2018 RealGM Pro Wrestling Awards

[Spens1]

I did one two years ago, may have forgotten last year but here we are:

Wrestler of the year - as in the poll, 9 options + other. If other state who in the comments
Most outstanding wrestler - Focused more on the in ring output moreso than wrestler of the year which is the complete package.
Feud of the Year - self explanatory, best feud this year from any promotion
Tag Team of the Year - again, best tag team from any promotion
Most improved wrestler - most improved wrestler for the year from any promotion (overall, as a complete package)
Best on Interviews - Best wrestler on the mic from any promotion
Most Charismatic - Most charismatic wrestler from any promotion
Best Technical Wrestler - Best technical wrestler from any promotion
Best Brawler - Best brawler from any promotion
Best High-Flyer/Luchador - Best high flying wrestler/luchador for the year
Most Underrated - Most underrated/underappreciated wrestler from any promotion in your mind
Promotion of the Year - the promotion your felt had the best year as a company and as a product
Best TV Show - The best wrestling TV show for the entire year (from january)
Match of the Year - Best match for the year
Rookie of the Year - Best first year wrestler (meaning wrestler who made their wrestling debut, not just debuting in a company)
Best Non-Wrestler - Best individual who isn't a wrestler (i.e. managers, authority figures)
Best Commentator - Best commentator from any promotion
Best Major Wrestling Show - Best wrestling show overall (so the best individual show, that includes PPV's and specials, from any promotion)
Best Booker - Best booker of any promotion for the year
Promoter of the Year - Best promoter/manager from any promotion for the year
Best Gimmick - act with the best gimmick for the year

Worst Commentator - Worst commentator from any promotion
Most Overrated - Most overrated wrestler in your mind from any promotion
Worst Major Wrestling Show - Worst wrestling show overall (worst individual show including PPV's or specials)
Most Disgusting Promotional Tactic - So most tasteless, tactless disgusting tactic a promotion has used
Worst Television Show - Worst wrestling TV show for the year from any promotion
Worst Match of the Year - Worst wrestling match of the year from any promotion
Worst Feud of the year - Worst feud from any promotion for the year
Worst Promotion of the Year - The promotion you feel has performed the worst out of any promotion
Worst Gimmick - Act with the worst gimmick of the year

[Spens1]

Wrestler of the year - Kenny Omega (Overall, he's been damn good this year and done a fair bit, negativity around his IWGP title run aside, he's been really good).

Most outstanding wrestler - Kazuchika Okada (His performances in the first half of the year and even into the 2nd were still really good, he made stars out of Sanada and ZSJ and they could be in the main event tomorrow if New Japan wanted it).

Feud of the Year - Johnny Gargano vs Tommaso Ciampa (I mean, i can't thing of any other one that comes close)

Tag Team of the Year - LAX - Ortiz & Santana (This is probably an unconventional pick but they've been so good and honestly the tag team division from most of the other promotions, bar Impact and ROH, have been incredibly weak).

Most improved wrestler - Velveteen Dream (I was going to say the Miz but Velveteen Dream has gone from relatively forgotten wrestler and jobber to the stars to legit NXT main eventer and possibly the most over act on the NXT roster).

Best on Interviews - Juice Robinson (he's just way too much fun honestly on the mic and backstage, his backstage comments have been must watch in my opinion at least).

Most Charismatic - (if this was only the 2nd half, Becky Lynch would win, but alas since this is the entire year

Best Technical Wrestler - Zach Sabre Jr (not even close on this one, i love Daniel Bryan but he hasn't really been wrestling the chain style ZSJ has been).

Best Brawler - Tomohiro Ishii (The man was the MVP of G1 and despite not having any major titles in New Japan definitely was one of the top 5 wrestlers this year for them).

Best High-Flyer/Luchador - Will Ospreay (this year has been the year he's put it all together and is now on his way to stardom, he's become the complete package, for me there was always one or two things missing from him, but with his work as Jr Heavyweight Champ and now in his transition up to heavyweight, i think he's going to be an absolute star for new japan next year).

Most Underrated - Tomohiro Ishii (Its either him or Ibushi this year, the two ought to have been at least in the IC title scene given how damn good they both were this year, Ishii deserves a run with a major IWGP belt, if not the world title at least give him a lengthy Intercontinental title run).

Promotion of the Year - MLW (honestly its weird saying that but they've gone from strength to strength, its been down years for both WWE and New Japan, ROH TV continues to remain rather poor, its really close between them and Impact but MLW takes the edge for sligthly better TV).

Best TV Show - NXT (This year has been the return of good NXT television for the first time since before Balor came in as champ, a lot of the time it was always a case of miss the tv tapings because nothing really happens and then watch the takeovers and be amazed, now the tv has matched the takeovers) HM: MLW Fusion & Impact Wrestling (Both of them have been amazing to watch and I wouldn't be shocked if they win the actual observer award).

Match of the Year - Kenny Omega vs Kazuchika Okada - Dominion 2018 (And its not particuarly close, that 2/3 falls match is probably the best match i've seen, it had everything, technique, hard hitting action, drama, i could not ask more for a match)

Rookie of the Year - Ronda Rousey (No contest, maybe the best debut year of any wrestler since Kurt Angle).

Best Non-Wrestler - William Regal (I can't think of anyone else, its either him or Taka and as good as Taka has been as a mouthpiece for ZSJ i can't ignore Regal's work).

Best Commentator - Kevin Kelly (Honourable mention to Mauro Ranallo but Kevin Kelly has come leaps and bounds and has become a really good play by play for new japan, sure he can be a bit annoying at times with the massive face bias, usually though that is to counteract Don Callis and his over the top favouritism towards the heels).

Best Major Wrestling Show - Dominion (What a card top to bottom, the last three especially, Hiromu winning the title from Ospreay in an absolute crazy match, Jericho tearing apart Naito and then that main event which has to be one of the best of all time, even the other matches on this card were really good like the Tag team title match, NEVER openweight title match etc).

Best Booker - Don Callis (I cannot underplay the turnaround of Impact wrestling to becoming one of the best promotions in the world from nearly going broke again and slowly but surely removing the stigma away from this cursed brand after about a decade of massive mismanagement).

Promoter of the Year - Court Bauer (MLW this year, from nothing basically has become the #4 in the U.S, its crazy how good this show is and its relatively low budget and the roster on paper isn't the best, still though they've made stars out of Shane Strickland and brought back guys like Low Ki, i'd argue their promotion is light years ahead of everyone else's).

Best Gimmick - Velveteen Dream (This guy has been incredible)

Worst Commentator - Micheal Cole (I don't care how good he is on network specials, his stuff on raw is horrible and he actively makes the product worse, i'll go out on a limb even, Cole with Vince in his ear, given the time he has spent in this industry, is the worst commentator of all time)


Most Overrated - Randy Orton (never has anyone coasted through a career the way he has in the last 5 years, its just sad at this point how much he doesn't care). HM: Roman Reigns (I don't want to rag on the guy given his illness but in terms of in ring performance, he's got worse as the year on, his mic work didn't improve and he was no where near FOTC material, hell i'd argue he wasn't even main event quality).

Worst Major Wrestling Show - WWE Crown Jewel (Isn't it obvious, this show was horrific).


Most Disgusting Promotional Tactic - The entire Saudi Arabia affair (From Hogan coming back, then


Worst Television Show - WWE Raw (painful to watch most nights, especially towards the end of the year)


Worst Match of the Year - Brothers of Destruction vs DX (everyone besides Michaels looked horrible, Micheals who hasn't wrestled in like 10 years looked passable still)


Worst Feud of the year - Sami Zayn vs Bobby Lashley (why was this feud a thing, just why).


Worst Promotion of the Year - WWE (from a product perspective, NXT aside, the main roster is about as bad as its ever been)


Worst Gimmick - Constable Corbin (Good god what a nightmare this was)

[jakecronus8]

Wrestler of the year - Becky Lynch. The hottest act in the company by far and the most stone cold esque rise we've seen since the Rattlesnake. Went from an after thought to the likely Wrestlemania main event.

Most outstanding wrestler -
Gargano- Involved in some of the best matches in company history this year.

Feud of the Year - Vince Mcmahon vs Conventional Booking Wisdom. J/K. Gargano/Ciampa. This should be a clean sweep.

Tag Team of the Year -
The Usos: They've had a career resurgence with the character change. Love the current incantation as baby faces. Most of the best gimmicks are extensions of guys real life personalities. Get that sense here.

Most improved wrestler - Aleister Black: For me he went from ok guy with a unique look to someone that really mastered the effectiveness of his character.

Best on Interviews - Since I can't vote Heyman I'm going with the Miz. Not only is he great at getting his message across but typically those who work opposite him look better afterwards.

Most Charismatic - Shinsuke Nakamura: I know he's had a rough year but he oozes charisma as much as anyone this side of Flair or Rock.

Best Technical Wrestler - Danie Bryan: Look no further than his match with Lesnar. So good from a technical stand point that you bought him as a viable contender.

Best Brawler - I just can't vote for this category. Brawling is so boring that it's essentially not a skill to me.

Best High-Flyer/Luchador - Ricochet: in regards to his capabilities he's already the best ever. I think he's gotta learn how to scale it back a bit to make them more impactful.

Most Underrated: Sasha Banks: in my eyes she's as good as any female they have. She's just miscast as a baby face at this point. Heel Sasha in NXT had female GOAT potential. She's super young and can still get there. Right now her character and spot may be victims of her own awesome merchandise sales to be honest.

Promotion of the Year - NXT

Best TV Show - Smackdown Live

Match of the Year - Gargano/Almas

Rookie of the Year - Ronda Rousey
Possibly the most hyped person to ever debut in WWE and consistently delivered. Possibly the best rookie year of all time.

Best Non-Wrestler - Mauro Ranallo. So much of the hype for those great nxt matches is due to Mauro. If you disagree, try picturing them with Michael Cole. See what I mean. Also f*ck JBL hard.

Best Commentator - See above

Best Major Wrestling Show - Takeover Brooklyn

Best Booker - Haitch (nxt)

Best Gimmick - Elias
Another example of a guy who makes the absolute most with what appears on the surface to be a crap gimmick. Not thrilled about him as a face.

Worst Commentator - Michael Cole. Just distracts from the action rather than enhancing it

Most Overrated - Randy Orton. Many talk about him being such a great ring worker but he's just straight up boring and always has been.

Worst Major Wrestling Show - RAW

Most Disgusting Promotional Tactic can't think of anything egregious off the top of my head but they already have used Roman's leukemia enough to make me shake my head.

Worst Television Show - See above

Worst Match of the Year - DX vs Brothers of Destruction. Just sad really.

Worst Feud of the year - Sami Zayn vs Bobby Lashley. Instantaneous go away heat.

Worst Gimmick - Constable Corbin

[improper]

Wrestler of the year - Writing in Ciampa, who really should have been on that poll to begin with, as he's been in multiple five star matches with Gargano and put on a MOTY candidate with Dream as well. Not only that, but he was the best heel in the entirety of WWE this year.

Most outstanding wrestler - Johnny Gargano. The man is a five star match machine, and his in-ring work is damn near flawless every time.

Feud of the Year - Obviously this is going to be Gargano/Ciampa.

Tag Team of the Year - The Undisputed Era. Every match with them, regardless of whether Strong or Fish is in there, is must-see.

Most improved wrestler - Becky Lynch. She completely reinvented herself overnight.

Best on Interviews - Samoa Joe. The man may never win matches, but holy hell can he eviscerate someone with a weaponized promo.

Most Charismatic - Gotta give this one to Becky Lynch for 2018, because she was able to make herself the most over wrestler in the entirety of WWE, and you don't do that without charisma. Just ask Roman Reigns.

Best Technical Wrestler - Kyle O'Reilly. Love to watch O'Reilly work. He's one of the best in the world as a technician.

Best Brawler - Ishii. Couldn't think of one myself but saw someone else mentioned him so I'll go with it, as he's always fun to watch.

Best High-Flyer/Luchador - Ricochet

Most Underrated - Kyle O'Reilly. He can't really cut much of a promo, but his body language is second to none and he's fantastic in the ring.

Promotion of the Year - NXT, mostly because I don't watch enough of anything else and I'm sure as hell not voting main roster WWE.

Best TV Show - NXT

Match of the Year - Gargano/Ciampa, Unsanctioned Match, Takeover: New Orleans. This match had everything. Awesome action, great character work, and an incredible final stretch with a pitch-perfect ending.

Rookie of the Year - Rousey. Wish I could give it to Baszler, but she started a few years before her NXT debut.

Best Non-Wrestler - Regal. He's what I like in a wrestling authority figure. He only shows up when he's needed and his decisions make sense in kayfabe.

Best Commentator - Matt Striker. Always enjoy his Lucha Underground commentary, and he has the perfect combination of a voice that isn't annoying coupled with good calling of the in-ring action. I know he's not as good live, but on taped shows he kills it.

Best Major Wrestling Show - Takeover: New Orleans. It has my MOTY along with another of my top five (the US Title ladder match) and another in my top twenty (Black/Almas).

Best Booker - Whoever books NXT.

Promoter of the Year - Triple H

Best Gimmick - Velveteen Dream.

Worst Commentator - Michael Cole, then, now, forever.

Most Overrated - Roman Reigns. Dude was pushed to the moon for five straight years and somehow actually seemed to get worse in the ring over that stretch, never improved even a bit on the mic, and never developed his character at all.

Worst Major Wrestling Show - Wrestlemania 34. A seven hour show that had about three good matches and peaked two hours in. The entire last two hours, basically everything after the mixed tag with Rousey and Angle, was hot garbage, including one of the worst 'Mania main events since the one Reigns was in the year before.

Most Disgusting Promotional Tactic - Well, this is obviously WWE continuing with the Saudi show after the journalist was tortured to death in a Saudi consulate, right?

Worst Television Show - Raw, and it's probably not particularly close.

Worst Match of the Year - Reigns/Lesnar, 'Mania 34. This wasn't actually the worst match of the year, but when you couple the fact that it was a title match and the main event of WWE's biggest show of the year with the actual in-ring action being piss-poor, I think it deserves the nod over some slightly worse but far less important matches.

Worst Feud of the year - Reigns/Mahal, the feud no one wanted that was every bit as awful and tone deaf as we all expected it would be.

Worst Promotion of the Year - WWE, especially the Raw half.

Worst Gimmick - Bobby Lashley, both as the generic smiling black man and his current butt-smacking incarnation. It's almost respectable how thoroughly they've ruined Lashley in such a short period of time after his awesome Walking Armageddon gimmick with Impact.

[Spens1]

Only reason I didn't put in Ciampa is because he'd take exception to being called a wrestler