2005 Year End Awards Extravaganza~!

Alright, since I'm pretty confident neither NFW show or the EPW show will be up before Saturday, since AWC is on winter break and ACW, WFW, A1E and LVW are all getting shows out after the New Year, it's safe to post these for the calendar year of 2005.

So who do I deem worthy of my awards? Well, let's just find out, shall we?

Handler of the Year

I'll go in ascending order for the ones I have five places. For Handler, Card, Character and Match of the Year, I'm casting it like a Heisman ballot (1st through 5th place votes)

5th place - Michael McNichols (WFW, NFW; Michael Manson)

He won the inaugural NFW ULTRATITLE in January, had the WFW title for a portion of this year and has been a driving force behind the Eastern Conference this year. Quite a fine year indeed for Mr. McNichols.

4th place - Lindz (A1E, fWo, EPW, NFW, Natural Selection Tourney; Lindsay Troy)

She had a great run in fWo as one-half of the Tag Champions with Sonny Silver, placed third in the Natural Selection Summer Solstice Tournament, and oh yeah, had the GREATEST ANGLE OF THE YEAR with Dis and the EPW World Heavyweight Championship. That merits a spot on the list for her efforts this year.

3rd place - Dave Brunk (A1E, WFW, CSWA, UCW, TEAM, MBE Cup, EPW; Dan Ryan)

He runs EPW, one of the finest feds on the 'Net, was the runner up in the UNIFIED Title Tournament, has made waves in both WFW and A1E and won the MBE Cup. And this is only an "above-average" year for the Brunkster. Watch out next year, especially if the CSWA gets back on track.

2nd place - Andy Hewitt (NFW, XUW, fWo, PTC events, ACW; Dr. Curiosity, Uriel, Cereal Killer, Shanty Jones, Violence Jack)

Longest run with the fWo Cruiserweight Championship ever, I believe, and he did it with the Curious Rules angle, always a crowd pleaser. Won GTT4 as Dr. Curiosity and the Cruiserweight Tourney with Cereal Killer. An outstanding year despite Uriel's showing in NFW right now.

Handler of the Year - Gregg Gethard (EPW, CSWA, NFW, WFW, NEW, TEAM; Troy Windham, August de la Rossi, The Mysterious Zoltan, The Mighty Impala, WildStar, Iceman Ken Kearns, The Original Showstoppers)

GreggG's the hardest working man in e-fedding. Seriously, he's been all over the place, lighting the world on fire as Troy Windham and entertaining folks with his other characters as well, especially Iceman, the Entourag and the Mighty Impala. Feats include winning the UNIFIED Championship, getting the OSS into the finals of the WFW Tag Team Tournament and tearing up NFW and EPW with strong angles.

Honorable mention: Jarret Aubry (A1E, EPW, WFW, TEAM; Beast), Phil Banet (A1E, EPW; Big Dog, Richard Farnswirth), Roger Albrecht (A1E, UCW, MBE Cup; Housefly, Eddie Weston, Haven, Damon Blackburn), Mike Stanton (NFW, UCW, WFW; Doc Silver, The First, Bloodhunt), Tom Ford (fWo, CSWA; High Flyer), Russ Harder (ACW, NFW, CSWA; Alias), Sean Williams (GCW, GW, PTC events, ACW, NFW, CSWA; Seymour Almasy, Emoticon, Logic), Jon Katz (NFW, CSWA, fWo, PTC Events, MBE Cup; Craig Miles, Mike Randalls), Jamar Nicholas (NFW; Eddie Mayfield), Shane G. (A1E, MBE Cup, TEAM, UCW, EPW; IrishRed), Steve Thomas (LVW, CSWA, TEAM, EPW, NFW, WFW, A1E, MBE Cup; Joey Melton, Mark Windham, Hans Nowak, Timmy Windham), James Irish (A1E, TEAM; James Irish, Kanna Kirishima), Karl Brown (EPW, NEW, TEAM; Karl Brown, Blitz, Mr. Entertainment)

Wrestler of the Year

5th place - Dan Ryan (A1E, WFW, CSWA, UCW, TEAM, MBE Cup)

Won the MBE Cup and all that other stuff mentioned in the handler category.

4th place - High Flyer (fWo, CSWA)

Ended Doc Curiosity's Cruiserweight Title reign and recently won the fWo World and Tag Team Championships. Big player in the CSDub when it was active this year too.

3rd place - Lindsay Troy (A1E, fWo, NFW, EPW, Natural Selection Tournament)

Already mentioned her accolades as a character.

2nd place - Beast (A1E, EPW, WFW, TEAM)

Ostensibly made the Survivor Title into A1E's secondary title, was a major A1E force all year, now the #1 contender to that World Title as well as the EPW World Title, whcih he held for the first half of this year. Major player in EPW as well.

Wrestler of the Year - Troy Windham (CSWA, EPW, NFW)

UNIFIED Title is the biggie here. Also with the Dis III and NFW West stuff, he's probably the best wrestler on the circuit this year.

Honorable Mention: Richard Farnswirth (A1E, EPW), Housefly (A1E, MBE Cup), IrishRed (A1E, MBE Cup, UCW, EPW, TEAM), Michael Manson (WFW, NFW), Doc Silver (NFW), Seymour Almasy (GCW, NFW, ACW), Doctor Curiosity (fWo, PTC events), Craig Miles (fWo, NFW, CSWA, MBE Cup, PTC events), Pierce Lavelle (AWC), Uber Judge (PTC events, XUW), Angelo Deville (NFW, PRIME, PTC events), Alias (ACW, CSWA, NFW), Joey Melton (EPW, WFW, NFW, A1E), James Irish (A1E, TEAM)

Match of the Year (as written)

5th place - Jericoholic Anonymous vs. Richard Farnswirth, A1E Cyber Brutality

I didn't ban this here because I didn't write it. I thought it was the best written match in A1E all year, and I'd like to think it's because Phil and I put a LOT behind the RPing for it.

4th place - Kodiak Vic Creed vs. Craig Miles, NFW Midnight Madness week 5

One of many quality NFW matches this year. This gets into the top five because it had a lot of heat, was easy to read and had epic quality. Plus, it's KVC! Debuting in NFW! Hyoooge stuff.

3rd place - Troy Windham vs. Dan Ryan, CSWA Anniversary 17

An epic match which was unfortunately the swan song for the CSWA this year at least. It was absolutely fitting for the main event for the biggest show of the year.

2nd place - Beast vs. Dis, EPW Russian Roulette

Seriously, the Dis unmasking puts an exclamation point on this match. It's like the Sixth Sense. Reading the match the first time, it's kinda humdrum, but once you see Dis become Lindsay Troy, it's like finding out Bruce Willis was dead the whole time. Then you go back and reread the match and it's that much clearer.

Match of the Year (as written) - Eddie Mayfield vs. Craig Miles, NFW Midnight Madness week 2

This match was the personification of the hate the two characters have for each other. It's the best match written this year, any fed, for that reason. The hate becomes real. It's not just there because the announcers say it's there, or because Jamar wrote over and over "man these guys hate each other" (which he didn't, btw). It's carefully crafted, from beginning to razor wire wrapped missed Pearl Jam into a razor wire Sharpshooter end.

Honorable Mention: 2005 Pier Six Brawl (A1E Bloody New Year), Housefly/JA (A1E Golden Dreams V), Ryan/LB/IrishRed (MBE Cup Finals), Ryan/Felix Red (NFW Crash TV week 3), Manson/Southern (NFW Wrestlebowl), Melton/Flair (NFW Midnight Madness week 5), Melton/Cruise (EPW Black Dawn), Carter/Chaos (NEW International Intrigue), LDC/Danger/Sars (ACW Ready or Not), Sharp/Almasy (ACW Ready or Not)

Match of the Year (as RPed)

Of course, an RP fed exclusive category ;)

5th place - Eli Flair vs. Eddie Mayfield, NFW Midnight Madness week 6

Sure, the match hasn't been written yet, but Jamar and Pete put out a pretty solid RP session for this match, showing that the old dogs still have something left in 'em ;)

4th place - James Irish vs. the Sergeant, TEAM Invitational Tournament first round

Sure, it's my fed, but since I wasn't the one RPing this match, I feel like I can pick it, guilt-free. Sarge put up a hell of an effort in his second match against one of the best, and James showed why he's one of the best.

3rd place - Dan Ryan vs. IrishRed vs. Londonboy, MBE Cup Finals

A fitting session for the finals of a big tournament. Red put up a hellacious fight, and LB proved worthy, but Ryan showed why he's one of the best in this hobby with this effort.

2nd place - Beau Michaels, Kevin Powers and Kin Hiroshi vs. Cameron Cruise, Doc Silver and Jonathan Marx, NFW Crash TV week 5

Talk about your insane RP sessions, this one took me back to my days in old-school A1E, when matches would routinely go 20-25 total RPs. It's a rare match where everyone got hyped up.

Match of the Year (as RPed) - Troy Windham vs. Dan Ryan vs. Vacant vs. Superstar Vince Jacobs

Again, an RP thread fitting for the end of a prestigious tournament. Everyone brought their A-game here, and Windham was just unreal.

Honorable Mention: Farnswirth/Prof T (and some midget) (A1E Invasion TNW), H. Yakamo/Housefly (A1E Invasion TNW), Beast/IrishRed (A1E 8/16 TNW), Manson/Southern (NFW Wrestlebowl), Ryan/Manson (NFW Crash TV week 2), Silver/Powers (NFW Crash TV week 3), Sergeant/Scott (EPW Onslaught 1), Savoy/Melton (EPW Aggression 18), Davis/Brown (EPW Russian Roulette), Tr. Windham/Alias (CSWA UNIFIED TOurney, 5/16), Ti. Windham/IrishRed (TEAM Invitational Tournament, Round One)

Card of the Year

5th place - A1E Vengeance

It's the card that shaped A1E for the rest of the year and it had a lot of pretty big moments, including JA's return, Fly winning the World Title and a pretty good Shane/Gilkison 2/3 falls Cyber Title match.

4th place - NFW Midnight Madness week 2

Barbed wire? Blood feuds? A rodeo arena? Didn't think they could top this one at the time. A great card, top to bottom.

3rd place - CSWA Anniversary 17

A lot of buildup paid off for this card. A lot of great matches and moments, including Eli Flair's CSWA farewell, the unveiling of Vacant as Ruben Ross and the crowning of a new UNIFIED Champion.

2nd place - NFW Midnight Madness week 5

Just when I thought they couldn't top week 2, they went and topped themselves after their weakest card of the year. Highlighted by Melton/Flair, the debuts of KVC, Brandon Youngblood, Guy Boudreaux and Norman Quiry, UWA Title goodness and the New South Enterprises.

Card of the Year - EPW Russian Roulette

A solid, solid card, top to bottom. Tag Team Turmoil, the brief return of Vladimir Vlachinko, a solid Dodd/Marx match, plus the angle of the year.

Honorable Mention: A1E Golden Dreams, EPW Black Dawn, NFW Wrestlebowl, NFW Crash TV Week 2, NEW International Intrigue, ACW Ready or Not, AWC Winter Warfare, MBE Cup Finals

Tag Team of the Year - Torment and Haven

A weak year for tag teams, but a strong year for Torment and Haven, whose stranglehold on the A1E Tag Team Championships has gone on for about nine months now. Pretty impressive reign, given they faced tough challenges from MidWest Mafia all year.

Honorable Mentions: The Cameron Cruise Project (Joey Melton, Cameron Cruise), The Original ShowStoppers (Brandon Mueller, Frankie Fargo), The MidWest Mafia (IrishRed, Eliminat0r), Blitz (Max, Jecht)

Rookie Character of the Year - Andy Sharp

He's had a pretty strong run in ACW, culminating with the Television Title and a MOTY candidate with Seymour Almasy at Ready or Not. Emphatic choice in a weak field this year.

Honorable Mention: The Sergeant, Zeno, The First, Tariq Ismail

There weren't any rookie handlers of note to my knowledge *shrug*

Breakout Star of the Year - Lowell Dot Com

A second straight award for ACW. LDC busted out HUGE this year, becoming arguably the biggest name in that company. Has a stranglehold on the Scorpio Fighting Title too.

Honorable Mention: Yori Yakamo, Jr., Karl Brown, Andy Sharp, IrishRed

Comeback Wrestler of the Year - IrishRed

Came back for the MBE Cup and signed up for A1E. He's made a huge mark since then, shooting straight to the MBE Cup finals, a runner-up for the UCW Title and organizing perhaps the biggest thing in A1E this year (the MBE Invasion).

Honorable Mention: Doc Silver, Mr. Amazing!

Angle of the Year - Dis

Threw an entire fed for a loop and made huge waves in the e-wrestling world. Yep, Lindz, Brunk and Bolich worked us all... and we all enjoyed it.

Honorable Mention: Troy Windham vs. the NFW West, Dis III, ANTEUS, Southern heeling out Manson after the WrestleBowl final, Sharp on the Spot against Almasy, Sars the Clown

Feud of the Year - Miles/Mayfield

The seeds were planted in Season One, they bloomed at Crashmas and WrestleBowl, and it's playing out Season Two. AT this rate, this could be the Feud of the Year for 2006 as well, and if NFW hits a Season One-esque lag in the coming year, 2007 as well. However, I don't foresee that much laggage... Season Two has been going well so far.

Honorable Mentions: Beast/Lindsay Troy, Manson/Silver, Tr. Windham/Adler, Almasy/Keller, KVC/Graphic Violence, Farnswirth/Housefly, Ryan/Beast

Stable of the Year - Highland Park Social Club

They rang in the New Year and will close out this year with the A1E World Heavyweight Championship in tow. Strong stable in a down year for them.

Honorable Mentions: Anarchy, Inc., LOVE

Heel of the Year - Troy Windham/August de la Rossi

It's not even close. These two generate more heel heat than most of the heels on the WWE roster right now. And I almost considered putting August here alone because his character is 10x more outrageous than Windham's is, and he didn't have any near face moments like Windham had at Anniversary.

Honorable Mentions: Eddie Mayfield, Chip Friendly, Lowell Dot Com, Superstar Vince Jacobs, Calvin Carlton

Face of the Year - Beast

Despite spending half the year as a heel in A1E, his face run in Empire was as good as it gets, plus I like the redemption angle he's doing in A1E right now.

Honorable Mentions: Seymour Almasy, James Irish, Tom Adler (almost by default here), Alias

Fed of the Year - NFW

I really don't think it's close here. They're putting out great shows at a steady clip (for the FW world, that is). It takes a ton of work to get the shows out, and both conferences are shining right now. NFW is the place to be and the fed to follow.

Honorable Mentions: ACW, fWo, AWC, EPW, UCW

And that's it. Tomorrow, I'll try to throw out some 2006 predictions and then after that, we'll see some New Year's Resolutions perhaps.