Note: There are some awards the WON (do people use that acronym?) has that I don't really feel I can make a good choice on (specifically the MMA ones), so they're left with a N/A.
Lou Thesz/Ric Flair Award (Wrestler of the Year): John Cena
As much as I hate to admit it, John Cena was the best wrestler for WWE in 2015. As much as I love guys like Seth Rollins and Kevin Owens, Cena did two things this year that made him my choice for this award. First, he made the United States Championship feel important for the first time in a long time. I'm talking since Diamond Dallas Page and Raven feuded over it back in WCW. His US Open Challenge saw not only great rising stars like Dean Ambrose and Adrian Neville work hard to win the belt, but even former World Champions like Kane and Dolph Ziggler go for the gold.
The second thing he did was put on some of the most consistently good matches of the year. You can point to almost any match he had during the Open Challenge and could be called a great match. My personal favorite was his match against Cesaro on the July 6th episode of RAW. That was easily one of the best RAW matches I've seen in a while, and easily a Match of the Year Candidate. His Springboard Stunner was horrible (thank God he stopped doing it), but everything else was great.
MMA Most Valuable Fighter: Ronda Rousey
This one was tough. If you asked me this two months ago who this was, there would be no doubt Rousey would win this. But after her loss to Holly Holm, I was unsure. I was thinking of putting Conor McGregor here (if he decides to take up Nate Diaz's challenge and destroy him quicker than it took you to read that sentence, he's a lock for 2016). The term "most valuable" generally means "best player" in every other sport. That's how it is in basketball, football, baseball, pretty much every sport. But it's different in UFC and MMA. It's almost impossible to tell who the best is because there are different weight classes. Who's better; Holly Holm or Joanna Jędrzejczyk? We'll probably never know. They're both champions, but there in separate weight classes.
What I think this award focuses on is who is more valuable to the UFC brand, not who is the best fighter. Brock Lesnar won this award in 2009. He fought once. By that logic, Eddie Gaedel should have been the 1951 American League MVP because he had a perfect on base percentage and never got out once. While McGregor is a huge star, he is no where near the star that Rousey is, despite the loss. She is in movies, showing up at WrestleMania, and is just a huge media presence for UFC.
Most Outstanding Wrestler: Cesaro
Everyone knew Cesaro was great for years. 2015 was the year he showed that he was one of the absolute best in the world. He proved Vince McMahon wrong when he said he "doesn't connect with the crowd" and got over his crippling Swiss-ness to show how incredible he was. Whether it be doing drop kicks to opponents on the top rope, to his Cesaro Swing, to the multiple uppercuts he deliver back to back to back in the corners (I'm calling that the "Uppercut Train" from now on), The Swiss Superman showed he is more then just a generic wrestler in 2015. It might have been cut short for him, but he made the most of his time.
Best Box Office Draw: Ronda Rousey
See the last two sentences of the "MMA Most Valuable Fighter" section. No one in UFC, or WWE can match her star power right now.
Feud of the Year: Conor McGregor vs Jose Aldo
This one was tough to pick. I was trying to think of a great wrestling feud from this year, but I had trouble thinking of one. Sami Zayn vs Kevin Owens was the first thing that came to mind, and Brock Lesnar vs The Undertaker was also there. But if there was one fight I wanted to see more than anything, it was McGregor vs Aldo. The two are basically polar opposites. McGregor's a cocky, loud-mouth, while Aldo is a "silent but violent" type. Basically, McGregor is Chris Jericho, and Aldo is Dean Malenko. The fact that their initial match got put off due to Aldo's injury only made the want for that fight even greater. While the 13-second knock out was a bit of a letdown (a big reason I don't buy UFC pay-per-views is because of how quick the main event (more than likely the only match you really want to see, and paid 60 dollars for) could end in the blink of eye), it was still a great build to the fight.
Tag Team of the Year: The New Day (Kofi Kingston, Big E, and Xavier Woods)
Do stables count as tag teams? Don't care, they do here. If there was a more entertaining group in 2015, I would love to see them. I seem to be in the minority of people who don't like The Young Bucks, so don't even say them. In a year where RAW had an incredibly weak champion...another incredibly weak champion, and the false hope of better women's wrestling, The New Day was always there to make even the worst RAW a little better. There is ring work is good, but there comedy is where they shine. Easily the best team of the year.
Most Improved: Baron Corbin
Baron Corbin went from "Goldberg rip off who can't wrestle longer than a few minutes" to "genuinely good big man" to "the exact opposite of an Internet darling, and his awesome for being it". I'll be the first to admit, I was firmly in that "Corbin can't wrestle" ship, and was still a little skeptical after that great match with Samoa Joe at Brooklyn (Could've just been because he had such a good opponent). But after seeing him at Respect, specifically the tag match with Rhyno against Jordan and Gable, I knew this guy had improved significantly since debuting. His character being simply "a guy who hates Internet darlings", and I see big things for this guy in the future.
Best on Interviews: The New Day
There's only been one other instance of more than one person winning this award, and that was back in 1981 when Lou Albano and Roddy Piper won it together. Normally Paul Heyman would be a a lock for this award, but the fact that he shows up so rarely now (usually only when Lesnar is there) that it's hard to give him this based on the two or three months he showed up. The New Day, on the other hand, are always on RAW and SmackDown and have had some of the most memorable moments on the mic this year. There backstage interviews they did during the RAW Fallouts were incredible, especially the unedited 17 minute one they put on Youtube. Those segments win them this award by themselves.
Most Charismatic: Finn Balor
I've always had trouble figuring what exactly "charisma" means. I used to just think it meant being a good, confident talker. But I've seen guys like guys like Corey Graves cut promos confidently and well spoken, but he was so boring and uninteresting. I've come to think that charisma is more than just a verbal thing, and is also includes a general presence. I can't understand a word Shinsuke Nakamura says, but that entrance at Wrestle Kingdom 9 was amazing, and seeing just the way he acts and wrestles in his match against Kota Ibushi, he is so entertaining he can keep someone interested even when someone can't understand him.
That's where Finn Balor comes in. Balor's entrance is incredible, there's almost nothing else you can say about. A lot of people rave about his entrance when he is the demon version of himself, but even when he doesn't sport the paint, it's still fantastic. I got to see it live at a NXT show in Cleveland, and it's truly something special. When he throws his arms up at the music cues, and everyone in the crowd does it too, it's a thing of awe. I don't think there's anyone else in wrestling (WWE or North American wrestling, at least) that can pull that off.
Best Technical Wrestler: Cesaro
Pretty much the same reasons he is the Most Outstanding Wrestler.
Bruiser Brody Memorial Award (Best Brawler): Brock Lesnar
As much as I don't like Brock Lesnar (I think he is a massive, one-trick pony), but man, is watching him fight people exciting. Everyone always loves watching him suplex people to death, and his recent bloody bouts with guys like Roman Reigns and The Undertaker were so brutal and great that they were fun matches to re-watch. Specifically the Reigns match at WrestleMania, where it looked like the two just beat the actual piss out of each other. I don't like the guy, but he had some great fights this year
Best Flying Wrestler: Kalisto
Some of the things Kalisto can pull off in his matches are incredible. The way he is able to fly through the ring in great to watch, and some of his moves, like the springboard corkscrew crossbody and the springboard 450 splash are things of beauty. He has the potential to be a huge single stars based on his high flying abilities.
Most Overrated: Mahabali Shera
If you've tuned out of TNA over the last year, you probably have no idea who this guy is and is wondering why Eva Marie isn't here. Well, brace yourselves, cause I think I can say without a shred of doubt that Mahabali Shera is the worst wrestler currently wrestling on TV. He's got the right look, but has no business being in a ring. He can't throw good strikes, he's incredibly sluggish, and the "Shera Shuffle", his signature taunt (or dance, or whatever) is pretty much the dumbest thing I've seen in a while. Watch the guy at Bound for Glory this year. He's dreadful. He's still young (only 25) so he has time to improve, but for now, he isn't the star TNA is trying to push him as.
Most Underrated: Luke Harper
Now that the Wyatt's are back together, and they've added Braun Strowman to the mix, Harper has basically become the third wheel to the two main stars in Wyatt and Strowman (Rowan's old spot). That's a shame, because Harper is a phenomenal talent who deserves to get a huge push. He's an incredibly agile big man who can do things some smaller guys can't do. Harper deserves a lot more, and hopefully he doesn't get too lost in the pack (or family) so he can get some sort of chance in WWE.
Promotion of the Year: Lucha Underground
I don't watch Lucha Underground too often (I don't have the El Rey Network, so I've only seen a few segments and highlight reels), but from what I've seen of it, it is fantastic. The wrestling is great, the characters are great, the atmosphere is great, it's just a great wrestling show. In fact, it's less like "a wrestling show" and more like " a show about wrestling". It takes the best parts of the entertainment part of wrestling and turns it up to 100%. It might be cheating because Lucha Underground is technically a show, and not a promotion, but I'm putting it anyway. They just seem to get how wrestling works.
Best Weekly Television Show: WWE NXT
I didn't put Lucha Underground here for a few reasons, mostly because I watch NXT more than Lucha Underground, and Lucha Underground isn't always on every week (I don't know if that makes it a non-weekly show, but I digress). In a time where RAW has almost become a chore to watch, it's refreshing to see such a good show like NXT from the same company. It's almost baffling how NXT and RAW are from the same company. The wrestling is great, the storylines are great, and they (unlike the main roster) have made women's wrestling a big deal. Forget your teams and Bella Twins, NXT had a real Divas Revolution. It's the best hour of wrestling right now.
Most Outstanding Fighter: N/A
Match of the Year: Bayley vs Sasha Banks-NXT Takeover: Brooklyn
Bayley vs Sasha Banks was perfect. Everything about it was perfect. The story leading up to this had been such a long build, seeing Bayley come so close to winning the Women's Championship so many times, only to have it taken away from her at the last second. Seeing Bayley finally beat all the people she could never beat and had screwed her over through the last two years (Emma, Charlotte, Becky Lynch) before getting her title match. Sasha's entrance was fantastic, and was a fantastic extension of her character.
There are two moments in this match that are incredibly noteworthy. The first is when Sasha has Bayley in the Banks Statement, and Bayley is reaching for the ropes with her recently healed hand that Sasha had been working the whole match. When Sasha sees this, she just stomps the living hell out of Bayley's hand. If Sasha hadn't made a child cry at the next Takeover special, that would have been the best heel moment of 2015, easily. The second is, obviously, the reverse Frankensteiner from the top rope by Bayley to Sasha. The fact that Sasha landed her head was nasty, and very scary, but only added to match's intensity. That moment where Bayley gets the pin and finally wins the title, seeing the Four Horsewomen all standing in the ring, celebrating the incredible match, was such an emotional moment that it will hopefully be remembered forever. All that combined makes this the match of the year, no doubt.
Fight of the Year: N/A
Rookie of the Year: Chad Gable
Chad Gable is the next Kurt Angle, and no, it's not just because they both have amateur wrestling experience. Both of them seemed to pick up on wrestling very quickly and seemed like naturals by the time they got on TV. I remember seeing him have a one off match against Tyler Breeze on an episode of NXT (before the team with Jordan), and he was pretty impressive. Seeing him now, and how spectacular some of the stuff he does is (specifically the roll-through German suplex to Corbin at Respect), along with how over he got and how quick he got over, he was easily the best rookie of 2015.
Best Non-Wrestler: William Regal
This might be because of so many tiring attempts at the gimmick, but I'm sick of heel authority figures. That said, thank God for William Regal. He doesn't constantly get involved in every segment like the Authority, and more or less actually acts like a real general manager. How often do Triple H or Stephanie bring in legends like Jushin Liger or new talent like Johnny Gargano and Tommaso Ciampa to wrestle on RAW and SmackDown? Never. Regal does his kayfabe job like he's supposed to. He's much more enjoyable than any other authority figure in wrestling
Best Television Announcer: Corey Graves
In all honesty, I couldn't pick one. All the commentators I hear pretty often range from horrible (TNA and RAW) to good, but nothing special (NXT). If I had to pick someone, I'd say Corey Graves, but it is a really soft choice. He usually stays on topic and gives good commentary.
Worst Television Announcer: D'Angelo Dinero
You think RAW is bad? You've never heard The Pope do commentary. While the RAW team has a very bad habit of rambling about things instead of paying attention to the match, it's almost like the Pope zero idea how to commentate on a match. This guy somehow manages to talk about the match, but he still manages to sound like he's talking about something else. His performance at Slammiversary was abysmal, where he messed up so many names it's unforgivable. At one point, he says someone reminded him of Elijah Burke. That's his old ring name...from WWE. How do mess up that bad?
Best Major Show: NXT Takeover: Brooklyn
If there was a better top-to-bottom wrestling show, I still haven't seen it. Every match on this show felt like it mattered. Breeze vs Liger was awesome, and it was great to finally see the legend in a WWE ring. The Vaudevillians vs Blake & Murphy was a great tag match, and was probably one of best tag matches in NXT history. Apollo Crews had a great debut, and the Samoa Joe and Baron Corbin match was surprisingly great. I've already written about how amazing Bayley vs Sasha Banks was, so I won't go on about that again. Balor vs Owens was still a great ladder match, but if I have one complaint, it's that Balor-Owens couldn't follow the women's match. It's a little complaint, but it's still there. Aside from that, nearly a perfect show.
Worst Major Wrestling Show: Survivor Series
When your show is called "Survivor Series", wouldn't it make a little sense to put a Survivor Series match on the card. Yes, it would. There were two Survivor Series matches, but neither was announced, and one was even on the pre-show! A match the pay-per-view is named after isn't even on the main card. That would be like having a Hell in a Cell match on the pre-show of Hell in a Cell. And the matches weren't even exciting, both were basically one team crushing the other.
Aside from those matches, nothing else happened. The two WWE World Heavyweight Championship tournament were good, but everything else felt meaningless. Charlotte and Paige have zero in ring chemistry, and watching them go almost 15 minutes was painful (specifically the horrible spear off the barricade by Charlotte), and the extended squash of the Wyatt's by The Brothers of Destruction (B.O.D?) actually made me a little angry. Reigns vs Ambrose was getting good, but ended way to quickly. I actually didn't mind Sheamus cashing in and winning the title, but he was booked so horrendously, it's terrible in hindsight. The whole show was just a mess.
Best Wrestling Maneuver: Neville-Red Arrow
It's such a shame that Neville is so low on the card now, because his finisher is fantastic and a huge crowd pleaser. The precision that you would have to have to hit that move is very high, and he hits it perfectly. There a lot of cool moves that look awesome, but they get messed up way to often. Cena's Springboard Stunner looks cool, and is a good movie in theory, but the fact that he can barely connect with it sometimes kills the move. That doesn't happen with the Red Arrow, and that makes it the best wrestling move
Most Disgusting Promotional Tactic: Anything involving the "Divas Revolution" (Reid Flair included)
There's been so much said about why the Divas Revolution has failed since it began in July. After the excitement of seeing 3/4 of the Four Horsewomen show up on RAW, it led to basically nothing. All we got was extended versions of the old divas matches. Instead of bad 3 minute matches, we get average 10 minute matches. Sasha Banks has been criminally underused, and Becky was being used basically as "Charlotte's friend" until lately. The false promise of change in the Divas division and getting fans hopes up was an insult to the people who watch the show.
And then there was the Reid Flair name drop. In a blatant attempt to both make the boring Charlotte-Paige feud more dramatic, and to get sympathy for the bland Charlotte, Charlotte brought up her brother Reid, who died of a drug overdose in 2013. Paige then claimed that Reid "didn't have any fight in him", and the two thought. Bringing someones dead brother into story line just to get someone or a rivalry over is insulting to that person's memory & legacy.
Worst Television Show: Impact Wrestling
I was stuck between RAW and Impact for this pick. While RAW got really bad in 2015 (specifically towards the end of 2015), but Impact was so bad in 2015 it got cancelled TWICE, and had to switch channels twice. Along with that, the show itself was borderline unwatchable. They had some good ideas (the EC3-Spud feud, The Beat Down Clan), but the show has been so hard to watch. The ego of Josh Matthews, the aforementioned horrible Pope commentary, the nonsensical idea of having Matt Hardy win the TNA World Heavyweight Championship just to vacate it the next day. At this point, I really wish TNA would just go away, but until then, it's still the worst.
Worst Worked Match of the Year: Los Villanos vs Los Psycho Circus-Triplemanía XXIII
I initially had the Royal Rumble match from this year as my choice, but then I saw this. What in God's name is this? This match was so bad it's hard to even talk about. The flow of the match is so slow, the brawling is terrible, and no one is in good shape. There are some spots in this match are so contrived that they basically just expose wrestling as scripted. There's one part where one of the clowns (not a insult, they're actual clowns) in Psycho Circus (I didn't bother to find out which ones are which) hits a diving headbutt on Villano III, who is retiring after this match. However, the clown refuses to pin him because it's Villano III's retirement match. OK...then why did you just spend 8 minutes beating him up? Why would you even agree to fight a guy you refuse to pin?
Along with the bad match, there are just audio issues and technical difficulties throughout the match. There's a loud buzzing sound throughout, you can't even hear commentator Hugo Savinovich for most of it, and Matt Striker is constantly talking about the technical difficulties. There's one part of the match where he says the audio issues make the show more special. I normally like Matt Striker on commentary, but what the hell was he smoking that night? Audio issues don't make the show better, it makes your show look cheap and dingy. You'd expect this from a little independent promotion, not one of the biggest promotions in North America.
Overall, this match sucked. It might not be minus 5 stars like Dave Meltzer said, but it's still a horrendous match, and easily the worst match of the year.
Worst Feud of the Year: Roman Reigns vs Sheamus
This feud was brief, but man it was painful. I don't think I've ever seen a more one-sided feud. I think Sheamus got the upper hand on Reigns. The booking of this feud was completely backwards. The guy who's trying to win the title shouldn't get one up on the champion every single time. It only made Reigns look like a total loser because he beat Sheamus like 4 or 5 times , but couldn't beat him when it mattered. And Sheamus looked terrible throughout because he was consistently getting embarrassed by Reigns. The feud helped no one
Worst Promotion of the Year: TNA
Just read what I wrote for Worst Television Show. The only things I could add are not paying talent on time, and having to cancel tours because no one is going to their shows.
Best Booker: N/A
Promoter of the Year: N/A
Best Gimmick: Tyler Breeze (Male model)
Despite his bad booking on the main roster, Tyler Breeze on NXT was fantastic. His completely metrosexual male model gimmick was done to perfection. Some of his entrances were just completely over-the-top and wonderful. It's sad that the guy seems to be on the dark path of lower card obscurity, because if booked right, he could be a star of the mid card.
Worst Gimmick: Adam Rose (Party Pooper)
Adam Rose...just leave. I'm sorry, but he has no chance in this company. It doesn't matter what gimmick he gets, he won't get pushed. After his "party animal" gimmick feel flat on the main roster, he became the "party pooper" (...), and he is determined to "poop" on everyone's party. This gimmick is basically the wrestling equivalent of a Jaden Smith's Twitter account...cringe-worthy. I know this gimmick died a quick death, but that doesn't excuse the fact that it existed. And it doesn't excuse the fact that the huge creative team WWE has thought of this gimmick, and everyone was like "yeah, this is a good idea". Come on.
Best Wrestling Book: N/A
Best Pro Wrestling DVD: N/A
Well, those are my choices. Have a good day!
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