Douglas Nunnally: Welcome, wrestling fans, to the first edition of The Wrestling Roundtable for 2007! For those of you who have never read TWR before, this is a wrestling roundtable discussion between columnists and special guests on recent issues in pro wrestling. Fun stuff, huh? On the panel today, we have Tim Wronka (author of From The Eye Of The Dragon), Matthew James (author of The Intricate Spectrum), Lee Baker (author of 500 Words...), and Nate Granville (moderator of the WWE section of The Wrestling Asylum). Definitely an exciting panel for today's topic which is the best of 2006 in pro wrestling, a year noteworthy for a bunch of reasons certainly. We'll be looking at ten specific awards from the 2006 TWV Wrestling Awards (which you can view yourself by clicking here), discussing the winners of those awards, and who the individual panelists voted for. All right guys; let's kick it off with the Most Improved Of The Year award which Jeff Hardy won for his, I guess, triumphant return to WWE this year. What do you guys think about that & who did you each vote for?
Tim Wronka: It's hard not to agree with Jeff Hardy, though I do recall voting for Umaga & Bobby Lashley over him. Still though, Hardy had a tremendous half year in WWE and he looked tons better here than he did in TNA. Say what you want to about WWE, but there was something about the promotion that obviously lit a fire under him that really helped him step up his game. His first match back with Edge was tons better than his first match in TNA with AJ Styles and he was consistent ever since then. So while I think that Umaga & Lashley had a better year than Hardy, it's not hard to see that Hardy definitely improved over this last run in WWE and TNA.
Lee Baker: I do agree that Hardy has looked considerably better in WWE than he did in TNA and all credit to him. However, in my eyes, Hardy has always been capable when his mind is right so for me, it's been more about getting his head right than actual improvement. My pick is Johnny Nitro. Along with Hardy, he has made the Intercontinental Title division interesting again and he's gone from being arguably carried by Joey Mercury in MNM to a singles star in his own right. I see a bright future for him and his improvement in 2006 was considerable.
Nate Granville: Well I have to agree that Jeff Hardy is one of the most improved of the year, but there have been some others who aren't better than him necessarily, but certainly improved more than him. I think Bobby Lashley has improved the most of the year. If anyone remembers when he first came in, he was just demolishing the SmackDown! tag team division all by himself. Sure, he threw some good suplexes during that time, but other than that, he didn't know what the hell he was doing in the ring. Then all of the sudden a great (and I mean great) wrestler came along in Finlay. Finlay took Lashley under his wing throughout the spring and summer of 2006 and made him look like a star. I know Lashley still isn't ready for the main event (though for some odd reason he is in the main event), but he has improved more than Jeff. My other pick would have to be Johnny Nitro. He has been improving since 2005 as well, but 2006 was his biggest year as far as improvement goes. Nobody thought he could be a singles wrestler let alone carry Cena to a good match and have such an interesting long feud with Jeff Hardy. So yeah, my three picks were Bobby Lashley, Johnny Nitro, and Jeff Hardy, in that order.
Matthew James: I sort of see things a little differently to you guys. I do think Jeff had a tremendous come back year, but I don't think he so much improved as he just started trying again. I think Nigel McGuiness and Davey Richards are the two most improved guys of 2006. They both acquired new dimensions when it comes to in ring work and their gimmicks; understanding their art form more then before. Jeff more or less just returned to a standard that he should have been at all along, but stopped trying. I also agree that Johhny Nitro is another who improved and is continuing to improve.
Douglas Nunnally: Some pretty good points here and I praise all four of you for not even uttering the name Ken Kennedy. Of all those names though, I definitely have to jump on the Nigel McGuinness bandwagon. Hardy, Nitro, and Lashley all improved, but not like Nigel McGuinness who went from having matches in the mid-card that no one remembered a week later to being in epic main events with Bryan Danielson that nearly won Match Of The Year in a lot of places. That's an astounding difference right there and I think as much as people praise Danielson, no one will say it was simply because of him. But enough of Most Improved, let's move on to the next award which was Comeback Of The Year which was also won by Jeff Hardy. There were definitely a lot of patterns in this year's voting which will see later with a certain heel main eventer. Though I know a lot of your votes, what do you guys think about Hardy winning Comeback and was there anyone else who maybe was a better candidate in your eyes?
Lee Baker: Again, I agree that Hardy's comeback has been impressive, but surely the comeback of the year has to go to Finlay. The guy is in his late 40's and has been away from the ring for a few years, yet he's been one of the most consistent wrestlers of the year. His feud with Lashley helped to elevate the youngster to new heights and Finlay's status in the upper mid-card has been secured through his top performances
Tim Wronka: I agree with Lee. Hardy definitely improved this year, but as far as comeback goes, Finlay did the most. Now while it may not seem that way to more casual fans (which we seemed to have a lot of throughout the voting process), Finlay easily did the most this year. What's important to note is that everything he did was to benefit other workers and rookies. Finlay worked several programs this year with Lashley and really built up the man's confidence. The same could be seen for Batista as well as other workers. So Finlay was my first vote. My second vote had to go to Sting. For me, Sting was easily one of the best things TNA had going on this year. I was there live a year ago when he made his return and I have never been part of a more surreal moment in any wrestling show I've been to. He was able to sustain a year long feud with Jeff Jarrett and company and even slimmed down 20 pounds before he won the NWA title. It was a storybook comeback in many ways and despite some illogical booking along the way, Sting had a great comeback and has really helped TNA out. And just to note, Hardy was my third vote and there's not much more I can say about him.
Matthew James: I really have to agree with Tim, Finlay's comeback was astounding! I think he exceeded what anyone would have thought. He didn't just come back; he returned and almost in that instant was one of the top ten wrestlers in the world. He has put on stellar matches with some most others struggle to have decent matches with, all while teaching at the same time. I can't think of anyone other guy that has comeback from the sort of problems he has had and been quite that stellar. I wouldn't just say Finlay had the best comeback of the year, but one of the greatest comebacks of all time. It's not too often you hear of some returning at his age and still being absolutely on top of their game and having the biggest year in their career.
Nate Granville: I have to agree with everyone here that Finlay definitely had the best comeback of 2006. He came back and proved that age doesn't matter when you're looking for a top guy in your promotion. Even when he was in WCW, he wasn't used as one of the main guys on the show; he was just an undercard wrestler. But when he returned, he looked better than ever. And I have to agree with Tim about Sting having another great comeback as well. Though he didn't have any "wrestling classics" in his return, Sting did solidify the main event scene and brought some prestige to the company. He was definitely one of the most over guys in TNA ever since he returned. So my three picks are Finlay, Jeff Hardy, and Sting all in that order.
Douglas Nunnally: I hate to be repetitive, but to me, it was Finaly and then everyone else this year. Sting, Hardy, Takayama, et cetera; none of them even touched Finlay's comeback this year and if Finlay can keep this up for another year or two, no doubt it will be among one of the best comebacks ever along with the likes of Jushin Liger and Eddie Guerrero. It goes without saying that with all that time off and his age, Finlay's comeback is all the more impressive. But now let's move on to Speaker Of The Year and by a wide margin, Edge was clearly who people thought was the best talker of the year. Your thoughts?
Matthew James: Edge had a fantastic year all around for mine, but I am not sure he was the top speaker. Edge was fantastic no doubt, but for my tastes, he didn't deliver any money promos. The man who I have to give it up for in 2006 was Mick Foley for his promos leading into WrestleMania, One Night Stand, & against Flair as they were all fantastic. I can barely think of anyone who puts things across so well quite like Foley. I also think Jim Cornette as always was a fantastic speaker in his authority roles in 2006, but the stand out for me this year was the hardcore legend himself Mick Foley.
Nate Granville: I think without a doubt Jim Cornette has been the best speaker of 2006. Mostly from his ROH work, which has been gold, but even in TNA he's had some entertaining promos. The way he can just ramble but still keep his composure and still be so fluent and entertaining is pretty unique as far as mike work goes. So yeah, Jim Cornette would be my top pick. My second choice would have to be Mick Foley. Like Matt said, Foley's had some awesome promos leading up to WrestleMania, One Night Stand, and SummerSlam. I think his promo with Terry Funk had to be promo of the year. My third pick would have to be JBL. Ever since he became a commentator, he's just been on fire in terms of speaking. He fits color commentator so well. So my three picks are Jim Cornette, Mick Foley, and JBL in that order (with two honorable mentions in Sting and Mark Henry).
Lee Baker: I think it's quite telling that the people mainly mentioned so far have been either non-workers or part timers. Foley was terrific and Cornette is always of good value, but in my opinion, there is a lack of great mike talent out there at the moment. For that reason, my pick is an active wrestler whose mike skills could potentially take him to the top tier of the WWE. That man is Ken Kennedy.
Tim Wronka: We were so close to not hearing that name!
Lee Baker: His promos during the feud with the Undertaker were fantastic and he brings a freshness to the mike that we haven't seen in a while. As I said, Foley and Cornette are great, but they always have been. Kennedy is someone new and fresh so he gets my vote.
Nate Granville: It's okay if you like Ken Kennedy's mike work, you have every right to. But to say he was the best mike worker of 2006 is absurd. He's the most textbook mike worker I've seen since Randy Orton meaning his promos aren't unqiue in any way. Sure, he uses an old school microphone and screams his name really loud, but what else? As far as I'm concerned, Kennedy's mike works is drastically overrated.
Lee Baker: I wanted to vote for someone who had stood out from the pack. Foley was superb, but he was only around for a few months. Cornette is always great value, but he's been doing that for 20 years. Kennedy is someone who has stood out from the sea of WWE mediocrity & shown some personality and I for one appreciate that. I take your point, but the WWE is so lacking in personality and above average mike skills that I'm just pleased to see someone capable with a mike in his hand
Tim Wronka: Alrighty, first off, I hate you guys for saying everything I wanted to. But, all that aside, my overall thoughts on the talkers of 2006 is that there were really no memorable promos. Sure, there was the occasional speaker who came along and said something of merit, but there wasn't that Rock or Foley promo that people will remember for years to come. As far as Kennedy goes, he really is overrated to no end, but both Lee and Nate had some good points, though I'm more keen to thinking Kennedy is generic. And just one name I wanted to mention was Triple H. He didn't do anything big, but he was able to do a 180 on his promos. He went from being the annoying heel to the guy who could really fire up a crowd. It was nothing special, but it speaks volumes on the guy's ability to change with the times.
Douglas Nunnally: Ken Kennedy's still a hot topic it seems. Anyway, Jim Cornette this year was on fire with the mike and if you haven't seen any of his promos from the ROH-CZW war, you definitely don't know what you're missing. That's all I'll say about him. Looking to the future though, if they can set Great Khali up with some subtitles like he had in The Longest Yard, there is no way he will not be winning Speaker Of The Year for 2007, especially if they add in "????" every now and then. Moving on to something similar though, what were your picks for Personality Of The Year (manager, commissioner, general manager, backstage interviewer, etc.) and what did you guys think of Paul Heyman picking up this one?
Matthew James: For me, Paul Heyman worked well as an on-air authority figure but for me, the personality of the year was Jim Cornette. He was instrumental in two organizations and while his TNA work was far weaker this his ROH/CZW stuff, everything he did was still good even when he was part of bullshit storylines. He has a personality that either makes you hate him or admire him and it's something few have, Paul Heyman being another. But Cornette wins this award hands down with an honorable mention going to JBL who was gold as a color man.
Lee Baker: I can see why Heyman won this, but towards the end of the year, he did appear more and more disinterested. I can't really blame him though, ECW is a shambles. The Coach has been pretty dire in my opinion and I've never been a fan of Teddy Long. They could both learn a thing or two from Cornette, who gets my vote here. He gets added points for cutting a promo with no voice live on TNA pay-per-view as well.
Nate Granville: Well, I'd love to pick Jim Cornette, but I think I'll keep this at least a little fresh so I'll pick JBL. Just a great color commentator. He's now another reason why I enjoy SmackDown! more than any other wrestling show. I love how he hates all the rookies and loves all the veterans. I also love by just what he says can get a wrestler over way more than another wrestler. And I love how he's always saying SmackDown! is the real "A" show (which it is). My other two votes would have to be Jim Cornette and Paul Heyman though.
Tim Wronka: I just want to comment on all of the JBL love. I agree that he is a great commentator and has really come into his own, but technically, he really brings nothing to the table (no pun). He just constantly buries a lot of the workers. Sure, it's ok for the color guy to make quick jabs at the faces (or heels depending on the part they play), but to blatantly yell out "This guys sucks!" or "I hate this guy!" gets quite annoying and on a show like SmackDown! where they need to do everything they can to get someone over, it doesn't help. But enough JBL; my pick was for Armando Alejandro Estrada. He really wasn't anything that special, but he did get himself over quickly, and without him, Umaga wouldn't be in the spot he is now. And of course, Cornette and Heyman were great this year as well.
Nate Granville: JBL says he hates the guys who really shouldn't be pushed. He praises London & Kendrick to no end and even praises Jimmy Yang a lot as well, while still keeping his heel persona. He says he hates guys like Boogeyman and The Miz because they really shouldn't be getting pushed at all. He's just putting over the right guys.
Douglas Nunnally: Yet again, Jim Cornette for me who actually came close to beating Heyman in the voting. After talking about people for so long, let's talk about some actual shows and events for a change. What do you guys think was the best TV show of the year and what do you think about SmackDown! winning the vote?
Nate Granville: SmackDown! definitely deserves the vote here. No show has been stellar this year, but SmackDown! was definitely the closest. They have been the most consistent show and have been better than every TV show literally all year for me. ECW gets my second pick. ECW was very enjoyable over the summer. I loved how they would save the last 25 minutes for the main event every week. Even if ECW didn't have PPVs, it still gave a meaning to the show. So yeah, ECW in second. RAW and IMPACT! were both such a let down all year, but if I had to pick one over the other, I'd pick RAW. IMPACT! was just one big head rush for me every week
Lee Baker: I agree with SmackDown! winning the vote. I wouldn't say any of the TV shows have been great (or even close), but SmackDown! was the best of the bunch. RAW has generally been dire and ECW has suffered from a lack of direction. IMPACT! has been good at times, but being an hour long doesn't help. It feels a little rushed. Without meaning to sound overly negative, SmackDown! has been the best of a bad bunch
Tim Wronka: I agree with everyone on their picks, though I will say I have always had a soft spot for RAW because of the live atmosphere and the outlandish things they do at times.
Matthew James: I am going to have to go with the general consensus and say SmackDown!. IMPACT! was unbearable at times and RAW was very patchy ECW on Sci-Fi started strong and went downhill fast. SmackDown! consistently delivers top notch wrestling and nice basic storylines that are easy to follow (except maybe the Vickie/Chavo/Benoit thing) so SmackDown! gets my vote here.
Douglas Nunnally: Not much else to say since I agree with all of you here so let's move onto Supercard Of The Year which was won by WrestleMania 22. Agree? Disagree? Want to throw a tantrum?
Tim Wronka: I totally agree with one and ECW One Night Stand was a close second for me.
Nate Granville: I have to disagree with WrestleMania even being a vote. There were only like two or three good to great matches on the card. I'd have to say Supercard of Honor was the best supercard of 2006. From the Do Fixer versus Blood Generation match to the main event (Strong versus Danielson 56 minute match; awesome), the card was just awesome. Other picks are Glory By Honor V Night 2 and No Way Out for me.
Matthew James: Glory By Honor V Night 2 for me. Just a brilliant up and down card, hot crowd, and two match of the year contenders. From Bruno's speech to Danielson's epic battle with KENTA, this show was great!
Lee Baker: I'll go for December to Dismember. Just kidding. One Night Stand for me. WrestleMania was too hit and miss.
Douglas Nunnally: I actually haven't seen enough to judge this year, but from what I've seen, your picks aren't too far off. Now onto Promotion Of The Year which was shockingly won by World Wrestling Entertainment. What do you guys think about all of this?
Nate Granville: I definitely disagree with that one. WWE was overall just a let down this year. I'll pick ROH as number one. They've just upped their game so much and got such a bigger fan base this year. Not to mention they've had tons of match of the year contenders. I'll say NOAH too. I haven't seen much from it, but from what I've heard and read in articles, they're doing a lot of things right. And from the few matches I have seen, they were just awesome.
Matthew James: I am going to have to go with Ring Of Honor. Simple effective booking solid wrestling. Overall good stuff. I thought this year was a pretty bad year for NOAH though; illogical booking decisions, a champion who didn't do as well as they would have hoped, and the old guard taking over again. WWE was up and down; great at times, bad at others. Ring Of Honor; promotion of the year for me.
Tim Wronka: Well I voted WWE. And the reason being is that WWE and TNA are the easiest things to access for me. I had a really busy year and it is somewhat of a challenge to go out and find other wrestling that isn't readily available on TV. Honestly, I think that's the only reason WWE won. Most fans are too lazy or unaware of other wrestling. I did watch some ROH, but I mostly watched WWE and TNA, and of those two, I had to go with WWE. It's not really a matter of WWE being the better promotion, but more that it is the easiest to access and I'm sure it will have that honor many more times because of that.
Lee Baker: Looking at the year as a whole, 2006 was a lousy year for the WWE in my opinion. I always enjoy ROH and for pure and simple wrestling quality, I'd vote for them every time, but TNA's progression in 2006 is more important to me. Their Pay-Per-Views have been solid overall, but their positioning to potentially challenge the WWE could be incredibly important for the wrestling industry as a whole. We've been lacking in competition for the WWE and TNA look like they might provide it. TNA gets my vote for their continued progression.
Douglas Nunnally: Like I have said, I didn't get a chance to get completely caught up on ROH in 2006, but based on all their shows till April and some matches I have seen after that, there is no doubt in my mind they easily beat out everyone else. I ended up voting for NOAH second based on their shows up until July, but I'd have to agree that their title scenes are overall a big tangled mess these days with no stable champions or anyone standing out of the pack. I only hope NOAH puts stock in champions that will raise the quality of the belts in 2007. But enough of that, time for a big one here I'm sure will spark some discussion. What was your pick for Headline Of The Year and your thoughts on the winner which was TNA hiring Kurt Angle?
Lee Baker: I totally agree that Kurt signing for TNA is the Headline of the Year. TNA have been talked about as competition for the WWE for a long time now and this was maybe the first time that people actually believed that TNA could offer an alternative home for the top stars. If Kurt can jump, who knows who else might follow? This showed that TNA was for real and that they meant business. As I mentioned earlier, we need competition and this was a sign that we might actually be getting it.
Nate Granville: I do agree that the top headline has to do with Kurt Angle, but not that he was signed by TNA. I think the biggest headline was when he was released by WWE. Nobody knew he would actually be released at the time and by the time he was released, a lot of people had the feeling he would end up joining TNA so it didn't come to as much of a surprise.
Matthew James: I agree with Nate. The headline of the year was indeed WWE releasing Kurt Angle. I don't think it was so much TNA acquiring Kurt, but it was the only other money making option outside of MMA for Kurt and we all know Kurt wouldn't pass one drug test for MMA. It was the saddest, most shocking, and most overlooked story of the year too in the sense that Kurt is extremely unhealthy and that was brushed aside by fans and promoters. It became a story of unbelievable ignorance and skimmed over issues.
Tim Wronka: Alrighty, well this headline has been done to death. I did two columns on the subject as well as one long rant on an audio show. All I'd like to say is that this was definitely a huge headline.
Douglas Nunnally: I think everything that has been said about Kurt Angle in reference to TNA and WWE has been so I won't add much to this other than that it was Cleary the headline of the year, very controversial, and definitely something that hasn't amounted to much long-term in TNA based on Turning Point doing half the buys of Genesis and ratings not doing much after the announcement. Whoops, guess I did add more. Anyway, we've got a couple left. What do you guys think about John Cena Vs. Edge as Feud Of The Year, per the voting this year?
Matthew James: Without a doubt the feud of the year. It did everything a great feud should do create enormous heat: feature the two top stars going at it and provide stellar matches. To prove just how over this feud is: three weeks ago, Edge & John Cena had a match on RAW and they had instant PPV quality heat. This shows how much the people care about the match up. It delivered in every aspect a feud needs to deliver in. Absolutely stellar stuff I say.
Lee Baker: I personally got bored of Edge versus John Cena at an early stage. My pick is Samoa Joe vesus Kurt Angle. The intensity shown in their promos, and in particular their brawls, really gave the feud a realistic feel and it was a bit of a dream feud for the smart community. While the first match between them was maybe slightly disappointing, the rematch more than made up for it and I honestly could watch this feud for another six months. To me, this is what wrestling is all about.
Douglas Nunnally: I just have to question the word "realistic" in a promo about two guys wanting to kill each other, yet instead of saying it will be a car-wreck or massacre, the TNA rookie states that it will be Match Of The Year. That's not overly realistic to me. Even ROH doesn't do stuff like that in the middle of a heated feud.
Nate Granville: Exactly. I have to agree that Edge versus John Cena was the feud of the year. Like Matt said, it had everything. And Edge & Cena just work so well together. You know it's a good feud because whenever Edge & Cena have a match with each other now, people treat it as such a big deal.
Tim Wronka: I agree with JohnCena-Edge. I can't really think of any other feud that lasted as long and still maintained interest and all props for that goes to Edge for getting the heat off of John Cena. I also enjoyed Jeff Jarrett-Sting as that lasted awhile and even though it did get stale by October, it still gave a consistent storyline to TNA, which they badly needed.
Douglas Nunnally: In my eyes, it seems like each promotion had their clear winners this year (and I'm surprised no one mentioned the last two). WWE with John Cena and Edge, TNA with LAX and AJ Styles & Christopher Daniels, & ROH with ROH and CZW. Basically, the promotion with the most viewers came up on top this year similar to promotion of the year, but to me, it just had to be ROH and CZW. Not that the other two weren't great as well, but nowhere near the crowd excitement, aura, and match quality of the ROH & CZW war. That kind of mindset may carry over to this next award which was Tag Team Of The Year won by WWE's Paul London & Brian Kendrick. Your thoughts?
Tim Wronka: I actually voted for Styles & Daniels I believe, but I have nothing against London & Kendrick getting the nod. They brought some interest back to the division and even though there were spans of weeks where they were no where to be seen, they still kept the interest of the fans and proved that smaller guys can do wonders with some faith from management. On the whole though, I enjoyed Styles and Daniels teaming because it had the "dream team" feel to them which really created some interesting matches and predicaments.
Lee Baker: A WWE tag title reign of eight months in this day and age is almost unheard of and it couldn't happen to two more dedicated and talented workers. However, my pick for this award is the Latin American X-Change. I love the mix of the powerhouse & cruiserweight and their gimmick is edgy in a way that I've not seen for a few years. Add in that their work is generally terrific and I've enjoyed LAX more than any team in quite some time.
Matthew James: For me, it has to be London & Kendrick, Their are certain unique abilities that tags teams need to have in my mind and Londrick have it. It's not about sticking two guys together who are good wrestlers, it's about two wrestlers coming across as a team. London & Kendrick seem to work as one in everything they do; they come across the screen as two guys who want to achieve everything together and are proud to be a team, not just two guys creative decided to throw together in a stable. That's why London & Kendrick stand out to me
Nate Granville: I have to agree with Matt about what it takes to be a true team. And London & Kednrick do just that so they get my pick. But both London & Kendrick and LAX will be two teams who will definitely be remembered. So my pick goes to LAX as well.
Douglas Nunnally: Brian Kendrick & Paul London not only carried two horribly generic wrestlers in KC James & Idol Stevens to a good match, but also won over the crowd by the end of the year. No doubt in my mind that makes them worthy of tag team of the year, even though I think Austin Aries & Roderick Strong and The Briscoe Brothers had a better year. Now, it's time for the big two awards and up first is Match Of The Year which was interestingly won by Undertaker versus Kurt Angle from WWE No Way Out 2006. What are all your thoughts on this award?
Matthew James: Kurt Angle versus Undertaker was indeed stellar and top five or ten of the year, but for my vote, Finlay versus Chris Benoit from Judgment Day was match of the year. If you take into account the promotion it was in, the style they worked, and how the won over the audience, the match is a thing of beauty. It was rough, stiff, ugly, and artistic all at once and was something unique for the WWE, which made it stand out above the pack. This match didn't need some crazy storyline to get people involved; it was just two tough bastards performing the art at it's highest peak. The match was a thing of beauty.
Nate Granville: I have to agree with Matt on the Benoit-Finlay match on everything he said, but I think KENTA versus Bryan Danielson from Glory By Honor V Night 2 was the top match of the year. They just did a lot of unorthodox things in the match that made it seem special and it was just a unique match. My other two picks are Do Fixer versus Blood Generation and Finlay versus Chris Benoit from Judgment Day
Tim Wronka: Taker-Angle was a great match no doubt, but I enjoyed Finlay-Benoit a bit more.
Lee Baker: I hate picking one match out of a whole year. I must admit that I thoroughly enjoyed Angle versus Taker at No Way Out though. It built up slowly and the last five minutes or so were just terrific. It was a surprising gem. I also agree with everything that has been said about Finlay versus Benoit. It was real man's wrestling. Frankly, I'd be content with either of those being called Match of the Year.
Douglas Nunnally: Taker & Angle picking this match up was astonishing to me, especially considering how people think of Undertaker in the IWC. I guess I underestimated how highly people think of Kurt Angle. No doubt was this a great match, but the best? Hardly to me and I can say that safely even though I haven't seen the big matches being pimped out such as Bryan Danielson versus. KENTA. Off the top of my head though, Takeshi Morishima versus Mitsuharu Misawa and the PPV version of Finlay versus Benoit overshadows this match and then some, but like I said, there's so much else out there I haven't seen and I know at least two of them will be better than what I have. But enough of that, it's time for the big one: Wrestler Of The Year. Voters ended up going with Edge in an overwhelming fashion to pick up his fifth award (sixth if you count Feud Of The Year), something I'm sure you all have something to say about. For me, I'm not surprised that Bryan Danielson didn't win, but for those who saw him deliver amazing matches every single time, voting for anyone except him is mind-boggling. Your thoughts?
Nate Granville: I picked Bryan Danielson. I mean come on, how could you not? The guy put on more classic matches this year than you could think of, some of which with an injury that would keep most wrestlers out for months. So yeah, my pick is Danielson, with honorable mentions to Finlay and Nigel McGuinness.
Matthew James: I have to pick Danielson as well. The man is a machine. He didn't have a single match under *** 1/4 this year which is really saying something. Honorable mentions go to Chris Benoit, McGuiness, and William Regal
Lee Baker: Danielson is amazingly consistent, but ROH doesn't have the audience of WWE or TNA so you can understand him not winning the vote. The likes of Christopher Daniels, Samoa Joe, and AJ Styles have been as impressive as ever and Edge has kept his standards high throughout an impressive main event run. I can't ignore Danielson though. He's been amazing and I'd feel dirty if I didn't vote for him.
Tim Wronka: Alrighty, well as much as I hate to admit it, I didn't see many Danielson matches. That being said, I had to go with Edge. I've always had soft spot for him since 2002 and I was really happy to see him finally get what he deserved this year. He really proved he could run with the ball and he carried Cena to some pretty damn good matches. His stuff with Foley was great and the war against DX has been good. He has overall been the top heel WWE has today.
Douglas Nunnally: "Phew!" is an understatement. Could you guys imagine if we did all 25 awards? For you readers out there, I can't express the energy I felt drained out of me by discussing 2006 in this roundtable which, just coming from the moderator, may be all there needs to be said about 2006 in pro wrestling. Would any of you like to say anything else on 2006?
Matthew James: 2006 was a hell of a wacky year. 'Nuff said.
Lee Baker: Without meaning to sound like a broken record, I'll remember 2006 for being the year when TNA gave us all hope that we might see some competition in the near future. Fingers crossed.
Tim Wronka: I think overall it was a good "setup" year. A lot of huge things happened this year and it's up to the powers that be to make sure 2007 moves forward with the positives of 2006 and leaves behind a lot of the negative.
Nate Granville: 2006 overall could have been better, but like Tim said, if all the cards are played right, it could set up 2007 to be one hell of a year.
Douglas Nunnally: Couldn't have said it better Nate. Well, hopefully you'll see us again fans, but after this whirlwind edition, no promises! So long 2006, here we go 2007!
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