WWE and TNA: Year in Review 2006

The end of the year is on the horizon and it is time for my opinionated view on wrestling’s year in review for 2006. I will critique the best and worst of both WWE and TNA. Again, this is strictly my opinion.

Best Wrestler for TNA - Samoa Joe. Samoa Joe has been a very impressive prospect in the realm of professional wrestling. Since his inception to TNA he has been a force to be reckoned with and his unforgiving style of pure mat wrestling, high-flying maneuvers, and a sinister way to decimate his opponents has made him an instrument of destruction. Joe has defeated the best in wrestling, not just TNA. For 2006, he has defeated Christopher Daniels, A.J. Styles, Jay lethal, Chris Sabin, Alex Shelley, Sonjay Dutt, Scott Steiner, Rhino, Monty Brown, Ron Killings, Jeff Jarrett, Raven, Sabu, and Kurt Angle. That’s a laundry list of legends that Joe defeated just THIS year; an indelible accomplishment that very few wrestlers could achieve, and Joe has. Joe has been a two-time X division champion, and has hinted on a possible NWA World Heavyweight title run, but we have yet to see Joe get that opportunity. Joe has been in some memorable and heated rivalries this year as well. Who could ever forget the rivalry between Joe, Christopher Daniels, and A.J. Styles? This feud would culminate in the now infamous chant of “Joe’s gonna kill you.” Who would have ever thought that by the end of the year Samoa Joe would be feuding with Kurt Angle? It happened, and there’s more to come from the Samoan Submission Machine. Best Wrestler for TNA in 2006 is Samoa Joe!

-Runner up: Sting: He’s like a fine wine, and it’s great to see him loving wrestling again.

Best Wrestler for WWE - Edge. For 2006 it seemed Edge was off to a rocky start. A DQ loss to Ric Flair at New Year’s Resolution, Edge wasn’t doing well in the beginning of 2006; that is until the end of the night. Edge would score a surprise win over the pejorative WWE Champion, John Cena. Even though he was a heel, many fans would cheer Edge and give him the accolades of finally ending John Cena’s reign as WWE Champion. Edge would live up to his name and his WWE Championship win would culminate into a “live sex” act. This “act” would garner the highest rated RAW in the last 5 years [garnered a 5.2]. By winning the WWE Championship, Edge has now joined the elite of the prestigious and coveted Triple-Crown winners list [Intercontinental Champion, Tag-Team Champion, and WWE Champion]. Even though Edge’s title reign would be cut short by the end of the month, Edge’s popularity would burgeon as the months went by. Edge’s next adversary would be former WWE Champion, Mick Foley. Foley and Edge would feud until March where both combatants would face off in one of the greatest hardcore matches in recent memory. Edge and Foley would later become allies and feud with Paul Heyman and ECW. Edge and Foley would score a win at ECW’s One Night Stand II, and Edge would also make a surprise appearance at One Night Stand II by spearing John Cena rekindling his feud with the “Doctor of Thuganomics” by putting Edge back in the championship hunt. Edge would regain the WWE title after Rob Van Dam smoked his own ass rather than smoke anyone else’s, and defeating John Cena in a 3-way match. By the end of the year Edge would lose the title to Cena again, but Edge is still main eventing RAW while John Cena has been reduced to mid-card status feuding with the fledgling Kamala wannabe Umaga. Edge has won the WWE Championship twice, and the World Tag-Team Championship with Randy Orton this year. Edge has even proved his critics, specifically Triple H, wrong by garnering enough heat to actually have John Cena cheered. Sad that WWE’s number one babyface is that hated. Edge is the Best Wrestler for WWE in 2006!

-Runner up: Booker T: He’s won the King of the Ring, won the World Title, and has reinvented himself by being King Booker. Booker has paid his dues, and now it was Booker’s turn to shine. He even won the “Champion of Champions.”

Worst Wrestler for TNA - Scott Steiner. This shouldn’t surprise anyone when I say Scott Steiner was the worst wrestler for TNA in 2006. Steiner has been a no-name since WCW closed, and while he has been a World Champion in WCW, that was years ago. When Steiner came to TNA, no one was surprised, or shocked, or even cared. Steiner would become Jarrett’s lackey for the most part of 2006, but by the end of the year he would be in a feud with Samoa Joe. Steiner played his usual mundane boisterous self where he would shoot off his mouth and bully people like Andy Douglas of the Naturals and Norman Smiley. There’s nothing wrong with Steiner being a bully, but that’s all he did, and it was boring! Steiner only did one thing memorable in TNA, he screwed Samoa Joe out of retaining the X-Division Championship, thus giving Senshi the X-Division Championship. Even Steiner’s interviews were horrible. Steiner would ramble on and on about how he’s a genetic freak. Yeah, you got big muscles, big deal. Too bad you couldn’t sell a fly to a pile of crap. Steiner’s feud with Samoa Joe was decent, but unmemorable to say the least. Scott Steiner is the Worst Wrestler for TNA in 2006!

-Runner up: James Gang: Seriously guys, enough of the “I hate Paul Levesque, Vince McMahon, and Michael Hickembottom” garbage. This isn’t high school. Get over it! Be glad you were granted the push you got in WWE in the first place.

Worst Wrestler for WWE - Batista. Not everything is critiqued by what you see on television, even outside the squared-circle and attitude reflects who you are as a professional wrestler. A wrestler once told me that professional wrestling is 5% athletics, 5% acting, and 90% attitude and respect for the business and its legacy. How true it is, and it’s sad that WWE’s World Heavyweight Champion, Batista, is the aberration of what makes the business of professional wrestling work. For the most part of 2006, Batista was healing up his injuries and getting ready for a comeback. Vince McMahon and the WWE have spent a lot of money to hype Batista’s return to Smackdown, and in the end Batista’s return was only mediocre at best. Batista would feud with the likes of Mark Henry, and while Batista looked great physically, it was evident that Batista’s ring skills were still lackluster. After a horrible display at the Great American Bash, Batista’s star power, as the WWE would say, “was diminishing.” Batista showed his arrogance as well by shooting off his mouth about Smackdown! and TNA’s A.J. Styles. Batista has been known to voice his displeasure in being on Smackdown and not RAW; however, if Batista was so over as he thinks he is, he would have to wonder why Smackdown is the B-Show instead of the A-Show. Batista would later be in a backstage brawl with Booker T in which Booker T supposedly was giving him some hard criticism; in other words, take the criticism and make yourself better, not beat up a guy who has been in the business longer than you, has been a success in the business longer than you, knows the business more than you, and has busted his ass for the business longer and better than you. Respect is everything in professional wrestling, and it’s clear Batista doesn’t have respect for the business or his fellow comrades. One has to ruminate why they [WWE] gave him another World Title run, but that’s WWE for you. Batista’s wrestling is lethargic, sloppy, and dangerous. Batista blows up too quickly and because of this it hurts his matches in the long run. Batista scalped Ken Kennedy because of his lackluster wrestling. His match with the Big Show at ECW was horrible as well. It’s no wonder why the fans were chanting, “You both suck!” The WWE has even voiced their disapproval of Batista’s behavior with the fans. During the ECW event, Vince McMahon allegedly told Batista that “these ECW fans may boo you, so don’t be surprised if they do.” Batista would nod to Vince as if he was okay with it, but apparently he wasn’t. Batista would scream at the fans while coming to the ring, break character after the match, and almost foment a riot. This act would fulminate the WWE staff and it was clear that Batista was WWE’s new Ultimate Warrior; in other words, he’s all hype and no respect. Batista may be World Champion, but so was the Ultimate Warrior, and we all know what the WWE thinks about him. Batista is the Worst Wrestler in the WWE for 2006!

-Runner up: Mark Henry: Seriously, can’t Vince McMahon take a hint? Mark Henry sucks!

Best Feud of the Year - Samoa Joe vs. Christopher Daniels vs. A.J. Styles. Samoa Joe was a monster in this feud. A juggernaut that seemed indomitable. Facing off with two great wrestlers in A.J. Styles and Christopher Daniels, this was the feud of the decade let alone the year. While the feud started in 2005, it culminated in 2006. All three combatants would win the prestigious X-Division championship sometime during the feud. When Christopher Daniels was the champion, he, A.J. Styles, and Samoa Joe would battle in a triple-threat match for the title. A.J. Styles would win the title and be the first wrestler to win the X-Division Championship 5 times. The feud would only burgeon Samoa Joe’s desire to be X-Division Champion, not to mention his killer instinct. Samoa Joe would destroy Christopher Daniels after a tag-team match, in which put Daniels on the shelf for a while. Meanwhile, Joe would set his sights on A.J. Styles and the X-Division title. Joe would massacre Styles and finally win the X-Division Championship. Who could ever forget that massive cut on Styles’ lip? During 2006, both Styles and Daniels would try to dethrone Joe, but those attempts would turn into failures as Joe would be a colossus of pure dominance for the beginning of 2006. Finally, Styles and Daniels would use their intellect rather than pride and agility. Thus, the Ultimate X match between the three combatants would commence. Joe was out of his league as he was the heaviest one and not a very good climber, but both A.J. and Daniels were agile and could mount the cables with ease. In the end, Daniels would be X-Division champion again; therefore, it was clear that all three combatants were true champions as they would all win the title during the feud. An irate Samoa Joe would seek revenge as he would get his title back from Daniels in one of the most hard to watch wrestling matches of all time, and the match was on free television. In the end, Joe would come out of the feud with the title, but it was clear that all three members were all winners as this feud was heartfelt, uncanny, unpredictable, and sometimes even scary. Best Feud of the Year goes to Samoa Joe vs. Christopher Daniels vs. A.J. Styles!

-Runner up: Edge vs. John Cena: Let’s be realistic, everyone was watching this feud. Whether you was cheering for Edge or booing Cena, everyone was interested in this feud. Both men did their best to get the other person over, and for the most part the feud just clicked.

Worst Idea Ever - The Rehashing of 1998 (DX, Old-Kane, ECW): “Times are changing, and we’re changing with the times.” -Vince McMahon. Yeah right. Someone explain to me what was Vince McMahon thinking when he decided to bring back DX? Yes, both Triple H and Shawn Michales got huge pops at WrestleMania when they did their notorious crotch-chop, but why in God’s name was Vince McMahon saying, “Oh yeah, that’s a hit!” During the Attitude Era, or as I call it the cataracts era (for all of you who have seen DVD’s of the Attitude Era) DX would actually present some funny segments, but now the only thing funny about DX is the idea of two 40 year old men, one of them being a born again Christian, trying to act like perverse teenagers. Most of the ideas from DX were either irrelevant or just down right stupid, in a bad way. Remember when Triple H received the proverbial “hummer?” Why was this shown? Because Candice Michelle didn’t know what a production truck looked like? It took Triple H 10 minutes to explain to Candice what the production truck was? It wasn’t amusing, nor was it entertaining. Speaking of Triple H, did he NOT get the memo that’s he’s not cool enough to be in a beer commercial? Does he even drink beer? Anyway, enough of DX, let’s move on. Next is the masked Kane, who had a short (thank God) feud with the original Kane. What was stupid about this feud was, what was the point? Apparently, Kane was hearing voices in his head, [the dreadful May 19th]and what made this angle so damn stupid was, THE AUDIENCE COULD HEAR THEM AS WELL!!! However, Kane was also fighting his former self, the masked Kane. The question was, why? What did this feud mean? Was Kane fighting his past? Was Kane fighting himself? Was Kane fighting his inner-demons? What was the point? The beautiful thing about this angle was, we’ll never know. Finally, ECW. I have been a huge mark for ECW...back when I was a teenager. Now, ECW, or WWECW as I call it, is a watered-down paradox of what it originally was known for. ECW back in the 90's stood for revolutionizing the business of professional wrestling, but now, ECW means, as Jerry Lawler would say, Extremely Crappy Wrestling. The only thing extreme about ECW was that Vince McMahon found a bimbo that is so dumb that she doesn’t know how to take off a bra. Wow. Before Vince and Stephanie try to absolve their actions on the debacle of ECW, it wasn’t Paul Heyman’s fault this time, it was both Stephanie and Vince’s fault. So, now we can honestly say that Vince is a failure at promoting wrestling. Worst Idea Ever in 2006 is the Rehashing of 1998!

-Runner up: VKM: Seriously, why magnify someone else’s garbage when you produce the same garbage?

Female of the Year - Lita. This probably surprises a lot of people, since Trish Stratus had a more graceful exit in the realm of professional wrestling; however, I believe this was Lita’s year. Like Edge, Lita started out the year managing the WWE Champion, which is a great start for her in 2006. Before 2006 Lita didn’t seem comfortable being a manager, she was more of a wrestler rather than a manager; however, in 2006 Lita came out of her shell and embraced the idea of a female manager. Lita was perfect this whole year as the female antagonist who had countless feuds with the likes of Trish Stratus, Mickie James, Mick Foley, John Cena, and Beulah. Lita would always be there to give Edge weapons, or distract the referee while Edge would cheat his way to victory. Lita also played her role as the busty “sexpot” as her attire was sultry yet stunning. Classy yet trashy. Lita went from a full-clothed tomboy to a seductive beauty. As she ended her career this year, she had enough respect to pass the torch to Mickie James. During that time, she won the Women’s Championship twice in 2006 alone. Unlike Trish, who won her retirement match, Lita lost hers, but unlike Trish this was Lita’s year and it shows with her title wins as well as her involvement with Edge. Female of the Year is the lovely Lita!

-Runner up: Mickie James and Trish Stratus (Tied): The reason I picked both is because of their tremendous feud with each other, and of course the bad luck they had in between. For the most part of 2006 Mickie James was Women’s Champion, but there wasn’t any competition for Mickie to defend her title to except maybe Candice Michelle, who can barley wrestle, Torrie Wilson, who is about as useless as tits on a boar, and Melina, who does better as a valet anyway. Trish made the list because of her triumphant recovery from her shoulder injury, and her successful feud with Mickie James that made the Women’s Division worth watching rather than take a bathroom break or change the channel. Both of these women deserve the runner up spot for their tremendous contributions to the wrestling world.

Who to watch out for in TNA for 2007 - Alex Shelley: For the most part of 2006, Alex Shelley has really impressed me with his wrestling skills, his look, and his gimmick [Paparazzi]. I’ve always stated that Alex Shelley is the Chris Jericho of TNA. Alex is an anomaly compared to other X-Division stars and that difference will make a difference in Alex’s career. I’m predicting that Alex will eventually win the X-Division Championship in 2007, maybe with the help of Kevin Nash, but Alex will win the title. Alex has been having a cult following, but it seems that the iMPACT Zone hasn’t been giving Alex the recognition he deserves. Still, look for Alex Shelley to get a major push.

Who to watch out for in WWE for 2007 - Ken Kennedy . . . Kennedy: The day I saw Mr. Kennedy I had a tear in my eye, because it was about time there was a wrestler that could A) wrestle, B) work the mic like no one else could, and C) work a believable character, and he’s in the WWE, which is rare for WWE to have all three of these attributes and be a rookie. Kennedy started in 2005 and already has a following in 2006. Kennedy has already main-evented Smackdown pay-per-views, and Smackdown itself. Kennedy defeated Finley and Lashley to win the United States Championship this year, and in 2007 the titles will continue to pour in. I predict that Mr. Kennedy will win the US title again, maybe the Tag-Team titles with MVP or whoever else is getting over on Smackdown. I’m not sure if Kennedy will get the World Heavyweight Championship, but don’t count him out for the chase just yet, because if Smackdown keeps having the hapless outcomes this past year with injuries than maybe Ken Kennedy will be the only wrestler left on the Smackdown roster that has enough star power to be given the push. That is unless Vince has the bad taste of giving the belt to the Boogeyman.

2006 has been a decent year for wrestling, some good, a lot bad, but one thing is for sure the fans will keep watching.