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

344 first place votes
340 second place votes
338 third place votes

159 60 19 1013   Chris Benoit
 19 30 18  221   Jeff Hardy
 24 17  9  189   Mankind
 12 21 23  169   Jerry Lynn
 10 25 20  165   Eddie Guerrero
 19  9 13  148   Rob Van Dam
 11 16 17  137   Chris Jericho
  6 14 16  104   Bret Hart
  4 16 17  102   Dean Malenko
  4 11 23   99   Kidman
 14  6  2   92   Mitsuharu Misawa
  3 10 14   73   Edge
  3  9 15   72   D'Lo Brown
  5  8  8   65   Yoshihiro Tajiri
  3  6 11   55   X-Pac
  4  8  4   52   Owen Hart
  3  5  9   48   Matt Hardy
  4  5  6   47   Juventud Guerrera
  3  6  2   37   Kenta Kobashi
  1  4  8   33   Shane McMahon
  3  3  3   30   Rey Mysterio Jr.
  1  3  8   30   Lance Storm
  1  4  6   29   Super Crazy
  2  2  5   26   Jushin Liger
  1  3  6   26   Kane
  0  5  5   25   Perry Saturn
  1  4  2   21   Steve Austin
  2  3  0   19   Sting
  2  2  1   18   Sabu
  2  2  1   18   Rock
  1  2  3   17   Val Venis
  1  1  4   16   Toshiaki Kawada
  0  3  2   13   Al Snow
  2  0  1   12   Diamond Dallas Page
  1  1  2   12   Great Sasuke
  1  1  1   10   Mike Awesome
  0  2  2   10   Masato Tanaka
  0  1  3    9   Psychosis
  1  0  1    7   Triple H
  1  0  1    7   Test
  1  0  1    7   Ric Flair
  1  0  1    7   Malia Hosaka
  1  0  1    7   Jun Akiyama
  0  1  2    7   Magnum Tokyo
  0  2  0    6   Lexie Fyfe
  0  2  0    6   Hardcore Holly
  0  0  3    6   Goldberg
  1  0  0    5   Taz
  1  0  0    5   Mona
  1  0  0    5   Mariko Yoshida
  1  0  0    5   Kyoko Inoue
  1  0  0    5   Kurt Angle
  1  0  0    5   Disco Inferno
  1  0  0    5   Chavo Guerrero Jr.
  0  1  1    5   Taka Michinoku
  0  1  1    5   Shiima Nobunaga
  0  1  1    5   Norman Smiley
  0  1  1    5   Manami Toyota
  0  1  1    5   Koji Kanemoto
  0  1  0    3   Shinjiro Otani
  0  1  0    3   Ken Shamrock
  0  1  0    3   Joe E. Legend
  0  0  1    2   Undertaker
  0  0  1    2   Tommy Dreamer
  0  0  1    2   Strawberry Fields
  0  0  1    2   Steve Blackman
  0  0  1    2   Raven
  0  0  1    2   Mayumi Ozaki
  0  0  1    2   Jeff Jarrett
  0  0  1    2   Grandmaster Sexy
  0  0  1    2   David Young
  0  0  1    2   Chyna
  0  0  1    2   Christian
  0  0  1    2   Booker T.
  0  0  1    2   Blitzkrieg
  0  0  1    2   Big Show
  0  0  1    2   Adam Pearce

CHRIS BIRD: Rule #1: Chris Benoit always is the first choice for this
award. Period, end of story, finito, no-further-discussion-Mister-Bond.
Eddie Guerrero had a superb year with tons of great work after returning
from a career-threatening injury (not to mention the terrific stuff he did
before). D-Lo Brown carried the likes of Mideon and Mark Henry to ***
matches, a Herculean feat.

EDC: Best workers is hard one to vote on. Benoit's matches are always
great, And I dig Saturn's ring work. Lance Storm was being wasted in ECW
as a jobber, but now that he has a catchphrase, he gets set up in better
matches. I wonder how the workrateCRU and the DVDVR Players voted on this
one....

GREG DILLARD: What can you say about Chris Benoit?  The internet loves him
and with reason. The guy works stiff, and can wrestle just about every
style around.  Whether brawling, flying, or mat wrestling Benoit is
believable and entertaining.  The top-cage flying headbutts this year may
be the thing that brings the markish fan onto the same bandwagon that the
internet has been on for a while.  Benoit is the best thing going in the
ring today.

SVEN MASCARENHAS: I haven't seen a Jeff Hardy match yet where he doesn't
amaze me. Sometimes it's a little thing, like getting *just* a little bit
extra off the Senton Swandive. Sometimes it's something dramatic, like the
first time I saw the rail runner clothesline. But the kid's already a
star, and he's getting better. Juvy was his usual consistent self, and
Sean Waltman had a good year, carrying a lot of dead wood to good - great
matches.

OCTAVIAN:  Benoit's superior ring psychology actually causes him to slip
to second here behind Super Crazy merely because Crazy's nonsensical
spotfests sends his workrate through the roof.  Kane gets the nod for
third place due to my "for a big man" qualifier.

DON BECKER: The sheer goodness of Chris Benoit in this regard can't be
overlooked, which is why I expect him to win this in a landslide.  Jeff
Hardy will probably end up wheelchair-bound before he's 30 because he's
willing to kill himself for our pleasure.  And you can't forget Magnum
Tokyo, who's involved himself in more ****+ matches in Toryumon than
anyone.

SHAWN MULLIN: Once again, Chris Benoit makes every match he wrestles in
watcheable.  That is an accomplishment considering what one can be forced
to work with in WCW.  Hell, his brawl with Knobbs was a fun match.. that's
Brian fucking Knobbs!  He can wrestle, brawl, fly.. this guy is the
absolute best in North America.  Kidman and Mankind get in here for making
most matches they're in entertaining, but they aren't at Chris' level.

MAX CHITTISTER: Jericho's been workin better than Benoit lately, but
Benoit wins because of Jericho's long layoff. If Edge dumps Christian and
goes full-time solo, he could OWN this category for the next few years.

BLOB: Chris Benoit is the definition of the great worker. All wrestlers
will soon be matched up to Benoit to see how great workers they really
are. Jerry Lynn worked his ass off at all of the ECW PPV's especially
Hardcore Heaven 99. Dean Malenko has always been a solid worker and gets
#3 for his work this year.

ADNAN VIRK: Matt and Jeff are actually tied I'd have to say...

BRUNO PULVER: So I think Flair/Bischoff was way better than
McMahon/Austin- so what. McMahon/Austin got the raitings, but
Flair/Bischoff was technically much better fued, too bad most of the fans
disagree with me on that.

GEORGE CARTER: Sadly Shawn Michaels isn't here to win this award so Chris
Benoit is the next best thing. Owen Hart, not to 'suck up' to him, has
ALWAYS been a solid worker, and he proved them in the first five months of
the year.

JOHN C.:Chris Benoit is the best worker in the world but it's a shame he's
not able to show it due to feuds with crap like Rick Steiner and Sid. He
had memorable matches against Hart, Malenko and while he was in NJPW
(that's what I'm told) plus some very good tag matches in early '99 to
solidify his spot as the top worker. Jerry Lynn, from what I saw of him,
can carry anybody to a good match, especially the overrated RVD. Kidman's
only going to get better and I think one day this guy will be at the top
as long as people look at his ability before they look at his size.

RICHARD BEAUBIEN: Answered the same as number 1, reason the same as number
1..

JOE GENTILE:  The matches between Tajiri and Super Crazy were simply the
best series of matches of the year. They get the top two spots.  Lance
Storm takes third for his consistant good efforts.

MYKLL42:Chris Benoit.  Intensity and energy backed up by ability.  And
he'll put his body on the line (note: three diving headbutts from tops of
cages in the calendar year, one diving headbutt onto a chair. MYKLL42:.

SEAN FLYNN: Hardys due to the fact they bring that little extra suicidal
tendency to their work.  Eddy because I like his work more than Benoit's
work.

BEN MILLER:  I know Japanese votes are like throwing votes away, but
Misawa, Kobashi, Kanemoto and a slew of others from Japan and Mexico blew
all the Americans away with Michaels out and Benoit wrestling poor
heavyweights.

B. SZPAKOWICZ: Kidman only gets third this year, since he seems to have
gotten a bit lazy and always seems to do the same damn spots. Top place
instead goes to Jeff Hardy, the most suicidal wrestler in the WWF. He may
not have much of that fancy psych-o-logy stuff, but if he can pull off
spotfests of the calibre of the No mercy Ladder Match, screw psych-o-logy.
Chris Benoit gets second, now that he seems to have started actually
making an effort in his matches again.

COLIN MACKINNON: The only reason Shane's #3 is because he isn't afraid to
put his body on the line.  Hell, Shane's better than half of the WWF's
roster, to put it lightly.  His performance against Test was surprisingly
good, for starters.  To be honest, with a little more training, Shane
could be packaged as a credible wrestler in the WWF, and if they ever
brought the LH Division back... :)

JEREMY SORIA: Mankind getting in the same ranks as Benoit and Malenko?
Yes, it's possible! He may have had a lot gone through him in the previous
nomination year, but during this past year, those things that would seem
to stop other wrestlers most certainly didn't stop Mankind. Benoit and
Malenko are on here as well; they still have a great deal of ability and
they make use of every minute they're wrestling.