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List of Wrestling Observer Newsletter awards

This is a list of both active and inactive Wrestling Observer Newsletter awards created by professional wrestling and mixed martial arts (MMA) journalist Dave Meltzer . The firs...

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This is a list of both active and inactive Wrestling Observer Newsletter awards created by professional wrestling and mixed martial arts (MMA) journalist Dave Meltzer. The first fourteen awards were created in 1980 as an informal poll between Meltzer and his friends and others he corresponded with on the subject of professional wrestling at the time. After starting the Wrestling Observer in 1982, the awards took on a greater life, with an increasing number of awards given out every year.[1]

The awards were created to recognize the individual achievements of a select few wrestlers who exemplified a specified criterion. The awards are given every year in various categories such as Wrestler of the Year,[2]Most Outstanding Wrestler, Tag Team of the Year, Most Improved, Pro Wrestling Match of the Year, etc.; there are also a handful of awards to recognize the dubious distinctions in the business during that year such as Most Overrated and Worst Match. There are currently forty-five categories that are actively assessed every year and twenty that are no longer active. The awards are voted for by the newsletter's paying readership, primarily wrestling fans, although it is claimed that some industry workers also vote.

The awards are organized into two categories. For "Category A" awards, voters indicate their top three choices. First choices are awarded five points, second places three points, and third places two points. The choice with the most points overall wins. For "Category B" awards, voters simply indicate their top choice. For the "Category B" Shad Gaspard/Jon Huber Memorial Award, the recipients are chosen by a committee headed by Meltzer.

Over the years, various MMA promotions or individual mixed martial artists were deemed eligible to win some awards when it seemed as though they were more deserving to win than the conventional wrestler or wrestling promotion. This led to, in 1997, the creation of Shootfighter of the Year and Shoot Match of the Year to recognize MMA achievement specifically. Still, some primarily professional wrestling-focused awards remained intact for MMA promotions/fighters to win, due to the similar business aspect between both sports (i.e. Best Box Office Draw and Promotion of the Year). In the December 3, 2007 edition of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, it was announced that from that year onwards, mixed martial artists are no longer eligible for the Lou Thesz/Ric Flair Award, thus reserving it for professional wrestlers only. Shootfighter of the Year was renamed to Most Outstanding Fighter and Shoot Match of the Year was renamed to MMA Match of the Year to match a new award called Mixed Martial Arts Most Valuable, which is similar to the Lou Thesz/Ric Flair Award except it is for mixed martial artists.

Current awards

"Category A" awards

Lou Thesz/Ric Flair Award (Wrestler of the Year)

Místico is the most recent winner of the award in 2025, his second after winning in 2006.
Ric Flair is a nine-time winner and co-namesake of the category.

Mixed Martial Arts Most Valuable

Georges St-Pierre and Brock Lesnar are three-time winners of the category.

Most Outstanding Wrestler

Bryan Danielson/Daniel Bryan is a record five-time winner of the category.

Most Outstanding Fighter of the Year

Note: Was known as "Shootfighter of the Year" until 2008.

Georges St-Pierre is a three-time winner of the category.

Tag Team of the Year

The Young Bucks are the record nine-time winners of the category.

Best on Interviews

Jim Cornette is a record five-time winner of the category.

Promotion of the Year

Best Weekly TV Show

The Ultimate Fighter is the only non-wrestling TV show to win the category.

Pro Wrestling Match of the Year

Bob Backlund and Ken Patera were the inaugural winners of the category, for their 1980 Texas Death Match in WWF.

Combate de MMA del año

Nota: Anteriormente se conocía como el "Combate de Tiro del Año" y a veces se le denomina "Pelea del Año".

Robbie Lawler ha ganado esta categoría en tres ocasiones.

"Category B" awards

AJ Styles was the inaugural United States/Canada MVP.

United States/Canada MVP

Koichi Yoshizawa Award (Japan MVP)

Tetsuya Naito is one of seven New Japan Pro Wrestling wrestlers to be named Japan MVP.

Mexico MVP

L. A. Park was the inaugural Mexico MVP.

Europe MVP

Walter, better known as Gunther, was the inaugural Europe MVP, and overall is a record three-time winner.

Danny Hodge Memorial Award (Non-Heavyweight MVP)

Danny Hodge was the namesake for the award, a multi-time amateur and professional champion.

Women's Wrestling MVP

Becky Lynch was the inaugural winner of the award, and is a record two-time winner.

Women's MMA MVP

Amanda Nunes is a record three-time winner.

Best Box Office Draw

Conor McGregor is a record five-time winner of the category.

Feud of the Year

Jerry Lawler was the first wrestler to win the category three different times.
"Hangman" Adam Page & Jon Moxley are the most recent winners of the award.

Most Improved

Brock Lesnar and The Miz are record two-time winners of the category.

Most Charismatic

The Rock is a seven-time winner of the category.

Bryan Danielson Award (Best Technical Wrestler)

Bryan Danielson/Daniel Bryan is a 12-time winner and namesake of this category.

Bruiser Brody Memorial Award (Best Brawler)

Bruiser Brody is the inaugural recipient, seven-time winner and namesake of the category.
Mick Foley is 10-time winner of the category in a 10 year streak from 1991 to 2000.

Best Flying Wrestler

Rey Mysterio (aka Rey Misterio Jr.) is a six-time winner of the category.

Most Overrated

Hulk Hogan is a seven-time winner of the category.

Most Underrated

Bobby Eaton and Cesaro, the latter now known as Claudio Castagnoli, are four-time winners each of the category consecutively.

Rookie of the Year

Barry Windham was the inaugural winner of the award in 1980.

Best Non-Wrestler

Paul Heyman is an eleven-time winner of the category.

Jim Ross Award (Best Television Announcer)

Jim Ross, namesake of this category, is a 14-time winner of the category.

Worst Television Announcer

Gorilla Monsoon and Michael Cole are six-time winners of the category.

Best Major Wrestling Show

WrestleMania X-Seven, the first of two editions of WrestleMania to win this award.

Worst Major Wrestling Show

Best Wrestling Maneuver

Jimmy Snuka was the first winner of the award, winning in 1981

Most Disgusting Promotional Tactic

Worst Television Show

Worst Match of the Year

Note: Named "Worst Worked Match of the Year" until 2018.

Hulk Hogan won the award for a record three straight years.

Worst Feud of the Year

Adam Cole/The Devil vs. MJF won the award twice.

Worst Promotion of the Year

Impact Wrestling, formerly and currently known as Total Nonstop Action Wrestling, is an 11-time winner of the category, having won every year from 2007 to 2017.

Best Booker

Jim Cornette (top) and Paul Heyman (bottom) are the only winners of the category who won the award for work in two separate promotions.

Promoter of the Year

Best Gimmick

The Undertaker is a five-time winner of the category.

Worst Gimmick

Dustin Runnels is a three-time winner of the category under three different gimmicks (Goldust, The Artist Formerly Known As Goldust and Black Reign).

Best Pro Wrestling Book

Best Pro Wrestling Documentary

Note: Was previously known as the "Best Pro Wrestling DVD" and "Best Wrestling DVD/Streaming Documentary" award.

WWE has won the award a record 11 times.

Shad Gaspard/Jon Huber Memorial Award

Note: This award is given to participants in professional wrestling and mixed martial arts who make contributions outside the ring for the betterment of society.

Shad Gaspard and Jon Huber are the co-namesakes of the category.

Defunct awards

Class A awards

Most Impressive Wrestler

Dynamite Kid is a three-time winner of the category.

Most Washed Up Wrestler

Strongest Wrestler

Best Three-Man Team

Most Unimproved

Most Obnoxious

Vince McMahon is a six-time winner of the category.

Best Babyface

Note: "Best Babyface" and "Best Heel" were combined in 1997 to create "Best Box Office Draw"

Best Heel

Ted DiBiase and Roddy Piper are two-time winners of the category.

Biggest Shock of the Year

Harley Race has been named in two Biggest Shock of the Year.

Hardest Worker

Manager of the Year

Class B awards

Best Color Commentator

Jesse Ventura is a four-time winner of the category.

Readers' Favorite Wrestler

Readers' Least Favorite Wrestler

Worst Wrestler

André the Giant is a three-time winner of the category.

Worst Tag Team

Worst Manager

Mr. Fuji is an eleven-time winner of the category.

Worst on Interviews

The Ultimate Warrior is a five-time winner of the category.

Most Embarrassing Wrestler

Worst Non-Wrestling Personality

Stephanie McMahon is a three-time winner of the category.

Wrestling Observer Decade Awards

Kurt Angle, best wrestler of the 2000s
Hiroshi Tanahashi, best wrestler of the 2010s

1990s

2000s

2010s

See also

References

  1. ↑Meltzer, Dave (January 19, 1998). "Jan. 19, 1998 Wrestling Observer Newsletter: 18th Annual Newsletter Awards Issue". Wrestling Observer Newsletter.
  2. ↑Meltzer, Dave (February 18, 2022). "February 21, 2022 Observer Newsletter: 2021 Awards issue, Cody and Brandi Rhodes leave AEW". Wrestling Observer/Figure Four Online. www.f4wonline.com. Retrieved February 19, 2022.
  3. 121982 Wrestling Observer Yearbook. 1982.
  4. ↑"Bridge Of Dreams ~ Dome Spring Full Bloom". Cagematch. Retrieved February 16, 2017.
  5. ↑Meltzer, Dave (March 15, 2021). "AEW REVOLUTION, WRESTLEMANIA 37 TICKET DETAILS". Wrestling Observer Newsletter.
  6. ↑Meltzer, Dave (April 4, 2022). "TRIPLE H ANNOUNCES IN-RING RETIREMENT, WRESTLEMANIA WEEKEND". Wrestling Observer Newsletter.
  7. ↑Meltzer, Dave (March 6, 2023). "MJF VS. BRYAN DANIELSON PREVIEW, WRESTLEMANIA 39 UPDATES". Wrestling Observer Newsletter.
  8. ↑Meltzer, Dave (March 4, 2024). "LIFE AND CAREER OF OLE ANDERSON, WWE ELIMINATION CHAMBER". Wrestling Observer Newsletter.
  9. ↑"March 24, 2025 Observer Newsletter: John Cena's first heel promo, WBD interested in UFC, David Finlay wins New Japan Cup". F4W/WON. March 21, 2025. Retrieved March 21, 2025.
  10. ↑"Jan 22 1996 Wrestling Observer Newsletter: Results of the 1995 Observer Newsletter Awards, 1995 Record Book, tons more". The Wrestling Observer. January 22, 1996.
  11. ↑Oswald, Brian (April 10, 2009). "The Frank Shamrock Interview: Can He Lead Strikeforce into MMA 2.0?". Bleacher Report. Retrieved November 23, 2025. You were been named "Fighter of the Decade" for 1990's by the Wrestling Observer, "Best Full Contact Fighter", by Black Belt magazine (1998), and three time "Fighter of the Year" by Full Contact Fighter magazine. Do those accolades mean anything to you as a fighter?
  12. ↑Beltrán, William (August 3, 2010). "Según el Wrestling Observer… ¿Quiénes son los mejores los mejores de la década?". Superluchas (in Spanish). Retrieved October 30, 2015.

Sources