Skysports.com's wrestling guru James Coyle takes a look back at the last 12 months in the WWE.
Skysports.com takes a look back at an action-packed year
As the year draws to a close, WWE fans are keen as always to share their views on what superstars they believe deserve recognition for their efforts throughout the past twelve months.
Not only that, but everyone in the WWE Universe has their own individual opinion and fond memories of what they consider to be the best superstar of the year, the best wrestling match of the year and even the best pay-per-view event of the year.
Skysports.com's wrestling guru James Coyle looked back at the highs and lows of 2009 to compose his thoughts on what has been an exciting year gone by in WWE.
WWE Superstar of the Year: Chris Jericho
I was very surprised that Jericho wasn't amongst the nominees for WWE Superstar of The Year back at The Slammy Awards two weeks ago.
For me, Jericho deserves to be the Superstar of The Year. He is spectacular on the mic and is consistently fantastic in the ring. Jericho can have a great match with just about anyone on the roster.
This year, as well as working a superb feud with Rey Mysterio, Jericho joined forces with The Big Show to become The Unified Tag Team Champions.
This led to Jericho working a tireless schedule on both the RAW and SmackDown brands, which at no point became boring to watch. I need say more about this man.
For me, Chris Jericho deserves this accolade more than any other superstar in the WWE.
Best Match of the Year: Undertaker vs. Shawn Michaels (WrestleMania 25)
Despite the late night scheduling, I tend to watch every WWE pay-per-view event LIVE, WrestleMania even more so, and although the main event between Triple H and Orton left a lot to be desired, The Undertaker versus Shawn Michaels did not disappoint as both men went back and forth to put on one hell of a show for the fans.
For me, this was one of the greatest wins of all for The Undertakers undefeated streak.
Nothing else this year has come close to being this good. WWE ringside announcer Jim Ross summed up this match when he proclaimed: "What more could you ask for as a wrestling fan?"
This is probably the best wrestling match I have witnessed LIVE on television in my lifetime. Fans will be talking about this match for decades. An instant classic.
Worst Match of the Year: Christian vs. William Regal (WWE SummerSlam)
ECW Champion Christian defeated Englishman William Regal in just eight seconds to retain his ECW Championship at WWE SummerSlam. Yes just a mere eight seconds folks!
This was a title match, with extreme importance yet the match couldn't have been any shorter. It should have been a great battle, one that I was particularly looking forward to on the night, but it never turned out that way.
This was a huge disappointment and for me was without doubt the Worst Match of 2009.
Best Pay-Per-View event of 2009
This was a close call as there were a number of contenders, namely The Bash, WWE SummerSlam and of course the big one, WrestleMania 25.
Having watched all of the events back on DVD, I have decided to go for WWE Backlash as being the Best Pay-Per-View event of the year.
Jack Swagger clashed with Christian to deliver a fantastic opening ECW Championship contest. Ricky Steamboat turned back the clock to wrestle his first singles pay-per-view match in fifteen years against Chris Jericho whilst brothers Jeff and Matt Hardy hit all the big spots as neither man threatened to give up in their WrestleMania rematch.
Randy Orton defeated Triple H in a six-man tag, where he joined forces with Cody Rhodes and Ted DiBiase to fight Triple H, Batista and Shane McMahon. In the main event John Cena faced Edge in a gripping Last Man Standing match which featured an explosive finish after The Big Show came out to surprisingly help Edge by throwing Cena into a spotlight, that sealed a title change.
Best Moment of 2009
WWE fans around the world will each have their own favourite moment to come out of 2009, and there are a number of contenders to choose from.
Some of those unforgettable moments include Randy Orton punting WWE chairman Vince McMahon in the skull ahead of the Royal Rumble event back in January.
'Stone Cold' Steve Austin's emotional farewell to the WWE Universe at WrestleMania or perhaps The Undertaker's suicide dive where he landed atop of a cameraman which also took place at WrestleMania gets your vote.
All are certainly worthy of The Best Moment accolade, but for me one moment in particular stands out more than any other.
That moment in question came at WWE's biggest pay-per-view event of the year, WrestleMania 25.
As Shawn Michaels looked to end The Deadman's undefeated streak, The Heartbreak Kid found himself on the receiving end of a devastating Tombstone manoeuvre yet still managed to kick out, to which many fans, myself included, reacted with sheer surprise.
For me, it truly was one of the greatest moments ever in WWE history!
Closing Thoughts on 2009
Personally, I think WWE have had a solid year in terms of pay-per-view events. I have enjoyed the majority of shows, however some have been hit and miss.
The Triple H/Orton and Cena/Orton main event feuds have taken up a considerable amount of airtime, too much time in fact. For me, that has to change next year if WWE are to keep fans interested in their product.
I must admit that I got bored of watching the same old matches take place week in week out. The main event scene needs freshening up and that I'm glad to report appears to be happening.
WWE now appear to be developing their younger stars for the future, as guys such as Kofi Kingston, Sheamus and Scotsman Drew McIntyre have all been given major pushes of late.
I hope to see that policy continue into the new year and beyond. Championship belts switching hands less often would also be a welcome move by the company.
I believe Monday Night RAW should lose it's special guest host gimmick. Too often, have we seen a number of celebrities on the programme who are merely there to plug their own show, movie or music and have no interest in WWE whatsoever.
You do occasionaly get the odd decent guest host but more often than not, it spoils the show. I would much prefer to see a new permanent General Manager appointed, preferably in January.
Next year promises to be yet another huge year in WWE. The Royal Rumble event is just weeks away, Sunday January 31st at 1am LIVE on Sky Box Office, which begs the question, Just who will win the Royal Rumble 2010 and go on to main event WrestleMania 26 in March?
Do you agree with James's picks for 2009? Maybe you disagree? Why not have your say by filling in the form below.
