The relationship between WWE and ESPN has always been a bit of an odd one, partly because of the complex relationship that’s always existed between sports and pro wrestling. While wrestlers (or, if you prefer, Superstars) are athletes, the matches they take part in have predetermined outcomes, unlike “legitimate” sports. Whereas football, basketball, and even MMA are about proving who’s the best at what they do, pro wrestling is about telling stories and creating moments. ESPN has made an interesting move to accommodate that difference by creating a new award for the ESPYS, just for WWE.
Best WWE Moment is so exactly the kind of award that WWE would want to exist, and indeed it’s likely that they had some input into how ESPN named and framed it. From WWE.com, here are this years nominees:
- Roman Reigns’ triumphant return to Monday Night RAW
- Becky Lynch wins both RAW and SmackDown Women’s Championships at WrestleMania 35
- Kofi Kingston wins first WWE Championship at WrestleMania 35
- Ronda Rousey captures her first WWE Women’s Championship at SummerSlam
I’ll be honest, I have no memory of the actual moment when Ronda won her title, but it makes sense that they’d include her for star power’s sake, and the other three make perfect sense. Of course, if it was “Best Pro Wrestling Moment,” Jon Moxley at Double Or Nothing would be a contender as well, but that gets back to the mutual friendliness between WWE and ESPN. Voting for the award is open to the public and has already begun, so go pick your favorite moment now.
