2012 Year In Review
Over the course of 2012, we've witnessed a number of marvelous matches, monumental moments, and spectacular shows that will not soon be forgotten. To say it's been a great year in wrestling would be an understatement, as 2012 has provided us with various highlights that have helped build the foundation for the future and beyond. As we reminice on the year that was, we'll take a low back at 2012's greatest matches, moments, Superstars and more.
Match of the Year: Triple H vs. Undertaker (Hell in a Cell with Shawn Michaels as special guest referee) - WrestleMania 28
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Quite frankly, I was not looking forward to a third match between Triple H and Undertaker on the grandest stage of them all at WrestleMania 28. I enjoyed their brutal brawl at WrestleMania 27, but I groaned when I heard HHH challenging Taker to another match at last year's Slammy Awards. However, the hype for this monumental match couldn't have been executed better, as the inclusion of Shawn Michaels helped breathe fresh air into a stagnant storyline. Not only was the build-up very well done, but the match itself was nothing short of epic. With the bout being contested within Hell in a Cell, it allowed for some awesome spots and cinematic story telling. It may not have been the wrestling classic that CM Punk vs. Daniel Bryan was, but just the way everything seemed to fall into place so perfectly made this the match of the year in my personal opinion. I'm positive I wasn't the only one that was convinced that Taker's streak at the show of the shows was on the verge of being snapped following the finishing combination from DX. Furthermore, the sight of Taker, HHH and HBK hugging it out at the top of the stage left me simply speechless.
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Superstar of the Year: CM Punk
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Never did I once think that CM Punk would hold the WWE Championship for over a year when he first captured the title at 2011's Survivor Series event. Since then, Punk has successfully defended his WWE title against the likes of Dolph Ziggler, Chris Jericho, Daniel Bryan and John Cena, among others. Almost every single one of those title defenses were done in excellent fashion, as I can't seem to recall a bad match contested by Punk on pay-per-view this past year. Not only that, but once his face persona grew stale by mid-year, he shocked the world by blasting The Rock with a GTS on Raw 1000 and turning his back on the WWE Universe in the process. From there, the Voice of the Voiceless would become the hottest heel in all of the WWE and maintain possession of the golden prize for the remainder of the year. Here's hoping Punk continues the major momentum heading into the new year.
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CM Punk surpassed John Cena as the longest reigning WWE Champion in modern history.
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Show of the Year: Raw 1000
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After nearly 20 years of fantastic programming, Monday Night Raw celebrated its historic 1,000th episode on July 23, 2012. With months and months of build going into the extraordinary event, it's safe to say the show surely lived up to the massive hype it was given. A hilarious D-Generation X reunion kicked off the broadcast that featured the likes of Triple H, Shawn Michaels, X-Pac, Road Dogg and Billy Gunn. Their entertaining exchange would soon be interrupted by Damien Sandow, who was on the receiving end of both a Superkick and Pedigree from the seasoned veterans. For the first time in over two years, Stephanie McMahon returned at Raw 1000 to confront a blabbering Paul Heyman. This would lead to a brawl between Triple H and Brock Lesnar that would carry over into SummerSlam a few weeks later. Despite their storied past, Undertaker came to the aid of his blood brother and hit his signature spots before engaging in a silent reunion with the Big Red Monster. In the main event, John Cena cashed in his Money in the Bank briefcase to challenge CM Punk for the WWE Championship. The match itself was mostly forgettable, but Punk's shocking heel turn to close the show is what put the cherry on top of what was the greatest episode of Raw in 2012.
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Other Notable Highlights and Low Points
This Year's Highlights
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This Year's Low Points
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