W2BTD's (slightly early) Prowres End of Year Awards

[Warner2BruceTD]

You should hear these guys rave about HHH/Taker. Words llike "masterpiece" and "superb". I'm with you, believe me, I don't think it should win. Wouldn't crack my top 50. But I think it will.

[EmpireWF]

You should hear these guys rave about HHH/Taker. Words llike "masterpiece" and "superb". I'm with you, believe me, I don't think it should win. Wouldn't crack my top 50. But I think it will.

Masterpiece is laying it on pretty thick.

It was great storytelling using two very over characters and their moves and the situational stories.

Hunter going all out to put Taker away and failing at every turn. Then he finally crosses the line, fights himself, decides to get the sledgehammer and it ends up costing him. Great stuff.

...but Punk/Cena from MITB was without any doubts, the better match and will, in the long run, be remembered more (better than a Taker WM match, yes!).

[Primetime]

Just curious what makes you guys want to see Cena/Punk for MOTY for...

I just watched the match and the story was amazing, but the execution was a 5 at best. There were a ton of mistakes made and it just wasn't clean at all.

I don't follow enough anymore to have the knowledge base, but I just didn't see it as all that great.

[EmpireWF]

Just curious what makes you guys want to see Cena/Punk for MOTY for...

I just watched the match and the story was amazing, but the execution was a 5 at best. There were a ton of mistakes made and it just wasn't clean at all.

I don't follow enough anymore to have the knowledge base, but I just didn't see it as all that great.

the MITB match was everything. Between the story, the crowd and drama, it was as good a WWE match as there can be (for the most part) outside Wrestlemania.

The only criticism I had for it was with the ending (needing McMahon and Lauriniitis to get involved), but it was just the first match in that whole angle.

[LiquidLarry2GhostWF]

You should hear these guys rave about HHH/Taker. Words llike "masterpiece" and "superb". I'm with you, believe me, I don't think it should win. Wouldn't crack my top 50. But I think it will.

HHH-Taker II was a good match. I happen to think HHH-Taker I was a better match though, but regardless, it was still a good match. Good story telling. They got top end work out of both of these two aging vets. However, when a match is, IMO, so greatly overshadowed by another in the same company, especially the WWE, it says something.

To be fair, its a kudos to the WWE to put out two matches of this quality in one year. Its been a while since they've done that. The past two years its been one match years with Taker-Michaels being the lone real highlight for the WWE's in-ring product.

/Still doesn't know how Taker doesn't get into your Top 100, when you have guys like Roberts and some of the other guys on the back end in it. smh.

[Warner2BruceTD]

Here are some of the top matches of the year according to various sources. This gives a nice cross comparison, and if you are looking for great stuff to watch is also a nice guide.

First up is Cubed Circle Newsletter. He puts out a running Top 50, here is his current Top 10 (this is Jan-Nov, not Observer voting period, so Dec 2010 is not included, which means no ROH Final Battle):

1. John Cena vs. CM Punk WWE Money in the Bank *****
2. Davey Richards vs. Eddie Edwards ROH Best in the World **** ľ
3. Undertaker vs. Triple H WWE Wrestlemania 27 **** ˝
4. Christian vs. Randy Orton WWE Over The Limit **** ˝
5. Roderick Strong vs. Eddie Edwards Ring Master Challenge ROH Death Before Dishonor IX **** ˝
6. Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Tetsuya Naito 2011/10/10 **** ˝
7. Kotaro Suzuki vs. Eddie Edwards NOAH 2011/01/29 **** ˝
8. Jay Briscoe vs. Roderick Strong ROH 2011/01/15 **** ˝
9. Roderick Strong vs. Eddie Edwards ROH Manhattan Mayhem IV **** ˝
10. Randy Orton vs. Christian No Holds Barred SummerSlam **** Ľ

You know who is flying under the radar this year? Eddie Edwards, that's who. Edwards appears in FOUR of these top ten matches. He really has been awesome. Remember when you guys (well, mainly dave) gave me shit for putting him in my Top 100? That list is heavy on forward thinking, and look at what this guy has done since then. Is it possible to have a quiet breakout year? Edwards deserves votes for Wrestler of the Year, no doubt.

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Next up is Alan4L, an Irish guy who probably watches more wrestling than anyone on the planet (no exaggeration). He writes for Fighting Spirit Magazine, hosts a popular podcast, and mods the Figure Four Weekly moderated wrestling board. He's also a super nice guy.

He breaks down his matches by region/org. Here are some of his Top 10's. He uses the Observer calender, so this is 12/10 - 9/11 (he has not updated for October yet, so no latest DG PPV). He also tends to grade high:

WWE:
CM Punk vs. John Cena (7/17) ****3/4
Royal Rumble (1/30) ****3/4
CM Punk vs. Rey Mysterio (6/19) ****1/2
Alberto Del Rio vs. Christian (Ladder Match) (5/1) ****1/2
Undertaker vs. HHH (4/3) ****1/2
CM Punk vs. John Cena (8/14) ****1/4
Yoshi Tatsu vs. Tyson Kidd (Necklace On A Pole) (7/26) ****1/4
Smackdown Money In The Bank (7/17) ****1/4
Randy Orton vs. Christian (5/22) ****1/4
Usos/Barretta vs. Slater/Gabriel/Kidd (6/30) ****1/4

Puro:
Kota Ibushi vs. Ryusuke Taguchi (6/10) (NJPW) *****
Mochizuki/Fujii vs. Maraha Isappa (2/6) (DG) *****
Masaaki Mochizuki vs. Yasushi Kanda (6/19) (DG) ****3/4
Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Yuji Nagata (4/3) (NJPW) ****3/4
Kaz Hayashi vs. Minoru (1/2) (AJPW) ****3/4
Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Hirooki Goto (6/18 ) (NJPW) ****3/4
Sekimoto/Okabayashi vs. Hama/Soya (4/28 ) (BJW) ****3/4
PAC/Dragon Kid vs. CIMA/Ricochet (7/17) (DG) ****3/4
Akira Tozawa vs. Shingo Takagi (7/17) (DG) ****1/2
Blood WARRIORS vs. Junction Three (6/8 ) (DG) ****1/2

PWG:
Steen & Tozawa vs. The Young Buck$ (3/4) *****
Steen & Tozawa vs. The Kings Of Wrestling (3/4) ****3/4
Steen & Tozawa vs. Ricochet/El Generico (5/27) ****3/4
Claudio Castagnoli vs. El Generico (1/29) ****1/2
Kevin Steen vs. Akira Tozawa (12/11) ****1/2
The Young Buck$ vs. The American Wolves (3/4) ****1/2
Chris Hero vs. Akira Tozawa (5/28 ) ****1/2
Eddie Edwards vs. El Generico (5/28 ) ****1/4
Ricochet & El Generico vs. The Young Buck$ (4/9) ****1/4
Steen & Tozawa vs. The Briscoes (3/4) ****1/4

DGUSA/EVOLVE:
Dave Finlay vs. Sami Callihan (7/26) ****1/2
Tozawa/Taylor vs. PAC/Ricochet (4/1) ****1/2
Akira Tozawa vs. PAC (4/2) ****1/2
YAMATO vs. Austin Aries (4/2) ****1/2
Akira Tozawa vs. BxB Hulk (1/30) ****1/2
Zack Sabre Jr. vs. Sami Callihan (4/19) ****1/4
PAC/Yoshino vs. Doi/Ricochet (1/29) ****1/4
CIMA vs. Jonny Gargano (4/1) ****1/4
YAMATO vs. PAC (6/5) ****1/4
YAMATO vs. CIMA (9/10) ****

ROH:
Kevin Steen vs. El Generico (Fight Without Honour) (12/18 ) ****3/4
Eddie Edwards vs. Davey Richards (6/26) ****3/4
The Briscoes vs. The All Night Express (9/17) (Ladder War) ****1/2
Roderick Strong vs. Eddie Edwards (3/19) ****1/2
Roderick Strong vs. Davey Richards (12/18 ) ****1/2
Kings Of Wrestling vs. American Wolves (12/17) ****1/2
The Briscoes vs. The All Night Express (4/2) ****1/4
Kings Of Wrestling vs. Cole/O’Reilly (4/2) ****1/4
Kings Of Wrestling vs. Haas & Benjamin (4/1) ****1/4
Davey Richards vs. TJ Perkins (1/28 ) ****1/4

wXw:
Daisuke Sekimoto vs. El Generico (3/13) ****3/4
Leaders vs. Cole & O’Reilly (3/13) ****3/4
Davey Richards vs. Zack Sabre Jr. (3/12) ****3/4
Chris Hero vs. KENTA (5/15) ****1/2
Leaders vs. Cole & O’Reilly (4/9) ****1/4
Chris Hero vs. Daisuke Sekimoto (4/9) ****1/4
Chris Hero vs. Zack Sabre Jr. (4/10) ****1/4
Go Shiozaki vs. Johnny Moss (3/11) ****1/4
Go Shiozaki vs. Big Van Walter (3/11) ****1/4
Sami Callihan vs. Big Van Walter (3/13) ****1/4

Other:
Seth Rollins vs. Dean Ambrose (9/18 ) (FCW) ****3/4
Leaders vs. Peligro Abejas (12/5) (IPW:UK) ****1/2
El Generico vs. 123 Kid (4/17) (Chikara) ****1/2
AJ Styles vs. Bully Ray (6/12) (TNA) ****1/2
Low Ki vs. Austin Aries vs. Shiima Xion vs. Jack Evans (7/10) (TNA) ****1/4
The Colony vs. FIST (4/17) (Chikara) ****1/4
Akira Tozawa vs. Eddie Kingston (4/17) (Chikara) ****1/4
El Generico vs. Eddie Kingston (1/23) (Chikara) ****1/4
El Generico vs. Marty Scurll (3/6) (IPW:UK) ****1/4
FIST vs. Team Osaka Pro (4/16) (Chikara) ****1/4

More Eddie Edwards love. This guy loves Dragon Gate so the October PPV will no doubt change the Puro rankings, as will the Tanahashi/Naito New Japan match as well. He has given out the five snowflakes three times this year. People love that Rollins/Ambrose match, I thought it was meh. Akira Tozawa, Kevin Steen, Roderick Strong, and Eddie Edwards really had under the radar years when you look at these lists.
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Here is the Top 10 according to doc_sharp. doc prefers a harder hitting style and is a psychology freak. He always has interesting choices.

He does two lists, a traditional calendar, and the Observer calendar. This is only through September:

OBSERVER Calendar (includes December 2010):
1. L.A. Park v. El Mesias; AAA 12/5/10, airdate: 1/1/11
2. Yoshihiro Takayama v. KENTA; NOAH 1/15/11
3. Takashi Sugiura v. Takeshi Morishima; NOAH 12/5/10
4. L.A. Park v. El Mesias; AAA 6/18/11
5. Yuji Nagata v. Hiroshi Tanahashi; NJPW 4/3/11
6. CM Punk v. John Cena; WWE 7/17/11
7. Dick Togo v. Antonio Honda; DDT 1/30/11
8. Kensuke Sasaki v. Takashi Sugiura; NOAH 7/23/11
9. Hiroshi Tanahashi v. Hirooki Goto; NJPW 6/18/11
10. Virus v. Guerrero Maya; CMLL 6/8/11

2011 Proper:
1. Yoshihiro Takayama v. KENTA; NOAH 1/15/11
2. L.A. Park v. El Mesias; AAA 6/18/11
3. Yuji Nagata v. Hiroshi Tanahashi; NJPW 4/3/11
4. CM Punk v. John Cena; WWE 7/17/11
5. Dick Togo v. Antonio Honda; DDT 1/30/11
6. Kensuke Sasaki v. Takashi Sugiura; NOAH 7/23/11
7. Hiroshi Tanahashi v. Hirooki Goto; NJPW 6/18/11
8. Virus v. Guerrero Maya; CMLL 6/8/11
9. Dolph Ziggler v. Cody Rhodes v. Big Show v. Drew McIntyre; SD! 1/7/11
10. Negro Navarro/Black Terry v. El Apache/Angel Mortal; IWRG 1/16/11

Punk/Cena 6th & 4th. He dislikes Cena's weak looking offense (and Punk's, for that matter). Note hard hitting bruisers like LA Park, Black Terry, Dick Togo, Kensuke Sasaki, Takashi Sugiura, etc all over his lists.

I can guarantee that the KENTA/Takashi Suguira match from this month will be top 5 minimum when he sees it. Stiffest match i've seen in years.

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I'll post more of these later. Hope you guys discover some good stuff off of this.

[Warner2BruceTD]

Rookie of the Year - Daichi Hashimoto, Zero-1. Son of legendary Shinya Hashimoto, he debuted in March and is light years ahead of where he should be as a worker. In a weak field, he should win easily.

WWE/TNA Winner: N/A. I can't think of a single rookie who would qualify. Richie Steamboat worked in Japan before FCW, in case anyone is wondering.

2010 Winner: Adam Cole

Runners Up: Fenix, Dark Dragon. Fenix and Dark Dragon are AAA guys who don't get pushed or work major TV. Fenix is a crazy flyer, and Dark Dragon is his bump taker (think 1994 Mysterio/Psicosis dynamic). Weakest ROY field in many years, possibly ever.

Uhaa Nation just changed the game. Even off of one match, if I was voting today it would be...

1. Uhaa Nation
2. Daichi Hashimoto
3. Fenix

[Warner2BruceTD]

*BUMP*

In the last month I pretty much caught up on EVERYTHING, so I have lots of changes to make.

Caught up on Dragon Gate, snuck in some All Japan, Big Japan, Superstars, even some NXT.

Only significant stuff I haven't gotten to is PWG (I saw zero all year, and they supposedly had a great year), FCW (aside from random Tyler Black/Claudio stuff) and I still haven't seen a single ROH on Sinclair. Only so many hours in the day.

Match of the Year is the toughest category by far. Between all of the Tanahashi matches, to MITB, Davey vs Eddie, and the sick Dragon Gate matches, I have no idea which way to turn. The SUWAMA/Akiyama Triple Crown was awesome, too.

[LiquidLarry2GhostWF]

I've caught up on a bunch, lots of recommended shit from this thread and around the web.

I'll try and put together a non-ranked list of the shit I liked on the Observer Calender maybe as early as tonight in a non-W2BTD like promise.

I haven't watched the pure amount of expansive wrestling as W2BTD or some of the guys have in this thread, but I've watched most of it, most of it after the fact. Going to try and put together a list...maybe even make my own faggy thread.