October 28, 201113 yr comment_5486922 Well I just don't think being a draw should factor in to determining who is the best in a worked industry as determined by the fans. Nor do I think WWE should change their writing based on week-to-week rating numbers in 2011, but what the Hell do I know? No one is going to say that Hogan was better in '89 because he made more money than Savage. I feel like it would be like losing Iron Chef because of plating. It's just ridiculous. So what metric should we use? Whoever looks the coolest? Whoever is the best promo? Whoever has the best matches? Best matches, promos and overall performance should be factored along with drawing power. Although drawing power is a more concrete metric, the subjectivity of quality work should not be factored out just because it may differ between people and iss harder to pin down. Critical acclaim and awards in other medium such as literature and film are supposed to be based on quality rather than just the financial success of the product even though the ultimate goal of anything being produced for sale is financial success. Otherwise, Dan Brown and James Cameron are two of the most gifted and talented men of the past ten years.
October 28, 201113 yr comment_5486923 All that being said, my picks would be CM Punk, Mark Henry and Eddie Edwards. Miz would be up there too based on his title reign for most of the first half of the year followed by Christian for his top-notch work feuding with Randy Orton. I loved Punk's run during the summer into the fall more than anything out of WWE in a long time and Henry's current run is up there too. Edwards winning the title and then some of the title matches he had, including his match vs Hero in Toronto which is in my Top 3, make him a top pick for me too.
December 18, 201113 yr Author comment_5490375 Was thinking about this again today and it is worth noting that Lawler's December 2010 would count in Observer voting, so the Miz Ladder Match would be in. Also worth noting that from what I can tell he did very strong crowds for the matches v. Funk and Dreamer for NEW, on top of the huge show at the Nashville Fairgrounds v. Dundee. In fact it is entirely possible - perhaps likely - that Lawler headlined the four biggest drawing indy shows of the year (the Louisville Dundee match appears to have done well also). Ratings have stayed up with Henry at the helm of SD and live attendance is better as well. Henry is a top ten worker this year. Lawler is in that discussion also.
December 19, 201113 yr comment_5490406 Was thinking about this again today and it is worth noting that Lawler's December 2010 would count in Observer voting, so the Miz Ladder Match would be in. Also worth noting that from what I can tell he did very strong crowds for the matches v. Funk and Dreamer for NEW, on top of the huge show at the Nashville Fairgrounds v. Dundee. In fact it is entirely possible - perhaps likely - that Lawler headlined the four biggest drawing indy shows of the year (the Louisville Dundee match appears to have done well also). Ratings have stayed up with Henry at the helm of SD and live attendance is better as well. Henry is a top ten worker this year. Lawler is in that discussion also. We're seriously counting Lawler drawing a few 2-3k (3 being generous) crowds as a feather in his cap? That's ridiculous. Most WWE crowds draw double to triple that. US only, Cena, and perhaps Punk and maybe Henry have a case.
December 19, 201113 yr comment_5490407 Those numbers without television to build them on shows without a ton of star power are really impressive. I don't agree with the case for Lawler as WOTY, but I think you're overly downplaying the significance of his accomplishments this year. Those are big numbers for indy shows in 2011.
December 19, 201113 yr Author comment_5490411 Was thinking about this again today and it is worth noting that Lawler's December 2010 would count in Observer voting, so the Miz Ladder Match would be in. Also worth noting that from what I can tell he did very strong crowds for the matches v. Funk and Dreamer for NEW, on top of the huge show at the Nashville Fairgrounds v. Dundee. In fact it is entirely possible - perhaps likely - that Lawler headlined the four biggest drawing indy shows of the year (the Louisville Dundee match appears to have done well also). Ratings have stayed up with Henry at the helm of SD and live attendance is better as well. Henry is a top ten worker this year. Lawler is in that discussion also. We're seriously counting Lawler drawing a few 2-3k (3 being generous) crowds as a feather in his cap? That's ridiculous. Most WWE crowds draw double to triple that. US only, Cena, and perhaps Punk and maybe Henry have a case. It's ridiculous to give Lawler credit for drawing on his name and not "the brand", but not ridiculous to give Cena "credit" for the companies ratings shitting the bed with him as the ace? That's odd logic. I can see a case for Cena or Punk. Punk will win the Observer Award for sure. Henry is a better candidate than most anyone would admit. Lawler is more an interesting case than a front runner, but pretending that his indy figures aren't impressive by today's standards, is just silly.
December 20, 201113 yr comment_5490541 Granted, I've been out the loop but the idea of Jerry Lawler being wrestler of the year in 2011 is absolutely laughable. When will the masturbating over this guy stop? I saw a couple of the WWE matches mentioned and they were pretty average. There were some great punches though. Can anyone seriously make the case that Lawler had a better year in ring than CM Punk? I guess it goes with the current smark trend of loving older, veteran guys, that has seen much adoration for Black Terry and Sting/Hogan at Bound For Glory and someone like Bully Ray who's been universally dismissed as a worker for years.
December 20, 201113 yr Author comment_5490573 Who argued that Lawler has had a better in ring year than Punk? Direct me to the post
December 20, 201113 yr comment_5490575 Nobody, but if, as you say, he is a top ten candidate for the year, he will have to stand up to comparison with the other people on that list. Unless we suggest that Punk has had an abnormally great year and is a far and away better candidate than anyone else in the top ten. Or if we suggest that it has been an awful year for wrestling.
December 20, 201113 yr Author comment_5490576 He is a top ten candidate for the year. He has not had a better year than Punk. You can certainly compare Lawler to Punk and Lawler would lose, but I'm not sure that means much. Eric Embry was not as good in 89 as Tenryu, but Embry was still awesome.
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