Only a few days remain until WWE presents the SLAMMY! Awards on Monday night special 3-hour RAW. In an effort to ease the debate within the WWE as to who should get the awards, I’ve decided to break down each announced category and their nominees. Each day I’ll be breaking down the pros and cons of delivering the coveted award to each nominee. Hopefully, by the end of each column, you’ll have a better idea of what to expect and why the winner of each category deserves it.
Today’s feature takes a look at the Match of the Year nominees. Be sure to check out the Diva of the Year column which has already been posted and check back Saturday for the Superstar of the Year.
Match of the Year
- 2008 Royal Rumble Match— Every year, 30 men enter the ring and only 1 can walk away with the title of Royal Rumble Winner. Personally, I have the most fun trying to impress my friends by predicting the number 30 entrant. But this year, I could not have been any more in the dark. John Cena returned early from an injury to surprise everyone and go on to win the Royal Rumble match. The face of Triple H told the story. Overall, the match lasted just under 52 minutes and Triple H dealt out the most eliminations (6). The participants who stayed in the match the longest were #1 The Undertaker (32:35) and #2 Shawn Michaels (32:41) while several superstars lasted less than a minute: #3 Santino Marella (0:25), #11 Jamie Noble (0:28), #17 Shelton Benjamin (0:18), #19 Roddy Piper (1:00), and #27 Finlay (0:15).
– The 2008 Royal Rumble Match should win because… the return of John Cena was proof that yes, even in the world of internet reporting and constant backstage gossip, secrets can still be kept in the business. His return was done in a way that made even some of his most critical fans take a step back and cheer in amazement. This was a very smartly booked match and the flow left very little dead time. This pay-per-view also increased it’s buy rate by over 40,000 buys over the 2007 Rumble.
– The 2008 Royal Rumble Match should NOT win because… other than John Cena’s return, there was very little that the average fan can recall. It didn’t set any records and it didn’t rewrite the history books, unless you count something that happened in the aftermath of the match itself. John Cena became the first Royal Rumble winner to cash in his title shot before WrestleMania when he decided to challenge Randy Orton for the title at No Way Out, where he ultimately went on to lose. Such a decision takes away a great amount of tradition from a spectacular concept. - Ric Flair vs. Shawn Michaels (WrestleMania 24)— Absolutely nothing I, or anyone else, can say will ever do this match justice. Today, normal wrestling matches often do not run over 7 minutes on pay-per-views and sometimes the major titles are allowed 15 minutes. Run-ins, cheap shots, disqualifications, and glorified stunt men pervade this brand of entertainment we call ‘wrestling’ but seldom do we ever see much wrestling. I think much of the world was amazed to see such a spectacular wrestling match between two of the most distinguished professional wrestlers of all time. Both men raised the bar yet again and brought back a great deal of dignity to the empire they helped build, even if for only the evening. Emotions were running high, as this was a career-threatening match for Ric Flair. The tipping point came when Shawn took a deep look into the mat, looked at Flair, said “I’m sorry” and then delivered a devastating dose of Sweet Chin Music. The end of a legacy had come.
– Ric Flair vs. Shawn Michaels (WrestleMania 24) should win because… from bell to bell, all 20+ minutes, every fan of past and present had their eyes on this match and each was on the edge of their seats. The world was watching. They left everything in ring and satisfied every desire for what was expected. In hindsight, this event also gave way to some of the biggest storylines of the year, including Batista/Shawn Michaels and Chris Jericho/Shawn Michaels. Arguably, this is the greatest “Where were you when…” moments.
– Ric Flair vs. Shawn Michaels (WrestleMania 24) should NOT win because… a reason just does not exist. There is still a small debate going on as to if Shawn Michaels was the right man to retire Ric Flair, but wholly, the way it was done was just plain beautifully crafted. - Money in the Bank Ladder Match (WrestleMania 24)—
– The Money in the Bank Ladder Match (WrestleMania 24) should win because…
– The Money in the Bank Ladder Match (WrestleMania 24) should NOT win because… - Undertaker vs. Edge Hell in a Cell (SummerSlam)—
– Undertaker vs. Edge Hell in a Cell (SummerSlam) should win because…
– Undertaker vs. Edge Hell in a Cell (SummerSlam) should NOT win because…
