To say it’s been a topsy-turvy year for the WWE is as much an understatement as to call Brock Lesnar a good wrestler.
There have been some enormous highs but also a swathe of lows that have rendered it an overall just about above average 2015, a C+ with a lot of areas to improve.
And on this week’s RAW it was time once again for the WWE to give itself a pat on the back for all it has done over the past 12 months as the Slammys were held amidst the normal Monday night action.
– Why Roman Reigns needed to snap and rise to the top
– Will Sheamus ever be more than a transitional champ?
– Rooney pulls off attacking performance of the season
Superstars and Divas were heralded, matches and storylines assessed, voted for and given trophies for their mark on the calendar.
As this column looked on and saw how the WWE celebrated 2015 we nodded in agreement with a few and spat out our dummies and a few more.
In response, here are five alternative awards and winners to some more traditional ones.
MATCH OF THE YEAR – John Cena vs Kevin Owens, Battleground
Honestly, it could have been either one of the three matches between the two but the Battleground decider stands out for it drawing to a close one of the most exciting rivalries in recent history.
In all three of their bouts an aggression and inventiveness sparked new life into Cena and catapulted Owens to the fore of the WWE Universe’s mind.
Watch this one over and over again rather than Slammys winner Undertaker vs Brock Lesnar from Hell in a Cell (although that wasn’t a bad one).
UP-AND-COMER OF THE YEAR – Kevin Owens
Owens missed out to Neville in the WWE equivalent of Breakout Star of the Year, but there is no way he should have.
Neville was without doubt a highlight in 2015 but his fellow NXT graduate Owens served up treat after treat and ended up taking the Intercontinental title in the meantime.
Without a doubt, Owens made a huge impression and will be headlining shows for years to come.
BIGGEST ENTERTAINER – Paul Heyman
This column is a huge fan of Heyman and he is easily our favourite person in every WWE show.
Our only gripe is that he doesn’t feature more prominently in shows, with Heyman’s masterful mic work something we’d like to fill the entirety of Monday Night Raw.
Heyman is an utter superstar and his ability to whip up an audience into a fever kept fans salivating over Lesnar vs Taker despite each athlete’s sporadic appearances.
BIGGEST DISAPPOINTMENT – Sting
This is tricky, as we were delighted to see Sting take on Triple H at WrestleMania and then battle it out with Seth Rollins later in the year.
However, a cat and mouse that never really let us see Sting in his glorious best form left his historic crossover to WWE a little flat.
As with a lot of the WWE’s biggest moves this year, this promised so much but delivered very little.
BIGGEST TURNAROUND – New Day
From hated faces to fantastic heels, the New Day have gone from vile to victorious.
The trio fell awfully short as faces but have repaid the WWE’s faith in allowing them time to find their feet and have dominated the tag team division in 2015.
Two title reigns and ending up far and away the strongest team in the WWE, New Day delight every time they enter the ring talking of unicorns and pitting their wits against their rivals in the ring and with a mic in hand.
That is without blowing Xavier Woods’ trumpet too much, however…
