This weekend, all eyes once again turn to Hollywood, where a gaggle of the industry’s brightest stars will gather to celebrate the craft of acting and to congratulate themselves over the course of the four-hour spectacle known as The Academy Awards.
There will be dresses and jewelry worn that are worth more than the GDP of small island nations, and speeches that will drag on for far too long, detailing the struggle of being beautiful and talented and rich in a world that just wants to love them. There will be (faux) gracious winners, thanking the “other talented people” in their category who didn’t win, and there will be (faux) gracious losers, doing their best to grin and bear it while the camera is focused upon them.
And, of course, pretentiousness will be par for the course.
At WWE, however, we don’t believe in pretension. But we do recognize acting ability, and we’re certainly not above giving credit where credit is due. So for the first time ever, WWE.com has decided to hand out awards in the Best WWE Actor and Best WWE Actress categories.
It was tough narrowing down the field for these prestigious awards, but after many intra-office discussions (read: fights) and interviews with a bevy of Superstars and Divas, we’re confident that, just like the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, we’ve done our due diligence to represent the vast array of talent under consideration.
And so, without further ado, WWE.com presents the first-ever Best WWE Actor and Best WWE Actress winners ...
Was there ever any doubt that AJ Lee would win WWE.com’s Best Actress Award? After all, the 2012 Slammy Award winner for Diva of the Year has displayed an incredible range of emotions — or personalities — as she’s morphed from geeky, girl-next-door goddess to emotionally disturbed ex-girlfriend to serial-dating siren to the conceited current squeeze of Dolph Zigger — or “Ziggy,” as she calls him. ( AJ LEE PHOTOS)
If any member of the WWE Universe doubts AJ’s acting range, just look at the assortment of “leading men” who she has locked lips with. ( FULL STORY) When news of the Best Actress Award broke, AJ’s fellow Diva Natalya singled out that throng of ex-boyfriends. “She plays the role of an innocent victim with Daniel Bryan and the next minute she's a vixen in several romantic relationships with the likes of CM Punk, John Cena, Kane and now Dolph Ziggler!” “The Queen of Harts” proclaimed. “She would be very convincing in court — but I don't think any jury would buy that she’s in love with any of these men! That’s why they save performances like hers for the movies!”
Although Titus O’Neil of The Prime Time Players was supportive of AJ’s win, saying — “She has done a fabulous job of successfully portraying several roles and characters over the past year. Hard to argue this choice for Best Actress” — others agreed with Natalya, respecting AJ’s preternatural acting talent but remaining skeptical of her true motivations.
“I’m just not sure which AJ won,” WWE referee Scott Armstrong said. “Aren’t there like 30 people living inside that pretty little head?” Commentator Tony Dawson was even more frank in his assessment, “Like many talented actresses, AJ Lee has the unique ability to channel adversity in her personal life into brilliant performances. She's also stunningly attractive. And crazy. Literally insane.”
Hopefully AJ doesn’t see Dawson’s comments, as those are definitely “no-no words,” not only for AJ, but also for her massive — and overprotective — friend Big E Langston. The muscle-bound NXT transplant — like Ziggler — appears to be the most recent in AJ’s long line of “co-stars.” No matter who she’s with or what happens, AJ manages to influence people and twist the circumstances to her advantage. If that’s not acting, what is? Natalya summarized AJ’s “gift,” stating, “AJ takes the award for Best Actress based on her ability to manipulate any situation, good or bad.” ( WATCH AJ’S ACTING REEL)
AJ had her own thoughts on the win, which was a surprise to her. “I didn’t even know I was nominated,” the beautiful Diva exclaimed. “Is there some sort of reward that goes along with this, like a Slammy? I already have two Slammys and I could add it to …”
When she was informed of some of her colleagues’ cynical comments, however, she quickly grew more agitated. “Does that mean people don’t think I’m genuine, that I’m not 100 percent honest?” she demanded. “Because I am nothing but honest and genuine and true to who I am. If anyone doubts that, then I don’t really care. I don’t care what anyone thinks … but I will take this Best Actress Award if it is gold and shiny.”
AJ, take a bow …
A great actor plays with the audience’s emotions, bending them to his will and making them believe every word he utters. But it’s also been said that actors are good liars. What, then, does that make Paul Heyman?
Well, according to a number of Superstars, Divas and referees, it makes the former head honcho of ECW one hell of an actor.
While there was certainly some stiff competition in the category for Best WWE Actor, we’d be fooling ourselves if we said Paul Heyman wasn’t our unanimous choice, right from the get-go. Over the years — and especially recently — Heyman has displayed some of the best theatrical chops in the business in an attempt to put himself in the most beneficial situations possible. ( WATCH HEYMAN’S ACTING REEL)
And our choice met with little resistance from those that know Heyman best. Longtime associate and former ECW announcer Joey Styles told WWE.com, “Jim Cornette once said Paul Heyman would rather climb a tree and tell a lie than stand on the ground and tell the truth.” Styles added, “I have never seen nor do I ever expect to see Paul climb a tree, but I do think it would make for great TV.”
While there was also a disproportionate amount of cheap shots flung Heyman’s way by those we interviewed, there was also a surprising amount of praise. Actually, “brilliant” is a word that came up more than once. Of course, there was usually a qualifier thrown in there, as well. “Paul Heyman is an evil genius,” Natalya told WWE.com. “And I emphasize the word ‘genius.’ He can roll with the best villains and not bat an eye. When he needs to, he can feign affection and squeeze out a tear. He knows these mannerisms well because it’s all about survival for Paul.”
It’s this instinct for survival that has led Heyman to admit to not always telling the truth, and cop to the fact that he manipulates people and situations in an attempt to directly benefit himself. “On [the Jan. 28 episode of] Raw, Paul confessed he has lied in the past and still lies because he is a wrestling promoter and that’s what wrestling promoters do,” Styles said.
WWE Active announcer Tony Dawson chimed in, saying, “Paul Heyman is to WWE what Marlon Brando was to Hollywood. He is the standard by which all others are measured. I will never forget his exchange with Mr. McMahon when he confessed to lying every single day to make it in this business. It was raw, powerful and absolutely brilliant.”
Titus O’Neil agrees, telling WWE.com that Heyman is a “phenomenal actor,” while Natalya added, “[Heyman] could sell snow to an Eskimo, and the award for Best WWE Actor would definitely go to Paul!”
Styles summed it all up quite nicely, saying, “If taking liberties with the truth — such as him not having a business relationship with Brad Maddox and The Shield — is considered acting, then Paul is indeed WWE’s best actor and I hope he gets the opportunity to give an acceptance speech because he has more microphone mastery than anyone else in WWE today.”
Well, Styles gets his wish, as Heyman did, in fact, respond to winning this WWE.com award.
“I would say something like ‘I’d like to thank the academy,’ ” Heyman told WWE.com. “But truth be told — and yes, I can indeed tell the truth — it’s about time WWE recognized my accomplishments, and I accept this award, with great humility, as the beginning of an apology from not only WWE the global corporation, but also from The Chairman himself, Vincent Kennedy McMahon!”