The Griend Awards 2017: Best and Worst of Pro Wrestling and MMA

Happy 2018 everybody! So it's been a while since I posted any of these things, but I figured that the first of the year is just about as good a time as any to make my comeback. So here I am, to go over my picks and discuss all the highs and lows of 2017 in the worlds of professional wrestling and mixed martial arts. Surely, everyone's picks and opinions will be different, but that's all part of the enjoyment of being a fan. So without any further ado, here are my choices for the best and worst of 2017:

Best of

Female wrestler

Winner: ​Asuka

When you think about all the progress that the women's movement has made in professional wrestling over the last few years, it actually still amazes me that years ago, women were seen as nothing more than eye candy. A lot of the "divas" hired in those days were models who basically had no training at all, and hadn't even been in a wrestling ring before being signed by the WWE. But last year, there was actually more than one choice in this category, and I'm so happy to see women given all these opportunities nowadays, and put on some classic matches. I was concerned at first when Asuka was called up that she would just get lost in the shuffle like Nakamura, but they've actually done a pretty decent job of keeping her strong, and continuing to push this undefeated streak as a big deal, which it is. She isn't the greatest talker,but her matches are always a pleasure to watch, and her mannerisms and facials always tell a great story, and add to the drama of every match. While there are some other very talented female wrestlers, I really couldn't think of anyone else who stood out in 2017, or made as much of an impact as Asuka clearly did. 

Other nominees:

Charlotte Flair
Alexa Bliss
Ember Moon
Rosemary

Tag team

Winner: The Usos

In all honesty, their heel turn didn't really impress me until they won the titles. Once that happened, it was like they had a rocket attached to their backs. Nothing against American Alpha, whom The Usos first won the titles from, but they just weren't connecting with the audience the way The Usos have. After winning the titles back in March 2017, they had an incredible feud with The New Day, which almost set a new standard in tag team wrestling, as the two teams consistently had outstanding matches, and what really impressed me about The Usos is that they were able to keep up with The New Day on the microphone as well. Aside from that, these guys totally reinvented themselves by changing their ring gear and promo style, which you really have to admire. 

Other nominees:

The Bar (Cesaro and Sheamus)
The Young Bucks
The New Day
The Motor City Machine Guns

Announcer

Winner: ​Nigel McGuinness

While I was excited that he was brought in to call the U.K. tournament last January, I thought it was just be a one-off, and I was very pleased that the WWE decided to keep him around. The other fear that I had is that once Nigel was under the WWE umbrella, he would be "muzzled" like so many others have been over the years, but I do always enjoy hearing Nigel's voice, as he educates the fans from a wrestler's perspective, explaining the psychology of the match, and I love it when he throws in references as well, to certain hot topics. Nigel has done a really good job with everyone he's worked with, and I hope that they eventually use him as the color guy for Smackdown, as I find it extremely unnecessary to have Graves call both main shows. 

Other nominees:

Corey Graves
Mauro Ranallo
Joe Rogan
Tom Philips

Angle

Winner: ​Chris Jericho attacks Kenny Omega in Japan

As someone who doesn't follow New Japan regularly, I have to say that the announcement of this match was intriguing enough, as it's rare to see an inter-promotional contest, and the fact that its happening in Japan of all places is enough to garner some mainstream attention. But then you pair it with an angle like this, and you have a compelling co main event for an already stacked card. I think there are a lot of casual New Japan fans such as myself who will probably be finding a way to watch this show just for this one match. They really didn't even need to do the angle, but I'm glad they did, because it just made this contest that much more enjoyable. 

Other nominees:

Kevin Owens assaults Vince McMahon (This would have been my choice for angle of the year if it didn't culminate with a match against Shane)
The Festival of Friendship
Braun Strowman flips over an ambulance, with Roman Reigns inside
The Bullet Club kicks out Adam Cole (literally)

Match

Winner: Kenny Omega vs. Kazuchika Okada (Wrestle Kingdom 11)

Again, I'm a very casual fan of NJPW, but I decided to check this show out, because I did see a Wrestle Kingdom show a few years ago that really impressed me. I had heard a lot about Omega, and had seen some of his previous matches, but I think this may have been his best one to date. Actually, this was the only match in their trilogy that I did see last year, and I'm sure if I had seen the other two matches, it would have increased my appreciation for this one even more, because the first one is usually always the best one. Aside from their other two matches, I really didn't think there was any other match in 2017 that really had me at the edge of my seat from beginning to end.

Other nominees:

The Young Bucks vs. The Motor City Machine Guns (ROH Death Before Dishonor XV)
The Shield vs. The New Day (WWE Survivor Series)
Tyler Bate vs. Mark Andrews (WWE U.K. Special)
Marty Scurll vs. KUSHIDA (ROH Best in the World)
Brock Lesnar vs. Samoa Joe vs. Braun Strowman vs. Roman Reigns (WWE SummerSlam)

Feud

Winner: ​Team Alpha Male vs. T.J. Dillashaw

I had to turn to MMA for this one, because it was such an intense rivalry, and the hatred was real. It started a couple of years ago when Dillashaw supposedly deserted the Alpha Male training camp for Duane Ludwig's. Conor McGregor then added some fuel to the fire with a snide remark during a weigh-in on a previous Ultimate Fighter season, basically labeling Dillashaw as a snake. Things certainly heated up during the Spring 2017 Ultimate Fighter season where Dillashaw was coaching against former Alpha Male teammate turned bitter rival, Cody Garbrandt. Things got so bad that the two almost came to blows on the set of the show, which probably would have jeopardized their scheduled title bout in November, which ended with Dillashaw knocking Garbrandt out, and regaining the bantamweight title. That outcome, however, was not without controversy, as an earlier round saw Garbrandt about to put Dillashaw away with some fists of fury, only for Dillashaw to be saved by the buzzer. And I think that might be enough to earn Garbrandt a rematch, even though Dillashaw implied at the end of the fight that he may be moving down a weight class to challenge flyweight champ Demetrious Johnson.

Other nominees:

The New Day vs. The Usos
Roman Reigns vs. Braun Strowman
Jon Jones vs. Daniel Cormier
Kenny Omega vs. Kazuchika Okada

Gimmick

Winner: ​Rusev Day 

I never thought that something so simple would get over so huge, but then the "What?," "Yes!," and "Woooo!" chants have all proven me wrong. So why not? When Rusev was defeated by John Cena at Battleground and they simply dropped his "Title shot or else" demand at Money in the Bank, the month prior, I honestly didn't think he would be anything more than an afterthought on Smackdown! Live. Getting beaten by Randy Orton in about 10 seconds at SummerSlam didn't really help matters either, but I think pairing Rusev with Aiden English was probably the best thing for both guys. English finally has a role on Smackdown! Live, and Rusev is starting to get over again. When you think about how stupid this whole thing sounds, it really amazes me that fans just eat it up.

Other nominees:

The Fashion Files
"The Villain" Marty Scurll
"The Bruiserweight" Pete Dunne
Velveteen Dream

Best on the mic

Winner: ​Kevin Owens

I don't think there will be any argument here. He's gotten over everything he's been a part of this year, and whether the camera is still rolling or not, his mental camera is always on. Owens is such a pleasure to watch, and he's been blessed with the gift of gab, which is actually of higher importance than in-ring ability when you think about all the top guys who were all strong talkers, but not all great in-ring performers. Having said that, I have a feeling that Kevin Owens will be in his current top position for a very long time. 

Other nominees:

Paul Heyman
Chris Jericho
John Cena
The Miz

Comeback of the year

Winner: Georges St. Pierre

There were a lot of people in and out of the fight business, who took issue with GSP coming back after a four-year absence, and immediately getting a title shot, and in a division that he's never even competed in, in the UFC. Whether those arguments were justifiable or not, St. Pierre certainly proved the naysayers wrong at UFC 217 with a very convincing win over Michael Bisping. Beating Bisping is no easy task in itself, but choking him out is almost impossible; but not if you're GSP. After four years, St. Pierre proved that he's still one of the best in the business, and became one of only a handful of individuals to win belts in different weight classes. 

Other nominees: 

Kurt Angle
Cody Rhodes
The Hardy Boys (to WWE) 
Petey Williams

Most improved

Winner: ​Braun Strowman

He's not the most talented in-ring performer, or even the best talker, but he plays the unbeatable monster character very well, and his weaknesses are also well hidden. He's managed to get over, based on booking alone, and he's had the opportunity to work with some very talented individuals who had no problem selling for him, most notably Roman Reigns, who many would argue is not a great worker himself, but considering the feud that these two had last year, I strongly disagree. I think Reigns was just a victim of bad timing, while Strowman's timing couldn't have been better, as they were short on the monster heel side in 2016. 

Other nominees: 

Alexa Bliss
Carmella
Dalton Castle (Never been a fan of his ring style, but the match he had with Cody was pretty good)
Patrick Clark (Velveteen Dream)

DVD

Winner: ​Fight Owens Fight!

They actually had a lot of good ones this year, but this was one of the few that actually had a documentary, although I didn't think that the Rollins one needed it. I enjoyed the story, as it really gives hope to people that are told that they can't do it, and as unique an individual as KO is, I think it was Neville, or it might have been Jimmy Jacobs, who said that Owens is a heavyweight who moves like a cruiserweight, which couldn't be more accurate. Without giving too much away, there was one part of the documentary involving Owens' young daughter, which kind of brought out the human side of Kevin Owens, which is really an essential element of these DVD packages. It just goes to show how good of a performer that Kevin Owens is, as his on-screen persona and his real-life personality are worlds apart it seems. I remember an ROH show that I attended in 2012 as a reporter for Slam! Wrestling, and it was the night that Owens won the ROH title from Davey Richards. I saw Owens after the show, and congratulated him, but when I asked him for an interview, he said that he needed to speak with his family first, which I respected. However, rather than arrogantly dismissing me or verbally assaulting me like another former WWE and ROH star once did, Owens said that if I was willing to wait about fifteen minutes, he'd make sure that I was the first wrestling journalist he spoke to. Unfortunately, I was short on time, so I never got that interview, but I thanked him anyway, and while you might not think it when you see him on TV, he is hands down one of the nicest guys I've ever met in the business, and I hope he makes it far. 

Other nominees: 

WrestleMania Monday
Seth Rollins: Building the Architect
Diamond Dallas Page: Positively Living (Another extremely nice guy)

Wrestling pay per view

Winner: ​WWE WrestleMania 33

What a difference a year makes. WrestleMania 32 was almost embarrassing, considering that Shane McMahon was in the co main event, but this one was a major improvement. It actually felt like a WrestleMania, as there were a number of surprises and big things going down. I liked that they had J.R. call the main event, for what could be The Undertaker's last match. Rob Gronkowski getting involved in the battle royal was a nice touch, and I liked the way they teased that The New Day would be in the tag title ladder match, before revealing The Hardy Boys as the mystery team. All of the matches told great stories, and I didn't think there was a particularly bad match on the card. 

Other nominees:

WWE Survivor Series
Wrestle Kingdom 11
ROH Death Before Dishonor
TNA Slammiversary

MMA pay per view

Winner: UFC 217 (BIsping vs. GSP) 

With three title changes on this card, legends returning, and considering that it all took place in the world's most famous arena, it's hard to argue that this wasn't the best card of the year. 

Other nominees:

UFC 211 (Miocic vs. Dos Santos 2)
UFC 214 (Cormier vs. Jones 2)
UFC 216 (Ferguson vs. Lee)
Mayweather vs. McGregor super fight card

MMA fight

Winner: Conor McGregor vs. Floyd Mayweather, Jr.

I think the hype surrounding this fight alone was enough for it to win this category. McGregor did a lot more to add interest to this fight, and it always amazes me to see exactly what this man is capable of. He had no issue at all with stepping out of his comfort zone and entering "Money" Mayweather's world. Everyone was counting McGregor out in this fight, and while he did lose, I thought he put on an impressive performance, especially in the earlier rounds, where even the boxing announcers were singing his praises, as they were in disbelief that McGregor actually won a couple of rounds. I think a rematch is both out of the question and unnecessary, as neither of these guys really have anything left to prove, and it's just one of those things that are once in a lifetime, which probably solidifies this as fight of the year even more. 

Other nominees:

Georges St. Pierre vs. Michael Bisping (UFC 217)
Jon Jones vs. Daniel Cormier (UFC 214)
Tyron Woodley vs. Stephen Thompson (UFC 209)
T.J. Dillashaw vs. Cody Garbrandt (UFC 217)

TV Show

Winner: The Ultimate Fighter season 25

I once again had to turn to MMA for this category, as no wrestling show really stood out to me last year. This season of The Ultimate Fighter was always entertaining to watch, as you had two coaches who legitimately hated each other, and the tension was real. It also made the fights themselves more entertaining to watch, as neither coach wanted to be bested by the other, so they were both very careful when determining fight picks. 

Other nominees:

WWE Smackdown! Live
ROH TV
WWE NXT

MMA fighter (female)

Winner: Rose Namajunas

She secured two very convincing wins in 2017 over two of the division's finest. She first submitted Michelle Waterson in April, and then knocked out the former champion Joanna Jedrzejczyk in November to become the new straw weight champion, which is no easy task at all. Needless to say, 2017 was very kind to Namajunas.

Other nominees: 

Joanna Jedrzejczyk
Amanda Nunez
Cris Cyborg
Valentina Shevchenko

MMA fighter (male)

Winner: Demetrious Johnson

This was another easy choice. To me, this is a guy who has really been flying under the radar in this category in recent years, as he isn't someone you immediately think of when you hear UFC or MMA. He's not a huge draw, which is really no fault of his own. The fact is that he's just so good that he's running out of challengers. They actually had an Ultimate Fighter season in 2016 for the sole purpose of finding someone to fight this guy. And to this day, he remains the only Flyweight Champion in UFC history, ending 2017 with an impressive submission victory over Ray Borg.

Other nominees:

Max Holloway
Georges St. Pierre
Tyron Woodley
Robert Whittaker

Male wrestler

Winner: ​A.J. Styles

I picked him last year in this category as well, and really, how could I not? He had a much better 2016 than 2017, but he continues to improve on the microphone, and has always been talented in the ring. He's so talented that he got a 4-star match out of Shane McMahon at WrestleMania, another classic with John Cena at The Royal Rumble, a great match with Brock Lesnar at Survivor Series, and an impressive series of matches with Kevin Owens last Summer. The WWE had so much faith in him that they gave him the match against Lesnar, instead of Jinder Mahal, and they immediately turned to him to replace Bray Wyatt against Finn Balor at TLC, which was another great match. He continues to rule as the face of Smackdown! Live, and it seems like he's basically WWE's go-to guy when a gap needs to be filled, and they need someone who can put on incredible matches.

Other nominees:

Kevin Owens
Cody
Bobby Lashley
Kenny Omega
Kazuchika Okada

Worst of

Female wrestler

Winner: ​Alicia Fox

This woman has been in the company for way too long, and really hasn't shown any improvement in terms of in-ring work or promos. I found it embarrassing that she was chosen to represent Team Raw at Survivor Series, and as the team captain for that matter.

Other nominees:

Dana Brooke
Mandy Rose
Lana
Allie

Tag Team

Winner: ​The Boys

I don't know who came up with this act, but I really don't think they add anything to Dalton Castle's character, and I don't care for their ring work. I just don't like that they're essentially jobbers, but they're placed in title matches, and attached to the heavyweight champion of the company. 

Other nominees: 

The Singh Brothers
The Ascension
Heavy Machinery

Announcer

Winner: ​Percy Watson

I've really had enough of these three-man announce teams, especially when the third guy doesn't add any knowledge or expertise to the broadcast. Watson is a great example of this. He barely says anything, and when he does say something, it usually doesn't even stick with you. 

Other nominees: 

Byron Saxton
Booker T.
JBL
Michael Cole

Angle

Winner: Randy Orton joining The Wyatt Family

Even though this ridiculous storyline started in 2016, it ended up bleeding into 2017, and got worse and worse as time went by. It seemed like everyone but Bray Wyatt knew a double-cross was coming, and it just wasn't believable at all. It was similar to the time when Orton rejoined The Authority in 2015, after being kicked out, and it was so obvious that he would turn eventually. This was even dumber, because Wyatt is supposed to be this cult leader, who's specializes in mind manipulation, and he's so easily fooled by an unconvincing Randy Orton. Everything about this feud was terrible, but a bad start always leads to an even worse finish.

Other nominees:

Feuding announcers in Impact Wrestling
Bayley, this is your life
Jason Jordan as Kurt Angle's illegitimate son
Alberto El Patron's promo at Bound for Glory

Match

Winner: Randy Orton vs. Bray Wyatt in a House of Horrors match

This was the WWE's bad attempt at trying to recreate The Final Deletion angle from last year, and it failed miserably. It was such a dumb concept, and nothing about it was believable. The timing was also very bad, and it just insulted the audience's intelligence. 

Other nominees: 

Randy Orton vs. Jinder Mahal in a Punjabi Prison match
Rhyno and Heath Slater vs. Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson in a street fight (Raw. It was Rhyno in a dress. Need I say more?)
Hangman Page vs. Kazarian (ROH Global Wars. Page licking up Kazarian's spit was probably the most disgusting thing I've ever seen on a wrestling show, and not entertaining at all)
2017 Royal Rumble match (Simply put, the wrong guy won yet again)
Heath Slater vs. Curt Hawkins (WWE Great Balls of Fire. Such a nothing match to put on a pay per view)

Feud

Winner: ​Randy Orton vs. Bray Wyatt

Like I said earlier, everything about this was absolutely terrible. It didn't do either guy any favours, and I hated that it was the title match at WrestleMania. The matches weren't the greatest, but the acting and storyline progression was even worse. I hated that they had Orton join The Wyatt Family and win The Royal Rumble, as it pretty much guaranteed that Wyatt was going to be the champion, and I don't understand why they had Wyatt win the title after Orton won the rumble. It was so stupid. Orton never helped Wyatt in any way, not even to win the title, proving that Wyatt never needed him, so why was he in the group to begin with? Wyatt never helped Orton win the rumble either. The only way they could have possibly made sense out of the whole thing was to have Wyatt convince Orton to give him his WrestleMania title shot, and then have Orton win the chamber match. The House of Horrors match was stupid as well, especially since they had it on a Raw pay per view when Orton's on Smackdown, and then make it a non-title match. 

Other nominees:

Jinder Mahal vs. Shinsuke Nakamura
Bray Wyatt vs. Finn Balor
Braun Strowman vs. Kane
Jeremy Borash vs. Josh Mathews

Gimmick

Winner: James  Elsworth as Carmella's dog

Okay, I'll be the first to admit that Elsworth pretty much outlived his usefulness when he turned on Dean Ambrose at TLC 2016, but this was just stupid. I actually found it entertaining when Elsworth and Carmella were first paired together, but the act got very stale very fast. And then they come up with this? I don't even know what this was supposed to be. It wasn't entertaining; it was just stupid. 

Other nominees: 

John Cena as part-timer (Not really a gimmick, but sometimes I don't get the point of bringing him back, when it's not to announce or promote anything, and advances no storylines)
Dolph Ziggler as anti-entertainment character
Mike Kanellis
Sister Abigail

Worst on the mic

Winner: ​Jinder Mahal

A lot of people seemed to take issue with that promo that Jinder cut on Nakamura a couple months back, where he was basically using racial stereotypes to make fun of him. I didn't really find anything wrong with that, as Mahal is a heel, and that's what heels do. What I didn't like in that segment was Mahal's awful delivery. His promos are sometimes unbearable, and that's another reason that I don't think he'll ever be a top guy. The bottom line is that if you can't talk, you're never going to draw any money, unless you're over 7 feet tall. 

Other nominees:

Jason Jordan
Bayley
Alberto El Patron 
Roman Reigns

Most underutilized performer

Winner: ​Dolph Ziggler

When it comes to this category, I usually consider the guys and girls that are capable of selling the most merchandise, having the best matches, and making the company the most money. These are the most valuable people in any industry really. But sometimes that talent goes overlooked. I've chosen Dolph Ziggler for several years now, because I truly believe that he has the full package. He's lacking motivation now, which is painfully obvious, but when motivated, his matches are always fun to watch, he's a selling machine, has a good look and can cut a decent promo. Maybe I'm just seeing something that the company isn't, but this new storyline of him walking out seems interesting, so hopefully they have big plans for him. 

Other nominees:

Cesaro (I would have chosen Cesaro to win this award, but he's just not a great talker, which I think is holding him back)
Ethan Carter III
Jack Gallagher
Mike Kanellis

They really dropped the ball with...

Winner: ​The 2017 Royal Rumble match

I was really excited about this match, considering the top names that were in it, and the endless possibilities, but the end result was not my favourite moment of 2017. I hated the Orton/Wyatt storyline to begin with, and having Orton win the rumble was another classic case of the WWE machine swerving the audience just for the purpose of swerving the audience. They did not, in any way, even suggest Orton as a possibility to win the match. People were already losing it over Roman Reigns coming out as number 30, despite already having a title opportunity earlier in the night. But having Orton win the rumble, knowing full well that everyone hated that feud, was just insulting. 

Other nominees:

The Hardy Boys after losing the titles
Absolution
The Riot Squad (The last two were just identical storylines that ended in the exact same way, and I don't see any point to either of them)

DVD

Winner: Unreleased: Never Before Seen Matches

There weren't really a lot of bad ones this year. Honestly, I really just chose this one because of The Toxic Turtles. Also, the no commentary thing might have swayed me a little.

Other nominees: 

Kurt Angle: The Essential Collection (No documentary)

Wrestling pay per view

Winner: WWE Royal Rumble 2017

I chose this for pretty much the same reasons mentioned above. The wrong guy won, there weren't many surprises, and Goldberg basically squashes Lesnar again.

Other nominees: 

WWE Backlash
WWE Battleground
WWE SummerSlam
WWE TLC

TV show

Winner: ​WWE 205 Live

The cruiserweights are all basically underutilized, but this show is just totally pointless, as nothing of significance ever happens. The matches are okay, but nothing to write home about, and as big a fan of cruiserweight wrestling as I am, I just can't get into it, because I feel like a lot of them are unable to reach their full potential, while under the WWE umbrella.

Other nominees:

WWE Raw
Total Divas
Total Bellas
Lucha Underground

Male wrestler

Winner: ​Grado

I was tempted to choose either Randy Orton or Bray Wyatt for this award, but I didn't, because they're both very talented, and were just victims of bad booking decisions all year round. Grado is a guy that I can never see headlining any shows or drawing any money. He's a comedy act who really isn't even that funny or entertaining; at least not in my opinion. It's amazing that he had his job for as long as he has, because I just don't see someone like that lasting too long in the business, as he represents everything that I hate about wrestling. I'm not saying that I hate comedy in wrestling, because I don't. It just needs to be funny, and I've never watched a Grado match or segment that ever made me laugh. If that's his purpose for being in the industry, then he should probably find another job. 

Other nominees:

Randy Orton
Bray Wyatt
Jason Jordan
Jinder Mahal
Kane