My 2013 Wrestleview Ballot

I was recently asked to fill out a year-end awards ballot for Wrestleview. I thought I'd share my picks. I chose to exclude my selections on the negative side. I prefer to keep things positive.

Finding Five-Star Commentary

We spend so much time as pro wrestling fans talking about the best performers in the ring, the best matches, the best shows and other superlatives. It can get a little excessive sometimes.

What occurred to me recently is that we rarely celebrate the best performances by announcers. Sure, you get the casual, widely-accepted "Jim Ross is the greatest of all time" opinion thrown around, but do those fans ever cite sources? Do they talk specifically about the matches and moments that make J.R. one of (if not the) best?

I found myself reflecting on what Jim Ross matches stand out as his best work, and that expanded to other prominant announcers in recent pro wrestling history. What are their best performances? How do you measure their quality? These are good questions to ponder.

I came up with a few candidates, but I'm going to need your help putting together a decent list. Leave a comment below or you can reach me via Twitter @MainstreamMat. We'll gather up the worthy candidates and maybe put them to a vote.

Passion And Pain: King Of The Ring 1998

This article contains accounts and quotes collected from various online sources. Most are provided at the bottom of this page. My sincere appreciation and gratitude goes out to those who shared their memories over the years and those who collected them.

Civic Arena. Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. June 28, 1998.

15 years ago, this is where the legend was born.

There's only one match from King Of The Ring 1998 that fans still talk about. A little more than 17,000 people were in attendance that night. In more than a half million other places, people were watching live on pay per view. But every fan has seen that match.

In The Bleachers At Super Indy XII

It's important to support independent professional wrestling. Every fan should.

I was fortunate to be able to attend IWC Super Indy XII, and I wanted to share my impressions. It was a great show. I was really impressed by the presentation. The show was thoughtfully laid out.Technically, it exceeded my expectations.

I was also impressed by what I saw in the ring. The subtle promotional message behind all Super Indy shows is that you will see the stars of the future. You will see future pay per view main event performers. You may even see the next CM Punk or A.J. Styles. Did anyone at Super Indy XII meet that description?

Maybe.

Ranking The MITB Cash-Ins

Money In The Bank may be the best gimmick WWE has ever come up with. It's a shortcut to the main event for rising stars. It also creates some unforgettable moments. Here's a fun little exercise to rank the cash-ins. It's interesting how certain names keep coming up in the history of MITB.

The Road To WrestleMania

Should we all be resigned to the fact that the main event of WrestleMania XXIX will be rematch between The Rock and John Cena for the WWE Championship? It appears that is the endgame being laid out as we approach the Royal Rumble. Where does that leave some of the other top stars? Here's some predictions following the first Raw of 2013.

#FiftyMatches - The Rock Goes Hollywood

July 21, 2002

The Undertaker v. The Rock v. Kurt Angle

WWE Undisputed Championship

Vengeance 2002

"The most awesome triple threat match I've ever seen in my life!" -Jim Ross

On April 19, 2002 the first movie to feature The Rock in a starring role arrived in theaters.

And the people came.