Best Worker                             

Award Description:

To be given to the wrestler with, on average, the best workrate. In 1994,
this award was split into three: North American, Non-North American, and
overall.  In 1998, it was recombined into one.

Previous Winners:

  1990: Ric Flair / Randy Savage (tie)
  1991: Jushin Liger
  1992: Jushin Liger
  1993: Bret Hart
  1994: (overall/NA) Sabu
  1994: (non-NA)     Chris Benoit
  1995: (overall/NA) Shawn Michaels
  1995: (non-NA)     Chris Benoit
  1996: (overall/NA) Rey Mysterio, Jr.
  1996: (non-NA)     Jushin Liger
  1997: (overall/NA) Shawn Michaels
  1997: (non-NA)     Taka Michinoku
  1998: Mankind (Cactus Jack / Dude Love / Mick Foley)
  1999: Chris Benoit

**2000**: Chris Benoit

569 first place votes
559 second place votes
550 third place votes

303 136 39 2001   Chris Benoit
140 104 65 1142   Triple H
  8  45 58  291   Chris Jericho
 21  35 37  284   Yoshihiro Tajiri
  9  33 38  220   Lance Storm
  9  23 38  190   Jeff Hardy
 10  21 31  175   Eddie Guerrero
  4  23 16  121   Dean Malenko
  1  15 26  102   Booker T.
 10  11  9  101   Toshiaki Kawada
  7   8 20   99   Jerry Lynn
  3   6 25   83   William Regal
  1  11 18   74   Kurt Angle
  4  10 11   72   Rob Van Dam
  3   6 19   71   Jeff Jarrett
  1   8 12   53   Rock
  5   4  3   43   Christopher Daniels
  1   6  4   31   Matt Hardy
  3   3  1   26   Cima
  1   4  3   23   Mick Foley
  1   3  4   22   Minoru Tanaka
  0   4  5   22   Steve Corino
  1   0  6   17   Christian
  0   1  7   17   Mike Awesome
  0   1  7   17   Masato Tanaka
  2   0  3   16   Kenta Kobashi
  2   0  2   14   Shane McMahon
  1   3  0   14   Hardcore Holly
  2   1  0   13   Chikayo Nagashima
  1   1  1   10   Crowbar
  1   0  2    9   Tomoaki Honma
  0   1  3    9   Undertaker
  1   1  0    8   Dick Togo
  1   1  0    8   D'Lo Brown
  1   1  0    8   Aja Kong
  0   1  2    7   Suwa
  0   1  2    7   Edge
  0   2  0    6   Perry Saturn
  0   2  0    6   Jun Akiyama
  1   0  0    5   Yuji Nagata
  1   0  0    5   Trent Acid
  1   0  0    5   Shawn Michaels
  1   0  0    5   Mitsuharu Misawa
  1   0  0    5   Mariko Yoshida
  1   0  0    5   Kevin Nash
  1   0  0    5   Hayabusa
  1   0  0    5   Bokujin Ken
  0   1  1    5   X-Pac
  0   1  1    5   Vampiro
  0   1  1    5   Tazz
  0   1  1    5   Shinjiro Ohtani
  0   1  1    5   Chris Kanyon
  0   1  1    5   Alexander Otsuka
  0   1  1    5   Al Snow
  0   0  2    4   Super Crazy
  0   0  2    4   Steve Blackman
  0   0  2    4   Steve Austin
  0   1  0    3   Trish Stratus
  0   1  0    3   Sonoko Kato
  0   1  0    3   Ryuji Yamakawa
  0   1  0    3   Mr. Gannosuke
  0   1  0    3   Michael Modest
  0   1  0    3   Lex Luger
  0   1  0    3   Kidman
  0   1  0    3   Justin Credible
  0   1  0    3   Guido Maritato
  0   1  0    3   El Samurai
  0   1  0    3   Chyna
  0   1  0    3   Ape Virgon
  0   1  0    3   Akira Taue
  0   0  1    2   Val Venis
  0   0  1    2   Tiger Mask IV
  0   0  1    2   Taka Michinoku
  0   0  1    2   Spike Dudley
  0   0  1    2   Psicosis
  0   0  1    2   Megumi Yabushita
  0   0  1    2   Mark Henry
  0   0  1    2   Lita
  0   0  1    2   Kane
  0   0  1    2   Jushin Liger
  0   0  1    2   Jodie Fleish
  0   0  1    2   Great Sasuke
  0   0  1    2   El Hijo del Santo
  0   0  1    2   EZ Money
  0   0  1    2   Daisuke Ikeda
  0   0  1    2   Crash
  0   0  1    2   Chris Daniels
  0   0  1    2   Akino

REJECTED

  2   0  0        "Tie" votes
  1   1  1        Hardy Boyz (ineligible)
  0   2  1        Duplicate votes

C. JOSEPH HOFFMAN: Tie because we all know the work ethic of both men,
both will work injured and in serious pain, but still put on a terrific
show time and time again..

HIRO: Basically a rehash of category 1, but you can say that Jericho is
trying very hard to copy Benoit's act in his own way (the top rope
hurricanrana really does it). Triple H also added a lot into his formerly
limited workrate, and has improved very much and had the injuries to prove
it.

DEAN RASMUSSEN: Chikayo Nagashima gets the nod because this year she moved
beyond being the best luchadorette in Joshi Puroresu by developing a
credible power arsenal. She looks more credible on offense than her
mentor- Mayumi Ozaki. Minoru Tanaka was technically perfect and
innnovative and great and had three really great matches in three
different styles and he rules and he is God and you should go get every
tape with Minoru Tanaka on it.

ROBERT STRUPP: Triple H got 2 ***** matches from a crippled Mick Foley,
went 60 minutes with Rocky that only had a limited outside the ring brawl
and was better than anyone ever thought it would be, and had terrific
matches with different styles agains TAKA and Jericho. He truly had an
amazing run this year. I put Booker slightly ahead of Benoit, because he
had a worse grade of crap to work with in WCW, as Benoit spent half of the
year wrestling Jericho and Angle, while Booker had to wrestle Steiner.

ALEX GIPSON: Again, I have to give the nod to Triple H, as he has
delivered top notch performances year-round and has showed little signs of
slowing down. Benoit is Benoit, and Kurt Angle's style is really catching
on with me-if his rookie year is any indication, just think of where he'll
be on these lists one year from now.

CHRIS OSTER: Close one here, but Benoit still works his ass off more than
anyone in wrestling.  Triple H barely takes second, and Jericho rounds out
my top 3. When do you ever see really bad matches from these three?

EDC: Benoit has truely become the best Technical wrestler in the world
today. He is in such a groove right now, that I dont think he's had a sub
*** match in years. Which makes it still a crime that he Left WCW and isnt
recognized as a World Champion somewhere. If he had stayed, I wonder if
things would have been better or worse for them and for him? Would he be
like Jeff JArrett, a former 4 time Heavy weight title holder?

ANDREW BAYER: I love Eddie, I love Benoit, but Regal has just blown me
away. I haven't seen enough of him this year to give him the nod ahead of
Eddie and Chris, but wait 'til next year...

DANIEL HERMAN: Seeing the Benoit v. Regal match live was amazing, it is
great to see Regal back in top form, he truly is the best in the world.

SCOTT W.: Well duh.  Chris Benoit is the best.  second and 3rd are close
with Eddie and Tajiri.

CHANCE50JR: I'm happy Malenko is in the WWF, but he's being wasted.  
Still, after that match at Backlash, he's my #1.

MARCUS SPARKS: Chris Benoit is the best worker in the US today.  Period.  
Lance has done great work in ECW, and has brought the same attitude into
WCW rings despite being within sniffing distance of Big Poochie.  Regal is
easy to watch, and still pays attention to the psychological details of a
match.

JOHN C.: Although I never thought I would say this a year ago, Triple H
was the best worker in wrestling this year. He consistently had the best
match with opponents ranging from Kane to Rikishi to TAKA to Foley to
Jericho to Benoit to Rock proving that he could have a good match with
anybody. That's the definition of what a good worker is. I think Chris
Benoit took a while to adapt to the styles of some WWF wrestlers so he
didn't really find his groove until the summer although once he did that
he pulled off some beautiful matches with everybody. Rounding out my top
three is Booker T. who has been one of the lone bright spots in a company
that had a lot of dark clouds. Even though his matches were not legendary
like Triple H or Benoit, he worked harder than anybody in WCW and was able
to pull good matches out of everybody he went up against.

GREG NECASTRO: Triple H busted his ass and deserved every main event he
was in.

JOSEPH MICELI: If you've seen their matches you know what i'm talking
about

TONY LING: The top two are easy, but I put Booker T there because I'm
happy he's WCW champ and he's had some good matches with Jeff
Jarrett-maybe the only good WCW matches this year.

ANDY P. GOSS: Jeff Jarrett first, Lance Storm second, Steve Corino third.  
Simply put, these guys are a boss's dream come true, willing to do damn
near ANYTHING to put on a show.  Jeff was willing to work through a
concussion.  Lance agreed to team with Jim Duggan to help the company
feud.  And Corino will make anyone look like a vicious, brutal man.  
Can't ask for much more from your workers.

JON WALTON: Chris Benoit is in a class by himself...Dean Malenko and Eddy
Guerrero form the next tier.  Period.

EZE4DA3747: Benoit's a given and even though X-Pac "doesn't job", he still
puts on one hell of a match. Even though Austin is the companies top star,
he sure as hell doesn't look invincible during his matches, which means
he's good

MARKUS: Benoit =3D Well DUH. Hunter works his ass off in there, and Regal
has something to prove, so he does too.

JONAH ROSCH: Chris Benoit, what more is there to say. A man who takes
wrestling to another level completely. Has increased the workrate for the
WWF immediately upon his arrival. My cynical guess is that he's being
programmed with the top WWF stars because they don't want him showing up
the really weak lower level wrestlers. (not that he wouldn't show up the
top guys, but they can usually disguise it better)

JAMES HOWARD: Jeff Hardy is a terrific highflyer and a good technical
wrestler, but could improve his brawling a bit. Tajiri is a terrific
technical wrestler and a good brawler, but could improve his highflying a
bit. Chris Benoit is a terrific technical wrestler, a terrific brawler,
and a good highflyer - *and* he makes his opponents look good. And he also
headbutted Stephanie McMahon dead. Your winner, ladies and gentlemen. :)

GEORGE JOHNSON: I've never seen a Benoit match that wasn't at least
watchable.

JEREMY SORIA: Chris Benoit, Chris Jericho, and Kurt Angle, without any
hesitation. No one's worked harder at the wrestling this year than those
three.

RICK SCAIA: I consider "Best Worker" to be something of an amalgam of the
"Best Flyer" and "Best Technical Wrestler" and "Best Brawler" categories,
with maybe a few minor intangibles (such as bump-taking, use of
psychology, and the charisma to tell a story and involve a crowd) thrown
in for good measure.  When I weighed everything, I decided to give my nod
for Best Worker this year to Yoshihiro Tajiri...  I just think that they
guy is the total package: he flies, he chain wrestles, he can go balls-out
toe-to-toe with fists and kicks, and he's got great fan support
considering he doesn't speak a word of English.  His matches are just a
pleasure to watch.  Chris Benoit doesn't fly much these days, but he's
still a superb technical wrestler and a very capable brawler, which gets
him #2 on this list.  Just to piss off the smarks who tend to equate
hurricaranas and moonsaults with "workrate," I'm giving #3 to Triple H,
who is an excellent brawler, a solid bump-taker, and a man with a great
handle on translating good work into a story that the fans will get into.

JEREMY DELINE: I know Benoit's going to win Best Worker, so I'm not voting
for him (boy, will my face be red if he doesn't get it by 1 vote).
Instead, a few other workers who I've consistantly enjoyed-Tajiri has been
the best thing about ECW for me this year-every match he does is intense,
watchable, and tells a story. Lance Storm is a close second, both for his
work in ECW, and his presence in WCW-he seems to be one of the few people
there at the moment putting a consistant effort into all his matches. I'm
going with Christian for third. He sort of reminds me of Shawn Micheals
right before he threw Janetty through a window head-first. I hope that
doesn't mean Edge is turning into Marty...

NATHAN LONEY: Crisp matwork.  Strong chain wrestling.  Awesome suplexes.  
Chris Benoit is the best worker in the world.  Yoshihiro Tajiri is very
talented in the ring.  I'm disappointed that I haven't seen his rolling
leg splits in a while, but as long as he keeps kicking people and working
his solid mat game (and stays the hell AWAY from tables and chairs), I
won't complain.  Dean Malenko is lacking some suplexes, but if he busts
out that awesome top-rope DDT a few more times, I won't complain.  Great
wrestler.

BILL LEHECKA: Is there anyone out there that makes his opponent look
better than Chris Benoit?  He's been involved in a lot of memorable
matches this year.  His program with the Rock made the Rock a better
wrestler for it.

NATE PATRIN: Special Honors to the Rock and HHH for their PPV efforts.

BLAZEJ SZPAKOWICZ: Is it just me, or does Chris Benoit seem to have had
the best match of the night on something like two out of every three RAWs
and Smackdown!s? Triple H has had the higher peaks this year, as evidenced
by the fact that most of the top contenders for MOTY involve him, but
Benoit has been far more consistent, so he beats H by a nose. (Sorry!)
Jeff Hardy gets third for almost killing himself on a weekly basis.

KEVIN SMITH: I give the nod to HHH over Benoit here simply because HHH is
so well-rounded. He can brawl as good as anybody and he's a very competent
wrestler when against the right opponent.

THE TALBOTS: I think the important one to note in this category is The
Rock. He's improved his workrate by leaps and bounds. He's continually
adding to his arsenal (although in some areas he needs work...his is the
worst Sharpshooter I've ever seen). The fact is, The Rock is improving
himself in the main event while others tend to stagnate there.

LAWRENCE BENEDETTO: Write-in for Hardcore because when he broke his arm,
he continued to wrestle for over a minute! When I watched the tape, it was
painful to see every move he worked through. That was all guts.

TANVIR RAQUIB: People damn well better know who Chris Benoit is. He's the
best worker in the biz. Chris Daniels makes Worldwide crowds know he's
coming close to God-like status in 5 minute jobs. Fah real.

RAVI MISRA:  Triple H edges out Benoit here only due to the prominence he
had in the WWF before Benoit arrived.  I wouldn't be surprised to see
Benoit as a champion, or once again winning this category next year,
though.

TOM CRUZ: I find it odd that Christian was nominated, but not Edge.
Furthermore, just who the hell is Mohammed Yone? The Iron Sheik's nephew?
Cameraman, ZOOM!

NICK RANGEL: Heyman is really missing the boat with Tajiri.  Sacrificing
him to Rhino was a tragedy, and his continued presence on the mid-card
only magnifies that fact.

JEFF "FRO" WAHLMAN: I'm a follower so I'm voting Benoit.  HHH had a great
year but didn't ALWAYS work like Benoit does. Jeff Hardy gets it for
killing himself on a nightly basis.  Giving as much as you can is really
all we net marks ask (and why we hate Hulk Hogan).

PHIL PRZYBYLO: Because of this year, I have become what I almost detested
not too long ago:  a Benoit mark.  Every match is so intense.  And he pays
attention to the tiniest of details that make the matches worthwhile.  
Booker T comes in second as he is the only reason to watch WCW anymore.  
And Triple H comes in third for putting on many classic matches.

C McMURTRY: Chris Benoit still remains, all around, the best wrestler in
the world, and was able to add more names to his list of people who had
their best match ever with him this past year. CIMA is my favorite
puroresu wrestler to watch, not only because of his workrate, but because
of his heelish actions. And the best part is, he is only going to get
better. And HHH had more great matches that I saw than anybody else all
year, so it would be foolish to leave him off, even if his ring style
isn't as stunning as others nominated.

JBELL55146: Comon', like Benoit isn't going to win! Nobody is even in the
same ball game as him. While Triple H might not be 'The best technical
champion in WWF history' as Jim Ross says, he is pretty damn good in his
own right. And Chris Jericho is able to have passable matches with Kane
and Chyna, he must be doing something right.