January 14, 2020
By Ryan Porzl
With another year wrapped up, it's time for me to do my year end awards for pro wrestling. As is usually the case, these are my opinions and mine alone.
American Wrestling
Wrestler of the Year: Sami Callihan (Impact and MLW)- An easy pick. Callihan has been one of the straws that stir Impact's drink. No matter if he's doing segments, promos, or matches, he usually steals the show and he proved that this year from his rivalries with Rich Swann to Tessa Blanchard to Brian Cage. How many times has his matches stolen the show at an event be it with Swann at Rebellion or Blanchard at Slammiversary? How many segments or promos have been the most memorable on a show such as him crashing Brian Cage and Melissa Santos' wedding? Along with Impact, Callihan also had some memorable moments in MLW feuding with Promociones Dorado, his match with LA Park, and his loser leaves street fight with Mance Warner. Callihan is also someone you got to appreciate as he still tries to stay in character and act like an obnoxious, villanous scumbag on camera and social media which is dedication in 2019. Also, storyline or not, anybody who spits on Jim Cornette in 2019 gains some points. From a storyline standpoint, Callihan held the Impact World Championship and was runner up in MLW's Battle Riot.
Woman Wrestler of the Year: Tessa Blanchard (Impact and WoW)- This was another no-brainer. I did consider Becky Lynch but poor booking on WWE's part hurt her. Tessa was one of the best talents this year regardless if she was facing other women or men. Tessa had a rollercoaster 2019 starting as Knockouts Champion in Impact and WoW World Champion in Women of Wrestling before making the transition to facing men like Chyna 20 years before. With other women, Tessa had several great matches including against Taya, the one and done Gail Kim, and Serpentine (Thunder Rosa/Kobra Moon). A testament to her is the fact that I normally am not a fan of intergender matches but Tessa has done very well and Impact's booking has been careful not to make it look ridiculous. She's looked good against opponents like Jake Crist while looking like a believable underdog against the likes of Madman Fulton. She also comes off well because she's not only very talented but shows great heart and intensity. Someone who doesn't back down from a challenge no matter how difficult the challenge is. She also plays both alignments great. Like her father, she's a great heel who can get on your nerves and does a great job playing a spoiled, entitled brat. As a babyface, she plays the "never say die" character well and is someone you want to root for. From a storyline standpoint, Tessa held the Impact Knockouts Championship and the WoW Championship.
Tag Team of the Year: The North (Impact)- The North are another team in Impact's history that has it all. Ethan Page and Josh Alexander are already great individuals but they work very well as a team as they gel very well and have smooth double team moves. The North are one of those teams that are like past Impact teams like America's Most Wanted or Beer Money Inc. in that they could work with anyone in any decade. They feel timeless. They also had great matches against the likes of LAX and Rich Swann and Willie Mack to name some. Along with being great wrestlers, they both have good personalities and work off each other with Alexander being more intense while Page can be more scheming or show a goofier personality. From a storyline standpoint, The North held the Impact World Tag Team Championship.
Best Fan Favorite: Cody (AEW)- I couldn't think of anyone else so I went with Cody. That's not to take anything away as Cody is a great fan favorite and someone who you can definitely get behind but he's the first that came to mind. As mention, Cody is someone you can easily get behind which is key for a fan favorite and he can cut great fiery promos that you expect a fan favorite to pull off and he's great with never say die moments. His recent stuff with MJF and the tag team of The Butcher and The Blade are very well done and he does a great job rallying the fans and never giving up no matter the odds.
Best Villain: MJF (AEW and MLW)- I don't know if it's close this year. There have been some great villain wrestlers but MJF was in a class all by himself. He plays the young, cocky, jerkoff to a T and knows how to get fans to not only boo him but throw drinks at him which isn't common in 2019. In a way, he reminds me of 80s star Gino Hernandez, a young, arrogant punk who flaunted the best in life and can get fans angered. MJF has especially been shining since beginning his rivalry with Cody in AEW in November. The sky is the limit for him in 2020 and beyond.
Best Match of the Year: Brian Cage vs. Michael Elgin (Impact Slammiversary 7/7)- This match had everything that you could want. It had a good story leading to it with Elgin debuting by attacking Cage right after he won the World Championship at Rebellion. This had a clash of the titans type story as you have a brick shithouse superhero for a champion taking on a tank in his own right who's a threat to his title reign and someone who makes the hero look human. This match featured a bit of everything from good wrestling to power to even agility and flying which is incredibly impressive given how big Cage and Elgin are. The story was also well told of Elgin having the match won but focusing more on inflicting punishment which proves to be his downfall as Cage squeaks by with a victory. Even in defeat Elgin looked like a threat as Cage didn't come off a winner but a survivor. I couldn't find a flaw in the match as it had a lot going into it and delivered.
Best Brawler: Shane Taylor (ROH)- I haven't see much ROH in 2019 but I always loved what I saw from Taylor. Though the guy is capable of pulling off insane moves for a man his size like Canadian Destroyers, his strikes are good and he's comes off like a tough son of a bitch. Everything from punches to headbutts to forearms to knees, everything looks brutal and he's either trying to knock you out or knock your head off.
Best Flyer: Zenshi (MLW)- There's some great fliers in wrestling today like Fenix and Ricochet but I picked Zenshi as the dude is insane with what he can pull. His flying is not only great but his balance an flexibility are as well. He can do 450 splashes from the bottom turnbuckle and 630 splashes on the middle turnbuckle. Perhaps his most impressive is nailing a van terminator from the other side of the ring.
Best Talker: Eli Drake (NWA)- Drake has been one of wrestling's best talkers for a long time and he wins this award again. The guy is silver tongued and smooth on the mic. When he talks, we listen. I'm sure I said this before but he's one of those guys who you could put with the best talkers of all time and he can hold his own. He's one of those guys you can send out to cut a long promo and he can make it work.
Most Improved: Rich Swann (Impact)- Rich Swann has always been a great talent but felt like he would be best as a X Division or Tag Team wrestler. However, he proved in 2019 that he can hang with the main eventers. He looked great in his rivalries with Sami Callihan and Johnny Impact which also elevated his profile but he really shined in his two matches with Michael Elgin and his performance in the gauntlet showing a great never say die babyface personality. Before 2019, I wouldn't have thought of Swann as World Champion material but this year showed me he possibly could.
Comeback of the Year: Jon Moxley (AEW)- These past few years haven't been kind for the former Dean Ambrose as he missed most of 2018 with a torn tricep and then saw a heel run with excellent potential get flushed down the toilet due to WWE's hokey garbage. By the beginning of 2019, it was clear Moxley was on his way out and wasn't given much during his last months besides tiring Shield reunions. Like Freddie Mercury, he wanted to break free and finally did when he left the WWE and since then, he hasn't looked back. Moxley has been one of the brightest parts of AEW and a great addition to the promotion be it in the ring or personality. You can also tell he's got that fire back in his belly and determination to prove something.
Best Feud of the Year: Sami Callihan vs. Tessa Blanchard (Impact)- Normally, I'm not a fan of intergender stuff but Callihan and Tessa were able to make it work and it's a testament to their talents. Even though she's a great heel like her legendary dad, Tessa really showed she can play a great babyface. She not only has the never say die attitude but she plays a great talented underdog who you can't help but rally behind. Callihan continues to shine as a scumbag villain who's not likeable at all. The story has been well told with Callihan and the rest of oVe finding ways to screw Tessa over with Callihan beating her twice by cheating while oVe prevented her from winning the X Division Championship at Bound For Glory but Tessa always coming back for more and refusing to quit. The feud also ended the year on a high note with a chaotic brawl in New York. Along with it being a good story, the feud also succeeds in walking a fine line as intergender rivalries and matches can be tough to book given the size and strength difference but both are very talented and pull it off very well.
Debut/Return of the Year: Michael Elgin (Impact)- Elgin is definitely a game changer for Impact. He's been one of the best wrestlers, specifically big man wrestlers, for years and has proven that in Impact with his "Clash of the Titans" feud with Brian Cage to his show stealing matches with Rich Swann to name some. Elgin coming in also gives Impact a fresh upper midcard wrestler with potential to break out in the main event. Elgin's run has so much potential and that along with what he's already accomplished is why he gets the award.
Most Underrated: Drew McIntyre (WWE)- When you look at Drew McIntyre, you should think main eventer with the potential to be a Wrestlemania main eventer. Unfortunately, WWE didn't scratch the surface with McIntyre in 2019. While he did get a feud with Reigns and a Wrestlemania match with him, it didn't do much for McIntyre and then he was wasted for months afterwards as a stooge for Shane McMahon. It's unbelievable how someone who could be a world champion was saddled as the sidekick to the boss' son. While McIntyre did miss some of the latter part of the year due to injury, it's still inexcusable for such a talent to have a blur of a year but I expect nothing less from a promotion that can fuck the unfuckable.
Best Announcer: Excalibur (AEW)- I did contemplate giving the award to Don Callis a second year in row before deciding on Excalibur. Say what you will about his mask or him using his wrestling name when he's not a huge star but Excalibur is really good at his job. He's knowledgable, knows the moves, and I think compliments Jim Ross and Tony Schiavone on commentary providing some new blood and perhaps a different point of view from them. Excalibur also shows he's good to the point where he can carry an announce team as seen on AEW Dark where he's joined by a different person each week and many of which aren't experienced on commentary.
Best Non-Wrestler: James Mitchell (Impact)- I did consider Salina de la Renta again but Mitchell shined and had a great year this year while being a great asset. Mitchell has always been a great personality but he did great this year as he advanced angles including Rosemary/Su Yung and the return of Havok as he's a great mouthpieces to wrestlers like Su and Havok who are two talents who's characters don't normally speak and he had great chemistry going back and forth with Rosemary. In other words, he was what a great manager is: someone who helps advance stories, serves as a good mouthpiece, and doesn't take away from the wrestlers.
Best Gimmick: Luchasaurus/Dinosaur Luchadaor (AEW)- Again, another obvious choice. A luchador and a dinosaur is another awesome combination. How can you not like it? Seriously though, Luchasaurus has a cool look and name. He reminds me of a AEW version of The Undertaker, an agile, big man with a goofy gimmick that works.
Best Promotion: Impact Wrestling- Yeah, it's no surprise that Impact wins again. To be fair, there was some competition this year but I felt MLW didn't have as good a year they did in 2018 and AEW didn't start full time until October. After a very good 2018, Impact continued into 2019 with great rivalries and storylines that were some of the best in the business including Cage/Elgin, Callihan/Tessa, etc. We also saw many classics including the Cage/Elgin match at Slammiversary to Gail passing the torch to Tessa at Rebellion to the wars between LAX and The Lucha Bros. Impact also got on AXS TV by the fall giving them perhaps their best TV deal in years. The tag division continued to remain strong despite the departures of The Lucha Bros and LAX with teams like The North, oVe, Rich Swann and Willie Mack, Desi Hit Squad, the returning Reno SCUM, The Deaners, and The Rascalz. They also had perhaps their strongest Knockouts division in years despite the departure of Allie as we saw the return of Rosemary from injury, Madison Rayne and Havok made returns to the promotion, the signing of Tenille Dashwood, the rise of up and comers like Jordynne Grace and Kiera Hogan, and the continued presence of Taya Valkyrie, Tessa Blanchard, Su Yung, and Alisha Edwards. The promotion also beefed up it's roster by bringing in a variety of talent including up and comers with lots of potential like Ace Austin, Josh Alexander, Acey Romero, Larry D., and Madman Fulton to name some while also bringing in established names like Michael Elgin, Rob Van Dam, and Rhino which complimented current stars like Sami Callihan, Moose, Rich Swann, Willie Mack, and Eddie Edwards. They did have some downsides this year having spent most of the year being on a dead channel known as Pursuit and World Champion Brian Cage missed half the year due to injuries leaving Impact with an inactive world champion. Still, the good easily outweighed the bad as they continue to regain fans lost during the down years and their shows have gotten more praise.
Worst Wrestler of the Year: Seth Rollins (WWE)- This one is a sad choice. For the most part, I'm a Seth Rollins fan and have been for years. I supported WWE's decision for him to win the Royal Rumble and to beat Brock Lesnar at Wrestlemania and Summerslam. That being said, it's clear the Rollins experiment didn't work. Other than his sprints with Lesnar, Rollins didn't have a single match that was considered great or fun despite being put with talented guys like Baron Corbin and Bray Wyatt. His feud with Corbin was a colossal disappointment and went too long while his feud with Wyatt was atrocious. I don't know if it's bad booking or past injuries but his matches have gotten dull and boring. While Rollins was never a great talker, his promos have also been forgettable and lousy. Rollins has been given the ball as the face of RAW but has fumbled time and time again. It's shocking to see how a once great talent crashed and burned so much.
Worst Woman Wrestler of the Year: Charlotte Flair (WWE)- I don't get it. I know people love Ric Flair but they have no problem admitting his son David was an inferior sequel. That said, why can't they admit the same for Charlotte? I just don't see what's the big deal with Charlotte other than she's Flair's daughter and has the WWE Marketing Machine behind her. As a talent, she's not that good with her moonsaults to the outside usually missing, he chops aren't that good, and her knee drops to legs look like she's driving her shin into the leg. Her promo work is bad as she can't talk and her delivery is absolutely atrocious like Stephanie McMahon level bad. I don't find her charismatic. She's a cosplayer as she imitates her father and other than her Queen nickname has nothing that's hers. She wasn't in one match I thought was good and I thought she dragged down the main event of Wrestlemania as she added nothing to it and stuck out like a sore thumb. Even worse is that WWE not only continues to push her but they seem to want her to reach 16 Women's Titles (the same amount of World Titles WWE claims Ric Flair held) so they pad her record with these blink and you'll miss reigns.
Worst Tag Team of the Year: The New Day (WWE)- What more can I say that I haven't said all these years? The same issues over the years is why The New Day again get this award. They're incredibly annoying and despite being fan favorites, I just want to see them get their asses kicked. They're not entertaining on the mic with their unfunny humor and monologues and their matches aren't memorable with Big E. in particular seemingly doing the same sequence in every match. If they still weren't pushed as a top team, maybe they be a little tolerable but are now seven time tag team champions. Teams like The Bushwhackers were annoying but at least they were a kiddie act and not a major team. Here, you have an act that makes you embarrassed to be a fan as a top act. Even if you are a fan of them, you have to agree the act has gotten stale. Same intro, same dancing and pancake throwing, same matches, same comedy. Rinse, lather, repeat. After five years, this act is not only annoying but tiresome.
Worst Match of the Year: Seth Rollins vs. "The Fiend" Bray Wyatt (WWE Hell In A Cell, 10/6)- While they're have been some disasters this year, was there a bigger train wreck than this? This match was a terrible disaster in every way imaginable. For one, the match was held under a red light which has been something many people hate. I personality didn't have issue with it the first time but it was something that should've been stopped especially when fans at the building have a hard time watching the action. Another issue was the story told as Wyatt no sold everything Rollins did to him which is fine for a short match not for a near 20 minute match but it was also made worse with Rollins spamming his signature moves. You can tell a story of an indestructible wrestler no selling stuff as Kane and Mankind did it at Survivor Series 1997 but Mankind didn't do the same moves over and over and over again like Rollins who did his curb stomp nearly 10 times in a row. Finally, the finish was a disaster as it went to a no contest. Keep in mind, this was a Hell in a Cell, the same structure which has nicknames like "Satan's Structure" and "The Devil's Favorite Playground". This is a match which has seen it's share of chaos and Mankind put his life on the line at King of the Ring 1998. Yet, because Rollins was going to use a sledgehammer (a weapon used many times in WWE for the past 2 decades), that was enough to stop the match. It was a cop out finish that saw fans everywhere hate it while the audience chanted stuff like "Bullshit", "Refund", "Restart The Match", and "AEW". Other than constructing the blueprint on how not to do a Hell in a Cell, there wasn't a single good thing to come out of here.
Worst Feud of the Year: The Miz vs. Shane McMahon (WWE)- What do you get when you have a decent wrestler who is not only getting older but gave up long ago not only have to feud with the boss' near 50 year old son but lose every encounter? Why, you get the Worst Feud of the Year. I don't even know where to begin with this one. I guess I'll start with Miz and the fact that he's never been a great wrestler or performer but by 2019, he's clearly become one of those wrestlers who stopped caring and is only trying to collect as much money as possible before retirement. He knows he's not going back to the WWE Championship or the main event of Wrestlemania and is pushing 40 so why should he try? Then you have Shane who is not only over the hill but not even a wrestler and a McMahon which is bad as the entire McMahon family needed to get off television a decade ago. This feud failed everywhere as I didn't support Miz or want to get behind him and I definitely didn't want to see his dad get involved. So Miz failed as a fan favorite. Shane was terrible in the villain role and I had no desire to see him or see him get comeuppance. I just wanted him off TV. The matches were nothing to write home about and it's laughable how a non wrestler like Shane can match up with a former WWE Champion but that's the McMahons for you. Perhaps to make matters worse, Shane won all the matches. Why put an over the hill non wrestler over a full time wrestler? What did WWE gain from it? It didn't help Miz and it didn't make Shane's future feuds with Kevin Owens any better. It just came off like an ego trip. Say what you will about nepotism in wrestling but at least the kids of promoters are typically full time wrestlers unlike Shane and Stephanie.
Most Overrated: Kofi Kingston (WWE) and Shayna Baszler (NXT) (tie)- Kingston and his push personifies the thought process in modern wrestling with the thought being that anyone can be a main eventer or should be world champion if there in a promotion long enough but the reality is that's not the case. To be fair, Kingston is a solid talent and by no means am I saying he's bad but he's decent at best and not amazing. In fact, when you look at Kingston, there is nothing amazing. He's a solid wrestler but not a great one, he's a mediocre talker, he doesn't have a superstar look, and doesn't have rock star charisma. On a scale of 1-10, there's nothing that's a 10 or close. He's great to have as a midcard/tag team wrestler but just doesn't have that "it" factor. I also don't believe the "Kofi Mania" stuff was real as it was mostly astroturf as the WWE took some fans support and tried to pass it off as some phenomenon. It also feels like he only got a push because he's the first black WWE Champion (Rock is half Samoan) and WWE has long been accused of being racist so it felt like it was to shut up the racial accusations. Problem with that is if WWE wanted a black WWE Champion, they had Bobby Lashley who is World Title material or wait till Keith Lee is ready. Kingston as WWE Champion was an epic fail for many reasons. If you ask his supporters why he should've been champion, the best answer they could give wasn't that he was a megastar or one of the best wrestlers but because "he deserved it" and was there for 11 years. If we're going with that lousy logic then they probably thought The Brooklyn Brawler should've been WWE Champion. Along with not having a good reason for him to be champion, Kingston failed to deliver as the fans didn't take to his reign, he didn't have a single memorable match outside of his title win (then again, we all could have a good match with Daniel Bryan), he didn't have a memorable promo, and he looked ridiculous dressing up like a 5 year old, chucking pancakes, and wearing pigtails. He made Ron Garvin look like Ric Flair as far as credible world champion. Perhaps the best example of what a failure he was and what a bad move it was to go with him as champion, look no further than him losing the title to Brock Lesnar in a 9 second squash and then immediately being sent back to the tag team ranks without so much as a rematch. Like Pontius Pilate before them, the WWE washed their hands on this push.
Baszler is one of those who seems to benefit for having friends in high places. Given she's good friends with Ronda Rousey, I can see WWE given her a big push to keep Ronda happy just like why they hired Jessamyn Duke and Marina Shafir. Other than that, I don't get what WWE or NXT sees in Baszler. She's not that good in the ring and almost all her big matches this year were forgettable and boring. She wrestles the same match repeatedly, she has no star power, no charisma, and no mic skills. Even if you want to argue she has a legit MMA background, that doesn't make things better as she peaked a decade ago and she washed out of the UFC so it's not like WWE aquired an MMA bad ass in their prime. Worst of all, Baszler was shoved down our throats all year long holding the NXT Women's Championship for 14 months and with the exception of Kairi Sane's brief reign in Summer/Fall 2018, Baszler has been Women's Champion since April 2018. Why NXT had Baszler as their top act for most of the last year and a half, I have no idea given her limitations. On top of that, she was put in the main event of Survivor Series and won it all the while given another medicore performance. Thankfully, her stranglehold on the women's division ended in December but it still doesn't help she put the division and the fans to sleep for 95% of the year.
Worst Announcer: Mauro Ranallo (NXT)- I don't know what happened with Ranallo. His stuff with PRIDE 15 years ago was good but he's gotten more insufferable as the years have gone by and now, he's so annoying to listen to. You just want to tell him to shut up or slap him. He's extremely obnoxious to listen to, his catchphrases are annoying (especially the fucking "Mama Mia"), and he's almost a caricature of a wrestling announcer. Speaking of Mama Mia, he also gets on this list because he's the reason NXT fans will chant that. He's knowledgeable but he needs to calm down and stop calling matches like he's on a coke and caffeine binge.
Worst Non Wrestler: Shane McMahon (WWE)- Remember when Shane used to be the cool McMahon and the one without the ego? Seems like it's been eons ago when that was the case. Like his family before him, Shane has infected WWE TV for most of the year where shows and stories were based around him despite not being a wrestler and wrestlers had to lose matches to him. It doesn't also help Shane is clearly in a midlife crisis as he's pushing 50 but acts like he's still in his 20s. His promos are lousy as he sweats and stammers through them, He didn't add anything to the product as he and the evil authority gimmick are stale, and If anything, he dragged wrestlers and shows down every time he pop up. I can admit Shane used to be an entertaining character but like his father, that was 20 years ago and it ran it course as he's not only stale but become an over the top cartoon character.
Worst Gimmick: Mike Kanellis/Pussy Whipped Cuck (WWE)- Let's face it, nobody respects a guy who's balls are kept in his wife's purse and that's the case with Kanellis but we probably should've known when WWE gave him his wife's surname. During this year, Kanellis saw his WWE career continue to fall to depths not believed possible as he became the pussy whipped cuck to his wife Maria who belittled him, embarrassed him, and sent him out to get beat up regularly. Along with this, the biggest question I have is how does this benefit anyone? Kanellis is supposed to be a heel but this doesn't make me hate him and I don't feel sorry for him either so it doesn't work from a babyface standard. Kanellis could be a great hand on the roster but belittling him is killing his career, it's a waste of both parties time, and the WWE's money. It's no wonder the guy wants out of his current deal he just foolishly agreed to.
Worst Promotion: Ring of Honor- Yeah, given how much I've criticized WWE, you probably thought I go with them but I'm going with ROH. Simply put, I haven't watched much ROH but other than their co-promoted show at MSG with New Japan in April, I don't think a single good thing happened to them this year. The formation of AEW ravaged their roster as they lost The Elite (Cody, Brandi Rhodes, The Young Bucks, and "Hangman" Adam Page) as well as SCU which was devastating to their roster. They also lost their co-promotional deal with New Japan which they've been using as a crutch for years. Then you have the fact they lost all their momentum from the MSG show and by the summer, their shows were held in almost empty buildings and their TV show is like a clip show. Apparently, it may be to hype their Honor Club video on demand but it instead looks like they're so broke, they can't shoot original television. Then there was the scandals of their supportedly poor treatment towards their talent by the end of the year which only further damaged their reputation. Then you have the fact the promotion botched Matt Taven's title reign and damaged his credibility while relying on tired acts like Jay Lethal and The Briscoes. Right now, the promotion just feels like it's limping along with no way to light a spark to get going again. Even their one good thing of 2019, the MSG G1 Supercard event, didn't go well as the ROH portion of the show received negative reviews. Maybe 2020 will be a better year but 2019 was an example of everything that could go wrong.
Japanese Wrestling
Wrestler of the Year: Kenoh (NOAH)- Even though he was never given a world title in 2019 and even though there was other strong candidates like Kento Miyahara and Kaito Kiyomiya, I still think Kenoh was the best of 2019. All year, Kenoh brought it and had one great match after another from his series with Kiyomiya to his N-1 Victory over Takashi Suguira to his N-1 show stealing match with Masaaki Mochizuki. He's also fun to watch from his speed to his strikes, specifically his kicks. He's also just has a cool and bad ass aura about him which makes him someone easy to get into and get behind. He may not be the biggest guy but he won't back down from anyone. From a storyline standpoint, Kenoh won the N-1 Victory tournament.
Junior Heavyweight Wrestler of the Year: HAYATA (NOAH)- NOAH has had one of the best junior heavyweight divisions for years and HAYATA has been one of the best juniors in NOAH for a long time. HAYATA originally entered the year as part of his team with YO-HEY with the two notably having a great finals in the Global Junior Tag League against Yoshinari Ogawa and Kotaro Suzuki before branching out as a single having great matches with in the Global Junior League including his finals match with Tadasuke to his title win against Minoru Tanaka to his series with YO-HEY. HAYATA is also someone with the package as he's a fun junior with speed and great high flying but he can wrestle and do great counters so he's not just some spot monkey. From a storyline standpoint, HAYATA won the GHC Junior Heavyweight Championship and left the year as champion and also won the 2019 Global Junior League.
Best Gaijin (Foreigner): Jay White (New Japan)- I know many will go with Will Ospreay but I had to go with The Switchblade again. Simply put, White is quite impressive for a 27 year old wrestler with six years in the business as he can wrestle, show power, and speed. He's also good with psychology as seen in his Anniversary match with Ospreay when he zeroed in on the ribs. He's also a very good heel as he can get booed and the fans behind his opponent. The sky is the limit and like MJF, it's almost scary how young he is and how good he already is. The only weakness for White is he's part of Bullet Club which means his matches can feature run ins and other crap. From a storyline standpoint, White held the IWGP Heavyweight Championship and the IWGP Intercontinental Championship.
Tag Team of the Year: Violent Giants (Suwama and Shuji Ishikawa) (All Japan)- Granted, tag teams weren't that great in Japan in 2019 so this pick was easy. Violent Giants are a fun and consistent team that brought the goods all year long having great matches with The End, Jake Lee and Naoya Nomura, and Zeus and Ryoji Sai to name some. They work well as a team as Suwama and Ishikawa have great chemistry and have some good teamwork with nice double teams such as their repeated clotheslines while an opponent is on the ropes and their tower of doom. From a storyline standpoint, they entered the year as All Japan World Tag Team Champions, regained the belts, and won the 2019 Real World Tag League.
Best Match of the Year: Kota Ibushi vs. Jay White (New Japan 8/12)- I did consider giving All Japan's Kento Miyahara/KAI match from January 3rd but I settled for this. I guess I can begin by saying both guys are phenomenal talents and worked extremely well together. The crowd was into it as they wanted Ibushi to win while they hated White. Fortunately, the match had little of the Bullet Club BS which allowed the two have a great match instead of an annoying overbooked one. It had great back and forth action. White did a great job working over Ibushi's ankle and being a vicious bastard while Ibushi was great as the fiery babyface who will never quit and keeps fighting back. The finish was a bit overkill but still a great way to cap off the G1.
Comeback of the Year: Lance Archer (New Japan)- There was some competition in this category including KENTA and NOAH's Yoshinari Ogawa to name 2 but I went with Archer for a variety of reasons. One is the fact that the past two years have been tough for The American Psycho as a back injury cost him much of 2017 and his team with KES began to decline in 2018 before breaking up in 2019. This year saw Archer at a cross roads as he had back surgery two years ago, he turned 42, and his team with Davey Boy Smith Jr. was over so the question would be what was his future if he had any? It turns out quite bright as Archer saw a career resurgence in the G1 Climax and proved he still had plenty left in his tank. Another reason is his quality of work is still great. The fact he's 42, 6'6. 260 pounds, and had back surgery but still shows great agility and can do ropewalks among other things is incredible. Overall, 2019 began with Archer having an uncertain future while 2020 begins with Archer proving he still far from over.
Most Improved: Shuhei Taniguchi (NOAH)- Again, there was some competition here including All Japan's Jake Lee and Naoya Nomura and ZERO1's Towa Iwasaki. I've always been a fan of Taniguchi but 2019 saw him start to come into his own. After years as the wild brawler Maybach Taniguchi, he went back to his roots focusing on a blend of wrestling and brawling while using his real name. He now comes off like a potential main eventer and has looked good to great in all his big matches including the Misawa memorial match against Naomichi Marufuji, his tag team championship match with Kiyomiya against Go Shiozaki and Katsuhiko Nakajima, and his National Openweight Championship match against Takashi Sugiura while having a fun as hell match with Kazuyuki Fujita. Taniguchi is one of wrestling's late bloomers and at 43 seems to finally putting it all together. Hopefully 2020 will see Taniguchi continue to shine and get some singles gold at long last.
Debut/Return of the Year: KENTA (Freelancer)- KENTA is to Japan what Jon Moxley is to America: a guy who had a tough few years in WWE due to injuries and bad booking until he finally got his freedom from Titan Tower. Since his return to Japan, he's seemingly back to what he's capable of as he's had solid and well received matches and has brought someone fresh to New Japan. Especially with New Japan's NEVER Openweight Championship as they prefer that to be their "Hard Hitting/Strong Style" division, KENTA has freshen up the division that has gotten stale with Tomohiro Ishii and Hirooki Goto constantly having the belt. Like Moxley, I also feel KENTA feels he has something to prove and is showing it.
Most Underrated: Yujiro Takahashi (New Japan)- I have considered Hirooki Goto giving he seemed to get a fire under him during the G1 and towards the end of the year and I still think he's long overdue for a Heavyweight Championship reign. However, I went with Yujiro again because at least Goto is giving opportunity with title shots and tournaments. Again, I'm not saying Yujiro is someone that could be an IWGP Heavyweight Champion but he is a great hand to have. He's someone who should be in G1 Climaxs and get more title opportunities. I feel bad for him wasting his prime going nowhere. I know New Japan is number 1 in Japan and the money is probably good but I wish Yujiro would get out of New Japan and start fresh somewhere else before his prime is over. It worked for Yoshitatsu so maybe it could work for him.
Best Promotion: Pro Wrestling NOAH- After being the worst promotion last year, NOAH took a huge turn for the better and had the best year in 2019. 2019 saw NOAH go a different direction with new owners including a new GHC Heavyweight Champion and replacing the promotion signature green with white. While it could be controversial, it was NOAH's attempt to move forward which was the right mindset. The promotion also saw a successful appearance at Sumo Hall in the end of the year and they continued to enjoy success with their established names like Naomichi Marufuji, Takashi Sugiura, Go Shiozaki, Kenoh, and Katsuhiko Nakajima while the young Kaito Kiyomiya had a great run as GHC Heavyweight Champion, Shuhei Taniguchi came into his own, and they have rookies like Yoshiki Inamura who have a lot of potential. The juniors continued to remain strong with contracted wrestlers such as the RATALS wrestlers, Hitoshi Kumano, Atsushi Kotoge, Hijime Ohara, and Hi69 along with outsiders like Kotaro Suzuki and Minoru Tanaka. Even the 53 year old Yoshinari Ogawa put on some good work. All in all, NOAH made a lot of improvement and the match quality was still great so they get this award.
Worst Wrestler of the Year- YOSHI-HASHI (New Japan)- The Alex Kidd of wrestling gets this award not necessarily because he's a bad wrestler but that there's nothing special about him. When you watch YOSHI-HASHI, he's bland, dull, and doesn't capture your eye in anyway. His competent in the ring but has no special moves. It also doesn't help that New Japan seems to want to get him to that next level but it just isn't happening no matter how many big matches or title matches he's put in. No matter the match, he just can't bring it and have an awesome, star making performance. Perhaps it's a testament to how limited he is, YOSHI-HASHI returned from his learning excursion in 2012 and now is pushing 40 but has never won a championship or tournament in his career which shows even New Japan doesn't have much faith in him. I got to agree with what I heard and that is if it wasn't for the fact that Japanese promotions don't usually cut wrestlers who trained in their dojo, YOSHI-HASHI would've been released and deemed a failed experiment long ago.
Worst Gaijin (Foreigner) of the Year: Bad Luck Fale (New Japan)- People refer to him as "Bad Match Fale" for a reason but it's more than that. Bad personifies this guy as he's a bad wrestler, has bad moves, and is in bad shape. Fale is a chore to watch as he's a slow as molasses, lumbering big man with a boring moveset of lumbering offense and vulcan nerve holds. When you watch a Fale match, you know he's getting carried as his opponent seems to do all the work and work around his limitations. No matter how you slice it, he has no redeeming qualities. I've seen super heavyweights like Yokozuna, Vader, Bam Bam Bigelow, Mr. Hughes, One Man Gang, and King Mabel who can move around a ring way better than him and can take better bumps while having better moves. Fale also seems to have gotten lazy as his matches not only see him do the bare minimum but he's clearly out of shape. 2020 should see Fale hit the New Japan dojo more to sharpen his skills and drop some weight instead of cosplaying as a general.
Worst Tag Team of the Year: Guerrillas of Destiny (New Japan)- There's a reason I refer to them as GOD awful because they are. Their matches start alright with some nice speed but it doesn't last long as the pace eventually gets slower and dull for the most part. I don't know what it is but they bore me and can struggle to have a good match with a great team. The fact they've been pushed so much this year is more a testament of how weak New Japan's heavyweight tag team division is instead of them being good.
Most Overrated: Kazuchika Okada (New Japan)- I'm sorry but I got bored with Okada years ago and while I get he's the ace of New Japan, it wouldn't kill New Japan to give others opportunities. As long as Okada continues to get shoved down our throats, I'll keep putting him here. Not only that but I just not spellbound by his matches and find them disappointing. His matches are tiresome and it feels like all his matches feel like he spams the same moves including the tombstone piledriver and the rain maker over and over again.
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