-By Lexicon
2009 has come and gone, and so has a decade. On our podcast, we informally gave our opinions, but I'm here to formally award the best of 2009. It's the 3rd annual Lexicon's Awards!
Rookie of the Year
-Given to the best wrestler who started in 2009-
Former Winners
2007 - Santino Marella - WWE
2008 - Kofi Kingston - WWE
2009
Trent Beretta - FCW/ECW
Beretta has had some quality matches in WWE's
developmental promotion FCW, and has now burst onto
ECW scene with tag partner Caylen Croft. At only 22,
Beretta will be someone that WWE will mold into one of
their future stars.
Most Improved Wrestler
-Self explanatory-
*NEW CATEGORY*
Eric Young - TNA
He went from the sad sack in the photo above
to a member of World Elite and the TNA Global
Champion. Young now sports a more menacing
shaved head look, and looks like he's in the best
shape of his career.
Face of the Year
-Given to the best "good guy" in pro wrestling-
*NEW CATEGORY*
Jeff Hardy - WWE
No doubt that Jeff has always been a popular
guy with the fans, but that popularity shined
when put into a long program with CM Punk.
It was individuality VS straight edge, and while
Punk got the better of Hardy, the fans showed
where their hearts sided.
Heel of the Year
-Given to the best "bad guy" in pro wrestling-
*NEW CATEGORY*
Randy Orton - WWE
Orton has been downright evil for a long time now,
but 2009 saw some side of Orton we've never seen.
He had a summer feud with John Cena, but what really
shook the WWE was his WrestleMania 25 feud with HHH.
attacking both Vince McMahon and his daughter Stephanie
may have been crossing the line, but to blame it all on a fake
disorder? That's low, Randy.
Comeback of the Year
-Given to a wrestler who has not wrestled in the previous year-
Former Winners
2007 - Kenta Kobashi - NOAH
2008 - Chris Jericho - WWE
2009
Ricky Steamboat - WWE
He may have only wrestled a couple of matches, but
by god, Steamboat still has it! He had a terrific go
with Jericho, and I'm not sure if it's sad for the current
WWE roster, or just that Steamboat is that good, but
he looked better than most of the younger guys in
the locker room.
DVD of the Year
-Given to the best wrestling DVD-
Former Winners
2007 - Raw 15th Anniversary - WWE
2008 - Starrcade: The Essentials - WWE
2009
Smackdown 10th Anniversary - WWE
What makes this DVD special is that
it chronicles the 100 greatest moments
from SmackDown over the last 10 years.
I disagreed with some of the picks, but it
was enjoyable enough to earn it top honors
over DVD's like The Rise and Fall of WCW
and the World Heavyweight Championship DVD.
Wrestling Video Game of the Year
-Self explanatory-
Former Winners
2007 - Fire ProWrestling Returns
2008 - WWE SmackDown VS RAW 2009
2009
WWE SmackDown VS Raw 2010
While last years version of SvR was awful, it won by default
because the only other game was TNA Impact, which was worse.
SvR 2010 did have a little competition with Legends of WrestleMania,
2010 earned this award. The focus this year was user-customization.
The ability to create your own storylines is something that
people have been wanting for years. Congrats to what might
be the last SvR ever.
Feud of the Year
-Given to the best rivalry-
Former Winners
2007 - Randy Orton VS John Cena - WWE
2008 - Edge VS The Undertaker - WWE
2009
CM Punk VS Jeff Hardy
Was it the athleticism? Yes. Was it a battle of morality? Yep.
It was all that and more. Punk VS Hardy displayed the emotion
of a real life battle of "good" and "bad". But what was special
about this feud is that the viewers really felt like they could choose
who they thought was "good" or "bad". I sided with Punk...
Match of the Year
-Self explanatory-
Former Winners
2007 - Christian VS Kaz - TNA
2008 - Nigel McGuiness VS Takeshi Morishima - ROH
2009
John Morrison VS Rey Mysterio 9-1-09
Rey Mysterio had to relinquish the IC title to Morrison
because of a wellness policy suspension, but just
because it wasn't a blowoff match for a big feud,
doesn't mean it can't be good. Rey and John mixed
a high speed with a brutal impact, not making the match
feel too choreographed.
Tag Team of the Year
-Self explanatory-
Former Winners
2007 - Briscoe Bros. - ROH
2008 - The Miz & John Morrison - WWE
2009
American Wolves - ROH
You may not know who the American Wolves are, but you should.
And if you said you didn't know who they were to Davey Richards
and Eddie Edwards, they'd put you in the know pretty quick.
The Wolves have booted the Briscoe Bros. out of the "best
Tag Team in ROH" spot and have stepped in nicely. They've held
the ROH Tag Titles since April of '09. JeriShow have made an
impact in WWE, but the Wolves have had more stiff competition
throughout the year.
Wrestler of the Year
-Self explanatory-
Former Winners
2007 - Kurt Angle - TNA
2008 - Chris Jericho - WWE
2009
CM Punk - WWE
Punk debuted with WWE in 2006. In 3 years, he's won the following titles:
- ECW Champion
- World Heavyweight Champion (3 Times)
- World Tag Team Championship - w/ Kofi Kingston
- WWE Intercontinental Champion
- Money in the Bank (08, 09)
- 2 Slammy Awards - OMG Moment '08 & Shocker of the Year '09
- Triple Crown Champion
Incredible. But '09 was the year that Punk solidified
Himself as a main eventer. He won the IC title early in the year,
and then went on to win the World Heavyweight title twice. A great
feud with Jeff Hardy to top it off, and you have one hell of a year.
To me, CM Punk should proudly call himself Wrestler of the Year.
Promotion of the Year
-Given to the most outstanding wrestling company-
Former Winners
2007 - Total Nonstop Action
2008 - World Wrestling Entertainment
2009
World Wrestling Entertainment
2009 wasn't a huge year for Pro Wrestling, and it was hard to pick a Promotion
of the Year, but I gave it to the company that had the biggest impact, and that
was WWE. Although the product wasn't great, WWE pumped out some good
matches and some decent feuds. 2010 promises to be better, with the signing
of Bret Hart and a reconstruction of ECW. The only question is, can Hogan and
TNA take down WWE next year? Probably not, but we won't know until this time
next year...
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