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Fans decide best, worst of ’05
Published December 26, 2005
Welcome to what is usually the most debatable edition of Powerbombs and Press Slams for 2005.
This week’s column, highlighting the best, and the worst, professional wrestling has to offer is the one that brings me a lot of kudos and grief from the fans. I get lots of “how could you pick?” or “if it was me, I would have picked …”
But you know what? It wasn’t you. Only a handful of people chose to help me put this column together this year, so they get to gloat because it’s their voices that will be heard. They include myself, Rene Luna, Eric Medina, Adam and Margie Escareño and a person named Mikey Rodriguez who emailed his picks to me.
But I will need the public to help us decide who this year’s wrestler of the year will be. The group could not decide whom to hand the honor to between the WWE’s Kurt Angle and TNA’s A.J. Styles.
So fans, you’ve got one week. Call in your vote to 83-775-1551, ext. 229 or email it to brian.argabright(at)delrionewsherald.com. Voting will continue until 11:59 p.m. Jan. 1.
The results will be revealed in the Jan. 2, 2006 edition of Powerbombs and Press Slams.
So without further adieu, here is the rest of Powerbombs and Press Slams’ Best and Worst of 2005.
Worst Wrestler: Former ECW innovator Nova became WWE punching bag, and jumpsuit advocate, Simon Dean. Between hocking his health food, and riding to the ring on a slower-than-an-Ultimate Warrior-promo Segway, Dean was able to bore just about anyone into submission.
Tag Team of the Year: It was a tough year for actual tag teams. The WWE had a bad habit of mashing together singles wrestlers to make these fan friendly teams that would win the belts, lose the belts and then stop being tag teams altogether (paging the new Road Warriors). So we look to TNA for this year’s Tag Team of the Year and hand the honor to the team of Chris Harris and James Storm, better known to fans as America’s Most Wanted.
Diva of the Year: An award dedicated to eye candy, we had a tie this year. Why? Just so I can run a picture of both girls. Guys, you can thank me later. This year’s Divas of the Year are Stacy Keibler (who was also the WWE’s Babe of the Year for 2006 and who will be on the next incarnation of Dances with Stars) and 2006 Diva Search winner, and January Maxim magazine star, Ashley Massaro.
Hunk of the Year: Okay ladies, here’s your present. This year’s pick is TNA’s A.J. Styles. The less said about this category, the better.
Female Wrestler of the Year: We may need to retire this entry as the WWE’s women’s division is in dire need of an overhaul. But with Trish Stratus on the shelf for most of the year, the honor goes to Victoria.
Rookie of the Year: Talk about a confusing category. First off, it was hard to even find rookies this year that made enough of an impact in the business to be listed as potential candidates. Secondly, the WWE’s website screwed up in listing the debut date of one of its superstars, so I had to do some fact checking and discovered that this year’s Rookie of the Year did not debut in 2004, but instead made his WWE debut in February 2005. Now he enters 2006 with a chance to win the WWE Championship in the Elimination Chamber at New Year’s Revolution. I’m talking about the Masterpiece, Chris Masters.
Most Improved: This one was also a head scratcher. Names like Angle, Shelton Benjamin and Rey Mysterio were tossed around as possible candidates. The group finally decided on Benjamin, but only if this whole “attitude” thing takes off.
Ten-Bell Salute: This is reserved for the wrestler whose time has come. He, or she, needs to ride off into the sunset and maybe take up gardening or dog grooming rather than wrestling. When you need your father to help you win a match, and you haven’t contended for a title in months, and that was after being the World Champion, the bell must toll for thee. Randy Orton, let’s hope 2006 is a better year for you.
Match of the Year: While the unofficial winner was A.J. Styles vs. Christopher Daniels in the 30-minute Iron Man match at Against All Odds, it was hurt by the fact that it didn’t get as much mainstream exposure as the eventual winner. The true winner of Match of the Year was Wrestlemania 21’s mat classic between Shawn Michaels and Kurt Angle. The first meeting between the two men proved to be the stuff that wrestlers aspire to be a part of. Though Angle won the match by submission, wrestling fans themselves were the winners for actually getting the chance to see what two great wrestlers can do.
Next week, I’ll unveil the Wrestler of the Year and provide a recap of the best, and worst, moments of 2005.
On TV this week, Raw holds a series of matches to determine the order the superstars involved in the Elimination Chamber will enter the match. Competing in the chamber are John Cena, Kurt Angle, Chris Masters, Carlito, Shawn Michaels and Kane. The pay-per-view itself will be held Jan. 8.
TNA does double duty this week as it airs two Impacts, one at 7 p.m. and the second at 11 p.m. The second one, billed as the first wrestling matches of 2006, since it will begin at midnight Eastern Time, will feature Christian Cage, a major announcement from the company and a title match.
That’s all for now. Enjoy this week’s programming and, as always, STAY TUNED!!
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