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This is a list of both active and inactive ''Wrestling Observer Newsletter'' awards created by
professional wrestling
Professional wrestling, often shortened to either pro wrestling or wrestling,The term "wrestling" is most often widely used to specifically refer to modern scripted professional wrestling, though it is also used to refer to Real life, real- ...
and mixed martial arts
Mixed martial arts (MMA) is a full-contact fighting combat sport, sport based on strike (attack), striking and grappling; incorporating techniques from various combat sports from around the world.
In the early 20th century, various inter-s ...
(MMA) journalist Dave Meltzer
David Allen Meltzer (born October 24, 1959) is an American journalist, author, and historian who reports on professional wrestling and mixed martial arts. Since 1983, he has been the publisher and editor of the ''Wrestling Observer Newsletter' ...
. The first fourteen awards were created in 1980 as an informal poll between Meltzer and his friends and others he corresponded with on the subject of professional wrestling at the time. After starting the ''Wrestling Observer
The ''Wrestling Observer Newsletter'' (''WON'') is a newsletter that covers professional wrestling and mixed martial arts.
Founded in print in 1982 by Dave Meltzer, the ''Wrestling Observer'' website merged with Bryan Alvarez's ''Figure Four We ...
'' in 1982, the awards took on a greater life, with an increasing number of awards given out every year.
The awards were created to recognize the individual achievements of a select few wrestlers who exemplified a specified criterion. The awards are given every year in various categories such as Wrestler of the Year, Most Outstanding Wrestler, Tag Team of the Year, Most Improved
Most Improved (foaled 3 May 2009) is an Irish Thoroughbred racehorse who won the 2012 St James's Palace Stakes at Royal Ascot. He was owned by Iraj Parvizi and trained by Brian Meehan, before being purchased by Derrick Smith, Sue Magnier and Mic ...
, Pro Wrestling Match of the Year, etc.; there are also a handful of awards to recognize the dubious distinctions in the business during that year such as Most Overrated and Worst Match. There are currently forty-five categories that are actively assessed every year and twenty that are no longer active. The awards are voted for by the newsletter's paying readership, primarily wrestling fans, although it is claimed that some industry workers also vote.
The awards are organized into two categories. For "Category A" awards, voters indicate their top three choices. First choices are awarded five points, second places three points, and third places two points. The choice with the most points overall wins. For "Category B" awards, voters simply indicate their top choice. For the "Category B" Shad Gaspard/Jon Huber Memorial Award, the recipients are chosen by a committee headed by Meltzer.
Over the years, various MMA promotions or individual mixed martial artists were deemed eligible to win some awards when it seemed as though they were more deserving to win than the conventional wrestler or wrestling promotion. This led to, in 1997, the creation of Shootfighter of the Year and Shoot Match of the Year to recognize MMA achievement specifically. Still, some primarily professional wrestling-focused awards remained intact for MMA promotions/fighters to win, due to the similar business aspect between both sports (i.e. Best Box Office Draw and Promotion of the Year). In the December 3, 2007 edition of the ''Wrestling Observer Newsletter'', it was announced that from that year onwards, mixed martial artists are no longer eligible for the Lou Thesz/Ric Flair Award, thus reserving it for professional wrestlers only. Shootfighter of the Year was renamed to Most Outstanding Fighter and Shoot Match of the Year was renamed to MMA Match of the Year to match a new award called Mixed Martial Arts Most Valuable, which is similar to the Lou Thesz/Ric Flair Award except it is for mixed martial artists.
Current awards
"Category A" awards
Lou Thesz/Ric Flair Award (Wrestler of the Year)
Mixed Martial Arts Most Valuable
Most Outstanding Wrestler
Most Outstanding Fighter of the Year
Tag Team of the Year
Best on Interviews
Promotion of the Year
Best Weekly TV Show
Pro Wrestling Match of the Year
MMA Match of the Year
"Category B" awards
United States/Canada MVP
Koichi Yoshizawa Award (Japan MVP)
Mexico MVP
Europe MVP
Danny Hodge Memorial Award (Non-Heavyweight MVP)
Women's Wrestling MVP
Women's MMA MVP
Best Box Office Draw
Feud of the Year
Most Improved
Most Charismatic
Bryan Danielson Award (Best Technical Wrestler)
Bruiser Brody Memorial Award (Best Brawler)
Best Flying Wrestler
Most Overrated
Most Underrated
Rookie of the Year
Best Non-Wrestler
Jim Ross Award (Best Television Announcer)
Worst Television Announcer
Best Major Wrestling Show
Worst Major Wrestling Show
Best Wrestling Maneuver
Most Disgusting Promotional Tactic
Worst Television Show
Worst Match of the Year
Worst Feud of the Year
Worst Promotion of the Year
Best Booker
Promoter of the Year
Best Gimmick
Worst Gimmick
Best Pro Wrestling Book
Best Pro Wrestling Documentary
Shad Gaspard/Jon Huber Memorial Award
Defunct awards
Class A awards
Most Impressive Wrestler
Most Washed Up Wrestler
Strongest Wrestler
Best Three-Man Team
Most Unimproved
Most Obnoxious
Best Babyface
Best Heel
Biggest Shock of the Year
Hardest Worker
Manager of the Year
Class B awards
Best Color Commentator
Readers' Favorite Wrestler
Readers' Least Favorite Wrestler
Worst Wrestler
Worst Tag Team
Worst Manager
Worst on Interviews
Most Embarrassing Wrestler
Worst Non-Wrestling Personality
''Wrestling Observer'' Decade Awards
2000s
*Best Wrestler:Kurt Angle
Kurt Steven Angle (born December 9, 1968) is an American retired professional wrestler and amateur wrestling, amateur wrestler. He first earned recognition for winning a Wrestling at the 1996 Summer Olympics – Men's freestyle 100 kg, gold me ...
*Most Outstanding Wrestler: Bryan Danielson/Daniel Bryan
*Best Box Office Draw: MÃstico
Luis Ignacio Urive Alvirde (born December 22, 1982), better known by his ring name MÃstico (Spanish for "Mystic"), is a Mexican '' luchador enmascarado'' (or masked professional wrestler), who works for Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre (CMLL ...
*Best Tag Team: Rey Bucanero
Arturo GarcÃa Ortiz (born July 19, 1974) is a Mexican ''luchador'' or professional wrestler best known under the ring name Rey Bucanero. Ortiz, as Rey Bucanero, has worked for Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre (CMLL) since 1996. His ring name is S ...
and Último Guerrero
José Gutiérrez Hernández (born March 1, 1972), better known by his ring name Último Guerrero (Spanish for ''Last Warrior''), is a Mexican (or Professional wrestling, professional wrestler), who works for Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre (CML ...
*Best Interviews: Chris Jericho
Christopher Keith Irvine (born November 9, 1970), better known by the ring name Chris Jericho, is an American-Canadian professional wrestler, rock musician, and actor. As a wrestler, he has been signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW) , where he ...
*Most Charismatic: John Cena
John Felix Anthony Cena ( ; born April 23, 1977) is an American actor and professional wrestler. As a wrestler, he has been signed to WWE , where he is the current WWE Championship, Undisputed WWE Champion in his record 14th reign, which is ...
*MMA Most Valuable: Randy Couture
Randall Duane Couture (; born June 22, 1963) is an American mixed martial arts commentator, actor, former United States Army sergeant, former professional mixed martial artist, and former Collegiate wrestling, collegiate and Greco-Roman wrestlin ...
2010s
*Best Wrestler:Hiroshi Tanahashi
is a Japanese professional wrestler, sports executive and Podcast, podcaster. He is signed to
New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW), where he serves as the president and representative director of the promotion, and is also an active wrestler.
Widel ...
*Most Outstanding Wrestler: Kazuchika Okada
(born November 8, 1987) is a Japanese professional wrestler. , he is signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW) where he is a member of the Don Callis Family stable and is the current AEW Continental Champion in his first reign. Known as the , he is b ...
*Best Box Office Draw: Brock Lesnar
Brock Edward Lesnar ( ; born July 12, 1977) is an American Professional wrestling, professional wrestler and former Mixed martial arts, mixed martial artist, Amateur wrestling, amateur wrestler and professional American football player. As a ...
*Best Tag Team: The Young Bucks
The Young Bucks are an American professional wrestling tag team consisting of brothers Matthew Massie and Nicholas Massie, who perform under the ring names Matthew Jackson and Nicholas Jackson. , they are signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW), whe ...
*Best Interviews: Paul Heyman
Paul Heyman (born September 11, 1965) is an American professional wrestling manager, former executive, promoter, and commentator. He is signed to WWE as the on-screen manager of Seth Rollins, Bron Breakker, and Bronson Reed, and is widely regard ...
*Most Charismatic: Hiroshi Tanahashi
is a Japanese professional wrestler, sports executive and Podcast, podcaster. He is signed to
New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW), where he serves as the president and representative director of the promotion, and is also an active wrestler.
Widel ...
*Best Technical Wrestler: Zack Sabre Jr.
Lucas James Uggles Eatwell (born 24 July 1987), known by his ring name and its abbreviated form ZSJ, is an English-born professional wrestler. He is signed to New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW). In NJPW, he is the second and current leader of the ...
*Best Brawler: Tomohiro Ishii
is a Japanese professional wrestler. He is signed to New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW), where he is currently a double champion: being the Strong Openweight Champion in his first reign, and one-half of the current IWGP Tag Team Champions with Ta ...
*Best Flyer: Ricochet
A ricochet ( ; ) is a rebound, bounce, or skip off a surface, particularly in the case of a projectile. Most ricochets are caused by accident and while the force of the deflection decelerates the projectile, it can still be energetic and almost ...
*Best Promotion: New Japan Pro-Wrestling
(NJPW) is a Puroresu, Japanese professional-wrestling Professional wrestling promotion, promotion founded on January 13, 1972, by Antonio Inoki, and based in Nakano, Tokyo. It is currently majority owned by card-game company Bushiroad, with TV As ...
*Best Matches: Kazuchika Okada
(born November 8, 1987) is a Japanese professional wrestler. , he is signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW) where he is a member of the Don Callis Family stable and is the current AEW Continental Champion in his first reign. Known as the , he is b ...
*Best Non-Wrestler: Paul Heyman
Paul Heyman (born September 11, 1965) is an American professional wrestling manager, former executive, promoter, and commentator. He is signed to WWE as the on-screen manager of Seth Rollins, Bron Breakker, and Bronson Reed, and is widely regard ...
*Best Television Announcer: Kevin Kelly
See also
*Wrestling Observer Newsletter Hall of Fame
The ''Wrestling Observer Newsletter'' (''WON'') Hall of Fame is a professional wrestling and mixed martial arts (MMA) hall of fame that recognizes people who make significant contributions to their professions. It was founded in 1996 by Dave Mel ...
* List of professional wrestling awards
A list is a set of discrete items of information collected and set forth in some format for utility, entertainment, or other purposes. A list may be memorialized in any number of ways, including existing only in the mind of the list-maker, but ...
* List of Pro Wrestling Illustrated awards
This is a list of both active and inactive ''Pro Wrestling Illustrated'' awards which are voted on by ''Pro Wrestling Illustrated'' (''PWI'') readers every year from 1972 onwards, expanding to more categories in later years.
Unlike other wrestling ...
* Slammy Award
The Slammy Awards, also known as the Slammys, is a concept used by WWE, where awards, similar to the Academy and Grammy Awards, are given to professional wrestlers and other individuals within WWE, such as commentators and managers. Introduced i ...
References
Sources
* * * * * * {{Wrestling Observer Awards established in 1980 Professional wrestling awardsWrestling Observer Newsletter awards
This is a list of both active and inactive ''Wrestling Observer Newsletter'' awards created by professional wrestling and mixed martial arts (MMA) journalist Dave Meltzer. The first fourteen awards were created in 1980 as an informal poll betwee ...
Wrestling Observer Newsletter