Readers and Staff Agree. 2011's Wrestler of the Year is...

He redefined the wrestling business for most of the year and, at the end of it, he redefined "blowout". Never before had a star won this vote by such a wide margin. In fact, had it not been for a last minute vote, the staff would have chosen him unanimously. You know who it is already and now, we're all in his Society. Need proof? Read all these....

2011's Wrestler of the Year is...

C.M. Punk

Readers
2nd Place: Mark Henry
3rd Place: Alberto Del Rio

Staff
2nd Place: Davey Richards
3rd Place: (None)

Reader Comments:

"Nobody had a year like CM Punk. He went from being one of the best heel acts in the company for the first half of the year to one of the most beloved for the second half. CM Punk single handedly turned the entire wrestling world upside down in June and was consistently been the best thing going on during most every show, even during his time with The New Nexus BEFORE they cut his mic every week. " - Rob Rose

"This was the year of Punk, hands down. He out-talked and (in my opinion) out-wrestled everyone else in the business, and came the closest of anyone I have ever scene to bringing back the passion of the late 90's WWE fanbase. Best in the World. " - Jeffrey W. Posson

"No one had a year quite like Punk. He was weeks away from leaving the company and in the span of two months made WWE interesting (at least for a little while). For him to close out the year as champion is a testament to his hard work compared to his peers. " - Trace Armstrong

" Really it couldn't be anybody else, could it? A man who has defined the main event picture since he delivered his game-changing speech in June. They've tried to drop the ball several times with him since then, but Punk has never let bad creative decisions stop his ascent. I hope that in years to come we look back at 2011 and say "that's when the change started. " - Mark in London

" It's obvious really. CM Punk has managed to recapture some of the glory days of wrestling in the late 90s with clever, intriguing promos while also being one of the best in-ring talents of any company. He's a guy who when he says the Best in the World you really have to try hard to argue against it. His only flaw is that he's perhaps catering too much to the smarks, but he is the perfect counter to the casual champions like Randy Orton and John Cena. " - Peter Dawson

" Nobody did more this year then C.M. Punk. The guy went from being a midcard guy and the leader of the new Nexus to the number 2 guy on Raw. " - Martin Rioux

" In a very "meh" year of sports entertainment, CM Punk was the only person that really stood out. Besides, I think he's the only one that actually calls himself a wrestler these days. " - Victor Bast

" No question. This man made WWE wrestling exciting again. For a few months. Until WWE totally effed up the whole angle. But still his June 27th promo and its fallout made for the best WWE television in the last seven or more years. " - Justin Ballard

"It was the Year of Punk. He started out in a terrible position leading the New Nexus and pretty much stole the spotlight the night he shot on the WWE and when he won the WWE Championship in Chicago in front of a crowd that loved him. Sure he had a misstep when Triple H got involved in the program but he finished the year strong winning the Championship again in New York City at Survivor Series. I was there that night and Punk was OVER. " - Brian Hart

" Nobody had a bigger impact on wrestling this year, simple as that. He brought life to Nexus at the start of the year, had a great showing at the Rumble, had some great matches with Orton, and then he had one of the best runs in recent memory in any promotion. That promo will go down in history as one of the best “shoots” of all time, and everything he did from that point on was simply awesome. Great year and a well deserved nickname of “Best in the World.” Looking forward to a feud with Jericho in 2012. "
- Zack Levine

Staff Comments:

"Has to be Punk. Sure he has lost a Ton of steam to close out the year but he had one of the most incredibly hot runs we have seen in YEARS. The entire “Summer of Punk” was solid gold until he left the company to come back two weeks later and everything crashed and burned. But before that, no one was better. Plus, he is still a main event level talent and apparently is going to start being used better. He made himself a full fledged main event act as opposed to the part time main event act he was . " - Matt Dawgs

"I don't see how anyone else even qualifies for the honor. Not only were his matches frequently the best on the card, but Punk also managed to create excitement in a business that's mostly devoid of it these days. Forget whether Punk's "shoot interview" was legit or not; for a few brief weeks in 2011, he made us excited to be fans again. Will CM Punk become a household name along the lines of Hulk Hogan, Stone Cold or John Cena? It will be an uphill battle (and that's putting it mildly). And yet, he's still our best hope." - Canadian Bulldog

" Quite simply because he is the "Best in the World" right now. " - RD Lee

" Okay, lets just make this simple and say I’m completely biased toward CM Punk. It’s not the fact he made me a fan with his powerful soliloquies about his Straight Edge lifestyle and how Raven screwed up his life due to vices Punk would never taint his body with. It’s not because he and Samoa Joe delivered the greatest match in ROH history according to the “ ROHbot Milestone Series”. It’s not even due to my ex-girlfriend believing I have a man-crush on him (I don’t, by the way). The reason CM Punk is Wrestler of the Year is the same reason he’s one of best going today - he’s entertaining. In a lot of ways, Punk is everything a wrestler should and would want to be.
This big difference between 2011 and every other year Punk’s been in WWE is this year WWE finally gave Punk the ball. And so far, Punk has easily gone the distance. Even when they screwed up his feud with Triple H, Punk kept his composure and didn’t miss a beat. Probably the biggest reason Punk deserves to be Wrestler of the Year is his leadership mentality. Like Brickhouse Brown said about Mick Foley, you can tell that CM Punk is having fun in that ring. Punk’s enjoyment of what he does makes us enjoy his work. Punk wants to make WWE fun and relevant again, and he’s doing a bang up job thus far by making us feel his excitement.
CM Punk helped turn a corner for WWE this year thanks to a barrage of great promos, wonderful matches, and just an enthusiasm to make things better starting with himself. For the first time, CM Punk is no longer a seasonal champion for WWE. Forget the “Summer of Punk.” It’s been long overdue, but Punk is finally legitimate top brass in WWE. They don’t call him the “Best in the World” for nothing (Sorry, Daniel Bryan). " - James Bullock

"No other wrestler this year has been more talked about and performed to a consistently high level than CM Punk. From being the leader of Nexus in the first half of the year and then the Maestro of the Pipebomb in the second half of the year, flitting between the most hated bad guy and one of the most loved (certainly online) good guys. CM Punk had taken the mantle of "Best In The World" from Chris Jericho, and while Jericho may or may not be back soon to try and reclaim this, this year at least CM Punk has deserved it. " - Aaron Wood

" Straight Edge means he's better than me. It also means there's more drugs, alcohol, and cigarettes for me too. Double bonus, bitches!" - Uncle Ralph

" If there was anyone who took this year and owned it, it was Punk. He saw an opportunity to get a sweetheart deal for himself, took it, became the biggest star in wrestling for at least a month, and became a hero to many fans who have been outright bored by WWE's status quo. Sure, a few weeks later, it was all shot dead, but for a few minutes, Punk was the best possible thing going in 2011, and no one, NO ONE has been able to replicate it or top it."- Mike Johns

" I think I’m going to have to vote CM Punk. It’s really not me being on his bandwagon for years either. I see it as a toss-up between Punk and Cena. If someone else wins color me shocked. The only reason I am putting Punk over Cena is the first portion of the year. Did “New Nexus” stumble and fail? Yeah. But Punk from the Rumble through Mania was hitting on all cylinders which led to Money in the Bank. More than anything Cena lost it with the Mania main event. Miz and Cena have a really good connection but that match just went completely flat. I haven’t seen Punk go through a PPV match that just went flat throughout." - Corey Letson

" I can't imagine any other wrestler having the type of year that Punk had. From the mid-card to leaving the company to being given an opportunity that most of his fans had been waiting for his entire career (i.e. "that promo"). Once that promo ended, the world would change forever for CM Punk. From multiple title reigns to multiple interviews all over the world, CM Punk is now "the man" in WWE and had the best year of any wrestler in 2011. " - ZAH

Check Back after the New Year for The 2011 Moment of Insanity!