Preface: Participation was at an all-time high this year. As a result,
it took me longer than usual to put things together. At least one third
of the participants did not follow the simple instructions that were
included with the ballots, so it was frustrating preparing the ballots
for automated tallying. Why, for example, do people have to test my
intelligence by voting for wrestlers by their real names? Argh.
Anyhow, I think the final product is pretty good and at least an
interesting read.
The "Non-North American" awards had more votes than usual, which
was pleasant to see. When I posted the call for suggestions to
change the awards a few months back, I was a little nervous when
people suggested to leave them as they are, but I think the
participation levels pretty much justify every award.
This document, as well as the awards posts from previous years, is
on my web page at http://barrow.uwaterloo.ca/~hekunze for those
that would rather read it there.
I suspect this will be my last year of running the awards for the
newsgroup. It's partly a time commitment thing and partly a lack
of interest (pleasure?) thing. This year, my offer to pass the
awards on to any interested party didn't stir up any volunteers.
So, start thinking now. Will you be around next year? Are you
interested in taking over the job? Hopefully, a vocal critic
of awards-gone-by will take the reigns and put some money where
his mouth is. While I'm talking about complainers, if somebody
else wants to pare down this posting to generate a "winners only"
article, fine, but, otherwise, you'll just have to read the
article as is, or pop over to my web page and click through
the award winners only.
Herb...
1995 R.s.p-w Pro-Wrestling Year-End Achievement Awards
------------------------------------------------------
The results of the sixth annual r.s.p-w year-end achievement awards follow.
For each award, the description, award history, participation statistics,
detailed results, and submitted comments are presented. General comments
and the "PWI-style" home-made awards appear at the end.
Best Wrestler
-------------
Award Description:
To be given to the athlete who was the best overall wrestler of the
year. This includes all facets of wrestling: workrate, technical
ability, interviews, charisma, value to his/her promotion, etc.
In 1994, this award was split into three: North American,
Non-North American, and overall.
Previous Winners:
1994: Bret Hart
1993: Big Van Vader
1992: Ric Flair
1991: Ric Flair
1990: Curt Hennig
This Year's Winner: Shawn Michaels
Participation Statistics:
Total 1st Place Voters = 76 (= 380 points)
Total 2nd Place Voters = 70 (= 210 points)
Total 3rd Place Voters = 68 (= 136 points)
Detailed Results:
1st 2nd 3rd Score
28 14 6 194 Shawn Michaels
7 11 6 80 Chris Benoit
6 12 4 74 Bret Hart
6 5 9 63 Sabu
5 6 8 59 Eddy Guerrero
2 6 5 38 Dean Malenko
4 1 3 29 Ric Flair
3 1 0 18 Diesel
2 1 1 15 Mitsuhara Misawa
1 2 0 11 Manami Toyota
1 0 3 11 Razor Ramon
1 1 1 10 Rey Misterio Jr.
0 1 3 9 Hakushi
1 1 0 8 Toshiaki Kawada
0 2 1 8 Sting
0 0 4 8 Big Van Vader
0 1 2 7 Owen Hart
0 1 2 7 Jushin Liger
0 1 2 7 Jeff Jarrett
1 0 0 5 Tatanka
1 0 0 5 Raven
1 0 0 5 Randy Savage
1 0 0 5 Ken Shamrock
1 0 0 5 Hulk Hogan
1 0 0 5 Goldust
1 0 0 5 Al Snow
1 0 0 5 Akira Hokuto
1 0 0 5 1-2-3 Kid
0 0 2 4 Dean Douglas (Shane Douglas)
0 1 0 3 Shinya Hashimoto
0 1 0 3 Mikey Whippreck
0 1 0 3 Jerry Lawler
0 0 1 2 Kyoko Inoue
0 0 1 2 Keiji Muto
0 0 1 2 El Hijo del Santo
0 0 1 2 British Bulldog
0 0 1 2 Brian Pillman
0 0 1 2 Arn Anderson
JIM BAINES: I know it may be markish to vote for Nash, but face it, the guy
has improved tremendously, and has earned the respect of many.
STEVE BLACK: For wrestler of the year, again, you can't possibly go wrong
with Benoit. It's a tough choice for 2nd, but I'm going to do with Kawada
over Guerrero, simply becuase he had the tougher job of trying to keep the
same feuds fresh.
PETE CHU: Shawn Micheals is the only wrestler I can think of that can put
on a show in WrestleMania XI, not only did he put his best effort into it,
he was also working with a non-worker like Diesel. The rest of the year
he just gives better performance each time.
RODNEY GRAVES: Pound for pound, Chris Benoit is the best all-around wrestler
in the world. In the 1995, Mitsuhara Misawa was one half of the All-Japan
Tag Team champions until he and Kenta Kobashi lost the titles to Toshiaki
Kawada and Akira Taue. In addition, he is the current Triple Crown champion.
IMO, the holder of the Triple Crown is the true and only World Champion.
Without a doubt, the second best all-around wrestler in Japan. I wish he
would come back to the U.S. because he is sorely missed.
HERB KUNZE: How do I shuffle my North American and Non North American
votes? Akira Hokuto and Shawn Michaels both gave memorable performances
every time I saw them. Shawn has the popularity and charisma that keeps
him hot, but Akira adds proven drawing ability to that (thanks to the
Egg Dome show). So, it's Akira, Shawn, and Kyoko.
ROB NEWLAND: Shawn Michaels best emphasizes the total package in
wrestling and although there are other wrestlers with comparable
workrate and talent all the other wrestlers fell short in some aspect
or another such as interviews or generating heat. If Ric Flair even
places in the top ten this year I will be exceedingly unhappy because
of the inability of people to put the past behind them. Flair has done
nothing this year to deserve the wrestler of the year award and I'd be
amazed if people still vote for Flair because of his accomplishments
years ago instead of his wrestling in 1995.
JASON ROBAR: There is no wrestler in the world who can compare to the all
round package that Shawn Michaels presents. Sure, Chris Benoit might be the
better technical wrestler, and Eddy Guerrero might be the better flier,
but when it comes to mic work, charisma and general ability to excite a
crowd in various ways, nobody can top Shawn. That, plus the fact that
Shawn isn't too far behind Benoit and Guerrero in the other categories,
puts Shawn at the top of the world. Benoit follows and Guerrero is
third.
Best Wrestler (North American)
------------------------------
Previous Winners:
1994: Sabu
This Year's Winner: Shawn Michaels
Participation Statistics:
Total 1st Place Voters = 83 (= 415 points)
Total 2nd Place Voters = 81 (= 243 points)
Total 3rd Place Voters = 77 (= 154 points)
Detailed Results:
1st 2nd 3rd Score
42 13 6 261 Shawn Michaels
7 15 9 98 Bret Hart
5 14 8 83 Eddy Guerrero
6 2 7 50 Sabu
4 6 5 48 Chris Benoit
3 8 3 45 Dean Malenko
3 2 4 29 Ric Flair
3 2 2 25 Diesel
0 2 8 22 Hakushi
1 1 4 16 Razor Ramon
0 4 2 16 Owen Hart
0 2 5 16 Big Van Vader
0 3 2 13 Jeff Jarrett
1 1 2 12 Rey Misterio Jr.
1 1 1 10 1-2-3 Kid
0 2 1 8 Sting
0 0 4 8 Dean Douglas (Shane Douglas)
1 0 0 5 Tatanka
1 0 0 5 Raven
1 0 0 5 Randy Savage
1 0 0 5 Ken Shamrock
1 0 0 5 Hulk Hogan
1 0 0 5 Goldust
1 0 0 5 Al Snow
0 1 0 3 Mikey Whippreck
0 1 0 3 Jerry Lawler
0 1 0 3 El Hijo del Santo
0 0 1 2 Chris Candido
0 0 1 2 British Bulldog
0 0 1 2 Brian Pillman
0 0 1 2 Arn Anderson
STEVE BLACK: Well, we might as well start off with the most important
awards. :> For North American Wrestler of the Year...hell, for ANY of those
awards... how can one turn away from Chris Benoit? His year has been
absolutely stellar, in terms of workrate, push, impact on the wrestling
business...it's been astounding. Similar accolades can be heaped on both
Guerrero and Sabu.
HERB KUNZE: Shawn Michaels was the clear choice here. The problem is
that there are no clear choices after that. I went with Eddy Guerrero
second and Chris Benoit third mainly because when they both jumped to
WCW, Eddy managed to get over on his work while both wrestlers were
being positioned in the WCW mix.
TOM O'CONNOR: Shawn has clearly, IMHO, has reached the top of the charts
DEAN RASMUSSEN: Eddy Guerrero is so good that I forced nonwrestling-fan
friends of mine to watch his first matches at WCW and they were suitably
amazed.
SCOTT ROGERS: 1. Shawn Michaels - Great moves, excellent charisma, and his
interviews (espically the one with Jim Ross after the gang beating incident)
put him on top of his game. 2. Eddy Guerrero - Eddy is truly a great talent
waiting to unfold. 3. Big Van Vader - I've been disappointed with Vader
this year, but I don't blame him personally. When you live under the
shadow of the Huckster you're not going to excel.
JEREMY SORIA: I really can't decide which wrestler is the best, simply
because there are so many that I like. You'll notice I didn't put down
Bret Hart. I just haven't seen anything dazzling from him this year.
Best Wrestler (Non-North American)
----------------------------------
Previous Winners:
1994: Chris Benoit
This Year's Winner: Chris Benoit
Participation Statistics:
Total 1st Place Voters = 44 (= 220 points)
Total 2nd Place Voters = 43 (= 129 points)
Total 3rd Place Voters = 38 (= 76 points)
Detailed Results:
1st 2nd 3rd Score
17 5 4 108 Chris Benoit
10 4 7 76 Sabu
3 8 3 45 Jushin Liger
4 1 2 27 Mitsuhara Misawa
1 5 3 26 Dean Malenko
2 3 1 21 Toshiaki Kawada
2 1 4 21 Manami Toyota
1 3 2 18 Keiji Muto
0 4 3 18 Great Muta
1 3 1 16 Kenta Kobashi
1 0 2 9 Akira Hokuto
1 0 0 5 Shinya Hashimoto
1 0 0 5 Eddy Guerrero
0 0 2 4 Koji Kanemoto
0 1 0 3 Kyoko Inoue
0 1 0 3 Kensuke Sesaki
0 1 0 3 Hayabusa
0 1 0 3 Bull Nakano
0 1 0 3 Antonio Inoki
0 1 0 3 Aja Kong
0 0 1 2 Hawk
0 0 1 2 Hakushi (valid?)
0 0 1 2 Great Sasuke
0 0 1 2 Akira Taue
STEVE BLACK: Toshiaki Kawada has made a believer out of me. One day,
he's going to win Wrestler of the Year on this group. The more anyone
watches him, the more they have to realize that there are so few
heavyweights that can touch him in terms of workrate, charisma, and
pretty much anything else. Keiji Muto has come back from a sub-par 1994
(IMHO) to have a stellar 1995. And Koji Kanemoto has proven himself
worthy beyond any shadow of a doubt of his jr. heavyweight push.
OTTO HEUER: I'm not exactly sure why Muta and Muto are listed separately.
I guess Dustin and Goldust would be, though... I'm just surprised I was
able to find three wrestlers that beat him out for this award. This is
the first year I have NOT had a Muta vote here. :-/
HERB KUNZE: I really enjoyed Kenta Kobashi's continued rise in All Japan,
and I like Mitsuhara Misawa, Toshiaki Kawada, and other All Japan guys.
The New Japan juniors were great too. But, when push comes to shove
there are no better wrestlers than the All Japan Women main eventers.
Akira Hokuto's popularity was essentially responsible for drawing an
enormous Tokyo Dome crowd to see an historical show on 94/11/20; she's
unbelievable in every match. Maybe she didn't work as many shots as
the men listed earlier, but every match with her is memorable for me,
so she gets first. She's followed by Kyoko Inoue and Manami Toyota.
Best Tag Team
-------------
Award Description:
To be given to the tag team who were the best overall team of the year
This includes all facets of wrestling: workrate, technical ability,
interviews, charisma, hot team moves, value to their promotion,
etc. In 1994, this award was split into three: North American,
Non-North American, and overall.
Previous Winners:
1994: The Steiners: Rick & Scott
1993: The Hollywood Blonds: Brian Pillman & Steve Austin
1992: Terry Gordy & Steve Williams
1991: The Steiners: Rick & Scott
1990: The Steiners: Rick & Scott
This Year's Winner: Public Enemy: Rocco Rock & Johnny Grunge
Participation Statistics:
Total 1st Place Voters = 74 (= 370 points)
Total 2nd Place Voters = 69 (= 207 points)
Total 3rd Place Voters = 66 (= 132 points)
Detailed Results:
1st 2nd 3rd Score
24 7 4 149 Public Enemy: Rocco Rock & Johnny Grunge
16 9 11 129 Harlem Heat: Booker T & Stevie Ray
6 9 5 67 Chris Benoit & Dean Malenko
4 5 6 47 Smoking Gunns: Billy Gunn & Bart Gunn
6 2 1 38 Mitsuhara Misawa & Kenta Kobashi
5 2 1 33 Owen Hart & Yokozuna
3 3 3 30 Diesel & Shawn Michaels
2 3 5 29 Steiner Brothers: Rick & Scott Steiner
0 6 5 28 PG-13: Wolfie D & J.C. Ice
2 3 3 25 Raven & Steve Richards
3 3 0 24 Heavenly Bodies: Tom Prichard & Jimmy Del Rey
1 4 2 21 Blue Bloods : Lord Steven Regal & Earl Robert Eaton
0 2 2 10 Toshiaki Kawada & Akira Taue
0 1 3 9 Pitbulls
0 2 1 8 Sabu & Tazmaniac
0 2 1 8 Gangstas : Mustafa Saeid & New Jack
0 2 0 6 Bunkhouse Buck & Dick Slater
0 0 3 6 Nasty Boys: Jerry Saggs & Brian Knobbs
1 0 0 5 Thugs: Tracy Smothers & Dirty White Boy
1 0 0 5 Stars & Stripes: Marcus Bagwell & Patriot
0 1 1 5 Akira Hokuto & Mima Shimoda
0 1 0 3 Hakushi & Barry Horowitz
0 1 0 3 Etsuko Mita & Mima Shimoda
0 1 0 3 Arn Anderson & Ric Flair
0 0 1 2 Sting & Lex Luger
0 0 1 2 Quinn Nash & Atom Flash
0 0 1 2 Manami Toyota & Toshiyo Yamada
0 0 1 2 Longtree Brothers
0 0 1 2 Hiroyoshi Tenzan & Masa Chono
0 0 1 2 El Hijo del Santo & Octagon
0 0 1 2 Dean Malenko & 2 Cold Scorpio
0 0 1 2 Allied Powers: Lex Luger & British Bulldog
0 0 1 2 1-2-3 Kid & Bob Holly
JIM BAINES: Upon looking at the nominees, I am of the opinion that the tag-
team scene has seen much better days (and THAT'S a euphamism!).
STEVE BLACK: As I said, Misawa and Kobashi set the standard, and not even
PG-13 and Public Enemy, as good as they are, can compete with that.
RODNEY GRAVES: IMHO, the Public Enemy are the best tag team in the world.
They have done more for ECW than any other wrestlers. It is time for them
to make a jump to one of the big two so they can get the respect that they
deserve.
HERB KUNZE: There's no comparison between the Japanese teams and the
North American teams. I'd hear a case for Benoit & Malenko beating
out one of my top three Japanese teams, but for my vote, the Japanese
guys keep it: Kobashi & Misawa, Mita & Shimoda, Hokuto & Shimoda.
JASON ROBAR: Harlem Heat started off the voting year as being set up as
future champs, and were just getting adjusted to their new identities as
Booker T and Stevie Ray along with their new manager Sister Sherri. As
the year went along, the WCW tag titles bounced on and off of them, but
they were consistently on the top of the tag scene, as well as their
continual improvement. They combine your typical power that you would
expect from men their size with legitimate working ability. Thus they're
number one. PG-13 had two strikes against them: their size, and the
style they were trying. They succeeded in getting over besides these
negatives against them. The Gunns have improved to the point that they
can be on the top of a tag team scene. (Heat first, PG-13 second,
Gunns third)
RICK SCAIA: Having the Public Enemy and Benoit/Malenko as one and two
in the category could be viewed as a knock on the tag team weakness in
the "Big Two." But in this case, all it really is is the simple
fact that these two teams who spent most of the year in ECW are
THAT GOOD. The Smoking Gunns are easily the best of the WWF/WCW
scene this year.
JEREMY SORIA: Unlike the "Best Wrestler" category, the "best tag team"
category is a bit easier, since there are so few of them. All of them,
it seems, are in ECW.
Best Tag Team (North American)
------------------------------
Previous Winners:
1994: Eddy Guerrero & Love Machine
This Year's Winner: Public Enemy: Rocco Rock & Johnny Grunge
Participation Statistics:
Total 1st Place Voters = 80 (= 400 points)
Total 2nd Place Voters = 77 (= 231 points)
Total 3rd Place Voters = 69 (= 138 points)
Detailed Results:
1st 2nd 3rd Score
26 8 5 164 Public Enemy: Rocco Rock & Johnny Grunge
18 10 13 146 Harlem Heat: Booker T & Stevie Ray
10 11 4 91 Chris Benoit & Dean Malenko
6 8 11 76 Smoking Gunns: Billy Gunn & Bart Gunn
6 3 1 41 Owen Hart & Yokozuna
5 4 2 41 Heavenly Bodies: Tom Prichard & Jimmy Del Rey
2 5 4 33 PG-13: Wolfie D & J.C. Ice
1 5 4 28 Diesel & Shawn Michaels
2 3 4 27 Raven & Steve Richards
1 3 2 18 Steiner Brothers: Rick & Scott Steiner
0 3 4 17 Blue Bloods: Lord Steven Regal & Earl Robert Eaton
0 3 3 15 Gangstas: Mustafa Saeid & New Jack
0 3 2 13 Sabu & Tazmaniac
0 1 3 9 Pitbulls
0 2 1 8 Nasty Boys: Jerry Saggs & Brian Knobbs
1 0 1 7 Thugs: Tracy Smothers & Dirty White Boy
1 0 0 5 Stars & Stripes: Marcus Alexander Bagwell & The Patriot
1 0 0 5 Dick Slater & Bunkhouse Buck
0 1 0 3 Men On a Mission: King Mabel & Sir Mo
0 1 0 3 Hakushi & Barry Horowitz
0 1 0 3 El Hijo del Santo & Octagon
0 1 0 3 Bunkhouse Buck & Dick Slater
0 1 0 3 Arn Anderson & Ric Flair
0 0 1 2 Sting & Lex Luger
0 0 1 2 Quinn Nash & Atom Flash
0 0 1 2 Dean Malenko & 2 Cold Scorpio
0 0 1 2 Allied Powers: Lex Luger & British Bulldog
0 0 1 2 1-2-3 Kid & Bob Holly
STEVE BLACK: I never thought I'd say this, but I can't pick Public Enemy
as tag team of the year - not with the year PG-13 has had. Not only do
they do Public Enemy's gimmick as well as PE themselves, they've gotten
a PE style over in an area that historically it hasn't worked. THAT is a
tag team of the year. Public Enemy's impact, though, cannot be denied.
That's why they're second. Third is the Gangstas, because of both their
wrestling and the fact that they've brought a lot of the stuff that
normally stays behind the scenes to the forefront of the wrestling business.
ROB EVANS: Heavenly Bodies are awesome in SMW, completely misused by
WWF. I picked Smoking Gunns only because without them, WWF wouldn't
have a tag team division!
OTTO HEUER: It was hard not to have Sabu in the top three, but Taz (having
only the one move) really held the team back. And with "interview"
being part of the voting criteria, that didn't help 'em much either.
HERB KUNZE: There aren't very many great teams to choose from. Based
on what I saw from this year, Benoit & Malenko were the spark that
could have kept my attention in ECW and they were great in WCW before
Benoit was put in the Horsemen. Public Enemy didn't win me over despite
the praise they generally get in the newsgroup; Johnny Grunge is nothing
special at all. Second, then, goes to the Smoking Gunns who are pretty
well rounded workers (as long as they don't try to throw punches ;-))
although they have limited colour. Somehow, Harlem Heat managed to
deliver a few memorable matches this past year, so I'll give them
third, mainly because I really like Booker T.
DEAN RASMUSSEN: In Richmond, the only SMW we get is handheld stuff shown on
public access, but it was enough to convince me that the heavenly bodies
are a beautiful tag team.
GLEN PATRICK RYAN: It's sad when the Smoking Gunns are the 2d-best team.
Best Tag Team (Non-North American)
----------------------------------
Previous Winners:
1994: Steiner Brothers
This Year's Winner: Mitsuhara Misawa & Kenta Kobashi
Participation Statistics:
Total 1st Place Voters = 21 (= 105 points)
Total 2nd Place Voters = 15 (= 45 points)
Total 3rd Place Voters = 12 (= 24 points)
Detailed Results:
1st 2nd 3rd Score
10 2 1 58 Mitsuhara Misawa & Kenta Kobashi
5 2 2 35 Steiner Brothers: Rick & Scott Steiner
3 1 3 24 Toshiaki Kawada & Akira Taue
1 3 0 14 Masa Chono & Hiroyoshi Tenzan
1 1 0 8 Longstreet Brothers
1 0 1 7 Headhunters
0 1 2 7 Akira Hokuto & Mima Shimoda
0 1 0 3 Steve Williams and Stan Hansen
0 1 0 3 Manami Toyota & Toshiyo Yamada
0 1 0 3 Keiji Muto & Hiro Hase
0 1 0 3 Hawk & Kensuki Sasaki
0 1 0 3 Etsuko Mita & Mima Shimoda
0 0 1 2 Shinya Hashimoto & Junji Hirata
0 0 1 2 Masa Chono & Sabu
0 0 1 2 Doug Furnas & Dan Kroffat
STEVE BLACK: A *very* quiet year for tag teams overseas. In this quiet year,
Misawa and Kobashi are the clear choice. Worldwide, these two set the
standard for what professional wrestling ought to be. Second is Chono and
Tenzan, who had a remarkable year coming off of a phenomenal heel turn by
Chono. Third is Kawada and Taue, which in a lot of ways is appropriate
because it's hard to separate these two from any talk about Misawa and
Kobashi.
OTTO HEUER: I take it there aren't many tag teams outside North America? :-)
(there were only two teams on the ballot)
HERB KUNZE: Mitsuhara Misawa & Kenta Kobashi were the best of the men in
Japan and I'll go with them first. Etsuko Mita & Mima Shimoda and
Akira Hokuto & Mima Shimoda, both from All Japan Women, get second and
third.
Best Heel
---------
Award Description:
To be given to the person who was the best villain this past year.
This person should bring out the fans' wrath. Match quality is
not paramount here; this award should be based primarily on how
over the wrestler was in the past year.
Previous Winners:
1994: Bob Backlund
1993: Big Van Vader
1992: Jake Roberts
1991: Cactus Jack
1990: Ted DiBiase
This Year's Winner: Big Van Vader
Participation Statistics:
Total 1st Place Voters = 84 (= 420 points)
Total 2nd Place Voters = 82 (= 246 points)
Total 3rd Place Voters = 79 (= 158 points)
Detailed Results:
1st 2nd 3rd Score
12 8 13 110 Big Van Vader
13 10 7 109 Ric Flair
6 8 3 60 Shawn Micheals
8 3 2 53 Bill Alfonso
5 6 3 49 Sid
4 3 7 43 Jeff Jarrett
2 9 2 41 Steve Richards
5 1 6 40 Shane Douglas (ECW)
4 4 4 40 Jerry Lawler
3 4 2 31 Raven
4 3 0 29 Sandman
4 1 2 27 Waylon Mercy
0 7 1 23 British Bulldog Davey Boy Smith
3 1 1 20 Masa Chono
2 1 3 19 Dean Douglas
2 0 3 16 Terry Funk
1 2 2 15 Arn Anderson
0 3 1 11 Gangstas
1 1 0 8 Owen Hart
1 1 0 8 Goldust
1 0 1 7 Sabu
1 0 1 7 Giant
0 1 2 7 Al Snow
0 0 3 6 King Mabel
1 0 0 5 Cactus Jack
1 0 0 5 1-2-3 Kid
0 1 1 5 Skip (of the Bodydonnas)
0 0 2 4 Kevin Sullivan
0 0 2 4 Bob Backlund
0 1 0 3 Zodiac
0 1 0 3 Yokozuna
0 1 0 3 Mascara Ano 2000
0 1 0 3 Col. DeBeers
0 0 1 2 Psicosis
0 0 1 2 Hunter Hearst Helmsley
0 0 1 2 Disco Inferno
0 0 1 2 Diamond Dallas Page
0 0 1 2 Brian Pillman
JIM BAINES: It's a damn shame that Mercy didn't work out. His gimmick was
the freshest heel gimmick going.
STEVE BLACK: I have never heard of anyone who has gotten quite the reaction
that Alfonso's gotten...and the whole thing is it's about enforcing the
rules! For just doing his job, according to the angle, he's getting
absolutely pummelled. I never thought a heel ref concept would work in ECW,
to be honest. Wrong? Oh, a tad. :> For second place, you can't quite beat
the racially motivated hatred that the Gangstas had in SMW. They were about
the ultimate heels there. And then there's Steve Richards. Boy, does he
know how to rile a crowd.
RAY DUFFY: You want to know what hated is? Watch the crowd react when
Richards or Alfonso get in the ring... an hour before the show even starts!
RODNEY GRAVES: I hope that WCW will give the Nature Boy one last run as
the World Champion. He has done so much for the fed and pro-wrestling
as a whole.
OTTO HEUER: I don't think *anyone* was as despised as Bill Alfonso.
You'd be sitting there saying "how are they going to resolve THIS?" the
Bill Alfonso would come plodding out and you'd groan and start yelling
obscenities. :-) I think he's one of the few wrestling personalities
I didn't like FOR THE REASON I wasn't supposed to like them. I don't
like Hogan, but he's supposed to be a face. I don't like Heenen, but
only because his shtick is old and he refuses to call any matches.
HERB KUNZE: I've babbled many times about the lousy state of North
American wrestling when it comes to believable heels. Thinking up
three guys to take this award convinced me of the problem yet again.
Vader has to take first. Even though he gets cheered, I'm going with
Flair second because being a heel always lights a fire in him that
makes him better than when he's playing face. Third goes to Masa
Chono.
ROB NEWLAND: I really had a hard time decided between Shane Douglas and
Steve Richards but I finally gave Shane the top spot because although
Steve can generate massive heel heat it seems that the audience is
laughing *with* Steve when they chant derogatory comments at him and
instead of actually hating Richards most people really enjoy his gimmick
but on the other hand most people just hate Douglas and want to see
him beaten.
TOM O'CONNOR: Slick Ric is still the heel of heels, but man, the ECW
guys really, really had some bad guys
DEAN RASMUSSEN: This year, I actually had nightmares about Vader. I don't
want to know what he subconsciously represents to me.
JASON ROBAR: Jerry Lawler in the WWF shows us how to be a heel, and stay
over as a heel completely. He has a quick wit, he has the ability to act
as the heel, and more importantly, he has the ability to draw heat by his
actions that are totally heelish. The fans want to come to see him get
his ass kicked. That's the definition of heel to me. Dean Douglas drew
heat well, whether it be by his teacher gimmick, or by his interview in
general, insulting both fans and other wrestlers. And Ric Flair's turn
on Sting just went to show that he can be the man when he wants to be.
SCOTT ROGERS: 1. Waylon Mercy - Say what you will about the obvious Cape
Fear influences and Spivey's poor workrate, as far as the character is
concerned, Spivey and McMahon had a huge winner here. 2. Big Van Vader -
Vader's gimmick has always been timely. To bad that the forces of
Hulk-a-mania (tm) emasculated him into a babyface. 3. Jeff Jarrett - Say
what you will about the obvious Ric Flair influences (figure four leg
lock and strut across ring), but Jarrett could effortlessly bring out
the fans' wrath.
Best Babyface
-------------
Award Description:
To be given to the person who best portrayed the hero this past year.
This person should get lots of fan support. Match quality is not
paramount here; this award should be based primarily on how over
the wrestler was in the past year.
Previous Winners:
1994: Bret Hart
1993: Bret Hart
1992: Sting
1991: Brian Pillman
1990: Hulk Hogan
This Year's Winner: Shawn Micheals
Participation Statistics:
Total 1st Place Voters = 82 (= 410 points)
Total 2nd Place Voters = 79 (= 237 points)
Total 3rd Place Voters = 77 (= 154 points)
Detailed Results:
1st 2nd 3rd Score
32 13 9 217 Shawn Micheals
11 23 14 152 Sting
17 12 8 137 Bret Hart
8 5 8 71 Mikey Whippreck
1 3 9 32 Johnny B. Badd
3 2 3 27 Diesel
1 2 4 19 Razor Ramon
1 2 2 15 Alex Wright
1 2 1 13 Eddy Guerrero
2 0 1 12 Tommy Dreamer
0 1 4 11 Undertaker
0 2 2 10 Sabu
1 1 0 8 Mitsuhara Misawa
1 1 0 8 Cactus Jack
1 0 1 7 1-2-3 Kid
0 2 0 6 Hulk Hogan
1 0 0 5 Randy Savage
1 0 0 5 Atsushi Onita
0 1 1 5 Ric Flair
0 0 2 4 Lex Luger
0 1 0 3 Terry Funk
0 1 0 3 Rey Misterio Jr.
0 1 0 3 Public Enemy Rocco Rock
0 1 0 3 Dave Sullivan
0 1 0 3 Barry Horowitz
0 1 0 3 Bam Bam Bigelow
0 1 0 3 911
0 0 1 2 Tony Norris (Ahmed Johnson)
0 0 1 2 Public Enemy Johnny Grunge
0 0 1 2 Perro Aguayo
0 0 1 2 Keiji Muto
0 0 1 2 Jushin Liger
0 0 1 2 Jim Duggan
0 0 1 2 Hakushi
0 0 1 2 Bob Holly
STEVE BLACK: Mikey Whipwreck may very well be the pinnacle of the evolution
of the babyface. He's the hard-luck story that got his tail kicked repeatedly
for so many months, who learned how to adapt to the ECW style and finally
won the world title. Johnny B. Badd has never stopped trying to work the
crowd and project himself as a huge face in WCW. Now that he has the
fantastic workrate to correspond to it, it should get him over even more.
And I still say that you have not heard a face pop until you hear a live
Undertaker entrance.
PETE CHU: Bret is still the only face who throughout the year without
turning and gets the best pop from the fans. Shawn gets Second, since
he is the most popular man in WWF, but he spends half of the year as a
heel. Sting gets third.
HERB KUNZE: Mitsuhara Misawa gets first. The fan chant of "Ri-ger!"
that echoed in my head after watching tapes years ago has been replaced
by the "Mi-sa-wa!" chant of today. He's great on top and in a promotion
that draws well. Shawn Michaels gets second from me, mainly because he
hasn't proven that he can draw as a face. Next year, these two guys
may well change place. Sting gets third for getting cheered against
Hulk Hogan.
TOM O'CONNOR: Bret has slipped, Shawn is the man to love
JASON ROBAR: As I said before, when Shawn Michaels enters an arena,
everybody stands in anticipation, waiting for what he's going to do next.
And he's the most friendly towards the fans that I've ever seen. Whether
it be jumping into the crowd and taking a seat, posing with the heel manager,
taking psychotic bumps, or performing unbelievable moves, he captivates
an audience like no other. Sting is much the same as Michaels, with a
bit less of the flash. His presence also excites a crowd. Johnny B.
Badd is the more of the execption to the rule in North America, as it's
his moves that got him over, and keep him over.
Best Worker
-----------
Award Description:
To be given to the wrestler with, on average, the best workrate.
In 1994, this award was split into three: North American,
Non-North American, and overall.
Previous Winners:
1994: Sabu
1993: Bret Hart
1992: Jushin Liger
1991: Jushin Liger
1990: Ric Flair / Randy Savage (tie)
This Year's Winner: Shawn Michaels
Participation Statistics:
Total 1st Place Voters = 72 (= 360 points)
Total 2nd Place Voters = 68 (= 204 points)
Total 3rd Place Voters = 65 (= 130 points)
Detailed Results:
1st 2nd 3rd Score
17 10 7 129 Shawn Michaels
12 9 8 103 Chris Benoit
11 8 10 99 Eddy Guerrero
9 10 4 83 Sabu
4 6 9 56 Dean Malenko
5 2 4 39 Bret Hart
1 3 3 20 1-2-3 Kid
2 1 3 19 Hakushi
1 4 0 17 Manami Toyota
3 0 0 15 Mikey Whippreck
1 1 3 14 Public Enemy Rocco Rock
1 2 0 11 Barry Horowitz
0 1 4 11 Sting
0 3 0 9 Razor Ramon
1 1 0 8 Kyoko Inoue
0 2 1 8 Great Sasuke
0 1 2 7 Johnny B. Badd
1 0 0 5 Terry Funk
1 0 0 5 Rey Misterio Jr.
1 0 0 5 Jerry Lawler
1 0 0 5 Akira Hokuto
0 1 1 5 Owen Hart
0 1 0 3 Jushin Liger
0 1 0 3 Cactus Jack
0 1 0 3 Bull Nakano
0 0 1 2 Psicosis
0 0 1 2 Mitsuhara Misawa
0 0 1 2 Jean Pierre Lafitte
0 0 1 2 Diesel
0 0 1 2 Diamond Dallas Page
0 0 1 2 Alex Wright
JIM BAINES: I've only seen Sabu in two matches. That's all it took to
convince me he's the best worker today.
STEVE BLACK: A tough choice here...but Benoit's schedule is just so much
greater...I rank it Benoit, Toyota and Guerrero.
RAY DUFFY: Eddy Guerrero & Dean Malenko. These guys had the incredible feud
of the year. Both deserve equal credit for it.
HERB KUNZE: With apologies to Shawn Michaels, I'm going to go with the
style that I like the most. That means my Japanese votes get repeated
here: Hokuto, Kyoko, and Benoit.
JASON ROBAR: Chris Benoit is the best worker in the world. Period. He can
do everything in the ring. Eddy Guerrero has the potential to be the best,
but needs a bit more time before he assends to that rank. Shawn Michaels
has the versitility to wrestle with both the smaller men, and the big
boys and still have the match be interesting, a rare trait in most
wrestlers nowadays (due in most part to the big man's fault).
JEREMY SORIA: If you had a 4th place ranking, it would be Shawn Michaels.
Shawnie and Owen are two of the hardest working wrestlers in WWF, and
they haven't been given their due.
BRIAN WESTCOTT: Chris Benoit is simply the best worker in the business
today! What a year 1995 has been for Benoit! ECW Tag Team
champion with Dean Malenko. Matches with Al Snow and winning
the Super J tournament in Japan. Now, Benoit is the fourth
Horseman! :) Kudos to Benoit! He deserves it! Take care.
Best Worker (North American)
----------------------------
Previous Winners:
1994: Sabu
This Year's Winner: Shawn Michaels
Participation Statistics:
Total 1st Place Voters = 78 (= 390 points)
Total 2nd Place Voters = 75 (= 225 points)
Total 3rd Place Voters = 73 (= 146 points)
Detailed Results:
1st 2nd 3rd Score
23 13 11 176 Shawn Michaels
12 12 11 118 Eddy Guerrero
10 6 8 84 Chris Benoit
7 8 5 69 Sabu
5 8 7 63 Dean Malenko
7 6 2 57 Bret Hart
3 2 2 25 Hakushi
1 4 4 25 1-2-3 Kid
3 0 1 17 Mikey Whippreck
1 2 3 17 Public Enemy Rocco Rock
1 3 0 14 Barry Horowitz
0 2 3 12 Sting
1 0 2 9 Psicosis
0 3 0 9 Razor Ramon
0 1 3 9 Johnny B. Badd
1 1 0 8 Rey Misterio Jr.
1 1 0 8 Cactus Jack
0 1 2 7 Owen Hart
1 0 0 5 Terry Funk
1 0 0 5 Jerry Lawler
0 1 1 5 Ric Flair
0 1 1 5 Diamond Dallas Page
0 0 2 4 Jean Pierre Lafitte
0 0 1 2 Tommy Dreamer
0 0 1 2 Shane Douglas
0 0 1 2 Diesel
0 0 1 2 Big Van Vader
0 0 1 2 Arn Anderson
STEVE BLACK: Chris Benoit could have just played dead when he went to WCW.
Everybody else sure was. Other than the junior heavyweights, there's very
little workrate to speak of. But he's made a huge impression on the
public from the moment he made his WCW debut against Guerrero, and he has
done so without worrying about whether he can get over with the fans.
Guerrero's managed to do that AND get the fans on his side. Meanwhile,
Rocco Rock does some of the craziest things every single show, and is an
absolutely spectacular worker. To have to rate these three in any order
is like comparing three deluxe prime ribs...no matter what you choose,
you're not going to go wrong.
HERB KUNZE: Shawn Michaels is the best in North America. He's given us
many memorable spots this past year, but he's more than just a spot
machine. He has the ring presence, psychology, selling ability,
and high spot ability that round out the package and put him first.
From what I saw of him in North America, Chris Benoit isn't quite as
rounded at Michaels is in the North American style. His matches
against other guys that can work a "Japanese Juniors" style are
phenomenal, but Michaels is fast becoming the Ric Flair of the mid-1990s
since he can practically work a great match with a broom. Third goes
to Eddy Guerrero, with an explanation similar to Benoit's.
DEAN RASMUSSEN: Dean Malenko is Nelson Royal, Johnny Weaver and Danny
Hodges all rolled up into one.
Best Worker (Non-North American)
--------------------------------
Previous Winners:
1994: Chris Benoit
This Year's Winner: Chris Benoit
Participation Statistics:
Total 1st Place Voters = 40 (= 200 points)
Total 2nd Place Voters = 36 (= 108 points)
Total 3rd Place Voters = 31 (= 62 points)
Detailed Results:
1st 2nd 3rd Score
13 7 4 94 Chris Benoit
9 8 4 77 Sabu
6 3 2 43 Manami Toyota
3 5 5 40 Jushin Liger
3 2 3 27 Great Sasuke
1 1 3 14 Kyoko Inoue
1 2 1 13 Mitsuhara Misawa
2 0 0 10 Akira Hokuto
0 2 2 10 Bull Nakano
1 0 2 9 Toshiaki Kawada
1 0 0 5 British Bulldog Davey Boy Smith
0 1 1 5 Steve Williams
0 1 1 5 Kenta Kobashi
0 1 0 3 Scott Steiner
0 1 0 3 Rey Misterio Jr.
0 1 0 3 Legend of Doom Johnny South
0 1 0 3 Akira Taue
0 0 1 2 Stan Hansen
0 0 1 2 Hakushi
0 0 1 2 El Samurai
STEVE BLACK: Manami Toyota tries to steal every show she's in, and her
workrate shows that. There's just something about that extra effort that
she gives that puts her that one little notch above Benoit in Japan. For
Benoit, Japan is almost a vacation for him, even as hard as he works.
Third is Kyoko Inoue. Between her hard work and playing to the crowd,
there are few people on the planet that are more entertaining to watch.
HERB KUNZE: It's unfair to compare the lighter women with the men, but
this category includes both, so I'm forced into it. The women win.
First goes to Akira Hokuto and second goes to Kyoko Inoue. Third
should go to Manami Toyota, but I want to reward Chris Benoit for
his work in New Japan this year, so I'll put him third.
Best Jobber
-----------
Award Description:
To be given to the Professional Loser that does an incredible
job of putting his name opponent over. Maybe the bumps that this person
takes are just that much more spectacular than other PLs. After seeing
a match with this person, you feel sorry about the punishment he/she
took and realize how good it made his/her name opponent look.
Previous Winners:
1994: Barry Horowitz
1993: Barry Horowitz
1992: Barry Horowitz
1991: Rip Rogers
1990: Barry Horowitz
This Year's Winner: Barry Horowitz
Participation Statistics:
Total 1st Place Voters = 78 (= 390 points)
Total 2nd Place Voters = 66 (= 198 points)
Total 3rd Place Voters = 56 (= 112 points)
Detailed Results:
1st 2nd 3rd Score
36 5 3 201 Barry Horowitz
6 10 9 78 Steve Lombardi (Brooklyn Brawler)
2 9 5 47 Mark Starr
2 3 9 37 Brady Boone
4 1 3 29 Don E. Allen
4 0 0 20 Brian Walsh
1 3 2 18 Barry Houston
1 4 0 17 Nasty Ned
1 3 0 14 Chris Canyon
1 3 0 14 Broad Street Bully
2 1 0 13 Tony Roy
2 1 0 13 Jerry Lynn
1 2 1 13 Black Phantom
2 0 1 12 Jeff Hardy
1 1 2 12 Skip Bodydonna
0 2 3 12 Mike Sharpe
2 0 0 10 Disco Inferno
1 1 0 8 Gambler
0 2 1 8 Chad Austin
1 0 1 7 Tony Devito
1 0 1 7 Ric Flair
1 0 1 7 Chris Candido
0 2 0 6 Hack Myers
0 0 3 6 Dino Sendoff
1 0 0 5 Joel Hartgood
1 0 0 5 El Puertoricano (ECW)
1 0 0 5 Cobra
1 0 0 5 Buck Quartermain
1 0 0 5 Bert Centenno
1 0 0 5 A.C. Connor
0 1 1 5 State Patrol #1
0 0 2 4 Barry Hardy
0 1 0 3 Sid
0 1 0 3 Red Tyler
0 1 0 3 Rad Radford
0 1 0 3 Mike Khoury
0 1 0 3 Matt Hardy
0 1 0 3 Kenny Kendall
0 1 0 3 Joey Maggs
0 1 0 3 Italian Stallion
0 1 0 3 Dwayne Gill
0 1 0 3 Buddy Lee Parker
0 1 0 3 Bob Holly
0 1 0 3 Bart Sawyer
0 0 1 2 Wolfman
0 0 1 2 Tim Horner
0 0 1 2 Reggie B. Fine
0 0 1 2 Jerry Flynn
0 0 1 2 Hakushi
0 0 1 2 Chuck Williams
0 0 1 2 Brutus Beefcake (Butcher/Zodiac)
0 0 1 2 Bamm Bamm (Bigelow?)
JIM BAINES: As far as I'm concerned, anyone who loses to Horowitz on a
regular basis is a jobber!
STEVE BLACK: It's no coincidence that all three of my choices are from ECW.
The beatings that these people take at the hands of the stars...*shudder*
It's a sight to behold. Hartgood in particular has taken some
ass-kickings that are just mind-numbing. Don E. Allen, Mr. 4-9-9 himself
:>, is another one that has taken the business end of some hellacious
moves. Sendoff less so, but he may take the bumps even nastier than
Hartgood and Allen because he doesn't seem to know how to take them.
OTTO HEUER: Why do these all start with "B"? :-)
HERB KUNZE: I went with Jerry Lynn, Brady Boone, and Barry Houston,
who particularly impressed me in his squash against Jushin Liger in
October.
ROB NEWLAND: I'm sure Horowitz will take the award this year but the
fact that for a portion of the year he wasn't actually jobbing made
me pick Buck Quartermain for best jobber because he can always make
the run-of-the-mill squash match just a little more exciting if he is in it.
JASON ROBAR: Not really much to say here, other than these three guys are
the ones who I think go the extra mile to put over the "superstar" they're
facing, and probably deserve a shot at a more fulltime role.
SCOTT ROGERS: 1. Barry Horowitz - Lets see. The man has an above-average
array of moves, is one of the WWF's better workers, and has always given
100% to put his opponent over. If the WWF decides to improve on his push
we may have to look for a new top jobber. 2. Nasty Ned - Yes I know.
There's nothing special about Ned's moves, but unlike most jobbers Ned
can perform some of the dirtiest tricks in the book and still draw genuine
heat. So whether he's trying to bite the nose off Dustin or poke out
Alex Wright's eyes, he makes the typical squash match a little more
entertaining. 3. Brady Boone - Brady is an good example of a jobber who
possesses more talent than most of the opponents he faces. Deserves a push.
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