Throwback Thursday: Top Ten Cases: WWE 2012 Year-End Awards - Overview (1/26/13) - [a case of the summer]

It's our first day of rain here on vacation (all things considered, I guess we've been lucky with the weather) so I actually have some time to put this entry together.  Like last week, I thought we'd take a look back at another edition of Top Ten Cases.  With 2013 more than half over (can you believe that?), I thought we'd evaluation where we stand with the 2012 Year-End Awards.  My present day comments are in bold italics.

Top Ten Cases: WWE 2012 Year-End Awards - Overview

Thank you, one and all, for following this ten day journey known as my Top Ten Cases Year-End Awards.  Now, here's an overview of both my picks and your voting results.  Also, be sure to visit my blog tomorrow for my LIVE Royal Rumble thoughts!

SUPERSTAR OF THE YEAR

My pick - CM Punk; Your pick - CM Punk (69%) (I don't think this can be disputed, even in hindsight.  However, it's not necessarily looking like CM Punk will be the Superstar of 2013.  That's no slight on Punk, but between his recent absence and the emergence of a certain other star, at this point I wouldn't give him the 2013 nod).

BREAKOUT STAR OF THE YEAR

My pick - AJ Lee; Your pick - Daniel Bryan (49%) (Again, I stand by that statement.  And at the moment, I would refer to Daniel Bryan as the Superstar of 2013, not the breakout star.  And while AJ did seem to stall a bit near the end of the year, I'd say she's back to being at the top of her game).

SUPERSTAR WITH THE MOST DISAPPOINTING YEAR

My pick - Randy Orton; Your pick - Zack Ryder (31%) (Despite a Money in the Bank victory, I'd say that Orton is continuing to have a very disappointing year.  The fact that Orton has been an afterthought of every feud he's been in -- none of which have been particularly spotlighted -- is quite telling.  Additionally, the fact that he so desperately needed the briefcase to stay relevant in the title picture is another bad sign for him.  As for Zack Ryder, he seems like a lost cause now).

SUPERSTAR MOST POISED FOR A SUCCESSFUL 2013

My pick - Dolph Ziggler; Your pick - Dolph Ziggler (46%) (While Ziggler, like AJ, stalled somewhat -- what was the deal with his non-build towards WrestleMania? -- things picked up quite well for him.  He had the fans chanting his name when it came time for him to cash in his briefcase, and his pairing with AJ was mighty entertaining.  And they made lemonade out of lemons when his concussion paved the way for a well done babyface turn.  However, I don't think he's the one who panned out to have the most successful year.  Again, I think that honor is ultimately going to go to Daniel Bryan).

NEXT SUPERSTAR TO BE A FIRST TIME WORLD CHAMPION

My pick - Ryback; Your pick - Ryback (54%) (Eight months into 2013 and, if I'm not mistaken, this still hasn't happened yet.  There have only been three WWE Champions -- CM Punk, The Rock, and John Cena -- and they've all previously held the championship.  And there have been two World Heavyweight Champions -- Alberto Del Rio and Dolph Ziggler -- and the same goes for them.  So we haven't seen a new champion quite yet, but at this point I don't think it'll be Ryback.  Money in the Bank precedent indicates it could be Damien Sandow.  Since the other top contenders have all held the title before, that may very well be a safe bet).

MOST SUCCESSFUL TURN OF THE YEAR

My pick - CM Punk turns heel; Your pick - CM Punk turns heel (46%) (And yet, oddly, halfway through 2013 he ended up turning face again).

MOST SHOCKING STORY OF THE YEAR

My pick - Brock Lesnar returns to WWE; Your pick - Brock Lesnar returns to WWE (44%) (Seems like a reasonable pick.  This year it'll probably be the Bruno reconciliation).

BEST WWE WEB SERIES

My pick - WWE Download; Your pick - Are You Serious? (75%) (This whole YouTube web series thing ended up being pretty short lived, huh?)

WILL THE WWE NETWORK LAUNCH IN 2013?

My pick - No; Your pick - No (87%) (Looks like we'll both be right here).

WILL THE WWE UNIFY TITLES AND OFFICIALLY END THE BRAND EXTENSION IN 2013?

My pick - No; Your pick - No (89%) (I don't see why they don't just do this already.  The brand extension is all but pointless and they don't seem to care about treating all of the titles with any sort of prestige.  I'll be sad to see the physical World Heavyweight Championship gone, but what's the point now?  For marketing and branding purposes, I still don't see it happening, though).