Another year of wrestling, another year of classic bouts, gripping stories, and... inside
informants? Nonetheless, 2024 has been a very fun year of action thus far (unless you are a fan of New Japan...) and has given those of us who dabble in many different promotions a lot to digest. With no shortage of quality shows and individual matches to choose from, AOW has once again come together to provide our list of accolades for the year so far. This article will focus on what we like to call "the best of the best", those who have stood out among the industry this year, while part two will take a look at the matches of the year. So, sit back, relax, and take a scroll through our awards of the year (so far).
*Explaining the points system: Each of our four members submitted their top three picks for each award in order from 1st to 3rd, points were awarded by the system shown above
Event of the Year: AEW Revolution (18 pts)
Runner Up: Marigold Fields Forever ( 5 pts)
One last match, one final hoorah for The Icon, Sting. Though that was the main selling point of this show, every wrestler, from top-to-bottom, made sure it would be a night to remember when AEW put on what many would argue is one of their greatest-ever pay-per-views. Back in the arena that Sting would credit with being the jumpstart to his nearly 40-year career, it was truly a special night.
Opening up the main card with a solid bout between TNT Champion Christian Cage and Daniel Garcia, it felt as though things could only go up from there… and they certainly did. Following this match, fans were treated to one of the best bouts of the night as Eddie Kingston and Bryan Danielson finally put their longstanding rivalry to rest. The only title change of the night would come when Roderick Strong pinned the worn, beaten-down Orange Cassidy for the International Championship. Will Ospreay would make his debut as an official member of the AEW roster in what many would consider one of the best matches of the year against Konosuke Takeshita.
And finally, it was showtime. In a tornado tag match against the newly revamped Young Bucks, Sting would face his final match standing alongside his protege, Darby Allin. From the entrance, to the broken tables, to that Darby Allin spot, this was the grand send-off that The Icon deserved. Overall, a fantastic card that is well deserving of this year’s Event of the Year.
Promotion of the Year: All Elite Wrestling (16 pts)
Runner Up: Stardom & CMLL (Tie, 8 pts)
In the year of 2024, AEW seems to be undeniable. Crossing into its fifth-year anniversary, AEW is almost unrecognizable from its first year on the scene, and we mean that in the best way possible. Flooded with talent from around the world, new and old, it may not be far-fetched to say that AEW has one of the very best rosters ever put together.
If you couldn’t tell by the first episode of Dynamite this year having two of some of the best TV matches of the year in Konosuke Takeshita vs Darby Allin and HOOK vs Samoa Joe, 2024 is AEW’s year to take the ball and run with it. With the acquisitions of major stars such as Will Ospreay, Mercedes Mone, and Kazuchika Okada, AEW is loaded and still has pieces to build with like Daniel Garcia and Mariah May.
Giving more time and fleshing out more stories in the women’s division (headlined by Willow Nightingale, Toni Storm, and Mercedes Mone), Bryan Danielson’s final run as a full-time competitor, Swerve reaching the top of AEW, and a plethora of match of the year contenders has been the passion injection that AEW needed. Now, that’s not to say they don’t have their fair share of low points (we’re looking at you, Learning Tree), but AEW has generally been very solid and worthy of standing just a touch above the rest of their competition.
Best Non-In-Ring Talent: Nigel McGuinness (11 pts)
Runner Up: Prince Nana (10 pts)
An award that came down to a very close vote, Nigel McGuinness takes the cake for the Best Non-In-Ring Talent. Stretching back to his start with the company on commentary, McGuinness has been great in his role; but, over the last 6-8 months it feels like things have really clicked for him behind the desk. Great synergy with just about every member of the commentary team and an almost comedic level of hatred for his longtime foe Bryan Danielson, Nigel McGuinness is a treat to hear every time he graces the commentary desk with his presence.
Tag Team of the Year: Fukuoka Double Crazy [FWC] (13 pts)
Runner Up: The Young Bucks (11 pts)
If you are not familiar with FWC, please get acquainted at your earliest convenience. The tandem of Stardom’s High Speed Genius, Koguma, and the Wildheart, Hazuki, is one of the most fun tag teams to watch in all of wrestling. There’s a level of synergy between these two that is very hard to match, in such a way that it’s almost scary. With their most recent reign as tag champs, FWC has just set the record for most reigns as Goddesses of Stardom Champions.
Though it’s unfortunate that they ended up losing the titles so quickly, FWC made sure to go 100 miles per hour right out of the gate as they beat Crazy Star (Mei Seira and Suzu Suzuki) in what many consider to be the best tag bout of the year. Nearly 25 minutes of sheer brilliance from all four competitors would see FWC pick up the victory and win the Goddesses titles in front of their home crowd. FWC would keep the hits coming with two really strong title defenses against 02line (Miyu Amasaki and AZM) and Wing Gori (Hanan and Saya Iida, another contender for tag team of the year).
Though their reign would end short at just 55 days, FWC gave us enough quality tag team bouts for us to simmer on for the next six months. Whether or not they make another charge for the Goddesses Championships (or compete in the Goddesses Tag League) is to be seen, but for now, FWC brings the first medal home for the STARS family.
Champion of the Year: Mayu Iwatani (15 pts)
Runner Up: Swerve Strickland (5 pts)
If you have been following us since the very first AOW Awards last year, you would know that we typically do some sort of underrated or “sleeper” wrestler of the year. However, this resulted in a very strange 9-way tie in our 2023 End of Year Awards. So, we decided to shake things up a bit and give our choice for the Champion of the Year. For further context (assuming we keep this award for future articles), this does not have to be a current champion but can be anyone who has held a title during the calendar year.
With the explanation out of the way, our choice for the Champion of the Year is none other than the reigning IWGP Women’s Champion, Mayu Iwatani. Kicking the year off hot with her stellar match against Syuri, Iwatani has yet to take her foot off the gas. With a solid bout against Mina Shirakawa to follow and another match of the year contender in a bout against Sareee, Mayu Iwatani has been in fine form in 2024. Though her championship matches are relatively few and far between, it adds to the prestige of the title as she isn’t just handing out title shots to the first person who asks.
Spanning nearly 450 days at the time of writing this, Mayu Iwatani has racked up six very strong title defenses, two of which are considered to be some of the best matches of 2024 (the very reason she claims this spot). Though she is the third champion in the title’s lineage, it feels as though this championship is becoming synonymous with The Stardom Icon through the commodity that is a Mayu Iwatani “big match”. Though there are other strong contenders for this award, the one who currently stands out among the rest is Mayu Iwatani.
Men's Wrestler of the Year: Bryan Danielson & Will Ospreay (Tie, 16 pts)
Runner Up: Swerve Strickland (2 pts)
As much as we thought we could avoid another tie from happening in our votes, there was nothing that we could do to separate Will Ospreay and Bryan Danielson from the Men’s Wrestler of the Year award.
Entering what he has declared to be his final full-time year of in-ring action, Bryan Danielson is going out as only he could. Whereas many wrestlers begin to slow down and show visible signs of decline in the ring, (clearly) there is a case to be made that he is still the best active wrestler walking this Earth. Opening the year with two great bouts in Japan against Kazuchika Okada and Zack Sabre Jr., it seems as though The American Dragon is checking off his bucket list before he sets off to become a (mostly) full-time family man. As time continues ticking towards this inevitable event, all we can do is sit back and continue to witness arguably the strongest final stretch of a wrestler’s career.
On the flip side, Will Ospreay is knee-deep in his prime and continuing to stake his claim as the best wrestler in the world. Closing the chapter on his eight-year tenure in New Japan with an emotional cage match alongside his United Empire faction, Will Ospreay has been one of two titans (in the men’s division) to carry the promotion into their next era (the other being Swerve Strickland). With just his first match as a full-time member of the roster being one of AEW’s best of the year, The Billy Goat hasn’t missed yet in his time with the company. As AEW moves towards All In season, it will be interesting to see if Ospreay will stand toe-to-toe with The Devil in London or if he will defend his International Championship against another member of AEW’s stacked roster.
Women's Wrestler of the Year: Sareee (13 pts)
Runner Up: Mayu Iwatani (11 pts)
Everyone rejoice and give thanks to your Sun God. On a serious note, though, Sareee has been fantastic since returning to Japan in 2023 and her hot streak has continued into this year. At first glance, Sareee just has this aura about her that sucks you into watching what she’s going to do next. The music, the lights, the gear, there’s a presence about her that’s simply undeniable. Don’t let the dimples fool you, though, Sareee is a tough customer and isn’t afraid to go blow for blow with her opponents, regardless of the size difference.
Sareee opened the year with a series of bouts against her longtime rival, Chihiro Hashimoto, in singles and tag action. Not only was her bout alongside Mio Momono against Hashimoto and Mika Iwata one of the best tag bouts of the year so far, but her singles match against Hashimoto just five days later was outstanding as well. Sareee would later cross paths with our runner up to this award, Mayu Iwatani, in one of the year’s best matches for the IWGP Women’s Championship.
Though Sareee came up short, it was the spectacle of two of some of the best wrestlers in the world (regardless of gender) standing across the ring from one another and putting on a classic that made this match so special. With Sareee shifting her focus to antagonizing the Marigold roster and becoming their “ace” while not even officially signed, who knows what the rest of 2024 has in store for the Sun God.
How we voted:
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