The 11 WWE Superstars Who Had the Best Year in 2011

2011 is coming to a close, and some superstars will remember it as just another year on the calendar while others will remember it as the best year of their respective careers thus far.

This year had a ton of things happening all at once, as well as some of the best storylines we have seen in years.

While not everyone had a great year, at least it was a year during which several new faces emerged as potential leaders for the company.

WWE may be 100 percent behind John Cena as its poster boy, but he is no longer the biggest dog in the fight. Many others are coming for his title of "Company Golden Boy."

Here I will take a look at the 11 superstars who benefited most in 2011, in no particular order.

The Miz

There is only one man in the entire WWE who can say that they not only main evented WrestleMania this year, but beat Cena in the process.

The win may not have been clean due to the Rock sticking his nose in the match, but it is still a win over WWE's biggest star.

Miz went from being an upper mid card wrestler to being a legitimate main event wrestler in 2011. We have seen him grow in every possible way over the last year to become one of the more entertaining heels in recent memory.

I do not know what 2012 holds for Miz, but I do know that 2011 was a banner year for the former Tough Enough contestant and Real World house guest..

CM Punk

Punk may have come in to 2011 as a former 3 time champion, but in 2011 he cemented himself as one of the tops name sin the company.

His scathing promo delivered one night on Raw set in motion what may have been WWE's best storyline of the year.

Ever since that night Punk's stock has risen exponentially and he is not slowing down anytime soon. His rise to prominence in the WWE was not traditional, which is why it worked so well.

Punk will no doubt go through 2012 as one of WWE's biggest stars.

Alberto Del Rio

Winning a Royal Rumble, Money in the bank, WWE title and main eventing WrestleMania all in the course of a year would be a dream for any apiring wrestler.

For Del Rio it is a reality. The Mexican sensation came into WWE with a lot of hype behind him, and he has performed well under the pressure.

His first few months in WWE were spent in various feuds before he won the Royal Rumble, making him the first person to win the event within their first year with the company.

Even though he has had a stall in his push as of late, the former Dos Caras is sure to be back on top eventually.

Zack Ryder

From Jobber to fan favorite,Zack Ryder has had one hell of a year. After his initial run as part of La Familia Ryder found himself in jobber hell.

That is until he created his own YouTube show which showcased his sense of humor and passion for the business.

Many people thought that doing this without the WWE's consent would hurt him, but it turned out to be the best thing for his career.

Now there is not a week that goes by where we do not get to see the Long Island native. Ryder's rise to fame over this last year has been both unique and inspiring because he proved you don't need help to get yourself over, just dedication.

Triple H

Even though he has only had a handful of matches this year, Triple H has had a great 12 months for many other reasons.

He went from being a wrestler to being a backstage executive who has quite a bit of pull in WWE's booking and creative angles.

There is speculation as to when Hunter will retire from the ring for good, but I would not be surprised if he never really retired.

Guys like Terry Funk keep coming back despite claiming they have retired, and Funk does not need the money, he is pretty well off.

Trips could be one of those guys who, like Vince, wrestles once in a great while in order to get someone else over.

Dolph Ziggler

What can I say about the rise of Dolph Ziggler that has not already been said ten thousand times before. He is one guy who WWE is looking to for their future.

He started the year facing world champions and it looks like he may start next year the same way.

Over the last year he has not only won a few titles, but he has been in several matches with WWE's top superstars, and every time he puts on a great show.

With the help of Vickie Dolph has become one of the best heels in WWE today, and he is only getting better week after week.

I am looking fro 2012 to be the year of the Zig Zag, but 2011 was a great year for him as well.

Cody Rhodes

An interesting gimmick, a win over Mysterio at WrestleMania and bringing back the classic IC title are just a few of the things which made this a great year for Cody Rhodes.

Rhodes is someone who I see having a long, successful career in WWE for many reason which have nothing to do with his family connections.

He is a way above average performer in the ring and we have seen him go from delivering standard rookie promos to having some of the best mic work on SmackDown.

His feud with Orton may have ended with Rhodes on the losing end, but it showed he can be in the ring with anyone and put on a great spectacle.

I am predicting that within 12 months from now Rhodes will have his first World Championship in WWE.

Randy Orton

Randy Orton is arguably the WWE's best asset right now. He is reliable, loyal, rarely injured and can deliver a promo on par with Randy Savage.

His transition from heel to face was in the works since Royal Rumble 2009 when he got a reaction bigger than any other babyface that night while playing a heel.

Orton went from being the number two guy on Raw to being the number one guy on SmackDown, and in the process he won a few more world titles to add to his growing list of accomplishments.

The best part about what has been going on with Orton this year has been his willingness to put other over. Right now he is helping Wade Barrett become relevant again, and I predict he will continue to help the young talent as the years go on.

Mark Henry

When you have to wait 15 years to gain your first world title the feeling has got to be so bittersweet a chocolate covered lemon would cringe and smile at the same time.

Henry has been in WWE for a long time, and he has always been a loyal, entertaining wrestler who works hard to keep improving.

When he first showed up in WWE I thought he was a lock for a WWE title since he was literally the World's Strongest Man at the time after having won the title in a contest.

Now Henry is on the biggest role of his life, having held the title longer than many in recent history.

Whether you like him or hate him you have to give the guy credit for sticking around as long as he did without much of a push for a long time.

He easily could have gone to TNA six years ago and been their world champion within hours of signing a contract, but he didn't, he kept his nose to the grind stone and eventually it paid off.

whether he wins or loses this Sunday Mark Henry has had the best year of his career in 2011.

Kelly Kelly

I didn't think it would be fair to make this list without including at least one Diva, and the first one which comes to mind is the impossibly beautiful Kelly Kelly.

She not only won her first Divas title this year after five years of toiling away, but she has also graced the cover of Maxim Magazine as well as several other publications.

Many people get down on Kelly for being a Diva who got by on her looks, and while that may have opened the door for her, I think she has worked hard enough to keep her spot.

When she is given enough time in a match which is not meant to be a squash she has moments of brilliance.

I think that even though Beth and Natalya are the current top Divas, Kelly has held her own in the land of WWE very well in 2011.

The Rock

How many people can say they have the drawing power of Dwayne Johnson when it comes to WWE? None, that's how many.

Despite my own feelings about Rock's WWE involvement these days you have to admit that he had a great year with them.

He managed to show up for maybe half a dozen events, wrestled on match and probably made more money than the bottom half of the roster combined in the process.

His time in WWE since returning patr time has been met with plenty of criticism, but there are just as many people who are excited to see him.

Whether or not he will have another match before or after the next WrestleMania remains to be seen, but one thing is for sure and that is that Rocky had a banner year in WWE.

That's All Folks

I decided to end this slideshow with a clip of one man who was released this year for what seemed like no reason at all. Kozlov was on such a roll at one point that WWE felt comfortable giving him a clean win over the Undertaker.

Now he is no longer a member of the WWE because creative booked him in such a terrible way that his monster heel status was reduced to a joke. I hope some day Kozlov comes back to WWE because he had so much untapped potential.

Well fellow WWE fans, there you have it, the eleven people who had the best year in WWE during 2011. Please feel free to share you thoughts below, and as always feel free to add you own suggestions to my list.

Since so many of you are up in arms about the people I left off the list I will give a few honorable mentions; John Cena, Christian, Kane, Sheamus and Edge.