Wrestler of the Year (IYO)

[Rollermacka]

So 2016 has been a hell of a year in professional wrestling. There's been a lot of wrestlers who have had good years and some who have been amazing in 2016. Who do you think is Wrestler of the Year for 2016? (and we're talking national/ global television star, unfortunately can't choose HABM :'( )



My pick would be "Broken" Matt Hardy. He was always the "Other Hardy Brother" but he has completely reinvented himself and has arguably become a bigger star than Jeff. On top of the "Final Deletions", he has pretty much gotten TNA the most positive main stream attention they've had since they signed Hulk Hogan.

[Droford]

AJ Styles hands down.

[Lock Jaw]

Chris Jericho hands down.

[#BROKEN Hasney]

Matt Hardy balls down

[Simple Fan]

Got to go with Broken Matt Hardy. Jericho is a close second though.

[Black Widow]

AJ
Jericho
Dean

[Savio]

AJ Styles

[#1-norm-fan]

My pick would be "Broken" Matt Hardy.

Matt Hardy balls down

Got to go with Broken Matt Hardy.

EXCELLENT CHOICES. I CONCUR!

[#1-norm-fan]

I'd also like to put in my vote for Wrestler of the Year 2017 now.

King Maxel.

[Evil Vito]

What about Non-Wrestler of the Year?

It's almost impossible to call between Vanguard 1 and Senor Benjamin.

[Simple Fan]

Skarsgard has to be up there to. After all he did save us from Apocalypto.

[Fignuts]

AJ Styles hands down.

[Innovator]

AJ Styles

[Droford]

Although to be honest..AJ Styles went from wrestling Nakamura in January at WK 10 to James Ellsworth in December..hmm

[Juan]

AJ Styles

[Wishbone]

Good question... Honestly 2016 has been a pretty meh year for pretty much everyone. AJ Styles' year started out great, but it's kinda taken a hit recently.

In terms of career growth I'd argue that Ellsworth has had the best year of all going from a literal nobody to an actually contracted WWE superstar. That shit's impressive regardless of how you feel about the guy.

If we're going by who's entertained me personally the most this year though I'd have to probably say Chris Jericho w/ an honorable mention to Kevin Owens as some of the best stuff has been them working off one another. I mean it's kinda stupid, but I always get a laugh when those two are on screen.

[SlickyTrickyDamon]

The winner is The Phenomenal One AJ Styles. You don't want none. Hardy voters are jokers and tokers.

[SlickyTrickyDamon]

Nobody can seriously say Hardy is wrestler of the year. How many times did he actually wrestle when it wasn't a pre-tape jerkoff sessions for him and his family and friends?

[Bad News Gertner]

Nikky Chance.

He finally got his CHW Interstate Title back.

[#BROKEN Hasney]

Nobody can seriously say Hardy is wrestler of the year. How many times did he actually wrestle when it wasn't a pre-tape jerkoff sessions for him and his family and friends?

Who cares? How many times did he make for entertaining television is the only question, and that was a lot. Probably more hours of watchable stuff than all of Raw in 2016.

[SlickyTrickyDamon]

Who? Everybody voting AJ Styles.

[Tom Guycott]

Incoming wall of text:

I would also like to say Matt Hardy. I'll get to why shortly.

What I can't say is he's my runaway favorite. No discount to AJ, but I would throw Cody (Rhodes) out there before Styles.

AJ was unanimously a spectacular talent, and everyone waited with baited breath to see if WWE would find a way to fuck him up and piss his talents away because he a) made a name for himself outside of their bubble and b) isn't 6'10", 300 lbs of juiced muscle. They instead, in a massive surprise, opted to not make him look like a joke jobber (this whole angle with "The Chinless Wonder" notwithstanding) from jump. It is a shame it took so long to actually *try* to establish some kind of fresher stars worth seeing in WWE instead of unilaterally deciding certain people don't work and shoving others down crowd's throats. It's a fresh surprise, but he basically did nothing but show up and not get covered in shit.

Cody, on the other hand, had to prove he could "make it" WITHOUT WWE, and ended up going EVERYWHERE. He didn't sign with a particular rival promotion... he appeared in ALL OF THEM... BOLA, WCPW, TNA, ROH, and NJPW and possibly other stuff I'm omitting. I'd place him above AJ simply because while AJ just needed that "last piece of the puzzle" for "complete career" acknowledgement, Cody has only had that piece and is filling in the rest of the board with a widespread campaign that I feel is pretty important to how people can find their fortunes without having to completely rely on WWE or any other single promotion. He has become the quintisential "indy" wrestler- he goes wherever he wants for whatever he wants. He is flipping the whole "independent contractor" status on its side. I think this is an important story, but one that has been getting overshadowed by bigger short-term "loud noises" like TNA's litigation or the Goldberg win.

Honorable mention goes to Bobby Roooooooooo.... (de). The guy I once called TNA's HHH now works for the actual HHH and is taking this "Glorious" business to the stratosphere of over-ness. It doesn't hurt that his song is kick-ass, and they didn't decide to change it because he was getting a face reaction to his song (Christian's original "At Last", anyone? Started getting cheers and they changed it up to sound more sinister. Still a cool song, but the original was like an ancestor to being "glorious"). Roode really doesn't belong in NXT, though, and had circumstances been slightly different, he probably would have made the main roster splash Styles made while this entire descriptive rant would have been about how AJ shouldn't be in NXT instead. Roode hasn't exactly been shit on, either, but he also could have been on a larger trajectory.

However, the thing about Matt Hardy is he has garnered interest into wrestling AS A WHOLE on a level not seen since CM Punk's work/shoot on Cena and the company (and subsequent title walkout... and I refuse to call it a pipebomb, because he hadn't said that yet). He's resonated in a way that is similar (though not quite as large in pop culture scale) to "Austin 3:16", and did so from the ashes of what was doomed to be yet another run-of-the-mill tag-team breakup angle, and went on to overshadow quite a bit of goings-on in the wrestling world and dominate quite a bit of conversation.

Think about that. He was a sad-sack in a suit that let his wife speak for him. Boring-ass world champion. And then, he 'snaps'. His character went crazy, and over something so inconsequential (getting mad because Jeff "selfishly" injured himself). The character devolving into his meta madness, and Jeff playing straight man until Matt "broke" him too. Then, throw in some of the most awesomely bad production values this side of Darkplace. Garnering massive attention and doing it bigger and better/worse. The camp evolved into its own thing. Copycats tried to crop up in-company (that whole Rosemary/Bram crap) and outside (New Day vs Wyatt Family). He evolved his character. He got his wife, toddler son, father-in-law, his home, his brother's lawn, a drone, and a boat over. He breathed new life into himself and his brother. And most importantly of all, he got people talking. People that love the product. People that hate the product. Pundits, "Smarks" like us, Bloggers, Youtubers, former writers, managers, personalities, wrestlers both current and of yesteryear from all over the world have an opinion about the "Broken Matt" business.

Doesn't really matter "how many times" he has wrestled, STD, personally pre-taped or not... he's the one who has garnered the most sustained attention, interest, and conversation. He did the right thing at the right time and struck gold, knocked it out of the park, and did any other metaphor you can place there.




TL;DR

AJ is a spectacular talent (I intentionally didn't use the other word), and my personal leaning is toward Cody, but undoubtedly this year belongs to Matt.

[XL]

Great point on Cody. I guess the only thing from a personal point would be that ultimately, as exciting as it is to see Cody doing what he's doing, my interest is in a return to WWE.

[Ruien]

Matt Hardy because STD is a douche.

[Blonde Moment]

MAtt Hardy

[Rammsteinmad]

Probably AJ Styles, with Kevin Owens or Chris Jericho coming up second.

[Ol Dirty Dastard]

Gotta be AJ or Jericho.

AJ is still in his prime and obviously is a WAY better "worker" than Jericho, but Jericho managed to take his middling wrestling career which he essentially was just doing as a novelty and made himself relevant again, getting the terms "Stupid Idiot" and "...IT" over along with creating a list of Jericho, which is just fucking amazing in an era where it's really hard to get things to stick. I'm sure it'll get played out as all things in wrestling do (see: all things in wrestling) but for now it's a lot of fun.

But I guess you really have to go with AJ because well, he's awesome and managed to break through the WWE wall, and shed himself of the TNA stench which could have ruined his career. He's yet to have a bad match.

My boy CyNick's pick: Roman Reigns because he isn't a good guy, he isn't a bad guy, he is in fact THE GUY.

[Simple Fan]

Went with Hardy over Styles because to me Styles character has taken a hit. Yeah he's the WWE World Champion but I have been disappointed in how he portrays himself in WWE. Broken Matt Hardy has just been entertaining, seriously.

[#1-norm-fan]

Matt Hardy might be the only entertainment I've gotten out of wrestling all year. Could care less who had 5 star matches in the midst of boring, paint-by-numbers WWE storyline. Matt wins by a mile. The guy has been producing stuff in TNA in 2016 that will go down in wrestling history. Seems insane.

[Emperor Smeat]

Styles overall because of all the great things he did during the year.

Matt's Broken gimmick was easily the best character of the year though.

[Mr. Nerfect]

Lol at people saying Matt Hardy. The answer is AJ Styles. Runner-up is Chris Jericho. No one is even close. I'm sure Kevin Owens is happy with his job and where he is, as is Charlotte and Alexa Bliss, but none of that really moves me. I actually think Randy Orton's SmackDown run might be up there. He seems effortlessly more comfortable than almost anyone else in the company.

[The CyNick]

Matt Hardy - a guy literally working backyard matches as wrestler of the year.

The Internet Wrestling Community ladies and gentlemen!

The correct answer is Roman Reigns or AJ Styles. Honorable mentions to Ambrose, Miz, and Jericho.

[The CyNick]

I'll throw Charlotte in top three.

[Big Vic]

I literally just thought of Charlotte too.

[The CyNick]

I literally just thought of Charlotte too.

Best year of any woman in the history of the company by a mile.

[Damian Rey 2.0]

Roman Reigns? The guy who bombed as the anointed top guy, got jobbed out clean, twice, to his former SHIELD buddies, failed a drug test and got suspended, and was dropped into the midcard upon return?

That's your wrestler of the year?

[The CyNick]

Roman Reigns? The guy who bombed as the anointed top guy, got jobbed out clean, twice, to his former SHIELD buddies, failed a drug test and got suspended, and was dropped into the midcard upon return?

That's your wrestler of the year?

His first half of the year was very strong. Headlined the biggest show in WWE history with HHH, and had some entertaining matches. I've liked his stiff with the US title. Admittedly I think AJ had a better year overall. And I could be sold on Charlotte as #1.

[Big Vic]

Was this years wrestlemania the biggest in history? I do not remember hearing that.

[Danny Electric]

From what I've seen this year I would have to go Styles.

As someone who mainly watches NXT due to being on The Network and time constraints I would like to mention Scott Dawson and Dash Wilder who have kept me entertained in every Revival match this year, their in-ring psychology is brilliant.

[Damian Rey 2.0]

His first half of the year was very strong. Headlined the biggest show in WWE history with HHH, and had some entertaining matches. I've liked his stiff with the US title. Admittedly I think AJ had a better year overall. And I could be sold on Charlotte as #1.

It was? The first half where he failed to get over as the top face against the authority figure who 2 years prior was the top heel in the company, only to drop the belt once Rollins returned and then got suspended, bumped down etc etc


His first half was disastrous. They dropped the belt off him immediately after Rollins came back. Before the first half of the year was done.

Not to mention you just said Styles had the better year.

[KIRA]

His first half of the year was very strong. Headlined the biggest show in WWE history with HHH, and had some entertaining matches. I've liked his stiff with the US title. Admittedly I think AJ had a better year overall. And I could be sold on Charlotte as #1.

Roman hasn't really done anything with the US title. The first half of the year for Roman was a master class in a failed push despite the WWE trying hard as fuck to get him over to the point of muting the boos and lying about how he gets cheered in the states and booed everywhere else.



Aj Styles-He killed it this year on the mic and in the ring. He has been a real sport with the Ellsworth stuff and despite what most people say I don't think it has hurt his credibility at all.

Sasha Banks gets it from me because she has pretty much killed herself in every match and coming from the disaster of team B.A.D to putting on true classics is quite a leap.

Honorable mentions: The Miz-do I even need to justify this one? I want him to keep the IC belt for as long as possible I care about Miz he has made the IC belt worth it again his stuff with DB has been off the charts and all they did was talk/yell at each other. His in-ring with Dolph was more than main-event worthy Maryse is legendary I could go on.


Matt Hardy-I shouldve hated it but godamn if the wackyness and creativity of the man who was seen as the lesser Hardy didn't win me over. You are doing something right when WWE starts cribbing your notes.

[Simple Fan]

Matt Hardy - a guy literally working backyard matches as wrestler of the year.

The Internet Wrestling Community ladies and gentlemen!

The correct answer is Roman Reigns or AJ Styles. Honorable mentions to Ambrose, Miz, and Jericho.

There is no correct answer here, it's Wrestler of the Year (IYO). It's an opinion thread, some people have different opinions.

[Ol Dirty Dastard]

I got CyNick's pick right, I'm proud of myself.

Slight tweaks on Roman Reigns would make that the right pick for next year.

[Mr. Nerfect]

Billy Gunn would not be a reasonable suggestion for this thread though. There are certain objective metrics to use and AJ Styles is the correct answer. If Matt Hardy did your favorite work, then that's...that -- but you can't assert him honestly as Wrestler of the Year.

Sasha Banks has arguably lost standing with the company. She's had a great year personally, and I'm sure if you asked her she would say she is in love with her life, but she's basically been edged out of the title scene and it looks like she might be used to put over Nia Jax. I imagine she'll end up drafted to SmackDown next year and be revitalized there, but I just can't see her stock as being higher than it was this time last year.

The correct answer is AJ Styles. CyNick's answers stick close to kayfabe, but you do have to consider critical opinion somewhat too. AJ Styles, Chris Jericho, Charlotte and The Miz are a good "top four."

[Mr. Nerfect]

I got CyNick's pick right, I'm proud of myself.

Slight tweaks on Roman Reigns would make that the right pick for next year.

If Roman Reigns was a heel he could possibly be in top contention.

[#BROKEN Hasney]

Billy Gunn would not be a reasonable suggestion for this thread though. There are certain objective metrics to use and AJ Styles is the correct answer. If Matt Hardy did your favorite work, then that's...that -- but you can't assert him honestly as Wrestler of the Year.

Why though? If wrestling to you is just a good TV show and Matt Hardy was the most entertaining TV segments, why would he not be the best of the year? Who gives a shit if it was done in the ring? My secondary choice would be the Worldwide Underground in Lucha Underground which probably had a more "traditional" wrasslin' presence.

If someone asked me to pick the best TV to watch that involves wrestling, it would be the Hardys arc

[Cool King]

In alphabetical order:

• Cesaro
• Jericho
• Miz
• Rusev
• Styles

One of those guys, but I can't decide who.

I'll most likely reach a decision soon though, but at the moment, I'm leaning towards either Miz or Rusev.

[Mr. Nerfect]

Why though? If wrestling to you is just a good TV show and Matt Hardy was the most entertaining TV segments, why would he not be the best of the year? Who gives a shit if it was done in the ring? My secondary choice would be the Worldwide Underground in Lucha Underground which probably had a more "traditional" wrasslin' presence.

If someone asked me to pick the best TV to watch that involves wrestling, it would be the Hardys arc

It's the same reason the WWE won't win an Emmy for Best Drama. It's just not good enough. If wrestling is a good TV show to you, then it still needs to be pass good criteria. You may have loved The Hardys stuff subjectively, but objectively I think you would have to admit that it's just not that "end of year awards" worthy. A cult film doesn't take the Oscar. You may have enjoyed it more, but you can't make a case for that being widespread popular opinion.

And before you cite others on this board, keep in mind that less than 400,000 people actually watch Impact Wrestling.

[#BROKEN Hasney]

I don't give a shit about objectivity. Whatever of the year should be whatever people enjoyed the most and Matt Hardy was the wrestler I enjoyed watching the most.

[Simple Fan]

This isn't wide spread popular opinion Wrestler of the Year though. This is TPWW Rollermacka Wrestler of the Year (In Your Opinion).

[#BROKEN Hasney]

Game of the year is Final Fantasy XV and that has so many flaws it may as well have leprosy, but it's the game I enjoyed the most.

[#1-norm-fan]

Nothing WWE did this year was groundbreaking or entertaining. Again, whether AJ Styles was putting on 5 star matches or duds on a weekly basis it wouldn't matter because the story and build surrounding what he's done sucks because WWE has phoned it it for years now.

Broken Matt Hardy wins.

[#1-norm-fan]

Oh, Jesus. CyNick has attempted to troll this thread, too. RESISSSSSST!!!!!

[Mr. Nerfect]

Nothing WWE did this year was groundbreaking or entertaining. Again, whether AJ Styles was putting on 5 star matches or duds on a weekly basis it wouldn't matter because the story and build surrounding what he's done sucks because WWE has phoned it it for years now.

Broken Matt Hardy wins.

Agree with all of that until "Broken Matt Hardy wins." TNA isn't breaking any ground either, even though you are right about poor AJ Styles.

"I don't give a fuck about objectivity" says a lot about the direction a lot of wrestling fans are going. :(

[Ol Dirty Dastard]

CyNick sheep,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

[Evil Vito]

Mr. Hardy should invite Brother Neal to the Hardy Compound to decide the Wrestler of the Year.

[#BROKEN Hasney]

Agree with all of that until "Broken Matt Hardy wins." TNA isn't breaking any ground either, even though you are right about poor AJ Styles.

"I don't give a fuck about objectivity" says a lot about the direction a lot of wrestling fans are going. :(

A lot of people are going towards what entertains them the most instead of being Stockholm Syndromed into watching shit TV. THE HORROR.

[SlickyTrickyDamon]

It's just not that funny or entertaining. The novelty wore off and they just have 15 year old jokes about Triple H burying people even though he created the Performance Center and all of the great people called up are because of him.

They should do all of their events in the Hardy Compound to further show the dwindling fan base.

It was way too long and nothing happened. NOTHING.

[Juan]

Doesn't mean Hasney didn't enjoy it and feels that Matt Hardy was the wrestler of the year

[#BROKEN Hasney]

A dude was fired out of an active volcano. "NOTHING happened".

Rock and Roll Express was probably the best use of old wrestlers this year too.

[#BROKEN Hasney]

To be fair, if it was Raw, being fired from an active volcano would probably be a "kick out at 2" move.

[Bad News Gertner]

You could make a strong case for the New Day as a whole

[Tom Guycott]

I'll throw Charlotte in top three.

I hesitated to mention Charlotte, Sasha, Bayley, Kana, or Athena because to mention one above the others would a) be a bit criminal, and b) it isn't so much about them (or others) as individuals as it is that they are in position and have the proven ability to elevate women's wrestling from the "piss break" doldrums it has been relegated to in WWE for a majority of the time there even was a Women's division even pre Butterfly Belt. TNA did it first, and even got it to work, and saw fit to let it evaporate. WWE is *very* late to the party, but eventually made it there. The ladies I mentioned and a couple of others are helping sway the public opinion of humans with vaginas who wrestle... much to the chagrin of people who assume untalented shitheads like Eva Marie deserve to be marketed as "main event" because of manufacured looks and acting like a bitch on a only marginally related sister show.

Charlotte/Sasha program in particular helped raise the bar, but this has been something slowly set in motion since AJ Lee was the queen without a kingdom.

[Nicky Fives]

AJ by a mile, despite booking him as shit he still managed to get over.... Honourable mentions to Owens, Jericho & Matt

[Ruien]

Mike Trout won the MVP this year and I doubt the Angels has more then 5 national wide televised games.

To say someone can't be the wrestler of the year because of the promotion they work for is ridiculous. It's actually more impressive that most people didn't each but everyone that did basically puts him as the best.

[Shisen Kopf]

BRAUN! he's the rassler of the year. He's no vanilla midget. He will be the superstar of the future. A technical legend.

[The CyNick]

I hesitated to mention Charlotte, Sasha, Bayley, Kana, or Athena because to mention one above the others would a) be a bit criminal, and b) it isn't so much about them (or others) as individuals as it is that they are in position and have the proven ability to elevate women's wrestling from the "piss break" doldrums it has been relegated to in WWE for a majority of the time there even was a Women's division even pre Butterfly Belt. TNA did it first, and even got it to work, and saw fit to let it evaporate. WWE is *very* late to the party, but eventually made it there. The ladies I mentioned and a couple of others are helping sway the public opinion of humans with vaginas who wrestle... much to the chagrin of people who assume untalented shitheads like Eva Marie deserve to be marketed as "main event" because of manufacured looks and acting like a bitch on a only marginally related sister show.

Charlotte/Sasha program in particular helped raise the bar, but this has been something slowly set in motion since AJ Lee was the queen without a kingdom.

AJ Lee couldn't carry Charlotte's..... What the devil do women carry? Anyway, Charlotte is way better.

[#BROKEN Hasney]

Handbag

[#BROKEN Hasney]

Purse

[#BROKEN Hasney]

Shoes because they've been drinking and now their feet hurt

[#BROKEN Hasney]

Gently cradling my balls

[#BROKEN Hasney]

A baby

[#BROKEN Hasney]

Their little phones

[#BROKEN Hasney]

Lipstick

[#BROKEN Hasney]

Coffee

[Jordan]

AJ Styles hands down.

[Simple Fan]

It's just not that funny or entertaining. The novelty wore off and they just have 15 year old jokes about Triple H burying people even though he created the Performance Center and all of the great people called up are because of him.

They should do all of their events in the Hardy Compound to further show the dwindling fan base.

It was way too long and nothing happened. NOTHING.

I can understand you not liking Total Nonstop Deletion as it wasn't made for people like you but to say nothing happened? I couldn't look away because I didn't know what was going to happen next. What has happened in the WWE in the last 2 months? Leave it to you to get butt hurt over a joke and bring up all the great things HHH has done.

[Rebecca Reigns]

Roman Reigns, easily.

[DaveWadding]

Pentagon Jr.

[RP]

I guess i'm going to go a different way here. I would say AJ, but I think i'm going with Sasha Banks. And maybe even Co- WOTF Sasha and Charlotte.

[Blonde Moment]

Pentagon Jr.

Quite frankly the whole show ....
I wish the WWe was paying attention

[Blonde Moment]

But seriously his comeuppance was pretty awesome.

[Tom Guycott]

AJ Lee couldn't carry Charlotte's..... What the devil do women carry? Anyway, Charlotte is way better.

That right there is obvious intentional trolling. I had already made a point, and nowhere in that point was me making a comparison of which woman was better- a comparison made more unfair by timing and circumstance. But, hey, don't let what was written get in the way. Just disguise it better in future, please.

[Vastardikai]

Vader.

He, in the warning days of his life, used Twitter in a way it SHOULD have been used from the onset. In the process, he made folks who have never heard of the little British boy and the other guy care about them. Ricochet vs. Ospreay would have eventually been seen now, but wouldn't have had the buzz it has had it not been for a crotchety old timer.

And in his use of Twitter, he not only made folks care about Ospreay, he booked himself a payday. In 2016. And it drew. That is why I put Vader in as Wrestler of the Year.

[Rollermacka]

I'll elaborate on my Matt Hardy choice.

Let's look at Matt compared to AJ, where were both of them a year ago? In late 2015, AJ was on top in NJPW, he was a fixture at ROH and was one of the main guys in the Bullet Club (the top stable outside of the WWE). On the other hand Matt Hardy was a semi-main eventer in TNA. He'd had some moderate success there in the tag division and realistically, the only reason he became Heavyweight Champion there was because Jeff was injured and a "Hardy" was gonna walk out of BFG with the title because they were in North Carolina.

So this year, yes AJ has had a ton of success. He made a huge debut at the Royal Rumble, had great feuds as a heel and face and is one of the main eventers in the largest promotion in the world.

On the other hand, NOBODY saw at the beginning of 2016, that Matt Hardy would be one of the most talked about wrestlers this year. He's completely reinvented himself, arguably surpassed his brother as the "better Hardy brother", and like I said, he's gotten more wrestling fans to talk about TNA, that they have in years. People chant DELETE on RAW and Smackdown, people are actually watching TNA

So I guess the argument would come down to, AJ was already a star and then became a top guy in the one place he hadn't been yet. On the other hand, Matt had always been "the other Hardy brother", and he is now one of the biggest wrestlers in professional wrestling today. I gotta give it to Matt

[Mr. Nerfect]

Nice reasoning, but it doesn't hold up for me.

It is simply surreal how well AJ Styles has fit into the WWE. I've always had faith in him, because he's always had that "Tony Hawk" charisma. That seems like a very dated reference, but he's got that "what he does is really cool" thing about his ring work. But to see him come in, with his own name, essentially maintain his entire gimmick and presentation, steal the spotlight constantly and knock it out of the park in the ring and on the mic, allegedly making a huge fan out of Vince McMahon is absolutely incredible stuff.

AJ Styles is the WWE World Heavyweight Champion. His name is now on the same list as Bruno Sammartino, Hulk Hogan, Steve Austin and The Rock. Not only that, he has held it for over 100 days. The James Ellsworth stuff was dumb, but that looks to be over now. Plus, he's got guys like Jim Ross saying that they haven't seen someone this good since Shawn Michaels, and I actually agree. He's synthesized the in-ring demands of New Japan with the sports entertainment shtickery of TNA and become the most consistent deliverer in professional wrestling.

Matt Hardy is being talked about like Chyna got talked about for going into porn. Lena Dunham said something that has gotten her loads of media attention again -- but she hasn't "surpassed" anybody. I really don't think you can ironically be the best wrestler in the world -- otherwise James Ellsworth would take it over Matt Hardy.

Bubba Ray Dudley was a bigger deal, statistically, than Matt Hardy is right now. Was Bully Ray ever truly the wrestler of the year? He was a big fish in a tiny, tiny pond that managed to reinvent himself because if he didn't he'd be worthless. And, to his credit, he did reinvent himself quite well -- getting himself into tremendous shape and being pretty damn good on the mic. Put him back in the WWE and he's just Bubba Ray Dudley though -- but still infinitely more well known than Bully Ray.

I used to be a Matt Hardy mark, but this talk about him being "better" than Jeff right now is pretty silly. If Jeff Hardy decided he was bored of being paid to phone it in and he wanted another run on top, he could phone Vince and say "Hey boss, want me to sell you some more merch." Vince would have him back in a heartbeat. Hell, if he returned tomorrow they'd probably give him the Royal Rumble and put him against Kevin Owens at WrestleMania and give him his first Mania win. Matt Hardy would be forgotten in a week.

You can notoriety and infamy by fucking a dog on RedTube, but you're not going to win Adult Film Star of the Year. Stop this talk about Matt Hardy being great. He's doing backyard wrestling with the illusion of camp (but it's not even authentically that, because it's intentionally bad), and when you all get sick of it, everyone -- every single person will change their tone to "Yeah, he needs stop this" and will look back on this and feel a little silly, with the most positive thing being said being "Ha, well, I liked it at the time because it was different," but secretly everyone will know what a steaming pile of shit it was.

Oh, and if TNA went under and Vince McMahon called and said he wants mid-card Matt back again, Matt Hardy would change his hair back so fucking fast it'd break all your hearts. But Vince is more likely to want Jeff and let Matt Hardy keep doing his bullshit in CHIKARA or something, until Jeff burns out on top and they decide they want to do a Hardys thing because there's more money in Jeff with Matt or Jeff on his own than Matt on his own and everybody knows it.

[Rollermacka]

Saying what Matt Hardy has done is the same as fucking an animal on Redtube is completely disrespectful to him and anyone who is a professional wrestler. 20 + year veterans including guys the caliber of Lance Storm and Chris Jericho have praised Matt for his "broken" gimmick... I didn't see them doing the same for China doing porn so you're analogies make no sense.

As far as AJ goes, you said it yourself, he was already a star. He was a star in TNA, he was a star in ROH, he was a star in NJPW, and it's not surprising to see him become a star in the WWE. Matt Hardy literally went from mediocrity to one of the most watched professional wrestlers of 2016. If it was "so easy" to do what he's done.... why hasn't anyone else done it with his success?

As far as "he'll drop everything and go back to WWE", until he does that, you can't say that he would. I personally know what he makes per indie show, and obviously he's not hurting for money now. It's not everybodies dream to go to the WWE, or in other cases, go back to the WWE.

[Mr. Nerfect]

Matt Hardy is the one completely disrespecting himself with this horseshit. It is bad and it is supposed to be bad -- that is one of the chief defenses I hear of it. If it is supposed to be bad, why is it disrespectful to say it is bad? Matt Hardy is doing bad work now. It's just getting over with geeks who seem to have a more prominent voice because we are the only people who still watch wrestling because this is what it churns out.

This whole "AJ is a star" thing is completely backwards. Yes, he worked in TNA and New Japan, but the difference between even New Japan and WWE is immense. I think there were some numbers that came out that said that New Japan was about 1/5 the size of WWE. You don't work down to WWE.

Matt Hardy has been in the WWE before. He has been at WrestleMania. He has been a major merchandise mover and worked in the ring with the likes of The Undertaker and Stone Cold Steve Austin. He is now a star? Because he manages to get 40,000 more people to watch TNA than usually do by putting on a freak show that no one has seen before?

And that is exactly my point about Matt Hardy -- he is making enough money to sustain his "creative freedom" on the independent scene for the moment. He's working everybody and raking in the cash for fucking around. Hey, in that sense maybe he is a good professional wrestler? But when people suddenly go "Eh, I'm over this" and they stop forking over the money until Matt Hardy tries to be genuinely good again, why wouldn't he take the huge sack of cash from Vince McMahon? You can't say the dude is not motivated by the money and then cite money as a reason that he wouldn't go back.

[Mr. Nerfect]

AJ Styles stock has jumped TREMENDOUSLY. Matt Hardy is doing high school theater for a promotion that has lost so much ground it needs to stand on one leg to stay dry. I don't see how this is even a discussion.

[Sixx]

Nikky Chance.

He finally got his CHW Interstate Title back.

this

[Mr. Nerfect]

I am actually thinking about dropping Lance Storm's podcast from my listening because the latest episode seems to be one where he praises this shit. But I am also curious to hear what he says about it, since he is usually spot on about things. I think Jericho would just go to bat for it because he backs the boys and is probably happy that Matt gets to fuck around and make money. Pure speculation though. Maybe Jericho does sincerely think it is brilliant that Matt drinks magic poison and stuff. I'm not going to let it shatter my Jericho fandom though. I'll keep it in a separate compartment like Austin's domestic violence accusations.

[Mr. Nerfect]

Aren't James Storm, Bram (dude needs a last name) and Eddie Kingston part of some new faction? If they got Broken Matt and beat him within an inch of his life, unzipped their pants, pissed on him, shat in his mouth and ate Maxell, then there MIGHT be some hope for all of this. Jeff Hardy can snap out of his stupid gimmick and be all "We were trying to have fun an entertain our fans but these guys have ruined that" and go to war with them.

You know -- wrestling?

[screech]

I don't see how this is even a discussion.

People enjoyed Matt Hardy the most in wrestling this year. I'm not sure why this is such an issue for you.

I didn't really like him that much, but I'm not going to tell people they're wrong for liking him better than anyone else.

[screech]

Tough choice for me, but I'm going with Jericho. He's been fantastic in everything he's done this year.

[Mr. Nerfect]

"Wrestler of the Year" implies quality and not just what you've enjoyed. Film of the Year isn't your favorite porno, even though you blew a load to it and didn't the latest Oscar bait.

[screech]

Irrelevant comparison. If people enjoyed it, it had good qualities to them. This isn't an official awards thread, it's a matter of opinion. Whether you or I agree with it or not doesn't really matter. Objectivity doesn't really matter. A lot of people answered the question with the wrestler who entertained them the most, and in this context that's not a wrong answer.

[Mr. Nerfect]

This is a discussion of semantics. I think Wrestler of the Year does demand a bit of objectivity and honest critique. I'll show myself out.

[screech]

It isn't about semantics, though. You're coming into an opinion thread and telling people they're wrong for making a different choice than you.

[Mr. Nerfect]

We're discussing what "Wrestler of the Year" means. That's semantics.

[Juan]

We're discussing what "Wrestler of the Year" means. That's semantics.

Nah, the discussion is "Wrestler of the Year (In Your Opinion)" but you keep telling people they're wrong.

[mike adamle]

Looks like Noid didn't get what he wanted for Christmas and he's gonna take it out childishly on everyone here.

Matt Hardy probably has to be the wrestler of the year for me if we take EVERYTHING into consideration. His character work was just so much better than what anyone else had to offer this year. And not only is he doing this stuff in TNA, but he's been bringing the character all over the indy's and in Europe and smashing it out of the park.

AJ had a great year, some great matches, and also has a great character. If Matt Hardy didn't smash his character out of the park this year it likely would've been AJ's year, but Hardy changed the game this year.

[Juan]

I haven't seen any of Matt Hardy this year, so I can't even comment on the quality of it or anything, but I just find it absurd to tell someone that their opinion is wrong.

[#1-norm-fan]

20 + year veterans including guys the caliber of Lance Storm and Chris Jericho have praised Matt for his "broken" gimmick... I didn't see them doing the same for China doing porn so you're analogies make no sense.

Austin was praising it on his podcast last week, too. I could care less about the rest of TNA really but this stuff has been getting a ton of positive attention. I'm a #CornetteSheep and even I fucking love it. Wrestling is shit right now. Trying to do stuff in the same style WWE's been doing it isn't gonna work. So Matt decided to completely go in a totally new direction. The guy's actually being innovative. Not "he's doing some cool new flippy moves no one has ever seen before" but actually completely unique from top to bottom. Wrestling needs something different right now. We'll be talking about this long after we've forgotten about AJ Styles' match on some recent Sunday Night Raw.

[screech]

We're discussing what "Wrestler of the Year" means. That's semantics.

No, that's what you keep harping on for whatever reason. The point of the thread is Wrestler of the Year (In Your Opinion).

But yeah, everyone is wrong for not picking AJ Styles.

[#BROKEN Hasney]

Austin was praising it on his podcast last week, too. I could care less about the rest of TNA really but this stuff has been getting a ton of positive attention. I'm a #CornetteSheep and even I fucking love it. Wrestling is shit right now. Trying to do stuff in the same style WWE's been doing it isn't gonna work. So Matt decided to completely go in a totally new direction. The guy's actually being innovative. Not "he's doing some cool new flippy moves no one has ever seen before" but actually completely unique from top to bottom. Wrestling needs something different right now. We'll be talking about this long after we've forgotten about AJ Styles' match on some recent Sunday Night Raw.

Yeah seriously. The only time I've cared about Edwards V Lashley was during that Non Stop Deletion. Is that match still ongoing?

[Simple Fan]

I don't remember there being a finish to it during Total Nonstop Deletion. Might have to watch it again but I don't remember seeing a finish to Lashley/Edwards.

[Mr. Nerfect]

LOL, this is completely ridiculous. You can add "in your opinion" in parenthesis to anything, it doesn't excuse a complete lack of critical faculties. Everything is "in your opinion" when you are discussing something. If this was a discussion about your favorite act of 2016, then Matt Hardy would be a perfectly valid response. Saying "Wrestler of the Year (in your opinion)" is basically the same as saying "Wrestler of the Year."

I apologize that I interpreted "Wrestler of the Year" to imply some sort of analysis. When I am asked to rate something, that usually comes into play.

[Mr. Nerfect]

Rob Van Dam is Wrestler of the Year.

[Simple Fan]

LOL, this is completely ridiculous. You can add "in your opinion" in parenthesis to anything, it doesn't excuse a complete lack of critical faculties. Everything is "in your opinion" when you are discussing something. If this was a discussion about your favorite act of 2016, then Matt Hardy would be a perfectly valid response. Saying "Wrestler of the Year (in your opinion)" is basically the same as saying "Wrestler of the Year."

I apologize that I interpreted "Wrestler of the Year" to imply some sort of analysis. When I am asked to rate something, that usually comes into play.
You can interpret it how ever you want as can everyone else. No one is forcing you to call Broken Matt Hardy Wrestler of the Year. If you think Styles is Wrestler of the Year that's fine but if so.so he else thinks different than that doesn't mean they are wrong.

[Mr. Nerfect]

Lol, those are semantics. That was my point. Has CyNick put something in the water around here?

If you interpret the meaning of the question to be "who was your favorite act of the year" then Matt Hardy is, well, a sad answer, but I suppose a valid one. Some people like being hit with pool cues until they cum too. If you interpret the question to carry some sort of critical component -- as I have -- I have clearly laid out reasons that Matt Hardy would not be a valid contender.

[#BROKEN Hasney]

Rob Van Dam is Wrestler of the Year.

Well yeah, you can be stupid, or you can at least back up your opinions with matches and segments.

I mean, I can link to what I liked and type ad-nauseum about how much I enjoyed Matt Hardy this year. Or you can be a twat and just try to put down other people.

It depends how you view wrestling. To me, it's just a TV program. If he wrestled in a ring this year, he qualifies and the most entertaining person wins. I don't care if he wrestled a Meltzer 5 star match or had someone fired out of a volcano while a boat broke up a pinfall. Whichever one you enjoyed the most is the vote.

[mike adamle]

Some people like being hit with pool cues until they cum too.
Why do you keep saying these things? They aren't funny, and certainly don't help your argument any.

[screech]

So your point is still "everyone else is wrong for not answering like I did." Got it.

[SlickyTrickyDamon]

Just like everywhere else on the internet, yes.

[SlickyTrickyDamon]

It's still a landslide victory for the Phenomenal One. I don't see a reason to comment further on quality of picking. The fact that he's even in the running is pretty amazing for a guy who was signed just as a favor because they wanted Jeff back.

[Mr. Nerfect]

So your point is still "everyone else is wrong for not answering like I did." Got it.

No, actually.

[Mr. Nerfect]

Well yeah, you can be stupid, or you can at least back up your opinions with matches and segments.

Thank you. That concession that there is such a thing as a silly answer -- or an unfounded opinion -- goes a long way to proving my point. There is an interpretation to the question that would disqualify certain candidates from objective consideration.

[Sepholio]

AJ Styles and it's not even close. A character Vince had no hand in making has finally come into the wwe, and on the tail end of his prime at that, and has made himself one of the faces of the company. To convince Vince and Co to run with him is a feat of epic proportions. And he did it because he is that damn good.

When Vince made the comment in an interview a couple months ago that he should have gotten aj 10 years ago....that's all I needed to know that he's the best right now.

[Lock Jaw]

Please change the title of the thread to "Who was your favourite wrestler in 2016?"

There.

Silly argument over.

[Mr. Nerfect]

AJ Styles and it's not even close.

Don't say that too loud! Nah, just kidding -- good answer.

It's actually surreal that he has made such a big believer out of Vince McMahon in such a short time.

[Sepholio]

Oh. In that case jericho. If it's for favorite instead of best.

[Mr. Nerfect]

Please change the title of the thread to "Who was your favourite wrestler in 2016?"

There.

Silly argument over.

YES! :y:

[Sepholio]

Nah seriously it's totes still AJ.

[Mr. Nerfect]

Oh. In that case jericho.

I kind of think that the current Jericho is a bit silly, but the way he's kind of tied all his characters together is kind of remarkable. It was only listening to SCG Radio's Christmas Show when Karl made those remarks about Jericho's lists (plural) that it all sort of became clear to me. He's WCW Jericho, WWF Jericho and 2008 Jericho all rolled into one (in different parts).

Jericho's doing the whole "entertaining himself" thing, but not to the degree that he isn't credible. In fact, he's had a really good year. I would love to see him get a US Title run.

[Mr. Nerfect]

Y2AJ Tag Team of the Year? Lol, just kidding.

[Simple Fan]

Don't say that too loud! Nah, just kidding -- good answer.

It's actually surreal that he has made such a big believer out of Vince McMahon in such a short time.

Who has questioned AJ Styles as a choice? It's a good pick, not mine but a fine choice none the less. Only one who has had a problem with some ones pick is you and STD.

[Mr. Nerfect]

Who has questioned AJ Styles as a choice? It's a good pick, not mine but a fine choice none the less. Only one who has had a problem with some ones pick is you and STD.

Holy shit. Resist, Noid. Resist. Imagine Emma on a beach. Think of Emma. Deep breaths.

[screech]

Thank you. That concession that there is such a thing as a silly answer -- or an unfounded opinion -- goes a long way to proving my point. There is an interpretation to the question that would disqualify certain candidates from objective consideration.

Why is objectivity even an issue, though? Some preferred Matt Hardy, some preferred AJ Styles. There's nothing wrong with either answer, or any other, as long as it's not just thrown out there like your Rob Van Dam "joke."

This isn't that difficult, nor is there a reason for you to get so wound up about it.

[mike adamle]

Why is objectivity even an issue, though? Some preferred Matt Hardy, some preferred AJ Styles. There's nothing wrong with either answer, or any other, as long as it's not just thrown out there like your Rob Van Dam "joke."

This isn't that difficult, nor is there a reason for you to get so wound up about it.

Here's where he's got some great analogy for why he's not wound up and is really "just tearing you apart and having fun." :roll::roll::roll:

I just don't see the need to act like such a smarmy prick when people say they liked something different than you Noid.

[#1-norm-fan]

Wrestling was shit all year and I think the ONLY thing I found entertaining was Matt Hardy. I can't NOT vote for Matt Hardy for that reason.

[screech]

I'm not even trying to be an asshole about it, I'm legit curious.

[#1-norm-fan]

I take that back. I've watched some of the Fashion Police vignettes and those were pretty entertaining. But they also make me sad for Johnny Curtis wasting away as a comedy character.

[Lock Jaw]

I find it very hard to believe that at no point in the year did you find anything but Matt Hardy to be entertaining.

[#1-norm-fan]

Eh. Name some stuff. I might remember something.

[Lock Jaw]

'Member Chris Jericho?

[#1-norm-fan]

I watched something of his when this "list" thing became a thing. Sounded funny. Was whatever. Jericho is awesome but I give zero shits about what he's doing. He's Owens' lackey.

[Lock Jaw]

If you actually watched and have not once this year been entertained by Chris Jericho, I either call you liar or the most negative/sour man in existence.

[SlickyTrickyDamon]

Y2AJ Tag Team of the Year? Lol, just kidding.

Shatter Machine! Tag team of the year is the Revival!

[SlickyTrickyDamon]

Eh. Name some stuff. I might remember something.

The CWC Tournament, DIY/Revival Brooklyn and Toronto, Rise of Asuka and Shinsuke Nakamura.

[#1-norm-fan]

If you actually watched and have not once this year been entertained by Chris Jericho, I either call you liar or the most negative/sour man in existence.

I said he is entertaining. He is also a jobber to the stars/lackey that I do not take seriously at this point within the realm of WWE. I can enjoy stuff from him when I hear about it via clips on Youtube the day after but I have no desire to follow him as a character because I know what he is.

Same with Fandango's stuff.

[Lock Jaw]

So you lied when you said the only thing you found entertaining is Matt Hardy. Whew.

[#1-norm-fan]

Oh yeah. NXT was entertaining.

[#1-norm-fan]

So you lied when you said the only thing you found entertaining is Matt Hardy. Whew.

I did take that back in my very next post. And then STD did the first necessary correction of his TPWW career and reminded me of NXT as well.

But Matt is the only one whose character I've wanted to follow. Which is a HUGE selling point. Like I said, I've seen Youtube clips of Jericho and Fandango that were entertaining but their characters are both jobbers in their own way who don't really have anywhere to go. I watch a clip and I'm done caring. They're just entertaining directionless guys. Like a lot of the roster.

[Simple Fan]

I've watched WWE all year. I've enjoyed Jericho this year. Styles has been good but I've seen better from him. As is with #1 wwf fan and others no one in WWE entertained me more this year than Broken Matt Hardy in TNA. He made wrestling fun and unpredictable with his Broken Universe. Broken Matt Hardy is the wrestler that made me want to watch wrestling this year so to me he's wrestler of the year.

[SlickyTrickyDamon]

Broken Matt is as entertaining as Z True Long Island Story. Either it's the funniest shit ever or stupid af. No middle ground.

[Mr. Nerfect]

Man, what is with everyone taking everything so literally? These are some pedantic semantics in here.

[Mr. Nerfect]

Why is objectivity even an issue, though? Some preferred Matt Hardy, some preferred AJ Styles. There's nothing wrong with either answer, or any other, as long as it's not just thrown out there like your Rob Van Dam "joke."

This isn't that difficult, nor is there a reason for you to get so wound up about it.

I'm one of "those people" who can put aside my own personal feelings on something when asked to rate it. For example, when it comes to Film of the Year, the best film is not always going to be my favorite film. This is where you get things like "guilty pleasures" and "unpopular opinions." When discussing films, music, wrestling or whatever, I always try to bring a bit of objectivity into it. I find that, frankly, more interesting than "my favorite is this" "oh, my favorite is this." There's a time and a place for that, and most places you can have that conversation concurrently.

If there is some disagreement there, like Rollermacka and #1-wwf-fan seem to have, I'm happy to have that conversation, since this is a wrestling discussion forum. I'd like to know the criteria by which Matt Hardy could possibly be considered the best wrestler of the year, because in MY opinion, it certainly hasn't been in-ring, on the mic, or as a draw.

And I know you didn't mean anything by it, but please don't assume I am wound up. As Dale said in another thread, and I could relate to him in this, it's frustrating when someone claims to know your mind in things. I've certainly been guilty of doing that to others, it's very easy during internet discussions, but as someone who gives no flying fucks about Matt Hardy and TNA anymore, I am more bemused by how upset his supporters get when you point out he is terrible. I find how seriously people seem to take this...troubling -- especially considering it's comedy garbage wrestling that he's doing.

[Mr. Nerfect]

Broken Matt is as entertaining as Z True Long Island Story. Either it's the funniest shit ever or stupid af. No middle ground.

Eh, sorry to be difficult, but I could either take the Ryder stuff or leave it at the time. I think I watched a few and found them mildly entertaining.

[Mr. Nerfect]

Shatter Machine! Tag team of the year is the Revival!

You won't get any argument from me on that.

[Mr. Nerfect]

I can see the points about Chris Jericho. He's overshadowing Owens rather easily, but he is playing a lackey. He's chewing the scenery, so while it is entertaining, it's not really...helping anything. I mean, it makes the wasted time more interesting while it passes.

[Mr. Nerfect]

Jericho made me sad when he got upset at The Revival too. :(

[Vastardikai]

Jericho shouldn't be a lackey: He should be utilized at the level he's at: Our generation's Ric Flair.

[Ruien]

Noid's opinon is you are wrong and he is stating he facts/opinions. Stop being a bunch of girls.

[Sepholio]

Lmao yeah. Pussies.

[screech]

I'm one of "those people" who can put aside my own personal feelings on something when asked to rate it. For example, when it comes to Film of the Year, the best film is not always going to be my favorite film. This is where you get things like "guilty pleasures" and "unpopular opinions." When discussing films, music, wrestling or whatever, I always try to bring a bit of objectivity into it. I find that, frankly, more interesting than "my favorite is this" "oh, my favorite is this." There's a time and a place for that, and most places you can have that conversation concurrently.

If there is some disagreement there, like Rollermacka and #1-wwf-fan seem to have, I'm happy to have that conversation, since this is a wrestling discussion forum. I'd like to know the criteria by which Matt Hardy could possibly be considered the best wrestler of the year, because in MY opinion, it certainly hasn't been in-ring, on the mic, or as a draw.

And I know you didn't mean anything by it, but please don't assume I am wound up. As Dale said in another thread, and I could relate to him in this, it's frustrating when someone claims to know your mind in things. I've certainly been guilty of doing that to others, it's very easy during internet discussions, but as someone who gives no flying fucks about Matt Hardy and TNA anymore, I am more bemused by how upset his supporters get when you point out he is terrible. I find how seriously people seem to take this...troubling -- especially considering it's comedy garbage wrestling that he's doing.

I didn't mean being objective was a bad thing, I just don't see why you seem to think everyone else should also be objective when opining on their favorites. A lot of people watch wrestling as a TV show, so match quality and drawing power may not mean a whole lot - entertainment value will. So if someone thought Matt Hardy was more enjoyable than AJ Styles or whoever (I didn't), it's not a wrong answer.

That's my issue here. Saying things like "I don't see how this is a discussion" certainly makes it seem like you're wound up about it, especially after several people stated their reasons. You don't have to like it, but that doesn't mean you should tell people they're wrong because they did.

[Mr. Nerfect]

Noid's opinon is you are wrong and he is stating he facts/opinions. Stop being a bunch of girls.

Honestly, basically this. Matt Hardy sucks.

[Sting Fan]

Styles. Easily Styles for me with Daylight bringing up the next 3 spots. Jericho annoys me in a change the channel type way quite often and this year was no exception.

I enjoyed some of Owens work, interesting to see a chubby dude work that way for some reason. Oh actually an honorable mention to Sasha Banks as well, shes a mad woman and quite entertaining.

[Blonde Moment]

Watching Styles portrayed as worthless chickenshit heel was so enjoyable it almost made Ambrose bearable. Almost.
At least with Hardy you are honestly wondering wtf will happen next.

[Mr. Nerfect]

The fans turning on Ambrose for Styles is a good indicator of how awesome Styles has been.

[Phenomenal 1]

AJ Styles, he's carried WWE through out 2016. Every big match that you name or remember has AJ Styles name attached to it. RR he debuts, WM with Jericho, SS with Cena, Winning the title and then carrying the brand split.