The Scene's 2008 End of Year Awards

As 2008 comes to an end I am completing my third year of publishing the San Antonio Independent Wrestling Scene report, so it is once again time to look back on the year and recognize some of the greatness that was San Antonio Wrestling 2008. Last year’s awards earned me a degree of controversy and I openly admit that I missed the boat on a couple categories, but with exception of Wrestler of the Year (which is voted on by the readers of the Scene, these awards/recognition are all my own. In other words, these are the opinions of one fan. I invite discussion or even arguments and invite other fans to create their own avenues of recognition for the many wrestlers who have risked so much to entertain us all.

San Antonio Independent Wrestling Scene 2008 Awards

Rookie of the Year: 2008 – “Lunar Eclipse” Junior Garza. There were numerous individuals considered for this award including JC Bravo, Drew Lucid, Ryan Genesis, Just Willie, Pink and others but Junior made the biggest splash of the year and showed improvement in virtually every match. On top of this, he is an individual who appears to respect the business in which he hopes to gain a name.

2007 – Draven

2006 – No Award

Busiest Wrestler of the Year: 2008 – Cobra. This young man appeared in more shows within Bexar County than any other wrestler. He also worked numerous shows in surrounding counties. Anyone seeing Cobra in 2008 will have to acknowledge that the increased work load has done wonders in improving his game as well.

2007 – Gabe "the Babe."

2006 – "One Man" Mike Dell

Lady Wrestler of the Year: 2008 – Rachel Summerlyn More women appeared in San Antonio wrestling shows than in previous years, but there were really no breakout performers to unseat last year’s winner Rachel. Angela, Alektra Blue, Claudia Del Solis, Miss Diss_Lexia, Pink and Diamond Icee all had their moments. I look forward to seeing what next year brings.

2007 – Rachel Summerlyn

2006 – Simply Luscious

Luchador of the Year: 2008 – Sicodelico Jr. Last year, I overlooked Sico, because he primarily worked American style shows, but this year, he was everywhere, appearing in no fewer than 5 different promotions in all manner of matches. His Lucha match against Massive and his series of matches with Scot Summers were among his high points during 2008.

2007 – Mini Diablo

2006 – Mr. Muerte

Tag Team of the Year: 2008 – The Sixth Street Sinners (Mr. Right & Gabe the Babe) This pair impressed every time they stepped into the ring together. Whether accompanied by their manager Sin-Sational Sal or on their own, The Sinners showed they could compete with more established teams and more often than not pulling “match of the night” performances. Last year’s absence of a tag team award looks to be an aberration rather than a trend as more teams are being featured on many local shows.

2007 – No Award

2006 – The Texas Treats (Don Juan & Chris Marval)

Referee of the Year: 2008 – Mike Knoxville. Two years ago, San Antonio refs who were worth a damn were limited to Alex Marrozos and Rick Porter. Knoxville was just another one of the numerous workers who looked at being a ref as a way to get time in the ring in hopes of becoming a wrestler. Since realizing that he could accomplish more working behind the scenes and concentrating on being a great referee, Mike has become one of the most valuable members of the ACW team and has become the referee we saw flashes of in 2007. A special nod to Alfred Olivares who has improved immeasurably during the last year he has spent being mentored by Alex Marrozos. Things are really looking up in this area.

2007 – Rick Porter

2006 – Alex Marrozos

Champion of the Year: 2008 – Jimmy Jacobs. No one had the type of year Scot Summers had in 2007. Brett Thunder made a strong case for himself with his J-Cup victory and his title reigns in both TWE and SCW, but Jacobs’s performance at the Lone Star Classic – going through Jerry Lynn, Scot Summers, Dingo and Shawn Vexx solidified his position here, even though I doubt that he will appreciate the recognition.

2007 – "Showtime" Scot Summers

2006 – Hotstuff Hernandez

Breakout Wrestler of the Year: 2008 – (Tie) Brett Thunder and Rachel Summerlyn in just her second full year as a pro wrestler (how did I miss her for Rookie of the year in 2007?) Rachel has gained national recognition in a bourgeoning women’s division. Thunder realized this year that in order to “Breakout” in San Antonio wrestling, he had to get out of San Antonio. Look for both of these wrestlers to continue making waves nationally.

2007 - JT LaMotta

2006 – "One Man" Mike Dell

Storyline of the Year: 2008 – JT LaMotta vs. Jimmy Jacobs and members of Age of the Fall. Whether it was Tyler Black, Delirious and MsChif or the evil mastermind Jimmy Jacobs, it seems that every time JT LaMotta turned around he was being targeted by members of this ROH-based faction.

2007: The Texas Treats Break-Up.

2006 – TWE invades American Championship Wrestling

Match of the Year: 2008 – Brett Thunder vs. Kevin Douglas (J-Cup Finals) There were so many contenders for this award that I literally did not decide until I typed the match. If you ask me tomorrow I might well say something different. Summers vs. Plisken (TnT), LaMotta vs. Thunder (TWE), Summers vs. LaMotta vs. Jacobs (ACW), Summerlyn vs. Del Rey (ACW), & Jacobs vs. Vexx (ACW) were all possible choices. Give me 10 minutes and I’ll come up with 5 more.

2007 – Jerry Lynn vs. Showtime Summers (Lynn wins the IWA-Texas Title in 29:58.)

2006 – Children of Pain vs. Skitzo & Hector Navarro (Tables Match at When Worlds Collide)

Show of the Year: 2008 – ACW’s Lone Star Classic ’08 It seemed like ACW shows were getting better with each show during the latter part of 2008, so making this choice seems natural. There is no reason not to believe that the LSC will be a strong contender of Show of the Year for a long time to come.

2007 – ACW's Lone Star Classic '07

2006 – TWE's When Worlds Collide

Promotion of the Year: 2008 – Warriors 4 Christ Wrestling. I am really going out on a limb inviting controversy on this one. Remember however that even though ACW had tremendous shows every time out, they cut back from about 30 San Antonio shows in 2007 to only 9 in 2008 with an additional 5 in Austin or El Paso. RCW has only been back in action for a handful of shows and has yet to regain its full glory. SCW started the year looking like they had this category nailed down, but then suffered through some set backs that could have killed most promotions. TWE was “on again – off again” for most of the year. The others weren’t able to step up either. W4CW however grew in strength and in quality throughout the year. They legitimately topped 300 in attendance on no fewer than 4 shows. While the wrestling still has much room for improvement, the production quality is top rate and I can firmly assert that no other promotion in the area brought as many new fans to their shows than W4CW. I am counting on the wrestlers and the promoter of W4CW to continue to improve their match quality to the point that they can be viewed as something more than a promotion with more heart than experience and talent.

2007 – Anarchy Championship Wrestling

2006 – River City Wrestling

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 later this week...