2017 was a big year of Henry's Universe Mode, and although I'm sure everyone is ready to move into 2018, it's important to look back at the first full year of this series. Hello, I'm Henry Keys, and I'm here tonight to recognize the best moments, feud, matches and wrestlers of the year that was 2017 in Henry's Universe Mode. Without any further ado, here is your second ever annual Slammy Awards.
Brand of the Year
Nominees: Raw(GM Shane McMahon), NXT(GM William Regal), SmackDown(GM Daniel Bryan)
Building a few stars is one thing, but continuing a consistently entertaining weekly show is another. Last year, Raw took home this award, and while the red brand had another fine year, it's time for the award to go to one of the other two brands. Although NXT continued to develop as a show this year, they did miss the first three months of 2017. For their consistently excellent main event programs, a burgeoning women's division and for delivering some of the biggest moments and matches of the year, it is my pleasure to present this award to Daniel Bryan and the SmackDown brand.
Winner: SmackDown
Feud of the Year
Nominees: AJ Styles vs John Cena(SmackDown), Braun Strowman vs Finn Balor(Raw), Becky Lynch vs Paige(Raw/SmackDown)
Rivalries are everything in wrestling, with some of the best of all-time being remembered for their blood feuds on the biggest stage. This year, we saw John Cena prove his greatness to the world and the Phenomenal One; a Monster and a Demon engage in titanic warfare; and Becky Lynch finally dethrone the first ever Triple Crown winner. In the end, there was only one true winner. Thanks to the constant raising of stakes, the insane chances they took and the incredible war that spanned six months of the year, Strowman vs Balor takes the top spot this year.
Winner: Braun Strowman vs Finn Balor
Moment of the Year
Nominees: Samoa Joe wins the Royal Rumble, Finn Balor is slammed through the Hell in a Cell roof, Tyler Breeze steals the WWE Championship(again)
There were many brilliant moments in Henry's Universe Mode in 2017, from big debuts to shock wins to ridiculous feats of athleticism and strength. The Samoan Submission Machine won our first ever Royal Rumble match; Finn Balor went straight through the Hell in a Cell, nearly breaking his back; and Tyler Breeze both awed and disgusted us by cashing in Money in the Bank with the help of Drew McIntyre. Breeze won this award last year with his first WWE Championship win, and whilst I don't want to give it to him again, there was no question that this was the most shocking moment of 2017.
Winner: Tyler Breeze steals the WWE Championship(again)
Tag Team of the Year
Nominees: The Shield(Raw), Authors of Pain(NXT), American Alpha(Raw/SmackDown)
All three brands saw plenty of improvements in their tag team division, with it being somewhat difficult to find three teams that truly stood out. The Hounds of Justice reunited on Raw and have been dominant, but only reformed in August; Akam and Rezar took out most teams on NXT before falling to the Undisputed Era; American Alpha continued to get big wins before losing their tag titles and plummeting down the card. This was the hardest winner to pick, but I have to go with the Authors of Pain for their incredible dominance on NXT.
Winners: Authors of Pain
Show of the Year
Nominees: WrestleMania, Summerslam, Survivor Series
Three of the Big 4 shows are nominated, all of them with something different to offer. To take a step behind the curtain for a second, I spent a lot of hours making all three of these shows. By far, though, the most difficult project I've ever done was WrestleMania. I spent months planning the card, and it took me three days to make all three posts. Despite that, it remains the most enjoyable show I've done yet, and there really is nothing more important than WrestleMania. The Grandaddy of Them All take home the award this year, and it really wasn't close.
Winner: WrestleMania
Match of the Year
Nominees: AJ Styles vs John Cena(No Mercy), Apollo Crews vs Bobby Roode(NXT Takeover: Toronto), Braun Strowman vs Finn Balor(Armageddon)
All three of the matches nominated this year took place in the second half of 2017, and they are all some of my personal favorites. We have: John Cena's first title defense against AJ Styles, Apollo Crews capturing the NXT Championship and Braun Strowman and Finn Balor's incredible Hell in a Cell collision. Though all three are great, only one truly showcases everything Henry's Universe Mode is capable of, and that AJ Styles vs John Cena at No Mercy. This match had it all: technical wrestling, innovative offense, focused storytelling and most important of all, complete raw emotion. Congratulations to AJ Styles and John Cena for one of the greatest matches I have ever witnessed.
Winner: AJ Styles vs John Cena(No Mercy)
Female Wrestler of the Year
Nominees: Bayley(Raw/SmackDown), Alexa Bliss(SmackDown), Becky Lynch(Raw/SmackDown)
We now get into the two biggest awards of the night, starting off with Female Wrestler of the Year. Last year's winner, Paige, is not nominated this year, so we'll be seeing a new competitor take it home. Bayley became a Triple Crown winner in 2017, winning both the Raw and SmackDown women's championships. If there was a Break-Out Star award, Alexa Bliss surely would've won it. After turning on Emma, Bliss went on to become a two-time champion, competing in some of the biggest matches of the year for the blue brand. Becky Lynch moved to Raw in the WWE Draft, defeating her rival Paige in an Iron Woman match, and defeating the likes of Asuka and Bliss in huge matches. But which of these three women will take home the award?
Winner: Becky Lynch
Male Wrestler of the Year
Nominees: AJ Styles(SmackDown), Braun Strowman(Raw/SmackDown), Finn Balor(Raw)
Last year's winner of this award was AJ Styles, who's back for another go this year. The Phenomenal One had a great 2017, reigning as WWE Champion for eight months, defeating the likes of The Rock, Shawn Michaels and Triple H. Braun Strowman burst onto the scene this year, leaving a path of destruction in his wake whilst also participating in the Feud of the Year with Finn Balor. Balor also had an incredible year, defeating Strowman at Extreme Rules and going on to capture the Universal Championship at Halloween Havoc. Who will end the year by winning our biggest award? Will it be AJ Styles, the defending champion, Braun Strowman or Finn Balor?
And the winner is...................
Winner: Finn Balor
Nominees: Raw(GM Shane McMahon), NXT(GM William Regal), SmackDown(GM Daniel Bryan)
Building a few stars is one thing, but continuing a consistently entertaining weekly show is another. Last year, Raw took home this award, and while the red brand had another fine year, it's time for the award to go to one of the other two brands. Although NXT continued to develop as a show this year, they did miss the first three months of 2017. For their consistently excellent main event programs, a burgeoning women's division and for delivering some of the biggest moments and matches of the year, it is my pleasure to present this award to Daniel Bryan and the SmackDown brand.
Winner: SmackDown
Feud of the Year
Nominees: AJ Styles vs John Cena(SmackDown), Braun Strowman vs Finn Balor(Raw), Becky Lynch vs Paige(Raw/SmackDown)
Rivalries are everything in wrestling, with some of the best of all-time being remembered for their blood feuds on the biggest stage. This year, we saw John Cena prove his greatness to the world and the Phenomenal One; a Monster and a Demon engage in titanic warfare; and Becky Lynch finally dethrone the first ever Triple Crown winner. In the end, there was only one true winner. Thanks to the constant raising of stakes, the insane chances they took and the incredible war that spanned six months of the year, Strowman vs Balor takes the top spot this year.
Winner: Braun Strowman vs Finn Balor
Moment of the Year
Nominees: Samoa Joe wins the Royal Rumble, Finn Balor is slammed through the Hell in a Cell roof, Tyler Breeze steals the WWE Championship(again)
There were many brilliant moments in Henry's Universe Mode in 2017, from big debuts to shock wins to ridiculous feats of athleticism and strength. The Samoan Submission Machine won our first ever Royal Rumble match; Finn Balor went straight through the Hell in a Cell, nearly breaking his back; and Tyler Breeze both awed and disgusted us by cashing in Money in the Bank with the help of Drew McIntyre. Breeze won this award last year with his first WWE Championship win, and whilst I don't want to give it to him again, there was no question that this was the most shocking moment of 2017.
Winner: Tyler Breeze steals the WWE Championship(again)
Tag Team of the Year
Nominees: The Shield(Raw), Authors of Pain(NXT), American Alpha(Raw/SmackDown)
All three brands saw plenty of improvements in their tag team division, with it being somewhat difficult to find three teams that truly stood out. The Hounds of Justice reunited on Raw and have been dominant, but only reformed in August; Akam and Rezar took out most teams on NXT before falling to the Undisputed Era; American Alpha continued to get big wins before losing their tag titles and plummeting down the card. This was the hardest winner to pick, but I have to go with the Authors of Pain for their incredible dominance on NXT.
Winners: Authors of Pain
Show of the Year
Nominees: WrestleMania, Summerslam, Survivor Series
Three of the Big 4 shows are nominated, all of them with something different to offer. To take a step behind the curtain for a second, I spent a lot of hours making all three of these shows. By far, though, the most difficult project I've ever done was WrestleMania. I spent months planning the card, and it took me three days to make all three posts. Despite that, it remains the most enjoyable show I've done yet, and there really is nothing more important than WrestleMania. The Grandaddy of Them All take home the award this year, and it really wasn't close.
Winner: WrestleMania
Match of the Year
Nominees: AJ Styles vs John Cena(No Mercy), Apollo Crews vs Bobby Roode(NXT Takeover: Toronto), Braun Strowman vs Finn Balor(Armageddon)
All three of the matches nominated this year took place in the second half of 2017, and they are all some of my personal favorites. We have: John Cena's first title defense against AJ Styles, Apollo Crews capturing the NXT Championship and Braun Strowman and Finn Balor's incredible Hell in a Cell collision. Though all three are great, only one truly showcases everything Henry's Universe Mode is capable of, and that AJ Styles vs John Cena at No Mercy. This match had it all: technical wrestling, innovative offense, focused storytelling and most important of all, complete raw emotion. Congratulations to AJ Styles and John Cena for one of the greatest matches I have ever witnessed.
Winner: AJ Styles vs John Cena(No Mercy)
Female Wrestler of the Year
Nominees: Bayley(Raw/SmackDown), Alexa Bliss(SmackDown), Becky Lynch(Raw/SmackDown)
We now get into the two biggest awards of the night, starting off with Female Wrestler of the Year. Last year's winner, Paige, is not nominated this year, so we'll be seeing a new competitor take it home. Bayley became a Triple Crown winner in 2017, winning both the Raw and SmackDown women's championships. If there was a Break-Out Star award, Alexa Bliss surely would've won it. After turning on Emma, Bliss went on to become a two-time champion, competing in some of the biggest matches of the year for the blue brand. Becky Lynch moved to Raw in the WWE Draft, defeating her rival Paige in an Iron Woman match, and defeating the likes of Asuka and Bliss in huge matches. But which of these three women will take home the award?
Winner: Becky Lynch
Male Wrestler of the Year
Nominees: AJ Styles(SmackDown), Braun Strowman(Raw/SmackDown), Finn Balor(Raw)
Last year's winner of this award was AJ Styles, who's back for another go this year. The Phenomenal One had a great 2017, reigning as WWE Champion for eight months, defeating the likes of The Rock, Shawn Michaels and Triple H. Braun Strowman burst onto the scene this year, leaving a path of destruction in his wake whilst also participating in the Feud of the Year with Finn Balor. Balor also had an incredible year, defeating Strowman at Extreme Rules and going on to capture the Universal Championship at Halloween Havoc. Who will end the year by winning our biggest award? Will it be AJ Styles, the defending champion, Braun Strowman or Finn Balor?
And the winner is...................
Winner: Finn Balor
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