As 2007 comes to an end I am completing my second year of publishing the San Antonio Independent Wrestling Scene report, so it is only right to look back on the year and recognize some of the greatness that was San Antonio Wrestling 2007. Furthermore, last year’s tumultuous December with the controversial Star Warz/Basketball situation prevented me from recognizing achievements for 2006. With that in mind, as I name my choices for recognition for 2007, I will also make mention of those who would have been honored for the previous year.
San Antonio Independent Wrestling Scene 2007 Awards
Rookie of the Year: 2006 – No Award (I honestly don’t know who would have been a rookie in 2006) 2007 – Draven. It should be no surprise that the winner of this award is affiliated with the Texas Wrestling Academy. After changing his trainer, Draven showed incredible improvement in every aspect of his game. Keep an eye on this young man. Others deserving mention: Dynamite Danny Gee and Ronnie the Red.
Busiest Wrestler of the Year: 2006 – “One Man” Mike Dell 2007 – Gabe “the Babe.” No one worked more shows in San Antonio this year than Gabe. In addition to the local shows, Gabe worked shows throughout South Texas as well appearing in Nueva Laredo. Last year’s winner Dell might well have repeated had he not missed several shows following his head injury.
Lady Wrestler of the Year: 2006 – Simply Luscious 2007 – Rachel Summerlyn. Women wrestlers rarely get the attention they deserve in San Antonio, but Rachel seems determined change that, facing any challenger, male or female put in the ring with her, even holding the ACW Tag Team Championship for several months in 2007.
Luchador of the Year: 2006 – Mr. Muerte 2007 – Mini Diablo. Despite losing his match late in the year, this mini had an outstanding year, facing luchadors of all sizes and more often than not, being the most exciting element in all the matches in which he appeared.
Tag Team of the Year: 2006 – The Texas Treats (Don Juan & Chris Marval) 2007 – No Award. Despite a large number of great teams competing in 2007, virtually all the top candidates for this award broke up during the year. Had they stuck together, The Children of Pain (Darin Childs & Jacob Ladder) would probably have won, but it just seems wrong to name a winner in this category after Steve Amos (Jacob Ladder) dissolved this team last month.
Referee of the Year: 2006 – Alex Marrozos 2007 – Rick Porter. Truth be told, San Antonio is fortunate to have two of the best refs in the business. A great ref won’t make a bad match great, but a poor ref can ruin an otherwise great match.
Champion of the Year: 2006 – Hotstuff Hernandez 2007 – “Showtime” Scot Summers. While there were several Champions holding important titles such as Masada and Jerry Lynn, it was Summer’s impressive run in ACW at the beginning of the year that was most impressive, successfully defending against top talent from around the world while helping to define the upstart promotion.
Breakout Wrestler of the Year: 2006 – “One Man” Mike Dell 2007: JT LaMotta. If this was an award for accomplishments throughout the entire state of Texas, Gregory Symonds would probably have won, but in San Antonio, no one came farther in improving their performance and being recognized as one of the very best. LaMotta went from a position of frustration to the pinnacle of San Antonio wrestling in less than a year and now fans, promoters and his fellow wrestlers recognize how good he truly is.
Storyline of the Year: 2006 – TWE invades American Championship Wrestling 2007: The Texas Treats Break-Up. With a story that started in RCW and was touched upon in promotions all over the state and continues into Southern Championship Wrestling, the relationship between Chris Marval and Don Juan Valenz, along with Joey Spector has all the elements of a great wrestling story.
Match of the Year: 2006 – Children of Pain vs. Skitzo & Hector Navarro (Tables Match at When Worlds Collide) 2007 – Jerry Lynn vs. Showtime Summers (Lynn wins the IWA-Texas Title in 29:58.) In a year with so many great matches (including my personal favorite of LaMotta vs. Sydal) any one of a number of matches could be called the best, but the importance of this match, with Jerry Lynn establishing himself as part of the San Antonio wrestling landscape combined with the announcement of the recognition of IWA-Texas makes this match the choice for match of the year.
Show of the Year: 2006 – TWE’s When Worlds Collide 2007 – ACW’s Lone Star Classic ’07. From the first match to the main event, this star-studded show delivered top notch entertainment. In a year filled with great shows, this one stands over the others.
Promotion of the Year: 2006 – River City Wrestling 2007 – Anarchy Championship Wrestling. Although it may upset some people to admit it, it would be hard to dispute the fact that ACW changed the face of wrestling in San Antonio over the course of the year. ACW is clearly the most dynamic promotion in the city and have established themselves as more than just “That Hardcore Match Promotion.”
And Finally,
The Wrestler of the Year…
will be voted on by the readers of The San Antonio Independent Wrestling Scene. Details will be announced Sunday December 23.
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