By Richard Gardner, Torch specialist

As 2009 draws to a close, here is a look at 20 of the most important stories from the North American wrestling scene, which I have written about in my Key Moment of the Week columns. The stories go to show why wrestling is such an unpredictable form of entertainment, and why we continue to watch after all these years.

The first part is Stories 11-20. Read Stories 1-10 in Part 2.

(20) Triple H vs. Randy Orton

Randy Orton. If he's not fighting John Cena, he's usually fighting Triple H. And while he has evolved into one of the top heels in the business, he was also involved in one of the more bizarre build-ups to a WrestleMania match.

Excerpt from Feb. 22 column: While the speculation over whether Mickey Rourke will appear continues, WrestleMania is currently without a scheduled major celebrity appearance. Instead, the big angle for the show occurred on Monday, encompassing Randy Orton, Triple H, and the McMahon family. After a heated brawl, Orton assaulted Shane with his trademark punt to the head, prompting his sister to enter the ring. Orton then administered the RKO on Stephanie, causing Triple H to run from the back and chase Legacy out of the ring. This set up a potential WWE title match between the two at WrestleMania.

The angle was unique because it was the first time Stephanie McMahon's marriage to Triple H had been portrayed on-screen in several years, aside from some sarcastic references during the D-Generation X reunion. It was not a revelation. In an age where even the most casual of fans have access to a wealth of insider information via the Internet, their relationship has been one of wrestling's worst kept secrets. Still, acknowledging their marriage in the angle added an extra dimension to this feud going into WrestleMania.

While it is questionable whether the WWE should be depicting man-on woman violence, there is no question that this was an incredibly hot angle. Or at least it was until the WWE followed it up.

Excerpt from Mar. 15 column: The feud was already personal, but it took a turn into darker territory on Monday night. In an angle echoing the Brian Pillman/Steve Austin gun debacle in 1996, Triple H broke into a mock-up of Randy Orton's house and went on the rampage with a sledgehammer. If the WWE wishes to market its product to kids, then this was a strange way to go about doing so. The angle was indicative of the demographic no man's land which the WWE currently occupies.

Who was this angle actually aimed at? It may have been too violent for children, but it certainly wasn’t edgy in the way of storylines from the "attitude era". The actress who played Orton's wife is hardly going to win an Emmy for her role in the angle, but as she screamed in terror whilst Triple H broke down the Orton family door with a sledgehammer, it became plain that a real fiasco was on the cards.

Triple H then went running around the house as only he can; bumping into random people whose presence was never explained, screaming: "Where is he?" The action cut from one conveniently placed camera to another, smoothly documenting Triple H's Steven-Segal-like performance. The scenario ended with Hunter throwing Randy Orton through the living room window onto the front lawn, and being dragged away by the police.

What started off in promising fashion was ended by highlighting that there was only one match worth buying Wrestlemania for.

(19) WWE Reshuffles the Bragging Rights PPV Line-up

Forward thinking is not a hallmark of modern day WWE booking, but changing the main event of a Pay-Per-View two days in advance is shocking even by today's standards.

Excerpt from Oct. 25 column: While the deficiencies of WWE's PPV model have hurt the build-up for Bragging Rights, there is little that the company can do to change the frequency in the future. WWE is a publicly-traded company, and it would be difficult to explain the long-term benefits of reducing the number of events to stockholders. Additionally, WWE may have commitments to Pay-Per-View companies that they are obligated to fulfill.

What WWE does have is control over the content of their shows. And the booking decision to change Team Smackdown this week is a prime example of poor planning, which has been such a predominant feature of the build for the Bragging Rights PPV… There's no excuse for making such wholesale changes to a PPV event two days in advance. A little forward planning could have avoided such an incident, where any fan who bought Bragging Rights on the basis of Monday's episode of Raw will see completely different participants in the main event.

(18) Sheamus Pushed to the Main Event

In the first of several stories that will play out over 2010, Sheamus was given one of the quickest pushes to the main event since Brock Lesnar, beating John Cena for the WWE title at the TLC PPV in December.

Excerpt from Nov. 29 column: His rise up the card resembles the way in which challenges were prepared for Hulk Hogan in the 1980s. After destroying everyone he's faced, he's now going up against the babyface champion. Sheamus has not been around for long, triggering doubts over whether he is ready for the main event. There may be others who are better wrestlers, more over, or generally more deserving, but Sheamus is one of the few undercard wrestlers who has not been affected by the WWE's stop-start booking.

Sheamus's push may seem somewhat abrupt, but should be lauded for attempting to get fresh faces into the main event. WWE has nothing to lose by pushing him, as even the established stars have been struggling to draw decent PPV numbers of late. Whether Sheamus as a long-term main event wrestler is up for debate, but he is being given every opportunity to succeed.

(17) U.S. Government Remembers the Wrestling Industry

My first column of 2009 discussed the efforts of U.S. Rep. Henry Waxman to draw the attention to WWE and TNA as the Officer of National Drug Control Policy. Unfortunately, the wrestling industry became less of a priority at a time when the U.S. was changing government leaders. Still, WWE has since made the Wellness Policy more transparent and the transcripts of interviews with the McMahon family that were released at the time made for fascinating reading.

Excerpt from Jan. 4 column: Barack Obama has spoken about a lack of "adult supervision" in the financial markets; that self-regulation has lead to fraud and irregularities on Wall Street. This same analogy can be applied to the wrestling industry, which has proved through numerous premature deaths over the years that it cannot operate safely without the same "adult supervision."

Drugs in pro wrestling are a major issue, but their prevalence is the result of a number of factors, including the schedule and attitudes within the industry. Henry Waxman makes a very pertinent point about the problem with keeping suspended wrestlers on the road. Nevertheless, if this is to be more than just a publicity stunt, the government needs to implement a root-and-branch review of the pro wrestling industry.

(16) Ric Flair Comes out of Retirement

Ric Flair was given the greatest send-off in the history of wrestling. Yet ever since WrestleMania 24, there have been constant rumors that he would be willing to get back in the ring. Wrestling retirements are rarely adhered to, and Flair is known to have financial difficulties, so it was hardly surprising when he signed to face Hulk Hogan in a series of matches in Australia.

Excerpt from May 24 column: "I'm sorry. I love you." The camera captured Michaels's words to Ric Flair before he delivered the superkick that would end "The Nature Boy's" career. After the resulting three-count, Michaels kissed Flair's forehead and slid out of the ring, overcome by emotion. At its worst, pro wrestling is sleazy, crass, and vulgar, but at its best, it is an art form. This was a perfect example of the latter...

Ric Flair's return to the ring has undoubtedly been hastened by his financial profligacy, and for that reason it is understandable that he wants to wrestle again. However, wrestling again come with a price in that the perfect retirement will be tarnished. Maybe I'm a mark for suggesting that wrestling is about anything but the bottom line, but one look at previous wrestling retirements indicates that Flair would be selling more than his wrestling services by accepting the offer of a tour; he'd also be selling part of his legacy.

(15) WWE Becomes Increasingly Reliant on Juvenile Comedy

Sheamus was not the only member of the Raw roster who managed to break into the main event. Hornswoggle has been a staple part of Monday nights in 2009, and made a step up in his program with D-Generation X. Coupled with the segments written for the weekly guest hosts, Raw has more bad comedy now than at any time in its history.

Excerpt from Aug. 16 column: You see, Shawn Michaels has been working in a kitchen for the past four months. That's right, a man who would easily be in the top ten legendary wrestlers that the company has ever had, needs to work a regular job to make ends meet. Or, to put it another way, a man who would easily be in the top ten legendary wrestlers that the company has ever had, feels the need to appear in lame comedy segments that only serve to tarnish his credibility. It's somewhat akin to when WCW booked Ric Flair to go to a mental hospital, except Shawn has enough power to turn down anything that would make him look this ridiculous. The segment ended with HBK administering the superkick to a prepubescent girl. Don't ask.

Excerpt from Dec. 27 column: Hornswoggle is smaller than sales of Eric Escobar action figures.

Hornswoggle is shorter than the duration of Kofi Kingston's 2009 main event push.

Hornswoggle is shorter than the running time of my homemade "Best of Vladimir Kozlov" compilation.

Hornswoggle is shorter than the collective memories of the WWE creative team.

Apologies for the jokes, but the current direction of Raw suggests that this is what wrestling fans are looking for. There was certainly far more "entertainment" than wrestling on the penultimate Raw of the decade, which was the vehicle for D-Generation X's long awaited "Little People's Court" skit. These segments required not so much the suspension of disbelief, more turning the brain off completely, as Triple H and Shawn Michaels pled their case to the diminutive judge and jury.

(14) The Rock Returns and Hints at Working with WWE in the Future

The Rock is one of the biggest names in the history of wrestling. Despite being known the world over for his exploits in the WWF, he has distanced himself from the industry that made him famous. This is why it was so exciting when he cut a promo on the 10-Year Anniversary of Smackdown and hinted at future WWE projects.

Excerpt from Oct. 15 column: The Rock has certainly been an inspiration for John Cena, whose promos occasionally make him sound like a poor tribute act, and on the evidence of Friday night's episode of Smackdown it is easy to see why. The Rock cut the best babyface promo of the year so far, eliciting a response from the audience that was made even more impressive by the fact that the segment was pre-recorded and. There is no one who can match The Rock in terms of charisma and promo delivery currently active in the industry. Of course John Cena has a charisma of his own, but week after week he is saddled with subpar material. He is presented as this generation's version of The Rock, but lacks the creativity and innovation of Dwayne Johnson.

(13) Stale WWE Main Event

WWE is suffering from a lack of main event talent. Although they have recently elevated Sheamus, the repetition of Pay-Per-View main events has been alarming, with John Cena vs. Randy Orton being the most common match.

Excerpt from Oct. 11 column: Triple H was part of the entourage that led Floyd Mayweather to the ring for his fight against Manuel Marquez. This was a fight that the majority of boxing experts predicted that would be a one-sided affair, yet it still drew over one million buys. It had nothing to do with the quality of the match; the event sold purely on the basis of the star power of Floyd Mayweather. WWE is not in the same position as boxing promoters. They can build their own stars, and ensure that they stay over for as long as they want. Yet week after week, upcoming wrestlers they are put in a position to fail, either by jobbing to the ageing top stars, or by senselessly trading victories in a way that no one gets over.

(12) Edge Suffers a Serious Injury

Edge tore his Achilles tendon during a house show match in July, putting him on the injury list for the rest of the year. His return is tentatively scheduled for WrestleMania 26, meaning WWE has been without one of its top stars for eight months. The injury also places question marks over whether Edge has the capacity to sustain a full schedule.

Excerpt from July 19 column: Now is the time for Edge to ask for a lighter schedule. His injuries are occurring with increasing regularity, and the WWE should do everything possible to protect him as he moves into the latter stages of his career. He is popular enough to maintain a strong presence without wrestling regularly on television or house shows.

(11) Linda McMahon Runs for Senate

A year that began with the WWE being pressured by the Government to justify their Wellness Policy, ended with Linda McMahon running for Senate as a Republican candidate. Her opponents have jumped all over her association with the WWE, an issue that McMahon has tried to play down. The December 13th episode of Raw was seen as an ideal platform to promote Republican politics, a task that Dennis Miller failed at spectacularly.

Excerpt from Dec. 20 column: The Slammy Award edition of Raw was the television equivalent of a train wreck. Dennis Miller not only failed to connect with the audience, he acted as though appearing on WWE programming was beneath him. The overbearing way in which he inflicted his political views on the audience was totally inappropriate, and his humor fell flat (or, to attempt a Dennis Miller-style joke, it fell flatter than a table that Michael Moore accidentally sat on at a Twilight premiere).

Politics and wrestling don't mix, as illustrated by the fact that Linda McMahon has not referenced WWE in her campaign's promotional literature. Raw is not the place for political humor, and should remain politically neutral in the same way that sports and most of the shows in prime time are.

-- CONTINUE TO PART 2 (1-10)

[Torch art credit Grant Gould (c) PWTorch.com]

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