The 2010 Wrestling Observer Newsletter Awards

[JuviJuiceIsLoose]

The timeframe covers December to November.
-Some of the overall awards are available to both wrestling and MMA organizations.

LOU THESZ/RIC FLAIR AWARD (WRESTLER OF THE YEAR)

1. JOHN CENA
2. Takashi Sugiura
3. Masato Yoshino

MIXED MARTIAL ARTS MOST VALUABLE

1. BROCK LESNAR
2. Georges St. Pierre
3. Cain Velasquez

MOST OUTSTANDING WRESTLER

1. DANIEL BRYAN
2. Davey Richards
3. Prince Devitt
(Of note: the winner of the previous four years was someone named "Bryan Danielson".)

MOST OUTSTANDING FIGHTER OF THE YEAR

1. GEORGE ST. PIERRE
2. Jose Aldo Jr.
3. Cain Velasquez

BEST BOX OFFICE DRAW

1. BROCK LESNAR
2. Georges St. Pierre
3. John Cena

FEUD OF THE YEAR

1. KEVIN STEEN VS. EL GENERICO
2. Anderson Silva vs. Chael Sonnen
3. Quinton Jackson vs. Rashad Evans

TAG TEAM OF THE YEAR

1. CHRIS HERO & CLAUDIO CASTAGNOLI
2. Chris Sabin & Alex Shelley
3. Robert Roode & James Storm

MOST IMPROVED

1. SHEAMUS
2. The Miz
3. Dolph Ziggler
(Of note: The Miz almost won his third straight most improved.)

BEST ON INTERVIEWS

1. CHAEL SONNEN
2. The Miz
3. C.M. Punk

MOST CHARISMATIC

1. JOHN CENA
2. Brock Lesnar
3. The Miz

BEST TECHNICAL WRESTLER

1. DANIEL BRYAN
2. Davey Richards
3. Prince Devitt

BRUISER BRODY MEMORIAL AWARD (BEST BRAWLER)

1. KEVIN STEEN
2. Jon Moxley
3. Togi Makabe

BEST FLYING WRESTLER

1. KOTA IBUSHI
2. Ricochet
3. Pac

MOST OVERRATED

1. KANE
2. Randy Orton
3. Abyss

MOST UNDERRATED

1. KAVAL
2. Christian
3. Evan Bourne

PROMOTION OF THE YEAR

1. ULTIMATE FIGHTING CHAMPIONSHIPS
2. Dragon Gate
3. New Japan Pro Wrestling

BEST WEEKLY TV SHOW

1. RING OF HONOR
2. UFC Ultimate Fighter
3. WWE Monday Night Raw

WORKED MATCH OF THE YEAR

1. UNDERTAKER VS. SHAWN MICHAELS 3/28 PHOENIX
2. Tyler Black vs. Davey Richards 6/19 Toronto
3. Bryan Danielson vs. Shingo Takagi

SHOOT MATCH OF THE YEAR

1. LEONARD GARCIA VS. CHAN SUNG JUNG 4/24 SACRAMENTO (WEC)
2. Anderson Silva vs. Chael Sonnen 8/7 Oakland (UFC)
3. Chris Leben vs. Yoshihiro Akiyama (UFC)

ROOKIE OF THE YEAR

1. ADAM COLE
2. Green Ant
3. Rich Swann

BEST NON-WRESTLER

1. VICKIE GUERRERO
2. Jim Cornette
3. Ricardo Rodriguez

BEST TELEVISION ANNOUNCER

1. JOE ROGAN
2. Michael Schiavello
3. C.M. Punk

WORST TELEVISION ANNOUNCER

1. MICHAEL COLE
2. Matt Striker
3. Todd Grisham

BEST MAJOR WRESTLING SHOW

1. UFC 116 7/3 LAS VEGAS
2. ROH Death Before Dishonor 6/19 Toronto
3. WWE WrestleMania 3/28 Phoenix

WORST MAJOR WRESTLING SHOW

1. TNA HARDCORE JUSTICE 8/8 ORLANDO
2. TNA Turning Point 11/7 Orlando
3. WWE Bragging Rights 10/24 Minneapolis

BEST WRESTLING MANEUVER

1. RICOCHET DOUBLE ROTATION MOONSAULT
2. Daniel Bryan LeBell lock
3. Justin Gabriel 450 splash

MOST DISGUSTING PROMOTIONAL TACTIC

1. STAND UP FOR WWE CAMPAIGN
2. Rob Terry chair shot
3. Tommy Dreamer bloodbath in front of his young daughters

WORST TELEVISION SHOW

1. TNA IMPACT
2. WWE NXT
3. WWE Smackdown

WORST MATCH OF THE YEAR

1. KAITLYN VS. MAXINE 10/19 EDMONTON
2. Vince McMahon vs. Bret Hart 3/28 Phoenix
3. Anderson Silva vs. Demian Maia 4/10 Abu Dhabi
(Of note: I get the MMA/wrestling crossover for most applicable categories, but this is dumb. Silva got second last year, too. Granted, both fights SUCKED.)

WORST FEUD OF THE YEAR

1. EDGE VS. KANE
2. Undertaker vs. Kane
3. Hulk Hogan & Eric Bischoff vs. Dixie Carter

WORST PROMOTION OF THE YEAR

1. TNA
(Of note: landslide. Not worth listing the other two.)

BEST BOOKER

1. JOE SILVA (UFC)
2. Gedo & Jado (New Japan) (right? I think so...)
3. Mike Quackenbush (Chikara)

PROMOTER OF THE YEAR

1. DANA WHITE
(Of note: landslide. Not worth listing the other two.)

BEST GIMMICK

1. ALBERTO DEL RIO
2. Nexus
3. C.M. Punk Straight Edge Society

WORST GIMMICK

1. ORLANDO JORDAN
2. Mystery General Manager
3. Eric Young concussion angle

BEST PRO WRESTLING BOOK

1. COUNTDOWN TO LOCKDOWN BY MICK FOLEY
(Of note: landslide. Not worth listing the other two.)

BEST PRO WRESTLING DVD

1. CHRIS JERICHO BREAKING THE CODE
2. Ricky Steamboat Life Story of the Dragon
3. Hart Family Anthology

 

[Jack-Hammer]

The timeframe covers December to November.
-Some of the overall awards are available to both wrestling and MMA organizations.

LOU THESZ/RIC FLAIR AWARD (WRESTLER OF THE YEAR)

1. JOHN CENA
2. Takashi Sugiura
3. Masato Yoshino

All things taken into consideration, this was really the only way to go. Cena's popularity, drawing ability and overall ability to generate high levels of interest in what he's involved in can't be denied whether you love him or hate him.

MIXED MARTIAL ARTS MOST VALUABLE

1. BROCK LESNAR
2. Georges St. Pierre
3. Cain Velasquez

This was pretty obvious and, again, really the only way to go. Again, whether MMA fans love or hate Brock Lesnar, he has them all interested in seeing what he does. Brock Lesnar makes the UFC money, plain and simple.

MOST OUTSTANDING WRESTLER

1. DANIEL BRYAN
2. Davey Richards
3. Prince Devitt
(Of note: the winner of the previous four years was someone named "Bryan Danielson".)

Again, no surprise with this one. Meltzer is a huge mark for Daniel Bryan. I've become a fan of Bryan since I've had an opportunity to view him. He had a great year in 2010, caused a lot of buzz, has become a pretty big star in the biggest company in the world in a short time and has participated in some of the best and most talked about WWE matches of 2010.

MOST OUTSTANDING FIGHTER OF THE YEAR

1. GEORGE ST. PIERRE
2. Jose Aldo Jr.
3. Cain Velasquez

Can't really agree or disagree really. I'm not a huge fan of MMA, I'll usually watch it if I catch it on or if there's just nothing else on I wanna watch.

BEST BOX OFFICE DRAW

1. BROCK LESNAR
2. Georges St. Pierre
3. John Cena

This one was pretty obvious. UFC ppvs headlined by Brock Lesnar have drawn huge numbers. As I said, whether you like Lesnar or hate him, the man makes lots of money for the UFC.

FEUD OF THE YEAR

1. KEVIN STEEN VS. EL GENERICO
2. Anderson Silva vs. Chael Sonnen
3. Quinton Jackson vs. Rashad Evans

I have to disagree here. I fail to see how John Cena vs. Nexus or at least Nexus vs. WWE isn't even in the top 3. It's easily been the overall most talked about and visible high profile feud in wrestling.

TAG TEAM OF THE YEAR

1. CHRIS HERO & CLAUDIO CASTAGNOLI
2. Chris Sabin & Alex Shelley
3. Robert Roode & James Storm

The Guns or Beer Money should've gotten this in my view. Though, to be fair, I've never really been able to view ROH. For me though, the feud between The Guns & Beer Money last year locked either of them for the top spot here.

MOST IMPROVED

1. SHEAMUS
2. The Miz
3. Dolph Ziggler
(Of note: The Miz almost won his third straight most improved.)

I've got no complaints here. All three of these wrestlers have had great years and it wouldn't have bothered me to see any of them win here.

BEST ON INTERVIEWS

1. CHAEL SONNEN
2. The Miz
3. C.M. Punk

Again, I'm not an MMA fan but at least Miz & Punk did make the top 3.

MOST CHARISMATIC

1. JOHN CENA
2. Brock Lesnar
3. The Miz

No surprise here and deservedly so. Cena's charisma is a huge reason why he's been wrestling's biggest star for over half a decade.

BEST TECHNICAL WRESTLER

1. DANIEL BRYAN
2. Davey Richards
3. Prince Devitt

Bryan scores the win yet again in this category. He's got the goods here so no complaints on my end.

BRUISER BRODY MEMORIAL AWARD (BEST BRAWLER)

1. KEVIN STEEN
2. Jon Moxley
3. Togi Makabe

Not really familiar with any of these wrestlers. Of all the awards, this is generally the one I pay the least attention to.

BEST FLYING WRESTLER

1. KOTA IBUSHI
2. Ricochet
3. Pac

Not surprised here. Generally speaking, this award goes to Meltzer's favorite spot monkey of the year.

MOST OVERRATED

1. KANE
2. Randy Orton
3. Abyss

I disagree wholeheartedly with this. In my view, this award should be either RVD or Jeff Hardy all the way. Two huge names that came to TNA in 2010 that had fans buzzing, both had extremely mediocre World Championship runs in TNA and most of their matches were in the same category.

MOST UNDERRATED

1. KAVAL
2. Christian
3. Evan Bourne

I'd have to give this to Christian. From an all around perspective, I think he's superior to either Kaval or Evan Bourne.

PROMOTION OF THE YEAR

1. ULTIMATE FIGHTING CHAMPIONSHIPS
2. Dragon Gate
3. New Japan Pro Wrestling

No surprise here either. Meltzer loves MMA and Japanese promotions so this fits. Nothing wrong with that mind you but, for me, I just find MMA kinda boring most of the time.

BEST WEEKLY TV SHOW

1. RING OF HONOR
2. UFC Ultimate Fighter
3. WWE Monday Night Raw

I think the WWE television product definitely increased in quality in 2010. The Ultimate Fighter is alright but I'm not nearly as into it as I used to be. Don't have HDNet so I've never seen ROH.

WORKED MATCH OF THE YEAR

1. UNDERTAKER VS. SHAWN MICHAELS 3/28 PHOENIX
2. Tyler Black vs. Davey Richards 6/19 Toronto
3. Bryan Danielson vs. Shingo Takagi

No surprise here. Taker vs. HBK takes back to back awards in this category.

SHOOT MATCH OF THE YEAR

1. LEONARD GARCIA VS. CHAN SUNG JUNG 4/24 SACRAMENTO (WEC)
2. Anderson Silva vs. Chael Sonnen 8/7 Oakland (UFC)
3. Chris Leben vs. Yoshihiro Akiyama (UFC)

Didn't see any of these so I can't say.

ROOKIE OF THE YEAR

1. ADAM COLE
2. Green Ant
3. Rich Swann

Not really familiar with any of them.

BEST NON-WRESTLER

1. VICKIE GUERRERO
2. Jim Cornette
3. Ricardo Rodriguez

Vickie Guerrro is great in her role and generates insane levels of heat.

BEST TELEVISION ANNOUNCER

1. JOE ROGAN
2. Michael Schiavello
3. C.M. Punk

I'm a little surprised to see CM Punk even in the top 3. He did a great job in the brief time he did commentary on Raw but he was there such a short amount of time that I didn't really expect it here.

WORST TELEVISION ANNOUNCER

1. MICHAEL COLE
2. Matt Striker
3. Todd Grisham

Can't say I'm surprised here. Meltzer hates Michael Cole and manyfans still hate him for being in Jim Ross' spot on Raw.

BEST MAJOR WRESTLING SHOW

1. UFC 116 7/3 LAS VEGAS
2. ROH Death Before Dishonor 6/19 Toronto
3. WWE WrestleMania 3/28 Phoenix

I find it odd that a MMA event wins this as it's not a wrestling show. WM 26 was a huge improvement over WM 25 and was one of the overall better shows of the year for me. It had it's flaws here and there, but an infinitely better show than the previous WM.

WORST MAJOR WRESTLING SHOW

1. TNA HARDCORE JUSTICE 8/8 ORLANDO
2. TNA Turning Point 11/7 Orlando
3. WWE Bragging Rights 10/24 Minneapolis

I'm not surprised here. It's rare that I hear a ppv get such universal hate and that's pretty much the only way to describe the reactions of just about everyone to Hardcore Justice.

BEST WRESTLING MANEUVER

1. RICOCHET DOUBLE ROTATION MOONSAULT
2. Daniel Bryan LeBell lock
3. Justin Gabriel 450 splash

I would've preferred Bryan to win this. Submission wrestling is becoming something of a lost art in wrestling and the LaBell Lock is underrated in my view.

MOST DISGUSTING PROMOTIONAL TACTIC

1. STAND UP FOR WWE CAMPAIGN
2. Rob Terry chair shot
3. Tommy Dreamer bloodbath in front of his young daughters

I think this is bullshit personally. I see nothing wrong with the WWE hyping it's product and that's primarily what the Stand up for WWE campaign was. Tommy Dramer bleeding all over the place in front of his kids takes this for me, though the Rob Terry chairshot to the head is right up there. I just find potentially traumatizing children and risking brain damage after what we know about head trauma in wrestling is far more offensive.

WORST TELEVISION SHOW

1. TNA IMPACT
2. WWE NXT
3. WWE Smackdown

TNA iMPACT! was awful in 2010, the worst year in TNA history in my opinion. For the first two seasons of NXT, I thought the show was pretty good. It was a different concept but I think the handful of episodes of the third season, the Diva season, is what landed it in second. I definitely don't see SD! as being one of the worst shows. From top to bottom, I think SD! might be the overall best show.

WORST MATCH OF THE YEAR

1. KAITLYN VS. MAXINE 10/19 EDMONTON
2. Vince McMahon vs. Bret Hart 3/28 Phoenix
3. Anderson Silva vs. Demian Maia 4/10 Abu Dhabi
(Of note: I get the MMA/wrestling crossover for most applicable categories, but this is dumb. Silva got second last year, too. Granted, both fights SUCKED.)

I can't remember if I saw Kaitlyn vs. Maxine or not. I know the match that Kaitlyn had with Vickie Guerrero on SD! sometime last year was atrocious so I've got no complaints here.

WORST FEUD OF THE YEAR

1. EDGE VS. KANE
2. Undertaker vs. Kane
3. Hulk Hogan & Eric Bischoff vs. Dixie Carter

Edge vs. Kane was a disappointment but it wasn't the worst of the year. The sheer lack of logic for Hogan & Bischoff vs. Dixie Carter is astounding. The idea of them tricking Dixie Carter signing over her company on camera defies stupidity. I've heard people claim that watching WWE sometimes insults their intelligence but Hogan/Bischoff/Carter situation is like shooting yourself in the face with a shotgun stupid.

WORST PROMOTION OF THE YEAR

1. TNA
(Of note: landslide. Not worth listing the other two.)

Can't say that I disagree. As I said, I think 2010 is the worst year in TNA history. Certainly the worst since they came to Spike.

BEST BOOKER

1. JOE SILVA (UFC)
2. Gedo & Jado (New Japan) (right? I think so...)
3. Mike Quackenbush (Chikara)

More love for the MMA.

PROMOTER OF THE YEAR

1. DANA WHITE
(Of note: landslide. Not worth listing the other two.)

And still further love for MMA, though I can't say that I disagree with this.

BEST GIMMICK

1. ALBERTO DEL RIO
2. Nexus
3. C.M. Punk Straight Edge Society

No complaints here. Del Rio is great in his role and he just seems to slip into it like it's a warm bath.

WORST GIMMICK

1. ORLANDO JORDAN
2. Mystery General Manager
3. Eric Young concussion angle

I'd have to give this to Abyss. Abyss was just shoved down the collective throats of the TNA audience for months and we had to endure one mind numbingly bad segment and match after another during Abyssamania.

BEST PRO WRESTLING BOOK

1. COUNTDOWN TO LOCKDOWN BY MICK FOLEY
(Of note: landslide. Not worth listing the other two.)

No surprises here.

BEST PRO WRESTLING DVD

1. CHRIS JERICHO BREAKING THE CODE
2. Ricky Steamboat Life Story of the Dragon
3. Hart Family Anthology

The WWE is almost certainly going to win this each year. The sheer size of their tape library and production quality at their disposal make it damn near impossible for them to lose.

 

[Calderownz]

LOU THESZ/RIC FLAIR AWARD (WRESTLER OF THE YEAR)

1. JOHN CENA
2. Takashi Sugiura
3. Masato Yoshino

Hard to argue with. Some might hate on John Cena, but the fact of the matter is the guy is constantly on top and getting some of the biggest reactions. Whether those reactions are mixed or just out-right boo's is decides the point. He's the face of WWE at the moment, the biggest professional wrestling company in the world.

MIXED MARTIAL ARTS MOST VALUABLE

1. BROCK LESNAR
2. Georges St. Pierre
3. Cain Velasquez

Obviously, this goes to Brock Lesnar. I'm a moderate fan of UFC, but even I know that Lesnar = cash for UFC. No one really comes close to drawing like Brock Lesnar at this point. Clearly, the most valuable.

MOST OUTSTANDING WRESTLER

1. DANIEL BRYAN
2. Davey Richards
3. Prince Devitt
(Of note: the winner of the previous four years was someone named "Bryan Danielson".)

Clearly, this would be a wise choice, considering the skill that Bryan has. However, Meltzer needs to relax with his love for certain individuals.

MOST OUTSTANDING FIGHTER OF THE YEAR

1. GEORGE ST. PIERRE
2. Jose Aldo Jr.
3. Cain Velasquez

Can't really argue with this list. However, I will say that Cain had a more impacting yeah.

BEST BOX OFFICE DRAW

1. BROCK LESNAR
2. Georges St. Pierre
3. John Cena

I suppose this is a fair enough list. However, Cena has to try and sell 12 PPVs a year, whereas Brock and Pierre maybe work three dates a year each. Still, I wouldn't spend too much time arguing this result.

FEUD OF THE YEAR

1. KEVIN STEEN VS. EL GENERICO
2. Anderson Silva vs. Chael Sonnen
3. Quinton Jackson vs. Rashad Evans

I can't see why a Nexus storyline couldn't be included as previously mentioned.

TAG TEAM OF THE YEAR

1. CHRIS HERO & CLAUDIO CASTAGNOLI
2. Chris Sabin & Alex Shelley
3. Robert Roode & James Storm

Motor...City...Machine...Guns.

MOST IMPROVED

1. SHEAMUS
2. The Miz
3. Dolph Ziggler
(Of note: The Miz almost won his third straight most improved.)

Fair enough list. I would say that my top three would look fairly similar. Though, The Miz might be on top of this list.

BEST ON INTERVIEWS

1. CHAEL SONNEN
2. The Miz
3. C.M. Punk

C.M. Punk would easily get the nod from me. Unfortunately, Punk did have a shortened year, then did some commentary. However, I don't see why he STILL wouldn't top this list. On the mic, he's been golden.

MOST CHARISMATIC

1. JOHN CENA
2. Brock Lesnar
3. The Miz

I'm fine with who number one is, my problem is with number two. Brock Lesnar is a big draw and a huge name in the sporting world/MMA. However, he's not really charismatic. He's a big, bad bastard who is intriguing for a variety of reasons. His charisma is not one of them.

Charisma has to do with influence, yes. However, it has a lot more to do with charm (hence the similar sound/lettering in the beginning.) Nonetheless, at least the top spot was correct.

BEST TECHNICAL WRESTLER

1. DANIEL BRYAN
2. Davey Richards
3. Prince Devitt

Not mad at the top spot. Couldn't complain.

BRUISER BRODY MEMORIAL AWARD (BEST BRAWLER)

1. KEVIN STEEN
2. Jon Moxley
3. Togi Makabe

OKay. Truthfully, couldn't say I was familiar with any of the three.

BEST FLYING WRESTLER

1. KOTA IBUSHI
2. Ricochet
3. Pac

Read: Best Brawler.

MOST OVERRATED

1. KANE
2. Randy Orton
3. Abyss

Aside from Randy Orton, who is rating these guys highly at this point? As far as Randy Orton is concerned, it's fair to a certain extent. He hasn't gotten THAT much better in the last year or so, but has been cheered THAT much more. So, in large, that is an overrating of a superstar.

Still, that's not really Orton's fault.

MOST UNDERRATED

1. KAVAL
2. Christian
3. Evan Bourne

I disagree with Bourne. Bourne is rated right where he needs to be. He can take to the sky, has good speed and can sell like nobodies business. However, he's been injured, so it's hard to rate him, period. Kaval and Christian would be switched on my list, but I can't argue with the choices.

PROMOTION OF THE YEAR

1. ULTIMATE FIGHTING CHAMPIONSHIPS
2. Dragon Gate
3. New Japan Pro Wrestling

I could agree with number one. Number two is World Wrestling Entertainment. End...of...story.

BEST WEEKLY TV SHOW

1. RING OF HONOR
2. UFC Ultimate Fighter
3. WWE Monday Night Raw

I'd go with Raw for one simple reason. Raw has to work around a variety of different shows in hopes of still keeping it relevant. Whereas, UFC TUF is a seasonal reality show and Ring Of Honor has the ability to be edited. To me, those lose points for those shows.

WORKED MATCH OF THE YEAR

1. UNDERTAKER VS. SHAWN MICHAELS 3/28 PHOENIX
2. Tyler Black vs. Davey Richards 6/19 Toronto
3. Bryan Danielson vs. Shingo Takagi

I suppose this list is fine, though I can't say I've seen the second or third matches. However, it's hard to imagine anything topping HBK-Taker, simply for significance.

SHOOT MATCH OF THE YEAR

1. LEONARD GARCIA VS. CHAN SUNG JUNG 4/24 SACRAMENTO (WEC)
2. Anderson Silva vs. Chael Sonnen 8/7 Oakland (UFC)
3. Chris Leben vs. Yoshihiro Akiyama (UFC)

Honestly, I haven't caught UFC/MMA enough to give an honest opinion of this.

ROOKIE OF THE YEAR

1. ADAM COLE
2. Green Ant
3. Rich Swann

OKay.

BEST NON-WRESTLER

1. VICKIE GUERRERO
2. Jim Cornette
3. Ricardo Rodriguez

Guerrero is the obvious choice. However, Rodriguez would be a close second for me. The way he is beginning to be used is very entertaining.

BEST TELEVISION ANNOUNCER

1. JOE ROGAN
2. Michael Schiavello
3. C.M. Punk

Joe Rogan is the shittiest voice to call any sports, at all. Not funny, annoying voice and a Napoleon complex to boot. Ass. I'd go C.M. Punk.

WORST TELEVISION ANNOUNCER

1. MICHAEL COLE
2. Matt Striker
3. Todd Grisham

Todd Grisham, yes. Cole, no. Cole is doing exactly what is needed of him. However, Meltzer is the exact type of fan that wouldn't like that.

BEST MAJOR WRESTLING SHOW

1. UFC 116 7/3 LAS VEGAS
2. ROH Death Before Dishonor 6/19 Toronto
3. WWE WrestleMania 3/28 Phoenix

Really? An ROH show above WrestleMania?

WORST MAJOR WRESTLING SHOW

1. TNA HARDCORE JUSTICE 8/8 ORLANDO
2. TNA Turning Point 11/7 Orlando
3. WWE Bragging Rights 10/24 Minneapolis

I suppose.

BEST WRESTLING MANEUVER

1. RICOCHET DOUBLE ROTATION MOONSAULT
2. Daniel Bryan LeBell lock
3. Justin Gabriel 450 splash

LeBell Lock would get the nod from me. Surprised Meltzer wouldn't concur.

MOST DISGUSTING PROMOTIONAL TACTIC

1. STAND UP FOR WWE CAMPAIGN
2. Rob Terry chair shot
3. Tommy Dreamer bloodbath in front of his young daughters

Yeah. Telling fans to stand up for your company for ANY reason is probably worse than bleeding in front of your kids. This is clearly Meltzer letting his hatred for WWE out a bit too much.

WORST TELEVISION SHOW

1. TNA IMPACT
2. WWE NXT
3. WWE Smackdown

I'd say that IMPACT is better than NXT. So with that, I'd say this list is flawed.

WORST MATCH OF THE YEAR

1. KAITLYN VS. MAXINE 10/19 EDMONTON
2. Vince McMahon vs. Bret Hart 3/28 Phoenix
3. Anderson Silva vs. Demian Maia 4/10 Abu Dhabi
(Of note: I get the MMA/wrestling crossover for most applicable categories, but this is dumb. Silva got second last year, too. Granted, both fights SUCKED.)

I couldn't care less about this category.

WORST FEUD OF THE YEAR

1. EDGE VS. KANE
2. Undertaker vs. Kane
3. Hulk Hogan & Eric Bischoff vs. Dixie Carter

I'd say that Edge-Kane is fair.

WORST PROMOTION OF THE YEAR

1. TNA
(Of note: landslide. Not worth listing the other two.)

OKay.

BEST BOOKER

1. JOE SILVA (UFC)
2. Gedo & Jado (New Japan) (right? I think so...)
3. Mike Quackenbush (Chikara)

This is actually a bullshit thing to say. Joe Silva isn't really much of a booker, when you think about it. In wrestling, you have to book things that are fresh and unique. In boxing, you have to work with other promoters, so you have to bust your ass to get things done. Silva says, "Hey guys, fight each other, or you don't get paid."

Wow. How does he do it?

PROMOTER OF THE YEAR

1. DANA WHITE
(Of note: landslide. Not worth listing the other two.)

I have no real problem with this choice.

BEST GIMMICK

1. ALBERTO DEL RIO
2. Nexus
3. C.M. Punk Straight Edge Society

del Rio, easily. I'd switch Nexus and SES, though.

WORST GIMMICK

1. ORLANDO JORDAN
2. Mystery General Manager
3. Eric Young concussion angle

Mystery general manager wouldn't make my list, and Eric Young would be at the top.

BEST PRO WRESTLING BOOK

1. COUNTDOWN TO LOCKDOWN BY MICK FOLEY
(Of note: landslide. Not worth listing the other two.)

I don't read wrestling-related books. So, I couldn't really say.

BEST PRO WRESTLING DVD

1. CHRIS JERICHO BREAKING THE CODE
2. Ricky Steamboat Life Story of the Dragon
3. Hart Family Anthology

I haven't watched many new wrestling DVDs, so I couldn't comment. Though, I have seen Steamboat's and I feel that it was incredible.

 

[Strong Style X]

LOU THESZ/RIC FLAIR AWARD (WRESTLER OF THE YEAR)

1. JOHN CENA
2. Takashi Sugiura
3. Masato Yoshino

John Cena? Really? I'm assuming this is solely based off of the character's wrestling skills and not draw and I just find this hard to believe. Cena may be a big draw but last year Cena didn't really accomplish too much as a character. Cena had the main championship for a while, while a guy like Takashi Sugiura has been carrying his entire company as champion for over a year. Not sure why Cena won this, to be honest.

MOST OUTSTANDING WRESTLER

1. DANIEL BRYAN
2. Davey Richards
3. Prince Devitt

Once again, I love Danielson. I haven't seen every one of his matches this year but I think this pick is fairly biased as is most of the Observer picks but at least it's a credible one unlike most.

BEST BOX OFFICE DRAW

1. BROCK LESNAR
2. Georges St. Pierre
3. John Cena

No doubt on this one, spot-on.

FEUD OF THE YEAR

1. KEVIN STEEN VS. EL GENERICO
2. Anderson Silva vs. Chael Sonnen
3. Quinton Jackson vs. Rashad Evans

Eh, I personally thought the Minoru Suzuki-Masaktasu Funaki decade long feud rehashing was the best.

TAG TEAM OF THE YEAR

1. CHRIS HERO & CLAUDIO CASTAGNOLI
2. Chris Sabin & Alex Shelley
3. Robert Roode & James Storm

How the hell are Sabin and Shelley number two? Shelley/Sabin have been beaten (kayfabe) quite a bit this year and Apollo 55 were putting on amazing matches all year and winning them. I'm not going to deny that the MCMG-Beer Money series was great, but I think this is once again a biased pro-American choice. I have no clue how Apollo 55 didn't make this list.

MOST IMPROVED

1. SHEAMUS
2. The Miz
3. Dolph Ziggler

Hmm, I think I'd have to go with John Morrison with this one. He was in a slump for quite some time and he seemed to really get back into his groove this year. Ring-wise I don't think Miz has improved much at all, but his character has. He still has a long way to go though.

MOST CHARISMATIC

1. JOHN CENA
2. Brock Lesnar
3. The Miz

Gonna have to go with CM Punk and Hiroshi Tanahashi on this one.

BEST TECHNICAL WRESTLER

1. DANIEL BRYAN
2. Davey Richards
3. Prince Devitt

Not gonna disagree here, but as much as I like Devitt he's not really a technical wrestler.

BEST FLYING WRESTLER

1. KOTA IBUSHI
2. Ricochet
3. Pac

I can agree with this one. Mascare Dorada at #4 should have been a bit higher though in my opinion.

MOST OVERRATED

1. KANE
2. Randy Orton
3. Abyss

I didn't know Abyss was held in such high regards. I think The Miz is the overrated wrestler of the year, personally.

MOST UNDERRATED

1. KAVAL
2. Christian
3. Evan Bourne

This complete list of wrestlers included lots of names, such as Yoshi Tatsu, Desmond Wolfe, and Daniel Bryan. I agree with almost all names they mentioned.

PROMOTION OF THE YEAR

1. ULTIMATE FIGHTING CHAMPIONSHIPS
2. Dragon Gate
3. New Japan Pro Wrestling

Dragon Gate isn't that great. The matches are mostly flippy spinny shit. Not that great. My pick would be All Japan Pro Wrestling. Also, they need to stop mixing MMA/wrestling in these lists, pretty stupid imo.

BEST WEEKLY TV SHOW

1. RING OF HONOR
2. UFC Ultimate Fighter
3. WWE Monday Night Raw

Raw would be my pick, it really picked up toward the end of the year.

WORKED MATCH OF THE YEAR

1. UNDERTAKER VS. SHAWN MICHAELS 3/28 PHOENIX
2. Tyler Black vs. Davey Richards 6/19 Toronto
3. Bryan Danielson vs. Shingo Takagi

Eh, I felt Unertaker/Michaels fell short of the previous year. I didn't enjot this match at all, sadly. My personal favorite match was Suwama vs. Minoru Suzuki.

ROOKIE OF THE YEAR

1. ADAM COLE
2. Green Ant
3. Rich Swann

My pick would be the man who came in at #5, Tama Tonga; the son of the deadliest man in wrestling history.

BEST NON-WRESTLER

1. VICKIE GUERRERO
2. Jim Cornette
3. Ricardo Rodriguez

I guess this is agreeable, but I personally really like Michael Cole's character evolution this year. Great douchebag heel. His announcing still sucks but his character is good.

BEST TELEVISION ANNOUNCER

1. JOE ROGAN
2. Michael Schiavello
3. C.M. Punk

I love Rogan, so this one is fine.

WORST TELEVISION ANNOUNCER

1. MICHAEL COLE
2. Matt Striker
3. Todd Grisham

I'll have to go with Grish on this one. He's just... bad. He's basically the new Michael Cole.

BEST MAJOR WRESTLING SHOW

1. UFC 116 7/3 LAS VEGAS
2. ROH Death Before Dishonor 6/19 Toronto
3. WWE WrestleMania 3/28 Phoenix

I didn't know UFC was wrestling. Odd. WrestleMania wasn't good this year either, other than biasness not sure how it got this high. I personally don't have a pick for major show of the year though.

WORST MAJOR WRESTLING SHOW

1. TNA HARDCORE JUSTICE 8/8 ORLANDO
2. TNA Turning Point 11/7 Orlando
3. WWE Bragging Rights 10/24 Minneapolis

I can agree with this one. That PPV was awful.

BEST WRESTLING MANEUVER

1. RICOCHET DOUBLE ROTATION MOONSAULT
2. Daniel Bryan LeBell lock
3. Justin Gabriel 450 splash

Bom-A-Ye should have won imo.

MOST DISGUSTING PROMOTIONAL TACTIC

1. STAND UP FOR WWE CAMPAIGN
2. Rob Terry chair shot
3. Tommy Dreamer bloodbath in front of his young daughters

Who gives a fuck? Dirty tactics are used in America for everything.

WORST TELEVISION SHOW

1. TNA IMPACT
2. WWE NXT
3. WWE Smackdown

Can agree with this too, although I think NXT's first season was good.

WORST MATCH OF THE YEAR

1. KAITLYN VS. MAXINE 10/19 EDMONTON
2. Vince McMahon vs. Bret Hart 3/28 Phoenix
3. Anderson Silva vs. Demian Maia 4/10 Abu Dhabi

Can be agreed with as well.

WORST FEUD OF THE YEAR

1. EDGE VS. KANE
2. Undertaker vs. Kane
3. Hulk Hogan & Eric Bischoff vs. Dixie Carter

Hogan/Carter is my pick. It's just awful.

WORST PROMOTION OF THE YEAR

1. TNA

See above.

BEST BOOKER

1. JOE SILVA (UFC)
2. Gedo & Jado (New Japan)
3. Mike Quackenbush (Chikara)

Jado and Gedo take the win for me, they're the most consistent booking team. Also, get the MMA shit out. It's completely different booking MMA and wrestling.

BEST GIMMICK

1. ALBERTO DEL RIO
2. Nexus
3. C.M. Punk Straight Edge Society

Del Rio, Nexus, Shinsuke Nakamura, Blue Justice Army, so many good gimmicks this year.

WORST GIMMICK

1. ORLANDO JORDAN
2. Mystery General Manager
3. Eric Young concussion angle

Anything in TNA and any of WWE's attempts at "comedy".

BEST PRO WRESTLING DVD

1. CHRIS JERICHO BREAKING THE CODE

Great DVD!

 

[Mitch Henessey]

LOU THESZ/RIC FLAIR AWARD (WRESTLER OF THE YEAR)

1. JOHN CENA
2. Takashi Sugiura
3. Masato Yoshino

I have zero complaints about this one. Cena had another outstanding year in 2010. His feuds with Batista and Nexus were pretty damn good. The majority of the IWC might loathe Cena to no end, but you can't deny his popularity, and he is THE man in WWE.

MIXED MARTIAL ARTS MOST VALUABLE

1. BROCK LESNAR
2. Georges St. Pierre
3. Cain Velasquez

Lesnar is a cash cow. Plain and simple. The guy is able to create tons of buzz for anything he's involved in, so this really doesn't surprise me either.

MOST OUTSTANDING WRESTLER

1. DANIEL BRYAN
2. Davey Richards
3. Prince Devitt
(Of note: the winner of the previous four years was someone named "Bryan Danielson".)

Bryan had a great year. There's no doubt about it. He had good/great matches with just about everyone he worked with in 2010.

MOST OUTSTANDING FIGHTER OF THE YEAR

1. GEORGE ST. PIERRE
2. Jose Aldo Jr.
3. Cain Velasquez

I'm not an MMA expert, and I really don't know that much about the sport, so I guess I'll have to trust Meltzer here.

BEST BOX OFFICE DRAW

1. BROCK LESNAR
2. Georges St. Pierre
3. John Cena

Lesnar's fights were always a big deal, and he would be the main draw on the entire card. Again, the guy is a cash cow.

FEUD OF THE YEAR

1. KEVIN STEEN VS. EL GENERICO
2. Anderson Silva vs. Chael Sonnen
3. Quinton Jackson vs. Rashad Evans

I would've gone with Cena VS Nexus. The drama and suspense throughout the entire feud was just great. There were so many twists and turns, and I do think Cena delivered some of his best promos during this feud.

TAG TEAM OF THE YEAR

1. CHRIS HERO & CLAUDIO CASTAGNOLI
2. Chris Sabin & Alex Shelley
3. Robert Roode & James Storm

Hmmm, I would've went with The Guns here. They truly had a great run as Tag Team Champions. The matches they had with Beer Money and Generation Me were outstanding. Although, I didn't get to see the bulk of ROH in 2010. I was watching what I could on YouTube, but they banned the guy who posted all of the shows, so I never got a chance to see more.

MOST IMPROVED

1. SHEAMUS
2. The Miz
3. Dolph Ziggler
(Of note: The Miz almost won his third straight most improved.)

I can't complain about this one. Sheamus was involved in some nice matches in 2010, and Ziggler really began to shine in the ring.

BEST ON INTERVIEWS

1. CHAEL SONNEN
2. The Miz
3. C.M. Punk

Didn't get a chance to see Sonnen's interviews, but I'm happy The Miz and Punk are in the top three.

MOST CHARISMATIC

1. JOHN CENA
2. Brock Lesnar
3. The Miz

I agree 100% with this choice. Cena can cut a very good or great promo every now and then, and he always brings tons of energy to everything he does. These are some the reasons why he's the top guy in the company.

BEST TECHNICAL WRESTLER

1. DANIEL BRYAN
2. Davey Richards
3. Prince Devitt

No complaints here. Bryan is very talented, and he surely does deserve this award.

BRUISER BRODY MEMORIAL AWARD (BEST BRAWLER)

1. KEVIN STEEN
2. Jon Moxley
3. Togi Makabe

Can't say I care too much about this award. From the stuff I was able to see, Steen seemed to be a damn good heel, but I wasn't able too watch enough of his matches, so I can't offer a fair assessment of this award.

BEST FLYING WRESTLER

1. KOTA IBUSHI
2. Ricochet
3. Pac

Don't know anything about Ibushi. I RARELY watch a good amount of Japanese wrestling, so I can't criticize this guy.

MOST OVERRATED

1. KANE
2. Randy Orton
3. Abyss

Bullshit. I know Kane's feud with Taker was something we all would like to forget, but I think Abyss should've received this award. I mean this man was dubbed as THE SECOND COMING OF HULK FREAKING HOGAN! I tried to be positive about Abyss-A-Mania at first, but the entire storyline just became more ridiculous and stupid as time went on, and who in the hell could actually buy Abyss as the next Hulk Hogan?

MOST UNDERRATED

1. KAVAL
2. Christian
3. Evan Bourne

Christian would've been my pick here. Christian is good on the mic, and he can deliver a good match every now and then, and I do think he would be more than capable of having a run with the Intercontinental Championship.

PROMOTION OF THE YEAR

1. ULTIMATE FIGHTING CHAMPIONSHIPS
2. Dragon Gate
3. New Japan Pro Wrestling

Can't deny the popularity of the UFC. But why is Dragon Gate and NJPW holding the number two and three spots? Surely the WWE or TNA should be in the top three.

BEST WEEKLY TV SHOW

1. RING OF HONOR
2. UFC Ultimate Fighter
3. WWE Monday Night Raw

Again, I hardly got a chance to see ROH in 2010, and I don't have HdNet, so I can't comment on the quality and consistency of ROH. Although, if I had to pick, I would go with Smackdown. Smackdown constantly produces high quality wrestling each week, and the blue brand did feature the highlight of the Divas division, LayCool.

WORKED MATCH OF THE YEAR

1. UNDERTAKER VS. SHAWN MICHAELS 3/28 PHOENIX
2. Tyler Black vs. Davey Richards 6/19 Toronto
3. Bryan Danielson vs. Shingo Takagi

Hmm, I loved Taker VS Michaels II, but I do think they're Wrestlemania 25 match was better. If I had to pick, I would go with Angle VS Anderson from Lockdown. I hate Anderson, but I can't deny how great that match was. That match took me on a thrill ride from beginning to end. It was very physical, there were a good amount of sick spots, and the level of brutality was insane. This match was a wrestling fan's dream.

SHOOT MATCH OF THE YEAR

1. LEONARD GARCIA VS. CHAN SUNG JUNG 4/24 SACRAMENTO (WEC)
2. Anderson Silva vs. Chael Sonnen 8/7 Oakland (UFC)
3. Chris Leben vs. Yoshihiro Akiyama (UFC)

I hardly know anything about MMA, so I can't comment on this one.

ROOKIE OF THE YEAR

1. ADAM COLE
2. Green Ant
3. Rich Swann

I don't know anything about these guys.

BEST NON-WRESTLER

1. VICKIE GUERRERO
2. Jim Cornette
3. Ricardo Rodriguez

Vickie ALWAYS manages to get tons of heat. She can get a chorus of boos by just showing up at any arena, so this one doesn't surprise me at all.

BEST TELEVISION ANNOUNCER

1. JOE ROGAN
2. Michael Schiavello
3. C.M. Punk

Punk was amazing on commentary this year, but I'm kind of shocked to see him on this list, because he didn't stay on the Raw commentary team for too long.

WORST TELEVISION ANNOUNCER

1. MICHAEL COLE
2. Matt Striker
3. Todd Grisham

I can't agree with this. I think Cole was outstanding in 2010. He did such an amazing job at being a dick, and he played a big part in Miz getting over as heel in 2010.

BEST MAJOR WRESTLING SHOW

1. UFC 116 7/3 LAS VEGAS
2. ROH Death Before Dishonor 6/19 Toronto
3. WWE WrestleMania 3/28 Phoenix

UFC 116 wins best wrestling show? My pick would have to be Mania 26. This was a great Wrestlemania, and this show was way better than Mania 25, because Taker VS Michales is the only memorable match from that show.

WORST MAJOR WRESTLING SHOW

1. TNA HARDCORE JUSTICE 8/8 ORLANDO
2. TNA Turning Point 11/7 Orlando
3. WWE Bragging Rights 10/24 Minneapolis

Hardcore Justice was bad, but I would have to pick Turning Point. It was a terrible and VERY boring show. Team 3D's big farewell match as tag team was such a failure, and Hardy VS Morgan was a debacle. Turning Point 2010 was one of the worst wrestling shows I have ever seen.

BEST WRESTLING MANEUVER

1. RICOCHET DOUBLE ROTATION MOONSAULT
2. Daniel Bryan LeBell lock
3. Justin Gabriel 450 splash

I looked up the Ricochet Double Rotation Moonsault. It's not a bad move, but I would've went with the LaBell Lock. This submission hold looks devastating, and Bryan managed to conquer many opponents with it.

MOST DISGUSTING PROMOTIONAL TACTIC

1. STAND UP FOR WWE CAMPAIGN
2. Rob Terry chair shot
3. Tommy Dreamer bloodbath in front of his young daughters

Really? WWE showed how popular they were throughout the world, and this campaign did have a message...... Wrestling fans should be proud to be wrestling fans. I thought this was a good message, and I had no problems with this campaign. I would go with Dreamer bleeding all over his children. It was just another way to gain MORE sympathy fore Dreamer, and the whole thing just rubbed me the wrong way.

WORST TELEVISION SHOW

1. TNA IMPACT
2. WWE NXT
3. WWE Smackdown

Can't disagree with this. The majority of Impact was just dreadful and atrocious in 2010.

WORST MATCH OF THE YEAR

1. KAITLYN VS. MAXINE 10/19 EDMONTON
2. Vince McMahon vs. Bret Hart 3/28 Phoenix
3. Anderson Silva vs. Demian Maia 4/10 Abu Dhabi
(Of note: I get the MMA/wrestling crossover for most applicable categories, but this is dumb. Silva got second last year, too. Granted, both fights SUCKED.)

I have to agree with this one. Kaitlyn VS Maxine was a complete and total train wreck. It was by far one of the worst matches I've ever seen. As far as Bret VS Vince goes, I really don't know what people were expecting from that match. Vince McMahon is a 65 year old man, and Bret Hart's body has been through hell over the years, and he's up there in a age also. You were seriously fooling yourself if you were expecting something solid or good from these two.

WORST FEUD OF THE YEAR

1. EDGE VS. KANE
2. Undertaker vs. Kane
3. Hulk Hogan & Eric Bischoff vs. Dixie Carter

Edge VS Kane and Undertaker VS kane were disappointments, but I would have to pick Hogan and Bischoff VS Dixie. TNA made such a big a deal about the "They" storyline. You would've thought the Apocalypse was coming at Bound For Glory. The big surprise was a major let down, and having Bischoff trick Dixie into signing over the company was so unbelievably stupid.

WORST PROMOTION OF THE YEAR

1. TNA
(Of note: landslide. Not worth listing the other two.)

This doesn't surprise me at all. TNA promised a lot big things in 2010, but the disappointments and failures outweighed the success they had by a lot.

BEST BOOKER

1. JOE SILVA (UFC)
2. Gedo & Jado (New Japan) (right? I think so...)
3. Mike Quackenbush (Chikara)

Meltzer seems to love MMA. No shock here.

PROMOTER OF THE YEAR

1. DANA WHITE
(Of note: landslide. Not worth listing the other two.)

The MMA continues to get recognized here, but it's really hard to disagree with this choice.

BEST GIMMICK

1. ALBERTO DEL RIO
2. Nexus
3. C.M. Punk Straight Edge Society

Del Rio has a great look, and he does such an awesome job portraying this character. Good choice.

WORST GIMMICK

1. ORLANDO JORDAN
2. Mystery General Manager
3. Eric Young concussion angle

Wow. This is a hard choice, but I would have to go with EY. I couldn't stand Eric Young in 2010. Watching him act like a fool didn't make me laugh, and I think TNA dragged this angle out for too long. I don't know why TNA feels the need to keep trying with Young. He doesn't bring anything to the table, and I wish they would stick this guy on Xplosion permanently.

BEST PRO WRESTLING BOOK

1. COUNTDOWN TO LOCKDOWN BY MICK FOLEY
(Of note: landslide. Not worth listing the other two.)

I haven't had the chance to read this one yet, but Foley can produce an interesting book that's always worth reading, so this doesn't surprise me.

BEST PRO WRESTLING DVD

1. CHRIS JERICHO BREAKING THE CODE
2. Ricky Steamboat Life Story of the Dragon
3. Hart Family Anthology

When it comes to DVD sets, the WWE usually produces A+ quality material. I haven't seen Jericho's DVD yet, but I'm sure it's great.

 

[Mekanik Kommandoh]

LOU THESZ/RIC FLAIR AWARD (WRESTLER OF THE YEAR)

1. JOHN CENA
2. Takashi Sugiura
3. Masato Yoshino

I had Cena pegged as my personal favorite of the year, so I definitely agree with this. I think this has been Cena's best year since 2007 and he put on some great matches and was part of two feud of the year contenders.

MIXED MARTIAL ARTS MOST VALUABLE

1. BROCK LESNAR
2. Georges St. Pierre
3. Cain Velasquez

Absolutely spot on...and incredibly obvious. Lesnar always generates incredible interest, GSP continues to play an effective hero role, and Cain has the potential to become a new phenom in the UFC

MOST OUTSTANDING WRESTLER

1. DANIEL BRYAN
2. Davey Richards
3. Prince Devitt
(Of note: the winner of the previous four years was someone named "Bryan Danielson".)

Danielson wins this every year and he will continue to win it more than likely. No real complaints here, but it should be noted that I really don't care about this particular award too much.

MOST OUTSTANDING FIGHTER OF THE YEAR

1. GEORGE ST. PIERRE
2. Jose Aldo Jr.
3. Cain Velasquez

I agree, though I must say that these three are pretty much interchangeable on this list. They all had a fantastic year.

BEST BOX OFFICE DRAW

1. BROCK LESNAR
2. Georges St. Pierre
3. John Cena

Spot on, especially when we have actual numbers to go off of.

FEUD OF THE YEAR

1. KEVIN STEEN VS. EL GENERICO
2. Anderson Silva vs. Chael Sonnen
3. Quinton Jackson vs. Rashad Evans

No really sure how I feel about the mixing of wrestling and MMA, but whatever. I would personally put Silva and Sonnen as the number 1 and make Cena/Batista higher on the list.

TAG TEAM OF THE YEAR

1. CHRIS HERO & CLAUDIO CASTAGNOLI
2. Chris Sabin & Alex Shelley
3. Robert Roode & James Storm

I'd prefer if the Guns got the top spot and I'm kind of surprised they weren't.

MOST IMPROVED

1. SHEAMUS
2. The Miz
3. Dolph Ziggler
(Of note: The Miz almost won his third straight most improved.)

I think the Miz should have taken this. He was still pretty much a joke for roughly half of 2009 and he became WWE champion in 2010. If that's not improvement, I don't know what is. Not going to argue too much, as the other choices are accurate.

BEST ON INTERVIEWS

1. CHAEL SONNEN
2. The Miz
3. C.M. Punk

No complaints here, though again I somewhat take issue with mixing MMA and wrestling. In any case, Sonnen's interviews were awesome and there was no middle ground in regards to how people felt about them - you either loved them or hated them, but they always captured your attention.

MOST CHARISMATIC

1. JOHN CENA
2. Brock Lesnar
3. The Miz

Pretty good choices here. No complaints.

BEST TECHNICAL WRESTLER

1. DANIEL BRYAN
2. Davey Richards
3. Prince Devitt

What I said in regards to Most Outstanding Wrestler applies here.

BRUISER BRODY MEMORIAL AWARD (BEST BRAWLER)

1. KEVIN STEEN
2. Jon Moxley
3. Togi Makabe

Haven't seen much of any of these guys, but Kevin Steen isn't too bad based off of my limited exposure of his work.

BEST FLYING WRESTLER

1. KOTA IBUSHI
2. Ricochet
3. Pac

MOST OVERRATED

1. KANE
2. Randy Orton
3. Abyss

A solid list. Place Orton at the number one spot and you've got a perfect one. I just couldn't stand Orton this year. He has some moments of awesomeness, but I thought most of his PPV matches were dreadful.

MOST UNDERRATED

1. KAVAL
2. Christian
3. Evan Bourne

Not bad, though I'm not a big Kaval fan. I can see how people may view him as underrated, however, as he is a unique talent.

PROMOTION OF THE YEAR

1. ULTIMATE FIGHTING CHAMPIONSHIPS
2. Dragon Gate
3. New Japan Pro Wrestling

The number one spot is absolutely correct. I don't watch puro very often anymore, so I can't comment on the other choices.

BEST WEEKLY TV SHOW

1. RING OF HONOR
2. UFC Ultimate Fighter
3. WWE Monday Night Raw

I don't watch Ring of Honor, so again, I can't comment on its television product. The Ultimate Fighter with GSP and Koscheck was incredible though and probably deserved to take this one.

WORKED MATCH OF THE YEAR

1. UNDERTAKER VS. SHAWN MICHAELS 3/28 PHOENIX
2. Tyler Black vs. Davey Richards 6/19 Toronto
3. Bryan Danielson vs. Shingo Takagi

I don't agree with this at all. Taker/Shawn was a great match, but it was not near the quality of Anderson/Angle or the Cena/Batista LMS.

SHOOT MATCH OF THE YEAR

1. LEONARD GARCIA VS. CHAN SUNG JUNG 4/24 SACRAMENTO (WEC)
2. Anderson Silva vs. Chael Sonnen 8/7 Oakland (UFC)
3. Chris Leben vs. Yoshihiro Akiyama (UFC)

No complaints at all. Again, these fights are pretty much interchangeable on the list and all were of incredibly high quality.

ROOKIE OF THE YEAR

1. ADAM COLE
2. Green Ant
3. Rich Swann

Never heard of any of these guys. Sorry.

BEST NON-WRESTLER

1. VICKIE GUERRERO
2. Jim Cornette
3. Ricardo Rodriguez

Not bad picks at all. Vickie gets some of the most insane heel heat I have ever seen and she doesn't even try anymore. It's pretty surreal.

BEST TELEVISION ANNOUNCER

1. JOE ROGAN
2. Michael Schiavello
3. C.M. Punk

Don't agree with Punk being on there, but otherwise no complaints really. Announcing is generally of terrible quality these days, so I tend not to pay too much attention to it.

WORST TELEVISION ANNOUNCER

1. MICHAEL COLE
2. Matt Striker
3. Todd Grisham

As a character, Cole was awesome. He should probably be a color commentator, however, as he's no longer an effective play-by-play guy. I've always found him underrated in any case and think the hate he gets is quite stupid.

BEST MAJOR WRESTLING SHOW

1. UFC 116 7/3 LAS VEGAS
2. ROH Death Before Dishonor 6/19 Toronto
3. WWE WrestleMania 3/28 Phoenix

Again, why is he mixing MMA and wrestling? In any case, no complaints with the top choice if he's going to continue doing this, as 116 was easily the show of the year. It beat out anything the wrestling companies had to offer.

WORST MAJOR WRESTLING SHOW

1. TNA HARDCORE JUSTICE 8/8 ORLANDO
2. TNA Turning Point 11/7 Orlando
3. WWE Bragging Rights 10/24 Minneapolis

All terrible shows, though I personally thought Bragging Rights was the worst. I knew Hardcore Justice and Turning Point were going to suck; Bragging Rights at least looked somewhat promising and totally failed to deliver. The great opening match does nothing to save the show from complete mediocrity.

BEST WRESTLING MANEUVER

1. RICOCHET DOUBLE ROTATION MOONSAULT
2. Daniel Bryan LeBell lock
3. Justin Gabriel 450 splash

All cool moves. Don't really care much about the award though.

MOST DISGUSTING PROMOTIONAL TACTIC

1. STAND UP FOR WWE CAMPAIGN
2. Rob Terry chair shot
3. Tommy Dreamer bloodbath in front of his young daughters

Calling bullshit on this. The Stand Up campaign was annoying, but in no way disgusting and at least it had a decent purpose. The numbers 2 and 3 choices were vomit inducing.

WORST TELEVISION SHOW

1. TNA IMPACT
2. WWE NXT
3. WWE Smackdown

Impact wasn't great this year but it was definitely better than NXT. NXT started out very interesting, but quickly turned into an absolute joke, so much so that the announcers routinely make fun of it on the air.

WORST MATCH OF THE YEAR

1. KAITLYN VS. MAXINE 10/19 EDMONTON
2. Vince McMahon vs. Bret Hart 3/28 Phoenix
3. Anderson Silva vs. Demian Maia 4/10 Abu Dhabi
(Of note: I get the MMA/wrestling crossover for most applicable categories, but this is dumb. Silva got second last year, too. Granted, both fights SUCKED.)

Pretty accurate all things considered.

WORST FEUD OF THE YEAR

1. EDGE VS. KANE
2. Undertaker vs. Kane
3. Hulk Hogan & Eric Bischoff vs. Dixie Carter

All terrible feuds and all interchangeable, much like many of these lists.

WORST PROMOTION OF THE YEAR

1. TNA
(Of note: landslide. Not worth listing the other two.)

Kind of wins by default unfortunately, though it in no way deserves much of the hyperbolic hate it often gets.

BEST BOOKER

1. JOE SILVA (UFC)
2. Gedo & Jado (New Japan) (right? I think so...)
3. Mike Quackenbush (Chikara)

Joe Silva is sweet ass though.

PROMOTER OF THE YEAR

1. DANA WHITE
(Of note: landslide. Not worth listing the other two.)

No real other options here. Dana White is going to keep winning this as long as UFC keeps having awesome card after awesome card.

BEST GIMMICK

1. ALBERTO DEL RIO
2. Nexus
3. C.M. Punk Straight Edge Society

All solid choices. Del Rio has been done before, but it's a gimmick that rarely fails.

WORST GIMMICK

1. ORLANDO JORDAN
2. Mystery General Manager
3. Eric Young concussion angle

Excellent picks and I agree with them all.

BEST PRO WRESTLING BOOK

1. COUNTDOWN TO LOCKDOWN BY MICK FOLEY
(Of note: landslide. Not worth listing the other two.)

I haven't read it yet, but Foley always makes for a good read.

BEST PRO WRESTLING DVD

1. CHRIS JERICHO BREAKING THE CODE
2. Ricky Steamboat Life Story of the Dragon
3. Hart Family Anthology

Haven't seen the Hart DVD, but the Jericho and Steamboat sets were incredibly good.