C.S.

If the heatless Sheamus can get a World Title push after being an irrelevant joke on and off most of the year, I don't see why Miz can't be equally rehabbed.

I remember H bragging on Byte This (the old WWE.com internet show) that he had to lead Rock through parts of the match. He also said (either in that same appearance or another one) that watching Flair and Hogan in WCW made him embarrassed to be in the same industry. Kind of ironic, considering his later bromance with Naitch.

Okay, this obviously isn't the WON Awards, but it's a bit of harmless fun and possibly good insight into how the WWE thinks, so don't be shy - post your ballots! My picks are in bold with reasons listed below each category. Superstar of the Year Every Superstar on the roster is eligible (per WWE.com). Seth Rollins - Like him or hate him, he made the biggest impact. WWE stayed the course with his push and booking, until injuries forced them to go in a different direction. Diva of the Year Nikki Bella Naomi Paige Sasha Banks Charlotte - I don't give a fuck that NXT "doesn't count" and I also don't care that Nikki Bella broke the record just so AJ Lee couldn't have it anymore. This was The Boss's year, and she owned it - like a boss! Breakout Star of the Year Kevin Owens Neville Charlotte Tyler Breeze Braun Strowman - Is this even close? Charlotte might've had an outside chance if her main roster stint had gotten off on better footing. Time will tell on that, I guess. Tag Team of the Year The New Day The Usos The Prime Time Players Tyson Kidd & Cesaro The Lucha Dragons - As tempting as it is to vote for Tyson Kidd and Cesaro, because they rule, you can't deny the impact and much wider appeal of The New Day. And considering the obstacles Kofi, Big E, and Xavier had to overcome, their accomplishments are even more impressive. Match of the Year John Cena vs. Brock Lesnar vs. Seth Rollins (Royal Rumble) Sting vs. Triple H (WrestleMania 31) John Cena vs. Kevin Owens (Elimination Chamber) Roman Reigns vs. Dolph Ziggler vs. Kevin Owens vs. Alberto Del Rio (Raw) Brock Lesnar vs. Undertaker (Hell in a Cell) - My MOTY - Charlotte vs. Sasha vs. Becky vs. Bayley - isn't listed. Out of the choices given, Cena vs. Lesnar vs. Rollins is an easy one for me. Cena vs. Owens is a solid #2 though. Rivalry of the Year Roman Reigns vs. Bray Wyatt The Undertaker vs. Brock Lesnar John Cena vs. Rusev Team Bella vs. Team BAD vs. PCB Randy Orton vs. Seth Rollins - I'm pretty "meh" about all of these, to be honest. I guess I'll go with Cena vs. Rusev because I was always interested in the next phase of it, even if the overall result ended up being possibly counterproductive for Rusev's career. WWE Network Show of the Year Breaking Ground Table for 3 Stone Cold Podcast WWE 24 Swerved - Stone Cold Podcast is the easy choice for me. But it won't win this award (or any other) next year if the taped format is a permanent thing going forward. Poor Jericho and Foley, both of whom should've been nominated over crap like Swerved. I'm sure we can all think of other omissions, which shows you how strong the WWE Network's original lineup is. Double-Cross of the Year Jon Stewart attacks John Cena Randy Orton turns on The Authority Paige attacks Charlotte and Becky Lynch Stardust betrays Goldust Damien Mizdow eliminates The Miz - Another heaping tablespoon of big fat "meh." I picked Jon Stewart, because - hey - it genuinely surprised me. Surprise Return of the Year Jericho teams up with Reigns and Ambrose The Dudley Boyz return to confront The New Day Sting ambushes Rollins and Triple H Del Rio answers Cena's US open challenge Demon Kane prevents Sheamus' Money in the Bank cash-in - The Dudleys and Del Rio were probably more surprising, but Sting had the bigger impact - even in defeat. Hashtag of the Year #GiveDivasAChance #SaveTheTables #AxelMania #RKOOUTTANOWHERE #SuplexCity - #GiveDivasAChance made an actual impact. #AxelMania affected the product too, I guess, but lol. Celebrity Moment of the Year Stephen Amell dives onto Stardust The cast of Entourage introduces Zack Ryder Kevin Owens powerbombs Machine Gun Kelly off the stage Jon Stewart gets on Cena's bad side Wayne Rooney slaps King Barrett - I'll go with Stewart again, because why not. I don't watch Arrow or Flash or whatever show Stephen Amell is on, so his presence made no difference to me, but I do give him credit for looking good in his match. "Tell Me You Didn't Just Say That" Moment of the Year Ambrose calls Rollins "Justin Bieber" Rollins calls Johnny Manziel "Johnny Idiot Face" Lesnar introduces "Suplex City" to the world Rollins says Kane was just "there" at WrestleMania Paige spoils Charlotte's Divas title celebration - Paige delivered a killer speech. The rest of this is fluff. Best John Cena US open challenge Cena vs. Cesaro Cena vs. Ziggler Cena vs. Zayn Cena vs. Ambrose Cena vs. Neville - The Zayn match felt like the anointing of a new star, especially with Bret being the one who introduced him. It reminded me of Cena's first match against Angle all those years ago. LOL Moment of the Year Edge and Christian battle New Day The Bushwhackers Hall of Fame speech The Miz and Damien Mizdow commercial The Authority dance with The New Day R-Truth thinks he's in the Money in the Bank ladder match - Did anything else even compare to that awesome speech by The Bushwhackers? "This is Awesome" Moment of the Year Brock Lesnar destroys J&J Security's car Randy Orton's RKO to Seth Rollins at WrestleMania 31 Charlotte, Becky Lynch, Sasha Banks are called up to the main roster The Shield give Randy Orton a triple powerbomb The Rock and Ronda Rousey at WrestleMania 31 - I'm not a Randy Orton fan by any means, but that was one pretty sweet lookin' RKO. "OMG!" Shocking Moment of the Year Seth Rollins cashes in Money in the Bank contract at WrestleMania 31 Brock Lesnar destroys everyone Kalisto hits Salida Del Sol off a ladder through another ladder Undertaker is abducted by The Wyatt Family Sheamus cashes in Money in the Bank contract at Survivor Series - I talked myself out of thinking that Rollins would cash in at Mania, so it was a genuine shock to me at least. Extreme Moment of the Year Brock Lesnar and The Undertaker have a pull apart brawl Dean Ambrose is powerbombed through a ladder at WrestleMania 31 by Luke Harper Seth Rollins breaks John Cena's nose Roman Reigns snaps, destroys everyone at TLC Neville hits a splash off a ladder onto a group of stars - Maybe because it's the one freshest in my memory, but Roman's post-match actions at TLC were - in a word - awesome.

Virgil was pretty well-liked and effective as a babyface. I don't want to overuse words like "hot" and "popular" because that would be exaggerating his status at the time, but he was far from some sad little jabroni sitting at a table all alone. He was "over" in his role. How is that any different from the way she usually looks?

Are people really trying to apply logic to the "wrestlers with second jobs" look and formula of the '90s? Some things can't be explained away. With that said, IRS and Duke the Dumpster Drose looked perfectly acceptable for what they were trying to portray.

I disagree that Roku won't be around in ten years. They were the first to market and still have a loyal following. Apple TV is popular but lacks access to Amazon and VUDU apps, which are major. As for Amazon itself, I'm not sure how successful its own streaming boxes and sticks have been - only moderately successful, from what I gather. Google is one great product away from domination, probably, but Chromecast sucks right now. And let's not forget about the video game systems, which have quietly established their own niche in this crowded marketplace. It's possible Roku gets bought out, as JvK speculates, but wouldn't that have happened already? In the meantime, Roku is actually built into certain "Smart" TVs now. In any case, suggesting that NWA Classics shouldn't be on Roku because of something that might be the case in ten years is absolutely absurd advice.

Is this you? From J.R.'s Q&A section: Kind of an evasive non-answer IMO, but maybe J.R. genuinely doesn't know why JBL supposedly dislikes him?

Agreed. It actually could've been a golden opportunity to really make some other people, and maybe they tried, but it was all mostly shitty and generic.

I don't care about the title not being defended on TV. But it wasn't defended on multiple PPVs either! And no one became a star in Brock's absence - which isn't his fault, obviously, so don't think I'm blaming Brock for the shitty booking that took place between his appearances. In the '80s, the champion was on every PPV (I know, I know...less PPVs then) and also on SNME. You can absolutely compare different eras, but in ways that are relevant and make sense. The twin refs angle was awesome, but let's not act like people suddenly thought Andre and DiBiase were on Hogan's level because of it. And neither of them ended up winning the vacant title. You made the comparison between Andre and Brock as special attractions, but Andre "beating" Hogan is hardly on the same level as Brock breaking The Streak, and Andre's "reign" is hardly on the same level as Lesnar's. Reigns beating Brock is too little too late now because Roman was already built and made - in Lesnar's absence. Yeah, the WM match between them was cool and all, but that was more Seth Rollins' coming out party. Even if you can argue that going toe-to-toe with "The Beast" helped Reigns' aura, did it really? The fans still shit on him for months afterward, and it's not as if Reigns beat Lesnar in that match anyway. I want to isolate this statement you made: Because I disagree with his reign, his breaking of The Streak, and the way he was booked, I "personally" don't like him? Come on, that's absurd. He's not my favorite, I will admit - I think he's incredibly overrated - but that being said, I can also recognize his value as a monster and badass. He does bring something unique to the show. Just didn't like the title being held hostage. If that warrants another dramatic and overly theatrical "Whatever" from you, so be it.

I don't even know how you could make that comparison, honestly. 1. It was the 1970s and '80s. Are we really comparing that to current WWE? Come on. 2. Andre was never the World Champion (not counting the DiBiase/evil "twin" ref angle). 3. Andre did not beat Hulk Hogan (again, not counting SNME). Brock, however, did the equivalent by breaking the Streak. Andre was a special attraction who was used like one. Brock, however, held the WWE World Heavyweight Title hostage for months and has not built a single new star. If and when Roman does beat him, it won't matter and won't mean anything.

But not liking their gimmick has nothing to do with how "hot" their act is. Apples and oranges. Mizdow and Fandango were never this hot this long, and never had the type of sustained push that New Day does. Eventually they will split, but who becomes the star is the question. I know people will say Big E because he's the biggest, but if that was going to happen, it would've happened a long time ago. Ditto for Kofi, I guess. Is Xavier the one who is going to come out ahead in all this?

Yep. The Brock push is the worst thing that's happened in WWE in a long time. I don't care how "awesome" or "badass" or "special" he is - it's counterproductive to the rest of the roster and fed - bad business. Short term gains maybe, but at what cost?

Why would she sign such a ridiculous contract that would uproot her from her home on the other side of the world, only to be stuck in a developmental fed forever? Unless it's a short term deal for more money than usual? Another question: Why is her name pronounced "Aska"? Where's the u? Why waste a perfectly good vowel?

To be honest, Becky Lynch is coming across as whiny and annoying whenever she complains about "The Dirtiest Diva in the Game" cheating to win. As skewed and inconsistently as WWE is portraying all these characters, especially Charlotte and Paige, I do wonder if the end-game is a heel complainer Becky Lynch.

Man, fuck this. Enzo and Cass better be getting called up. Great match, but come on, it was their time!

Agreed, and I loved the ragged white shirt and tie look too.

It's sad that Ambrose has been so marginalized that he's no longer considered a worthy opponent for Trips, and he absolutely isn't worthy right now, sad to say. The Ambrose of 2-3 years ago, who was the leader of The Shield (before Reigns was clumsily retconned into that position), people would've been a lot more excited seeing that guy vs. H. Now, Ambrose is this little whipped sidekick puppy dug. It's sad to see. I'm begging for that inevitable turn. I just don't know how they make it different enough from Rollins' turn.

Saw this on Meanie's Facebook page: https://www.gofundme.com/84emh3cs (I'm only posting a GoFundMe link because that's apparently how this news broke and what the above quote is from.) For those of you who don't recognize the name, Dotson was the beefy security guy for the WWE in the '90s. We talked about him in this thread last year. A Raw Magazine piece on Jim Dotson, written by Kevin Kelly in February 1999: http://droptoehold.com/post/39681525289/wwe-security-dotson

From J.R.'s Monday blog: Huh? True about the Lucha Dragons and The Usos, but what is he smoking if he doesn't think New Day is red hot?!

I disagree. Yes, we're all aware that you can hook an HDMI cord from your laptop to your TV. Very few people actually want to do that. "Casting" from the Chromecast is a buggy, slow mess at best. Getting on iOS and Apple TV - if possible - is a great idea, but not at the expense of Roku. In a perfect world, this service would be on Roku, Apple TV, PS3/4, Xbox 360/One, etc. - as many devices as possible.

It's also different than what anyone else is doing, which I think would be a good thing.

Not to mention Owens being forced to say the line that he drinks soda and eats popcorn every day - which is basically the same as saying, "I'm a fat hog, and I admit it." This company is terrible.

People criticizing Owens for not being in the same shape he was in NXT really are clueless about how hard dieting is and how much harder it becomes with the demands of the road. When he was in NXT, he was in the same city 99% of the time, got to sleep in his own bed, could work out at the world class Performance Center daily, etc. Much easier to maintain a consistent nutritional program in that scenario. Now that he's on the main roster, he's in a different city every night, has to find a different gym that may or may not be great (and very few, if any, will come close to the Performance Center), and the only restaurant that may be open after the show is Denny's, Waffle House, or some other grease pit along those lines. You can still make reasonable food choices at places like that, but healthy options are so much more limited. Before anyone says something stupid like "But [muscular wrestler inserted here]..." and lists a bunch of gym rats on the roster who have muscles popping out of their muscles, it's not a fair comparison. They were never fat, which cannot be underestimated. Also, they probably have better genetics on their side and may or may not be aided by "vitamins" that Owens obviously isn't taking.

Who here caught the Stone Cold Podcast with Michaels? HBK all but buried Ziggler. He said Ziggler was trying to be like him, which is fine at first because it's good to invite a comparison, but it has to stop there and then the wrestler has to branch out on his own and set himself apart. Kind of odd, because even though I can sort of see it in a way, I never really thought Ziggler was ever trying to be like Michaels.

*I* didn't care about Sasha vs. Becky, and I like them both. Such a difference between NXT, where they were in red hot feuds with purpose, vs. the main roster, where there's no real story/conflict and nothing matters.