Ever since 2015, there has been a slight absence in WWE. Around December, fans would be treated to a special episode of Monday Night RAW, where that year’s Slammy’s would be handed out. These kayfabe awards could range from Match of The Year, Superstar of The Year Shocker of The Year, Holy Shit Move of The Year, Outstanding Achievement of Baby Oil Application, and even Most Menacing Haircut.
This year, The Slammy’s are back as a WWE Network special. Fans are happy to see it return, and speculation has already begun. While we don’t know the categories, we can assume three steady awards will return. Match of The Year, Best Male Wrestler of The Year, and Best Female Wrestler of the Year.
Let’s look at some potential picks for these categories! As NXT has their own end of the year awards, we will assume that only RAW & Smackdown will be involved in The Slammy’s at this time.
Slammy Award Prediction: Match Of The Year
This has been an odd year for WWE, one that spent a bulk of the year without crowds, but that doesn’t mean there weren’t some incredible matches. Three likely picks are The Undertaker vs. AJ Styles in The Boneyard Match, Sasha Banks vs. Bayley in Hell in a Cell, and Roman Reigns vs. Drew McIntyre from Survivor Series.
With The Boneyard match being The Undertaker’s final match, and one of the more memorable moments from this year’s Wrestlemania, it’s likely to get a good shake at winning. Watching it back recently, it holds up amazingly, and was a show that WWE could pull off some seriously creative matches in 2020.
Sasha Banks vs. Bayley was the pay off to a two year build on a slow-burn storyline, and while they rushed the final act of said story, it doesn’t mean the ensuing match wasn’t excellent. Hell in A Cell was overall one of WWE’s best shows this year. Banks vs. Bayley stole the show with their dangerous and chaotic Hell in A Cell classic, which saw the end of Bayleys 380 day reign as champion. It also helped to make Sasha Banks a Grand Slam Winner.
Finally, Drew McIntyre vs. Roman Reigns is one that will absolutely be in the conversation. This bout between the WWE & Universal Champions stole the show at Survivor Series, with both men giving one of the best matches of their entire career, getting praise across the board. It showed that both men are here to stay on the tops of their respective brands, and that alone could push it to a win.
Slammy Award Prediction: Male Wrestler Of The Year
This year saw a few men break onto the scene, and do some of their best work ever. Three likely picks here include Roman Reigns, Jey Uso and Drew McIntyre.
Roman Reigns spent a good chunk of the year away from the ring, leaving just before Wrestlemania when he was set to take the WWE Universal Championship off Goldberg. Since returning, he’s debutted a long awaited heel character, and rules Smackdown with an iron fist. For the first time in a while, he feels like he belongs at the top of WWE.
Secondly, we have Jey Uso. Though he’s mainly known as a tag team wrestler, a major injury to Jimmy Uso would see Jey step into a singles role and thrive. He’s had two thrilling PPV matches for the WWE Universal Championship with Roman Reigns, as well as numerous big matches on Smackdown with the likes of Kevin Owens, Daniel Bryan, Drew McIntyre & AJ Styles. If not the best male wrestler of the year, he’s the breakout star for sure.
Finally, we have Drew McIntyre. He started this year by winning the Royal Rumble, going onto Wrestlemania to defeat Brock Lesnar. He’d reign for 213 days, beating Bobby Lashley, Dolph Ziggler, Seth Rollins and Randy Orton. He might have lost the championship to Orton, but quickly won it back and is now settling into another big reign. McIntyre entered this year on the cusp of greatness, and truly climbed the ranks to show that he is perhaps the best in the entire company.
Slammy Award Prediction: Female Wrestler Of The Year
While the men of WWE held down the main event spots for most of the year, you can’t count the ladies out. Sasha Banks, Asuka, and Bayley all have done some of their best work in this past year.
Sasha Banks spent a good bit of the year linked to Bayley, but won the RAW Women’s Championship and had three excellent matches with Asuka over the year, and even beat Bayley for her Smackdown Women’s Championship in Hell in a Cell, then actually defended the championship!
Asuka has carried the RAW Women’s Division ever since Becky Lynch left, and has had great matches with everyone she’s stepped into the ring with. She’s as close to her NXT peak as we’ve seen in years, which is something to applaud in its own right.
Finally, Bayley. A 380 day reign as Smackdown Women’s Champion is impressive, but getting a good match out of Tamina alone should get her this award. She really came into her own as a cocky heel, before everything came crashing down due to taking Sasha Banks for granted. Bayley has had the best year of her career, and with a feud against Bianca Belair on the horizon? It’s far from done.
Who do you expect to win these Slammys? Let us know what you think in the comment section down below.
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