The Slammy Awards is a concept used by

WWE World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc., d/b/a as WWE, is an American professional wrestling promotion. A global integrated media and entertainment company, WWE has also branched out into other fields, including film, American football, and vari ...

, where awards, similar to the

Academy An academy (Attic Greek: Ἀκαδήμεια; Koine Greek Ἀκαδημία) is an institution of secondary or tertiary higher learning (and generally also research or honorary membership). The name traces back to Plato's school of philosop ...

and

Grammy Award The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pr ...

s, are given to

professional wrestler Professional wrestling is a form of theater that revolves around staged wrestling matches. The mock combat is performed in a ring similar to the kind used in boxing, and the dramatic aspects of pro wrestling may be performed both in the ring o ...

s and other individuals within WWE, such as commentators and

managers Management (or managing) is the administration of an organization, whether it is a business, a nonprofit organization, or a government body. It is the art and science of managing resources of the business. Management includes the activities o ...

. Introduced in 1986, there have been 13 editions of the concept. The awards are a mixture of "serious" and "

tongue-in-cheek The idiom tongue-in-cheek refers to a humorous or sarcastic statement expressed in a serious manner. History The phrase originally expressed contempt, but by 1842 had acquired its modern meaning. Early users of the phrase include Sir Walter Scot ...

". Winners of the award receive a statuette that depicts one wrestler holding another over his head. The awards were discontinued after 2015. The same year, the NXT brand debuted its own exclusive awards, the NXT Year-End Awards (also rewarding the

NXT UK ''NXT UK'' is a professional wrestling television programme that was produced exclusively in the United Kingdom by the American promotion WWE. It aired on BT Sport and 5Action (previously known as Paramount Network). In the United States, th ...

brand since 2019), with wrestlers from Raw and SmackDown being instead rewarded by the WWE Year-End Award in 2018 and 2019. In 2020, it was announced that WWE would be reviving the Slammy Awards for their Raw and

SmackDown ''WWE SmackDown'', also known as ''Friday Night SmackDown'' or simply ''SmackDown'', is an American professional wrestling television program produced by WWE that as of currently airs live every Friday at 8 p.m. ET on Fox. Fox Deportes sim ...

brands, with the winners announced live on the

WWE Network WWE Network is a subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service and digital television Digital television (DTV) is the transmission of television signals using digital encoding, in contrast to the earlier analog television t ...

. The ceremony aired on December 23, 2020. Shawn Michaels and

The Undertaker Mark William Calaway (born March 24, 1965), better known by the ring name The Undertaker, is an American retired professional wrestler. Widely regarded as one of the greatest professional wrestlers of all time, Calaway spent the vast majorit ...

hold the record for the most Slammy Awards won by a WWE superstar at fifteen each.

Versions

1986 Slammy Awards

The Slammy Awards was initially conceived to commemorate the release of ''

The Wrestling Album ''The Wrestling Album'' is the debut soundtrack album released by the World Wrestling Federation (WWF, now WWE) on November 9, 1985, at the height of the Rock 'n' Wrestling Connection era. It featured mostly theme music of wrestlers on the roste ...

'', a music album featuring various

s from the

World Wrestling Federation World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc., d/b/a as WWE, is an American professional wrestling promotion. A global integrated media and entertainment company, WWE has also branched out into other fields, including film, American football, and var ...

(WWF, now known as WWE). The ceremony took place on March 1, 1986, from the

Civic Center A civic center or civic centre is a prominent land area within a community that is constructed to be its focal point or center. It usually contains one or more dominant public buildings, which may also include a government building. Recently, the ...

Baltimore Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the List of municipalities in Maryland, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, and List of United States cities by popula ...

, and aired live on MTV.

Martha Quinn Martha Conrad Quinn (born May 11, 1959) is an American actress and radio and television personality, best known as one of the original video jockeys on MTV (along with Nina Blackwood, Mark Goodman, Alan Hunter, and J. J. Jackson). Early life ...

served as an interviewer.

Gene Okerlund Eugene Arthur Okerlund (December 19, 1942 – January 2, 2019), better known by his ring name "Mean Gene" Okerlund, was an American professional wrestling interviewer, announcer and television host. He was best known for his work in the World Wre ...

, Jimmy Hart,

Hillbilly Jim James Morris (born July 5, 1952) is an American retired professional wrestler and current radio host, better known by his ring name, Hillbilly Jim. He is best known for his appearances with the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) from 1984 to 1991, ...

, and

Junkyard Dog Sylvester Ritter (December 13, 1952 – June 1, 1998) was an American professional wrestler and college football player, best known for his work in Mid-South Wrestling and the World Wrestling Federation as the Junkyard Dog (or JYD), a nickname ...

performed their songs from the album. Winners are listed first, highlighted in boldface.

1987 Slammy Awards

The Slammy Awards returned a year later, now honoring the events and individuals involved within the

professional wrestling Professional wrestling is a form of theater that revolves around staged wrestling matches. The mock combat is performed in a ring similar to the kind used in boxing, and the dramatic aspects of pro wrestling may be performed both in the ring or ...

aspect of the World Wrestling Federation. The second edition of the ceremony (referred to in commercials and on-air as the 37th annual Slammy Awards) took place on December 16, 1987, from Caesars Atlantic City in Atlantic City, New Jersey. It aired in syndication on December 19, 1987. The ceremony was hosted by

Jesse Ventura Jesse Ventura (born James George Janos; July 15, 1951) is an American politician, actor, and retired professional wrestler. After achieving fame in the World Wrestling Federation (WWF), he served as the 38th governor of Minnesota from 1999 to 2 ...

and

. Musical numbers were performed by

Vince McMahon Vincent Kennedy McMahon (; born August 24, 1945) is an American media proprietor and retired professional wrestling promoter, executive, and performer. From 1982 to 2022, he served as the chairman and chief executive officer (CEO) of WWE, the ...

(singing the song "Stand Back") and Jimmy Hart (singing "Girls in Cars"), with the entire WWF roster performing "If You Only Knew" as the show's closing number. Winners are listed first, highlighted in boldface.

1994 Slammy Awards

Dormant for years, the Slammy Awards returned on a special edition of ''

WWF Mania ''WWF Mania'' is a professional wrestling television program that was produced by the World Wrestling Federation (WWF). It aired on Saturday mornings on the USA Network between 1993 and 1996 and summarized the weekly events in WWF programming. In ...

'' which aired on December 31, 1994.

Todd Pettengill Todd Clark Pettengill (born April 18, 1966) is a former American radio disc jockey who most recently worked for WPLJ 95.5 in the New York area. From 1993 to 1997, he also served as an on-screen backstage interviewer for the World Wrestling Federa ...

and Stephanie Wiand presented the awards from the WWF television studios. Winners are listed first, highlighted in boldface.

1996 Slammy Awards

The fourth edition of the Slammy Awards took place on March 30, 1996, from the Anaheim Marriott in

Anaheim, California Anaheim ( ) is a city in northern Orange County, California, part of the Los Angeles metropolitan area. As of the 2020 United States Census, the city had a population of 346,824, making it the most populous city in Orange County, the 10th-most ...

. It aired live on

USA Network USA Network (simply USA) is an American basic cable television channel owned by the NBCUniversal Television and Streaming division of Comcast's NBCUniversal through NBCUniversal Cable Entertainment. It was originally launched in 1977 as Madison ...

, and was hosted by

. Winners are listed first, highlighted in boldface.

1997 Slammy Awards

The fifth edition of the Slammy Awards took place on March 21, 1997, from the

Westin Hotel Westin Hotels & Resorts is an American upscale hotel chain owned by Marriott International. , the Westin Brand has 226 properties with 82,608 rooms in multiple countries in addition to 58 hotels with 15,741 rooms in the pipeline. History Wester ...

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

. It aired live on USA Network, and there was two celebrity presenters were

Cindy Margolis Cynthia Dawn Margolis (born October 1, 1965) is an American glamour spokesmodel and actress. Personal life Margolis was born in Los Angeles, California, the daughter of Karyn O. (née Cleere) and William C. Margolis. According to an intervi ...

and

Walter Payton Walter Jerry Payton (July 25, 1953Although most sources at the time of his death gave Payton's birth year as 1954, reliable sources subsequently state he was born in 1953. – November 1, 1999) was an American football running back who played ...

Winners are listed first, highlighted in boldface.

2008 Slammy Awards

The Slammy Awards were brought back in 2008 as part of a strategy to air more "special episodes" of ''

WWE Raw ''WWE Raw'', also known as ''Monday Night Raw'' or simply ''Raw'', is an American professional wrestling television program produced by WWE that currently airs live every Monday at 8 p.m. ET on the USA Network in the United States. The show fe ...

'' and revive the brand as well as boost ratings. The event took place on December 8, 2008, from the Wachovia Center in

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania#Municipalities, largest city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the List of United States cities by population, sixth-largest city i ...

. Certain awards were also presented on WWE's website. Winners are listed first, highlighted in boldface.

2009 Slammy Awards

The event took place on December 14, 2009, from the American Bank Center in Corpus Christi, Texas. It was hosted by

Dennis Miller Dennis Michael Miller (born November 3, 1953) is an American talk show host, political commentator, sports commentator, actor, and comedian. He was a cast member of ''Saturday Night Live'' from 1985 to 1991, and he subsequently hosted a stri ...

. The "Diva of the Year" award was decided by a fan vote, with votes cast through WWE's website. Winners are listed first, highlighted in boldface.

2010 Slammy Awards

The event took place on December 13, 2010, from the

New Orleans Arena Smoothie King Center (locally referred to as SKC) is a multi-purpose indoor arena in New Orleans, Louisiana. It is located in the city's Central Business District, adjacent to Caesars Superdome. The arena opened in 1999 as New Orleans Arena a ...

New Orleans New Orleans ( , ,New Orleans

. The awards were presented on '' Raw'', with "supplemental" awards given on WWE's website. The "Superstar of the Year" award was decided by a fan vote, which were cast through WWE's website. Winners are listed first, highlighted in boldface.

2011 Slammy Awards

The event took place on December 12, 2011, from the

Norfolk Scope Norfolk Scope is a multi-function complex in Norfolk, Virginia, comprising an 11,000-person arena, a 2,500-person theater known as Chrysler Hall, a exhibition hall and a 600-car parking garage. The arena was designed by Italian architect/engin ...

in Norfolk, Virginia. The awards were presented on '' Raw'', with additional awards given on WWE's website. The "Superstar of the Year" award was decided by a fan vote, which were cast through WWE's website. Winners are listed first, highlighted in boldface.

2012 Slammy Awards

The event took place on December 17, 2012, from the Wells Fargo Center in

. Awards were presented on '' Raw'', on WWE's website, and on the TLC: Tables, Ladders & Chairs pre-show the day before. Votes for several categories were cast through the WWE App during the live broadcast; over 583,000 votes were tallied. Winners are listed first, highlighted in boldface.

2013 Slammy Awards

This event took place on December 9, 2013, from the

KeyArena Climate Pledge Arena is a multi-purpose indoor arena in Seattle, Washington, United States. It is located north of Downtown Seattle in the entertainment complex known as Seattle Center, the site of the 1962 World's Fair, for which it was ori ...

Seattle, Washington Seattle ( ) is a seaport city on the West Coast of the United States. It is the seat of King County, Washington. With a 2020 population of 737,015, it is the largest city in both the state of Washington and the Pacific Northwest region ...

, and was hosted by Booker T and

Jerry Lawler Jerry O'Neil Lawler (born November 29, 1949), better known as Jerry "The King" Lawler, is an American color commentator and professional wrestler. He is currently signed to WWE, although he has not performed as a full-time commentator since Ap ...

. The awards were presented on '' Raw'', its pre-show, and on WWE's website. Votes were cast through the WWE App during the live broadcast; over 1.64 million votes were tallied. Winners are listed first, highlighted in boldface.

2014 Slammy Awards

This event took place on December 8, 2014, from the

Bon Secours Wellness Arena Bon Secours Wellness Arena (formerly the BI-LO Center; The Well) is a multi-purpose arena in Greenville, South Carolina. The arena serves as the home of the Greenville Swamp Rabbits of the ECHL. History The Bon Secours Wellness Arena was built ...

in Greenville, South Carolina. It was hosted by Seth Green. The awards were presented on '' Raw'', its pre-show and on WWE's website. Votes were cast through WWE's website for the pre-show and website awards, while the main categories were voted through the WWE App during the live broadcast. Winners are listed first, highlighted in boldface.

2015 Slammy Awards

This event took place on December 21, 2015, from the

Target Center Target Center is a multi-purpose arena located in Minneapolis that opened in 1990. It hosts major family shows, concerts, sporting events, graduations and private events. Target Corporation, founded and headquartered in Minneapolis since 1902, ...

in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Awards were presented on '' Raw'', its pre-show, and WWE's website. Votes were cast for certain categories through

Twitter Twitter is an online social media and social networking service owned and operated by American company Twitter, Inc., on which users post and interact with 280-character-long messages known as "tweets". Registered users can post, like, and ...

, Instagram and

Facebook Facebook is an online social media and social networking service owned by American company Meta Platforms. Founded in 2004 by Mark Zuckerberg with fellow Harvard College students and roommates Eduardo Saverin, Andrew McCollum, Dustin Mosk ...

, with voting for additional categories occurring on the WWE App during the live show. Winners are listed first, highlighted in boldface.

2020 Slammy Awards

This event took place on December 23, 2020, and aired through WWE’s digital and social media platforms. Winners are listed first, highlighted in boldface.

References

{{WWE Professional wrestling awards Awards established in 1986 WWE Professional wrestling-related lists