All 33 Winners Of Wrestling Observer Newsletter's 2019 Awards REVEALED
Chris Jericho and AEW change the universe, while The Fiend becomes the best AND worst of his kind.
If you've reached this far, you're presumably at ease with Dave Meltzer and his occasionally-divisive contributions to pro wrestling and the discourse around it.
To cut a long story short (and there's something Meltzer can't do), the Wrestling Observer Newsletter drove added value discussion on the profession long before the internet even existed in most forms, then, as it became prevalent, continued to dictate it as the most reliable and consistent version of journalism in an industry that protects the majority of its secrets.
The way we and others consume wrestling in the modern age was crafted by Meltzer's detailed and often dead-on reporting, far more so than the errors or false gossip weaponised by his biggest critics in recent years. He's seen and heard it all - bullsh*t included - and continues to try and sift through it for the good of his readers and his own personal dedication to the thing we all enjoy.
Where much of the above never used to seem necessary, it feels as though discussing takes and opinions tangentially related to his work require a bit of a disclaimer, so here it is; - these awards are fan-voted and of course not presented as some sort of cast-iron fact. Here's a quick skim through the best and worst of 2019 as seen through the eyes of his loyal (and growing) subscriber base.
32. Box Office Draw: Chris Jericho
Chris Jericho put a*ses in seats in the Tokyo Dome, drove some rapidfire AEW pay-per-view and Dynamite taping sellouts and helped convince wrestling fans to part with their money to watch events years after Vince McMahon declared the medium as good as dead.
He was 'Le Champion' in both name and nature.