new, but they've already shaken up the order, monopolized the Pro Wrestling Guerrilla titles, and made a new heroine out of Candice LeRae.
The Shield (Dean Ambrose, Roman Reigns, Seth Rollins) – The paramilitary group stormed from the crowd into the hearts of WWE fans at the very end of last year, but they took the company by the shorthairs and dragged it around by their whims in this year. They have yet to have a bad match as a group, and they've been lynchpins in no fewer than two major angles this year alone.
The Submission Squad (Davey Vega, Evan Gelistico, Gary Jay, Pierre Abernathy, Hot Young Briley [AIW only]) – Last year's winners continue to make waves this year both in ACW and Absolute Intense Wrestling, where they took on Dolph Ziggler's little brother and took on the questionable action of harassing Tracy Smothers. While I'm not sure I'd want to mess with a Wild-Eyed Southern Boy, I'm also not a highly-trained group of pro wrestlers with supreme trolling abilities.
The Wyatt Family (Bray Wyatt, Erick Rowan, Luke Harper) – The ethereal yin to the Shield's gritty yang, the Wyatts debuted with the intent of destroying the WWE machine. They've bitten off big pieces of that machinery to great effect, and while I feel the best of them is yet to come, they've done well enough to be recognized this year.
Tag Team of the Year - For the tandem that in addition to displaying optimal entertainment value and wrestling prowess on their own, also displayed the best teamwork and cohesion as a unit both in and out of the ring.
Prior Winners:
2009 – Chris Jericho and the Big Show
2010 – The Motor City Machine Guns (Alex Shelley and Chris Sabin)
2011 – The Young Bucks (Matt and Nick Jackson)
2012 – The Super Smash Brothers (Player Uno and Stupefied)
And the nominees are…
Pieces of Hate (Jigsaw and The Shard) – Jigsaw and his twisted mirror image were as dynamic a team in Chikara as any could be, terrorizing Mike Quackenbush, having excellent matches, and garnering storyline momentum into a win over 3.0 for Los Campeonatos de Parejas. While their team-ups were more and more sparse after the unfortunate events at the Trocadero, the Pieces of Hate put in a strong enough five months at the beginning of the year to get them on the list.
The Rhodes Boys (Cody Rhodes and Goldust) – They were only a team for the last quarter of the year, but them Fightin' Sons of the Big Dust made such an impact on WWE programming that their nomination feels natural. Their two month arc against The Shield was one of the best stories WWE told in the last five years, and a lot of that credit goes to those performers. Plus, the matches with Roman Reigns and Seth Rollins produced some of the most stellar in-ring work in WWE all year.
The Shield (Roman Reigns and Seth Rollins) – When the Hounds of Justice started chasing gold, Reigns and Rollins branched out into the tag division to stellar results. AS mentioned above, their feud with the Rhodeses produced some of the best tag matches all year, and their teamwork remained as crisp and fluid as it was with Ambrose in the fold as well.
Team Hell No (Daniel Bryan and Kane) – Their run came to an end in the summer, but they were still lighting the WWE on fire, even if their shtick was mostly recursive from their original pairing. Still, I don't blame the duo for the material given from Creative, and the fact remains that they executed it brilliantly regardless. Their run of matches together, against The Shield or otherwise, cannot be ignored either.
The Young Bucks (Matt and Nick Jackson) – The Young Bucks have an almost permanent nomination in this category because they are the best tag team in the world. This year, they rocked the house in DDT4, had stellar matches in promotions the country over, and of course, continued redefining what being a heel on the indies means.
Manager of the Year - For the character who did the best to enhance another wrestler's status and artistic value without actually being a full-time wrestler.
Prior Winner:
2012 – Veronica Ticklefeather
And the nominees are…
Chris Trew– The leader of the Business is everything one could ask for in a classic manager. He roused rabble among his charges' opponents and wasn't afraid to take a few lumps for them in the name of distraction. Plus, he rocks a sweet sweatband on his forehead.
Paul Heyman– Heyman played CM Punk's foil for most of the year, and he put out some of his best microphone work in the process. Common logic dictates that a manager should not be placed with someone who doesn't need him, and on the surface, neither Punk in the beginning of the year nor Brock Lesnar all year needed Heyman to help get heat. However, he added to all his charges in some way, so he gets the nod.
Sidney Bakabella– Bakabella added three wrestlers to his fold in 2013 and built one of the best evil forces across the Wrestlings Are universe, period. His unmistakable old school rasp and fearsome scowl make him the perfect complement to his Wrecking Crew.
Sylvester LeFort– The new kid on the block collected a redneck and a hoss, put himself on some money, and became one of the best managers in WWE, even though he was still in developmental. One could argue that neither Scott Dawson nor Alexander Rusev were lighting the world on fire before they got with LeFort, but afterwards, his cocksure direction gave them a foothold.
Zeb Colter– He showed up tailing Jack Swagger one day, and within a month, he was leaps and bounds more popular than his charge. One could suggest that using a racist, xenophobic shtick to get more over than the guys the manager is supposed to be guiding is a strike against him, but at the same time, Colter has been so goddamn entertaining in his own right that he deserves mention.