Post by Vegas on Dec 29, 2011 18:21:41 GMT -5
After being fortunate enough to attend every PWG show of 2011, these are my personal 2011 PWG Awards:
PWG Show of the Year: Kurt Russellreunion II
- My opinion here is a minority one as most people on the PWG boards are saying Steen Wolf. But for me personally, while Steen Wolf was awesome and had my two favorite Moments of the Year (a separate award posted below,) from the start of the show to the end of the show I thought Kurt Russelreunion II was the best.
Kurt Russellreunion II's lineup included: 1) PWG World Champion Claudio Castagnoli vs El Generico, 2) Low Ki vs Davey Richards, 3) Kevin Steen vs Chris Hero, 4) a Rumble match involving Roddy Piper, Terry Funk, Cowboy Bob Orton Jr, the Powers of Pain, Tito Santana, Vampiro, Chavo Guerrero, Mando Guerrero, Shane Douglas, Val Venis, Jimmy Hart, Danny Davis, Mike Graham, and other VIP guests at Wrestle Reunion 5 that weekend (the end came down to a great battle between Roddy Piper and Terry Funk ,) 5) Jake the Snake Roberts "retirement" match against Sinn Bodhi, 6) a great lucha match between Ray Aguila and Rey Bucanero, 7) Joey Ryan vs Shane Helms, 8) a 4 way tag match between The Cutler Brothers, the Fightin' Taylor Boys, the RockNES Monsters, and the Young Bucks, 9) an 8 person tag match of "Pretty" Peter Avalon, Caleb Konley, "Manscout" Jake Manning, and ODB (replacing Christina Von Eerie) vs. Cedric Alexander, Brandon Gatson, Candice LeRae, and Willie Mack
- but I know I give Kurt Russellreunuion II this award after attending it live and I could easily see how it doesn't quite translate as highly as show of the year winner to someone watching on DVD (i.e. the show went on until about 1:30 in the morning and some of the crowd was dead as a result, the entrance music for each wrestler in the Rumble is played over by standard PWG DVD menu music which causes us to miss lots of the great commentary by Excalibur and Colt Cabana for the Rumble match)
- Honorable Mention: DDT4, Steen Wolf, Fear, Eight, (but once again PWG honestly did not have a bad show at all IMO this past year)
PWG Wrestler of the Year: Kevin Steen
- Mr. Wrestling lived up to his name in PWG this year often wrestling multiple times on some shows- including 2 shows (DDT4 and Eight) where he wrestled 3 times in the same night!
- Steen won both PWG titles in 2011 by winning the PWG World Championship from Claudio at Eight in an impromptu matchup to close out the show after Claudio had defended the title against Hero and by winning the PWG World Tag Team Championship along with Super Dragon from the Young Bucks
- Steen advanced to the finals of both DDT4 and the Battle of Los Angeles while also being a participant in many of my personal PWG Match of the Year candidates (see below.)
Honorable Mention: El Generico, Claudio Castagnoli
PWG Tag Team of the Year: Young Bucks
- although I personally liked the legendary first PWG Tag Team Championship reign by the Young Bucks from 2008-2010 better, as the PWG World Tag Team Champions from April- December they again deserve this award IMO.
- this year in PWG, the Young Bucks defeated all of these tag teams: American Wolves, Kevin Steen and Akira Tozawa, Austin Aries and Roderick Strong, El Generico and Ricochet, Future Shock, The Dynasty (Joey Ryan and Scorpio Sky,) the RockNES Monsters, and Willie Mack and Brandon Gatson.
Honorable Mention: Nightmare Violence Connection (Steen and Tozawa)
PWG Newcomer of the Year: Eddie Edwards
- although his American Wolves tag team partner Davey Richards has been a regular in PWG for many years and even made his name in PWG before going to ROH, Edwards finally debuted in PWG this past march in DDT4 where he and Richards defeated the RockNES Monsters in the opening round before losing tot eh Young Bucks in the Semi-Finals.
- in PWG this year Edwards also wrestled some great matches against Alex Shelley, El Generico, Roderick Strong, Kevin Steen, TJ Perkins, and (teaming up with Richards) the Super Smash Brothers. The arrival of Edwards also of course meant the arrival as a tag team of the American Wolves to PWG and Alex Shelley has said he wants a match between the American Wolves and the Motor city Machine Guns to take place in PWG in the future!
Honorable Mention: Future Shock (a great debut match against the Young Bucks Bucks at Steen Wolf followed by another good match against the RockNES Monsters at the next show Fear earlier this month)
(note for this possibly wondering, Willie Mack does not technically qualify for PWG Newcomer of the Year since he made his PWG debut at the end of 2010.)
PWG Breakout Star of the Year: Willie Mack
- I am not sure if many people back east know who Willie Mack is yet, but Mack this year in PWG had victories against Hero (not just once, but twice) and Kevin Steen! Mack also had the Match of the Night at Card Subject to Change III against Roderick Strong back in April IMO.
PWG Return of the Year: Super Dragon
- I will never ever forget being in the front row at PWG when the lights went dark at Steen Wolf and when they went back on Super Dragon was suddenly in a PWG ring for the first time in almost 3 1/2 years rescuing his former enemy Steen from an attack by the Young Bucks! Earlier this month at Fear, Super Dragon also wrestled in his first PWG match since 2008 when he and Steen defeated the Young Bucks in guerrilla warfare match to win the PWG World Tag Team Championship!
Honorable Mention: CIMA, PAC, T.J. Perkins, and Low Ki.
PWG Moment of the Year: Super Dragon returning
- this moment also was honored in my PWG Return of the the Year award mentioned above
Honorable Mention: El Generico winning the PWG World Championship by ripping it along with the vent it was attached to form the ceiling in his ladder match against Steen at Steen Wolf, Kevin Steen winning the PWG World Championship from Claudio at the end of Eight
PWG Match of the Year: El Generico vs Kevin Steen for the PWG World Championship in a ladder match at Steen Wolf
- this was really the toughest award for me since there so many many great PWG matches in 2011 to choose from. Although I got out of the way in time, as Thormassive can tell you, at one point El Generico and Steen actually landed on my seat during this match! Steen and Generico have been involved (together as a tag team but not against each other) in 2 of the 3 ladder wars in ROH and they had an incredible ladder match in PWG too (just the 2nd ladder match ever in PWG History.) This also led to the return of Super Dragon too!
Honorable Mention: Steen and Tozawa vs Young Bucks at DDT4, Davey Richards vs Low Ki at Kurt Russellreunion II, Young Bucks vs Appetite for Destruction (Steen and Super Dragon) at Fear, Young Bucks vs Future Shock at Steen Wolf, Steen vs Generico at the Battle of Los Angeles, Young Bucks vs Austin Aries and Roderick Strong at All Star Weekend 8 Night Two.
PWG Show of the Year: Kurt Russellreunion II
- My opinion here is a minority one as most people on the PWG boards are saying Steen Wolf. But for me personally, while Steen Wolf was awesome and had my two favorite Moments of the Year (a separate award posted below,) from the start of the show to the end of the show I thought Kurt Russelreunion II was the best.
Kurt Russellreunion II's lineup included: 1) PWG World Champion Claudio Castagnoli vs El Generico, 2) Low Ki vs Davey Richards, 3) Kevin Steen vs Chris Hero, 4) a Rumble match involving Roddy Piper, Terry Funk, Cowboy Bob Orton Jr, the Powers of Pain, Tito Santana, Vampiro, Chavo Guerrero, Mando Guerrero, Shane Douglas, Val Venis, Jimmy Hart, Danny Davis, Mike Graham, and other VIP guests at Wrestle Reunion 5 that weekend (the end came down to a great battle between Roddy Piper and Terry Funk ,) 5) Jake the Snake Roberts "retirement" match against Sinn Bodhi, 6) a great lucha match between Ray Aguila and Rey Bucanero, 7) Joey Ryan vs Shane Helms, 8) a 4 way tag match between The Cutler Brothers, the Fightin' Taylor Boys, the RockNES Monsters, and the Young Bucks, 9) an 8 person tag match of "Pretty" Peter Avalon, Caleb Konley, "Manscout" Jake Manning, and ODB (replacing Christina Von Eerie) vs. Cedric Alexander, Brandon Gatson, Candice LeRae, and Willie Mack
- but I know I give Kurt Russellreunuion II this award after attending it live and I could easily see how it doesn't quite translate as highly as show of the year winner to someone watching on DVD (i.e. the show went on until about 1:30 in the morning and some of the crowd was dead as a result, the entrance music for each wrestler in the Rumble is played over by standard PWG DVD menu music which causes us to miss lots of the great commentary by Excalibur and Colt Cabana for the Rumble match)
- Honorable Mention: DDT4, Steen Wolf, Fear, Eight, (but once again PWG honestly did not have a bad show at all IMO this past year)
PWG Wrestler of the Year: Kevin Steen
- Mr. Wrestling lived up to his name in PWG this year often wrestling multiple times on some shows- including 2 shows (DDT4 and Eight) where he wrestled 3 times in the same night!
- Steen won both PWG titles in 2011 by winning the PWG World Championship from Claudio at Eight in an impromptu matchup to close out the show after Claudio had defended the title against Hero and by winning the PWG World Tag Team Championship along with Super Dragon from the Young Bucks
- Steen advanced to the finals of both DDT4 and the Battle of Los Angeles while also being a participant in many of my personal PWG Match of the Year candidates (see below.)
Honorable Mention: El Generico, Claudio Castagnoli
PWG Tag Team of the Year: Young Bucks
- although I personally liked the legendary first PWG Tag Team Championship reign by the Young Bucks from 2008-2010 better, as the PWG World Tag Team Champions from April- December they again deserve this award IMO.
- this year in PWG, the Young Bucks defeated all of these tag teams: American Wolves, Kevin Steen and Akira Tozawa, Austin Aries and Roderick Strong, El Generico and Ricochet, Future Shock, The Dynasty (Joey Ryan and Scorpio Sky,) the RockNES Monsters, and Willie Mack and Brandon Gatson.
Honorable Mention: Nightmare Violence Connection (Steen and Tozawa)
PWG Newcomer of the Year: Eddie Edwards
- although his American Wolves tag team partner Davey Richards has been a regular in PWG for many years and even made his name in PWG before going to ROH, Edwards finally debuted in PWG this past march in DDT4 where he and Richards defeated the RockNES Monsters in the opening round before losing tot eh Young Bucks in the Semi-Finals.
- in PWG this year Edwards also wrestled some great matches against Alex Shelley, El Generico, Roderick Strong, Kevin Steen, TJ Perkins, and (teaming up with Richards) the Super Smash Brothers. The arrival of Edwards also of course meant the arrival as a tag team of the American Wolves to PWG and Alex Shelley has said he wants a match between the American Wolves and the Motor city Machine Guns to take place in PWG in the future!
Honorable Mention: Future Shock (a great debut match against the Young Bucks Bucks at Steen Wolf followed by another good match against the RockNES Monsters at the next show Fear earlier this month)
(note for this possibly wondering, Willie Mack does not technically qualify for PWG Newcomer of the Year since he made his PWG debut at the end of 2010.)
PWG Breakout Star of the Year: Willie Mack
- I am not sure if many people back east know who Willie Mack is yet, but Mack this year in PWG had victories against Hero (not just once, but twice) and Kevin Steen! Mack also had the Match of the Night at Card Subject to Change III against Roderick Strong back in April IMO.
PWG Return of the Year: Super Dragon
- I will never ever forget being in the front row at PWG when the lights went dark at Steen Wolf and when they went back on Super Dragon was suddenly in a PWG ring for the first time in almost 3 1/2 years rescuing his former enemy Steen from an attack by the Young Bucks! Earlier this month at Fear, Super Dragon also wrestled in his first PWG match since 2008 when he and Steen defeated the Young Bucks in guerrilla warfare match to win the PWG World Tag Team Championship!
Honorable Mention: CIMA, PAC, T.J. Perkins, and Low Ki.
PWG Moment of the Year: Super Dragon returning
- this moment also was honored in my PWG Return of the the Year award mentioned above
Honorable Mention: El Generico winning the PWG World Championship by ripping it along with the vent it was attached to form the ceiling in his ladder match against Steen at Steen Wolf, Kevin Steen winning the PWG World Championship from Claudio at the end of Eight
PWG Match of the Year: El Generico vs Kevin Steen for the PWG World Championship in a ladder match at Steen Wolf
- this was really the toughest award for me since there so many many great PWG matches in 2011 to choose from. Although I got out of the way in time, as Thormassive can tell you, at one point El Generico and Steen actually landed on my seat during this match! Steen and Generico have been involved (together as a tag team but not against each other) in 2 of the 3 ladder wars in ROH and they had an incredible ladder match in PWG too (just the 2nd ladder match ever in PWG History.) This also led to the return of Super Dragon too!
Honorable Mention: Steen and Tozawa vs Young Bucks at DDT4, Davey Richards vs Low Ki at Kurt Russellreunion II, Young Bucks vs Appetite for Destruction (Steen and Super Dragon) at Fear, Young Bucks vs Future Shock at Steen Wolf, Steen vs Generico at the Battle of Los Angeles, Young Bucks vs Austin Aries and Roderick Strong at All Star Weekend 8 Night Two.