Warner2BruceTD
2011 Poster Of The Year
I know most of you guys don't follow what's going on worldwide, so instead of boring you with a list of winners most of you won't recognize, I will also list my 'WWE/TNA' winner as well (unless the winner comes from WWE/TNA anyway).
I will be using the standard Wrestling Observer ballot and award voting period, which runs from Dec 1 2010 to Nov 30 2011. I'm going to skip the MMA awards.
Here we go...
Thesz/Flair Award (Wrestler of the Year) - Hiroshi Tanahashi, New Japan. Tanahashi carried New Japan in what was a solid year business wise for the company. He is the biggest star in Japan right now, and delivers in the ring. The total package.
WWE/TNA Winner: CM Punk
2010 Winner: John Cena
Runners Up: CM Punk, Davey Richards, John Cena, Sting, Kevin Steen. Punk sparked the best angle the WWE has produced in years, but we all know what happened. Davey Richards finally won the ROH title in anonymity, as ROH transitioned from HDNet to syndication and got lost in the shuffle. Cena is Cena. Top draw in the top company. Sting and the Joker gimmick was the most interesting thing in TNA. Steen, 'banned' from ROH, is probably the most over person on the roster despite not working a single match, and is the top dog for PWG. The Steen ROH storyline is probably the best constructed angle in wrestling right now.
Most Outstanding Wrestler - Davey Richards, ROH. With Bryan Danielson constricted by his role, Richards is now the best wrestler in the world today.
WWE/TNA Winner: Christian
2010 Winner: Bryan Danielson/Daniel Bryan (won five consecutive years)
Runners Up: Christian, Hiroshi Tanahashi, Prince Devitt, Averno, Austin Aries, YAMATO, CIMA. Christian is great. Randy Orton had the best matches of his career thanks to Christian, who delivers every time, and is as solid as they come. Tanahashi & Devitt never have a bad match in New Japan. Averno worked on top in CMLL and had good matches in single and tags. Austin Aries is on fire in TNA, and almost always has the best match on the show. You could really pick the whole Dragon Gate roster, because all 30 of them range from good to outstanding as workers, but YAMATO had a good year on both shores for the main company & DGUSA, and CIMA really had a resurgent year.
Feud of the Year - Blood Generation vs. Junction 3, Dragon Gate. DG freshened up their faction concept this year by having the entire roster (aside from a few opening match guys) split into two giant factions. And it worked. Longtime babyfaces become heels (BxB Hulk), and longtime heels (YAMATO) became babyfaces. Dragon Gate continues to innovate and book progressively more than any other promotion in the world.
WWE/TNA Winner: CM Punk vs. WWE
2010 Winner: El Generico vs. Kevin Steen
Runners Up: Punk vs WWE, Steen vs ROH, Averno vs Mascara, LA Park vs Mesias, Iizuki vs New Japan announcer, Sin Cara vs Sin Cara. The Steen/ROH deal in many ways was a better booked version of Punk/WWE. I am a mark for mask vs mask, as you can see by two of my choices here. Both were rushed and too short, however. Iizuki is a wild brawler who, for some reason, always attacks the New Japan TV announcer and rips his clothes apart. For some reason I always mark out for that spot even though I don't know the deal behind it.
Tag Team of the Year - CIMA & Ricochet, Dragon Gate. The Open the Twin Gate champions are by far the best tag team i've seen all year. CIMA has looked better than ever, and Ricochet is having a great year (more on that later).
WWE/TNA Winner: lol, yeah right. I'll cheat here and pick an ROH team, Shelton Benjamin & Charlie Hass. If you had a gun to my head, and I had to pick a WWE or TNA team, i'd pick The Uso's, who have had good matches on Superstars. Think about that for a second.
2010 Winner: Kings of Wrestling (Chris Hero & Claudio Castagnoli)
Runners Up: Haas/Benjamin, KENTA & Kanemaru, Bad Intentions, Kings of Wrestling, All Night Express. Heel KENTA paired with a guy like Kanemaru had no choice but to be awesome. I'm not a big fan of Bad Intentions (Giant Bernard & Karl Anderson), but being the dominant heavyweight team in Japan and being champs in two companies at once (New Japan & NOAH) counts for something. The rest of the top teams from recent years, like Kings of Wrestling, Kenny Omega & Kota Ibushi, Motor City Machine Guns, American Wolves, etc either broke up during the year or were inactive due to injuries. Bad year for tag teams.
Most Improved - Ricochet, Dragon Gate. Ricochet was the prime definition of spot monkey in 2010 on the indy scene and in Dragon Gate USA. This year, he spent most of the year in Japan working a full schedule for Dragon Gate (along with another DGUSA fast riser, Rich Swann), and has developed into something special. If you can hang with the best of Dragon Gate, you can hang with anyone. Best foreigner to work full time in Dragon Gate since Matt "Evan Bourne" Sydal.
WWE/TNA Winner: The Uso's
2010 Winner: Sheamus
Runners Up: Pac, Sin Cara (Black), Averno, Strongman, The Uso's, Akira Tozawa. Pac still does stuff that bugs me, but he's finally living up to his great rep in my eyes. Sin Cara (Black) was a middling, mediocre luchador as Incognito & Hunico, but really shined as the new/old Sin Cara. In fact, I think he's better than Mistico right now. Averno lost his mask, and improved every aspect of his game, especially in the charisma department. Strongman, a gigantic bodybuilder who works Mexico and New Japan, went from AWFUL (as in one of the worst wrestlers in the world) to passable. Tozawa broke out in a big way in the US and Japan.
Best on Interviews - CM Punk, WWE. Layup.
2010 Winner: Chael Sonnen (The Miz was the top finishing pro wrestler)
Runners Up: John Cena, Sting, Hulk Hogan, RJ Brewer, Austin Aries, Christian, Kzy. Cena gets too much shit for his scripted promos. He tries really hard and delivers his material great. Sting is a very underrated promo man and really is the glue of TNA. Hogan is Hogan. RJ Brewer was the top heel for Lucha Libre USA on MTV2, and was fantastic in his role as the racist American hellbent on killing lucha libre. Austin Aries was on the verge of retirement, shocked everyone by signing with TNA, and has upped his already impressive game in every area. I have no idea what Kzy is ever saying in Dragon Gate, but the idea of a Japanese heel rapper is enough for me, and the crowd eats it up.
Most Charismatic - Hulk Hogan...for now (The Rock after Surviror Series)
2010 Winner: John Cena
Runners Up: CM Punk, YAMATO, Hiroshi Tanahashi, Kenta Kobashi, Sting, John Cena. What's wrong with wrestling these days? Two guys who will wrestle a combined two matches all year are the most charismatic wrestlers in the business. And Kobashi, a broken down man who can barely move, is probably third.
Best Technical Wrestler - Davey Richards, ROH. As with Most Outstanding, Bryan Danielson can't win this anymore unless his role increases. Richards wins by default.
WWE/TNA Winner: Kurt Angle
2010 Winner: Bryan Danielson/Daniel Bryan (won six consecutive years)
Runners Up: Masaaki Mochizuki, Naruki Doi, Takashi Sugiura, Eddie Edwards, Yuji Nagata, Kurt Angle. Where have all the technical wrestlers gone?
Bruiser Brody Award (Best Brawler) - L.A. Park, AAA. The former La Parka throws the best looking punches in wrestling and had an incredible brawl with Mesias in January which will end up a Match of the Year contender.
WWE/TNA Winner: Mark Henry
2010 Winner: Kevin Steen
Runners Up: Masato Tanaka, Togi Makabe, Mark Henry, Samoa Joe, Bully Ray, Yoshihiro Takayama, Takashi Iizuki. Where have all the great brawlers gone? Tanaka is still a beast, but does more straight wrestling these days. Same for Makabe. I almost went with Henry or Takayama. Iizuki is the last of the unbridled wildmen.
Best Flying Wrestler - Ricochet, Dragon Gate. Ricochet is cleaning up for me this year. He is the breakout wrestler of 2011, hands down.
WWE/TNA Winner: Evan Bourne
2010 Winner: Kota Ibushi
Runners Up: Pac, Fenix, La Sombra, Tama Tonga. Where have all the great flyers gone? Ibushi was hurt much of the year, same for Prince Devitt. Fenix is a rookie from Mexico. Sombra had a disappointing year. Tama Tonga, one of the two wrestling sons of Haku/Meng, really upped his game in 2011 and is a name to watch. Ricochet by a mile in this category.
Most Overrated (over pushed) - Cody Rhodes, WWE. Shitty knockoff Patrick Bateman 'American Psycho' routine, shitty wrestler.
2010 Winner: Kane
Runners Up: Sin Cara (Blue), Mesias, Jun Akiyama, Beer Money, Abyss, Dr. Wagner Jr, Hector Garza. Sin Cara/Mistico sucks. Akiyama is past his prime and getting into 'sad to watch' territory. I never understood what people see in Beer Money. Abyss needs to go away. The rest are lucha guys who get pushed on rep and never deliver.
Most Underrated (under pushed) - Daniel Bryan, WWE. Duh.
2010 Winner: Kaval/Low Ki
Runners Up: Samoa Joe, Jack Swagger, Zack Ryder, Katsuhiko Nakajima, La Sombra, Tyson Kidd, Primo, Taku Iwasu, Ricky Marvin. Samoa Joe was buried. Jack Swagger should be booked as a dominant world champion (the Mark Henry role), and I will complain until it happens. The fans want Ryder. Nakajima is still so young, and is treated well, but it's time for THE push. Sombra was forgotten. Kidd & Primo are vanity picks. I love those two. Iwasu is lost in the Dragon Gate shuffle. Marvin: see Kidd & Primo.
Promotion of the Year - (tie) New Japan Pro Wrestling and Dragon Gate. I don't know yet. November will be huge. No big shows on the slate for DG until December, though. Both promotions had great years, blowing away the field.
2010 Winner: UFC (Dragon Gate was highest finishing pro wrestling group).
Runners Up: CMLL, Lucha Libre USA, ROH. LL USA was a guilty pleasure of mine, but I liked the booking. ROH had a down year. CMLL had a very good year. Pains me not to have NOAH here, but I have to be fair. Nothing else was worth mentioning. WWE had one good month.
Best Weekly TV Show - WWE Superstars. Yeah, I know. What else?
2010 Winner: ROH on HDNet
Runners Up: CMLL on Galavision, ROH on HDNet, Lucha Libre USA: Masked Warriors, Smackdown. ROH got cancelled early in the year or would have won. The new show is brand new. Smackdown was the lesser of three evils (RAW, Impact). CMLL is a good show, BUT TOO MANY COMMERCIALS. Masked Warriors, again, is a guilty pleasure. I didn't watch much Dragon Gate Infinity, so I can't rate it.
Match of the Year - Kevin Steen vs. El Generico, ROH (Final Battle). The match is as good a brawl as you will ever see, and played perfectly into the storyline.
WWE/TNA: CM Punk vs. John Cena (MITB)
2010 Winner: Undertaker vs Shawn Michaels (WM)
Runners Up: LA Park vs Mesias, CM Punk vs John Cena (MITB), Davey Richards vs. Eddie Edwards, Davey Richards & Rocky Romero vs Apollo 55 (Prince Devitt & Ryusuke Taguchi), Davey Richards vs Roderick Strong. I'm way behind on some stuff and still have a lot of matches to watch before the year is over, so this could change.
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.
Best Non Wrestling Personality - Prince Nana, ROH. The best manager in the business (not saying much, I know), by a wide gap. In another era, WWE would be all over him.
WWE/TNA Winner: The Rock...until Survivor Series, then I guess Vicky Guerrero by default.
2010 Winner: Vicky Guerrero
Runners Up: Jim Cornette, Ricardo Rodriquez, Vince McMahon. McMahon is the best, but scaled back his role. Cornette is great at what he does as an old school, non heel power figure in ROH. Rodriguez wrestles in FCW, not sure if I count him.
Best TV Announcer - Mike Hogewood, ROH. SLAP THE PORPOISE!
WWE/TNA Winner: Mike Tenay, I guess.
2010 Winner: Joe Rogan (CM Punk highest finishing wrestling announcer)
Runners Up: Josh Matthews, Dave Prazak, Mike Tenay. Meh. They all stink, and i'm not a Jim Ross fan.
Worst TV Announcer - Jerry Lawler, WWE. Every year until he retires, I will vote for Lawler. He is terrible beyond words.
2010 Winner: Michael Cole
Runners Up: Michael Cole, and just about everyone else. Where have you gone, Joey Styles?
Best Major Show - "The Gate of Destiny 2011", Dragon Gate 10/16/11. Probably one of the five best wrestling shows i've ever seen. Incredible from opening match prelim to wacky yet dramatic main event. I implore everyone to watch this. Ask me for the download link.
WWE/TNA Winner: Money in the Bank, WWE
2010 Winner: UFC 116 (ROH "Death Before Dishonor" highest finishing wrestling show)
Runners Up: WWE Money in the Bank, TNA Destination X, Dragon Gate Kobe World, ROH Final Battle. These are four great, GREAT shows, and none of them can touch the Gate of Destiny show. MITB, Kobe World, and Final Battle would normally be good enough to win 9 out of 10 years. This was the 10th year.
Other Awards - Best Wrestling Maneuver: Ricochet double rotation moonsault....Worst TV Show: TNA Impact....Worst Feud: Michael Cole vs Jim Ross....Worst Promotion: Osaka Pro (trust me on this)....Best Booker: whoever is booking Dragon Gate....Best Gimmick: Woo Woo Woo Guy....Worst Gimmick: (tie) Cody Rhodes or Michael Cole, heel announcer....
I will be using the standard Wrestling Observer ballot and award voting period, which runs from Dec 1 2010 to Nov 30 2011. I'm going to skip the MMA awards.
Here we go...
Thesz/Flair Award (Wrestler of the Year) - Hiroshi Tanahashi, New Japan. Tanahashi carried New Japan in what was a solid year business wise for the company. He is the biggest star in Japan right now, and delivers in the ring. The total package.
WWE/TNA Winner: CM Punk
2010 Winner: John Cena
Runners Up: CM Punk, Davey Richards, John Cena, Sting, Kevin Steen. Punk sparked the best angle the WWE has produced in years, but we all know what happened. Davey Richards finally won the ROH title in anonymity, as ROH transitioned from HDNet to syndication and got lost in the shuffle. Cena is Cena. Top draw in the top company. Sting and the Joker gimmick was the most interesting thing in TNA. Steen, 'banned' from ROH, is probably the most over person on the roster despite not working a single match, and is the top dog for PWG. The Steen ROH storyline is probably the best constructed angle in wrestling right now.
Most Outstanding Wrestler - Davey Richards, ROH. With Bryan Danielson constricted by his role, Richards is now the best wrestler in the world today.
WWE/TNA Winner: Christian
2010 Winner: Bryan Danielson/Daniel Bryan (won five consecutive years)
Runners Up: Christian, Hiroshi Tanahashi, Prince Devitt, Averno, Austin Aries, YAMATO, CIMA. Christian is great. Randy Orton had the best matches of his career thanks to Christian, who delivers every time, and is as solid as they come. Tanahashi & Devitt never have a bad match in New Japan. Averno worked on top in CMLL and had good matches in single and tags. Austin Aries is on fire in TNA, and almost always has the best match on the show. You could really pick the whole Dragon Gate roster, because all 30 of them range from good to outstanding as workers, but YAMATO had a good year on both shores for the main company & DGUSA, and CIMA really had a resurgent year.
Feud of the Year - Blood Generation vs. Junction 3, Dragon Gate. DG freshened up their faction concept this year by having the entire roster (aside from a few opening match guys) split into two giant factions. And it worked. Longtime babyfaces become heels (BxB Hulk), and longtime heels (YAMATO) became babyfaces. Dragon Gate continues to innovate and book progressively more than any other promotion in the world.
WWE/TNA Winner: CM Punk vs. WWE
2010 Winner: El Generico vs. Kevin Steen
Runners Up: Punk vs WWE, Steen vs ROH, Averno vs Mascara, LA Park vs Mesias, Iizuki vs New Japan announcer, Sin Cara vs Sin Cara. The Steen/ROH deal in many ways was a better booked version of Punk/WWE. I am a mark for mask vs mask, as you can see by two of my choices here. Both were rushed and too short, however. Iizuki is a wild brawler who, for some reason, always attacks the New Japan TV announcer and rips his clothes apart. For some reason I always mark out for that spot even though I don't know the deal behind it.
Tag Team of the Year - CIMA & Ricochet, Dragon Gate. The Open the Twin Gate champions are by far the best tag team i've seen all year. CIMA has looked better than ever, and Ricochet is having a great year (more on that later).
WWE/TNA Winner: lol, yeah right. I'll cheat here and pick an ROH team, Shelton Benjamin & Charlie Hass. If you had a gun to my head, and I had to pick a WWE or TNA team, i'd pick The Uso's, who have had good matches on Superstars. Think about that for a second.
2010 Winner: Kings of Wrestling (Chris Hero & Claudio Castagnoli)
Runners Up: Haas/Benjamin, KENTA & Kanemaru, Bad Intentions, Kings of Wrestling, All Night Express. Heel KENTA paired with a guy like Kanemaru had no choice but to be awesome. I'm not a big fan of Bad Intentions (Giant Bernard & Karl Anderson), but being the dominant heavyweight team in Japan and being champs in two companies at once (New Japan & NOAH) counts for something. The rest of the top teams from recent years, like Kings of Wrestling, Kenny Omega & Kota Ibushi, Motor City Machine Guns, American Wolves, etc either broke up during the year or were inactive due to injuries. Bad year for tag teams.
Most Improved - Ricochet, Dragon Gate. Ricochet was the prime definition of spot monkey in 2010 on the indy scene and in Dragon Gate USA. This year, he spent most of the year in Japan working a full schedule for Dragon Gate (along with another DGUSA fast riser, Rich Swann), and has developed into something special. If you can hang with the best of Dragon Gate, you can hang with anyone. Best foreigner to work full time in Dragon Gate since Matt "Evan Bourne" Sydal.
WWE/TNA Winner: The Uso's
2010 Winner: Sheamus
Runners Up: Pac, Sin Cara (Black), Averno, Strongman, The Uso's, Akira Tozawa. Pac still does stuff that bugs me, but he's finally living up to his great rep in my eyes. Sin Cara (Black) was a middling, mediocre luchador as Incognito & Hunico, but really shined as the new/old Sin Cara. In fact, I think he's better than Mistico right now. Averno lost his mask, and improved every aspect of his game, especially in the charisma department. Strongman, a gigantic bodybuilder who works Mexico and New Japan, went from AWFUL (as in one of the worst wrestlers in the world) to passable. Tozawa broke out in a big way in the US and Japan.
Best on Interviews - CM Punk, WWE. Layup.
2010 Winner: Chael Sonnen (The Miz was the top finishing pro wrestler)
Runners Up: John Cena, Sting, Hulk Hogan, RJ Brewer, Austin Aries, Christian, Kzy. Cena gets too much shit for his scripted promos. He tries really hard and delivers his material great. Sting is a very underrated promo man and really is the glue of TNA. Hogan is Hogan. RJ Brewer was the top heel for Lucha Libre USA on MTV2, and was fantastic in his role as the racist American hellbent on killing lucha libre. Austin Aries was on the verge of retirement, shocked everyone by signing with TNA, and has upped his already impressive game in every area. I have no idea what Kzy is ever saying in Dragon Gate, but the idea of a Japanese heel rapper is enough for me, and the crowd eats it up.
Most Charismatic - Hulk Hogan...for now (The Rock after Surviror Series)
2010 Winner: John Cena
Runners Up: CM Punk, YAMATO, Hiroshi Tanahashi, Kenta Kobashi, Sting, John Cena. What's wrong with wrestling these days? Two guys who will wrestle a combined two matches all year are the most charismatic wrestlers in the business. And Kobashi, a broken down man who can barely move, is probably third.
Best Technical Wrestler - Davey Richards, ROH. As with Most Outstanding, Bryan Danielson can't win this anymore unless his role increases. Richards wins by default.
WWE/TNA Winner: Kurt Angle
2010 Winner: Bryan Danielson/Daniel Bryan (won six consecutive years)
Runners Up: Masaaki Mochizuki, Naruki Doi, Takashi Sugiura, Eddie Edwards, Yuji Nagata, Kurt Angle. Where have all the technical wrestlers gone?
Bruiser Brody Award (Best Brawler) - L.A. Park, AAA. The former La Parka throws the best looking punches in wrestling and had an incredible brawl with Mesias in January which will end up a Match of the Year contender.
WWE/TNA Winner: Mark Henry
2010 Winner: Kevin Steen
Runners Up: Masato Tanaka, Togi Makabe, Mark Henry, Samoa Joe, Bully Ray, Yoshihiro Takayama, Takashi Iizuki. Where have all the great brawlers gone? Tanaka is still a beast, but does more straight wrestling these days. Same for Makabe. I almost went with Henry or Takayama. Iizuki is the last of the unbridled wildmen.
Best Flying Wrestler - Ricochet, Dragon Gate. Ricochet is cleaning up for me this year. He is the breakout wrestler of 2011, hands down.
WWE/TNA Winner: Evan Bourne
2010 Winner: Kota Ibushi
Runners Up: Pac, Fenix, La Sombra, Tama Tonga. Where have all the great flyers gone? Ibushi was hurt much of the year, same for Prince Devitt. Fenix is a rookie from Mexico. Sombra had a disappointing year. Tama Tonga, one of the two wrestling sons of Haku/Meng, really upped his game in 2011 and is a name to watch. Ricochet by a mile in this category.
Most Overrated (over pushed) - Cody Rhodes, WWE. Shitty knockoff Patrick Bateman 'American Psycho' routine, shitty wrestler.
2010 Winner: Kane
Runners Up: Sin Cara (Blue), Mesias, Jun Akiyama, Beer Money, Abyss, Dr. Wagner Jr, Hector Garza. Sin Cara/Mistico sucks. Akiyama is past his prime and getting into 'sad to watch' territory. I never understood what people see in Beer Money. Abyss needs to go away. The rest are lucha guys who get pushed on rep and never deliver.
Most Underrated (under pushed) - Daniel Bryan, WWE. Duh.
2010 Winner: Kaval/Low Ki
Runners Up: Samoa Joe, Jack Swagger, Zack Ryder, Katsuhiko Nakajima, La Sombra, Tyson Kidd, Primo, Taku Iwasu, Ricky Marvin. Samoa Joe was buried. Jack Swagger should be booked as a dominant world champion (the Mark Henry role), and I will complain until it happens. The fans want Ryder. Nakajima is still so young, and is treated well, but it's time for THE push. Sombra was forgotten. Kidd & Primo are vanity picks. I love those two. Iwasu is lost in the Dragon Gate shuffle. Marvin: see Kidd & Primo.
Promotion of the Year - (tie) New Japan Pro Wrestling and Dragon Gate. I don't know yet. November will be huge. No big shows on the slate for DG until December, though. Both promotions had great years, blowing away the field.
2010 Winner: UFC (Dragon Gate was highest finishing pro wrestling group).
Runners Up: CMLL, Lucha Libre USA, ROH. LL USA was a guilty pleasure of mine, but I liked the booking. ROH had a down year. CMLL had a very good year. Pains me not to have NOAH here, but I have to be fair. Nothing else was worth mentioning. WWE had one good month.
Best Weekly TV Show - WWE Superstars. Yeah, I know. What else?
2010 Winner: ROH on HDNet
Runners Up: CMLL on Galavision, ROH on HDNet, Lucha Libre USA: Masked Warriors, Smackdown. ROH got cancelled early in the year or would have won. The new show is brand new. Smackdown was the lesser of three evils (RAW, Impact). CMLL is a good show, BUT TOO MANY COMMERCIALS. Masked Warriors, again, is a guilty pleasure. I didn't watch much Dragon Gate Infinity, so I can't rate it.
Match of the Year - Kevin Steen vs. El Generico, ROH (Final Battle). The match is as good a brawl as you will ever see, and played perfectly into the storyline.
WWE/TNA: CM Punk vs. John Cena (MITB)
2010 Winner: Undertaker vs Shawn Michaels (WM)
Runners Up: LA Park vs Mesias, CM Punk vs John Cena (MITB), Davey Richards vs. Eddie Edwards, Davey Richards & Rocky Romero vs Apollo 55 (Prince Devitt & Ryusuke Taguchi), Davey Richards vs Roderick Strong. I'm way behind on some stuff and still have a lot of matches to watch before the year is over, so this could change.
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.
Best Non Wrestling Personality - Prince Nana, ROH. The best manager in the business (not saying much, I know), by a wide gap. In another era, WWE would be all over him.
WWE/TNA Winner: The Rock...until Survivor Series, then I guess Vicky Guerrero by default.
2010 Winner: Vicky Guerrero
Runners Up: Jim Cornette, Ricardo Rodriquez, Vince McMahon. McMahon is the best, but scaled back his role. Cornette is great at what he does as an old school, non heel power figure in ROH. Rodriguez wrestles in FCW, not sure if I count him.
Best TV Announcer - Mike Hogewood, ROH. SLAP THE PORPOISE!
WWE/TNA Winner: Mike Tenay, I guess.
2010 Winner: Joe Rogan (CM Punk highest finishing wrestling announcer)
Runners Up: Josh Matthews, Dave Prazak, Mike Tenay. Meh. They all stink, and i'm not a Jim Ross fan.
Worst TV Announcer - Jerry Lawler, WWE. Every year until he retires, I will vote for Lawler. He is terrible beyond words.
2010 Winner: Michael Cole
Runners Up: Michael Cole, and just about everyone else. Where have you gone, Joey Styles?
Best Major Show - "The Gate of Destiny 2011", Dragon Gate 10/16/11. Probably one of the five best wrestling shows i've ever seen. Incredible from opening match prelim to wacky yet dramatic main event. I implore everyone to watch this. Ask me for the download link.
WWE/TNA Winner: Money in the Bank, WWE
2010 Winner: UFC 116 (ROH "Death Before Dishonor" highest finishing wrestling show)
Runners Up: WWE Money in the Bank, TNA Destination X, Dragon Gate Kobe World, ROH Final Battle. These are four great, GREAT shows, and none of them can touch the Gate of Destiny show. MITB, Kobe World, and Final Battle would normally be good enough to win 9 out of 10 years. This was the 10th year.
Other Awards - Best Wrestling Maneuver: Ricochet double rotation moonsault....Worst TV Show: TNA Impact....Worst Feud: Michael Cole vs Jim Ross....Worst Promotion: Osaka Pro (trust me on this)....Best Booker: whoever is booking Dragon Gate....Best Gimmick: Woo Woo Woo Guy....Worst Gimmick: (tie) Cody Rhodes or Michael Cole, heel announcer....
