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PWTORCH YEAR-END VOTING 12/28: Torch readers submit nominations for MVP of pro wrestling in 2008 Dec 28, 2008 - 6:06:23 PM
Was it John Cena in WWE despite spending a few fall months on the shelf with a major injury?
Was it Kurt Angle in TNA despite only holding the TNA Title for the first three months of the year?
Was it Nigel McGuinness for carrying ROH as the company's champion despite the company's business reaching a point where Gabe Sapolsky was fired as head booker?
Torch readers, here's your chance to nominate the wrestlers that stood out in your mind as the MVP of pro wrestling in 2008 and should be included on the year-end polls for readers to vote on.
Submit a pick (or two) for MVP and briefly explain yourself either by emailing pwtorch@gmail.com (recommended for PWTorch App and Mobile users) or adding your response in the "Comment" section below.
Year-End Awards Voting schedule
12/29 - Wrestler of the Year nominations open
12/30 - Best PPV/Event of the Year nominations open
12/31 - Best Feud of the Year nominations open
1/1 through 1/4 - Readers submit nominations for each category
Chris Jericho. He is the star of Raw right now. His interviews are always
captivating and is a great wrestler also. He is the best heel weve seen in
years! I still don't get why they didn't have him hold the title till WM
25. I think Jericho vs. Cena could have drawn well at Wrestlemania, but
like Cena vs. Batista they gave this away too early.
DurdenKent
28 Dec 2008, 15:38
Chris Jericho, for great work in the ring and on the mic, and more the feud
of the year as well.
Runner-up: Jeff Hardy. He might not be the future of the company, but he's
got my attention right now.
G.O.A.T.
28 Dec 2008, 16:40
Randy Orton is the MVP of 2008. Jericho is a good #2, but he caught fire
1/2 way through the year. Orton was the top dog on Raw in the first 1/3 of
the year, including a rare heel Wrestlemania Main Event win. Once he
returned from his injury, his was the focal point of one of the most
interesting storylines in the WWE: Legacy. Plus, he is the on-air reason
why we don't have to watch a Batista match for 6-8 months. That's enough
for MVP in my book.
Mark
28 Dec 2008, 17:03
Chris Jericho.
Showed me truly how valuable he really is- his not only filling the void
left by so many others on the shelf, but helped carry the best feud of 2008
with HBK is mightily immpressive.
Reminds me of Bret after Hogan's departure sucked the life of the place.
James
28 Dec 2008, 18:26
Edge or Chris Jericho. Shawn Michaels or Randy Orton are close as well,
but Orton missed significant time and wasn't as stellar as he is now in the
first half of the year, and Michaels rarely works house shows.
Edge:
-main evented Wrestlemania
-had IMO the match of the year (HIAC v. Undertaker)
-was the best talker of the year
-got Vickie Guerrero to be the heat magnet she is instead of a "get off my
screen" character
Jericho:
-was involved in the best feud of the year
-was just as good a talker as Edge
-had several outstanding matches with Michaels
My vote goes to Edge. The true test of a performer's worth is how good
things are when he's gone. Between SummerSlam and the Survivor Series
(well, maybe Unforgiven and Cyber Sunday), SmackDown was downright
horrible. Before and after, it was good, great at times. Raw with Jericho
in a non-featured role (January-March) was decent. Both were outstanding,
but Edge was more vital to his brand's success.
TheGuy
28 Dec 2008, 19:23
Very tough choice between Randy Orton, Edge, Chris Jericho, and Jeff Hardy.
I'm gonna go with Jericho though.
Eric Gall
28 Dec 2008, 19:33
Jericho for WWE for all the obvious reasons. He's the best promo guy in
the world, bar none. Unlike Edge, he has the ability to play face and heel
equally well, though he's been pure heel this year. His in-ring work is as
good as ever, and that's better than the vast majority of guys in the fed.
He's also been in the feud of the year. All that adds up to MVP.
Also, Nigel McGuiness. What a fantastic heel Nigel is! I think it's been
a mistake to focus on who the guy is to dethrone him rather than appreciate
all the little things Nigel does to get the fans to boo him. This is from
a guy who was solidly cheered (well, except those certain haters) and
caused the bulk of finicky ROH fans to boo him. His heel turn has even
seen him turn a liability (his overuse of the lariat) into an effective
tool for gaining heel heat.
Trojan Man
28 Dec 2008, 20:06
I've got to go with Chris Jericho here. I would go with Edge, but he was
out for a little bit and the same goes for Randy Orton. Those three are
the best right now IMO.
Jay P.
29 Dec 2008, 06:52
I've got to go with Edge. He is the ultimate heel, there is not one
redeeming quality about his character and he plays it to perfection. His
Heath Ledger as the joker like portrayal of his character leading into the
Summerslam Hell in a Cell match was brilliant and his return at Survivor
Series was classic Edge.
Runners up: Chris Jericho, Randy Orton, Jeff Hardy
Bastard1
29 Dec 2008, 09:10
For me, it's Edge. Consistently great in-ring work, mic work and has an
awe-inspiring presence in that ring that absolutely nobody else has. It
doesn't even matter if he was out for some three months of the year; he
manages to achieve and entertain more without working a full year than most
guys who work the entire year do.
The fact that he's among the most over heels in wrestling right now and
that he's had many MOTY candidates (including the actual MOTY, that being
the TLC match at One Night Stand...) doesn't hurt either. You do the math.
Cena is probably at the bottom of the barrel as far as having impressed and
entertained me in 2008. He should get with Candice, so they can both be
injured for a majority of the year together and still get undeserved pushes
and TV time!
Jimmy Kimmel
29 Dec 2008, 19:27
The MVP of the year is VLADIMIR KOZLOV after all he loves DOUBLE DOUBLE
EEEEEEEE!
Dusty Robinson
30 Dec 2008, 20:34
Chris Jericho.Edge,Randy Orton & Jeff Hardy all missed time this year & I
have to eliminate Shawn Michaels because of his horrible storyline with JBL
right now.Jericho went from Y2J to complete 180 being a complete jerk that
looks down on everybody to become the number one heel, not every wrestler
can do that.
Tai H.
31 Dec 2008, 19:51
Santino and Beth stole the show with everything they did.
Beth is entertaining to watch in the ring, and together with Santino, is
simply the best.
Richb1983
02 Jan 2009, 23:51
Jeff Hardy. As good as Edge, Jericho and Orton are and how compelling they
make storylines with their great ability and characters it was Jeff that
made me stay tuned to see if he could finally capture the title. Up and
down year for him personally and proffessionally, but for setting the
example for future stars like Kennedy/MVP/Christian and even the younger
talent DH Smith particularly it will show that pure ability can shine
through if you keep your nose clean and show the right dedication.
Tony Kries
03 Jan 2009, 06:33
Chris Jericho. His calm demeanor during promos and his suits and his feud
with Michaels made him the best in 2008.
Powys
03 Jan 2009, 14:42
Randy orton
His punt, the RKO, Everything gels to make him the ultimate heel and of
course wwe superstar.
Stonecoldmark
04 Jan 2009, 22:05
Jeff Hardy, the guy puts everything into each and every single one of his
matches. He's is excellent on the PPV's and shows up 2 days later to do it
on TV for the SD tapings. It's his year, he deserves Superstar of the
Year.
Tony
05 Jan 2009, 08:57
Shawn Michaels
His program with Flair was great, his program with Jerricho was awesome
too. HBK is still able to steal the show!
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Who is the MVP of 2008 in pro wrestling?
