Feature

Vote now in the 1st Annual AiPT! LARIAT Awards

Help us sort the best of the best in the past year of professional wrestling.

December 18, 2017

Welcome wrestling fans to the most contrivingly-titled award show of 2017, the AiPT! Leati Anoa’i Regional Internet Award Telecast: The LARIATs! The wrestling writers at AiPT!, along with several friends we may or may not have extorted to join in the fun, have put together a list of the best and worst of the year based on our own individual opinions and biases.

But we alone are not enough to determine the best and the worst of this year in the sport of kings. We need you! Check out the nominees we’ve listed below and fill out our survey choosing who you think deserves these prestigious honors. Enjoy the snark and the holiday cheer as we remember 2017, a year of ups, downs, releases, hirings, dump trucks, ambulances, and the best holiday gift of them all…The Gift of Jericho.

The “Cream Rises to the Top” Award for Best Promo Skills

Nominees:
Chris Jericho (SDL, Raw, NJPW)
John Cena (Raw, SDL)
Kevin Owens (SDL)
The Miz (Raw)
Samoa Joe (Raw)

The “If You Smeeeeeeeeelllllll” Award for Best Entrance

Nominees:
Aleister Black (NXT)
Bobby Roode (NXT/SDL)
Finn Balor (Raw)
Sanity (NXT)
Shinsuke Nakamura (NXT/SDL)

The Fabulous Freebird Award for Tag Team/Trio of the Year

Nominees:
#DIY (NXT)
The Elite (NJPW/ROH)
Sanity (NXT)
The New Day (SDL)
The Usos (SDL)
The Young Bucks (NJPW/PWG/ROH)

The “From Outta Nowhere” Award for Most Improved Wrestler (Male or Female)

Nominees:
Andrade “Cien” Almas (NXT)
Braun Strowman (Raw)
Drew Gulak (205)
Elias (Raw)
Enzo Amore (205)
Juice Robinson (NJPW)

The “Vintage Orton!” Award for Most Unimproved Wrestler (Male or Female)

Nominees:
Apollo Crews (Raw)
Bray Wyatt (Raw)
Dolph Ziggler (SDL)
Hardys (Raw)
Natalya (SDL)

The Nathan Jones Award for Most Overrated Wrestler (Male or Female)

Nominees:
Cody (ROH)
Dean Ambrose (Raw)
Lio Rush (NXT)
Natalya (SDL)
Roman Reigns (Raw)
Sexy Star (AAA, Lucha Underground)
Zack Sabre Jr (NJPW, PWG, Evolve)

The “B+ Player” award for Most Underrated Wrestler (Male or Female)

Nominees:
Breezango (SDL)
Cedric Alexander (205)
Drew Gulak (205)
Emma (Raw)
Harper (SDL)
Toni Storm (Stardom/MYC)
Tye Dillinger (SDL)

The Ricky Steamboat Face of the Year Award (Male or Female)

Nominees:
AJ Styles (SDL)
Becky Lynch (SDL)
Daniel Bryan (SDL)
Finn Balor (Raw)
John Cena (Raw, SDL)
Johnny Gargano (NXT)

The Bobby Heenan Memorial Heel of the Year Award (Male or Female)

Nominees:
Johnny Mundo/Impact (Lucha Underground/TNA)
Kevin Owens (SDL)
Marty Scurll (ROH/NJPW/etc.)
The McMahon Family (WWE)
Pete Dunne (NXT/WWEUK)
Samoa Joe (Raw)

The “Break Down the Wall” Award for Best Debut (Male or Female, must have debuted in a major promotion in 2017)

Nominees:
Adam Cole (NXT)
Aleister Black (NXT)
Jazzy Gabert (MYC)
Pete Dunne (NXT/WWE UK)
Sammy Guevara (PWG)
Samoa Joe (Raw)
The Undisputed Era (NXT)
Velveteen Dream (NXT)
WALTER (PWG)

The “Pipe Bomb” Award for Promo of the Year

Nominees:
Daniel Bryan “AJ Styles will beat Brock Lesnar” (SDL)
Fashion Files (SDL)
John Cena tears down Roman Reigns before No Mercy (Raw)
The Miz and Maryse “Total Bella Bullshit” segments (Raw)
Roman Reigns’ “My Yard Now” Raw after Wrestlemania (Raw)
Usos Vs. The New Day in a Rap off (SDL)

The “Good god Almighty!” Award for Amazing Moment of the Year

Nominees:
Bullet Club Fires the First Shot (NJPW)
Chris Jericho Challenges Kenny Omega (NJPW)
Hardy Boyz return to WWE (Raw)
Kevin Owens and Chris Jericho “Festival of Friendship” (Raw)
Kevin Owens headbutts Vince McMahon (SDL)
Samoa Joe threatening, then choking out Paul Heyman (Raw)
SHIELD reunite (Raw)
Undertaker retires? (WWE)

The “I’m Not Finished With You Yet!” Award for Feud of the Year

Nominees:
DIY vs The Revival (NXT)
Kazuchika Okada vs. Kenny Omega (NJPW)
Kevin Owens Vs. Chris Jericho (Raw)
Kevin Owens vs. Shane McMahon (SDL)
Roman Reigns Vs. Braun Strowman (Raw)
Samoa Joe Vs. Brock Lesnar (Raw)

The “Not a Good Guy, Not a Bad Guy” Award for Male Wrestler of the Year

Nominees:
AJ Styles (SDL)
Braun Strowman (Raw)
Kenny Omega (NJPW)
Miz (Raw)
Okada (NJPW)

The “Not Like Most Girls” Award for Female Wrestler of the Year

Nominees:
Alexa Bliss (Raw)
Asuka (Raw)
Charlotte (SDL)
The Iconic Duo: Peyton Royce and Billie Kaye (NXT)
Kairi Sane (MYC/NXT)
Nikki Cross (NXT)

The “Fight Forever” Award for Match of the Year

Nominees:
Aleister Black Vs. Velveteen Dream – NXT Takeover: Houston (NXT)
Brock Lesnar vs Braun Strowman vs Samoa Joe vs Roman Reigns – WWE Summerslam (Raw)
John Cena vs AJ Styles – WWE Royal Rumble (SDL)
Kazuchika Okada vs Minoru Suzuki-New Beginning (NJPW)
Okada vs Omega – Pick One (NJPW)
Pete Dunne vs Tyler Bate – NXT Takeover: Chicago (NXT)
Will Ospreay vs KUSHIDA- BOSJ Finals (NJPW)

The WCW Memorial Award for Promotion of the Year

Nominees:
Monday Night Raw
New Japan Pro Wrestling
NXT
PWG
Ring of Honor
Smackdown Live!