Wrestling review of the year

THE WRESTLING world witnessed a number of highs and some tragic lows over the last 12 months. The Rock returned to WWE and recaptured the magic that made him such a huge superstar in the mid 1990s. TNA provided stiff competition to WWE with a few impressive pay-per-view shows, with Destination X and Bound For Glory two highlights. And fans said goodbye to legendary wrestler Randy 'Macho Man' Savage, who died of a heart attack in May. Here, SunSport's wrestling experts ROB McNICHOL and PHIL ALLELY look back on an incredible year of grappling action. JANUARY WWE: ALBERTO DEL RIO wins the first ever 40-man Royal Rumble match, while Edge and The Miz retain their titles elsewhere on the card. The Nexus, now led by CM Punk, splits into two factions, with Wade Barrett now leading 'The Corre' as a rival group. TNA: THE year kicks off with the crowning of a new champion in Mr Anderson at Genesis. The heavily hyped return of the Main Event Mafia receives a body blow as key members Kevin Nash and Booker T resurfaced in the WWE. This month also sees Eric Bischoff gain more backstage clout than ever. FEBRUARY WWE: VINCE McMAHON announces a very special Guest Host for Wrestlemania – which turns out to be The Rock. Rocky cuts an amazing promo, including addressing shots John Cena took at him on SunSport's Wrestlecast. The following week, after a series of mysterious vignettes which many thought were for Sting, The Undertaker makes his return. Within seconds of his entrance Triple H emerges to confront Taker, and their match for Wrestlemania is set. The Elimination Chamber is surprisingly good, with the Smackdown feature match a particular highlight. Edge & Miz retain again, while Cena earns a number one contendership spot. TNA: AFTER a short break from UK TV, TNA signs a new deal with cable channel Challenge and begins to rack up record viewing figures for their Impact shows and Pay-Per-Views. Jeff Hardy wins the world title from Anderson at the Against All Odds event. MARCH WWE: FEUDS emerge for Wrestlemania season including Randy Orton v CM Punk, Jerry Lawler v Michael Cole and Cody Rhodes v Rey Mysterio. Jersey Shore's Snooki makes a guest appearance which leads to her being part of a Wrestlemania match also involving Trish Stratus, John Morrison, Dolph Ziggler and Lay-Cool. TNA: STING reappears on Impact and swiftly beats Hardy for the gold, while Hulk Hogan also comes back on the scene. Later in the month, Hardy is unceremoniously written off TV in 88 seconds at Victory Road after turning up for duty in an unfit state. APRIL WWE: THE MIZ beats John Cena in the Wrestlemania main event, with help from The Rock. Edge retains from Alberto Del Rio, while Undertaker maintains his unbeaten streak against Triple H. Randy Orton against CM Punk is an undercard gem, but overall the show falls short of expectations. The night after Wrestlemania 27, WWE books John Cena against The Rock for the main event next year. Edge is forced to legitimately retire due to a neck injury. His 'Mania encounter with Del Rio proves to be his last match. R-Truth turns heel after attacking tag team partner John Morrison. Mexican superstar Sin Cara makes his debut. TNA: LOCKDOWN is the event to see this month, but the all cage match affair proves a mixed bag. Disappointing efforts from the likes of Mickie James and Madison Rayne are low points on the card. But surprisingly enjoyable matches like the Lethal Lockdown bloodbath including Ric Flair, Hogan, Bischoff and others wows fans. MAY WWE: EXTREME RULES sees John Cena and Christian both win world titles, though Christian drops his strap to Randy Orton five days later. Michelle McCool loses to Layla in a retirement match, and is attacked post-match by the debuting Kharma, formerly Awesome Kong. The Over the Limit PPV is largely uneventful, but Alex Riley turns face after being 'fired' by The Miz the following evening. Wrestling loses another legend when Randy "Macho Man" Savage dies after suffering a heart attack at the age of 58. Numerous tributes are paid to one of the industry's true greats. TNA: DIXIE CARTER rebrands her company Impact Wrestling in an attempt to streamline its product. Former WWE Diva and Playboy cover star Chyyna returns to wrestling for a one-off match alongside Kurt Angle as they face Jeff and Karen Jarrett at Sacrifice. JUNE WWE: CAPITOL PUNISHMENT is poorly received with Cena and Orton retaining world titles. The shows starts reasonably well but the main event of Cena v R-Truth is a let-down. On June 27 CM Punk, after interfering in a Cena match and causing him to lose, cuts a critically acclaimed promo which has many believing he had broken script. In reality he hasn't, but the promo goes down as one of the greatest ever. Andy Leavine is named winner of Tough Enough, but would not debut on TV in 2011. TNA: THE mid-year highlights are the loss of Desmond Wolfe and Mick Foley from TNA programming and Mr Anderson raising his second world title at Slammiversary. JULY WWE: MONEY IN THE BANK is arguably the greatest pay-per-view of the last decade, with Punk & Cena's main event earning the first 5-star rating from the Wrestling Observer in WWE since 1997. Punk wins the main event and 'leaves' WWE. Daniel Bryan and Alberto Del Rio win Money in the Bank matches, while Christian wins the world title from Randy Orton. In storyline, Triple H returns to inform Vince McMahon that he is relieved of his duties as chairman, and that Hunter himself will be taking over at Chief Operating Officer. TNA: THE company brings back its most innovative structure — the six-sided ring — for a one-off event. Destination X proves to be a great showcase for the company's mid-card highflyers and home-grown originals, alongside specially booked former TNA stars. AUGUST WWE: CM PUNK faces John Cena in a rematch — with Triple H as referee — in the main event at Summerslam. Punk wins in controversial circumstances and is powerbombed by a returning Kevin Nash after the bout. Alberto Del Rio then cashes in his briefcase to win the WWE title. Sin Cara fails a Wellness Policy test and is suspended for 30 days. An 'imposter' takes his place to continue a storyline. TNA: HARDCORE JUSTICE proves to be a slightly inferior event after the original's success — which was an ECW reunion of sorts. Later in the month, Sting loses the world title to Kurt Angle and the UK's Winter wins her first Knockouts championship. SEPTEMBER WWE: MARK HENRY and John Cena win world titles at Night of Champions. The show is headlined by Triple H taking on CM Punk, which HHH wins, retaining his position as COO. Miz and R-Truth are fired in a storyline by Triple H. TNA: A BLACK month for UK fans as a technical hitch sees them miss out on the No Surrender main event between Kurt Angle, Sting and Mr Anderson for the TNA world heavyweight crown. Hogan's feud with Sting begins to build momentum. OCTOBER WWE: TRIPLE H is replaced as the head of the Raw brand by John Laurinitis. R-Truth and The Miz are reinstated. Heath Slater fails a Wellness Policy test. Alberto Del Rio claims his second WWE title after winning a triple threat Hell in a Cell match involving John Cena and CM Punk. Big Show and Mark Henry 'break' the ring in a rehash of a similar incident involving Show and Lesnar in 2003. TNA: FLAGSHIP pay-per-view PPV Bound For Glory proves a hugely exciting and well received event. Hulk Hogan returns to the ring after a two-year break to resurrect Hulkamania once more after losing his match against Sting. Robert Roode sees his title dreams put on hold, coming up short in his challenge for Angle's belt. Gail Kim turns heel and returns to the company, while Velvet Sky wins her first TNA singles belt and James Storm shockingly takes the TNA heavyweight strap from Angle in a short Impact main event. NOVEMBER WWE: EVAN BOURNE is suspended for a Wellness Policy violation and is later followed by R-Truth. At Survivor Series, The Rock makes his first in-ring appearance for over seven years, teaming with John Cena to beat R-Truth and The Miz. CM Punk wins the WWE title from Alberto Del Rio.WWE announces that a WWE channel will launch in the US in April 2012. John Morrison's contract expires and he leaves the company. TNA: BOBBY ROODE turns heel on former Beer Money partner James Storm and defeats him for the world title on Impact. He then goes on to successfully battle AJ Styles in a title defence at Turning Point. Gail Kim completes the double by pinning Velvet Sky to nab herself the Knockouts title to hold alongside her recently won Knockouts tag belt, with Madison Rayne. DECEMBER WWE: DANIEL BRYAN cashes in Money in the Bank on Big Show after the Giant had beaten Mark Henry at TLC. Zack Ryder defeats Dolph Ziggler to start his first US title reign. Kane returns, complete with mask, and attacks John Cena. TNA: THE year ends favourably with a well-received Final Resolution and Roode establishes himself as the company's top heel. Jeff and Karen Jarrett leave TNA and Jeff Hardy continues his ascent to the world title frame. TNA also see their Indian project get off the ground with a bang.  THE SUN .