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R-Truth, Mark Henry, Christian, Cody Rhodes, Dolph Ziggler, and – of course – CM Punk all made dramatic personality upgrades that set their courses due north to new heights. Perhaps the man that first benefitted in 2011 from the creative challenge layethed down by the People’s Champ, though, was one of the guys directly involved in the Great One’s homecoming: The Miz. Completely overshadowed by the budding program between Rock and Cena, Miz did quite well to ensure that people stood up and took notice of him. In doing so, Miz likely solidified himself as a long-term option for main-events. He still needs to work a little bit harder to improve as an in-ring performer, but he’s emerged as one of the better talkers in the game and can garner heat that made bouts against Jerry Lawler or Alex Riley get over well no matter their place on the card. Whether it be headlining against Cena, Rock, and Randy Orton, dropping down to help get over a newer talent, or forming a havoc-wreaking tag team with R-Truth, Miz finds a way to stay relevant (a trait that his peers ought to mimic). Speaking of the Awesome Truth, how unexpected was the transformation we saw from R-Truth? His heel turn was one of the top 5 nicest surprises on a calendar full of them. The Doc’s Top 5 surprises of the year are as follows: 1) Mark Henry – I’m not sure how much more I can praise him, but when you look at what he’s done since June, you have to be impressed. It is the in-ring performances that have most surprised me, especially the Vengeance match against Big Show. Dare I say that Henry’s run is the single most shocking turnaround for a performer that I can recall? 2) CM Punk as the new face of the WWE – I list that at #2 because I knew he was capable of being in his current position, but the surprise factor comes from the WWE getting out of the way and letting it happen. Punk proved what so many others have proved in the past – you can’t just create success in wrestling; success just happens organically when a prospect connects with the audience and you just have to run with it and see how far it can take you. 3) The Rock vs. John Cena – Listed at #3 because it hasn’t happened, yet, this match is something I cannot put into words how excited I am to see. I never thought it would happen. I figured the Rock was done in the ring despite coming back to be a host. “Never say never” 4) Daniel Bryan wins Money in the Bank – After doing absolutely zilch the entire year, D-Bryan came into Chicago (on PPV for the first time since the Royal Rumble match) and won one of the most coveted prizes in the WWE. It was one of those moments that left you thinking, “So maybe they do get what an awesome wrestler could do for the current product?” 5) R-Truth’s heel turn - Who knew that such an interesting pro-wrestler was underneath the dancing rapper surface? Time will tell if he’s sustainable as a major player (and I honestly don’t think he’ll stick – I see him more as an MVP-type that will stay over, but won’t ever get past the point he reached at Capitol Punishment) – but it was a pleasure to watch what he did this year. On the flip side of the surprise coin was the retirement of one of my all-time favorite performers (Doctor’s Orders: Goodbye, Edge). One of the things I always appreciated about Edge was how he wore his heart on his sleeve and never seemed to forget that being a fan of pro-wrestling was what made him want to be a pro-wrestler. I think he may hold the record for number of times a superstar legitimately broke down into tears on live TV/PPV and he nearly brought me to tears with his farewell speech in early April. It was like getting to page 400 of a 500 page book and the author writing the definitive conclusion early. However, when I look back on the last few months of his career, I think he gave us an accurate depiction of what he was capable of throughout his career. His matches with Ziggler and Alberto Del Rio were early highlights in the year, but his work in the Elimination Chamber match was flat out superb (that is one of the most underrated matches of the year). The lesson to be learned from Edge’s early retirement? Take things one day at a time, everybody, because you never know what tomorrow will bring. One final farewell, Edge…especially when Mania rolls around, that’s when I’ll miss ya the most… On the topic of underrated matches…I think that there are several bouts flying under the radar this year, in part, because there have been a lot of excellent matches (a considerably higher number than last year, which was one of the weaker years, in terms of 4-star or better efforts, in quite some time). The Doc’s Top 5 underrated matches of 2011 are as follows: 1) SD Elimination Chamber Match – In any other year, this would’ve gotten a lot of consideration for MOTY, in my opinion. Everyone involved work their asses off to make this great, with numerous spot-on sequences throughout the match. Drew McIntyre had a “potential showing” performance, while Kane, Show, and Wade did their best to justify their place on the card. Without question, though, the stars of this match were Edge and Rey Mysterio, who wrestled the entire match and capped it off with a fantastic final 8-minutes that would hold up against the best 8-minutes of any match all year. 2) CM Punk vs. Randy Orton (WM) – Lost amidst the adoration of the current Punk character, in many ways, has been the excellence of the Punk character leading up to Wrestlemania; and lost amidst the admiration for the Undertaker vs. Triple H match was the great work seen in Orton vs. Punk. I urge you not to forget how very good was the Orton-Punk feud and the Orton-Punk match. 3) Dolph Ziggler vs. Kofi Kingston (Capitol Punishment) – Ziggler did not begin to receive universal praise until a TV match with Randy Orton (in August) jumpstarted his current push, but his US title winning performance at CP was, perhaps, a reminder to the WWE that he needed to be elevated. Credit to him for not allowing the notoriously poor Raw mid-card scene to hinder his progress. 4) Beth Phoenix vs. Kelly Kelly (Night of Champions) – This was the best women’s match since Trish vs. Mickie at WM 22 in 2006. Kelly’s inequities are hidden well by Beth’s skill and the heat for this match given that it took place in Beth’s hometown drove this bout to a higher level than most diva matches are capable of reaching. 5) Daniel Bryan vs. Wade Barrett (Summerslam) – Summerslam featured two all-time classic matches for the WWE’s second biggest PPV event. There may be no better back-to-back situation in Summerslam history, in fact. Thus, the outstanding mid-card match between Bryan and Barrett gets overlooked. One of those aforementioned Summerslam classics was the blow off to the Orton vs. Christian saga over the World Heavyweight Championship. Edge’s retirement opened a spot that the WWE gave to Captain Charisma, delighting long-time fans that had seen him scratch and claw his way up the ladder (pun-intended) to main-event success. Prior to Christian dropping the World title to Orton and starting the Feud of the Year, he had a classic modern day ladder match with Del Rio at Extreme Rules where he won the vacant title. I thought about including that ladder match on the most underrated list, but Christian’s high profile amongst internet fans will keep that match from being soon forgotten. Nevertheless, you should go back and watch it again because it was one of the best matches of the year. Anyhow, Orton and Christian tore the house down all late spring and summer. Beginning with the TV MOTY on SD where Orton won the title, the two superstars reminded me why I love wrestling ( Doctor’s Orders: Orton-Christian is what Wrestling is all about). When you see two guys click and produce a series of matches that you’ll never forget, it’s a beautiful thing. My favorite of the feud came at Over the Limit, but the best of the lot went down at Summerslam. Christian vs. Randy Orton is my overwhelming pick for #1 Feud of the Year, but here are my other candidates: 2) CM Punk vs. The Establishment – Whether it was against John Cena or Triple H or Vince McMahon, Punk rebelled against the status quo. His highest profile matches were with Cena, but his beef as a character was with McMahon keeping Cena in that spot ahead of him and Trips adopting Vince’s line of thinking toward what it takes to make a star. 3) Mark Henry vs. Big Show – It goes well beyond the current series of matches between the two monsters, as it was Henry’s attack on Show at Capitol Punishment that started Henry’s successful run. Add to that the headlining match that they had in Chicago (at MITB) and we’ve got a surprisingly lengthy and even more surprisingly high quality storyline. 4) CM Punk vs. Randy Orton – I most enjoy the feuds that are personal in nature and that have history that dates back to a long time ago. It’s a rare thing that the WWE uses events like what happened in Sept. ’08 for a feud occurring two plus years later. I listed this earlier as an underrated match for ’11, but I also think it’ll go down as one of the most underrated feuds/matches in modern Mania history. 5) John Cena vs. The Rock – Pure excitement, ladies and gentlemen. Time will tell if this will end up being legendary, but the groundwork laid leading up to Wrestlemania and Survivor Series has given us some electric moments. It doesn’t often happen that we see two all-time greats from different eras feuding with one another. You’ll notice that our year-in-review has featured a lot of fresh faces. One of the best things about 2011 and one of the things that has kept me engaged in the product throughout the year has been all the new blood in the upper tier of the card. The Miz dominated the early part of the year as WWE Champ. R-Truth and John Morrison main-evented PPVs in championship situations on Raw, while Christian and Mark Henry ascended to World Heavyweight title holders on Smackdown. All the while, two other young stars have pushed their way to what will seemingly be title-winning years in 2012. One is Dolph Ziggler; the other Cody Rhodes. Ziggler has come on strong in the last three months, gaining confidence (or cockiness) with each passing week as the WWE gives him more responsibility on the flagship. With each chance given, Ziggler is further proving himself capable of being a top guy. He is one of the top 5 in-ring performers in the game today and his mic work continues to catch up to his considerable in-ring prowess. Rhodes might be the most creative mind on the roster, continually showing versatility with his persona and blending it with his smooth, yet ultra athletic wrestling ability. Every quarter (of the year) in 2011, Rhodes has climbed another few inches toward the brass ring. Either one of them could be placed in a main-event angle tomorrow and it wouldn’t surprise. So, they top my list of 2011 young stars preparing for leaps to the next level in 2012. The other three are as follows: 3) Wade Barrett – The guy has paid his dues throughout 2011 after getting de-pushed after his memorable run in 2010 and has come out on the other side ready to step up. We knew he could talk, but his in-ring game is starting to come around and mature. I’d bank on him being a world champion by 12/31/12. 4) Zack Ryder – I am re-reading Chris Jericho’s second book and in the opening chapter he discusses the importance of MSG fan reactions to the McMahons. Ryder just got one of the best reactions at the Garden in years. I, thus, expect quite a bit of time and effort will be placed into Ryder next year. People might often forget that Ryder is a large, gifted athlete. 5) Daniel Bryan – In each of the WWE’s favorite, most historically rich cities, Bryan is wildly over with the live audiences. If he can keep that connection with the fans, then he will become this generation’s Chris Benoit (and I mean that as a compliment). The WWE aren’t stupid – you have to push someone that over in your biggest markets. Before we get to the year’s biggest story, I think we’d be remiss not to touch on the continuation of the WWE’s branching out to include so many nationalities in key positions. For a long time, the WWE has predominantly featured Americans and Canadians in their main-event spots. Last year, Sheamus, Wade Barrett, and (to a lesser extent) Drew McIntyre, Justin Gabriel, and Kofi Kingston made the European and African markets proud. This year, the WWE has made a real effort to capitalize on their second largest market down in Mexico by bringing in Sin Cara, Hunico, and Alberto Del Rio to compliment Mexican-American hero, Rey Mysterio. We can certainly be critical of each – Cara is a major bust, Hunico doesn’t appear to bring much to the table, and Del Rio is character much in need of an overhaul – but there’s no questioning the success that ADR has had in his first full year (winning the Rumble, headlining Wrestlemania, winning MITB, winning the WWE title at Summerslam, and competing for/defending the title at numerous PPVs). The top 5 non-American, non-Canadian stars in the WWE in 2011 are as follows: 1) Alberto Del Rio – Quite a talent inside the squared circle from bell-to-bell, so if he can adapt and evolve as a character then he could be a big star for a long time. 2) Sheamus – The Celtic Warrior is a multi-faceted performer that has shown surprising ability to play the babyface role and is on the brink of another title run. He’s had a good year and was the first to bring out the best in Mark Henry in the ring. 3) Wade Barrett – The Barrett Barrage (love the way he says that) is in full effect here at year’s end, but he’s kept himself relevant with his mic work throughout the year. He just carries himself like a star, no matter the situation they put him in. 4) Sin Cara/Hunico – Since these guys each played the Cara character throughout the year, I put them both in this spot for getting over with the youngsters. Mistico has been overhyped and seemingly unwilling to learn the WWE style (so he can become a star). I hope when he comes back from injury, he’ll do so with a different mindset. 5) Kofi Kingston – He’s more of an American, but they list him from Ghana. I think Kofi has solidly continued to move forward. He isn’t an interesting character, which will continue to hurt his main-event prospects, but he is an exciting in-ring performer – a fact that should keep him winning mid-card and tag team titles for the foreseeable future (and give him the chance to earn a Jo Mo-type shot in the ME) Without a shadow of a doubt, the most notable story of the year has been CM Punk. Even before he cut the promo heard round the world in June, he was having a stellar year. At the beginning of 2011, I was expecting him to feud with Daniel Bryan or something similarly insignificant. I sure as hell didn’t expect that he’d wrestle the WWE’s second biggest star at Mania. After that storyline concluded, I sat back and prepared for what a friend of mine calls the WWE’s “Summer Doldrums.” I even got half a column written about the usual post-Mania slump. Yet, then Punk comes from out of nowhere with this Earth-Shattering Interview and makes the product more interesting for a couple of months than it had been in a couple of years. He followed it up with the MOTY with John Cena at Money in the Bank and a second classic in the rematch at Summerslam (which some said was better than the original). Punk is the Superstar of the Year if for other reason than because he made the product interesting in a different way. A Voice of Voiceless, indeed, Punk often says what a lot of us often think…and damn if it’s not refreshing. More so than anyone else this year, Punk has given us hope that the future that once looked, at times, gloomy now looks bright. For years, kids and women have been given something to cheer about with super hero babyfaces overcoming the odds, but now the adult male has a representative and a very strong presence. The Doc’s Fave Five for 2011 1) CM Punk – Thank God for this man…the “Reality” era is upon us… 2) John Cena – What Punk had to say over the summer wouldn’t have been half as interesting had Cena not been around for him to play off of. Cena has become the consummate professional and a real work horse that people still don’t appreciate. Super hero or no, when it comes to game time, there’s no one better. 3) Randy Orton – All Orton did this year was have high quality storyline after high quality storyline and back it up with great matches with a variety of opponents. In terms of in-ring work, Orton took the next step toward becoming a consistent threat to steal the show at any given event. 4) Christian – He didn’t start out the year on fire and he certainly isn’t closing out the year on fire, but sandwiched in between was an excellent six months that included the feud of the year and several candidates for Match of the Year. 5) The Miz – When you main-event Wrestlemania, hold the WWE title for the first four months of the year, defeat the top two stars in the business at two of the biggest PPVs, and stay consistently entertaining throughout a 12-month period, then you deserve to be top 5. Top 5 Matches of the Year 1) CM Punk vs. John Cena (Money in the Bank) – The first 5-star match since 2009 and the first 5-star rating given by one prominent reviewer for a WWE match since 1997; these are the kind of accolades that Punk-Cena deserved for their efforts and a big round of applause to the Chicago crowd, without which this match could not have achieved such high marks. 2) Triple H vs. Undertaker (Wrestlemania) – Storytelling at its finest, this is a match that I’ll remember for a long time. You have to hand it to both of them for overcoming their limitations and hitting a home run on the grandest stage. 3) Christian vs. Randy Orton (Summerslam) – The perfect ending to a great storyline. Christian and Orton did an awesome job of taking bits and pieces of their previous matches, adding a few new tricks to take advantage of the gimmick, and building a satisfying, show stealing performance. 4) John Cena vs. CM Punk (Summerslam) – Despite the weaker finish, this was a helluva rematch from the previous month… 5) Edge vs. Rey Mysterio vs. Wade Barrett vs. Kane vs. Drew McIntyre vs. Big Show (Elimination Chamber) – As previously stated, this was the most underrated big match of the year and got pushed to the backburner amidst stronger competition this year than we’ve seen in recent years. ------------------------------------------------------------ Feel free to feedback below, email, or hit me up on Twitter (@DocLOP) and we’ll discuss the WWE in 2011. ------------------------------------------------------------- At the end of December, I’ll have a further break down, by the numbers, the top stars, matches, and PPVs of the year (once TLC is in the books). Be on the lookout for that… ------------------------------------------------------------- Beginning this Thursday… From the worst to the best; from 269 to 1; a look back at every match in Wrestlemania history 
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