Since I have a bad tendency to take forever to do these every year, I’m going to streamline the process a bit. This time, rather than doing individual posts for each award, instead I’ll be posting three groups of six each, randomly chosen awards. Also, and again for the sake of sanity, I’ll be listing some Honorable Mentions/Other Nominees but not going in-depth on anything but the winner. They should get the most attention for being the best/worst in each category, plus I take way more time than necessary to do something like this anyway.  Let’s get to it.

Worst Major Show Of The Year

5. Wrestlemania Backlash
4. Hard To Kill
3. Bound For Glory
2. Revolution

1. Survivor Series

This was the hardest award to do so far as 2021 has to be one of the best years ever for pay per view. I know WWE gets a bad reputation for their TV (and it is 100% earned in some cases), but they can put on a show when it comes to getting in the ring and saying go. That is the case with every other major promotion (or at least the ones I watch). When the lowest overall rating I could give a show all year is a C (or about a 6), you’re in a really, really good place. None of these shows are by any means bad, so we’ll call them the least good.

As for the pick, while I had Revolution rated lower overall (the exploding barbed wire match was not my thing and was never going to be), Survivor Series did not feel important whatsoever coming in and I did not want to watch it. The Battle For Brand Supremacy has become such a chore that even the very good wrestling couldn’t overcome a lot of the problems. It wasn’t a bad show, but it was a show that felt like a chore rather than something I would want to watch, and that’s worse than having bad action.

Tag Team Of The Year

5. New Day
4. Lucha Bros
3. Briscoes
2. Usos

1. FTR

I grew up on 80s wrestling and that’s what you get here. Between the Midnight Express theme song and the old school high waisted trunks, these guys feel like a modern version of Arn Anderson and Tully Blanchard. It’s so much fun to watch a team that feels happy with being a tag team instead of two wrestlers who happen to be together. That’s such a rare thing to see these days, at least at this level, and FTR does it so well.

One of the best things about the team is how well they stand out. AEW has a lot of people jumping and flipping and diving all over the place and going completely out of control. FTR feels like a team that has prepared and trained to take their opponents apart in a wrestling match rather than having an acrobatic display. The team feels different and the fact that they do it so well makes them the team of the year.

Major Show Of The Year

5. Double Or Nothing
4. Extreme Rules
3. Full Gear
2. Takeover: Vengeance

1. All Out

I wanted to put Vengeance at the top but the more I thought about it, the more remarkable All Out really is. In addition to the great action, it was the show where Adam Cole debuted for one of the biggest surprises of the year. That was the case for all of two minutes, because Bryan Danielson appeared after, giving us one of the biggest nights in AEW history. Throw in CM Punk’s return to the ring for the first time in seven and a half years for a pretty great match with Darby Allin and Kenny Omega doing an Urkel impression and this wasn’t going to be topped.

Non-Wrestler Of The Year

5. Dan Lambert
4. Scott D’Amore
3. Pat McAfee
2. Taz

1. Paul Heyman

I know it’s a cliched answer, but Heyman somehow manages to improve on the greatness that he has already achieved. There is perhaps nothing more entertaining in wrestling than watching him go out on television and doing or saying whatever it is that needs to be said to make a story work. Heyman and Roman Reigns were a perfect combination for the entire year, with the Reigns/Heyman/Brock Lesnar story being a major highlight.

What makes Heyman work so well is that he feels different. Maybe that’s because he seems to have more freedom with what he says and does, but he comes off as so much more genuine whenever he is out there. It makes his segments something that you can enjoy while also moving the story forward. That has been the case with him for a long time and he did it again here.

Worst Wrestler of The Year

5. Jade Cargill
4. Madcap Moss
3. Eva Marie
2. Commander Azeez

1. Nia Jax

Yes she has been released and no she wasn’t around for a large part of the year, but there were times this year where I was sitting there in awe over her continued employment. She was big, she was stiff, she hasn’t had a good match in the better part of ever and she did not seem to think she was doing anything wrong. This is an easy one for me and it seems to be better that she has moved on to anything else.

Rookie/Newcomer Of The Year (Note that this can mean someone new to a show rather than a pure rookie. I also left Adam Cole and Bryan Danielson off as them coming to AEW as basically the same person didn’t exactly feel new.)

5. Hook
4. Rok-C
2. Rick Boogs
2. Doudrop

1. Bron Breakker

Like it could be anyone else. I know he hasn’t been around long, but to show up as a totally raw rookie and be one of the best stars on all of NXT in literally a few months is more than good enough to be here. There are better stars out there, but Breakker comes off as about as much of a natural as you can get, which is almost impossible to find in this day and age of wrestling.

This is one that always requires a bit of an explanation and that’s perfectly understandable. When I say rookie/newcomer, I mean someone who made their debut on a show rather than someone who has only just started wrestling. You’re only going to see so many actual rookies on major shows so this makes things a little more interesting with some different variables included. Let’s get to it.

As usual, in no particular order until the winner at the end.

Timothy Thatcher

His gimmick is that he’s an old school wrestler and believer it or not, he got it over. This is one of those things that will always have a place on any roster because it is something that you can have on any wrestling show. Thatcher has a good look and does all of the holds well, with the Thatch As Thatch Can being a great way to show how completely ruthless he really could be with all of his students and underlings. He’s a bit older, but he fit in really well and should be around for a long time.

Bianca Belair

Belair debuted on Raw just after Wrestlemania and, after a rather lengthy period of nothing, she became one of the more entertaining women on the roster. The natural athleticism is as easy of a drawing card as there is and she has completely won me over in recent months. Who would have thought she would be much better as a face despite having what should be the most natural heel gimmick around?

Ben Carter

You knew he would make the list because he came from absolutely nowhere and turned into one of the more sought after wrestlers around. Carter was a steal for WWE from AEW, though I can’t imagine AEW knew what they had on their hands when he was on Dark. He went from a guy in bad shorts to a total gem and wound up being one of the more compelling newcomers in wrestling this year. I’m looking forward to seeing where he goes from here in NXT UK and beyond, which isn’t something you see very often out of a total newcomer.

Eddie Kingston

Kingston is an interesting case as he has been around for the better part of ever but has only had a cup of coffee in a big promotion. That makes this year all the more frustrating because he turned into one of the best promos in wrestling for most of the summer, tearing into Jon Moxley every chance he could. Kingston was the highlight of AEW most weeks for me and I have yet to get tired of listening to him talk. He comes off like he believes every word he’s saying and that makes him worth every second.

But come on. Like this could be ANYONE else.

Pat McAfee

I’m sorry but what? Who in the world just drops into wrestling and becomes the absolute best heel in the business the second they start talking? I vaguely knew of McAfee when he showed up and wasn’t expecting anything from another ex-football player but WOW was I wrong. McAfee was incredible and put almost every other seasoned veteran to shame on the mic. He then went on to have two pretty great in-ring performances and made me want to see more. Not bad at all for a non-wrestler and completely amazing for a pure rookie.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and head over to my Amazon author page with 30 different cheap wrestling books at:

http://www.amazon.com/Thomas-Hall/e/B00E6282W6

AND

Remember to check out Wrestlingrumors.net for all of your wrestling headline needs.

IMG Credit: WWE

This is one that causes some confusion every year so let’s clarify things a bit. The idea here isn’t someone who is brand new to wrestling (though it could be), but rather someone who is starting on a new show/in a new promotion. Therefore someone being called up to NXT or showing up in a different place counts. AEW is a weird situation here as everyone is officially on a new promotion this year but I’ll include them as well because you kind of have to.

Darby Allin

We might as well get one of them out of the way first. AEW is a weird situation as they had a lot of stars at the start but needed to create some new ones. That was the case here and they have nailed it early on. I really like Allin as he actually feels different and his rather unimpressive physique is covered by his bizarre charisma and unique enough moveset. That and the Coffin Drop, which looks like it should kill him.

The best part about Allin is the gave him the draw against Cody. It wasn’t some fluke rollup, but rather a near win which oddly meant more than a surprise victory. The match was good as well, and then they’ve followed up on it, which makes things that much better. Allin is someone that AEW has allowed to be something and that is a good sign for both their futures.

Ilja Dragunov

Dragunov is what you mean when you talk about the “it factor”. You can’t help but watch him and that is because of those eyes. He looks completely insane and wrestles like he is on fire every time, making his matches hard to ignore. There is something to be said about someone whose main point of offense is ramming his head into you for a knockout and it even has an awesome name with Torpedo Moscow.

Dragunov is the kind of guy who is just getting started and he is the kind of person who could do a lot of things in NXT UK. At some point they are going to need someone to dethrone Walter and this very well could be the guy. We’re a long way away from that and the fact that it is someone who has not been around very long at all makes the future all the brighter.

Rhea Ripley

This is a case where I’m so blown away by two different aspects. First of all, the change in look from what she was in the Mae Young Classic (the All American Girl, though the Australian version) to….whatever you call her now. Second is how she took to NXT like a fish to water. Yeah she won the NXT UK Women’s Title and that was a nice moment, but that title is a far cry from the NXT Women’s Title.

Then Ripley showed up in NXT, beat Shayna Baszler at Takeover and then won the NXT Women’s Title in an outstanding match with a great moment. Ripley is someone who could be a major star for a long time because….well what’s wrong with her? She has the look, the talent, the size and the talking. That’s a near complete package and she has the title to go with it. That’s not bad for someone as 23 year old, or anyone for that matter.

Jurassic Express

Sometimes you need something completely goofy and that’s what you had here. At the end of the day, Luchasaurus (the star of the team) says he is a 65 million year old dinosaur who happens to have a degree in Medieval Studies. In the words of Mr. Feeny from Boy Meets Worlds, that’s just plain brilliant. Jungle Boy is as great of a counterpart as you can get and Marko Stunt is an awesome mascot.

What helps make the Express work is AEW has embraced them. They’re just some people who are there and doing their thing, which happens to be a little bizarre. It’s a situation where they are having fun and that makes things all the better. I like watching them and Luchasaurus is the kind of guy who could get a rocket push in the blink of an eye. Throw in Jungle Boy with his rather nice mini story with Jericho and there is some awesome talent there, and they’re starting to execute.

But then, there’s the complete package and someone who looks like they could be on the top of WWE in a heartbeat.

Ricochet

How in the world has this guy been on Raw for less than a year? I know Ricochet has been wrestling for a long time now but this was his first chance on the major stage. He won the United States Title from AJ Styles and has been near the main event for a long time now. Ricochet impresses me more and more every time he’s out there and he shows off something new every few matches. Not many wrestlers can do that and almost no one can do it at his level.

I could see how some people might think it’s a little unfair for someone with his resume and history, but look at how far he is going on every different stage. That’s the sign of talent and Ricochet has done it as well as anyone else in all of wrestling this year. Ricochet could be in the main event at any given show and feel like he belongs there, which is something that is only there for the special ones.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 2004 Monday Night Raw Reviews (also -available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2019/08/26/new-book-and-e-book-kbs-complete-2004-monday-night-raw-reviews/

And check out my Amazon author- page with cheap wrestling books at:

http://www.amazon.com/Thomas-Hall/e/B00E6282W6

IMG Credit: WWE

There’s no reason for this one to be the final entry of the year but it’s kind of appropriate as newcomers are all about the future, which is where you go when you get done with the past. There were a lot of fresh faces who sowed up last year and a lot of them had a great deal of potential, meaning the future is rather bright.

Note that in this context, newcomers include people who came to a new promotion and not just people who have only stared wrestling recently.

Brian Pillman Jr.

I know I’m one of the few MLW fans but Pillman is becoming more and more like his dad every day. He’s good in the ring, a solid little talker and is getting more and more offbeat every single week, which makes you think of his dad in a very good thing. The fact that he was very nice to me and we had a chat at WrestleCon in New Orleans didn’t hurt things either. He has a long way to go but what we’ve gotten so far shows potential.

Killer Kross

There aren’t many instances of Impact Wrestling having a story that intrigues me but the X Attacker got my interest. Someone was laying out members of the roster for weeks and it was time to find out who it was. It wound up being Killer Kross, a very intimidating monster who seemed to be impervious to pain and had some great promos. Kross’ in-ring work might not be top level, but it’s more than good enough to back up the incredible character.

Matt Riddle

I don’t think it’s any secret that Riddle is going to be a very big deal in NXT in the near future. What we’ve seen of him already though is more than enough to make me want to see him again though and that’s what matters. He’s young but experienced and has the kind of offbeat style that gets him noticed. The fans love him too, and that’s going to take him very far. He needs more time in WWE, but it’s looking great so far.

Keith Lee

What Frankenstein’s laboratory did they make this guy in? Lee is a huge guy who moves like someone about 150lbs lighter and makes it look easy. He’s got a few losses on his record but having him win a few matches by squashing people is going to be more than enough to fix that. Lee is the kind of athletic freak that you just don’t see very often and WWE knows it. That cool finisher alone should keep him around.

Brian Cage

Speaking of people who look like they were created in a lab, you have this guy in the craziest shape around and can do 619s and moonsaults. Cage is a different kind of freak and while WWE wouldn’t touch him with a ten foot steroid test, it’s certainly fun to watch him be a monster on Impact. That might be as high as he can go, but sweet goodness he’s making it work.

Bandido

He might not be as well known but I haven’t seen a high flier like this in a long time. Bandido does some of the craziest stuff in a ring that I’ve ever seen and makes it look easy. If you can find his match from the WrestleCon Supershow, go out of your way and enjoy one of the best spectacles you’ll see in a long time. Those flips and dives shouldn’t be human and yet he does them all the time. Incredible talent and worth your time.

Ronda Rousey

What else can I say about her? She has the mainstream appeal, she came in like a star and has gone through even further through the roof every single time she’s out there on the big stage. There’s a real chance that we’re coming up on her main eventing Wrestlemania, which isn’t too bad for someone whose in-ring debut came at the show last year. Rousey is a near natural and that’s not something you get to say very often.

And yet, there’s one more ahead of her.

Ricochet

This one dawned on me as I was writing this up and the more I thought about it, the more right it felt. Ricochet is someone with some experience outside of WWE but it didn’t feel like there was even the slightest bit of a transition. He came into NXT in a match of the year candidate and stole the show with one of the spots of the year. Then he had more classic matches and won the North American Title, plus had a quick showdown that teased a shot at the NXT Title. Ricochet is way more than a high flier and could be the top star in NXT in the near future. You don’t see that happen in a place with that kind of talent, but he’s doing it with ease.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 1997 Monday Night Raw Reviews (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2018/11/20/new-paperback-complete-1997-monday-night-raw-reviews/

And check out my Amazon author page with cheap wrestling books at:

http://www.amazon.com/Thomas-Hall/e/B00E6282W6

You have to restock the shelves somehow.

Over time, wrestling fans are going to get bored with the current crop of talent. Seeing them every single week is going to cause you to stop caring about them at some point, which means that enough is enough and it’s time for a change (thanks Owen). Therefore, today we’re looking at the best rookies and newcomers of the year.

Just to clarify, this isn’t someone we haven’t seen before but rather someone who made their debut on a new roster. You can barely ever find a true rookie and it would give you quite a shallow talent pool to pick from.

We’ll start in developmental with one of the latest names to become a big deal off of Tough Enough. Patrick Clark is now named the Velveteen Dream and while that sounds like a stupid name and gimmick on paper, Dream has turned it into one of the most entertaining things around NXT. On top of that he had one of the best matches of the year against Aleister Black and there’s a very high place on this list for him.

If there’s one thing WWE knows how to do, it’s book the heck out of a monster. That’s what they have with Lars Sullivan and he’s one of the best I’ve seen in years about running through people with reckless abandon. Just don’t let him talk and he could be one of the best monsters NXT has had since Bray Wyatt.

We’ll stick with NXT (shocking I know) and look at Aleister Black. While he might not talk very much, Black lets his fighting do the talking, including that awesome Black Mass kick. Couple that with his amazing presentation and the sweet entrance and there’s no way Black won’t look awesome. He can kick your head off and look awesome doing it. If he’s not NXT Champion by the end of the year, I’ll be rather surprised.

This was actually a really hard pick and it took me a long time to make up my mind between this one and the winner. Pete Dunne is one of the best young stars I’ve seen in a very long time. He has an incredible look and has some great matches to go with it, all in his early 20s. My only criticism of him is we don’t see enough of him, which is the case with almost all of the British guys. He’s outstanding and there are a lot of people I’d love to see him against on the NXT roster. Give us more.

You really can’t say Dunne without going with Tyler Bate as well. Those two have beaten the heck out of each other in three straight up classics (even Jim Cornette loved them) and you can’t have a great match without a great opponent. Bate is just 20 years old and that alone makes him an amazing newcomer.

As great as all of those people have been, the big one for me is still Samoa Joe. Not only did he debut and start a pretty dominant feud against Seth Rollins, but he moved on to become a big time Roman Reigns antagonist, plus there was that whole main eventing a pay per view against Brock Lesnar and then being in the main event of Summerslam. Joe should have been in WWE about ten years ago but better late than never, especially when you have such a high level of awesome.