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What started as a random curiosity of mine (who would have the best overall rankings in WON voting, is a thing I asked myself) turned into a weirdly ambitious project that I thought other people might be interested in seeing, so here you go. Love them or hate them, the Wrestling Observer Awards are a pretty big part of online wrestling fandom. It's not just about deciding who the best and worst are in any given year -- the archived awards offer a fascinating time capsule into what the general pulse was at the time (even from snarky-rear end voters who supposedly hated Hogan but couldn't stop voting him for awards, but we'll get to that, I promise). Anyway, I thought it'd be interesting to tally up voting results for the biggest individual WON categories by year, and see how people rank on an all-time scale. To keep this simple, I only included the Top 10 listed in issues (sorry honorable mentions) and used a basic reverse scoring system -- 10 points to first place, 9 points to second, 8 to third, etc. The early awards issues only listed Top 5 by category, so I went 10 points for first, 8 points for second, 6 for third, and so on. Obviously, trying to do this by looking up individual issues in the archive is a gigantic pain in the rear end. Thankfully, there's a helpful resource site that lists them all in one page right here. So if you feel I missed something or had an oversight, feel free to point it out. Obvious disclaimer: I'm only going through the categories still active in 2018, which excludes a lot of fluff from the newsletter's early days.. Even Dave will probably admit that short-lived categories like "Most Washed Up Wrestler" and "Hardest Worker" were bad ideas. ---- I'll go category-by-category instead of a huge data dump in one post, just to make this whole thing a bit easier to digest. Without further ado, I present the biggest category of them all. WRESTLER OF THE YEAR As a reminder, "Wrestler of the Year" doesn't necessarily mean "best wrestler." It's a more complete package of in-ring talent, character work, drawing power, charisma, and influence. So ... the wrestler of the year, then. Don't think about it so hard.  Full year-by-year results here https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/19AjFU07lnQ6YG50ipIdaYojEMYRmoGFoTKZHNw3Cjxc/edit?usp=sharingcode:-- Sorry if the numbers don't fit right on that code, I'm not in a mood to make it look right. It's all there on the spreadsheet in much cleaner form. -- The top of the list shouldn't surprise anyone -- a veritable who's-who of legitimate GOAT contenders. It's really hard to nitpick anyone in the Top 10 here, they all earned their spot in various ways. -- I gotta bow my head in shame and admit that Toshiaki Kawada is a total blind spot with me, which became more obvious the further I got along on this. Any match recommendations would be greatly appreciated. -- I figured Austin's overall standing would be hurt by his relatively short peak, but that peak was so strong it still got him in the Top 15. -- Likewise, the original Mistico is a joke today, but his mid-2000s peak was something special. -- The newsletter got started at the tail end of Harley Race's prime, so it's still pretty impressive that he placed well enough with just a couple years left on top. -- Manami Toyota will be showing up a lot on these lists as the highest-ranking woman. -- This category gets weirdly skewed in the 2000s with the influx of MMA guys, and it's not until 2007 that they got their own "Most Valuable Fighter" category. So you'll just have to live with Tito Ortiz having more points than Terry Funk. Up next: Most Outstanding Wrestler I'm sure there will be no uncomfortable feelings here!
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Apr 21, 2018 09:33
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This is a great idea for a thread, thanks for doing it  There are plenty of people far more knowledgeable than me about Kawada, but check out ANY of his matches involving Misawa (singles or tags) and you will see one of the saltiest, meanest fucks in the world committing murder acts and it is so. loving. good. Edit: You know how Kenny Omega and Kazuchika Okada wowed everybody last year with their 6-star matches? Well Kawada/Misawa got one too back in the mid-90s and it's not an exaggeration to say it is arguably one of the best wrestling matches of all time. Jerusalem fucked around with this message at 10:38 on Apr 21, 2018 |
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Apr 21, 2018 10:28
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Oh poo poo, I remember watching the Misawa/Kawada match, so now my Kawada memory is getting jogged. For some reason the full name didn't click with me until now. And that Misawa match is absolutely 6 stars no debate. I'm also open to a better thread title Benne fucked around with this message at 11:20 on Apr 21, 2018 |
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Apr 21, 2018 11:12
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Hopping on J-ru's thoughts on Kawada vs Misawa i'd like to recommend one that's maybe not as good as their prime, but still told a great story, NOAH's Destiny 2005. This was Kawada's first match in NOAH, and the first match between the two since Misawa left All Japan in 2000. It even main evented over Rikio defending the GHC against a young Tanahashi. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f7J2VBx-Gy8 In term's of Kawada's prime during the nineties, you can't go wrong with Misawa/Kobashi vs Holy Demon Army from 6/9/95, if only for Kawada and Taue relentlessly attacking Kobashi's injured leg to the point where he's laying on Misawa to protect him because Kobashi can't stand to defend himself. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gHsuvDfC8aw Kawada also had a couple of entertaining 5 minute sprints with Kaz Fujita and Katsuyori Shibata during New Japan's darker times. They're both easy to find on Youtube and well worth a watch.
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Apr 21, 2018 13:02
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If we're going to talk about Misawa/Kawada, I think we have to mention their most favorite match: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rUVA5qchql0
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Apr 21, 2018 17:55
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Okada being 6 with 48 mentions and only being 30 is crazy
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Apr 21, 2018 19:11
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Thanks for the recommendations y'all Now time for our next category MOST OUTSTANDING WRESTLER I was interested to see how much overlap there is between WOTY and MOW, since that seems to spark a confused debate every year. Turns out, not as much as you might think. Note: I only counted this category in its current form starting in 1986, not counting the "Most Impressive" category it apparently replaced. If that bothers you, just pretend Dynamite Kid finished much higher than he does here. COMPLETE YEAR-BY-YEAR RESULTS https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1Bdkg8tvBxaImipfKFYluiUwkG7xKjUrX-fI-CvUivIs/edit?usp=sharingcode:-- There's a good chance Bryan would be No. 1 if his brain didn't force him into a sabbatical. As it stands, Kobashi is a good choice for the top spot. His combination of consistency and longevity, along with multiple career peaks (the 90s All Japan boom and NOAH's glory years) make him nearly unmatched in the business. -- Chris Benoit was ... a real good in-ring technician and let's just leave it at that ok byyyyyyyeeee -- Yeah so given the tastes of WON voters, we expected some top WWE guys to finish low here. Steve Austin got just six points, John Cena finished with a lowly one, and in what I'm sure is a stunning development, Hulk Hogan is nowhere to be found. On the other hand, Shawn and Kurt were both Top 10, so work on your flop-selling and neck bumps, apparently. -- Manami Toyota really stakes her claim here as the greatest female wrestler of all time, becoming the first (and to date only) woman to win MOW. Io Shirai (who placed well for a relative newcomer) could be this generation's Toyota if her neck holds up. -- I'm actually surprised Low Ki only got 1 point, I thought he was popular enough with dorks back in the day to place higher. Not that I'm complaining. -- Dolph Ziggler being higher than Vader is a loving travesty. -- If you only know KENTA as the old depressing Hideo Itami of today, I strongly urge you to check out his prime work in NOAH. There's a reason his WWE signing was seen as a major coup. -- I still don't get the Davey Richards love  -- Really impressed to see Ishii rank that high, given that his career didn't really take off until he hit his late 30s. Talk about a late bloomer. -- What did Fit Finlay do in 2006 that got him fourth place? I only remember him farting around with Hornswoggle at that time. Up Next: Best on Interviews The managers get their day in the sun Benne fucked around with this message at 19:34 on Apr 21, 2018 |
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Apr 21, 2018 19:25
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BEST ON INTERVIEWS Some people believe that talking ability is more important than wrestling ability. Whether that's true or not, there's no denying that the art of the promo is a crucial element in this business. Let's check out who the WON voters thought were the best at talking people into a building. COMPLETE YEAR-BY-YEAR RESULTS https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1io_QUntICZbhk6wLKbuhVBviHRgt5UNDffI6ewmeTEk/edit?usp=sharingcode:-- Flair at No. 1 is a no-brainer, but even then I was taken aback by how wide the gap is. He just hung around this category for decades on end, even when he wasn't doing much other than Being Ric Flair. But hell, people love that. -- As expected, Cornette and Heyman are the top managers listed, with Paul E. getting a late-career boost by his work as Lesnar's advocate. -- Good to see Jericho third overall. I'm always impressed by how he's able to constantly reinvent himself, staying fresh and relevant even as his ring work declines. Somehow he was better than ever in 2017. -- This is one of the few categories where wrestling and MMA mingle freely, so naturally Conor, Chael, and Rampage were the highest-ranked fighters. -- Someone who was watching in 2007-08 has to explain to me how Santino finished runner-up both years, because  -- Say what you will about JBL's reign of terror, but the votes he got here showed that it was clearly working on some level. Note that Jinder Mahal never sniffed this category, so I think we can finally put that comparison to bed. -- Nobody will confuse Ronda Rousey for a great talker today, but that "do nothing bitches" video sure convinced a lot of people in 2015. -- Oh right, Enzo used to be a thing. -- Really thought Bockwinkel would do better here, but I guess the awards missed most of his prime. -- Good to see Brian Pillman, Nigel McGuinness, and Perro Aguayo Jr. in the same illustrious company as Lana. Up next: Most Charismatic Wrestler No vanilla midgets allowed here!
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Apr 22, 2018 03:53
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I'm surprised that Austin is (relatively) low on that list, but then I look at the guys above him and, welp, yeah it's hard to argue.
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Apr 22, 2018 04:07
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Harley Race didnt make the list?
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Apr 22, 2018 04:58
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Lid posted:Harley Race didnt make the list? Benne noted that the newsletter only started up as Harley was winding down, so he doesn't get represented too well in the awards.
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Apr 22, 2018 05:09
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Benne posted:-- I gotta bow my head in shame and admit that Toshiaki Kawada is a total blind spot with me, which became more obvious the further I got along on this. Any match recommendations would be greatly appreciated. Kawada vs Taue - 01/15/1991 - It's more Taue's show, but Kawada is a big ol' bastard in this. Just two young guns going full force at one another to get the crowd hot. Worked in a brawling style that neither man nor AJPW would ever really go back to. Kawada vs Albright - 10/25/1995 - Kawada does a little shoot-style. Exhibit 956 of why Kawada's one of the best sellers in wrestling history. Benne posted:-- Someone who was watching in 2007-08 has to explain to me how Santino finished runner-up both years, because
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Apr 22, 2018 05:45
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Kawada has a very strong argument for being the best wrestler of the 90s and was basically in a 2 horse race for wrestler of the year in 2000.
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Apr 22, 2018 05:59
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Benne posted:-- What did Fit Finlay do in 2006 that got him fourth place? I only remember him farting around with Hornswoggle at that time. He was a key linchpin on Smackdown in the role of mean and grumpy old man. He worked with Batista, Booker T, and Lashley in a World Heavyweight title match, he was US champion for a couple of months, he was just having Finlay matches on WWE TV. I can't really too many specifics but you might want to start with him vs Benoit from 24th November episode of Smackdown. And there was a Finlay Regal match at Judgement Day which I remember nothing about but the Internet tells me it got over 10 minutes so is presumably worth a watch.
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Apr 22, 2018 14:03
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I found it interesting to see what Japanese stars made it into best talker. Naito makes sense. Guy is super-charismatic and he's hitting his peak when NJPW are putting effort into subtitling promos for an anglophone audience, so people can follow his promos. Akira Hokuto surprises me, though. Did she get mic time in WCW?
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Apr 23, 2018 01:32
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forkboy84 posted:And there was a Finlay Regal match at Judgement Day which I remember nothing about but the Internet tells me it got over 10 minutes so is presumably worth a watch. You're thinking of Great American Bash. The crowd being absolutely baffled on what to make of the match makes it worth watching alone.
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Apr 23, 2018 17:41
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MOST CHARISMATIC Pretty straightforward category here. More than just being a great talker, a charismatic wrestler truly captivates audience attention -- every time they're on screen you can't take your eyes off them. It should be no surprise that some the biggest draws in history top this list. COMPLETE YEAR-BY-YEAR RESULTS https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1Psn6sCCIpscDeL0brb6wmA_bzxOTdAFI37mWKP4ydy0/edit?usp=sharingcode:-- Hogan is infamously maligned by WON voters, but this is like the one category where they were willing to give him credit. -- Likewise, Sting never got much love from the newsletter, which always considered him overrated as a worker. But they at least recognized that his charisma is what got him on top in the first place. -- Shoutout to FMW ace Atsushi Onita for cracking the Top 10. That was a pleasant surprise. -- Obviously Conor is the top-ranked MMA guy again. It'll be interesting to see where he places next year now that people realize that his gimmick, uh ... isn't really a gimmick. -- One of the biggest (and most legitimate IMO) criticisms of the WON awards is how under-represented luchador talent is. They still got a ways to go, but it's nice seeing guys like Rush and Pentagon getting love on recent ballots. -- We really need to get Minoru Suzuki more votes before he kills us all  -- I can't decide who feels more out of place in hindsight: Bayley or Zack Ryder? Next up: Best Technical Wrestler Surely this is Bryan Alvarez's award to lose, right?
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Apr 23, 2018 19:14
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quote:Randy Orton 2 lol
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Apr 23, 2018 19:24
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Benne posted:-- Hogan is infamously maligned by WON voters, but this is like the one category where they were willing to give him credit. But not Dusty, apparently. Also as much as I love Bret, there's absolutely nothing he did in 1996 that should be seen as "Charismatic". He only wrestled like...8 matches that year anyways. But Bret getting no votes at all for Most Outstanding Wrestler is a travesty. I get that his prime coincided with the peak of Japanese Wrestling, but...
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Apr 24, 2018 01:51
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Undertaker doesn't appear on any of these lists yet literally the goat. wrestling observer more like wrestling idiot (observer).
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Apr 24, 2018 05:05
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Supreme Allah posted:Undertaker doesn't appear on any of these lists yet literally the goat. wrestling observer more like wrestling idiot (observer). A disgusting lack of respect for the ultimate cop respecter.
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Apr 24, 2018 05:12
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the undertaker is immortal and deserves our respect
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Apr 24, 2018 05:26
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Bret's charisma is way over-rated, but as a technical wrestler he was extremely solid. I wasn't from Bret's era, I started watching just barely after the Montreal Screwjob, but I've gone back and watched many old PPVs with Brett and his promos were nothing to write home about
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Apr 24, 2018 05:53
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MassRafTer posted:A disgusting lack of respect for the ultimate cop respecter. Granted he's a terrible person and doesn't deserve to be mentioned alongside awesome noted wife-uppercutters like Macho Man or Steve Austin
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Apr 24, 2018 06:08
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Bret's best promo work was his heel run in 97 when he just got to play the cranky humorless stiff he really was. Dude always took himself too seriously to really be a natural fit as a good-natured babyface.
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Apr 24, 2018 06:24
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The problem with the Undertaker and the WOR awards is that while he was often the best big match wrestler in the WWE he also had way too many dud singles. That probably hurt him during the awards
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Apr 24, 2018 06:24
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Bret's final year in the company was some of the best stuff he ever did in terms of promos and projecting the presence of a complete superstar. It still surprises me to hear people say he was wooden or uncharismatic, though to be fair he spent a lot of time going up against the likes of Shawn Michaels or Steve Austin who were both out of this world amazing at that type of thing.
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Apr 24, 2018 06:30
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Undertaker never put together a great year of matches and never really had a notable drawing year. He drew well on certain house show runs in the 90s, but his major drawing success was in 98 against Austin at Summerslam and then a couple other Austin programs the following year or two. By the time he's having great Wrestlemania matches he's winding down his career and no one gets that much attention for one match a year. He probably deserved some down votes for Box Office in 98 and if you only watched US wrestling maybe some #3s for WoY.
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Apr 24, 2018 13:06
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Shiki Dan posted:But not Dusty, apparently. How does Dusty's peak time compare with the awards? Is it a Race situation where his best days were behind him when the awards began?
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Apr 24, 2018 14:20
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MysticalMachineGun posted:How does Dusty's peak time compare with the awards? Is it a Race situation where his best days were behind him when the awards began? Dusty's true peak was a bit before the awards.
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Apr 24, 2018 14:36
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also Dave and the WOR readership were probably not big Dusty fans
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Apr 24, 2018 14:53
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Feels Villeneuve posted:also Dave and the WOR readership were probably not big Dusty fans Is that due to backstage knowledge or just a general thing about his style? While I could see his actual wrestling not appealing to the Observer crew his promos seem timeless
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Apr 24, 2018 15:12
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MassRafTer posted:Dusty's true peak was a bit before the awards. "Hard Times" was in 1985. Supreme Allah posted:Undertaker doesn't appear on any of these lists yet literally the goat. wrestling observer more like wrestling idiot (observer). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VbDMPD93Hxc LOL @ the butt-hurt internet neckbeard dweebs in the comments Shiki Dan fucked around with this message at 17:01 on Apr 24, 2018 |
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Apr 24, 2018 16:55
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Shiki Dan posted:"Hard Times" was in 1985. And Hard Times was one of 1,000 Dusty promos of fairly equal quality. In the mid 80s there were a ton of fantastic promos. Dusty was at his absolute peak in Florida. He was still big in the early 80s, and that's probably where those votes were popping up.
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Apr 24, 2018 17:13
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I still lose my mind at those mid-80s Crockett TV shows where you have Flair, Arn, Dusty, Cornette, and even Superstar Billy Graham giving promos. When Superstar Billy Graham is like your fifth best talker on your show, you have some good loving talkers.
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Apr 24, 2018 17:20
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Man it's funny to think how differently Dusty is viewed now because '85 was when anti-Dusty sentiment was starting to heat up. He was viewed for years later as awful during that time period by many.
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Apr 24, 2018 17:58
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Speaking of Dusty, here's a category I'm sure he would've done very well in back in the day BEST TECHNICAL WRESTLER COMPLETE YEAR-BY-YEAR RESULTS https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1GHTPRLbhko3ugL03CqJ_js96QHmRLsrJyUvFjO8-EH0/edit?usp=sharingOfficially named the Bryan Danielson Award, in honor of the American Dragon's (ultimately premature) retirement in 2015. Surely the nine-time winner will run away with the overall lead, right? code:Thoughts -- But hey, Bryan's back, so maybe he'll claim his rightful place soon enough. -- Other than that, the top of this list went about as expected. Real happy to see my grumpy uncle Yuji Nagata make the Top 5. -- ZSJ's recent run of dominance has led to Kyle O'Reilly being a runner-up three times. Surprised that Bobby Fish didn't make the cut, since reDRagon (or Undisputed Era if you only know them from NXT) were considered one of the best tag teams in the world for a few years. -- Apparently Quack was way better than I remember him being. -- Pretty good bet that Johnny Wrestling will shoot way up the standings after the year he's having. -- This might be hard to believe if you only saw him in Suzuki-gun the past few years, but once upon a time Iizuka used to be good. It's true, promise! Up next: Best brawler Our favorite ugly fat guys finally get their proper due. Benne fucked around with this message at 23:46 on Apr 24, 2018 |
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Apr 24, 2018 23:42
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I imagine Bryan will surpass Benoit even if he doesn't win the award outright again (I don't see him beating ZSJ going forward the way things currently stand)
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Apr 25, 2018 00:08
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Dang shame Virus didn't make the Best Technical wrestler list
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Apr 25, 2018 00:24
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Jerusalem posted:I imagine Bryan will surpass Benoit even if he doesn't win the award outright again (I don't see him beating ZSJ going forward the way things currently stand) WWE as it's currently booked and produced isn't equipped to let him. I feel like the idea of a wrestler who wins with different submissions every night would blow Vince and Dunn's minds.
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Apr 25, 2018 00:26
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