2012 Wrestling Observer Newsletter Awards Announced
Oh boy you know I look forward to these. I’ll give my thoughts on most of them but I’ll be omitting the MMA stuff because, unlike Meltzer’s site, I actually talk about wrestling and only wrestling. Second and third place listed in order in parentheses. Let’s get to it.
Wrestler of the Year – Hiroshi Tanahashi (CM Punk, Kazuchika Okada)
CM Punk was WWE Champion for the entire year. I think that sums up the case against Tanahashi pretty well.
Most Outstanding Wrestler – Hiroshi Tanahashi (Kazuchika Okada, CM Punk)
I’m still not sure what the difference between this and wrestler of the year is.
Best Box Office Draw – The Rock (John Cena, Brock Lesnar)
I had a feeling he’d beat out Edge for Bending the Rules. Lesnar at 3 though is kind of a headscratcher. I guess it’s because of not enough appearances.
Feud of the Year – Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Katsuchika Okada (Anderson Silva vs. Chael Sonnen, John Cena vs. The Rock)
Hey look: more Japanese guys. Punk vs. everyone? Bryan vs. the crowd? Punk vs. Jericho? Rock vs. Cena? Maybe? No wait they’re American. Never mind.
Tag Team of the Year – Bad Influence (Kane and Daniel Bryan, Young Bucks)
This was a toss up between them and HELL NO. I would have gone with the WWE guys but I can live with this.
Most Improved – Katsuchika Okada (Michael Elgin, Rush)
This would be Samoa Joe’s friend who was in TNA for like five minutes. Eh I guess this is fine. No one jumped out for me in this category. Oh wait: BULLY FREAKING RAY ANYONE???
Best on Interviews – CM Punk (Chael Sonnen, Rock)
No problem there, but I could see HELL NO getting this. They were hysterical.
Most Charismatic – The Rock (Hiroshi Tanahashi, John Cena)
Fine again here.
Best Technical Wrestler – Daniel Bryan (Prince Devitt, Davey Richards)
That’s 8 years in a row. Just name the thing after him already. Oh and unless Davey Richards has COMPLETELY changed his style, that’s absolutely absurd. Brodus Clay is more technical than Richards.
Best Brawler – Kevin Steen (Togi Makabe, Bully Ray)
Not many people brawl anymore so this is no surprise.
Best High Flier – Kota Ibushi (Ricochet, Pac)
No surprise there either as he’s won three out of four years in a row and was injured the year he didn’t win.
Most Overrated – Ryback (The Miz, Garrett Bischoff)
You mean the guy who caused HIAC to get its highest amount of buys in two years? Yeah there’s no value there. Who actually rates Garrett Bischoff as anything?
Most Underrated – Tyson Kidd (Dolph Ziggler, Daniel Bryan)
Eh he’s good but the day people buy a ticket to see Tyson Kidd is the day I learn to do the Charleston. The runners up here blow my mind. Dolph Ziggler is apparently the second coming and Bryan has been a champion forever, yet he’s UNDERrated?
Promotion of the Year – New Japan (UFC, WWE)
Well it certainly wasn’t anything in America. I’ll let this one go.
Best Weekly Television Show – Impact Wrestling (Ring of Honor, NXT)
VIVA LOS ACES AND 8’S! First time it’s ever won this. If they’re counting the end of the fifth season of NXT in there, I can certainly understand this.
Match of the Year – Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Minoru Suzuki (John Cena vs. Brock Lesnar, Davey Richards vs. Michael Elgin)
Having not seen this, I’m going to go on a limb and say HHH vs. Undertaker inside the Cell at Wrestlemania was about ten times better.
Rookie of the Year – Dinastia (Mr. Touchdown, Eita Kobayashi)
Anyone from Mexico that can help me out here? This depends on your definition of rookie so I can live with this one going another way.
Best Non-Wrestler – Paul Heyman (Ricardo Rodriguez, Vickie Guerrero)
He could sit in the back reading the newspaper and earn an award from an internet wrestling writer. He was fine but as usual, I don’t get the massive appeal of him. Ricardo continues to crack me up though.
Best Television Announcer – Jim Ross, Nigel McGuinness, William Regal)
He’s on TV enough to qualify for this?
Worst Television Announcer – Michael Cole (Taz, Booker T)
Oh come on. King had a heart attack and nearly died on Raw. That has to make him worse.
Best Major Show – King of Pro Wrestling – New Japan (Extreme Rules, Wrestlemania)
Is anyone surprised at this point?
Worst Major Wrestling Show – No Surrender
Final Resolution was worse but whatever. Actually I’m getting two reports for who won this so after the UFC (IT ISN’T A FREAKING MMA AWARD) show, the worst WRESTLING show might have been Extreme Reunion
Best Wrestling Manuever – Rainmaker: Kazuchika Okada (Neutralizer, NO Lock)
It’s an arm thing apparently. Sure why not.
Most Disgusting Promotional Tactic – WWE broadcasting a dead Jerry Lawler being revived after a heart attack, and then having CM Punk and Paul Heyman mock the heart attack in front of Lawler (Extreme Rising using a photo of Sabu passing out from an overdose to promote, some UFC thing)
Someone answer this for me: does Meltzer EVER complain about the show being PG? If he does, he’s a hypocrite for this one.
Worst Television Show – Raw (Impact, Ultimate Fighter)
Eh yeah probably. Also, Impact WINS best and comes second in worst? These are some fickle voters.
Worst Match of the Year – John Cena vs. John Laurinitis (Santino Marella vs. Ricardo Rodriguez, some UFC fight)
No. Aksana vs. Kaitlyn was literally a four minute headlock. No way this was worse.
Worst Feud of the Year – John Cena vs. Kane (TNA vs. Aces and 8’s, John Cena vs. John Laurinitis)
It was bad yeah but I don’t think it was even around long enough to qualify as bad. Seriously, Aces and 8’s? Clair Lynch? They’re better than Cena vs. Kane? I don’t think so.
Worst Promotion of the Year – TNA (ROH, WWE)
Their only US TV show is the best show but they’re the worst company? How do these awards work anyway?
Best Booker – Jado and Gedo (UFC guy, Mike Quackenbush)
New Japan, duh.
Best Gimmick – Joseph Park (Damien Sandow, Daniel Bryan)
If this didn’t win, the awards are a joke.
Worst Gimmick – Aces and 8’s (Tensai, Natalya)
You knew they were winning SOMETHING. But hey, the show they’re ALWAYS ON is still the best show right?
Best Wrestling Book – Shooters by Jonathan Snowden (Heroes and Icons by Oliver/Johnson/Mooneyham, From Prison to Promise by Booker T)
Never heard of it but sure why not.
Best Wrestling DVD – CM Punk: Best in the World (Last of McGuinness, some UFC thing)
If you didn’t see this coming, go watch PBS as it’s more your speed.
So yeah, Japan rules the internet wrestling world again, and no I don’t want to watch puro.
These awards don`t make any sense whatsoever so Tna is best weekly tv show and is worst promotion of the year Facepalm and also why is Claire lynch not even mentioned blows my minds these awards worse than Pwi
My God these awards are a joke.
Okada for sure deserves most improved. In one year he went from a no name nobody to shocking the world winning the IWGP Heavyweight Championship, winning the G1 climax (big tournament in New Japan.) and main eventing the Tokyo Dome Show. Also, as somene who keeps up with puro I can honestly say CM Punk should be number 1 over Tanahashi.
So Impact was the best and almost the worst show of the year.
Ridiculous.
RAW was clearly the worst show and IMPACT was clearly the best show. How it got 2nd worst was ridiculous. Have they not watched much Smackdown or ROH?
That’s what i meant :S
LOL @ Ziggler getting 2nd most Underrated he has been getting his dick sucked by the IWC for like 3 years now. Tyson Kidd probably got the nod because Punk mentioned him.
I would like anyone to answer me in one question: who choses the winners? Meltzer by himself, Meltzer and anyone else or is it the fans of his newsletter? Thank you!
Dave Meltzer….YOU SON OF A BITCH! Impact is better than RAW? Really? These awards are total BS.
And what’s up with all the Japan stuff? THIS IS AMERICA, JAPAN WRESTLING DOESN’T COUNT!
SUNDAY BABY!!!!…ugh tomorrow is Thursday though and we all know what that means…the supposed best wrestling show is on. Give me a break.
Match of the Year – Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Minoru Suzuki (John Cena vs. Brock Lesnar, Davey Richards vs. Michael Elgin)
“Having not seen this, I’m going to go on a limb and say HHH vs. Undertaker inside the Cell at Wrestlemania was about ten times better.”
If you haven’t seen it you can’t really say anything.
Most Underrated – Tyson Kidd (Dolph Ziggler, Daniel Bryan)
“Eh he’s good but the day people buy a ticket to see Tyson Kidd is the day I learn to do the Charleston. The runners up here blow my mind. Dolph Ziggler is apparently the second coming and Bryan has been a champion forever, yet he’s UNDERrated?”
Your first point is irrelevant he is being underused. Bryan is a tag team champion in a dead division, he deserves better. As for Ziggler he’s talented I don’t know what your beef with him is? doesn’t make enough lame jokes?
Most Overrated – Ryback (The Miz, Garrett Bischoff)
“You mean the guy who caused HIAC to get its highest amount of buys in two years? Yeah there’s no value there. Who actually rates Garrett Bischoff as anything?”
Garrett Bischoff is a nobody, As for Ryback meh he’s ok. I’d hardly call him a draw though. Not sure why anyone thought he was gonna be a big deal, being punk’s challenger of the month.
Worst Match of the Year – John Cena vs. John Laurinitis (Santino Marella vs. Ricardo Rodriguez, some UFC fight)
“No. Aksana vs. Kaitlyn was literally a four minute headlock. No way this was worse.”
Aren’t you the one who says you don’t care about women’s wrestling at all and never care what they do? If that is the case you can’t hold it to the same standard. I still don’t understand what the point of that stupid storyline with Cena and Laurinitis was supposed to be.
Sure I can say something about it. I’ve seen the other match, and I’m quite confident it isn’t going to be touched.
As for the underrated stuff, Bryan is rated rather highly. He was world champion until April, then feuded with the champion until summer, then double handedly got the tag division back to prominence for a bit. But this is the internet so he’s not being focused on enough.
As for Ziggler, the guy isn’t as good as he’s made out to be. I give him two months after finally winning the freaking title which he should have won two years ago to be crushed by the internet.
Yep, I’m the guy that hates women’s wrestling. Why does it surprise you that the worst example of something I hate should be the worst match of the year? Also John vs. John at least had one or two chuckles in it.
Finished reading through them and..yeah, these are ridiculous.
I’m curious the difference between Wrestler of the Year and Most Outstanding Wrestler as well. Punk finished second in the former category yet third in the latter, did he not stand out enough as the second best wrestler of the year, according to this?
Ehh you can’t really get upset. He prefers puro just like you prefer the main stream to each it’s own