Year End Awards 2004
By: The TBL Staff
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Roundtable participants!
Comments:
Introduction
2004 was no different than 2003 on a lot of fronts. Although there seemed to be more negatives this year, the usual
great wrestling was present throughout all twelve months, which created some good competition for the Match of the Year
category. The year will be most likely remembered with WWE's celebration of WrestleMania XX, and TNA and ROH making
an even stronger attempt at becoming bigger companies. The facts are that at the end of this year, we have a TNA/ROH News
b-log, and a whole news report section (by Trevor) deticated to those two groups! Here's a quick review of what went down...
WWE
Bad. When it comes down to it, this was a horrible year for WWE. One, that the company needs to move away from quickly. The addition of more PPV events
to the already-full WWE calendar is the main key to the company's problems this year. As usual, there was some good, and it was more than good, too, but just like
every other year with this company, things started falling apart afterwards. Up to WrestleMania XX, they had a great product, and one that was improving from the past two years,
and after that they lost everything. New faces were finally introduced, but for many it wasn't the time. For all the Heidenreichs, Mordecais, Snitskys, Simon Deans and
Tomkos we got this year, we were only given one Carlito Carribean Cool. Randy Orton was destined to become the next big superstar, but thanks to Triple H and the complete
lack of any creativity on WWE's side, he lost his momentum and is slowly dying out as a character. Of course, as one Big Thing leaves, another one comes. Lesnar went
to play football and gave everyone a big "F U" while John Cena and Dave Batista seem to be the stars in the making for 2005! Finally, to show what the state of the company is,
the year will be remembered with all the releases WWE made. The following 35 people said goodbye to WWE in 2004:
- Kevin Nash
- Spanky
- Zach Gowen
- Kanyon
- Ernest Miller
- Nikita Fink (OVW talent)
- Bill Goldberg
- Brock Lesnar
- Faarooq/Ron Simmons
- Sean O'Haire
- Terri Runnels
- Stone Cold Steve Austin
- Brian Christopher
- Scott Steiner
- Bobbi Billard (OVW talent)
- LaTasha Marzolla (OVW talent)
- Chavo Guerrero Sr.
- Jacqueline
- Rue DeBona
- Sakoda
- Rikishi
- Sable
- Jamie Noble
- Tom Prichard
- Pat Patterson
- A-Train
- Billy Gunn
- Test
- Gail Kim
- Nidia
- Chuck Palumbo
- Jazz
- Johnny Stamboli
- Rodney Mack
- Rico
The Others
It wasn't a banner year for all but a select promotions around the world this year, and all struggled with a diminishing fanbase and decreased interest in traditional professional wrestling. In America, the main independent promotions were TNA and Ring of Honor, mainstays such as MLW went out of business (and an attempted startup based on it never got off the ground, and other promotions such as CZW had big shows but didn't make much news other than that. TNA switched from a weekly PPV format to weekly TV on FSN combined with monthly PPVs. Their parent company, Panda Energy, announced that they had lost over $17 million in the enterprise. Ring of Honor survived a large pedophilia scandal with its former owner Rob Feinstein and was able to end the year on a positive note after strong matches and feuds. The shows that drew the most were largely lucha libre and nostalgia shows.
In England, the Wrestling Channel, a startup satellite channel that offers wrestling promotions from around the world on a 24/7 basis, did poor ratings and bled money. Mexico is where international promotions faired the best, with strong traditional promotions and an even stronger Indy circuit. WWE drew record numbers in the country earlier this year. In Puerto Rico there was a wrestling war between WWC and IWA, and IWA won. WWC was saved by a feud between Carly (on loan from WWE) and Eddie Colón. In Japan, several promotions closed, and a few (Toryumon as Dragon Gate; Zero One as Zero One X) reopened. Traditional wrestling was overtaken by shoot wrestling, or mixed martial arts, a process sped up by New Japan owned Antonio Inoki. None of the promotions have a direction that look to be profitable in the immediate future, but Pro Wrestling NOAH and at times New Japan drew critical acclaim.
The Awards
Performer of the Year
Wrestler of the Year
Diva of the Year
Tag Team of the Year
Match of the Year
Stable of the Year
Manager of the Year
PPV of the Year
Angle of the Year
Feud of the Year
Breakthrough Wrestler of the Year
Theme Song of the Year
Most Improved Wrestler of the Year
Commentator of the Year
Promotion of the Year
Finishing Move of the Year
Favorite Wrestler of the Year
Performer of the Year
The winner of this award doesn't have to be the best wrestler of 2004. What's considered is a combination of all attributes that in one's opinion make up a great pro wrestler. For example, the selection can be a wrestler who wasn't the best inside the ring in 2004, however, managed to combine his skills with microphone ability, storyline telling, outside TV appearances, etc. Hence the name "performer" of the year, rather "wrestler" of the year, which we'll get to in a bit.
Mike Valente
Selection: Chris Benoit
Thoughts: Without a doubt, Chris Benoit was the man this past year in wrestling. Despite a short tenured run with the title, Benoit pulled a good match out of every opponent he faced.
You can't really think of a bad Chris Benoit match in all his years as a pro, nevermind this one year.. He headlined the biggest WrestleMania PPV of all time and it was amazing to finally see a true wrestling warrior get to the top of the mountain in WWE.
Lou Corsaro
Selection: Triple H
Thoughts: Go ahead, let it out. Scream and yell all you want. Then really think about this one. This year alone, he's helped put over Chris Benoit, Shelton Benjamin, Eugene, Randy Orton and now he's working on Batista. In the meantime, he's been involved in some great promos, a great WrestleMania 21 match and his hilarious taking-of-the-mist via Tajiri. Say whatever you want, but your hate of Triple H is what makes him the most relevant heel in the business, and he's about as good at that as anyone right now.
Josh Fox
Selection: Shawn Michaels
Thoughts: I'm not going to say Shawn Michaels already isn't great, believe me we all know he is. But with each passing year he gets older. But if you watch the guy the older he gets the bigger his heart gets. He always finds away to improve himself just the smallest margin to make the biggest differences in his matches. He will never be any less than what he was or is. He just gets better.
Keenan Graeme
Selection: Triple H
Thoughts: Slowly, but surely he is working his way back up to
the level he was performing before his injury in 2001.
His mic work in the ring was top notch all year long,
and his backstage vignettes were not only entertaining
but they always added something to whatever angle he
was involved with at the time; and because he was more
willing to put over talent this year, all of his
matches were ones you didn't want to miss.
Trevor Hunnicutt
Selection: Eddie Guerrero
Thoughts: For me, Eddie Guerrero has been the only clear choice for performer of the year, in a year where there were no notably notable all-around performers and no organizations that performed well enough for those talents to be maximized. First of all, Eddie Guerrero is a man of great personal strength, and has overcome the demons in his life to be a productive member of society and an even better wrestler than he was (both as a worker and an entertainer, both of which he has improved at over the last year). He has a consistent and insatiable desire to always put on the best match he can, and this year he has been faced with challenges such as several main events with a limited John Bradshaw Layfield and a classic Survivor Series elimination match at the Survivor Series where he had to carry an injured Kurt Angle and two limited opponents, Luther Reigns and Mark Jindrak. Also, Guerrero was given the unique and heavy responsibility of having to “draw” in a time where few competitors have done what can be called drawing (on a consistent basis) in years. His run as champion produced average ratings and buys (they continued to decline) as they did for the previous champion Brock Lesnar and have for the entire year with Triple H (who has been a less than mediocre draw for a talent his caliber) and for the champion that followed him (Mr. Layfield has the lowest numbers of the year). However, Guerrero is the only consistent draw this year, in bringing Hispanic audiences to live events. To repeat that, Eddie Guerrero is the only WWE talent who has the track record of drawing on a consistent basis, and has done so in a largely dead live events market. One example would be his title win against Brock Lesnar in February at No Way Out, where I was in attendance in the San Francisco market, and the sold-out house was largely Hispanic. The win was a representation of how far smaller wrestlers and Mexicans have come as far as being successful in a largely Caucasian environment that has refused to recognize their talents. Guerrero has been more than consistent and reliable in a year of mediocrity, in a position of great stress, and been a personal inspiration at the same time. Few other candidates for this award have that background.
Jeanice
Selection: JBL
Thoughts: Thoughts: When JBL's rich and snobby Texan gimmick emerged after breaking
away from Farooq, I just generally well...I hated him. But through his mic
skills and his ability to be a pompous ass I've come to grown to love JBL.
Sure he's not the greatest wrestler ever...but I can honestly say that he
now fits the title of WWE champion. I was a) surprised that he'd get the
title in the firsts place, b) surprised that he'd hold onto it so long and
c) surprised that he's not a bad fit at all in this category. My vote goes
to him for proving the naysayers wrong.
Eddie T.
Selection: Trish Stratus
Thoughts: While I realize that this might come as a surprise to many, I feel that Trish Stratus personifies what a real wrestling superstar is. I revealed my selection a couple of days ago, and have written an entire column, as to why I picked Stratus. You can read it here.
Return to the Match Listing
Wrestler of the Year
Unlike the previous category, this award goes out to the best in-ring professional wrestler for 2004.
Mike Valente
Selection: Chris Benoit
Thoughts: He's been the best technical wrestler for the past 18 years. 2004 was a year that the WWE truly exposed his enormous talent and aptitude for this business.
Lou Corsaro
Selection: Chris Benoit
Thoughts: His performance in the Royal Rumble was electrifying. And I don't care if this is "entertainment" or not, it takes some balls to last that long in the ring. From that point on, he was off and running, giving us high-quality matches consistently throughout the year. Sure, his title run was less-than-spectacular, but that wasn't his fault. While his feud with Evolution may have grown stale, and one with Kane was questionable, Benoit always delivered.
Josh Fox
Selection: Chris Benoit
Thoughts: --
Keenan Graeme
Selection: Chris Benoit
Thoughts: This is an easy category for me. Out of the group of
wrestlers that are technically sound in the ring, very
few of them managed to stay healthy the entire year
and even fewer of the healthy ones turned in solid
performances for the entire year. Chris was finally
given a chance to main event the pay-per-views in
2004, as the champion, and he rose to the challenge.
If there is any flaw in his style, he is too selfless
in the ring, agreeing to do jobs he really shouldn't
and making even mediocre wrestlers look fantastic when
they fight him. It's just a shame that he was
stripped of his belt prematurely to further the Orton
vs. HHH angle. Even without the strap, however, he
still stands out as the most complete wrestler on the
RAW roster.
Trevor Hunnicutt
Selection: Kenta Kobashi
Thoughts: There are a number of qualified people for this award, about 2 or 3 from every major promotion, but the clear choice is Pro Wrestling NOAH’s Kenta Kobashi, who has been the most consistent and combined great wrestling with a wrestling promotion’s ability to draw money (WWE failed most notably at this when trying to sell the triple threat match between Chris Benoit, Shawn Michaels, and Triple H on the three athletes having a great rematch from the March match and then the show didn’t draw well). Kobashi’s main selling point has been his matches, and his matches against Jun Akiyama, a limited Akira Taue, and Yoshihiro Takayama have been tremendous. His Tokyo Dome (July) match with Akiyama was far superior to anything in WWE this year from the top candidates.
Jeanice
Selection: Eddie Guerrero
Thoughts: Eddie always puts on a good show and busts his ass for the fans. I
think he's gotten a bad rap as champion and has stressed himself out because
of it. His kind of dedication and skill is rare and should be recognized.
Eddie T.
Selection: Chris Benoit
Thoughts: This is a very tough choice. There're several people who made a name for themselves in the professional wrestling business this year, and are worthy of this honor. Chris Benoit, Eddie Guerrero, Kenta Kobashi, Shawn Michaels, and AJ Styles could all win this award. I felt that Chris Benoit had the biggest year ahead of him, and although his title reign was ruined by WWE's creative, I think that Benoit was the best wrestler every time he stepped inside the ring. He didn't have a bad match throughout his reign, and made a lot of people look good. A recent match on RAW with Viscera, as well as a title bout with Kane on PPV are good examples of his success.
Return to the Match Listing
Diva of the Year
If it's believed that a woman wrestler should win one of the two awards above, she automatically wins this award. However, if not, this award goes to the best diva of 2004.
Mike Valente
Selection: Trish Stratus
Thoughts: The woman is amazing. After a bit of an awkward beginning to her exciting heel turn in March, Trish shined this year with her phenomenal comedy skits and her continuous work ethic in the ring.
Lou Corsaro
Selection: Trish Stratus
Thoughts: No contest on this one. Not only does she continue to improve as a wrestler, but her heel turn was deliciously well-done. She has taken her new character and run with it, making her one of the most enjoyable heels in wrestling.
Josh Fox
Selection: --
Thoughts: --
Keenan Graeme
Selection: Lita
Thoughts: Considering the completely insane angles that the WWE
expected her to participate in this year, Lita truly
rose to the challenge and exceeded everyone's
expectations in all aspects of her game. Her
wrestling performances were the best of her career and
the way she pulled off some normally career killing
gimmicks make her this year's choice for best diva.
Trevor Hunnicutt
Selection: Trish Stratus
Thoughts: Women’s wrestling is dying in the regions in which it was most prominent (Japan and the USA) and in America depends heavily on the whims of the people who book it. As in years past, one wrestler stands above the rest in terms of being the most all-around women’s performer in the business. Stratus is immensely talented and has more skill in all of the areas that make male wrestlers successful than any of her fellow women wrestlers.
Jeanice
Selection: Lita
Thoughts: Wow, what a comeback this year! After coming off of a devastating
neck injury and boring me to death with her bad acting skills and shoddy
workrate she pulls through to be featured in one of the most controversial
angles in the year as well as pull of one of the best women's matches of the
year with Trish Stratus. I could even say that was one of THE best matches
period, because it was skillful, unexpected, and built up the women's title
to be something more than a pretty accessory. Lita wouldn't have been my
first choice earlier this year, but she is now.
Eddie T.
Selection: Trish Stratus
Thoughts: No questions asked. Trish deserves this award.
Return to the Match Listing
Tag Team of the Year
This award goes to the best tag team of 2004.
Mike Valente
Prediction: America's Most Wanted
Thoughts: Hard to choose because there weren't many. I'll go with America's Most Wanted from TNA. They had one of the best feuds of the year with XXX.
Lou Corsaro
Selection: America's Most Wanted
Thoughts: Chris Harris and James Storm have proved this year what the WWE is missing. They are a popular, relevant and dominating tag team that delievers in the ring. Oh, for the WWE to have guys like this. Top that off with their cage match against Triple X (Elix Skipper and Christopher Daniels), and you have a team no one in WWE can touch.
Josh Fox
Selection: La Resistance
Thoughts: La Resistance, you know the more I watch these guys the more I'm reminded of the Quebecers, who remembers those guys? They are young and have enormous potential, and with them being "Frenchmen" it makes for some interesting matches and storylines with all the other teams on the card. Which brings me to my point WWE hasn't had much of a Tag Division as of late, but these guys were the main heels everyone was after, and for being so green and so young, that is a huge weight to carry and they did it very well in 2004.
Keenan Graeme
Selection: America's Most Wanted
Thoughts: You can count on one hand the number of true tag teams
left in wrestling. In 2004, the number of those teams
that actually put on good performances night in an
night out, dwindled even further. AMW has been
teaming long enough now that they have that special
chemistry in the ring and it shows. They've also
reached a point where they can elevate the team
they're facing simply by putting in a good
performance.
Trevor Hunnicutt
Selection: Mitsuharu Misawa and Yoshinari Ogawa
Thoughts: This was an awful year for tag teams in the WWE. NOAH’s Misawa and Ogawa were reliable and drew. CM Punk and Colt Cabana get honorable mention for an average pairing in ROH and consistently good matches.
Jeanice
Selection: Kenzo Suzuki & Rene Dupree
Thoughts: To me there has never been a more interesting coupling than these
two. They're in-ring skills are okay but they work well as comic relief.
With the two accents and the crazy dancing, these two caught my attention.
Eddie T.
Selection: America's Most Wanted
Thoughts: It seems that in an era where tag team wrestling is taking a huge downfall in WWE, America's Most Wanted have cemented a legacy of a very unique and "capable" tag team. With the looks of a duo that WCW and WWF would have had on their TV program in the 90s, the attitude of two hungry guys looking for a good fight just like the 80s saw, and with the wrestling ability of today, this is the team of 2004. Triple X definitely gets an honorable mention.
Return to the Match Listing
Match of the Year
This award goes for the best match of 2004.
Mike Valente
Selection: Triple H vs. Shawn Michaels vs. Chris Benoit (WrestleMania XX)
Thoughts: One of the greatest triple threat matches I've ever seen worked. The match was so special for Benoit's career. It truly defined his greatness. There were some great matches this year but this one is definitely top choice for me. Being there in New York in attendance made this historic moment even more special
Lou Corsaro
Prediction: Triple H vs. Shawn Michaels vs. Chris Benoit (WrestleMania XX)
Thoughts: This match barely beats Orton vs. Foley and Backlash. The triple threat match wins, in part, because it single-handedly kept the WWE's biggest PPV in history from being a total disaster. By the time we got to it, we had seen the Goldberg-Lesnar train wreck, a shockingly awful Undertaker-Kane squash and a largely bland and boring card. This match, in the end, represented the best of WWE. It told a wonderful story and it made you feel such honest emotions. And to Benoit's credit, he looked as though he truly felt the moment overtook him. Maybe that's because it really did, as he found himself on top of the mountain after 18 years and a devastating neck injury.
Josh Fox
Selection: Triple H vs. Shawn Michaels (Taboo Tuesday)
Thoughts: If you read what I say about Shawn below you will understand why I gave this match the award. Through intense pain and personal injury that may have cost Shawn the rest of his career he still went out and performed one of the greatest matches he has given us.
Keenan Graeme
Selection: Kurt Angle vs. Eddie Guerrero (WrestleMania XX)
Thoughts: While I have nothing against the Benoit/HHH/Michaels
match, I feel like the best stories are told by men in
one-on-one encounters. This match incorporated a lot
of old school elements into it and the ring psychology
and storytelling by these two men were superb. This
match kept me at the edge of my seat the entire
timeaand when it was finished I knew these men had
just turned in what would become the most
underappreciated performance of the year.
Trevor Hunnicutt
Selection: Jun Akiyama vs. Kenta Kobashi (NOAH at the Tokyo Dome)
Thoughts: Akiyama vs. Kobashi was an amazing match with great heat. A few honorable mentions: CM Punk vs. Samoa Joe (second in the series); Triple X vs. America’s Most Wanted (Turning Point); Triple H vs. Shawn Michaels vs. Chris Benoit (WrestleMania XX); etc. It’s been a good year for wrestling matches.
Jeanice
Selection: Kurt Angle vs. Eddie Guerrero (WrestleMania XX)
Thoughts: It was an emotional well done match by both men and I was so happy that Eddie won.
Eddie T.
Selection: Triple H vs. Shawn Michaels vs. Chris Benoit (WrestleMania XX)
Thoughts: As always, this is the toughest category of them all! There's so many great bouts, from WWE alone, that could make it here. The Triple Threat at WrestleMania wins simply because it was the culmination of a magical story, and the peak point of a man who has dedicated his entire life to the business; is without a doubt one of the most respected man in wrestling; and is perhaps one of the best technicians to get into the ring. Honorable mentions go to Randy Orton vs. Cactus Jack (Backlash),
Triple H vs. Benjamin (RAW), Triple H vs. Benoit (Iron Man - RAW), Christian vs. Jericho (Ladder - Unforgiven), Survivor Series RAW Elimination, Orton vs. Benoit (SummerSlam), and Lesnar vs. Guerrero (No Way Out).
Return to the Match Listing
Stable of the Year
This award goes out to the best professional wrestling stable in 2004.
Mike Valente
Selection: Evolution
Thoughts: Some of the greatest moments of the year involved the members of this group. There really isn't another choice
Lou Corsaro
Selection: Evolution
Thoughts: There actually are other stables you could select, but Evolution (Triple H, Batista, Ric Flair and formerly Randy Orton) had a huge impact this year, whether you like it or not. Orton broke away and took off, Batista is headed that way, and Trips and Flair have put over numerous wrestlers throughout the year while maintaining their reputations.
Josh Fox
Selection: Evolution
Thoughts: --
Keenan Graeme
Selection: Evolution
Thoughts: Who else? JBL and Kurt Angle's stables pale in
comparison to RAW's supergroup, and any of the NWA
stables are booked so shoddily that they don't come
off as cohesive units. Plus, they play the fans so
well, that the first sign of friction whips the crowd
into a frenzy. In addition, each member played their
roles to perfection this year, and their purpose was
more clearly defined than in 2003.
Trevor Hunnicutt
Selection: Generation Next (Austin Aries, Jack Evans, Roderick Strong, and Alex Shelley)
Thoughts: Obviously, Evolution will take this category by a landslide but I wouldn’t ever vote for them. Here’s what the purpose of a stable is, to create feuds that involve one or more groups for the purpose of creating compelling, lengthy feuds without having to write more than one feud. In WWE, the main stable, Evolution’s purpose is to back up Triple H’s angles and is a completely ineffective heel group. In ROH, where the writing is more thought out, Generation Next not only serves the correct purpose, but is comprised of the some of the strongest wrestlers in the company for different reasons.
Jeanice
Selection: Evolution
Thoughts: How could they not be the stable of the year; they were
practically the only stable around. But that didn't mean they weren't
cool, good on the mic and fantastic in the ring; and that's what Evolution
gave us. Whenever they were on hand you knew you'd be at least getting some
people with quality in the ring and on the mic.
Eddie T.
Selection: Evolution
Thoughts: This category seems useless for 2004, as stables in wrestling have really lost their meaning, in general. Evolution managed to remain fresh, and in a new line-up, they continue to be a main part of the show.
Return to the Match Listing
Manager/Valet of the Year
This award goes to the best manager, or valet, in 2004.
Mike Valente
Selection: Ric Flair
Thoughts: --
Lou Corsaro
Selection: Paul Heyman
Thoughts: I'll pick him as long as he "represents" someone, but he really does deserve some type of award for his work with Heidenreich. This was a guy no one gave a crap about, but Heyman - as he always does - manages to find a way to make him somewhat relevant. Hell, this is a guy who got Brock Lesnar over just by the way he said his name. Bonus points for his great promo with Undertaker, when he had to face the Dead Man for a contract signing.
Josh Fox
Selection: Stacy Keibler
Thoughts: Stacy Keibler, she may not always be a manager or valet, but she is the hottest Diva on the card, come on, who wouldn't like those legs.......nevermind.
Keenan Graeme
Selection: Ric Flair
Thoughts: Now that his ring skills are just a shadow of what
they once were, Ric has truly found his niche in
seconding the other members of Evolution. His
understanding of the sport makes him the perfect
manager as he seems to realize when to and when not to
get involved; besides that, he's one of the few valets
that can strike fear into a potential oppponent.
Trevor Hunnicutt
Selection: Ric Flair
Thoughts: Ric Flair remains, of the few that still exist in America, one of the most entertaining sideline characters in the business. He hasn’t been given the versatile role that my choice last year, James Mitchell was, but was nonetheless a valuable part of Evolution and RAW. He has the ability to contribute more to the company and its storylines, but so far, isn’t being given the opportunity.
Jeanice
Selection: Paul Heyman
Thoughts: Paul can always get the audience interested in a guy. He's done it
with Lesnar and now he's doing it with Heidenrech. In addition to his great
acting skills, he's an awesome writer too.
Eddie T.
Selection: Ric Flair
Thoughts: Another tough pick. I don't consider a man who main events a PPV in 2004, to also be the best valet and manager of 2004, but with his unique role in Evolution, Nature Boy Ric Flair proved that at his age, he's still the man.
Return to the Match Listing
Pay-Per-View of the Year
This award goes to the best proffesional wrestling Pay-Per-View event of 2004.
Mike Valente
Selection: WWE WrestleMania XX
Thoughts: --
Lou Corsaro
Selection: None
Thoughts: Can't pick the Royal Rumble because the rest of the card sucked. Can't pick WrestleMania 21 because I thought, apart from the main event, it was a horrible disappointment. Survivor Series was so-so. Nothing else I saw really stood out for me, and I can't stand it. Hopefully, 2005 will be a fresh start and someone will deliver.
Josh Fox
Selection: WWE Royal Rumble 2004
Thoughts: For the Royal Rumble Match itself and the performance Chris Benoit gave I think this PPV deserves this award.
Keenan Graeme
Selection: WWE WrestleMania XX
Thoughts: Except for the Lesnar/Goldberg fiasco, you could not
have asked for a better lineup, and the Madison Suare
Garden crowd is always hot for the Mania event. Vince
cranked out some true pay-per-view duds this last
year, but he did make the 20th anniversary of this
pay-per-view event memorable enough that Chris Jerico
vs. Christian was the least anticipated singles match
on the card. That speaks volumes in and of itself.
Trevor Hunnicutt
Selection: WWE WrestleMania XX
Thoughts: This wasn’t a creative choice, but this isn’t a novel. Above all else, professional wrestling is about promoting—how creatively it can be done and how much money can be made—and the WrestleMania brand is the best promoted facet of pro wrestling this year, and on its own is more of a draw than any talent past or present on the roster. WWE has created around WrestleMania, for fans and media alike, the aura of a huge show in wrestling. When tickets go on sale, they are purchased for whatever price like collector’s items and extremely quickly, and are bought by people around the world. This year’s show, because of the aura around it more than the actual quality of the show, is thought to be a grand and historical show not because it was, but because WWE said it was. One controversial but proactive step WWE took to ensure that WrestleMania was a special show was by allocating a $6 million advertising budget, which more than paid for itself. On PPV, it drew around 890,000 buys ($44,455,500), and featured a tremendous main event (probably the best in WWE main event style ever). The show drew the third largest gate in pro wrestling history, with $2.4 million. Events around the show were successful as well, such as the pair of a Sunday brunch with wrestlers and Saturday evening Hall of Fame ceremony which drew $365,000. The PPV helped increase ratings and live events numbers for the month (a reverse of the normal pattern), making it by far, the most successful month for professional wrestling ever. Merchandise sales about doubled the revenue from the Hall of Fame/Brunch events and the DVD of both the Hall of Fame ceremony and the PPV sold well.
Jeanice
Selection: WWE SummerSlam 2004
Thoughts: It's one of the biggest PPV's of the year, and it had a lot of
good matches.
Eddie T.
Selection: WWE WrestleMania XX
Thoughts: The 6-million-dollar PPV. Wow. A lot of history and promotion came together this past March, as WWE presented a tremendous PPV event. It has, without a doubt, helped them cement the "vibe" of WrestleMania, that will help them ride a wave of money for years to come.
Return to the Match Listing
Angle of the Year
This award goes to the best angle of 2004. An angle could be a specific segment (example: The Rock's "This is Your Life" for Mick Foley), or a continuing confrontation on a short-term basis that doesn't get on PPV (examples: Shawn Michaels vs. Christian). If you take a different understanding in consideration for your selection of a winner of the category, please explain. Not to be confused with the Feud of the Year award.
Mike Valente
Selection: The Legend Killer - Orton/Foley
Thoughts: Nothing made me mark out more than seeing Orton get dropped on those thumb tacks at Backlash.
Lou Corsaro
Selection: Evolution vs. Everybody
Thoughts: The idea to have wrestlers stand up against Evolution was a great idea and the drama was well-deserved. The faction had been together for so long and had run over so many people, this storyline felt more important. And when you dangle the Raw GM duties as a reward at Survivor Series, it only made it better. In fact, the actual match at Survivor Series was probably the worst thing about the angle. The best part is, the fallout from the angle is still being felt, and will be until at least New Year's Revolution.
Josh Fox
Selection: The Legend Killer
Thoughts: This may be his character, But it all started out as an angle so Orton could establish himself with the fans. I thought it was great to see all the guys give it to Orton so he could establish himself. Each time he bet a legend he was just making himself more over. For the guys to let Orton establish himself in that way was a great way to pass the torch.
Keenan Graeme
Selection: Lita/Kane Wedding
Thoughts: This wedding's big swerve was that it actually
finished with a marraige; at the same time, Kane's
performance began his unlikely turn back to a face.
Trish's interjection, Lita and Kane's outfits, and
most of all, that goofy smirk on Kane's face
transformed this potential disaster into the year's
most memorable segment.
Trevor Hunnicutt
Selection: Evolution Turns on Randy Orton
Thoughts: The best executed angle in WWE this year. In the long-run, it was horrible, but this award was for angle.
Jeanice
Selection: Kane/Lita/Matt Hardy love triangle; marriage; baby; miscarriage
Thoughts: This was a controversial and crazy angle that had everyone talking
this year. RAW truly became The Young and The Restless for months on end.
Eddie T.
Selection: Dead Man Walking
Thoughts: The Undertaker's return as his original "Dead Man" character at WrestleMania XX was definitely huge. The move left a lot of impact on future SmackDown shows, but it also helped create a series of great vignettes and segments following Royal Rumble and before WrestleMania, where Kane was haunted by 'Taker.
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Feud of the Year
This award goes to the best long-term feud in 2004 that at least had one match on PPV.
Mike Valente
Selection: Christian vs. Chris Jericho
Thoughts: This pairing was given a lot of time to work with and it allowed both of them to demonstrate just how good they really are. This feud had everything. The wrestling was consistently there and both men are so charismatic and exciting on the mic. When you see these two guys on the TV, you’re interested. No doubt.
Lou Corsaro
Selection: Trish Stratus vs. Chris Jericho
Thoughts: When Christian hurt his back earlier this year, it kinda sapped some life from this, but Jericho and Stratus did some great, funny work on this feud. There have been others with more emotional impact, but this one just made me smile.
Josh Fox
Selection: Christian vs. Chris Jericho
Thoughts: --
Keenan Graeme
Selection: Randy Orton vs. Mick Foley
Thoughts: A great feud must do two things: it must contain at
least one memorable match, and it must make you tune
in to see what is going to happen next. This feud met
both of those criteria. While their encounter at
Backlash was the only true classic match in their
feud, the anticipation of seeing Foley finally
demolish Orton kept many people tuning in week after
week. They threw in some unexpected twists, like
Foley having no excuse for walking out on a fight, and
Mick never gaining upper hand; all of that just added
to the intensity and unique nature of this feud.
Trevor Hunnicutt
Selection: Randy Orton vs. Mick Foley
Thoughts: Well written, risky, and built to an effective match on PPV. This was a really strong feud.
Jeanice
Selection: Randy Orton vs. Mick Foley
Thoughts: Who could forget the spit in the face Orton gave to Foley? Their
hardcore match? Their overall beef? Wow, that was crazy. It's when the
legend killer earned his stripes and still allowed Foley to look like the
legend he was.
Eddie T.
Selection: Randy Orton vs. Mick Foley
Thoughts: Without a doubt, the best feud of the year, with one of the best promos in professional wrestling, cut by Foley in Hershey, PA. Christian vs. Chris Jericho, and Triple X vs. AMW deserve honorable mentions. So does Benoit/Triple H/Michaels.
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Breakthrough Wrestler of the Year
This award goes to a professional wrestler who was able to break away from their shadow in 2004 and "turn things around" for his/her character. It should be given to someone who hasn't had the opportunity to shine in the past, or is a rookie. A veteran selection should rather be chosen for "Most Improved Wrestler of the Year" below.
Mike Valente
Selection: Christian
Thoughts: Although not a huge superstar status, Christian elevated his game this year with so many little quirks that grew on us. From CLB to Captain Charisma himself! It seemed that every week he was giving us something new and it was always great to see.
Lou Corsaro
Selection: Shelton Benjamin
Thoughts: I was tempted to pick Batista, but I don't think he's really broken through quite yet. Benjamin was in a great tag team on Smackdown that was devalued and destroyed. When he came to Raw, I wasn't quite sure what to expect, but to my surprise and pleasure, they gave him the right kind of push. An injury slowed him down a little, but he has consistently won crowds over with his fine work in the ring. I expect big things from Benjamin in 2005, and hope WWE follows suit with Charlie Haas, his old partner.
Josh Fox
Selection: Shelton Benjamin
Thoughts: Shelton Benjamin started this year as a great Tag-Team competitor. Usually when a guy breaks himself away from a tag team it takes a while to develop his new status. But Benjamin quickly found himself in the Main Even Spotlight beating both Ric Flair and Triple H. That is why he gets this award in my opinion.
Keenan Graeme
Selection: Dave Batista
Thoughts: This man truly brought his game to another level this
year, and I believe he has the potential to do some
great things in the future. Factor in the rapport
he's currently building with the fans, and he could
easily become the dominant competitor on RAW in the
year ahead. If he doesn't win a major singles belt by
the end of 2005, I will be very suprised.
Trevor Hunnicutt
Selection: Carlito Carribean Cool
Thoughts: Without really any time in Developmental, Carlito has improved vastly in terms of charisma that comes out in promos. Being that this is his first year in WWE, he’s extremely well rounded and they need to take him the whole way.
Jeanice
Selection: Shelton Benjamin
Thoughts: I know that in the forum, before I even knew I was being selected
to participate in this roundtable, I picked Batista for this slot, however
after further consideration, I realized that Benjamin 's broke through the
shadows with ferocity. After playing a flunkee for Angle on SD with Haas, he
came on RAW with the big boys to show that he was NOT just another wrestler.
His micwork ain't the greatest, but he's a tremendous wrestler and the
people loved him...especially when he surprised HHH by winning during that
match. He's really become a star.
Eddie T.
Selection: Carlito Carribean Cool
Thoughts: Known to have a lot of potential but nothing else, Carlito was brought to WWE, and many felt it was "rushed." Out of left field, he brought tons of charisma, and character to the show, as well as a wave of fresh material for the audience. He is an OK talent in the ring, that has a lot of potential for improvement, and definitely someone WWE should push big. Now, that's cool!
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Theme Song of the Year
This award goes to the best theme song of 2004.
Mike Valente
Selection: "Evolution" by Motorhead
Thoughts: --
Lou Corsaro
Selection: Christian's "Just Close Your Eyes," by Waterproof Blondes
Thoughts: While my two favorites are the songs for Billy Kidman and Teddy Long, this one gets the nod because of what it accomplishes. When Christian walks out with his hood on and you hear this music, it feels epic and it makes Christian look more imposing. Now, if they could find a way to balance his wonderful ability to be a goofball with his tremendous talent, WWE will be on to something.
Josh Fox
Selection: Randy Orton's "Nothing You Can Say," by Mercy Drive
Thoughts: Come on do you really need to ask this question? Randy Orton - Nothing you Can Say by Mercy Drive.
Keenan Graeme
Selection: --
Thoughts: --
Trevor Hunnicutt
Selection: Christian's "Just Close Your Eyes," by Waterproof Blondes
Thoughts: It’s cool, like Carlito.
Jeanice
Selection: Kane's "Slow Chemical," by Finger Eleven
Thoughts: Those opening chords are just so freaking cool!
Eddie T.
Selection: Christian's "Just Close Your Eyes," by Waterproof Blonde
Thoughts: It's an awesome song, that helps set the very "out there in the sky" mood that Captain Charisma is all about.
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Most Improved Wrestler of the Year
This award goes to the professional wrestler, who in 2004 brought their game to the very best of their abilities, which they haven't been able to achieve in past years.
Mike Valente
Selection: "Big Dave" Batista
Thoughts: What a difference a year has made. Last year, he was just the big muscle guy of the group and now his in-ring performance has improved plenty and his mic skills are more and more convincing every week. He h as the potential to be 2005’s break through performer. He really did ‘evolve’.
Lou Corsaro
Selection: Dave Batista
Thoughts: He doesn't have the amateur skills of Brock Lesnar, and no one is going to confuse him with Bob Backlund, but Batista has clearly worked hard over the past year to improve in the ring. He is one of few big men who don't have to be carried and can handle working in longer matches. He also was given a chance to take the microphone, and has disappointed in that department, either. If he's not the heavyweight champ sometime in 2005, WWE is just wasting him.
Josh Fox
Selection: Eddie Guerrero
Thoughts: I liked the way Eddie finally came out his shell this year and into the spotlight. His entrance rules, his segments were hilarious, and it was great to finally see him capture the WWE Title. No matter how bad he was not one person can say they booed him this year.
Keenan Graeme
Selection: --
Thoughts: --
Trevor Hunnicutt
Selection: Shelton Benjamin
Thoughts: Benjamin is a successful wrestler because of his consistent commitment to be a better wrestler and his natural ability. Going singles has helped him and forced him to improve in situations of pressure. The future does look good for him.
Jeanice
Selection: Maven
Thoughts: From jobber darkness on heat, to the limelight on RAW especially
during his time as GM, Maven has improved his mic skills, his work and his
overall image in the ring. He's starting to be taken more seriously than he
ever has been over the years.
Eddie T.
Selection: Shelton Benjamin
Thoughts: A tremendous wrestler, full of charisma, and character. A bright future in the WWE! I hope they book him well in 2005. No matter what Triple H has done, I'm thankful to him for that match on RAW when Shelton made his debut.
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Commentator of the Year
This award goes to the best commentator in 2004.
Mike Valente
Selection: Mike Tenay
Thoughts: --
Lou Corsaro
Selection: Jim Ross
Thoughts: There's no one else who comes close. Lawler is inconsistent, Taz suddenly became more of a buffoon this year and Cole spins his wheels on too many unimportant details. And don't give me Mike Tenay. Until Tenay is allowed to have a personality, and a decent heel announcer to bounce off of, he's a waste. No one in this business can make a match or situation seem more important just because he's talking about it. All you need to do is watch the Trish-Lita title match to see what Ross is capable of doing.
Josh Fox
Selection: Ross and Lawler
Thoughts: Jim Ross/Jerry Lawler. It's not possible to separate these two guys up and just give it to one of them, the other guys wouldn't be much if he didn't have the other.
Keenan Graeme
Selection: Tazz
Thoughts: This man improves his skills every year and he has one
gift that Jim Ross doesn't have; he makes his partner
better. While Lawler stands out like a sore thumb
next to JR's play by play, Michael Cole's bland
commentating style is covered up by Tazz's humoruous
and often insightful analysis. He also manages to
come up with fresh phrases all the time and he never
lets a pet phrase get old.
Trevor Hunnicutt
Selection: Jim Ross
Thoughts: I will repeat, verbatim, what I said last year: As far as I’m concerned, Jim Ross is still the #1 announcer in the business, as much debate as has come to center around the issue. Jim Ross still knows how to sell PPVs and make matches seem like they are huge. He does just what his job is to do, and does it with passion, despite the quality of the product. And a final, more recent reflection. One thing that doesn’t change about this business is what a quality announcer is, and Jim Ross stands far above anyone else in the business, no matter who they put in the position and pretend is just as good.
Jeanice
Selection: Tazz or Tazz/Cole
Thoughts: Thoughts: I wish this were Commentator team, because to me the SD team would
win hands down. They're funny, unpredictable, they play off of each other
and they BOTH call the matches instead of one guy just talking about puppies
all day long. I like Tazz pretending to be heel and then saying stupid
things like Fifi the French poodle is really Greek. And, I like the way Cole
over reacts and over amplifies things and gets overly disgusted with heel
wrestlers. Together they trade one liners and zingers and they appear to
really like each other. However Tazz has great skills, and he's even
impressed JR, the commentator he teamed up with to do the Royal Rumble. He's
a great talent.
Eddie T.
Selection: Jim Ross
Thoughts: The best. No questions asked.
Return to the Match Listing
Promotion of the Year
This award goes to the most notable professional wrestling promotion of 2004.
Mike Valente
Selection: Ring of Honor
Thoughts: This organization proved that they could be hit with any situation and still succeed. Again in 2004, the company put on one solid show after another. This brand of wrestling gives the people what they want to see. It's all about the fans with these guys and everyone loves the action. They even brought in guys like Ricky Steamboat and Mick Foley.
Lou Corsaro
Selection: Total Nonstop Action
Thoughts: OK, the management sucks and they've done a terrible job promoting talent, but the TALENT has been amazing. I'm not talking about Jeff Jarrett. I'm talking about the tremendous pool of younger wrestlers TNA has to choose from. No matter how crappily they were handled, guys like AJ Styles, Chris Sabin, Petey Williams and many others shine through.
Josh Fox
Selection: Total Nonstop Action
Thoughts: --
Keenan Graeme
Selection: Total Nonstop Action
Thoughts: Jarrett Inc. gets my vote due to the simple fact that
they progressed in 2004 and their competition did not.
TNA finally established an identity by slowing down
the revolving door of talent and they established a
pecking order when it came to the talent. They
finally secured a TV deal and they entered the monthly
pay-per-view rotation, growing their core ban base the
entire time. This is a federation on the rise and if
they continue to take the right steps at the right
time, they will be a serious alternative to WWE in the
near future.
Trevor Hunnicutt
Selection: Ring of Honor
Thoughts: This promotion survived a scandal with two of its main figureheads as well as TNA not allowing its top talent to appear anymore. Not only did they do that, but they returned with a better product and an extremely strong year. This company is never going to draw huge money, but it is one of the strongest products around the world at the time, and it’s fun to be a fan.
Jeanice
Selection: Total Nonstop Action
Thoughts: I'm saying TNA because they came out of the darkness to break on
through for recognition. They are in no way a threat to the WWE, but I just
like the fact that there's someone else out there scrapping for their time
to shine.
Eddie T.
Selection: Ring of Honor
Thoughts: In what should have been a huge year for WWE, with the celebration of their 20th WrestleMania, the company had too many negatives on its head. TNA and ROH made a strong run for the top, and although TNA continues to fail miserably, I feel that ROH has become even bigger than it was last year. They have a great company!
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Finishing Move of the Year
This award goes to the best finisher and the wrestler who uses it.
Mike Valente
Selection: RKO, Randy Orton
Thoughts: --
Lou Corsaro
Selection: The Canadian Destroyer, Petey Williams
Thoughts: The first time I saw it, I had to rewind a couple of times to watch it again. It's tremendous to watch and has an impact to it that lets the fans know something devastating has happened. Did I mention it just looks cool?
Josh Fox
Selection: RKO, Randy Orton
Thoughts: Man that has to hurt!
Keenan Graeme
Selection: RKO, Randy Orton
Thoughts: This was the toughest category for me to decide on.
Finishing moves just aren't as special as they used to
be, and it used to be a much bigger accomplishment to
escape somebody's finisher. When push comes to shove,
though, I'll go with Randy Orton's RKO. While Orton's
push looked less manufactured in 2004, he perfected
the timing of his finishing manuever to near
perfection. The way he put Mick Foley away, out of
nowhere, at Wrestlemania not only stunned the crowd,
but added a new dimension of effectiveness to the move
as well. Personally, I think his version of the move
looks nastier than DDP's ever did.
Trevor Hunnicutt
Selection: The Canadian Destroyer, Petey Williams
Thoughts: Both cosmetically and within the context of Williams’ matches, the Canadian Destroyer is one of the most exciting new moves.
Jeanice
Selection: Undertaker's Last Ride
Thoughts: Just look at it.
Eddie T.
Selection: RKO, Randy Orton
Thoughts: The Canadian Destroyer, by Petey Williams is an amazing move that a lot of people grew to love this year. However, Randy Orton's RKO became more than just a finishing move, as an "RKO craze" hit the WWE in the summer.
Return to the Match Listing
Favorite Wrestler of the Year
This award goes to the participant's personal favorite in 2004.
Mike Valente
Selection: Chris Benoit
Thoughts: --
Lou Corsaro
Selection: Chris Jericho
Thoughts: It's because he's so damn funny, so good in the ring and so undervalued by WWE. He's always involved in major storylines, but is never quite the major focus. He wrestles week after week, almost never missing a show, and every match he's in is a must-watch. I hope there's more for Jericho in 2005, because the fans deserve it. And so does he.
Josh Fox
Selection: Eugene
Thoughts: Personally I have had my favorite wrestlers, I have and my heroes, and guys I love to hate. But in 2004 The one guy who really caught me was Eugene.
Keenan Graeme
Selection: Kurt Angle
Thoughts: Kurt is one of those rare entertainers that can even
make a bad angle good, simply by his performances.
Kurt was given roles this year that simply weren't his
forte: General Manager, Tough guy heel, leader of a
stable consisting of Jindrak and Reigns, and finally
packing heat in the form of a tranquilizer gun. While
his character is a far cry from the Angle of 2000 that
rocketed to stardom in the WWF, Kurt is still the most
entertaining man on either roster and the only guy who
can pull off these redundant angles and not lose
credibility.
Trevor Hunnicutt
Selection: AJ Styles
Thoughts: --
Jeanice
Selection: John Cena
Thoughts: Is this kid going to be a star? Who knows? But he has charisma and
talent, and I think he's going to go far in the future.
Eddie T.
Selection: Eugene
Thoughts: Eugene, a concept that I would have hated on paper any day of the week, turned into the most entertaining character on the program. Although that was killed quickly by Triple H, my personal favorite this year was Eugene. I also loved all of Christian's appearances on WWE TV, including his great matches, and segments.
Return to the Match Listing
Roundtable Participants
Mike Valente, host of AfterBurnWrestling.com Radio
Lou Corsaro, writer of Captain Lou's View
Josh Fox, writer of The Inner View
Keenan Graeme, writer of Triple Play
Trevor Hunnicutt, writer of Headlines & Scrutiny
Jeanice, writer of Branded!
Eddie T., writer of The Prime Cut
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