Best Brawler

Award Description:

To be given to the wrestler who brawled his/her way through the year most
convincingly. This award would go to Frank "Bruiser Brody" Goodish if he
were still around. In 1994, this award was split into two: North American
and Non-North American.  In 1998, it was recombined.

Previous Winners:

  1991: Stan Hansen
  1992: Cactus Jack
  1993: Big Van Vader
  1994: (NA)     Cactus Jack
  1994: (non-NA) Stan Hansen
  1995: (NA)     Cactus Jack
  1995: (non-NA) Stan Hansen
  1996: (NA)     Mankind (Cactus Jack)
  1996: (non-NA) Terry Funk
  1997: (NA)     Mankind
  1997: (non-NA) Stan Hansen
  1998: Mankind (Cactus Jack / Mick Foley / Dude Love)

**1999**: Mankind

345 first place votes
330 second place votes
318 third place votes

135 56 31  905   Mankind
 78 54 28  608   Steve Austin
 13 19 27  176   Bradshaw
 17 17 11  158   Fit Finlay
 12 17 17  145   Chris Benoit
 10 11 17  117   Raven
  5 16 20  113   Hak (Sandman)
  9  9 13   98   New Jack
  5  8 16   81   Rock
  6 12  7   80   Mike Awesome
  6  9  5   67   Balls Mahoney
  4  9 10   67   Masato Tanaka
  1 12 11   63   Hardcore Holly
  2  8 11   56   Al Snow
  4  6  8   54   Tommy Dreamer
  1 10  9   53   Dudley Boyz
  2  6  9   46   Bam Bam Bigelow
  2  5  8   41   Goldberg
  1  4 11   39   Taz
  3  5  2   34   Kane
  3  3  5   34   Vader
  3  4  2   31   Faarooq
  3  1  3   24   Sabu
  0  6  3   24   Road Dogg
  2  1  4   21   Aja Kong
  4  0  0   20   David Finlay
  1  3  0   14   Big Bossman
  2  0  1   12   Sid Vicious
  0  2  3   12   Undertaker
  0  0  5   10   Triple H
  1  0  2    9   Justin Credible
  1  1  0    8   Mayumi Ozaki
  1  1  0    8   Lioness Asuka
  1  0  1    7   Meng
  0  1  2    7   Rhino
  1  0  0    5   Tomoaki Honda
  1  0  0    5   Juggernaut
  1  0  0    5   Ian Rotten
  1  0  0    5   Disco Inferno
  1  0  0    5   Daisuke Ikeda
  1  0  0    5   Cactus Jack
  1  0  0    5   British Bulldog
  0  0  2    4   Ken Shamrock
  0  0  2    4   Hulk Hogan
  0  1  0    3   Vampiro
  0  1  0    3   Scott Hall
  0  1  0    3   Sandman
  0  1  0    3   Rick Steiner
  0  1  0    3   Pierroth Jr.
  0  1  0    3   Norman Smiley
  0  1  0    3   Michelle Starr
  0  1  0    3   Las Cachorras Orientales
  0  1  0    3   Kyoko Inoue
  0  1  0    3   Kevin Nash
  0  1  0    3   Corporal Robinson
  0  1  0    3   Chyna
  0  1  0    3   Bret Hart
  0  0  1    2   Steve Blackman
  0  0  1    2   Shinobu Kandori
  0  0  1    2   Shane McMahon
  0  0  1    2   Scott Norton
  0  0  1    2   Psychosis
  0  0  1    2   Mima Shimoda
  0  0  1    2   Mad Man Pondo
  0  0  1    2   Gangrel
  0  0  1    2   Diamond Dallas Page
  0  0  1    2   Brooklyn Brawler
  0  0  1    2   Big Show
  0  0  1    2   Beau James

REJECTED

  0  1  0        D-Generation X

CHRIS BIRD: Mick Foley had a lousy year this year, so Steve Austin, Hak,
and Ballz Mahoney (so sue me. I like Ballz Mahoney) get the nod.

EDC: No one new stepped up in the Tech dept this year, so it goes to the
usual suspects. Triple H might get there if he continues to dismatel
people like he has in the last 2 months.

CYBERAL33: Chris Benoit is a tremendous pure wrestler and that's also what
makes him Best Brawler. It gives him an added dimension and adds
psychology to seemingly wild brawls. Vader is a stiff worker and his
punches have looked better and better this year in All Japan. Mick Foley
makes a match just by giving up his body and this year has been no
exception despite the outcry that he's giving his body a rest (see: I Quit
match with the Rock).

K. CANZANELLA: Chris Benoit is still the best brawler. Number two is
Pierroth Jr. because you take your average EMLL brawl and then you compare
it to a brawl with Pierroth in it and you see that the second makes the
other look like a Rock/Austin match in comparison. It's a shame they
didn't go through with his fued v. Santo Jr. I guess AAA Psicosis will get
my third. He's not tremendous or anything but his brawls are entertaining
and he is willing to take huge bumps.

MR. JF: Austin's matches are basically brawls, and Austin's matches are
generally pretty good. Hence, he gets this award. No one else is as
consistant in delivering good brawls as he is. Foley hasn't had a good
year match-wise, so he gets left out.

SVEN MASCARENHAS: When he wants to, Chris Benoit could be a better brawler
than anyone. Just looking at the snap in his chops (and the complete lack
of emotion with which he delivers them) makes him tops. Before the injury,
Fit Finlay was entertaining as hell to watch, and Bradshaw has the
potential to be a great Stan Hansen-like asskicker. He finally saw some of
that come out this year as part of the Acolytes - having Jeff Hardy around
to sell your finisher doesn't hurt.

AARON: Bradshaw is a sorely underrated brawler. He has the most legit
looking punches around, and those barfights are only going to serve to get
him over more. Mike Awesome and Masato Tanaka turned a certain piss break
match into the sleeper math of the year at last year's Heatwave, and
continued their trends this year. Oh, and Bradshaw =3D ass kicker.

OCTAVIAN:  Interesting to note that my top three brawlers (Austin,
Mankind, and Rock) all held the WWF title this year.  Maybe not so
surprising considering the majority of the championship matches on ppv had
a large amount of brawling filler through the crowds and by the entrance
way.

DON BECKER: The best brawler should be one whose brawls look legit, in
which case David Finlay gets this one - can't go wrong with Irish
badasses.  Bradshaw is starting to remind me more and more of Stan Hansen
with better eyesight, and he's really come into his own.  Masato Tanaka
gets a nod for sheer violence and the physical abuse he's willing to take.

SHAWN MULLIN: Considering how he carried like 6 PPV main events with his
brawling skills, I'd saw Austin gets the nod here.  Mick and Benoit both
add more to brawls than your average hardcore shmo, at least their brawls
have something of substance to them.

MAX CHITTISTER: Mankind, Bradshaw, and Snow. Three guys who don't need
goofy things to hit people with.

JBELL55146: This should be renamed The Mick Foley Award!

PAUL SHOCK: They should rename this the Foley Award.  Why is Bradshaw on
the ballot, but not Faarooq?

BLOB: Mankind is known for his great brawling and had a couple of good
brawls within the past year. Goldberg is a very underrated brawler and
Masato Tanaka has had insane brawling this year.

JOHN C.:As long as Mick Foley is wrestling he has this award wrapped up,
end of discussion.

RICHARD BEAUBIEN: The Mick Foley award goes to...Mick Foley!! Despite
being banged up and hurt, Foley continues to deliver solid and fun brawls
for the public. Benoit comes in second because of the solid brawling
aspect to his offence, including the best chops in the game. Austin comes
in third as his brawls are always fun to watch for a bit of good mayhem.

JOE GENTILE:  Mankind, hobbled and hurt is still the best brawler in the
game. Second goes to Dreamer, for his incredible efforts in ECW.  Mike
Awesome is just that. He gets third.

JAMES GOWDEY: Funny, Austin, Mankind, and Snow are all in
WWF...*coughLESSPUNCHINGWWFcough*

SEAN FLYNN: I like New Jack's psychotic brawls_.maybe it's the background
music, I don't know.

BEN MILLER:  Austin's matches are all brawls, and almost always good.  
Foley, due to giving the fans everything they asked for and much more for
a decade, tapered off.  Benoit is great, but limited brawls keep him at 3.

KEVIN WONG: Fit Finlay deserves to be best brawler, basically because he
makes it look half-decent.  Now can someone explain why he's hanging with
the Blue Bloods??

B. SZPAKOWICZ: How many years running has some version of Mick Foley won
this now? :) Steve Austin gets second. All he does any more *is* brawl,
but he still puts in a good performance every time out (despite popular
opinion to the contrary) . Finally, Road Dogg was the best (I'd say the
only good) WWF hardcore champion, so he gets the third spot.

RYAN GRANT:  Becoming one of the best brawlers in the business is why
Steve Austin has been able to stay at the top of the heap.  It's also why
Mankind still (kinda) has a career.  Al Snow was also very good this year
in the Hardcore ranks.

JEREMY SORIA: Mankind? Higher than Stone Cold? Yes, it's possible! Who's
been out busting more ass than Stone Cold these days? Mankind! Chris
Benoit is still one mean badass who can brawl as well as he can wrestle.

JUSTIN JONES: What does "Best Brawler" mean, anyway? Brawling isn't really
wrestling, is it? What the hell, Mick was better than anyone else at it.

HEATM:  Mankind had wild brawls with Rock, Austin and Big Show among
others.  He's easily #1.

OTTO "HACK-MAN" HEUER: For Best Brawler I was tempted to vote for both Fit
Finlay and Dave Finlay, since they were listed separately on the ballot,
but decided that After Benoit and Fit, I'd have to include Raven, who had
some nice brawls in WCW early in the year.

MDB: Finlay has got to be one of the toughest guys on Earth.  There's just
no stopping him.