What would you do?

[Anonymous]

Just did performance review with my manager and was given a "satisfactory", which is the middle review (three types altogether).

Problem is that I finished two big projects last year. Usually most people are assigned to work on one such project every two to three years. Both the direct manager and the manager above him were very happy with the projects results and both gave a lot of praises (oral, and mostly just to me myself). At the time of the review, the direct manager still sang very high of my work and said the main reason for not giving me the first class review is because I got a first class review last year. (However, the quote for the first class review is roughly 20%.)

So I'm a little upset and felt cheap. At the begining of this year, when I was assigned to work on something outside of this team (assigned by the upper manager), the direct manager even went to talk to the upper manager to try to postphone the change so I can work more for him, without first talking to me. (Eventually I will still come back to work for this direct manager.)

The monetary effect of this performance review is very limited. The direct manager has implied several times that in about a year, he would give me a promotion. If that happens, my salary will be increased significantly, a lot more than the performance review. But you know, it's just some implication. No one knows what will happen in a year. Generally I have good relationship with the direct manager, both professional and personal. So I don't know, at this point, should I just let the review go and pretend nothing has bothered me and just work hard as usual and hope he give me a promotion in a year, or should I complain and get a review raised (I'm 80% confident that if I complain and fight, my review will be raised to the first class.) If I let it go and pretend the review is not bothering me, will that lead the managers think that it's OK to just give me work, but not bonus? Or if I fight and get the review raised, it must invovle some level of conflict with the direct manager, will that make the relationship tense and hard to get the promotion?

What do you think and what would you do?