The first annual EuroGraps.com Awards looks to recognise the very best in European Wrestling. We put our survey out to a carefully selected panel of journalists and fans from all across Europe to select their top three in a number of categories. 2018’s panel was @MikeKilby, @NordieByNature, @Spoilex16, @GaryOnGraps, @ArnoldFurious, @SarahFlann, @JPJipeee, @marv2punkt0, @ManuRomeroGraps, @TheKingofBoom, @RealPhillipDohm and @theianhamilton. Points were awarded with a first choice receiving 5 points, a second choice receiving  3 points and a third choice receiving 1 point. Not every person surveyed voted on every category.

Match of the Year:

1. WALTER vs. Jordan Devlin – OTT Wrestlerama 2 – 28pts.

2. Bad Bones vs WALTER vs Ilja Dragunov – wXw 16 Carat Gold Night 2 – 22pts.

3. WALTER vs. Ilja Dragunov – wXw Superstars of Wrestling 2018 – 9pts.

4.  A-Kid vs Zack Sabre Jr – Triple W Total Rumble 8 – 8pts.

=5. WALTER vs. Zack Sabre Jr. – PROGRESS Ch.77 & WALTER vs. Tyler Bate – PROGRESS Ch.76 – 5pts.

=7. Ringkampf vs Dragunov/Starr – wXw FAN N1, Will Ospreay vs. WALTER – OTT 4th Anniversary & Keith Lee vs Speedball – OTT Homecoming – 3pts.

=10. CCK vs. Aussie Open – Rev Pro Summer Sizzler, More Than Hype vs Rascals/Satomura – OTT FAN, Lucky Kid vs Zack Sabre Jr – wXw Shotgun, Minoru Suzuki vs. Timothy Thatcher – OTT 4th Anniversary & Timothy Thatcher vs. WALTER – PROGRESS Ch.62 – 1pt.

It doesn’t take a expert analyst to see a theme with the match awards. As already established by the Wrestler of the Year award – WALTER was the kingpin of the European scene and probably ended the year with more stars than the Old Firm combined. The top scorer was his bout vs. Jordan Devlin which in its essence was the two best workers in Europe at their absolute best.  Bell to bell this was a excellent match but the rowdy Suir Road crowd cheering on their boy in Devlin against the monster was something to behold. Chops rained down on Devlin but it looked like he might be able to make a comeback on numerous occasions only to be cut down by WALTER. In terms of manichaean good vs. evil bouts – this was wrestling at its purest. The air being sucked out of the room after the final bell with WALTER lifting the belt high will endure as an all-time great moment for Irish wrestling as a whole. Pure gold in wrestling form.

Christian Jakobi said on a media panel once said that “wrestling is all about the moments” – but the main event of Night Two of 16 Carat Gold 2018 will go down as one of the best moments in wXw history. The monumental pop when the apparently retired Ilja Dragunov emerged onto the stage after WALTER announced that the match was a “Three Way Dance” was iconic. This match was near enough perfect – with callbacks to all three competitor’s matches with eachother; especially Dragunov and WALTER’s 2017 16 Carat Gold final and Bones and Dragunov’s match at Anniversary.

The top scoring non-WALTER match was a bit of a sleeper hit – A-Kid and Zack Sabre Jr’s bout at Triple W took a lot of people by surprise considering most fans had only seen A-Kid as a tag team guy alongside Carlos Romo by that point. A-Kid showed the crowd that he was definitely among the elite of Europe by going blow-for-blow and hold-for-hold with one of the best grapplers on the planet. Zack looked like he was beginning to struggle in the heat of La Tabacalera which brings images of those tricky long-haul Champions League away ties in hot/cold climates that seem to trip up the Brits on a near yearly basis. We covered this match in more detail in October here.

✏️ @MikeKilby