I present to you the tenth annual Smark Out Moment Awards, aka The Smarkies!
Make sure you let us know in the comments what your choices are for the best and the worst of each award in all of the WWE divisions (Technical Skills, Writing, Programming, On-Air Personalities, and Wrestlers)!
Official voting ends around December 21st, so don't forget to voice your opinion by filling out this poll!
For the first time in the last few years, there weren't any changes made to the setup this time. All the categories remain the same, only with updated information about new superstars, programs, storylines and so on.
Let us know what you think of the new setup and if you'd like to see any changes for next year.
Without further ado, let's start reviewing this year in WWE!
[TECHNICAL SKILLS AWARDS]
ENTRANCE
Explanation: This award should take into account everything including pyro, lighting, music, what the superstars do during their entrances, and so on. Your choices can be a singular entrance in particular (such as their upgraded WrestleMania one) or someone's standard entrance that happens every time he/she comes to the ring.
[BEST]: The Undertaker (Super ShowDown)
[WORST]: R-Truth (Royal Rumble)
CLOTHING / ATTIRE
Explanation: Who has the best and worst outfits, whether it's just what they wear during their entrance or if it's their normal ring gear?
[BEST]: Charly Caruso (Hall of Fame) + Rey Mysterio as Mysterio (WrestleMania)
[WORST]: Lacey Evans (Hall of Fame) + Rey Mysterio (SmackDown 3/12)
SIGNATURE MANEUVER
Explanation: What is your favorite and least favorite regularly seen wrestling move was that had been featured multiple times as something on a superstar's repertoire. Typically, these are finishers (such as the Attitude Adjustment) but it could also be a signature setup (such as the Five Knuckle Shuffle) or something along those lines.
[BEST]: Erick Rowan's vice grip head slam (maybe)
[WORST]: Mostly everyone on the roster, including the Bayley to Belly and Nia Jax's facebreaker punch
SPOT / BOTCH
Explanation: What was the most entertaining spot and what was the biggest disaster of a botch that happened this year?
[BEST/COOLEST SPOT]: Kacy Catanzaro saves herself from a Royal Rumble elimination
[WORST/BIGGEST BOTCH]: Scheduling for Worlds Collide episodes + Batista trips during his entrance (WrestleMania) + The Undertaker vs. Goldberg entire match (Super ShowDown)
RECOGNITION
Explanation: Perception is everything, so which superstar deserved more credit this year than they received and which superstar was unworthy of all the praise he or she received?
[MOST UNDERRATED]: Mickie James
[MOST OVERRATED]: Bray Wyatt + Finn Balor
IMPROVEMENT IN A SUPERSTAR
Explanation: Which superstar improved their work and saw the biggest upgrade and who saw the biggest downgrade in terms of a regression of their performance, spot on the roster, quality of value and so forth?
[BIGGEST UPGRADE]: Kofi Kingston
[BIGGEST DOWNGRADE]: Rusev
RING WORK
Explanation: Which two superstars were the best and the worst when performing in the ring?
[BEST]: Adam Cole
[WORST]: Carolina
MIC WORK
Explanation: Who had the best and worst promo skills, charisma, and performing as an entertaining character with all of the verbal aspects of WWE.
[BEST]: Kevin Owens + Montez Ford + Sami Zayn
[WORST]: Lana + Shane McMahon
MATCH OF THE YEAR
Explanation: Matches can be from any show, including Raw, SmackDown, NXT, NXT UK, Main Event, 205 Live, pay-per-views and special events.
[BEST]: War Raiders vs Aleister Black and Ricochet (TakeOver: New York), Kofi Kingston vs. Daniel Bryan (WrestleMania), tag title match from TakeOver XXV, Adam Cole vs. Johnny Gargano (TakeOver XXV), Adam Cole vs. Johnny Gargano (TakeOver Toronto)**, Becky Lynch vs. Sasha Banks (Hell in a Cell), Women's War Games match (TakeOver WarGames)
- These are my top 7, with Cole vs. Gargano from Toronto possibly being #1.
[WORST]: Goldberg vs. Undertaker (Super ShowDown)
[WRITING AWARDS]
CATCH PHRASE or SLOGAN
Explanation: This includes any kind of regularly mentioned slogan, taunt, catch phrase, signature sign-off or any verbal sayings of those sorts.
[BEST]: "Let me in." by Bray Wyatt
[WORST]: "Super ShowDown will be as good or better/will exceed WrestleMania"
GIMMICK
Explanation: Which superstars portrayed the best and the worst characters this year?
[BEST]: Firefly Fun House
[WORST]: Shelton Benjamin's eyes darting back and forth while not answering interview questions
HEEL or FACE TURN
Explanation: The Best/Worst Heel or Face Turn award asks which character turn (whether it was from heel to face or face to heel doesn't matter) was the most effective and interesting and which one was stupid and a mistake.
POSSIBLE OPTIONS: all heel and face turns are on this list
[BEST]: Dakota Kai
[WORST]: Rusev turns heel to align with Shinsuke Nakamura + Dana Brooke turns heel on Natalya for not hearing her with her earbuds in + Tony Nese barely turns babyface to feud with Buddy Murphy
TITLE REIGN
Explanation: Who had the most meaningful time with a championship to their name, where the matches were good, the feuds were interesting, and you were enjoying their reign, as well as who failed to meet those expectations and perhaps had a boring, uneventful, bad run with a belt.
POSSIBLE OPTIONS: all of the title reigns on this list
[BEST]: Kofi Kingston (WWE) + R-Truth (24/7)
[WORST]: Quick 24/7 title reigns + Rusev, Shinsuke Nakamura and Rey Mysterio (United States)
CAMEO APPEARANCE
Explanation: This award revolves around the old school wrestlers who aren't a regular part of the roster and made a temporary return for a brief one-off appearance. This excludes people who became a regular part of the fold. Which was your favorite to see make an appearance and which one were you less than thrilled about?
POSSIBLE OPTIONS: Tony Chimel (SmackDown 1/22), Hornswoggle (Royal Rumble), Jeff Jarrett (Royal Rumble), Ric Flair (Raw 2/25), Sting (Raw 2/25), Ricky "The Dragon" Steamboat (Raw 2/25), Shawn Michaels (Raw 2/25), Jimmy Hart (Hall of Fame), Honky Tonk Man (Hall of Fame), Stacy Keibler (Hall of Fame), Torrie Wilson (Hall of Fame), Bret Hart (Hall of Fame), Hulk Hogan (Hall of Fame), Brutus The Barber Beefcake (Hall of Fame), Harlem Heat (Hall of Fame), D-Generation X (Hall of Fame), Razor Ramon and Kevin Nash (WrestleMania), Ron Simmons (WrestleMania), John Cena (WrestleMania), Ric Flair (WrestleMania),Raw Reunion cameos (John Cena, Rikishi, D-Von Dudley, Alicia Fox, Kaitlyn, Torrie Wilson, Santino Marella, The Boogeyman, The Godfather, Pat Patterson, Christian, Lilian Garcia, Eve Torres, Eric Bischoff, Ron Simmons, Jimmy Hart, Gerald Brisco, Kelly Kelly, Jillian Hall, Kurt Angle, Candice Michelle, Melina, Alundra Blayze, Rob Van Dam, Sgt. Slaughter, The Hurricane, Ted DiBiase, Jerry Lawler, Shawn Michaels, Road Dogg, X-Pac, Scott Hall, Kevin Nash, Mark Henry, Mick Foley, Ric Flair, Hulk Hogan, Steve Austin), Trish Stratus (SmackDown 7/30 and SummerSlam), Glenn Jacobs (Raw 9/16), Ric Flair (SmackDown 9/17), The Rock (SmackDown 10/4), Ric Flair and Hulk Hogan (Raw 10/31)
[BEST]: Tony Chimel (SmackDown 1/22) + D-Generation X (Hall of Fame) + Mayor Glenn Jacobs (Raw 9/16)
[WORST]: Hornswoggle (Royal Rumble)
MOST SHOCKING MOMENT
Explanation: What was the absolute biggest surprise you had this entire year that you didn't see coming?
[MOST SHOCKING MOMENT]: Fan attacks Bret Hart at WWE Hall of Fame
SMARK OUT MOMENTS
Explanation: What did you consider to be the overall best and worst things to have happened this year? What was the coolest thing to make you happy as a fan and which moment was so horrible that it made you the most disappointed with WWE?
[BEST]: Roman Reigns announces he's in remission
[WORST]: Brock Lesnar's Money in the Bank and WWE Championship wins
STORYLINE
Explanation: What were the most interesting, well-executed storylines of the year and which feuds were the least interesting, terrible ones to watch?
[BEST]: KofiMania
[WORST]: Shane McMahon is the best in the world
[PROGRAMMING AWARDS]
IN-RING SHOWS
Explanation: Out of WWE's in-ring wrestling content, which programs were your favorite and least favorite?
POSSIBLE OPTIONS: 205 Live, Main Event, NXT, NXT UK, Raw, SmackDown
[BEST]: NXT
[WORST]: Main Event
TALK or RECAP SHOWS
Explanation: Out of WWE's interview or just chatter-based content, which programs were your favorite and least favorite?
POSSIBLE OPTIONS: Afterburn, After the Bell, Ask the WWE PC, Bottom Line, Broken Skull Sessions, The Bump, Experience, Fallout, Photo Shoot, Playback, Pop Question, Table for 3, The New Day: Feel the Power, This Week in WWE, WWE Ahora, WWE Backstage, WWE Now, WWE Sunday Dhamaal, WWE Vintage, WWE Wal3ooha
[BEST]: Playback + The New Day: Feel the Power
[WORST]: Afterburn, Bottom Line, Experience, WWE Ahora, WWE Sunday Dhamaal, WWE Wal3ooha (tie)
DOCUMENTARY SHOWS
Explanation: Out of WWE's documentary-based content, which programs were your favorite and least favorite?
POSSIBLE OPTIONS: Chronicle, Day Of, Making WWE, Miz and Mrs, PC Diaries, Then & Now, Total Bellas, Total Divas, Untold, Where Are They Now?, WWE 24, WWE 365
[BEST]: WWE 365
[WORST]: Miz and Mrs, Total Bellas, Total Divas (tie)
ODDBALL SHOWS
Explanation: Out of WWE's other, miscellaneous and offbeat content, which programs were your favorite and least favorite?
POSSIBLE OPTIONS: The Edge and Christian Show That Totally Reeks of Awesomeness, The Fashion Files, Figure It Out, Game Night, List This, Ride Along, Talking Snack, UpUpDownDown, WWE Explainers, WWE Reimagined
[BEST]: Figure It Out
[WORST]: WWE Explainers
NEW PROGRAM OF THE YEAR
Explanation: Out of the brand new shows that premiered this year, which were the best and worst?
POSSIBLE OPTIONS: After the Bell, Broken Skull Sessions, The Bump, Making WWE, The New Day: Feel the Power, WWE Backstage, WWE Explainers, WWE Reimagined, WWE Untold
[BEST]: WWE Untold
[WORST]: WWE Explainers
PAY-PER-VIEW or SPECIAL EVENT
Explanation: What were your favorite and least favorite pay-per-views or special events from the year?
POSSIBLE OPTIONS: NXT UK TakeOver: Blackpool, TakeOver: Phoenix, Royal Rumble, Worlds Collide, Halftime Heat, Elimination Chamber, Fastlane, NXT TakeOver: New York, Hall of Fame, WrestleMania 35, Worlds Collide: NXT vs. NXT Alumni, Worlds Collide: Cruiserweights Collide, The Shield's Final Chapter, Worlds Collide: Women Collide, Worlds Collide: Brands Collide, Money in the Bank, NXT TakeOver XXV, Super ShowDown, Stomping Grounds, Extreme Rules, Smackville, TakeOver: Toronto, SummerSlam, NXT UK TakeOver: Cardiff, Clash of Champions, Hell in a Cell, Crown Jewel, TakeOver: WarGames 2019, Survivor Series, Starrcade, TLC
[BEST]: TakeOver XXV (A-)
- TakeOver: Phoenix, Elimination Chamber, Fastlane, TakeOver: New York and Extreme Rules almost won.
[WORST]: The Shield's Final Chapter, Smackville, Starrcade (tie)
[ON-AIR PERSONALITY AWARDS]
MANAGER or VALET
Explanation: This includes anybody who regularly accompanies someone down to the ring in some capacity, but is not their tag team partner in the ring.
POSSIBLE OPTIONS: Carolina, Drake Maverick, Lana, Lio Rush, Maria Kanellis, Paige, Paul Heyman, Sami Zayn, Zelina Vega
[BEST]: Sami Zayn
[WORST]: Carolina
CELEBRITY APPEARANCE
Explanation: This includes all celebrity appearances who actively interacted with the show as opposed to just sitting ringside.
POSSIBLE OPTIONS: Michael Che and Colin Jost (Raw 3/4), Maria Menounos (Hall of Fame), Impractical Jokers (WrestleMania), Yolanda Adams (WrestleMania), Joan Jett (WrestleMania), Josiah Williams (TakeOver XXV), Rob Stone (Aug 24), Enes Kanter (Main Event before Raw), Offset (SmackDown 9/17), Wale (NXT 10/2), Marshmello (SmackDown 10/4), Erin Andrews (SmackDown 10/4), Tyson Fury (SmackDown 10/4), Cain Velasquez (SmackDown 10/4), Draft Night 1 celebs (SmackDown 10/1), Kyle Busch and Michael Waltrip (Raw 12/2)
[BEST]: Michael Che and Colin Jost + Josiah Williams
[WORST]: Wale
AUTHORITY FIGURE
Explanation: This includes anybody who was in a position of power over the roster including commissioners, general managers, the chairman and so forth.
AUTHORITY FIGURES: Drake Maverick, Johnny Saint, Stephanie McMahon, Shane McMahon, Sid Scala, Triple H, Vince McMahon, William Regal
[BEST]: Triple H + William Regal (tie)
[WORST]: Shane McMahon
OTHER/EXTRA CHARACTER
Explanation: This includes all extraneous, ancillary, supporting and oddball characters who don't fit into any other classification.
POSSIBLE OPTIONS: Guy who hands Alexa Bliss water (Raw 1/7), concessions people Daniel Bryan yells at (SmackDown 1/8), Alexa's coffee guy returns (Raw 1/14), No Way Jose's conga lines, George Mizanin (Royal Rumble, SmackDown 1/29), Guy who gives Braun Strowman his car gift from Colin Jost (Raw 3/11), Travis Browne (Raw 3/18), Dominic Gutierrez, Guy who stole Elias's guitar case (Raw 3/25), women on Velveteen Dream's couch (NXT 3/27), backstage guys who aren't Colin Jost and Michael Che who Strowman beats up (Raw 4/1), Colin Jost's therapist Ike Phillips (WrestleMania), George Mizanin (WrestleMania), Bagpipe players for Drew McIntyre's entrance (WrestleMania), Batista's entrance people (WrestleMania), Triple H's driver (WrestleMania), Mercy the Buzzard, Abby the Witch, Rambling Rabbit, Alexa Bliss's coffee guy (Raw 5/20), Fake Big E (SmackDown 5/21), extras at Uso's Memorial Day block party (Raw 5/27), Huskus the Pig Boy (Raw 6/3), Renee Michelle (wedding and Raw 7/1), Tony the best garbage man in the world (Raw 7/8), Gary the Goat Garbutt the janitor (Raw 7/8), Hotel clerk checking in Maverick and Renee (Raw 7/15), Toronto Raptors (TakeOver: Toronto), Guy who looks like Rowan (SmackDown 8/20), King Corbin's coronation helper (SmackDown 9/17), Shane McMahon's attorneys (SmackDown 9/24), Velveteen Dream's ladies on the couch (NXT 10/2), two girls in Breezango's construction entrance (NXT 10/9), Lana's masseuse (Raw 10/14), Breezango's entrance girls (NXT 10/23), Carolina (Raw 10/28), Fork lift operator (Raw 10/28), Roman Reigns Big Dog mascot (SmackDown 11/15), the guys who carry King Corbin's throne each week, guy who serves Rusev restraining order papers (Raw 11/25), Lana's security does things differently in Tennessee (Raw 12/2), Lana's lawyer (Raw 12/9), Breezango's nurses (NXT 12/11)
[BEST]: Gary "The GOAT" Garbutt + Vince McMahon puppet
[WORST]: Big Dog mascot
ANNOUNCER
Explanation: This includes all in-ring announcers who would introduce wrestlers during their entrances.
POSSIBLE OPTIONS: Alicia Taylor, Andy Shepherd, Greg Hamilton,
[BEST]: Greg Hamilton
[WORST]: Kayla Braxton + Sarah Schreiber (tie)
BROADCAST CORRESPONDENT
Explanation: This includes all backstage interviewers, panelists and correspondents.
POSSIBLE OPTIONS: Alicia Taylor, Alyse Zwick, Booker T, Byron Saxton, Cathy Kelley, Charly Caruso, Christian, CM Punk, Dan Vollmayer,
[BEST]: Booker T
- Charly Caruso and Renee Young are better, but Booker T was a constant source of entertainment.
[WORST]: Foreign personalities
- I have no context for the foreign broadcasters, so I have to give them my least favorite spot by default just because I know nothing about most of them.
COMMENTATOR
Explanation: This includes all members of the commentary teams on all brands, including the foreign commentators.
POSSIBLE OPTIONS: Aiden English, Beth Phoenix, Booker T (WrestleMania), Byron Saxton, Corey Graves, Dio Maddin, Jerry Lawler, John Bradshaw Layfield (WrestleMania), Mauro Ranallo, Michael Cole, Mickie James (Main Event), Nigel McGuinness, Paige (WrestleMania), Percy Watson, Renee Young, Samoa Joe, Shawn Michaels (WrestleMania), Tom Phillips, Vic Joseph + foreign commentary teams
[BEST]: Mauro Ranallo
[WORST]: Paige??
[WRESTLER AWARDS]
NEWCOMER
Explanation: The Best/Worst Newcomer award applies to anybody who either made their debut somewhere on the main roster or NXT, or were repackaged into a completely different gimmick with a different name.
STRAIGHT TO MAIN ROSTER: Cain Velasquez, Carolina
NXT: Aleksandar Jaksic, Angel Garza, Austin Theory, Brendan Vink (Elliot Sexton), Briana Brandy, Bronson Reed, Cal Bloom, Cameron Grimes, Catalina Garcia, Chase Parker, Courtenay Moore (Malcom Bivens / Stokely Hathaway), Dexter Lumis, Edgar Lopez, EJ Nduka, Faisal Kurdi, Hussain Aldagal, Indi Hartwell, Isaiah "Swerve" Scott, Joaquin Wilde,
NXT UK: A-Kid, Ilja Dragonov, Jack Starz, Jazzy Gabert, Josh Morrell, Kay Lee Ray, Oliver Carter, Piper Niven, Primate Jay Melrose, WALTER
[BEST]: Angel Garza or WALTER
[WORST]: Carolina
MAIN ROSTER CALL-UP
Explanation: Which of the superstars who moved up from NXT or developmental to the main roster have done the best and the worst with their promotion?
POSSIBLE OPTIONS: Aleister Black, Carolina, EC3, Heavy Machinery, Lacey Evans, Lars Sullivan, Nikki Cross, Ricochet
[BEST]: Ricochet
[WORST]: Carolina or EC3 or Lars Sullivan
TAG TEAM or STABLE
Explanation: Which tag team or stable did you like and hate the most?
MAIN ROSTER:
205 Live:
NXT and NXT UK: Aliyah and Vanessa Borne,
[BEST]: The New Day + The Undisputed ERA (tie)
[WORST]: The Ascension + The Colons (tie)
HEEL
Explanation: Who was the most hated villain and which superstar failed the most to get the crowd to boo them?
[BEST]: Brock Lesnar?
[WORST]: Mike Kanellis
BABYFACE
Explanation: Who was the best fan-favorite hero and which superstar wasn't able to pull off being a babyface?
[BEST]: Becky Lynch + Kofi Kingston (tie)
[WORST]: Tony Nese
FEMALE SUPERSTAR
Explanation: Which female wrestlers were the cream of the crop and the bottom of the barrel?
ALL POSSIBLE OPTIONS: Alexa Bliss,
[BEST]: Becky Lynch
[WORST]: Carolina
MALE SUPERSTAR
Explanation: Which male wrestlers were the cream of the crop and the bottom of the barrel?
RAW / SMACKDOWN ROSTER: Aiden English, AJ Styles, Akam, Akira Tozawa, Aleister Black, Andrade, Angelo Dawkins, Apollo Crews, Baron Corbin, Big E, Big Show, Bo Dallas, Braun Strowman, Bray Wyatt, Brock Lesnar, Buddy Murphy, Cedric Alexander, Cesaro, Chad Gable, Curt Hawkins, Curtis Axel, Daniel Bryan, Dash Wilder,
205 LIVE ROSTER: Ariya Daivari, The Brian Kendrick, Gentleman Jack Gallagher,
NXT ROSTER: Adam Cole, Angel Garza, Arturo Ruas, Boa, Bobby Fish, Bronson Reed, Cameron Grimes, Cezar Bononi, Chase Parker, Damian Priest, Danny Burch, Dexter Lumis, Dominik Dijakovic, Fandango, Finn Balor, Isaiah "Swerve" Scott, Jaxson Ryker, Joaquin Wilde, Johnny Gargano,
US PERFORMANCE CENTER RECRUITS: Aleksandar Jaksic, Austin Theory, Babatunde, Brendan Vink, Big Jordan Omogbehin/Tomu, Cal Bloom, Daniel Vidot, Denzel Dejournette, Dorian Mak, Edgar López, EJ Nduka, Faisal Kurdi, Hussain Aldagal, Jeet Rama, Jorge Bolly, Malcom Bivens, Marcos Gomes, Mars Wang, Mohamed Fahim,
NXT UK: A-Kid, Alexander Wolfe, Amir Jordan, Ashton Smith, Dave Mastiff, Eddie Dennis, Fabian Aichner, Flash Morgan Webster, Ilja Dragunov, Jack Starz, James Drake, Joe Coffey, Jordan Devlin, Joseph Conners, Kassius Ohno, Kenny Williams, Ligero, Mark Andrews, Mark Coffey, Noam Dar, Oliver Carter, Primate Jay Melrose, Sam Gradwell, Saxon Huxley, Travis Banks, Trent Seven, Tyler Bate, Tyson T-Bone, WALTER, Wild Boar Mike Hitchman, Wolfgang, Zack Gibson
OTHER: Cain Velasquez
[BEST]: Adam Cole
- #2 by the narrowest of margins is Kofi Kingston
[WORST]: Mike Kanellis
SUPERSTAR OF THE YEAR
Explanation: Judging as a co-ed award out of both the men and women wrestlers who were in the company at some point, who was the absolute best and worst in the company this year?
POSSIBLE OPTIONS: all men and women listed in the above two categories
[BEST]: Becky Lynch
- Adam Cole and Kofi Kingston are just as valid picks.
[WORST]: Mike Kanellis
[SMACK TALK AWARDS]
The polls for these have been shut off, but please vote on the Fan Feedback Survey to let us know how we can improve in 2020.
SEGMENT
YOUR VOTES ARE REVEALED ON THE PODCAST
[MY FAVORITES]: Awards, Call the Spot on the Card, Fannounce Table, Mailbag, Mount Rushmore
[MY LEAST FAVORITES]: Champsgiving, TV Ratings, Wednesday Night War
CO-HOST OF THE YEAR
POSSIBLE OPTIONS: Callum Wiggins, Caroline Oliveira, Drew White and Robert DeFelice
[YOUR PICKS]: Rob was the #1 most voted, followed by Drew, Caroline and Callum.
[MY PICKS]: I always abstain from voting in this category.
YEAR-IN-REVIEW OF STATISTICS
I'll be giving a breakdown on the podcast of some of the advancements that have happened over the past year with the Smark Out Moment brand.
START MAKING UP YOUR LISTS NOW AND LET US KNOW YOUR CHOICES IN THE COMMENTS BELOW!
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