Wrestling Observer Newsletter Awards 2018 Winners

Credit: NJPW

The news portal specializing in professional wrestling “Wrestling Observer” has announced the winners of its annual awards. Once again, Wrestling Observer Newsletter subscribers have voted their favorite wrestlers and fights of the year. The awards, therefore, have been obtained through a vote among subscribers (fans, journalists and even fighters), unlike the Pro Wrestling Insider (PWI) awards, which are decided by the editors of the media.

The list of winners of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter Awards 2018 is the following:

Fighter of the Year – Ric Flair Award 

• Kazuchika Okada
• Kenny Omega
• Tetsuya Naito
• AJ Styles
• Kento Miyahara
• Rush
• Brock Lesnar
• Hiroshi Tanahashi
• Tomohiro Ishii
• Chris Jericho

Most outstanding wrestler:

• Kazuchika Okada
• Kenny Omega
• AJ Styles
• Tetsuya Naito
• Tomohiro Ishii
• KUSHIDA
• Zack Saber Jr.
• Will Ospreay
• Kota Ibushi
• Io Shirai

Tag Team of the year

• The Young Bucks
• The Usos
• War Machine
• Sheamus & Cesaro
• New Dynamite Generation

Company of the year

• NJPW (with a difference of 4,000 votes with the second classified)
• ROH
• WWE
• UFC
• CMLL

Match of the year

• Okada vs. Omega, NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 11
• Okada vs. Omega, NJPW Dominion
• Okada vs. Shibata, NJPW Sakura Genesis
• Naito vs. Omega, NJPW G1 Climax 27 Finals
• Okada vs. Omega, NJPW G1 Climax 27 Day 18

Rivalry of the year

• Omega vs. Okada (with a difference of 800 votes over the second classified)
• McGregor vs. Mayweather
• Tanahashi vs. Naito
• KUSHIDA vs. Takahashi
• Jones vs. Cornier

Best weekly program

• NJPW on AXS
• NXT
• CMLL Friday Night Arena Mexico
• Being the Elite
• ROH TV

Better in interviews

• Conor McGregor
• Chris Jericho
• The Miz
• Kenny Omega
• Kevin Owens

Most charismatic fighter

• Tetsuya Naito
• Conor McGregor
• Kenny Omega
• Matt Riddle
• Shinsuke Nakamura

Best technical fighter

• Zack Saber Jr.
• KUSHIDA
• Hideki Suzuki
• Marty Scurll
• Pete Dunne

Best Brawler – Special Bruiser Brody Award

• Tomohiro Ishii
• Shibata
• Minoru Suzuki
• WALTER
• Samoa Joe

Best fly fighter

• Will Ospreay
• Ricochet
• Flying Jr.
• Hiromu Takahashi
• Phoenix King

Most overrated wrestler

• Jinder Mahal
• Roman Reigns
• Baron Corbin
• Cody
• The Miz and Bray Wyatt (tied)

Most underrated wrestler

• Rusev
• Tomohiro Ishii
• Finn Bálor
• Sami Zayn
• Kassius Ohno

Rookie of the year

• Katsuya Kitamura
• Microman
• Bianca Belair
• Tomoyuki Oka
• Austin Theory

Best non-fighter

• Daniel Bryan
• Zelina Vega
• Paul Heyman
• Stokely Hathaway
• Dario Cueto

Best commentator on television

• Mauro Ranallo
• Corey Graves
• Don Callis
• Shinpei Nogami
• Kevin Kelly

Worst commentator on television

• Booker T
• Percy Watson
• JBL
• Matt Striker
• Byron Saxton

Best event of the year

• NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 11
• NJPW Dominion
• UFC 217
• NXT Takeover: Chicago
• NJPW G1 Climax 27 Finals

Worst event of the year

• WWE Battleground
• AAA TripleMania XXV
• Impact Wrestling: Bound For Glory
• WWE WrestleMania 33
• WWE Payback

Better movement

• One-Winged Angel
• Rainmaker
• Destination
• V-Trigger
• Black Mass

Worst tactic to promote

WWE promoting Jimmy Snuka as a hero after his death
Racist interview with Jinder Mahal about Nakamura
Ultimate Warrior Idealization – WWE Breast Cancer Campaign
Give Jinder Mahal a push as a WWE world champion to improve the Indian market
Gabi Garcia against small women in Rizin

Worst program on television

• WWE Monday Night RAW
• Impact Wrestling
• WWE 205 Live
• WWE SmackDown Live!
• AAA Without Limit
• Underground fight

Worst fight of the year

• Bray Wyatt vs. Randy Orton, WWE WrestleMania 33
• Bray Wyatt vs. Randy Orton, WWE Extreme Rules
• AAA Rumble
• Alexa Bliss vs. Bayley, WWE Extreme Rules
• Randy Orton vs. Jinder Mahal, WWE Battleground

Worst rivalry of the year:

• Orton vs. Wyatt
• Nakamura vs. Mahal
• Orton vs. Mahal
• Bayley vs. Bliss
• Wyatt vs. Balor

Worst company

• Impact Wrestling
• AAA
• WWE
• ICW
• Lucha Underground

Best booker

• Gedo (with more than 900 votes of difference with respect to the second classified)
• Triple H
• Jun Akiyama (AJPW)
• Smallman, Briley and Joseph (PROGRESS)
• Christian Michael Jakobi (wXw)

Promoter of the year

• Takaaki Kidani
• Dana White
• Triple H
• Showtime Sports
• Jim Smallman

Best character

• The Ungovernables of Japan
• Velveteen Dream
• Marty Scurll
• The Elite
• Drew Gulak

Worst character

• Bray Wyatt & Sister Abigail
• Jason Jordan as the son of Kurt Angle
• Dolph Ziggler
• Jinder Mahal
• Mike Kanellis