2010 WRESTLING OBSERVER NEWSLETTER AWARDS
The following are the results of the 31st annual Wrestling Observer Newsletter readership awards, along with a listing of the previous winners in the various categories. On a world wide basis, these are the most covered mainstream international pro wrestling awards. The awards are based on the time frame from December 1, 2009 through November 30, 2010. Readers are encouraged to send in their comments on the results.
"CATEGORY A" AWARDS - WINNERS
DETERMINED BY POINTS ON A 5-3-2 BASIS.
FIRST PLACE VOTES IN PARENTHESIS
LOU THESZ/RIC FLAIR AWARD (WRESTLER OF THE YEAR)
1. JOHN CENA (242)1,451
2. Takashi Sugiura (106)802
3. Masato Yoshino (70)754
4. Prince Devitt (5
634
5. Chris Jericho (44)551
6. Davey Richards (5
473
7. Shinsuke Nakamura (35)394
8. The Miz (26)383
9. Kurt Angle (22)340
10. Mistico (10)322
HONORABLE MENTION: Daniel Bryan 281, Rey Mysterio 278, Satoshi Kojima 268, Randy Orton 266, Daisuke Sekimoto 240, Naomichi Marufuji 178, Dr. Wagner Jr. 164, Naruki Doi 142, L.A. Park 115, Tyler Black 113, Chris Hero 101, Shawn Michaels 100, Sheamus 96, Hiroshi Tanahashi 95, Yamato 86, BxB Hulk 72
PREVIOUS WINNERS: 1980 - Harley Race; 1981 - Harley Race; 1982 - Ric Flair; 1983 - Ric Flair; 1984 - Ric Flair; 1985 - Ric Flair; 1986 - Ric Flair; 1987 - Riki Choshu; 1988 - Akira Maeda; 1989 - Ric Flair; 1990 - Ric Flair; 1991 - Jumbo Tsuruta; 1992 - Ric Flair; 1993 - Vader; 1994 - Toshiaki Kawada; 1995 - Mitsuharu Misawa; 1996 - Kenta Kobashi; 1997 - Mitsuharu Misawa; 1998 - Steve Austin; 1999 - Mitsuharu Misawa; 2000 - HHH; 2001 - Keiji Muto; 2002 - Kurt Angle; 2003 - Kenta Kobashi; 2004 - Kenta Kobashi; 2005 - Kenta Kobashi; 2006 - Mistico; 2007 - John Cena; 2008 - Chris Jericho; 2009 - Chris Jericho
MIXED MARTIAL ARTS MOST VALUABLE
1. BROCK LESNAR (452)2,951
2. Georges St. Pierre (292)2,609
3. Cain Velasquez (16)543
4. Quinton Jackson 274
5. Anderson Silva 242
6. Jose Aldo Jr.196
7. Alistair Overeem (5)134
8. Chael Sonnen119
Urijah Faber119
10. Frankie Edgar90
PREVIOUS WINNERS: 2007 - Randy Couture; 2008 - Brock Lesnar; 2009 - Brock Lesnar
New category in 2007. Highest place winner from MMA in previous Thesz/Flair award balloting: 1994 - Royce Gracie; 1995 - Ken Shamrock; 1996 - Mark Coleman; 1997 - Maurice Smith; 1998 - Frank Shamrock; 1999 - Frank Shamrock; 2000 - Kazushi Sakuraba; 2001 - Kazushi Sakuraba; 2002 - Bob Sapp; 2003 - Randy Couture; 2004 - Wanderlei Silva; 2005 - Kid Yamamoto; 2006 - Tito Ortiz;
MOST OUTSTANDING WRESTLER
1. DANIEL BRYAN/Bryan Danielson (269)2,037
2. Davey Richards (197)1,835
3. Prince Devitt (15
1,525
4. Naomichi Marufuji (84)758
5. Shingo Takagi (10)515
6. Chris Hero (
509
7. Kurt Angle (26)448
8. Yamato (4) 209
9. Chris Jericho (2)190
10. A.J. Styles (3)158
HONORABLE MENTION: Shinsuke Nakamura 125, Daisuke Sekimoto 115, Rey Mysterio 87
PREVIOUS WINNERS: 1986 - Ric Flair; 1987 - Ric Flair; 1988 - Tatsumi Fujinami; 1989 - Ric Flair; 1990 - Jushin Liger; 1991 - Jushin Liger; 1992 - Jushin Liger; 1993 - Kenta Kobashi; 1994 - Kenta Kobashi; 1995 - Manami Toyota; 1996 - Rey Misterio Jr.; 1997 - Mitsuharu Misawa; 1998 - Koji Kanemoto; 1999 - Mitsuharu Misawa; 2000 - Chris Benoit; 2001 - Kurt Angle; 2002 - Kurt Angle; 2003 - Kurt Angle; 2004 - Chris Benoit; 2005 - Samoa Joe; 2006 - Bryan Danielson; 2007 - Bryan Danielson; 2008 - Bryan Danielson; 2009 - Bryan Danielson
MOST OUTSTANDING FIGHTER OF THE YEAR
1. GEORGE ST. PIERRE (279)1,789
2. Jose Aldo Jr. (147)1,736
3. Cain Velasquez (11
1,428
4. Frankie Edgar (19)514
5. Anderson Silva (35)411
6. Alistair Overeem (3
244
7. Ben Henderson (3)90
8. Nick Diaz (2)72
9. Dominick Cruz (1)57
10. Urijah Faber48
St. Pierre won one of the closest races of the year. This probably can be explained by a question as to what this category is and how that is interpreted. If it is for the No. 1 pound-for-pound fighter in the world, or simply most outstanding fighter, St. Pierre is a worthy winner. It was the third straight year St. Pierre has won the award, becoming the first fighter in history to win it three times (Frank Shamrock and Wanderlei Silva had won it twice).
PREVIOUS WINNERS: 1997 - Maurice Smith; 1998 - Frank Shamrock; 1999 - Frank Shamrock; 2000 - Kazushi Sakuraba; 2001 - Wanderlei Silva; 2002 - Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira; 2003 - Randy Couture; 2004 - Wanderlei Silva; 2005 - Fedor Emelianenko; 2006 - Mirko Cro Cop; 2007 - Quinton Jackson; 2008 - Georges St. Pierre; 2009 - Georges St. Pierre
BEST BOX OFFICE DRAW
1. BROCK LESNAR (735)3,813
2. Georges St. Pierre (6)1,667
3. John Cena (74)1,542
4. Mistico (3)348
5. Quinton Jackson (2)199
6. Chael Sonnen (1)155
7. B.J. Penn151
8. Rey Mysterio (2)136
9. Josh Koscheck35
10. Urijah Faber30
PREVIOUS WINNERS: 1997 - Hulk Hogan; 1998 - Steve Austin; 1999 - Steve Austin; 2000 - The Rock; 2001 - Kazushi Sakuraba; 2002 - Bob Sapp; 2003 - Bob Sapp; 2004 - Kenta Kobashi; 2005 - Kenta Kobashi; 2006 - Mistico; 2007 - John Cena; 2008 - Brock Lesnar; 2009 - Brock Lesnar
BEST BABYFACE PREVIOUS AWARD WINNERS: 1980 - Dusty Rhodes; 1981 - Tommy Rich; 1982 - Hulk Hogan; 1983 - Hulk Hogan; 1984 - Hulk Hogan; 1985 - Hulk Hogan; 1986 - Hulk Hogan; 1987 - Hulk Hogan; 1988 - Hulk Hogan; 1989 - Hulk Hogan; 1990 - Hulk Hogan; 1991 - Hulk Hogan; 1992 - Sting; 1993 - Atsushi Onita; 1994 - Atsushi Onita; 1995 - Perro Aguayo Sr.; 1996 - Shawn Michaels
BEST HEEL PREVIOUS AWARD WINNERS: 1980 - Larry Zbyszko; 1981 - Don Muraco; 1982 - Buzz Sawyer; 1983 - Michael Hayes; 1984 - Roddy Piper; 1985 - Roddy Piper; 1986 - Michael Hayes; 1987 - Ted DiBiase; 1988 - Ted DiBiase; 1989 - Terry Funk; 1990 - Ric Flair; 1991 - The Undertaker; 1992 - Rick Rude; 1993 - Vader; 1994 - Love Machine (Art Barr); 1995 - Masahiro Chono; 1996 - Steve Austin
FEUD OF THE YEAR
1. KEVIN STEEN VS. EL GENERICO (299)2,004
2. Anderson Silva vs. Chael Sonnen (107)1,036
3. Quinton Jackson vs. Rashad Evans (125)972
4. Georges St. Pierre vs. Josh Koscheck (53)713
5. Undertaker vs. Shawn Michaels (63)681
6. John Cena vs. Nexus (52)643
7. BxB Hulk vs. Shingo Takagi (11)402
8. Beer Money vs. Motor City Machine Guns (23)373
9. Rey Mysterio vs. C.M. Punk (13)309
10. L.A. Park vs. La Parka (31)255
HONORABLE MENTION: Prince Devitt vs. Naomichi Marufuji 210, Mistico vs. Volador Jr. 187, New Japan vs. NOAH 127, Chris Hero & Claudio Castagnoli vs. Mark & Jay Briscoe 116, Daniel Bryan vs. The Miz 87, John Cena vs. Batista 86
PREVIOUS WINNERS: 1980 - Bruno Sammartino vs. Larry Zbyszko; 1981 - Andre the Giant vs. Killer Khan; 1982 - Ted DiBiase vs. Junkyard Dog; 1983 - Freebirds vs. Von Erichs; 1984 - Freebirds vs Von Erichs; 1985 - Ted DiBiase vs. Jim Duggan; 1986 - Hulk Hogan vs. Paul Orndorff; 1987 - Jerry Lawler vs. Austin Idol & Tommy Rich; 1988 - Midnight Express vs. Fantastics; 1989 - Ric Flair vs. Terry Funk; 1990 - Jumbo Tsuruta vs. Mitsuharu Misawa; 1991 - Jumbo Tsuruta & company vs. Mitsuharu Misawa & company; 1992 - Moondogs vs. Jerry Lawler & Jeff Jarrett; 1993 - Bret Hart vs. Jerry Lawler; 1994 - Los Gringos Locos vs. Mexican AAA; 1995 - Dean Malenko vs. Eddie Guerrero; 1996 - WCW vs. NWO; 1997 - Steve Austin vs. Hart Foundation; 1998 - Steve Austin vs. Vince McMahon; 1999 - Steve Austin vs. Vince McMahon; 2000 - HHH vs. Mick Foley; 2001 - Kazushi Sakuraba vs. Wanderlei Silva; 2002 - Ken Shamrock vs. Tito Ortiz; 2003 - Brock Lesnar vs. Kurt Angle; 2004 - HHH vs. Shawn Michaels vs. Chris Benoit; 2005 - Batista vs. HHH; 2006 - Tito Ortiz vs. Ken Shamrock; 2007 - Undertaker vs. Batista ; 2008 - Chris Jericho vs. Shawn Michaels; 2009 - C.M. Punk vs. Jeff Hardy
TAG TEAM OF THE YEAR
1. CHRIS HERO & CLAUDIO CASTAGNOLI (403)2,506
2. Chris Sabin & Alex Shelley (225)1,948
3. Robert Roode & James Storm (29)780
4. Prince Devitt & Ryusuke Taguchi (65)733
5. Mark & Jay Briscoe (2)396
6. Giant Bernard & Karl Anderson (9)375
7. Kenny Omega & Kota Ibushi (12)343
8. Eddie Edwards & Davey Richards (2)214
9. Shingo Takagi & Yamato (3)153
10. David Hart Smith & Tyson Kidd86
HONORABLE MENTION: Generation Me 75
PREVIOUS WINNERS: 1980 - Freebirds (Terry Gordy & Buddy Roberts); 1981 - Terry Gordy & Jimmy Snuka; 1982 - Stan Hansen & Ole Anderson; 1983 - Ricky Steamboat & Jay Youngblood; 1984 - Road Warriors; 1985 - British Bulldogs (Dynamite Kid & Davey Boy Smith); 1986 - Midnight Express (Dennis Condrey & Bobby Eaton); 1987 - Midnight Express (Bobby Eaton & Stan Lane); 1988 - Midnight Express (Bobby Eaton & Stan Lane); 1989 - The Rockers (Shawn Michaels & Marty Jannetty); 1990 - Rick & Scott Steiner; 1991 - Mitsuharu Misawa & Toshiaki Kawada; 1992 - Miracle Violence Combination (Steve Williams & Terry Gordy); 1993 - Hollywood Blondes (Brian Pillman & Steve Austin); 1994 - Los Gringos Locos (Love Machine Art Barr & Eddie Guerrero); 1995 - Mitsuharu Misawa & Kenta Kobashi; 1996 - Mitsuharu Misawa & Jun Akiyama; 1997 - Mitsuharu Misawa & Jun Akiyama; 1998 - Shinjiro Otani & Tatsuhito Takaiwa; 1999 - Kenta Kobashi & Jun Akiyama; 2000 - Edge & Christian; 2001 - TenKoji (Hiroyoshi Tenzan & Satoshi Kojima); 2002 - Eddie & Chavo Guerrero; 2003 - KENTA & Naomichi Marufuji; 2004 - KENTA & Naomichi Marufuji; 2005 - America's Most Wanted (Chris Harris & James Storm); 2006 - LAX (Homicide & Hernandez); 2007 - Mark & Jay Briscoe; 2008 - The Miz & John Morrison; 2009 - Eddie Edwards & Davey Richards
MOST IMPROVED
1. SHEAMUS (130)1,053
2. The Miz (123)976
3. Dolph Ziggler (8
822
4. Eddie Edwards (81)520
5. Bobby Fish (70)432
6. Alberto Del Rio (49)404
7. Akira Tozawa (31)279
8. Wade Barrett (10)277
9. Ricochet (9)242
10. Jack Swagger (23)207
HONORABLE MENTION: Rhett Titus 150, Magnus 147, Cody Rhodes 118, Hiroshi Yamato 90, Claudio Castagnoli 81, Kenny Omega 74
PREVIOUS WINNERS: 1980 - Larry Zbyszko; 1981 - Adrian Adonis; 1982 - Jim Duggan; 1983 - Curt Hennig; 1984 - The Cobra (George Takano); 1985 - Steve Williams; 1986 - Rick Steiner; 1987 - Big Bubba Rogers (Ray Traylor); 1988 - Sting; 1989 - Lex Luger; 1990 - Kenta Kobashi; 1991 - Dustin Rhodes; 1992 - El Samurai; 1993 - Tracy Smothers; 1994 - Diesel (Kevin Nash); 1995 - Johnny B. Badd (Marc Mero); 1996 - Diamond Dallas Page; 1997 - Tatsuhito Takaiwa; 1998 - The Rock; 1999 - Vader; 2000 - Kurt Angle; 2001 - Keiji Muto; 2002 - Brock Lesnar; 2003 - Brock Lesnar; 2004 - Randy Orton; 2005 - Roderick Strong; 2006 - Takeshi Morishima; 2007 - MVP; 2008 - The Miz; 2009 - The Miz
BEST ON INTERVIEWS
1. CHAEL SONNEN (473)2,783
2. The Miz (10
1,036
3. C.M. Punk (85)920
4. Chris Jericho (61)690
5. Kevin Steen (82)614
6. Ric Flair (39)478
7. Jon Moxley (62)454
8. Wade Barrett (17)275
9. Josh Koscheck (3)215
10. John Cena (5)164
HONORABLE MENTION: Batista 96, Alberto Del Rio 90, Frank Mir 72
PREVIOUS WINNERS: 1981 - Lou Albano and Roddy Piper (tied); 1982 - Roddy Piper; 1983 - Roddy Piper; 1984 - Jimmy Hart; 1985 - Jim Cornette; 1986 - Jim Cornette; 1987 - Jim Cornette; 1988 - Jim Cornette; 1989 - Terry Funk; 1990 - Arn Anderson; 1991 - Ric Flair; 1992 - Ric Flair; 1993 - Jim Cornette; 1994 - Ric Flair; 1995 - Cactus Jack (Mick Foley); 1996 - Steve Austin; 1997 - Steve Austin; 1998 - Steve Austin; 1999 - The Rock; 2000 - The Rock; 2001 - Steve Austin; 2002 - Kurt Angle; 2003 - Chris Jericho; 2004 - Mick Foley; 2005 - Eddie Guerrero; 2006 - Mick Foley; 2007 - John Cena; 2008 - Chris Jericho; 2009 - Chris Jericho
MOST CHARISMATIC
1. JOHN CENA (262)1,959
2. Brock Lesnar (137)1,162
3. The Miz (73)763
4. Alberto Del Rio (46)370
5. Yamato (4)367
6. Georges St. Pierre (16)319
7. Josh Koscheck (1
253
8. Hiroshi Tanahashi (31)245
9. C.M. Punk (15)208
10. Chael Sonnen (11)167
HONORABLE MENTION: Ric Flair 159, Jeff Hardy 142, Batista 119, Wade Barrett 83
PREVIOUS WINNERS: 1980 - Ric Flair; 1981 - Michael Hayes; 1982 - Dusty Rhodes and Ric Flair (tied); 198 3 - Ric Flair; 1984 - Ric Flair; 1985 - Hulk Hogan; 1986 - Hulk Hogan; 1987 - Hulk Hogan; 1988 - Sting; 1989 - Hulk Hogan; 1990 - Hulk Hogan; 1991 - Hulk Hogan; 1992 - Sting; 1993 - Ric Flair; 1994 - Atsushi Onita; 1995 - Shawn Michaels; 1996 - Shawn Michaels; 1997 - Steve Austin; 1998 - Steve Austin; 1999 - The Rock; 2000 - The Rock; 2001 - The Rock; 2002 - The Rock; 2003 - Bob Sapp; 2004 - Eddie Guerrero; 2005 - Eddie Guerrero; 2006 - John Cena; 2007 - John Cena; 2008 - John Cena; 2009 - John Cena
BEST TECHNICAL WRESTLER
1. DANIEL BRYAN (370)2,765
2. Davey Richards (151)1,719
3. Prince Devitt (89)1,205
4. Kurt Angle (45)874
5. Naomichi Marufuji (6)148
6. Douglas Williams (2)96
7. A.J. Styles (3)87
8. Mike Quackenbush (7)84
9. Eddie Edwards (1)72
10. Chris Jericho (
69
PREVIOUS WINNERS: 1980 - Bob Backlund; 1981 - Ted DiBiase; 1982 - Tiger Mask (Satoru Sayama); 1983 - Tiger Mask (Satoru Sayama); 1984 - Dynamite Kid and Masa Saito (tied); 1985 - Tatsumi Fujinami; 1986 - Tatsumi Fujinami; 1987 - Nobuhiko Takada; 1988 - Tatsumi Fujinami; 1989 - Jushin Liger; 1990 - Jushin Liger; 1991 - Jushin Liger; 1992 - Jushin Liger; 1993 - Hiroshi Hase; 1994 - Chris Benoit; 1995 - Chris Benoit; 1996 - Dean Malenko; 1997 - Dean Malenko; 1998 - Kiyoshi Tamura; 1999 - Shinjiro Otani; 2000 - Chris Benoit; 2001 - Minoru Tanaka; 2002 - Kurt Angle; 2003 - Chris Benoit; 2004 - Chris Benoit; 2005 - Bryan Danielson; 2006 - Bryan Danielson; 2007 - Bryan Danielson; 2008 - Bryan Danielson; 2009 - Bryan Danielson
BRUISER BRODY MEMORIAL AWARD (BEST BRAWLER)
1. KEVIN STEEN (152) 1,174
2. Jon Moxley (82) 918
3. Togi Makabe (8
647
4. Masato Tanaka (17)467
5. Necro Butcher (46)453
6. Samoa Joe (44)388
7. Brodie Lee (5)334
8. Sheamus (5
300
9. Abyss (22)298
10. Jimmy Jacobs (1
220
HONORABLE MENTION: Yuji Nagata 211, Daisuke Sekimoto 188, El Generico 150, Shingo Takagi 125, Steve Corino 88ev C 918
PREVIOUS WINNERS: 1980 - Bruiser Brody; 1981 - Bruiser Brody; 1982 - Bruiser Brody; 1983 - Bruiser Brody; 1984 - Bruiser Brody; 1985 - Stan Hansen; 1986 - Terry Gordy; 1987 - Bruiser Brody; 1988 - Bruiser Brody; 1989 - Terry Funk; 1990 - Stan Hansen; 1991 - Cactus Jack (Mick Foley); 1992 - Cactus Jack; 1993 - Cactus Jack; 1994 - Cactus Jack; 1995 - Cactus Jack; 1996 - Mankind (Mick Foley); 1997 - Mankind; 1998 - Mankind; 1999 - Mick Foley; 2000 - Mick Foley; 2001 - Steve Austin; 2002 - Yoshihiro Takayama; 2003 - Brock Lesnar; 2004 - Chris Benoit; 2005 - Samoa Joe; 2006 - Samoa Joe; 2007 - Takeshi Morishima; 2008 - Necro Butcher; 2009 - Necro Butcher
BEST FLYING WRESTLER
1. KOTA IBUSHI (221)1,903
2. Ricochet (161)1,591
3. Pac (120)1,149
4. Mascara Dorada (81)1,093
5. Evan Bourne (103)994
6. Prince Devitt (83)767
7. Dragon Kid (7)398
8. Rey Mysterio (11)292
9. Jack Evans (19)215
10. La Sombra (2
187
HONORABLE MENTION: Aero Star 184, El Generico 175, A.J. Styles 147, BxB Hulk 124, Volador Jr. 91, Masato Yoshino 78
PREVIOUS WINNERS: 1981 - Jimmy Snuka; 1982 - Tiger Mask (Satoru Sayama); 1983 - Tiger Mask (Satoru Sayama); 1984 - Dynamite Kid; 1985 - Tiger Mask (Mitsuharu Misawa); 1986 - Tiger Mask (Mitsuharu Misawa); 1987 - Owen Hart; 1988 - Owen Hart; 1989 - Jushin Liger; 1990 - Jushin Liger; 1991 - Jushin Liger; 1992 - Jushin Liger; 1993 - Jushin Liger; 1994 - Great Sasuke; 1995 - Rey Misterio Jr.; 1996 - Rey Misterio Jr.; 1997 - Rey Misterio Jr.; 1998 - Juventud Guerrera; 1999 - Juventud Guerrera; 2000 - Jeff Hardy; 2001 - Dragon Kid; 2002 - Rey Mysterio; 2003 - Rey Mysterio; 2004 - Rey Mysterio; 2005 - A.J. Styles; 2006 - Mistico; 2007 - Mistico; 2008 - Evan Bourne; 2009 - Kota Ibushi
MOST OVERRATED
1. KANE (222)1,596
2. Randy Orton (80)677
3. Abyss (44)402
4. Rob Van Dam (29)338
5. Drew McIntyre (43)318
6. Matt Morgan (26)301
7. Mr. Anderson (16)299
8. Jeff Hardy (27)289
9. Big Show (20)206
10. Tommy Dreamer (32)205
HONORABLE MENTION: David Otunga 199, Rob Terry 150, John Cena 139, Michelle McCool 99, Team 3-D 81, The Miz 75, Kevin Nash 75
PREVIOUS WINNERS: 1980 - Mr. Wrestling II (Johnny Walker); 1981 - Pedro Morales; 1982 - Pedro Morales; 1983 - Bob Backlund; 1984 - John Studd; 1985 - Hulk Hogan; 1986 - Hulk Hogan; 1987 - Dusty Rhodes; 1988 - Dusty Rhodes; 1989 - Ultimate Warrior; 1990 - Ultimate Warrior; 1991 - Ultimate Warrior; 1992 - Erik Watts; 1993 - Sid Vicious; 1994 - Hulk Hogan; 1995 - Hulk Hogan; 1996 - Hulk Hogan; 1997 - Hulk Hogan; 1998 - Hulk Hogan; 1999 - Kevin Nash; 2000 - Kevin Nash; 2001 - The Undertaker; 2002 - HHH; 2003 - HHH; 2004 - HHH; 2005 - Jeff Jarrett; 2006 - Batista; 2007 - Great Khali; 2008 - Vladimir Kozlov; 2009 - HHH
MOST UNDERRATED
1. KAVAL (122)786
2. Christian (53)683
3. Evan Bourne (62)607
4. Yoshi Tatsu (59)542
5. Jack Swagger (70)418
6. Desmond Wolfe (21)306
7. Samoa Joe (27)258
8. Tyson Kidd (6)255
9. Daniel Bryan (26)229
10. Dolph Ziggler (10)186
HONORABLE MENTION: Zack Ryder 159, John Morrison 145, William Regal 123, Primo 116, Katsuhiko Nakajima 115, Goldust 114, Trent Barreta 99, MVP 96,
PREVIOUS WINNERS: 1980 - Iron Sheik; 1981 - Buzz Sawyer; 1982 - Adrian Adonis; 1983 - Dynamite Kid; 1984 - Brian Blair; 1985 - Bobby Eaton; 1986 - Bobby Eaton; 1987 - Brad Armstrong; 1988 - Tiger Mask (Mitsuharu Misawa); 1989 - Dan Kroffat (Phil LaFon); 1990 - Bobby Eaton; 1991 - Terry Taylor; 1992 - Terry Taylor; 1993 - Bobby Eaton; 1994 - Brian Pillman; 1995 - Skip (Chris Candito); 1996 - Leif Cassidy (Al Snow); 1997 - Flash Funk (Too Cold Scorpio); 1998 - Chris Benoit; 1999 - Chris Jericho; 2000 - Chris Jericho; 2001 - Lance Storm; 2002 - Booker T; 2003 - Ultimo Dragon; 2004 - Paul London; 2005 - Shelton Benjamin; 2006 - Shelton Benjamin; 2007 - Shelton Benjamin; 2008 - MVP; 2009 - Evan Bourne
PROMOTION OF THE YEAR
1. ULTIMATE FIGHTING CHAMPIONSHIPS (506)2,713
2. Dragon Gate (105)1,293
3. New Japan Pro Wrestling (73)1,089
4. Ring of Honor (62)1,080
5. World Wrestling Entertainment (30)851
6. World Extreme Cagefighting (74)766
7. Pro Wrestling Guerrilla (3)268
8. Consejo Mundial Lucha Libre (21)161
9. Pro Wrestling NOAH (17)143
10. CHIKARA (2)117
HONORABLE MENTION: DDT 97, Big Japan Pro Wrestling 88
PREVIOUS WINNERS - 1983 - Jim Crockett Promotions; 1984 - New Japan Pro Wrestling; 1985 - All Japan Pro Wrestling; 1986 - Mid South Wrestling; 1987 - New Japan Pro Wrestling; 1988 - New Japan Pro Wrestling; 1989 - Universal Wrestling Federation Japan; 1990 - All Japan Pro Wrestling; 1991 - All Japan Pro Wrestling; 1992 - New Japan Pro Wrestling; 1993 - All Japan Pro Wrestling; 1994 - AAA; 1995 - New Japan Pro Wrestling; 1996 - New Japan Pro Wrestling; 1997 - New Japan Pro Wrestling; 1998 - New Japan Pro Wrestling; 1999 - World Wrestling Federation; 2000 - World Wrestling Federation; 2001 - Pride Fighting Championships; 2002 - Pride Fighting Championships; 2003 - Pride Fighting Championships; 2004 - Pro Wrestling NOAH; 2005 - Pro Wrestling NOAH; 2006 - Ultimate Fighting Championships; 2007 - Ultimate Fighting Championships; 2008 - Ultimate Fighting Championships; 2009 - Ultimate Fighting Championships
BEST WEEKLY TV SHOW
1. RING OF HONOR (249)2,129
2. UFC Ultimate Fighter (129)1,422
3. WWE Monday Night Raw (70)1,119
4. Dragon Gate Infinity (127)867
5. WWE Smackdown (52)634
6. Bellator Fighting (45)489
7. New Japan Pro Wrestling (14)223
8. WWE Superstars (6)206
9. AAA (11)162
10. CMLL (7)125
HONORABLE MENTION: TNA Impact 108
PREVIOUS WINNERS: 1983 - New Japan World Pro Wrestling; 1984 - New Japan World Pro Wrestling; 1985 - Mid South Wrestling; 1986 - Universal Wrestling Federation (Mid South Wrestling: 1987 - CWA 90 Minute Memphis live show; 1988 - New Japan World Pro Wrestling; 1989 - All Japan Pro Wrestling; 1990 - All Japan Pro Wrestling; 1991 - All Japan Pro Wrestling; 1992 - All Japan Pro Wrestling; 1993 - All Japan Pro Wrestling; 1994 - Extreme Championship Wrestling; 1995 - Extreme Championship Wrestling; 1996 - Extreme Championship Wrestling; 1997 - New Japan World Pro Wrestling; 1998 - WWF Raw is War; 1999 - WWF Raw is War; 2000 - WWF Raw is War; 2001 - New Japan World Pro Wrestling; 2002 - WWE Smackdown; 2003 - Pro Wrestling NOAH; 2004 - WWE Raw; 2005 - UFC Ultimate Fighter; 2006 - UFC Ultimate Fighter; 2007 - UFC Ultimate Fighter; 2008 - UFC Ultimate Fighter; 2009 - WWE Smackdown
WORKED MATCH OF THE YEAR
1. UNDERTAKER VS. SHAWN MICHAELS 3/28 PHOENIX (23
1,885
2. Tyler Black vs. Davey Richards 6/19 Toronto (211)1,711
3. Bryan Danielson vs. Shingo Takagi 7/24 Philadelphia (124)1,099
4. BxB Hulk vs. Shingo Takagi 7/11 Kobe (64)695
5. Chris Hero vs. Akira Tozawa 9/5 Reseda (86)566
6. Prince Devitt vs. Naomichi Marufuji 6/19 Osaka (15)365
7. Koji Kanemoto vs. Fujita Junior Hayato 12/20/09 Tokyo (19)321
8. Chris Hero & Claudio Castagnoli vs. Shelton Benjamin & Charlie Haas 9/11 New York (23)282
9. Chris Sabin & Alex Shelley vs. Robert Roode & James Storm 8/12 Orlando (25)277
10. Daniel Bryan vs. Dolph Ziggler 10/24 Minneapolis (16)189
HONORABLE MENTION: Prince Devitt & Ryusuke Taguchi vs. Kota Ibushi & Kenny Omega 10/11 Tokyo 182, Prince Devitt vs. Naomichi Marufuji 1/20 Tokyo 178, Kurt Angle vs. Mr. Anderson 4/18 St. Charles 165, Naomichi Marufuji vs. Koji Kanemoto 3/5 Tokyo 145, Volador Jr. vs. La Sombra 8/30 Mexico City 122, La Parka vs. L.A. Park 6/6 Mexico City 94, BxB Hulk & Masato Yoshino & Naruki Doi vs. Gamma & Cima & Dragon Kid 3/27 Phoenix 87, Prince Devitt vs. Kota Ibushi 6/13 Sapporo 83, Naruki Doi vs. Masato Yoshino 3/22 Tokyo 70
PREVIOUS WINNERS: 1980 - Bob Backlund vs. Ken Patera 5/19 New York Madison Square Garden; 1981 - Pat Patterson vs. Sgt. Slaughter 4/21 New York Madison Square Garden; 1982 - Tiger Mask (Satoru Sayama) vs. Dynamite Kid 8/5 Tokyo; 1983 - Ric Flair vs. Harley Race 11/24 Greensboro; 1984 - Freebirds vs. Von Erichs 7/4 Fort Worth; 1985 - Tiger Mask (Mitsuharu Misawa) vs. Kuniaki Kobayashi 6/12 Tokyo; 1986 - Ric Flair vs. Barry Windham 2/14 Orlando; 1987 - Ricky Steamboat vs. Randy Savage 3/29 Pontiac; 1988 - Ric Flair vs. Sting 3/27 Greensboro; 1989 - Ric Flair vs. Ricky Steamboat 4/2 New Orleans; 1990 - Jushin Liger vs. Naoki Sano (Takuma Sano) 1/31 Osaka; 1991 - Rick & Scott Steiner vs. Hiroshi Hase & Kensuke Sasaki 3/21 Tokyo; 1992 - Dan Kroffat & Doug Furnas vs. Kenta Kobashi & Tsuyoshi Kikuchi 5/25 Sendai; 1993 - Manami Toyota & Toshiyo Yamada vs. Dynamite Kansai & Mayumi Ozaki 4/21 Osaka; 1994 - Shawn Michaels vs. Razor Ramon (Scott Hall) 3/20 New York Madison Square Garden; 1995 - Manami Toyota vs. Kyoko Inoue 5/7 Tokyo; 1996 - Mitsuharu Misawa & Jun Akiyama vs. Steve Williams & Johnny Ace 6/7 Tokyo; 1997 - Bret Hart vs. Steve Austin 3/23 Chicago; 1998 - Mitsuharu Misawa vs. Kenta Kobashi 10/31 Tokyo; 1999 - Mitsuharu Misawa vs. Kenta Kobashi 6/11 Tokyo; 2000 - Atlantis vs. Villano III 3/17 Mexico City; 2001 - Keiji Muto vs. Genichiro Tenryu 6/8 Tokyo; 2002 - Chris Benoit & Kurt Angle vs. Edge & Rey Mysterio 10/20 Little Rock; 2003 - Mitsuharu Misawa vs. Kenta Kobashi 3/1 Tokyo; 2004 - Kenta Kobashi vs. Jun Akiyama 7/10 Tokyo Dome; 2005 - Kenta Kobashi vs. Samoa Joe 10/1 New York; 2006 - Dragon Kid & Ryo Saito & Genki Horiguchi vs. Cima & Naruki Doi & Masato Yoshino 3/31 Chicago; 2007 - Bryan Danielson vs. Takeshi Morishima 8/25 New York; 2008 - Shawn Michaels vs. Chris Jericho 10/5 Portland, OR; 2009 - Undertaker vs. Shawn Michaels 4/5 Houston
SHOOT MATCH OF THE YEAR
1. LEONARD GARCIA VS. CHAN SUNG JUNG 4/24 SACRAMENTO (227)1,834
2. Anderson Silva vs. Chael Sonnen 8/7 Oakland (195)1,794
3. Chris Leben vs. Yoshihiro Akiyama 7/3 Las Vegas (124)1,302
4. Brock Lesnar vs. Shane Carwin 7/3 Las Vegas (53)847
5. Josh Thomson vs. Gilbert Melendez 12/19/09 San Jose (33)736
6. Jorge Santiago vs. Kazuo Misaki 8/22 Tokyo (61)463
7. Michael Zambidis vs. Chahid 10/3 Seoul (52)365
8. Yves Jabouin vs. Mark Hominick 6/20 Edmonton (16)205
9. Brock Lesnar vs. Cain Velasquez 10/23 Anaheim (2)182
10. Shane Roller vs. Anthony Pettis 8/18 Las Vegas (9) 91
HONORABLE MENTION: Jose Aldo Jr. vs. Urijah Faber 4/24 Sacramento 72
PREVIOUS WINNERS: 1997 - Maurice Smith vs. Mark Coleman 7/27 Birmingham; 1998 - Jerry Bohlander vs. Kevin Jackson 3/13 New Orleans; 1999 - Frank Shamrock vs. Tito Ortiz 9/24 Lake Charles; 2000 - Kazushi Sakuraba vs. Royce Gracie 5/1 Tokyo Dome; 2001 - Randy Couture vs. Pedro Rizzo 5/4 Atlantic City; 2002 - Don Frye vs. Yoshihiro Takayama 6/23 Saitama; 2003 - Wanderlei Silva vs. Hidehiko Yoshida 11/9 Tokyo Dome; 2004 - Quinton Jackson vs. Wanderlei Silva 10/31 Saitama; 2005 - Forrest Griffin vs. Stephan Bonnar 4/9 Las Vegas; 2006 - Diego Sanchez vs. Karo Parisyan 8/17 Las Vegas; 2007 - Randy Couture vs. Tim Sylvia 3/3 Columbus; 2008 - Forrest Griffin vs. Quinton Jackson 7/5 Las Vegas; 2009 - Diego Sanchez vs. Clay Guida 6/20 Las Vegas
ROOKIE OF THE YEAR
1. ADAM COLE (28
2,189
2. Green Ant (94)989
3. Rich Swann (29)805
4. Kazuki Hashimoto (92)703
5. Tama Tonga (75)694
6. Percy Watson (41)388
7. Usos (34)271
8. Naomi (26)173
9. King Fale (2)149
10. Christina Von Eerie (3)139
HONORABLE MENTION: Kyosuke Mikami 120, Hiromu Takahashi 108, Tamina 77
PREVIOUS WINNERS: 1980 - Barry Windham; 1981 - Brad Armstrong and Brad Rheingans (tied); 1982 - Steve Williams; 1983 - Road Warriors; 1984 - Tom Zenk and Keiichi Yamada (Jushin Liger) (tied); 1985 - Jack Victory; 1986 - Bam Bam Bigelow; 1987 - Brian Pillman; 1988 - Gary Albright; 1989 - Dustin Rhodes; 1990 - Steve Austin; 1991 - Johnny B. Badd (Marc Mero); 1992 - Rey Misterio Jr.; 1993 - Jun Akiyama; 1994 - Mikey Whipwreck; 1995 - Perro Aguayo Jr.; 1996 - The Giant (Paul "Big Show" Wight); 1997 - Mr. Aguila; 1998 - Bill Goldberg; 1999 - Blitzkrieg; 2000 - Sean O'Haire; 2001 - El Hombre sin Nombre (Rayman); 2002 - Bob Sapp; 2003 - Chris Sabin; 2004 - Petey Williams; 2005 - Shingo Takagi; 2006 - Atsushi Aoki; 2007 - Erick Stevens; 2008 - Kai; 2009 - Frightmare
BEST NON-WRESTLER
1. VICKIE GUERRERO (296)1,935
2. Jim Cornette (76)1,072
3. Ricardo Rodriguez (60)698
4. Michael Cole (94)679
5. Mike Briscoe (14)342
6. Ric Flair (30)285
7. Eric Bischoff (12)273
8. Paul Bearer (2)198
9. Truth Martini (3)`160
10. Teddy Long (1)156
HONORABLE MENTION: Hulk Hogan 147, Dana White 135, Vince McMahon 84
PREVIOUS WINNERS: 1999 - Vince McMahon; 2000 - Vince McMahon; 2001 - Paul Heyman; 2002 - Paul Heyman; 2003 - Steve Austin; 2004 - Paul Heyman; 2005 - Eric Bischoff; 2006 - Jim Cornette; 2007 - Larry Sweeney; 2008 - Larry Sweeney; 2009 - Vickie Guerrero
MANAGER OF THE YEAR PREVIOUS WINNERS: 1983 - Jimmy Hart; 1984 - Jim Cornette; 1985 - Jim Cornette; 1986 - Jim Cornette; 1987 - Jim Cornette; 1988 - Jim Cornette; 1989 - Jim Cornette; 1990 - Jim Cornette; 1991 - Sensational Sherri (Sherri Martel); 1992 - Jim Cornette; 1993 - Jim Cornette; 1994 - Jim Cornette; 1995 - Jim Cornette; 1996 - Jim Cornette
BEST TELEVISION ANNOUNCER
1. JOE ROGAN (306)1,912
2. Michael Schiavello (79)784
3. C.M. Punk (59)525
4. Mike Goldberg (34)480
5. Josh Matthews (9)477
6. Mike Hogewood (44)442
7. Taz (1
313
8. Michael Cole (24)302
9. Dave Prazak (6)279
10. Stephan Bonnar (6)270
HONORABLE MENTION: Mike Tenay 217, Jimmy Smith 158, Kevin Kelly 142, Dr. Alfonso Morales 120, Mauro Ranallo 115, Matt Striker 100, Jim Cornette 96, Jerry Lawler 75
PREVIOUS WINNERS: 1981 - Gordon Solie; 1982 - Gordon Solie; 1983 - Gordon Solie; 1984 - Lance Russell; 1985 - Lance Russell; 1986 - Lance Russell; 1987 - Lance Russell; 1988 - Jim Ross; 1989 - Jim Ross; 1990 - Jim Ross; 1991 - Jim Ross; 1992 - Jim Ross; 1993 - Jim Ross; 1994 - Joey Styles; 1995 - Joey Styles; 1996 - Joey Styles; 1997 - Mike Tenay; 1998 - Jim Ross; 1999 - Jim Ross; 2000 - Jim Ross; 2001 - Jim Ross; 2002 - Mike Tenay; 2003 - Mike Tenay; 2004 - Mike Tenay; 2005 - Mike Tenay; 2006 - Jim Ross; 2007 - Jim Ross; 2008 - Matt Striker; 2009 - Jim Ross
WORST TELEVISION ANNOUNCER
1. MICHAEL COLE (310)2,167
2. Matt Striker (159)1,645
3. Todd Grisham (43)726
4. Jerry Lawler (
448
5. Mike Tenay (11)313
6. Mike Hogewood (19)292
7. Taz (
185
8. Dave Prazak (7)157
9. Josh Matthews (4)106
10. Mauro Ranallo99
PREVIOUS WINNERS: 1984 - Angelo Mosca; 1985 - Gorilla Monsoon; 1986 - David Crockett; 1987 - David Crockett; 1988 - David Crockett; 1989 - Ed Whalen; 1990 - Herb Abrams; 1991 - Gorilla Monsoon; 1992 - Gorilla Monsoon; 1993 - Gorilla Monsoon; 1994 - Gorilla Monsoon; 1995 - Gorilla Monsoon; 1996 - Steve McMichael; 1997 - Dusty Rhodes; 1998 - Lee Marshall; 1999 - Tony Schiavone; 2000 - Tony Schiavone; 2001 - Michael Cole; 2002 - Jerry Lawler; 2003 - Jonathan Coachman; 2004 - Todd Grisham; 2005 - Jonathan Coachman; 2006 - Todd Grisham; 2007 - Don West; 2008 - Mike Adamle; 2009 - Michael Cole
BEST MAJOR WRESTLING SHOW
1. UFC 116 7/3 LAS VEGAS (153)1,312
2. ROH Death Before Dishonor 6/19 Toronto (154)1,264
3. WWE WrestleMania 3/28 Phoenix (87)762
4. PWG 7 7/30 Reseda (70)626
5. New Japan 10/11 Tokyo (97)624
6. Dragon Gate USA Enter the Dragon 7/24 Philadelphia(13)536
7. WEC 48 4/24 Sacramento (56)533
8. Strikeforce 12/19/09 San Jose (
294
9. New Japan 1/04 Tokyo Dome (10)291
10. WWE Money in the Bank 7/18 Kansas City (12)267
PREVIOUS WINNERS: 1989 - WCW Great American Bash 7/23 Baltimore; 1990 - WWF/New Japan/All Japan U.S. and Japan Wrestling Summit 4/11 Tokyo; 1991 - WCW Wrestle War 2/24 Phoenix; 1992 - All Japan Women Wrestlemarinpiad 4/25 Yokohama; 1993 - All Japan Women Dream Slam I 4/2 Yokohama; 1994 - New Japan Super J Cup 4/16 Tokyo; 1995 - Weekly Pro Wrestling Multi-Promotional show 4/2 Tokyo; 1996 - WAR Super J Cup Second Stage 12/13/95 Tokyo; 1997 - WWF Canadian Stampede 7/16 Calgary; 1998 - ECW Heat Wave 8/2 Dayton; 1999 - ECW Anarchy Rulz 9/19 Chicago; 2000 - EMLL first PPV 3/17 Arena Mexico; 2001 - WWF WrestleMania X-7 4/1 Houston Astrodome; 2002 - WWE SummerSlam 8/25 New York Nassau Coliseum; 2003 - Pride Final Elimination 11/9 Tokyo Dome; 2004 - Pro Wrestling NOAH 7/10 Tokyo Dome; 2005 - Pro Wrestling NOAH Destiny 7/18 Tokyo Dome; 2006 - Ring of Honor Glory By Honor V 9/16 Manhattan Center; 2007 - ROH Man Up 9/15 Chicago; 2008 - WWE WrestleMania 25 3/30 Orlando; 2009 - Dragon Gate USA Open the Historical Gate 7/25 Philadelphia
"CATEGORY B" AWARDS - WINNER
DETERMINED BY FIRST PLACE VOTES
WORST MAJOR WRESTLING SHOW
1. TNA HARDCORE JUSTICE 8/8 ORLANDO 172
2. TNA Turning Point 11/7 Orlando 126
3. WWE Bragging Rights 10/24 Minneapolis 72
4. WWE Survivor Series 11/21 Miami 37
5. TNA Destination X 3/21 Orlando 33
6. WWE Over the Limit 5/23 Detroit 18
7. TNA Bound for Glory 10/10 Daytona Beach 17
Strikeforce on CBS 4/17 Nashville 17
9. TNA Sacrifice 5/16 Orlando 15
10. Impact Fighting Championships 7/18 Sydney 14
HONORABLE MENTION: TNA Against All Odds 2/14 Orlando 11
PREVIOUS WINNERS: 1989 - WrestleMania V 4/2 Atlantic City; 1990 - WCW Clash XII 11/20 Jacksonville; 1991 - WCW Great American Bash 7/14 Baltimore; 1992 - WCW Halloween Havoc 10/25 Philadelphia; 1993 - WCW Fall Brawl 9/19 Houston; 1994 - UWF Blackjack Brawl 9/25 Las Vegas; 1995 - WCW Uncensored 3/29 Tupelo; 1996 - WCW Uncensored 3/24 Tupelo; 1997 - WCW/NWO Souled Out 1/25 Cedar Rapids; 1998 - WCW Fall Brawl 9/13 Winston-Salem; 1999 - Heroes of Wrestling 10/10 Bay St. Louis; 2000 - WCW Halloween Havoc 10/29 Las Vegas; 2001 - WCW Unleashed 2/14 Los Angeles; 2002 - WWE King of the Ring 6/23 Columbus, OH; 2003 - WWE Backlash 4/27 Worcester; 2004 - WWE Great American Bash 7/27 Norfolk; 2005 - WWE Great American Bash 7/24 Buffalo; 2006 - UFC 61 7/8 Las Vegas; 2007 - WWE ECW December to Dismember 12/3/06 Augusta; 2008 - WWE Survivor Series 11/23 Boston; 2009 - TNA Victory Road 7/19 Orlando
BEST WRESTLING MANEUVER
1. RICOCHET DOUBLE ROTATION MOONSAULT 178
2. Daniel Bryan LeBell lock 117
3. Justin Gabriel 450 splash 57
4. Prince Devitt Bloody Sunday DDT 56
5. Kota Ibushi Golden star press 40
6. Shinsuke Nakamura bom a ye 39
7. Randy Orton DDT 37
8. Naomichi Marufuji Tiger frosien 27
9. Evan Bourne shooting star press 24
10. Pac 360 shooting star press 20
HONORABLE MENTION: Generation Me More Bang for Your Buck 19, Chris Hero & Claudio Castagnoli KRS-1 17, Chris Sabin & Alex Shelley Skull & Bones 15
PREVIOUS WINNERS: 1981 - Jimmy Snuka Superfly splash; 1982 - Super Destroyer (Scott Irwin) superplex; 1983 - Jimmy Snuka Superfly splash; 1984 - Davey Boy Smith power clean in combination with Dynamite Kid dropkick off the top rope; 1985 - Tiger Mask (Mitsuharu Misawa) tope con giro; 1986 - Chavo Guerrero Sr. moonsault block; 1987 - Jushin Liger shooting star press; 1988 - Jushin Liger shooting star press; 1989 - Scott Steiner Frankensteiner; 1990 - Scott Steiner Frankensteiner; 1991 - Masao Orihara moonsault off top rope to floor; 1992 - Too Cold Scorpio 450 splash; 1993 - Vader moonsault; 1994 - Great Sasuke Sasuke special; 1995 - Rey Misterio Jr. flip dive into Frankensteiner on floor; 1996 - Ultimo Dragon running Liger bomb; 1997 - Diamond Dallas Page diamond cutter; 1998 - Kenta Kobashi burning hammer; 1999 - Dragon Kid dragonrana; 2000 - Dragon Kid dragonrana; 2001 - Keiji Muto shining wizard; 2002 - Brock Lesnar F-5; 2003 - A.J. Styles clash; 2004 - Petey Williams Canadian Destroyer; 2005 - Petey Williams Canadian Destroyer; 2006 - KENTA Go 2 Sleep; 2007 - KENTA Go 2 Sleep; 2008 - Evan Bourne shooting star press; 2009 - Young Bucks More Bang for Your Buck
MOST DISGUSTING PROMOTIONAL TACTIC
1. STAND UP FOR WWE CAMPAIGN 168
2. Rob Terry chair shot 75
3. Tommy Dreamer bloodbath in front of his young daughters 57
4. John Cena firing angle 46
5. Vickie Guerrero constantly promoted as fat and ugly 39
6. Eric Young concussion angle comedy 19
7. TNA making Jeff Hardy world champion while indicted 17
PREVIOUS WINNERS: 1981 - LeBelle promotions usage of The Monster claiming he was built in a laboratory; 1982 - Bob Backlund as WWF champion; 1983 - WWF pretending Eddie Gilbert had re-broken his neck after original legit injury in an auto accident; 1984 - Blackjack Mulligan fake heart attack by Championship Wrestling from Florida; 1985 - Usage of Mike Von Erich's near fatal illness to sell Cotton Bowl tickets by World Class; 1986 - Equating an angle of Chris Adams' blindness with the real death of Gino Hernandez; 1987 - World Class' handling of the death of Mike Von Erich; 1988 - Fritz Von Erich's fake brush with death; 1989 - Jose Gonzalez's babyface push by WWC; 1990 - Atsushi Onita stabbing angle with Jose Gonzalez; 1991 - WWF exploiting the Persian Gulf war; 1992 - WCW push of Erik Watts; 1993 - WCW Cactus Jack amnesia angle; 1994 - WCW retiring Ric Flair; 1995 - WCW Gene Okerlund 900 line come-ons and lies; 1996 - WWF teases and usage of fake Razor Ramon, Diesel and Double J; 1997 - WWF Melanie Pillman interview on Raw the day after Brian's death; 1998 - WCW exploiting Scott Hall's drinking problems for angles; 1999 - WWF continuing Over the Edge PPV after the death of Owen Hart; 2000 - WCW making David Arquette world champion; 2001 - Stephanie McMahon interview on 9/13 TV equating the bombing of the World Trade Center to her father's steroid trial; 2002 - WWE Katie Vick necrophilia angle; 2003 - McMahon family all over television; 2004 - Kane/Lita pregnancy/wedding/miscarriage angle; 2005 - WWE not editing off the show its terrorists angle the day of bombing in England; 2006 - WWE exploiting the death of Eddy Guerrero; 2007 - TNA signing Pacman Jones and having him do the Making it Rain on television when his doing that at a strip club led to the paralysis of a wrestler; 2008 - WWE teasing a Jeff Hardy drug overdose on the Internet to try and garner late interest in a PPV show; 2009 - WWE Piggy James angle making fun of Mickie James’ weight
READERS' FAVORITE WRESTLER PREVIOUS WINNERS: 1984 - Ric Flair; 1985 - Ric Flair; 1986 - Ric Flair; 1987 - Ric Flair; 1988 - Ric Flair; 1989 - Ric Flair; 1990 - Ric Flair; 1991 - Ric Flair; 1992 - Ric Flair; 1993 - Ric Flair; 1994 - Sabu; 1995 - Manami Toyota; 1996 - Ric Flair; 1997 - Chris Benoit; 1998 - Mick Foley; 1999 - Chris Jericho; 2000 - Chris Benoit; 2001 - Keiji Muto; 2002 - Kurt Angle; 2003 - Kurt Angle
READERS LEAST FAVORITE WRESTLER PREVIOUS WINNERS: 1984 - Ivan Putski; 1985 - Hulk Hogan; 1986 - Hulk Hogan; 1987 - Dusty Rhodes; 1988 - Dusty Rhodes; 1989 - Ultimate Warrior; 1990 - Ultimate Warrior; 1991 - Hulk Hogan; 1992 - Erik Watts; 1993 - Sid Vicious; 1994 - Hulk Hogan; 1995 - Hulk Hogan; 1996 - Hulk Hogan; 1997 - Hulk Hogan; 1998 - Hulk Hogan; 1999 - Hulk Hogan; 2000 - Kevin Nash; 2001 - Undertaker; 2002 - HHH; 2003 - HHH
WORST WRESTLER PREVIOUS WINNERS: 1984 - Ivan Putski; 1985 - Uncle Elmer (Stan Frazier); 1986 - Mike Von Erich; 1987 - Junkyard Dog; 1988 - Ultimate Warrior; 1989 - Andre the Giant; 1990 - Junkyard Dog; 1991 - Andre the Giant; 1992 - Andre the Giant; 1993 - Equalizer (Dave Sullivan); 1994 - Dave Sullivan; 1995 - Renegade (Rick Wilson); 1996 - Loch Ness (Giant Haystacks); 1997 - Hulk Hogan; 1998 - Warrior; 1999 - Kevin Nash; 2000 - Kevin Nash; 2001 - Big Show; 2002 - Big Show ; 2003 - Nathan Jones
WORST TAG TEAM PREVIOUS WINNERS: 1984 - The Crusher & Baron Von Raschke; 1985 - Uncle Elmer (Stan Frazier) & Cousin Junior (Lanny Kean); 1986 - Junkyard Dog & George Steele; 1987 - Jimmy Valiant & Bugsy McGraw; 1988 - Nikolai Volkoff & Boris Zhukov; 1989 - Warlord & Barbarian; 1990 - Giant Baba & Andre the Giant; 1991 - Giant Baba & Andre the Giant; 1992 - Bushwhackers; 1993 - Colossal Kongs; 1994 - Bushwhackers; 1995 - **** Slater & Bunkhouse Buck (Jimmy Golden); 1996 - Godwinns; 1997 - Godwinns; 1998 - Kurrgan & Golga (John Tenta); 1999 - Mideon & Viscera; 2000 - Kronik; 2001 - Kronik; 2002 - Rosey & Jamal; 2003 - Rene Dupree & Sylvan Grenier
WORST TELEVISION SHOW
1. TNA IMPACT 402
2. WWE NXT 184
3. WWE Smackdown 25
4. WWE Raw 22
5. AAA 18
PREVIOUS WINNERS: 1984 - WWF All-Star Wrestling; 1985 - Championship Wrestling from Florida; 1986 - California Championship Wrestling; 1987 - World Class Championship Wrestling; 1988 - AWA on ESPN; 1989 - ICW Wrestling; 1990 - AWA on ESPN; 1991 - Herb Abrams' UWF; 1992 - Global Wrestling Federation on ESPN; 1993 - Global Wrestling Federation on ESPN; 1994 - WCW Saturday Night; 1995 - WCW Saturday Night; 1996 - AWF Warriors of Wrestling; 1997 - USWA; 1998 - WCW Nitro; 1999 - WCW Thunder; 2000 - WCW Thunder; 2001 - WWF Excess; 2002 - WWE Raw; 2003 - WWE Raw; 2004 - WWE Smackdown; 2005 - WWE Smackdown; 2006 - WWE Raw; 2007 - TNA Impact ; 2008 - TNA Impact; 2009 - TNA Impact
WORST NON-WRESTLING PERSONALITY PREVIOUS WINNERS: 2000 - Vince Russo; 2001 - Stephanie McMahon; 2002 - Stephanie McMahon; 2003 - Stephanie McMahon
WORST MANAGER PREVIOUS WINNERS: 1984 - Mr. Fuji; 1985 - Mr. Fuji; 1986 - Paul Jones; 1987 - Mr. Fuji; 1988 - Mr. Fuji; 1989 - Mr. Fuji; 1990 - Mr. Fuji; 1991 - Mr. Fuji; 1992 - Mr. Fuji; 1993 - Mr. Fuji; 1994 - Mr. Fuji; 1995 - Mr. Fuji; 1996 - Sonny Onoo; 1997 - Sonny Onoo; 1998 - Sonny Onoo; 1999 - Sonny Onoo
WORST MATCH OF THE YEAR
1. KAITLYN VS. MAXINE 10/19 EDMONTON 223
2. Vince McMahon vs. Bret Hart 3/28 Phoenix 197
3. Anderson Silva vs. Demian Maia 4/10 Abu Dhabi 53
4. Undertaker vs. Kane Hell in a Cell 10/3 Dallas 51
5. Andre Winner vs. Nik Lentz 8/28 Boston 32
6. Frank Mir vs. Mirko Cro Cop 9/25 Indianapolis 26
7. Konnan vs. Cibernetico 3/12 Aguascalientes 10
PREVIOUS WINNERS: 1984 - Fabulous Moolah vs. Wendi Richter 7/23 New York Madison Square Garden; 1985 - Fred Blassie vs. Lou Albano Nassau Coliseum; 1986 - Roddy Piper vs. Mr. T 4/2 Nassau Coliseum; 1987 - Hulk Hogan vs. Andre the Giant 3/29 Pontiac; 1988 - Hiroshi Wajima vs. Tom Magee 4/21 Kawasaki; 1989 - Andre the Giant vs. Ultimate Warrior 10/31 Topeka; 1990 - Sid Vicious vs. Night Stalker (Bryan Clark) 11/20 Jacksonville; 1991 - P.N. News & Bobby Eaton vs. Terry Taylor & Steve Austin scaffold match 7/14 -Baltimore; 1992 - Rick Rude vs. Masahiro Chono 10/25 Philadelphia; 1993 - Four Doinks (Bushwhackers & Men on a Mission) vs. Bam Bam Bigelow & Head Shrinkers & Bastion Booger (Mike Shaw); 1994 - Jerry Lawler & Queasy & Sleazy & Cheesy vs. Doink the Clown & Dink & Wink & Pink 11/23 San Antonio; 1995 - Sting vs. Tony Palmore 1/4 Tokyo Dome; 1996 - Hulk Hogan & Randy Savage vs. Ric Flair & Arn Anderson & Meng & Barbarian & Kevin Sullivan & Ze Gangsta (Tiny Lister) & Ultimate Solution (Jeep Swenson) & Lex Luger 3/24 Tupelo; 1997 - Hulk Hogan vs. Roddy Piper 10/26 Las Vegas; 1998 - Hulk Hogan vs. Warrior 10/24 Las Vegas; 1999 - Al Snow vs. Big Bossman Kennel from Hell 9/26 Charlotte; 2000 - Pat Patterson vs. Gerald Brisco evening gown match 6/25 Boston; 2001 - Undertaker & Kane vs. Kronik (Brian Adams & Bryan Clark) 9/23 Pittsburgh; 2002 - Bradshaw & Trish Stratus vs. Christopher Nowinski & Jackie Gayda 7/8 Philadelphia; 2003 - HHH vs. Scott Steiner 1/19 Boston; 2004 - Steven Richards vs. Tyson Tomko 9/12 Portland; 2005 - Eric Bischoff vs Teddy Long 11/27 Detroit; 2006 - TNA Reverse Battle Royal 10/24 Orlando; 2007 - Chris Harris vs. James Storm 4/15 St. Charles, MO blindfold match; 2008 - HHH vs. Edge vs. Vladimir Kozlov 11/23 Boston; 2009 - Sharmell vs. Jenna Morasca 7/19 Orlando
WORST FEUD OF THE YEAR
1. EDGE VS. KANE 296
2. Undertaker vs. Kane 113
3. Hulk Hogan & Eric Bischoff vs. Dixie Carter 62
4. EV 2 vs. Fortune 55
5. John Cena vs. Nexus 41
6. Randy Orton vs. Ted DiBiase vs. Cody Rhodes 25
7. Team 3-D vs. Nasty Boys 19
PREVIOUS WINNERS: 1984 - Andre the Giant vs. John Studd; 1985 - Sgt. Slaughter vs Boris Zhukov; 1986 - Machines (Andre the Giant & Bill Eadie) vs. King Kong Bundy & John Studd; 1987 - George Steele vs. Danny Davis; 1988 - Midnight Rider (Dusty Rhodes) vs. Tully Blanchard; 1989 - Andre the Giant vs. Ultimate Warrior; 1990 - Ric Flair vs. Junkyard Dog; 1991 - Hulk Hogan vs. Sgt. Slaughter; 1992 - Ultimate Warrior vs. Papa Shango; 1993 - Undertaker vs. Giant Gonzalez; 1994 - Jerry Lawler vs. Doink the Clown; 1995 - Hulk Hogan vs. Dungeon of Doom; 1996 - Big Bossman vs. John Tenta; 1997 - DOA vs. Los Boricuas; 1998 - Hulk Hogan vs. Warrior; 1999 - Big Bossman vs. Big Show; 2000 - Hulk Hogan vs. Billy Kidman; 2001 - WWF vs. The Alliance; 2002 - HHH vs. Kane; 2003 - Shane McMahon vs. Kane; 2004 - Kane vs. Lita & Matt Hardy; 2005 - McMahon Family vs. Jim Ross; 2006 - DX vs. McMahons; 2007 - Kane vs. Big Daddy V; 2008 - Rey Mysterio vs.. Kane; 2009 - Chavo Guerrero vs. Hornswoggle
WORST PROMOTION OF THE YEAR
1. TNA 562
2. IWA Mid South 38
3. WWE 25
4. AAA 18
5. Strikeforce 11
PREVIOUS WINNERS: 1986 - AWA; 1987 - World Class Championship Wrestling; 1988 - AWA; 1989 - AWA; 1990 - AWA; 1991 - Herb Abrams UWF; 1992 - Global Wrestling Federation; 1993 - WCW; 1994 - WCW; 1995 - WCW; 1996 - AWF; 1997 - USWA; 1998 - WCW; 1999 - WCW; 2000 - WCW; 2001 - WCW; 2002 - XPW; 2003 - World Japan; 2004 - New Japan Pro Wrestling; 2005 - New Japan Pro Wrestling; 2006 - World Wrestling Entertainment; 2007 - Total Nonstop Action; 2008 - Total Nonstop Action; 2009 - Total Nonstop Action
BEST BOOKER
1. JOE SILVA 298
2. Gedo & Jado 161
3. Mike Quackenbush 119
4. Gabe Sapolsky 67
5. Adam Pearce 58
6. Sean Shelby 49
7. Konnan 36
8. Hunter Johnston 31
PREVIOUS WINNERS: 1986 - Dusty Rhodes; 1987 - Vince McMahon; 1988 - Eddie Gilbert; 1989 - Shohei Baba; 1990 - Shohei Baba; 1991 - Shohei Baba; 1992 - Riki Choshu; 1993 - Jim Cornette; 1994 - Paul Heyman; 1995 - Paul Heyman; 1996 - Paul Heyman; 1997 - Paul Heyman; 1998 - Vince McMahon; 1999 - Vince McMahon; 2000 - Vince McMahon; 2001 - Jim Cornette; 2002 - Paul Heyman; 2003 - Jim Cornette; 2004 - Gabe Sapolsky; 2005 - Gabe Sapolsky; 2006 - Gabe Sapolsky; 2007 - Gabe Sapolsky; 2008 - Joe Silva; 2009 - Joe Silva
PROMOTER OF THE YEAR
1. DANA WHITE 709
2. Sanshiro Takagi 49
3. Cary Silkin 27
4. Vince McMahon 12
PREVIOUS WINNERS: 1988 - Vince McMahon; 1989 - Akira Maeda; 1990 - Shohei Baba; 1991 - Shohei Baba; 1992 - Shohei Baba; 1993 - Shohei Baba; 1994 - Shohei Baba; 1995 - Riki Choshu; 1996 - Riki Choshu; 1997 - Riki Choshu; 1998 - Vince McMahon; 1999 - Vince McMahon; 2000 - Vince McMahon; 2001 - Antonio Inoki; 2002 - Kazuyoshi Ishii; 2003 - Nobuyuki Sakakibara; 2004 - Nobuyuki Sakakibara; 2005 - Dana White; 2006 - Dana White; 2007 - Dana White; 2008 - Dana White; 2009 - Dana White
BEST GIMMICK
1. ALBERTO DEL RIO 259
2. Nexus 79
3. C.M. Punk's Straight Edge Society 47
4. Santino Marella 29
5. Batista 25
6. Dashing Cody Rhodes 21
7. Pope D’Angelo Dinero 18
8. Chael Sonnen 12
PREVIOUS WINNERS: 1986 - Exotic Adrian Street; 1987 - Ted DiBiase Million Dollar Man; 1988 - Rick Steiner Varsity Club; 1989 - Jushin Liger; 1990 - The Undertaker; 1991 - The Undertaker; 1992 - The Undertaker; 1993 - The Undertaker; 1994 - The Undertaker; 1995 - Disco Inferno; 1996 - NWO; 1997 - Stone Cold Steve Austin; 1998 - Stone Cold Steve Austin; 1999 - The Rock; 2000 - Kurt Angle; 2001 - Hurricane; 2002 - Mattitude; 2003 - John Cena as a rapper; 2004 - JBL; 2005 - Mr. Kennedy; 2006 - Latin American Exchange; 2007 - Santino Marella; 2008 - Santino Marella; 2009 - C.M. Punk Straight Edge Society
WORST GIMMICK
1. ORLANDO JORDAN 148
2. Mystery General Manager 55
3. Eric Young concussion angle 52
4. Robbie E 51
5. Abyss 49
6. Michael Cole 32
7. Winter 30
8. Hornswoggle 26
9. Jeff Hardy heel 16
10. EV 2 15
PREVIOUS WINNERS: 1986 - Adorable Adrian Adonis; 1987 - Adorable Adrian Adonis; 1988 - Midnight Rider (Dusty Rhodes); 1989 - Ding Dongs; 1990 - Gobbledy ****er; 1991 - Oz (Kevin Nash); 1992 - Papa Shango; 1993 - Shock Master (Fred Ottman); 1994 - Dave Sullivan; 1995 - Goldust; 1996 - New Razor Ramon, New Diesel and New Double J; 1997 - New Goldust; 1998 - Oddities; 1999 - Powers that Be; 2000 - Mike Awesome That 70s Guy; 2001 - Diamond Dallas Page Bob Patterson gimmick; 2002 - Richard & Rod Johnson as giant penises; 2003 - Rico; 2004 - Mordecai; 2005 - Jillian Hall as Mole Girl; 2006 - Vito as the toughest guy in a dress; 2007 - Black Reign; 2008 - Great Khali kiss cam; 2009 - Hornswoggle
MOST EMBARRASSING WRESTLER PREVIOUS WINNERS: 1986 - Adrian Adonis; 1987 - George Steele; 1988 - George Steele; 1989 - Andre the Giant; 1990 - Dusty Rhodes; 1991 - Van Hammer; 1992 - Papa Shango; 1993 - Bastion Booger; 1994 - Doink the Clown; 1995 - Hulk Hogan; 1996 - Hulk Hogan; 1997 - New Goldust; 1998 - Hulk Hogan; 1999 - Hulk Hogan; 2000 - Hulk Hogan; 2001 - Buff Bagwell; 2002 - Big Show; 2003 - Nathan Jones
BEST PRO WRESTLING BOOK
1. COUNTDOWN TO LOCKDOWN BY MICK FOLEY 286
2. The World According to Dutch by Dutch Mantel 23
3. Heart for the fight by Brian Stann 19
4. 101 Strangest matches by Oliver Hurley 16
PREVIOUS WINNERS: 2005 - Death of WCW by Bryan Alvarez and R.D. Reynolds; 2006 - Tangled Ropes by Superstar Billy Graham and Keith Greenberg; 2007 - Hitman by Bret Hart and Marcy Engelstein; 2008 - Gorgeous George by John Capouya; 2009 - Midnight Express 25th Anniversary Scrapbook by Jim Cornette
BEST PRO WRESTLING DVD
1. CHRIS JERICHO BREAKING THE CODE 274
2. Ricky Steamboat Life Story of the Dragon 75
3. Hart Family Anthology 62
4. Shawn Michaels My Journey 43
5. Best of Raw 1993 & 1994 32
PREVIOUS WINNERS: 2005 - Rise and Fall of ECW; 2006 - The Bret Hart Story; 2007 - Ric Flair and the Four Horsemen; 2008 - Ric Flair Definitive Collection; 2009 - Macho Madness
