WWE Person of the Year 2023 (Time Magazine criteria)

[Stu]

It's that time of year for you to all decide who is WWE's Person of the year. And like in previous years, we're following Time Magazine criteria.

That means we aren't just looking at the person who had the best year with the greatest achievements. Rather, we take into consideration the person who stood out the most for good or bad reasons.

Time explains it's “the person or persons who most affected the news and our lives, for good or ill, and embodied what was important about the year.” Historically, one of the most common examples is Adolf Hitler who was Man of the Year in 1938.

Below are results from previous years (I forgot to do it for 2021, so feel free to choose someone).

2022: officialfan.proboards.com/thread/624496/person-year-2022-magazine-criteria

2020: officialfan.proboards.com/thread/606279/person-year-2020-magazine-criteria

2019: officialfan.proboards.com/thread/595072/person-year-2019-magazine-criteria

2018: officialfan.proboards.com/thread/581128/wwes-2018-person-magazine-criteria

2017: officialfan.proboards.com/thread/567778/wwes-person-year-magazine-style

[ChitownKnight]

It’s gotta be CM Punk. He’s caused the most controversy, most talked about star in both companies and made returns in both AEW and WWE this year

[Cyno]

It has to be Vince McMahon because of the shit he did to get back into power, in spite of the odds against him, and engineered the sale of WWE to Endeavor and the merger with UFC, in the process apparently alienating his daughter. And then as soon as the merger was complete, he gets more and more sidelined by Triple H in creative and Emmanuel on the corporate side of things.

WWE could've been a season of Succession this year and Vince McMahon was the driving force behind it all.

Triple H would get my runner up vote. Booker of the Year Shawn Michaels would be third, but since he isn't on this list, Other gets my vote.

[fw91]

Triple H.

Feels like he has the whole ball now, and shifted all momentum to WWE through his bookings and signings.

[Confused Mark Wahlberg]

Other got held down by backstage politics and still succeeded, brother

[Slammy Award-Winning Cannibal]

Dec 4, 2023 14:35:34 GMT -5 fw91 said:

Triple H.

Feels like he has the whole ball now, and shifted all momentum to WWE through his bookings and signings.

My choice too.

If I had to go with purely recency bias, Punk. Otherwise the active talent I’d have to go with is Cody.

[BRV]

I said the following in 2020...

Quite honestly, every single year until he's in the ground, the award should go to Vince McMahon by default. When it comes to WWE, he is always the person who most affected the news, for good or ill, and embodied what was important about the year in the biggest wrestling company in the world.

Every single major wrestling news story in 2020 was filtered through the lens of how it either affected Vince McMahon or how Vince McMahon affected it. The delay in moving WrestleMania out of Raymond James Stadium and into an empty arena? That was viewed as Vince McMahon holding out for the almighty dollar over people's wellbeing. Wrestling being deemed an essential business in Florida and being able to continue on during the shutdown? That was viewed as Vince McMahon greasing palms with some government higher-ups. The outbreaks at the Performance Center? That was viewed as Vince McMahon (and his underlings) not taking the virus seriously enough. The Velveteen Dream situation? While more at the feet of Triple H, people still placed blame at Vince McMahon, because he calls the shots above all else. The controversy over wrestlers making money outside of the company via streaming services? That was viewed as Vince McMahon screwing over his talent. Lars Sullivan returning to the ring and getting prominent screen time? People argued Vince McMahon is giving second chances to a bigot. Zelina Vega being let go from the company and then Tweeting that she supports unions? That was viewed as the opening salvo of a direct battle with Vince McMahon.

Until he's no longer affiliated with WWE, Vince McMahon is the de facto WWE Person of the Year and there's no way to even argue it.

... and it still rings true three years later.

Vince McMahon's return and hostile takeover of the WWE board, the rumored Saudi sale, the actual TKO sale, WrestleMania Sunday, the Raw after WrestleMania, his sale of shares ... hell, even last week there was a fart joke on Raw and people instinctively assumed he was back in power.

As I've said before and I'll say again: Until he's no longer affiliated with WWE, Vince McMahon is the de facto WWE Person of the Year and there's no way to even argue it.

[Sponsored by Groose Wipes]

My 4 finalist would be Cody Rhodes, CM Punk, Triple H, or LA Knight.

[RI Richmark]

Cody Rhodes, Jey Uso and Rhea Ripley.