Tha Black Phenom Posted January 6, 2010 Share Posted January 6, 2010 Just wanted to see what you guys thought of this one, the Pro Wrestling Illustrated decade awards, I think some must've heard over the little iffy choice concerning match of the decade but either way, here it is. http://img710.imageshack.us/img710/9297/2hx65at9364556.jpg Wrestler of the Decade: Triple H Tag Team of the Decade: Team 3D Match of the Decade: Shawn Michaels vs Ric Flair (WrestleMania 24) Woman of the Decade: Trish Stratus Feud of the Decade: Chris Jericho vs Shawn Michaels Most Popular of the Decade: John Cena Most Hated of the Decade: Triple H Most Inspirational of the Decade: Shawn Michaels PPV of the Decade: WrestleMania X-Seven (17) -- Pro Wrestling Illustrated has named Shawn Michaels vs. Ric Flair at WrestleMania XXVI "Match of the Decade" in its PWI Decade Awards. Runner-ups include Shawn Michaels vs. Kurt Angle at WrestleMania 21, Hollywood Hogan vs. The Rock at WrestleMania X8, Kurt Angle vs. Brock Lesnar at WrestleMania XIX, Shawn Michaels vs. Undertaker at WrestleMania XXV, and Shawn Michaels vs. Triple H vs. Chris Benoit at WrestleMania XX. Here is what PWI wrote regarding the honor: "In addition to being one of the most dramatic and emotional bouts of the decade, it was also a symbolic changing of the guard and a fitting sendoff for Flair, arguably the top wrestler of the second half of the 20th century. Other matches during the 2000s may have been more physical or high-flying, but this match had the emotion and the incredible energy of nearly 75,000 fans hanging on every move." General thoughts? I'm down with pretty much most of the choices bar the MOTD although I wouldn't have minded some other names. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
masterded Posted January 6, 2010 Share Posted January 6, 2010 Did they give any type of guide how they picked the list? The idea that a Shawn Michaels win in the last 2 years represents a changing of the guard is funny at best. Also based off their reasoning I would say Hogan Rock for sure should be above it and I don't know I would say that is Match of the Decade. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
justtxyank Posted January 6, 2010 Share Posted January 6, 2010 Pretty remarkable that HBK was in 4 of the matches considered for match of the decade, including the winner. HBK is the greatest performer of all time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hyde Hill Posted January 6, 2010 Share Posted January 6, 2010 Yeah HBK is good but That match wasn't anything to write home about. Was it emotional sure, was it good sure. Was it great hell's no. Might be my non USA nature speaking here as Flair is just not nearly as relevant outside the US. Plus mentioning the runners up why no Joe vs Daniels vs AJ 1 or 2? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Purple Cowboy Posted January 6, 2010 Share Posted January 6, 2010 PWI really has shown Flair a ton of love over the years. I remember a couple of times in the 80s in between his title reigns where they'd still rate Flair (as #1 contender) higher than the NWA champion at the time! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
James Casey Posted January 6, 2010 Share Posted January 6, 2010 PWI have always had Flair as their #1 in pretty much any given category. He was their wrestler of the 80s and, as mentioned, dominated their coverage of the NWA/WCW through to the mid '90s. Having his 'retirement' match as their MOTD is no surprise. In terms of its scope, for want of a better word, it encompassed two of the best in-ring performers of the last thirty years. It was a good match - Flair's best in years - and had real emotion about it that very few matches can manage. It wasn't the best match of the night (Taker/Edge, of course) but it was an epic and historic match that had real resonance to it, and so in terms of the important matches of the last decade, in terms of the story it told, and the meaning it held... That's PWI's justification. And if these are reader awards (don't think the Decade ones are, but...) then it's down to the love PWI readers have always had for Flair Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tristram Posted January 6, 2010 Share Posted January 6, 2010 Yeah HBK is good but That match wasn't anything to write home about. Was it emotional sure, was it good sure. Was it great hell's no. Might be my non USA nature speaking here as Flair is just not nearly as relevant outside the US. Plus mentioning the runners up why no Joe vs Daniels vs AJ 1 or 2? The Ric Flair WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOs way out-did any cheering for Hulk Hogan when the two wrestled down here in Sydney. The whole night throughout the crowd was calls for Flair. Ric Flair is massively relevant down under. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BurningHamster Posted January 6, 2010 Share Posted January 6, 2010 PWI has always been pretty goofy but amusing none-the-less. It kind of shocks me reading over all of that as it made me realize how I have avoided WWE more than I have watched it this decade. Also, it surprises me how over Ric Flair is according to Tristram. I always liked him when I saw him but thinking back to my childhood we got WWF in Australia but I never recall seeing the NWA on TV here. Ric Flair's popularity down under therefore pretty much has to come from WCW 98-onwards and WWE after that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BHK1978 Posted January 6, 2010 Share Posted January 6, 2010 HBK is the greatest performer of all time. I think Ric Flair and the man in your avatar would disagree with that statement. HHH: Wrestler of the Decade? This cannot be serious! Well I guess if he is married to the daughter of the owner of top werestling promotion in the world, and spent the greater part of the decade giving himself a god push. So yeah maybe he is the wrestler of the decade. I would go with The Rock or John Cena but that is just me... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hyde Hill Posted January 6, 2010 Share Posted January 6, 2010 Angle here. BTW anyone else annoyed by the current wrestlereunion commercial on their website? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
James Casey Posted January 6, 2010 Share Posted January 6, 2010 HHH won 11 World titles in the 2000s, plus any number of tag titles as well. He's headlined WWE from 2000 to 2010, been a part of dozens of great matches and drawn consistently in that time, and whle all accounts say that he can be an egocentric ass, at the same time he doesn't come across as the crazy/deluded/out of touch type that so many long term wrestlers become. For American fans, the only active wrestler who's even be close to being as synonymous with wrestling over the last ten years would be HBK, and he only returned to wrestling in late 2002. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SaySo Posted January 6, 2010 Share Posted January 6, 2010 HHH won 11 World titles in the 2000s, plus any number of tag titles as well. He's headlined WWE from 2000 to 2010, been a part of dozens of great matches and drawn consistently in that time, and whle all accounts say that he can be an egocentric ass, at the same time he doesn't come across as the crazy/deluded/out of touch type that so many long term wrestlers become. For American fans, the only active wrestler who's even be close to being as synonymous with wrestling over the last ten years would be HBK, and he only returned to wrestling in late 2002. You forgot to mention he lead a stable that had future WWE World Champions in Batista and Randy Orton. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lazorbeak Posted January 6, 2010 Share Posted January 6, 2010 Just wanted to see what you guys thought of this one, the Pro Wrestling Illustrated decade awards, I think some must've heard over the little iffy choice concerning match of the decade but either way, here it is. Wrestler of the Decade: Triple H I never thought he was on the same level of guys like Austin and Rock, which is probably why Mick Foley was probably his perfect foil. To me this seems like a longevity award. If the award is supposed to go to the best "wrestler," rather than guy who was at the top the longest, I don't see how you can vote for anyone other than Kurt Angle. Shawn Michaels and Chris Jericho would be my #2 and #3, but both took extended breaks over the decade (involuntary in Shawn's case). If we're going based on "who is the SUPERSTAR" of the decade, it's John Cena or possibly the Undertaker. Tag Team of the Decade: Team 3D Ugh, really? I hate these guys and their bland shtick. I guess I get the appeal, and it's not that different from classic teams of the 80's who would have very similar matches over and over, but I just can't accept this is the best team of the decade. I guess the problem is so few teams have lasted more than a year or two in any company. Beer Money is good, but are they better than AMW was? Actually, I know they haven't ever made the big leagues (although word is they may soon), but I would consider the Briscoe Brothers to be up there for tag team of the decade. Barring their year and a half or so hiatus, they've been one of the most consistent and entertaining tag teams for what, 9 years now? Honorable mentions: DX, Los Guerreros, Chris Jericho and ANYONE. Match of the Decade: Shawn Michaels vs Ric Flair (WrestleMania 24) Makes sense, considering PWI's never-ending love affair with all things Flair. I'm not a huge Flair fan, so my picks would probably be WM XX's main event, the Austin/Rock match at XVII, Rock/Hogan from XVIII, and Undertaker/HBK from last year. Since XX is automatically disqualified for featuring you know who, I guess that means my pick is Austin/Rock. Woman of the Decade: Trish Stratus No argument here. There may have been more talented wrestlers, but Trish was the total package. Feud of the Decade: Chris Jericho vs Shawn Michaels A good pick, but I have to say I loved Angle vs. Lesnar. God, that feud made absolutely everything on Raw look abysmal, didn't it? Honorable mention: Triple H vs. Batista. I don't think Batista has ever been nearly as big a deal as he was when he was working with Triple H. That was just an outstanding storyline. Most Popular of the Decade: John Cena No real argument. He's been the breakout star of the business this decade. But I really think if business picks up under a new face, he'll end up being marginalized the same way Bret Hart was for being on top during a crummy era. Most Hated of the Decade: Triple H I don't even agree with this one. Sure, Triple H was booed during his Raw run circa 2003, but when I think of "most hated," I think of Roddy Piper or Jake the Snake: guys that didn't need to never lose a match to get you to want to see them get their teeth knocked in. Triple H lacks the kind of charisma to be hated in that way only a mark can hate someone. He always built himself up so that when he'd hit the Pedigree, there'd be cheers. My vote goes to Edge. I know he's hurt now, and may come back as a babyface, but nobody not named Chris Jericho got the sort of heel reactions that Edge has been able to get this decade. And he did it without trying to put himself over on anybody or looking superior. In fact, a big part of his gimmick is that he's not as good as guys like Cena or Undertaker: he's just smarter, and willing to bend every rule in order to get what he wants. The era of the 'cool heel' may finally be over, and credit a guy like Edge, who was willing to be absolutely hated with zero redeeming qualities. He gets the nod over Jericho because he did it first and has been doing it longer. Most Inspirational of the Decade: Shawn Michaels No Zach Gowen?! Again, I realize these magazines have a memory of 15 seconds, but I would vote for Eddie Guerrero. Here's a guy who is what, 5'8, and Mexican (well, technically Tex-Mex). On top of that, he is a WCW guy, not someone built up by McMahon and company. As if that wasn't enough, he gets fired for drunk driving in 2001 after going through a rehab program. So the idea that about three years later, he could be WWE champion is just ridiculous. He was the first Hispanic guy to win the WWE title in over 30 years, the second guy to ever do it. I mean, I like Shawn Michaels, but really? He turned his life around and continued to be a great performer, but I don't think he's nearly as inspirational as Guerrero. PPV of the Decade: WrestleMania X-Seven (17) Agreed. XX and X8 are up there, but I think X-Seven was probably the peak for WWE. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slack Posted January 7, 2010 Share Posted January 7, 2010 How can the guy in most of the MOTD nominees not be Wrestler of the Decade? I guess they really didn't build everything around Shawn, and Triple H makes sense. Most Hated could have been Orton, or Cena! John Cena is like the Sara Palin* of wrestlers. *Sara Palin is the former Gov. of Alaska that was a Vice Presidential Nominee for the Republican Party. She recently finished top 3 in "celeb I want as a neighbor" and "celeb I would hate to have as a neighbor". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jbergey_2005 Posted January 7, 2010 Share Posted January 7, 2010 Cena as most hated wrestler of the decade? Along with most popular of the decade. That would be a feat. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Genadi Posted January 7, 2010 Share Posted January 7, 2010 Cena as most hated wrestler of the decade? Where have you been? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jbergey_2005 Posted January 7, 2010 Share Posted January 7, 2010 Where have you been? Not reading enough of these forums I guess:p Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BHK1978 Posted January 7, 2010 Share Posted January 7, 2010 HHH won 11 World titles in the 2000s, plus any number of tag titles as well. He's headlined WWE from 2000 to 2010, been a part of dozens of great matches and drawn consistently in that time, and whle all accounts say that he can be an egocentric ass, at the same time he doesn't come across as the crazy/deluded/out of touch type that so many long term wrestlers become. For American fans, the only active wrestler who's even be close to being as synonymous with wrestling over the last ten years would be HBK, and he only returned to wrestling in late 2002. Yes but James, he is also married to the future owner of the company. Of course he is going to be pushed to the moon...not even the moon acutally to Pluto! The man has been pushed down our throats. If he was not married to her do you think his push would have been this big? Would his in-ring workrate merit this kind of push? I am not convinced that it would. I honestly believe that the fans of the WWF (And I don't mean you, I am just talking about their fans in general) are honestly suffering from Stockholm Syndrome. Of course the fans are going to think he is great because the WWF audience have been programed to think so. The guy does not lose all that often, (He has been losing more in recent years I will give him that credit.) people that work with him in the ring probably go out of their way to make him look good in the ring due to who he is, no matter if he is a heel or a fan favorite he is booked to be cool. So really why wouldn't fans think he is great? And is he really a draw? I mean granted I might not be the most objective person, because I dislike him (And that is not just because I what I read about him, I have never been a fan of his going back to when he was a jobber in WCW.) but to me the draws of the WWF over the past decade have been Cena, Undertaker, Austin, and The Rock. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slack Posted January 7, 2010 Share Posted January 7, 2010 I really like Triple H the heel over Triple H the face. I'm not a huge fan of his, but I think he usually does ok with the ball and when he was hurt, I do notice the shows lack a little. Being wrestler of the Double-Ohs isn't nearly as big as being the Wrestler of the 80's or 90's. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
400 ml Posted January 7, 2010 Share Posted January 7, 2010 The legends match in a PPV that I can't seem to remember where Ricky Steamboat performed should have been the match of the decade. Period. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Genadi Posted January 7, 2010 Share Posted January 7, 2010 Picking Flair vs HBK over Hogan vs Rock especially considering the reasons given shows they're either huge Flair marks, haven't seen the Rock vs Hogan match or have really short memories. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jbergey_2005 Posted January 7, 2010 Share Posted January 7, 2010 Surprised there was no Kurt Angle love in the awards. He had to have been in the discussion for Wrestler of the Decade, Match of the Decade, Most Inspirational Wrestler of the Decade, Most Hated of the Decade and Feud of the Decade. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shamelessposer Posted January 7, 2010 Share Posted January 7, 2010 "Shawn Michaels acts like an adult" shouldn't be an award-winning feat. I can't help but think this list would have been very different if Eddie and Benoit hadn't suffered such awful fates. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maskedpropaganda Posted January 7, 2010 Share Posted January 7, 2010 Yes but James, he is also married to the future owner of the company. Of course he is going to be pushed to the moon...not even the moon acutally to Pluto! The man has been pushed down our throats. If he was not married to her do you think his push would have been this big? Would his in-ring workrate merit this kind of push? I am not convinced that it would. I honestly believe that the fans of the WWF (And I don't mean you, I am just talking about their fans in general) are honestly suffering from Stockholm Syndrome. Of course the fans are going to think he is great because the WWF audience have been programed to think so. The guy does not lose all that often, (He has been losing more in recent years I will give him that credit.) people that work with him in the ring probably go out of their way to make him look good in the ring due to who he is, no matter if he is a heel or a fan favorite he is booked to be cool. So really why wouldn't fans think he is great? And is he really a draw? I mean granted I might not be the most objective person, because I dislike him (And that is not just because I what I read about him, I have never been a fan of his going back to when he was a jobber in WCW.) but to me the draws of the WWF over the past decade have been Cena, Undertaker, Austin, and The Rock. Yes of course he married to Steph so he would be pushed as such but THIS FACT I think overshadows his skills, talent, and worthiness in your arguement. Ya questioned if his workrate deserved the push. Of course! Workrate has never really had anything to do with how hard Vince pushes you to begin with (Hogan etc.), but even that fact I don't believe you give him enough credit. I mean the dude was trained by the Killer! You say the fans have been programmed to think so (that he is great) but for one even the casual fan I think you are disrespecting their intelligence (not by much of course) plus he has mostly been a heel. And he EARNED their hatred for a decade. And in my opinion did it well. When he was a face I always thought he seemed out of his element IMO. You asked if anyone actually thought he was draw. I give it to you that The Rock and Cena are who really bring in the kids but they need a catalyst an antagonist, and in my opinion in my lifetime no one did that better than HHH besides Ric Flair or Bobby Heenan. Just my thoughts. I understand ya dislike him, but because of this I think you are underestimating him and what he has brought. I have done the same. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Y2JRKO Posted January 8, 2010 Share Posted January 8, 2010 The legends match in a PPV that I can't seem to remember where Ricky Steamboat performed should have been the match of the decade. Period. It was at Wrestlemania 25, the same PPV where(in my oppinion) The match of the decade took place... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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