WWE Slammy Awards 2011: Determining the Superstar of the Year

It's been a wild year in WWE, and as 2011 comes to a close, it's time for the annual Slammy Awards.  Although the Slammy Awards aren't until next week, the polls are open at WWE.com to determine WWE's Superstar of the Year.  

Six of the top Superstars in the WWE are being voted on by members of the WWE Universe, and Bleacher Report is here to analyze each option in an attempt to determine who is most likely win the Superstar of the Year award.

We've broken down each superstar into three different branches: "Accomplishments," "Fan Base," and "What Have You Done for Me Lately?"  Since the polls are open to the fans, we've had to take into account how the WWE universe may lean with their votes, and if we know anything about wrestling fans on the Internet, it's that they're a fickle bunch. 

Join us as we analyze each of the nominees, and sound off in the comment section with who you believe should be awarded the Superstar of the Year Slammy Award!  Don't forget to cast your vote at WWE.com as well.

Alberto Del Rio

Alberto Del Rio, the Mexican Aristocrat, has had the strongest year out of all the nominees in regards to accomplishments, but I would argue that those accomplishments look much better on paper than they did in action.  

That said, he has become one of the strongest heels in the company, his Cross Armbreaker becoming one of the craftiest, effective submissions in WWE today.  Will his numerous achievements in 2011 be enough to see him take the title of Superstar of the Year? 

Accomplishments:

-Royal Rumble 2011 winner.
-Money in the Bank 2011 winner.
-Two time WWE Champion.

Fan Base:

In comparison to the rest of the nominees for Superstar of the Year, Del Rio may very well be in last place when it comes to amount of fans he has.  Even his go-to heat generator Ricardo Rodriguez is falling flat.  I think most fans acknowledge that he has tons of potential, but he's so predictable at this point that it's hard to get excited about him.

What Have You Done For Me Lately?:

It's been a strange year for Alberto Del Rio.  In the first half of the year, when he won the Royal Rumble, his time had come.  His gimmick had not grown stale, and the timing was just right for him to become the Heavyweight Champion.  

Jump to the fourth quarter of 2011, and we find that Del Rio never won the Heavyweight Championship despite WWE putting a great deal of effort into him becoming a legitimate main event heel on SmackDown.  Thanks to the shocking retirement of Edge, Del Rio was passed up, and sent to Raw.

Del Rio's two WWE Championship reigns have been lackluster, his aforementioned predictability doing him no favors.  He dropped the WWE Championship to CM Punk at Survivor Series, and is now set to participate in a Triple Threat match against CM Punk and The Miz for the WWE Championship at TLC.

The Miz

The Miz was WWE Champion at the start of 2011, and by the time he finally lost the title to John Cena, he had held the title for six months.  It doesn't sound very impressive, but considering how quickly the title changes hands these days, that's actually quite an accomplishment. 

The Miz is one of the cockiest heels in wrestling today, and is recognized as a top talent in WWE. 

Accomplishments:

-One time WWE Champion.
-Defeated John Cena in the main event of WrestleMania.

Fan Base:

The Miz is ever improving, and has a loyal following of Mizfits that will fight tooth and nail to defend his skills both on the microphone and in the ring.  That said, he has quite a few haters who claim he's simply an average talent who has been pushed through the roof.  

What Have You Done For Me Lately?:

The Miz is coming off a loss at Survivor Series to the dream team of The Rock and John Cena.  He was part of the best heel tag team in the company when he was working alongside R-Truth, and looked to be set to make a run at tag team gold until R-Truth failed a drug test and was put on 30-day suspension.  

Miz helped WWE write R-Truth off TV by turning on him, and then did the same for John Morrison a week later.  Now, he's facing CM Punk and Alberto Del Rio for the WWE Championship at TLC.  

Randy Orton

Randy Orton is one of the most consistent Superstars in the running for Superstar of the Year.  Regardless of whether or not his "Viper" gimmick has gotten stale, it's safe to say that if Orton is in the ring, you're watching a match that's a few notches above the norm.  

Orton has benefited from being moved to SmackDown in order to replace Edge as the top babyface, which sparked an excellent series of matches between he and Christian for the World Heavyweight Championship.  Those memorable matches will be the highlight of Orton's year, and rightfully so.

Accomplishments:

-Two time Heavyweight Champion.
-Captained Team Orton at Survivor Series.

Fan Base:

Orton's fiery intensity stands him out from the crowd, and he's become a top babyface in the company.  Some of his older fans aren't high on his "Viper" gimmick though, and miss his days as a heel.  He certainly has enough of following to be a factor in the polls.

What Have You Done For Me Lately?:

As I noted in his accomplishments this year, he captained his own team at Survivor Series against Wade Barrett.  They're currently feuding, and it hasn't quite gotten time to take off yet.  The good news for Orton is, his feud with Christian was so memorable, fans won't overlook it.  

Mark Henry

The World's Strongest Man, Mark Henry, is the current Heavyweight Champion and has received a great deal of praise for his run as a monster heel since mid-2011.  

Regardless of what any fans think, I'd not be surprised if for Mark Henry, this was the best year of his career.  Will his mean streak and title reign be enough to win him the title of Superstar of the Year?

Accomplishments:

-One time Heavyweight Champion.

Fan Base:

On the night that Mark Henry was drafted to SmackDown, WWE.com conducted a candid backstage interview with Henry where he discussed how he'd lost some weight and gotten into good shape.  He wanted to make a run for the title, and got choked up during the interview.  Every stupid gimmick from years passed were erased in my mind, and I personally became a fan.  Months after that interview, he defeated Randy Orton cleanly to become Heavyweight Champion.

That wasn't enough for some fans though, and he still gets plenty of hate.  I don't think the faction of fans that love monster heel Mark Henry will be enough to rally up a win, but I wouldn't write him off. 

What Have You Done For Me Lately?:

Mark Henry has been feuding with Big Show, in what has been the most lackluster feud of his heel run.  Big man vs. big man is hard to book over an extended period of time, because there are only so many tools they can use to put on an entertaining match.  

Henry hasn't been able to beat Big Show cleanly, their most recent match at Survivor Series ended in disqualification via low blow, with Henry retaining.  

Although the seeds are being planted for Daniel Bryan vs. Mark Henry at WrestleMania, it has yet to produce anything special for Mark Henry.  In short, Henry's heel run isn't at it's strongest right now.  

John Cena

John Cena is the odds on favorite to win Superstar of the Year, whether members of the IWC want to believe it or not.  Even though some fans are beginning to turn on him, his loyal fans are still going strong.

What is there to say, really?  It's John Cena, the face of WWE.  He's also won the Superstar of the Year Slammy two years in a row.  Can he make it three?

Accomplishments:

-Three time WWE Champion.

Fan Base:

Women, children, military, and surely some men are big fans of John Cena.  Need I really say more?  Cena is the top dog.

What Have You Done For Me Lately?:

This is where it gets interesting.  John Cena most recently teamed up with his rival The Rock to take on The Miz and R-Truth at Survivor Series.  Rocky ended the night at Survivor Series by giving Cena a Rock Bottom.  

More and more boos are being shouted Cena's way, but he's been determined to stick to his morals and not betray the fans.  Whether or not Roddy Piper bringing Cena into Piper's Pit was laying the foundation for a heel turn, or only a tweak in character remains to be seen.

Cena was trying to get into the WWE title picture most recently on Raw, but sacrificed his participation in the WWE Championship match at TLC in order to only give Zack Ryder a chance at becoming the number one contender for the United States Championship.  Cena made sure that Ryder won, staying true to his babyface persona.  

CM Punk

"The Second City Saint" CM Punk has had a breakout year.  After a slow start as the leader of New Nexus, rumors came out that he wouldn't renew his contract when it ran out, and he'd be taking some time off.  To kickoff his final feud before his contract ended, he unleashed the best promo of 2011, a worked shoot where he put John Cena, Vince McMahon, and the WWE in general on blast.  

From there, he had a match of the year candidate with John Cena at Money in the Bank, won the WWE Championship, and left with the title.  He's lost some steam since then, but is still at a new level, and after winning the WWE Championship from Alberto Del Rio at Survivor Series, he's positioned to pick up where he left off.

Accomplishments:

-Two time WWE Champion. (Arguably three.)

Fan Base:

CM Punk has effectively become the alternative to John Cena.  The IWC has always been mostly high on Punk, but he exploded with that shoot promo, even receiving mainstream attention.  His popularity stayed mostly intact through some ill advised booking that saw him feud with Kevin Nash and Triple H, and is nearly done with the dull Alberto Del Rio.  Punk receives some of the biggest reactions from the crowd, and benefits from having an Internet savvy fan base.

What Have You Done For Me Lately?:

Punk defeated Alberto Del Rio at Survivor Series to become the WWE Champion.  Some fans grow tired of his "shooty" style, but I personally think that he needs to stick with it for as long as he can, lest he alienate his new fans.

Between his upcoming title defense at TLC, and the potential of the "It Begins" promos being Chris Jericho returning to feud with him, Punk is on the rise. 

Who Is the Superstar of the Year?

It's a tight race, in my opinion.  

Alberto Del Rio has the accomplishments on paper, but it's hard to overlook how uninspiring his recent work has been.  

John Cena is the face of the WWE, works incredibly hard, and has a few WWE Championship wins under his belt this year.

CM Punk has been on fire, and I'm an admitted mark for him.  

It boils down to those three, in my opinion.  My prediction is that John Cena will win, but my vote belongs to CM Punk.  

Who are you backing this year, Bleachers?