Wrestling Observer 2009 Awards

[GuyCompton]

Discuss or don't, I don't care.

Wrestler of the Year

1. CHRIS JERICHO (269)1,815 - 2nd year in a row.
2. Hiroshi Tanahashi (97)1,057
3. Naruki Doi (51)751
4. C.M. Punk (53)714
5. Randy Orton (67)692
6. Jeff Hardy (46)464
7. John Cena (32)272
8. Davey Richards (11)268
9. Bryan Danielson (20)266
10. Kurt Angle (13)254

Most Outstanding Wrestler

1. BRYAN DANIELSON (218)1,838 - 4 years in a row.
2. Davey Richards (161)1,719
3. KENTA (212)1,380
4. Chris Jericho (44)489
5. Kurt Angle (19)292
6. Shingo Takagi (12)284
7. Kota Ibushi (9)269
8. Nigel McGuiness/Desmond Wolfe (22)267
9. Shawn Michaels (29)233
10. Rey Mysterio (24)229

Best Box Office Draw

1. BROCK LESNAR (513)2,857 - 2nd year in a row.
2. John Cena (62)1,308
3. Georges St. Pierre (10)876
4. Frank Mir (5)335
5. Mistico (16)227
6. Jeff Hardy (4)223
7. Gina Carano (14)201
8. Kimbo Slice132
9. DX (3)90
10. Hiroshi Tanahashi 79

Feud of the Year

1. C.M. PUNK VS. JEFF HARDY (302)2,201
2. Brock Lesnar vs. Frank Mir (207)1,482
3. Chris Jericho vs. Rey Mysterio (96)1,327
4. Quinton Jackson vs. Rashad Evans (23)315
5. New Japan vs. Pro Wrestling NOAH (25)281
6. Undertaker vs. Shawn Michaels (4)272
7. Mistico vs. Negro Casas (14)265
8. American Wolves vs. Steen & Generico (2)248
9. John Cena vs. Randy Orton (13)220
10. KENTA vs. Katsuhiko Nakajima (14)162

Tag Team of the Year

1. AMERICAN WOLVES - EDDIE EDWARDS & DAVEY RICHARDS (209)2,052
2. THE YOUNG BUCKS - Matt & Nick Jackson (232)1,806
3. JERISHOW - Chris Jericho & Big Show (178)1,367
4. BEER MONEY INC. - Robert Roode & James Storm (47)679
5. APOLLO55 - Prince Devitt & Ryusuke Taguchi (15)619
6. MOTOR CITY MACHINE GUNS - Chris Sabin & Alex Shelley (22)283
7. STEENERICO/EL GEEN - Kevin Steen & El Generico (6)217
8. Volador Jr. & La Sombra (9)199
9. LEGACY - Ted DiBiase & Cody Rhodes (1)87
10. DEGENERATION X - Shawn Michaels & HHH (3)79

Most Improved

1. THE MIZ (68)664 - 2nd year in a row.
2. Cody Rhodes (87)619
3. Kofi Kingston (50)482
4. Zack Ryder (17)356
5. Dolph Ziggler (20)344
6. Brutus Magnus (19)310
7. Chris Hero (50)282
8. Goldust (29)265
9. Prince Devitt (12)235
10. Kenny King (14)195

Best on Interviews

1. CHRIS JERICHO (292)2,328 - 2nd year in a row.
2. C.M. Punk (205)1,836
3. Frank Mir (67)914
4. Dana White (38)393
5. Eddie Kingston (29)205
6. Jim Cornette (16)150
7. Quinton Jackson (15)146
8. John Cena (5)146
9. Brock Lesnar (10)129
10. Nigel McGuinness/Desmond Wolfe (2)126

Most Charismatic

1. JOHN CENA (115)958 - 4th year in a row.
2. Jeff Hardy (124)904
3. Brock Lesnar (76)862
4. Hiroshi Tanahashi (52)685
5. Yamato (47)604
6. Chris Jericho (38)469
7. C.M. Punk (28)297
8. Shawn Michaels (29)284
9. Frank Mir (9)187
10. Randy Orton (11)139

Best Technical Wrestler

1. BRYAN DANIELSON (401)2,478 - 5th year in a row. First time ever this has happened.
2. Kurt Angle (55)963
3. Davey Richards (92)922
4. Nigel McGuinness/Desmond Wolfe (37)682
5. Naruki Doi (6)324
6. Prince Devitt (18)287
7. Mike Quackenbush (29)243
8. Johnny Saint (5)204
9. William Regal (2)129
10. KENTA (14)107

Best Brawler

1. NECRO BUTCHER (107)837 - 2nd year in a row.
2. Samoa Joe (112)796
3. Masato Tanaka (89)685
4. Togi Makabe (49)666
5. Chris Hero (90)550
6. Abyss (28)342
7. Fit Finlay (17)335
8. Takeshi Morishima (24)306
9. Undertaker (28)`254
10. Eddie Kingston (3)197

Best High Flying Wrestler

1. KOTA IBUSHI (389)2,282
2. Evan Bourne (82)1,037
3. Dragon Kid (111)817
4. Pac (10)611
5. Mistico (41)502
6. Prince Devitt (9)460
7. A.J. Styles (49)432
8. Rey Mysterio (44)391
9. Taiji Ishimori (2)253
10. Jack Evans (22)237

Most Overrated

1. HHH (86)836
2. Team 3-D (43)475
3. Kane (39)439
4. Vladimir Kozlov (39)332
5. Kevin Nash (33)313
6. Batista (23)282
7. Tiger Mask (31)267
8. Great Khali (19)226
9. Mark Henry (24)208
10. Sheamus (22)193

Most Underrated

1. EVAN BOURNE (205)1,561
2. Christian (76)640
3. Jack Swagger (49)625
4. Alex Shelley (29)280
5. William Regal (23)226
6. Shelton Benjamin (17)216
7. Mike Knox (12)215
8. Paul Burchill (26)197
9. Tyson Kidd (17)178
10. MVP (14)157

Promotion of the Year

1. Ultimate Fighting Championship (379)2,167
2. Dragon Gate (131)1,539
3. World Wrestling Entertainment(45)889
4. New Japan Pro Wrestling (32)724
5. CHIKARA (21)461
6. Ring of Honor (2)426
7. World Extreme Cagefighting (18)403
8. Pro Wrestling Guerrilla (21)355
9. Strikeforce (1)242
10. Total Nonstop Action (3)92

Best Weekly Show

1. WWE SMACKDOWN (242)1,986
2. UFC Ultimate Fighter (157)1,567
3. Ring of Honor (130)1,563
4. Dragon Gate Infinity (190)1,549
5. WWE ECW (4)498
6. WWE Raw (6)348
7. TNA Impact (3)229
8. New Japan World Pro Wrestling (13)155
9. Inside MMA (8)133
10. CMLL (5)107

Match of the Year

1. UNDERTAKER VS. SHAWN MICHAELS 4/5 HOUSTON (304) 2,110
2. Davey Richards vs. Shingo Takagi 9/6 Chicago (81)855
3. KENTA vs. Katsuhiko Nakajima 3/1 Tokyo (51)737
4. Bryan Danielson vs. Naruki Doi 9/6 Chicago (66)706
5. KENTA & Go Shiozaki vs. Kensuke Sasaki & Katsuhiko Nakajima 6/22 Tokyo (63)517
6. Davey Richards vs. KENTA 4/3 Houston (29)432
7. Rey Mysterio vs. Chris Jericho 6/28 Sacramento (19)322
8. Bryan Danielson vs. Davey Richards 9/25 Boston (19)199
9. Samoa Joe vs. Christopher Daniels vs. A.J. Styles 11/15 Orlando (4)187
10. KENTA vs. Katsuhiko Nakajima 2/11 Tokyo (2)143

Rookie of the Year

1. FRIGHTMARE (205)1,451
2. Ricky Steamboat Jr. (89)1,074
3. Brutus Magnus (94)751
4. Ryota Hama (50)694
5. Cody Deaner (23)269
6. Strong Man Jon Anderson (14)246
7. Rouge (6)167
8. Bo Rotundo (6)108
9. Jesse Neal 64
10. Chris Jones 49

Best Non Wrestler

1. VICKIE GUERRERO (296)2,022
2. Jim Cornette (76)695
3. Don West (115)689
4. Prince Nana (15)479
5. Vince McMahon (10)464
6. Teddy Long (26)345
7. Dana White (28)249
8. Generalissimo Takada (21)199
9. Abraham Washington (7)111
10. Larry Sweeney (3)107

Best Television Announcer

1. JIM ROSS (305)2,091
2. Matt Striker (156)1,178
3. Joe Rogan (100)984
4. Taz (36)646
5. Mike Hogewood (12)408
6. Michael Schiavello (19)391
7. Don West (28)288
8. Mike Tenay (11)131
9. Mike Goldberg (4)126
10. Dave Prazak 115

Worst Television Announcer

1. MICHAEL COLE (397)2,571
2. Jerry Lawler (47)1,159
3. Todd Grisham (34)484
4. Don West (31)325
5. Mike Hogewood (34)286
6. Matt Striker (22)233
7. Byron Saxton (5)224
8. Dave Prazak (10)192
9. Michael Schiavello (21)152
10. Mike Tenay (6)125

Best Major Wrestling Show

1. DRAGON GATE USA OPEN THE HISTORICAL GATE 7/25 PHILADELPHIA (144)1,229
2. UFC 100 7/11 Las Vegas (150)1,066
3. Dragon Gate USA Open the Untouchable Gate 9/6 Chicago (94)1,030
4. WWE WrestleMania 25 4/5 Houston (47)587
5. TNA Turning Point 11/15 Orlando (40)357
6. New Japan Jan. 4 Tokyo Dome (39)255
7. WWE Backlash 4/26 Providence (32)254
8. WEC 6/7 Sacramento (17)228
9. PWG 7/31 Reseda (19)210
10. ROH Supercard of Honor 4/3 Houston 199

Worst Major Wrestling Show

1. TNA VICTORY ROAD 7/19 ORLANDO 478
2. WWE Breaking Point 9/13 Montreal 22
3. Ultimate Chaos 6/27 Biloxi 19
4. WWE Bragging Rights 10/25 Pittsburgh 15
5. WWE The Bash 6/28 Sacramento 13
6. TNA Hard Justice 8/16 Orlando 13
7. WWE Hell in a Cell 10/4 Newark 9
8. TNA Genesis 1/11 Charlotte 6
9. UFC 97 4/18 Montreal 5

Best Wrestling Maneuver

1. YOUNG BUCKS - MORE BANG FOR YOUR BUCK 127
2. Evan Bourne - Shooting Star Press 90
3. Kota Ibushi - Golden Star Press 74
4. Shinsuke Nakamura - Bom a Ye 58
5. John Morrison - Starship Pain 45
6. Randy Orton - RKO 40
7 C.M. Punk - Go 2 Sleep 37
8.Dragon Kid - Dragonrana 36
9. Randy Orton - Punt 31
10. Taiji Ishimori - Superstar Elbow 21

Most Disgusting Promotional Tactic

1. PIGGY JAMES ANGLE 166
2. Vickie Guerrero being called a pig 109
3. Using the death of Jeff Hardy’s dog in the Hardy Boys angle 46
4. WWE not acknowledging the death of Umaga on TV 19

Worst TV Show

1. TNA IMPACT 382
2. WWE Raw 256
3. WWE ECW 28
4. AAA 13
5. WWE Superstars 10

Worst Feud of the Year

1. CHAVO GUERRERO VS. HORNSWOGGLE 358
2. HHH vs. Randy Orton 78
3. John Cena vs. Big Show 41
4. Main Event Mafia vs. Front Line 39
5. Kane vs. Great Khali 38
6. Randy Orton vs. Shane McMahon 33
7. John Cena vs. The Miz 19
8. Santina Marella vs. Vickie Guerrero 18

Worst Promotion of the Year

1. TNA 424
2. IWA Mid South 195
3. Combat Zone Wrestling 61
4. Affliction 55
5. WWE 53
6. AAA 25
7. Hustle 20

Best Booker

1. JOE SILVA 242
2. Mike Quackenbush 137
3. Gedo & Jado 119
4. Gabe Sapolsky 65
5. Adam Pearce 21
6. Sean Shelby 19
7. Sanshiro Takagi 18
8. Vince McMahon 16

Best Promoter

1. DANA WHITE 547
2. Sanshiro Takagi 62
3. Vince McMahon 42
4. Cary Silkin 27
5. Mitsuharu Misawa 20
6. Scott Coker 14

Best Gimmick

1. C.M. PUNK STRAIGHT EDGE SOCIETY 287
2. Pope D’Angelo Dinero 51
3. Yoshikawa 39
4. A Double Austin Aries 37
5. Santino Marella 24
6. Zack Ryder 21
7. The Beautiful People 20
8. King Mo 19


Worst Gimmick

1. HORNSWOGGLE 112
2. Abraham Washington 86
3. Samoa Joe Nation of Violence 82
4. Santino Marella 31
5. ODB 25
6. Dr. Stevie 19
7. Tiffany 15
8. Pretty Ricky 10

Best Wrestling Book

1. MIDNIGHT EXPRESS 25TH ANNIVERSARY SCRAPBOOK BY JIM CORNETTE 211
2. Queen of the Ring (Mildred Burke) by Jeff Leen 199
3. Drawing Heat the Hard Way by Larry Matysik 110
4. Total MMA by Jonathan Snowden 105
5. Blood in the Cage by L. Jon Wertheim 77
6. WWE Encyclopedia by Brian Shields/Kevin Sullivan 44
7. Got Fight? by Forrest Griffin 31
8. My Life in Wrestling by Gary Hart 30
9. My Life Outside the Ring by Hulk Hogan 12

Best Pro Wrestling DVD

1. MACHO MADNESS 111
2. Rise and Fall of WCW 88
3. Dragon Gate USA Open the Historic Gate 85
4. Starrcade: The Essential Collection 64
5. Best of Saturday Night’s Main Event 52
6. Guest Booker: Jim Cornette 27
7. Best of Smackdown 10th anniversary 12

[klunderbunker]

AJ not even in the top ten for WOTY?

Bullshit.

[GuyCompton]

I still don't get the love for Randy Orton who's as bland as it gets.

Orton should be replaced with AJ.

[klunderbunker]

I don't think he even watches TNA. Deaner is a better gimmick than Tiffany, who doesn't have a gimmick other than being smoking hot?

[Unsex]

Rey vs Morrison for the IC title deserved a mention on that list as well. Also, how is not mentioning Umaga's death a promotional tactic?

[klunderbunker]

Gives them better publicity to not be associated with a steroids user. In other words: "He didn't work for us when he died so this one isn't on our hands."

[Mighty NorCal]

Well, as soon as I saw "Triple H" for most overrated and nothing but a thousand Jap-o matches in the MOTY, I stopped taking this the least bit seriously

[Gelgarin]

The Observers been carrying a pretty massive anti-TNA bias for a while. They never really got out of that 'TNA sucks!' vibe that the internet was all over a couple of years back.

A few notable observations.

More back for your buck? Best wrestling move? Really? I fucking hate that move. Doesn't have anywhere near enough flips in it.

The assertion that Impact has been a worse show this year than both RAW and ECW is a fucking joke.

Don West got almost as many votes for best TV announcer as he did for worst TV announcer, and gets the recognition he deserves in the best Non Wrestler category. Humanity is coming round.

How the fuck can Miz be the most improved guy two years in a row? Especially given that he didn't have anything wrong with him to begin with?

Dr. Stevie fucking rocked.

AJ not being ranked in the best wrestler category is a joke, but a slightly smaller one than him only being ranked as the seventh best high flyer. Does somebody want to point out to me at exactly which point Evan 'fucking' Bourn and Pac were having main event calibre matches. It looks like this category is legitimately becoming based on how many rotations you can do in the air, and not on how good your matches are.

Tiffany had a gimmick?

These awards have degenerated into a running joke ever since they changed the definition of the Lou Thesz award. (It should still be being picked up by Cena, Angle or some indy guy incidentally)

[xfearbefore]

Meltzer does not hate TNA. He's given them great match ratings over the past few months.

And Norcal why can't you take it seriously because the matches were Japanese? How can you say that if you haven't even seen the matches in question?

[Gelgarin]

As I understand it Meltzar doesn't give out the awards. Isn't it him, his staff (which I'd like to mention includes Jeff Hamlin, a fucking idiot who hates TNA and briefly got schooled by Disco in one of the greatest internet feuds of all time) and a public vote (never a good idea).