The annual EuroGraps.com Awards returns for a second year and 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. 2019’s panel was @MikeKilby, @GaryOnGraps, @Spoilex16, @theianhamilton, @ArnoldFurious, @SarahFlann, @IwanMack, @AnotherOli, and @ManuRomeroGraps. Points were awarded with a first choice receiving 5 points, a second choice receiving 3 points and a third choice receiving 1 point.

Promotion of the Year:

1. Over The Top Wrestling – 31pts.

2. Westside Xtreme Wrestling – 20pts.

3. Revolution Pro Wrestling – 9pts.

4. RIPTIDE Wrestling – 6pts.

=5. ATTACK! Pro Wrestling, Schadenfreude & Friends, Pro Wrestling EVE & Pro Wrestling SOUL  – 3pts.

=9. Fight Factory Pro Wrestling, Fight Club: Pro & Triple W – 1pt.

Once again, the Irish and the Germans left the Brits far behind – however this time it was OTT taking the top honours from wXw by a much larger margin. Somehow escaping a lot of the political and contractual issues which plagued the rest of the European majors, OTT bounced back from the much-feared venue crisis in the early part of the year to run regularly at least once a month with a more domestic focused roster than ever before. It has been said that the companies that nurture and develop their core talents and reward their loyalty will reap the benefits and OTT has benefitted massively in the last twelve months with the emergence of the likes of Valkyrie, Scotty Davis, Liam Royal, Michael May and a rejuvenated B Cool to name a few.

Suffering a lot more from contractual issues, wXw had a tough year with the full-time loss of several of their top stars as a result of WWE NXT UK’s encroachment into the European scene. Mainstays including WALTER, Ilja Dragunov and Toni Storm found their appearances severely limited which meant they had to go back to the drawing board for a while this year – however since the mid-season reset at Shortcut To The Top saw the company recall names such as The Rotation and Mikey Schwarz, promote younger talent such as Norman Harras, Levaniel and Goldenboy Santos and push established roster members such as Avalanche, Pretty Bastards and Jay Skillet further up the card. The company’s ability to save the cursed World Tag Team Festival in October from complete disaster has to be applauded.

2019 was a year in which several smaller promotions carved out niches for themselves in the face of an incredibly turbulent environment. Wimbledon-based vapourwave promotion SOUL began early on in the year and is the brainchild of former wrestler-turned-announcer Slick Lombardo who brought an exciting and humorous brand of wrestling to a public library. Definitely a company to watch for in 2020. Elsewhere, Fight Factory took a real step forward in terms of being a promotion that is worthy of being more than just an academy in Ireland – showcasing raw and exciting talents who improve leaps and bounds every time I see them. Not making the shortlist but worth mentioning anyway are the small UK regional/city based promotions that made a real mark for themselves in 2019 including Breed Pro (Sheffield), Tidal (Leeds), NORTH (Newcastle), Wrestle Gate (Nottingham) and GOOD (London commuter belt area) – all showing tenacity in the post-boom period.

Previous Winners:

2018: Westside Xtreme Wrestling

✏️ @MikeKilby