Top 5 WWE Moments of 2011

Happy New Year, WWE Universe!

I hope all of you had a safe and fun holiday season. Sadly, Christmas music is ending on the radio. Relatives are leaving town, and "normal" life is continuing.

On the WWE front, the past 12 months for wrestling fans have been great . Very wonderful memories were made in 2011. Here are my top five.

Note: I am going to choose "happy" moments. No Edge retiring. No Kharma mentions. No injury news. None of that. Try to always stay positive!

5. 2-21-11

What a moment!

Not only do we get The Undertaker returning, we get Triple H returning. All of this was done in one 10-minute segment that was perfectly executed.

The date "2-21-11" is now forever inserted into our minds. Soon, "1-2-12" will be just as memorable.

4. Christian Wins the World Title!

My feelings on Christian are very well known.

I am a big fan of his, but I do not see him as a permanent main-event performer. Short runs here and there? Yes. Worthy of big matches? Absolutely. Top WWE Superstar? No.

That being said, I was among many cheering him on at Extreme Rules looking to capture his first (TNA does not count) World Heavyweight Championship in this business!

Only a select few have deserved that honor over the years, and he is certainly one of them. Excellent win on a very emotional night.

Congratulations to Christian on having the best year of your WWE career!

3. CM Punk's Worked Shoot

Yes, it was planned. Yes, it was in the script. Yes, Punk was always going to stay with WWE.

None of that mattered.

CM Punk said he was winning the WWE Championship and leaving the company at Money in the Bank. His feelings were made even clearer when he went off on just about everybody in his now-classic "Raw shoot" on one epic night in June.

I am not a fan of "breaking the fourth wall," but it can work in small doses. Needless to say, it worked great here! The world was buzzing about WWE, and it was all due to Punk's perfect delivery here.

I would love to rank this higher, but I just can't. Two moments were better (and made me much happier)...

2. Mark Henry's Moment

All the doubters. All the cynics. All the haters.

All of them watched Night of Champions as Mark Henry pinned Randy Orton to win the World title. For me, this was the best story of the year. Why you ask?

1. It was simple. Heel dominates the faces. Wants career validation with a title match. Wins clean and cuts an epic promo afterwards. No "insider" promos. No "tweener" mess. Just one man proving all of his critics wrong.

2. I did not like this moment for me. Just like Christian, I loved this moment for the talent finally get his due. This was his moment, and he deserved it.

3. Finally, I have always been a fan of his. We all root for our favorites, so seeing this was excellent. Say what you will about the man, but name me a few wrestlers who have been employed by WWE for 15 years straight. Go ahead. I will wait...

See my point? Very few moments in this industry feel "real" at the end of the day. This was one of them!

1. The Rock Returns

No other moment made the WWE this year. As JR would say, business picked up right when this announcement was made on Feb. 14, 2011.

I was at the Raw taping the week before. Right when Vince McMahon said that there would be a "Guest Host for WrestleMania" announced the following week, I looked at my buddy and said "It's The Rock."

Believe me if you choose, but I never had a doubt. He was the only choice. It had to be him, right?

Well, it was a long week to wait, but the moment finally arrived. The lights went off. The "electricity" began to fill the arena, and the bombshell was dropped!

Oh, what a year it has been...

REMINDER: I am now on Twitter @JustinWatry! I give every new follower a special shout out, so do not be shy...thanks.