Top Ten Cases: WWE 2012 Year-End Awards - Best WWE Web Series

BEST WWE WEB SERIES

My Pick:  WWE Download

This is another category I’ve struggled with, but ultimately I went with Dolph Ziggler’s WWE Download.  There were two things that swayed me:  I’m a huge fan of Tosh.0 – which this show seems to be inspired by (although for all I know, they just caught some episodes of America’s Funniest Home Videos), and it gives Dolph Ziggler an outlet to express himself.  And while everybody equates Zack Ryder’s Z! Long Island Story with a Superstar’s (kinda) rise to superstardom due to his web show, the truth is that John Morrison and The Miz became stars in no small part because of their exceptional work on the Dirt Sheet.  It was that series that showed both the powers that be AND the fans that these two were highly entertaining individuals.  And if you’re to believe Ziggler’s Twitter comments, he not only performs on the show, he writes it as well.  That means, in addition to being great in the ring, he really is the total package.

While I had previously stated that Ziggler is pretty much in the same position on the card that he was a year ago, I do think we have seen an increase in mic time.  Although I don’t know for sure, I’d like to think at least a part of that can be attributed to his witty, well spoken delivery of jokes on WWE Download.  And actually, Ziggler appears to have a great sense of humor – one that would work as a heel or a face (although faces aren’t allowed to be witty.  They just smile).  He’s an arrogant womanizer, but somehow not unlikable.  Sometimes he talks a bit fast and soft, and can be hard to understand, but overall he’s very good.  And it’s a fun show – I’m disappointed that it’s going to end.

What You Said – Are You Serious?

Remember how I said I struggled with my pick?  This was the other show I was trying to decide between.  Are You Serious? is an awesome show and Josh Mathews (one of my favorite commentators) has great commentary with Road Dogg.  Plus, they were smart enough to cool their jets with Puppet H before that routine got really tired.  And who doesn’t love seeing old clips?  And WWE is at their best when they’re making fun of themselves.  It’s also great seeing Road Dogg and Josh get insider-y without being obnoxious or harsh about it.  So I’m not surprised that Are You Serious? won, but I am a little shocked that it won by such a large margin (75%).  I ultimately leaned towards WWE Download because at least that show could benefit an active competitor.

One thing I am happy about, though, is that Z! True Long Island Story didn’t win.  That show stopped being consistently entertaining once Ryder started appearing on Raw on a frequent basis.  At that point, it basically became a Raw clip show.  Then once Ryder’s push went to hell, he seemed so emotionally deflated that he didn’t have the same passion he first began doing the show.  It was definitely time for him to end that show.