Top Ten Cases: WWE 2010 Year-End Awards - Superstar with the Best Debut Year

Realizing that I offered 10 categories for you to vote on for my Year-End Awards, I thought instead of revealing the results in one exceptionally long post, I'd draw it out over 10 days in the latest edition of Top Ten Cases. Today, I reveal my pick (and your vote) for the Superstar with the Best Debut Year.

My Pick: Wade Barrett
This was basically a three person competition, as you just HAD to pick Wade Barrett, Alberto Del Rio, or Daniel Bryan. I ultimately went with Barrett because not only was his push this year completely unexpected, but it was also very successful. And while there were some rough patches, at no point was the push aborted or even slowed down. Yes, he lost some matches – many of which were critical moments of his various storylines – but despite his losses, he never stopped being the focal point of Raw. And amazingly, Wade Barrett and Nexus helped propel John Cena into an even more over Superstar. The majority of the audience was always crazy about Cena, but after feuding with Nexus for a few months, the entire arena was eating out of the palm of his hand. The place was exploding at the prospect of him taking off and putting on AN ARMBAND.

Since his debut, Wade Barrett has incredibly played a role in the main event of six Pay-Per-View events. Nexus interfered in the WWE Championship Match at Fatal Fourway and Money in the Bank. They main evented the highly anticipated SummerSlam. And Barrett wrestled in the WWE Championship Match at Night of Champions, Bragging Rights, and Survivor Series.

And in the category of “perception is reality” – Barrett just has a presence. The guy looks like he belongs in the main event scene. He’s got a good, unique look, and he just oozes confidence. When he speaks, there’s no sense of trepidation or uncertainty.

Not too shabby for a guy who was referred to as a “rookie” less than a year ago.

What you said – Wade Barrett
Barrett won this, but it was a close race. Alberto Del Rio was short just two votes. I’m not surprised that Barrett won, or that Del Rio came in second, but I was a bit stunned that Daniel Bryan didn’t get a single vote (Barrett and Del Rio were the only ones to receive votes). While it’s a matter of perspective, I think it’s fair that Barrett and Del Rio secured the top two spots, but Bryan had a rather remarkable year as well (much of which was discussed in my prior post). And he was, after all, the only one of the three to capture WWE gold over the past year. Nonetheless, I feel confident in the belief that as far as newcomers go, Wade Barrett owned 2010.


Check back tomorrow to find out which announce team was most entertaining.