2009 WWE Year-End Awards

Once again, I'd like to thank everybody who took the time to participate in my Year-End Awards survey. Here are my results for the WWE Awards. Tomorrow, I'll post the TV results. Oh, and for those who answered "Other" in the survey, feel free to leave your opinion in the "Comments" section. Enjoy!

2009 Superstar of the Year: CM Punk

This was a really difficult decision for me. I feel like if you look at the first half of the year, you have to give it to CM Punk. He captured the Intercontinental Championship, won Money in the Bank, used it to nab the World Heavyweight Championship, and pulled off an incredible and believable heel turn. But then things sorta fizzled for him after he lost the title to the Undertaker. He was pretty abruptly taken out of the World Title scene, took a backseat to Randy Orton at Survivor Series, and was then used as fodder to advance John Cena's feud with Sheamus. And what's he doing now? Feuding with R-Truth? Really?

If you look at the second half of the year, a great argument could be made for Kofi Kingston. However, despite a rather impressive reign with the U.S. Championship -- and a few exciting matches -- a significant portion of Kingston's 2009 was highly forgettable. And while WWE did a wonderful job of advancing him to superstardom following Bragging Rights, his momentum has slowed noticeably in recent weeks.

And finally, if you solely consider personal achievements, I think Jeff Hardy emerges as an honest contender. Since January he's held the WWE Championship once and the World Heavyweight Championship twice. And to his credit, he played an important role in CM Punk's magnificent heel turn. And he also managed to leave the company on his own terms (then again, if he stuck around another month or so, he probably would've been released anyway).

In the end, though, I think I have to go with my heart and award CM Punk. It may not have ended with a roar, but I honestly believe that this will be remembered as THE year CM Punk became a star. And I think he showed many of his critics that he has what it takes to be the center of whatever brand he's currently on. Oh, and he became the first Superstar to capture the World title on all three brands. Although it's never mentioned, I don't think that's anything to sneeze at.

Who you said - Chris Jericho

CM Punk and Jeff Hardy also received votes. To be honest, I think a lot of people voted for Jericho because of how much they like him, and not necessarily because of the year he had. Don't get me wrong, I love Chris Jericho, and I think he's one of the -- if not the -- most talented Superstars on any of the three rosters. And I think it's worth noting that WWE never really took full advantage of the Unified Tag Team Champions stipulation until Jericho was champion -- and the fact that they continue to put him on both of the main shows is very telling as well. I could easily see them putting the strap back on Jericho for the sole reason of allowing him to go on all three shows. But nonetheless, I don't think Jericho had a "stand out" year, especially when compared to 2008.

Superstar with the Most Disappointing 2009: MVP

To me, this was a no-brainer. Some of the options I provided, like Edge and Chris Jericho, may not have had the prolific year they had in 2008, but that's not necessarily a bad thing. For Edge in particular, it's perhaps not a bad thing that he takes a step back from the World Title scene for a little bit, lest we enter a Triple H situation here. Additionally, his injury can't really be held against him.

Then there are guys like John Morrison and The Miz, who might not have broken through into the main event scene, despite their obvious ability to do so. Yet you can also tell that the company has big plans for them, even if they didn't come into fruition this year.

And then you have MVP. The guy seemed on track to becoming a main eventer -- somehow even making that "losing streak" storyline work -- but then things just sorta fell apart. After losing the U.S. championship, he just floundered in the background, not really accomplishing anything noteworthy. In fact, in recent months, he's really just been used to establish others. He jobbed pretty cleanly to Miz, seemingly to make him a credible looking champion. And he recently did the same for new WWE Champion Sheamus. And honestly, it doesn't look like things are going to change in the near future. Oh, and I've grown tired of that red uniform. Go back to the black or change it up every now and then.

Who you said - MVP

Edge, Chris Jericho, and John Morrison also received votes. But with over 40% of the vote, MVP was the pretty heavy favorite in this category.

Superstar Destined to have the Best 2010: Kofi Kingston

This was, to me, was another no brainer. While guys like Sheamus and The Miz ended the year on a really nice high note, it appears clear to me that Kofi Kingston is the new star WWE is banking on. Actually, the simple fact that they showed restraint on putting the WWE Championship on Kingston -- when it is obvious they wanted to put it on a fresh new face -- proves to me that they've got big plans for him. I honestly don't believe they intend on having Sheamus go to WrestleMania as champion (he'll probably end up in the Money in the Bank match), so I think they wanted to avoid hotshotting Kofi's big title win with a relatively forgettable month-long reign.

I will admit that they faltered a bit following TLC, but with his feud with Orton continuing, I do think Kofi is back on track. If things continue at the rate they're going at now, I'd be shocked if he doesn't hold the World title by the end of 2010.

Who you said - Kofi Kingston

The Miz, John Morrison, Sheamus, and Christian also received votes. Sure, Sheamus ended the year in a big way -- but I'm just not sure how long this honeymoon will last. Likewise, the latter half of the year was great for The Miz, and you can see that they have big plans for Morrison. On top of that, Christian is the longest reigning ECW Champion since it became a brand -- not too shabby (and I do see him getting his shot on the Smackdown roster by the end of 2010). But, again, Kofi's the star they're banking on, in my opinion.

Most Memorable Moment of 2009: Shane McMahon resigns from WWE

Undertaker vs. Shawn was the match of the year, and certainly the most memorable. And CM Punk cashing in Money in the Bank completely reinvigorated the Smackdown landscape, in my opinion. And Christian's shocking return to ECW legitimately made my jaw drop (it's actually the only moment I can recall that elicited such a reaction from me). But Shane McMahon's resignation came completely out of no where, and it was the one thing I never would have expected. I mean, WWE was always synonymous with the name "McMahon." During the Attitude Era, Shane's nickname was "the heir apparent." And even when Steph and Triple H came into power, people still strongly believed that if Shane wanted the company, it would be his. So for a McMahon to walk away from the business was undoubtedly huge news.

Sure, the matter died down after a couple of weeks, but I think it's the one news item that sticks with me as we close out 2009.

What you said - Undertaker vs. Shawn Michaels

CM Punk cashing in Money in the Bank and Christian's return also received votes.

Most Enjoyable/Successful New Concept of 2009: Raw Guest Host

Sure, some of the hosts haven't quite fit with the program, and some gave God-awful performances, but I can't help but consider this experiment a success. Let's face it -- between ESPN, Entertainment Tonight, and various other publications, WWE has received more mainstream attention than virtually anything else in recent memory. Has it impacted the ratings? Tough to say. But I will admit that there are moments that I anxiously await to find out who the next host is going to be. And, in some cases, I look particularly forward to seeing a particular episode because of the host. And with a plethora of Legends under contract and working as agents, this is a formula that can last them for quite some time. Plus you have people like The Rock and Stacy Kiebler, who have long been considered finished with the wrestling biz, actively showing interest in becoming a guest host.

What you said - Unified Tag Team Champions can appear on all three shows

All of the options received a vote, but somebody voted "Other" here -- I'm interested in hearing what specifically this person had in mind. Hopefully he/she will leave a message in the Comments section. The Unified Tag Team Champions concept received 50% of the votes, and it was a concept that worked wonderfully for JeriShow. But that's about it. I don't see DX appearing on Smackdown weekly -- hell, they can't even be bothered to carry around the belts most of the time. Along with that, the Colons barely appeared on whichever show they weren't on as well. So yes, it works in concept, but not necessarily -- overall -- in practice.

Best Raw Guest Host of 2009: Bob Barker

This wasn't particularly easy to decide, because what criteria do you use? Overall entertainment? The host's performance? The long-term impact of the host's actions? In the end, I think I have to go with Bob Barker, mostly because he's one of the few hosts that made the show his own. And it actually seemed like he was having fun out there, and wasn't merely there to shill some sort of special project. And months after the fact, I still pretty vividly remember his episode, particularly when he punched Chavo Guerrero. I also enjoyed Ventura's episode, but he came off as a real tool in his interviews afterwards.

Who you said - Tie: Bob Barker and Ozzy & Sharon Osbourne

Trish Stratus, Roddy Piper, and Jesse Ventura also received votes.

Best new concept PPV of 2009: Bragging Rights

While the timing of Bragging Rights was a bit curious -- just three weeks before Survivor Series, which employs a similar stipulation -- I do have to say it was one of the few themed pay-per-views that didn't seem repetitive, and didn't seem to tarnish what was once a truly special specialty match (three Hell in a Cells in one night?) And the blue and red ropes at least set the event apart from everything else we've seen this year (one of the detriments of their universal high-def set). The only issue I have with Bragging Rights was the glaring omission of ECW. I mean, I understand that from the company's perspective, ECW isn't on the same level as Raw or Smackdown. But in storyline terms, why didn't they participate in an event designed around determining brand supremacy?

What you said - Tie: Hell in a Cell, Bragging Rights, TLC

2009 Brand of the Year: Smackdown

Admittedly, I watche a lot more Raw this year than I did Smackdown. Actually, because of the nights they air, I've probably watched more ECW than Smackdown. Having said that, I have to say that Smackdown was the brand of the year (this isn't particularly hard, since I've always been partial to that show since the inception of the brand extension). Sure, the Guest Host concept has helped Raw seem a little fresher than usual, but for the most part the red show has felt like much of the same. While Smackdown has featured new champions (like Jeff Hardy) and interesting heel turns (like CM Punk and Batista), Raw hasn't really experienced anything all that different (except for the Sheamus shocker, of course). For the most part we had Randy Orton vs. John Cena or Randy Orton vs. Triple H -- with one of those three men as champion -- with DX strolling around with their wacky hijinx.

Plus they won brand supremacy at Bragging Rights. So how could they lose?

What you said - Smackdown

Raw also received one vote. Like I said, a fair argument could be made, but I think Smackdown owned this year.