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.

Event of the Year:

1. OTT Fifth Year Anniversary – 15pts.

2. wXw 16 Carat Gold N2 – 14pts.

3. NJPW Royal Quest – 12pts.

4. wXw AMBITION 10 – 8pts.

=5. OTT Homecoming 3 & wXw 16 Carat Gold N3 – 6pts.

7. OTT Live in Cork – 5pts.

=8. Sendai Girls UK & wXw World Tag Team Festival N2 – 4pts.

10. Revolution Pro British J Cup – 3pts.

=11. wXw Road to 16 Carat Gold: London, RIPTIDE Brighton Spirit – Show 3, IPW Jr. Heavyweight Championship Tournament & PROGRESS SSS16 N3 – 1pt.

In what has been the closest run category so far – OTT takes yet another award by virtue of the excellent Fifth Year Anniversary show from Dublin’s National Stadium. The card featured a good mix of matches from top to bottom – with high workrate matches like LJ Cleary vs. Scotty Davis alongside comedy matches such as B Cool vs. Orange Cassidy being followed by one of the best matches in European history in Devlin vs. Starr.

Only a single point behind was the traditional big title night of 16 Carat Gold at which we finally saw the crowning of Bobby Gunns at the head of the Essen-based promotion with his victory over Absolute Andy. This show also saw the shock return of WWE’s Alexander Wolfe to wXw after several years in a impromptu Shotgun title match with Marius Al-Ani as well as the criminally underrated showdown between WALTER and Rey Fénix in what was definitely the pick of the weekend’s matches.

2019 saw several non-European promotions make steps into Europe – most notably New Japan Pro Wrestling with their Royal Quest PPV at London’s Copper Box. Arguably the biggest wrestling show held in the UK since NXT Takeover: London in 2015, Royal Quest delivered on the grandeur of the show and gave the London crowd an authentic slice of NJPW action with high-profile matches that mattered! Kazuchika Okada vs. Minoru Suzuki in the main event was sublime.

Another Japanese promotion that came over to the UK in 2019 was Sendai Girls who presented a strong card from Manchester’s Academy One in late August. The show saw rare UK appearances for workers such as Aiger and DASH Chisako – the latter of which had a low-key banger of a match with Kay Lee Ray.

 

Previous Winners:

2018: wXw 16 Carat Gold Night Two

✏️ @MikeKilby