ProWresBlog 2013 Mid-Year Awards

ProWresBlog 2013 Mid-Year Awards

DISCLAIMER - These are my Mid-Year Awards for ProWresBlog. These awards are based on my opinion only, and I don't expect you to agree with them.We all like what we like but if you disagree, be nice about it. Hateful comments and spam will not be published.

My awards are only based on what I have seen. So if you think I missed someone or something, let me know and I'll do my best to check it out. There is a ton of wrestling out there and I only have so much time.

Before we get started, thank you for coming to check out this post. I've legitimately been waiting for June to hit, just so I could do these.

Wrestler of the Year - Antonio Cesaro
As far as I'm concerned, there was nobody on the planet as good as Antonio Cesaro has been week in and week out. He has got great matches out of bad wrestlers like The Great Khali and had even better matches with Kofi Kingston, Justin Gabriel and others. At one point this year, during a span of 8 weeks, he made my best matches list 7 times, which is no small feat. No one else in the world has come close to that and probably never will. Yes, he is on television more so he will appear more, but he makes all of his appearances count. The scary thing is that Cesaro was out earlier in the year and still beat the competition by a wide margin. One other thing to keep in mind is that he isn't allowed to do his full moveset and work stiffer like he would elsewhere, so we can't even say we have seen him at his peak so far. Also keep in mind that he isn't in the main event most of the time, so he doesn't get a lot of the advantages that other wrestlers get. 2013 is shaping up to be a great year for Antonio Cesaro and honestly, even if he doesn't have another good match for the rest of the year, he is going to be above 90% of the competition.

Other Candidates:
Daniel Bryan - Daniel Bryan has been very good as of late and had he gotten more singles matches this year, he might have won this thing. ProWresBlog's 2012 Wrestler of the Year seems to really be hitting his stride and with the crowd and the WWE behind him, he could possibly beat Antonio Cesaro for the Best Wrestler award at the end of the year. His fiery comebacks are second to none and his crowd reactions are stellar, as is his ringwork. The sky is the limit for Daniel Bryan and he is one of the people who make WWE great.

Kazuchika Okada - As far as I'm concerned, Kazuchika Okada peaked in 2012. He stupidly lost his 1/4/2013 Tokyo Dome main event against Hiroshi Tanahashi and he hasn't been the same since. His character took a hit and with another loss to Minoru Suzuki after 1/4, his status was pretty low. He has also added new moves to his arsenal like The Red Ink, which are awkward and often botched. A lot of people still have him as the Wrestler of the Year so far and I am not saying they are wrong, but I thought Cesaro was better. Okada has had multiple good matches this year against Tanahashi and a good one against Minoru Suzuki. Let's see what happens with Okada.

Hiroshi Tanahashi - Tanahashi passed the torch in 2013 to Kazuchika Okada and has had a really good year. He carried Karl Anderson to a good match and had two top level matches with Okada. He just suffered an injury and we don't know the details yet, so we will have to see what happens. If he is wrestling, he will surely be a contender for the Wrestler of the Year

Match of the Year - CMLL 1/1/2013 Titan vs Polvora - Rating:*****
These two just got it right. They brought their A-game, were virtually flawless and really set their match up great. They used the 2/3 falls CMLL format to hit their big moves to win falls and allow themselves time to recover and sell after. They flew around, they hit big moves, they did some cool submissions and created a masterpiece. I loved this match and so far, this is the only match to be rated 5 stars by me for 2013. This will be a hard match to beat and I urge everyone to check it out.

Other Candidates:
Last Man Standing - The Big Show vs Alberto Del Rio - WWE Friday Night Smackdown 1/11/2013 - Rating:****1/2 -  This match was a surprising classic that came out of nowhere. I loved this match. The story telling in this was phenomenal. ADR worked the arm early then hit Big Show with the steel steps near the end to help put him down. I loved him throwing the table on Show to win this. It made total sense because he's a giant and ADR was unlikely to get him otherwise. The heat was very good and they threw in some decent spots and both guys were quite good. ADR and Ricardo sold the win so well. I also really liked ADR saving himself by rolling out of the ring. That was a really nice "catch" so to speak and it added to the match. Overall it was a pretty awesome match. I really urge everyone to check this one out.

John Cena vs CM Punk - WWE Monday Night Raw 2/25/2013 - Rating:****
This was an awesome PPV quality main event on Raw. They busted out the big moves for this with Punk hitting a nasty piledriver. The heat was off the charts and this will surely be remembered as a classic.

Alberto Del Rio vs Dolph Ziggler - WWE Main Event 2/13/2013 - Rating:****
The big highlights here were ADR taking a backdrop over the top and hitting his head off the steps, a reverse superplex from the top to Zig, Dolph jumping on ADR who was on the top to put him in a sleeper and Dolph hitting a huge delayed DDT on ADR's head. The crowd really fired up about halfway through making this really exciting. There was also a pretty funny spot with Ricardo hitting Big E in the head with his bucket and making the run for it. The finish was kind of out of nowhere but this was a great match that I totally didn't see coming. This is well worth going out to see.

Mascara Dorada, Titan and La Sombra vs Volador Jr., Mr. Aguila and Psicosis II - CMLL on Galavision 2/2/2013 - Rating:****
This was a great match, there were sick dives, stiff moves and a great pace that made this a memorable match.

Promotion of the Year - WWE
WWE has been the best promotion this year. I know that will sound crazy, but it is true. They have two of the best workers in the world right now with Antonio Cesaro and Daniel Bryan plus tons of other great wrestlers like The Shield, CM Punk and others. Maybe Raw is boring and WWE definitely does do stupid stuff from time to time, but if you watch every show like I do, the good beats the bad any day. As I always say, if you only watch Raw, you miss most of what WWE is really all about. You are pretty much guaranteed one good match on each show and WWE PPV's are absolutely top notch as far as ring work goes. WWE is on a roll right now and I hope they continue.

Show of the Year - NJPW Tokyo Dome 1/4/2013
This was a great show. There were atleast 5 good matches and some people thought this was one of the best shows ever. While I wouldn't go that far, the show was top quality and was memorable. It had a little something for everyone whether you wanted matwork, big matches or hate.

Tag Team of the Year - Bad Influence
Bad Influence got so close to winning last year's award and they are close to winning this year's award as well. They are absolutely hilarious and make me laugh every time they get mic time. Their names for various wrestlers like "Bob" Van Dam and "Jimmy" Storm entertain me as do their taunting of the crowd and their goofy attitudes. Their matches have been good too and their never-ending three-way battle with Roode/Aries and Chavo/Hernandez have led to multiple matches. I love Bad Influence and I just hope they keep getting the time and push they deserve. I also hope we get a true Bad Influence vs Austin Aries and Bobby Roode match with a clean finish.

Other Candidates:
Austin Aries and Bobby Roode - They have been involved in a lot of good matches and are a really fun team to watch. They are a great team and definitely one of the best.

ACH and Tadarius Thomas - They have only started teaming and they are a great team. Their styles mesh well and these two are the future of ROH.

Antonio Cesaro - Cesaro does get a lot of love online, but he really deserves to get more. The Swiss Superman can do it all and is my Wrestler of the Year.

Best TV Show - NXT
NXT is the most fun wrestling show week in and week out. They use their intimate setting to their advantage. They have a great crowd, fun characters and pretty good stuff all around. NXT also keeps wrestlers fresh and constantly cycles people in and out. While it does lead to not always getting to see wrestlers I want to see, it makes me want to see them more. NXT made Big E Langston, Seth Rollins, Adrian Neville and Emma, stars and I can't wait to see what they do next. Hopefully NXT can get some more TV time because their roster is deep and I can't get enough.

Other Candidates:
Ring of Honor TV - Ring of Honor TV is usually pretty good. It is match heavy and therefore the show lives and dies with the matches. Their show doesn't have much else, but I'd rather watch good wrestling rather than segments any day.

Female Wrestler of the Year - Emma
Emma of NXT has really taken NXT by storm and has become a sensation almost overnight. Maybe she isn't the best wrestler in the world just for ring work, but for a whole package, there isn't any better. Her character is hilarious and really easy to get. She plays her character well and gets the crowd really into her. She is a joy to watch and Emma just plain makes wrestling fun again. The best thing is, Emma hasn't even made the main WWE roster year so her best is only to come. If she can continue what she is doing in NXT when she is on the main shows, she is going to be a legend.

Rookie of the Year - Summer Rae
Let me preface this by saying that there have been very few rookies to debut this year. Hopefully that changes, but in the mean time, Summer Rae is the winner here. She plays her character well, isn't bad in-ring and is good on the mic. She is the complete package for her experience level and hopefully can continue to progress. While it is unlikely that she will keep the award the full year, we will see what happens.

Best Manager - Paul Heyman
Paul had little competition this year and is probably the top person on the mic in the world right now. Paul Heyman is wrestling manager's and is a legend at what he does. Nobody can do it better.

Best on Interviews - Paul Heyman
This should be known as the Paul Heyman Award. As I stated above, he is by far the best in the world at this. No one is even in his universe. He has done so many money promo's and is the best promo man in the business.

Best Feud - The Shield vs Team Hell No
These two teams have carried WWE with a great feud that has lead to many great matches. I don't think anyone else is even close here and I could watch these two teams fight all day.

Most Improved - Roman Reigns
Reigns had two not very good squash matches on NXT last year and didn't give me much hope. However, he joined The Shield and has been able to improve. While we still don't know how good or bad he is since he is protected in matches, he has been good in his role and has made improvements.

ProWresBlog Special Prize - The Shield
The ProWresBlog Special Prize spans all categories and can be a prize for wrestlers who don't fit in the other categories or could just be for someone who was really outstanding. This year, the prize goes to The Shield. The Shield have changed WWE and have been one of their best acts week-in and week-out. They have had tons of good matches and are the main event. The Shield make me excited to watch wrestling and help me keep interested. They are the real deal and have earned their spot

Most Underrated Wrestler of the Year - Alberto Del Rio
Alberto Del Rio is really a great worker but he doesn't get talked about too much. His face run has been great in-ring and he is currently in my runner-up for MOTY and in 4th place for my MOTY. His lucha libre background works well in the WWE and he has one of the best topes out there. He can move and he is really good at creating smart matches.

Other Candidates:
Matt Taven - Matt Taven gets little love when he is clearly a great worker. He has a good look and excels at being both a face and a heel. I think there are big things in his future along with a WWE developmental deal. Truth Martini is bringing him down somewhat as his manager but his talent and potential is there.

Most Overrated - Red Dragon(Bobby Fish and Kyle O'Reilly)
Sorry, but I am not a Red Dragon fan. They have a goofy name that no one can spell correctly, they have shown little character, they do boring interviews, they haven't had good matches and they continuously puzzle me with their push. They are not on the level of other ROH tag teams like The Briscoes, C&C Wrestle Factory or ACH and Tadarius Thomas. I haven't enjoyed any of their stuff so far and I can't even say that it will be better if they split up, because then I'll have to watch them in singles matches.

Other Candidates:
Jack Swagger - Swagger is the luckiest man in the world. He screwed up big and got arrested before Wrestlemania, but escaped virtually unpunished. He isn't over and his gimmick does nothing for him. His matches haven't been that great and he is not worthy of being in the main event. He has been improving his in-ring work lately, but one good month out of 6 months doesn't lead to good reviews.

Matt Morgan - I do not get this guy whatsoever. His matches suck, his promo's suck and he is very overpushed. He just never goes away and never adds anything.

SCUM - SCUM has had a long run in ROH and has really been overexposed. Someone from SCUM has appeared in almost every ROH television segment and I've definitely seen enough. Their interference has ruined a lot of matches and Steve Corino can be overbearing at times.

Worst Promotion - TNA
TNA had a great early 2013 but then hit the wall as of late. They are living and dying with Ace's and 8's, and I wish Ace's would go away or be depushed. TNA used to feature good matches each week but those have mostly stopped due to stupid finishes and bad combinations. They killed the X-Division with their new stupid rules and the promotion is focused on the very old Hulk Hogan.

Worst TV Show - TNA Impact Wrestling
As I said above, TNA pushing Ace's and Hulk Hogan has hurt the show along with killing the X-Division. The show was really good earlier this year but has leveled off and been mostly more bad than good.

Worst Wrestler of the Year - The Great Khali
Khali looks to be a repeat winner for the Worst Wrestler of the Year. He can't move, he is hard to understand, he regularly botches his lines and is a giant waste of space. He is never going to improve and will probably take this award as long as he is on the WWE roster.

Other Candidates:
Matt Morgan - He sucks in-ring, he sucks on the mic and his character is highly annoying. I don't get what TNA sees in him and it amazes me how he constantly gets chance after chance.

Worst Match - CZW 4/5/2013 - Gusset Plate Match - Jun Kasai vs MASADA
There have probably been worse matches but this was actively bad and it was recent. These two messed each other up and bled all over the place for a crowd that could care less. This was a sad offering and worse yet, it was a dangerous match. Feel free to let me know of other bad matches, because I know there have been some stinkers.