The Slammys

So 2008 is coming to a close, and the WWE handed out Slammy Awards for the first time in 11 years last night on Raw. I thought most of the big ones were right on the money, though I'm curious as to what the voting process was, seeing how there was no mention of fan voting on WWE.com. What, a room full of executives dining on Chinese take-out decided on the best wrestlers, matches and moments of 2008? Isn't that OUR job as loyal fans? Whatever.

Here are the winners of the big Awards, along with the other nominees and my own analysis on each:

1. Superstar Of The Year
Chris Jericho - WINNER
Edge
Triple H
Jeff Hardy
Batista
John Cena

This definitely belonged to Jericho, though Edge would've been a fine choice as well. After Jericho made his return to the WWE in November 2007 after over two years away, things sorta fizzled out after his short, one-month program with WWE Champion Randy Orton. A lot of people said the momentum from his return nose-dived after that, especially when he was part of a boring but brief feud with JBL, who was also making his return to in-ring competition at the Royal Rumble. Thankfully, Jericho was used better around the time of Wrestlemania 24, where he came this close to winning the Money in the Bank ladder match and was then inserted into the Batista/Shawn Michaels feud. Afterward, the seeds were planted for one of the most heated, emotional and violent rivalries in WWE history, as Jericho began an eventual heel turn against Michaels. The two fought in PPV matches at Judgment Day and The Great American Bash, where HBK's eye became "injured" and Jericho reveled in nearly destroying the Heartbreak Kid. By this time, Y2J was the biggest heel in the entire company, next to fellow Canadian, Edge over on Smackdown. He capped off 2008's most bitter feud by winning the World Heavyweight Title twice, in September and early November. Now, he's in a main-event feud with current Champion John Cena and meets him at the Armageddon PPV on Sunday night.

2. Match Of The Year
Shawn Michaels vs Ric Flair @ Wrestlemania 24 - WINNER
The 2008 Royal Rumble match
Money In The Bank ladder match @ Wrestlemania 24
The Undertaker vs Edge, Hell In A Cell match @ Summerslam

For me, the best match of 2008 isn't even on this list, though it involved the same two people. The main event of this year's Wrestlemania, Edge vs The Undertaker for the World Heavyweight Title was my favorite match of 2008. I loved their Cell match from Summerslam and it'd probably get my vote if I was stuck with these four choices, but I see no reason why the MITB ladder match was on this list. To win an award for Match Of The Year should mean that you told a great story in the ring opposite your opponent, in a lengthy, tension-rising 1-on-1 match. The ladder match concept is a crash-and-burn fiasco; sure it's entertaining and very physically demanding, but when 7 wrestlers are involved you really aren't telling a story - you're going spot after spot and giving the fans a series of "OH MY GOD!" moments to remember. Call me old-fashioned but that's how I feel. The Shawn Michaels/Ric Flair match is certainly deserving, because emotion was the definitive name of the game with that program. Everyone knew Flair was gonna lose and he'd be retiring so the "telling a story" aspect is covered. The match itself in my opinion was pretty even between the both of them. Not HBK's best but one of Flair's better matches in recent years. Not a match I would've chosen but a respectable choice when paired with the rest of the nominees.

3. Best Finishing Maneuver
Evan Bourne's Shooting Star Press - WINNER
Big Show's Knockout punch
Randy Orton's RKO
Undertaker's Hell's Gate

I don't watch ECW so I haven't really seen much of Evan Bourne, let alone his finishing move. I think the voting on this one was based purely on the athleticism involved, because the shooting star press is probably the most dangerous move to try and do in wrestling (just ask Brock Lesnar). Kudos to the young rookie, though I would've voted for the RKO, seeing how Randy Orton was WWE Champion for the first quarter of 2008. The RKO always gets a big pop from the crowd and it's lightning-quick - Orton can hit it from out of nowhere.

4. 'OH MY GOD' Moment Of The Year
CM Punk cashes in his Money In The Bank contract, wins World Title on Raw - WINNER
Floyd Mayweather punches Big Show and breaks his nose @ No Way Out
John Cena's surprise return @ the Royal Rumble
The Undertaker sends Edge to "Hell" @ Summerslam

Couldn't agree more on this one. I remember that particular episode of Raw; Edge, then-World Champion came out bragging about beating Batista at the Night of Champions PPV the night before. Batista came out, beat the crap out of Edge and powerbombed him in the middle of the ring. Punk came out, gave the referee his MITB briefcase, hit Edge with the GTS and won the belt as the crowd exploded. It's just too bad that the WWE higher-ups didn't push Punk hard enough as Champ.

5. Extreme Moment Of The Year
Jeff Hardy splashes Randy Orton off the Raw scaffolding set on Raw - WINNER
Undertaker falls through several tables off a ladder in a match with Edge @ One Night Stand
Chris Jericho smashes Shawn Michaels face-first through a TV screen on Raw
JBL throws John Cena off the stage onto a car windshield @ the Great American Bash

Right choice again here. Hardy hitting Orton with the biggest Swanton Bomb ever was all the way back in January, and its managed to stand the test of time. I agree with the presence of two of the other nominees, but what the Hell was that JBL/Cena match doing on here? That wasn't "extreme" at all! Did you see that match?? Cena is "thrown" maybe 6 feet onto the windshield, where he still lands pretty gingerly on his side. Oh WOW! Way to take a bump, John! It's one thing if maybe he landed head-first or took a solid back bump, but c'mon! Whatever.....ANY reason just to have Cena on most of the lists, eh Vince?

So there were a few surprises and a few predictable ones, but enjoyable overall. Still wish Edge and Taker's Wrestlemania main event was at least on the list instead of filling it up with gimmick matches. But what are ya gonna do, right?

Check back here soon where I'll discuss where WWE is headed as the Royal Rumble and even Wrestlemania loom around the corner.

Keep 'em laughin,
D.