The Hollywood industry is not the only one that is in awards season. Now that 2017 has ended, the main sports entertainment media are starting to reveal their selection of the best of professional wrestling. Among the most prestigious is Pro Wrestling Illustrated magazine, which has been doing this work since 1972.
In recent weeks, we had already seen that Rolling Stone chose The Miz as the best Superstar of 2017, and you, the readers of SUPER LUCHAS, voted for the top ten stars of 2017 in WWE.
You chose them! - The protagonists of 2017 in WWE
Well, the readers of SUPER LUCHAS have agreed with those of Pro Wrestling Illustrated, because for the second consecutive time, AJ Styles is the wrestler of the year according to this publication, with a 38% vote. Unlike other awards, here the next three positions are also announced, which belonged to Kazuchika Okada (21%), Kenny Omega (11%), and Cody Rhodes (9%).
These are the other winners in the different categories:
- Team of the Year: The Young Bucks
- Match of the Year: Kazuchika Okada vs. Kenny Omega (Wrestle Kingdom 11)
- Most Popular Wrestler: AJ Styles
- Most Hated Wrestler: Jinder Mahal
- Rivalry of the Year: Kenny Omega vs. Kazuchika Okada
- Woman of the Year: Asuka
- Comeback of the Year: The Hardy Boyz
- Most Improved Wrestler: Jinder Mahal
- Most Inspirational Wrestler: Christopher Daniels
- Rookie of the Year: Otis Dozovic
This is great news for AJ Styles, who receives another recognition for his talent, but above all, it is a great achievement for NJPW to position itself in awards that are normally dominated by WWE. They not only completed the podium in the main category but also won the other most important ones: team, rivalry, and match. This is not to mention that Okada had already topped the PWI 500 2017, which had the Phenomenal One in second place.
In the coming weeks, the most important awards of the year, the Wrestling Observer Newsletter Awards, will also be revealed. Will AJ Styles be the winner again, or will NJPW reign supreme this time?