Hello ladies and gents, and welcome to this year's Best in the Business results thread! Woo! Alright!
This year's voting was pretty tight in some categories. While a few won in a landslide, others came down to one or two votes as a deciding factor. In fact, we even have two ties this year. You may ask, why didn't I have another voting round to decide those? Because I was pretty sure no one was going to change their vote, and I have exempted myself from voting this year. I know you people, and I don't think a host should get to vote. Runner-up status is rewarded to whoever gets a vote in the final round of the category's voting session. That's why a few may have multiple runner-ups, some may have one or none. I tried to link things as I could, which is one of the reasons why this took so long. So! Here we go, let's get started!
SUPERSTAR OF THE YEAR
Winner: Matt Shanahan
Runner-ups: Brantley Summers, Blackjack
I don't really deserve this, but thank you. It really means a lot to me that you guys enjoy my character as much as I enjoy writing for him. Moving on!
FACE OF THE YEAR
Winner(s): Matt Shanahan, Salem Croft
Runner-up: Cyrus Everblaze
Once again, don't deserve this one. But! Salem does, for his work early on in the year. At the beginning of the year, Salem Croft went on a huge spree and put a new spin on an old gimmick with his Copperhead gimmick. While snake-based gimmicks are not something we're without or haven't seen, his time as the Copperhead against Jarel Damone was quite enjoyable and it put him in the top position in Bad Blood Wrestling. Also, you gotta be a pretty big face to go toe-to-toe with the Heel of The Decade, Freakshow. Congrats Salem!
HEEL OF THE YEAR
Winner: Blackjack
Runner-ups: Matthias Landry, Freakshow, Jack Arson
All the runner-ups were names I fully expected to see on this list. They're done by people we've known forever, and their characters are true heels to the core. However, Blackjack turned out to make a bigger splash than ANYONE anticipated. When Blackjack arrived in BBW, he was quick to throw himself into the Sanguine Invitational and sweep the victory right out from under the fan favorites, Brody Robinson and Ryuu Sakamoto, and the former Crimson City Champion Andrew Styles. From there, Blackjack proceeded to cause hell and take over BBW's main event scene, putting a whole new meaning to Bad Blood in the process. Hardcore was redefined by Blackjack, whether it was his match with Jamie Bader at Winter Warfare 2014 or his controversial title match with Hiro Shin-Mozas, where he stabbed his pupil in this back. Literally. However you view Blackjack, he is undoubtedly the best heel we've seen in 2014.
ROOKIE OF THE YEAR
Winner(s): Trent, Andrew Styles
Possibly the biggest surprise to this was that people still consider Trent to be a rookie. But, nonetheless, both of these guys have shown that they're getting better with each match and can be a real blast to work with. With Trent making splash last year and continuing his momentum into mid-2014, he definitely earned a spot in this year's BiTB. How about Styles, though? This guy came into BBW late in 2013 and became the first Crimson City Champion, managing to beat one of the legends of hardcore, Cyrus Everblaze. After he was dismantled by The House Our Father Built in January, he sprang back into action at Winter Warfare 2014 and won one of the extra spots in the Sanguine Invitational. He made it all the way into the final round, and then went on a winning streak shortly after losing against Blackjack in said final round. Both these men are truly deserving of this award.
ROLEPLAYER OF THE YEAR
Winner: Punkology (Matt Shanahan)
Runner-ups: Insayhem (Dallas Cruz/Marshall Lee), Andrew James Warner (AJ Warner/Jake Roman)
Thank you all for voting for me, even if (just like the last two) I don't think I deserve it. It means a lot to me that you guys enjoy my work. I hope your votes were based on that, and not my FANTASTIC jaw-line and charming personality.
NEW CHARACTER OF THE YEAR
Winner: Blackjack
Runner-ups: Whale Helmet, The Man Called Boom
Despite the waves Whale Helmet made in the jobber scene, and the popularity that The Man Called Boom rode on early in the year, both failed to compare to Blackjack's tear through Bad Blood Wrestling. Sanguine Invitational Winner, BBW World Champion, and he is the first ever person in BBW history to have a special ruling put on his title reign (Canadian 21, give it a read because it's beautiful). No new character has made an impact that large in a long time.
TAG TEAM OF THE YEAR
Winner: Midnight Marauders Incorporated
Runner-up: Dallas Cruz and Marshall Lee
How you lot picked Freakshow's ugly mug over the Voodoo Queen herself is beyond me. But, you did and I can't say that they don't deserve it. MMI has came so far since it started out as a tag team of Brantley Summers and Freakshow way back when. They've acquired new members and grown to be a diseas-... an influence in almost every single guild within recent memory. BBW, WWF:G, WWE:E, EWA, you name it, they've probably been there. Whether it's an associate like AJ Warner or the boss man himself, MMI continues to make its presence known to this day. The highlight of the year for them would probably be costing Salem Croft his BBW World Title and ending his reign short, which lead to Freakshow vs Salem Croft at Solar Slam. While the match wasn't finished it was an entertaining all the way through.
MATCH OF THE YEAR
Winner: WWF:G Royal Rumble 2014
Runner-up: Salem Croft vs Hiro Shin-Mozas
WWF:G's Royal Rumble is often heralded as the worst event of the year. It's always full of controversy, some claim of politics, and no one seems to be happy with the ending. Apparently this year, that changed. This year's Royal Rumble was arguably the BEST in WWF:G's history. Everyone who truly was involved in it put their all into it and made it a fantastic read all the way through. Plus, we got to see The Gallant kick a lot of a**, who doesn't enjoy when that elusive ******** comes around?
PROMO OF THE YEAR
Winner: Shadow's Guide To Being Emo
Runner-up: Salem Croft vs Jarel Damone: Contract Signing
Might I say, this year has had some AMAZING promos and I wish more of them could've been nominated. Unfortunately, some circumstances shortened this list. By far one of my favorites of the year, Shadow's Guide to Being Emo sweeps up this award by the skin of his teeth. While it didn't have any huge gripping moments to it and it didn't evolve a storyline like Salem and Jarel's did, it proved to be one of the funniest I've read in a long a** time. Schevia showed the community that he's still kicking everyone's a** in the writing and comedy departments with this one, and who doesn't love to see Shadow being emo?
Side Note: What's even funnier is that both of these promos were on the same Monday Massacre card. Monday Massacre #6!
OMG MOMENT OF THE YEAR
Winner: Blackjack Stabs Hiro Shin-Mozas
Runner-ups: Blackjack staples AJ Warner's gonads, Salem beats Jarel, Ryuu Sakamoto Returns!, and Killman/MMI costs Salem the title
The votes were pretty spread on this one but a majority went to Blackjack's stabbing of Hiro Shin-Mozas to gain the BBW World Championship. The cold irony to it being that Hiro stabbed Salem Croft in their title match, and now the master did the same to the pupil. This definitely proved to be one of the most controversial moments in recent history on an in-character basis, and the most in BBW's history period. What's strange is that it happened AFTER the Salem vs Hiro stabbing, no one seemed to bat an eyelash at that one. But I assure you, this one caused days of bickering between Kelly King and I. This just goes to show, Blackjack truly is one of the best heels.
WTF MOMENT OF THE YEAR
Winner: Chrono's WWF:G Rampage
Runner-up: Jarel Damone vs Salem Croft fall-out
While the fall-out of Jarel Damone vs Salem Croft was a pretty big deal for BBW, it was kept relatively quiet. Chrono's WWF:G Rampage? I had to hear about this for months. I don't have much to say on this one, because it's not a part of the year I really wanna shed light on. WWF:G lost a lot of recorded title history that day, and since the guild is 10 years old, there's a LOT of it. While the matches still exist, the records of them existing do not, so people have to dig through those messy archives in hopes to stumble upon the hidden gems.
STORYLINE OF THE YEAR
Winner: Blackjack Takes Over BBW
Runner-up: The House Our Father Built vs The Pillars of Justice
The war that The House waged with BBW was long and it affected almost every division, and involved some of the best writers BBW had to offer. However, no one expected Blackjack to go on the insane tear that he did. From Spring to Fall, Blackjack proved that he was the truest definition of Bad Blood in his time as champion.
FLOP OF THE YEAR
Winner: Evolution Wrestling Association
Runner-up: BBW's Spring in The Ring 2014
Might I say, I still think BBW's Spring Pay-Per-View should've won this. There wasn't a match on the card that didn't disappoint, and the card had over twenty matches. However, the shenanigans that went on at the beginning of the year involving EWA seemed to overshadow all of that. Once again, this is not a subject I really want to touch on because it was simply stupid. Honestly, it was.
EWA was available for nomination of this topic because the rules were that until the guild was re-opened, CONTENTS of the guild could not be nominated. I said nothing about the guild itself, because I had no idea that it would even get a nomination. And finally...
GUILD OF THE YEAR
Winner: Bad Blood Wrestling
It felt really weird do this category for two reasons. One, no one nominated WWF:G. Two, every other guild closed or was simply forgotten about by the middle of the year it seemed. In any case, I'm glad I've managed to make a place for people to enjoy roleplaying in. Thanks for the past year guys, running BBW has been the best time I've had on Gaia in a VERY long time. I couldn't have done it without the help of Kelly King and Marxx, they've really helped me craft just about every aspect of the guild. Most of all, I couldn't have done it without every single person who's been a part of it, whether you only posted a promo or did one match, or you've been there since the very start. Thank you, from the bottom of my heart. I hope you all have enjoyed it too; let's keep it going, eh? wink
And that's it for this year's Best in The Business 2014! Congrats to the winners and runner-ups alike! Let's make next even better folks!
Winner: Matt Shanahan
Runner-ups: Brantley Summers, Blackjack
I don't really deserve this, but thank you. It really means a lot to me that you guys enjoy my character as much as I enjoy writing for him. Moving on!
FACE OF THE YEAR
Winner(s): Matt Shanahan, Salem Croft
Runner-up: Cyrus Everblaze
Once again, don't deserve this one. But! Salem does, for his work early on in the year. At the beginning of the year, Salem Croft went on a huge spree and put a new spin on an old gimmick with his Copperhead gimmick. While snake-based gimmicks are not something we're without or haven't seen, his time as the Copperhead against Jarel Damone was quite enjoyable and it put him in the top position in Bad Blood Wrestling. Also, you gotta be a pretty big face to go toe-to-toe with the Heel of The Decade, Freakshow. Congrats Salem!
HEEL OF THE YEAR
Winner: Blackjack
Runner-ups: Matthias Landry, Freakshow, Jack Arson
All the runner-ups were names I fully expected to see on this list. They're done by people we've known forever, and their characters are true heels to the core. However, Blackjack turned out to make a bigger splash than ANYONE anticipated. When Blackjack arrived in BBW, he was quick to throw himself into the Sanguine Invitational and sweep the victory right out from under the fan favorites, Brody Robinson and Ryuu Sakamoto, and the former Crimson City Champion Andrew Styles. From there, Blackjack proceeded to cause hell and take over BBW's main event scene, putting a whole new meaning to Bad Blood in the process. Hardcore was redefined by Blackjack, whether it was his match with Jamie Bader at Winter Warfare 2014 or his controversial title match with Hiro Shin-Mozas, where he stabbed his pupil in this back. Literally. However you view Blackjack, he is undoubtedly the best heel we've seen in 2014.
ROOKIE OF THE YEAR
Winner(s): Trent, Andrew Styles
Possibly the biggest surprise to this was that people still consider Trent to be a rookie. But, nonetheless, both of these guys have shown that they're getting better with each match and can be a real blast to work with. With Trent making splash last year and continuing his momentum into mid-2014, he definitely earned a spot in this year's BiTB. How about Styles, though? This guy came into BBW late in 2013 and became the first Crimson City Champion, managing to beat one of the legends of hardcore, Cyrus Everblaze. After he was dismantled by The House Our Father Built in January, he sprang back into action at Winter Warfare 2014 and won one of the extra spots in the Sanguine Invitational. He made it all the way into the final round, and then went on a winning streak shortly after losing against Blackjack in said final round. Both these men are truly deserving of this award.
ROLEPLAYER OF THE YEAR
Winner: Punkology (Matt Shanahan)
Runner-ups: Insayhem (Dallas Cruz/Marshall Lee), Andrew James Warner (AJ Warner/Jake Roman)
Thank you all for voting for me, even if (just like the last two) I don't think I deserve it. It means a lot to me that you guys enjoy my work. I hope your votes were based on that, and not my FANTASTIC jaw-line and charming personality.
NEW CHARACTER OF THE YEAR
Winner: Blackjack
Runner-ups: Whale Helmet, The Man Called Boom
Despite the waves Whale Helmet made in the jobber scene, and the popularity that The Man Called Boom rode on early in the year, both failed to compare to Blackjack's tear through Bad Blood Wrestling. Sanguine Invitational Winner, BBW World Champion, and he is the first ever person in BBW history to have a special ruling put on his title reign (Canadian 21, give it a read because it's beautiful). No new character has made an impact that large in a long time.
TAG TEAM OF THE YEAR
Winner: Midnight Marauders Incorporated
Runner-up: Dallas Cruz and Marshall Lee
How you lot picked Freakshow's ugly mug over the Voodoo Queen herself is beyond me. But, you did and I can't say that they don't deserve it. MMI has came so far since it started out as a tag team of Brantley Summers and Freakshow way back when. They've acquired new members and grown to be a diseas-... an influence in almost every single guild within recent memory. BBW, WWF:G, WWE:E, EWA, you name it, they've probably been there. Whether it's an associate like AJ Warner or the boss man himself, MMI continues to make its presence known to this day. The highlight of the year for them would probably be costing Salem Croft his BBW World Title and ending his reign short, which lead to Freakshow vs Salem Croft at Solar Slam. While the match wasn't finished it was an entertaining all the way through.
MATCH OF THE YEAR
Winner: WWF:G Royal Rumble 2014
Runner-up: Salem Croft vs Hiro Shin-Mozas
WWF:G's Royal Rumble is often heralded as the worst event of the year. It's always full of controversy, some claim of politics, and no one seems to be happy with the ending. Apparently this year, that changed. This year's Royal Rumble was arguably the BEST in WWF:G's history. Everyone who truly was involved in it put their all into it and made it a fantastic read all the way through. Plus, we got to see The Gallant kick a lot of a**, who doesn't enjoy when that elusive ******** comes around?
PROMO OF THE YEAR
Winner: Shadow's Guide To Being Emo
Runner-up: Salem Croft vs Jarel Damone: Contract Signing
Might I say, this year has had some AMAZING promos and I wish more of them could've been nominated. Unfortunately, some circumstances shortened this list. By far one of my favorites of the year, Shadow's Guide to Being Emo sweeps up this award by the skin of his teeth. While it didn't have any huge gripping moments to it and it didn't evolve a storyline like Salem and Jarel's did, it proved to be one of the funniest I've read in a long a** time. Schevia showed the community that he's still kicking everyone's a** in the writing and comedy departments with this one, and who doesn't love to see Shadow being emo?
Side Note: What's even funnier is that both of these promos were on the same Monday Massacre card. Monday Massacre #6!
OMG MOMENT OF THE YEAR
Winner: Blackjack Stabs Hiro Shin-Mozas
Runner-ups: Blackjack staples AJ Warner's gonads, Salem beats Jarel, Ryuu Sakamoto Returns!, and Killman/MMI costs Salem the title
The votes were pretty spread on this one but a majority went to Blackjack's stabbing of Hiro Shin-Mozas to gain the BBW World Championship. The cold irony to it being that Hiro stabbed Salem Croft in their title match, and now the master did the same to the pupil. This definitely proved to be one of the most controversial moments in recent history on an in-character basis, and the most in BBW's history period. What's strange is that it happened AFTER the Salem vs Hiro stabbing, no one seemed to bat an eyelash at that one. But I assure you, this one caused days of bickering between Kelly King and I. This just goes to show, Blackjack truly is one of the best heels.
WTF MOMENT OF THE YEAR
Winner: Chrono's WWF:G Rampage
Runner-up: Jarel Damone vs Salem Croft fall-out
While the fall-out of Jarel Damone vs Salem Croft was a pretty big deal for BBW, it was kept relatively quiet. Chrono's WWF:G Rampage? I had to hear about this for months. I don't have much to say on this one, because it's not a part of the year I really wanna shed light on. WWF:G lost a lot of recorded title history that day, and since the guild is 10 years old, there's a LOT of it. While the matches still exist, the records of them existing do not, so people have to dig through those messy archives in hopes to stumble upon the hidden gems.
STORYLINE OF THE YEAR
Winner: Blackjack Takes Over BBW
Runner-up: The House Our Father Built vs The Pillars of Justice
The war that The House waged with BBW was long and it affected almost every division, and involved some of the best writers BBW had to offer. However, no one expected Blackjack to go on the insane tear that he did. From Spring to Fall, Blackjack proved that he was the truest definition of Bad Blood in his time as champion.
FLOP OF THE YEAR
Winner: Evolution Wrestling Association
Runner-up: BBW's Spring in The Ring 2014
Might I say, I still think BBW's Spring Pay-Per-View should've won this. There wasn't a match on the card that didn't disappoint, and the card had over twenty matches. However, the shenanigans that went on at the beginning of the year involving EWA seemed to overshadow all of that. Once again, this is not a subject I really want to touch on because it was simply stupid. Honestly, it was.
EWA was available for nomination of this topic because the rules were that until the guild was re-opened, CONTENTS of the guild could not be nominated. I said nothing about the guild itself, because I had no idea that it would even get a nomination. And finally...
GUILD OF THE YEAR
Winner: Bad Blood Wrestling
It felt really weird do this category for two reasons. One, no one nominated WWF:G. Two, every other guild closed or was simply forgotten about by the middle of the year it seemed. In any case, I'm glad I've managed to make a place for people to enjoy roleplaying in. Thanks for the past year guys, running BBW has been the best time I've had on Gaia in a VERY long time. I couldn't have done it without the help of Kelly King and Marxx, they've really helped me craft just about every aspect of the guild. Most of all, I couldn't have done it without every single person who's been a part of it, whether you only posted a promo or did one match, or you've been there since the very start. Thank you, from the bottom of my heart. I hope you all have enjoyed it too; let's keep it going, eh? wink
And that's it for this year's Best in The Business 2014! Congrats to the winners and runner-ups alike! Let's make next even better folks!
