Diva Dirt presents the first annual Writers’ Choice Awards, the awards that celebrate the year in women’s wrestling, as decided by the editors and contributors of Diva Dirt. The Diva Dirt team has watched hundreds of episode of wrestling television this year, as well as hundreds of live events on DVD, additionally, we’ve followed a countless number of wrestlers over the year, and reviewed tons of matches. Now, as we come to the end of 2011, we have picked the best of the best to be awarded our Writers’ Choice blue ribbons.
PROMOTION OF THE YEAR
Women Superstars Uncensored (WSU)
Perhaps no company has seen as much growth in 2011 as WSU. From simply presenting live events in New Jersey to presenting buzzy Internet pay per views throughout the year, bringing in big names, and capturing the attention of women’s wrestling fans around the world with intriguing characters and matches, 2011 was a standout year for WSU. And to cap an already banner year, the majority of the Diva Dirt writers have voted WSU as the Promotion of the Year, beating out competition from the likes of WWE and its Divas division, Impact Wrestling and its Knockouts division, as well as SHIMMER, NCW Femmes Fatales and Pro-Wrestling: EVE.
This year, WSU managed to capture the right balance between independent wrestling fans and fans of WWE television, bringing in former WWE stars like Melina and Jillian Hall, while also pushing its own stars such as World Champion Mercedes Martinez, Jessicka Havok, Brittney Savage, Lexxus and more. This delicate balance helped bring WSU to even wider attention, attracting casual fans of the WWE Divas, for example, while continuing to appeal to fans of the hard-hitting independent stars.
The company also became that much more accessible in 2011, joining the age of the Internet pay per view by producing four solid shows, featuring some incredible matches including the Mercedes Martinez vs Angel Orsini ladder match in January, the War Games match in November and more. Moving into the era of the iPPV, WSU joined the ranks of ROH and DGUSA, staying ahead of the curve in comparison to its competitors, while also giving fans worldwide unique all-female pay per views, a testament to the progress that female wrestling has made.
Perhaps WSU’s biggest appeal in 2011, however, was its characters and storylines. The intrigue factor in the feud between the Midwest Militia and Team WSU going into the November Internet pay per view was an all-time high for the company. Characters such as Jessicka Havok, a standout this year, only added to the product. Meanwhile, storylines including Havok’s feud with Alicia and the break-up of the Belle Saints made fans, including the Diva Dirt staff, that much more invested. WSU has managed to cultivate several interesting characters and storylines, something that is difficult to do without weekly television shows at your disposal, but as proven by WSU, is not impossible.
2011 has been the year of WSU.
Continue to the next page for the next award…
