Wrestling Observer Year End Awards

[El-P]

Maybe Shane Douglas actually.

Wait, by whom Shane Douglas has been rated to begin with, in 2012 ? What did he do except work his disastrous Extreme Reunion show ?

[Bix]

No Joe Lauzon vs Jamie Varner, Miesha Tate vs Julie Kedzie, or Jon Fitch vs Erick Silva? Zombie vs Poirier may have had the best round of the year and was a great fight, but as for me, as whole fights, it's a dead heat between the aforementioned three other fights.

[Eduardo]

Definitely love Jon Fitch vs Erick Silva, you're right it should be in consideration, I missed that one. Joe Lauzon vs Jamie Varner is also a good pick, especially with that great submission from Lauzon at the end. I remember you loving Tate vs Kedzie on twitter Bix, but I honestly prefer Kaufman vs Davis and McMann vs Baszler, think they are better picks for WMMA FOTYC. TJ Grant vs Evan Dunham was a great brawl and Louis Gaudinot vs John Lineker was one of my favorites of the year too. Honestly, now that I think about it, maybe Gaudinot vs Lineker is a better pick over McCall vs Johnson I. Matt Wiman vs Paul Sass was my favorite one round fight of the year (which should earn the "Sakuraba vs Newton Memorial Grappling MMA Match of the Year").

 

Henderson vs Edgar had the epic upkick (saved by the bell ending to that round), enziguri attempt, guillotine choke (no idea how close it was, but Henderson being a master at the choke made it feel dramatic), the knockdown from Edgar in the fifth. Close and tight rounds for the title of the deepest division in MMA. Josh Thomson vs Gilbert Melendez had everyone's favorite insane nutty conservative giving Melendez the toughest fight he's had since the last time they fought. Thomson taking Melendez's back, and also getting Melendez down with slick trips was beautiful stuff. I would probably put Erick Silva vs Jon Fitch right behind Henderson vs Edgar I, Melendez vs Thomson III, and Zombie vs Poirier.

[Matt D]

But small packages are?

They are a level 17 technique.

[evilclown]

Won't Chael Sonnen win Best Promo going away?

 

It would certainly mean a lot to me to win the best book award. I'm not sure if I made a big enough sales dent to do it.

[Eduardo]

Did the 24/7's ever get any votes when Dave was super into the Mayweather-De La Hoya hype back in 2007? He seems pretty high on Showtime's "All Access", will be amusing if that gets any votes.

[Ricky Jackson]

Won't Chael Sonnen win Best Promo going away?

 

It would certainly mean a lot to me to win the best book award. I'm not sure if I made a big enough sales dent to do it.

Billy Graham's book, while good, probably didn't make much of a sales dent either and it won the award. BTW, I bought your book a couple days ago and plan on getting into it as soon as a gap in my reading schedule opens (I'm stupidly trying to read like 4-5 books at the same time right now).

[NintendoLogic]

But small packages are?

That's how they're presented.

[Dylan Waco]

Maybe Shane Douglas actually.

Wait, by whom Shane Douglas has been rated to begin with, in 2012 ? What did he do except work his disastrous Extreme Reunion show ?

 

 

The award says guys who are overpushed relative to talent in description. This guy has headlined two of the bigger indy shows of the year.

[Dylan Waco]

Won't Chael Sonnen win Best Promo going away?

 

It would certainly mean a lot to me to win the best book award. I'm not sure if I made a big enough sales dent to do it.

I don't cross vote with MMA. I like MMA though I haven't followed it closely in two years, but it just feels wrong to try and make a direct comparison with pro wrestling for the purposes of something like this.

 

Your book is very, very good. One of the better wrestling books I've read. Most years I would vote for it without a second thought, but Oliver/Johnson/Mooneyham put in a really good effort. In all likelihood I'll vote for it as it has a true narrative flow/structure to it and their book doesn't (albeit for obvious reasons).

[goodhelmet]

I would have loved to have seen Technical Ted Dibiase win all of these awards in the early 80s when he was mainly involved in bloody brawls involving gimmicks and a loaded glove.

[GSR]

No Joe Lauzon vs Jamie Varner, Miesha Tate vs Julie Kedzie, or Jon Fitch vs Erick Silva? Zombie vs Poirier may have had the best round of the year and was a great fight, but as for me, as whole fights, it's a dead heat between the aforementioned three other fights.

I've got Tate/Kedzie at two and Lauzon/Varner at three, both behind the Korean Zombie/Poirier fight.

[Dylan Waco]

I would have loved to have seen Technical Ted Dibiase win all of these awards in the early 80s when he was mainly involved in bloody brawls involving gimmicks and a loaded glove.

Maybe he was a small package expert?

[WingedEagle]

I've subscribed to the WON since September of '96 and have never been entirely clear on just what best technical represented separate and apart from most outstanding. No explanation has ever made much sense and for some reason I never really questioned it. I always interpreted it as somewhere along the lines of "best wrestler who does not brawl or fly and is not exceptionally small, large, fast or slow."

[goodhelmet]

I think the answer is the Best Wrestler who can't actually draw money.

[Matt D]

I picture how I generally saw Dean Malenko when I was 18 in 1999.

[evilclown]

I think the answer is the Best Wrestler who can't actually draw money.

Exactly. "Best Guy Real Fans Don't Care About."

[Log]

I really want to make a push to get "Best Cowboy" added to the ballot.

[goodhelmet]

I am still waiting for the Best Shoot Promo from a Worked Wrestler and best Worked Promo from a Shoot Fighter.

[blueminister]

Most Skilled at Imaginary Aspect of Fake Sport

[Loss]

I really want to make a push to get "Best Cowboy" added to the ballot.

[Dylan Waco]

Bumping this. Someone make a compelling argument for me not to abstain from voting for someone for the Thesz/Flair award.

 

Also I've seen a lot of Callihan sense I wrote this and I'd now have Sami in a neck and neck race with Casas for Most Outstanding.

[Ricky Jackson]

I thought somebody else would have jumped on this already. Here are the results, in two parts because these were the best links I could find:

 

http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qi...24044619AAAaxG9

http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qi...24045106AAIcsLw

 

No surprise, New Japan dominates.

[Ditch]

Silva/Sonnen is CLEARLY the best pro wrestling feud of the year...

[shoe]

I still don't know how ACH got ROTY votes when he wasn't a rookie. He works the local Austin Indy here and usually has the best or 2nd best match on the show. That's been the case since 2011. I know he was working before that too. I'm glad he's getting notoriety, but don't think his past should be ignored because fan boys want to be on the ground floor on a new Indy sensation.