2003 Wrestling Observer Newsletter Award

[EdwardKnoxII 0]

Lou Thesz/Ric Flair Award (Wrestler Of The Year)

1 - Kenta Kobashi

2 - Brock Lesnar

3 - Satoshi Kojima

 

Most Outstanding Wrestler

1 - Kenta Kobashi

2 - Eddy Guerrero

3 - Shinjiro Ohtaini

 

Best Box Office Draw

1 - Bob Sapp

2 - Kenta Kobashi

3 - The Rock

 

Feud Of The Year

1 - Brock Lesnar vs. Kurt Angle

2 - Kenta Kobashi vs. Mitsuharu Misawa

3 - Raven vs. Jeff Jarrett

 

Tag Team Of The Year

1 - KENTA & Naomichi Marufuji

2 - Koji Kanemoto & Jushin Liger

3 - America's Most Wanted

 

Most Improved

1 - KENTA

2 - Brock Lesnar

3 - Michael Shane

 

Best On Interviews

1 - The Rock

2 - John Cena

3 - Raven

 

Most Charismatic

1 - The Rock

2 - Chris Jericho

3 - Satoshi Kojima

 

Best Technical Wrestler

1 - Yuji Nagata

2 - Kurt Angle

3 - Chris Benoit

 

Bruiser Brody Memorial Award

1 - Kenta Kobashi

2 - Brock Lesnar

3 - Yoshihiro Takayama

 

Best Flying Wrestler

1 - Chris Sabin

2 - Kaz Hayashi

3 - Rey Misterio Jr.

 

Most Overrated

1 - Triple H

2 - Keiji Mutoh

3 - Erik Watts

 

Most Underrated

1 - Matt Hardy

2 - Tiger Mask IV

3 - Ultimo Dragon

 

Promotion Of The Year

1 - Pro Wrestling NOAH

2 - Zero One

3 - Ring Of Honor

 

Best Weekly Television Show

1 - NOAH

2 - Major League Wrestling

3 - Smackdown

 

Shoot Fighter Of The Year

1 - Randy Coture

2 - Wanderlai Silva

3 - Mirko Cro Cop

 

Worked Match Of The Year

1 - Kenta Kobashi vs. Mitsuharu Misawa 03/01/03

2 - Shawn Michaels vs. Chris Jericho

3 - Juventud Guerrera vs. Chris Sabin

 

Shoot Fight Of The Year

1 - Wanderlai Silva vs. Hidehiko Yoshida

2 - Randy Coture vs. Tito Ortiz

3 - Antonio Nogueira vs. Mirko Cro Cop

 

Rookie Of The Year

1 - Chris Sabin

2 - Josh Barnett

3 - uh Zach Gowen?

 

Best Non-Wrestler

1 - Eric Bischoff

2 - Sinister Minister

3 - Teddy Long

 

Best Television Announcer

1 - Mike Tenay

2 - Mike Goldberg

3 - Bas Rutten

 

Worst Television Announcer

1 - Joe Rogan

2 - Ernest Miller

3 - Jonathan Coachman

 

Best Major Wrestling Show

1 - WWE WrestleMania XIX

2 - NOAH Budokan Hall 9/12/03

3 - NWA TNA 9/3/03

 

Worst Major Show

New Japan Tokyo Dome 10/13/03

 

Best Wrestling Move

 

Most Disgusting Promotional Tactic

 

Favorite Wrestler

Chris Jericho

 

Least Favorite Wrestler

A-Train

 

Worst Wrestler

Nathan Jones

 

Worst Tag Team

Three Minute Warning

 

Worst Television Show

NWA TNA Xplosion

 

Worst Non-Wrestling Personality

Vince Russo

 

Worst Match Of The Year

Shinya Hashimoto vs. Kejiji Mutoh

 

Worst Feud Of The Year

Jeff Jarrett vs. Vince Russo

 

Worst On Interviews

Stephanie

 

Worst Promotion

New Japan Pro Wrestling

 

Best Booker

Gabe Sapolsky

 

Promoter Of The Year

Mitsuharu Misawa

 

Best Gimmick

John Cena Thuganomics

 

Worst Gimmick

Rico The Homo

 

Most Embarassing Wrestler

Matt Ghafari

[Michrome 0]

Isn't this just Todd Martin's list? Guerrera-Sabin as a MoTY is insane.

[Tawren 0]

Some of those choices are SO freaking terrible.

[Spaceman Spiff 0]

Best Technical Wrestler

1 - Yuji Nagata

2 - Kurt Angle

3 - Chris Benoit

I think this is going to cause a bit of a stir around here...

[The Mandarin 0]

Most Overrated

1 - Triple H

 

Overrated by who? Everybody hates him, bashing all the work he's done over the past year. If anything, he's underrated, because he has had several good matches, yet he's regarded as being absolutely horrible.

 

I'm assuming he's basing this on workrate.

Edited December 21, 2003 by CM Funk

[Guest Doyo]

Isn't this just Todd Martin's list? Guerrera-Sabin as a MoTY is insane.

Yeah this is just some guys votes. The winners will be announced middle of January.

I liked Guerrera-Sabin better than their #2 pick, Michaels/Jericho.

[Guest Doyo]

Most Overrated

1 - Triple H

 

Overrated by who? Everybody hates him, bashing all the work he's done over the past year. If anything, he's underrated, because he has had several good matches, yet he's regarded as being absolutely horrible.

I believe the criteria is for who gets the most undeserving push.

[Lord of The Curry 0]

This list is so wrong on almost all fronts.

[Guest Man Of 1,004 Modes]

The fact Kenta Kobashi won like 10 awards to this person makes me wonder who he is.

 

I don't watch Puro.

 

And AMW is THIRD BEST TEAM?!? Wheres TWGTT?! OBvious bias here.

[Guest wrestlingbs]

What's this guy's obsession with Kenta Kobashi?

[Guest Man Of 1,004 Modes]

Satoshi KOJIMA ranks #3 in Charisma to him?!

 

Not to stereotype, but can he speak english thats not broken like Funaki.

[Guest Brian]

Overrated given his placement on the card vs. his work.

 

Charisma is an ability to connect with fans, convey feeling through your work, give life to what otherwise is fake, and to control, to a certain extent, fan reactions. It's not just about getting pops, it's about understanding how to coordinate those pops into feeling and emotion, how to convey that to a broad audience, and how to make them get emotionally involved in your matches.

[Mystery Eskimo 0]

Feud Of The Year

1 - Brock Lesnar vs. Kurt Angle

Oh, that feud that they totally blew and no one cared about?

[Guest Jimbo]

what's the deal with NJPW being called the worst promotion? :-/

[J.B. Buzzkill 0]

Satoshi KOJIMA ranks #3 in Charisma to him?!

 

Not to stereotype, but can he speak english thats not broken like Funaki.

He can speak *some* English.

[Youth N Asia 0]

Chris Sabin...by "rookie" do they mean the guy I've been watching in local indies since 99?

[haVoc 0]

Bruiser Brody Memorial Award

1 - Kenta Kobashi

2 - Brock Lesnar

3 - Yoshihiro Takayama

 

What is this award for?

[Guest Jimbo]

Chris Sabin...by "rookie" do they mean the guy I've been watching in local indies since 99?

how the hell do you call any indy wrestler a "rookie", period?

 

Can anyone hoenstly give me some names of a GOOD, WELL KNOWN 'rookie' wrestlers who started his career within the past year? Even just one or two?

 

Everytime they go to a new place are they a rookie? I suppose Mutoh is a rookie then, seeing as this will be his first appearance in RoH on the 27th?

 

What a silly award...

[Slayer 0]

The Observer being biased to puro comes as a shock to you people?

[Guest ligerbomb03]

Hell, I am biased in favour of Puro, but I am still a really big fan of WWE.

[Guest ligerbomb03]

By the way, World Japan is without a doubt the WORST promotion in that country. That is, if it's even still in business...

 

Whoever made these award choices if full of crap for naming New Japan as the worst. If anything, NJ and NOAH are the best, followed by Zero-One.

[Red Baron 0]

how can he give Coach a nomination for worst commentator, while Lawler gets snubbed...

[Guest JumpinJackFlash]

Worst Match Of The Year

Shinya Hashimoto vs. Kejiji Mutoh

 

Even though I haven't seen this match, I assume it had a wrestling move applied in it. So, it can't be the worst match of the year. Have we forgotten Steph/Vince I Quit No-DQ Towel Throw Match so soon? And I thought I heard The Great Muta was great? I'm assuming that's false, according to this list, but I agree this list does have problems. How come Angle/Benoit isn't in Match of the Year?

[Sonic Reducer 0]

how can he give Coach a nomination for worst commentator, while Lawler gets snubbed...

Because Lawler at least throws in a witty comment once a month that he hasn't re-used 1,000 times since 1993.

 

Coach just sucks.

[Guest ligerbomb03]

Great Muta/Keiji Mutoh used to be a really good wrestler until his knee injuries caught up with him.

 

My vote for worst match of the year, aside from Vince-Steph, goes to...

 

Mutoh/Goldberg vs. Kronik

 

That one was absolute crap.

[Guest jesseb]

Oh my god! This idiot who stole newsletter recaps from Seadawg's forum even steals people's award votes from there!

 

http://forums.delphiforums.com/n/mb/messag...dawg&msg=4262.1

 

Look familiar? He printed that guy's list word for word.

[Spaceman Spiff 0]

Bruiser Brody Memorial Award

1 - Kenta Kobashi

2 - Brock Lesnar

3 - Yoshihiro Takayama

 

What is this award for?

Best Brawler?

[Guest TheZsaszHorsemen]

Bruiser Brody Memorial Award

1 - Kenta Kobashi

2 - Brock Lesnar

3 - Yoshihiro Takayama

 

What is this award for?

Best Wrestler Stabbed In An American Protectorate

[Guest Ray]

The Observer being biased to puro comes as a shock to you people?

Maybe they're "biased" because, you know, it's better than WWE?

 

 

Kenta Kobashi > any WWE wrestler ever.

[Guest TheZsaszHorsemen]

The Observer being biased to puro comes as a shock to you people?

Maybe they're "biased" because, you know, it's better than WWE?

 

 

Kenta Kobashi > any WWE wrestler ever.

Backlund > Kobashi