We’ve laughed, cried and complained for more action in the WWE this year. The 2015 Slammy Awards bring us the good, the bad and the down right ugly to the public’s attention each year in a sometimes fun and at other times tedious review of the year.
So, without further a due, lets get into my Slammy Award picks and see what I thought what was hot 2015.
Superstar of the Year
John Cena
At the end of 2014, I would never have guessed I would have been voting for John Cena as the Superstar of the Year. Since winning the US Title, Cena has consistently had the best matches against a whole host of midcard darlings and made them look great. Cena has faced Ambrose, Neville, Owens, Rusev, Cesaro, Zayn and Rollins, who comes a close second to Cena, have tore the house down on a weekly basis.
The US Open Challenge was arguably the best regular segment on RAW each week. Cena’s promos, although repetitive at times, have been on another level. Cena has the ability to turn a negative crowd reaction to a positive one in a moment.
A strong case can be made for Rollins who has delivered a slew of great matches amongst his surprise title win at Mania. However, I feel Cena just edges it as his absence has really hurt RAW more so than Rollins.
Diva of the Year
Nikki Bella
Everyone is fully aware of what a disaster the “Diva’s Revolution” has been so I’m not going to dwell on that. I personally don’t feel this is close: Nikkisuhara Bellsawa.
Sure, she has jumped between babyface and heel more times than I can remember, but her in ring performances have been on a different level to all of the other candidates.
Breakout Star of the Year
Kevin Owens
Another easy pick. Since defeating John Cena clean on his debut, Kevin Owens has been a made man. Although going on to lose his feud with Cena, Owens has provided so many memorable moments from powerbombing Machine Gun Kelly off the stage to winning the Intercontinental Championship.
He started the year as NXT Champion, elevating the title to new heights & helping NXT develop into the brand that it is today. He headlined the critically acclaimed NXT Takeover Brooklyn show against Finn Balor in an extremely memorable Ladder Match for the NXT Championship. He went on to defeat Ryback for the Intercontinental Championship & will see even bigger heights in 2016.
Tag Team of the Year
The New Day
The New Day have been the most entertaining aspect of WWE programming over the past year. Despite their current over-exposure, New Day have made me laugh countless occasion whilst still holding the Tag Titles.
This group has evolved from a trio that struggled to find it’s spot on the show into one of the more unique stables in history. Their antics have been a breath of fresh air and the sky truly is the limit for these three.
Every week, the fans are waiting to see what they will do next. Their fingers are on the pulse of pop culture & social media, which gives them a leg up on everyone else.
Match of the Year
John Cena vs. Brock Lesnar vs. Seth Rollins (Royal Rumble)
The triple threat at the Royal Rumble stands alone as far as I’m concerned. Not only was it the best WWE match, but one of the top five matches of 2015 in any promotion. Although the match was primarily about Brock Lesnar, Rollins emerged a star and this proved a defining moment for him.
Rivalry of the Year
The Undertaker vs. Brock Lesnar
There have been some great matches this year but the angles have, for the most part, been underwhelming. Personally, I would have voted for Cena/Owens but, as it is, I have to go with Brock Lesnar vs. The Undertaker. I felt there was a few inconsistencies with the story telling of Lesnar/Taker but their rivalry wins by default.
WWE Network Show of the Year
Breaking Ground
Although extending the boundaries of kayfabe, Breaking Ground provided a fascinating insight into the trials and tribulations of several of the NXT wrestlers. The WWE Network was made for programming like this and I can’t wait to see what is in store for future network originals.
Double-Cross of the Year
Jon Stewart attacks John Cena
Again, not a great year for angles. This is an embarrassingly terrible list. I’m finding it incredibly difficult to choose any of these.
If forced to chose, I’m going with John Stewart attacking Cena as it was the most memorable although poorly executed.
Surprise Return of the Year
Sting ambushes Rollins and Triple H
Viewing these categories is interesting as it draws attention to what WWE feels was important. Sure, most of these were exciting returns but in the long run all were fumbled and poorly executed. I’ll go with Sting returning to confront Rollins & The Authority.
If nothing else, the image of Sting underneath the box made for a cool visual.
Hashtag of the Year
#SuplexCity
&
“Tell Me You Didn’t Just Say That” Moment of the Year
This is the type of thing we have to live with in the 21st Century. It makes me feel sick. Suplex City was a cool moment although I’m almost certain the hashtag was #SuplexCityBitch.
The tag line has been branded into oblivion now and has completely lost all meaning but I guess that’s just the way capitalism works, guys. It was fun while it lasted because it seemed like a rare moment of spontaneity on a tediously scripted show.
Celebrity Moment of the Year
Kevin Owens powerbombs Machine Gun Kelly off the stage
Kevin Owens played the role of the discontented fan by powerbombing Machine Gun Kelly off the stage. No one wants to see live music being played on RAW and Owens decided to do us all a favor and saved us.
Best John Cena US open challenge
Cena vs. Cesaro
Finally, we have a good category after sifting through all that crap. A strong argument could be made for any of these matches but I have to go with the Cesaro match.
It was one of the best matches on RAW in the past five years. Cena/Cesaro goes down as a classic RAW match that could well be held in the same breath as Michaels/Benjamin, Punk/Cena in years to come that testifies to Cesaro’s ability to get over based on his wrestling alone.
LOL Moment of the Year
The Authority dance with The New Day
I like to use the term LOL in reference to something that is so astonishingly terrible. No better phrase describes The Authority dancing with the New Day. Oh boy, seeing Triple H dad dance made me wash my eyes in disbelief.
“This is Awesome” Moment of the Year
Brock Lesnar destroys J&J Security’s car
Brock is the best when he is breaking stuff. So, imagine my excitement when I saw Brock literally kill a car with his bare hands and an axe. To this day, I have no earthy idea as to why they carted that car around from venue to venue but it made for a nice visual.
“OMG!” Shocking Moment of the Year
Seth Rollins cashes in Money in the Bank contract at WrestleMania 31
One clear winner for this one. Heading into WrestleMania, everyone had their apprehensions regarding the main event. This was an incredibly well worked angle: Rollins had been build as the slimy, cowardly heel and him stealing the title at WrestleMania was the best moment of the year and my favorite cash in of all time.
Extreme Moment of the Year
Roman Reigns snaps, destroys everyone at TLC
It is ironic how none of the moments from Extreme Rules, the show build as WWE’s most extreme night of the year, made the list. The pull apart brawl was great but I have to go with Reigns snapping at TLC. This was the moment everyone had been waiting for and may prove the turning point in his career.
So let me get your thoughts on my 2015 Slammy Award picks. You can leave your comments in the comment section below, or on my Twitter page.