Standard caveats: -Some of the overall awards are available to both wrestling and MMA organizations. (Sometimes this makes sense, sometimes this doesn't.) -I didn't vote. Maybe someone else here did. -If there's no WWE/NXT in the top three, I'll list their top finisher.
Nonstandard caveat: -This time the time period covers December 2016 to December 2017. -My conspiracy theory is that it took so long for this to come out because Dave had to throw away worst announcer votes for Mauro and cover his trail. (Mauro is the WORST.)
LOU THESZ/RIC FLAIR AWARD
(WRESTLER OF THE YEAR) 1. KAZUCHIKA OKADA 2. Kenny Omega 3. Tetsuya Naito 4. A.J. Styles
MIXED MARTIAL ARTS MOST VALUABLE
1. GEORGES ST-PIERRE 2. Conor McGregor 3. Michael Bisping
MOST OUTSTANDING WRESTLER
1. KAZUCHIKA OKADA 2. Kenny Omega 3. A.J. Styles
MOST OUTSTANDING FIGHTER OF THE YEAR
1. DEMETRIOUS JOHNSON 2. Max Holloway 3. Robert Whittaker
TAG TEAM OF THE YEAR
1. YOUNG BUCKS 2. Usos 3. War Machine
(Note: New Day finished 15th.)
BEST ON INTERVIEWS
1. CONOR MCGREGOR 2. Chris Jericho 3. The Miz
PROMOTION OF THE YEAR
1. NEW JAPAN PRO WRESTLING 2. Ring of Honor 3. World Wrestling Entertainment
BEST WEEKLY TV SHOW
1. NEW JAPAN WORLD PRO WRESTLING 2. WWE NXT 3. CMLL Friday Night Arena Mexico
Note: I miss Talking Smack.
PRO WRESTLING MATCH OF THE YEAR
1. KAZUCHIKA OKADA VS. KENNY OMEGA 1/4 TOKYO 2. Kazuchika Okada vs. Kenny Omega 6/11 Osaka 3. Kazuchika Okada vs. Katsuyori Shibata 4/9 Tokyo 4. Tetsuya Naito vs. Kenny Omega 8/13 Tokyo 5. Kazuchika Okada vs. Kenny Omega 8/12 Tokyo 6. Tyler Bate vs. Pete Dunne 5/20 Chicago
MMA MATCH OF THE YEAR
1. CUB SWANSON VS. DOO HO CHOI 12/10/16 TORONTO 2. Justin Gaethje vs. Michael Johnson 7/7 Las Vegas 3. Yancy Medeiros vs. Alex Oliveira 12/2 Detroit
1. KENNY OMEGA VS. KAZUCHIKA OKADA 2. Floyd Mayweather Jr. vs. Conor McGregor 3. Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Tetsuya Naito 4. Kushida vs. Hiromu Takahashi 5. Jon Jones vs. Daniel Cormier 6. Rush vs. L.A. Park 7. Pete Dunne vs. Tyler Bate
MOST IMPROVED
1. BRAUN STROWMAN 2. Juice Robinson 3. Velveteen Dream
1. ZACK SABRE JR. 2. Kushida 3. Hideki Suzuki 4. Marty Scurll 5. Pete Dunne
BRUISER BRODY MEMORIAL AWARD
(BEST BRAWLER)
1. TOMOHIRO ISHII 2. Katsuyori Shibata 3. Minoru Suzuki 4. Walter 5. Samoa Joe
BEST FLYING WRESTLER
1. WILL OSPREAY 2. Ricochet 3. Volador Jr.
Note: No WWE talent made the top 10, not counting new signee Ricochet.
MOST OVERRATED
1. JINDER MAHAL 2. Roman Reigns 3. Baron Corbin
MOST UNDERRATED
1. RUSEV 2. Tomohiro Ishii 3. Finn Balor
Note: it's pretty amazing that Rusev won this today, on Rusev Day.
ROOKIE OF THE YEAR
1. KATSUYA KITAMURA 2. Microman 3. Bianca Belair
Note: Sorry, Cubs.
BEST NON-WRESTLER
1. DANIEL BRYAN 2. Zelina Vega 3. Paul Heyman
BEST TELEVISION ANNOUNCER
1. MAURO RANALLO 2. Corey Graves 3. Don Callis
Note: HandWankDotGif
WORST TELEVISION ANNOUNCER
1. BOOKER T 2. Percy Watson 3. JBL
BEST MAJOR WRESTLING SHOW
1. NEW JAPAN WRESTLE KINGDOM 9 1/4 TOKYO 2. New Japan Dominion 6/11 Osaka 3. UFC 217 11/4 New York Madison Square Garden 4. NXT Takeover 5/20 Chicago
WORST MAJOR WRESTLING SHOW
1. WWE BATTLEGROUND 7/23 PHILADELPHIA 2. AAA TripleMania 8/26 Mexico City 3. Impact Bound for Glory 11/5 Ottawa
BEST WRESTLING MANEUVER
1. KENNY OMEGA ONE WINGED ANGEL 2. Kazuchika Okada rainmaker 3. Tetsuya Naito destino 4. Kenny Omega V Trigger 5. Aleister Black black mass
MOST DISGUSTING PROMOTIONAL TACTIC
1. WWE PROMOTING JIMMY SNUKA AS A HERO IN DEATH 2. WWE Jinder Mahal racial interviews in Nakamura feud 3. WWE Ultimate Warrior lionization in breast cancer campaign
Note: Very much looking forward to the LEGBAR winning next year.
WORST TELEVISION SHOW
1. WWE RAW 2. Impact 3. WWE 205 Live
WORST MATCH OF THE YEAR
1. BRAY WYATT VS. RANDY ORTON 4/2 ORLANDO 2. Bray Wyatt vs. Randy Orton House of Horrors 4/30 San Jose 3. AAA Rumble 8/26 Mexico City
WORST FEUD OF THE YEAR
1. RANDY ORTON VS. BRAY WYATT 2. Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Jinder Mahal 3. Randy Orton vs. Jinder Mahal
Note: Congratulations to Bray Wyatt on his first of many wins of worst feud, but I don't know if he'll be able to catch Kane's seven titles.
WORST PROMOTION OF THE YEAR
1. IMPACT WRESTLING 2. AAA 3. World Wrestling Entertainment
BEST BOOKER
1. GEDO 2. Paul Levesque 3. Jun Akiyama
PROMOTER OF THE YEAR
1. TAKAAKI KIDANI 2. Dana White 3. Paul Levesque
BEST GIMMICK
1. LOS INGOBERNABLES EN JAPON 2. Hiromu, Darryl & Carol Takahashi 3. Velveteen Dream
WORST GIMMICK
1. BRAY WYATT/SISTER ABIGAIL 2. Jason Jordan as Kurt Angle’s son 3. Dolph Ziggler
Note: Fifth place was "Mike Kanellis not being a wrestler". What the fuck. 25 people decided it was a good idea to make fun of someone's opioid addiction?
BEST PRO WRESTLING BOOK
1. CRAZY LIKE A FOX/BRIAN PILLMAN STORY BY LIAM O’ROURKE 2. Slobberknocker by Jim Ross 3. Best Seat in the House by Justin Roberts
BEST PRO WRESTLING DOCUMENTARY
1. RIC FLAIR 30 FOR 30 2. Brody: Pro Wrestling's Last Rebel 3. Fight Owens Fight
Little did she know she was about to be attacked by a rabid raccoon she would end up killing with her bare hands.
Go Pack Go! Owner of one (1) share. Let's Go Riders! Owner of one (1) share.
The thing that stuck out to me is, on his podcast, Dave mentioned both that he started counting in January and that he was still counting in March. Maybe he's not using a great system and shouldn't be hand counting votes if it's taking him that long.
I find the Most Improved category particular interesting. You have Braun Strowman who was in NXT but basically did nothing and still sucked when he got called up, you have Velveteen Dream who is currently in NXT and (obviously) showing massive improvement, and you have Juice Robinson who wasn't really given the opportunity to improve in NXT and has done so considerably since getting released. As far as developmental goes, I believe that places NXT square in the "I have no idea if this is working or not" column.
As I read this, I think to myself - I am so disconnected from wrestling - even more than I thought. I hardly know any of these
We'll be back right after order has been restored here in the Omni Center.
That the universe was formed by a fortuitous concourse of atoms, I will no more believe than that the accidental jumbling of the alphabet would fall into a most ingenious treatise of philosophy - Swift
Guys, I know you have been waiting ALL WEEK since I spoiled at the tail end of last week’s edition that both Maxx AND High Voltage would be here. I don’t want to leave you salivating for these huge appearances any longer.
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