WWE Nominees

THE LIST:

Big Show vs. Daniel Bryan, WWE 1/4 - 7 YES
Big Show vs. Daniel Bryan, WWE 1/10 - 6 YES, 1 NO
Daniel Bryan vs. CM Punk, WWE 1/30 - 3 YES
Mark Henry vs. CM Punk, WWE 4/2 - 8 YES
Brock Lesnar vs. John Cena, WWE 4/29 - 10 YES
Daniel Bryan vs. Sheamus, WWE 4/29 - 10 YES
Punk vs. Jericho, WWE 4/29 - 3 YES, 5 NO
Daniel Bryan vs. Sheamus, WWE 5/4 - 3 YES
CM Punk vs. Daniel Bryan, WWE 5/20 - 6 YES, 1 NO
Christian vs. Drew Mcintyre, WWE 5/29 - 3 YES
William Regal vs. Dean Ambrose, FCW 6/7 - 5 YES
CM Punk vs. Daniel Bryan, WWE 7/15 - 4 YES, 1 NO
John Cena vs. CM Punk, WWE 9/16 - 5 YES
Ryback and Team Hell No vs. The Shield, WWE 12/16 - 4 YES

THE NOMINEES:

Daniel Bryan vs. Mark Henry, WWE 1/20 - 1 YES, 2 NO
Leakee vs. Dean Ambrose vs. Seth Rollins, FCW 1/13
Wildcard Battle Royal, WWE 2/17 - 1 YES
CM Punk vs. Daniel Bryan, WWE 2/21 - 2 YES
Dolph Ziggler vs Kofi Kingston, WWE 3/6
Dolph Ziggler vs Sheamus, WWE 3/12
CM Punk vs. Dolph Ziggler, 3/25 WWE- 1 YES
Hunico vs. Tyson Kidd, WWE 4/3 - 2 YES
Randy Orton vs. Mark Henry, WWE 4/12 - 2 YES
Kofi Kingston/R-Truth vs. Primo/Epico, WWE 4/12 - 2 YES
CM Punk vs. Mark Henry, WWE 4/16 - 1 YES
Mark Henry vs. Sheamus, WWE 4/24
Hunico vs. Tyson Kidd, WWE 5/7 - 1 YES, 1 NO
Rick Victor vs. Richie Steamboat, FCW 5/13
CM Punk vs. Daniel Bryan, WWE 5/28
CM Punk vs. Daniel Bryan, WWE 6/7 - 1 YES
Justin Gabriel vs. Hunico, WWE 6/12 - 1 YES
Tyson Kidd vs. Camacho, WWE 6/14
Sheamus vs. Dolph Ziggler, WWE 6/19 - 2 YES
John Cena vs. Miz vs. Chris Jericho vs. Big Show vs. Kane, WWE 7/15
Sheamus vs. ADR, WWE 7/15
Daniel Bryan vs. Sheamus, WWE 7/30
Daniel Bryan vs. John Cena, WWE 8/6 - 1 YES
John Cena vs. Alberto Del Rio, WWE 9/2
Damien Sandow vs. Sheamus, WWE 10/1
Daniel Bryan vs. Dolph Ziggler, WWE 10/22 - 2 YES
Sheamus vs. Big Show, WWE 10/28 - 1 YES
Randy Orton vs Alberto Del Rio, WWE 10/28 - 1 NO

This post has been edited by Wrestling_KO Mike on Dec 19 2012, 11:24 AM

Nominating

Big Show v. Daniel Bryan - Smackdown 1/7/12 (taped 1/4)

This is better if you watch Bryan's douchey face-to-face backstage encounter with Show from earlier in the show, but even without it it is a fucking great tv match. Tons to like here, from Bryan's early reaction of dread after getting held but his face and headbutted to the floor, to the way his comeback was set up which was really believable and looked good, to Show fighting through the guillotine and the Labell Lock, et. Hell Bryan bleeding from the mouth, wit show frothing at the mouth while in the guillotine was one of the better visuals I can recall in the WWE in years. I think this had to balance between giving Bryan enough to make you believe he was a credible champion, but also keeping Show looking like a monster and leaving room for Bryan to take the pussy's way out at the end and the fact that it did all of that successfully is really insane. Also Mark Henry making Cole his bitch on commentary and then having Bryan use him as a out to get DQ'ed was a really brilliant use of him. Great work from all three guys really.

Are we using the the taped date or aired date for Smackdown and Superstars matches. I say taped, but it isn't up to me

I didn't know which is why I put both. Taped is probably better in case something great pops up in late Dec but doesn't air til the 1st of Jan 2013

Big Show v. Daniel Bryan - Smackdown 1/7/12 (taped 1/4) YES

Smart match that highlighted everyone's strengths and made each worker looked smart and effective. I can't help but contrast it to the Punk vs. Ziggler match from Raw which also was used as a set up for a bigger rematch and how dumb both PUnk and Ziggler looked at the end of that match. Bryan used subtle mannerisms well to go with his over the top celebrations to ensure what the angle is working toward. I look forward to a long singles match between the two and actually would welcome a 3 way to include Henry in some fashion.

Big Show v. Daniel Bryan - Smackdown 1/7/12 (taped 1/4) - YES

This was a very good contrast to the wars Bryan fought against Henry last year, he's hilariously great working as a goofy yet skilled chickenshit douche, evading Show, kicking the shit out of him and hooking on submissions whenever possible. Show looked like a boss dishing out slaps and lifting Bryan up and down like a doll, and the choke lift/headbutt combo was fucking awesome. Henry on commentary wasn't far behind on the other two as a worker in this match. Glorious.

Big Show vs. Daniel Bryan, WWE 1/4 - YES

Not really anything new to add here, but this was excellent. My favorite parts of all of the Danielson/Joe matches were always Danielson doing his evasive Bugs Bunny routine, so building the entire match around Bryan frantically trying to stay one step ahead of the giant was a great move. And Mark Henry was just king-sized on commentary. Really enjoyed this.

Nominating - Big Show vs. Daniel Bryan, WWE 1/10

This was a blast, totally awesome match that feels like a crazy out of control fight rather than a stuntshow like most of these gimmick matches in the WWE do, Big Show chucks and throws Bryan around like it was nothing and absorbs HUGE beatings, while Bryan does a really great job at getting shots back at him, kicking him in the leg, smashing chairs at him and just climbing up stuff and jumping on him. I thought the finish was pretty great and the only appropriate way for this to end considerin how much Show came across as an unstoppable beast. Everyone involved did a great performance to put it over, shame on those idiot fans for ruining such a great moment.

Daniel Bryan vs Big Show 1/10: YES

Yeah that match was even better than last weeks. Bryan was great pinballing for Show, who was full of piss and vinegar. Show catching Bryan coming off the top with a spear was a holy shit spot. Bryan grabbing a chair to even the odds was great, including the chair shot to the chest to set up the DDT on the chair. Every time Bryan managed to get a piece of offense in or slip out of the way, he'd immediately grab the chair. Bryan hits a chopblock, goes for the chair again, but this time Show just punches it out of his hands and goes to the outside. Show clears off the announcers table but buys Bryan enough time to counter and grab the chair again. He whales him in the back all around the ring as Show stumbles. Show charging at Bryan, Bryan moving and Show toppling over AJ was well timed and looked good. The fans chanting "she's ok" was kind of lame, but Show was good in his reaction to what he had done and Bryan was great browbeating him for it. Great match, and Bryan finds yet another underhanded tactic to survive.

Bryan also cut a really awesome heel promo to open the show. Whoever doesn't think he can talk are flat out wrong. He's way better than Cody Rhodes.

Daniel Bryan vs Big Show 1/10: NO

This wasn't as good as last week cause of one reason: no Mark Henry. Show and Bryan were pretty good though but the crowd almost killed it.

Daniel Bryan v. Big Show 1/10 YES

Easy yes. Bryan's facial expressions in this match were fucking great, loved all the stuff with the chair and I thought the finish was actually really fucking great. Bryan is pretty much the perfect douche as they have successfully converted Show into an underdog babyface.

Daniel Bryan v. Big Show 1/10 YES

Best match I've seen this year, was going to write almost exactly what Dylan did about Bryan's act, I mean he's got people rooting for guys who are hundreds of pounds heavier than him and it's all down to how smarmy and insincere he comes across on promos and the cheap, but not hugely cheap, shots he takes during matches. It could come across as pretty heroic the way he kept avoiding such a bigger opponent but it really didn't. Show played his part excellently selling the chair shots pretty perfectly, getting worn down all throughout the match. The spear looked sick, it didn't come off smoothly at all so it looked really vicious. Ending was cool, crowd didn't really annoy me at all, couldn't help laughing at Show being so distraught and Bryan calling him a bastard, looking forward to more of this weird/awesome three way feud they've got going on.

Bryan is quickly becoming the best heel in wrestling. Great douchebag.

Daniel Bryan vs Mark Henry, 1/20 SD lumberjack match

Spoiler tag for deets...

[spoiler]Hesitant nomination as its super short and doesn't have a real finish (even if it's awesome) and the fact that I'm an admitted mark for both of these guys, but this was a lumberjack match and it was worked exactly how a lumberjack match should be worked. Mark Henry was Mark Henry that you know and love. He chucks Bryan down near to the ropes as Bryan waves his finger and tells the lumberjacks not to touch him. Henry drops a big forearm over his back, and Bryan slides out of the ring to shove one of the Usos to remind them...not to touch him. Back in the ring and Henry continues beating up on Bryan with forearms across the chest, piefacing him, headbutting him, and talking all kinds of shit in the process ("ALL NIGHT LONG!"). This is basically shit talking babyface Henry. Henry shoulder blocks Bryan and he tumbles to the floor where Barrett grabs him and throws him back in, as Bryan screams "HEY! WHAT ARE YOU DOING!?!" Bryan eats a clothesline with a big spin bump that Henry got a really good nearfall off of.  Close up shot on Henry who makes his usual awesome pissed off facial, following it up by military pressing Bryan out of the ring and ontop of the lumberjacks. The lumberjacks lift Bryan and Bryan nails one of them with a forearm as they all jump him. Henry goes and grabs him and basically hip tosses him back into the ring from the apron...Bryan nails a dropkick and the beast falls into the sea of lumberjacks...Bryan holds onto the ropes and keeps kicking at Henry who is trying to get back in. Awesome sequence. Then the other Jacks hit the ring and maul Bryan. Henry does his power up spot on the outside shoving everyone off of him at once... Then he storms into the ring, grabbing and throwing bodies out of the way to get at Bryan. He gets Bryan up for the WSS as everyone jumps Henry, who drops him, then everyone starts brawling with everyone to sell the Royal Rumble match, meanwhile Bryan grabs his title and skips town. I thought this had a great chaotic atmosphere, made Henry look like a beast, further established Bryans new heel character and built the PPV all in like 8 minutes. Fun tv match.[/spoiler]

Daniel Bryan vs Mark Henry, 1/20 SD lumberjack match - NO

A fun TV match, with good work from Bryan in particular, but nothing more. Henry's still clearly not 100% (though had some great facial expressions throughout) and an advert break in an already short match hurt the match even more.

Nominate

Daniel Bryan vs Punk RAW 1/30

From one of the better RAWs in recent memory, I think Orton/Ziggler is pretty close to nomination worthy too, and continues Bryan's great recent run. Pretty awesome TV match with plenty of time, a ton of stiff kicks and chops and really evenly worked which is great in a champion vs champion match, both guys came out of it looking good. Liked Punk's arm selling too, the bulldog spot was a nice touch. Finish might annoy some, I was hoping for a sneaky small package win for Bryan, but I don't think it hurt the match, and looking back it probably made more sense then either guy going over clean. Liked that Jericho came out when both guys were out and it also lead to a pretty amazing celebration from Bryan, sitting in a heap shouting and celebrating while clearly almost dead from the punishment he took.

Daniel Bryan vs Punk RAW 1/30 - Yes

Pretty awesome match, Bryan's kick to Punk's head looked brutal and that pinning manuever where he stepped on Punk' arm was cool as hell. Seems kind of weird that a champions vs champions match would be a random match on RAW though.

Big Show vs. Daniel Bryan, WWE 1/4 - YES

This was pretty damn great. I've barely seen any of the Henry run from the last year or so, so I wasn't expecting him to be so awesome on commentary, but he really was. The way he just shut Cole's stupidity down time after time was outstanding. Actual match going on in the ring rocked too, of course. All of the stuff with Bryan trying to run and dodge from Show was like watching a game of whack-a-mole. He'd pop up and disappear and pop up somewhere else, but it's only a matter of time until you get bonked in the head. Show lifting him up by his head and then headbutting him was fucking awesome. Bryan moving from the guillotine straight into the Labell Lock looked super smooth as well, and when he realises he's up shit creek without a paddle he manages to find an out by pissing off the one person he knows will bite. The post-match celebration was the greatest.

Nomination

Leakee vs Dean Ambrose vs Seth Rollins FCW TV 2/5 taped 1/13

This is a low end nomination but it's the best FCW match I've seen on tv this year. Ambrose does his thing and does both the regal stretch and the knee to the head right in front of Regal who's doing commentary. I guess they are heading towards a rematch in April? I also like Leakee here when he does a samoan drop with both Rollins and Ambrose on his shoulder. Rollins is what he usually is, all moves and very little selling. This was the Ambrose show and Leakee's best match.

Nomination
Wildcard Battle Royal - Smackdown 17/2
Seriously great battle royal, I'd say esily better than this years Rumble, and I don't recall seeing too many other standard BRs in history that were better than this. Some really nice looking eliminations, including a lengthy segment with Gabriel and Primo. I really liked Primo and Epico teaming up on everyone, until the more experienced of the two eliminated the rookie of the team. Drew looked fantastic at points, a total star. The finish was brilliant too, and the crowd reaction to Santino, and his win, was a special moment. The only thing the match could have done with was William Regal, and some kind of giant for everyone to gang up on. Brodus would have been a fun fit if he hadn't been dropped from TV recently.

Yes to the Battle Royal

Awesome little match. One of the benefits of a match like this is because everyone is an underdog, no one is a favorite. That also means the guys are all fighting to stand out so we got a bunch of nutty eliminations, crazy spots, et. Primo and Drew Mac were fucking incredible and the finishing run with Santino and Otunga was excellent. Loved it.

Yes to Punk v. Bryan from Raw 1/30

Great match, and the run in finish didn't bother me much because it at least made storyline sense. Match was jammed full with "stuff" but it was all good stuff and the arm work on Punk really looked great and added an extra dimension. I am a fan of Punk's work over the last three years, but it was clear he was working over time to stay tit for tat with Bryan.

CM Punk vs Daniel Bryan - Smackdown 21/2/12 (Nomination)
Surprised that this hasn't had a mention yet. Better than the Raw match already nominated, with Punk being considerably better than normal. His selling of the arm here was superb, he kept going back to it throughout the match. The actual armwork was real nice too, and I loved Bryan's kneedrop that he rubbed in Punk's face whilst grabbing the arm. Finish(es) were kind of what you'd expect for a champion vs champion match on free TV, and even still it was decent enough and put both guys over a bit. Really good match, my #2 as of right now behing Finlay/Tajiri.

CM Punk vs Daniel Bryan - Smackdown 21/2/12 YES

I think I like the first raw match better, but what we saw here was really good also and I loved how each of the restarts were believable and brought more heat to not only Bryan and PUnk individually but to the Teddy/Ace storyline.

Nomination:

Dolph Ziggler vs Kofi Kingston Superstars 3/6

Probably the best Superstars match since the Chris Masters era. Dolph totally carries this with his bumpiong. Kofi wasn't awful like he usually is. Loved the Monkey flip which Ziggler sold like death. Vickie was also good at ringside.

Dollph Ziggler vs Sheamus Raw 3/12

Another good performance by Dolph. Both guys go totally wild in a meaningless match featuring Dolph throwing Sheamus into the announcers table cause Sheamus to get a big welt on his back Match had a little botch with Finlay's finisher but Dolph sold the Brogue kick great.

Big Show vs. Daniel Bryan (WWE 1/4/12) (YES)

Mark Henry comes across like such a badass here. Telling a fan he'll "beat the braces offa him" if he doesn't sit down and shut up, punking out Michael Cole and Josh Matthews several times during commentary ("what ya'll jumpin' for?"). Entertaining dialogue from the big guy. This was an extremely fun match which struck a good balance between making Show look superhuman and allowing Bryan flashes of competency. Bryan bumped and reacted well to Show's offense. People have already mentioned his facial expressions, plus he really threw around his body to ramp up the impact of Show's cut-offs and moves. Really dug the 'strength' spots too, like Show swatting a charging Daniel Bryan away whilst still on one knee. And, of course, the 'Guillotine-power-out-into-Label-Lock-counter-into-power-out' sequence. The spear cut-off was cool too. Just like his contributions to commentary, I thought Henry's presence in the match was enjoyable - bellowing at both guys to get back into the ring - and fed into a fun finish that left everyone looking great and ramped up Bryan's douche-y, obnoxious heel persona in the process. "Get outta my face boy or I'll beat ya brains out!"