Year-End Recap: WWE and TNA's Top 10 Stories of 2011

Through the years, the wrestling world has provided us with great storylines and real-life drama.

Wrestling proved to be no different in 2011, as we witnessed many real stories play out before our eyes on TV.

For that reason I have decided to write about the 10 biggest stories of this year. However, it was difficult to narrow it down to 10, so I decided to lump these stories into categories. There were also some similar situations involving several wrestlers at different times throughout the year.

So without further ado, let the trip down memory lane begin.

Honorable Mention: Speculation

Some of the biggest stories of 2011 were just speculation.

The IWC rumored everything from Sting heading to the WWE to Justin Bieber guest-hosting WrestleMania.

Some of these speculations turned out to be factual while others like the aforementioned  never came to fruition.

10: The Jersey Shore

In 2010, Jersey Shore cast member J-Woww's one-off appearance on TNA started a trend that no wrestling fan should forgive.

As of 2011, several other cast-members from MTV's reality show Jersey Shore finding there way to the wrestling world.

Fans witnessed Snooki partaking in a match at WrestleMania while Ronnie and Jersey Shore cast-off Angelina took their, a-hem, talents to TNA.

Even though all three took to the ring, only Snooki impressed both fans and critics alike.

9: Divas and Knockouts Lose TV Time

Both the Knockouts and Divas divisions were seriously damaged this year.

The Divas' TV time was cut down so much that Michael Cole destroyed the Divas during a match on Raw.

Then in the fall, former Diva Gail Kim notoriously exited the WWE during a Diva's battle royal match.

In case you missed it, Kim slid out from the ring during the match and no one noticed. Shortly afterwards, she tweeted about the exit and mentioned that she requested her release from the WWE.

Then, the once talented Knockouts Division became a B-version of the Divas.

Even with the signing of Mickie James, they too started to lose TV time. However, it now appears that the Knockouts may be turning around as they have been getting increased (not so great segments) and ring time.

8: Busts

Both TNA and WWE had their share of bad signings.

WWE had touted two big names who were slated to start 2011. The first was Awesome Kong, a.k.a. Kharma, followed by Mexican high-flyer Mistico, a.k.a. Sin Cara.

Kharma was given the biggest debut of any women's wrestler, only to see it slip from her hands once she found out she was pregnant in real-life.

Sadly, we never got to see Kharma actually wrestle for the WWE in 2011.

After a wellness policy suspension and a string of injuries, Sin Cara saw his final match of 2011 at Survivor Series. He is infamous for making mistakes in the ring since his WWE debut. Things were so bad that the WWE's first Sin Cara t-shirt was also flawed.

TNA also had some big signings, as both Chyna and Matt Hardy brought their names and experience to TNA.

Ultimately, Hardy's backstage issues along with his legal problems caused him to ultimately lose his job. Meanwhile, the buzz of Chyna never really amounted to much and TNA never offered her a contract after her one-off appearance.

7: WWE Network

In the fall of 2011, the WWE unveiled their plans to launch the much anticipated WWE Network in 2012.

Fans discovered that there will be more than just archive footage on this channel. The channel will also have feature reality shows alongside other original content.

6: Trouble with the Law

This year we witnessed several wrestlers get in trouble with the law.

Everyone from Kurt Angle to Lita found their mug-shots on TMZ.

Many of these past and present wrestlers' crimes were similar in nature as most were cuffed for DUI. In fact, even Tough Enough cast-off Miss USA Rima Fakih found herself a victim of this trend.

However, it was former WWE wrestler Shad Gaspard that felt his non-DUI-related arrest was based solely on race.

Hopefully, this trend of wrestling mug-shots will slowly faze out.

5: Legends Return

This year we saw several stars return to the ring or WWE.

In a matter of months, we witnessed the WWE returns of Kevin Nash, Booker T, Triple H, Undertaker, and The Rock.

We also witnessed Sting return to TNA and Chyna return to the ring for the first time in 10 years. Some of these returns led to epic matches, while Booker T and Triple H found new life as a commentator and WWE COO respectively.

Sting also reinvented himself by creating a Joker-like character similar to the one from the Batman movies. Currently, Sting is billed as an authority figure, which is probably a more fitting role for someone in the twilight of his career.

Kevin Nash, on the other hand, has lost favor with the fans after complaining about his WWE Legends contract. Then, when he was allowed back into the spotlight, he cut several lackluster promos and a feud with Triple H that no one seemed to care about.

And unless you have been hiding under a rock, you know that Chyna lost her wrestling revival once she announced her desire to enter the adult film industry.

Fortunately, The Undertaker and Triple H gave us an epic battle at WrestleMania. Meanwhile, The Rock helped draw in extra buy-rates and ticket sales for two WrestleManias and the once fledgling Survivor Series.

4: Social Media Meets Wrestling

Social media played a HUGE part in wrestling for 2011.

Some wrestlers were able to use it to further their careers a la Zack Ryder.

Meanwhile, others became addicted to trying to attract followers with witty one-line quotes. Oftentimes they would get themselves into trouble with their respective bosses.

Some lost their jobs while others, like Brodus Clay wound up in the dog house for spoiling a potential future storyline.

However, wrestlers were not alone in the social media monster. Both WWE and TNA have successfully pushed twitter down the throats of their fan-base.

Yet, it was the WWE that used YouTube to help promote the return of a wrestler in 2012 with their "it begins" promo.

3: The Hardy's

Both Matt and Jeff caused some serious damage to their careers.

Jeff's performance at TNA's Victory Road pay-per-view almost ruined the company. However, in less than a year TNA seemingly welcomed him back with open arms and it appears he may become TNA champ yet again.

Meanwhile, Matt was suspended from TNA because he showed up late to events and caused problems backstage.

Then, during his suspension period he buried TNA on Twitter and begged fans to ask for refunds to venues he was advertised to appear at.

Then he found himself in legal trouble after a DUI, which led to TNA's decision to let him go.

2: CM Punk and John Morrison

In the summer of 2011, CM Punk made wrestling cool again.

Punk's contract with the WWE was coming to an end, so he decided to cut the biggest promo of his career and it caused quite a stir amongst wrestling fans. At the time no one knew whether the promo was planned of if it was real.

Ultimately, Punk wound up getting his way and built his own legacy.  Due to this buzz, he also managed to become the first star to surpass John Cena in merchandise sales in over five years.

It could be said that this storyline helped fuel rumors about John Morrison's WWE status.

Morrison's contract was set to expire at the end of November,  leaving many people wondering if he would stay or go.

The WWE also kept us guessing as John Laurinaitis gave a backstage interview, discussing Morrison's contract status. This left fans wondering if JoMo was slated for a similar storyline as Punk.

In the end, Morrison decided to step away and only time will tell where he ends up.

1: Death of a Legend

Sadly, Randy Savage had a heart attack and passed away before he could be elected into the WWE Hall of Fame.

A 2012 induction seemed to be a lock for Savage as he and the WWE were starting to work together again after a close-to-two-decade absence. To this day no one really knows why Vince McMahon and Savage's relationship went by the wayside.

Over the years there has been speculation that Savage may have had inappropriate relations with a teenage Stephanie McMahon.

If that rumor was indeed true, one would think Vinnie-Mac would have done much more than simply not allow Savage to work for his company ever again.

In the end, Savage will be remembered for his historic career with both the WWE and WCW. Luckily for fans, he will live on in video game, archived footage, and wrestling toy form.