YEAR END AWARDS for 2021

Another year is in the books for the Lankyverse, and with that we finally get around to award season. 2021 was a year of cross promotional rivalries, heel turns, and big time shows. With out further ado, here are the Wrestling Monitor’s third annual Year End Awards...


MATCH OF THE YEAR

Luke Powers vs Rampage Hunter (End of the Road 2021)
A dream cross-promotional matchup that absolutely delivered as advertised. Both men rag-dolled the other with power moves, both inside and outside the ring. What Rampage has done this early in his career is incredibly impressive, but this match proved the top dog is still the future hall of famer.




John Logan vs Young Blood (World Title- End of the Road 2021)
What started as a coup for Midas Mathews, stealing two of the top talents in the world from their former promotions (ok technically Young Blood was fired but whatever) turned ugly quickly when Logan and YB started trying to break each others necks in the ring. To the horror of Midas, this boiled over into a bloody cage match for the World Title. The match was brutal- with Young Blood opening Logan up for what would require 20 stitches in his head, shaking off three Logan Run DDTs and shocking the world by winning the Warrior Pro World Title.




Grim Reapers vs Coke Brothers (Title vs Title- G2 Finals 2021)
Simply put, the best tag team match ever held in a Warrior Pro ring. The Coke Brothers, fresh off their first Struggle Tag Title win, put their belts up against the Reapers with winner take all stipulations. What proceeded was 30 minutes of crazy spots, near finishes, and a show stealing performance thats likely to be talked about for years.




WINNER:



FEUD OF THE YEAR

John Logan vs Young Blood
These two faced off 4 times (once it a tag match) over the course of the year, with every match ending in blood or knockout. While loosely aligned to start the year, this rivalry resulted in scorched earth all around both men by the time it ended. On top of that, the rivalry largely dominated the world title scene for most of the year.


Doc Wyatt vs Pantero Negro Jr
Doc Wyatt’s run as Intercontinental Champion has been historic, but his run in Mexico this past year may have been more impressive. Forcing his way into the title picture, then shocking the country by beating Diego Guerrero- Doc quickly made enemies with Pantero Negro. The two would battle throughout the G2 tournament both in the ring and out, and culminate their feud at Warriorversary 3 when Pantero would dramatically win the Lucha POWER title.


Tommy Masshole vs iWe (LPJ holder)
When Tommy Masshole stole the Luxurious Purple Jacket, most people assumed it was a stunt that would quickly get squashed the first moment it could. But the drunk Bostonian proved a slippery little shit, first booking himself a winnable contender, then sidestepping his defense against OG winner Bradley Banks. It finally took a man of equal slipperiness- Tocapelotas- to win back the Jacket and rid the Reign of Masshole once and for all.


WINNER:



WRESTLER OF THE YEAR

Doc Wyatt
His last loss to a Warrior Pro roster member was to Machine Gun Mayhem on July 22, 2020 (a match that had to be restarted since he technically one on a count out). In the time since he’s lost only twice (both times to Pantero Negro Jr.), and has claimed both Lucha Power and Intercontinental gold. That IC title, which he defended for all of 2021, has been defended 8 times over the last 494 days. You may hate Doc Wyatt, but its hard to say he didn’t have a banner year.


John Logan
Held the World Heavyweight title for the majority of the year, spanning two reigns that included wins over Young Blood and Machine Gun Mayhem. The high profile wins over opponents who hold deep histories with Logan, strengthen the case for the longtime anointed Ace that finally realized his potential. The only real blemish is what seems to be a growing trend of Warrirorversary champs losing their title on the years last show...


Vic Baron
A very quiet first half of the year was overshadowed by a massive ending to it. Starting with the tail end of the G2 tournament, Vic Baron snapped into a new side to himself, blasting through opponents with viciousness previously unseen. Couple that with an alignment with Paco Pequeno lead to Vic unseating John Logan as World Champ to close out 2021.


Honorable Mention: Pantero Negro Jr did what no one has ever done- beat Doc Wyatt in back to back matches, Machine Gun became the first two time G2 winner, and Rampage Hunter had another year of high profile wins inside and outside the promotion- including over the legendary Big Bird Machine.


WINNER: