Best Flyer (North American)
---------------------------
Award Description:
To be given to the wrestler who did the most and the best high-flying
maneuvers throughout the year. In 1994, this award was split into
two: North American and Non-North American.
Previous Winners:
1994: 1-2-3 Kid
1993: 1-2-3 Kid (Lightning Kid)
1992: Jushin Liger
1991: Jushin Liger
1990: N/A
This Year's Winner: Sabu
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
22 11 6 155 Sabu
20 4 4 120 Rey Misterio Jr.
11 9 13 108 Eddy Guerrero
6 16 9 96 Hakushi
9 10 10 95 1-2-3 Kid
2 9 8 53 2 Cold Scorpio
4 2 5 36 Public Enemy Rocco Rock
2 4 5 32 Psicosis
2 1 3 19 Shawn Michaels
1 2 2 15 Owen Hart
1 2 1 13 Alex Wright
0 1 2 7 Jushin Liger
0 2 0 6 Mikey Whippreck
0 2 0 6 Marty Jannetty
0 0 3 6 Brian Pillman
1 0 0 5 Renegade
1 0 0 5 Randy Savage
0 1 1 5 Johnny B. Badd
0 0 2 4 Chris Benoit
0 1 0 3 Undertaker
0 1 0 3 Cactus Jack
0 1 0 3 Al Snow
0 0 1 2 Paul Wright
0 0 1 2 Jimmy Del Ray
0 0 1 2 Arn Anderson
STEVE BLACK: When you talk about hi-flyers, the discussion has to begin
and end with Sabu. There has never been, nor will there ever be, a better
flyer than Sabu. Period. After that, 2 Cold Scorpio is clearly the best of
all the mere mortal hi-fliers, closely followed by Guerrero.
PETE CHU: Sabu is by far the best flyer out there, how this man continue
to this is amazing. Hakushi is better than I thought, as he worked better
as the year goes on. 123 Kid doesn't do as much as he used to becuz of
injury but he still takes amazing bump.
RAY DUFFY: Rey and Psicosis are unbelievable. 2 Cold gets on the list just
for moves like the Tumbleweed and the "Drop the Bomb" moonsault legdrop
RODNEY GRAVES: I know that a lot of people will disagree with me on this
one, but I have to pick Rey Jr. as The Best Flyer in North America.
Sure, Sabu does some crazy shit but nobody and I mean nobody, only with
the exception of Jushin Liger and Michael Jordan, looks more graceful
once he takes to the air.
HERB KUNZE: In North America, nobody compares to Rey Misterio Jr.
Psicosis takes second. I want to give Hakushi third for doing the
space flying tiger drop on a North American broadcast.
ROB NEWLAND: Nobody could match the awe-inspiring spots that Rey
Misterio Jr. pulled out this year. His ability to temporarily defy the
laws of gravity made for some devastating high spots and even when he
performed a standard flying move the height he obtained and the ease with
which he pulled it off made Misterio an easy winner in my book.
TOM O'CONNOR: This Sabu guy is TOTALLY INSANE. The first time I saw
him do a table, I was shocked/in awe. A maniac!
JASON ROBAR: All high-fliers can only be compared to Sabu. Sabu does things
that the rest can only dream of doing. Hakushi ranks second, because of his
vast array of high flying moves, and the Space Flying Tiger Drop. Eddy
Guerrero is a distant third, and hopefully will move up to the
Sabu/Hakushi level real soon.
Best Flyer (Non-North American)
-------------------------------
Previous Winners:
1994: Jushin Liger
This Year's Winner: Jushin Liger
Participation Statistics:
Total 1st Place Voters = 40 (= 200 points)
Total 2nd Place Voters = 35 (= 105 points)
Total 3rd Place Voters = 28 (= 56 points)
Detailed Results:
1st 2nd 3rd Score
11 13 5 104 Jushin Liger
16 5 3 101 Sabu
3 5 4 38 Hayabusa
2 3 0 19 Great Sasuke
1 2 2 15 Manami Toyota
2 0 0 10 Rey Misterio Jr.
0 2 2 10 Koji Kanemoto (Tiger Mask)
1 0 2 9 Hakushi
1 0 1 7 Ultimo Dragon
1 0 1 7 Chapparita Asari
1 0 0 5 Eddy Guerrero
1 0 0 5 Akira Hokuto
0 0 2 4 Taka Michinoku
0 0 2 4 Great Muta
0 1 0 3 Tazmaniac
0 1 0 3 Shinjiro Otani
0 1 0 3 Negro Casas
0 1 0 3 Keiji Muto
0 1 0 3 1-2-3 Kid
0 0 1 2 Shawn Michaels
0 0 1 2 Masao Orihara
0 0 1 2 El Samurai
0 0 1 2 Chris Jericho
STEVE BLACK: After Sabu, you've really got to give Hayabusa credit...he's
developed a flying style that will impress damn near anyone who ever
watches him. Third place...I thought about Kanemoto, but Toyota is still
the standard that all Japanese women have to measure up against.
HERB KUNZE: Okay, I'm biased, but I'm going with Akira Hokuto first.
I love her somersault tope. Toyota gets second for putting her drop
kick from the top turnbuckle to the ringside floor (ouch!) in nearly
every match I see. Third goes to Jushin Liger, who is still one of
my favourites.
GIANLUCA MILANDRI: I've seen Michinoku against the Black Tiger and I was
very impressed when the young Japanese flyed all over the ring area.
Negro Casas is also another great flyer, he performs great moves from
the top rope.
Best Technical Wrestler
-----------------------
Award Description:
To be given to the wrestler who has the most technical ability.
The number of holds and moves you see this person do and the crispness
with which the moves are executed makes his/her matches a pleasure
to watch. In 1994, this award was split into three: North American,
Non-North American, and overall.
Previous Winners:
1994: Bret Hart
1993: Bret Hart
1992: Bret Hart
1991: Bret Hart
1990: N/A
This Year's Winner: Dean Malenko
Participation Statistics:
Total 1st Place Voters = 69 (= 345 points)
Total 2nd Place Voters = 64 (= 192 points)
Total 3rd Place Voters = 61 (= 122 points)
Detailed Results:
1st 2nd 3rd Score
27 12 6 183 Dean Malenko
16 6 8 114 Bret Hart
9 11 9 96 Chris Benoit
7 11 7 82 Eddy Guerrero
2 5 3 31 Owen Hart
2 3 2 23 Shawn Michaels
2 2 3 22 Shinjiro Otani
2 2 1 18 Ric Flair
0 4 2 16 Al Snow (Avatar)
0 0 6 12 Lord Steven Regal
0 3 1 11 Bob Backlund
1 0 2 9 Dan Severn
0 0 4 8 Jushin Liger
0 0 3 6 Alex Wright
1 0 0 5 Paul Meehan
0 1 0 3 Manami Toyota
0 1 0 3 Hunter Hearst Helmsley
0 1 0 3 El Hijo del Santo
0 1 0 3 Arn Anderson
0 1 0 3 1-2-3 Kid
0 0 1 2 Tazmaniac
0 0 1 2 Shane Douglas
0 0 1 2 Ken Shamrock
0 0 1 2 Brian Pillman
STEVE BLACK: Same as the Japanese...Ohtani, Malenko, Benoit.
RAY DUFFY: 8.1, 8a.1, 8b.1 Dean Malenko- See a pattern here? :-)
HERB KUNZE: My Japanese votes carry over: Benoit, Otani, Misawa.
JASON ROBAR: Dean Malenko shows off moves that I've never seen anybody else
do in my life, and is able to pull them off in a believable manner. It's
just mindboggling that he probably has hundreds of more moves that he hasn't
even shown. Chris Benoit executes his moves flawlessly, and does have
a wide array of suplexes and submission holds to use. And Dan Severn
has the most credible amateur background of all wrestlers, and has the
UFC style of match down to a T.
Best Technical Wrestler (North American)
----------------------------------------
Previous Winners:
1994: Bret Hart
This Year's Winner: Dean Malenko
Participation Statistics:
Total 1st Place Voters = 79 (= 395 points)
Total 2nd Place Voters = 77 (= 231 points)
Total 3rd Place Voters = 72 (= 144 points)
Detailed Results:
1st 2nd 3rd Score
32 18 2 218 Dean Malenko
18 9 9 135 Bret Hart
7 14 11 99 Eddy Guerrero
9 8 5 79 Chris Benoit
2 7 7 45 Owen Hart
3 3 8 40 Lord Steven Regal
3 2 4 29 Shawn Michaels
0 5 4 23 Al Snow (Avatar)
1 3 3 20 Ric Flair
1 1 4 16 Dan Severn
0 3 3 15 Bob Backlund
0 2 0 6 Arn Anderson
0 0 3 6 Alex Wright
1 0 0 5 Marty Jannetty
1 0 0 5 Hunter Hearst Helmsley
1 0 0 5 El Hijo del Santo
0 0 2 4 Tazmaniac
0 1 0 3 Rad Radford
0 1 0 3 1-2-3 Kid
0 0 1 2 Shane Douglas
0 0 1 2 Negro Casas
0 0 1 2 Mikey Whippreck
0 0 1 2 Johnny B. Badd
0 0 1 2 Jeff Jarrett
0 0 1 2 Davey Boy Smith
0 0 1 2 Brian Pillman
STEVE BLACK: After watching Malenko this past year, I defy anyone to tell
me another wrestler who uses more holds per match than Dean Malenko. The
only guys who even come close are Benoit and Snow. More importantly, he
does them well.
HERB KUNZE: Chris Benoit takes first from me because he's not only great
in preforming technical moves, but he also does them with incredible
force and speed. Dean Malenko takes second. Steve Regal takes third.
He's only had a few good matches this past year, but his technical
spots are damn pretty.
TOM O'CONNOR: Thank you, WCW, for giving these technical guys airtime.
The "Excellence of Execution" can't do half the stuff these guys are
doing in WCW!
Best Technical Wrestler (Non-North American)
--------------------------------------------
Previous Winners:
1994: Chris Benoit
This Year's Winner: Chris Benoit
Participation Statistics:
Total 1st Place Voters = 37 (= 185 points)
Total 2nd Place Voters = 33 (= 99 points)
Total 3rd Place Voters = 28 (= 56 points)
Detailed Results:
1st 2nd 3rd Score
14 10 2 104 Chris Benoit
11 9 2 86 Dean Malenko
3 4 11 49 Jushin Liger
4 6 1 40 Shinjiro Otani
1 1 1 10 Mitsuhara Misawa
1 1 0 8 Toshiaki Kawada
0 0 4 8 Eddy Guerrero
1 0 0 5 Paul Meehan
1 0 0 5 Manami Toyota
1 0 0 5 Kensuke Sasaki
0 1 0 3 Ken Shamrock
0 1 0 3 Akira Hokuto
0 0 1 2 Tatsumi Fujinami
0 0 1 2 Scott Steiner
0 0 1 2 Owen Hart
0 0 1 2 Minoru Suzuki
0 0 1 2 Koji Kanemoto
0 0 1 2 Kenta Kobashi
0 0 1 2 Akira Taue
STEVE BLACK: It's shocked me that I've managed to discover someone who can
actually do more in the way of hold-for-hold style than Malenko...Shinjiro
Ohtani. I would *hate* to work with this guy, because you'd never be able to
walk straight after a night in the ring with him. Malenko and Benoit rank
right behind.
HERB KUNZE: Chris Benoit takes first again for the same reasons as
earlier. Shinjiro Otani takes second. If there's any doubt of his
technical ability, one need only watch his matches against the UWFi
guys. He's unbelievably good. Misawa gets third.
Best Brawler (North American)
-----------------------------
Award Description:
To be given to the wrestler who brawled his/her way through the year
most convincingly. This award would go to Frank "Bruiser Brody" Goodish
if he were still around. In 1994, this award was split into two:
North American and Non-North American.
Previous Winners:
1994: Cactus Jack
1993: Big Van Vader
1992: Cactus Jack
1991: Stan Hansen
1990: N/A
This Year's Winner: Cactus Jack
Participation Statistics:
Total 1st Place Voters = 75 (= 375 points)
Total 2nd Place Voters = 71 (= 213 points)
Total 3rd Place Voters = 71 (= 142 points)
Detailed Results:
1st 2nd 3rd Score
21 20 8 181 Cactus Jack
24 3 11 151 Big Van Vader
9 8 6 81 Sandman
4 11 14 81 Terry Funk
2 3 7 33 Sabu
3 3 2 28 Tommy Dreamer
2 2 4 24 Axl Rotten
2 3 2 23 Public Enemy Rocco Rock
2 3 1 21 Ian Rotten
1 3 0 14 Diesel
2 0 1 12 Razor Ramon
1 1 0 8 British Bulldog
0 2 1 8 Scott Norton
1 0 1 7 Raven
0 2 0 6 Sid
0 0 3 6 Public Enemy Johnny Grunge
1 0 0 5 Johnny B. Badd
0 1 1 5 Randy Savage
0 1 1 5 Bret Hart
0 0 2 4 911
0 1 0 3 Terry Gordy
0 1 0 3 Stan Hansen
0 1 0 3 Hulk Hogan
0 1 0 3 Gangsta New Jack
0 1 0 3 Dan Severn
0 0 1 2 Undertaker
0 0 1 2 Ric Flair
0 0 1 2 King Mabel
0 0 1 2 Eddie Gilbert
0 0 1 2 Davey Boy Smith
0 0 1 2 Coma
STEVE BLACK: I must confess, I don't understand why we don't have an overall
champion in some of these categories. Anyway, as far as best brawlers
goes, my money has to go with Rocco Rock. He has managed to combine
aerial moves, mat wrestling, and everything else into a flat-out brawling
style that never fails to delight the fans. Sandman has picked it up so
much in the past year I almost don't recognize him. And Axl Rotten has
made an art form out of drawing blood...and the guy can wrestle on top of
it!
OTTO HEUER: I voted for Raven, Axl, and Rocco. It was damn tough to leave
out the great brawlers like Johnny Grunge, Ian Rotten, Sabu, Terry Funk,
Cactus Jack, etc.
HERB KUNZE: I went Vader, Cactus Jack, Terry Funk.
JASON ROBAR: When it comes to brawling, Terry Funk is the granddaddy of it
all. Nobody can really surpass him, just imitate him. Cactus Jack has taken
brawling and has become the new king, even if his new gimmick keeps him
from brawling much. And Big Van Vader can go with the best of them. He
just wasn't allowed to brawl much this year.
Best Brawler (Non-North American)
---------------------------------
Previous Winners:
1994: Stan Hansen
This Year's Winner: Stan Hansen
Participation Statistics:
Total 1st Place Voters = 35 (= 175 points)
Total 2nd Place Voters = 33 (= 99 points)
Total 3rd Place Voters = 29 (= 58 points)
Detailed Results:
1st 2nd 3rd Score
7 4 6 59 Stan Hansen
5 7 4 54 Steve Williams
7 4 3 53 Aja Kong
3 5 3 36 Mr. Pogo
1 2 5 21 Terry Gordy
2 1 0 13 Shoji Nakamaki
2 1 0 13 Atsushi Onita
1 1 1 10 Terry Funk
1 1 0 8 Cactus Jack
1 0 1 7 Mitsuhiro Matsunaga
0 2 0 6 Sabu
1 0 0 5 Tazmaniac
1 0 0 5 Steve Lombardi
1 0 0 5 Scott Norton
1 0 0 5 Ian Rotten
1 0 0 5 Big Van Vader
0 1 0 3 Sandman
0 1 0 3 Razor Ramon
0 1 0 3 Nasty Boy Jerry Saggs
0 1 0 3 Headhunters
0 1 0 3 Giant Haystacks
0 0 1 2 Rick Steiner
0 0 1 2 Nasty Boy Brian Knobbs
0 0 1 2 Mayumi Ozaki
0 0 1 2 Masa Chono
0 0 1 2 British Bulldog
0 0 1 2 Axl Rotten
STEVE BLACK: Well, this year there's no question in my mind...Pogo's taken
the torch from Onita as the most psychotic SOB in Japan. Aja is a good
brawler, and Hayabusa is awfully underrated for the job he's doing in
FMW, workrate-wise.
HERB KUNZE: I went Shoji Nakamaki, Cactus Jack, and Terry Funk. Jack
& Funk had the one brawl I actually enjoyed this past year in their
King of the Death match tournament final.
Most Favourite Wrestler
-----------------------
Award Description:
To be given to the wrestler you like the most, regardless of the reason.
Previous Winners:
1994: Ric Flair
1993: Ric Flair
1992: Ric Flair
1991: Ric Flair
1990: N/A
This Year's Winner: Shawn Michaels
Participation Statistics:
Total 1st Place Voters = 87 (= 435 points)
Total 2nd Place Voters = 84 (= 252 points)
Total 3rd Place Voters = 81 (= 162 points)
Detailed Results:
1st 2nd 3rd Score
12 12 7 110 Shawn Michaels
11 4 4 75 Bret Hart
7 4 6 59 Chris Benoit
8 3 2 53 Sabu
7 1 5 48 Ric Flair
3 5 6 42 Eddy Guerrero
5 3 0 34 Razor Ramon
3 2 1 23 Cactus Jack
1 3 3 20 1-2-3 Kid
1 2 3 17 Public Enemy Rocco Rock
2 2 0 16 Undertaker
1 3 1 16 Dean Malenko
1 3 1 16 Big Van Vader
1 3 1 16 Barry Horowitz
2 1 1 15 Rey Misterio Jr.
2 1 1 15 Randy Savage
1 2 2 15 Owen Hart
1 3 0 14 Akira Hokuto
1 2 1 13 Disco Inferno
1 1 2 12 Sting
0 2 3 12 Hunter Hearst Helmsley
1 1 1 10 Raven
1 0 2 9 Stan Hansen
1 1 0 8 Tommy Dreamer
1 1 0 8 Hakushi
1 1 0 8 Great Sasuke
0 2 1 8 Jushin Liger
1 0 1 7 Terry Funk
1 0 1 7 Paul Orndorff
1 0 1 7 Hulk Hogan
1 0 1 7 Goldust
1 0 1 7 British Bulldog Davey Boy Smith
1 0 1 7 Alex Wright
0 1 2 7 Mikey Whippreck
0 2 0 6 Manami Toyota
0 0 3 6 Steve Richards
1 0 0 5 Ultimate Warrior
1 0 0 5 Lex Luger
1 0 0 5 Ken Shamrock
1 0 0 5 Diamond Dallas Page
1 0 0 5 Al Snow
0 1 1 5 Toshiaki Kawada
0 1 1 5 Shane Douglas
0 1 1 5 Dean Douglas
0 1 0 3 Sid Vicious
0 1 0 3 Sandman
0 1 0 3 Mitsuhara Misawa
0 1 0 3 Masa Chono
0 1 0 3 Jerry Lawler
0 1 0 3 Jean Pierre Lafitte
0 1 0 3 Irwin R. Schyster
0 1 0 3 Brad Armstrong
0 1 0 3 Bob Holly
0 1 0 3 Adam Bomb
0 0 1 2 Waylon Mercy
0 0 1 2 Skip (of the Bodydonnas)
0 0 1 2 Savio Vega
0 0 1 2 Rad Radford
0 0 1 2 Kamala
0 0 1 2 Jim Neidhart
0 0 1 2 Jeff Jarrett
0 0 1 2 Hayabusa
0 0 1 2 Great Muta
0 0 1 2 Diesel
0 0 1 2 Curt Hennig
0 0 1 2 Brian Pillman
0 0 1 2 Bob Evans
ROB EVANS: Sabu: Only seen him on Nitro. Words can't describe him.
Disco Inferno: "Watch the hair." Brutal Bob Evans: Great name!
OTTO HEUER: I'll bet this is the first year Flair is dethroned. Any
reason this category is in chronological order rather than reverse
chronological order? {editor's note: oops; fixed it.}
HERB KUNZE: Workers: Akira Hokuto, Chris Benoit, Shawn Michaels.
TOM O'CONNOR: "Whether you like him or not, learn to love him"
JASON ROBAR: Basically, the way that I looked at this category is who I
would watch no matter who's the opponent is. And the results were unanimous.
I enjoy Shawn Michaels. Everything he does in and out of the ring is
pure entertainment. Chris Benoit is just oozing talent, and I really
enjoy watching him wrestle, even if it's a squash. Skip has
unfortunately been used as a guy to put most other superstars over,
and that does sadden me. He has great talent, and he does have a
great gimmick, even if it's really supported by the lovely and talented
Sunny. He's just being wasted at his current role, even if he's damn
good at it.
JEREMY SORIA: There are a lot of favorite wrestlers of mine. Here's a short
list: Alex Wright, Brad Armstrong, Shawnie Michaels, Owen Hart, Sid, Marcus
Bagwell, The PitBulls, Tommy Dreamer, Paul Orndorff, Jim Powers, Johnny Gunn.
Most Improved Wrestler
----------------------
Award Description:
To be given to the wrestler who most improved himself/herself
in all facets of the sport in the past year.
Previous Winners:
1994: Diesel
1993: Marcus Alexander Bagwell
1992: Steve Austin
1991: Ron Simmons
1990: Lex Luger
This Year's Winner: Johnny B. Badd
Participation Statistics:
Total 1st Place Voters = 83 (= 415 points)
Total 2nd Place Voters = 76 (= 228 points)
Total 3rd Place Voters = 71 (= 142 points)
Detailed Results:
1st 2nd 3rd Score
15 14 5 127 Johnny B. Badd
12 10 3 96 Mikey Whippreck
10 3 13 85 Barry Horowitz
7 8 6 71 Alex Wright
5 3 6 46 Jean Pierre Lafitte
1 6 8 39 Hunter Hearst Helmsley
5 0 4 33 Steve Richards
3 5 1 32 Diesel
3 3 3 30 Diamond Dallas Page
1 6 1 25 King Mabel
2 2 2 20 Razor Ramon
0 4 4 20 Sandman
2 2 1 18 Jeff Jarrett
3 0 1 17 Tommy Dreamer
1 2 2 15 Savio Vega
2 0 0 10 Buddy Landell
2 0 0 10 1-2-3 Kid
1 1 1 10 Raven
0 1 2 7 Shawn Michaels
0 2 0 6 British Bulldog
1 0 0 5 Roadie (Jesse James Armstrong/Brian Armstrong)
1 0 0 5 Meng
1 0 0 5 Marty Janetty
1 0 0 5 Lawrence Taylor
1 0 0 5 Kama
1 0 0 5 Jerry Lynn
1 0 0 5 Disco Inferno
1 0 0 5 Big Van Vader
0 1 0 3 Shinjiro Otani
0 1 0 3 Randy Savage
0 1 0 3 Paul Wight (Giant)
0 1 0 3 Craig Pittman
0 0 1 2 Yokozuna
0 0 1 2 Wolfie D
0 0 1 2 Smoking Gunns
0 0 1 2 Renegade
0 0 1 2 Rad Radford (Louie Spiccolli)
0 0 1 2 Owen Hart
0 0 1 2 Marcus Bagwell
0 0 1 2 Arn Anderson
COLEMAN BAKER: Think about how good/bad a Johnny B. Badd v. Dallas Page
match would have been a year ago. I think this proves how much both
wrestlers have improved.
STEVE BLACK: Alex Wright is the walking definition of a "never say die"
attitude. Here is a man who was absolutely reviled both by the fans and
by fellow wrestlers because he was getting pushes that there is no way
in *hell* he deserved. But he's worked hard, he's learned a lot, and
clearly he's the most improved wrestler anywhere. Mikey Whipwreck came
from a lot further down two years ago, and in the past year has really
developed an offensive arsenal that's worth watching...it's been remarkable
to watch him develop. And Johnny B. Badd has made the transition from good
wrestler to bonafide superstar.
PETE CHU: I watched a Razor tape when he was in WCW, the guy used Restholds
all the time, what a bore. But he worked well better in WWF, like IYH3 he
carried Douglas IMO. He is now considered one of the better workers in WWF.
RAY DUFFY: 1) Whipwreck 2) Badd : These two were very close in my estimation.
But if you compare the level they were at last year compared to this year,
Mikey's improved more. Not to say Badd hasn't improved greatly as well.
For a long time, Badd was one of the few guys in WCW he seemed like he
wanted to make himself better. Sandman gets #3. He's added some nice
aerial moves to his attack which moves him up in my book.
HERB KUNZE: Johnny B. Badd gets first for really improving this past year.
Shinjiro Otani takes second, although since I think of him as one of the
best in the world, I wonder if I just took a liking to him this year.
Diamond Dallas Page became somebody I actually like in the ring, and
considering I used to think he was terrible, that's a big accomplishment.
TOM O'CONNOR: Scott has come SO far. His ladder match with HBK
had me going totally nutzoid. A deserving I-C champ
JASON ROBAR: If you had asked me a year ago if I would have cared if Diamond
Dallas Page dropped off the face of the Earth, never to be seen again, I
would have answered no. Now, I find myself wanting to see him in the ring
more and more. The guy has the look and the skills to be the next Ted
DiBiase, a solid, but not necessarily spectacular, wrestler that goes
unnoticed until he's gone, and everybody realizes how great he used to
be. And to think it was 7 or 8 years ago that he was managing Paul
Diamond and Pat Tanaka to the AWA World Tag Team Titles. I voted Johnny
B. Badd as the number 1 most improved last year. Well, I'm voting him
#2 this year because he's still improving. Granted, it's not the same
level as the DDP improvement, but he's moved into being one of the top
workers in North America. And Alex Wright has won over many of the same
fans who were booing him before due to his in ring performance. In a
few years, he could be one of the greats here in North America.
SCOTT ROGERS: 1. Johnny B. Badd - It used to be that Johnny would only
pull out an occasional high spot/aerial maneuver in a match. Each year
this man has improved his workrate and has added new moves to his arsenal.
2. Hunter Hearst Helmsley - When you consider that this man used to be
Terra-Ryzing a few years ago, HHH has made tremendous improvements
to his moves and with his character. 3. Barry Horowitz - Barry's moves
and selling ability have remained fairly consistent, yet with his recent
push we've been able to get a more 3D feel for who he is. Lately, I've
been impressed with his interviews with him playing the role of a man
unsure of himself after years of defeat. The "Steve Urkel" look should
go though. Honorable Mention to Alex Wright for finally giving up that
horrible dancing gimmick and for improving his ring ability.
GLEN PATRICK RYAN: Savio Vega qualifies by going from completely
unwatchable to somewhat unwatchable.
RICK SCAIA: Kevin Nash, as Diesel, took the ball and ran with it.
He got the WWF gold, and did not decide to stall out there. he got
better as the year went along, adding a lot to his arsenal, so that,
by SummerSlam, he was more than capable of carrying King Mabel to a
very watchable match. The Big Daddy Tope was a super addition.
Sandman is another guy who got gold and took the responsibility
quite seriously. It is impressive to see how much better he is
now than he was on Jan. 1, 1995.
BRIAN WESTCOTT: Mikey Whipwreck has come a long way since last year.
His matches with The Sandman in ECW have been very good this year.
Johnny B. Badd kept getting better and better and it was nice to see him
win the WCW World TV title again. Alex Wright is a lot better wrestler
now than he was last year.
Most Overrated Wrestler
-----------------------
Award Description:
To be given to the wrestler who really has little talent, but has a
large place in the spotlight nonetheless. This is a measure of how
undeserved a wrestler's push is.
Previous Winners:
1994: Hulk Hogan
1993: Hulk Hogan
1992: Ultimate Warrior
1991: Hulk Hogan
1990: Hulk Hogan
This Year's Winner: Hulk Hogan
Participation Statistics:
Total 1st Place Voters = 85 (= 425 points)
Total 2nd Place Voters = 83 (= 249 points)
Total 3rd Place Voters = 81 (= 162 points)
Detailed Results:
1st 2nd 3rd Score
42 11 8 259 Hulk Hogan
8 16 8 104 Diesel
6 7 8 67 Renegade
1 8 8 45 King Mabel
4 5 4 43 Lex Luger
2 6 4 36 Undertaker
3 4 2 31 Bret Hart
2 5 2 29 Sid
3 1 1 20 Sabu
1 1 6 20 Ric Flair
2 1 2 17 Shawn Michaels
2 0 3 16 911
2 1 1 15 Tommy Dreamer
2 0 1 12 Big Van Vader
0 2 2 10 Big Bubba Rogers
1 0 2 9 Randy Savage
0 1 3 9 Ultimate Warrior
0 1 3 9 Sandman
0 2 1 8 Jim Duggan
1 0 1 7 Shane Douglas
0 2 0 6 Razor Ramon
1 0 0 5 Skip Bodydonna
1 0 0 5 Mikey Whippreck
1 0 0 5 Jerry Lawler
0 1 1 5 Sir Mo
0 1 1 5 Giant
0 1 0 3 Yokozuna
0 1 0 3 Sting
0 1 0 3 Savio Vega
0 1 0 3 Hack Myers
0 1 0 3 Goldust
0 1 0 3 Chris Benoit
0 1 0 3 Cactus Jack
0 0 1 2 Koji Kanemoto
0 0 1 2 Hunter Hearst Helmsley
0 0 1 2 Henry Godwinn
0 0 1 2 Diamond Dallas Page
0 0 1 2 Dean Douglas
0 0 1 2 Dave Sullivan
0 0 1 2 Butcher (Brutus Beefcake)
0 0 1 2 Brian Pillman
0 0 1 2 Bob Backlund
TREVOR BARRIE: It's awards like this where it really hurts to have only
three votes - Renegade, Hulk Hogan, Diesel, Undertaker, King Mabel all
deserve to be "honoured", and that's only scraping the surface. Renegade
and Mabel really stand out, though, because there pushes are so
unjustified even in marketing terms; not only do they suck, but they
were never over, making their push doubly stupid. Hogan gets the third
spot just out of personal preference.[1:Renegade, 2:King Mabel, 3:Hulk Hogan]
STEVE BLACK: Tommy Dreamer, in my opinion, epitomizes the things I don't
like about ECW. I look at a guy like Dreamer, and I see absolutely limitless
potential. I think he's willing to work hard. I think if he sat down with
the Lucha guys, or a Guerrero, and really listened to what they had to
say and applied it to his own wrestling, he'd make everybody forget about
Benoit. I'm dead serious. He could leave the Benoits and Guerreros of the
world so far in the dust they wouldn't know what the hell had hit them.
Instead, all he seems to want to do is hit people on the head with frying
pans. If anything, his wrestling has gone so far downhill in the last year
he may never get that back. That would be tragic. Meanwhile, for those of
you who think Hogan has gone far on no talent, try Diesel. UGH. And then
of course, there's Lex Luger, a walking billboard for how to ruin a
career if I've ever seen one.
PETE CHU: Hulk Hogan is being referred as the best Champion of all time,
but how? Sid talks big, with a menacing stare, but do nothing in the ring.
Renegade gets a TV belt with his minmal talent.
OTTO HEUER: I was tempted to write in Shane Douglas here. He is definitely
tied with Hogan for a strong 4th. NOTE: this'll be the first year I
*didn't* vote for Hogan in my top three. While he is vastly
over-rated, he wasn't seen all that much this year (mostly confined to
PPVs) so he wasn't in my face enough to be "overrated".
HERB KUNZE: Diesel was WWF champ all year and the promotion's fortunes
just sunk and sunk and the main events just stunk and stunk. He's not
that bad of a wrestler - there seem to be a hell of a lot of other
guys I dread watching more than Diesel - but he in no way merited
the position that the WWF gave him and everybody knew it. Hulk Hogan
is an equally mediocre wrestler in the ring, but he at least has a
history of drawing ability. But do the remnants of that drawing
ability - and some would argue there are no remnants - merit keeping
him in his costly position when the experiment doesn't seem to be
working? Undertaker takes third from me because he gets a great
reaction going to the ring and then does so little between the
bells. His presence in the WWF's upper echelon guarantees one
dreadful match near the top of every WWF show.
GIANLUCA MILANDRI: Hey, Hogan is overrated, we all know it, but we also
know it did some good things for the sport. But Mabel, what is he gonna
do in the high places of the WWF ratings? Why all that push?
Lex is a pretty loser, clear and simple.
TOM O'CONNOR: As bad as the Hulkster is, Renagade is THAT much worse.
Truly a worst ever
JASON ROBAR: Randy Savage is living off of his heyday in '88, when he was
on top of the wrestling world. I personally have given up on my hopes
that he might some day revert back to his '88 form, and am now willing to
settle for '92, ironically enough the last time he held any titles.
Lex Luger made the most controversial jump of the year to WCW, which was
interesting for the first week, but it got boring really quick. When
added to his pathetic WWF run, and the high hopes of him being some sort
of savior for professional wrestling makes him so overrated it's not
funny. Big Bubba Rogers Has gone from being somewhat interesting to
being a guy who's both uninteresting and stuck in a really uninteresting
fued, as well as apparently losing most of his abilities. It's a shame,
especially considering what he delivered versus Vader, among others.
SCOTT ROGERS: 1. Bret Hart - After years of proclaiming the best there
was, the best there is, and the best there ever will be, ad nauseum,
many people have actually believed it. Bret Hart is good, but when
you compare him to guys like Benoit or Guerrero, he's not the best.
2. Undertaker - This is an example of people confusing a gimmick that
they like with a wrestler being great. UT's workrate is poor and ranks
up there with Renegade, Bundy, Mabel, and the Huckster. 3. Hulk Hogan -
The only thing bigger than Hulk-a-mania (tm) is Bollea's ego.
JEREMY SORIA: Undertaker as Most Overrated Wrestler, now that's a given.
The thing with Hack Myers? I don't understand the fascination that some
folks have about Hack Myers.
Best Wrestling Gimmick
----------------------
Award Description:
To be given to the wrestler who had the best character gimmick in the
past year.
Previous Winners:
1994: Bob Backlund as the real WWF champ
1993: The Undertaker
1992: The Undertaker
1991: The Undertaker
1990: N/A
This Year's Winner: Goldust
Participation Statistics:
Total 1st Place Voters = 84 (= 420 points)
Total 2nd Place Voters = 77 (= 231 points)
Total 3rd Place Voters = 72 (= 144 points)
Detailed Results:
1st 2nd 3rd Score
12 6 9 96 Goldust
12 6 1 80 Disco Inferno
10 7 2 75 Waylon Mercy
8 5 2 59 Undertaker
8 4 1 54 Public Enemy: Rocco Rock & Johnny Grunge
3 4 4 35 Sandman
3 4 3 33 Raven
0 7 6 33 Hunter Hearst Hemlsley
1 5 6 32 Barry Horowitz
1 5 5 30 Dean Douglas
4 1 3 29 Big Van Vader
2 3 4 27 Steve Richards
3 1 4 26 Skip (of the Bodydonnas)
4 1 1 25 Shawn Micheals
2 3 2 23 Sabu
2 2 0 16 Jeff Jarrett
1 0 4 13 911
2 0 1 12 Bob Backlund
1 0 1 7 Bertha Faye
0 1 2 7 La Parka
0 2 0 6 Paul Orndorff
1 0 0 5 Roadie
1 0 0 5 Masa Chono
1 0 0 5 Giant
1 0 0 5 Dr. Issac Yankem, D.D.S.
1 0 0 5 Bill Alfonso
0 1 1 5 Razor Ramon
0 1 1 5 Mikey Whippreck
0 0 2 4 Randy Savage
0 1 0 3 Sting
0 1 0 3 Sid
0 1 0 3 Shane Douglas
0 1 0 3 Ric Flair
0 1 0 3 Renegade
0 1 0 3 Mr. Perfect Curt Hennig
0 1 0 3 Cactus Jack (anti-hardcore in ECW)
0 1 0 3 Ahmed Johnson
0 0 1 2 PG-13
0 0 1 2 Horsemen
0 0 1 2 Duke Droese
0 0 1 2 Dudleys
0 0 1 2 Diamond Dallas Page
0 0 1 2 Bret Hart
0 0 1 2 1-2-3 Kid
TREVOR BARRIE: Waylon Mercy is one of the best characters to come
along in a while; pity he sucked so badly in the ring. Golddust is
another brilliant idea, but the fact that he only debuted weeks
before the end of the awards period prevents me from calling him
the year's best, and knocks him all the way down to #2 in my
estimation. [1:Waylon Mercy, 2:Golddust, 3:Barry Horowitz]
STEVE BLACK: When I first saw the Bodydonna spots, I'd heard all this
stuff about how Candido was going to be Mighty Mouse or something. Then
I saw Chris and Tammy doing their Skip and Sunny routine, and I died
laughing. This is *so* perfect a gimmick for them...I just wish Candido
wasn't being made a fool out of. :< Public Enemy? Rock and Grunge fall
into that gimmick so easily and so believably it's hard not to love the
gimmick. Then there's Mikey Whipwreck. Here's a modern day success
story that anyone can be proud of...from jobber to world champion in
18 months, and more importantly, staying credible at every level along
the way. If we had an award for Most Inspirational Wrestler, it would
*have* to be Mikey Whipwreck.
LOU BONA: Bret Hart's gimmick is that he wrestles, really wrestles, in
the WWF, with no gimmick.
RAY DUFFY: Richards gets my vote as best gimmick because he is the ultimate
cowardly flunky. He has the sctick down pat. Disco Inferno is hilarious.
HERB KUNZE: Jeff Jarrett had the best gimmick this past year. The WWF
did a great job with the "With My Baby Tonight" video and Jarrett was
marvelous in his role. It's a big shame that Jarrett left the promotion
amidst that story line. I like Disco Inferno's gimmick. Maybe I'm just
the right age (29) to appreciate the disco gimmick, but things got even
better when he started doing his "still undefeated" shtick. Skip's
gimmick is great too.
GIANLUCA MILANDRI: Undertaker may have no great wrestling skills, but we
have to admit his gimmick is still impressive. He may be gone downhill
since 1993, but he remains the man in wrestling with the best gimmick ever.
TOM O'CONNOR: The bad dentist. I LOVE IT!! Brings back so many
awful childhood memories. Plus the "DDS" at the end clinches this award.
JASON ROBAR: When the first Bodydonna promo aired, it instantly became
my favorite. It's a guaranteed heat generator, and it was so damn funny
as well. Once again, Skip is being semi-misused, but at the very least
the gimmick is entertaining, and the best in wrestling. The Waylon Mercy
gimmick is something that I'm surprised hasn't been used before. A heel
who pretends to be a face, being all nice to the fans, and to his opponents,
and then BAM! Mercy attacks and snaps, until he wins, when once again,
he acts all friendly to the fans and his opponent. I realize it's based
upon Cape Fear, but it's still a good idea. I really like the Goldust
gimmick, but for my third vote, I put Dean Douglas down. A teacher
gimmick is one that's sure to work heat-wise, and it provided some
memorable moments to say the least.
SCOTT ROGERS: 1. Waylon Mercy - see Best Heel. 2. Hunter Hearst Helmsley -
A sophicated snob is nothing new to wrestling, but HHH has managed to
breathe new life into this stereotype without letting it interfere with
his wrestling. 3. Barry Horowitz - The underdog loser who comes back to
win is nothing new to wrestling. We saw it two years ago with the 123 Kid
and one year ago with Mikey Whippreck. Unlike the other two, Horowitz has
been jobbing in the same federation for years, so when he finally won a
victory it made a bigger impact on the viewers.
Best Wrestling Move
-------------------
Award Description:
To be given to the move that is just the damn best thing you've seen
this past year. This should probably be a "finishing" move or something
really spectacular.
Previous Winners:
1994: Vader's moonsault
1993: Big Van Vader's moonsault
1992: Jushin Liger's moonsault off the second ropes to floor
1991: Scott Steiner's Frankensteiner
1990: Scott Steiner's Frankensteiner
This Year's Winner: Hakushi's Space Flying Tiger Drop
Participation Statistics:
Total 1st Place Voters = 77 (= 385 points)
Total 2nd Place Voters = 76 (= 228 points)
Total 3rd Place Voters = 69 (= 138 points)
Detailed Results:
1st 2nd 3rd Score
14 10 7 114 Hakushi's Space Flying Tiger Drop
6 4 5 52 Sabu's table-breaking moonsaults
6 4 2 46 Eddy Guerrero's swinging DDT
5 2 5 41 Rocco Rock's moonsault off the top of a cage
through two tables
4 3 3 35 Chris Benoit's powerbomb
5 1 2 32 Big Van Vader's powerbomb
2 5 2 29 2 Cold Scorpio's twisting leg drop off the top rope
2 3 5 29 Skip's top rope Frankensteiner
1 6 1 25 Shawn Michaels moonsault off the ladder
3 2 1 23 Razor Ramon's Razor's Edge
2 2 1 18 Chris Benoit's dragon suplex
1 3 2 18 Sabu's tope into a Frankensteiner
1 1 5 18 Johnny B. Badd's Badd Day (somersault tope)
0 4 3 18 Shawn Michaels being backdropped over top rope,
landing on his back
1 1 3 14 Shawn Michaels' superkick
2 1 0 13 Bret Hart's Sharpshooter
2 1 0 13 Booker T's Harlem Hangover
1 2 1 13 Hayabusa's Shooting Star Press
1 2 0 11 2 Cold Scorpio's moonsault into a leg drop
2 0 0 10 Rey Misterio Jr.'s huracarana
1 1 1 10 Sandman's bump from table in ring pushed over the
top rope
1 1 0 8 Scott Steiner's Frankensteiner
1 1 0 8 Chapparita Asari's Sky Twister press
0 2 1 8 Rey Misterio's planchas
0 2 1 8 Barry Horowitz' cradle suplex
1 0 1 7 Pitbulls' Superbomb
0 2 0 6 Hakushi's moonsault
1 0 0 5 Smoking Gunn's double team finisher
1 0 0 5 Shawn Michaels' ladder bump
1 0 0 5 Rey Misterio Jr.'s top rope Frankensteiner
1 0 0 5 Psicosis' 1 and a 1/2 into a senton
1 0 0 5 Hakushi's handspring elbow
1 0 0 5 Eddy Guerrero's plancha
1 0 0 5 Diamond Dallas Page's Diamond Cutter
1 0 0 5 Chris Benoit's power bomb off the top ropes on Sabu
through a table
1 0 0 5 Big Van Vader's moonsault
1 0 0 5 Akira Hokuto's Northern Lights suplex
1 0 0 5 Akira Hokuto's Northern Lights Bomb
1 0 0 5 1-2-3 Kid's spinning kick
0 1 1 5 Jean Pierre Lafitte's missed somersault tope
0 1 1 5 Diesel's powerbomb
0 0 2 4 Eddy Guerrero's Frog Splash
0 1 0 3 Rey Misterio Jr.'s springboard into a 1 1/2 Thesz press
0 1 0 3 Razor Ramon's turn around slap
0 1 0 3 Paul Orndorff's piledriver
0 1 0 3 Jushin Liger's Fisherman Buster suplex
0 1 0 3 Jean Pierre Lafitte's Le Cannonball
0 1 0 3 Hunter Hearst Helmsley's Pedigree
0 1 0 3 Hakushi's flying kick
0 1 0 3 Dean Malenko's Tiger Driver
0 0 1 2 Sandman's legdrop from the rafters
0 0 1 2 Rocco Rock's Drive-By
0 0 1 2 Ric Flair's Figure Four Leglock
0 0 1 2 Mitsuhara Misawa's forearm (elbow)
0 0 1 2 Manami Toyota's Ocean Cyclone Suplex
0 0 1 2 Jean Pierre Lafitte's somersault tope
0 0 1 2 Giant's choke slam
0 0 1 2 Dean Malenko's belly-to-belly suplex with bridge
0 0 1 2 Cannonball sommersault plancha
0 0 1 2 Bret Hart's leg-sweep neckbreaker
0 0 1 2 Bob Backlund's Cross Face Chicken Wing
0 0 1 2 911's chokeslam
0 0 1 2 1-2-3 Kid's moonsault
TREVOR BARRIE: How could Chris Benoit's dragon suplex possibly not
have made the nominations list? I've gotta remember to check that
thing next year...
STEVE BLACK: There were a lot of moves that could have qualified here,
but since I have to limit myself to three...*sigh* The best one is Scorpio's
Tumbleweed, the twisting legdrop. You cannot possibly do that move and
make it look weak. And Scorpio is better than anyone else can even begin
to be. Second is Guerrero's swinging DDT. I'm amazed he doesn't kill
somebody with that every now and again...and he never misses, either.
That may be even more amazing, quite honestly. I had so many possibles
here for the third spot, the Taz-plex, Benoit's full nelson suplex,
Manami Toyota's Ocean Cyclone Suplex...but after Nitro a few week's ago,
I've GOT to take Benoit's powerbomb. I mean, I've seen Vader do shit
powerbombs, I've seen Sid *specialize* in them, and here's a guy half
their size just *maiming* people with it. WOW.
OTTO HEUER: For the past three years it's been someone's moonsault. This
year I'm voting for Sabu's moonsault.
HERB KUNZE: I always pick moves that nobody else does. Others seem to
go for spectacular spots that are incredibly dangerous, while I tend to
pick spectacular things that aren't dangerous. This year, I picked
Akira Hokuto's Northern Lights Bomb first, Jushin Liger's Fisherman
Buster suplex second, and Mitsuhara Misawa's forearm smash ("elbow!")
for third because those movee are tremendously over with me and the
Japanese audience.
TOM O'CONNOR: This Sabu guy is TOTALLY INSANE. The first time I saw
him do a table, I was shocked/in awe. A maniac!
JASON ROBAR: Booker T's Harlem Hangover is unbelievable. For those of
you who are wondering, I haven't seen Bull's version. But I still can't
believe that Booker T is able to pull it off given his size and the natural
stereotypes associated with power-type wrestlers. Next is Hakushi's
Space Flying Tiger Drop, which defies 90% of all physical laws. :) He
doesn't hit it completely all the time, so that's why it's below the
Hangover. However, it's still impressive enough to garner second.
Third is Chris Benoit's power bomb. It was the year of the power bomb,
to say the least. It seems like everybody added it to their reportoire.
But Benoit's looks that much more impressive, because of it's delivery,
and the fact that Benoit is not the largest of men.
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