Do you think they were right to award Kenny Omega Wrestler of the Year?
The Annual Wrestling Observer Newsletter Awards has had it’s annual awards released this week, and the voters have awarded Kenny Omega Wrestler of the Year.
These awards are voted on by the readers of the newsletter, and are generally respected as a good representation of the business. Points were allocated on a 5-3-2 basis, with readers voting for their top 3 and their top pick earning 5 points, seconds earning 3, third receiving 2.
Kenny Omega Wrestler of the Year
Kenny Omega won the award for the second time in his career this year, after an incredible reign as the AEW, Impact and AAA Champion, holding all three belts concurrently for a spell. They also awarded Kenny Omega Wrestler of the Year in 2018 after an incredible year where he won the IGWP Heavyweight Championship from Kazuchika Okada.
Omega dominated the votes, with 629 points awarded to him by voted. He destroyed the competition, with his nearest rival in second place being Roman Reigns, who tallied 90 points total.
Omega completely deserved the award after his incredible year with All Elite Wrestling. He started the year as the AEW Champion, having defeated Jon Moxley for the belt in late 2020 at “AEW Winter is Coming”. He defended the title at AEW Revolution 2021 against Moxley in the brutal and dangerous Barbed Wire Death Match, one of the bloodiest AEW matches of all time.
Other title defences in his reign in 2021 included amazing matches against Rey Fenix, Jungle Boy, Christian Cage, Bryan Danielson and a three way match against PAC and Orange Cassidy. His reign was known for his incredible matches which made every match feel like the biggest match on the card, and his ability in the ring made you feel like he could lose the belt at any moment.
Omega didn’t only impress in AEW, however. He became world champion in both IMPACT wrestling and in Mexico for AAA, becoming the IMPACT World Champion and AAA Mega Champion. On route to winning wrestler of the year Kenny Omega wrestled all over the world in huge matches. He lost the IMPACT Championship to Christian Cage on the first episode of AEW Rampage, and gave up the AAA Mega Championship due to injury.
The other wrestlers in the top five apart from Wrestler of the Year Kenny Omega and runner up Roman Reigns were, in order of 3rd to 5th, Shingo Tagaki, Bryan Danielson and Utami Hayashishita. Omega’s fellow AEW stars CM Punk and Adam Page came in at 6th and 8th, respectively.
Kenny Omega vs Adam Page Feud of the Year
He finally lost the Championship at Full Gear 2021, ending a multi-year storyline against his former tag team partner Adam Page. In one of Adam Page’s best matches, he lost to the Hangman in a five star classic. After the match, it was revealed that Omega was in incredible pain, and could not lift any weight above his shoulders, making his incredible performances even more impressive.
Speaking of his feud with Adam Page, Kenny Omega Wrestle of the Year award was not the only award he won. Kenny Omega vs Adam Page was voted as the feud of the year, as Page fought not only Omega and The Elite, but also his own insecurities and anxiety to reach the top of AEW and win the AEW Championship.
Other winners
Whilst WON readers voted Kenny Omega Wrestler of the Year and awarded him Feud of the Year alongside Adam Page, they were not the only awards voted on this year. Other winners of awards included The Elite AEW team mates The Young Bucks winning Tag Team of the Year, whilst former AEW star Cody Rhodes placed top 10 in both the most overrated and most underrated categories.
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The Young Bucks also won match of the year with their cage match against The Lucha Brothers at AEW All Out.
Below are some other select winners of other WON Awards in 2021:
Tag team of the year – Young Bucks
Best on interviews (promos) – MJF
Match of the year – Young Bucks vs Lucha Bros – AEW All Out
Feud of the year – Kenny Omega vs Hangman Page
Most improved – Tay Conti
Most underrated – Ricochet
Rookie of the year – Jade Cargill
Best non-wrestler – Paul Heyman
Best announcer – Excalibur
Worst announcer – Corey Grave
sBest booker – Tony Khan
Promoter of the year – Tony Khan
Do you think readers of the WON should have awarded Kenny Omega Wrestler of the Year. Should Kenny Omega vs Bryan Danielson have been awarded match of the year? Let us know in the comments, or click Next Article to read more.
