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PARKS'S TAKE
PARKS'S TAKE: A few thoughts on PWTorch.com year-end award fan voting results

Jan 16, 2013 - 7:24:38 PM
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By Greg Parks, PWTorch columnist

I recently received in the mail my hard copy of Pro Wrestling Torch Newsletter #1286, in which fans who visited PWTorch.com and the PWTorch app voted on award winners for the 2012 year in wrestling (oh I know I could've seen this last week when the issue was posted online, but there's still something about getting that hard copy in the mail, sitting down and reading it from cover-to-cover that appeals to me).

We covered many of the same awards in December in my audio show for PWTorch.com VIP Members, "Gonzo & The Greg," but I thought the results of the more than 20,000 fan votes was interesting. Some thoughts:

- For WWE MVP, C.M. Punk seemed like a no-brainer to win, and he did, in a runaway. I was surprised that Dolph Ziggler was only fourth; I figured he'd be higher. Despite spending the latter months of the year in a tag team with Kane, Daniel Bryan finished second in the voting. I guess fans gave a ton of credit to him for the entertaining skits in which Team Hell No were featured. The Rock at 5th was another surprise, knowing how little he was around for the bulk of the year. I think Sheamus deserved his spot in the top five.

- TNA's MVP was Austin Aries as voted on by the fans. Another seemingly clear choice. Bully Ray finished third, but I probably would've had him second. He was only a few percentage points behind Bobby Roode for that honor, and I can't argue too much with Roode in the runner-up position. Jeff Hardy and Christopher Daniels rounded out the top five. Too many guys like Kurt Angle and James Storm suffered through hit-or-miss storylines to be included in the top five.

- The Shield made a late push to lead the Rising Star category. As Wade Keller mentioned in his commentary, no TNA wrestlers made the top nine, which has to be concerning. I doubt Joseph Park would qualify. I don't see Daniel Bryan as a Rising Star - to me, he's already established, so I'd put Damien Sandow in his slot at number four.

- I hesitate to put anyone with injury issues in the Career Tailspin rankings, but Evan Bourne had extenuating circumstances beyond his injuries that landed him in the honorable (dishonorable?) mentions. Of the top five, Tensai and Jack Swagger both made my list on "Gonzo & The Greg," while Alex Riley was an honorable mention. The Miz made the list despite his recent babyface turn and renewed push, which I take to be an indictment of his face character.

- C.M. Punk was certainly Top Heel of the year. John Laurinaitis received a high honorable mention. He wasn't particularly good in his role and he was a character with a short shelf life, but he got a good amount of heat.

- Punk was also second in the running for Top Babyface behind John Cena. Cena was pushed above and beyond any other babyface in either major company, and by a wide margin. The fact that he still only received 23% of the vote speaks to where his fanbase truly lies - and it's not with folks who vote in polls like this one. I think Jeff Hardy is a fantastic babyface in almost any metric, so I would've had him in the top five.

Greg Parks has been a columnist for Pro Wrestling Torch since 2007. Follow him on Twitter @gregmparks for live Tweeting during Raw, Impact, and PPVs, as well as other bits of wisdom. Comments, questions and feedback are welcome, and can be sent to g_man9784@yahoo.com.


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