Welcome to the results of the 2012 Rec.sport.pro-wrestling Awards.
This year we got a healthy resurgence in voting, thanks to large numbers of voters coming in from Withleather, Wreddit, Scott Keith’s blog and numerous other smaller wrestling fan enclaves all around the internet, which produced well over 400 voters who completed their votes. (And about a thousand more who started voting and then abandoned it, which just goes to show we need to incorporate more ideas to streamline the voting. We’re working on that for next year.) In any case, as a result this year’s Awards have more voters than we’ve had in almost any year except the height of the Attitude Era, and it’s only upwards from here.
I would also note that this year we got a couple of wrestlers voting in the awards, which I do not believe has ever happened before. (I am not going to say which ones, as one of them emailed me after finishing their ballot and requested anonymity because he didn’t want to hurt his potential employability – not that I would have publicized their participation on a non-anonymous basis anyway.) Personally, I think that’s great. These awards are about wrestling fans and what wrestling fans like, and if INSERT WRESTLER NAME HERE wants to go on Twitter and ask his fans to vote for him, and they do, then those are wrestling fans demonstrating their fandom, and that’s really the point, isn’t it?
Anyway. Here, we present the “worst” Awards – those Awards which celebrate the lousiest in wrestling of 2012. If this offends your moral sensibilities and you instead want to read the “best” Awards, click here.
Finally, I’d like to thank Justin Henry, Christopher Robin Zimmerman, Herb Kunze and all those who have previously run the Awards and contributed to their legacy; Brandon Stroud of WithLeather, Pudie of Wreddit, Scott Keith, Maffew of BotchaMania fame, and everybody else who chipped in to promote the Awards in their corners of the internet; all of you voters, of course; and finally and most importantly an extra-double-sized thanks to mgkdotcom’s Tech Guy, James Young, without whose invaluable assistance these Awards would almost certainly have failed to be anywhere near as successful and user-friendly as they in fact were.
And without further ado…
To be given to the name athlete who was the worst overall wrestler in the past year. Minimal technical ability, lousy interviews, non-existent workrate, and the charisma of a rock should describe this person.
Previous Winners:
1990: Junkyard Dog
1991: Andre The Giant
1992: Nailz
1993: Giant Gonzalez
1994: Hulk Hogan
1995: Hulk Hogan
1996: Hulk Hogan
1997: Hulk Hogan
1998: Hollywood Hogan
1999: Hulk Hogan
2000: Hulk Hogan
2001: Buff Bagwell
2002: Jackie Gayda
2003: Nathan Jones
2004: Heidenreich
2005: Heidenreich
2006: The Great Khali
2007: The Great Khali
2008: The Great Khali
2009: The Great Khali
2011: Kelly Kelly
| NOMINEE | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | TOTAL |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| THE GREAT KHALI | 119 | 50 | 31 | 807 |
| Garrett Bischoff | 61 | 39 | 31 | 484 |
| Hornswoggle | 23 | 40 | 32 | 299 |
| David Otunga | 31 | 28 | 27 | 293 |
| Tensai | 23 | 24 | 26 | 239 |
JUSTIN HENRY: I used to laugh at Khali for his flimsy offense. But watching him limp to the ring at the Rumble was just depressing.
POGBOGGLER: Whenever Khali wrestles nowadays, it totally looks like he’s going to break in half right there. Just… SNAP, and GOOSH. I added the sound effects because you need to hear them in your head to really get that.
CHRISTOPHER BIRD: I didn’t vote for Khali because, although Khali is a terrible, terrible wrestler and can’t talk and nobody really wants to watch him do anything, I still… actually, I’m considering retroactively changing my vote to Khali now… but seriously. Khali is terrible, but he has his place on the roster: he is the Giant You Can Beat To Look Respectable (see: Cesaro, Antonio), and if it weren’t for that horrible tag team idea with Hornswoggle and then somebody in WWE creative deciding that it would be hilarious if he got on the mic, I think he would have skated by. Meanwhile, Garrett Bischoff was prominently featured on TNA programming all year, despite being awful at all aspects of the sport. Maybe not Khali-level awful, but awful, and more in-your-face bad. So he got my first choice. And Crimson! Same thing! Crimson had a winning streak gimmick you guys!
To be given to the name tag team who were the worst overall wrestlers in the past year. Minimal technical ability, lousy interviews, non-existent workrate, the charisma of a rock, and lousy team moves should describe this pair.
Previous Winners:
1990: Rhythm & Blues: Greg Valentine & Honky Tonk Man
1991: The Patriots: Todd Champion & Firebreaker Chip
1992: Bushwhackers: Luke Williams & Butch Miller
1993: The Colossal Kongs: Awesome Kong & King Kong
1994: Bushwhackers: Luke Williams & Butch Miller
1995: Tekno Team 2000: Travis & Troy
1996: Godwinns: Henry O. & Phineas I.
1997: Godwinns: Henry O. & Phineas I.
1998: Diamond Dallas Page & Jay Leno
1999: Ministry of Darkness: Mideon & Viscera
2000: Harris Brothers: Big Ron & Heavy D
2001: Kronik: Brian Adams & Bryan Clarke
2002: 3 Minute Warning: Rosey & Jamal
2003: 3 Minute Warning: Rosey & Jamal / La Resistance: Sylvain Grenier & Rene Dupree & Rob Conway (tie)
2004: Hardcore Holly & Billy Gunn
2005: Legion of Doom: Road Warrior Animal & Heidenreich
2006: The Dicks: Chad & James
2007: Team Pacman: Ron Killings & Adam Jonse
2008: Black Reign & Rellik
2009: Bella Twins: Brie & Nikki
2011: David Otunga and Michael McGillicutty
| NOMINEE | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | TOTAL |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| THE GREAT KHALI AND HORNSWOGGLE | 137 | 53 | 35 | 914 |
| Devon and Garrett Bischoff | 31 | 41 | 45 | 368 |
| Aces and Eights: Doc and Devon | 32 | 23 | 23 | 275 |
| 3MB: Heath Slater and Drew McIntyre and Jinder Mahal | 34 | 13 | 10 | 229 |
| Chavo Guerrero Jr. and Hernandez | 28 | 18 | 13 | 220 |
JUSTIN HENRY: From the Hart Dynasty to LepreKhali: Natalya’s kayfabe slide may be worse than Sunny’s actual decline.
CHRISTOPHER BIRD: The basic idea behind many tag teams is simple: you take one person who is good at one thing, and one person who is good at another thing, and allow their skills to cover up each other’s deficiencies and maybe they learn a bit from each other in the process. The Prime Time Players are an excellent example of this: Titus O’Neil is hilarious on the mic and notso-hotso in the ring, and Darren Young is a great wrestler but a terrible talker, so you have two wrestlers who each on their own would be kind of stuck but together complement each other perfectly. Khali/Hornswoggle is an example of someone taking that theory and saying “okay, Great Khali is SUPER tall, and Hornswoggle is SUPER short and annoying…” and deciding that they should be a tag team because, I don’t know, together they add up to two normal people, kind of?
To be given to the person whose casting as a bad guy just didn’t work well. Maybe there was just no heel heat drawn or maybe the fans actually cheered this person, but for whatever reason the heel image just didn’t get over.
Previous Winners:
1990: Rick Martel
1991: The Mountie Jacques Rougeau
1992: Razor Ramon
1993: Giant Gonzalez
1994: Bastion Booger
1995: Zodiac (The Butcher/Brutus Beefcake)
1996: Hulk Hogan
1997: Ahmed Johnson
1998: Hollywood Hogan
1999: Sting
2000: Goldberg
2001: Rob van Dam
2002: Triple H
2003: Triple H
2004: Jeff Jarrett
2005: Linda McMahon
2006: Vickie Guerrero
2007: Vickie Guerrero
2008: Colin Delaney / Sting (tie)
2009: Mick Foley
2011: Matt Hardy
| NOMINEE | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | TOTAL |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| TENSAI | 55 | 45 | 28 | 466 |
| Brad Maddox | 34 | 31 | 20 | 303 |
| John Laurenaitis | 30 | 19 | 14 | 235 |
| Aksana | 20 | 15 | 21 | 187 |
| Alberto Del Rio | 26 | 11 | 12 | 187 |
DANIELLE MATHESON: Fact: In 2012, there was a wrestler whose sole character gimmick was the degradation of a woman. Still is, in fact. Take that in. The only facet of his personality is his ability to demean and abuse a woman. This is a gimmick that exists in AIW, currently making itself known for Girls Night Out, an event devoted to the promotion and celebration of talented female wrestlers. Veda Scott is one half of an intergender championship tag team. And then you have Ethan Page, who does a glorious job of negating any single effort they make in putting these women over as equal talents every single time he tells Seleziya Sparx to suck his dick, or chokes her out in the ring. It is disgusting and vile, and the fact that this is his only tool at his disposal to get himself over as a heel is disappointing in the very worst way.
JUSTIN HENRY: This disappointed me, because I thought Tensai would be a great monster heel on the level of Umaga. Instead, the morons chanted “Albert” at him, which is dumb, because they ACKNOWLEDGED that he was Albert, and had merely embraced a new identity to go with his more viciously disciplined style. They weren’t hiding his real identity at all. But hey, subtlety is lost on WWE’s demographic.
CHRISTOPHER BIRD: I have to disagree with Justin here, because Tensai didn’t work. They pushed him hard – I mean, let’s remember that the guy beat John Cena straight-up! – and nobody gave a crap about him. At all. I like Matt Bloom just fine, just like everybody else of discerning taste, but the gimmick was stupid and it killed his heat right from the get-go, because if you are gonna name a guy “Lord Tensai,” he had better not be a big fat white dude.
Also, why do people hate Bradmatics? They should be hooked on Bradmatics. (I am totally gonna make that a thing.)
To be given to the person whose casting as a good guy just didn’t work well. Maybe there was just no face heat drawn or maybe the fans actually booed this person, but for whatever reason the face image just didn’t get over.
Previous Winners:
1990: Dusty Rhodes
1991: P.N. News
1992: Sid Justice
1993: Lex Luger
1994: Hulk Hogan
1995: Hulk Hogan
1996: John Tenta
1997: Rocky Maivia
1998: Warrior
1999: Hulk Hogan
2000: Hulk Hogan
2001: “The One” Billy Gunn
2002: Triple H
2003: Stephanie McMahon / Scott Steiner (tie)
2004: Hardcore Holly
2005: Randy Orton
2006: John Cena
2007: Santino Marella
2008: Triple H
2009: The Great Khali
2011: John Cena
| NOMINEE | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | TOTAL |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| JOHN CENA | 131 | 44 | 21 | 829 |
| The Miz | 97 | 26 | 20 | 603 |
| Brooke Hogan | 18 | 38 | 31 | 266 |
| Sheamus | 28 | 23 | 15 | 239 |
| The Great Khali | 18 | 25 | 23 | 211 |
JUSTIN HENRY: Sure, because of how hypocritical he came off during the entire angle with Punk. Going forward, I hope Miz overtakes him here, because Cena can at least deliver a damn good main event match to justify his push.
FIVE DOLLAR SMARK: Face Miz is the first wrestler I have ever watched who made me think I’d actually risk getting my ass kicked if it meant I could punch him in the mouth just once.
CHRISTOPHER BIRD: I go back and forth as to whether Cena deserves this: on the one hand, John Cena the Character is a certifiable dickhead, but then again he does still get a reasonable amount of LET’S GO CENA chants, so I don’t quite think it’s a strong case. Sheamus, on the other hand… his character is a certifiable dickhead (and kinda racist) as well, but he’s not nearly at Cena’s level. He got my vote, on the basis that he is aggravating with no compensating factors.
To be given to the name wrestler whose workrate and in-ring skill is so low it’s barely measureable.
Previous Winners:
1990: Junkyard Dog
1991: Andre The Giant
1992: Nailz
1993: Giant Gonzalez
1994: Hulk Hogan
1995: Hulk Hogan
1996: Hulk Hogan
1997: Hulk Hogan
1998: Hollywood Hogan
1999: Hulk Hogan
2000: Kevin Nash
2001: Buff Bagwell
2002: Jackie Gayda
2003: Nathan Jones
2004: Heidenreich
2005: Gene Snitsky / Kevin Nash / Chris Masters (tie)
2006: The Great Khali
2007: The Great Khail
2008: The Great Khali
2009: The Great Khali
2011: The Great Khali
| NOMINEE | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | TOTAL |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| THE GREAT KHALI | 218 | 52 | 18 | 1282 |
| Garrett Bischoff | 34 | 41 | 29 | 350 |
| Hornswoggle | 18 | 34 | 26 | 244 |
| Aksana | 13 | 27 | 29 | 204 |
| David Otunga | 14 | 29 | 17 | 191 |
JUSTIN HENRY: Anything I say is just beating a dead horse.
CHRISTOPHER BIRD: I think this is reaching Jim Ross levels of “nobody else can win this while he is active.” True story: I went to see the Royal Rumble this year with a friend who hadn’t watched wrestling since about 2005. When the Great Khali came out, he looked at him and said “oh man, what’s wrong with him? He looks like he’s about to die.” That is the Great Khali in a nutshell: a wrestler so unable to wrestle, he looks like he’s about to die.
To be given to the wrestler you like the least, regardless of the reason.
Previous Winners:
1991: Hulk Hogan
1992: Hulk Hogan
1993: Hulk Hogan
1994: Hulk Hogan
1995: Hulk Hogan
1996: Hulk Hogan
1997: Hulk Hogan
1998: Hollywood Hogan
1999: Hulk Hogan
2000: Hulk Hogan
2001: Buff Bagwell
2002: Triple H
2003: Triple H
2004: Triple H
2005: Triple H
2006: Jeff Jarrett
2007: The Great Khali
2008: Triple H
2009: Triple H
2011: Kelly Kelly
| NOMINEE | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | TOTAL |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| JOHN CENA | 115 | 39 | 13 | 718 |
| The Great Khali | 36 | 35 | 30 | 345 |
| Hornswoggle | 21 | 26 | 20 | 223 |
| Garrett Bischoff | 21 | 15 | 26 | 202 |
| Randy Orton | 19 | 13 | 21 | 176 |
JUSTIN HENRY: Can’t argue this one. It’s not like WWE does much to endear him to the audience that already hates him.
FIVE DOLLAR SMARK: Bo Dallas is awful, but I guess he looks like a star, so let’s skip the bit where he sucks at everything and push him, okay? Okay.
CHRISTOPHER BIRD: People can hate John Cena all they want, but Hornswoggle is right there, people, and unlike John Cena, who only is irritating about half the time, every minute you spend watching Hornswoggle on the wrestling is a minute you have wasted in the only life you will ever receive. Unless you are a Buddhist, in which case you will come back and Hornswoggle will probably still be around, like some eternal fuck you from the universe courtesy of Vince McMahon.
To be given to the person whose skill has deteriorated the most over the past year. This person should be a shadow of his/her former self.
Previous Winners:
1990: Dusty Rhodes
1991: Hulk Hogan
1992: Hulk Hogan
1993: Hulk Hogan
1994: Hulk Hogan
1995: Hulk Hogan
1996: Hulk Hogan
1997: Roddy Piper
1998: British Bulldog
1999: Hulk Hogan
2000: Undertaker
2001: Undertaker
2002: Triple H
2003: Scott Steiner
2004: Jeff Hardy
2005: Vader
2006: Raven
2007: Ric Flair
2008: Dustin Rhodes (Black Reign)
2009: Kevin Nash
2011: Hulk Hogan
| NOMINEE | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | TOTAL |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| HULK HOGAN | 60 | 42 | 28 | 482 |
| Ric Flair | 31 | 29 | 21 | 284 |
| Kevin Nash | 23 | 32 | 23 | 257 |
| Rey Mysterio | 27 | 18 | 18 | 225 |
| Great Khali | 23 | 18 | 13 | 195 |
JUSTIN HENRY: Hogan isn’t even an active wrestler anymore! Khali deserves this one, but the 2013 Rumble came way late in the voting period.
POGBOGGLER: I voted for Ric Flair. Why did I vote for Flair? Because every year, he looks worse and worse. He is aging in super-fast-mode. And unlike some other nominees, Ric Flair keeps getting back into the ring, because I think his plan is to die there.
CHRISTOPHER BIRD: I think this award should track “who is the most deteriorated from where they were last year,” in which case the answer isn’t any of the usual Senior Citizen’s Brigade answers – it’s Rey Mysterio, who is visibly getting worse at a rate of individual matches now. Please, someone find a cushy office job with WWE for Rey Rey. He deserves it. The dude is a bonafide no-shit legend, and has earned his couch time.
To be given to the wrestler who really has little talent, but has a large place in the spotlight nonetheless. This is a measure of how undeserved a wrestler’s push is.
Previous Winners:
1990: Hulk Hogan
1991: Hulk Hogan
1992: Ultimate Warrior
1993: Hulk Hogan
1994: Hulk Hogan
1995: Hulk Hogan
1996: Hulk Hogan
1997: Hulk Hogan
1998: Hollywood Hogan
1999: Hulk Hogan
2000: Goldberg
2001: The Undertaker
2002: Triple H
2003: Triple H
2004: Triple H
2005: John Cena
2006: Jeff Jarrett / Randy Orton (tie)
2007: The Great Khali
2008: John Bradshaw Layfield
2009: Triple H
2011: John Cena
| NOMINEE | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | TOTAL |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| JOHN CENA | 150 | 45 | 15 | 915 |
| Ryback | 50 | 19 | 27 | 361 |
| Randy Orton | 24 | 33 | 20 | 259 |
| Jeff Hardy | 22 | 25 | 23 | 231 |
| The Great Khali | 14 | 27 | 19 | 189 |
JUSTIN HENRY: Sentiment will always go against Cena, but he delivered in big matches with Rock, Lesnar, and Punk this year. The first two were wrestling their first singles matches of length in 9 and 5 years respectively, so Cena deserves a little credit for his efforts. Orton will generally be my pick, as he’s more of a one-trick pony than Cena (who can at least raise his performance level when the spotlight is brightest).
CHRISTOPHER BIRD: Yeah, these are definitely wrestling awards on the internet, I guess. Come on, people: John Cena is at the top of the card because, even if you don’t like him and/or wish he was a heel instead, he makes a fuckton of money for his company and wrestles a lot of good matches. Surely that should count for something.
To be given to the wrestler who had the worst character gimmick in the past year.
Previous Winners:
1991: Mike Rotundo as Irwin R. Shyster
1992: Papa Shango’s voodoo
1993: Doink the Clown
1994: Doink the Clown
1995: Dungeon of Doom
1996: The Leprechaun
1997: Glacier / Blood Runs Cold
1998: Warrior appears in “strange mist” / forms One Warrior Nation
1999: Beaver Cleavage (Chaz)
2000: That 70’s Guy / Not a Mullet / Fat Chick Thriller / Career Killer Mike Awesome
2001: Diamond Dallas Page as Sara’s Stalker
2002: WWE’s necrophilia
2003: La Resistance as French sympathizers
2004: Heidenreich as a tortured poet
2005: Jillian Hall as a “fixer” with a giant growth on her face
2006: The Impostor Kane
2007: D-Generation X as middle-aged teenagers
2008: Hornswoggle, leprechaun son of Finlay
2009: Miss WrestleMania Santina Marella, Santino’s twin sister
2011: Michael Cole, the Voice of the WWE Universe
| NOMINEE | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | TOTAL |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CLAIRE LYNCH CLAIMS TO BE AJ STYLES' BABY-MAMA | 79 | 38 | 26 | 561 |
| Natalya has a farting problem | 28 | 28 | 54 | 332 |
| AJ Lee as Raw GM | 49 | 19 | 11 | 324 |
| John Cena as hypocritical hero | 26 | 22 | 21 | 238 |
| Aces and Eights | 32 | 19 | 7 | 231 |
JUSTIN HENRY: I’ll disagree with this because, as bad as Claire was, that was as good as it was going to get for her. It’s not as if the woman who plays Olive Oyl at Universal would have more to offer TNA. Natalya, however, could aid the putrid women’s scene if she wasn’t, uh, putridly polluting the air. I wonder if her recent misuse stems from Vince realizing her dad never paid her back for that airline settlement.
CHRISTOPHER BIRD: Farting Natalya was the worst because there was literally no point to the gimmick. None. She just farted for a few months, looked stupid, and then they forgot about it, and you knew at the beginning of the angle that that was what was going to happen because there’s nowhere to really take “she farts a lot” as a story, because it’s just farting. That’s offensive, not because of farts but because of pointlessness, stupidity, and the fact that it wastes Natalya Neidhart, who’s probably the best female wrestler they have left now. (They are pushing Aksana and Rosa Mendes as Divas before Natalya now, which – what.)
To be given to the move that is the worst thing you’ve seen this year. This shouldn’t be given to a move that was flubbed by a wrestler – the move was performed correctly, but was just too stupid for words. This move should probably be a “finishing” move or something that was meant to be spectacular.
Previous Winners:
1990: Hulk Hogan’s leg drop
1991: Hulk Hogan’s leg drop
1992: Crush’s Compactor head-vise
1993: Crush’s Compactor head-vise
1994: Hulk Hogan’s leg drop
1995: Hulk Hogan’s leg drop
1996: Hacksaw Jim Duggan’s taped fist
1997: Hulk Hogan’s leg drop
1998: Hollywood Hogan’s legdrop
1999: Hulk Hogan’s legdrop
2000: Scotty 2 Hotty’s Worm chop
2001: Chyna’s handspring elbow
2002: Rikishi’s stinkface
2003: Jim Ross’ Stone Cold Stunner
2004: John Cena’s Five Knuckle Shuffle fistdrop / Scotty 2 Hotty’s Worm chop (tie)
2005: Viscera’s Visagra rear mount
2006: The Great Khali’s skull chop
2007: The Great Khali’s skull chop
2008: The Great Khali’s skull chop
2009: Hornswoggle’s Tadpole Splash frog splash
2011: Kelly Kelly’s screaming headscissors
| NOMINEE | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | TOTAL |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| THE GREAT KHALI'S SKULL CHOP | 53 | 37 | 34 | 444 |
| Santino Marella's Cobra ensocked striking blow | 46 | 30 | 23 | 366 |
| John Cena's Five Knuckle Shuffle fistdrop | 42 | 23 | 17 | 313 |
| Kelly Kelly's Stinkface | 26 | 24 | 30 | 262 |
| Big Show's WMD knockout punch | 38 | 17 | 9 | 259 |
JUSTIN HENRY: All it needs is a dub-job of Austin Powers yelling “JUDO CHOP” to be complete. RIP Kelly Kelly’s screaming, unrealistic headscissors.
FIVE DOLLAR SMARK: Did I mention how awful Bo Dallas’ spear is? It’s really awful.
To be given to the worst wrestling match you’ve seen this year, either live, on TV, PPV, or in an arena, or on tape. If it took place in the past year, it is eligible.
Previous Winners:
1990: 06/13/90 – Ric Flair vs. Junkyard Dog
1991: 05/19/91 – El Gigante vs. Sid Vicious
1992: 01/18/92 – Beverly Brothers vs. Bushwhackers
1993: 04/04/93 – Yokozuna (WWE title) v. Hulk Hogan
1994: 09/18/94 – Steve Austin (WCW U.S. Title) v. Jim Duggan
1995: 03/19/95 – Hulk Hogan vs. Vader (leather strap match)
1996: 03/24/96 – Hulk Hogan & Randy Savage vs. Ric Flair & Arn Anderson & Lex Luger & Kevin Sullivan & Meng & Barbarian & Ze Gangsta & Ultimate Solution (Doomsday Cage match)
1997: 10/26/97 – Hulk Hogan vs. Rowdy Roddy Piper (cage)
1998: 10/25/98 – Hollywood Hogan vs. Warrior
1999: 09/26/99 – Al Snow vs. Big Boss Man (Kennel from Hell)
2000: 06/25/00 – Pat Patterson vs. Gerald Brisco (hardcore evening gown)
2001: 07/02/01 – Booker T (WCW) vs. Buff Bagwell
2002: 07/08/02 – Jackie Gayda & Christopher Nowinski vs. Trish Stratus & Bradshaw (mixed tag)
2003: 01/19/03 – Triple H (WWE WHC) vs. Scott Steiner
2004: 03/14/04 – Brock Lesnar vs. Goldberg
2005: 04/18/05 – Jim Ross vs. Triple H (no DQ)
2006: 06/26/06 – Kane vs. Impostor Kane
2007: 01/08/07 – “Donald Trump” vs. “Rosie O’Donnell”
2008: 03/30/08 – Chavo Guerrero (ECW) vs. Kane
2009: 07/19/09 – Jenna Morasca vs. Sharmell
2011: 03/13/11 – Jeff Hardy (TNA World) v. Sting
| NOMINEE | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | TOTAL |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 04/01/12: DANIEL BRYAN (WWE WHC) v. SHEAMUS | 97 | 16 | 14 | 561 |
| 06/04/12: John Cena vs. Michael Cole | 43 | 51 | 23 | 414 |
| 05/20/12: John Cena vs. John Laurinaitis | 44 | 42 | 30 | 406 |
| 06/17/12: Santino Marella v. Ricardo Rodriguez (tuxedo match) | 24 | 31 | 26 | 265 |
| 08/20/12: RAW Divas Battle Royale | 22 | 22 | 19 | 214 |
JUSTIN HENRY: Did you know: at least 127 people who spent $65 on WrestleMania XXVIII vote in the RSPW Awards?
CHRISTOPHER BIRD: This one was interesting to watch the votes ramp up, because for the first two-thirds of the voting period it was really a tight race between the top two contenders, which are both examples of two of the three major types of matches that win Worst Match. The first type is “beloved star is squashed by someone prominently and that pisses off fans,” which is of course obviously Sheamus/Bryan, but see also Steve Austin v. Jim Duggan in 1994 (when Duggan beat Austin clean for the US title in less than a minute) or Chavo/Kane in 2008 (Kane pins Chavo in eleven seconds). The second is “horrible gimmick match,” and I think John Cena v. Michael Cole is an example of that what with the BBQ sauce bath (see also: the 1996 Doomsday Cage match, the Kennel From Hell, etc.).
The third type is “it was just bad,” for the record.
To be given to the feud that nobody cared about at all this year. When they were pushing the feud on TV, you’d go to the fridge for a snack.
Previous Winners:
1990: Hulk Hogan vs. Earthquake
1991: Hulk Hogan vs. Sgt. Slaughter
1992: Ultimate Warrior vs. Papa Shango
1993: The Undertaker vs. Giant Gonzalez
1994: Doink vs. Bam Bam Bigelow
1995: Hulk Hogan vs. Dungeon of Doom
1996: Big Bubba vs. John Tenta
1997: Nation of Domination vs. Disciples of Apocalypse vs. Los Boricuas
1998: Warrior vs. Hollywood Hogan
1999: No Limit Soldiers vs. West Texas Rednecks
2000: Big Show vs. Big Boss Man
2001: Undertaker vs. Diamond Dallas Page
2002: Triple H vs. Kane
2003: Stephanie McMahon vs. Vince McMahon
2004: Chavo Guerrero vs. Jacqueline
2005: McMahon Family vs. Jim Ross
2006: Mr. McMahon (& Shane McMahon) vs. D-generation X
2007: Mr. McMahon vs. Bobby Lashley / Voodoo Kin Mafia vs. Christy Hemme (tie)
2008: Kane vs. Rey Mysterio
2009: Chavo Guerrero vs. Hornswoggle
2011: Jerry Lawler vs. Michael Cole
| NOMINEE | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | TOTAL |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| AJ STYLES v. CLAIRE LYNCH | 77 | 46 | 18 | 559 |
| Aces and Eights v. TNA | 58 | 29 | 17 | 411 |
| AJ Lee v. Vickie Guerrero | 36 | 29 | 23 | 313 |
| John Cena v. John Laurenaitis | 38 | 30 | 15 | 310 |
| Alberto Del Rio v. Sheamus | 34 | 18 | 15 | 254 |
JUSTIN HENRY: It’s amazing how many bad feuds in the big leagues involve women. It’s as if the writers have no idea how to make females look strong and admirably bold, or something.
CHRISTOPHER BIRD: Back at the start of the year I thought the Cena/Kane feud was a lock for this. I mean, go back and watch it. It’s terrible. Across-the-board terrible. But, well, start of the year, I guess. Other things are fresher in people’s minds. Like Vickie/AJ, which was horrible and sorta misogynistic and not fun at any point, and I like both Vickie and AJ, and… I don’t get why this lost to Claire Lynch, because Claire Lynch was stupid, but not so egregiously stupid that it deserved the win here.
To be given to the wrestling news item that most disappointed you when heard of it. When you first learned of this news story, you couldn’t believe that it was true, and when you learned that it was, you were bummed out for a while.
Previous Winners:
1991: Scott Steiner gets injured
1992: Legion of Doom: Hawk & Animal split up
1993: WWF brings Hulk Hogan back and gives him the title
1994: WCW signs Hulk Hogan and makes him World champion
1995: Death of Eddie Gilbert
1996: Scott Hall and/or Kevin Nash leave WWF and/or join WCW
1997: Death of Brian Pillman
1998: Death of Louie Spicolli
1999: Death of Owen Hart
2000: David Arquette wins WCW World heavyweight championship
2001: Chris Benoit out for the year after neck surgery
2002: Steve Austin leaves WWE in frustration over creative direction
2003: Death of Curt Hennig
2004: Brock Lesnar leaves WWE to try out for the NFL
2005: Death of Chris Candido
2006: Death of Eddie Guerrero
2007: Chris Benoit commits double murder/suicide
2008: WWE hires Mike Adamle
2009: Death of Mitsuharu Misawa
2011: Death of “Macho Man” Randy Savage
| NOMINEE | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | TOTAL |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| JERRY LAWLER SUFFERS NEAR-FATAL HEART ATTACK ON AIR | 130 | 30 | 17 | 774 |
| WWE jobs out Daniel Bryan in 18 seconds | 31 | 30 | 37 | 319 |
| Hulk Hogan sex tape released | 23 | 24 | 18 | 223 |
| WWE doesn't induct Randy Savage into Hall of Fame | 23 | 25 | 13 | 216 |
| TNA hires Brooke Hogan | 15 | 20 | 12 | 159 |
MAD CONSERVATIVE CRIMEFIGHTER: What has gotten into Team Richards? I guess they did warn people they weren’t gonna take bottom-feeders seriously and smash wannabes but – geez, if you clash with promoters why should they book you?
JUSTIN HENRY: Lawler’s was less “disappointing” and more “horrific”, as we experienced the fright in real time watching Raw, but I agree with its ‘win’ here. The highest ranked death on here was 16th place, which is weird, because usually one wins, or at least goes in the top 3.
CHRISTOPHER BIRD: When Brad Armstrong is your highest-profile death of the year, it’s not a year where a death is gonna win. Besides, nothing was beating Lawler’s heart attack, which I agree was not “disappointing” as opposed to “traumatic.”
To be given to the person who just rubs you the wrong way. This could be anybody involved in the wrestling biz.
Previous Winners:
1991: Dusty Rhodes
1992: Vince McMahon
1993: Vince McMahon
1994: Hulk Hogan
1995: Eric Bischoff
1996: Eric Bischoff
1997: Eric Bischoff
1998: Eric Bischoff
1999: Eric Bischoff
2000: Vince Russo
2001: Stephanie McMahon-Helmsley
2002: Jerry Lawler
2003: Stephanie McMahon
2004: Jerry Lawler
2005: Stephanie McMahon
2006: Don West
2007: Mr. McMahon
2008: Hornswoggle
2009: Abraham Washington
2011: Michael Cole
| NOMINEE | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | TOTAL |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| JOHN CENA | 49 | 27 | 19 | 364 |
| Michael Cole | 34 | 31 | 23 | 309 |
| Hornswoggle | 41 | 28 | 12 | 313 |
| Bubba the Love Sponge | 28 | 23 | 15 | 239 |
| Brooke Hogan | 21 | 25 | 24 | 228 |
JUSTIN HENRY: Imagine how much better wrestling would be if the top ten all went away. AJ and Ace are fine if you don’t shove them down everyone’s throat, and, in AJ’s case, give her consistent direction.
CHRISTOPHER BIRD: Full disclosure: I did my best to rig this award by putting Hornswoggle right there in the question’s image introduction on the poll, and he still only came in third. What the hell, people. Pavlov said this shit was supposed to work.
To be given to the manager whose presence at ringside and during interviews is really unnecessary. This person does little to enhance the matches in which his/her wrestler(s) participates. This award was discontinued after the 2001 awards and reinstated in 2006.
Previous Winners:
1990: Mr. Fuji
1991: Coach John Tolos
1992: Harvey Wippleman
1993: Harvey Wippleman
1994: Harvey Wippleman
1995: Harvey Wippleman
1996: Teddy Long
1997: Uncle Cletus
1998: Eric Bischoff
1999: Curtis Hughes
2000: Mae Young
2001: Sara
2006: Vickie Guerrero
2007: Vickie Guerrero
2008: Bam Neely
2009: Jenna Morasca
2011: Michael Cole
| NOMINEE | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | TOTAL |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CLAIRE LYNCH | 78 | 34 | 33 | 558 |
| Hornswoggle | 66 | 47 | 33 | 537 |
| Aces and Eights' Masked Leader With The Disguised Voice | 46 | 29 | 31 | 379 |
| Little Jimmy | 39 | 37 | 30 | 366 |
| Sakamoto | 20 | 28 | 34 | 252 |
JUSTIN HENRY: It was good enough to win WrestleCrap’s Gooker Award, so why not this too?
To be given to the commentator/announcer who makes the dumbest comments while pushing his product. This person probably gets you to turn down the TV when he/she is announcing. As of 1992, the difference between this and colour commentator will be enforced.
Previous Winners:
1990: Vince McMahon
1991: Vince McMahon
1992: Vince McMahon
1993: Vince McMahon
1994: Eric Bischoff
1995: Eric Bischoff
1996: Eric Bischoff
1997: Tony Schiavone
1998: Tony Schiavone
1999: Tony Schiavone
2000: Tony Schiavone
2001: Tony Schiavone
2002: Jim Ross
2003: Jim Ross
2004: Jonathan Coachman
2005: Jonathan Coachman
2006: Todd Grisham
2007: Mike Tenay
2008: Mike Adamle
2009: Michael Cole
2011: Michael Cole
| NOMINEE | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | TOTAL |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| MICHAEL COLE | 235 | 42 | 23 | 1347 |
| Mike Tenay | 63 | 76 | 41 | 625 |
| Matt Striker | 25 | 41 | 25 | 298 |
| Jeremy Borash | 20 | 30 | 40 | 270 |
| Byron Saxton | 13 | 29 | 41 | 234 |
JUSTIN HENRY: We need to change this award to “Worst Employee on Headset Whose Main Job is to Sell Fans on the Product, Unrelentingly So, While Turning Vince McMahon’s Direct Verbal Orders into Stilted Slush, Thus Turning a Fun Show into an Excruciating Infomercial.” That might be too long of a title, though.
MID-SOUTHIE: I don’t see anybody other than Cole winning this next year. I think next year, the Announcer and Color Commentator categories should be re-merged, because nobody bothers to tell the difference any more.
CHRISTOPHER BIRD: I am actually inclined to agree with Mid-Southie, if only because A) now that announcers are permanently “characters” who interact with the show directly, the difference between announcer and color commentator is almost meaningless, and B) the big companies don’t care about play-by-play any more anyway. Plus it would mean two less categories. Anyway, something something Michael Cole is terrible at his job something.
To be given to the commentator/announcer who makes the dumbest comment while pushing his product. This person probably gets you to turn down the TV when he/she is announcing.
Previous Winners:
1991: Dusty Rhodes
1992: Lord Alfred Hayes
1993: Randy Savage
1994: Dusty Rhodes
1995: Steve McMichael
1996: Dusty Rhodes
1997: Dusty Rhodes
1998: Larry Zbyszko
1999: Jason Hervey
2000: Mark Madden
2001: Mark Madden
2002: Jerry Lawler
2003: Jerry Lawler
2004: Jerry Lawler
2005: Jerry Lawler
2006: Don West
2007: Don West
2008: Don West
2009: Don West
2011: Taz
| NOMINEE | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | TOTAL |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| JERRY LAWLER | 145 | 55 | 23 | 936 |
| Taz | 98 | 56 | 36 | 730 |
| Booker T | 58 | 56 | 41 | 540 |
| Layla | 30 | 27 | 37 | 305 |
| The Miz | 27 | 38 | 25 | 299 |
JUSTIN HENRY: A brush with death doesn’t make one immune to criticism. Sorry, King: standards are standards.
CHRISTOPHER BIRD: Jerry Lawler in 2012 thinks it’s still a grand idea to make Mexican jokes and insinuate that men who wear pink tights are gay. The worst part of wrestling this year may have been Jerry Lawler having his heart attack, because nobody dislikes Lawler enough to want him to die. The best part of wrestling this year, though, may have been when Jerry Lawler was not serving as RAW’s color commentator, because he is so bad on every level that his absence simply improves the product.
To be given to the person who gives the worst interview in the biz. This could be a wrestler or a manager.
Previous Winners:
1990: Ultimate Warrior
1991: El Gigante
1992: Ultimate Warrior
1993: Giant Gonzalez
1994: Yokozuna
1995: Hulk Hogan
1996: Ahmed Johnson
1997: Ahmed Johnson
1998: Warrior
1999: Sid Vicious
2000: Hardy Boyz
2001: Linda McMahon
2002: Triple H
2003: Al Wilson
2004: Lita
2005: Linda McMahon
2006: The Great Khali
2007: The Great Khali
2008: Mike Adamle
2009: The Great Khali
2011: Michael McGillicutty
| NOMINEE | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | TOTAL |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| THE GREAT KHALI | 77 | 30 | 28 | 531 |
| Claire Lynch | 52 | 28 | 17 | 378 |
| Brooke Hogan | 29 | 34 | 25 | 297 |
| John Cena | 29 | 12 | 14 | 209 |
| Garrett Bischoff | 13 | 24 | 17 | 171 |
JUSTIN HENRY: Oh come on, Claire and Brooke were right there! Khali can’t help his accent. What are Claire and Brooke’s excuses?
POGBOGGLER: MERRRRRRRRRRRRY KIIIIISSSSSSMAAAAASSSSSS I MIIIISHHH YOU MERRRRRY KISSSSSMAAAAAAASSSSSS
CHRISTOPHER BIRD: Yeah, I think sending the Great Khali out to sing right before voting opened up for the Awards made this one a lock. Maybe he would have skated by otherwise, but that singing… no. Sorry, but you don’t get to do that and not get Worst Interviewee, because it went all the way around Just Bad and ended up at What The Hell.
To be given to the worst angle you’ve seen in the sport this year. It may be the worst because of taste or because of execution.
Previous Winners:
1990: Earthquake breaks Hulk’s ribs & get well card drive / Black Scorpion (tie)
1991: WWF exploits the Gulf war
1992: Papa Shango curses the Ultimate Warrior
1993: WCW’s Cactus Jack gets amnesia; search leads to Cleveland
1994: WCW gives Hulk Hogan the WCW Title
1995: WCW bills Giant as Andre the Giant’s alleged son
1996: Jim Ross announces return of Razor Ramon and Diesel to WWF
1997: Brian Pillman claims paternity of Dakota Runnells
1998: “Mysterious laughter” source revealed as Chucky the doll
1999: Big Show’s father stricken with cancer; Big Boss Man exploits it
2000: Mae Young’s pregnancy results in birth of hand
2001: Triple H quickly returns from fall inside car dropped from forklift
2002: Triple H reveals Kane’s role in a death – and immediately afterwards simulates sex with dead body
2003: Dawn Marie, Al Wilson give new meaning to “’til death do us part”
2004: Kane stalks, then impregnates, then marries Lita
2005: Masked men attack Undertaker after Daivari is “sacrificed” in match
2006: Vickie Guerrero turns on Rey Mysterio
2007: Mr. McMahon presumed dead after limousine explodes
2008: JBL reveals that Finlay, not Mr. McMahon, is Hornswoggle’s father
2009: Thanks to guest hosts, Chavo Guerrero no match for Hornswoggle
2011: Michael Cole endlessly mocks Jim Ross without any kind of payoff
| NOMINEE | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | TOTAL |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CLAIRE LYNCH CLAIMS THAT AJ STYLES IS THE FATHER OF HER UNBORN BABY | 66 | 36 | 28 | 494 |
| Aces and Eights invade TNA for no apparent reason | 54 | 16 | 14 | 346 |
| Hornswoggle revealed to be the Anonymous RAW GM | 35 | 33 | 31 | 336 |
| Natalya farts a lot | 23 | 35 | 49 | 318 |
| Vickie Guerrero claims that AJ Lee and John Cena are having a scandalous affair | 18 | 38 | 33 | 270 |
CHRIS SIMS: Everyone who voted for this – and for Claire Lynch in any other category, frankly – is wrong and stupid.
Admittedly, this angle started out terrible, with everyone involved forgetting how blackmail is supposed to work, with the only way it could keep going for weeks on end being AJ Styles and Dixie Carter just steadfastly refusing to say “we’re not having an affair,” which they obligingly did. That was bad. It was awful. But when Claire Lynch showed up, and did her insane heel turn from “poor recovering addict in need of shelter from the trials of the world” to “insane woman who dosed AJ Styles and tricked him into conceiving her love child and also took pictures because this is a plan to ruin his life that goes back months if not years?” That was FANTASTIC. I’ll forgive people who weren’t laughing with tears in their eyes when Daniels and Kazarian threw her a baby shower complete with baby-sized versions of AJ’s gear (HOW DID THEY EVEN GET THOSE?!), but if you still think this is terrible after seeing the far worse version that WWE did with AJ Lee and John Cena a few months later, then you’re just wrong. And stupid.
POGBOGGLER: The first rule of booking an invasion angle is “make sure you can afford invaders,” which TNA ignored, and instead went with “let’s have the guys we have who nobody cares about be the invaders.”
CHRISTOPHER BIRD: Sims is right about the comparison between the Claire Lynch angle and Vickie/AJ, which was so much worse on so many levels. For a start, when TNA realized everybody hated the angle and it sucked, they immediately Poochied it and sent Claire to her home planet. Secondly, the feud may have been stupid, but it did lead to the Christopher Daniels/AJ last man standing match at Destination X, which was a supremely brutal and awesome bit of wrestling, whereas Vickie/AJ… maybe you can say it was responsible for the Ziggler/Cena ladder match, I guess? Which was fine? But then Ziggler got squashed by Cena for REVENGE for weeks afterward, so it balances out in a bad way.
To be given to the organization/promotion that has the worst product. This is the organization whose TV and house shows you wouldn’t even think of attending. Probably not even as a freebie.
Previous Winners:
1990: WWF / AWA (tie)
1991: WCW
1992: WWF
1993: WCW
1994: WCW
1995: WCW
1996: AWF
1997: WCW
1998: WCW
1999: WCW
2000: WCW
2001: WCW
2002: XPW
2003: XPW
2004: TNA
2005: WWE
2006: WWE
2007: Wrestling Society X
2008: TNA
2009: TNA
2011: Juggalo Championship Wrestling
| NOMINEE | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | TOTAL |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CZW | 94 | 55 | 29 | 693 |
| TNA | 94 | 35 | 22 | 619 |
| Extreme Rising | 43 | 35 | 29 | 378 |
| WWE | 32 | 22 | 28 | 282 |
| NWA | 22 | 22 | 27 | 230 |
JUSTIN HENRY: If my friends “Chainsaw” Joe Gacy and Chrissy Rivera are reading this, know that I didn’t vote for you guys. Seriously. I can try to get you a list of who did, however.
CHRISTOPHER BIRD: I didn’t vote for this one this year because there wasn’t anything actively offensive enough to make me want to vote for it. Not even Five Dollar Wrestling, which – I don’t get the appeal, guys, I’m sorry. CZW won mostly because BotchaMania made fun of it so much, I think. It’s hard not to win Worst Organization when you get mocked mercilessly every week on the internet and you aren’t already millionaires.
To be given to what is on average the worst wrestling TV show. In 1994, TV shows and major shows were given separate award categories.
Previous Winners:
1991: 07/07/91: WCW Great American Bash
1992: 12/03/91: WWF This Tuesday In Texas
1993: 04/04/93: WWF WrestleMania IX
1994: WCW World Wide
1995: WWF Mania
1996: AWF Warriors of Wrestling
1997: WWF LiveWire
1998: WCW Worldwide
1999: WCW Thunder
2000: WCW Thunder
2001: (tie) WWF Excess / WCW Thunder
2002: WWF Excess
2003: WWE RAW
2004: The WWE Experience
2005: The WWE Experience
2006: WWE RAW
2007: Wrestling Society X
2008: Hulk Hogan’s Celebrity Championship Wrestling
2009: TNA Impact!
2011: WWE NXT
| NOMINEE | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | TOTAL |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| TNA iMPACT! WRESTLING | 81 | 31 | 11 | 520 |
| TNA Xplosion | 42 | 45 | 27 | 399 |
| WWE RAW | 53 | 25 | 16 | 372 |
| WWE Santino's Foreign Exchange | 28 | 44 | 32 | 336 |
| WWE Z! True Long Island Story | 36 | 17 | 42 | 315 |
JUSTIN HENRY: Oh, bull. Impact is like Smackdown in 2002. Benoit/Angle/Guerreros/Edge/Rey = Aries/Roode/Storm/Styles/Bad Influence. Also, Hogan/Brooke/Aces/Claire/Sting = Stephanie/Vince/Torrie/Dawn/Al Wilson. See? Greatness AND garbage.
FIVE DOLLAR SMARK: Are the two Santino shows competing with one another or are lots of people voting for both of them? (Yes. — CB)
MAD CONSERVATIVE CRIMEFIGHTER: Saturday Morning Slam – from the people who came up with the idea of banning all moves that attack the neck because they think those aren’t “kid-friendly.” Randy Orton goes for the RKO: they cut away to the commentary team. It’s idiotic. This wasn’t a problem in the 1980s and 1990s when Saturday morning wrestling was common on the dial.
To be given to the worst major event. This could be a pay-per-view, a TV special, or any big arena event. In 1994, TV shows and major shows were given separate award categories.
Previous Winners:
1991: 07/07/91: WCW Great American Bash
1992: 12/03/91: WWF This Tuesday In Texas
1993: 04/04/93: WWF WrestleMania IX
1994: 06/19/94: WWF King of the Ring
1995: 03/19/95: WCW Uncensored
1996: 03/24/96: WCW Uncensored
1997: 01/25/97: NWO Souled Out
1998: 08/08/98: WCW Road Wild
1999: 10/10/99: Heroes of Wrestling
2000: 10/29/00: WCW Halloween Havoc
2001: 01/14/01: WCW Sin
2002: 06/23/02: WWE King of the Ring
2003: 06/15/03: WWE Bad Blood / 05/19/03: WWE Judgment Day (tie)
2004: 06/27/04: WWE Great American Bash
2005: 07/24/05: WWE Great American Bash
2006: 07/23/06: WWE Great American Bash
2007: 12/03/06: ECW December to Dismember
2008: 07/20/08: WWE Night of Champions / 05/11/08: TNA Sacrifice (tie)
2009: 07/19/09: TNA Victory Road
2011 03/13/11: TNA Victory Road
| NOMINEE | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | TOTAL |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| EXTREME REUNION | 82 | 36 | 18 | 554 |
| AWE Night of Legends | 43 | 28 | 12 | 323 |
| WWE No Way Out | 23 | 18 | 13 | 195 |
| WWE Hell In A Cell | 22 | 15 | 17 | 189 |
| TNA Victory Road | 20 | 18 | 15 | 184 |
JUSTIN HENRY: The shows since then (under the Rising banner) have been far better, but I agree that this one was pretty bad. Even nostalgia has an expiration date.
CHRISTOPHER BIRD: I didn’t see either Extreme Rising or Night of Legends so I didn’t vote for them. I did vote for Hell in a Cell, which was the most pointless PPV of the year and completely exposed Ryback as not-ready-for-prime-time.
To be given to the worst move made by a promotion this past year. This could include giving somebody a push, demoting someone, firing someone hiring someone, or anything of a promotional nature.
Previous Winners:
1991: WCW loses Ric Flair
1992: WCW bans off the top rope moves under Bill Watts
1993: WCW tapes 13 weeks of TV at one time in Orlando, Fla.
1994: WCW lets Hulk Hogan control his scenarios
1995: WCW gives Hulk Hogan too much control
1996: WWF lets Scott Hall and/or Kevin Nash go
1997: Sting doesn’t wrestle for the entire year
1998: WCW sues Ric Flair, causing nearly five month absence from television
1999: (Tie) WCW lets big names go / WCW signs musical acts for Nitro
2000: WCW gives Benoit, Guerrero, Malenko, and Saturn requested releases
2001: WWF botches seemingly surefire WWF/WCW “interpromotional” storyline
2002: WWE airs simulated necrophilia in attempt to foster controvery
2003: WWE pushes McMahons, announcers rather then pushing wrestlers
2004: WWE runs Diva Search during multiple segments of many weeks of RAW
2005: WWE airs “terrorist attack” on Undertaker soon after London bombings
2006: WWE repeatedly uses Eddie Guerrero’s death as storyline material
2007: TNA books title win for Pacman Jones despite “no contact” clause
2008: WWE hires Mike Adamle
2009: TNA hires same players that brought about the demise of WCW
2011: TNA allows Jeff Hardy to perform in impaired state at Victory Road
| NOMINEE | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | TOTAL |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| WWE EXTENDS RAW TO THREE HOURS | 72 | 35 | 20 | 505 |
| WWE continues Be A Star anti-bullying campaign when all of their good guys are obvious bullies | 52 | 33 | 33 | 425 |
| WWE books eight straight PPVs where the WWE title is not the main event | 40 | 28 | 33 | 350 |
| WWE squashes Daniel Bryan in 18 seconds at WrestleMania 28 | 35 | 28 | 35 | 329 |
| TNA puts Brooke Hogan in charge of Knockouts division | 25 | 25 | 15 | 230 |
MAD CONSERVATIVE CRIMEFIGHTER: Working from the poem “For want of a nail” – the nail is the NWA title, the shoe is the Sheik, the horse is NWA Midwest, the rider is Robert Trobich, the battle is the lawsuit from Bruce Tharpe, and the kingdom is the entire NWA. The man who wanted the nail was Adam Pearce – and the NWA, for some bizarre reason, didn’t want Colt Cabana as champion and thus made the match non-title, ending up with a vacancy. Meanwhile, the NWA continues to implode with outrageous decisions by Tharpe. Brilliant, guys.
JUSTIN HENRY: As someone that had to review Raw in real time for Eric Gargiulo’s Camel Clutch Blog, I agree with my fingers, eyes, and psyche when I say, “3-Hour Raws need to stop.”
FIVE DOLLAR SMARK: I picked the bullying thing, though I think it’s mostly a proxy vote for how all of WWE’s good guys are dicks.
