Wrestling Observer 2012 Awards

rovert

Before I post this yoke I feel the need to get out of the way due to recentish threads that:

• Yes people pay for a wrestling newsletter and find it tremendous value.
• Yes the awards are a fairly big deal and are posted on message boards all over.
• Yes a lot of wrestlers care about the awards. People like Chris Jericho and Ric Flair list them among the best honours of their careers.
• Yes this thread has been made on here in previous years and has generated discussion.

So that leaves us free to discuss this:

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

1. HIROSHI TANAHASHI

2. C.M. Punk

3. John Cena

MOST OUTSTANDING WRESTLER

1. DAVEY RICHARDS

2. Hiroshi Tanahashi

3. Daniel Bryan

BEST BOX OFFICE DRAW
1. THE ROCK

2. Georges St. Pierre

3. John Cena

FEUD OF THE YEAR

1. JOHN CENA VS. C.M. PUNK

2. Randy Orton vs. Christian

3. Davey Richards vs. Eddie Edwards

TAG TEAM OF THE YEAR
1. GIANT BERNARD & KARL ANDERSON

2. Mark & Jay Briscoe

3. Daisuke Sekimoto & Yuji Okabayashi

Top TNA:
8. Bobby Roode & James Storm

Top WWE:
9. Kofi Kingston & Evan Bourne

MOST IMPROVED
1. DOLPH ZIGGLER

2. Mark Henry

3. Ricochet

BEST ON INTERVIEWS
1. C.M. PUNK

2. The Rock

3. Chael Sonnen

MOST CHARISMATIC
1. THE ROCK

2. John Cena

3. C.M. Punk

BEST TECHNICAL WRESTLER
1. DANIEL BRYAN

2. Davey Richards

3. Prince Devitt

BRUISER BRODY MEMORIAL AWARD (BEST BRAWLER)
1. KEVIN STEEN

2. Togi Makabe

3. Mark & Jay Briscoe

TOP WWE:
4. Sheamus

TOP TNA:
5. Bully Ray

BEST FLYING WRESTLER
1. RICOCHET

2. Kota Ibushi

3. Pac

TOP WWE:
4. Evan Bourne

MOST OVERRATED
1. CRIMSON

2. Mason Ryan

3. Kevin Nash

MOST UNDERRATED

1. DOLPH ZIGGLER

2. Daniel Bryan

3. Alex Shelley

PROMOTION OF THE YEAR
1. ULTIMATE FIGHTING CHAMPIONSHIP

2. New Japan Pro Wrestling

3. Dragon Gate

4. Ring of Honor

5. World Wrestling Entertainment

TNA did not place in the top 12 listed.
BEST WEEKLY TV SHOW

1. WWE SMACKDOWN

2. Ring of Honor

3. Dragon Gate Infinity

WORKED MATCH OF THE YEAR

1. JOHN CENA VS. C.M. PUNK 7/17 CHICAGO

2. Eddie Edwards vs. Davey Richards 6/26 New York

3. HHH vs. Undertaker 4/3 Atlanta

No TNA match finished in the top 9 listed.

ROOKIE OF THE YEAR
1. DAICHI HASHIMOTO

2. Uhaa Nation

3. Takumi "Sho" Soya

BEST NON-WRESTLER
1. RICARDO RODRIGUEZ

2. Vickie Guerrero

3. Jim Cornette

BEST TELEVISION ANNOUNCER

1. JOE ROGAN

2. Kevin Kelly

3. Michael Schiavello

WORST TELEVISION ANNOUNCER
1. MICHAEL COLE

2. Booker T

3. Jerry Lawler

BEST MAJOR WRESTLING SHOW

1. WWE MONEY IN THE BANK 7/17 CHICAGO (Punk vs Cena)

2. UFC 139 11/19 San Jose (Rua vs Henderson)

3. ROH Best in the World 6/26 New York (Edwards vs Richards)

WORST MAJOR WRESTLING SHOW
1. TNA VICTORY ROAD 3/13 (Sting vs Jeff Hardy vs Drugs)

2. TNA Turning Point 11/13 Orlando (Bobby Roode vs AJ Styles)

3. WWE Capitol Punishment 6/19 Washington, DC (John Cena vs. R-Truth)

BEST WRESTLING MANEUVER
1. RICOCHET DOUBLE ROTATION MOONSAULT

2. Daniel Bryan LeBell lock

3. Randy Orton RKO

MOST DISGUSTING PROMOTIONAL TACTIC
1. WWE BULLYING/BE A STAR/JIM ROSS

2. TNA sending Jeff Hardy out when he was loaded on PPV

3. Perro Aguayo Jr. faking cancer

WORST TELEVISION SHOW

1. TNA IMPACT

2. WWE Raw

3. WWE NXT

WORST MATCH OF THE YEAR

1. STING VS. JEFF HARDY 3/13 ORLANDO

2. Jerry Lawler vs. Michael Cole 4/3 Atlanta

3. Kevin Nash vs. Ricky Morton 10/15 Fisherville, VA

WORST FEUD OF THE YEAR

1. HHH VS. KEVIN NASH

2. Michael Cole vs. Jerry Lawler

3. Michael Cole vs. Jim Ross

WORST PROMOTION OF THE YEAR

1. TNA

2. WWE

3. AWE

BEST BOOKER

1. GEDO & JADO (New Japan)

2. Joe Silva (UFC)

3. Mike Quackenbush (Chikara)

PROMOTER OF THE YEAR
1. DANA WHITE

2. Mike Quackenbush

3. Vince McMahon

BEST GIMMICK

1. C.M. PUNK

2. Archibald Peck

3. Zack Ryder

WORST GIMMICK
1. MICHAEL COLE

2. Zack Ryder

3. Eric Young

BEST PRO WRESTLING BOOK

1. CHRIS JERICHO "UNDISPUTED"

2. Stan Hansen "Last Outlaw"

3. John McCarthy "Let's Get It On"

BEST PRO WRESTLING DVD
1. BRET HART VS. SHAWN MICHAELS

2. Wrestling Road Diaries

3. Memphis Heat

The awards are kind of quirky in terms of the terminology used and MMA being mixed in for some awards. However it does provide a decent overview of the business/year based on the votes of fans.

The issue itself lists the top 10 for most categories but I thought posting all that was a little much.

Ill add my thoughts tomorrow once I get sleep as there are a lot interesting results.

Cherry_Cola

Promotion of the year
TNA did not place in the top 12 listed.

Ouch

waltersobchak

Im kind of surprised Ryder is listed in the top 3 for both best and worst gimmick... How does that work?:pac:

Digitalism

Sorry Rovert, but I haven't the foggiest notion who a lot of those wrestlers are in those awards...

rovert

waltersobchak wrote: »

Im kind of surprised Ryder is listed in the top 3 for both best and worst gimmick... How does that work?:pac:

The Marmite man.

Digitalism wrote: »

Sorry Rovert, but I haven't the foggiest notion who a lot of those wrestlers are in those awards...

And that's fine this covers all of wrestling. That is the thing about WWE and TNA's booking has been so bad this year for the most part they and their wrestlers don't feature high this year in particular. New Japan scooped a lot of the top spots this year as simply they were a better and more consistent promotion.


Maybe I should have posted the top 10s???

You can look at past winners here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Wrestling_Observer_Newsletter_awards

GTR63

A lot of UFC(which I love btw)for wrestling awards. One thing that shocked me was that faking cancer wasn't the worst promo tactic. Bit dissapointed Beer Money were 9th in the Tag Teams I bet they were so stuck they had to put Nick and Nate Diaz in that category.

rovert

GTR63 wrote: »

A lot of UFC(which I love btw)for wrestling awards. One thing that shocked me was that faking cancer wasn't the worst promo tactic. Bit dissapointed Beer Money were 9th in the Tag Teams I bet they were so stuck they had to put Nick and Nate Diaz in that category.

Yeah not a fan of mixing the two together. At one time 10-15 years ago when UFC was a non-entity in Japan PRIDE was a Pro Wrestling company or at least there is a strong argument it was. Some people actual troll Dave with their ballots putting Money Mayweather and the like as there pick for best box office draw. :P

The faking cancer "thing" wasnt covered to any great degree in the Observer for whatever reason. Those who follow Lucha got the word out on message boards but that wasnt enough. I dont find the JR stuff too bad as obviously he loves the money and keeps coming back.

lol'd at the Diaz line.

thebostoncrab

As usual there is alot I agree with and alot Im pulling my hair out over

Tanahashi not making the top 3 for box office draw is a shock, how many people did he draw into NJPW this year, especially in the international market?

I'm the same as yourself Rovert, Im not a fan of Dave letting MMA into the awards. I get how much he loves the sport and yes there is a cross over of fans, but that still doesnt mean it belongs in a wrestling publication, the same as it shouldn't be in FSM. If Dave wants to hand out awards for MMA then set up a second awards for it. It really stands out in the best booker, because of the HUGE difference on booking wrestling and MMA.

I'm glad the votes didn't buckle and cost Punk vs Cena MOTY. While Davey and Eddide had a blinder it was also a wee bit overrated.

Great to see Steen win best brawler, one man I thought was left out of too many awards this year. (Voted highly for him on 411 and seemed on my own/ was surprised at readers wondering why he deserved it after being out of ROH for so long).

Ibushi was robbed! I'm sorry I like Ricochet but he has nothing on Ibushi.

Diabhal Beag

I can't argue with MMA scooping a lot of awards though. So much horrible mainstream wrestling that it means that bit more if you see a wrestling commentator oust Rogan off top spot.

the groutch

Hard to take TNA haters like this serious.
putting Beer Money as only the 8th best tag team is a total p!ss take

GTR63

Diabhal Beag wrote: »

I can't argue with MMA scooping a lot of awards though. So much horrible mainstream wrestling that it means that bit more if you see a wrestling commentator oust Rogan off top spot.

I hate Rogan the guy acts too much like a fan, him calling out Yamasaki at the event in Brazil a few weeks back pissed me off. Silva clearly hit him in the back of the head a few times and Rogan was annoyed that a ufc pet project's record is slightly tarnished. I also hated the way he'd commentate on matches involving Ortiz, Couture & Liddell. Oh Randy needs to Cover up here, good Sprawl by Tito & Arah Chuck wake up will ya. Does he do any awards for Knockout or Fight of the Year

rovert

thebostoncrab wrote: »

I'm the same as yourself Rovert, Im not a fan of Dave letting MMA into the awards. I get how much he loves the sport and yes there is a cross over of fans, but that still doesnt mean it belongs in a wrestling publication, the same as it shouldn't be in FSM. If Dave wants to hand out awards for MMA then set up a second awards for it. It really stands out in the best booker, because of the HUGE difference on booking wrestling and MMA.

I am glad someone from from Wrestling got the best booker award back from Joe Silva after 3 years. MMA "bookers" are really matchmakers like their counterparts in boxing.

thebostoncrab wrote: »

I'm glad the votes didn't buckle and cost Punk vs Cena MOTY. While Davey and Eddide had a blinder it was also a wee bit overrated.

The number of #1 votes for the match is indicated in brackets and the number of total weighted votes is the other larger number:

1. JOHN CENA VS. C.M. PUNK 7/17 CHICAGO (333) 2,292
2. Eddie Edwards vs. Davey Richards 6/26 New York (112) 1,362
3. HHH vs. Undertaker 4/3 Atlanta (51) 890

The MITB match won by a huge margin against the other too. Which is quite the feat as WWE marketed the ever loving hell out of the Wrestlemania match as Match of the Year seconds after it ended. I did like the Best in the World despite dispising Davey in ROH. But to me it wasnt really a match match it was more like Mike Awesome - Tanaka at the second ECW One Night Stand - crazy movez and a crazy crowd coming together.

the groutch wrote: »

Hard to take TNA haters like this serious.
putting Beer Money as only the 8th best tag team is a total p!ss take

They came third last year based off the MCMG feud.

What did they do this year besides break up?

JP Liz V1

Is this the same Joe Rogan from Fear Factor and News Radio

GTR63

JP Liz V1 wrote: »

Is this the same Joe Rogan from Fear Factor and News Radio

Don't know what news radio is but yes he is the same guy that did Fear Factor.

rovert

JP Liz V1 wrote: »

Is this the same Joe Rogan from Fear Factor and News Radio

Same.

He is a stand up comedian and podcaster too.

MitchKoobski

I'm guessing The Stone Cold DVD missed out on the cut-off date for the decision.

GTR63

Why are some of the awards named after Wrestlers like Lou Thesz, Bruiser Brody and Naitch. I want to see a Hulk Hogan Award for Most Overrated Wrestler. I really hope Ricochet's real name is Rick O'Shea.

rovert

GTR63 wrote: »

Why are some of the awards named after Wrestlers like Lou Thesz, Bruiser Brody and Naitch. I want to see a Hulk Hogan Award for Most Overrated Wrestler. I really hope Ricochet's real name is Rick O'Shea.

Bruiser Brody was the quintessential brawler for many. He was also one of Dave's close friends.

Thesz and Flair kind of represent two ends of the business one respected bad ass credible champion and the other the showbiz side. The award to me and you is Best Overall Wrestler. Flair won the Wrestler of the Year award 8 times so yeah you might as well name it after him. Your question got me thinking of what Thesz would have thought of Hiroshi Tanahashi winning his award. :pac:

GTR63

rovert wrote: »

Flair won the Wrestler of the Year award 8 times so yeah you might as well name it after him.

Bryan won Technical Wrestler of the year 7 years on the bounce now, he has more than Angle & Benoit combined. Part of me doesn't like that, but i'm thinking that in their day there was more competition for that award. Suprised Hbk didn't land more awards down the years.

Jamie OD

thebostoncrab wrote: »

Ibushi was robbed! I'm sorry I like Ricochet but he has nothing on Ibushi.

Ibushi was injured for pretty much half of the year so that cost him some votes. Even so, I'm not sure he would have been able to beat Ricochet this time if he made it through the entire year.

montyrebel

GTR63 wrote: »

Bryan won Technical Wrestler of the year 7 years on the bounce now, he has more than Angle & Benoit combined. Part of me doesn't like that, but i'm thinking that in their day there was more competition for that award. Suprised Hbk didn't land more awards down the years.

So you are saying he stalks his ex wife and has killed more than 2 people? :eek::rolleyes:

Machismo Fan

Kevin Kelly the second best commentator last year? Seriously? Is that how far standards have fallen? He borders on insufferable.

GTR63

Machismo Fan wrote: »

Kevin Kelly the second best commentator this year? Seriously? Is that how far standards have fallen? He borders on insufferable.

Over any category that is a hard one to pick, wish Regal would of been acknowledged or even Booker for being a guilty pleasure.

rovert

Machismo Fan wrote: »

Kevin Kelly the second best commentator last year? Seriously? Is that how far standards have fallen? He borders on insufferable.

He does what used to be base level stuff putting over wrestlings, angles, feuds and matches. That alone in 2011/2 gets you a big gold star.

By prior era's standards he is a B or C show level announcer.

Machismo Fan

GTR63 wrote: »

Over any category that is a hard one to pick, wish Regal would of been acknowledged or even Booker for being a guilty pleasure.

I'd legitimately prefer Cole or even Taz taking nothing seriously.

Charisteas

Was Tough Enough a contender for Best Weekly TV Show, and if so, what position did it rank?

D2D

Charisteas wrote: »

Was Tough Enough a contender for Best Weekly TV Show, and if so, what position did it rank?

it got 6th

BEST WEEKLY TV SHOW
1. WWE SMACKDOWN (188) 1,790
2. Ring of Honor (214) 1,603
3. Dragon Gate Infinity (108) 1,092
4. Ultimate Fighter (64) 838
5. Bellator Fighting Championships (43) 648
6. WWE Tough Enough (45) 404
7. WWE Raw (12) 360
8. CMLL (9) 197
9. WWE Superstars (15) 196
10. TNA Impact (2) 145
HONORABLE MENTION: All Japan Banquet 143, AAA 69

MitchKoobski wrote: »

I'm guessing The Stone Cold DVD missed out on the cut-off date for the decision.

That finished 5th:

BEST PRO WRESTLING DVD
1. BRET HART VS. SHAWN MICHAELS 335
2. Wrestling Road Diaries 143
3. Memphis Heat 128
4. History of WrestleMania 22
5. Steve Austin Bottom Line 13

takamichinoku

I'd find it easier to watch Impact every day of the year than a single episode of ROH's current thing, I get supporting the little guy and all, but they could undoubtedly have better production than they do and it is a very important factor when determining if a show is good or not.

Some people really liked the True Story of Wrestlemania DVD, didn't they?

Machismo Fan

takamichinoku wrote: »

I'd find it easier to watch Impact every day of the year than a single episode of ROH's current thing, I get supporting the little guy and all, but they could undoubtedly have better production than they do and it is a very important factor when determining if a show is good or not.

I'd probably rank all the other shows that I watch (semi)regularly on that list over ROH's TV show.

A Primal Nut

GTR63 wrote: »

Why are some of the awards named after Wrestlers like Lou Thesz, Bruiser Brody and Naitch. I want to see a Hulk Hogan Award for Most Overrated Wrestler. I really hope Ricochet's real name is Rick O'Shea.

I don't think anyone ever said Hogan was a great wrestler? Or did they?

He was a great entertainer and very charismatic and at his peak one of the most popular wrestlers ever.

He wasn't a great technical wrestler but then again he never tried to be.

He was the kind of wrestler that suited his character.

rovert

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8XeYc78oXJU

paddyismaddy

the groutch wrote: »

Hard to take TNA haters like this serious.
putting Beer Money as only the 8th best tag team is a total p!ss take

bm broke up this year each won world title